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The ads are enticing: “Instant cash for your used phones.” So enticing, in fact, that D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier believes that they will encourage theft by giving criminals a quick and easy way to sell stolen phones.
Lanier took to the airwaves Thursday for her monthly “Ask the Chief” segment on WTOP radio (103.5 FM) to announce her “new crusade” against a new kind of mall kiosk, one where cellphone owners — or thieves — can receive up to $250 for a device in working order.
There are six such kiosks, called ecoATMS, within 25 miles of the District, Lanier said.
“This is a problem for me,” she said. The kiosks are “not a good system. I’m sure it’s increasing the problem” of theft.
Faced with a wave of cellphone thefts at the onset of 2012, which leveled off by the end of the year, Lanier became a leading advocate of pushing the wireless industry to honor requests by owners of stolen phones to disable the devices remotely and permanently. Rendering the phones useless makes them worthless on the black market. But Lanier’s newer concern is not founded, said Ryan Kuder, director of marketing for the California-based company that operates the ecoATMs.
The company handles thousands of transactions a day at 300 kiosks across the country, and there are inquiries about the possibility of theft in only one in 5,000 sales, Kuder said.
In the D.C. suburbs, he said three or four stolen phones have shown up in the past six months, and all were returned to their owners.
“Obviously we’re disappointed,” Kuder said. “We do a lot of work to make ecoATMs an unattractive place to get rid of a stolen phone.”
Customers are required to provide valid ID, leave a thumbprint and have their pictures taken before making an exchange, which is done much like a bank machine transaction, Kuder said. The phones are held 14 to 30 days, depending on local laws, to give time for police reports to be completed and investigated. Records of all transactions are available to police on demand.
Kuder said kiosk security cannot immediately determine whether the person selling the phone is the actual owner, but he said his company is working with cellphone companies to get access to serial numbers to do just that. For now, the information is stored and can be used later to identify a potential thief. He said the photo, ID and thumbprint are significant deterrents to criminals.
“We’re fully aware of the fact that theft of cellphones is a problem nationwide,” said Kuder, whose company has a section on its Web site called “Notice to law enforcement” to address concerns. “We have tried to make our kiosks a very bad place for thieves to go.”
Recycling cellphones for profit is not new, according an industry trade group called the CTIA-The Wireless Association. But the idea of exchanges at kiosks appears to be a new concept, said John Walls, an association vice president.
Established ways of getting rid of old phones include returning them to wireless companies. Some, such as Verizon, donate the phones to programs that give free phones to victims of domestic violence, to help them in emergencies.
Representatives of police agencies in Howard and Prince George’s counties, D.C. area jurisdictions where ecoATMs are located, said their chiefs had not heard of theft surges linked to the machines, which are typically placed in suburban shopping malls. The company said it has no immediate plans to put one in the District.
Lanier, who did not respond to requests for an interview, has made other efforts to combat thefts and robberies involving cellphones, which at times have been violent.
Lanier said on the radio that she has been in touch with company representatives, and she described them as cooperative and the talks as encouraging. She did not detail what was discussed.
Lanier said on the radio program that because the company recycles the phones, the information would not be checked against the national database of stolen phones.
Kuder, the ecoATM marketing director, said that is not entirely true. He said 60 percent of the phones are returned to the market, which means that when resold, they would be checked against the database. The rest, he said, are mostly old-style flip phones and are sold to recycling plants and melted down for the materials.


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SINGAPORE: Shops in Sim Lim Square are continuing to sell TV boxes that allow users to stream premium content like movies, TV shows and live sports for a one-time fee.
This is despite the High Court ordering Internet service providers to block access to streaming applications that come pre-loaded in these TV boxes, which are also known as Android boxes.
One app that has been banned is UBTV, which is pre-loaded in a type of TV box called Ubox. UBTV is owned by China-based company Unblock Tech.
Channel NewsAsia visited a shop selling Uboxes on Monday (Nov 26), posing as a customer. The sales assistant there said the UBTV app still works fine. "It's blocked by your network provider, but it can still work," she said.
During setup, she said users can circumvent the ban by installing a pre-loaded app which alters users' Domain Name System (DNS) settings.
"You always have to run this first," she added, demonstrating how to install the app, which then showed the user's new DNS setting. "As long as you have this information, it shows that it’s already linked."
The sales assistant then installed other streaming apps which successfully played live premium TV channels. Some could also download Hollywood movies released as recently as this year.
The shop was selling the Ubox plus a one-year warranty for S$198.
Another shop in the mall displayed a small sign advertising Unblock TV near the TV boxes it was selling. The sign boasted more than 1,000 live TV channels from countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
The sales assistant there declined comment after this reporter identified himself. Soon after, another sales assistant denied that his shop sold UBTV. "We don't sell the illegal ones," he said.
"WE CANNOT DO ILLEGAL THINGS"
Two other shops in Sim Lim Square were also selling TV boxes which they said are unaffected by the ban because the pre-loaded apps are legal.
While TV boxes containing decoders that allow viewers to stream premium content for free are illegal, the law is not as clear when it comes to other types of TV boxes that use these so-called legal apps.
Two TV box sellers, An-Nahl and Synnex Trading, were in January charged with "wilfully infringing" the copyright of four companies, representing a chance for the Courts to clarify its legal position on the use of such boxes.
An-Nahl's director Abdul Najib Abdul Aziz has indicated that he would like to contest the charges against him and his company. The trial is fixed for April next year.
Back in Sim Lim Square, the sales assistant at Sync Mart on the third floor said his ATTV Box is unaffected by the ban as it is "connected to the Singapore server".
"UBTV is on the Hong Kong server and acts as a decoder. So they blocked it already," said the assistant, who declined to be named. "(The ATTV Box) is still legal because you pay for the box, and the movies or live channels will have advertisements. They earn money from the advertisements."
CH2 Technologies on the fourth floor was selling a TV box called U-Rock, which the sales assistant said was also unaffected by the ban.
"It’s legal, working and you don’t need to pay a subscription," said the staff member, who declined to be named. "We cannot do illegal things."
Both the ATTV Box and U-Rock come with an app called Swift Stream, which allows users to watch live channels from countries like India, France, USA and the UK. It also had options for sports and science programmes.
The ATTV Box and U-Rock, which were advertised as local brands, were selling for S$129 and S$118, respectively.
Meanwhile, netizens have also found a similar way to work around the ban, by changing the DNS settings on their TV box or Internet router.
In the New TV Box SG Facebook group, one member commented on a post announcing the ban, saying: "Don't need VPN, just change DNS." Another in the same thread replied: "Thanks for the great tip! Working great."
On another post regarding the ban, another member commented that he would rather pay for an alternative way to watch premium content. "Telcos are marking up their cable TV packages way too much," he lamented.
But a cybersecurity expert at Irdeto, a digital security platform provider for the media and entertainment business, warned that consumers who use TV boxes might risk getting their personal data stolen.
"By watching illegal streams knowingly or unknowingly, consumers are potentially exposing their devices, data and families to risks of cybercrime, inappropriate content and other threats," said Irdeto's vice-president of cybersecurity services Mark Mulready.
"The same digital and connected TV platforms that cybercriminals target for illegal redistribution of content also act as attack surfaces for hackers looking to gain access to service providers’ networks and potentially steal customer information and other important data."
For example, Mr Mulready pointed to how the increasing consumption of film and TV content via the Internet without subscribing to a traditional cable or pay-TV service "has led to a big market in stolen credentials".
"Today’s cybercriminal has customers to satisfy and must consider their return on investment, just like any other business," he added.

domain: news


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US NFC specialist Narian Technologies has released a new version of its Android-based NFC platform for retail. The software is designed to give retailers an easy and cost effective way to bring the benefits of NFC to their customers today, and boasts fully customisable look and feel as well as being optimised for usage in low bandwidth situations. Narian also demonstrated apps designed for events at this week’s Wima USA conference and exhibition.
- Messaging app Line reports 40m mobile payment users
- Hong Kong transit operator to test WeChat Pay and Alipay
- UK government expands open banking project to credit cards, e-wallets and prepaid cards
- UK consumers want to set their own contactless transaction limit
- Swiss consumers to get single digital ID


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The study, published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, used DNA barcoding technology to test 44 herbal products sold by 12 companies.
Only two of the companies provided authentic products without substitutions, contaminants or fillers.
Overall, nearly 60 per cent of the herbal products contained plant species not listed on the label.
Researchers detected product substitution in 32 per cent of the samples.
More than 20 per cent of the products included fillers such as rice, soybeans and wheat not listed on the label.
"Contamination and substitution in herbal products present considerable health risks for consumers," said lead author Steven Newmaster, an integrative biology professor and botanical director of the Guelph-based Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), home of the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding.
"We found contamination in several products with plants that have known toxicity, side effects and/or negatively interact with other herbs, supplements and medications."
One product labelled as St. John's wort contained Senna alexandrina, a plant with laxative properties. It's not intended for prolonged use, as it can cause chronic diarrhea and liver damage and negatively interacts with immune cells in the colon.
Several herbal products contained Parthenium hysterophorus (feverfew), which can cause swelling and numbness in the mouth, oral ulcers, and nausea. It also reacts with medications metabolized by the liver.
One ginkgo product was contaminated with Juglans nigra (black walnut), which could endanger people with nut allergies.
Unlabelled fillers such as wheat, soybeans and rice are also a concern for people with allergies or who are seeking gluten-free products, Newmaster said.
"It's common practice in natural products to use fillers such as these, which are mixed with the active ingredients. But a consumer has a right to see all of the plant species used in producing a natural product on the list of ingredients."
Until now, verifying what's inside capsules or tablets has posed challenges, Newmaster said. His research team developed standard methods and tests using DNA barcoding to identify and authenticate ingredients in herbal products.
"There is a need to protect consumers from the economic and health risks associated with herbal product fraud. Currently there are no standards for authentication of herbal products."
Medicinal herbs now constitute the fastest-growing segment of the North American alternative medicine market, with more than 29,000 herbal substances sold, he said.
More than 1,000 companies worldwide make medicinal plant products worth more than $60 billion a year.
About 80 per cent of people in developed countries use natural health products, including vitamins, minerals and herbal remedies.
Canada has regulated natural health products since 2004. Regulators face a backlog of licence applications, and thousands of products on the market lack a full product licence. Globally, regulatory problems involving natural health products continue to affect consistency and safety, Newmaster said.
"The industry suffers from unethical activities by some of the manufacturers."
The study also involved research associate Subramanyam Ragupathy, U of G student Meghan Gruric and Sathishkumar Ramalingam of the Bharathiar University in India.
This research was supported by Genome Canada through the Ontario Genomics Institute; the Canada Foundation for Innovation; International Science and Technology Partnership Canada; and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Steve Newmaster | EurekAlert!
Europe’s Demographic Future. Where the Regions Are Heading after a Decade of Crises
10.08.2017 | Berlin-Institut für Bevölkerung und Entwicklung
Scientists reveal source of human heartbeat in 3-D
07.08.2017 | University of Manchester
Whether you call it effervescent, fizzy, or sparkling, carbonated water is making a comeback as a beverage. Aside from quenching thirst, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have discovered a new use for these "bubbly" concoctions that will have major impact on the manufacturer of the world's thinnest, flattest, and one most useful materials -- graphene.
As graphene's popularity grows as an advanced "wonder" material, the speed and quality at which it can be manufactured will be paramount. With that in mind,...
Physicists at the University of Bonn have managed to create optical hollows and more complex patterns into which the light of a Bose-Einstein condensate flows. The creation of such highly low-loss structures for light is a prerequisite for complex light circuits, such as for quantum information processing for a new generation of computers. The researchers are now presenting their results in the journal Nature Photonics.
Light particles (photons) occur as tiny, indivisible portions. Many thousands of these light portions can be merged to form a single super-photon if they are...
For the first time, scientists have shown that circular RNA is linked to brain function. When a RNA molecule called Cdr1as was deleted from the genome of mice, the animals had problems filtering out unnecessary information – like patients suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders.
While hundreds of circular RNAs (circRNAs) are abundant in mammalian brains, one big question has remained unanswered: What are they actually good for? In the...
An experimental small satellite has successfully collected and delivered data on a key measurement for predicting changes in Earth's climate.
The Radiometer Assessment using Vertically Aligned Nanotubes (RAVAN) CubeSat was launched into low-Earth orbit on Nov. 11, 2016, in order to test new...
A study led by scientists of the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science in Hamburg presents evidence of the coexistence of superconductivity and “charge-density-waves” in compounds of the poorly-studied family of bismuthates. This observation opens up new perspectives for a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity, a topic which is at the core of condensed matter research since more than 30 years. The paper by Nicoletti et al has been published in the PNAS.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, superconductivity had been observed in some metals at temperatures only a few degrees above the absolute zero (minus...
16.08.2017 | Event News
04.08.2017 | Event News
26.07.2017 | Event News
22.08.2017 | Health and Medicine
22.08.2017 | Materials Sciences
22.08.2017 | Life Sciences


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On December 31, 2020, 4gnews warned that they should not install the update for Android 11 on Xiaomi Mi A11 smartphones. Unfortunately, the warning was delayed for some, but now we have visual messages
After installing the update – on the worst version – on the Xiaomi Mi A3, the smartphone is not rebooted. There have been a number of complaints on social networks and the official Siomi forum, mainly affecting users in Europe.
You can now upgrade your Xiaomi Mi A3 to Android 11
Fortunately, with the progress of the release Kismuchina, It is safe to install the update on this mobile device. Is in danger Stationary With build number 188.8.131.52.RFQMIXM, It is already distributed by Xiaomi in a package weighing 1.40 GB.
Obviously, there is a list of jobs Change Same thing, but pays special attention to the stability of the system. In addition, the Piece December 2020 security update with vulnerability corrections.
The patch update took about five days to reach users and is now being released gradually and in stages. So when the update notification that is available on your Xiaomi phone comes, you can actually install it.
Affected smartphones are repaired for free in Portugal
4gnews As recently announced, Xiaomi offers repairs to damaged units in major global markets. In addition, when questioned by 4gnews, Xiaomi’s representation in Portugal made it clear that customers have the right to the same functionality here.
Therefore, for Portuguese users affected by the upgrade of the Xiaomi Mi A3, the repair is free. The official repairman is Damet, which has physical facilities in Porto and Lisbon, but receives units from across the country.
Note that only Xiaomi Mi A3 units are covered by valid IMEIs – i.e. purchased in Europe. If you have a unit in these situations, we advise the user to go to or Contact Me Store Portugal.
The authors of 4gnews suggest:


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by Sun Dai and Maria Scarzella Thorpe
SAN FRANCISCO, January 12, 2012 — ASNC hosted author and expert on Asian innovation economics Rebecca A. Fannin to discuss her new book, Startup Asia: Top Strategies for Cashing in on Asia’s Innovation Boom Economy and Environment. Nixon Peabody LLP co-sponsored the event and the discussion was moderated by Sean Randolph, President of the Bay Area Council’s Economic Institute.
Fannin focused her presentation on the expansion of Asian innovation and entrepreneurship within the VIC (Vietnam, India and China) bloc, and explained some of the reasons Western businesses need to be paying attention to them. The opportunity to become wealthy and famous with a startup, she explained, “is no longer just an American dream.” It is happening everywhere, especially in Asia, as entrepreneurial talent leaves the U.S. and goes east. Venture capital investment in Asia has nearly tripled in the past five years, reaching $15.6 billion. While the European entrepreneurial environment seems “muted,” the Asian environment appears to be more dynamic and exciting, which could also make the Silicon Valley scene appear “sleepy” in comparison.
So the big question: will China or India "out-innovate" the U.S? In response to this, Fannin argues, “Not anytime soon.” She believes it may take China a decade or two to catch up with the United States, and even longer for India. Whether the next Steve Jobs, and Apple brand, will come from a country other than the U.S. is also something to see in the long run.
Here are some additional key points from the discussion Fannin and Randoph led:
Although the Indian market is about five years behind China, it looks like democracy renders India a better place for entrepreneurship in a long run.
The markets for mobile and social networking are definitely hot spots for VIC startups. E-commerce and Clean tech industries should also fare well.
VIC startups tend to follow a similar product/service development pattern: copy/imitation, then innovation or adaptation, then adjustment to the local market.
Government involvement has been most strongly observed in the funding of Chinese startups.
Government “censorship" of content, such as that retrievable on Google, is more of an issue for U.S. companies going to China than for "home-grown" Chinese companies.
On education, both China and India are somewhat following the Silicon Valley model to nurture geographically focused "tech hot spots" for future entrepreneurs.
Where past trends were for international students to come for studies in the United States and then start up a company in Silicon Valley, now the tides have turned: Many students do come to study in the U.S., but then take their knowledge and experience back home to start businesses in their countries of origin.
In the past five years, there has also been a significant increase in "home-grown" Chinese or Indian entrepreneurs who never go overseas and are able to adapt business models that fit precisely into their markets.


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"Russia has enough resources to boost its economic development," Andrei Illarionov, the presidential advisor for economic affairs, was quoted as saying on Thursday when speaking at the final plenary session of the Baikal Economic Forum.
Illarionov said that investments were a factor that could positively impact on the pace of economic growth. However, he said, at present the most important issue is not the quantity, but the quality of investments (both foreign and domestic), in short, fewer but better. The presidential advisor said that the Soviet Union used to spend excessively much investing into the country's economy more than 50 percent of its GDP. Today, Russia's expenditures for this purpose constitute about 16-20 percent of GDP. Illarionov believes that there is no point in increasing the amount of investments at any cost.
In his opinion, countries famous for their "economic miracles" (China, Thailand, Korea, etc.) used to spend some 17-20 percent of their GDP. At the same time, European countries which are in the state of stagnation spend about 40-50 percent of their GDP. In the United States this figure is at the level of 35 percent. The conclusion is that countries that spend much rarely show good economic results. Russia should learn this lesson well, the presidential advisor stressed.
The Russian Armed Forces returned to strategic positions of the first "Surovikin line” east of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia direction of hostilities


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Everyone can name a few consumer packaged goods that stir feelings of fierce loyalty: the chip they serve at every Super Bowl party, the laundry detergent that they swear works better than others, or the brand of soup they’ve been eating since childhood.
In recent years the CPG industry has been met with numerous challenges. Some, like the need to compete with two-hour shipping windows, are due to digital transformation, or the use of digital technology to solve problems. Changing consumer behavior is also presenting challenges to the CPG industry. With a recent study showing that more than half of consumers surveyed in the U.S. and UK had reduced the amount of disposable plastic they used in the previous year, a laundry detergent brand may find itself forced to rethink its packaging. Home products brand Seventh Generation, for instance, uses blends of recycled cardboard and newspaper to produce its laundry detergent bottle.
Beyond sustainable materials, millennials are almost four times more likely than baby boomers to avoid buying products from “the big food companies,” according to McKinsey. Thanks in large part to health concerns, salt-laden soup may no longer be the lunch of choice. Add in the fact that new entrants are disrupting the traditional CPG-customer relationship, and it’s no wonder that 80% of leading CPG brand CEOs are concerned that their business model may be at risk.
In response, many CPG companies are rethinking their portfolios, tailoring new products with wellness and more-sustainable packaging in mind, and creating their own private labels. Others are investing in ways to drive innovation, including venture funds and incubators.
Alongside those other smart moves, they’re also rethinking their marketing strategy. Television, they may come to realize, can provide a solution to many challenges they’re facing.
Out-of-the-Box CPG Strategy
Despite loyalty from some consumers, CPG brands have long been plagued by high market saturation levels and low consumer switching costs. It’s easy to switch from one brand to another, depending on price or availability.
This makes it vital for a brand to prioritize top-of-mind awareness, and data-driven TV advertising can be an instrumental part of that strategy.
Indexed linear television, for instance, can be used to identify those more likely to be in-market for a particular product. And today’s indexed TV applies modern data sets to TV marketing. By matching data such as purchasing habits or household income to viewing habits, a CPG brand can reach their target audiences efficiently with a relevant message.
For a more targeted approach, addressable TV advertising allows brands not only to hone in on a receptive audience at a granular level, it also follows the customer journey, using purchase and behavioral data to target current buyers to increase market penetration, boost customer loyalty, identify purchasers of competing brands or products to promote switching, and tap lapsed purchasers to help bridge gaps in purchase history.
The assumption may be that addressable TV advertising is worth the investment only for industries and brands seeking specific customers for costly products or services – middle-aged women seeking to upgrade the family car, for example, or golfers planning their next resort vacation. Following that line of thinking, makers of mass-market items that almost everyone uses – tissues, soap, or sandwich bread – need only to cast the widest possible net and reach the largest audience to prosper.
Targeting a more specific audience at the household level, however, can minimize waste while retaining an effective level of reach. For instance, a CPG brand used addressable to shift share from a competing brand, resulting in a 21% increase in brand penetration.
Both indexed TV campaigns and addressable TV campaigns offer valuable insights on what worked and what didn’t work with a campaign. For indexed linear, ACR data gives clarity on who watched and what they were exposed to. After an addressable campaign, incremental impact can be measured against a brand’s KPI.
Bottling the Power of TV
Marc Pritchard, the chief brand officer of Procter & Gamble, a company whose products are used by some 5 billion people globally each day – and one that has been widely celebrated for the success of their mass marketing – told attendees at an ANA gathering that there was a pressing need to reinvent traditional modes of advertising. The ideal would be, he explained, “mass reach with one-to-one precision.”
Indexing and addressable TV advertising, two highly potent mediums, offer both precision and the scale CPG marketers require.
Subscribe to our monthly update to get at all the latest from Cadent.


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This American Cheese Is More Likely to Set Your House on Fire Than Melt on Your Bread
According to FDA regulations, the individually wrapped, orange-yellow squares that ubiquitously crown cheeseburgers cannot be called “cheese.” The most popular legal iteration—the one that’s scrawled across the label of Kraft American Singles—is “pasteurized process cheese food,” which the FDA defines as being “made from not less than 51% by final weight of one or more optional cheese ingredients.”
Recently, Mexican chef Jose Raul Reyes decided to take a slice of the not-quite-cheese and torch it with an open flame—because science. This video featured by the Daily Mail, which got more than 1 million views on Facebook—shows the chef holding the cheese over a gas stove and marveling at its refusal to melt. He notes that the cheese resembles plastic more than food.
Viewers were absolutely outraged. One commenter asked, "Why doesn't the health Ministry ban something like this which clearly isn't cheese?" Another commenter wrote, “If anybody wants to know why cancer is on the increase, look no further.”
Reyes isn’t the first one to conduct this massively important experiment; dozens of YouTube videos show the same thing. The clips go something like this: People hold American cheese to an open flame, react strongly to the way it burns, then immediately jump to overreaching health claims.
In this video, a man even burns the plastic wrapper alongside the cheese to show—well, something. “The plastic melted, and the cheese didn’t,” the bewildered experimenter exclaims. “Man, that is some indestructible cheese. No more of this crap in my house.”
But why? Why can’t these slices of American cheese be destroyed with fire, as nature intended? What is the crazy food alchemy that allows them to melt after four seconds in a microwave but leaves them impervious to small butane lighters? Is it preservatives? GMOs?
Not according to the scientists at Kraft Foods, who have been flooded with so many questions that they made a YouTube video in December 2014 explaining the phenomenon.
“Singles are made with emulsifiers, which hold the fat and protein together so they don’t separate even at high heat levels, like an open flame,” the scientist explained. “In the case of natural cheese, where there are no emulsifiers to bind the protein and fat, heat causes the fat to separate and drip off as you would expect.”
The ingredient in Kraft American singles that’s causing all the controversy is sodium phosphate, which is on the FDA’s generally recognized as safe list and is found in many common household food items, such as canned tuna and lunch meat.
As with any food additive, certain health risks are associated with high sodium phosphate levels. Researchers in 2012 found links to cardiovascular disease and kidney problems, but you would have to eat countless Kraft singles in a sitting to digest anywhere close to a worrisome level of the emulsifier.
So rest assured: You can enjoy that melty grilled cheese knowing it’s plastic-free.


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Washington — S’mores-flavored treats, intense flavor profiles and innovative twists on classic treats and snacks are among the trends attendees can expect to see at next week’s Sweets & Snacks Expo. Marking its 25th year, the show is a launching ground for products that will hit retail shelves in the coming months and years.
“For 25 years the Sweets & Snacks Expo has been the most significant driver of candy and snack flavor and product trends in North America, and 2022 is no different. Attendees at this year’s show will be able to taste the products that will shape store shelves for weeks, months and years to come,” John Downs, president & CEO of NCA, said. “There’s something for everyone trending this year, whether you are looking for a new twist on a classic favorite or something brand new altogether.”
Offering more details on the trends, the association notes:
- S’more Variety: You won’t need a campfire to enjoy the quintessential taste of summer. S’mores-flavored treats – and everything you need to make them – are taking over this summer and throughout the year.
- Flavor Intensity: Salty, sweet or turn up the heat? There’s something for everyone looking for a more intense flavor in their favorite treat. Look out for flavor extremes: amp up that sour flavor, introduce some heat into your sweet or pick the spiciest chip.
- Newstalgia: This year, it’s all about “newstalgia” – fresh and innovative twists on the classics you know and love. It’s treating like you’ve never experienced before.
- All About Options: Everyone treats and snacks a little differently, which is why confectionery and snack companies are offering a range of package sizes and product types to meet every occasion.
The show takes place just prior to the kickoff of National Candy Month in June. It is an opportunity for retailers to bridge the sales gap between the major holidays in the spring and fall and gives consumers a chance to celebrate with treats and snacks as they kick off the summer.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo will be held at Chicago’s McCormick Place from May 23 to 26.


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The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has temporarily barred Bharti Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank from conducting Aadhaar-based SIM verification of mobile customers using eKYC process.
The action follows allegations of Bharti Airtel using the Aadhaar-eKYC based SIM verification process to open payments bank accounts of its subscribers without their informed consent. More than 23 lakh customers have reportedly received as many as Rs. 47 crore in their Airtel bank accounts, which they did not know had been opened.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for IBPS Clerk Mains 2017 Exam-
- Airtel Payments Bank is the first entity to get the final licence from Reserve Bank of India for launching a Payments Bank.
- Shashi Arora is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Payments Bank.
- Paytm recently launched their payments bank and currently there are four payments bank in India-
Source- Hindustan Times


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Details surrounding Disney‘s upcoming digital streaming service have emerged including the service’s name and what it will contain.
According to an insider report, the new digital streaming service will be referred to as Disney Play. Disney CEO Bob Iger described this streaming service as one of the company’s biggest and most important ventures of 2019. Outside of this statement, the insider report only confirms what people have already known or suspected of the a la carte service.
Disney Play will have some unfortunate ramifications for competitors like Netflix. The service will end Netflix’s ability to provide subscribers with access to films and television shows that fall under the company’s umbrella. This does not just include direct Disney films either so the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, and soon to be 20th Century Fox library will all be pulled at some point before it launches. Ant-Man and The Wasp has previously been reported as the final MCU film to appear on Netflix before the Disney Play plan goes into effect. How this will impact the Marvel Netflix shows has yet to be confirmed but it has been speculated that they will continue to be produced and released on Netflix.
Disney Play is going to have a big year next year, according to the report. It is going to use some of Disney’s biggest productions of that year as a selling point for those who are not 100% certain about subscribing to it yet. Captain Marvel, Dumbo, The Lion King, Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 and Star Wars: Episode IX film have been listed as some of the biggest films that they can look forward to watching on Disney Play at some point in 2019.
As for pricing, the exact price point has yet to be announced. However, the report had indicated that with the light amount of content that the service is going to offer it will not be as expensive as Netflix. This is a similar approach to the recently announced $7.99 monthly subscription for the DC Universe streaming service, which is also cheaper than the Netflix subscription fee.
What do you think of this news? Will you buy Disney Play? Let us know in the comments below!


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At this point, the lack of product selection amid an inflationary environment has a chicken-and-egg feel to it. As reported earlier this month by The Wall Street Journal, merchants and manufacturers across nearly all retail sectors have hit the brakes on new product lines and innovations. At first, this pause was likely due to the pressures of navigating a new economic and societal reality, yet it has continued as the sector adjusts to an economic slowdown and consumers’ deal-seeking behavior.
New product lines, as WSJ points out, can take months or years to fully bring to market. As businesses across industries shed excess expenses in recent months, cutting innovation investment (especially for unproven products) makes sense in the short term. However, the cost-saving strategy may be doing more harm than good in the long term, as a lack of new offerings gives consumers little inspiration to buy more than the essentials.
And essentials have been the priority as the cost of living continues to outpace wage growth, meaning that industries relying on discretionary spend are vulnerable. For example, spontaneous clothing purchases seem to be taking a backseat, as noted in PYMNTS’ collaboration with LendingClub, “The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report: Year in Review.”
Clothing can fall into both discretionary and essential purchase categories, and the distribution of consumers who recently purchased clothing or accessories tells a story. The highest share in this late summer data does not reside among the most financially stable consumers but among the most precarious: those living paycheck to paycheck with issues paying bills, at 60%. Although it is speculation, one would expect those who do not live paycheck to paycheck to treat clothes as discretionary and those who struggle financial to consider clothes essential; the odds of these consumers making likely essential purchases vastly exceeded the corresponding shares of consumers making likely discretionary purchases. And although this data is from late August 2022, consumer sentiment is not massively changed, with many expecting a recession on the horizon.
Previous PYMNTS research suggests that in the current economic climate, once-loyal customers are turning into agnostic deal-chasers in the name of stretching limited incomes. Without new or innovative products, there may be little extra incentive for consumers to shift this cost-cutting behavior.
This is where the chicken-and-egg metaphor applies. Because sales are slow, merchants and retailers have an inventory overload, leading to markdowns and cost-cutting. This cost-cutting can lead to less product innovation, and in the case of Hanes and Champion, less inventory overall as most retailers and brands focus on meeting the consumer demand for essentials. While savings is the main factor, there may be a secondary driver of consumers not seeing new products, lines or trends to aspire or save to purchase as well. With less inventory and less choice, consumers may be less inclined to shop when they do have extra cash if there’s not much difference between what’s on the rack and what’s already in their closet.
Some retailers and brands have broken out of this cycle by innovating. American Eagle earned its second-highest revenue, for example, in Q4 2022, due to an expansion of its activewear line. The company’s $507 million gross profit increased approximately 4%, from $489 million during the same time the previous year. Other clothing and fashion brands have turned to the beauty sector to introduce new products. H&M recently announced its foray into the beauty industry with the release of a new skincare and body care line aimed at Gen Z customers, while Stella McCartney is launching a sustainable beauty line.
Is a lack of product choice purely to blame for the slump in retail clothing sales? No. But if consumers aren’t offered new products they want, rather than need, retailers may discover that essential clothes are all that shoppers buy.
For all PYMNTS retail coverage, subscribe to the daily Retail Newsletter.


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Luxury car segment has potential to double in Australia: BMW
BMW believes the increasing number of affordable compact luxury cars has the potential to double sales in Australia’s premium car segment.
The German car maker’s local boss, Phil Horton, says the premium market is already growing more rapidly than the overall market – up 14 per cent year to date compared with three per cent for all passenger cars and SUVs.
Horton says luxury cars have never been more affordable in Australia, though he also believes Mercedes has been unnecessarily aggressive with the positioning of its smallest car, the A-Class hatch [read our separate story].
“The premium segment in Australia year to date accounts for 8.4 per cent of total market. That’s quite low for a mature market like Australia,” says Horton.
“I think there is opportunity to go up by another 50 per cent to 12 per cent… even 15 per cent over a period of time.
“More premium cars are coming in at the lower end.
“It’s no secret [we are building a] car to compete with the B-Class (Mercedes’ higher-riding version of the A-Class, pictured below). We’re going front-wheel drive. Introducing smaller engines.”
BMW’s B-Class rival is expected to be called the 1 Series Gran Turismo and based on the BMW Active Tourer Concept (main image and interior shot).
It’s one of about 20 new compact front-wheel-drive models that will emerge from the BMW Group in coming years, including the next-generation Mini that goes on sale in 2014.
Mercedes-Benz has already hit the ground running with a range of downsized models based on a new modular platform called MFA.
The A-Class and B-Class sit on the architecture, as does the CLA four-door ‘coupe’ (due locally later this year) and the GLA crossover (due second quarter 2014).
The GLA, though, is one model where Mercedes is playing catch-up to its German rivals, belatedly coming to compete with the Audi Q3 and BMW X1.
Mercedes is also considering models even smaller than the A-Class for the future.


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More than 90 percent of mid-market companies expect the U.S. economy to grow this year. That’s according to a new survey by Deloitte.
The “Mid-Market Perspectives: 2011 Report on America’s Economic Engine” also finds that almost 56 percent of the companies surveyed will focus on domestic growth this year, while 44 percent of firms with annual revenue of more than $500 million will focus on global expansion.
The research firm Economist Intelligence Unit conducted the survey of mid-market CEOs and executives from across the country. The survey gauges mid-market businesses’ plans for growth and recovery following the Great Recession. According to the report, more than 72 percent of respondents say they are now seeing higher productivity than before the recession.
Of the 527 senior decision-making executives surveyed, 69 percent say they plan on adding full-time employees this year; 38 percent will pursue financing to expand business; and 81 percent expect their annual revenue to increase in 2011.
Two-thirds of the companies report lower debt ratios today compared to pre-recession years. Also, more than half report higher cash balances. In addition, more than 60 percent of the companies agree cash balances will remain high, while debt ratios will remain low.
According to Tom McGee, national managing partner of Deloitte Growth Enterprises Services, Deloitte LLP, the mid-market’s role is important to the economy due to its tremendous revenue. Mid-market companies comprise 40 percent of the national gross domestic product and employ nearly 25 million people.
Although the survey reports an optimistic outlook for the U.S. economy, obstacles lay ahead. Executives believe government debt and the strength of the economic recovery could hinder growth. Half of all respondents cite government debt at the federal, state and municipal levels as the primary economic challenge.
The survey also found:
- Executives are concerned that regulation, health care costs and high tax rates will hinder growth in the long- and short-term.
- Only 20 percent of executives believe the economy will grow quickly enough to support widespread job creation.
- Only 8 percent of the 80 percent of privately held companies surveyed plan to go public in the next year, with nearly 70 percent of those attributing decision-making control as the primary reason for remaining private.
The companies surveyed include private and public companies with annual revenue between $50 million and $1 billion, with the most-represented industries being business/professional services, consumer/manufactured goods, and health care, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.


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LAKE WORTH, Fla. - The couple pawned $200,000 in stolen jewelry for a little more than $16,000 – quick cash, deputies say, for a quick fix.
On Wednesday, deputies arrested Lake Worth couple Klytia Benitez, 24, and Patrick Connolly, 25, on charges they sold Connolly's father's jewelry in 25 pawn transactions since March.
On Aug. 13, Nick Austin, Connolly's father, called police when he discovered someone had stolen much of his high-valued jewelry, including a custom Rolex President watch with a diamond bezel and blue face worth more than $10,000.
Detectives noted the approximate value of the stolen jewelry as more than $200,000.
But when investigators searched the RAPID property recovery system – a database logging every pawn transaction throughout the county – they learned Benitez and Connolly, who lived with Austin, got much less.
Between March and August, deputies said Benitez and Connolly sold jewelry 21 times at six pawn shops in Palm Beach County .
In total, the couple collected $16,496.
Detectives called Traci Levin, the owner of the Lake Worth Gold Mine, where the couple sold jewelry 15 times. There, they found the Rolex – the only piece of jewelry not melted down.
Austin later visited the Lake Worth Gold Mine with a detective and identified the Rolex as his own.
In store surveillance footage, Connolly carried the jewelry into the store with Benitez in tow. But when it came time to fill out the paperwork, Connolly stepped back and Benitez took over. She showed her license, signed her name and rolled her thumbs in ink to submit fingerprints.
Connolly took the money and stuffed it in his pocket.
On Wednesday, the couple wanted to meet with detectives after learning of the investigation – but they didn't have a ride.
Detectives picked them up in West Palm Beach.
In separate interviews, Connolly confessed, while Benitez denied everything. Connolly said he used the money to buy drugs. Benitez said she gave the money to Austin.
The couple remained in the Palm Beach County Jail Thursday in lieu of more than $200,000 bail.


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Grangemouth haulage company Duncan Adams Ltd helped to move a record-breaking 5.4 million pallets around the Palletways UK network in the biggest year for Europe’s largest and fastest-growing palletised express freight network since its launch in 1994.
The 2016-/17 figure beat last year’s previous record of 5.1 million by some 300,000 pallets with spikes in demand for members, like Duncan Adams Ltd, at Christmas 2016 and this Easter.
Palletways also exceeded its largest daily volume in pallets recorded to 27,017, up from 24,696 in 2015-16 – up 9.4 per cent – on April 11 this year.
Eric Adams, director at Duncan Adams Ltd ,said: “Our team works extremely hard to respond to customer demand and move pallets quickly and efficiently through the Palletways network.
The network is strong and resilient enough to take on whatever pallet volumes our customers want to move, even at the busiest times of last year.”


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Panera adding 'hippie' grains to menu
Looking to move beyond traditional flours, Panera Bread Co. plans to add a sprouted-grain bagel — made with rye, spelt and oat groats — to its menu in May.
Panera is one of many national restaurant chains, including Au Bon Pain and Olive Garden, looking for alternatives to white and wheat flour, which some health-conscious consumers don't consider healthy enough, Bloomberg reports. The chains are seeking to add choices to attract the nutrition-conscious without alienating other customers with the unfamiliar ingredients and terminology.
"With sprouted grain, anybody who is 45 or older is going to raise an eyebrow and say, 'Hey, you're going hippie on us,'" Tom Gumpel, the head baker at Panera, told Bloomberg.
The new bagels will be marketed as a "power" breakfast option, high in protein content.
Panera reported a 5.1 percent profit increase in its fourth quarter compared with the prior-year period, as sales check growth helped same-store sales increase. Net income for the quarter totaled $54.2 million.
Financial Professional AXA Advisors | Saint Louis, MO
Senior Software Engineer CrowdSource | Swansea, IL
Accountant, Client Accounting Cassidy Turley | Saint Louis, MO
Risk Manager Beelman Truck Co. | East Saint Louis, IL
Treasury Analyst, Client Accounting Cassidy Turley | Saint Louis, MO
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Amazon’s Eating the World, One Acquisition at a Time
Last week, Amazon made one of its most high-profile acquisitions yet, buying up the national grocery chain Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. The purchase made immediate waves – a number of other prominent national grocers saw their stocks take a hit mere minutes after the announcement — with one analyst calling it a “seismic event” in the industry.
With the acquisition, Amazon firmly plants its flag in an industry it had been toying with for years, further broadening its horizons – what don’t they do at this point?
In a recent LinkedIn Pulse post, Zander Wharton argues that the acquisition should put many more companies on their heels. In the past, a tech company buying a grocery chain might have sounded ridiculous. But Amazon’s reputation for disrupting markets and tearing through its competition could mean that no industry is safe. To avoid being eaten alive, these companies will need to think harder about how they innovate and stay disruptive in their own industry.
Of course, the Whole Foods story isn’t the only example of where technology is bleeding into — and impacting — the retail industry. Our EVP Jodi Petrie recently wrote about how brick-and-mortar retailers are still struggling to incorporate innovate tech, specifically mobile payments technology, into their physicals stores. Jodi offers her perspective on how brands can get out of their own way and better take advantage of technology to improve the customer experience.
Will tech and retail ever be able to play well together? The jury’s out.


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In Argentina, the National Post Office is launching a series of stamps to support the International Year of Pulses. There will be four different stamps with different types of beans including: the common bean, peas, lentils and garbanzo. The hope is that this will sensitize the public about the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of a sustainable food production aimed at achieving food and nutrition security. One of the main challenges that the supply chain faces is developing a domestic market in Argentina. Domestic consumption is very low which generates a dependency on the international market. The hope is that these stamps will help boost production benefiting the national economy and the health of the country.
For more information, click here!


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Black woman discusses how she got her product into 3,000 Wal-Mart stores
Reported by Nigel Boys
The founder of the Skin Toned Doll Collection, Positively Perfect, which is sold exclusively in over 3,000 Wal-Mart stores nationwide, Lisa Williams started the idea after being approached by a buyer to manufacture the multicultural dolls in 2009.
Williams was selling a line of children’s books in 1,500 Wal-Mart stores that gave her around $500,000 in annual revenues, but she had no experience in the manufacture of dolls. However the buyer approached her because she understood the multicultural market and they were looking for a doll that would appeal to the African American market.
Still unsure how she could help them find what they wanted and not convinced she wanted to do so, Williams watched a little Black girl tell anchor Anderson Cooper on CNN that she didn’t like Brown colored dolls because they looked nasty.
The little girl was reiterating what had been said before in the 1940s by Black children that white colored dolls were better because they were “good, nice and pretty.”
Following this program, Williams launched a multi-cultural doll collection in 2010, which has now grown from the initial two dolls to over 20 different models in three categories, including infant, toddler and Divah (Dignified, Intelligent, Vivacious, Attractive and Humanitarian).
Two of the Divah line of dolls include a straight “A” student Divah Zair, who is also an artist, and one who wants to be a scientist, Darling Dana.
“I did not want to see another little African American girl fail to choose the doll that most closely resembles her precious face because that child does not view the doll as being equal or more beautiful than the white doll,” said the founder and CEO of the San Diego, Calif.-based World EPI Inc. She adds that her company is planning to manufacture another doll appealing to Latin-American children because, “Other cultures don’t have dolls to represent their beauty and intelligence either.”
Williams’ line of African American dolls range in price from $9.97 to $19.97 and her million-dollar company has grown to employ 12 other people. World EPI generated two million dollars in 2012 and rose to around five to six million dollars in 2013 from licensing fees and royalty payments.


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LOS ANGELES – Ecommerce agency BrandJump has announced its new team of Associate Directors, charged with leading the company’s key service offerings across merchandising, enhanced content and online sales strategy. This team of Associate Directors is comprised of:
• Luke Schoenly, Associate Director of Brand Management
• Jolynn Wilkinson, Associate Director of Sales
• Bianca Capasso, Associate Director of Merchandising
• Melley Richards, Associate Director of Brand Content
Reporting to CEO Josh Walter, these roles will head the individual teams that work directly with BrandJump clients, primarily home furnishings manufacturers, to grow their ecommerce business.
“This team of Associate Directors are all experts in their craft, and I’m thrilled for them to take the reins in their respective areas,” Walter said. “The collaboration between these smart minds will continuously strengthen our teams and maximize the service to BrandJump clients.”
Schoenly, a nine-year veteran of the company, will oversee the Brand Management team responsible for leading day-to-day business strategies for and driving revenue for BrandJump clients. Schoenly brings extensive experience in the home furnishings industry, previously serving at YDesign Group and other high-end furniture retailers.
Wilkinson has been with BrandJump since 2017, having formerly worked in sales, planning and merchandising functions with top retail brands including Amazon and Saks Fifth Avenue. In her role, Wilkinson leads BrandJump’s Account Management team, which steers client relationships with major internet retailers throughout the U.S.
Having joined BrandJump in 2020, Capasso brings strategic leadership to the company’s ecommerce merchandising team, which is responsible for how brands are presented across various internet retailers. Capasso previously oversaw ecommerce brands across categories for the home and fashion retailers Nordstrom Rack and HauteLook.
Newly appointed as Associate Director of Brand Content, Richards most recently held the role of Home Center Manager at BrandJump and worked for the company for nearly four years. In this role, Richards will lead the content strategy for clients to raise brand and product awareness and increase conversions across their internet retail partners. Prior to BrandJump, Richards worked as a site merchandiser for Target.com, as well as managing ecommerce categories at Gartner Studios and Newell Brands.
BrandJump also recently made several additions to its senior leadership team, bringing on Sarah Schaale as Director of Marketing; Pieter Hutahayan as Director of Technology; and Donna Osorio as Director of Human Resources and Administration.
“This leadership team is dedicated to making BrandJump the first-class agency to our clients,” Walter said. “We’re also building a healthy, enjoyable place to work for our team and are committed to continuous improvement that will let evolution and innovation thrive. The best is yet to come.”


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Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy caught up in Thai resort row
Sir Terry Leahy has been dragged into a row over claims of unpaid bills at a luxury resort he set up in Thailand, the Daily Mail reveals today.
The Tesco chief executive, who leaves the supermarket in March, has invested millions of pounds of his personal fortune in the West Sands development on the holiday island of Phuket.
But he has been assailed by allegations that a company hired to market the project has not been paid for work done last year.
Commercial clash: The Tesco boss bought the West Sands site in Phuket in 2006
The marketing firm Carrot, Banana & Peach claims it is owed
$323,800 in what owner Tom Gartside described as a 'David and Goliath'
Leahy strongly denies any wrongdoing and said it was 'a straight-forward commercial dispute'.
It now looks set to end up in the Thai courts.
The claims are embarrassing for 54-year-old Leahy, one of Britain's
most successful businessmen and the driving force behind Tesco's
dominance for more than a decade.
He has amassed a fortune worth tens of millions of pounds at the supermarket and last year his pay and perks came in at £5.2m.
When he announced he was standing down last year, Leahy said he planned to 'concentrate on mainly private investment'.
He bought the 48-acre West Sands site in Phuket with business partner Paul Mercer in 2006.
It boasts a 500-metre private beach, 426 properties with ocean views
and private pools, a diving centre and the Splash Jungle Water Park.
Liverpool-born Gartside, who set up Carrot, Banana & Peach in
1999 and is based in Singapore, agreed contracts worth $323,800 with
West Sands in January 2010. But in March that year Mercer sent an email
to Gartside saying the work was 'of an unacceptable quality' and
He added: 'I am writing to advise you therefore that we accept no
liability for the invoices presented and do not plan to have any further
involvement with your company.'
Gartside is now preparing to take West Sands to court.
He described it as a 'desperate situation' and said: 'Essentially
they have commissioned work, used it and simply not paid for it.
'I know this is a bit of a David and Goliath case, but I don't care
if it takes two years in Thailand to get a first hearing - I will wait
10 years if I have to.'
Leahy said: 'There is a straight forward commercial dispute with these suppliers.
'They have their view of events which I respect. We have our view. We will be happy to go to court.'
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"One hundred years after Russian aristocrats fleeing the Bolshevik revolution brought caviar to the haute-cuisine restaurants of Paris, the ‘black gold’ has found a new home in China – a country more known for food scares involving exploding melons and fake eggs.
The famed salt-cured fish roe, which is traditionally extracted from wild sturgeon in the Caspian Sea, has for centuries been a symbol of status and opulence - not to mention a source of power and wealth - for European monarchs, ruthless smugglers, and more recently, leaders of the Soviet Union.
Now China has also been seduced, and local producers are battling to overcome a reputation for shoddy food production standards to become one of the biggest players on the global market."
It has been a tough road for Chinese caviar producers. Even today, after decades of caviar production, Chinese caviar still does not attract customers by name alone. However, the low prices and sheer volume of their product have rocked the caviar world, and Chinese caviar is everywhere.
As one of the worlds most expensive foods, caviar has not been accessible to everyone and traditionally is only reserved for the richest of individuals. Now that China is on its way to becoming the world's largest caviar producer, fine sturgeon caviar that used to sell for well over $100 an ounce is available for a fraction of the price. The ever-increasing volume of Chinese caviar has allowed those individuals who were once not interested in trying the more expensive sturgeon roes to reconsider.
As rare caviar becomes more accessible to more people, many producers outside of China have attacked the country for their inconsistent quality, and spread horror stories of unhealthy food handling practices within certain Chinese caviar production facilities. Thus, the reputation of Chinese caviar is continually facing barriers that Russian caviar and caviar produced in other countries never experienced.
Despite this, Chinese caviar will soon be the most abundant on the planet as fine food importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers from across the globe find themselves attracted to its low cost. Most of those who sell caviar produced in China do not advertise it as such, and often relabel the product to hide the country of origin. With Chinese caviar becoming more widespread, it is important to know what country your caviar comes from, and if it happens to be from China, make sure the importer vouches for their Chinese supplier or you might receive some bad eggs.
Author: Neil Connor
Source: The Telegraph


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Digital analytics firm Chainalysis reported that the cryptocurrency market in Africa has grown significantly over the past year, in addition to the region accounting for a larger share of overall retail transaction volume than the global average.
In a report released on Tuesday, Chainalysis stated that the crypto market in Africa increased in value by over 1,200% between July 2020 and June 2021, with high adoption in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania. The company said the popularity of the P2P platform could be one of the driving factors for greater crypto adoption in the region, as some countries have restricted or restricted residents from sending money to exchanges via local banks. .
According to Chainalysis, the entire continent received $105.6 billion worth of crypto between July 2020 and June 2021. Nevertheless, it had a greater share of the overall transaction volume of the market made up of “retail-sized transfers” than any other region in the world – about 7% as opposed to the 5.5% global average. Furthermore, P2P platforms – including Paxful and LocalBitcoins – account for 1.2% of all crypto transactions in Africa.
“In many of these major markets, people cannot send money from their bank accounts to a centralized exchange, so they rely on P2P,” said Artur Schaback, co-founder and COO of Paxful. “Crypto products are becoming more user-friendly, so they can engage more people in the crypto economy and help them see that crypto is faster, cheaper, and more convenient.”
Other drivers for crypto adoption in the region could include remittances, which governments can receive by limiting the number of funds that people can send overseas. Many users in Africa can use crypto as a fast and cheap way to pay for international commercial transactions and stash their savings to avoid any potential fluctuations in the value of their fiat currency .
related: South African financial regulator issues warning against Binance
Nigeria is planning to launch its central bank digital currency, eNaira, starting October 1. South Africa is also part of a joint initiative with Australia, Singapore and Malaysia to launch a fiat-pegged digital currency, but has yet to issue a potential one. Start date for testing of CBDC.


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Madison, Fitchburg Hy-Vee stores offer "roundup" for disaster relief
Three Hy-Vee stores in the Madison area will hold a roundup event this weekend to raise funds for local disaster relief following this week's devastating flooding.
The roundup begins Friday and runs through Sunday, and may extend in to next week depending on developments in flooding conditions.
Customers can round up to the next dollar or make a designated dollar amount donation when they check out.
All proceeds will benefit local disaster relief for the American Red Cross.
“Hy-Vee wants to support the American Red Cross and local families as they continue to recover from heavy rains and flooding, and as we brace for more rain that’s anticipated this weekend,” said Ross Grunwald, Fitchburg store director.
“We want to thank our generous Hy-Vee customers for their help in supporting the community during this roundup effort.”


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Just when Detroit seemed to be luring them away, Americans are embracing Japanese cars again.
Toyota and Honda lost ground last year after the Japanese earthquake limited their supplies. But July's U.S. sales show they've nearly regained what they lost, at the expense of GM and Ford.
GM sales fell 6 percent and Ford sales were down 4 percent compared with last July. Honda's sales were up 45 percent and Toyota jumped 26 percent. Overall car and truck sales rose 9 percent to 1.15 million, according to Autodata Corp.
"Toyota and Honda have regained all of the share they lost, and much faster than we thought they would," said Jesse Toprak, vice president of market intelligence for the car buying site TrueCar.com. "Their customers appear to be a lot more loyal than we gave them credit for."
Toprak and others thought that newer, better products at GM and Ford, like the Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus small cars, might permanently pull customers away from the Japanese after the earthquake disrupted their supplies.
Toyota had virtually no Prius hybrids to sell last summer, for example.
The government of Japan has bestowed one of that nation's highest honors on a Japanese-American, a former U.S. Soldier and World War II veteran, for his work furthering relationships between the Japanese and Americans. (army.mil )
This Monday, members of the seminal metal band X Japan were in Odaiba rubbing shoulders with the likes of Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga and AKB48′s Yuko Oshima. The catch? They were all made out of wax. (Japan Times )


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Ryzom might be a five-year-old game, but despite the few hiccups it went through, it remains an attractive and diverse game with a number of features still not widely found in the genre. Having celebrated its anniversary earlier this year, the game continues to roll along at a steady clip, exemplified by the newly-released patch 1.7. The patch's title, The Kitin's Lair, alludes to one of its central elements: a new zone, the first part of the aforementioned lair. Kitins are one of the game's central adversaries, and so the patch's warning to avoid entering the lair alone is no doubt well-advised.
That's hardly the only feature in the latest patch, however -- the game has also added an overhauled mail system, in-game forums for roleplaying and guilds, and the ability to enter viewable character biographies built in to the game's engine. The game has also adjusted the level display system, now using numbers to indicate the target's level only when it is close to that of the player. The addition of official Windows 7 support makes Ryzom more accessible, so the game's players would do well to take note of what the patch brings, and those of you who've never heard of the game may want to give it a fresh look.


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Danone Acquires Majority Stake in Turkish Water Supplier SirmaDavid Whitehouse
Danone, owner of the Evian water brand, acquired a 50.1 percent stake in Sirma to expand in Turkey’s water market. No terms were disclosed.
Sirma has sales of almost 100 million euros ($131 million), Paris-based Danone said today in an e-mailed statement. The partnership agreement strengthens Danone’s bottled water business in Turkey, where it’s already present with Hayat.
Danone, the world’s largest yogurt maker, said the transaction will accelerate Sirma’s expansion in Turkey.


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Meta plans to release four VR headsets in 2024
Meta plans to release four VR headsets over the next few years as it continues its vision for the metaverse.
According to a roadmap obtained by The Information, Meta will release a range of headsets spanning various price points.
The high-end VR and mixed reality headset “Project Cambria” has long been rumored to be released around September this year. Cambria was originally supposed to be released last year, but was delayed due to the pandemic and supply chain issues.
Meta’s premium headset will perfectly reflect the company’s vision of how people will use their devices for work and play in the future. The company’s well-received Quest headsets are designed for shorter gaming and social experiences. The Cambria is set to display image quality suitable for performing tasks such as typing for potentially long periods of time.
The battery will be mounted on the back of the Cambria headset to make it more comfortable for longer periods of time. Full color passthrough will be possible for mixed reality experiences.
Meanwhile, sensors in the headset will track eye movements and facial expressions for potential input sources, giving avatars more realistic responses (sorry remote workers – you’ll have to hide the bugs again.)
Project Cambria costs $799. A successor, codenamed Funston, is on schedule for a 2024 release.
For those who are not yet ready to make such a financial commitment, there are two Quest headsets. One, codenamed Stinson, is slated for 2023. The other, codenamed Cardiff, is for 2024.


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Attention, wing enthusiasts! The chicken wing chain that has taken the U.S. by storm is finally coming to Canada. Wingstop’s Toronto location is about to open its doors, and it is already planning to open more restaurants in the city.
According to Wingstop, its first Toronto spot is opening on June 29, at 2218 Bloor Street West. This will mark the first of 100 restaurants planned for its Canadian market.
Wingstop is known for its classic and boneless wings and crispy tenders, always cooked-to-order and hand sauced-and-tossed in fans’ choice of the brand’s 12 signature flavours, including sweet, savoury, and spicy varieties.
For its Canadian restaurants, the brand has a Honey Garlic flavour, which it says it crafted exclusively for us in Canada.
For the grand opening, it will start at 11 am and the first 100 guests who order in the restaurant on June 29 will win five free wings each week for one year!
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Additionally, Wingstop has announced it will open four restaurants by the end of 2022, that is three in addition to the Bloor Street location.
They will be opening on Castlefield Ave, Church St, and Danforth Ave. No dates have been given for those openings as of yet – but we will keep you posted!
Originally founded in Texas way back in 1994, the award-winning concept has since expanded to more than 1,500 locations worldwide, some of which are owned by rapper Rick Ross.
So it looks like we Canadians have a whole lot of chicken wings in our future and Toronto will be the first to get a taste of what’s to come.
Where: 2218 Bloor St W
When: Opens June 29, 2022


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CONSUMER'S WORLD; Minivans' Popularity Prompts Bid to End Safety Exemptions
By MICHAEL deCOURCY HINDS
Published: August 19, 1989
Minivans have been replacing the family station wagon in recent years. The vehicles ride and handle like cars, but are more comfortable and roomy. This year, when annual sales of the vehicles, at $13,000 to $20,000, are expected to top one million, there is growing public and Congressional concern about their safety.
But many consumers are unaware that minivans are classified as light trucks and multipurpose vehicles, meaning they are exempt from some of the 40 Federal safety standards that apply to passenger cars. Among other things, these vehicles do not have to have center-mounted rear brake lamps; head restraints on seats; crash-resistant roofs, doors and bumpers; automatic seat belts or air bags in front seats, and lap belts with shoulder harnesses in rear seats.
But now that 2.7 million minivans have been sold since they were introduced in 1983 and manufacturers classify one of every three vehicles they sell as a light truck or multipurpose carrier, pressure is growing on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to extend its passenger-car regulations. On Aug. 3, the United States Senate passed legislation that would require the agency to reconsider the exemptions. It now goes to the House.
Written 25 years ago, the exemptions were based on the idea that light trucks primarily carry cargo, that truck designs change slowly and that a long lead time is needed to incorporate new safety features. But auto makers have changed designs annually for years and promoted the multipurpose vehicles for family use.
Nineteen senators, including the primary sponsors of the bill, Senator John C. Danforth, Republican of Missouri, and Senator Ernest F. Hollings, Democrat of South Carolina, wrote the highway safety agency this spring. They implored it to take ''action on the single most important highway safety issue confronting us today - the lack of basic safety features in small trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles.''
Support for eliminating the exemptions comes from the American Automobile Association, the Coalition for Consumer Health and Safety, a Washington-based organization of 27 consumer groups, insurance companies and health organizations.
But Federal regulators say that improving minivan safety has not been a priority because the vehicles have a better-than-average safety record, which they attribute in part to the cautiousness of parents, who make up 90 percent of the minivans' buyers.
Nevertheless, the agency says it is taking steps to reclassify vehicles and extend four of the passenger safety standards - head restraints, rear seat belts, safer roofs and safer doors - to light trucks and multipurpose vehicles in the next few years. But automatic seat belts are not likely to appear in minivans before 1995. A Painful Surprise
Some consumers, like Dale T. Fanzo, a Bethel Park, Pa., candy salesman, find out about the exemptions the hard way. ''To tell you the truth, when I bought my Plymouth Voyager Sports Edition in 1985, I just assumed that it met all safety standards for passenger cars,'' Mr. Fanzo said. ''I just assumed that the head rests were there.''
They weren't, though they have been required on passenger cars for 30 years. The restraints are designed to prevent the kind of whiplash neck injury that Mr. Fanzo sustained on Feb. 11, 1986, when a tractor-trailer rammed into the rear of his van at a traffic light. The injury impaired his ability to turn his head and prompted him to petition the Government to require the restraints in vans.
''We don't make any special attempt to inform consumers about safety,'' said Albert J. Slechter, a spokesman for the Chrysler Corporation, which makes the Voyager and dominates the minivan market. The company has been offering head restraints as a ''luxury'' option and it will offer them as standard equipment on 1990 models.
Most minivan manufacturers say their vehicles meet some of the national safety standards. Two, Nissan Motor Corporation and Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, say their minivans comply with all passenger-car safety standards.
Thomas J. Carr, a spokesman for the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association, a trade group, said, ''We oppose mandatory standards because it would impose some cost in record-keeping.''
Jeffrey R. Miller, the highway safety agency's acting administrator, said light trucks and multipurpose vehicles have posed a relatively minor safety problem. ''Some of the concern has been blown out of proportion,'' he said. ''We've looked at the safety performance of light trucks, pick-up trucks, minivans and utility vehicles and we found that, overall, their safety record is about the same as that of passenger cars, and that minis, by themselves, do better than passenger cars.''
But Congress remains concerned about these vehicles, as many of its members have been since 1978, when the General Accounting Office, its auditing arm, wrote a report, ''Unwarranted Delays by the Department of Transportation to Improve Light Truck Safety.'' The Senate Commerce Committee has asked the G.A.O. to update that report. WHAT TO ASK IN A SHOWROOM
In shopping for a minivan, ask about crash-resistent roof, doors and bumpers; head restraints; automatic seat belts in front seats and shoulder harnesses on rear-seat belts.
These are safety standards recommended by consumer advocates for passenger cars. The only passenger car standard that some experts concede may be unneccessary on a minivan is the raised, center-mounted brake light.
Two minivans, the Nissan Axxess and the Mitsubishi Wagon, meet all the standards. Most manufacturers say their roofs and doors, while not in technical compliance, offer protection that is comparable to that of passenger cars.
The Government will not require minivans to undergo crash tests until 1991, but it has tested some in a voluntary program. The models that have done well are the Dodge Caravan and the Plymouth Voyager, the Nissan Van and the Mitsubishi Wagon, said Karen Fierst, co-author of ''The Car Book'' (Harper & Row, 1989 $8.95) with Jack Gillis. The Toyota Van did moderately well, she added, and the Volkswagen Vanagon, Ford Aerostar and Chevy Astro did poorly.
Photo of Aaron and Margaret Cooper, with son Robert, examining Dodge Caravan at dealership in East Hanover, N.J. (NYT/John Sotomayor); graph of minivan sales, 1983-1988 (Source: Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association)


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What do you think about credit card companies selling your purchase history to advertisers? You wouldn't mind? Right?
The WSJ reports that they saw a document MasterCard was pitching around earlier this year. It described how the company wanted to sell cardholder data so each person could be targeted with ads online based on their individual swipe history.


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New Zealanders using Android or Google TV to access movies on the Apple TV app may face disappointment amid reports Apple has limited its functionality.
Since launching last year, the app has allowed users to rent and purchase movies from the iTunes store.
A new update, however, has removed that ability with the two in-app buttons replaced by a new 'How to Watch' button, according to multiple reports.
When pressed it states "You can buy, rent or subscribe in the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, and other streaming devices".
The change could mean fans of Ted Lasso or Severance will also need to find alternative ways of watching their favourites too, with Apple TV Plus original movies and television shows also appearing unavailable via the updated app, according to TechRadar.
Apple has also removed browsable sections for movies and television shows, replacing them with a search field that leads to the 'How to Watch' prompt.
The tech giant has yet to confirm the changes, but multiple outlets have reported the same after Reddit users shared their frustrations and experiences.
There is speculation the move may be related to commission rates on in-app purchases (IAP).
Technology blogger John Gruber posted that he confirmed with "sources familiar with the matter" that Apple and Google were unable to reach agreeable terms on commissions.
"Until this update, Apple had been running on an exemption not to use Google's IAP. The exemption expired, so Apple TV on Android TV is now 'reader only'," Gruber wrote.
"Apple would rather not sell or rent any content at all on these platforms than do so while paying Google the commissions they demand."
Apple already acknowledges that all of its functionality isn't available on all platforms, saying on its website that "not all devices support on-device transactions, so you may not be able to buy, rent, or subscribe to shows or channels directly".
Kiwis running either Android or Google TV looking for alternative ways of accessing the full features of Apple TV will need to use the likes of smart TVs from LG and Samsung, gaming consoles like the Playstation5 and Xbox Series X, or Apple's own products.


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Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) C5a cloud instances powered by 2nd Gen AMD EPYC processors are now generally available in the AWS U.S. East, AWS U.S. West, AWS Europe and AWS Asia Pacific regions.
Almost half of global organizations are being hindered in their Digital Transformation (DX) journeys due to unreliable, legacy technologies with 44% citing lack of IT skills or expertise as another barrier to success, according to a global study conducted by Vanson Bourne and commissioned by Veeam.
Google Cloud and Dell Technologies have launched Dell Technologies Cloud OneFS for Google Cloud. This hybrid storage solution would help organizations control exponential data and application growth and ease the flow of files across their private clouds and Google Cloud.
Audi and Capgemini have announced the launch of their joint venture, XL2. This joint venture will provide digital technology and consulting services, namely in the fields of SAP S/4HANA and cloud services primarily for Audi and the entire Volkswagen Group.
Enterprise cloud management platform provider, CloudBolt Software, has announced the general availability of CloudBolt 9.3.
Kentik, a network intelligence platform provider delivering its services to digital enterprises and service providers, has announced $23.5 million in growth funding led by Vistara Capital Partners.
OnApp has launched Cloud.net, a new self-service portal that offers an easy way for service providers and enterprise IT departments to create the public and private cloud infrastructure they need.
Alibaba Cloud has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) to enhance the education and skills of the cloud computing staff and students through the Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Program (AAEP).
StorPool and ITGix have stepped into a partnership meant to deliver “high-performance, scalable, and reliable” on-premise deployments with OpenStack and Kubernetes.
Tech Mahindra, a global provider of digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering services and Openet, a provider of digital BSS solutions, have announced a global strategic partnership to enable “digital transformation” for customers globally.
Global cloud hosting provider Rackspace has been awarded a contract by the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) to provide multicloud solutions to support the state’s overall IT modernization effort.


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Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Unity has recently become the subject of controversy, as it was revealed that you won’t be able to play as a female character throughout the game. Ubisoft’s explanation for this decision, delivered as “ realities of production ”, was soon called out by a former employee , who chastised the developer for its reasoning.
The story has struck like wildfire so much that Insomniac Games’ female character for Sunset Overdrive dons an attire that’s strikingly similar that featured in earlier Assassin’s Creed games, no doubt added in response to Assassin’s Creed Unity .
Despite this, creative director Alex Hutchinson has reassured everyone that the upcoming addition to the FarCry series, FarCry 4 , will be “ packed to the gills with woman. ”
In an interview with OutsideXbox, Hutchinson made a point of ensuring that women will fill many prominent roles in FarCry 4 , including alongside the game’s antagonists.
“We tried very hard to make sure that of the four main antagonists, half of them are women, which is cool,” he said. “On your side, one of the main leaders of the rebel faction is a woman, half the rebels that fight with you are women. It’s packed to the gills with women. They’re everywhere, just like life.”
You can watch OutsideXbox’s interview with Alex Hutchinson’s via the embedded video below. FarCry 4 is slated to release on Tuesday, November 18 in North America and Europe for PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3.
[ OutsideXbox ]


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By Susan Campbell
Click here for updates on this story
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (KTVK, KPHO) – Sometimes stacks of boxes appear at Kidstop. âWe’re like kids at Christmas right now when we open the box and say, ‘Oh my God! We have the remote control car! Said owner Kate Tanner. Other days the shipments are much smaller than Tanner would like to see in his Scottsdale toy store. âIt’s very difficult to follow,â she told 3 On Your Side. âOur shipments arrive when they want to arrive.
Due to supply chain issues, Tanner ordered early and tried to stock up. Yet about 10% of the toys featured in Kidstop’s annual holiday catalog won’t make it to the store.
Persistent supply chain problems cause delays for Arizona businesses âBruder Trucks just exploded. We can’t bring them in, âTanner said. “If you see a Jellycat that you like, grab it.” Legos are also rare. âI think those shelves after Thanksgiving will be pretty empty,â Tanner lamented.
Across the country, stores like Kidstop wait for deliveries as problems persist across the global supply chain, the result of unprecedented consumer demand combined with the COVID-19 pandemic. The main sensitive points in the supply chain are the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. About 40% of shipping containers that enter the United States go through these ports, where there are traffic jams. The ships are waiting to arrive. There is a shortage of trucks to transport the cargo when the ships dock. Tens of thousands of full and empty containers sit on the docks, taking up space.
Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said there had been progress in moving more containers from freighters to trucks and trains more quickly. âWe continue to deliver record amounts of freight,â said Seroka. âSince October 24, we’ve seen a 25% drop from about 95,000 containers to 71,000 import containers at our docks, and freight of nine days or more has fallen 29%.â
The supply chain is playing with the golden spongy dumpling that everyone wants hundreds of miles away, Tanner says she can sometimes smell the progress. âA month ago I was as nervous as you could be,â she said. âToday there are so many boxes flocking to the door. You see when the containers hit, when things start to move. You can hear my sigh, I think we’ll get there.
But even that sigh of relief can’t hide the stress of this season unlike any other. âWhat do I like the most? She said, repeating the question that had just been put to her. “You’re going to make me cry because it’s been so hard.”
âIt’s the kids,â she finally said. It is their joy and excitement that accompanies every wishlist created in her store.
Note: this content is subject to a strict embargo in the local market. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you cannot use it on any platform.


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Zomato extends food delivery services to Dehradun, Agra, Patna, Mysore, Ranchi, Raipur, and Aurangabad.
Zomato on Friday announced that it has extended its food delivery services to Dehradun, Agra, Patna, Mysore, Ranchi, Raipur, and Aurangabad. Partners with over 1500 restaurants in these cities – ranging from city favourites, restaurants, and Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), to the coolest of the cafes in town.
With this launch Zomato’s online ordering services are now spread out across 28 cities in India – Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Kochi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Indore, Coimbatore, Vadodara, Nagpur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Surat, Vizag, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Dehradun, Agra, Patna, Mysore, Ranchi, Raipur, and Aurangabad. It is also expected to launch in more cities this month.
As the first food delivery platform in all these seven cities, Zomato will now deliver fresh food from the restaurant’s kitchen to your doorsteps with no additional delivery charges and no minimum order value. With an average delivery time of 33 mins, Zomato looks to offer its consumers the convenience of hassle-free delivery through its own delivery fleet in these cities. The app also offers live order tracking, personalised customer service, and multiple payment options. Currently, the service is available seven days a week from 11 am to 11 pm but will soon deliver breakfast and late night meals as well.
Commenting on the launch, Mohit Gupta, CEO – Food Delivery, Zomato said, “We’re heads down focused on growing this business and are excited to bring Zomato’s food delivery services to these cities. India is our largest focus market and growth in tier II and tier III cities has been really encouraging for us. We want to continue to reach out to more users in India, and make their interactions with restaurant much more seamless as compared to what they are right now.”
Besides making food available to all its users at a touch of a button, Zomato is also helping its restaurant partners reach more customers and increase their overall business.
The online ordering process on the app is extremely simple. Apart from the user ratings and reviews, the app also has features like ‘The Finest’ and ‘New Arrivals’ which smoothens the decision-making process for consumers. Customers ordering food online can pay via multiple payment options such as Cash on delivery, Cards (debit and credit), Netbanking, Wallets – Paytm, Freecharge, Mobikwik, as well as later pay options like Simpl and Lazypay.
Zomato Piggybank, a recently launched rewards program crossed over 200,000 subscribing members within 48 hours of its launch. Every time you order food online on Zomato at any restaurant, 10% of your order value will be credited back as Z Coins into your Zomato Piggybank. Using these points, you can pay 10% of the value of the next order.
Source: BW Disrupt


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Image courtesy of Long Beach Clothing Co.
Long Beach Clothing Co. announced this week that Outer Limits artist Eric Branchfield will tattoo one lucky winner in the clothing store’s front window as residents stroll by during Bixby Knolls’ First Friday “Artober” gathering on October 6.
Fans can now enter to win the Long Beach-themed tattoo by commenting on Long Beach Clothing Co.’s Instagram post @lbclothingco and tagging two friends. The winner will be drawn at random Wednesday, October 4 at 7:00PM, must be 18 or older and available to be tattooed on Friday, October 6 from 5:00PM to 10:00PM.
The contest rules are as follows:
- You MUST BE 18 years old with a valid government issued I.D.
- Your Instagram account MUST BE PUBLIC (Private accounts disqualified).
- TAG 2 friends in the comments (must be valid accounts, celebrity, company accounts do not count).
- Be available to be tattooed at Long Beach Clothing Co. on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6th from 5-10pm.
- Tattoo placement will be on your choice of leg or arm with NO alterations to the art.
Branchfield’s traditional sailor-style tattoo features a mermaid and the Queen Mary topped with Long Beach script. The design was drawn specifically for the “Artober” event and will also be released as a limited-edition t-shirt, according to the announcement.
“I’m really excited to tattoo someone outside of the normal tattoo shop environment… and in front of a ton of people should be fun,” Branchfield said in a statement. “I’m always amazed how much people love Long Beach. It’s a level of local pride you don’t see anywhere else.”
There’s more to the story than this one-time tattoo opportunity. The winner will join the nearly 4,000 locals who receive a 20 percent-off lifetime discount at Long Beach Clothing Co. for having Long Beach-related ink. Check out the gallery here.
Long Beach Clothing Co.’s front bay window will be rearranged to accommodate Branchfield’s set up, including his tattoo table, equipment and the lucky tattoo winner.
“This is one of the coolest features for our Artober First Fridays,” Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association said in a statement. “People get a chance to see up close the amazing art of tattooing. This opportunity takes away some of the taboo and provides a chance for attendees to watch the artist create a permanent piece from needle and ink to skin. And I’m jealous that I can’t be the one getting that great Long Beach iconic tattoo.”
For more information, check out the Facebook event page here.