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“We’re committed to being the best,” a chipper voice used to say every two minutes or so while I waited on hold years ago with my local cable monopoly. You’re committed to being the only, I recall thinking. Today that company is owned by Charter Communications, America’s No. 2 cable distributor, which is striking a different tone. Cable television is “too expensive and packages don’t meet customer needs,” Charter wrote in the first line of a recent slide deck for investors.
That’s a negotiating tactic in a standoff with Walt Disney (ticker: DIS), and a powerful one, akin to the old “take my ball and go home” threat from backyard football—and, as it happens, football is at the heart of the matter. Charter’s (CHTR) stance that cable television stinks explains why Disney is likely to cave first, and neither company will come out ahead.
Disney and Charter are locked in what’s called a carriage dispute. In the clinical language that cable uses to describe the entertainment business, companies like Disney that fill channels with shows are programmers, and ones like Charter that sell bundles of channels are MVPDs, or multichannel video programming distributors.
Programmers make money by charging MVPDs carriage fees to include their channels in bundles, and by selling advertising on those channels. MVPDs charge viewers for the bundles and get a modest share of the ad slots, which is why commercial breaks are often a mix of national pitches for big brands, local ones for car dealers and furniture stores, and ones for the cable service itself.
In the early days of cable cord-cutting, programmers could offset their falling subscriber counts by negotiating for higher carriage fees per subscriber once contracts came up for renewal. If talks stalled, both sides would take their case to viewers. Programmers would tell them that MVPDs were trying to take away their favorite shows. MVPDs would accuse programmers of jacking up bills. A deal would be struck before viewers missed anything important.
Back then, no one had a stronger case than Disney, because it owns ESPN, and key sports rights. Basically, in TV, old viewers are still watching cable, middle-age ones have left for streaming, and young ones can’t be bothered to turn away from YouTube and Roblox. But sports remain a TV stronghold. Viewers watch live, audiences skew young, and traditional networks control most of the rights.
This time around, customers of Charter’s Spectrum cable service have been without Disney channels, including ESPN, since the start of September. That means they’ve missed out on tennis’ U.S. Open and some college football. Starting Sept. 11, they’ll miss the pros playing Monday Night Football. If Charter doesn’t seem particularly bothered, it might be because this is no longer the early days of cord-cutting: 25 million subscribers have canceled over the past five years.
Only about half of U.S. households now pay for traditional TV, down from more than 90% in 2010. Cancellations are accelerating, and margins are falling. Charter says it has reached “economic indifference” on keeping TV. Many customers who cancel their cable TV stick with their providers for broadband, and broadband margins are about triple those of TV.
Meanwhile, Charter says that only a quarter of its TV viewers “regularly” watch Disney content, including ESPN, although there are likely far more occasional viewers. Charter pays Disney an estimated $12.50 per subscriber for its channels, three-quarters of which goes for ESPN, making it easily the most expensive channel in the bundle.
What Charter would like isn’t so much a freeze on fees as flexibility—the right to sell more skinny bundles that lack sports. It also wants Disney to throw its ad-supported streaming services into the cable mix. What Disney would like is to preserve what’s left of its diminished free cash flow until profitability picks up for streaming. It plans to launch a full ESPN streaming service as soon as 2025. The current ESPN+ service, sold as part of Disney’s own streaming bundle, is a complement to the cable channel, not a replacement for it.
Pricing there will matter a lot. Many sports fans aren’t used to paying their full TV tab. Remember: All of those cable subscribers who don’t watch ESPN are subsidizing those who do. Cable has already taken a tough line with regional sports networks, which have rolled out streaming services costing $25 to $30 a month. A stand-alone ESPN with a full suite of sports rights could cost more. That’s why Disney is pursuing partnerships with sports leagues to hold down costs.
The bottom line is that Disney has more to lose. Oppenheimer estimates that this dispute alone could cost the company $4 billion in yearly free cash flow, including advertising. That could derail meaningful dividends—Disney aims to reinstate payments by the end of this year. Charter will lose subscription and advertising revenue, but also a big driver of its content costs, with a more neutral overall effect on free cash flow.
What matters is how ESPN fans get their fix. Some will switch to a virtual MVPD, or traditional channel bundle online, like YouTube TV or Disney’s own Hulu+ Live TV, and continue to get their broadband through Charter. J.P. Morgan estimates that only 10% of ESPN fans will switch to a competing broadband service like Verizon Fios.
Near term, says JPM, other TV networks could see a benefit from the Disney scrap if ESPN drops out of more bundles, lowering prices and stemming subscriber losses. Long term, Charter’s willingness to ditch TV is a negative for the ecosystem. BofA Securities compares the state of TV to the music industry when CDs were replaced by downloads, and then streaming. Industry revenue peaked in 1999 and then plunged 40%, not returning to growth until 2014. On that timeline, BofA says the TV business is somewhere in the late 2000s—with years more of struggle to come.


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SA’s best-selling cars in April
Bakkie sales are down, but cars show a promising upturn in cash-strapped market
New-vehicle sales in SA delivered mixed results last month, with cars reporting a 3.9% increase compared to April 2018, but light commercials dropping a substantial 8.1%.
According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa), there were 24,989 new cars sold last month compared to the 24,054 units in the same month last year, with the car-rental industry contributing to 8% of the April 2019 figure.
Sales of bakkies and light commercials at 9,810 units recorded a notable decline from the 10,676 units sold during April 2018, however.
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Sales in the low-volume medium and heavy truck segments performed well and at 577 units and 1,418 units respectively, reflected gains of 19,7% (medium commercials) and 7.8% (heavy commercials).
On aggregate the total domestic sales at 36,794 units was 266 units (0,7%) up on the 36,528 vehicles sold in April last year
Naamsa said that growing export sales were a welcome surprise, with the 11,571 vehicles sold outside the country last month reflecting a huge 53.8% gain over April 2018. The association expects export sales to increase to 400,000 units in 2019 compared to the record 351,139 vehicles exported last year.
April sales glimmered as a beacon of hope for the SA new-car industry as the overall 0.7% rise was the first increase in sales this year and brings a slowly declining trend in sales to a halt, says WesBank’s executive head of Motor Ghana Msibi.
“Household budgets are continuing to remain under pressure and consecutive months of petrol price increases will no doubt begin to take their toll,” said Msibi. “Combined with the natural uncertainty ahead of May elections, the April sales performance becomes even more reassuring, as these conditions could easily have resulted in the continuing decline trend.”
WesBank had forecast first-half sales to be slow, improving in the second half. “This April stability could be a sign of an earlier onset of improved trading, but it is early days to label it as such – the market can remain hopeful,” said Msibi.
Total market sales year-to-date are down 3.7% compared to 2018, passenger cars accounting for a 6.2% decline, while LCVs are up 0.7%.
In spite of dwindling light-commercial sales, Toyota’s evergreen Hilux bakkie remained SA’s top-selling vehicle in April, with the rival Ford Ranger in third place behind the VW Polo Vivo.
SA’S TOP 20 SELLERS - APRIL 2019
- Toyota Hilux 2,411
- VW Polo Vivo 2,350
- Ford Ranger 1,635
- Toyota Quantum 1,236
- VW Polo 1,165
- Isuzu D-Max 1,158
- Toyota Rav4 839
- Toyota Fortuner 816
- Ford EcoSport 742
- Toyota Etios 719
- Hyundai Grand i10 718
- Nissan NP200 715
- Renault Kwid 472
- Datsun Go 453
- Renault Clio 452
- VW Tiguan 442
- Toyota Corolla Quest 436
- Ford Figo 426
- Renault Sandero 422
- Kia Picanto 402
* List excludes Mercedes-Benz and Haval, which do not report their detailed sales figures.

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This Sunday November 13th will see the return of Rathdrum Market Christmas Extravaganza to Avondale GAA Complex from 10am to 4pm.
The Rathdrum Market was started in 2021 in aid of Rathdrum Tidy Towns by local business owner Margaret Nolan. After a successful first summer in 2021 Margaret decided to bring a Christmas market to Rathdrum, so in November 2021 the annual Christmas Extravaganza was born.
This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than 2021 with over 25 stalls booked in, as well as a raffle, face painting and a make your own tree decoration section.
There will be yummy treats such as brownies, donuts and loads more teas, coffees and hot chocolate will also be served for all to enjoy.
Stalls include items from candles to winter warmers, jewelry and decorations which can be personalised on the day, bows and children’s accessories, crochet plushies, wreaths real and artificial and so much more.
Money raised on the day goes to Rathdrum Tidy Towns to help them with the amazing work they carry out across the town.
So, head on down to Avondale GAA Complex this Sunday from 10am to 4pm you won’t be disappointed.


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NATIONAL Food Authority (NFA) Provincial Manager Rolando Rufo said there is no reason to panic on reports of a rice price hike and a rice shortage.
"Sufficient talaga yung rice natin, hindi nauubos," Rufo said.
Rufo said there is enough of the staple to last 48.72 days.
He said that as of the moment, there are 60,355 government rice, 36,593 bags of commercial, and 277,973 household stock.
In addition to this, there is an expected production output of 76,934 bags of rice, which brings the total supply to 451,855 bags.
Rufo said after the month of January, there will still be 279,655 bags of rice in government warehouses.
The 48.72 days for the rice supply to last were computed based on the monthly consumption of 172,200 bags.
Last 2009, NFA dispersed 372,000 bags of rice in the city. Rufo said the agency was not able to distribute the targeted 100 percent last year, which is a good sign there were lots of commercial and household stocks floated in the market.
However, Rufo said the government has expected the shortage in rice supply in the national level and imported the staple.
On the issue of price increase, Rufo said this is just normal as businessmen tend to raise their prices because of the lean or off harvest season.
"Cycle kasi ito, eh off harvest ngayon kaya pagkakataon ng traders na magtaas ng presyo," Rufo said.
Rufo assured rice prices will be stable by March when the harvest season begins.


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Market Street re-route proposal runs head-on into SA Alamo mythology
Published: April 11, 2012
The Alamo, the Shrine of Texas Liberty, has long been surrounded by myth. Yet it has remained a regular destination for generations of Texans, drawing them and others from around the world to San Antonio. San Antonio tourism has also long been swathed in myth and misperception. Take the case of the annual visitor count at the Alamo itself.
These days the annual visitor count at the Alamo is usually reported as "more than 2.5 million." That sounds like a big number, and it isn't trivial by any means, but it is far smaller than the 10 million annual visitors regularly described by local officials in the 1980s. When the San Antonio Express-News reported on the visitor count at the Alamo in March 2002, it referred to a 1995 study by the Convention and Visitors Bureau that said the Alamo "drew an estimated 3.5 million visitors."
Those Alamo numbers reflect the mythology that has long surrounded the visitor business in San Antonio. We know our city's a hospitable place, and we all know we see lots of visitors. But how big, and how important in economic terms, is our visitor industry? That's a particularly important question, as we consider rerouting Market Street downtown to accommodate a convention center expansion, and the expense of tearing down and replacing a large part of the Henry B. Gonzalez Center.
According to the latest version of the "Center City Strategic Framework Plan" from HR&A Advisors, "Downtown anchors the $11 billion annual tourism industry. … A more vital downtown can increase the value of tourism to the City by producing more places to visit and a more vibrant quality to neighborhoods." That "$11 billion" annual tourism industry also sounds impressive. And the same number turns up in last November's Destination SA Update 2011 strategic plan for the city's visitor industry, from the Conventions, Sports & Leisure consulting firm. The CSL study says, "The most recent studies of visitor industry economic impact in San Antonio indicate that in 2008, the economic impact of San Antonio's hospitality industry was estimated at $11 billion, employing 106,000 people." CSL goes on to argue that a host of new initiatives, ranging from new gateways to the San Antonio River, to improvements to Alamo Plaza, to new downtown "urban rail projects," "can help to protect and enhance this level of impact."
There's that $11 billion figure from 2008, together with a total hospitality employment number of 106,000. Those figures actually come from a 2008 study of the economic impact of San Antonio's hospitality industry produced for the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Council. The study, which uses employment data for the entire metropolitan San Antonio area, not just the city itself or Bexar County, did indeed put hospitality industry impact at $11 billion. And it counted exactly 106,311 jobs in the hospitality industry — the basis for the $11 billion estimate of economic impact. But a quick look shows that the overwhelming majority of those jobs, exactly 75,189, or 70.7 percent, were in "restaurants and catering."
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Kennedy Wilson agrees price tag for sale of Shelbourne
The US investment giant has agreed a deal to sell the landmark Dublin hotel – a move experts say could kickstart the Dublin sales market
The owners of The Shelbourne have agreed a deal worth around €230 million to sell the hotel, the Business Post understands.
Kennedy Wilson, the US investment fund, on Thursday confirmed it had entered into an agreement to sell the 265-bedroom hotel, with the deal expected to close by the end of March - news first reported on businesspost.ie.
It’s understood Archer Hotel Capital is the firm under contract to acquire The Shelbourne. The company did ...


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Solo travel is skyrocketing among all ages and large companies are looking to adapt to the growing trend. A few weeks ago the cruise line Oceania Cruises announced new cabins for solo travelers, and now Airbnb has developed a new feature for this type of traveler.
On Monday, the American company Airbnb announced a new safety product for solo travelers in a press release, an in-app feature that will help solo travelers have safe and secure experiences.
According to the information shared on the official website, the company noticed that in 2021 about 26% of nights booked were for solo travelers, and during the first quarter of 2022 that number has increased: over 50% of the nights registered for long-term stays were booked by solo travelers.
Airbnb stated: “As the ‘live anywhere’ phenomenon has taken off among people who are able to work remotely, our platform has become increasingly integral to solo travelers.”
One of the main concerns for solo travelers is safety, and that is why Airbnb’s Trust team has been working since 2021 on a new product to guarantee safe and secure experiences. This new feature is now available for English-speaking guests.
How The New Feature For Solo Travelers Works
The new feature for solo travelers will activate when a guest books a private or shared room. The specialized in-app experience, as Airbnb calls this new feature, will show the solo traveler “expert tips” to help them stay safe.
Solo travelers will now be able to share where they are staying and their reservation itinerary with family and friends. Trusted people will be able to see the address, check-in and check-out dates, and reservation codes.
After a guest has booked a room, the new feature will also provide automated prompts and help solo travelers ask relevant questions based on research and other travelers’ experiences in that location. “Is there anything I should know about the neighborhood?” and “will you be available if I need help during my stay” are two examples of the questions the app will tell travelers to ask their hosts.
With this strategy, they hope to build a safety net and encourage solo travelers to book comfortably: “Our hope is this new product will better equip solo travelers on Airbnb to be more informed travelers by getting their pre-trip questions answered, giving them a better understanding of their surroundings, and informing the important people in their lives about where they will be and for how long.”
The new in-app experience is only available in English, but Airbnb hopes to expand to other countries and languages soon. Another specialized experience for women is part of the company’s main concern, but for now, the new feature will be available for all solo travelers regardless of their gender identity.
Airbnb’s New Updates And Features
Airbnb has been very active recently including new features to their app, sharing relevant travel data, and even making major updates to their platform. The company has recently included new buttons and categories for its over 6 million listings to provide more exciting and interesting options for travelers, such as the OMG homes.
Now that the pandemic is more under control and more travelers want to explore the world and work remotely, the company has been adapting to satisfy current travel needs. Airbnb has already heard and acted to satisfy remote workers’ needs and constantly updates COVID-related measures depending on local restrictions and worldwide health developments.
The current concern seems to be safety, so besides the new solo traveler feature, the company has also recently added a 24/7 safety line for travelers, a Local Emergency Services in-app experience to reach emergency services locally—recently extended to 70 countries— and now users can also add an emergency contact to their profile to help the company reach out to a friend or family member in case of emergency.
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Halton police say they’ve identified a man accused of stealing toy donations from an Oakville Canadian Tire.
They say the alleged theft happened on Friday afternoon when the suspect loaded a number of items from the Toys for Tots donation bins into a shopping cart and left the store.
Police say the toys were meant to go to less fortunate kids in Halton region.
Police didn’t give any information about the suspect, or say whether he was facing charges.
Source: Read Full Article


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Wolterman Law Office
filed a lawsuit on May 1, 2020, against The Cincinnati Insurance Company for their refusal to pay claims for businesses that have been forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Filed on behalf of iconic restaurant Primavista as plaintiff, the class action complaint
alleges that thousands of businesses have been wrongfully denied coverage by their insurance company for losses related to the coronavirus pandemic. Primavista’s owners Joan and Frank Lenkerd filed the complaint after they, like many other businesses, were forced to shut down completely in mid-March after Governor Mike DeWine ordered business closures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.Please view a copy of the complaint here
If your business interruption claim has been denied, if you have been issued a reservation of rights letter, or if your insurer is delaying acceptance or investigation of your business interruption claim, we can help. We are accepting these cases on a contingency basis. You can reach us by calling 513-488-1135 or submitting this form.


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Consumers Union and NRDC conducted four state polls in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Maine with Public Policy Polling in September 2011. The polls again show that a majority of consumers have installed more energy-efficient appliances and products, including more energy-efficient lighting, and strongly support energy efficiency standards for light bulbs.
Consumers are installing energy efficient appliances and products
The polls also show that energy efficiency standards for light bulbs also receive strong support—69 percent in Illinois, 64 percent in Michigan, 60 percent in Ohio and 66 percent in Maine.
The public supports efficiency standards for light bulbs.
- Voters strongly support setting minimum energy efficiency standards in general for various household products that save consumers money and provide better-performing options. Energy efficiency standards generally are supported by 68 percent of voters in Illinois, 62 percent in Michigan, 61 percent in Ohio, and 67 percent in Maine.
Voters strongly support minimum energy efficiency standards
- There’s also strong bipartisan support across all four states for energy efficiency standards. In Illinois, 85 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of independents, and 69 percent of Republicans; in Ohio, 80 percent of Democrats, 73 percent of independents, 68 percent of Republicans; and in Maine 86 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents, and 64 percent of Republicans.
Support for energy efficiency standards is bipartisan.
There’s good reason that voters resoundingly support these standards and more energy-efficient light bulbs—the consumer savings, the innovations and options in lighting, more U.S. jobs and less pollution.
Our members of Congress should be standing up to preserve these consumer benefits and protect our U.S. lighting industry and the jobs it supports—not risking them to score political points. The U.S. Senate still has the opportunity to do the right thing and stop this nonsense from continuing any further.
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Mitutoyo America Corp. has announced a sponsorship agreement with Titans of CNC, a free project-based education platform that helps guide students and teachers on CNC machine operation and programming.
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When a manufacturer has excess inventory not adding value to the process, the inventory is hurting the company’s balance sheet, and is by definition wasteful.
November 12, 2019 (Tolland, Conn.) – Mastercam, CAD/CAM software developed by CNC Software, Inc., was proud to be on display as a sponsorship partner of Team Witch Doctor in season 9 of Discovery’s BattleBots series.
Modern manufacturing is rapidly adopting model-based definition (MBD). When employing an MBD strategy, the CAD model becomes more than the nominal to which all parts are measured and inspected against. MBD keeps the all-important digital thread intact—from design to manufacturing to inspection and quality reporting.
In my capacity as the Chair of the Council of the Manufacturing USA institute directors, I often get asked about trends in U.S. advanced manufacturing.
Manufacturing faces “continued risk for disruption” and uncertainty in 2020, consulting firm Deloitte said in a report.
“Metrology and its relationship to manufacturing is rapidly evolving,” Ken Woodbine, president, Wilcox Associates, a brand of Hexagon Metrology (North Kingstown, RI), recently observed. “We are seeing larger quantities and faster speeds of measurement data collection. The next challenge is what to do with all that data.”
Cutting tool and tooling systems specialist Sandvik Coromant has unveiled its CoroPlus suite of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions aimed at helping manufacturers prepare for Industry 4.0. The concept is designed specifically to improve the control of productivity and costs through a combination of machine connectivity and CoroPlus – the suite of connectivity solutions from Sandvik Coromant – helps manufacturers prepare for Industry 4.0 access to manufacturing data and expert knowledge.
Mahr Inc., a global manufacturer of precision measurement equipment, will host a grand opening of its new Midwest Regional Customer Center July 25-26.
The Measuring Division of Kaman Precision Products, Inc. announces the availability of its line of Extreme Environment high-precision displacement sensors and systems.


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Just when you thought Google couldn’t expand into yet another unthought-of market, it goes and announces a new project. This time the company that has its roots in internet search technology is taking on the medical fraternity, with contact lens technology that helps wearers keep track of their blood sugar.
In a post on the company’s blog, Brian Otis and Babak Parviz, project co-founders for the smart contact lens, detail that diabetes is already a big problem, and one that’s growing. It is estimated that by 2030 the number of diabetic patients will double, mostly due to lifestyle nutritional changes, higher amounts of sugar in everyday foods, and obesity – and currently one in every 19 people have the disease.
Otis and Parviz’s group is busy testing a smart contact lens that can measure glucose levels in tears – the fluid that’s constantly lubricating our eyeballs. The glucose sensor sends its signals to a wireless chip, which in turn could transmit the data to a connected device (Wi-Feye, anybody?). They don’t detail specifics, but do mention that one idea is to implement LEDs that could flash and alert the wearer – essentially turning the lens into an always-on monitoring device. A power source is also not mentioned, though it’s entirely possible to power a small circuit like this using the body’s own current. Currently, the company is testing its prototype and talking to the American food and drug administration (FDA) to certify it as safe for use.
This could have a tremendous impact on the quality of life for diabetics. In their post Parvis and Otis mention that some diabetics consider their condition a part-time job, as its necessary to constantly check their blood sugar levels. Something like this smart contact lens will remove that step from the process and let them lead closer-to-normal lives, with a simple warning light or smartphone app letting them know when to administer insulin.


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BMW’s next generation M6 to be inspired by Vision Efficient Dynamics concept
Starting with the next generation 6-Series, BMW will be revising the M6 version and providing us with a new sports car that will draw its inspiration from the Vision Efficient Dynamics concept. This new vehicle will combine the Vision ED with better fuel economy and CO2 emissions while still allowing BMW to maintain M6 levels of power and performance. BMW will start testing this prototype later in the summer with hopes that it will provide good competition for the Audi R8 and the future baby SLS AMG.
The future car will be "a hi-tech sports car that showcases all of BMW’s eco-tech in the packaging of a performance car." While the concept is powered by a diesel-electric hybrid system, the production version will probably end up with a 4.4-liter V8 engine (the same engine that will be used in the next M5).
When talking about the future sports car, BMW R&D chief Klaus Draeger said that the future BMW supercar has to "be intelligent and dramatic-looking, something like the ED concept".


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Nikola's Badger Will Also Come With Built-In Soda Fountain: CEO Milton Explains How it Works
With the number of electric vehicles on the streets of America, consumers are also looking for premium features that make their cars more unique than everyone else's. For the Nikola Badger that utilizes a hydrogen fuel cell, this could be its built-in drinking water feature.
Accrding to Simon Alvarez from Teslarati, Trevor Milton, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nikola has been receiving questions on his Twitter account on how the water that is coming out of the Nikola Badger can be utilized.
Milton noted that most of the fuel cell water is normally used for windshield washer fluid. But he also said that some of the water would be purified to provide drivers with clean drinking water thanks to the built-in drinking fountain that will be installed in the future. You can check out his Twitter thread below.
using the hydrogen bi product water for the drivers to have nice cold, clean, pure drinking water. The rest is re-used at our facility when they arrive for h2 production recycling. — Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) June 25, 2020
A Built-In Soda Fountain?
What's better than water? A built-in soda fountain. Milton invited Soda Stream USA to collaborate with Nikola to create a possible built-in soda machine for the company's hydrogen pickup and semi truck. You can check out his tweet below.
Hey @SodaStreamUSA we offer an in vehicle drinking fountain with our #nikolabadger hydrogen pickup and semi truck. Wondering if we should partner up to offer in vehicle soda machines? Sounds fascinating. A bit messy, but I am sure the engineers can figure out how to keep it clean pic.twitter.com/6FI6d3iv6S — Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) June 25, 2020
Is Fuel Cell Water Safe to Drink?
Rumors of whether fuel cell water would be safe to drink for consumers is making the rounds after the announcement from Milton. Toyota, who manufactured mirai, a hydrogen fuel cell car, has stated in the past that the vehicle's fuel cell water is actually safe to drink.
"We tested the health impact of drinking the water in a special lab. They said that compared to drinking milk, this drainage water has much fewer organic impurities," Seiji Mizuno, who worked on the Mirai's fuel stack power generator. He does not recommend drinking the Mirai's drainage water, as it would depend on where the car has traveled, making it possible for organisms like E.coli could end up in the water.
Reservations for the Nikola Badger will be open starting June 29.
The #nikolabadger reservations open June 29th at 11 AM Eastern Time! Limited tickets for packages so make sure you are ready to place the order with your account already created. We will show off the Badger for the first time at #nikolaworld2020 December 3-5th. — Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) June 25, 2020
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Is Planning To Have The Cybertruck Drive Across The Country Before 2020 Ends
The Tesla Cybertruck hasn't been seen in public much at all, but Elon Musk seems to be planning a grandiose cross-country trip for the electric truck.
Is Tesla Now Going into Fashion? Elon Musk Says They Will Be Producing Short Shorts! Could He Be Joking?
How is Tesla going to change the future? Elon Musk Tweeted that they will be producing short shorts! Was this a joke?
Elon Musk Celebrates in His Letter: Was Tesla Able to Make Profit Despite the Pandemic?
Was Tesla able to make a profit despite the coronavirus? HOW!?
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Since we learned yesterday that Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux tied the knot Wednesday night, the details—and the rumors—about their wedding have been flying. Here's what we've heard so far. Stay tuned for updates.
The newlyweds have touched down in Bora-Bora and were spotted holding hands. They'll reportedly be honeymooning at a "luxury five-star Four Seasons resort." —Daily MailI'll be there for you: Courteney Cox reportedly served as maid of honor, while Justin's buddy Scott Campbell was reportedly the best man. —People
Courteney was also reportedly the last guest to leave, departing the wedding at 3 A.M. —People
Justin's bachelor party was reportedly hosted by none other than Jimmy Kimmel. —Us Weekly
Jen's celebrity-stylist bestie, Chris McMillan, was reportedly on hair duty. (We're guessing she wore it down.) —Us Weekly
Celeb vendors: Famed photographer Terry Richardson reportedly captured the couple's wedding pictures, and we hear Sia showed up to sing "Chandelier." —Us Weekly
There's some speculation that Jennifer Aniston's wedding dress may have been Yves Saint Laurent couture. (The brand had "no comment.") The names Versace, whom the actress recently wore to the Oscars, and Valentino (who designed Nicky Hilton's wedding dress as well as one of Beatrice Borromeo's) have also been floated. —WWD
More from Glamour.


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CHICAGO (Reuters) - Sunscreens that claim to reduce the risk of skin cancer will need to protect against both ultraviolet A and B rays and have a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, according to new U.S. rules issued on Tuesday.
The long-awaited labeling changes by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are aimed at giving consumers more information on how to protect themselves from the risk of skin cancer and early aging, as well as prevent sunburn.
Sunburn is primarily caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, while both UVB and UVA radiation contribute to skin cancer and early aging.
"We're establishing a standard for the United States," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation at the Food and Drug Administration, said in a news briefing.
The new rules ensure that all sunscreens that claim to be "broad spectrum" pass a standardized test for both UVA and UVB protection. And the proportion of protection from UVA and UVB rays must increase in proportion to increases in SPF levels.
Sunscreens that meet the new test for broad spectrum protection and also are SPF 15 or above can for the first time include the statement: "Used as directed can reduce the risk of early skin aging and skin cancer when used with other sun protection measures."
Those measures include wearing protective clothing and seeking shade when possible.
The changes will affect sunscreen manufacturers, including Merck & Co Inc, maker of the Coppertone brand; Johnson & Johnson, maker of the Neutrogena brand; and Energizer Holdings, maker of the Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic brands.
The FDA has been considering updating sunscreen regulations since 1978. The agency released a proposed rule in 2007 that included a separate star system for UVA radiation, but Woodcock said many manufacturers and others worried that system would be too confusing for consumers.
She said the "broad spectrum" label is intended to assure consumers of adequate protection from both types of radiation, and the SPF factor gives them a sense of how long they are protected.
All sunscreens will also be required to include a drug factbox, which may include a warning to consumers if a sunscreen does not meet the minimum standards of sun protection.
'WATERPROOF' OUT; 'WATER RESISTANT' IN
The FDA also said sunscreens will no longer use the term sunblock and waterproof because those claims are misleading. Instead of waterproof, sunscreen makers may use the term water resistant as long as they indicate the length of time the product resists water.
Woodcock said consumers will begin to see label changes no later than the summer of 2012, but many manufacturers are expected to start making them sooner.
The agency also addressed concerns that the ingredients of sunscreens contain ultra tiny nanoparticles.
Woodcock said animal tests done by the FDA found no evidence that sunscreens that contain nanoparticles of ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide pose a threat.
"We found the particles do not penetrate the skin," Woodcock said, "If we were to determine any active ingredient does not meet safety standards for drugs, the FDA will notify the public and remove them promptly."
In addition to the final rule, the FDA released other documents to give industry an idea of additional changes it is considering.
The FDA is proposing a rule that would prevent sunscreens from claiming a higher SPF rating than 50 because ratings higher than 50 do not add a significant additional benefit.
And the FDA intends to study whether aerosol sunscreens offer adequate protection and whether inhaling the product poses any safety concerns.
These products are often used on children because they are easier to apply. Woodcock said until then, parents should ensure that children hold their breath while the sunscreen is being sprayed.


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- Firmware History
- Guides & Trophies
- About Us
PSOne, PS2 and PS3, Sony's latest PlayStation Evolution video focuses on Portable Gaming, taking a look at the PSP and the PS Vita. The sub-2-minute video looks at how Sony bought console quality games to a portable console. With Sony's PlayStation Meeting just a day away now, we're eagerly awaiting to see what surprises Sony have in store for the fans.Having already covered the
Racing fans have a lot to look forward to over the next two weeks as SCEE launches the Racing Games sale on the PlayStation Store later today. Gamers will be able to get discounts on great racing titles and DLC for games including ModNation Racers, DiRT Showdown, and Driver San Francisco.
With the Tokyo Games Show just around the corner, Sony has revealed its line up of demos and playable games at the event. The PS Vita is again getting a big push from the company, but the line up also includes plenty of playable PS3 titles and a few PSP ones too. PS3 titles like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Dust 514 and Assassin’s Creed III will be playable at the event.
John Koller, Sony’s head of hardware marketing, was interviewed by Kotaku regarding the PlayStation Vita. He talks about the Vita's success and how Sony want to avoid making the same mistake with the new console as they did with the PSP.
NEOGEO games will be appearing on the PlayStation Vita, according to a new post on the Hong Kong PlayStation site a few days ago.
SOCOM Developers, Zipper Interactive, have revealed that a total of eight SOCOM titles will have their online servers shut down on August 31st 2012. The closure will come four days after the series’ ten-year anniversary and will affect a number of PS2 and PSP titles (see below).
Firmware Update 3.65 made a small update to the PS3 System Software, by renaming the Save Data Utility for Minis to also include PSP save data. The reason for this change is now clear. At the GTMF (Game Tools and Middleware Forum) in Tokyo, Sony announced the PSP Engine – a middleware between the PS3 and a PSP game.
If you missed Sony’s press conference, we have a minute-by-minute summary for you below. Some great announcement were made including several new exclusive games including Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, ModNation Racers, Final Fantasy XIV and more. Sony also showed-off their own version of the Wiimote, only it’s way better and is expected in 2010. Sony has some great things planned for the PlayStation 3 and PSP this year and through out next. See what they have in store below.
Earlier last month we reported on the leaked photos of the PlayStation 3 slim model spotted on the Internet. Sony was quick to deny the rumors and the even went as far as stating that they “currently has no plans” for a redesign. With the news of the PSP Go! leaked over the weekend, many websites including the BBC have picked up on the story, but with one exception. The BBC has mentioned that the new slimmer PS3 “will not be launched at E3.” The BBC goes further and says “new PS3 model will be out later this year.”
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The European Union is threatening the U.S. with trade sanctions for operating a nifty tax break scheme and maintaining — isn’t free trade wonderful! — prohibitive tariffs on steel imports, both in violation of World Trade Organization rules. If the United States doesn’t comply, it risks a damaging trans-Atlantic trade war, not exactly what Bush needs in the run-up to the 2004 elections.
The tax breaks are known as the Foreign Sales Corporation (FSC) scheme. FSC law allows thousands of U.S. firms, operating through subsidiaries in offshore tax havens, to benefit from reduced export taxes. The long-standing law — which benefits major corporations like Boeing and Microsoft — allows American companies to exclude 15 percent of their net income from the export of goods made in the United States from federal income tax. This saves major exporting companies $5 billion a year.
The U.S. has been out of compliance for a long time. The World Trade Organization first ruled against the tax breaks in 1999. “When the WTO first ruled on the FSCs, it gave the United States until November 2000 to act,” EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said. “That was three years ago, we have been extremely patient.”
The BBC notes:
“The Commission also warned that the penalty would rise from the introductory rate by one percentage point a month for a year — by which time it hopes Washington will have repealed the measures.
Arancha Gonzalez, spokeswoman for the EU Trade Commissioner added: ‘The faster the US acts, the less the measures will bite. This should focus the minds of US legislators.’
She added the union had adopted a ‘measured but responsible’ approach which would give the US a ‘last chance to comply.'”
The U.S. now has until the end of this year to repeal the tax breaks. The sanctions, to take effect in March 1, 2004, would impose 100-percent tariffs on more than $4.0 billion of U.S. exports, making it difficult for U.S. producers to sell their goods in Europe.
Adding to the tense trans-Atlantic trade climate, there’s a separate dispute about steel tariffs with, again, sanctions as a possible consequence. The dispute goes back to March 2002, when President Bush imposed tariffs on steel imports of up to 30% in an effort to protect US steel producers from foreign competition. The move, which sits oddly with Bush’s ‘free-trade’ rhetoric, was loudly protested by the E.U. as illegal protectionism. The WTO ruled in the E.U.’s favor in May this year, but the U.S. appealed the ruling.
The Financial Times (subscription) has more details:
“The WTO is set to issue its final ruling in the next week on the steel tariffs, and is expected to uphold an earlier finding that the tariffs violated WTO rules. Mr Lamy said that if the US does not move on steel ‘retaliation is a racing certainty in mid-December.’ But he said the EU had little choice but to insist on compliance with the WTO rules, as the US did in previous disputes over bananas and beef hormones.
Grant Aldonas, US undersecretary of commerce for international trade, said yesterday President George W. Bush would soon make a decision on whether to maintain or repeal the steel tariffs.
He ruled out intermediate options such as expanding the number of steel products excluded from the tariffs, saying this would do little to help US manufacturers that have complained about higher prices on basic steel products.”
In case Bush decides to keep the tariffs, the European Union has already made a list of sanctions targeted at American products in ways specifically intended to maximize political pain for supporter’s of the Republican Party.
The transatlantic dispute could hurt Bush, as the Washington Post reports:
“The uncompromising language of EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy raised the prospects of a politically and economically painful trade war during a U.S. presidential campaign. And it seemed to have left the Republican-controlled Congress and White House with an unsavory choice: take action now that could harm the vulnerable steel industry and other manufacturers or risk sanctions that could be even more uncomfortable closer to the 2004 election.
On Monday, the World Trade Organization is scheduled to issue its final ruling against steep tariffs that President Bush imposed on imported steel in March. Lamy said the European Union will then give Bush five days to lift the tariffs or face the imposition of up to $2.2 billion in retaliatory tariffs by Dec. 15 on U.S. exports selected for their own political resonance, such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Southeastern textiles and citrus fruit from Florida.
On steel, independent experts have said Bush could try to find a middle ground between lifting the tariffs and the status quo, perhaps by broadening exemptions from the tariffs for many European steel products. But Lamy made it clear there was no room for compromise there either.
‘You know, you can’t be half-pregnant,’ he said.”


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Previously we heard about McDonald’s bringing in all sorts of crazy delicious additions to the menu in Singapore which made all of us super envious as they didn’t have it in Malaysia. Why though, McDonald’s? 🙁
However, we are inclined to forgive McDonald’s now seeing as they gave us the tempting Spicy Korean Burger and now they will be debuting a dessert that will definitely be a crowd favourite here.
According to their Facebook page, it appears that they will be releasing the D24 Durian McFlurry in their stores this August 24. Yes, two days from now, people! While durian-flavoured desserts are not new for selected McDonald’s Malaysia kiosks as we did have the Durian Crunch McFlurry back in 2014, this time around it sure looks way better than the previous McFlurry!
If you are already salivating at the thought of sampling this sweet dessert then you may just turn green with envy when you hear that our East Malaysian siblings already have the chance to taste it. Patience, only two more days!
True to its namesake, McDonald’s claims that this time they will be using real D24 for the McFlurry and based on rave reviews by the lucky people in East Malaysia, they claim that it tastes as good as it looks.
In addition, we can also look forward to enjoying other new items on the menu such as a corn-flavoured soft serve, pulut hitam pie, and the return of the Burger Syok Ayam.
Based on a photo taken by a netizen, the prices of D24 McFlurry in East Malaysia is RM7.99, the pulut hitam pie is priced at RM3.95 while the Burger Syok Ayam set is RM15.99.
Don’t know about you but I’m all ready to get my hands on some of those yummilicious food!


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TOKYO (By Makiko Yamazaki, Reuters) – Japan’s Toshiba Corp said on Monday it will cut nearly 7,000 consumer electronics jobs after a $1.3 billion accounting scandal, in an overhaul that will streamline the sprawling conglomerate into a company focused on chips and nuclear energy.
Toshiba also said it would sell its television manufacturing plant in Indonesia, and that eventual job cuts spanning the entire PC-to-nuclear company could be over 10,000 including previously announced cuts and those seeking voluntary early retirement.
Due to restructuring costs, which include the sale of its Indonesian TV plant, Toshibasaid it expected a net loss of around 550 billion yen ($4.53 billion) in this fiscal year ending in March.
“By implementing this plan, we would like to regain the trust of all stakeholders including shareholders and transform ourselves into a robust business,” it said in a statement.
Toshiba confirmed in August that it overstated profits going back to fiscal 2008/09 by 155 billion yen. It also reported a 37.8 billion yen net loss for the last financial year to reflect more costs and conservative estimates on operations, including the South Texas Project, a U.S. power plant project.
An independent accounting probe said in July that the company suffered from dysfunction in governance and a culture of discouraging employees from questioning their superiors.
Toshiba’s stock has fallen about 40 percent since news of its accounting problems began to emerge in early April. The scandal and subsequent earnings restatements highlighted weaknesses in a range of Toshiba’s businesses.
Analysts have said restructuring was long overdue. The company launched the world’s first mass-market laptop in 1985 but has seen its consumer electronics business dwindle amid price competition with Asian rivals.
The change in fortune highlights the decline of the 140-year-old conglomerate, which remains highly influential in the Japanese business community. Over the years, its former executives often played key policy advisory roles in government.
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You search for rounded apples and plump strawberries at the grocery store for a reason, and that's because most people expect their produce to be near-perfect. Some companies are taking advantage of the millions of tons of produce thrown away every year because it is "ugly" and therefore not sellable. Many consumers are jumping at the opportunity to purchase produce at a reduced price. Others say selling ugly fruits and veggies monetizes food typically donated to charity. What do you think?
According to Vox's Chavie Lieber, one-fifth of produce in the U.S. is tossed because it is unattractive. Translated, $160 billion worth of fruits and vegetables is wasted every year. But just because a piece of fruit is ugly does not mean it's inedible. Companies like Imperfect Produce are working to make better use of food that might otherwise go straight to a landfill.
According to ABC News, Imperfect Produce is working to limit waste by selling ugly produce to consumers directly:
According to some, Imperfect Produce and similar companies are not telling the whole story. Oftentimes, imperfect foods are donated to local food banks rather than thrown away. Food and Wine's Gowri Chandra argues the ugly produce market aims to make money off of environmentally conscious millennials. Chandra looks to L.A. Kitchen president Robert Egger for insight:
Some also argue the concept of selling "ugly" produce is not sustainable. Fruits and vegetables might not survive the boxed-journey to your doorstep.
According to Misfits Market founder, Abhi Ramesh, ugly produce companies take great care to make sure foods are not spoiled when they arrive. He also assures consumers that Misfits, in particular, does not sell food that would otherwise be donated. Instead, it sells only food that farmers can not afford to donate due to transportation costs. Ramesh tells Vox's Lieber:
Furthermore, Ramesh clarifies Misfits' target market:
Ugly produce is helping reduce food waste while also helping the average American family get dinner on the table.
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VideoBlocks, a stock video company, has launched of a new marketplace for content contributed by selected users. VideoBlocks currently has a library of over 115,000 video clips, backgrounds, and effects that it has licensed or developed themselves. New contributions is currently invite-only and not completely open to users, which could be a missed opportunity, but they probably don’t have the infrastructure at this time to open up their doors all the way, such as Creative Market.
CEO and found Joel Holland claims to offer the same footage that you’d find on Shutterstock, but at a 40 percent discount with 100% of the money going to the developers. So how does VideoBlocks intend to make money? A substantial subscription model.
The Future: VideoBlocks has presented a dynamic new model for stock video footage, but are they leaving money on the table by just going with a subscription model?
VideoBlocks costs $79 a month or $99 the entire year.


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Feb 25, 2015 Google already has 20,000 employees in Mountain View, and now is planning a new, bigger headquarters
Feb 23, 2015 What makes Snapchat popular could be the hard-to-use user interface.
Mar 3, 2015 How company's global director of diversity is trying to live up to her job title.
Jan 23, 2015 The cloud-storage company goes public after a year-long delay
Dec 17, 2014 We're all just Facebook 'people' these days.
Dec 11, 2014 The world’s largest peer-to-peer lending platform is launching its IPO.
Dec 1, 2014 They're changing the rules about all those promotional posts in your feed.
Dec 15, 2014 The story first broke online, and social media have been a force throughout.
Feb 2, 2015 It's called 'enterprise tech,' and it's growing: Microsoft, Google, IBM and maybe now Facebook are involved.


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Tiny Computers has rebranded itself Tiny.com, which makes it one of the first companies to change its name to include the Web suffix since the boom years.
During the late 1990s, it seemed a company could quadruple its share price overnight just by adding ".com" to the end of its name. However, five years on, the Internet is littered with the remains of dot-com failures, and the practice is less common.
Tiny Computers, sister company of Time Group, will launch its new Web site on 20 February in an attempt to build up its direct sales channel. In a statement on Friday, the company said: "More and more people are choosing to purchase goods online. Tiny.com aims to tap into this trend and encourage its customers to order their PCs systems via the Web."
Tiny.com's general manager Brian Boys said that with no retail store overheads, the company is in "an excellent position to satisfy its customers" and promises to "deliver the lowest PC prices in the UK".


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OneSpace, the Swansea, Illinois-based company that has developed a platform that outsources corporate projects to freelancers, has launched a new Software as a Service (SaaS) model called OneSpace Project Center.
The new offering was one of several main initiatives the company, formerly known as Crowdsource, took on after it raised $9 million from Lewis & Clark Ventures, the Clayton-based venture capital firm founded by Tom Hillman.
The company said the new platform would help business streamline and optimize the management of its workforce by accessing pre-qualified talent, managing the communication and workflows between internal and external teams, providing performance and workforce analytics, and managing payments and compliance.
To date, OneSpace has raised more than $20 million.
Read more: St. Louis Business Journal


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A widespread systems outage hit Starbucks stores Friday night, leading to many stores giving away free drinks.» Read More
The video game and media industry is anxiously awaiting Sony's big debut, where it's expected to unveil its first new Playstation since 2006. The pressure is on for Sony to deliver a console so impressive, it'll convince consumers to finally make a big investment in consoles and games again.
Apple was hacked, and the company is saying no data was actually stolen. Dave Aitel, Immunity CEO; Mischel Kwon, CEO of Mischel Kwon & Associates; and David Folkenflik, NPR Media Correspondent, offer insight.
"House of Cards" drew a sizable audience compared to HBO's "Girls," according to a survey by Cowen research.
Given the beating Apple has taken lately—with many questioning its future—it's important to understand how much television means to Apple.
Vodafone moved closer to a possible 10 billion-euro bid for German cable operator Kabel Deutschland by hiring long-time banker Goldman Sachs to advise on options, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Executives at Reader's Digest must be hoping that the magazine's second trip to bankruptcy court in under four years will be its last.
Owned by art, film and real estate mogul Zhang Baoquan, Tree Resort World on Sanya Bay bar marks the Chinese government's first tacit approval of a gaming concept outside of Macau.
Bruce Willis' action sequel "A Good Day to Die Hard" debuted as the weekend's top draw with a $25 million debut from Friday to Sunday.
Nat Brown, Xbox co-creator and iOS App Developer, explains the changes in the gaming industry if Apple brings gaming to its Apple TV platform.
The social media company says it doesn't think any user information has been compromised.
Apple's first product event of 2013 may be closer then you think. Peter Misek, senior technology analyst at Jefferies, predicts the first event will occur in March.
"We are transforming into a different company, poised to grow in any economy," CBS CEO Les Moonves said, as the company's earnings set a number of records.
Hey, sexy lady, Gangnam Style is so 2012. Here comes the "Harlem Shake." The new dance craze hit YouTube less than two weeks ago and already has over six million hits.
Nirav Tolia, NextDoor CEO, offers insight on connecting with your "next door" neighbors. David Sze, weighs in.
Apple may hold a TV related event in March, but don't get too excited, it's not the TV news you were hoping for, one analyst said.
Time Warner is in preliminary talks to sell some of its magazine assets to Meredith Corporation.
General Electric is selling its remaining 49 percent stake in NBCUniversal to Comcast, with CNBC's Mary Thompson; and Steve Winoker, Sanford Bernstein, weighs in.
The $16.7 billion Comcast is paying General Electric for the remainder of NBCUniversal looks reasonable, says one analyst, but he sees little reason to change his "neutral" rating on the cable company's shares.
The FMHR traders share their take on Merck's warning the company will take a $0.05 per share hit in Q1 due to Venezuelan currency devaluation; and also discuss how to play Apple and Comcast.
General Electric is at a 52-week high, reports CNBC's Mary Thompson. General Electric executives are taking questions in regards to the sale of NBCUniversal to Comcast.


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Two years ago, the Smiths founded “Virtuous Soap Company,” a plant-based all-natural skincare and hygiene product store in Southaven, MS.
SOUTHAVEN, Miss — Near-record-high inflation has cast a shadow over this year’s holiday shopping season for both shoppers and some businesses. Still, for some entrepreneurs, there is major growth.
Mississippi-based owner Tanya Smith and her husband Jerry Smith expanded from an online-only business that started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to a full-scale brick-and-mortar store in Southaven.
Two years ago, the Smiths founded “Virtuous Soap Company” — a plant-based all-natural skincare and hygiene product store that’s leaving nothing on the table.
“I was looking for a solution — a natural solution for myself for my own feminine and skin care hygiene,” Tanya said.
Combined with her background as a medical assistant and her gift for teaching, Smith decided to turn her hobby into her career.
“Even though I loved teaching, that’s my passion and that’s why I integrated over into teaching about feminine hygiene,” Tanya said.
The Smiths are a part of a major small-business industry here in the Mid-South.
According to the U.S. Small business administration, there are 923,329 small businesses combined between Tennessee and Mississippi. There are roughly 652,795 small businesses in Tennessee and approximately 270,534 in Mississippi.
In the last three years alone, Memphis saw a 77% increase in the number of people who filed for business applications. Still, inflation has made it hard for nearly 60% of small businesses to remain open nation-wide.
“Virtuous Soap Company,” once online-only, is bucking the trend expanding into a brick-and-mortar location in Southaven on Airways Blvd.
“It was time to make a faith move,” Jerry Smith said. “I had a gut feeling, and I went with it. I said quit your job and let’s just go all in.”
It was a “gut feeling” that led to great success.
“You have to take a leap of faith and that’s taking the risk to go ahead and do it,” Jerry said.
Now in their 6,700 square foot facility, the operators of this family-owned business say they’re making products with a greater purpose.
“They [shoppers] mostly will go to Walmart, Target or this that, and the third,” Tanya said. “But we always pray that prayer that when people walk into here, they feel that spirit of love.”
As a team, Jerry said he is the coach and his wife Tanya the player. The smiths said they took a leap of faith and strangers became customers.
“Don’t be afraid to fail,” Jerry said. “If it’s something that you want to do get up and do it — just do it.”


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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director
At a conference last week I heard the co-founder of 23andMe speak about using her company’s technology to look at our DNA to predict the risk of getting a number of diseases. Anne Wojcicki described how her husband’s DNA showed he had a gene that makes him a likely candidate for Parkinsons disease. She didn’t mention her husband by name, but he happens to be Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google.
The 23andMe kit gives consumers the chance to deposit their saliva into a vial, send it to the company, and receive a comprehensive report that can predict the likelihood of getting 12 different diseases, of having adverse responses to nine drugs, and test whether they happen to be a carrier for 21 different diseases.
I find the description of what 23andMe can do both thrilling and intimidating. Thrilling because you can look into your future. Intimidating because do you really want to?
Interestingly, a New York Times article about these gene decoding services suggests that consumers are slow to pick them up. Some of the companies – the Times listed four that are in the biz – have laid off staff and are not seeing their customer base grow in substantially. DeCodeMe, for example, has 10,000 customers and Navigenics has about 20,000, 5,000 of whom were given discounts to be in a study.
This is understandable. What if you find out you show signs you’re likely to end up with a certain disease, and your insurance company claims this was a “preexisting condition” and denies you coverage in the future? I spoke with Anne Wojcicki about that and other privacy concerns. 23andMe consulted the electronic privacy group, Electronic Frontier Foundation to review privacy issues when designing the technology, she said.
The technology is evolving, and the product makers are evolving with it. And the companies have been doing some useful work, like comparing those who suffered miserably with swine flu to those who did not, with the possibility of discovering some useful information that a drug company can use to design its vaccines. Still, using the study of genomes to gauge health care risks is really a brave new world for most consumers and one that may never catch on. Only time will tell.


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Having a mobile-friendly website can help small businesses rank in search results, especially because of Google’s mobile-first index. Yet only 36 percent of small businesses have an SEO strategy, with 38 percent more planning to invest in SEO in the future, according to a new survey from B2B research, ratings, and reviews firm Clutch.
The research shows that as more small businesses invest in SEO, choosing which SEO efforts to prioritize will remain a challenge. Social media marketing (63 percent) and mobile-friendly websites (54 percent) are the most common SEO activities small businesses spend time and money on.
Small businesses invest in content marketing for SEO
Nearly half of small businesses (48 percent) invest in content marketing for SEO. Content marketing helps small businesses attract potential customers and guide them through their purchasing journey.
The quality and clarity of online content is important as optimizing websites for voice search becomes a priority for small businesses.
The research found that only 21 percent of small businesses invest in voice search optimization for SEO. Other SEO activities small business pursue include keyword research (51 percent) and link building (28 percent).
Small businesses depend on in-house staff for SEO
Small businesses rely on in-house employees (54 percent) for SEO nearly twice as much as they hire an SEO agency (28 percent). In-house staff are less expensive than an SEO agency and offer small businesses more control over their SEO strategies.
“In-house offers more control over planning, content creation, and budgeting,” said Jaykishan Panchal, who manages SEO strategy for digital marketing agency E2M, in a news release. “The in-house SEO team probably has the best understanding of the brand voice, company culture, and availability of resources.”
Internal employees may lack the expertise of SEO agencies, however.
Small businesses use website traffic and leads to measure SEO success
The top two SEO metrics small businesses track are website traffic (25 percent) and leads and conversions (19 percent). Small businesses value these metrics over backlinks (14 percent) and keyword rankings (13 percent).
Tracking website traffic and leads and conversions demonstrates that small businesses tend to invest in SEO to generate revenue. These metrics, though, don’t fully capture SEO success.
More small businesses turning to PPC advertising to achieve search visibility
Sixty percent (60 percent) of small businesses with an SEO strategy also invest in PPC advertising. An additional 17 percent of small businesses plan to invest in PPC in 2019.
PPC advertising guarantees placement at the top of search engine results pages, which helps earn clicks and impressions. These immediate returns appeal to small businesses with limited budgets.
Clutch’s 2019 Small Business SEO Survey included 529 small business owners and managers in the U.S.


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Boomers Drive Software Development For Retirement And Estate Planning
As the Baby Boom generation continues to age, the ripple effect of their sheer numbers has been felt in many business and consumer areas.
Now the wave has reached those who build retirement and estate-planning software, and the effect, several vendors say, has been and will continue to be significant.
According to Carol Smith, U.S. business strategist for Solcorp, the driving force behind changes in such software has been boomers independent nature and demanding expectations.
“Boomers like self-direction, and they dont like being told what to do,” explains Smith, who is based in the companys Chicago office. “They like to create their own destiny. Theyre not risk averse to technology, so they dont mind using self-service to the extent it makes sense.”
Because they are aware of Enron and other financial disasters, boomers also understand the need for financial diversification, says Smith. “What we see as a vendor is that opportunities for diversification have caused the industry to create hybrid products.” For example, annuities now tend to feature “enhanced death benefit options,” which makes them “look more like life insurance,” she notes.
As a result, says Smith, “we have to have total flexibility in product design so we can pull features from different products and combine them for the product du jour.”
The walls that previously distinguished various kinds of insurance protection are down, says Smith, and insurers need to recognize that in their product design.
This trend has caused software makers to “reconsider how we set up product profiles within the software,” she notes. “We no longer make the same assumptions about how products will behave. Boomers need diversified products and the ability to combine features.”


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Bracelet Bought at Madoff Auction Will Be Sold Again to Benefit Madoff-Cheated Charity
|Madoff's new bracelets are not encrusted with diamonds.|
The New York Post caught up with Circa Jewelry owner Chris Del Gatto, whose company has offices in five locations around the world, one of which is in the Palm Beach Towers:
Del Gatto estimates the bracelet, which is platinum and encrusted in diamonds and emeralds, is worth $25,000, but had no problem paying way above the pre-bid auction price of $15,600."When this whole thing broke, we had clients and friends affected. And it became obvious there would be an auction."
"I felt compelled to prop up the price a bit," said Del Gatto.
The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation received a donation of $1 million from Madoff in 2006.


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Faced with Google's $ 5 billion cartel decision this week, we've noticed some classic social media Ars story. Google's methods of controlling the open source Android code and discouraging Android forks are just the kind of behavior that the EU has a problem with, and many of the techniques described in this 2013 article are still used today.
The idea of a sequel to this piece has come a few times, but Google's Android strategy of an open source base paired with key proprietary apps and services has not really changed in the last five or so years. Updates have been made to Google's proprietary apps, which are different from the screenshots in this article. However, the basic strategy described here is still very relevant. In light of recent developments in the EU, we are restoring this story for the weekend. It first ran on October 20, 201
3 and seems largely unchanged – but we've added a few "In 2018" updates wherever they've felt particularly relevant.
Six years ago, in November 2007, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) was unveiled. The original iPhone came out only a few months earlier, capturing the imagination of people and ushering in the era of the modern smartphone. While Google was an app partner for the original iPhone, it was able to see what the future of unaudited iPhone competition would look like. Vic Gundotra recalled Andy Rubin's initial sound for Android:
He argued that if Google did not act, we would face a draconian future, a future in which a man, a company, a device, a carrier would be our only Choice would be
Google feared that Apple would eventually rule the mobile sector. So in order to help in the fight against the iPhone, when Google still had no phone, Android was launched as an open-source project.
At this time, Google had nothing, so no adoption – no market share – was welcome. Google chose to distribute Android for free and use it as a Trojan for Google services. It was thought that if Google's search was locked out of the iPhone one day, people would stop using Google Search on the desktop. Android was the "moat" around the Google search "lock" – it would exist to protect Google's online real estate in the mobile world.


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ALSIP, IL — Universal Automotive Industries, a distributor and manufacturer of brake rotors and other brake parts, has promoted William Stock to senior vice president of supply chain, having previously served as vice president manufacturing for the last two-and-a-half years.
Among Stock’s new responsibilities will be to lead a team charged with accelerating the implementation of a cross functional business program between internal and external suppliers, distribution and purchasing. He reports directly to Arvin Scott, Universal’s president and CEO.
Prior to joining Universal as vice president manufacturing in 2002, Stock had more than 17 years of automotive industry experience, including five years as general manager of a Tier 1 supplier to Ford and Daimler Chrysler. He also was manager of engineering and quality at Allied Signal (now Honeywell).
Click here to view the rest of today’s headlines.


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South Korean company LG Chem has developed a new plastic material that it says could replace the metal frame of a PV module, making it much lighter. The company says it has already secured mass production capability for the material and begun selling products at full scale.
Singapore-based VFlowTech has secured funds to scale up manufacturing of its vanadium redox flow batteries. The company currently offers three modular products that can be scaled to multi-megawatt-hour systems.
South Korean researchers have tested four operational modes to combine residential batteries with balcony PV modules and have found that the best configuration is when solar is supplied to the load after the battery is fully charged. Charging the battery with the grid prevents the risk of full discharge in the absence of PV power, they said.
Planned to be located in Gwangju, in southwestern Korea, the new factory is expected to reach a capacity of 385 MW and to produce 550 W panels.
The $1.28 billion plan includes a 3.1 GW production capacity expansion in South Korea, where the company’s solar module capacity will reach 7.6 GW by 2025.
Developed by the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), the “non-destructive” technology is claimed to enable the recovery of 100% of a module’s glass and to allow the reuse of silicon for producing new solar cells with an efficiency of 20.05%.
South Korean scientists have developed a novel coating that purportedly reduces average cell reflectance and significantly increases short-circuit current. The coating is based on aluminum oxide and indium tin oxide.
Developed by a Vietnamese-Korean research group, the complex PV device was built with a bottom bifacial crystalline silicon perovskite-filtered heterojunction sub-cell that is able to absorb all solar spectra in the short-wavelength range.
With Australia prepping plans for vast green hydrogen and ammonia production facilities, two of the country’s state governments are trying to drum up the end-user market as agreements are signed to drive use of the gas in Ukraine and Poland.
The latest global PV industry outlook published by trade group SolarPower Europe, has indicated tight supply of the solar panel raw material is expected to persist this year but the trade body said it would be unlikely to drive further price rises.


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Food products now come to the United States from over 250,000 foreign establishments in 200 countries. Indeed, 15 percent of fruits, 20 percent of vegetables, and 80 percent of seafood come from overseas. And, with the consumption of imported foods growing, we have seen an increase in recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks linked to them.
A few days ago two meat processing plants in the United States, Lancaster Frozen Foods and G&W Inc., recalled nearly 7,000 pounds of ground beef after South Carolina state inspectors found that meat they received from an Australian packing plant was contaminated with potentially deadly E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. Fortunately, there appear to be no illnesses linked to the meat – yet.
Then there is the ongoing Salmonella outbreak linked to tempeh made by a North Carolina company, Smiling Hara, which purchased Tempeh Starter Yeast from an online Maryland company, which has issued a recall. As of Thursday, 76 confirmed, 6 probable, and 6 suspected cases have been recorded in five states: 80 in North Carolina, 3 in Georgia, 3 in South Carolina, 1 in Tennessee, and 1 in Michigan. The recalled starter yeast, imported from Indonesia, was distributed by www.indonesianfoodmart.com nationwide and internationally through direct mail order, according to a May 22 company statement that was posted online by the FDA.
Last week, Caribe Produce LTD Co. recalled 286 cases of Papaya Maradol, Caribeña Brand papayas because they might be contaminated with Salmonella. Routine testing by the company revealed the presence of Salmonella in the papayas, according to the recall notice. The company says no illnesses have been reported. The recalled Papaya Maradol, Caribeña Brand cases were distributed in the Bronx, New York in wholesale stores and through retail stores from May 14 to May 17, 2012. The papayas were packed in 35 lb. cartons marked with the brand “Caribeña” and “Product of Mexico” stamped on the side. The papayas are sold individually, and each one bears a label that states “3112 CARIBEÑA Papaya MARADOL PRODUCT OF MEXICO www.grandeproduce.com.”
Last month the CDC reported that a total of 316 individuals infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Bareilly or Salmonella Nchanga had been reported from 26 states and the District of Columbia. The outbreak announcement was followed by Moon Marine USA Corporation (also known as MMI) of Cupertino, CA recalling 58,828 lbs. of a frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA. Nakaochi Scrape is tuna backmeat, which is specifically scraped from the bones, and looks like a ground product. Moon Fishery (India) Pvt. Ltd., the manufacturer of the Yellow Fin Tuna Nakaochi Scrape, also recalled its 22-pound cases of “Tuna Strips” Product of India AA or AAA GRADE because they had the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
But, do not think that it is just food that is imported to the United States that is a problem. Our exports have raised concerns abroad, too.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS), the United States exported over $136 billion in agricultural products in 2011, which — compared to the 2001 value of $53 billion — represents a steady increase in exports. Nonetheless, the world has not been shy about denying American exports that demonstrate risk.
Spinach: In late 2006 an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Dole bagged spinach led to 205 illnesses, 103 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths. The outbreak spanned 49 states and Canada and took a huge economic toll on the spinach and leafy greens industry due to consumer uncertainty inside and outside U.S. borders. During the outbreak Mexico placed a ban on all California lettuce imports.
Peanut Butter: In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that there had been 628 confirmed cases of Salmonella infection in 41 states from August 2006 through May 2007. Although the outbreak slowed, cases continued to be confirmed after this time period. The cases were linked to the consumption of Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter manufactured in ConAgra’s Georgia peanut butter plant. The product was recalled worldwide and countries like China banned the brands.
Mad Cow Disease: Since 2003, the United States has confirmed a total of 4 cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in cows, including an April 23, 2012 case linked to a California dairy cow. Over 65 countries have banned or limited U.S. beef sales in response to these events. Notably, Japan and South Korea, the first and third largest importers of U.S. beef in 2003, banned U.S. beef. Though Japan and South Korea had essentially lifted the bans by 2009, both countries continue to place restrictions on specific higher risk products. Following the 2012 case, Indonesia banned U.S. beef and some major Korean retailers halted the sale of U.S. beef. Since the initial mad cow case, the beef industry has taken a significant economic hit. In 2002 the U.S. exported 2.447 billion pounds of beef, but by 2004 the number of pounds exported had dropped to just 460 million. Only in 2011 did beef exports return to 2002 levels. And then we found another mad cow in 2012.
Food safety is “farm to fork” and around the world. We all – producers, shippers, importers, exporters, retailers and consumers – need to pay attention to the whole supply chain, even if it stretches around the globe. Ultimately food safety is both good for public health and good for business.


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Analyst: AVoD revenues to reach $56bn by 2024
June 27, 2019
AVoD [advertising expenditure attributed to OTT TV episodes and movies] will more than double between 2018 and 2024 to reach $56 billion (€49.3bn) across 138 countries, according to the Global AVOD Forecasts report from analyst firm Digital TV Research. Online TV and video advertising has been considerably boosted in recent years by the rapid growth in mobile advertising.
AVoD in the Asia Pacific region is long-established. It reached $10.73 billion by 2018 – or 49 per cent of the global total. Despite more than doubling to $25.14 billion by 2024, Asia Pacific’s share will fall to 45 per cent – revealing that other regions will grow quicker.
From the $34.42 billion additional revenues to be generated between 2018 and 2024, Asia Pacific will contribute $14.41 billion and North America $14.20 billion. All of the other regions will at least double their totals.
“China is the largest AVoD country – commanding 36 per cent of the 2018 global total, with $7.78 billion,” explained Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research. “Similar to much of Asia, most OTT viewing in China is on mobile phones to AVoD-supported platforms. China will still generate 29 per cent of the global total by 2024 with $16.60 billion.”
“However, the US will become the AVoD leader by 2023. Several large platform launches are expected in the near future in the US. The US will more than triple its AVoD total between 2018 and 2024 to $19.23 billion – or 34 per cent of the global total.”


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Yahoo News --- More at the source
Web retailers have plenty of data on their customers. Some of these online technologies can even track shoppers from site to site to lure them back with what's known as retargeting ads — promos targeted to what that shopper has looked at before, but didn't actually buy. Smart shelves with sensors promise the same kind of in-depth consumer behavior analytics at retail stores.
At a Kroger store in Cold Spring, Ohio, shelves currently show digitized price tags and information about the products. The next step is to tie that to individual shoppers. For example, for a shopper who prefers gluten-free products, the price tags could light up in the aisle where all the gluten-free options are. The company says this will all be done with the customer's permission.
Perch Interactive, a startup that is working with chains like Sunglass Hut and fragrance maker Jo Malone, uses laser and motion sensors to detect when a product is picked up. Perch monitors the interactions and lets retailers know what people pick up but don't buy. It also offers recommendations: When a shopper picks up a Jo Malone product, an interactive display pops up to show a complementary fragrance.


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The National Football League's Detroit Lions and global sports merchandising company Fanatics have announced a multiyear extension and expansion of their existing e-commerce partnership, which will now see the firm become the team’s end-to-end omnichannel retail partner.
As part of the agreement, Fanatics will operate Lions Supply, a new team store inside Ford Field.
Set to open during the 2022 season, the 6,000-square-foot space is designed to optimize the shopping experience for fans with modern merchandise displays and increased point of sale options.It is nearly twice the size of the former location and will feature, for the first time, fan access from both inside and outside of the stadium, with an entrance on Brush Street.
The in-venue store will feature expanded offerings for women and kids, a customization area for fans, headwear wall, and designated shops within the retail space for brands including Fanatics, Nike and Mitchell & Ness.Fanatics has been the Lions’ e-commerce partner since 2015.
“Over the years, the Detroit Lions have been a valued partner to Fanatics, and we are thrilled to expand our relationship to create a truly unparalleled merchandise experience for the passionate Lions fans,” said Ed O’Brien, Fanatics senior vice president of business development. “The opening of the new Lions Supply team store is one of the more ambitious projects we’ve undertaken, and we can’t wait to see the reaction from fans on both game day and beyond.”The Lions are currently being featured in the 2022 training camp version of HBO behind-the-scenes docuseries Hard Knocks.
Detroit will host the 2024 NFL Draft, marking the first time that the Michigan city will stage the league tentpole event.


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Already available in many places globally and to be rolled out in Singapore nationwide by 2025, 5G is broadening our horizons in ways we haven’t yet imagined.
It is creating new opportunities for innovation in smart cities, immersive virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) experiences, healthcare and virtual learning.
Blazing the trail for more connectivity, 5G delivers a fast, high-bandwidth, ultra-low-latency connection, which means the network enables faster response times. This speed allows your car to have more autonomy, and also opens the possibility of machine-to-machine communications on a massive scale.
Unleashing data insights
Tremendous opportunity lies in what we can do with the enormous amounts of data that is being created by the network of 5G-connected devices.
According to the Global DataSphere report from International Data Corporation (IDC) in 2020, over 55 billion connected devices will be online within the internet of things (IoT) ecosystem globally by 2025. The amount of data estimated to be created by these connected devices is 179 zettabytes, equivalent to the data needed if all 7.7 billion people in the world streamed 4K content for four and a half months, non-stop.
With artificial intelligence (AI), we can transform the massive amounts of 5G-generated data into a tangible resource where insights can be gleaned and then used for forecasting and optimising systems in healthcare, automotive, smart cities and beyond.
5G brings new ways of enhancing our lives; for example, contextual awareness will become possible with the coupling of 5G connected devices and AI. As myriad smart devices are connected to a 5G network, data will constantly be created, collected and analysed. In addition, specific and personalised responses can be anticipated.
Imagine your morning commute starting with your alarm going off and your coffee machine making your cup of coffee as you step into the kitchen. Your phone then pings you that it’s time to leave for work and informs your car to power on. While you are in the car, your watch monitors your emotions and mood so that it can play music catering to your current state of mind.
According to Dr Raj Talluri, senior vice-president and general manager of Micron Technology’s Mobile Business Unit: “To realise the full potential of both 5G and AI-enabled devices, innovation around the storing, transferring and processing of data will need to accelerate more in the next 10 years than in all the previous years combined.”
Made in Singapore, distributed to the world
As 5G revolutionises automotive, manufacturing, smart cities, the smart grid and more, the growth potential for semiconductors in enabling emerging use cases is scaling in parallel.
“Micron is innovating robust, end-to-end memory and storage solutions that unleash the full potential of 5G to deliver new levels of user experience,” says Dr Talluri.
Micron offers application-specific DRAM that includes DDR for traditional compute applications, LPDDR for battery-powered devices, and GDDR for ultra-bandwidth solutions for high-performance gaming and AI.
Micron also offers a wide range of storage solutions built on a foundation of its breakthrough 176-layer NAND technology, which started volume shipments in November last year. This NAND stacks memory cells vertically in multiple layers so that more data can be stored in less space. The 176-layer NAND serves as an essential storage building block for a broad array of industries from the edge to the cloud, including mobile, automotive, client and data centre markets.
Its 176-layer NAND technology is developed and manufactured in Singapore, home to Micron’s NAND Center of Excellence and the base for Micron’s worldwide operations. Micron Singapore was also recognised by the World Economic Forum last year as a Global Lighthouse for its efforts to integrate big data infrastructure and industrial IoT to implement AI and data science solutions.
Pushing the boundaries of 5G together
The unprecedented possibility of what 5G will bring also comes with enormous potential for the semiconductor industry to innovate.
To reach that potential, we need a new and holistic approach to design and create end-user experiences. Hardware architecture (processing, memory, storage, sensors and displays) and software must be tightly coupled, semiconductor suppliers must collaborate with one another, and the rest of the ecosystem must create a seamless, connected platform.
“This way, 5G devices can unlock new opportunities, and data can be used in ways that we haven’t yet imagined,” says Dr Talluri.
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Chris Beard joins Mozilla board as interim CEO
Beard will replace Brendan Eich who resigned after a public outcry on Twitter
Chris Beard has been announced as the new interim CEO of Mozilla to replace Brendan Eich who resigned at the beginning of April.
Eich was forced to hand leave the company after it was revealed he contributed money towards an anti-gay marriage campaign in the US.
Mozilla employees took to Twitter to communicate their disappointment and called for him to resign.
Beard has been actively involved with the company since it started shipping Firefox 1.0 in 2004.
He was Mozilla's CMO before being appointed interim CEO yesterday and, before that, he led the firm's product, marketing and innovation teams.
In his previous role, he was responsible for leading user, developer and community engagement activities globally, including the initial launches of Firefox on Android and Firefox OS at Mobile World Congress.
"Chris has one of the clearest visions of how to take the Mozilla mission and turn it into programs and activities and product ideas that I have ever seen," Mitchell Baker, executive chairwoman of Mozilla said in a blog post.
"Chris' experience and insight is highly aligned with our goals. We will continue to deliver Firefox OS to additional markets and form factors in 2014 as we demonstrate the unique user experiences that only the open Web can provide."
Baker added that Beard was a strong candidate to become CEO, although the company will be exploring other options too.
Mozilla faces many challenges and the company has to resopnd to them decisively to grow, according to Baker.
The firm will continue to work on its open web offerings, including the Firefox browser and mobile OS and the company will be using the departure of Brendan Eich as an opportunity to grow its board - first by appointing a permanent CEO and then by adding more members.
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On the 30th May 2019, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will be launched creating the largest economic region in the world. It has the potential to be a great economic power block. The region has over 1.2 billion people and $4 trillion in spending and investment (according to WEF). The 54 countries will create opportunities for entrepreneurs but integration can sky rocket this further.
Just like the start of the European Union (EU), only 22 of the 54 countries including Egypt and South Africa have signed up, but not the largest economy in the region; Nigeria. The European Union is a classic example, the UK was not one of the founding members, so by the time it joined, it always felt like a reluctant bride dragged to the alter.
Opening up the continent will create several opportunities. Trading can be done to protect the smaller economies whilst dealing with more powerful partners. AfCFTA must avoid making the biggest economies feel as if they are funding others. There must be mutual benefits for all with care taken not to turn economic integration into a political one that others may feel uncomfortable with.
There are opportunities for entrepreneurs to be excited about these new development. Africa with some of the fastest growing economies provide opportunities for all. Look at transport, free movement of people and goods, sustainability, climate changes, infrastructure provision etc. Finding solutions to these issues do not have to be new ideas, they just have to be ideas that can be adapted to suit local conditions.
More than 60% of people are still employed in the informal sector and there are still opportunities to provide education, training, consultancy and support for small businesses. The logistics of navigating the continent provides opportunities as well, including tourism and transportation.
Providing genuine and last solution
People are always looking for authentic African products, so why not be part of the solution. A trip and discussions with potential customers around the continent may provide entrepreneurs with ideas. Entrepreneurs provide solutions at a benefit, so don’t overlook any potential opportunities in your journeys. Be a part of the solution. Long term solutions are always better than quick fixes.
For more information, the World Economic Forum has more information


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Today in Crypto: July, 13, 2018 – Billionaire Steven Cohen Invests In Bitcoin, But Not Ripple
The market is starting to show some green lights, Bitcoin back up to $6,283, about a $100 jump from yesterday. Ethereum is at $439 and Litecoin is at $77.
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Billionaire Investor Steven Cohen Invests In Bitcoin and Ethereum
Billionaire investor Steven Cohen is entering the emerging market by investing into a cryptocurrency hedge fund that favors Bitcoin and Ethereum over Ripple. Cohen Private Ventures — the hedge fund of Steven A. Cohen, whose estimated net worth currently stands at $14 billion USD — has invested in Autonomous Partners, led by early Bitcoin investor Arianna Simpson. Autonomous Partners invests in digital assets and blockchain startups while allocating a small share of its funds to buy well-established cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Notably, Cohen’s investment will not be exposed to Ripple. Arianna Simpson’s fund has shunned the third largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization due to concerns over its centralization — as Ripple holds the majority share of its XRP tokens.
Bitcoin Used To Pay For 2016 Election Hacking By Russian Officers
In its indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers linked to hacking offenses in the 2016 election, the US Department of Justice said that the hackers used a network of computers located across the world, including in the United States, and paid for the infrastructure using cryptocurrency. The defendants conspired to launder the equivalent of more than $95,000 through a web of transactions structured to capitalize on the perceived anonymity of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
Square Cash App Grows 3x Over PayPal and Venmo
Square Cash, a cryptocurrency-enabled trading app, is growing three times faster than PayPal’s fiat-based Venmo. Square Cash app added cryptocurrency functionality in January. Downloads of Square Cash year-on-year were up over 150 percent in June. Square also has regulatory permission to serve New York residents, which requires a bit-license. PayPal meanwhile continues to focus on more traditional upgrades, in June launching a debit card attached to the app and on Thursday announcing a partnership to allow direct payments for Uber rides.
Bitcoin Ownership Rises In Canada
The Bank of Canada has released its findings from a two-year long study that was completed to better assess Canadians’ usage and adoption of Bitcoin. Canada has seen an increase in its bitcoin ownership rate from 2.9 percent in 2016 to 5.0 percent in 2017. Usage trends have also shifted, with most Canadians now holding bitcoin primarily for investment purposes. The published study revealed that the general knowledge on cryptocurrency for both owning and non-owning citizens had increased. Quebec saw the largest increase in awareness, with a 28 percent improvement in score from 2016 to 2017.
Robinhood To Kill Cryptocurrency Trading Fees
As a new entrant into the cryptocurrency field, Vlad Tenev, co-CEO of online investment brokerage Robinhood, is following a time-honored business strategy, to undercut the competition. Launched early this year, Robinhood Crypto is differentiating itself with zero-fee transactions, with the ultimate goal of doing away with the concept of trading fees in the market altogether. Tenev wants to prevent consumers from from getting ripped off with 4 to 5 percent transaction fees on sketchy foreign exchanges. He says consumers “will begin to understand that they’re not getting much from paying those fees.” It’s still unclear how Robinhood intends to make money over the long term.