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Several public health and tobacco control groups are upset that Philip Morris International would even consider purchasing a pharmaceutical maker that develops inhaled treatments for respiratory diseases, including the COVID-19 infection.
NEW YORK CITY — Philip Morris International (PMI) announced recently that it would pursue purchasing a company specializing in the development of inhaled pharmaceutical treatments for respiratory diseases based in the United Kingdom.
The company, Vectura Group plc (based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, in England), agreed to the acquisition, which is valued at between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. PMI announced the intent to purchase Vectura in a press release indicating that it’s a part of its so-called Beyond Nicotine strategy and its move away from combustible cigarettes.
“The acquisition of Vectura, following the recently announced agreement to acquire Fertin Pharma, will position us to accelerate this journey by expanding our capabilities in innovative inhaled and oral product formulations in order to deliver long-term growth and returns,” said Jacek Olczak, PMI’s chief executive officer, in the mentioned press release.
For reference, Vaping Postreported on the acquisition of Fertin Pharma. Fertin develops pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products based on proprietary “oral and intra-oral delivery systems.” Fertin develops pills, lozenges, capsules, powders, and pouches.
He added: “The market for inhaled therapeutics is large and growing rapidly, with significant potential for expansion into new application areas. PMI has the commitment to science and the financial resources to empower Vectura’s skilled team to execute on an ambitious long-term vision. Together, PMI and Vectura can lead this global category, bringing benefits to patients, to consumers, to public health, and to society-at-large.”
Groups like the American Lung Association and the American Thoracic Society are concerned that the acquisition will undo years of work at Vectura Group. American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer and American Thoracic Society President Lynn Schnapp jointly released this statement about PMI’s attempt to purchase Vectura:
“The announcement that Philip Morris International (PMI) wants to acquire an inhaled medicine company is the latest reprehensible choice from a company that has profited from addicting users to its deadly products,” both said. “We are deeply concerned that PMI will use the inhalation services technologies developed by Vectura to make their tobacco products more addictive. We are also deeply troubled that this company could further profit from the disease their products have caused by now selling therapies to the same people who were sickened by smoking PMI cigarettes.”
“The American Lung Association and American Thoracic Society are disappointed that the board of Vectura, a maker of essential medical products, has approved this sale. We urge the shareholders of Vectura to reject the proposed sale. Failing share holder action, we urge the British government to use its oversight authority to intervene and stop the sale.”
Amid the outbreak of controversy, members of Parliament are likely to scrutinize the acquisition between PMI and Vectura. London Timesreports that politicians in Parliament, including shadow secretaries dealing with business and biotechnology industry regulations, will further investigate the intentions behind the proposed buyout.
I urge you all to checkout those articles and sign up and together we can fight the power crazed ingnorant WHO.
OK…and breathe lol.
Organized by Voices4Vape, the Right To Switch petition has a simple premise:
Don’t let your right to choose alternatives to smoking be taken away! | #Right2Switch
Trust me, that’s what’s happened in many parts of the world and could be coming here in the UK – so it’s imperative we the vapers stand up and be counted.
The Right To Switch petition has 7 demands it wants the idiotic WHO to adhere too and they are:
1) Stop lying to us and only provide guidance based on sound scientific facts, methodologies and principles.
2) Regulate based on sound scientific facts that include stakeholder (consumer) participation as part of the decision making process.
3) Don’t ignore the basic human right to harm reduction that is one of the WHO’s founding principles. “To serve public health at all times – to put people’s health interests first”.
4) Stop interfering with the rights of adults to make informed choices regarding their health and well being.
5) Don’t discriminate against smokers, or users of safer nicotine products, because they aren’t doing what you want them to do “We strive to make people feel safe, respected, empowered, fairly treated and duly recognized”
6) Follow your own mandate of “We communicate openly with everyone and learn from one another”
7) Don’t use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to disregard our rights to choose alternatives. – “We are guided by the best available science, evidence and technical expertise, We continuously develop ourselves and innovate to respond to a changing world.”
IF the WHO gets its wish vaping as we know it will be gone for ever.
If you’re happy going back to smoking then do nothing.
If you want to keep your right to choose and have the Right To Switch – then please get involved!
A spokesman for the campaign urged vapers to sign adding:
All of us need to unite, as one, globally, for our voices to be heard loudly and clearly by those who would rather not listen.
As adults, we have every right to choose how we live our lives – the right to make informed choices for our health, including the choice to use safer nicotine products as an alternative to combustible tobacco.
A solution to the world’s smoking problem is already here, we need to make WHO FCTC HEAR US.
A smoking cessation plan designed for dual users should include e-cigarette-specific strategies used by successful quitters.
Studies keep indicating that most vapers use e-cigarettes as intended, to quit smoking. However while switching, some users end up getting stuck in the dual use phase where they start vaping but also keep smoking.
Dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes tends to be discouraged by tobacco harm reduction experts and vaping advocates alike, as the whole point of vaping is cutting down on cigarettes. On the other hand, some argue that those who engage in dual use are still smoking less cigarettes, ie. reducing harm.
The obtained results indicated that while dual use of e-cigarettes was not associated with reduced overall quit rates when compared to exclusive smoking or dual use of NRT, it was associated with a slightly higher quit attempt rate than exclusive smoking, but lower than dual use of NRT.
A total of 413 current smokers taking part in the Smoking Toolkit Study, a representative survey of adults in England, were recruited, and provided data at baseline and at a 6-month follow-up. The compiled data indicated that dual users of e-cigarettes and cigarettes smoked fewer cigarettes per day at follow-up than at baseline, when compared to dual users of NRTs and cigarettes.
This study addressed this issue, by trying to develop a specific smoking cessation program that is tailor made for people who are stuck in this pattern. “Using formative data from in-depth interviews and employing learner verification, we adapted an existing, validated self-help smoking-cessation intervention (Stop Smoking for Good; SSFG) to create a targeted intervention for dual users, If You Vape: A Guide to Quitting Smoking (IYV).”
Strategies used by successful cigarette quitters
The research team looked into vape strategies used by successful quitters, suggesting they should be implemented. “Findings led to the inclusion of e-cigarette-specific strategies used by successful quitters such as gradually reducing nicotine levels, switching from tobacco flavor to alternative flavors, and limiting e-cigarette use to places one would normally smoke (i.e., not expanding use).”
“Suggestions from Phase II learner verification included broadening the visual appeal for a younger, more diverse demographic, expanding tips for quitting smoking via e-cigarettes, and expanding terminology for e-cigarette devices. Beginning with an efficacious self-help intervention, we used a systematic process to develop a version specifically for dual users.”
PMI announced the acquisition for an enterprise value of DKK 5.1 billion (approximately USD 820 million1).
Media reports about the possible purchase started circulating last month. According to the Tobacco Reporter, Financial analysts from these reports said that the company (including its debt), could be valued at roughly $713.5 million.
A previous article by Vaping Post discussing the acquisition said that Fertin is the “world’s biggest contract development and manufacturing organization for nicotine chewing gum” and “also helps produce tablets, gum and lozenges used for pain medication, vitamins, cough treatments, and sleeping aids.”
Another step towards PMI’s goal of becoming a mostly smoke-free by 2025
Finally, PMI announced the acquisition for an enterprise value of DKK 5.1 billion (approximately USD 820 million1). This move supports the tobacco company’s goal of becoming a mostly smoke-free business by 2025, creating growth opportunities beyond tobacco.
“The acquisition of Fertin Pharma will be a significant step forward on our journey toward delivering a smoke-free future—enhancing our smoke-free portfolio, notably in modern oral, and accelerating our progress in beyond nicotine,” stated Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer.
“Both PMI and Fertin share a commitment to science and consumer-centric innovations for better living, and I am delighted we have reached this agreement. Fertin’s diverse portfolio of technologies, evolving business mix, and world-class expertise will enrich our innovation pipeline and capabilities, providing speed and scale in oral delivery to support our 2025 goals of generating more than 50% of our net revenues from smoke-free products and at least USD 1 billion from products beyond nicotine.”
A nationwide measure, S 1253: “Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act,” passed the house last year and was signed into law by President Trump on the 27th of December 2020. The bill banned all shipments of vaping products by the US Postal Service, and would have forced all other postal delivery services (such as UPS, FedEx, or DHL) to check IDs and obtain signatures of adults at points of delivery.
To this effect, FedEx and the United Parcel Service (UPS) had already halted shipping vaping products from their end. However in April 2021, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it was delaying the ban. In an exclusive to Marijuana Business Daily, a spokesperson for the USPS said that more time is required “to review how to implement the changes ordered by Congress.”
Yet, FedEx and UPS did not reverse the ban from their end, with FedEx’s current rules preventing the shipment of vaping products from business to business or directly to vapers, many of whom live in remote areas were they might have difficulty obtaining them. This has prompted hundreds of small businesses to send a signed a letter organized by the AVA highlighting that the mail carrier’s delivery ban will prevent consumers from obtaining the products they’ve used to stop smoking.
Making safer alternatives unavailable is counterproductive
“We rely on companies like FedEx to stock our store shelves and meet customer demand,” adds the letter. “Without the option to order vaping products at wholesale or ship their products to consumers, vape stores have seen their shipping options skyrocket in cost or evaporate entirely.
AVA president Greg Conley, highlighted that this measure is counterproductive. “FedEx is doing a great disservice to American small businesses and consumers,” he said in a press statement. “They are playing right into the hands of Big Tobacco, which directly benefits from policies that make it more expensive for adult smokers to switch. Not only are vaping products legal and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, but they are saving lives by keeping people off combustible cigarettes.”
On July 23rd (GMT+8), before the new Ligue 1 season kicks off, Geekvape, the world-renowned vape brand, and Paris Saint-Germain, the European football powerhouse, announced together the official partnership starting from the 2021-2022 season. It is the first time in history that a football giant partners with a vape brand. Both sides will work together on campaigns, TV commercials, and co-branded products in authorized countries. Geekvape fans around the world will also have the opportunity to see the team in real life.
“Geekvape has always followed a brand concept of ‘Love of Life’ and building an excellent life experience, while Paris Saint-Germain is known for playing elegant football” said Allen Yang, the CEO of Geekvape Technology. “In their own sectors, Geekvape and Paris Saint-Germain are sharing the same passion for ‘Excellence’ and ‘Elegance.’ And based on this common idea, we have come together today. Six years after its creation, Geekvape has grown into an international brand serving millions of users around the globe. The partnership with Paris Saint-Germain is an essential step in its brand strategic upgrade and will, at the same time, attract more users to feel the positive energy brought by football through Paris Saint-Germain’s football magic.”
Marc Armstrong, Paris Saint-Germain’s Chief Partnerships Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome Geekvape to the Paris Saint-Germain family. Geekvape is an innovative Chinese brand with worldwide ambition. We both share the same determination to ally excellence and elegance. We are looking forward to working together to develop creative campaigns.”
Geekvape, founded in 2015, is an innovative technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Geekvape’s mission is to build a creative life experience and provide a reliable product experience. For a long time, Geekvape continuously creates and thinks differently, aiming to positively impact society.
About Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain football club was created in 1970 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020. Since QSI’s purchase of the club in 2011, it has transformed to become one of the top football clubs and global sports brands in the world. The club has since then won 27 trophies in only ten years, 43 in its history, becoming the most successful football club in France. Paris Saint-Germain has attracted many great players including Ronaldinho, Beckham, Ibrahimovic, and currently Neymar Jr and Mbappé, both ranked amongst the top players in the world. The international popularity of the club never stops growing. It is now one of the most followed clubs in the world, expanding from zero to a community over 100 million social media followers in just ten years. The pioneering sports club which now includes men’s football, women’s football, handball, and judo, added esports in 2016. Giving back to the community is fundamental to the club which has drastically increased the capacity of its foundation to develop large programs for underprivileged youths.
Research suggests that for every 1,000 pregnant women offered vouchers, 177 would stop smoking.
Research, says the guidance, suggests that for every 1,000 pregnant women offered vouchers, 177 would stop smoking. “Evidence from the UK showed that schemes in which a maximum of around £400 could be gained in vouchers staggered over time (with reductions for each relapse made) were effective and cost effective.”
Their guidance, which is open to consultation, said women should undergo biochemical tests to prove they have stopped smoking before receiving the vouchers. However, they added, if the testing proves too difficult due to any current COVID-19-related restrictions, the vouchers should be given anyway.
The document also highlighted that healthcare staff should give clear and up-to-date information regarding e-cigarettes to anyone interested in using them to quit smoking, whilst mentioning that their long-term health effects are still uncertain.
Stop Smoking Services Staff opinions about vapes
In the UK e-cigarettes remain the most popular smoking cessation aid to date, however, opinions about vaping during pregnancy tend to vary. A recent local study aimed to gauge the general perception of English Stop Smoking Services (SSS) towards vaping in order to quit smoking amongst pregnant women.
Most SSS managers said they support the use of e-cigarettes amongst pregnant women who already vaped prior to the pregnancy. However they added, they would not recommend vaping to those who were still smoking and not using e-cigarettes. A total of 8.3% of the managers said they were likely/very likely to advise using e-cigarettes, while 56.9% of SSS were unlikely/very unlikely to advise using them.
The slowdown of smokers switching to safer e-cigarettes is a UK vaping’ public health emergency‘ says the country’s vape industry leader.
John Dunne, the Director-General of the UK Vaping Industry Association, says the slowdown is due to myths and fake news surrounding e-cigarettes and this needs to be urgently addressed – or more smokers will die.
The APPG says 2021 is a ‘pivotal year‘ for vaping in the UK and the new Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) [replacing the EU backed TPD] is the perfect opportunity to layout new legislation covering e-cigarettes and other novel nicotine products.
I reported earlier this year on the UKVIA submission to the UK Government and in a nutshell it called for:
The use of Government-approved expert health claims on products to address misinformation leading to misperceptions on vaping, and therefore encourage smokers to switch
Greater opportunities to engage with smokers, as current regulations restrict vaping’s ability to provide smokers with evidence-based knowledge to make informed decisions when looking to quit
The extension of certain regulations to cover additional vaping products, such as non-nicotine e-liquids, thereby ensuring a highly responsible and safe industry
We’re extremely pleased to see a number of our comments and suggestions made during the inquiry’s evidence sessions, together with some of the recommendations contained in our ‘Blueprint for Better Regulation’ document, have made it into the published report.
The document acknowledges the huge strides the UK has made in recent years taking vaping from a place where it was routinely talked about as being ‘as bad as cigarettes’ to its position today where leading health experts and politicians all agree it is an indispensable resource for helping smokers to quit their habits for good.
UK Needs MORE Not LESS Vapers
At a time when esteemed health protection organisations such as Public Health England and Cancer Research UK all back vaping as the best and most effective quit method, and the NHS is trialing e-cigarettes for smokers in some hospitals, the numbers of new vapers should be skyrocketing, not tailing off.
This is a public health emergency and we are calling on the Government to review this report as soon as possible and waste no time in implementing its recommendations for the sake of the seven million UK smokers yet to transition to vaping.
You may recall the WHO is desperately trying to convince Governments around the world to slap an outright ban on all things vape – yes, even here in the UK!
UK vapers looking to join the fight to stop the WHO’s global vape plan should checkout the following links:
EVALI – Nothing To Do With Nicotine Vaping
Despite EVALI being proven to have NOTHING to do with vaping on nicotine based e-liquid, it is still being used as a reason to ban e-cigarettes.
A new study by tireless pro-vaping advocate, Clive Bates, says health organizations, the media, commentators and anti-vaping groups must be made to stop linking the two now – or more lives will be at risk.
Commentators should stop claiming that nicotine vaping is implicated in “EVALI”.
Agencies, academics, journals, peer reviewers, health organisations, activist groups, foundations, media commentators, and politicians should stop falsely asserting or implying that nicotine vaping was or is a cause of EVALI.
It is ethically inappropriate to use false or tenuous claims or exaggerated doubt about risks to try to change the behaviour of others.
That ethical problem is compounded in this case because of the risk that users would be deterred from switching from high-risk to low-risk nicotine products and would therefore suffer harm on the basis of unreliable public health information.
EVALI – or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury – appeared on the scene a couple of years ago and led to 2,800 hospitalisations and the deaths of 68 mostly young people.
This was proven to be correct and as Clive explains, due to the thinning ingredient Vitamin E acetate – also known as tocopheryl acetate.
The contaminating agent has been identified.
This is Vitamin E Acetate (VEA) (Blount et al. 2020).
Its exact biochemical interaction with lung tissue may be uncertain and is a subject of ongoing work.
However, there is no real doubt that it played a causal role in EVALI.
CDC has acknowledged this: according to Dr Anne Schuchat, CDC’s principal deputy director in 2019: “we can conclude that what I call the explosive outbreak of cases of EVALI can be attributed to exposure to THC-containing vaping products that also contained Vitamin E acetate” (CDC published transcript, 20 December 2019).
But still EVALI is used as a building block to ban vaping and in turn scare the hell out of smokers looking to quit.
Clive concludes the EVALI outbreak now must lead to the de-criminalization of THC/cannabis vapes adding:
“EVALI” should be renamed to reflect the real risks.
The contrived naming of this condition as “E-cigarette, or Vaping, product use-Associated Lung Injury” (EVALI) is misleading and the language is unnecessarily vague.
Users and suppliers of THC vapes do not generally use the term “e-cigarettes” to describe THC vaping products such as vape pens.
The term “e-cigarette” is primarily used to refer to nicotine vaping products, and the term EVALI, by implicating e-cigarettes, is therefore misleading to nicotine users.
Couldn’t agree more, especially with even the WHO linking vaping on nicotine products to EVALI!!!
Chantix – known as Varenicline – is produced by Pfizer – and yeah former FDA boss and vaping fear monger Scott Gottlieb is on the board.
It seems this particular batch of the suicidal drug had too high levels of nitrosamine.
That’s an organic substance found in many forms – however Pfizer says it’s worried the amounts are far above the recommended daily intake.
In a statement the company said:
Pfizer believes the benefit/risk profile of CHANTIX remains positive.
Patients currently taking Chantix should consult with their doctor to confirm if they received an affected lot, and if appropriate, about alternative treatment options.
To date, Pfizer has not received any reports of adverse events that have been related to this recall.
Things that make you go ummm…
Can’t recall any vape products or batches of juice being recalled due to cancer giving effects…
For more info and the batch numbers check out the FDA website or see your own doctor/GP.
UK Kids Say Vaping Is NOT Cool!
Despite the rabid media reports of UK youngsters becoming hooked on e-cigarettes, once again the true facts show those claims to be BS.
A new fact sheet produced by Action On Smoking and Health [ASH] shows that not only aren’t kids vaping in their droves, they don’t think it’s cool!
I’m with them on that one lol.
A HUGE majority of 11-17 year olds [77.7%] have never tried a vape or even knew they existed [10.5%].
Very interesting indeed!
The results come from the joint 2021 ASH YouGov Smokefree youth GB survey and also shows:
Young people aged 11-18 years old vape mainly just to give it a try (49.3%) not because they think it looks cool (1.2%).
They are unlikely to choose e-cigarettes because they are easier to access (1.1%) or cheaper (0.8%) than tobacco cigarettes.
Despite age warning schemes it appears the kids are still buying lit tobacco and e-cigs from shops – which is extremely worrying – who the hell serves a 11-year-old a packet of fags?
The fact sheet concludes:
In conclusion, data from the 2021 ASH YouGov Smokefree youth GB survey suggest that while some young people experiment with e-cigarettes, particularly those who have tried smoking, regular use remains low.
Likelihood of trying or currently using e-cigarettes increases with age and smoking status. However, continued surveillance is needed.
Apart from UK kids thinking that e-cigarettes are just as ‘dangerous‘ to health as lit tobacco, it’s great to see more evidence a UK teen vape epidemic is rubbish.
People who quit smoking had a greater reduction in anxiety, depression, and symptoms of stress, than those who did not.
A recent review has indicated that approximately 40 to 45% of mental health professionals assumed that smoking cessation would be counterproductive to their patients’ mental states. Similarly, many smokers believe that due to the irritability that results from withdrawal, their relationships would be impacted negatively.
However, the review found that actually people who quit smoking had a greater reduction in anxiety, depression, and symptoms of stress than those who did not. “Smokers often believe that cigarettes are the crutch they need when they feel low, but there is good reason to think that smoking is actually making them feel worse,” said lead study author Dr. Gemma Taylor.
“The daily cycle of waking up with cravings, satisfying the cravings through smoking, only to be back wanting another cigarette within hours has an understandable impact on how people feel. But get past the withdrawal that many smokers feel when they stop, and better mental health is on the other side,” she added.
“From our evidence, we see that the link between smoking cessation and mood seem to be similar in a range of people. And most crucially, there is no evidence that people with mental health conditions will experience a worsening of their health if they stop smoking.”
Meanwhile, multiple studies and health entities, such as the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), have pointed out that mentally ill individuals have a higher tendency to smoke in comparison to the general population. Hence, they benefit greatly from having extra support in relation to smoking cessation and access to safer alternatives, that would at least decrease the likelihood of them also suffering from smoke-related conditions.
Smokers tend to need higher doses of psychotropic medications
A 2020 article by former stop-smoking service manager at Leicester City Council, Louise Ross, had evaluated the challenges and opportunities faced when supporting smokers with poor mental well-being in their quest to quit.
The third in a series of five, this article reflected on the nurses’ role in offering smoking cessation guidance and support. It started by pointing out amongst other things, that smokers on psychotropic drugs tend to need higher doses of medications. “The tar (and not the nicotine) in tobacco smoke also increases the need for higher doses of some psychotropic medications, so stopping smoking enables some people to be prescribed a lower dose and experience fewer side-effects (NCSCT, 2018).”


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Researchers at Princeton University have published a paper that highlights the privacy issues of making cryptocurrency payments at online merchants that use browser.
What do you think about bitcoin exchanges offering insurance to merchants.The price of bitcoin is up over 250% since last year, but acceptance of the cryptocurrency as a form of payment among top merchants has declined. A.
Bitcoin Payment Processing | SpectroCoinBitcoin.com is your premier source for everything Bitcoin related.Get information about the latest merchants and businesses that accepts Bitcoin.Accepting Bitcoin enables merchants to widen their customer base.
On Wednesday we announced that over 75,000 Shopify merchants can now start accepting Bitcoin as a form of p.Businesses like Microsoft, Dell, and Expedia say they accept bitcoin as payment.Japanese Exchanges Roll Out Insurance to Help Merchants Accept Bitcoin Instantly. Insurance for Bitcoin-Accepting Merchants. Get Bitcoin News stories in.The number of bitcoin accepting merchants in Japan is expected to quintuple to 20,000 this year.
Japan to reach 265,000 bitcoin-accepting merchants by thisA growing number of consumers are starting to use BTC to purchase goods and services,.
How do I convince Fortune 500 Merchants to accept Bitcoin?For the first time ever, anyone can send or receive any amount of money with anyone else, anywhere on the planet, conveniently and without restriction.
GoCoin clients will now have the flexibility to accept both Bitcoin. the International Alt-Currency Payment Platform. retail merchants to accept Bitcoin.
Litecoin.com - Open source P2P digital currency
coinmapSince I am too busy to open a dedicated site, this will be an updated list of Malaysian based merchants and businesses accepting bitcoin and various other cryptos.This move will lead to over 260,000 Japanese stores accepting Bitcoins. Summer, Bitcoin Will Be Accepted at. merchants and websites in Japan that accept.
How to Accept Bitcoin Payments: Tips for Merchants - CEX
Bitnet Partners with Computop to Offer Bitcoin Payments for Over 3000 Merchants. Bitnet hopes to see a rapid increase of bitcoin-accepting merchants in Europe in.
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CoinMap made the search of merchants and physical locations that accepts Bitcoin simple through their website that guides you to spend your bitcoins near your position.Bitcoin is a new payment option intended to offer even more flexibility for customers.
Bitcoin merchants: Where to spend bitcoin - cnbc.comAccept Bitcoin payments at your Drupal powered eCommerce site. Bitcoin Merchant API Learn more.
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While adoption among merchants is small, more businesses are accepting bitcoin as a way of avoiding credit card fees and attracting enthusiasts.Until now there are 1563 Indonesia merchants already accepting Bitcoin with BitBayar.com.How to buy bitcoins worldwide Buying Reddit Gold with bitcoin.
Just like you, we want every merchant to accept Bitcoins and other digital currencies.
Start accepting bitcoin payments today - ShopifyThe city currently has 177 merchants accepting bitcoin and one bitcoin ATM with a relatively small.NetBet becomes the first UK-licensed gambling merchant to begin accepting bitcoin for bets in its online sports betting platform and casino.Bitpoint Adds Bitcoin and Ether Payments to Platform with Unionpay, Wechat Pay and Alipay.
Overstock.com is the first major retailer to join the Bitcoin market.We provide you with the latest breaking news from bitcoin, ethereum, dogecoin and other popular coins.Only three of top 500 online retailers accepting bitcoin. than convince new merchants to accept the.

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(Reuters) - Chipmaker Broadcom Inc, which counts Apple Inc among its customers, on Monday cut the top end its previously issued second-quarter revenue forecast, citing weak demand for its wireless.. Reuters
It's being reported that tech company Qualcomm began laying off employees on Wednesday.
The layoffs could ultimately affect as many as 1,000 jobs.
The layoffs are reportedly part of the company's.. Source: Wochit -
In early trading on Friday, shares of Broadcom (AVGO) topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 3.0%. Year to date, Broadcom has lost about 4.0% of its.. Source: Market News Video -
As global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have started the year with a bang, with deals topping $1 trillion (£710bn) in the first quarter, more Chinese money than ever before is flowing into Europe,.. City A.M.
(Reuters) - Broadcom Inc said on Wednesday it had completed its move back to the United States from Singapore, weeks after President Donald Trump blocked its $117 billion offer to buy Qualcomm Inc on.. Reuters Also reported by •FT.com
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc re-elected its board of directors on Friday with weak support from shareholders, who grilled the U.S. chipmaker over its strategy following its successful defense.. Reuters


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As Eric Heins and Corter prepare for the upcoming launch of the label’s new website, the tiny one-man operation has created a leather take on the classic luggage tag. Mimicking the look of the cheap plastic tags that typically appear on one’s luggage, the piece appears with a split ring, hand-set copper rivet and natural vegetable-tanned leather for the tag itself – thus allowing users to insert their own personal information via ink pen, wood burner or whatever method one may choose. Look for the leather luggage tags to be available alongside a plethora of new releases to coincide with the site’s launch later this February.


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It might very soon be possible for you to go out for an evening without carrying your wallet or purse. Amazon has introduced a new service called “palm-based identity” that scans your hand to enable payments, including for alcohol.
On May 22, Amazon announced that their palm scanner, called Amazon One, can now verify a person’s age, making it easier to purchase alcohol in places like bars and sports events. The palm scanners are currently used in Amazon Go stores and over 100 Whole Foods stores across the US.
To use this new technology, users need to provide a selfie and pictures of their government-issued ID, but Amazon assures that they do not store customers’ IDs. The palm scanner examines the unique details of a person’s hand and displays a “21+” message along with a selfie of the customer to confirm their age.
Amazon plans to showcase this new feature at Coors Field, the home stadium of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team. They will specifically highlight it at the Sandlot Brewery and Silver Bullet Bar within the stadium.
“Hearing from Amazon One customers across the country, we understand that they love the convenience it delivers: shorter wait times, quick access to buildings and locations, being able to link their loyalty memberships, and now an easy way to grab their beer,” John McKay, senior director of food service operations and development for the Colorado Rockies, said.
While larger venues with long customer queues could benefit from a smoother process, some bar owners, like Matt Hogan of Brooklyn’s Irish Haven, are not convinced that the technology is necessary for smaller neighborhood bars. Hogan believes that Amazon One could eliminate meaningful conversations between bartenders and patrons, which are often used to determine if someone has already been drinking before entering the bar.
Overall, Amazon’s palm-based identity service aims to simplify age verification and payment processes. However, the implementation of this technology may vary depending on the size and type of establishment.
“When someone presents an ID, there’s an exchange of, sort of, vetting that that person hasn’t been over served somewhere else,” Hogan said. “You learn a lot about a person in that first 10 to 20 seconds.”
“Automation would take that away from me. That would be a lost asset,” Hogan added.


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If the news is anything to go by, then there seem to be better days ahead for an Arapahoe County company in Colorado which specializes in treating low testosterone in men. And although there have been myriads of breakthroughs for men who leverage Testosterone boosting foods in an attempt to treat their infertility, the company in its bid to provide help for men dealing with infertility has been highly successful. The good news here is that the company has concluded plans to move its shares to Nasdaq stock exchange.
According to Aytu BioScience Inc., a company that engineered a 1-for-20 reverse split in August, this decision is aimed at switching from the popular over the counter bulletin board exchange. To this end, the company says it would start trading its shares on Nasdaq exchange on Friday.
In defense of its action, the company categorically stated that this move will help augment the company’s progress. As a matter of fact, the move will help diversify the company’s shareholder base as there would be more liquidity to run the daily activities of the company. This is not to mention increased exposure as the company strives to become a global contender in the fertility industry.
It would be recalled that the company acquired Nuelle Inc., a company popular in California for manufacturing incredible devices designed to increase arousal in women. Also, the company is known to sell a nasal spray known as Natesto, designed to provide more testosterone for men struggling with low testosterone.


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Alo Yoga, the Los Angeles-based yoga lifestyle brand, which sells men’s and women’s activewear, outerwear, apparel, accessories and beauty products under the “air, land and ocean” ethos is trying out the metaverse.
Beginning today, customers may visit a virtual Alo Yoga Sanctuary in the metaverse via the online game platform Roblox and an avatar dressed in Alo apparel. The virtual alter ego can relax with some yoga and meditation once there.
In the metaverse you have your digital identity
“You have your digital identity in the metaverse,” said Christina Wootton, Roblox’s vice president of global brand partnerships. “How you express yourself. Whether it’s through digital fashion, virtual beauty, or other means, is quite significant”. Brands view this as a chance to interact with their customers. Even if it’s a two-way discussion where they can cooperate, produce, and get real-time feedback.”
Last year, one in every five Gen Z users on Roblox, the platform’s fastest-growing group, altered their avatar on a daily basis.
“As a result, we find people who are really concerned about their appearance and who purchase very current [fashion] goods,” Wootton added. “We anticipate that as technology advances, you will be able to accomplish anything on Roblox”. There are no limits to what you can develop or achieve.”
Alo Yoga isn’t looking to capitalize off the space
Alo Yoga isn’t aiming to take use of the location just yet. While some companies allow customers to purchase stuff on the platform using Robux, a virtual currency that can be acquired with real money, the virtual Alo Yoga store does not sell anything. They can only be obtained via experiences, such as attending yoga courses and meditation sessions.


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Albright’s Raw Dog Food, which is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has recalled 67 cases of its Chicken Recipe for Dogs due to potential contamination of salmonella. The dog food is distributed in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee and is available online via mail order and direct delivery across the country.
The packages of Albright’s Raw Dog Food Chicken Recipe for Dogs were packaged in 2-pound chubs/rolls. Those packages have lot numbers of C000185, Best By 19 May 2021. The product was sold frozen and was distributed from the company to distributors from July 8 to Aug. 27, according to the FDA.


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16 March 2006
Colleges Serve Up Trendy Food to Lure Students
The last decade has brought huge changes to many campus dining halls,
as colleges ramp up the quality and variety of food to attract an increasingly sophisticated — and picky — generation of students.
For those who think college food is still mystery meat served in "slop lines," as one dining director put it, it’s a new
culinary world out there. Discover the best and worst college food, according to rankings in the 2006 Princeton Review’s
"The Best 361 Colleges" as well as a recipe for Mahi-Mahi with Pineapple Tequila Salsa on one university menu in this
article. See story at The Anniston Star's website: www.annistonstar.com.
Note: JSU faculty, staff and students may access The
Anniston Star online through their affiliation with the University.
Those not affiliated with JSU may have to subscribe to receive The
Anniston Star online. If you already subscribe to The Anniston
Star, you receive a complimentary online membership. This provides
complete access to all the content and services of the site at no
additional charge. Otherwise there is a $5 online monthly charge for
their online service. Contact The Anniston Star for information.
for news releases by using the request form at www.jsu.edu/newswire/request.


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Timex has announced the launch of the Fairfield Contactless Payment watch, which will be added to the range for SS18.
The bestselling Fairfield Chronograph has been updated with smart functionality to offer contactless payment capabilities, powered by bPay.
bPay enables wearers to make payments of up to £30 at over 490,000 locations in the UK. Users can track their spending and top up their balance via an associated app.
The Fairfield Contactless Payment watch is available with a sleek leather strap in black or brown, offering the convenience of wearable technology without losing the design and style of a classic analogue watch.
Duncan Harris, TIMEX UK Sales & Marketing Director, said: ““We are thrilled to be launching our newest innovation in wearable technology and partnering with
bPay. The functionality of the Fairfield Contactless Payment watch gives our consumers the option of hands free payment, whilst retaining the timeless character of this classic chronograph watch. We are excited at the possibilities this technology offers consumers in payment solutions and will continue to work withour partners in bringing this to more of our collection.”
The watch is available now from timex.co.uk, priced at £149.99.


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TAMPA — A new building permit issued in Lakeland is fueling speculation that Amazon will build two warehouses in the greater Tampa Bay area, not just one in Ruskin.
On Sept. 19, contractor Conlan Co. pulled a building permit in Lakeland to do land clearing on the site of a proposed Amazon warehouse, called a fulfillment center. The Polk County Commission has been trying to persuade the online retailer to build on 117 acres along County Line Road, offering it $4.5 million in tax incentives as an enticement.
The building permit doesn’t actually mention Amazon, but some evidence points to the company.
For example, the limited liability company that owns the County Line Road property in question shares an address with insurance giant USAA’s real estate division, state corporation records show. That’s significant because USAA is a frequent landlord for Amazon and has developed or owned at least a half-dozen Amazon warehouses nationwide.
USAA also appears to be involved in a proposed Amazon warehouse in Ruskin that would employ as many as 1,000 people. Hillsborough County commissioners are trying to lure Amazon to open inside the South Shore Corporate Park near Interstate 75 and State Road 674.
Last month, a contractor applied for a few Hillsborough County building permits on the Ruskin site, including a permit to build a 1-million-square-foot warehouse. Again, USAA’s real estate division was listed as the property’s owner in the building permits.
Hillsborough land records show a Minnesota-based real estate firm called Ryan Cos. still owns the Ruskin land. However, USAA may be in the process of buying the land from Ryan.
A local Ryan Cos. executive wouldn’t comment, but did say it’s common for someone buying land to begin the permitting process even before a sale has closed.
The local commercial real estate industry is buzzing with gossip that Amazon will build in both Lakeland and Ruskin. And, in fact, the online retailer has built multiple warehouses in a single market before. It ships small items out of one warehouse and large items out of the other.
Such is the case in Tennessee, where Amazon built a fulfillment center in Lebanon and another 30 miles away in Murfreesboro.
It’s possible Amazon will kill the Lakeland or Ruskin projects, or both, said Bill Eshenbaugh, a prominent Tampa land broker not involved in the deal. But the fact that contractors are pulling permits in both places is very suggestive, he said.
“I think you can read into it that it’s very likely going to happen,” Eshenbaugh said.


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Lynch, whose knack for plowing through defenders earned him the nickname "Beast Mode," has often defied authority in his eight-year career. Just this season, he racked up at least $100,000 in league fines—for refusing to talk to reporters and over his touchdown celebrations.
Read MoreHow the NFL makes the most money of any pro sport
Lynch's "anti-corporate" attitude has only increased his appeal to the casual fan, said Ross Steinman, chairperson and associate professor of psychology at Widener University who has studied fan psychology.
By deliberately running afoul of the NFL's expectations for its players, Lynch has strengthened his personal brand.
Take Lynch's Beast Mode apparel, which he flaunted at media sessions this week against league rules. He first publicly unveiled a Beast Mode hat on Tuesday, and by Friday BeastModeOnline.com had generated 10 times more sales revenue than it had in the previous week, said Mitch Grossbach, president of M3/Relativity, which manages the brand.
The line first went on sale early last year, and sales since Tuesday have surpassed all of 2014, Grossbach said. Two color combinations of the hat he wore—which cost $33—sold out online.
Read More$4.5M Super Bowl ad—or all this on social media
A Beast Mode pop-up store on Tuesday started selling apparel in Scottsdale, Arizona, about 25 miles from University of Phoenix Stadium, where the game will be played. By Friday afternoon, the store was "not far from being depleted," Grossbach said.
Lynch's Super Bowl influence extended to the corporate world, as well. Mars-owned Skittles released a video of a mock news conference this week, where Lynch answered questions much more completely than he typically does for the media. Lynch is known for eating the candy on the sidelines during games.
The frenzy surrounding the actual game will only expand Lynch's platform, Tripathi said. On Thursday alone, he was mentioned in more than 200,000 tweets, and the interest will likely increase once he takes the field.
Read MoreThe US manufacturer that keeps the NFL flying
The strength of Lynch's brand fundamentally relies on the league, though, Steinman said. He noted that many consumers who have latched on to Lynch are still, at heart, NFL or Seahawks fans.
"He has to walk a fine line. You don't want to alienate all of the potential consumers who are at their core NFL fans," Steinman said.


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Despite assurances by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), more commonly known as petrol is available, LEADERSHIP findings showed that current situation is leading to panic buying with queues building up in some parts of the country
The NNPC has raised serious concern following lengthening queues at petrol stations especially in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and parts of the northern states
Group general manager, Group Public Affairs Division, of the Corporation, Garba Deen Muhammad, in a statement on Monday confirmed that NNPC has over 1.7 billion litres of petrol in stock and more product is expected to arrive into the country daily over the coming weeks and months.
“It is therefore unnecessary to entertain any fear of scarcity of petrol throughout the festive season and beyond.
The NNPC is also not aware of any plan by the government to cause an increase in the pump price of petroleum. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has made that declaration last week” said Muhammad.
In view of these assurances, the NNPC advised motorists and other consumers of petrol to maintain their regular pattern of the purchase of petrol without getting into a panic situation that may send the wrong signals around the country.
The NNPC said it is also engaging all stakeholders to ensure smooth supply and distribution of products to every part of the country during the festive season and beyond.
But a competent industry source who confided in our correspondent, warned that the situation may likely go out of hand.
Our source said, “Product availability is not the problem; the issue is the United States dollar charges on port dues of fuel vessels by the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) which they insist on collecting despite the presidential directive to stop.
Effort to get the response of the acting general manager, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ibrahim Nasiru proved abortive as calls placed to his phones were not answered and text messages not responded to. He further explained that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) offered to provide foreign exchange for their operational requirements but they didn’t accept because the transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi refused to accept.
“These costs are no longer bearable to marketers hence the situation at hand. The NNPC is now charging US dollars on their vessels for which they were hitherto charging naira.
“These dollars are not available from CBN hence they’re sourced from the parallel market and the cost will be borne by someone” our source said.
In Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, independent marketers are shutting down their stations creating artificial scarcity.
When LEADERSHIP went round the state capital, over 80 per cent of the stations belonging to Independent marketers were seen shut down.
“Most of the independent marketers have enough products but refuse to sell to customers,” LEADERSHIP learnt.
“Most of them have the fuel but refuse to sell just for their selfish interest, if government can take action to visit the stations, they can see things for themselves.”
A long stretch of motorcycles and cars were seen at filling stations in most of the local government area which comprises Potiskum, Gashua, Gulani, Fune, Nguru, Gaidam and Damaturu, the state capital waiting for their turn to purchase the product.
Our correspondent who monitored the situation observed that the fuel queues have returned in Damaturu metropolis and other local government areas of the state.
At black markets’ corner, a four-litre gallon of PMS was selling for N800.


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If you were the least bit worried about Modern Sonic being tossed aside for Classic Sonic or vice versa, you can lay those fears to rest. According to Sonic Team leader Takashi Iizuka, neither are going anywhere, and both will be “taken care of.”
In an interview with OTAQUEST, Takashi Iizuka reminisced on his tenure at Sonic Team and explained how Classic Sonic was originally only going to be used for Sonic Generations, but given the high accolades of that entry and the obvious existence of Sonic Mania, that didn’t exactly pan out.
“Not much time has passed since the distinction between “classic” and “modern” was made, in fact, it was since 2011’s “Sonic Generations” title. Even before that, in addition to the main 3D series, there was a high demand for the 2D action games such as the Sonic Advance series, so we revived the old Sonic as Classic Sonic for the 20th-anniversary title, Sonic Generations. We initially thought that it would be a 20th Anniversary project only, however after that we had a strong demand for a new classic Sonic standalone title, that became 2017’s Sonic Mania. We would like to take good care of these two very popular iterations of Sonic’s in the future.”
Iizuka-san also expressed his gratitude towards the fans for supporting Sonic all these years, and he hopes that the 30th anniversary will be one that will meet the fans desires.
“I’m grateful for all of the fans who have loved and supported Sonic for so long, and I hope that I can make it a year to celebrate the 30th anniversary with all of the fans in order to meet their desires. We would like to continue to grow our brand as one that can be enjoyed by people around the world, so we look forward to your support.”
You can read the full interview at OTAQUEST, and as soon as we find news about the next Sonic game for the 30th anniversary celebration year of 2021, we’ll lightspeed dash our way to the scene and bring you the latest details. Stay tuned to the Sonic Stadium!


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Creative Works, a leading attraction designer and manufacturer for the amusement industry, hosted a highly-anticipated Amusement 360 Event on 25-27 April in Indianapolis.
The three-day event drew a record registration of more than 110 attendees, consisting of existing amusement venue owners and new start-ups looking to open their first venue.
The Amusement 360 event provided attendees with a unique opportunity to learn how to build a more profitable business. Creative Works organised more than 14 hours of programming and brought in 18 speakers to present on a wide variety of topics, including local PR, influencer marketing, habit building for training, group sales strategies, food and beverage programs, and much more.
In addition to the educational presentations, the company also hosted in-depth interviews with three different operators. Zach Johnson from Rev’d Up Fun talked about how he created sustainable growth, Craig Buster from Coconut Bowl shared his journey to become the Top FEC in the World, and Eddie Hamann and Stan Manousos from Andretti Indoor Karting & Games shared their model for how they have scaled into a nationally recognised entertainment brand.
Networking with other operators and entrepreneurs is one of the most important aspects of any successful event. Creative Work scheduled plenty of time for attendees to meet one another, build relationships, and create a greater sense of community during breaks, dinners, and site visits.
“Amusement 360 is such an amazing, well run, well organised event. The quality of speakers, interviews, and sponsors is top notch! This has become a don’t miss event,” said Sandy Johnson, one of the attendees who operates a venue.
The event also featured presentations that went beyond the tactical operations of a venue and helped attendees become better leaders. The highlight was a keynote presentation by Scott Harvey, a former FBI-trained hostage negotiator, where he shared tactics to speak with confidence and build more influence.
“We are thrilled with the success of this Amusement 360 event,” said Armando Lanuti, President of Creative Works. “We strive to provide the amusement industry with the resources and knowledge they need to thrive, and we are grateful for the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from attendees.”
“What I learned in two and a half days would have taken many years of real world trial and error experience to achieve and understand,” commented Jeremy Hamilton, an attendee who is opening his first venue.
The next Amusement 360 Event takes place on 19-21 September 2023 in Indianapolis. Speaker and schedule details will be announced soon, and early registration is open.


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DroneShield has delivered its handheld and portable anti-drone products to a US government agency for around $312,000 (AUD $450,000) in hopes of future orders being made for DroneShield’s other various products.
A US government agency has recently received products from drone detection and protection company DroneShield. The was announced back on March 9th but has only just been completed.
The agency hopes to use the newly acquired technology to evaluate the possibilities of purchasing the larger products available, such as the stationary DroneSentry and DroneSentinel systems.
Oleg Vornik, DroneShield’s CEO had the following to say on delivering the order on time and supporting the US government.
“This order, delivered on time in the current COVID environment, demonstrates the resilience of our manufacturing processes and the robust demand for our products, from top tier customers globally. We are pleased to support the Counter-UAS requirements of our U.S. Federal and other government customers and look forward to continuing to deliver industry leading solutions tailored for their missions.”
DroneShield’s US team is continuously making progress with other customers with demonstrations and product evaluations underway. DroneShield is also working towards its four-year framework it recently fleshed out with European Union police forces to acquire its products.
DroneShield has also recently released a new software update for its RF-based threat detector which is used in various products, including body-worn RfPatrol MKIITM platform. The update includes support for a number of new drone models from various manufactures, along with performance enhancements and general updates. The new update also gives the products the ability to detect and identify signals commonly emitted from FPV, hobbyist and homemade drones.
Based in Sydney, Australia with offices in Virginia and Washington DC, and London, DroneShield is a drone security company focused on creating solutions that protect people organizations and critical infrastructure from rogue drones.
DroneShield produces its own line of anti-drone products with the most notable being the DroneGun series which “shoots” the drone with an RF signal causing the drone to lose connection to the pilot forcing the drone to land or initiate its auto return to home feature.


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The share price of NTL, Britain's biggest cable company, plunged to all-time lows last night in US dealing after British Telecom launched a new discount scheme to market pay television packages from ITV Digital and BSkyB.
BT is trying to win back consumers attracted by the cable operators' "bundled" service packages, which offer telephony, television and internet services from one supplier. Though cable operators have attracted 4.6 million customers, BT still retains 73 per cent of the residential market.
NTL is hobbled by debt of $15bn (£10.7bn) and its share price, off 75 per cent since early May, closed down $1.73 at $8.80. Analysts said it must now sell assets, perhaps its broadcasting transmission business, in order to raise enough funds to see the company through to profitability.
Michael Nathanson, an analyst with Sanford C Bernstein in New York, said: "In this equation the debts overwhelm the equity. They are going to have to ease concerns by selling assets."
The spectre of growing competition in pay-TV also hit the share prices of Telewest, the number two cable operator, and BT. Telewest fell 4.5p to 75p, while BT slid 17.5p to 441.5p.
Angus Porter, managing director of BT's consumer division, said: "Our customers sometimes mistakenly believe they need to move their telephone line to a cable operator to get access to digital TV. That's absolutely not the case."
BT will spend £10m to promote the offer, which will give participating customers a £30 discount on an annual subscription to BSkyB's digital satellite service. The offer for ITV Digital, which yesterday changed its name from ONdigital, will give new subscribers access to more than 30 television channels for £19.95 per month.
Both offers require subscribers to sign up for 12 months. BT said it expects the offers to attract "hundreds of thousands" of new households to pay TV.
ITV Digital and BSkyB together have around 6.5 million subscribers, most of whom are also BT customers. They will not be eligible for the discounts, although cable customers willing to return to BT will qualify.
Earlier attempts by BT and BSkyB to offer a joint phone-pay TV package fell foul of competition rules. A BT spokesman said: "We have taken Oftel through every step of this promotion and they have okayed it."
ITV Digital also launched its ITV Sport subscription channel yesterday, which will feature exclusive broadcasts of Champions League football and Nationwide League matches for £6.99 per month. It will also be available on NTL's cable network and ITV is believed to be close to signing Telewest as a distributor. For an additional £3 a month, subscribers can also buy pay-per-view access to 40 Premier League matches and 20 Nationwide League matches.
Separately, BSkyB has applied to the Independent Television Commission for a non-exclusive local delivery service licence to provide television and related services using digital subscriber line equipment over local phone networks. This could eventually see BSkyB offer its services to households over BT's network.Reuse content


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The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint from a tobacco company after a second set of anti-plain cigarette packaging adverts have been banned. It said:
Because we considered that consumers would understand the claim 'the black market in tobacco is booming' to mean that the problems with the tobacco illicit market had been increasing, when we understood that that was not the case, we concluded that the ads were likely to mislead.
More top news
The National Lottery is upping the number of balls from 49 to 59, a move statisticians point out will make hitting the jackpot harder.
The Tory peer and former Marks & Spencer chief has been named as chairman of the 'In Campaign'.
Delicately worded memo by then press chief from 1985 is among cache of newly released documents from former PM's private files.


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Cliff Bleszinski is at least semi-serious about his semi-retirement. The former Epic Games design director today is maintaining a presence in the industry--today he was named the keynote speaker for the 2013 East Coast Games Conference--but Bleszinski told GamesIndustry International that now would be "the absolute worst time" for him to come back, and that he was waiting for the dust to settle a bit before making his next move.
"This business has not been in a state of transition like it is right now since the video game crash of the '80s," Bleszinski said. "I really think we're in a massive state of turmoil. I think Nintendo could possibly be faced with the situation of becoming a company that only makes software moving forward. I think Sony and Microsoft are about to come to major blows. But at the same time, people love playing games on their iPad. The PC is going through a wonderful renaissance right now. I think we're ready to do digital download games all the time...I just want to see what happens. In regards to the industry, it's like the Super Smash Bros. of business right now, and I want to see if Peach or Mario wins."
If any of the console makers are to emerge victorious from that Super Smash Bros. melee, Bleszinski said they would need to embrace qualities from more open platforms like PCs and tablets while preserving the stability of a closed platform. Enabling developers to update their titles as needed was one such example.
"When Gears of War 2 launched and we found out that our netcode wasn't working right, it took us three months to get an update out," Bleszinski said. "By that time, the majority of users had moved on to the next game or had traded it in. If Microsoft and Sony are to do well in this next generation, they are going to need to reduce that time as much as possible, as well as continue to enable user-supported mods, independent games, and really just get rid of the wall that makes it incredibly hard to find those products, even if they're allowed on the console... All that red tape needs to be stripped away in order to create an ecosystem to allow for a product like Minecraft to actually happen on a console."
Part of that effort must enable and encourage a greater diversity in the offerings on consoles, Bleszinski said. Right now he suggested the console market is 80 percent $60 retail titles and 20 percent cheaper downloadable offerings, but it needs to embrace virtually all genres and all price points. That means $20 horror games, $40 shooters, $60 AAA blockbusters, free-to-play, and everything in between, all easy to find for the audience who would be most interested in them. (Microsoft has not announced its next-generation system yet, but Sony is positioning the PlayStation 4 as a developer-friendly machine open to alternative business models, and independent developers say Nintendo has made similar strides with the Wii U.)
While Bleszinski waits for winners to emerge from the current industry upheaval, his ECGC keynote will reflect more on the past.
"It's about what videogames mean to me," Bleszinski said of the address. "Ultimately, I want to take people on a journey through my 38 years of growing up playing games since the age of 6 when I first saw Space Invaders. And how throughout every major milestone of my life, video games have been there for me in a very positive way, and hopefully reminding people that this is a very wonderful medium. And to be frank, I'm kinda tired of it being challenged as some sort of demonic thing in pop culture."
The East Coast Games Conference is set for April 24-25 in Raleigh, North Carolina.


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Apart from infusing fund in the company, the stake sale will give iRAM access to Inspira Enterprise’s sales force and established relation with government verticals in the Smart City space. iRAM will use this investment for new product development, feature enhancement in existing products, build on their R&D and hire new talent. Also, Vishal Jain, Director, Inspira Enterprise, will join the board of iRAM, bringing with him his insights and expertise in large strategic business deals.
Globalization and liberalization of the Indian economy has enhanced economic and social growth. The dramatic shift of the India’s rural population into urban areas is causing issues like overpopulation and strained infrastructure thus affecting quality of life. These issues have encouraged citizens, city planners, businesses and governments to develop smart cities.
The smart streetlighting market in India is expected to grow at an annual rate of 42.2 per cent to reach $1.8 billion by 2022 as adoption of LED and solar powered systems rise in the country. According to Infoholic Research, India's fast-developing public infrastructure -- demand for roads and highways, smart cities and smart homes -- is driving adoption of smart street-lighting. IoT-based solution will be effective in tracking the working and energy consumption of streetlights.
Smart parking solution help the vehicle user to find the nearest parking space. It provides information on the availability of parking slots in the parking area. As per P&S Market Research Private Limited, the global smart parking systems market is expected to witness a CAGR of 15.8% during the forecast period, to reach $4,800 million by 2023. The smart parking systems reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by bringing a plummet in search for vacant parking slots by car owners and traffic congestions.
India is leveraging the disruptive technologies to develop new smart cities and transform existing ones, thus unleashing their true potential as centers of opportunity.
“Inspira is on a mission to help its clients with their Digital Transformation. Since every expertise cannot be home grown, we collaborate with best talents and complement each other's strengths to offer the best to our clients. We are very excited to formalize our relationship with iRAM. We strongly believe our collaboration with iRAM will open new doors of innovation and opportunity. Inspira will leverage products, solutions and capabilities of iRAM to deliver cost-effective and efficient citizen services to urban and rural communities”, says Manoj Kanodia, CEO, Inspira Enterprise.
Udaya Bhaskar Rao Abburu, CEO & Managing Director, iRAM Technologies, said, “This investment is significant for iRAM Technologies, as besides infusing fresh funds in the company it will give us access to Inspira’s well entrenched sales team and their existing relations with government agencies. This is a strategic move that will give fillip to the growth strategies of iRAM and help us emerge as a key player in the smart city solutions space.”


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Monday, November 28, 2011
Christmas in Historic Montgomery
Montgomery promises to be very colorful this Christmas. Shop owners throughout the city are participating in a contest for best lighting with residents. The Civic Club will be handing out cash prizes best decorations. December 10th is the big day in Montgomery with the Holiday Marketplace, Christmas Cookie Walk, Candlelight Home Tour, and Christmas Parade at 11 am. Get more information on the City of Montgomery website.


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This article was originally published in Maclean's Magazine on March 8, 2010
Rebuilding the Middle Class: Part 3: the Runaway Economy
When Thomas Hoenig took over as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City nearly two decades ago, his 85-year-old neighbour gave him a 500,000-mark German banknote to remind him of Germany's experience with runaway INFLATION following the First World War. "He told me that in 1921, the note would have bought a house," Hoenig said during a recent speech to a U.S. budget commission. "In 1923, it would not even buy a loaf of bread. That note is framed and hanging in my office."
Hoenig openly admits that invoking historical reminders of hyperinflation might seem overly alarmist in an era when inflation - a rise in the cost of living caused by heightened demand for products or the rising cost of producing them - has ceased to be a major concern for most North Americans. Central bankers have made fighting excess inflation, usually anything more than two per cent to three per cent, among their chief priorities in recent decades (some inflation is generally viewed as a good thing because it signals economic growth). But as the ECONOMY comes back to life after an extraordinary period that saw governments - particularly in the United States - resort to unprecedented fiscal and monetary measures to keep the world's economies from imploding, suddenly there's renewed concern about inflationary pressures. (Already, Canada saw a surprise jump in its inflation rate in January.) With all that extra money sloshing around in the system - inflation is sometimes thought to be caused by too many dollars chasing too few products - some are worried that the cure prescribed for the downturn could quickly become the recovery's disease.
While unwanted inflation can be reined in by hiking interest rates, central bankers seem intent on keeping interest rates low to help speed economic recovery. People like Hoenig, meanwhile, say they are worried that a massive buildup of U.S. government debt could also lead to calls for the central bank to print more money to help pay it down sooner, which could also have long-term inflationary effects.
For the average American or Canadian middle-class household grappling with an era of high UNEMPLOYMENT and stagnant wages, the prospect of rising prices over the next few years could amount to another body blow. Even a moderate rise in the rate of inflation would further squeeze workers' paycheques as prices for everything from food and clothing to gasoline and home insurance climb. And good luck trying to negotiate corresponding wage increases with employers that are still nursing badly wounded balance sheets. At the same time, a rapid rise in interest rates to thwart inflation could derail the current recovery, sending people right back to the unemployment line.
You don't need to reach as far back in history as Germany's Weimar Republic to get a sense of the havoc unchecked inflation can wreak. In fact, you really only need to go back to the early 1980s in the U.S. and Canada. Following the oil shocks of the 1970s, both countries experienced soaring inflation that ultimately led to double-digit interest rates. While lawmakers had experimented with wage and price controls, serious efforts to combat inflation initially took a back seat to economic growth and employment - goals that are once again driving today's rock-bottom interest rates.
Could it happen again? In January, Canada's consumer price index rose to 1.9 per cent from 1.3 per cent a month earlier, the largest increase in more than a year. The index measures the change in prices of goods and services bought by households, including food, shelter, transportation, energy, and clothing and footwear, over a 12-month period. While a big chunk of the increase was due to rising gasoline prices, the BANK OF CANADA's core measure of inflation, which strips out volatile items like food and energy prices, still managed to hit its official two per cent target almost a year and a half ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, wholesale prices in the U.S. were up 1.4 per cent, about double what had been forecast.
Despite the unexpected jump in core inflation, economists are nevertheless expressing confidence that pricing pressures will abate. Diana Petramala, an economist at TD Bank, wrote in a report that the increase is "rather surprising" during the early stages of an economic recovery, but noted that it's being measured against the significant price declines experienced in January of last year. She argues that core inflation will likely drop to a rate of 1.6 per cent to 1.8 per cent for the remainder of the year.
The confidence stems from the belief that there are scores of idled factories and businesses running at partial capacity that can be ramped up to meet rising demand. "At the end of the day, the prevailing forces that would keep inflation pressures at bay would be the amount of excess capacity in the economy," says Craig Wright, the chief economist at Royal Bank. "And with a high unemployment rate, you tend to see workers looking more for job security than wage gains, and that also tends to limit inflation."
But some are concerned that unused capacity has been overstated. "This recession was different than others," says Yanick Desnoyers, the assistant chief economist at National Bank. "You had GM and others closing plants, less credit available in the United States, and a recession that was longer than others. All of these things suggest to us that there has been capacity destruction." If that's the case, then rising demand for goods and services could soon result in rising prices.
In Canada, for example, consumers saw a sharp rise in the price of durable goods in January that was attributed mainly to a 3.2 per cent jump in the cost of automobiles. Desnoyers argues in a report that the "unusual surge" in vehicle prices can be partly attributed to the closing of assembly plants in the U.S. auto industry. While overall auto sales remain down, the reality is that fewer cars are now being manufactured, which is causing prices to spike as consumers come back.
Desnoyers says that most economists would have expected current levels of inflation to be much less buoyant considering the events of the past two years. He sees warning signs stemming from the recent rise of prices in the service sector (including a 4.4 per cent increase for things like phone and Internet services and an 8.3 per cent rise in "other" household costs). "If 75 per cent of the economy is already in expansion and we are creating jobs, do we really need a zero per cent interest rate policy?" Desnoyers asks.
Inflation has sometimes been compared to a drug. At first, a small dose can yield a big high, but pretty soon you need more and more to achieve the same effect. Back in the 1970s, economists also believed that a little extra inflation was nothing to worry about as long as it helped spur the economy and employment in particular. The strategy worked brilliantly at first, but soon economic growth began to stagnate while inflation kept rising. Higher prices caused workers to demand higher wages and business, in turn, raised prices to pay for their rising costs. A spiral was born.
By the early 1980s, inflation hit a whopping 12 per cent in Canada, meaning a $20,000 car would cost nearly $22,500 just one year later. In its early stages, inflation puts a squeeze on households as their costs rise faster than their paycheques. But once an inflationary spiral is under way, the real danger is the level of uncertainty that creeps into the system as consumers and businesses alike try to put a price on future goods and services.
Fortunately, there's a relatively easy fix: a sudden hike in interest rates discourages borrowing and encourages saving. The bad news is that it can be a particularly bitter mouthful of medicine. In the early 1980s, central bankers in the U.S. and Canada decided to stuff the inflation genie back in the bottle and ultimately jacked rates above 20 per cent, knocking out the economy in the process. That is precisely why central bankers on both sides of the border are now reluctant to raise rates prematurely.
Case in point: the surging Canadian housing market. Spurred by low borrowing costs, average home prices rose by almost 20 per cent last year and are driving the country's economic rebound - so much so that some are warning of a bubble. "Policy-makers find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place," says Aron Gampel, the deputy chief economist with Scotia Bank, in a recent report. Raising interest rates would snuff out inflation related to the housing market but could send the loonie higher, hurting beleaguered exporters.
But even bigger inflationary dangers could be lurking south of the border - namely huge central bank reserves that were accumulated as part of the U.S. government's attempt to prop up the financial sector. The U.S. Federal Reserve bought more than US$1 trillion of mortgage-backed securities from commercial banks and, in exchange, increased the size of the banks' reserves, which was supposed to encourage them to lend more money. This policy, known as "quantitative easing," is the modern equivalent of simply printing more money. The fear is that an economic upturn could suddenly result in that extra money being flooded into the economy. Desnoyers, for one, says in his report that the immense reserves currently being held by the Fed represent a potential "ticking time bomb" that, "if tapped irresponsibly, have the potential to explode prices."
And there's the ballooning U.S. government debt, which some expect to reach 77 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade. Could the U.S. government, with the help of the Fed, start printing money to pay off its debt and fuel inflation? It's been done before, says Hoenig, who points to the extreme measures of the last few years and the political difficulties associated with other debt-fighting measures such as raising taxes. "I ask your indulgence in reminding all that the unthinkable becomes possible when the economy is under severe stress."
As a result, all eyes are now on the U.S. government's recession exit strategy. Under normal circumstances, the playbook would call for a gradual raising of interest rates once the employment picture stabilizes and the economy is safely back on track. But that could all get thrown out the window if inflation runs rampant. In the meantime, shell-shocked working families are forced to ponder the possibility that their bank accounts, emptied during the dark days of the recession, could now just as easily end up being ravaged by the recovery.
Maclean's March 8, 2010


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Ed Sheeran concert: Disabled fans struggle to book tour tickets, left waiting for 7 hours on phone lines
If you live in India and are a fan of singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran's music, you'll know how difficult it was to book tickets for his Mumbai concert, which will take place on 19 November this year. When it comes to any international-level performer, spending hours on booking websites, refreshing pages, waiting in online queues — these are regular things. But when you are a disabled person, the task can be even tougher, if these accounts are anything to go by.
Tickets for Ed Sheeran's 2018 Divide Tour have gone live, and website Ticketmaster said that it experienced its busiest day ever on Saturday, 8 July. Many disabled fans struggled to book tickets through the accessibility phone line as a result of spending many hours on the hold line, recorded messages and disconnected phone lines.
Essex resident Sara-Jane Bird, 29, called more than 300 times on 8 July, and was finally able to buy tickets for the Wembly concert on 10 July, after a 50-minute wait. "I started calling at 10 am when the lines opened, and as expected it was very busy, but once the call connected, there was a recorded message which went on for around two minutes before informing me there was nobody to take the call, and to try again later," said Bird to The Telegraph.
She added that there was no queuing system, which meant that disabled people had to call, listen to the recorded message, and then re-dial. From 10 am to 6 pm, Bird constantly heard a message which informed her that the line was closed.
Bird is not the only one to have made her frustration public. Twitter user David Marks said that he had to wait three hours, while another user Charlotte said that she spent 7 hours trying to book tickets for Sheeran's Newcastle concerts. A third user Dee complained that of the 400 calls she made, 38 were cut.
Speaking about the issue, Ticketmaster said in the same Telegraph article, "We’re very sorry to any fans that had issues getting through on our accessible bookings line for Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour. Our team speaks to each customer personally to identify their particular requirements and we pride ourselves on the service we provide fans. We are very disappointed that some felt let down in this instance, but we saw unprecedented demand for Ed who broke all records in Ticketmaster UK’s history."
Another fan Jessica Hatchett faced difficulties while booking tickets for the Cardiff concert. She said that disabled people have no option but to keep calling the accessibility line, as they cannot go online and book tickets. "If you want to go to a big venue that has capacity of 60,000 fans the number of spaces for a wheelchair user will not be anywhere near that size, it will be substantially smaller," Hatchett explained, adding that her able-bodied relatives were able to secure tickets within 20 minutes.
— Charlotte (@Charlot80634664) July 8, 2017
@TicketmasterUK Appalled not to have spoken to a human for over 3 hours trying to buy disability tix for Ed Sheeran. You're breaking EU Law!
— Dävid Märks (@marksyspeaks) July 8, 2017
— Dee (@RSDee04) July 8, 2017
To book tickets for Ed Sheeran's Mumbai concert, which is part of his Divide tour, read: Ed Sheeran Live in Mumbai: Tickets for 'Shape of You' singer's 19 November gig now on sale.
Updated Date: Jul 13, 2017 13:50 PM


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THE AUSTRALIAN – “Australia’s $3 billion wool export industry faces a nervous wait to discover the full extent of the wool substitution scam revealed yesterday in Melbourne by police.
At least 16 bales of top quality Australian merino wool, valued at between $2500 and $3000 each, were found to contain low-grade coloured, dirty and crossbred wool when they were unpacked in China three weeks ago.”
ABC NEWS – PM – by Clint Jasper – “Australian wool producers say it’s “beyond disappointing” to learn people have been swapping high quality merino wool for low grade wool” in shipments destined for China.”
THE AGE – by Larissa Ham – “A wool tampering racket that has hit Melbourne brokers in recent months wouldn’t exist if Australia had a stronger manufacturing sector, says Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
“Some of these potential crimes of swapping wool bales between here and China and putting in lower-quality wool, wouldn’t happen if we had a manufacturing industry in Australia,” said Mr Shorten, speaking during a visit to the Victoria Wool Processors.”
NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER – by Annabelle Cleeland – “SECURITY issues have been exposed in Australia’s wool supply chain as a sophisticated wool tampering operation has been uncovered in Melbourne.
Victorian Police are investigating after a number of wool brokers reported cases of their wool being tampered with since May this year.
Police allege 16 bales of high quality, Merino fleece had been removed from bales and substituted with crossbred, sweepings and contaminated black wool.”
QUEENSLAND COUNTRY LIFE – by Colin Bettles – “OPPOSITION leader Bill Shorten has downplayed suggestions about potential brand damage to local producers following revelations Australian wool was switched from high grade to low grade product on bales sold into China
Mr Shorten faced the media today as news broke of an alleged wool tampering racket that’s been operating since May but is now under investigation by Victoria Police.”
NEWS.COM.AU – by Kaitlyn Offer – “Chinese wool merchants who thought they were buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of fine merino wool have been sent low-grade scraps in a scam out of Melbourne’s docks.”
NEWS.COM.AU – by Ben Graham – “FLEECED Chinese buyers have been sold dodgy wool after thieves partially stole high quality bales and replaced them with unusable material.
The sneaky crooks tampered with 18 bales, which are estimated to be worth more than $2,000 each, before they were shipped out of Melbourne. Chinese buyers raised the red flag when the bales arrived and Victoria Police is now investigating.”
AUSTRALIAN WOOL INNOVATION – Beyond the Bale
THE GUARDIAN – by Calla Wahlquist – “Police in Victoria are investigating a wool-swap scam that involves high-value wool exported to China being replaced by inferior product worth a 12th of the price.
Wool growers have labelled the perpetrators “idiots”, saying the swap would be instantly obvious to anyone who opened the bales.”
CROOKWELL GAZETTE – by Kate Dowler – “POLL Dorset studs from NSW dominated the Royal Melbourne Show interbreed sheep showing at the weekend.
The Frost family’s Hillden Poll Dorset stud, Bannister, took out the interbreed champion ram gong, while champion ewe was awarded to Valley Vista Poll Dorset stud, Coolac NSW.”


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The US Auto Industry Is In Serious Trouble!
By March 27, 2018– Published in on
The global economy seemed to stage an impressive recovery after the collapse in 2008.
In the USA auto companies came back hard in the wake of the global meltdown, despite the fact some of them needed to be bailed out after the panic.
Low interest rates have been a hallmark of the last decade, though that appears to be changing. This could have a big impact on the automotive sector, as many of the people who bough cars over the last few years have has less than stellar credit.
Add to that the fact that vehicle leasing has exploded since 2009, and it isn't hard to see why Michael Alkin has been sounding the alarm about an impending collapse in the US auto industry that might be unavoidable.
If you want to learn more about why this hedge-fund insider thinks that there are big problems brewing, check out his insightful presentation from the recent Vancouver Resource Investment Conference.
He breaks down why the industry is facing some of the same problems that brought the US banking system to the brink of oblivion in 2008, and why there will probably be some big moves to the downside coming in the not too distant future.
ONE Consumers Are Hurting
There is no way to avoid the collapse in retail sales south of the Canadian border.
While a recent study from Deloitte contends that the store closures and retail bankruptcies in the USA are just a market rotation towards a bifurcated retail environment that favors online shopping, there are so many stores closing up it is hard to keep track of them all!
Toys'R'Us was the latest victim of this ongoing shift towards high end online retail, though that is probably only half of the story.
The study published by Deloitte confirms that retail brands that catered to the former middle class are evaporating, but they are being replaced by high end retailer on one side, and ultra affordable discount stores on the other.
This is worrying for the automotive sector, as lenders have built up a huge collection of sub-prime auto loans. While these loans aren't going to tank the world financial system, lack of access to credit could hurt automobile manufacturers as their consumer base runs out of money to pay for new cars.
TWO Trump's Tariffs Are Bad For Business
It is too early in the trade tariff tit-for-tat to tell how they might effect major manufactures going forward, but it would be hard to believe that they will be good for US based companies.
Even though many US auto manufacturers source their components from overseas, there are still companies that rely on inexpensive imported steel in the US that need access to Asian steel. With Trump's new tariffs, that steel just got more expensive, as they can no longer buy the most competitive product for their needs.
Another worry from these new laws is how China and other US trade partners may retaliate in the future. There is no telling how aggressive the E.U. and Asia may become if these tariffs are the beginning of larger moves towards protectionism, with the auto industry making a perfect target for retaliatory strikes.
THREE Rising Rates Slam Everyone
It is no secret that consumers spend less when the cost of servicing their existing debt rises.
The unabashedly hawkish US FED has promised to raise rates for the rest of the year, which will probably begin to affect the lowest end of the credit spectrum first.
If you are interested in how this could impact the global economy, or the mining sector, the upcoming International Mining Investment Conference (IMIC) is a perfect resource.
Michael Alkin will be joining a number of other experienced investors to discuss what is happening in finance, and how anyone can best take advantage of the opportunities that exist. If you register before the conference, your admission will be free.
The whole thing will be happening on May 15-16 at the Vancouver Convention Center East, in downtown Vancouver, B.C. We are thrilled to be bringing this event to life, and look forward to another action packed IMIC!


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A panel of industry leaders convened at ONRamp, a U of T-led accelerator, on May 30 to discuss the barriers and opportunities that entrepreneurs face in the highly regulated industries of health, finance, and cannabis technologies.
Greg Pantelic, founder of AHLOT, a cannabis curation company; John Soloninka, founder of health tech company Accelerant Health Innovations; and Teri Kirk, founder of investor-entrepreneur matching program Fundingportal, described their experiences in their respective fields and how they have navigated government regulations.
The event was organized by the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in association with ONRamp. This was not the first time the two organizations had collaborated — Queen’s partnered with ONRamp in February to expand its entrepreneurs’ networking opportunities.
Breaking into the industry and changing with trends
Pantelic’s AHLOT is a cannabis circulation company that “created the world’s first multi-licensed producers’ sample pack and storage accessory product,” despite not being licensed vendors.
“Our vision was creating experience before and after consuming cannabis,” Pantelic said, citing the overwhelming choices of recreational cannabis available to consumers.
After seeing new sign-ups and subscriptions grow at 40 per cent week-over-week in 2017, Pantelic decided to run AHLOT on a full-time basis. The increasingly growing demand for recreational cannabis following the enactment of the federal Cannabis Act, coupled with the market inefficiency of cannabis sampling, led him to create the Cannabis Collection, a series of one-gram samples from different premium licensed producers.
According to Kirk, “one has to have a larger risk appetite and more capacity for innovation [when pursuing entrepreneurship] in heavily regulated space.” Kirk used Fundingportal as an example explaining the importance of measuring cost and benefit. For example, when matching entrepreneurs with investors, geographical costs and benefits differ between Canada and the US, so proximity is a useful measure for deciding which markets to become involved in.
Regulations and innovations
According to Pantelic, the highly regulated nature of the cannabis industry prompted AHLOT to work with licensed producers rather than wait to obtain its own production license. As its Cannabis Collection collects sample cannabis from different licensed partners, every regulation policy regarding the product is dealt with directly by AHLOTS’ partners.
Kirk highlighted the importance of understanding regulations before entering the marketplace, highlighting how her experience of being a lawyer helped her in this regard. She also pointed out that entering a heavily regulated industry like finance technology requires innovators to embrace larger risks than in traditional industries, especially since latent regulations create more opportunities for failure.
Soloninka seconded this perspective. He mentioned that a strong understanding of regulations would provide a competitive advantage for innovators.
“Fitting into regulation is really strategic for starting your own company,” he said. Apart from that, entrepreneurs should remember that regulatory approvals are mostly regional, which is critical when deciding where to start a business.
To solve this regional regulation issue, Soloninka provided two suggestions: first, working with a consulting company that specializes in global regulatory systems; and second, conducting research on the internet.
In the cannabis industry, data can be described as necessary but nascent. AHLOT is collecting its data by launching a cannabis circulation campaign, to hire people to provide feedback on recreational cannabis quality.
Kirk added that data allows entrepreneurs to understand the world around them despite it being “massively and heavily regulated.” As such, it may be important for entrepreneurs to take the costs of accessing data into account when making market-entering choices.


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Nintendo Japan plans to launch a white official website, where it also details an 8-hour GamePad battery extension and a Wii Remote quick charge option.U 32GB Premium set in Japan on July 13 for ¥31,500 (approximately $312.50), according the company's
The new 2,550mAh Wii U GamePad battery costs ¥3,000 (about $30) and will be available in Japan from July 25. The new battery may offer players between 5 to 8 hours of life, according the official website, where the current 1500mAh battery offers 3 to 5 hours of gameplay.
The Wii Remote charging stand and battery pack will launch in Japan on July 13 for ¥4,200 (roughly $41.73). The Wii Remote charging pack comes with a replacement battery, backplate and the charging stand. According to Nintendo, full-charge via the station takes 90-minutes and will offer more than 13 hours of gameplay.
The Wii U launched in North America on Nov. 18, 2012, Europe and Australia on Nov. 30, 2012 and Japan on Dec. 8, 2012.
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