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While the COVID-19 pandemic has made it impossible to conduct in-person annual conferences, since its global debut, most associations—including the Pellet Fuels Institute—have leveraged technology to gather for discussions. The Pellet Fuels Institute hosted VirtuallyPFI, its web-based annual conference equivalent, over the course of two weeks in late July and early August. The agenda, pulled directly from the original annual conference program, focused on wood pellet manufacturers and their upstream and downstream partners. The four moderated panel discussions collectively highlighted that while 2020 has brought unprecedented marketplace disruptions, it also offers potential for one of the better years for producers in a decade. Over the span of the event, the mood of panelists transitioned from breathing a tentative sigh of relief that the worst of the pandemic was behind them, to carefully guarded optimism for what the rest of the year might bring.
On Aug. 4, VirtuallyPFI hosted a conversation featuring three member-producers to assess how they fared in the early days of the pandemic, their ability to find and buy the fiber necessary to meet production goals, as well as their customers’ appetite for their finished products. The discussion began with producers recalling the outset of the pandemic and the challenges they were confronted with in those first weeks. “Our first challenge was understanding if our operations were going to even be allowed to operate,” said Brett Jordan, CEO of Lignetics, a multi-facility producer. “That was a moving target for a bit, until the federal guidance on essential businesses came out. Once that was resolved, we really began to focus on what was happening with our customers, our retail partners.”
The concern for Jordan and others in the sector was what shuttered retail outlets would mean for late-season pellet shipments, and depending upon the length of any closures, critical inventory build-up during the increasingly important months of July and August. “We stayed running the entire time,” shared Matt O’Malley of O’Malley Wood Pellets. O’Malley discussed the undertaking of increased cleaning protocols and the distribution and use of face coverings, but at the same time, the pandemic’s early weeks coincided with a cool stretch in his marketplace, he said. “We were selling product steadily and running hard to keep up with demand.”
Pat Curran idled his Massena, New York-based Curran Renewables facility for a week, motivated by oil prices that plummeted to $11 per barrel. “In about a week, things caught themselves and oil prices started to recover, and we got back online,” Curran said. Since that brief outage, he added, his plant has been running 24/7, five days a week.
Data gathered and shared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration regarding its Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report suggests that Lignetics and Curran Renewables weren’t the only producers taking a cautious stance in the earliest days of the pandemic. The report shows that April 2020 production was the lowest since April 2018. However, the same data set shows that by June, producer confidence in the viability of the marketplace had returned, with the industry posting the largest June production total in the report’s history.
With the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic behind them, Jordan, O’Malley and Curran have their time focused on producing and selling pellets into a marketplace that finally seems to have heeded the industry’s calls to begin buying and taking wood pellets earlier in the season. Wood pellet producers have long bemoaned building and carrying large inventories of finished product over the summer months. “As a smaller producer, I don’t want to put any more product into inventory than I have to,” O’Malley said. “I tell our customers I’m open to any ideas to motivate them to take shipments from me earlier in the season.”
During the past five years, the market has demonstrated a strong trend toward increased sales during the peak of summer. In 2016, U.S. producers sold 400,000 tons of pellets in June, July and August. By 2019, this number had grown steadily to 534,000, and while the 2020 data doesn’t yet provide an entire picture of the summer, it does show that June sales topped 180,000 tons, the largest June on record and a 50,000-ton increase from June of 2019. “Without the increase in the early buy patterns, a company like mine would have a hard time existing,” Curran said. “We all want to run consistently to keep all of our men and women working, and for that you need consistent demand from the marketplace.”
Panelists pointed to increased communication and trust between manufacturers and retailers for the flattening of buying patterns across the sector. “We’re all aligned in that we don’t want to the consumer to have a negative experience and not be able to get their hands on heating fuel,” Jordan said. “I look back at 2016 when there was inventory everywhere, and there just wasn’t a need for any collaboration.”
In 2016, late summer pellet inventories swelled to over 600,000, nearly three times the inventory the industry had on the ground in August 2019. “These last few seasons it really has felt like a mutual effort,” said Jordan. “We’re finally moving the volumes in July and August that make room for that important fall production.”
Supply Chain Faces Challenges
On Aug. 6, VirtuallyPFI convened with a panel discussion featuring representatives from the broader hearth and wood products sector to gauge its health during a turbulent year.
Karen Smeltz, brand marketing director at Hearth & Home Technologies, shared that the company’s Halifax, Pennsylvania, location responsible for manufacturing the company’s pellet appliances expanded its normal springtime planned outage in response to the pandemic. “When the pandemic began, pellet appliance sales were off and some of our component suppliers had production interruptions, so we did come offline,” Smeltz said. “However, we began to see increased web traffic as consumers stuck at home began researching and shopping online. Retailers reopened their stores and adapted to virtual showrooms and curbside pick-up, and activity began to pick up. We came back online in early May and have had strong production throughout the summer.”
Jack Goldman, CEO of the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, echoed Smeltz’s remarks, reporting that the organization’s specialty hearth members fared better than they anyone expected they might. “We were expecting really dismal numbers, honestly, and while we may not get all the way back to 2019 sales numbers, I think the sector is going to be close,” Goldman said. “And BBQ grills, they have been flying off of the shelves.”
Goldman also touched on ongoing challenges regarding federal regulations. In particular, those outlined in the New Source Performance Standards that govern the emissions profiles of appliances retailers are allowed to sell. The HPBA has pushed to achieve a sell-through provision that would allow retailers more time to sell out inventory of appliances that were certified under the Step 1 limits. The U.S. EPA has not granted an extension of the May 15 deadline, and the COVID-19 shutdowns eliminated precious selling days for retailers working through the last of their Step 1 inventory. “Eventually, the EPA did offer a peculiar solution,” he said. “They’ve proposed to extend the sell-through into early November, but not until they make an official decision. It’s a bit of a mess. This solution is actually a non-solution.”
The regulatory news shared during the event wasn’t all bad, as Brent McClendon, CEO of the National Wood Pallet and Container Association, reported a long-sought clarification from the EPA regarding the use of recycled pallet fiber wood pellet production. In the same amendment that disappointed specialty hearth retailers with the inaction on the sell-through provisions, wood pallet manufacturers found clarity for their fiber, as the EPA specified that only fiber from pressure-treated pallets was prohibited. “Businesses need regulatory clarity,” McClendon said. “With this newfound clarity, I suspect that some pallet manufacturers will look at this market again, and those already participating may be emboldened to invest more heavily.”
Reason for Optimism
Throughout VirtuallyPFI conversations, a collective, cautious optimism emerged from both pellet manufacturers and hearth professionals. The initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic did temporarily idle production across most of both segments, but panelist consensus was that these cessations were short-lived, and that socially-distant production recommenced along with the fundamentals of what has been a strong market.
“We aren’t out of the woods yet,” O’Malley concluded. “One outbreak would be all it would take to really make things difficult for us, but for now, we’re excited to be online, making pellets and finding strong marketplace interest for our product.”
Author: Tim Portz
Executive Director, Pellet Fuels Institute


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Instead, the mere mention of a Goddess or a holiday with most people brought on furrowed brows and questions. Sure we had Pagan friends, and we could go to be with them at times; but as for the community, the neighbors, the kids from homeschool co op or friends down the street we kept our ways alone. The shops never featured displays for our holidays, the windows were barren of decorations, the television rarely showed any Pagan themed specials..
It was announced this week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that they are pushing for up to 10 days of paid sick leave for employees across the country. Jordi Morgan of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business gives us his thoughts on the proposal and discusses the province’s reopening on June 5. Then we chat with Tim Houston, PC leader, about the call for an inquiry and the reopening of the economy.
More from Kolpack: “It could be a pay per view extravaganza in the line of those professional boxing events like Tyson vs. Spinks. Bison vs. Sources in both governments say they do not want to reveal some of the measures under discussion in case they are taken off the table in the negotiations and financial markets react negatively when the final package is announced next week. Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that bailed out banks and automobile companies during the 2008 09 financial crisis. A TARP style program would see Ottawa purchase shares in distressed oil and gas companies similar to what Canada did for the auto industry in 2008..
I was really glad to learn how to make egg bagels!Soft Boiled Egg with Soldiers Recipeby samzanella 45 hours agoThis quick, easy, light recipe will have you starting your day with a smile. No other pancake recipe has compared!Easy Breakfast Burritos Recipeby Stephanie Marshall 2 years agoLooking for hearty and healthy morning recipes? Try making easy breakfast burritos. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll be out the door and last until lunch before you are hungry.21Breakfast Breads CakesScottish Oatcakes Traditional Recipeby Athlyn Green 2 years agoScottish oatcakes are a favorite in our family.
The supply has been criticized by the United States as both nations are under sanctions. Special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, said on Friday. President Donald Trump of being responsible for the fuel crisis, said late on Friday that his government will use Abrams’ comments as proof in a case against sanctions at the International Criminal Court..
Frame shop services include a vast array of products and ideas. Framing is not just for displaying prints of art anymore; many people are very creative with the things they want to frame for admiration in their homes. The trained professionals that work at these businesses are very knowledgeable about the products and services needed for your ideas to come to fruition..

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EA CMO on building gaming communities that can threaten the dominance of social media
Could gaming soon replace or even become the dominant social media? Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg’s already enthralled by the metaverse, and there have been few stranger things than Netflix’s big push into gaming. David Tinson, chief marketing officer of Electonic Arts, explains how top-tier gaming’s shift to always-on, events-driven engagement is seeing the medium solidify as a gathering place for friends – and whether it could threaten the social media status quo.
People are using EA’s games, such as The Sims 4, as a center point in how they connect, communicate and interact
During the pandemic EA, one of the world’s largest gaming companies responsible for titles including Fifa, Madden, The Sims and Battlefield, had half a billion people playing its titles in 2020.
As the real world was closed off, more gamers than ever logged in to hang out with friends, socialize and relax. The notion of competition, high scores and conflict seemed so distant. Gaming was noticeably, and increasingly, used as the context for friends and family groups to gather. Pre-lockdown an IRL visit to a coffee shop might have sufficed. But were new habits built that could make the social media giants nervous? Anzu’s Itamar Benedy wrote as much for Warc.
EA’s chief marketing officer David Tinson says: “Some of today’s players play to win, but winning isn’t everything. The reasons that people play games are as diverse as our players themselves. Many are looking for social connections. Some seek emotional immersion as they explore other worlds. Others come to our platforms to create their own worlds and shape their own experiences.”
Our social interactions were creeping into the digital space for years, and even the consumption of sports and entertainment is moving from linear to interactive. This trend “was accelerated by the pandemic,” he says. And gaming has an inherent advantage in catering to these social interactions as the crafters of digital worlds and engaging experiences. It’s evolving to fully embrace this trend. This includes building up a mix of esports, regular multiplayer events and downloadable content to keep things fresh on a weekly basis.
It’s easier to roll these out now. The games console, as beloved as it is, is a huge hurdle of accessibility (with a fairly prohibitive cost – especially in the developing world). In the last few years, a flood of new ways to play have appeared. They are generally more likely to work cross-platform, knitting together friend groups and communities across different hardware – which, in turn, makes those userbases even bigger.
Tinson says: “The industry continues to expand to new platforms, from subscriptions to cloud gaming – on their HD console, on Steam, Nintendo Switch, mobile, Stadia and more. That platform expansion is shaping how we do business today.”
One example is the integration of EA Play with Microsoft Game Pass. Basically, subscribers of the Xbox product can dip in and out of a huge library of games as they please, especially EA’s output. Any EA game is available at their fingertips. EA’s support added momentum to Microsoft’s supposed Netflix of Gaming model – a launch that suddenly saw Xbox transcend hardware into streaming software also usable on PCs and other devices.
It “accelerated our subscription business”, opening up millions of new players active in its service across Xbox, PlayStation, Steam and EA clients, according to Tinson. Marketers need not be told the value of accumulating hundreds of millions of gamer log-ins and suddenly understanding how they interact and consume the product – data unavailable from physical media a mere decade ago.
“Subscriptions, free-to-play models and ever-changing live services have fundamentally transformed how people engage with their favorite content. That’s obviously led to great business model diversification and overall business transformation for us.”
But with the popularity of the space comes saturation. Attempting to solve this was EA Play Live, an event throughout the month of July that kicked off marketing campaigns for Battlefield 2042 and Fifa 21’s ‘Inspiring the Next Generation’.
Four Spotlight events in as many weeks led up to a main show teasing new titles and unpacking the graft of developers. From the main show, four of the top 10 trending videos on YouTube were from EA Play Live. Over a seven-day period, its trailers generated a combined 31m views. The Battlefield campaign alone cumulatively generated more than 210m views across all channels, which Tinson’s calling “record viewership levels”. It saw “Battlefield 2042 being the most talked-about game in our industry that month”.
Meanwhile, Fifa 21’s marketing campaign celebrating the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities in football received the Channel 4 – Diversity in Advertising Award in the UK. It “drove incredible post-holiday awareness of the brand” and, perhaps less importantly, secured The Drum’s Ad of the Day.
To keep building these logged-in users and hit its revenue ambitions, tens of millions of views need to be inserted into the top of its marketing funnel on a regular basis – something the industry’s absolutely capable of – and it is attention social media would struggle to gather were they to launch a new feature or product.
It’s the word of the moment, metaverse. Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg has showed his intent to become a metaverse business, it is the focus of recently-released movie Space Jam 2, and Fortnite is trying to solidify its role as the builder of the ‘verse, with a stunning Arianna Grande gig earlier this week.
Tinson says in Fifa, Apex Legends and The Sims 4 people are using games as a center point in how they connect, communicate and interact. This mindset’s also shaping new titles. Battlefield is going to include Battlefield Portal, “a community-driven platform within Battlefield 2042 that will let players create and find fantastic experiences”. It’s not all war – players can also chill out and build the warzones. We know from the huge success of Minecraft in digital and Lego IRL that creativity and gaming can work hand-in-hand.
It’s gaming’s role to usher this creativity into lobbies, enabling people to do the things they simply couldn’t elsewhere. “Live services are becoming increasingly important to maintaining that deep connection and communication among our growing community of players. And this has never been more true for our younger generation of players, who never knew a world without social media.
“For 80% of these younger fans who use social media daily, they are constantly connected, living in and adding to culture through social platforms and third spaces. I’m even noticing this at home with my sons, who I find are looking to content such as EA Sports for opportunities to connect with friends. They’re in a deeply-engaged group who want to interact with our content in real life, online and in-game.”
The buzz around the space is real, and now a good number of brands have had a shot at or at least inquired about an integration with titles such as Fortnite or even an esports team. “Brands need to approach the gaming space in an authentic way. Players are a smart, deeply passionate and connected group, so when brands enter the space there needs to be trust and that trust is built through authenticity.”
EA’s role here is to provide players with “the most interactive and innovative experiences possible”. For EA Sports, that means licensing teams and commercial partners.
”Fans being able to compete as their favorite soccer or football team in Fifa and Madden is an unbelievable engagement tool and has also helped us expand our reach to traditional sports fans.” And as these partnerships have bled into the real world, EA Sports in turn is a partner of the NFL and Premier League.
The next step is in entwining the real-world events (match day, big player moves, finals and more) into live events and gameplay in the game. What happens IRL can drive momentum in the game, and vice-versa.
What goes up must come down?
Tinson calls 2020 a “transformative” year. Both Fifa and Apex Legends accumulated more than 100 million players across all platforms.
As video games move toward an engagement model more on par with what Facebook or Snapchat would report, it’s clear that social media is right to feel threatened by gaming. Even Snap is putting its money where its mouth is with Snap Games – that’s claiming over more than 200 million players.
“Tens of millions of new players joined in the last year, and are building social connections ... which helped drive a record year for Electronic Arts.” He claims “more than half a billion players” are coming together through the social networks formed in and around its games.
It could be apples/orange comparisons, but Twitter’s patting itself on the back for accumulating 330 million monthly active users. Snap’s just breached half a billion, and Instagram’s is around double that. In gaming, we are reaching the point where the scale is there. And time spent with the product is much longer. Other games publishers are seeing this too. Epic’s Fortnite reportedly boasts 350 million player accounts, 80 million of which are active on a monthly basis.
The social connections gamers built in gaming during the pandemic are not “fleeting”. Tinson doesn’t see it as “something that will go away”. That’s why the company is expanding the portfolio into baseball, Formula 1 and once more golf. The goal is to create the definitive property for each sport and be the place where the fans gather.
But gaming was once a disposable form of entertainment. You’d buy a game, hopefully complete it, and then move on to a new title. The industry’s in a period of transition now, perhaps encapsulated by Fifa rival Pro Evolution Soccer changing its name to eFootball and going free to play or Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed becoming a live service game spanning multiple locations and stories. While the games get longer-lived, products like Xbox Games Pass enable players to jump between titles as they please at low cost, which could erode loyalty.
Developers are still working out how to keep people coming back to engage with the same game. Failing that, the goal is to keep them within the same beloved series (hence why we see so many sequels). At the very least, EA would like players to bounce between games in its stable via EA Play.
Tinson concludes: “Our leadership in sports, success building blockbuster franchises, and growth of live services including mobile are accelerating our business, and how people play our games today and beyond.”
Earlier this year The Drum ran a gaming deep-dive, an array of features exploring how game trailers get made, how ad products are being built to fund gaming, and how the metaverse is being built. Check it out here.


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Wayne Smith promises a feast “fit for the gods” at an annual benefit showcasing food, wine and spirits.
Smith will lead a team of culinary instructors who will prepare a VIP luncheon at Edesia, set for April 2 at the Wine Country Inn, located at 777 Grande River Drive in Palisade.
The VIP luncheon is set for 11 a.m., followed by the main event from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets to the VIP luncheon sell for $125 and also include admission to the main event. Tickets to the main event sell for $65. For tickets or more information, call 464-5777 or visit www.edesiapalisade.com.
Smith’s team will include Jonathan St. Peter, Elizabeth Branscum and Deb Henderson. They all work in the culinary arts program at Western Colorado Community College, a division of Colorado Mesa University.
Jenne Baldwin-Eaton, who joined the program last fall to offer instruction in viticulture and enology, will pour selectively paired wines and offer insights about their characteristics.
Smith said he plans to create a unique culinary experience that will put guests in touch with the creation of the dishes they’re tasting. Some of the dishes will incorporate products from Jack Daniel’s, the spirit sponsor of Edesia.
David Kassera, chef at the Wine Country Inn, said he’s happy to showcase the culinary arts program at WCCC. “The public may not be familiar with the quality of training these talented chef instructors provide for students who will staff our restaurants and institutions.”
The new viticulture and enology instruction at WCCC is the only publicly supported program of its kind available in Colorado. “For our local wine industry, that’s a major asset,” Kassera said.
The WCCC chefs also will present culinary demonstrations for the main event in the Vitner’s House at the Wine Country Inn at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Named for the Roman goddess of food and drink, Edesia will showcase Jack Daniel’s and Colorado wines, beers and spirits as well as food from local restaurants and caterers.
This is the seventh year Wine Country Inn has sponsored the fund-raiser for the Marillac Clinic, which provides a range of health care services to Mesa County residents. The event raised $25,000 in 2016, bringing to $111,000 total contributions over the past six years.
Edesia is presented by Alpine Bank, Jack Daniel’s and St. Mary’s Medical Center in addition to other sponsors.


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Another day, another Obama
In a town hall meeting with the AFL-CIO in New Jersey, Obama seemingly goes against the typical liberal Wal-Mart hating...
Obama said Wal-Mart's business model for managing its inventory efficiently is something "we should admire,"
...before reverting to form...
...though he quickly added that, "as profitable as they are, there's no reason they can't afford to pay" their workers a living wage.
And, he said, "I won't shop there," though he left it unclear whether he boycotts the retailer along with many union members or just dislikes their merchandise.
...has just been re-elected to the board of an Illinois food-processing company, a position she took up two years ago to gain experience of the private sector.And the biggest customer for the pickles and peppers produced by Treehouse Foods is the retail giant Wal-Mart ...According to the couple's tax returns, Mrs Obama earned $51,200 for her work as a non-executive director on Treehouse's board last year ... She also received 7,500 Treehouse stock options, worth a further $72,375, as she did the previous year, when she banked a $45,000 salary from the company. (Note: reported by AT last year )
"Michelle and I have to live in the world and pay taxes and pay for our kids and save for retirement".


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The “digital dollar” was designed to speed up the payment of emergency funds. So why has it been scrapped?
A provision to use a “digital dollar” to speed emergency funds to businesses and individuals has been omitted from the latest version of the coronavirus economic stimulus bill, published late Monday.
The new measures, proposed by US Democrats in response to the coronavirus pandemic, were introduced in early versions of the 1,400 page Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act as a means of providing stimulus payments to businesses and individuals. The Act introduced a system of digital wallets maintained and operated by Federal Reserve system banks, and was hailed by cryptocurrency advocates as generally positive news for the space.
But a new version of the draft bill drops the ‘digital dollar’ language. It specifies that US residents would receive $1,500 per person, with higher net income individuals needing to repay the funds. But the section detailing the payments is less specific on how they would be sent to individuals, suggesting an advance tax refund via the Treasury Department.
However, that doesn’t appear to be the end of the matter. Another draft bill posted today to the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs defines a “digital dollar” and explains how it might be maintained. According to the draft, the digital dollar is defined as “dollar balances consisting of digital ledger entries recorded as liabilities in the accounts of any Federal reserve bank.”
The pros and cons of a digital dollar
A digital dollar may be akin—depending how it’s built—to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), which proponents argue is easier to manage than using physical fiat payments, especially in situations where lockdown is imposed. A recent keynote from the IMF suggested that digital payments would mean more financial inclusion and lower barriers to entry for new firms.
But the IMF highlighted the risk of banking-sector disintermediation and implications for central bank balance sheets and credit allocation too.
Such a system would also take time to assemble, according to monetary economics and Bitcoin analyst, John Paul Koning.
“Ridiculous,” he tweeted. “Using a health crisis to sneak in a payments system. By the time they’ve built this platform (it could take years) the virus will have already passed.”
Ridiculous. Using a health crisis to sneak in a payments system. By the time they’ve built this platform (it could take years) the virus will have already passed.
— John Paul Koning (@jp_koning) March 23, 2020
“Lobbyists had put a lot of things in the original bill that had nothing to do with Corona relief,” Mati Greenspan, founder of Quantum Economics told Decrypt. “This one will most likely be stripped down to the bear essentials before it is passed.”
But digitizing the dollar is seen by many influencers as a necessity for the US. Former Commodity Futures Trading Commission J. Christopher Giancarlo and economist Judy Shelton are among those claiming the nation may lose its financial hegemony if it fails to introduce its own digital currency.
“The likelihood of a consensus amongst politicians in the US to design a digital dollar is rising exponentially as we speak,” Efi Pylarinou, a Fintech and blockchain thought leader and influencer, told Decrypt. “An actual launch (via a public-private collaboration) is much more complex. I can see it happening faster if we face further complications (a flock of black swans).”
Senate in limbo over new economic stimulus bills
The Democratic bills come as the Republican-led Senate remains in limbo over its own bill to stimulate the economy. Twice blocked by Democrats, the bill has been criticised for granting too much discretion and too little transparency over how the funds would be disbursed to corporations.
On Monday, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Neel Kashkari promised that an “infinite amount of cash” was available in the banking system to deal with the crisis. This, many believe, would cause a fall in value, with Bitcoin benefiting as a hedging asset.
The last economic crisis in 2008 was, of course, the tinderbox that led to Bitcoin’s birth. For now, the “digital dollar” has passed up the opportunity to share a similar origin.


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Lower returns push Patrice Motsepe’s ARC out of Metrofibre
Investment holding company African Rainbow Capital is offloading its 8.7% interest in Metrofibre, which is valued at R268 million.
Motsepe’s TymeBank plans new salary advance products
The digital bank will introduce a buy-now-pay-later product called MoreTyme, as well as salary advance offerings, as it seeks to diversify its client base.
rain, Huawei Cloud collaboration takes rich, interactive learning to home students
The Huawei-ULearning joint online learning solution was deployed on Huawei Cloud and provided to customers as a SaaS solution.
Massive surge in 5G subscriptions predicted in 2021
Ericsson projects 5G mobile subscriptions will exceed 580 million by year-end, driven by an estimated one million new subscriptions every day.
Rain, Telkom rated worst SA telcos; MTN leads customer service
South Africa’s telcos struggled to provide meaningful customer service under lockdown, with Rain and Telkom ranked as the worst performers, says BrandsEye.
Rain finds ‘window of 5G opportunity’ in spectrum impasse
The data-only mobile network operator says the delay in SA’s spectrum auction process is working in its favour, as it aggressively rolls out its 5G strategy.
Rain targets 2m customers, reaches R17.1bn valuation
The mobile network operator aims to rack up two million local customers over the next few years, as it reaches a R17.1 billion valuation.
Patrice Motesepe’s TymeBank, Rain face COVID-19 hiccups
While Rain experienced faced certain ‘customer service challenges’ during the period, TymeBabk is tracking slightly behind its projections to attract clients.
SA’s 2020 broadband market gains to spill into 2021
The market made significant gains in 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trend is set to continue next year, says BMIT.
MTN subscribers now get eSIM support on some smartphones
The telco says it is the first operator in SA to support eSIM capability for contract phone subscribers, available on selected Samsung and Apple devices.
Vodacom CEO takes jibe at Telkom over Rain deal
Telkom is trying to restrict the amount of spectrum Vodacom gets at the auction by making noise about roaming agreements with Rain, says Shameel Joosub.


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Dozens of local companies have sought support over the last 12 months from Business Growth Calderdale.
And, to celebrate it is holding an anniversary breakfast meeting at the Shay next Thursday (April 25, 8.30 am to 10 am).
BGC helps firms overcome barriers, increase competitiveness and help build the local economy.
It is a partnership between Calderdale Council, The University of Bradford, Leeds Metropolitan University and also Community Partnership Solutions.
The programme provides tailored business help through coaching and mentoring, workshops and one-to-one networking.
Cabinet member for the economy Coun Barry Collins said: “We have had a really successful year and want to celebrate what we have achieved as well as encourage new companies to come along and find out what we have to offer.”
The main speaker will be Judith Wright, of Wright Angle Marketing which she set up 12 years ago.
“I can’t praise BGC enough. It helps small local companies in so many different ways from providing marketing and management skills to finding buyers and suppliers,” she said.
“I hope people come along to find out more.”
Jackie Cox, of Liquid Lens, a Halifax video production business, will talk about how BGC helped her company overcome barriers and move forward.
Anyone wishing to attend the event or seek further information can contact Jocy Hunter on 01422 392156 or email email@example.com or visit the website www.businessgrowthcalderdale.gov.uk


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Amazon said the sale of Samsung and Apple devices were up 16 times and 40 times, respectively, on the first day, but did not share the actual numbers.
The special recharges, according to Idea, were in addition to affordable prices on select range of smartphones, special exchange offers, and cash back via Flipkart.
The home-bred handset maker said that the development reflects its vision of stepping up to the next phase of growth.
Micromax has emerged as the top Indian handset brand being used in India, followed by Lava, Intex, Karbonn and Spice in order of ranking
Huawei today changed tack by introducing Honor 8 Lite, priced at Rs 17,999, as the first model from its online Honor stable for retail sale across stores in India to gain volume.
Micromax has partnered with Airtel to launch the Canvas 2 smartphone priced at Rs 11,999
'Spreadtrum and Intel have been collaborating on bringing out the technologically advanced chipsets'
Oppo is looking to invest in Indian mobile internet start-ups to integrate third-party services with its operating platform and app store as the Chinese handset maker looks to deepen its presence in the country with an eye on dethroning Samsung from the top spot.
"Indus OS will use iris biometric technology for the most secure identification and authentication modality and it supports 12 Indian languages," CEO of Indus OS Rakesh Deshmukh said.
Reliance Jio is speculated to be in talks with Chinese contract manufacturers like Techchain, FortuneShip and Uniscope for manufacturing of 4G VoLTE feature phones
'We are working on a technology that makes a Rs 1,500 4G feature phone viable'
Aiming to achieve a 10 per cent market share in the premium smartphone category in 2017, domestic smartphone maker Micromax launched its first dual camera smartphone Dual 5 at Rs 24,999 in late March.
How Samsung is standing up to an onslaught from a group of Chinese handset makers like Vivo and Oppo
Although Samsung's market share has been stagnating, it is too early to write it off and it won't be a pushover like the desi players, say experts.
Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst at Counterpoint, said the average selling price of smartphones in India increased by Rs 2,000 during the March quarter.
Micromax’s newly launched smartphone Bharat 2 has adopted SC9832 processor from Spreadtrum.
After a shaky 2016, Micromax's new flagship has everything the brand needs to stand neck-and-neck with the strong competition
The company is also planning to open an office in China by May end, Co-founder & CEO Rakesh Deshmukh told ET in an interview.


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CRA expands business mentoring pilot to B.C. and beyond
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
CRA aims for fewer audits, re-assessments, fines and less red tape with support project
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says it will expand its liaison officer initiative (LOI) pilot project to British Columbia, the Prairies and Atlantic Canada in fall 2014.
LOI pilot projects launched in Ontario and Quebec during March 2014 to provide small- and medium-sized businesses with in-person CRA support to help operations grow and avoid costly mistakes down the line.
As part of the pilot project, businesses in industry sectors selected for the pilot will be contacted by the CRA and a liaison officer will offer a voluntary face-to-face visit to focus on educational and preventative measures to improve voluntary compliance. Businesses that accept the CRA’s offer could benefit from activities such as books and records reviews, as well as compliance support arrangements, according to CRA.
“The CRA [LOI] is a welcome addition to the suite of CRA services that help small businesses in Canada focus on growing their business instead of dealing with red tape,” Corinne Pohlmann, senior VP of national affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said in a statement. “We are encouraging small businesses to participate in this new initiative. If approached by a CRA Liaison Officer, they’ll be provided with valuable information and support that will help them save a lot of time and money,” added Pohlmann.
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Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest team focused quite a bit on the Tesla brand in late 2023. One of their newsletters admonished GM and Ford, arguing that slowing the path toward EVs is a mistake — one that will only help Tesla and Elon Musk if these and other legacy automakers don’t plunge into electrification full force and quickly. But that’s not all that Wood and her team have forecast about Tesla’s footprint: they posed another prediction that could increase the company’s stock value exponentially by the end of the decade.
What does that mean for Tesla? The investment management firm’s vision for Tesla gives us a lot to mull over. What’s already brewing within Tesla’s footprint? What else could boost its financial allure and send it out blazing again ahead of competitors, like its EVs did?
Maybe it’s the Supercharger network evolution, with NACS pushing the company to new financial levels? Is it the Megapack, which is already cost competitive with conventional energy sources? Perhaps it’s energy storage growth, more generally?
Nope. Not even close.
Tesla’s Plan for EV Production Growth
To deconstruct Ark Invest’s forecasts, it makes sense to start with Tesla’s successes in transportation electrification. We know that Tesla operates 6 gigafactories located in California, Texas, Nevada, New York, Berlin, and Shanghai. Another planned gigafactory in Mexico is stalled until interest rates drop enough to make construction feasible. Musk mentioned in 2022 that Tesla could produce up to 20 million electric cars per year by 2030, with each gigafactory producing between one and a half and two million units per year.
As early as 2006, Tesla claimed that most cars in the future would be electric. Since then, the rise of electric cars has been “staggering,” according to Bloomberg. Tesla evolved from being the car of the “uber rich” to one that everyday drivers could own. Then other major automakers followed suit, which drove down EV prices and expanded available options. Now Tesla faces real competition from legacy automakers and fresh faces entering the EV space.
Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood has long been bullish on Elon Musk and Tesla. After all, Ark Invest projects that EVs should account for ~90% share of the market by 2027. “We expected a lot of traditional auto manufacturers to see the writing on the wall and rush as quickly as they could into scaling big-time into electric vehicles,” she told Bloomberg Surveillance this week.
But that’s not what played out. Instead, General Motors and Ford revealed that they will slow their EV investment trajectories, so that billions of dollars will be filtered out over a longer period of time. Shareholders were panicking about short term price drops, even though it seemed obvious that legacy automakers would have to experience financial restructuring to rebuild and retool so their catalogs could be filled with EVs.
Wood has determined that such losses are necessary and to be expected.
“Both GM and Ford have said, ‘We’re stepping back. We’re not going to do this until it’s profitable.’ The problem with that is in order to be profitable, they need to scale. That’s how this works. These are learning curves that they are writing down, and those are expressed in cost declines… The fact that they’re pulling back means there’s more share for Tesla and others who choose to go for it.”
So the Detroit Three and others really can’t compete with Tesla right now, as EVs account for 84% of Tesla’s revenue. It hurt competitors that Tesla slashed the prices of its EVs by an average of 20% between August 2022 and August 2023; Tesla’s sharp and unexpected price drops to offset 2023 inflation affected other electric cars on the market, so a lot of used EVs were sitting on the lot for longer than normal.
Our CleanTechnica editor-in-chief, Zachary Shahan, says the used electric car market in the US now is, “even broadly speaking, at the whim of Tesla’s supply-vs-demand trends.” Plus The Motley Fool points to Tesla’s economies of scale — “its gross profit margin is higher than that of any other car maker in the industry, which affords the company pricing power to help fend off competitive threats.”
Tesla’s EV sales far exceed any other automaker. Musk has voiced optimism that Tesla EV deliveries can grow 50% annually for several more years. Tesla’s projections were to produce 1.8 million EVs in 2023. Starting with 2024, Tesla plans to increase its sales up to 50% through demand for its vehicles, which means the company expects to possess the capacity to build them.
Tesla’s Footprint & Forecast for 2027
Ark Investment Management’s financial models describe Tesla’s primary source of upcoming financial success, and, guess what? EVs aren’t going to be pulling the Tesla weight by 2027, says Ark. Instead, AI will become the prominent profitability measure for Tesla. If you’ve been thinking along the lines of what the Ark Investment folks are thinking, then you’re prescient in a way most of us are not.
The Ark team concludes that in 2027 Tesla will generate $1 trillion in annual revenue, with 44% coming from the robotaxi business. In fact, Cathie Wood continues to voice strong sentiment that Tesla stock is the biggest artificial intelligence (AI) opportunity in the world.
Tesla’s prospective robotaxi business line is a key driver, the Ark team says, contributing 67% of expected enterprise value and 64% of expected EBITDA in 2027. That adds up to $354 billion in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), of which 64% will come from robotaxis and a further 3% from human-driven ride-hailing within Tesla’s network.
Tesla’s revenue is on track to come in at $97 billion in 2023, so it would have to grow by 80% per year between now and 2027 to meet Ark’s $1 trillion forecast by 2027. Across their simulation set, the EV sector for Tesla accounts for 47% of revenues in 2027 “at substantially lower margins than robotaxi revenue.” Assuming Ark is correct, that means a majority of Tesla’s profitable assets will emerge from sectors that are not yet fully functioning in 2024.
Tesla’s footprint would look entirely different if driven by robotaxis. We’ve known for a while that Tesla believes it can develop industry-leading autonomous self-driving vehicle software. But robotaxis? Really? Is this really going to be the area of focus for the company moving forward?
Tesla’s 2023 Annual Report slide deck info reminded us that its Full Self Driving (FSD) Beta has grown to nearly 200 million miles driven since its inception. That number of miles of training shouldn’t come as a full surprise, as Tesla has been developing its full FSD software for over 10 years. Ark Invest estimates Tesla has 2.7 million customer cars on the road testing FSD, which is 10 times more than its nearest competitor.
Analysts at the The Motley Fool, while not convinced that the robotaxi gig is the key to long term Tesla success, admit, “Nevertheless, if and when Ark’s predictions come true, Tesla could amass a valuation of over $6 trillion! That implies a 770% upside in its stock from where it trades today.”
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Earon Mask says ``We will distribute advertising revenue to users of Twitter Blue,'' and will it become a platform where creators can earn money like YouTube?
CEO Elon Musk, who has acquired Twitter and is carrying out various reforms, said on February 3, 2023, ``From today, Twitter will share the revenue of ads displayed in reply threads with creators.'' bottom. If this is done, Twitter may become a platform where creators can earn money like YouTube, but at the time of writing the article, the distribution ratio of advertising revenue and requirements other than joining Twitter Blue are unknown.
Starting today, Twitter will share ad revenue with creators for ads that appear in their reply threads— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2023
Briefing: Twitter Will Share Ad Revenue With Creators. But There's A Catch — The Information
Elon Musk will share Twitter ad revenue — but only with creators who pay for Twitter Blue - The Verge
Elon Musk says that Twitter will start sharing ad revenue with creators 'today' | TechCrunch
Twitter, which is suffering from a decline in advertising revenue, has come up with various measures to improve revenue, and is planning to incorporate a payment service like PayPal into Twitter, as well as developing a paid subscription service ' Twitter Blue '. . In February 2023, it was reported that the company plans to sell a ``golden certified badge'' for companies for $1,000 a month (about 130,000 yen).
It is reported that Twitter plans to sell ``golden certified badges'' for companies at a monthly fee of 130,000 yen - GIGAZINE
Meanwhile, Mask CEO announced on his Twitter account that he will share with users the advertising revenue displayed in the reply thread to the tweet. According to Mask CEO, accounts that can receive advertising revenue distribution must be subscribed to Twitter Blue.
To be eligible, the account must be a subscriber to Twitter Blue Verified— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2023
Sharing ad revenue with Twitter Blue users could make it more competitive with YouTube and TikTok, which already have ad revenue sharing programs in place. ``Recent tweets suggest that Mask CEO wants to position Twitter as a creator's haven that can compete with YouTube,'' said tech media TechCrunch.
However, at the time of writing the article, nothing more than CEO Mask tweeted about ``advertising revenue distribution to users'' has not been clarified. Various official accounts on Twitter do not mention advertising revenue sharing, and there is no explanation on the official help page of Twitter Blue.
Overseas media The Verge pointed out that YouTube may impose conditions other than joining Twitter Blue, just as YouTube has conditions such as the number of channel subscribers and total playback time. Also, ``Do you have to link your bank account to your Twitter account in order to receive the distributions paid?'' ``What is the distribution ratio with Twitter?'' ``Is there a review of monetized tweets and accounts?'' said to be questionable.
The price of Twitter Blue is $ 8 per month (980 yen in Japan) for purchase from the web version, and the price for iOS or Android apps is $ 11 per month (1380 yen in Japan), and can be purchased from the web version. The annual plan is $ 84 (10,280 yen in Japan).


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Following a slight delay at the end of last year.
The phone’s manufacturer gives us the lowdown.
Satellite television provider Dish becomes the fourth-biggest US phone carrier in the process.
Existing users will require an in-store device swap.
Only the essentials, and then some.
The Wolverine of smartphones.
It’s also practically indestructible.
Panasonic just announced at CES 2015 that the Lumix CM1 smartphone will be making its way to North
BlackBerry seems to be making a comeback as of late with the release of their Passport cellphone.


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Packaged food companies have requested the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to keep some products like juices, cookies, confectionery among others out of the front-of-pack labelling regulations that insist on display of detailed nutritional information prominently citing “practical issues”.
“We have requested the authority to leave out certain products as they will fall under the unhealthy category due to practical issues. They should be kept out of the list at least in the first phase of implementation,” said a senior official of a packaged food company.
For instance, any food item with more than 10% sugar will have to be labelled as a high sugar product. In most juices 90% of calories are from naturally occurring sugars and hence they will have to be labelled as high sugar or unhealthy, he said explaining the practical issues the industry is facing.
In 2019, FSSAI had proposed in its draft regulations, traffic light labelling for packaged food items based on their fat sugar and salt content – red is for unhealthy, amber for moderately healthy and green for healthy products.
However, food companies said that the red category was so stringent that it would cover most fast selling items, hence, has not been implemented yet.
There have been several rounds of consultation between food regulator and companies to reach workable solution, the person quoted above said.
The authority in December notified the new labelling and display regulations making it mandatory to present nutritional information on principal panel in bigger font size.
However, due to resistance from the industry the front-of-pack labelling, which has a classification symbol for healthy and unhealthy products, was delinked from the general labelling regulations.
The controversial front-of-pack labelling has two aspects – threshold for salt, sugar and fat for Indian consumers and a pictorial representation of the same for easy identification.
The current threshold is in accordance with the World Health Organisation’s South East Asian Region (SEAR) framework which is has been developed keeping in mind the dietary habits of the countries in the region.


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Jul 15, 2015
Los Angeles production, distribution and representation company Little Studio Films recently announced that they have signed the accomplished Italian directing team of Luca Boni and Marco Ristori.
Jul 15, 2015
The Telly Awards has named Carl White’s Life In The Carolinas as a winner in the 36th Annual Telly Awards for their piece titled The Collectors. With nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, this is truly an honor.
Jun 29, 2015
Little Studio Films www.littlestudiofilms.com has signed bestselling Australian author, Kate Welshman, whose novel, The Sound of Crazy Mountains, caught the eye of Literary Manager and Producer, Alexia Melocchi of Little Studio Films.
May 27, 2015
The innovative website QuestionHere announces their upcoming website expansion which include a new mobile app, API, and several new online features.
May 20, 2015
Answering questions for a small group of reporters, Bill Greenberg shared informationhe delivered at National Convention in Los Angeles earlier this year.
May 16, 2015
Atlanta Black Theatre Festival of the Arts is Back in Atlanta
May 15, 2015
Miss Kristin has gathered 20 strong contenders for the “Ten Years” music compilation that offers Miss Kristin fans essential favorites.
May 11, 2015
The meeting will be held at 1:30 PM Wednesday May13 at San Jose City Hall located at Fourth and Santa Clara Street, Downtown, San Jose, CA.
May 09, 2015
– MDL Diamond Merchants is a nationwide provider of loose diamonds. Today, the Company announced the debut of their new Canadian brand of diamonds called Arcticmark.
May 04, 2015
Earlier today Tabernus and Kyrah Technologies announced that they have formed a partnership to distribute Tabernus' portfolio of certified data erasure hardware and software solutions throughoutthe Indian sub-continent.


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Ministry of Road Transport and Highways desires to make Indian roads child-friendly. The ministry of Road Transport and Highways declares to make ‘baby car seats, mandatory in all passenger cars starting from 2010.
The soul aim of the declaration is to create a secure and designated place for children in cars who often become victims of car accidents. This is the first time in the history of Indian car industry that a rule like this has been announced but it will definitely change the scenario on Indian roads.
Similar execution is already witnessed in countries like Australia, Europe, and USA where the Child Restraint System is compulsory for passenger cars. Now, the Indian Ministry also feels that the time to implement the same for India is on rolls.
The planned execution will take nearly about two to three years. New cars that are about to enter the market in a year or two will have this feature whereas the existing car models will have three years to make this feature standard. The given span of time will help car manufacturers to make the desired modifications and alterations in their old, new, or upcoming car models.
Car manufacturers have also agreed to this decision but still a debate on who should bear the cost is in continuation. Ministry has still not decided whether the manufacturers should bear the cost or the car buyers.


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Covid-19: why supermarkets have a huge role, both now and in the future.
There is no doubt that these are unprecedented times. With government briefings changing how we live our day-to-day lives for the foreseeable future, and with heads of state around the world enacting measures which just a few weeks ago would have felt unimaginable, there is a huge feeling of uncertainty. As the need for certainty and autonomy are engrained in our human nature this period of huge distress provides a catalyst for behaviour change, as customers seek to regain certainty and control in any way they can.
Of course, the impact of the coronavirus outbreak has been felt across the whole economy, but perhaps nowhere more visibly than in our supermarkets. Whilst in most cases business has slowed down, supermarkets are experiencing the opposite problem – a surge in demand.
It is unsurprising that supermarkets have been hugely affected by this virus, with people stockpiling and seemingly buying almost anything they can get their hands on (we all know about the toilet roll shortage!). Despite sales booming in this sector, there could be a long-lasting impact on consumer perceptions, with essential products unavailable, queues to enter and even some antisocial behaviour in some cases. Supermarkets play an integral role within society, and so when people are left disappointed and stressed while trying to shop, it is important that supermarkets act to alleviate this and bring a level of calm and certainty back into our lives.
So, what can supermarkets do during these difficult times? Innovate, using human understanding at the core:
1. React to meet the needs of customers:
During these highly anxious times for the nation, anything that supermarket brands can do to eliminate anxiety and add certainty back into people’s lives will be met with relief and praise. Customers will remember which supermarkets have found ways to help people in these moments of crisis and these memories will no doubt impact their implicit, emotional perceptions of these brands. In order to protect the heritage of their brand and to help those in need, supermarkets are having to innovate quickly to react to the needs of customers.
It is no secret that the elderly are amongst the most vulnerable during this pandemic and their needs have to be put first. After supermarkets in the UK were slandered on social media for not reacting with enough urgency to help those most vulnerable, thousands took to Twitter to make the concern known. The reaction saw supermarkets, (first Iceland and now many others) stretching opening hours to ensure the elderly are able to enter the shops first, thus avoiding the rush of people and giving them a greater chance of getting what they need. Although small in the grand scheme of things, this move has been met with huge praise through vast media coverage – a great example of a brand benefitting from listening and acting upon the voice of the customer. As most will have an elderly person in their lives that they want to see cared for during this tough time, supermarkets have responded by showing that they care. Small changes can go a long way to changing perceptions of supermarket brands and keep positive momentum going in this sector.
Some other early examples of this positive momentum include Tesco introducing a storewide restriction of only 3 items per customer and removing multi-buy promotions, in a bid to reduce stockpiling and distribute stock more fairly. Elsewhere, John Lewis & Partners have transferred 500 staff to Waitrose to cope with the demand from shoppers and Sainsbury’s are closing their cafes and meat, fish and pizza service to free up its staff for delivery demand. The list of these developments in the supermarket sector is growing by the day as supermarkets are all reacting in desperation to meet the needs of customers.
2. Guiding people through unfamiliar territory
Behavioural science has shown that customers heavily rely on familiarity when making shopping decisions. But, with empty shelves and advice about social distancing, customers need to choose new products and adapt to new ways of shopping – customers are often having to buy what they can rather than what they want. Whether it’s buying a new brand or a completely new product as it’s the only product left, to switching to online shopping due to concerns of catching the virus, supermarkets have a huge role to play in reassuring customers and helping them navigate these unfamiliar decisions.
But how can supermarkets reassure customers and ease the shopping process? Morrisons (UK) appear to be leading the way here, having changed their core purpose to “feeding the nation” in response to this virus. Morrisons have launched a call centre to enable orders to be taken over the phone for customers who do not shop online, as well as introducing a new range of easy to order food parcels and focussing all of their efforts to increase delivery slots to meet the huge demand. In-store, they’ve taken measures to protect staff by installing protective screens at all checkouts to ensure staff’s exposure to the virus is minimised. They are also offering customers a free hot drink on their way out, ensuring customers are leaving their stores on a positive note.
Elsewhere, M&S are utilising other forms of communication to provide reassurance: “Can I freeze it? Yes you can!” is the title of a very simple email that all customers received, offering an easy to read guide with advice as to the food that can be safely frozen, including the essentials: Milk, Cheese and Fruit and Veg. Such benefit led communications are extremely helpful in helping people navigate what is a hugely concerning time, adding some much-needed certainty into their lives.
As we continue to navigate through these strange times, could supermarkets look to update their in-store messaging? We know that expectations drive behaviour and satisfaction. Managing expectations of what is and isn’t available and when they will be re-stocked will have a huge impact on customers’ perceptions of the shopping experience. Currently, people are met with rows and rows of empty shelves – POS plays an important role here, providing people with up-to-date information on when to expect items back in stock or to suggest alternatives. In-store radio is another route to engage the senses and update people on deliveries of certain items, as well as promote a message of reassurance. Supermarkets need to keep customers in the loop with updates showing that the demand is taken seriously and that they are doing everything that they can to meet it. Small changes such as these could help supermarkets to provide certainty at all points in the customer journey, re-purposing elements that are readily available.
3. Looking to the future
Amidst the uncertainty during these troubled times we are really starting to see what it means to be human – it’s often the small things that we do for each other that make the difference. For supermarkets, this significant change in the way that people live their lives will prove to be a hugely difficult time and we’ve already started to see this with the massive recruitment drives currently underway by supermarkets who need more staff for stocking shelves and dealing with deliveries.
With certain product lines almost seemingly completely vanishing, perceptions of availability will be highly affected for weeks to come. But has the coronavirus pandemic identified unmet needs amongst customers, and will the behaviours seen in recent weeks will become the new norm, for example:
• Will people continue to stockpile, out of fear?
• Will this be the reinvention of the big shop?
• Will we start to see communal buying patterns, with communities pooling resources together?
• Will elderly hours be expected for years to come?
• Will we see any food trends as a result of food-swapping?
• As the virus continues to spread, will these lead to long-term shortages of certain foods?
• Will people stick to the new brands they’ve tried and are now familiar with?
We are yet to see any examples of what supermarkets are doing in the context of future-thinking, but now is a good a time as ever to be asking customers these questions and to understand what people need. Supermarkets need to add some certainty back into people’s lives that have become instantly filled with doubt and to show that they care about their customers. If supermarkets continue to understand customers and show that they are human, the benefits may well be felt long after the outbreak is over.


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Resident Evil is the most popular game in the world and now hit the Japanese shore. Kotaku.com said:
At the Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara, sales were healthy. Japanese game site Famitsu reports that the PS3 version sold at a pace of 100 copies in the hour after the shop’s doors opened. The game sold steadily throughout the morning. The sales rate breaks down as 80 percent software sales and 20 percent PS3 Resident Evil 5 bundle sales.
ps3thevolution.com said PSU write:
Hundreds of Japanese gamers lined up overnight across the region yesterday for the release of Capcom’s hotly anticipated Resident Evil 5. Thanks to some quick blogging over in the Land of the Rising Sun, we can also reveal which version of the action horror sequel Japanese punters are favouring.


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Fitbit also offers plenty of bands for the Versa smartwatch
, but then again Apple has more to offer in this department, thanks to its partnerships with fashion companies.
He said the smartwatch
segment is growing in the region but "our focus is quite different".
represent 30% of total smartwatch
unit shipments in 2021.
The other sub-category, which will account for 25 per cent of smartwatch
units by 2021, is fashion and traditional watch brands.
Pros: Rotating bezel is the most intuitive way to navigate around a smartwatch
, Very good display, Premium build Cons: Lack of apps, Battery life needs to be longer
have traditionally been tethered to a smartphone, which means that patients either need to purchase or already have a specific smartphone in order to use the smartwatch
will reportedly sport a 360 x 360 screen.
Tag Heuer have recently released their own version of a smartwatch
named the Connected.
has a classic design that features hairline-etched stainless steel body, durable hypoallergenic TPSiV elastomer band and a full circle 348ppi P-OLED display.
High-end Swiss watchmakers have generally been publicly dismissive of any threat posed by Apple's upcoming smartwatch
but now that the watch is creeping closer to launch fashion watch leaders are starting to take notice.
TechNavio's analysts forecast the Global Smartwatch
market to grow at a CAGR of 96.
One of the biggest news items in affordable, wearable technology today is the Smartwatch
G Watch -- LG's first smartwatch
-- is also equipped with Google's voice recognition service and can perform simple tasks including checking email, sending text messages and carrying out an online search at users' voice command.
G Watch - LG's first smartwatch
- is also equipped with Google's voice recognition service and can perform simple tasks including checking email, sending text messages and carrying out an online search at users' voice command.
New York, Sha'ban 22, 1435, Jun 20, 2014, SPA -- The wait for Apple's smartwatch
may be over soon as signs that the company's plan to launch a watch become ever more


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Another business is showing its loyalty to the city of McKinney through expansion.
Blount Fine Foods, a manufacturer of hand-crafted soups, entrées, sauces and side dishes for retail and food service, came to McKinney earlier this year. It recently announced plans to expand its existing building by as much as 70,000 square feet through two phases.
The expansion is expected to bring an additional 85 jobs to the city, according to company officials. City officials said the expansion will equate to about $20 million in capital investment in the city.
The McKinney Economic Development Corp. (MEDC), using sales tax revenue, provided an incentive of $510,000 to Blount dependent upon capital expenditures of at least $6.75 million for new building improvements and at least $16.45 million for new taxable business personal property
“it’s a great company,” said Darrell Auterson, MEDC president. “A great corporate citizen.”
Blount is in the process of adding updated equipment to its building, the former Food Source LP building to become Texas’ first large fresh soup provider, city officials said.
Blount has begun producing its premium bagged soups and sauces for foodservice customers and has completed a space for producing fresh soups it will sell at retail detinations.
City and company officials marked the expansion through a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week.
“As we have said previously, everything we do in McKinney, Texas is key to our plans for becoming the largest, most sought-after fresh soup company in the country,” said Todd Blount, president and CEO of Blount Fine Foods.
“Completing this next phase of our plans for the McKinney facility brings operations at that location a major step closer to being fully aligned with the rest of Blount Fine Foods, and affords us not only scale of production but flexibility of run size and turnaround time as well.”
The project at the existing 2200 Redbud Boulevard plant included the installation of production equipment for making the soups and side dishes it sells to grocery retailers and restaurants around the U.S.
Auterson noted how the city is always excited about food-related businesses relocating to and expanding in McKinney, as such a business tends to stay stable, if not improve, during an economic downtown because everyone still needs food.
Blount is a family-owned and operated company that’s been processing food since 1946. The company is headquartered in Fall River, Massachusetts and employs about 400 people.
“McKinney is the perfect location to reach the nation with the country’s best soups helping meet a growing demand for healthy, ready to eat, meals for you and your family,” Blount said.
A highlight of the expansion project is the installation of a three-story high-efficiency chiller that extends products’ shelf lives without preservatives, enabling them to maintain their “fresh-from-the-kitchen” flavor and texture, company officials said.
The MEDC and city remain focused on attracting more medical and health care, aviation and office-oriented businesses. McKinney was recently ranked by a financial website as the second-best office market in the U.S.
“We’re just now getting into a groove,” Auterson said. “In the next 5 to 10 years, we’re going to see some pretty exciting things happening in McKinney.”


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Ebony.com is highlighting a number of Africans that are launching publications to combat the negative stereotypes of Africans in culture and society. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond writes:
The stereotypes about Africa/Africans are too many to list here. They’re mostly negative, myopic depictions that focus on war, famine, abject poverty, disease, and corruption. In other oversimplifications, Africans are written up as model immigrants, overachieving geniuses, or displaced chiefs moonlighting as gas station attendants.
Outside of these caricatures, many Africans are going to work and school, voting in their local elections, and spending way too much time on Facebook. And they’re over the ignorance that has collectively miscast them. In response, a swelling movement of young Africans are launching concerted efforts to wrest the image of Africa from entities and interests that don’t promote a balanced understanding of the continent.
Among this group is South African professor Sean Jacobs who founded the incisive Africa is a Country, billing it as “the media blog that’s not about famine, Bono, or Barack Obama.” Ghanaians Sandra Appiah and Isaac O. Babu-Boateng launched Face 2 Face Africa Magazine to combat portrayals of Africa as pathological and troubled.
Likewise, Nigerian-American Enyinne Owunwanne started ecommerce boutique Heritage 1960 to promote what she says is “the best of the best, when it comes to African fashion, lifestyle and culture”. Fellow Nigerian-American Ngozi Odita initiated AFRIKA21 to broaden the conversation around what 21st century Africa really looks like, apart from the stereotypes, you could even pick up some tips on how to start an eCommerce website of your own.
Read more at Ebony.com.


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Juul Labs Inc. is planning to cut around a third of its staff as it grapples with falling e-cigarette market share and regulatory crackdowns, according to people familiar with the matter.
The San Francisco company will cut between 800 and 950 of its staff as part of a broader restructuring plan, one of the people said. The cuts aren’t related to the coronavirus pandemic, this person said.
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Average farmgate milk prices in the UK fell by 0.51p/litre (2.1%) between January and February, according to latest figures from DEFRA.
That put February prices at 24.16p/litre – 0.52p/litre below the same time a year ago.
GB values fell by 0.23p/litre month-on-month, to 24.32p/litre, and by 1.45p/litre (5.6%) over the year.
Northern Ireland’s prices dropped by 2.28p/litre (9%) on the month, to 23.15p/litre, but were still some 5.04p/litre (27.8%) higher than in February 2008, said DairyCo’s Datum report.
However, commodity prices are on the rise, and Northern Ireland’s latest United Dairy Farmers auction saw 45m litres of milk average 25.63p/litre for April delivery – 2.31p/litre higher than in March and 6.8p/litre above a year ago. “The auction produced yet another record-breaking result with the highest March price in the past 10 years, by a substantial margin,” said the report.
World wholesale prices are also improving, with Fonterra’s latest auction seeing price rises of at least 21% between March and April, and whole milk powder reaching the highest level since July 2008.


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Carl Howard, president and CEO of premium Italian quick-service restaurant chain Fazoli's was recently recognized as Executive of the Year and received a Gold Stevie Award in the Eleventh Annual American Business Awards, presented in Chicago. It is the latest of several regional and national awards bestowed on Fazoli’s and its leadership team.
The American Business Awards is the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the trophies were presented to honorees during a gala banquet on Monday, June 17, at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park Hotel. Howard was awarded the Gold Stevie in the food and beverage category.
The recognition comes as Fazoli’s, which was struggling when Howard took over as CEO in 2008, continues to set company sales records and attract new franchisees. “Turning around a restaurant brand is a huge undertaking that requires a great team,” Howard says. “I am very honored to receive this award, but it really is a reflection of the great work done by the entire Fazoli’s management team.”
Last month, leading trade publication FastCasual.com recognized Fazoli’s as “Brand of the Year,” and the chain has been a Franchise Times magazine “Top 20 Companies to Watch.” Fazoli’s was ranked #2 overall among large national fast-food chains in the most recent Zagat Survey. Earlier this year the University of Kentucky Institute for Workplace Innovation awarded Fazoli’s the Dr. Lee T. Todd, Jr. Bridging the Gap Between Workplace Research and Practice Award.
Chief marketing officer Cathy Hull was selected by ExecRank as a Top Private Company Marketing Executive for 2012. In last year’s American Business Awards, Fazoli's took home the 2012 Gold Stevie for Best Human Resources Department. The company also has been recognized by national hunger relief organization Feed the Children, which gave Fazoli’s its Community Excellence Award.
With a premium menu of freshly prepared Italian entrees, oven-baked sandwiches, and salads, a new service style featuring table service, and a contemporary new restaurant design, Fazoli’s is well positioned for growth. Fazoli’s owns or franchises approximately 220 restaurants nationwide. Sun Capital Partners acquired Fazoli’s in 2006.


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I am pleased that kerbside collection of cardboard for recycling is coming back to South Shropshire in December. This is long overdue. We have had to endure five years without kerbside collection. Cardboard is a vital resource and we should not be burning it in the Battlefield incinerator. When we resume household collection, we should also see a reduction in fly-tipping.
We probably have more household cardboard waste than ever because we rely so much on online services delivered by the Royal Mail or couriers. The first carboard collection in South Shropshire will be on the first recycling collection day on or after 5 December.
The rollout of our new recycling collection service will begin in the South Shropshire area on Monday 5th December. The service will have two new elements. Firstly, the collection of cardboard with paper in a 75 litre, reusable blue bag. Secondly, residents will no longer need to present glass bottles and jars in a separate box to the plastics and metal containers, so these can be mixed in whatever way is convenient which may reduce the number of boxes needed.
Veolia will begin delivery of the blue bags in the South Shropshire area on Monday next, 21 November. The bags will be accompanied by a leaflet on the recycling and waste service.
The blue bags will take: magazines, junk mail, envelopes, catalogues, ready meal boxes, egg boxes, newspapers, cardboard packaging and cereal packets.
The bring bank for cardboard at Smithfield Car Park will be removed towards the end of December. At the same time, bring banks for plastics around the town will be removed. Shropshire Council says these are not economic due to low tonnages, rising levels of contamination, increased collection costs and the falling value of plastics.
We have had five years without kerbside collection of cardboard for recycling. The service was withdrawn in November 2011, after a change in composting rules that seemed to have caught Shropshire Council and Veolia by surprise. I was never happy with cardboard being composted anyway – it is a useful resource that can be reused.
In the first two years after kerbside collection was withdrawn, the quantity of cardboard recycled dropped by 60%. Some went into the black bins and was tipped into landfill. Since last year, non-recycled waste has been burnt at the Battlefield incinerator. Quite a bit has been fly-tipped.
Fly-tipped cardboard at Steventon
I am very pleased that we are at long last getting kerbside cardboard recycling back. It is long overdue. That it has taken so long reflects the inflexibility we have in our contract with Veolia, which will cost us close to £30 million a year until 2034. I am not so keen that we are losing many of our bring banks. People with limited storage space need alternative ways of recycling otehrwise they will put cardboard and plastics in the blck bin and it will go to the incinerator.


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Note: The contents of this article are the author's opinion and have not been approved as a financial promotion.
Our latest research, which has been featured in The Times and The Daily Express, reveals that the turnover of the UK's independent spirits industry broke through £2bn for the first time last year. It reached £2.14bn in 2017/18, up from £1.98bn in 2016/17.
As well as the print coverage in the nationals, our research has also been covered by trade press publications such as Spirits Business (UK independent spirits industry hits £2bn turnover) and Harpers (UK independent distilleries break £2bn barrier).
We believe the success of independent distilleries has been fuelled by the greater willingness of consumers to pay premium prices for boutique brands as opposed to those owned by multinationals producers.
The distilling of spirits can be altered quickly to match changing consumer tastes, which means products do not get left behind. This helps businesses maintain high inventory turnover and makes it easier to market their products as ‘new’.
Artisan gin, in particular, has become a staple in many pubs and bars, and several gin brands have extended their ranges to include pink and flavoured varieties to meet demand. The latest data shows 60m bottles of gin were consumed in the UK last year, worth £1.6bn in value.
Gary Robins, our Head of Business Development, says: “Growth amongst independent spirits businesses shows little sign of slowing.”
“Successful spirits businesses have proved to be innovative in bringing new products to market quickly. This is often done through capitalising on the relatively quick production process of spirits, such as gin and rum.”
“The increased spending power amongst ‘millennials’, which is a key market for boutique drinks brands, means the sector’s growth has legs.”
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Apex Legends is one of the most popular multiplayer games of the last few years, but it was the most recent victim of yet another major hack, with players on consoles and PC unable to get into games, instead receiving quite an odd message. The message sent wants players and fans to participate in the “Save Titanfall” campaign, and it has even spread from the PC platform to Xbox and PlayStation as well. Players’ private account information has been reported as not being affected, safe from the hack, though this does not prevent players from being frustrated regarding their inability to get into any matches.
The “Save Titanfall” campaign has been created in a direct response to the large amount of hacking problems present within the original title that helped launch the popular franchise, though the original creators of the campaign have stated that they are in no way associated with the hacker. Respawn Entertainment has addressed both the campaign as well as the hack, stating that they are working hard to combat the issues within the title and are currently working on a fix for Apex Legends, respectively. For now, players will have to continue waiting for Respawn to release an update fixing the hack as well as working on Titanfall.
It’s still totally up to Respawn because EA has said that they will have to decide their next projects and have given them more creative control than they had before


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Rubber is the Pathway to Indonesia’s EV Future
Commentary by Wayne Forrest
I am a little tired of all the attention EV’s are getting. Their emergence in the world’s marketplace has energized countries, no pun intended, all over the world including Indonesia. Everyone wants to make them or their batteries, creating new jobs in a new “greener” industry. Yes, they are important new shiny objects, but they shouldn’t cause a zero sum trade war.
In Indonesia, this imperative is particularly pronounced, considering that it has struggled to grow new manufacturing (especially for export) and needs to find formal employment for most of its population. But Indonesia’s path to its EV future has been simultaneously logical and confounding. Logical in the sense that if you have an abundance of raw materials for something that billions of people need, you ought to be a manufacturer; but confounding, if you can’t do it at affordable market prices and if your policies distort international markets. This writer has been concerned for several years that Indonesia has been acting with too heavy a hand on down-streaming its minerals. I’ve argued not that Indonesia shouldn’t develop higher value products based on them, it should, but traditional business calculations should drive developments. I’ve often recalled the case of rubber as a good example of a strategic commodity akin to what are now called “critical minerals”. For generations Indonesia, as a top 3 rubber producer, supplied the world’s non-electric vehicles, especially those made outside the tropics where the tree can’t grow. First it sold natural rubber, processed into sheets for tires and components, and later, when manufacturing was economically and technically feasible, it began exporting these items and replaced imports. Today, Indonesia still ships rubber in semi-raw forms but also tons of auto parts (fan belts, wiper blades, grommets).
An export ban has never been put in place yet rubber has been as fundamental to the gas-powered automobile as nickel and other minerals are to electric vehicles. Besides its central role in the vehicles, rubber plays a key role in the healthcare industry, where its impermeable nature protects nurses and doctors daily and helped stem the tide of AIDS. A form of rubber, latex, replaced toxic substances such as lead in paint, saving the lives of countless children. These newer uses of rubber would probably not have become widespread had an export ban been in place. Export bans can have unintended consequences.
But, for some reason, Indonesia concluded a decade ago that it had enough of market economics and began legislating local mineral processing instead of letting economic forces such as comparative advantage run their course. Lately, the West’s own policies no longer provide a constructive example as many aren’t based on fundamental economics either. But, two wrongs don’t make a right. The EU will require 40% of raw materials for batteries to be processed in its zone and the US Inflation Reduction Act, similarly mandates on-shoring by creating huge subsidies for local battery and EV production with exceptions for countries with which the US has an FTA. Investment Minister, Bahlil Lahadalia recently responded by saying Indonesia plans to require 60 to 70% of all minerals to be processed in-country.
Indonesia has dug its heals in on EV’s but nobody’s crystal ball is perfect. Nickel’s future as a battery component is unclear; cheaper and more environmental safe alternatives are already arriving. Indonesia still needs to trade its way into an EV future; its soils are rich in nickel but not lithium. Its doing well converting its laterite nickel into stainless steel (Class 2), but lost a WTO case brought by the EU. The decision is probably unenforceable, and Indonesia has appealed it; meanwhile a comprehensive EU trade deal is on hold. A higher form (class 1) is used in EV batteries and to date production of this material has been by Chinese firms using environmentally questionable acid leaching technology (HPAL) Why Indonesia has issued permits for these factories while courting western automakers (such as Tesla) and asking the US for carve out for its battery materials under the Inflation Reduction Act, escapes me. It seems like a nonstarter, given the IRA’s environmental stipulations. Its petition to relax the EU’s new deforestation standards will likely fall on deaf ears.
With governments tipping the scales left and right do international supply chain accords such as WTO and IPEF mean anything? Bahlil recently said: “If the sky were to fall, the downstream industry would remain our top priority. Should you wish to file a lawsuit against us at the WTO, go ahead. We are now a sovereign nation.” Coordinating Economics Minister Hartarto similarly reacted, calling the EU new rules for forest products as well as the WTO nickel decision “environmental and regulatory imperialism”. Meanwhile, it doubles down on its own protections when it doesn’t really have to. When a product you have in abundance(nickel) is selling outside your country at twice the price, you invite smuggling and leave huge amounts of money on the table. There are not yet enough smelters and follow-on facilities locally to absorb the nickel, bauxite and other minerals. Chinese companies built the new HPAL nickel smelters that are certainly a good deal for them. They came with cushy tax holidays, utilize under-priced nickel, and the exports are exempt from duties and value-added tax. Had Indonesian companies been allowed to export raw nickel they could have earned the funds needed to invest in their own facilities. Employment data is imprecise, but smelters are capital intensive. How much value will they ultimately add? How long can the government avoid the revenue and when the subsidies come off, how competitive will the products be?
Its not too late for Indonesia’s policy makers to reverse course, lift the export ban, and allow economics and business calculations to evolve the EV industry naturally. It can still attract investors and avoid trade disputes. Its eggs-in-one-basket approach to this new industry comes with risks it need not take.
Its past experience with rubber provides the pathway.
(The view representing are the writer’s own and are not necessarily shared by members of the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce)


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Camino Real, a family-owned Mexican restaurant that has been in La Puente for about 40 years, had almost fully recovered from the 2009 recession.
Who knows what will happen now that the coronavirus crisis has required restaurants to close their dine-in operations?
“Post-virus, it’s going to be a lot more different. It’ll be a rebirth of a new lifestyle and we are all going to have to adapt,” said Adriana Valdez, the daughter of Camino Real owners Jesus and Isabel Sanchez. “Our lease payment is due in about a week, and there hasn’t been the normal business that we’re used to. We’re going to probably make it, but we’re going to need a week’s extension.”
COVID-19 is clearly far more than a flu pandemic. It has brought forth a recession with wide economic implications around the world.
In California, the state’s stay-at-home policy — requiring non-essential business such as gyms and bars to close — was intended to slow the spread of coronavirus cases and some experts say it seems to be working.
At the same time, the measure has almost instantly changed the lives of small business owners and their employees. One day, restaurants were bustling with customers and within days, they had groceries spoiling in the back and fewer hours to go around for workers.
Amid economic uncertainties and doubts, restaurants like Caramelo Cafe are implementing new strategies to help keep the business running.
“One of the biggest things that have changed for us is that we started to offer delivery. We do Instagram orders, Facebook and text orders. We didn’t offer UberEats before because dining in has always been our main priority,” said Claudia Iniguez, the owner of the cafe, on Amar Road. For seven years up until the pandemic, the restaurant had been a popular sit-down breakfast joint.
With arches on either side of the restaurant and cushioned booth seating, Camino Real also was popular among dine-in customers. But like so many other restaurants in Southern California, it, too, is adapting.
“It’s beautiful to see how the community is being brought together. I have fellow business owners reaching out to support one another,” said Valdez, of Camino Real. “Instead of us being in competition, we uplift each other during these times. This ‘Stay at Home’ policy has almost forced us to make changes that will help the restaurant become more sustainable.”


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Apple and Samsung have finally trimmed some of the patent claims both are leveling in an upcoming case, but if it’s enough to satisfy the judge remains to be seen.
Judge Lucy Koh last week ordered both Apple and Samsung to trim down the number of claims each was making in a case that is scheduled to go before a jury in July. All told 37 products were involved in the case, and with each side limited to just 25 hours of testimony, she didn’t see how this could be properly handled. ”I think that’s cruel and unusual punishment to a jury, so I’m not willing to do it. If you’re going to trial in July, this is not going to be acceptable,” the judge said in her latest order.
According to FOSS Patents, both companies have adhered to the order and cut down the number of claims, but of course there are now accusations that not enough has been done. Apple cut the number of claims against Samsung by about half, and five hours later the Korean-based manufacturer cut five of its 12 claims. However, Samsung is saying that Apple still has too many claims on the table. It will be ultimately up to Judge Koh to decide.
As it stands, it doesn’t look like any settlement is going to be reached between the two companies any time soon, but the CEOs are still scheduled for two days of talks later this month.
[via FOSS Patents]


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OYO draws $1 billion, heads out for global expansion
India- headquartered OYO hotels has fetched $1 billion from SoftBank, a Japanese conglomerate. 24-year-old Ritesh Agarwal’s solution to the unpleasant surprises in the hotels booked by travelers is a booking app that promises clean and affordable rooms.
Founded in 2013, OYO Hotels has proved competent in the Indian market and aims to be the world’s largest hotel chain by 2023. With a net worth of $4.5 billion, OYO plans to carve out a niche in the overseas market after expanding widely across China.
Facebook to host India Startup Day on Oct 9 in Delhi
Facebook is set to launch its first ever India Startup Day on October 9, 2018, in the capital.
With the fastest flourishing base of developers and third largest startup destination in the world, India has managed to draw the attention of some of the global biggies. The event in Delhi will feature key business, policy leaders and aspiring startups. This initiative aims to weigh up different opportunities and challenges of the new generation of entrepreneurs.
In a bid to explore the thriving startup ecosystem in the country, the online giant is already working on similar initiatives to empower businesses through several programmes.
Licious-online meat and seafood startup sweep $25 million
Gourmet meat delivery startup Licious secured $25 million in a Series C round of funding led by Bertelsmann India Investments, Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India along with UCLA. The round witnessed the participation of existing investors - Mayfield India, 3one4 Capital, Sistema Asia Fund and InnoVen Capital. The need for quality, safe and hygienic meat opened new avenues for the duo Vivek Gupta and Abhay Hanjura who founded Licious in the year 2015. With the focus to improve the quality of the meat and not just the delivery service, is what made the venture to stand apart from the other online meat delivery platforms.
World University of Design launches Global, Goals Jam 2.0
The World University of Design in Haryana launched a two-day exclusive Design Thinking workshop – Global Goals Jam 2.0 (GGJ) on September 21 and 22. The workshop was organised with the Digital Society School of University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) teaming up. The event witnessed the participation of 56 innovators which were divided into 10 groups across the country to pitch in their ideas and vision for the future. The workshop focuses on 17 global goals for sustainable development projecting through stories, presentations etc.
Aadhaar Verdict- Its implications on fintech startups
Barring the use of Aadhaar authentication service by the private sector has caused havoc among the fintech players. With the Aadhaar- based authentication process, loan approvals or opening of an account ensued efficiently. But with the latest Supreme Court’s verdict that has struck down several provisions in the Aadhaar Act, the authentication process would take days to accomplish. These delays and discomfort of the consumers might have an adverse impact on the banks and fintech players. With online credit lending platforms and other private companies availing Aadhaar e-KYC to incorporate consumers not being able to access authentication facilities anymore, experts have speculated this verdict to shake up the entire e-KYC space.
Card-less EMI at an instant launched by Amazon Pay
Amazon Pay, a digital payment platform operated by Amazon has launched EMI for its customers in India. Targeting the non-credit card users, the global giant has made an option for its users to avail card-less EMI. This is an invite-only service which calls for the Amazon users to complete a registration process. The user has to furnish their PAN card and KYC details. The selected Amazon buyers will be provided with a credit limit up to Rs.60, 000 at an instant. Once the purchase is made within the credit limit the user can repay the amount by choosing either to instalments or set an auto-repayment which will automatically repay the monthly instalment on the user's behalf. There will be no further transactional charges or processing fee for the purchase.


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"In addition, solid-state flash memory has many other advantages over rotating mechanical hard drives that include high performance, much lower power consumption, increased durability (no track skipping) and significantly smaller size and weight. SanDisk iNAND also offers increased design flexibility since it is designed to work seamlessly in conjunction with a removable card slot. iNAND also incorporates for the first time SanDisk's new TrustedFlash technology, assuring the same level of content security for embedded stored data that is available on TrustedFlash cards."SanDisk iNAND will be available in capacities ranging from 256MB to 4GB. Product samples are available now with production scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2005. Pricing for 2GB iNAND devices is $95 in 10,000-lot quantities.
SanDisk presents iNAND embedded flash memory
Posted on Wednesday, September 28 2005 @ 13:36 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck


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Meet the Sports Illustrated Models at VIBES by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Festival in Houston
Style Magazine Newswire | 2/10/2017, 3:42 p.m.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit recently announced that Hannah Ferguson is returning for SI Swimsuit 2017! Everyone’s favorite Texan bombshell returns to the special edition issue for an exciting fourth year, and here’s a sneak peek from her exclusive new SI Swimsuit shoot.
Hannah will join the rest of the modeling crew at the VIBES by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit festival in Houston. The two-day event at Post HTX kicks off on Feb. 17 with a food festival featuring favorites from top national and regional chefs along with a performance by R&B sensation Miguel. On Saturday, a group of local Houston musicians will continue the fun before the headlining performance by Grammy Award-winning producer D.J Diplo.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the SI Swimsuit experience to America’s fourth-largest city less than two weeks after the Super Bowl, the biggest event in sports, takes place in Houston,” said MJ Day, SI Swimsuit editor. “This year’s ‘VIBES’ event will be an all-new and expanded experience, offering fans a cultural festival that spotlights not only the amazing stars of the iconic Swimsuit issue, but the best in food, music and more.”
“Houston is thrilled to be the home of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch and music, food and culture festival,” said Mike Waterman, president of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. “As the culinary and cultural capital of the South, we think this event is a perfect opportunity to work with an iconic brand like Sports Illustrated to showcase Houston to the world.”
Tickets for “VIBES” by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit will be available for purchase today at SI.com/SwimsuitVibes.