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Gold prices ticked higher on Tuesday after inflation data showed US consumer prices rose in March for the fourth straight month and inflation hit its highest level in 2.5 years.
Gold for June delivery climbed $8.50, or half a percent, to $1,741.20 an ounce, and spot gold at time of writing was trading at an even $1,745/oz, reversing a year-to-date downward trend. Since January, the yellow metal has fallen 8.7% due to a combination of factors including a stronger US dollar, higher US treasury yields and better macroeconomic data, as covid-19 inoculation programs gather pace.
However, the blistering speed of economic recovery in the US — economists are predicting annual GDP growth of 6.5%, versus a 2020 contraction of 3.5% — is stoking fears of inflation.
Unwilling to see their gains eroded in the near future by a loss of purchasing power (inflation increases the prices of goods and services over time, effectively decreasing the amount you can buy with a dollar in future), investors are dumping bonds and piling into riskier asset classes like stocks, causing bond prices to fall and yields to climb. The interest rate on the benchmark 10-year Treasury has been steadily increasing and now sits at 1.69%, after bumping along at between 0.5% and 1% for most of 2020 as investors rotated funds into Treasuries (and gold) as protection against pandemic-related market turbulence.
Consumer prices rise
The US Federal Reserve, whose dual mandate is to keep inflation in the “Goldilocks zone” of around 2% and to control unemployment, has been downplaying inflation, telling the public that even if prices rise, it will only be temporary.
In a recent interview with ’60 Minutes’, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed won’t raise interest rates based on short-term jumps in inflation readings.
However there is reason for concern that in fact, inflation is rising faster than expected and that could present a real dilemma for the Fed: allow prices of goods and services to rise, beyond what is comfortable for the middle and lower classes who typically bear the brunt of inflation; or hike interest rates during an economic recovery that is by no means on a strong footing — with unemployment continuing to be higher than before the pandemic (9.7 million in March 2021 compared to 5.7 million in February 2020) despite resumption of economic activity, and covid-19 still raging throughout the land.
Consider: the consumer price index (CPI) jumped 0.6% in March, led by higher oil prices, and the 12-month rate of inflation rose to 2.6% in March from 1.7% in February, as the bar graph below shows.
The rise in CPI is even more startling considering that 12 months ago inflation was close to 0%. The year over year gain is the highest since August 2018, and the month over month increase is the most since June 2009.
Michael Pearce, senior US economist at Capital Economics, said via CNBC, the US Labor Department report “is the clearest indication so far that the signs of mounting inflation evident in business surveys and producer prices are feeding through to stronger consumer prices.”
Gasoline prices surged 9.1% in March, up 22.5% from a year ago; they contributed the most to the monthly gain and were responsible for about half of the overall CPI increase, states CNBC.
Other energy indices crept up, including natural gas, which increased 9.8% over the past 12 months, fuel oil @ +20.2% and electricity @ +2.5%.
Food and take-away meals also nudged higher for the year, at a respective 3.5% and 6.7% — the latter claiming the biggest increase since 1997. Out of all food categories, the prices of meats, poultry, fish and eggs increased most, at 5.4%.
Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, increased 0.3% monthly and 1.6% year over year.
A Wall Street Journal survey of economists and business leaders found that US GDP this year should grow at 6.4%, the highest since 1983, but that inflation is expected to hit 3% by June. That would mean a near doubling of inflation in just two months.
If US inflation keeps rising, but interest rates stay more or less the same (they can even rise a little), we will have negative real interest rates — the perfect condition for gold buying. In fact, the real yield on the US 10-year Treasury has already gone negative; it offers 1.69% and the current rate of inflation is 2.6%, making the real yield -0.91%.
(When real interest rates (interest rate minus inflation) are low, at, or below zero, cash and bonds fall out of favor because the real return is lower than inflation. If you are earning 1.6% on your money from a government bond, but inflation is running at 2.7%, the real rate you are earning is negative 1.1% — an investor is actually losing purchasing power. Gold is the most proven investment to offer a return greater than inflation, by its rising price, or at least not a loss of purchasing power.)
Zooming out from the United States, to China, the world’s second largest economy is also moving at a steady clip after pretty much nipping covid-19 in the bud.
Like in the US, though, this is proving inflationary.
Chinese exports rose sharply in March and imports grew to the most in four years, suggesting improved global demand amid worldwide vaccination programs.
Bloomberg reports that after months of deflation (falling prices) China’s producer price index (PPI) rose 4.4% in March, the most since July 2018, as the cost of oil, copper and agricultural goods rallies. As the world’s biggest exporter, China’s rising prices threaten to stoke inflation around the world.
Moreover, research quoted by Bloomberg finds that China’s PPI has a strong correlation with CPI in the US.
“The higher-than-expected PPI data could impact people’s judgment of inflation pressure in the U.S. and globally, and this impact shouldn’t be underestimated,” says Raymond Yeung, chief economist for Greater China at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.
Manufacturing is expected to drive China’s economic growth going forward, with PPI increases possibly reach more than 7% in the next two to three months, according to a senior emerging markets economist at Commerzbank AG in Singapore.
Inflation numbers are often trotted out by economists and the financial media but what do they really mean?
A recent study by the Harvard Business School and Bloomberg Economics, warns of the difference between real inflation suffered by consumers, especially the poorest, and official CPI statistics.
Economist and fund manager Daniel Lacalle points out that in Europe, the official calculation of CPI and the basket of goods used, fail to reflect the real increase in the cost of living:
According to Eurostat, the average house price and rent index has risen significantly above headline CPI, real wages, and real disposable income…
High inflation can furthermore be witnessed when it comes to the cost of education and healthcare. The prices of this have all increased more than the official CPI. The same is true for fresh food.
The same thing is happening in the US, where a Bloomberg Economics study showed that the expansionary monetary policy of the US central bank, which like the European Central Bank, hiked the prices of “non-replicable” (day to day) goods and services, amounted in many cases to two to three times the official inflation rate.
According to Lacalle, prices are rising not due to any external factors, but because of currency debasement which erodes purchasing power, as explained above.
Why should anybody care? Because rising prices of essential goods can lead to social unrest — think of the “yellow jacket” protests in the Eurozone against the increased cost of living, or the bread riots in Egypt during the Arab Spring.
Lacalle says the biggest risk is that inflation overshoots estimates, while central banks are unable to stop their current money-printing policies (quantitative easing), because only a few percentage points yield increase would cause a massive debt crisis for insolvent governments…
To conclude: the ECB and central banks should stop ignoring the effect fiat currency debasement has on the cost-of-living, because if current policies continue, things will only get worse, which may lead to significant social unrest and discontent.
Loss of purchasing power
We know from a previous article that the purchasing power of most Americans earning wages or collecting a salary, has stagnated over the past four decades.
This is all down to inflation and the inability of fiat currencies to protect against it.
US wages have failed to keep up with the price of goods, ie., the rate of inflation. The wage and salary earner is literally getting screwed every day because the value of the dollar is being devalued by a fractionally small amount. Over time, however, the diminished value is huge.
Consider: In the US there was an increase in inflation for every decade except the Depression when prices shrunk nearly 20%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index indicates that between 1860 and 2015, the dollar experienced 2.6% inflation every year, meaning that $1 in 1860 was equivalent to $27.80 in 2015. The dollar has lost 90% of its purchasing power since 1950.
A comparison between using gold versus dollars to buy a basket of breakfast groceries — milk, eggs, bread and bacon, and the gas to go get them — is illustrative.
Milk: $1.32 per gallon
Eggs: 60¢ per dozen
Bacon: 85¢ – 95¢ per pound
Gasoline: 36¢ a gallon
Milk: $3.36 per gallon
Eggs: $1.59 per dozen
Bacon: $5.77 per pound
Gasoline: $2.55 a gallon
Selling an ounce of gold in 2021 would give you about $1,750 — a 50X increase over the $35/oz gold in 1970. Obviously $1,750 buys a hell of a lot more breakfast groceries than $35 — you could probably feed an entire football team, including coaches and trainers, with everybody coming up for seconds.
The point is a grocery shopper using gold as a currency rather than dollars in 2021 would see a 50-fold increase in their purchasing power.
The shopper using dollars by contrast loses about 40% of their purchasing power because the prices of their grocery items have at least doubled or in the case of bacon quintupled. The 35 dollars can feed 40% less people than in 1970. If they had kept that same ounce of gold and cashed it in 51 years later, they could feed 50 times as many people.
Which has been the better store of value, dollars, or gold? Obviously, it is gold — the only true safe haven that protects the holder against rampant inflation caused by money-printing.
The actual inflation rate is well beyond the Fed’s 2% target, and we’re not talking about core inflation which strips out food and energy “because they’re too volatile” which is ridiculous.
Anyone who buys groceries and gas is seeing their purchasing power eroded on a daily basis due to inflation, and this inflation is usually not counted in official government statistics.
The US inflation rate has already doubled within a matter of months and is likely heading to 3% by June. In China a strong economy coming out of the pandemic has already pushed its producer price index up the highest in three years. Rising prices in the world’s biggest exporter threaten to stoke inflation around the world.
There is a strong correlation between China’s PPI and the US CPI.
Inflation may not seem like such a big deal now, but once it gets into a demand-fueled, supply-constrained economy (like currently), it can be tough to tame.
The last big bout of inflation the US experienced was in the 1970s. During the first quarter of 1973, consumer prices skyrocketed by nearly 30%, farm prices climbed 52% (red meat prices shot up 90%) and the cost of home heating nearly doubled.
Recent talk of a new commodities super-cycle is reminiscent of 1973, when demand outstripped supply, sending the prices of foodstuffs, minerals and petroleum to the moon. By the summer of 1973, the inflation rate had reached 11%.
And there is another eery parallel investors should pay attention to. In ’73, recalls the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. was coming off a two-year experiment in wage and price controls, which artificially depressed prices and muted signals that the economy was overheating. Then, too, the Fed pursued an easy-money policy, keeping interest rates low…
In 2021 we’re emerging from the pandemic shutdown, which cratered growth and slammed the economy—depressing price pressures, not unlike what the price-control program did 50 years ago. Today’s Fed policies are even more expansive. And Congress has just enacted a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill—on top of earlier relief bills costing another nearly $2 trillion, a lot of which remains unspent and will continue to fuel demand this year and beyond.
In 1980 the Fed under Paul Volker, desperate to do something about the crushing inflation burden, suddenly raised interest rates to nearly 20%. The rise in prices was halted, but at the cost of a serious recession.
The current Fed says it has no plans to raise interest rates, but if inflation moves beyond 3%, maybe its 4% or 5%, will Jerome Powell remember the lessons of history and not do what the Fed did in 1980? ie. lift rates too fast and cause a recession?
There are disturbing signs a trap is being set, that the Fed could easily fall into. Again quoting form the Journal:
Does that mean that we’re doomed to repeat the earlier disaster? Today’s fiscal stimulus clearly dwarfs anything even considered in the 1970s. Moreover, there is a palpable excitement that Americans will finally be able to discard the shackles of Covid and spend the money they saved last year and the wages they’re starting to earn again. So demand is likely to soar.
As was the case 50 years ago, there are constraints on supplies: shipping delays are blocking deliveries; manufacturers can’t get parts to ramp up production; real-estate values are skyrocketing, while lumber shortages constrain home building; and most commodity prices are rising precipitously. Experts reassure us that the annual inflation rate will rise only to about 2%. We hope they’re right, but when demand increases faster than supply, prices tend to go up.
Regarding interest rate hikes — the common cure for inflation — one difference between now and then, is that the Fed is constrained by a runaway national debt, currently sitting at a mind-boggling $28 trillion.
(other countries are just as guilty of piling up debt and kicking the can down the road as far as getting a handle on it. Its estimated the global debt is the equivalent of $284 trillion, representing 355% of global GDP. Simply put, that means $3.55 of debt is required for every dollar of GDP output.
The US government only brings in $3.5 trillion a year yet it must pay interest on the $28 trillion debt and pay bondholders their interest when the bonds reach maturity. We know the debt is going to increase this year and likely for the next three. It is obvious to anyone looking at this that the government cannot afford this debt, nor does it have any intention of paying it back.
The only reason the government can get away with it, whereas a business or private citizen could not, is because it owns a money printing press and controls interest rates.
The more money they print, the less the average American (or Canadian, it is the same in Canada) can buy.
Wages cannot keep up with how fast the federal government has, through excessively adding to the money supply (with newly printed money) or borrowing it to pay for spending programs, been devaluing the dollar.
Sooner or later people must realize that with all the money-printing that goes along with the tax and spend Biden administration, combined with runaway growth due to economies coming out of the pandemic, we are going to be struck by a major bout of inflation.
Over time, as we showed in the ‘One Dollar’ chart above, inflation erodes the purchasing power of fiat currencies and eventually they become worthless.
Will it become like the ‘70s? Hopefully not, but who knows? How can you protect yourself just in case? If you’re parking your money in any fiat currency, know that eventually the value of your investment will decline, through continued money-printing by politicians that must spend (and print) to survive, whether it’s spending on wars, pork-barrel politics, covid-19 relief programs or multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure buildouts.
A dollar today is worth 99 cents tomorrow and 98 cents the day after; history proves it. That’s what happens when you save in paper money not backed by gold.
Since 1972 gold has gone from $35 to $1,750. That’s the power of precious metals. Which is why I refuse to deposit cash into a money-losing savings account. In my opinion the coming inflation and soaring global debt levels all but guarantee another gold run is on its way.
Quality junior resource stocks have historically offered excellent leverage to rising precious metals prices. I believe they will do so this time as well.
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A new record for the sale of a popular music manuscript has been set. The record setting song? Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”.
The manuscript sold for over $2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.
The seller is a fan living in California who bought the manuscript directly from Dylan.
The previous record for a popular music manuscript was held by John Lennon’s “A Day in the Life”, from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. That document sold for $1.2 million.

domain: news


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Comment Neelie (Kroes)
Making speeches talk
[...] I'm pleased that July's announcement is already directly resulting in new investment. I know because I see many operators, including alternative operators, have announced it. And it was also recently confirmed to me by the EIB's President: he reports a 20-25% increase in investment in the sector since July. So we're already seeing the effect of the announcement.


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That includes loyalty missions.
Previews for Bioware’s Mass Effect: Andromeda are starting to emerge along with the recent gameplay series video that highlights profiles, favourites and your new squad-mates. However, in an interesting little twist, it seems that a large amount of the quests will be available even after the main story is finished.
This is according to lead designer Ian Frazier when he spoke to PC Gamer. Speaking about time-sensitive quests, Frazier said, “There’s nothing that’s explicitly time-sensitive, but there are two things that are kind of in that vein. One is, there’s a handful of quests that if you finish the main story, are no longer accessible.
“But it’s a pretty small percentage. But the vast majority of the game, including the loyalty missions, Mass Effect 2 style, you can do even after you finish the main story. Most parts are still open.”
Mass Effect: Andromeda is out on March 21st for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.


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The 2018 edition of Hestival, an open city festival in Heist-op-den-berg in Belgium, took place the 25th of August.
Lighting designer Tibo Spiessens used Capture to draw the plans and patch reports for as well as previsualize the show.
In a first of a series of webcast focusing on console connectivity we will be taking a look at connecting Capture to Avolites' Titan.
The webcast will be broadcasted on our Facebook page on Monday the 8th of October at 20:00 CEST.
SGM Germany's New Talents Award gives young and inexperienced lighting designers the opportunity to have their work judged by a top-class jury led by lighting designer legend Jerry Appelt and compete for recognition and attractive prices, including a Capture 2018 Symphony Edition!
The PLASA show 2018 opens its doors on Sunday the 16th in the National Hall of London Olympia, UK.
Capture will be represented by White Light at stand L50 where our Technical Director Lars Wernlund will be available alongside the White Light staff to answer any Capture questions you might have!


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As a business owner, I know firsthand how tough it is to keep up with easy-to-exploit “pro-consumer” laws.
By Edward Medina, Special to CalMatters
Edward Medina is the owner of Ramona’s Mexican Food, a chain of restaurants in Los Angeles County. He lives in Hacienda Heights.
California small businesses are still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, but we shouldn’t be. Every day, more Americans are vaccinated and more businesses are opening up, yet small business owners continue to suffer unnecessary hardship.
Across the country, the states that are getting back to normal the quickest are those that prioritized protecting businesses from lawsuits that could put them under, while they were already vulnerable from reduced business during the worst of the pandemic. The leaders of those states know that small businesses are the backbone of the economy and responsible for providing services to local communities while supporting families through good paying jobs.
In California, however, we are forced to fight two battles – fending off unfair COVID-19-related lawsuits on one hand, while trying to keep up with expensive and changing public health guidelines on the other. For small business owners this means less money to pay bills and bring employees back to work. And it could very well be the straw that breaks the back’s for many businesses that have worked hard to stay open.
If this wasn’t bad enough, California already had one of the worst legal climates in the country. As a business owner, I know firsthand how tough it is to keep up with the legal loopholes and easy-to-exploit “pro-consumer” laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act standards that take advantage of well-meaning and inclusive businesses to deliver paydays to lawyers who are able to trip us up. We are in the business of matching customers with the goods and services they want, but we can’t do that to the best of our ability with these legal hurdles.
To make matters worse, California’s legal climate actually hurts the consumers it intends to help. When we cannot invest in our own businesses or afford to defend ourselves, prices go up for patrons, and workforces shrink. That makes for a lose-lose situation. How is this putting consumers and hardworking Californians first?
And to cap it off, California’s misguided legal climate hurts minority communities the most. Those of us whose businesses survived the pandemic are being counted on by our local communities to hire employees like other states are doing, but we cannot. There is a lot of talk about California being inclusive and pro-consumer, but we are left with more unemployed minorities and struggling businesses than many other states. It makes no sense.
Our leaders need to listen to reason and help protect hard-working Californians against damaging lawsuits. There is no justification for putting more hurdles in our path to economic recovery, especially given how tough things have been over the past year. The time is now to work hand in hand with the private sector to get more people back to work and start fixing the legal loopholes that have held us back for so long.


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HELENA — With summer around the corner, that leaves Montana drivers with a couple more weeks to remove studded tires from vehicles.
“We've been very busy, but we've been very busy for two months,” said Nick Fox, co-owner of Point S J&J. ”We do our best to make sure we can get people worked in the proper amount of time so they could get t studs off before the legal date has passed.”
According to the Montana Department of Transportation, drivers have until May 31 to remove studded tires from their vehicles.
Leaving studded tires on past the removal date can result in a $25 fine, and it can also wear the tires out faster. In dry summer months, studded tires can easily spark a fire.
The cost to remove studded tires varies depending on where you go. Some tire companies might swap out tires for free if you purchase new tires from them.
“It's going to stay busy for the remainder of May here, so yeah, we got quite a few tires still in storage that we have to install for our customers,” said Fox.


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For Jürgen E. Schrempp, Mitsubishi Motors was the last brick in a grand building project that created the first truly global car company -- uniting Germany's aristocratic Mercedes-Benz with the mass-market Chrysler and Japan's scrappy Mitsubishi.
Now, Mitsubishi has become the first brick to tumble out of DaimlerChrysler's facade, and analysts, investors and competitors are asking whether its collapse will pull down the whole edifice.
Even Mr. Schrempp's hold on the chief executive's job at DaimlerChrysler seems shaky in the wake of his company's unexpected refusal to aid a bailout of the financially troubled Mitsubishi.
''It's a huge setback,'' said Arndt Ellinghorst, an automotive analyst with Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in Frankfurt. ''It shows that being global isn't an asset after all. Their strategy just didn't work.''
With Chrysler bleeding money in the United States, and Mercedes sputtering because of quality problems -- a fact some critics attribute to the financial drain of its American sister -- the pillars of the 1998 merger that created DaimlerChrysler are crumbling, one after the other.
Mitsubishi is more than the cornerstone of DaimlerChrysler's presence in Asia. It is also a test bed for Mr. Schrempp's vision of an auto giant that cuts costs by sharing parts and product development across continents. Mitsubishi is collaborating on a range of small and midsize models with Chrysler, as well as on pint-sized vehicles with the Smart division of Mercedes.
DaimlerChrysler said on Friday that it would hold on to its 37 percent stake in Mitsubishi for now, though its position is likely to be diluted radically if Mitsubishi's Japanese shareholders devise another bailout plan. It also insisted the two sides would keep working together.
''Some of our partners in the Mitsubishi Group may be disappointed,'' Manfred Gentz, the chief financial officer of DaimlerChrysler, said in a conference call with analysts and reporters. ''I would say we are all rational business people, and should come together again.''
Analysts agreed that Mitsubishi would probably try to preserve its ventures with DaimlerChrysler -- provided the Japanese company stays in business. Mitsubishi's Japanese shareholders, stung by the news of their German partner's defection, offered a general pledge of support for the ailing company.
But most outsiders were skeptical that DaimlerChrysler would remain a shareholder in Mitsubishi for long.
Mr. Gentz conceded that the company's ambitious Asian strategy was in tatters. DaimlerChrysler's alliance with Hyundai Motor of South Korea, in which it owns a 10.5 percent stake, is also at risk of unraveling after disputes over various issues, including Daimler's entry into China.
In a sign of the disarray, Mr. Gentz said it was too early to say how the company might rebuild its presence in the region, which, taking China into account, is the fastest-growing car market in world.
Mr. Schrempp, the architect of DaimlerChrysler's strategy, did not even speak on the call, angering some analysts, who have become impatient with the company. He was flying to Beijing to attend a meeting of his international advisory board, people at the company said.
Shares of DaimlerChrysler surged 5.7 percent in Frankfurt on Friday, as investors expressed relief that the company would not pour more money into Mitsubishi -- an investment that has already cost it more than $2.5 billion since 2000, and could have cost another $3 billion to bail out.
Mr. Ellinghorst said the frenzied trading also reflected expectations that the announcement could lead to a reshuffling of DaimlerChrysler's senior executives, perhaps including Mr. Schrempp.


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The National Assembly will debate two clashing Bills seeking to reorganise the tea industry. One Bill seeks to have Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) as the utmost regulator of the industry, while the other sponsored by Kericho Senator Aron Cheruiyot is pushing for a similar job done by a new Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA).
They, however, agree on the taking away of the role of tea regulation from Agriculture and Food Authority so that the industry can be reorganised.
In the Bill sponsored by Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo, the legislator is pushing for KTDA to be made a parastatal to revert to its old status as industry regulator.
“The Bill is coming up for debate soon and if passed it will completely change the sector. Tea is one of the leading income earners in the country, but it has been neglected and overburdened by levies,” said Odhiambo. The Bill also wants levies charged on the players in tea production done away with and Ad Valorem Levy reduced from one per cent to 0.75 per cent, in line with Section 10 of the Crop Act.
Currently, there are over 30 levies charged on tea value addition, making production expensive than in other countries.
- 1 Tea rakes in Sh120 billion on higher volumes
- 2 Tea prices drop amid glut, Covid
- 3 Court dismisses State's bid to be enjoined in Tea Act suit
- 4 Uproar after Mohammed Ali walks into chambers with a gun
A task force report on the tea industry commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2016 to look into how to improve tea farmers’ earnings sides with Cheruiyot Bill on restructuring KTDA.
The Bill has already been passed by the Senate and forwarded to the National Assembly.
The task force, chaired by Kagiri Kamatu, also agreed with the Odhiambo Bill on reduction of levies.
Odhiambo wants farmers to maximise their production and reduce their operational costs to ratio target of 75:25 through production of best quality tea including establishment of common user blending and packaging facility.
Senator Cheruiyot seeks to hand the regulatory responsibility of the sector to TBK, which will register and regulate the operations of tea growers and processors. “We want to have the sector streamlined, it is replete with brokers and cartels; we want to do away with farmers suffering,” said Cheruiyot. The registration will include commercial tea nurseries and green leaf transporters, license tea dealers and processors.
While the two Bills agree on value addition and expanding and developing new markets for tea to increase income to especially small scale farmers, they differ on liberalisation of the industry.
Kenya is the third leading producer of black tea in the world, accounting for about 10 per cent of total world tea production. However, Kenyan farmers who are spread in over 21 counties, continue to receive a disproportionate return for the resources and time they put in tea production.


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which can be spent on the Internet or converted to your local money.
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CARIBBEAN a CRYPTO HUB - Understand why BITCOIN CASH may succeed BIG in ST KITTS
For many, the Bitcoin Cash Conference in St Kitts and Nevis and the announcements & developments achieved there may be new to them but, the entire Caribbean region has been embracing blockchain technology and alternative payments to the Caribbean dollar for years.
The Caribbean is a wonderful region, with plenty of charm for those who visit it with countless tourist attractions but also with an appetite for innovation in the crypto field and home to cryptocurrency-related ventures.
A clear example of this is the launch of the first centralized digital currency, the CBDC dominated, the BAHAMIAN SAND DOLLAR, that is a version of the Bahamian Fiat Dollar issued by the Central Bank using blockchain technology.
Many countries in the region have governments that encourage entrepreneurs to develop projects related to Blockchain, which provides great opportunities for those who decide to venture into this field. Furthermore, many exchanges have found a favorable home in the Caribbean (eg the collapsed FTX in the Bahamas).
In ST KITTS and Nevis for example, the government encourages CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT in which, in partnership with Real State project developers, they provide foreigners with a second citizenship. And not only that, the government has the ambition to make Bitcoin Cash a circular currency in the economy by promoting its as LEGAL TENDER in March 2023.
The Caribbean is gradually establishing itself as a future major player in the blockchain field, which leads investors and economic policy makers to bet big on the region.
As I mentioned above, the Caribbean is the region where the first CBDC currency was launched, in the Bahamas, and also facilitates payments in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin Cash for products and services in the regions of ST KITTS and Nevis, Antigua, Barbados and others.
The Caribbean tourism organization (CTO) has signed an agreement with Bitt inc, a Barbados-based Blockchain business that develops services and products for the tourism industry where payments can be made using cryptocurrencies, making currencies such as Bitcoin Cash a means of viable payment for tourism in the region.
Last year, 2021, the Caribbean region made the announcement that legitimized the launch of DCASH , the Caribbean digital dollar, which came into commercial use in March. The currency is a national currency and has the central bank (ECCB) as legislator making the currency the first pegged stablecoin with Fiat extolling the use of blockchain technology.
Due to its composure, the Caribbean attracts investments in crypto technology, one example being CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT in ST Kitts, which provides for the acquisition of condominiums using Bitcoin Cash. This movement also ensures that there is regulation inherent to the subject.
In Bermuda, Taxes from crypto investment are not collected by the government.
The government tirelessly promotes blockchain technology by encouraging its use in institutions and provided services where Tax can be incurred using some stablecoins based on the decentralized network.
The Cayman Islands, known as the world's tax haven, have subsidized rates for Bitcoin. It does not charge taxes on corporate deals or on earnings acquired by residents who trade using cryptocurrencies.
Despite the region having an insatiable appetite for modern and more attractive means of payment, the Caribbean has a structure created to deal with COMPLIANCE called CRCA , CARIBBEAN REGIONAL COMPLIANCE ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE.
CRCA's mission is to explore legal mechanisms to combat anti-money laundering, anti bribery and corruption and other compliances.
In short, the Caribbean is a fantastic region for large-scale Bitcoin Cash adoption. It is a zone that allows projects to develop the economy in Peer to peer cryptocurrencies.
Governments are supportive for the crypto industry on payments for products and services. Exchanges like Huobi Global intend to relocate in the Caribbean as they find a super crypto friendly region to expand their business.
In ST KITTS and Nevis & Sint Maarten there are more and more businesses related to Bitcoin Cash, they accept the currency as a means of payment or serve to make real estate investments. Hotels, convenience stores, gas stations, taxis and more businesses accept the currency which led the government to plan make the currency a LEGAL TENDER.
The conditions to make Bitcoin Cash a viable means of payment in the Caribbean may just be starting in St Kitts or even St Maarten but gradually it could reach other regions of the Caribbean as the territory allows it and is crypto friendly.
The Bitcoin Cash conference was a clear demonstration of the power that the currency has and that it may conquer even other territories in the interior of the Caribbean that can also be adopted as a means of payment or viable investment for undertakings and create job opportunities using an economy Circular.


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When it comes to vehicle maintenance, tires are one of the most important features drivers must pay attention to. Whether it's dealing with tire alignment or inflating to the correct pressure, drivers who ignore their tires can cost themselves financially and may endanger themselves on the road as well. Nissan recently unveiled a new system that will make tire maintenance a bit easier for their owners, according to Autoblog.
The federal government has mandated tire pressure monitoring systems as standard equipment on all vehicles. These systems alert drivers when the tires on their car are getting a bit low in air pressure, which is one of the key causes of flats. However, many customers do not know exactly how to inflate their tires once they're low. Nissan is going a step further.
Rather than trusting customers to rely on tire pressure monitoring gauges, the automaker has developed a new system for its vehicles that can tell when a tire is being inflated. The system will automatically honk the horn when the driver has hit the correct pressure, so there's no risk of over- or under-inflating.
The system will make its debut on the 2013 Altima, but the Japanese automaker hopes to expand it to all cars in the future.


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A few days back, AMD officially delayed the 16-core 32- thread Ryzen 9 3950X to November which was previously expected to be released this month. The announcement did come as a surprise since only a couple of days earlier, an image of the 3950X had made its way to Reddit. AMD stated rather vaguely that the company wanted to meet the huge demand of the first 16-core mainstream CPU without going into more detail.
A new report by Digitimes, however, claims that the Ryzen 9 3950X is facing boosting issues in its current state and the chip is exhibiting "unsatisfactory clock speeds". This could be accurate as the majority of the Ryzen 3000 series chips, at least initially, failed to ramp up to their advertised boost speeds. Famous overclocking guru "der8auer" conducted a survey which showed that a lot of the participants' chips weren't hitting the advertised boosts.
The problem was later acknowledged by AMD and the company released a firmware update dubbed AGESA 1003ABBA to fix the issue. Tests showed that the update seems to have fixed the clocking issue on the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X and other third-gen chips. However, it is possible that this BIOS fix may not be working on the 16-core Ryzen 9 3950X forcing AMD to defer its launch by a couple of months.
Update: A previous version of the article incorrectly stated that AMD's Ryzen processors are quite notorious for running at lower speeds than advertised, this was removed since there is no proof for such a statement.


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Royal Caribbean Chairman shares a statement over coronavirus outbreak
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain appealed to the travel agent community to remain vigilant.
"The virus is something to be taken seriously, it is not a cause for panic. It ain't pretty. In fact, to use a technical term I learned in business school, it sucks," CEO Richard Fain said.
After reading enough of the endless media reports about Coronavirus, it's really easy to think that the world is coming to an end. Well, I have a spoiler alert: it's not. We're all spending time worrying, and that's natural, because we're in a storm, and when you're in the middle of a storm, it certainly feels like it'll never end. But as with most storms, it gets worse before it gets better, but it's hard to remember that this too shall pass. And while the virus is something to be taken seriously, it's not a cause for panic - not in a personal sense, and not in a business sense either," he added.
Maritime Business World


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Online Data Security Concept Illustration with Padlock Icons, Cyber Background and Circuit Board Elements. Internet Security Technologies.
SiteGroundone of the leading independent hosting providers, has enriched its service by introducing a new level of protection for websites. The provider, in fact, has announced the debut of Site Scannera service intended to play a leading role in guaranteeing adequate protection for companies and professionals.
SiteGround launches the new Site Scanner service to maximize website security
Thanks to Site Scanner it will be possible to start a daily and automatic file scanning also going to set a automatic quarantine for files that could be harmful. THEThe service introduced by SiteGround is also included in the Basic plan proposed by the company and aims to guarantee maximum website security. Thanks to this service, you can minimize the damage in the event of an attack by adding an extra level of protection to your site. The service that SiteGround makes available to website managers becomes, therefore, more and more complete and able to guarantee adequate protection against web threats.
Luca Rodino, SiteGround’s head of the Italian market, comments: “Security is a top concern for every website operator, and since its launch in 2011, our Site Scanner service has helped hundreds of thousands of customers protect themselves from hacking, data theft and damage. reputation through early detection of malicious software or files. Now, Site Scanner is further enriched thanks to the new Site Protect function and the introduction of a Premium plan, which offer additional security guarantees without ever forgetting navigability and usability of the site “.


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Smartwatch pioneer Pebble is laying off 25 percent of its staff amid increased financial concerns. This situation has been coming. Last year, we reported the company was in some trouble and had turned to debt funding and loans, as well as traditional investor cash, “in order to stay afloat.”
Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky told Tech Insider of the layoffs, which TechCrunch has verified with Pebble. Migicovsky also confirmed that his company had raised $28 million in debt and venture financing over the past eight months, in addition to a second wildly successful $20 million Kickstarter campaign. He blamed a more cautious outlook from VCs focused on tech as the primary reason for letting 40 of Pebble’s 120 employees go.
“We’ve definitely been careful this year as we plan our products. We got this money, but money is pretty tight these days,” he told the publication.
Pebble’s news comes amid challenging times for wearable device companies. Fitbit was initially championed as an industry leader after a promising public listing last year, but its stock has been battered in 2016.
Part of the problem is that smartwatches haven’t set the market alight. The category was seen as heralding much potential, thanks in a large way to Pebble’s sudden arrival, but no company has created a watch that has truly wowed and won the market. Essentially they are seen as nice-have-to-have gadgets, which makes selling them to mainstream consumers challenging.
Apple has probably come the closest to cracking this conundrum, and it just cut the price of its own smartwatch, which now starts at $299 rather than $350, prompting some to suggest that it isn’t selling as well as hoped. However, the company has never revealed sales figures and this cut is actually a smart move that’s in line with previous Apple product pricing.
Competition is pretty fierce these days, and Pebble is rivaled by Apple, Samsung, Motorola, LG and others, but its products sit at the lower end of the scale, ranging from $50 to $299. Pebble was the first to really push the genre, bursting on the scene in 2012 via a (then-record)$10 million crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, but with increased numbers of competitors targeting what is still a niche consumer market, business is tough. And, crucially for Pebble, it doesn’t have a smartphone unit or other businesses to fall back on to offset the cost of running a smartwatch business. Its other rivals do.
Your AirPods Are Getting Another Firmware UpdateFebruary 15, 2024
You Can Now Upgrade Your AirPods Pro to USB-CDecember 13, 2023
There’s More to Apple’s New AirPods Pro Than Just USB-CSeptember 15, 2023


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The big news last month in the pharma world was when Glaxo decided to stop paying doctors to promote drugs and stopped tying compensation of pharma sales people with the number of prescriptions a doctor writes. Here’s an excerpt from a New York Times article:
The British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline will no longer pay doctors to promote its products and will stop tying compensation of sales representatives to the number of prescriptions doctors write, its chief executive said Monday, effectively ending two common industry practices that critics have long assailed as troublesome conflicts of interest.
This is a move that many people will applaud. Although, I wonder if there’s not a lot more to this story than what it purports. Was this really an acknowledgement that paying doctors might influence what they say or were those techniques just not working as well as they use to work?
I’ve long seen pharma companies salivating over the possibility of providing their “education” right at the point of care in the middle of the prescribing process. This would usually be in the EHR software. In fact, the Free EHR companies have mostly made their business model around this idea. However, I have yet to see this business model really take off, but it will.
I wonder if this shift by Glaxo will present the right opportunity for EHR vendors to really engage pharma in this. I can assure you that the pharma companies still have the same goals. I just believe they have to consider new methods. Could EHR be the next method they use to communicate with the doctor?


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September 04, 2019
U.K. Digital-Only Banks on Track to Triple Customers to 35 Million in the Next 12 Months, Finds New Research From Accenture
Average deposit balance per customer increases fivefold but core business challenges remain
LONDON; Sept. 4, 2019 – Digital-only banks operating in the U.K. could amass a total of 35 million customers globally within the next 12 months — up from 13 million today — based on current growth rates, according to new research from Accenture (NYSE: ACN) which tracks the performance of UK digital banks. In the first six months of 2019 alone, five million people opened an account with a digital-only bank.
Digital-only banks are accelerating customer acquisition at a current growth rate of 170% as they launch new products, widen their customer base beyond millennials and expand into new markets. A number have cited that their average customer is aged around the mid-40s, and many reside outside of London. These players have also increased the average deposit balance fivefold from around £70 to £350 per customer in the first half of 2019.
Digital-only banks are also reaping the rewards of improving the customer experience as they gain an average Net Promoter Score of 62 compared to just 19 for traditional banks. They also retain a significant cost advantage with the average operating cost per customer at £20 to £50, compared to over £170 for a traditional bank.
Tom Merry, managing director at Accenture Strategy, said: “While digital-only banks are popular, they are not yet universally profitable and customer acquisition alone does not guarantee long-term success or competitive agility. These banks evidently show great promise. They have been a catalyst for positive change in banking, but there are deeper issues that need to be addressed as they scale.”
Challenges impacting digital-only banks include the reality that the majority are still not profitable and are on average losing £9 per customer. Account switching remains low across the industry and while digital-only banks are now gaining primary account customers and larger balances, the pace of growth is slow. Regulatory hurdles may grow in response to governance and control issues these banks face as they scale, which could impact consumer trust at a time when trust in traditional banks is increasing.
While digital-only banks gain momentum, traditional banks remain the preferred primary account holder for most consumers. Furthermore, incumbent banks are investing heavily in digital to provide a better experience for customers, with an initial focus on transforming their existing infrastructure, and several are launching their own new digital banks.
“Core challenges in terms of balance sheet scale and funding, risk management and compliance cast some doubt over whether convenience, customer experience and the cost advantages of digital-only banks are enough to ensure long-term success. It remains to be seen whether there will be a radical overhaul of the banking industry as a result of these new entrants, or simply a continued evolution,” concluded Merry.
Accenture analysed market data from a representative sample of 30 UK banks. All data has been sourced from publicly available information, including financial reports and media publications. Data is accurate at the time of publication. Growth rates for digital banks were calculated using a 12-month average between H1 2018 and H1 2019.
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 482,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
Accenture Strategy combines deep industry expertise, advanced analytics capabilities and human-led design methodologies that enable clients to act with speed and confidence. By identifying clear, actionable paths to accelerate competitive agility, Accenture Strategy helps leaders in the C-suite envision and execute strategies that drive growth in the face of digital transformation. For more information, follow @AccentureStrat or visit www.accenture.com/strategy.
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THE BUSTLING streets of Stratford town centre are merry and bright once again.
Hundreds gathered to enjoy the much-awaited Christmas light switch-on event, cancelled last year due to Covid.
Over 200 motifs and strings of fairy lights, courtesy of The Stratford Lights Company, will illuminate the town centre until January 6.
And The Shakespeare Hospice Tree of Light once again serves as the dazzling centrepiece on the Bridge Street roundabout – with each light sponsored in memory of someone’s loved one.
The countdown event precedes the popular Victorian Christmas Market which, for the first time, will take place for four days from Thursday 9 December to Sunday.
Some 300 stalls from local makers, producers and traders will offer up a variety of gifts and crafts, street food and tipples.
And entertainment will be provided from a plethora of street and staged entertainment.
Stratford District Council’s tourism spokesman Matt Jennings said: “It’s such a popular event and has something for all the family to enjoy – the whole town is going to be a hive of activity and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone over the four days. It’s a lovely way to celebrate the season and get into the festive spirit.”
Visit www.stratford.gov.uk/markets/stratford-upon-avon-victorian-christmas-market.cfm for more information including access and road closures.
All pictures taken by Con McHugh.


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February 22, 2012
Genus sets sights for Asian livestock sector
Genus has serious consideration about opportunities in the livestock sectors of developing countries, in particular China's pig industry, as the animal genetics group unveiled a 27% increase in profits, boosted by growth within Asia.
Karim Bitar, appointed Genus chief executive in September, said that the early results of a strategic review he implemented had revealed "very significant" opportunities for supporting livestock farmers' efforts to boost productivity, in the face of "fine land, water and energy resources".
"The opportunity to perform this role in the pork, beef and dairy markets is very significant indeed, especially in developing markets in general and the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in particular," Bitar said.
The pig genetics market in China was "at an inflection point", he said, stressing that Genus should "act promptly to take full advantage" of opportunities, "and as a result, accelerate the long-term growth that the group is able to achieve".
The comments come the day after Mark Post, a Dutch stem cell scientist, highlighted the potential for a long-term squeeze in meat supplies in revealing that he had grown strips of muscle tissue in the laboratory, with the aim of creating the world's first "test-tube burger".
China's pork supplies in particular have come under scrutiny thanks to its growing appetite for the meat, which has cost the country its historic self-sufficiency.
Indeed, Chinese pork imports more than doubled, to 500,000 tonnes, between 2009 and 2011, according to US data.
The Chinese government has introduced a range of initiatives, from sow subsidies to income tax breaks, in an effort to help domestic producers, facing feed costs higher than other exporting countries, such as the US.
The Chinese hog industry is already by far the world's largest, accounting for some 60% of the world herd.
Its intensity was highlighted by an USDA report last week, which noted a density of nearly one hog per acre of cropland, compared with 0.2 hogs per acre in America.
China's swine market played a large part in doubling to GBP6.3 million (US$10 million) Genus's operating profits in Asia in the July-to-December half, on revenues up 57% at GBP26.3 million (US$42 million).
"In China, good progress was made in establishing relationships with major pig producersâ€¦ and profitability benefited from the high pig prices that prevailed for most of the period," the group said.
Other regions recorded slower growth, including Latin America, where profits growth was limited to 1.2% by the impact of export restrictions in Brazil, which prompted a pig market "oversupply", forcing down prices.
"With pig prices rising recently, we expect improved performance (in Brazil) in the second half."
In Europe, the continuing losses in a pig sector unable to pass on in full higher feed costs, prompted "weak" demand for Genus products, and driving regional operating profits 7.9% lower to GBP9.5 million (US$15 million).
The group said it had already revamped its German sales force "to address the weak market", and was considering "further restructuring in Europe".
Helped by the Asian growth, underlying group operating profits rose 22% to GBP23.3 million (US$37 million), on sales up 8.9% at GBP166.9 million (US$264 million).
The results were welcomed as "strong" by Panmure Gordon analyst, Graham Jones, who restated a "buy" recommendation on Genus shares, with a 1225p target.
The stock closed up 1.6% at 1127p in London.


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Americans have never had this many options in the beef aisle. That’s certainly what the offerings lining supermarket shelves would seem to suggest. And yet, behind the carefully branded facade of new packaged meats is a troubling reality: the illusion of choice.
Americans, as it turns out, have never had so few options in deciding what company makes their meat.
“The U.S. meat industry is more consolidated today than ever before,” said Christopher Leonard, author of “The Meat Racket.”
Indeed, the top four U.S. beef packers — Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill and National Beef — control almost 80 percent of the U.S. market, Leonard said. Fifty years ago, that number was 25 percent, the Census Bureau said.
A similar shift has played out in other U.S. industries. The soda industry, despite its many branded offerings, is locked up by two companies — Pepsi and Coca Cola, which control 72 percent of the market.
But meat is a different and more dangerous game. Consumers are increasingly concerned with how their meat is produced. That is borne from a demand for more humane practices — the meat industry’s malpractices are well documented — and from a heightened awareness about what people are consuming and the potential for large-scale contamination. Consolidation ultimately leaves shoppers with fewer options for where to buy their meat.
Last week, Tyson Foods won the bidding war with Pilgrim’s Pride in the food fight over Hillshire Brands. Tyson reportedly offered $7.7 billion — about $1 billion over its rival.
So why has the beef industry tended toward near monopolies? Because of a healthy appetite for just the kind of acquisition that Tyson is forging with Hillshire, which makes Jimmy Dean sausages, ballpark hot dogs, deli meats and lots of other popular, branded meat products.
“We want to buy this business for what it can become, not just for what it is now,” Tyson chief executive Donnie Smith told investors in a conference call.
What Hillshire can become is the latest vertical integration by the nation’s largest meat company. Unlike Tyson, which primarily packages the sort of unbranded meats sold in restaurants, cafeterias and supermarkets, Hillshire focuses on the end product — branded, value-added, packaged meats. Think pepperoni, sausage and hot dogs — most of which just happen to be made with Tyson’s, or one of its competitor’s, unbranded offerings.
Tyson has been gobbling up its meat suppliers, buyers and competitors for decades, and, in doing so, forcing other beef behemoths to do the same. Brazil-based meat packer JBS, the second-largest beef seller in the United States, churns out 3.3 million pounds of supermarket-ready meat each day.
“Companies like Tyson are swallowing up all the independent brands,” Leonard said. “It’s not only true of beef, but poultry, too.” Tyson, mind you, was the king of chicken before it moved on to American beef. That appetite began in earnest in the late 1970s, and has largely shaped the American meat landscape. It’s why today, more than ever before, choice in the meat aisle is merely an illusion.


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Mike Keown joined Farmer Brothers in 2012, as President and Chief Executive Officer. It was "Tell Day" for Mr. Keown, the day that he would inform 350 employees that his century-old coffee company - and most of their jobs - would leave Torrance, California, for another city two time zones away. The CEO of Farmer Brothers couldn't sleep, as questions lingered: Is this the right decision? What about our longtime employees?
From finding a location to announcing the move, executing it and staving off a proxy challenge, the decision impacted every facet of the coffee roaster and distributor's operations, including the bottom line. This is a unique chance to go behind the scenes of Farmer Brothers' relocation and hear Mr. Keown, a longtime food and beverage executive, offer his thoughts on his latest $10.8 million acquisition, the new company headquarters and why he chose to call Dallas-Fort Worth home.


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Last week, the price of bitcoin overtook gold for the first time ever, but the cryptocurrency hasn’t stopped there.
The currency has risen further today – it was up $1,284.24 in afternoon trading.
Alan Davies, consultant at Altus, said he believes bitcoin will edge towards £3,000 by the end of the year.
“As more and more trade is taken up using bitcoin as the transaction medium, the then value of bitcoin rises to equal that trade.
“The normal way to stop this from having inflationary impact is for governments to control supply. However, governments cannot control the supply of bitcoin. Therefore, a continuous increase in the value of bitcoin is predicted,” Davies said, citing research by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Davies last year predicted bitcoin would top the price of gold.
The cryptocurrency has already had a tumultuous year in 2017 as fears the Chinese government was moving to outlaw it dampened investor interest.
But now the currency’s price is growing rapidly as investors speculate over whether the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will approve one of three bitcoin-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
The deadline for the decision is set for 11 March.


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Nielsen said online ad spending rose 35% in the Middle East and Africa.
Online ad spending continued to grow in the first quarter of 2012, with significant rises across all parts of the globe, according to Nielsen's quarterly global AdView Pulse report. In particular, the Middle East and Africa enjoyed 35.2 percent growth, while Latin America saw a 31.8 percent rise compared to the previous year. Europe has also grown by 12.1 percent.
The report also found that although TV continues to attract a large proportion of advertising dollars, Internet advertising has seen the biggest increase with advertisers spending 12.1 percent more in the first quarter of 2012, than they did in Q1 2011.
Radio has also seen an increase in ad spending globally, including a 2.6 percent increase in North America and 2.8 percent in Europe. In emerging markets such as Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa, there was a substantial rise with 18 percent, and 21.1 percent growth respectively.
Conversely, print ad spending in magazines declined since the previous comparable year, specifically in the US. Newspapers however have seen growth with a 3.1 percent increase.
On the heels of a fantastic event in New York City, ClickZ Live is taking the fun and learning to Toronto, June 23-25. With over 15 years' experience delivering industry-leading events, ClickZ Live offers an action-packed, educationally-focused agenda covering all aspects of digital marketing. Register today!
Want to learn more? Join us at ClickZ Live San Francisco, Aug 10-12!
Educating marketers for over 15 years, ClickZ Live brings together industry thought leaders from the largest brands and agencies to deliver the most advanced, educational digital marketing agenda. Register today and save $500!
Melanie White is the Editor of ClickZ, where she has worked since July 2012. White has been with Incisive Media (ClickZ's parent company) since 2009 where she was Deputy Editor/ US Editor for one of the financial risk management titles, International Custody and Fund Administration (later Custody Risk).
In addition, White worked on FX Week where she was a Senior Reporter. She has also worked and contributed to a number of other titles, including The Accountant, International Accounting Bulletin, the New York Post, Independent Magazine (UK), as well as the broadcast title Sunday Live with Adam Boulton at Sky News.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce
This Magic Quadrant examines leading digital commerce platforms that enable organizations to build digital commerce sites. These commerce platforms facilitate purchasing transactions over the Web, and support the creation and continuing development of an online relationship with a consumer.
Paid Search in the Mobile Era
Google reports that paid search ads are currently driving 40+ million calls per month. Cost per click is increasing, paid search budgets are growing, and mobile continues to dominate. It's time to revamp old search strategies, reimagine stale best practices, and add new layers data to your analytics.
June 10, 2015
12:00pm ET/9:00am PT


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The Markup: Each Facebook User is Monitored by Thousands of Companies
January 17, 2024
“This type of tracking which occurs entirely outside of the user’s view is just so far outside of what people expect when they use the internet,” Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told The Markup in an interview. Fitzgerald said that while users are likely aware that Meta knows what they are doing while they are on Facebook and Instagram, “they don’t expect Meta to know what stores they walk into or what news articles they’re reading or every site they visit online.”
Fitzgerald echoed these recommendations, saying the problem lies with the fact that the burden is on the consumer to take action to prevent this data collection. Even a “global opt-out” mechanism allowing users to avoid having their data shared is not enough because “that still requires the user to take an action to protect their privacy. A lot of people are not going to have the time or knowledge to do that,” said Fitzgerald.
Vazquez, Meta’s spokesperson, said the company would “continue to invest in data minimization technologies to keep up with evolving expectations. As we cover in our terms, businesses are responsible for getting permission to share people’s information with companies like ours.”
For now, the lack of a federal privacy law leaves consumers in most states with few options. “I think people should be encouraging their elected officials to pass privacy laws that require businesses to change some of these business practices to stop this ubiquitous tracking of our every click and every movement,” said Fitzgerald.
Read more here.


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Lynch said: “We have to look at licencing and franchising our intellectual know-how. That is something we are very mindful of. If you have something and you say how can you roll that out across the world, the quickest way is to go and licence somebody else to do it.”
In the short term IAWS, which last week announced a 21% increase in pre-tax profits, will concentrate on growing its bread business in Britain and America before looking to other parts of the world, especially the Pacific Rim.
Through its Cuisine de France and La Brea operations, IAWS is now supplying baked products to over 5,500 outlets across America.
Lynch said: “We’re not short of growth opportunities.There’s enough in the territories we are in today…


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Jul. 6, 2010
Sunnyvale, Calif. – July 6, 2010 – TeleNav, Inc. (Nasdaq:TNAV), one of the largest global wireless location-based services providers, today announced that it will release its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2010 financial results after the market closes on Thursday, July 29, 2010.
The company will host an investor conference call and live webcast at 2:00 p.m. PDT (5:00 p.m. EDT) on the same day. To access the conference call, dial 888-221-9466 or 913-312-6664 and enter pass code 5484800. The webcast will be accessible on TeleNav's investor relations website at http://investor.telenav.com/.
A replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after its completion and will be available through Tuesday, August 3, 5:00 p.m. PDT. To access the replay, please dial 888-203-1112 or 719-457-0820 and enter pass code 5484800.
TeleNav, Inc. is a leading provider of consumer location-based services (LBS), enterprise LBS and automotive LBS with more than 20 million paying subscribers as of December 31, 2010. TeleNav's solutions provide consumers, wireless service providers, enterprises and automakers with location-specific, real-time, personalized services such as GPS navigation, local search, mobile advertising, mobile commerce, location tracking and workflow automation. TeleNav's technology is available across more than 600 types of mobile phones, all major mobile phone operating systems and a broad range of wireless network protocols. TeleNav's service providers and partners include AT&T, Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, China Mobile, Cincinnati Bell, Ford Motor Company, NII Holdings, QNX Software Systems, Rogers, Sprint Nextel, Telcel, T-Mobile UK, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Vivo Brazil.Back to Press Release Index


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As part of this month’s Fortnitemares Halloween event, Fortnite will receive yet another special guest player skin: Sheriff Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead. Grimes will be joined by fellow TWD heroes Darryl Dixon and Michonne, who were previously added to Fortnite as playable characters last December to commemorate the ongoing hit AMC television series.
Fortnite has become one of gaming’s most popular crossover experiences in recent years, with playable skins of popular characters from a variety of video games, comic books, movies, and TV shows appearing in Epic’s massively successful battle royale shooter.
Travis Scott and Ariana Grande, both real-life celebrities, have joined in on the fun, hosting visually stunning virtual concerts in Fortnite to great effect. Meanwhile, back in July, rumors circulated that another Walking Dead character would be joining Darryl and Michonne in Fortnite, and this has now been confirmed just in time for Halloween.
According to PCGamesN, Fortnite’s official Twitter account has just confirmed that Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead is now available as a playable character skin for 1500 V-Bucks. A bundle of Walking Dead-themed gear, including a walker club, backpack, and even a fiery crashing satellite glider – as well as an alternate, jacket-wearing Rick Grimes skin – is available for a higher price of 1900 V-Bucks.
Also returning are the previously available Darryl Dixon and Michonne character and gear packs, which can be purchased separately or as part of a discounted bundle for 2500 V-Bucks. The new Rick Grimes content, on the other hand, will have to be purchased separately.
This new Walking Dead character skin, as previously stated, coincides with Fortnite’s month-long Fortnitemares event, an annual Halloween celebration that adds new monster-themed skins and events throughout October.
He’s shown us what it takes to go through all walks of life.. and afterlife.
Grab the Rick Grimes Outfit available now in the Shop! pic.twitter.com/Vhue31dKPh
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) October 10, 2021
The new Frankenstein’s Monster, Curdle Scream Leader, and Mummy skins, as well as the return of Fortnite’s Shortnitemares film festival, are among this year’s spooktacular festivities. Season 8’s attack on The Cubes, which began immediately after Season 7’s alien invasion, will also be continued in Fornitemares 2021.
Rick Grimes hasn’t been seen on The Walking Dead since Andrew Lincoln left in 2018, but he remains a popular and notable character among fans of both the show and the award-winning Image Comics series on which it is based, making him a great addition to Fortnite alongside his fellow survivors Darryl and Michonne. Starting today, players can enter the creepy battle royale as Rick, with even more frightful content likely to arrive in Fortnite as this month’s Fortnitemares event continues.


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With June being National LGBT Pride Month, you can show off your Pride and your best Disney Style with the all-new Rainbow Mickey Collection, just released on shopDisney. [Read more…]
The Disney Corner, a new two-story store full of princess and Minnie Mouse merchandise marketed towards women and girls, has opened at Disney Springs, just as large portions of the flagship World of Disney shop have closed for construction. [Read more…]
The Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort is continuing its entire transformation this year, with multiple new venues, refurbishments to retail and dining locations to be completed this year. [Read more…]
The signature Disney shopping destinations at the Anaheim and Orlando resorts will soon sport new looks, because the World of Disney stores at both Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort and in Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort will be redesigned starting in Feb. 2018. [Read more…]
Star Wars Force Friday is a special merchandise event that happens before the premieres of the new Star Wars trilogy films. During this special event, stores across the globe open at 12 a.m. to allow eager fans to be the first to get the new Star Wars clothing, toys, and collectibles.
For the next month, you can check off “meet a Disney princess” on your Disney Springs to-do list, thanks to a limited-time Princess Royal Reception set to debut at World of Disney on Saturday, October 1, 2016. [Read more…]


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Honda E:N series electrified cars go on sale next year in China first, with a total of 10 cars to be launched in the next five years and some models to be global
Tokyo, Japan – Honda has made its long-awaited announcement of a full lineup of production electrified vehicles, with the first debut of these new cars to be in China.
Most relevant and interesting to us in Singapore? The fact that Honda says “Honda is planning global exports of e:N Series models developed and produced in China to deliver new value to a greater number of customers around the world.”
That’s a reflection of the Chinese EV market as not just the biggest, but also a very competitive and dynamic one. There are more than 300 EV brands in China alone.
Honda has named its electrified cars the ‘e:N Series’ (which we will refer to as the E:N Series here). The first two E:N cars will debut in China as early as April 2022. E stands for E:Technology, Honda’s catchall term for its electrification tech, and N stands for’ New/Next’.
Shown here, they are named the E:NS 1 and E:NP 1. Honda has not released any further information on these two models – such as segment, size, or justification for the weird names – but from what they look like, at least one appears to be a fully-electric version of the third-gen HR-V.
Honda looks like its playing it very safe here with the BEVS – see the ‘spelt out’ logo, full width lightbar, and blanked off grille, all hallmarks of BEVs currently on the market.
That ties in with the other carmakers’ early forays into BEVs – make an electric version of a popular SUV because it simplifies packaging and encourages sales from a younger target audience. The Mercedes-Benz EQA, which just launched in Singapore, is an excellent case in point.
Further afield, E:N will have 10 models over the next five years, and by 2030, Honda will not have any new gasoline-only models on the markt.
three concept cars show where the brand will head next: The cars show an SUV, Coupe, and four-door GT. They display a unified design language with bold LED light signatures and angular aesthetics.
Behind the scenes, Honda will build these new vehicles in China with its joint venture partners GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda, both of whom will update their factories and lines to be ‘environmentally responsible’ plants. Honda will also ‘accelerate its collaboration’ with its battery partner, CATL.
Prior to this Honda’s battery electric vehicle efforts have been very limited – it, along with Toyota, have been behind the curve in fully-electric cars although both brands have a strong showing in hybrid technology. But with Toyota throwing its weight behind its new EV sub-brand BZ, and Honda now shifting gears, it looks like the slow weight of the EV pendulum is gaining unstoppable momentum.
At the same time, Honda also announced further measures to become a greener, safer automaker. Earlier, Honda announced a next-gen version of its Sensing driver assistance system, the Honda Sensing 360 omnidirectional ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) which will again kick off in China next year, and expand to all Hondas globally by 2030.
10 models by 2030 sounds impressive, but pretty much the rest of the car industry has already announced similar plans earlier. Whether Honda is on the back foot here or can catch up remains to be seen, as even Jaguar has plans to switch to no-gas-only by 2025.
CarBuyer’s print edition is now an all-new, shiny digital edition with interactive content, embedded videos and more – subscribe now!


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It has never been withheld that there is always a chance for the Galaxy S5 from Samsung to arrive in a Neo variant, ever since the previous generation flagship was released in 2014. However, despite having its fair share of rumors and leaks (even as recently as last month), the Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo has proven itself to be as elusive as a leprechaun or unicorn. Perhaps your luck is about to change, as hopes of a new S5 Neo model has been reignited thanks to a new Wi-Fi certification being spotted.
This particular leaked document shows off a Samsung-branded device that will carry the model number SM-G903F, which might eventually end up as the Galaxy S5 Neo. It would not be too far off the mark to think about a reboot of the previous year’s flagship, since it carries the now classic Samsung look, although the timing does feel a bit awkward.
The Wi-Fi certificate happens to be dated July 6,which means that something is not quite right since July 6 has come and gone, and there is nothing official from the South Korean conglomerate just yet. Rumored hardware specifications of the Galaxy S5 Neo include an Exynos 7580 SoC with 64-bit octa-core 1.6GHz CPU, a Mali-T720 GPU, a front-facing 5MP shooter, a 5.1” Super AMOLED display, 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal memory, a 16MP camera at the back, and 2,800 mAh battery.


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- General Motors filed a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Wednesday, alleging that “million of dollars in bribes” were paid to the United Auto Workers union.
- GM alleged that this racketeering scheme corrupted UAW labor agreements in 2009, 2011, and 2015.
- GM also alleged that the late FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne was a central figure in the bribery scheme.
- GM said the scheme was an attempt to influence a failed merger with GM in 2015.
- Sign up for Business Insider’s transportation newsletter, Shifting Gears, to get more stories like this in your inbox.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage read more >>>


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In the aftermath of Bloodshed at India-China border on 15th June, the demand to boycott China and Chinese Products is on rise in India. After India lost 20 of its brave hearts in a coward attack by Chinese Army on the night of 15th June, not only the people of India but also the Indian Government have vowed to boycott China and its products.
From cancelling various tenders of China based companies to boycotting the Chinese products locally, India is all set to learn China a lesson this time. Acting the same ground, the IPL Governing Council (GC) has also convened a meeting next week to “review various sponsorship deals” for the mega tournament.
VIVO, a China based mobile company, has been the title sponsor of World’s largest Cricket League since 2015. VIVO, first bagged the title Sponsorship for two years in 2015 and then again grabbed the sponsorship for five more years (2017-2022) by paying a hefty USD 341 million.
Apart from VIVO, IPL also has an official Umpires Partner in the form of Paytm, a mobile wallet company, who grabbed the rights for a period of 2018-22. Paytm, though, is an India-based company, it’s one of the main investors is Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce company.
Amid the tension on China Border, a late tweet from IPL’s official twitter handle, on Friday, cleared that the IPL GC is going to review the IPL sponsorship deals in upcoming meeting. However, BCCI did not disclose which ones are to be reviewed.
“Taking note of the border skirmish that resulted in the martyrdom of our brave jawans, the IPL Governing Council has convened a meeting next week to review IPL’s various sponsorship deals,” stated the tweet.
Earlier on Thursday, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal has quashed such reports by saying that Vivo would continue to be the sponsors as it’s the company who is paying us not we who are paying to the company. But he also cleared the point that Country comes first and if Government bans Chinese Companies, they will do away with the sponsorships from China.
“No, we have not decided anything on this. We need to understand the difference between helping Chinese company and their causes and taking support from Chinese companies to help India’s causes. If a Chinese company is taking money from Indian consumers and selling their phones and then India restrains them from taking that money to China and we pay taxes from it to the government, I am helping the Indian cause,” Dhumal had told Times Now.
“For us the country comes first, everything else is immaterial. In case the government decides we have to do away with the contract, we will do it the very next day. We will support our government officials they decide to ban, we as such don’t buy any products from China, but if and when the government decided to do away with sponsorship from China, BCCI will agree with that,” he added.


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Apple returned up to 8 million iPhones to Foxconn “due to appearance of substandard or dysfunctional problems.” This could cost Cupertino’s top manufacturer up to $1.6 billion, according to a report from China Business.
The report doesn’t mention specific problems with the handsets. Additionally, we don’t know which models were returned.
If the batch was made up of existing models, such as the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, this could eventually show up as a hole in Apple’s supply chain. However, if these defective models were in fact “iPhone 5S” models, Apple may be forced to delay the launch of its newest handset.
Foxconn reportedly began production of the iPhone 5S earlier this month. As of now, Apple is expected to announce the seventh-generation iPhone at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Sam Beebe
- The NFL Now channel arrives on the Apple TV
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- How long can you outrun the cops? Find out in Pako – Car Chase Simulator for iOS
- Multiplayer racing game Tiny Runners: BOOM! explodes with fun
This article originally published at AppAdvice here


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Consumer perceptions of eco-friendly packaging in Vietnam
The first study into eco-friendly food packaging in Vietnam will give manufacturers and marketers valuable insights into environmentally focused consumer perceptions and behaviours.
RMIT expands scholarships for disadvantaged students
RMIT University has tripled the number of Opportunity Scholarships available for disadvantaged students in 2020.
QS rankings by subject released
RMIT University was among the top Australian performers in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject released in March.
Public trust in authority is key to economic recovery from COVID-19, expert says
The current novel coronavirus - known officially as COVID-19 – has now been recorded in 110 countries (updated 11 March, 2020). Since the initial outbreak in December, the virus has continued to present the world with multiple challenges, including public health dangers and threats to the global economy.


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Eseye and Armis have agreed a deal that includes a partnership and a joint solution. It sees the two companies adding enterprise-class security and consistent, reliable cellular (4G/LTE/5G) connectivity.
As organisations deploy increasing numbers of connected devices, there is increased demand for the ubiquitous connectivity the deal targets.
Peter Doggart, Vice President of Business Development at Armis, said: “Together, the Armis and Eseye technologies create an industry-first synergy, delivering a secure and connected ecosystem for mobile devices across industries.
“As the supply chain continues to expand, this partnership lays the ultimate foundation for automation and digital transformation.”
What are Eseye and Armis offering?
Eseye already has deals with over 700 GSMA compliant carriers. Access to those carriers is through its Connectivity Management Platform. What it didn’t have, was a security offering to ensure that devices are protected when they connect.
Armis is filling that gap with its Agentless Device Security Platform. That this is an agentless solution is critical. Few IoT devices are capable of having agent technology installed on them. Additionally, the widescale management and updating of those devices would create a significant challenge.
Using the Armis agentless solution allows for security to be implemented at the network level. Armis provides device discovery, monitoring, and behavioural risk assessments. It allows it to identify any malicious traffic, such as a device that has been taken over as part of a botnet. It can remediate anomalous traffic, ensuring that they do not impact a network.
Nick Earle, CEO of Eseye, said: “Without the capability to install agents on cellular devices, updating the software and operating systems that manage connected devices is extremely difficult, leaving companies vulnerable to increased risk of attack.
“Our new partner, Armis, seamlessly integrates with Eseye, providing device inventory, risk assessment, threat detection, and response to make certain that global cellular connectivity is secure without requiring agents or deploying additional hardware or software.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean?
This is a good news announcement for both companies. Armis gets to expand the use of its tools and give its partners a wider market to sell into. At the same time, Eseye gains a critical level of security tooling that will make it more attractive to mobile operators. It will also enable Eseye to target large enterprise customers, which will increase revenue and reach. This was something that Earle called out when TELUS invested US$23.6M in Eseye earlier this year.
Enterprises are seeing an explosion of connected IoT and OT devices across their networks. Few of these are owned by IT and are therefore exempt from many of the existing cybersecurity tools in use. Combining Armis and Eseye and their partner networks provides a degree of security that IT departments cannot deliver.


text: NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Broadcom brcm slumped nearly 10% in pre-open trading after the maker of communications semiconductors reported late-Thursday second-quarter revenue that was in line with expectations, but provided a disappointing third-quarter outlook. The Irvine, Calif. company said revenue for the quarter ending June rose 56% to $941.1 million from last year's $604.9 million, vs. the average analyst estimate compiled by Thomson First Call of $941.8 million. The company said it could not report additional results for the quarter until equity reward reviews and audit procedures have been completed, and restated financial statements have been finalized. Analyst Arnab Chanda at Lehman Bros. said Broadcom "guided" third-quarter revenue expectations to about $900 million, vs. current consensus analyst projections of $984.8 million, due primarily to inventory corrections across nearly half of their businesses. The stock was last trading down 9.7% at $23.80 on Inet.


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Tiger Sugar — a Taiwanese chain that the internet loves thanks to its photogenic brown sugar boba tea — is making the next step in its Boston takeover, which was first announced back in January 2020. It’ll be opening a storefront at 14 Tyler St. in Chinatown on May 22 at 11 a.m. A couple months ago, Tiger Sugar made its first foray into Boston with the opening of its Allston shop at 181 Harvard St. The international chain, which was founded in 2017, has made headway into several other United States cities as well, including New York and Los Angeles.
Tiger Sugar’s best-known drink combines brown sugar syrup with milk and slow-cooked tapioca pearls, with the syrup leaving tiger-like stripes up the sides of the cup. The company also sells a popsicle version of the drink, which can be found at various Asian markets — it’s been spotted at Reliable Market in Somerville’s Union Square, for one — as well as black sugar popcorn, both of which will be available at the new location.
The first 100 customers on each day of opening weekend will get their hands on free Tiger Sugar merch. Keep an eye on Instagram for any updates on the new Chinatown location.


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It is clear that, for many processes, artificial intelligence is being a revolution. It is a great tool for generating images, but also generating texts It has become an essential ally for many people. Therefore, the more accessible it is, the better.
That’s something that
Samsung is a little closer to Microsoft and a little further from Google
OpenAI benefited from Azure servers to train its language model and Microsoft got an artificial intelligence that leaves Google’s Bard in the ground. Now the company that benefits from this is Samsung, since Microsoft has just confirmed via Twitter that will release a SwiftKey update for Samsung Galaxy devices with the integration of its artificial intelligence.
And you may think that where is the news if the Microsoft keyboard could already be downloaded and included this function. Good, What’s interesting about this is that SwiftKey is pre-installed on Samsung Galaxy devices.so without having to do anything special, users of those devices can access both pitch checker and chat in any app as long as they use that keyboard.
The chat is well known, but the tone corrector is the most interesting because it is used to write a sentence, “Hello, how are you?”, for example, and we can pass it through several filters (casual, coworker or professional) to receive suggestions on the register that we should use in each environment.
If you don’t like Microsoft’s keyboard, of course, you can always go with Samsung’s or Google’s G-Board. But precisely with Google there is an interesting topic. And it is that, a few weeks ago, a rumor broke that Samsung was working more closely with Microsoft so that Bing was the default search engine on its devices.
This is nothing closed and in Europe they would have a major stumbling block just like Google in the past with a historic fine, but the integration of Microsoft’s artificial intelligence by default in all Samsung devices is one more sign that something is brewing.
In fact, for some time Samsung and Microsoft have made good friends with the integration of the Office office suite on mobile phones and tablets, as well as promotions with Game Pass. We will see what happens in the future with this supposed break between Google and Samsung, but what is clear is that Microsoft is betting very heavily on Bing with artificial intelligence.
In Xataka Android | Samsung does not want ChatGPT in its factories