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An imports company has been fined £39,000 by a court after fireworks wrongly labelled with a safety mark were found on sale in Scarborough.
North Yorkshire Trading Standards officers conducted the prosecution against a Chester-based company, Fast Line Imports Limited, which pleaded guilty to three offences under the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015 Act in a hearing at York Magistrates Court.
In addition to the fine, the company also faces costs of £2,245.
The CE mark is used to confirm that goods comply with safety regulations.
Trading standards officers submitted the ‘throwdown’ type fireworks for tests after they were seized in Scarborough, and those checks confirmed they contained an unknown explosive ingredient, not the one listed on the label, and also exceeded noise limits.
The company had failed to follow a conformity assessment procedure to show the product was safe before they sold it, which is require in law.
Despite that, the product was marked with the CE safety mark, which should only be applied once the conformity assessment procedure has been passed.
Trading standards officers issued a suspension notice preventing the product from being sold or supplied but the company failed to tell officers which wholesalers it had previously distributed the product to, meaning a complete withdrawal from sale could not happen.
Magistrates who heard the case said: “It beggars belief that you failed to co-operate with trading standards.”
They also considered that the product “presented a significant risk”.
Executive member for trading standards, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said: “A business that imports fireworks into the UK bears responsibility for ensuring that they are safe and meet safety and labelling standards.
“This company did not complete the appropriate steps to check the throwdowns were safe and then failed to assist the council’s officers in removing the product from the market.
“This is disappointing and irresponsible and the court recognised that in the sentence it passed today.”
Anyone who sees fireworks on sale which they are concerned about they can report them to trading standards officers via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.


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In an effort to reduce American obesity, the federal government will announce strict new calorie labeling rules for restaurants and other food-service establishments. However, these new regulations may be useless if not downright harmful to consumers.
As the Washington Post describes:
Chain restaurants, vending machines, grocery stores, coffee shops and pizza joints will soon have to display detailed calorie information on their menus under long-awaited rules to be issued Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration. The calorie-posting requirements extend to an array of foods that Americans consume in their daily lives: popcorn at the movie theater, muffins at a bakery, a deli sandwich, a milkshake at an ice cream shop, a drive-through cheeseburger, a hot dog at Costco or
But there are three major problems with these new regulations.
1) It’s doubtful they will significantly change consumer behavior.
As the New York Times noted:
[W]hether menu labeling has any effect on obesity and health is still an open question. Some studies have shown no effect, while others found one. A 2008 study of 100 million cash register transactions at
Starbucksfound a 6 percent decrease in average calories purchased after calorie posting.
2) They create a significant economic burden on grocers.
From the Washington Post:
Some industry groups, such as those that represent grocery stores and pizza outlets, have argued that it is impractical and onerous to require calorie labels on food that is made to order and can vary by customer. They have insisted that the effort would shrink bottom lines far more than waistlines.
As the New York Times noted, this can be a problem with something as simple as pizza:
Determining the rules on calorie counts for pizza was apparently one of the thorniest issues the F.D.A. faced. Advocates worried that if pizza restaurants were allowed to provide calories per slice, they would divide pizzas into more slices, and pizza companies stewed over how they could calculate calories for a food that is often customized by consumers.
And of course, those higher administrative costs will inevitably be passed onto consumers.
3) They tilt the playing field away from fresher foods towards pre-packaged foods.
As the Washington Post noted:
Requiring labels for fresh food made in grocery stores, delis and bakeries could cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars in signage, worker training and laboratory tests to determine the calories in each dish, [Rob Rosado of the Food Marketing Institute] said. He thinks it also might prompt stores to carry fewer freshly made items to avoid the regulatory headaches. “You’re penalizing any kind of freshness... It’s going to be replaced with prepackaged food,” Rosado said. “It’s going to have a negative impact for grocery store consumers.”
In other words, the laws may have a perverse effect of driving consumers towards less-healthy foods!

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At a time when the Biden Administration’s reckless policies are fueling record inflation and supply chain disruptions, we must ensure all Idahoans can find ways to cope, including through relief at the pump. I support a robust market for clean fuels and transportation that makes adoption of electric vehicles (EV) and other innovative technologies more affordable and attainable, not just for those with deep pockets. Regrettably, EV provisions under discussion in the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) run counter to those goals. The proposals currently being considered would limit consumer choice; discriminate against right-to-work states, such as Idaho, and American workers who choose not to unionize; subsidize luxury vehicle purchases by the well-to-do; and hamstring the United States’ ability to compete in foreign markets. That is why I am urging my Democrat colleagues to shelve their proposals.
The federal government should not pick clear winners and losers in the free marketplace. While the BBBA purports to provide a tax credit of up to $12,500 to support adoption of EVs, this enhanced credit would not just be for any EV, or even most EVs. Some American consumers may prefer to continue buying the country’s best-selling EV, the EV with the longest range, or perhaps the most affordable EV on the market. Yet none of those vehicles is eligible for the full credit under the bill. Of the 50 EVs presently for sale in the United States, only two models of the same car are eligible for the full $12,500 under the proposal. Americans should not have 96 percent of their choices in the marketplace penalized, as would occur with the Democrats’ proposal.


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BANGKOK, NNA - Japanese wholesaler Paltac Corp. has teamed up with Thai consumer goods conglomerate Saha Group to build a distribution center in Bangkok with a view to developing logistics business in the Southeast Asian country.
The Osaka-based firm signed a memorandum of understanding with Saha last week to acquire a 30 percent stake in Tiger Distribution & Logistics Co., a Saha subsidiary, later this year and integrate the group's warehouses into the new distribution center near Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Tiger's Managing Director Vichien Kantathavorn said Paltac will provide its expertise in supply chain and big data management while Tiger garners local customers to rent space in the building.
The logistics base, with a total floor space of 65,000 square meters, is to be built at an investment of 1.8 billion baht ($52.9 million) and scheduled to begin round-the-clock operations in June next year.
The center, combining logistics expertise and information technology to realize faster delivery, is the first overseas investment by Paltac, and it hopes to expand its logistic business to other countries in the region.
The building in the Lat Krabang district of Bangkok is located 10 kilometers from the airport.
Around 20,000 to 30,000 square meters are expected to be occupied in the first year, with the facility becoming fully occupied in three years, according to Vichien.
All existing warehouses owned by Saha's subsidiaries, now situated in different places, will move to the new location within two years after construction.
The subsidiaries are expected to account for 60 percent of the total floor space for use.
Tiger forecasts 400 million baht in sales for this year, up 25 percent from 2016. It hopes to boost its sales by 20 to 30 percent in 2018 when the new base begins operations. (NNA/Kyodo)


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Cbd: Safe And Effective? - Mayo Clinic
Posted by Racquel on July 2nd, 2021
CBD oil benefits list, Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is an item that's stemmed from cannabis. It's a type of cannabinoid, which are the chemicals naturally found in marijuana plants. Despite the fact that it comes from marijuana plants, CBD does not develop a "high" result or any form of intoxication that's triggered by another cannabinoid, referred to as THC.There's some debate around cannabis items like CBD The original source oil since of leisure marijuana usage.
Here's what you require to know about 6 prospective medical usages of CBD and where the research study stands:1. Receptors are small proteins connected to your cells that get chemical messages and assist your cells respond to different stimuli.
Other early research studies done with animals have revealed that CBD may help alleviate stress and anxiety by: minimizing stressdecreasing physiological impacts of anxiety, such as an increased heart rateimproving symptoms of trauma (PTSD)inducing sleep in cases of insomnia2. Anti-seizure, CBD has been in the news prior to, as a possible treatment for epilepsy.
Researchers are evaluating just how much CBD has the ability to reduce the number of seizures in individuals with epilepsy, along with how safe it is. The American Epilepsy Society mentions that cannabidiol research study offers expect seizure conditions, which research is currently being carried out to much better understand safe use.
The study individuals included oral dosages of 2 to 5mg of CBD daily to their existing anti-epilepsy medications. The study's researchers monitored the participants for 12 weeks, recording any negative adverse effects and examining the frequency of their seizures. In general, individuals had 36. 5 percent fewer seizures each month.
3. Neuroprotective, Scientists are looking at a receptor located in the brain to find out about the methods that CBD might assist people with neurodegenerative conditions, which are illness that trigger the brain and nerves to weaken over time.
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SOFTSWISS, a leading online casino software provider, celebrates the resounding success of its Maltese 360 Campaign at the prestigious EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards. The campaign, expertly crafted by the SOFTSWISS Marketing Team, has been crowned the winner in the ‘B2B Marketing Campaign’ category, receiving well-deserved recognition for the outstanding display of exceptional creativity, innovation, and marketing prowess.
Implemented in two stages, the Maltese 360 Campaign was strategically launched last year to coincide with the SiGMA Europe 2022 – a prominent event that brings together iGaming leaders to showcase the industry’s breakthrough solutions and technologies. The first stage, titled Blazing In, had a twofold purpose: to amplify brand awareness and recognition in Malta while providing visitors and residents with an exceptional array of activities to elevate their iGaming experience. The second stage, accompanied by the slogan Bringing the Heat, featured vibrant, creative, and eye-catching visuals with red hot chilli peppers. This visual representation perfectly captured the essence of the SOFTSWISS brand philosophy, sprinkling a delightful dash of spice into the menu of the company’s innovative offerings.
Valentina Bagniya, Chief Marketing Officer at SOFTSWISS, expressed her delight at this achievement, stating: “We are incredibly honoured to receive this prestigious award for our Maltese 360 Campaign. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our talented Marketing Team. We are constantly pushing the boundaries to create impactful marketing campaigns that not only showcase the incredible benefits of the SOFTSWISS solutions but also deliver tangible business outcomes and enhance the effectiveness of marketing communications. This award is a powerful motivation for us to continue delivering exceptional results.”
The company’s triumph at the EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards solidifies its unwavering commitment to excellence and ongoing endeavours to deliver groundbreaking solutions to its clients. SOFTSWISS is now preparing to showcase its innovative products at the upcoming industry events, including SiGMA Americas 2023 in São Paulo, iGaming NEXT Valletta’23 in Malta, and iGB L!VE 2023 in Amsterdam. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with SOFTSWISS experts and gain insights into the latest iGaming trends, explore advanced engagement tools, and dive into captivating discussions on the hottest industry topics.


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CFI plans to add thousands of additional products over the coming months.
CFI Financial Group is a multi-regulated CFDs and FOREX brokerage firm. Its products are available to over 1500 instruments after expanding its service offering and trading products to include new CFDs on Stocks and EFTs.
CFI Financial Group said it was planning to add thousands of traditional products in the coming months. As CFI Financial Group continues to transfer activity to the MT5 terminal, it’s crucial to increase the platform’s base assets and products to accommodate the entire client base.
CFI broadens its product line to include currencies, equities, commodities, and indices as clients’ desire to garner exposure to regulated markets increase.
The inclusion of EFTs, CFDs, and new stocks helps expand trading capabilities for its clients. It also attracts more traders looking to diversify their trading options.
CFDs on EFTs have become a popular investment vehicle offering low-cost diversification and arbitrage options for retail traders. In fact, they are better and cheaper than trading in futures markets.
The asset class tracks a stock market index and trades on exchange to allow individuals to trade various securities in a single transaction.
It also creates the conditions for retail investors to trade the underlying assets with much better control of their exposure to risk margin.
Hisham Mansour and Eduardo Fakhourly – founders and managing directors of CFI Financial said providing their clients with broader access meant allowing them to benefit from increasing diversity and opportunities. They added that increasing diversity was of utmost importance to them.
The duo added that currently, CFI was among the few companies offering a wide range of products. They said they aimed to expand it further while maintaining the quality of access and competitive trading conditions provided.
They said they will have thousands of products on their platform by 2021, position them as an all-around brand and significant financial provider in the industry.
Creating new products is a cornerstone of availing new opportunities for their clients.
They said this was just the beginning of a series of additions that will likely see the platforms hosting thousands of products by 2021.
CFI Financial Group solutions encompass wealth management, treasury bonds, portfolio advisory, stocks and EFTs, commodities and futures, forex, credit facilities, online trading, and fiduciary deposits.
In 2017, the brokerage launched its CFI-DIFC brand in Dubai as part of its strategy to expand its footprint in the emerging markets. They also wanted to reinforce its premium positioning in the Middle East.
CFI Financial Group has recently made several changes to its key personnel. They promoted Nidal Abdel Hadi to Chief Executive Officer of Credit Financier Invest (CFI) Dubai.
Also, Credit Financier Invest (CFI) UK parted ways with Richard Wynn, who has led the company since August 2018.


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There has been grumbling in some corners of the Street, that much better-than-expected quarterly results are not being reflected in some of the stocks’ performance this earnings season. Apple (AAPL) investors will feel hard done by if the market does not ultimately recognize the tech giant’s latest quarterly achievements.
Apple blew the forecasts out of the water in Q2F21, in a display which Canaccord Genuity’s Michael Walkley calls “remarkable.”
Revenue increased year-over-year by 53.7% to reach $89.6 billion, in the process coming in $12.31 billion above the Street’s call. GAAP EPS trounced the estimates – at $1.40 beating consensus by $0.42.
“Demand for the company’s products exceeded both street and our expectations, particularly for the new iPhones,” Walkley said. “We think this demonstrates Apple’s sticky customer base and the company’s strong positioning with remote work/learning trends.”
As Walkley notes, iPhone sales were particularly strong – at $47.94 billion, the figure easily beat the $40.80 billion consensus estimate.
The Street excepted $6.90 billion of Mac revenue – Apple generated $9.1 billion. Same with the iPad, which clocked in sales of $7.8 billion vs. the $5.79 billion forecast.
Walkley says demand for the new Mac products boasting M1 chips was “strong given increased remote learning/work,” and notes that customer satisfaction “remains industry leading.”
Not to be outdone, the Services segment notched “another all-time record” with revenue increasing by 27% year-over-year to $16.9 billion. Wall Street expected $15.53 billion.
While there was no specific guidance, management did suggest “accelerating YoY growth trends with double digit YoY revenue growth in the June quarter.”
That said, given the iPhone was “still ramping” in March after last year’s delayed launch and supply constraints are hitting revenue streams to the tune of $3 to $4 billion, Apple anticipates the quarter-over-quarter revenue decline from the March to June quarter to be “more pronounced” than in previous years.
Nevertheless, the “robust Q2/F21 results, stronger gross margin trends, and management’s commentary,” are enough for Walkley to boost the price target from $155 to $165, suggesting room for 22% upside over the coming months. The 5-star analyst’s rating stays a Buy. (To watch Walkley’s track record, click here)
Turning now to the rest of the Street, where Apple boasts a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 20 Buys vs. 4 Holds and 1 Sell. At $159.3, the average price target implies shares will rise by 19% over the next 12 months. (See Apple stock analysis on TipRanks)
To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.


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Leave it to General Electric —the company that once used grilled meat to make a point about science—to engineer its very own brand of eye-watering hot sauce.
When you hear the name GE, the last thing that springs to mind is condiments. Yet that's what the manufacturer has created, launching a limited edition line of hot sauce called 10^32 Kelvin—the temperature at which all things start to break down. The small bottle tastes as if it contains the liquid heat of a thousand suns.
Foodies' ardor for chicken wings and spicy cuisine has turned hot sauce into a global market worth nearly $2 billion in sales, according to a 2015 Euromonitor report. Yet for GE, this isn't meant to be a leap into the food business: the company will only manufacture 1,000 bottles—all of which sold out on Thrillist within the space of a few hours on Monday morning.
According to the company, it's seen as a creative way to draw attention to GE's technology prowess, helping people understand the science behind its innovations. Last year at SXSW, the company took a similarly scientific approach to making barbecue, in order to talk up its food and neuroscience capabilities.
"In hot sauce, it's all about the heat. In jet engines, it's all about the heat," Doug Decesare, a GE global research manager in its aerothermal and mechanical technologies group, told CNBC recently.
Hence the hot sauce, which is made with two of the spiciest (and scary sounding) peppers in existence: The Carolina Reaper and the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion.


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|Bid||57.02 x 100|
|Ask||57.22 x 100|
|Day's Range||56.79 - 57.18|
|52 Week Range||52.58 - 64.87|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||28.84|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||1.20 (2.10%)|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
The last change in the short interest score occurred more than 1 month ago and implies that there has been little change in sentiment among investors who seek to profit from falling equity prices. Index (PMI) data, output in the Consumer Services sector is rising.
The sports bar and restaurant chain, Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD) received a takeout offer from a private equity shop for $150 per share of BWLD stock. BWLD wasn’t about chicken any more than Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) was just about coffee. Starbucks was formed with an entirely different concept at its core, a social concept that had nothing to do with consumption.
Categories: Yahoo FinanceGet free summary analysis Starbucks Corp. reports financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2017. We analyze the earnings along side the following peers of Starbucks Corp. – Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., McDonald’s Corporation, Yum! Brands, Inc., Darden Restaurants, Inc., Wendy’s Company, PepsiCo, Inc., Restaurant Brands International Inc and Brinker International, Inc. (DNKN-US, MCD-US, ... Read more (Read more...)
The hype surrounding Tesla is near an all-time high in the wake of its recent unveiling of an electric semi truck and a sporty new supercar. And that hype could be a major problem for the stock.
Rating Action: Moody's assigns A3 to Starbuck's proposed $1.0 billion note offering. Global Credit Research- 21 Nov 2017. New York, November 21, 2017-- Moody's Investors Service today assigned an A3 rating ...
In a bittersweet fiscal 2017, Starbucks managed to grow amid a challenging retail environment, but it also missed its own targets.
Categories: Yahoo FinanceGet free summary analysis Starbucks Corp. reports financial results for the year ended September 30, 2017. We analyze the earnings along side the following peers of Starbucks Corp. – Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., McDonald’s Corporation, Yum! Brands, Inc., Darden Restaurants, Inc., Wendy’s Company, PepsiCo, Inc., Restaurant Brands International Inc and Brinker International, Inc. (DNKN-US, MCD-US, ... Read more (Read more...)
The last change in the short interest score occurred more than 1 month ago and implies that there has been little change in sentiment among investors who seek to profit from falling equity prices. Index (PMI) data, output in the Consumer Services sector is rising. To the fullest extent permitted by law, IHS Markit disclaims any responsibility or liability, whether in contract, tort (including, without limitation, negligence), equity or otherwise, for any loss or damage arising from any reliance on or the use of this material in any way.
Every company needs a customer service recovery framework for turning around upset customers. Learn Starbucks' LATTE system, Marriott's LEARN, Forbes Five-Star Broadmoor Hotel's HEART, and customer service consultant Micah Solomon's own proprietary AWARE approach to customer service recovery.
Certain employees of Starbucks, Apple, Bank of America, and seven other brand-name companies could be in for a surprise.
Starbucks' 20% dividend increase and management's plan to return even more cash to shareholders shows why the coffee giant is such a solid dividend stock.
Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan said the bank was not just thinking about competition with other financial institutions but other sectors like technology.
Here's how Starbucks' digital flywheel is still a key catalyst, why Starbucks is betting big on China, and more.
Video Transcript: Many might be concerned with the data suggesting that robots are coming for our jobs. According to Carl B. Frey and Michael A. Osborne of Oxford University it is estimated that about 47% of total U.S. employment is at risk. But artificial intelligence is also breaking into our lives in other creepy and intrusive ways. Starbucks is invading your stomach. This fall the company will roll out updates to its new Digital Flywheel, which is backed by artificial intelligence and incorporates real world factors such as time of day and weather to offer personalized suggestions. Meaning the app may know what you want before you do. Disney AI may come to a theater near you. The entertainment giant is using facial recognition AI to compile data about how audience members react to movies. This Factorised Variational Autoencoders (FVAEs) will allow the company to assess if a scene is getting the desired response. The technology has shown the ability to learn expressions and associate them with points in the movie. A test of the AI was used during 150 showings of 9 different movies and included 3,179 viewers. The AI was seemingly capable of telling how a viewer would react to a whole movie based on 10 minutes of observing their face IBM and Dr. Watson's cognitive computing could help assist doctors in identifying and treating cancer in the very near future. "Now, with new machine learning models and computing grid models, diagnostics have improved - one field that has really accelerated has been computer vision, there's been greater specificity in detecting tumors in radiographs," says Tom Eck, CTO of Industry Platforms. IBM has been making key acquisitions to help train Watson. The company has spent more than $4 billion buying companies that gather and examine healthcare data. Legal Robot can become your cyber Lawyer. A living breathing attorney can be expensive but Legal Robot can help professionals tackle legal problems by using machine learning algorithms to translate legal documents into simpler text. It also detects errors in contracts and helps people write in legalese. With 500 words or less Receptiviti.ai allows you to analyze a person's psychology. By inputting an email or a blogpost this AI can give you feedback on the behavior of a person and some insight on interacting with that individual. Watch More with TheStreet : Tesla Will Unveil Its Semi Truck Today: Here's Everything We Know so Far Gunmakers Are Offering Black Friday Bargains Girls Who Code Has Invaded Microsoft and Facebook Here Is Your Investing Playbook for the Rest of 2017 Don't miss the best videos of the week. Put Wall Street on Rewind and sign up for our weekly newsletter . Editor's Pick: This article was originally published on August 3, 2017.


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Facebook is changing the News Feed, focusing on posts from family and friends rather than those from pages and brands. The social network is also trying to initiate more meaningful social interactions, which will be promoted above more passive activities such as watching videos.
Facebook had mixed fortunes in 2017. One the one hand its userbase continued to grow, but on the other hand it faced criticism over the way it’s changing society. This led to founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg promising to fix Facebook in 2018 , and those efforts are starting to bear fruit.
Mark Zuckerberg Makes Changes
In a post on Facebook, Zuckerberg has explained how the site is “making a major change to how we build Facebook.” He continued, “I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.”
The best approach to using Facebook is to not use it at all https://t.co/fHDNfo47Jr
— Jon Russell (@jonrussell) January 12, 2018
These changes will take months to come to fruition, but eventually “you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard.” The idea being to “encourage meaningful interactions between people.”
Zuckerberg expects this to mean that “the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down.” However, conversely, “the time you do spend on Facebook will be more valuable,” making it “good for our community and our business over the long term.”
Two Big Takeaways From This
There are a couple of takeaways from this. First, this is Facebook responding to recent criticisms that it, and social media in general, is harming society . By focusing on family, friends, and social interactions, it’s moving away from the passive scrolling that is potentially harmful.
Secondly, this is Facebook reverting back to its core mission. Which is to help people connect with real people. As it grew Facebook welcomed brands, websites, and video creators into the fold, but what Facebook users actually want is to see what their family and friends are doing.
Brands Are the Biggest Losers
This is good news for Facebook users, who should start seeing more posts they actually want to see from here on in. It’s also good news for Facebook itself, with pages more likely to have to buy advertising to get their brand in front of people. Making brands the big losers here.
Facebook's pursuit of news content can be viewed as a vestige of its war with Twitter. Facebook won that war. Twitter owns news now and Facebook is okay with it. Meanwhile, news content brought Facebook a lot of grief. So it doesn't mind deprioritizing it.
— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) January 12, 2018
Do you still use Facebook? How do you feel about the way it has changed over the years? Do you welcome these changes making family and friends the main focus? Or do you use Facebook to keep up with updates from pages and brands? Please let us know in the comments below!
Affiliate Disclosure: By buying the products we recommend, you help keep the site alive. Read more.


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Qualifying government assistance recipients can enjoy the benefits of a Prime membership for $6.99 a month — more than 50% off the cost of a full-price membership.
As consumers try to manage rising costs in a tough economic climate, e-comm giant Amazon has introduced a new resource to help customers save more. Amazon Access is a one-stop-shop for customers to explore programs, discounts and features that make shopping on Amazon more affordable. Customers can find information on options like payment with SNAP EBT, Amazon Layaway and more.
Key among the programs featured in the hub is Prime’s discounted membership program for the millions of households that receive benefits from one of 10 government assistance programs. Over the past five years, the company has committed to making Amazon’s everyday selection and savings accessible to customers by offering a discounted membership for qualifying government assistance recipients. To celebrate this milestone, the company is giving the membership a new name: Prime Access. Eligible U.S. customers who sign up can take advantage of all of Prime’s benefits for just $6.99 per month — more than 50% off the cost of a full-price membership.
Customers can also access the new Amazon Access hub to learn about the following programs:
Pay with SNAP EBT on Amazon: Customers with a valid SNAP EBT card in all states except Alaska can use their SNAP funds to order eligible groceries online from Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh with fast, free shipping on eligible Amazon orders.
Amazon Layaway: Customers can shop now and pay over time with Layaway — all with no credit check, interest or fees. They can pay 20% of the total cost of their selected items, lock in the price and pay the rest over time.
Discounts: Users can shop discounts on household essentials, clip coupons and save on items across Amazon with Subscribe & Save — up to 15% off with free shipping on automatic deliveries of eligible items.
Pay and pickup how you want: Customers can shop Amazon.com without a debit or credit card by paying with Amazon Cash and pick up Amazon packages near them by having them shipped to a self-service Amazon locker or staffed Counter location.


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Magic Leap—which first announced its headset, the Magic Leap One, back in December—could finally offer a glimpse of what the device can actually do during a developer livestream hosted by the company today.
Update (6/6/18, 5:40PM PT): The livestream concluded this morning. You can get a recap of what was (and wasn’t) discussed here.
Original Article (6/6/18): Magic Leap has been teasing its tech for years now, and people have been suitably excited to see what the company has been able to do with more $2 billion in venture funding. The company finally announced its first product, the Magic Leap One, back in December, but hasn’t offered any clear demonstration of the headset’s capabilities nor revealed any key specifications.
The company is teasing that developers will get to “meet Magic Leap One” today during the ‘Magic Leap Live’ developer livestream which will be hosted today (Wednesday June 6th) on Twitch at 11AM PT (your timezone here).
“Alan Noon will be joined by Shanna De Iullis from our Technical Marketing team to give you a closer look at Magic Leap One,” the company writes on its Twitch schedule.
Here’s the livestream embedded if you want to watch along with us:
While some information about the Magic Leap One was gleaned from the launch of the headset’s SDK back in March—like eye-tracking, room-scanning, hand input, and more—questions remain about the extent of the device’s capabilities, and key specifications like field of view, resolution, and weight are still unknown. One would hope that the livestream might offer some insight into at least a few of these elements, but the company does have a bad habit of spending a lot of time to say very little.
Though Magic Leap has publicly launched their developer portal, the company isn’t yet openly selling the device to developers, nor have they announced down a price or release date. However the company’s CEO said back in February that the Magic Leap One would be ‘priced like a premium computer‘, and expected to share more details on the launch in Spring.


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By Tiernan Ray
Shares of restaurant reservations service OpenTable (OPEN) are down $2.26, or 4%, at $55.40, after the company this afternoon reported Q1 revenue roughly in line with analysts’ estimates, and beat by two cents on the bottom line, and forecast this quarter’s revenue a bit below consensus and the year’s results slightly lower as well.
Revenue in the three months ended in March rose 16%, year over year, to $45.5 million, yielding EPS of 45 cents.
Analysts had been modeling $45.6 million and 43 cents.
The company said its total for “seated diners” rose 24%, year over year, to 34.3 million in North America, and rose 38% to 3.1 million internationally.
The number of restaurants using the service rose 14% to 20.1 million in North America, and declined slightly to 7.83 million internationally, although the company said that the decline was a result of removing international restaurants that didn’t migrate to a different version of its technology, and that when adjusted for that “one time” event, its international restaurant count would have been up 38%.
CEO Matt Roberts remarked that he was “pleased” with the company’s rise in seated diners in North America, and that “more than one third of the 34 million diners we seated in North America during the quarter were attributable to mobile.”
For the current quarter, the company sees revenue in a range of $4.9 million to $46.2 million, and earnings per share, excluding some costs, of 45 cents to 49 cents. That is below the average estimate of $46.6 million and 47 cents a share.
For the full year, the company sees revenue in a range of $185 million to $190.9 million, and EPS in a range of $1.88 to $2.02. That is that compares to Street consensus of $189.5 million and $1.90 per share.


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Just how strong is the Louisville commercial real estate market today? According to the latest research from CBRE, Louisville recorded positive absorption in the retail sector in the first half of the year for the first time since 2015.
That’s a good sign. Retail across the country faces challenges. In many markets, it’s rare to see positive net absorption as big-name retailers continue to close.
CBRE, though, reported that the Louisville retail market saw 202,370 square feet of positive absorption in the first of 2018. CBRE pointed to the expansion efforts by local grocers as a big catalyst for this absorption.
“We experienced strong activity in the first half of the year, especially in the grocery and big box categories,” said Robert Schwartz, senior vice president with CBRE, in a written statement. “We are seeing new retailers enter the market. That is always a positive sign.”
New retailers in the Louisville area include Round1 Bowling and Amusement, which leased a space formerly occupied by Macy’s in the Jefferson Mall. Furniture Fair and discount retailer Gabe’s also moved into the Louisville market.
The grocery market, though, represented the biggest mover in the sector. Three new Kroger Marketplaces added 229,000 square feet to the market. Big box providers such as Lowe’s and Total Wine were also active with new leases.
And a new Topgolf entertainment center might enter the market, too. Topgolf plans to open at the former Sears store in the Oxmoor Mall for its first Louisville location. If the project is eventually approved, the Topgolf store will occupy 65,000 square feet.
The retail sector’s availability rate in Louisville dropped to 7.1 percent, CBRE reported. The region’s Southern Indiana submarket was an especially strong performer. It posted the greatest amount of net absorption with 176,932 square feet.


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Planning to push your new Intel CPU to the limit? Intel has recently released details of the power usage it’s Comet Lake 10th gen processors will have when pushed to the max. The max boost clock speeds are great for anyone who wants to get every last bit of performance available, but power usage should always be considered.
The power draw of max boost clock speeds has so far been unknown. Given that Intel had already released the full specifications, this new information has left a few people a bit frustrated that they are only now hearing about it.
According to the German tech site, ComputerBase, the full specifications of Comet Lake chips have now been published. We can now see the power draw that the CPU hits while pushed to the top boost speed.
What Are The Power Draw Specs For Boosted CPUs?
Before we move on to the specifications, the stock clock speeds are known as PL1 aka Power Level 1 and the boost clock speeds are referred to as PL2 power draws.
The flagship Intel processor, the Core i9-10900K has a PL1 of 125 W but the PL2 is measured at 250 W – a huge difference to be aware of. This was tested by Der8uer who tested 30 Core 19-10900K CPUs, finding PL2 scores between 232 W and 278 W.
Similarly, the Core i7-10700K has a PL1 of 125 W but a PL2 of 229 W and the Core i5-10600K has the same PL1 but a PL2 of 182 W.
For those familiar with the 9th generation chips, the boost speeds requiring almost double the amount of power won’t come as a huge surprise. The Core i9-9900K had a PL1 of 95 W and between 160 W to 180 W for its max boost speeds.
Tau Values Revealed
Another revelation has been the Tau values of the new 10th generation chips. The Tau value refers to the length of time that a processor is able to run at maximum performance before it goes back to PL1 stock speeds.
Interestingly, the Core i9-10900K, the Core i7-10700K, and the Core i5-10600K all had the same Tau value of 56 seconds.
Your Choice Of Motherboard Makes A Difference
Whenever we talk about clock speeds and power draws, it’s important to remember that your choice of motherboard also has a big effect on the CPU.
This is because motherboard manufacturers can configure their own Tau and PL2 settings which will be based on the capabilities of the motherboard in question. This could end up affecting the maximum boost speeds your system can produce so it’s always worth looking into before purchasing a new CPU or motherboard.
What do you think of the new specs from Intel? Will you be planning to push these CPUs to the limit or will your motherboard struggle? Let us know your thoughts below.


text: The FinTech industry in India is growing at a phenomenal speed. India has several unicorns in this space. Bitcoin was the first decentralized cryptocurrency to be introduced in 2009. The Distributed Ledger Technology popularly known as Blockchain has progressed significantly. The Centre intends to popularise the adoption of these new technologies by leading global and Indian Firms and incorporate in the Business School curriculum.


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BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Beijing International Import Food Expo 2014 (“CIPFE 2014”) is to be held in the Beijing Exhibition Center on July 4-6, 2014. CIPFE 2014, jointly organised by China Chamber of International Commerce (“CCOIC”) and Zhenwei Exhibition Group, has attracted nearly 300 international food companies from over 30 countries and regions, including the US, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Australia, Japan and South Korea, etc., and will achieve an exhibition floor space of around 10 thousand square meters. It is reported that the expo is the only national-level import food exposition held in Beijing, China. The expo's theme is "Share the Global Taste."
CIPFE 2014 has attracted a number of world renowned enterprises to participate therein. Food companies from the US, France, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Thailand and Colombia will appear at the expo in form of national delegations. This expo platform enables international food enterprises to enter China’s marketplace more efficiently and rapidly, directly landing onto the world’s largest consumer market in a short time. Currently, the exhibition areas like "coffee," "cheese" and "wine" have attracted a number of world famous enterprises.
CCOIC will integrate resources to build CIPFE into a powerful expo brand across China. The organizers possess over 200 thousand pieces of data of professional visitors, covering numerous international purchasers stationed in China, import & export trading companies, food dealers, food distributors, hypermarkets, high-end clubs and top clubhouses in China. CCOIC and Zhenwei Exhibition Group will organize large-scale visiting and purchasing delegations to the expo. The profound buyers' resources highlight the promising prospect of China's food market.
Data shows that, with the emergence of Chinese affluent groups in large numbers, Chinese consumer habits have shifted from subsistence-focused pattern in the past to a nutrient, healthy, leisure or international style; as a result, China’s import food sector will embrace a stage of ultra-high-speed development. According to some international survey agencies, China's customer groups purchasing import food has taken up 24 per cent of the entire customers in the world. It is estimated that by 2018, China will become the world's largest consumer of import food.
The booths for CIPFE 2014 are now being in hot sales and please visit www.cipfe.com for inquiry!


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Manuka honey trade mark battle intensifies
The fight between Australian and New Zealand manuka honey producers over the trade marking of the product has heated up.
A group of producers and processors have recently formed the Australian Manuka Honey Association, to fight the New Zealand industry’s trade mark attempts.
Manuka honey is claimed to have beneficial properties to counter ailments such as colds, sore throats and wounds.
The Australian Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) was initiated in Melbourne in September 2017.
It follows an application from New Zealand producers for exclusive trade marks on “manuka honey” in countries such as China and Australia.
Who makes up the AMHA?
The AMHA consists of representatives from Australia’s largest honey producer Capilano, as well as scientists and researchers from the Honeybee Cooperative Research Centre.
AMHA chairman Paul Callender said the formation of the group would enable the domestic manuka honey industry to come together and fight the trade mark application.
“New Zealand are trying to do this trade mark globally to prevent access from other manuka countries participating in those markets,” Callender said.
NZ manuka honey is big business
Manuka honey has enjoyed a surge in demand globally, with the New Zealand market reported to have tripled in value since 2012, according to ABC Rural.
New Zealand manuka honey exports are valued at 10 times that of Australia’s, with the Kiwis sending 9,000 tonnes of honey out of the country annually.
Despite lagging behind New Zealand in terms of exports, Callender believes the Australian industry has room for growth, particularly given Australia’s vast land area and suitable conditions for manuka planting.
“You would think it would be better for us to be collaborating and partnering as well as looking at joint ventures and strategic investments with the New Zealanders, rather than arguing about the word manuka and who owns that,” Callender said.
The desire for a trade mark
The New Zealanders trade mark push began more than two years ago.
John Rawcliffe from New Zealand’s Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association said the trade mark is essential to prevent foreign imitators damaging the integrity of the brand.
“There is a whole heritage, culture and research behind the unique product from New Zealand that a consumer expects to see or buy,” Rawcliffe said.
IP Australia is the Australian Government agency that administers intellectual property rights and legislation relating to trade marks, patents and plant breeder’s rights.
A trade mark ‘can help your customers discern the quality of your product or service over that of your opposition,’ according to the IP Australia website.
- Manuka honey health finding substantiated, UTS research
- Aussie manuka honey as good as NZ, research
- Capilano and Comvita enter into Manuka honey business venture
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One of Australia’s major fruit producers and marketers, Montague, is selling ranges of stone fruit u...
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Beall’s ‘Giving’ campaign
Benefits Mission Granbury
Mission Granbury is getting a nice donation from Beall’s Department Store.
With a customer campaign, the store in Granbury raised $3,496 for Mission Granbury.
Stage Stores turned the month of March into “30 Days of Giving” at all 849 of their stores including Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles and Stage.
Customers who visited any one of the company’s department stores, were invited to donate $1, $5 or $10 to a local group in their community. The campaign resulted in a total of $896,295 being donated to over 700 local organizations.
Category: Business News


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Attention Nintendo fans, this is your final reminder that the Wii U and 3DS eShop stores will be closing on Monday, March 27th. This means that this weekend is your last chance to purchase any games that are exclusive to these systems.
Although Nintendo confirmed the closing date in July of last year, it's been quite some time since then. After Monday, both stores will remain accessible for existing customers to download any previously purchased games or DLC. However, new games will no longer be available for purchase.
So, what games will we potentially lose access to? Digital Foundry has already covered the Wii U store and highlighted the games that are worth saving before the shutdown. These include the Zelda HD remasters, platformers like Yoshi's Wooly World and Kirby: Rainbow Curse, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Fast Racing Neo, and more.
On the 3DS store, there are the likes of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies, the Boxboy! series, Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, and more. Additionally, the Virtual Console offers plenty of old Game Boy and DS games that you can purchase. It's uncertain if we will see these games on the Switch anytime soon.
Last year, Nintendo commented on its duty to preserve classic games, although the response was later removed from the Q&A section. The company mentioned that over 130 classic games are currently available in growing libraries for various legacy systems under Nintendo Switch Online membership plans, and they often come with new features such as online play. While there are no plans to offer classic content in other ways, new and long-time players can still find games they remember or have heard about, as well as other fun games they might not have considered before.


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WASHINGTON – The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) submitted comments May 10 to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding proposed changes to federal child nutrition programs. IDFA said the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) should include more nutritious dairy food options.
IDFA put forward that the programs should align with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), and encourage increased consumption of milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products. The organization cited data from a Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report, which found in 2020 that 68%-76.2% of school-age males and 77.4%-94.3% of school-age females failed to meet recommended levels of dairy.
The organization’s comments also called for USDA to encourage consumption of DGA compliant, unflavored and flavored milks and yogurts, and suggested that providing lactose-free milk and other dairy products with low lactose content will allow more school children to find nutritional options.
Nutritional standards such as those in place for saturated fat, added sugar and sodium, IDFA added, should permit an increased consumption of dairy products, rather than limit dairy products that are included in federal child nutrition programs.
“School meals are already a nutrition success story,” said Joseph Scimeca, IDFA’s senior vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs. “These meals are a key source of nutrition for children, and they are often the healthiest meal of a child's day because they provide a variety of nutritious foods and beverages like dairy, fruits and vegetables. Dairy products provide 13 essential nutrients that children need for growth, development, healthy immune function, mental health and overall wellness, yet most children do not consume enough dairy to meet federal dietary recommendations. IDFA is urging USDA to expand dairy options that appeal to and provide good nutrition to children of all backgrounds when they finalize school meal nutrition standards.”
Additionally, IDFA maintained its position that offering nutritious flavored milk options with less added sugars for grades K-12 will further help students reach their nutritional needs. The organization pointed to the recent Healthy School Milk Commitment, in which dairy processors that supply US schools committed to added sugar content of no more than 10 grams per 8 fluid-oz serving of flavored milk by the 2025-2026 academic year. IDFA announced the pledge in April on behalf of 37 milk processors and subsidiaries representing more than 90% of the school milk volume in the US.
“Flavored milk products such as chocolate milk offered in schools today contain an average of 8.2 grams of added sugar per serving, which is fully consistent with the latest federal DGA and ahead of current school meal nutrition guidelines established by the USDA,” Scimeca said. “These options provide the same 13 essential nutrients as unflavored milk, reduce plate waste and encourage greater meal participation. With the Healthy School Milk Commitment, USDA and schools should feel confident about offering nutritious non-fat and low-fat flavored milk options in grades K-12.”
The entirety of IDFA’s submitted comments to USDA can be found online at the IDFA website.


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The Paradigm Veo has been available in the United Kingdom and Ireland since June. But today the medical device giant said it will begin immediate sales in 50 other countries including Canada, Israel and Russia.
There’s no timetable for a U.S. launch, Medtronic spokeswoman Deanne McLaughlin said. The company is reviewing U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory requirements to determine what data should be in the Veo’s approval application, McLaughlin said.
“It’s an iterative process, so this is the first step,” she said of the Veo.
The Veo is referred to as a “semi-closed loop system.” It aims at helping users avoid hypoglycemia (abnormally low blood sugar) by automatically suspending insulin delivery when it senses glucose levels have fallen below a certain level.
Medtronic and other diabetes companies — including DexCom and Abbott— want to create a closed-loop system in which insulin isÂ automatically monitored and dispensed, functioning like an artificial pancreas. Medtronic’s research in the area makes such a device one of the most promising future products at the company.
A pair of California researchers said in June they combined devices — neither of them Medtronic’s — and leapfrogged some of the problems of a closed-loop system. Also in that month, Medtronic acquired a Danish glucose-monitoring company, which it hopes to use to further its closed-loop quest.
Diabetes products accounted for more than $1.1 billion in revenue in Medtronic’s 2009 fiscal year. In first-quarter 2010 earnings announced last week, the company said diabetes sales grew to $295 million, which was 10 percent more than the previous first quarter, thanks to U.S. insulin pump and continuous glucose-monitoring product sales. International sales were up by 14 percent.
Related articles by Zemanta
- Medtronic Recalls a Tube Used in an Insulin PumpÂ (nytimes.com)
- Medtronic reorganizes, begins search for leader of cardiology businessÂ (medcitynews.com)
- Artificial Pancreas May Be Diabetes BreakthroughÂ (abcnews.go.com)
- Technological Advancement in Treatment of DiabetesÂ (battlediabetes.com)


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# # #
Director of Public Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AdPlugg ad service provides publishers with the ability to serve their own ads within the Facebook mobile app.
San Diego, CA, 04/07/2016 — Publishers can now serve their own ads within the Facebook mobile app. Today, San Diego based online advertising company, AdPlugg, launched an integration feature with social media giant Facebook. The new integration gives publishers, of any size, the ability to run their own ads inside content published to their Facebook page.
AdPlugg provides an ad manager and ad server system that is in use by over 7,500 publishers across the internet. It has become a popular online advertising solution for newspapers, radio stations, magazines and bloggers.
Already adopted by major publishers such as CNN, BuzzFeed and the Washington Post; Facebook's Instant Articles system allows articles from third-party publishers to be viewed from within a special reader inside the Facebook mobile app. AdPlugg's new integration launch comes just days before Facebook intends to release its Instant Articles system to all publishers (Facebook intends to open up Instant Articles to all publishers on April 12th, 2016).
To address publisher concerns regarding advertising and monetization, Facebook has allowed third party ad systems to integrate with the Facebook mobile app. AdPlugg is one of the first ad systems to provide such integration.
AdPlugg CEO Collin Krawll remarked "Ad revenue is what drives the publishing industry, without the ability to continue to serve their ads, Instant Articles would not be a viable platform for most publishers". AdPlugg’s new Facebook Instant Articles integration piece allows publishers to continue to service their advertisers while expanding the accessibility and reach of their published content.
Complementing the AdPlugg ad service, AdPlugg's WordPress plugin allows publishers to easily schedule, serve, and rotate ads on their WordPress sites. AdPlugg’s Facebook Instant Articles integration launch coincides with a major update to their WordPress plugin. The update allows publishers to choose which ads they want to include within content published to the Facebook app and allows them to schedule, rotate and target the ads.
Based in San Diego, California, AdPlugg offers a simple but sophisticated plugin and service that allows web based publishers and advertisers to build their businesses. The AdPlugg advertising plugin installs instantly into any website opening up a myriad of controls, options and analytics available through adplugg.com. AdPlugg ads can be served directly to the publisher’s website or can now be served into the publisher’s content on platforms such as Facebook Instant Articles.
To learn more about AdPlugg, visit www.adplugg.com.
For the original version on PRWeb, visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/04/prweb13318529.htmAdPlugg, and the AdPlugg logo are trademarks of AdPlugg. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.


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Super 3G group flexes its muscles
DoCoMo takes on WiMAX
Their aggression has not just been about commercial leadership but about swinging the balance of power in the mobile industry towards Asia, reducing the power of the European and US companies in this critical sector. Japan and Korea have the most advanced deployments of mobile and broadband networks in the world, and their corporations aim to take advantage of this to set the global technology agenda, increase their own influence and revenues, and reduce the burden of royalties to western suppliers such as Qualcomm. In this, they have the important backing of China, whose suppliers are less technologically advanced, but which is keen to ally with Japan and Korea and use the weight of its market size to gain bargaining power for the region.
Now, however, the collaboration of China, Japan and Korea to drive 4G is fragmenting somewhat. The main parties involved agree on the principle of an Asian-driven next generation, but disagree on the technologies involved. Samsung and LG see WiMAX as a technology that, thanks to the Wi-Bro compromise, they are now in a position to dominate, and which could deliver real world 4G before 2010. Samsung holds hundreds of patents related to 4G and says 100 of its patents are incorporated in 3G and 4G standards. That number will rise significantly because of Wi-Bro.
Reactions to Super 3G
DoCoMo, excluded from this party, has to pursue a different technological route, hence the creation of the Super 3G group. On announcement of the Super 3G group, Samsung dismissed it as “just a DoCoMo event”, claiming the Japanese company was trying, once again, to work outside the industry standards process. The efforts of the various technology groups should be pooled to create 4G, not allowed to fragment the standard, it argued. "Super 3G plan seems to be a part of NTT DoCoMo’s global strategy. The companies involved in Super 3G project did nothing but declaring their intention of starting something, so we don’t take it seriously,” said a spokesperson to the Telecom Korea publication.
LG Electronics said: "Considering DoCoMo has always been the first to develop new technologies but failed in expanding market share due to staying away from global trend of standardization, Super 3G is a part of its efforts to dominate the 4G market by drawing attention to a similar project while 4G standardization is under way.”
Most vendors, of course, will keep a watching brief on both initiatives. DoCoMo’s friends, such as NEC, are of course in the new body, but so are Alcatel, Siemens, Lucent and Motorola, all companies with interest in WiMAX but with a need to follow any technology that could be demanded by their key customers in future. Even Samsung itself is said to be joining, alongside Qualcomm. This is not unusual behavior – Samsung’s usual policy is to support any potential standard and see what the market demands.
However, the presence of these two CDMA giants does not indicate genuine support, but a need to keep a toehold in a fundamentally hostile camp, one that aims to preserve the W-CDMA heritage. Such moves are likely to drive Qualcomm and the CDMA sector even more rapidly towards creating a migration path for CDMA2000 that will move smoothly to WiMAX or other OFDM technologies. Qualcomm has shifted in this direction already with its OFDM-based FLO platform and has started filing patents enthusiastically in this area.
We expect current CDMA operators to gain a far smoother path to ‘4G’ than their W-CDMA rivals. Qualcomm and other key CDMA suppliers are more focused on integrating with, and eventually migrating to, OFDM than the GSM world, and are focusing on a technology that is already highly developed. Hybrid mobile networks will be a possibility from 2007 and a true 4G system will be viable before the end of the decade. By contrast, WCDMA operators face being pushed by the decisions of the heavyweights among them - which cannot be ignored by the vendors – down a route to a shiny new 4G technology.
While this may have more in common with W-CDMA and so offer a smoother technological upgrade once it arrives, it is likely to take many years to evolve, and will be held back by conflicts with other developments, including WiMAX and other 4G projects, all of which will cause confusion and will dilute the R&D resources of the supplier community. There is already a strong feeling that W-CDMA operators may be stuck with an inferior technology. Clinging to it and taking on the expense and risk of a whole new standards path could be suicidal, as the CDMA carriers, and a huge group of new entrants to mobility, leap on to a technology that, for all its faults, is just around the corner.
Additional background: NTT DoCoMo’s technology
The Super 3G members claim they will have specifications, based on the current WCDMA technology, by mid-2007 and working systems by 2009. Technologically, the various factions are far closer together than they are politically, with few really fundamental differences of approach between WiMAX, DoCoMo’s 4G experiments for next generation W-CDMA, and Qualcomm’s plans for a future for CDMA2000. This was clearly shown by DoCoMo’s demonstration of 1Gbps 4G connections in its laboratories just before Christmas, just a month after Siemens showed similar performance using WiMAX-like OFDM.
In the DoCoMo demo, a downlink speed of 1Gbps was achieved in a laboratory experiment using a combination of VSF (Variable Spreading Factor) Spread OFDM and the smart antenna technique, MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out), a popular approach for WiMAX that employs arrays of antennas to send data in multiple paths. DoCoMo admitted the distances were short, since the experiment was indoors, and that its techniques are mainly focused on rapid downlink, with uplink speeds not disclosed. Last fall, DoCoMo demonstrated downstream data rates of 300Mbps with an average rate of 135Mbps, in a car running at 30 kilometers per hour at around 800 meters from the 4G base station.
Copyright © 2004, Wireless Watch
Wireless Watch is published by Rethink Research, a London-based IT publishing and consulting firm. This weekly newsletter delivers in-depth analysis and market research of mobile and wireless for business. Subscription details are here.


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Rachael Yamagata, who's new two part album Elephants ... Teeth Sinking Into Heart hits stores on Oct. 7th, has just released a new video for the albums haunting first track, "Elephants". The video was shot at the Salton Sea in California by Paul Brown of Bau-Da, who has done videos for everyone from Paul Simon to Death Cab For Cutie.
Preceding the albums release Rachael will be out on the road showcasing the new tunes, while later on in the month of October Yamagata will be joining the singer/songwriter showcase, the Hotel Cafe Tour. To check all the dates you can head over to Rachael's myspace.
Rachael Yamagata- "Elephants":


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A U.S. lawsuit raises new questions about the competence of Sumner Redstone and his ability as executive chairman of to run Viacom and CBS.» Read More
Video game hardware is hot once again. The games themselves? That's a murkier picture.
Time Inc., the magazine company that is home to People, Sports Illustrated, and Time, will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday.
If you're among the many who want to stream Netflix's second season of "Orange is the New Black," and it starts buffering, who should you blame?
"Game of Thrones," HBO's Emmy-award winning fantasy epic, has surpassed "The Sopranos" as its most popular series ever, the cable network said.
Earlier, Verizon sent Netflix a letter demanding the streaming service cease and desist false claims and unfair business practices on Thursday.
Twitter has mulled deals worth billions of dollars as it seeks to add a music service to its offering, FT reported, citing sources.
LinkedIn launched in China earlier this year, and it is apparently taking Beijing's Tiananmen censorship policy global.
Netflix customers received alerts reading "The Verizon network is crowded right now" when their videos streamed slowly. Re/code reports.
On Tuesday, Instagram rolled out the sixth version of its mobile photo-sharing app.
Pandora's royalty rates to songwriters may come under federal law. Richard Greenfield, BTIG media and tech analyst, explains what this means for investors and the music streaming business.
Disney's Maker Studios plans to lay off about 10 percent of the workforce, Variety reports.
Here's the theory behind the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable deal, and with the AT&T-DirecTV deal.
Nielsen, which started tracking TV-Twitter activity this past fall, released analysis of the September-May broadcast season.
"Thank you so much," the former "Reading Rainbow" host said. "This is going to enable us to really, really, really do a lot of good."
Spotify is among a host of subscription music services that have come under fire from artists and labels in recent times over royalty payments.
Apple sells music. Jimmy Iovine makes music. So Apple Records makes sense, right?
Comcast's $45 billion deal for Time Warner Cable would create a monopoly, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told CNBC.
Dish Network says it will become the largest company yet to accept payment in bitcoin.
Comcast's $45 billion takeover of Time Warner will not inhibit competition of broadband or video, CEO Brian Roberts told CNBC.
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner told CNBC how he plans to continue to grow the social media company.


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More than 20 years after the introduction of the cartoon and gaming franchise, the latest Pokémon craze is once again hooking gamers of all ages. This time, it’s encouraging them to get out around their community to catch digital monsters and battle against other players using a mobile app on their cell phones.
“Pokémon GO” was launched last week and quickly became one of the most used mobile apps on the market. Madison College Marketing Professor Steve Noll says usage has topped such massively popular apps such as Twitter and Tinder, which means millions of users are out hunting for Pokémon.
The game utilizes several features on smart phones to allow users to play. Using local maps, it drops players into a real-time environment that follows where they are in the physical world. Nearby landmarks, such as parks and historical markers, are treated as designated stops where players can claim items by checking in. There are also gyms where players can battle other users.
By moving around, players can randomly encounter Pokémon, which are digital creatures that comes in many forms. From cartoonish rats to giant birds, there are dozens players can encounter. The game makes use of something called “augmented reality,” which uses your phone’s camera to drop those creatures into the environment. Users can even take pictures of the Pokémon hanging out in their front yard or along a busy street. Noll says that technology is not exactly new, but Pokémon GO pretty much marks a turning point for its use in entertainment.
Noll says a big reason for the success of the game is the familiarity many people have with Pokémon. Introduced in Japan in 1996, the franchise made its way to the U.S. in 1998 with a TV show, Nintendo Game Boy video game, and eventually a popular card game. With about two decades of public exposure, that means many people under the age of 50 have likely had at least some contact with the property. “Even though it may not be as recognizable a character as something like Bugs Bunny, most people who are at least into gaming or comics are familiar with Pokémon,” Noll says.
The game has also attracted some criticism and concerns though, with UW-Madison Police issuing a warning to users to watch where they are going while playing the game. The message came after numerous reports over the weekend of people wandering into traffic or biking erratically on campus, which police believe was linked to people playing. There were also arrests in Missouri, after several teens were accused of using the game’s check-in feature to identify secluded locations where they could target players. Noll says he was not surprised to see such issues pop up so fast, given the massive popularity of the game so quickly after its introduction. “This is such a new, exciting game…and sometimes judgment doesn’t come along when you’re going out searching for these little creatures.”
Noll notes there is a good aspect to the game as well, since it requires people to get out and explore the world around them. “Look on the bright side – you have all these kids walking around neighborhoods and getting some exercise.”
As for how long people will be out trying to catch them all, Noll says he would not be surprised to see it still going strong at least a year out into the future. Other companies are likely to jump on board with the augmented reality features as well. “This game has launched to great acclaim and it’s not going to disappear anytime soon…and I think pretty much every other electronics company is probably having a meeting to discuss this,” he says.


text: Harris Interactive conducted a survey for Zone Labs to find that 94% of consumers agreed that the Internet presents a threat to children. 61% cited predators in chat rooms as the biggest threat. 16% said pornographic Web sites posed a danger. 8% believed phishing was the biggest threat to kids. 3% identified spyware as the biggest threat to kids, 4% said viruses were the worst danger. Only 50% had installed a software firewall, and only 23% had installed a full security suite to secure their personal computer against such Internet threats.


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The suspect was accused of using a fake Amazon delivery truck to traffic thousands of pounds of marijuana around the metro.
OG Article: here.
View our Fair Use Policy: here.
OKLAHOMA CITY —
A years-long federal investigation has led to a huge black-market marijuana bust in Oklahoma City.
The suspect was accused of using a fake Amazon delivery truck to traffic thousands of pounds of marijuana around the metro. The federal court documents detailed exactly how the suspect was able to slip under the radar for so long.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said the suspect, Brandon Ye, used to transport black market marijuana from an Amazon delivery van. According to court documents, the FBI has been investigating the illegal drug operation since November 2021.
The FBI said Ye would use his business, Arch Granite and Cabinetry, as a warehouse and pickup location for loads of drugs.
In the court documents, it says, "YE drives the Amazon Van to visit Oklahoma-based marijuana grows where large black trash bags containing vacuum-seals packages of marijuana are loaded and transported to initial stash houses controlled by YE."
The marijuana would then be repackaged and transported to Ye’s warehouses in OKC. At these locations, the documents say, "At the warehouses, it appears that a semi-truck is loaded about once a week with marijuana for transportation out-of-state."
Law enforcement pulled over one of those trucks back in February. Inside, "approximately 2,700 pounds of packaged marijuana, an amount of marijuana is well in excess of 1,000 kilograms, was found during a traffic stop on a semi-truck in Indiana."
Right now, the suspect is charged with drug conspiracy in federal court.


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Warren Buffett once famously said, “When the tide goes out, you see who’s been swimming naked.” The Oracle of Omaha offered this sage bit of wisdom in reference to companies’ ability to survive in lean times. In cannabis, the tide went out very quickly, leaving many founders blushing through a combination of hubris, inexperience, and the misguided notion that abundant liquidity was going to last forever.
“I have spent ten years in the cannabis industry, and this is the most challenging environment I have seen for raising capital,” said David Kram, a seasoned finance and capital markets executive and founder of Spring Leaf Capital, a boutique investment management and advisory firm. “With most publicly traded cannabis companies down more than 80 percent from their highs a couple years ago and a market that appears to be in a recession, things aren’t looking good.”
Over the past two years, the industry has been plagued by a lack of growth capital and dashed hopes of changes to the rules restricting banking. The dearth of venture capital and the high cost or inaccessibility of debt financing for the vast majority of operators have created a darkening horizon across the industry as businesses burn money with no path toward profitability.
“The industry is facing major headwinds at the moment, which has made external capital scarce and expensive,” said Mitchell Osak, a Canadian consumer-packaged-goods consultant who has advised more than 200 cannabis companies globally. Osak believes rising interest rates, equity market pullbacks, and scandals like the FTX cryptocurrency exchange collapse have spooked seed investors about early-stage companies and emerging asset classes. This has exacerbated an already arduous fundraising environment.
According to Steven Ernest, vice president at cannabis lender Chicago Atlantic, the runaway inflationary environment and limited action by the federal government have made the industry appear too risky for some investors, particularly given Democrats’ failure to push through the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE Banking) Act during their final days in control of the House of Representatives. “Cannabis is unique in the respect that this inflation did not benefit revenue as the industry continues to commoditize,” said Ernest. “This unfortunate confluence of macroeconomic events led to rapidly dissipating profitability.”
The result is less capital being invested as the overall financial fundamentals of companies and the general industry outlook appear worse than ever before. But for those with the capital and scale to survive, this is a good time to be conducting mergers and acquisitions. “The flip side of this is that acquisition pricing has declined by more than the cost of capital has increased,” Ernest said.
The outlook at the company level remains undoubtedly bleak, but Rob Sechrist, president of cannabis lending firm Pelorus Equity Group, believes the overall industry outlook remains optimistic—though this is clouded by a tendency for people to peg the performance of the entire industry on the valuation of the limited, low-volume public stock. “There are still tremendous tailwinds in this industry, with revenue reaching $27 billion in 2022 and sales in 2023 projected to exceed $30 billion,” he said. “Whether a publicly traded company’s market cap goes up or down or [the company] even goes out of business, people continue to buy cannabis. There will be new winners picking up market share, and the companies that mismanaged their expectations and operated like they could continue pulling equity forever are in trouble.”
With economists forecasting another challenging year ahead and cannabis companies of all stripes frantically searching for capital to survive, we assessed the fundraising landscape and tried to find some opportunities to raise money within the doom and gloom.
Anyone who has been trying to fundraise for a cannabis startup in the past twelve months knows there is virtually no money available, particularly for new investments.
According to Crunchbase, only $300 million had been raised by mid-2022. In its January 4, 2023, report, Viridian Capital Advisors, which tracks cannabis deals, noted total equity issuance was off 75 percent and total debt issuance was down 53.1 percent for the year. Sammi Tourish, vice president of investments and investor relations for Arcadian Capital, said not a single equity deal of more than $25 million took place in the industry in 2022.
“The general sentiment is that many of the venture capitalists are taking hard looks at their portfolios and doubling down on those companies where they think they still have an opportunity for a liquidity event,” said Spring Leaf Capital’s Kram. “Cannabis is a nascent and fast-growing industry. It’s difficult to take swings at companies when you are dealing with limited information about a market.”
After raising money for their original funds in more optimistic days, venture groups largely are sitting idle at the moment, using what capital they have to support existing investments as opposed to placing bets on new entities. “If you’re a new brand or company, raising money from this industry is extremely difficult,” said Roie Edery, founder of direct-to-consumer platform Ginger and infused spray Click. “It’s expensive and margin-erosive to play in competitive markets like California, and a lot of companies have been chasing topline revenue no matter the cost. The problem is, when the VC [venture capital] money dries up like it has now, the party’s over.”
There is an argument that low capital cost, outlandish projections, and optimistic valuations in the industry’s early days contributed to today’s challenges. Many companies that were able to raise considerable capital have failed to meet expectations or disappeared entirely, calling into question the wisdom of the gatekeepers of the industry’s much-needed growth capital. “I think the VCs are under a lot of pressure right now to lock in returns in an environment where [mergers and acquisition] deals are drying up, cash already has dried up, and the public markets essentially are closed off for new cannabis offerings,” said Kram. “In this environment, it’s especially hard for VCs, because they almost have to manufacture [mergers and acquisitions] within their portfolio in order to generate enough liquidity.”
Kram pointed out that, as in the music industry, it takes only one or two winners per fund to return capital to investors and post strong performance. But as long as VCs continue to struggle to find investors themselves, they will be sitting mostly on the sidelines.
The venture landscape inevitably will improve with time, but how many of the current crop of cannabis VCs will be around to participate in future booms remains to be seen. The sage advice we repeatedly heard? Reach out to VCs that fit your company’s profile, arrange opportunities to pitch, but don’t get your hopes up.
A growing number of companies both inside and outside the industry are starting to take advantage of a new-ish fundraising opportunity called equity crowdfunding.
Sometimes referred to as “crowd investing” or Regulation A+, equity crowdfunding allows companies to raise funds from retail investors keen to get in at the seed or pre-initial-public-offering stage. The fundraising method involves offering a company’s securities to a wide pool of potential investors via a platform like SeedInvest, Wefunder, or Republic in exchange for capital. Members of the general public may invest as little as $100 to buy equity or convertible debt in early-stage companies, an opportunity that otherwise would be available only to a founder’s friends and family or accredited investors plugged into angel opportunities.
“Equity crowdfunding enables early-stage companies to have their funding cake and eat it too,” said Osak, who has helped cannabis companies strategize crowdfunding campaigns. “It allows firms to tap millions of social-media-powered retail investors, many of whom consume cannabis, invest on Robinhood, and previously have not had access to early-stage cannabis investments.”
The benefits to fledgling companies are numerous. Not only can entities tap a far broader range of investors for smaller dollar amounts at high valuations, but they also can build a significant customer base of people who are invested in the success of their products, making them devout advocates for the brand.
“Equity crowdfunding is a low-cost, high-impact way for a small firm to build their awareness, community, and new product buzz while also driving sales and channel distribution,” said Osak. “It has been proven in a variety of sectors like consumer goods and tech. Why wouldn’t it be successful in a sexy and medically beneficial sector like cannabis?”
Among the more high-profile or successful companies that have crowdfunded are High Times, Click, and California beverage brand Uncle Arnie’s, which recently launched a campaign to raise $1.2 million at a $20-million pre-campaign valuation.
According to Uncle Arnie’s co-founder and vice president of sales Ave Miller, raising money while turning customers into impassioned shareholders was a key selling point of equity crowdfunding. “We wanted everyone to have the chance to own a piece of Uncle Arnie’s. This is the dream,” he said. “Uncle Arnie’s is a brand for the consumer. With the community’s help, we’ll be able to reach our national growth goals.”
By January 2—technically still pre-launch—Uncle Arnie’s had raised $200,000 from $1,010 minimum investments on SeedInvest. Miller said the funds came from a combination of the platform’s built-in network, the brand’s existing audience, and “a lot of budtenders, buyers, and the general public. We haven’t even started marketing the campaign yet.”
Infused spray brand Click ran a campaign on SeedInvest in early 2022, raising $820,000 in sixty days. Like many other brands last year, Click encountered issues raising money from VCs and was attracted to the idea of turning to retail investors, whose only exposure to the industry was investing in public multistate operators on the Canadian exchanges. “Cannabis has arrived at the point where you can talk about the benefits of your products to people all over the country and court their willingness to write a check,” said co-founder Edery. “We had been pitching the same old VCs just like all the other cannabis brands had, but through equity crowdfunding, we could bring a unique story to a grandma in Kentucky who could get excited about a cannabis spray that helps you sleep, and she could then invest $500 in our company.”
Edery considers the campaign a success but added his team had to do a lot of heavy lifting. “It’s definitely not a case of getting the platform to list you and then the money just starts flowing in,” he said. “You need to invest in marketing, build your landing pages, expand your email list, et cetera.”
Equity crowdfunding isn’t without its detractors. “It was rife with fraud in the early days,” said Kram. “There have been numerous cannabis companies that have launched and run successful Reg A+ offerings, but not all of them were transparent or even followed through with what they said they were going to do with the money.” He added the sentiment toward equity crowdfunding is becoming more positive, and more quality companies are opting to supplement their traditional fundraising efforts or completely replace them with the method.
To ensure a successful campaign, companies must get their data room in order, carefully pick the platform, and be realistic about the upfront marketing investment. But when capital is as scarce as it is right now, why not try pitching to a big pool of small-dollar investors in parallel with a traditional fundraising round, particularly when negative sentiment hasn’t poisoned the average person’s perception of the industry’s potential?
“Small retail investors and consumers still see considerable upside in the cannabis industry, both in North America and around the globe,” said Osak. “And for high-growth firms, cash—from anywhere—is king.”
Angel investors have played a key role in the developmental stages of businesses across the economy, and cannabis is no different. Today, they present a good opportunity to tap fresh, untarnished funds from those inclined to look at the bigger picture around the industry’s long-term potential.
An angel typically is an accredited investor (defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as someone with a net worth of $1 million or more in assets, or someone who has earned $200,000 per year for the previous two years) who participates primarily in the early rounds of a startup. The investments often will range from $25,000 to $500,000 and are considered to be high-risk, as angels often bet on companies with a limited track record but high potential for future upside.
Angel investing has become increasingly common over the past twenty years as the tech boom generated enormous wealth for savvy investors who bet early on the next big thing. Stories of startup savants like Peter Thiel cutting a young Mark Zuckerberg a $500,000 check for a 10-percent stake in Facebook in 2004 continue to ignite the imaginations of bold investors. When you’re courting angel capital, selling a big dream of a “disruptive” company in the making is part of the dance. The bigger and bolder the better.
While “go find some rich people” isn’t exactly the most constructive or sophisticated advice, it’s essentially the first step in the path toward securing angel investment. If you have high-net-worth individuals in your network who are interested in alternative investments like early-stage companies, get your pitch deck in order and invite them out to coffee. Investment vehicles like simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) notes, an elementary form of convertible debt created by startup incubator Y Combinator, are becoming increasingly popular for angel investment in the early rounds, so have a copy of your note ready to send to interested parties along with your data room.
There are a number of angel investing groups and syndicates around the country fielding pitches from founders, and some quick Google searching will pull up lists and contact information. That being said, very few of these groups are interested in plant-touching companies at the moment, so be prepared for a fair amount of rejection.
One cannabis-specific investment event is hosted by The Arcview Group, which has been running Shark Tank-style pitch events for the industry since 2010. The group pairs accredited investors and money managers with early-stage brands and companies looking to raise capital and in twelve years has facilitated more than $600 million in funding.
“We hand-pick attendees, speakers, panelists, and companies from across every vertical in the industry,” said Joe Derr, national director of business development. “If you go to a typical industry event, you often find yourself speaking with twenty people who do the same thing you do. We strive to bring the best of the best. We do our due diligence, look at their investor decks, and really get into the details. The standards for participation at an Arcview event are very high.”
Arcview boasts a strong attendance of “decision-makers and board members,” Derr said. Companies that have participated successfully in the past include Eaze, MedMen, and 4Front Ventures.
Arcview focuses on bringing new angel investors, VCs, and family offices to the table, acknowledging most existing cannabis investors are “either underwater or they’ve been burned by some less-than-excellent operators.”
The final path toward raising money is debt. While debt financing has been rising steadily in the industry, it isn’t viable for all companies. To be a good candidate for taking on debt, a company needs to have hard assets—like real estate or valuable licenses—and a track record of generating cash flow. This rules out the vast majority of startups.
“Debt increasingly has become the top choice for capital deployment in cannabis,” said Ernest, whose role with Chicago Atlantic involves sourcing and executing due diligence on new opportunities for the firm. “This is largely the result of collapsing equity markets leaving venture capital and private equity with very poor track records raising additional capital.”
Ernest explained private companies need to offer downside protection to compete for limited dollars. “Lenders have tightened the reins on leverage as the macroeconomic situation has deteriorated,” he said. “At Chicago Atlantic, we look for a one- to two-times EBITDA-to-debt ratio, and that has dropped from two- to three-times [EBITDA] a year ago.” EBITDA is an acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
For startups, this pretty much takes debt financing off the table. According to Ernest, the fundamental difference between equity and debt is that equity looks at forward upside and debt looks at historical financials and hard assets to protect downside.
According to Sechrist, Pelorus Equity Group is open to working with any cannabis-related business, public or private, that owns commercial real estate, shows strong financials, and possesses ample experience and expertise in its sector. The firm’s “sweet spot” typically is offering loans ranging from $10 million to $30 million, but Pelorus will go as high as $100 million and as low as $5 million. “We’re most interested in lending to companies with a competitive edge, whether that means they offer unique, high-quality products, demonstrate operational excellence, or have a unique position within the markets where they operate,” said Sechrist. “But regardless, it’s imperative they really understand their own project, have the required equity raised to completely fund the project, and have all local approvals to begin construction.”
Profitability, or at the very least a demonstrable path toward it with solid cash flow, is essential, and Ernest believes this typically is found in vertically integrated multistate operators who are expanding into markets that have experienced less commoditization. “Delivery and standalone retail are largely unprofitable thanks to [Internal Revenue Code Section] 280E. Cultivation makes money in early years and loses money as markets commoditize,” he said. “Thus, it’s vertical integration that reigns supreme as the best candidate for lending.”
What those seeking funding should know
To be blunt, it’s a dire moment to start a cannabis business and a daunting time to be fundraising for an existing business, particularly if that business is bleeding money and in desperate need of a cash injection.
“A few years ago, you could be successful at raising money with a polished pitch deck with the word ‘cannabis’ written on it. Those days are long gone and never coming back,” said Spring Leaf Capital Capital’s Kram. “The bar is much higher today, with most investors looking for those who have extensive experience in the space, have a demonstrated history of running a lean, mean cannabis business, and are good stewards of other people’s money.”
Osak added today’s macroeconomic climate makes raising equity or debt financing difficult for any company, let alone cannabis companies, which continue to face investor stigma, federal illegality, and low or zero profitability. However, there is hope for well-run companies that can get their proverbial ducks in a row.
“Good cannabis firms do get funded,” Osak said, adding those companies tend to be profitable and have strong cash flows, good governance mechanisms in place, and some kind of sustainable advantage such as licenses in limited supply or desirable retail locations. “To attract equity or debt investment, I would make sure my business is investment-ready,” he said. “This includes putting my financial records and cap[italization] table in order, showing ambitious yet attainable profit and revenue-growth projections, and having a strong, committed management team in place.”
As for new founders—who face the tough, capital-intensive challenge of getting their business off the ground when institutional-investor sentiment has been tempered severely—Kram implored them to be modest and realistic.
“Raise just enough money to get you to your next milestone, whether that be a successful harvest, cash flows, or the launch of a brand,” he said. “Don’t get greedy. Be extremely honest with yourself and your prospective investors about your business. Understand your financials. Have a robust financial model to share. Be able to answer questions before they come up. Have a best-case, base-case, and worst-case scenario for raising capital.”


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The iMaker is out with its report, and "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer has his review.» Read More
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Business Victoria and Monash Council hosted the Local Events Program Graduation Showcase on the Tuesday 8 October 2019.
The graduation showcase celebrated the 38 businesses who completed the hands-on Business Planning for Growth and Online for Business Masterclass Series, where businesses attended a series of four master classes across a two month period.
The hands on Masterclass series encouraged design-led learning, bigger thinking and enabled action implementation throughout the learning process.
The Masterclass Series took attendees out of their comfort zones, allowing them to look at their businesses from a different view point. This enabled them to upskill, innovate, better service their customers, grow their customer base, enhance their profitability and focus on working on their business instead of in it.
Mayor Shane McCluskey congratulated the businesses for completing the masterclasses.
“Small businesses are an important part of our community and should be recognised for their contribution to the local and wider economy,” Cr McCluskey said.
Minister for Local Government and Small Business The Hon. Adem Somyurek, Member for Mount Waverley Matt Fregon, Monash Mayor Shane McCluskey and CEO Andi Diamond were in attendance to help the Masterclass Graduates celebrate their success.
Congratulations also to WithOneBean, who has been announced as a finalist for the 2019 Ethical Enterprise Award. Alice Mahar, Business Manager at WithOneBean, recently completed the Business Planning for Maximum Growth Masterclass series.
The Ethical Enterprise Awards recognises the most inspirational ethical businesses or organisations that achieve the most positive social and economic impact in a local or overseas community through their innovative and ethical trade practices.
WithOneBean, who operate from Oakleigh, is an ethical and environmental speciality coffee house who source wild grown coffee beans from Timor-Leste creating real positive social impact.
WithOneBean is grown, processed, roasted and packaged to the highest quality, without sacrificing people or the planet. Their team deal direct with local farmers ensuring fair prices are paid and support other communities in Timor-Leste with community and environmental programs
We wish Alice and the team well for the award. Winners will be announced at the Ethical Enterprise Awards Dinner on Monday 28 October 2019.