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WeChat and Alipay square off overseas
The Wall Street Journal
China's two biggest mobile-payment platforms, Alipay and WeChat, are moving to capture market share overseas. The most obvious opportunity for them is to serve Chinese nationals overseas.
Paul Schulte, founder of consultancy Schulte Research, told The Wall Street Journal that Alipay and WeChat "are following their tourists, and they are following their commerce. It’s like what happened in the 1950s when U.S. banks followed their corporate customers overseas."
In 2015, Alipay and WeChat began expanding rapidly overseas. They are entering into partnerships with merchants in Southeast Asia and Europe and are eyeing investing in payment systems abroad. In December, Ant Financial (Alibaba's finance arm and the owner of Alipay) signed a deal with four European financial groups: in France BNP Paribas, in Great Britain Barclays, in Italy UniCredit and in Switzerland SIX Group. WeChat launched its payment services in Europe in July.
It is natural for Alipay and WeChat to follow their customers overseas. Many Chinese people do not own credit cards and are accustomed to cashless payments using these platforms. The market is large and growing rapidly as well: A December report in The Financial Times noted that 120 million Chinese traveled abroad in 2015, up 18% over the previous year.
Alipay is cooperating with a number of Western payment providers, including Ingenico, First Data, Worldpay and Verifone. It also has reached an agreement with Uber that allows its Chinese customers to pay for rides worldwide using Alipay.
In emerging markets, Alipay has invested in India's e-payment and e-commerce brand Paytm, which has 150 million users as well as Thailand's Ascend Money, an e-commerce group with a presence in Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Alipay has good reason for aggressive global expansion: It is rapidly losing market share at home to WeChat. As WeChat becomes China's dominant app, with its own payment ecosystem, fewer Chinese consumers are using Alipay to pay for transactions online. Alipay has just 50% of China's mobile payments market now, compared to more than 80% in mid-2014. WeChat (to be precise, its parent company Tenpay) has been the main benefactor, with its share of that market rising to more than 40%.
Emerging markets offer plenty of opportunities for both WeChat and Alipay, but they will need to be mindful of local tastes if they expect to be successful. WeChat's attempts to break into the messaging-app segment of Southeast Asia have largely failed, except in Malaysia and Myanmar. An app designed for the particularities of the China market - minimal foreign competition, heavy-handed censorship - has many limitations.
Of course, censorship isn't an issue for payments per se, but the negative connotations associated with Chinese technology brands are not easily dispelled. After all, users concerned about their conversations on WeChat being viewed by Chinese state security may worry about the integrity of their payment information as well.


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Aura, Bajaj, and Cree Win SEAD Global Efficiency Medals
The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, an international collaboration of 17 member governments and an initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), today announced the winners of its Global Efficiency Medal competition for super-efficient commercial LED lighting. Aura Light International, a Swedish manufacturer, won the international award, with Cree, Bajaj Electricals Ltd, and Aura Light International winning the regional awards. Manufacturers of winning products were honored at an awards ceremony at the International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Domestic Appliances and Lighting in Luzern, Switzerland.
The winning Aura Light planar luminaire, at 106 lumens per watt, is nearly twice as efficient as the traditional linear fluorescent luminaries commonly used in commercial spaces. According to the UNEP-GEF en.lighten initiative country assessment model (August 2015), if all fluorescent lighting installed in 2010 were replaced by products as efficient as the SEAD award-winning model, it would save 648 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity annually, or the equivalent of the total annual electricity consumption of Sweden, Mexico, and Spain combined.
SEAD announced the winners of the award for super-efficient household LED lighting in June 2015. These lighting competitions will help inform the recently announced CEM Global Lighting Challenge to accelerate the global phase-in of high-efficiency, high-quality, and affordable lighting products. The Challenge's race to "10 billion bulbs," if achieved overnight, would result in 735 Mt of avoided CO2 emissions, equivalent to the total yearly emissions of Germany.
"The global lighting industry has made significant strides in the last few years, with increasing availability and affordability of high-efficiency lighting for homes, streets, and businesses," said Gabrielle Dreyfus, the U.S. lead for the SEAD Initiative. "The Global Efficiency Medal competition will contribute to the CEM Global Lighting Challenge by recognizing those products and informing purchasing decisions"
SEAD also recognized products that demonstrated the greatest energy efficiency among those available for sale in each of the four competition regions: Australia, Europe, India, and North America, including: Australia, Lunaria LED Panel â€” Aura Light International; Europe, Lunaria LED Panel â€” Aura Light International; India, BZRSQL W3 XE NW â€” Bajaj Electricals Ltd; and North America, ZR22-32L-40K-10V â€” Cree.
This is the fourth SEAD Global Efficiency Medal competition. The first three competitions recognized the world's most energy-efficient flat-screen televisions, computer monitors, and electric motors. A fifth competition for flat-screen televisions is currently under way, with winners to be announced in September 2015. The SEAD Global Efficiency Medal competition is the only international awards program that identifies the most energy-efficient, top-performing equipment, appliances, and electronics demonstrating reduced electricity use.

domain: news


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China is to launch a “crackdown campaign” on foods tainted with illegal and excessive chemicals, according to a leading agricultural official. The move comes as China’s international record for product safety comes under increasing pressure.
China has been hit with a barrage of bad press as products made in the country and exported to international markets have been involved in safety scandals. Episodes have included tyres, food and toys.
According to a report by Reuters, minister of agriculture Sun Zhengcai has defended China’s record saying: “Judging from monitoring, the acceptability rate of China’s agricultural products is higher than it’s ever been.”
Speaking in the official People’s Daily, Sun said there would be stiff action against farmers and producers who used banned chemicals to boost yields and profits.
“This crackdown campaign will be no mere formality,” Sun said.
Reuters said that among targeted practices will be use of chloramphenicol, malachite green and other potentially toxic banned chemicals in raising seafood.


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Kroger to hold hiring events in Lynchburg
Tuesday events at three different stores
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Know anyone looking for a job?
Kroger will be holding hiring events at three stores across Lynchburg from 3 to 6 p.m. The company has 15 open positions between the three stores.
These three stores will be holding hiring events:
- 2012 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
- 7805 Timberlake Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
- 15069 Forest Road, Forest, VA 24551
The open positions are both full time and part time in several departments, including front-end, deli, produce and grocery pickup. There are also several leadership positions available including a produce assistant manager, a grocery assistant manager and a natural food lead.
Anyone interested is encouraged to apply online before going to one of the events. Anyone 14 or older is invited to apply.
Copyright 2019 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.


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Samsung plans to hire 1,000 engineering graduates in India next yeartext_fields
New Delhi: South Korean electronics major Samsung plans to hire over 1,000 engineers in India from IITs and other top engineering colleges, including BITS Pilani and NITs, in 2022.
In a statement, the tech giant said that young engineers, graduating in 2022, will be hired for new-age domains like artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, deep learning, networks, image processing, cloud, data analysis, on-device AI as well as camera technologies.
For its three R&D centres (Bengaluru, Noida and Delhi), Samsung will hire around 260 engineers from IIT campuses in Delhi, Kanpur, Mumbai, Madras, Guwahati, Kharagpur, BHU, Roorkie and other newer IITs. The rest of the hiring will be from other top engineering colleges such as BITS Pilani, IIITs and NITs, it added.
The company will hire students from multiple streams, including computer science, electronics and communications, electrical engineering, mathematics and computing, instrumentation and information technology, to support its efforts to build innovative solutions for India-specific challenges.
This year, Samsung had a slightly longer internship period so that students can spend more time in the company, allowing them to interact with the leaders and managers.
The company's R&D centres in India have a strong culture of patent filing. The centre in Bengaluru has filed over 7,500 patents globally, with over 3,500 patent filings in India so far


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Bextra Pulled From Market
By E.J. Mundell, HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, April 7 (HealthDay News) -- The painkiller Bextra was pulled from U.S. and European markets Thursday following sweeping new U.S. Food and Drug Administration actions that mandate black-box warnings on all similar prescription drugs and labeling changes for similar over-the-counter drugs.
"We've asked Pfizer, and they've agreed, to stop selling Bextra," Dr. Stephen K. Galson, acting director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, told reporters at a teleconference Thursday.
He and other FDA officials cited heightened cardiovascular risks associated with long-term use of the drug, as well as incidents of a rare but potentially fatal skin reaction, as the primary reasons for pulling Bextra from the market.
"Secondly, we're asking all manufacturers of prescription NSAID drugs -- including what remains the only cox-2-specific drug on the market, Celebrex -- to include a boxed warning, our highest-level warning, on the label," Galson added.
He said the tough new labeling "highlights the major risk of these products, which are gastrointestinal bleeding and cardiovascular adverse events."
Besides Celebrex, which is being allowed to stay on pharmacy shelves pending further study, other popular, prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) covered by the labeling order include prescription Aleve and prescription ibuprofen.
Galson said all prescription NSAIDS will also have to have special "Medication Guides" further outlining these risks, to be provided to consumers by pharmacists as they fill their prescriptions.
In addition, the FDA will require labeling changes for all over-the-counter NSAIDS, including popular brands such as Advil, Aleve, and Motrin and generic ibuprofen. These changes, while not as strongly worded as the black box warning, will alert consumers to possible cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risks associated with long-term use.
Aspirin is exempt from any warnings, officials added.
In a statement issued before the news conference, Galson said, "Today's actions protect and advance the health of millions of Americans who rely on these drugs everyday."
He said the agency is "providing the public information based on the latest available scientific data to guide the careful and appropriate use of these drugs aimed at maximizing their potential benefits and minimizing their risks."
Thursday's action appears, in part, to overrule an advisory panel's recommendations that all three cox-2s, Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx, should stay on the market despite their known cardiovascular risks.
After a highly emotional set of public hearings in February, the panel of scientists and doctors found the heart risks were very real but appeared to determine that the drugs' benefits outweighed their risks.
Thursday's announcement is the death knell for Bextra, which FDA experts say has been linked to increased cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risks, as well as isolated and unpredictable incidents of a serious, life-threatening skin disease, Stephen Johnson syndrome, officials said.
Agency officials also said Bextra appears to offer patients no added therapeutic benefit that can't be found in other available medications.
As for blockbuster Celebrex, also made by Pfizer, agency officials concluded that the drug's benefits still outweigh any risks to patients. But the drug will carry the heightened black-box warning, and the special "Medication Guide" now mandated for all prescription NSAIDS.
The FDA is also asking that Pfizer "commit to conduct a long-term study of the safety of Celebrex compared to naproxen [Aleve] and other appropriate drugs."
A third cox-2 inhibitor, Merck Inc.'s Vioxx, was voluntarily withdrawn from the market in September of last year, after a major study linked long-term use with cardiovascular disease.
In the statement released Thursday, the FDA said the agency "will carefully review any proposal from Merck for resumption of marketing of Vioxx, and would likely discuss the review with the new FDA Drug Safety Oversight Board and an Advisory Committee before making a final decision."
For more on Thursday's actions involving these painkilling drugs, visit the FDA (www.fda.gov ).
SOURCES: April 7, 2005, teleconference, Stephen K. Galson, acting director, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; FDA press statement
Copyright ï¿½ 2005 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.


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The 2014 Toyota 4Runner appears to be getting a styling refresh that is as out of the ordinary for Toyota as the venue at which it will be debuting. Launching on April 27 at the 2013 Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, CA, the 2014 4Runner looks to be getting more of an in-your-face design. Toyota says this marks the first time it has ever revealed a new product at a music festival.
- Volvo shoots for self-drivers by 2021
- Jeep spends $1 billion on factories
- Find Parts & Accessories for your vehicle!
- Obama rolls out new EV plan
- Infiniti dealers ranked best, Tesla worst
- Compare Volvo XC90 and Lincoln MKX


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Asian carp processor hoping more in Ky. try the fish
WICKLIFFE, Ky. (AP) — A western Kentucky fish processing company that sells the invasive Asian carp is hoping more Kentuckians will try the fish, which is plentiful in Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.
Two Rivers Fisheries ships the fish to restaurants in major cities, including St. Louis, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Boston, as well as Europe and Asia.
The Paducah Sun reports (http://bit.ly/1HDEI1Q ) the carp processing company and fish market opened in Wickliffe in 2013
The company calls its carp "Kentucky white fish." Two Rivers Fisheries owner and president Angie Yu says the carp have been eaten in Asia for thousands of years, but there’s a stigma on the product with American diners. The fish are bony, so they must be prepared properly, she says.
Information from: The Paducah Sun, http://www.paducahsun.com
©2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Tesla Motors' CEO, Elon Musk, announced last month a partnership with two major banks that would see consumers enjoy the option of in-house financing when purchasing their Model S electric car.
Musk said that consumers could own the Model S electric car for less than $500 per month at the time, but has since revised these figures. Under the new plan, future owners of the Model S would expect the monthly cost to be around $580, which takes into consideration the projected savings from using electricity versus gas, depreciation and a few other factors. Tesla also notes that the cost for business use could be a low as $315 per month.
The new plan also involves an updated resale value guarantee, which states that the resale value on the Model S would be higher than Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus or Mercedes. Tesla have also extended the amount of time an individual can finance a Model S from 63 months to 72 months, through Wells Fargo and US Bank.
- > NEXT STORY: RumorTT: Next-gen Xbox will charge $15 per month for optional subscription
- < PREVIOUS STORY: Microsoft sends out invites for Xbox E3 event, scheduled for June 10


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Introducing AirCastLive, a Service for Sending and Sharing Video Directly From Smartphone to TV From Anywhere
December 10, 2013 --
CHICAGO, Dec. 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AirCast Mobile, a pioneer in mobile video services, today announced AirCastLive, a unique video sharing and messaging service for smart TVs poised to revolutionize how consumers interact with their television. AirCastLive enables anyone with an iOS- or Android-based mobile device to capture, save, and share their personal content and easily send it directly to a smart TV. Now consumers can capture life's important – and not so important – moments from anywhere and easily share them with friends and loved ones on the most effective and high-quality screen they own, their HDTV. In addition to the Google Play and iTunes App Store, AirCastLive is launching today on Roku and Google TV set-top boxes, with direct smart TV integration on the way. AirCastLive is available now and can be downloaded at www.aircastlive.com
"Smartphones are today's primary mechanism for capturing video, but despite advances in mobile media quality, few people would choose their phones over their TVs when it comes to watching something important like a wedding or a baby's first steps," said Mike Linhardt, founder and CEO of AirCast Mobile. "AirCastLive is the first service to give consumers a simple, straight-forward mechanism to share this video content with whomever they wish regardless if it's across the street, across town or across the globe. It's literally as easy as sending a text message."
AirCastLive is the first service to closely integrate a consumer's smartphone with their smart TV. The service is by far the easiest way for anyone to immediately share video and photo messages about the most important moments from vacation, business, events or just plain old everyday life with friends and family. All a consumer needs to do is sign-up and install the app on their smartphone and streaming device or smart TV. From there, the consumer can get AirCasting! They simply record a video and press a button to upload it to their AirCastLive account. Then it's just the push of another button to share that video with anyone else with AirCastLive installed on their smartphone, PC or TV. The receiving party will see a small icon in the corner of their TV, letting them know they have a message waiting for them.
AirCastLive isn't restricted to just smartphones. You can also upload video you capture on the Internet from your PC and view it or share it from your TV. In addition to video, AirCasters can share photos or a combination of photos and video from the same account. AirCasters can also send content to multiple users at once.
AirCastLive is currently available for use with Roku and Google TV set-top boxes. It will also soon be available on major smart TVs and is currently undergoing trials with Tier-1 North American MSOs. Consumers will also need to install the mobile application on their iOS- or Android-based mobile devices. The PC interface is a simple Web interface available through any browser.
AirCastLive has been developed by AirCast Mobile, a Chicago-based startup run by a team of mobile and consumer electronics industry veterans from companies like AT&T, RealNetworks, Rovi, and TV Guide.
Pricing and Availability
AirCastLive from AirCast Mobile is available today. It's free to sign up on smartphones and Web and mobile apps are free to download. To view content on Roku or Google TV, a one-time $5 app download fee is required. New users receive 1GB of free storage space. An annual fee for more storage space is offered at $9/year for 5GB, $19/year for 20GB, and $39/year for 40GB.
You can download the AirCastLive apps at the following sites:
iPhone App - http://bit.ly/1bxfu50
Android App - http://bit.ly/18xcPUt
Google TV App - http://bit.ly/1bsFm0L
Roku App – http://bit.ly/1f2IX6D
About AirCast Mobile
AirCast Mobile is an award-winning mobile media company based in Chicago. Run by industry veterans from the largest and most innovative names in mobile and consumer electronics space, the company is focused on leveraging the transformative power of mobile media to create new and productive communications solutions for the everyday consumer. More information can be found at www.aircastmobile.com.
CONTACT: Media Contact


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Apparently the French courts have ruled against EBay to the tune of £30m in a bizarre case (at least from my point of view).
LVMH (who own a number of designer brands from Christian Dior to Louis Vuitton) sued EBay for allowing EBay’s users to sell counterfeit designer goods. I think this is just ridiculous. EBay are in the business of providing a service to perform online auctions, and really should not have to take blame for what their users sell. LVMH really should have gone out for the counterfeiters themselves.
The concept is pretty simple: there are many companies out there that provide a “service” for their end consumers, and it’s their consumers who actually make the conscience decision to utilise it. If someone doesn’t like it, the service provider really should not be blamed here. The end consumer is at fault. The same argument can be applied when an organisation like RIAA sues an ISP – it’s not the ISP who downloaded all those songs, its the users!
So, what’s next ? A person who just had his house robbed sues the car company that the robbers used as a getaway vehicle ?


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JAMES CITY-The New pet store Pet Supplies Plus will open in Lightfoot Marketplace shopping center at the end of October.
The pet supply store will take over the storefront that was left vacant last year by Pet Valu as well as a neighboring space. This will be the second Pet Supplies Plus store for owners Scott and Roxanne Bobowicz, who first opened a location in Chesapeake in 2019.
Pet Supplies Plus is a franchise that carries pets such as fish, reptiles, hermit crabs, tarantulas, birds, guinea pigs, and hamsters. The new pet store will also offer a variety of pet food for cats and dogs and include a bakery with specialized treats like birthday cakes and cupcakes. Pet Supplies Plus also plans to have a grooming station with a self-service dog wash.
The owners first announced plans to open Pet Supplies Plus in Lightfoot back in March.


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Digital TV News: Platco Digital
NAGRA cardless content protection selected by Platco in South Africa
Nov 14, 2016 – NAGRA (SIX:KUD.S) has announced that its cardless content protection solution was selected by Platco Digital, South Africa’s fastest growing direct-to-home service provider, to secure the newest deployments of its OpenView HD platform.
News categories: NAGRA, Platco Digital, Thierry Legrand, Christopher Schouten, Patrick Conroy, Content Protection, Digital TV, Satellite, South Africa, Video Exchange
South Africa's OpenView HD now available on same satellite as DStv
Oct 6, 2014 – OpenView HD, South Africa’s first free-to-view DTH satellite television platform, will soon also be available on the same satellite dish used to receive DStv, Vivid and Freevision services.
News categories: Platco Digital, OpenView HD, Maxwell Nonge, Digital TV, Satellite, South Africa
OpenView HD FTA DTH service launches in South Africa
Oct 16, 2013 – OpenView HD, Platco Digital’s free-to-air satellite TV platform, is operational and South African viewers can take advantage of an offering that requires nothing more than a one-off payment with no monthly subscription fee.
News categories: OpenView HD, Maxwell Nonge, Digital TV, Satellite, South Africa
1.2 million paying HD+ households in Germany at end-June 2013
Jul 26, 2013 – SES S.A. (Paris; Luxembourg: SESG) has reported results for the six months ended 30 June 2013. In Germany, the HD+ platform continued to develop well, with 2.7 million active households at the end of June 2013, of which 1.2 million are paying households.
News categories: SES S.A, Content Distribution, Germany, Results, Satellite, Subscribers
Platco Digital to broadcast to South Africa on SES-5 satellite
Jul 24, 2013 – SES (Paris;LuxX: SESG) has announced a 15-year contract with Platco Digital, a sister company of the South African independent broadcaster e.tv, to broadcast a new free-to-air service in South Africa, with future plans to expand across Southern Africa.
News categories: SES S.A, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Satellite, South Africa
- ITV and BBC sign agreement to launch BritBox
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- UK CE market forecast to grow 4% in 2019
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- Operator 5G boosted by strong projections for 5G PCs and tablets
- Block Communications to use Comscore local TV ratings and Advanced Audiences
- 27% of US broadband households engage in some form of piracy or account sharing
- Nielsen's TV ratings platform moves to AWS
- NEC demonstrates live 8K video transmission over 5G in France
- U.S. consumer technology sales to exceed $400bn in 2019


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Slow growth, heavy discounting and more fickle shoppers in recession-weary developed markets mean retailers should be increasingly focused on international expansion, according to the ninth annual Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) study from management consulting firm AT Kearney.
“Retail executives have learned again that core markets like the United States and Europe are not the powerful engines of growth they would like,” said Hana Ben-Shabat, AT Kearney partner and co-leader of the study.
“Reliance on developing countries for future growth is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’, but a necessity. Establishing operations in a portfolio of countries both small and large offers the best path to global success for retailers.”
While many retailers are focused on expansion to larger emerging markets like Brazil, India and China, the GRDI found smaller countries including Kuwait, Uruguay, Albania and Macedonia represent increasingly attractive expansion opportunities.
Some of these countries represent good opportunities for retailers to establish regional beach heads (Macedonia, Guatemala), serve as test markets because of their similarities to other countries in the region (Uruguay) or benefit from heavily urbanized and wealthy populations (Kuwait).
The story for Australian retailers looking to expand is very similar, according to Irvinder Goodhew, principal with AT Kearney’s Sydney office.
“The danger for retailers comes when companies stick to the same strategy that worked in Australia when looking to expand overseas,” she said.
“Companies need to be prepared to localise and adapt to the local market – that doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes patience to create a strategy that will work in a different market.”
The top 10 countries in the 2010 GRDI are the most diverse mix of large and small markets in the Index’s nine-year history: China, Kuwait, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Chile, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Peru and Russia.
“Australian retailers should take a close look at the results, as they begin to look for more international growth opportunities to satisfy shareholders,” said Goodhew.
Published since 2002, the GRDI helps retailers prioritise their global development strategies by ranking the retail expansion attractiveness of emerging countries based on a set of 25 variables including economic and political risk, retail market attractiveness, retail saturation levels, and the difference between gross domestic product growth and retail growth.
A detailed analysis and country-specific results for the 2010 GRDI are available at www.grdi.atkearney.com


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It was a robust fourth quarter for Amazon.com as sales and net income showed substantial increases.
For the three month period ended December 31, 2017, net sales were $60.5 billion, up 38% when compared to the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. Net income was $1.9 billion, or $3.75 per diluted share, compared with net income of $749 million, or $1.54 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2016.
Net sales for the full year were up 31% to $177.9 billion with yearly net income coming in at $3 billion, or $6.15 per diluted share, compared with net income of $2.4 billion, or $4.90 per diluted share, in 2016.
In announcing its financial results, Jeff Bezos, company CEO, highlighted the continued growth of its Alexa platform. He noted there are now more than 30,000 skills from outside developers that work with Alexa, allowing consumers to control more than 4,000 smart home devices from 1,200 unique brands.
Looking ahead, Amazon said it expects first quarter net sales to be between $47.75 billion and $50.75 billion with operating income expected to be between $300 million and $1 billion.


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August 5, 2014
Urban Business Roundtable Spotlight On Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald
This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, Dywaine Betts Jr., chats with Carnival Corporation CEO and President Arnold Donald. On the board of directors for Carnival for 12 years, Donald was announced as CEO of the cruise-industry corporation, taking over the duties from business magnate Mickey Arison. The New Orleans native has quite a rÃ©sumÃ© before him. He was president and CEO of The Executive Leadership Council, a professional network of African American executives of major U.S. He previously served as president and CEO of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. He was also named Black Enterprise Executive of the Year in 1997, when he was a senior executive at Monsanto. Donald joins the roundtable to chat on how he’s turning the tide and charting a new course.
Also, UBR Contributor Samantha PassÂ talks with money expert Lynette Khalfani-Cox, a.k.a.Â The Money Coach. A New York Times best-selling author, personal finance expert, and radio and television personality, Kalfani-Cox’s latest book isÂ The Money Coach’s Guide to Your First Million: 7 Smart Habits to Building The Wealth of Your Dreams (Advantage World Press).
And finally, every week on UBR, you’ll hear Pepper Miller’s Y.O.U.-TURN segment, get motivation and inspiration from author and educatorÂ Dennis Kimbro, Ph.D., a wrap-up of tech news from the Chief Digital Aggregator for Johnson Publishing Co., Jun Mhoon, and our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments.
Pepper Miller is the founder and president of The Hunter Miller Group and the host of “The Urban Business Roundtable,â€ a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each week for UBR Spotlight, which features additional resources, advice, and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs, and experts featured on the show. If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on “The Urban Business Roundtable,â€ connect with us on Twitter @UBR1690.


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A massive push toward smaller and more environmentally friendly cars is expected by ford’s european manager for environmental and legal affairs, wolfgang schneider. In an interview with the industry newspaper automobilwoche schneider said that in view of the current financial and sales crisis, the time has come for a fundamental turnaround in the automotive business. This is particularly evident in the u.S., where the electric car has gained enormous popularity in a very short time.
Even the paris motor show had shown how clear this trend is. Not only the volume manufacturers, but also the "premium manufacturers" are heading in the direction of greener and smaller cars. This is not only about environmental protection, but also about energy independence. This debate, which has been going on vehemently in the usa for a long time, is now also coming to europe. Schneider acknowledges that the smart was a pioneer in the increasingly important market segment of ecologically sustainable city cars. In the meantime, however, there is much more than the smart and there will be more to come. Ford has so far underestimated the hybrid and electric segment in europe. Nevertheless, the company is still focusing on micro-hybrids for the time being, because ford’s "customer base does not yet want a full hybrid car: the technology is still too expensive. The electric car is also in the back of the company’s mind, but it is still holding back somewhat because a business model has not yet been developed.
Despite all the prophecies of doom, the fuel cell car has also made amazing progress. From today’s point of view, schneider does not expect the first series-produced vehicle in 50 years, but "already in 20 years. Compared to the electric car, the fuel cell also has the advantage of not requiring rare raw materials such as silicon. This argument, too, has led to sustained research into this technology in the usa. In germany, ford presented the ford focus fcv with fuel cell drive as early as 2002, and some of them have been in practical use for several years now.


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Thailand was ranked as top of the world’s happiest economies in a recent survey conducted by Bloomberg News. According to Bloomberg, Thailand comes first in the list of 51 countries it surveyed.
Coming after next after Thailand were Switzerland, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan — four of the five countries are located in Asia. Bloomberg said the said countries are relatively happy in terms of consumer friendliness. The two factors that make consumers unhappy are inflation and unemployment, and the degree of happiness is calculated and ranked according to what Bloomberg referred to as the “misery index.” On the said index, Thailand and Switzerland scored lower than 2.5, while Japan, South Korea and Taiwan were rated from 2.5 to 5.
The lower the misery index is, the happier the economy is, Bloomberg said. Bloomberg pointed out the surprising winner as a country that was not relatively rich compared to many others; the partial reason behind Thailand’s triumph was credited to its extremely low unemployment rate of 1 percent, which in turn kept the country from inflation; yet Thailand still has a long way to go before it reaches the living standards of more developed economies, it noted. In the entire Europe region, Switzerland continues to lead the other countries when it came to economical happiness, despite the controversy surrounding the Swiss National Bank earlier this year.
According to the research done by economists, only 3.3 percent of the Swiss people may be out of a job this year, but the slight 0.9 percent drop in prices in 2015 may help when its currency surges in value; all elements making Switzerland the second happiest economy. Third in the ranking, Japan has only recently loosened its grip in preventing deflation since the 1990’s, and there may be around 1 percent of deflation in the country this year.
The unemployment rate has improved as well, dropping 0.1 percent from 3.6 to 3.5 in one year. China is ranked number 7, as Bloomberg pointed out that it has found relief in both inflation and unemployment, boosting it forward two places compared to last year. The United States is still facing issues from job loss rates — the world’s biggest economy is not the best in this field, but it is still ranked number eight among the 51 economies.


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Greene County News Report
DAYTON — Ticket information has been announced for Stephen King’s appearance in the Dayton area.
According to a posting on the famous author’s website, tickets for the “End of Watch” book tour event will go on sale 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 13, at the Victoria Theatre or online at my.ticketcenterstage.com.
Books & Co. will host the event 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at the Victoria Theatre in Dayton. Doors will open 5:30 p.m. Tickets will cost $30 plus taxes and fees, according to Books & Co.’s website.
According to King’s website, each ticket guarantees entry to the event, as well as one unsigned hardcover edition of King’s new book “End of Watch.” Ticket sales are final and nonrefundable, according to King’s website. Due to capacity limits, each person is allowed to purchase up to four tickets.
“As a special bonus, 400 lucky attendees will randomly receive a pre-signed copy of the novel!” a posting on King’s website states. “Seating will be assigned based on the order the tickets are purchased, so fans are encouraged to act quickly!”
Additional copies of the unsigned new book, along with the two previous books in the series, “Mr. Mercedes” and “Finders Keepers,” will also be available for purchase at the event.
“End of Watch” is slated to be released June 7. The book is “a compelling and chilling suspense novel which sees retired detective Bill Hodges back on the trail of his nemesis Brady Hartsfield, the criminal the press called The Mercedes Killer,” a description of the book on King’s website states. “Foiled in his attempt to commit a second mass murder, Hartsfield is confined to a hospital brain injury unit in a seemingly unresponsive state. But all is not what it seems: Brady is able to influence both his physician and the hospital librarian to commit crimes in the outside world.”
King has written more than 50 books, including hits “The Shining” and “Carrie,” since making his first professional short story sale in 1967.


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The advance billing for the Apple watch was typically Apple-superlative. Fueled by the enthusiasm of legions of brand evangelists, the initial buzz anticipated something “revolutionary,” “life-changing” and/or “breakthrough” for health and healthcare.
Well… It turns out that the “innovative” health-and-fitness Apple Watch is more “fitness” than “health.” Version 1.0 is an admittedly stylish gadget that has closer ties to the gym than the hospital or doctor’s office. At least in this rollout product line, Apple has not included some of the anticipated bells-and-whistles for health care.
“Apple is prepared to make a big splash with the Apple Watch, even though the device won't live up to CEO Tim Cook's initial vision,” reports InformationWeek. “Apple executives had hoped the Apple Watch would be a futuristic health tracker, capable of checking blood pressure, stress levels, and heart activity… [but] Apple couldn't get these features to function properly.
“People familiar with Apple's plans said these advanced features were unreliable, too complex, and might have even heralded government regulation. In response, Apple dropped them.”
The lofty expectations for medical providers and marketing professionals envisioned stronger digital and data connections between patient and provider. “The disappointment is more acute because of the promise the Apple watch once held,” Huffington Post observes. “As healthcare crises boil—accelerated by the aging of the global population—Apple seemed ready to put its skin in the game. They claimed they had a ‘moral obligation’ to do more with sensors.”
“From Health Care Killer App To Gold Plated Bauble…”
“The buzz was about how the Apple Watch could revolutionize healthcare, not merely shake up high fashion timepieces,” business advisor Chunka Mui writes in his article for Forbes. “Apple went on a hiring spree of numerous digital health sensor experts. This expertise, coupled with Apple’s resources and design magic, fueled hope that Apple might overcome the technical, regulatory and usability challenges to sensing and helping consumers act on vital data like blood pressure, glucose, oxygenation and stress levels.”
Waiting and watching…
The branding, marketing and design genius of Apple is predicted to inspire millions of sales of the first version of Apple Watch. Emphasis on “first version.” Many observers—those not in need of clever-but-yet-another-digital-watch—are hoping for a more fulfilling payoff from the company's investment in health and wellness via the “next generation.”
The recent iPhone update, you may have noticed, includes a new Apple Watch app. And it’s located on your small screen near the Health app introduced last year. What’s more, the Healthkit developer tools are still likely to change your future healthcare marketing plan. Although more challenging than expected, Apple isn’t likely to abandon its vision. The much-anticipated payoff for healthcare from Apple Watch and other wearables will follow in the next, updated offering.
“While killing health care features makes Apple Watch more of a ‘nice-to-have’ device than a ‘must-have’ for patients, some have applauded Apple for playing it safe,” writes Dan Diamond in Forbes, “[with] Apple’s decision to hold off on debuting its medical-device features until those features can meet Apple’s high quality bar.”
[Photo: 2nix Studio/Shutterstock.com]


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Michael Bragg has joined Tyco Security Products as enterprise business development manager.
“Michael will be responsible for driving the Enterprise solutions American Dynamics, Software House (CCURE) and CEM into the ANZ market space,” said Tyco Security Products’ regional sales manager, Darren Banks.
“Michael has considerable experience in electronic security distribution and strong technical and sales skills and we’re looking forward to his contribution to the growing team here at Tyco.”
Johnson Controls/Tyco recently announced the appointments of BGW Technologies, Seadan Security & Electronics and Video Security Products as new distributor partners for Australia and New Zealand for the company’s security solutions. ♦


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Is Steven Cunningham going to become the next Alan Sugar of consumer electronics? The short answer is that it is far too early to tell. But Mr Cunningham's AIM-quoted Centurion Electronics is potentially as well-placed in a rapidly growing segment of the electronics market as Amstrad was during the 1980s personal computer boom. If Mr Cunningham comes anywhere near replicating Amstrad's success, investors can look forward to outsize gains.
Few people have heard of Centurion or its founder and 41 per cent shareholder. But there are uncanny parallels between Mr Cunningham and Sir Alan Sugar. Aged 37, Mr Cunningham went to school in Enfield, north London, not a million miles from Sir Alan's stamping ground in Hackney, east London. Both found their calling in sales and marketing. Mr Cunningham started as a photocopier salesman in the City and Sir Alan cut his teeth selling car aerials in the market stalls of Petticoat Lane.
Mr Cunningham, as chairman and chief executive, has positioned Centurion for the emerging market for in-car entertainment systems such as flat screens, DVD players, and portable connectivity devices that enable popular games consoles to be used while on the move. Its products are mainly aimed at backseat passengers and should be a godsend for harassed parents on long journeys with a carload of kids.
The company, floated on the stock market last Christmas, claims pole position in the UK in-car entertainment market, ahead of Alpine, Pioneer, Sony and Philips. Centurion designs, markets and distributes products under its own brand, leaving the manufacture to Asian electronics sub-contractors.
Its products can be fitted at the car maker factory to order, or in the after-market at a dealer's showroom. A separate range of portable so-called "plug and play" systems can be plugged into a cigarette lighter socket in a car, caravan or boat.
The market for in-car entertainment and navigation systems is expected to grow rapidly as miniaturisation, new technology and car-makers' desire to introduce optional accessories helps to drive demand. The after-market of in-car entertainment systems grew eight-fold to about £235m in three years, experts say.
Mr Cunningham says one of the group's key strengths is its ability to integrate small, flat screens and other devices into headrests, the car roof or other parts of the interior. It also has the know-how to develop products compatible with a car's electronic systems, power supply and wiring. "Many of our rivals are focusing on developing information systems for the driver, but we are concentrating on leisure and entertainment products," he says.
Centurion has signed up big names, including BMW, Toyota and Nissan, to offer its products as optional accessories. The group is also in talks with many more manufacturers. Separately, its products are sold through Argos, Currys, Dixons and Halfords. Among motor dealers, it has Pendragon and CD Bramalls as its partners. On average, its products cost £350. Rival systems can cost £1,500.
Given that Centurion is reaching consumers through many channels, growth is likely to be explosive. Although Centurion, with a £14m market value, is still small, its results are already beginning to demonstrate the scale of its market opportunity. Maiden interim profits, reported in May, surged 211 per cent to £398,000 on a 95 per cent increase in turnover to £2.8m.
Those figures put the company on course at least to double taxable profits to £1.4m for the year ended 30 June, not yet reported. Taxable profits of £3m in 2004 also look achievable. For now, the group has sufficient resources to fund its growth. It had more than £1m cash at the half-year and recently moved into new premises of 25,000 sq ft in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
The shares have more than doubled since they were floated at 30p last December, but canny fund managers such as Katie Potts of Herald continue to mop up the shares.
At 65p, the shares are valued at an undemanding eight times expected earnings for 2003 and offer a dividend yield of 1.3 per cent. Although small companies can trip if they fail to manage their rapid growth, Centurion's rating is low enough to justify the risk. Climb aboard.
Neil Thapar is equity strategist at the stockbroker DurlacherReuse content


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Today Toronto and San Francisco-based influencer marketing platform Influitive announced that it has added $7.3 million in Series A funding, only a few months after raising raising $3.75 million in early August. The funding round was led by Hummer Winblad and Relay Ventures, with participation from existing investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, and several angel investors.
The company launched its AdvocateHub B2B customer advocate management platform in August to help brands engage with their top customers, reward them, and incentivize them to provide referrals, share marketing messages on their social media channels, and provide case studies and testimonials. Unlike influencer identification platforms like Klout, Littlebird, and Linksy that help companies find and engage with their B2C customers, AdvocateHub is targeted to companies who already know who their top customers are, and want to increase their level of activity.
Companies create their own AdvocateHub page where they can invite customers to become advocates, giving them challenges and rewarding them with badges and other prizes when they complete those tasks. Companies can add up to 20 advocates for free, with monthly subscriptions starting at $500 per month for access to more advocates.
Prior to starting Influitive, founder Mark Organ was the founder of Eloqua, which debuted its initial public offering in August 2012. He said since the launch in August, the company has increased its number of advocates by 180 percent, though he declined to share exact numbers, and added that advocates are completing an average of 4.4 challenges per session. Organ said the new funding round will be used primarily for hiring, with the company looking to add to its marketing, sales, and customer service teams, as well as to build out partnerships.
Organ said while companies often engage in advocate marketing, it’s usually a manual process, reaching out to customers one by one to request testimonials or reviews. “Most companies are going to have some kind of advocate program in the future, they’re just going to have to,” he said. “I believe this more complete self-service idea is going to be the one that wins out.”
The company will also be using the funding to build out mobile apps to give companies and advocates better access on their mobile devices, so customers can complete challenges on the go. And while the platform was initially billed as a way to reward customers for completing challenges, Organ said since the public launch they’ve found that most advocates aren’t incentivized by rewards, and they’ve moved to a perks system, giving users badges and points based on the challenges they complete. “It’s really all about social capital,” Organ said. “That’s why advocates do what they do, they really don’t do it for a gift card.”
With plans to build a sales team (until now Organ has been doing most of the sales himself), the company should be able to scale its customer base as long as it can prove to companies that it has a measurable impact on their bottom line. Organ said it’s easier with certain challenges, for example showing an executive that Influitive resulted in 10 new positive reviews on a site like Yelp. If they can sell B2B customers on the fact that advocate marketing really does affect their bottom line, they should be able to scale in 2013.


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Australia's leading source of security and threat news
NZ TechEd LIVE: Are Kiwis blind to Big Data privacy risks?
"Would you write down your details and leave them in a coffee shop in Queen Street?"
Facebook, Google & Microsoft launch govt privacy petitions
Tech giants Facebook, Google and Microsoft have released statements requesting greater transparency when it comes to gathering public data.
Kiwis float like a butterfly but get stung on social media
New Zealand is an outgoing nation of social butterflies but gets itself into a flap with online security…
Top mobile tip.... don’t speak too loudly in public
Mobile phones and in particular smartphones have been a revelation with regards to staying in touch when we are out and about.
Slack IT approach risks Kiwi companies
Laissez-fare approach to wireless IT networks exposes Kiwis to cyber criminals, industrial espionage and ‘hacktivists’...
Has social media #ruinedyourlife...?
There are many among us who have ruined their reputations and damaged their careers after posting inappropriate material on social networks...
NZ ministers added to hit list for global hacker to attack
You Protested. Your Government did not listen. We have gathered intelligence on those responsible: John Phillip Key, Peter Dunne, Bill English…
Check Point stops cyber criminals in their tracks
Check Point Software Technologies has announced the availability of Check Point R77, the latest release for its award-winning Software Blade Architecture.
GCSB fights back over global hacking threat
Following Anonymous' threatening video aimed at the New Zealand government, GCSB has hit back...
Dotcom GCSB ruling… a sad day for NZ
It's a sad day for the people of New Zealand when government spies can break the law and not be held to account for it.
Westcon secures exclusive Symantec distribution deal
Westcon Group NZ has been appointed as the exclusive Enterprise and Small and Medium-sized Business (SMB) solutions distributor in the country for Symantec.
Global hacker fires warnings at NZ govt
To the government of New Zealand: you have our full attention and we are watching your every move. Consider yourself warned.
It pays to know who your Facebook Friends are...
It doesn’t matter that I don’t have a friend called Ana Scott, she tagged me and so I am curious...
Facebook discloses NZ govt data requests…
Social networking giant reveals official government requests for Kiwi data during the first six months of the year...
Ingram Micro puts focus into Fortinet partnership
Ingram Micro and Fortinet offer a full range of FortiGate consolidated security platforms, delivering unmatched performance and protection while simplifying your client’s network.
89% of Kiwis vote NO to GCSB bill
The coalition to stop the GCSB bill received an 89% approval rate in Auckland last night, led by Mega founder Kim Dotcom.
GCSB opposition unites in Auckland tonight
Labour Party leader David Shearer and Mega founder Kim Dotcom to head a public meeting in Auckland tonight, addressing key issues surrounding the controversial GCSB bill.
No Android security software? You're playing with fire…
ESET launches redesigned ESET Mobile Security for Android, in a bid to enable users to enjoy safer mobile technology without compromising performance.
Your Invite - Learn more about Trustwave products with Express Data
Express Data is inviting you to learn about award-winning Trustwave WebDefend products, at a series of events across New Zealand this month.
Kiwi firm stung in $18k email scam
New Zealand firm scammed out of $18,000 after paying a South Korean company supplier warns other Kiwi businesses over new email fraud tactics.
Are you a savvy shopper online?
Love shopping online but worry about becoming victim to the next biggest scam? Ordered a ladies size 12 and received a pair of pants that would be better suited for a six year old? Then this guide is for you...
Kiwi websites need to improve privacy info
Websites and apps collecting personal information could do much better in telling people that they are doing it, why they are doing it and how securely the information will be held.
5 key questions to improve Big Data governance
Big data, dubbed 'the new oil', can raise significant risk, ranging from disastrous data breaches to privacy and compliance concerns.
Kiwi tech firms unite in global security push
High-growth technology companies form the Security Technology Alliance, designed to create a new high-growth and high-value industry category for the country.
Naked sex chats help blackmail Kiwis out of $4.4m
Horny New Zealanders taking part in naked online video chat sessions are being blackmailed, with Kiwis losing $4.4m last year due to internet scams.
Expect more Android security issues this year…
Android vulnerabilities, increased online banking threats and availability of sophisticated, inexpensive malware toolkits are among the growing concerns cited in Trend Micro’s Security Roundup Report.
Sex, trafficking and preventative software…
Fighting against sex trafficking and child exploitation, Wynyard Group's technology is being used to combat the 'rape-for-profit' industry in Asia-Pacific.
Is your company Edward Snowden-proof?
Whistleblower haunts organisations, who are now investing greater time and money into monitoring inside security threats.
$100K Reward: Microsoft Bounty Hunters
As long as people write code, it’s going to be imperfect. That’s where the class of security researchers colloquially known as "bug hunters" come in, and Microsoft is paying them up to US$100,000 for the pleasure.
Microsoft joins the party… slams NZ Telco bill
Joining fellow tech giants Facebook and Google, Microsoft publicly questions the Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Bill, believing it to be a threat to New Zealand's IT industry.


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First publishedin ITS International
Oxford City Council in the UK is trialling technology start-up Urban Electric Networks’ pop-up charge point in a £600,000 initiative to encourage UK residents to make the switch to electric vehicles (EVs). Urban Electric says its UEone is a charging solution for households who have to park cars on-street in residential parking zones.
The project is co-funded by Innovate UK, following a successful £474,000 bid led by Urban Electric.
UEone charges at up to 5.8kW and retracts underground when not in use to minimise the impact on the urban environment. Urban Electric claims that the device is suitable for more than 90% of residential streets and comes with a grid demand management capability to allow whole streets to be electrified simultaneously. In addition, UEone’s SmartCable allows users to charge EVs at any of its pop-up charge points or Ubitricity lamp posts.


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Recently we heard that Google Pixel 5a 5G rumors about stop rebutted by Google. A dependable tipster these days claimed that Google has canceled the pixel 5a cellphone because of the chip shortage problem. Quickly a record via android critical regarded mentioning that the pixel 5a 5g will get a restrained release inside the U.S.
Japan, will no longer recognize in different areas. Google speedy debunked the rumor of approximately pixel 5a’s cancellation via saying that it’ll be launching the pixel 5a 5g smartphone. A Google spokesperson speak to 9to5google refuted the rumors by means of announcing, “pixel 5a 5g not canceled.
It is going to had later this year inside us and japan and announced in keeping while the remaining year’s a-series smartphone changed into added.” the authentic assertion now not best confirms the advent of the phone but also reveals that it’s going to deliver support for 5g connectivity. But, it is uncertain whether or not there may be another version with the handiest 4g LTE assist.
Google Pixel 5a 5G rumors about stop rebutted by Google
It’s far exciting to look that google’s spokesperson has especially noted the united states and japan as the best markets so one can be receiving the pixel 5a 5g. Closing 12 months, the pixel 4a 5g and pixel 5 made to had in restrained markets.
It seems that the upcoming pixel 5a 5g might be will available in just markets. Beyond reviews have claimed that the google pixel 5a can be debuting in June. A recent document claimed that the pixel 5a may be coming to India because it has been certified with the aid of the bureau of Indian requirements (bis).
Possibly, The US may treat with the 4g version of the device. Not anything a good deal thought about the specifications of the pixel 5a. Early renders of the phone have found out that it’s going to appear loads like the pixel 4a 5g.


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BRANDS GOING RETAIL – Accelerating Growth through Consumer-Direct Channels
Ebeltoft Group´s 2016 Brands Going Retail report studies the global trend of brands opening owned retail stores, underpinning their commitment to establish critical direct relationships with the end consumer.
The latest Ebeltoft Group report outlines the key insights and recommendations for Going Retail, while analyzing the trend across the globe:
Define the role of the direct-to-consumer channel within the overall strategy
Actively manage the direct-to-consumer channels with existing channels to optimize growth and profitability
We are proud to announce our 12th edition of Retail Innovations is here! For the past 12 years, Ebeltoft Group has been tracking innovative retail concepts across the globe. Many factors are pushing retailers to [...]
Aldi has just announced a $1.6 billion capital plan to substantially remodel and enlarge their existing fleet of nearly 1,600 stores. These stores will be enlarged by about 3,000 sq. ft. in order to better [...]
A newly released recap of 10 years’ market cap history for key retailers provides an insightful snapshot of how major shifts in purchasing behaviors have impacted retailing during the last decade. While the slide in [...]


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Card giants Visa and MasterCard have been making headlines of late for introducing new software aimed at speeding up the checkout process for consumers using new chip-enabled or EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) credit cards. While any effort by the major card brands to improve the process is welcome, these software fixes are more window dressing […]
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released its first second quarter estimate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2016. The BEA’s report showed that the economy grew at an annual percent of only 1.2%. This comes after an anemic increase of only 0.8% during the first quarter of 2016 and a similarly weak growth estimate for the fourth quarter of […]
The CREATES Act, if enacted, would remove industry entry barriers, encourage market competition, bring lower cost drugs to market, and benefit patients. The following is the coalition letter send to the Senate Judiciary Committee (click here for a printable version): ————– July 12, 2016 The Honorable Chuck Grassley The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate 224 […]
Today, the House Government Oversight Committee will be marking up a bill introduced by Chairman, Jason Chaffetz and the committee’s Ranking Member, Elijah Cummings that would provide an outsized bailout to the United States Postal Service on the backs of postal consumers. Since 2007, the U.S. Postal Service has generated $56.8 billion in financial losses […]
With FCC Commissioner Pia’s discovery that the current universal telephone service subsidy may contain one-half billion in waste, it is time for the FCC to rethink using this telephone subsidy as a model for broadband services. To read about this issue is detail, visit our piece in FORBES.
A few months ago, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on business data services — essentially, broadband-like services sold to businesses and enterprises, commonly referred to as special access services. In most instances, these business-to-business services are currently deregulated, so the notice came as quite a surprise to the industry. To justify its regulatory inquiry, the FCC released […]
This ConsumerGram looks at the impending surge in demand for senior housing in California and finds that policymakers need to take steps now to encourage investment by enacting policies that reduce the time and cost of development and make housing more affordable for seniors. Follow the links to read the entire ConsumerGram or ACI’s news release.
Today marks the deadline for filing comments into the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) docket on Broadband Privacy. Based upon the language in their proposed rules, the Commission would like the American public to believe that they have a clear path forward to adequately protect consumer data online. This could not be more false. As I […]
Last year, ACI’s Alan Daily wrote two pieces on patent trolls and how these trolls were “shopping” courts to find forums with better legal outcomes. Today, a broad coalition of think tanks has sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would curtail this “gamesmanship” and reduce abusive patent lawsuits. The letter is […]
The ongoing discord between retailers and the banking industry highlights the disagreement regarding payment cards and where the technology is headed. While the financial industry often deflects calls for improving credit card security by conjuring up the prospect of a mobile and biometric payment world, those days are too far from now for us to […]


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A QC lapse has led Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma to recall 2 million doses of three parenterals. The company says that for certain lots of the products, some aspects of pre-ship testing didn't make the grade.
The Osaka-based drugmaker says that it conducted quality testing of retention samples from its Ashikaga plant, north of Tokyo, and found no quality problems. Bloomberg reports that a male employee in his 40s failed to complete some quality-control tests. The worker has been replaced and production has resumed.
Among the recalled products are specific dosage forms of erectile-dysfunction drugs alprostadil and Prostaglandin E1, anti-inflammatory limethason, a synthetic adrenocortical hormone, and an anti-bacterial.
For Mitsubishi, it's at least the second recall in two years, Bloomberg says. The drugmaker recalled a blood-plasma product in 2009 because of manipulated data.
- see the Mitsubishi announcement
- here's the article


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Remember ultra-cool Range Rover SV Coupe unveiled last year? Well, Land Rover was planning to put it into production but now the pin has been pulled.
Land Rover was planning to build 999 examples of the exclusive, extra-luxury model. However, the company says it is instead going to concentrate on the next generation of its core models. Think along the lines of the all-new Defender which is not far away.
Not only is Land Rover focusing on new models, but also new technologies. It is ramping up its electrification development, while also investing in advancing autonomous driving. In a statement, the company said:
“We have taken the difficult decision to inform our customers that the Range Rover SV Coupé will not proceed into production. Instead, Land Rover is focusing its resources and investment on the next generation of world-class products.
“With exciting plans for electrification, enhanced craftsmanship, innovation and technology we are working to ensure that we continue to offer our customers a choice of world leading SUVs.”
The Range Rover SV Coupe was a project which was set to be built by the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations division. It was set to come with a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 that produces 416kW and 700Nm. Not only was it going to be a powerful beast, but also the most luxurious and most expensive Range Rover in the lineup. Shame it won’t see the light of day.


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Starbucks workers win second union election in company history
Votes were tallied from separate elections at three Buffalo-area stores in December but the results from two of them remained inconclusive.
Workers at the coffee chain’s Elmwood Avenue location voted 19-8 to unionise, becoming the first store among the company’s 9,000 corporate-run stores to join a union, and marking a major milestone in labour organising during a historic wave of worker actions.
On 10 January, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that workers at the Genesee Street location successfully voted to unionise, after the union argued that the company included ballots cast by workers at another store.
The labour board agreed.
The company has 10 business days from the decision in which to request an appeal. The result will be final if an appeal is denied; a company spokesperson told The Independent that Starbucks is evaluating whether to do so.
Starbucks Workers United workers are members of Workers United Upstate New York, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union.
“We put an end to Starbucks’ delay attempts and formed our union at the Genesee Starbucks,” union organiser Lexi Rizzo said in a statement.
The union has challenged election results at a third location on Camp Road, arguing against the company’s “conduct during the organising campaign”, which union members say was marred by the company “engaging in a campaign of threats, intimidation, surveillance, solicitation of grievances and the closing of facilities” ahead of the election.
That objection is pending before the labour board.
Starbucks has repeatedly denied that it interfered with workers’ union efforts, though the company has opposed unionisation, including sending out anti-union mailings, texts and emails and setting up meetings with management and executives, according to workers.
A statement from a Starbucks spokesperson says the company has “been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us at Starbucks, and that conviction has not changed.”
The statement points to previous remarks from the company’s North American president Rossann Williams, who told workers that the “vote outcomes will not change our shared purpose or how we will show up for each other. … We will keep listening, we will keep connecting and we will keep being in service of one another because that’s what we’ve always done and what it means to be partner.”
The closely watched union campaign has inspired union elections among Starbucks workers across the US. Three other Buffalo-area stores are awaiting their election date from the NLRB, and an election begins this week in Mesa, Arizona, scheduled to end on 28 January.
Starbucks workers in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Seattle and Knoxville, Tennessee have also sought to organise unions at their coffee shops.
Under US labour law, employers must agree to meet and bargain with unions that have won their election but are not obligated to reach an agreement on a contract.
“Now we’re asking the same thing Elmwood is asking – we want a fair contract and most importantly we demand that Starbucks stop their union busting in Buffalo and across the nation immediately,” Ms Rizzo said. “No other partners should have to endure what we went through to have a voice on the job.”


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Organizers of the 30th annual Palm Beach International Boat Show say attendance increased by a whopping 17 percent from last year, with manufacturers, dealers and brokerages reporting that the docks were bustling with enthusiastic buyers and sales were strong.
“The consumer was back in the market on all levels,” Show Management CEO Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III said. “Attendance at the show hit an all-time high, and the total number of boats overall was up 8 percent, the highest it has been since 2007 and very close to a record high.”
The show’s increase in boats 60 feet and under stands out as a sign of market strength that will support long-term industry growth, said Zimbalist.
Manufacturers and brokerage companies not only sold new and brokerage boats, they came away with strong leads and sea trials.
“Attitudes are good, and there are a lot of boat buyers out there, ready and willing to purchase,” says Tim Derrico, national sales manager of HMY Yacht Sales, which had more than 60 new and brokerage boats on display. “We probably did about 10 deals at the boat show between brokerage boats, new boats and trade-ins. This includes the sale of three Cruisers Yachts from 32 to 48 feet and two Princess Yachts. In brokerage, we sold a Grand Banks 54. Activity was really good. All of our [sales] guys are excited about the follow-ups they have to work on.”
Denison Yacht Sales sold at least five yachts, including a Monte Carlo MC4, Beneteau GT 44 and Beneteau 49, said Denison president Bob Denison.
“It was a really good show for us,” said Denison. “We saw a lot of existing clients and new clients. We had a very noticeable increase in traffic -- probably about 20 percent from last year at both of our displays. The event was really solid, especially on Saturday and Sunday.”
Mark Castlow, owner of Dragonfly Boatworks, said the “festival-like” atmosphere of the Palm Beach show helps attract boaters. “People like being outside and on the water,” said Castlow, who sold four of his custom skiffs – three 15s and one 17.
Zimbalist said there were more megayachts at this year’s show than ever before and the number of boats from 40 to 60 feet jumped by 17 percent from last year.
The four-day event (March 26-29) showcased 632 boats in the water, including 80 yachts of more than 100 feet and 60 boats from 80 to 90 feet, Zimbalist said. Plus, there was surge of 15 to 20 percent in the number of boats on display on land, with a total of 400 boats from 10 to 38 feet, he added.
The largest yacht and second-largest in the history of the Palm Beach show was a 200-foot 2010 Lurssen, the Aurora.
“Various new watersport attractions and entertainment helped make this show a super weekend for people who love boating,” said Zimbalist.
The new attractions included AquaZone presented by the Nautical Ventures Marine Superstore, which had a 60-foot by 40-foot demonstration pool with in-water demos and hands-on testing of paddleboards, kayaks and other water-sports products.
The Palm Beach show is owned and sponsored by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County and organized by Fort Lauderdale-based Show Management. Active Interest Media is the parent company of Show Management and Soundings Trade Only.


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“Provides enormous cost-benefits and advantage over traditional photonic systems”
A pair of breakthroughs in the field of silicon photonics by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Micron Technology Inc. could allow for the trajectory of exponential improvement in microprocessors that began nearly half a century ago—known as Moore’s Law—to continue well into the future, allowing for increasingly faster electronics, from supercomputers to laptops to smartphones.
The research team, led by CU-Boulder researcher Milos Popovic, an assistant professor of electrical, computer and energy engineering, developed a new technique that allows microprocessors to use light, instead of electrical wires, to communicate with transistors on a single chip, a system that could lead to extremely energy-efficient computing and a continued skyrocketing of computing speed into the future.
Popovic and his colleagues created two different optical modulators—structures that detect electrical signals and translate them into optical waves—that can be fabricated within the same processes already used in industry to create today’s state-of-the-art electronic microprocessors. The modulators are described in a recent issue of the journal Optics Letters.
First laid out in 1965, Moore’s Law predicted that the size of the transistors used in microprocessors could be shrunk by half about every two years for the same production cost, allowing twice as many transistors to be placed on the same-sized silicon chip. The net effect would be a doubling of computing speed every couple of years.
The projection has held true until relatively recently. While transistors continue to get smaller, halving their size today no longer leads to a doubling of computing speed. That’s because the limiting factor in microelectronics is now the power that’s needed to keep the microprocessors running. The vast amount of electricity required to flip on and off tiny, densely packed transistors causes excessive heat buildup.
“The transistors will keep shrinking and they’ll be able to continue giving you more and more computing performance,” Popovic said. “But in order to be able to actually take advantage of that you need to enable energy-efficient communication links.”
Microelectronics also are limited by the fact that placing electrical wires that carry data too closely together can result in “cross talk” between the wires.
In the last half-dozen years, microprocessor manufacturers, such as Intel, have been able to continue increasing computing speed by packing more than one microprocessor into a single chip to create multiple “cores.” But that technique is limited by the amount of communication that then becomes necessary between the microprocessors, which also requires hefty electricity consumption.
Using light waves instead of electrical wires for microprocessor communication functions could eliminate the limitations now faced by conventional microprocessors and extend Moore’s Law into the future, Popovic said.
Optical communication circuits, known as photonics, have two main advantages over communication that relies on conventional wires: Using light has the potential to be brutally energy efficient, and a single fiber-optic strand can carry a thousand different wavelengths of light at the same time, allowing for multiple communications to be carried simultaneously in a small space and eliminating cross talk.
Optical communication is already the foundation of the Internet and the majority of phone lines. But to make optical communication an economically viable option for microprocessors, the photonics technology has to be fabricated in the same foundries that are being used to create the microprocessors. Photonics have to be integrated side-by-side with the electronics in order to get buy-in from the microprocessor industry, Popovic said.
“In order to convince the semiconductor industry to incorporate photonics into microelectronics you need to make it so that the billions of dollars of existing infrastructure does not need to be wiped out and redone,” Popovic said.
Last year, Popovic collaborated with scientists at MIT to show, for the first time, that such integration is possible. “We are building photonics inside the exact same process that they build microelectronics in,” Popovic said. “We use this fabrication process and instead of making just electrical circuits, we make photonics next to the electrical circuits so they can talk to each other.”
In two papers published last month in Optics Letters with CU-Boulder postdoctoral researcher Jeffrey Shainline as lead author, the research team refined their original photonic-electronic chip further, detailing how the crucial optical modulator, which encodes data on streams of light, could be improved to become more energy efficient. That optical modulator is compatible with a manufacturing process—known as Silicon-on-Insulator Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor, or SOI CMOS—used to create state-of-the-art multicore microprocessors such as the IBM Power7 and Cell, which is used in the Sony PlayStation 3.
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via Google News and Bing News


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Wragge & Co has won out against the Treasury Solicitor’s department in a bizarre dispute over the Napster domain name.
The UK’s internet names organisation Nominet has ruled that the Treasury Solicitor department held an abusive registration of the domain name www.napster.co.uk.
Napster was the world’s first popular music file-sharing system but was shut down in July 2001 following numerous copyright suits filed by the music industry.
Following the closure, US Technology company Roxio bought Napster’s technology and intellectual property with a view to relaunching the brand as a legal service.
However a UK company called Napster Ltd, which is no relation to the US company, had registered the www.napster.co.uk domain to direct internet surfers to an online guitar shop.
Napster Ltd dissolved when Wragges IP partner Cerryg Jones asked for the domain name to which Roxio owned the trade marks.
Normally, the Treasury Solicitor department would inherit the domain and subsequently auction it off.
In this case, the Treasury Solicitor department initially agreed to hand over the name to its rightful owner Roxio. However the department then decided that the domain name should be sold and Roxio would have to file a complaint with Nominet’s dispute resolution service.
The Treasury Solicitor’s department then served a notice of disclaimer to disown the domain name “in an apparent attempt to avoid […] proceedings”, according to Nominet’s independent expert, who ordered the Treasury Solicitor to transfer the domain name to Roxio.


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As every sector of the economy across the globe gears up for the digital transformation, Metamorphosis Edu has already started preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs to get comfortable with the virtual world. While there are many initiatives that were put forward to serve the students during the lockdown, the Virtual B-plan Competition stands as the one that peaked the excitement in the young entrepreneurs. The Virtual B-plan Competition is a business plan competition where students (from Grade VI – Grade XII) compete with their peers across the country. The competition has three levels to it. A special jury has been set up for filtering and promoting the deserving ideas to the next level. The competition has been fierce as students did not leave any stone unturned to give a stunning presentation. The jury has definitely gone through a tough time in filtering out the ideas.
However, after the tedious process of screening, the winners have been announced. The event has witnessed 82 ideas from which 5 ideas have won the competition and 6 ideas received a special mention.
- The first prized is backed by Dhanya Chowdary Arimilli from Indus International School for the idea “Connect” – an application where users can make appointments with doctors, book slots for blood tests, etc.,
- The second prize is shared between two participants – Pranav Kumar of Gitanjali Senior School, Hyderabad for the idea “Local Cart”– an application that promises delivery within 45 minutes and has an option to order diverse products, and Zahra Shirpurwala of Tagore International School Vasant Vihar, New Delhi for the idea “The Golden Gate Travel”– a travel application that has every offering required for travelers.
- The third prize is again shared between two participants – Vedaant Kumar of Kennedy Global, Hyderabad, for the idea “Student to Student” – an application that brings all the students onto one platform for knowledge sharing purposes and Sia Agarwal of Silver Oaks International School, Banglore for the idea “Artshalla” – an e-commerce platform where traditional art pieces are sold for home and restaurant decor.
Metamorphosis is proud of every single idea that was part of the Virtual B-plan Competition, and the level of professionalism showcased by the students has given us all the more strength to strive towards entrepreneurially empowering the students across the globe.
We look forward to creating more such platforms where the aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas.
Well then, until next time, keep ideating!


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New cuisine pops up in Decatur
October 29, 2017
After a difficult goodbye to the long-loved Yogurt Tap, Decatur braced for impact of a new food: poké. In late April, Poké Perfect emerged as the first fast casual dining restaurant in Decatur to serve the Hawaiian inspired dish.
While students rush to Chick-fil-A everyday to get french fries, chicken nuggets and lemonade, a new trend may be about to take the throne.
Step aside grease traps. Fast, fresh food is the new, big trend.
When Chipotle opened in Decatur in November of 2013, it quickly grew in popularity. The chain started in Southern California and spread across the country and, soon after, the world.
This style of restaurant, called fast-casual dining, is the most profitable in the restaurant industry, according to Poké Perfect owner, Hunter Satterwhite.
While the restaurant business is “the biggest risk of of any business you could take,” Satterwhite has found success by observing and monitoring the trends across the country.
After living in Los Angeles for 10 years, Satterwhite observed how foods like pho, a Vietnamese soup and poké followed the same trend.
“Fast-casual dining has been and is the fastest growing type of restaurant,” Satterwhite said. “It’s still as good, if not better, quality, so it is really popular. It all starts in Southern California. It gets to be a little trend there and before you know it, 20 of them open there and it’s like wildfire.”
On numerous visits to Hawaii, Satterwhite encountered poké, a food that he found to be fresh, unique and simple.
It was also profitable.
As poké spread through the United States, Satterwhite set his sights on Europe, a market unexposed to poké.
Friends and family ultimately led Satterwhite to Amsterdam, a heavily populated and compact city in the Netherlands.
According to Satterwhite, cars are not a popular mode of transportation in Amsterdam, allowing for heavy foot traffic and plenty of hungry mouths awaiting a quick, healthy meal.
Decatur however, is seemingly uninterested.
“Here, it has kinda struggled a little bit,” Satterwhite said. “This is a little hole and it’s quiet and people are still trying to figure [poké] out.”
Satterwhite acknowledges the success of restaurants in Downtown, the heart of Atlanta, but he knew it wasn’t for him.
“Downtown is great for lunch, but around 5 o’clock they roll the carpets up, put the bars on the windows, and it’s a ghost town,” he said. “I was like, ‘No, I want to be open all day and night,’ and this just seems like a great spot. There are so many cool little vibe spots around here, and I thought we would fit in.”
Business is on the slower side right now, but Satterwhite is optimistic that with hard work, “next year there will be a line out of the door.”
By having fresh ingredients, specializing only in poké and staying authentic to Hawaiian poké, Satterwhite feels that his food can appeal to a large demographic, high school students included.
“People try to do too much,” he said. “People try to do juice and poké. Sushi places have added poké to their menus. Many places don’t even have poké in their name. I wanted something that says poké; this is what we specialize in. This is what you get, and it will be good.”
Poké Perfect employees are trained to use the freshest foods from the best quality meat and vegetable suppliers at all times, so wasting food is discouraged.
“I’d rather not have it than sell something that’s not up to my standards, and I have very high standards,” Satterwhite said.
These standards result in a dish that is healthy, simple and fast, appealing to the Decatur demographic.
“Once we do capture people out of curiosity, they like it and they come back,” Satterwhite said.
Long time Yogurt Tap enthusiast and Decatur High School student Katie Meyer was not so thrilled at first, but she later discovered a very encouraging surprise.
“I miss Yogurt Tap so much. I got the almond butter frozen yogurt there, and it was vegan,” Meyer said. “But it’s cool that the thing that replaced [Yogurt Tap] also has vegan options. That is so awesome for me to see.”
“They found a nice way to transform the space into a restaurant, and I really like the vibe there,” Meyer said. “Yogurt tap seemed pretty small, but there is actually a lot of space.”
While Yogurt Tap was a Decatur-grown business, Meyer can see how exposure to fresh and diverse foods can be beneficial to the community.
“The cuisine is really unique to Decatur,” she said. “We have places like Noodle and Chipotle, but this is both fast and incredibly fresh. None of the ingredients were old or bad.”
Meyer is excited for the ways in which Poké Perfect is transforming poké.
“I really want to try their tacos because I’m honestly wondering how it works,” she said. “It seems interesting but cool.”
Poké Perfect recently introduced poké tacos and include a variety of innovative options like “sushirittos,” on their menu.
Satterwhite hopes to appeal to a wide variety of different palates by having tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab and lobster. He even encourages those who don’t enjoy seafood to try the roasted chicken, tofu or vegetable poké bowls.
Still, Satterwhite is focused on simplicity and with the hopes that it will attract more and more customers in the long run.
“I don’t want to reinvent the will of [poké],” he said. “I want somebody to walk in here from Hawaii and be very happy with what they see. I want them to see the taco and think that it is acceptable because we’re not trying too hard. Our product and our quality speaks for itself, and that’s it.”
Three months after the grand opening of Poké Perfect, a possible competitor, with the name of Juicy Drop, arrived on Thursday, Aug. 10.
At first glance, one would not assume that the green leafed exterior of Juicy Drop could contain anything other than juice.
Customers however, will be surprised by what lies waiting for them inside.
Originally from Korea, the owner Tae Woo Kim (TK) lived in Boston. There, he saw how juice and salad bars have taken off in California and across the country.
The common issue that he encountered though, is that these juices weren’t very appetizing.
“I’ve gone to some juice bars around the country and tasted [the juice] and it was not good,” TK said. “When I asked about it, they say, ‘Oh, well this is the healthy one.’ We believe that healthy food can be delicious. That’s why I go to the farmer’s market to find the best produce.”
TK often frequents the Dekalb Farmer’s Market to get produce for his new batch of juices each morning.
“Every morning I go get the fruit and vegetables, and I come here and press the juice,” he said. “I like to do the green juices first thing in the morning. I never make the juice in the afternoon because once I make it in the afternoon, I have to sell it tomorrow, and tomorrow it will not taste as fresh for the customers.”
With easy access to the farmers’ market and a demographic open to organic and fresh foods, TK knew that Decatur was the place for him.
“I didn’t want to be anywhere like a mall,” he said. “When people come in, it is mostly random and out of curiosity, and that is better. Here is like in Boston, people just walk in and they love to eat here, but also, a lot of people don’t really know about our salads and poké because our name is Juicy Drop. They think that it is just a juice bar.”
The name TK chose for his restaurant actually covers many aspects of the restaurant.
“The name Juicy Drop not only refers to the juice that we sell but the salad and poké dressings, the smoothies and the fact that we press all of our juices. The juice is dropped and that is what is special.”
Along with some friends of his in South Korea, TK partnered with a company called Good Nature Cold Press. TK uses the CT7, the safest, most compact efficient cold press in the line. It’s range of capabilities allow TK to add juice to a number of items on his menu.
“Other places like Smoothie King try to put in whatever to make it full,” TK said. “They have frozen fruit which has no taste and they put in the powder so the taste of their smoothies is always the same. My smoothies are called ‘smoothie juice.’ That means we minimize the ice, and we don’t put any magic powder or frozen fruit.”
The health of his customers and the quality of his food is the most important aspect of his restaurant.
“This is a really hard job because everything sold has to be fresh,” TK said. “If a vegetable is not fresh, or an apple, pineapple or orange is not sweet, it’s not delicious actually. It is hard but I really love to do this work. My family is going to be healthy and my customers are going to be healthy.”
While poké was not in his original plan and is not his main focus, TK was inspired by the success of restaurants like Chipotle.
“The reason why Chipotle is a big success is that they show something to the customers,” he said. “The customers get to see how the bowls are made right in front of them. I wanted to do that too.”
With everything laid out in front of them, customers build their own poké bowls and can choose up to two types of protein, endless veggies and toppings and combinations of homemade poké dressing to add onto their Juicy Drop rice.
After eating Poké Perfect, Will Whatley decided to try Juicy Drop to see if the poké there met his expectations.
“When I first walked in, I thought that the vibe at Juicy Drop was amazing,” Whatley said. “It’s so chic, and it literally looks like an Apple Store. They have all of these cool plants and smooth jazz and seats that you can just sit in and chill.”
Whatley found that poké bowls at Juicy Drop had their own style.
“Juicy Drop seasons their sushi rice which was not something I expected,” he said. “Sushi rice is usually really plain but I really liked it because it had more flavor.”
With endless meat, toppings and dressings, Whatley found that he got his money’s worth.
“At Juicy Drop, the meats that you can put in your bowl are all the same price which is pretty cool,” Whatley said. “There is no limit on what meat you can get because of price. When I was ordering, [TK] was really helpful and walked me through everything. When he started adding shrimp to my bowl, he was like ‘Do you want more?’ and I was so surprised that I just responded ‘What?’ and he was like ‘Do you want more?’ and I was in awe and I just said ‘Hell yeah.’ There was shrimp in every bite.”
With so many options, Whatley was only able to try the poké bowl but is excited to try other menu items.
“The fact that they do cold pressed juices and açaí bowls is awesome,” he said. “I really want to try some of the juices and smoothies, and the açaí bowls. Everything is all so fresh, it’s incredible.”
TK hopes to give his customers a wide range of choices, fit for any time of the day.
“At Poké Perfect, they only really focus on the poké,” he said. “I believe that it is really dangerous to sell just one thing. My customers will get something different. A lot of people come here and will get the açaí bowl, smoothie or my juice. We have a good combination with the juice and poké because it is great for health.”
Outside of the restaurant, TK intends to connect customers to local farmers so that they know where the produce in their food is coming from.
He aspires to instill pride in local farmers and introduce customers to fresh food producers in their community.
“Once my sales go up, I’m going to start getting more produce from local farmers,” TK said. “We want to make a board with pictures of farmers and tell their story to show the customers where they got their food from. It will be a big chalk board saying ‘today’s spinach is from…wherever.’ But every day it will change.”
What are the different options at these restaurants?