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HBAR Foundation Launches $250 Million Metaverse Fund to Entice Developers to Build on Hedera
The HBAR basis, a nonprofit group designed to speed up the event of the Hedera Hashgraph ecosystem, has introduced the launch of a brand new Metaverse fund. The fund, which launches with $250 million, will serve to entice builders and programmers to carry their metaverse merchandise to the Hedera community and make use of its decentralized ledger applied sciences.
HBAR Foundation Wants the Metaverse to Happen on Hedera
The battle for the metaverse is intensifying, and lots of organizations are providing incentives for these experiences to be constructed utilizing their very own infrastructures. The HBAR Foundation, a corporation dedicated to the expansion of the Hedera Hashgraph ecosystem and the apps on it, has announced the launch of the THF Metaverse Fund that may supply $250 million in incentives to programmers that wish to carry their metaverse apps to life by utilizing Hedera Hashgraph’s instruments.
On why the HBAR Foundation believes that Hedera is a perfect platform for metaverse impressed apps, it said:
DLT [Decentralized Ledger Technology] is the core element of such infrastructure and it’s the Hedera community that’s finest architected to fulfill the DLT calls for of enterprise platforms and their advanced economies.
Furthermore, the inspiration is assured that it will likely be in a position to assist newcomers within the space to sort out the hardships of launching these merchandise with a “wealth of expertise and monetary backing … accelerating the event of purposes in high-growth goal areas.”
The basis supplied some examples — referencing initiatives akin to Tunefm and Siki — by which they’re working with completely different manufacturers within the metaverse and NFT area that wish to develop their merchandise on this blockchain. In the gaming area, it goals to incorporate extra of those initiatives by utilizing middleware companies that permit for speedy deployment of initiatives within the atmosphere.
Regarding shopper manufacturers and collectibles, it introduced:
[The foundation is] working with trade companions who manufacturers belief to hand-hold them into the Web3 area.
The enterprise metaverse sector can also be being given particular significance by the group, which believes that middleware directed to assist this type of product is “key to powering future digital economies.” In this sense, the corporate expects these merchandise to even be developed on Hedera as a result of its favorable traits.
Hedera’s metaverse fund joins different funds that additionally heart their curiosity on the event of the metaverse, which, according to a current survey, can be a preferred place to purchase, retailer, and promote cryptocurrencies.
What do you concentrate on Hedera’s $250 million metaverse fund? Tell us within the feedback part beneath.


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U.S. Trade Deficit Soars, Led by China, Manufacturing, and High-Tech Goods
Thursday, March 10, 2011
|Alan Tonelson is a Research Fellow at the U.S. Business & Industry Educational Foundation and the author of The Race to the Bottom: Why a Worldwide Worker Surplus and Uncontrolled Free Trade are Sinking American Living Standards (Westview Press).|
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 10 – As Congress mulled a series of new trade deals, a jump in the January trade deficit provided new evidence Washington has not yet learned how to expand trade without ballooning the U.S. deficit – thereby worsening America’s already dangerously high levels of debt and further slowing an already sluggish recovery.
Said U.S. Business and Industry Council Research Fellow Alan Tonelson, “The January trade deficit surge, coming on top of a 32-plus percent rise in last year’s deficit, is telling Congress loudly and clearly to figure out how to do trade policy right before plunging ahead with new agreements.
Step One needs to be solving our trade crisis with a China that remains highly protectionist despite years of U.S. pleadings.”
Added Tonelson, “These trade numbers are sending an even louder message to the new Tea Party-oriented legislators who just endorsed passing the Korea, Colombia, and Panama trade deals. They can forget about repairing the nation’s broken finances if they want to resume speeding down a trade policy road that’s a proven debt creator.”
Spurring the deficit’s rise were dramatically higher U.S. trade gaps with China, and in the crucial manufacturing and high tech sectors. All dwarfed the increase in America’s oil trade deficit.
The soaring goods trade deficit with China was especially disturbing. The 12.52 percent increase, from $20.68 billion in December to $23.27 billion, was keyed by a huge 20.16 percent nosedive in U.S. goods exports
to the rapidly growing Chinese economy – from $10.12 billion to $8.08 billion. U.S. goods imports from China rose, but only by 1.79 percent, from $30.80 billion to $31.35 billion.
Domestic manufacturing’s January trade performance was even worse. The deficit increased by 13.47 percent, from $49.38 billion to $56.03 billion. Industrial exports sank by 5.79 percent in January, from $117.01 billion to $110.24 billion, dealing a blow to President Obama’s goal of creating high-wage jobs by promoting U.S. overseas sales. Manufacturing imports remained virtually unchanged, dipping only from $166.39 billion to $166.27 billion.
But the most dismal January performance was recorded by America’s high tech goods deficit, which jumped by 29.26 percent, from $5.50 billion to $7.11 billion. High tech goods exports plunged by 18.94 percent, while high tech goods imports declined by a much lower 10.54 percent.
All these surging trade deficits dwarfed the 4.71 percent increase in the oil gap in January, from $25.46 billion in December to $26.66 billion. Indeed, the overall non-petroleum goods deficit skyrocketed by 18.55 percent in January.
The overall goods and services deficit rose 15.10 percent in January, from a downwardly revised figure of $40.26 billion to $46.34 billion. The overall goods deficit increased 11.41 percent and the much smaller services surplus inched up 0.30 percent.
Overall exports increased by 2.72 percent, from $163.30 billion to $167.74 billion. And goods exports increased by 3.42 percent, from $116.54 billion to $120.50 billion. But overall imports increased by 5.17 percent, from $203.56 billion to $214.08 billion. And goods imports soared by 5.94 percent, from $180.25 billion to $170.14 billion.
The rise in the China goods deficit in January contrasted with a 15.58 percent decline in the goods deficit with Japan, a 4.91 percent drop in the goods deficit with Canada, and a 0.61 percent dip in the goods gap with the Euro area. The U.S. goods deficit with Mexico increased by 4.48 percent.
Alan Tonelson is a Research Fellow at the U.S. Business & Industry Educational Foundation and the author of The Race to the Bottom: Why a Worldwide Worker Surplus and Uncontrolled Free Trade are Sinking American Living Standards (Westview Press).

domain: news


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Last year, when I attended Money 2020, the large tradeshow that covers fintech (where finance meets technology), I walked away sure that banks were on their last gasping breaths. Young start-up fintech companies doing everything from lending money to creating payment systems and building digital wallets, were attacking traditional banks. With death by a thousand cuts, hundreds of start-up fintech companies were convinced that they would eviscerate old banking.
Fast forward to this year’s Money 2020 conference where you saw a major pivot. Banks are wearing their relationships with fintech companies like a badge of honor. Many banks now have their own accelerator or incubator programs for nurturing new products from blockchain to digital payments. And fintechs? Last year it was “put up your dukes,” this year they are eager beavers for bank collaboration.
Why the change?
Banks are harder to break than you’d think.
The plumbing that runs our financial systems may be old, but its vast, super-complicated and built on a lot of old legacy code. Most fintech startups focus on the customer experience, which is just the tip of the iceberg. They are not focused on the back-end solutions that handle the financial transactions. Despite the “old plumbing,” fintechs are finding out that they need to rely heavily on banks to perform these functions.
People trust banks more than you’d think.
A recent study by VocaLink, the global payment partner to banks, corporations and governments, found that US millennials preferred security over the latest technology fads. Seventy percent of US millennials reported that they would be more likely to use a new mobile payment service if it was provided by their own bank, rather than an alternative payment service provider.
And there you have it—People, including the millennial mobile natives, still trust banks. And banks sit on top of a spider’s web of expensive-to-rebuild transaction systems. Changing their tune, fintech companies are now proudly announcing their relationships with old banking.
Lantern Credit, a new startup backed by serial entrepreneur, John Sculley, is focused on changing the way we rank credit scores. The company will rely on new AI and behavioral learning techniques to create a more accurate definition of “what makes a person credit worthy.” But it’s not throwing the baby out with the bathwater; Lantern Credit will incorporate and build atop current credit systems to augment the old ratings, not replace them. Disruptive tech, minus the disruption. FIS’s Doug Brown, SVP and GM on Mobile, told me that while his company is the largest provider of fintech services, they very much work with the bank’s core technology stack to add layers including mobile payments, bots, Internet of things and more.
Person to Person Payment Systems:
Zelle is the banking industry’s reinvigorated person-to-person payment service. It’s looking to take a bite of the fintech darling, Venmo, a popular app for person-to-person payments. Zelle boasts partnerships with Ally, Bank of America, Citi, Chase and others. They are hoping that trust in the banking institutions gives them the edge up on competitors.
Chase Bank announced Chase Pay, its own mobile payment system for paying by phone. Competing directly with wallet systems from Apple, Google, Samsung and PayPal, banks like Chase see trust in banks and their full menu of services and offerings as their differentiator. While they say, they’ll work with the other payment systems, launching their own bank brand poses and interesting consumer challenge.
Set to launch in late 2017, Bank of America unveiled a virtual assistant named Erica. It uses voice combined with artificial intelligence, predictive analysis and messaging to let you perform transactions. It will do things like alert customers about their account balances, make payments, check balances and remind them to save. It’ll also help you locate your credit score and offer educational tips. Capital One is already using Alexa, Amazon’s voice activated Internet of Things appliance to allow customers to check their bank account information using voice commands. JPMorgan Chase announced that 40 percent of its $9 billion annual IT budget would be spent on innovation.
Message to fintech from the banks? We’re not about to go gently into this good night! The proof was everywhere at Money2020.
We will be talking more about fintech and the future of banking at the Digital Money Forum which will take place January 5-8, 2017 at CES.
Robin Raskin is founder of Living in Digital Times (LIDT), a team of technophiles who bring together top experts and the latest innovations that intersect lifestyle and technology. LIDT produces conferences and expos at CES and throughout the year focusing on how technology enhances every aspect of our lives through the eyes of today’s digital consumer.


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A BRITISH cider is being urgently recalled over fears the bottles will shatter.
Trenchmore’s Silly Moo cider is being pulled from shelves and customers are being urged to “handle with care”.
Any 500ml and 330ml bottles with a best before date of 03/19 “may break in normal use”.
The Cowfield-based producers have advised customers to dispose of the cider in household waste as soon as possible.
Silly Moo craft cider is sold in stores across the country and pubs in Sussex.
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For more details and to request a refund call 07711698279.
It comes after Brother Max nightlights sold at Boots, Tesco Direct, Mothercare and Sainsbury’s were recalled in case they overheat.
Both the Bunny and Bear version of the Carry & Hang Nightlight have been pulled from shelves.
And Morrisons was forced to recall green beans after two customers discovered needles hidden inside the vegetable.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org or call 0207 782 4368


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The beloved Air Jordan 10 “Seattle” has finally returned to retailers for the first time since they released as part of the “City Series” way back in 1995.
The original Air Jordan 10 “City Series” released while Michael Jordan was away from the game, which is when Jordan Brand picked a handful of NBA stars, such as the Sonics’ Kendall Gill, to debut several different Air Jordan 10 PEs on the court.
The collection consisted of the Seattle Supersonics colorway, as well as iterations for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings. The Chicago and Orlando 10s have been retro’d since the initial release, but October 19th marks the first time that the white, green and black colorway has resurfaced.
The Sonics-themed Air Jordan 10s are available now at all major retailers for the retail price of $190. GS sizes will also be available for $140 a pop.
from HotNewHipHop.com https://ift.tt/31v6FWK


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NEWS ANALYSIS: GM, Ford Mull Over Daewoo
- By Sang-Hun Choe
- Feb. 22 2000 00:00
SEOUL, South Korea -- For most of the 1990s, the Daewoo conglomerate spread its wings, opening factories in Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
The rapid expansion fit with the company's name - "big universe" in Korean. But then Asia's economic crisis hit, Daewoo's sales plunged, and it was crushed by a mountain of debt, leading some English-speaking Koreans to dub it "Dae-woe."
Now the struggling conglomerate is being broken up by its creditors, and potential buyers are paying particular attention to Daewoo's automotive operation and its access to Asia's markets, which are starting to recover from their slump.
"These markets are going to grow. They're good opportunities if you run your business well. We need to get position in these markets," Richard Wagoner Jr., president and CEO designate of General Motors Corp., told reporters recently.
In an effort to recover at least some of the $82 billion owed by the conglomerate, banks are planning to auction off Daewoo's 22 affiliates, which produce cars, trucks, ships, textiles and pesticides.
Daewoo Motor, South Korea's second biggest automaker and the main engine for the conglomerate's global expansion, was put on the block last week.
GM, which already has a foothold in Asia with partial ownership of Subaru, Isuzu and Suzuki, confirmed it would bid. Ford Motor Co., which controls Mazda's operations, is considering the opportunity.
South Korean media said DaimlerChrysler, Fiat and Volkswagen also were interested, and Hyundai Motor, which has 70 percent of the South Korean car market with its sister Kia Motor, expressed interest in finding a foreign partner to make a joint bid.
Ford CEO Jac Nasser, in a meeting with journalists before the banks formally solicited for bids, said his company would take a serious look at Daewoo, but would not buy just to block GM.
"We're not motivated to any great extent by what our competitors do. I certainly wouldn't try to fit into our strategy an action that's a spoiler action," Nasser said. "The questions are: 'Is the business equation right? Are the cultures right?'"
If Ford won the bidding for Daewoo, it could challenge GM for world leadership in automaking. GM now sells more than 8 million vehicles around the world each year, while Ford's sales are just under 7 million. Daewoo Motor's 17 factories produced 758,500 cars and trucks in 1999.
On the surface, Daewoo Motor doesn't seem a good buy - its debt stands at $ 16.3 billion.
But acquiring it would give access to the closed auto market in South Korea, where buying a domestic car is often synonymous with patriotism. Only about 2,300 imported cars were among the 910,000 automobiles bought in South Korea last year.
The Daewoo assembly lines on South Korea's west coast also are the country's most modern and cost-efficient, and would provide a foreign owner with a stepping stone into China's big market.
Daewoo Motor has factories in China, too, and a dozen other countries, including India, Vietnam, Iran, Uzbekistan, Poland and Romania. It sold 187,039 cars and trucks in Poland last year, surpassing Fiat to become the No. 1 carmaker there.
The dismantling of the Daewoo conglomerate marks a shift for South Korea, a poor agrarian country that developed one of the world's biggest economies by nurturing a few core industries with cheap credit and protection against foreign competitors.
Those policies encouraged Daewoo on its fateful overexpansion into developing countries and former communist states, paying for it mostly with borrowed money.
The corporate empire all but collapsed after Asia's currency crisis began in July 1997, causing slides in consumer buying across the region and leaving Daewoo short of cash to pay off short-term loans.
Creditor banks say they will select one or two bidders for Daewoo Motor by May and hope to close a deal two to three months later.
Whatever the outcome, South Korea's car market is being opened up to foreign participation. The French carmaker Renault already is negotiating to take over Samsung Motors, which is in court receivership, and President Kim Dae-jung says foreign investment is the only way to sustain the economy's rebound.
Many consumers are welcoming the changes, hoping domestic automakers will be pressured into bringing prices down and improving their products.
"Now it's time for them to face and survive the real competition, and for us to have new choices," said Kim Bae-ho, one of Seoul's 70,000 taxi drivers.


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Battlefield 2042 was recently revealed with a fantastic trailer, but news about crossplay and cross platform multiplayer is said to be coming for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
We know that the game will not have a single-player campaign and battle royale mode has also been omitted. The lack of the popular BR isn’t too disappointing as there are other multiplayer modes such as All-Out-Warfare, but the omission of a single-player campaign has divided the community.
Although the omission of a single-player campaign is understandably unwelcoming for some, there’s still plenty of reasons to be excited about the upcoming instalment.
Battlefield 2042 multiplayer modes
The three multiplayer modes confirmed are All-Out Warfare and Hazard Zone. A third mode will be announced at EA Play on July 22nd so fans can keep their eyes peeled for that.
Not much information has been shared about Hazard Mode other than it’s an “all-new high stakes multiplayer experience”. In opposition, we know that All-Out-Warfare will feature 128 players in Conquest and Breakthrough action.
As for the mysterious third mode, the game’s website simply teases that it’s “a new way to play Battlefield“.
Battlefield 2042 specialists
Four specialists have been confirmed with more to follow leading up to the game’s launch. The specialists are Webster Mackay, Maria Flack, Pyotr Boris Guskovsky, and Wikus Casper Van Daele.
Webster Mackay is a lone-wolf and ex-military survivalist who uses a grappling hook and has Nimble to move fast while aiming. Meanwhile, Maria Flack is a Combat Sturgeon who revives players with full health, and also has a Syrette Pistol that fires syringes at friendlies.
Pyotr Boris Guskovsky has an SG-36 Sentry System which automatically spots and targets enemies in its area. Lastly, Wikus Casper Van Daele has an OV-P Recon Drone which spots nearby moving targets and can disorient enemies using an EMP.
Does Battlefield 2042 have cross platform multiplayer?
During a press event for the game, DICE general manager, Oskar Gabrielson, said that news concerning cross-platform multiplayer and cross-progression will be revealed leading up to the game’s launch (via VG24/7). It’s possible this news could be made at EA Play on July 22nd.
Although crossplay is rumoured and expected, 128 players is only possible on the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X versions of the game, meanwhile PS4 and Xbox One are only capable of 64 players. While not official, this might mean cross-gen is not possible.
We will update this article when an official announcement is made.


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New York Judge Jed Rakoff said the lawsuit would proceed despite the arbitration.
Microsoft sued Samsung in August, claiming it broke a collaboration agreement by refusing to make royalty payments after the US company announced its intention to buy Nokia’s handset business in September 2013.
The lawsuit claimed Samsung owed $6.9 million in interest on more than $1 billion in patent royalties it delayed paying. Samsung said that the Nokia acquisition in April violated its 2011 deal with Microsoft.
Samsung has gone to arbitration at the Hong Kong office of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.
Samsung had agreed in 2011 to pay Microsoft royalties in exchange for a patent license covering phones that ran Google Android operating system.
Samsung also agreed to develop Windows phones and share confidential business information with Microsoft, according to the filing.
But once Microsoft acquired Nokia, it became a direct hardware competitor with Samsung, the filing said, and Samsung refused to share some sensitive information due to antitrust concerns.


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KYOCERA Solar Modules Certified by TUV Rheinland after Passing Independent 'Long-Term Sequential Test'
Proving the high quality and reliability of Kyocera's modules
KYOTO, January 24, 2011 — Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) announced today that its solar modules are the first in the world to have passed all “Long-Term Sequential Tests” performed by TUV Rheinland Japan Ltd, who independently evaluates quality and reliability of solar modules. The company had announced interim results last October, but now announces the full certification of the testing.
The company’s conventional 210-watt solar module was the test subject, and has proven to maintain a constant level of power output throughout the rigorous testing — which compared to standard industry testing methodology evaluates modules over a longer time period.
“Data collected from three large-scale solar power plants in Spain and Thailand show that our modules are performing at an approximately 16% higher power output level than the installers’ own original estimates,” stated Tetsuo Kuba, president of Kyocera Corporation. “TUV Rheinland’s test results further prove the high quality of Kyocera modules, and we will continue to ensure the long-term reliability of our products through both internal and external evaluations in the future.”
The Long-Term Sequential Test evaluates modules with four sub-tests: Damp Heat, Thermal Cycling, Humidity Freeze, and Bypass Diode. These test the module’s overall performance and quality by putting it under harsher conditions than those standardized by the International Electrotechnical Commission(IEC). Furthermore, while conventional testing dictates that a separate individual module be used per sub-test, the Long-Term Sequential Test carries out all four sub-tests on the same module, thereby evaluating it under conditions closer to those a product faces over its actual lifetime.
For more information about Kyocera Solar Energy
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971)(http://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of solar power generating systems, telecommunications equipment, electronic components, printers, copiers, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2010, the company’s net sales totaled 1.07 trillion yen (approximately USD11.5 billion). The company is ranked #554 on Forbes magazine’s 2010 “Global 2000” listing of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.
# # #
CONTACT: KYOCERA Corporation (Japan)
Akiko CHUJO, +81-(0)75-604-3416


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OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The legal cannabis market continues to grow exponentially on a global scale. In North America, it reached a value of $16 billion in 2020 and is projected to pull in approximately $43 billion by 2025. In keeping up with supply and demand, owners of top cannabis brand Black Dog in Oklahoma announce today they will be moving their entire product line to wholesale. Now in over 76 dispensaries throughout the state, company founders Nick Honard and Justin Corbett are focused on expanding into 100 more by end the end of the year.
“Our goal is to make Black Dog cannabis available to more people at a fair price,” explains Honard. “We are more than just a brand; we combined our passion for cannabis with our love for dogs and the company was born.”
Black Dog launched in April 2021 with farms of cannabis being cultivated under the watchful eye of the farm protectors -black dogs. While throughout history, the black dog is seen as a protector, guardian and gate keeper, Black Dog is no different. Fueled by a passion for creating exceptional cannabis products, Black Dog Cannabis farms are protected by a family of black dogs spanning three generations.
All employees working at Black Dog make time to volunteer at local animal shelters. In fact, for every dollar the company makes, a portion is dedicated to rescuing dogs and rehoming them on local cannabis farms. Black Dog assists in the dog’s rehabilitation by finding a trainer, donating food, and providing CBD for local animal shelters.
“We always wanted to have our own dog ranch,” explains Corbett. “Finding a way for our brand to give back while also helping animals is a passion that both Nick and I share.”
Together, Honard and Corbett have achieved over $750M in gross sales for consumer-packaged goods since their start in the cannabis industry. This includes their California counterpart brand California Cannabis Brands (www.cacannabisbrands.com) which launched in 2018 and is run by Corbett. Now, their sights are set on more real estate so they can spread into more legal medicinal markets.
Black Dog is headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma with multiple farms and cultivation partnerships spanning the state. For more information, please visit www.Blackdogcannabisco.com..
SOURCE Black Dog


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As Niantic is holding the Pokemon GO Fest all around the globe, new Pokemon are making their way into the game. And in the upcoming Pokemon Go Fest 2022, trainers can get their hands on Ultra Beasts.
In a recent announcement, Niantic has informed us that Ultra Beast Pokemon which includes Buzzswole, Xurkitree and Pheromosa will make their debut in Seattle, Sapporo and Berlin respectively.
Ultra Beast Pokemon belong to the mysterious category and belong to the Ultra Space. Prior to this massive debut of such Pokemon, Nihilego, one of the Ultra Beast has successfully made its first appearance during one of the previous Pokémon GO Fest. Check out the video below to know more about the upcoming Ultra Beats.
CHECK THIS OUT: Roblox Mining Simulator 2 Codes for June 2022
Along with the debut of multiple Ultra Beasts, devs are also adding Beast Balls to capture them. The Beast Balls are prepared by Rhi of the GO Ultra Recon Squad, which is a special and rare kind of Poké Ball. These are made to help in-person Pokémon GO Fest attendees catch an Ultra Beast as part of Special Research during each in-person Pokémon GO Fest event. Be sure to utilise the Research as it increases your chances to catch the Beasts.
Moreover, trainers who are unable to participate in the Pokemon GO Fests can capture them in the near future as the Ultra Beats will be available globally in the upcoming Seasons. The details for the same will be shared shorty by the developers.
Coming to the dates, Pokemon GO Fest 2022 in Berlin will start from July 1st to 3rd, followed by Seattle on July 22nd to 24th and lastly, Sapporo from August 5th to 7th. That’s all for the Pokemon GO Fest 2022 upcoming Ultra Beasts. Keep visiting our page for more information on the GO Fest. Pokemon GO Fest 2022 Adds New Ultra Beasts


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Unveiling Tesla D – self driving car features on a Model S sedan version
The mythical Tesla D
Though the team from Tesla Motors publicly acknowledges that autonomous cars are years away from becoming a reality, everyone expected the “D” in the new Tesla Model to stand for “Driverless”.
Now the almost mythical Tesla Model D actually takes its name from the “Dual Motors” engine the company introduced. While some may have felt disappointment on the 9th of October when the model was released, expectations were confirmed as Tesla D has self -driving car features on a Model S sedan. What is so impressive about it?
Tesla D is “your personal roller coaster”
The CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, was super enthusiastic on the day of release. Musk was quoted as stating at the announcement event that “this car is nuts. It’s like taking off from a carrier deck. It’s just bananas.”
Why such hyperbolic qualities?
Because Tesla D offers you an autopilot and Dual Motor All Wheel Drive! It’s only a step away from a driverless car.
While strikingly similar to the previous Model S sedan version, Tesla Model D is incomparably more powerful. The dual motor engine enables it to accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, and also to reach impressive speeds of 250 km/h, with 40 km/h more than its cousin.
Indeed a roller coaster, it is the fastest Tesla ever produced, not to mention some consider it is even faster than a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.
How come so much power?
It comes from a combination of the two 188 horsepower motors, one in the front and one in the rear, resulting in 376 horsepower.
A very smart system incorporated
This vehicle seems to be half-way on the road between connected cars and driverless ones. It is a very intelligent car. Its smart system combines the information received from sensors with real-time GPS, navigation and traffic systems.
Apart from being extremely smart, it is also a safe car. It comes with a radar that allows it to see through fog and snow. Also, there is a recognition camera, which can see and understand traffic signs, lights and pedestrians. Last but not least, be impressed by the full 360-degree ultrasonic sonar system.
Now on autopilot, driverless to come
A revolutionary and very innovative function now available on Tesla D models, but soon to be applied on the previous S sedan version. This feature is not available on open roads, but it’s great for near home enclosed spaces and maneuvers, such as backing out from a tight garage.
The autopilot feature is also for improving safety and enhancing driver experience. It utilizes a radar, together with a camera and a system of 12 sensors. So, the vehicle has a range of 16 feet. The autopilot system is connected to steering, brakes and GPS.
Thus, the car can detect and avoid pedestrians. Also, the autopilot feature will also brake the vehicle to avoid collisions. Not to mention, the car can turn lanes of its own volition, by steering the vehicle in the needed direction.
What do you think of the impressive Tesla D? Do you think we’re so further away from driverless cars?
Don’t forget to subscribe to the social media accounts to stay tunned to the latest news about the connected car.


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Wednesday 28th June 2017 – Patagonia Entertainment has signed a partnership agreement with HTML5 game developer Spinomenal.
Spinomenal’ s focus is on creating cross-platform cutting edge games for worldwide consumption and Patagonia’s customers will gain access to over 69 HTML5 games as part of the deal.
Among the games being integrated onto the standout platform are the famous Greedy Servants and hugely popular 8 Lucky Charms.
Patagonia already has a host of deals in place with highly-regarded companies such as MundiFortuna, Betboo, Sportingbet, Betmotion, Cozy Bingo and more.
Patagonia Entertainment’s Pedro Baldriz said: “Latam has been marked as an important territory for Spinomenal and we’re perfectly placed to provide a foundation for growth. Our local expertise and the quality of Spinomenal’ s HTML5 content is a recipe for success.”
Eduardo Tupper, Senior Vice President for Spinomenal said “We are poised to be increasing our footprint within Latin America and truly believe this partnership will be very fruitful for both companies.”
About Patagonia Entertainment
Patagonia Entertainment is an online gaming platform known for creating innovative solutions for the e-gaming industry. Video Bingo is a cornerstone of the business, a hybrid between Bingo and Slot games. The company has managed to become one of the most popular game developers in the Latin American market and are rapidly growing into other markets. More information about Patagonia Entertainment can be found at www.patagonia-e.com.
Founded in 2014 with offices in Israel, Ukraine and the US; Spinomenal is one the leading providers of cutting edge gaming solutions and has produced up to this date over 80 unique slots games, enjoyed by millions of players worldwide. Innovative and cross-‐platform, the games offer an extremely friendly, reliable and engaging user experience that delivers pure excitement.
For further information please contact
email@example.com +1 954 651-‐1620


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The Central Bank of Nigeria has embarked on sensitising members of the public across the country on its various intervention programmes aimed at enhancing the Federal Government’s economic diversification programme.
The CBN said the exercise would help stakeholders in the economy and members of the public to tap into the numerous opportunities offered by its various intervention programmes.
The sensitisation programme was attended by several stakeholders including farmers association in Lagos on Thursday.
Themed, “Promoting financial stability and economic development”, the event was also attended by top officials of the CBN.
The Deputy Director, Trade and Exchange, CBN, Mr. Olu Vincent, enumerated some of the intervention programmes the apex bank had in the past to deepen economic growth.
According to him, the programme specifically targets stakeholders in the agriculture and the Small and Medium-scale Enterprises sectors in line with the Federal Government economic diversification plan.
Vincent said, “As a country, we are now our shifting our focus from the oil sector to the non-oil sectors; and the strength of the economy for the non-oil sectors is actually in the agriculture sector.
“The Federal Government has spent a lot in the agriculture sector, that’s why you have a lot of farmers coming here in this particular fair. There are other small businesses around again for this particular seminar.
The Assistant Director, Currency Operations, Mr. Mr. Benedict Maduagwu, said the programme was meant to complement the effort of the Federal Government in promoting the well-being of the citizens and economic development
“We have the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises intervention scheme put at N220bn. About 60 per cent of it is reserved for women.
“Of course, we are also promoting the cashless. You’ll discover that the way the currency is being handle is being abused. And when it is abused and dirty, it has vectors diseases. That’s what we are talking about. There’s huge cost of currency management.”
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A Democratic-backed proposal in the U.S. Senate aims to boost employment by targeting small businesses.
But one policy expert says it might not be so simple.
It’s standard fare for hard times: Want to prod employers to hire? Incentivize.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is one of several Democrats calling for a 10 percent tax cut for small businesses that hire new workers or boost wages.
He says with more than 80 percent of the state’s businesses having fewer than 500 workers, the credit’s effect would be widely felt.
But Joe Rosenberg, a research associate at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center based in Washington, D.C., says any effect would likely be modest.
“What you’ll also end up doing is just sort of giving tax cuts to businesses that are just growing and would have ordinarily, even in the absence of a credit, increased their payroll,” Rosenberg said.
Casey says the proposal is more focused on small businesses than the proposed 20 percent tax break passed in the Republican-dominated U.S. House several months ago.


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Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Feb. 5, 2017.
Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter.
Most popular stories on GeekWire
Update: The drones — 300 of them — were indeed from Intel. … Read More
This post was updated with a comment from Tesla on Wednesday, Feb. … Read More
Snap’s much-hyped Spectacles have landed in Seattle. … Read More
The amount of money that Amazon lost on shipping — a.k.a. … Read More
Amazon’s second Seattle campus is officially expanding to five blocks. … Read More
Amazon likes to say that it focuses on customers, not competitors, which means it’s rare for the company’s top executives to talk about their rivals publicly. … Read More
Cloud computing is so 2016. Sure, migration from client servers to the cloud is an ongoing megatrend, but tech moves fast and SAP President Steve Singh is already looking to the future. … Read More
Amazon again dropped the big bucks for Super Bowl advertising time to promote its digital voice assistant. … Read More
This is what optimism looks like in 2017. … Read More
Silicon Valley tech workers lead migration to Seattle, which now ranks 2nd in U.S. for software engineer salaries
Technology workers have flocked to Silicon Valley for decades, but the Bay Area is facing new competition as a destination for skilled tech workers. … Read More


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We’re very pleased to announce the debut single by US pop prodigy Sky Ferreira, ‘One’, a pop anthem that promises to be an instant classic. ‘One’ will be released in the UK on August 2 by EMI’s Parlophone Records and you can check it out right now here:
‘One’ is produced by top Swedish pop masters Bloodshy & Avant and Magnus and co-written by them with Swedish songstress Marit Bergman and 17-year-old Sky herself. The song’s video was shot by world-renowned photographer Rakin in Sky’s native LA.
Sky’s debut album, which will include the irresistible ‘One’, is set for release later this year.


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Restaurant Group (LSE: RTN) has been billed as a turnaround stock for years. The company has been hit by the storm of the casual dining crisis, which has seem many ‘me-too’ businesses and copycats crushed in the consumer-driven slaughter. The credit boom years allowed the growth of many chains and even more competitors, which unfortunately were hit hard by the well-known woes of the high street in recent years.
Many retailers have seen the pressure here as declining footfall and reluctance to spend has claiming many victims, and the casual dining sector hasn’t been able to escape.
Restaurant Group has been a market leader for many years, but fell into trouble a few years ago. However, could it now be turning around?
Ultimately, consumers vote with their wallets, and one of the problems with this sector is that trends change and brands can go from hero to zero in just a few months. Frankie & Benny’s is an Italian-American themed restaurant chain that was rolled out nationwide, but has struggled in recent years. A stagnant menu offering, and extreme discounting led to the brand becoming tired. Chiquito is also looking weathered, another brand suffering from the discounting problems the plc itself has created.
Many businesses succumb to the short-term seduction of discounting — but this is problematic, because once fed, consumers crave more discounts. More discounts means more markdown expectation is created, and it becomes incredibly difficult to sell something at full price when consumers are used to money-off. Weaning customers off these discounts can prove tough and even fatal to some businesses.
Chiquito experienced success with Taco Tuesday — a promotion whereby tacos are only £1. However, the company then decided to run the same promotion on Thursday! Why would anyone pay full price for tacos now when two days a week they can get more than 50% off the listed price?
Signs of a turnaround
However, there are signs of a turnaround. Last year, the company bought Wagamama — a chain targeted at affluent consumers serving Asian food based on Japanese cuisine. No doubt shareholders were hoping that the company wouldn’t start discounting — and it hasn’t. Wagamama is growing and is outperforming the market as detailed by the CEO in the interim results.
Restaurant Group has also delivered positive like-for-like growth. This is important, because the company’s operating cash inflow was teetering on becoming an outflow. In the interim results, operating cash flow more than doubled to £52.3m from £25.6m.
The debt is a concern with pro-forma net debt at 2.3x EBITDA — however, the company should in theory be able to manage this now it is growing like-for-likes and increasing its cash flow.
Money will need to be spent on refurbishing many units — and there is still a lot of work to be done, but I think this could be the beginning of a turnaround in The Restaurant Group’s fortunes.
According to one leading industry firm, the 5G boom could create a global industry worth US $12.3 TRILLION out of thin air…
And if you click here, we’ll show you something that could be key to unlocking 5G’s full potential...
It’s just ONE innovation from a little-known US company that has quietly spent years preparing for this exact moment…
But you need to get in before the crowd catches onto this ‘sleeping giant’.
Michael Taylor has no position Restaurant Group. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.


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Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, August 3, 2005
PLANS TO BUILD a Home Depot outlet in San Francisco have been hammered by community activists for nearly 10 years now -- to the point that store executives had to shop numerous neighborhoods before finding an appropriate site. And, according to many merchants, Bayview residents and a majority of the city's Planning Commission, such a place actually does exist - - in an industrial area along Bayshore Boulevard that is home to many similar building and home-repair retailers.
The idea that a big-box retailer such as Home Depot could impact neighborhood character is a genuine concern, but the home-improvement outlet is a natural fit for the area, for it essentially replaces a like-minded operation, the old Goodman's Lumber store. The complaint that the new store would open up San Francisco to an invasion of big-box giants such as Wal-Mart doesn't ring true, because city officials previously approved legislation limiting the size of certain chain stores and making them subject to a host of planning restrictions.
Owners of smaller hardware stores say they fear the worst, but it's hard to imagine that their businesses would be bypassed by longtime neighborhood residents who have shown strong allegiances to the customer-friendly mom and pop shops.
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It seems almost certain that the Planning Commission's approval of the store will be appealed to the Board of Supervisors, which should consider the project's significant fiscal and community benefits. The store is expected to generate at least $500,000 annually in tax revenues. Home Depot will pay the city $1.9 million in affordable-housing fees.
Store officials have agreed that 100 permanent year-round jobs will go to Bayview residents and another 50 to other city residents. That's a good deal for San Francisco, one that its leaders would be wise to accept.


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Recall: CFIA issues E. coli alert for Butcher’s Choice beef burgers
The affected product under the current recall are Butcher’s Choice Hickory Barbecue Beef Burgers and Butcher’s Choice Garlic Peppercorn Beef Burgers sold at Loblaws across Canada.
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OTTAWA—The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning there could be an expansion of a nationwide recall on frozen beef burgers contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
Barbara Jordan, the associate vice-president of operations for the CFIA, says investigators are now trying to determine whether the source of the bacteria is the beef or other ingredients in the Butcher’s Choice Beef Burgers.
“The team is now focused on tracing the origin of the ingredients including spices and beef from the products that tested positive,” said Jordan in a conference call Saturday from Ottawa.
“If the food inspection agency trace back... a contaminated ingredient, other facilities and products my be implicated and this could lead to further recalls.”
The affected product under the current recall are Butcher’s Choice Hickory Barbecue Beef Burgers and Butcher’s Choice Garlic Peppercorn Beef Burgers which are sold in 1.13 kilogram packages (UPC codes 0 60383 89364 4 and 0 60383 89363 7) at Loblaw grocery stores across the country.
Consumers are being told not to eat any of these burgers with any expiry date.
No illnesses have been directly linked to the recall.
Officials were first made aware of the possible contamination on Dec. 5 when the Public Health Agency of Canada notified the agency about five people who had become sick after eating burgers with the bacteria in Ontario and Quebec.
But Jordan says officials have not yet been able to determine if the illnesses are connected to these particular burgers.
The recalled burgers were produced at Cardinal Meat Specialists in Brampton, Ont., and that an investigation had found that the plant was following proper food safety protocols.
The CFIA says it is testing additional products collected from across the country.
Food contaminated with E. coli can cause serious and even life-threatening illnesses.
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But despite these strides, many retailers are still playing catch-up in addressing the rapid fragmentation in media and tapping into the power of digital. With few exceptions, most are still addicted to the heady narcotic of promotional free-standing inserts, sinisterly delivered through rapidly dissolving print and newspaper media channels.
Take the particularly revealing case of retailers' stock in trade: younger, more free-spending consumers for whom shopping is a top priority. The media disconnect between consumption and share of ad expenditures for them is startling. According to data from Forrester and TNS Media Intelligence, as of 2006, print and newspapers made up only 10% of the Gen Y media diet -- yet commanded 41% of marketers' advertising expenses. By contrast, the web represented 36% of young people's media consumption, yet commanded only 6% of media spending.
FSI dependency is admittedly a hard habit to kick: Retail merchants and their suppliers have been hooked on them for ages, and circulars indeed do drive retail sales -- for now. But as with the waning influence of the 30-second spot, the incremental economic gains associated with circulars is in decline because fewer people -- especially younger people -- spend Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and the Sunday paper, a prime FSI distribution channel.
Make the shift
When you consider the impact this is already having with the next generation of buyers -- those Gen Y kids who account for a full quarter of the U.S. population and who influence $200 billion in annual spending -- it's imperative for retailers to shift spending from newspapers to digital channels to better meet these consumers where they live.
That said, what's the best way to accomplish this? You can't just advocate the "go-digital" advice without having a framework for getting there, especially given how fragmented digital media itself has become. To best "go digital," retailers should embrace a philosophy we call People-First Media: an idea-centric approach that focuses on engaging and connecting with consumers across channels and over time to earn their attention by creating relevant, valuable and motivating experiences. Rather than responding opportunistically to the latest emerging media fad, this approach takes rational and emotional consumer insight as its cornerstone and activates an insight-driven idea across the media landscape by understanding how each channel taps into three fundamental consumer behavioral drivers. We've captured them along three primary dimensions.
This framework is resilient in the face of next-generation emerging media: The trends around filter widgetization still fit within the category of personalization; meme trackers and metaverses align with socialization; distributed brand experiences and content channels are new incarnations of publicizing.
By reallocating marketing spending to better align with consumption habits -- which implies weaning yourself off an over-reliance on print-based FSI promotional tactics -- and embracing the idea-centric framework outlined above, retailers can more effectively respond to the seismic shifts unfolding in the media landscape, setting a new standard for the ways in which their brands connect with consumers.
Steps for going digitalAn idea-centric approach that focuses on engaging and connecting with consumers across channels over time to earn their attention
|This reflects the need today's consumers have to filter and customize content and experiences based on their unique predispositions -- for example, RSS feeds and start pages -- as well as to access content and experiences when and where they desire (mobile, search and other time/place-shifting mechanisms such as video on demand and podcasts).|
Illustrations 1 & 2 by Tom Nullens
|This captures the interest in community, sharing and collaboration (social networking, blogs, viral activity and gaming).|
|This recognizes the importance of information and entertainment distribution through wider-reach brand sites and portals and their integration with traditional offline media channels such as broadcast TV.|
Torrence Boone is president of Digitas, Boston, and helps lead the agency's Retail and consumer package-goods practice areas.


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Days after she made her first official appearance in six months, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing has announced the launch of a beauty brand, Fan Beauty.
Billed as the founder of the brand, the actress features prominently on the pictures and promotional material posted by the brand on their social media sites.
The first product launched by the brand will be a hydrating face mask, as Bingbing has always loved such masks. Dubbed the “queen of face masks”, the actress is said to always have a face mask on whenever she’s not working to refresh and pamper her skin. It was once reported that the actress uses over 700 masks a year.
This will mark her first official foray into skincare and beauty, as the actress was previously said to have invested in a new beauty salon that opened last month.
The masks were reported to have been developed under the watchful eye of Bingbing, who even traveled to South Korea to understand more about the technology behind the production of the products. She is reportedly launching these products in Hong Kong, with plans to export it to more territories in the near future.


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The Tata group, launched the 3rd edition of Tata First Dot powered by NEN, India’s decisive platform for student entrepreneurship, supporting and accelerating high-potential entrepreneurship across the country. This initiative seeks to carry forward the Tata group’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship to India’s next generation of leaders. Adding 5 more cities this year – Raipur, Guwahati, Ranchi, Nagpur, and Srinagar, Tata First Dot workshops will be held across 20 cities in India.
Announcing the initiative, Mr. Atul Agrawal, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Tata Services, said, “We are delighted to launch the third edition of Tata First Dot powered by NEN. With this initiative, the Tata group endeavors to provide a platform to develop and nurture entrepreneurial spirit among the young promising business minds through a multi-phase programme with workshops, competitions, peer-networking, seminars and mentorship. Being in the early stage of their entrepreneurial journey, we are hopeful that the students will find this program useful and enriching.”
Mr. K Srikrishna, Executive Director of National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN), said, “Entrepreneurship amongst students is showing steady year-on-year growth, mirroring the growth of the Tata First Dot conference and showcase. Tata and NEN’s partnership, now in its third year will bring its knowledge and skill building workshops to twenty cities. We will mentor, showcase and support an even greater number of startups through the January conference and beyond.”
Regional workshops of the Tata First Dot 2013 for desirous students and student entrepreneurs will start from 28th September 2013 at Ahmedabad and then move on to Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh, Indore, Chennai, Guwahati, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Kolkata, Ranchi, Nagpur, New Delhi, Srinagar, Trivandrum, Bangalore and Coimbatore. The workshops will feature business-modeling, panel discussions and entrepreneur interactions.
Nominations for the second component of the program – the Tata First Dot National Competition for best Student Start-ups will open on 1st December 2013. Five winners will be selected by an eminent panel of business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs. Contestants will also participate in the online voting-based student competition, the Tata First Dot People’s Choice Competition. All validated start-ups will have information posted online, and everyone will be invited to vote for their favourite start-ups. The five contestants with the maximum validated votes will be declared People’s Choice winners.
Winners of the competitions will be felicitated during the fourth phase of the programme – the 2 day Tata First Dot Conference to be held in Bangalore in early 2014. The conference will feature interactive sessions with entrepreneurs while also including opportunities to network and have discussions with business leaders, 1:1 mentoring sessions, an exhibition of the winning start-ups and simulation games.
Tata First Dot 2012 had attracted over 400 entries from across multiple sectors including education, manufacturing, IT/Software, hospitality/travel, retail, biotech, etc. The entries were received from all over India including metros, major cities and also smaller cities.
About Tata First Dot powered by NEN:
Tata First Dot powered by NEN is a unique and innovative platform for the student entrepreneurs to access more knowledge, networks, resources and recognition for their businesses and the first of its kind which is focused on creating an environment to support the student entrepreneurship. This is in sync with the Tata Group’s commitment to foster entrepreneurial culture and innovation amongst young generation.
Tata First Dot powered by NEN comprises five components which entail:
- Workshops designed to define, develop and shape their business models.
- A nationally judged competition.
- An online “people’s choice” competition.
- A two-day conference with mentoring, exhibitions and conferencing including an award ceremony.
- Ongoing mentoring and networking support for the winners through NEN network.
About Tata group:
The Tata group comprises over 100 operating companies in seven business sectors: communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. The group has operations in more than 80 countries across six continents, and its companies export products and services to 85 countries.
The total revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $100.09 billion (around Rs 475,721 crore) in 2011-12, with 58 percent of this coming from business outside India. Tata companies employ over 450,000 people worldwide. The Tata name has been respected in India for more than 140 years for its adherence to strong values and business ethics. Every Tata company or enterprise operates independently. Each of these companies has its own board of directors and shareholders, to whom it is answerable. There are 32 publicly listed Tata enterprises and they have a combined market capitalisation of about $97.33 billion (as on September 26, 2013), and a shareholder base of 3.9 million. The major Tata companies are Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Teleservices, Titan, Tata Communications and Indian Hotels.
National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) inspires, educates and supports high-potential entrepreneurs to create high-value jobs. NEN does this by building institutional capacity and a robust entrepreneurial eco-system. Today, it represents India’s largest and most vibrant entrepreneurial community. The backbone of the NEN Community comprises of more than 550 member academic institutes with 1200 entrepreneurship faculty and 400 student E Cells; NEN E Clubs, driven by the NEN Alumni and open to the public. These bodies organize an astonishing breadth and depth of programs across the country that create and support entrepreneurs. In addition, the NEN members support each other individually to realize their entrepreneurial ambitions. For more information, visit www.nenonline.org
For further Information please contact:
Sarika Kapoor Chokshi
Email: [email protected]
Avanti Shirname / Ami Atha
Phone: +91-9769229287 / +91-9619240365


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Despite its grapples with the music industry, YouTube has long been the biggest music streaming destination in the world — until now. A boom in subscriptions to services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play in 2016 has meant that on-demand audio platforms have officially overtaken digital video music streamers (including YouTube and Vevo), according to The Drum, which cited a report from music industry monitoring company BuzzAngle.
That report, which can be viewed in full right here, states that while digital video music streams grew 7.5% year-over-year to 181 billion total plays in 2016, audio on-demand services increased by a whopping 83% to 251 billion total streams.
And this growth is being driven largely by paid-for apps like Apple Music, reports The Drum, which were responsible for a 124% increase in plays over the past year. Ad-supported services, such as Spotify’s free offering, only accounted for a 14% increase in plays.
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Other findings from BuzzAngle’s inaugural Music 2016 U.S. Report 2016 include the fact that overall music consumption was up 4.2% from 2015 — marking the second straight year of overall growth. While physical album sales saw a 12% drop, vinyl record sales were up 25.9%. And the rapper Drake had the most popular album of the year, according to BuzzAngle, with Views.


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Updated: October 3, 2020 3:19:10 pm
The United States is gearing up for its presidential elections as it reels under the pressure of the ongoing pandemic as well as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Amid debates and campaigning, there’s one industry that is getting involved in politics like never before.
As November 3 inches closer, the fashion and beauty brands are playing a significant role in encouraging people to come out and vote, and make a difference. Having been known to stay largely politically aloof thus far, numerous fashion and beauty brands in the US have made important political statements in the recent past, mostly through their collections.
For instance, in the recently concluded New York Fashion Week, designer Christian Siriano made models sport black face masks with ‘vote’ written on them. One of them even wore a full-length bodycon dress with the word plastered all over it in white. Clearly, Siriano wanted to drive home the idea that voting is the least one can do when they think of bringing about a change.
Prior to this, former First Lady Michelle Obama — during her address to the Democratic National Convention — was spotted wearing a ‘VOTE’ necklace. The stunning, custom-made accessory instantly made headlines for its message. Designed by Chari Cuthbert, it triggered frenzied searches with keywords like “Michelle Obama necklace” and “vote necklace”.
Michelle Obama knocks it out of the park for the win!!!
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 18, 2020
But why is the industry repeatedly asking people to ‘vote’ this election season? An article dated October 2, 2020, written by Christina Binkley for Vogue Business states: “Only 56 per cent of the voting age population cast a ballot in the 2016 US presidential election, which is low compared to most nations, according to Pew Research Center. But a vocal and growing cohort of young fashion consumers from Hong Kong to Chicago, who gravitate towards brands that share the same values, expect companies to take ethical stands.”
“Gen Z, the youngest generation of consumers, is growing in influence, having this year surpassed millennials as the largest generation on earth. These youthful shoppers’ opinions and the factors that drive their spending make them a growing economic force on every continent. And the issues that are of concern to them — including environment and climate change, all-gender parity and racial and LGBTQ+ equity — are driving the US election… Political engagement brings with it risks for brands. Savvy customers are quick to sniff out inauthentic or pandering messages. But non-engagement, likewise, brings risks too,” it continues.
But not just fashion, even beauty brands have decidedly jumped on the election bandwagon, as is evident from the newly launched brand called ‘Biden Beauty’. As the name suggests, it has been set up to garner support for the Democratic presidential candidate. Joe Biden and his team, however, are not behind it. It has been started by anonymous industry insiders, urging people to “cancel out orange for good, the only way beauty knows how — with colour-correcting blue”. While it has a string of products — ranging from sweatshirts to totes and stickers — its beauty sponge has been a new addition. Known as the “BIDEN Beat Makeup Sponge”, it costs around 20 US dollars, or 1470 INR.
When Michelle Obama had collaborated with a brand named ‘The Lip Bar’ to kick-start the ‘When We All Vote’ campaign, it became an important development in the beauty industry for reasons known. A brand being run by a black person launching a red lipstick in order to increase the registration of voters, was bound to make news in the US, which is struggling with race and inclusivity.
View this post on Instagram
Ya'llll MICHELLE OBAMA is wearing Bawse VOTER! We repeat MICHELLE OBAMA is wearing BAWSE VOTER! Excuse us while we go off!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We are so excited and so proud to partner with our forever first lady @michelleobama and @whenweallvote's mission to get people to the polls this November! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Shop the LIMITED EDITION Bawse Voter right now on thelipbar.com. We have less than 500 so get yours before it's gone!
The lipstick costs USD 15, which is roughly INR 1,105. The limited-edition product is known as ‘Bawse Voter’. It is vegan and cruelty free. Whenever someone buys the lipstick, 40 per cent of its proceeds go to the When We All Vote campaign. It then uses the money to increase the participation by providing details of the registration along with text reminders and resources needed to know about the voting process.
When they say makeup is art, the current happenings clearly show what kind of art it is, and how it is being used to disseminate important messages. With blue and red colours dominating the voting space in the US, many users have been sharing pictures of themselves on social media, sporting bright red lips and cool-toned eyeshadows with hints of blue. Check out some of these looks.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.


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Showing results for tags '#initiative#'.
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National broadcaster reporting a new strategy to build the Manx economy for the future has been unveiled by the Chief Minister Manx radio reports that this is to achieved in least at the first part by running an online survey of island businesses Further input will be garnered from professional bodies & the illustriously self-elected Chamber of Commerce www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=65935 Is this the right way to plan economic development? Is DED party to it?


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For those that enjoyed Dungeon of the Endless, the reveal of Endless Dungeon during The Game Awards 2020 was an exciting moment, with developer Amplitude returning to the 'ENDLESS' universe with a 'rogue-lite tactical action game'; with SEGA publishing there's also reason to be optimistic that the developers will have the resources they need to make an impressive title.
In more recent times it was confirmed during the Summer Game Fest Kick-Off event that it's coming to Switch, along with a whole load of other platforms. With neat art design and some cool-looking playable characters it could be one to watch.
Now GameSpot, as part of its Play For All 2021 event, has posted a spotlight feature in which key members of the development team talk about the concept, how the project came about and some ideas for the future. Check it out below.
To date Endless Dungeon doesn't have a release window, but we'll keep an eye out for details.


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The latest in a year full of media acquisitions, High Times acquired all of DOPE’s enterprise including the flagship magazine, multimedia website, events business, and its staff, to further expand its ownership of the cannabis media space.
This acquisition comes ahead of High Times public listing later this quarter, and amid it’s on-going Regulation A+ crowdfunding campaign, which has been reported to be going poorly.
Valued at $11.2 million, the DOPE deal was completed with a split of cash and stock in High Times. DOPE is just the latest of many media acquisitions made by High Times including CULTURE and Green Rush Daily. Out of all three media acquisitions mentioned above, the deal with DOPE may be the smartest one yet.
Localized Distribution and Advertising
Whereas High Times’ magazine has the same advertisements nationwide, DOPE Media offers a unique solution to state-licensed cannabis brands and retailers looking to target their campaigns within their licensed territories.
Based in Seattle, DOPE Magazine currently publishes 8 localized editions across 6 states. The publication offers both national and regional coverage, issuing two versions in both California (North & South) and Washington (East & West), as well as in state-wide versions in Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona.
Additionally, DOPE also holds their largest Dope Cup events in Seattle and Portland adding to the existing Cannabis Cup portfolio for the High Times brand.
“What DOPE Media has built in such a short time is not only impressive, but needed considering the difficult landscape and legislation brands are faced with today. We look forward to not only combining our resources but expanding them,” commented Adam Levin, CEO of High Times.
Dope’s Debt to General Cannabis Corp.
Earlier this year, Dope Media Inc. secured a $600,000 10% note from Denver-based General Cannabis Corp. (OTC:CANN) to accelerate its growth strategy. Alongside the note, Dope also issued a warrant to the General Cannabis Corp. to purchase an aggregate of 1,846,187 shares of Dope’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.3278 per share.
While shares of CANN were up just over .5% on the day of the announcement, limited coverage of the deal combined with a 404 page not found error for the Forbes article means this news will need an extra day or so to be priced into the markets.
We’ll be watching shares of CANN closely tomorrow to see how this news affects trading. In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to Cannabis Stock Updates so you never miss an important update.
Get Real-Time Updates from MJobserver.com


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Richard’s recent article for FT Adviser argued that, with paraplanning now ‘baked in’ to the delivery of comprehensive advice experience for clients, we’re now in the second age of paraplanning.
What do you think? Read the article here.
Written By Richard Allum, Managing Director
Posted on 15th June 2020
Posted on 27th May 2020
Posted on 2nd April 2020


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The banking system has seized up and the economy is in tatters, but nevertheless the downturn is doing wonders for the prospects of a fortunate few. MT reports on four firms for which bad times mean good business.
Here we are, looking forward to the green shoots of spring at the end of a long, hard winter. But the economic climate remains resolutely arctic: UK plc is encased in permafrost, with precious few signs of a thaw anytime soon.
Banks still aren't lending, despite having absorbed billions of pounds of taxpayers' money. Retailers have been tumbling like ninepins since January, having posted some of the worst sales figures in years. Even the mighty Tesco is starting to feel the pinch - its sales growth of 2.5% was beaten by most of its big rivals and marked the company's worst performance over the festive season for 15 years.
Meanwhile, manufacturing output is shrinking, despite theoretically being boosted by the collapse in the value of sterling. The days of the $2 pound and cheap trips to Europe seem distant memories. UK unemployment, say the pointy-headed forecasters at the Item Club, may hit 3.4m by the end of the year.
Under such circumstances, it's understandably hard to keep looking on the bright side. But here at MT, we think it's worth the effort - the power of what shrinks call a 'positive mental attitude' can make a difference when all about you is doom, gloom and disaster. If others are hunkering down and preparing for the worst, being the one who keeps their eyes on the horizon can pay handsome dividends.
So, to demonstrate that even tough times are not without commercial opportunities for those bold enough to seize them, we scoured the nation for a quartet of companies that are bucking the trend and thriving despite - or even because of - the downturn.
And an eclectic bunch they are, proving there's still no shortage of economic diversity in the UK. From a discount retailer planning to open 30 new stores this year, to a large outsourced services business that has just entered the FTSE-100. From a small business insolvency specialist that is in the throes of its first trading boom in a decade, to a genuinely innovative husband-and-wife start-up. No sniggering please: luxury handbag hire really is a clever idea, enabling suddenly cash-strapped businesswomen to continue to indulge their designer handbag habit - but for a tiny fraction of the cost of buying all the latest gear. Now that's what we call credit-crunch thinking.
SERVING UP GROWTH - SERCO
If you've had your fill of retrenchment and cutbacks, put a glass to your ear and eavesdrop on the conversation over at Serco. You'll hear a lot of talk about growth. It won over £400m of contracts in the second half of 2008, and has even celebrated breaking into the FTSE-100. Doesn't it know there's a recession on?
The Hampshire-based company handles everything from running the railways to serving school dinners. It's an eclectic remit, but one that leaves it well placed to profit from the downturn.
'We're on a very nice path right now,' says Chris Hyman, Serco's chief executive. 'In past recessions we've seen the same or improved growth. So we don't have to sit and think "we're in trouble".'
Hyman is suited to hard times. He fasts every Tuesday, doesn't drink, sings gospel and keeps fit. And he knows how to keep his company in decent shape, with its nimble portfolio approach.
'The ability to chop and change becomes even more important at times like these,' says Hyman. 'It's something we do actively. We're the largest air-traffic controller, we have more scientists than anyone in the UK, we do more rail services than any of our competitors, and more defence. But we don't call ourselves any of those things. We call ourselves a services company. That way, we can move around markets without worrying investors.'
It's an increasingly international mix too. Now recognised as the market leader, Serco can follow the work across the globe. It recently concluded a deal to buy SI International, increasing its leverage in the lucrative US defence industry. It won the Dubai Metro contract and bought InfoVision, the largest independent outsourcing company in India - a foothold in another rapidly expanding market.
And yet the company is not resting on its laurels. 'We sat down and said, "OK, let's assume this is going to affect us in the worst way, what can we do?",' he says. 'We've identified areas where we could push harder to be more efficient. Much of this will not end up in growth for us but will result in customers saving money and trading better. That's how you build good relationships.
'I'm very positive about the fact that we can manage our way out of this,' Hyman says of British business in general. 'Management should stay in touch with people on the ground and stay nimble. Decide what to do and do it quickly. We'll come out of this with a stronger economy. But we mustn't fool ourselves. It's going to be tough.'
COINING IT - POUNDLAND - JIM MCCARTHY
If you're betting on which businesses will weather this recession, you'd happily put a quid on Poundland. While most had a Christmas to forget, Poundland's same-store sales for the five weeks to 4 January were up 3.9% year-on-year; total sales for the period, including new stores, rose 24.3%. With plans to create 30 stores and 1,000 jobs in 2009, it seems to be succeeding not despite the recession but because of it.
And the flight to value is crowding its down-at-heel aisles. 'There has been a 22% rise in custom from the A/B groups in the last 12 months,' says CEO Jim McCarthy. 'They now account for 11 out of every 100 customers.' He reckons shoppers' snobbishness is rapidly evaporating. 'People at the top end have a challenge as well these days, so they're shopping more wisely,' he says. 'But the difference between this recession and the last one is, I think, that some of those behaviours will remain when the recovery starts.'
It was just before that last crippling downturn that Poundland was formed, in Burton upon Trent, by Steve Smith and his father Keith. The fledgling business survived, growing steadily to 2002, when it was bought by PE group Advent International. It now has more than 200 outlets.
Each stocks a baffling range of products, from garish plastic tat to baby pyjamas - all for a third of the price of a pint. There's a wealth of big brands, in improbable multi-pack and pick 'n' mix deals. Choose from Toblerone and Pepsi, Tetley tea, Colgate and Heinz baked beans.
But if the company has no fear of losing customers, getting people through the door in the first place seems to have been more of a challenge. 'Yes! Everything's £1!' shouts the sign above the door. Clearly, there are those who daren't believe such an offer actually exists. 'One of the most frequently asked questions in a Poundland store is "how much is this?",' says McCarthy. 'I'm reassured when people ask that. It means they genuinely can't believe the value.'
Value for money is what it's all about right now, and larger retailers like Tesco and Asda have muscled into the budget territory being staked out by upstarts like Aldi and Lidl. Poundland is secure in its position - bolstered by the simple appeal of its £1 hook. 'Poundland has held the price down for 19 years now,' says McCarthy. 'It's flattering to be imitated.'
If the most common question at Poundland is 'how much is this?', the second most-asked must be 'how do they do it?'. For McCarthy, the secret lies in its trading team, its growth record and a global approach to sourcing. 'We'll chase the deal, wherever it is, to get the best,' he says. 'And we don't keep people waiting. The certainty of getting paid, on time and in full, is a big draw for suppliers right now. In fact, the demise of other retailers is feeding our supply chain. We've bought many thousands of pairs of plimsoles from a recently deceased retailer.'
The coming year is sure to be tough, but Poundland won't be taking evasive action. 'We have a simple retail proposition that resonates with consumers at all levels,' says McCarthy. 'We're going to stick with the knitting.'
MONEYBAGS - HANDBAG HIRE HQ - JO AND JAMES TRAFFORD
Speedy, Saskia and the Giant Stud. These aren't names of porn stars, even if one of them was lustily stroked last summer by a Playboy bunny at a party in Las Vegas. No, these are the monikers of designer handbags with price tags of more than £1,000 - and their handlers are a mother of three and her police inspector husband, who live in the Midlands market town of Newark.
Jo and James Trafford started their online handbag rental company in July 2007, and haven't looked back. It was profitable by its third month, and now with more than a 100 designer bags and 250 members, business is looking good. December 2008 was the best month so far. 'We suspect that, going by the last six months, we're recession-proof,' says James, who looks after Handbag Hire HQ's accounts. If ever there was a man who looked less likely to know his YSL Tribute from his Balenciaga Giant Brief, it would be this rugby-playing copper.
But the principal force behind the business is Jo, who, fed up with a career selling quick-setting concrete, pipe repair kits and drill bits for an engineering firm, decided to indulge her inner passion for handbags. With James helping out and a loan from the bank, their website slowly grew, but it wasn't until the release of the Sex and the City film last year, featuring US handbag-hire company Bag Borrow or Steal, that things really took off.
Members include businesswomen who want a different bag for the boardroom each week, celebrity addicts who want to emulate their favourite WAG, and women after something special for a wedding, 21st or 30th birthday party. Many live in London, Manchester and Liverpool, but, curiously, also in the Borders region. Handbag Hire HQ makes its money in three ways: the monthly membership fee of £7.50; the charge for the hire of a bag (which ranges from £10 a week to £95 a month); and gift certificates, which proved popular for Christmas and are expected to do well for Valentine's Day. Altogether, this brings in enough for Jo to take a salary and to fund regular shopping trips to London to buy new bags - her last spree set her back £3,500.
Jo's focus on customer service means she has built up friendly relationships with many of her members. And because she is in such regular contact with them, she is well placed to witness the effects that the recession is having on female consumers. 'Before, most of our members were people who would go to the high street to buy their bags and hired a bag as a bit of a whimsy,' she says. 'Now, we have people who have been working in the City, may not be working in the same job now, but are used to having the beautiful bags and want to keep the lifestyle going.'
Why fork out £1,010 on a Fendi B when, for £90, you can lust over it for a whole month, all to yourself?
INSOLVENCY PAYS - BEGBIES GROUP - GRAHAM MCINNES
There aren't many firms where a recession is actively good for business but, like the undertaker for Tombstone when Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were in town, Begbies Traynor is one of them.
Begbies Traynor is a specialist SME insolvency practitioner, and is usually brought in only when things have come to a pretty desperate pass. 'When we get the call, it's almost always because a firm can't pay the wages bill,' says Graham McInnes, corporate development director for parent company the Begbies Group. Almost every other payment can be ducked, deferred or ignored somehow, he adds, but the wages have to paid - or else.
Sometimes it is engaged by a struggling firm direct and sometimes - 'when the directors are in denial' - by the firm's bank, accountant or solicitor. Either way, it has to act fast. 'There's a huge amount of legislation surrounding insolvency nowadays,' says McInnes. 'But the basic steps are, first, identify what assets there are and stop them disappearing; second, decide whether the firm can trade or must be closed immediately; and then look at who is owed what money, and the order in which they should be paid.' The bank is first on the list, then the Government and staff. Suppliers and customers are last. 'Dividends to unsecured creditors are typically only one in 10,' says McInnes. Of course, Begbies' own cut has to be allocated, too.
Predictably, Begbies' 750 staff in its 40 offices have been doing a brisk trade. First-half revenues are up 37%. It has ministered the last commercial rites to companies ranging from a Cornish wetsuit importer, numerous estate agencies and the London branch of celeb eatery Planet Hollywood, to a Liverpool-based firm, maker of the Union flags Captain Scott took on his ill-fated polar expedition in 1912.
As well as insolvency, Begbies also has a corporate finance arm, a tax consultancy and a newly formed forensic accountancy section. The forensic business is doing well - it's handy for tracing assets - 'such as where a company director has hidden his yacht', says McInnes. But it is the SME insolvency work that is really booming, currently accounting for some 80% of annual revenues of £70m. That's double the level it was at five years ago.
After a decade in which the market was 'flat as a pancake', Begbies started to see an insolvency boom in the making back in 2007. If anything, it was a bit too prescient. 'All the indicators were telling us to expect rising insolvencies - over-leveraged balance sheets, supply outstripping demand... So we geared up for it in 2008, but we were nine months too early,' admits McInnes. Events have proved that if the timing was a bit off, the basic premise was not.
McInnes, who says he is old enough to remember not only the early '90s recession but the one a decade before that, says the difference this time is that the banks will not lend, even to sound concerns. 'Businesses that would in the last two recessions have been able to get the bank to tide them over are being starved of working capital. Quite a number of viable firms are at risk because of this.'
But he says the upside to this squeeze is that there are plenty of strong businesses out there, which should bounce back quickly - if the recession doesn't go on for too long. If it does, then even the likes of Begbies could start to feel the pinch.


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There will likely be a deluge of new Windows Phone handsets hitting the markets as Microsoft announces nine new manufacturing partners.
When Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft’s strategy going forward would be mobile first, he wasn’t kidding. Microsoft today announced nine new manufacturing partners to Windows Phone, which brings the total list of manufacturers to thirteen.
Among the new partners are LG and Lenovo, two of the biggest names in manufacturing. Microsoft is also focusing its attention on markets like China and India by bringing Foxconn, Gionee, Karbonn Mobiles and Xolo on-board. Manufacturers like Huawei and ZTE have manufactured Windows Phone handsets before, but have since weaned off the platform, like most other manufacturers.
With Nokia’s acquisition in the final stages, Microsoft needs a strong presence in these countries. In China, Windows Phone is well-catered to, as it now has Foxconn, Gionee, HTC, Huawei, Lenovo and ZTE in addition to Samsung and LG as manufacturers set to launch new handsets. However, the lack of Indian manufacturer Micromax from the list is disconcerting, considering that the other two biggest Indian manufacturers, Karbonn Mobiles and Xolo (a wholly owned subsidiary of Lava Mobiles) are included. Micromax is said to be working on a Windows Phone device that was scheduled to launch later this year. Whatever the case might be, it Microsoft is widening its reach by adding new hardware manufacturers.
In addition to new vendors, Microsoft also announced that Windows Phone devices will now support Qualcomm hardware like the Snapdragon 200, 400 and 400 LTE. Furthermore, the platform is said to add functionality for dual-SIM devices, with Live Tiles for each SIM. The first dual-SIM Windows Phone device will likely be the Nokia Lumia 630. With an increased focus on low-end dual-SIM based devices, it is clear that Microsoft is targeting emerging markets.
Source: Windows Phone Blog


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Not many of us can afford to load a grocery cart with a month’s worth of food without knowing the price on each item, simply getting a bill in the mail a few weeks after doing the shopping. Why then do most of us consume electricity for dozens of appliances and chargers—without knowing the individual cost for any one of them—and just pay the bill when it comes to the mailbox once a month?
An interesting alliance of businesses and non-profits recently wrote to the President to ask that he facilitate an information revolution by promoting policies that would ensure every consumer gets detailed information about what’s going into that electricity “shopping cart." Companies as diverse as AT&T , Dow Chemical , Hewlett Packard, Google , GE and Whirlpool wrote that “when people have access to direct feedback on their electricity use, they can achieve significant savings through simple behavioral changes,” concluding that “if all U.S. households saved 15 percent on their energy use by 2020, for example, the greenhouse gas savings would be equivalent to taking 35 million cars off the road and would save consumers $46 billion on their energy bills, or $360 per customer each year.”
Indeed numerous case studies demonstrate that not only are residential and commercial customers inspired to convert to more energy efficient lighting and appliances when they know how their energy dollars are being spent, but they save even more by using the energy hogs more sparingly or by using appliances at times of the day when electricity rates are lowest. But why would a phone company, a search engine, and a couple dozen other Fortune 500s care how much anyone spends on electricity? Because they hope to deliver products and services that shift some of those savings from our pockets to theirs.
Google is testing a Web-based program that would take the information in real time about our energy uses and help us manage consumption. They might charge for that service or show us ads for new energy-efficient products from, say HP , GE , or Whirlpool . (GE is the parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com.) AT&T might send that data to us on our cellphones, so we could turn off the lights in a teenager’s room when we know he already left for school or keep the air conditioner off during the day, but turn it on again an hour before we arrive back at home. Many tenants in commercial buildings pay for electricity, but have no idea how much is associated with heating/cooling versus copiers or lighting. Knowing the details might inspire a tenant to install better controls, even though they don’t own the building, because the savings would quickly repay the cost. Oh, did I mention that Johnson Controls and Honeywell also signed the letter?
The President has yet to reply, but perhaps he should suggest that these companies consider paying for the upgrades to the grid and energy meters themselves—knowing they will be handsomely repaid over time from the sale of products and services related to that investment. If they did, we might get a smart grid and the ability to manage our energy uses, while those companies would start profiting from our actions, much sooner.
In the meantime, Mr. President, I hear that you ask your kids to switch off lights when they leave the room. On behalf of the taxpayers who get the bill for the White House electricity shopping cart every month, many thanks.
Terry Tamminen, former Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, is a partner at Pegasus Sustainable Century Merchant Bank and the Cullman Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation. (Cracking The Carbon Code is a registered trademark of Terry Tamminen).


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My organization and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group have asked the Federal Trade Commission to swiftly act and protect our privacy online. Last November, we filed a lengthy complaint asking for an intervention to stop behavioral targeting [pdf from Doubleclick] and associated spyware. But it seems that some groups aren’t that interested in action. They want the industry bigshots (who may be their funders) to come into the FTC and agree on “best practices.” That will likely mean no real privacy protection. Here’s the excerpt from a CNET story:
“The CDT has urged the FTC to hold a workshop on behavioral targeting to set best practices in the industry and get players like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo to agree on them. The organization wants to ensure that people have control in the event that these companies begin to merge consumer information from search and Web-surfing records to personalize ads.”
Privacy groups need to demand that the FTC finish its investigation (it launched one last November as a result of our complaint). We have provided the FTC with so much additional information, they should be able to act by now. Workshops are a delaying tactic designed to help out the special interests. If you want to see just a small fraction of what we’ve sent the FTC investigative team, go to adwatch.
PS: Here’s the blog post from the Center for Democracy and Technology on its request for a FTC workshop. Read its letter to the FTC. Then ask yourself. Shouldn’t public interest groups identify in such a letter the companies which fund them and engage in behavioral targeting? Shouldn’t they acknowledge that one of their key supporters, Microsoft, is the subject of a related complaint now before the FTC? Follow the money and the data mining it helps bring.


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More of my sites
WinInfo Daily News
SuperSite for Windows
Windows IT Pro Magazine
Thurrott Dot Com
Windows Weekly at TWIT
About this site
For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started
blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Google turns the page… in a bad way
David Ulevitch at OpenDNS sheds some light on something that should, but probably won't, disturb a lot of people:
Google and Dell have teamed up to install some software on Dell computers that borders on being spyware. I say spyware because it’s hard to figure out what it is and is even harder to remove.Worth reading. Worth debating. Worth worrying about. Yes, OpenDNS has a vested interest, of sorts, in this game. But this is bad news and yet another indication that Google's "Do No Evil" mantra is marketing horse pucky.
About a year ago Google and Dell announced a partnership to include the Google Toolbar on new Dell computers. At the same time, Google was trying to convince the Department of Justice that changing the default search engine in the (then) new IE7 was too difficult (when in reality it’s really simple). Installing the toolbar meant that users would have Google as their default search engine in IE7. It also meant that Dell and Google would share some of the revenue from the advertising clicks that resulted from these installations, much like The Mozilla Foundation does with its Firefox browser.
The computer hardware business has razor-thin margins which means making a profit is tough. So the opportunity for Dell to get a recurring revenue stream from an existing customer long after the sale of the computer is more than just enticing, it’s huge. It also means a couple other things:
1. Dell and Google have an incentive to make it very hard for users to turn this off.
2. Because users can’t get rid of it, Dell and Google can get away with putting more ads on the page and pushing user-relevant content off the page.
They’re now doing both of these things.
Labels: Google, Internet, PC
[ Posted at 9:01 AM | Permalink ]


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Huntington’s Steinour says Midwest a major player in economic recovery
Steinour outlined some of Central Ohio’s recent crowning achievements — 5.9 percent unemployment, an expansion at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Les Wexner’s $100 million gift to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, among others — during a speech at the Columbus Metropolitan Club.
“I think there’s a lot to be cheerful about, and we need cheerleaders,” he said.
Throughout the recovery from the recession, Ohio and the Midwest have stood out as major players that are starting to draw people from the coasts instead of the other way around, he said.
“Ohio and the Midwest are leading us out of this malaise,” Steinour said. “We are a recovery belt, not a Rust Belt.”
Since being hired at Huntington (NASDAQ:HBAN) under a pledge that he did not come to the bank to help flip it to a buyer, Steinour has walked the walk on his talk about the Midwest. The Columbus-based bank has been expanding in the region, opening new branches in Meijer stores in Michigan and buying a bank in the state, a market that has not been ripe for acquisitions since the recession.
When he arrived at Huntington, Steinour said people asked him when the bank was going to move into Chicago.
“Chicago is coming to us,” he said Wednesday. “We aren’t going to Chicago.”
Growth for the bank is in its current territory, he said. That includes opening more than one branch a week in Ohio alone.
Rick Rouan covers banking, capital markets, insurance, logistics, nonprofits, area airports and air travel for Business First.
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