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Alaska is about to roll out the country’s newest and perhaps most far-flung regulated cannabis market, but businesses inaccessible by road are hardly the most taxing concern. Instead, regulators and business owners are scrambling to figure out how to address one of the most basic elements of a regulated marketplace: How to process the cut that’s due to the state.
The soon-to-be corporate taxpayers and officials want the same thing: An orderly transfer of $50 per ounce of marijuana sold into state coffers. But the feasibility of orderly payments—expected to total between $5 million and $20 million next year (according to the Alaska Dispatch News)—is far from assured.
That’s because banking problems already besetting state-legal cannabis businesses across the United States may be amplified in Alaska. None of the state’s banks or credit unions are willing to publicly serve the industry, making it difficult for businesses to smoothly pay taxes electronically. And the state’s budget-tightening tax bureaucracy does not currently accept cash payments.
It’s a Catch-22 that led the Alaska Department of Revenue to briefly consider placing special reverse ATMs around the state, which is about 10 times larger than Washington and six times as vast as Colorado.
“That was my top pick,” says Brandon Spanos, deputy director of the Alaska Department of Revenue, of the reverse-ATMs concept. The idea fell off the table, he says, after listening sessions with industry insiders in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.
Business owners worried about electrical outages and software glitches, and Spanos says it was unclear if banks and federal authorities would agree delivery people were acting as agents of the state, alleviating the regulatory burden of processing state-legal drug money.
“The banks will accept it from us once we have possession of it as tax revenue,” Spanos says, but that’s one of the few certainties.
Alaska tax authorities will have a work-around proposal ready for businesses that get licenses early next year, Spanos says. It likely will involve using a third party to turn wads of cash into electronic tax deposits.
“We don’t know exactly how it will work out, if it would be an ancillary industry. I could envision maybe it’s another taxpayer,” he says, recalling that at one listening session “somebody said, ‘Why can’t I just start a business where I take cash from the industry and pay the state electronically?’”
“We would love that,” Spanos says, if banks and their regulators would allow it.
Spanos’ research into cannabis tax payment options included reaching out to financial institutions in the hope they would moot the tax-collection dilemma by providing bank accounts to the industry. None were receptive.
The enormity of the state has been key to considerations, as has uncertainty about the size of the market. “We really have no idea how many taxpayers we’re going to have,” Spanos says. “We could have one up in Fairbanks or we could have 30 up in Fairbanks.”
Anticipating unbanked businesses, Spanos says the state ultimately may end up collecting cash in addition to proposed third-party deposits, though where and how remain unclear. “If we have a method for them to come to a state agency and drop it off, it will probably be a more secure site,” he says.
Banking Woes Exacerbate the Problem
In the lower 48, banks also shy away from the state-legal cannabis industry to avoid the risk of additional oversight and the cost of added reporting requirements. However, many cannabis businesses do pay taxes electronically.
In Washington state, for example, just 30 percent of marijuana industry licensees paid state taxes in cash in August and September. Mikhail Carpenter, a spokesperson for the Washington State Liquor Control Board, says the rate has been fairly stable since retail dispensaries opened in July 2014.
Colorado does not keep statistics on the share of state pot taxes that are paid electronically versus in cash, says Ro Silva, acting communications director for the Colorado Department of Revenue. But fewer businesses are believed to use electronic payment than in Washington, and insiders bandy about an estimate of 40 percent or higher for the share of cash payments.
The trick for marijuana business owners who wish to keep a bank account is discretion, says Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association.
Generally businesspeople have to work to build personal or professional relationships with bankers, she says, some of whom give a wink and nod, or instructions not to advertise the arrangement.
Joshua Kappel, a partner at the law firm Vicente Sederberg, which works with hundreds of cannabis businesses, says there’s no go-to bit of advice for state-legal pot pioneers other than to do whatever they can to find a financial institution willing to work with them.
“There’s a risk if you use your personal account for business that you will lose your personal account, too,” he notes.
Banks that do accept cannabis industry accounts “are all flying under the radar because they don’t want a lot of people opening accounts at the same time," Kappel says.
Some banks that have openly stated their interest in the wide-open market niche quickly U-turned, he points out, including Oregon-based MBank. Last January, MBank said it would accept Colorado cannabis businesses, but quickly took back that offer, and then in April purged its remaining 70 cannabis industry clients.
“We determined the bank is not big enough to provide and support all of the compliance components required," MBank President and CEO Jefry Baker said in a statement to the media.
Previously, the Colorado Springs State Bank openly courted the cannabis industry before closing about 300 clients’ accounts in 2011.
“There are a couple banks in Colorado that openly work with marijuana businesses, but they don’t do press around it,” says industry attorney Brian Vicente of Vicente Sederberg. “Historically, every time someone sends out a press release saying, ‘Hey, we’re the marijuana bank!’ immediately the feds shut them down [from providing services to the industry]. It’s not a smart business move.”
The problem was supposed to be getting better after the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) last year issued guidelines to banks working with cannabis businesses, requiring them to file special suspicious activity reports on dealings with state-legal businesses. But few financial institutions found the rules appealing.
“FinCEN’s guidance was directed at financial institutions, which we regulate for anti-money laundering purposes,” says FinCEN spokesman Stephen Hudak, who describes state taxation problems as outside the purview of the network.
“We sometimes coordinate to take joint, or concurrent, enforcement actions with state regulators,” he says, “[but] we’re not in a position to offer advice to states on tax-collection issues.”
The reporting burden from FinCEN and the lack of clear permission to bank the industry from regulators such as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Reserve—institutions from which banks derive their ability to operate—contribute to the industry’s financial headache.
The posture of bank regulators is somewhat similar to that taken by the Justice Department, which allows states and American Indian tribes to regulate sales of federally illegal cannabis products, but reserves the right to treat industry participants as criminals.
Vicente says, however, bank leaders’ conservative nature probably is more of a problem than the actual threat of federal enforcement actions, should banks move en masse toward accepting cannabis accounts.
In the meantime, the zeal with which individual banks scan account-holders with the intent of booting marijuana businesses can fluctuate.
The large institution Capital Group, for example, in July found the word “marijuana” in the Marijuana Policy Project’s (MPP) name and requested the advocacy group find a new bank for its employee retirement accounts. The decision was reversed after outside interests made it clear that MPP does not grow or sell marijuana. A company spokesman said the initial action was taken because of the “complex and time-consuming” burdens of dealing with marijuana-related businesses.
Alaska businessman Leif Abel says he’s not even going to bother trying to get a bank account for his budding enterprise, Greatland Ganja, LLC, through which he intends to cultivate marijuana and process extracts for various retail stores.
But Abel, a member of the Cannabis Business Times’ editorial advisory board, says there are workarounds he and his business partners are considering and that he’s not losing sleep over how to pay state taxes.
“The chances are we will be able to pay electronically,” he says. “With proper planning, there are things you can do. There are any number of creative ways to be able to hold bank accounts.”
Among the options cannabis businesses could consider is setting up a parent company with an innocuous name, or putting enough cash in a money market account to pay anticipated tax bills, he says.
The third-party idea for businesses that have only cash to offer the state, he says, is far from ideal and likely will add 1 to 3 percent to the cost of tax bills in payment to tax attorneys or accountants. Yet he says there’s no better option proposed for such businesses.
“It’s still going to make it difficult for people in the rural areas,” says Abel, who has worked closely with Alaska legislators in his role as executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Legislation and chair of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Marijuana Task Force. “They’re going to have to fly with a suitcase full of cash and go to a CPA or a tax attorney, and have that guy help pay their taxes. It’s rather clunky.”
Until that legislation [to allow banks to serve cannabis businesses] happens, the state of Alaska is going to have to deal with these businesses being stuck. I’d suggest Alaska invest in some good cash counters.” —Taylor West, National Cannabis Industry Association
He says it’s probably unwise to use personal bank accounts to pay business taxes. “Until this is no longer a federal crime, you want to separate your personal as far as possible from your business, because if anything happens — if accounts are frozen or money seized, or there’s some misunderstanding between the feds and the state — you want a clear delineation,” he says.
Spanos is hopeful financial institutions ultimately will step forward — noting several credit unions in Washington state are known to accept cannabis businesses — but the chances of that happening soon in Alaska appears slim.
“We’re supposed to start accepting cash this summer,” he says. “I do not expect any credit unions or banks to step forward before then. Those that I’ve spoken to say, ‘Maybe it will happen, but it won’t be for two to three years’” (a time frame he hopes will shrink).
Being Allowed to Pay Taxes Is a Step … Up a Mountain of Challenges
Alaska tax officials, of course, aren’t the only ones who will expect payments from the state’s cannabis crop. The Internal Revenue Service, too, will have its hand out for payment, even though federal law deems the commercial activity a crime.
Paying federal taxes, too, is no walk in the park, though the path for cannabis businesses nationwide was waxed by legal action from Colorado medical marijuana dispensary Allgreens, which the IRS fined $25,000 when it paid in cash.
The IRS agreed to refund the fine in March and in June issued a policy memo saying businesses that demonstrate they cannot get a bank account will not incur a 10-percent penalty for paying in cash.
That’s a step forward for the industry, but there are few locations where businesses can drop off cash for the federal government — with only one location where they can do so in Colorado. The IRS has two offices in Alaska, one in Anchorage and another in Fairbanks that’s closed until further notice. An IRS spokesman was unable by press time to clarify where Alaska businesses can make cash deposits.
“Prior to this, the IRS’ position was that you could launder money, and that’s how you can pay your taxes,” says Colorado attorney and Colorado NORML Executive Director Rachel K. Gillette, who represented Allgreens. The previous policy suggested buying money orders to make wire transactions or using a third party, such as an accountant, to deposit the taxes.
Though businesses no longer face a fine if they pay the IRS in cash, the situation remains far from perfect, Gillette says, with unbanked businesses from across Colorado being forced to drive to just one location in Denver to drop of bundles of dollar bills. Some arrive with $500,000 in cash, she says, creating obvious safety concerns.
“Colorado is a very large state. It can be an eight-hour drive through three mountain passes [to reach Denver],” she says. “It’s a really difficult situation for marijuana businesses that are trying to do the right thing, [and] the root of the problem is lack of access to banking.”
Gillette says the status quo wastes the time and resources of both businesspeople and tax collectors, and makes it difficult for cash-only businesses to be totally transparent if audited.
“I cannot understand why the [federal] government is taking such a stand,” she says of banking rules. She believes federal regulators may have taken a more active role discouraging banks from working with the industry as the public began embracing legalization. “We didn’t have this problem where people weren’t able to get bank accounts until around 2012,” she says. “I like to call it backdoor enforcement. ‘[The feds] can’t go in the front door with guns a-blazing anymore.’”
Oregon will accept cash for taxes from recreational cannabis businesses once they are up and running.
It’s getting worse, [and] the banks don’t seem like they’re going to relax their rules anytime soon. We’re talking with anyone who has an idea.” —Fiona Ma, California Board of Equalization
In California, state tax collectors do not keep records on the percentage of cannabis businesses paying taxes in cash. But it’s a sufficiently significant concern for the California Board of Equalization, which collects sales taxes, to actively convene stakeholder discussions on how to bank the industry, citing, among other reasons, improving highway safety and easing audits.
Fiona Ma, one of five members on the Board of Equalization, says she’s actively exploring new approaches that could provide dispensaries access to electronic tax filing. She says the banking crisis appears to be getting worse for the industry in California.
In mid November, Ma says, a 160-employee cannabis business was forced to hand-deliver $400,000 in cash to the board’s San Francisco office after their long-time bank cut them loose.
It took more than four hours to process the cash, she says, and the board is now investing in new counting machines.
“It’s getting worse, [and] the banks don’t seem like they’re going to relax their rules anytime soon,” she says. “We’re talking with anyone who has an idea.”
Waiting on Banking Legislation
Ma says small community banks want to serve their neighbors in the cannabis industry, but are unable to take on the compliance costs. She hopes federal regulators will relax rules very soon.
“In Colorado what they’re doing is basically ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ Everyone knows it’s cannabis money, but they’re not going to ask permission anymore,” she says, something she considers a possible outcome for California, too, if banks decide to look the other way when an innocuous-sounding business sets up an account.
“The federal government has to allow some flexibility,” Ma says. “The small banks want to do it. They should be allowed to do it. It has to be affordable. There has to be a path for them.”
Though the federal government allows state-regulated marijuana markets, legislation to address the banking crisis has been sitting on the shelf for years.
West sees a problem with older committee chairmen, and points out there’s remarkably bipartisan support for many cannabis measures, including a House-passed resolution that sought to ban the Treasury Department from going after banks that provide services to the cannabis industry. That measure wasn’t included in a large spending deal last year, but a similar prohibition narrowly passed the Senate Appropriations Committee 16-14 in July, and West hopes it may be in a future spending bill — even if that wouldn’t be a long-term fix.
“Until that legislation happens, the state of Alaska is going to have to deal with these businesses being stuck,” she says. “I’d suggest Alaska invest in some good cash counters.”
Abel, for one, is taking the challenge in stride.
“Everybody’s jumpy right now, so every little thing seems like a big deal. But the wrinkles will work themselves out, and this isn’t going to be one that stops it,” he says, optimistically noting, “if the banking climate changes a little bit, there’s no problem all of a sudden.”
Explore the January 2016 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find you next story to read.
Latest from Cannabis Business Times
- UPDATE: Hong Kong Bans CBD
- Finding the Best Path Forward: FDA’s Norman Birenbaum Talks Hemp-Derived Product Regulation
- Federal Judge Upholds Block on Certain New York Cannabis Licenses
- US Representative Reintroduces Legislation to Reschedule Cannabis
- 4 Tips For Cultivating a Powerhouse Cannabis Grow Team
- Benchmarking: What Cultivation Employees Value Most
- Colorado, Oregon Face Brunt of 2022 Correction
- Sonoran Roots Maintains Family Work Culture Amidst Growth


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It’s important to have money set aside for emergencies, yet four in 10 Americans say they’d struggle to come up with $400 in a pinch, according to the Federal Reserve’s annual check-in on Americans’ financial health.
Without a cash cushion, those strapped consumers are likely to end up in more financial trouble when they encounter a financial emergency. That’s because they told the Fed they would turn to expensive payday loans to pay for an unexpected expense, even though these loans can trap borrowers in a cycle of repeat borrowing due to their high rates and fees. Others said they would put the emergency expense on credit cards and pay it off over time, potentially racking up interest.
But there are other strategies to build up a quick savings cushion rather than turning to expensive loans or adding to credit card debt, financial experts note. Some of the tips can be turned into longer-term strategies that can help build an even bigger financial base over six to 12 months.
What zero interest rates mean:Trump wants Fed to cut interest rates to zero or below. Here’s what it could mean for you.
1. Sell things you don’t use anymore
Your attic might prove to be a treasure trove for your bank account. There are sites where you can sell everything from designer clothes to your grandma’s old china set. Poshmark, for instance, is geared to fashionistas selling their used clothing, while eBay remains a standby for everything from antiques to your kid’s old Lego toys. Many of these sites charge seller fees, so make sure to do your research to find the right fit.
“You can’t take it with you, and we have a lot of stuff that we have accumulated over the years,” says Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. “Go through the attic, go through the garage, and ask, ‘Do you really need that’?”
2. Get a side hustle
Don’t overlook the gig economy, which has helped millions of Americans make extra cash or even create a new career. Before jumping into a new gig, check out SideHusl, which reviews the roughly 300 platforms where you can make some extra cash. The site gives the lowdown on how gig employers work, how much you can earn and pitfalls to be aware of.
“There are 168 hours in a week, and even if you are currently working 40 hours a week, there’s plenty of wiggle room in there to put a few hours into something else, particularly if it can put some money in your pocket,” McBride notes.
3. Take a refund and put it in savings
Americans are hitting peak refund season due to the tax filing deadline. Almost 100 million residents are likely to receive a refund from the IRS, which can be socked away into a savings account for a rainy day.
The typical refund represents the biggest “paycheck” of the year for more than four of 10 workers, a Credit Karma Tax survey found. With the average refund approaching $3,000, it’s wise to set some aside for a rainy day, experts say.
4. Transfer credit card balances
If you’re paying interest on a credit card balance, consider a transfer-balance card. These cards can free up some cash by eliminating your monthly interest during the card’s introductory period, which can range from 15 months to 21 months, thereby giving you more time to pay down a balance.
There are a few catches, however. You’ll typically pay a balance-transfer fee, which often ranges from 3% to 5% of the balance. And they’re also often only available to consumers with good credit scores of 700 points or higher.
5. Skip the credit card
Pay cash instead of using plastic, given that you’ll probably think twice about making a purchase when you handle actual bills. Consumers are more likely to spend more if they aren’t using cash, research has shown.
“If you know you’ll need to spend more than you currently have on necessary expenses to make ends meet, you may resort to using your credit card,” notes Dana Marineau, financial advocate at Credit Karma. “If you’re looking for an alternative, oftentimes personal loans will have lower interest rates than credit cards.”
Personal loans such as Marcus by Goldman Sachs offer rates as low as 6.99%, considerably lower than the typical credit card rate of about 17%.
6. Cut expenses
About three in 10 Americans say they aren’t budgeting, according to Debt.com. But it’s never too late to start, and starting a budget and keeping track of your expenses can help you figure out where you’re spending too much or could cut back. Apps such as You Need a Budget or Mint can help you track and manage your expenses.
Likewise, shop around for better rates on your insurance plans, including homeowners insurance and car insurance, Bankrate.com’s McBride recommends.
Aimee Picchi is a business journalist whose work appears in publications including USA TODAY, CBS News and Consumer Reports. She previously spent almost a decade covering tech and media for Bloomberg News. You can follow her on Twitter at @aimeepicchi.

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10 things to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S10
Samsung will launch its new flagship smartphone tomorrow, February 20
Samsung will launch its new flagship smartphone tomorrow, February 20
Samsung is holding one of its Unpacked product launches at simultaneous events in San Francisco and London tomorrow, February 20.
We know with certainty that Samsung will reveal its latest flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S10. In fact, three versions are expected to grace the stage at each event, and there may even be time to see the company's new folding smartphone, too.
The event is taking place slightly earlier than normal. Samsung usually reveals its new Galaxy S on the eve of Mobile World Congress, the annual smartphone show which this year starts on February 25. With LG revealing new phones of its own on the 24th, in Samsung's usual slot, it's interesting to see Samsung beat LG to the punch.
As ever, the leaks have been prolific. We first heard about the Galaxy S10 back in July last year, and just days before the big reveal a comprehensive hands-on video surfaced online, before being deleted.
Here are 10 things to expect from the Galaxy S10:
It will be revealed on February 20
This, of course, we know. Previous years have seen Samsung issue a cryptic invitation to the press, but for its first Unpacked event of 2019 we received an invitation with a huge '10' plastered all over it.
Not only that, but Samsung's own website allows fans to pre-order 'the brand new Samsung Galaxy' right now.
The simultaneous events in San Francisco and London kick off at 11am PST, which is 1pm EST and 7pm in the UK. We expect the event to last for around an hour, and there should be time to get hands-on with the new phone right after.
Leaked render is claimed to be of the Galaxy S10+Evan Blass
There will be (at least) three versions
Samsung usually releases two versions of its Galaxy S smartphones, one larger than the other. But for 2019 it is looking increasingly likely that there will be at least three models of S10. This will include the usual S10 and larger S10+, but also a smaller and cheaper model, expected to be called the S10E.
We don't know for sure if the S10E will be sold in all markets, but it's an interesting move from Samsung and likely one designed to counter Apple's iPhone XR, which hits a lower price point than the XS.
There are also claims that Samsung will introduce a 5G version of the Galaxy S10 later in the year, potentially called the Galaxy X. But for now, the S10 is not expected to get 5G - unlike LG's V50, which will be launched on February 24.
The Galaxy S10 has an in-display fingerprint reader
One of the few negatives about the last few Galaxy S phones has been their fingerprint sensor. Located on the rear, it was awkward to reach and easy to confuse with the camera and flash.
To fix this, Samsung will place the S10's fingerprint reader under the glass front, like on the OnePlus 6T. This puts the reader in a far more convenient place, but does so without the need for a button or sensor on the 'chin' on the phone. Samsung is said to be using ultrasound technology to make the reader work, unlike any other manufacturer. This should make for speedy and accurate unlocking.
There are three cameras on the back
Revealed by a Samsung TV advert accidentally broadcast on Norwegian television this week, embedded below, the Galaxy S10 will have three cameras on its back - one more than its predecessor.
The resolutions of the three camera sensors are said to be 12MP, 16MP and 13MP. It isn't yet known exactly what function each lens will perform, but you can be sure to see improvements on the S9, especially when it comes to blurred-background portrait photography - something the Google Pixel 3 excels at, but with software instead of sensors.
It looks like the S10E will only get two cameras on the back, while the S10 and S10+ will have three.
The display has a new 'hole-punch' design
Following a trend set to be popular in 2019, all models of Galaxy S10 will feature a so-called 'hole-punch' display. This means the front-facing camera sits in a file stamped through the display, instead of being fitted above the screen, or in a notch like that used by the iPhone X series.
Only the largest Galaxy S10+ has two cameras on the front
The Galaxy S10 and S10E will each have a single front camera, while the S10+ will get two, sat right next to each other in a slightly wider hole. We suspect this second lens will help the phone take wide-angle selfies - just as the Google Pixel 3 does with its own dual-lens selfie setup.
Truth be told, we're a little disappointed to see some features held back for the biggest, most expensive model. Plenty of consumers want a smartphone with a smaller display, yet also want the best features. Surely the second tiny front camera could fit in the regular S10, leading us to believe Samsung has excluded it as a way to up-sell buyers to the pricier model.
Galaxy Buds and case charge when placed on the back of the S10WinFuture
It can wirelessly charge other devices - like the new Galaxy Buds earphones
A trick borrowed from the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S10 can not only be charged wirelessly, but can also charge other devices without cables. All you have to do is hold a phone against its back, and it'll charge.
This will be particularly useful with Samsung's new Galaxy Buds, a pair of wireless earphones which will be announced alongside the Galaxy S10. The TV ad accidentally shown in Norway this week offers a glimpse of how the case of the Buds charges when placed on the back of the phone. It's a pretty smart solution, and something Apple doesn't yet offer with the iPhone and AirPods.
Screen sizes will range from 5.8 inches to 6.7 inches
The entry-level Galaxy S10E is expected to have a screen size of 5.8 inches, exactly the same as the Galaxy S9 from last year. The Galaxy S10 will stretch this to 6.2 inches, but with an increased screen-to-body ratio thanks to the lack of a camera above the display, the overall size of the phone should be about the same as the S9.
Finally, the flagship S10+ will have a display measuring 6.44 inches, a little larger than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S9+ from 2018.
The cheaper S10E has just two rear cameras instead of threeWinFuture
There's a premium version with a ceramic back
We're not sure if this model will launch tomorrow or be available in all markets, but the rumor mill claims there will be a premium version of the S10 with a back made from ceramic. This choice of material would make the phone almost completely scratch resistant, as ceramic can only be scratched by diamond and sapphire - the latter used to protect camera lenses and luxury watches.
Not only will the ceramic S10 be tougher than its stablemates, but it is also expected to be even bigger than the S10+, with a 6.7-inch display. It is also said, by the often well-informed SamMobile, that the ceramic S10 will have four rear cameras, two front cameras, and 5G support.
This final stat makes us believe the phone won't arrive until later in the year, when 5G networks become available to consumers.
It will be expensive
This one almost goes without saying, but the Galaxy S10 will be an expensive smartphone. The prolific and notoriously accurate smartphone leaker Evan Blass posted an image to Twitter on February 17, claiming the flagship S10+, with a huge 1TB of storage and 12GB of RAM (an equally enormous figure), will cost 10,000 Chinese Yen, which is roughly $1,500.
The image also claimed a lesser version of the S10+ with 512GB of storage and 8G of RAM will cost 9,000 yen, or around $1,300. For context, the 512GB version of the iPhone XS Max costs $1,449.
All will be revealed - along with a range of new Samsung wearables and those Galaxy Buds - at the Unpacked launch tomorrow. GearBrain will be attending the London event, so stay tuned for our first impressions later in the day.


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Windows 8 fails to boost PC sales
A research firm says sales of personal computers in the U.S. didn’t get any boost from the launch of Windows 8, confounding the hopes of Microsoft and PC makers.
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NEW YORK, N.Y.—A research firm says sales of personal computers in the U.S. didn’t get any boost from the launch of Windows 8, confounding the hopes of Microsoft and PC makers.
NPD Group, which tracks U.S. retail sales, says that in the month since Windows 8 launched on Oct. 26, sales of Windows PCs and tablets fell 21 per cent compared with a year earlier.
NPD says there’s no sign that Windows 8 made things worse for PC makers.
Related:Windows 8: What you need to know
Rather, the weak sales are a continuation of a trend seen throughout this year, as consumers appear more interested in spending the electronics dollars on smartphones and tablets than on upgrading their computers.
Microsoft and PC makers had been hoping for a boost from Windows 8, though they tempered expectations as the launch neared.
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It looks like Kuwait-based beauty e-commerce startup, Boutiqaat, is quite on a roll lately. Launched in 2015, the company has doubled its valuation to $500 million over the last one-and-a-half year.
This new development came into being after Boutiqaat raised additional funding from a Gulf-based investment firm. The financial terms of the investment deal and the identity of the investors aren’t yet known.
With a 2x increase in valuation, Boutiqaat has now cemented its position as one of the two most valuable tech startups in the Middle East and North Africa — a title it shares with real-estate technology farm Property Finder.
Worth noting here is that Boutiqaat had bagged $45 million in investment from Kuwait-based Boubyan Petrochemical in January 2018. At the time, the startup had a speculative valuation of somewhere between $250 million to $300 million. However, Abdulwahab Alessa, the founder, and CEO of Boutiqaat, has now confirmed that the valuation following the Boubyan deal stood at approximately $250 million.
For those unfamiliar with the company’s offering, Boutiqaat lists more than 25,000 fashion and beauty products from over 700 brands through its website and mobile app. What makes it unique is that the marketplace is built completely around social media influencers.
Simply put, the company has tie-ups with social media influencers whereby these influencers can set up their own virtual stores with their favorite products on Boutiqaat’s marketplace (in exchange for a commission). This arrangement makes it easier for consumers to conveniently browse through the curated sections while Boutiqaat oversees the transaction side of things.


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Posted On: Dec 16, 2022
You can now use the newly re-designed Amazon EMR console. Amazon EMR is the cloud big data solution for petabyte-scale data processing, interactive analytics, and machine learning using open-source frameworks such as Apache Spark, Apache Hive, and Presto. The new re-designed console introduces a new simplified experience to launch and manage clusters running big data processing workloads.
You can log in to the EMR console and Opt-in to the new console. The new console simplifies launching and managing EMR on EC2 clusters, EMR on EKS, and EMR Studio . The revamped console is available in all AWS commercial regions.


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Rewards programs have increasingly become a tipping point for consumers when deciding which credit card to apply for. In a market with hundreds of participants, credit card companies have begun to differentiate themselves by offering unique packages of bonuses and perks to customers. However, while rewards programs such as airline miles or cash back may seem simple, over the years the terms and conditions associated with these programs can be more complex.
The intricacies of these rewards programs has proven difficult for some consumers to understand and it is unclear if the disclosures associate with the programs are sufficiently clear. For example, not meeting monthly increases in spending minimums or missing monthly payments may result in forfeiture of rewards. While over two thirds of credit card solicitations issued by the major card companies included rewards programs information, a recent survey indicated that only 59 percent of cardholders believed they “completely” understood their rewards plans.
In recent correspondence, CFPB director Richard Corday noted that credit card company reward programs will be under review, calling some current programs “detailed and confusing.” Although information regarding the pervasiveness of these confusing rewards program disclosures has not been released, the CFPB has vocalized its intent to take a proactive approach to ensure that disclosures are clear and transparent due in part to the large amount of rewards programs that are currently being advertised.
Currently, there are no federal laws specifically addressing credit card rewards disclosures. Although the Card Act of 2009 was enacted to regulate credit card companies in order to protect consumers, the law's intent was mainly to keep consumers informed about interest rate hikes and to limit fees credit card companies could charge. What regulations, if any, the CFPB will ultimately create on this issue is yet to be determined. As a larger issue however, the CFPB’s interest in regulating an area of consumer finance that has yet to hear general public outcry shows a proactive approach to attack potential consumer issues before they occur.


text: Paradis (who’s much better off without Johnny Depp if you ask us, but you didn’t!) is the face of the brand’s environmentally sustainable line for spring, wearing a zip-up utility jacket, botanical-print pants, a ruffle-edged yellow sundress, and other looks. “I try my best to shop consciously, and vintage is very much part of my wardrobe,” the French singer and actress said in a press release. “I love the style and it works in an eco-friendly way because I like to use and reuse old clothes.” As part of the new Conscious campaign, the chain plans to collect customers’ unwanted clothes and distribute H&M shopping vouchers for each bag of garments — maximum of two bags per customer per day. Wonder what Paradis will turn in. Likely a variety of hats and vest chains.


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The only roadblock in the way of electric car development nowadays are batteries. Be them lithium ion, nickel-metal hydride or any other type, batteries are the only thing keeping our polluted world apart from a much cleaner one, with cars that don’t break as often, without oil wars and so on. Good news: batteries will only get cheaper, and it’s not me who’s saying this, but Steven Chu, the U.S. Energy Secretary.
He envisioned that, if a plugin hybrid’s battery that lasts 40 miles had been costing $12,000 in 2008, its price will drop to $3,600 in 2015 and down to $1,500 in 2020. One can only be astonished by these seemingly far and yet so vivid dream-like scenarios, but the fact is that the technologies to make batter batteries already do exist and it’s only a matter of time, investment and advertising before they’re put on real cars driven by ordinary people.
And having Chu saying that in the middle of Detroit – saying that the U.S. should produce its own batteries and stop importing oil – is something really amazing. Crazy thoughts are crossing my mind right now, like electric cars could be cheaper than gasoline ones, or like charging an electric car really taking no longer than filling up a gas tank – and I don’t think this is a pipe dream.
Moreover, Secretary Chu announced the unveiling of a new lab called the Energy Innovation Hub, to study the various types of battery technologies invented to date, and to find out which will ultimately succeed providing our cars a reliable, quick-filling energy storage.
Chu says the new lab will think big, only focusing on technologies that can have immediate applicability (<10 years), not on those that need extensive, decades-long research.


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New research shows there is a disconnect between gift givers and recipients. Find out what your loved ones really want.
New research reveals that eating a handful of nuts every day has some impressive health benefits. Here’s the scoop.
Need some simple ways to save? Here are dozens of painless ways to squeeze a few extra bucks out of any budget.
The e-commerce giant is testing out a new convenience store option that lets shoppers skip those pesky checkout lines. Find out how Amazon Go works.
It turns out reindeer aren’t the most cooperative pizza delivery workers.
Check out these 11 new board games, which promise to be fun and engaging for the whole family.
Carrabba’s and Outback have special offers that last through Sunday.


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Legal action is being considered by Bradford Council against two unlicensed markets in the city which it believes are breaching rules designed to protect the authority’s existing markets from rival traders.
Within six months two private markets sprang up in less than a two mile radius of long-standing Council markets, such as the Oastler Shopping Centre and Kirkgate Market.
The first, which opened last August, is the Tradex Market at the former Shires Bathroom site, Beckside Road, and the second, which opened in February this year, is the Marlboro Market at the former Marlboro Cinema, Carlisle Road.
Continue Reading. . . .
Bradford Council has vowed to take legal action against unlicensed markets operating in the district after a petition from stallholders at long-standing Council markets who fear their trade is being eroded.
The authority’s regulatory and appeals panel heard yesterday about two private markets within a two-mile radius of the Oastler Shopping Centre and Kirkgate Market.
Nov 29, 2018 0LONDON MOTORCYCLE RETAILER, Urban Rider, is hosting a unique motorcycle inspired Christmas Market, Winter Chill, on the evening of December 6th, 2018 at Greenwich Market, London.
Dec 07, 2018 0The overcrowding at the Princes Street Christmas Market has rightly caused people to raise security concerns.


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Marijuana-focused search engine and online directory company NUGL Inc. (OTC: NUGL) this morning announced that it has hired Thomas Bouse, CPA, as its new chief financial officer. Bouse will replace NUGL CEO Brandon Vargas, who has been serving as the company’s interim CFO, in this position. “Tom has an extensive background with corporate taxes. He also understands how to manage a company’s tax flow in rapid growth modes,” Vargas stated in the news release. Per the update, Bouse is the founder and owner of Pacific Rim Tax and Accounting, headquartered in Huntington Beach, California. He brings more than two decades of expertise in tax services, accounting, consulting and financial planning to the NUGL team.
To view the full press release, visit http://ibn.fm/yQbGQ
NUGL is the world’s first cannabis search app built for the people, by the people. NUGL’s goal is to build the most user-friendly app experience in the cannabis industry by listening to its users and giving them what they want. NUGL is the only cannabis search app that offers equal and unbiased search results. NUGL does not sell top-spot listings or fake reviews, which means data stays true. Use NUGL to search for genuine user-rated dispensaries, strains, doctors, lawyers, cannabis service providers, vape shops, hydro stores, brands and more. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.NUGL.com
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.


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Moving through China
Although South Korea runs a relatively small trade surplus with the U.S., it contributes to the large one that China has with the U.S.
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau, Korea International Trade Association | The Washington Post - Nov. 9, 2010
More on washingtonpost.com
More Business News
© 2010 The Washington Post Company


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More than 2 million pounds of chicken products were recalled across several U.S. states due to a possible contamination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Nov. 6.
Simmons Prepared Foods took the action on poultry items produced between Oct. 21 and Nov. 4, saying that the products may have been contaminated with foreign matter, such as metal, the USDA said.
The recalled items have the establishment number “P-1949,” “P- 486,” or “P-5837” inside the USDA’s mark of inspection.
The chicken was shipped to eight states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.
“There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider,” according to the agency.
The agency noted that some of the chicken products might be frozen.
“Institutions that have purchased these products are urged not to serve them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase,” the USDA wrote.
The USDA classified the recall as a “Class I Recall,” which means it’s a “health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
The firm issued a statement about the recall.
“Food safety is a very serious matter at Simmons,” the company said Wednesday. “That is why Simmons has issued a precautionary and voluntary recall of approximately 2 million pounds of fresh and frozen chicken products … We are working closely with regulatory authorities and affected customers to expedite this product recall.”
The statement added: “This issue was discovered through Simmons standard food safety and quality checks. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products. Simmons Foods’ values the trust our customers place in us to deliver quality products that are safe. When something happens that is potentially inconsistent with this promise to our customers, it will always require careful and constant review to maintain our commitment to food safety.”
Frozen raspberries that were sold at Aldi and Raley’s were recalled due to a possible hepatitis A contamination, said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The recall encompasses raspberries and frozen berry mixes containing raspberries produced by Wawona Frozen Foods. They were sold under different labels, according to the agency’s recall notice.
Aldi said in a statement: “Upon notification from the supplier, ALDI immediately removed the affected products from stores in Alabama, California, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and West Virginia.”
There have been no illnesses linked to the berry recall.
“Wawona Frozen Foods is issuing this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution due to a positive test result taken as part of a government sampling program,” said the FDA in a statement on Oct. 31.


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Clothes in a Zara store in Istanbul, Turkey, contained a tag with warning messages.
Customers of a Zara store in Istanbul had the unpleasant surprise of discovering alarming labels in clothes. It read the following message:"I made the item you are about to buy but I have not been paid for it" .
These few words come from the employees of the Bravo Tekstil textile factory which closed its doors on July 25, 2016, leaving employees without work and without resources. This factory made clothes for Zara, Mango and Next.
"Tell Zara to pay us"
"We haven't received our last three months' wages or our seniority bonuses. The factory was shut down overnight. Please tell Zara to pay us" , explain the employees.
This is not the first time that such labels have been found on clothing. In 2014, Primark customers found the words "Forced to work long hours" , on labels.


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Mylan Inc. (MYL) Given Sector Perform Rating at RBC Capital Markets
RBC Capital Markets reissued their sector perform rating on shares of Mylan Inc. (NASDAQ:MYL) in a research report released on Monday morning. The firm currently has a $48.00 target price on the stock.
Several other brokerages also recently commented on MYL. Leerink Swann set a $45.00 price objective on Mylan and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Co. set a $44.00 price objective on Mylan and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, October 1st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Mylan from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $49.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 5th. Argus set a $55.00 price objective on Mylan and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, September 22nd. Finally, TheStreet downgraded Mylan from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 28th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Mylan currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $53.49.
Shares of Mylan (NASDAQ:MYL) traded down 0.85% during trading on Monday, hitting $38.54. The stock had a trading volume of 2,807,082 shares. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.99 and a 200 day moving average of $44.11. The company has a market cap of $20.62 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39 and a beta of 1.14. Mylan has a 12 month low of $35.58 and a 12 month high of $55.51.
Mylan (NASDAQ:MYL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 9th. The company reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.58 billion. Mylan had a return on equity of 23.22% and a net margin of 8.11%. Mylan’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Mylan will post $4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.
In other Mylan news, CEO Heather M. Bresch sold 100,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $5,010,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 828,318 shares in the company, valued at $41,415,900. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MYL. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its position in shares of Mylan by 43.6% in the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 2,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Mylan by 6.6% in the second quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mylan during the second quarter worth about $145,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Mylan by 100.4% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after buying an additional 2,095 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Mylan by 48.8% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,000 after buying an additional 1,388 shares during the last quarter. 60.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Mylan N.V. is a global pharmaceutical company. The Company develops, licenses, manufactures, markets and distributes generic and branded generic products for resale by others; specialty pharmaceuticals, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). It operates through two segments: Generics and Specialty.
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"In a piece titled "The Danger of E-books" (PDF), Stallman
bemoans the e-book's loss of freedoms that most of us take for
granted with physical books and places the blame on corporate
"Technologies that could have empowered us are used to chain us
instead," he said. "We must reject e-books until they respect our
freedom...E-books need not attack our freedom, but they will if
companies get to decide. It's up to us to stop them."


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Chinese smartphone maker OPPO has used the observance of Get Online Week to host a tech training session for older Australians in the Gold Coast, in partnership with seniors training company BasicTech.
The OPPO A94 5G is the third low-budget model from this Chinese vendor released this year, and also the most expensive of the lot, the others being the A54 5G and A74 5G.
The OPPO A74 5G is another low-budget device that has entered the market recently, and one that could claim to be the second-lowest priced 5G smartphone in Australia.
Chinese smartphone vendor OPPO has released two new 5G models in its A series, the A74 5G that retails for $449 and the A54 5G that sells for $399.
the G-sync compatible TV is great but I wanted to read more on the LG Rolling Bot to see if[…]
I purchased a NOVOO USB C Hub 8 in 1 USB-C Dock back in 2020 for my Dell XPS-15 when[…]
Definitely vital to check that whatever USB-C multi-port / multifunction hub/adapter you get, if you are buying for Windows OS,[…]
Hi Bob,Yes, it looks like $89 is the best price. https://www.staticice.com.a...Not sure how to answer whether that price is expensive[…]
I was only able to find one entry for an Australian retailer selling this device. Cost was $89. Personally I[…]


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AirAsia Japan Co., one of the three Japanese low-cost carriers that started last year, is adding more overseas flights to increase foreign currency revenue to offset a rise in fuel and lease costs caused by a weaker yen.
“We’re trying to balance the increase in costs with more inbound flights from overseas,” AirAsia Japan CEO Yoshinori Odagiri said Wednesday.
AirAsia Japan, which flies from Tokyo’s Narita and Nagoya’s Chubu airports, will start daily flights to Taiwan next month and is considering adding another overseas service before the end of March, Odagiri said.
The yen has slid 17 percent in the past six months against the dollar, driving up expenses for Japanese carriers as jet fuel and lease charges are priced in dollars.
“The benefit of adding international flights is that it’s a natural way to hedge costs,” Ryota Himeno, an analyst at Barclays Securities Japan Ltd. “Japan low-cost carriers are still getting started and so there’s still plenty of room for them to expand capacity.”
AirAsia Japan, a venture between AirAsia Bhd. and ANA Holdings Inc., aims to be profitable in the fiscal year that starts next April 1, Odagiri said.
The airline will expand its fleet to nine planes from four by the end of March, he said.
The carrier, which has five domestic flights, will start Taiwan flights from Narita on July 3. Its current overseas services are to Seoul and Busan, South Korea.
The airline began operations in August, following the start of services by discount carriers Peach Aviation Ltd. and Jetstar Japan Co. AirAsia Japan offers fares less than half the price of Japan Airlines Co. and ANA.
AirAsia Japan gets about 40 percent of its sales on international flights from overseas customers and the rest from passengers from Japan, Odagiri said. The carrier has tied up with travel agents in Taiwan to sell packages that include its flights, he said.
AirAsia, based in Sepang Selangor, Malaysia, holds 33 percent of AirAsia Japan, with ANA owning the balance. ANA also has a stake in Peach. Jetstar Japan’s shareholders include JAL and Qantas Airways Ltd.


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Xbox One Storage Boosted: Microsoft Unveils 1 TB Console
Microsoft’s new Xbox One 1 TB console, bumped up from the current model’s 500 GB, also sports a new matte finish, and will come with a newly designed wireless controller, featuring a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, allowing users to plug in a gaming headset.
Microsoft states the new controller features improved quality of audio coming through the controller and an increased maximum audio volume, while allowing for the adjustment of headset controls through the console settings menu.
Doubtless, the announcement of more storage space will be welcomed by heavy gamers, with the Xbox One’s on-board storage complemented by the capability to extend game storage by adding an external USB 3.0 drive.
Microsoft has got on the front foot ahead of E3, with it also having been rumoured that Sony is set to unveil a 1 TB version of its PS4 next week. The new Xbox will begin shipping in the US on June 16, the same day E3 kicks off.
The new Xbox carries a price-tag of US$399, with Microsoft reducing the price of the 500 GB model to US$349. Following its US release, Microsoft states the Xbox One 1 TB will start shipping to select markets later in the month.


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Breweries around the world are facing an unprecedented challenge with the spread of Covid-19. Many have had to temporarily close their doors, and those that remain open are seeing a significant decrease in sales. This is having a major impact on the craft beer industry as a whole, and it’s still unclear how things will play out in the coming weeks and months. If you’re a fan of craft beer, now is the time to show your support by buying local beers from your favorite brewery!
The Craft Beer Industry
The craft beer industry is composed of small, independently-owned breweries, like Melvin Brewing in Jackson, Wyoming, that produce a limited amount of beer. These breweries are often located in small towns and rural areas, and they rely heavily on tourism for their income. In recent years, the craft beer industry has seen a boom in popularity, with new breweries opening up all over the world. However, this newfound popularity has also made the industry more vulnerable to economic downturns.
What Is Covid-19
Covid-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified in 2019. It’s similar to other coronaviruses that cause respiratory illnesses like SARS and MERS, but it’s much more contagious. The virus spreads through contact with respiratory secretions, and it can cause severe respiratory illness in people of all ages. Symptoms include fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing.
How Will Covid-19 Affect The Craft Beer Industry
The craft beer industry is facing several challenges in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many breweries have had to temporarily close their doors, and those that remain open are seeing a significant decrease in sales. This is because many bars and restaurants – which are major customers of breweries – have been forced to close their doors as well. In addition, many brewing events have been canceled or postponed, which has further hurt brewery sales.
Some Possible Scenarios
It’s still unclear how the Covid-19 pandemic will play out in the coming weeks and months. However, there are a few possible scenarios that could unfold.
In the best-case scenario, the pandemic will be brought under control relatively quickly and life will return to normal within a few months. In this case, breweries will likely see a decrease in sales for the short term, but they should be able to rebound fairly quickly once things return to normal.
In a more moderate scenario, the pandemic will continue to spread slowly over several months. In this case, breweries may see a more prolonged decline in sales as bars and restaurants continue to close their doors. However, some breweries may be able to offset these losses by selling more beer to grocery stores and online.
In the worst-case scenario, the pandemic will continue to spread unchecked and will cause a prolonged economic downturn. In this case, many breweries will be forced to permanently close their doors. This could have a major impact on the overall craft beer industry, as it would reduce the number of breweries that can produce beer.
How Will Breweries Be Able To Keep Up With Demand While Also Keeping Their Employees Safe
One of the biggest challenges that breweries, like Melvin Brewing, are facing is how to keep up with demand while also keeping their employees safe. Many breweries have had to temporarily close their taprooms and tasting rooms, which has significantly reduced their sales. In addition, many brewing events have been canceled or postponed, which has further hurt brewery sales. As a result, breweries are struggling to keep up with demand while also ensuring that their employees are safe.
One solution that some breweries are considering is selling their beer online. This would allow customers to buy beer directly from the brewery, without having to go into the taproom or tasting room. This would reduce the risk of exposure for both employees and customers. However, it’s still unclear how effective this would be in terms of keeping up with demand.
Another solution that some breweries are considering is increasing production. This would allow them to sell more beer to grocery stores and other retailers. However, this would require additional staff and equipment, which could be difficult to acquire in the current climate.
What Can You Do To Help Support Your Local Brewery
If you’re a fan of craft beer, there are a few things you can do to help support your local brewery. One option is to buy beer directly from the brewery, either online or in person. Some craft breweries, like Melvin Brewing, even have online apparel shops. This will help the brewery keep up with demand and ensure that its employees are paid. Another option is to buy gift cards from the brewery, which can be used at a later date. This will help the brewery generate revenue now, while also providing customers with something to look forward to in the future. Finally, you can spread the word about your favorite breweries on social media and through word-of-mouth. This will help increase awareness of the brewery and may encourage others to support them as well.
Some breweries Are Offering Virtual Tours – How Can You Participate
In addition to buying beer and gift cards, you can also support your local brewery by taking part in their virtual tours. Many breweries are offering virtual tours of their facilities, which allows fans to see the brewing process firsthand. This is a great way to support your local brewery while also getting a behind-the-scenes look at how they operate. To find out if your favorite brewery is offering virtual tours, simply check their website or social media pages.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the craft beer industry. Many breweries have had to temporarily close their doors, which has resulted in a decline in sales. However, there are some things that you can do to help support your local brewery. By buying beer and gift cards directly from the brewery, you can help them keep up with demand and ensure that their employees are paid. You can also participate in virtual tours of the brewery, which will help support the business while also providing you with a behind-the-scenes look at how they operate. Lastly, you can spread the word about your favorite breweries on social media and through word-of-mouth. This will help increase awareness of the brewery and may encourage others to support them as well.


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With a monthlong lockdown underway and conditions for Washington's bars and restaurants looking grim, it brings no pleasure to offer a brief update on a story from earlier this fall: Canon, Seattle's venerable all-world cocktail parlor, most recently home to a particularly elegant liquor store pivot, will go into "hibernation" starting Wednesday, November 25.
"We can't express how much we appreciate your support over the last few months," the bar wrote on Instagram. Canon's late September profile here on The Stranger pulled no punches, including some pretty dire predictions from founder Jamie Boudreau. "We're losing $8000 a week at this stage," Boudreau told me earlier this year." But it costs me just 10k a month to hunker down, close, and wait for spring… either collapse now, or I shelter and maybe we can have jobs again in the years to come."
Business did, in fact, pick-up for the bar, who rolled out an autumn series of new bottled offerings (including "red" and "blue" election riffs on the Corpse Reviver cocktail) and took their dinner program to the delivery apps in order to increase business. Still, it wasn't enough. The latest shutdown is making the final decision a no-brainer for owners like Boudreau, and many others across the region, for whom the double-whammy of state-mandated restrictions and the coming rainy season is just too much to weather.
It's hard to know what comes next—for Canon, for bars and restaurants citywide, and for everyone else riding out this same cursed timeline. "As far as reopening for regular service, well, that all depends on getting this panic under control," the bar writes on Instagram. "Stay home. And wear a mask if you have to go out. If all goes well we'll be open in the spring."
So go we all. But in the meantime the bar is open for takeout cocktails, food delivery, vintage bottles of rare spirits and nice cocktail glassware priced to move. If, like me, you're actively thinking about drinking your way through the next month and seeing where we land on the other side of the closures, the final days of Canon in 2020 make for a tragic, perfect must-stop.


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A new report looking at Apple’s success has highlighted the risk it faces from an unlikely source, namely Amazon.
Earlier this month the company posted a record third quarter for its Q3 2018 results, with revenues of $53bn, driven by sales of iPhones and wearable devices.
The company will soon be the first in history to be worth $1tn, but a new report has highlighted its policy on data privacy as a factor which could hamper its ability to make the best use of data to improve the overall customer experience.
The use of data collected from customers is something that is propelling Amazon, and it is expected the online retail giant will soon surpass Apple’s market capitalisation.
The report, What to learn from Apple’s coming brawl with Amazon by Forrester vice-president James McQuivey, looked at Apple’s huge success with the iPhone and the inherent desirability of its products.
But when compared to Amazon, McQuivey said: “With the exception of the unique brand, Apple’s signature strengths no longer provide the leverage they used to. And even the unique brand doesn’t mean what it used to, usurped by the power of trust built up through repeated convenience. There are general threats to Apple’s dominance, but the biggest shadow cast over Apple’s future is Amazon.”
He said Apple will lose out because Amazon already has most of Apple’s customers, and industry players tend to think more about what Amazon will do next over what Apple will do. “Amazon’s service and convenience-based strategy has superseded Apple’s product-first approach, giving Amazon faster access to new markets,” said the report.
Read more about Apple
- The biggest takeaway of Apple WWDC 2018 were the new iOS 12 features. Discover which ones might be useful for business workers with this roundup.
- Apple’s DEP was the ground-breaking template for the future of endpoint provisioning. The program helps businesses and educators simplify enrolment and management.
Among the evidence McQuivey presented is the fact that 15 million US homes have smart speakers, the majority of which are Amazon Alexa devices.
Once Amazon adds the recently promised intelligence to Alexa to make conversation more useful and natural, the frequency of use is expected to double, and he expects Alexa adoption will be driven by the urge to put devices in cars, workplaces and hotel rooms.
“This isn’t love so much as persistent usefulness,” said McQuivey. On the consumer front, he suggested Apple should have an Alexa skill for Apple TV control as well as user access to health data – or even just allow Apple Music streaming on an Echo.
Apple’s privacy portal, introduced earlier in the year, proclaims: “Your personal data belongs to you, not others. Whether you’re taking a photo, asking Siri a question or getting directions, you can do it knowing Apple doesn’t gather your personal information to sell to advertisers or other organisations.”
McQuivery said this approach to security has the potential to cripple Apple, especially when business-to-consumer brands are looking for a partner on which to offer a new product or service.
“Apple won’t be a partner in helping you achieve this – it doesn’t have much data to share about your customer, nor does it really offer a marketing platform the way that Amazon, Google, and Facebook do, rendering it less able to help with your brand success overall,” he said.
Keeping up with customer requirements
McQuivey said companies that make a product, collect data through it, but then do not use that data to enhance the experience are not keeping up with modern customer requirements.
“Your customers need to know you’ve turned the data they gave you into outcomes they value. Apple needs to apply AI to the data it has from customers to enhance their home life, health and daily patterns.”
Apple does appear to be making some progress with AI. In the transcript of its recent earnings, posted on the Seeking Alpha financial blogging site, Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted some of Apple’s development efforts to speed up the coding of machine learning (ML) and augmented reality applications.
“Developers will be able to build even more intelligent apps with just a few lines of code, using the power of machine learning with Core ML 2 and Create ML,” he said.


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This article is more than 1 year old
LTO-8 tape media patent lawsuit cripples supply as Sony and Fujifilm face off in court
Case being heard in US, but disties in Middle East, Europe warn delays will go on till at least August
Exclusive A courtroom showdown over a patent infringement allegation that Fujifilm brought against Sony is crippling supply of LTO-8 tape media stateside and further afield, and a resolution doesn't appear to be imminent.
Sony has confirmed to The Register that it is currently not supplying the US market with LTO-8.
The case dates back to 2016 when Fujifilm complained to the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) that Sony was infringing a dozen or so of its tape media patents. The USITC opened investigations and in March last year decided Fujifilm was right and banned Sony from importing tape media, including LTO-7 cartridges, into the USA.
Sony went to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to counter the Fujifilm accusations and won. Fujifilm then appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit against the PTAB decision.
In March this year a USITC order (PDF) prevented Fujifilm from importing certain LTO tape cartridges and in May the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decided Sony was in the right.
The situation hasn't been helped by consolidation and that fact the last people standing are fighting each other in court over IP, with the current ruling meaning only Sony can supply US customers. However, it appears that although Sony is currently ahead (for now), it has decided amid litigation not to supply.
A corporate mouthpiece for Sony confirmed to us: "The US imports of LTO-8 have been stopped at the moment. We refrain from any comments for resuming as we are under dispute."
The company made no further comment on when it expects the conflict to be resolved.
Fujifilm, which manufactures and supplies LTO-7 tape media, told us: "As Fujifilm does not currently manufacture LTO-8 cartridges we can not comment on the availability of this product in the market.
The spokeswoman added, "To date, Fujifilm has not offered LTO8 for sale."
With tape archiving currently under threat from fast access disk vaults and even faster access QLC (4bits/cell) flash down the road, the tape suppliers are doing a damn good job of strangling the tape sector.
The main tape storage media standard employs LTO Ultrium cartridges, with the latest being LTO-8, with 12TB raw capacity. It succeeded the previous LTO-7 with its 6TB raw capacity.
Dan Keldsen, director of customer innovation at object storage maker Wasabi, said LTO-8 tape supply had been patchy in 2019 and is not expected to be resolved sooner than Q3 this year.
Various media suppliers concurred, and some pointed to problems elsewhere too, ImageStore among them:
ImageStore tape shortage statement.
A source in a Middle East distribution business said: "We have been trying for a while to order regular LTO8 tapes but couldn't get any. We have been told there should be tapes around June or July. And we know that it's something which almost every vendor in the market is suffering from - since our customers can't get any tape from anyone else."
According to BackupWorks, IBM has withdrawn from selling LTO-8 tape media because of the lawsuit:
An IBM statement said: "As you know, IBM provides tape libraries, tape subsystems, VTL's and tape mechanisms. But we are not the media manufacturers. To understand this, you will need to talk to those providers." Which means Sony and Fujifilm.
Distributor UK CoolSpirit's website stated:
CoolSpirit told us it may be able to source some IBM LTO-8 media in August, said: "The court case has affected worldwide production." The availability date is currently set for August, it added.
Tape library supplier SpectraLogic refused to comment, despite its Digital Data Storage Outlook 2019 document stating:
"There remain two tape media suppliers. This year a lawsuit between the two drove prices higher on LTO-8 media. Hence, LTO-8 media at 12TB has a higher cost per capacity then LTO-7 at 6TB."
These LTO-8 tape media lawsuits are complicated, with both Sony and Fujifilm trying to either deny individual patent applicability or infringement, and filing multi-hundred page documents with the courts.
For now, ImageStore suggests that unused LTO-7 tape cartridges can be slotted into LTO-8 drives and formatted as M8 tape. It then has a 9TB native capacity compared to the native LTO-7's 6TB capacity. ®


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Apple iOS 7.1 arrives with some important updates
12 March, 2014 | Technology
Apple has released the new iOS 7.1 update which includes several important changes, including Apple’s CarPlay.
Apple CarPlay allows you to interact with iOS 7 through your car (only in select vehicles). This new feature was announced last year at WWDC. CarPlay will allow users to send and receive messages, make phones call and interact with Siri using a dashboard touchscreen.
CarPlay has been on display at the Geneva Motor Show with Ferrari, Hyundai, Honda, Volvo and Mercedes Benz, all of which have confirmed that they will be releasing cars with CarPlay this year.
The other major update you may have already noticed is the update to Apple’s calling screen which used to have a ‘swipe to answer’ display but it has now been replaced with simple ‘hang up’ or ‘answer’ buttons (see below).
The Calendar has been reverted back to the favoured iOS 6 layout which allows you to see events in ‘Month’ format (see below).
This iOS 7.1 update allows users to decide when Siri should stop listening. Before the update Siri would try to detect when you stopped talking and quickly provide an answer, which could be annoying if you got cut off and had to continuously re-ask the question. Now, when you talk to Siri you have to hold down the home button and simply release when you’ve finished.
This update also includes “more natural soundings” voice options for Siri’s UK English, Australian English, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese voices.
Smaller changes to the iOS 7.1 update include changes to FaceTime, Mail, the camera and iTunes as well as a few interface tweaks.
iOS 7.1 is now available for download!


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LOGOS Property Group, the Sydney-headquartered logistics developer and fund manager, has formed its second logistics real estate vehicle in China with co-investments from Ivanhoé Cambridge and CBRE Global Investment Partners.
The LOGOS China Logistics Venture (LCLV) can make investments worth approximately $400 million in logistics properties. The individual equity commitment by each partner was not disclosed.
The capital raised via the vehicle would be used for acquiring and developing logistics assets in Shanghai and the neighbouring cities to take advantage of the shortage of investment-grade logistics assets in these markets, the firm said in a statement.
“This is an exciting next step in the growth of LOGOS’ business in China,” said John Marsh, joint managing director and co-founder of LOGOS. “We are delighted to extend our relationship with Ivanhoé Cambridge and CBRE Global Investment Partners who continue to support our ventures throughout Asia Pacific.
LCLV is a follow-on vehicle to the LOGOS China Logistics Club, the group’s first investment vehicle in the country set up in early 2015 in partnership with CBRE Global Investment Partners and Ivanhoé Cambridge. The total size of the joint venture partnership was also understood to be $400 million.
LOGOS has been actively expanding its reach in Asia and opened its first office in Singapore earlier this year to mark its foray into Southeast Asia. In February this year, Ivanhoé Cambridge is said to have acquired a strategic interest in the company. A few months later, the Canadian investor seeded the firm’s debut vehicle in Southeast Asia with an S$150 million ($111 million; €100 million) equity commitment. The LOGOS Southeast Asia venture then went on to make its first investment by acquiring a stake in two Singaporean property companies in partnership with Yang Kee Logistics, a Singapore-based logistics asset manager.
With operations in Australia, China and Singapore, LOGOS has approximately A$2 billion ($1.52 billion; €1.37 billion) in assets under management.


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Artocarpus Current Affairs, GK & News
The Kerala government has declared Jackfruit as the official fruit of the state to promote the ‘Kerala Jackfruit’ as a brand in markets across the country and abroad. The brand will showcase its organic and nutritious qualities. This would also help in giving in the fruit’s production and sale, besides increasing its value-added products. It ..


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World Cup 2014 begins on Thursday, June 12.
Even as Mobile World Congress begins to draw to a close, there's still plenty of news and new gadgets to see at the world's largest wireless party. CNET brings you the most important stories of day 3.
The 10.2.1 update to the Blackberry OS will support native Android apps.
Expected to cost under $200, the BlackBerry Z3 packs a large touch screen but no physical keyboard.
Pricing not available
BlackBerry's acquisition of German software firm Secusmart aims to secure voice and data and put better mobile security in every president and chancellor's hand.
Apple's brand value fell by 20 percent, according to a survey by Millward Brown research company.
BlackBerry's president says to expect a more native app experience for BlackBerry Messenger on iOS and Android.
Weeks before the release of BlackBerry 10, stolen Android apps are reportedly being found and sold in RIM's app store.
This free apps mimics the Play Store on your BlackBerry 10 device, giving you access to all your favorite Android apps.
Finally, RIM has a number to report that isn't mired in doom and gloom, with its App World passing the 3 billion downloads milestone.
The automaker confirms that it will replace BlackBerry phones with Apple iPhones for around 3,300 workers by the end of 2014.


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An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that some businesses are benefitting greatly amid the cost-of-living crisis, as he alleged of profiteering.
Mr Varadkar told of how there was evidence to support that some retailers have been profiteering amid the cost-of-living crisis, with certain retailers receiving higher margins in their profits compared to other markets.
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The Fine Gael leader said the country had not been subject to a period of inflation like the one we’re currently in since the 80s.
Speaking on The Tonight Show, he said: ‘We’ve seen the price of everything rise dramatically over the past year and a half, we haven’t had a period of inflation like this for a very long time, probably going back to the 1980s.’
He noted that many were ‘struggling to make ends meet’ as a result of the prices rising faster than wages.
‘A lot of people are worse off in real terms and that’s very evident from what people say to me,’ he said.
The Taoiseach detailed his expectations of prices ‘moderating,’ as he noted that inflation is slowing down, and petrol and diesel prices have both begun coming down.
‘We want to see other costs go down too — particularly electricity and gas, which we should see falling over the next couple of months,’ An Taoiseach said.
Reasons behind the price increases are due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the ‘snapback in demand’ following COVID-19, Varadkar said.
‘There’s a lot of different reasons… The European Central Bank says it, that there are some companies that are recording bumper profits, and that is profiteering in my view.’
‘There’s no reason why any company should be making substantially bigger margins here in Ireland than would be the case in the UK or other parts of Europe,’ Varadkar said, as he added it was being examined by the Government.
The Taoiseach noted that they would not rule out a windfall tax for retailers, as had been done for energy companies.
‘When it comes to the grocery sector, we’re engaging with them on that now, but we expect to see prices come down.’
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) currently puts inflation at 7.2% compared with one year ago.


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Top 8 payment industry trends in 2023
Payments are now one of the most critical parts of an ecommerce business’s operation and are vital to delivering an exceptional customer experience. And, like other parts of the industry, innovative tech and consumer expectations are leading their evolution.
But how is the industry changing? And what trends are driving payments forward? With insights from Visa, American Express, Klarna, and more - here are the trends you need to know in 2023.
2023 payment industry trends
1. Digital wallets will continue to get bigger
Digital wallet adoption increased before the coronavirus, and the pandemic accelerated it even further. Now, as more consumers embrace a digital-first lifestyle and use mobile wallets, more businesses are offering them at checkout – often making it simple to pay with just one click. In fact, PYMNTS predicts that more than four billion global consumers will use a digital wallet in 2023.
As more people use them, digital wallets will continue to evolve and offer more capabilities to consumers. Many already help them transfer, store, and spend funds, and some already provide other financial services such as loans, crypto payments, and buy now, pay later (BNPL) options. Combining the features of a financial super app with a streamlined shopping experience should help them thrive for years to come.
2. QR codes aren’t just for pandemics
QR code adoption accelerated during the pandemic, and entrepreneurs and brands are now innovating how to use them. Here are some ways they do that:
- Adding them to invoices
- Displaying them during online checkout to reduce friction
- Placing them on print ads and television commercials
- Putting them on in-store labels to offer discounts
In fact, experts predict that more than a third of mobile users will use QR codes to pay by 2025. They may not be new, but as businesses develop new ways of using QR codes they still have lots to offer. 2023 might be their biggest year yet.
3. Buy now, pay later is here to stay – but changing
Consumers like buy now, pay later solutions, and they can help them better manage their finances during tough economic conditions. That means more businesses will need to offer BNPL methods to ensure they don’t lose out on sales.
For Lucie Gimon, Partnerships Manager Lead at Klarna, they’re set to become even more popular in the years ahead. “In 2023, we’ll continue to see the generational shift away from credit cards to healthier forms of credit that are interest-free, short-term, and intended for dedicated purchases,” she says. “In fact, the global buy now, pay later market size is expected to top 20 billion Euros by 2028.”
But 2023 might also be when – as adoption rises – authorities pay more attention to regulations protecting consumers from debt. “That means some BNPL providers will discover that their pricing model might not withstand the pressures of the downturn, and their costs to businesses will increase,” says Ken Serdons, Mollie CCO. “And as defaults rise, more BNPL applications will be declined.”
It’s hard to predict exactly what will happen, but BNPL may look different at the end of 2023.
4. SoftPoS will make in-person payments easier than ever
Point-of-sale (PoS) devices have been around for a long time, and so have the problems businesses face when using them: high costs, connectivity issues, and hardware problems. As companies look to increase mobility, scale more quickly, and reduce the costs associated with running PoS devices, the market is ripe for disruption.
Dat is precies het moment waarop Software PoS (SoftPoS)-oplossingen in het spel komen.
They allow any mobile device to act as a secure PoS system, helping businesses to accept card or digital wallet payments directly on their phone or tablet without needing additional hardware, offering all the benefits lacking with traditional PoS devices: more mobility, quicker scalability, and lower costs.
2023 will likely be the year we’ll see more businesses – especially SMEs – using SoftPoS to enhance their payment infrastructure and become more agile than ever.
5. Hyped new technologies may finally go mainstream
The Metaverse and blockchain technologies seem to have been trending for ever. But could 2023 be when we start to see these new technologies go mainstream? And how will they change the payments landscape if they do?
For Jürgen Schübel, Visa’s Head of Merchant and Acceptance Development for Central Europe, the possibilities are endless. “We can’t wait to see how the Metaverse and blockchain technology will influence ecommerce payments,” he explains. “The Metaverse could become a big additional sales channel where businesses can offer traditional payments in the virtual world. We also might see the adoption of blockchain and other recent technologies creating new ways to pay and interact.”
6. Localisation will be more critical than ever
Read almost any guide to online payment trends in 2023, and you’ll likely see the same advice: localisation is crucial to increasing conversion in any market. Our own research shows just how vital it is during the shopping experience, with 87% of consumers saying it’s ‘important’ that retailers offer the payment methods they prefer to use – and almost half (47%) citing it as ‘very important’.
As well as ensuring your checkout displays the correct language, almost every country has an optimal payment mix – or the group of payment methods that helps you convert as many shoppers as possible. And this will be even more vital in the coming time as companies scale up their personalisation and localisation activities.
Marcel van Oost, the founder of Connecting the Dots in Fintech, agrees. “In 2023, businesses should work with a payment processor that can help provide the correct payment mix,” he says. “Take Mollie in the European market, which offers several local payment methods per country and stands out from more globally-minded competitors.
“Businesses shouldn’t just pick the payment methods that will be the most cost-efficient but make sure they offer the ones their customers prefer to use to maximise conversion.”
7. B2B payment options are changing
Digital payment trends in B2C continue to progress; digital payment trends in B2B are evolving at lightning speed. Paying by invoice has been a popular method in B2B for many years. But as more businesses move online, digital invoicing hasn’t always kept pace – and can be complex or time-consuming.
One payment option helping to solve this is BNPL. It allows B2B businesses to get paid quickly (and offset the risk of late or unpaid invoices), reduce administrative work, and attract customers who like its flexibility.
As more companies launch B2B divisions and existing B2B companies refine their online offering to take advantage of rising ecommerce adoption, BNPL payments will play an even more critical role in increasing conversions and building customer trust.
8. Open banking will change the way we pay
Since the introduction of the revised Payment Services Directive in 2020, open banking – which allows regulated third-party financial service providers to access and control consumers’ bank accounts – has been driving innovation in the payments industry. And these innovations often help provide a better consumer experience.
So, as the technology progresses, what will open banking offer in the year ahead? “It can help reduce fees and enable businesses to receive payments more quickly,” explains Charlotte Wise, Director of International Open Banking Payments at American Express. “That can improve their financial management and ability to cope when cash flow becomes tight. For shoppers, it streamlines the checkout experience and lets them see their bank balance to make informed buying decisions.”
As awareness of open banking solutions increases and more fintechs start exploring their capabilities, they might change how we pay in 2023.
Get more ecommerce tips and trends for 2023
In Mollie’s Ecommerce Playbook 2023, more than 40 experts from across the industry share predictions, tips, and actionable learnings to help you drive success in the year ahead.
Download the report and discover the latest trends, insights from global brands, and deep dives into everything from creating great customer experiences and optimising payments to the B2C sector and headless and composable commerce solutions:


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Ahead of its fifth anniversary, North Brewing Co has unveiled its new multi-million pound home in North Leeds.
The NorthBrewing team in their new home
Springwell, located in a former tannery on Buslingthorpe Lane, will see North Brewing Co double its capacity, open a new 500-cover taproom, and move its bar and brewery HQ under one roof.
The careful restoration of the 21,000 square foot factory sympathetically showcases its industrial heritage while creating a bright, modern brewery.
Creating new jobs and securing many more, the move will see North’s brewing output increase to 2.8 million pints a year. North has received Business Growth Programme Fund money from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to support the project and generate seven jobs in the business.
The taproom will be home to the hugely successful Eat North street food festivals, which will be held at the venue every weekend. And North is already planning to host a number of beer festivals at the new site in 2021, inviting breweries, friends, and collaborators from around the world to Leeds.
Moving into the new site
Springwell will also be home to the North Brewing Co webshop — an area of the business that has seen growth of 800% so far this year. The webshop offers free delivery on all orders over £20 within a sixmile radius of the brewery.
North Brewing co-founder, John Gyngell, said: “We are incredibly excited to make the move to Springwell. The last five years have seen fantastic growth at the brewery: we have consistently doubled our production year on year, and have reached the limits of our capacity to brew at our current site. Our strong sales mix, including export, supermarkets, and online sales, has seen us achieve record growth throughout 2020.
“The support in Leeds for our business has been phenomenal, and we’ve been humbled by the love shown for our brand. We are inspired by breweries in the USA who have created destination taprooms at their breweries, and we cannot wait to do something similar in North Leeds.
“Creating a hub for North at the brewery will strengthen the connection between our team, bars, brewery, and wider community. The bars are currently operating as pop-up North Brewing Co bottle shops during lockdown, and have played a massive role in the success of the brewery.”
While 2020 has undoubtedly been the most challenging year of business for North Brewing Co and North Bar Ltd, it has seen a number of successes. In March, North was crowned best brewing pub company at the Publican Awards. It was awarded
Honest Brew’s people’s choice and visual excellence awards, and took home business innovation and brewery business of the year at SIBA’s annual conference.
In addition, Jo Wilkinson was named ‘one to watch at the Northern Finance Director Awards, and John Gyngell and Christian Townsley were again listed in the NRB top 50.
North’s original brewery, in Sheepscar, will be home to the Taverner’s Walk Small Batch Project — an experimental arm of the brewery, allowing North to explore barrel ageing, sours, and fermentation projects.
North had planned to hold an opening party at Springwell on 27th November. However, in true 2020 style, they’re taking the party to Zoom. North has brewed Springwell Lager — its first flagship beer from the new brewery — and will be raising a glass to toast the new site on the 27th at 7pm. Springwell Lager will go on sale on 25th November via the webshop and pop-up bottle shops. Full details of the Zoom brewery tour and toast will be released via social media in the run-up to the event.


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After the many terrorist attacks in the country and the apparent use of mobile phones as an important tool for planning and the execution of the attacks, India’s Department of Telecom (DoT) had instructed all the mobile service providers in the country to disconnect service to handsets on their network that do not have the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
India, one of the largest telecom industries in the world with almost 300 million mobile users is reported to be housing as many as 25 million mobile phones with an IMEI number. The IMEI number, a unique 15-digit code for every mobile manufactured, is an integral part of any mobile handset as it is used to monitor the activities from the phone.
The department gave the operators 3 months to arrange for the equipments if the hardware wasn’t in place. In a letter to all the mobile service providers in the country, DoT said
In the interest of national security, all cellular mobile service providers in unified access service licences (UASL) are hereby directed to make provisions for EIR so that calls without IMEI or with IMEI consisting of all zeroes are not processed or rejected,
India is a tremendously huge marker for grey market phones, most of which originate in China. Lately, there has been a surge in the demand for ‘almost-real’ fake phones in the marker, with the introduction of many high-end phones from companies such as Apple, Nokia and HTC.
The department, today, announced that it has extended the deadline to April 15th after the previous deadline of January 6th was blatantly ignored by the telecom companies. However, DoT this time has put its foot down and made it very clear that if the telcos fail to comply with these guidelines will not be allowed to take on any new subscribers after the expiry of the deadline. The telcos are already paying a daily fine to DoT.
The fate of these 25 million handset users now clearly lies on the livewire, as the very reason most of these handsets were purchased because their original counterparts were too expensive for them, or there was a lack of awareness in the market. Eventually, the Chinese handsets still serve as a very cheap alternative and you can grab a very basic color – screen handset with a decent 3 mega pixel camera for as Rs. 3000.


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Ypsi Cocktail Club
and Maniacal Mead Co.
are two of the newest businesses in the Ypsilanti area offering locally-made alcoholic beverages.
Maniacal Mead Co. co-owners Jeff Fraser and Patrick Echlin grew their business from an online group Fraser established several years ago for those interested in homebrewing mead, an alcoholic beverage made from honey. The two found a location
, a former pizzeria at 1497 Ecorse Rd. in Ypsilanti Township, and began renovating it in 2019. The two planned to begin with a focus on wholesaling and mail order and then launch a full-scale bar in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a change in plans.
The two co-founders had a stockpile of mead ready to go, but very little of it was bottled, making the transition to mail-order and wholesaling longer than they'd hoped. Getting licensing paperwork in order took some time, but vending at the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti farmers markets helped "keep us going and engaged with customers," Echlin says.
Even when bars were allowed to operate at 50% capacity, that wasn't much help to a small business with a seating capacity of 15, he says. Now, however, the mead business has upped its capacity from about 200 gallons to more than 600 gallons. The owners of Maniacal Mead can ship to 40 states and have their products in more than a dozen liquor stores and party stores across Washtenaw County.
Maniacal Mead held a "soft launch" for family and friends during Ypsilanti's Festival of the Honey Bee in September, but the bar won't be open officially until sometime in early 2022.
"Our hope is that the tasting room will become a hub where people can come try new things, our regular mead varieties, or a one-off," Echlin says.
Ypsi Cocktail Club opened at 102 W. Michigan Ave. in downtown Ypsilanti Sept. 22. Christine Doran, hospitality manager for the Ypsi Cocktail Club and the Ann Arbor Distilling Co
. Tasting Room, calls the new Ypsilanti business "a sister tasting room" to Ann Arbor Distilling Co.'s location at 220 Felch St. in Ann Arbor. She says the club will focus on craft cocktails, including "interesting takes on the classic cocktails as well as new standards using house-made and local ingredients."
The business makes all its spirits in house, and guests can purchase bottles, which will soon include a gin, whiskey, and vodka specifically distilled for Ypsilanti. Doran notes that all the grain and fruit used in the spirits and liqueurs are sourced from Michigan farmers, and Ypsilanti-based Cultivate Coffee and Taphouse
roasts the cold brew coffee used in the business' Spaulding's Coffee Liqueur.
"Ypsilanti seemed like a natural next step," Doran says. "It's a vibrant community with an innovative and creative food and drink scene."
Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She joined Concentrate as a news writer in early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to other Issue Media Group publications. You may reach her at email@example.com.
Maniacal Mead Co. photos courtesy of Maniacal Mead Co. Ypsi Cocktail photos courtesy of Ypsi Cocktail Club.
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