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Shares of Nvidia (NVDA) rose on Wednesday after the chipmaker disclosed plans to license graphics chip technology, a move that could pressure chip designer ARM Holdings (ARMH), analysts say.
At a Reuters Global Technology Summit, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said the company will expand its business model to boost licensing revenue.
Shares of Nvidia were up 4% in afternoon trading in the stock market today, while ARM was down nearly 2%.
Anil Doradla, analyst at William Blair & Co., says Nvidia will create competition in the smartphone market for U.K.-based ARM and privately held Imagination Technologies, whose investors include Intel (INTC) and Apple (AAPL).
"We believe the announcement marks the entrance of a viable competitor in the graphics space to ARM Holdings," wrote Doradla. "Over the past few years, ARM has emphasized its Mali graphics cores and has emerged as the primary competitor to Imagination Technologies. While Mali is still a fairly small portion of ARM's overall business (and Imagination remains the market leader), we believe Nvidia's licensing model could prove to be a credible competitor to ARM's graphics segment momentum."
Shares of Nvidia were up as much as 7.5% earlier Wednesday, at a 14-month high of 15.48. The stock, which has an IBD Composite Rating of 80, has been boosted by views that its PC business remains stable as its ramps up sales of mobile devices, such as the next-generation Tegra 4i, as IBD has reported.


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Global consumer concerns over climate change and food shortages escalate
Image: Mintel Consulting
Climate change, water and food shortages have made the most significant strides as priority concerns in the past 12 months as extreme weather events and the war in Ukraine make more respondents familiar with these unfortunate realities. Consequently, less impactful issues (in terms of emissions generated and immediate threat to wellbeing) like plastic pollution and waste, in general, have decreased, but only slightly.
Consumer fears over climate change have intensified globally over the last year. New research from the 2022 Mintel Consulting Sustainability Barometer reveals that the number of global consumers citing climate change as a top three environmental concern has risen from an average of 39%, to 46% between 2021 and 2022.
Mintel’s research finds that concern over water shortages (up to 31% in 2022 from 27% in 2021) and food shortages (up to 23% in 2022 from 17% in 2021) have also made the biggest gains in terms of environmental priorities in the past twelve months as extreme weather events and the conflict in Ukraine evidence these realities.
Climate change remains the world’s highest environmental priority with nearly half (46%) of the respondents citing it among their top three concerns. Air quality (36%) and plastic pollution (33%) round out the world’s top three environmental concerns. However, concerns about plastic pollution are down from 36% in 2021.
Rising awareness is evident as approximately three in five (58%) consumers globally agree that extreme weather events (eg, flooding, heatwaves) in the country where they live encourage them to personally do more activities to protect the environment. Subsequently, it seems helping the planet brings with it a ‘feel-good factor’ as 68% of consumers globally say doing things that benefit the environment makes them feel happy. Unsurprisingly, social media comes into play as Mintel finds that 38% say they want to ‘show other people’ how they are doing good for the environment. Another 24% say they have researched their annual carbon footprint.
Although environmental priorities have shifted in the last year, Mintel reports that consumers’ sustainable behaviours remain focused on simplicity and frugality. For instance, recycling packaging (59% in 2022 versus 60% in 2021), meal planning to avoid food waste (53% in 2022 vs 52% in 2021) and reducing clothes buying (50% in 2022 vs 52% in 2021) remain the top global sustainable behaviours in 2022 and 2021. Global consumers’ optimism is essentially flat with 55% believing that if we act now, we still have time to save the planet, compared with 54% who said the same last year.
Commenting on the findings, Richard Cope, senior trends consultant, Mintel Consulting, said,
“The fact that concerns around climate change and water and food shortages are being prioritised ahead of previous preoccupations with waste and plastic pollution points towards the emergence of a more informed and hardened global consumer. Soaring temperatures, extreme weather events and disruptions to food, water and energy supply chains have given consumers a harsh reality check, hurting their health and wallets, and activating them in the process.”
He added that escalating activism, regulatory reaction and the sheer scale of the challenges ahead and solutions required have educated global consumers enough to sniff out greenwashing campaigns. “This means companies will increasingly need to assert – and clearly communicate – the truly impactful actions they are taking to reduce emissions, rather than simply offset them or dip their toes into populist ‘plastic free’ campaigns,” explained Cope. “This growing awareness around resource inputs and emission and waste outputs will also spell the end for ‘environmentally friendly’ as a credible marketing term.”
Noting that most consumers surveyed continue to see recycling and mitigating waste as important sustainable behaviours, Cope said, “This tells us that simple, frugal behaviours are the most popular among consumers, which underlines the fact that brands’ sustainability initiatives need to deliver on value and convenience.”
Looking ahead to 2023, Mintel expects to see resource (food, water, money) conservation ascend higher up the agenda, and the use of economising technology refurbishers and urban peer access sharing economies to grow. “For consumers, the connections between saving the environment, its resources and their money will strengthen,” shared Cope.
The second annual Mintel Consulting Sustainability Barometer features research and insight on consumers’ sustainability attitudes, behaviours and purchase preferences across 16 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The April 2022 survey included 1,000 internet users aged 16/18+ compared with 500 internet users aged 16/18+ surveyed in March 2021 with Indonesia and Mexico replaced by Poland and Ireland.
- Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
Keep in touch via email: [email protected] Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

domain: news


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Husband-and-wife team Earl and Adriana Stephens plan to serve home-fermented beer, mead and cider at Dueling Dogs Brewing Co. on their farm outside Lincoln starting May 26.
Drinks such as the Mandarin Madness witbier will feature hops and mandarins grown on the Stephenses' property, and the family will sell their excess crops as well as fruits, vegetables and nuts from other Placer County farms in a ground-level marketplace, Earl said.
Named for the Stephenses' black and yellow Labradors, Dueling Dogs is housed on the family's 10-acre farm at 3030 Barrett Park Lane, one mile from Ciotti Cellars to the west and Wise Villa Winery to the east. The business plan was conceived shortly after Earl and Adriana's son was born five years ago, when they decided they wanted to raise him around agriculture but couldn't run a commercially viable traditional farm on the land they had.
Earl, a civil engineer by trade, designed and executed all the paving, stormwater collection, roofing, fencing and interior construction for the 3,000-square-foot brewery and marketplace while Adriana oversaw the business side and learned to make cider and mead.
Managing the farm while starting a business and a family has proved challenging, and they're hoping the blueberries that have fallen by the wayside make a resurgence down the road.
The first round of beers rotating through Dueling Dogs' taps will include the witbier, an IPA, a pilsner, a pale ale and the Choco Rocco — a chocolate vanilla porter named after the family's black Lab. Adriana has come up with low-alcohol orange blossom and blueberry meads and a hard apple cider as well as a lightly spiced apple cyser, a hybrid between a mead and a cider.
"We're trying to have it so people come out here and enjoy the country and taste a few unique things," Earl said.
Alcohol aficionados in Placer County previously got a taste of Dueling Dogs' products at the Lincoln Wine Fest on April 28.
Hours are 2-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Benjy Egel: (916) 321-1052, @BenjyEgel


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This week’s study tour trip was to “mother of the bride” dress manufacturer Patra Ltd.
The head of sales, Caroline, and head designer, Joanna, took the time to talk to us about the independently owned special occasion dress company. They explained the evolving fashion tastes of women, and how they have changed their business strategy to accompany those changes.
Caroline explained that women are younger now, and so Patra brought on new designer Joanna to help the manufacturer make the needed transition from maternal to fashionable. Aside from taking popular styles and updating them, Joanna has also worked to take the line from “cute” to “hot” as she said, making sure every dress fits the needs of an older woman’s body.
As the needs of the end consumer have changed, Caroline explained that the needs of the buyer have also changed. “Fashion is less about fashion and more about finances now,” Caroline said. “It used to be more glamorous, and now it’s all about the margin. It all comes down to the price point that buyers want.”


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Just a few days back, T-Mobile announced that – along with its other holiday deals – it would be kicking off a “massive” Cyber Monday deal (or deals) tomorrow. The carrier stated that it will announce the offer tonight at 8pm Pacific/11pm Eastern.
“And there’s more holiday goodness to come. Next up, Cyber Monday’s right around the corner. Watch for a message from us telling you all about T-Mobile’s very special Cyber Monday offer this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. PST – and then get your browsers warmed up for 12:01 a.m. PST on Cyber Monday, December 1st.”
We’ve still not heard any specifics on what this offer entails, but the announcement and offer should show up on the T-Mobile holiday deals page later tonight.
Update: T-Mobile got in touch to inform us that the scheduled time of the offers has been pushed back by two hours. This means the offers won’t go live until 2:01 Pacific/5:01 Eastern, with an announcement due at 11pm Eastern.


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GAP: CEO resigns, cuts FY targets
(CercleFinance.com) - Gap announced on Thursday evening that its CEO Art Peck is leaving the group, after a brief transition period with his successor.
The CEO's duties are in the interim being carried out by the Board's non-executive Chairman, Robert Fisher.
In addition, the San Francisco based clothing chain has reduced its adjusted EPS target range for the full year, to between 1.70 dollar and 1.75 dollar, from a previous range of 2.05 dollars to 2.15 dollars.
Gap expects to post Q3 adjusted EPS of between 50 cents and 52 cents, with comparable sales down 4%, highlighting macroeconomic factors and fewer customer visits to stores.
Copyright (c) 2019 CercleFinance.com. All rights reserved.


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Australia: Increasing tax on alcohol key to reducing consumption, says study
Source: The Age
January 11, 2016
Increasing the cost of the cheapest alcohol could reduce consumption by nearly 12 standard drinks a week for low-income wine consumers, a new Monash University study says.
Called Are Alcohol Taxation and Pricing Policies Regressive? Product-Level Effects of a Specific Tax and a Minimum Unit Price for Alcohol, the study was conducted by Brian Vandenberg and Anurag Sharma.
Mr Vandenberg, who is at the Centre for Health Economics, said the study took a year to complete.
It analysed the alcohol consumption habits of 885 Victorian households, including what they spent on alcohol and how it was taxed.
“We got …consumers in Victoria to scan at home all the barcodes of all the alcohol products they purchased,” Mr Vandenberg said.
“We looked at whether or not alcohol taxes are regressive which means …whether or not low income people spend a higher proportion of income compared to high income persons.”
Mr Vandenberg said the study revealed that the current taxation of alcohol led to a huge difference between the amount of tax paid per standard drink on different products.
But he said adopting an alternative approach to taxing beer and wine would increase the price of the cheapest alcohol, which in turn would affect consumer habits.
“In Australia the tax on wine and cider is currently based on the value of the product (known as ad valorem), whereas 16 different tax rates are applied for beer, spirits and other alcohol,” he said.
“As a result, there are large discrepancies between the amounts of tax paid per standard drink across product types.
“The greatest inconsistency exists for cheap bulk wine which is taxed only 4 cents per standard drink, compared with regular strength beer which is taxed 46 cents per standard drink.”
Mr Vandenberg said two different tax-policy alternatives of either setting a minimum price of $1 per standard drink, or taxing all products based on alcohol content would see an increase in the price of cheap wine.
“Alcohol tax should be calculated according to alcohol content, with higher taxes applied to products with bigger alcohol volumes,” he said.
“Just based on that policy, the price of a four litre cask wine would increase 140 per cent from $12.38 to $29.75.
“Research shows consumers are price sensitive, so we estimate [based on studies on price responsiveness] that the increase would lead to a reduction in the amount of alcohol consumed by 11.9 standard drinks per week for low-income wine consumers.”
The alternative methods would also increase tax revenue which would help offset the social cost of alcohol, estimated to be $35 billion annually, he said.
The study has got the backing of Cancer Council Victoria’s chief executive Todd Harper who said excessive alcohol consumption led to throat, bowel and breast cancer.
Mr Harper said increasing the price of cheap alcohol through the taxation system was one of the most effective ways to reduce alcohol-related harms, including cancer.
“Heavy alcohol consumption is responsible for major harms in our community, including cancer of the mouth and throat, bowel in men and breast in women,” he said.
“Each year 3000 cases of cancer in Australia are attributed to the long-term consumption of alcohol.
“When alcohol prices are increased through taxation, consumers drink less, and reduce their risk of developing certain types of cancer.”
Mr Harper urged the federal government to consider the findings of the study.
“This research shows that there are some simple steps which can be taken to fix the alcohol tax system and reduce the harm caused by heavy drinking”, he said.
A spokesperson for Treasurer Scott Morrison said the government was engaged in a discussion on taxation “so we can ensure we better assist Australians to work, save and invest”.


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30 retailers caught violating price freeze in Bohol
MANILA – Some 30 retailers were given notices after violating the price freeze in quake-hit Bohol, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.
Victorio Dimagiba, officer-in-charge of DTI's Consumer Welfare and Business Regulation Group, said the 30 retailers were given 48 hours to explain why they should not be sanctioned for violating the price freeze.
A price freeze is currently in effect in Bohol after the province was placed under state of calamity.
Under Republic Act 7581 (The Price Act), price manipulators "shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment for a period of not less than 5 years nor more than 15 years, and shall be imposed a fine of not less than P5,000 nor more than P2,000,000."
Meanwhile, the DTI is set to bring its "Diskwento Caravan" to the quake hit ares of Bohol and Cebu this week. – report from Dennis Datu, dzMM


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LAKE STEVENS — Turners Neighborhood Grocery is the go-to snack jackpot for 15-year-old Hailey Miller.
The teen can sleep late, then walk to the corner market with her BFF for a junk food run.
The best part?
“My dad said to put it on his tab,” she tells store owner Doug Turner as she nonchalantly plops two big candy bars and four bags of chips on the counter.
The silver-haired shopkeeper jots down the amount in a card file. Hailey and her friend saunter off with the loot, the creaky wooden screen door closing with a gentle thud.
She couldn’t skip away without paying at Costco, but like general stores of old, IOUs are accepted at Turners.
Costco eventually might be Hailey’s only option.
What’s up with that?
The market at 3201 S. Lake Stevens Road is less than a mile from a proposed Costco at Highway 9 and 20th Street SE. The 170,000-square-foot warehouse will be more than 100 times larger with bulk pricing.
For the price of four candy bars at Turners, Hailey could get a dozen at Costco. But she’d never get out the door there just by dropping Dad’s name.
Doug Turner, 65, has owned the nearly century-old market, formerly Rodland’s Grocery, for the past 30 years.
“I had twice the customer count those first years than I do now,” he said. “It dropped in half when Fred Meyer opened in Snohomish (in 2008).”
Turner, a welder by trade, paid $200,000 in 1989 for the 1920s-built general store that came with an attached home on two acres.
“My wife wasn’t as excited as I was,” he said. The couple later divorced.
Their son, Cameron, was on a stool ringing up customers when he was 3. He’s 29 now, and a mechanical engineer who works on rocket engines.
“Lots of memories here,” Turner said.
The store is open every day but Christmas. The front counter is covered 15 hours a day during the week and 12-plus hours daily on weekends. Turner has two part-time employees, and one is his girlfriend.
A store doorway leads straight into his kitchen and the house continues from there. If Turner catches a break, he heads to the back yard to toss horseshoes. He’s quite proud of the pit he built.
Turner has been trying to sell his market property for several years by word-of-mouth. With Costco coming to the ’hood, he fears it will be impossible to get a buyer now for the place, which the Snohomish County Assessor values at $570,000 for 2020.
He wrote down his Costco objections on a yellow legal pad in hopes of speaking at a public meeting. His concerns include traffic. That road where Hailey walks to get to his store will be screaming with cars that fuel up at the 30 gas pumps in Costco’s game plan.
Turner doesn’t have a beef with the big-box giant.
Fact is, he relies on it as much as he does the patronage from his regular customers.
“I could not survive without Costco,” he said.
“It’s ironic. They hurt me, but I couldn’t survive without them. I go to the Business Center (in Lynnwood). I get all my tobacco and most all of my candy and beverages there weekly.”
Lynnwood’s Highway 99 store is one of two Business Center Costcos in Washington. The other is in Fife. As the name implies, these are geared for merchants, not household shoppers.
It’s the neighborhood Costco coming onto his turf that worries Turner.
He carries milk, bread, eggs and the same food items as the larger stores, though in smaller quantities. If the person ahead of you scored the Froot Loops, you might have to go with Cap’n Crunch. Ice cream treats are solo. Avocados are hit-or-miss. Bananas that go bad are free. Bacon never goes bad.
The market has extras, such as fishing poles and hundreds of 99-cent rental DVDs. VHS tapes are free on the honor system. Old movie posters line the walls.
Family photos smile at customers from under glass on the counter. On a food shelf with the Hamburger Helper is a framed pic of Turner’s dearly departed Aunt Marilyn, who’d come from New Mexico to run the store so he could take a vacation.
The draw here is more than the goods.
“People come in and get the latest gossip,” said Amy Cluphf, a cashier for 15 years.
The buzz these days is about Costco coming in, she said.
Beer and smokes are the market’s bread and butter.
Turner said he doesn’t carry vaping products due to the fee charged by the state for the license. This is a Marlboro and Camel crowd anyway. Regulars prefer igniting tobacco, or chewing it from a can.
Jim Jackson, 63, started coming here when it was Rodland’s Grocery. He’s not bailing for Costco, he said last week on his daily visit.
“Right now I’m going to buy half a rack of Budweiser and a couple packs of cigarettes,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll buy a TV dinner.”
Turner orders about 80 cases of beer a week to stock the walk-in cooler that he built. His background came in handy when he went from tradesman to grocer.
“I thought about getting rid of the DVDs and putting more beer over there,” Turner said. “But some people still want them.”
Whatever people ask for, Turner will carry.
Want WSU Cougar Gold cheese? There’s one $28 can left.
The “toy guy” supplies him with mood rings and kites and a spinning rack of cheap plastic playthings.
Hailey has fond memories of picking out a toy at Turners where she’s been coming “basically forever.”
The store with the creaky screen door is still her favorite place to shop. “Other than, like, the mall,” she said.
Last week, when Turner gave her dad some rotting bananas, they made banana bread and brought the shopkeeper a loaf.
For Turner, letting customers run a bill is both a convenience and a good business risk.
“Some pay every other week. Some pay once a month. Some pay whenever I bug them, ‘Hey, your bill’s getting up there,’ ” he said. “I rarely get stiffed.”
Credit cards are his main culprit.
“In any given month, it exceeds $800 out of pocket for the fees,” Turner said. “I don’t know how many times someone puts a pack of gum down and is ready with a card. It’s ridiculous the cost of swiping cards.”
Turner wants to sell the market to somebody who’d carry it on in some way.
Would they get all the Camels, chips, VHS tapes, mood rings, horseshoes and that can of Cougar Gold cheese?
He’ll cut them a deal.


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The Financial Conduct Authority has launched a sweeping crackdown on high-cost credit as part of efforts to protect vulnerable consumers.
Following a wide-ranging review into the sector, Britain's financial watchdog is proposing reforms to bank overdraft charges, rent-to-own operators, door-step lending and catalogue credit and store cards.
FCA chief executive Andrew Bailey said: "High-cost credit is used by over three million consumers in the UK, some of who are the most vulnerable in society.
"Today we have proposed a significant package of reforms to ensure they are better protected including the possibility of a cap on rent-to-own lending.
"The proposals will benefit overdraft and high-cost credit users, rebalancing in the favour of the customer."
The FCA estimates that banks raked in an estimated £2.3 billion in revenue from overdraft charges in 2016, arguing that the system needs "fundamental reform".
The watchdog is considering a number of measures to make it easier for customers to manage their accounts, including mobile alerts warning of potential overdraft charges and stopping the inclusion of overdrafts in the term "available funds".
This is on top of requiring online tools to make the cost of overdrafts clearer, introducing mechanisms to assess the eligibility for overdrafts and making it clear whether overdrafts are credit or borrowing.
Mr Bailey added: "Our immediate proposed changes will make overdraft costs more transparent and prevent people unintentionally dipping in to an overdraft in the first place.
"However, we believe more fundamental change is needed in the way banks charge customers for overdrafts. Given the size of the market our work here will be completed as part of our wider review into retail banking."
The FCA believes that these measures alone will save customers up to £140 million a year.
Beyond that, the FCA will consider more radical options to ban fixed fees and end the distinctions around unarranged overdraft prices.
The rent-to-own sector has also come under scrutiny from the watchdog, which found that costs for 400,000 customers who rely on the sector can be exceptionally high.
It cited examples of people having paid over £1,500 for an electric cooker which could be bought on the high street for less than £300.
The FCA is now considering imposing a cap on rent to own merchants.
In the home collected credit market, the watchdog is introducing new requirements to raise standards in "disclosure and sales practices".
They will prevent home-collected credit firms from offering new loans or refinancing during home visits without the customer "specifically requesting this".
In catalogue credit and store cards, the FCA will ask firms to "do more" to help customers avoid persistent debt.


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Five Signs It’s Fake Every day, dishonest people around the world get on the Web and post bogus listings on popular housing sites like Craigslist, Trulia and Zillow. In addition […]
3/2/2/2LA/Pool Check it out on youtube or for a more detailed description go to 1213 Windsong
http://m.starlocalmedia.com/allenamerican/live_and_local/a-is-for-art/article_d35b2062-4b44-11e5-a3a1-9fdc20012935.html?mode=jqm Enjoy works of art in sculpture, photography, metalworking and many other visual arts forms at THE ARTS Faculty Exhibition Aug. 31 to Oct. 7 at THE ARTS gallery at […]
http://news360.com/article/298462354 It would be nice if houses for sale came with giant price tags so a buyer could easily compare “all-in” costs. Imagine trying to buy a gallon of milk […]
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102951420 U.S. home buyer demand remained steady in July, although consumers did not react significantly to easing mortgage rates.
http://www.guidelive.com/festivals/2015/08/26/five-great-fests-week-reunion-lawn-party-water-balloon-wars Even if the weather doesn’t always act as if it knows, summer really is coming to an end. You might as well cool down at this monthly summer lawn […]
http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2015/08/24/top-6-home-buyer-concerns?om_rid=AACAVe&om_mid=_BV22KqB9EzhVhi&om_ntype=RMODaily Rising home prices tops the list of home buyer concerns this year, a shift from last year when nearly half of buyers said their chief concern was the limited number […]


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It is difficult to pick up a major business publication today without reading about how venture capital and venture capitalists develop unicorn ventures, privately held start-ups valued at over $1 billion. This publicity prompts entrepreneurs to ask how to get VC, rather than if they should even seek it, or when.
The reality is that very few get VC
Venture capitalists invest in few early stage ventures because of the lack of proven potential. To calculate how few get VC, consider the following:
- The number of first-time VC financing in the U.S. in 2017 was 2000
- Since the median age of a venture getting seed capital is about three years, it seems reasonable to assume that these 2,000 ventures were started in the previous six years.
- Since the number of new ventures in the last six years was about 3,700,000, this means that approximately 0.05 per cent of all ventures get VC.
Implication: Approximately 99.95 per cent of entrepreneurs do not get VC. Entrepreneurs need to learn to grow without it.
Most ventures that get VC end up failing
Industry estimates are that about 80 per cent of VC-funded ventures, which amount to 0.04 per cent of all ventures, fail. These ventures range from outright failures to ventures where VCs earn a minimal return. In these ventures, the founders may earn salaries, but not much more.
Implication: VC benefits 0.01 per cent of all ventures. 99.99 per cent do not gain from this type of capital and should avoid it.
Billion-dollar entrepreneurs delay VC in Silicon Valley and avoid VC outside it
Billion-dollar entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs who co-founded a venture and led it to more than $1 billion in sales and valuation. 85 of these entrepreneurs from the VC era can be categorised as:
- VC-traditionalists, who got venture capital early and were replaced by a CEO. Six per cent of the billion-dollar entrepreneurs were VC-traditionalists, including Pierre Omidyar of eBay.
- VC-delayers, who stayed on as CEO by taking off without venture capital until their growth and potential were At this point, VCs financed them without seeking a new CEO. Gates and Zuckerberg were among 18 per cent of America’s billion-dollar entrepreneurs who were VC-delayers.
- VC-avoiders, who grew without venture capital. 76 per cent of America’s billion-dollar entrepreneurs were VC-avoiders, including Michael Bloomberg, Michael Dell, Steve Ells (Chipotle), and Richard Schulze (Best Buy).
Implication: 94 per cent of America’s billion-dollar entrepreneurs took off without venture capital. By delaying or avoiding this type of investment, they kept control of their venture. In Silicon Valley, nearly 90 per cent of billion-dollar entrepreneurs used VC, but most of them delayed getting it and kept control. Mark Zuckerberg was a VC-delayer. By delaying it, Zuckerberg kept control of Facebook.
Outside Silicon Valley, 91 per cent of billion-dollar entrepreneurs grew without venture capital. Richard Burke built UnitedHealthcare in Minnesota into the world’s largest private healthcare management company without VC.
Delaying VC until take-off increases credibility because even VCs are guessing
Venture capital is a guessing game. Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley VC star, guessed incorrectly about Instagram. Although his firm did well in Instagram by investing in the first round of VC funding, Andreessen bet incorrectly and invested in a competitor’s succeeding rounds, not in Instagram’s.
According to Randy Komisar of VC firm Kleiner Perkins, “the relative distribution of success appears largely random.” VC seems to be a guessing game about where to plant seeds. Silicon Valley VCs, however, are guessing in a fertile field.
Only one percent of VC-funded ventures are home runs where everyone succeeds
A VC-funded home run is where everyone makes a fortune. Marc Andreessen notes that only about 15 ventures are worth investing in each year, i.e. are home runs. This means that only about one per cent of the approximately 2,000 ventures funded by VCs each year are home runs. The probability that a venture will be a home run from among all new ventures is about 0.000025 (15/600,000) or 0.0025 per cent.
VCs with home runs do well. The others do not. Andy Rachleff of Benchmark Ventures, which funded eBay, notes that about 20 VC funds (about 3 percent) earn most of VC profits.
In the approximately 19 per cent of VC-funded ventures that are successes, venture capitalists get their investment back first, along with a dividend. Entrepreneurs may not make much.
Implication: 99.9975 per cent of entrepreneurs will not get VC or are unlikely to make a fortune with it. Home runs are rare. Benchmark Partners invested $7 million and harvested about $2.4 billion from eBay in 18 months. There are few eBays.
Billion-dollar entrepreneurs who avoid or delay VC keep more of the wealth created
Billion-dollar entrepreneurs kept more of the wealth created by delaying or avoiding VC. Among 22 billion-dollar entrepreneurs, VC-traditional entrepreneurs got venture capital early and kept about seven per cent of the wealth created. VC-delayers like Zuckerberg kept an average of 16 per cent and VC-avoiders, like Bloomberg, kept an average of 52 per cent of the wealth created.
Implication: Avoid VC or delay it to keep more of the wealth created.
By taking off without venture capital, billion-dollar entrepreneurs prove the venture’s potential, establish credibility, decrease risk, increase valuation, reduce dilution, and attract financing. Some get VC after take-off and keep control, like Zuckerberg. Some use alliances, like Ells and Bloomberg. Some have an initial public offering, like Kevin Plank. Some grow with internal cash flow, like Dell and Bob Kierlin (Fastenal).
The reality is that 99.99 per cent of entrepreneurs should learn to grow without venture capital since they will neither get it nor benefit from it. The other 0.01 per cent can control the venture and keep more of the wealth created by learning how to take off without VC. To do so, all entrepreneurs should take off with skills and smart strategies.
Paradoxically, if more entrepreneurs did this, it might create more viable deals for venture capitalists by creating more high-potential ventures. This is what is happening in Utah.
And if more governments encouraged skills before capital, it would create more high-potential ventures with less waste.
- This blog post is based on the author’s book Nothing Ventured, Everything Gained: How Entrepreneurs Create, Control, and Retain Wealth Without Venture Capital, An Inc. Original, 2018.
- The post gives the views of its authors, not the position of the institutions they represent, LSE Business Review or the London School of Economics.
- Featured image credit: Photo by Justin Scott, under a CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0 licence
- When you leave a comment, you’re agreeing to our Comment Policy.
Dileep Rao is clinical professor at Florida International University’s department of international business and has taught high-performance entrepreneurship, innovation, and venture financing in universities including Harvard, Stanford, University of Minnesota and INCAE (Costa Rica). He has managed five turnaround companies (four succeeded), and financed over 450 businesses and projects using equity, senior debt, subordinated debt, and leases. Professor Rao has consulted with Fortune 500 corporations, governments and development financiers. He has two engineering degrees and a Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Minnesotta.


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2013 has been a huge year in terms of mobile technology. We have seen new flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S 4, HTC One and LG G2 announced – all touting an array of impressive features and specs. However, it’s fair to say Apple has received the most anticipation with its two new iPhones - the 5s and 5c - unveiled at one sole event back in September. But how prominent is this? Because going back a few years, no one would have even guessed that the California-based tech giant could ever offer up more than one iPhone at the same time. But it did happen.
Apple (even back in the early days) has always been known for its stubbornness as a company. Its never really listened to customers, deciding to be unique and not breaking the rules. This has changed, however, since the death of Steve Jobs. It was his personality that reflected on the way Apple used to act. That wasn’t a bad thing back then, because mobile tech wasn’t a way of life like it is today. But nowadays, people want to voice their opinions and get results exerting from them.
Tim Cook, in this respect, has done a lot to sculpt Apple’s latest products around the customer. For example, Jobs was dead against the idea of having a miniature version of the iPad. But then in 2012, two years after the launch of the original iPad, Apple announced the iPad mini. This went against all the odds, and I can assure you that it’s a decision that’s probably had Steve rolling around in his grave ever since. Hats off to Tim, though, because he’s done a great job as CEO so far.
But the dual announcement of the 5s and 5c draws on the fact that people are interested in more than one option when it comes to a product line-up. Look at Samsung, for example, and what it has managed to achieve with the Galaxy range. It spouted from the launch of one handset, and now Samsung is practically a household name. I get the feeling (and while I can guarantee that probably every human being on this planet has heard of the iPhone) that Apple wanted to create a similar ethos to Samsung, while at the same time showing it can take obvious risks.
Risks are, in my opinion, important to the survival of a strong company. And by having more than one particular iPhone, it has done this. It also shows it’s willing to change things and regularly announce new and exciting products, rather than just updating the same model with slight modifications every year. Apple listened to its customers and has so far had a great response.
Looking more at the 5c, though, there are a few important points I should elaborate on. First of all, Apple’s products have always been plain and simple, yet the 5c was announced sporting a plastic chassis plastered with bright colours. This is probably something Apple has done (under the power of Tim Cook) to meet more needs of customers. It also gives people more options.
The second point is that when the 5c was announced, it directly replaced the iPhone 5. Now, this is the first time Apple has ever changed the sequence in the way it launches and discontinues iPhones. If Steve was still alive, then the chances are that we would have only have seen the 5s announced, giving the 5 at least a year’s worth of survival.
Another important point is that it’s not as expensive as the 5s. This means it gives more people the opportunity to save money and own an ‘iPhone’ at the same time. Although if it was cheaper, then it probably would be flying off the shelves, right now, this festive season. But a bargain iPhone wouldn’t be in its best interests, as it’s solely known for producing executive products that sport executive prices. This is what Apple is all about.
The 5s, interestingly, also reflects on how much Apple has changed: it’s listened to customers again by implementing it with TouchID, the fingerprint scanning system exclusive to iOS. If you go back a year or so, the idea of a new iPhone coming with a fingerprint scanner was just as unrealistic as the ‘iWatch’ rumours of today, which can only mean we could will see Apple entering the wearables market relatively soon. It’s also more evidence that backs up my comment on how Apple has started to take slight risks when it comes to new products. I mean, a fingerprint scanner is something a lot of people could easily say is more of a gimmick than a sustainable feature to have.
While I’ve outlined all of the positives, I seriously do think Apple has lost its power streak. It seems that when Jobs was alive and head of the company, it was a powerful corporation that no one would stand up to. But now all you hear in the world of tech is about Apple being in yet another court of law. As well as this, it seems that products are leaking more than ever, which I cannot remember happening as frequent going back a few years. Perhaps it’s to do with the use of digital media, which means by now, Apple should understand and know how to stop rumours and leaks from developing. Maybe it enjoys the hype but chooses not to show its emotions.
Apple's efforts have been solid to date. I’m personally impressed with both the 5c and 5s, along with the new iPad Air and iPad Mini 2. That said, I still expect and want to see more from Apple. Hopefully next year, we’ll see some more cracking products announced from Apple. I think if it wants to continue as a market leader, then it needs to continue to excite.


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Meta’s CEO stated “We are working to bring NFTs to Instagram in the near term,” adding that he expects NFT minting to be available in the coming months.
Mark Zuckerberg, has revealed that his video and photo sharing app, Instagram, is preparing to add non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to the platform.
Platformer newsletter writer Casey Newton, tweeted from the conference that Zuckerberg also said he expects that in the coming months Instagram users will be able to mint their own NFTs on the platform.
Last October, Meta changed its famous Facebook name to focus on its Metaverse-related projects. The company’s reports for the last quarter of 2021 revealed for the first time the financial details of its virtual and augmented reality research and development business, Reality Labs, showing losses of more than $10 billion. To be fair, given that Meta’s metaverse corner is not yet alive, it would be difficult to make a profit from it.
This is not Meta’s first attempt at a cryptocurrency-related project. In 2019, the company signaled plans to create “Libra” (later renamed “Diem”), a USD-parity stablecoin that failed due to lack of regulatory approval and community pushback. The project was acquired by Silvergate Capital, although some former Meta employees are trying to revive the open source stablecoin by creating a network of their own.
Social media companies have been looking to implement cryptocurrencies and NFT on their platforms following Twitter’s famous decision to add support for NFT profile pictures in January. Reddit implemented NFT avatars from its own collection, and adult site OnlyFans enabled NFT profile photos in December 2020.
Applications filed this week with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office also show that American Express is prepared to take the leap and offer virtual banking and exchange services, cryptocurrency services and enable the use of its credit cards in an NFT marketplace.


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Jan 11 (Reuters) - Bazaarvoice Inc, which helps companies run online consumer reviews, said its purchase of PowerReviews Inc would not cut competition, after the U.S. Justice Department sued the company to try to force it to sell some assets.
The department challenged the acquisition and said it sought to prevent one firm from dominating the product rating and review platforms market, prompting a brokerage to cut its rating on the company’s stock.
The firms help companies use social media to advertise and also try to control any damage to clients’ reputations from bad reviews. PowerReviews helped online retailers set up customer review sections on their websites so that they could compete with Amazon.com.
“We provided the DOJ with extensive documents, data, and information demonstrating that our acquisition of PowerReviews was procompetitive and did not result in a lessening of competition,” Bazaarvoice said in a statement.
“We disagree with the DOJ’s decision to ignore that evidence and we will now shift our attention to a court of law where we expect to be fully vindicated.”
Bazaarvoice’s 700 clients include Panasonic Corp, Burpee, Timex, Infiniti and Macy’s Inc, according to its website.
BMO Capital Markets downgraded the company’s stock to “market perform” from “outperform.”
“After the departure of the CEO, a billings growth deceleration, the admission of sales execution issues, and now the announcement of a DOJ antitrust suit ... our confidence in a recovery over the next 12 months is now too low to support a bullish call on the stock,” BMO analyst Karl Keirstead said.
Bazaarvoice made a splash when it debuted on the Nasdaq in February 2012, opening at $16, but its shares have lost more than half their value since. They fell 17 percent on Thursday on news of DOJ’s lawsuit and closed down at $7.49.


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Target breach could be impacting Midlands consumers
Fri, 17 Jan 2014 02:27:07 GMT —
COLUMBIA (WACH) -- As credit card companies continue to deal with the fallout of the massive target hacking, its effects may be impacting some consumers in the Midlands.
â??I was really scared I didn't think that it could've happened to me; thought that I was monitoring all of my accounts and realized I should've taken more proactive measures whenever I found out there had been hacking,â?? said Columbia resident Olivia Hyatt.
Hyatt just might be one of the millions of people who got more than they bargained for while holiday shopping last year. 110 million Target shoppers had their information stolen by hackers between November 27 and December 15 and Hyatt found out this week she's the victim of credit card fraud.
â??They (credit card company) said they couldn't confirm exactly how someone got my card, but they went back and looked an I had purchased items twice at target during the hacking window that target released the dates for and realized that it could be a result of that,â?? said Hyatt.
Hyatt's credit card company told her someone maxed out her account by using a fake card created with her information. The crooks spent hundreds of dollars at fast food restaurants, gas stations and other stores in Orangeburg.
Luckily, for Hyatt, her credit card company noticed something was wrong, contacted her and closed the account.
Here are some things that you need to know in case you become a credit card fraud victim. According to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, while most companies don't hold victims responsible, consumer liability ends at $50 if the fraud is reported within 60 days of receiving a bill with the fake charges. When it comes to debit/atm cards, liability depends on when the consumer notifies the company.


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The online poker in USA has kept on thriving considering the dishonest and also degenerate decision of the legislature. As opposed to shutting down the market of online poker in USA the players of poker have changed on to online locales of poker which give genuine alternative to profit to the occupants of USA. Thinking about the quantity of individuals that online poker in USA has drawn, the developing notoriety of poker can be seen, with the top of the line destinations pulling in more than a million players.
The crucial thing that the occupants of America require to consider is that the alternatives of online poker in USA are endless. With the media running shocking feature in regards to the wrongdoing of the online poker, it no ways discouraged the poker destinations in USA. The objective of this new law is the household money related organizations and in no ways orders playing poker as a wrongdoing as per the USA locale.
These set up online locales allow the nationals of USA to play poker with genuine cash. Notwithstanding this online poker destinations have outlined unmistakably their motivation in poker showcase in USA to take forward the business as standard without any deviations from the genuine position.
The obstruction that poker players in USA is basically confronting isn’t identified with running over an opportune place to play however to discover fitting store strategies. Fortunately, the poker locales have been thinking about the demand of the poker players and ceaselessly endeavoring to ass more substitutes of store techniques, that is only open to Americans as it were. Among the few interchanges accessible, the most unmistakable exchange to make poker stores is through a Visa. In any case, a considerable lot of the poker rooms are there that are tolerating all the Mastercards and additionally the charge card.


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KCG has made a commitment to researching and developing a line of innovative brush products that will allow consumers to finally have a choice of brush products that could greatly eliminate the number of brush handles being thrown into our landfills every second. KCG has developed a brush system that uses replaceable Bristle Packs ®. This new replaceable Bristle Pack® system allows the user to keep the handle and only replace the Bristle Pack® when worn out. The ultimate goal is to eventually produce paint brush handles that will last a life time. This new system also reduces the amount of water or solvent required in the cleaning process.
The news media and most governments constantly push the importance of saving the environment. Unfortunately, there are almost no funds available for creative inventors to develop enviro-friendly products, so any new developments must be able to be profitably marketed. The “Enviro Brush” products are priced competitively and some of the models could possibly be lower in price.
Governments at all levels and major corporations are extolling the virtues of environmental responsibility and are under increasing pressure to enforce these practices. KCG is dedicated to implementing positive solutions for the environment.
The great news is that many governments and purchasing offices are now specifying that preference be given to enviro-friendly products.
This new brush technology is a giant step towards a better environment. Finally, those who care about our environment have a choice of brush products.


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Earlier this month, both houses in the Florida legislature voted for a 9-day sales tax holiday and Governor Jeb Bush will most certainly sign the bill into law.
Florida shoppers won't have to pay sales tax on books, clothes, wallets and most bags selling for up to $50 and school supplies such as pens, pencils and binders selling for up to $10.This holiday comes with quite a price tax - $38 million in lost revenue to the state and an estimated $7 million loss for local governments. Florida tax holidays aren't just for school supplies either. On May 21 through June 1, no sales tax will be levied on products purchased for "Hurricane Preparedness." Included in the list of tax-exempt items are:
- Cel phone batteries with a price tag of less than $60
- Candles that cost less than $20
- Tiki torches worth less than $20
For a complete list of exempt items click here.
Late last month, Alabama Governor Bob Riley signed a "back-to-school" sales tax holiday into law for the first weekend in August. During that weekend individual clothing items that are less than $100 are exempt from sales tax.
Even though sales tax holidays are politically popular they aren't a silver bullet for legislators trying to offer genuine tax relief. For more on the policy implications of sales tax holidays click here to real ITEP's Policy Brief on this topic.


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All texts by Sam Bishop
This will be running for several weeks in New York City, letting fans play several PS4 and PSVR titles.
Brian Hanford voices V in the game, and seems to indicate that Dante will be headed to Nintendo's fighting title.
Scarlett Johansson's hero is getting her own film in a few months, and we get another taste of the action.
With Sony departing the show once again, the Xbox chief has reassured fans that Microsoft will still be in LA.
The spirit event will last for five days and see several characters invade the Spirit Board in Nitnendo's game.
Galantis and Charli XCX give us a taste of what's coming before the Olympics, which will include a smartphone app and wristbands.
The Spider-Man universe gets another dark film, and we can expect to see Leto stalk the night in 2020.
These exclusivity deals come after several big names have also moved from Twitch to Mixer as well.
The broadcast talent won't be making an appearance again, with both thanking the fans for their time.
Another former London Spitfire joins the Overwatch League team, formed exclusively of Korean talent.
They've released a new statement following Sony revealing they'd miss the show for a second year.
We're seeing how accurate Totally Accurate Battle Simulator really is when we hit our GR Live show today.
Legija is also in talks with the organisation to become the head coach, according to a recent report.
Their League of Legends team is making a lot of alterations heading into 2020, trying to make an impression in Europe.
He's no longer a part of the organisation, although he's still interested in competing in Arc System Works' game.
Game director Stig Asmussen said they originally wanted it to be about blasters, and there were several creative differences in development.
English was previously the most dominant language, but the results for December 2019 indicate a big shift.
There are a number of changes coming to soundtracks this month, which will no longer be listed as DLC.
Audio design is important, but there are a few features from the original not making it back for the remake.
The retail has faced more struggles, and is working with landlords to try and avoid job losses at all costs.
We head back into Respawn's hit game of 2019 to experience the Force and why it was such a success.
The Observation developer No Code is releasing their experimental thriller yet again, reworking the controls and interface.
This is all about knowing the tools and family controls to keep children playing games responsibly.
Krillbite's game has already been released for PC and Apple Arcade, and now a new audience can experience corporate culture.
New cosmetics will be available as well as several limited-time modes, both new ones and old favourites.
There's a branching narrative to enjoy as Blizzard delivers the last solo adventure in the Year of the Dragon.
Foundry is coming after the release of the third episode, although players still have a lot to see in February.
We're a month away from seeing Harley Quinn's latest adventure, and Margot Robbie's character breaks down the plot for us.
Scott Derrickson will no longer be leading the Multiverse of Madness project, and it's apparently a "mutual" decision.
Quick saves are also coming in, as well as community-made content available for no added cost.
Points will be earned in the regular season and Home Series weekends, determining who gets to the playoffs.
The Call of Duty League Home Series will be seeing the DJ host a concert and play in Hype Battles too.
The TV display shows portrait displays on your phone by rotating, meaning you don't have to squash it to fit landscape.
Marketing development lead Laura Davidson was at CES with us to showcase the products.
Representative Charlie Sardelli explains how easy it is to get your phone screen on your TV with appropriate devices.
The catch is that it's placed on your chest, as explained by head of communications Raphaël Guichard at CES.
After one developer imitated suicide on a stream, Battlestate Games was hit by a ban from Twitch for violating community guidelines.
Think big with these small packages, and console users can join the fun in early February too.
This features a new campaign tailored to co-op as well as balance changes, editor tool updates, and more.
A new trailer showcases how you can level up your characters and improve them over the course of the RPG.
Fullbright's moving and surprising narrative journey is one of the standout experiences we've enjoyed in the last decade.
Fans can download the new game on January 20, collecting cards representing characters and vehicles in the series.
The series is coming in February, and we get a taste of the supernatural scares ahead of its arrival.
The 700 and Easel were both at CES this week, and we got to check them out thanks to PR director Manuel Linnig.
Bar-El Studio has created a lifelike version of the character, bringing him to life in stunning detail.
At CES this year we got the chance to toy around with the possibilities allowed by the Pix backpack, guided by CEO Margaret Rimek.
Big Ant Studios is back with more tennis action, and we're heading to the court again for another round.
Lari Isohella explains why his team were successful, and what makes for a good captain in CS:GO.
Those wanting to get competitive in the 2v2 mode can do so, since it's on Infinity Ward's radar.
There will be six events and two Grandmasters seasons, all of which is fleshing out the esports scene.


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Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google have finally decided to call a truce. Google announced in a company blog post on Wednesday that beginning immediately, viewers would be able to watch Amazon Prime Video on both Chromecast and select Android TV devices, something that has been impossible for almost a year and a half.
The companies had signaled a cessation of hostilities earlier this year. In April, Google and Amazon issued a joint press release announcing availability of their streaming services on many of each other's devices.
The increasing competition in the streaming space was likely the catalyst for the armistice.
The competitors are now frenemies
Google said that in addition to select Android TV devices, many more Android smart TVs, set-top boxes, and streaming devices will also be compatible with Prime Video in the coming weeks and months.
In its own blog post, Amazon said that beginning today, the official YouTube app would be available for a variety of Amazon Fire TV devices, including the Fire TV Stick (2nd generation), Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick Basic Edition, and all Fire TV Edition smart TVs. The company said that it would "expand to additional Fire TV devices in the coming months." Amazon also said it would provide support for YouTube TV and the YouTube Kids service that is scheduled to launch later this year.
Amazon said the YouTube app will also work with Alexa, the voice-activated digital assistant that powers its Echo line of smart speakers. Users can say, "Alexa, watch music videos on YouTube," to open the app and start playing the top result. The company also touted expanded voice controls that allow the viewer to search among a variety of subjects, like "Alexa, play Women's World Cup highlights," and "Alexa, find makeup tutorials" -- all without saying "YouTube" again. The system also allows users to play, pause, resume, fast-forward, and rewind, or go to the next video using voice commands.
It isn't all sunshine and flowers
One noticeable omission from the announcement was any reference to Amazon's Echo Show or Spot devices. The Alexa-powered devices with video screens were also notably absent from the announcement earlier this year. Customers also won't be able to buy Google electronics, like the Google Home smart speaker or Pixel phone, on Amazon's e-commerce website, at least not anytime soon.
So while they have mostly buried the hatchet, there remain areas of contention between the rivals.
A history of tension
The rivalry between the two tech titans goes back a long way and had ramped up in recent years. Back in 2014, Eric Schmidt, who was then executive chairman of Google, shared the company's views on Amazon:
Many people think our main competition is Bing or Yahoo. But, really, our biggest search competitor is Amazon. People don't think of Amazon as search, but if you are looking for something to buy, you are more often than not looking for it on Amazon. They are obviously more focused on the commerce side of the equation, but, at their roots, they are answering users' questions and searches, just as we are.
As streaming came into focus, so did efforts by each company to shut the other out of their respective ecosystems.
Why the reversal?
Competition in the streaming space is heating up -- in both the subscription and ad-supported markets. Amazon competes in both areas, with subscription-based Prime Video and IMDb TV, its ad-supported service. Likewise, Google offers YouTube in both premium and ad-supported formats.
By not having their services available on each other's devices, both Amazon and Google were forcing consumers to choose competing products that offered both platforms, like Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU), which is widely known for its streaming devices. That company's connected-TV operating system -- Roku OS -- is present in one out of three smart TVs sold in the U.S. All of its devices offered access to both YouTube and Prime Video. By getting its platform into a growing number of homes, Roku was also able to supercharge its advertising business, at the expense of its feuding competitors.
Google and Amazon have finally seen the error of their ways, and in doing so, hope to stop other competitors from stealing their respective market share.


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NATIONAL SERVICE IN TALKS OVER PARTIAL SALE OF LINEN UNIT
Published: April 16, 1997
National Service Industries said yesterday that it was in talks to sell parts of its $500-million-a-year textile rental unit, National Linen Service. The Atlanta-based company, which also makes lighting equipment, specialty chemicals and envelopes, is seeking to sell about $100 million of assets in its National Linen business. The unit rents napkins and linens to hotels, hospitals and other businesses. The company said it was in discussions with several buyers and that no agreements had been reached. Shares of National Service advanced $1.75 yesterday, to $41.50. National Linen previously said it was reviewing a number of its businesses to increase its profitability.


text: Ather Energy has officially commenced the deliveries of the Ather 450X and 450X Series 1 electric scooters in Delhi. The electric two-wheeler handed over the keys of the scooter to select customers in the national capital. The first 450x Series 1 scooter in Delhi was recently handed over to Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO, Hero MotoCorp by co-founder Tarun Mehta. Ather currently retails versions of its electric scooter - the 450 Plus and the 450X, while the Series 1 is restricted to only the early bird buyers of the scooter. As a part of its expansion plan, Ather Energy has also announced that it plans to add 30 more cities by the end of the financial year 2021-22. There are plans for eastern India as well, with the company looking to set up operations in Kolkata.


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Local company SkuVault has won a lot of awards and made a lot of headlines lately. They’re one of the local Endeavor companies, and they’re...
How SkuVault launched from startup to skyrocket? Local company SkuVault has won a lot of awards and made a lot of headlines lately. They’re one of the local Endeavor companies, and they’re a shining example of how to go from scrappy bootstrapped startup to amazing success story. READ MORE
Want Louisville to be a Rise of the Rest city? In June of 2016 PNC’s Regional President, Chuck Denny, was instrumental in bringing Steve Case to Louisville during his “Rise of the Rest” tour. Case is the founder of AOL and started Rise of the Rest to highlight entrepreneurs and innovation all over the U.S. Now we have the opportunity to bring Rise of the Rest back to Louisville. READ MORE
EnterpriseCorp’s Evening of Entrepreneurship 2017 Celebrate Louisville’s progress on building a sustainable, innovative community for entrepreneurs at EnterpriseCorp’s Evening of Entrepreneurship 2017 featuring EnterpriseCorp’s State of Entrepreneurship presentation, the annual EnterpriseCorp Award, and a keynote from Frederique Dame, acclaimed international investor and product developer (Uber, Yahoo!, Photobucket, Smugmug)! SIGN UP


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Junction 421, 5104 S. College Road, has announced its wine and beer dinners for the month of August, and is now accepting reservations for the events.
Jonathan O’Donnell, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Shirena, said they were pleased to be able to start hosting the dinners again last month, with social distancing protocols in place.
“The dinners are a chance for us to have some fun and really connect with our guests,” Jonathan O’Donnell said.
He creates a seasonal four-course menu, which he then shares with a local wine distributor for their input on the wine selections.
The O’Donnells said they often ask Kara Wright of Windham Distributing Company to host the events because she does a great job with the pairings and has developed a rapport with many of the regular guests. Shirena O’Donnell also assists with the wine selections.
August’s Lazy Daze wine dinner, Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 6:30 p.m., will feature a first course of crab meat stuffed shrimp with a lemon butter sauce, paired with a Spanish white wine, Marin Codax Albarino.
The second course will be a red wine poached pear salad paired with Trumpeter Rose de Malbec of Argentina, while the third course will feature fresh scallops with a summer succotash to be paired with Winemakers Secret Barrels White Blend Pinot Grigio.
Guests will enjoy Shirena’s blackberry cobbler recipe for dessert, paired with Gascon Malbec, also of Argentina.
Jonathan O’Donnell said that all of the wines are available to order by the bottle, and sometimes they are so popular that the restaurant decides to add them to the menu.
The same goes for some of the dishes – when the guests are particularly responsive to a dish, it might make its way back as a special or be added to the permanent menu.
This month’s beer dinner, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 6: 30 p.m. will feature Red Oak Brewery of Whitsett, North Carolina.
“Red Oak has a strong following, and we try to partner with area breweries as much as possible,” O’Donnell said. “We love their products and they’ve been very supportive.”
Jonathan O’Donnell said the beer dinners are a great value, also offering four courses paired with four beer selections. The August menu will feature a salty pretzel paired with Red Oak’s 1516 Bavarian Heller Boch, a Mediterranean salad paired with Hummin' Bird Helles Munich Golden Lager, braised beef brisket paired with Red Oak Bavarian Amber Lager and a chocolate chunk cookie paired with Black of Bavarian Dopplebock.
Jonathan O’Donnell said he and Shirena have done whatever they can to make the best of the current situation over the past several months. They have remained open throughout the pandemic offering carryout, family-style meals and online ordering via Facebook.
They said they were delighted to be able to open their doors to customers once dine-in service was permitted, stating that in the interaction with their customers is the fun part.
“We love what we do and we have no choice but to continue on,” Jonathan O’Donnell said. “We thrive on serving our community.”
Have a tip for Restaurant Roundup? Email us at: restaurant @wilmingtonbiz.com.


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Used car prices have been soaring. Demand in the sector is being fuelled by a global semiconductor shortage stymieing production and supply of new cars - meaning consumers are now facing long wait times for new models - continued wariness of public transport due to Covid, and lockdown savers willing to spend.
The listed dealership, which has 115 UK sites, warned of the risk of delays to new car deliveries later in the year, which would see used cars snapped up even faster around the country and potentially restrict supply.
It said: "There is a risk that well documented new vehicle supply shortages will result in vehicle deliveries being delayed into future periods. As a consequence of reduced new vehicle supply, used vehicle supply may also be restricted in the coming months."
Vertu added: "The current UK wide labour shortages, high vacancy levels and upward pressure on employment costs remain a risk for the business."
The company re-upped profit expectations, however. Vertu said that its board expects full-year pre-tax profits to reach £50-55 million, up from previous expectations of £40-45 million, as a consequence of the "exceptional" used car sales boom seen in recent months.
The firm also announced plans for a £3 million share buyback programme, and said it intends to reinstate its dividend.
It said: "The board remains very confident in the prospects for the group, which is strategically well placed to capitalise on the changes and opportunities in the UK motor retail sector."
Shares jumped by over 8%, to 51p, on Friday morning on the update.


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Through to the input, it can capture days just before funds was released because of the banking institutions to possess university costs money and people had to consider the greater amount of costly synchronous business.
One of almost every other the fresh regulations, this new CBN flooding industry that have fx into the a supposedly a week basis. It offers was the cause of parallel business price to drop.
The us government circulated the Financial Recuperation and you will Progress Plan (ERGP) for the antly invested in turning in the most recent economic problem.
The ERGP is not a news bundle but an economic rules roadmap you to border new 2017 appropriation bill together with Average Title Expenses Body type-really works (MTEF). Certainly most other objectives, the master plan will go:
· A lowered unemployment rate away from 13.9% so you’re able to % by the 2020 by making more fifteen billion direct operate anywhere between 2017 and 2020 otherwise normally 3.75 mil work annually.
Government entities, through the Ministry away from Farming, create a dinner task push which is aimed at improving the logistics and transportation away from restaurants nationwide. This will enhance the supply of food articles to locations out of lack.
The aim is to eliminate dining rising prices and therefore rose because of the 18.5% following 17.8% for the January. Really serious services have been made by the task force and instance, contributed to brand new transportation away from tomatoes regarding Kaduna to Lagos getting the first time in 58 decades.
The latest ERGP wants financial support in the agriculture will push eating defense from the gaining worry about-sufficiency from inside the tomato paste during the 2017, grain from inside the 2018 and you can wheat within the 2020.
From the 2020, Nigeria is projected are-become an online exporter regarding key agricultural items like rice, ground-nuts, and you can vegetable oil.
Stuff has feel quite difficult to own Nigerians although government appears to take best track by creating a propose to slow down the agony directory
The newest National Directorate regarding A job fraud-firmed that the membership is actually part of the formal mandate so you can receive and sustain a document lender to your unemployment and openings in the country.
About ERGP, government entities aims to expand new gross domestic equipment of the 2.19% as well as have methods you to definitely GDP increases because of the normally cuatro.62% per year and you can reach eight% from the 2020.
Harsh oils design is additionally geared to boost in order to 2.5 million barrels twenty four hours. The fresh new diversification principles increases exports and you may overseas income of your bodies while the liberalization jobs commonly let the better business pushes prevail.
From inside the a study has just published by the fresh In the world Economic Financing, the latest Nigerian economy need certainly to make some critical reforms urgently if this hopes to recuperate this year.
The fresh new numerous rate of exchange system must be abolished manageable in order to lso are-duce the brand new added bonus to roundtrip towards the dollar conversion roundtrip is the habit of attempting to sell a secured item while agreeing to order they straight back for about an equivalent speed.
It has caused big decline towards the worth of brand new naira since it escalates the chances of people while making development out of to find this new buck at the a lower rate and you will promoting it from the a good high rate.
To close out, jobless and inflation have been expanding. They translate into the a top cost-of-living and less standard of living.
Work production boasts economic growth therefore the must improve productivity
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Thread: Chrysler Building On The Block
#1 Chrysler Building On The Block06-11-2008, 12:56 PM
SOVEREIGN ARAB FUND TO PAY $800M
By LOIS WEISS / June 11, 2008 --
The latest Big Apple trophy being coveted by oil-rich sovereign wealth funds is the landmark Chrysler Building.
Sources say the super-rich Abu Dhabi Investment Council is negotiating an $800 million deal for a 75 percent stake in the Art Deco treasure that has defined the Midtown skyline since 1930.
The Chrysler assets would be purchased from TMW - the German arm of an Atlanta-based investment fund that's been eager to cash out of its Chrysler stake.
The deal follows last month's sale of the GM Building and three other Macklowe/Equity Portfolio properties for $3.95 billion to a group of investors including the wealth funds of Kuwait and Qatar and Boston Properties.
As part of the Chrysler deal, sources said the Abu Dhabi Investment Council would also get part of the skyscraper's signature Trylons retail prize next door.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06112008...ock_115016.htmAt Coretta Scott King's funeral in early 2006, Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert Kennedy, leaned over to him and whispered, "The torch is being passed to you." "A chill went up my spine," Obama told an aide. (Newsweek)
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CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — Coinciding with the release of its 2023 Annual Summary, which shares strides the company made in affordability, sustainable practices, automation and equity and inclusion, Top 100 retailer Ikea U.S. announced that four of its Plan & order points with Pick-up locations will open in 2024.
“As we look back at the past year, I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in reducing our environmental impact and keeping affordability and accessibility at the forefront for all our customers,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer at Ikea U.S. “Looking ahead, we are excited about our plans for new locations and services bringing the joy of Ikea to more hearts and homes.”
In 2024, Ikea U.S. will open Plan & order points with Pick-up in Austin, Texas, the Atlanta metropolitan area and two locations in the greater Los Angeles market, with more to come.
The Austin Plan & Order point with Pick-up will be the second Ikea location in the Austin area and is slated to open in the summer of 2024 in the Domain Shopping Center at 3306 Esperanza Crossing. With the addition of the Ikea Pick-up point, customers will be able to collect their purchases when and where it’s convenient for them.
These new format stores across the U.S. will increase accessibility for customers, who can receive support from Ikea experts to plan and order home furnishing solutions such as kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms. Officials say more details will be shared about each location throughout the year.
In addition to new locations announced, Ikea U.S. will open Plan & order points with Pick-up in Annapolis and Gaithersburg, Md., and Katy, Texas, with other locations in the pipeline.
Highlights from Ikea’s Annual Summary include:
- Ikea U.S. had a record year, achieving more than $6.3 billion in total sales of goods and services while continuing to keep affordability and accessibility at the core of its business.
- It achieved a 6.6% growth compared with the previous year despite the prevailing economic challenges.
- Re-introduced New Lower Price, a dedication to meaningful affordability through reduced prices on hundreds of favorite Ikea products across the entire range in all U.S. stores and Ikea.com.
- Lowered prices on many products during the summer months along with seasonal deals and discounts throughout the year.
- Made strides towards its mission to become climate-positive by 2030 and worked with social justice partners to create meaningful change.
- Launched As-is online, a new service that allows Ikea Family members to shop gently used products from the comfort of their homes and expanded the Buy Back & Resell service to more stores.
- Opened ultra-fast public EV chargers at several stores and will install a total of 500 public fast chargers and more than 300 fleet chargers in the coming years.
- Contributed more than $2.5 million in retail value of in-kind and financial donations to 280 different nonprofits.
- Advocated for legislation that aligns with Ikea values and mission including the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act in California, Respect for Marriage Act, Equality Act and the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act.
- Dispersed a total of $54.5 million to two-thirds of U.S. co-workers as part of “One Ikea Bonus,” a performance-based payout, in addition to an extra contribution to eligible co-workers’ retirement plan through the Tack! Program.
- Enhanced benefits for Ikea U.S. co-workers including adding new gender-affirming covered medical procedures to the medical plan.
- Built ED&I into everyday operations through a new governance structure and continued the Ikea U.S. ED&I journey by sharing demographic data for leadership and U.S. co-workers.


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Vitamin D can help boost bone health. While it's thought to have other health benefits, how much or how little opens up some debate among Inland Northwest health providers.
Within the past two years, doctors here have stepped up their screening for vitamin D deficiency, medical professionals say. Part of that trend, they say, is due to the reality that people aren't exposed to as much sunlight at northern latitudes, and ultraviolet rays from direct sunlight are considered to be a good source of vitamin D. In addition, doctors attribute the screening trend to reported links between the deficiency of the nutrient and many health concerns.
At the same time, some doctors recommend caution toward vitamin D supplements.
Dr. Carol Wysham, an endocrinologist at Rockwood Clinic's Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, says that low levels of vitamin D have long been linked to concerns about osteoporosis, a bone disease prevalent in post-menopausal women. In more recent years, she adds that medical professionals have considered the possible correlation of vitamin D deficiency to health concerns such as multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
"We as doctors are recently more aware," says Wysham about vitamin D screening. She sees patients for diabetes, thyroid conditions, and osteoporosis. Because of her work with osteoporosis, she sees many women.
"I'd say 90 percent of people I test are low in vitamin D levels. Granted, I tend to see middle age to older patients," she says.
She usually tells patients to take a vitamin D supplement of between 1,000 to 2,000 individual units (IU) per day. Wysham cautions, however, that people also consider the vitamin D they get from other sources, such as a daily vitamin and diet. Any amount over 4,000 IU "goes beyond what most people should take," and too much vitamin D potentially can have adverse effects, such as contributing to kidney stones, she says.
Liver and oily fish, such as salmon, are the main food sources of vitamin D, while milk and a few other foods, such as cereal, have vitamin D added to them, Wysham says. "It's unlikely that people will get enough vitamin D from food, so most people are going to require a vitamin D supplement," she adds. An exception might be teenagers who have high dairy intake.
Spokane family physician Dr. William Sayres Jr. says upfront he is a vitamin D skeptic. He agrees more doctors here are requesting general screening for vitamin D levels in their patients, but he questions the need to supplement vitamin D levels in patients who don't have osteoporosis.
"There is tremendous controversy in the medical community," he says, about the connection between vitamin D deficiency and health. He points to two scientifically proven benefits of sufficient levels its link to preventing rickets, which is the softening of the bones in children, and its role in bone health for older people.
"That's the only science of vitamin D supplementation," he says.
Sayres says he knows a number of medical professionals here who think vitamin D is crucial.
"I've got partners who completely disagree with me, and they think vitamin D is key," he says. "They screen all their patients, and they believe in vitamin D supplements."
He adds that discussions about health benefits linked to multiple sclerosis and other health conditions aren't robust enough to make general recommendations. He points to a recent Institute of Medicine report that suggests vitamin D probably runs lower in the U.S. population than it should.
However, he says, the institute doesn't recommend general screening, only that most people take a supplement of 600 IU of vitamin D daily up to age 70, and then 800 IU after that for those not physically active.
Sayres says, "People don't even agree on what vitamin D deficiency is," and he adds that labs assigned to do blood tests may use different thresholds to measure vitamin D deficiency.
The Institute of Medicine report says, " ... national surveys show that average blood levels of vitamin D are above the 20 nanograms per milliliter that the IOM committee found to be the level that is needed for good bone health for practically all individuals."
Sayres says some physicians think anything above 20 nanograms per milliliter is considered normal, while others say 30 nanograms is what it should be, and that anything less than 30 is deficient.
"Vitamin D is associated with a lot of things, but we don't have the information to say that just because it's associated with these things, we need to supplement," he says. "We don't know if giving people megadoses of vitamin D will cause any problems because we've never done it before."
Another health professional here, pharmacist Edie Ward, supports vitamin D supplements. She works mostly with women and is a certified menopause practitioner at Riverpoint Pharmacy, at 528 E. Spokane Falls Blvd. Ward received her credentials from the North American Menopause Society, which recommends vitamin D supplements for bone and breast health.
"Even in the summer, I still repeatedly see low vitamin D levels in people who are otherwise tan," says Ward. "With the intensity of the sun we get here and the latitude, it isn't enough. Also, people use sunscreen and that blocks 97 to 100 percent of the vitamin D production."
Ward says the pharmacy several years ago started asking to review patients' lab panels, or group of tests, to understand hormone levels and vitamin D levels for mostly menopausal and post-menopausal women who seek hormone replacement therapy.
"For every new patient I get, more than 90 percent have low vitamin D levels, and that's regardless of the time of year," Ward says. "I probably have four new patients a day."
Ward recommends vitamin D drops, versus pills, because the drops are compounded in oil, which seems to improve absorption, she says. She adds that vitamin D naturally is a fat soluble substance.
"I do see better levels in women who use the drops rather than the pills," she says.
Ward says vitamin D supplements can help in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, among other conditions.
Wysham also says medical professionals are considering vitamin D deficiency's correlation to conditions such as diabetes and autoimmune diseases. "There is the potential that breast cancer risk may be related." However, she adds, "the only scientific proof we have is that with sufficient vitamin D levels, there is a decreased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures."
An article in the Journal of The American Board of Family Medicine suggests that people expose arms and legs to sunlight five to 30 minutes a day to prevent deficiency.
However, other factors such as cloud cover and the angle of the sun often don't allow for the right conditions, says Wysham. "You'd have to live in the very southern tier of the United States."
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PEACEHAVEN, England, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Doctors say a British man may have saved his neighbor's severed arm by keeping it chilled with a bag of frozen sausage rolls while en route to a hospital.
Steve Francis said he placed the arm, which was cut off in a chain saw accident, in a shopping bag and then dropped in a sack of frozen pastries while paramedics tended to his stricken neighbor, John Stirling.
Surgeons at a hospital in West Sussex said they believed they would be able to reattach Stirling's arm, the Daily Telegraph said Tuesday.
Francis told the newspaper his stunned neighbor showed up at his door in Peacehaven East Sussex this week asking for help. He had apparently been doing some pruning in his yard when his chain saw slipped and cut off his arm at the elbow.
"He was as relaxed as can be," Francis said. "I didn't realize anything was wrong until I looked down and saw his arm was missing ."


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Technology developments have had a profound effect on emerging economies in Africa. The widespread adoption of mobile phones, in particular, has seen a proliferation of new and innovative ways for businesses to reach and engage their customers, and for governments to provide services to their citizens. In other parts of the world, we talk about technology with reference to disruption – the disruption of communication methods, business models, even entire industries. Given the dramatic changes we’re seeing closer to home, it’s perhaps more accurate to frame the conversation in terms of transformation.
Accenture Interactive, Diamond Sponsor for the IAB Digital Summit, has announced that Didier Uljasz will be the keynote speaker at the IAB Digital Summit 2017. Uljasz, Managing Director at Accenture Interactive, is the Head of the agency’s Personalisation practice across EALA and Digital Marketing Lead for Middle East, Africa, Russia and Turkey. He will bring deep experience on channeling detailed customer data for tangible business impact.
With his background as a data scientist, Uljasz has worked with global clients on several large-scale digital transformation programs in sectors spanning retail, automotive, telecoms, media and banking. These engagements often have the common objective to transform big data into actionable insights that lead to value for businesses and their customers.
Alexandra Salomon is a veteran in online marketing, global advertising, digital publishing/media, and international business. She has worked for leading brands including AOL, Overture, Yahoo, and LivingSocial, as well as start-ups and consulting services.
A career in digital holds rich potential for success and growth in the information age. Our technology evolves by the second, yet the real potential lies in the people behind the technology. As digital impacts the lives of every human being in some way, it is essential that our engineers, managers, developers and marketers are as diverse as the society they serve.
By Chris Borain, Chairman of the IAB SA
We have reached a critical juncture for digital, both locally and globally. Digital has evolved from one aspect of the media mix to a powerful, pervasive medium with an influence that cannot be ignored.
The PwC Media Outlook for 2016-2020 shows that mobile access has impacted several billion people in less than five years. In comparison to the 20m people impacted over 60 years by the industrial revolution, it is clear that digital is the driver for rapid change in human history. This is an exciting time, and an opportunity for publishers, brands and agencies to collaborate to create a digital landscape that is fair, measurable and constructive.
IAB Digital Summit powered by Accenture Interactive, click here for more info.
By John Sanei
As the digital industry, we are the custodians of change. We introduce the tools that have the potential to bring exponential levels of growth, efficiency and engagement to our businesses. However, digital alone is not the cure-all for every business problem. In order for digital to succeed in today’s climate, it has to be keenly focused on consumer and employee needs.
Digital is the hot topic impacting all aspects of the South African consumer experience, from advertising to business.
As a high growth, vastly influential sector, digital needs to undergo ongoing and conscious transformation. The IAB SA champions diversity in digital, which is apparent in the program for the IAB Digital Summit, coming up on 16 March at The Galleria, Sandton. The speaker list is deliberately focused on providing a platform for female digital leaders, and experts of all ethnicities.
Ticket sales opened today for the third annual IAB Digital Summit coming up on 16 March. The highly anticipated line-up features a mix of global digital heavyweights and local industry pioneers including Ferial Haffajee, Editor at Large for HuffPostSA; John Sanei, Trend Specialist and founder #Trenovate; Jessy Severins, Ad and Operations Manager for Gumtree; and Lee Naik CEO for TransUnion Africa. Speakers will continue to be announced over the next few weeks.
While this promises to be the best Summit to date, ticket prices remain unchanged thanks to partnerships with heavy-hitting sponsors.


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The latest CEO of Vann's, Greg Regelbrugge, resigned last month, according to areport in the Missoulian newspaper. The announcement came after the closure of the chain's three stores in Western Montana.
Jeremy Burkhardt to be Inducted as a CEDIA Fellow
Como Audio Intros Embrace Vinyl, Two-Channel Stereo Sound
Klein is CEDIA’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Awardee
New Age to Deliver VR Brand HTC VIVE Products to Enterprise Customers
James Loudspeaker Adds Mavericks Architectural Cinema Division
HTSA’s Next-Level Training: Beyond Products, to Human Interaction


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New drive-thru convenience store coming to Tallahassee; four others in the works
Farm Stores has been buying property around Tallahassee.
Tallahasseeans will soon have a place to buy essential groceries, baked goods and more without stepping out of their car.
Farm Stores, the storied drive-thru convenience shop, is slated to open its first Tallahassee location in October.
The "convenient store" — as vice president of business development Victor Arechavaleta calls it — will stock freshly baked goods, coffee and juices as well as necessaries like dairy products, eggs, toilet paper, wine and beer.
"Think about the things in a house that, if you run out of them on a Tuesday night, you have to get," Arechavaleta said. "They can't wait for Saturday morning shopping, right? Those are the things that we carry."
The drive-thru, limited contact Farm Stores experience made it a great option for safe shopping through the pandemic — resulting in the company doubling its sales, he added.
Last week, construction began on the new location on the corner of West Tharpe Street and Old Bainbridge Road.
And Arechavaleta said this is just the beginning.
Farm Stores has been buying property around Tallahassee and plans to have five stores open in the next few years — a part of the company's expansion into north Florida.
Other store locations planned around the capital include the Bradfordville, Southwood and Perkins areas.
In 1957, Farm Stores began selling fresh dairy products to drivers in Miami. The company now has over 40 Florida locations, which are largely clustered in the Miami and Tampa Bay areas.
Other locations include a large group of stores in Philadelphia and throughout the Tri-State. The store furthest west is in Houston.
Over the decades, the company has gone through focus changes, from a predominant seller of dairy products to a cross between a convenience store and a bakery.
Less than 10 years ago, the company began a franchising model that continues to this day.
And during the pandemic, "people found it to be the absolute best option for low or no contact shopping for essentials," Arechavaleta added. "No one except staff is allowed into the store. We don't have customer parking."
The Tharpe location's hours are not finalized but Farm Stores are typically open from 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Arechavaleta said.
The new location has a dedicated Facebook page titled "Farm Stores Tallahassee," where people can stay updated on the location's progress and eventual grand opening.
Contact Christopher Cann at email@example.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.
Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page.


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Two Kentucky Halloween Stores Hosting Halloween in July Party Complete with Trick or Treating
Christmas in July, who?
Too Early for Halloween?
Halloween has been a popular holiday for years, but it seems like here recently we are really seeing Halloween's popularity just skyrocket. In fact, there are several memes on the internet that declare the "Halloween season" starts on July 5th. Now for me personally, Halloween is a 24/7/365 kinda thing, but I understand that's not for everyone. However I do love a good themed party, and this sounds like a theme party that's right up my alley!
Christmas Halloween in July
We've all heard of Christmas in July, but what about Halloween in July? Well in my opinion it's never too early to start planning your epic Halloween party, or DIY costume. It seems more stores are hopping on board the Halloween in the summertime trend by putting out Halloween decor (I call it home decor, but to each their own) earlier each year. Two Kentucky-based Halloween-themed stores are teaming up to host a special Halloween in July event.
Ghostly Productions and TD's Tuff Decisions are both quirky stores located in Owensboro, Kentucky. The two stores decided to come together and celebrate their love of spooky season, by celebrating Halloween in July.
The event will take place on July 29th from noon to 5 PM and will feature everything from a costume contest to trick or treating.
Join your oldest and newest Halloween stores for the 2nd annual Halloween in July! If spooky season is your “most wonderful time of the year” then this event is for you! TD’s Tuff Decisions and Ghostly Productions will be hosting trick or treating, and costume contests! Prizes will be given to the best dressed! Be there, or be scared!
For all of the event information, you can check out the Halloween in July Facebook event page, here. If this isn't enough Halloween for you, Ghostly Productions is also going to host one of the actors who portrayed Leatherface in Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 in October, you can check out more about that, here.
READ ON: Weird, wild UFO sightings from throughout history


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Uber released a prototype of the flying taxis Tuesday at the Uber Elevate Summit 2018 in Los Angeles. Uber said it expects to launch the time-saving air taxi service within five years. (Image source: Video screenshot)
© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Uber released new information Tuesday about its plans to begin testing flying taxis in Texas in 2020.
Dallas-based Hillwood will build a vertiport for UberAir at its new mixed-use development Frisco Station near Dallas, which will be used to test the prototypes.
“With traffic being the thing we’re looking to avoid with Uber Air, there was an opportunity to move people to Frisco in a much more efficient and faster way, given all the development going on and an increase in traffic," Leandre Johns, manager of public affairs for Uber Texas, told KTVT-TV.
Uber said it expects to launch the time-saving air taxi service within five years.
"Giving time back to people is something we're very passionate about at Uber," Uber Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden said in a video about the San Francisco company's plans.
Is it planning to use helicopters?
Uber released a prototype of the flying taxis Tuesday at the second annual Uber Elevate Summit 2018 in Los Angeles.
The taxis resemble helicopters but will be operated using distributed electric propulsion.
“The eCRM design is pedestrian friendly, as the propeller blades are as high as possible, leaving ample room for individuals to board and de-plane without having to duck,” Uber said on Tuesday in a statement. “The high placement of the wings provide shaded entry into the cabin, shielding riders from light rain as they board. Finally, point of entry into the eCRMs is limited to one side, simplifying ground crew operations and reducing confusion for riders when they approach their eVTOL vehicle.”
Uber expects the vehicle, which could carry up to four passengers, to fly at speeds up to 200 mph at an elevation of 1,000 to 2,000 feet.
The vehicle's battery would last up to 60 miles and recharge in about five minutes, according to the company.
Fort Worth's Bell Helicopter will build the eVTOLs, according to The Dallas Morning News.
How would the service work?
Passengers would open the Uber app to order a ride, just as they do now, but there will be an option for UberAir.
The vehicle would meet its passengers at a rooftop vertiport.
How much will the service cost?
At this point, Uber said it's too soon to determine the cost of the service.
“We do see this getting to the point where this is affordable, the price of an Uber-X, to and from where you need to go,” Johns told KTVT.
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