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E-commerce platform Bukalapak, which became the first Indonesian unicorn to list on the local stock exchange, on Friday made a stellar debut with its shares opening 24.11% higher than the IPO price of 850 rupiah apiece.
Shares in the e-commerce platform started trading on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) at 1,055 rupiah per share, which gave it a market capitalisation of $7.6 billion. Its shares closed at 1,060 rupiah after touching the bourse’s 25% limit minutes after opening.
Bukalapak’s market debut underscored the keen investor interest in the company’s growth story, despite valuations appearing overpriced to analysts. The $1.52 billion it raised in its IPO is five times more than the original target of just $300 million. With significant investor interest, the bookings that happened through pooling allotment for Bukalapak touched 4.8 trillion rupiah.
The company increased the pooling allocation portion for retail investors from 2.5% to 5% of the total available order. Therefore, the value of the shares in the pooling allocation portion for retail investors rose from the previous 547.5 billion rupiah to around 1.1 trillion rupiah.
“Bukalapak has succeeded in gaining interest from local investors and international, including sovereign wealth fund from other countries. The shares offering has gained an excess demand of around 8.7 times, with the book building of more than 100,000 investors,” Silva Halim, acting CEO of Mandiri Sekuritas said.
Bernstein’s Singapore managing director Venugopal Garre said that this is the opportune time for many startups to go public.
Many of these startups grew quickly during the pandemic as consumers started to go online, and their behaviour is likely to stick given how prolonged the virus has been. “A lot of things we do have become habits,” he said.
In Garre’s view, COVID-19 had turned these platforms into household names. At the same time, there is an immense amount of liquidity in the market hunting for returns. But Garre cautioned that while many tech startups may be rushing to go public, there could be some “mishaps” along the way as some – particularly those that serve a single or few markets – may not be able to scale up. “[The] moment of truth will happen in a few years.”
As one of Indonesia’s tech darlings, Bukalapak’s cap table had as many as 47 investors. Its top three backers were Emtek subsidiary PT Kreatif Media Karya, Ant Group’s API Investment Limited, and Singapore wealth fund GIC Pte. After the IPO, these investors would still own 46% of Bukalapak collectively.
Microsoft and Mirae Asset also hold a small stake in the company – together, their stake in Bukalapak accounted for 2.7% after the listing.
Post-IPO, Bukalapak’s three co-founders own a 9.04% stake in the company.
Mandiri Sekuritas, Buana Capital Sekuritas, UBS Sekuritas Indonesia, Bank of America and Mirae Asset Sekuritas Indonesia were the underwriters for the IPO.
Bukalapak looks to be on track towards profitability. It recorded a net loss of 1.349 trillion rupiah ($92.66 million) in 2020, less than half of 2019’s 2.8 trillion rupiah ($191.99 million) losses, according to its prospectus.
The narrowing net loss signals higher marketing and sales efficiency.
Net sales in 2020 stood at 1.35 trillion rupiah, a nearly 26% increase from the previous year and a nearly fourfold increase from 2018’s 291.9 billion rupiah. Its marketplace segment made up 75% of its revenue, or 1.03 trillion rupiah in 2020.
Founded in 2010, Bukalapak is an online marketplace that enabled small and medium-sized enterprises to sell anything from clothes to food. According to a report by Momentum Works, it was Indonesia’s fourth-largest e-commerce platform in 2020, accounting for 7% of the country’s e-commerce market. It competes against larger rivals Tokopedia, Lazada and Shopee in Indonesia’s $40 billion market.
But being the country’s first tech unicorn to list could give it an edge. GoTo, the entity formed after the merger of Tokopedia and ride-hailing and deliveries giant Gojek earlier this year, is also eyeing a listing by the end of this year in Indonesia before it lists in the US. Singapore-based Grab is also set to list on the NASDAQ by the fourth quarter of this year.
Bukalapak’s listing is a win for the IDX, which has been trying to attract its local tech giants to list locally instead of heading offshore to deeper markets such as the US. The bourse is said to be considering allowing dual-class shares and special purpose acquisition vehicle listings.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with Bukalapak’s closing price and analyst comments.


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Christina Perla, co-founder and CEO of Makelab, explains how the company has pivoted to 3D print PPE for essential workers fighting COVID-19 and what others can do to help.
Real-time ray-tracing promises to bring new levels of realism to in-game graphics. Image source: Underwriter Labs. Ray tracing, as experts know, is a simple algorithm that can totally consume a processor. But how much a given processor is consumed is … Continued
Graphic Recording of the SIGGRAPH 2018 Business Symposium “Academic and Industry Partnership” panel by Jason Toal The SIGGRAPH 2018 Business Symposium “Academic and Industry Partnership” session was a combined panel and roundtable discussion, and consisted of panelists ranging from researchers … Continued
photo by Jim Hagarty © 2018 ACM SIGGRAPH Our recent trip to Vancouver yielded a wealth of new ideas, new experiences, and new innovations. …And plenty of writers were there to capture it! We hope you enjoy this roundup of … Continued
Still reeling from last week’s SIGGRAPH 2018 conference? Perhaps you missed Vancouver altogether? There’s a video for that! In addition to the ability to re-watch any of our live-streamed sessions, check out this collection of bonus videos, published daily during … Continued
Dr. Carolina Cruz Neira will be part of the Generations panel at the SIGGRAPH 2018 Business Symposium, 11-12 August in Vancouver, British Columbia. A virtual reality (VR) pioneer and leading expert in Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) technology, Dr. Cruz … Continued

domain: news


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Women's Aid activity targets 'real men'
Women's Aid, the anti-domestic abuse charity, is refocusing its marketing to encourage men to speak out against violence to women and children.
This week it launched a print and digital campaign, created by Grey London, in which
male celebrities pose wearing stereotypically female accessories and T-shirts bearing the slogan 'I'm a real man'.
Those taking part include singer Will Young, Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne, and England rugby players Danny Care and Ugo Monye.
Debenhams stores will sell 'Real man' T-shirts, priced £10, for the next month.
This marks a departure from Women's Aid's previous shock-tactics approach, including a controversial ad last year in which actress Keira Knightly was shown being attacked by her 'partner'. Clearcast deemed the ad too violent to be shown on TV in its original form.
Women's Aid is launching the campaign to coincide with the start of the World Cup, which the charity's chief executive, Nicola Harwin, said is likely to provoke a rise in incidents of domestic violence.
This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk
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As revenues have soared, the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCE) has opted not to impose new value-added taxes (VAT) on select agricultural equipment in policies set to take effect on January 1, next year.
According to the GDCE’s announcement, signed by director-general Kun Nhem on October 13, the government will not levy VAT on motorised water pumps with a flow capacity up to 8,000 cubic metres per hour.
Larger types of industrial pumps are still subject to obligations and taxes according to the provisions in force, with exceptions granted by the GDCE for certain projects aimed at agricultural sector usage.
The GDCE defines VAT as a tax on goods or services supplied locally and levied on end users at a rate of 10 per cent in Cambodia.
Hun Lak, director of milled-rice exporter Mekong Oryza Trading Co Ltd, said placement of VAT under burden of the state on imported water pump machinery contributes to reducing farmers’ production costs.
But he pointed out that it does not quite make them as competitive as their counterparts in neighbouring countries.
“If the government optimises VAT exemptions, it will help lower production costs and make it easier to compete in milled-rice export markets.
“We know that our neighbours, Thailand and Vietnam, boast lower costs of rice production and processing than in Cambodia,” Lak said.
For Lun Yeng, secretary-general of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), this type of tax exemption will benefit farmers because most use water pumps to irrigate rice fields.
“If importers do not have to pay VAT, they can sell at a cheaper price, which enables farmers to afford the equipment they need,” he said.
At an annual meeting in February this year, Kun Nhem said the GDCE collected more than $3.21 billion last year, an increase of 30 per cent over 2018.
He noted that revenue collected in major taxes categories saw remarkably high growth, with import duties up 30.7 per cent, special taxes up 33.6 per cent and VAT collections rising 28.8 per cent.
By type of goods, vehicles and machinery continued to be primary sources of tax receipts, accounting for 52.7 per cent of total revenue.
“Revenues collected last year were the highest in the last 20 years. This has occurred in a context where preferential tariffs, both in terms of investment incentives and for priority sectors, as well as the implementation of free trade agreements, are steadily increasing year by year,” he said.


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Melbourne-based architectural developer Orchard Piper has acquired a Toorak Village landholding at 424 – 426 Toorak Road and 109 Mathoura Road, Toorak. The site is comprised of six individual properties to be amalgamated into a single parcel of approximately 1,000 square metres.
Orchard Piper plans to transform the site into a luxury mixed-use project, which includes a 7-storey building made up of premium residential apartments as well as high-end retail and commercial spaces.
The developer spent the last two years quietly putting together the off-market deal, which is worth an estimated $20 million for the amalgamated parcels, working closely with two vendors who have held the properties for over 40 years.
Signalling their commitment to – and confidence in – the longevity of the project, the developer will retain the retail and commercial component of the building, with the top commercial floors becoming the new Orchard Piper headquarters and permanent base in Toorak Village.
Orchard Piper has also confirmed that it is already in discussions with potential buyers for the penthouse and sub-penthouse product, allowing the team to work closely with the interested parties to customise a floorplan specifically to their needs prior to submitting a permit.
Orchard Piper co-founder and director Luke McKie, said they are already working closely with their known networks to customise some of the floorplans.
“[With] the demand and scarcity of product at this end of the market, we expect the residential component will be largely pre-committed to our existing VIPs and customers prior to launching publicly next year,” Mr McKie said.
“This site, being the most prominent, north-facing corner of the village, presents an opportunity for us to invest in the area in a really tangible, long-term way. The architectural response to this site should reflect the significance of its location.”
Co-founder and director, Rick Gronow, added: “Our approach to locating and securing new sites means we don’t rush the process when it comes to negotiations. That’s why we have been able to acquire sites off-market such as this exceptional Toorak Village parcel that has not transacted for decades; we have long standing relationships with these vendors and shape these deals around their requirements, therefore creating an unrepeatable development opportunity.”
Orchard Piper is set to submit plans to council in the coming months, with construction earmarked to commence in the second half of 2022.


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Vizianagaram : It will not be smooth sailing for American retail giant Walmart, who has plans to set up a depot in Vizianagaram Town on the lines of the one in Vizag city. Members of the Vizianagaram Chamber of Commerce have decided to protest the setting up of Walmart in Vizianagaram Town.
Speaking to newsmen, president of the Vizianagaram Chamber of Commerce P.S.C Nageswara Rao said, “The voices opposing the move to set up Walmart in Vizianagaram are growing louder. Traders have planned a bandh and protest on August 10 (Saturday). Over 1,500 shops and establishments and industries in Vizianagaram district will be participating in the bandh and over 2,000 people will be participating in the protest march to the district collector’s office.” The protest rally will begin from the SBI Main Branch Junction and will end at the Collector’s office.
A few weeks ago, through the single window clearance system, Walmart had applied for approvals and chosen a suitable land to open its depot. Walmart is yet to get all the clearances.
Vizianagaram Business Association leader K. Prakash said, “Over one lakh people, including, traders, workers, transporters and others would lose their livelihood if Walmart is allowed in Vizianagaram.”
Other members added that Walmart would destroy the local economy leading to the closure of trading and distribution outlets in Vizianagaram. Expressing that Walmart will hit business and employment, members of Vizianagaram Chamber of Commerce sent a memorandum to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Union finance and commerce minister requesting them not to allow Walmart in Vizianagaram.


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According to Peter Leech CMO of Onlineshoes.com, 43% of all purchases are influenced by an online research moment. To understand the real shopping behavior and research habits of consumers, e-commerce is extending the boundaries to the possible. Leech also said that it is very important to bring out your message or product in front of the consumer most effectively. He has also emphasized that $1.4 trillion in purchases will be influenced by online marketing, apparel e-commerce will top $45 billion, e-commerce overall will hit $259 billion and total e-commerce will deliver 633 billion page views.
Leech specifically added, not only traditional shopping behaviors, but also traditional marketing methods are growing in an age where Amazon has more visitors in one month (140 million in September 2011) than the SuperBowl has viewers (111 million for SuperBowl 2011). “[Advertising during] the SuperBowl used to be the single best way to reach the widest audience.”
Now everybody is carrying Smartphones, no one is restricted to home or their computer desks. With the immense growth of e-commerce, 90% of mobile users search the web while shopping. Shopping is getting social. Carrying mobiles in your pocket at the time of purchasing presents a huge shift in how and how often information is used, shared and acted upon. For instance most of the mobile users in store take photo of the product and share it with their friends.
Shopping has become a social activity now. 77% of respondents to a ComScore survey conducted in April 2011 said, they have accounts on Facebook or Twitter, 42% followed retailers on those sites and 34% shopped on social networking websites or blogs. Established apparel sellers are adopting this new trend of e-commerce and making it easy for consumers to shop socially.
Most of the leading retailers have done this successfully by allowing their consumers to “Be the Buyer,” voting on the products they like. This creates a personalized experience to the consumers and initiates a different relationship with consumers. Apparel leaders are taking place in the world of social media. Some established retailers are entering into partnership with e-commerce sites. As traditional media is effective and profitable way to move into the digital land.
The role of stores is changing now. For a successful business a multi- channel strategy is needed. Rapid growth of e-commerce encourages the changing dynamics of shopping. Both social media and mobiles are influencing traditional shopping behavior. To run a successful business, retailers need to be creative and focus on creating a flawless multi-channel strategy.


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Delta just made a power move that makes having a Delta American Express Card more valuable today than it was yesterday. For cardholders, it’s a “lose nothing, gain a great discount” day.
Delta and itsSkyMiles program has gained major love for its travel perks within the actual flying experience, but of late, the SkyMiles currency hasn’t always been a part of that love. Some unflattering terms such as “SkyPesos” have been coined to reflect what often felt like exorbitant pricing using points, compared to other airlines.
Despite this, the SkyMiles program has continues to grow and Delta remains one of the most loved airlines — so make of that what you will. Now, with the introduction of a new 15% discount on SkyMiles prices for Delta Amex cardmembers, there’s no sign of that changing any time soon.
Miles are more valuable and loyalty has its perks. It’s a major win for cardmembers, without a doubt.
Delta’s New 15% SkyMiles Discount
Effective immediately — and permanently, those who hold a Delta SkyMiles American Express Gold, Platinum or Reserve co-branded credit card will receive a 15% discount on the price in SkyMiles when they redeem for award travel.
Basically, if Delta wants 140,000 SkyMiles one way for a business class flight to Europe, Delta Amex cardmembers holding one of these co-branded credit cards will enjoy 15% off the points price.
That price may still be significantly higher than what other points programs charge for comparable flights, but that’s another story for another day. Delta and SkyMiles just launched limited time card offers with bonuses upward of 90,000 SkyMiles to celebrate the news.
Delta Discount On Award Travel: How It Works
The new “Takeoff 15” benefit from American Express and Delta kicks in automatically. Anyone with a Delta Skymiles Amex Gold, Platinum or Reserve Card searching in the Fly Delta App, or on Delta.com will see the benefit and discount reflected in the pricing automatically.
One key piece to note is that the discount does not apply to any partner flights, such as those on Virgin Atlantic, Air France or KLM, nor does the discount apply to thinks like taxes, fees or surcharges. Just the points price in SkyMiles, but that’s still great.
Delta Pushes Loyalty For Discounts
Delta has been aggressive with SkyMiles prices in recent years to say the least. Now, it’s offering a way out for those willing to show loyalty. It all makes plenty of business sense.
Elite loyalty program members and co-branded cardholders make up a significant share of airline profits, and increasing stickiness with these customers by offering an exclusive discount is a brilliant way to do so.
If you want the most out of your airline miles these days, expect to pledge some loyalty to get there, either with your spending or your flying.


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The four digital commerce enablers join Visa’s “Where You Shop Matters” campaign in helping local businesses digitalise
TikTok insights showing how its Malaysian consumers interact with the app during Ramadhan 2020 – insights that can help brands tap into the platform for wider outreach
More SMBs adopting digital transformation could add US$3.1 trillion to APAC GDP Shortage of talent and technologies account for top digitalisation challenges
APAC SMB Digital Maturity Index shows that around 49% of Malaysian SMBs have benefited from government programmes.
Synology aims to help users centralise data storage and backup, share files on-the-go, implement surveillance solutions, and manage networks in affordable ways.
With enhanced anti-ransomware functionality, improved safeguarding of online financial transactions and convenient security status monitoring, Kaspersky Small Office Security can help SMBs flourish.
Cisco launches Cisco START, a new initiative for Asia’s midmarket and small and medium-sized businesses to take advantage of the opportunities created by the region’s digitisation.
HP targets SMB’s and startups with its entry storage flash that will help them power their business growth while having confidence in their IT infrastructure.
The launch of Acronis Access 7, a mobile content management (MCM) and file sync and share solution, late last year is in many ways a natural reaction to the changing nature of the data management market.
LSN started with RM10-a-day budget on Google AdWords for a month to test waters Going into e-commerce allows it to serve customers nationwide, mobile focus now


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Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has announced the top 10 list of consumer complaints for 2017. Since taking office in 2003, Madigan’s office has mediated nearly 400,000 formal complaints from consumers across Illinois, fielded hundreds of calls and inquiries every year and recovered billions in direct relief to Illinois consumers through litigation and mediation.
Last year, Madigan’s office received 24,669 complaints, and identity theft ranked number one for the first time in 10 years, with 2,511 complaints. Part of this is due to the data breach by Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies that compromised information for nearly 148 million Americans.
Education-related complaints made the list at number two on the list with 2,399 complaints, reflecting on the country’s student loan crisis.
In 2017, Madigan’s Consumer Fraud Bureau returned more than $46 million in savings through litigation and mediation to consumers.
Top 10 Consumer Complaints:
1. Identity Theft (credit cards, data breaches, utilities, government document fraud) – 2,511
2. Education (student loan debt, loan counseling, for-profit schools) – 2,399
3. Consumer Debt (collection agencies, mortgages, banks) – 2,395
4. Construction/Home Improvement (remodeling, roofs and gutters, heating and cooling, plumbing) – 2,113
5. Telecommunications (cable and satellite TV, telemarketing, cell phones, phone service and repairs) – 2,031
6. Promotions/Schemes (phone scams, lottery scams, investment schemes, phishing) – 2,004
7. Used Auto Sales (as-is used cars, financing, advertising, warranties) – 1,728
8. Internet/Mail Order Products (internet and catalog purchases, TV and radio advertising) – 1,071
9. Motor Vehicle/Non-Warranty Repair (collision, engines, oil changes and tune-ups) – 656
10. New Auto Sales (financing, defects, advertising) – 629
For more information, visit Madigan’s website. or contact her office about consumer fraud issues.
Identity Theft Unit: 1-866-999-5630 (TTY: 1-877-844-5461)
Student Loan Helpline: 1-800-455-2456
Homeowner Helpline: 1-866-544-7151
Consumer Fraud Hotlines: 1-800-386-5438 (Chicago), 1-800-243-0618 (Springfield) or 1-800-243-0607 (Carbondale)
Spanish Language Hotline: 1-866-310-8398


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LONE TREE, Colo. — When Colorado lawmakers return to the Capitol Tuesday, along with debating deep budget cuts and finishing up previous legislation, they will also be looking to introduce some bills to help the state recover from COVID-19.
One of the bills Sen. Kevin Priola is planning to introduce will extend an executive order that allows restaurants to sell alcohol to go.
“I’ve heard from a number of people in the restaurant industry both inside Adams County and outside Adams County that are really hurting and struggling right now because their cash flow has been crushed by the stay at home order,” said Sen. Priola.
When the stay at home order went into effect in Colorado, many restaurants saw their sales decrease dramatically. Matt Trostle, the owner of the Clock Tower Grill, said his sales dropped down to five percent of his normal business.
“I did close down for a short period of time because it didn’t make any sense for me to have anyone on payroll if I was actually losing money by staying in business,” Trostle said.
However, in an effort to help restaurants earn money, Governor Polis signed an executive order allowing them to start selling alcohol as part of their take-out and delivery services.
The decision doubled the amount of sales Trostle was making.
“It actually enabled me to stay open,” he said.
Clock Tower Grill is not alone; restaurant after restaurant has told Denver7 the alcohol sales have helped dramatically.
For Rio Grande Mexican Restaurants, a place known for its margaritas, alcohol normally makes up more than 40 percent of the sales.
“We are a business that bridges the bar, restaurant divide,” said CEO Jason Barrett.
The ability to sell those margaritas to customers to enjoy at home has helped keep loyal clients coming in by allowing the restaurant to offer the same food and margarita services patrons could get by dining in.
“It certainly has provided us some stability, financial stability in this crisis,” Barrett said.
According to a Colorado Restaurant Association survey, 87 percent of restaurants are earning revenue through alcohol take out and delivery services.
CRA also conducted a poll in May and found that 85% of the adults surveyed were in favor of the policy being extended.
However, the executive order only lasts for 30 days at a time. Sen. Priola is hoping to help offer some stability for restaurants by extending the order out for another two years.
“We don’t know what the future is going to look like and so extending the alcohol to go and delivery allowances for Colorado restaurants for a two year period, while we’re trying to get through this recovery, I think would be key to restaurants surviving,” CRA president and CEO Sonia Riggs said.
The bill itself will still need the leadership in the legislature to sign off on it because it is being introduced so late in the session.
Sen. Priola says he understands some groups don’t like the idea like liquor stores that are used to selling the bulk of alcohol for people to take home.
Riggs doesn’t believe the ability for restaurants to sell alcohol is actually hurting liquor stores.
“Despite restaurants being able to do this, liquor stores are up year over a year from where they were. I don’t see this is harming them. I see it is just really giving an opportunity for a critically important industry, the restaurant industry,” Riggs said.
However, Sen. Priola believes liquor stores understand the dire financial situations restaurants are facing and how a temporary law like this could help. Beyond that, Sen. Priola says the times are changing.
“I think the time has come to start adjusting liquor law, much of it has been in place since the 1930s,” he said.
Barrett believes the change could prove to be a practical sales model for restaurants moving forward and could even cut down on some drunk driving since people will be able to take their favorite specialty beverages home to enjoy instead of having to drink them on site.
“We’re all learning a new dance through this whole process and alcohol to go might be one of these things where not only does it help the businesses that are hurt most by this crisis, restaurants, but also creating an opportunity,” Barrett said.
Riggs hopes lawmakers will see as they debate the bill that it could offer additional opportunities for sales tax revenue for cities and counties that are also struggling.
Back at Clock Tower Grill, customers are starting to be allowed to dine-in once again. Still, Trostle says business is only about 30 percent of what it used to be. For now, he’s looking for any advantage he can find to try to stay in business and keep his employees on the payroll.
“For us being able to increase our business in any way, shape or form right now is the only chance we have to stay in business as the little guys,” Trostle said.


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Sony Computer Entertainment America has revealed that they've struck up a neat deal with retailers in the US and Canada which will allow gamers to get the PlayStation Vita a week earlier.
Dubbed the PS Vita First Edition Bundle, it will include the PS Vita 3G (or Wi-Fi model), a limited edition case, a 4GB Vita memory card and Little Deviants. This will cost $349.99. In Canada, the deal will include the Wi-Fi model only, a limited edition case, a 4GB Vita memory card and Little Deviants for $299.99.
Pre-ordering the bundle will mean you get the PlayStation Vita on the 15th of February, while those who don't pre-order will have to wait until the 22nd of February, when it also launches in Europe.


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After opening her Charlottetown business two years ago, Luxe Beauty Bar owner Jenna Thompson wanted to find a way to give back to the community that has shown her so much support.
Food and clothing are often what people tend to donate to campaigns, so Thompson started a fundraising effort to help gather the other day-to-day products many people take for granted.
“Hygiene products are necessities that are expensive and unavoidable monthly costs for families,” she told The Guardian. “Often having to choose between food and hygiene products, families are resorting to the alternatives that can lead to long-term health risks.”
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, deodorant, shampoo, body wash, menstrual items such as tampons and sanitary napkins, toilet paper, etc., are the sort of items that Thompson hopes to collect.
It’s important for Island businesses to help out in their communities, she said.
“When people get together and co-ordinate their giving, as occurs during a business fundraiser, tremendous and lasting good can be done for the community.”
When Charlottetown resident Colleen McCabe heard about the fundraiser, she knew exactly how she would help out.
Like many people, McCabe collects Shoppers Optimum points throughout the year.
This year, she decided to use the 100,000 points she collected to purchase feminine products to donate to the fundraiser.
“I save my points over the year to buy myself something, but I really don’t need anything,” she said, adding when she heard about the fundraiser, she knew what she’d use them for.
“I couldn't imagine not being able to afford these products, so why not give to people who don’t have these necessities?”
As if there wasn’t enough incentive to donate, Luxe Beauty Bar will give donors a ballot for every item donated, for a chance to win a free service valued up to $75.
All items collected will be brought to a Santa’s Angels drop-off centre on Dec. 20.
Hygiene products can be dropped off at Luxe Beauty Bar, 79 Grafton Street, Charlottetown, until Dec. 20. For more information, email firstname.lastname@example.org.


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File-hosting service Dropbox has raised $257 million to date, and it's looking to double that entire amount in a massive round of funding that values the startup at $8 billion, Businessweek reported Monday.
Dropbox has been a tech industry darling since its Y Combinator days in 2007, and has routinely found itself on list after list forecasting the next big tech IPO in the wake of Twitter's earlier this month. Dropbox CEO and co-founder Drew Houston has broad ambitions too,for its ability to cater to everyday consumers and corporate clients.
So while Dropbox has yet to use all of its cash from its last financing round, this next round of funding at $250 million could further its business plans -- which-- and keep the company soaring.
However, the news won't bode well for the Silicon Valley detractors. While more profitable than Snapchat by default, Dropbox is yet another company alongside the likes of Square, Pinterest, Airbnb, and other maturing startups milking what some fear to be a.
But at more than 200 million individual users and 4 million businesses, Dropbox has a tried-and-true business model that could very well take it past this massive funding round and toward its eventual IPO, though Houston has been adamant on keeping details of that timeline under wraps.
"What we can say is that with over 200 million users and 4 million businesses, Dropbox has continued [a] strong momentum," Ana Andreescu, a Dropbox spokeswoman, told Businessweek's Ashlee Vance.
That momentum has fashioned Dropbox into somewhat of a startup superhero. It has grown its user base 10 times over in the last three years, and is earning hundreds of millions of dollars a year in revenue while venturing into the acquisition game with smart snatches like e-mail optimization app Mailbox.
Its largest competitor is the more enterprise-focused Box, run by the equally young and ambitious Aaron Levie. Box has raised more than $300 million, which got its jump on Dropbox by two years yet failed to rocket in growth due in part to its business-side focus. Box is eyeing a 2014 IPO, leaving it unclear whether or not Dropbox's catch-up game in the enterprise space and continual funding hunt will hamper its lofty ambitions.


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Facebook's f8 conference saw the debut of a new profile page, headlined by the Timeline feature, as well as integration of new custom music, video and news apps as part of the Open Graph platform
Facebook launches new Timeline and Profile Page
Thursday saw Mark Zuckerberg announce a raft of changes to Facebook at the f8 conference. The site has added a Timeline to your profile page which allows you to group your whole life by year. The company also unveiled a totally revamped profile page, which is headed-up by a huge landscape picture.
Open Graph project sees Spotify and more apps integrated into Facebook
The second major announcement from f8 saw the expected link-up with Spotify finally confirmed. Custom apps for Spotify, as well as Rhapsody, Rdio and MOG will come to your page, and video from Vevo, Netflix and Hulu will also be integrated. Most of those services are US based, so we await the announcement of UK partners
It's not just 'Like' anymore, it's Read, Watch and Listen
Facebook's 'Like' button has been considered a little vague for a while now, and the company seems to have realised that by adding new verbs like you "Read" a book, "Watched" a show or "Listened" to a song. To cut down on what appears in your timeline, these will appear in your ticker.
89 per cent of iPhone users sticking with Apple
Almost nine tenths of all iPhone users say their next handset will also be from Apple, according to new research. It's nearest challenger is HTC, which is at just 39 per cent. The big loser is RIM, however. It's retention rate has fallen to 33 per cent from 62 per cent in the last 18 months.
Bad blood with Samsung sees Apple look for new component suppliers
Every day it seems that Apple sues Samsung and Samsung counter sues Apple. It was only a matter of time before their mutually beneficial business arrangements were affected. Apple has been spending a fortune on Samsung components for the iPhone and iPad, but reports suggest that Apple is preparing to take its business elsewhere.


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On the final day of Tokyo Game Show 2014, a talk show and signing event was held at the Tokyo Otaku Mode booth!
Amuse Inc., creator of the popular Alpacasso series, held a private viewing for their new products!
A look at the trailers for the nine anime beginning this fall with promising battle scenes!
Take a look back at Tokyo Game Show 2014, which recorded the event’s second highest attendance in its history!
Here’s our selection of 10 different trailers for cheerful, comedic school anime that will begin broadcast this October!
Games and beautiful girls go hand-in-hand? Introducing pictures of the beautiful cosplayers & booth girls we found at Tokyo Game Show 2014!
A new music video and other details have been released regarding the anime Psycho-Pass 2, which begins airing on Fuji TV's Noitamina on Oct. 9!
Business Day starts! A huge lineup of all kinds of new games is in store!
Eir Aoi, Egoist, T.M.Revolution, DJ Kazu! Popular anime song singers appeared at Anime Festival Asia Indonesia 2014!
Tons of new Sanrio products! Many Hello Kitty, Kirimi-chan, and even Gudetama products introduced!
The climax of the Kyoto arc is finally here!
From Sanrio! A TV anime themed after a rock band will begin its late-night broadcast in 2015!
Pullip is an impressive line of fashion dolls that have big heads, slender arms and legs, and lovely eyes. Here on TOM, we’ve previously introduced Pullips born from collaborations with such works as Sailor Moon and Rozen Maiden.
A huge outbreak of 50-millimeter-tall Terraformars will take over sweet shops!
Have Miku sing by using a guitar! The first ever in the world! Introducing the Vocaloid effector Miku Stomp!
A new game in the One Piece: Pirate Warriors series, a collaboration between the popular series One Piece and Warriors that has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, is coming to the PS4.
Rozen Maiden is one of the popular collaborative series from Pullip fashion dolls. Though Kirakishou was just released in July, Hinaichigo, the sixth doll, is already joining the Pullip ranks.
Recently, the Manga Translation Battle has been gaining attention as a gateway to success for aspiring translators. In this interview series, we’ll talk with previous winners of the contest about their past and what lies ahead for them as manga translators.
One angel, and one demon? Starting Aug. 28, two high-quality figures from the Wonderful Hobby Selection Series, “Colossal Titan Takayuki Takeya Ver.” and “Yamato Kai: Heavy Armament Ver.” are now available for pre-order.
Aug. 22, 2014 07:001
The large-scale event that brings together characters and hobby under one roof, Chara Hobby C3×Hobby, will be held on Aug. 23 and 24 at the Makuhari Messe International Convention Complex.
Aug. 22, 2014 03:304
Comic Market closed with an attendance count of 550,000 people. The next upcoming otaku event is Tokyo Game Show!
Aug. 22, 2014 01:0038
Cosplay from new anime dominated the scene! We focus on everything cute and sexy we found at this summer’s Comic Market!
Aug. 21, 2014 13:006
A promotional video for Shirobako, an original TV anime that will begin broadcasting this October, was released on Aug. 18 on the official site.
Aug. 21, 2014 07:003
The original TV anime Yūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru, which is being worked on by a group of hitmakers, will begin broadcasting this October.
Aug. 20, 2014 13:002
Haikyū!! is a hugely popular volleyball manga currently serializing in Weekly Shonen Jump. The TV anime, which began in April, has proved a huge hit with both boys and girls, and now an Ichiban Kuji is releasing.
Aug. 20, 2014 07:004
The popular series Dog Days by author and series composer Masaki Tsuzuki is returning for a new season.
Aug. 20, 2014 01:0013
Let’s take a look at the cosplayers and content that caught our attention at this summer’s Comic Market!


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So, just when you think you have the nomenclature for the Infiniti brand figured out, the go and throw you a change up.
On Monday, the Japanese luxury automaker announced that starting with the 2014 models, all vehicles will carry either a Q or QX prefix. They also announced that the latest vehicle added to their lineup – a luxury sports sedan they will unveil at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month – will be the first Q vehicle, called the Q50.
The Q prefix will be for sedans or convertibles, while the QX prefix will be for crossover and SUV models.
“Over the past few months, we have talked at length with our retailers, our customers, and our business partners about our bran,” Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti Motor Company Limited, said in a statement.
“The need for a new identity and direction to promote consumer familiarity with our model range as we expand the portfolio became evident. To achieve this, we clearly needed a simple and consistent nomenclature framework. After exhaustive research and evaluation, we concluded that ‘Q’ captured the inspiration within the next generation of Infiniti models, as well as emphasizing our performance credentials while harking back to our heritage with the Q45 – Infiniti’s first iconic flagship product in 1989.”


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Written by: Sandeep Ravindran, Ph.D. | Issue # 66 | 2017
- A new meta-analysis finds that there is a neutral association between dairy consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
- The study also suggests that greater consumption of fermented dairy products, including cheese and yogurt, may decrease the risk of CVD.
- The findings add to the body of evidence that despite being a major source of dietary saturated fats, dairy products may not be bad for heart health and may even be beneficial.
Consuming fats, and particularly saturated fats, increases the odds of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the major cause of death and disability worldwide, and many public health guidelines recommend diets that are low in saturated fats [1,2]. Although dairy products are a major source of dietary saturated fats, they have been shown to have various beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, including a reduced risk of stroke and coronary heart disease [3–7].
“That was surprising, and to many people it is still surprising,” says Professor Ian Givens of the University of Reading. “To some it’s a bit of a paradox, that you don’t see a big increase in coronary heart disease risk in particular, from high consumption of dairy products,” he says. “One of our biggest challenges has been to explain to the public why we either see a reduced or neutral cardiovascular disease risk with most dairy products when in many people’s minds they would expect the risk to be increased.”
In a new meta-analysis that looked at 29 prospective cohort studies, Givens and his colleagues found a neutral association between dairy consumption and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality . “We thought it’s been quite a while since there has been an up-to-date meta-analysis,” says Givens. “We end up with a kind of neutral outcome. In other words, increasing consumption isn’t associated with increased risk,” he says. The researchers also found that consuming more fermented dairy products, including cheese and yogurt, may decrease the risk of CVD.
Givens became interested in studying how dairy products affect CVD due to the topic’s important public health implications. “Dairy products are consumed by a very high proportion of the population,” he says. “If there is some issue with these foods, it would potentially have a big effect at a population level, and it would affect everyone from children to adults,” says Givens. If dairy products are not harmful or are even beneficial to heart health despite their saturated fat content, that’s good news for the large proportion of people who regularly consume dairy.
Givens started doing meta-analyses looking at dairy and CVD back in the mid-2000s. “The first thing we did was we simply compared high consumers versus low consumers with a range of outcomes, but focusing particularly on coronary heart disease, and expanding into cardiovascular diseases in general, which includes stroke,” he says.
“When I started, and to some extent I guess it’s still the same now, the public was uncertain whether dairy products were good or bad,” says Givens. “I think that was mainly due to the messages that had been coming out about saturated fats,” he says. “The evidence on saturated fats on their own I think is still quite strong,” says Givens. But what about when these saturated fats were present in dairy?
Givens and other researchers have conducted many studies, including several meta-analyses, to figure out how dairy products might affect CVD risk [9–11]. “The strength of these meta-analyses comes from bringing together evidence from studies done in different parts of the world,” says Givens. “If the tendency for all of these is in the same direction, it gives you quite a lot of confidence,” says Givens.
Most of these studies have found no evidence for a harmful association between dairy consumption and CVD risk. In fact, consuming dairy may even be beneficial, as there’s evidence that higher milk and cheese consumption may be associated with a slightly lower risk of stroke [6,11]. “There are two CVDs to be really worried about: stroke and coronary heart disease,” says Givens. “Fermented dairy products may play a role in decreasing the risk of both stroke and coronary heart disease,” he says.
“I think in some dairy products there is a kind of balancing effect, so that the saturated fat effects might be negative, but there are other things there that are positive, which reduce risk, so overall you get a sort of neutral risk,” says Givens. “There’s also increasing evidence that the matrix of cheese prevents some of the fat in it from being digested and absorbed,” says Givens.
Researchers have made a lot of progress in studying the effects of dairy on CVDs, but doing these kinds of meta-analyses isn’t without its challenges. “The biggest challenge is really being able to identify studies of adequate quality that you can actually use them in meta-analyses,” he says. “If you look at the current meta-analysis, we’re still only talking about 29 studies, it’s not massive numbers,” says Givens. “The other big challenge is how you deal with confounding factors,” he says. “There’s no simple answer to that, you just try to include confounding factors that you think are important,” says Givens.
Differences between individual studies can also make them harder to analyze. “A lot of the studies have classified dairy products as high-fat or low-fat, but there’s been no consistent agreement between studies as to what counts as a low-fat or high-fat,” says Givens. “We’ve seen for example one study that had ordinary milk in the high-fat group, because none of the fats had been removed, and it was in the same group as cheese with about 34 to 35% fat,” he says. “That doesn’t seem sensible, and I think that’s one of the problems lurking through many of the studies that are out there.”
On the plus side, researchers have refined their study designs since Givens started doing these meta-analyses. “One of the things that has happened in the last year or two is the move away from simply comparing high consumers versus low consumers, because in doing that you inherently assume a linear response between a low consumer and a high consumer,” says Givens. “The move has been to do dose response meta-analyses, where you actually try to look at the progression from low consumption to high consumption and assess whether or not it is linear,” he says. “If you can demonstrate a dose response, it actually gives you a whole lot of confidence that you’re dealing with a real mechanism rather than some accidental outcome, so I think that’s helped a lot,” says Givens.
In addition to prospective studies, Givens and others have also conducted intervention studies looking at the effects of dairy products and proteins on markers of CVD risk, including blood pressure. “There is a lot of interest in intervention studies, they are in many ways the gold standard,” says Givens. “The problem with intervention studies is that they’re very expensive to do,” he says. “And they still have to rely on markers of risk rather than absolute disease outcomes,” says Givens. “In contrast, the benefit of prospective studies is that they last a long time, and you actually have real disease events as the outcome,” he says.
The good thing is that researchers continue to find new and better markers. “10 to 15 years ago in studies looking at the effects of dietary fats, you would really only see cholesterol, or triglycerides, or maybe blood pressure as markers,” says Givens. “Nowadays, we’re beginning to look at cholesterol subtypes, or arterial stiffness,” he says. “This probably tells you more about your future risk of CVD than just blood pressure,” he says. “So the markers are getting better, which means that randomized control trials are getting more helpful, but they are still expensive,” says Givens.
If there’s one takeaway from the recent meta-analyses, it’s that unlike most other products rich in saturated fats, dairy products may not be bad for heart health, and may even be beneficial. “I think we can say that dairy products are at least not harmful with respect to CVDs,” says Givens. “So I think this neutral association between dairy consumption and CVD risk is significant.”
1. GBD 2013 mortality and causes of death collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2015 Jan 10;385(9963):117-71.
2. Sacks F.M., Lichtenstein A.H., Wu J.H.Y., Appel L.J., Creager M.A., Kris-Etherton P.M., Miller M., Rimm E.B., Rudel L.L., Robinson J.G., Stone N.J., Van Horn L.V.; American Heart Association. Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: A presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017 Jul 18;136(3):e1-e23.
3. Crichton G.E., Alkerwi A. Dairy food intake is positively associated with cardiovascular health: findings from Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg study. Nutr Res. 2014 Dec;34(12):1036-44.
4. Markey O., Vasilopoulou D., Givens D.I., Lovegrove J.A. Dairy and cardiovascular health: Friend or foe? Nutr Bull. 2014 Jun;39(2):161-171.
5. Wang L., Manson J.E., Buring J.E., Lee I.M., Sesso H.D. Dietary intake of dairy products, calcium, and vitamin D and the risk of hypertension in middle-aged and older women. Hypertension. 2008 Apr;51(4):1073-9.
6. Petherick A. (2013). A Hearty Helping of Dairy. SPLASH! milk science update: February 2013. (https://milkgenomics.org/splash/a-hearty-helping-of-dairy/).
7. Givens D.I., Soedamah-Muthu S.S. Dairy fat: does it increase or reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease? Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Nov;104(5):1191-2.
8. Guo J., Astrup A., Lovegrove J.A., Gijsbers L., Givens D.I., Soedamah-Muthu S.S. Milk and dairy consumption and risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Eur J Epidemiol. 2017 Apr;32(4):269-287.
9. Thorning T.K., Raben A., Tholstrup T., Soedamah-Muthu S.S., Givens I., Astrup A. Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence. Food Nutr Res. 2016 Nov 22;60:32527.
10. Lovegrove J.A., Givens D.I. Dairy food products: good or bad for cardiometabolic disease? Nutr Res Rev. 2016 Dec;29(2):249-267.
11. de Goede J., Soedamah-Muthu S.S., Pan A., Gijsbers L., Geleijnse J.M. Dairy consumption and risk of stroke: A systematic review and updated dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 May 20;5(5). pii: e002787.


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Zimbabwe now has a year-over-year rate of inflation lower than the UK, India, and China, according to today’s government release (HT @World_First)
Inflation there increased by 3.2% year-over-year, and actually declined 0.4% in December.
Compare that to the UK, where inflation now stands at 3.7% annually. The rate stands at 4.3% in China, and a whopping 8.4% in India.
Check out these photos of the food inflation riots sweeping the world >
NOW WATCH: Money & Markets videos


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Yesterday, Federal District Court Judge John A. Kronstadt (Central District of California) denied certification to a proposed class of over 5,000 grocery employees at all WinCo Foods warehouse grocery stores in California. In Hughes v. WinCo Foods, plaintiffs sought to certify a class of all hourly employees at WinCo stores in California on “late” meal period claims. Plaintiffs alleged that WinCo failed to provide the grocery employees with meal periods during the first five hours of their shifts. Citing the recent Supreme Court decision in Dukes, Judge Kronstadt found plaintiffs failed to establish the Rule 23 class certification requirements because WinCo gave store and department managers discretion over the timing and arrangement of meal periods. As a result, the decision-making with respect to when employees took meal periods varied from store to store and department to department such that the timing of meal periods could not be proven reliably on behalf of the class with evidence in “a single stroke.”
WinCo operates thirty large discount warehouse grocery stores in California. Each WinCo store has up to fifteen different departments, most of which are managed by hourly employees known as department managers. Plaintiffs claimed that WinCo required manager permission for employees to take a meal period and therefore had control over the timing of meal periods, which according to plaintiffs distinguished the case from the Brinker decision that is currently pending before the California Supreme Court. Judge Kronstadt, however, adopted Seyfarth’s argument that managers had discretion to manage and arrange meal periods in varying ways in different departments thereby destroying commonality. Also, because plaintiffs assigned partial responsibility for the alleged meal break violations to their supervisors (fellow hourly employees), and simultaneously sought to represent the same supervisors, the Court found there was a potential conflict of interest that raised concerns about adequacy of representation making the proposed class inappropriate.
Relying on favorable deposition testimony and declarations obtained by Seyfarth showing wide variability of meal period practices from department to department and employee to employee, Judge Kronstadt concluded that plaintiffs “failed to carry their burden ‘affirmatively [to] demonstrate’ that the alleged meal period violations were the result of a common policy or practice, or otherwise demonstrate the predominance of common questions.” Because of the substantial individualized inquires that would be necessary to adjudicate plaintiffs’ “late” meal period claim, the Court determined that the class action would devolve into hundreds or thousands of “mini-trials” and the superiority requirement was not met.
This case is another example of a federal court using Dukes to support denial of class certification, which is a growing trend previously reported on this blog.


text: It’s been known for a while that the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain gives oodles of money to anti-gay groups. And now the president of the company has openly acknowledged his opposition to gay marriage by stating that he, “[prays] God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.” Wonderful. So what’s an open-minded chicken sandwich lover to do? Make your own! Click here for a recipe that will allow you to eat fried food with a bit less guilt than usual!


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Even as IMD had projected a revival of monsoon in southern India in the current week, Kerala, the usual gateway of southwest monsoon, has been facing a deficit of 27% rainfall during the monsoon season, beginning in June. Thi
Even as it doesn’t appear the Centre’s intent to invoke the anti-profiteering provision under the goods and services tax (GST) from day one, at least one state demanded that the dreaded tool be wielded without delay.
Kerala stands to lose Rs 300 crore out of its Rs 1,404-crore soft loan from the World Bank (WB) for phase II of the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP). Dissatisfied by the “slow progress” of the Rs 2,810-crore, four-ye
The coastal shrimp aquaculture production has grown consistently to cross 5 lakh tonnes, during the last couple of years, according to MPEDA (Marine Products Exports Development Authority) Chairman A Jayathilak.
The first panic wave of drought came to Kerala through the long nose of the wild jumbo. What alerted the state of the gravity of the impending drought was the exodus of elephants, monkeys and bisons from Karnataka-Kerala bord
Ration shops in Kerala are readying to go the ATM way soon. As many as 14,500 ration retail shops in Kerala will soon be equipped with electronic point of sale (ePoS) machines, which would work as micro-ATMs.
Rubber MSMEs (Micro, Small or Medium Enterprises) have expressed strong reservations over rubber growers’ memorandum to Commerce Ministry for banning natural rubber (NR) imports for at least six months.
Rubber growers have sought a ban on import of natural rubber (NR) for atleast six months. Indian Rubber Growers Association (IRGA) has called on Union minister of state for commerce Nirmala Sitaraman in New Delhi, urging her


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The automaker collaborated with the Environmental Defense Fund to release recommendations to the EPA
GM wants to make it so that Federal standards force automakers to have at least 50% of their sales be EVs by 2030
The company wants to sell only electric light-duty vehicles by 2035, which is earlier than most major manufacturers
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently in the process of developing its proposed emissions requirements for the 2027 to 2030 model years.
During this process, the agency is open to hearing from implicated parties such as automakers and environmental groups, which usually have opposite opinions on the subject.
This time, however, General Motors actually teamed up with the Environmental Defense Fund to recommend the EPA set stricter requirements for emissions in order to have at least 50% of all vehicles sold in the United States be electric by 2030.
GM is pushing this since it is one of the fastest-moving legacy automakers in terms of electric vehicle development, with a plan to introduce 30 new EVs globally by 2025.
Furthermore, the company plans to have all of its light-duty vehicles be powered by electricity by 2035, which is also one of the rules it wants other automakers to be subjected to.
If GM’s propositions are adopted by the EPA, this could cause problems for smaller automakers that don’t have the resources to switch half of their production to electric vehicles by 2030 and go fully electric five years later.
The EPA rules that are currently in effect will require each automaker’s fleet to have an average fuel economy of at least 40 miles per gallon (5.9 L/100 km) by 2026.
The laws that will be applied for the 2027 to 2030 model years will require fleets to be even more efficient, which will only be possible with the addition of a number of electric vehicles in each automaker’s lineup and the removal of more polluting models powered by larger engines.


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You need to beware of mobile scareware ads which say your phone has a virus. This week one of the Android Authority team saw an antivirus scareware ad on his phone and was able to capture a couple of very useful screenshots.
Obad was the nastiest piece of Android malware discovered in 2013
In a recent end of year summary published by antivirus company Kaspersky Labs, the firm officially named Obad, a sophisticated Trojan that can be distributed via mobile botnets, as its Android Villain of the Year 2013.
Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus – Everything you need to know
Security researchers have found a bug in Android which allows them to create malicious Android apps which appear to be genuine with the correct digital signatures. However it is unlikely that such apps will make it into the Google Play Store. But those who use third-party sites need to beware.
A new security report continues trend by antimalware companies of releasing scary numbers, but once you dig through the hype there are some real figures which should at least make every Android user aware of the dangers of downloading apps from third parties.
Android malware now being used to target political activists
Android malware was found to have targeted specific persons, particularly those aligned with political activism. Still, this is a reminder for everyone else to be careful with the attachments we open and apps we install.
Android accounted for 79% of all mobile malware last year
A very small number of people are actually affected by malware, meaning our mobile security is inherently good. In a world where mobile is becoming the method of choice for just about everything, you can expect those malware developers to adjust their game plan accordingly. We're comfortable in our mobile world, but that could change.


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At IMSH 2017, HealthySimulation.com had the opportunity to interview Mick Navin, CEO of Operative Experience Inc (OEI) about their expanded range of hyper-realistic surgical simulators with engaging anatomy, as well as to learn about the recent investments and support by Lou Oberndorf — who lead the growth of METI which was acquired by CAE Healthcare. [...]
At IMSH 2017 HealthySim was lucky to catch VirtaMed Founder and Co-CEO Stefan Tuchschmid, PhD to get a hands on demonstration of their hybrid surgical simulators and experimental VR technologies! I had a chance to try out their HTC Vive VR demonstration and found myself inside a knee to see the anatomy up [...]
Today we are sharing more video interviews of medical simulation vendors from the IMSH 2017 exhibit hall with a look at the awesome updated products from Medical-X. HealthySim captured an exclusive interview with Medical-X CEO Dervis Demirtas with this deeper dive into NENA Sim and Adam-X:
The company’s mission is to provide healthcare professionals with [...]
Roland Partride, Co-Founder of eoSurgical, wrote in to share an amazing take-home surgical simulator that all fits inside a travel-sized case! To me this represents the continued transformation technology brings to healthcare education, which allows for more hands-on training whenever, wherever.
Roland writes “eoSurgical has established a trainee-led initiative to produce affordable take-home surgical simulators. The eoSim [...]


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Ford expects $5 billion loss in current quarter as coronavirus hits demand
Ford Motor Co said its second-quarter loss would more than double to over $5 billion from $2 billion in the first quarter due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but added it had enough money despite the crisis to last the rest of 2020, Trend reports citing Reuters.
“We believe the company’s cash is sufficient to take us through the end of the year, even with no additional vehicle wholesales or financing actions,” Chief Financial Officer Tim Stone said in a statement.
But he called the current economic environment “too ambiguous” for the No. 2 U.S. automaker to give a full-year 2020 earnings forecast.
“There’s no denying the negative economic consequences of a pandemic,” Chief Executive Jim Hackett said on a conference call with analysts.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based company has slashed costs during the COVID-19 outbreak to weather the shutdown, including cutting salaries of executives and white-collar employees.
Ford also moved to cut spending on projects, saying on Tuesday it was pushing back its commercial autonomous vehicle services by a year to 2022 and that it had decided not to develop a previously announced luxury electric Lincoln sport utility vehicle in partnership with electric vehicle maker Rivian.
Ford shares were down more than 4.6% in after-hours trading on Tuesday after closing the regular session at $5.38.
Ford’s market value of $20.6 billion is now less than the $35 billion in cash it had on hand as of last Friday, an indication that investors expect the company to burn through significant amounts of cash before a recovery takes hold.
Ford had preannounced the pandemic-fueled first-quarter loss earlier this month. That warning came the same day the company raised $8 billion from corporate debt investors.
Last month, Ford moved to hoard cash on its balance sheet, drawing down $15.4 billion from two credit lines and suspending its dividend, in a move to bolster reserves to ride out damage to its business.


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Google Bringing Out Cleaner Search Results Page, removes Underlines
Google has rolled out certain changes to how it displays results on its search page – delicate but noticeable change. When talking about the two big changes – first is the removal of lines from the search results and second is the introduction of a yellow label. This yellow label is called “Ad/Ads”, these modifications are to redesign the search pages and making them cleaner. Have a look: Design lead for Google – Jon Wiley wrote on Google+ on Wednesday that, “We've expanded the size of search result titles and removed the underlines as well as evened out the height of lines. The move aims at improving readability and creating a look that is clean. We've also introduced our latest ad labels from mobile, to make multi-device experience more exciting.” Web users started noticing the changes in the last two days, but officially confirmed by Jon Wiley on Thursday via Google+. The lines you are used to were adopted in the 1990s, being a part of web designing ideology. But in the last few years many sites have moved away from underlining links, to make their pages look cleaner. Along with these changes, Google has also removed that light pink background you must have noticed at the top of the search page. The search giant has increased the font size for titles and it clearly means less character appears. The new layout will feature a dark gray color, rather than black. Some users welcome the modifications but some didn't. According to some users – the changes will definitely improve readability while others say it’s too blurry. They say that the font size is too bigger and the search giant also failed to use the full width of the screen. The changes also looked different on different browsers and seem to be effective on Chrome as compared to Firefox. Hope, the changes will not make it difficult for web users to use Google….


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The process of development is beginning to feel belarut-soluble, trips to visualize one of the best war simulation game in the gaming industry – Madden Mobile is not an easy job. The developer – Bohemia Interactive even have to deal with thorny legal issues after two developer was charged with spying on the Greek secret military installation. Despite these problems eventually terlesaikan well, but the legal process itself does hold various progress Bohemia to finish Madden Mobile is pursued deadline. Confirming the certainty that the game is still to be released before the end of the year, Bohemia turns to sacrifice one important feature to be able to reach the deadline on this one. No kidding, they were forced to nullify the campaign mode madden mobile cheats ios.
“After talking about the focus on the quality throughout the year, it would be unfair if we start having to sacrifice this aspect solely to speed up the release of Madden Mobile”, said Joris-Jan Van Land explained the decision behind negate the campaign mode in the initial release of this game later , Nevertheless, it remains to be strengthened by more than nine multiplayer scenarios, 12 single player missions, 10 challenge missions, 20 vehicles, 30 types of weapons, the freedom to do the mod, to the two main islands – Atlis and Stratis to be explored. You feel this is not enough to cover the absence of the campaign mode? Relax, this will only be a small delay.
To assure himself meet deadlines an existing release, Bohemia decided to abolish the campaign mode in the initial release Madden Mobile. The Campaign mode will be injected as a free DLC in various episodes after release.
Although not able to release it in the campaign mode of release, Bohemia Interactive still run its commitment to inject a little side story and background in Madden Mobile. The campaign mode will be offered as a free DLC that will be distributed after the initial release. Campaign Mode will be divided into three DLC. New Bohemia confirmed the presence of “Survive” which will be launched one month after the release Madden Mobile and “Adapt and Win” a few months later. Unfortunately, there is no definite release date until today.


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For years and years, Under Armour (NYSE:UAA) stock has been the eyesore in a red-hot athletic apparel category.
Long story short, the athletic apparel brand has executed poorly against surging athleisure demand, failed to meaningfully grow sales and profits, and has ultimately seen its stock price fall into penny stock territory.
Meanwhile the likes of Nike (NYSE:NKE), Adidas (OTCMKTS:ADDYY), and Lululemon (NASDAQ:LULU) have all strongly capitalized on surging athleisure demand, reported stellar revenue and profit growth, and ultimately seen their stock prices soar to new highs.
It’s as stark a tale of two cities as you’ll find in the market.
But, there’s reason to believe that Under Armour is finally correcting course, and that a well-executed turnaround in 2021 could get UAA stock on the same winning trajectory as NKE stock, ADDYY stock, and LULU stock.
Of course, that means now is the time to buy UAA stock — while it’s still beaten up and ahead of this game-changing turnaround.
Here’s a deeper look.
Fixing Under Armour’s Branding Problem
For years, Under Armour has been plagued by a wide-reaching brand equity issue.
Specifically, Under Armour missed the athleisure trend back in 2015/16, fell behind peers who were killing it in athleisure, and tried to play catch-up by flooding lower-price channels with Under Armour product in an attempt to be the “affordable” brand in athletic apparel. That didn’t work. All it did was dilute brand equity because consumers started affiliating “Under Armour” with “cheap” and “uncool”. Sales, profits and the UAA stock price all fell off a cliff.
But, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Under Armour is finally fixing its huge, multi-year branding problem.
That is, the pandemic gave management the time to reassess the brand’s go-to market strategy, and they’ve come away with the right conclusion. In order for Under Armour to succeed in the long run, the company needs to improve brand equity, and stop selling so much product into off-price channels.
Throughout the second-quarter and third-quarter conference calls, management consistently talked about reducing brand exposure to the off-price channel and building out a more robust direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales channel, with premium product, at premium prices.
Those are the right moves to be making.
Getting UAA product out of Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) and other off-price channels will help remove the negative stigmas that hamper Under Armour today. Building out a robust DTC channel will help Under Armour more strictly control, and thereby optimize, the shopping experience. Doing so will boost brand equity — which will in turn boost sales, profits and UAA stock.
After all, Nike pivoted aggressively to DTC, too, over the past few years. It’s worked wonders for them.
It should work wonders for Under Armour, too.
So Far, So Good
Under Armour’s recently reported third quarter numbers emphasize that this off-price channel reduction, premium-focused turnaround strategy is off to a great start.
The company’s Q3 numbers blew estimates out of the water, with revenues coming in flat year-over-year (versus expectations for a ~20% drop). Perhaps more impressively, international revenues — which were down almost 40% in Q2 — rose 17% in constant-currency in Q3, the best international revenue growth rate from Under Armour in over a year.
Meanwhile, gross margins came in well ahead of expectations. So did operating profits, and operating margins were roughly flat year-over-year despite Covid-19 noise. What was a huge operating loss last quarter, swung to a sizable profit this quarter.
Overall, the trends — rapidly recovering revenue growth, stabilizing margins, and losses turning into profits — broadly imply that Under Armour’s turnaround strategy is working.
It will continue to work in 2021, as a clean inventory slate coupled with new premium sales channels and premium products will converge on a rapidly improving apparel spending backdrop and easing Covid-19 hysteria. That’s a recipe which implies that Under Armour’s sales and profit trends next year should look really, really good.
Behind those strong growth trends, UAA stock should shoot higher in 2021.
Under Armour, Undervalued?
UAA stock is dirt cheap today because of the aforementioned branding problems.
But, if Under Armour can leverage a premium, DTC pivot and new, exciting products to fix those branding problems, then UAA stock today is too cheap for its own good.
That’s because management successfully pulling off this pivot will have two huge financial implications.
First, it will meaningfully accelerate revenue growth, from 3% to 4% today, to 5%-plus over the next few years. Second, it will meaningfully improve gross margins through a bigger mix of full-price sales and create visible runway for operating margins to scale to 10%.
If those two things happen – and I think they will – my modeling suggests that Under Armour will do about $1 in earnings per share by 2025.
Consumer discretionary stocks typically trade at 20-times forward earnings. Based on that multiple, a reasonable 2024 price target for UAA stock is $20. Discounted back by 8.5% per year, that implies a 2021 price target of nearly $16.
That’s about 15% above where share trade hands today.
Bottom Line on Under Armour Stock
For years, Under Armour has struggled with enormous branding problems.
In 2020, the company has taken significant steps to fix those branding problems.
In 2021, the company will start to realize the benefits of this enormous branding fix. Revenues will rebound meaningfully. Margins will expand. Profits will soar. So will the stock.
By the end of 2021, UAA stock will be closer to $20 than $10.
On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.
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France – Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) will invest more than €300m in the plant to enable the production of vehicles based on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA).The upgrading of equipment and systems will allow the plant to produce 300,000 vehicles annually in the future.
The first step will convert 300 temporary positions into permanent contracts to support the preparation works, with potential for another 400 permanent jobs when full capacity is reached.
“We remain focused on strengthening the global competitiveness of our European plants. The roll-out of TNGA manufacturing capability is part of this plan. The upgrade of TMMF is a sign of confidence in our employees and suppliers, and their focus on superior quality and greater efficiency...” said Didier Leroy, EVP of Toyota Motor Corporation and chairman of Toyota Motor Europe.
Toyota has launched a global programme to gradually upgrade its manufacturing sites to produce next generation, TNGA-based vehicles. This architecture already underpins the new, fourth generation Prius and the C-HR crossover.


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The multinational technology company Apple has multiple social media accounts, with combined tens of millions of followers, but most of them are not active; even those that are active, like their Instagram page, don’t promote products; there are just pictures that were taken using iPhones.
This doesn’t just stop at company social media accounts, even senior officials, including the company CEO Tim Cook, who has more than 9 million followers on Twitter doesn’t put out tweets promoting Apple products.
On the other hand, their counterparts like Google, Amazon, Samsung, Microsoft have a strong presence on social media and they are really aggressive at promoting themselves on the platforms.
In this video, a reporter with TechAltra offers his opinion on why he thinks the trillion-dollar company is avoiding social media branding and marketing.
One of the points he offers is that the company is a control freak, and they want every message or piece of information they release to move the way they want it while avoiding criticism coming direct at their social media pages in the comment section. According to TechAltar, Apple would rather read the criticism from other platforms and not it being littered on the social media platforms.
Secondly, as the company founder once said, “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them,” so they don’t believe that much in getting feedback from people.
The other thing is that Apple has cultivated a strong culture of secrecy so they don’t want their products and information randomly getting out through social media.
Being a company that outs “premium products”, TechAltar suggests, Apple loves the old-fashioned expensive way of marketing using Television and billboards so that their message is not spoilt through social media influencing and marketing.


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In Japan, Masayoshi Son is known as the eccentric Internet billionaire who upended the country's telecom industry. In the U.S., he is about to become the cash-strapped underdog who picked a fight with two corporate giants— AT&T Inc. T 0.41 % and Verizon Wireless.
"It's like the poor kids fighting against the rich kids," Mr. Son said recently about the coming showdown. "Sometimes, the poor kids have more guts to fight the uphill battle."
On Oct. 15, Tokyo-based Softbank Corp. 9984 -0.50 % , announced a $20 billion deal to acquire 70% of Sprint Nextel Corp. S 0.30 % , currently a distant No. 3 to AT&T and Verizon. Although the deal hasn't yet been approved by regulators or Sprint shareholders, Mr. Son, Softbank's chief executive and largest shareholder, already has pledged to try to break the market dominance of the industry titans.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he said Verizon and AT&T—which together account for two-thirds of the U.S. wireless industry's customers and nearly all of its profits—are burdened with the need to keep shareholders "rich and happy" with healthy profit margins and big dividends.
In Japan, Mr. Son went after his telecom rivals with a scorched-earth strategy of cutting prices that forced them to choose between profits and customers. He suggested he would use a similar strategy to take on Verizon and AT&T, while spending billions of dollars to improve Sprint's network. Verizon and AT&T together have about 160 million contract customers, compared with 32 million at Sprint.
Win or lose, Mr. Son is emerging as a fierce and unpredictable rival at exactly the wrong time for the biggest U.S. carriers. After years of battling each other for subscribers, Verizon and AT&T have been rolling out new pricing plans and stingier upgrade policies to squeeze more profit out of their customer bases. Mr. Son's arrival could compel them to keep price increases in check—but only if he succeeds in his long-shot bet that he can make Sprint's nationwide network better than what its rivals offer.
Mr. Son, a short, slight 55-year-old, is one of Japan's best-known chief executives. He owns 20.9% of Softbank, which holds big stakes in Yahoo Japan 4689 0.73 % and China's Alibaba Group and is anchored by Japan's third-largest wireless carrier, which he bought six years ago from Vodafone Group VOD -1.62 % PLC.
Japan's Telecom Giant
See some key dates in the life of Masayoshi Son, Softbank's chief executive and largest shareholder.
Japan Inc.'s Shopping Spree
Japan is seeing its biggest-ever surge in outbound mergers and acquisitions as the country's companies buy businesses abroad to combat a shrinking market and stagnant economy at home.
He speaks often about growing up in an impoverished, ethnically Korean family crammed into a shack with no official address in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands. His father was a pig farmer who illegally brewed alcohol before settling into a more comfortable life in later years as owner of a pachinko parlor.
Worried that his Korean heritage would make it harder to succeed in Japan, Mr. Son struck out at the age of 16 for the U.S. He has said his family, friends and teachers didn't want him to go, in part because his father was ill. But he was resolute. America, he said, was the only place he could escape discrimination and make himself a success. His father eventually relented.
He attended Serramonte High School near San Francisco, then got an economics degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
His commercial instincts surfaced early. One of his first ideas was for a voice-operated translation device to be sold at airport kiosks. He tracked down Berkeley professor Forrest Mozer, who had done work on the intersection of machines and human speech, and persuaded him to build a prototype. Mr. Son licensed it to Sharp Electronics for about $500,000.
"He didn't pay me anything," Mr. Mozer recalls. "He's all businessman."
A Softbank spokesman said Mr. Son recalled paying Mr. Mozer for his work, but declined to provide details.
An older Berkeley student named Hong Lu met Mr. Son when the future CEO walked into the ice-cream shop Mr. Lu managed. Mr. Son ordered a milkshake and said it had better be extra thick or he wouldn't pay, according to Mr. Lu.
Mr. Lu says Mr. Son soon hired him, giving him the title of "handyman." His tasks included booking plane tickets and making sure Mr. Son could still graduate from college despite his business pursuits. Once or twice, when Mr. Son was on business trips to Japan, Mr. Lu went to classes in his place, sat in the back of the lecture hall and pretended to be Mr. Son, according to Mr. Lu.
"I am where I am today because of them," Mr. Son says of Messrs. Mozer and Lu. "I'm grateful to both of them from the bottom of my heart."
A network of video-arcade machines run by Mr. Son brought in tens of thousands of dollars a month, Mr. Lu says. There was also the voice-operated translator project, a dining magazine that never launched, and a videogame arcade acquired with a loan secured by Mr. Lu's house.
Mr. Son returned to Japan and founded Softbank in 1981. The company distributed software to retailers and eventually became a middleman for U.S. technology companies including Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO -1.01 % and Lotus Development Corp.
Mr. Son bet on the Internet early on, eventually plowing money into some 600 technology companies, including GeoCities Inc. and E*Trade Financial Corp. ETFC -0.35 % Softbank acquired the operator of Comdex computer show for $800 million in 1995, then bought Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., the publisher of PC Week magazine, for $2.1 billion a year later.
The publisher's chief executive, Eric Hippeau, introduced Mr. Son to a fledgling search-engine company called Yahoo Inc. YHOO -3.06 % Ziff-Davis had a handshake agreement to invest $5 million in the startup, which at the time was barely two years old, was losing money and had only a dozen employees.
After meeting in Yahoo's offices with founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, Mr. Son said he wanted to boost Ziff-Davis's investment to $100 million. According to Mr. Hippeau, who was at the meeting, Mr. Yang replied that he was flattered but he didn't need $100 million. "Jerry," Mr. Hippeau recalls Mr. Son saying, "everyone needs $100 million." Mr. Yang declined to comment for this article.
In the end, Yahoo took the $100 million, and Softbank owned more than one-third of Yahoo when the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company went public in April 1996. Mr. Son also persuaded Messrs. Yang and Filo to let him set up as a joint venture a Japanese branch of Yahoo.
Jack Ma, chief executive of Chinese Internet retailer Alibaba, tells a similar story. In 1999, shortly after completing a $5 million investment round, Mr. Ma presented his business plan to Mr. Son. Six minutes into the presentation, Mr. Son interrupted him, saying he should take a big investment from Softbank as well.
"You should spend money more quickly," Mr. Ma recalls being told by Mr. Son. Softbank now owns about one-third of Alibaba.
The investments helped make Mr. Son one of the dot-com era's richest men. At the height of the Internet-stock bubble, Softbank was valued at as much as ¥20 trillion, or $243 billion at current exchange rates. Mr. Son owned 37% of the stock at the time.
When the bubble burst, Softbank's shares plunged. By 2002, the company's market value was down 98% from its peak two years earlier, wiping out more than ¥7 trillion—$85 billion at current rates—of Mr. Son's personal wealth.
Softbank sold most of its holdings in Yahoo and E*Trade to raise money and steered into telecom, a business with hard assets and more predictable revenue than the high-risk startups it had bet on during the boom.
Mr. Son started by offering fast Internet access in 2001 under the Yahoo brand. Softbank lured customers with tactics such as offering free modems, but it struggled to overcome technical problems and poor customer service.
The problems at the broadband unit contributed to losses for the entire company for four consecutive years. Mr. Son set up an office in a meeting room 13 floors below his executive suite to be closer to the problem unit.
He slept in the office at times and routinely summoned executives and partners for meetings late at night, says Mr. Lu, who at the time ran a U.S.-based company that supplied equipment for Mr. Son's broadband business. "He would ask our people to go to his office at three o'clock in the morning," says Mr. Lu. "You cannot think of him as a normal businessperson."
The gatherings often lasted more than eight hours, and at times Mr. Son would run on a treadmill while holding court, according to former employees. He worked out of the meeting room for 18 months, until the broadband unit had cut enough costs and moved enough customers to more lucrative plans.
Softbank and its broadband business returned to an annual profit in March 2006. That same month, Mr. Son loaded up Softbank with debt to buy the Japanese mobile-phone business of U.K.-based Vodafone for ¥1.75 trillion—$22 billion at current exchange rates. Investors, nervous that a company whose debt already was below investment grade was making such a big bet, sent Softbank's stock down 40%.
Mr. Son cut prices, reducing monthly charges to about one-fourth of what competitors were collecting. He also was involved in the creation of a series of amusing TV commercials featuring a mixed-race family with a talking white dog as the father. The bizarre, award-winning spots helped the mobile-phone business, then a distant No. 3, add more new customers than Japan's market leaders for quarter after quarter.
Mr. Son monitored the progress almost obsessively. He had proprietary systems to collect data from cash registers at Softbank's retail stores and fed it into a display he could monitor from his desk—and, more recently, his iPad. He regularly phoned executives whose sales weren't tracking their targets, one former executive says.
After building Softbank's subscriber base and paying down debt, Mr. Son started itching for another deal. More than a year ago, he convinced Softbank's board that he needed to look outside Japan to achieve his "30-year vision" of turning Softbank into a global giant, director Ron Fisher recalls.
For months, Mr. Son and his team looked at wireless carriers in Asia, where fast-growing emerging markets promised big returns, according to people close to Softbank. Earlier this year, he decided to look closely at the U.S., which had the advantage of a stable economy and political system and consumer-spending patterns by cellphone users similar to those in Japan, these people say.
Mr. Fisher, the Softbank board member, had known Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse for more than a decade, ever since Mr. Hesse was running a startup, Terabeam Networks. Softbank had invested in Terabeam and Mr. Fisher has served on the board. Around summer, Mr. Fisher got in touch with Mr. Hesse, and deal negotiations—code-named Project Columbus—soon began.
When Mr. Son announced the deal last month in Tokyo, he didn't mince words about his ambitions: "I'm a man, and I think every man wants to be No. 1."
That is easier said than done. Sprint is struggling with an expensive network upgrade, a $15.5 billion commitment to subsidize iPhones for customers and a heavy debt load. Sprint also is well behind the market leaders in its so-called spectrum holdings—its right to use chunks of the airwaves to transmit phone calls, Internet traffic and other data. AT&T and Verizon Wireless—a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. VZ 0.40 % and Vodafone—have the most valuable spectrum holdings in the U.S., with more than 100 megahertz each. Sprint holds 56 megahertz, a deficit that isn't as bad as it looks given Sprint's lower subscriber count. The company is using funds injected by Softbank to acquire more, including a deal this month with U.S. Cellular.
Softbank's acquisition would inject $8 billion directly into Sprint and give the carrier more flexibility to buy spectrum or acquire smaller rivals. The money also could help Sprint to continue offering plans that let subscribers use as much data as they desire for a flat rate—the kind of appealing deal for customers that AT&T and Verizon have all but dropped.
When asked about Softbank's deal with Sprint, AT&T Chief Financial Officer John Stephens said the U.S. wireless industry poses huge hurdles for newcomers, because of the enormous territory networks have to cover and the need for constant upgrades to handle soaring wireless data use. Verizon Wireless declined to comment.
Sprint reported a $767 loss million in the third quarter and lost 456,000 contract customers, while acknowledging delays in its costly and complicated network overhaul. In the same time period, AT&T reported a $3.64 billion profit, and Verizon, a $1.59 billion profit. Both gained customers.
When news of the Softbank/Sprint deal leaked in early October, Softbank's shares fell more than 20% in a few days. They have since rebounded and are now up 9% since before the deal became known.
Mr. Son says he will be heavily involved in Sprint's operations and in decisions about pricing plans, devices offered by the company and the creative details of its advertisements. He says he plans to check in with Sprint via teleconference once a week and visit the U.S. once a month, joking that he already visits the U.S. more than the nearby city of Osaka.
"I am betting $20 billion that I'm going to be successful," he says.
—Spencer E. Ante contributed to this article.


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The Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce will be holding a barbecue cook-off on Labor Day weekend at Merced’s Courthouse Park.
The event will be open to the public (free admission) and will give Merced County’s backyard chefs a chance to prove that their dinners are the most delectable.
The cook-off will take place on Saturday, Sept. 4, at the park, located on M Street between 20th and 21st streets in Merced. Special guest and former NFL star Lorenzo Neal will be on hand to sign autographs and promote his new barbecue sauce.
In addition, there will be several live bands, a DJ and a bounce house area for the children.
Participants and non-food vendors may download applications on the chamber’s website at www.merced-chamber.com. Members of the public may also visit the website to buy discounted sampling tickets up until the week before Labor Day. The tickets will be used to buy all of the barbecued goods that will be for sale.


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Agri tech growing in New Zealand
by Anonymous Author
New Zealand’s primary industries need to latch on to technology faster to support the economic growth of its agri sector according to NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller.
NZTech represents more than 400 organisations across the country to promote technology use in various industries including farming.
Graeme Miller said a growing awareness of the value of technology in agriculture can be seen by the number of farmers looking into technologies such as drones, sensors and robotics, Muller says.
“A report by the IoT Alliance that looks into the economic value that IoT could bring the New Zealand economy, has identified that better use of internet technology by dairy farmers could potentially generate as much as $448 million worth of net economic benefit for New Zealand.”
Mr Miller said New Zealand is achieving good agritech export growth rates relative to other nations.
“Global agritech investment is expanding rapidly, with investment in agritech firms in 2014 being estimated at over $US2.36 billion making investment in agritech higher than fintech.
“With our traditional strengths in agriculture and our growing strengths in tech, this is an opportunity we should pursue with vigour.”
He said agriculture is a big user and creator of technology.
“Tech sector innovations are being adopted in many agricultural areas.
“Production costs have placed pressure on the competitive position of New Zealand agriculture in world markets. Reversing a slowdown in productivity growth is critical given the challenges the sector faces with strengthening environmental regulation. “Digital agriculture, in the form of precision farming, big data, sensor technology and drones, delivers a new potential for productivity gains across rural New Zealand,” Mr Muller said.
The tech sector is New Zealand’s third largest export sector, worth over $6.3 billion in 2015 and employing five percent of the New Zealand workforce.


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It may be a holiday weekend, but 24/7 Wall St. wanted to give investors, business owners, and consumers insight intowhat to expect as 2016 ends and 2017 gets closer. The first order of business will be a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in December.
Unless new data suddenly sours, you can bet with close to certainty that Janet Yellen and her voting members of the Federal Open Market Committee....More>>>
Image Source: WSJ.com
Sales Trends A Bit Soft, But Nothing To Worry About
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European stocks, which have lagged their U.S. counterparts dramatically since the bull market began in 2009, are closing the gap. In the first five months of 2017, the MSCI Europe index returned 16.6%nearly double the return of Standard & Poors 500-stock index.
See Also: Great Foreign Stocks That Pay Dividends
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Ever since the proposed acquisition of Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD) by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA) was restructured multiple times and eventually turned into an all-cash deal for a couple stores, RAD stock has been left for dead.
When Walgreens announced its intention to buy Rite Aid for $9.4 billion in October 2015,....More>>>
Yesterday, Morgan Stanleys Adam Jonas cut Delphi Automotive (DLPH) to Underweight from Overweight citing the threat posed by electric cars (and not just Tesla Motors (TSLA)). Today, Bairds David Leiker and team offer a fuller defense of Delphi Automotive, as well as Borg Warner (BWA) and Lear (LEA):
Aggressive buyers of Delphi and BorgWarner following another drive....More>>>
Stocks look set to continue last week’s selloff on fears that the failure to pass the Republicans health-care bill could jeopardize Donald J. Trump’s pro-growth agenda.
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
S&P 500 futures have dropped 0.8%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures have declined 141 points, or 0.7%. Nasdaq Composite futures have fallen 0.8%.
CEO of Monro Muffler Brake Inc (NASDAQ:MNRO) Heel John W Van sold 129,089 shares of MNRO on 07/26/2017 at an average price of $46.76 a share. The total sale was $6 million.
Monro Muffler Brake Inc provides automotive undercar repair and tire services in the United States. The Company provides a broad range of services on passenger cars, light trucks and vans for brakes; mufflers and exhaust....More>>>
This analysis will show why we think OpenText (OTEX) is one of the few undervalued companies in the technology sector. Per the fiscal 2017 annual report, OpenText made progress expanding into the enterprise information management such that the company sees a total addressable market size of $35 billion. Given the overall market size and associated need of enterprise information management, OpenText....More>>>
For the past few years, I’ve been watching an important consolidation pattern in the U.S. dollar because I believed that another major move would likely occur when the dollar finally broke out. The U.S. Dollar Index finally launched a bullish breakout due to optimism about Donald Trump’s election win and higher expectations for future U.S. economic growth, inflation, and interest....More>>>
Many investors who watched Fitbit (NYSE:FIT) and GoPro (NASDAQ:GPRO) crash and burn may believe that demand for wearable devices — like fitness trackers and action cameras — is fading. Indeed, earlier estimates for these markets were far too bullish.
Back in 2014, Morgan Stanley estimated thatApple would sell up to 60 million Apple Watches in the first year. The actual number,....More>>>