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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that states can collect sales taxes from online retailers.
Brick-and-mortar retailers cheered the decision. Gov. Charlie Baker hailed the ruling as "a good day for states, and it's a good day for those in the retail space who have been for many years disadvantaged because of the two-tiered system."
But the practical effect in Massachusetts may be more about providing clarity than gaining any substantial new revenue, since Massachusetts already started collecting taxes from online sales last year -- despite a lawsuit challenging those collections.
"It certainly clears up any confusion, clears up some of the rhetoric," said Rep. Jay Kaufman, D-Lexington, chairman of the Committee on Revenue.
Retailers who own physical stores have been lobbying Congress for years to overturn the 1992 Quill decision by the Supreme Court. That decision established that online retailers only had to collect the state sales tax in states where they had a physical presence.
Local retailers said this put them at a competitive disadvantage, since someone could avoid the state sales tax by buying online. "It's a drain on our economy and a drain on our main streets and our local sellers," said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
Hurst said particularly with so many people owning smartphones today, online sales have accelerated.
Although taxpayers are legally obligated to pay the tax on online sales, few actually do.
In Thursday's 5-4 decision, South Dakota v. Wayfair, the court overturned the requirement that an online seller have a physical presence in the state. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, "Each year the physical presence rule becomes further removed from economic reality and results in significant revenue losses to the States."
Hurst called the court's decision "a huge win for actual brick and mortar stores on our Main Streets and also for the commonwealth and other states for obtaining fair taxation."
Amazon started collecting the sales tax in Massachusetts in 2013, when it opened offices here.
A November 2017 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated that Massachusetts could gain an estimated $169 million to $279 million in additional tax revenue if it could tax all remote sellers.
However, on Oct. 1, 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, under Baker and working with Attorney General Maura Healey, issued a new regulation reinterpreting existing law. The DOR decided that as long as a company is doing business in Massachusetts using computer software or hardware located in the state, or is using Massachusetts-based delivery services or payment processors, that counts as having a physical presence in the state.
Massachusetts began requiring companies that conducted at least $500,000 in online sales in Massachusetts or had 100 or more transactions to collect and pay sales tax.
Massachusetts law was similar to laws in several other states. Some states claimed that they could tax companies that had an "economic nexus" rather than a "physical nexus" in the state.
The Massachusetts law went into effect, but was challenged in court by a company, Crutchfield Corporation, which said it violated federal law.
Kaufman said he anticipates that the Supreme Court ruling "will eliminate any question about whether we're able to collect it."
Attorneys for Crutchfield Corporation could not immediately be reached.
Theoretically, the Wayfair decision could open up additional retail sellers to Massachusetts taxation.
But a state finance official said the Department of Revenue does not anticipate taking any immediate administrative action or issuing additional guidance in light of the Supreme Court decision.
Kaufman said he does not anticipate any legislative action either.
Noah Berger, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a liberal-leaning think tank, said the likely result of the ruling is that Massachusetts' existing rules will take full effect, without the threat of a legal challenge, and more online retailers will begin collecting sales tax in Massachusetts.
"The decision is good for Massachusetts and good for states across the country both because it could help to level the playing field between in-state retailers and online retailers and because it will provide revenue for important services in the state, like education and local aid," Berger said.
Chris Geehern, a spokesman for Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a business trade group, said the court ruling has the potential to "introduce a high degree of complexity for companies that do sell things over the web."
He noted that it could apply not only to behemoths like Amazon and eBay but smaller businesses, like a machining company that sells parts online.
"For the business community, it now means that they may have 50 different sales tax regimens to deal with as they sell to people in the 50 states," Geehern said.
But Gehern noted that the court did put some limits on what states can do, because they are not allowed to put "undue burdens" on interstate commerce. For example, South Dakota, like Massachusetts, creates a minimum threshold so only someone doing a large amount of business in the state has to collect taxes.
Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, Senate chairman of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, said the decision was the correct one. "For a long time, we've been pointing out a real unfairness in the fact that mega online sellers like Wayfair or Amazon or Jet were not paying the sales tax... Whereas mom and pop brick and mortar businesses were," Lesser said.


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SAN FRANCISCO —Indeed, even as Facebook wrestled for the current month with an inside revolt and a course of analysis over its refusal to make a move on President Trump’s fiery posts, the informal community was effectively making different wagers off camera.
Late one Tuesday, as consideration was centered around how Facebook may deal with Mr. Trump, the Silicon Valley organization said in a concise blog entry that it had put resources into Gojek, a “super application” in Southeast Asia. The arrangement, which gave Facebook a greater a dependable balance in the quickly developing area, followed a $5.7 billion venture it as of late siphoned into Reliance Jio, a telecom goliath in India.
The moves were a piece of a spending binge by the interpersonal organization, which additionally dished out $400 million a month ago to purchase an energized GIF organization and which is burning through a large number of dollars to assemble an almost 23,000-mile undersea fiber-optic link enclosing Africa. On Thursday, Facebook affirmed that it was additionally building up a funding asset to put resources into promising new businesses.
Other innovation monsters are participating in comparative conduct. Apple has purchased in any event four organizations this year and discharged another iPhone. Microsoft has bought three distributed computing organizations. Amazon is in converses with get a self-governing vehicle fire up, has rented more planes for conveyance and has recruited an extra 175,000 individuals since March. Google has revealed new informing and video highlights.
Indeed, even with the worldwide economy reeling from a pandemic-incited downturn and many organizations seeking financial protection, tech’s biggest organizations — still uncontrollably beneficial and flush with billions of dollars from long periods of corporate predominance — are intentionally laying the preparation for a future where they will be greater and more impressive than any time in recent memory.
Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft are forcefully putting down new wagers as the coronavirus pandemic has made them close fundamental administrations, with individuals going to them to shop on the web, engage themselves and keep in contact with friends and family. The soaring use has given the organizations new fuel to contribute as different businesses conserve.
The extension is unfurling as officials and controllers in Washington and Europe are sounding the alert over the tech monsters’ convergence of intensity and how that may have harmed contenders and prompted different issues, for example, spreading disinformation. This week, European Union authorities were getting ready antitrust charges against Amazon for utilizing its web based business predominance to box out littler opponents, while Britain started an investigation into Facebook’s acquisition of the GIF organization.
A portion of the tech behemoths have made minimal mystery of their goal to move forward in a downturn that has put in excess of 44 million Americans jobless and that authorities caution will be extended.
“I’ve generally accepted that in the midst of monetary downturn, the correct activity is continue putting resources into building the future,” Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, said in a financial specialist call a month ago. “At the point when the world changes rapidly, individuals have new needs, and that implies there are all the more new things to assemble.”
In multiplying down on development in a period of financial agony, the biggest tech organizations are proceeding with an example. In past downturns, those that contributed while the economy was at its most defenseless frequently rose more grounded. During the 1990s, IBM utilized a downturn to reorient itself from an equipment organization into a product and administrations organization. Google and Facebook both rose out of the website bust around 20 years prior.
Apple, whose iPhones currently rule registering, multiplied its innovative work spending plan for a long time during the downturn in the mid 2000s. That drove the organization, which about failed in the late 1990s, to make its iPod music player and iTunes music store — and in the long run the iPhone, the App Store and an unbridled development streak, said Jenny Chatman, a teacher at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Ranjan Roy, a tech reporter for The Margins, a web industry blog, said it was clear the tech behemoths were unafraid to get increasingly forceful now and that the force they were accumulating should provide individuals opportunity to stop and think.
“With no pushback from controllers, large tech organizations would certainly come out of the pandemic all the more impressive,” he said. “Such a large number of extra pieces of our day by day lives are getting reliant on their items, or they could simply purchase or duplicate the administrations they don’t yet convey.”
All things considered, the organizations are facing challenges by spending in a questionable period, said John Paul Rollert, an educator at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
“To twofold and even triple down when the gambling club is ablaze is a striking move, since they may not have the option to trade out their chips later on,” he said.
Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, which declined to or didn’t react to demands for input, have a lot of money. Consolidated, they are sitting on about $557 billion, empowering them to keep up a pace of acquisitions and speculations like last year’s, the point at which the economy was murmuring, as indicated by a count of budgetary exposures. They have been among the top corporate spenders on innovative work for the greater part of the most recent decade, as indicated by PwC, the huge bookkeeping firm.
The organizations have increase their movement since March, when cover set up orders started. As Amazon, Facebook and others adjusted to their representatives telecommuting, they encountered a spike being used. Informing and other video chatting programming took off in notoriety.
That made chances. Microsoft, for one, began advancing its Teams videoconferencing administration, which permits individuals to talk and work together on the web. Microsoft additionally gobbled up three distributed computing organizations over the most recent couple of months — Affirmed Networks, Metaswitch Networks and Softomotive — to offer more innovation to organizations.
Google, as well, refreshed items that individuals can use to telecommute. In April, it said that its video visit administration, Google Meet, would be effectively accessible inside individuals’ Gmail windows and allowed to anybody with a Google account. It likewise said it would begin making postings in its shopping query items generally free, rather than having vendors pay for every one of their items to show up in the outcomes, to support online business look.
Amazon was at first overpowered with a flood of online requests and wellbeing worries over its distribution center laborers. Accordingly, the organization added in excess of 175,000 employments to stay aware of interest.
Amazon has since contributed further. While avionics everything except came to a standstill in the pandemic, the organization said for the current month that it was adding 12 Boeing 767s to its armada of in excess of 70 conveyance planes. It additionally examined purchasing Zoox, a self-sufficient vehicle fire up esteemed at $2.7 billion, as per an individual with information on the discussions. The conversations were prior revealed by The Wall Street Journal.
Apple, with $193 billion in real money and obligation, went on its own purchasing binge. This year, it purchased DarkSky, a famous climate cell phone application; NextVR, a computer generated experience organization; Voysis, an advanced aide and discourse acknowledgment programming organization; and Xnor.ai, a man-made reasoning beginning up.
The organization will before long hold a designer gathering essentially and is dealing with a flood in movement on FaceTime and iMessage as individuals utilize those administrations to convey in isolate.
Facebook’s activity has been the most pronounced. When the coronavirus swept through the United States in March, the social network was inundated with people flocking to its apps to use voice and video chat services. Mr. Zuckerberg said Facebook was “just trying to keep the lights on.”
But the company soon capitalized on the momentum. Mr. Zuckerberg accelerated the building of some products, introducing Messenger Rooms, a group video chat service, in April.
That same month, Facebook said it was taking a $5.7 billion stake in India’s Reliance Jio. It was the company’s largest investment in an outside company, giving it more access to one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets.
“We are committed to connecting more people in India together with Jio,” Facebook said of the deal, noting that Jio had brought more than 388 million people online in less than four years.
Last month, Facebook bought the GIF company Giphy for an estimated $400 million. Giphy is to be integrated with Instagram, the photo-sharing app owned by Facebook. And last week, the social network invested millions in Gojek. Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Gojek makes an app for digital payments, transportation and other services that is used by more than 170 million people in Southeast Asia.
Facebook is now working on the new venture fund, which will help it spot new popular apps. The fund was reported earlier by Axios.
In driving the activity, Mr. Zuckerberg may be taking a cue from a Facebook board member, the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. In April, Mr. Andreessen wrote a blog post titled “It’s Time To Build” and said, “We need to demand more of our political leaders, of our CEOs, our entrepreneurs, our investors.”
Less than two weeks later, Mr. Zuckerberg said on the investor call that he was doing exactly that: building.
He said he felt “a responsibility and duty to invest” and added, “We’re in a fortunate position to be able to do this.”
Daisuke Wakabayashi contributed reporting from Oakland, Calif.; Karen Weise from Seattle; and Erin Griffith from San Francisco.

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Face2Face Africa presents the Faces of Black History – a daily series in the month of February to celebrate people of colour who have opened the door of hope for young black people to realize their dreams.
In commemoration of Black History Month, we shine a light on one trailblazer each day and today, we honour the first black model to ever walk in natural hair in Victoria’s Secret fashion show, Maria Borges.
Maria Borges is an Angolan fashion model who was named Forbes Africa Magazine’s top model of 2013. She made history in 2015 by walking in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show whilst wearing her natural afro hair.
The Riccardo Tisci favorite was born in Angola and raised by her siblings during the Angolan Civil War. She was discovered in 2010 when she placed second at the Angolan edition of the contest Elite Model Look.
After signing with Supreme Agency in 2012, Borges debuted her first Fashion week where she walked 17 runways. Her career flourished since then and she has appeared in every Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show since 2013, appeared in editorials for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Brazilian Marie Claire, French Numèro, V, W, i-D, and Interview. She has also appeared in campaigns for dozens of fashion brands.
25-year-old Maria Borges was the first African woman to feature on the cover of the American version of ELLE in 2017, 20 years after Sudanese model Alek Wek in 1997.
We salute this trailblazer for paving the path for other black women to be comfortable in their skins and hair.


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Uber shuts down Drizly, an alcohol delivery startup it bought 3 years ago for $1.1 billion
Uber is finally moving away from the alcohol delivery business, concluding its billion-dollar experiment with Drizly. The ride-hailing giant announced its decision to close down the Drizly platform by March, according to an exclusive report from Axios.
Having acquired Drizly for $1.1 billion three years ago during a time when doorstep deliveries were on the rise, Uber faced challenges as the growth in the delivery market slowed down. Complications with regulators over user data management further exacerbated the situation.
Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, Uber’s SVP of Delivery, shared with Axios that the company is now prioritizing Uber Eats and concentrating on offering consumers a comprehensive range of services on a single app, spanning from food and groceries to alcohol. Drizly had already laid off 100 employees the previous year, with some of its features integrated into Uber Eats.
The issues with Drizly began in 2020 after Uber’s acquisition when a data breach affecting 2.5 million users was revealed. It was reported that Drizly and its former CEO were aware of a security vulnerability for two years but failed to address it. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) discovered this information after Uber’s acquisition, leading to restrictions on the types of customer data Drizly could collect and store.
Uber, emphasizing its commitment to the core Uber Eats app, downplayed its association with Drizly in several press releases. This move mirrors a trend seen elsewhere, as companies like Google scaled back Fitbit’s product team after acquiring the wearable tech brand for $2.1 billion in 2021, redirecting focus to their own product development.
Founded in 2012 by Cory Rellas, Justin Robinson, Nicholas Rellas, and Spencer Frazier, Drizly was an e-commerce alcohol marketplace providing a wide selection of beer, wine, and spirits. Operating in 1,400 cities, Drizly partnered with retailers to bring their products online, offering consumers a personalized and transparent shopping experience.


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The auto industry crisis has changed the relationship between carmakers and Europe's big dealer groups with retailers asserting more independence from manufacturers, a market research company said.
As customers hit by the economic crisis shunned showrooms, beleaguered dealer groups accelerated efforts to reduce their reliance on new-car sales by investing more in providing financial services, selling used cars or turning to new products such as electric vehicles and Chinese cars, said Emmanuel Labi, research manager at AutoBiz.
Labi said many dealers refused to accept cars from manufacturers they knew they couldn't sell and resisted automaker pressure to invest more in improving the appearance of their showrooms.
"In the past, automakers told dealers they had to take a quota of new cars and invest in high showroom standards if they wanted to sell the automaker's brand or brands. During the crisis many dealers just said, 'No,' " Labi told Automotive News Europe. "One dealer told me, 'Things will never be the same in our relationship with manufacturers after 2009.' "
Adding to dealers' troubles is a growing trend by customers to research and buy cars on the Internet. "In Germany, the UK and across Europe showrooms are empty. The Internet is playing a greater role in new-car sales," Labi said.
Betting on electric cars
Two big European groups, Berge in Spain and Emil Frey in Switzerland, are betting on electric cars to offset declining sales of traditional vehicles.
Emil Frey, Europe's second-biggest dealer group by new-car sales, will be the European importer for Fisker Automotive, of Irvine, California, starting with Fisker's Karma plug-in hybrid sports car.
Berge, Spain's largest dealer group, will distribute Chinese carmaker BYD's electric and hybrid cars in Spain. Berge and BYD are also studying cooperating in setting up recharging stations for electric vehicles.
Hit hard by the collapse the Russian car market, Rolf Group, the country's largest dealer group, plans to open 500 auto repair centers in Russia with the Kwik-Fit repair group of the UK.
The industry crisis hit new-car sales and revenues of most of Europe's big dealers groups, according to Automotive News Europe 2010 Guide to Europe's Biggest Dealers, published in association with Paris-based AutoBiz. (For more, click on 2010 Guide to Europe's Biggest Dealer Groups, above)
Dealers that bucked the trend and boosted sales included Arnold Clark and Lookers of the UK, where dealer groups started to recover from the recession more quickly than their peers on the Continent.
Porsche Holding is Europe's No. 1 dealer -- for now
Europe's top dealer groups are led by Porsche Holding, the Salzburg, Austria-based group founded in 1947 by Louise Piëch, daughter of automotive pioneer Ferdinand Porsche, and her brother Ferry Porsche. In 2009, the group boosted revenues to 13.65 billion euros (about $17.29 billion) from 12.80 billion euros the year before and slightly increased new-car sales to 473,421 from 470,421.
But the group, which has expanded aggressively in central and eastern Europe and now operates in 18 European countries along with China, likely will not appear on the list in the future because it will become part of Volkswagen AG.
The Porsche and Piëch families will sell the dealership business to Volkswagen AG as part of an agreement to integrate Porsche into VW. The business was assigned an enterprise value of 3.55 billion euros in November, when VW and Porsche signed a merger agreement that envisages VW acquiring the dealer group by December 31, 2013.


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I reported this week that AWS is expected to reach $1.5 billion in revenues this year, which will help the company increase its margins for its online retail division.
Earlier today, Vogels talked about helping companies do more volume at lower costs by developing cost-aware architectures. This development came from continually focusing on experimentation at AWS.
Bezos spent time during his discussion to reflect on what we have heard these past two days at re:Invent. Experimentation is at the core of Amazon.com, Bezos said in the fireside chat. To experiment like that, Bezos said he has to direct that focus to make the most of all its assets, its people, and even his own personal schedule to reflect that.


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The latest rumour to hit the Web is the HTC One Max which is likely to feature a 5.9-inch HD display and a metal design similar to the one boasted by the HTC One.
Taiwanese site, ePrice has posted some images of the alleged HTC One Max that reveals the design of the yet to be announced handset. The site also suggests that the upcoming phablet from HTC is code-named T6.
The site also lists some of the specifications of the HTC One Max or HTC T6. It's said to run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, out-of-the-box. The device is likely to be powered by a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, while the original HTC One is powered by a Snapdragon 600 processor. While the One Max also features the same UltraPixel and 2.1-megapixel front-facing cameras as the HTC One. Other features include 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage and a 3300mAh battery. The site also claims that the Taiwanese major may equip the latest handset with a stylus. However, none of the details have been confirmed by the company, yet.
Earlier, we reported about HTC One Max's rumoured specifications which claimed that the handset featured a 6-inch display.
However, other specifications match the earlier reported ones. The report also claimed that the device would be a dual SIM phone and would be LTE compatible.
With the launch of HTC One Max, the company will join the phablet race with Samsung and Sony which already offer the Galaxy Mega 6.3 featuring 6.3-inch display and Xperia Z Ultra sporting 6.4-inch display.


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An inspirational young boy from Wainfleet has been immortalised in Lego after being hailed as a ‘true life hero’ for his charitable work.
Jack Covill-Lowndes won Chat Magazine’s competition after being nominated for his fundraising efforts in aid of the St Barnabas Hospice - a charity which helped his terminally ill mother Steph during her battle with cancer, when he was just a toddler.
As part of his prize, a four foot six inch, life-size model of Jack has been built from 35,000 of the famous bricks, which was unveiled yesterday at Legoland Windsor.
“It’s awesome,” said Jack.
They’ve even made the same clothes I was wearing out of Lego - I can’t stop looking at my statue.
“Legoland City is my favourite range so it’s great to know that I’ll be stood in the Lego City area for a whole month!”
Tamara Lowndes, Jack’s aunt and guardian, who wrote to the magazine after the 10-year-old raised thousands for the hospice through a charity fun run in June, is also thrilled with the prize.
“I never envisaged that the model would be life-size,” she said.
“It’s fantastic - but I’ve no idea where I can keep it.
“Jack wants it in his bedroom but I think that it’ll make a great garden ornament.”
The model was recreated after a sitting by the first Lego certified professionals in the UK - Duncan Titmarsh and Ed Diment.
Lego City brand manager Harry Harrison said: “Jack’s story really captured the essence of a real-life, everyday hero,
“He’s a real inspiration - and to be immortalised in Lego is befitting of his amazing outlook and achievements.”
Chat Magazine’s editor Gilly Sinclair has congratulated the inspirational Magdalen School student on his prizewinning success.
“Jack is such a hero,” she said.
“And he looks so cool in Lego!
He’s a really worthy winner of this competition and we know his mum would have been so proud - well done Jack!”


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3D Training Institute (3DTi) and Sculpteo announced a cooperation to encourage 3D printing to the students.
3DTi and Sculpteo will perform a live webinar on Wednesday, December 4th, from 6pm to 7pm (Pacific Time). You can learn how to prepare 3D files for printing, set-up your own online store, and embed Sculpteo’s technology onto your own website.
3D printing business is exploding as bulk customization is expected to go beyond mass production. Sculpteo‘s 3D cloud printing service combines artists and designers with customers; and also has taken all the hassle out of the 3D printing and selling process.
“Sculpteo is an online 3D printing service that is available to everyone. But not everyone is able to create a printable file using 3D software. This is why our partnership with 3DTi is so valuable; it enables us to teach people how to create 3D files for 3D printing,” says Clément Moreau, CEO of Sculpteo.
3D Training Institute has been recognized as an industry leader in providing live-online training in Autodesk Software (3dsMax, Maya, Revit, and Inventor) and assisting students get their careers on the fast track to success.
“3DTi recently launched an ambitious service called Studio Connect, to give students a chance to work with industry professionals and prepare them for real-world projects after they successfully complete the program. Partnering with Sculpteo and teaching students how to use this hot new technology to market themselves and their art is a natural fit,” says Ben Katt, 3DTi.
Sculpteo and 3DTi will conduct free training videos on how to create 3D files for printing. Sculpteo will give 3DTi students a discount to print physical models and to create a personal library. 3DTi will also provide training seminars to help artists and designers market their designs using the Sculpteo platform.
For further information and to register for the 3D printing webinar visit 3DTi.


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LuxCreo got FDA Class II 510(k) clearance for directly 3D printed clear dental aligners. They hope to do same day aligners in perhaps two hours. They say that the direct aligners are more accurate and have quoted a dentist saying that he saved 60% in labor costs over thermoformed aligners. This may be a major disruption to the 1.5 million vat polymerization made thermoforming inserts that are used each day by Invisalign, Smile Direct and competitors. But, will firms switch? Perhaps not. It will lead to dentist, orthotists and more being able to compete with Invisalign.
In Europe you can not 3D scan and 3D print a Ferrari. Reverse engineering is normal business practice for a lot of people. And we’re seeing an emerging market for MRO and 3D printed spare parts. But the Alicante EUTM Appellate Court has ruled that 3D scanning and 3D printing a Ferrari 488 GTB is both copyright and trade mark infringement. It is from now on not possible to do this kind of thing in the EU. The ruling is remarkable and also will have a lot of unintended consequences. Many people are 3D printing out of production parts of bankrupt companies, will this be allowed or not? In another twist the case concerned a user 3D scanning and 3D printing a bodywork component on a 488 GTB and putting it on another Ferrari, this was deemed a derivative work.
The court stated that,
“…the vehicle in question is one of the icons of the motoring world, known not only for the technique behind its speed on the track or circuit, but, in particular, for the beauty of the characteristic shapes of the brand reflected in, inter alia, the vehicle used by the defendant as the object to be transformed”.
and went on to say,
“level of creativity that lends itself completely to being viewed aesthetically, irrespective of its functional purpose”.
Does this mean that an uglier or more boring car is not protected? This is a strange ruling with huge implications for us.
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Porsche has already unveiled the new 2011 Cayenne SUV that will go on sale this summer, but the automaker has no plans to build a smaller SUV. Insiders recently told Autocar that there is already evidence that the Audi Q5 is stealing sales from the larger Q7, so Porsche does not want the same thing to happen to the Cayenne. The Cayenne currently accounts for up to 50 percent of the automaker’s profits.
The 2011 Cayenne will go on sale in July and be available either with a 300-hp 3.6L V6, 400-hp 4.8L V8 or a 500-hp 4.8L twin-turbocharged V8. A hybrid Cayenne is also going to be introduced with a combined 380 horsepower.
Full Story: Autocar
Geneva 10′ Preview: 2011 Porsche Cayenne Officially Unveiled


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WWE has no live fans to help them determine who is getting over. The company is trying, but they obviously weren’t happy with the results. This is why Paul Heyman was fired as Executive Director of Raw.
Ringside News has learned that the company is trying their best to tell how a Superstar is over by using WWE Shop sales and ratings. There are also problems with both to those tactics.
WWE Shop isn’t the best way to determine who is over due to how much more merchandise some Superstars have than others. It also isn’t fair to judge a Superstar by the segment’s rating. It all depends on “what segment someone is in.”
It wasn’t noted that WWE is doing any deep dives on social media trends or Google searches. That is a great way to tell who people want to see because it is who they are searching for and talking about.
Fans could see big change in WWE programming once again. It won’t give WWE any additional clues about what is actually working since they don’t have any live fans to give a genuine reaction.
The company hopes to have live fans back in the building as soon as possible. At this time there isn’t even a projected date of how soon that will be.


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Last year, viewing patterns began to shift as more consumers began to use digital-video recorders (DVRs) and more broadband video was streamed on both TV networks' home pages and third-party user-generated websites. And Nielsen's switch from average program ratings to commercial ratings in May forever changed the way viewing ads are measured to more accurately track commercial tune-out throughout a show's airing.
The video-on-demand model
Now it's time for the cable operators to get a bigger piece of the pie, said Jeff Bewkes, Time Warner chief operating officer. The video-on-demand model has proved to be a sufficient complement to consumers' media consumption, he told CNN reporter Soledad O'Brien in the opening keynote, and by the end of the year virtually all cable operators should be able to offer VOD content for free. He pointed to a network in the Time Warner suite of companies as proof of how effective the free viewing model can be.
"HBO is that now. If you have HBO on Demand, you're used to it. You don't have to DVR HBO, so we should take the whole industry and put it on that basis."
And the cable operators' multiple ways to view a show are proving to be effective without cannibalizing the live ratings that are still crucial to achieving mass reach for advertisers.
"If the best way to get an audience for a hit show is to put it on [a specific] night for free, why wouldn't you fulfill that brand agreement with the customer?" Mr. Bewkes said.
Sharing demographic data
Mr. Bewkes said the next step for cable operators is to share the demographic data they've compiled from their audiences and share it with advertisers, in a way similar to the big web portals. "Google has done a brilliant thing [in helping consumers search for] all this information [and placing] an ad next to it," he said.
"Cable systems not only have that data, they have what you're watching on TV and on-demand. [T]hat's a huge future for the cable industry and the only thing it needs is essentially common sharing of the data on an apples to apples structure."
In a later panel, NBC's chief research officer, Alan Wurtzel, said viewing patterns are evolving as early adopters lead the shift in media consumption. A study he presented on consumer habits showed the average American spends about four hours a day watching TV and about 2 hours on the internet. Of those two hours, 80% of men aged 18 to 24 said they watch broadband video on a weekly basis, while 53% of women in the same age range reported the same thing.
Not a passing trend
And Mr. Wurtzel expects streaming of TV shows to increase incrementally in the next year despite the medium being barely a year old. About 4% of viewers were watching streamed shows in March 2006, a number that increased to 12% in October and to 19% by May at the end of the season. Yet, that younger demographic has become more willing -– and even expects -– to pay for some of their media.
Just don't ask too much of them, he said. "The consumer's ability to pay has its limits -- the median income is about $46,000 a year, and about 5% of that is spent on entertainment."


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In recent years, the 3-D printing industry has continued to emphasize 3-D printing as a service where potential customers can outsource their 3-D printing needs to experts. 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD), Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS), Proto Labs, and many other companies offer some form of service that allows businesses and consumers to benefit from 3-D printing without needing the technical expertise. In an effort to expand their 3-D printing services, 3D Systems recently purchased Robtec, the largest Latin American 3-D printing service provider, and Stratasys recently acquired Solid Concepts, one of the highest regarded 3-D printing service providers in the entire industry. With 3D Systems and Stratasys bolstering their services offerings, it's becoming increasingly difficult for companies to differentiate themselves from the competition. French company Sculpteo focuses on quicker turnaround times from its professional 3-D printing services as a way to stand out from the competition.
On average, Sculpteo gets customers their 3-D printed objects within eight days, but in some instances it can turnaround jobs within five business days. Being a growing rapid 3-D printing service provider certainly has its own sets of challenges, especially around 3-D printing capacity. In order for Sculpteo to maintain its quick turnaround advantage, it constantly needs to be thinking about the demand of its services and whether or not it needs bring more 3-D printers online to maintain this advantage. It'd certainly be a risk to Sculpteo's reputation to run its factories at full capacity. In other words, excess capacity is an extremely important factor for a 3-D printing service provider that emphasizes speed to consider.
This challenge presents an opportunity for 3D Systems, Stratasys, and other 3-D printing companies like German-based EOS to sell more printers as excess capacity is scaled with growing demand. Because Sculpteo isn't the only 3-D printing service provider that emphasizes speed, growing 3-D printing service needs across the industry could provide a nice runway of growth for 3-D printer makers.
In the following video, 3-D printing specialist Steve Heller asks Kristen Turner, Sculpteo's director of U.S. marketing operations about the company's future plans for expansion. Going forward, 3D Systems, Stratasys, and other 3-D printing investors should monitor the capacity needs of 3-D printing services to get a better understanding of future demand for professional and industrial 3-D printers.


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NEW YORK — "Keep it simple" is becoming more of a mantra among American consumers who are increasingly stressed out, time-pressed and dissatisfied with stores.
As they aim to live less complicated lives, their shopping patterns are changing — often resulting in fewer shopping excursions. Whether scouting for apparel or other things, they’re looking to simplify the experience.
That’s the snapshot portrayed in a first-quarter survey taken by WSL, a Manhattan-based strategic marketing and retail consultant, and one that was buttressed by interviews with a handful of consumer behavior consultants and market researchers.
Most often, this dynamic is manifesting in consumers’ willingness to visit a given store less frequently than they did just a couple of years ago, even as they are inclined to shop a widening range of retail formats for various things, including apparel, over a year’s time. With the shopping frenzy of the late Nineties having peaked in 2000, consumers finally have said "enough" to all that chasing around, found WSL’s study, "How America Shops 2002: The Overstuffed Consumer."
Today, American adults typically are shopping 1.9 stores per week, down from 2.9 in 2000.
"Back in the early Nineties and late Eighties, people were willing to run anywhere for the best price," observed WSL president Wendy Liebmann. "Now, convenience is key. The big change is the talk about simplifying their lives. People are shopping fewer places per week."
For example, 24 percent of the people polled by WSL during the first quarter of 2002 said they were making a weekly visit to a department store, down from 35 percent in 2000, while 36 percent said they were going to a discount store each week, down from 55 percent, two years earlier. And 54 percent said they were shopping a supermarket weekly, down from 76 percent in 2000, and only 11 percent reported weekly visits to a drugstore versus 22 percent.
It’s not that price doesn’t count anymore. Instead, said Liebmann, "offering good prices has become the cost of entry for stores. People know [good deals] can be found across retail channels."
When asked why they visit a particular retailer, 61 percent of Americans surveyed said convenience was their primary consideration, including:l Store location.
l Ability to consistently find the merchandise they want there.
l A shopping environment that enables them to find and purchase those items expeditiously.
Price ranked second to convenience as a catalyst in consumers’ store selection, pulling a 41 percent response, followed by well-stocked assortments, the top criterion for 33 percent.
As for formats where most apparel is purchased, the convenience-price gap was narrower. Convenience was cited as the top reason for selecting a type of store by 49 percent of women who shop mass merchants; 40 percent who choosedepartment stores, and 29 percent who visit specialty clothing retailers. By comparison, price was listed first by 46 percent of women shopping mass merchants; 33 percent of those who select department stores, and 29 percent by specialty shoppers.
Those responses are based on WSL’s nationally represented sample of 453 women and 199 men, ages 18 to 70, with annual average household income of $46,000.
Feeding the trend is a return to lifestyle preferences that hark back 50 years, or so, when Americans generally spent more time relaxing and entertaining at home, observed C. Britt Beemer, chairman and founder of America’s Research Group, a Charleston, S.C.-based consumer behavior consultant and strategic marketer. "One of the things I hear every day is that people want to uncomplicate their lives," noted Beemer, whose firm conducts weekly surveys of 10,000 to 15,000 consumers. "One way to do that is to stop going to stores that are not essential."
Indeed, people are traveling less overall, according to ARG’s consumer research. They’re taking car trips that are 20 percent shorter, on average, than they were before Sept. 11, for instance. And ahead of Memorial Day weekend this year, 18 percent fewer Americans said they had plans to travel for it than they did for the prior year’s holiday. As a result, there’s been a resurgence in business for local establishments while a broad range of shops in enclosed malls have been experiencing monthly declines in customer traffic of 8 to 16 percent, according to ARG.
"It’s like we’re in a time warp," Beemer offered. "Gallup was finding similar attitudes in the Fifties. These lifestyle shifts, plus the casualization of fashion, are making people more inclined to go to a restaurant or a movie than to go shopping. This is catastrophic — unless you are Wal-Mart."Most current shopping, beyond bare necessities, Beemer noted, is focused on home goods and seasonal bargains, and next month will extend to back-to-school.
Since they’re making fewer weekly shopping trips, it’s not exactly surprising that the women surveyed by WSL reported making fewer purchases in seven out of 12 categories of merchandise; had single-digit gains in four others — including a slim 1 percent increase in apparel purchases — and had a double-digit increase in only one sector, food, buying 12 percent more than a year ago (see chart). When it came to apparel, 21 percent of the women said they were "buying more" this year, versus last; 59 percent said they were "buying the same," and 20 percent said they were "buying less." The net increase of 1 percent in apparel purchases versus 2001 compares with net gains of 8 percent in 2000 and 4 percent in 1998, versus year-ago levels.
An exception to the clamor for convenience, observers noted, can be found among shoppers in their early 20s and younger, a group for whom price and fashion trumps convenience for their selection of apparel stores and items. As people begin to earn more money and become more time pressed, in their mid-to-late 20s, convenience becomes increasingly important. According to Columbus, Ohio-based Retail Forward, by the time consumers hit their mid-50s, it becomes paramount among apparel shoppers. For apparel shoppers aged 25-54, Retail Forward has found convenience ranks third, behind price and style, as an influence on store choice and fashion purchasing. Nonetheless, a third-ranked consideration still wields a powerful influence, pointed out Lois Huff, a Retail Forward vice president who specializes in consumer shopping behavior.
Paradoxically, consumers keep shopping a wider variety of stores even as they make fewer shopping trips, overall. WSL found that the biggest inroads this year have been made by discount supercenters, now shopped by 50 percent of consumers, compared with 32 percent in 2000, and the Internet, now shopped by 24 percent, up from 10 percent just two years ago. The big reason for the supercenters’ gains is their growing accessibility: As of June 30, Wal-Mart alone had 1,140 of them, up from 650 back in September 1999. It was just a few years ago that Wal-Mart made the supercenter its primary growth vehicle — a format that barely existed as recently as 10 years agoThe first-quarter study further revealed 38 percent of U.S. shoppers are visiting an apparel specialty store every three months, up from 32 percent in 2000, while 68 percent are shopping nonapparel specialty stores, in that interval, up from 54 percent two years ago.
An ironic twist to consumers’ broadening retail palette: It’s because they’re not very satisfied with most stores, so they keep seeking new ones. When asked by WSL "how well retailers please them," they gave the store sector a 67 rating on a scale of 1 to 100. That grade was consistent across demographic segments. "In an age when consumers have so many shopping choices," the WSL study warned, "a D grade clearly puts many retailers in a precarious position."
EXCLUSIVE: @tomford is opening its first-ever beauty store. The boutique, which opens November 20 in London’s Covent Gardens, was designed with the over-the-top glam Ford is known for. Read the full story on WWD.com, link in bio. #wwdbeauty #wwdnews (📷: Simon Wagner) #TomFordBeauty
New York-based DJ @harleyvnewton threw a party to celebrate the holiday collection of her dress and pajama line @hvn at the Ladurée Beverly Hills. It Girls @katebosworth, @rashidajones and more joined in on the fun, which included cocktails, croque monsieur sandwiches and a photo booth. #wwdfashion (📷: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com)
For the holidays, @Burberry partnered with 20-year-old artist @blondeymccoy on a series of three outdoor murals in downtown Manhattan. The murals are McCoy’s interpretation of a Christmas eve party, the idea of charity and the spirit of family. His third mural, pictured here, is the most personal. The image depicts McCoy’s grandparents and father in London’s Trafalgar Square in the Seventies. “My work often features lots of sentimental objects.” #wwdeye
For spring 2018, designers applied bold colors and cartoonish motifs on everything from sneakers and belts to key chains. See all the top men’s accessories trends on WWD.com. #wwdtrends (📷: George Chinsee; Prop Styling by @rnasti; Market Editor: @luiscampuzano)
The @dior-sponsored @guggenheim international gala pre-party has a history of drawing cool-girl musical acts to serenade the crowd –– and last night was no exception. @haimtheband performed songs both new and old, and lured a star-studded audience with the likes of Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Mamoudou Athie and more. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
In a partnership between the @metopera and the @englishnationalopera, “Marnie” was born. The opera, with costumes sponsored by @mrporterlive, is an adaptation of the 1961 thriller by Winston Graham. Arianne Phillips, who created the costumes, is no rookie: She’s styled Madonna for her tours and created costumes for a myriad of films in the past. Read WWD’s interview with Phillips, where she talks about her inspiration for the opera’s costumes on WWD.com #wwdfashion
@barneysnyc took a different approach to their holiday windows this year. Instead of Christmas decor, Barneys tapped @thehaasbrothers to tell a story of positivity, gratitude and inclusivity via heartwarming silliness and humor. “It’s about kids and it’s about coming together and being family and loving each other,” said Simon Haas. #wwdfashion (📷: @joshuascottphoto)
Beauty influencer @kandeejohnson makes her foray into hair care with a collaboration with @ogx_beauty — making it the first time that OGX has teamed up for a product creation. The collab includes shampoos and conditioners in three scents. At 39 and a mom, Johnson is a different profile than the emerging social media stars, but is considered one of the pioneers of the digital beauty influencer world. Read WWD’s interview with her on wwd.com, including the strangest beauty product she’s ever tried #wwdbeauty


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In 2009, the European Commission launched a pilot project with three manufacturers to provide roadside assistance for the Porsche Panamera, Panamera Sport, and Panamera XE.
The project will be expanded to include other Porsche models in 2020.
In 2017, Porsche announced that the company will also introduce an on-demand roadside assistance service, the PAS.
The PAS will provide a car with its own personal assistance, including a roadside assistance specialist and other capabilities that will be available for the owners and their passengers.
This year, Porsche introduced a new version of its service that will offer a better user experience.
It will offer users the ability to access a list of vehicles available for assistance, as well as a map of the nearest roads.
The new service will also be available through a smartphone app, with the option to request a specific car.
In 2019, Porsche added an option to access the PAs roadside assistance on its smartphones.
Users can access the app from any of the Porsche services, such as the PES and PAS App.
The PAS service will become available for Porsche’s existing 911 models beginning in 2019, as part of a larger overhaul of its online customer service.
Porsche’s new PAS online customer support will be an extension of its existing online support, which will now offer online assistance to all of its 911 models starting in 2020, as detailed in the company’s blog.


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Apple iPad Real Estate Apps Are Here!
Zillow.com was among the first real estate apps for the iPad ready to download free from the iTunes store. According to a description of it on sfgate.com, the app, specially designed for the iPad, lets users "search and browse cities and neighborhoods on a large touch-screen map; window shop the neighborhood viewing multiple homes side-by side; flick through preview photos of one home versus another and drag and drop homes into a personal favorites section."
What more could a home shopper possibly want?
Which is why ZipRealty has also entered the iPad arena---it's product, says the San Francisco Chronicle, will let you look at both listed and recently sold homes in something like 4,000 cities and neighborhoods.
These real estate apps are among the first wave of apps for the iPad, which reportedly sold 300,000 it's first day (less than some initial reports which put sales at more than twice that). Apple's online store boasts "over a thousand apps made just for iPad" and more on the way. And developers are falling all over themselves in their efforts to praise Apple and stand out among the crowd.
"We jumped at the chance to create the Zillow on iPad App because we saw this as a unique opportunity to create a brand new, photo-driven home shopping experience on the most incredible Apple device yet," says Zillow chairman and CEO, Rich Barton, In a news release. "Our app for iPad has the potential to radically change the way people search and comparison shop for real estate and we're excited to be on the App Store for iPad from day one."
If nothing else, Mr. Barton wins the Apple brown-nosing award of the week. But does he have something there about Zillow's app having the potential to radically change the way people search and comparison shop for real estate?
Well, according to the news release, one cool feature of the iPad app is that home shoppers can set custom filters to "refine searches by price, size or type and share homes of interest via email or Facebook." And, it goes on, if you find yourself interested in a particular house, you will be able to email the agent, owner or landlord "right from the app."
OK, that sounds pretty cool.
Moving back to ZipRealty, its President and CEO, Patrick Lashinsky, is quoted by money.cnn.com as saying of its new iPad real estate app, "The initial iPad version of our popular mobile application takes advantage of the device's sharp visuals and touchscreen technology to present home listings and property details in a format that we think users will love."
Mr. Lashinsky's quote, while enthusiastic, seems downright subdued compared to Mr. Barton's embrace of the iPad as the "most incredible Apple device yet."
As Apple noted, more real estate apps for iPad are on the way. Most will probably be simple, slight variations of existing apps. So, keep your eye on those CEO quotes for signs of true innovation! Or better yet, give them a test run yourself.
Charles Feldman is a journalist, media consultant and co-author of the book, "No Time To Think-The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-hour News Cycle." He has written about real estate related issues for several years.


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As mentioned by the global analysis made by Gigaom in 2012, wearables may be described as:
“Computing devices that are always on, always accessible and easily worn on the body. They typically feature real-time information access, data-input capabilities, local storage and some form of collaborative communications ability.”
In the last few years, researches about wearable technologies and safety analysis have found heterogeneous and interesting touch points, in a range of different sectors like:
- Gaming and Entertainment
Talking about this, the challenge launched last month in Magneti Marelli LapTime Club about possible touch points between Biometrics and Motorsport through wearable technologies generated buzz in terms of new and interesting ideas among the community members. It shows how the connection between Biometrics and Motorsport has been considered a nice and useful improvement in the motorsport field by LapTime Club Community members.
Once the challenge was live, one of the community contributors launched an innovative suggestion: information gathered via wearable devices could be recorded in loggers and viewed in post processing with WinTAX. It could be considered helpful for recording blood pressure and heartbeat with important implications for measuring the human performance during a race. If you stop and think about it, can you imagine how many real time data can be immediately transformed into usable information?
Starting from this idea, the members shared other interesting comments and ideas about the possibility to connect Biometrics and Motorsport. One among them asked:
“Why do not project a new kind of overalls with health monitoring system integrated?”
This idea was also supported by a sketch made by another technical contributor:
This example shows how wearable tech is eroding the traditional boundaries between assistive technology and the consumer technology market. As interfaces get more creative and sensors get more powerful, sportsmen with different types of bodies will be drawn to technology that enhances senses, monitors health and eases interactions with the environment. As wearables become more and more a part of everyday life, these devices may shift our views on bodies and their limitations.
This is the reason why Google has poured millions into eyeglasses, why Samsung has unveiled a companion watch for its smartphones, and why Apple is launching its smart watch. A new device revolution is at hand and it’s involving also the sport and motorsport world. So, what’s next?
Thanks to our LapTime Community for sharing interesting starting points about possible connection between Biometrics and Motorsport! What is your opinion? Take the challenge and start posting your suggestions and ideas. Keep innovating and stay tuned on LapTime Club!


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For months now one of the most anticipated streaming services has been the new live TV service from T-Mobile. Since the service was first announced, T-Mobile has promised to release it by the end of 2018—something T-Mobile confirmed to Cord Cutters News just this month. Yet now there are reports from Bloomberg that T-Mobile TV is delayed until 2019.
T-Mobile had already confirmed to Cord Cutters News that the streaming version of T-Mobile TV would be delayed until in 2019; however, now it sounds like the home version will also be delayed until 2019.
There are some signs that T-Mobile is close to launching their TV service. Back at the start of November 2018, T-Mobile’s new streaming player cleared the FCC, according to a new filing on the FCC website. The new box carries the T-Mobile logo and is called T-Mobile Mini; however, the device is still labeled at the FCC as a Layer3 TV device. (T-Mobile purchased Layer3 TV.)
According to reports, this new player has 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Bluetooth LE. The device will have Ethernet and a USB port for manual updates.
For now, we will have to wait and see what T-Mobile does next.
Did you know we have a YouTube Channel? Every week we have a live Cord Cutting Q&A, and weekly Cord Cutting recap shows exclusively on our YouTube Channel!


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Oprah Winfrey Will Give Her Blessing To A New Holland America Cruise Ship
Oprah Winfrey will be given the honour christening a new Holland America cruise ship, aptly titled Nieuw Statendam. The vessel will be able to comfortably carry 2,666 passengers, and will debut sometime in December.
Holland America and Winfrey have collaborated in the past, as the media personality and business magnate set sail on a O, The Oprah Magazine-themed cruise last year, which included mediation classes, tai chi, on-board book clubs and healthy cooking classes.
The company also announced that Winfrey will partake in a three-day "girls' getaway" cruise that will depart from Fort Lauderdale on January 30, 2019, stopping at Holland America's private island in The Bahamas.
Passengers who are lucky enough to cop a spot on the three-day event will have a chance to attend one three "Conversations with Oprah" events onboard.


text: So there's no question that the iPad has generated plenty of interest and debate, but the big question remaining is how that will translate into actual sales. According to a new RBC / ChangeWave survey, however, it seems that the iPad is at least on track to do slightly better than the iPhone did, at least initially... maybe. To be a bit more specific, the survey found that of the 3,200 respondents, 13% were either somewhat likely or very likely to buy an iPad, compared to 9% who said the same thing about the iPhone way back in April, 2007. Of course, that says little about the potential long-term success of the iPad, and there's also the small issue of the iPhone already existing, which no doubt factors considerably into anyone's potential iPad purchase. Not surprisingly, RBC also says that the iPad relatively low price is a significant factor, and adds that only 8% of respondents were unwilling to pay Apple's prices for the iPad, compared to hefty 28% that said the initial iPhone prices were out of the question for them.


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A MOTORIST has been hit with at least ten speeding fines in his own street - and every time his car has been completely stationary. The New Orleans resident is constantly being issued with fines because the parking spot where he leaves his pick-up truck is directly in the path of a speed camera. Donald Schulz parks his truck legally outside his house on Canal Boulevard, but has copped the blame on more than ten occasions since 2011 when another motorist has broken the 35mph speed limit. If another driver happens to speed through the section of road, Schulz's registration plate often gets picked up by the camera and automatically sends the fine to him instead. Each time the unlucky motorist is sent a fine of between £52-£77 ($75-$110). And even Schulz's family have been affected by the camera blunder, as both his wife and sister have fallen victim to the mishap with their own cars in the past. Schulz told Fox News: “It’s a nuisance. I've had to take time out of my … [Read more...] about This driver’s parked pick-up truck keeps getting fined by traffic cameras – for speeding!
Get picked up
FORD has recalled 350,000 cars over fears they could roll off while parked. Two separate issues were revealed by the car giant with one driver already injured in an accident. The first recall affects nearly 350,000 pickups and SUVs built in the US in 2018. Vehicles could move with no warning on the dashboard even when park was selected on the gearstick if the handbrake wasn't on. The recall affects 2018 F-150, F-650 and F-750 trucks and 2018 Expeditions equipped with six- and 10-speed automatic transmissions. Dealers will inspect the vehicles to ensure that the shift cable locking clip was properly installed. If not, mechanics will secure the locking clip free of charge. Cars were made at Ford's factories in Dearborn, Kansas City, Kentucky and Ohio. Ford have been asked to comment on how many cars have made it to Europe and the UK but numbers will be small, if any. The second related recall targets just 161 F-150s and Expeditions, Lincoln Navigators and Ford Mustangs equipped with … [Read more...] about Ford recalls 350,000 SUVs, pick-up trucks and Mustangs over fears cars could roll off while parked
PICK-UPS are big business - and getting bigger all the time. Around 50,000 were sold in the UK last year, a number that is expected to swell further in the years ahead, writes William Scholes. The majority are bought in a double-cab format, meaning you get car-like passenger space and a still-decent load bay as well as the sheer toughness, towing strength and off-road ability - most offer four-wheel-drive - with which pick-ups are synonymous. Much of the growth in the sector has come from so-called lifestyle buyers. They have been won over by the same attributes which have traditionally made them attractive to the farmers, builders and other trade professionals for whom a pick-up is as much a work tool as it is a means of transport. So while a pick-up may be of use to your trade, deciding to park one on your driveway may not be the only reason that you need one if your hobbies include towing things hefty enough to defeat even most large SUVs - a big boat or horse box, for example - or … [Read more...] about Mercedes-Benz X-Class: The truck gets a premium pick-up
3 Ever since Marty McFly came back to the future to find a black Toyota SR5 Xtracab in the garage, I have found there to be something irresistibly cool about pick-up trucks. Clearly I’m not alone, because in 2017 demand for new pick-ups defied a declining market, eventually posting an increase of almost 8 per cent to 51,415 units when registrations of both vans and passenger cars were down. Whether those buyers were inspired by the world’s greatest time travel adventure (no arguments, please) or simply needed the practicality that comes with a massive load bed and plenty of off-road ability is unclear, but what we do know is that if they are business users they can run their pick-up in a very cost-efficient way. Vehicle Excise Duty of pick-ups, for example, is fixed at £240 per year regardless of engine size, while Benefit in Kind (BIK) taxation for a 20 per cent tax payer is just £54 per month. Compare a double cab pick-up such as the Isuzu D-Max … [Read more...] about Isuzu D-Max Huntsman review: can a lavishly equipped pick-up be a cheap substitute for an SUV?
NOW here’s a question for all fans of big pick-up trucks — you know, those wonderful utility/leisure vehicles that Americans love to build very large indeed. How tough is our very own Nissan Navara, the beefy European pick-up that in its latest guise swept to the top spot by scooping an international pick-up award? Well, according to one Nissan employee — PR man Mindaugas Plukys, who lives in Vilnius, Lithuania, and works for Nissan as part of the communications team in the Baltic region — the Navara is tops. Recently, Plukys believed so much in the Navara that he entered one in this winter’s Dakar Rally — one of the world’s toughest endurance rallies. His 2017 Nissan Navara was fitted with some extras to ensure it would be able to survive the 9,000km journey with multiple off-road stages. But basically, Plukys’ ride was the same as the Navara I have been driving this week, and fitted with a factory … [Read more...] about Truck picks up vote of confidence!


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Fullscreen has tapped digital marketing veteran Kevin Roe to serve as SVP of client services in its branded content group.
The appointment illuminates Fullscreen’s focus on ad-driven revenue, reports Variety, following the termination of its subscription video service earlier this month amid the layoff of 25 staffers. In his newly-created position, Roe will report to Fullscreen’s general manager, Pete Stein. Roe, a 30-year marketing veteran, previously worked under Stein at the Publicis-owned digital ad agency Razorfish. Stein joined Fullscreen in January 2016. Roe also previously served as SVP of digital for Edelman.
Roe, who will be based in Fullscreen’s Austin offices, will lead growth efforts for top accounts, support strategic client relationships, and develop new business opportunities, according to Variety.
“We’re thrilled to have Kevin as the newest member of our team as our clients recognize the need to reorient priorities from analog to digital, from one-way channels to social platforms, and from interruptive advertising to authentic, entertaining content,” said Tim Perlstein, Fullscreen’s SVP of strategy and insights. Adds Roe: “I’ve seen the insides of many client-side marketing organizations and know that CMOs still have a long way to go in transforming their organizations for the digital future, but Fullscreen is well-positioned to lead that charge.”


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02 Jun Caregiver 2020 competition
Designers tackle the challenge of creating scrubs for the 21st Century
Nurses experience more traumatic events in a week than most people will see in a lifetime. With the rapid growth of the aging population and shortage of caregivers, nurses are increasingly being asked to do more, with less.
In the future, the traditional attire and accessories that are commonplace today will have to evolve to empower caregivers with 21st Century tools. The NXT Caregiver 2020 Competition, sponsored by Milliken and Healing Hands, challenges fashion designers to create concepts for a set of next-generation healthcare garments, including male and female scrub set and a unisex lab coat.


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By Ishaan . October 1, 2013 . 7:08am
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has been delayed to February 2014 in North America. The game was initially slated for release in December, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said during a Nintendo Direct presentation this morning that more time is required in order to hit the required quality mark.


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Merchants around Westfield State College (Westfield, Ma.) seem to have taken to the campus card Owl Bucks program in a very positive way. The program launched two years ago enabling spending at both on campus at places like Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts and the campus bookstore as well as off campus at about 20 retailers including CVS, Applebee’s, Elm Pizza, and Friendly’s. Westfield has 5500 students and their monthly spending via the Owl Bucks program has more than doubled since last year topping $60,000 in September.
Participating merchants interviewed for a local news article reported that the program was good for business. “We are starting to get the college students here at the restaurant,” said one. Others had equally positive comments about the program’s usage and fees.
A Wesfield merchant mentioned, “It’s the same as a credit card. It goes right into my account, and they take a small percentage of every sale.” It seems several keys to success are summed up in this single sentence. First, this deli and ice cream store owner thinks the fees are fair and comparable to credit cards. Second the money goes “right into” his account. Participants interviewed about the Berkeley program suggested they perceived the fees to outweigh the additional sales volume and they were settled monthly meaning they had to wait a long time to receive their funds.
The Westfield program is managed by Off Campus Advantage (OCA), an offering from campus card provider CBORD. OCA representative Shawn McCarthy told CR80News that rates are important but daily settlement really is crucial to the success of an off campus program. He gives the example of a pizza merchant he once spoke to who was reconciling every 30 days with another program. The merchant told him, “I was so successful I was almost out of business.” Certainly settling once a month can cause serious cash flow problems for a small business owner.
It seems that the lesson may be fairly basic. Rates may vary based on the program and merchant makeup, but cash flow is king. As McCarthy points out, a merchant will complain about rates if they have to wait for their money, so settling is the big factor.


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The Chief Executive Officer, Bullnet Bulletin and Enquiries Networking Services, has disclosed that eNaira introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, can be funded directly with cash-purchased vouchers.
He disclosed this in a media parley during a presentation to showcase how the USSD channel of the eNaira can be employed to soothe the pain felt by Nigerians given the current scarcity of cash as the country’s transition from a predominantly cash-based economy to a cashless one.
He said: “In the bid to foster continuous improvement for the eNaira, the CBN has employed the services of indigenous tech firms and start-ups with innovative ideas and proposals that are relevant to the specific Nigerian market conditions are economically viable and operationally feasible within the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) ecosystem thus showing their relentless support for home-grown talents.
One such home-grown start-up is the patented BULLNET Platform that was given the chance to use its technology to proffer solutions to peculiar needs and requirements of the Nigerian masses as it adopts and uses the CBDC as the main medium for payments, settlements and remittances.
He further noted that the CBN has collaborated with Chamsmobile Limited (a CBN licensed Mobile Money Operator and Super-Agent) to address challenges faced primarily by the unbanked, the underserved and those on the other side of the digital divide by developing the service known as “eNairaeNhanced Services”.
“It is expected that Nigerians will proudly associate with this innovation and register to have the eNaira wallet.


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Ubisoft's upcoming fairytale-inspired Japanese-like role-playing game, Child of Light, uses fluid-based physics and combines 2D with 3D animations to give the game its visual style, according to the game's official Tumblr.
Technical architect Jeff Preshing explained that heroine Aurora is animated in the same fashion as regular 3D games. However, to make the character fit into the game's 2D world, the team must "flatten her completely." This impacts the character's fluidity in her movements.
"In order to achieve a reactive and fluid result we experimented with different combinations to get it just right," Preshing said. "We benefit a lot in animating Aurora in 3D, especially with the transitions when she changes directions in flight or turns around."
Fluid animations were especially used for Aurora's hair, which was designed to appear as though it's floating underwater.
"At the start of the project Aurora's hair was 100 percent driven by this fluid simulation," Preshing said. "It was a neat idea, but the results were a bit too lifeless. Her hair ended up looking like a bunch of spaghetti just floating around.
"Even though its not the main driving force behind Aurora's hair we still use fluid simulation; for example, when Igniculus flies past Aurora, the hair gets swept up in the breeze."
Child of Light was announced in August. The game is being led by Far Cry 3 director Patrick Plourde. For more on how Ubisoft hopes to reignite the love of classic JRPG mechanics, check out our interview with game writer Jeffrey Yohalem.


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Apple has announced a new partnership with Samsung, one of the iPhone makers' biggest rivals, to introduce Apple iTunes movies and TV shows to 2019 Samsung Smart TV models from 1Q19. Apple's AirPlay 2 will also be available as part of this deal.
With the new partnership Samsung users will be able to access their existing iTunes library or browse through the iTunes store with the new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app on their Samsung Smart TVs.
"We pride ourselves on working with top industry leaders to deliver the widest range of content services to our Smart TV platform," commented Won-Jin Lee, executive VP, service business of visual display at Samsung. "Bringing more content, value and open platform functionality to Samsung TV owners and Apple customers through iTunes and AirPlay is ideal for everyone."
The announcement may come as a surprise to some, given the two company's apparent fierce rivalry, particularly within the smartphone market. Samsung currently holds the place of the top selling smartphone provider in the world, while Apple's second place standing was usurped by Huawei in 2018.
However, this is not the first time the two companies have put aside their difference to work together. In 2016, Apple and Samsung reached another deal whereby Samsung would provide Apple with its OLED iPhone displays.


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SOME men look regal sans their crowning glory. Actors Patrick Stewart, Jason Statham and Bruce Willis, singer-composer Pitbull and even former Singaporean footballer Abbas Saad can carry off their shaved heads with gusto and cool confidence.
But for many, hair loss makes a huge dent on self-esteem. I know a few men who, under their manly composure, would quietly slab on hair tonic or seek treatment for their receding hairlines. They no longer think that just because they are men, it's fine to be bald.
The problem with losing hair is that sometimes, you are just predisposed to it. It's a genetic thing. If your father's hairline recedes early, chances are, so will yours.
Svenson chief trichologist Teo Kim Teik says the most common cause is pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia, which affects both men and women. "Half of all men and women over 60 suffer from this. It 'runs in the family' and is genetically determined."
Teo, who is also vice-president of the Asian Society Of Trichology, says we all have androgen receptor genes, which hold the key to whether we are genetically predisposed to hair loss.
So what Svenson has done is to develop a genetic test to identify people who will experience androgenetic alopecia, before any visible signs of hair thinning appear.
"In fact, about 50 per cent of one's hair will be gone by hair thinning is visible, so this test lets you know if you have to take measures to delay the onset of hair loss."
The test is simple. With just one easy, non-invasive cheek swab, one can find out one's chances of having androgenetic alopecia. The swab, which has to be taken in a controlled environment by a certified trichologist at Svenson, will then be sent to the laboratory in the United States and two weeks later, a genetic analysis will be given.
"Launched in 2008 in the US as the first commercial genetic test in the field of trichology, Svenson's genetic test revolutionises how hair loss can be treated through its accurate diagnosis. With proper genetic diagnosis, it will then be much easier for our trichologists to tailor-make an effective, preventive treatment programme for anyone facing this problem."
In Asia, the company has launched this genetic test in Hong Kong and Singapore, prior to Malaysia. Teo says the response has been good since people can find out if they are predisposed to this condition. "They are diagnosed as high or low risk and our trichologists can advise on proper preventive methods based on their results."
But there's still hope on the hair front because lifestyle also affects the condition of our hair. So if we cannot control our genes, a healthier lifestyle may help us retain our crowning glory longer.
"The difference between 30 years ago and now is that people today are more stressed. Adding to the damage is the unhealthy environment, such as air pollution. Also, our typical diet consists of more processed food. What is bad for the body is bad for the hair.
"Our hair is also constantly being subjected to strong chemical treatments in line with fashion. In the long run, hair will be damaged. Finally, many of us don't get enough rest and sleep, which do not give hair ample time to regenerate.
"Shampooing also plays a role in hair loss. We want to emphasise proper hair and scalp care because excessive hair loss can be exacerbated by unhygienic scalp conditions. There is always a need for greater awareness and education - many people still focus on the hair and neglect the scalp which has an important role in determining hair health."
The Svenson test is available at any of its eight outlets nationwide.


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It only takes a matter of seconds to change the look and feel of the Apple Watch. Here's what you need to know.
You can go from pastel rubber to stainless steel links in seconds, thanks to a pretty clever band mechanism on the Apple Watch. Take a closer look.
Apple's new smartwatch isn't out yet, but trade-in site Gazelle says it will offer to buy it from sellers and will also sell certified pre-owned models.
The 5-inch BlackBerry Leap sports a touchscreen rather than BlackBerry's signature physical keyboard.
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" sounds like a dark-arts incantation in a new video version of the song from YouTuber Andy Rehfeldt.
Is your dog no longer an adorable youngster? Want to get a breed that's trending? A different kind of website has a message for you.
Today Tesla Motors announced a pilot program to test the battery-swap scheme for its Model S sedans shown off last year.
With iOS 8, you can use a different keyboard than the default. Check out these third-party alternatives with CNET's Sarah Mitroff.
The Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition goes on sale this week in a lottery-style sale.
By changing a few components, Faraday has created an eBike that costs $2,800, which is relatively cheap by eBike standards.


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On September 30, the SF SPCA and 7x7 turned Patricia's Green in Hayes Valley into San Francisco's center of petcentricity for the second annual SF Dogma—one of the city's liveliest street fairs where hundreds of supporters came out to meet local artisans, merchants, and proprietors of all things pet-related. It was a gorgeous, warm and sunny day for petlovers to meetup, catchup—and possibly pickup a new furry friend!
We're getting pet-centric this Sunday at our second annual DOGMA event, in conjunction with our pals at the SF SPCA. It's a daytime celebration on Patricia Green in Hayes Valley that is equal parts adoptathon, pet talent contest (more on that in a minute!), and pet fair. Pet lovers and owners come to meetup, catchup—and possibly pickup a new furry friend, to save a life, change the world, have a ball!
In honor of tomorrow's DOGMA Street Fair and Pet Talent Show in Hayes Valley, we asked you to submit and vote on 24 San Francisco pets fiercely repping their 'hoods. And boy, were they a cute, furry bunch to look at. Every day at the office it was a struggle to decide who we'd vote for. After an avalanche of votes, there was, however, a clear winner.


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Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Greek economy on ice as lenders battle capital shortfall
November 11, 2015
Piraeus Bank used to be a lifeline for small entrepreneurs such as Evgenia, a 33-year-old Athenian who received a loan from the neighbourhood branch to finance her start-up selling fresh flowers.
“Other banks didn’t want to know me,” she says, declining to give her surname. “Even when the crisis came and I couldn’t make interest payments they [Piraeus] still cut me some slack.”
A reluctance to pursue distressed borrowers is one reason why Piraeus is judged to be the most precarious among Greece’s four top lenders, according to the European Central Bank’s latest health check of the sector.
As Greece’s biggest bank, shoring up the finances of Piraeus, and those of its peers, will be crucial in kick-starting lending to the country’s economy, helping it to climb out of a brutal recession that has shrunk the economy by almost a quarter since 2009.
The bank’s dire straits has revived debate about the aggressive expansion strategy pursued by Michalis Sallas, Piraeus’s long-serving chairman, at the height of the Greek crisis.
Posted by Yulie Foka-Kavalieraki at 7:38 PM


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IPC SouthBank has appointed Catherine Westwood, launch editor of
Cosmo Bride, as the editor of its bridal bi-monthly, Wedding and sister
title Wedding Flowers.
Currently fashion editor of Bella,
Westwood worked for six years on national newspapers, rising to fashion
editor on The Sun, and was also a freelance fashion editor for Now Star
Style and Wedding Day.
Publisher Lynsey Bushell said: “I am
delighted to welcome Catherine to the Wedding team. She is the ideal
candidate with expertise in the market and a strong vision for the
future development of the titles.”


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HP claimed today that it will boost mainstream adoption of Linux and open source software after signing a support deal with JBoss designed to help firms migrate from proprietary systems.
The agreement adds enhanced architecture and design support and services for JBoss products on HP platforms.
By providing JBoss support, as well as a range of consulting services, HP promised to "address customers' migration concerns" and so make open source viable for mainstream corporates.
"A main concern of customers when deploying Linux and open source software is availability of service and support for those products," said Al Gillen, research director for system software at IDC.
The analyst added that HP's provision of JBoss support would make firms more comfortable about deploying open source products in their IT infrastructure.
Martin Fink, vice president of Linux at HP, said: "Our expanded agreement with JBoss allows more customers to easily realise the cost savings and flexibility benefits of deploying Linux and open source on HP systems."
HP said that it also plans in early 2005 to offer HP OpenView application management systems which monitor, troubleshoot and manage changes in JBoss Application Server environments.
Kicking Palantir off of AWS is among their demands, too
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Use the same password for every website? It might be time to change them all


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Outdoor gear rental platform teams up with reservation provider
Arrive is now offering outdoor enthusiasts online gear rental services the moment they book a campsite or cabin.
In a new partnership with ReserveAmerica.com, an online portal operated by Aspira for searching and booking outdoor rental options, Arrive (formerly Coozie Outdoors) provides access to premium outdoor gear to match the experience. When someone books a campground on ReserveAmerica.com, there will be opportunities to rent gear via Arrive.
Along with offering gear to rent, the Arrive team can support campers and provide recommendations on gear, share ideas for meals at camp, and more. Arrive’s platform features over 100 products from over 40 brands. Arrive works directly with premium outdoor gear brands and offers the gear for rent on the platform.
“As outdoor enthusiasts ourselves, we started Arrive to give consumers the best possible gear without having to worry about astronomical costs and inconvenient storage,” said Arrive co-founder Rachelle Snyder. “We’re proud to foster a more sustainable outdoor industry by providing access to gear in a way that is less wasteful, more convenient, and comes with the same high standards of ownership. This exciting collaboration with ReserveAmerica.com was a natural next step to expand the experience-driven industry.”
“We are excited to offer direct access to renting camping gear from top brands through Arrive,” said Mark Trivette, CEO of Aspira. “Once a consumer makes a reservation for the next outdoor adventure, their next step is to secure the needed gear. Arrive makes that process easier and more affordable.”
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New week, new software releases by Apple. It seems every week we’re getting new software updates, and although they’re annoying, we’re not complaining about the contents this time. Today, in our weekly Apple recap, we’re bringing you news about why you should be updating your devices right now, Apple addressing AirTag concerns, and more.
Update Your iPhones, iPads & Macs Now
You might have already updated to the latest iOS and iPadOS 15.3.1 and macOS Monterey 12.2.1. But if you haven’t yet, consider this a friendly and urgent advice to do so as soon as you can. The latest updates bring important security patches, most notably one that lets malicious websites execute codes remotely through WebKit. As usual, Apple hasn’t provided further information, though they did say the vulnerability was exploited.
Stalking Concerns Heard
Remember all that talk about AirTags being used for thievery and stalking? Apple says improvements are coming soon in upcoming Find My updates. The tech giant will (finally) be adding essential features such as precise locations for unknown devices, alert notifications with specific device names, and more. The company has also promised to work with law enforcement to track down individuals who misuse AirTags.
New Beta Updates Released
Apple recently released the second betas for iOS & iPadOS 15.4, alongside watchOS 8.5, macOS Monterey 12.3, tvOS 15.4, and HomePodOS 15.4. So, if you’re in on the public beta programs, update your devices!
Xiaomi Declares War on Apple
Apparently, Xiaomi is planning on becoming Apple’s biggest rival in the smartphone market. Yes, we’re talking about the same company that copied Apple’s product designs multiple times in the past. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun on Tuesday declared a “war of life and death” against Apple. Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t that a tad bit dramatic, Xiaomi?
Apple’s Week in Rumours
What’s in the headlines about Apple’s upcoming plans? Here are some recent leaks and rumours to get you going.
- Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) filings reveal Apple might be unveiling 3 new macs this year: one laptop and two new desktop models.
- Apple’s Mixed Reality AR/VR headset might feature realityOS, as per leaked code.
- Further reports confirm Apple might release multiple Mac minis this year: a regular and a Pro.
Applesutra Last Week
Here’s what we covered last week on Applesutra.
- Through the Grapevine: The 2022 iPads We Are Waiting For
- Two and Two of the Many Times Apple Sued and Was Sued
- Upcoming Find My Update Will (Somewhat) Put an End to Unwanted AirTag Tracking
- React to This: WhatsApp for iOS Bringing Emoji Reactions (Soon!)
Stay updated by subscribing to the Applesutra newsletter, and get all the latest Apple news and updates right in your inbox. Opt-in box in the footer below!
See you next time!


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According to this Dutch Apple newssite Apple will start selling Fonts in the near future through the Apple store.
I have to admit that the evidence is clear:)
Apple has the announcement ready as shown here
Together with the recent news that Apple has made deals with big American record companies to sell online music, it seems to be clear that we can expect a big upgrade of the Apple store in the near future. The update may give an important boost to the so-called iApps.


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Luxury swimwear brand Vilebrequin started life in 1971 with a love story. Founder Fred Prysquel was an automobile journalist who fell in love with a beautiful woman who lived in St Tropez. He moved there to seduce her and decided to design and make his own swim shorts, as he didn’t like the swimwear trends in St Tropez at the time.
Now, 47 years on, the company produces half a million swimwear pieces per year, and its iconic prints remain synonymous with the brand. Vilebrequin also continues to celebrate the art of living in the sun with a new women’s line that includes swimwear, ready-to-wear and accessories, and it recently opened a Women’s pop-up in London’s Burlington Arcade.
‘Women have always been at the heart of Vilebrequin,’ says CEO Roland Herlory. ‘And we’re delighted to bring our complete women’s universe together in one location, for the first time outside France.’
The pop-up features a specially curated selection of women’s and girls’ products, ranging from iconic bikinis and swimsuits to effortless sundresses, beach shirts and polos, and will be open throughout the summer until the end of September.
10–11 Burlington Arcade, London W1J 0QJ; Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm and Sunday 12pm to 6pm; vilebrequin.com


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By Linda Scherer
COKATO, MN - Dan and Becky Bravinder, owners of Dan & Becky’s Market, just one-half mile east of Cokato, are getting back to the basics in nutrition.
Their market, located on their family farm, offers healthy food choices, selling organic and natural foods, some of which are grown locally.
The market is open all-year around, Monday through Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
“It is fun when people come here from a little bit farther out and they are not used to being on a farm,” Becky said. “The adults are just as excited to see the chickens as the kids.”
The couple enthusiastically share a wealth of knowledge with their customers about foods growing, eating, and cooking healthier.
“What I have learned over the years is, for good health, you need good food and that is the basics,” Becky said. “All this talk about health care systems is pointless if you are eating bad food.”
The Bravinders work long hours maintaining their market inventory, packaging product and labeling it, and during the warmer months, keeping up their own garden and raising butcher chickens.
“About 80 hours a week,” Dan said.
“It is like farming,” Becky said. “It never quits.”
They opened their market in November 2003, with common items they knew people would buy.
“I don’t know if we were so much into organic then, but we were starting,” Becky said. “It was more being able to buy products that we wanted in bulk.”
“We built the inventory on what people had requests for. That is how we got the inventory we have now,” Dan said. “Because of requests from different people in the area.”
Some of their natural and organic foods available at their market are raw unfiltered honey, golden flaxseed, handmade Belgian chocolates, cheese and ice cream, organic whole grains and flours, pastured pork products, bison, organic pork, grass fed organic beef, eggs, and produce.
Apples are a new addition to the market with 1,200 apple trees producing 10 varieties of apples, and they now have press apple cider.
“I think as far as the way we started the business, I really like what has happened because we started slow,” Dan said. “We didn’t go by any business model. I think we have a little better understanding of what is going on in the store and what people need and want,” Dan said.
“We have to know our customers,” Becky said.
Recently, Bravinders formed a partnership with a friend of theirs who wants to own a similar store in Montrose. To help his business get off to a good start, he will be using Dan & Becky’s Market as the name of his store.
“He will be running his own store and will be using his own capital to start it,” Dan said.
Dan and Becky’s support to start the store in Montrose is a little like the help they received in starting up their market.
“This store was really a thought of Dean and Lorna Mahlstedt of Cokato,” Dan said. “Before we got started in this, they wanted to do something like this. They were the ones with the original idea.”
Although Mahlstedts’ plans fell through, the Bravinders were able to purchase a lot of the grocery equipment they use today from them.
A sideline to their business is raising butcher chickens, all pre-sold. This year, the couple’s youngest son, Seth, raised 1,500 chickens on the Bravinders’ organic farm.
“Our pasture is fertilized by his chickens,” Dan said. “We have the chickens in movable pens. They get moved every day. The bottoms are all open on them so they can peck at the ground.
“You are putting about 300 pounds of nitrogen per acre on that pasture as you move these chickens over it, but it is not going to burn the soil like the commercial 300 pounds of nitrogen because it is an organic matter,” Dan said.
Their farm is organic, but it is not certified. They have not used any chemicals on their property for more than six or seven years, according to Dan.
“The thing about organic that people don’t understand is that it is all about the soil,” Becky said. “It is about putting compost and manure and making the soil healthier,” Becky said.
The Bravinder business is unique. “There are co-ops around, but there aren’t many of us around,” Becky said.
“We wanted a family business. I was probably moving in this direction for a long time,” Becky said.
Although Becky was planning for their business adventure for quite some time, Dan seems to be a little surprised at the outcome.
“If you had asked me 10 years ago, or told me I would be running my own grocery store, I would have said it will never happen,” Dan said.
The couple want to encourage other families to start their own business, and suggest people get to know their local farmers that sell anything from eggs to a side of beef.
“That is true community,” Becky said.
The Bravinders have four children:
• Derek is married to Tara and they live in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
• Alisha is married to Keno Walkes and they live in Dassel.
• Andrea is married to Nathan Wilson and they live in Columbia Heights.
• Seth is 17 and still lives at home.
They will have a total of seven grandchildren by the end of this month.


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A Restored Pratt Street
Through improved and restored retail storefronts, renovated residential spaces, and curated programming, Pratt St is being rediscovered.
HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) – A less talked about holiday is Small Business Saturday, held each year the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The holiday encourages supporting and shopping local.
There will be a shopping party held Saturday on Pratt Street in Hartford.
All small businesses around the country are reminding folks that shopping local is what keeps a community alive.
“It’s our Super Bowl. Anybody that has a small business, entrepreneur. This is the time when we put on the works and get everyone out here,” said Sarah Fernandez, Manager of Gentle Bull Shop on Pratt Street.
Fernandez can barely hold back her excitement about Small Business Saturday.
Gentle Bull Shop is a unique store with vintage items and other things you won’t find anywhere else, which Fernandez said is the beauty of supporting small and local.
“So that when you are coming here you are getting something that you are not going to walk into Target. You are not going to walk into any type of mall and get. Those everyone is going to walk around and look the same. Here you’re getting one-of-a-kind items. Small items that are near and dear to us that me and the owner like love. Vintage pieces,” Fernandez said.
The Small Business Saturday moniker was formally created by credit card giant American Express back in 2010, but the idea behind it is one that has been around for generations. Supporting the stores and restaurants in the communities we live only helps build the community stronger.
According to research by American Express, 67 cents of every dollar spent in a small business stays in the local community.
For many small businesses, the holiday season is critical. That same research shows 78-percent of small business owners say their holiday sales would likely determine whether they can stay afloat in the coming year.
This Saturday, Pratt Street will have something of a block party with 20 pop up stores as well.
Hernandez said the spirit of supporting local will be on every main street in every town this Saturday.
“It’s so important that you take the time, no matter where you live in Connecticut. Wherever you are just popping into those local stores that you probably wouldn’t normally on Saturday because that is like big. It’s support that we always need to be able to make us be able to do what we do every day,” said Fernandez.
Other ways to support local are buying gift cards to local restaurants.
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