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WWE Network bringing professional wrestling to Apple TV on Feb. 24World Wrestling Entertainment on Monday announced that the company's nascent WWE Network will launch on Apple's set-top streamer Feb. 24 alongside native apps for the iPhone and iPad.
Professional wrestling fans will need to have a subscription to access the network's content on the Apple TV as well as through the iOS apps, a WWE spokesperson said in a post to the company's Facebook fan page. MacRumors was first to notice the post.
At launch, the WWE Network will cost $9.99 per month with a six-month commitment. Unlike some other premium services on the device, Apple TV owners will not be able to use their iTunes account to subscribe.
WWE Network is the latest in a recent spate of content additions for the diminutive set-top box. Apple has added channels for Watch ABC, Bloomberg, PBS, Yahoo Screen and Major League Soccer, among others, in recent months.
On Topic: Apple TV
- Watch ABC Apple TV channel update brings full episode viewing for all users
- It's Back: Free Apple TV and the lowest prices anywhere on every MacBook + AppleCare bundle (save $200-$800); iMacs & Mac Pros too
- Apple TV gets overhauled YouTube app, adds new channels for UFC, DailyMotion & more
- Google's Chromecast usurps Apple TV in streaming content device race
- Exclusive: Free Apple TV and the lowest prices anywhere on every MacBook + AppleCare bundle (save $200-$800); iMacs & Mac Pros too


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This model could embrace Qualcomm Flower X60 5g electronic equipment. A 4.7-inch screen and barely an ID device are included. The iPhone SE three is similar to the previous generation in terms of looks. The release date of the new iPhone, however, has not been disclosed. This model, on the other hand, is expected to launch in the coming months.
According to a recent claim, the iPhone SE three might not be discharged this year. The next-generation Apple iPhone SE model is not expected to release in 2021, according to reports. A recent leak from famous consultant Ross Apple works on a variety of other phones besides the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12S series. The value of the iPhone SE 3 was also the same starting at $ 499. (around Rs thirty-six four hundred only). In addition, Apple is offering a nursing associate for the iPhone SE and for 2021. Given Apple’s willingness to manufacture additional phones in the Asian country, the value of the iPhone SE three in the Asian country could stay below Rs thirty-five thousand.
The iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 12S Professional, two future iPhones, are both known online. The iPhone SE three can be primarily the iPhone SE 2021, with large improvements over the iPhone SE (2020) and the original iPhone SE. It was once thought to look like the iPhone 13 Professional, but the same is currently the case with the iPhone 12S Professional.

domain: news


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Your €30,000 grant from the European Commission is waiting. But you need to act fast.
The European Union is currently in the process of implementing a new standard for electronic-invoicing.
The EU is offering a €30,000 grant to private companies, who conduct business with the public sector anywhere in Europe, to support this new standard. This standard will also quickly become the norm for e-invoicing between private sector partners, and private sector companies can also apply even if they are not yet doing business with the public sector.
We can help you avail of this incentive to become an early adopter of an invoicing system that will quickly become the standard for digital B2B transactions across Europe, and is estimated to result in savings of €40 billion per annum.
Not only will you benefit from an automated and state-of-the-art electronic invoicing system that will significantly reduce your Business costs, but your grant will also reduce the cost of implementation considerably.
To find out how Celtrino can assist you in applying for your grant, get in touch with us today at [email protected]. Time is running out to apply, with the deadline for submissions no later than November 22nd, 2017.


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23 Aug 701 Seventh Avenue’s 18,000- Square Foot LED Screen Goes Live, Times Square
Last week, YIMBY reported that testing had begun on 701 Seventh Avenue’s enormous new billboard. Now, it has been activated in full, as photographed yesterday by mchlanglo793. The 18,000 square-foot LED screen is the largest in Times Square, and will soon be joined by a 17,000 square-foot screen immediately across the street, at 1568 Broadway, site of the former Doubletree Hotel. As for 701 Seventh Avenue, aka the Marriott Edition Times Square, the exterior is almost fully glassed, and opening is a few months out.
Originally Post On: newyorkyimby.com


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Samsung announced its first Android-powered smart watch called the Galaxy Gear today. The Galaxy Gear syncs via Bluetooth with a new smartphone Samsung announced today called the Galaxy Note III. The smart watch has a tiny, 1.6-inch touchscreen display that shows you incoming texts, emails, and phone calls. Show More Summary
The phones will need the update to interact with Samsung's new smartwatch.
Samsung just wrapped up their big event today announcing the Samsung Galaxy Note III, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 2014 Edition, and most notably the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. It looks like a very impressive smartwatch, but I'm still not convinced smartwatches are impressive.
It wasn’t much of a surprise when Samsung finally unveiled its new Galaxy Note 3 smartphone on Wednesday. Forget the fact that Samsung’s marketing boss had already confirmed the announcement was coming, the Galaxy Note 3?s specs have basically been common knowledge for months. Show More Summary
In the midst of its numerous Unpacked Episode 2 unveilings, Samsung's just given us a peek at a new piece of the Galaxy Note III puzzle: My Magazine. At a glance, it looks like a mashup between Flipboard's curated magazine app and HTC's Blinkfeed-infused homescreen. Show More Summary
At a press event in Berlin today, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy Note III, the latest entry in its supersized smartphone line. One of the bigger changes with the Note III is its display, which, at 5.7 inches …
Samsung's new Galaxy Gear smartwatch, Galaxy Note III, and Note 10.1 will be out on September 25. [Liveblog] Read more...
Surprise surprise, there's a new Galaxy Note. Whodathunkit? But with the Mega on the scene, the new Note III isn't the leader of the pack when it comes to screen-size anymore. It looks like it's getting a little bump in screen size. But don't worry; it'll be bigger on the inside. Read more...
Live video from Samsung’s “Unpacked 2013? press conference at Berlin’s IFA trade show. The company is expected to announce the Galaxy Note III smartphone, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch and more.
The long and arduous wait is finally over. After months of rumors and speculation, countless leaks and even an official confirmation from Samsung’s marketing boss, the next-generation Galaxy Note III phablet and brand new Galaxy Gear smartwatch are finally about to be unveiled. Show More Summary
Samsung is holding a big event in Berlin today to announce two major new products: the Galaxy Note III phone and the Galaxy Gear smart watch. The Galaxy Note III is the third generation of Samsung's popular phablet, or a phone with a giant screen and special pen for writing or doodling. Show More Summary
We are mere hours away from Samsung officially unveiling Galaxy Note III today in Berlin and to whet your appetite, here’s the latest tidbit. A Samsung employee working at the Samsung R&D claims the fingerprint sensor will make the cut in the new Galaxy Note III. Show More Summary
We’re now just one day away from Samsung’s IFA press conference, where the world will get its first official glimpse at the new Galaxy Gear smartwatch and the new flagship Galaxy Note III phablet. We still haven’t seen the Note III’s final hardware leak, but bits and pieces continue to trickle out. Show More Summary
Dear readers, we have the first issue of a news digest for the week, where the most interesting news and developments relating to the platform Android. It includes the following information: Acer Liquid S2 Samsung Galaxy Note III Google...Show More Summary
Just two days to go until the world finally gets to see what Samsung has been cooking up in its kitchen. Rumor has it, Samsung will be revealing the Galaxy Note III, but that’s not the real headline act. Aside … Continue reading ?
Right ahead of unveiling its second highlight - the Samsung Galaxy Note III - which Samsung is expected to announce at this week's IFA in Berlin, the Global Certification Forum has published its approval and it looks like the Galaxy Note III will be a connectivity monster. Show More Summary
vleaks is at its again, leaking stuff that others wouldn’t normally dream of getting their hands on before a device’s official announcement. This time, it’s allegedly the lock screen wallpaper from Samsung’s upcoming phablet, that the popular leakster has posted on Twitter. Show More Summary
The next version of most successful Phablet will be going to launch on September 4 in Berlin and Samsung has managed to keep it out of the public eye but somehow we managed to get the first look of Galaxy Note III. From the image itShow More Summary
Samsung Galaxy Note III developer unit leaks http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_iii_developer_unit_leaks-news-6693.php [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
It was only a couple of days back when a rumor indicatedthe launch date of the Galaxy Note III in Taiwan would be September 27, with pre-orders starting as early as September 16. Now, it looks like the latter date is when the deviceShow More Summary


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Verizon Moto Z3’s 5G Mod goes on sale tomorrow for $350
There are a few trends happening in the smartphone industry right now. Bezels seem to have the biggest target on their backs with OEMs doing what they can (e.g. the notch and the camera cutout) to shrink them as much as possible. We also have a number of companies switching to in-display fingerprint readers, some are focusing on software navigation methods, and a few more. One thing that will be big this year is the consumer launch of 5G devices for these brand new 5G networks. Most will have to buy a brand new device to use it, but Moto Z owners can choose to purchase a Moto Mod for the Moto Z3 that adds 5G functionality to the device.
The development of new 5G networks has been going on for a few years now. This effort has come to us from all directions including those in charge of finalizing the standard, silicon vendors and their new modems, and wireless carriers who create the network. Now, the smartphone OEMs get to combine the new modem with their software and connect them to the newly minted networks. Since this requires new modems that have yet to ship in a consumer smartphone, the majority of us will need brand new devices to use these networks.
Each wireless provider’s schedule for 5G is different but Verizon has announced their 5G network will be up and ready in both Chicago and Minneapolis on April 11th. Few devices will be able to use the network on launch day, but if you remember, Motorola launched the Moto Z3 last year with the capability of using a 5G Moto Mod. So to get people prepared for the network, Motorola will be putting up their 5G Moto Mod for the Moto Z3 for pre-order tomorrow (March 14th).
The Moto Mod will only cost $50 during this promotion but will drastically increase in price to $350 afterward. The two markets for Verizon’s 5G launch may seem small but the company currently plans to have over 30 cities online with their new 5G network by the end of this year.
Via: Android Central


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By Allison Stadd on September 18, 2013 11:00 AM
New York Institute of Technology is looking for a Assoc. Dir., Admissions Marketing and e-Branding. next job The Republic of Tea is looking for a Minister of Enlightenment - PR Director. next job Newsday Media Group is looking for a Audience Engagement Editor. next job Confidential is looking for a Editorial Project Manager. see all
Posts Tagged ‘social commerce’
Move over, PayPal. Direct payment processing has come to social media.
Social commerce platform Chirpify announced today that its members can now accept domestic and international credit and debit cards, as well as send and accept automated clearing house (ACH) payments, directly in-stream with a single comment on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Read on for how this affects you.


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Internet Archive and its quest to preserve every Apple II program ever created
Cult of Mac has published this article talking about Jason Scott’s quest to find and archive all software ever published for the Apple II. Jason works for the retro computer enthusiast’s best friend, the Internet Archive.
Although it is something that many people have been doing over this years, it is reassuring that the Internet Archive has someone dedicated to such task.
“I tell people for a very small amount of effort and an entire realm of human creation can be saved,” Scott told Cult of Mac. “All it requires is pulling data off obsolete media and putting it online. A notable amount of human effort is disappearing and the effort to preserve it is very minimal. We’re not talking about rare silk where there’s like only 12 people in the world who restore it.
Link: Cult of Mac


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In 2017, PopWrapped created a list of the top five underrated chains in America. This was based on the quality of food, the service, and the treatment of their employees.
Texas Roadhouse came in at number one.
This year, the staff at Money decided to take a survey on what they considered the best restaurant chains in America. Their choices were limited to those that had over 100 units nationwide, offered a full-service experience, and provided moderately priced food. They included the cost of a dinner entrée and customer experience in their decision process.
Texas Roadhouse came in the top 25 chains.
This year’s American Customer Satisfaction Index was based on the opinion of 22,500 customers who evaluated their recent experiences at the largest brands. These included expectations and perceptions on value and quality.
Texas Roadhouse came in at number one.
I overheard a conversation the other day at one of my favorite outdoor restaurant venues. A guest was talking to his waiter about his dreams of owning his own restaurant someday. The guest suggested he study and emulate the business model of, yes, you guessed it, Texas Roadhouse.
Texas Roadhouse is now comprised of 527 units and exceeds $2 billion in revenue with an average unit bringing in about $5 million. While 2017 saw traffic decline by anywhere from 1 to 7 percent at most chains, Texas Roadhouse increased its traffic by 3.6 percent. Same company store sales rose by 5.8 percent while U.S. franchised units saw a 4.7 percent sales growth. Compare this to Applebee’s same store sales which declined by 5.3 percent and you have to wonder how Kent Taylor, founder and CEO of this lucrative chain, created this gold mine.
And all this occurred in the wake of a 0.3 percent increase in prices due to the rising cost of labor.
So, just what is the secret to Texas Roadhouse’s success?
Some would say that it is a man with a vision that doesn’t waver. Visionaries, after all, rarely go along with the masses. Does this casual dining chain promote their delivery services as many in the industry turn to this viable strategy? No. In fact, according to Food News Feed, Taylor was quoted as telling a group of investors that he encouraged his competitors “to do as much delivery as they can so they can deliver lukewarm food to their people that order it.” Despite their lack of promotion, the chain’s to-go business has doubled from 3 to 6 percent of sales in the past five years.
Do they change their menu once a month and offer daily specials? Word is that their last menu change was about four years ago and that their number one seller has remained their 6-ounce USDA choice top sirloin since they opened their doors in 1993. Since that time, they have been known for their hand-cut steaks and fall-off-the-bone ribs.
Here is what they believe in: selling affordable, high-quality, made-from-scratch meals, ice-cold draft beer, and providing friendly service. Bakers make their fresh-baked yeast rolls served with homemade cinnamon butter while butchers cut, on average, $1 million worth in meat every year at each store. Steaks account for 44 percent of their menu. They are also committed to consistency across the chain. Except for weekends, they are a dinner-only chain, in part because they are committed to providing their employees with a balanced lifestyle.
They believe that happy employees make for happy guests and, to this end, offer line-dancing competitions and provide the top meat cutter with an end-of-the-year $20,000 bonus. General managers are said to make more at this chain than most of their competitors.
Emulating this successful chain involves menu pricing strategy such as drawing in customers for their high value steak offerings and then making up the profits on higher margin options such as alcoholic beverages.
They are also said to sign two-year contracts with their beef suppliers, ensuring steady beef prices at a time of rising costs.
They protect their brand by carrying their core values across all units. This may be one of the reasons they were ranked #1 Consumer Pick in Nation’s Restaurant News List of casual steak restaurants, named America’s Top Chain Restaurant by Forbes and received Large Company of the Year by Business First.
For those entering this challenging industry, finding your mentor in the shadow of Texas Roadhouse and their significant success is definitely a good place to start.


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Don’t Miss Your Last Chance to Wait in Line for a Pizzeria Beddia Pie
After closing his shop this Saturday, Joe Beddia is taking a break — but he’ll be back.
Years ago, the idea of waiting in line for hours in Fishtown to pay $25 for a pizza would have gotten you laughed off of Girard Avenue.
In 2018, we’re counting down the days — four, to be exact — left in which we might have such a privilege.
After Saturday, March 31st, after five years of making only 160 pies a week, Pizzeria Beddia as we know it will be no more.
No more camping out on Shackamaxon Street for 2 hours in line to order your pie and then cooling your heels for another 2 hours before you can eat it, and still having it be worth the wait. No more overhyping from national food media. No more of some of the best pizza we’ve ever tasted.
For a while, that is. Founder and sole pizzaiolo Joe Beddia has said that he’ll be “taking a breather” before opening a much larger Pizzeria Beddia 2.0 — with 100 seats — in Fishtown later this year.
The new pizzeria will be located on the 1300 block of Front Street. That’s not far from the original at Girard and Shackamaxon, which will be converted into a slice shop under new ownership, according to Philly.com.


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Remember a few days ago when we brought you news of tests showing that solid-state drives aren't as power-efficient as we were led to believe?
As might be expected, SSD makers have hit back at the methodology used by the Tom's Hardware website, claiming they tested the wrong kind of kit.
Wrong kind of snow
One spokesman for an SSD vendor said, "They are using legacy drives, none of which will be used by any major PC OEM."
In other words, the very newest SSDs should perform as advertised, he claims. With new drives expected soon from Intel, among others, the SSD field is clearly heating up.
While we're on the subject of Chipzilla, Intel has revealed that it is looking to make chips using 10-nanometre processes within a few years.
The current smallest chips have connections measuring 45nm – these will be followed by 32nm next year and, possibly, 10nm or below around 2012.
Smaller parts means more energy-efficient systems and greater processing power per chip; clearly desirable attributes that are driving Intel and others to innovate as quickly as possible.
Finally for this morning, anyone still unsure about just how bad the spam problem is should take a close look at an experiment run by McAfee in which participants responded to all junk mail to see what would actually happen.
Instead of deleting obvious spam, trialists who clicked the fake 'remove me' links or otherwise responded ended up with not just more spam but real, paper junk mail too.
In just one month UK testers managed to attract around 10,000 unwanted messages, but those in the US averaged a horrifying 23,000 in the same period.
That's it for now, but stay tuned to TechRadar for the rest of the day's news as it breaks.
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J Mark Lytle was an International Editor for TechRadar, based out of Tokyo, who now works as a Script Editor, Consultant at NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. Writer, multi-platform journalist, all-round editorial and PR consultant with many years' experience as a professional writer, their bylines include CNN, Snap Media and IDG.


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The photographs define this pandemic: miles and miles of cars and trucks, brake lights gleaming, paused in a lineup at a food bank.
Across the U.S., millions are besieging food banks, stressing what the New York Times has called “a charitable system that was never intended to handle a nationwide crisis.”
Yet handle it they do: Telluride’s food pantry, for example, is not only open every week on Aspen Street as usual, it is offering extended hours (the pantry will operate Thursday from 3-6 p.m.).
The Telluride Food Pantry, a service of the nonprofit Angel Baskets under the direction of Barb Gross, has worked exceptionally hard to keep up with surging demand.
“Our biggest challenge has been simply getting enough food,” Gross said.
The pantry has served 1,214 individuals so far this month — a total of 493 families — “and that’s just so far,” Gross said. “My belief is that by the end of this month, by Thursday, we’ll have served 1,500 individuals.”
This is a more than 600 percent increase over the number of individuals the food pantry typically supplies.
“I have about a $700 budget each month,” Gross added — not nearly enough money to feed so many new clients.
“We’ve had an incredibly generous response from the local community,” Gross said. “It just blows me away.”
The Town of Telluride has stepped up, too, by graciously donating extra space in the Community Room to store the thousands of pounds of additional food that have been required these past few weeks. (“Substantial donations of money, time, skills and goods by literally hundreds of people have enabled us to meet this unprecedented need for food,” according to a news release. “Without you, none of this would have been possible. We cannot thank you enough. Please, keep up the good work. This is not over yet.”)
Some things have changed about the way the pantry handles business to keep both employees and customers safe. Food pantry clients — which is to say, residents of San Miguel County and Rico — are asked to wear a mask “covering your nose and mouth” when they stop by Thursday to pick up pre-bagged food. (A medical mask isn’t necessary; a cloth mask or a bandana will do.) If possible, please drive up to the food bank and allow volunteers to come to you. If you must get out of your car, observe a safe, six-foot distance. The contents of each bag are the same. If you cannot use everything in your bag, please donate it back to the food bank, which will sanitize it and redistribute it. Unwanted food can be returned the next time you visit the food bank — which can be as often as once a week if you are truly in need — or to the restaurant La Cocina de Luz daily between 2-5 p.m. Please do not come to the food pantry if you’re sick (instead, send a friend). The food bank is located behind the Second Chance Thrift Store on Aspen Street.
The pantry can use help with specific donations, including non-perishable canned items such as soup, stew, canned corn, green beans or mixed vegetables, and cereal. Unused bandanas or facemasks are helpful, too. Those items can also be dropped off at La Cocina daily from 2-5 p.m. or at the food bank on Thursday. The pantry also has pet food available, courtesy of the Western Slope Pet Pantry. If you would like to make a donation, please do so online at tellurideangelbaskets.org. The food pantry is available via email to answer any questions at email@example.com.


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Another social media campaign gone awry: Cheerios' attempt for people to comment on what the cereal means to them turned into a free-for-all about the product. Thousands of posts criticized the use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in the cereal. The comments likely are the result of recently defeated Proposition 37, which would have required labeling of GMO products.
General Mills had been posting the comments, some via an app that displayed them in the Cheerios font. Since then the company has discontinued the app and stopped posting comments for some time. The company also removed anti-GMO photos from the Facebook page.
Todd Larsen, Green America Corporate Responsibility Programs Director, encourages consumers to understand the product and calls on the company to respond:
"At GMO Inside's Facebook page, people can see which ingredients in Cheerios and other products are likely to be genetically modified. Cheerios needs to label or remove the GMO ingredients. Consumers have a right to know."
The company's response has been minimal. Where the app was on the Facebook page is now this note:
"We consider your comments, and we listen to your point of view. Our community is passionate about food and about Cheerios. There are many varied opinions and they are often very strong. We've created this space to enable robust conversations, and we invite you to share your thoughts on things we're doing well and on areas we can improve. We ask only that you remain respectful and considerate of others as you're posting, in keeping with our community guidelines."
Critics say that General Mills should have known better: the opposition was clear, so the social media campaign was too risky, and the result is not surprising.
- What's your view of GMO products? Do they concern you or not? What research are you relying on to shape your opinion?
- How else should General Mills respond to the controversy on its Facebook page or elsewhere?


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Our weekly crypto newsletter is here! Learn more about the possible implications of the MiCA settlement and what Deloitte’s findings on the future of crypto usage are. On top of that, read about our impression of Consensus 2022 and learn the difference between hot and cold wallets!
Markets in Crypto Assets (Mica): Agreement expected at end of June
In the past, we have reported many times on recent developments in MiCA regulation, and now it appears that an agreement is on the horizon for the end of June. According to Bloomberg, the planned meeting on June 30 will also deal with NFTs, stablecoins and new guidelines for crypto service providers, among other topics. Especially after the Terra Luna crash, the European Parliament has shown an increased interest in protecting investors and defining tighter rules. The European Parliament will also take a closer look at the future handling of NFTs, because in the past, NFTs were all too often suspected of promoting money laundering. With the help of compliance processes, countermeasures will probably be taken to prevent money laundering and possible restrictions on the use of this emerging segment.
Environmental aspect of cryptocurrencies still part of the discussion
A proposed ban on Bitcoin due to energy-intensive generation has led to some discussion in the past. Although the proposal was rejected in parliament, it is not entirely off the table yet. As BTC-ECHO reported, one of the proposals is that for the assets offered, environmental and climate impacts be prominently displayed on trading platforms. Whether this means that there will soon be energy efficiency classes for cryptocurrencies, as with refrigerators?! Exciting times are ahead and we’ll keep you up to date.
Deloitte is bullish on Crypto Payments
In collaboration with PayPal, major accounting firm Deloitte conducted a survey that showed almost 85% of various retail companies expect digital currency payments to be adopted and widespread within five years. The survey, which polled senior executives, covered a variety of organizations in sectors such as fashion, food, hospitality, cosmetics, and transportation.
It’s worth noting that the survey addressed digital currencies, which is a term that covers both cryptocurrencies and CBDCs (central bank digital currencies). However, 85% of participants said they are prioritizing crypto, with three-quarters of them looking to accept it within the next two years. The results also showed that 54% of the larger retailers (whose revenue is over $500 million) have already invested over $1 million in integrating digital currency payments into their company.
News of crypto adoption within retail could be a trend we start to see more and more of. Fashion giants Gucci recently announced they would accept crypto payments alongside SpaceX and luxury brand Balenciaga, who also recently made similar announcements.
Accointers at Consensus 2022
Consensus gave us a brief overview of the current state of the market and what crypto holds for the future. When it came to many crypto projects, it felt like deja-vu: new projects trying to fix the same problems that past projects have already tried to and failed. In terms of regulations, it seems like everyone is pulling in different, sometimes even opposite, directions instead of trying to align on a scalable solution. Blockchain organizations need to align in their work with regulators so they can be successful. If not, we will hardly see a solution for the antagonism between our industry and the IRS. With the current market conditions and the need for bigger industries, we do see a lot of consolidations taking place, and the previously highly segmented industry now is becoming significantly more condensed, and it is shifting to a more corporate approach. Crypto is a teenager with a huge potential trying to find its path. It’s up to the community and governments to help find it.
Crypto 101: The difference between hot and cold wallets
This year will be a special one in the history of cryptocurrencies because Ethereum will finally be switching to the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. Criticism of the biggest smart contracts platform is often aimed at the vast energy consumption needed to keep the Ethereum blockchain running. Proof-of-work is the current mechanism used by Ethereum but that’s all about to change by the end of 2022.
But what’s the difference between proof-of-work and proof-of-stake, aside from their levels of energy consumption? Both use validators to secure transactions on the blockchain, and both have pros and cons. More importantly, there are fundamental differences between both consensus mechanisms that can have a decisive impact on their future. Learn more about the differences between the two mechanisms and much more in our Cryptocurrency 101 Beginner’s Guide. It’s the best way to kickstart your crypto research.


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Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!
Today's Silicon Valley is still exceedingly liberal on social issues. But it seems more skeptical about taxes and business regulation than at any point in its recent history. Part of this is due to the rise of companies like Uber and Tesla Motors, blazing-hot start-ups that have been opposed at every turn by protectionist regulators and trade unions, in confrontations that are being used by small-government conservatives as case studies in government control run amok.


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By Richard Mullins
If you like buying things tax-free on Amazon, you better hit the "Buy" button before May 1.
Amazon officials confirmed the massive online retailer will start collecting state sales taxes in Florida on that date, though some tax experts say Amazon will likely try to ease the jolt.
For years, items have been tax-free on Amazon for Florida customers, due to a loophole in commerce laws that let a company avoid collecting local sales taxes in states where it doesn't have a physical presence. Since Amazon (for now) doesn't have any operating warehouses in Florida, and the company uses FedEx and UPS to deliver packages, Amazon can sell tax-free in this state. That gave Amazon and its customers an automatic 7 percent discount within the City of Tampa compared to shopping at the mall, and an advantage over any online retailers like BestBuy or Macy's that did have a physical "nexus" in Florida.
That also means the same item effectively costs different amounts on Amazon, depending on where the buyer is -- for instance California where Amazon has warehouses and collects local taxes, or Florida where it has no warehouses and does not. Unfortunately for Amazon this also added some added time for shipping items to Florida customers from Amazon fulfilment centers outside Florida, something the company has been working to reduce.
Now, Amazon is building two, gigantic warehouses in Florida, one in Lakeland and one in Ruskin that may also be a platform for Amazon to start delivering fresh groceries, as it does in several other U.S. markets. While declining to offer details, Amazon Spokesman Ty Rogers confirmed the retailer will be required to start collecting sales taxes on May 1.
It's widely expected Amazon will finish the Ruskin warehouse sometime late this year or early next. Though Amazon plans to use automated robots to help sort packages, both the company and the Governor have pledged the warehouse projects will add 1,000-plus jobs to the state, and Amazon officials claimed they would pay 30 percent more than typical retail jobs, plus stock options and other perks of Amazon employment.
Amazon has made similar build-then-tax moves in other states, as politicians in Washington have yet to come to a deal on whether there should be some federally imposed rule, requiring online retailers to collect local sales taxes wherever the customer resides. Retailing associations have made their own pitch on the topic to level the playing field with Amazon, and Amazon has gone on record advocating for a "Fairness" tax structure.
Amazon now collects sales taxes for purchases sent to 20 different states, according to Amazon's tax tutorial online. As for whether Amazon will lower product prices here to soften the blow of new taxes, Amazon officials declined to say, but other experts say Amazon will do just about anything to compete with rivals online. "If Amazon is optimizing its prices to maximize profit, then they shouldn't raise prices by the full 7 percent but by something closer to 5 percent," said Robert Phillips, a business professor with Columbia University's business school who studies pricing. "On the other hand, if they are feeling political, they might just tack the 7 percent on as clearly labeled 'Florida sales tax' so that Florida residents get the picture that they are paying more thanks to their legislature."
Even when Amazon starts collecting taxes, "I don't think this makes them less competitive," said Mark Faggiano, founder of the San Diego-based TaxJar, a company that helps online merchants calculate what can be hundreds of different taxing rules across the country.
For one, Faggiano notes Amazon changes prices on millions of items every day, often minute to minute, in a practice called "Dynamic Pricing," which treats the price of anything from a toy to a book in similar ways that airlines treat a seat on a flight -- changing prices depending on demand.
Indeed, the same television can change prices every second on Amazon, depending on what the price is at rivals like BestBuy and Walmart.
Amazon has long ago figured out how to tactically change prices in states where they begin charging taxes, he said. "It will be up to every consumer to decide what convenience is worth to them," he said. "But I think people love the service so much with things like next-day shipping that there may be some short-term disenchantment with paying taxes, but that will eventually go away and people will love them as much as ever."
(c)2014 the Tampa Tribune


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Spoils of Yahoo Deal Would Exceed Ad Revenue
Spoils of Yahoo Deal Would Exceed Ad Revenue
Microsoft's first priority in an unsolicited bid for Yahoo is to be able to compete better with Google for the ad revenue that comes along with Internet searching. But a merger would bring Microsoft a lot of other goodies, too — including e-mail services, photo sharing and social networking.
Google remains the dominant player in the online advertising game, and it's clear what the search-engine giant is about from a visit to its home page, which is nearly blank except for a box awaiting search terms.
In contrast, the Yahoo home page is a full of services, including personal ads, games, jobs and many content areas: technology, cars, finance, food, movies, music ... the list goes on.
There are also popular properties that don't have the Yahoo name, but which are owned by the company. These include the photo-sharing site Flickr and the social-bookmarking site Delicious.
And both Microsoft and Yahoo have extremely popular e-mail services. In fact, Charlene Li, an analyst with Forrester Research, estimates that a Microsoft-Yahoo union would cover about 90 to 95 percent of all e-mail and instant-messaging use.
That's a level of market penetration that has Google chief legal officer David Drummond up in arms. In a note on the company's Web site, he expressed fears that Microsoft and Yahoo might find ways to keep users from gaining access to the instant messaging, e-mail and Web-based services of competitors like Google.
He points out that Microsoft has been accused of anti-competitive practices in the past.
But, Robert Litan, a former Justice Department antitrust official, says the government won't be looking at past behavior in assessing a potential Microsoft acquisition of Yahoo. It will look at what a merger might do to market share.
Litan says any decision involving e-mail or IM will depend on whether officials separate them out from other online services.
"Once you decide the relevant market or define it, a lot of things fall out from that," he says. "You know how concentrated the market is to begin with — or if the merger will make it more concentrated."
Litan says if Justice Department officials see MySpace, Live Journal, LinkedIn or any number of networking sites as part of the a market that includes e-mail and IM, then a Microsoft-Yahoo merger wouldn't seem threatening.
Yusef Medhi, who oversees large-scale mergers at Microsoft, says the future of these services is in such flux that it might be hard at this point to define them as a closed market.
"There is a broad set of services out there that are going to evolve over time," Medhi says, citing e-mail, instant messaging, social networking, text messaging and voice services as examples.
Medhi says Microsoft believes that these services will offer new ways of making money online in the future, especially when their properties are combined with Yahoo's. Li agrees.
"If I bought shoes on Zapos.com, I can tell my girlfriends about it on MySpace or Facebook or put up photos on Flickr or bookmark those things on Delicious," Li says. "Those are new activities that represent marketing opportunities."
Microsoft is still most interested in getting some of that online search advertising revenue away from Google. But all the other properties that it would gain by acquiring Yahoo make the potential deal look even sweeter.
Q&A: Microsoft's Bid for Yahoo
A look at the 2007 annual revenues for the two companies involved in the deal and their main rival:
Microsoft Corp.: $51.1 billion*
Google Inc.: $16.6 billion
Yahoo Inc.: $7 billion
*Fiscal year ended June 30, 2007
Source: Company Web sites
Microsoft Corp. has made an unsolicited bid to buy Yahoo Inc. for $44.6 billion. Yahoo has said it will consider the offer, which would unite two companies looking to increase their Internet search traffic and advertising revenues in the shadow of Google Inc.'s dominance.
If approved, the deal would be Microsoft's largest ever. The move raises questions about what's at stake for Yahoo, as well as Microsoft, and what government hurdles may have to be cleared.
What does Microsoft stand to gain in this deal?
Microsoft would be paying a lot of money, $44.6 billion, but the company has been eager to improve its position among search engines and compete with Google, the undisputed leader in online search. A combined Yahoo and Microsoft would have about a third of the U.S. search audience, which would still trail well behind Google's nearly 60 percent, according to data from comScore, which measures the market.
Microsoft also would like to get a bigger share of the online advertising market, which the company estimated at $40 billion last year and expects to grow. Yahoo's themed search areas, like finance and sports, draw the eyes of customers who visit the site for its free e-mail and instant-messaging programs and could offer greater opportunities for advertising. Microsoft also could use its sizable pocketbook and software power to entice more ads to the merged company.
What's in it for Yahoo?
Financial stability. In the last year, Yahoo's finances have deteriorated. Earlier this week, the company announced a 23 percent drop in quarterly profits, then said it would cut some 1,000 jobs — about 7 percent of its workforce. The company has also given a cautious outlook for 2008. For shareholders, Microsoft's offer of $31 per share — 62 percent more than what Yahoo's stock was worth when the market closed Thursday — has to be attractive.
Yahoo also would gain access to Microsoft's extensive computing power and data capacity, which might make it possible to offer software like Microsoft's Office suite over the Internet.
This isn't the first time Microsoft has made an offer. What happened last time?
Microsoft and Yahoo have talked about a possible deal since 2006, and the software giant made a similar offer last year. Former Yahoo CEO Terry Semel rejected that deal, but Semel resigned from Yahoo's board on Thursday. As Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer said in a letter sent to Yahoo's board shortly after Semel's departure, "A year has gone by, and the competitive situation has not improved."
Could government regulations stand in the way of a deal?
The Justice Department has said it would be interested in looking into the potential takeover to see if it would violate any antitrust regulations. But the bigger hurdle could be overseas. The European Union, which could play a role in approving the deal, has shown concern about Microsoft's dominance in the software market. In October, Microsoft ended a lengthy legal battle with European regulators in an antitrust case that cost the company millions of dollars in fines.
Are there other possible bidders?
While a surprise bid from another quarter is always possible, any company would find it difficult to compete with Microsoft's vast resources.
Written by Erica Ryan, with reporting by Uri Berliner.


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Traditional cable TV equipment continues to be a strong business segment for Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) even as the company prioritizes its R&D investments "for growth in new market segments such as software, services and media experiences," Chairman-CEO Sanjay Jha said during a first quarter earnings conference call.
Longer term, Motorola is looking to the day when its cable customers join the rest of the world following an IP path and "investing in the transformation to an all-IP network and cloud-based multi-screen consumer experiences," said Jha.
Motorola sees two audiences for its new approach. "For operators this means developing next-generation infrastructure and software solutions to provide more bandwidth capacity, IP-based content distribution, cloud-based service management and processing and delivery of content to multiple screens."
The company's consumer focus is to create IP-based home networks and devices to "provide a broad range of video experiences including multi-room DVRs, streaming TV and sync and go mobility," Jha added.
Revenues for cable TV gear were up 8 percent to $904 million and operating incomes were $53 million, a huge advance on the $20 million that was earned a year ago. And, to make things even sweeter, set-top box shipments were up more than 20 percent year over year.
- see this news release
- and listen to this webcast
Motorola Mobility sees slight bump in home video/broadband business
Q&A with David Grubb, CTO, Motorola's Home Business
Prodigal son Moloney returns to Motorola


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Eugenia graduated from Minsk State Linguistic University with a degree in Intercultural Communication, Translation/Interpretation (Italian, English). Currently she works as a business analyst, freelance interpreter and tutor. She’s fond of numismatics, photos, good books and sports, adores travelling and cooking.
TechrIoT XLR8, Colorado’s exclusive Internet of Things accelerator program, reported the formation of an advisory board including executives from firms such as Arrow Electronics, Jeppesen, Nokia Networks.
TechrIoT, a Colorado-based community of Internet of Things entrepreneurs, manufacturers, executives, investors, suppliers, and engineers, was launched in 2015. Together, members of the community collaborate to increase speed to market for Internet of Things innovations and develop Colorado’s ecosystem of resources for innovative firms.
Pronounced as Tech Riot Accelerate, TechrIoT presented the launch of an advisory board including executives from Fortune 500 companies such as Arrow Electronics, Nokia Networks, Jeppesen, and Sprint.
Main activities of TechrIoT include education and networking. Plus, the community offers design mentoring, supply-chain guidance and financing. In general, the aim is to develop a group not just of firms but of investors.
Actually, the new advisory board will pick the first 10 Internet of firms to take part in TechrIoT XLR8’s inaugural accelerator program. The board participants will provide mentoring and expertise throughout the program, which will culminate with two investor pitch opportunities – one in Denver and one in Silicon Valley in September 2016, states TechrIoT.
“Makers and startups are really the ones shaping IoT,” said Pete Basiliere, a Gartner research director. “Yes indeed, individuals and small companies around the globe are developing solutions for these niche industries. Fifty percent are going to be less than 3 years old (by 2017).”
As for the TechrIoT XLR8 program, the community looks for those companies that are convinced to have an innovative IoT product. The application deadline is November 30, 2015. Those 10 applicants that will be selected will collaborate in a great business environment without the usual fees, investor equity expectations or relocation restrictions.
So far, Internet of Things solutions appear to be a disruptive force in technology for various situations of our life in the near future. Probably, its incredible growth can be compared with the smartphones in the 2000s, or the Internet in the 1990s. “The number of companies developing technology for IoTbased solutions will rely heavily on collaboration between innovative startups and established companies of all sizes and markets to meet the demand,” stated Ted Chamberlin, Principal Advisor and Analyst, Custom Shop Strategies.
“IoT provides tremendous opportunities for a new company to create solutions that enable industries to become more efficient and help people to improve their daily lives,” stated Doug Hohulin, Strategy and Business Development Manager at Nokia Networks and TechrIoT XLR8 board member.
Well, hoping to catch a part of the $7 trillion market share that Internet of Things is expected to generate by 2020, Fortune 500 companies strive to team up with startup communities to improve their chances and competitive advantage. It looks like the game is worth the candle.


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How Nairobi is warming up to greener public transport
By James Wanzala - Jun 5th 2022
The transport sector in Nairobi has been blamed for the poor air quality due to emissions at traffic jams by diesel-run vehicles.
The sector, according to the UNEP, contributes up to a quarter of all energy related CO2 emissions.
By 2050, when the global number of passenger vehicles is projected to more than double, it is likely to reach one-third. This growth is expected mostly in low-income countries, where there are rarely any vehicle emissions standards.
And with fuel prices always on the upward trend, while traffic snarl-ups bedevil Nairobi, electric cars, bicycles and motorbikes are coming in handy. It all started with OpiBus, which ventured into manufacturing of electric buses and motorbikes in 2017.
Next was Nopia company that came to Kenya and did a pilot phase between August 2018 and March 2019.
The Nopia electric ride service, for instance, is an electric vehicle solution developed by EkoRent, Finland and offers CO2 emission free ride services.
It has set up two charging hubs with DC fast chargers in Nairobi at Two Rivers Mall and The Hub Mall.
Last November, BasiGo, an e-mobility startup headquartered in Nairobi, also announced entry to the Kenyan market. Recently, Jumia and eBee Africa also partnered to launch a fleet of electric bicycles, to amplify Jumia’s logistics capacity for delivery and save costs for riders and consumers.
BasiGo says it will provide electric buses for public transport providers, offering a more sustainable solution that is also cheaper to maintain than current diesel run ones.
The company is sourcing buses from BYD Automotive, the largest manufacturer of electric buses globally. It also plans to locally assemble buses.
BasiGo has raised Sh100 million in funding and its first electric buses that will be arriving in Kenya later this year before it begins pilot testing in Nairobi.
OpiBus, according to marketing manager Mr Albin Wilson, converts buses and motorbikes into electric ones and also produce new ones. “The response has been good and we have seen huge demand for our pilot products. We have produced 150 motorcycles, 20 vehicles and we are working on electric buses.”
He said they would scale up production from the current 150 motorcycles per week to 20,000 in 2023. ‘‘I see a quick transition to electric vehicles in Kenya and Africa, thanks to much access to a mixture of renewable energy sources like wind and hydro.”
Last year the company struck a deal with Uber to scale up use of electric motorcycles in Africa. OpiBus says it will supply 3,000 electric motorcycles to Uber this year. “We see huge demand for locally designed electric motorcycles in Africa and by working with Uber, we’ve proved feasibility for large-scale employment,” Mr Mikael Ganga, OpiBus co-founder and chief sales officer, told Planet Action.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies diesel engines as some of the biggest threats to environment and human health, and source of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. By comparison, electric buses would produce 95 per cent less CO2 emissions since most of Kenya’s electricity comes from renewable sources such as hydropower and geothermal.
Experts say electric buses will also save transport providers cost of diesel, which has recently risen sharply. “We provide public transport operators state-of-the-art electric buses that are more affordable, reliable and reduce bus operator exposure to the rising cost of diesel fuel,” said Jit Bhattacharya, CEO and co-founder at BasiGo.
He said the cost of electric bus technology had reduced drastically over the last 10 years, to the point they can offer significant savings.
BasiGo will offer buses with 25 and 36 seat capacities and a targeted range of over 250km. This way transport providers will go a whole day before returning to recharge depot at night.
Mr Alex Mwaura, the chief operating officer at BasiGo, said: “Nairobi’s transportation sector is evolving rapidly, and we look forward to partnering with government and relevant agencies to grow the infrastructure for electrified public transit. Overall, the environmental and health benefits to Kenya will lead to a more productive workforce and help grow economy.”
Jumia says switching to e-bicycles is consistent with their efforts to be an environmentally conscious body.
“The most exciting thing about e-bicycles and e-vehicles is that they make business sense! It’s a win-win for society and the bottom line,” said Jumia Services Country Manager, Mr Ankur Agarwal.
A UNEP’s Electric Mobility (eMob) programme is championing the transition of low-income countries to zero emission vehicles, in line with the UN Environment Assembly’s Air Quality Resolution and the Paris Agreement.
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Yelp Is Making It Easier To Support LGBTQ-Owned Businesses
As Pride Month approaches, the platform announces its latest feature.
In addition to adding the LGBTQ-owned attribute to their page, businesses will also be able to mark themselves as “Open to All,” indicating they’ve pledged to stand against discrimination. Beginning on June 1, the start of Pride, LGBTQ-owned and Open to All establishments will be illustrated with a rainbow pin on Yelp’s map view.
According to the platform, Yelp searches for LGBTQ-owned businesses in the U.S. spiked over 150 percent in April 2021 compared to the same period last year, pointing to an increased interest in supporting the queer community on a local level. Offering protection to businesses that choose to mark themselves as LGBTQ-owned, Yelp will monitor these pages for homophobic, racist and otherwise harmful reviews.
Head to the Yelp website to learn more about finding and supporting LGBTQ-owned businesses.


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Dunkin' Donuts ex-employee charged after hole is found in register receipts
A former employee at the Dunkin' Donuts located in the Cumberland Farms store on Kings Highway was arrested on a warrant Monday and charged with stealing at least $3,000 from the coffee shop.
Jose Rivera, 39, of Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, turned himself in at police headquarters Monday night to face a charge of third-degree larceny.
The theft was first reported by the store manager in February after Rivera was found to have deleted transactions from the cash register, according to the report, and then pocketed the money. Rivera admitted to stealing about $3,000 -- usually no more than $40 or $50 a day -- during the six months he worked at the shop, police said.
Bond was set at $10,000 bond and he is scheduled to appear March 25 in Bridgeport Superior Court.


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EU court sets aside Intel’s €1.06bn antitrust fine
Surprise ruling sets aside landmark 2009 judgment which held that the US chip giant gave illegal rebates to squeeze out rival AMD
Intel won a historic victory in its court fight over a record €1.06bn ($1.2bn) competition fine, in a ruling that upends one of the EU’s most important antitrust cases.
The EU General Court ruled on Wednesday that regulators made key errors in a landmark 2009 decision on allegedly illegal rebates that the US chip giant gave to PC makers to squeeze out rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
While the surprise ruling can be appealed one more time, it’s a stinging defeat for the European Commission, which hasn’t lost a big antitrust case in court for more than 20 years.
The Luxembourg-based EU court said the commission provided an “incomplete” analysis when it fined Intel, and criticised it for not providing sufficient evidence to back up its findings of anticompetitive risks.
Intel said it is “currently reviewing the decision” and “will provide further comment when we have completed our initial review”.
The judgment follows a 2017 ruling from the bloc’s top court, which criticised the General Court — the EU’s second-highest tribunal — for not properly checking all factual and economic evidence when it previously weighed Intel’s appeal.
The EU commission in 2009 handed Intel with what was then the bloc’s biggest antitrust fine. It represented about 4% of Intel’s $37.6bn in sales in 2008. Since then, Santa Clara, California-based Intel has been locked in a legal dispute with the EU’s antitrust unit.
Wednesday’s victory may offer encouragement for other companies to go to court. Many companies under investigation for monopoly abuse have opted not to fight hard since the chances of overturning the EU at court were viewed as low.
The commission said it found evidence that Intel hindered competition by giving rebates to computer makers from 2002 until 2005 — if they bought at least 95% of PC chips from Intel. It said Intel imposed “restrictive conditions” for the remaining 5%, supplied by AMD, which struggled to overcome Intel’s hold on the market for processors that run the devices.
The court on Wednesday said the commission had failed to show “to the requisite legal standard” that the contested rebates posed an anticompetitive risk.
“There is finally a degree of common sense creeping in,” said Oliver Bretz, a lawyer at Euclid Law in London. In the Intel case that means “to require that rebates have to be capable or likely to have anticompetitive effects, based on the evidence”.
The bloc’s lower tribunal in 2014 rejected Intel’s first challenge. Three years later, the EU’s top court told the lower tribunal to “examine all of Intel’s arguments” regarding a test to check whether the rebates used by the company were capable of harming competition.
The EU top court didn’t rule in 2017 on three other parts of Intel’s appeal, including the amount of the fine and the EU’s characterisation of some of the rebates.
When the case was sent back to the EU lower tribunal, Intel urged judges to look at the entire case afresh, and dismiss commission arguments to look only at parts of the case.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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DHL is conveying the frantic pace of the ecommerce market in a new global campaign, demonstrating how its services have helped both existing businesses keep up and new ones enter the online retailing sphere for the first time.
"Keep up with the clicks" is built on the insight that the world of ecommerce experienced a decade’s growth in just three months during the pandemic, as people became almost entirely dependent on online shopping.
Voiced by Pride and Prejudice actor Tom Hollander and created by 180 Amsterdam, the spot tells a brief history of ecommerce over the past 10 years, illustrating the journey and challenges merchants face in order to stay ahead of the global ecommerce curve, and DHL’s role in smoothing that hectic process.
Directed by Martin Krejci at Merman, Hollander’s rhythmic voiceover instils a sense of story-telling calm and seamlessness over an often frenetic process.
John Pearson, DHL Express's chief executive, said: “The pandemic has driven digitalisation so far that we have seen the development of almost a decade in just a few months. Existing online shops have grown and at the same time companies have entered online retailing for the first time. Our latest campaign shows how, as logistics experts, we help companies keep up with the growth and benefit from it in the best possible way.”
John Messum, creative director at 180 Amsterdam, added: “‘Keep up with the clicks’ is a flowing journey through the DHL universe, following the pressures e-tailers face as they try to keep up with the clicks to the joy at watching their business grow.
"It demonstrates the seamless efficiency of the DHL world, in a year that has never relied on ecommerce more.”
VFX/Post-Production was handled by Black Kite and editing was done by Marshall Street Editors. MassiveMusic provided the soundtrack.


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THE NEW METAL HEADING OUR WAY
The Escape is one of two key SUV launches for Ford in 2020; the other is the Puma. Prices start at $35,990 and rise to $52,940 for the PHEV, which has an EV range of 50km and draws power from a 14.4kWh battery. The rest of the FWD/AWD range uses a 183kW/387Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo.
Built off the modular MFA platform, the in-between-size GLB offers Merc yet another seven-seat SUV option and slots in between the GLC and upcoming GLA. Engines will be four-cylinder turbos, while the GLB 35 4Matic variant packs 225kW/400Nm. Local pricing is yet to be revealed.
VOLVO XC40 RECHARGE
ĎRechargeí is Volvo-speak for EV, which translates into a compact SUV with two electric motors (mimicking AWD) making 304kW/660Nm, and a 0-100km/h time of 4.9sec. The 78kWh battery pack delivers a WLTP-claimed range of 400km.
With its German rivals absent from the large hi-po wagon segment, Audi owns this space. The new RS6 still runs a twin-turbo V8, now with 441kW/800Nm and a 48v mild-hybrid system. Rolling on 22-inch wheels, itíll clock 0-100km/h in 3.6sec.
JUNE, JULY, AUGUST
COVID-19 BRINGS MASS CASUALTIES
HIGHLIGHTS To be frank, there arenít many, although perspective is key here, especially when countries like India saw its market fall 100%. And no, thatís not a typo. Italy recorded a shocking 98% drop, while France didnít prove much better with an 89% fall. The fact that MG (1.5%) and Ram (14.1%) managed a percentage growth is impressive. Kia continues to upstage Hyundai, with the marque sneaking into the top-three brands for April 2020, while Holden had a small win by scraping its way back into the top 10 for the first time in 2020.
LOWLIGHTS No amount of PR spin can hide the fact that the market saw its biggest monthly slump year-on-year since VFACTS reporting started in 1991. Plummeting to 38,926 registrations for the month means a 48.5% decline on April 2019. Aussie figures also show a 52.3% slashing in April compared to March 2020. COVID-19 is taking effect.
Little Jimny bucks the trend
It seems Suzuki has finally gained adequate supply of its hugely capable mini off-roader. Admittedly itís from a low base, but the likeable Jimny surged 334% from 26 to 113 sales. Fun-factor also saw the likes of the Subaru BRZ and WRX jump 66.7% and 63.3% respectively. ely. It seems Aussies are planning postlockdown drives. We donít blame them!
Czechs bounced in April
With plenty of new and exciting metal on the horizon, itís almost expected ed that Skoda would have a tough month irrespective of a global pandemic.
Every model in the range failed to fire in The and be April, with the brand down 80.7%. hardest hit were the Superb (-98.1%) the Rapid (-95%), which is about to replaced by the Scala.


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Pork-price recovery stalls in May, but likely to resume in June
Jim Wyckoff, The Pig Site
22 May 2020
The pig traders’ perspective
The US hog futures market has been struggling the past two weeks, after showing a strong rebound in late April into early May. Bearish elements still at work include reduced packing-plant slaughter capacity that has backed up animals, including putting extra weight on the animals. Still, pork processing continues to improve, with Wednesday’s US daily kill representing 85 percent of year-ago levels.
In Germany, rising cases of Covid-19 among workers prompted the government to tighten rules at slaughter facilities, including banning subcontracting of work through agencies. Under the new rules, meatpackers in in plants have to be employed by the company instead of using subcontracting agencies. Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner said companies must take responsibility for their workers. "There are conditions in the meat industry that are not acceptable," she said.
The other negative in the US pork industry is deteriorating US-China relations. China in recent years has been a major importer of US pork. US President Trump this week suggested Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, is behind a “disinformation and propaganda attack on the United States and Europe.” He said, “It all comes from the top.” Trump said China “could have easily stopped the plague, but they didn’t!” The White House also issued a broad critique of China’s economic and military policies. Meanwhile, the US Senate this week passed a bill that could bar some Chinese companies from listing on American exchanges.
Positives for the pork industry moving forward are that major global economies are reopening and consumer attitudes are improving. Global stock markets have been rallying and raw commodity sector leader crude oil has staged a strong and surprising rebound in prices—suggesting that many other raw commodity markets, including agricultural markets, have also seen their prices bottom out. Restaurants and bars are now reopening, or set to do so soon. There is now talk that schools and colleges could reopen in the fall, which would boost demand for pork used in school lunch programmes. Warmer summer weather and more sunshine in the coming weeks will see consumers attitudes continue to improve, including firing up their barbecues and grilling pork, which is much less expensive than beef.
The next week’s likely high-low price trading ranges
June lean hog futures--$55.75 to $62.00, and with an upside bias
July soybean meal futures--$280.00 to $290.00, and with a sideways bias
July corn futures--$3.15 to $3.30, and a sideways-higher bias
Latest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports, and other news
USDA weekly export sales data a mixed bag for US pork ...
more, including charts


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The prevailing wisdom is inviting everyone to believe that the way to put out inflationary fires in the economy is to spray them with high interest rates. Prevailing wisdom, unfortunately, goes wrong when it jumps to conclusions based on simplistic thinking. This is easier to do than sorting out hard evidence; and in today's cliche-ridden era, it's the way policies are made.
But authorities rushing to fight inflation by raising interest rates have found the cure worse than the complaint. At best, the remedy strengthens the cost pressures that intensify inflation. At worst, the high-interest-rate strategy substitutes the chill of deflation for the heat of inflation.
Before inflation became a popular threat, automation provoked exaggerated fears of unemployment. Instead, the employment of capital multiplied and, consequently, money costs superseded labor costs as the trend-making factor. Nonetheless, the monetary authorities still operate in dread of an inflationary spiral of labor costs. Though that didn't materialize, they have driven up money costs enough to trigger an inflationary explosion, if anything could.
Deflation takes over from inflation as the prevailing trend whenever incomes lag debt. Income stagnation would be hard for the country to take if debts were low and falling. But levels of debt are so high that payments to creditors have deflated discretionary spending on goods and services since Thanksgiving. The Federal Reserve Board declared war on inflation after deflation had already started to smother it.
As a practical matter, America has reacted to its loss of competitive clout by a growing susceptibility to wishful thinking and theorizing. The high-interest remedy against inflation was an early starter. The United States spent most of the 1960s fighting an off-budget war that whipped up an inflationary backlash against the economy. Ironically, a vigorous debate was going on at the time over whether raising interest rates was the way to stop inflation. When the war ended so did the debate.
Official confusion over where the economy is being pushed has sharpened the tendency to bring anti-inflationary code words into play. One outright deflationary development after another was being offered to the public as signs of progress toward "lower rates of inflation." This cliche is a soporific for skepticism.
Party political differences present no problems. In matters of economic policy, bipartisanship is a fact, substituting Administration management for cross-examination or even modest debate. The Administration hardly has to ask for support to receive it from an opposition brain-washed for eight years by the poll ratings of Reaganomics.
Conclusive tests of performance by the economy as a whole are rare, but one does exist for judging the value of high interest rates as a preventive against inflation. It's as simple as the litmus paper test for differentiating between acids and non-acids.
When the economy is spiraling into a bona fide inflation, all producers routinely put a mark-up on their costs--especially on their interest costs--and load them onto their customers; consumers wind up with the tab and ready to pay far more. So long as money chases goods, any cost increases add fuel to the fire, none more so than those due to borrowing. Loans aggravate the trouble by creating new money to chase supplies of goods limited during inflationary storms by the irresistible incentive to overbuy in order to hoard.
Like the litmus-paper test in the laboratory, the inflation test for interest rates in the marketplace also yields clear results. The marketplace is now providing plain evidence of a tilt from inflation to deflation, as producers no longer dare pass their cost increases on to customers. Consumers are refusing to buy new cars, even at penny-ante or zero-interest rates. Backlogs of unsold homes are stacking up. In Denver, four-bedroom homes have been knocked down to $40,000, a new low in the key ratio of home-to-car prices.
Yet private debt continues to rise, underlining the realism of a classic definition of bankruptcy--"when you can't borrow the interest." The visible need for so many struggling survivors to try to do just that signals the danger of failing.
Advocates of high interest rates to stop inflation are on their way to winning credit for stopping the economy it its tracks.


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The S&P 500 was down 0.5% in midday trading to 2,738.75.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 0.2% to 24,764.40.
The Nasdaq dropped 1.4% to 7,351.15 after reports that the government is considering antitrust investigations into Amazon and Google.
The yield on a 10-year Treasury bond fell 1.4% to 2.11%.
The price of gold was up 1.1% to $1,325.
The price of oil was flat at $53.49 a barrel.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) dipped 2.5% to $643.87 and a $17.9 billion market cap. The Newport Beach-based fast casual restaurant said Monday that threatened tariffs on Mexican goods would cost the company $15 million this year, reducing margins and leading to higher menu prices.
Alteryx Inc. (NYSE: AYX) in Irvine was down 3.7% to $83.69 and a $5.3 billion market cap. Shares for the data analytics software maker are trading at about 60% of their normal volume, and are up 43% year-to-date. The share drop was the biggest among a group of eight software peers.


text: Telecommunications giant Huawei is said to be one of the most powerful companies in China. But Huawei has been accused of systematic espionage, and some Western governments doubt whether the company is truly independent of the Chinese government. This documentary investigates concerns about Huawei and internet security. The company is a major player in the manufacture of smartphones, and enjoys a technological lead in the development of the super-fast 5G broadband network worldwide. But the US and some other Western countries suspect that Huawei works closely with the Chinese government on espionage and sabotage operations. Has Huawei becomne a pawn in the trade war between the US and China? The arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada in 2018 — at the request of US authorities — marked the climax of the conflict between Huawei and Washington. Some European countries also have concerns about the company. Does Huawei really have close ties to the Chinese government? And what are the benefits and risks for those foreign clients who choose to work with this 5G giant?


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In the January issue, part one of the annual ASA-Supply House Times distributor roundtable discussion covered supply chain disruption, the shift to virtual communication, PHCP-PVF company consolidation concerns and ASA’s continued efforts to help distributor members succeed.
The 11th annual discussion, which took place virtually for the first time, included:
- AJ Benton, branch manager for Fountain Valley, California-based Smardan Supply;
- Kyle Cline, vice president, operations at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based Locke Supply Co.;
- Mike Plasier, CEO of Sioux Center, Iowa-based Plumbing and Heating Wholesale;
- Jack Bell, president and CEO at Louisville, Kentucky-based Masters’ Supply; and
Josh Aberman, executive vice president at Miami, Florida-based Lehman Pipe and Supply.
Are you experiencing a shift with customer buying habits due to younger people entering the industry? If so, is it affecting how business is conducted?
The majority of distributors agreed that while they know the workforce and customer base are aging, they aren’t yet feeling a prominent shift related to business practices and customer habits.
“The aging workforce has been discussed for probably 10 years at ASA and buying group meetings, but we haven’t seen the drastic shift we anticipated,” Cline said. “I don’t think we will see a shift as quickly as we thought, but as the millennial generation and Gen Z take over, we definitely need to be prepared for how they do business.”
Distributors discussed e-commerce platforms quite a bit when speaking of that younger generation. “The vast majority of our customers are one-and-two-truck contractors, and they haven’t shifted their buying habits over to e-commerce yet; we still have customers who fax in orders” Cline explained. “But as the shift does begin to happen, distributors need to be offering solutions for all facets of their customer base.”
Aberman shared perspective specific to the PVF side of the industry. “While it’s inevitable we will see the shift to noncontact buying and the instant gratification the millennial generation is known for, the PVF side is a little different,” he said. “Most of these guys are still taking pictures of hand-written orders in the field and texting it to us. There aren’t necessarily manufacturer part or model numbers, so customers have to call or visit us to find what they need.”
While the panelists agree that e-commerce is vital for future success, there are certain market sectors that are more affected by new consumer buying habits than others. “Distributors heavily focused on fixtures definitely need to be upping their e-commerce game,” Aberman said. “But with PVF, selection and shipping play a huge role; it's tough to ship bundles of pipe on common carrier for crane deliveries.”
“A lot of what we do is application specific, and we seldom get an order that is without questions,” Aberman added. “We still have plenty of long-time customers who expect us to know what they need and help them find it.”
How can distributors help bridge the labor gap?
Bell mentioned several actions distributors should be taking to help replace the aging workforce. “This issue calls us to do more than ever before; use our social media outlets to speak on the opportunities within the industry, visit schools to recruit students and focus on word-of-mouth positive promotion of the industry as a whole.”
Plasier agreed, saying finding talent is one of his main concerns for the industry. “It’s not one of those things you think about doing during your day, but you have to set aside the time to focus on finding new talent,” he noted.
Plasier also mentioned he has seen success when collaborating with local plumbing contractors who are also looking for talent.
Aberman agreed word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to recruit talent. “Since we are a strong staple in our market, we’ve benefitted from acquisitions by picking up some talent from within the industry.”
Several of the panelists mentioned how the PHCP-PVF industry is not seen as glamorous, and that breaking any stigma around plumbing is vital to intriguing the next generation.
“It’s a shame because people do incredibly well in our industry,” Aberman said. “Some of the most successful people I know are tradespeople, and that’s the message we need to get out there.”
Cline agreed, “We as an industry need to do a better job of letting young people know how great this industry is, and that it’s not a ‘second-choice’ career.”
Benton brought up ASA’s new PROJECT TALENT recruitment program that will help ASA member companies solve the labor issue through the availability of robust marketing and social media platforms aimed at helping recruit the next generation of talent into the PHCP-PVF industry. “It’s great to see ASA being proactive and working to solve this issue,” he said. “As distributors, we need to be educating ourselves and others about the resources available within the industry that are making it easier to get jobs done.”
How do you balance serving your market with growing your market?
Plasier shared a specific growth strategy at Plumbing and Heating Wholesale, centered around its salespeople. “When we hire salespeople, we look to hire what we identify as ‘hunters,’” he said. “Our expectation is that these people are always looking for the next opportunity. It is important to remember though, that there are opportunities with the customers we already have, because all of them are buying some amount of product somewhere else. We tell salespeople to make sure they hunt at home as well as hunt for new prospects.”
Bell mentioned the importance of impression when moving into a new market. “We make sure that when we open a new location, moving into a new market, we have better services than the competition and can bring in all types of customers,” he explained.
Cline said Locke Supply’s growth strategy is slow and consistent. “Our growth strategy is wrapped around location,” he noted. “We have a lot of branches and will try to saturate one area. After the time it takes to get a branch up and running, we rely heavily on repeatable processes.”
Benton also discussed the importance of procedures. “For Smardan, it’s about being deliberate,” he said. “Delegating responsibilities is really important; sometimes if a few people are taking on too much, you aren’t able to grow as successfully as you would had you delegated out some tasks. This allows our team to continue serving our market while we grow.”
The distributor thriving in five years will succeed because of what?
Plasier stressed the importance of staying up to date with technology. “Successful distributors of the future will be embracing technology; both customer-facing and internally,” he said. “They are not going to be afraid to implement change, and they’re going to focus on becoming better business partners with customers.”
Bell said he believes suppliers need to focus on finding the needs of the customer. “I think successful suppliers will be finding ways to better serve customer needs through technology, ERPs and next-level services,” he said.
Cline mentioned the supply chain disruption that distributors have seen this year, and how focusing on inventory is key to success. “We are huge believers in having a large amount of inventory where and when our customers need it, which has been a huge benefit to us this year,” he said. “High inventory levels are going to continue to be important to serve customers as quickly as they need and want.”
Adaptability was a popular word when speaking to future success; no surprise after the year these panelists have just endured. “The willingness and ability to adapt quickly is key,” Benton said. “Over the past year, the companies that adapted well have had the most success, and I think we need to carry that mentality into the future.”
Benton continued: “Strengthening the relationships with employees is most important. Demand for plumbing supplies will always be there, so for us, maintaining a strong employee base is huge when thinking of the future success of our company.”


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(KCEN) -- Some anonymous Santa's helpers are going to stores and paying off layaway accounts.
Some are calling them Layaway Angels and so far they've paid off 53 families' bills at a Tulsa, Oklahoma Walmart.
The secret Santa duo works at a Tulsa manufacturing company, but that's all we know about them.
This is their second year playing secret Santa to families who need layaway bills paid off.
They handpick all the receipts and during the holiday season those include children's toys, learning games and bikes.
Those secret Santas have plenty to keep them busy.
They've paid off $10,000 in layaways so far, stopping at two stores.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Despite a slowing economy that resulted in a harsh market sell-off in October, consumers continued to snap up video game equipment at a pace that beat analysts expectations.
According to data from the NPD Group late Thursday, U.S. sales of video game software totaled just under $700 million for the month - up 35% from the same period last year.
Analysts were expecting sales growth between 20%-25% for the month. The numbers were a pleasant surprise after a disappointing month in September, which suffered in part from tough comparisons to the previous year's release of the mega-blockbuster "Halo 3." Analysts were also worried that a dramatic slowdown in the national economy would finally begin to be felt in the sector, which had been on track to set a new record for the year.
"With 10-months under its belt, the video games industry is still poised to top $22 billion in annual sales in 2008," NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in the report Thursday.
October benefitted from a strong slate of new releases that were geared heavily towards hard-core gamers. The top was "Fable II," a fantasy title from Microsoft Corp.
Another big seller was "Fallout 3," a shooter game from privately-owned Bethesda Softworks that sold 375,000 units of its Xbox 360 version in the U.S. during the period. The company said in a release last week that "Fallout 3" had sold more than 4.7 million units worldwide across all platforms during its first week of release in the final days of the month.
"Saints Row 2," an urban shooter series from THQ Inc. THQI sold about 270,000 units for the Xbox 360. The space horror release "Dead Space" from Electronic Arts ERTS sold 193,000 units for the month for the 360.
Missing from the list of top sellers for the month was the latest version of the popular "Guitar Hero" series from Activision Blizzard
It was a strong month for Nintendo
The Xbox 360 sold 371,000 units for the month, slightly above last month's total. The PlayStation 3 from Sony Corp. SNE sold 190,000 units, down 18% from September's sales.


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Analysis Among industry participants and investors, India is emerging as a market to watch for following the overturn of a crypto ban that was placed by the Reserve Bank of India back in April 2018. The prominent investors looking to get a piece of India’s nascent crypto space include Tim Draper, ..
News Ross Ulbricht turns 36 years old today. This will be his seventh birthday in incarceration. Ulbricht is the convicted felon serving two life sentences plus 40 years for his role in creating the Silk Road, the online contraband market notorious for its associations with cryptocurrency. Ulbrich..
News A petition calling on the White House to release Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the dark web marketplace Silk Road, has gathered more than 275,000 signatures. FreeRoss.org — an initiative created by a group of Ulbricht’s family, friends and supporters — has said that the momentum continues to ..
News Billionaire investor and the winner of thousands of Bitcoins (BTC) in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2014 Silk Road auctions, Tim Draper, has set his sights on India’s nascent cryptocurrency industry. On March 22, the venture capitalist tweeted that the Supreme Court’s recent reversal ..
News Amid some notable recovery of Bitcoin (BTC) after a number of subsequent market crashes last week, billionaire investor Tim Draper delivered another optimistic forecast about Bitcoin. In a March 16 interview with 415 Stories podcast, Draper outlined decentralization powered by Bitcoin and oth..
Analysis For the past decade, blockchain, Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies have disrupted everything they have touched — including banking, hedge funds, law enforcement, health care and real estate to name a few. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are set to revolutionize many indu..
As the Bitcoin market has once again become frothy, the amount of retail interest in cryptocurrency has grown once again, with volumes increasing and Google Trends data suggesting this industry is in vogue. Unsurprisingly, mainstream media outlets have sprung to start covering Bitcoin developments ..
The recent volatility in the cryptocurrency markets hasn’t done much to fend off Bitcoin bulls. In fact, in two recent interviews with mainstream media, two of the industry’s most powerful executives and investors separately confirmed that they think the price of BTC will surpass $100,000 in the com..
While the recent volatility has had some investors running scared, the cryptocurrency and blockchain’s space’s most fervent advocates and prominent investors remain committed to the Bitcoin cause. Case in point: on Monday, when he was invited to sit with CNBC’s show “Squawk Alley,” legendary ventur..
Markets News Tim Draper now holds “a lot” of his portfolio in Bitcoin (BTC) after pulling his wealth out of public stock markets six months ago. Speaking to CNBC on Feb. 24, the VC investor and serial Bitcoin proponent revealed that he had significantly added to his crypto holdings since last year..


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Dr. Jean-Jacques de Dardel officially becomes the chairman of Sinoglade International Consulting
Dr. Jean-Jacques de Dardel, former Swiss Ambassador to China, assumes the position of Chairman of Beijing Sinoglade International Consulting Co., Ltd. on April 1st to continue his contribution to promoting the political, economic and cultural exchanges between China and Switzerland.
From the beginning of 2014 to March 2019, Dr. de Dardel has served as the Ambassador of Switzerland to the People’s Republic of China, to the Republic of Mongolia, and to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. As such, he led the largest Swiss diplomatic mission and consular network abroad, actively promoting a network of cooperation between China and Switzerland in various fields.
Dr. de Dardel has greatly contributed to the Sino-Swiss relationship in politics, economy and culture during his tenure.
In March 2019, Dr. de Dardel retired after a successful career. He applied the metaphor of caterpillars growing into butterflies to his own experience as the Swiss ambassador to China moving on to further contribute to deepening Sino-Swiss relations. This will include introducing more top Swiss enterprises and innovationspirit into China.
Sinoglade focuses on the business development of China-Europe and China-Switzerland. It has brought various Swiss brands to the Chinese market and assisted Swiss SMEs to settle down in China with their impactful programs. Sinoglade has also successfully hosted and co-organized several international summits.
Dr. de Dardel believes that what Sinoglade has done coincides with what he has been working on building new bridges for Sino-Swiss business development. Therefore, Dr. de Dardel has decided to bring in his prestigious diplomatic experience by officially joining Sinoglade to continue promoting Sino-European cooperation in various fields and industries.
Dr. de Dardel has drawn a blueprint for Sinoglade. The business development of Sinoglade will focus more on high-tech, new energy, health, green tech fields andothers to bring more Swiss and European brands into the Chinese market. It will concentrate on assisting Swiss and European enterprises to establish partnerships with Chinese enterprises. Simultaneously, it will assist Chinese enterprises in Europe based on a strong European network and help them perfect their international image so as to promote their stable development.
Bespoke professional advice will be proposed by the Chairman and his experienced team and Sinoglade will offer a wide range of practical services. Chinese companies will get support to establish fruitful business relations with European enterprises. As well, Sinoglade will support Swiss and other foreign companies injecting new vitality into the Chinese market.
For more information, please contact: email@example.com


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Genuine postcards from the early 20th century are on display at the Livadia Palace
You can get acquainted with the exhibition until 31 January.
Since January 1, the Livadia Palace Museum has been exhibiting the exhibition “A Star Flickered on the Way to Bethlehem”, timed to coincide with the beginning of the new 2023 year and the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. Authentic postcards from the beginning of the 20th century from the museum’s funds depict children waiting for the holiday, spruce branches decorated with toys, obese piglets — symbols of prosperity.
Nostalgia for the winter holidays of the Russian Empire pervades the watercolor painted by Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna in exile.
The exhibition is available to visitors until January 2023 years in the Study of Emperor Nicholas II as part of a tour of the main expositions of the palace. The Pushkin card is valid , — the press service of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Crimea reports.
Interestingly, the first commercial Christmas cards were issued in London on May 1 23 of the year. The custom of giving holiday cards came to Russia from Europe in the second half of the 19th century. At first, Christmas cards depicted Christian stories, winter landscapes and children’s outdoor games.
2023Photos and materials: press service of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Crimea.


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Telltale's The Walking Dead coming to Australia
Adventure game The Walking Dead receives an MA15+ rating in Australia; can now be officially sold in the country. [UPDATE: Telltale responds.]
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
It looks like Telltale Games' episodic adventure series The Walking Dead is headed to Australian shores. The Australian Classification Board's website revealed that the game series has received a MA15+ rating, with consumer advice noting "strong themes and horror violence".
The news will appease Australian fans of the adventure game series. Telltale revealed early last year that it had no plans to release the multi-platform title in Australia and New Zealand due to strict rating laws. Australia officially introduced an adult classification for video games as of January 1 this year, allowing R18+ rated games to be sold at a national level.
Prior to its classification, the game series was obtainable on PC and Mac via digital games retailer Steam, or purchased online through Telltale's own site. With the new MA15+ rating granted, it will be officially available for Australian gamers.
GameSpot reached out to Telltale for comment last year on the possibility of an Australian release following the introduction of an adult rating for games. The studio's reply is below.
Telltale's The Walking Dead is a single-player episodic game that is based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series. It stars Lee Everett, a man convicted of a crime, but given a chance to redeem himself, albeit in a world infested with the undead.
UPDATE: Telltale today confirmed it is planning to release The Walking Dead in Australia, telling GameSpot:
"Telltale can confirm today that the award-winning game series The Walking Dead was submitted to the Australian Classification Board and has received a rating of MA15+. The game will be available for purchase digitally on consoles via Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network very soon. We will confirm expected release dates shortly. Retail release dates for The Walking Dead on XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in Australia will also be announced in the coming weeks."
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email firstname.lastname@example.org


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The biggest book publisher in the United States is about to get bigger. ViacomCBS has agreed to sell Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House for more than $2 billion in a deal that will create the first megapublisher.
Penguin Random House, the largest book publisher in the United States, is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Adding Simon & Schuster, the third largest publisher, would create a book behemoth, a combination that could trigger antitrust concerns.
The deal includes provisions that would protect ViacomCBS in the event that a sale is squashed by authorities. Bertelsmann would pay what is known as a termination fee if the deal does not go through.
The sale of the company will profoundly reshape the publishing industry, increasingly a winner-take-all business in which the largest companies compete for brand-name authors and guaranteed best-sellers.
The book business has seen wave after wave of consolidation in the past decade, with the merger of Penguin and Random House in 2013, News Corp’s purchase of the romance publisher Harlequin, and Hachette Book Group’s acquisition of Perseus Books. This fall, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced it was exploring a sale of its trade publishing division, and could be an attractive target for a large publishing company like Macmillan or Hachette.
Simon & Schuster, which publishes prominent authors like Stephen King, Don DeLillo, Bob Woodward, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Walter Isaacson, had long been rumored to be the next big company to be put up for sale, and it made an attractive prize for larger publishing houses seeking to grow through acquisitions. It has a vast backlist of more than 30,000 titles.
Founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster, the company began as a publisher of crossword puzzles. It eventually grew into a sprawling company with more than 30 publishing units, and a backlist of literary treasures like the works of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James and Edith Wharton.
The past year has been tumultuous for Simon & Schuster. In March, it was put up for sale, just as the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit, destabilizing the economy and forcing bookstores to close, hobbling a major sales channel. In May, Carolyn Reidy, the company’s beloved chief executive, died suddenly, and was later replaced by Jonathan Karp, who was formerly the publisher of Simon & Schuster, the company’s flagship house among dozens of imprints. The company also faced lawsuits from the Trump family and administration, as the president tried and failed to prevent the publication of books that were critical of him, by John Bolton and Mary L. Trump.
The company had a profitable year, in spite of such hurdles. Revenue grew to $649 million through September, an 8 percent increase, and profit before tax rose by 6 percent to $115 million.
Mr. Karp and Dennis Eulau, Simon & Schuster’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer, would remain the heads of the publishing house under new ownership.
ViacomCBS received more than half a dozen inquiries from interested buyers, including financial firms and the French firm Vivendi, which holds a minority stake in Hachette through the publisher Lagardère. The top two contenders were Bertelsmann and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns HarperCollins. News that Bertelsmann was close to a deal was reported earlier by The Financial Times.
A deal would likely draw scrutiny from antitrust regulators.
The sale will likely lead to the loss of editorial and marketing positions and imprints, leaving fewer outlets for new books. It could also have a ripple effect throughout the literary ecosystem. The biggest houses are better equipped to negotiate favorable terms with major retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the big box stores, and are also able to develop direct-to-consumer marketing and sales networks so that they are not as dependent on retailers.
For literary agents and authors, the wave of consolidations has meant fewer potential buyers for books from authors without a proven track record.
“There are projects that would have sold for $150,000 years ago that might not sell at all now to the big five, whereas the book that would have sold for $500,000 might go for a million,” said the literary agent David Kuhn. “They would rather go in bigger for the thing that they have the most consensus on.”
Some industry analysts say the sale will accelerate a long-running trend that has taken hold over the last decade, as publishers have grown more dependent on blockbuster titles and backlist sales, resulting in fewer opportunities for new writers and midlist authors.
“For certain books, there will be only four possible customers, down from five,” said Mike Shatzkin, founder and chief executive of the Idea Logical Company. “It’s another sign of how the trade publishing ecosystem has weakened.”
With its pending acquisition of Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House will dwarf other major publishers, giving it an estimated market share of some 30 percent of the U.S. book market. The company has developed sophisticated online marketing networks and is the only major publisher in the United States whose warehouses ship books seven days a week.
“It certainly extends their dominance,” Mr. Shatzkin said. “It’s going to be a strengthening elixir.”