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By Xref Sales Director Mike Brett.
As Australians return to work and school, retailers are coming up for air from the chaos of the busy holiday period. In preparation for the year ahead, with Easter just around the corner and EOFY on the horizon, it is important that retailers reflect on the Christmas holiday season and consider the lessons they have learned. What worked, what didn’t, how could it be improved next time?
According to the Australian Retailers Association, peak periods contribute about 36 per cent of a retailer’s annual profit, so getting the right plan implemented, and the right people on deck at these times, is key to overall, annual success.
Many retailers choose to ignore the logic of prioritising the hiring (and rehiring) of high-quality staff during peak periods, and instead take on candidates with more haphazard approaches, to save on costs, or to get them on the shop floor more quickly. But with packs of shoppers dashing from store to crowded store, the incompetence of staff during these times can significantly impact a retailer’s success, giving their competition a one-up against them.
While there is huge potential to deliver a mega influx of revenue, these chaotic times are simultaneously fraught with challenges and risks. Problems can arise quickly, and opportunist shoplifters taking advantage of inexperienced or untrained casual staff are just the tip of the iceberg. Retailers who didn’t achieve their sales targets over Christmas need to consider the possibility that this may have been down to poor hiring decisions.
A perception problem in the retail industry
Currently the retail industry seems to be split down the middle when it comes to hiring practices. While some businesses swear by the value of referencing, others hold the perception that reference checking for in-store positions – particularly temporary and casual resources – is a waste of time.
The 2017 Xref Recruitment Risk Index revealed that almost 40 per cent of HR managers and recruiters consider reference checking a formality that serves little purpose, and 32 per cent said it was a drain on time and resources – even though previous Xref research has shown that 42 per cent of candidates have deliberately lied to potential employers when applying for a job.
Some retailers believe they can judge the suitability of a candidate by the traditional resume shortlisting, face-to-face interview and phone-based reference approach, but our research shows that this outdated recruitment process is giving unworthy candidates the opportunity to deceive potential employers and land a role for which they lack the necessary experience and qualifications.
In an industry with a high rate of staff turnover, retailers need to change their hiring perceptions, improve their hiring practices and reprioritise background checks.
Understanding the risks of poor practices
Often, when reference checking is carried out during a peak period, the process bypasses a retailer’s HR team and is given to a store manager who is inexperienced in the recruitment process and under pressure to fill roles.
Aside from the distractions of having to manage the store, the lack of experience in the reference-checking process could also lead a store manager to make the mistake of asking the wrong questions, including those that may be considered biased and discriminatory, which could ultimately land the retailer in hot water.
Our research shows that 29 per cent of survey respondents who had acted as referees were asked for inappropriate details about a candidate, such as their marital status and sexual orientation. Not only could these controversial questions cause damage to a business’s reputation, but the illegality of this line of questioning could also put the business at risk.
Value of compliance
The level of compliance required by retailers can vary depending on the business and the nature of the job. But the practice of checking a candidate’s references over the phone provides little reassurance and guarantee that the candidate – or their referee – has been honest about their background, and that the retailer has undertaken the best reference-checking process.
Staff members who don’t fit the bill and aren’t service and experience focused will leave millions of dollars on the table for retailers as customers leave without being properly engaged by staff.
So how can you conduct better background checks, especially when you’re trying to contact time-poor retail managers who are often on shop floors, not sitting at desks?
Recruitment and reference-checking tools such as Xref’s automated, cloud-based system enable busy retailers who work outside traditional business hours to complete a candidate-reference check at any time of day. Once completed, the reference check can then be processed and delivered back to the employer within 24 hours. The ease and speed of this system reduces the amount of admin-heavy processes for retail recruiters and enables them to make fast and confident hiring decisions. In addition, they benefit from data-driven insights and a level of compliance that cannot be guaranteed with traditional approaches.
At all times of the year, but especially during peak retail periods, with so much at stake, completing the proper due diligence when hiring is essential to ensuring the right staff are hired to deliver the best service to customers. Robust, automated solutions make this possible with ease, speed and security.


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FALMOUTH, Maine — Just five miles apart, bounded by the same river and home to some of the same stores, U.S. Route 1 and state Route 100 seem to follow parallel paths through Falmouth.
The Route 1 business corridor is a subject of scrutiny as the Falmouth Shopping Center is in the process of being sold and the Town Council prepares to unveil a new plan for developing the corridor.
So are changes along Route 1 signs of things to come for its sibling to the west?
The similarities between the two roads are striking. Both run roughly north-south, crossing the Presumpscot River and connecting Cumberland, Falmouth and Portland. A shopping complex along Route 100 is anchored by a Hannaford supermarket; the Route 1 district features a Shaw’s supermarket.
Looking for a dry cleaner? You’ll find Pratt-Abbott Cleaners on each highway. Need your hair trimmed? Supercuts salons are just off each route.
Both routes offer easy access to the Maine Turnpike and METRO bus service. Even the color schemes are similar: shopping complexes in both areas are painted pale yellow.
But the two business districts differ in other ways.
The town has wrestled for 10 years with how to redevelop the Route 1 district into a more pedestrian-friendly “village” of shops and multi-use buildings.
One outcome of that effort is a zoning amendment introduced last week to limit the footprint of new or expanded commercial buildings in the Route 1 district to 30,000 square feet. Grocery stores could occupy a footprint of 60,000 square feet.
But a village of small-footprint development doesn’t lie in the future of the Route 100 area, said Town Councilor Tony Payne, a member of the council’s Community Development Committee.
“You’re never going to have the residential density of a village in West Falmouth,” he said.
Despite commercial growth in the stretch between Leighton Road and the river, much of Route 100 maintains a rural feel, with small, sparse buildings.
“The town has taken conscious measures to preserve the rural character of the area,” Payne said. “We’ve heard over and over again from residents that they don’t want that character to be lost.”
The town is working to preserve the area’s character through a mix of zoning regulations, but some people are unhappy with the results.
One such person is Peter Wormell, owner of Harmon’s Lunch, a diner at 144 Route 100. Harmon’s opened in 1960 — just two years before the Falmouth Shopping Center.
Today, storefronts at the Route 1 shopping center sit empty. Across town, business has been slumping at Harmon’s, too.
The diner is known by residents for its legendary hamburgers, but sold 11,000 fewer of them in 2011 than it did in 2007, Wormell said. Most of that decline occurred last year.
In response, Wormell decided to add carryout ice cream to his menu. But when he recently tried to obtain town approval for a carryout window, his request was denied.
Carryout and drive-through windows are not permitted by rules of the zoning district where Harmon’s is situated. But just a mile south on Route 100, next to Hannaford, customers order coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through.
The coffee shop is in a planned development district that gives more flexibility to developers. Fast-food restaurants in the Route 1 business district also are allowed to operate windows.
“The difference in zoning doesn’t make any sense to me,” Wormell said.
Outside of Harmon’s, customer Adriaan Bishop was also puzzled — by the number of cars and trucks passing the diner.
“Traffic on this road has definitely picked up because of all the new business here,” he said. The town “has to do something, but I don’t know what can be done.
“Ten years ago, you wouldn’t have seen so many cars. There really wasn’t much reason to come out here, except for Harmon’s. Now there’s a steady stream of traffic,” said Bishop, who grew up in the nearby Portland neighborhood of North Deering.
Traffic management is an area where the town has learned from its experience with Route 1, according to Payne.
“We’ve learned that we have to be especially mindful of the impact of what we do on traffic,” he said. “That’s one of the most important pieces.”
Causes of traffic growth in the corridor may not even turn out to be local, the councilor suggested.
“It’s not clear what’s happening north of us, or what impact it may have,” said Payne, referring to commercial development in Cumberland and Yarmouth. And with gas stations and convenience stores just yards away from Maine Turnpike Exit 53, Route 100 is an attractive stop for highway travelers.
Regardless of the traffic source, Payne said, planning for the future of both routes requires discussion that involves the entire town.
“We need to make a conscious decision,” he said. “Does Falmouth want to grow, and where does it want to grow?”

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Ubisoft could soon be looking for a buyer, according to a report from Bloomberg and predictably enough, the buzz is going around that maybe, possibly, Microsoft could buy the French gaming conglomerate. But realistically speaking, I don’t see Ubisoft becoming a part of the Xbox family — the chances of that are slim to nil.
It’s understandable why people believe this is possible. After Microsoft announced an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard for a nice 69 billion dollars, the prevailing sentiment is that any videogame company is up for acquisition. The ocean has become a stalking grounds now in which the bigger fish devour the smaller fish.
When Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, it most certainly was taking advantage of the many scandals and controversies the mega-publisher found itself in, such as the allegations of a sexist, toxic work culture, the reports that it had destroyed evidence to combat investigations, the allegations that CEO Bobby Kotick knowingly protected abusers within the company and many, many more.
With Ubisoft currently valued around at a ‘mere’ $5 billion, one could argue that the company is a steal for any company that wants it. But while there’s no denying that would bag some of the most high profile IPs in gaming, Ubisoft’s development block is questionable. For every megahit franchise they own, there’re questionable trend chasers like xDefiant or Hyperscape, to say nothing of projects in turmoil and limbo like Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Skull and Bones.
Simply put, Ubisoft is so ripe for the picking precisely because of a number of negative factors. Flagship franchises like Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed have diminished in impact and sales volume. Experiments with blockchain and NFTs were widely pilloried. And lastly, high profile projects in development like Beyond Good and Evil 2, Skull and Bones are mired in uncertainty. And of course, allegations of misconduct and harassment that remain mostly unanswered for.
And so while Microsoft could easily pick up Ubisoft for what amounts to chump change, it’s difficult to imagine why they would want to deal with TWO companies troubled by internal problems and labor issues and risk courting even more scrutiny from antitrust investigators. Especially when there just isn’t as much to be gained from Ubisoft as there is from Activision Blizzard.
When Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, it acquired a company with major problems yes, but also one with a strong development track record. ActiBlizz has well-established live services like Call of Duty Warzone, a wide swath of successful mobile titles from subsidiary King, makers of Candy Crush, and a rich portfolio of IPs with household recognition and devoted fans in Blizzard Entertainment. The acquisition of Activision Blizzard wasn’t just a matter of owning more stuff, it was about filling sectors and domains that Microsoft itself hadn’t covered.
So while the people who own Ubisoft are looking to divest themselves of the company and build a golden parachute out of such a sale, there’s a reason why its private equity firms like Blackstone Inc. and KKR & Co that have come circling around it. Now I could be wrong. Perhaps Microsoft and/or Sony’s acquisitions folks are burning the phone lines at this very minute. But in essence, a Ubisoft purchase seems like too much for Microsoft to bear.
And if you know anything about private equity firms, they don’t buy gaming companies to get in the gaming business. Rather, they’re in the business of speculation, flipping a company like Ubisoft to another buyer for bigger profit. That is, if they don’t leech that company for short-term gains and leaving them as dried, withered husks.
You might say that Ubisoft’s survival rests on being saved from the predations of private equity. But if any company is going to do that, it’s not Microsoft. It’s easy to believe that Ubisoft is just “free real estate” waiting to be picked up by an aspiring monopoly like Microsoft, but odds are that the latter will simply walk away.


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By Michael J. Alkire, President, Premier Inc.
Today’s Executive Order is unprecedented. We as a nation have not seen something of this magnitude since WWII.
The Executive Order creates opportunity for the United States to increase domestic manufacturing quickly to protect the public in light of the global pandemic. Already, Premier has been working with domestic manufacturers to expand production capacity for respirators, such as N95 masks. In addition, we have also been in discussions with non-healthcare, ancillary manufacturers to convert their facilities and accommodate the increased demand. The Executive Order will help expedite our nation’s ability to pursue alternatives and augment U.S. supply.
In order to truly operationalize today’s Executive Order, coordination and collaboration between private sector and the government is critical to ensuring a streamlined regulatory approval process and efficient supply chain so these products are made available expeditiously. Premier looks forward to working with the Administration in implementing today’s Executive Order.


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Robinhood has lastly lifted all of the restrictions on WallStreetBets-fueled shares like GameStop and AMC, based on a report on Friday from Reuters. The corporate presently lists no limits on its assist doc entitled “Adjustments resulting from ongoing market volatility,” whereas final week, there were 50-plus companies included on the list.
Robinhood’s resolution to limit shopping for sure shares brought about a firestorm of controversy, resulting in harsh condemnations from major public figures and politicians and the app being review-bombed on each Android and iOS. For its half, Robinhood stated it wasn’t shutting trades down on a matter of precept or resulting from any shady offers with hedge funds, but because it simply didn’t have enough cash to fulfill its regulatory necessities.
The day the restrictions have been put in place, GameStop’s inventory closed at $325. Yesterday, it closed at $53.50, so it might be argued that the push is now over. So Robinhood lifting the restrictions doesn’t matter as a lot anymore, as the huge quantity of buying and selling taking place final week seems to have subsided.
With that stated, GameStop inventory has seen some exercise as we speak, at one level capturing as much as $95 a share. On the time of writing, GME is again down within the low-$60 vary, and there’s no telling what it’ll shut at as we speak. However for the second, it looks like it’s at the very least wanting slightly higher than it was yesterday.


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The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is considering carrying out an 'experiment' to increase revenue earning by lowering corporate income tax, said its Chairman Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan.
He also promised to include non-traditional and new products in the list of bonded warehouse facility for enjoying duty-free benefit to diversify the country's export basket.
His comments came following proposals of the business leaders in a quarterly luncheon meeting of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka (MCCI) on its premises on Wednesday.
Terming the planned reduction in corporate tax rates for raising revenue earning a 'challenge', the NBR chief said some experiments can be done in this regard, which may be now or may be within the next 2-3 years.
He also said many non-complaint taxpayers may come under the tax net, if the government lowers the tax rates.
MCCI President Nihad Kabir presided over the meeting and presented a written proposal of the chamber before the NBR chairman.
In the proposal, the trade-body suggested the government to focus on education, skills and human resources development in the upcoming budget.
MCCI also stressed the need for maintaining policy consistency, preferably for at least five years, to help entrepreneurs prepare their investment plan.
Responding to a proposal of Runner Group Chairman Hafizur Rahman Khan on offering bonded warehouse facility for motorcycle export, the NBR chairman said the revenue board is willing to provide the facility to export of such non-traditional products.
Motorcycle with higher engine capacity, like - 250 cc, will also get the benefit. It will be only for export purposes, not for selling in the local market, he added.
Currently, import of motorcycle with engine above 165 cc is prohibited.
Bonded warehouse facility is a system under which entrepreneurs can avail duty-free import of capital machinery and raw materials for producing items for export. Finished goods, manufactured by using bonded goods, cannot be sold in the local market.
The MCCI leaders urged the government to ensure higher allocation in human resources development, education and skill development.
They also demanded withdrawal of the penalty provision for employers in case of non-submission of tax returns by their employees.
The NBR chairman said the revenue board will review the multilayer dividend issue and keep several VAT rates in the upcoming budget.
Ms Kabir noted that MCCI is the only chamber that is paying tax on its income.
Bangladesh Employers Federation President Kamran T Rahman proposed offering fiscal incentives for companies in case of employing physically- and mentally-challenged people.
MCCI vice-president Golam Mainuddin and committee member Habibullah N Karim, and HSBC chief executive officer Francois de Maricourt also spoke at the meeting.
© 2017 - All Rights with The Financial Express


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[Column] Kevin Muley: How globalization has greatly transformed how we communicate beyond borders
Connecting with people in different spectrums of the world has immensely changed how we communicate with each other. Increased internet connectivity as well as fibre optic cables and at the height of internet connectivity, barriers such as distance are no longer a factor as it was 2 decades ago. The ability to communicate globally has made it effortless to share information with those in different time zones and locations. This has in turn turned the world into a global village and with that comes advantages both from a trade and individual perspective. This has simplified how we communicate. For businesses and for keeping in touch with individuals far away from us to succeed, innovative communication has to be at the centre of it all.
Technology’s role in shifting communication
The Internet has dramatically revolutionized how we communicate. It has become a global means of communication in our everyday lives. While internet connectivity costs still remain slightly high in Kenya, more players are coming in with more competitive rates. Internet penetration in Kenya stood at 40% as of January 2021 according to a report by datareportal with a total of 21.75 million users with access to the internet as of January 2021.
The Internet has continuously had a revolutionary impact on communication, including the advent of digital communications channels such as emails, instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calls, interactive video calls, blogs, and social media.
The internet has made communication much simpler and faster. It has allowed us to stay connected with people regardless of time and location. It has also accelerated the pace of business and increased the possibilities of international trade across borders. Because of the internet, people are able to find their voice and express themselves through social media, YouTube, Whatsapp among other apps. The internet has connected and divided us like nothing before.
Introduction of cheaper ways of communication
Technology enthusiasts have thus become smarter and more intelligent in devising new ways to communicate beyond borders. With the cost of communicating abroad still high, companies such as BeMobile in Kenya are not only simplifying how we communicate internationally but drastically ensuring the cost of communicating abroad is low. BeMobile now helps one be in control of their global communication simply and affordably. One can get up to 4 international numbers for the U.S.A, U.K or Canada. This in turn seamlessly enables Kenyans to communicate abroad with their loved ones cheaply on an individual level or even while doing business.
COVID-19 Pandemic paving way to instantaneous communication
Effective communication has always been the key to all healthy human relationships. During the pandemic, many people across the world are now working from home with little to no face-to-face interactions, except with their family members. A positive is that many are becoming better at using communication technologies, which may be more beneficial moving forward. At the initial stages of the pandemic, according to the Kemp 2020 report, digital communications tremendously increased as people spent more time at their homes due to lockdowns. These changes were mostly seen in the use of social media and messaging apps, as well as video conferencing apps and programs.
Getting back to normal is going to be a slow process, but key to remember that what is “normal” has changed over time due to the pandemic. New ways of communicating are sure going to remain important in the foreseeable future.
Adapting to new ways of communicating
The new ways of communication that have been invented during the pandemic have a major implication on how communication will play out in the future. People’s digital communication will increase due to the desire to check in with friends and family more often during this particular health crisis and because in-person means of communication are less possible. People who previously did not rely on digital technology for communication, have had no option but to rely on novel digital methods to stay in touch with friends and family. Video, VOIP and instant messaging will and are now becoming more mainstream. New innovative apps such as BeMobile will continue to take centre stage and cheaper communication overseas will be a key selling point for consumers wishing to communicate beyond borders.
These new ways of communicating have opened a world of possibilities across the continent on how we use communications in all aspects of our lives The world has indeed become a one global village with digital communications at the centre of it all.


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Africa imports an estimated 30 million bikes per year, yet there are no bike manufacturers on the continent. In today’s post, John Mutter of Columbia University describes a project to build bikes locally, using bamboo for the frames.
People in wealthy countries full of young, genuinely well motivated and committed people with honest and very good intentions can always do something to help those in poorer countries – something small, that is. These small things no doubt can be very good things. You can build a sanitary facility in a village and the health of the villagers will improve. You can introduce better farming practices and yields will improve on the few hectares of a poor farmer’s field.
It is also not very difficult to establish a small business in Africa. There must be millions of roadside vendors selling everything from food to furniture to appliances. In many cases the goods are produced right there on the side of the road. They operate out of stalls as small as the average toilet stall in the US. These businesses support the income needs of perhaps one or two people at a very modest level.
When we first started the Bamboo Bike Project many people suggested that we should emulate that model. We should create new village-level or roadside businesses because “that’s what works in Africa”. People who encouraged that approach said that if we just got a few started then things would “go viral” and next thing you know they would be everywhere, like Starbucks maybe.
The problem is that just about nothing goes viral in Africa except biological viruses like HIV. The singular exception is cell phones. It’s hard to think of anything else that just took off. The roadside vendor selling fruit isn’t on the first step of a path that will lead to opening a Shop Rite supermarket, there isn’t a Pret a Manger chain in the future for the woman cooking food over a wood-fueled fire, the guy walking around with a display of 50 cheap sunglasses isn’t about to challenge Sunglass Hut any time soon.
For us the issue is that we want to make a serious difference to transportation needs and those needs are vast. Our guess is that there is something between 5 and 50 million bikes in sub-Saharan Africa (it is impossible to get a good number), almost every one made in China and every one of inappropriate design and very poor quality. A bike is something that is assumed to break and need constant repair. We want to make good quality bikes designed for the needs of the rural poor and don’t need repair as often.
Most important is that we want to make them at a scale comparable to the needs – millions. That can’t be done on the side of the road or in village settings. Bike building won’t go viral. It needs a factory and now there is one in Kumasi, Ghana.
The whole story is too long to tell here, but thanks to a partnership between the Millennium Cities Initiative at Columbia University, The Bamboo Bike Studio in Brooklyn, New York and a Ghanaian investor, a factory is taking shape that has the potential to produce perhaps 10,000 bikes a year all made locally. That’s not millions but it is a lot closer than what can be done on the side of a road and it has a chance of meeting some significant part of the transportation needs in West Africa.
We haven’t found the Rosetta stone for scale-up. You can’t scale-up latrines this way. But we have kept a clear focus on the size of the problem from the very start and not been tempted into the much easier path of making a few bikes in a few places, taking pictures of ourselves in Africa, and achieving little more than making ourselves feel virtuous.


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LinkedIn, the popular social networking site for business people and professionals, released a report ranking 25 companies in India that are most preferred by professionals as their workplace.
LinkedIn, the popular social networking site for business people and professionals, released a report ranking 25 companies in India that are most preferred by professionals as their workplace. The list that is led by India’s Directi. Mukesh Ambani owned Reliance Industries, country’s largest and most valued firm, stands at 24th on this list. The other Indian companies are Flipkart, One97 Communications, Ola, OYO, and MakeMyTrip. The list of 25 companies was prepared based on proprietary LinkedIn data and billions of actions by over 546 million professionals on the platform. The LinkedIn report suggests that Indian professionals prefer local companies such as Directi, Flipkart and One97 Communications (Paytm) over global leaders such as Google and Amazon in form of their workplace.
Both LinkedIn and its parent firm Microsoft are not included in the list. Amazon has slipped to fourth place after remaining at second spot in the last two consecutive years. India’s Directi, Flipkart and One97 Communications are the top three companies in the list. Alphabet that is Google’s parent company has been listed at seventh rank in the list.
The list compiled by the popular social networking site for business people and professionals provides a data that may help in solving problems and rewriting the rules followed by one’s industry, said Adith Charlie, India Editor, LinkedIn. Home-grown taxi-hailing app Ola stands at 16th place this year from fifth position in 2017.
Meanwhile, a study by job website Indeed has revealed that millennials are not much interested in the country’s agriculture sector or farming related jobs. There is a plunge of 25 percent in the average number of agriculture related job searches each week during CY2017. The reason behind this plunge is poor awareness about the scope of sector, lacking entrepreneurial spirit and job security, the study added. Recently, Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, had said that for India to grow at the same pace as China, it needs to develop enough number of manufacturing jobs. He also said that India’s growth story could derail due to lack of manufacturing sector jobs.


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Pub and hotel operator Fuller’s has cautioned that the coming months will likely be tough for hospitality operators, as consumers feel the pinch of swingeing government cuts.
Michael Turner, executive chairman of Fuller’s, said: “With the UK national debt so large and measures to tackle this through tax rises and public spending cuts now being implemented by the new coalition government we continue to be very cautious about the outlook for the UK economy."
Less leisure spend ahead
“We may technically have emerged from recession and the economy may no longer be contracting, however, with the prospect of personal taxation in our target market rising further and disposable incomes reducing there may be less leisure spend available in real terms,” said Turner.
Turner’s warning came as the pub group released full year results to 27 March that showed a 17 per cent rise in pre-tax profits from £22.8m to £26.6m, partly on the back of pub acquisitions. Overall, group revenues were up 8 per cent at £227.7m.
Martyn Leek is news editor of BigHospitality's sister title M&C Report.


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Spalding United have announced a lucrative home pre-season friendly with Championship side Peterborough United.
The Tulips will welcome a Posh XI to the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field on Wednesday, July 28 in what is the biggest game the club has hosted in recent history.
Due to current Government restrictions, only a limited number of tickets will be sold online from this week – and further details on purchasing will be announced shortly by the club.
The Tulips are operating on a first come, first served basis when purchasing online becomes available and once tickets are sold there will be no additional tickets, so urge fans to purchase as soon as possible.
Tulips boss Gaby Zakuani is a club legend at Posh – and has recently signed Marcus Maddison, who made his name with Darren Ferguson’s side.
Zakuani said: “I can’t wait for this one. But anyone having any ideas about clamping Marcus needs to know I’ll have my kit under my jacket!
“Special mention to (Posh chairman) Darragh MacAnthony, who has been very supportive to me since joining Spalding United.
“Hopefully we’ll see a lot of familiar faces come down for the game and support my club. I’m always grateful to Posh for being like family to me, so I’m expecting a decent turnout.”
Tulips CEO Leigh Porter added: “This is very exciting news and a privilege for the club to host Posh just before their Championship season starts.”


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Bangladesh-UK G2G meeting in January: Tipu
DHAKA, Dec 03, 2020 (BSS) – Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi today said Bangladesh and the United Kingdom (UK) Government-2-Government (G2G) meeting will be held in January for increasing trade and investment after Brexit.
“Trade and economic relations between Bangladesh and Britain are long. Britain is the third largest export market of Bangladesh. There are lots of opportunities to increase trade and investment between the two countries,” he said.
The minister said this while exchanging views with British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson at the Commerce Minister’s official residence in the city, said a press release.
Tipu hoped that after the separation of Britain from the European Union (Brexit), Britain will give importance to Bangladesh in their new trade policy.
“Bangladesh is encouraged by Britain’s interest in post-Brexit trade and investment. Trade talks between the two countries are essential for the proper management of trade and investment in new ventures. A (G2G) trade meeting between the two countries will be held in January,” he added.
The commerce minister said many British investors have already invested in the country’s different potential sectors.
“Bangladesh will welcome more British investment. Under the initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the work of setting up 100 special economic zones in important places of the country is progressing fast. Several countries, including China, Japan, Korea and India have come forward to invest there,” he added.
He informed that British investors will benefit if they invest here as the Government of Bangladesh has announced many opportunities for foreign investors.
In the coming days, Bangladesh and Britain will work together to increase trade and investment, he added.
Robert Chatterton Dickson said that Britain is providing importance to Bangladesh in terms of post-Brexit trade and investment.
“It is possible to take detailed action in this regard by holding trade meetings between the two countries. The British Government is keen to discuss regarding trade and investment with the Bangladesh Government,” he added.
He said Britain’s ongoing trade and investment with Bangladesh will continue and will be further enhanced in the future.


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Amber HeardThe lawyer of Johnny Depp — but the brand itself says… not so fast.
One of the actress’ lawyers, Elaine Bredehoftsaid in opening statements last week that Amber often resorted to makeup during her time with Depp … to supposedly hide marks she claims were left by her boyfriend-turned-husband.
Bredehoft told the jury they would hear testimony and see evidence proving that Amber would use different makeup products to achieve this – and in fact held up one of the items Heard apparently used at the time, including a very specific Milani correction kit.
The problem… the kit wasn’t actually in circulation during the period described by Bredehoft – roughly between 2012 and 2016, before the divorce – according to Milani himself.
The company posted a TikTok video on its page refuting what Heard’s attorney was selling…writing, “You asked us…let the record show our patch kit launched in 2017!” added a hyper-cut video digging into the details at the launch of this kit – December 2017.
In short, there’s no way Amber is carrying this kit in her purse as her lawyer claimed. To be fair – Bredehoft didn’t specifically quote Milani during her demonstration to the jury, so it’s plausible that she’s just showing off her general makeup to make her point.
Still, if she was pointing specifically to the Milani kit, then yes… it doesn’t seem like her claim holds up based on what Milani himself says. It will be interesting to see if Depp hangs on to that point and presses it…or if it goes unnoticed.
Depp’s team presented witnesses claiming they had never seen marks on Amber, even when she was ‘not wearing makeup’ – but his team say they had no way of knowing whether she was made up or not, and that their testimony doesn’t prove it one way or another.
We’re heading into Week 3, and for now… Depp is still under cross-examination – much of which so far has focused on nasty texts he’s sent about Amber.
There was even a video released that shows JD loose the temper while being recorded in the kitchen – but he insisted he never laid a hand on her. Meanwhile, his team released a recording that appears to show Heard admit to hitting Depp and look for a fight.
She hasn’t spoken yet to explain her version of things, but will soon have her chance.


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Market Harborough company Quantum 4 has gone into administration with the loss of all 18 jobs at the company. The company had been a successful designer, manufacturer and installer of retail display equipment since its establishment in 2002.
At the end of August this year, the company appointed administrators Opus, who have now announced the company in, The Point business park off Rockingham Road in the town, has closed with debts totalling around £2.5 million. Opus said the company was a victim of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, both of which had hit the retail sector.
Quantum 4's largest customer halted its store development programme and withdrew orders in October 2022. Subsequently, other customers cancelled or deferred orders.
Despite a cost-cutting and restructuring exercise, cash flow pressures only got worse and when efforts to find a buyer for the business failed, administration could not be avoided.
Louise Williams of Opus said: “The demise of this previously successful retail display specialist is another illustration of how difficult conditions are right now for any business operating in this consumer-facing sector, where the pressures on customer budgets are forcing many retailers to think carefully about their investment plans and scale back their commitments to suppliers like Quantum 4.”


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TiP Daily October 1, 2012: A new report claims that iPad mini production is already underway in a Brazilian factory, a possible bug in iOS 6 is keeping devices connected to cellular data even when viable WiFi networks are available, and more!
– iPad mini event on Oct 10: http://tinyurl.com/9trr3x6
– iPad mini already in production: http://tinyurl.com/8kvrkxr
– iPhone 5 purple camera flare: http://tinyurl.com/9asjlew
– Verizon iPhone data leak fix: http://tinyurl.com/9uk7vqa
– iOS 6 data leak affecting AT&T as well: http://tinyurl.com/8wy7g23
– Follow me on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/6xjt8hc


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Dell Technologies chairman and chief, Michael Dell, has revealed that the group’s channel sales revenue surged by “double digits” in the first six months of its 2018 financial year.
Dell, who released a statement via a United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing as part of his company’s confirmation it is exploring a potential IPO or merger with VMware, suggested that the channel revenue increase reflects partners’ faith in the group’s ongoing strategy.
“Our customers believe in what we’re doing with 91 per cent saying Dell and EMC have delivered on their pre-merger promises,” Dell said in the filing. “And our partners believe in what we’re doing with Global Channels revenue up double-digits in first half of FY18.”
Dell’s comments relate to channel revenue generated during the six months ending 4 August 2017.
“Additionally, VMware has enjoyed tremendous success since joining the Dell Technologies family, delivering innovative new solutions and double-digit growth,” Dell said.
“We would normally keep our deliberations confidential until a particular course of action is determined, but because Dell Technologies owns [approximately] 82 per cent of VMware, we are required to make a public filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission,” he said.
During the period highlighted by Dell, the group as a whole reported net revenue of US$37.1 billion, 47 per cent up from the same period the year prior.
At the same time, the group reported a US$2.4 billion net loss from continuing operations, while racking up adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$3.4 billion for the six month period.
Following mounting speculation, Dell Technologies revealed on 2 February it is exploring new options for the company, considering a public offering (IPO) of common stock or a “combination” with VMware, its publicly held subsidiary. A decision expected to materialise in a matter of weeks.
Dell, the world's largest privately held technology company, is under pressure to boost profitability after its debt-laden acquisition of data storage provider EMC for US$67 billion in 2016 failed to meet financial targets, hurt by intensifying price competition.
Mid-last year, analysts flagged some “hurdles” for Dell Technologies, with the company reporting at the time a US$1.5 billion operating loss in its first 2017 quarter.
While flagging the various options to help bolster his company’s financials, Dell said in the latest SEC filing that, “I remain completely committed to our mission and extremely excited about the opportunities ahead.”


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Deutsche Post not interested in TNT Express: CFO
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Germany's Deutsche Post (DPWGn.DE) is not interested bidding for TNT Express (TNTE.AS) after UPS (UPS.N) said it was dropping its 5.2 billion euro bid for the Dutch delivery firm, its finance chief said.
"We're pursuing an organic growth strategy, so we are not interested in acquisitions of any kind in the express business, including TNT," he told Reuters in an interview on Monday.
We are living longer but not creating financial plans to keep pace. Advisers give tips on how to make sure you don’t outlive your money. Video


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Rumours of Samsung working on a more advanced replacement for its relatively lackluster S-Voice started appearing toward the end of last year and now we finally have confirmation on its existence from the company.
As expected, the virtual assistant and artificial intelligence will be called Bixby and will, for the most part, bring Samsung up to par with other competitors such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana and Amazon's Alexa. Samsung does, however, have higher hopes for its artificial intelligence, releasing the following statement regarding its goals for Bixby:
Samsung has a conceptually new philosophy to the problem [of virtual interaction]: instead of humans learning how the machine interacts with the world (a reflection of the abilities of designers), it is the machine that needs to learn and adapt to us.
Alongside this emphasis on the convenience of its users and the flexibility of the AI in adapting to their needs, Samsung also outlined the three guiding principles it adhered to in the creation of its virtual assistant, principles which it believes will allow Bixby to surpass its competition in the increasingly crowded AI space.
Of these, the first is completeness, which outlines Samsung's goal of allowing the AI to perform any and all tasks related to a supported application, unlike many other virtual assistants, which may be baked into the OS and may perform certain operations on supported applications, but will still require manual interaction by the user. Samsung claims its AI will be able to complete any and all possible tasks via voice commands in an application, without the need for any manual input from the user. As a result, Samsung also believes that the learning curve for Bixby will be far easier than competing products as users don't have to fumble around with determining what the limitations of the AI are.
Bixby also claims to be contextually aware, meaning it will be able to track the context of your use of an application, thus being able to understand your commands in a more comprehensive manner. This, Samsung believes, will "allow users to weave various modes of interactions including touch or voice at any context of the application, whichever they feel is most comfortable and intuitive."
The final focus of Samsung was cognitive tolerance, which refers to Bixby's flexibility in understanding commands that do not adhere to a specific script or are uttered using specific language. This would not only allow for better ease of access but will, perhaps, prove invaluable for users whose first language may not be English.
Samsung also confirmed that the AI will be making its debut on the Galaxy S8 and that the device will feature a prominent button dedicated to the virtual assistant.
At launch, the device will come with a number of Bixby-supported applications pre-installed (these will most likely only be first-party apps in the beginning). However, Samsung has plans to release an SDK soon, allowing third-party developers to also weave in Bixby support into their own apps. In the future, Samsung plans on expanding Bixby's functionality from just its phone to its long line of appliances, allowing you to control your air conditioner or washing machine, for example, with voice commands.


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As shared by Economic Times, the Youtube Ads LeadersBoard representing the top 10 Indian ads that resonated most with audiences over the past month is here. These 10 ads by leading brands have helped them to gain recognition through promotion.
Jio – Naye India Ka Naya Josh – Join Reliance in this New Journey
This video campaign by Jio talks about the new world we all are in post the COVID-19 pandemic. The video is aimed to boost the morale of the people and staying positive in the most difficult situations.
Vivo India – Shine in Dark with Vivo V19
The ad campaign by Vivo India for their latest Vivo V19 smartphone is all about the gadget’s new features.
Apple India – iPhone SE — The Opening
The video by Apple India gives a sneak peek in the unboxing of the new iPhone SE. It displays the excitement one feels while unboxing one of the Apple phones.
Junior Horlicks IN – Junior Horlicks- Aapke #JuniorKeLiyeJunior
Junior Horlicks is a nutritional drink for the kids that helps the mothers to give their kids all the necessary nutrition they require in their growing age. The video by Horlicks shows the sweet relation a mother has with her child and how she makes sure that her child has all the nutrition he needs.
Xiaomi India – Evoke Your Imagination | #Mi10
Xiaomi India‘s new ad campaign is a sneak peek in its lates Mi10 smartphone which shows all the new exciting features it has.
Tata Motors – Apni truck to, Apni maa jaisi hai. # HappyMothersDay
The new ad by Tata Motors shows the emotional relation a truck driver has with its truck. The video was a dedication for Mother’s day and showed how a truck takes care of its drivers just like a mother would.
Ola – Taking extra care to keep you safe
With the lockdown being lifted Ola and other cab-hailing apps have resumed services. With this video, Ola is trying to convey the ways and measures it has taken as a brand to ensure that the customer as well as the driver are safe from the coronavirus.
VMC – Vidyamandir Classes – Study Online with VMC
In this video, Manmohan Gupta, founder of VMC, is sharing with the people the benefits of taking online classes with VMC.
upGrad – Start upskilling and be future-ready with upGrad | Be Ambitious
JCB India – JCB Machines- Made In India, Made for the world [Atmanirbhar Bharat]
India’s very own JCB machines have shared with this video how they have not just ruling the Indian market but also have a stronghold globally.


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Morris County store sells 1 of 2 $10K lottery winners: No Mega Millions winner
A store in Morris County was among two state locations that sold a $10,000 lottery prize as the Mega Millions continues to grow, lottery officials announced Monday.
The Budd Lake Shell on Route 46 in Budd Lake sold a ticket which matched four of the five white balls, said James Carey, the New Jersey Lottery acting executive director, in a statement. A Dollar Plus store in Cumberland County also sold a $10,000 ticket.
Meanwhile, the jackpot for the Mega Millions is estimated to be worth $367 million. The drawing is scheduled for Tuesday.
The Powerball will be worth an estimated $229 million. The drawing is on Wednesday.


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How Politico plans to conquer Europe
Politico is the latest U.S. publisher to contemplate international expansion. But translating its national politics coverage of Washington, D.C., to the supranational European Union doesn’t promise to be easy.
For the challenge that lies ahead, it’s taking a page out of the Huffington Post playbook: Like the HuffPost, Politico is partnering with a local publisher to give it a head start. It’s also going one step further and buying another.
Politico Europe, a 50/50 joint venture with German publisher Axel Springer, is set to launch in the spring. It’s in the process of building a team of more than 40 editorial staff across European capitals and key cities, including Brussels, London, Paris, Frankfurt and Moscow. Its aim: Have the biggest editorial staff covering the ins and outs of politics and policy than any publication in Europe.
“Brussels is the stage, but the actors come from elsewhere and the script is written between capitals. We’re going to try to connect those dots,” said Matthew Kaminski, Politico Europe’s executive editor. “We acknowledge that it’s different from the U.S., but there are some similarities — it’s still about people. We’ll try to bring this political theater to life in a way that’s fresh, that’s fast, that’s fun and at the same time authoritative.”
Politico also acquired EuropeanVoice.com, a site covering European politics. It also bought French events company Development Institute International in December to help give the joint venture a leg up in selling events sponsorships. Axel Springer will offer operations and sales support.
Politico Europe is looking to build subscriptions to Politico Pro, its paywall site, as well as establish a sales team to promote its advocacy advertising model and pitch lobbying firms and interest groups. Its content will not just live online but in advertising-supported print too, with distribution planned across the major political hubs in Europe.
Competition on the business side will be tough. Every major political news brand in Europe, and public affairs agency for that matter, trumpets their connections with European decision-makers. National newspapers also run their own sponsored events around major political hubs, like the Guardian’s event at the 2014 Labour Party conference. But Politico is convinced it has found a niche it can own in European affairs.
“We’re positioned uniquely because our target audience is different. We’re focused serving political decision-makers and the ecosystem that surrounds them,” said Gabe Brotman, head of strategy and business development at Politico Europe. “Compared to The Economist, FT and WSJ, we’re not limited by frequency and space. At a national level, newspapers report stories from the EU which fit with the national agenda. Sector-specific trade publications are great but can miss the broader view of what’s actually happening.”
One media commentator said the barriers to entry for Politico will likely be very high. ComScore’s desktop traffic survey in 2014 showed a monthly unique audience of 3.9 million in the U.S. versus 54,000 in Europe, so there’s an uphill battle. EuropeanVoices.com didn’t meet comScore’s minimum traffic requirements to register.
“They got where they are in Washington because they knew their stuff, kept readers updated with issues minute by minute, and did so with digital savvy that others didn’t have. But Brussels is already riddled by public affairs companies and briefings, and they won’t have the same first-mover advantage they had in the U.S. It’s a tall order, so they’ll have to hire fantastic people,” said Charlie Beckett, LSE media professor and director at the Polis think tank.
“That said, there’s so much information overload if they can come up with a bright, funky, user-friendly product that really delivers; the rewards could be great. Even global brands tend to see their lobbying or advocacy as a regional activity, and the pie is quite big,” he added.
Homepage image via Shutterstock
‘Go to market faster’: The Washington Post’s Arc goes outside the tent for payment and data integrations
Subscriber revenue has become more of a priority to the Washington Post's Arc clients since it launched its subscription tools last year.
‘Profitability in the back half of next year’: BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti (and Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan) on their big merger
A special Digiday podcast episode features Interviews with BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti and Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan.
‘People have had permission to experiment’: Pandemic expedites rethink on 9-to-5 work structures
Starting out as a short-term fix to weather the coronavirus storm, employers are seeing work hours outside the traditional 9-to-5 week as a new normal.
SponsoredPublishers will lead the charge as cookie-less advertising becomes the norm
Steve Wing, managing director, EMEA, Magnite As the advertising industry moves closer to a cookieless world — one in which browserless environments including connected TV (CTV) and mobile in-app are an increasingly large part of ad budgets — publishers will have an increasingly important role in developing the future of identity. Segment creation and identity […]
‘A digital Madison Square Garden’: How Complex reimagined the sponsorship opportunities for ComplexLand
The online event, which will combine music, conversation, gaming and shopping in an online world, will have 60 sponsors.
‘They wanted to unload it bad’: Why HuffPost made sense for BuzzFeed – and Verizon Media Group
BuzzFeed's acquisition of HuffPost will give it access to an older, more affluent cohort, potentially bolstering its news and commerce businesses.


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South African Township Taverns Face Ruin From Second Booze Ban
South Africa’s latest ban on alcohol sales is likely to force 35,000 bar owners in the poorest communities into bankruptcy, according to industry bodies representing the country’s biggest drink makers.
The decision to abruptly prohibit the retail of booze for a second time since March is aimed at reducing alcohol-related hospital admissions while surging coronavirus cases put a strain on emergency wards. Still, the economic fallout could be severe, groups including the National Liquor Traders Council and the Beer Association of South Africa said in a statement.
South Africa’s government lifted a more than two-month restriction on alcohol sales at the start of June, following discussions with the industry over opening hours and safety measures. Pub owners in so-called townships were allowed to convert into drink retail outlets as part of the agreement. However, the latest ban announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa came without consultation with the industry or a warning, leaving retailers with stock they can’t legally sell.
“The government’s decision has serious economic consequences, placing hundreds of thousands of livelihoods at risk,” said the industry bodies, which count Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, Heineken NV and Distell Group Holdings Ltd. among their members. “The hardest hit will be the significant number of smaller retailers and taverners.”
The liquor industry lost more than 117,000 jobs as a result of the initial ban and 18 billion rand ($1.1 billion) in revenue, they said.
Coronavirus infections in South Africa have surged since lockdown restrictions were eased last month to allow millions of people to return to work. In defense of the government’s decision, the Department of Health released a report Tuesday that showed stricter lockdown regulations and the earlier alcohol ban reduced the number of trauma cases by as much as half.
Preventing township bars from selling alcohol pushes residents to travel long distances to get illicit booze, the industry bodies said. The ruling also increases security risks, with several liquor stores looted during the first phases of lockdown.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.


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FULTONVILLE N.Y. (NEWS10) – Wednesday the Cannabis Control Board of New York approved new grow regulations to support medical marijuana patients and caregivers. And with those new regulations comes a whole bunch of new ways that cannabis growers can do it at home. NEWS 10 takes you inside a hydroponic shop in Montgomery County to learn the safest and most effective ways to grow weed at home.
“It’s not necessarily a newer technology people been doing it for years,”
Owner Kelly Guisti telling NEWS10 more new customers are coming to the shop, but many have already been growing with hydroponics.
“We see a lot more customers and we’re getting new customers daily,” said Guisti.
NEWS 10 took a tour and found what was needed for a hydroponic grow station.
“You’ll need your growing medium whether it’s Hydroton, which is clay pebbles, or your Cocoa Core bricks,” continued Guisti.
“5 gallon or 2 gallons with the sets we have and then the 55-gallon drum,” said Guisti.
Turns out there is more to growing with hydro than you would think. If not careful in your process things can go wrong.
“You got to take care of your equipment and make sure you don’t have any leaks,” says Kelly.
Plus, there’s other concerns that affect your plants.
“Their tanks getting funky like having like algae and bacteria growing in it or the water if you have like well water the water can start to smell,” says Melissa.
“Hydro is good, but I prefer soil myself,” exclaims Kelly.
Average cost for hydroponics at home, about 500 bucks. But there are other options
“Just a setup for you to have a room so but it comes with like a 400-watt light which is LED, so they are low cost and an energy efficient they come with All the good diodes”
Safety an issue as of late with fentanyl circulating in the us. That is why being able to regulate their own weed supply is more effective in safeness and quality.
“Growing your own the way to you know what exactly what’s in it,” says Kelly Guisti
“The only one you can count on is yourself you know what you do you don’t know what somebody else does,” said Melissa Guisti


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This article is contributed by Michelle Patterson
Women are making a powerful difference in business, in today’s economy, and in family life. The adage that there is power in numbers definitely applies. The Bureau of the Census states that women currently outnumber men in the United States by six million. With such incredible power in their hands, women have a number of ways within their reach where they can help turn the economy around.
Charles D. Vollmer, the founder of Jobenomics, a national grassroots movement dedicated to creating 20 million new US private sector jobs by year 2020, noted the potential women have as entrepreneurs to help the economy: “This is the decade of women-owned businesses. They have greater financial needs and incentives. There are more qualified women with some even serving as heads of households. These women have more opportunities, are highly educated, and have fewer cultural barriers.” From women creating businesses through crafts and their artistry, using sites like Etsy and Pinterest, to generate interest and build a following to women starting up all types of businesses, including high-tech companies, consumer goods, and children’s wares, the female entrepreneur is generating innovative ideas and creating companies that are putting people to work and stimulating the economy through revenues.
2. Talent Value:
Statistics show nearly eight million jobs have been lost by men and, for the first time in this nation’s history, women now hold a majority of the nation’s jobs. In 2006, a database was created that measured the economic and political power of women in 162 countries. The conclusion was the greater the power of women, the greater the country’s economic success. Women’s talent in the workplace is beginning to be accepted by more companies that are looking for specific first-hand knowledge about today’s top consumer – women – and are recognizing the value of specific feminine traits that bode well in the corporate culture, including a nurturing attitude, open and ongoing communication, and a collaborative spirit, which are driving motivation and higher productivity.
Women are also now being targeted by boards to join and offer their insights about how women think and make decisions about purchases. Those that have added women as board members are also realizing greater financial success. Catalyst’s 2010 statistics conclude that companies with a significant percentage of women on their boards performed better than those with no women on their boards—by 84% return on sales, 60% return on invested capital, and 46% return on equity.
As Monique Nadeau, President and CEO of the Hope Street Group explained, “[B]ecause women overwhelmingly hold the consumer purchasing power in our country, whether we’re talking about individuals or households, their understanding of the market allows them to start businesses with a high degree of insight about both their potential customers and competitors.”
Women are the most influential consumers. Contributing to the total $7 trillion in consumer and business spending in America, women influence 85% of all purchasing decisions, including half of products that would seem more oriented to men, such as automobiles, home improvement items, and consumer electronics. The impact that women have on our nation’s market alone is substantial. For products related to home life, it’s been reported that moms represent a $2.4 trillion market. With so much buying power, it makes sense to target them and listen to what they want for themselves and their families.
Serving as mentors to younger women and offering guidance to help them on the road to success at an early age is breeding new generations of women who will sustain the economy once it recovers. Whether it is offering internships at their companies, speaking to young people in school and university settings, establishing scholarships to help female students or encouraging female employees to bring their daughters to work for a day, women can mentor those women who will lead the economic success in future decades and encourage a powerful proactive mindset in generations to come.
For those in certain positions, it’s time to encourage this power in women. And, for women, it’s time for you to put this power to good use!
About the author:
Visionary and lauded business accelerator Michelle Patterson is President of the Global Women Foundation and The California Women’s Conference (www.californiawomensconference.com) – the largest women’s symposium in North America that has featured esteemed First Ladies, A-List Hollywood celebrities, and high caliber business influencers. Michelle is also the CEO of Women Network LLC, an online digital media platform dedicated to giving women a voice and a platform to share their message.
Michelle may be reached at WomenNetwork.com.


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There is a sea change underway in U.S. antitrust policy, and it has the potential to wreak havoc on corporations and harm consumers in the process, Joe Kennedy writes in Morning Consult.
For decades, policymakers and scholars have agreed that the point of antitrust laws should be to protect the interests of consumers from the influence of undue corporate power. This legal premise, known as the consumer welfare standard, generally has required regulators to show that corporations are harming consumers by raising prices, reducing quality or slowing innovation before exercising the authority to step in and block mergers and acquisitions, bar certain practices or break a company up. In the absence of consumer harm, the consensus held, regulators should generally adopt a permissive approach to market competition.
But a vocal group of activists, pundits and scholars in recent years have started blaming lax antitrust enforcement for a wider range of social ills—from wage inequality to privacy erosion. Some support radically overhauling antitrust laws to make it harder for firms to get big or stay big. These advocates are less concerned with consumer welfare and more concerned about the purported threats large companies pose to smaller companies and other interests. Virtually all of these alleged abuses are either flat wrong or vastly overstated.


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27 Nov 2019.
Back in August, the news emerged that the entity running 40% of the Bitcoin Lightning Network called LNBIG was making just $48 annually for.
Why Bitcoin Is Bad 25 Apr 2020. . three key reasons why the cryptocurrency is an attractive investment. with the IMF calling it the worst recession since the Great Depression. 16/05/2019 · In this video we discuss bitcoin paper wallets, and why they are bad! You should not use a bitcoin paper wallet to store your cryptocurrency if you
12/05/2020 · The aim of creating Lightning was to decrease the load on the Bitcoin network, providing affordable fees for transactions and reducing the validation times of transactions. With Lightning, Bitcoin transactions are "off-chain" and are not recorded on the blockchain, making it a decentralized system. Users' identities also remain fully anonymous.
21/05/2020 · The Lightning Network, Bitcoin’s second layer solution for faster and more efficient payments, was integral to the ecosystem’s third epoch — with a number of Lightning-focused projects iterating and expanding upon the technology to establish it as the most promising protocol built upon Bitcoin.
Lightning Network: Scalable Instant Bitcoin Blockchain Transactions Guide. One of bitcoin’s major issues as it grew was scalability and the ability to handle huge transaction volumes.
until the development of a soft fork technology known as Segregated Witness (SegWit) that helped the bitcoin network maintain its original build, whilst being able to handle its scalability issues.
24 Oct 2019.
A Lightning Network user reportedly lost 4 Bitcoin, but don't call it weird. The original design of Bitcoin had a user submit a transaction to any.
13 Jan 2020.
This Exchange News was brought to you by OKCoin, our preferred Exchange Partner. Bitcoin's Lightning Network is expanding at an exponential.
Did Bitcoin Die For years, Venezuelan players have been making a living by playing RuneScape Venezuela used to be one of the richest. Q predicted the imminent arrest of Hillary Clinton and a violent uprising nationwide, posting this: HRC extradition already. On 12 March 2013, a bitcoin miner running version 0.8.0 of the bitcoin software created a large
In the wide array of financial technologies that have come forth in the 2000s, digital currencies have received a tremendous.
6 Reasons Bitcoin Futures Are Better Than Bitcoin 16 Jul 2018. Trading futures contracts compared to the “spot market” of bitcoin can be an advantage for traders. but there was no apparent reason for the climb since bitcoin prices. The bitcoin futures contract is more stable since investors have. "Coin investors or enthusiasts typically believe cryptocurrencies will. Why Bitcoin Is Bad 25 Apr
13 Jan 2020.
The scaling solution for the world's largest cryptocurrency demonstrates considerable growth across several aspects. Bitcoin's Lightning Network.
With US President Donald Trump clashing with social media behemoth Twitter, what does the fight over ‘Section 230’ really.
Bitcoin Lightning.com was designed to offer detailed analysis and news on the lightning network. We wanted a news source that was unbiased and designed for the bitcoin community. Our goal is inform the press about the latest developments behind this next evolution in blockchain technology.
Gate.io has launched a new feature that allows users to borrow up to 100,000 in USDT to trade on its perpetual swap contract.


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Toys Go ‘Round is hosting a fundraising garage sale during the Decorah City Wide Garage Sales the weekend of April 21. The toy library is seeking donations of gently-used toys, games, puzzles or children’s books to be sold at the fundraising sale. Car seats or other large items will not be accepted. Proceeds will go towards general operational expenses.
Toys may be dropped off at the toy library located at 607 Washington Street in Decorah, on Wednesdays or Thursdays between 3:30-6:30 p.m. The toy library will also accept monetary donations. For more information, contact Kathy at 563-419-9119.


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This Industrial Highflier Needs More Deal Fuel
Despite its $16 billion market value, the Berwyn, Pennsylvania-based maker of cockpit instruments and motion-control systems doesn’t spend much time in the spotlight. Perhaps it should. Shares of the company have been on a tear this year, climbing about 46 percent. That outpaces not only the average return for S&P 500 industrial companies but also the performance of 3M Co. and Roper Technologies Inc., two best-in-class operators with a penchant for acquisitions to which Ametek is often compared.
Ametek shares have been buoyed by spiking organic sales, as demand for industrial products picks up and certain businesses recover from weak oil and gas prices. It doesn't hurt that its takeovers of Rauland-Borg Corp. and Mocon Inc. this year -- two of the largest public deals in Ametek's history at at roughly $550 million combined -- appear to be progressing well. Both were overseen by relatively new CEO David Zapico, something that should help ease fears over the transition from his predecessor, Frank Hermance, who spent almost 17 years at the helm and used an acquisition-heavy strategy to quadruple the company's revenue and expand its market value more than 16-fold. Zapico took over in May of 2016.
The question now is how Ametek can keep the momentum going. The company has typically commanded a premium over its industrial peers, but even so, it's looking rather pricey. Ametek last week touched its highest multiple of Ebitda since at least the late 1990s. Not a single analyst recommends selling the shares, but on average, all these bullish followers estimate Ametek's share price will reach only $74.50 over the next twelve months. That's about a 5 percent return -- nothing to write home about. The key to surpassing that will be finding more growth-boosting acquisitions, especially if Ametek wants to follow through on its goal of doubling sales by 2022. 1
CEO Zapico has indicated he's willing to reach beyond Ametek's traditional $50 million to $150 million deal range to achieve that target, a prime example being the $340 million acquisition of Rauland-Borg in February. 2 At a conference in May, Zapico said he's willing to contemplate deals of as much as $500 million. He'll soon have even more firepower, too: RBC analyst Deane Dray highlighted Ametek as one of the big industrial winners from the Republicans' tax plan, given that 90 percent-plus of its cash is held overseas. The bill passed by the Senate last week would lower the assessment on offshore profits to just 14.5 percent for cash holdings and 7.5 percent for illiquid assets, compared with the previous maximum rate of 35 percent.
Unfortunately for Ametek, many of its would-be targets are expensive, just like itself. And the struggle to stay disciplined in this period of elevated valuations is a problem a little extra money can't fix. Because Ametek's modus operandi is to buy less profitable businesses and improve them, its acquisitions tend to be margin dilutive in the short term. That's fine, but it puts even more pressure on the company to pick the right targets and not overpay.
We'll be watching.
Zapico in 2015 highlighted a five-year plan of boosting sales to $8 billion. The downturn in industrial and energy markets took a toll on Ametek's sales, however. Asked about his five-year vision in May, he reiterated a goal of doubling the size of the company.
Ametek also agreed to a contingent payment of $30 million tied to the achievement of certain milestones.
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Beth Williams at email@example.com


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The exoskeleton system is not only suitable for super-warriors, car assembly workers and paralysed people, but also helps older people do their daily work,media reported. Now, reports from New Scientist suggest that older Japanese use exoskeleton to help them get their jobs because they work longer than older people in many other countries.
Japan is currently one of the world’s most ageing countries. Japan has the highest proportion of people aged 65 and over of all countries, up from 26% in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Reference Bureau.
In response, many Japanese technology companies are producing exoskeleton kits to support older people with legs or arms. One such company, Innophys, has developed a backpack-like spacesuit that fills the pressure-filled aerodynamic “muscle” by squeezing the hand pump 30 times.
The exoskeleton, which can lift 55 pounds, costs about $1,300.
Daigo Orihara, a spokesman for Innophys, told New Scientist: “A customer is a family business that produces and sells pickled radish and encounters a lot of heavy weight sin during the production process. My father is in his 70s and should have retired, but he’s still working in our muscle suit. “
Other similar suits include the electric Atoun Model Y from Panasonic, which costs $5,500 and can hold up to 22 pounds– as well as an exoskeleton suit from auto giant Toyota, the New Scientsit notes.
As the population ages, the demand for these exoskeletons is expected to increase. The Government is considering raising the retirement age from 60 to 70 to ensure an adequate workforce, the New Scientist notes.


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NIO Releases its Q1 Earnings Report
Data shows that NIO's revenue was CNY 1.63 billion (USD 243.1 million), with a net loss of CNY 2.62 billion (USD 390.9 million).
NIO released its first quarter 2019 earnings report on May 28. Data shows that the company's revenue in the first quarter of 2019 was CNY 1.63 billion (USD 243.1 million), down 52.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2018, and its net loss was CNY 2.62 billion (USD 390.9 million), down 25.1 percent month-on-month and up 71.4 percent year-on-year.
Financial Highlights for the Q1 of 2019
Excluding the share payment fee, the adjusted net loss (non-GAAP) was CNY 2.504 billion (USD 373.1 million), down 25.5 percent month-over-month and up 68.2 percent year-over-year.
In terms of product deliveries, NIO ES8 delivered 3,989 units in the first three months of 2019, down about 4,000 units month-on-month. The company delivered 1,124 ES8 vehicles in April 2019, fewer than expected. NIO said the reduction was mainly affected by the Chinese government's announcement in late March that subsidies were on the decline, the Spring Festival holiday, China's macroeconomic development and Sino-U.S. trade frictions.
The company will release the full contents of NIO's earnings for the first quarter of 2019 tonight. On the morning of May 29, Beijing time, NIO's chairman Li Bin and President QIN Lihong will join the media to answer questions in the earnings report.
NIO will receive USD 1.45 billion
Despite the continued losses, NIO reported good news in its earnings report. In May 2019, NIO signed a framework agreement with Beijing Yi Zhuang International Investment and Development co., LTD (亦庄国际投资发展有限公司), an investment company headquartered in Beijing economic and technological development zone.
The agreement said that NIO will set up a new entity "NIO China" in Beijing economic and technological development zone, and inject specific businesses and assets into "NIO China". Yi Zhuang will invest CNY 10 billion (USD 1.447 billion) in "NIO China" in cash through its designated investment company or other joint investors, in order to acquire the non-controlling shareholders' equity in "NIO China".
In addition, Yi Zhuang will also assist in the construction of "NIO China" or introduce a third party to jointly build NIO China advanced manufacturing base to produce the company's second-generation models.
NIO Starts ES6's Mass Delivery Next Month
On the same day as the earnings report released, NIO's second large-scale production model ES6 officially rolled off the production line On May 28. The ES6 will be the first commemorative edition and will be delivered to customers in late June.
In terms of ES6, Li Bin announced that orders for this model have exceeded 12,000 units, of which 5,000 have been received after the Automobile Shanghai. According to the NIO's arrangement, ES6 and ES8 will be Co-produced in the JAC-NIO Hefei factory.
"We have three main jobs: selling cars well, improving operational efficiency, and develop new products," Li said.
New Product Development
In April 2019, the Company showcased a preview version of the ET7, its high-performance premium electric sedan, at the Shanghai Auto Show. Recently, the Company made the decision to design and develop the ET series with the future NIO NP2 platform, our next generation product platform featuring Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities, and will provide an update on the launch timeline of the ET series in the future.
Meanwhile, the Company plans to leverage the platform technologies from the ES8 and ES6 to create a new model design and expects to launch the third vehicle model in 2020.
In its outlook for the second quarter of 2019, NIO expects:
1. The company expects to deliver 2,800 to 3,200 units of ES8 and ES6, about 29.8 percent to 19.8 percent less than the first quarter.
2. The total revenue of the company is expected to be CNY 1.13 billion ( USD 169 million) to CNY 1.29 billion ( USD 193 million), down about 30.5 percent to 20.7 percent compared with the first quarter.


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Volkswagen's main plant in Wolfsburg: Claims by U.S. authorities
Photo: Julian Stratenschulte / DPA
The German carmaker Volkswagen and its subsidiary Audi have apparently agreed to pay $85 million in damages with the US state of Texas as part of the diesel fraud scandal. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on Thursday that the companies have agreed in principle to the agreement. "If a company thinks it can evade responsibility by violating Texas law, endangering Texans, and polluting our environment, it's completely wrong. Volkswagen and Audi figured it out the hard way and now they're paying the price."
Earlier this month, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state's environmental lawsuit against Volkswagen and Audi can continue. Volkswagen has so far declined to comment on the case. The company had previously settled the lawsuits in the U.S. triggered by the emissions scandal for more than $20 billion. However, courts have ruled that this does not protect the Wolfsburg-based company from continuing to be held accountable by local and state authorities.


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“We believe this complaint is without merit and we will fight it vigorously,” Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes says in an e-mail, according to Reuters.
Instagram was acquired by Facebook earlier this year for $715 million. And in its revised terms of service announced in mid-December, the company made it sound as though it might sell user photos. While Instagram responded to outrage over the changes, assuring users that it didn’t intend to sell images like stock photography and altering the policy language to clarify, one thing was made clear: The company will be using user data to turn a profit.
“From the start, Instagram was created to become a business. Advertising is one of many ways that Instagram can become a self-sustaining business, but not the only one,” Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom says in a blog post on the company’s website.
Instagram also announced a mandatory arbitration clause, meaning users waive their rights to participate in most class action lawsuits.
The proposed changes are due to go into effect on Jan. 16, but that doesn’t necessarily mean images taken with Instagram before that date will be safe. The lawsuit, filed by San Diego-based law firm Finkelstein & Krinsk, says customers can cancel their profile but then forfeit rights to any photos they already shared on Instagram.
“In short, Instagram declares that ‘possession is nine-tenths of the law and if you don’t like it, you can’t stop us,'” the lawsuit says.
Additionally, the new service terms no longer contain language explicitly promising that private photos will remain private.


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Timbaland Taking NFT’s To New Level With EP “Opera Noir”
Timbaland is introducing a new form of NFT with the release of his upcoming EP “Opera Noir.” Read all about it!
Super producer Timbaland is aiming to revolutionize the NFT space based on his upcoming EP Opera Noir.
Timbo is teaming with Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, who invented the concept of NFTs. Together, they will introduce Mixable Music NFTs using a platform called Monegraph.
“The NFT Producer Mix Series” will feature stems, hooks, and beats from Opera Noir.
Each song from Timbaland’s EP will have five to eight different music-based NFTs comprised of each track’s musical elements, which will produce approximately 50 to 90 digital collectibles per song.
By using Monegraph’s Readymade NFT e-commerce Platform, purchasers will be provided with an online mixing board so they can also create their own versions using Timbaland’s beats.
“Music NFTs are now part of our business. They offer musicians a new way to express themselves and interact with fans,” Timbaland said. “Critical to our industry is the ability to implement the same media rights protection we have in other formats such as streaming, with what we do now in NFTs. With Monegraph’s digital rights controls, we have the intellectual protection needed to safely scale the issuance of NFTs across the music world.”
Monegraph was founded in 2014 by Kevin McCoy. The company gives creators the tools to make their digital NFT’s successful – and secure for their communities.
Timbaland will celebrate the launch of “The NFT Producer Mix Series” with a panel discussion at NeueHouse in New York City on Monday, November 1st.
The tracks “Aphrodite” and “BMW” will go on auction on November 2nd with a launch party in New York City during the NYC.NFT Conference.


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New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said if the US-based Tesla is ready to manufacture its electric vehicles in India then there is 'no problem' but the company must not import cars from China.
In an interactive session at the Raisina Dialogue, Gadkari further said India is a large market and there is a huge potential for all electric vehicles.
'If Elon Musk (Tesla CEO) is ready to manufacture in India then there is no problem ... Come to India, start manufacturing, India is a large market they can export from India,' he said.
The road transport and highways minister said his request to Musk is to come and manufacture in India.
'But if he wants to manufacture in China and sell in India, then it cannot be a good proposition for India,' Gadkari said.
Last year, the heavy industries ministry had also asked Tesla to first start manufacturing its iconic electric vehicles in India before any tax concessions can be considered.
At present, cars imported as completely built units (CBUs) attract customs duty ranging from 60-100 per cent, depending on engine size and cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value less or above USD 40,000.
Last year, in a letter to the road ministry, the US firm had stated that the effective import tariff of 110 per cent on vehicles with customs value above USD 40,000 is 'prohibitive' to zero-emission vehicles.
It had requested the government to standardize the tariff on electric cars to 40 per cent irrespective of the customs value, and withdraw the social welfare surcharge of 10 per cent on electric cars.
It had stated that these changes would boost the development of the Indian EV ecosystem and the company will make significant direct investments in sales, service, and charging infrastructure; and significantly increase procurement from India for its global operations.
The company had argued that these proposals would not have any negative impact on the Indian automotive market as no Indian OEM currently produces a car (EV or ICE) with ex-factory price above USD 40,000 (around Rs 30.6 lakh) and only 1-2 per cent of cars sold in India (EV or ICE) have ex-factory/customs value above USD 40,000.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without any modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
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After a whirlwind 15 years, 2022 saw the Sussex-based cult online interiors brand Rockett St George expand further. Bethan Andrews catches up with the founders to find out more
You only have to glimpse on Instagram to catch the frenzy and excitement that surrounds interiors brand Rockett St George. And, after an incredibly successful 2022, it’s clear that 2023 is looking to be just as explosive, with them being one of the most popular interiors and design brands in the country.
Set up by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George 15 years ago, the brand’s ethos is to always provide inspiration for customers to be brave enough to express themselves creatively in their own homes. And inspiration is something that comes naturally to the duo, with their own founding of the brand an inspiring, homegrown success story. So, where did it all start? “Jane and I had been friends for a long time, we were originally mum friends, and after years of hanging out together and always discussing our own homes, interiors and ideas, we decided to pool our resources and start a business,” explains Lucy.
“We went online and I don’t think we realised quite how bold that actually was 15 years ago – it was quite early in the online shop world. Jane has a background in PR and marketing and I had a background in retail, so we pooled our own financial and personal resources and gave it a go. Fast forward to now and we’ve got 50 staff and six warehouses in Sussex. It’s been a wild ride!”
From the early stages of the company, it’s clear that passion for interiors and a hunger for thrifting and creativity was something that came naturally to the pair. “We both worked, had young children and had our own homes, but we didn’t have a lot of money, so we would spend our time moving our furniture around, poring through Living Etc and going to car boot sales,” smiles Jane. “We wanted to make our interiors stand out from the crowd and we noticed our friends were asking us to source things for them. There weren’t a lot of interior shops out there at the time and I remember thinking, unless you’ve got an awful lot of money, where do you go for exciting interiors things? We did everything ourselves, we got SEO for Dummies, Websites for Dummies, and rang everyone up asking for advice, and we just went for it. I’d love to say we had a big business plan and investment, but we didn’t!”
It’s fair to say that the duo didn’t see the monumental success they’ve achieved coming. But Jane knew how to put a good press release together, and their first call was from none other than Vogue. “From that point on, we bent over backwards for magazines, and we became a bit of a go-to because we were efficient and we never said no – pre smartphone, that was huge,” says Jane. “We will be ever grateful to the support from magazines.”
I wonder what the highlights have been from the last 15 years. “Our first catalogue was a real thrill and our first proper warehouse was really exciting, but being asked to write two books has been amazing,” says Lucy. “We’re really grateful for the success we’ve had and a real highlight for us is meeting our customers – we’re all like-minded people, it’s like we’ve found our team. Having a concession at Liberty and being asked to do that was a really big thing for us, too.”
Speaking of finding their team, for Jane and Lucy, Sussex quickly became the ideal spot to base their business, nurture their baby and grow it from the ground up. For Jane, who was born and bred in Sussex after growing up in Linfield and now lives close to Lewes, it was a no-brainer, but even for Lucy, who lives in London, the county made perfect sense for the home for Rockett St George. “The warehousing is in Ditchling, in the middle of the common,” says Jane. “The space allows us to have six warehouses here, and that incorporates photography spaces as well as the goods spaces. It’s a really nice environment to work in, and I don’t think we’d get that anywhere else.”
For Lucy, coming in from London, she enjoys getting out for lovely walks of a lunchtime on Ditchling Common. “It’s very pretty and lovely,” she smiles. “But it’s really accessible to London, where our store is and I live, too, so Sussex works well.” Jane agrees, quite clearly, that the rural surroundings can really help in the running of the business and achieving a work/life balance. “I love being in the countryside, it’s beautiful,” says Jane. “I initially left for London because I wanted to be in the city, but I really do like the countryside and it’s really good for your mental health. I live near Barcombe, near the river, and it’s just beautiful. If I’ve had a hectic day at work and I’m exhausted, a walk in the countryside really does it for me so Sussex makes sense.”
We talk about how brilliant the creative scene is in Sussex, too, and how this plays a big part in the county making sense for being the home of such an exciting and design-led brand. “We’ve got access to such a good pool of talent, especially on the technical side as Brighton’s a real hotbed of designers and SEO talent,” says Jane. “Brighton is a really, really cool city with a real creative edge to it and there’s lots of independent shops there. It really helps us to keep inspired.”
Speaking of inspiration, Lucy adds: “We often like a trip to Ardingly Antiques Fair which we do regularly for work for inspiration, and a bacon sandwich. A lovely cuppa and a bacon sarnie, while walking around Ardingly is one of the best days at work!”
I wonder where Jane heads to wind down after work in the county? “I like The Ram at Firle. In fact, I love Firle, it’s dog walk and lunch at The Ram and I’m very happy,” she says. “I also really like going to The Hurstwood, they do the best Sunday lunch I’ve ever tasted. Charleston is also really inspiring, and I love going to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. The interiors there are spectacular and the kitchens are mind blowing. Of course, I love Lewes, it’s just beautiful to walk around and the architecture is just stunning.”
As we talk through plans for the new year, it’s clear that there’s a lot to watch out for with Rockett St George this year and lots of exciting projects in the pipeline, many of which the duo can’t talk about yet. But what they can talk about, is what they foresee happening in the interior trends this new year? “I think we are going to see a lot more colour,” says Jane. “We need to create cheer and happiness. People are finding things hard at the moment and colour helps with the mood and promotes happiness, so I think there will be lots more rich colours as opposed to the neutrals. I’m excited for this, I like change!”


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Thieves have stolen more than £100,000 worth of Jamie Oliver's branded cooking gear from a warehouse.
The break-in happened at the Jamie at Home warehouse in Eastleigh, Hants, when thieves forced open a fire exit.
They used a forklift truck truck inside the warehouse to remove items after opening the front shutters.
Among the items taken were four clay pizza ovens worth £1,200 pounds each, 228 cast iron griddles worth £45 pounds each and 179 knives and peeler sets worth £70 each.
In addition, the thieves also helped themselves to 400 baloo soup spoons boxsets worth £25.
Jamie at Home is the celebrity chef's party plan business which was launched in March 2009.
He collaborated with designers to create his collection of cooking products called the Jme collection for Jamie at Home.
A spokesman for Jamie Oliver said they were co-operating with police enquiries.


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European supermarket chain ALDI is known for selling a wide variety of quality grocery items at discounted prices. Its stores are popping up in more and more cities throughout the U.S. Now, through a new partnership with Venmo, the supermarket is feeding even more people at an even heftier discount, aka, completely free.
Every time a Venmo user shares the custom-designed Turkey Hand Friendsgiving Emoji in a payment note during the month of November, ALDI will donate 10 meals to Feeding America, the country's largest domestic hunger-relief organization.
Video of the Day
You can also type "Friendsgiving" to autocomplete in a Venmo transaction to get meals donated. The companies are donating up to a total of 1 million meals.
"Delicious food is key to Friendsgiving, but the centerpiece is the people," said Venmo spokesperson Josh Criscoe. "By creating the first-ever Friendsgiving emoji and teaming up with ALDI, Venmo is happy to help feed hungry families in America while celebrating the season with friends and family."
Using the Turkey Hand Friendsgiving emoji is an easy way to help feed a lot of people this Thanksgiving.


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Today marks the release of Perfume’s brand new album, “Future Pop“.
Their 7th album overall, their last effort “COSMIC EXPLORER” was released two years ago. “Future Pop” contains 12 tracks in total including the hit singles “Tokyo Girl”, “If You Wanna”, and “Mugen Mirai”.
In support of the album the girls will be embarking on a nationwide Japanese tour beginning on September 21st, titled “Perfume 7th tour 2018 Future Pop”. 18 dates are scheduled, the tour will hold it’s finale on December 24th.
Additionally, a promotional MV was released for the new track “Let Me Know”
Regular Edition Cover
Limited Edition Cover
Besides the physical release, the album is available outside of Japan digitally on various music services including iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify.


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The rumors about the future Nintendo console, which for the moment the community has named nintendo switch 2 In the absence of an official name, they have been growing tremendously throughout 2023, mainly due to several factors that indicate that it will go on sale in 2024.
In fact, a few days ago there began to be talk that Nintendo would have shown its new console behind closed doors at Gamescom and now, shortly after that news, it has A new NVIDIA SoC has appeared that could be the one used by Nintendo Switch 2.
This SoC has been discovered by the user Kepler_L2 who, diving into the “Open-GPU” section of the official NVIDIA GitHub, has found two new chips within the hardware category with Ampere architecture which is what NVIDIA was built on GeForce RTX 30 Series of the last generation of green mark graphics.
These two new chips are the SoC t234 and t239being first of them a canceled prototype by NVIDIA according to information from Tech_Reve (a tweeter with very good information about all types of hardware), while the t239 would currently be in productionthat is, it is currently being manufactured.
Being a new SoC from NVIDIA and there being so many rumors about Switch 2, The easiest thing is to think that it is precisely the chip that the new console will use of the Big N, although remember that there is nothing confirmed and perhaps NVIDIA is preparing this SoC for a new SHIELD device or for some type of vehiclealthough given its features these two possibilities are more remote.
It seems like T234 has been canceled, and T239 is scheduled to be produced on Samsung Foundry’s 8nm process for Switch 2. Revegnus (@Tech_Reve) September 12, 2023
Switch 2 will offer up to 4K, 60 FPS, ray tracing and DLSS
Beyond the news with this chip, the truth is that there are several rumors that suggest that Nintendo Switch 2 will be a very powerful console and, to prove it, Nintendo itself will have shown a demo of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at 4K and 60 FPS. In addition, if it is confirmed that it has the SoC that we talk about in this news with Ampere architecture It will be fully compatible with DLSS to improve gaming performance and also with Ray Reconstruction technology to improve real-time ray tracing.
In addition, if it is confirmed that it has the SoC that we talk about in this news with Ampere architecture It will be fully compatible with DLSS to improve gaming performance and also with Ray Reconstruction technology to improve real-time ray tracing.