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Retailers are tackling epic economic and logistical headwinds, and are being challenged every day to make supply chains smarter, stronger, and sustainable. LINK2023 will bring the entire retail supply chain ecosystem together to tackle the industry’s biggest challenges.
“A lot is riding on retailers’ shoulders – new supply chain challenges arise virtually every day. But they’re not alone. As retailers focus on going the distance for customers and communities, LINK serves as a premier partner on that journey, connecting leaders with industry peers and offering unparalleled opportunities to share practices and exchange ideas,” said RILA Vice President of Supply Chain Jess Dankert. “We’re thrilled to bring our entire retail supply chain community together to tackle industry challenges, and we can’t wait to see everyone in Orlando.”
This year’s program will feature 50+ breakout sessions, 100+ expert speakers & presentations exploring the latest supply chain case studies and trends, as well as countless candid conversations and networking opportunities with 2,000+ retail supply chain leaders. Topics covered include omnichannel customer experience, demand planning, ports, sustainability/ESG, data analytics, labor, trade, reverse logistics, and more.
Accredited members of the media are invited to join RILA and our community of retail supply chain leaders for LINK2023 and may report on the conference general sessions. Breakout educational sessions are off the record. Email Caroline Niery at email@example.com to obtain press credentials for the conference.
RILA is the US trade association for leading retailers. We convene decision-makers, advocate for the industry, and promote operational excellence and innovation. Our aim is to elevate a dynamic industry by transforming the environment in which retailers operate.
RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.
Retail Supply Chain Conference
Transportation and Infrastructure


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Yes, Bitcoin is “hip” in Silicon Valley if you want to pay for some goods and services – at a coffee shop.
At the Coupa Cafe, which is located near Stanford University in Palo Alto, customers are afforded the option of paying through conventional means, which is to say a credit card or cash, or they can pay through the “new school” method, which is to use Bitcoin. That is done using a smartphone and an application that allows patrons to use their bitcoin wallet to get the transaction done.
Is it just a novelty? Or is there some genuine practical value for the proprietors of this establishment? Well, it’s a little of both, one can guess. Remember that when using bitcoins to make purchases, there are no chargebacks to be had, and that is nothing but good news for merchants who want a reliable outlet through which to take payments.
The cafe’s co-owner, Jean Paul Coupal, is a former Stanford student who is one of the developers of the technology that enables the Bitcoin transactions to take place.
The Coupa Cafe has multiple locations, but is featuring the Bitcoin option in just one of those places, the one located at Ramona Street. When a customer gets the bill, he or she sees the price in both dollars and Bitcoin. That’s a nice touch. And when they are paying, all they have to do is scan a QR code and they have completed a payment of their bill.
No, customers haven’t knocked the door down in an attempt to pay with the new currency; in fact, in about a month’s time there have only been about $200 worth of Bitcoin business, and that may be surprising to some people, along with the fact that it is the only brick and mortar business in the city of Palo Alto that accepts Bitcoin for payment.
We don’t want to leave the impression that Coupa Cafe is part of a growing trend; indeed there is not a lot of penetration into this marker as of yet. According to one publication that keeps track of such things, the Coupa Cafe is one of only eleven establishments nationwide that serve food and will take Bitcoin in lieu of conventional currency.
Similarly, a marketplace launched recently is solely based on cryptocurrency. At Zaamil.com you can sell, buy, rent or offer services or skills, it could be social media account, Properties, vehicles, used items, services, crafts and many more. You can buy and sell using cryptocurrencies.

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A few years ago Sarah Jedd, a blogger and communications professor at the University of Wisconsin, wrote a piece for a local mommy site explaining why she allows her children unfettered access to their Halloween candy.
The reaction to her post was anything but sweet.
“I got a lot of negative feedback, especially from the [publication’s] Facebook page, saying that’s terrible,” Jedd, 44, told The Post. “They said [kids’] teeth are going to rot.”
The mother of five said she doesn’t place limitations on her family’s candy consumption so that they ultimately eat less of it. Instead, they tend to dig into their trick-or-treating haul for a few days and then simply tire of it.
“This has always been our method. I feel like kids are naturally intuitive eaters, so they will figure out what is good for them,” said Jedd, adding that her laissez faire approach puts her in the minority.
“I definitely have a lot of friends who donate their kids’ candy, and I have some who dole it out piece by piece.”
The divisive issue of whether or not to restrict kids’ access to sugar can be the source of much tantrum-throwing each Halloween, but a small but growing faction believes that children should be able to gobble up as much as they want. Letting kids gorge on candies dovetails with a growing emphasis on autonomy for children in both parenting philosophies and educational approaches.
“A parent has to trust that the kid is driven by their own needs and will,” said Carol Danaher, a registered dietician nutritionist and faculty member at the Ellyn Satter Institute, which advocates for a “division of responsibility” at meal time.
Their teachings stress that it’s the parent’s job to set up the structure and routine of meals, but that it is “the child’s responsibility to decide how much to eat from what is served,” said Danaher.
Halloween, she said, is “a special day” meant for enjoyment.
“If they are restricted from sweet food or there’s guilt around them, the child will crave them more and they won’t have their natural limits.”
Meanwhile, Michigan-based mom Haley Schiech falls on the other side of the spectrum — at least when it comes to candy bars.
“I am not extreme where I don’t let them participate,” Scheich told The Post.
Instead, she and her husband, Dr. Tarek Pacha, who have a blended family of six, allow their kids to trick-or-treat and eat a piece or two of candy that night. Then they do the “switch witch,” where the kids hand over their candy and, much like an “elf on the shelf,” a good witch replaces it with a toy while they sleep.
The pair — who own My SuperHero Foods, a platform to educate families on the nutritional benefits of whole foods — don’t have a beef with sweets, per se.
Rather, they take issue with store-bought packaged versions made with artificial ingredients.
“The main purpose of these flavors is to light up and alter their tastebuds. There’s artificial food coloring, which is linked to behavioral disorders in kids and study after study is proving it,” said Scheich. (The FDA has said that the research linking artificial dyes with hyperactivity in children is inconclusive; in Europe, products with certain dyes contain warning labels.)
On Halloween night, they feed their kids a nutrient-dense dinner and dessert, such as homemade ice cream, which they say prevents them from craving candy. Rather, “They’re more excited about the toy in the morning,” said Scheich.
They acknowledge that they can’t control what the kids consume outside of the home, so they stress educating their offspring so they can make sensible choices.
“Kids are smarter than you think,” said Pacha. “And it’s our responsibility to control what we can control and they usually make the right choices.”
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The CEO of the Binance exchange, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), assured that the entire industry continues to grow despite the short-term fall in the cryptocurrency market. The specialist said that the next peak in the price of bitcoin (BTC) will be at around $420,000, but this will take time. CZ stressed that many companies in the industry launched at the peak may face difficulties.
In his interview with The Guardian, Zhao said that most likely, a new price peak will be reached within the next 2 years. The director of the exchange noted that after the rapid fall in the flagship cryptocurrency from $69,000 to $20,000, it will take some time to restore balance. This will take from a few months to a couple of years. Zhao also noted that the current value of $20,000 is not that bad. If people were told in 2019 that the first cryptocurrency would reach such a price point, they would be happy.


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- KeyBanc Capital Markets says outrage over video game micro-transaction pricing is not justified.
- "If you take a step back and look at the data, an hour of video game content is still one of the cheapest forms of entertainment," the firm's analyst writes. "Quantitative analysis shows that video game publishers are actually charging gamers at a relatively inexpensive rate, and should probably raise prices."
Gamers livid over Electronic Arts' in-game moneymaking strategy in its new "Star Wars Battlefront II" title are overreacting, according to one Wall Street firm.
"We view the negative reaction to Star Wars Battlefront 2 (and industry trading sympathy) as an opportunity to add to Electronic Arts, Take-Two, and Activision Blizzard positions. The handling of the SWBF2 launch by EA has been poor; despite this, we view the suspension of MTX [micro-transactions] in the near term as a transitory risk," KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Evan Wingren wrote in a note to clients Sunday.
"Gamers aren't overcharged, they're undercharged (and we're gamers). … This saga has been a perfect storm for overreaction as it involves EA, Star Wars, reddit, and certain purist gaming journalists/outlets who dislike MTX," Wingren wrote.
Shares of Electronic Arts have declined 10 percent month to date through Monday. Wall Street is worried controversy over EA's "Star Wars Battlefront II" in-game monetization model will hurt the video game's sales.
Wingren noted there is now a "slightly higher probability" the title will not hit his 13 million sales unit forecast.
The analyst estimated cost per hour for a typical "Star Wars Battlefront II" player. He said if a gamer spent $60 for the game, an additional $20 per month for loot micro-transaction boxes and played around 2.5 hours a day for one year, it comes out to roughly 40 cents per hour of entertainment. This compares to an estimated 60 cents to 65 cents per hour for pay television, 80 cents per hour for a movie rental and more than $3 per hour for a movie watched in a theater, according to the firm's analysis.
"If you take a step back and look at the data, an hour of video game content is still one of the cheapest forms of entertainment," he wrote. "Quantitative analysis shows that video game publishers are actually charging gamers at a relatively inexpensive rate, and should probably raise prices."
Electronic Arts announced Thursday it temporarily turned off all in-game purchases in "Star Wars Battlefront II" in response to the negative sentiment from the gaming community.
The initial uproar centered on in-game purchases in "Star Wars Battlefront II." They allowed players to save time by paying extra money to accelerate the "unlock" of major characters like Darth Vader.
The gaming community flooded social media and Reddit with thousands of negative posts, saying the company is unfairly compelling consumers to spend more money for content that should be part of the initial $60 game price.
"Star Wars Battlefront II" officially launched on Friday, but portions of the game went live on Nov. 9 for the company's EA Access and Origin Access subscribers.
"Despite its inconvenience to the popular press narrative, if you like Star Wars and play video games at an average rate, you're far better off skipping the movie and playing the game to get the most bang for your buck," Wingren added.
Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Take-Two declined to comment.
Activision Blizzard shares dropped 0.3 percent Monday, while Electronic Arts declined 1.1 percent, and Take-Two fell 0.3 percent.


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As a protest against British taxation, Samuel Adams and other colonists dumped chests of tea into Boston Harbor in what would come to be known as the Boston Tea Party on Dec. 16, 1773. However, from a beverage perspective, if someone hypothetically tasted the harbor water after the Boston Tea Party, this event could have been viewed as an early experimentation of blending tea and tea flavors in Puget Sound water.
Today, beverage-makers are experimenting with tea and tea flavors in an even wider variety of beverage categories. According to Chicago-based Mintel’s Global New Products Database, the 403 products with tea as an ingredient released between October 2013 and October 2014 spanned beverage categories such as bagged and ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, kombucha, energy drinks and shots, coffee, juices and smoothies, sparkling and enhanced waters, protein drinks and other functional beverages, carbonated soft drinks, liquid concentrates and powdered drink mixes. These releases also represent a 32 percent increase in new product launches containing tea, compared with the 2012-2013 period.
Tea is even making an appearance on upscale cocktail menus, notes Bill Smith, R&D director for beverage at Sensient Flavors, Hoffman Estates, Ill. “Gone are the Long Island iced teas, exchanged for Earl-Grey-infused gin with lemon and simple syrup or a milk-washed tea vodka with honey,” he explains. “Classic tea flavor pairings, milk, lemon and honey, inspire trendsetting libations.”
In the future, experts expect tea to move into even more beverage categories. For example, Finlay Tea Solutions US Inc. thinks teas are going to emerge in more latte and smoothie-type beverages, says Lauren Lamoureaux. “[Milk-based] coffee beverages have had huge success in the ready-to-drink market, and we think this leaves a great opportunity for teas as well,” says the technical director of the Florham Park, N.J.-based company.
Cathianne Leonardi, senior flavorist at Edison, N.J.-based Allen Flavors Inc., agrees that the dairy-based drinks category is ripe for acceptance of tea. “If one considers that bubble tea, where milk and tea are combined, is a popular drink in Asia, and this is an area of global market growth, it seems that the stage is set to begin the westernization of tea flavors in dairy products.”
Treatt also is poised to help tea grow more as an ingredient by pairing it with another trending beverage category: craft beer. “In the beverage industry, craft beer continues to soar in popularity,” explains Douglas Rash, group vice president of global sales for the Lakeland, Fla.-based company. “In this sense, beer is the beverage to watch.” Treatt offers a range of natural, from the named food aqueous distillates that can help facilitate the exploration of tea flavors in this beverage segment, he adds.
Sharing the benefits
Part of the reason tea is applicable to a wide range of beverage categories is because of the versatility of its flavor profile, according to Gary Vorsheim, vice president of extract sales at Martin Bauer Inc., Secaucus, N.J. “Tea [ingredients] in energy drinks, near-waters, milk-based drinks, beer and other beverages keep being [used], showing off tea’s ability to pair with almost any beverage,” he says. “A mild, not too astringent tea is smooth and neutral, allowing it to work with almost any flavor combination, which allows it to be used in an unlimited number of flavors and beverages.”
The other part of the tea story is the health and functional benefits it adds to beverages.
As standalone beverages, tea and RTD tea beverages have been rising in popularity as healthier beverage options, notes John H. Crandall, vice president of sales for Johns Creek, Ga.-based Amelia Bay. “Market research shows that the RTD tea segment has seen significant growth over the past five years and will see strong continued growth over the next five years," he says.
With consumers looking for healthier alternatives to carbonated soft drinks and high-calorie beverages, they are switching their consumption to teas and RTD teas, adds Angela Lantman, applications manager for coffee and tea at Synergy Flavors, Wauconda, Ill. “Consumers know that tea has its own health benefits, but the fact that tea beverages don’t have to be high in calories to taste good also helps this market continue to grow,” she says. In turn, when tea is mixed into other beverages, this health halo also is extended to the product.
Teas also impart health benefits through their antioxidant properties, notes Randal Kreienbrink, director of marketing for BI Nutraceuticals, Long Beach, Calif. This is especially true of green tea and botanical teas, Martin Bauer’s Vorsheim says. “Some are recognized as a source of antioxidants, with a free-radical scavenging function able to benefit the body,” he explains.
In addition to healthy beverage options, consumers also are looking for beverages that offer other functions outside of hydration, says Cecilia McCollum, executive vice president of Blue California, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Tea ingredients can be used to add functionality to a beverage. For example, tea can be used as a natural caffeine source for energy drinks, Martin Bauer’s Vorsheim points out. Tea blends also can serve as an alertness, sleep or digestive aid, he notes. For example, ginger extract has been known to soothe stomach discomfort, guarana can be used for energy, and chamomile and lavender can have calming and stress-relieving effects, he explains.
Only the best
As consumers become savvier about the benefits of tea, they also are becoming more knowledgeable about the quality of tea ingredients and demanding only the best.
For example, some consumers are interested in authentic, real-brewed RTD teas or at least teas that offer a brewed flavor, notes David Wasnak, associate director of marketing and consumer insights for Robertet Flavors, Piscataway, N.J. Brands that have called out this authenticity, like PepsiCo’s Pure Leaf and The Coca-Cola Co.’s Gold Peak Tea RTD iced teas, have seen recent success, he notes. The denotation of brewed tea also can help differentiate a brand’s premium tea ingredients from more budget ingredients like instant tea powder, Amelia Bay’s Crandall adds.
Consumers also are calling for tea varietals from specific origins, Sensient Flavors’ Smith says. For example, they want more than just black or green tea; they want black tea from China, Indian Ceylon or Kenya and herbal infusions of multiple different botanicals, such as mint, rosehip, chamomile and others, he explains.
Another trend in tea ingredient requests is for teas without caramel color, Amelia Bay’s Crandall says. Amelia Bay now has the technology to help customers achieve a clean, caramel-color-free label without the use of kettle brewing or instant tea powder, he adds.
In spite of all of these preferences, Martin Bauer’s Vorsheim says that, at the end of the day, the basic tea varieties still rule. “While there are a multitude of origins and types of black tea available, the bulk of black iced tea sales in the United States are not focused on a premium proposition but on an established taste profile that is based on a generic sense of what tea is supposed to taste like — in the United States, at least,” he explains. “Next, of course, is green tea, which also has a strong and deep history with a tremendous variety of origins and taste profiles, but, for the most part, it is consumed in the United States without any focus on where the tea comes from or the varietal type.”
Vorsheim says this generic view of tea is based on the bulk of tea beverages using the same type of tea ingredients, giving consumers a taste expectation. Following this, consumers care less about where the tea comes from than whether it tastes as good as they are expecting, he says.
In line with this, beverage-makers have to ensure that they choose tea ingredients that will help their products meet regional expectations of tea flavors, Treatt’s Rash says. “For example, green tea consumed in North America is quite different from that consumed in Asia,” he notes. “In order to ensure success in a given targeted market, it is vital to take regional and cultural preferences into account.”
The right taste
To ensure that teas beverages meet consumers’ taste expectations, beverage-makers sometimes have to make formulation adjustments.
For example, when brewing and bottling large batches of tea, inconsistencies can arise because of the high number of variables in the formulation, including type of water, temperature and time of brewing, Synergy Flavors’ Lantman says. By using tea flavors, beverage-makers can keep their products more consistent from batch to batch and among different brewing facilities, she explains.
In addition, tea has a natural bitter or astringent taste, which can either be masked or supplemented, Sensient Flavors’ Smith explains. “Using flavors like cranberry, lemon or grapefruit, which carry similar strong, bitter or astringent flavors, can help contextualize tea’s flavor and help it ‘make sense’ for consumers who generally dislike those flavors,” he says. “Indulgent flavors, like caramel orange or honey plum cinnamon, can actually mask certain flavor notes because of the sweet, lingering taste overlapping with the astringency.”
With these formulation opportunities opening tea ingredients up to blends with other flavors and in other beverage categories while maintaining a consistent taste experience, experts are predicting that the market for tea ingredients will continue to grow.
“What we see in the future is more tea,” Martin Bauer’s Vorsheim says. “Tea has not reached its logical potential in the U.S. market. While some of the old applications for tea have lost momentum and are not seen as a convenience anymore, there are many other new ways tea is being served to the consumer in the retail and foodservice sectors. ... We have not realized a ‘tea bubble?yet, not even close. With the inclusion of new flavors, sweeteners, herbals and new delivery methods, tea is here to stay and is making a valiant effort to be the No. 1 consumed beverage in North America.”


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The five top consumer complaints raised by banking customers in the Emirates relate to debt, delays, aggressive credit card selling, as well as bank account and remittance issues, according to the Central Bank of the UAE's 2018 annual report.
The regulator said its review of the "thousands of visits and calls" processed by its Customer Contact Centre, found top concerns last year involved debt management, a refusal or delay by banks in issuing necessary documentation, aggressive sales tactics for credit cards and issues related to the opening and closing of accounts and remittances.
"The Consumer Protection Department (CPD) is addressing these issues with the financial institutions and where necessary will take enforcement measures,” the central bank said. “In addition to providing information to consumers, the centre works with the banks and their customers in an effort to encourage resolution of customer complaints.”
The UAE has ramped up its efforts to curb irresponsible lending and banking practices in recent years, rolling out a number of new regulations to strengthen consumer confidence in the sector. Al Etihad Credit Bureau, which opened in November 2014, also brought more transparency to the lending industry by assembling a credit record of the nation's financially active residents.
In its latest report, the central bank said its CPD department, created in 2017, has helped contribute to the “stability of a highly competitive financial market". The department’s mandate has gone on to include consumer education and awareness and strengthen regulatory oversight.
To move its agenda forward in 2018, the central bank added three new initiatives to strengthen its consumer protection framework. The first measure, a new regulation to manage dormant accounts, was rolled out on April 24. It set out a new framework for the control and protection of such accounts with rules for deposit accounts, unclaimed bankers’ drafts or cheques, unpaid dividends paid to shareholders and unclaimed deposits in safety deposit boxes. Previously, banks were only obligated to report the number of dormant accounts they held.
According to Al Tamimi & Co, a law firm, under the new rules if an account remains dormant and balances are unclaimed for a period of seven years from the date of the last transaction and the amount in the account exceeds Dh3,000, “banks should use the form prescribed by the regulation to transfer the funds to the Unclaimed Balances Account" at the central bank.
The second 2018 central bank initiative concerning consumers, established standards in the licensing and monitoring of the exchange business. The federal decree on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, which came into effect on November 30, outlined stricter penalties for violations. These include: a warning, administrative fines between Dh50,000 and Dh5 million, a ban for a period of time, restrictions on management executives and licence cancellation.
Previously, the penalties did not include fines.
In June last year the central bank downgraded the licences of seven exchange houses after the companies violated regulations such as anti-money laundering rules. The exchange houses were banned from carrying out any transactions related to remittances or wage payments, the regulator said at the time.
The third initiative aims to improve disclosure procedures to consumers related to the costs and risks of borrowing.
In March the central bank amended rules on loans given out to customers, insisting that banks and financial services companies offer reduced interest rates when customers transfer a loan from one bank to another rather than increasing the repayment period.
Then in June, the regulator set a maximum limit on fees and commissions charged by banks, capping 43 types of charges on services such as personal loans, credit cards, car loans and home loans.
“Fee caps are being used as a tool to protect consumers from anti-competitive and unfair practices,” the central bank said at the time.
Other central bank initiatives last year include the regulator demanding banks carry out a credit check on customers at AECB before issuing a chequebook. In November, a central bank circular sent to lenders said UAE residents must submit their Emirates ID to banks to update their records or risk the suspension of their debit and credit cards.
In a further boost for consumers, the regulator’s annual report said it had hosted several public workshop sessions, in partnership with the Family Development Foundation, on financial topics to promote consumer education and awareness. Sessions tackled issues such as saving, how to budget for a family and the benefits and risks of using a credit card or personal loan.


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We are now halfway through April and bitcoin has crossed $31,000 for the first time in 10 months. This increased bullish sentiment comes as global inflation continues to fall and many expect central banks to quickly pivot from their current tight monetary policies.
Current Market Conditions
April started off with near consolidation as traders continued to digest last month’s bank crash and the Federal Reserve’s 25 basis point rate hike.
However, bulls began to re-enter the market after March nonfarm payrolls fell to 236,000 from 326,000 the previous month.
Then inflation data was also released, with Chinese consumer prices hitting an 18-month low, which sent bitcoin above $30,000 again.
In the U.S., prices also fell, dropping to 5% in March, and retail sales fell.
Outlook for April
These factors have boosted bitcoin so far, pushing its price above $31,000 for the first time since last June.
One of the triggers for this move was the breakout made by the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI).
The bulls crossed the 68.00 ceiling and went deep into overbought territory by hitting a peak at 72.44.
January rallied to a high of 89.00, meaning that despite being overbought, there is potential for further gains as the month progresses.
However, if the RSI falls below the aforementioned support at 68.00, the bears could begin to emerge again.
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Image credit: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons


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Nintendo of America’s CEO promises “significantly more” supplies for the hot-in-demand Super NES Classic this holiday. Speaking to the Financial Times (subscription needed), NoA’s Reggie Fils-Aime based the low numbers of the NES Classic shipments on similar numbers from fellow retro systems, such as Atari’s Flashback series. Taking them by surprise, the NES Classic far outstripped the demand they anticipated.
So far, the Super NES Classic may be in even greater demand, as pre-orders from last month were instantaneously sold out across participating retailers. Reggie conferred that the pre-order situation was out of their control, and supply will not be the driving issue.
To those who really want a system come September 29th, he offered that no one should give in to scalper prices in the aftermarket. “I would strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites . . . You shouldn’t [have to] pay more than $79.99,” said he. The $80 price point, Reggie adds, was decided upon to not out-price the company’s budget-minded 2DS handheld.
Time will tell if Nintendo has held their word to produce more Super NES Classics compared to the NES Classic from last year, when it launches around the world on September 29th. The system comes bundled with 21 games from the 16-bit console and two controllers. One of those 21 games, the never-officially-released Star Fox 2, may be enough to drive demand for the system on its own.


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A chair that can adapt over time and a chair made with 3D-printed liquid metal are among the designs that students at MIT came up with for The Next 150-year Chair exhibit.
A total of five pieces were created for the exhibition, a collaboration between American furniture company Emeco and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to conceptualize sustainable furniture pieces.
The project, called The Next 150-year Chair, was conducted through a course at MIT that took students through a design process with access to Emeco’s manufacturing technology.
The prompt was based on Emeco’s 1006 Navy chair, developed in 1944, which the company says has a “lifespan of 150 years.”
“Today, a chair that’s 150 years old means making something that will last, which is a great thing to do,” says MIT associate professor Skylar Tibbits. “But the question is whether that will be the same for the next 150 years — should the goal still be to make things that last forever?”
“That’s an approach, but maybe there’s something instead that could be infinitely recyclable or something that’s modular and reconfigurable.”
The students each answered the question in a different way and the results include a number of complete pieces of furniture and components.
Master’s student María Risueño Dominguez developed a furniture component based on lifespan. Her research into furniture consumption and interviews with people involved in the furniture industry resulted in a concept called La Junta – a cast aluminum joint with multiple different inserts shaped to fit a variety of components.
Other designers took a material-centric approach to answering the prompt.
Amelia Lee, a student at Wellesyan who takes courses at MIT, developed a product made from a single sheet of recycled HDPE. Modeled after a rocking chair, the piece can be turned on its side to function as a table.
“This chair can last through childhood, from crawling around it to turning it over and playing with it,” said Lee.
Zain Karsan took a different approach by striving to improve the metal printing processes for the frames of his chairs.
“This process is an alternative to the slow process speeds of traditional metal additive manufacturing, where molten material is dispensed at high speed into a bed of granular media,” said Karsan. “A series of chair typologies are presented as a proof of concept to explore form and joinery.”
Faith Jones wanted to create a product that doesn’t sacrifice comfort in a quest for durability. Her ReWoven chair takes a wood frame and tubular cotton and weaves the fabric around the aluminum skeleton in a way that allows for the removal and replacement of the cotton.
Finally, designer Jo Pierre came up with a product that focused on the changes likely to come as cities grow and become denser. Called Enhanced Privacy, the product is a plastic room divider designed for domestic spaces. The hanging plastic sheet can be filled with water to block sound and diffuse light.
The students’ projects were displayed at Emeco House, the company’s Los Angeles event space in a converted 1940s sewing workshop.
Other exhibitions pushing the boundaries of sustainability and new materials include one in Mexico in collaboration with Space10 featuring five applications for biomaterials.
MIT has released a number of conceptual designs focused on sustainability, including a project testing the ability of tree forks as load-bearing elements in architectural projects.
The photography is courtesy of MIT.


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"Strong management team optimizing a business in a favorable demand environment trading at less than 10x P/E on this year with room for upside to estimates. It's a very simple investment thesis, and it's working."
On Tuesday, the company reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of $1.09 per share, beating the FactSet consensus estimate of 50 cents. Sales reached $1.60 billion, up from $1.37 billion a year ago and topping the FactSet consensus for $1.58 billion.
For 2021, Academy expects earnings of $2.70 to $2.95 per share, ahead of analysts' expectations of $2.39.
In a statment, Chairman, President and CEO Ken Hicks said he is "very proud of everything the Academy Sports + Outdoors team members achieved in 2020 as they faced substantial adversity and uncertainty due to the pandemic."
"Through collaboration, dedication, and innovation, the team produced remarkable results and delivered fun to millions of customers while laying the foundation for future success," he said. "With our outstanding team, strong balance sheet, and by investing in our key initiatives, such as power merchandising and e-commerce capabilities, Academy is very well positioned to continue to drive top and bottom-line growth for the long term as well as enhance shareholder value."
Wall Street seems to agree, sending the company's shares close to 10% higher during the regular trading session.
The problem is these peers have created little or no value for their shareholders lately. Dick's Sporting Goods' economic profit is 2.48%, while Foot Locker's economic profit is -0.56%, meaning the retailer could suffer the same fate since growing competition puts pressure on its return on invested capital.
Economic Profit (ROIC-WACC)
Meanwhile, investors shouldn't be getting too excited about Academy's solid results and bullish guidance. The company has a short history on Wall Street, so there isn't enough public financial data to apply the discounted cash flow model to estimate its intrinsic value. And the results may be positively skewed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns, which have boosted demand for exercise equipment.
According to NPD retail data, health and fitness equipment sales more than doubled to $2.3 billion for the March through October 2020 period. Sales of treadmills surged 135%, while those of stationary bikes nearly tripled.
This trend isn't expected to continue as the pandemic eases and people return to their everyday lifestyles, meaning Academy's upside may be limited.
Disclosure: No positions.
Read more here:
- Europe and Japan Could Save the US from a Spike in Interest Rates
- A Rising Interest Rate Spread Could Give Banks a Big Boost
- How the SPAC Bubble Will Burst
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Natural sugar alternative brand Total Sweet Xylitol has teamed up with wholesalers Infinity Foods and Goodness Foods to extend their tree-planting project.
Having already helped to plant 10,000 trees through the charity Trees For The Future, they have now pledged to plant a tree for every bag of Total Sweet sold through Infinity Foods and Goodness Foods between May and August 2017.
“If it wasn’t for nature our whole business wouldn’t be possible, and we want to give something back through Total Sweet,” says Daniel Reeds, MD of brand owner Healthy by Nature. “We’d like to urge other brands to join us in running eco campaigns and hope that retailers will back these type of initiatives; thus encouraging more companies in our industry to put budget aside for such activities. With a combined effort we can certainly make a difference.”


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Payments giant Paypal says that its customers can buy, sell, and hold bitcoin and other virtual coins with their online wallets. The company also says that its customers will be able to use cryptocurrencies to shop for 26 million merchants on its network from the beginning of 2021.
The report quotes the president and chief executive Dan Schulman, who said he hoped “the service would encourage the global use of virtual coins and prepare its network for new digital currencies that could be developed by central banks and corporations.”
“We’re working with central banks and thinking about all forms of digital currency and how Paypal can play a role,” Schulman said.
According to the report, U.S. account holders can start buying and selling cryptocurrencies in “the coming weeks” while plans are underway to expand “this to Venmo and some countries in the first half of 2021.”
The report adds that Paypal, which secured the first conditional cryptocurrency license from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), “will initially allow purchases of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies called ethereum, bitcoin cash, and litecoin.” Paypal has partnered with Paxos Trust Company to provide the service.
Meanwhile, the report further explains:
Cryptocurrency payments on Paypal will be settled using fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, meaning merchants will not receive payments in virtual coins.
The news of Paypal’s cryptocurrency entry is a massive endorsement of crypto assets and comes as more mainstream organizations are buying bitcoin and other digital assets.
The entry of payment giants is likely to spark wider adoption of cryptocurrencies, given its wide reach. According to the report, Paypal “has 346 million active accounts worldwide and processed $222 billion in payments in the second quarter.”
What do you think of Paypal’s crypto entry? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.


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A former Apple engineer who was working on the tech company's potential autonomous electric car has pleaded guilty to trade secret theft. According to Automotive News, Xiaolang Zhang was one of two former Apple employees accused of stealing confidential information about Apple's secret project.
If you've been following the developments, you may be aware that Zhang first pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, the publication notes that court documents reveal new developments in the case. Zhang reportedly entered into a plea agreement with the prosecutors, which required him to change his plea to guilty.
As the story goes, US prosecutors claim that Zhang downloaded proprietary information from Apple that was related to a circuit board for the potential Apple Car self-driving vehicle. He did so after deciding to take a new position at an autonomous vehicle startup based in China.
After downloading the plans, Zhang quickly booked a flight to China. US authorities arrested Zhang at the airport in San Jose, California. He had just passed through security when he was apprehended.
Zhang left Apple back in 2018 and accepted a position at Xpeng, an electric car maker based in China. Just this week, Xpeng posted on Chinese social media that it isn't in any disputes with Apple, and that it had no involvement with Zhang related to the case of trade secret theft.
According to Zhang's lawyer, the plea agreement was made official. However, no other details were shared. The report does show that the plea deal is officially sealed, and Zhang will be sentenced in November 2022. Automotive News adds that, at the time of writing, neither Apple nor the US Department of Justice responded to a request for comment.
The other former Apple engineer – Jizhong Chen – who was charged with a similar crime, pleaded not guilty. Chen will head to court for his hearing on August 29, 2022.
Do you think an Apple Car will ever come to market? Leave us your forecast in the comment section below.


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GolinHarris appoints Lucy Hart as head of consumer practice
GolinHarris has appointed Lucy Hart as head of consumer, where she will be responsible for the day to day leadership for the consumer practice.
Joining from Frank PR, after seven years, Hart will report directly to Matt Neale, international president of GolinHarris.
“Our consumer team is world-class, boasting year-on-year growth rates of more than 20 per cent in recent years and attracting new clients including Cadbury, William Hill and lastminute.com,” said Neale.
“The practice has flourished under the stellar leadership of Bibi Hilton, but following her 2012 promotion to deputy MD, Bibi’s responsibility for the overall UK business now demands more of her time. Bibi and Lucy will form a formidable team, heralding an exciting new era for the practice and its work.”
Hart has previously worked on brands such as Danone, Cow and Gate, and Grolsch.
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A Comcast customer received a shocking bill recently, and it wasn't the dollar amount that stood out. It was the name on the bill, which someone at the company had changed from Ricardo Brown to "Asshole Brown."
Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott wrote on his Elliott.org website that Lisa Brown of Spokane, Wash., had called the company to cancel the cable portion of her family's bill to save money. But as we've seen in the past, Comcast doesn't make the cancellation process very easy for the customer.
Brown was transferred to a retention specialist, who then tried to persuade her to sign up for a new contract.
“I was never rude,” Brown told Elliott. “It could have been that person was upset because I didn’t take the offer.”
When the next bill came, her husband's name had been changed to the profanity. Making matters worse, Brown told Elliott that calls to the cable company and even a visit to a Comcast office couldn't get the name changed.
Comcast confirmed to The Huffington Post that the bill was real, and said the company was taking action.
"We have spoken with our customer and apologized for this completely unacceptable and inappropriate name change," Comcast spokesman Steve Kipp said via email. "We have zero tolerance for this type of disrespectful behavior and are conducting a thorough investigation to determine what happened. We are working with our customer to make this right and will take appropriate steps to prevent this from happening again."
Elliott, who is also a Huffington Post blogger, reports that Comcast plans to fix the name, terminate the employee responsible, give Brown a refund for the family's two years of service and add two more years of service for free.


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UK-based fintech firm Prepaid Financial Services Ltd (PFS) has appointed smart card manufacturer Thames Technology to produce as many as 105,000 payment cards.
Thames Technology has produced ‘Spend Local’ prepaid Mastercard – the world’s first card-based stimulus scheme.
PFS has joined forces with the government of Jersey to deliver these cards under a £150m stimulus package to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy.
All eligible Jersey island citizens will get their own Spend Local card with £100 balance.
Valid until October 2020-end, cardholders can spend this amount on businesses across the island.
Once this amount is fully utilised, they are advised to keep the card in case the government releases another stimulus package.
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Thames Technology general manager Che Colford said: “We were proud to be selected by PFS to support this important Government project, which involved us manufacturing and personalising over 100,000 base cards at our end-to-end facility in Essex, UK, in less than 4 weeks.
“We recognised the importance of this world-first initiative to Jersey’s local economy immediately. PFS and Mastercard’s commitment to ensuring the Spend Local card programme’s success was evident from the start, so it was an honour to play our part.”
PFS head of project delivery and logistics Amit Sharma said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Thames Technology in delivering this programme in record time with the Thames pulling out all the stops to ensure that we were able to deliver on time; their support on weekdays and weekends driving up to the launch has been world-class.
“Personally, this has been an incredibly rewarding project to have worked on with Jennifer Breen, the Lead Project Manager at PFS and to have the opportunity to support an initiative making a tangible difference to Jersey’s economy and people’s livelihoods.”


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In scholarly and academic publishing, Elsevier’s Michiel Kolman says, more female leadership is a new and promising development.
Since the COVID-19 onset, Michiel Kolman says, Elsevier’s workforce has found a new sense for its work’s importance–and for belonging.
As many publishers in the world industry put new stress on diversity, the IPA’s chief speaks on Elsevier’s experience with LGBTI employees–and readers.
‘Checks and balances’ amid fake news—tech companies are becoming like publishers, Michiel Kolman says in Brussels, and publishers more like tech companies.
The Chinese authorities, says IPA chief Michiel Kolman, “put individual publishers in an impossible situation” in censoring journal articles.
Calling books ‘like glue, binding peoples together,’ the International Publishers Association’s president stresses commonalities over controversy in China.
‘Last year there were five Chinese publishing companies in the world’s top 20,’ IPA’s new chief says at London Book Fair.
Referring to Russian’s ‘anti-gay propaganda law,’ the IPA chief tells Muscovites that restrictions on freedom to publish are wrong.
‘It is of vital importance that both industry and governments produce data on publishing,’ IPA’s Michiel Kolman tells Sharjah’s publishing conference.
In examining common ground between independent booksellers and publishers at Bologna’s new bookstore conference, the International Publishers Association’s Michiel Kolman previewed some of the tensions to be debated at London Book Fair.


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Arora, Senior Vice President, Commercial , Tata Motors has put in his papers.
His resignation has not come as a surprise to the industry as he was considered
very close to the late Karl Slym, Managing Director of Tata Motors who died in
a freak accident a few months back.
exit has come at a time when the company is struggling to keep up on the sales
front, especially with passenger cars. Recently the company unveiled two new car
models Zest and Bolt. Manufactured on a completely enhanced X1 platform, the Zest and
the Bolt mark a strategic shift towards a global portfolio of cars. These cars
will be launched in 2014 in India and subsequently in other countries.
to sources, it was obvious that Arora would have felt out of place in the
company without Slym under whom he had worked for so long when they were in
General Motors India. Both Slym and Arora were considered very close, with the
latter heading the marketing at GM India. Slym had stepped in after the MD’s
post was left vacant in Tata Motors after the retirement of Prakash Telang in
leaving GM India, Slym got an overseas posting which he quit in order to join
Tata Motors. Arora was one of the people he recruited when he joined Tata
Motors as Managing Director. Arora joined Tata Motors in early 2013 as senior
vice president, Strategy but was recently made the senior VP, Commercial, Passenger
Vehicle Business Unit.
late, Tata Motors has seen a spate of resignations, starting with the 2009
resignation of Rajiv Dube. Then in May 2013 Neeraj Garg quit the company.
BorgWarner has clinched an agreement with a major North American OEM to supply its bi-directional 800V Onboard Charger (OBC) for the automaker’s premium passenger vehicle battery electric vehicle (BEV...
Uno Minda, a leading tier 1 supplier of proprietary automotive solutions to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), has unveiled an innovative range of side stand sensors and switches that use advanc...
As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, Honeywell has created innovative solutions to address safety concerns across the spectrum of EV manufacturing and use.


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There’s always different advice for guys who want to be more attractive to women, and most of it is pretty contradictory.
But there are some universal truths all gents know that work in their favour when trying to find a potential date.
Good shoes is one, it gives women a big clue to the type of man that they’re getting involved with when they’re wearing top quality kicks.
Obviously, a good physique is another, but that can vary depending on opinion, so it’s slightly more fluid. Either way, a well-trimmed bod with good personal hygiene isn’t only good for personal health – if you know what I mean.
And there’s now one more tip that men can adhere to when they’re looking for love, and it’s really quite obvious once you know it. It turns out that men are much more attractive to women when they eat a lot of fruit and vegetables – who knew!
A new study suggests women are more attracted to men who get all of their five a day, as opposed to those who don’t.
The secret is in the smell, as the study indicates that the smell of men who eat lots of fruit and veg is far more appealing than those whose daily food intake contains a lot of carbohydrates.
What’s interesting is that there was no discernible difference in interest between those who ate meat and those who didn’t.
The study, performed by folks at Macquarie University in Australia, had men record their food habits. They also measured the amount of fruit and vegetables being eaten by measuring the presence of carotenoids.
These little bad boys come from fruit and veg and turn up in your skin, so how much is present is the best indicator of diet.


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Capcom hosting “unmissable” Ace Attorney panel at TGS 2018
Posted on September 6, 2018 by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News
Capcom has confirmed a notable presence for Ace Attorney at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. A panel will be held on September 22, lasting roughly 40 minutes. Ace Attorney series producer Motohide Eshiro and game designer Shinsuke Kodama will be present.
Expect the panel to start at the following times:
– 12 AM PT
– 3 AM ET
– 8 AM in the UK
– 9 AM in Europe
For now, Capcom is keeping mostly quiet about the panel’s contents. However, it will be “unmissable for Ace Attorney fans”.


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(Speaking of Becker's, the date of the webinar where Steward Health Care is explaining how we helped their hospitals save $16 Million just changed. We're now going live on Wednesday, February 17 at 11 AM. Details and sign-up here.)
In the interview, Carl talked about the challenges that supply chain leaders have faced in the last year and how a company like Z5 Inventory has had to adapt so that we can do what we're designed to do: lower those supply chain leaders' stress levels and increase their savings.
A few takeaways:
PPE prices have come down from their height at the start of the pandemic, but not to pre-pandemic levels.
PPE consumption is still much higher than pre-pandemic.
As a result, supply chain costs are higher without the benefit of being able to use most of the supplies on the shelf while elective procedures are down.
So there's increased pressure on supply chain pros to find savings opportunities wherever they can.
Becker's also paid some attention to our charitable efforts last year, which was just the icing on the cake. Check out the write-up in the January 2021 edition of Becker's Hospital Review - available for free online here.
And don't forget to register for our webinar in partnership with Becker's and Steward!


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Supply chain diversification a boost for ASEAN economies
Supply chain disruption through the pandemic and war in Ukraine have cost the ten Association ...
Agility Logistics this morning reported that, despite a 4% contraction in revenues for the last nine months, it saw a 1% increase in net revenues, year-on-year to KD287.3m ($986.8m), while net profit rose 10% to KD37.1m. For the third quarter, revenues rose 3%, resulting in a net profit up 8% to KD13m ($44.7m).
CEO Tarek Sultan explained that the core logistics business “saw revenues contract because of the wind-down of major project logistics contracts”. But he added: “At the same time, we managed to improve net revenue margins by boosting commercial performance in other areas and realising gains in technology-driven transformation and productivity initiatives.”
The results, in effect, were buoyed by the company’s infrastructure divisions, which saw revenues rise 13% year-on-year, while its real estate arm enjoyed an 11% rise in revenues. Infrastructure wins included a $250m concession for ground handling at the main airport in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Possibly the most significant news to come from Agility this month is that it is eyeing a 35% share in troubled Kuwait Airways, as the company looks to expand into aviation services. The privatisation of the carrier has been on the cards for some time, but has repeatedly been delayed. But local media is now indicating that it is now moving ahead again – and that Jazeera Airways is also looking at a big stake.
All these new activities are helping the Agility group diversify and making it less reliant on volatile freight forwarding revenues – although it expects those revenues to grow again next year, especially in emerging markets such as Africa and India. But the big focus, said Mr Sultan in this article, is that Agility is aiming at the oil and gas industry supply chains in Africa, and will invest heavily in warehouse infrastructure there.


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As inflation stubbornly clings to the U.S. economy, people are increasingly looking for solutions, and at the top of the list is this one: Why not just print more money? And why not do it without telling people, so that it doesn’t backfire with even more inflation?
The idea pops up all over, and the approaches to explaining it range from Jack Corbett on NPR’s popular Planet Money TikTok channel to a discussion on the “ask science” subReddit to various YouTube contributors like Money & Macro.
This isn’t necessarily a practical question, but is probably more about monetary theory at a fundamental level, like why do we even have this financial system? And if our money supply is truly in our control, why don’t we just fix it?
These days, the big imponderables about the world are summed up in short sardonic videos with rights-free soundtracks and clip-art graphics on TikTok, Reddit, YouTube and other social media channels. They are supplemented by copious amounts of comments, and the whole package taken together becomes a form of primary source material that has a wider reach than most textbooks.
Some 60% of young people get financial information from social media, according to the Finra Foundation, which can lead to some pretty risky investing behavior in options, cryptocurrency and meme stocks. In my household, these social media items on financial literacy reach me via texts from my teenagers, who send clips along and ask me if whatever is being said is true. So maybe a little fact-checking is in order, especially because some of the concepts being batted around are not so easy to understand, even for the experts.
So, then, what’s the answer?
Instead of asking an AI chatbot to explain, I turned to economist Larry Kotlikoff, a professor of economics at Boston University. While the answer to this particular question seems easy—printing money is generally what causes inflation, cue images of useless paper money in wheelbarrows—it’s obviously more complicated than that, especially concerning today’s inflation and what to do about it. January’s inflation numbers kicked off 2023 with mixed messages, with the CPI showing inflation easing, but maybe not as quickly as omelet-lovers and others would like.
First, with regard to whether or not the printing of money is secret or open, it’s a matter of how you define transparency. The U.S. government releases data about the monetary supply and how much new money it’s printing, but Kotlikoff doubts that most people are going to the Federal Reserve to analyze the latest data on M2, which is the measure of the currency held by the public, plus deposits and shares in retail mutual funds.
“It’s not like millions of people go to the St. Louis Fed website,” to check the monetary supply before heading to the grocery store, he says. So the presumption that knowledge about what the government does influences how people react might be overreaching a little. Even if they are learning about it indirectly through academic or news outlets, it’s still not likely affecting their daily purchasing practices in a way that could swing inflation measurably.
That said, Kotlikoff says that economies that have no public reporting about the monetary supply leave people guessing, and that can be volatile. He points to Argentina, where the central bank prints money and nobody has any idea, so they don’t trust anything.
“Everyone assumes much higher inflation will arise than they should, and you have a self-fulfilling prophecy—I raise prices because I think you’re raising prices, and workers demand more wages. Then it’s off to the races,” says Kotlikoff.
Lots of money is already being inked
For all those suggesting printing more money, Kotlikoff says that we’re basically already doing that. If you do happen to go to the St. Louis Fed website, you can see that the M2 monetary supply has been steadily increasing, with a huge jump in 2020.
But that’s not necessarily what’s causing our spike in inflation now, and printing more money is not the only thing that will fix it. “What’s causal is dicey,” says Kotlikoff. “The M2 has increased dramatically since 2008, and for many years, it grew and prices did not go up.”
The big spike in 2020 was because of Covid-relief spending, for the most part, and then prices started to go up. Now prices are coming down, inflation is easing and M2 is coming down as well. “That’s because interest rates are higher and people aren’t borrowing as much,” says Kotlikoff.
There’s also a lot more going on than that, including Federal Reserve action on interest rates, government spending and external political and natural factors like war and weather disasters. So you can’t draw a clean line showing a close connection between the monetary supply and price levels, and that means there’s not a simple solution like printing money to solve inflation.
“If the stock market goes up today and my cat meows three times, there’s a close connection there too,” Kotlikoff says.
Now that’s an explanation my teens can appreciate (but not so much our dog).
More from MarketWatch


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MUSCAT: The Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) has emphasised the severity of social media scams, urging the implementation of regulations and awareness campaigns to prevent criminal gangs from exploiting the system.
These scams, promising dream jobs or monetary rewards through deceptive links, pose significant financial risks to individuals and establishments worldwide, including in the Sultanate of Oman.
Omar al Ismaili, CEO of TRA, highlighted the non-compliance of popular social media companies such as WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram with local authorities' requirements in the region. Until joint regulations are established, awareness campaigns remain the primary means of protecting end users in the country. Notably, these social networking applications' lack of licensing in Oman is one of the reasons why encrypted WhatsApp calls continue to be blocked, with users resorting to virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass restrictions.
The TRA's market indicators for the second half of 2022 revealed a 12 per cent increase in Facebook users compared to the previous half-year. Fraudsters exploit platforms like Facebook to engage with people and deceive them into fraudulent transactions or interactions.
Regional authorities are currently discussing standards and regulations for the proper organisation of these applications, taking inspiration from successful measures implemented by the European Union.
Al Ismaili urged people to refrain from sharing personal details via social media and clarified that no banks would ever ask for such information through these platforms. The CEO also cautioned against fraudulent messages offering jobs with high salaries and the subsequent request to open bank accounts for money transfers.
The Royal Oman Police (ROP) echoed this warning, advising users to report such fraudulent messages immediately and avoid falling victim to financial scams.
Experts warn that social media scams can lead to various types of fraud, including financial losses and the compromise of personal information.
Fraudsters utilise emails and platforms like WhatsApp to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive data such as bank account details and passwords, which can be exploited for illegal purposes. Recently, the ROP's Directorate-General of Criminal Investigation uncovered a new criminal method involving the Imo app, where a fake ROP account targeted citizens and residents, tricking them into providing bank account information for subsequent cash withdrawals.
Furthermore, cybersecurity solutions provider Kaspersky highlighted a new wave of phishing scams on LinkedIn, targeting individuals in the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa (META) region.
Cybercriminals posing as HR managers from high-end fashion brands entice victims with promises of dream jobs. Specifically, professionals in digital marketing and sales are prime targets. The scammers initiate contact on LinkedIn, offering lucrative salary packages before sharing malicious links and persuading candidates to download fraudulent documents from cloud storage platforms, ultimately aiming to steal credentials for Facebook Business accounts and generate monetary gain.
In light of these threats, the TRA stresses the urgent need for regulations governing social media platforms and comprehensive awareness campaigns to protect individuals and businesses from falling prey to scams.


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Before the referendum, all predictors seemed to have the same opinion that, thanks to Brexit, Britain was headed for an economic apocalypse. The uncertainties and scaremongering seemed to skyrocket and businesses and entrepreneurs were even more hesitant to explore opportunities. In the months after, however, even with the potential future uncertainty, the start-up community is booming and many Brits are seizing the opportunity to create new businesses, abandon their daily jobs and explore entrepreneurship.
People have come to the realization that the basic steps involved in creating a business has not really changed and even with the predicted impact of Brexit on funding small businesses, Banks will continue to back propositions that seem solid. Here are a few business ideas that changed the market scene after Brexit.
Brexit Consultancy Services
The impact of the UK leaving the EU is likely to stretch out over years. While UK businesses were still unsure of what measures to put in place to appropriately cater to Brexit, the management consultancy sector came up with Brexit consultancy services to bridge this gap. Both the sectors providing financial services and the public sector need consultants to navigate Brexit successfully. A survey of companies that use consultants revealed that 24% already had to increase their use of consultancy services as a result of Brexit.
While businesses can only hope to respond to situations as they unfold, having the services of an expert on Brexit to help them deal with incoming legislation and bureaucracy will give them the upper hand against revenue loss and any arising legal issues.
Insurance technology is one of the latest technology branches which is related to insurance as you can easily guess from its name. Insurtech creates insurance as an in on-demand mobile services that enable customers to easily buy their insurance from their mobile phone with the push of a button.
Insurtech has developed rapidly in the post Brexit economy and recent skyrocketing of investments in insurtech has caused such a disruption that only insurers and brokers that embrace the new technologies are expected to evolve and thrive.
Property technology is an emerging trend in the property market, using technology to upgrade and reform or completely redefine the services involved in the buying and selling of property. Despite the slump in the UK national housing market, which could be blamed on the uncertainties and increase in stamp-duty post Brexit, proptech start-ups are making waves in the business community.
Two proptech start-ups were named in WIRED’s top 10 hottest start-ups in London this 2017. Proptech has been defined as some as “a silver lining” of Brexit, due to its ability to make the processes involved in the traditional property market more efficient, less costly and redundant. Proptech startups help speed up mortgage applications, as well as sale of property. Owners also get a fair price for their property due to their increased efficiency in the sales process with the use of technology.
The Brexit impact on businesses has only made investors more cautious. More and more start-ups are taking advantage of a post Brexit UK to create their niche or improve upon existing services.


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US Pizza Says It'll Change Its Name To 'KITA Pizza' If It Gets 10K Likes On Facebook
US Pizza Malaysia has announced that it will change its name to 'KITA Pizza' if its social media post receives 10,000 likes and comments
The local pizza chain suggested the name change amid an ongoing trend of boycotts for brands perceived to be supporting Israel in the Israel-Palestine war.
"Do you want us to change names?" it asked in a Facebook post featuring the United States, Malaysia, and Palestine flags on Saturday, 18 November.
Earlier, a US Pizza branch raised eyebrows on social media by clarifying that the 'US' in its brand name does not refer to the United States
In a notice that went viral, Wealth Link Freedom Sdn Bhd, the company operating the US Pizza outlet in Taman Prima Saujana, Kajang, Selangor, emphasised that it is a local, Muslim-owned business.
"Kindly be informed that US Pizza refers to the word 'us' ('kita' in Malay). It is totally a local incorporated company.
"For the US Pizza outlet at Taman Prima Saujana, Kajang, Selangor, it is a Muslim business entity. This company belongs to my family and myself.
"We would like to welcome you all to our restaurant and enjoy our foods offered," said the company's chief executive officer, Mohd Sobree Ali.
Sobree confirmed that the notice was originally posted by his son on his personal social media account last week in response to the wave of boycotts
However, according to Malaysiakini, they retracted the notice after it went viral because the explanation had yet to be discussed with the franchise's headquarters.
Sobree told Malaysiakini that even though he has yet to clear the issue with the head office, he does interpret the 'US' in the brand name as the pronoun 'us' to welcome all people to his restaurant.
As of writing, the US Pizza Facebook post has garnered over 1,400 likes and 400 comments
Supporting the move, some netizens have also suggested 'MY Pizza' and 'Pizza Kita' as alternatives for the brand's name change.
In another Facebook post, the pizza chain said it is running a buy-one-free-one promotion, highlighting that 'US' could also stand for 'untuk semua (for everyone)'.
It also said RM1 from every receipt will be donated to a reputable Palestinian humanitarian aid organisation.
"Don't worry! US Pizza does not pay royalties to the United States," it further assured.
The promotion is valid for dine-in only and will continue until 30 November.
Local coffee chain ZUS Coffee has also recently faced accusations of supporting Israel due to its name and logo:
Read more about the #israelpalestineconflict on SAYS:


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Retailer Tesco and packaging manufacturer Mondi have partnered to produce food-safe paper shopping bags out of Tesco’s warehouse corrugated waste.
The closed loop paper shopping bags have been rolled out in Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia so far.
This is the first time that Tesco has collaborated directly with a paper producer to turn its paper waste into a renewable resource in line with its circular economy goals.
Produced at Mondi’s mill in the Czech Republic, the bags use a combination of fresh fibre, as well as recycled fibre from Tesco Central Europe’s warehouses.
Mondi speciality kraft paper sales director Paulus Goess said: “Our EcoSolutions approach means we collaborate very closely with our customers to create the best possible products for their needs – using paper where possible and plastic where useful.
“We have been working on this project with Tesco for over two years, with the aim of reusing their warehouse waste to create a quality product that is strong in terms of performance, based on renewable resources, uses recycled materials and can be fully recycled and ultimately contribute to a circular economy.
“Our strong EcoVantage paper allows customers to reuse the shopping bag multiple times despite the recycled content and Tesco encourages its customers to do so.”


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South Africa’s former Fiance Minister, Tito Mboweni has become somewhat of a food influencer on social media. Amid sharing updates of his new hairstyle or taking part in viral dance challenges, Tito’s endeavours in the kitchen have not gone unnoticed.
His overuse of pilchards and garlic, in particular, has opened him up to some ridicule in the past, but it seems that tweeps cannot get enough:
As of 8 October, Tito shared a new recipe of sorts – this time with the help of Tiger Brands and a hamper of KOO products (including their canned pilchards).
Tito shared updates throughout the cooking of the dish with his 1.1 million Twitter followers after making the pilchards in tomato sauce and baked beans the stars of the dish, according to IOL. He later also added “some extra special curry powder”:
After enjoying the dish, Tito thanked “the Tiger Brands CEO” and “KOO Pilchards” once more.
Usually, tweeps are very interested in his cooking skills, but it seems this time they decided to inspect everything else on each photo – like possible new furniture:
“I’m here trying to figure out whose house this is, as I haven’t seen that furniture before. I think even the stove is new,” said Mpono Mosaase. “Yo bought new furniture?” said Moea Makhakhe.
Some are wondering about the decorative pieces on his dining table:
“Are those human ashes in those small coffins on your table,” said Cha.
Others are curious about the presentation:
It is reported that not much is known about his personal life. He grew up in Tzaneen in Limpopo and is a father to three. And so, Tito, who is also believed to be a senior bachelor, was also questioned on why he is always eating alone:


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MetalKraft Industries, Inc., a world-class manufacturer of precision sintered metal components, recently announced its plans to expand and modernize its flagship production facility in Wellsboro to meet growing customer demand and further strengthen the company’s competitive advantage.
The construction and new equipment purchase initiative will not only add 9,000 square feet to the company’s footprint but will also bring in new state-of-the-art semi-automated Computer Numerical Control machining equipment and mechanical compacting presses. In all, the project will expand MetalKraft’s production capability by 33%.
“We’re delighted to be able to expand our design, development and production capabilities to meet growing demand within our existing customer base and facilitate our expansion into new markets”, said Aaron Singer, MetalKraft’s president and CEO. “We’re fortunate to have cultivated a diverse base of customers over our nearly 40 years of continuous operations, and that diversity has helped us weather the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic and keep an eye towards growth. Now, as the markets we serve continue to rebound and gear back up, we’ll have the capability and capacity to serve them with the exceptional customer focus and high-quality products they’ve come to expect from MetalKraft.”
MetalKraft currently employs 55 skilled production associates within its Wellsboro facility and a total of 75 employees nationwide. The company offers CAD-based collaborative part design and engineering services to help customers develop solutions that meet specifications and also produces standard parts for the automotive, lawn/garden, recreational vehicle and commercial markets.
The Tioga County-based company has proprietary processes that allow MetalKraft to work with a wide array of alloys and achieve exceptionally close dimensional tolerances. The company is ISO 9001:2015 registered and a certified green technology manufacturer.
To finance a portion of the project, MetalKraft turned to the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center and its Economic Development Administration loan program, which provided low interest rate financing that dovetailed nicely with the company’s existing banking relationships.
“We’ve partnered with NEPIRC for several projects over the years because they understand the value of manufacturing to rural communities and are responsive to our plans and expectations,” said Singer.
To learn more about MetalKraft’s design, engineering or production capabilities, and to explore the careers available at MetalKraft, visit www.MetalKraftPM.com or call 570-724-6800.


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Refill Before You Fly
A less plastic-intensive alternative that sends a strong message of change to both suppliers and other airlines, replaced single-serve plastic water. A case of Alaska Airlines' campaign encouraged passengers to bring their own reusable water bottles on board through social coverage.
Alaska Airlines launched #FillBeforeYouFly campaign to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics on flights. The initiative engages passengers and employees to bring their own water bottles and fill them at a hydration station before they board. Throughout the campaign, Alaska Airlines reduces 70% of trash from landfills by associating with BEF to plant 1,000,000 trees on the West Coast and collecting coffee grounds for composting.


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The fall and winter months are here and for many that means it is time to get the 4 wheelers, side by sides and snowmobiles ready for the fun! Nothing beats being outdoors in Western New York in
- Oct. 17th 2022 3:22 pm PT
Tesla has launched a home charging station, or Wall Connector as it calls it, that works with other electric cars and not just Tesla v
There were 1,399 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 272,983 in the last 365 days.
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Kuo Duo presents a three-set series of wood furniture experimentation entitled ‘WORD PLAY’. Part of their first solo exhibition, curated by Supply Seoul, an art and design plat
Cohousing offers a vision of connected, community-based living – but the path to realising the dream can be far from smooth
“Welcome to the site of hope and heartbreak.”
Partly cloudy. High 61F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..
A few passing clouds. Low 43F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Blacksmiths demonstrate how the Cambria I
Home workshops for maintenance and repair tasks, or for working on bigger projects, can get expensive quickly. Tools and equipment aren’t cheap, and keeping everything organized gets difficult


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The Public Investment Fund, which has this year invested $1.5 billion in Mukesh Ambani’s telecom venture Jio Platforms and more than half a billion dollars in his fiber-optic business, has returned to back yet another empire built by India’s richest man.
The sovereign wealth fund is investing $1.3 billion in Reliance Retail for a 2.04% equity stake in the largest retail chain in India. The investment values Reliance Retail, which was founded in 2006, at $62.4 billion, the Indian firm said.
Reliance Retail, which serves more than 3.5 million customers each week (as of early this year) through its nearly 10,000 physical stores in more than 6,500 cities and towns in the country, has now raised over 6.4 billion since September this year.
Ambani (pictured above), who raised more than $20 billion for Jio Platforms this year from a roster of marquee investors including Facebook and Google, is expected to raise another few billion dollars for Reliance Retail by the end of the year. One of the companies that is widely expected to invest in Reliance Retail is Amazon, which has poured in over $6.5 billion in its India business to date.
The two commerce giants are currently stuck in a deadlock over Reliance’s $3.4 billion acquisition of several businesses of Future Retail, the second largest retail chain in India. Amazon, which owns a small stake in one of Future Retail’s subsidiaries, is fighting a legal battle to block the deal between Reliance and Future Retail. Future Retail and Reliance Industries have said that they intend to proceed with their deal.
“We at Reliance have a long-standing relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. PIF is at the forefront of the economic transformation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I welcome PIF as a valued partner in Reliance Retail and look forward to their sustained support and guidance as we continue our ambitious journey to transform India’s retail sector for enriching the lives of 1.3 billion Indians and millions of small merchants,” said Ambani, who runs Reliance Retail’s parent firm, Reliance Industries, in a statement today.
As for Reliance Retail, the retail chain last year entered the e-commerce space with JioMart through a joint venture with Jio Platforms. JioMart now has a presence in over 200 Indian cities and towns, and it also maintains a partnership with Facebook for WhatsApp integration. Facebook, which invested $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms earlier this year, has said it will explore various ways to work with Reliance to digitize the nation’s 60 million mom and pop stores, as well as other small and medium-sized businesses.
“We are pleased to be furthering our trusted partnership with Reliance Industries, the leading player in some of India’s most exciting sectors,” said Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PIF, in a statement. “This investment further demonstrates PIF’s commitment to generating returns for the Saudi people and driving the economic diversification of Saudi Arabia.”


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The Little Potato Company launches “The Little Springtime Campaign and Sweepstakes” with a chance to win $1,000 in groceries until May 15, 2024. Open to consumers in the U.S. and Canada, the campaign aims to promote its convenient, no-prep-required Little Potatoes. Supported by in-store, social media, and paid online ads, the initiative seeks to enhance family meals and highlight spring recipes.
At the German Potato Trade Association’s 18th annual meeting in Regensburg, key discussions led by President Thomas Herkenrath focused on shaping EU policies to benefit the potato sector. The DKHV called for reduced bureaucracy, increased research support, eased trade barriers, and sustainable practices before the 2024 EU elections. Honorary board appointments celebrated industry contributions, underscoring the need for innovation-driven agricultural leadership.


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Microsoft has released the Xbox IP ‘Alan Wake’ to Remedy Entertainment
Despite a strong cult following, Microsoft didn’t see an opportunity for Alan Wake 2 to make a decent return on investment. Remedy Entertainment has now acquired full ownership of the IP, opening up the possibility for Alan Wake to return.
One of Microsoft’s biggest missed opportunities can be found in the Alan Wake IP. The horror-thriller title with nods to the likes of Twin Peaks and Silent Hill wasn’t a huge hit in its first outing but amassed a dedicated cult following when it launched back on the Xbox 360. Microsoft declined to fund a sequel, sadly, owing to the fact the original game sold only around 3 million copies.
GI.Biz is reporting that Remedy, known for Quantum Break, Max Payne, and the upcoming sci-fi action game Control, has acquired the rights to the Alan Wake IP from Microsoft, meaning that they can now publish the game for themselves. Previously, all publishing rights to Alan Wake belonged to Microsoft, preventing a sequel from being made.


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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2021-12-14 Origin: Site
Recently, the person in charge of the organizing committee of the China Cross-border E-commerce Fair went to Shenzhen to visit key cross-border e-commerce companies across the country to discuss the development trends of the industry in the coming year and plan for the next China Cross-Border E-commerce Fair.
During the visit, all relevant companies are optimistic about and looking forward to the holding of the China International Trade Fair in the spring of next March.Based on the successful holding of the two China Cross-Trade Fairs in 2021, the industry is full of confidence in this national exhibition in 2022.Well-known cross-border e-commerce platforms such as eBay and Shopee, which have gained a lot from this year's China Cross-border Trade Fair, expressed their willingness to participate in the exhibition as soon as possible, jointly contribute to the preparations for the exhibition, and provide participating merchants and exhibitors with the platform's latest trend analysis and policy release interpretation, and work together Build the China Cross-Trade Fair into the most influential event in the industry.Zongteng Group, a leading payment company and a benchmark for cross-border logistics and overseas warehouses, will continue to support the exhibition and will mobilize branches across the country to participate and mobilize the most capable forces to form a dedicated exhibition team to prepare in advance for the most important event in the industry in the coming year.
At the same time, the organizing committee and the visiting companies reached a consensus on the establishment of a special area for independent stations at the exhibition. The organizing committee will take the lead in planning and organize relevant professional service providers to participate in the exhibition to showcase the industry's hot independent station ecological chain this year.
As a specific action to implement the digital strategy in the field of foreign trade, the China Cross-Trade Fair is co-sponsored by the Foreign Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, Fujian Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export, Huiyuan International Exhibition, etc., and hosted by Midoduo Technology and others. It will land in Fuzhou in March 2021.With the theme of 'Linking the entire cross-border river basin to jointly build a new e-commerce ecology', the exhibition is committed to solving the problem of difficulty in the transformation of foreign trade companies and lack of good goods in cross-border e-commerce through external exhibitions and internal events.The first China Cross-border Trade Fair attracted more than 2,300 companies and 33 cross-border e-commerce platforms from around the world to participate in the exhibition. 62,000 professional merchants from the cross-border e-commerce field across the country attended the exhibition. The total number of visitors reached 130,000. The exhibition won the Central The People’s Government, CCTV, People’s Daily, Amazon’s global store opening, eBay, Wish, Alibaba International Station and many other concentrated reports.In September, the Autumn China International Trade Fair was successfully held again at the Canton Fair Complex in conjunction with China Foreign Trade Center Group Co., Ltd., a powerful state-owned enterprise. It has become the largest exhibition in the industry with high-level exhibitions, comprehensive display categories, wide procurement invitations, and many think tank experts. A grand event covering all industrial elements.In 2022, the China Cross-Trade Fair will adhere to its original intention of being new, refined, bigger and stronger, continue to consolidate the China Cross-Trade Fair's status as the industry's leading exhibition, seize the era of digital economic globalization, and strive to build a national digital application leading platform.


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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Chief Executive, Sergio Marchionne, has issued a dire warning to the global auto industry.
Marchionne said the industry faces grave risks if fellow companies don’t start consolidating, and sharing rapidly increasing product development costs.
The Fiat Chrysler CEO made a plea for shrinking the number of players in the auto industry as he delivered a presentation during a two-and-a-half hour call with analysts on Wednesday.
Marchionne made his case for industry mergers during Fiat Chrysler Automobiles first quarter earnings presentation, in which it posted a net profit of $101m well up from the net loss of $193m in the same period last year.
The CEO presented data which showed that it takes an average of four years for automakers to reinvest the total value of their companies into research and development and capital expenditures, compared with an average of 20 years across other industries.
Major automakers such as Fiat Chrysler spent a total of $136 billion on capital expenditures and research and development last year, up from the $85 billion spent in 2010.
During this week’s presentation, Marchionne argued that large-scale integrations were required in the auto industry to sustain the heavy capital investments needed to meet demands for cleaner, safer vehicles.
“The capital consumption of this industry is unsustainable,” he said. “We are risking capital at tremendous rates and the markets are not buying it. We live in a world of our own; this is incredibly insular.”
Marchionne highlighted the main problem was the auto industry spends tremendous amounts on developing proprietary parts such as engines and transmissions, that make no difference to the consumer.
He estimated Fiat Chrysler could save between $2.7bn and $5bn each year by sharing development costs with another automaker, and described the current overspending as “in its purest from, economic waste”.
Marchionne’s petitions for consolidation have received no takers so far amongst other automakers, and has led him to state that he could possibly discuss a deal with Silicon Valley companies such as Google of Apple if traditional automakers ignore his call for integration.
General Motors CEO Mary Bara is one of a number of top auto industry executives who have rejected the notion that it is interested in acquiring or being acquired by Fiat Chrysler.
“We’re already in that top tier, we have a well-articulated plan and we are not going to entertain anything that would distract us from achieving that plan,” she said.


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In a final victory against the forces of comics snobbism, the New York Times has announced they will reinstate their graphic novel bestseller list. The list will be available starting October 3 online and October 20 in print.
Nearly three years ago, the New York Times delivered a shocking blow to the comics publishing industry by announcing they were discontinuing their graphic novel bestsellers lists. These lists – coming from the ultimate authority on bookselling prestige – had enabled countless comics creators to put “NY Times bestselling author/artist” in their Twitter bios – and also energized the marketing and library ends of the industry.
Without them, the comics industry lost some prestige and marketing oomph. The Times book section editor Pamela Paul promised to make up for the lack of a list with more editorial coverage, but whether or not that happened is debatable.
Today it was announced that the Times would be bringing back several of the lists they discontinued three years ago, including comics and graphic novels. And Paul acknowledged the news:
Great news for comics fans as The New York Times Book Review brings back graphic books and manga bestseller lists. Plus a return to mass market bestsellers and two new paperback lists for kids. https://t.co/a0KXzAISh9
— Pamela Paul (@PamelaPaulNYT) September 26, 2019
The new New York Times graphic novel bestseller list will incorporate “graphic books” and include manga, adult, and kids all on one list. (The old format has three lists one for manga one for paperbacks and one for hardcovers.)
“We are thrilled to bring back to our readers graphic books and mass market best sellers as two monthly best-seller lists,” said Pamela Paul, editor of the Book Review. “Our new monthly graphic books list combines the format as it exists across all platforms — hardcover, paperback and digital — in order to represent the range of ways in which publishers create and people of all ages read these books. And readers are passionate about the many genres — from horror to romance — represented on the mass market fiction list.
The mass market paperback list that was also killed will be coming back in this refresh, as will Middle Grade Paperback and Young Adult Paperback lists. Meanwhile (shhhhh) the monthly Science and Sports lists are going away.
Since discontinuing the comics specific lists, several graphic novels made the ACTUAL REAL NY Time bestseller list, including the smash hit Adventure Zone and George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy. It’s likely that seeing that “graphic books” had such impact on the “real charts” – and the continued prominence and importance of the category – helped the Times to change their minds.
At any rate, WE WON! WE WON! WE WON!!!!


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Check out these new GTA V next-gen screenshots
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Windows update fixes critical vulnerabilities in almost all versions of the OS
Telltale Games announces details of its Game of Thrones series
Euro Truck Simulator 2 1.14 update now live
Candy Crush Soda Saga out worldwide on iOS and Android
Facebook gives you more control over your News Feed
PES 2015 PC demo date announced as first reviews arrive
Edit your typos with latest Instagram update
Assassin’s Creed: Unity gets a free companion app on iOS and Android
Football Manager 2015 out now
What does South Park think about freemium games?
Facebook Q&A – why was Facebook Messenger forced on users?
Microsoft Office mobile is now free for everyone


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On the second day, the annual Pakistan Coating Show 2017 was inaugurated by the Chief Guest Mr. Abdul Basit – President of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), and gained momentum with enthusiastic participation from the Coating, Paints and Chemicals industry professionals. With more than 70 – 80 national & multinational companies displaying ground-breaking technologies, the event proceeded as a resourceful Business-2-Business platform, being organized by the ‘B2B Media’, from the 19th to 21st January, at the Expo Centre Lahore.
Moazzam Rasheed – Chairman B2B Media stated that; “It is delightful to see the overwhelming response given by the entrepreneurs and professionals of the coating industry, to ensure the success of this insightful annual event. The forum is attracting large crowds to witness the offerings of international and local manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and dealers, who are sharing their ideas and products, while building stronger corporate relations and inspiring more valuable investments in Pakistan. The event offers great opportunities for B2B networking, collaboration and media-exposure for the stakeholders, to give a big boost to the national economy.”
Students and young entrepreneurs, who aspire to build their careers in the related industry, are also thronging the venue, to seek valuable knowledge on innovative technologies, being offered through the insightful sessions, conducted by international experts, during the conference and seminars that enrich the annual exhibition.
Along with all the stalls and exhibition, PCS is featuring an insightful conference featuring renowned experts and taught speakers of the industry, to present thorough analyses of the evolving trends in the industry. Seminars and discussion will be held on all 3 days, where each speaker will get 1 and an half hour to present. The topics of the conference will solely be related to the Coating, Paint and Chemical Industry.
Brighto Paints Pvt. Ltd. is the principal sponsor of this year’s exhibition, along with several prestigious local and multinational industries patronizing the show. The co-sponsors include; Power Chemicals Industries Ltd, and Rainbow General Trading Co. LLC. The three-day event will keep on displaying more than 255 stalls and is expected to attract more than 4000 visitors, providing them with direct access and a deeper perspective on the preferences of the international customers


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Around this time last year, Google ended its free unlimited cloud storage. To the joy of some users, the option is now back! But for the rest of us, there’s a major catch that could make it impossible to get the unlimited Google storage again.
Last November, Google announced that its free unlimited photo backup was going to end and it would all fall under the free shared 15GB get you with Google’s other services, like Gmail and Google Drive. Now, it’s almost upon us, with the service set to shut down on June 1st. You can, of course, upgrade to Google One (although there’s no “Unlimited” package), but what are your alternatives?
Well, none of the alternatives are really free, either. Not for unlimited storage, anyway. But with Google shifting over to a paid-only option with minimal free storage, the advantage they once had is now gone. Here we take a look at a few of the competing services for you to check out and see which best fits your needs.
Google has reportedly sent out an email to Google Photos cloud storage users promoting they eat up their 15GB of free storage and buy into the paid accounts by uploading Original Quality images instead of letting Google create its High Quality versions of images, showing a rather drastic comparison image to argue their case.
The argument is at odds with statements made when the service launched in 2015, that its High Quality images offered “near-identical visual quality” to the originals. With Google having recently taken the decision to end its free unlimited photo hosting, one can’t help but think that this is simply gaslighting to get more money out of people for Google One subscriptions that don’t really need it.
The whole cloud backup thing has been a hot topic for a while now as various services have been simultaneously killing off unlimited storage while others have been bringing it back and trying to outdo each other to win over your business. Amazon Photos is one such service that offers unlimited space as long as you have a prime account – including your raw photos. But it seems it’s not backing up everything – even if you think that it is.
Reddit user /u/somebodytoshove posted to /r/photography noting that the auto-save feature of the Amazon Photos iOS app has not been uploading the .raf files from his Fuji mirrorless camera. It thinks it has, and it looks like it has, but when you look at the uploaded files, they actually contain only the jpg preview.
Ever since it was launched in 2015, Google Photos has offered unlimited free storage for your photos. Well, not for long. From June 2021, you will no longer be able to store countless high-quality images on your account. There will be a 15 GB limit, and you’ll have to pay for Google One if you want to store more than that.
Canon Irista, the company’s photo storage and sharing website, is shutting down. If you have been using it to store and share your images, you may want to download them if you don’t have them stored elsewhere. Because in January 2020, all content is going to be deleted from Canon’s servers forever.