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Alexander Mueller has won free exhibition space at the 2016 DMY International Design Festival Berlin.
Mueller Alexander who completed a Foundation Degree in Furniture Making and a BA (Hons) Furniture at The Cass, has been named one of the winners for the New Talent Competition 2016.
Participants submitted current prototypes, close-to-production products, the latest design trends, innovations, experiments and processes. Out of some 200 applications, Alexander and the other winners will receive free exhibition space at the 2016 DMY International Design Festival Berlin.
Alexander's Dahlia collection, a monochrome, solid European ash series produced in collaboration with family-run Italian manufacturer Universal, combines local raw materials and modern engineering techniques with traditional craft. The collection is created using renewable energy sources. Inspired by London’s architecture, Mueller has utilised a simplified line motif to enhance the overall form of the pieces by staining ash frames, which have then been chamfered to reveal the untreated ash below, adding an outline effect to the pieces.
Shortly after graduating in 2013, Alexander won the Heal's Discovers Award for young designers, and in 2014 became a Designer in Residence at The Cass.


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Economists have high hopes for January retail sales, released later this morning.
Retail sales are expected to jump by 1.6% in January, according to FactSet, signaling that consumer demand remains resilient despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.
A rebound in sales would be a welcome shift for retailers following two months of consecutive declines and a softer-than-expected holiday season. In December, retail sales fell by 1.1%, tailing a 1% decline in November.
The rebound seems counterintuitive, given that half of Americans say they are worse off than a year ago, per a recent Gallup poll. Inflation has played a big role in dampening consumer optimism. Even though prices have moderated from their peak last summer and have declined for seven straight months, inflation remains high with the consumer price index climbing at a 6.4% annual pace in January.
For Citi economist Gisela Hoxha, January’s bump could come down to the way the data is seasonally adjusted, a statistical technique that tries to remove the influences of seasonal patterns.
“In our view, seasonal factors not picking up shifts in consumption patterns was in part why December retail sales were so weak and partly why we expect largely broad-based strength in January retail sales,” Hoxha wrote in a note.
BofA economist Aditya Bhave agrees, adding that seasonal adjustments are still largely based on pre-Covid spending patterns. Since the pandemic, people are shopping sooner and spreading out their spending across more months of the year, leading to a “statistical distortion” that gives January sales a boost.
But that’s not the only reason undergirding the jump, Bhave wrote. Personal incomes have been notching consistent gains over the past few months, buoyed by a healthy labor market and cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security benefits, he wrote in a research note on Monday. Indeed, the U.S. added 517,000 jobs in January, while the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since 1969.
It’s also possible that consumers were waiting for postholiday clearance sales, Bhave added. Based on BofA card data, some of the weakest categories in December—furniture, clothing, and department stores—improved in January, he wrote.
That would be good news for retailers as they prepare to report quarterly results starting next week. Many large retailers, including
) finish their fiscal year in January to capture all holiday season sales.
For the Federal Reserve, however, a strong sales report is the last thing it needs.
For the past year, the central bank has tried to cool consumer demand by raising interest rates in a bid to bring prices down. The plan seemed to be working by the end of 2022—job growth slowed while inflation began to tick down. As a result, the Fed started to slow the pace at which it increases interest rates, bringing them up by a quarter of a percentage point at its latest meeting.
But as Fed officials have repeatedly said, the central bank’s rate increase decisions will be guided by data. Recent indicators—including a mixed CPI and stronger-than-expected jobs report—point to an economy that is still too hot for the Fed’s liking.
“The January CPI report adds to doubts that inflation is truly on a path back to the Federal Reserve’s target,” wrote Curt Long, chief economist at the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, in emailed comments. “In conjunction with the blowout jobs report in January, this further augments recent assertions from the FOMC for sustained tightening over the coming spring, increasing the potential of an acceleration in the size of individual hikes as well as the terminal rate.”
Factor in impressive retail sales data, and the Fed may indeed decide it has more work to do.
Write to Sabrina Escobar at email@example.com

domain: news


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French air taxi operator Wijet is acquiring fellow Mustang operator Blink in the UK to create the world's largest VLJ air taxi company, with an enterprise value of €45m. The transaction means that the fleets of the two companies will be combined into a 15-strong Mustang roster, located across western Europe.
Blink will join Wijet on the real-time booking platform OpenJet, allowing for flight optimisation and more competitive pricing. Wijet Group has been established as a holding company for Blink UK and Wijet France, and will have two joint CEOs in Corentin Denoeud and Cameron Ogden, former owners of Wijet and Blink respectively. The company is reporting combined revenues of €18m in 2016 and is forecasting €28m in 2017 with 11,000 flights and 16,000 passengers.
Says Denoeud: “This transaction sends a clear message to the air taxi industry. Cameron and I will be working closely together to integrate the two companies and give our enlarged customer base the best experience possible.
“A new innovative offer based on real-time pricing will soon allow our customers to completely change their perception of business aviation.”
Since forming in 2008 and 2009 respectively, Blink and Wijet have conducted operations in London (Blackbushe), Paris and Genoa. Blink's established maintenance and operations capability will remain in the UK and Italy while Wijet will continue to service its client base and perform key head office functions from Paris. Last year Blink took over the Italian company Myjet, which also had a Mustang-only fleet.
Ogden tells EBAN that he has considered consolidating for some time: “I think it is something that the industry is demanding, both in terms of how the regulatory side of things is moving and the fact that as an industry it has not been growing as fast as people have wanted.
“We have had a lot of small players fragmented across the market. The thing about this particular part of the industry is that we have all been very like-minded; we have all chosen the same aircraft and we have all had the same business models in terms of what we think is going to be the winner in the future of private aviation, taking a low-cost airline approach.”
For many clients, their first taste of business aviation comes in the form of a VLJ, and this is a trend that Wijet Group is looking to take advantage of. “The other side of it is that over the last 10 years people have educated themselves on the use of private jets and, at the end of the day, value for money is what they are looking for,” explains Ogden. “The idea of flying on an oversized Citation XLS is not necessarily required when you are flying between London and Geneva. We have been a massive beneficiary of overpriced charter.
“When we look at it, the average passenger load over Europe is only two passengers at any given time, and sector times are on average an hour and 20 minutes. This is why the VLJ sector is so popular and still growing.”


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By Carlyn Pounders
The black tech ecosystem is poised to become a formidable force with the launch of a brand new venture aimed at increasing the success rates of black-led tech-enabled startups.
The firm aptly named Collab, LLC hosted its launch party — CultureShock — during the Super Bowl LIII festivities. The organizers say Collab will strategically connect the underserved with underutilized resources. This includes connecting founders to investors, students from Atlanta Public Schools to laptops, and financial support to not only businesses but also community organizations.
It’s led by three successful Atlanta-based entrepreneurs — Jewel Burks Solomon, Justin Dawkins, and Barry Givens — who want to bring their collective expertise to a booming but disjointed ecosystem. Burks is the founder and CEO of Partpic Inc., which raised over $2 million in funding before being acquired by Amazon. Dawkins is the co-founder of Goodie Nation, a social impact pre-accelerator using technology to solve some of the world’s toughest problems. Givens is the co-founder and CEO of Monsieur, a stealth-mode consumer robotics company. …
Read the full story at UrbanGeekz
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In case you wondered why nobody has heard much exciting news about the hyped Google Glass since the beginning of the year, Reuters has a more clearer picture on the Glass project: journalists are talking abut a Google Glass demise, in the sense that very few people are still working on the project as we speak, whereas other rumors talk about the delay of the Google Glass consumer version release.
What happened and how come are we talking about a Google Glass demise? Earlier this year, after the “Explorers” tested the smartglasses, a developers’ edition became available for purchase for the rather breathtaking price of $1,500. Next, we heard about the “The Glass Collective,” a joint – venture ready and willing to fund apps for the Glass and then we heard that a consumer’s version was finally planned for late 2014.
If you remember correctly, the tech media was high as a kite back then, generating debates related to potential mischievous uses of the Glass, futuristic benefits in the field of medicine and science and social dynamics modifications intimately linked with people wearing the Glass in the middle of the day in public.
According to Reuters, this was all too much ado about nothing, as unconfirmed rumors are drawing a sad painting: 9 of the 16 app developers for the Glass started their own projects and abandoned this one or simply moved on to other positions; three of the key – staff members working on the Google Glass project left the company entirely, and this year’s Google I/O developer conference almost skipped the Glass altogether
Reuters talked to various sources, engineers and developers, wondering about this alleged Google Glass demise and the answer they received was that there was no market for this product yet, and given its limitations and its low level of consumer demand, the project would be most likely postponed for 2015.
On the other side of the fence, Google says the project is still developing and going further. Nine of sixteen developers and three out of hundreds of employees means nothing. According to the company, moreover, there are tens of thousands people who currently use the Glass as we speak, in the consumer pilot program. When contacted, Chris O’Neill, Glass Head of Business Operations said that
We are as committed as ever to a consumer launch. That is going to take time and we are not going to launch this product until it’s absolutely ready.
With fewer and fewer developers and a general feeling that the Google Glass is still just an experiment with no connections to reality, the tech world is now expecting an official release date, which doesn’t seem to arrive any time soon. In the meanwhile, Google is testing the program Glass at Work, to see if the device can be useful to some industries and businesses. Taco Bell, KFC and Boeing seem to have enlisted in this program.
We also heard some people sell the Glass on eBay and that Google itself sells the device in bulk, at a two – for – one package. Whether these are the early signs of the Google Glass demise, we don’t know, but we can stay tuned to the news!


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Companies have undoubtedly experienced one of the most transformative years in recent history. While this transition has been challenging to say the least, Jeffrey Magee, an expert in Executive and Corporate Development, says there are five pillars that are key to a company’s success.
First, having a strategy or business plan that clearly defines your product and services is essential. Doing so helps companies establish goals that make operations more efficient and optimize earning revenue.
Operational structure itself should be completely planned out in terms of workspace, supplies, software and hardware and more. Doing so ensures that your team is equipped with the right tools to meet your company’s bottom line.
Tactics and behaviors help employees have a deeper understanding of the business model and skills used towards the company’s operational system. This means business leaders need to make sure that staff have sufficient training on the technologies and processes that the company uses every day.
According to Magee, these three pillars have long been crucial to any healthy business.
Now, businesses need to take the lessons learned from the last nine months and apply it towards improving their current model and strategy.
Execution and accountability are the fourth and fifth pillars that truly help businesses thrive in the long-term.
Companies must identify the best way to grow their talent in areas where they want to executive new projects. If workers are learning new skills to adapt to the evolving needs of the business, success is guaranteed.


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The Meat of It
Beef reigns supreme, but other proteins are making inroads at burger chains.
A Finance Refresh
Upstart franchise brands are rethinking their finance strategy after the recession.
Ones To Watch: Burger 21
Founded by the owners of The Melting Pot, this better-burger chain dishes out modern, upscale flavor profiles.
The Big Cheese
A bevy of cheese varieties livens up sandwich options.
The Sauce is the Boss
Quick serves turn to condiment innovation to give guests the customization they want.
Burger 21 Rewards App Downloads with Free Burger
May is National Hamburger Month and Burger 21, an award-winning, “beyond the better burger” fast-casual franchise, is paying tribute to one of the gre...
Burger 21 Launches Spicy Cow Burger and Sundrop Shake
Burger 21 is continuing to raise the bar in the better burger segment with the launch of its Spicy Cow Burger and Sundrop Shake, which will be availab...
Burger 21 Gears Up for Big Franchise Growth
Burger 21, an award-winning, “beyond the better burger” fast-casual franchise, announced its 2015 franchise growth results, with six new franchise agr...
Burger 21 Signs Deal for Third North Carolina Unit
Burger 21, an award-winning, "beyond the better burger" fast-casual franchise, signed a new franchise agreement with an existing Burger 21 franchisee ...
Burger 21 Serves Up Turkey Burger and Pumpkin Pie Shake
With Thanksgiving around the corner, Burger 21, an award-winning, “beyond the better burger” fast-casual franchise, is continuing to raise the bar in ...
Burger 21 Gives Away Free Cheeseburgers
Burger 21, an award-winning, “beyond the better burger” fast-casual franchise, is celebrating National Cheeseburger Day by rewarding guests for downlo...
Burger 21 Launches Spud Burger and New Shake
Get ready for a new take on the traditional steakhouse experience in a fast-casual setting.
Burger 21 Adds New Shake and Burger on August 21
Burger 21, an award-winning, “beyond the better burger” fast-casual franchise, is continuing to raise the bar for the better burger industry with the ...
Burger 21 Store Reopens Under New Franchisees
Burger 21, an award-winning, “beyond the better burger” fast-casual franchise, announces its restaurant in Davie, Florida, will re-open under new owne...
Burger 21 Opens Second Georgia Location
Burger 21 an award-winning, “beyond the better burger” fast casual franchise, announced today its second restaurant in Georgia will open in Buckhead o...
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Digital advancement has reshaped the news market over the past 2 whole decades. Almost all get and send out media stores now preserve websites, pod-casts and mobile phone apps. As a result, period management how to compare virtual data rooms has become a significant issue designed for journalists and media corporations.
Journalists are frequently juggling multiple projects at the same time, from running after breaking information stories to digging up activities, picking interviewing means and producing the article themselves. This competitive identity belonging to the journalism market demands that they can manage their time effectively to enable them to meet program deadlines and groundwork quotas.
Period control is actually made more complicated by the emergence of digital solutions. For example , the emergence of videoconferencing application has allowed reporters to file reviews in web page and conduct interviews with individuals who live thousands of miles away. Additionally , media organizations can post disregarded news posts within minutes. This has increased the velocity of revealing and decreased the cost of establishing.
Nevertheless, although digital technology has got enabled new forms of confirming and minimizing costs, this has also increased the requirements on news and videos organizations to maintain reader demands and advertisers’ objectives for data-driven marketing strategies. This kind of push \ many to reposition goods as technological solutions that leverage subscriber data.
Yet , as newsrooms adopt and experiment with these technology alternatives, it’s important to know the way the journalistic sensibilities of a reports organization will be reflected in their decisions and product design and style. To be successful, these processes and responsibilities will need to remain essentially of journalism, rather than being seen as a technology sideline, offshoot or tangential activity.


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A team of colourful stilt walkers were out visiting Bude yesterday, to remind visitors in an entertaining and visible way to respect social distancing and to follow the ‘Hands, Face and Space’ guidance.
Cornwall’s high streets are expected to be particularly busy now (though Bude was pretty quiet yesterday) that they have safely reopened following the second lockdown. With only a few shopping weeks left before Christmas, it is important that residents can feel reassured that their Covid-safety is top of mind at all times. While they are giving much-needed support to local independent businesses they can know that all possible measures are being taken to look after their wellbeing.
The street performing team is being paid for under the Reopening High Streets Safely project which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Cornwall Council is working with local councils to make sure that local neighbourhood shopping areas and high streets remain open safely. This is being achieved with the help made available through the EU’s Reopening of High Streets Safely Fund which is available until March 2021.
Following these five safety tips will help you enjoy and make the most of your town centre visit:
- Go with the flow – keep your distance and follow all local signage.
- Be safe – plan ahead, be considerate, responsible and patient.
- Say ‘hi’ (Dydh da) to any Covid advisors or local information officers you come across. They’re there to help and guide you.
- Help us help you stay safe – remember to wash your hands often, use free sanitiser stations, use contactless payment and follow other hygiene advice such as wearing a face covering when needed.
- Visit with confidence. Cornwall’s high street businesses are working hard to help protect the safety of customers and staff. Look out for their Covid-19 risk assessment certificate.


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Twitter CEO Elon Musk is desperate for new revenue streams as the company has hemorrhaged advertisers ever since he took over last October. As part of this endeavor to make the bird app finally make some money, the company is considering monetizing users’ very names on the platform.
The New York Times reports that back in December, people working at Twitter held talks about selling usernames. The report, based on unnamed sources who were close to those conversations, says that this isn’t a sure thing, and it remains unclear how far the talks got, especially going into the new year.
Currently, Twitter’s rules against “Username squatting” restrict people from creating accounts without any actual profile for the purpose of selling their username. Musk himself has talked about “freeing” usernames of 1.5 billion accounts that have been deleted and haven’t been used for years.
Still, Twitter wouldn’t be the first social app to start letting users bid on usernames. Instant messaging app Telegram started putting up popular “@” usernames for auction last October, except in that case the names were being sold for crypto. The company has found some financial success with its username auction block and even started selling fake phone numbers which could be used to log in to accounts.
Of course, Telegram’s repossession of some usernames didn’t go without a hitch. As Gizmodo has previously reported, one user going by UmbyUmbreon claimed they had their Telegram name repossessed without a warning. Telegram responded by saying “No system can perfectly distinguish between a channel being used to squat a username and one of these static placeholder or redirect channels.”
Musk and his subordinates may only just be beginning to make changes to the platform. Along with the much-maligned changes to Twitter Blue, the company has added features that let users see stock and crypto prices in-app through a partnership with the stock trading app Robinhood. On Wednesday, iOS users noticed Twitter had removed the “Latest” tab and replaced it with a “For You” timeline. This changes the button at the top of the page which previously could be set to “Latest” and “Top Tweets” to either see the latest tweets from people users follow or an algorithmically-generated list. Now the “For You” tab is enabled by default, and it forces users to make the switch to “Latest” every time they load the app.
Musk has been punting away employees ever since he finalized his Twitter purchase. Since then, reported estimates range from 50 to 75% of the company’s original 7,500 staff have been cut. Last week, Musk reportedly laid off another 40 from the data science and engineering teams. And we’re all wondering who will be left to flick the off switch when there’s no more blood left to bleed.


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A new wrap has been found and leaked from the v7.30 files.
Epic Games had introduced a new cosmetic to Fortnite in the v7.30 update, wraps. These wraps can be used on both weapons and vehicles in the game and there are multiple wraps you can obtain from the Battle Pass.
There has been a new wrap found in the files, which has been leaked by @TrixLeaks called DragonMask wrap in the files. This wrap can be seen below:
It is unclear how players will be able to obtain this wrap, but it is possible it will be available to purchase in the Fortnite Item Shop in the upcoming weeks. The Chinese New Year is on February 5th, which will be most likely when we will see this wrap.
There is another wrap that has been found in previous updates that has not been released yet, called the Hot & Cold wrap, as can be seen below:
This is an uncommon wrap, which has not been released yet, but the files suggest it will be available to purchase in the Shop.


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Nearly 90 participants from industry and academia representing 17 countries attended the Fiber Society fall meeting and technical conferenced hosted by the FACS department of textiles, merchandising and interiors Nov. 8-10.
The theme of the conference was “Advanced, Smart and Sustainable Polymers, Fibers and Textiles.”
Topics included the latest innovations in the field of fibers, along with process technologies, sustainable materials, smart fibers and textiles, nanomaterials, biomaterials, composites, eco-textiles, fashion, design and product development.
Darya Asheghali, a graduate student in chemistry, took first place in the graduate student paper competition sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.
Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Fiber and Polymer Science within the TMI department, served as technical chair of the conference.
To view a photo gallery from the conference, click here.
Book detailing history of family and consumer sciences at UGA now available for purchase
NYC to ATH Fashion DIY event offers hands-on demonstrations to student as part of FACS Week
Grad student in TMI committed to developing a sustainable textile dyeing technique
Classroom enhancements, industry-specific software give students competitive edge
Monica Sklar teaches and writes about punk style, the history of fashion and more


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Malevss SIA, a cheese production and catering company, has been granted a EUR 590 000 loan to build a cheese production plant near Ikšķile, Luminor bank said January 12.
Food & drink
The image of Latvia as a farming nation that just loves to consume regular, large portions of fresh fruit and vegetables is belied by latest data from Eurostat.
Restaurant managers are calling for an immediate decision on the resumption of the catering industry after the currentl lockdown ends, as well as for the provision of long-term state support, the Latvian Restaurant Association (LRB) said November 4, the LSM Latvian language service reports.
European Union statistics agency Eurostat has marked Halloween by publishing pumpkin data.
October and November is the time of the harvest of the most expensive spice in the world – saffron. This autumn, the first-ever harvest of saffron has also been gathered in Latvia, Priekuļi, Latvian Radio October 23.
The quest for Latvia's fattest pumpkin of the year has come to fruition: a 294-kilogram specimen grown by Irina Badovska was crowned at Maxima Latvia's specially organized squash championship.
The Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) has discovered an illegal food production plant in Bauska county Code parish, from which nearly two tonnes of unsanitary food products have been removed and destroyed, ReTV reported October 8.
September 9 saw famous Latvian confectionery brand 'Laima' opening a new production facility in Ādaži, just north of Rīga.
The international food fair Rīga Food 2021 began Wednesday, September 8, and will take place until Saturday, September 11, at the Ķīpsala Exhibition Center.
Despite its reputation as a cheap booze destination, the price of alcoholic drinks in Latvia is not as low as many people might imagine, when compared with other European countries.
With rain bringing out the first serious showing of mushrooms this year, medics are warning foragers to be sure of identifying their fungi accurately or risk potentially life-threatening consequences.
New figures about drinking habits and alcohol consumption suggest that very few Latvians drink on a daily basis and relatively few on a weekly basis. Instead we tend to favor a tipple once a month and even then it's not exactly a bacchanalian blow-out.
This year, due to dry and warm weather, there is a good harvest of watermelons and melons in Latvia. In recent years, there have also been more farms in Latvia that try to grow watermelons, Latvian Radio reported August 6.
If you're looking for a random fact to drop into your conversation next time you're down the pub, how about this one: last year, Latvian breweries produced more than 74 million liters of beer. To be precise, 74,546,098 liters, according to Eurostat data to mark International Beer Day on August 6 -- as if awareness of beer needed to be raised.
This year's ultra-hot summer has contributed to an unprecedented demand for ice cream. Interest in this product increased by up to 40%, Latvian Radio reported August 1.


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Michael Kalman is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MediaCrossing Inc., a leading, award-winning digital advertising agency.
The ongoing pandemic has set the stage for what many people are calling a "K-shaped recovery" in which there are clear winners and losers — not just at the individual level, but at the corporate level as well. According to Investopedia, "a K-shaped recovery occurs when, following a recession, different parts of the economy recover at different rates, times or magnitudes. This is in contrast to an even, uniform recovery across sectors, industries, or groups of people." From a brand standpoint, the ability to emerge successful during the economic recovery period may have everything to do with strategic positioning and strong marketing.
Within a K-shaped recovery, some brands will naturally succeed while others inevitably falter. However, other brands — the majority, from what I've seen — won't fall into clear-cut winner and loser buckets. For these companies, success or failure will likely be determined by their agility and innovation in the coming months.
Positioning For Success Amid The Pandemic
Certain companies were at a fundamental disadvantage going into the pandemic. Brands built around the concept of bringing people physically together, particularly indoors, saw business inevitably grind to a halt. Movie theaters, restaurants, concert halls and similar businesses might find ways to stem the bleeding and outlast competitors in the coming months, but they'll be hard-pressed to soar into the recovery without a fundamental overhaul of their business concepts, operations and real estate investments.
At the same time, other companies were predisposed to success going into the pandemic. Brands that filled a need for people who were suddenly spending more, if not all, of their time at home have become the new household names in 2020 — names like Zoom, DoorDash and Disney+. Digital-first business models were already on an upward curve back in February, and Covid-19 catapulted them onto a new accelerated growth trajectory. Their success will likely continue throughout the pandemic and beyond, and their competition will probably grow larger in the coming years.
But what about the legions of brands whose business realities exist somewhere between those of AMC Theatres and Netflix? For most, success during the global economic recovery will hinge on the ability to pivot quickly, both in services and marketing.
Getting Into The New Consideration Set
The big question for brands right now is whether they're doing what they can to be a part of the consideration set when people are ready to spend. Brands must analyze where they fit on the recovery curve — and how to maximize their operations to be at the highest position possible. This phenomenon has caused an acceleration in digital adoption by brands that may have traditionally been slower to adapt. We will see the brands that fail to adapt phase out.
For example, we are seeing increasing innovation within the luxury sector. The key for manufacturers in this luxury segment has been to reinvent how they're getting in front of their narrow band of target consumers. Luxury brands, such as high-end watches, have doubled down on more digital-savvy marketing, reaching consumers directly via social platforms. "Globally, Covid-19 has contributed to modifying the mindset for luxury brands that were not keen on using e-commerce so intensively," Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin reportedly shared earlier this year. As a result, luxury companies that have adapted may be well-positioned to ride the upper trajectory of the K into the economic recovery and beyond.
We see similar tales of agility across the business landscape. Uber, for example, has quickly turned its focus to its suddenly in-demand food delivery service, Uber Eats, even as its rideshare revenue plummeted during the pandemic. It's precisely this type of agility — both in focus and in marketing — that brands must emulate in order to gain a foothold going into the economic recovery.
Aim For The Top Of The K With Agile Marketing
In the above example, we see that while some companies or industry sectors have fortuitously been positioned to ride out the top of a K-shaped recovery, others, such as the luxury sector, can harness the energy of an agile marketing strategy to adapt quickly, innovate and survive.
Traditionally a concept applied to rapid product development and technical innovation, agile is now being increasingly applied to marketing strategy to ensure operational excellence. According to an in-depth agile marketing guide by McKinsey, "Agile, in the marketing context, means using data and analytics to continuously source promising opportunities or solutions to problems in real time, deploying tests quickly, evaluating the results, and rapidly iterating."
This framework operates on the ability for brands to plan for the unplanned: Refine a hypothesis, deploy tests, iterate and evolve. The crux of the strategy is to be nimble, adaptive and data-driven.
Steps For Implementation
1. Look at your existing processes. Identify areas in your current review process where the timelines can be adjusted to account for more frequent (typically weekly) reviews, internal adjustments and execution.
2. List out your stakeholders — operational, strategic and leadership. Identify areas for the facilitation of communication.
3. Ensure there are clear project managers at each step of the process and clearly identify responsibility. Use a workflow tracker or system to manage operations, execution, review and iterations.
4. Review your campaigns on a weekly basis, maintain clear KPIs, and ensure each review is viewed within the framework of the changing political, economic, social and technological changes. Consider a macro PEST analysis review at the end of each month or quarter to ensure campaigns align with audience behavior and societal changes.
Planning For The Increasingly Complex Future
Adopting an agile marketing strategy is a key part of ensuring a reliable, flexible backbone is built to support changing market conditions within the increasingly complicated conditions of marketing to a digitally connected world. The agile marketing framework can help brands cater toward evolution and efficiency over time as waves of technological and social trends fluctuate.
Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?


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Fanatics Betting and Gaming closed its acquisition of PointsBet in eight states. This marks the beginning of rebranding for these respective markets.
PointsBet shareholders unanimously agreed on a $225m sales of its US assets to Fanatics – sports betting, advance deposit wagering and Banachtechnology.
Three different products are available depending on where you live: Fanatics Sportbook; PointsBet a Fanatics Experience and PointsBet casino.
These products will continue to be available in the existing Fanatics states – Ohio Massachusetts Tennessee and Maryland.
Maryland has a PointsBet Sportsbook that will be rebranded as ‘PointsBet – a Fanatics Experience,’ and will remain on the PointsBet Platform. Both products will continue to be available in Maryland for the time being.
The ‘PointsBet, a Fanatics Experience,’ transformation will take place also in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
PointsBet Casino will continue to operate in New Jersey and West Virginia. However, the technology of the platform as well as Banach Technology’s risk management platform will be integrated into Fanatics’ Amelco powered product in the near future.
Matt King commented on the acquisition: “We’re excited about our plans at Fanatics Betting and Gaming and we believe this acquisition will accelerate them.”
We have a 10-year plan that is focused on the customer, not the market share. We will acquire customers efficiently and return savings to our customers by investing in their Fanatics Sportsbook experience.
Six states, including Indiana, Illinois Louisiana Michigan, New York, and Ohio, will continue to be known as PointsBet Sportsbook until the switchover occurs. Johnny Aitken will continue to be the CEO of PointsBet US.


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Why are employers using wearable tech to monitor their workers?
Employers are fitting their staff with heart and fitness monitors. But not everyone is hailing it as a great step forward for health
Facebook wins legal victory over allegations it broke privacy rules
Austrian court says it does not have the authority to hear case against social network giant
Mobile phone calls to 0800 numbers are now free
As of Wednesday, 0800 and 0808 numbers will not be charged for when making mobile phone calls
First pictures of the iPhone 6s 'leaked online'
Pictures of what appears to be the iPhone 6s have appeared online, suggesting very minor changes from its predecessor
Apple Music, critic's review: 'clunky, fussy, confusing and flawed'
A new dawn? Apple's new streaming service leaves music critic Ed Power fuming
Google Photos assigns 'gorilla' tag to photos of black people
Google has removed the 'gorilla' tag from its new Photos app, after it was found to be misidentifying images of black people
The best of Siri: 11 funny responses from the iPhone's virtual assistant
As asking Siri how to divide zero by zero takes over the internet, we go through more of the best answers when you ask for Siri's help
Apple Music vs Spotify: How do the two streaming services compare?
Now that it's finally available to download, how does Apple Music compare with Spotify, and which deserves your money?
The future of Facebook is telepathy, reveals Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says technology will become so advanced that people will be able to send thoughts to their friends
Apple Music: four key facts about the music streaming service
Following the launch of Apple Music, Apple's online music streaming service, The Telegraph's Rhiannon Williams gives her verdict on its key features


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Many publishers may see native advertising as their savior, but The New York Times has approached it with great ambivalence. In introducing the Times’ first native ad product, the publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, sent employees a letter that read more like an apology than a new product announcement. The ad product may be “relatively new and can be controversial,” Sulzberger wrote in his letter, but is necessary to help “restore digital advertising revenue to growth.”
The first such Paid Post, a collection of freelanced stories from Dell that launched in January, was conservative in both labeling and content.
“We were happy with it,” said Sebastian Tomich, vp of advertising. “But once we proved we could get the platform right, we wanted to look at how we could up our game with the content.”
Six months later, the Times has certainly done that, with a string of attention-getting sponsored posts that have unquestionably raised the bar for native advertising. The first, in June, was a deeply reported, if one-sided, narrative article on women’s prisons for Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black.” The ad was richly illustrated and accompanied by audio clips, a slideshow and graphics. According to Nudge, the campaign got more than 145,000 impressions.
“Orange” marked a turning point in that it showed that native ads could approach the standards of the Times’ editorial content, or at least, rival its readership. It was quickly followed by similarly elaborate multimedia campaigns for other brands including Cole Haan, Goldman Sachs and Shell.
Tomich and his boss, evp of advertising Meredith Levien, had realized that to do the kind of native ads that were worthy of the Times, they needed someone who had strong journalistic credentials but could also speak persuasively with marketers. They found that person in Adam Aston, a former Businessweek editor. Aston had written similar kinds of stories about companies but also had done some ghostwriting for brands including IBM and SAP.
“Adam had a blend of editorial content and a modest pride that can handle a client’s criticism,” Tomich said. “Not all of them have a thick skin.”
Aston in turn hired two more former journalists, Melanie Deziel, a former blogger for The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed who came from the Huffington Post’s branded content studio, and Kaylee King-Balentine, a video producer who had done a stint at AOL. His group also would get its own name and its logo, T Brand Studio. The group now has 21 people, including designers, technologists, project managers, content strategists and social media experts. During that time the Times said it would cut 100 jobs from the newsroom (although the overall newsroom headcount has grown, to 1,330 from 1,250 at the end of 2013).
The Times has produced 38 Paid Posts to date, and cited native ads as a contributor to a 16.5 percent uptick in digital advertising in the third quarter. And while the ad people are careful to avoid equating them to the Times’ vaunted journalism, the overall goal is clear: to produce quality that feels Timesian. “What’s ‘native’ to the Times is great content,” Tomich said. Aston looks for “narrative stories” to extract from clients’ dry white papers and academic reports that speak in “the larger voice of the Times.” He likened the process to a pitch meeting at a magazine: “Our first goal is to frame up a good story.” (There are weekly meetings with the edit side where the ads are reviewed to ensure they won’t be confused with editorial content.)
The ad community is lavishing praise on the quality of the Times’ native ads, which have leapfrogged other publishers that embraced native much earlier.
Stephanie Losee, managing editor of Dell Global Marketing, said as native advertising has matured, the Times, along with other publishers, has started carving out niches. “If I want to do a sustained paid publishing effort, I would get a [Forbes] BrandVoice page,” she said. “If I wanted to do a big bang, especially one that involved data, I would go to the Times. But I would be just as interested in video.”
One nagging concern all publishers have is proving native advertising’s effectiveness, and the Times is no different. The Times provides standard publisher metrics to advertisers, using a dashboard from analytics firm SimpleReach. But increasingly, advertisers are demanding that their native ads include calls to action.
Such a demand would seem ill-suited to the Times’ native ad product, with its focus on storytelling. Take the Thanksgiving Eve video ad for Holiday Inn. The six-minute video chronicled a family’s year-long trip with a dying mother and tugged at the heartstrings. But without Holiday Inn branding in the video, one might ask how it helped the hotel brand. “Any brand could have been associated with that piece, Hallmark, or Priceline,” said Joe McCambley, co-founder of The Wonderfactory. “It’s nice storytelling, but it’s a one-off. If we’re only creating art and not creating commerce, then it’s not going to work.”
Levien has boasted that the Times’ native ads do as well as its editorial content, but the Times has only produced a couple of examples where that was the case, for a United Airlines post that got 200,000 views, as well as the “Orange” post that made the top 10 most-viewed articles on the site when it was published.
Tomich conceded that there’s a “constant tension between brands who want to jump into content marketing but wonder, ‘Is this driving sales?’ We don’t have the proof as far as sales go.” At the same time, he defended the use of publisher metrics, saying: “I believe in my gut that high-quality work delivers better results.”
The Times may be enjoying the lead for now. But it may only be a matter of time before other publishers catch up. And while there’s still room for growth in native, advertisers who were early adapters are already moving on, demanding ever more of the Times’ creative abilities.
“They’re thinking about video programming, building sites, designing billboards in Times Square,” Tomich said. “We’re thinking about how we can branch out. You look at a campaign like Shell — that’s the work of a creative agency. It’s a challenge to meet that expectation.”
More in Media
Publishers revamp their newsletter offerings to engage audiences amid threat of AI and declining referral traffic
Publishers like Axios, Eater, the Guardian, theSkimm and Snopes are either growing or revamping their newsletter offerings to engage audiences as a wave of generative AI advancements increases the need for original content and referral traffic declines push publishers to find alternative ways to reach readers.
The Guardian US is entering the race for political ad dollars.
Some people in the know at Possible said they see the conference taking a bite out of Cannes’ attendance, most acutely by U.S.-based marketers who could save money by staying on this side of the Atlantic.


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Yorkshire’s Morrisons and Asda were the worst performing of the big four over the past three months.
Kantar said Bradford-based Morrisons saw sales decline 1.7 per cent while Leeds-based Asda’s sales fell 1.2 per cent in the 12 weeks to November 3.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said it was hard to pin down why Morrisons and Asda are both underperforming.
At a time when sales were supposed to pick up, he said the malaise is due to a combination of low confidence, political uncertainty and a shaky economy.
He said a combination of all of these things is leading to a general slow performance at the big four and Asda and Morrisons are included in that.
All of the big four supermarkets saw a slow start to the crucial festive period.
Sainsbury’s and Tesco proved slightly more resilient than their Yorkshire rivals with falls of 0.2 per cent and 0.6 per cent over the 12 week period.
Analyst Clive Black at Shore Capital said he had expected to see an improvement in trading momentum in the autumn, but this hasn’t happened.
Mr Black blamed a cautious mood among consumers who are behaving as if we were in a recession, despite the UK not being in recession.
“We thoroughly expect Santa to be more important than Boris or Jezza et al by Christmas, thankfully, but the mood music for the earnings momentum of the majors going into the festive period is a little mellow,” he added.
Whatever happens in the General Election next month, we are unlikely to see any resolution to this malaise.
A Tory majority would see the UK leave the EU by January 31 and then attempt to do a trade deal in less than a year when it took Canada, Switzerland and Norway northwards of seven years to do their deals.
Indeed, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt has cast doubts that a year will be enough time.
So we would have another Brexit deadline date of December 31, 2020 - the very worst time for retailers who stockpile Christmas goods.
The UK narrowly managed to resist falling into a recession in the third quarter, but if this confusion continues, the chances are we will see negative GDP numbers in future quarters.
The alternative to a Tory majority would be a hung Parliament and the chance of a minority Labour Government.
This is looking a lot more likely after the Government’s woeful response to the floods in South Yorkshire.
Many of the affected areas are Labour strongholds that might have been tempted to vote Tory, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s dismissive behaviour to their plight has kyboshed that.
The news that the Brexit Party is to stand in all Labour-held seats will also split the Tory vote, making it easier for Labour MPs to retain their seats.
Labour has said it can renegotiate a new Withdrawal Agreement in three months and hold a confirmatory referendum within six months.
This also looks like wishful thinking in terms of how long it will actually take.
We would also have to rely on the remaining 27 members of the EU agreeing to another postponement.
This dreadful Brexit malaise will be going nowhere in 2020 whatever happens and Britain’s grocery sector will just have to keep ploughing on amid confusion, Brexit fatigue and deep divisions.


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In some recent years, we have been hearing about a supposed console Switch Proin a mid-cycle refresh for Nintendo, in a way very similar to what Sony and Microsoft have done with their consoles.
With a better performance, better resolution and a much bigger battery, the mountain that promised something, awoke to the concept of a new switch named OLED.
Yes, the Switch Pro should’ve been released during the pandemic around the time that the switch OLED was released. Since now there’s no time for Pro consoles, the next console for Nintendos is a new generation Switch.
Switch for Nintendo? Forget! Add the Switch 2 to that.
I was time to forget Switch Pro, which was apparently planned, but despite the difficulties inherent in the global pandemic, it wasn’t cancelled, but was very limited, so we had to go with Switch OLED. There are no internal updates on the console, but this has been a long time since the new era, and for now the OLED is a bit bigger than our regular.
That said, now that was about to enter 2023, and Switch is looking forward to 6 years old It’s time to come and see something really new and a little bit new. Despite the success of the console, the hardware is starting to show its age.
When do we look for the switch 2?
Before you go, you’ll forget about 2023 release. Nintendo has already started developing, but as far as you know, 2023 is likely the worst year since 2002.
In addition, 2023 will be the return of the sequel to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, in a previous major console exclusivity, before the next generation of new generation of hybrid consoles.
How does it feel about all this? Is it time to talk about an alternate switch 2? Is it late? What would you like to see in the console?


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Apple CEO Tim Cook termed the fresh lawsuit filed by David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital henge fund as a “silly slideshow”. Tim Cook rebutted the criticism aimed at his company that alleged that Apple had depression era mindset. At the Goldman Sachs conference in San Francisco, Cook commented that the company makes bold moves on its […]
The manufacturer of multi-zone digital music and hi -fi music systems Sonos is about to launch Playbar, the first TV soundbar in the market.
As per the recent reports, the market for sound bars, which help in enhancing the sound from television’s with the help of sophisticated speakers, has increased by 60 per cent for this . . . → Read More: Sonos launches Playbar for enhanced TV audio


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Sporting greats gathered at Swansea’s LC on Thursday to give their seal of approval to the launch of a new sports drink on offer there.
Welsh Internationals Alun Wyn Jones and Dan Biggar, along with Olympic medalist Darren Campbell MBE, helped launch the PAS Pro Iso sports drink, which was developed by the WRU National squad nutritionist, Jon Williams. Pro Iso is the official isotonic supplier to the WRU and the Welsh FA. Darren is also a director of PAS.
The LC’s Centre Manager Emma Allchurch said: “We are always looking for ways to offer LC users to best experience and the most cutting edge fitness and this product really can be called the drink of champions.
“The fact that’s it’s the sports drink of choice for our national teams made it an easy choice and we were very keen on the Pro Zero which is a sugar free, no calorie electrolyte drink for our members. More of of our members are looking for sugar free drinks to hydrate and Pro Zero is perfect for this”
Craig Ciaburri The Food and Beverage Manager who decided to bring Pro Iso to the LC added: “We are proud to be the first public facility associated with Jon, Darren and Pro-Iso and I feel we are providing something no other facility can by supplying these drinks for our gym members and regular customers alike. We look forward to a long and successful relationship.”


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Successful New Business Looks to Expand After Just One Year
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Escape Live have teamed up with us to offer local JQ Businesses a fantastic 10% off their booking. If you are interested please contact Jordan direct on 01215723131, you will also need to bring a business card with you on arrival*. Get your fantastic team building experience now!
A Birmingham entertainment venue, which opened less than a year ago and challenges players to escape within the hour, is already stepping up plans for expansion.
Escape Live, which runs live games for teams of up to five people who work to crack puzzles and escape from a locked room, launched in January 2015 and has been operating at almost full capacity ever since. The venue, based in Henrietta Street, is now top of Trip Advisor’s list of Fun & Games in the city after having already welcomed more than 4,500 visitors.
Now, the company in the process of creating two new themed rooms at its existing location in Birmingham, with additional plans to open a new location in the south of the country. Joint owners of Escape Live, Jas Sodhi and radio DJ John Dalziel, say they have been overwhelmed by the popularity of the games. “The reaction to Escape Live has far exceeded what we ever expected,” JD said. “We now have customers who have been in to escape from one room then rushing back to do the second, then emailing us afterwards asking us to open a third and fourth – so it seemed only fair to satisfy their thirst for more!”
The venue currently holds two rooms with different themes; Dr Wilson’s Office, a detective based game, and Room 13, which is more horror themed. The idea in both is to piece together a range of clues and escape from the room within an hour.
“Part of the reason the rooms have been so popular is due to the level of thought that has gone into them,” Jas Sodhi said. “We came up with Dr Wilson’s Office after being inspired by Sherlock Holmes, which is a popular story that most people can relate to. “Whereas with Room 13 we wanted to push the boundaries a little more so incorporated more of a gory, horror aspect. “And now escape rooms are growing in popularity and more people are aware of Escape Live, so with the new rooms we are looking to introduce themes that are more out there and inventive – although that’s all we’re willing to reveal!”
The pair also say the venue has been popular for corporate events and teambuilding exercises for businesses. “The corporate market has really boomed for us and we’re currently working with some massive companies which are based locally, including the likes of Deloitte, Vodafone and the West Midlands Fire Service,” John added. “Nando’s are our most popular corporate visitors though – they’ve even been known to bring in teams of people that the company hadn’t even hired yet, purely to see how the individuals would get along in a team environment! “The escape rooms really are for everyone – stag and hen do’s, students, couples and families alike all visit and enjoy the experience so much they make repeat visits afterwards.
“We are now in the final stages of planning for another location in the south but we’re not just looking to stop there – so for anyone interested in franchise opportunities with Escape Live, feel free to get in touch.”
For more information, call Escape Live on 0121 5723131 or email
*Please note this is offer is only applicable to businesses within the Jewellery Quarter BID area, Escape Live reserve the right to withdraw or alter this offer at any time.


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Madewell continues to show gains while comp sales at the J. Crew brand remained challenged.
The exhibit next spring would be only the second the Met has devoted to a living designer.
Italian eyewear firm’s purchase of Erroca will likely be the beginning of larger expansion in the Middle East.
Earlier this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a cargo shipment with more than 30,000 bottles designed to resemble well-known fragrance brands.
Fashion’s Night Out is a month away to the day, but the activities around it are already starting.


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There's an old joke about a restaurant called the Karma Cafe. They have no menus; each customer simply gets what they deserve.
Well, investors who owned identity-protection firm LifeLock (LOCK) may have gotten what they deserved on Tuesday, when their shares plummeted by nearly 50% in a single day:
The trigger for the sell-off was the announcement of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit over the firm's alleged noncompliance with a 2010 settlement concerning false advertising.
LOCK's plunge was thus due to a mixture of old news and a new twist. But the real question was why anybody would want to own LifeLock -- which recently traded as high as $19.15 -- in the first place.
LifeLock is emblematic of the insanity surrounding many IPOs that were brought to the market in recent years.
The company earned just $0.09 a share in 2012 but debuted at $9 -- a P/E of 100. When 2013's EPS grew to 15 cents and were announced in 2014, idiotic traders pushed the shares up to $22.85, or 152x trailing profits.
Revenues continued to ramp up during 2014, yet earnings dropped by 80% to just 3 cents a share:
Then, this year's first quarter saw LifeLock's highest sales ever -- but LOCK nonetheless reported its largest three-month loss in its short history as a public company. Unless you're Amazon (AMZN), that should have been an enormous red flag (and even Amazon's history is quite controversial).
Now the question is why in the world would anybody believe Morningstar's forward P/E projection of 9.1x (following Tuesday's drop)?
You should also note that Value Line was only looking for LOCK to report 42 cents EPS in 2015 and 68 cents next year before LifeLock's very significant legal problems became public:
I'm skeptical that the company's actual results will be anywhere near even analysts' now-lowered projections. In fact, I think LOCK is probably best sold even in the $8 to $9 range.
Of course, LifeLock is far from the only crazy game on Wall Street.
Arts-and-crafts retailer Etsy (ETSY) has never made any money and warned that it won't do so any time soon, but the company still managed to price its IPO at $16 in April. Hyped-up traders paid as much as $35.74 soon afterwards, only to see their shares fall to $12.80 in less than two months:
ETSY has managed to rebound from that low by almost 50%, which tends to keep short-term traders interested. But as with LifeLock, the problem is that owning crappy companies is like playing musical chairs -- the music can stop at any time without notice, leaving massive losses for players.
My advice is to always fight "FOMO" -- the "Fear Of Missing Out." The best way to avoid losses from absurd trading is to simply refuse to play the game.
Paul Price is a regular contributor to Real Money Pro. Click here to learn about this dynamic market information service for active traders.


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The International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) 11th annual Global Survey on Trade Finance reveals that banks are optimistic about the evolving nature of trade finance, though unsurprisingly expect various industry-wide challenges and disruption as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that it is partnering with DBS Bank, Southeast Asia's largest bank, to integrate digital trade financing capabilities into the Infor Nexus global network of more than 68,000 businesses.
Surecomp, the market leader in global trade finance and treasury solutions for banks and corporations, today announced the launch of its Trade Finance-as-a-Service (TFaaS) suite comprising back-office trade finance management and processing, front-office for banks’ corporate clients, open API connectivity and full access to its Marketplace. The new subscription-based service is fully scalable and offers a cost-effective and holistic solution... more
Surecomp, the market leader in global trade finance and treasury solutions for banks and corporations, today announced the launch of its new front-office solution Fastrade™, designed specifically for small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Fastrade™ allows banks to extend trade finance capabilities to their SME corporate clients, while SMEs can now also gain direct access to and benefit from fully digitized trade finance services.
Surecomp®, the market leader in global trade finance and treasury solutions for banks and corporations, today announced the launch of its new fintech Marketplace. Accompanied by the launch of a fresh new brand identity, website and API developer portal, the arrival of Marketplace epitomizes the evolution of industry change and digitization by offering a web-based platform providing single point access to other innovative solutions within the... more
AvaTrade, an award-winning forex and CFD broker, has announced the opening of its latest office in Warsaw, Poland. This expansion adds to AvaTrade’s growing international presence, including offices in Dublin, Milan, Tokyo, and Sydney, and is a significant step forward in the broker’s aim to accommodate the needs of traders internationally.
First Turkish-German trade finance transaction on Marco Polo blockchain network with İşbank and Commerzbank
İşbank and Commerzbank have jointly run an international trade finance transaction based on distributed ledger technology (DLT). Payments were secured by digitally processing the related data transfer via Corda blockchain technology on the Marco Polo trade finance network. İşbank is the first bank in Turkey to perform a trade finance transaction using blockchain technology. The transaction took place on 27 May 2020 between İşbank, Şişecam,... more
Contour, the Singapore-based open trade finance network, has today announced its partnership with IntellectEU as part of a shared vision to digitise trade finance on a global scale. IntellectEU will function as an integrator of Contour’s blockchain platform, automating back-office flows for both financial institutions and corporates.
In response to current market needs and the rapidly evolving global trade landscape, China Systems, world-leading trade solutions vendor, has created a specialised Trade Digitalisation Services (TDS) Unit, which is composed of experts who have deep technical, project and business domain knowledge on International Trade operations.
Surecomp, the leading provider of global trade finance solutions for banks and corporates, today announced the opening of its Application Programming Interfaces (API) architecture to customers in a sandbox testing environment, setting the new open banking standard in the digitization of trade finance processing and connectivity.
Finastra has been named best global trade finance software provider by Global Finance at the Trade Finance Awards 2020. The accolade was announced at an awards ceremony held at the BAFT Global Annual Meeting in Frankfurt last week. It recognizes Finastra for its innovative technology in the trade and supply chain finance space.
Bolero International partners with Traydstream to automate scrutiny and compliance checking of trade documents
Bolero International is partnering with Traydstream, the leader in Trade document scrutiny using artificial intelligence (AI), to provide a powerful automatic document checking service for both its corporate and bank customers saving them time and resources as well as mitigating trade finance risks.
Stanbic Bank Uganda (SBU) and Traydstream Ltd have signed an agreement to implement the Traydstream platform at SBU. This platform is intended to digitize the current manual process of vetting Letters of Credit for Discrepencies. The trade document processing conducted over the past few months proved the dramatic improvement the Traydstream platform brings to SBU’s processing, turnaround and end-to-end trade capabilities.
Commerzbank and LBBW have set a new milestone in the digitalisation of commercial transactions based on blockchain technology
LBBW and Commerzbank have once again executed a trade transaction between Voith and KSB SE, via the Marco Polo trade finance network, built on R3’s distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform, Corda. This time, besides the two companies involved, logistics provider Logwin AG was incorporated into the digital process chain – directly, and in real time. This represents a milestone in the expansion of the digital trade finance ecosystem.


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Sony has revised a patent for even more VR technology, following a display at CES 2022 showing the technical characteristics of the PS VR2. The technology in issue would allow gamers to scan real-world objects into virtual reality, allowing them to interact with anything in the VR environment.
This invention was originally filed on June 23, 2021, but the patent office objected to certain of its claims, causing Sony to modify the details and resubmit. Sony and the patent office appear to have started moving forward with the procedure as of yesterday, after Sony’s adjustments and modifications.
At this time, it’s unclear exactly what the patent’s applications might be.
There are obvious ways that technology like that may be utilized in video games, but given how little is known about the PS VR2 and the titles that will be released for it, there isn’t enough information to say for certain that it will be used in VR games. Depending on the game, the technology might be utilized for non-VR experiences as well.


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MARKET WATCH JUNE 30, 2016
Markets plunged after Britain’s surprise vote to exit the European Union, but surged at the end of June to regain much of their losses. For the second quarter, the S&P gained 1.2%, the DOW gained 1.7% and the NASDAQ shed 0.5%. For the month of June, the DOW gained 0.3% to close at 17,930, the NASDAQ lost 1.8% to close at 4,843 and the S&P, the index most closely followed by economists, fell fractionally to close at 2,099.
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE RISES TO 98.0
The New-York based Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index rose to 98.0 in June after falling to a slightly downwardly revised 92.4 in May. The Present Situation Index increased to 118.3 from an upwardly revised 113.2 in May and was at the highest level it has been since September 2015. The Expectations Index rose to 84.5 in June from a downwardly revised 78.5. The Conference Board said that consumers remain cautiously optimistic about economic growth. Economists say a level of 90 indicates that the economy is on solid footing and a level of 100 or more indicates growth. Analysts caution that the real driver behind consumer spending is income growth and that labor market trends are a more accurate predictor of consumer behavior. The Consumer Confidence survey closed well before the Brexit vote disrupted the global economy.
CONSUMER SPENDING RISES 0.4%
Consumer spending rose 0.4% in May after rising an upwardly revised 1.1% in April. Incomes rose a solid 0.4% after rising by the same amount in March. Core consumer spending rose a solid 0.3% in May after rising an upwardly revised 0.8% in April. Personal income rose 0.2% after climbing 0.5% in April. The personal savings rate fell slightly to 5.3% from 5.4% in April, the lowest level in a year and well below the near-term peak of 6% reached in March. Core PCE (personal consumption expenditures) prices, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, rose 0.2% in May after rising 0.3% in April and were up 1.6% year over year, still below the Fed’s target of 2%. Consumer spending is closely watched by economists because it accounts for 70% of U.S. economic activity.
CONSUMER PRICES RISE 0.2%
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.2% in May after rising 0.4% in April, making for three consecutive months of increases. In the 12 months through May the CPI increased 1.0%. Core prices, which strip out volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.2% in May after rising by the same amount in April. In the 12 months through May core inflation was up 2.2%, the sixth consecutive month of growth of 2.0% or more. The increase in core prices was primarily due to rapidly rising shelter prices, which increased 3.4% in April from April 2015, the largest annual gain for the category since September 2007.
UNEMPLOYMENT RISES TO 4.9%
The unemployment rate rose to 4.9% in June after falling 4.7% in May and the economy added 287,000 new jobs. Job gains were well ahead of economists’ expectations and a big improvement from the downwardly revised 11,000 jobs added in May. The increase in the unemployment rate was regarded as a good sign, as it indicates more people are looking for work. Wage growth picked up to 2.6%. That's still below the 3.5% or so the Fed would like to see, but it's a healthy bump from earlier in the year when wage growth was barely above 2%. The unexpected jump in jobs relieved concerns that the economic recovery was stalling out. Some of the big gains were due to striking workers at Verizon returning to work. In addition, there were substantial jobs gains in retail and healthcare; employment in many other sectors, including construction, was little changed.
DURABLE GOODS ORDERS FALL 2.2%
New orders for durable goods fell 2.2% in May after rising 3.4% in April. The drop was larger than economists anticipated, and was led by a 34.1% decline in military aircraft orders. However, orders were generally down across almost every category. Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a category that serves as a proxy for business investment spending, fell 0.7% in May after falling 0.8% in April. Orders in this category were down 3.5% through the first five months of this year compared to the same time period last year. Shipments of core capital goods, which factor into GDP calculations for business spending, rose 1.2% in May after increasing 0.3% in April. The durable goods report is often both volatile and subject to sharp revisions. Oxford Economics expects that the headwinds that are constraining growth, including the strong dollar, weak foreign demand, bloated inventories and low oil prices, will remain for much of the year and limit real GDP growth this year.
CHICAGO PMI JUMPS TO 56.8
The Chicago PMI jumped 7.5 points to 56.8 in June after falling below 50 in May. The rebound offset the previous two months of weakness and left the PMI broadly unchanged over the quarter at an average of 52.2 in Q2 compared with 52.3 in Q1. New Orders increased sharply to the highest level since October 2014, and Order Backlogs broke a 16-month stretch of below-50 readings to rise to the highest level since March 2011. Production also rose to the highest level since January. Firms have been drawing down inventory since last November, but in June inventory increased in the double-digits, ending seven months of contraction. Companies remain cautious about the future, with 46% of respondents anticipating that orders will rise in the third quarter compared to 57% of respondents who thought orders would rise in the third quarter of last year.
WHOLESALE PRICES RISE 0.4%
The Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 0.4% in May after rising 0.2% in April and was down 0.1% from May 2015. The core PPI, which excludes food, energy and trade services, rose 1.2% after rising 0.9% in April and was up 0.8% from May 2015. Economists had expected a 0.3% increase. Energy goods and trade services accounted for much of the increase. The PPI for inputs to construction rose 0.5% in May after rising 0.3% in April but was down 2.1% from May 2015.
Q1 GDP REVISED UP TO 1.1%
GDP grew an upwardly revised 1.1% in the first quarter, up from the 0.5% growth first reported as well as the second reading of 0.8%. Compared with the second report, exports rose 0.3% instead of falling 2% as first reported, and corporate profits grew 3.3%, up from the initially reported gain of 1.9%. Companies spent more than initially reported on software and research and development in Q1. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of economic activity, was revised down to 1.5% growth for the quarter from the 1.9% first reported, which was the weakest showing in a year. However, second quarter data thus far would indicate a pick up in consumer spending. Nonresidential fixed investment dropped 4.5%, rather than the 6.2% drop first reported. Inflation was revised down, with the PCE (personal consumption expenditures) index rising at a 0.2% annual pace rather than the 0.3% pace previously reported. Since the recovery began nearly seven years ago, GDP has been weak in the first quarter of each year, averaging 0.8%, and has then rebounded in the spring, with second quarter growth averaging 3.1%. Economists are expecting a similar pattern this year, forecasting second quarter growth between 2.3% and 2.8%.
JOB OPENINGS RISE SLIGHTLY
The number of job openings rose slightly to 5.8 million in April, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report. The number of openings matched an all-time high reached in the summer of 2015. The hiring rate fell to 3.5% and hires edged down to 5.1 million while separations were little changed at 5.0 million. Within separations, the quits rate was 2.0%, and the layoffs and discharges rate was 1.1%. Quits rose slightly and layoffs continued to fall. Quits are typically voluntary separations, and an increase in quits generally indicates that people are more confident about their ability to find another job. The JOLTS report is one of Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s preferred economic indicators.
CONSTRUCTION JOBS GO UNFILLED
NAHB reported that 200,000 construction jobs went unfilled in April. That was down from 215,000 in March, which was the highest since the recession. Despite a May industry employment bump of 3.4% from a year ago, the decrease in job openings could mean a labor shortage might be "reaching the point where [it] undermines the sector's growth," according to AGC. The NAHB’s Chief Economist, Robert Dietz, said the number of open construction jobs has been going up since the recession, and a January NAHB survey found that 76% of builders anticipate that filling skilled labor positions will be their greatest challenge in 2016.
NO INTEREST RATE INCREASE FOR NOW
As widely expected, the Fed declined to raise short-term interest rates at the mid-June meeting of the Open Market Committee. The decision leaves the federal funds rate at 0.25% to 0.50%. The median forecast of the 17 members of the FOMC expects no more than two more 25-basis-point interest rate hikes this year, however the number of officials who believe there will be just one increase rose from one in the March forecast to six in June. The Fed notes stated that they are confident that labor conditions will strengthen and expects unemployment to average 4.6% both this year and in 2017. Projections now show that the Fed expects rates to rise to just 2.4% by the end of 2018, down from the 3.2% most recent forecast. Economists note that the Fed appears increasingly open to acknowledging a basic shift in economic dynamics that would allow rates to remain low for long periods of time without heating up the economy. Brexit made a rate increase any time soon even less likely.
FED REVISED GDP FORECASTS
The U.S. economy is on track to grow by a 2.8% annualized rate in the second quarter, according to the latest forecast model from the Atlanta Federal Reserve’s GDPNow forecast model. The increase in GDP came on the heels of a stronger-than-forecast rise in retail sales that caused the Fed to raise the forecast for personal consumption expenditures for the second quarter to 3.9% from 3.5%. However, the Fed revised its real GDP growth forecast for 2016 overall down from 2.2% to 2.0%. The committee also noted that inflation continues to run below its 2.0% target, but expects to hit that target by 2018.
IMF CUTS U.S. GDP FORECAST
The International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for U.S. growth this year from 2.4% to 2.2%. However, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the U.S. economy is in good shape, despite some recent setbacks.
IMPACT OF BREXIT ON U.S. ECONOMY
Great Britain’s unexpected decision to leave the European Union threw global markets into broad declines in the first few days after the historic vote, and sent the dollar up and the pound and euro down. The appreciation of the dollar is not good news for the U.S. economy as it makes U.S. goods pricier for other countries to buy. Britain’s exit from the EU will not actually start until the secession process is triggered when Prime Minister Cameron’s successor takes over in October, which gives Great Britain and the E.U. three months to start working out the process. Beginning in October the U.K. will have two years to renegotiate relations with the members of the E.U. No nation has exited the E.U., so the impact and the process itself is still to be determined. Analysts in the U.S. expect little long-term effect on the U.S. economy, but uncertainty may cause the stock market to tread water in the coming months and shave a few tenths of a percent from GDP. However, international publications have pointed out that when European Union negotiators sit down to talk trade deals, they will no longer be able to claim they represent the world’s largest economy, as Brexit will put the U.S. economy back on top.
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The luxury branch keeps Barneys New York is exploring a bankruptcy submitting as it struggles with excessive rents and changing purchaser tastes, humans acquainted with the matter stated on Saturday. The almost a hundred-yr-vintage branch shop, regarded for its high-give-up clothier collection, is working with regulation firm Kirkland & Ellis to prepare for a capacity financial ruin filing that could come in the coming weeks, sources stated. Barneys has no longer but made a very last decision on whether to find bankruptcy safety and is weighing different possible answers for addressing high rents that can be straining its business, the sources said.
But filing for bankruptcy may be a choice to cope with expensive leases, they introduced.
At Barneys New York, our clients continue to be our pinnacle precedence, and we’re devoted to supplying them the wonderful services, merchandise, and reports they have come to assume,” the employer stated in a statement. “We continue to paintings carefully with all of our commercial enterprise partners to gain the goals we’ve set together.
Maximized value. Should it file for financial disaster, Barneys might be one of the maximum high-profile victims of the downturn in retail. Sears, Toys R Us, and Gymboree have filed for financial disaster in the latest months. To that quit, our board and control are actively evaluating possibilities to reinforce our balance sheet and make certain the sustainable, long-time period growth and success of our business.”Fashion accessories store Charming Charlie is going out of business Opens a New Window. And will shutter all 261 stores in 38 states after submitting for Chapter eleven financial ruin Thursday.
This is the second time the company filed for Chapter 11 financial ruin.
In 2017, 390 Charming Charlie stores in the U.S., Canada, the Philippines, and the Middle East, consistent with Fortune, Opened a New Window. As part of its earlier financial ruin filing, which ended in April 2018, the corporation closed a hundred shops. Stores have already commenced going out of commercial enterprise sales.
The drama over Sears continued at some point of a court hearing on Thursday. A New York financial ruin decided to hire an examiner to resolve the conflicts surrounding the “New Sears” — the firm owned by former CEO Eddie Lampert’s namesake hedge fund that helped rescue the beleaguered store from liquidation.
Judge Robert Drain of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York gave Transform Holdco LLC and the “Old Sears” 10 days to settle their monthslong prison conflict, which has seen the business enterprise’s unsecured creditors accuse Lampert of illegally siphoning billions of dollars of property even as the storied branch save chain met its dying.


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Key to BlackBerry 10 is in the details says RIM COO
For Kristian Tear, the key to RIM’ssalvation lies in the details.
When RIM chief executive Thorsten Heins approached the longtime telecom industry executive earlier this year about Research In Motion as its chief operating officer, Mr. Tear was excited about the prospect of being part of the team that would begin writing a new chapter for the Waterloo, Ont. company.
On Monday, RIM moved one step closer to putting pen to paper on that new chapter when the company announced it would hold a press event on Jan. 30, 2013 to launch BlackBerry 10, and its first new smartphones in more than a year.
But there are details left to be ironed out before the company’s first two devices to run on BlackBerry 10 are ready to make their public debut and work their way into the hands of anxious BlackBerry fans, according to Mr. Tear.
“There are a lot of details, and the devils are in the details,” Mr. Tear said in an interview. “We have a good plan, and it’s a plan built for success and we govern that plan very thoroughly. We have war rooms where we follow up on details. It is going to be about the details, and we’re paying a lot of attention to the details.”
As RIM’s COO, overseeing everything from operational functions for handhelds and services to research and development and manufacturing and supply chain, getting BlackBerry 10 out the door and into the hands of customers is Mr. Tear’s singular focus right now.
“It’s like in Formula One [racing], you can have the best car, you can have the best driver, but if the wheel mount is not coming on and off when you have a pit stop, it doesn’t really matter,” Mr. Tear said in an interview.
“You need to have the best wheel mount on-and-off man as well. So I am driving my team and making them very conscious of this. That it is in the details and we are reviewing, checking and putting actions in place to make sure that it will be very good.”


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Lies of P Is Now Available on Game Pass a Day Early
Lies of P is now available on Game Pass just a tiny bit earlier than originally planned.
It was scheduled to hit Game Pass as a day one release tomorrow, but Xbox’s VP of games marketing Aaron Greenberg confirmed in a post on X/Twitter a couple of hours ago that it’s now available on the service.
The release, though, has been a little confusing. The release date was largely marketed as Sept. 19, but it hit Xbox consoles and Steam this morning. The PlayStation version, however, is still scheduled to release tomorrow (or rather, midnight tonight).
Wake up, P ?— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 18, 2023
Battle for survival in a dark retelling of the classic Pinocchio tale. Lies of P launches tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/mE07PQYUWJ
Of course, plenty have already gotten their hands on Lies of P, with those who ordered the Deluxe Edition getting access on Sept. 15. Basically, maybe release dates have been the real lie all along.
Lies of P is a dark take on Pinocchio, where the player steps into the shoes of “P, a puppet created by Geppetto, in the plagued city of Krat where you must navigate a web of lies and secrets and fight deadly puppets.”
IGN gave the game an 8/10, with Travis Northup writing in his review that it “might not branch out particularly far from its soulslike inspiration, but like a marionette controlled by a skilled puppet master, it plays the part extremely well in a wonderfully dark fantasy world.”
If you’re diving into Lies of P right now (or tomorrow, or whenever it hits your platform of choice), check out IGN’s 14 essential tips and tricks for beginners, as well as our breakdown of which class to start with.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.


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It’s the largest purchase of a multi-channel network by another company.
The company announced today that it has purchased the YouTube network Maker Studios in a deal worth approximately $500 million. If growth targets are met for the company, shareholders will then receive another $450 million from Disney.
Once the sale is approved, Disney will gain a network that consists of 55,000 channels, 380 million subscribers, and 5.5 billion monthly views. The biggest content creator acquired in the deal by far is Felix Kjellberg, aka “PewDiePie,” who has more than 25 million subscribers alone.
Maker Studios’s headquarters will remain in Culver City, Calif. while it reports to Disney CFO Jay Rasulo.
Disney is hoping that Maker Studios will aid it in connecting with the Internet generation, something the company has had mixed results accomplishing over the years.
“Maker brings to Disney a substantial digital audience, some of the biggest stars in the space and also a real understanding of how to manage big brands on YouTube,” Brent Weinstein, the head of United Talent Agency’s digital media division, told the New York Times. “Look at what Maker has done for Epic Rap Battles and Snoop, and imagine what they can do for Iron Man, Mickey and Yoda.”
Viewers have already expressed concern that the deal with Disney will affect content creators’ creative freedom, but some of Maker Studios’s partners already assured them that won’t be the case.
If you actually think Disney has bought me then I worry about you.
— Felix Kjellberg (@pewdiepie) March 24, 2014
Yup, Disney now owns Maker so also owns Polaris. No idea what this means for us, but I’ll make the content I want to make or go elsewhere.
— TotalBiscuit (@Totalbiscuit) March 25, 2014
Michelle Jaworski is a staff writer and the resident Game of Thrones expert at the Daily Dot. She covers entertainment, geek culture, and pop culture and has brought her knowledge to conventions like Con of Thrones. She is based in New Jersey.


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CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- With more than a little help from the Olympics and the elections, advertising spending grew at a healthy 10 percent-plus pace in the first nine months of the year, one leading industry tracker reported Monday.
According to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, total U.S. ad expenditures came in at $102.4 billion through the end of September, a 10.3 percent gain over the same period in 2003 with spending tied to the Olympics and the elections adding some $2.3 billion.
When CMR reported first half numbers in late August, the year-to-date growth rate was running at just over 9 percent.
With the exception of national spot radio, where ad spending declined nearly 3 percent, all 17 of the media categories tracked by CMR posted growth. The Internet had the strongest growth, rising nearly 26 percent to $5.6 billion. Local newspapers kept the biggest single piece of the pie, gaining 6.6 percent to $17.8 billion with network TV nipping at their heels, up 14 percent to $16.5 billion.
The top 10 advertisers increased their outlays at a slightly slower pace -- 6.8 percent -- than the overall marketplace.
Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble PG, +0.23% was the No. 1 spender, forking over some $2.1 billion January through September. General Motors GM, +0.11% was No. 2 at $2 billion, while Time Warner TWX, +0.00% was third at $1.4 billion. Rounding out the top five were DaimlerChrysler DCX, +0.00% ($1.2 billion) and Verizon Communications VZ, +0.77% ($1.1 billion).
CMR estimated that TV ad spending on the Olympics reached $1.55 billion as 160 advertisers bought into General Electric GE, -0.30% unit NBC's coverage of the Athens games. The top five sponsors by dollars were GM, Coca-Cola KO, +0.19%. , Anheuser-Busch BUD, +0.50%, Visa and AT&T Wireless.
Also in the first nine months of 2004, $767 million was spent on political and issue advocacy TV time, with CMR noting that "the new campaign finance laws, which some said would hinder the advertising industry, have actually increased the total spent and allowed for a significant increase in early political ad spending."
On November 1, CMR estimated that total political spending could top $1.45 billion.


text: BETTING NIGERIA Interwetten enters Africa for the first time with Nigeria launch 2 years ago Iwo Bulski Post Views: 1,720 Interwetten has entered the African market for the first time, after receiving a license to offer sports betting in Nigeria. Regulatory body, the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), awarded the operator a national license that allows it to offer sports betting and associated products in Nigeria, via interwetten.ng. The brand will offer sports betting, virtual sports and esports on both mobile and desktop, while streamlining its website to adapt to the Nigerian market. Market entry will be accompanied by marketing campaigns, including using a former Nigerian national football team player, while Interwetten aims to participate in local social projects. Interwetten Speaker of the Board (CEO) Dominik Beier said: “The market holds some challenges but also a variety of opportunities for us. The enthusiasm for sport and betting in this country is enormous. We can produce a product with the highest European standards and I am confident it will be well received. It is a real milestone in the successful history of Interwetten; we are proving once again to be a first mover in the industry.” In January, the operator announced its best-ever financial results, with 2019 revenue increasing 25% year-on-year to €99.5m ($111.8m), and betting stakes rising 30% to more than €2bn for the first time. Nigeria is an emerging sports betting market worth an estimated $2bn, with an estimated 84% of online traffic coming from mobile devices. Source: gamblinginsider.com Iwo BulskiIssues related to the gambling business is engaged in more than 30 years. My empirical experience gives me the opportunity to present events and companies from this business with full knowledge and industry knowledge. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Tags: Interwetten, Nigeria Continue Reading Previous What is the most popular sport in Africa?Next What sports are practiced during coronavirus that you can bet on More Stories BETTING NIGERIA BetKing Cares: Company embarks on ‘Month of Good’ campaign 3 days ago Szarlot NIGERIA ONLINE How the online gambling industry has boomed 3 days ago Samuel BETTING NIGERIA There is a glaring need for regulation in Africa’s online betting industry 4 days ago Samuel HOT NEWS NIGERIA Nigeria- NLRC Summon Msports over Unpaid Players Winnings 4 days ago Adeleye Awakan EXPERTS NIGERIA FG Moves To Weed Out Some Sports Betting Companies In Nigeria 5 days ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Gamblers win Sh380bn through SportPesa bets 5 days ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Low-income people finance Kenyan bookmaking companies 5 days ago Samuel BETTING NIGERIA IlotNG: Nigeria’s most convenient and reliable sport betting in Nigeria 6 days ago Samuel EXPERTS NIGERIA 5 types of people you only see in betting shops 6 days ago Szarlot BETTING NIGERIA Gobet247: New Betting Platform Launches In Nigeria 1 week ago Samuel BETTING KENYA The boom in online sportsbetting in Africa 1 week ago Szarlot EXPERTS NIGERIA The new Nigerian law requires casinos to tighten AML controls 1 week ago Samuel Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


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Lucid just published its first financial report of 2022, and the details are a bit disappointing. The company says it’s only delivered 360 vehicles this year, and more importantly, it’s cranking up the prices on all of its cars (minus the newly announced Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance).
Beginning June 1st, the Lucid Air Pure will cost $87,400 (an increase of $7,400), while the Lucid Air Touring will run for $107,400 (an increase of $12,400). The company’s Lucid Air Grand Touring, which was already very expensive, will cost a whopping $154,400 (that’s a $15,000 price hike).
Those who reserve a vehicle before June 1st (or already hold a reservation) don’t need to deal with these price hikes. I guess that Lucid learned from Rivian’s mistake. Still, it seems that Lucid is caught in the same position as its competitors—supply chain constraints, rising logistics costs, and aggressive expansion make EV production a very expensive ordeal, especially for a company that isn’t fully established.
Lucid tells investors that it’s on track to manufacture 12,000 to 14,000 EVs in 2022. And the company seems quite optimistic about its future, citing a 100,000 vehicle deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
But as The Verge notes, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is a majority owner of Lucid. Plus, Lucid has only delivered 360 vehicles this year. Like most EV manufacturers, Lucid is running on investments, and it may take a while for the company to find solid ground.
Nearly every EV manufacturer has announced a price hike this year. Tesla seems addicted to price increases, and Rivian had to backtrack on a price hike that hurt reservation holders. Polestar announced a very small price increase earlier this week, but at least it has the courtesy to give customers some extra stuff for the trouble.


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Whether you’re accessing your social media platform from a desktop or a smartphone, it’s important to be familiar with all of them. With that in mind, below is a list of the top 52 social media platforms. They’re broken into 3 categories — social media platforms that help you network (like LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.); social media platforms that help you promote (like YouTube, blogs, etc.); and social media platforms that help you share (like Digg, Delicious, etc.).
Somebody had to say it.
There was another “Blogging is dead” news item that crept out of USA Today today titled, More companies quit blogging, go with Facebook instead. Here’s what the article is saying: “A survey released earlier this year by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth says the percentage of companies that maintain blogs fell to 37% in 2011 from 50% in 2010, based on its survey of 500 fast-growing companies listed by Inc. magazine. Only 23% of Fortune 500 companies maintained a blog in 2011, flat from a year ago after rising for several years.
The trend in business is consistent with the broader loss of interest in blogging among all consumers. In late 2010, the Pew Research Center said blogging among adults ages 18 to 33 fell 2 percentage points in 2010 from 2008.”


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Despite the recent E. coli spinach outbreak, food may be safer now than at any other time in the last decade, with illness occurring at record-low rates, reports the Associated Press.
Consumers get part of the credit, for handling food more safely at home, but experts say the biggest improvement came from better industry controls and inspections.
"The food is actually cleaner to begin with," said Dr. Robert Tauxe, top food scientist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Certain germs have dramatically declined, and "that to me is really solid progress."
However, Tauxe does stress that the trend could reverse in coming years if fruit and vegetable growers do not address problems like those that led to the spinach scare.