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Financial Regulations and Consumer Protection
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Financial Services ranking member Maxine Waters (D-CA) and others held a press conference on President Trump’s recent executive orders that would review the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial services legislation and the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule. Ranking Member Waters highlighted the benefits of the Dodd-Frank legislation and how rolling it back would impact the economy.
https://www.c-span.org/video/? 423616-1/democrats-criticize-t rump-administrations-wall-stre et-policies (47 minutes)
Maxine Waters Condemns Dood-Frank Rollback by Trump Administration
The ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), condemns recent executive actions by President Trump to roll back consumer protections in the Dodd-Frank law and accuses him of reneging on his campaign promises to protect consumers from Wall Street abuses by hiring several people who served in the finance industry, including Steve Bannon and Steven Mnuchin. "What a pack of lies," Mrs. Waters says.
https://www.c-span.org/video/? c4655114/maxine-waters-condemn s-dood-frank-rollback-trump- administration(1 minute and 39 seconds)


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The B2C products category was expected to command the greatest amount of marketing spending (9.4%) as a share of company revenues in February 2013.
The increase in digital ad spending was projected to be most dramatic in the business-to-consumer (B2C) product category, which was expected to se a 14.6% bump over the 12 months following February 2013.
In 2012, B2C ecommerce sales grew 21.1% to top $1 trillion for the first time.
Among those businesses that cite social media among their most effective marketing tools, Facebook still rules the day, even for B2Bs.
The longer the length (in characters) of a B2C email subject line, the higher its open, click, and click-to-open rates.
eMarketer predicts that Spanish eCommerce will increase from $15.64 billion in 2011 to $18.57 billion in 2012, a growth of 18.8%.
Italian eCommerce sales climbed more than 32% in 2011 and is expected to grow 25.5% in 2012.
72.9% of companies said they expected their overall social media budget to increase over the next year.
Only 49% of companies it surveyed worldwide in January 2012 tracked and followed up on customer feedback on social media, while 28% did neither.
via emarketer.com In January 2012, customer experience management software company Satmetrix surveyed over 1,000 B2B and B2C companies worldwide and found that more than half of B2C companies (53%) both tracked mentions and followed up on them, while an additional 25% only tracked and 4% only followed up. This is compared to only 27% of […]

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With competition growing in the online dating sector, brands from Bumble and Tinder to Grindr, Match.com and Happn, are fighting to find a positioning that will appeal to singles, cut through the noise and guarantee downloads worldwide.
Hinge is taking a different approach to its Match Group stablemates with a new campaign focused on the app’s mission – to be deleted. The dating app’s first international campaign, and TV debut, brings Hingie to life as a loveable app icon who is attacked by pigeons, burnt on a campfire and drowned in a washing machine all in the pursuit of love.
“On Hinge there are no rules, timers or games because we’ve created an app that’s actually designed to get people off their phones and out on great dates,” Hinge CMO Nathan Roth tells Marketing Week.
“We’re bringing our app icon to life and having it die as couples hit it off. By doing that we are showing our users we truly want to find someone worth deleting the app for. Quite literally Hinge is dying for you to find love.”
Going live today (12 August) the creative, developed by Red Antler, was informed by user insight from across Hinge’s markets in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Northern Europe.
User feedback showed that dating is hard and confusing, and more than anything users want to get off the app and into a relationship. The concept was therefore to show Hingie as a sidekick coming along on the adventure as people connect through the app.
The fastest growing dating app in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, Hinge sets up a date once every four seconds and three out of four users are interested in a second date. Up until now, the app has grown organically via word of mouth recommendations, social media memes and working with influencers, but Hinge has now decided to focus on video as the best medium to tell the evolving story, Roth explains.
The new campaign will appear on TV and streaming sites, as well as on Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram and YouTube. While the UK TV media mix is still in the works, Hinge will be running ads on Disney-owned streaming site Hulu following a successful trial using six-second ads.
To match or not to match: Should brands be paying more attention to dating apps?
Dating apps are doing ever more interesting things to build brand affinity in a crowded market. Tinder, for example, signed a multi-year partnership last year with Manchester City football club to give uses access to exclusive content, match tickets and other stadium events across both the men’s and women’s teams.
Meanwhile Bumble, which spans a dating site, friendship-focused Bumble BFF and mentor matching on Bumble Bizz, has branched out into esports through its sponsorship of the first professional all-female Fortnite team.
With this campaign Hinge, wants to demonstrate its opposition to what it describes as “digital addiction” by encouraging people to meet in real life and get off the app as quickly as possible.
“It’s quite common for apps to optimise for time in-app, whether it’s to maximise subscription or advertising revenue. We are purely focused on our users’ success and that’s helping them find someone worth deleting the app for. That’s our single focus,” Roth explains.
Last year, the app partnered with Mexican-style grab-and-go restaurant Chipotle to give users a free burrito if they visited a restaurant as a couple. Then in June, Hinge collaborated with the It Gets Better Project, a not-for-project organisation aimed at empowering the LGBTQ+ community, by inviting its users to attend the Pride Prom.
Opportunities to meet in real life emerged as one of the key changes singles want to see from dating apps, according to Mintel’s 2019 Dating Report.
The research found that one in 10 of 1,976 internet users aged 18+ had used a free dating website or app in the 12 months to February 2019. Of these, 39% had used a dating app based on a family or friend recommendation.
Some 61% of people on the dating apps said they were looking for long-term, serious relationships. However, daters want apps to focus more on matching people based on personality (20%) and hosting more events for people to meet in person (12%).
Manchester City’s marketing boss on its decision to swipe right on Tinder
For Hinge, success is inspiring more people to download and delete the app, which means getting the story out there to increase awareness, familiarity and affinity towards the brand, Roth explains.
Hinge’s downloads are already up three times compared to this time last year across all its markets and while there is no single focus in terms of countries, the plan is global expansion.
“We’re excited to get the word out there and we hope it inspires people to get off their phones, get into the real world on dates, meet new people and ultimately delete the app, hopefully for good,” Roth adds.


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Place Exchange this week announced its integration with Astral, Bell Media’s OOH advertising division, adding thousands of premium digital screens to its Canadian offering.
Astral, one of Canada’s largest OOH companies, operates digital billboards, restaurant and bar displays, street furniture, and transit displays in high-traffic location.
Farshad Kajouii, GM, Out of Home and Business Development at Bell Media told us “We’re excited to be partnering with Place Exchange to help unlock greater demand for our inventory” said We look forward to providing more opportunities for advertisers to integrate Astral’s premium inventory into omnichannel marketing strategies.”
A recent COMMB report highlights that the majority of Canadians have returned to the office, with regular commuting patterns. The market is also seeing a 40% increase in recreation and entertainment spending compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Nick Bennett, SVP, Partnerships at Place Exchange said “We are thrilled to expand our reach in Canada and offer advertisers opportunities to engage their target audiences nationwide on Astral’s powerful array of DOOH displays”.
Place Exchange’s ability to activate OOH programmatically through the world’s leading DSPs makes it an ideal partner for extending Astral’s network to advertisers. Place Exchange’s patented technology enables unified planning, buying, optimization, reporting and attribution for OOH with other programmatic channels within the DSP systems programmatic buyers already use.
Astral is a division of Bell Media, is a leader among Canada’s out-of-home advertising companies with more than 45,000 faces strategically located across the country. Astral offers six product lines: outdoor advertising, lifestyle networks, street furniture, airport, large digital format, and transit. Driving innovation on one of the country’s most dynamic media platforms, Astral is committed to leading technological change, offering advertisers increased opportunities to deliver powerful messages that engage and connect with consumers.


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Ford’s decision to overhaul its Fusion sedan may have been one of its best decisions in the past few years. Not only are buyers snapping up the new car in great numbers, but its bold styling, Aston Martin-esque cosmetic demeanor, and variety of drivetrains have sent its competitors back to the drawing board in efforts to remain competitive.
Bloomberg is reporting that Ford moved a record number of Fusion sedans, since increased competition from the likes of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry has spurred the company to increase its incentives on the car by 32 percent. Ford reportedly beat its record of 30,284 Fusions sold in the same month of last year, according to Erich Merkle, Ford’s sales analyst, who spoke with Bloomberg. It’s just the second time Ford has sold more than 30,000 Fusions in one month since the original generation was introduced in October 2005.
“There’s a tremendous amount of competition in this segment,” Merkle told the news service. “This is really hand-to-hand combat. There’s no other way to describe it. This is bloody, it’s in the trenches.”
Aside from pickup trucks, three of America’s best-selling vehicles are in the midsize sedan segment. Often, they consist of the Accord, the Camry, and Nissan’s (NSANY.PK) Altima. Ford’s Fusion is often outside the number 10 spot on the monthly best seller lists but will sometimes make appearances.
Ford pushed the incentives on the Fusion up by $770 over last year, to an average of $3,160 per model. Merkle noted, however, that it still fell $80 below the average discount in the midsize car category. With the weak state of the yen, Japanese manufacturers have been given some extra room to play with discounts and have been doing so to keep their lead.
Regardless, the Fusion moves for an average ticket of $23,500, higher than the Camry and near the top of the category, Merkle said to Bloomberg, adding that the Fusion’s average price was down from a year earlier, though he didn’t indicate by how much.
Ford is finding particular success in California, where the available hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains are big sellers. “We have many power train offerings that appeal to the Californians now,” Merkle said to the news service. “The electrified powertrains tend to do very well in the state.”
Fusion’s surge in March countered a decline in January and February, when sales fell by 11.3 percent to 44,615, according to data cited by Bloomberg from research firm Autodata.


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Mt. Brighton To Get $10 Million Upgrade
The ski resort is now part of Vail Resorts and will get a facelift this summer.
Vail Resorts will be investing $10 million into Mt. Brighton this summer to improve the ski resort.
Vail Resorts, which recently acquired the Michigan ski resort, intends to do the following, according to a press release on the company's website:
- Significantly improve snowmaking to open the ski resort earlier, extend the season and provide a more consistent and high-quality snow surface
- Make lift upgrades including a new quad chairlift
- Create state-of-the-art terrain parks with extensive new features and rope tows
- Energize and modernize the base area facilities
- Add Vail Resorts’ signature EpicMix and EpicMix Racing technology to personalize the guest experience,
The enhancements will be done this summer.
“We’re thrilled that Mt. Brighton is now a part of our family of resorts. It’s a very special place steeped in snow sports tradition and we intend to honor that legacy by bringing additional enhancements to the ski area and creating more value for Michigan skiers and riders in their season pass choices," said Kirsten Lynch, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts, in a statement.
Skiers will also now be able to buy the company's "Epic Pass," which offers access to Mt. Brighton, as well as eight Western resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; and Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in Lake Tahoe.
Several other passes will be available and can be viewed and purchased at epicpass.com.


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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: YouTube logo at YouTube Space LA in Playa Del Rey, Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 21, 2015.
(Reuters) – Alphabet’s YouTube (NASDAQ:) Inc is planning to open an online storefront for online video services, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
The company has renewed talks with entertainment companies about joining the platform, which it is referring to internally as a “channel store,” the report said, citing people close to the matter. recent discussions.
The platform has been active for at least 18 months and could launch as early as this fall, the report added.
Alphabet did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
With more and more consumers cutting their cable or satellite TV cords and turning to subscription-based streaming services, the planned launch will allow YouTube to join companies like Roku (NASDAQ:) Inc and Apple (NASDAQ:) in an attempt to capture a piece of the already crowded streaming market.
Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Walmart (NYSE: Inc) has held talks with media companies about including online entertainment in its membership service.


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UMass Dartmouth student, born with cerebral palsy, makes lanyards for COVID facemasks
DARTMOUTH — Paige Elizabeth Santos loved going to fairs to sell her paracord survival bracelets, and other items, but the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to that.
Now, she’s making lanyards to hold facial masks and selling them online.
She received 50 orders during her first week in business.
Santos, 23, was born with cerebral palsy and had very limited use of her left hand.
“She was 3 ½ weeks early when she was born and her left side had issues,” said her mother, Marianne Santos. Her daughter then underwent numerous rounds of physical and occupational therapy.
It was at a crafts store that her parents picked up a survival bracelet making kit.
“She loved it,” Marianne Santos said.
Before long Paige Santos was making survival bracelets, key chains, and dog leashes and selling them in local gift shops and at craft fairs.
“No more fairs,” Paige Santos said.
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down her ability to sell in person, Paige Santos said she was urged to sell her items online. She started making lanyards for coronavirus facial masks. The lanyards clip to each side of a mask — much like a chain that keeps eyeglasses hanging around the neck. It makes it easier to take the mask off without having to put it down.
Marianne Santos said her daughter had an online shop on Etsy some time ago and has revived the shop.
Paiges Paracord has other items including keychains and dog collars
Paiges Paracord has different items made from paracord — a strong general purpose utility cord, most notably used in parachute cords. Being home during the pandemic, she said, it’s allowed her to promote her shop on social media.
Besides the facemask lanyards, other items made from the paracord include keychains, dog collars and leashes, figits for anxiety relief, and flat rope mats.
Etsy sales will help buy a new computer
“I hope to get 100 sales by March 1,” Paige Santos said. “I’ll be going to UMass Dartmouth and I want to get a new computer,” she added.
She’s been attending online classes at Bristol Community College and once she moves to UMass Dartmouth, her Mac computer won’t be usable, and she’ll need a PC.


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Shoppers dropping Western companies
In the battle to grow market share in China, Western retailers are on the losing end, prompting themto develop multi-format strategies to retain customers.
Last yearwasa transformational one for all players in the modern retail trade, which is defined as hypermarkets, supermarkets, mini-markets and convenience stores combined.
They have been going through a tremendous slowdown in consumer demand, a sharp rise in operating costs as well as direct challenges from e-commerce players, according to research findings released by Kantar Worldpanel, which focuses on fast-moving consumer goods.
But international retailers have lost more market share, with a decline from 20 percent in 2013 to 19 percent in 2014.
Local retailers have been able to better adapt to the changing market environment and continue to win market share. The Sun-Art Group remained market leader last year, while Yonghui Group emerged as the fastest-growing player in 2014, achieving a 2.6 percent share.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc sawits market share fall from 6.9 percent to 6.6 percent and that of Carrefour SA dropped to 4.7 percent from 5 percent.
Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar, said international retailers are losing share from first-tier cities to fourth-tier ones, mainly because of their “simple portfolio”.
Yet their local competitors have a good mix of formats such as supermarkets, convenience stores and hypermarkets. That mix can meet the demand of a dynamic and complicatedmixofconsumersinChina.
“Western retailers are not as quick to respond to the changes in the market as their local peers,” said Yu. “It is very hard for them to become dominant locally.”
Local retailers are often based at the provincial or regional level and find it easier and quicker to leverage their logistics and commodity mix to get closer to consumers.
But international retailers last year started to develop a multi-format strategy.
Wal-Mart has been more aggressive with its Sam’s Club opening plan and Sun-Art tested its convenience store concept by launching its Cloud supermarket under the banner of C-Store.
Carrefour SA launched its first “Easy Carrefour” branded store in Shanghai to get closer to the community. They are expected to step into the e-commerce business by June this year based on their current physical store network.
Germany’s retailer Metro AG’s sales division, Metro Cash & Carry, announced last year the opening of its first food service delivery-dedicatedplatforminChina, inQingdao, Shandong province.
Lower-tier cities will undoubtedly be the key driver for China’s growth in 2015 and beyond. Out of the 24 new Wal-Mart stores that opened in 2014, 16 were deployed beyond key and top-tier cities, according to Kantar.


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Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. faces lawsuit over water claims
The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co., perhaps best-known for its pitchman, Larry King, is facing a lawsuit over claims that it has a proprietary system to replicate Brooklyn, N.Y.’s public water quality.
The suit claims that businessman Andrew Greenbaum paid a premium for the franchise rights based on the claim that the Boca Raton-based company had a 14-step system proprietary system to purify water.
Making the suit more interesting, Greenbaum’s attorneys are attempting to depose former CNN show host King about his promotions of the company and its water system.
According to the lawsuit, Greenbaum discovered the water system was not unique or patentable. The suit alleges that Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. and its founder, Steven Fassberg, and attorney, Ira Marcus, ignored expert advice that the system was not patentable and not proprietary.
“Fassberg and Marcus sought a legal opinion from an attorney sometime in the fall of 2007 seeking legal advice as to whether [OBWB] could obtain a patent on their water treatment system and process,” the lawsuit said. "Upon information and belief, [they] were advised that they NOT pursue a patent for their invention …."
The lawsuit was originally filed last summer by a group of companies owned by Greenbaum. Greenbaum and his Miami attorney, Robert Zarco, revised the complaint in February.
Fassberg's company seems to have experienced immediate success. He told the Business Journal about his expansion plans in July 2011.
Miami attorney Robert Mayer, who represents the Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co., said the lawsuit is unfounded and the allegations are untrue.
Paul Brinkmann covers venture capital, technology, energy and environment.
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Subway better take the express train to fix this mess. The sandwich chain’s image as a healthier alternative to standard fast-food fare took a hit this week after a food blogger’s push to get it to remove an additive in its bread went viral.
Food-branding experts say a quick response will be crucial to preserve Subway’s reputation.
“Subway is using this ingredient as a bleaching agent and dough conditioner which allows them to produce bread faster and cheaper,” Foodbabe.com blogger Vani Hari wrote Tuesday, referring to azodicarbonamide. It’s also used in industrial manufacturing to make foamed plastic products like yoga mats, and is banned as a food additive in a number of countries.
Angry customers signed Hari's online petition and also responded on Subway's Facebook page:
“I was duped like so many other complacent uninformed Americans and believed that Subway might actually be the 'lesser of fast food evils' and would occasionally have a Subway. But no more,” wrote Karen Hamilton Tessier.
Although other fast food and supermarket bread products contain the chemical, Subway’s heavily promoted “healthy” image made it more damning, said David Just, professor of behavioral economics and co-director of the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs at Cornell University.
“I think the blogger had an effect because Subway does try to represent itself as being healthy,” he said. “To protect that image, they had to respond to this right away.”
Subway, which said it was in the process of removing the chemical before Hari’s petition swept the Internet, has said it will remove the additive “soon.”
Its reputation ─ it was ranked the favorite out of 10 sandwich chains, according to research by Market Force last month ─ might insulate it from long-lasting repercussions, but it has to act fast.
“If, two months from now, (the additive is) gone — I think they’re probably fine,” Just said.


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Viva Chicken announced expansion to the Upstate today, officially signing the first of two leases for Greenville-area, North Carolina, locations.
The first restaurant will be located at 1139 Woodruff Road, Suite B, easily accessible from Interstates 85 and 385. Details on the second location are forthcoming.
Founded by Chef Bruno Macchiavello and Randy Garcia, Viva Chicken has been cooking up fresh, flavorful Peruvian food since 2013. Viva’s menu is highlighted by Pollo a la Brasa – charcoal-fire-roasted chicken served hot and fresh – a staple of Peruvian street food. The menu also includes soups, salads, sandwiches, bowls and a variety of signature sides in a welcoming, casual environment.
“Greenville is a beautiful town and one that we’ve had on our radar for some time,” says Gerald Pulsinelli, Viva Chicken CEO. “This hometown neighbor is a vibrant community and a logical choice for our continued expansion, and we believe Viva will bring a new flavor to the area. We are excited to open our doors to Greenville and share our take on Peruvian street food featuring Chef Bruno’s family recipes.”
The Woodruff Road location will be the 13th for the fast-casual brand. Viva Chicken also has restaurants in the Charlotte area, North Carolina Triad and Utah. Viva’s first Greenville location is scheduled to open in late 2021.


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Rome, Italy—HP launched a range of new products for its Graphic Arts portfolio here today. The products range from two new Indigo digital presses, to an HP-branded UV coater, Designjet Z6100, and other specialty printers.
The HP Indigo 5500 is the company's new flagship model digital press, designed for high volume printers. The press uses seven color inks, including light cyan and light magenta, for higher quality photographic output. The Indigo 3500 was designed for smaller press runs, where only one or two digital presses would be the norm.
HP has combined several new solutions to create its new HP Indigo photo package. This includes the HP Indigo Photo Enhancement Server, which was designed to automatically enhance images with regards to sharpening, smoothing, contrast and shadow detail.
Along with those customers who have multiple digital or analog presses in-house, a growing number of photo specialists and prolabs have been incorporating digital printing presses and laser printers into their workflows to be able to create such photo items as photobooks, albums, greeting cards, and calendars in their stores and labs.
"Five years ago, nobody was talking about photo albums," says Stephen Nigro, senior vice president, Graphics and Imaging Business, HP. He explained what many in the photo industry are already aware of—that possible revenue from photobooks is higher than it had been for 4x6 prints.
He explained that a traditional photofinisher could add a digital press such as the Indigo for the production of the higher margin photobooks, calendards, greeting cards, and other products that are becoming more popular among today's consumers.
[Editor's note: One such photo dealer who has installed an HP Indigo press in the past year is New Orleans, LA-based Lakeside Camera Photoworks. See the December issue of PTN for more.]
Along with the two new digital presses, HP introduced its own branded UV Coater, the first such finishing product that the company has brought to market.
New Inkjet Printer Uses Pigment Inks for High Quality Output
The newly introduced Designjet Z6100 is intended to offer professional photographers and fine-art printers, as well as photo specialists, minilabs and prolabs, and digital print providers with a new option for wide-format printing. The Designjet Z6100 utilizes eight color HP Vivera pigment inks and is available in 44- and 60-inch models. The inkjet printer features HP's DreamColor Technologies, incorporating an embedded spectrophotometer for accurate, predictable color on a consistent basis.
According to the company, it is the ideal printer for outputting fine-art photographs and other artwork, indoor signage and short-term outdoor signage, maps and renderings.
HP also added two new media to the over 50 original substrates now available for the Z6100.
Six RIP vendors are currently working on solutions for the Designjet Z6100. HP is developing a compatibility certification program linked to the new printer series, and will award such status to vendors after meeting the required compatibility criteria.


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Wang Pengfei, vice president of a leading Internet finance company, has seen the industry grow in China at a galloping pace, along with some shady practices.
After working at a state-owned lender for a decade, Wang joined Weidai, an Internet finance company whose name means "micro-loan," in 2014 when the industry was flourishing.
FAST BUT FRAUDULENT
The industry's burgeoning development came as no accident to Wang and other market observers.
China has four large state-owned banks, and state-owned enterprises generally have easier access to financing. Many small companies are troubled by the financing bottleneck, creating pent-up demand.
Meanwhile, working-class families struggle to figure out where to invest their savings to seek higher returns, and many of them move money online. The country, home to the world's biggest online population, also has a number of groups, such as college students, who are underserved by banks.
China has not established a sound social credit system, and credit cards are not as popular as in some advanced economies. Online payment has instead emerged as a well-received alternative to cash. Crowd funding has picked up momentum as a wave of entrepreneurship has hit the country.
Development of Internet finance has helped broaden the financial reach, improve efficiency of financial services, give Chinese more investment options, and help some small businesses get badly needed loans, but the boom has its costs.
The first peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform was launched in 2007, and exploded in popularity in China, with the number of such platforms surging 18 times between 2012 and 2015 and the combined transaction volume jumping about 40 times over the period, according to data from the State Information Center.
P2P lending platforms helped link clients seeking better yields with borrowers starved for capital, but a report from leading industry information provider www.wdzj.com painted a grim picture. By March 2017, 3,607 Chinese P2P lending platforms had run into trouble or been forced to close, with only 2,281 platforms in normal operation.
With a relatively low barrier to entry in the industry, some high-profile fraud cases emerged and grabbed headlines, such as P2P lending platform Ezubao that cheated investors out of nearly 60 billion yuan (8.7 billion U.S. dollars) through fake investment projects.
Some bogus lending platforms diverted client funds for other purposes, while online Chinese loan sharks illegally demanded nude photos as a form of collateral from cash-strapped female college students. These cases have triggered the concerns of regulators and a year-long industry correction.
On top of P2P lending, Internet finance also covers business such as third-party online payment, crowd funding, and other financial services.
"In tandem with the rapid growth, China's Internet finance industry is afflicted with Ponzi schemes and some companies deviate from their main business to seek hefty profits," said Li Bo, a researcher with the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank.


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A well-known Middlesbrough pub has given its coffee and cocktail bar a new lease of life.
The Dickens has invested £100,000 in its coffee and cocktail area - one of three at the well-known town centre establishment.
The work has seen the addition of bi-folding windows, new furniture, and a new bar. There is also a brand new cocktail menu with 60 different drinks to choose from.
It comes a year after a £600,000 revamp at the pub.
“We had revamped every other part of the Dickens so we thought this side of the business should also have a refurb,” said Julie Spensley, who owns The Dickens with husband Tony.
“It looks fantastic - it looks so different.
“We have had new bi-folding windows, new furniture, and a new bar - it looks like something in New York.”
It is a renowned and popular spot - so much so that it was one of the places the Boro squad chose to celebrate promotion in May.
A video showed certain players enjoying the atmosphere in the venue. Some were even captured singing along to song such as Pigbag and Wonderwall.
Julie said: “We used to keep the coffee and cocktail side of things separately, but we are now doing them at the same time, all the time.
“It has been so well received by customers so far.”
The Dickens coffee shop and cocktail bar is open six-days-a-week - from 8am until midnight Monday to Thursday, and 8am until 2am on Friday and Saturday.


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A Donald Trump economy and credit card debt
Donald Trump has been the President of the United States for a short while, and while he has hit some barricades through his presidency, he is finally starting to make some big moves in office. When campaigning to become the President of the United States, a big part of the campaign was President Trump’s work to convince consumers that he felt their pain with regard to economic burdens and overwhelming debts. However, is President Trump capable of solving the growth in consumer debt that we’re seeing across the nation?
What President Trump Has Done To Put More Money In The Pockets Of Consumers
Perhaps one of the biggest moves made by President Trump thus far has surrounded taxes. The Trump Administration tax plan was designed to cut costs for the average American, putting more money in their pockets out of each of their paychecks. So, how much of a tax break was given? Well, that entirely depends on how much money the taxpayer is earning. While those that earn the least saw no reduction in their taxes owed, everyone else is seeing savings. The chart below, provided by The Balance is a great indication of the savings based on the amount of money earned by the taxpayer:
Other than the move to reform income tax in the United States, President Donald Trump hasn’t done much that directly reflects to more money being put in the average consumers’ pocket. Nonetheless, the lower tax burden that consumers in the United States will experience should help to work off debt… or will it?
Will Lower Tax Costs Equate To Lower Consumer Debt In The United States
At first glance, one may think that lower tax burdens placed on consumers as a result of the Trump tax plan will help to reduce debt. However, that’s not what the tax cuts were designed to do, nor do I believe that this will be the end result.
At the end of the day, the lower tax rates are aimed at economic improvement. The idea here is that through the savings they see on tax costs, consumers will start to spend more money. With consumer spending being a primary source of growth in the United States economy, this would help to lift the economy, putting the United States on a path of strength.
However, that’s not necessarily a good thing for credit card debt. With a slight boost in cash, consumers naturally feel that their spending power is stronger. The only problem is that those who are in the habit of overusing credit cards feel a safety net and will likely spend more money. In fact, while economic improvement has been seen in the United States for several years, credit card debt delinquencies are on the rise. So, while consumers are saving some money in taxes, chances are that those that overuse credit cards will continue to do so, and with the money they save on taxes, they may even do so at a higher rate.
At the end of the day, we don’t know what the Trump economy will hold in the years ahead. Nonetheless, it has led to slightly more money in the pockets of taxpayers, and that’s always a positive. Nonetheless, it’s important that we keep in mind the fact that the consumer debt crisis in the United States is a real and growing issue, and that thus far little has been done to combat the issue. Only time will tell whether or not the Trump administration has an answer to the consumer debt crisis, but as of yet, it seems as though it does not.
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Why Would a Business Owner Name His Company After His Banker?
2024-03-24 – BE&O ATC
One entrepreneur was so impressed with the customer service he received from his bank representative, that he decided to name his next business after her.
When David Roger started banking with JPMorgan Chase, he was the co-owner of an innovative eyewear company that specializes in creating unique blue light glasses that reduce the amount of blue light that reaches the eye from computer screens.
During this time, Roger often exchanged emails and phone calls with his JPMorgan Chase Bank client services team member, Hetal Jogi. Jogi, who has been with the bank for over 26 years, manages client transactions and accounts.
Throughout this time, Jogi often helped Roger with everything from opening new accounts to completing wire transfers and applying for loans during the pandemic. “I don’t want them to worry about their banking,” Jogi says of her customers. She says it’s important to make sure her customers know they are not alone in their journey as small business owners.
When Roger sold his eyewear company, he noticed a need for a different type of company in the marketplace. He wanted to open a “health and retail” business that helps organizations understand how their products should appear on retail shelves. The new venture works with retail shoppers to record store aisles to help brands get a better understanding of how their products move and why they are chosen by customers.
When thinking of a way to combine the words health and retail, Roger thought back to the helpful client services team member at his bank, and the name suddenly came to him; Hetal Retail. Jogi initially thought the name was a joke or mistake, but Roger informed her it was very real.
And even though the pair have been working together for many years, they have never met in person. That is something they say they plan to remedy very soon.


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PartyGaming Plc plans to acquire Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG in a reverse takeover valued at about 1.13 billion pounds ($1.76 billion) to create the world’s biggest publicly traded online gambling company.
The merged company, which had reported sales of 682 million euros, will be 51.6 percent owned by Vienna-based Bwin, with PartyGaming of Gibraltar holding the rest, the companies said in a statement today. The new company would be listed in London and have leading positions in online poker, sports betting, casino and games such as bingo, they said.
"From an industrial point of view this is both an offensive and a defensive move," said Gianmarco Bonacina, an analyst with Equita SIM SpA in Milan. "In Europe, Bwin and PartyGaming are losing market share in poker versus Pokerstars and Fulltilt, so the combination will protect them. In the U.S., the move is offensive. They want to attack that market and are in a better position if they combine."
The transaction reflects pressure faced by gaming companies as competition intensifies with the opening of markets in Europe and the U.S. Governments are starting to allow online gambling companies outside their borders to offer services in domestic markets and bring currently illegal acts under the umbrella of taxation and regulation.
PartyGaming shares rose 20 percent, the most since December 2008 after the announcement.


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Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Internet Security and other Internet Safety topics.
Much concern regarding hackers surrounds the safety of using credit card details and other data security issues over the web. There was a case in the United States recently where a hacker broke into a website and stole thousands of card numbers. However, he was soon apprehended, and the truth remains that fraud is more likely to occur when using a credit card over the phone than on a secure website. Businesses at risk have taken to calling on counter-intelligence hackers, hardened computer experts who will test a company's systems to the limit in an attempt to find holes and, if they do, help to close them.


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World's leading smartphone maker Samsung, which is expected to launch its flagship smartphone Galaxy S4 in March, is reportedly planning to launch a smaller and cheaper variant of the fourth-generation flagship phone.
Samsung community website SamMobile revealed that the Galaxy S4 smartphone, which is being developed under project J, is not the only device in the program. The website claimed that the South Korean company is also working on two other devices - 'Project J mini' codenamed 'Serrano' (Galaxy S4 mini) and 'Project J Active' codenamed 'Fortius' - which is related to the development of the touch screen smartwatch.
According to SamMobile's source, Samsung is reported to have approved the development of Galaxy S4 and its smaller variant, but the smartwatch program is yet to take-off as it waits for approval.
The website also revealed that the small smartphone, speculated as Galaxy S4 mini, is expected to launch in May, just two months after the speculated launch of its bigger 4.99-inch Galaxy S4 sibling.
Previously, Samsung had released the Galaxy S3 mini almost five months after Galaxy S3's launch in May last year.
There have been various speculations regarding Samsung's new devices for quite some time now. The hype surrounding Galaxy S4's launch has turned even more overwhelming ever since Samsung beat rival Apple to the 'top smartphone maker' title owing to record sales of the Galaxy S3 smartphone.
Recent reports suggest that Galaxy S4 may feature a bendable HD display and an 8-core monster processor. The smartphone is speculated to make its debut at a Samsung event on 15 March.


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Opening date of Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s ‘Icon’ announced
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced the official opening date of its new rollercoaster, Icon, which will open to guests on Friday, May 25.
Since work on this new £16.25 million rollercoaster began in December 2016, rollercoaster fans have been waiting for news of when this new experience would open.
Now park officials have confirmed that the wait is almost over, and that the “world’s most interactive rollercoaster” will be ready to ride in a little over a month.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with calls and e-mails from people all over the world wanting to know when Icon will be open to the public,” said Amanda Thompson, managing director for Blackpool Pleasure Beach. “We can’t wait to invite those who dare to ride to Blackpool to experience this truly incredible ride.”
“The launch of Icon is an extremely exciting day for our industry, both in the U.K. and beyond,” said Nick Thompson, deputy MD of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. “We couldn’t be more pleased to see and experience it here in the UK and to showcase another world first at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.”
When it opens, Icon will be the United Kingdom’s first-ever double-launch rollercoaster, taking riders at speeds over 50 miles per hour during the two and a half minutes of the coaster’s thrills.
For more information on Icon, visit BlackpoolPleasureBeach.com.


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Despite the initial hype and disillusionment that followed virtual reality, it seems clear that the industry has shifted its focus back to augmented reality and mixed reality (MR), which are more practical and pragmatic than pure VR platforms. MR platforms also offer the potential for users to interact with their real-world environment without being completely cut off from it, which more closely accommodates human behavior. The upcoming metaverse era could one day see MR replace our current screen-based interfaces altogether, allowing us to seamlessly integrate with our digital world, a concept known as perceptual design.
XR and its associated metaverse technology have become a major growth area for big tech, with many heavy hitters like Facebook-now Meta, Apple, and Google investing heavily in their own VR/AR/MR solutions. Despite the fact that a lot of this investment is driven by corporate interest and not actual consumer demand, it’s hard to deny the potential for immersive technology to have a significant impact on everyday life in the near future.
However, it remains to be seen whether XR can break through the chasm of resistance and actually deliver on its promise. Fortunately, this is expected to be boosted by the rollout of 5G wireless service, which should provide better performance and lower latency, eliminating some persistent technical hurdles that have hindered XR’s adoption.
Founded by a group of top-tier engineers and innovators from the best universities in the world, OmniVoid is a software development company on a mission to fill the tech void with their cutting-edge solutions. They are bringing a unique mix of expertise to the XR space, blending AI and XR into a powerful combination that’s poised to revolutionize how we work, live, and play.
The company’s flagship product, Omniverse Create XR, enables engineers, designers, and creators to view, navigate, and review ray-traced high-fidelity 3D scenes at human scale. It can be accessed using multiple VR headsets and streaming to ARCore tablets through Omniverse Streaming Client, providing an easy way for teams to collaborate on AR/VR content.
Steve Stratis, the CEO of OmniVoid, is an industry leader and visionary in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality. An MIT graduate, he has extensive knowledge in the areas of cognitive psychology and perceptional neuroscience, computational geometry, computer graphics, robotics, and digital design. He has a strong track record of creating innovative technology, and has won numerous awards for his work in the field of AI and XR. His unique background, combined with his passion for pushing the boundaries of technological innovation and creativity, has set him apart as a force to be reckoned with in the XR industry. omnivoid xr


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Top tips for new start-ups
David Cameron has spent the last few weeks trying to encourage British businesses to grow.
He challenged them to match the export activity of their counterparts in the rest of Europe, saying the extra activity could raise £30bn and so wipe out the trade deficit. He also promised grants of £95m to those businesses which invest.
But how can a small company grow, in this financial climate? Exhibitors at the Business Start-up fair at London's Earl's Court gave the BBC their top tips.
20 Nov 2011
- From the section Business


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PORTLAND, Ore. — Hormel Foods Corp.'s second-quarter profit climbed 41 percent on strong performance of its refrigerated foods and Jennie-O Turkey business, while higher commodity costs cut into its other lines.
MILWAUKEE - Hormel Foods Inc. plans to boost its advertising next year to persuade cash-strapped shoppers to pay extra for its pricier items, like microwave meals, as they keep looking for ways to cut costs in the downturn.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The manager of an Iowa hog farm where an animal rights group shot video of workers abusing pigs is still on the job, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Tuesday, and the group released a new video it said shows him kicking and shocking an injured sow.
View your ad here! Cost effective targeted advertising. Contextual advertising starting as low as $79/month. This includes targeted ad delivery and search results! Add your business to the Marketplace »


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In many ways, 2023 was a banner year for U.S. manufacturing. Spurred in large part by the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), we saw record private sector investment in the manufacturing sector.
Still, 2023 was a mixed bag for individual manufacturers, with “leaders and laggards” emerging in every sector based on a mix of market demand, technological maturity and a host of external factors such as ongoing supply chain disruptions and labor disputes. Manufacturers of AI-optimized chips? Clear winners. Pharmaceutical companies marketing weight-loss drugs? They did well based on high customer demand; conversely, pharmaceutical companies making COVID treatments had a lot of inventory to write off.
2024 will likewise present both opportunities and challenges, with continued investments tempered by higher interest rates, ongoing labor shortages and, inevitably, more supply chain surprises. The one certainty going into the new year? Manufacturers that make smart investments in technology — and that operationalize that tech to drive near-term, tangible value — are going to put an ever greater distance between themselves and the laggards. Looking ahead, we should expect:
Greater transparency as a north star. “Where’s my product?” Leaders increasingly realize that when the customer service department gets that call, the rep better have a good answer, in real-time. That means being able to see all parts of an order, not just the load they are shipping, in real-time, anywhere in the world. Chief Supply Chain Officers (CSCOs) will continue to invest in visibility technologies to eliminate supply chain and manufacturing blind spots and increase transparency and collaboration throughout their organizations to ultimately get their teams away from fighting fires and answering internal questions.
Inventory costs and product portfolios will be under the microscope. The highest interest rates in decades mean that leaders can no longer afford to over-order as a hedge to keep manufacturing lines running. Manufacturers increasingly will leverage technology to read the latest demand signals and order just enough inventory to meet customer demand. Similarly, product portfolios will be continuously assessed relative to demand and SKUs will be rationalized to optimize inventory carrying costs. Efficiently and effectively managing inventory will require a new degree of agility within the manufacturing supply chain to not only detect, for instance, short-filled orders but to identify the options that are immediately available to keep needed inventory flowing. Having real-time insight across your supply chain can help reduce inventory across the board.
Technologically mature carriers will take greater share. I’ve talked to several transportation executives at various manufacturers of late and heard a common refrain around carrier consolidation. They are all looking to build better relationships with a handful of close partners who have established track records of excellent performance. That means carriers who embrace technology to boost delivery performance will take an ever greater share from the tech laggards — especially in a market where capacity isn’t king anymore. Now that they have more leverage, shippers are asking their carriers, “What else can you do for me?”
Talent will follow the tech. Over the course of the pandemic, workers performed heroics with the tools that they had. Going forward, many of them will no longer accept manual processes or archaic tools (yes, I’m talking to you, Excel). Increasingly, workers see a company’s lack of investment in advanced technology as a lack of investment in them. The manufacturers who invest in the latest and greatest — visibility, AI, IoT, data and analytics — will win over the workforce for the future.
Leaders will choose tech that delivers faster time to value. Too many digital transformation projects fail because manufacturers try to boil the ocean or take a long time to implement — by the time the solution is ready to go, the climate has changed. Instead, the savviest manufacturers are focusing on the use cases that can drive the greatest efficiencies and savings in the near term. And more CSCOs and CFOs are working together to actively monitor the ROI of every investment. The ROI doesn’t have to be astronomical, but manufacturing leaders will increasingly choose the vendors and tech that deliver cost reductions and operational efficiencies in a relatively short timeframe and even produce the receipts to show they’re delivering what they committed.
As we look at 2024 and beyond, manufacturers who have embraced technological advancements and operationalized them effectively will not only navigate future uncertainties but will thrive amidst them. The convergence of advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and agile logistics systems is not merely reshaping the landscape; it’s propelling those at the forefront into a future where the agility to respond to market demands and the foresight powered by data-driven decisions sets leaders apart.
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THE DETAILS: The bustling trade show hosted more than 420 free educational classes, 805 exhibiting companies and 55,214 attendees representing all 50 states and more than 35 countries on 7.3 acres of exhibit floor. Although the expansive show floor was impressive, perhaps more baffling still was the number of classes available to beauty professionals—both hands-on workshops and watch-and-learn.
Additionally, the Main Stage and Hair Color Stage hosted huge names such as Martin Parsons, Christopher and Sonya Dove of Wella, Ted Gibson, Ian Michael Black of Aveda and more. In addition to all the hair and nails knowledge and brands available to attendees, Premiere DAYSPA pandered to estheticians and was easily accessible on the show floor.
MODERN was also happy to host an invitation-only salon owners VIP event to cover trends and better business practices from five of the top salons from the SALON TODAY 200 from this past year and announce 2014’s top 200 salons.
TRENDING: Premiere Orlando was one more event that solidified that this is the year of men’s grooming. Brands that didn’t consider the male client before are now turning their attention that way, and stylists would be foolish not to do the same. Aside from that, there was no shortage of bright, bold hair color—on stages and among attendees as well (Matrix Colorgraphics Lacquers, Pravana Chromasilk Neons and the like).
WHAT’S NEW: CND unveiled its newest project, CNDU, an online education program for nail techs. Also, there was a significant amount of traffic around a large VERB booth—a brand relatively new to the show scene that prides itself on every product in its line being the same price, $14.
SAVE THE DATE: Premiere Orlando 2015 will be May 30-31 and June 1, 2015. For more info, visit premiereorlandoshow.biz.
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People should be expecting some changes to courier international rates from FedEx, as the company’s looking to save costs to compensate for the hits the company has taken from slowdown in global trade.
The Memphis logistics giant reported quarterly earnings of $4.03/share, which is better than what analysts recently estimated, at $3.94/share. From the same quarter in 2017, profits went up from $775 million to $935 million and company revenues went up from $16.3 billion to $17.8 billion.
According to the company, the higher volumes and increased yields helped boost operating income, but European economic weakness have hit their Express package volume, which the company expects to continue.
FedEx Chairman and CEO Fred Smith stated that the company is currently in the midst of another record-setting holiday season, and he salutes their employees, which number around 450,000 worldwide, for providing outstanding customer service. However, he says that, while the US economy remains strong, the international side of the business took a bit of a dive during the same quarter. He states that the company working to mitigate the impact of this trend with new cost-reduction initiatives.
FedEx downgraded its 2019 fiscal year forecast down to the $12.65 to $13.40/share range from $15.85 to $16.45/share range, not including year-end retirement plan accounting adjustments.
FedEx Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Raj Subramaniam, during an earnings call, says that the company is now past the peak for global economic growth, adding that Asia is starting to see a similar slowdown to the one in Europe.
In the last quarter of 2017, earnings went up by 15%, which FedEx attributed to growth in both e-commerce and global economies as the primary reasons as why financial results improved back then.
CFO Alan B. Graf Jr. says that the company will be focusing on increasing organizational efficiency thanks to the expected slowdown of global trade activity. FedEx will be implementing voluntary buyouts for eligible employees, plus additional methods, like adjusting discretionary spending, and reducing Express’ international network, possibly affecting its courier international rates, in order to mitigate damage.
FedEx didn’t disclose exactly how many employees will be offered buyouts. It currently has around 425,000 employees, with 30,000 of those located in the greater Memphis area. They did, however, state that the vast majority of the employees offered buyouts will be FedEx Express and FedEx Services employees.


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Warm up your holiday spirit, tune up your caroling voice, bundle up the kids, and join the festivities at Sister Bay’s Capture the Spirit event, Nov. 28-30.
The village lights will glow brightly Friday, Nov. 28 beginning at 4:30 pm with the lighting of luminaries around downtown and the village Christmas tree and decorations at the corner of Mill Road and North Bay Shore Drive (Highway 42). Santa and Mrs. Claus will bring good tidings and merriment to all with his arrival and as he leads the children to the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Library for storytelling and crafts after the tree lighting. A free entry raffle for Birch Creek Music Performance tickets will be held at the tree lighting.
Bring your sweet tooth, creativity and children to the holiday cookie decorating on Saturday, Nov. 29 from 3 – 5 pm at the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Station. Piggly Wiggly and Sister Bay Advancement Association sponsor these sweet treats.
Wrap up the weekend Sunday, Nov. 30 with the festival’s newest addition, Children’s Christmas Store, sponsored by Family Centers of Door County. Children ages 4-12 shop for presents for their family in the Sister Bay Village Hall from 11am – 1pm. Local businesses donate items and gift certificates that children may purchase at deeply discounted rates. Santa’s elves help children shop and wrap their presents so children may surprise their parents.
Shop locally for gifts for your family and friends at the annual Friends of Gibraltar Arts and Crafts Show inside the village hall Nov. 28 – 29, from 10am – 5pm Friday, and 10am – 4pm Saturday.
Help support the Northern Door Children’s Center and buy tickets for the Holiday Home Tour set for Friday from 4 – 8pm and Saturday from 10am – 4pm. Call 920.854.4244 for tickets.
For more information visit cometosisterbay.com, call 920.854.2812 or email [email protected].


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An activist investor wants Barnes & Noble Inc. to try again to sell itself, arguing the bookseller needs an owner who can invest in its beleaguered operations.
Sandell Asset Management Corp. has recently started buying a stake in the New York bookstore chain and is already among its 10 biggest investors, according to people familiar with the matter.
Sandell believes the company could attract a bid of more than $12 a share, compared with a closing price Monday of $7.10, according to a letter reviewed by The Wall Street Journal that is to be released Tuesday.
Even though physical bookstores have declined in popularity in the U.S. in the internet age, Sandell reckons they aren’t going away and that Barnes & Noble’s US:BKS status as the only national chain could attract a well-heeled private-equity firm or another retailer.
Also popular on WSJ:


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PayPal says its users in the United Kingdom will temporarily lose the ability to buy cryptocurrencies via its platform from October 1st.
Why is PayPal pausing crypto sales?
The Financial Conduct Authority has recently announced new rules that make it mandatory for crypto companies to institute “clear risk warnings” as well as a 24-hour cooling-off period before they enable customers to put their money in crypto assets.
According to PayPal, it is “deeply committed” to complying with the said regulations and will, therefore, suspend crypto sales in U.K. for as long as it takes to make the required changes.
This announcement arrives only a day after the online payments company said Alex Chriss will replace Dan Schulman as its Chief Executive on September 27th. Its shares have lost about 20% month-to-date.
When will PayPal resume crypto sales?
PayPal was not specific in divulging when is it likely to resume crypto sales on its platform. What it told customers in a message today was only that they will be re-enabled in early 2024.
So, it’s fair to assume that the pause will remain in place for at least three months considering it starts on October 1st. During this time, though, users will be able to hold as well as sell their crypto assets on the platform, as per the digital payments giant.
Note that PayPal is slated to launch PYUSD in the coming weeks. PayPal USD – its own stablecoin will be issued by Paxos Trust Company and its value will be pegged to the U.S. dollar (find out more).
- PayPal to pause crypto sales as it works to comply with new FCA rules.
- Crypto sales on its platform will likely be resumed in early 2024.
- PayPal is slated to launch its own stablecoin in the coming weeks.


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ATLANTA, June 24, 2014 (Press Release) -Moore & Associates proudly announces its 20th anniversary. The company is an international consulting firm providing a range of strategic services, consulting insight, and market analysis to the global paper recycling industry since 1995.
ESPOO, Finland, June 24, 2014 (Press Release) -Valmet will supply Papierfabrik Niederauer Mühle GmbH with a sizer and auxiliaries for its PM3 containerboard machine located in the company's Kreuzau mill in Germany. The target of the project is to improve the strength properties of the white top liner grades.
VÉLIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France, June 5, 2014 (Press Release) -Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today that Barilla, the global leader in the pasta industry, chose its "Perfect Package" industry solution expe
LONDON, June 23, 2014 (Press Release) -Further to the announcement made on 16 April 2014, DS Smith Plc confirms that Ian Griffiths and Louise Smalley have today joined the Board as non-Executive Directors.
MEMPHIS, TN, June 23, 2014 (PRNewswire) -International Paper announced today that Computerworld, the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide, ranked International Paper No. 34 on its 2014 Top 100 Best Places to Work in IT.
OAKLAND, CA, June 20, 2014 (PPI Pulp & Paper Week) -Former Forrester Research COO Charles Rutstein is the new CEO of RISI, AXIO Data Group said this week. RISI is an AXIO subsidiary. Rutstein, who replaced Mike Coffey in May, held a variety of different positions over the last 14 years at Forrester and most recently was the company's COO.
KINGSEY FALLS, QC, June 19, 2014 (PRNewswire) - Cascades is proud to announce the launch of Respak, the ecological answer to the environmental challenge of polycoated packaging products. Designed primarily for the food and food services industries, Respak is recyclable and compostable, without compromising on the performance and durability characteristic of traditional polycoated packaging.
NEENAH, WI, June 17, 2014 (Press Release) - A new large-format digital press at Menasha Packaging's Folding Carton Group in Neenah, Wisconsin is helping the company stay ahead of the competition, while satisfying more customers with speed, cost and quality.


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Customers paying £60 will get Vodafone’s coverage-boosting 3G femtocell free, while others will pay £5 a month
Vodafone’s 3G femtocell, announced this morning, will be free to any Vodafone customer paying £60 a month, and cost £5 per month for those on most other tariffs.
The device improves indoor coverage by sending calls over the user’s broadband connection instead of using the Vodafone cellular network, and will be offered to any customer that wants one – including those with 3G dongles – and especially to those complaining of poor reception, a Vodafone executive told eWEEK Europe.
New subscriptions for a typical lower-end Sony Ericsson will cost £15 a month, including a Vodafone Access Gateway, while an HTC Magic user, might pay £30 a month for a Gateway and 3000 minutes, said Lee McDougall, the senior manager at Vodafone who announced the new product at the Femtocell World Summit in London.
Even pay-as-you-go users can get in on the action, by paying £160 up front, said McDougall, filling our information which was somewhat sketchy in the intial announcement, which took delegates at the Summit by surprise.
The femto can be added to any existing or new subscription, and support multiple phones, and does not include its own SIM card, so does not create a new subscription, he explained. The device has been tested with multiple ISPs’ broadband lines, and no compatibility issues have been uncovered, he said.
He does not expect any ISPs to object to carrying Vodafone’s traffic: “It’s mostly voice, and a small amount of data traffic,” he said. “It’s a very small amount of traffic, not like the iPlayer.”
In tests with more than 1000 users, the issue of voice coverage at home emerged as the main reason people would use the femtocell, he said, so Vodafone is marketing it as a means to improve voice coverage rather than data speeds.
However, the device can be used for HSDPA data, and should make a marked improvement to the performance of 3G dongles used at home – and it will be available to those subscribers: “For £5 you can add it to a dongle subscription,” said McDougal.


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A new magical attraction complete with wands, spells, broomsticks and Butter Beer is launching in the Midlands.
The Magic Alley store first opened in London in 1990, seven years before the publication of the first Harry Potter book and the creation of Diagon Alley, and it then moved to Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon .
Now, Magic Alley owners have announced the museum and shop is set to get bigger and better when it moves to Bell Court in Stratford.
The new attraction will feature hatching dragons eggs, a magical book that writes all on its own and a life-size animatronic bust of William Shakespeare.
There will also be a Golden Broomstick Pumpkin, Butter & Root Beer Bar where visitors will be able to get their own “Potion To Go”.
“The spectacular new attraction – think Jules Verne meets Thomas Edison and HG Wells with a hefty dose of William Shakespeare – will be packed with magical experiences,” said a spokesman for Magic Alley.
The 4,500 square foot museum and shop will be spread over two floors and will have the feel of a late 19th century bonded warehouse with themes exploring the lost years of William Shakespeare and science, art, time travel and magic.
Visitors will be able to buy traditional and magical gifts, books and even magic wands “direct from the Ministry of Time”.
The new store and attraction are planned to open in Spring 2018.
Bell Court is a retail and leisure development, featuring a cinema, shops, restaurants and cafes on Wood Street near to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the MAD Museum.
John Stacey, asset management director at UK & European Investments, owners of Bell Court, said: “Magic Alley will bring a new dimension to Bell Court, introducing another leisure offering at the development.
“It’s already a popular attraction amongst tourists and local residents, and having seen the plans for the new store, it’s certainly going to get a lot of people excited when it opens.”
Ahead of the move, there’s a special Christmas event happening at Magic Alley in Henley Street, check out the details here .
We also have this guide on things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon too.


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Coronavirus Latest News
The initiative will use drones to make on-demand deliveries of hundreds of different vaccines, blood products, and life-saving medications across the state.
Gwamnatin tarayyar Nigeria ta sake dawo da dokar takaita fita a dukkan kasar daga 12 na dare zuwa 4 na asuba domin dakile yaduwar annobar korona wato COVID-19.
Traders in popular Lagos market reveal how insecurity is affecting their business in recent times thereby resulting into low patronage. Legit.ng confirm thus.
Premier League has today confirmed that the final two Matchweeks of the 2020/21 season will be limited to home fans, subject to the Government easing lockdown.
The CBN has earmarked N50 billion to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 on Nigerians. This piece by Legit.ng highlights those eligible for the loans.
The federal government has barred travellers from Brazil, India and Turkey as a result of rising COVID-19 cases in those countries. It takes effect from May 4.


text: Amen. Sonos has finally concluded that, under most conditions, they can provide reliable music streaming over existing WiFi networks without requiring their $50 Bridge. Not only does this represent a cost savings for potential new customers, but it also provides a far simpler conceptual approach for civilian consumers who may be most familiar with Bluetooth speakers. Sonos can now (or soon) be described simply as a WiFi speaker (with whole-home benefits). And, of course, some neurotic folks such as myself will just be happy with less clutter. Beta testing commences in the next few weeks – register your interest here.


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Fiji's trade minister says in its current form, the Pacific Agreement for Closer Economic Relations or PACER Plus leaves a lot to be desired.
Its trade minister, Faiyaz Koya, has told FBC News that despite considerable progress made in the negotiations, there are still a number of issues of contention.
The 13th round of the trade negotiations is underway in Fiji this week.
Mr Koya says PACER Plus doesn't provide binding commitments in labour mobility or development cooperation, adding that Fiji may consider pulling out from the deal.
The minister says all governments should ensure that negotiations result in a long-term, predictable and sustainable agreement - leading to increase in exports, job creation, poverty alleviation and private sector growth.
Mr Koya says Pacer Plus should be a living agreement, without any country having difficulties in implementing the agreement.


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Largest State Gains Even More CapabilitiesFri, 12/01/2017 - 10:53
Q: How has Chihuahua’s aerospace industry evolved and what role is the cluster playing in its consolidation?
A: Major OEMs, including Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier and Embraer, are transferring and developing their supply chain to the state. This is impacting the region and strengthening sub-tier companies and other local suppliers. We are seeing more integration of the supply chain, not just in the city but in the region. Companies are increasingly incorporating local suppliers from Chihuahua, Queretaro, Nuevo Leon and other states. Integration is not new but it is growing fast and stronger, with major companies such as Fokker-GKN finding more local suppliers and SMEs.
Our goal as a cluster is to integrate local companies and to work along with other clusters to increase the capabilities in the country and business opportunities among the regions. Alongside FEMIA, we are performing a comprehensive analysis of the capabilities of the supply chain to understand the competences the state has and what companies from other states have to offer.
The aerospace sector is facing uncertainty due to foreign geopolitical concerns, which has prompted some companies that were considering moving into the state and Mexico to pull back. However, I foresee continuous growth in operations for companies already established here due to efforts to consolidate the local supply chain, which have resulted in new technologies and capabilities coming to the state. The state has been very successful in integrating Mexico’s supply chain due to our collaboration with other clusters.
Q: What new projects and innitiatives were launched in the state during 2017?
A: At the beginning of 2017, EZ Air, the joint venture between Embraer and Zodiac Aerospace, launched the prototype for the E190-E2 interior that was presented at the Paris Le Bourget Air Show. This project brings together many players working to consolidate the supply chain for seats and interiors, including Soisa Aerospace, a local Mexican company that will provide the seats cushion and the covers.
Embraer is now manufacturing parts for its E-Jet E2 family in Chihuahua and has a few projects for 2018 as the company increases its airplane sales. Bombardier continues to expand its aerostructures supply chain and bringing more work to the state, quickly making Chihuahua its most important supplier for aerostructures in Mexico. Boeing’s supply chain is also growing with more programs for the 737 and is developing its suppliers for the 787 in which local companies are participating. Zodiac Aerospace recently celebrated its 10th anniversary; it now has nine divisions and is expanding some of its divisions. The growth of these companies impacts the entire supply chain in the state because it supports the development of local suppliers and engineers.
Q: What strategies is the cluster pursuing to support the development of local SMEs?
A: During the first half of 2017, the local government launched and initiative to accelerate potential SMEs that can be integrated in the industry. Also, a local group of SMEs was formed under the name Cluster Eje (Axis Cluster). We are working with them and after categorizing them by the products they manufacture, we have identified those that can be integrated into the local aerospace supply chain. With the support of the city and state governments and OEMs, we have identified what these SMEs need in order to manufacture for the aerospace sector. The aerospace industry has a seven to 10-year ROI cycle, which is very hard for an SME to handle. This initiative will help support them through this period. Chihuahua is successfully implementing this program and it is also planned to be replicated in Ciudad Juarez and other key cities in the state. We are complementing FEMIA’s work in compiling this database and generating a comprehensive analysis of what every company is doing.
Q: What changes in policy are required to strengthen the local supply chain?
A: Many existing economic policies across Mexico are overtly focused on foreign investment, as the country now greatly depends on FDI. While the country does need it, policies must also provide the critical support SMEs need to develop the local supply chain. Previously, cluster members used to joke that the only ones who could get governmental support were those named “Smith,” but this is changing as the government is increasingly supporting Mexican companies. The government’s role is not just to encourage foreign investment but to also support companies already established in the region to help them grow.
The state and city government has shown great support for the state’s manufacturing sector and is planning to develop comprehensive policies that will even outlast the current administration and lead future governments. This policy will provide continuity, which is important for existing companies and for future investment.
Q: How can NAFTA be modified to improve manufacturing practices in the region?
A: NAFTA should facilitate trade between border cities. For instance, Ciudad Juarez or any other border cities have many manufacturing companies and need services that cannot be found in the city or any other Mexican neighbor state but are available less than 1.5 hours across the border, and vice versa. US companies are aware that they can find a specific process at a better price across the border but they know that sending the part is too expensive and time consuming due to the complex paperwork they have to comply with. The border’s bureaucracy and costs complicates manufacturing across both countries and diminishes the border cities’ competitiveness. If we use NAFTA to support the industry on both sides of the border, we can make the Mexican and US border one of the strongest manufacturing regions in the world.
Q: What new capabilities has the state incorporated?
A: 2016 was an important year for the state. We established a core competence in the manufacture of aircraft interiors, not just seats and design but every part the passenger comes in contact with once they enter the airplane, from floors to entertainment systems. The state is also increasing its capabilities for the manufacturing of sheet-metal and assembly of aerostructures, high precision machining, and secondary processes such as steel heat treat and chemical processes. The cluster is surveying the capabilities of local SMEs and will incorporate this information into its technological road map. This map was launched in 2014 with the incorporation of the local capabilities back then, currently we are updating it and incorporating the new SMEs entering the aerospace industry.


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Collaboration Tech - Universities Present Large and Growing Opportunity
Higher education institutions are investing in a wide range of learning space technologies, according to a comprehensive new study by Futuresource Consulting.
Date Published: 15 Apr 2019
New K-12 Mobile PC Report Confirms 2018 Growth and Upbeat Future
The global K-12 mobile PC market continues to develop, with annual shipments exceeding 29 million units for the first time last year, according to the latest K-12 market report from Futuresource Consulting.
Date Published: 13 Mar 2019
The US K-12 Education Market Beats Forecast in Q3
Sales of Mobile PCs* into the US K-12 market increased in the third quarter of 2018, with shipments growing 10% year-on-year.
Date Published: 05 Dec 2018
Gaming Headset Market to Exceed 50% Growth this Year
The video gaming headset market is on track to grow more than 50% this year, achieving a global market value of $1.2 billion, according to a new industry report from Futuresource Consulting.
Date Published: 23 Oct 2018
VR Games on Track 220% Growth in 2018
VR gaming and head mounted displays (HMDs) continue to experience rapid innovation in a stuttering market, amid a range of challenges and a turbulent hype cycle.
Date Published: 18 Oct 2018


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Honda Motor Europe has released its first official tease photo, showing the rear LED taillights and integrated spoiler on the 2012 Honda Civic that will be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show.
The European version of the ninth generation Civic is different from the U.S. version with suspension tuned to European tastes. Hopefully it will garner better reviews than the U.S. version.
Honda Europe says it has made good use of Honda's anechoic (echo-free) chamber in its R&D facility in Swindon, UK, where the car is built, to fine-tune the cabin insulation. Apparently one of the results was to modify the design and construction of the roof lining, and how it interacts with the bodywork.
Honda says it used its Formula One experience to help lower the coefficient of drag while giving it excellent high-speed stability. It claims hours of work in the Honda wind tunnel improved performance, reduced fuel consumption and resulted in an exceptionally quiet interior.
"We did not improve the noise and refinement of the new Civic through just one technique," commented Kazuo Sunaoshi, Development Leader – Chassis. "It was the accumulation of lots of little details. My big challenge was to match the noise and vibration levels of our European competitors. I am proud to say that we have achieved our goals."
Honda considers the Ford Focus to be the Civic's main competitor in Europe.
Although Honda has not yet shown the world exactly what the new Civic will look like several photos of the car in disguise have been shown. These "spy shots" were officially released by Honda, effectively putting real spy photographers, like Brenda Priddy, out of work!
- Driven: European Spec 2012 Honda Civic
- 2012 Honda Civic Plummets in Consumer Reports Ratings
- New Honda Civic is Europe-Bound


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Slump in shares may hit pensions
COMPANIES HAVE been warned they might have to make emergency cash injections to their pension schemes to make up for the loss in value caused by falling share prices.
Many of the biggest company schemes will be revalued at the end of this month and the Institute of Actuaries has warned that some firms could have to pay the equivalent of an extra 5% or 10% on the total wages bill.
Peter Tomkins of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, chairman of the Institute of Actuaries' Pensions Board, said: 'The pain won't be evenly spread. But for companies that are cash-strapped, this could be very uncomfortable.
'There must be a lot of very nervous finance directors around.'
And he predicted that many corporations would use the crash as a trigger to switch from final salary to money purchase pension schemes, leaving their employees to shoulder the risk of volatile stock markets.
Tomkins said: 'We are very worried that people are not going to have enough pension. The very uncomfortable message is that, increasingly, the risk is being borne by employees.'
He said it was impossible to forecast the scale of pensions top-up that the industry was facing. That could become clearer once valuations have been carried out at the end of the month.
'The real problem is for those companies whose pension schemes are only marginally funded,' he said. 'We could be looking at a company that thought it would enjoy a pension holiday for the next three or four years having to end that this year. Other companies might have to find an extra 5% or 10% on their pay bill.'
Tomkins pointed out that recent changes to pensions regulation meant companies had far less time to make what could be substantial top-ups, while changes to the tax regime were already encouraging businesses to shift to money purchase plans.
'In the past, it would have taken a long time for the impact to be felt - after the 1987 crash there was almost no change.
'But now the recognition of changes in value is much more rapid, so the unfortunate message becomes clear more quickly.'
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What will drive the growth of CTV in 2022?
Publica’s Paul Gubbins joined a New Video Frontiers panel in London to answer the question we’re all asking: What will drive the growth of CTV in 2022?
Paul (VP, CTV Strategy) sat alongside Hitesh Bhatt (Director, Publisher Development at PubMatic), Chris Wright (Head of Sales, UK and International at Vevo), and Pippa Scaife (VP, Global Growth Strategy at NBCUniversal) to contemplate the future of CTV.
The panel kicked off with a discussion surrounding the current CTV landscape in the UK. The group acknowledged that although the UK is currently behind the US, there is promise for rapid growth.
“I think from where we were several years ago when most people couldn't figure out how to navigate their connected television,” Paul Gubbins said about the status of CTV in the UK. “I think we've come light years ahead of where we were. I think this year is all about discovery. More and more TV viewers are proactively searching for ad supported or low cost streaming services driven by the cost of living.”
As a broadcaster with many many different brands underneath you, what are you seeing in terms of the ad funded opportunity out there that exist outside of YouTube?
“We as a business, we touch CTV in a number of different ways.” Pippa Scaife responded. “We're seeing huge growth outside of that YouTube environment and CTV is offering us a vast range of opportunity that sits well alongside our linear inventory… We've invested an awful lot of time and resources in thinking about what innovation needs to look like on a CTV platform to move us away from the more traditional ad models.”
The discussion later evolved to contemplate the value of a viewer or audience and how they might differ across platforms.
Is a free user more valuable than a paying user?
“I used to work for Spotify, and they actually valued the free users more than the paid for users because they were the door into the paid for,” Hitesh Bhatt said. “So I think that the businesses will value their free audiences as much as their subscription audiences. It's really hard to say which will be more valuable depending on who's subscribing, what your campaign is, your objectives, etc. That's a tricky one to predict at this stage.”
“I'm interested to hear that Spotify values the ad funding users more than the premium subscribing users,” Chris Wright added. “I feel like from an average revenue per user perspective, the subscription is kind of the gold standard, right? So yes it might be a step into it, but I feel like it could be also cannibalistic to those numbers. I feel like you could also argue that the more affluent and therefore more desirable audiences are still behind that table as well.”
Will new advertisers in the CTV space be pushed out by bigger, traditional advertisers?
“It's not a question of traditional TV advertisers versus new entrants to the TV space,” Paul Gubbins said. “It's about bringing incremental budget to television. Hopefully we're going to be sat here in two years time and we won't be having CTV panels. It will go back to what it was five years ago and we'll just be discussing television.”
“It's television, but the way you plan, the way you buy, the way you measure is drastically changing” Paul continued. “That's what CTV is. It's a new approach to delivering ads on a television. It's not a brand new concept. It's just a brand new way of trying to figure out how to reach them, and then measure and quantify that the ad spend has been effective.”
“Yeah, because TV is the aspirational medium, right?” Hitesh Bhatt added. “If you can get on the big screen and deliver performance and deliver results, then that's where the money's going to go.”
The conversation went on to ask how CTV is internally discussed and what the space should look like going forward.
“I think in kind of the moment in time that we exist now, it's very much a complementary proposition to linear,” Chris Wright said. “To think about the concepts of pricing and inflation that we're seeing on TV obviously, that perfect storm has kind of created inflation on linear TV.”
“I mean there's no denying it's a huge part of our future. It's a huge part of our present.” Pippa Scaife added. “It is one of the things we talk most about internally and externally. I will say that we are a global business in the true sense of the word. We have consumers in 150 different countries, and CTV means something very different in different markets… We have to think about everything with a global lens and an understanding that we are accelerating at different rates in different parts of the world.”
Watch the full panel here for more insight into the immediate and long term future of CTV in the eyes of the industry's top companies.


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Will.i.am Raises $117 Million in Venture Funding
Plus, Tesla has announced that it will debut its electric semi-truck and WeWork is getting into the childhood education space.
Will.i.am has raised $117 million dollars in venture funding. His company was founded in 2012, and started by creating devices like headphones. Its new AI product is a corporate voice assistant named Omega, similar to Siri or Alexa.
Tesla has announced that it will debut its electric semi-truck. We will get all of the full details on Nov. 16, but the truck is rumored to have between 200 and 300 miles of range per charge. It should be interesting to see if this semi-truck will have autonomous driving capabilities.
WeWork is getting into the childhood education space. It is rumored that the co-working giant will open up a private elementary school called "WeGrow" in 2018. WeGrow will be inside of a New York City-based WeWork and caters to children ages 5 to 8.
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Kim Kardashian just received a 20.5 carat bling ring, but apparently that’s not enough. Ms. Kardashian and fiancé Kris Humpries just registered at Gearys in Beverly Hills, with a grand total of $172,000 worth of fancy cutlery and housewares on their wanted list. Unless you’re royalty or Kim Kardashian, we doubt you’ll be registering for a Baccarat Cosmos Vase ($7,850) or a Lalique Black Ashtray ($1,100) anytime soon. That said, we’ve rounded up a few under-$200 (a piece, that is) items that hopefully won’t scare your friends away from your wedding.
FYI: Rumor has it that Kim and Kris will also register at a less-pricey store like Williams Sonoma. Phew!


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Zoom, the popular video conferencing platform, has announced that it plans to expand its smart companion, Zoom IQ, and work with OpenAI to create a more flexible approach to AI. The company said that it will take a federated approach to AI, which means deploying a combination of AI models from those developed in-house and those developed by leading AI companies such as OpenAI or their own models for select customers. This approach will allow Zoom to make generative AI a driving force in making customers’ organizations more productive.
Zoom CEO, Eric Yuan, recently said that the age of AI and large language models has arrived, and Zoom is looking into ways it can benefit its customers by deploying this technology. The company believes that by expanding its smart companion, Zoom IQ, it can provide the most value for customers’ diverse needs. Zoom IQ already provides customers with access to smart meeting recordings, while Zoom IQ for Sales, launched in April 2022, uses AI to capture insights from customer interactions to help boost sales performances. By working with OpenAI, Zoom can access some of the most advanced AI technology available today.
What is the Federated Approach to AI?
The federated approach to AI means deploying a combination of AI models. This approach allows companies to use the best models for their specific needs. Zoom will be able to provide the most value for customers’ diverse needs by using a combination of AI models developed in-house, those developed by leading AI companies such as OpenAI, or for select customers, their own models.
The federated approach to AI is highly flexible and allows companies to use the best AI models for their specific needs. Zoom will be able to provide customers with customized models that are tuned to their specific vocabulary and scenarios. This will lead to better performance and more accurate results. Additionally, the federated approach to AI will allow Zoom to make generative AI a driving force in making its customers’ organizations more productive.
Zoom IQ Features
Zoom IQ is Zoom’s smart companion that provides customers with access to smart meeting recordings, and AI-powered insights from customer interactions to help boost sales performances. With the recent expansion, Zoom IQ will now offer the following new capabilities:
Zoom IQ has been a valuable tool for customers who are looking to maximize their productivity during virtual meetings. Now, with the addition of generative AI capabilities, Zoom IQ has become even more versatile.
The three new capabilities that have been added to Zoom IQ are Chat Compose, Email Compose, and Meeting Summary. Chat Compose allows users to compose messages based on the context of their chat conversations. The tool can be customized to change the tone of the message and suggest responses. Similarly, Email Compose takes the conversational context from prior Zoom Meetings, Zoom Phone calls, and email threads to draft email suggestions. This feature will initially be available in Zoom IQ for Sales.
Meeting Summary is another new addition to Zoom IQ that generates summaries of meetings and captures the post-meeting next steps that users can share directly via a team chat, a Zoom Calendar invite, or in an email. This feature is designed to help keep track of what was discussed during the meeting and what needs to be done next.
Zoom’s Other Platform Additions
Aside from the new generative AI capabilities in Zoom IQ, Zoom has also announced some other additions to its platform. One such addition is Intelligent Director, a new capability available within Zoom Rooms that will determine the best angle of the individuals in the room to display within the meeting. This feature is designed to make virtual meetings feel more natural and engaging.
Additionally, Zoom Scheduler now integrates with Google Calendar and Microsoft 365 to share meeting participants’ availability with others to make finding a convenient meeting time easier. And finally, Zoom Spots, which has been renamed Zoom Huddles, is now available globally for customers to request early access. Zoom Huddles is a new feature that allows for quick and easy virtual meetings with just a click of a button.


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Spotify users who signed up for the service right around the time of the Facebook login requirement have been counting down a musical doomsday clock since then -- the imminent ending of their six months of free, ad-supported songs. Spotify has always maintained that it would have to cut listeners down to 10 hours of gratis music per month after six months of freeloading. Today, the company changed its tune. To celebrate its ninth month anniversary in the U.S., Spotify announced it would let the ad-supported good times continue to roll.
How long the offer will stand is up in the air --
Spotify didn't mention any sort of new time constraints
in its announcement. "We’ve been so overwhelmed by the US response to Spotify that we’ve extended the honeymoon for unlimited free listening." That's the extent of the details.
Free accounts get interrupted by the occasional ad and are limited to PC listening; signing up for a $5/mo. account ditches the ads, while the $10/mo. plan opens up higher-quality tracks, an offline mode, and the ability to listening to Spotify on mobile phones or other compatible devices (like Sonos or Squeezebox).
It's a thoughtful move from the streaming music service, but the silly "Facebook account required for signup" thing still hovers over Spotify like a specter. Does even more free music make you more likely to check Spotify out, or is forced Facebook entry just a bit too much?


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Vancouver International Wine Fest is Coming UpPosted by Degan Walters on Sunday, January 23rd, 2011
Tags for this Article: event, festival, fortified, playhouse, port, sherry, tickets, Wine
The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival kicked off last week at the Shore Club where Executive Director Harry Hertscheg welcomed media and gave an introduction to the festival. Seventeen wines were opened, starting with a bubbly Segura Vida Cava and leading on to fino sherry, port and some festival highlights. Hertscheg touted the dry, fino sherry – so unfamiliar to North American palates – as as a lovely reception wine, to be drunk chilled in a champagne glass. A perfect choice, as this year the festival will focus on Spanish and fortified wines. Running from March 28th – April 3rd, 176 wineries from 15 countries will participate in this year’s festival, adding up to 1650 wines poured.
Check out www.playhousewinefest.com for details on seminars, tastings and dinners. Tickets go on sale Jan. 25th at 9:30 AM.