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Plastic drinking straws could soon disappear from drinks in the Aloha State. As the Hawaii Legislature considers a ban on such straws, two hotels have voluntarily stopped providing the potential pollutants.
California also has a bill in its Legislature that would outlaw use of plastic straws unless they are requested.
At The Modern Honolulu on Oahu and Hilton Waikoloa Village on the island of Hawaii, paper has replaced plastic. Late last month at the Hilton property, employees and dolphins from the resort’s Dolphin Quest teamed up to celebrate “the last straw.”
An Ocean Conservancy report last year noted that plastic straws are one of the top 10 items collected along the world’s shorelines. The authors of Hawaii Senate Bill SB2285 notes that Americans use 500 million straws each day. According to the bill, that is enough “to circle the earth two and a half times.”
Biodegradable paper straws are now available at the Honolulu and Waikoloa hotels, but only when guests specifically request them.
Officials at The Modern Honolulu said they used more than 612,000 plastic straws last year. In an email, a spokesperson said employees tested the paper replacements and found that they last in drinks for about an hour and a half.
A handful of smaller businesses have also joined the paper-not-plastic straw campaign.
In California, Malibu, which had already banned plastic cups and utensils, recently added plastic straws to the list. Other communities in the state, such as Davis and San Luis Obispo, enacted similar measures.


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When it comes to running a perishable food business, or any food organization for that matter, safety is perhaps the most important aspect that needs to be addressed. If a food has been contaminated in any way, whether it’s throughout the manufacturing, delivery, or storing process, it can harm end consumers.
The FDA regulated $417 billion worth of domestic foods and another $49 billion worth of imported food — and it all needs to be safe to consume. Additionally, allergic reactions need to be avoided at all costs. While there are more than 160 foods that can cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies, the law identifies the eight most common allergenic foods: milk, eggs, soybeans, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, and fish. These foods account for 90% of food allergic reactions and are the food sources from which many other ingredients are derived.
According to Food Navigator, food is the number one cause of poor health in America and a leading driver in disability and death. It’s estimated that 700,000 deaths each year are related to food issues. Simply being careful, unfortunately, won’t cut it for the majority of perishable food businesses across the country — more needs to be done.
At the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s Science Forum, in partnership with the Healthier America Summit, Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean of the Friedman School at Tufts University, explained that by combining national demographic data, disease rates, and national eating habits, the majority of health issues are caused by consuming too much processed meat, red meat, sugary beverages, and too much salt, as well as not enough fruits and vegetables.
Looking at healthy food as necessary medications, rather than products that should be consumed, can actually help change the entire culture of food safety.
“We have trained our minds and humanity, basically, to think that by popping pills we can actually be healthy,” said Anjali Pati, who launched Kashaya Yogurt as a probiotic-rich therapeutic food after researching at the National University of Natural Medicine for Naturopathic Medicine and Global Health. “We are walking away from what we would call the ancient future, which is our ancient civilization used to live long, long lives because of their ability to use food as medicine.”
Though it falls on the individual to eat more fruits and vegetables, it’s essential for the food sector as a whole to focus more on safety and promoting healthier lifestyles. Through innovative food traceability software, direct store delivery software, and a stronger emphasis on food health, food organizations can slowly start helping individual customers eat and be much healthier.
If you want to learn more about protecting your perishable food business’s customers and ensuring that your food is not only properly accounted for but safe to consume, give Harvest Food Solutions a call today.

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Samsung has introduced its new display technology, and suggests that the Galaxy S10 will have the front camera and the fingerprint reader under the screen.
Although there are still a few months until the presentation of the Samsung Galaxy S10, we can already guess some of the features that we could find in the next flagship of the South Korean company. Among them, we can highlight that it is possible to integrate both the fingerprint reader and the front camera under the screen.
Unlike other manufacturers, Samsung has always been against the implementation of the notch on the screen of their devices. So far, the company has preferred to reserve a thin border at the top to include the front camera and their respective sensors, and to give more space to the panel on their flagships has moved the fingerprint reader to the back of the phones.
However, the Samsung Galaxy S10 screen could present some news. Yesterday, October 18, the Samsung OLED Forum conference took place in China, an event in which the Korean giant revealed the characteristics of its new OLED screen technology. The company presented advances in the technology of its panels, including the implementation under the screen of both the fingerprint sensor and the front camera.
Gizchina News of the week
So far, these features we had seen in patent applications or rumors and leaks, but everything suggests that we could see them soon materialized in a real device, and the chances of this phone is the Galaxy S10 are very high.
In addition to these developments, it is also possible that the screen of the Galaxy S10 is capable of transmitting sound, although at the moment it is not clear whether it is conventional speakers or some more advanced system, such as bone conduction technology.
What the new Samsung Galaxy S10 panel technology seems to lack is a facial recognition system to unlock the device, since the front camera module under the screen would not have a 3D scanner.
At the moment, all this is conjecture and we still do not know for sure if the screen of the Galaxy S10 will equip the novelties presented in this conference, so we will have to wait until an official confirmation occurs.


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Lil’ Kim Launches Vodka Campaign
Childish beef with Nicki Minaj aside, Lil' Kim has been grinding hard on her comeback trail. The Brooklyn rapper has put on a series of concert performances in the past few weeks, and on Tuesday (Aug. 10) she officially launched her new promotional campaign with Three Olives Vodka.
Kim has signed on to be the face of the company's new 'Purple' campaign. "Since I'm Queen Bee and purple is the color of royalty, I'm thrilled Three Olives has asked me to bring my flavor to the sexy 'O-Face' campaign for their new Purple vodka!" Kim said in a statement. Earlier in June, she revealed that Three Olives had modeled the new 'Purple' campaign around her, prompting her to immediately accept their offer.
Elwyn Gladstone, VP of Marketing for Three Olives distributor Proximo Spirits, doubled the sentiment, explaining that the Brooklyn rapper was the perfect face for the new campaign. "A perfect match our for latest flavor, Lil' Kim is the personification of the sassy, fun and confident brand that Three-O strives to embody," Gladstone said in a statement. "We are so delighted to welcome Kim to the Three-O family, and look forward to introducing Three-O Purple to her dedicated fan base."
Kim is currently at work on her first book titled 'The Price of Loyalty.'


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Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, have gained significant attention and adoption in recent years as an alternative to traditional fiat currencies. While proponents of cryptocurrency tout its benefits, such as decentralization and anonymity, it is important to also consider the ethical implications of this digital currency. In this article, we will take a closer look at the dark side of cryptocurrency and the ethical concerns that it raises.
One of the main features of cryptocurrency is that it allows for anonymous transactions. While this anonymity can be beneficial for individuals who value privacy and want to protect their financial information, it also has a downside. Cryptocurrencies can be used to facilitate illegal activities, such as drug trafficking and money laundering, due to the lack of regulation and the ability to make anonymous transactions.
In the early days of Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency was primarily used on the Dark Web, an anonymous and unregulated part of the internet, to buy and sell illegal goods and services. While the use of Bitcoin on the Dark Web has declined in recent years, other cryptocurrencies, such as Monero and Zcash, have gained popularity due to their enhanced anonymity features.
The anonymity of cryptocurrency also makes it difficult for law enforcement to track and prosecute individuals who use it for illegal purposes. This has led to calls for greater regulation of the cryptocurrency market in order to prevent its use for illegal activities. However, there is also a concern that increased regulation could undermine the decentralization and anonymity that are integral to the appeal of cryptocurrency for many users.
The process of creating new units of cryptocurrency, known as mining, requires a significant amount of energy. Miners use powerful computers to solve complex mathematical problems, and the process consumes a large amount of electricity. In fact, the energy consumption of the Bitcoin network is estimated to be higher than that of entire countries, such as Argentina and the Netherlands.
The energy consumption and resultant carbon emissions of cryptocurrency mining have raised concerns about the environmental impact of this digital currency. The energy used for mining is often generated from fossil fuels, leading to greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to climate change.
There have been efforts to address the energy consumption of cryptocurrency mining, such as the use of renewable energy sources and the development of more efficient mining hardware. However, the demand for cryptocurrency and the resulting increase in mining activity have led to a continued strain on energy resources and the environment.
One of the key principles of cryptocurrency is decentralization, which means that it is not controlled by any single entity, such as a government or financial institution. However, the reality of the cryptocurrency market is that it is highly centralized. A small number of individuals and organizations, known as whales, hold a significant portion of the total market share of certain cryptocurrencies.
The centralization of cryptocurrency can have negative consequences for its users. For example, if a small group of individuals or organizations control a significant portion of the market, they can potentially manipulate the price of the cryptocurrency to their benefit. This can lead to financial losses for other users and undermine the integrity of the cryptocurrency market.
Additionally, the concentration of power in the hands of a few actors can also lead to the centralization of decision-making in the cryptocurrency market. This can undermine the democratic and decentralized principles that are supposed to be at the core of cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency is not subject to the same regulatory oversight and consumer protections as traditional financial systems, which can leave individuals vulnerable to financial losses and fraud. For example, if an individual’s cryptocurrency is stolen or their wallet is hacked, they may have little recourse to recover their funds. Additionally, the lack of regulation in the cryptocurrency market can make it difficult for individuals to protect themselves against fraudulent or deceptive practices.
There have been instances where individuals have lost significant amounts of money due to fraud or scams in the cryptocurrency market. For example, in the case of the Mt. Gox hack, where 850,000 Bitcoins were stolen, many investors lost their entire investments and were unable to recover their funds.
The lack of consumer protections in the cryptocurrency market highlights the need for greater regulation and oversight to protect individuals from financial losses and fraudulent activities. Without such protections, the ethical implications of cryptocurrency are questionable, as it leaves individuals vulnerable to financial harm.
The volatility of cryptocurrency prices has attracted both investors and speculators to the market. The rapid price fluctuations of cryptocurrency can lead to significant financial gains, but they can also result in significant losses. This volatility has led to concerns about the potential for cryptocurrency to contribute to financial instability.
The use of cryptocurrency as a speculative investment rather than a means of exchange can also have negative consequences for the overall adoption and use of this digital currency. If the primary use of cryptocurrency is for speculation, it may discourage its use as a means of exchange and payment, which could limit its potential for widespread adoption and use.
While cryptocurrency has the potential to offer benefits, such as decentralization and anonymity, it also raises a number of ethical concerns. The anonymous nature of cryptocurrency can facilitate illegal activities and make it difficult for law enforcement to track and prosecute individuals who use it for such purposes. The energy consumption and environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining, as well as the centralization of the market, are also ethical concerns. The lack of consumer protections and the potential for financial instability due to speculation in the cryptocurrency market are additional ethical considerations.
It is important to carefully consider the ethical implications of cryptocurrency and to address these concerns in order to ensure that this digital currency is used in a responsible and sustainable manner.
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The inflation rate may be starting to subside, but with prices still 6% higher than a year ago, it may still be having a big impact on your wallet. The typical American household spent $372 per month more in February than it did the year before on the same goods and services, according to Moody’s Analytics.
That can make it tough to stick to a budget — or to stay on track to meet other financial goals. In a recent report from PYMNTS in collaboration with LendingClub, nearly half (45%) of high-income consumers said they were living paycheck to paycheck.
The struggle may be even more difficult for those who have lower incomes and less breathing room in their budgets.
[Read: How to Make a Budget — and Stick to It.]
“Inflation is becoming a daily topic with clients,” Connor Spiro, senior financial consultant at John Hancock Advice, says. “It’s been in the news for a while now but it’s starting to really show its effects in the real world.”
Still, there are steps you can take to make ends meet during periods of high inflation. Here are some ideas to get started:
Never Go Shopping Without a List
Whether you’re hitting the grocery store or the mall, planning out your purchases ahead of time can prevent impulse purchases that can add to your bill.
Stephanie Genkin, founder of the website My Financial Planner, suggests a similar strategy for online shopping. Rather than making your purchases right away, she recommends adding them to a cart or wish list first, then looking at the purchase again a few days later.
“When you review the list from a distance, you don’t have the same stimulus response and you’re being more objective,” she says. “Most of the stuff, you don’t even want any more.”
[Read: Inside the Psychology of Overspending and How to Stop.]
Cancel Your Unused Subscriptions
A 2022 study by C+R Research found that average consumers estimated they spent just less than $90 per month on subscriptions — but in actuality, they spent more than 2.5 times that.
“Reviewing your recurring subscriptions is an easy way to cut costs in a budget,” Michael Tanney, senior managing director at Magnus Financial Group LLC, says. “Often these subscriptions have the ability to pause rather than cancel, so you can pause them for a few months and then reevaluate whether your miss it.”
Spend Less on Utilities
Energy costs have been among those hardest hit by inflation. Making small changes like sealing up drafty windows or switching to more efficient lightbulbs could make a big difference in your monthly bills. Turning your thermostat down by 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours a day (a smart thermostat can do this automatically) could save you up to 10% per year on heating and cooling costs, according to Energy.gov.
Lower Your Housing Costs
Making changes to larger budget line items could free up even more cash. Housing is the biggest monthly expense for many consumers, for example, so lowering that by downsizing, getting a roommate or renting out an extra room could free up a significant amount of cash.
“Making one big decision to save on housing or auto expenses means you may not have to make 10 or 15 smaller decisions and stress out about them,” Brian Leslie, financial planner with Edelman Financial Engines, says.
[READ: Should You Downsize to Save Money?]
Move Your Cash to a High-Yield Savings Account
One upside of inflation is that savings accounts are finally seeing higher interest rates than they have in the past decade. Many online banks are now offering 4% or more. If you’re not making close to that, it may be time to shop around to find a bank that can pay more.
[See: Best High-Yield Savings Accounts]
Make More Money
Another upside to an inflationary environment is that wages are also on the rise (though not as quickly as consumer prices).
“One characteristic of today’s economy is that there is a very tight labor market,” James Lee, financial planner in Saratoga Springs, New York.
“Individuals might be in a position to ask their employers for a raise, which can help with the income side of the budget, or look for work at another employer who might offer a higher salary,” he says.
More from U.S. News
15 Money Moves You Will Be Thankful For
How to Save Money: 10 Expert-Backed Ways
Inflation Continued to Fall in February With Some Items Rising at Slowest Pace Since 2021
Tips to Make Ends Meet During High Inflation originally appeared on usnews.com


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Cipla Rejigs Executives, New Chief For North America Business
Ex-Torrent COO Arunesh Verma to lead Cipla’s North America generics business, while the head of Cipla USA has been repositioned to lead the India prescription business, among other personnel changes.
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Top-level personnel movement continues at pharma firms in India, with Cipla now appointing an ex-Amneal executive as its Chief Scientific Officer, while Abbott has effected a rejig at the helm.
Cipla to moderate investments across US generics R&D and specialty business, while its India business components - prescription, trade generic and consumer health - are being brought under a “single capital allocation framework.”
Sandoz has decided to discontinue development of its generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus respiratory brand, resulting in an impairment charge of $442m.


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Ventilation has long been a part of the business model at Kilwin’s on Main Street.
Each holiday season as stores stay open late for the city’s annual Midnight Madness shopping event, the smell of waffle cones, caramels and chocolates drifting through open doors draws customers in for a treat.
Midnight Madness is still on this year, with shops in the city slated to stay open to midnight the first and second Thursdays of December and until 11 p.m. on the third Thursday. Much of it will be changed, but the smell of tasty treats from Kilwin’s will be a constant. Store Manager Jonathan Barone said they have set up lines in and out of the store, and are emphasizing curbside pickup. As restaurants downtown have taken a hit, so has the after-dinner ice cream cone market, which relied heavily on in-person orders.
“The time between the decision to get ice cream and having ice cream in hand is usually just a few minutes,” Barone said.
So they have focused on things that can be shipped instead, such as gift packages. Barone said they try to evoke a feeling of joy and wonder in their candy shop, and he is happy they will be able to do that this season while still taking precautions to make sure employees are safe.
Shopping locally is critical if the community wants the 90 retailers and 80 restaurants in Annapolis to survive COVID-19, Downtown Annapolis Partnership Executive Director Erik Evans said. Many stores are offering curbside pick-up, like Kilwin’s, as well as private shopping hours by appointment and other accommodations.
“Don’t let any obstacle stop you from shopping locally,” Evans said. “All the options are out there for you this year.”
While most years roads are closed for Midnight Madness, this year they will remain open. They are discouraging the event’s typical “party” atmosphere, Evans said. There won’t be food and wine in stores, or live music in the street. And while the event shopping hours usually start at 6 p.m., this year it will start at 4 p.m., giving people more time to shop so stores don’t get crowded.
Capacity in stores is limited to 50%, and capacity in restaurants will be limited to 25%.
Here, a pop-up shop on Main Street, will be selling items from more than 80 local merchants this year, owner Ellen Lunay said. She said most businesses she knows are expanding their online presence in response to COVID-19. They have a web store updated daily where people can browse and feel like they’re in the shop, she said.
Her store will have hand sanitizer and an air filter, she said, and private shopping appointments are available.
“If everybody does it safely it can still be an important night downtown,” she said.
Daily Top Stories
The partnership has a list of links to business websites on its page, as well as places to buy restaurant gift cards.
While the crowds will be down, for safety, the lights will be up. Evans said this year’s light display downtown will be the biggest ever, with a “holiday canopy” over West Street, “snowflake alley” over Main Street. They want to lift peoples’ spirits in this tough year, he said, and they hope people will enjoy the lights whether walking or driving downtown.
“It’s really fun to watch how downtown lights up,” Evans said.
Other holiday events:
The Christmas Tree at Market Space will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Naval Academy. The tree will be adorned with rope, hats (or covers), ornaments made from recycled alumni magazines and touches of blue and gold.
The annual Grand Illumination event in downtown Annapolis has been canceled, as has the Glen Burnie Improvement Association’s annual tree lighting. Both will still be lit and decorated, but no gathering is planned to mark the occasion.
And in Crofton, Boy Scout Troop 758 are lighting up the whole town, by selling luminary sets. Each set would make 10 luminaries and costs $12, with a discount the more one buys. The plan is for people to then put the luminaries out on Dec. 13, creating a beautiful display of lights one home at a time.
The drive-thru light display at Sandy Point State Park benefitting the SPCA of Anne Arundel County, “Lights on the Bay,” is still on. More than 70 displays illuminate the two-mile drive, including scenes from Annapolis like midshipmen throwing hats in the air, the events website said.


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India-Australia trade deal expected to boost gems, jewellery sector
30 November, 2022 | Vaishali Sharma
Due to privileged access granted to India's gem and jewellery exports to the island country, the India-Australia trade deal is estimated to generate millions of dollars in new commerce.
Due to privileged access granted to India’s gem and jewellery exports to the island country, the India-Australia trade deal is estimated to generate millions of dollars in new commerce.
The industry organisation, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), anticipates that the trade agreement would increase bilateral gem and jewellery commerce from USD 1.3 billion to USD 2 billion yearly. Plain gold jewellery, studded jewellery, and cut and polished diamonds are among the most important items sent to Australia. Australia’s largest imports are precious metals such as gold and silver bars.
“Since the India-Australia negotiations started, India’s gem and jewellery exports have witnessed positive growth, complementing the upcoming India-Australia ECTA. India’s G&J exports to Australia grew 21% to 183.86 million during April – October 2022 as compared to the same period last year,” said Vipul Shah, Chairman of the council, in a statement on Wednesday.
Chairman Shah said he expects Australia to benefit from access to areas where India is a world leader, such as diamonds.
“By providing preferential access for Indian gems and jewellery exports, the deal also makes it cheaper for Australian retailers to procure world-class jewellery crafted with finesse from Indian manufacturers,” Shah added. Australia is one of India’s large suppliers of gold bullion, and until recently, it was also a key supplier of diamonds.
Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell today said the economic agreement will enter into force on December 29.
This declaration comes only a week after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the country’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India had been approved by the Australian Parliament.


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Xenitis to make lowest-price mobile phone handsetsMay 27th, 2008 - 11:37 pm ICT by admin
Sugandha (Hooghly), May 27 (IANS) Xenitis Telecommunication, a newly floated venture of West Bengal-based conglomerate Xenitis Group, plans to invest Rs.2.5 billion for setting up a mobile handset manufacturing facility in West Bengal. “We will set up a mobile handset manufacturing unit with an investment of Rs.2.5 billion in West Bengal. We have already bought 10 acres of land, adjacent to our existing unit in Hooghly district, for the project,” Xenitis Group chairman and managing director Santanu Ghosh Tuesday told reporters during the launch of its lowest-priced mobile handsets at Rs.499.
He said: “The mobile handsets, priced between Rs. 499-Rs.2,000, are targeted to penetrate the rural areas of West Bengal. These affordable handsets would be available in the market from August this year. It would be the first mobile handsets manufacturing unit in eastern India.”
He said the company is into the business of computer components manufacturing and supply, but soon it will start developing hard disc and central processing unit (CPU) for computers.
This year the Xenitis Group posted a turnover of Rs.10 billion and Xenitis Infotech, the flagship company of the group, contributed Rs.8.6 billion and Global Automobiles, the two-wheeler manufacturing wing, registered a turnover of about Rs.1.5 billion.
“We are targeting to double the group turnover in 2008-09,” said Ghosh.
“We have already booked an order for manufacturing 160,000 mobile handsets per month, of which about 50,000 would be exported to Dubai and the Middle East,” he said. The number of mobile users in India is projected to increase to 500 million by 2010, he added.
He said: “We would invest Rs.2.2 billion in Xenitis Infotech for its capacity expansion and Rs.1.1 billion in company’s automobile manufacturing business in the current financial year.”
A 20-member team from West Bengal state assembly’s standing committee on commerce and industries Tuesday visited the factory site of Xenitis Group in Hooghly district to monitor the progress of its ventures.
- Xenitis forecasts Rs.13 bn turnover for 2008-09 - May 10, 2008
- Keventer plans to set up food park in Bengal - May 26, 2012
- Sharp Business Systems eyes Rs 1,200 crore turnover by 2011-12 - Nov 22, 2010
- Lumax investing Rs.150 crore on new plants, capacity - Sep 06, 2011
- CESC net up 137 percent in Q4 backed by tariff hike - May 08, 2012
- Samsung triples India handset output; invests $70 mn - Sep 15, 2011
- G'Five to launch low cost 3G enabled mobile phones - Jan 05, 2011
- Huawei eyes 15 percent market share in handset sales by 2015 - Jun 08, 2011
- Shree Ganesh Jewellery in JV with Italian firm for Rs.100 cr plant - Oct 28, 2011
- Manesar violence blow to Maruti, may hit Japanese investment - Jul 20, 2012
- Auto firms bullish on electric vehicles after government plan - Sep 06, 2012
- RComm, Coolpad launch Android CDMA phone in Kolkata - Sep 08, 2011
- BHEL wins Rs.60-billion order from Karnataka Power Corp - Aug 02, 2010
- Amway India eyes Rs.25 billion business by 2012 - Jul 11, 2011
- Wipro unveils slimmest ultrabook for Indian market - Feb 21, 2012
Tags: automobile manufacturing, capacity expansion, central processing unit, central processing unit cpu, eastern india, flagship company, ghosh, group chairman, group turnover, hard disc, hooghly, manufacturing business, member team, mobile handset, mobile handsets, mobile users, phone handsets, state assembly, two wheeler, west bengal state


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Sep 14, 2023|
JD.com and Spier Unveil ‘Creative Block Up,’ a Wine Experience Crafted for Chinese Wine Enthusiasts
by Vivian Yang
On September 8th, JD.com, in collaboration with Spier, one of South Africa’s oldest and most esteemed wine farms, unveiled their exclusive wine series—Creative Block Up—to the Chinese market.
“Spier’s Creative Block series has earned international acclaim for its artful blending and exceptional quality. Now, JD.com proudly presents the newest addition to this lauded collection: the Creative Block Up. This exclusive offering features a melodic blend of 3, 5, or 8 varietals, each sourced from unique, carefully selected vineyard blocks. The result is a wine of intricate flavors and depth, further elevated by Spier’s commitment to sustainable farming—all expertly curated to delight the Chinese palate.
The official launch ceremony took place at JD.com’s headquarters and was attended by valued guests including H.E. Ambassador Dr. Cwele, the South African Ambassador to China; Economic Counselor Gary James Smith; Allyson Hu, Spier China Market Manager; and key executives from JD Retail’s global sourcing team.
“JD.com is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the absolute authenticity and excellence of imported goods,” said Da Lu, General Manager of JD Global Sourcing. “Our direct overseas procurement model benefits not only our consumers but also allows global brands like Spier to establish a meaningful connection with the expansive Chinese marketplace.”
The partnership comes as China and South Africa celebrate the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. H.E. Ambassador Dr. Cwele, in his address, remarked, “This year celebrates the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. The deep-seated camaraderie and regular interactions between our nations stand testament to our bond. Our collaboration with JD.com will expose a larger Chinese audience to South African wines. I am confident that this initiative will make South African wines a favorite among many in China.”
In a video message, Marcus Ford, Asia Market Manager for the Wine of South Africa Association (WOSA), said, “JD.com has emerged as the preferred destination for fine wines among Chinese consumers. We commend the cooperation between JD.com and Spier in launching this captivating wine series.”
Established in 1692, Spier stands as one of South Africa’s time-honored wine farms, boasting a plethora of national and international accolades. As per a 2023 report by the globally recognized wine critic and Master of Wine, Tim Atkin, Spier has five wines that have achieved scores above 90 points.
JD Retail’s global sourcing team includes wine experts certified at the highest levels, ensuring an unparalleled selection of world-class wines. This includes professionals certified with the British WSET Level 4, spirits experts who have toured numerous Scottish and Welsh distilleries, and specialists accredited in Chilean and New Zealand wines. With their combined expertise and global perspective, they endeavor to bridge world-class wine brands with the burgeoning Chinese market.


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Coinbase CEO nearly done selling 2% stake to fund other startups
Brian Armstrong said he’s diversifying his Coinbase stake to fund other endeavors, like life extension and science crowdfunding
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong | Artwork by Axel Rangel modified by Blockworks
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has almost fulfilled a pledge to sell 2% of his company stake to fund other startups.
Armstrong sold nearly 27,600 COIN shares last week, raking in $2.9 million. That brought the total since his announcement to 681,672 shares, generating $42.4 million for the crypto billionaire.
- Armstrong’s Coinbase stake amounted to 39.6 million shares per the company’s 2022 proxy statement (18% of the company with 59.5% voting power).
- 2% represented about 792,000 shares.
- Armstrong has now offloaded 86% of that target.
Averaged out, Armstrong has so far sold COIN for $62.15 per share. The co-founder said he’d direct the funds to other endeavors “like NewLimit and ResearchHub.”
Armstrong co-founded both startups. NewLimit is a life extension gambit and ResearchHub is a crypto-powered crowdfunding platform for scientific research. Armstrong’s net worth is estimated at $4.3 billion.
Coinbase stock traded at $64 when Armstrong made his pledge last October. The stock’s value had fallen 50% to a low of $31.55 by January before multiplying to $105 as of today. Blockworks has reached out to Armstrong for comment.
Those averaged figures don’t include Armstrong’s monster sale on the stock’s direct listing in April 2021. The CEO cashed in 750,000 shares for $291.8 million — working out to $389.10 per share. Coinbase stock has since lost almost three-quarters of its value.
Two Coinbase insiders bought the dip
Armstrong’s sales were significant but other company insiders sold more, altogether over $5 billion in company stock across COIN’s first two days of trade.
Early investor and board director Fred Wilson and his firm Union Square Ventures made up nearly three-quarters of the total sold.
Direct listings like the one Coinbase undertook differ from initial public offerings in that no new shares are created. Company insiders must sell shares on public markets as part of the direct listing process.
To date, only two Coinbase insiders have bought any Coinbase stock since it went public, per OpenInsider data, which collates SEC filings.
- Co-founder Fred Ehrsam’s fund Paradigm spent $128.9 million on 1.93 million shares ($65.67 average), with trades made in May 2022 and May 2023.
- Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke, a Coinbase board member, bought more than 183,300 shares for $10 million ($54.93 average) between August 2022 and February 2023.
- Both are well up on their buys to date (Ehrsam is up nearly 60%, Lütke almost 90%).
Ehrsam, whose net worth is placed at $1.5 billion, is even further ahead. Ehrsam’s trust unloaded 1.5 million COIN shares between its direct listing and Dec. 2021 for an average price of $382.20.
Those sales brought in more than $492 million —- almost four times what Ehrsam’s fund has spent buying the dip on Coinbase stock.
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February 13, 2023 (Washington DC)– The US Congress was treated to a “Taste of NY” last week, as NYC Representative Daniel Goldman introduced his esteemed colleagues on Capitol Hill to the famed Davidovich Bagel.
Goldman, from New York’s 10th Congressional District, created the House Bagel Caucus to share NYC’s beloved and iconic product with Government Officials, Staffers, and Reporters from around the country. Congressman Goldman understands the value of traditional artisan bagels, like Davidovich, which are handmade, kettle boiled, planked baked, kosher, and delicious. He wanted to share this cultural legacy with Congressman and women who come from districts where “real bagels” are hard to find. His experiment was an overwhelming success.
Goldman lauded NYC’s favorite food export, “We’re extremely proud to be home of the world’s best bagels and were thrilled to spread the love to our friends from around the country.” Congressman Goldman, rather than just talking about his state’s great bagels. actually brought them from one of Davidovich’s Bagel shops located on the Lower East Side of New York to his newly elected lawmakers in Washington DC.
Davidovich Company spokesman, Marc Fintz, had this to say, “We applaud Congressman Goldman for sharing his love of Davidovich, and of all real bagels. Hopefully, his fellow representatives have come to understand that a real bagel is not just bread with a hole in it-it is part of the fabric of our culture. Davidovich is happy to provide our delicious bagels to any of Congress’s officials, or constituents, no matter where in the United States they are located.”
While this isn’t the first time Davidovich has been the feature story in a Washington headline. In 2012 the Artisan Bakers at Davidovich filed a Federal complaint to cease a large commercial manufacturer from misleading the public into believe they were making “Artisan Bagels” like Davidovich. Davidovich managed to stop the misleading campaign. It was a David and Goliath story that put the company’s brand on the map. However, Congressman Goldman’s presentation marked the first time Davidovich has been served to the key government officials running the United States.
Perhaps the next step will be for Representative Goldman to ask the House to declare Davidovich the official bagel of the United States Congress.
May 26, 2022 (NYC)- Davidovich Prepares for PRIDE Month 2022 With the PRIDE Bagel. JUNE marks PRIDE month around the world and there will be major PRIDE Month celebrations in cities around the United States. In New York City, the place where PRIDE month originated is also the home of the world famous Davidovich Bagels.
The Davidovich Rainbow Bagel is a hand crafted, layered work of Artisan goodness. It has also been adopted as the Official Bagel of PRIDE month around the country. Hand Made, kettle boiled, plank baked, and made by hand with only the best ingredients.
June 1, 2022 will mark the annual PRIDE parade in New York City and major cities around the US. Look for people eating the Davidovich Rainbow Bagel at those events and send us those photos!
The History of PRIDE MONTH in NYC:
June 27, 1973
Igniting a Movement
Early in the morning on June 28, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a Greenwich Village bar that had become a staple of New York City’s underground gay community. But this time, tired of the ongoing raids, community members fought back, striking what would become known as The Stonewall Riots.
May 10, 2022- (NYC)–A Tribute to The Creator Of The Rainbow Bagel. On Monday it was announced that the creator of the famed Rainbow Bagel was closing his last NYC Based bagel Shop due to “health concerns”.
Davidovich Bakery wishes him well. We introduced our version of the Artisan Rainbow Bagel several years ago and it has become a unique and popular items because of its stark contrast to the color pallet of normal bagels.
What goes into a Davidovich Rainbow Bagel? Well, like all Davidovich Bagels the Rainbow Bagel is made with the best ingredients. It is kettle boiled, plank baked, Kosher, and really good.
What makes it unique? This labor of love involves each colored layer being separately created and then delicately hand crafted into the swirl of Rainbow you see in the finished product. This is why this product is usually more highly priced than a traditional bagel. It takes about 5x as much work to hand craft this beauty thank say, a Plain, or Pumpernickel bagel. However, people feel it is worth it.
You can still purchase the famed Davidovich Bagels directly, or through any of our discerning Food Distributors.
Feel free to email us for more at: firstname.lastname@example.org


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They sold giant glasses, inflatable pencils and whoopee cushions, among other things, for "K-9's for Warriors." The association's president says there is usually not much going on this time of year, so they thought this would be a good opportunity to serve.
Some tricks were only 50-cents, but the president says every little bit helps. Many people donated money even if they didn't want to buy anything. Organizers say they plan to do it again next year.
For more information click here.


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Stocks declined slightly last week, as both the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) shed less than 1%. The indexes each remain in solidly positive territory in 2019, though, just below all-time highs.
Over the next few days, earnings reports are likely to send a few stocks moving. Below, we'll take a look at the metrics that investors will be watching from Nike (NYSE: NKE), CarMax (NYSE: KMX) and Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) as they announce their latest operating trends.
Nike's China business
Nike posts quarterly results on Tuesday, and investors have a few good reasons to follow this announcement. The sports-apparel titan is kicking off a new fiscal year, following banner results in 2019 that included double-digit sales growth and improving profitability. While that constitutes impressive momentum, it's an open question as to whether CEO Mark Parker and his team can extend their rebound streak into a third year. Economic growth appears to be slowing in China, after all, which delivered a full 25% ($1 billion) of Nike's incremental sales growth last year. That means executives are likely to discuss the latest demand trends in that country, which Nike sees as critical to its long-term growth ambitions.
As for the more immediate future, look for potentially significant updates to the retailer's fiscal-year forecasts, which call for just a modest slowdown in sales growth while gross margin inches higher. These figures could change, now that Nike has a good grasp on retailer inventories heading into the peak holiday-season shopping period.
CarMax's customer traffic
After a weak start to the year, used-car giant CarMax is back in investors' good graces heading into its Tuesday earnings report. That's because the company's last earnings update contained hopeful signs for the business, including a sales increase fueled by customer traffic -- 10%, its best expansion pace in over a year.
However, at least a portion of that spike had to do with the timing of federal tax-return checks, so investors will be scrutinizing this week's report for evidence that CarMax is on a more stable rebound path. Another quarter of robust comparable-store sales growth would do the trick.
CEO Bill Nash and his team will also reveal important details on CarMax's expansion strategy, which involves aggressive moves into more media markets. This dealership network is also a key support pillar for management's e-commerce strategy. CarMax has put the entire car-buying experience online in a few test markets, and early results suggest the move could deliver faster growth and rising profitability. Investors will learn on Tuesday whether that optimistic scenario is playing out.
Vail Resorts' season-pass update
Vail Resorts' fiscal fourth quarter is a seasonally weak one, since most of its North American ski resorts operate under limited capacity during the summer months. Still, its earnings report on Thursday should attract plenty of investor attention.
The consumer discretionary business will update shareholders on season-pass volume and pricing trends, among other factors. Demand for these packages is critical to the company's projected rate of sales growth, and rising prices are the best evidence that Vail's resort upgrades are paying off.
Vail should also issue a detailed outlook for the new fiscal year that incorporates the latest demand trends and the addition of new properties, like the recently acquired portfolio of Peak Resorts (NASDAQ: SKIS). That broader geographic base is helping diversify the business, yet much of its annual earnings haul will still depend on snow conditions during the winter months in North America.
10 stocks we like better than Nike
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David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Nike wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.
*Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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Upslope Brewing Company
Boulder, CO 80301
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Number of textile enterprises in 2011 annual report recently released, for different factors, there is a general decline in corporate performance.
Huafang shares disclose the 2011 annual report on the 10th, last year a profit of 15.5242 million yuan, down 23.18% year-on-year; deductions and the main business is unrelated to non-recurring gains and losses, the company is “twisting surplus to deficit”, loss 12.2359 million yuan.
Prior to this, the world’s largest cotton spinning enterprises Weiqiao Textile announced last year net profit of 246 million yuan, down 84.9% year-on-year; the performance of the ST of cotton, Shandong Ruyi and other textile enterprises have declined.
This is subject to domestic labor costs, raw material prices rise, the textile companies are currently subject to domestic labor costs, financing costs rise, and raw materials last year fluctuations are frequent, mainly cotton.
The slow global economic recovery, the European debt crisis and other negative factors, the needs of the international textile and apparel market is in downturn. In Southeast Asia, the cost of textile enterprises is lower than China, also brings great impact on the entire industry.
The international environment is not good, now the Chinese cotton textile products’ prices are high, in particular, Vietnam, India, where labor is cheap, the same count of cotton yarn, the price is at least one thousand cheaper.


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Mark Allen's “FCC should face reality” [guest commentary, Nov. 8] rightly points out the negative effects of the FCC's media-ownership rules. One not mentioned, however, is how net-neutrality regulations could put a stop to the online media development that Allen favors.
Net-neutrality regulations prohibit consumers from choosing tiered Internet service. Tiered service would improve the quality and speed of media downloads to those who are willing to pay more, while freeing up bandwidth for regular Internet service.
Since the FCC's creation in 1934, FCC commissioners have horribly mismanaged media in the United States.
Thanks to a vibrant economy, emerging technology and a constant stream of brave entrepreneurs, media have outgrown their FCC shackles. It's time for the FCC to recognize this and take a step back.


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IBM's new SyNAPSE chip makes it possible for computers to both memorize and compute simultaneously.
We searched far and wide for the top employers for engineers. These companies were ranked by engineering professionals, engineering students, and engineering instructors and professors. Does your employer make the grade?
Hello, Moto. Join the iFixit team as it takes apart the world's first circular smartwatch, the Motorola Moto 360.
By implementing efficient and thorough quality-management processes, companies can help prevent or mitigate the effects of the supply-chain issues that reportedly plagued the Apple iPhone 6 before its release this week.
A recent IPC report shows that onshoring is becoming a reality for major global manufacturers.


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One of the biggest new features Apple brought to the iPhone lineup last year, was support for shooting video on the smartphone lineup in Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR). It made shooting video on the smartphones even better, helping the lineup standout in a competitive field. However, actually watching that content via third-party sources wasn't readily available. Until now.
Although several years behind competitors, the new Hulu HDR streaming option is now available with select Hulu originals on Apple TV, Roku and other compatible hardware.
You can have the fastest internet connection along with the latest TV set with high frame rate support and the new Apple TV 4K, but you won’t get smooth HDR Dolby Vision without a good HDMI cable.
Dolby Vision offers a richer viewing experience, but support from both the content and the hardware showing it off is needed to enjoy it. And for folks who use the Apple TV app on their Xbox, that support is coming.
All iPhones with OLED screens can render images and videos with high dynamic range (HDR), resulting in many more colors than regular LCD screens. And with the latest models, you can for the first time not only shoot true 10-bit HDR video with Dolby Vision but also edit, share and play it back. But does your device support these features? Here's a handy list of all Apple devices that support 10-bit HDR video capture, as well as playback and edit in Photos.
Owners of the Apple TV 4K set-top box have taken to Apple's forums, Twitter and Reddit to complain about certain shows no longer streaming in the Dolby Vision HDR format.
Apple TV+ is getting plaudits for the quality of its 4K video streaming from FlatpanelsHD editor in chief Rasmus Larsen. In a recent forum post. Larsen said that Apple TV+ has the highest 4K streaming quality they've seen in any service to date.
Apple yesterday launched its original video streaming service, dubbed Apple TV+. Wondering if your gadget is on the list of supported Apple TV+ devices? You’ve come to the right place!
Although Apple advertises in support documents and elsewhere on its website that the new iPhone XR series features HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, these colorful smartphones in reality do not have a display compliant with the high dynamic range (HDR) specification.
Online retail giant Amazon on Wednesday took the wraps off of its updated Fire TV HDMI dongle, which now supports 4K video output, Dolby Atmos surround sound and three major formats for high dynamic range video: HDR10, HDR+ and Dolby Vision.
Despite streaming ultra high-resolution 4K video with high dynamic range (HDR) that looks awesome on 4K HDR television sets, Amazon's new Prime Video app for Apple TV lacks support for HDR's superior Dolby Vision implementation and 5.1 surround sound.
The iPhone X is a powerful new beast. Whether you are still debating on whether to get the new phone, or if you just want to know what makes this device stand out, I've taken a look at the 25 best features of the iPhone X.


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News: Just Announced
Monday, 16 Jun 2014
Xiaomi is having a summer sale starting today. Its flagship smartphone, the Mi 3 will be selling for S$299.
SingTel today launched Easy Mobile, the first mobile service in Asia that allows users to customize their plans according to their needs. Users can change the amount of talktime, SMS and data bundle every month. Hit the link to find out more.
Saturday, 14 Jun 2014
ASUS Singapore today announced that the ZenFone 5 is available for consumers who have pre-ordered the device at Challenger @ Funan DigitaLife Mall. In addition, consumers can head to all M1 and StarHub shops to buy the ZenFone 5 with a two-year contract.
SingTel released the price plans for the LG G3 (32GB) on its website earlier today. It has an exclusive promotion for the first 300 customers and will start its first delivery on June 26.
Friday, 13 Jun 2014
Intel has just announced three new series of PCI-based enterprise-level SSDs. They also feature NVM Express (NVMe) technology that is touted to reduce latencies and boost system performance.
LG is rolling out the Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS upgrade for the G Flex smartphone today.
Amazon Prime members are in for a treat as Amazon has just announced the launch of Prime Music, a service that offers tens of thousands of albums from popular artistes for ad-free listening. More details within.
JMicron has announced its JMF670H SATA Express SSD controller series, the new application of its USB3.0 to SATA controllers, as well as made its USB3.1 technology debut at Computex 2014.
LG's slim new SoundPlate LAB540 is an advanced audio system that does more than just play sound, thanks to its LG Smart TV functionality. More details within.
OtterBox's new Symmetry smartphone case series is designed to be as slim and lightweight as possible while providing all-round protection for your iPhone 5S/5C, Samsung Galaxy S4/S5 or HTC One (M8).


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November 13 (SeeNews) – Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler (BIT:FCA) and Italy-based Engie EPS (EPA:EPS), the energy storage division of French utility Engie (EPA:ENGI), Thursday unveiled an agreement to set up a new joint venture dedicated to electric vehicles (EV) technology, related charging infrastructure and green energy packages.
FCA's Italian division and Engie EPS expect to sign firm agreements for the transaction by the end of 2020. The business is projected to be launched in the first quarter of 2021, following customary closing conditions and receipt of regulatory approvals. The financial details and respective stakes to be taken by the two companies were not clarified.
The new Italy-based joint venture will provide EV customers with residential, business and public charging infrastructures as well as green energy packages, based on a monthly subscription fee and enabling customers to charge at home and at any public charging point throughout Europe.
The new entity will rely on FCA's financial and industrial support as well as on EPS' intellectual property and technological capabilities, while contributing to a strategic evolution in both parties' product portfolios.
"The signing of this memorandum of understanding originates from a fruitful three-year cooperation between the two companies, which allowed the implementation of truly disruptive projects, such as the introduction of the exclusive FCA easyWallbox, an easy-to-use plug-and-play charging unit, the recently launched V2G Pilot Project and the innovative customer-oriented energy packages,” FCA CEO Mike Manley said.
The announcement comes as companies are ramping up their efforts to boost electric mobility services and infrastructure in Europe. On Thursday, French oil and gas major Total announced it has added another 2,000 EV charge points in Germany by acquiring Viessmann Group subsidiary Charging Solutions in a push to operate 150,000 charge points in Europe by 2025.
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"COMPETE" content on TweakTown - Page 1
We found 1 items for the tag: COMPETE
Critical analysis of gameplay in order to further your skills
If you're looking to improve your gameplay, tips for critical game analysis lie within. Study the pro's in a better way and translate it to your skill.
Deutsche Telekom CEO says that US techies have an unfair advantage
The Deutsche Telekom CEO isn't happy with the lack of regulation for large-scale companies like Facebook and Google.


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Dec 22, 2009
Shop sale fetches record price in Hong Kong
Dec 22, 2009
HONG KONG, Dec 22, 2009 (AFP) - A company run by Hong Kong's best-known entertainment mogul has paid a record 108 million US dollars for a shop in one of the busiest districts, a report said Tuesday 22 December.
The sale of the 1,212 square foot outlet comes as the city's government tries to contain soaring property costs due to fears they are getting out of control.
The price works out to about 90,000 dollars per square foot, making it the city's most expensive retail space, the South China Morning Post reported, quoting an unnamed source.
"It is unknown if this is now the most expensive shop in the world, but obviously it's a record in the city," real estate agent Lawrence Wong told the daily newspaper.
The shop in Hong Kong's busy Tsim Sha Tsui district houses luxury retailer Emperor Watch & Jewellery, which is run by music tycoon Albert Yeung, the Post said.
Yeung's Emperor Entertainment Group has contracts with a host of Cantonese pop stars who claim legions of fans in the city of seven million.
An Emperor subsidiary, which had been leasing the space, bought the property because of "the investment value of the location and a basic need for the shop," the source told the paper.
The previous record for a Hong Kong retail space was set in May by Yeung's brother Ricky, who paid 58,000 dollars US per square foot for a shop in the same neighbourhood, the Post said.
In October, Henderson Land Development said it sold a five-bedroom luxury residential duplex in Hong Kong's Mid-Levels area for an Asian record 11,300 US dollars per square foot, or 57 million US dollars in total.
Hong Kong's government is considering plans to rein in the city's real estate prices as it grows concerned about a dangerous bubble building in the market.
The city has seen several record-breaking property sales in the past year as wealthy mainland Chinese investors and low interest rates stoke demand.
Copyright © 2021 AFP. All rights reserved. All information displayed in this section (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the contents of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presses.


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Square has added encryption technology to its Square reader.
Competitor VeriFone tried to drum up sentiment against Square last year because Square’s readers did not encrypt credit card numbers from the reader to the application.
In the recent launch of PayPal’s competing product, PayPal Here, the company referenced popular unencrypted readers, while mentioning that its own dongle does encryption.
Now, they can’t hold that over Square.
The added circuitry does mean higher costs, but it’s unclear how much. The battery alone adds 15 to 25 cents in costs.
All of the Square readers currently shipping have encryption; I received mine today. Square plans to migrate existing users to the new readers over time. (I asked for a replacement reader.)
This moves the security risk one level up — to the fact that credit cards have the credit card number printed on them.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


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Back in December, when inov-8 first announced it, we were very curious about what was “the future of sports shoes”. And now finally we can pre-order the G-SERIES shoes, 3 models all with graphene-infused rubber soles.
The G-SERIES comprise of the MUDCLAW G 260 is for running over muddy mountains and obstacle courses, the TERRAULTRA G 260 for running long distances on hard-packed trails and the F-LITE G 290 for crossfitters working out in gyms. All three also come with Kevlar uppers, making them probably the most durable sports shoes out there.
Graphene allows them to create soles from very sticky rubber, great for traction and solve the durability problem by adding this incredibly thin and strong material. Testing models have allegedly lasted more than 1000 miles which is above and beyond anything rubber could do before.
inov-8 CEO Ian Bailey said:
This powerhouse forged in Northern England is going to take the world of sports footwear by storm. We’re combining science and innovation together with entrepreneurial speed and agility to go up against the major sports brands – and we’re going to win.
We’ve been fans of the brand years and it’s great to see a small player like inov-8 being at the front of sports innovation. Graphene will be a key growth driver for them in the future with 50% of the inov-8 footwear range graphene-enhanced by 2020.
G-SERIES shoes available to pre-order from June 22nd ahead of going on sale from July 12th. Will be sold in 250 retail stores across 21 countries.
All the research has been done in partnership with the University of Manchester, one of the leaders in graphene technologies.


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By Matt Werner/Times Sentinel reporter
— One local group is in its fourth year of providing knitted items for homeless veterans and hopes this year will be its biggest yet.
The Kappa Theta Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, an international service, education and leadership organization, has taken donations for the Hope for Heroes campaign for four years, and hopes to double last year’s donation total.
“Every year we’ve done it, we have doubled our previous year’s total,” Jenni Russ, media relations for Epsilon Sigma Alpha, said. “We would love to do that again and get $8,000 worth of items.”
Russ said the drive will begin Nov. 10 and end on Dec. 16. There will be various drop-off locations including Akard True Value Hardware, Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library, the Boone Village Hallmark store and other locations.
Some of the items the group is collecting are toothpaste, soap, underwear and other personal hygiene products.
See Wednesday’s Times Sentinel for the full story.


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During one year, and since December 2020, the World Health Organization has recorded 5 variants of the “Corona” virus; It started with the “Alpha” variant, which was registered in Britain, and ended with the “Omicron” variant, which was registered in South Africa last month. At the beginning of the emergence of each variant, the same behavior is repeated by the markets, but to different degrees, with a decline in financial markets, an increase in supply chains and supply , an increase in restrictions on factories, and an increase in the potential for inflation. It does not seem that the world has adapted yet to the emergence of the new variables, as global markets witnessed a decline at the beginning of last week and the end of the previous week. No reliable data has yet emerged regarding the properties of “Omicron”…and accordingly; Everything that is happening in global markets now is nothing more than fears fueled by the uncertainty imposed by the new variant.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said in a statement the impact of the new variant in increasing the uncertainty that the global economy was already experiencing before the variant appeared. The organization increased its expectations of an increase in inflation in 2022 from 3.9 percent to 4.4 percent, indicating that Britain and the United States would be most affected by the increase in the inflation rate, with expectations rising from 3.1 percent to 4.4 percent. The organization also expected a decrease in the growth rate of some countries, such as Europe, China and the United States, while it did not expect harm to other countries such as India and Japan, concluding that global growth as a whole may not change much next year from previous expectations.It was announced at the beginning of the fourth quarter of this year.
In view of the previous metamorphoses; The organization has put two possibilities for the effect of the variant on inflation: the first is that the new variant causes more disruptions in supply chains and prolongs inflation for a longer period. As for the second, it assumes that the variant will worsen, and there will be more restrictions on movement, as happened at the beginning of the epidemic, and in this case, demand will decrease, causing a rapid decline in inflation.


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It was only six months ago when we were talking about how system maker Supermicro was breaking through a $10 billion annual revenue run rate and was setting its sights on a $20 billion target. Well, maybe $25 billion or even $30 billion would be better numbers given the unprecedented demand for AI servers and the difficulties of managing the supply chain and manufacturing process for these complex machines.
In the second quarter of fiscal 2024 ended in December, Supermicro’s revenues more than doubled to $3.67 billion, and rose sequentially by 72.9 percent from a pretty impressive $2.12 billion mark. Operating income rose by 72.8 percent to $371 million in the period, and net income rose by 68 percent to $296 million. These rates of change all are large, but the fact remains that net income as a percent of revenue was only 3.4 percent, compared to an average of 9.1 percent in the prior seven quarters when the generative AI boom was really gathering some steam.
The problem that Supermicro faces as it grows faster than anything else in the IT sector other than Nvidia’s datacenter business – a tsunami wave curling in the sky 50 stories above the ocean surface which Supermicro itself is riding with grace – is that it has to build out manufacturing capacity at a very quick pace to keep up. So much so that Supermicro recently floated $600 million in stock to get some money in the bank, given it $726 million in the coffers as December came to a close and a buffer to help buy the inventory it needs to make the next batch of server racks.
And now that Nvidia H100 GPU supplies are improving, AMD has entered the fold with very credible MI300X alternatives, and even Intel is getting into the act with its Gaudi2 devices, supply constraints are not tempering demand as they did a year ago. And thus if Supermicro wants to gain new customers and become the go-to maker of AI server iron for those operating at scale, it has to make deals with cut-throat prices, ramp up facilities as fast as it can, and treat customers well so they will come back and buy even more gear that will have higher margins because the ramp work will be done.
In theory. There is always a chance that demand will dry up, or just keep accelerating for an even longer period.
“Overall, I feel very confident that this AI boom will continue for another many quarters, if not many years,” Charles Liang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Supermicro, explained to Wall Street analysts on a call going over the numbers. “And together with the related inferencing and other computing ecosystem requirements, demand can last for even many decades to come. We may call this an AI revolution.”
Many certainly are.
Long gone are the days when Supermicro’s business was mostly motherboards and adapter cards for servers, but the experience of building components has taught the company to be a flexible yet purposeful builder of systems. And now, with customers needing speed as much as they need raw compute, storage, and networking capacity, the rackscale systems approach that Supermicro is now peddling to the hyperscalers, cloud builders, and other service providers as well as large enterprises who want to emulate them is becoming a key differentiator. And Supermicro’s ability to scale up that rackscale manufacturing capability is therefore a gating factor in its ability to grow, which is why you see Supermicro sacrificing some short-term profits for long-term relationship building.
We don’t have a lot of data on the rackscale part of Supermicro’s business, but we do know that back this time in 2022, it had the capacity of building around 2,000 racks per month. We also know that with the expansion it has done in its factories in San Jose and Taipei and the addition of its factory in Malaysia, the company currently has the ability to build 4,000 racks per month. By the June quarter, which is the end of the company’s fiscal year, Supermicro will be up to a 5,000 racks per month run rate, and of that 1,500 racks will be for direct liquid cooled systems – something that is increasingly necessary as the GPU does a lot of the calculating on AI and HPC workloads.
Over the past four quarters, Supermicro has hinted about how its AI and rackscale system sales have been doing. It is hard to believe that all AI servers are not being bought at rackscale, all preconfigured and ready to crunch data, but Supermicro talks about these as if they are different and then combines them together. What we can tell you is that this part of the business had $372 million in sales in Q3 F2023, representing 29 percent of the business and it has been averaging above 50 percent for the past three quarters after that. In the trailing twelve months, this AI/Rackscale category has accounted for $4.5 billion in sales, 48.6 percent of the company’s total sales of $9.25 billion.
This ratio will only get larger, we think, and that is because Supermicro does a whole level deeper configuration, including software installation, in its rackscale offerings, which the original design manufacturers (ODMs) that have been popularly used by hyperscalers and cloud builders do not. That extra hand holding creates a virtuous cycle, and as long as Supermicro’s own GPU allocations as well as those of its hyperscaler and cloud builder customers hold – then Supermicro will keep winning massive infrastructure deals.
This will create a virtuous cycle between Supermicro and Nvidia, AMD, and Intel that is driven as much by the customers as it is driven by the manufacturers bestowing that benefit upon a server maker. It doesn’t hurt that Supermicro builders machinery for Intel’s own internal use, mostly for its massive EDA simulators, and if the rumors are true, is also building the DGX machinery for Nvidia’s own use and for its direct sales to customers. Supermicro has been masterful at keeping good relations with the big three compute engine makers as well as with networking providers, so there is no reason to believe that Supermicro can’t take away ODM business from Quanta, Inventec, WiWynn, and others as well as take a bite out of the ODM-like businesses from Lenovo and Inspur. In fact, that’s precisely what we think is happening, and a big part of this is that Supermicro is an American company building gear for American customers.
In the fiscal second quarter, Supermicro’s business in the United States was up by a factor of 2.4X to $2.6 billion, and its European business actually shrank by 4.4 percent to $293 million. (There really are not hyperscalers in Europe, not like there are in China and the United States.) Supermicro’s business in Asia more than doubled to $660 million, an indication we think that Supermicro is getting traction in Japan and China, the two biggest markets for systems. That uptick in revenues from Asia in the chart above didn’t come out of nowhere. It came out of someone’s hide.
What has Wall Street more excited than anything is the guidance that Liang & Co offered during the call. Supermicro expects for sales of between $3.7 billion and $4.1 billion in the fiscal third quarter, and revenues of between $14.3 billion to $14.7 billion for the full fiscal year ended in June. That implies a revenue of around $4.82 billion in Q4 F2024.
We don’t have any question that Supermicro will be able to grow its business to $25 billion and beyond. The rack is the new server and the datacenter is the new rack. As infrastructure gets more complex and as companies like Supermicro – it will have emulators – do more of the configuration and integration heavy lifting, more and more companies will buy rackscale, not a bunch of servers and a bunch of switches and put them together themselves. The question we do have is whether Supermicro will be able to extract higher margins out of that extra work it does, or if that will just be table stakes.
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The world’s market for cryptocurrency saw a complete sweep of around $200 billion- after bitcoin fell by 20% in the last couple of days. Needless to say, this has caused quite a stir in the financial market, with so much money being held in deficit. The prices of Bitcoin have also gone upwards after they moved to a record high of $42,000 last Friday. This implies that the entire global coin, and not just BTC, has a net worth of $1.07 trillion.
Why Was it necessary For Bitcoin To Pull Back?
Yet, Monday evening saw the value of Bitcoin falling all the way to $31,0000- which means that the value of the cryptocurrency market was about $880 billion. Interestingly, you wouldn’t find many traders who are upset with this event unfolding in the second week of January. Of course, there is a huge amount of money at stake, and several investors could be much happier, but a few experts are of the notion that this slum is a healthy correction. They further stated that it was needed due to the cryptocurrency reaching levels of unsustainability.
Several crypto experts have considered this to be an example of traditional finance which is always afraid of the unknown. Yet, the Bank of America did predict the previous week that this meteoric rise of the cryptocurrency would result in a tech boom- similar to that of the 1990s.
Naeem Aslam, the market analyst at AvaTrade talked about how this drop was definitely one that would be welcomed readily. James Putra, the VP of TradeStation Crypto maintained the same train of thought as he mentioned how it was important for bitcoin to come back after reaching such scary levels.
The beginning of 2020 saw bitcoin reaching sub-zero levels of prices– with it being $3,850 last March, but the impact of COVID-19 was felt here too. The prices slowly went upwards- and soon crossed treacherous levels. And some say this pullback was needed.


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ABN Amro cuts balance sheet impact with Priory stake sale
Dutch bank ABN Amro has begun to clear up its balance sheet ahead of being taken over by the Royal Bank of Scotland-led consortium with the sale of a third of psychiatric hospitals chain The Priory to financial entrepreneur Lord Ashcroft, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.
ABN Amro has sold 33.6% of The Priory’s operating company for £44m (€63.3m). Lord Ashcroft has taken a 32.5% directly and a further 1.1% via Global Health Partners, which is listed on London's Alternative Investment Market and is one third-owned by Ashcroft.
ABN Amro paid £875m for The Priory in July 2005 for an 80% stake with the chain’s then-chief executive, Chai Patel, holding the remainder.
In February, ABN Amro hired Morgan Stanley to review its options and by retaining less than 50%, a banker close to the deal said ABN Amro would no longer need to consolidate the holding on its balance sheet ahead of RBS’s takeover.
However, the banker said ABN Amro would not be taking a loss on the deal despite having originally used a third of its purchase price as equity from its balance sheet. The company has since been refinanced with a securitisation to create a property holding company in order to pay back some of ABN Amro’s investment.


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The retail landscape in Canada is rapidly changing. The news that Hudson's Bay Co. has bought Saks is the latest story in what has been a particularly news-worthy year for the retail sector. Zellers locations were closed and Target stores opened. Nordstrom announced it will be moving into Canada. Sobeys bought Safeway, and mere weeks later, we learned that Loblaw and Shopper's Drug Mart were also merging. As for the largest retailer in the world, Walmart has plans to further expand across our country.
These high-level corporate decisions are made in boardrooms far from the daily lives of most Canadians. Yet retail is intimately connected with Canadian society. Retail reflects us, and it affects us, in significant ways.
Shopping involves the literal act of purchasing needed or desired goods, but is also interwoven with our identities. Individual products and whole brands are infused with symbolic meanings which convey messages about our tastes, style, priorities, and status. Whether obvious or not, underlying all of these symbols are the economics and culture of class.
In this flurry of retail mergers and expansions, there is a clear polarization of retail evident; one which reflects increasing inequality in Canadian society. Disappearing are the working and middle-class department stores of decades past. Instead, there will be luxury stores for the one per cent and the 10 per cent who have high credit limits, and discount retailers for everyone else.
Yet retail polarization is not only about shopping. Retail is the largest employment sector in the country. Retail salesperson is the most common occupation for Canadians, and has been for many years now. Canadians are far more likely to be affected by what kinds of jobs are created or lost in the retail sector, rather than what happens to stock prices.
Most retail jobs epitomize the scourge of precarious work. Retail jobs usually mean poverty-wages and income insecurity. Schedules are erratic, volatile, and provided at the last minute. Retail workers are often disrespected and dismissed as without skill, education, or value. In other words, retail does not simply reflect inequities. Retail contributes to increasing inequality. This needs to change.
Too many retailers perpetuate low-road management strategies which devalue Canada's largest group of workers, a majority of whom are women. This continues despite the growing body of evidence that better working conditions not only positively affect workers, but retailers and shoppers, too. Workers who feel valued and who are earning sustainable incomes are happier and healthier, as well as more loyal, productive, and engaged. So, whether interested in solidarity, economic prosperity, or better service, there are compelling reasons to revolutionize retail work.
More retail workers are joining a growing movement of low-wage service workers who recognize the need to transform lousy jobs into better jobs. Workers at Sirens in Brampton have just chosen unionization as a way to raise the standards at work, for example. These young women believe retail jobs can and should be good jobs, regardless of who shops in the stores and which brands are sold. Notably, Holt Renfrew workers have repeatedly told me that high prices do not automatically translate into high quality jobs.
Undoubtedly, the retail terrain will change, but retail jobs are here to stay. It is high time to look beyond the brands and the boardrooms, to how retailers of all kinds treat us. We are not numbers, nor are we disposable. We are workers, citizens, and people who matter.
Percent increase: 33.1 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 11,300 Median income: $94,990 States with the most jobs per capita: Hawaii, North Dakota, Montana Optometrists specialize in the care of eyes and vision. Their responsibilities include diagnosing eye injuries and diseases, as well as prescribing glasses and contact lenses. In order to practice, they are required to have a Doctor of Optometry degree, presently awarded by just 20 accredited programs, and must be licensed by the National Boards in Optometry. Those who meet these qualifications are often extremely well-compensated: the top 10% of optometrists earned in excess of $166,400. With vision problems becoming more frequent as people grow older, the number of optometrists is expected to rise by 33.1% between 2010 and 2020. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 33.5 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 36,400 Median income: $72,320 States with the most jobs per capita: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire "Occupational therapists treat patients with injuries, illnesses, or disabilities through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working," according to the BLS. Becoming an occupational therapist requires a master's degree, which generally takes two years to complete. The number of occupational therapists is expected to reach 145,200 by 2020, as an aging baby-boomer generation looks to maintain its independence and stay active. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 35.9 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 22,000 Median income: $82,040 States with the most jobs per capita: Montana, Colorado, Iowa "Occupational therapists treat patients with injuries, illnesses, or disabilities through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working," according to the BLS. Becoming an occupational therapist requires a master's degree, which generally takes two years to complete. The number of occupational therapists is expected to reach 145,200 by 2020, as an aging baby-boomer generation looks to maintain its independence and stay active. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 36.4 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 36,400 Median income: $76,700 States with the most jobs per capita: Massachusetts, California, Washington Though the roles of medical scientists vary from job to job, all study biological systems to understand their effects on human health. Medical scientists often work for the federal government, at research universities or in the private sector. By 2020, the number of medical scientists is projected to increase to more than 136,000, as the population of the United States grows and ages and the demand for prescription drugs rises. Educational requirements are quite high, with most positions asking for either a doctorate or a medical degree. The annual pay of the top 10% of medical scientists was $142,800. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 36.8 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 4,800 Median income: $66,660 States with the most jobs per capita: New Mexico, Colorado, West Virginia Audiologists treat patients who have problems with their hearing, balance or ears. A doctoral degree is necessary, as is a state license, though exact requirements differ by state. Explaining projected job growth, the BLS notes that "hearing loss increases as people age, so an aging population is likely to increase demand for audiologists." There are not very many audiologists, and a projected 36.8 percent increase in jobs would bring the total number of audiologists to 17,800 by the end of the decade. Annual salaries exceeded $102,210 for the top 10 percent of audiologists. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 37.7 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 68,500 Median income: $68,250 States with the most jobs per capita: Michigan, Utah, Idaho From 2010 to 2020, the number of dental hygienists is projected to rise by 37.7 percent to more than 250,000. Factors driving increased demand for this occupation include ongoing research linking oral health to general health, as well as an aging population keeping more of its teeth. Dental hygienists typically do not need a professional degree or previous work experience, though they often need an associate's degree and a license. Typical job responsibilities include cleaning teeth and taking dental X-rays. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 39.0 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 77,400 Median income: $76,310 States with the most jobs per capita: Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine Physical therapists assist patients by helping to address and correct dysfunctional movement and pain. They are required to have a postgraduate professional degree, typically a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and a license. Those completing these prerequisites join one of the fastest-growing professions in the country -- by 2020, the number of positions is expected to rise by 39 percent. The BLS states that "demand for physical therapy services will come, in large part, from the aging baby boomers, who are staying active later in life than previous generations did." The top 10 percent of physical therapists earned more than $107,920. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 41.2 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 116,600 Median income: $60,570 States with the most jobs per capita: Delaware, Massachusetts, New York Market research analysts work in most industries, monitoring and forecasting marketing and sales trends, as well as collecting and analyzing data on their companies' products or services. To become a market research analyst, a bachelor's degree is typically required, though many analysts have a master's degree. Citing increases in the use of market research across all industries, the BLS projects the number of positions in the field will rise to almost 400,000 by 2020. Top-earning market research analysts made more than $111,440 annually. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 43.5 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 23,400 Median income: $64,380 States with the most jobs per capita: Rhode Island, Florida, South Dakota Diagnostic medical sonographers work in hospitals and other facilities, conducting ultrasounds on patients and analyzing the resulting images. The BLS projects an increase of 43.5 percent in the number of positions between 2010 and 2020, which would raise the total number of such jobs to 77,100. Explaining the driving factors behind the growth, the BLS states that "as ultrasound technology evolves, it will be used as a substitute for procedures that are costly, invasive or expose patients to radiation." Sonographers typically need an associate's degree, and many employers prefer candidates to have professional certification. The top 10 percent of sonographers made more than $88,490 annually Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Percent increase: 61.7 percent Total new jobs (2010-2020): 9,700 Median income: $81,540 States with the most jobs per capita: Massachusetts, Utah, Minnesota The work of biomedical engineers typically involves designing or maintaining biomedical equipment, such as artificial organs and X-ray machines. These jobs often require a great deal of technical knowledge in fields such as biology, engineering, math and chemistry. Because of this, a bachelor's degree is typically needed. The professional requirements come with impressive compensation. The median income for such jobs was $81,540 and the top 10 percent earned more than $126,990. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of biomedical engineers is projected to rise by 61.7 percent, more than four times the projected growth rate for all jobs, which is 14 percent. To explain its growth projections for the profession, the BLS cites the baby boomer generation's growing demand for biomedical devices and procedures as it "seeks to maintain its healthy and active lifestyle." Read more at 24/7 Wall St.
Follow Kendra Coulter on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrKendraCoulter


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The region's newest cannabis store is opening June 15th
After some delays, the region’s newest cannabis store is just about ready to open it's doors.
Choom in Niagara Falls is owned and managed by Lisa Bigioni.
She says some unanticipated delays related to construction and engineering is what prevented them from opening on time.
Of the 25 cannabis stores currently in Ontario, Bigioni says Choom is hoping to set itself apart with a “sophisticated vibe” and a highly educated sales staff.
Choom staff are put through cannabis sommelier training to enable them to educate customers on which cannabis product would be a right for them.
Choom is set to open it’s doors on June 15th at 7555 Montrose Rd., Unit E3.
A woman speaks out after a misdiagnosis led to her leg getting partially amputated. Today the Canadian government added some neo-Nazi groups to a list of terrorist organizations. A year ago today, Thai soldiers descended into a flooded cave system, where it was suspected a youth soccer team had gone missing. Also, a fast-food chain is doing some 'Grade A' trolling.


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Honda is not releasing details about its Super Bowl ad yet. But based on a teaser released today, it involves Steve Carell coming to life in his high school yearbook. The automaker released the teaser today on Twitter and Facebook.
The 60-second ad is by Honda agency of record RPA and will feature the redesigned 2017 Honda CR-V. Susie Rossick, assistant VP-Honda Auto Marketing, said in a statement earlier this month that "with the largest audience and reach of any single television event, the Super Bowl is a platform befitting the CR-V's status as the best-selling SUV in America, and the perfect place to celebrate CR-V's 20th anniversary."
Last year Honda ran a 60-second Super Bowl ad for its Ridgeline truck that featured sheep singing Queen's "Somebody to Love."
This story also appeared on Adage.com.


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Week In India: Ather Energy Starts Retailing ‘Ather 450X’ In Siliguri, West Bengal; And More
Ather Energy Starts Retailing Its Electric Scooter, Ather 450X In Siliguri, West Bengal Ather Energy, India’s first intelligent electric scooter manufacturer, opened its first Experience Centre in West Bengal. Ather […]
Ather Energy Starts Retailing Its Electric Scooter, Ather 450X In Siliguri, West Bengal
Ather Energy, India’s first intelligent electric scooter manufacturer, opened its first Experience Centre in West Bengal. Ather Energy inaugurates its new retail outlet – Ather Space, at Sevoke road, Siliguri in association with SRIRS E-Ventures Pvt Ltd on Saturday, 9th of October, 2021. The Ather 450X, one of India’s quickest and smartest scooters, alongside the Ather 450 Plus will be available for test rides and purchase at Ather Space. The West Bengal government has introduced various initiatives to drive EV adoption in the state and aims for 10 Lakh vehicle registrations to be electric vehicles by 2025. The government has established a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) cell in the territory, no road tax, and registration fees on the purchase of EV 2-wheelers. In addition, the state government is pushing for 1 Lakh public charging stations in the coming years.
Tata Motors Plans To Invest Rs 15,000 Cr. In Its EV Business
TPG Rise Climate has decided to invest a seventh of its $ 7 billion corpus into Tata Motors. With this, the company is planning to invest Rs 15,000 crore in its EV business. The investment will happen over the next 5 years when the company will launch 10 new products. Tata said it would invest in new platforms, technologies and further localize its EV vertical. With the investment from TPG, the valuation of the new dedicated EV firm will be at $ 9.1 billion (Rs 66,600 crore). For the moment, Tata is calling its new arm as EVco. This valuation is more than 7 times the valuation of its entire passenger vehicle business unit that the company had put at Rs 9,417 crore earlier this year. Currently, Tata Motors has managed to achieve localization of 60 percent in its Nexon and Tigor EVs. By fiscal 2025, it plans to increase that to over 85 percent.
EV Startup AMO Mobility Plans To Raise USD 200 Million In 3 Years
Electric mobility startup AMO Mobility is in plans to raise around USD 200 million (nearly Rs 1,500 crore) in the next three years in order to fund its expansion. The company plans to enhance production capacity to around 5 lakh electric two-wheelers per annum by 2025. This was informed by the company founder Sushant Kumar to PTI. The company currently produces around 2,000 units a month at its facility at Noida, Uttar Pradesh. It sells a range of high-speed and low-speed electric scooters with top speed of less than 25 km/hr. Its range of vehicles include Jaunty, Feisty, Inspirer and Spin. Mr. Kumar informed that the fundraising is for investment, adding that the company is “looking to invest at least 40 percent of our total budget towards development of futuristic technology, which will make us independent within four to six years”.
PGCIL Approves Setting Up Of Rs 14.23-cr EV Charging Station In Navi Mumbai
The board of State-owned Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd’s (PGCIL) approved an investment of Rs 14.23 crore for an electric vehicle charging station in Navi Mumbai and also to create an arm to undertake telecom and digital technology businesses. This is under the FAME India Scheme Phase-II as per a BSE filing by the company. Powergrid board has also approved the incorporation of a wholly-owned subsidiary of PowerGrid to undertake its telecommunications and digital technology business. The statement also mentioned that the commissioning schedule is 12 months for the charging station and for other infrastructures such as kiosks and toilets, it is 24 months from the date of agreement to be signed between POWERGRID and Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT).
Arun Vinayak, Ather Energy’s Ex-CPO, Launches Exponent Energy To Simplify Energy for EVs
Arun Vinayak, Ather Energy’s Founding partner and former Chief Product Officer, is embarking on a new journey in the EV space with the launch of Exponent Energy. Sanjay Byalal, his colleague at Ather Energy and a former HUL supply chain & operations manager, has joined Arun, as a Co-Founder to drive Exponent’s larger vision for the EV industry. Exponent aims to simplify energy for EVs by building a Flexible Energy Stack: a technology that enables seamless flow of energy & information between the grid & vehicle to unlock a universe of products. The first line of products is a battery pack & charging station called E-pack & E-pump that together unlock a 0 to 100% rapid charge within 15 minutes for commercial vehicles with any number of wheels. All while using affordable Lithium-ion cells & delivering a 3000 cycle life warranty.
Goa State Government Starts Finalising The Draft EV Charging Infra Policy
The Goa state government has drafted its Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Policy. As informed by a senior officer that through the policy the government is planning to set up charging stations in parking lots and government buildings. As per the official, a contextual approach is needed to ensure the efficient and timely implementation of EV charging infrastructure, such that it meets local requirements and is optimally integrated within the electricity supply and transportation networks. The official informed that they have received objections and suggestions to the policy. These will be considered and then the policy will be placed before the cabinet for final approval. The state government has decided to provide subsidies to 11,000 electric vehicles every year for a period of five years. Annual cap on the subsidy will be at Rs 25 crore annually.
General Motors, LG Electronics Reach Agreement on Bolt EV Recall Costs
General Motors Co. announced today it has reached an agreement under which LG Electronics Inc. will reimburse GM for costs and expenses associated with the recall of Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs due to manufacturing defects in battery modules supplied by LG. As a result of the agreement, GM will recognize an estimated recovery in its third-quarter earnings that will offset $1.9 billion of $2.0 billion in charges associated with the recalls. “LG is a valued and respected supplier to GM, and we are pleased to reach this agreement,” said Shilpan Amin, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “Our engineering and manufacturing teams continue to collaborate to accelerate production of new battery modules and we expect to begin repairing customer vehicles this month.”
Battery Tech Startup Log 9 Partners with Fortum For InstaCharging
Advanced battery technology startup Log 9 Materials has partnered with EV charging infrastructure solutions provider Fortum Charge & Drive India to deploy and provide access to their public fast chargers for two-wheeler and three-wheeler electric vehicles (EVs) in India. The partnership, which is aimed at ensuring a smooth experience vis-à-vis providing accessible fast-charging stations to the Indian customers and/or end-users – will be for a duration of at least 24 months and can thereafter be mutually extended both in terms of period and scope. As an outcome of this collaboration, consumers charging Log 9 powered vehicles at Fortum’s EV charging stations will be incentivized in terms of a preferential tariff. The tariff scheme is currently only applicable at charging stations located in Hyderabad city and Vijaywada Highway; however, it will be expanded to other tier 1, tier 2, and metro cities of our country in the near future.