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Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, echoed one of her predecessors, Jean-Claude Trichet, by calling in turn for the regulation of Bitcoin (BTC).
The old tune
For the former boss of the IMF, bitcoin is a “speculative asset, which has been used for bizarre business and certain totally reprehensible money laundering activities”, she said on Wednesday at a conference in line organized by Reuters.
Bankers would like to ban the formidable technological feat of bitcoin (blockchain). But realizing that this is impossible due to its decentralized nature, today you see them moaning for regulation.
“We need to frame bitcoin globally because, you know… if there’s a loophole, that loophole will be used. Global cooperation is absolutely necessary. It could be initialized first at the G7, then at the G20. “
Christine Lagarde, Reuters next, January 13, 2021 VIDEO HERE
Madame Lagarde is new to the world of banking. So she may not know that the G20 has already been looking at bitcoin for several years? The body that discusses it is the FSB (Financial Stability Board) which was created during the G20 in London in 2009. Guess where this organization has its headquarters? In Basel, within the bank for international settlements (BIS) …
The FSB said in 2018 that cryptocurrencies did not (yet) pose a threat to financial stability. After a period of hesitation linked to the deflation of bitcoin, the Bank for International Settlements finally changed tack by pushing central banks to create their own “cryptocurrencies”.
But no one is fooled… Christine Lagarde’s “digital euro” or the “digital dollar” of course have absolutely nothing in common with Bitcoin since they will not have a blockchain and will certainly not have a limited quantity…
The bitcoin loophole
What escape is Christine Lagarde talking about? What exactly can Bitcoin escape?
To inflation orchestrated by central banks around the world. The latter printed in 2020 the equivalent of $ 26 trillion. So much money that will water the debt ponzi scheme and generate monster inflation. This inflation absolutely essential to prevent the debt bubble from bursting and thus to perpetuate the system of slavery through debt with interest.
Bankers are no longer hiding any more. The FED recently made it clear that it is now targeting inflation above 2%. Governor Bullard (FED) on Wednesday said he expected inflation to rise now that money supply has “exploded” and budget deficits are “off the table”.
Inflation of 2% per year may not seem like much, but it means that the currency loses half of its purchasing power in 35 years… 24 years with an inflation of 3% and 14 years with a rate of 5%.
But the real inflation is well above 5% in France. M1 money supply (the central currency) is currently increasing at a rate of 13% per year in the Euro Zone. Or 10,200 billion. Bitcoin only represents 7% of this money supply …
In conclusion, the whole Ponzi scheme of bankers (stock market, debt) is based on the fact that there is no escape to invest your savings. Christine Lagarde knows it well …


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26 July 2013 - Hindustan Unilever's (HLL.NS) aggressive advertising and discounts failed to lift sales volumes for the fifth consecutive quarter and India's largest consumer goods maker said the slowdown in growth may last until the end of the fiscal year.
Hindustan Unilever's fiscal first-quarter results underscores a warning by its parent, Anglo-Dutch consumer conglomerate Unilever (ULVR.L) (UNc.AS), that growth in emerging markets was no longer immune to the global economic weakness.
"India is very much a reflection of the announcement from the parent," Chief Financial Officer R. Sridhar told reporters after the earnings report on Friday.
"We are seeing a slowdown in market growth in both volume and value terms, and over the next 2-3 quarters these challenges will continue," he added. Shares fell 5.7 percent on the disappointing sales figures.
High inflation and meager urban salary increases have reduced incomes in Asia's third-largest economy and heated up the competition in the $13 billion consumer goods sector.
Hindustan Unilever faces a difficult choice between raising prices and retaining market share, as high promotional expenditure pinches margins and higher prices hurt volumes.
The company said its adjusted net profit rose 4 percent to 8.85 billion Indian rupees ($149.70 million) for the quarter that ended in June. The actual net profit stood at 10.19 billion rupees and included a one-time gain.
Net sales for the quarter rose 7 percent to a lower-than-expected 66.9 billion rupees with 4 percent underlying volume growth, below market estimates of about 6 percent growth and slower than the 9 percent growth logged in the same-year ago period.
Analysts on average had estimated an adjusted profit of 8.7 billion rupees on sales of 69 billion, Thomson Reuters Starmine Estimates showed.
Despite the weakness of its Indian business for the past few quarters, Unilever in April pumped in $5 billion to raise its stake in Hindustan Unilever, banking on the country's long-term growth.
India's economy has been hit by slowing private consumption, capital investment and declining public spending, leading to the slowest growth in a decade for the fiscal year that ended in March. Economic growth in the first quarter was 4.8 percent, in line with expectations.
Hindustan Unilever, valued at $25.1 billion, makes popular consumer brands such as skin fairness cream Fair and Lovely, Clinic Plus shampoo, Dove soap and Lipton tea.
Sales at the personal care segment grew 2 percent , while its food business grew 5 percent, as consumer demand waned.

domain: news


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WASHINGTON -- DC Brau, the District of Columbia's first new brewery in decades, has found a unique way to give back. Instead of trashing their brews' soggy grain byproduct, owners Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock are turning it into bread to feed the city's homeless in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Washington Post reports that the pair partnered with Pizzeria Paradiso, which turned the mash into loaves at its kitchens in Dupont Circle and Old Town Alexandria.
“It was kind of fibrous and a little dry,” commented Ruth Gresser, owner and head chef of Pizzeria Paradiso. She kneaded one part spent grain into four parts regular bread dough, adding a little clover honey for sweetness. All together, the collaboration produced 65 loaves, which were donated to Bread for the City, a Washington-based organization that provides food and other services to thousands of families.
Dry or not, charitable organizations aren't used to receiving fresh bread -- they usually get discards from food stores. Skall hopes to continue his community efforts, and told the Post he wants to partner with other D.C. breweries and about eight to ten local restaurants with the goal of producing 500 leaves of beer bread each month for charity. “We want to be a catalyst for something that wouldn’t happen otherwise,” Skall said.
Check out the below video, which explains the project in detail.


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A 19-year-old man is charged with snatching two Rolex watches from a home in an upscale area of South Barrington.
Naim Abu-Maizer of Hoffman Estates stole a men’s Rolex President watch and a women’s timepiece in the same style July 4 from a home on Beacon Hill Drive in the northwest suburb, prosecutors said. The items stolen were worth more than $60,000, prosecutors said, and online retailers list President watches for more than $45,000.
Abu-Maizer was arrested Friday, according to a police report. On Sunday, Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered Abu-Maizer held on $25,000 bond on a felony theft charge.


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Skoda has previewed its epic Fabia Combi R5 concept, ahead of its display at the GTI meeting in Worthersee this month.
The concept is powered by an 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, producing an unspecified power figure, which is mated to an all-wheel-drive system through a five-speed sequential gearbox.
The design concept is essentially a watered-down version of Skoda’s Fabia R5 which claimed victory in its debut event, at the Sumava Klatovy Rally. Skoda explains,
“The new Skoda Fabia R5 caused a sensation at its first ever race. The Skoda team brought home a clear victory from the new model’s world premiere in the Sumava Klatovy Rally. The high-tech racer – the Skoda Fabia R5 Combi – will be presented as an estate show car at Worthersee.”
Judging by these design sketches, the concept will take on a street racer theme with plenty of colour and decals. On the roof you might notice the rally-like air scoop, while at the back is a neat wing extending off the tailgate.
This will mark Skoda’s 6th appearance at the iconic GTI event in Worthersee, where Skoda will present the new design concept to more than 200,000 petrol heads. Skoda will also be displaying the R5 rally car.


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As part of the upcoming Mashable Awards, we're taking a closer look at each of the nomination categories. This is "Best Mobile Game." Be sure to nominate your favorites and join us for the Gala in Las Vegas! Sponsorships are available. Please contact email@example.com for more information. Mobile gaming has matured more in the past year than in almost any year before, thanks in no small part to the propagation of the iPhone and smartphones running Google's powerful Android operating system.
2 Recent Stories
Apple made gaming a big part of its iPad tablet announcement today. That wasn't a surprise; Apple has had its eye on the gaming market since it launched the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. The company announced that iPhone and iPod touch games will be playable on the device, and it invited established iPhone game developers Gameloft and Electronic Arts on stage at its iPad unveiling event to show off two games in development for the device: N.O.V.A.


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To celebrate Mario in 3D, Nintendo organised a massive event in Times Square, New York! There was even a “Mushroom Kingdom” Pizza truck in place to offer the first thousand customers with a free slice of mushroom pizza, what else! It seems that Nintendo are certainly trying to bring Mario into the lives of today’s young gamers, no doubt the plan is they grow with a Nintendo over the other consoles and they are willing to pull out all of the stops in order to achieve this goal.
According to Press Release by Nintendo;
To celebrate the launch of the Super Mario 3D Land™ game for the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system, Nintendo is giving fans in New York City a rare opportunity to experience how 3D significantly enhances and reinvents the beloved Mario gaming experience. Anyone who visits Times Square on Nov. 12 will be invited to play inside Mario’s 3D world with life size warp pipes, trampoline coin jumps and a flag pole finale! Consumers will also have a special opportunity to play Super Mario 3D Land in advance of its official Nov. 13 release date.
Source [Coolest Gadgets]


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Coinbase looks forward to raising a new round of investment,.Coinbase has reversed its position on Bitcoin Cash following the fork on August 1.
A new version of bitcoin hit the market on Tuesday and, on its second day of trading, it has already tripled in price and its market cap is now third biggest of.Digital asset exchange company Coinbase has incurred the wrath of its customers with its decision not to support Bitcoin Cash.
And if the fork in the bitcoin blockchain were to take place.
Bitcoin Slide Looks Limited Even After Cryptocurrency
Coinbase will pay out Bitcoin Cash to users by January 1stOver the weekend, Coinbase experienced delays in its processing.
Mass Exodus from Coinbase Spawns 12 Hour Bitcoin
Bitcoin Cash - Price Surge : btc - reddit.comCoinbase users are moving funds to wallets and exchanges where they will be credited for Bitcoin Cash (BCC ) tokens, causing delays in Bitcoin withdrawals from the.Update August 3, 2017: Update for customers with bitcoin stored on Coinbase.Coinbase selling fees. You are going to have to sell the bitcoin, turn it into cash and then. example I have one bitcoin in coinbase at price 800 per bitcoin.
Merchant Payouts Automatically cash out bitcoin with. bitcoin you receive for merchant orders can be immediately sold to Coinbase at the current sell price,.As such, if the price of bitcoin were to decline as a result of bitcoin cash entering the.
Coinbase Vs Bitcoin Cash, Stock Market Crash And Ethereum
Bitcoin cash supported by Coinbase — Steemit
Bitcoin Wallet Guide - Coinbase DevelopersThis seems particularly unfair considering BCH is dropping in price.
Coinbase Faces Backlash, Legal Risk Over Bitcoin CashBitcoin Cash is about to hit the market. Coinbase has reversed its position on Bitcoin Cash.
Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Coinbase. — Steemit
Coinbase and GDAX will offer Bitcoin Cash withdrawalsRegistration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our.Our popular wallet works on your Android or iPhone in addition to your web browser.
David Farmer, communications director at Coinbase, officially announced that Coinbase will integrate Bitcoin Cash (BCH).Faster than Coinbase,. securely sell Bitcoins at your own price for cash deposited into your bank. when you turn your cash into Bitcoin with BitQuick and.
Bitcoin - The Internet of MoneyCoinbase has stated they will distribute Bitcoin Cash to all their customers who held bitcoin on August 1st,.Cryptocurrencies have seen enormous price gains -- bitcoin is. as bitcoin cash.
'Bitcoin cash' prices fall by 57 percent, while someHow to Sell Bitcoins. or Coinbase may be a better option. Getting a Good Price.Please do not send or deposit bitcoin cash (BCC) to Coinbase.
Can bitcoins be exchanged for cash | Ask the Bitcoin GuruThe Coinbase Bitcoin Cash fork message comes amid fears of the looming Bitcoin Cash fork on August 1.
Coinbase on Twitter: "Update for customers asking if
Customers with balances of bitcoin at the time of the fork now have an equal quantity of bitcoin cash stored by Coinbase. in the hopes the Bitcoin Cash price will.This morning I wake up to find out that Bitcoin cash. of the fork now have an equal quantity of bitcoin cash stored by Coinbase. will be the price of BCH at.This proposal, known as Bitcoin Cash,. — customers with Bitcoin stored on Coinbase will only have access to the current version of bitcoin we support.


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The article where this news appears is very insider-insider. I only read it because of an unhealthy obsession. But the news that Netflix expects to increase its Streaming subscription base from its present level of 33 million to around 60 or even 90 million in just ten years is mind-blowing.
According the U.S. Census bureau, there are currently a little over 115 million households in the U.S. The Netflix estimates are in the U.S., not worldwide. In 2013, Netflix added 2.3 million new American households, increasing its subscribers to that 33 million number.
Imagine Netflix Streaming in 50% to 80% of homes. How many will cancel their pay TV subscriptions as a result of a $7.99 service as compared to one that cost more than ten-times as much? Already the pay TV industry is losing net customers.
Imagine if Netflix hadn’t started its streaming service as kind of a goof — as a little something extra to go along with its DVD-by-mail service? Had the dozen or so multi-nationals that control 90% of our news and entertainment content known, they likely would have banded together to strangle this baby in the crib.
Thank God we were all caught off guard.
I have been watching The Revolution for about five years now and it is moving much faster than I would have ever predicted.


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HANOI -- Young entrepreneurs and seasoned executives alike are setting up e-commerce businesses in Vietnam. But before the anticipated explosion in the market can happen, these pioneers need to overcome several obstacles.
When Thanh Tam's local bookstore did not have the memoir she was looking for, she ordered it from Tiki.vn, a website her Facebook friend recommended.
"Buying from Tiki was very nice," said Tam, who works in the office of an industrial manufacturing company. "Instead of spending a lot of time going to the bookstore, I could sit at my desk and click 'buy.' And I liked the customer service."
Tran Son created Tiki.vn in 2010 after he returned from graduate school in Australia and had been frustrated with how difficult it was to find books in Vietnam, which had no local equivalent of Amazon.com. The name, a play on words in Vietnamese, is shorthand for the site's mission: search (timkiem) and save (tietkiem).
"You'd go around dozens of stores and come back empty-handed because the book you want wasn't there," Son said. "So I quit my job and used my savings to build the website. We didn't have money for advertising, so we just relied on word of mouth, both online and offline."
Tiki.vn received funding from the Japanese online advertising firm CyberAgent Ventures in 2012. The following year, the Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corp. took a 30% stake in the company, its first investment in Vietnamese e-commerce. When U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry came to Vietnam last December, he paid visits to the offices of Tiki.vn alongside Intel and Microsoft.
"When we invested in Tiki in 2012, they only got 1,000 orders per month," said Dzung Nguyen, the head of Vietnam and Thailand for CyberAgent Ventures. "Now they get 50,000. That shows you how fast e-commerce is growing."
Vietnam's young, tech-savvy population is making e-commerce an increasingly lucrative area. E-commerce sales totaled $700 million in 2012, and are likely to reach $1.3 billion by 2015, according to the Vietnam E-Commerce and Information Technology Agency. While this seems small in comparison with China and Japan, where annual transactions easily top $100 billion, it is impressive growth for this country, where most of the 90 million people still shop at trusted neighborhood vendors and family-run stores.
"Internet connectivity is high -- 61% of the country is under the age of 35, 56% is under 30. E-commerce is really taking hold," said Don Phan, former managing director of Rocket Internet Vietnam and founder of Taembe.vn, a local adaptation of Diapers.com of the U.S., a baby products online shopping site.
Rocket Internet is a German startup incubator that takes successful ventures from developed countries and reproduces them in emerging markets. It has found big opportunities in Vietnam, where it runs six companies, including fashion site Zalora and Lazada, Southeast Asia's largest online retailer, which has so far raised nearly $500 million in funding.
"Rocket has identified two megatrends: emerging market growth and e-commerce. If you put those together, you have billion-dollar companies," Phan said.
Vingroup, Vietnam's largest property developer with revenue of $850 million in 2013, has set up a new e-commerce unit called VinE-co that aims to challenge online marketplaces backed by eBay and Alibaba as well as dozens of homegrown retailers.
Bricks over clicks
The popularity of e-commerce in Vietnam has grown despite the country's online payment network lagging far behind other Asian countries. In 2012, only 11.8% of e-commerce transactions were conducted using non-cash means. Surprisingly, most people only consider this a minor hindrance.
"People are always talking about online payment, but I don't see it as a big issue," CyberAgent's Nguyen said. "When people want to buy something, they will try to pay in whatever way they can. Even in developed countries like Japan, around 40% of transactions are still cash on delivery."
Getting goods to consumers represents a more considerable obstacle, as does attracting investment.
"The biggest challenge for e-commerce is definitely logistics," Tiki.vn founder Son said. "The infrastructure in Vietnam is still immature compared to developed countries. If you want to do B2C, you have to set up your own warehouse, payment process and even delivery fleet. At the beginning, my warehouse was my garage."
Nguyen Ngoc Diep, CEO and founder of Vatgia.com thinks shopping habits in Vietnam still have to change. Vatgia.com was founded in 2005 as one of the country's first e-commerce sites. It now gets 1.2 million unique visitors per day. However, barely 2% make purchases online. Most visitors prefer to buy products from the company's 20 physical stores across the country. Vatgia.com plans to have 500 stores within a few years.
"The future of business is online, but changing people's habits takes time. Vietnamese people don't have experience with e-commerce. They don't believe in the quality of products until they touch them," he said. "After they have a good experience in the store, they will buy things online."


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Jan 8, 2021
Apple and Hyundai announce electric car tie-up
Hyundai has announced it is in early discussions with Apple to work together on self-driving electric cars. Last month, news emerged that Apple was moving forward with self-driving car technology with a 2024 launch date. Hyundai has already been pushing into new technologies such as electric, driverless and flying cars. Apple's efforts to produce an electric car, known as Project Titan, have been on and off ever since plans were revealed in 2014. Its rival Alphabet's Waymo chose a factory in Detroit to mass produce its own self-driving cars.
Make a complaint about Apple or Hyundai by viewing their customer service contacts.


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The first customer of the all-electric solar powered Agilitee Go will take delivery of their new vehicle on 9 June 2023 in Zimbabwe.
Agilitee Founder and CEO Dr Mandla Lamba will personally present the new owner with their Agilitee Go model.
The handover will take place place in Harare.
Delivering up to 400km confirmed range, the Agilitee Go offers the highest driving range of any fully electric vehicle available in Africa.
“I am so elated about this development, the beginning of a brand new Era for Africa. I bless God for His favor and faithfulness to this very moment of glory. We have gone into full production and we are now officially rolling out our first in Africa and turning every street green by the grace of God,” said the founder.


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First look at ‘The Best of Both Worlds’ on Blu-ray
CBS/Paramount announced recently that, along with the release of season three of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray, there would also be special edition Blu-ray of “The Best of Both Worlds,” presented for the first time in its entirety. The epic season three cliffhanger was nominated for numerous Emmys, won two, and has also been included on several lists ranking it as some of televison’s best.
Today, we got our first look at the remastered beauty in the form of a trailer:
“The Best of Both Worlds” special edition Blu-ray will be released on April 30th.


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Calorie counting has always been ingrained in the prevailing nutrition and weight loss advice.
Gardner emphasizes that it's all about healthy low-fat and low-carb diets. "We told them all that we wanted them to minimize added sugar and refined grains and eat more vegetables and whole foods". They were randomly placed into one of the two dietary groups - low-carb or low-fat. It's worth noting that average fat consumption for the participants before the study started was around 87 grams a day, and average carbohydrate intake was about 247 grams. Study participants in both groups lost an average of 12-13 pounds. Previous research maintains that insulin levels or certain genes could interact with a person's type of diet and ultimately influence the effectiveness of their weight loss. Companies such as DNAFit and Helix suggest consumers pay about $100 and a simple cheek swab; the resulting genomic analysis will purportedly show them what kind of diet will keep their bodies in peak health.
Although results varied greatly among the participants - one lost 60 pounds while another gained 20 - and 200 participants dropped out before the end of the study, the results at the end were similar.
Instead, the goal was to explore which factors - genetic patterns and insulin resistance - might predict success for people on the two diets; in other words, "Which diet is best for whom?" "And those low-carb chips - don't buy them, because they're still chips and that's gaming the system'". But I was hoping to see some significant difference in the weight lost by those matched by genotype. There was also no DNA/diet interaction for waist circumference, body mass index, or body fat percentage.
"The unique thing is that we didn't ever set a number for them to follow", Gardner said.
"This study closes the door on some questions - but it opens the door to others". But there was no link whatsoever between what diet they were on and the tested genes. A spokeswoman for another leading DNA/diet company, Habit, said it agrees that DNA alone "isn't enough to develop personalized dietary recommendations" and that the company therefore factors in blood biomarkers and other information "when making personalized dietary recommendations".
Although it would seem that one group has to be wrong, a new study suggests that the battle between low-fat and low-carb diets is actually a draw - so both sides are right.
Gardner's own 2010 study, of 140 overweight women divided into various DNA and diet types, reached the same conclusion.
"We've been taught that the key to taking off the pounds is to consume fewer calories than we burn". There was still, however, vast weight loss variability among them - some dropped upward of 60 pounds, while others gained close to 15 or 20.
The participants were encouraged to meet the federal guidelines for physical activity but did not generally increase their exercise levels, Gardner said.
"We were so excited and thought this would work. It's humbling, and just underlines the importance of replication" of tantalizing preliminary findings with larger, more rigorous studies.


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Two significant Japanese majors, Toyota and NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), have decided to band together to further their research and development efforts in the Connected car space. This partnership revolves around sharing the technologies, knowledge, and expertise to jointly analyze the society’s transportation issues and figure out a smart mobility solution for the same.
Under this strategic partnership, Toyota plans on combining its vehicle-related technologies with the information and communication technologies (ICT) of NTT Group. This is expected to enable the joint R&D effort in the development, verification, and standardization of technology in the connected and autonomous mobility ecosystem.
This means that the automaker will share a treasure trove of big data collected from trial runs of its connected vehicles with NTT, one of the largest telecom giants by revenue, to solve issues being faced by the society. This can lead to the creation of many new solutions, which are affordable and sustainable, for preventing road accidents and traffic congestion. The NTT Group also has its work cut out to further accelerate the development of future Connected Car solutions. And each of its entities have been assigned the following tasks:
Toyota, it seems, is now driving its connected mobility at the final gear and doesn’t plan on applying the brakes anytime soon. Today’s NTT partnership is one of the several deals that the automaker has cracked with other technology and automotive majors from across the globe. The automaker was just recently announced as the first partner for Microsoft’s new auto licensing program, which grants it access to Redmond’s most (or probably all) connected car patents.
Further, the Japanese automaker has also linked hands with Ford to form a SmartDeviceLink Consortium for smartphone application development for vehicles. The consortium will be a non-profit organization and would act as an open source software platform giving consumers a huge variety of choices. First few automakers to join the consortium include Mazda Motor Corporation, PSA Group, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) and Suzuki Motor Corporation among others.
This post first appeared on Hotstar Takes On Netflix, Launches Hotstar Premium To Offer US TV Shows And Movies, 'Unspoiled' | The Tech Portal, please read the originial post: here


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The account @aaple_lab has just shared some images of the front design of the iPhone 14 Pro. These photos partly prove rumors that Apple will have a revolution in the design of the upcoming iPhone 14 series.
The first is that the screen border is thin and even on all 4 sides. To get this, Apple has abandoned the ‘notch’ design that they introduced from the iPhone X generation.
Instead, Apple uses a small punch-hole selfie camera cluster (pill-shaped) and next to it is a small sensor (most likely a TrueDepth sensor to serve Face ID).
In addition, the above source also confirmed that the iPhone 14 Pro will be equipped with a larger sensor. The rear camera is upgraded to 48 MP with the ability to record 8K videos.
Some recent leaks also confirm that the iPhone 14 Pro will be equipped with many new camera features, larger battery, faster charging.
iPhone 14 Pro is expected to launch with 3 other versions: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max. It is likely that Apple’s event will still take place in September as usual.


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FSB says Local Enterprise Partnerships must engage more with small businesses
A new report by the Federation of Small Businesses and the Centre for Local Economic Strategies calls on Local Enterprise Partnerships to place small businesses at the heart of their plans for local economic growth.
This week’s report – the first of its kind – stresses small businesses can’t be ignored as the economic recovery continues.
The FSB says LEPs are the right vehicle to deliver local economic growth across England, but stresses that the voice of small businesses needs to be better represented within LEPs.
Small and medium sized businesses have been responsible for four in five (84%) jobs created in the private sector between 2010 and 2013, and represent half (48 percent) of private sector turnover.
However the report finds that large businesses are perceived to have most influence within LEPs. Two in five (39%) local authorities and two thirds (67 percent) of FSB representatives surveyed feeling that large businesses exert the greatest influence over LEPs.
In order for LEPs to be held accountable to businesses and their local communities, the FSB is calling for a national framework for assessing their performance. Currently this is not in place. This is important because LEPs will be responsible for £17 billion in public funds between now and 2021. There is clearly work needed to improve transparency and accountability as only 31 per cent of LEPs publish annual accounts and 44 per cent produce annual reports. The FSB believes that as LEPs are receiving increasingly large amounts of money to distribute at the local level, it should be made very clear how decisions are made on how to spend their funding.
John Allan, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “LEPs are crucial to delivering local economic growth across England. While some have done a good job of reaching out to the small business community, others need to up their game. Small firms will ultimately be the ones creating most of the jobs and prosperity in the private sector, so it is absolutely essential that they are at the heart of all LEPs thinking and plans.
“LEPs will be handling £17 billion of public money between now and 2021. It is important and only right to understand how it is being spent. Because the sums of money involved will increase substantially, it is vital that LEPs are more accountable and transparent so local authorities, businesses and the public can be confident they will deliver for the local economy and are using taxpayer funds effectively.”
Neil McInroy, chief executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, said: “LEPs have had a short life, but misunderstandings around their purpose and usefulness abound. They have been slow to get going, been stifled by centralism with a reluctance to devolve powers, responsibilities, or funding, and tend to be dominated by big business with little affinity to place. LEPs have gained the responsibility for European funding and other resources but without the statutory footing to be accountable for them.
“As powers to combined authorities and local government have developed, LEPs, in some instances are merely strategic vehicles, necessary because government wants them, but marginal in terms of the real business of local economic development and the everyday relationship with the business community.
“They must continue but we need fundamental change. LEPs should embed small business more effectively into their structures and activities and join up far more effectively than is currently the case with local government over economic development and wider social issues.”


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Walt Disney Studios joins Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Brothers as major content providers on the Google-owned website. Google announced 11/23 that the filmmaker has partnered with YouTube as the latest rental partner on the streaming video hub.
Hundreds of movies under Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks Studios will be offered on the site, with a soft launch including Alice in Wonderland, Cars and the Pirates of the Caribbean flicks.
The move follows the recent announcement that Disney Interactive Media and YouTube will spend a combined $10 million to $15 million on original video series. The mainly short-length videos will be produced by Disney and distributed on a co-branded channel on Disney.com and YouTube. The channel will also include amateur video picks from the many uploaded to YouTube daily.
More Disney offerings are expected to join the site in the coming weeks.


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Margaret River’s Surfers Point will become the focal point of the World Surf League for the next two weeks, but it is the entire South West that will benefit from an influx of spectators, competitors, and event staff as demand for accommodation peaks over the duration of the event which commences 20 April.
Attracting the finest surfers in the world, the Margaret River Pro is unique from other global sporting events that visit Australia in that it takes place hours away from a major capital.
This in turn draws thousands of fans into a regional area where much-needed tourism dollars go on to benefit smaller local businesses, and where Airbnb listings become vital in providing a range of affordable options to accommodate guests.
According to the WA Government, the 2022 Margaret River Pro attracted more than 3,500 visitors, generating more than $8.1 million for the WA economy1.
“Hosting on Airbnb is a great way to help showcase Margaret River and the entire South West by sharing your home or a spare room with guests attending this incredible world-class event.
Airbnb offers a unique opportunity for new and existing Hosts in Margaret River, Eagle Bay, Dunsborough, Busselton to support the event, while also earning extra income to combat the rising cost of living, and making guests feel extremely welcome, pointing them in the direction of the best hidden gems and local businesses to support.
Hosts collectively earned almost $1.8m2 by Hosting during the event last year, but what separates the Margaret River Pro from other iconic sporting events around Australia is that after the show moves on, recreational surfers can literally surf the same break for the rest of the year.
Home sharing helps cities and especially regional areas use existing homes to scale up their capacity where there isn’t enough space in traditional accommodation. It also empowers locals to provide sustainable and affordable options across the region which benefits the local economy.
Western Australia has such a solid events calendar which attracts visitors from near and far, including international cricket, the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July, Taste Great Southern, or the Cape to Cape and accommodation supply on Airbnb brings valuable tourism dollars to the entire economy of the state.
Whether it is accommodation in urban areas like Perth and Freo, or off the beaten track, there is an Airbnb to suit most group sizes and budgets.”
Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand.
It is estimated that there at least 768,000 spare bedrooms sitting empty in Western Australia3, more accommodation means more affordable accommodation, benefitting travellers, Hosts, and the entire community of businesses that surround them.
Short-term rental accommodation makes a large contribution to Western Australia’s economy, and plays a critical role in the visitor economy, contributing $315 million in guest spending, $265 million in value added to the economy and 2,535 jobs.
In 2019, almost 2.8 million visitor nights were spent at Airbnb listings in Western Australia. Airbnb also helps spread visitor dollars across all corners of the state: $64 million in spending outside of the Perth region and $97 million generated for the economy in regional WA4.
“Every year we host guests for the Margaret River Pro. We are located 30 minutes from Margaret River in the once quiet seaside village Dunsborough but that hasn’t stopped guests booking and exploring the region.
“These tourist towns thrive when there are events like this and without Airbnb and other short term holiday platforms, there just wouldn’t be the accommodation to cope with the influx of people.”
Local Host Pam Herron
The South West of WA boasts precisely the type of accommodation Airbnb guests are looking for right now. In May 2022, Airbnb introduced a new way to search designed around Airbnb Categories, making it easy to discover millions of unique homes guests never knew existed. In data released last month, it was revealed that among the 50+ categories Aussie guests were booking the most, Beach stays took top spot, with Surf stays (number three) close behind.
From the world cycling championships in Wollongong, this month’s AFL Gather Round in Adelaide, or last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Airbnb Hosts have a long history of helping cities accommodate big events, while generating benefits for local families and communities. Home sharing allows cities to flexibly increase the number of guests they can accommodate without expensive building and infrastructure projects, providing a more sustainable way of accommodating a surge in visitors.
With the event fast approaching, we encourage those who are thinking about Hosting to start getting their property and listing ready. Last year, Airbnb made it even easier to Airbnb your home through Airbnb Setup, featuring one-to-one guidance from a Superhost, the opportunity to host an experienced guest as your first guest, as well as one-tap access to specially-trained Community support agents. Together with even more AirCover for Hosts, which tripled damage protection to $3 million and expanded guest identity verification, among other top protections for both inside and outside your home, it’s a great time to become a Host and start earning.
2 Total Host Earnings for Busselton and Augusta, Margaret River region for WSL event from 24 April – 4 May 2022


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The TSX Composite Index dipped 4.4% in early September, driven by steep double-digit declines in tech stocks. In the past few days, I have been writing about the possibilities of the stock market crash 2.0 and what can you do to safeguard your portfolio. There are chances that the stock market might see another steeper dip at the end of September or early October. What makes me believe that?
The stock market behaved in contrast to the economy in the last six months. The TSX Composite Index surged 16% while the real GDP contracted 11.5% in the second quarter. The stock market rally came on the back of the liquidity the Canadian government’s emergency benefits gave to Canadians. If you look at the timeline of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) cash benefits and the stock market momentum, there is a direct relation.
Correlation between the CRA cash benefits and the stock market momentum
In March, the stock market fell more than 30%, as COVID-19 became a pandemic and a nationwide lockdown was implemented. In April, the Justin Trudeau government released emergency benefits, such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which put $2,000 in the hands of Canadians who lost their jobs. Never before has the government given such a large benefit to its citizens, irrespective of their income.
The CERB helped unemployed Canadians pay their bills and buy groceries. However, many Canadians put some of this free cash in the stock market, as near-zero interest rates made fixed deposits unattractive. At that time, the stock market was more skewed towards virus stocks. People pulled out their money from banks, airlines, retail, real estate, and energy stocks and invested in defensive stocks like grocery, pharma, and technology.
As Warren Buffett says, buy the stocks of companies whose products you see and use every day. Canadians purchased stocks of Shopify (TSX:SHOP)(NYSE:SHOP) and Loblaw. In the U.S., the Nasdaq hit an all-time high, driven by Zoom Communications. This stock rally was backed by the unemployment benefits.
In early September, the CRA delayed the CERB payments by a few days, as it implemented extra layers of security after being hit by cyberattacks. A few days’ delay made Canadians desperate, and they withdrew their money from Shopify, Lightspeed POS, Kinaxis, and other stocks that rallied triple digits in the last six months. These stocks fell between 15% and 20% in two weeks.
Confusion around EI could trigger another stock market sell-off
The stock market rally that was driven by the CRA benefits is likely to end with the benefits. What you witnessed in March would repeat after six months. The CERB is ending on September 26. CERB alternatives like Employment Insurance (EI), Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), and Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) are coming up.
The problem is the government has not yet passed the new benefits into legislation, preventing the CRA from releasing details about the alternatives. The details available so far have created confusion among Canadians; they’re wondering if they will get the benefit or not. There is also confusion about where to apply and how to apply.
This confusion has made Canadians anxious. As the end of September nears, Canadians could get desperate and withdraw their savings to pay for expenses. This would trigger another stock market sell-off until there is clarity around the benefits.
Shopify is a stock to buy and hold for a long term
What is interesting is Buffett has been selling more and buying less during the market rally. He sold a large chunk of bank and airline stocks and purchased a small chunk of software-as-a-service and gold stocks. If you want liquidity, sell stocks that are hit hard by the pandemic, and not the ones that are growing in the pandemic.
Shopify is a stock that is as buy and hold for the long term. The company has been growing its revenue at a CAGR of 50%, and the pandemic just accelerated its growth. It has become the preferred e-commerce platform for all retailers. Grocers and food companies that were reluctant to go digital are now selling on the Shopify platform. They are high-volume clients that will significantly boost its transaction-based commission revenue.


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PORTAGE, MI -- Customers visiting the newest cannabis dispensary in Portage are first greeted with a sign that says, “High, we’re open.”
Once inside, patrons are faced with a mural of 420-themed images. Guests can browse branded clothing, ceramic pipes made by a Michigan artist and books like “420 Things To Draw While High.”
Skymint, a new marijuana storefront in Portage, aims to be welcoming and approachable to cannabis rookies and veterans alike, said Julie Lowry, corporate merchandise with Skymint.
The dispensary, located at 8542 Shaver Road in Portage, is set up like any other retail store, allowing guests to browse products rather than having them tucked behind the checkout counter, she said.
“I just love how inviting and open the space feels,” Lowry said. “It feels more like traditional retail.”
Summer Ransom-Cleveland, Skymint’s president of retail, agreed, saying many other dispensaries are intimidating for those who don’t know much about the products, since customers aren’t able to browse from the checkout line.
“I always felt like there was a little bit of pressure to hurry up and make your decision,” Ransom-Cleveland said. “What my team and I set out to do is bring as much of that product from behind the cash registers out onto the sales floor.
“It almost takes on this sense of discovery — this environment of curiosity and learning and approachability,” she said.
Those unsure of their options or looking to learn more about cannabis are welcome at Skymint, where staff will answer questions and help guests find the product right for them, Lowry said. The shop aims to take intimidation out of cannabis shopping, she said.
Once inside, display cases with a natural wood look separate pre-rolls from edibles and flower. The shop also offers concentrates, vaporizers and CBD for both dogs and their owners. In fact, guests are welcome to bring their dogs into the store with them while shopping, Lowry said.
The shop also offers accessories like marijuana-themed birthday cards and Snoop Dogg’s cookbook, “From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen.”
Before checking out, guests walk along a rack of checkout-aisle merchandise such as air fresheners and mints -- except these mints are made specifically to tackle dry mouth.
Ransom-Cleveland said the goal of offering accessories and novelties was to give the customer a fuller “lifestyle experience.”
Skymint in Portage had a soft-opening on Thursday, April 8, where about 160 customers were served, Ransom-Cleveland said. The store’s grand opening event is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 14, she said. The ribbon-cutting event will include city leaders and a food truck.
“If that was a soft-opening, this will essentially be a little bit of a loud opening,” Ransom-Cleveland said.
Portage’s location is Skymint’s 12th shop in Michigan, Ransom-Cleveland said. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, the business is planning another 10-plus stores in the state in the next year and is looking to expand outside state lines, she said.
“We definitely want to put stores in as many communities as we can get into in Michigan,” Ransom-Cleveland said.
Future plans also include a shop in neighboring Kalamazoo in 2021, she said.
Skymint now operates 10 adult-use shops and two medical marijuana dispensaries. While medicinal products aren’t available at the adult-use stores, people with a medical card get 15% off their purchase, she said.
About 80% of the products sold at Skymint are the house brand, while the other 20% are from other Michigan brands, she said. Skymint’s products are made “at the most advanced cultivation and production facility in the state,” Ransom-Cleveland said.
“We pretty much control 100% seed to sale,” she said. “We grow the babies, we nurture and love the plants and those turn out to be those end products. We know where they come from.”
Skymint in Portage is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
Also on MLive:
Local Eats: Schnitzel the name of the game at Chau Haus near Kalamazoo
Earth expects near-miss of an asteroid today, here’s why we care
Detroit company in top 5 of Fortune’s ’100 Best Companies to Work For’ list


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Apple can now fix Face ID on an iPhone without swapping the device out
What you need to know
- Apple can now repair Face ID issues without swapping out an entire iPhone.
- Face ID and front-facing camera hardware can be swapped out.
- The new approach will save money and e-waste.
Apple can now fix Face ID problems by replacing specific parts rather than switching out the entire iPhone, according to a new report.
The move, which was expected following a similar recent report, is now in effect according to a MacRumors report. However, in a memo sent to employees, Apple says that the repair isn't available everywhere. In fact, there is a lengthy list of countries in which a device swap-out is still required should Face ID hardware fail.
It isn't immediately clear why that is the case or what kind of timescale is involved in bringing those countries online, unfortunately.
Being able to repair Face ID rather than give customers a whole new iPhone is a big deal in terms of cost and the potential environmental impact. Apple will now send Face ID and front-facing camera parts out to Apple Stores and authorized service providers to allow them to do the work in-store.
Those who require service should contact Apple or visit an Apple Store to get the ball rolling. None of this seems to apply to other Face ID devices such as the iPad Pro, at least for now.
Get more iMore in your inbox!
Our news, reviews, opinions, and easy to follow guides can turn any iPhone owner into an Apple aficionado
Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.
Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.
How often does Face ID actually fail?


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Give away medical masks when you place an order. learn more
Electronics buyers can expect semiconductor companies to begin reducing their chip inventory levels by cutting back on production growth over the next several quarters.
Semiconductor supplier inventory levels have been increasing since the second quarter of last year, and now have apparently plateaued at a level that is too high, considering current chip demand and economic conditions, according to researcher Gartner Inc.
Semiconductor days of inventory have been rising since the second quarter of last year, but now have plateaued.Semiconductor days of inventory (DOI) have increased from an average of 60.1 days in the second quarter of 2010 to 74.9 days in the third quarter of this year, Gartner reported.
The semiconductor industry entered the third quarter with moderately high levels of inventory, according to Gerald Van Hoy, senior research analyst at Gartner. "Current levels are too high given the weakening economic sentiment, and the industry must rein in production growth and take action to reduce accumulated inventory,” he said.
Van Hoy added that inventory reduction will occur during the next few quarters, with production and sales expected to return roughly to balance by the second quarter of 2012.
Peter Middleton, principal analyst at Gartner, said the current excess inventory has largely been as a result of overproduction by chipmakers. He noted that this started to become evident early in the year, “but then when the earthquake disaster occurred in Japan, excess inventory proved useful as a buffer as the supply chain recovered.” However, Middleton added that immediate action should be taken “to rationalize stock levels in the face of macroeconomic weakness."
Middleton attributed semiconductor overproduction this year to a general over-optimism about the pace of economic recovery and growth. “However, now economic sentiment has weakened further, and there is a significant risk of another recession. Weaker demand generates risk that the inventory picture will deteriorate,” said Middleton.
Gartner forecast that the industry will undergo a moderate inventory correction during the next few quarters, which will lower demand for semiconductor production in the second half of 2011 and early 2012.
While chipmakers are cutting back inventory levels, the proportion of total semiconductor inventory held by OEMs has begun to rise, but it is still near historic lows, according to Gartner.
Gartner's conclusions are supported by the researcher’s Index of Inventory Semiconductor Supply-chain Tracking (GIISST), which remains at caution levels with days of inventory (DOI) at 1.12 in the third quarter. A DOI index level of 1.12 indicates inventories are inflated, and there will likely be downward pressure on prices. Below the 0.95 level indicates inventories are low, components may be on allocation, and double ordering begins.


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- O2 UK turns sell-to relationships on store technology into commercial partnerships.
- Operator creates new suite of digital solutions to resolve social distancing challenges, using technology from two startups originally incubated by Wayra UK.
Telefónica UK (O2 UK) is setting its sights on the opportunities that lie ahead once the lifting of lockdown measures related to COVID-19 allows people to return to work in sectors such as retail and healthcare.
Its O2 Business is making available a “suite of digital solutions” that have already been tried and tested at O2 UK stores and have proved effective at overcoming more recent challenges imposed by social distancing measures. The operator claimed that virtual queuing, staff scheduling, and appointment-booking technologies have “proved so successful in allowing O2 to reopen its retail stores that these solutions are being offered to a range of O2 customers including retailers, supermarkets, stadia, and healthcare businesses”.
The two technology providers supporting the solutions are longstanding partners of Telefónica Group, and alumni of incubator Wayra UK.
- Retail technology specialist Qudini provides the cloud-based digital queue and appointment management system, which was first rolled out by Telefónica UK in 2014. The system has subsequently been deployed by Telefónica España, and Qudini has gone on to become the operator’s preferred international supplier of queue management systems (Telefónicawatch, #99). Qudini first joined Wayra in 2012 and its software is said to be used in a total of 3,600 shops.
- Rotageek joined Wayra six years ago and provides workforce scheduling software to automate staff workflows. Rotageek first deployed its technology at 267 O2 UK stores in early-2015.
O2 Business is also to offer access to O2 Motion, which is described as the business unit’s big data and insights arm and collects aggregated and anonymised data from O2 UK’s 25 million mobile customers. O2 Motion is said to be based on a “suite of solutions” including Smart Steps, Telefónica’s retail insights and analytics solution (Telefónicawatch, passim). It also features smart-city solutions, presumably including the O2 City Data Platform, which offers access to more than seven billion anonymised daily data points, according to the O2 UK website.
O2 UK said that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, O2 Motion has been supporting government agencies, transport bodies, train operating companies, and academic institutions by supplying daily insight on population movement, split by age bracket and gender. “This has helped us understand how COVID-19 is spreading and can help businesses plan for the reopening of the economy”, the operator said.
O2 Business relaunch: a year on
O2 Business was relaunched in mid-2019 in a bid to reorganise all business-focused units into a single division. It comprises enterprise and wholesale commercial teams, product development functions in areas including 5G, big data, and the Internet of Things, and collaboration with Wayra (Telefónicawatch, #136). Jo Bertram is Managing Director of the division (Telefónicawatch, #137).
At the time of the division’s relaunch, Kester Mann, Director, Consumer and Connectivity at CCS Insight, said O2 UK recognised that it needed to improve its performance in the enterprise customer segment in the face of strong market competition from a combined BT/EE and Vodafone UK.
According to Mann, Mark Evans, Chief Executive of O2 UK, admitted that the operator was “great in consumer, but not so great in enterprise”, and clearly intended to change the situation with a stronger enterprise strategy. The proposed merger of O2 UK and Virgin Media should also create a more forthright challenger in the enterprise and public sector market in future.


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La Marquise International at the 23rd edition of Gulfood
La Marquise International is very pleased to participate to the new edition of Gulfood 2018, the world’s largest annual food event, which will take place on 18 – 22 February 2018 at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Celebrating its 23rd edition, Gulfood 2018 will bring together a series of insights and activities to help the global F&B community to make informed business decisions, reviewing the latest trends and innovations of the food & beverage sectors.
Don’t miss all News 2018 of La Marquise International with lots of new ideas for your Foodservice solutions.
The countdown has begun!
See you there at MIA/Production at Hall 8: B8-30, Beverage at Za’abeel New Hall: Z6-G52 & Z5-154 and MEC3 at Hall 1: B1-42


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Fifty years ago, director Stanley Kubrick introduced the world to HAL, the intelligent computer in the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The astronauts in the movie could talk to HAL, who in turn would converse back with them and handle their commands for operating their space vehicle. (That was until HAL took over the spacecraft and decided to show the astronauts who was really in charge.)
So, on Wednesday, one couldn’t help but feel a little bit of HAL’s influence at hand when Amazon unveiled what it calls “Amazon Experience Centers” — which is a way of describing a series of homes that homebuilder Lennar is building with Amazon’s Alexa technology included. Amazon and Lennar have set up a series of “flagship” homes near Atlanta; Dallas; Los Angeles; Miami; Orlando; Seattle; Washington D.C.; and, locally, at the Tovero development in Vallejo.
Want to have Alexa turn the lights on just right when you wake up? Just say, “Alexa, good morning!” Need to take a look at what’s going on outside? Tell Alexa to show you the front door, and the Amazon-enabled home video technology will bring up the outside view on your TV or mobile device. Feel like watching a movie? Say “Alexa, movie time,” and Alexa will dim the lights, turn on your TV and, maybe someday, make the popcorn for you.
“We wanted customers to experience a real home environment that showcases the convenience of the Alexa smart home experience, great entertainment available with Prime, and Home Services,” said Nish Lathia, general manager, Amazon Services, in a statement announcing the tech partnership with Lennar.
The homes are available to be outfitted with features such as TVs that are already connected to Amazon’s Fire TV system, as well as Amazon Dash buttons, which allow for easy re-ordering of many household goods.
Call it: “2018: An Amazon Alexa Home Odyssey.” Just stay on Alexa’s good side.


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2020's *Party of the Year* for Professionals and Entrepreneurs happening this 22nd January.
The event is co-hosted by BEAMSTART and partner companies.
Singapore's EV Growth maxes its fund at $250 million — looks to deploy more startups in Southeast Asia
To date, it has used 50 per cent of its total funds in 20 deals.
China's EV startup Byton raises huge investment from Japan's conglomerate Marubeni
Marubeni seeks to utilise Byton's battery technology to store renewable energy.
Indian startups raised a huge $14.5 billion in 1,185 funding round this year (2019)
The country sees 25x growth of startups funding over the decade.
China's Energy Monster secures $71.5 million — looks to expand its operation
The battery-sharing firm leveraged China's massive market of 305 million power bank rental users in 2019.
India's Peoplestrong acquires SaaS platform Qilo — strengthening its HR offerings
Peoplestrong sets to leverage Qilo's workforce performance management solutions.
Lightspeed and Sequoia bag $400-500 million profit from selling OYO shares
OYO's founder Agarwal aims to increase his stake in the company
Vietnam sets a winning fintech growth model for Southeast Asia
Its government plays a huge role in the country's fintech hub emergence.
India's HungerBox closes $12 million in Series C funding round — sets to expand its market reach
The food tech startup serves big companies instead of consumer food delivery.
Malaysian female-led esports startup, MEGPlay, raises seed funding to bridge brands with gamers.
The company works with many major brands today.
India's unicorn, Rivigo sets to raise $20 million in Series F round
Logistics sector sees significant rise in India.
Global VC, SOSV secures $277 million in its fourth fund — looks to invest in early-stage deep tech startups
It will continue to invest in 150 new startups every year.
India's HappyEasyGo secured $49.3 million funding — expanding its travel platform
It will extend its ticket-booking service to hotel booking.
Most business cards are thrown away, but this QR code tool changes everything.
People can now create special QR codes that save contacts automatically to phones when scanned.
ScaleUp Malaysia Accelerator to invest RM200,000 into 10 of these 20 shortlisted companies.
These companies will enter the first cohort of their accelerator program.
Malaysia’s Carsome closed a $50 million funding round— set to expand its market reach in Southeast Asia
It aims to be the Visa of auto transaction with its used-car sales platform.
Vietnam’s wealthiest man to sell cars to the US — putting his own $2 billion cash on the line
He aims to export electric vehicles to the US by 2021 with the six-month-old auto startup; Vinfast.
Sequoia set to invest $2.4 billion into startup growth in China — despite the ongoing US - China tech war
Today more venture firms are moving towards India and Southeast Asia instead of China.
India is boosting its electric vehicles (EV) industry to convert 200 million vehicles electric by 2026
It’s high time for EV startups and investors to look to India as the government is providing full-on support.
Starbucks sees slow growth in China despite opening a new cafe every 15 hours
Its sales struggle to keep up with its rapid expansion in China.
Boxben is Helping Businesses Increase Revenues by Automating their entire Sales Processes.
Through a powerful solution to nurture customer relationships and handle billing processes.
Some seem silly, but they're also practical
Kenneth Ho11 Nov, 2019
Global Sources will be taking place in Hong Kong this coming April 2020.
With its mecca of cool and innovative products, the show is one of Asia’s largest consumer electronics conferences.
It’s also a great place for buyers and retailers to source products.
Read on for a list of fun and unusual gadgets, some of which are even quite practical:
#1 This wireless charging pad that also heats up your coffee
Trangjan is showing off a “do-it-all” smart wireless charger with a heating function.
Not only does this fast wireless charger charge your phone at up to 10W, but it’s also able to charge your cuppa at up to 55 degrees celsius.
Sound a bit dangerous? The company says that the product offers “short-circuit protection, over-voltage protection, over-power protection, and temperature protection.
#2 Sogou Smart Recording Pen C1 for text to speech conversion
This petite clip-on gadget is able to record text and then convert it to speech. More specifically, it records in HD audio.
And despite its small size, it will last up to 20 days on a charge, or for 960 minutes of continuous recording.
Recordings are automatically backed up to the cloud where Sogou provides users with 100 hours of storage space. Sogou claims that the accuracy rate for voice to text on the device is 95%.
#3 Tapjoy RS-1 dancing robot and Bluetooth speaker
Tapjoy’s RS-1 isn’t the only adorable robot we spotted at Global Sources, we also ran into the LOVOT, that said, this is the robot that danced the best.
To that effect, this adorable robot lives to dance, which is understandable since he also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker.
If you want to get in on the action, you can control his moves using an app.
#4 Timer USB Cable
If there ever was a cable worth lusting after, this one is it.
The Timer USB Cable from Old Shark is able to automatically stop charging according to your setting.
This is good news for your electricity bill and your device’s health. The cable itself contains a convenient display for the countdown time.
Travelers often encounter the frustration of not being able to fit all their clothing into their luggage.
Vago is a small device that solves this problem. It’s a “travel bag compressor” that essentially shrinks/vacuums down all your clothing into a more compact size.
The company says that the device is able to shrink your clothing down by up to 50%.


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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's Varta AG will supply high-performance battery cells to luxury sportscar maker Porsche AG, a spokesperson for the battery maker said.
Varta will supply its V4Drive battery cell to the Volkswagen AG unit, said the spokesperson, who declined to be more specific. Varta said last month it had won a first customer from the automotive sector, but had not revealed the company's identity.
The news was first reported by Handelsblatt.
European carmakers are hoping to cut dependence on Asian cell suppliers as they roll out all-electric models to meet stricter emissions targets in the European Union.
Porsche on Sunday said it is setting up a joint venture with Customcells to produce high-performance batteries that will significantly reduce charging times.
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt; Editing by Matthew Lewis)


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Nokia has already frustrated recent Symbian device owners today, by releasing the Anna-toting E6 and X7 but not an upgrade for existing handsets to the newest version of the platform. Now the company is upsetting investors, with a warning that its Q2 2011 financial results will be worse than previously expected. Demand for existing handsets has slumped, leading Nokia to predict net sales “substantially below” the earlier estimate of €6.1bn to €6.6bn.
Meanwhile, operating margin for the second quarter is now envisaged as slipping from the 6- to 9-percent estimates to “around breakeven”. The slump has led the Finnish number crunchers to conclude “it is no longer appropriate to provide annual targets for 2011” while CEO Stephen Elop has said “Strategy transitions are difficult. We recognize the need to deliver great mobile products, and therefore we must accelerate the pace of our transition.”
Nokia is still confident that, once the first Windows Phone devices – which should take place in Q4 2011, using the new 7.1 Mango build – hit shelves, its market share will grow far more rapidly. Operating margin at that point should be 10-percent or more, the company promises.
Still, Q4 is looking a long way off right now, and for the moment there’s only more painful cuts to come as Nokia targets a €1bn slash in expenses by 2013.
Nokia lowers Devices & Services second quarter 2011 outlook and updates full year 2011 outlook
Stock exchange release
May 31, 2011 at 15:00 (CET +1)
Espoo, Finland – Nokia today commented on factors impacting its business and updated its second quarter and full year 2011 outlook for Devices & Services. During the second quarter 2011, multiple factors are negatively impacting Nokia’s Devices & Services business to a greater extent than previously expected. These factors include:
– the competitive dynamics and market trends across multiple price categories, particularly in China and Europe;
– a product mix shift towards devices with lower average selling prices and lower gross margins; and
– pricing tactics by Nokia and certain competitors.
Updated outlook for Devices & Services for the second quarter 2011:
– Nokia now expects Devices & Services net sales to be substantially below its previously expected range of EUR 6.1 billion to EUR 6.6 billion for the second quarter 2011. This update is primarily due to lower than previously expected average selling prices and mobile device volumes.
– Nokia now expects Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin to be substantially below its previously expected range of 6% to 9% for the second quarter 2011. This update is primarily due to lower than previously expected net sales. While visibility is very limited, Nokia’s current view is that second quarter 2011 Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin could be around breakeven.
Updated outlook for Devices & Services for the full year 2011:
– Given the unexpected change in our outlook for the second quarter, Nokia believes it is no longer appropriate to provide annual targets for 2011. However, Nokia expects to continue to provide short-term quarterly forecasts in its interim reports as well as annual targets when circumstances allow it to do so.
– Nokia’s previous targets for the third quarter, fourth quarter, and full year 2011 were: 1) Net sales in Devices & Services to be at approximately the same level in the third quarter 2011 as in the second quarter 2011, and seasonally higher in the fourth quarter 2011, compared to the third quarter 2011; 2) Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin to be between 6% and 9% in 2011. These targets are no longer valid.
Nokia is taking immediate action to address the issues that are impacting its Devices & Services business. Nokia’s high-level strategic objectives and targets remain unchanged.
– Nokia is continuing to invest to bring new innovative capabilities to its Symbian line up. In addition, Nokia has taken price actions on its current smartphone portfolio, and Nokia is intensifying its focus on retail point-of-sales marketing.
– Nokia started shipping its new dual-SIM devices last week.
– Nokia remains pleased with its progress on its Windows Phone strategy, and has increased confidence that the first Nokia product with Windows Phone will ship in the fourth quarter 2011.
– Nokia remains committed to its target to reduce its Devices & Services non-IFRS operating expenses by EUR 1 billion for the full year 2013, compared to the full year 2010, and plans to implement these reductions as quickly and effectively as possible.
– After the transition, Nokia continues to target Devices & Services net sales to grow faster than the market and Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin to be 10% or more.
“Strategy transitions are difficult. We recognize the need to deliver great mobile products, and therefore we must accelerate the pace of our transition,” said Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia. “Our teams are aligned, and we have increased confidence that we will ship our first Nokia product with Windows Phone in the fourth quarter 2011.”
Nokia will provide its second quarter results and more details when it reports its Q2 2011 results on July 21, 2011.
Nokia will be hosting a conference call at 13:30 UK time (8:30 EST). The dial-in number for media (listen only – the question and answer session will be limited to financial analysts and investors only) is +1 706 634 5012. Conference ID: 72156605.
The dial-in number for financial analysts and investors is US: +1 888 636 1561. Conference ID: 72156605. UK: +44 1452 560 299. Conference ID: 72175614.
A replay of the call will be available soon after the call completion. The replay number is US: +1 800 642 1687. Conference ID: 72156605. UK: +44 1452 55 0000. Conference ID: 72175614.


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The cheap engines now online still include warranties and mileage validation.
Birmingham, Alabama (PRWEB) August 11, 2013
Chevrolet vehicles include luxury editions, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles marketed globally to consumers. Replacement engines for the various brands in the Chevy lineup are now offered for less than standard prices at the GotEngines.com company. This company is now offering cheap Chevy engines in used condition at http://www.gotengines.com/blog/used-engine-engines/cheap-engines.
“This new price drop affects only the Chevy inventory of Vortec, Generation IV and other GM builds,” said a specialist for the Got Engines company. Price lowering is a strategy that some companies use to become more competitive with top sellers online.
The cheaper GM based engine prices that are announced are in addition to the already discounted price from the suggested retail price set by distributors. The additional savings for the Chevrolet engines series are created to assist more engine installers with completing an engine swap without the traditionally higher price.
“The cheap engines now online still include warranties and mileage validation,” the specialist confirmed. Consumers who are weary about purchasing a previously owned engine in fear of possible breakdown immediately benefit from the limited warranties attached with each Got Engines sale.
Updates to the existing three-year policy that was set in motion this year now make sure that most parts are covered from breakdown. Parts that are covered under the original manufacturer warranty can be honored by automakers if not already included in the limited policy changes.
The discounted Chevy pricing and no cost freight bonuses offered to buyers are two methods in use by the GotEngines.com website to increase its summer to fall sales volume compared with the same time period last year.
The GotEngines.com company is an experienced retailer of previously owned auto engines from Ford, Chevy, Dodge, GMC, Jeep and other automakers. This company builds its inventory figures on a daily basis to ensure one of the largest resources can be available for engine buyers to access on the Internet. The GotEngines.com company price levels are monitored frequently for success or failure in the current secondary marketplace. As an alternative to auction sellers, this company offers full limited warranty and no freight charges with all of its shipments in the U.S.


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The segment of folding phones continues to grow in Spain, with Samsung being the company that is betting the most on them. It’s been a long time since there is talk about a Xiaomi folding mobile, which the brand has been developing for some time, although so far there has been no official announcement by the manufacturer, apart from having shown it on video, nor is it known when it would hit the market.
Despite the lack of news so far, the Chinese manufacturer continues to work on a folding device, as has been seen in the source code of MIUI 12, where some details are given about what could be its first folding mobile to reach stores.
Xiaomi’s folding mobile and Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 go aheadOne of the founders of Xiaomi has confirmed that the folding mobile shown a few months ago has not become the new Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha.
Xiaomi will launch a foldable with a 108 Mpx camera
XDA Developers are the ones who have discovered the first signs of this phone in the closed beta of MIUI 12 for the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. It talks about a phone with the code name “cetus”. In the code of this beta it has been seen that this device is referred to as a foldable device. So it would be that device that the brand would be currently working on. In addition, some details have been learned.
Since this device it would arrive with a 108 Mpx main camera and it would use Android 11 as the operating system, with the latest version of MIUI as a customization layer. At the moment no more details are known about this device, such as how it will be folded, although it is expected that it will use Qualcomm’s most powerful processor, which would place it in the premium segment on Android.
The brand He’s been working on his own flip phone for a whileIn fact, last year they registered a model in Europe. Although they have not released any devices so far, nor is anything known about their plans to launch one. This may finally be the model that Xiaomi puts on sale.
While Samsung already has three folding on the marketWith the Galaxy Z Fold 2 available for a few weeks, brands like Xiaomi have not yet debuted in this segment, although it is something that many expect. We will soon know whether or not cetus is the manufacturer’s first folding to hit stores, possibly in 2021.
The entry The MIUI code reveals how Xiaomi’s first foldable will appear first in The Free Android.


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Access-IS is delighted to celebrate the successful launch of contactless transit payments across Stockholm by SL (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik)
Proven, low cost, contactless boarding solution launched
Socially distanced passport comparison from Check-In to Boarding
Access-IS, part of HID, is excited to announce the integration of its VAL100 ticket validators by Masabi for Calgary Transit
Following the successful certification of TripTick and the VAL100 featuring TripTick, with the Visa Ready programme in June 2020, Access-IS is pleased to announce its confirmation as a Visa Partner
Access-IS is excited to announce the inclusion of its swipe readers with access solutions from LÖWEN ENTERTAINMENT
Access-IS is pleased to announce the OEM integration of its LSR116 ticket reader with BBCs Tagomat® innovative bag tag solution.
Access-IS is excited to announce the integration of its sophisticated ATOM® ID document reader into Rototype’s innovative SPS Calenzano, multifunction document processing side cabin.


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comScore and Compete recently concluded that iPhone users read more emails than Android users. They also concluded bunch of other things but the email disparity between iPhone and Android users is the most eye catching.
I don’t have an android phone but I am sure Gmail is available. Is it Apple’s mobileMe service that is attracting more users?
Whatever the case, apart from the email usage, both iPhone and Android users are data hogs. In other words, they use apps and browse the Internet… a lot!
– 17% of U.S. consumer market is considering the purchase of an android-supported device in next three months, compared to 20% indicating they plan to purchase an iPhone.
– Email usage is 87% for iPhone users, compared to 67% Android users.
– 2300 people who intend to buy a smartphone in next 3 months were surveyed, 18% said they would buy Blackberry Pearl followed by iPhone with 14%.
– Blackberry is still popular with Business users.
Can’t wait for 2010, I hear Smartphones will rule! I am also excited about the new venture Shari and I are embarking on… watch out for details. (hint: it has something to do with smartphones)


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The start of the school holiday season helped drive a sharp rise in retail sales in July, according to one of Britain’s biggest shopping centre owners.
Hammerson, which owns the Bullring in Birmingham as well as north London’s Brent Cross shopping centre, launched the Hammerson Retail Tracker — or HART — earlier this year to monitor consumer spending habits.
Sales rose by 2.9 per cent in the four weeks to 18 July, its latest retail tracker released yesterday shows. The last seven days were particularly strong, with sales up 5.4 per cent.
Hammerson said the performance was driven by a 20.8 per cent rise in sales of toys and games, with retro collections such as including Star Wars memorabilia and My Little Pony among the bestsellers. The Muslim festival of Eid, marking the end of Ramadan, also helped boost restaurant sales by 11.7 per cent.


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The share price of dialysis drug maker Keryx Biopharmaceuticals went down almost 48% this week after the company announced it was temporarily halting manufacturing of its Auryxia oral phosphate binder due to production-related issues.
The company stock price hit a year-high of $7.80 on Friday, having risen steadily since January. The announcement about interrupting production of Auryxia brought the stock price down to $4.17 on Tuesday. The company withdrew its FY forecast due to the production issues. Auryxia, launched in December 2014, is the company’s only FDA approved product.
Keryx says the supply halt is not safety-related, but connected with its drug product manufacturer. The manufacturer turns active ingredients of Auryxia into the product’s tablet form. “In the past few months, we began experiencing difficulties converting active pharmaceutical ingredients or API, to finish drug product, which resulted in variable yields, as compared to our historical rate,” said company president and CEO Greg Madison during an earnings call on Monday. “We had been management supply levels efficiently even with increased demand generated by our field team in the second quarter. Last week our CMO notified us that a production issue reoccurred in their latest run and we agreed to stop production to identify the cause. As a result of halting production combined with the previous low yields and increased demand, we’ve exhausted our reserves of finished drug tablets. At this time, current inventories held by wholesalers and direct customers will not be sufficient for patients to continue filling prescriptions.”
Madison said the company will bring on an additional contractor which is currently under review with the FDA. That company has already had several production runs of the drug, and Keryx believes the finished tablets already on hand coupled with the additional production runs scheduled with this manufacturer “would allow us to come back to the market during the fourth quarter pending FDA approval of the site,” which is anticipated on November 13, Madison said.
For the second quarter, Keryx reported $8.3 million in Auryxia sales, driven by 44% growth in prescriptions. Total operating expenses, excluding cost of goods and license expense, for the quarter were $27.2 million.


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Bad news Yakuza fans. SEGA announced on the official Yakuza Twitter earlier today that Yakuza 6 has been delayed by one month and will now be launching in April. The tweet didn’t go into details on the delay. It did mention that Yakuza 6 delayed by one month means a smoother and better launch for fans.
RELATED: Yakuza Kiwami Review
Originally scheduled to launch exclusively for PS4 on March 20, 2018, Yakuza 6 will now launch on April 18. According to SEGA, the delay was a “tough business decision” and gives the developer “more time to line things up for launch.” On February 27, a demo will launch on the PlayStation Store and it will allow players to transfer their save data when Yakuza 6 launches officially.
An important update on Yakuza 6 : The Song of Life pic.twitter.com/8MILlBPI4x
— RGG Studio (@RGGStudio) February 2, 2018
Yakuza 6 is the 9th title in the Yakuza franchise to be released in the west. It was released in Japan on 8 December 2016. The delay between the Japanese and western release for Yakuza 6 is slightly longer than other titles. This may be due to the all-new Dragon Engine that creates lifelike animations and physics and much more interactivity. Fights can now break out on the street and transition into the nearest Poppo store or restaurant.
Yakuza 6 will be available in a regular edition for $99.95 AUD and a Premium Edition for $139.95 AUD. The Launch Edition includes a copy of the game and a Hardcover art book.


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India’s e-commerce market is projected to grow sevenfold to $22 billion in the next five years, and investors and global e-commerce companies want to have a piece of the action. We have learned that Myntra, one of the bigger fashion portals in the country focusing both on traditional and more western fashion, has closed a $50 million round of funding. And, as that round closed, it got approached by both Amazon and Flipkart (known informally as “the Amazon of India”), with Flipkart making an acquisition offer in the region of $200 million.
The developments come on the heels of reports of both Flipkart’s interest and a fundraise.
The $50 million round, with a pre-money valuation of close to $200 million, has four main investors: PremjiInvest, Belgian-based Sofina, Accel and Tiger Global. A fifth, L Capital, may also be involved.
PremjiInvest is the investment vehicle of the family of Azim Premji, with a fund size of approximately $2 billion and a strong focus on tech. (Premji is the chairman of Wipro, the Indian IT giant that is surely one of the most epic pivots of all time: Wipro started as Western Indian Vegetable Products.) Sofina is a Belgium-based investor with a specialty in e-commerce, and both it and Tiger Global also invest in Flipkart, most recently in that company’s $160 million round. Accel is an active investor in India and was a previous investor in Myntra, which has now raised $125 million to date.
From what we understand, although the funding round and the names of the investors have been reported for some months already, it has now closed. An official announcement is due next week.
What the $50 million will mean is that Myntra now has the funds to continue to invest in its business for the next stage of growth as a standalone company, if it so chooses. The company is on track to have gross merchandise value — the total value of goods sold via Myntra’s portal — of $100 million for the current fiscal year. But it has been growing at a rapid rate. In April 2013 the rate was 100% every six months, and Myntra believes that GMV will be $1 billion by 2016-2017.
As a point of comparison, Flipkart is projecting a GMV of $1 billion by 2015.
The acquisition approaches, from what we understand, are being considered regardless of the fundraise and bigger strategy. We are still trying to get more information about the offer from Amazon. The Flipkart deal at $200 million, meanwhile, has been described to us as more of a “merger.”
“Interest from Flipkart validates the growth that Myntra is seeing,” one source very close to the negotiations told us. “[The] board is looking at all options but the fundraise is being closed in any case.”
As Pankaj noted the other day, India’s e-commerce market (sans travel sites) is currently worth $3.1 billion annually — just 1.5% of the value of China’s e-commerce sales, which are approaching $200 billion.
But as a huge country with a fast-growing middle class, India is seeing a relative boom in technology, which is playing out in mobile and internet penetration and expanding use of online services.
In other words, there is a world of opportunity for the future that larger, global players like Amazon and eBay (which has made a $50 million investment in another big e-commerce player in India, Snapdeal) want to capture. And so, while these two and others wait to see what India’s regulators decide to do with foreign investment rules for e-commerce, they are getting their ducks in a row.
As we have seen in other markets, e-commerce is a game of scale, where sales margins are low but volume is high, and logistics and back office investments make way more financial sense when rolled out across a larger footprint. Myntra consolidating with either another local player like Flipkart, or coming under the wing of a global giant like Amazon, would feed into that basic model.
But regardless of what happens higher up in the food chain, the same trend could also point to Myntra making some acquisitions of its own in the months ahead. It has made two acquisitions to date — interestingly, both in the U.S. In 2012, it acquired Exclusively.in, a private label site. And last year, it picked up Fitiquette, a Disrupt finalist that had developed virtual fitting room technology.
We are reaching out to Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon and investors for more details and will update the story as we learn more.


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Small businesses are known to be huge drivers of the economy.
A recent survey by an online legal services company shows that
the vast majority of small business owners are optimistic about 2014, but continue to list economic uncertainty, growth and new health care laws as their top concerns.
Rocket Lawyer typically surveys about 1,000 small businesses in the United States twice a year to gauge overall sentiment and identify their top issues. The most recent survey collected responses from 861 members across the country in October and November.
According to the survey, 81 percent of small business owners expect to do better this year than last year. Business owners polled said within the U.S. political environment, their top concern was economic growth and the health of the economy.
Additional concerns included new health care laws and tax policy.
Governing.com, which shows a sample of questions asked, reports that half of all business owners surveyed said economic uncertainty is the top impediment for their business' growth.
As many businesses continue
to mull over changes mandated by the Affordable Care Act, about 45 percent of
the businesses said they have not yet, or do not plan on enrolling in the Affordable Care Act in the
next year or two.
The Affordable Care Act mandates that employers with 50 or more full-time employees offer health coverage, or face a penalty. Full-time employees are considered those working at least 30 hours per week. Of small businesses surveyed, eight percent said the Affordable Care Act led them to hire fewer employees.
About 40 percent of businesses have less than 50 full-time employees, and 30 percent of small businesses said they already have a health insurance plan that they are satisfied with.
In recent months, Louisiana has shown up in the top half of states ranked according to entrepreneur-friendly policies.
A 2013 survey published by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation ranked states and cities with the most small business-friendly policies. Louisiana ranked 14th in overall business friendliness The state ranked 17th in the ease of starting a business and 18th in regulatory friendliness. Louisiana ranked 12th in employment, labor and hiring; and 18th in licensing regulations.
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council ranked Louisiana 21st in its 18th annual rankings of states by entrepreneur-friendly policies and costs impacting small business and entrepreneurship.


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Wireless network provider, Kore Wireless, is partnering with IT exhibition, Connect 2014, to exhibit the benefits of new technologies to consumers and businesses.
With a focus of providing a greater holistic approach for M2M, this platform is designed to showcase the technologies that are driving the Australian economy.
“Other trade shows focus on technology as a whole and M2M tends to get lost amongst everything, Kore Wireless Asia-Pacific (APAC) vice-president and general manager, Shane Murphy, said. “This is a great opportunity to showcase all that M2M has to offer.”
With the focus on technology as a whole shifted solely to what offerings M2M can bring to the table, consumers can understand how this technology works and the benefits it can deliver; without clouded perceptions of other alternatives on the market.
Connect 2014 director, John Pozoglou, claims the inaugural event will become a benchmark event for the Australian technology industry.


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The Consumer Confidence Index fell for the THIRD straight month in September, indicating that Americans are becoming more and more concerned about Biden’s economy and pulling back on their spending.
Are you surprised?
Yeah…didn’t think so.
With Biden at the wheel and his “Build Back Better” plan becoming more of a lame duck by the day, Americans are finally losing faith in the man that hasn’t done very much substantial in his 50 years in office.
The Conference Board said that its consumer confidence index fell to a reading of 109.3 in September from 115.2 in August, and while that may not sound like a huge loss, in terms of American spending, it’s enormous.
Economists had expected confidence to RISE one point from the initially reported July level to 114.8. The previous month’s confidence level, reported at 113.8, was revised up to 115.2 – but that wasn’t the case.
Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at the Conference Board, said, “Concerns about the state of the economy and short-term growth prospects deepened, while spending intentions for homes, autos, and major appliances all retreated again.”
Consumer views for both the present situation and future expectations aren’t really too jazzy either.
Present And Future Woes
Of those consumers polled, the number of people who feel that business conditions are good fell nine-tenths of a point to 19.3%.
The share saying things are bad rose to 25.4%, and those saying they expect improvement in business conditions six months from now fell two points to 21.5%.
So, for many consumers, things look bleak both now and in the future.
But Franco tried to paint a different picture of the situation: “Short-term inflation concerns eased somewhat, but remain elevated. Consumer confidence is still high by historical levels… enough to support further growth in the near-term – but the Index has now fallen 19.6 points from the recent peak of 128.9 reached in June. These back-to-back declines suggest consumers have grown more cautious and are likely to curtail spending going forward.”
Boy, have we…
And if you think Conservatives and Trump supporters aren’t going to use this come the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential race, then you haven’t been paying attention. This might be the single biggest talking point for the Right…and the Left can’t refute it.
This is a bad development in an already terrible year for Sleepy Joe.
I’m praying it doesn’t get worse though because what he screws up affects ALL of us.
But I don’t have too much faith in him NOT screwing up either.
“Americans reading the paper, listening to the news every single day, and all you hear is things are getting worse and worse. And that has a psychological effect on consumer confidence. That’s what consumer confidence is.” – Howard Schultz


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In an effort to solve race issues across the nation, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is launching the "RaceTogether" campaign, which enables baristas to spark up a conversation about race with customers.
"We at Starbucks should be willing to talk about these issues in America," Schultz said in a corporate release on Monday. The campaign will also be a focal point at Starbucks' annual meeting on Wednesday.
Starting next week, the employees of the world's largest coffee chain will be asked to write "RaceTogether" on customers' cups as an invitation to talk to them about race, according to the New York Daily News.
Starbucks is partnering with USA Today for this initiative, and a piece titled "Race Together" that's co-authored by Starbucks and USA Today will appear in the newspaper beginning March 20. The papers will also be available at Starbucks stores, USA Today reported.
"Racial diversity is the story of America, our triumphs as well as our faults, yet racial inequality is not a topic we readily discuss. It's time to start," reads the opening line to the 8-page conversation guide. The document is signed by both Schultz and Larry Kramer, the president and publisher of USA Today.
The java giant released newspaper ads that read "Race Together" and "Shall We Overcome?" with the text shown over a black background.
"If a customer asks you what this is, try to engage in a discussion that we have problems in this country in regards to race. And we believe that we are better than this, and we believe our country is better than this," Schultz told employees in a video.
He acknowledges that this campaign will not be a permanent solution, but it is a chance to bring this issue into the light with hopes of unifying people "one conversation at a time."
Employees who feel "uncomfortable" with the plan aren't required to participate, and can also replace cups for customers who don't want to participate either, according to the NY Daily News.
This isn't the first time Schultz - a well-known human rights activist - has tried to bring people together. The CEO insisted that the multibillion dollar corporation support gay marriage and gun control, despite investors' opinions.
Vanity Fair addresses some potential problems with the upcoming campaign.
"How will employees choose which customers to approach for conversations about race? Will customers of color feel as though they are either being singled out or avoided for such conversations? At what point does a barista end a conversation and return to the mounting stacks of latte orders awaiting them?"
All valuable questions - and time will tell if the initiative gathers support or offends Starbucks customers.


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It’s been a bit of a week around here. Traffic picked up just a tad.
Here now, your Comic Book Bunny surrounded by enemies on all sides Bonus!
TO HELP OUT GARY FRIEDRICH:
Steve Niles has a donation page up on his website, DONATE TO GARY FRIEDRICH
Neal Adams has asked pros to donate artwork for an auction to benefit Gary: A LETTER FROM NEAL ADAMS
And, as always, The Hero Initiative is always in there fighting the good fight to help out comic book creators in need. (Jim McLaughlin explained what’s being done to help in an interview on SCOOP: Hero Initiative Helping Gary Friedrich).