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Full storyNintendo has announced today that Club Nintendo will be discontinued in Japan, North America and Europe, with another loyalty program being introduced later this year.
For North America, the press release mentioned that a number of physical rewards will be introduced in February, and that the deadline for registering a new Club Nintendo account is March 31. The service will be discontinued more quickly here as the deadline to earn coins is in March while the deadline to spend those coins will end in June. Like last year, Gold and Platinum rewards will be digital titles selected from "a wide selection of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U titles," and will be available throughout the month of April.
It's probably for the best, lately the rewards in NA have been utter shite. I think the best thing I got was the Majora's Mask OST and even then that's pretty weak (not to say the music sucks, but come on... a CD?).


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|Valeritas brought in $100 million to market its V-Go insulin delivery device.--Courtesy of Valeritas|
Valeritas has nailed down up to $100 million in structured debt financing to further commercialize its V-Go disposable insulin delivery device.
V-Go delivers a preset basal rate of insulin for 24 hours with on-demand mealtime dosing, which the company asserts makes the device easy to use in the monitoring of blood glucose for adult diabetics.
The funding, which comes from investor Capital Royalty, builds on a previous $150 million in equity financing the New Jersey-based Valeritas corralled for the device in 2011. The FDA cleared V-Go initially in late 2010, and the European authorities followed suit the next year with a CE mark. Around the same time, the FDA cleared the device for the delivery of Novo Nordisk's ($NVO) insulin product NovoLog for adult diabetics.
"The V-Go is unlike anything else on the insulin delivery market for patients with Type 2 diabetes," Capital Royalty Chairman Charles Tate said in a statement. "We see great long-term potential in the V-Go and our investment in Valeritas aligns with our continued focus on building customized financing solutions for healthcare companies with innovative commercial technologies."
Valeritas has two other delivery devices in its product line, including the Mini-Ject needle-free delivery system for noninsulin compounds and the Micro-Trans intradermal patch with drug-delivering microneedles.
- here's the release

domain: news


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CHICAGO, Feb. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Big Game was not only a fierce competition between the top two professional football teams, it was also a battleground for the five automakers that ran a combined six commercials during the game on Sunday, tallying six minutes and 30 seconds in total airtime. Leading automotive digital marketplace Cars.com™ CARS, -0.19% analyzed site traffic throughout the evening to determine which auto ads generated the greatest amount of online car-shopping activity during game time. The results show a 384 percent combined lift in traffic to the automakers' brand pages on Cars.com that advertised during the game.
"Our site analytics prove that millions of fans use a second screen to visit Cars.com during major live televised events like the Big Game to research, shop and connect with dealers in real-time — and we're there to help get them over the goal line," said Brooke Skinner Ricketts, chief marketing officer at Cars.com. "With 19 million ready-to-buy consumers coming to our site each month, we have an eagle eye's view on car-shopping behavior across every state and auto brand. Shoppers are coming to Cars.com after seeing automaker ads on TV looking for unbiased information, trusted pricing tools, and the power to easily cross-shop multiple makes and models."
Of the automakers that invested in airtime during the game, Hyundai ranked No. 1 in traffic to Cars.com. Within eight minutes of its commercial airing, visits to Hyundai brand pages on Cars.com saw an 1,831 percent increase in comparison to the same time period prior to the airing of its spot.
Here's the full ranking of automakers that advertised during the game and the resulting impact on online shopping activity on Cars.com:
1. Hyundai: 1,831%
2. Mercedes-Benz: 720%
3. Audi: 691%
4. Toyota (after RAV4 Hybrid commercial): 225%
5. Toyota (after Supra commercial): 138%
6. Kia: -14%
Mobile visits also continued to grow throughout the game, with 74.2% of visits coming from a mobile device during the game, up from 69.2% before the game started. Cars.com reported on its Q3 2018 earnings call that 68 percent of its network traffic comes from a mobile device.
MethodologyCars.com site traffic data was collected in real-time, and performance of TV commercials were measured by comparing the eight minutes immediately before and after each commercial aired.
¹ Cars.com internal data, August 2018
ABOUT CARS.COMCars.com™ is a leading two-sided digital solutions automotive marketplace that creates meaningful connections between buyers and sellers. Launched in 1998 and headquartered in Chicago, the company empowers consumers with resources and information to make informed buying decisions and enables advertising partners with innovative digital solutions and data-driven intelligence to increase inventory turn and gain market share. A pioneer in online automotive classifieds, the company has evolved into one of the largest digital automotive platforms, connecting thousands of local dealers across the country with millions of consumers. In 2018, Cars.com acquired Dealer Inspire®, an innovative technology company building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations, a faster and easier car buying process, and connected digital experiences that sell and service more vehicles.
Cars.com properties include DealerRater®, Dealer Inspire®, Auto.com™, PickupTrucks.com® and NewCars.com®. For more information, visit www.Cars.com.
View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/auto-commercials-during-the-big-game-send-car-shoppers-flocking-to-carscom-in-search-of-their-own-mvp-300788977.html
SOURCE Cars.com, Inc.
Copyright (C) 2019 PR Newswire. All rights reserved


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*Key things to keep in mind when reading below - Honeywell has similar patent deals with several of the LCD TV screen manufactures, but has chosen to sue over specific anti-flickering technology. Why? Don’t know, but things are not readily agreeable on this issue or there would be no lawsuit. Honeywell has obviously timed things well – such as set up LCD TV deal with SOYO and then filed lawsuit. Honeywell has lots of experience and done major research into LCD screens. *The implications of lawsuit are enormous and one has to reach their own conclusions. This could be headline NEWS soon though. When a company the size of Honeywell picks a fight with the LCD TV industry, and enters the market, it’s big NEWS. *Note that SOYO has not even had a press release on the Honeywell deal. The following are NEWS articles and a brief excerpt from an e-mail that tell of recent events in this story. *SOYO is a profitable, fundamentally sound company without the deal. *Honeywell has a market cap of $37.6 billion. *SOYO has a market cap of $26 million.
Step 1: The Deal Honeywell licenses brand name for flat-panel televisions By Bob Sechler March 5, 2007
Honeywell International Inc. (HON: NYSE: 47.34) may be best known for its thermostats and aircraft engines, but flat-panel televisions soon will bear the company's name as well. Honeywell-branded TVs are expected to go on sale this year under a licensing deal between the Morris Township, N.J., conglomerate and Soyo Group Inc. (SOYO: OTCBB:.053) Soyo, a small electronics manufacturer
The deal marks Honeywell's first foray into the consumer-electronics sector, although Honeywell has an active brand-licensing program for portable home air filters and other products. Soyo will design and distribute the liquid-crystal-display TVs and pay Honeywell royalties. In addition, the deal eventually may result in Honeywell-branded computer monitors and displays, although executives of the two companies declined to elaborate.
They wouldn't release sales forecasts or other financial details, beyond saying that the six-and-a-half-year agreement will provide a minimum of $3.84 million in royalties for Honeywell. The sum is inconsequential compared with Honeywell's $31.4 billion in 2006 sales. But company executives are intrigued by the market regardless. "We're always looking for opportunities to expand the brand," said Loria Yeadon, chief executive of Honeywell Intellectual Properties Inc. "We think consumers will appreciate having Honeywell-branded (electronics) because they know that there's quality" in the name. Yeadon said she isn't concerned that the move could be a stretch for the Honeywell brand. The company is well known as a technology innovator, she said, and many of its patents are already used in various consumer devices.
Brand expert Alan Siegel, chairman of strategic branding consultant Siegel + Gale in New York, concurred, noting that the Honeywell brand is in many homes now and has a solid reputation. His firm doesn't work for Honeywell. "It's not an unrealistic brand extension" for Honeywell to go into consumer electronics, Siegel said. "Honeywell already is something of a household name because of its thermostats." He said the key for the company will be to ensure that the new products bearing its brand, and the services surrounding them, are of good quality. Honeywell executives contend they'll do just that. They said they'll consult with Soyo on design and also will monitor its sales and advertising.
Soyo, an Ontario, Calif., company with about $40 million in annual sales, is a provider of computer components, such as motherboards and networking equipment. But it has been attempting to break into the LCD television market, and it currently sells TVs under its Soyo and Go Video brand names. Soyo Chief Executive Ming Chok said the Honeywell-branded TVs will be the company's top models. "Our goal is to build a product that will compete with the majors," he said. Chok said the Honeywell TVs are expected to be sold in "tier one" retail outlets, although he declined to reveal the precise marketing strategy.
Step 2: Lawsuit Honeywell sues myriad of LCD TV makers for anti-flicker technology March 23, 2007 by Darren Murph
If you think LG has a mess on its hands, it's suddenly not alone, as six other manufacturers touching one point or another in the LCD TV supply chain are now facing a patent lawsuit from Honeywell. In what smells awfully like another patent instance of patent trolling, Honeywell is suing Acer, AU Optronics, BenQ, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Renesas Technology, and Denmos Technology as it claims that a patented "method of stopping liquid-crystal displays from flickering" has been unrightfully used. The firm has reportedly "sustained damages and will continue to sustain damages in the future," which they feel should translate into receiving incredible amounts of cash in order to resolve the situation. Reportedly, five of the six outfits under the lawsuit said that they "had not been informed" about the issue just yet, but we doubt it'll be too much longer before it floats to their respective legal departments. http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/03/23/honeywell-sues-myriad-of-lcd-tv-makers-for- anti-flicker-technol....
Lawsuit Continued Honeywell sues LCD TV companies over display tech March 23, 2007 Honeywell has filed a lawsuit in Texas against several LCD TV producers, according to the Taipei Times. The American company claims that key manufacturers -- including ASUS, BenQ, and assembly firms such as AU Optronics -- have violated a patent it holds in the US relating to anti-flicker compensation. The infringment has caused "irreparable harm" to Honeywell's business, the suit reads.
If successful, the court action could severely damage the TV industry by forcing many sets off the market until the feature is changed or removed. AU Optronics in particular would suffer, says the newspaper, as it produces the screens used by larger companies such as LG and Samsung. None of the affected companies have been fully notified of the suit. http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/03/23/honeywell.sues.lcd.makers/
Follow-up with SOYO Excerpt from e-mail to shareholder:
“I can’t disclose expected revenues. Just know that we did not enter into the deal to spend 3.8 million over 6 years nor is Honeywell looking just to make just the $3.8 MM.
We are working closely with Honeywell to deliver an amazing product our consumers will be proud to own. This is all we can say at this point.”
Posts: 74 | From: Midwest | Registered: Dec 2003
| IP: Logged |


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World’s largest technology players, Apple, Google and Accenture, have realised that Artificial Intelligence is and will be developed as the new User Interface. But, why?
Is AI The New UI?
Posted By Team Datalore
In a recent event Accenture Technology Vision 2017, one of the most talked about trend was AI. One of the most important chapter discussed about how AI is the new UI. This is because with the developments AI will soon become the underlying technology capability that will drive enterprises and day-to-day working of people, alike. Interestingly, this will become a common platform for engagement between both customers and employees.
According to the speakers at the event, AI will be the new digital spokesperson for enterprises to interact with their customers. This platform will give customers to get a completely customized and personalized way of looking at the brand and interacting with it too.
A report suggests that in the 12 developed economies analysed, AI has the potential to double growth rates by 2035. This can only be achieved if the solutions are developed using the people-first approach that is business-oriented as well as technology-rich.
Ask how? Think talking to Google Now, interacting with chat bots on PCs, or even giving command to the automated home bots to operate your home. These are some of the easiest examples where people are interacting with the technology through an AI interface.
So, going further, it will be AI that we will be talking to, asking for things and giving commands.
Who will benefit?
This interface will not only prove to be a boon for customers, it will be an equally exciting for brands, too. Interestingly, it will expand the human-like interaction like never before. AI is already a curator, collecting and interpreting large amounts of data and then studying it using Machine Learning. Going further, manufacturers will depend on AI to keep a keen eye on the manufacturing and even delivering of products. Think about a system that tells you about upcoming weather updates, travel routes and even saved reminders for certain deliveries. All this will be held by a technology driven dashboard rather than a human mind or a book.
Hence, AI would turn into an advisor, too. “In the auto insurance industry, for example, adjusters use Tractable’s deep learning systems to simplify the triage process after a car accident. Instead of manually scanning pictures, they use machine-trained estimates for repair costs, enabling agents to accelerate a claim past triage and into repair, salvage, or appraisal,” a blog at Accenture reads.
The blog further reveals that in more advanced stages AI will become an orchestrator. It will bring together different channels, learn from the interactions and then create and execute new tasks.
This brings us to the understanding that AI, which is driven by Machine Learning, opens up new horizons for various industries to explore the technology. For those aspiring to be in the league of Machine Learning, new opportunities are waiting for you. And to give you a kickstart we have a 5-weekend training program at our Bengaluru facility, these classes let you learn theory and put it to practice on live projects.
What’s more? There is a voluntary internship program for those who complete the course. Work on our live projects and get real exposure to industry.


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Will Ferrell’s iconic “Elf” costume for is being sold in an auction. The last of these costumes, of which there was a total of three, is going up for sale, with the previous one sold for $300,000. The auction of the costume will be a part of “TCM Presents: Hollywood Cool.”
The costume of Buddy the Elf comes from the film’s producer, Jon Berg. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Berg has been in possession of the costume since “Elf” wrapped production and has lent the costume to family and friends, even wearing it when the occasion calls for it.
“It became the default costume that I would wear when I was handing out presents to the kids, and nieces and nephews,” Berg said. “The entire family has tried this thing on at one point or another.”
The costume is made up of a green coat with a floral border and faux fur on the cuffs and collar. Most importantly, it has the original labels on it, reading “Mr. Ferrell.” It comes with suspenders, yellow tights, a black belt with an oversize buckle, a t-shirt and a pair of black leather shoes with pointy toes.
Berg learned from David Berenbaum, the writer of “Elf,” that his version of the costume went for sale for $300,000, which is when Berg made the decision to sell it as well. “I guess memorabilia and collectibles are more popular now than ever before. And he’s like, ‘Do you still have your costume?’ And of course, I did. It was just sitting in my closet,” Berg said. The costume is expected to sell for the price of $50,000 to $70,000.
“Elf” tells the story of Buddy (Ferrell) a man who was raised as an elf in the North Pole. Feeling like an outsider, Buddy travels to New York to search for his father, where he stands out, because he never takes off his uniform.


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OSAKA – Royal Hotel Ltd., which operates inns in eight Japanese cities, expects earnings next year to recover to levels seen before the “Lehman shock” of 2008 and last year’s swine flu scare.
Room bookings plunged following the financial crisis fueled by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s bankruptcy, while the outbreak of swine flu in western Japan last May prompted the cancellation of about 80 percent of big events for the season, Hajime Kawagoshi, president of the Osaka-based company, said in an interview Tuesday.
“The effect of the swine flu scare almost disappeared in the second half,” he said.
In October-December, average occupancy was 76.8 percent at the company’s flagship 973-room Rihga Royal Hotel Osaka. A 75 percent occupancy rate is enough to generate a profit, he said.
Still, Royal Hotel doesn’t expect the recovery to be reflected in its earnings this business year. This month, the company cut its forecast for the year ending March 31 to a net loss of ¥300 million, compared with a previous estimate for a profit of ¥100 million. It posted a ¥158 million profit last year.
“There are people saying the economy is recovering, but I can’t feel that yet,” said Kawagoshi, 64.
Domestic business trips to Osaka, the center of Japan’s second-biggest urban area, only started to increase in October, he said.
Royal Hotel aims in the year starting April 1 to return to a similar level of profitability as the year that ended in March 2008, when it posted ¥303 million in net income on sales of ¥58.4 billion.
The company’s shares have dropped 10 percent in the past 12 months, compared with a 20 percent increase in the benchmark Topix index.
The first Rihga Royal Hotel was opened in 1935 in Osaka as a venue designed to host visiting heads of state and other high officials, according to the company’s Web site.
Kawagoshi said that while the planned opening of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.’s St. Regis Hotel in October will trigger “severe” competition for high-end accommodations in Osaka, he doesn’t expect it to significantly affect Royal Hotel, which gets less than 20 percent of its revenue from room charges.
“Most of our revenue comes from the banquet, bridal and restaurant businesses, which is a different model from St. Regis,” he said.
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Joie de Vivre Hotels was on the verge of failing when founder Chip Conley held a series of retreats to ask employees, from managers to bellhops, how they would turn things around for the California chain. Feeling more invested afterward, workers went into overdrive to attract business...
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Oregon alcohol regulators found that 14 out of every 15 bars and restaurants visited in the past month are complying with mask and social distancing requirements, Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday.
Inspectors for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission conducted spot checks of 3,654 businesses, records show, identifying problems at 244, or 7% of locations.
Officials issued verbal guidance to those businesses and referred issues from 35 businesses to the state’s business-safety agency, Oregon Occupational Safety and Health.
Brown praised businesses that complied with the rules but reprimanded those that won’t comply. The state this week suspended the liquor license of a Rogue River-area bar that violated social distancing rules.
“Let me be clear: businesses that do not follow the health and safety guidance established by the Oregon Health Authority are putting their employees, their customers, and their communities at risk, risking community-wide closures for other businesses as well if a COVID-19 outbreak starts to spread out of control,” Brown said in a statement.
Liquor control inspectors have been visiting bars, restaurants and other businesses that serve alcohol on weekends since July 4. The frequency of visits has varied, with inspectors recording 1,428 visits July 10-12 but just 143 the following weekend.
-- Brad Schmidt; email@example.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt


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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – March 19, 2013 – Con-way Inc. (NYSE:CNW) today provided an update on first quarter 2013 trends at Con-way Freight, the company’s less-than-truckload unit.
Weight per day in the first quarter of 2013 is expected to be down approximately 1.5 percent compared to the first quarter of last year. First quarter 2013 revenue per hundredweight, excluding the impact of fuel surcharges, is expected to increase approximately 3.5 percent over the first quarter of 2012.
In addition, several items during the first quarter of 2013 have negatively impacted near-term profitability. These items primarily include: a reserve for a large vehicular claim, a charge related to a transition to new technology, costs associated with adverse weather, and field training expenses pertaining to line-haul optimization. Collectively, these items are expected to impact Con-way Freight’s first quarter 2013 operating income by approximately $14 million.
Importantly, the key 2013 initiatives at Con-way Freight, while still in early stages, are on track with internal projections. These initiatives, lane-based pricing and line-haul optimization, are expected to provide increasingly improved results as the year progresses.
“Tonnage trends, while below last year, have been relatively stable throughout the first quarter and our core operational performance is trending in the right direction,” stated Douglas W. Stotlar, Con-way Inc. President and CEO. “Despite the near-term cost headwinds at Con-way Freight, confidence in our key initiatives and the ability to expand margins—particularly in the second half of 2013—is being reinforced each day.”
Con-way Inc. will release consolidated results for the first quarter of 2013 after the market close on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 and host a conference call for the investment community at 8:30 am ET on Thursday, May 2, 2013.
About Con-way Inc.
Con-way Inc. (NYSE:CNW) is a $5.6 billion freight transportation and logistics services company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. Con-way delivers industry-leading services through its primary operating companies of Con-way Freight, Con-way Truckload and Menlo Worldwide Logistic. These operating units provide high-performance, day-definite less-than-truckload (LTL), full truckload and multimodal freight transportation, as well as logistics, warehousing and supply chain management services. Con-way also operates Road Systems Inc., a trailer refurbishing and manufacturing company which supplies trailing equipment to the company’s trucking fleets. Con-way Inc. and its subsidiaries operate from more than 500 locations across North America and in 20 countries. For more information about Con-way, visit www.con-way.com.


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HCM CITY — Four leading shareholders of Sacombank (STB) have registered to sell a combined 80 million shares, or 8.3 per cent of the bank's charter capital, worth a total market value of VND2 trillion (US$95.2 million).
Thanh Thanh Cong Trading Production Co will sell over 22 million shares, while Sacombank's real estate unit, Sacomreal (SCR), will sell its entire holdings of 17.3 million STB shares. Sugar maker Societe De Bourbon Tay Ninh has registered to sell 7.5 million shares. And Chang Hen Jui, husband of STB vice chairwoman Huynh Que Ha, plans to unload over 33 million shares which he acquired from Dragon Capital last year. — VNS


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A hui held in Kerikeri today focuses on how Māori can influence Aotearoa’s current and future free trade negotiations with nations from around the world.
“The hui is convened by Te Taumata to present back to our own Māori people what is happening in trade and especially in international trade and free trade negotiations,” said chairperson of Te Taumata Chris Karamea Insley (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea).
The hui is the fourth in a series being held around the country seeking to engage Māori leaders from various organisations that stand to benefit from having input into how New Zealand negotiates its free trade partnerships. Te Taumata, which convened the hui, was formed following a series of hui that sought to gather data on if Māori felt their interests were being listened to in terms of New Zealand’s free trade negotiations.
“With the Māori economy being estimated to be worth a shade under $80 billion, our people were saying we should have a voice but felt as if we didn’t, in terms of free trade negotiations… We told the Minister we would do it differently. We would convene the hui and bring the Ministers, trade negotiators, and other leading trade thinkers back to our people and have face-to-face discussions on trade issues,” said Insley.
The programme begins with a welcome, followed by a presentation from Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Nanaia Mahuta. This will be followed by a series of leaders tasked with negotiating Aotearoa’s free trade agreements. South African High Commissioner Vuyiswa Tulelo will speak about the potential for trade between indigenous South Africans and Māori.
Insley said he is most excited about hearing Dr Richard Meade and Peter Rice unveil their findings on what a new free trade agreement with Britain should include in respect of Māori interests.
One speaker is director of Making Everything Happen Kaye-Maree Dunn, who has been a key figure in helping to take the Māori economy in Northland to the next level over recent years.
“There’s a huge demand for Māori products, experiences, and services and we’ve seen an explosion of online entrepreneurs… When we look at trade, we look at how we can expand those goods and services to reach our indigenous relations around the world,” said Dunn.
As an owner of organisations focussed on empowering Māori businesses, Dunn said Covid-19 has greatly impacted on the way business is done here. She stressed the importance of investing in e-commerce and digital marketing and said iwi are now looking at how they can effectively participate in international trade.
“E-commerce is more than just having a website. It’s about a whole system of presenting yourself, marketing yourself, and connecting with your audiences,” Dunn said.
Insley and Dunn said Māori have been trading internationally long before the arrival of the British and said that initiatives such as this were building on the legacies of those who pioneered Māori trade globally.
The hui will be from 7.30am to 4pm at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri. Admission is free and attendees can register at eventbrite.com or watch the live stream at facebook.com/2mekelivestream.
View the Northern Advocate article here.


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Nunavut's age-old fur trade goes digital
Online inventory to launch territory-wide next month
Nunavut's age-old fur trade is finally getting a cyber-age treatment, with the territorial government developing an online inventory program to track the movement and sale of pelts.
The digital database is intended to ensure hunters are getting fair market prices for their harvest, marking a big change for a traditional industry that for generations depended on bartering, haggling and sometimes shady dealing.
Wayne Lynch, the Government of Nunavut's fisheries manager, hopes bar-coding introduced in the online overhaul will eliminate much of the previous uncertainty.
"This gives us the ability to know exactly what we have in inventory, exactly what we paid for it, in real time, instead of having to go back and pore over inventories and data to get that information," he said. "So it's a cost savings, as well as a great tool for us to react to markets."
Currently, Lynch said, a typical request to pull up records of every fur sold between a certain period of months could take "weeks and weeks" to gather.
'Just hit the button'
"With this new system, we can just hit the button and everything will print out," he said. "You know exactly where it is, what it is, who's hunted it, and what the price is."
Most wildlife officials currently keep paper records of what they purchase, and what goes to auction.
A similar digital inventory program has been used in the Northwest Territories for a decade now.
Francois Roussouw, the fur manager for the N.W.T. government, said the online organization system will have a positive impact on Nunavut's fur business.
"Any database related to fur harvesting, it's a financial database," he said. "It's all about money for the harvester, and I think it's something Nunavut needs to do, and I think that their harvesters will benefit from such a program."
Wildlife offices in a few Nunavut communities will begin trials with the digital system in January, with a plan to introduce the online inventory territory-wide in the spring.


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The Bacardi Corporation has partnered with Puerto Rico-based manufacturer Olein Refinery Corporation to provide the raw materials necessary to make hand sanitizer, which is in very high-demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since there’s a shortage of hand sanitizer in Puerto Rico, just like the rest of the United States, Bacardi has shifted its production at its Cataño distillery to supply the ethanol needed to make hand sanitizer. The distillery is the world’s largest premium rum distillery and produces more than 80 percent of the company’s rum, so Bacardi and Olein should have no problem reaching their goal of more than 1.7 million units of 10-ounce hand sanitizer.
“We are extremely grateful to Bacardi for adjusting its production to provide us with raw material so that we may ramp up production of the disinfectants we need to help keep the people of Puerto Rico safe,” said Jorge González, president of Olein Refinery, in a press release.
According to its website, Olein usually “recovers and re-refines used oil and manufactures motor oil, synthetic oil, transmission fluid, and other automotive fluids.”
The product is 70 percent alcohol and meets the World Health Organization’s recommendation for containing the spread of the coronavirus.
The shift in production began on March 17th, and yesterday, March 20th, Bacardi began distributing the free hand sanitizer and disinfectant products made by Olein to United States Postal Service workers, firefighters, and police. Bacardi employees as well as contractors also received the free hand sanitizer. In addition, Bacardi plans to expand distribution to local communities and non-profit organizations, including Fondos Unidos (United Way), next week. Over half a million of the 10-ounce hand sanitizer units will be donated to local communities.
As a family-owned company, Bacardi says the health and safety of people is always important.
“This is a family-owned business and we know what it means to take care of a community in need,” said Jose Class, vice president of Supply Chain & Manufacturing, for Bacardi Latin America and the Caribbean, in a press release. “In the 158 years of Bacardi, we’ve endured our share of challenging times and have learned that resilience, optimism, and community are what will help us come out stronger.”
Bacardi has always made corporate responsibility a priority. In 1862, its founder and rum creator Don Facundo Bacardí Massó volunteered as the chief disaster relief organizer for Santiago de Cuba, his hometown, following a horrific earthquake, according to a press release. In recent times, Bacardi donated $1mllion in cash and other assistance to aid The Bahamas in disaster relief and recovery efforts following the devastating Hurricane Dorian. In 2017, the company committed $3 million to relief efforts in Puerto Rico, Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, and The Bahamas after Hurricanes Maria and Irma hit those regions and Mexico suffered destruction from earthquakes. Bacardi has also made donations to aid relief organizations in Southeast Asia, China, Australia, Italy, Haiti, Cuba, Brazil, Chile, and the United States, in recent years.
Bacardi’s emergency shift in production will not disrupt the production nor supply of BACARDÍ rum, the world’s most awarded rum and one of our faves here at UPTOWN.


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New Aprilias on show at MCN London show
The Carole Nash MCN London motorcycle show is happening on February 15 to 17 at Excel in London’s Docklands; almost every new bike for 2013 will be there along with loads of other customs, classics and the stunning Revolution live action show.
An all-new Aprilia Caponord 1200 is the Italian firm’s latest weapon in the ever-popular adventure bike class and not only features a 1200cc V-twin but also packs much of the latest electronic rider aids like ABS, traction control and semi-active suspension.
Alongside the new Caponord is a slightly updated RSV4 superbike which gets ABS for the first time to complement the rest of the electronics already fitted to the RSV.
Click here to order tickets


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Results for "Tecno in picture-story"
These are the top 10 devices that are available for purchase in India and run on Android Go, the toned down version of Android. The recently announced Android 11 has already been released to a few devices which has new features like Bubbles, Auto-revoke privacy permissions, new security related features, conversations in Notification panel, etc. Google has also announced that the toned down version of Android 11, the Android 11 (Go Edition) will be made available to devices starting next month. Android Go is for low-power devices that have 2GB of RAM or less and is optimised for these devices so they can perform fastly and efficiently even with low-end specifications. It is still unclear as to which devices will receive the update and when.
Tecno Spark 5 : Things you should know!
Tecno Spark 5 has been launched in India for Rs 7,999. Here we present the camera review of the device.
Tecno has finally announced the launch of its first smartphone with a pop-up selfie camera. Dubbed as Tecno Camon 15 Pro, the smartphone comes loaded with some interesting camera specifications along with full-screen display and more. So, here's everything you need to know about the latest Tecno Camon 15 Pro.
Tecno Mobiles has just recently announced its new budget smartphone with a dot-notch display. The smartphone comes loaded with a host of interesting features. So without wasting any more time, let's check out the top things you should know about Tecno Camon 12 Air.
Tecno has launched its latest budget-centric smartphone, the Tecno Spark Go, in India. So, without wasting much time, check out the camera samples of the Tecno Spark Go.
Tecno has today announced the launch of its latest budget-centric smartphone, the Tecno Spark Go in India. Here's everything you need to know about the latest budget-centric smartphone from Tecno.
We have seen a lot of price cuts in smartphones in the last one month. The list includes price cuts by major brands Asus, Samsung, Oppo and more. With the handsets players launching new smartphones almost every day in the market daily, other ones prefer to reduce the prices of their existing phones to retain the market share. Let’s see which smartphones price have been slashed in the last one month to let you choose a suitable smartphone.
Tecno Mobile recently launched Tecno Camon i Twin for Rs 11,499 in India. The phone is available through offline channels across in India.
Tecno Camon i Twin has been launched with 6-inch Full View Display and dual rear cameras for Rs
The Tecno Camon iClick features a 6-inch HD+ display with a screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels. The device is powered by a MediaTek Helio P23 octa-core processor clocked at up to 2.0GHz along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage. The memory can be further expanded via micro SD card slot.
Infinix, a subsidiary of Transsion Holdings which has brands like itel and Tecno under its portfolio has today launched Infinix Hot 3 in India.
The smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs 8,999 and it will be available in Champagne Gold, Midnight Black and City Blue colour options.


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- Louis March is the founder of the Zero Gun Violence Movement. His given name was misstated in a June 21 article about a weekend shooting at a child’s birthday party in Toronto.
- Michelle Travis is co-author of a report for UNITE HERE about the hotel industry’s treatment of its employees during the pandemic. Her given name was misstated in a June 17 article about a labour shortage in the tourism and hospitality industry.
- Toronto’s Souvankham Thammavongsa won the $20,000 Trillium Book Award for debut novel “How to Pronounce Knife.” The value of the award was misstated in a June 16 Spotlight article. As well, the poetry and children’s books award winners receive $10,000 and their publishers $2,000.
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|Rob Lee, via Flickr (CC license)|
|Some ways of approaching what looks like the end of the world are more constructive than others.|
(NOTE: I originally wrote this for Poynter’s E-Media Tidbits. I’m cross-posting it here because I think it might also interest Contentious readers.)
This morning I read in the New York Times a cold litany of everything that’s going demonstrably wrong with the newspaper business. (Found it thanks to Jim Romenesko.) It’s a long, depressing, and familiar list: layoffs, buyouts, papers folding, declining revenues, etc.
A couple of things Richard PÃ©rez PeÃ±a wrote in that story caught my attention.
First, “Newspaper executives and analysts say that it could take five to 10 years for the industry’s finances to stabilize and that many of the papers that survive will be smaller and will practice less ambitious journalism.”
Yeah, no kidding. Personally, I’d be surprised if many dailies are left standing after the next 7-10 years, if they don’t make fast, fundamental changes to their revenue strategies. (I touched on this theme yesterday.) I realize this is dire news to people who can’t envision doing anything but working for a traditional newspaper. But on the bright side, for those with flexibility and a bit of business savvy, I think that right now there is more space than ever in the news market for entrepreneurial journalistic ventures.
Why my optimism?…
PÃ©rez PeÃ±a also wrote: “The paradox is that more people than ever read newspapers, now that some major papers have several times as many readers online as in print. And papers sell more ads than ever, when online ads are included.”
Here’s how I see it: News providers, ad networks, search engines, and advertisers all function together in what I like to think of as “the relevance industry.” I think this industry needs better infrastructure, collaboration, and mutual understanding and respect in order to fully develop and thrive.
I suspect the first step to make it all work is by news orgs finally figuring out how to constructively partner with online ad networks to deliver greater relevance at a more granular level. Also, we need to enhance systems and strategies for selling and placing locally relevant ads online, via mobile content, and even in print.
These measures could keep the money rolling in, to support a diverse array of quality journalism that would in turn engage diverse communities on many levels. Right now, most online ads presented by news orgs are poorly priced and sold — and shockingly lacking in relevance.
Established news brands (like major dailies) may have a major advantage in persuading ad networks to collaborate and innovate — should they choose to stop squandering it. So far, the more sophisticated, specialized, lucrative ad networks have been pursuing the low hanging fruit. News orgs, thanks to institutional inertia and byzantine ad systems, have not looked very tasty in that context. That can be fixed.
But if the major news orgs fail to adapt, it’s important to keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to be a big company in order to be a good business — especially as the era and appeal of mass media wane. Smaller, more numerous, entrepreneurial ventures with less overhead and inertia could be the future of journalism.
This could be implicit in what blogger Dan Kennedy wrote today in his critique of the NYT article: “I think [PÃ©rez PeÃ±a] is …wrong that news sites (let’s not call them newspapers) will be less ambitious. Perhaps by ‘less ambitious’ he means more focused on local news. That’s true. …But that’s not less ambitious — it’s just different.”


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The Japanese release date for the belated Switch port of DragonBall FighterZ was announced shortly after the game was confirmed at E3 this year; the game, we were told, would be coming September 27. As it turns out, that’s just about when we folks in the west will get it too, because Bandai Namco have confirmed that the game’s western launch will be just a day later, on September 28.
I say western, but technically, it’s only been confirmed for North America so far. That said, it’s highly unlikely that the European launch for the Switch will see much, if anything, in the way of a delay, so honestly, I’d just assume that’s when everyone else in the world outside of Japan will be getting it.
Bandai Namco also confirmed that pre-ordering the Switch version will get you a free copy of the fan favorite SNES Dragon Ball fighting game Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden. It will also get you early access to both SSGSS Goku and Vegeta as playable fighters.
If you’re interested in the game and don’t want to wait till September, it’s out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. If you want it on the go, it’s just a little more of a wait now- you’re almost there.


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Latest News & Blogs
The Right Place, Inc. distributes over $9M in emergency grant funds
Today The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and regional partners, announced that 1,060 small businesses have been awarded over $9M in grant funding. These grants were awarded to eligible West Michigan small businesses who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gerber Products to Expand Fremont Manufacturing Facility
Today, The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Newaygo County, and the City of Fremont, announced that Gerber Products will be investing $36 million and creating approximately 50 additional jobs.
$9.5M in Emergency Grant Funds Available to West Michigan Small Businesses Starting July 15
Another round of funding for emergency small business relief has become available from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Over $9.5M in grant funding has been allocated to The Right Place to support eligible West Michigan businesses.
Pitch North announces winners
Five local entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges and an audience of over 50 people at the second annual Pitch North competition. They were competing for the chance to win over $9,000 in cash prizes to bring their ideas to life. The event was held Wednesday, June 24th via ZOOM.
Grant funding awarded for Michigan Small Business Relief Program in West Michigan
195 small businesses in West Michigan negatively impacted by Executive Orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be receiving grant support from the Michigan Small Business Relief Program.
The Right Place assists global refractory product manufacturer with expansion in Newaygo County
Today The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with Everett Township, announced that global refractory product manufacturer and supplier, HarbisonWalker International (HWI), is investing $9 million in the company’s manufacturing plant at 1301 E. 8th Street in White Cloud.
The Right Place assists Newaygo manufacturer with plant expansion
Today The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with the City of Newaygo, announced that wood component manufacturer, G-M Wood Products, will be expanding its current facility at 460 Clay Street in Newaygo. This expansion will result in the creation of 20 new jobs and a capital investment of $6.5 million.
The Right Place and the Newaygo County economic development advisory committee finalize manufacturing expansion in Newaygo
Today The Right Place, Inc. and the Newaygo County economic development advisory committee, in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the City of Newaygo, announced that Magna Mirrors Newaygo will expand its operations at 700 South Park Ave. Newaygo, MI, 49337.
Newaygo County Economic Development Office assists new Ceres Solutions Co-op with latest expansion
Today, The Right Place, Inc. and the Newaygo County Economic Development Office (NCEDO) announced they have assisted Ceres Solutions Co-op (formerly North Central Co-op) with the next phase of the company’s investment in White Cloud, Michigan.
MDARD awards grant to Newaygo County ISD and other rural communities
Today, the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development awarded Rural Development Fund Grants aimed to promote the sustainability of land-based industries and support infrastructure that benefits rural communities.


text: Microsoft rivals add members to alliance Seven more companies have become founding members of a Sun Microsystems-led effort to develop an alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s network identity system. American Express, AOL Time Warner, France Telecom, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard Co., MasterCard International and a major bank will join Sun and other companies in overseeing the Liberty Alliance Project, officials said yesterday. The alliance, announced in September, is developing technology that would let Internet users log in once and gain access to any supported Internet services that require authentication. Microsoft Passport already offers the same capability. Still, Microsoft's eventual participation in the alliance has not been ruled out, Microsoft spokesman Tom Pilla said. The Liberty group argues that such systems should be based on open standards and not controlled by a single company. Previously announced founders and members of the management board include Bell Canada, Global Crossing, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Openwave Systems, RealNetworks, RSA Security, Sony Corp., United Airlines and Vodafone. Retail sales of XP fall short of Windows 98 Microsoft's Windows XP operating system isn't selling as well as its predecessor, Windows 98, did, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing NDP Techworld, a company tracking the software market. Retail sales of Windows XP fell to 250,000 copies in November, down from 400,000 in October. By comparison, Windows 98 sold 350,000 copies in its second month on the market, down from 580,000 the month of its debut. Sales of Windows XP are probably down because of the depressed economy and because Microsoft let computer makers ship Windows XP on new personal computers a month before the official introduction Oct. 25, the Journal said. But Microsoft said it's pleased with sales, noting that retail sales make up less than 10 percent of all Windows revenue. In 3 years, Linux gained no more market share Free, modifiable Linux, which has been held up for years as a challenger to Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows operating system, has barely budged in market share over the past three years, new figures show. Linux currently holds a worldwide usage share of one-quarter of 1 percent -- unchanged since December 1998, said WebSideStory, an independent research company in San Diego. Windows and Apple Computer's Macintosh operating system together hold more than 98 percent of the market. High-tech salaries rose just 2.9 percent in 2001 Salaries for Northwest high-tech jobs have risen 2.9 percent in 2001, slowing from last year's 7 percent increase, according to a survey of 29 software and Internet companies released yesterday by the Washington Software Alliance ( www.wsa.org). Those companies -- 10 in Oregon, 19 in Washington -- also said stock options remain popular for attracting and retaining employees. The average base salary paid to an intermediate-level software developer in 2001 was $64,235, up 2 percent from last year. Copies of the 2001-2002 Software and Internet Salary Survey cover 100 positions, reporting base salary, total cash, eligibility for bonus, recruiting bonus and stock options. They cost $1,195 for non-members and $895 for members.


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Naturally, when consumers think of summer, they think of grilling up their favorite meats and veggies. To give everyone a chance to get in on the grilling fun, brands like GIVENEU have created communal cooking solutions. GIVENEU’s Raclette Grill & Fondue Combo is a multifunctional cooking solution that features two separate heating elements for the fondue pot and the raclette, ensure that there’s ample space and equipment for eight people to use the device at the same time.
Of course, outdoor cooking also extends to camping and cottage trips, and the June 2021 kitchen trends reveal that brands are finding creative ways to help consumers enjoy top-quality food and beverages, even when they don’t have access to a kitchen. For instance, the BruTrek Expedition Coffee Kit from Planetary Design makes use of military-grade technology to help consumers prepare premium coffee from virtually anywhere.


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Purism Lashes Out at Apple Over Remote Control of User Devices
Posted on November 14th, 2020 by Kyle Torpey and filed under Free Software.
In a blog post published on Friday, Purism Chief Security Officer Kyle Rankin lashed out at Apple’s use of a notary service as part of their code-signing process, which grants Apple control over whether applications can run on end users’ devices.
According to Rankin, the idea that Apple users own the laptops, smartphones, and other devices they purchase from the computer hardware giant was disrupted this week when MacOS users had problems launching various applications.
The issue, which was prevalent among Apple users, was caused by Apple’s use of a notary service that requires any signed application to get permission from a server owned and operated by Apple before it can run on the end user’s device.
“This means that Apple not only knows which applications you have installed, it knows each time you run them. While in the past this was an optional service, now it’s mandatory and starting with Big Sur, you can no longer use a tool like Little Snitch to block this service, or route it through Tor for some privacy. Apple (and anyone who can sniff this plaintext communication) can know when you launched Tor browser or other privacy tools, or how often you use competitors’ applications,” wrote Rankin.
From Rankin’s perspective, this feature of Apple devices is more about control than security. “While code signing already gave Apple control over whether you could install or upgrade software, this feature grants Apple control over whether you can run applications,” Rankin added.
Rankin also pointed out that Apple has already used their heavy control over iPhone devices to remove competitors’ applications from the App Store and remotely disable apps in the name of additional security or privacy benefits for their users. In Rankin’s view, there is no reason to think this sort of activity won’t now also be seen on Apple devices that run macOS.
Although not outlined explicitly by Rankin, a potential worry here for Bitcoin users or users of privacy-focused software like the Tor Browser is that Apple could eventually decide to block these apps from running on Apple devices or be motivated to do so by a nation state. From Rankin’s perspective, this move by Apple is about allowing them to control users’ devices rather than improving security for them.
Nov 16 Update: According to MacRumors, Apple has responded to the incident from last week. Apple says the notarization checks are not connected to the identities of individual Apple users. Additionally, Apple says they intend to develop a few changes to their notarization system, including the ability for users to opt out of the security measure entirely.
Kyle is the creator of The Crypto Feed. Before founding The Crypto Feed, Kyle was a longtime freelance Bitcoin writer at places like Forbes and Bitcoin Magazine.


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There was a time when having a watch meant the difference between having food or not. During the Khmer Rouge period, watches were used as currency nearly as often as gold or US dollars. Now, in less turbulent times, watches are often a gift or a status symbol.
Thakral Indo-China Pte Ltd has now opened Cambodia’s first licensed distribution company for Omega and Rado brand watches—bringing back an old favorite from decades past.
“These two kinds of brands were popular in the 1960s and early 1970s,” said Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh at the opening for the distribution center at the Hotel Inter-Continental.
The designer watches, advertised by photos of beautiful celebrities, run anywhere between $200 and $3,000, so most market vendors were unfazed by the news of a new distributor.
“[Customers] are always looking for a cheap price, so I have to sell them a low quality one, otherwise I make no money,” said Kea Deoun, 43, a vendor at the Olympic Market.
“I don’t see many people who are looking for Rado and Omega,” said another vendor. “Most are looking for a $10 watch.”
He said about 90 percent of the people who passed his shop were looking for something cheap and useful, although he did have four secondhand Rado watches he had purchased over the years from people in the countryside.
Thakral executive T Ramesh was unconcerned by the availability of cheap Omega and Rado knock-offs.
“I don’t think buyers would buy fake ones, because it will be a very low value compared to the original one,” he said.
But whether for $10 or $3,000, watches will remain a part of Cambodia’s past and current culture.
“I still miss my Rado watch, which I lost during the Khmer Rouge regime,” Cham Prasidh said. “In the Khmer Rouge regime, what I saw were Rado and Omega watches become targets for the Khmer Rouge against the rich.”
“If we had a Rado or Omega, we were able to exchange them for food, for life, and surviving,” he said.
Now, watches are better for wooing than trading. A watch is especially important between lovers, usually given as a first gift.
It’s not the cost that matters so much, said Nop Sophana, 19, but the thought.
“If my boyfriend and I would like to make an appointment, the first question will be: ‘What time should we meet?’” she said, pointing to her $15 watch. “So time is very important. The heart will be broken if my man does not come on time.”


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NEW DELHI: Home-grown handset maker Karbonn Mobiles Sunday commenced operation at its Tirupati manufacturing unit, set up with an investment of Rs 200 crore. "The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) is glad to declare the set up of 269th manufacturing factory by Karbonn Mobiles at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh," a company statement said.
The facility is set up at Sri Venkateshwara Mobile and Electronics Manufacturing Hub under the aegis of Andhra Pradesh government," ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said in the statement.
The total investment is Rs 200 crore, while the production capacity of the facility stands at 1 million cell phones per month, the statement said.
"The facility will be set up phase wise and will be spread in a zone of 1 lakh square ft. The facility will be rewarding work to more than 1,000 employees," Karbonn Mobiles Chairman and ICEA Southern Zone Chairman Sudhir Hasija said.
The facility was inaugurated by Mohindroo.
The government policies and specific interventions along with the hard work of global and indigenous entrepreneurs have helped India attain the No 2 mobile handset manufacturing destination tag, Mohindroo said.
The assembling plant will be inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh IT and Panchayati Raj minister Nara Lokesh.
BSNL had issued bills amounting to Rs 20,18,198 for the billing period between December 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018 and bill, dated February 2, 2019 for Rs 2,30,29,264 for the billing period of January 1, 2019 to February 1, 2019 to the Isha Foundation.
The deal, the single biggest investment of its kind in Maharashtra -- coveted by Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh -- was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.


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Halloween falls on a Thursday this year, which has put us all in an unfamiliar predicament: When, exactly, are we supposed to dress up for Halloween parties? Well, some of our favorite celebrities decided that they just couldn’t wait for October 31st to roll around, which meant that Halloween season officially kicked off in Hollywood over the weekend. Some celebs decided to play it sexy (hello Lea Michele!), some went for scary (Hugh Hefner twerking? YIPES!), and some unfortunately didn’t put very much thought into their costume at all (we’re looking at you, Julianne “Blackface” Hough!). So whether you attended parties this weekend, too, or are simply looking for inspirado for Thursday night, check out our gallery above of who wore what this Halloween!
[Photos: Splash News, Pacific Coast News, Instagram]


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An issue related to Android Oreo builds running on Google's Pixel and Pixel 2-series devices is crashing many mesh routers, according to a sizeable volume of user complaints posted on official forums of various router manufacturers, Reddit, and Google itself. At least some routers from Netgear's Orbi series, Eero, and Cisco have already been confirmed as being affected by the problem, with a few users even claiming their non-mesh devices are also crashing when used in conjunction with Google's mobile offerings. One Google WiFi user also said they're affected by the issue that they believe is caused by the Pixel 2 XL. According to them, waking the smartphone's screen stops their network from operating for approximately a minute.
Representatives of the Mountain View, California-based tech giant already acknowledged numerous reports on the company's official forums and asked users to continue sending them bug reports that should ultimately help the firm's engineers identify the root of the problem. While some mesh network users recently speculated the issue is caused by the December Security Update for the Pixel devices, that doesn't appear to be the case by virtue of the fact that original reports about the phenomenon started emerging no later than the first half of November. Regardless, as the volume of complaints appears to have significantly increased this month, it's possible that the latest security patch either made the matter worse or ended up causing the same instability in another manner. The actual version of the Android operating system doesn't appear to be a direct cause of the problem as users running both Android 8.0 and 8.1 Oreo reported issues with their mesh networks in recent weeks.
While the bug appears to be relatively widespread, it's already been confirmed that it isn't affecting every owner of Pixel devices who's also a mesh router user. The problem may also transcend Google's first-party Android phones, as suggested by one Galaxy Note 8 owner who recently posted to Reddit to complain about experiencing identical instability issues with their unspecified mesh network, though no similar reports have yet emerged. Limited user testing suggests the original Pixel phones downgraded to Android 7.1.2 Nougat with a manual firmware flash don't appear to be crashing mesh routers they previously were so even if the latest security patch isn't the culprit, some component of Android 8.X Oreo certainly appears to be.


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Florida's Treasure Coast
» Pro-growth and anti-growth sentiments are clashing again in Martin County. Three major development projects in rural Hobe Sound that required an extension of the urban services boundary triggered widespread public opposition. Some attribute the controversy to the new, no-growth makeup of the five-member Martin County Commission. After bringing their requests to the commission, the partners in the Harmony Ranch Development of Regional Impact pulled the plug on their plans for 4,000 houses and 2 million square feet of business space in March. The commissioners rejected two growth plan amendments for the Extreme Sports Water Ski Park and Hotel in July, effectively killing the project. However, the developer of Hobe Grove continues to push its proposal to build 4,300 homes and 4.5 million square feet of business and education space on agricultural land west of Florida’s Turnpike and south of Bridge Road. The developer paid almost $44 million for the 2,800-acre property in late 2011 and now awaits the results of a study on whether Martin County needs more housing.
» The area had been counting on American Energy Innovations in Stuart to boost its employment, but the company backed out of a $4-million deal with the state and Martin County because of problems with the wind and water turbine components it was manufacturing. Instead of making headway toward hiring 600 employees by 2015, the company laid off employees and changed its product line.
» Stuart’s economy will still get a boost from a new car dealership. Mario Murgado, CEO of Brickell Motors, a collection of south Florida auto dealerships, broke ground in October on an Audi and Infiniti dealership. It is expected to open by mid-2013.
Business to Watch
» H2Ocean: H2Ocean outgrew its Boynton Beach location and moved to Stuart in 2008. The manufacturer of all-natural sea salt health care products was named 2012 Small Business of the Year by the Business Development Board of Martin County. H2Ocean struck a deal with Walgreens to sell its skin and oral care products in 26 Treasure Coast locations. Prior, the company had been selling tattoo and piercing aftercare spray and moisturizer and other products through global distributors. The 30-employee company is in a 47,000-sq.-ft. facility driven by solar power. “It’s a progressive company that is very likely to keep on growing,” says Joe Catrambone, president of the Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce.
|Martin Population: 150,150|
|Population Growth Rate (2009-13): 0.96%|
|Population by Age:|
|Per Capita Income: $54,291|


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There are countless factors in a merger the size of PSA-FCA. So far, everyone seems onboard.
Unions are powerful entities as we’ve seen many times. Recently, all three American brands, FCA, Ford and GM have had to work out “issues” and sign new deals with their UAW representatives. European auto brand employees are also looked after by their unions and this merger of equals cannot go ahead without their blessing.
So far so good for the PSA-FCA merger as the majority of the involved unions are in favor of this massive undertaking. This merger is big deal at an estimate value of $50 billion, or less than half of Bezos’ and Gates’ respective net worth, but the bigger element at hand is that the new company would employ over 400,000 people at hundreds of factories around the globe.
The unions are optimistic given how well the car companies complement each other on numerous levels. As such, the merger would be of equals and is encouraging but the unions want to be kept abreast of the developments.
“We will remain vigilant about the social impact and await a clearer and more detailed picture of the plan’s implications for plants, volume, and how much work will be given to the foundries,” said Franck Don, representative of the CFTC union.
“But the project in the form it’s been presented makes sense because the two groups complement each other, are in good financial health, and thanks to the new format will attain a critical size which is vital in the auto business today.”


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Written by Edmund Wee
The cell-cultured meat startup aims to make cultivated meat more accessible to the wider public.
Meatable is a Dutch food tech company that creates cultivated meat that not only looks and tastes like traditional meat but has a similar nutritional profile.
The startup recently announced its partnership in Singapore with ESCO Aster, a Singaporean food manufacturer to produce cultivated pork, including dumplings and sausages, for consumers.
KrASIA chatted with Daan Luining, co-founder and CTO of Meatable.
This interview has been consolidated and edited for brevity and clarity.
KrASIA (Kr): How did the idea of setting up Meatable come about?
Daan Luining (DL): Meatable was founded in the Netherlands by Krijn de Nood (CEO), myself, and Dr. Mark Kotter (principal inventor of opti-ox technology) in 2018, with the aim of producing cultivated meat that not only looks and tastes like traditional meat but also has a similar nutritional profile.
This is to serve the planet’s growing appetite for meat without harming people, animals, or the environment.
Kr: Why partner with a company in Singapore?
DL: Singapore is a global leader when it comes to cultivated meat. It was the first country to approve the production and sales of cultivated meat in 2020 as part of its 30 by 30 strategy, which aims to build its agri-food industry’s capability and capacity to produce 30% of the country’s nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030.
As ESCO Aster is the first and only production facility in Singapore with regulatory approval to produce cultivated meats, we decided that a partnership would be the best way to launch in Singapore.
ESCO Aster also shares our belief that cultivated meat will have a positive impact on the global meat industry, and that is helping to drive our partnership.
In short, we’ll benefit from their expertise and facilities without having to build our own at the beginning. It also gives us the opportunity to launch our products faster into the market.
We’re taking things step by step for now, and we want to scale in a sustainable way.
Kr: Any reason why Meatable is making its foray into Asia with cultivated pork?
DL: The global dumpling market is poised to grow by USD 4 billion between 2021 and 2025. To serve this demand, we are working closely with Singaporean chefs to develop pork specifically for the Asian market.
The aim is that Meatable’s dumplings and other cultivated pork products, including sausages and minced meat, will be the perfect choice for local partners in Singapore and the wider Asian market who are looking to diversify their consumer offerings with a tasty, healthy, cultivated meat which is produced locally while staying true to the local cuisine.
Kr: How different is cultured meat from other meat variants, such as plant-based meat?
DL: We take one cell from the umbilical cord of an animal and combine it with our opti-ox technology to grow cultivated meat. Therefore, no harm is done to the animal.
Cultivated meat tastes, smells, and has the same texture as real meat but without the negative impact on the planet and animals.
On the other hand, plant-based meat is not real meat—it uses ingredients derived from plants to mimic the properties of meat to a certain degree.
You can read the full interview on Kr ASIA.


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The 1Q GDP data releases for the US and euro area this week provide official confirmation of what we have known for some time – the recession has started. However, we remain of the view that this downturn will be sharper but shorter than the GFC.
To begin with, the trigger for this recession is an exogenous shock in the form of a public health crisis, rather than the classic, endogenous adjustment triggered by rising imbalances. This also did not start out as a financial crisis, and the banking system is in better shape today than prior to the GFC.
Moreover, this recession has prompted the most coordinated and aggressive monetary and fiscal easing that we have witnessed in modern times. For the G4 and China combined, fiscal deficits as a percentage of GDP will be 1.5 times GFC levels. Similarly, G4 central banks are aggressively expanding their balance sheets. The Fed’s balance sheet will expand by 38 percentage points of GDP, more than the 20 percentage points during QE1, 2 and 3 combined.
Hence, while global growth will trough at -7.5%Y in 2Q20 on our estimates (far below the -2.4%Y in 1Q09), global and DM output will reach pre-recession levels in four and eight quarters, respectively, as compared with six and fourteen quarters during the GFC.
A number of the high-frequency indicators we track suggest that the global economy is in the process of bottoming out. Consumers’ future expectations have improved, mobility trends have moved up from their troughs and consumer spending is contracting more slowly than in the early weeks of the outbreak. In the US, our IT services & payments analyst James Faucette highlights that credit card transactions data indicate that both transactions and sales have picked up in the past two weeks. Our read is that China’s economy bottomed in February, and we think the euro area has likely troughed in April with the US following suit from late April. Other regions such as CEEMEA and LatAm will bottom out later.
As economies reopen, allowing more workers to return to work, mobility trends and production levels will likely improve further, as should end demand with a lag. A phased reopening in the US and Europe is in the works for the coming weeks. In the US, some states have begun to reopen, and our US economics and biotechnology teams estimate that, by mid-May, 54% of the economy will be in a meaningful reopening phase. This estimate assumes that states will be able to reopen 28 days (Phase 2) after the peak in new confirmed coronavirus cases. European economies will also progressively reopen from early May onwards.
As we move towards this gradual reopening in parts of the world outside China, we have been closely observing developments in China to see how various sectors of the economy are normalising and how this experience may inform our outlook for the rest of the world. To be sure, our views are shaped by the path but not the duration and magnitude of recovery, considering the differences in the severity of the outbreak as well as the underlying composition of economic activity between the US, Europe and China.
In China, the manufacturing, infrastructure and construction sectors recovered relatively quickly. The manufacturing PMI is back in expansionary territory, while steel and cement demand and property sales are growing again in year-over-year terms, just ten weeks after the peak in new cases. Supply-side disruptions have eased quickly, and production levels have experienced a V-shaped recovery, which suggests that the manufacturing sectors in the US and Europe should be on a similar path post-reopening.
However, as the US and Europe are more consumption-based economies, it is the experience of the Chinese consumer that is drawing the most investor attention. Consumption in China is also showing signs of progress, but the pace of recovery has varied across different segments, and the phased relaxation of social distancing measures has dampened the overall pace to some extent.
As you might expect, sales in China’s online retail channels (which account for 30% of total sales) are back in positive territory YoY, while traffic to shopping malls sits at 70% of normal levels (even though malls are now fully open). Smartphone sales have seen a V-shaped recovery and demand for tech products has improved on a broad front according to our Asia technology analyst Shawn Kim, but spending on other consumer discretionary products is still lagging somewhat. Consumer goods (staples, home appliances and apparel) companies expect normalisation by the end of June (i.e., moving back towards normal levels of YoY growth in 2H20). Restaurants have 50-80% of their customer base back, but night life venues are still closed in Tier 1 cities and cinemas remain dark until early June. Our China consumer analyst Lillian Lou expects these channels to fully reopen by the end of June/beginning of July, and traffic to normalise in 3Q20. For the US, our branded apparel & retail analyst Kimberly Greenberger expects that some US retail discretionary spending stores will open in May but a full reopening is likely only in June. She expects a 78-85% decline for the discretionary retail segment in April, but this will materially improve to a 30-45%Y decline for the May-July period and further to a 10-15%Y decline in August-October.
The reopening of economies has prompted concerns about a second wave of infections and potential double dip in the economy. We readily admit that many unknowns concerning the virus remain, but we do expect additional waves of infections to occur. However, we take comfort that the phased reopening, the scaling up of public health authorities’ ability to test and trace on a meaningful level, the development of medical solutions to treat and prevent the disease and the awareness of the population at large mean we have a much better chance to reduce the size and scope of future outbreaks.
Authored by Chetan Ahya, chief Morgan Stanley economist and global head of economics