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To understand how Bitcoin will be changing in the next 3-5 years, including information on whether it will be the strongest in the cryptocurrency market, how it will (or won't) prove to be better than traditional U.S. currency, and investment strategies to take advantage of these changes.
Future of Bitcoin
- Venture capitalist Jason Calacanis predicts that Bitcoin is likely to be replaced by a new technology, causing its price to fall.
- Lars Seier Christensen, the chair of next-generation decentralized computer Concordium, believes the national governments, seeking to protect their profits from printed currency, will quash Bitcoin's efforts to become a mainstream currency.
- Others, such as Blockchain Studio CEO Corentin Denoeud, believe the fact that governments are even discussing cryptocurrency speaks to its progress.
- Among cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin is the most popular, accounting for nearly 70% of the market.
- Fully 89% of survey respondents said they know what Bitcoin is, and several mainstream establishments, such as Starbucks and Nordstrom, accept Bitcoin payments.
- They cryptocurrency market is beset by a series of high-profile exchange hacks and regulatory concerns, making many investors leery of taking the plunge.
- A recent Forbes article states that Binance Coin (BNB) and Chainline (LINK) are outperforming Bitcoin, as of October 2019.
- An article at CryptoSale says the dollar has lost almost 99.99% of its value against Bitcoin.
- Jason Calacanis suggests that investors should keep their Bitcoin investing to an amount they are willing to lose, since he predicts a decline in the market. He recommends investing no more than 1-5% of net worth.
- Due to challenges around Bitcoin ownership and storage, investors can either use a digital wallet or a custodial service to store Bitcoin.
- Bitcoin investors are encouraged to do their research, start small, diversify (invest in multiple cryptocurrencies), use a cold (offline) wallet, and prepare for volatility.
- Experts caution that Bitcoin investing is highly speculative and part of an unregulated market, meaning investors "should be prepared to lose their entire investment."
Proposed next steps:
You need to be the project owner to select a next step.


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A rise in food and fuel prices has seen regional economies, save for Kenya, record an increase in their December inflation figures, even as analysts warn of an expected upward spike in the medium term, as countries start adjusting fuel pump prices upwards.
Kenya’s inflation eased to 6.35 per cent in December on the back of falling cooking gas prices, from a nine-month high of 6.68 per cent in November.
Tanzania recorded a slight increase in its December figures to 5 per cent from 4.8 per cent the previous month, while Uganda also saw its figures rise to 5.7 per cent from 4.6 per cent in November. Rwanda’s cost of living on the other hand rose to 7.3 per cent, up from 6.4 per cent in November.
Low global oil prices saw the region’s cost of fuel at the pump, electricity and several food items drop significantly, pushing the inflation figures down last year.
However, all this has been undone as the basket of goods, that is used to calculate the cost of living, has risen. The higher food prices come at a time the region is facing food shortages.
In Kenya, food items that make up 36 per cent of the basket of goods used to calculate inflation, pushed up inflation from 5.8 per cent in June. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), maize flour, tomatoes and sugar are among goods that recorded a significant rise in their prices, pushing the food index up by 1.31 per cent.
“The drop in the costs of refilling cooking gas helped ease the inflation even as the increase in prices of several food items significantly outweighed the decreases of others,” KNBS said.
In Uganda, poor weather conditions that have led to food shortages in many parts of the country, contributed largely to the food price increases. In December, the annual food crop inflation rose to 10.8 per cent from 7.2 per cent in November, while fruits inflation increased to 24.8 per cent last month from 13.6 per cent the previous month.
The director of macroeconomic statistics at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBoS) Chris Mukiza said that the country will still experience high food prices due to the current weather conditions.
“Prices of the annual average food crops and related items dropped to 3.1 per cent last year, compared with a 6.7 per cent rise recorded the previous year. This will, however, be negated by the current rising food prices in the market due to bad weather, that has affected crop production in parts of the country,” said Dr Mukiza.
The Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics said the price increase for commodities in December pushed the inflation rate for food to 7.4 per cent from the 6.4 per cent recorded in November.
In Rwanda, the food element saw the highest rise of 16.4 per cent, as the country also battled food insecurity, turning to Uganda for maize imports.
Pump costs rise
Kenyan and Tanzania motorists will now have to contend with higher fuel prices after their respective energy regulators adjusted prices upwards mid-December, based on recovering global oil prices.
In Kenya, the Energy Regulatory Commission effected the month on month raise in the prices of diesel and petrol, which saw a litre of diesel rise by an average of $0.05 to retail at $0.83 a litre while petrol was up by an average of $0.03 to retail at $0.90 a litre.
Tanzania’s petrol prices rose while the cost of diesel and kerosene dropped as the country’s central bank sought to bring down transport costs, in a country that depends on road to move 90 per cent of its passengers and 75 per cent of the freight.
“The wholesale prices for diesel and kerosene have decreased by 3.91 per cent and 2.25 per cent respectively, while the cost of petrol has increased by 0.01 per cent,” Tanzania’s Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority said.
Pump prices stand at Tsh1,890 ($0.83583) for petrol and Tsh1,732 ($0.76596) for diesel currently.
In Uganda, the annual average inflation for energy fuel and utilities for last year increased to 3.9 per cent, compared with 3.5 per cent registered in 2015. In December, transport services saw an increase of 5.2 per cent from 2.9 per cent in November due to rising fuel costs.
Uganda’s energy, fuel and utilities prices also rose by 2.8 per cent from 4.8 per cent due to a 6.7 per cent rise in the cost of liquid fuels. Already, the country has seen an increase in its fuel prices in the past two months, with diesel increasing by an average of 10.8 per cent to retail at $0.72 currently.
“The increase in the cost of transport was due to the rise in fuel costs, maintenance and repairs which saw several price hikes,” UBoS said in a statement.
Last month, the Bank of Uganda lowered its benchmark lending rate by 1 per cent to 12 per cent buoying confidence that inflation will remain around the 5 per cent target.
In Kenya, the cost of power bills also rose in the review period due to an increase in the fuel cost levy as a result of increased use of expensive diesel-generated electricity, rising to $0.03 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in December from $0.02 a unit a month earlier.
Electricity costs in Rwanda rose by 7.7 per cent pushed by a rise in the cost of power and fuel.
Businesses that depend on power for manufacturing have decried the rising cost of power as this is eventually passed to the consumers, impacting household budgets.

domain: news


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The Rickey Smiley Morning Show discusses Sasha Obama getting dragged on social media for wearing a designer bag while on her way to class. The President’s daughter is receiving backlash after critics on social media scrutinized the bag for its hefty price, said Gary With Da Tea.
Gary informed that the $700 TelFar bag caught major attention as the college student strolled through campus.
“Everybody has a nice bag. She can’t have a nice bag to carry her books in?” said Da Brat.
Sasha paired the assemble with a black dress, tan boots, and black socks. The center of her outfit was the large TelFar bag, and people were outraged, said Gary. He noted that the good thing about the bag is that a Black designer makes it. The bag is sturdy, and Sasha needs a sturdy bag to carry her books in, added the Da Brat.
Since her father, Barak Obama, is no longer the President of the United States, she can carry whatever bag she wants, said Gary. However, even if her dad was still in office, Sasha should be able to sport her fashion style without scrutiny, said Da Brat. The morning show agreed that White children wear what they want when a parent is in office.
Rickey Smiley said he would not mind his child wearing an expensive designer bag if the bag was affordable to his offspring because he would not pay for it. He said Walmart has excellent bags, and Maria More agreed that the bags at Walmart were sturdy as well.


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Casio seems to constantly coming out with a steady stream of new items, and at this year’s Baselworld show, they took the wraps off a bunch of new and interesting models.
Let’s start by taking a look at MR-G. They have introduced two new models. The 1st is a limited edition with a unique texture and the other uses a unique copper colored accent. Both are very exciting pieces.
For Baselworld 2015, a new limited edition version of the G-Shock GPS Hybrid Wave Ceptor has been launched. Using Casio’s new Titanium 64 alloy, which is several times harder then pure titanium, this new model undergoes the special Aged IP treatment used on last years MT-G Baselworld Limited Edition.
It has been several years since the US market has seen Casio’s premium line known as Oceanus. Named from the ancient god of the sea, Oceanus brings the highest level of quality to the Casio line up utilizing premium materials, craftsmanship, and technology that is unrivaled. The fully metal GPS Hybrid Wave Ceptor OCWG1000 is the first of the new wave of Oceanus to return to the US Market after years of being exclusively sold in Japan. Made at Casio’s flagship facility in Yamagata, Japan, these luxury timepieces are produced on an exclusive premium production line, where only award winning craftsman assemble Oceanus, as well as Casio’s other premium products. Arizona Fine Time is extremely proud to be the first and exclusive authorized dealers for the new OCW-G1000-1A in the USA!
Last year marked a memorable day in the record books when Casio introduced one of their most expensive timepieces to the US market, bringing the MT-G Metal Twisted G-Shock to this country. This year, a new technology was brought forth with their GPW1000 series, featuring not only radio control, but also GPS timing information to make for the ultimate in accuracy. Today, we introduce a merger of these two revolutionary pieces introduced in a variation of G-Shock typically only sold in Japan as their most premium G. The MRG-G1000, known as the MR-G GPS Hybrid Wave Ceptor has officially been introduced to market, with an unbelievable metal construction, the durability G-Shock is renowned for, and the impressive technology of GPS and Multi Band 6, all powered by light.


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By Alex & Graeme
Alex & Graeme share their reactions to the Nintendo Switch following the Nintendo Switch Presentation event on 13th January 2017 and look back to see if their predictions for the console came true.
Download MP3 here.
Ahead of the launch of the PlayStation 4 Pro on the 10th November, Sony have released a list of titles that will be enhanced on launch day. These titles will see various enhancements including 4K support, HDR support, higher frame rates and improved graphics for non-4K displays. The PlayStation VR games listed below will also see enhancements with higher frame rates and resolution set to improve. Continue reading
With less than two weeks until the launch of Playstation VR (October 13th to be exact) excitement and expectation are reaching fever pitch here at Pixel HQ. For anyone on the fence with PSVR or just wanting to keep up to date with all of the games on offer, we decided to put together this list of 10 videos to get you excited for the Playstation VR. Continue reading
The Playstation VR is launching in under a month and I, for one, am super excited to get my hands on it. Releasing on October 13th in the U.K. the PSVR will come bundled with a demo disc allowing players to trial 8 VR games straight out of the box. Continue reading
A new update for Pokémon Go has been released, adding a handful of new features and fixes (full list below), included support for Pokémon Go Plus, retailing at £34.99.
‘Plus’ is a wearable accessory that allows players to interact with the game, without needing to access their mobile phone. The device was previously delayed, but now set to launch on 16th September. Continue reading
Here are all the key points from today’s press conference:


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Photo: By VladSV / Shutterstock
Global bunker trader KPI Bridge Oil has reported that its sales of 2020-compliant fuels has exceeded the sale of high sulphur fuel oils for the first time.
The milestone comes just months ahead of new rules from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requiring the use of bunker fuel with a sulphur limit of 0.5%, down from 3.5% currently.
According to Soren Holl, CEO of KPI Bridge Oil, the market should prepare for big swings in pricing for Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO), depending on location, until the market stabalizes.
“We started fixing 0.5% sulphur contracts in flow ports at the beginning of Q2 and, as expected, the demand from business partners looking to secure availability of 2020 compliant fuels has steadily increased since,” said Holl. “In this final stage of the switch to 2020 compliant fuels we’re experiencing significant price and availability fluctuations in most ports around the world as the market adjusts. We have previously talked about an anticipated price differential of 30-40% between compliant and non-compliant fuels, depending on region and local availability and this upward drive on prices seems to be materialising.”
“Until the market settles at a new equilibrium and the supply side has fully completed the transition we’ll see frequent and significant price swings depending on location and availability,” added Holl.
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Facebook Challenges FTC’s Antitrust Case
Recently, Facebook has stepped up to challenge the FTC’s Antitrust case against its playbook that questions the agency. This is an arguably expansive approach to define monopolies.
However, the company has used the old reliable statement saying that “we’re not a monopoly because we never raised prices” and “how can it be anti-competitive if we never allowed competition”.
Today, in a filed document, Facebook has laid out its case by saying “By a one-vote margin, in the fraught environment of relentless criticism of Facebook for matters entirely unrelated to antitrust concerns, the agency decided to bring a case against Facebook that ignores its own prior decisions, controlling precedent, and the limits of its statutory authority.”
Yes, Facebook is the victim here. But after the reluctant explanation that the FTC doesn’t know its own business. The company argues that the suit against Facebook should be spiked because it fails along three lines by the judge.
FTC is seeking to break up Facebook by alleging illegal monopolies. First, the FTC does not “allege a plausible relevant market” as it’s important to have a controlled market for a monopoly.
Facebook also argues that the FTC has not shown this and they are alleging only “personal social networking” and “no court has ever held that such a free goods market exists for antitrust purposes.”
The implication is not FTC failing to define the social media market, but a market may be non-existential because social media is free.
The tech has argued that “because we do not fall under any of the existing categories, we are effectively unregulated.” After all the system is incapable of regulating social media companies by its advertising practices.
The second argument, FTC says is they “cannot establish that Facebook has increased prices or restricted output because the agency acknowledges that Facebook’s products are offered for free and in unlimited quantities.”
Here, the idea is that if a product is free, it is by definition not possible for the provider to have a monopoly.
The third argument by FTC is the purchase of up-and-coming competitors for enormous sums in the buds restricts access to Facebook’s platform and data. These are not only perfectly legal but that the agency has no standing to challenge them.
Of course, the FTC revisits acquisitions and there’s precedent for unraveling them. For instance, to gain new information which was not available during the review process.
“Facebook acquired a small photo-sharing service in 2012, Instagram … after that acquisition was reviewed and cleared by the FTC in a unanimous 5-0 vote,” reads the document.
Leaks and disclosures of internal conversations with respective acquisition have left the cast it in a new light. Hence, Facebook has become far less secure than today. The company was scared that Instagram might eat away its customers, so it was better to buy than compete.
The FTC has addressed this and many of the other points in the FAQ post by Facebook.
The truth is that the antitrust practices have been stuck in a rut for decades. These have been weighed down by doctrine that says that markets are defined by good.


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It will have the biggest display ever in a Samsung phone
While it is fresh from unveiling the Galaxy A10, A30, and A50, Samsung will be launching more Galaxy A phones for this year. Recently, the Galaxy A60’s spec sheet was leaked, and it appears to be another promising mid-range phone from the South Korean brand.
The main attractions of the Galaxy A60 include a huge 4500mAh battery and a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display—both being the biggest ever from Samsung. That makes the Galaxy A60 bigger than the already huge Galaxy S10 Plus and Galaxy Note 9. It will also have an in-display fingerprint scanner and a 3D Glasstic back like the Galaxy A50.
Powering the Galaxy A60 is a Snapdragon 675 processor paired with 6GB or 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. You get 32-megapixel snappers for both the front and main rear camera, along with an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle and 5-megapixel depth-sensing cameras for its triple rear camera setup.
Should Samsung give this a good price, the Galaxy A60 will be a legit contender for the phablet market, which is currently dominated by Xiaomi, Huawei, and Honor.


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Mercedes-Benz DRIVE PILOT becomes first Level 3 autonomous driving system to be certified for US roads
Mercedes-Benz may be celebrating on the casino floor in Las Vegas right now – it has announced its DRIVE PILOT conditional autonomous driving system has been authorized for use on public roads, beginning in Nevada. DRIVE PILOT now sits as the only SAE Level 3 system in a production EV certified for operation as Mercedes looks to expand further west this year.Expand Expanding Close
XPeng completed its fourth annual 1024 Tech Day in China today, highlighting several of its latest technological breakthroughs in electric mobility. The presentation included several advancements in autonomous driving, robotic animals, and self-evolving AI platforms. Additionally, XPeng Inc. shared that its sixth generation eVTOL – the closest thing we’ve seen to an actual flying car – completed its maiden flight. Lots to unfold here, so let’s get started.Expand Expanding Close
Ahead of its official release in China, XPeng Motors has posted a teaser video showcasing the engineering (beta) version of its City Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP). The one-take video shows XPeng’s P5 sedan driving autonomously from XPeng HQ in Guangzhou to the city center, demonstrating a number of ADAS functions. If and when it reaches mass production, City NGP could offer a legitimate challenge to Tesla FSD beta.Expand Expanding Close
During its inaugural Einride Mesh technology conference, autonomous EV freight company Einride introduced new software and hardware products. This included updates to its Saga operating system as well as the debut of the new Einride Trailer – a design concept that brings end-to-end payload intelligence along with added overall range from its integrated battery.Expand Expanding Close
Autonomous driving developer Pony.ai announced it has received a license to operate its self-driving taxis in China, the first company to achieve the permit. Pony.ai will soon have 100 robotaxis in operation throughout Nansha, Guangzhou, charging riders fares alongside traditional taxis.Expand Expanding Close
Volkswagen announces generation 3.0 software update for ID. EVs including assisted driving and charging improvements
German automaker Volkswagen, has announced a long-anticipated generation 3.0 software update for its entire lineup of ID. electric vehicles. The 3.0 update includes a slew of new and optional upgrades to features like automated driving, charging performance, and the AR Heads-up Display.Expand Expanding Close
Mercedes-Benz Innovation and Technology Day: A look at EV technologies including the Vision EQXX, EQE, and Level-3 driving
During an Innovation and Technology Day held in Los Angeles, Electrek got the opportunity to learn about some of the current and upcoming technologies Mercedes-Benz is developing around its EQ series of EVs. This includes a close-up look at the VISION EQXX concept, a ride along in the upcoming EQE sedan, and experiencing Level-2 and Level-3 autonomous driving.Expand Expanding Close
Mercedes-Benz showcases its Intelligent Park Pilot technology in Los Angeles, demonstrating an EQS autonomously valet itself
During a live demonstration at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, Mercedes-Benz and Bosch offered a glimpse into the future in which our EVs will valet themselves. Using the Intelligent Park Pilot feature in the Mercedes EQS, the companies were able to demonstrate a driver pulling up, exiting the vehicle, and activating the automated valet using an app.Expand Expanding Close
The top five best-equipped countries to support autonomous vehicles – Who’s leading the self-driving revolution?
Imagine a not so distance future where you’re sitting in your electric vehicle (something truly luxurious since you’re so successful in the future), and you’re looking back on this list below and comparing predictions to your current world. You sip your ketone-infused coffee and take a bite of your zero-carb croissant while you answer emails using your glasses. In this future your vehicle is doing all the driving for you, so you can focus on your breakfast and the latest Electrek news. Look at you … crushing it. This autonomous-vehicle future may not be so far away (and will likely arrive before a zero carb croissant, to be honest), but which countries are making the most moves to support autonomous vehicles? A study by confused.com offers a comprehensive list below.Expand Expanding Close
ElectraMeccanica partners with self-driving startup to test autonomous food deliveries and rides-on-demand via SOLO EV pilot program
Compact EV manufacturer ElectraMeccanica has announced a new partnership with autonomous technology startup Faction Technology, Inc. Through the partnership, ElectraMeccanica will provide its SOLO EVs to a pilot program that will test Faction’s self-driving platform as it relates to autonomous food deliveries and vehicles on demand.Expand Expanding Close
Union Pacific becomes TuSimple’s first fully-autonomous trucking customer, moving freight between rail and first/last mile without a driver
Autonomous driving technology company TuSimple announced that North American railroad Union Pacific has signed on as its first customer for autonomous freight trucking services. UP will become the first to utilize TuSimple’s technology, which will travel between an Arizona rail yard to first and last deliveries without a driver present in the vehicle and without remote human intervention.Expand Expanding Close
TuSimple successfully operates 80-mile, autonomous semi-truck ride on public roads without a human present
Mobility software developer Apex.AI has announced a hefty sum of Series B funding to the tune of $56.5 million, bringing its total funding to $74 million raised to date. The Series B round was led by international investment firm Orillion, among several new ventures added to Apex.AI’s investor list.Expand Expanding Close
Swedish commercial freight tech company Einride has officially launched its operations in the United States, complete with a new operating system and US versions of its Pod truck. In addition to launching new transport solutions stateside, Einride has announced US customers onboard, including its tire partner Bridgestone.Expand Expanding Close
As the first days of spring are officially upon us, we focus our spotlight on GreenPower Motor Company. This EV manufacturer designs, builds, and distributes purpose-built zero-emission shuttles, cargo, and transit buses. From purpose-built mini-buses to wireless charging and Level 5 autonomous technologies, GreenPower has a lot of clean innovation going on.Expand Expanding Close
Despite all the hype about high levels of vehicle autonomy, drivers always need to keep their hands on the wheel. Audi had planned to be the first automaker to introduce so-called Level 3 autonomy, where you could take your eyes off the road and let the car drive. But the combination of legislative uncertainty and a patchwork approach to the technology led the German automaker to give up self-driving plans for the next A8 due next year.
Volkswagen will invest around $1.7 billion in Ford’s self-driving subsidiary Argo, according to a new report.
Elon Musk: more than half of new vehicles will be electric and almost all autonomous in the US within 10 years
We have recently seen several projections about the adoption of electric vehicles from different companies and research groups, like Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg, and even OPEC. Most of them predict that about half of new vehicle production will be electric at some point between 2035 and 2040.
Now Tesla CEO Elon Musk jumps in with his own prediction, which is unsurprisingly much more aggressive.
Following a report this morning from Bloomberg suggesting that Google and Chrysler were about to announce a deal that would see Google’s self-driving technology being implemented in Chrysler’s upcoming new Pacifica minivan, the CEOs of both companies have now confirmed an agreement albeit not exactly what was being discussed earlier today.
While this morning’s report suggested a plan to work on a few “dozens of self-driving prototypes” in order to later bring the technology to the production version of the Pacifica, instead the deal would now see Google buying about 100 Pacifica minivans from Chrysler to use as prototypes, but no exactly like it does with its current Lexus SUVs, and the Mountain View company will provide a “technological crash course” in self-driving technology to Chrysler though the new partnership.
Volvo announced this week that it will deploy up to 100 self-driving cars on China’s public roads. The automaker claims that the project will be “China’s most advanced autonomous driving experiment in which local drivers will test autonomous driving cars on public roads in everyday driving conditions.”
From 39 feet to 3,000 miles in 2 years: Elon Musk says Tesla will soon let you summon your car from across the country
After the well-documented release notes of the 7.1 update for the Model S and X Saturday, Tesla published a short blog update on Sunday and held a press conference to reveal its ambitions for the future of the ‘Summon’ feature, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to describes what he calls the “first baby step” of the ‘Summon’ capability and its potential for the future.


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Cheer with Sokołów!
On the occasion of the upcoming European Football Championship, Sokołów has prepared a number of surprises for fans, including a limited edition of meat snacks.
On 11 June 2021, the European Football Championship will start. For the first time in the 60-year history of the competition, the tournament will be held across the continent. Such an important event in the world of sport deserves a championship cheer accompanied by championship snacks.
In response to the needs and expectations of fans, Sokołów has launched a limited edition of products to help consumers choose the perfect menu. Among the selected products are Polish Kabanos Sausages and Salami Chips in special packaging for fans. For those who want to prepare a striking make-up fast, Sokołów has prepared a surprise. Polish Kabanos Sausages, Foodbolówki and Kabanoski from the Sokoliki line will be accompanied by easy-to-apply washable tattoos that will allow all supporters to express the unity of a common goal – support for the White and Reds. Promotional packaging will be marked with a special sticker.
The second surprise for fans is a promotional campaign that will take place from 1 June to 12 July 2021 in Sokołów and Gzella stationary stores. Every customer who will spend at least PLN 30, will receive a red and white fragrance pendant. To receive the pendant, you must purchase at least one of the three products included in the promotion: Polish Kabanos Sausages, Salami Chips classic or Foodbolówki from the Sokoliki product line.
But that is not the end of the attractions planned for football fans on the occasion of the upcoming championship. The company has prepared additional surprise for those who order Sokołów products via Wolt, orders only available in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Gdynia and Szczecin (https://wolt.com/pl/pol/warsaw/restaurant/sokolow-sklep-firmowy). Spend at least PLN 50 and you will get a free mug or a flag (of choice) and a fragrance. If you make a purchase for minimum PLN 100 you will receive a free mug, a flag, and a fragrance. The promotion starts on 01.06.2021 and continues until the freebies provided under this promotion are depleted, but no later than 12.07.2021. If the freebies are depleted or the deadline of 12.07.2021 expires, (whichever event occurs first) the promotion shall end. In order to receive the gadgets, you need to purchase at least one of the following promotional products:
Kabanosy GOLD: French 100 g, Italian 100 g, American 100 g, Argentinian 100 g, Hungarian 100 g, Polish 100 g.
Salami chips classic 60 g, Salami chips chilli 60 g, Mini smoked snacks 100 g, Mini snacks with mould 100 g, Smoked Salamitki 80 g, Salamitki with mould 80 g.
Sokoliki Foodbolówki wieners 135 g.


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Growth in digital coupons continues into 2011
After lagging in the new millennium, the use of traditional and digital coupons is blossoming again in the last two years.
Digital coupon growth is outpacing traditional coupons, according to Patrick Crisp, senior director of communications for digital coupon distributor Coupons.com – the Gap raising more than $11 million in a single day recently by partnering digital coupon site Groupon.
Target and King Soopers are among retailers at the vanguard of the resurgence of digital coupons, the latter, for example, offering “Easy King Soopers Coupons” such as:
- $0.50 off Pepperidge Farm® Bakery Products
- $.75 off 2 Yoplait Gogurt, Trix and Splitz
- $1.50 off Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew / Starbucks
Consumers are flocking to digital coupons, which are easy to use while providing brand and cash-register value for issuers.
Coupons.com Inc.’s Digital Coupons Trends Report says digital coupon savings rose 41% from 2009 to 2010, compared with 7% of newspaper-generated coupons. A Knowledge Networks study, released at the April 2010 ACP Conference and provided to Direct Marketing News by Crisp, showed that 53% of those who redeemed digital coupons had not purchased a product in the prior twelve months versus 32% who redeemed traditional print coupons – while delivering superior demographics.
Brands increasingly will turn to social media for growth, he said – particularly in Facebook and Twitter – fostering growth in “the ability to have a conversation with a consumer via a digital medium.”
This conversation can have public-relations value over and above the financial rewards. Taco Bell, for example, launched a digital coupon campaign on Facebook in February, hoping to help overcome a recent PR disaster surrounding a class-action lawsuit challenging the level of beef included in the meat used in Taco Bell products. Tens of thousands of Facebook members have “liked” the Taco Bell fan page, receiving a coupon for a free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco.
“Anywhere there is a digital connection we believe there is going to be a conversation with digital coupons from brand marketers to consumers,” said Crisp.
Filed under: Online Marketing


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E7even goes titsup
Bargain basement ISP pays for poor customer service
E7even, the unpronouncable broadband ISP, is no longer providing its customers with internet connections.
On logging in to their account on the Maidstone, Kent ISP's website, customers are offered trite advice that E7even will no longer provide any service.
The Register was contacted by disgruntled E7even customer Dan on Saturday:
It seems those of us who thought we were getting a good deal are shit out of luck today, as E7even has ceased operating literally over night. Those of us who had sniffed out the seemingly cheapest broadband around woke up this morning to find no outbound connection on our ADSL, the only thing accessible being [the] disturbingly sparse sign-up page.
The rather less fly-by-night looking EzeeDSL, part of the 186k group, has been installed to offer the easy way out to E7even customers. EzeeDSL is operating a walled garden where the connectionless can get back online if they cough up for a new account.
A FAQ on the 186k site explains:
"Unfortunately, any agreement made with E7even UK Limited is between you and them and we cannot intervene. If you want to reactivate your broadband today without any more down time you will need to enter into a new agreement with EzeeDSL.
"Unfortunately, we cannot honour any agreement you may have previously had, nor can we help you with claiming back any payment you have already made to E7even UK Limited."
More details here.
Punters wanting to join an alternative ISP face a wait until 14 July, when the E7even service officially ends. EzeeDSL said it cannot generate migration codes.
E7even offered some of the cheapest broadband on the market, but fell foul of Ofcom regulators and online forums bemoaning its terrible customer service record.
The phones were not being answered at E7even this morning. ®


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These partners to Feeding America help support our mission through promotions where money raised goes back to food banks and the people we help.
This summer Wells Fargo and Feeding America food banks are hosting drive-up food distributions at branches across the country. Learn more.
For every exclusive Feeding America® Scooby-Doo Funko Pop! sold, BoxLunch will help donate $1.50 to the Feeding America COVID-19 Response Fund to help provide food and resources to families and children in need.
Food Lion Feeds is joining together with its customers and food bank partners this Fall to help end hunger by offering specially-marked "Food Lion Feeds" branded Gala Apple bags in its stores starting September 16, 2020.
For every UPC code entered online from participating Quaker® products, the Quaker Oats Company will donate $1.00 to Feeding America®.
Casey's General Stores #HereForGood child hunger campaign, from September 8, 2020 to September 30, 2020, will have a goal to reach 10 million meals.
During September Hunger Action Month, the dairy community – along with Feeding America – will be rallying consumers across the country to get nutritious food to families facing hunger.
Starting Sept 1, 2020, Pampered Chef launched Serve Up a Little Kindness, which will provide at least 10 meals* to Feeding America for each Silicone and Wood Utensil set sold.
American Express has committed to matching card members' reward points up to 1 million dollars.
For each post using hashtags #ForTodaysTable and their local brand (either #GIANT or #MARTINS) The GIANT Company will donate 100 meals* to neighbors in need.
From 8/10 to 12/31/20, all CVS stores will be ROUNDING UP at the register in support of Feeding America. 90% of proceeds to the members where the round up was made.
To celebrate Hunger Action Month, Kruger Products are supporting Feeding America. For every purchase of White Cloud® Bathroom Tissue $1 will be donated to Feeding America and the network of Food Banks to support families across the country.
The P&G Good Everyday community is working together to turn simple actions into ways to do good for others.
Always is partnering with Feeding America to get period products to people in need.
From August 18, 2020 through October 31, 2020, Save A Lot invites customers to make change with their change by rounding up their transaction total to the nearest whole dollar amount, with proceeds benefiting Feeding America member food banks.
Crate and Barrel will be encouraging customers to make a donation at the register in honor of their local food banks COVID-19 relief efforts.
By purchasing a Share a Meal combo at any BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie deli department with a participating Coca-Cola products, 10 cents will be donated to Feeding America food banks throughout SEG’s seven-state footprint.
Starbucks increases its investment in the mobile pantry program with a $1M donation to support 13 food banks across the U.S.
For every scanned Feeding America logo on specially marked boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, General Mills will donate five meals* to your local food bank.


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DENVER – A bill headed to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk would extend several of the rules for Colorado retail marijuana operators on to medical marijuana licensees and manufacturers in what is seen as an expansion of the state’s medical marijuana rules.
The Senate voted unanimously, 35-0, Monday to pass House Bill 1034 on to the governor’s desk. It passed the House by a 63-1 vote on Feb. 2.
The bill would affect several changes aimed at helping medical marijuana licensees should it be signed by the governor.
First, it would create a license for medical marijuana business operators who receive profits from the industry but are not owners of a property, something already required for recreational marijuana business operators.
The bill would also change state rules that currently allow medical marijuana licensees only to move their business within the city or county, and allow them to move anywhere in the state, as long as it is approved by the state and the local jurisdiction the licensee is moving to.
The change would put medical licensees on the same plane as retail licensees.
Another facet of the bill would allow medical marijuana licensees to try and “remediate” any product that tested positive for substances “injurious to health,” such as pesticides, before having to destroy it. However, this rule would apply only to products that test positive for microbials.
That rule currently also applies to recreational retail marijuana licensees, but not to medical licensees, and could help them save product that would otherwise be considered a total loss.
A final change the bill would make would be to allow manufacturers of medical marijuana-infused products, like edibles, to buy and sell medical marijuana to or from one another.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, and Sen. Randy Baumgardner, a Republican from the Western Slope.
The original bill did not include the remediation or transfer of medical marijuana between manufacturers, but the language was added by the House ahead of its passage.
The Legislative Council found the bill would have minimal state and local fiscal impacts.


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Apple Executives Address Lack of Face ID and Touchscreens on Macs
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern, a pair of Apple executives have addressed what is probably the most contentious and talked about features missing on the Mac - Face ID and touchscreen input.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Mac is the lack of Face ID. Since Face ID's launch on the iPhone X, some have wondered if Apple will ever bring it to the Mac. A report earlier in the year suggested it will happen in the future, but the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with the notch, and the lack of Face ID, have brought the debate back to the mainstream.
Addressing why the Mac lacks Face ID, Tom Boger, Apple's vice president of iPad and Mac product marketing, told Stern that Touch ID is more convenient on the Mac since users' hands are already on the keyboard.
Touch ID on the upper-right hand corner of the keyboard lets users easily authenticate by just placing their finger on the sensor. Still, Face ID on the Mac would presumably be even easier, as the Mac would unlock once a user looks at the display, similar to Face ID's behavior on the iPhone and iPad.
And Face ID? When I stare at the laptop's giant notch, I wonder why I can't unlock the machine with my face. Mr. Boger said Touch ID is more convenient on a laptop since your hands are already on the keyboard.
Another hot topic of debate surrounding the Mac has been touchscreen capabilities. The notion has been that if Macs were to gain touch input, it would cannibalize iPad sales. John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, seemingly agrees and said that it's not something Apple has felt the need to do.
"We make the world's best touch computer on an iPad. It's totally optimized for that. And the Mac is totally optimized for indirect input. We haven't really felt a reason to change that," John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, told me.
Ternus and Boger also addressed more specific questions about the newly launched 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and Apple silicon in general. Recent MacBooks feature non-user upgradeable RAM, so the amount of RAM can't be upgraded down the line if a user finds they need extra memory than what shipped with the computer.
Both executives say that Apple silicon's "unified memory architecture" enables higher performance on Macs with Apple silicon, suggesting that similar performance levels would not be achievable without UMA.
The new MacBook Pros brought back many features enjoyed by Mac users that were taken away during the laptop's redesign in 2016. Most notably, Apple has brought back additional ports such as HDMI and MagSafe, removed the Touch Bar, improved the displays, and more.
Speaking generally to the reversal of changes this year, Boger told Stern that Apple is always "listening to its customers," which meant it ultimately needed to undo some of its previous Mac design decisions.
“We’re constantly listening to our customers and with this new lineup of MacBook Pros we decided to make some changes as we do a lot on the Mac,” Tom Boger, Apple’s Vice President of Mac and iPad Product Marketing, told me.
Run that through the executive-to-English translator and it comes out pretty clear: We were wrong.
In the full article, Stern also reviews the new MacBook Pros, applauding the return of more ports, full-size function keys, and more.


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U.S. sues Apple, publishers over electronic books
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In this file photo, people gather outside an Apple retail store on Fifth Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York on Friday, March 16, 2012.
Photos: Cameron Datanagan's pigeons
Photos: H.S. Basketball: Iolani vs. St. Louis, Jan. 28
Photos: H.S. Soccer: Aiea vs. Moanalua, Jan. 27
More Photo Galleries »


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The annual computer graphic and interactive technology confab SIGGRAPH 2018, which took place at the Vancouver Convention Center Aug. 12-16, was a big success. The event attracted over 16,500 professionals, students and fans from all around the world.
During the course of the conference, close to 700 papers, courses, lectures, installations, artworks, and experiences were shared, culled from nearly 2,300 submissions from around the world. In addition, almost 1,000 speakers participated. Select sessions and events were livestreamed, generating significant social media reach with over 60K views on the ACM SIGGRAPH YouTube channel and 50K views on the SIGGRAPH Conferences Facebook page thus far.
On the conclusion of this year’s event, SIGGRAPH 2018 Conference Chair Roy C. Anthony said, “SIGGRAPH is a place where those of us in the digital arts and interactive technology arenas come to recharge our creative engines. This year’s contributors delivered incredible content sure to inspire future generations working within these fields. People attend SIGGRAPH each year because they know they’ll be offered a ‘sneak peek’ of the magic behind the curtain. SIGGRAPH is truly a global community — a network where artists, practitioners, educators, and scientists gather to infuse each other with new ideas, find stimulating sources of mentorship, and collaborate on new opportunities.”.”
The Exhibition played host to nearly 160 diverse companies on the show floor, each showcasing the latest in technologies, products, and services. Due to the remarkable increase in the amount of new technology that has debuted in the global computer graphics marketplace over this past year, nearly one quarter of this year’s exhibitors presented at SIGGRAPH for the first time. Major announcements from 2018 exhibitors included the release of: NVIDIA’s Quadro RTX 5000, 6000, and 8000 turing-powered GPUs; Khronos Group’s VR/AR standard API, OpenXR; Vicon’s Origin (VR suite); Chaos Group’s V-Ray Cloud; AMD’s Radeon Pro WX 8200; Sketchfab’s MASSIVE; Lenovo’s ThinkPad P1; and, StarVR’s One VR headset.
Among the show’s highlights were the keynote, a conversation on creativity by Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director, and Head of Industrial Light & Magic Rob Bredow; two world premiere short films, Walt Disney Animation Studio’s Cycles and Platige Image’s Miazmat; a collection of 50 original artworks from Syd Mead, renowned futurist and visionary, on display in the Production Gallery; the return of SIGGRAPH’s two-day Business Symposium; sneak peek Production Sessions on upcoming studio releases Missing Link (LAIKA Studios) and Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios); and, a special session celebrating the 50-year history of the VR headset, featuring the “Father of Computer Graphics” Ivan E. Sutherland (watch via the livestream).
Attendees also enjoyed installations from around the world within the Experience Hall and the brand-new Immersive Pavilion, which featured a VR museum, Vrcade, Village, and the Computer Animation Festival VR Theater. For those who came to learn, opportunities were vast and covered the most cutting-edge technical research and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques, including presentations on 128 technical papers.
Emerging Technologies Best in Show
“Steerable Application-Adaptive Near-Eye Displays”
Kishore Rathinavel, Praneeth Chakravarthula, and Turner Whitted, UNC Chapel Hill, NVIDIA Corporation; Kaan Aksit, Josef Spjut, Ben Boudaoud, and David Luebke, NVIDIA Corporation; and, Henry Fuchs, UNC Chapel Hill


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ANAHEIM, Calif., March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA), a national grassroots advocacy group based in Washington, DC committed to natural and sustainable healthcare, estimates that between 15,000 and 30,000 nutritional supplements will be permanently removed from the marketplace if FDA is able to implement its New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) Draft Guidance for the supplement industry. "The Natural Products Expo West is an outstanding opportunity for ANH-USA to connect with the 58,0000 attendees of world's largest natural and organic products trade show and ask them to help protect access to vitamin supplements," said Gretchen DuBeau, executive and legal director of ANH-USA.
At issue is the NDI draft guidance, which if implemented, would have disastrous effects on the entire natural health community. A report commissioned by ANH-USA estimates that the proposed FDA regulation would cost nutritional supplement manufacturers and distributors up to $6.1 billion just to meet the onerous new requirements. The report also found that if the new rules are implemented, 52.5% of nutritional supplements currently on the market would be banned from sale, at an annual loss of up to $14.7 billion. "One thing is certain," DuBeau stated. "If the FDA adopts its NDI draft guidance, the disastrous impacts will be felt throughout the entire community—manufacturers, retailers, health practitioners, and consumers will have far fewer choices and far higher costs."
DuBeau noted that many natural health consumers, practitioners, and industry representatives have already voiced their concern. Since the NDI draft guidance was introduced last year, 400,000 messages were sent to Congress and FDA through ANH-USA's efforts. "But we're only just ramping up our efforts. We look forward to the support, the insights, and most important of all, the assistance of the world's largest natural and organic products trade show and its 58,000 attendees," stated DuBeau.
Visit the Alliance for Natural Health USA at the Natural Product Expo West Booth #5914 to learn more about how you can help protect our access to nutritional supplements.
About the Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA)
The Alliance for Natural Health USA is part of an international organization dedicated to promoting natural, sustainable healthcare through good science and good law. We protect the right of natural health practitioners to practice, and the right of consumers to choose the healthcare options and treatment modalities they prefer, including complementary and alternative medicine. As a membership-based organization, we unite consumers, practitioners, and industry to speak with a common voice and have worked since 1992 to shift the medical paradigm from an exclusive focus on surgery, drugs and other conventional techniques to an "integrative" approach incorporating food, dietary supplements and lifestyle changes.
Company: Alliance for Natural Health USA
Address: 1350 Connecticut Ave NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20036
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Alliance for Natural Health USA


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Home Tags China
PSBC to roll out online consumer banking services
The bank says it will deepen its cooperation with Ant Financial and Shenzhen Tencent in internet and mobile finance. Read More: ww2.cfo.com
FinTech leads charge to improve forex payments for China
Growing investments in fintech services are poised to disrupt traditional foreign-exchange channels and drive the expansion of cross-border retail e-commerce. Read more: www.scmp.com
Bitcoin gets legal protection in China
The Chinese authorities issued a notice on the risk prevention of Bitcoin in 2013. Read more: e27.co
China’s P2P lending sector faces risk control challenges
Information technologies and innovation are not only reshaping the landscape ofmanufacturing but changing the roadmap of the virtual financial sector. Read more: www.chinadaily.com.cn
China hinted it could increase FinTech regulation
Fintech companies in China could soon face some more hurdles. Read more: uk.businessinsider.com
Circle pay app launches Chinese operations with $60m in local financing
Instant payments app Circle, which so far provided services to the US and the UK, has now expanded to China with a $60m in fresh funding from local investors.
China is the biggest market in FinTech – the world just...
China is the biggest market in fintech but the world just doesn’t know it yet. It is true, take a look at the chart above. Read more: www.lendacademy.com


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PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup daily tracking results from the month of July show job creation down 33% and consumer spending down 40% from a year ago. The year-to-year decline in job creation is generally consistent across regions. Spending is down the most in the Midwest and the least in the South.
In July, an average of 24% of U.S. workers nationwide reported that their employers were hiring new employees and expanding the size of their workforces. That figure is essentially unchanged from June (23%). The same is true in most regions of the country -- with the exception of the West, in which job creation increased to 22% from 19% the prior month. Even so, July job creation is worst in the West, while it is best in the South (26%).
U.S. consumers' self-reported daily spending averaged $62 per day in stores, restaurants, gas stations, and online in July. This is essentially unchanged compared to June's average of $61 per day. Spending was largely unchanged in the East and Midwest but was up $7 in the South and down $4 in the West.
Unlike the unemployment rate, which is a well-recognized trailing or lagging economic indicator, Gallup's job-creation measure -- much like jobless claims -- is more of a leading or at minimum a coincident indicator of economic performance. Job creation is essential to economic growth, and having job gains exceed job loss is vital to economic recovery and, eventually, to a reduction in the unemployment rate. In July, job loss (26%) exceeded job creation (24%) by two points -- essentially the same as the situation that has existed over the past couple of months.
In this regard, Gallup's July results suggest that the job market remains weak. Consistent with Wednesday's ADP and Challenger job reports and in sharp contrast to a year ago, new hiring continues to trail job loss. And while there has been a modest improvement in the rate of job creation vs. job loss compared to earlier in the year, the job-market situation remains dismal.
In turn, consumers remain cautious -- despite the success of "cash for clunkers" -- with average daily spending excluding autos, homes, and normal household bills remaining essentially flat during the first seven months of this year, and down 40% in July from a year ago. In part, this is likely due to the psychological shock associated with the financial crisis and associated worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, as well as the resulting creation of a spending and credit "new normal." However, in addition to the "new normal," there are other factors that may be holding down consumer spending. These temporary factors probably largely include today's dismal job-market conditions and the fear of further job loss.
Right now, the markets seem focused on Friday's unemployment report. If it exceeds the 9.7% consensus -- which would be up from June's 9.5% -- there could be negative economic and political fallout. However, regardless of what the government reports -- and an analysis of recent Gallup data on the job market suggests the unemployment rate is likely to reach or exceed 9.7% -- the real key to the course of the economy in the months ahead is job creation and the consumer spending it could unleash.
For Gallup Poll Daily tracking, Gallup interviews approximately 1,000 national adults, aged 18 and older, each day. The Gallup consumer spending results are based on random half-samples of approximately 500 national adults, aged 18 and older, each day. The Gallup job creation and job loss results are based on a random half sample of approximately 250 current full- and part-time employees each day. For the total monthly samples of these surveys, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.


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In just four years, Herschel Supply Co. has become a mainstay in trendsetting boutiques and major department stores worldwide. Largely due to the efforts by brothers Jamie and Lyndon Cormack, as well as their functionally designed accessories and premium built. For the start of a new year, Herschel Supply will be introducing its very first seasonal design theme to the popular Studio Collection. Simply named “The Invitational,” the collection harks back to decades ago when the sport of tennis was an “invite-only” affair. Played on neatly trimmed grass courts with wooden racquets heavier than some baseball bats, the polished game of gentlemen and ladies were nevertheless as competitive as today’s variation.
Made for travel, the collection will include 13 different styles, each featuring details inspired by tennis such as the woven appliqués of tennis racquets or horizontal stripe patterns. Finished with a cotton-chambray liners on the inside, the Herschel Supply Co. Spring 2013 Studio Collection will available soon via select retailers worldwide.


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Back to School signifies a time of year that parents look forward to and dread at the same time. Shopping lists may include all the usual supplies such as pencils, pens and notebooks, but can also mean stocking up on cough medicine, chicken soup, and tissues. It’s dubbed the “Back-to-School Plague” for a reason. Germs ..
The back-to-school and back-to-college crowd can expect to spend around $74.9 billion this year on school supplies (around $669 per family). According to the National Retail Federation, 1/3 of that money will be spent on electronics. That’s a lot of buttons and various surfaces touched in stores by shoppers in a short period of time. ..


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DENVER — Plastic bag use at grocery stores will remain free in Colorado.
On Wednesday, a bill by Rep. Paul Rosenthal, D-Denver, to tax plastic bag use at 25 cents per visit died in committee.
The use of plastic bags at grocery stores has come under heavy scrutiny in recent years. It’s estimated Americans use 100 billion each year.
While Rosenthal, along with other Democrats, supported the measure, it was some Democrats and Republicans in the Local Government Committee who killed the bill Wednesday.
The bill would have raised money to go toward affordable housing.
Some cities and states have banned the use of plastic bags, including many Colorado towns such as Vail and Telluride.AlertMe


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Rémy Cointreau has appointed Eric Vallat as its new group CEO, effective from 1 December 2019. Read more
Pernod Ricard has entered into an agreement to acquire alcohol manufacturer and marketer Castle Brands for approximately $223m. Read more
Italian branded beverage company Campari Group have entered into “exclusive negotiations” with Chevrillon Group to acquire French company Rhumantilles SAS. Rhumantilles owns 9... Read more
Spirits companies and producer organisations have joined forces to create a new international trade association called the World Spirits Alliance. Read more
Upcoming changes in the governance of the Rémy Cointreau Group will see Valérie Chapoulaud-Floquet step down as chief executive officer, for personal reasons, by the end of 2019. C... Read more
Fever-Tree has entered the ready-to-drink market with the launch of three bottled gin and tonics, as it looks to bring added convenience for consumers. Read more
Scottish distiller Caorunn has launched its first flavoured gin – a raspberry iteration – to mark ten years since the brand was founded. Read more
Fever-Tree has developed three new takes on ginger ale for the US market, bringing new value-add propositions to the ginger flavours subcategory. Read more
Beam Suntory has rebranded its South Africa-based ABV Brands distribution unit, which it fully acquired in 2018, as Beam Suntory South Africa. Read more
There are more pink gin and rosé wine options this Valentine's Day than ever before, according to the UK's Wine and Spirits Trade Association. Read more
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2019
World Beverage Innovation Awards – ENTER NOW!
The awards celebrate excellence and innovation across the global beverage industry.
Don’t miss out on having your innovations recognised on a global scale.


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21 Mar Connect2Me: A Growing Resource for IoT Startups
If you’re involved in the Internet of Things (IoT) space, you’d do well to check out the fantastic resource being built over at Connect2.me, which is based in Dallas.
Connect2Me, as the service is officially called, can be thought of as a kind of IoT directory service that’s building what it calls “an aggregated and growing list of smart devices and API providers in the IoT space.” It’s a place where developers can come to find new devices and services, learn about those products, and access all of the developer documentation they need, including APIs and SDKs, to start making products and services around them.
In effect, the idea is to try and help streamline the process of discovering and building new IoT devices and services. That’s not such a bad idea when one considers how many millions of faceless connected devices are already out there in the world, that are not currently being tapped into.
A quick glance at Connect2Me site shows that it’s still got some way to go before it becomes the kind of fully comprehensive IoT listings directory it wants to be, but the listings it does have are extremely detailed. As well as the documentation, there are several success stories for each device and service on the site, as well as a list of interesting possible implementations. The site currently features more than 125 connected devices and over 50 APIs, and is growing.
“Connect2Me is an education marketplace that will help developers find IoT devices,” said Connect2me founder Yasser Khan in an interview last year. “We have multiple phases going forward. So anyone who wants to build an IoT application will be able to do a deep introspective, evoke some of the APIs, and see what value is being provided, what sort of handshake/authentication they have, and then start to build their applications.”
Connect2Me has already garnered a lot of attention in local circles thanks to its participation in HackDFW 2015. It’s currently being advised by Dallas native Pete DeNagy, chair of the IoT forum at Tech Titans.


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Lyft released an economic impact report today, which found that the ride-sharing service contributed $12.3 million to Baltimore’s local economy this year.
The study, conducted by Land Econ Group, found Baltimoreans using Lyft will save $3 million in travel time value, more than 285,000 travel hours, this year.
It found that nearly three-quarters of Lyft drivers in Baltimore used their earnings to support a small business, while 56 percent of riders use Lyft to commute to and from work. Forty-one percent of rides start in underserved areas, the company said.
According to The Baltimore Sun,
“Passengers have responded to the significant time savings and enhanced mobility Lyft provides by visiting local businesses more often, staying out longer, and exploring new areas of their city that are otherwise difficult to reach,” said Bill Lee, senior partner at Land Econ Group, in a statement released by Lyft.
The survey was conducted for 20 cities in which Lyft operates — including Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle — and it found that the economies in those cities would see a collective $750 million in extra spending due to the rideshare firm’s presence.
Eighty-eight percent of Baltimore Lyft drivers have given a ride to a neighbor, and three-quarters of passengers said they are able to access new parts of the city because of the service, said Mike Heslin, Lyft’s Baltimore Market Manager. Sixty-five percent of riders use their personal vehicle less because of the rideshare company.
The study was released as ridesharing services await a decision from the Maryland Public Service Commission on whether they will have to begin fingerprinting drivers as part of background checks, as is required for taxi drivers and many other professionals licensed by the state.
Uber threatened to withdraw from the market over the dispute. Lyft did not say whether it would stay in Baltimore if fingerprinting is required, but said New York is the only city where it operates that requires fingerprinting.
Riders nationwide saved more than $500 million and 26 million travel hours this year by using Lyft instead of other means of transportation, the study said.
Read the full article for more information.


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As you may recall, back in 2016, ProPublica ran ads on Facebook that explicitly excluded targeting users who were black, Hispanic, or other so-called “Ethnic Affinities.” Facebook said it would get rid of the feature in mid 2018. However, that same practice led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to charge Facebook last week with “encouraging, enabling, and causing housing discrimination” in violation of the Fair Housing Act. While the lawyers sort that out, out comes an academic study put together by six researchers from Boston’s Northeastern University, the University of Southern California, and policy group Upturn.
The researchers spent $8,500 running dozens of housing ads on the platform but set the targeting parameters to be “highly inclusive,” according to the paper. Despite their efforts to target every race equally, they found that Facebook’s platform seemed to target by race anyway. For instance, they published ads for houses in North Carolina that were up for either sale or rent. The ads for homes that were for sale were delivered to an audience that was 75% white users. Ads for houses that were for rent were shown to a more mixed demographic.
The researchers also ran identical ads for houses but swapped a white family in one ad with a black family in another. The ad with the white family was shown to 85% white users, while the same ad with the black family was served to an audience of 73% white users, even though the researchers set the ads to be targeted identically. They found similar results when running ads “stereotypically of most interest to black users (e.g., hip-hop),” which were “delivered to over 85% black users,” while country music ads were delivered to over 80% white users, even when targeted identically by the advertiser.
If the study is accurate, it means that even advertisers who want to be inclusive and target all audiences equally may not be able to on the platform. As the researchers wrote: “This underscores the need for policymakers and platforms to carefully consider the role of the ad delivery optimization run by ad platforms themselves—and not just the targeting choices of advertisers—in preventing discrimination in digital advertising.” That said, recently Facebook has said it will limit ad targeting.
We reached out to Facebook for comment and Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne replied, “We stand against discrimination in any form. We’ve announced important changes to our ad targeting tools and know that this is only a first step. We’ve been looking at our ad delivery system and have engaged industry leaders, academics, and civil rights experts on this very topic – and we’re exploring more changes.”


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1. June 7 — National Doughnut Day
The first Friday of June — June 7, this year — is National Doughnut Day, with a hole lot of sweet freebies.
Participating chains don’t typically announce plans until very near the date, but it’s likely many from last year’s freebie deals will be involved again.
A couple of examples from 2018:
- Dunkin’ (known until recently as Dunkin’ Donuts) gave a free classic doughnut with a beverage purchase.
- Krispy Kreme offered a free doughnut with no purchase required.
Learn more: Check with your favorite doughnut purveyors for details.


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Key elements discussed include customs procedures and trade facilitation, electronic commerce, services, and more.
NZ-China FTA upgrade
We are negotiating an upgrade of our existing free trade agreement with China to modernise it, further reduce barriers impacting exports, and boost trade.
News & Events
We are seeking views on what the new set of global biodiversity targets should be
New Zealand has ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Latest update for New Zealand exporters on Europe and UK trade issues.
We were pleased to have the New Zealand delegation in Beijing 25-27 April for the first round of the New Zealand-China FTA upgrade negotiations.


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TORONTO – “We are absolutely shocked and dismayed that the federal government has decided to saddle Canadian Spirits manufacturers with higher taxes at this time, knowing full well that such a decision will lead to more layoffs and plant closures”, said Jan Westcott, President & CEO of Spirits Canada.
The federal Budget imposed an immediate increase in the federal excise duty on Spirits from $11.696 per litre of absolute alcohol to $11.930 per litre of absolute alcohol. The excise increase of approximately 7 cents per 750 ml bottle of 40% abv spirits will raise retail prices by 20 cents at retail for most brands.
Thunder Bay does not have any spirits distillers. However Justin Frape of Frape and Sons who make bitters comments, “While we are thrilled to retain our cocktail bitters distillery in Thunder Bay, the imposition of additional taxes on beverage alcohol at both the federal and provincial level of late, further reinforces that our investment in an American beverage alcohol distillery is wise”.
Frape and Sons (F&S) is a boutique bitters distiller, formulator and bottler based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Equipped with brewing and distillation equipment from the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee, Frape and Sons makes batches of no more than 500 bottles at a time using ingredients local to the province of Ontario.
Canadian Spirits manufacturers already bear amongst the very highest tax burden of any major spirits producing region in the world. Over the past 10 years alone, federal excise duty revenues from spirits have increased a stunning 50%. While representing 23% of the value of alcohol sales in Canada, Spirits now generate 45% of federal beverage alcohol excise duty revenues.
The decision to increase federal excise duty rates on beverage alcohol undermines the Government’s own objective of creating a business environment where manufacturers, particularly processed agri-food producers, can thrive and export abroad successfully.
“This appears to be a classic example of “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face”, said Mr. Westcott. “Higher excise taxes will reduce industry investments in our plants and brands, force a scaling back of innovation, depress sales, reduce our grains’ purchases from Canadian farms, and lower our new export market development”.
The Budget also proposes to increase automatically the excise duty rates on all beverage alcohol products by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on April 1st of every year.
The Budget proposal to automatically adjust federal excise duties to CPI is a return to the failed policies of the past. Between 1981 and 1986, annual automatic adjustments to alcohol excise duties resulted in massive job losses, and plant closures across the country.


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How the rise of new event formats is bringing back hope to the industry?
The event industry has to do away with older formats that deal with large gatherings and adapt to virtual and hybrid events say experts.
Covid-19 has changed the event industry forever. Given the churn that the industry is going through, there is little doubt that the way events will be held from now on may also change forever.
Experts say that covid-19 has forced the industry to look at newer formats of organising events. These formats would be developed keeping in mind various challenges posed by the pandemic.
Technology is already being deployed by event agencies to adjust to the changed market climate. A mix of digital and physical events might become mainstream as we look at the road to recovery.
The event industry has to do away with older formats that deal with large gatherings and adapt to virtual and hybrid events and curate immersive experiences that resonate with the audiences.
So will we witness the rise of alternative event formats when the markets open up? To get to the depth of this idea, we spoke to some event industry leaders and here is what they had to say.
Roshan Abbas, MD, Geometry Encompass
Today we are doing all kinds of events-- fully pre-recorded, partially live and part recorded, and fully live digital experiences.
The big advantage we are seeing is that there is no limit of time, distance or number of attendees. Therefore depending on the clients need any of these formats is used. Post the pandemic we believe there will be an 80:20 ratio of physical to digital events. Most live events will build a secondary audience online.
At Geometry Encompass we are suggesting unique environments, interactive experiences, and creating bespoke platforms along with curated talent to build the most engaging and shareable experiences for brands like HP, Zee, True North & P&G.
A healthy share of experimentation is also possible as platforms keep adding new features for creators to play with. We are using this to conduct engaging theatrical experiences, workshops and festivals as well.
Vijay Arora, Director, Touchwood Group
I truly believe, different times come with different opportunities. It’s on us how to cash on these opportunities. We’re concentrating on IPs that are directly or indirectly related to events and allied services. With time and resources in hand we’ve invested ourselves in research and creative thinking.
At Touchwood Group, we understand that virtual events are the need of the hour, and mostly everybody would be opting for these in the near future, till things become better. The idea is to bring something new and unique to the table every time we go live with a virtual event.
Understanding the client’s needs and requirements, brainstorming ways to bring the idea to life and executing it; the entire process should look like a smooth sail. In these tough times more resourceful and affective measures need to be taken to provide digital solutions for almost everything.
Piyush Gupta, President, Kestone
The industry has just started its journey in the virtual universe and from what can be interpreted now, the possibilities are limitless. Virtual events are just a part of this universe and this will shape not only the business and marketing landscape, but will also touch the social and personal aspects as well. The industry is not far from the day when virtual universities will produce the future geniuses, or when users will experience a whole new retail experience from the comfort of their homes.
Those organisations which are propelled by this spirit of imagination and possibilities, and armed with virtual platforms that are futuristic, will soon be looking forward to that day when they will be able to touch every life in this country and beyond.
Aniket Sharma, Co-founder and Head- Strategic Planning, 121XP
The silver lining of the pandemic for event industry is that it has now wiped the slate clean for everyone to reboot. What is available in the first world is now also available and being developed in the emerging world or what was available for the bigger players is now also available for the emerging players as well. It's a level playing ground now from a virtual point of view and one that will redefine to stay relevant and make it count to come out victorious when all this is over will be ready to restart.
Most event agencies have very swiftly pivoted to virtual event experiences. Since the social distancing norms and fears make public held events almost impossible, the virtual formats are taking over. Agencies have very quickly upgraded themselves with virtual technologies in bringing the brand experiences alive. The brands themselves have pivoted to virtual launches for their idea pipelines. Not just do the brands have adjusted to this new normal the savings compared to the physical event is making it economical and scalable in the current times.
Around The World


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Pall–Ex, the European palletised freight specialist has been celebrating 20 years in business with a year of events and initiatives which have been making a big difference to members, customers and charities across the UK. Pall-Ex launched its ‘20 Ways to Make a Difference’ campaign to coincide with the unveiling of the network’s new strapline – ‘Making the Difference.’ The campaign has involved some exciting new initiatives for members and customers, and staff donating time and resources to charity work.
But for all this, Pall-Ex remains firmly focused on achieving its business objectives and setting the highest possible standards of excellence. It’s a strategy that has paid off. Over the past two decades, Pall-Ex has grown from a primarily UK-based network into a marketleading player across multiple European territories, with over 350 members across Europe.
Hilary Devey CBE, Founder, CEO and Chairman of the Pall-Ex Group, took time out of her busy schedule to talk to Warehouse & Logistics News.
Warehouse & Logistics News – Hilary, for people who haven’t heard the story, how did you come to start Pall-Ex?
It all started when I overheard a conversation with a haulier back more than two decades ago. This client was saying it had taken nearly two weeks to deliver one pallet of freight from Cardiff to Carlisle because he had to wait for enough orders to come in to fill the lorry before it set off.
This to me sounded completely unacceptable, so I devised a method by which hauliers could be grouped by postcode. By delivering and collecting freight from a central hub, this would mean deliveries were done much faster.
WLN – What was it like in those days?
Back in the mid-90s there were those who said Pall-Ex wouldn’t even last 12 months, but 20 years later we’re still leading the charge from the front. On our first night back in 1996, the hub was just an old aircraft hangar, without electricity, running water or static toilets – not ideal for 40 lorry drivers! Since then, we’ve grown from delivering 117 pallets that first night to over 10,000 every single night.
WLN – What were the main stages in Pall-Ex’s development over the last 20 years?
Our first hub in Wymeswold, Leicestershire, and in the following year we moved to a bigger hub in Gotham, Nottinghamshire, boosting our ability to deliver 1,000 pallets a night. In our second year, we already had 50 members across the UK, and by the millennium, had bumped this up to 84 and had delivered 2 million pallets. 2003 saw our move to the purpose-built hub where we are currently stationed, in Ellistown, Leicestershire.
WLN – How has the company evolved over time?
2009 was arguably our biggest turning point, and saw our transformation from a domestic network into a competitive, international market leader in freight distribution across Europe. Pall-Ex Italia officially opened, followed by Spain & Portugal in 2010, Romania in 2011, France in 2012 and Benelux in 2015. Today, we have over 350 members across Europe, and are in discussions with new partners in Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Scandinavia.
WLN – Are there more women in logistics now than 20 years ago? Are things any easier for them these days than when you were getting Pall-Ex started? What would you say to women thinking of coming into the logistics business now?
When I started, logistics was a male-dominated sector. Today, we see many more women in the industry, and I think that’s in part due to the changing perception that there are more opportunities than simply lorry driving roles. Whether that’s in finance, operations, marketing, customer care – the list of career options in logistics is endless.
If I were to give any advice to someone looking for a career in logistics, I would say that it’s a hugely competitive industry and you need determination to succeed.
WLN – Who else is on the senior management team at Pall-Ex? What’s your style as a CEO – arms length or hands on?
I am indeed fully involved in the daily running of Pall-Ex. Even when I’m not in the office, I’m receiving reports, calls and emails on an hourly basis.
We’ve recently made a number of exciting new senior appointments, with Chris Holland joining as director of IT, Mark Steel taking the role of director of sales and marketing, and welcoming Adrian Bradley as director of operations.
Our group managing director, Kevin Buchanan, has been a real asset to Pall-Ex since he started in 2014. I know that with Kevin’s experience, sector knowledge and commitment to quality, I can focus on the strategy and vision of Pall-Ex for the coming years, while Kevin maintains the highest level of customer care to our members and corporate customers.
WLN – Where is your main UK hub? How does it compare with other pallet networks’ hubs?
The purpose built, central Pall-Ex hub is based in Ellistown, Leicestershire, and was the first nondrive- through hub model in the industry, providing greater overall security and a 100 per cent emissionfree and environmentally friendly location for goods such as foodstuffs and electronics.
WLN – Can you tell us about your European operations? How do they work?
Pall-Ex’s international success since 2009 is based on the premise that simply taking a concept that worked well in the UK, and emulating it in a different country, does not work.
We knew we needed to approach companies already established in its target territories to launch the Pall-Ex hub-and-spoke model with the support of a specialist bilingual team based in the UK.
So, we introduced the first European network in 2009 in Italy, with a master license agreement, meaning we can employ a considerate and respectful understanding of each of the countries’ industries and existing conditions.
WLN – The classic model for a pallet network is that a group of professional haulage companies work together as members to provide a cost effective, nationwide next day delivery. They collect and deliver palletised freight in their own zone and trunk it to a central hub to be transhipped and taken on. How do you differ from that model?
I was one of the pioneers of the hub and spoke model, and I know it works. We are continually investing in the network, improving services, infrastructure, technology and quality of customer care.
Our environmental policies are also robust. Pall-Ex is the only palletised freight network to hold UK-wide ISO 14001 accreditation across the entirety of its network, which has a large environmental focus.
WLN – Besides reducing the amount of lorries returning empty, how ‘green’ is Pall-Ex as an organisation?
Our fill rate is impressive, which hit 97.6 per cent in 2015 – 25 per cent above the national average indicated by the Association of Pallet Networks. Aside from that, our commitment to staying ‘green’ is strong. Within the central hub at Ellistown, Pall-Ex operates a fleet of forklift trucks powered by environmentally friendly compressed natural gas, helping to retain the emission-free interior.
The network remains unique in using a fleet of compressed natural gas fuelled forklift trucks, resulting in 40% less CO2 emissions than diesel fleets.
WLN – Can you give us an idea of the size and scale of the Pall-Ex operation as it is now – how many member companies are there, with how many vehicles? How many pallets go through your hub, over what time period?
We now have over one hundred members in the domestic UK network, and that means hundreds of vehicles working together to deliver 10,000 pallets every single night.
WLN – Are you looking for more members? What are the benefits of belonging to Pall-Ex, compared to other networks?
We are always looking for more of the UK’s most efficient and passionate hauliers to join Pall-Ex, and the benefits are plentiful.
As part of Pall-Ex, members expand their service area without expanding their fleet. This in turn raises their profile, attracts new customers, and allows them to offer new services to their existing customers including the use of Pall-Ex’s state of the art Track-and-Trace system.
WLN – Where do you see Pall-Ex going from here?
Going forwards, we will continue to tackle the industry-wide trend of price undercutting that was starting to take the pallet industry down the same route as the parcels sector. Tighter margins were squeezing hauliers and that went against everything Pall-Ex stands for.
We’ve both intentionally restricted volume growth and restructured our hub teams to focus on customer care. We also invested more in training and development, resulting in price increases and paving the way an industry-wide benchmark for quality.
Now we have established a centre of excellence here in the UK, we can now roll these quality standards out across the continent – this will be our main focus for 2017.
WLN – You’ve had a really remarkable career. Do you have any ambitions left?!
Of course! At Pall-Ex, there’s still more to do and reinvestment to increase quality remains an important part of our strategy for 2017 and beyond. But whatever challenges we see in the next 20 years, we will tackle them head on with the strength and collaboration that a network like ours can provide.
It’s impossible to predict the future, but I am certain that whatever happens, my priority will be sharing the success with our members.
Tel: 01530 23 9000


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Excessive leverage increases bitcoin’s volatility and puts off mainstream capital from entering the market, says Vishal Shah.
Real-TIme Price of Bitcoin. Live Bitcoin prices from all major markets. Stay up to date with the latest price movements. BTC trading data in USD from all the major .
The following is a contributed article from a content partner of Benzinga The bitcoin halving event is only a few days away,
As with most asset classes in the lead up to March 2020, Bitcoin prices cruised into the new year in 2020 racking up a 44% rise. Did Bitcoin fail to diversify? Like the Australian.
10 Jul 2018.
Prices are updated every 15 seconds in real-time and the open/close prices are recorded at midnight UTC. Bitcoin (BTC) is known as the first.
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19 Sep 2018.
Ethereum, bitcoin cash and other major cryptocurrencies were also hit.
for the first time on Friday, and has continued to rise in value over the past few days.
is “real”, but says he isn't very interested in the subject of bitcoin.
Investissement Bitcoin 2017 The bitcoin index value for the end of April 2020 amounted to approximately 8773 U.S. After a period of downtrend which followed, Bitcoin price reached 1,349.19 U.S. dollars in April 2017. Statistics on "Bitcoin – Bitcoin as investment ". 9 sep 2019. Met een stijging van 161,5 procent geeft het tweede kwartaal het hoogste Return
25 Jun 2019.
Shows bitcoin price provided by CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index in a.
stated and/ or actual time for a majority of fiat currency and bitcoin transfers.
Crypto Twitter was ablaze Wednesday after the sale of some Bitcoin was reportedly linked to the account of the token’s.


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igeekphone, July 18 news, Google Pixel 8 series mobile phones are expected to be released in the near future, Twitter blogger @Abhishek Yadav today exposed the main configuration of Google Pixel 8 Pro models.
The blogger revealed that the front of the Google Pixel 8 Pro will be equipped with a 6.7-inch Samsung OLED display with a resolution of 2992×1344, support 120Hz refresh rate, brightness up to 1600nits (not sure if it is peak brightness), and pixel density of 490PPI.
In terms of imaging, Google Pixel 8 Pro rear 50 million pixel GN2 main camera + 64 million pixel IMX787 ultra-wide Angle lens + 48 million pixel GM5 telephoto lens, front 10.8 million pixel 3J1 lens.
It is worth mentioning that the new machine will continue to be powered by Google’s own processor, the model is upgraded to the Tensor G3 processor, and the Android 14 system is pre-installed.
As previously reported by igeekphone, the Tensor G3 features a unique 9-core CPU that supports ray tracing, The CPU will consist of one 3.0GHz Cortex-X3 core + four 2.45GHz Cortex-A715 cores + four 2.15GHz Cortex-A510 cores.
Google Pixel 8 Pro phone rendering has been exposed before, you can refer to.
The post Google Pixel 8 Pro phone parameters exposure: self-developed Tensor G3 processor, 9 core CPU appeared first on IGeeKphone China Phone, Tablet PC, VR, RC Drone News, Reviews.