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An estimated 1,300 people descended upon Dallas this week for the second meeting of the National Owners Association, the first independent franchise association in the storied history of McDonald’s Corp.
That’s three-quarters of the domestic franchisee base—a massive surge in interest in a group that was only broached with a single operator’s email just a few months ago.
For McDonald’s, it’s a major crisis in its U.S. business, one that is suddenly ramping up the pressure on executives to produce results from a costly and complicated plan that was supposed to take the brand into the future.
It’s a major test for company executives, one arguably as significant as the one current management faced when Steve Easterbrook was named CEO in 2015 with a mandate to overhaul the company and its culture.
The immense interest in the association is important, suggesting deep skepticism of the company’s long-term plans in its biggest market among the people responsible for running the chain’s restaurants—the franchisees.
Those operators could seek more input on company plans, likely through the company’s existing channels for working with franchisees, such as the company’s National Leadership Council.
That means company management faces a far more skeptical audience as it tries to convince operators to invest in their business or buy into marketing and other changes.
At the heart of the issue has been year-long traffic declines. While McDonald’s has outperformed its major competitors in generating sales, including 2.4% same-store sales growth in the third quarter, it has come at the expense of transactions—which have fallen all year long. That means customers are ordering more food and coming in less.
To be sure, traffic has been a problem everywhere. Fast-food chain traffic declined 4.6% in September and 1.2% in October, and total traffic was down 1.9% during the latter month, according to the Technomic Chain Restaurant Index.
The weak sales and traffic, coupled with labor cost increases, are a major factor in the growth of franchise disputes throughout the restaurant business.
At McDonald’s, however, the challenges have come despite an active executive team and franchise base that have made numerous changes in recent years that were all designed to pull the company out of a multi-year sales stagnation. Those changes won over investors that have sent the company’s stock price to record highs.
The company lost sales and traffic between 2012 and 2016, leading the company to bring in Easterbrook in 2015. Easterbrook overhauled management, replacing many long-time company executives with people from outside the company and even the industry in a bid to inject new voices.
One of those voices was Chris Kempczinski, who joined McDonald’s in 2015 having spent a career at consumer companies like Kraft Foods Group. He was named president of McDonald’s U.S. division effective Jan. 1, 2017.
The company sold stores to franchisees and now operates just 700 of its 14,000 U.S. locations. It cut corporate overhead and moved its headquarters to downtown Chicago, done at least in part to change the company’s culture.
The company also added all-day breakfast, quickly expanded delivery, developed a new mobile app with curbside service, brought back an evolved dollar menu and other discounts, expanded the coffee program and introduced new chicken products.
The efforts appeared to work last year, when McDonald’s generated strong sales growth.
The company then started aggressively remodeling locations, adding self-serve kiosks inside restaurants. It required operators to remodel their restaurants by 2020, a requirement the company has since backed off on.
The temporary closures from the remodels have created some near-term sales pain for operators, and the company acknowledged in October that traffic gains once stores re-open have taken longer than expected.
As we wrote about recently, McDonald’s operators worry that as much as 40% of their restaurants would not qualify for lease renewal based on McDonald’s own financial requirements if the sales don’t grow as projected.
While McDonald’s clearly isn’t going to kick 40% of its franchisees out of their stores, to the franchisees it’s an indication of the financial strain they face after the remodels. While the company is paying 55% of the cost for most of the remodels, it still costs operators $500,000.
McDonald’s, for what it’s worth, takes strong issue with the 40% figure—arguing that the vast majority of its franchisees are in strong financial health. There’s also a sense that a movement to create an association is an inevitable result of the number of changes the company has made.
Still, operators at the first meeting of the association in Tampa in October took issue with the hardline stand the company has taken more recently in requiring franchisees to do the remodels and make other efforts.
“You’re not in Europe anymore,” 62-unit franchisee Blake Casper, whose email ignited the creation of the NOA, said during the Tampa meeting. He was speaking of Easterbrook, who led the turnaround of McDonald’s U.K. business before he was named CEO. “While the U.S. has had challenges the last few years, we are not a failing brand like the one you took over in England. The operator platform is different from the American model. And the American consumer is different from the European consumer.”
All that said, there is no reason why McDonald’s and its independent franchisee association can’t work together once they solve issues that led to its creation in the first place. While this is the first such group in McDonald’s history, associations are common throughout the franchising world.
“Even if they start in crisis, they get over the crisis and want to work more collaboratively,” Robert Purvin, chairman and CEO of the American Association of Franchisees & Dealers and an expert on franchise associations, told me in October.
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March 10, 2022—The panelists of the virtual press conference of The Global Filipino Investors’ (TGFI) discussed and answered various questions about the current and foreseeable future of the blockchain, cryptocurrency, and play-and-earn industries in the Philippines. The hour-long conference was a short foretaste of the upcoming TGFI Let’s Talk About Blockchain-Based Investments on March 19th.
The speakers of the conference include Nix Eniego, Axie Infinity Philippines Lead, Ismael Jerusalem, Ownly Founder, Myrtle Ramos, Blocktides CEO and Atty. Rafael Padilla, Farcove Consulting Legal Director.
Following the mass adoption of blockchain, cryptocurrency, and play-and-earn games, the continuous rise of these industries in the country resulted in many conference attendees inquiring about how the Filipino market and investing entities would handle the adoption.
“It’s not a question of ‘should’, that they (companies) should dive into the metaverse, it must be ‘the companies may consider jumping into the metaverse’ –because as of now, the industry is so volatile.” – Ismael Jerusalem, Ownly Founder
Being the CEO of Ownly, a homegrown metaverse platform, Jerusalem emphasized that prospective investors must first “understand and build a solid foundation” of knowledge about the industries. He also added that future metaverse investors must know its value as it is “the convergence of physical and digital life.” (Read More: Filipino-led NFT Marketplace Ownly Unveils Tokenized Physical Art Collection)
On the other hand, to answer the sustainability of the blockchain game Axie Infinity, one of the catalyst the mass adoption of blockchain activity in the country, the Philippine-Lead Nix Eniego stated that although it is still susceptible to market volatility, they take pride in being the leading blockchain play-and-earn game.
Answering a question about the number of current Axie players and demographic, Eniego stated that they are currently at the four million mark, where the majority, the early adopters, are still situated in the Philippines. He also added that Axie Infinity looks forward to onboard “millions of Filipinos” and global players as they release the free-to-play version of the game, Axie Infinity: Origins.
Moreover, the speakers also answered other questions about play-and-earn games, Blocktides CEO Myrtle Ramos stated that the gaming industry is already big in the country and that “there are a lot of players in the Philippines even without play-to-earn.”
Ramos and Atty. Rafael Padilla also pointed out that investors and players who look into venturing the space must first make sure that they are dealing with regulated and verified entities. They reiterated that investors must always do their own due diligence.
What is TGFI BlockCon 2022?
It is a 1-day, free to attend, virtual discussion on Crypto, DeFi, NFTs, and everything about blockchain-based investments and how it is revolutionizing businesses and altering how society operates in the digital economy.
Their speakers include the above mentioned panel, as well as Yield Guild Games Country Manager Luis Beunaventura, Axie Infinity C-founder Jeffrey “Jihoz” Zirlin, Ark of DreamsCEO and Co-founder Angeline Viray, Ark of Dreams Founder Jason Dela Rosa, ByBit Head of Communications Igneus Terrenus, Crypto Gaming Institute & AFKDAO Founder Ben Gothard, and MetaDhana Studio CEO Mikhail Peñalosa.
This article is published on BitPinas: The Global Filipino Investors Highlight Blockchain and Crypto in Upcoming Conference
Disclaimer: BitPinas articles and its external content are not financial advice. The team serves to deliver independent, unbiased news to provide information for Philippine crypto and beyond.

domain: news


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As the guy in the old Midas Muffler TV commercial once said: “You can pay me now or pay me later.” Well, later is now when it comes to the diesel and heating oil market, and the consumer is only beginning to pay for it.
In fact, we’ll all be paying for it in the cost of anything shipped by the distillate family of refined products including diesel, heating oil, and jet fuel. The problem is, there isn’t much left in the tank, and we have a long road of driving ahead of us this winter. U.S. inventories of distillates are stubbornly stuck at 20% lower than the five-year average.
Nationally, the U.S. has only 25 days of diesel in reserve. In the critical parts of the U.S. northeast, inventories are down to 24 million barrels compared to 61 million barrels two years ago. In New England, the situation is becoming desperate with only 3.2 million barrels in stock compared to 12.3 million barrels in 2020.
So just crank up the refinery runs, right?
Not much room there either.
Eastern facilities are running at 102% of design capacity – a jump of 12% over the previous week. It has now reached the stage where suppliers of diesel require 72 hours’ notice for delivery.
The next step is allocation, and how does that work?
By far the largest consumers of diesel are in the commercial/industrial sector. The modes of delivery are either by bulk tanker truck or, if on-road, at cardlock or truck stop locations.
In times of restricted supply as we are now in, product is allocated by a grading system established by the Energy Supplies Allocation Board (ESAB), termed within the oil industry as the, ESAB number. Commercial consumers are ranked in priority, depending on their class of trade. The higher the rank, the more likely that supply will be less negatively affected. For example, fire, police, ambulance, and medical rated industries will have a high ranking, while less critical services will be well down the list.
Deliveries of bulk fuel can be controlled by not accepting a full load delivery request, citing the customers ESAB status. On road purchases can also be easily controlled by programming the pumps to shut down at certain limits, also established by the ESAB number.
How did we get to this point?
The U.S. has lost one million barrels per day of refining capacity since 2019. This is due to permanent closures, under investment in refining capacity, and operating disruptions.
The U.S. is now in a predicament. On the one hand, it’s exporting 3.5 million barrels a day of refined product, including diesel, to Europe and elsewhere, and on the other hand, it’s allocating supply, including diesel at home.
Seems that home is not where the political heart is. But politicians should be wary because consumers will be looking for payback, which may come now rather than later.
– Roger McKnight – B.Sc., Senior Petroleum Analyst


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Commercial cargo electric vehicle (EV) maker Altigreen has announced its partnership with LOHUM, India's largest producer of sustainable energy transition materials, to address the critical challenge of sustainable battery disposal in the EV industry.
LOHUM as an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) partner registered under India's Battery Waste Management Rules (BWMR 2022), will enable Alitgreen to seamlessly meet these targets.
Under this partnership, LOHUM will recycle end-of-life batteries from Altigreen EVs via its NEETM technology, recovering 95% of high-purity battery raw materials that can be used to manufacture new batteries. The partnership will enable LOHUM to recycle 1GWh of Altigreen EV cargo vehicle batteries over the next three years, significantly reducing battery waste and efficiently utilising resources.
Dr Amitabh Saran, Founder and CEO, Altigreen, said, 'This partnership will enable us to responsibly manage the end-of-life batteries from our EVs, reducing waste and minimising the environmental impact of our operations.'
Rajat Verma, Founder and CEO, LOHUM, said, 'Through our battery recycling expertise, we aim to support Altigreen in their commitment to circular economy practices and contribute to the overall growth of the EV industry.'


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Xavier Rolet reveals details of new scheme to help UK entrepreneurs make billions, not millions
It’s been a fortnight now but we’re still reeling from the deal to end all deals: Facebook’s $19bn acqui-hire of mobile messaging service WhatsApp. Whilst much of the attention since has focused on the deal itself – namely how on earth Facebook can hope to see a return on its investment – we’ve taken to wondering if a British start-up will ever ‘do a WhatsApp’. It’s a question that needs asking, that’s for sure, especially if we are to become the entrepreneurial superpower we aspire to be.
Well, there were some rather encouraging sounds on the matter last night. Speaking to an audience of students and alumni of the New Entrepreneurs Foundation at the London Stock Exchange (LSE), Xavier Rolet, the LSE Group’s esteemed CEO, made clear his belief that the UK doesn’t have long to wait. Moreover, he revealed that support is on its way from the LSE for our next generation of entrepreneurs. Launching soon – after a successful pilot scheme in Italy – a new scheme called Elite will prepare start-ups for a future listing or IPO even if they are not yet anywhere near that stage. By connecting them with the right people – investors, banks, regulators and business schools – Rolet believes the tide could soon turn in the UK’s favour.
“The core of the issue is that most of these companies just don’t know where to go,” he said. “What Elite does is work with academic institutions, usually business schools – and the very good ones that really understand innovation – we work with regulators, we work with investors, we work with banks. We create an ecosystem that these companies can join and therefore be introduced to all of these providers.”
A net product of this, Rolet hopes, is that it will instil British entrepreneurs with a level of ambition that is holding the current crop back. “Here, you make £200-300m as an entrepreneur and think ‘wow, I never thought I would even make £10m’ – but in the US, somebody thinks ‘maybe the business I am going to build will be worth £100m’,” Rolet said. “You rarely hear that ambition and to get to that level, you actually need several generations, probably three or four, of re-investment.”
Rolet pointed to Mike Lynch, of Autonomy fame, as an example of what can be achieved on these shores. He added that, with the sufficient level of support, there will be Lynchs springing up all over the shop. “We need 20, 30, 40 or 50 like him in the tech space,” added Rolet. “I think the UK is getting there. There is truly a revolution happening. And when we get there, we’ll have some of the UK Googles and Microsofts actually buying companies elsewhere. But we lose a lot of these companies to M&A. We lose a lot of companies because the level of ambition is not quite there yet.”
The audience was also treated to a glimpse into Rolet's own entrepreneurial background. "In 2007, I founded a business with two scientist friends of mine – a biotech business," he said."We struggled for a year to make any money so we went to the US. Within three weeks, we had identified seed capital of $25m and signed within three months an agreement with a local university. That company is in Boston today. It is not a huge company, it’s about 150 people, but it’s going pretty fast. I am convinced today, with the same idea and the same partners, the company would be here. I am convinced we could raise the capital."


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8. The Country of New Zealand
In 2006, an Australian placed the entire country of New Zealand on eBay with an opening bid of a penny. According to an article from TheRegister.co.uk, the man who put the country up for sale had written in the eBay ad that the country had “very bad weather” and “the dodgiest America’s Cup win ever.â€ The ad was quickly removed by eBay, with a spokesman assuring the public that New Zealand was not for sale.
9. Princess Beatrice’s Hat
Princess Beatrice’s unusual hat stole the spotlight at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011. The hat became the subject of countless memes and even had its own Facebook page. The hat was put up for auction and sold for a little over Â£81,000 British pounds (currently, a little over $101,000 USD).


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McDonald’s Korea’s new Managing Director Antoni Martinez (McDonald’s Korea)
McDonald’s Korea announced Wednesday the appointment of Antoni Martinez as the new managing director. He replaces Melanie Joh who resigned last month.
Martinez has been market director for the southern region of Australia since January 2016. He joined McDonald’s in Victoria, Australia, in 2000 as a crew member.
“McDonald’s has a strong track record in Korea thanks to the team’s innovative approach over the years.” Martinez said in a statement. “We have a robust plan in place for 2020, and I am confident that we can continue to drive our business forward by putting even more focus on customers to deliver outstanding performance in the future.”
McDonald’s entered in Korea in 1988 and operates over 400 restaurants, employing around 15,000 people. McDonald’s Korea has expanded its services to Drive-Thru, 24-hour restaurants, delivery, breakfast menus, Experience of the Future (EOTF) restaurants and some of the popular local menu items. The first Ronald McDonald House was opened last year.
Martinez will lead the Korea team to continue the focus on delivery, EOTF and digital, the company said.
EOTF restaurants feature self-order kiosks and cut-front counters.


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Bengaluru, 04 March 2023: As part of Andhra Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 being held at Visakhapatnam today and tomorrow HAL has showcased its products and services at the ‘Advantage Andhra Pradesh 2023 Exhibition’. HAL stall was inaugurated by Mr Arun J Sarkate, GM, HAL (Hyderabad).
HAL has showcased wide range of products ranging from Aircraft to miniature sized components. The stall is categorized in two categories ‘Success Stories’ and ‘Business Opportunity’ for AP.
In ‘Success Stories’, HAL is presenting its successful avionic products, which are currently in production. Further HAL has showcased its star aircraft products such as Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas and Advanced Light Helicopter-WSI. The company has also exhibited aircraft products which are being successfully maintained such as Do-228 and Su-30 MKI. HAL is pitching for Hindustan 228, which is civil version of Do-228 for regional connectivity under UDAN Scheme.
HAL has been spearheading with cutting edge technologies and has introduced new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence. The Voice Activated Command System (VACS) showcased is developed based on AI technology.
The second category which HAL is pitching for at this exhibition is Business Opportunity for AP through self-reliance or ‘atmanirbharta’.


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Oppo is reported to launch its upcoming selfie-focused smartphone, F7, in India soon. Now, it seems we might have a launch date for the launch event.
According to multiple reports, Oppo initially tweeted the launch date of March 26, though it deleted it later. This gives us a fair hint that the smartphone could be unveiled on the above-mentioned date. Interestingly, the deleted tweet also reveals that the phone will sport an Apple iPhone X-like top notch.
The brand recently tweet reveal the name of the phone and front panel as well. The tweet reads, “Make way for the all-new #OPPOF7 now with an awesome notch screen. Can you guess who the Indian cricketer is behind the phone?”. The company has been teasing new brand ambassador, which is none other than Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya.
The phone will be the successor of Oppo’s last year flagship, the F5. It is said to be coming with a 6.2-inch screen with FHD+ resolution with a screen resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9.
The major highlight of the phone is its 25-megapixel front camera which is really insane. No other information about the phone is available right now but what we know that this won’t be the only phone of Oppo to have iPhone X like design. The company is also said to be working on Oppo R15 and Oppo R15 Plus with similar design.


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iPhone 8 Launch Timing-Supplier Leak; Google’s New AI Powered Jobs Engine; VR & AR Headsets May Hit 100 Million By 2021Posted: June 20, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, AR, CareerBuilder, Facebook, Glassdoor, Google, iPhone 8, Job search, Laser sensors, LinkedIn, Monster, October delivery, Screenless viewers, VR Leave a comment
There had already been rumors that the iPhone 8 would be actually in peoples’ hands in October, now a supplier may have confirmed that. Bgr.com reports that Finisar, which supplies the high-tech lasers built into iPhone 8 for AR depth mapping and image recognition, will be supplying tens of millions of the lasers to one company later this year. Analysts have put things together, and look for a rollout in September as usual, but the phones actually shipping in October.
Google has launched a jobs search feature right in its search results pages that lets you search for jobs across virtually all major online jobs boards. According to techcrunch.com, that includes LinkedIn, Monster, WayUp, DirectEmployers, CareerBuilder, Facebook, and more. This may save job seekers a lot of hassle, as it eliminates duplicate postings and a lot of irrelevant jobs for you. Just key in something like ‘jobs near me’ or ‘writing jobs,’ and the job search widget will pop up. It’s on both Google’s desktop and mobile versions. You can also see Glassdoor and Indeed ratings.
It may not quite be here yet, but VR and AR really are The Next Big Thing, and a report by IDC picked up by cnet.com says sales of VR and AR headsets will reach about 100 million by 2021. Last year, less than 10 million of the headsets shipped. Right now, ones powered by smartphones, the so-called ‘screenless viewers’ are most popular. IDC thinks AR will fundamentally change industrial jobs in the next 5 years, and that at first, 80 percent of AR headsets will be for commercial use.


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On the chart for the last month, the high volatility of the stock is illustrated. Starting from July 6 till July 16, the stock was increasing slowly until it sharply felt till $114.05 on July 19. After this fall, the stock started to grow with the slow pace and reached $118.83 on July 29.
Just recently, The AbbVie have released their financial results for the second quarter of 2021. The company reported about the quarter earnings which is $3.11 per share. Also, the total net revenue is approximately $14 billion is up 19.3% on the comparable operational basis and higher for $375 million as it was expected.
All these thanks to the company’s great performance, brand, and to the increasing of the demand due to COVID-19. Additionally, the company also succeeded in the transaction and integration of Allergan. It was reported that the company is achieving great results not only on the stages of research but also at the development of the programs.


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BAY CITY, MI – After circumstances beyond her control forced Elizabeth Propp to close Thunderbrew Coffee in January, a stranger’s generosity allowed her to re-open the coffee shop in a new location.
Thunderbrew Coffee re-opened on Wednesday, April 24, in its new location, 1409 S. Wenona, after having been closed for nearly 3 months.
Propp declined to comment on what forced her shop to leave its previous location, 521 Washington Ave., describing it only as an “ongoing issue.” The store was open for only six months.
Instead of dwelling on the past, Propp prefers to focus on the future and how she arrived at her new location on the other side of Meats and Mooore, which also houses Holey Scoops ice cream and the Mean Rooster Diner.
On the day Propp and her employees were moving out of the Washington Avenue location, Meats and Mooore owner and regular customer, Craig Owczarzak, stopped in to get a cappuccino for a sick employee. After Propp explained she wouldn’t be able to serve him, Owczarzak sprang into action, offering to let her store equipment in a tool shop near his business he had previously rented out to B&R Distributors.
“Pretty soon there were about 15 people helping us move,” Propp said. “It was a matter of 15 hours. It never would have happened without them; we would have been there for three days.”
Owczarzak said he chose to help Propp out of the kindness of his heart.
“I know what it’s like when something goes wrong and there is nobody there to help you,” he said. Luckily, I was there to help her.”
While talks to remodel the tool shop for use as the new location didn’t begin immediately, Propp said there was never a time when she considered closing permanently.
“Obviously, when you have to close your business it’s devastating,” she said. “Our plan was always to re-open, whether it be in Bay City, Saginaw or Midland. This location just happened to work for us.”
Propp said she cannot thank Owczarzak and his employees enough. She is astonished he only asked for one thing in return.
“He told me not to worry about it,” Propp said with emotion choking her voice. “He said, 'one day you will have the opportunity to do something for somebody like this. Make sure when you have that opportunity that you pay it forward.’”
Propp said she hopes she can repay Owczarzak by turning the area into a family location.
“We are trying to incorporate our business and his business as a destination point for families or really anybody,” she said. “Eventually we hope to connect both businesses without people having to walk around the buildings.”
But even with the variety offered by both businesses, Propp admits it will be difficult to regain customers after moving.
“It’s definitely going to be a little bit of a challenge to try to regain a clientele,” she said. “We have a small group of really great followers in Bay City, so I will be counting on them to help get the word out.”
Thunderbrew will no longer sell ice cream or soup, but will continue offering coffee, smoothies, hot chocolate and Italian Soda.
Propp said she will open at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends. She has yet to decide what time the shop will close.


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It’s been a year now since Google launched Google Music in the U.S. Perhaps it’s time for the Mountain View-based technology giant to introduce a new feature that would wow its fans. Google previously made a promise to launch a “scan and match” feature that’s similar to what Amazon and Apple are offering. The major selling point though is that it’s free and that it can store over 20,000 tracks.
When Google Music launched this week in the U.K. as well in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, users were baffled because the scan and match feature that Google promised appears to be working on their end. As noted by The Verge, scan and watch wasn’t written on the list of features on the Google Music website, yet the services seems to be active. Their assumption was proven to be true when Ben Kersey of The Verge found out that the songs from his computer had been matched and replicated on Google Music.
- 2014-04-16: Google Offering $100,000 For Best Project Ara Module
- 2014-04-16: Possible Redesigned Google+ App For Android Spotted
- 2014-04-16: Google Develops Algorithm That Can Decipher Its Own CAPTCHAs
- 2014-04-16: Google Launches Standalone Camera App For Android
- 2014-04-16: Chrome Remote Desktop Hits Mobile Devices
- 2013-06-13: Google Music Update Delivers New Bandwidth Usage Setting
- 2012-12-18: Google Music Now Has Scan And Match Feature In U.S. For Free
- 2012-11-14: Google Music gets gapless playback
- 2012-04-10: Google Play Music turns on the style with lab features
- 2012-03-22: Google Play Music daily streaming limit spoils the party


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Executives at music industry giant EMI have triumphed in their legal battle over the Beatles songs - a U.S. judge has shut down two websites accused of selling the tracks illegally.
Record label bosses filed a copyright violation lawsuit at a Los Angeles court earlier this month (Nov09) to prevent the sale of "unauthorised content" after Bluebeat.com and Basebeat.com allegedly began offering Beatles' tracks for download at discounted prices.
The owner of the sites, which also offered a streaming service, claimed to have circumnavigated piracy laws by using an experimental new recording technique called "psycho-acoustic simulation" to reproduce the tracks.
EMI won a temporary injunction banning the sites from streaming or selling tracks by the band, as well as other artists, and now U.S. District Judge John F Walter has upheld that ruling.
A hearing was set for Friday (20Nov09), but Judge Walter made a decision ahead of the court date based on the arguments from both sides' attorneys.
In 1964, black and white music comedy 'A Hard Day's Night' was released, starring the...
Brian Epstein was the manager of the biggest pop band in the world, The Beatles,...


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Last night during the PM-Studios live stream of SUPERBEAT: XONiC, Michael Yum (CEO) hit up the chat to interact with fans by answering questions and dropping some informative news to players. Our very own Associate Writer – Aaron Auzins was lurking the chat to see what could’ve been said.
There are currently 21 tracks being made as console DLC for right now. The plan going into the stream was they would be paid DLC, but Yum said more tracks could be possible and free DLC could be considered. The omission of the Arc System Works songs was noted, but Yum said working with the company is “still a possibility.
Yum said PM Studios will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in the chat (and in our interview), and 10 will be a big number. Last night, Yum stated that PM Studios has a schedule of 10 games to publish and release in the next year. No titles were named, but he estimated the company would be able to talk about the first title in “2-3 weeks.” One of Yum’s comments was, “Lots of rhythm games coming your way guys.” Another question was asked about a XONiC theme for PS4/Vita, and he (Yum) said it was being looked into. With the beautiful design and aura that surrounds the game and menus, it would be amazing to have an appropriate theme.
Yum noted that he expects the OST bundled with some of the retail copies will be hard to find soon and said PM- Studios will not be printing anymore once the initial stock runs out. Patches are possible for the game as well. The majority of the discussion in the chat was based on the PS4 version, which was played by leader board username DJ_Tomato on the stream. DJ_Tomato, who is with PM-Studios, said the console versions were actually ported by PM-Studios itself. A chat question asked about the inability to change speed modifications mid-song and DJ_Tomato said the PS4’s share button eliminated the “extra” select button on the controller. Some alternatives were discussed, though, and it was mentioned it was a feature that could be patched in.


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Models walked the ramp for designer Arpan Vohra on Day 1 (Mar 22, 2013) of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) (Summer Resort) 2013 in Mumbai.
Images by Sandip Das/IBNS
Lakme Fashion Week : Arpan Vohra collection
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Actors Raveena Tandon and Vidya Balan during GeoSpa asiaSpa India Awards 2014 New Delhi: Actors Raveena Tandon and Vidya Balan during GeoSpa asiaSpa India Awards 2014, in New Delhi on March 30, 2015. (Photo: IANS) ... Read More
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Toward its mission for discovering new brands, Cosmoprof North America (CPNA) announced a new opportunity for all show exhibitors. Beauty bloggers will be present daily to view submissions from show exhibitors for the CPNA Daily Best in Beauty. At the conclusion of each day, the beauty bloggers will select their picks for CPNA Daily Best in Beauty and post their selections on their respective Web sites and blogs.
In 2009, CPNA marked the first year that the show organizers had a dedicated area, Beauty Blogger Central, where leaders in the beauty blogosphere were able to convene and affect the beauty landscape. Beauty Blogger Central will be returning to Discover Beauty 2010 (a section devoted exclusively connecting innovative brand owners with distribution opportunities) where beauty bloggers such as AOL Stylelist.com, TotalBeauty.com and RomyRaves.com will report on what is new and truly innovative live from the show floor.
CPNA Daily Best in Beauty seeks to provide benefits for both the exhibitors and beauty bloggers. Interested exhibitors will present their "best in beauty" to the bloggers for consideration during scheduled presentation times. The presentations will take place each day of the show (July 18–20 at the Mandalay Convention Center in Las Vegas) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Beauty Blogger Central (located inside the Discover Beauty area). Thus, these exhibitors will be uniquely positioned to connect with a wide range of beauty bloggers and ultimately with consumers. Beauty bloggers continue to play a role in reaching and influencing a large audience of consumers, which results in a level playing field for new or relatively new beauty brands. Programs such as this demonstrate that mass media is not only relegated to a select group of publications, but rather, can be available to anyone. In addition, according to show organizers, the results are tangible and immediate.


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The company responsible for providing Energizer batteries, Schick razors and various hygiene products has announced its new plan to separate into two publicly traded companies. One company will focus on the household products we’ve come to rely upon, while the other company will concentrate efforts on personal care products.
Due to an increase in market competition and the growing popularity of rechargeable batteries, Energizer Holdings Inc. saw battery sales fall steadily over the past years. Meanwhile, its household product revenue dropped off by 25 percent since 2006. So now the company’s business strategy is aimed to help the two businesses focus more on commercial priorities and allocate resources more appropriately.
“We’re surprised by the decision to split the company, but think it makes sense,” BMO Capital Markets analyst Connie Maneaty stated. “The personal care segment may realize a higher valuation if it is not bound to the battery business.”
It’s a good example for what happens if a business spreads its resources across too many different areas. By consolidating these resources and choosing to split into two companies, the plan could actually increase the changes of future merger and acquisition opportunities.
Soon after the announcement, shares for Energizer Holdings Inc. shot up more than 17 percent in morning trading.


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A union-backed group that wants Wal-Mart to pay higher wages is again planning several protests at Wal-Mart stores on Black Friday, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.
OUR Walmart said this year's protests will be the group's "biggest Black Friday mobilization ever," with major protests planned in cities including Chicago. The protests are the latest round of actions aimed at Wal-Mart and follow nearly two years of protests against fast-food chains, including McDonald's.
OUR Walmart, a group of current and former Wal-Mart workers that pays dues to and is supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, is calling on Wal-Mart to raise hourly wages to $15 and provide more consistent hours and full-time jobs.
The group said it is planning big protests in cities such as Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and Tampa, Fla. In Chicago, it plans to protest at 9 a.m. Nov. 28 at the Wal-Mart at Presidential Towers, 570 W. Monroe St.
The group protested outside of Wal-Mart stores on Black Friday in 2012 and 2013. The Wal-Mart workers in OUR Walmart are a small percentage of Wal-Mart's total U.S. workforce.
Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart said it expects the protests to be filled largely with union activists and paid protesters, along with a "handful of associates" at some stores, said spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan. "Perception is not reality in this case," said Buchanan.
In the past two years, Wal-Mart has said its Black Friday sales events were its best ever, despite the protests.
Details on the protests being planned throughout the country are being posted on the website blackfridayprotests.org. In the Chicago area, a number of activities are being planned along with the 9 a.m. protest, including a 10 a.m. prayer vigil at a Wal-Mart store at 2844 N. Broadway, Chicago.


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Advertisers will soon be able to superimpose brands into music videos after they have been filmed as the world enters a new and markedly depressing era of product placement.
Universal Music Group is set to announce a deal with Mirriad, a British start up which can insert brands into video footage after they are made, according to the Financial Times.
The first part of the deal will be to insert liqueur brand Grand Marnier into a video by dance producer Avicii, before opening up the video to other brands once the campaign is over.
Currently, products are placed within music videos when they are made - often crudely, as with Avril Lavigne's song Rock N Roll, which features a skit where the singer says "oh my new Sony phone is ringing" before the video starts.
“Being inside content is more valuable than being outside content,” Mark Popkiewicz, Mirriad’s chief executive, told the FT.
More: The six most iconic album covers in the history of music
More: For each woman that appears on film, there are 2.24 men


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Namibia takes on mass cold storage campaign
The Namibian Government has started a campaign to build cold storage facilities across the nation in the form of 'fresh produce hubs', website Newera.com.na reported.
Until now the African country has faced spoilage problems due to the lack of appropriate facilities, but the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry aims to change all that.
The ministry's production unit manager Petrus Uugwanga, told the website the new infrastructure would bring a welcome relief to the industry, which in the past has faced huge post-harvest losses.
"An increase in local fresh produce will ultimately result in the reduction of the country's dependency on imported fresh produce and also help curb domestic capital outflow," Uugwanga was quoted as saying.
The government has already embarked on the construction of cold storage facilities in Ongwediva and Rundu, with the projects due for completion in April 2012. The story reported other facilities have been slated for Windhoek and Helao Nafidi.
Uugwanga highlighted the project would create more jobs and present new business opportunities, such as processing, packaging, transportation, haulage, logistics, branding and grading, the story reported.
Namibia recorded 20.8% growth in horticultural production last year.


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Bite (noun): more meaty news to sink your teeth into.
Bark (noun): peripheral noise worth your attention.
This week in Other Barks & Bites, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) rules against Apple in a trademark dispute; Arbutus and Genevant Sciences file a patent infringement lawsuit against Pfizer related to the COVID-19 vaccine; and Sweetgreen promptly changes the name of a menu item after Chipotle files a trademark lawsuit against the salad chain.
EUIPO Details Achievements Over Last Five Years
On Wednesday, April 5, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) released a report detailing the organization’s achievements over the last five years. The report highlighted the Office’s outreach to small and medium enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its commitment to institute quality improvements based on user feedback. Executive Director Christian Archambeau said, “as we continue to face new challenges in the future, our resilience, innovation, and strong collaboration with our partners and stakeholders will ensure that we weather any storm and continue to build a properly functioning IP system fit for the 21st century that generates IP value for customers and citizens in the EU.”
Pfizer Hit with New Patent Infringement Lawsuit Related to COVID-19 Vaccine
On Tuesday, April 4, Arbutus and Genevant Sciences filed a lawsuit against Pfizer and its partner BioNTech alleging patent infringement of mRNA technology. The pharmaceutical companies claimed Pfizer “could not have accomplished the feat of creating and manufacturing a vaccine at a speed unprecedented in the history of medicine but for their use of Plaintiffs’ existing and proven LNP technologies.” The firms had previously had licensing discussions over the technology; however, this did not result in an agreement or settlement.
Apple JAZZ Trademark Owner Wins Appeal Over Apple
On Tuesday, April 4, the CAFC reversed a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) decision which had dismissed the Apple JAZZ trademark owner’s opposition to Apple’s trademark application for Apple Music. The CAFC judge ruled that the Board erred in allowing Apple to claim absolute priority for all of the services listed in its application based on a showing of priority for one service. The issue at hand was “whether a trademark applicant can establish priority for every good or service in its application merely because it has priority through tacking in a single good or service listed in its application.” The CAFC ruled that the Board incorrectly applied the tacking doctrine. Read the full IPWatchdog coverage.
Valve Receives Mixed News in Split CAFC Ruling for Video Game Controller Patent Case
On Monday, April 3, the CAFC affirmed in part a district court ruling that found video game company Valve willfully infringed an Ironburg patent. However, the judges reopened the door for Valve in its bid to dismiss the case by ruling that the district court erred when it estopped Valve from raising several grounds that were not the subject of its partially-instituted inter partes review (IPR) petition against Ironburg. Judge Clevenger dissented and argued that another patent in question is indefinite. For full coverage of the case, click here.
USPTO Begins Transition to Patent Center e-Office Action Program
On Thursday, April 6, the USPTO announced that it was beginning the transition to Patent Center e-Office Action program. According to the Office, this will streamline service delivery processes and modernize the e-Office action process. It plans for the Patent Center to be “a more modern, user-friendly system that provides improved system performance and a more intuitive user experience.” The USPTO is also seeking public comment on its plan to offer users a new option to receive e-postcards as a reminder that the user has not viewed or downloaded USPTO communications. Ultimately, this will replace postal postcards in the future.
Sweetgreen Changes Menu Item Name After Chipotle Launches Trademark Infringement Lawsuit
On Wednesday, April 5, Sweetgreen changed a new menu item just one day after Chipotle sued the company for trademark infringement. In the lawsuit, Chipotle accused Sweetgreen of using its namesake trademark in its new Chipotle Chicken Bowl to “sell a product that is very similar and directly competitive to Chipotle’s chicken burrito bowl.” Just one day after the lawsuit was filed, Sweetgreen attempted to sidestep the accusations by changing the name of its bowl to the Chicken + Chipotle Pepper Bowl.
ITC Launches Investigation into Shopping Cart Patent Infringement
On Wednesday, April 5, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) announced an investigation into the importation of electronic anti-theft shopping cart wheels that potentially violate six patents from Gatekeeper Systems. The three companies being investigated are based in the United States, China, and the Netherlands.
Amazon Brand Protection Report Says 6 Million Counterfeits Were Seized Last Year
On Tuesday, April 4, Amazon released a Brand Protection Report indicating that more than 800,000 attempts to create new selling accounts were thwarted in 2022, down from 2.5 million attempts in 2021, and 6 million attempts in 2020. The report also said that the number of valid notices of infringement filed by brands in Amazon’s Brand Registry decreased by over 35% and the company’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit sued or referred for investigation over 1,300 criminals in the U.S., UK, EU, and China; and, in conjunction with brands and law enforcement, identified, seized, and disposed of over 6 million counterfeit products.
USPTO Decreases Several Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Fees
On Saturday, April 1, the USPTO updated several PCT fees. The majority of the changes were decreases including search fees and preliminary examination fees. The only fee that was increased was 1712: International search, IP Australia, which increased from $1,419 to $1,523.
This Week on Wall Street
Layoffs Increased by 15% in March
On Thursday, April 6, Challenger, Gray & Christmas released a report showing US-based employers fired 89,703 employees, a 15% increase from February. The increase is much larger looking year-on-year with a 319% increase compared to March 2022. The first quarter of 2023 had the sixth-highest job cuts since 2000.
Germany Threatens Twitter with Fines
On Tuesday, April 4, Germany’s Federal Office of Justice announced it had begun legal proceedings against Twitter for failing to take down content that was clearly illegal. If found guilty Twitter could be fined up to €50 million. Within days of taking over the company, new CEO Elon Musk fired over half of the company’s workforce.
Quarterly Earnings – The following firms identified among the IPO’s Top 300 Patent Recipients for 2022 are announcing quarterly earnings next week (2022 rank in parentheses):
- Friday: Wells Fargo (109), JPMorgan (183)
Image Source: Deposit Photos
Image ID: 9681152


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Another customer financing company is lining up investors for its biggest cash infusion yet.
Verify, founded by PayPal’s Max Levchin, is stated to be raising as much as $1.5 billion in a combination of financial obligation and equity, according to people with understanding of the business’s fundraising activities. Josh Kushner’s New York equity capital firm Thrive Capital is stated to be leading the funding, with involvement from the San Francisco clothing Spark Capital.
Sources acquainted with Affirm, which offers consumers an alternative to individual loans and credit by funding online purchases at point-of-sale, presume the round will be comprised mostly of a credit line from a big banks, referred to as a warehouse facility.
Affirm just recently raised a $300 million Thrive-led Series F round in April at an assessment of $3 billion. Fintech business concentrated on payments and financing, nevertheless, need a vast quantity of capital to sustain operations. Those capital requirements coupled with the frothiness of the endeavor capital market justify this extra money infusion.
To date, Affirm has actually raised $1.03 billion in funding from Ribbit Capital, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and more, according to PitchBook. Fellow fintech ‘unicorns’ Brex, Stripe, SoFi and Kabbage, for context, have jointly raised approximately $5 billion in debt and equity to date.
Affirm provides time payment plan to online buyers, a technique of postponed payment traditionally scheduled for large purchase like cars or high-end electronic devices. Using Affirm, consumers can produce customized installation strategies for purchases as small as a set of sneakers offered by StockX or as large as a diamond engagement ring from Diamond Nexus, for example.
Affirm, serving as an option to a credit card charge, needs no documents, minimum credit report or income. The business, however, generates income the same method as a charge card company, with interest rates for Affirm’s loans falling between 10 % and 30 %. Affirm’s fundraising efforts come as increasingly more business are dedicating ample resources to customer and B2B financing. Affirm, doubling down on the chance in B2B, drew out a new financial services organisation focused entirely on business financing previously this year. The company, Resolve, offers a “purchase now, pay later” choice tailored to B2B sales flow.
“Traditional B2B financing is slow, inaccurate and limits a business’s potential for development since of an over dependence on email, call centers, faxes and manual invoicing procedures,” Resolve wrote in an April press release.” Today, many companies use a standard net 30-day payment strategy only to their finest and longest tenured clients, leaving others in need of financing to depend on credit cards or installment loans.”
Business like Stripe and Square are making a collective effort to check out other monetary frontiers, with the former releasing a loaning tool As a corporate credit card this month. Square, for its part, recently introduced a new debit card, called the Square Card, allowing businesses to invest and withdraw money they’ve collected through Square payments.
Venture financial investment in fintech companies headquartered in the U.S. is poised to reach brand-new highs this year. In the first 8 months of 2019, $10.5 billion was funneled into the sector, following a record high of $11.6 billion in 2018. Worldwide, fintech investment is increasing, too, with nearly $20 billion deployed this year, per PitchBook.
Competitors in the fintech space has accelerated growth and development, as consumer-friendly, frictionless tools permeate the highly-regulated and conservative financing industry.
Following a year of fintech mega-rounds, we anticipate to seem a series of fintech preliminary public offerings as quickly as next year. Affirm, Robinhood, Stripe, SoFi, Coinbase, we’re looking at you.
To date, Affirm has raised $1.03 billion in funding from Ribbit Capital, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and more, according to PitchBook. Affirm uses installation plans to online consumers, a method of postponed payment historically scheduled for big purchase like vehicles or luxury electronics. Affirm, serving as an alternative to a credit card charge, requires no documentation, minimum credit rating or income. Affirm’s fundraising efforts come as more and more companies are dedicating sufficient resources to consumer and B2B financing. Affirm, doubling down on the chance in B2B, spun out a brand-new financial services company focused totally on company lending earlier this year.


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While air transporters returned to the high demand and filled capacities of early 2017, familiar sluggishness haunted maritime cargo in Q3.
Transporters of air and sea freight experienced diverging fortunes in the third quarter of 2017, with both encountering significant changes in trends from the first half of the year. As a result, freight forwarding experts say the end of 2017 and early 2018 should allow air cargo operators to consolidate recent gains, while raising new concerns among maritime operators.
For exporters using air options, the third quarter brought a reversal of first semester activity, when available capacity remained fairly high amid modest demand growth. Surging volumes over the last three months, however, allowed transporters to fill space, raise rates and benefit from excess demand being moved into express cargo.
"Capacity is down, demand is up, yields have risen and most carriers are doing well," says Claude Picciotto, airfreight procurement manager for Bolloré Logistics in Paris. "Volume on virtually all trades apart from Europe-Africa is robust, with activity to South America so strong there's a two-week waiting period for cargo to Brazil. Otherwise, it has to go express – which pads transporters' yields even more."
A major volume driver, Mr. Picciotto says, has been an explosion in e-commerce – especially between Asia and Europe. Since e-consumers demand their goods quickly, vendors like Alibaba and Amazon won't contemplate slower maritime options when air capacity gets tight, opting instead for faster -- and pricier -- express air cargo.
The Q3 burst mirrored strong growth in early 2017, but which quickly sagged through spring. Resumed vigor in Q3 was preceded by what the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported as an 11.8% year-on-year boom from May through July. With IATA also noting the 817 tons of new capacity added thus far in 2017 represented just half of that created the previous year, those contrasting curves brought good financial news for air transporters.
"Previously only the Europe-ASPAC trade was booming, but now that has spread to others, causing demand-capacity tensions to tighten," Mr. Picciotto says – noting the resulting rise in rates hasn't necessarily meant higher costs for all exporters.
"Specialists like Bolloré Logistics have the budgetary and forecasting strength to secure long-term capacity ahead of such fluctuations," he says. "That preparedness means we can provide affordable space when clients need it."
Mr. Picciotto expects the current pace in air cargo to continue into December, sustaining what he says has been the 10% rise in volume Bolloré Logistics has registered thus far in 2017.
Contrary developments transpired in shipping. Previously, the return of demand amid artificially reduced capacity had allowed transporters to considerably raise rates, providing relief after two years of constant crisis. Consequently, 13 of the 16 top carriers reported first half operating earnings following years of losses.
But that respite may already be over.
According to Anne-Sophie Fribourg, sea freight procurement manager for Bolloré Logistics in Paris, higher rates responsible for those improved results became unsustainable when third quarter demand unexpectedly dropped in September.
"Forecasts were for full-year rate growth of 16%, but with volumes suddenly plunging in September, rates started to weaken, too," says Ms. Fribourg, noting the first signs of trouble for transporters was the absence of habitually big volumes ahead of China's Golden Week. "December should bring a rise in activity, but it's difficult to see a return of sustained demand before then."
That revives concerns that slackening demand and lower rates will again generate losses for sea transporters. That, in turn, could mean resumption of the heavy M&A activity of the last two years, when financially swamped competitors merged to survive the combination of low demand and rising capacity.
Indeed, Ms. Fribourg expects that consolidation to continue, especially with operators like CMA CGM and MSC scheduled to take delivery of twenty 22 000 TEU mega-ships by 2019. Forecasts predict global container capacity increasing by about 5.5% in 2018.
"Transporters need an 8% increase in demand in 2018 to offset capacity excess, and the recent slowing will complicate that," Ms. Fribourg says. "So we're already seeing considerable uncertainty in the market, and concerns among transporters. Their fear is continued sluggishness into December will leave them in a weaker position to maintain sustainable rate levels in 2018."


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KUALA LUMPUR: In an about turn, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will now relocate the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman/Jalan Masjid India Ramadan bazaar in Kuala Lumpur to Jalan Raja, in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad building.
KUANTAN: Repair work on the bund near the Kobat pump house is expected to take about two months to complete.
JOHOR BARU: Local business owners are anticipating an increase in sales as consumers take advantage of the zero-rated Goods and Services Tax (GST) period.


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BOCA RATON: The good news is that Bluegreen Corporation’s losses narrowed in the fourth quarter as revenue grew 34 percent. The company lost $135,000 on revenue of $98 million, but it lost $23.7 million on revenue of $73.2 million in the same period a year ago. Its revenue increase was due to the sale of more timeshare units.
One big help in narrowing its losses was that Bluegreen’s expense to reserve for losses in its timeshare buyer loan portfolio was $3.7 million in the fourth quarter, down from a $31.9 million expense in the final quarter of 2010. As of Dec. 31, the company held $705 million in timeshare buyer loans, both securitized and non-securitized, with a loan loss reserve that covered 20 percent of that amount.
For the full year, Bluegreen lost $17.3 million on revenue of $403.4 million versus a loss of $44 million on revenue of $350.2 million in 2010.
Also good: Bluegreen has a pending deal to sell its Bluegreen Communities residential division for $29 million to Coral Gables-based Southstar Development Partners, which is led by former Bluegreen director J. Larry Rutherford. Southstar has put down a non-refundable $4.5 million deposit for the deal, which is set to close April 30. Bluegreen says it would need to pledge $25.9 million of the sales proceeds to pay off a lender, so stay tuned for more news about this transaction.
The not-as-good news is that BFC Financial Corp.’s proposed deal to acquire complete ownership of Bluegreen, announced last November, is still on hold as several groups of investors have filed lawsuits in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against Bluegreen, BFC and Bluegreen’s directors, seeking to block the deal. The complaint alleges that shareholders wouldn’t receive fair compensation, the interests of minority shareholders wouldn’t be protected and Bluegreen board members, including Levan, engineered the transaction to benefit themselves and not the other shareholders. Bluegreen and BFC filed a motion to dismiss that lawsuit and the judge has yet to rule on that motion.
And in case you wondered what the top execs of the company earned:
- President and CEO John M. Maloney Jr. earned total compensation of $1.87 million in 2011, up from $1.36 million in 2010.
- Senior VP and Chief Strategy Officer David L. Pontius earned total compensation of $1.23 million, down from $1.26 million in 2010.
- Senior VP and head of marketing David A. Bidgood saw his total compensation increase to $1.22 million from $1.03 million.
DOVER: There’s big news from the timeshare resale front. Jason Tremblay, founder and CEO of Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services, is rebranding its timeshare resale and rental services, licensed timeshare brokerage, and resort services as VacationOwnership.com.
But that’s not all. As part of VacationOwnership.com the company is also launching a recently acquired domain that will be uniquely for its for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) timeshare resale and rental ads: TimeshareResales.com
Those are two powerful domain names!
SellMyTimeshareNOW.com and Timeshare Broker Services are both owned by Vacation Hotdeal Companies. There are no immediate plans to discontinue the original brands, but Tremblay says he is “…very excited that going forward we will be representing the timeshare industry, specifically the secondary marketplace as VacationOwnership.com, a name that is compelling, memorable and comprehensively speaks to all aspects of timeshare vacationing.”
Although the company began in 2003 solely as an online advertising service for by-owner timeshare resales and rentals, in 2006 it added licensed timeshare brokerage to provide vacationers more choice in how they bought, sold, or rented timeshare. In 2008, the company took on $10 Million in growth capital from Edison Venture Fund to expand its services and the following year, began providing customized owner services to resorts HOAs, timeshare developers, and timeshare management companies.
You’ve come a long way, baby!
FYI, in 1996, after working almost twenty years in vacation ownership marketing, Frank Apuzzo co-founded a Web design and Internet marketing company in Orlando, Florida and helped grow that company into a million dollar plus business. In February of 2000, he went out on his own and started Apuzzo Internet Marketing. The company began by developing two of its own Web sites in the vacation ownership & timeshare resales industries. Guess what those two Web sites were? 😉
Do you have tips or rumors you'd like to share ANONYMOUSLY? Something you'd like us to investigate or follow up on? Help fill up the Tips Jar so we can share it with the whole Timeshare World! CONTACT: email@example.com


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Satellite radio giant SiriusXM Radio, controlled by John Malone‘s Liberty Media, on Thursday reported stronger-than-expected subscriber growth in its third quarter and raised its full-year subscriber guidance.
Quarterly net subscriber additions came in at 525,000, compared with 433,000 net new subs in the year-ago quarter, up 21 percent. Total paid subscribers reached 28.96 million at the end of September.
Quarterly earnings hit $167 million, up 22 percent compared with $136 million in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) came in at $447 million, up 17 percent and marking “a quarterly record high,” the company said.
Revenue increased 11 percent to $1.17 billion, a third-quarter record for the company.
SiriusXM now targets total net subscriber additions of approximately 2 million for the full year. It had previously predicted a 2015 gain of about 1.8 million subscribers, which was already up from 1.4 million and 1.2 million at the start of the year.
Said SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer: “With subscribers at an all-time high of nearly 29 million and record adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin, our third quarter was one of the strongest performances in our company’s history. We are confident of our continued success in the fourth quarter, and we are increasing our guidance for self-pay and total net subscriber additions, revenue and adjusted EBITDA.”
On an earnings conference call, the CEO said people regularly ask him if Howard Stern will extend his SiriusXM deal, which comes to an end at the end of the year. “We certainly hope so,” Meyer said.
He said that people would likely agree that “his show has never been bigger and better,” adding that the two sides talk regularly. The best way to get any news on Stern’s future is to “turn into Howard’s show every morning,” Meyer said. “That’s what I do.”
Asked about Apple Music’s paying subscribers of more than 6.5 million, he called it “not a trivial number.” But he argued that streaming is “a technology, not a competitor.” He said SiriusXM sees streaming as one part of its offers and business.
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US supplier of plastic, glass and metal containers and closures Berlin Packaging has pocketed a company record of 11 medals in six categories at the 2018 National Association of Container Distributor (NACD) packaging awards competition.
The annual ceremony rewards the most innovative packages launched during the previous year and saw packaging solutions company TricorBraun bag ten medals in 2017 and Berlin Packaging reaching 11 in 2018.
The US-based company, which is valued at $2.6bn, has won a total of 39 awards in the previous five years of the competition.
Among the 2018 victories were one gold medal for the Household, Chemical & Automotive category, seven silver medals in categories ranging from Drug & Pharmaceutical to Beverage, and three bronze awards.
Berlin Packaging CEO and chair Andrew Berlin said: “We’re thrilled with the continued recognition from the NACD, especially as it successfully highlights our dedication and willingness to provide our customers with the right solutions to address their packaging needs and improve their bottom lines.”
The bottle that gained Berlin Packaging the third place was designed by the firm’s Studio One Eleven design division.
Berlin said: “Whether it’s the world-class capabilities of our Studio One Eleven design division to create innovative packaging solutions or the proactive advocacy from our Quality team or our capital lending, we offer these and many other income-boosting services at no-charge in exchange for packaging business.”
Berlin Packaging Innovation & Design vice-president and leader of Studio One Eleven Scott Jost said: “Great design makes business sense. Our team of designers, engineers, market researchers, and tooling experts works hand-in-hand with the rest of Berlin to deliver compelling innovations that work with consumers and our customers’ supply chains.”


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This comprehensive guide begins at Alfava Metraxis and ends at Doctor Who Magazine wins the ACE Press Award 0 Following its record breaking ABC figure earlier this year, Doctor Who Magazine had cause for further celebration at the 2014 ACE Press Awards held https://www.levitradosageus24.com/ viagra bedeutung online apotheke at the Museum of London. This may take a second or two.
Tahiti Mulls Plans for Government-Owned Cruise ShipFebruary 27, 2009 By: Mark Rogers
Earlier this week we reported that Tahiti’s occupancy numbers were in the basement at 20 percent. Tahitipresse now reports that cruise ship Star Flyer will stop its sailings out of Tahiti next year. This represents a loss of about 7,000 visitors and 7,000 tickets for Air Tahiti Nui annually. The 70-passenger, four-masted sailing ship Star Flyer offered 10- and 11-night cruises among Tahitian islands
This has inspired Tahiti’s new tourism minister, Jacqui Drollet, to call for the country to enter the cruise ship business by acquiring its own vessel.
"The ships are leaving us one after the other," said Drollet said, referring to December's departure of the 670-passenger Tahitian Princess, which had been based in Papeete since December 2002.
The loss of the Tahitian Princess and the Star Flyer leaves one foreign-flag cruise ship based in Papeete for regular cruises— the 330-passenger M/S Paul Gauguin, which celebrated its 10th anniversary of cruising in French Polynesia early last year.
In 2008, the cruise ship sector started out strong for Tahiti and then fizzled. Overall, 2008 posted a gain of 1.7 percent over 2007, but December produced 2,937 cruise ship passengers, a drop of 734, or 20 percent. The cruise ship sector accounted for 22 percent of all Tahiti's tourists last year, so this downward trend is critical for the country.


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CARACAS, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Venezuela’s new economy czar is a former business leader who openly admires the country’s socialist policies but recognizes the need for market reforms, potentially bringing a dose of pragmatism to government policy amid an economic crisis.
President Nicolas Maduro on Monday named industrial engineer Miguel Perez, former head of Fedeindustria, a small and medium-sized businesses association, as economy vice president.
Perez, who has served as a liaison between industry leaders and the leftist Socialist Party, has voiced support for unification of Venezuela’s three official exchange rates. That idea is backed by bondholders who believe the corruption-ridden exchange controls are driving the country toward default.
But opposition critics were quick to dismiss his designation as improvisation. Maduro, who just last month shuffled his Cabinet, has struggled to tackle a severe recession, runaway inflation, and chronic product shortages.
“The government has no direction, it named a new Cabinet and within two months announces major changes,” opposition legislator Elias Matta said on Twitter.
Reuters was unable to obtain comment from Perez.
He replaces Luis Salas, a sociologist renowned for writing that inflation “does not exist in real life” and who lasted just over a month on the job.
Venezuela’s foreign bonds were up across the board on Tuesday following the announcement, with the benchmark Global 2027 bond rising 1.433 points in price to reach 33.933 with a yield of 29.67 percent.
Economists say exchange controls are the principal barrier to Venezuela’s economic progress.
Maduro has repeatedly promised to enact reform measures to overhaul the system but has repeatedly avoided actually doing so, likely because of associated political cost.
Though eliminating the controls would boost availability of products and stimulate local industry, it would also vastly increase the cost of goods for consumers already struggling to make ends meet.
Perez’s nomination comes as the government is expected to devalue the strongest official exchange rate of 6.3 bolivars to the dollar, which is used for priority goods. The system also provides dollars at around 12 bolivars and around 200 bolivars for less important items, while greenbacks on the black market fetch 1,026 bolivars, according to website DolarToday.
The government is also expected increase the price of gasoline, which is so heavily subsidized that filling a tank costs less than buying a piece of chewing gum.
Maduro denies his government will default on its debt, noting the Socialist Party has always honored commitments despite repeated predictions by Wall Street that it would not.
But even the most optimistic projections show Venezuela will struggle to make bond payments of some $10 billion this year while also importing the goods and services needed to keep the economy running.
Perez, speaking about the need for economic reforms in January, acknowledged the impact of enormous subsidies for consumer goods that have helped sustain the Socialist Party since the era of late President Hugo Chavez.
“We need pricing policies that provide products at fair values to the population, but we also need to protect domestic production so that we can cover costs,” he said in an interview with state television.
“It’s not easy because we are coming from public policies that have turned Venezuela into the country with practically the cheapest products in the world.”
Perez’s family ran a natural gas distribution company in the eastern state of Anzoategui, where his family is seen as influential in the business community, according to local media reports.
Critics dismiss him as an opportunist who has curried favor with the Socialist Party as a way of expanding the reach of his own business interests.
Perez took over Fedeindustria in 2001 and helped turn it into an alternative to the hotly antigovernment Fedecamaras, which in 2002 helped oust Chavez and participated in a brief de facto government.
By 2007, Fedeindustria’s public statements were using phrases such as “rebellion of the means of production” or “Productive Socialism: A Challenge for Private Enterprise.”


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Yesterday we reported on a lesbian gamer who had her Xbox Live account suspended because users found it offensive that she would openly express her sexual preference. Upset over this seemingly discriminatory act some Xbox Live members (including one of our own) decided to test whether stating their own heterosexual preferences would produce the same results.
Stephen Toulouse who is the head of Policy and Enforcement for Xbox Live stated on his Twitter that while he cannot comment on yesterdays situation, he is working on a way for users to “safely express relationship preference.” He also added that expression of sexual orientation of any kind is not allowed in Gamertags.
Testing the Xbox Live police with a statement claiming how incredibly straight you are could get your account suspended for a day or worse. While this problem is being worked out, we can guarantee all the bigotry and homophobia our ears can stand on Xbox Live remains intact.


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Guy Carpenter & Co. has announced the launch of a new subsidiary, an insurtech ‘matchmaker’ that aims to help insurers easily and safely hunt for and select insurtech partners.
All the latest product and company-related news from the global travel insurance industry.
Global risk solutions provider Aon has announced the launch of its Capital Advisory unit.
Cunningham Lindsey in New Zealand has announced that it will now be operating as Sedgwick.
Insurer Allianz Partners UK has announced a new partnership with UK independent travel insurer Hays Travel.
South Africa-based emergency medical service provider Netcare 911 is celebrating two decades of lifesaving activities.
Allianz Partners has announced plans to establish a trio of ‘Innovation Centres’ to boost innovation in the travel, health and assistance spheres.
Allianz Global Assistance has announced the launch of SmartBenefits, a product enhancement that will allow its US customers to be paid in real-time for flight delays, as well as several other benefits.
Blink Innovation, a subsidiary of product marketing business CPP Group, has partnered with Generali Hong Kong.
Insurer Chubb has announced that it has opened a new Asia Pacific Major Accounts Division.
Hotel bookings startup Roomex has announced that it has received €8 million through Series A funding.


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MILFORD — As brick-and-mortar shopping continues to suffer from online competition and more recently the coronavirus pandemic, the Connecticut Post Mall has launched an e-commerce platform that will allow shoppers to search and buy products online from select stores at the retail center.
The “Shop Now!” platform, quietly launched last week, uses the mall’s existing website. If consumer decides to make a purchase using the platform, they then can decide whether they want the product shipped to their home, delivered curbside to their cars at designated spots at the mall or pick up their purchase at the store.
Ken Sterba, the mall’s general manager, said the launch of the e-commerce option is the result of lessons Connecticut Post officials learned while adapting to crowd restrictions associated with the pandemic.
“We realized that our shoppers want new and different ways to interact with us that give them the convenience of online shopping, but the ability to support and work with local retailers they know and love,” Sterba said. “With Shop Now!, they get both.”
The search function for the e-commerce platform allows consumers to search for a specific product, such as red shoes. Results of the search will show which retailers have red shoes and how much they cost.
More than 70 percent of the mall’s retailers already have their merchandise available through the online platform, according to mall officials, who said they expect full participation from all of the more than 150 Connecticut Post tenants by sometime next year.
The Shop Now! platform also allows consumers to book services such as hair and nail appointments or order food from mall restaurants.
The mall’s Dallas, Texas-based owner, Centennial, also is rolling out the e-commerce platform at its other retail centers. Centennial CEO Steve Levin said the launch of Shop Now! is a recognition that “retail isn’t about brick-and-mortar vs. online shopping.”
“It’s about the seamless convergence of these two channels in a way that makes sense for the consumer,” Levin said.
Centennial developed the Shop Now! platform in partnership with Adeptmind, a Toronto-based technology company specializing in artificial intelligence and and e-commerce.
David Cadden, a professor emeritus at Quinnipiac University’s School of Business, called the idea of a mall owner getting into the e-commerce business “very leading edge.”
“It’s definitely where that sector of business is headed,” Cadden said. “The whole idea is to have as much convenience as possible while keeping the store viable.”


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WALKER, Mich. — Chick-fil-A lovers in Walker, rejoice: A new location is opening this Thursday with Tim Hiller being selected as the independent franchised owner/operator.
The new location will be at 356 Wilson Ave. NW at the intersection of Wilson Avenue NW and Lake Michigan Drive, according to a news release Monday.
It’ll be open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Chick-fil-A will open for drive-thru, carry out and patio dining, with contactless ordering and payment options available through the Chick-fil-A app and online ordering.
To celebrate, the new location will surprise 100 “local heroes making an impact in Walker” with free Chick-fil-A for a year.
In addition, the company will donate $25,000 to Feeding America, with funds being distributed to partners in the greater Grand Rapids area to aid in the fight against hunger.
“I am honored and excited to bring the first Chick-fil-A restaurant to the Walker community,” Hiller said. “I look forward to mentoring my team members and striving to be the highlight of every guest’s day.”


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If you have a keen interest in cloud development, products/services, public/private pricing and cloud computing market competition, then “451 Research (opens in new tab)’s latest updates on Cloud Price Index” might interest you.
The research states that the basic cost of renting cloud services — from one of the big public cloud providers — has fallen over two per cent since the Index began in October 2014. During the last few years, the cost of cloud computing has dropped significantly; cloud providers want to snatch more and more market share from their competitors.
In an article published in Forbes (opens in new tab), 451 Research reports that on-demand cloud service is more cost effective. It can help companies save up to 44 per cent over the on-demand price. Interestingly, 451 Research’s CPI has shown a series of steep price cuts in pricing. The CPI is based on cloud quotes from a number of providers. The report includes quotes from AWS, Colt, Google, Microsoft, Swisscom, Verizon and Windstream.
The research shows how enterprising customers are adopting cost-aware approaches from the available pool of cloud providers. Those subscribing to cloud-based resources for several months, or years, are getting higher value in terms of cost and service.
Owen Rogers, the lead analyst for digital economics at 451 Research, explains: “Commitment goes a long way: capital, recurring revenue, financial lock-in and improved cash flow are all good news from the corporate angle. Advanced notification means better capacity planning, more accurate (and cheaper) purchase of hardware and infrastructure, and even the potential for better ‘bin-packing’ of capacity – all of this results in a better-used infrastructure, reducing sunk cost and maximising cheap unit prices.”
Almost a decade ago, cloud computing was considered a far-fetched idea. But many people have now started adopting cloud-computing services to store and backup their personal and business data. According to a forecast by Statista (opens in new tab), an online statistics company, the cloud storage industry is expected to generate over $4.04 billion revenue globally by 2016 — which shows how rapidly industry has grown.(opens in new tab)
The emerging market of public and private cloud infrastructure benefits enterprises, bringing down their input costs while it introduces new efficient services and provides a variety of products. It is foolish to make a data center when you are not sure what your needs will be in next six months. Cloud-computing services are now available at a most affordable price, and there is no reason to put-off taking advantage of them.
Rogers also believes: “Cloud has no bottom price. Even if infrastructure is eventually given away for free, as long as the provider sells other services, which offset this loss, then it can still be a profitable business.”
Price-cutting in cloud computing services is a win-win for both cloud service providers and enterprising business.


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KY-BIO were unveiled at the 17th CACLP Expo 2020, and attracted wide attention!
Integrated manufacturer of bioenzyme core raw materials to diagnostic reagents:
KY-BIO carries: patented products such as small and dense low density lipoprotein cholesterol kit, glycosylated albumin kit,as well as new superior products such as COVID-19 test kits, high density lipoprotein 3 cholesterol kit, lipoprotein phospholipase A2 kit, 1,5 dehydrated glucol kit, binding bilirubin kit,and lipase kit were unveiled at the 17th CACLP Expo 2020, and attracted wide attention!
Duringthe 3-day expo, from the beginning of the exhibition to its successfulconclusion, the booth of KY-BIO was full of visitors.
The elites in the industry talk freely
At the exhibition site, KY-BIO relying on its unique self-positioning ofintegrated suppliers from biological enzyme raw materials to diagnostic reagents, and high-quality and cost-effective products, talked with the industry elites about the hot spots of the IVD industry.
Interactive communication on the spot shows KY-BIO's wisdom
As an integrated manufacturer of scientists in the fields of medical testing,clinical laboratory diagnostics, biotechnology, biological enzyme engineering,etc., Kuaye Biology specially invited the professor expert team led by Dr. Lian to have a wonderful on-site interaction, conducted in-depth exchangesand discussions with the guests at the technical level, and demonstrated thestrength and brand charm of KY-BIO.
Cooperationnegotiations highlight brand strength
Through this exhibition, the dealers witnessed the brand strength of Kuaye Biotechnology under the continuous accumulation of technology for many years. And conducted fiery on-site cooperation negotiations.


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Their research, published in the journal Appetite, suggests that exposure to vegetables at a young age means actually tasting them in the foods they eat, challenging the ‘stealth health’ strategy of sneaking vegetables into foods many parents find successful.
For the liking of vegetables to be learned, the flavors from the vegetables must be perceptible within the mixture, explained Alyssa Bakke, staff sensory scientist in Penn State's Department of Food Science.
"If true, this new work is key because it shows that current commercial products on the market fail to meet this need, as they cover up and hide the flavor of vegetables -- even when vegetables are on the ingredient list," said research team lead, John Hayes, associate professor of food science at Penn State.
"If parents don't stop and taste these foods themselves, the front of the package may lead them to think these products taste like vegetables rather than a fruit puree."
Research shows that even with the large amount of baby food and kids products on the market that purport to contain some vegetables (commonly in the form of puree mixed with fruit ingredients), many children’s diets are severely lacking in vegetable consumption.
According to the latest update to the Nestlé Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) in 2018, more than a quarter (27%) of toddlers and preschoolers aren’t eating a single serving of vegetables on a given day and of those who do, french fries are the most common vegetable consumed.
Among the products containing vegetables that are available to parents, there’s a void in variety of nutrient-dense vegetables. According to the study’s researchers who conducted a recent survey of commercial baby food products, there was not one commercially-available single, dark green vegetable product. Instead, dark green vegetables often were mixed with fruits or red/orange vegetables -- such as squash -- that provide additional sweetness.
Testing sensory properties of baby foods
Researchers performed descriptive analyses to quantitatively profile the sensory properties of 21 commercial vegetable-containing infant foods and one prepared in their laboratory. Eleven experienced adult panelists, after 14 and a half hours of training, rated all 22 products -- in triplicate -- for 14 taste, flavor and texture attributes.
Panelists found that products containing fruit not only were sweeter than products that did not contain fruit but also were higher in fruit flavors and lower in vegetable flavors. In general, sensory profiles were driven by the first or majority ingredient in the product and because few products had dark green vegetables as a first ingredient, dark green vegetable flavor was not prevalent.
"This suggests the sensory profiles of commercially available infant vegetable foods may not be adequate to facilitate increased acceptance of green vegetables," Bakke said. "This is a huge concern right now -- how can we promote the liking of vegetables? From infants to adults, people tend not to like vegetables."
Preferring and liking the taste of vegetables is a learned behavior, added Bakke.
"The number one way we do that is just repeated trial -- trying it over and over and over again. If this is done early on, we can prepare people to have a liking for vegetables throughout their whole lifetimes."
Check out the highlights from FoodNavigator-USA’s FOOD FOR KIDS summit last year, an event which dove into the nutrition and sensory science and market research of the kids food category.


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Voyager builds technology platforms and products for financial services, digital commerce, digital marketing and consumer engagement that enable individuals, businesses, organizations and whole cities to reach out and serve more people.
PLDT HOME believes that the strongest connections are at home. It provides Filipino families with a compelling suite of multimedia products and services so they can stay connected and easily access quality entertainment, information, security and other digital services in the comfort of their homes.
PLDT Enterprise is the group’s B2B arm and is tasked with the mission of empowering Philippine enterprises large and small as they pursue their respective digital transformation journeys.
ePLDT is the premier information and communications technology company in the country, delivering world-class solutions to both large enterprises and the SMEs across various industries.
PLDT Global delivers international services for overseas Filipinos as the leading offshore Filipino information and communications technology company.
Smart Communications is the group’s wireless services provider that provides a wide range of innovative prepaid, postpaid and mobile broadband services.
Sun offers a wide range of service innovations for mobile telephony from voice, messaging and international roaming services to wireless broadband and value-added services.
TNT is Smart's value brand that provides fast and reliable LTE connections and affordable call, text and data services.
Home → News Center → News Center
Published on Jan 21, 2015
Manila, Philippines and Berlin, Germany, 21stJanuary 2015 – Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (“PLDT”, PSE: TEL, NYSE: PHI), the leading telecom operator in the Philippines and Rocket Internet AG (“Rocket”, ISIN DE000A12UKK6, RKET), today announced a new joint venture to further strengthen their existing partnership and to foster the development of internet based businesses in the Philippines. PLDT and the Asia Pacific Internet Group (“APACIG”) will become partners in the new Philippines Internet Group (“PHIG”), which will concentrate on creating and developing online businesses in the Philippines.
Through Voyager Innovations, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Smart Communication, Inc. which in turn is also wholly-owned by PLDT), PLDT is investing 30m EUR for a 33.3 percent stake with an option to increase this to 50 percent. The remaining shares are held by APACIG, which is 50 percent owned by Rocket.
Following the successful model of Rocket’s four existing Regional Internet Groups, PHIG will leverage local market and business model insights, facilitate commercial, strategic and investment partnerships, enable local recruiting and sourcing and accelerate the rollout of online startups. It will drive the activities of high-growth companies which are already operating in the Philippines like Lamudi, Carmudi, Clickbus and Pricepanda, and aims to launch numerous new companies in the coming quarters.
For PLDT, this marks a milestone in its strategy to increasingly invest in businesses that provide digital growth opportunities and develop new revenue streams. This is supported by increasing disposable income and internet penetration – key drivers for eCommerce growth – in the Philippines where a vast majority of mobile subscribers are tech-savvy and open to alternative payment systems for their daily purchases.
Napoleon L. Nazareno, President and CEO of PLDT, said: “At PLDT, we are firmly committed to paving the way for the country’s digital future. We have already built the Philippines’ most extensive internet infrastructure. Now we are excited to extend our partnership with Rocket Internet and look forward to harnessing their knowledge and experience in building innovative internet services that will further support our mission of enriching our people’s lives.”
Oliver Samwer, Founder and CEO of Rocket Internet, added: “With a population of about 100 million people and more than 44 million internet users, the Philippines is a highly promising market. We are glad that with PLDT, the Philippines’ number one telecom operator, we have a strong investor on board with deep local expertise and the infrastructure to best serve customer needs. Our strategic partnership will accelerate the development of the Philippines Internet Group as the country’s leading online powerhouse and help our businesses succeed.”
The transaction is subject to the approval of the regulatory authorities and is expected to be concluded in the first quarter 2015.


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Former CBS and Yahoo programming exec David Katz has resurfaced at the helm of his own Internet sports venture.
SportsFanLive.com launches this week in beta mode with Samsung on board as a premiere sponsor. The site aims to not only provide news in the sports world but also lure fans with social-networking features that allow for community and competition online.
“The existing sports sites have not evolved much over the past five years, but the world is a very different place right now,” he said. “I saw a big opportunity to create a product that would satisfy the interests of these fans.”
Katz led the sports and entertainment division at Yahoo under Lloyd Braun, former head of the Internet giant’s media group. He stepped down in late 2006, one of the first in a stream of execs to depart Yahoo as the company’s troubles mounted.
Before Yahoo, Katz spent eight years at CBS, where he played a pioneering role in the network’s Internet efforts. As senior vp strategic planning and interactive ventures, he launched CBS.com and developed online components for many of the network’s hits, including “Survivor” and “Big Brother.”
SportsFanLive is financed by private investors who Katz declined to identify, but he noted they come from the “sports, media and advertising industries” as opposed to traditional venture-capital sources.
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CES is the biggest technology event in the world, held in Las Vegas, Nevada every January. Ahead of CES 2018, 360-degree camera company Insta360 has just announced it has picked up two accolades for its Insta360 Pro and Insta360 ONE cameras.
Having previously released cameras like the Insta360 Nano for iOS and the Insta360 Air for Android smartphones, the company launched the Insta360 ONE back in August, aimed at being its most versatile consumer focused camera to date.
Able to shoot 360-degree video and photos at resolutions up to 4K – 3840 x 1920@30fps, 2560 x 1280@60fps and 24 MP (6912 x 3456), the Insta360 ONE offers three modes of operation: standalone use, remote control via Bluetooth, and direct connection to a smartphone. It’s also the first Insta360 camera to offer FreeCapture functionality as well as bullet time mode.
“360 cameras are a revolutionary storytelling tool, and our mission is to make them accessible and fun for everyone,” said JK Liu, founder and CEO of Insta360. “The heavy focus we put on R&D is a means to that end, and it’s thrilling to have our efforts recognized by some of the leading voices in tech.”
While the Insta360 Pro arrived much earlier in the year, and as the name suggests, focused much more towards high-end professionals. Capable of stereoscopic 360 stills and video in up to 8K, the Insta360 Pro houses six 200° lenses and onboard real-time stitching technology to capture finished 360-degree videos that don’t require any post-processing.
Currently the Insta360 ONE supports the iPhone, and retails for $299.90 USD. While the Insta360 Pro will set you back $3,499.
The cameras have been honoured in the Virtual and Augmented Reality product category. Both the Insta360 Pro and Insta360 ONE will be displayed at the Innovation Awards Showcase, as well as at Insta360’s booth, at CES 2018.
VRFocus will be attending CES 2018 to bring you all the latest virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) news.


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STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) – A woman in Connecticut thought she’d lost a cherished bracelet forever. Then she spotted it in a Stamford jewelry store display case.
Now she will soon be back in possession of the bracelet, whose sentimental value outweighs the gold and gemstones.READ MORE: New York Weather: CBS2’s 10/28 Thursday Morning Forecast
At Peter Suchy Jewelers, there are literally thousands of beautiful pieces on display.
The Stamford woman couldn’t believe it when she randomly looked into a case and spotted the very thing she desired most.
“The odds are unbelievable,” the woman, who asked CBS2 not to use her name said.
“That’s the bracelet stolen out of my home a few years ago and I was stunned.”
The unique emerald diamond and gold bracelet was purchased by the woman and her husband to celebrate the birth of their daughter.READ MORE: Heat Pull Away To Beat Nets
“It spoke to me immediately, it said this is my daughter Shannon.”
The bracelet was stolen from an upstairs bedroom three years ago. At some point, it was sold to Peter Suchy.
“A lady came in and sold us the bracelet, we took photo ID, driver’s license, recorded the purchase, took a picture of what was purchased, that’s the procedure that we do,” the jeweler said.
Stamford police say because Suchy carefully documents and reports precious metal purchases, it was easy to track down who had sold it.
“We retrieved the piece of jewelry, able to get an arrest warrant, serve that arrest warrant, and when the case comes to its full disposition, the victim will get receive their jewelry back,” Sgt. Sean Scanlan of the Stamford Police Department said.
“I believe I was placed in that store on that day to find this piece of jewelry, so that I’ll be able to give it to her one day,” the bracelet’s rightful owner told CBS2’s Tony Aiello.MORE NEWS: FDNY Planning Big Anti-COVID Vaccine Mandate Demonstration For Thursday Morning Outside Gracie Mansion
Stamford police don’t believe the 66-year-old woman who sold the bracelet is the same person who stole it from the victim. The investigation into who did steal it continues.


text: Hong Kong residents spent about 3.5 billion yuan (HK$3.2 billion) on residential properties in Shenzhen last year, and heavier buying is expected this year, says Land Power International Holdings. The property consultant, specialising in marketing of mainland properties, believed Hong Kong people had bought up to 7,000 units at an average 500,000 yuan each in Shenzhen last year. Chairman Michael Choi Ngai-min expected the number of units sold to Hong Kong people would increase to 9,000 this year given home prices in Shenzhen was about five or six times cheaper than in the SAR. In a bid to lower living expenses, he said more Hong Kong people studied the possibility of 'living in Shenzhen and working in Hong Kong'. Some lower-income Hong Kong men, many married to mainland women, might move to Shenzhen, he said. But he said that the increasing number of Hong Kong people buying homes across the border had had a minimal impact on SAR residential prices. This was 'because most Hong Kong people still see [the] SAR as their first home'. Although Shenzhen's property prices and living expenses were lower, Hong Kong people were still dissatisfied about the mainland city's public security, medical facilities, education and transportation, he said. But he said home prices in the New Territories, particularly close to the border, might suffer if the Government decided to open the immigration control point at Lok Ma Chau around the clock. If so, Hong Kong developers should promote their projects to attract successful mainland businessmen who were keen on buying luxury units in SAR, he said. Land Power said prices of luxury apartments in Shenzhen were HK$850 per square foot to HK$1,050 per square foot. Flats in urban areas cost HK$650 per square foot to HK$750 per square foot while those in secondary locations HK$350 per square foot to HK$480 per square foot. Last year, Hong Kong people bought 5,000 units in the Pearl River Delta and 2,000 flats in Guangzhou, the consultant said.