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Chinese government. Often the market needed the hits like a warrior, yet the combos have taken its toll in numerous cryptocurrency investors. The market lackluster performance in 2018 batons in comparison to it has the stellar thousand-percent gains within 2017.
What has transpired?
Since 2013, the Chinese language government took measures to help regulate cryptocurrency, but nothing to in comparison to what was put in place throughout 2017. (Check out this write-up for the detailed analysis from the formal notice issued by Oriental government)
2017 was a over the top year for the cryptocurrency market with all often the attention plus growth it has attained. The ultimate price movements forced typically the Central bank to adopt whole lot more extreme measures, including this limitation of initial endroit solutions (ICOs) and clampdowns in domestic cryptocurrency transactions. Soon after, mining production facilities in China were enforced to close down, citing extreme electrical power consumption. Several exchanges plus factories currently have relocated foreign to prevent regulations but always been readily available to Chinese shareholders. Yet, they still fail to escape the claws on the China Dragon.
In the most up-to-date series of government-led efforts to and ban cryptocurrency investing among Chinese buyers, China and taiwan extended its “Eagle Eye” to monitor international cryptocurrency deals. https://www.undervalued.top/cryptocurrency-reviews/litecoin-review plus bank accounts alleged connected with carrying out transactions using foreign crypto-exchanges and similar activities are subjected to procedures from limiting revulsion restrictions to freezing of company accounts. There have in fact also been ongoing rumors amongst the Far east community associated with more serious measures in order to be enforced upon unusual platforms that enable stock trading among Chinese traders.
“As for whether you will see even further regulatory measures, you will have got to wait for requests from the higher authorities. inch Excerpts from an employment interview with crew leader of the China’s Accumulated Network Safety Supervision company underneath the Ministry of Public Stability, 28th February
EXACTLY WHY SO WHY WHY!?
Imagine your own youngster investing his or her discounts to spend in a digital product (in this case, cryptocurrency) that he or the lady does not have way of confirming its authenticity and cost. He or she might get lucky and strike it rich, or shed all of it when the crypto-bubble burst open. Nowadays scale that to be able to countless Chinese citizens plus we can be talking regarding billions of Chinese Yuan.
The market is complete of scams in addition to useless ICOs. (I’m ensure you have got heard news of individuals mailing coins to arbitrary contact information with the guarantee of doubling their assets and ICOs that basically don’t create sense). A lot of unsavvy shareholders are around it for the income and would care fewer in regards to the technology and innovation to it. The value of many cryptocurrencies comes from market speculation. During the crypto-boom in 2017, participate through virtually any ICO with sometimes a good famous advisor on-ship, a good team or perhaps the decent nonsense and you are guaranteed with lowest 3X your assets.
Too little of understanding of the agency along with the technology behind it, with the growth of ICOs, is definitely a new recipe regarding disaster. Users of the particular Central standard bank reports the fact that almost 90% of typically the ICOs are fraudulent or maybe involves illegitimate fundraising. Found in my thoughts and opinions, the Far east government wants to assure that cryptocurrency remains ‘controllable’ and certainly not too huge to neglect in the Far east group. China is taking the right steps towards some sort of safer, more regulated cryptocurrency world, albeit aggressive plus controversial. In fact, this could possibly be the best approach the country has had at decades.
Will Tiongkok challenge an ultimatum and make cryptocurrency illegal? I really hesitation so since it is incredibly pointless to do and so. Currently, banks are prohibited from holding any crypto assets whilst individuals usually are allowed to yet are barred from holding away any forms of investing.
Some sort of State-run Cryptocurrency Trade?
In the annual “Two Sessions” (Named because two major parties- National People’s The legislature (NPC) and the Domestic Committee of the Chinese People’s Politics Consultative Conference (CPCC) the two take part in the forum�?held on the first week associated with March, commanders assemble to discuss about the current concerns and make a necessity law changes.
Wang Pengjie, a new member of this NPCC dabbled in to the leads of a state-run online resource trading platform as well as initiate academic projects on blockchain and cryptocurrency in Cina. Having said that, the proposed system might require a authenticated accounts to allow trading.
“With the establishment of related regulations and the co-operation of the People’s Bank regarding China (PBoC) and Tiongkok Securities Regulatory Commission(CSRC), a licensed and efficient cryptocurrency swap platform would function as an official way for companies to raise money (through ICOs) and shareholders to hold their a digital assets and achieve investment appreciation” Excerpts of Wang Pengjie presentation with the particular Two Consultations.
The Drive towards a Blockchain Region
Governments and even central finance institutions worldwide have struggled for you to grapple with the raising popularity of cryptocurrencies; nonetheless something is sure, most have embraced blockchain.
Even with the cryptocurrency crackdown, blockchain has been recently gathering popularity together with adoption in various levels. The Chinese government own recently been supporting blockchain pursuits and embracing the technology. In fact, the Peoples’ Lender of China (PBoC) have been working on a new digital forex and have got conducted mock orders along with some of the state’s private banks. It will be still unconfirmed if the particular digital currency is going to be decentralized and offer features connected with cryptocurrency like invisiblity together with immutability. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if it turns out to get just the digital Oriental Yuan given that anonymity is the last factor that Tiongkok wants within their region. However , produced as a close up substitute of the Chinese Yuan, the online currency will be subjected to existing financial guidelines and laws.
People’s Loan company of China Governor, Zhou Xiaochuan. Source: CNBC
“Lots of cryptocurrencies need seen explosive growth which usually can carry significant damaging impact on people and retail investors. We all don’t like (cryptocurrency) products that will make use of the big opportunity for conjecture that gives people the illusion of getting rich overnight” Excerpts from Zhou Xiaochuan job interview on Friday, ninth Mar.
On a mass media appearance upon Friday, ninth March, Texas chief of Someones Bank of China, Zhou Xiaochuan belittled cryptocurrency plans that leveraged on this crypto-boom to profit together with fuel market rumours. They also noted that enhancement of the digital foreign money is ‘technologically inevitable’
On the regional level, many Far east cities have are driving blockchain initiatives to advertise growth in their location. Hangzhou, well known for becoming the headquarters involving Alibaba, have stated blockchain technological innovation to be one associated with the city’s top goals in 2018. The regional government in Chengdu area have also also been offered the building of an incubation center to break the particular ownership of blockchain technologies in the city’s financial services.
Regional conglomerates such Tencent and even Alibaba have likewise formed relationship with blockchain companies or maybe initiated projects on their own. Blockchain firms such as VeChain have also secured numerous partners with Chinese firms to boost supply chain visibility throughout China.
All evidence point to the fact the fact that China is working in the direction of a blockchain nation. Tiongkok has often had a good start attitude to zustande kommend solutions such as cellular payment together with Artificial Cleverness. Henceforth, the idea is devoid of a doubt that Tiongkok would be the first blockchain-enabled nation. Will definitely we see typically the Chinese government backing down and let it is citizens trade again? Almost certainly, when the market has aged and is less erratic however definitely not around 2018.


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Far Cry 5 Is The Second Biggest Launch in Ubisoft’s Game History
Far Cry 5 is now the second biggest launch in Ubisoft’s history following the step of Tom Clancy’s The Division. According to the announcement by Ubisoft yesterday, the game already made $310 million for its first week since it was released.
Far Cry 5 has doubled its sales compared to its previous franchise for Far Cry 4 during the launch week. Interestingly, the game has been boosted with the help of the many Twitch users which has been reported to have a total of 55,000+ hours of streaming.
During the recent interview with the President of Ubisoft America Laurent Detoc,
Far Cry 5, like the real Montana, is a vast and gorgeous playground filled with colorful stories for players to enjoy and share. We’re grateful to newcomers and fans of the series who have joined us in Hope County and have collectively grown our community.
Executive Producer on Far Cry Dan Hay has also added,
I’m proud that the culmination of years of passionate work from the team is paying off, and that Far Cry 5’s experience resonates with so many people. We are humbled by players’ reception of the game and fired up to keep growing and supporting the Far Cry community in the months and years to come.
Following this reveal, Ubisoft also shared some statistics from the first week of the game. Revealing some fun facts like 5+ million fishes caught, 155 million civilians saved and more. Nick Rye (providing the air support) turned out to be the most popular Gun for Hir companion, while Boomer holds the record for the most popular Fang for Hire.

domain: news


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Kroger (KR 0.10%) recently closed the books on a fantastic year. Comparable-store sales jumped higher by 5.5% in 2015, trouncing management's initial target of 3.5% growth.
The supermarket chain produced $2 billion of profit from its $110 billion of sales last year. That equates to $2.06 per share, 20% above the prior year's result and double the long-term growth pace that Kroger aims for (8% to 11% higher annual profits).
Executives are planning to extend that positive momentum by boosting their investments in the business: Capital spending is projected to come in at $4.2 billion, up 27% from the $3.3 billion Kroger spent last year.
Rival Costco (COST -1.40%) has a much smaller footprint (less than 500 locations in the U.S.), but is boosting its capital spending at a similar pace to Kroger. A large portion of that spending will be dedicated to increasing the store footprint. Kroger operates 2,800 locations but still sees plenty of room to expand -- either in new markets or in underserved areas of established markets.
The membership club plans to open as many as 32 new warehouses in fiscal 2016 (requiring about $3 billion of cash) for its most aggressive growth year yet. For both of these retailers, their biggest growth opportunity involves selecting high-quality locations for the development of new stores.
Kroger's 2016 plans also call for significant investments in the digital sales channel. CEO Rodney McMullen and his team are busy applying what they've learned from Harris Teeter's successful online ordering system to the rest of the Kroger store portfolio.
They've launched "order online, pick up at the store" options in a few markets and will expand that availability this year. In addition, the company will invest to improve its mobile app and online presence in 2016. "We are creating a seamless experience for our customers," McMullen said in a recent conference call.
Finally, investors can expect increased spending on corporate brands this year. These high-margin, company-owned product lines account for nearly 30% of Kroger's sales, and include names like Big K, Private Selection, and Heritage Farm.
But it's the Simple Truth franchise that should see the most attention since it is responsible for helping Kroger steal market share from organic and natural food rivals like Whole Foods Market (WFM).
That brand broke $1.5 billion of annual sales last year, up from $1.2 billion in 2014. Kroger says over 20 million households have purchased at least one of its thousands of products sold under the Simple Truth brand. Meanwhile, Kroger's lower cost structure has helped it slash prices to the point that it nudged Whole Foods into trying a new approach to selling organic and natural food that aims to compete for value-conscious shoppers. Don't expect Kroger to stand still, though; it plans to expand the Simple Truth brand into new categories like household, personal care, and baby products this year.
What's left for shareholders?
The good news for shareholders is that their returns should still climb even though capital expenditures are rising at a faster pace than sales this year. Kroger expects to earn $2.25 per share in 2016, for a 9% boost over last year's haul.
Investors can thank strong cash flow trends for that happy result. Kroger produced $4.8 billion of cash last year, up from $4.2 billion in 2014. The grocer even recently broke away from Costco on that important metric.
That stellar level of cash generation means that Kroger should have no problem funding higher capital spending without compromising cash returns through dividends and stock buybacks -- all while maintaining a double-digit profit boost in 2016.


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One of the hardest hit of the tourist attractions in Central Thailand during the recent floods was Ayothaya Floating Market (see map). When I went back to Ayutthaya last month after much of the floodwater had gone down, I found that the floating market was still under 2-3 meters of water. I was back there again last weekend and found that it has now been drained out. However, the majority of the shops were devastated. The good news is, that the shop vendors told me that they plan to re-open the floating market on Christmas weekend. I will confirm this again nearer the time.
This was the second year in a row that they were hit by floods. Last year, although it wasn’t as high and only lasted a month, they weren’t given any warning and they lost all of their stock. This year they were able to save their stock first, but the floods lasted a full two months. The water was also much higher this time and also damaged their ceilings and light fittings. But. they are determined to carry on. Quite a few shopkeepers were out last weekend repairing their shops and plan to carry on as if nothing happened.
Ayothaya Floating Market is a great place to eat Thai food and watch cultural shows. If you are planning on going to Ayutthaya soon then please visit the market and help support these people who were badly effected by the floods. Places like Ayutthaya rely heavily on the tourist dollar and for several months no-one came to visit. Click here to read my review of the market from earlier this year.


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Suresh Kumar – Global Chief Technology Officer of Walmart – thinks the cryptocurrency industry will significantly impact the future of finance, particularly how consumers conduct transactions.
He reiterated the corporation’s positive stance on the sector, saying clients should be able to purchase products and “derive value” out of digital assets.
Crypto Could Inspire Customers
In a recent interview for Yahoo Finance, Kumar forecasted that people will use cryptocurrencies to pay for both physical and digital products and services, making the asset class a “major” area of disruption:
“I think that there are three major areas of disruption. Crypto falls in sort of the middle of it. I have talked before about the way in which customers are getting inspired and discovering products. That is changing.”
The executive further predicted that the Metaverse and various social media platforms could stimulate crypto’s popularity by targeting such consumers:
“And part of that is going to happen in the Metaverse. Part of that is going to happen on live streams inside your social media app. So whether it is physical goods or virtual goods, they play a part in terms of what the customer wants.”
Envisioning that digital assets will revolutionize the way people conduct financial settlements, Kumar said Walmart will aim to provide “friction-free” cryptocurrency options to its clients.
Headquartered in Arkansas, the multinational retail corporation is the world’s largest private employer having over 2.2 million employees. While it does not accept direct cryptocurrency payments, clients could purchase Amazon gift cards at Bitrefill with bitcoin and then spend at Walmart.
The Recent Crypto Endeavors
In September last year, some sources indicated that Walmart embraced Litecoin (LTC) as a payment method. The rumors infused huge excitement in the space and positively affected the coin’s price. Nonetheless, it turned out to be fake news causing huge volatility in the market.
A month later, Walmart interacted with the crypto world for real by collaborating with Coinstar to install 200 bitcoin ATMs across the company’s stores in the USA. It displayed intentions to increase the number of such machines to 8,000 in the future.
At the beginning of 2022, the giant hypermarket chain filed documents with American regulators to launch its own cryptocurrency, NFTs, and hop on the Metaverse bandwagon.


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The University of Texas-Pan American is offering the community a look into the works of Leonardo DaVinci. Jennifer Berghom has more in this report.
The Rio Grande Valley has a closer connection to the Renaissance this fall.
Here's a few stores that will not be open on Thanksgiving this year. Most of these companies say, they're not opening on Thanksgiving Day so their employees will have a chance to spend the holiday with their families.


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About 3.82 million ounces will go into auto catalysts, 17% more than this year and the most since 2007, Morgan Stanley estimates. Supply will exceed demand by 81,000 ounces, down from 2,95,000 ounces, as output contracts 1%, according to Barclays Capital. Prices that fell 15% this year will average $1,845 an ounce in the fourth quarter of 2012, 22% more than now, the median of 12 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg shows.
While there is mounting concern about global economic growth, automakers will sell a record 79.5 million cars and light commercial vehicles in 2012, according to LMC Automotive, a research company in England. The 6.5% increase will be led by gains in developing economies. Demand for platinum is also coming from investors, and holdings in exchange-traded products are within 13% of a record, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
"The price is very low and very near production costs," said Thorsten Proettel, the analyst at Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart, Germany, who was the most accurate price forecaster tracked by Bloomberg over the past two years. "We won't have a global recession next year. Emerging markets will still prosper."
Platinum fell this year to $1,509.75 an ounce at 1:20 pm in Singapore on Tuesday, declining in the first three quarters. The last time that happened, in 2001, prices rallied more than 10% in the final three months. The Standard & Poor's GSCI gauge of 24 commodities advanced 3.4%, led by gasoil, gold and cattle. The MSCI All-Country World Index of equities dropped 8.2% this year, while Treasuries returned 8.9%, a Bank of America Corp index shows.
Supply will decline next year in both South Africa and Russia, which together account for 88% of the global total, Barclays estimates. Mining expenses rose 30% last year in South Africa and 13% in Russia, according to UBS. Anglo American Platinum, the world's biggest producer, said in July it expected costs to reach $1,558 an ounce this year, 7.4% more than in 2010.
Mining companies are paying more for wages and energy, at a time when they are digging ever deeper to maintain production. With shafts extending down as much as 1.4 miles, temperatures at the rock face of Northam Platinum's Zondereinde mine in South Africa can reach as high as 162 degrees Fahrenheit. It uses as many as seven refrigeration units to pump chilled air into the mine, according to data on the company's website.
The decline in production will be partly covered by a 0.3% increase in recycled metal, leaving supply 0.7% lower than this year, Barclays predicts. Demand will expand 1.9%, the bank estimates. Platinum is also used by the glass, chemicals and electronics industries.
Anglo American Platinum will report a 44% gain in net income in 2012, according to analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Impala Platinum Holdings, the second-biggest producer, will earn 28% more in its next fiscal year, the estimates show.
The projected jump in demand may be curbed by slowing growth. While the IMF expects the global economy to expand 4% next year, unchanged from 2011, it forecast a slowdown in Europe and China. Europe will account for 29% of consumption this year and China 26%, according to Johnson Matthey, which makes one in three of the world's auto catalysts. Cars use the metal in canisters, which have honeycomb-like surfaces that convert emissions into less harmful substances.
The devices contain about 4 gm (0.13 troy ounces) of platinum, palladium or rhodium, according to the company. At Morgan Stanley's anticipated average price of $1,829 an ounce next year, auto catalysts will use metal valued at $6.99 billion.
Global sales of light vehicles fell about 3% in 2009, led by Europe and North America, according to LMC Automotive. China, now the world's largest car market, avoided the slump, with sales increasing 48%. General Motors, the biggest overseas automaker in the country, anticipates a 10% gain in nationwide sales next year, Kevin Wale, president of its China unit, said in an interview last month.
Four of the six largest automakers in the US beat analysts' expectations in November, boosting industry sales to a 13.6 million seasonally adjusted annualised rate, the most in more than two years, Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey-based Autodata Corp reported on December 1.
Palladium, extracted with platinum and also used in catalytic converters, jumped 13% last week, the most among 80 commodity contracts tracked by Bloomberg. Investors held 40.33 tonne of platinum in exchange-traded products on Monday, about 7% more than at the start of the year, data compiled by Bloomberg show. That's a bigger increase than in similar investment products backed by silver or palladium.
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- Apple: Need Solid Reason to Take Down Betting Apps
Apple has told Indian officials that it needs a "concrete reason or a legal requirement" to fully comply with the Centre’s directive to take down betting apps from its App Store, according to people directly aware of the matter.Political Stability Helping Drive Investments to India
Chip Bergh, the global chief executive of denim maker Levi Strauss & Co., said political stability has helped Indians stay optimistic about the future, driving consumer demand as well as investment by multinationals.FAME Electric 2-wheeler Beneficiary Tally Slashed
Nearly every second electric two-wheeler sold under the Centre’s ambitious ₹10,000-crore electric vehicle promotion scheme was based on false localisation claims, an investigation has found, said people with knowledge of the matter. This has prompted the government to slash its official sales tally, they said.
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On Monday, the software giant threw a bash in Manhattan, ostensibly to mark the release of three new Windows Phones from Samsung and HTC. But you don't erect a six-story replica of your product in one of the world's busiest intersections and fill it with rock bands, dancers, and zombies just to fete somewhat routine additions to your lineup. No, Microsoft's NYC phone fest was about making a larger statement, which a giant phone parked outside Macy's in Herald Square certainly does. It was to say, "Windows Phone is here, and this time we really mean it."
Windows Phone group president Andy Lees practically insisted upon as much during a press gaggle during Monday's events, when he said Windows Phone's inaugural year was never about grabbing big market share. "Our most important goal in the first year was not the sales numbers, the most important goal was about customer satisfaction, it was about starting with a different point of view, it was about building the ecosystem," said Lees. "All of that's gone really very well."
That doesn't quite square with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's admission earlier this year that he was disappointed with Windows Phone sales. But we'll allow Lees that bit of revisionist history because, the fact is, Microsoft has done a creditable job of building an environment in which Windows Phone can thrive.
Thirteen months after launch, there's a marketplace with 35,000 apps, a newly arrived update, namely Mango, which adds 500 new features, and a raft of alliances and partnerships that, according to Lees, has yielded 144 different device-carrier combinations worldwide. And what's surely Microsoft's most key alliance, its hookup with Nokia, is now in effect--even if Redmond is going to have to fork over billions of dollars to the Finnish (but hopefully not finished) phone maker during the next several years to keep it going. To boot, built-in Skype is on its way.
With all this in place, Microsoft can no longer say that Windows Phone is still a work in progress in order to excuse sales numbers that are dismal and getting worse. Microsoft mobile's 5.6% U.S. share as of September, down from 5.8% the previous month, needs to go north in a hurry, because consumers and business users will only invest in platforms they're confident have a future. After all, Microsoft has a history of pulling the plug on products, like the KIN phone, that languish out of the gate.
To boost sales, Microsoft is modifying its marketing tactics around Windows Phone. Lees said it will work more closely with carriers and handset manufacturers to promote individual devices as much as the Windows Phone OS itself. "The way we're doing this is very different from the way we did launches last year," said Lees. "This time around you'll see phones coming out over the next several months from different manufacturers in different parts of the world. And the marketing will happen around each of those devices."
Hence, on Monday, Microsoft said little about Mango, or Windows 7.5 as it's also known--but talked up a trio of new devices: the $49 Samsung Flash Focus and $199 Focus S on AT&T, and the $99 HTC Radar on T-Mobile. The strategy could pay off. Apple fanatics notwithstanding, it may be that most smartphone users just want to have whatever is the hot new device. If Microsoft and its partners succeed in bestowing such "hotness" on their offerings, then they've got a chance.
But if Windows Phone's share remains stuck in the 5% range a year from now, despite all of the above, it will be clear that the market has spoken--and simply rejected Microsoft's attempt to introduce a mobile platform that looks and feels quite different from the standard, icon-centric entries from Apple, Google, and even RIM.
All Windows Phones, regardless of manufacturer, are built around the Metro interface's Live Tiles--big, interactive blocks that deliver real-time data from social networks, email, IM, and other services directly to the home screen. Users can also assign blocks to specific apps. It's a radical departure from what users got used to with rival products. I don't quite buy Microsoft's argument that Live Tiles makes it a lot faster to "get in and get out and get on with your life," as its original marketing pitch promised. But I do think it's an attractive, simple, and easy to use interface.
Not everyone agrees. In its review of the Windows Phone OS, Engadget called it "an acquired taste" and correctly noted that it forces users to vertically scroll through long lists apps and settings menus in order to find anything that won't fit on the Live Tiles screen, which is limited to about seven or eight blocks.
So if Windows Phone is still a distant fourth place in the smartphone race by this time next year, Microsoft and its partners, despite all their efforts, may have to accept the fact that most people just didn't like it. But no one who saw that obelisk of a phone rising up from the streets of New York this week will be able to say that Microsoft didn't try to promote Windows Phone in a big way.


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This year is set to be a very exciting and successful one for the award-winning Australian luxury motor yacht manufacturer, Maritimo.
On top of a very strong 2020 the coming 12 months is set to be extremely strong in terms of the number of new model world releases, new model announcements, further state-of-the-art facility upgrades, workforce expansions and new owners welcomed into the Maritimo family.
Maritimo finished 2020 on a very successful note with near record forward orders and a pre-Christmas delivery of over $13 million worth of new vessels shipped from the Port of Brisbane to excited owners across the globe.
The first highlight of the planned new model world releases in the first half of 2021 will be the unveiling of the highly anticipated M55 flybridge motor yacht which has already enjoyed worldwide sales success.
The M55 will be the star attraction at Maritimo’s on water display at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in May.
Also highlighted at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show will be the world premiere of the S55 Sedan Motor Yacht.
“2021 will mark a momentous year for Maritimo, with as many as eight new model releases or announcements”, said Brand & Design Director, Tom Barry-Cotter.
“The extensive new model roll out has been in development behind the scenes since the beginning of last year, so we are beyond excited to announce each new model over the coming months”.
The first official announcement of one of the new models will come as early as March with the unveiling of an entirely new Offshore Motor Yacht Series.
“We have invested heavily in design and new model development over the past year and it is warming to see such positive feedback from our customer focused design approach, both in the new model response as well as the investment in pre-orders for these exciting new motor yachts,” he said.
Late last year Maritimo began ramping up its workforce expansion with a drive to recruit and develop the next generation of boat building craftspeople, after achieving unprecedented demand for vessels across the range.
Maritimo’s Operations Director, Phil Candler said that initiative has been very successful with Maritimo offering a career path that is unrivalled in its degree of diversity of skills training within the Australian boating industry.
Candler said: “Maritimo’s apprentices are multiple award winners year after year, and the new recruits would be mentored by some of the finest and most experienced craftspeople in the industry.”
Maritimo Racing’s world champion offshore powerboat division is set for plenty of competition in 2021, with announcements regarding calendars for the UIM XCAT World Championship and Australian Offshore Superboat Championships to come in following weeks.
Maritimo Racing’s offshore yachting division is also finalising its entries for multiple competitions including the Hamilton Island Race Week.
Plans are also underway for further upgrades to Maritimo’s Gold Coast Australia based advanced boat building facilities with the addition of a state-of-the-art Maritimo Technology & Experience Centre.
“The upgrades will see Maritimo Racing move from its long-time adjacent headquarters into the heart of Maritimo’s facilities with a ‘Formula One Style’ Technology Centre and connecting Experience Centre,” said Barry-Cotter.
“The new Maritimo Technology Centre will be the home stable to Maritimo Racing’s world champion powerboat division, offshore sailing team and the restored 117-year-old ketch Katwinchar”.
Integrated with the Maritimo Technology Centre via an overhead observatory will be a Maritimo Experience Centre, conference centre, design studio and additional working office space.
“These incredible new facilities will elevate the experience of owning a Maritimo, and give us an amazing future platform for large scale indoor owner events, staff events, new model releases and more,” he said.
“Our uncompromising commitment to continually strive for excellence and improvement in everything we do is not something we just pay lip service to, it is the very core of our corporate ethos.
“We strive to be the best we can be on a daily basis.”
For further information go to Maritimo Gold Coast.


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This is a guest post from Mills (@millustwo), co-owner of ustwo, a multi-platform app development studio based in London and Malmo, Sweden. In the last year alone ustwo has released 16 apps, including the MouthOff app which we used to make our robot iPhone mask.
Call me a pessimist but I think something bad is coming our way. This is the year of the ‘mobubble’, where we will see the mobile bubble burst for some. It will be caused by the fact that everyone continues to jump on the mobile bandwagon without necessarily offering any value.
There are many app development companies out there with a strong heritage in mobile UI work. They have been behind the scenes pushing the boundaries of development, while being the driving force behind the massive success of the mobile app market. The time has come for these companies to shine, but the sheer volume of low grade applications that relentlessly materialise on a daily basis, is strangling good developers.
According to AppShopper, 4,491 iPhone apps were released on 18th December. Sounds impressive doesn’t it? Sounds like a melting pot of talent, creativity and innovation to anyone unaware of what’s really going on. The sad truth is that it’s getting increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to navigate through all the crap apps and find good ones.
There’s no doubt that some quality apps succeed in the iPhone app store but from a small developers perspective, the money and effort required to promote apps is massive and simply not worth it. It’s time to clean up the industry and the market place – let the talent and the best apps shine more brightly. Most importantly, it’s time for all those hidden gems to be discovered from the depths of obscurity.
Unfortunately I’m seeing companies springing up all over the place offering at best a mobile solution and at worst nothing but a mobile related gimmick. Where’s the quality and innovation? It wasn’t long ago we saw the same thing happen during the web boom – huge investment backing the craziest ideas with no real understanding of how to truly utilise the medium.
I’m getting sick and tired of rehashed ideas, companies jumping on the mobile bandwagon all hoping to get paid and rewarded to provide a mediocre service, just because it’s in vogue. Case in point is the countless number of copycat apps that litter the iPhone app store. Why copy another person’s idea? I can’t understand it. Companies must offer real value while keeping standards high.
As the mobile app industry continues to expand and the more unscrupulous operators fatten along with it, we will see a backlash. App developers have to offer consumers quality apps and make money for their investors or the companies that employ them, otherwise the ‘mobubble’ is going to pop in all our faces.


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Olympic gold medalist Joss Christensen is coming to Kalispell to celebrate the 2014 Ski Cruncher at Sportsman & Ski Haus.
Christensen made history last winter when he won the first-ever gold medal for the men’s Olympic slopestyle skiing competition at the Sochi Games. Sponsored by Oakley, the 22-year-old from Salt Lake City is attending the popular event on Saturday, Sept. 20 in Kalispell and will be signing autographs.
The Ski Cruncher is in its 34th year as a storewide sale offering deals on last season’s equipment and new gear. Historically, crowds of people camp out for the event starting the day before. This year Sportsman & Ski Haus in Whitefish will join the excitement and offer gift bags to the first 100 people. The Kalispell store is offering gift bags to the first 300 people. Other large prizes will be given away at both stores, among other contests taking place.
Doors open at 9 a.m. Christensen is slated to sign autographs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Kalispell.
For more information visit www.sportsmanskihaus.com or call 862-3111.
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Indian bitcoin company
Unocoin has partnered with Shapeshift
, an instant digital asset exchange firm, to enable its users to convert blockchain assets into bitcoin. With this move, Shapeshift’s API will be used to convert popular blockchain assets such as Ethereum
into bitcoin and then if desired, into INR.
“When I first got involved with Bitcoin in 2011, it was mostly a Western community. It’s been tremendously exciting to see Unocoin help bring this technology into India. ShapeShift is very proud to partner with them for digital asset exchange,” said Erik Voorhees, Founder, ShapeShift.
Unocoin explains that the one thing common among all blockchain assets is that they all run on open mining algorithms. In India, there has been very little interest in alternative blockchain assets due to it being difficult to convert digital assets into bitcoin and INR.
“Many view bitcoin as digital gold and we’re always looking for ways to make it easier for people to get into bitcoin. Many people learn about bitcoin through other crypto currencies and once they do, we’d like to give them an easy way to convert their blockchain assets into bitcoin. In the meantime, we’re keeping a close eye on the open blockchain ecosystem and may or may not introduce deeper integrations in the future,” noted Sunny Ray, Co-founder and President, Unocoin.
Once the altcoin holdings are converted into bitcoin, they can be easily withdrawn to the user’s bank account. By enabling users to convert popular cryptocurrencies into bitcoin and INR, this integration aims to support the blockchain community.
“By being an industry leader, we wanted to provide a solution to the long standing challenge of being able to convert crypto-currencies into bitcoin in India. Unocoin’s Shapeshift integration will enable users to convert their altcoin into bitcoin and then sell it for INR. We expect this to be yet another popular offering,” said Harish B V, Co-Founder and COO, Unocoin.
Also read: Has India opened its doors to Bitcoin yet?
The gripping demonetization move has increased the value of Bitcoin nearly two times its prior levels, pushing its value to new highs in the country. Furthermore, demand for bitcoin is on the rise even globally and this partnership might just drive more interest into the blockchain ecosystem, increasing user adoption for the emerging cryptocurrency space within India.


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Apple is reportedly preparing to open a "store-within-a-store" retail arrangement in Prague (Google translate), the capital of the Czech Republic. Retail chain Alza will be the host, much as Best Buy hosts a similar arrangement here in the US. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony this Friday in Holešovice, a suburb north of Prague. It gets underway at 8:00 PM local time.
Czech actor Martin Stransky will be on hand. Stransky recently recorded the Czech audio version of Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs.


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Sep 03, 15:14
Mutko scolded the Irkutsk business ombudsman for work after the flood
Vice Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko sharply criticized the work of the Commissioner for the Rights of Entrepreneurs in the Irkutsk Region, Andrei Kapitonov, reports Vesti.
"What kind of commissioner are you?" Well, you understand what kind of fucking commissioner you are, understand? ”He turned to the Ombudsman. Mutko said that local entrepreneurs cannot receive funds for the restoration of enterprises affected by the flood due to the lack of necessary acts. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the reason is the inaction of local authorities.
“They filed acts, but he [the mayor of Tulun, Yuri Karikh] does not want to do this,” Mutko said.
The Deputy Prime Minister called the Ombudsman a “collective manner” of entrepreneurs and demanded to issue the necessary acts to entrepreneurs as soon as possible.


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New Year’s Day was just over three weeks ago, but it is time for another New Year.
We often think of tomorrow just as the Chinese New Year, but other countries and cultures also celebrate the Lunar New Year.
I have been thinking of my colleagues in China this week. Especially with the news of the virus in Wuhan. With the upcoming holiday I am sure it is really stressful for some of them, especially as they may not be as free to travel as much as usual.


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For large retailers, Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year.
Local small businesses would like to tap into that revenue. That is why the Central Texas Business Resource Center is stepping up efforts to promote Small Business Saturday this shopping season.
“Small Business Saturday was started by American Express last year to help support the small businesses they serve,” said Marcus Carr, director of the resource center.
“There are so many local stores with so much to offer, it is important people know there are alternatives to the long lines and pressure of Black Friday. And many times people find out that besides the products that are unique to locally owned small businesses, many of them also carry the same things you will find in the big box store.”
Carr said he is agressively pushing the Small Business Saturday concept via Facebook as well as giving out promotional swag designed to promote Small Business Saturday
“I actually just finished putting another post about it up,” said Carr. “The important thing is to share the concept with people. Everybody knows about Black Friday, and Cyber Monday is catching on. But the idea of setting the Saturday after Thanksgiving aside to support locally owned small businesses is new. We are handing out packages to local businesses with doormats letting people know about it. “
Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce CEO/President John Crutcfield said supporting small businesses “provides the most bang for your buck” in regard to supporting the local economy.
“A locally owned and operated small business earns its money in the community,” he said. “As a result, they also spend their money in the community. With the big companies, some of that money trickles out.”
Tamara Freeman, owner of Sweet Eats, has a Small Business Saturday doormat displayed outside her bakery.
“It is good to know the chamber and resource center have our back,” said Freeman. “When you are a small business, you have a very limited budget. Any exposure is good exposure.
“Right now, I am order only, I do not really do a walk-in business,” she added. “But going forward, I want my own walk-in bakery. An annual Small Business Saturday could be a really big deal.”


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Walmart Corporate announced their plans for Black Friday and the whole vacation shopping season. We already knew they would be closed on Thanksgiving, part of their plan is to spread out it’s Black Friday cost savings for one single day to three different events. Each occasion will begin online and after that start in shops a few days later on. They will provide the best rates of the season on the most desired items for 2020
. Throughout Walmart’s “Black Friday Deals for Days” event, get cost savings on new products from top brands, like HP, Instant Pot, LEGO, L.O.L. Surprise!, Roku and Shark, including deals on many items that can only be found at Walmart.
Online Nov. 4 and in shops Nov. 7: To kick-off “Black Friday Deals for Days,” Walmart will use fantastic deals on toys, electronic devices and home products.
Beginning online at Walmart.com on Wed., Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. ET, clients can acquire amazing deals like an onn. brand 42-inch UHD Roku TV for just $88 and popular Hotel Style bath towels for $5.
Brand-new deals continue in Walmart shops on Sat., Nov. 7 starting at 5 a.m. regional time with products like the Magic Bullet Blender readily available for $15 and a New Bright 1:6 scale RC Truck for $40. New deals will likewise go live at Walmart.com on Sat., Nov. 7 at 12 a.m. ET.
Online Nov. 11 and in shops Nov. 14: Walmart’s second occasion will offer techies great deals on electronic devices, like TVs, computer systems and tablets. Amazing cost savings on motion pictures, music and items in garments, hardlines, home and more will also be readily available.
Walmart will also host its biggest wireless phone occasion ever in-stores and online on Sat., Nov. 14 with incredible deals on iPhones and Samsung phones.
Event 3 (Black Friday)
Online Nov. 25 and in shops Nov. 27: Walmart will finish up a month of cost savings with a third event that will offer terrific costs on a lot more electronics, toys and gifts across apparel and home, as well as seasonal decoration favorites.
Deals will first be offered at Walmart.com on Wed., Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. ET. New deals will be offered at Walmart.com at 12 a.m. ET and in shops at 5 a.m. local time on Fri., Nov. 27.


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The new retro-inspired collection prominently features Figment from Journey Into Imagination.
Guests will be able to choose from 3 different shirts, an ornament, and a limited release pin. For Walt Disney World Annual Passholders, there’s a fourth shirt design [below].
The new “I Was There” items will be released on October 1st at a kiosk near the Art of Disney store in Future World and will not be available online or on the Shop Disney Parks app.
The larger line of merchandise celebrating Epcot’s 35 Anniversary that was announced earlier this summer will be at various Epcot merchandise locations, including Mouse Gear, and will be available online and on the Shop Disney Parks app.
Source: Disney Parks Blog


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In the last many months, the groups have witnessed a rise in associates from anti-vaccine and Covid-denial communities, like well known activists who offer the solution to raise funds for anti-vaccine efforts.
A profile of a single prime seller highlighted in BOO’s semiregular glossy journal, “The Bog,” famous that Covid experienced drawn a lot more individuals to the business.
“It’s been form of a blessing,” the seller explained.
While it without doubt captivated product sales and crafted groups, Facebook also designed a exclusive issue for Black Oxygen Organics: People recommendations may well have violated federal law that demands efficacy promises be substantiated by “competent and reliable scientific proof.” They also captivated interest, not only from customers, but from well being pros, regulatory agencies and a team BOO executives have dubbed “the haters.”
Immediately after a summer time of unbridled success, the online backlash commenced.
The rise of MLMs on-line prompted criticism from some people who have designed casual activist groups to bring consciousness to what they say are the predatory procedures of Network marketing organizations and arranged campaigns to disrupt certain companies. Lots of of the groups use the exact same social media techniques to organize their responses.
On line activists who oppose MLMs shaped Fb teams concentrating on BOO for its promises. Users of these groups infiltrated the BOO neighborhood, signing up as sellers, signing up for pro-BOO teams, and attending BOO revenue conferences, then reporting again what they had witnessed to the group. They posted movies of the enterprise conferences and screenshots from the private BOO product sales teams and urged users to file formal grievances with the Federal Trade Fee and the Food stuff and Drug Administration.
YouTube creators created video clips debunking BOO peddlers’ most outrageous promises, ridiculing BOO executives and building public recordings of the personal organization conferences.
Ceara Manchester, a remain-at-residence mother in Pompano Beach front, Florida, helps operate just one of the premier anti-BOO Facebook teams, “Boo is Woo.” Manchester, 34, has invested the past 4 many years monitoring predatory MLMs — or “cults,” in her see — and putting up to multiple social media accounts and groups focused to “exposing” Black Oxygen Organics.
“The well being promises, I experienced by no means found them that lousy,” Manchester said. “Just the sheer amount of money. Every solitary post was like, ‘cancer, Covid, diabetes, autism.’”
“I really don’t experience like people are silly,” Manchester said of the people who ordered and even offered BOO. “I believe that they are determined or susceptible, or they’ve been preyed on, and you get anyone to say, ‘Hey, I’ve obtained this merchandise that cures anything.’ You know when you’re desperate like that you could possibly listen.”
Black Oxygen Organics is the brainchild of Marc Saint-Onge, a 59-yr-previous entrepreneur from Casselman, Ontario. Saint-Onge, BOO’s founder and CEO, did not answer to calls, texts, emails or direct messages.
But decades of interviews in neighborhood push and extra recently on social media offer you some specifics about Saint-Onge, or, as he likes to be named, “the mudman.”
Saint-Onge describes himself as an orthotherapist, naturopath, kinesitherapist, reiki learn, holistic practitioner, herbalist and aromatherapist. As he stated in a video posted to YouTube that has considering the fact that been built non-public, his adore of mud started as a kid, chasing bullfrogs about Ontario bogs. Yrs later on, he went on to apply orthotherapy, a kind of innovative therapeutic massage method, to address pain. He reported he packaged filth from a community bathroom, branches and leaves provided, in zip-lock baggies and gave them to his “patients,” who demanded the mud speedier than he could scoop it.
Saint-Onge explained he was billed by Canadian authorities with practicing medication devoid of a license in 1989 and fined $20,000.
“Then my clinic went underground,” he claimed on a modern podcast.
He has bought mud in some form considering the fact that the early 1990s. Wellbeing Canada, the federal government regulator dependable for community well being, pressured him to pull an early edition of his mud item, then named the “Anti-Rheuma Bath,” in accordance to a 1996 report in The Calgary Herald, since Saint-Onge promoted it to address arthritis and rheumatism without the need of any proof to substantiate the promises. Saint-Onge also claimed his mud could mend wounds, telling an Ottawa Citizen reporter in 2012 that his mud compress healed the leg of a guy who experienced experienced an incident with a ability saw, conserving it from amputation.
“The health practitioner reported it was the antibiotics,” he mentioned. “But we think it was the mud.”
In the ‘90s Saint-Onge began advertising his mud bath under the “Golden Moor” label, which he did till he recognized a desire, “a way to do a mystery minimal extraction,” in his text, that would make the grime dissolve in h2o. In 2015, with the founding of his organization NuWTR, which would later on convert into Black Oxygen Organics, Saint-Onge stated he ultimately invented a grime men and women could drink.
In 2016, he began offering himself as a enterprise coach, and his individual web page boasted of his worth: “I market mud in a bottle,” he wrote. “Let me educate you to sell anything.”
In September, Montaruli, BOO’s vice president, led a corporate contact to address the Facebook teams and what he referred to as “the compliance problem.”
“Right now, it’s frightening,” Montaruli reported in a Zoom simply call posted publicly, referring to the outlandish statements manufactured by some of BOO’s sellers. “In 21 a long time, I have under no circumstances found everything like this. Never ever.”
“These outrageous promises, and I’m not even positive if outrageous is terrible adequate, are clearly attracting the haters, giving them much more gasoline for the fireplace, and prospective federal government officers.”
Montaruli named for “a reset,” telling BOO sellers to delete the pages and groups and start off more than yet again.
A person slide prompt options for 14 popular BOO works by using, which includes switching phrases like ADHD to “trouble concentrating,” and “prevents heart attack” to “maintain a nutritious cardiovascular technique.”
And so in September, the Facebook groups advanced — a lot of went non-public, most altered their names from BOO to “fulvic acid,” and the pinned recommendations from clients professing miracle cures ended up wiped clean up, tweaked or edited to insert a disclaimer absolving the corporation from any legal responsibility.
But that was not the close of the company’s problems. While unique sellers navigated their new compliance waters, regulatory businesses cracked down.
Days following Montaruli’s get in touch with, Wellbeing Canada declared a remember of Black Oxygen Organics tablets and powders, citing “potential well being risks which could be larger for youngsters, adolescents, and pregnant or breastfeeding females.” Further more, the regulatory company observed, “The goods are remaining promoted in approaches and for works by using that have not been evaluated and licensed by Health and fitness Canada.”
“Stop using these solutions,” the announcement advised.
Stock for U.S. consumers experienced currently been hard to arrive by. In private teams, sellers claimed the product or service experienced sold out, but in the corporation-vast contact, Montaruli verified that the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration was keeping its goods at the border.
Jeremy Kahn, an Food and drug administration spokesperson, declined to remark. A working day after the publication of this article, the Food and drug administration issued an advisory from using BOO. In the community detect, the Fda claimed it experienced been pursuing a remember when the organization shut.
Saint-Onge did not react to requests for remark from NBC Information. Cell phone messages and emails sent by a reporter to the company, its executives and its authorized counsel have been not returned.
What is in BOO?
BOO is not the only dust-like overall health complement on the current market. Customers have the choice of dozens of items — in drops, tablets, powders and pastes — that assert to offer the therapeutic electrical power of fulvic and humic acid.
Fulvic and humic acids have been employed in regular and folk medicines for generations, and do exhibit antibacterial traits in massive quantities. But there is little scientific proof to aid the kinds of promises designed by BOO sellers, according to Brian Bennett, a professor of physics at Marquette University who has analyzed fulvic and humic acids as a biochemist.
“I would say it’s snake oil,” Bennett mentioned. “There is a great deal of circumstantial proof that a pharmaceutical dependent on the traits of this material could possibly truly do the job, but I feel having handfuls of soil possibly doesn’t.”
Over and above the thoughts of the wellness positive aspects of fulvic acid, there’s the issue of just what is in Black Oxygen Organics’ item.
The company’s most latest certificate of investigation, a doc intended to exhibit what a solution is created of and in what amounts, was posted by sellers this 12 months. Reporting the product or service make-up as typically fulvic acid and Vitamin C, the report will come from 2017 and does not listing a lab, or even a unique check. NBC Information spoke to 6 environmental scientists, each and every of whom expressed skepticism at the top quality of BOO’s certification.
Assuming the firm-provided investigation was proper, two of the experts confirmed that just two servings of BOO exceeded Overall health Canada’s day-to-day limitations for lead, and three servings — a dose recommended on the bundle — approached day by day arsenic limits. The U.S. Foodstuff and Drug Administration has no equivalent daily recommendations.
In an exertion to verify BOO’s assessment, NBC News procured a bag and despatched it to Nicholas Basta, a professor of soil and environmental science at Ohio Condition University.
The BOO product or service was analyzed for the existence of heavy metals at Ohio State’s Trace Component Investigate Laboratory. Results from that test have been similar to the company’s 2017 certificate, discovering two doses per day exceeded Wellbeing Canada’s restrict for direct, and three doses for daily arsenic quantities.
Developing worry amongst BOO sellers about the item — precipitated by an anti-Multilevel marketing activist who discovered on Google Earth that the bog that sourced BOO’s peat appeared to share a border with a landfill — pushed numerous to choose issues into their have fingers, sending luggage of BOO to labs for tests.
The success of 3 of these assessments, seen by NBC News and confirmed as seemingly responsible by two soil experts at U.S. universities, all over again confirmed elevated amounts of lead and arsenic.
All those success are the backbone of a federal lawsuit seeking class motion position submitted in November in Georgia’s Northern District court docket. The complaint, filed on behalf of four Georgia inhabitants who bought BOO, claims that the business negligently bought a merchandise with “dangerously substantial concentrations of harmful hefty metals,” which led to actual physical and economic harm.
Black Oxygen Organics did not react to requests for comment regarding the complaint.


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The cost of some of the Toyota company’s many variations has climbed by up to Rs. 0.7 million, according to Indus Motor Company (IMC).
The company recently raised the pricing of the Corolla, its best-selling four-wheeler, and the Toyota Revo 4X4 pickup truck.
According to a notice the company released, the price changes were made as a result of rising raw material costs and economic uncertainty.
In addition, it mentioned fluctuating currency exchange rates, rising utility costs, and overheads that increased the cost of production at a time of extraordinary inflation.
The Corolla 1.6 CVT’s price has gone up by Rs. 190,000 to Rs. 4,979,000, while the Corolla 1.6 CVT (Special Edition) variant’s price has gone up by Rs. 200,000. The Special Edition now costs Rs. 5,279,000.
The price of the Toyota Hilux has increased by Rs. 620,000 to Rs. 9,069,000; this type was previously offered for sale at Rs. 8,449,000.
The price of the Toyota Hilux Revo G 2.8 has increased by Rs. 670,000 to Rs. 9,839,000.
The price of the Toyota Hilux Revo G Automatic 2.8 has increased by Rs. 0.7 million, going from Rs. 9,609,000 to Rs. 10,309,000.
To read our blog on “Toyota Prius 2023 edition is surprisingly cool-looking,” click here.


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Mom's Organic Market is in negotiations to lease space at the former Hecht's warehouse on New York Avenue NE. It would be the first tenant for the Douglas Development Corp. project, which will include office and retail space.
Mom's founder Scott Nash has been looking for a D.C. location for years, he told me Wednesday. But the big obstacle has always been parking. The New York Avenue location, which the Washington City Paper first reported Wednesday morning, will have a parking garage above the store with parking set aside just for Mom's.
"Our typical customer is a mom with kids, so they buy quite a bit at once," Nash said. "What's kept us out of the city basically is lack of parking."
The 16,000-square-foot Mom's in Ivy City will also include the grocery store's recently introduced "Naked Lunch" counter, which features made-to-order salads, steam bowls, veggie burgers and fresh juices. There will be a limited number of seats inside, but most of the business will likely be carryout, Nash said.
"We're very excited. We've been trying to get down there for a long time," he said. "We hear it a lot from our customers, 'when are you coming to D.C.?"
Mom's currently has seven stores in Maryland and three in Virginia.
Work has already begun on the warehouse site, as my colleague Mike Neibauer noted in his vigilant watch over D.C. building permits. Demolition is underway, and Nash is hoping to get the Mom's open in 2014.
Another Mom's, this one just outside the District on Lee Highway in Arlington, also is expected to open next year.


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At a recent Qualcomm’s product demo booth, some more interesting facts on smartphone usage in India and all over the world were revealed. The folks working with Qualcomm also shared insightful data related to Snapdragon processors. All of these facts are posted below:
Qualcomm’s Presence in Global Market:
Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor Facts:
A new smartphone is launched every day. And by bringing the best-in-class technology into a single chip, Qualcomm believes the smartphones adoption rate will only climb higher.


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With a strong tradition of technical and scientific education, relatively low cost bases, a strategic location, and growing support from governments and private investors, the tech sector in South-east Europe is a bright spot on the investment landscape. While other industries struggle with politics, bureaucracy and relatively small domestic markets, a growing range of homegrown tech companies and major multinationals are capitalising on the region’s competitive advantages. This analysis focuses on three countries with active and growing tech scenes: Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.
Romania: large market and talent pool
The biggest of the three countries by some margin is Romania, with a population of 19.5m, and the third-largest nominal GDP in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) after Poland and the Czech Republic. With a pool of 118,000 developers, and a total 185,000 ICT specialists currently in employment, the country also has one of the largest ICT workforces in the region.Over the past two years alone, Romanian tech companies have sealed more than 100 financing deals, according to Bogdan Ceobanu, a former entrepreneur now in the European Commission’s startups and innovation unit.
The most headline-grabbing is the $568m Series D funding secured by Robotic Process Automation (RPA) outfit UiPath, which values the company at $7bn overall – making it one of only four tech unicorns in the region worth more than $2bn. While the company is now headquartered in New York, it was founded by Romanians in Romania, and its operations are still predominantly in Romania. In March the company chose Bucharest for its first “immersion lab,” allowing clients to test RPA and artificial intelligence in a controlled environment. Thanks to UiPath’s funding success, this year Romania tops the CEE table for tech investment for the first time.
Romania’s other tech unicorn – that is, startups with a value of $1bn or more – is online retailer eMAG, which was acquired by South Africa’s Naspers in 2011 and now employs 4000 people regionwide. The Naspers acquisition was a relatively early sign of international investors’ interest in Romanian tech firms. In another case of a global giant investing in a complimentary, innovative local partner, in early 2017 US wearable technology company Fitbit acquired Vector Watch, just two years after the latter’s launch. The relatively rapid exit reflected Vector Watch’s international expansion, but also Romania’s strengths as a development centre for Fitbit.
One weakness that the ecosystem has historically had is a shortage of early-stage financing. Funding from the EU and local entrepreneurs and angels is growing, and Ceobanu identifies new investment funds with a total of €150m led by Romanian investors. Nonetheless, industry figures say there could be better coordination between stakeholders, including the government, financial institutions and entrepreneurs, to support long-term ecosystem growth. One hope is that the sector will continue to be strengthened by knowledge and capital transfers from companies based elsewhere (particularly the US and UK) that have “Romanian DNA” – that is Romanian founders and developers. Some would put UiPath in this category; a better example might be video advertising optimisation business LiveRail, which was acquired by Facebook for $400m-500m in 2014.
Bulgaria: lively venture capital scene
To the south, Bulgaria has similarly had a reputation as a tech centre for more than a decade.
International companies with research and development (R&D) centres in Bulgaria include the Financial Times, Uber, SAP and VMware. Sofia ranks top in CEE for number of funding rounds since 2013, according to dealroom.co, with 246 – more than either Warsaw or Tallinn, the home of Skype.For a relatively small country, Bulgaria has a remarkably active venture capital (VC) scene. Key players include NEVEQ which – with the backing major institutional investors, family offices and private investors – has deployed €45m in two funds since 2007. The management teams have raised a further €30m, which is now being deployed.
Other active VC firms include LAUNCHub, which was established in 2012 with a €9m pre-seed fund and announced a second €20m seed fund four years later; and Eleven, a Sofia-based VC platform offering pre-seed and seed funding from €100,000 to €500,000 and up, as well as support including access to a wide network of alumni and mentors, backed by more than 30 private investors.
Across the sector, overall investment value remains relatively small. VC investments have totalled €86m in the past six years, but business data company dealroom.co is among those seeing this as indicating considerable opportunities for expansion. The organisation notes that 15% of Bulgarian startups are in deep tech (based on substantial scientific advances and high-tech engineering innovation), suggesting strong scope for value creation. Currently the digital economy accounts for 7% of GDP, and this could grow to 16% by 2025, according to global consultancy McKinsey.
Indeed, the venture capital is there for a reason: exits have generated upwards of €400m since 2015. Landmark deals include the $262.5m acquisition of application development tool developer Telerik by US-based Progress Software; Francisco Partners’ $50m acquisition of Dynamo Software, which focuses on the alternative investments sector; and MM Solutions, a mobile image software developer, bought by China’s ThunderSoft for $34m last year.
Serbia: Tesla nation
While Romanian tech leaders work to engage their compatriots who have built tech successes abroad, the Bulgarian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association has launched a similar initiative called RE:TURN with partners including the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
And to the west, Serbian tech leaders see leveraging the country’s diaspora – estimated at 2.7m – as one of the country’s major competitive advantages. Startup Genome, which supports startup ecosystems worldwide, calculates that the global connectedness of founders in Belgrade and Novi Sad (Serbia’s second city) to other top ecosystems is considerably higher than average for markets in “activation stage,” and exceeds that of even Frankfurt and Manila. The leading Serbian community of tech entrepreneurs and professionals, Tesla Nation, estimates there are 2500 software companies active in Serbia, while the tech sector as a whole has seen export earnings rise tenfold over the past decade to more than €1bn.
More than half of Serbian startups are export-orientated. The tech sector – now the country’s single largest contributor to GDP – has traditionally been dominated by service companies. These account for two-thirds of the industry, capitalising partly on the value of the skilled workforce, with annual salaries for a developer with five-plus years’ experience around $35,000-40,000. But those companies are increasingly focused on deep technology expertise, while the number of companies developing their own products is also growing. The Digital Serbia Initiative estimates that startups have raised more than €140m in VC financing.
Success stories include desktop-as-a-service platform Frame, a Silicon Valley-led outlet with its main team in the southern city of Nis, which was bought by Nutanix for an estimated $200m in 2018 having been backed by investors including Bain Capital. Earlier this year, Epic Games acquired Belgrade-based games studio 3Lateral for €100m; the former, the US-based developer of Fortnite, now has an R&D centre developing “digital human technology” in Serbia. Another Serbian gaming studio, Nordeus, developed Top Eleven, one of the world’s most popular online sports games.
International corporates have also chosen Serbia as a key service and development centre. Perhaps most prominent is Microsoft, which has a large development centre in Belgrade that is the company’s only severe emergency centre for its Azure cloud technology outside its Redmond, California base. BMW is developing autonomous driving software with a Serbian partner.
Serbia’s tech workforce of 30,000 people is growing rapidly, with more than 3,300 students a year graduating in software engineering alone. And while business leaders in other sectors complain of bureaucracy and political interference, in tech many praise the government’s proactive approach. Tech companies enjoy accelerated R&D deductions and “IP box” tax regimes, meaning that they pay nearly no corporate income tax, according to the Digital Serbia Initiative.
All too often in South-east Europe, and emerging markets more broadly, economic potential is under-realised. The regional tech ecosystems are unlikely to equal those of global centres in the foreseeable future. But the emergence of internationally competitive homegrown companies and investments by major multinationals indicate that the region’s combination of talent pool, geography, costs and support from the EU and national governments is paying dividends. EU funding is likely to taper down in the coming years; a challenge will be engaging more private investors, and strengthening the domestic and international network of stakeholders from entrepreneurs to regulators.
Andrew MacDowall is a correspondent and consultant focusing on emerging markets, particularly Central and Eastern Europe. He has bylines for publications including the Financial Times, Guardian, and Politico, and advises clients on opportunities, risks, and target assessment in a range of markets.
Featured Image © Shutterstock.com


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Microsoft will not be increasing its bid for Yahoo beyond the $41.7bn offer that is currently on the table, according to Chairman Bill Gates.
He said that Microsoft’s offer was a fair one, and that Yahoo’s board ‘should take a hard look at it’.
Gates also talked about the reasons for wanting to acquire Yahoo, saying that Microsoft needs a larger slice of the market to create a more profitable and competitive search engine to rival Google.
“We can afford to make big investments in the engineering and marketing that needs to get done. We will do that with or without Yahoo, but we also see that we’d get there faster if the great engineering work that Yahoo has done and the great engineers there were part of the common effort.”
Yahoo rejected the offer last week, saying it ‘substantially undervalues’ the company’s assets. The company was rumoured to be talking to News Corp about a deal last week, as well ad discussing a possible ad partnership with Google.
Microsoft’s stock has fallen 13% since it made the offer for its online rival, which has reduced the value from $31 to $29 per share. Yahoo’s share, meanwhile, has risen since in anticipation of an increased offer.


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Almost three months after the initial public offering (IPO) of MedReleaf Corp. (TSX:LEAF), shares have yet to do much in either direction. The company, which came to market in what was then described as a “botched IPO,” fell quickly out of the gate from its IPO price. With potentially many more companies in the medical marijuana IPO pipeline, the entire income statement, including the bottom line, will need to be considered by investors.
- Judge Overturns Detroit Medical Cannabis Initiative
- Canada’s Alberta Sets Out Rules for Recreational Pot Shops
- Province of Newfoundland and Labrador Issues RFP for Cannabis Retailers
- Lawmakers Consider Lowering Number of Marijuana Plants Mainers Can Grow
- Unless You’re a Citizen, Legal Marijuana Isn’t for You
Connecticut lawmakers have put recreational marijuana back on the table — sort of. According to the CT Post, lawmakers are curious as to how they would successfully regulate the drug if it were ever to be legalized in the New England state.
While the locations for New Brunswick cannabis stores were only recently announced, the province is moving full steam ahead, completing design plans for the retail cannabis properties expected to open this summer.
Is alcohol worse for your brain than cannabis? According to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, the answer is yes.


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One of the most widely used video-sharing websites in the world, Youtube Blocking Viewers For Using Ad Blockers, is firmly opposing the usage of ad blockers by its users. According to recent rumours, YouTube is now developing a new method to stop users from using ad blockers while viewing videos on its site. Users have started posting screenshots of the experiment’s pop-up message warning them of possible consequences if they continue to use ad blockers on other social networks, including Reddit.
The Warning: A Clear Message
There is no opportunity for misinterpretation in the Youtube Blocking Viewers warning notice. It’s possible that users’ ability to play back videos will be restricted if they continue to use ad blockers to view YouTube’s content. The warning is clear that viewers won’t be able to play videos until they turn off their ad blockers or whitelist the YouTube website.
The underlying justification is made clear: advertising allow Youtube Blocking Viewers to provide its extensive range of services to billions of users without charging a fee. YouTube advises YouTube subscription, a subscription service that guarantees content creators are financially paid for their work, for individuals who want an ad-free experience.
Evolving From Reminders To Actives Measures
The majority of the time in the past, Youtube Blocking Viewers used pop-up warnings to alert users with ad blockers to violations of the platform’s terms of service. However, YouTube has now taken a more aggressive stance, offering a more proactive strategy to address the problem. Youtube Blocking Viewers is letting ad-blocking users know clearly that their behaviour won’t be allowed by showing a warning banner that threatens to stop video playback.
Purpose And Scope Of The Experiment
The new notifications are a part of an international experiment, a Youtube Blocking Viewers representative told BleepingComputer. This experiment’s main goal is to persuade viewers who have ad blockers installed to change their minds. They are urged by YouTube to either permit platform advertisements or look into YouTube Premium. YouTube maintains the right to temporarily stop allowing users to view videos in severe situations if they continue to use ad blockers in spite of repeated requests. But it’s still unclear what exactly has to happen for this action to happen.
This experimental strategy only impacts a certain group of consumers at this time. The areas and the precise number of participants in the trial are not known in detail by YouTube. Given that YouTube depends heavily on advertising for income, it is not surprise that the platform’s ad revenue has decreased over the last three quarters. It is therefore possible that Youtube Blocking Viewers may broaden its deployment to a larger user base on a global scale if the trial proves successful.
Adapting To A Changing Landscape
An continuous issue in the digital sphere is the conflict between content producers and consumers who use ad blockers. The assertive strategy adopted by Youtube Blocking Viewers demonstrates its dedication to upholding its ad-supported business model while assuring equitable recompense for creators. In order to strike a delicate balance between user pleasure and the financial viability of its platform, YouTube is navigating the complicated dynamics of online advertising by urging users to think twice about using ad blocks and offering substitute choices.
The most recent trial by YouTube shows the company’s commitment to confront ad blockers head-on. The platform’s warning messages and the potential for momentarily disabling video playback pose a clear and direct challenge to ad-blocking users. Youtube Blocking Viewers will continue to develop its techniques as the trial progresses and its efficacy is assessed, adjusting to the shifting environment of online video consumption and assuring a sustainable future for both producers and users alike.
What does YouTube think about ad blockers?
The terms of service for YouTube, which were most recently updated in January 2022, do not specifically forbid or even mention ad blockers, but they do contain general prohibitions against things like changing video content and getting around certain features, which we assume also apply to browser extensions and other tools.
Why do ad blockers not work with YouTube?
Due to Manifest V3 and YouTube’s own efforts to go around them, ad blockers are no longer functioning as well as they formerly did on YouTube in Chrome, Edge, and Opera. This does not, however, imply that you must give up on using an ad blocker on YouTube. YouTube advertisements are no longer necessary.
Is it legal to use ad blockers on YouTube?
With YouTube Premium, you can watch videos without any ads while still supporting the artists who made them.


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It’s been a tough time for the markets - which are under pressure from three angles - is this the start of something worse, or will the latest crisis blow over?
Markets still in a tizz but are they beset by a perfect storm?
On the 12th March it felt like investors could learn a lesson. You may recall, markets fell sharply back at the end of January on fears of rising interest rates. But by March 12th, while the likes of the FTSE 100, Dow Jones and S&P 500 languished, the NASDAQ Composite had fully recovered, hitting a new all-time high.
So, there you have it. The tech dominated NASDAQ is not correlated especially strongly with the rest of the stock market. It was not a new lesson - the index recovered more quickly from the 2008 crash, when certain companies, the giant techs in particular, saw their stock soar while the economy was stuck in deep mire.
It is just that when you take a look this morning, the NASDAQ is down 8.5 per cent from the March, and indeed the all-time, peak.
All of a sudden, the NASDAQ looks just like everything else.
Talking about everything else, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down around five per cent in the last few weeks, but down almost 10 per cent since its peak in late January. The FTSE 100 has lost a more modest two per cent or so in the last four weeks but is also down close to 10 per cent since the January peak. It has been a similar story for the FTSE 250.
As for market volatility, the VIX, that tracks the moving average of the S&P 500, is now hovering at its highest level since 2015, following a run lasting close to 12 months of unprecedented low volatility.
Three winds are blowing.
The fear that interest rates may go up faster than generally expected won’t go away. The FED was expected to increase interest rates seven times in 2018/19, well, in March one of those rate hikes happened, it is on course.
But the sneaky suspicion that rates may have to be increased more rapidly, or that the hikes may have to continue into 2020, is an ever-present fear. Considering the levels of leverage out there in the private sector, across much of the developed world, there is a strong suspicion that the economy won’t be able to take too many hikes.
Then of course, there is the Trump trade war sabre rattling. Now the US President is threatening to impose tariffs on 1,300 Chinese imports, and China is threatening to respond in kind.
We have no idea, at this stage, how much of this boils down to negotiating tactics. But trade wars can never be good, and this idea that the US is the victim of the nasty World Trade Organisation and China, which Mr Trump suggests, comes straight out of fantasy. It is akin to the school bully saying he, or maybe she, is fed up with being taken advantage of.
The third reason is more complex.
The sell-off in tech seems largely unrelated to the two fears described above. And certain companies are having a disproportionate effect on the fortunes of the NASDAQ.
Over the last month, Facebook is down 17 per cent, Apple is down seven per cent, Alphabet has lost four per cent, Amazon 12 per cent and Tesla is down 24 per cent. But Tesla has lost 30 per cent since June 2017.
It is just that when you look at the detail, you find different reasons for the falls in individual tech stocks.
Facebook is down because of the data breach related to Cambridge Analytica.
Amazon is suffering because the US President seems to have it in for the company. (One theory, which I doubt, by the way, is that Mr Trump wants to punish Amazon, as its boss and founder, Jeff Bezos, owns the Washington Post which is a big critic of the President. Surely, not even Mr Trump can stoop so low.)
Tesla is down because of production delays and a recent accident involving one of its cars in auto-pilot mode.
In my view, because of the way it uses data, Alphabet is lucky to have seen such modest falls and I don’t think there is a good reason for the drop in the Apple share price, other than that sentiment is against it.
But will the falls continue?
From the point of view of the techs, it partly depends on how the individual issues turn-out, but it also depends on sentiment.
Will interest rates rise higher than expected? This may depend on whether automation can start leading to higher productivity, giving the economy more spare capacity.
As for the dangers of a trade war, that one depends on what game Mr Trump is playing.
These views are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the view of The Share Centre, its officers and employees.


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For the third year, Houston will host the 2013 VegFest Houston––a celebration of compassionate living that features vegan cuisine, discussions of animal welfare, and the promotion of eco-friendly businesses. The Vegan Society of People for the Earth, Animals, Compassion & Enlightenment puts on the festival each year with its mission of “promoting an ethical, compassionate, and sustainable world for all,” the organization writes on the event website. The festivities will take place at Pershing Middle School and will feature talks such as “Going Vegan and Staying Diverse in the Nation’s Most Diverse City” as well as guest speakers such as Dr. Baxter Montgomery and fitness guru Amber Callahan.
Please support vegan media while getting the very best in news, recipes, travel, beauty, products, and more.
Subscribe now to our award-winning magazine!


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MetroPCS announced Wednesday that it is partnering with joyn to launch a new "Rich Communication Service" (RCS) for its 4G network.
RCS will allow customers to unify their communications methods. Called joyn by MetroPCS, the service allows users to see how their friends are communicating and whether they are available.
It also lets users easily share photos and data over the joyn interface while chatting or calling others with the service.
There is also group chat functionality, contact and calendar syncing, geo-location sharing, and it supports voice as well as video calling over WiFi.
RCS is basically every kind of communication method packed into one app. Well almost: it doesn't have a telegraph emulator.
joyn the party
"MetroPCS' goal has been to innovate for the purpose of delivering an exceptional quality of experience to our customers and to consumers who demand value and the ability to do more with their mobile service," Roger Linquist, MetroPCS's CEO, said in a statement.
"As the first 4G LTE carrier in the world to offer RCS, we are excited to join the global community of operators implementing the RCS standard and we are proud of our team and partners who were critical in building this capability that will evolve and expand over the next year."
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joyn (yes, with a lower case "j") is a startup that has been offering this type of Rich Communications Service on a variety of platforms for quite some time.
It comes preloaded on some HTC, Huawei, LG and Nokia phones. It can also be downloaded onto most Android devices, and it's coming soon to iOS.
Wednesday marked the first time joyn is partnering with any carrier to officially offer the service to a broad range of customers. RCS will now come standard on all MetroPCS plans.
A slow roll out
But at these beginning stages, RCS isn't too broadly available. RCS can only be downloaded by users who own Samsung's Galaxy Attain 4G.
MetroPCS is planning to roll out additional RCS-enabled devices and more services later in the year and during 2013.
Those who do have the correct Samsung phone will be able to download joyn by MetroPCS Wednesday from the @metro App Store or Google Play.
However, MetroPCS's 4G area is a bit limited, it covers about 14 cities in the United States.
The new joyn service will only be available for 4G enabled phones, so for most parts of the country the new service plan won't make huge waves.
But if MetroPCS can grab some more 4G coverage and produce a few more RCS phones it could help the company gain some ground in the crowded US carrier market.
Via PR Newswire


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Published 10:00 pm, Friday, November 11, 2005
Peter Drucker, father of modern management, dies
LOS ANGELES -- Peter Drucker, revered as the father of modern management for his numerous books and articles stressing innovation, entrepreneurship and strategies for dealing with a changing world, died Friday, a spokesman for Claremont Graduate University said. He was 95.
Drucker died of natural causes at his home in Claremont, east of Los Angeles, said spokesman Bryan Schneider.
His motivational techniques have been used by executives at some of the biggest companies in corporate America, including Intel Corp. and Sears, Roebuck and Co.
- Dispensaries doing brisk business as customers celebrate 4/20 KTVU
- Is Amazon's Best Buy Partnership an Olive Branch? Cheddar TV
- Study Shows Earning More Money Causes This Major Problem at Work Buzz 60
- Snapchat Has Disappearing...Users Cheddar TV
- Poll: Less Than Half Of Americans Think Their Taxes Are Too High Buzz 60
- Chicago women helping other by investing in female entrepreneurs Fox32
- 3 Ways Walmart Is Changing the Grocery Game Fortune
- Greenfield green rush: First cannabis facility adds 278 jobs KSBW
- Crazy Tech Worth a Million Dollars Storyful
- This Early Spotify Investor Isn't Concerned Shares Have Pulled Back Cheddar TV
- Delta Airlines, Sears Say They Were Hit By Cyberattack Buzz 60
- Tragedy into Triumph: Local girl's illness inspires business KMBC
- Walmart Is Reportedly in Talks to Buy Humana Buzz 60
- DocuSign Is the Latest Tech Unicorn to File for an IPO Fortune
- Empowering women in business Fox9
- Ikea creating meatballs out of insects Fox29
- Remington Files for Bankruptcy Amid a 'Trump Slump' in Gun Sales Time
- Moms making a job comeback Fox 26 Houston
- People With This Occupation Are Happiest Even Without Job Security Buzz 60
- PayPal CEO: A Company's Most Valuable Resource is its Employees Fortune
United Airlines plans to add 2,000 flight attendants
CHICAGO -- United Airlines said Friday it plans to hire 2,000 flight attendants in the coming year, the first time it has added to its flight attendant ranks in four years.
The announcement comes less than three months before United, a unit of UAL Corp., wants to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy and demonstrates its intent to expand next year after a three-year restructuring.
Serena Software sale will take it private
SAN MATEO, Calif. -- Serena Software Inc. said Friday it agreed to sell itself for $1.2 billion to investment firm Silver Lake Partners in a deal that would result in the software maker becoming a private company.
Serena, which provides management software to companies such as General Electric Co., American Express Co. and IBM, said its shareholders will get $24 in cash for each share they own. The offer represents a 1.5 percent premium over Serena's Thursday closing price of $23.65.
Six Flags asks investors to reject Redskins owner's bid
Six Flags Inc., the world's second-largest theme-park operator, urged shareholders Friday to reject an offer by Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to boost his stake and said it received other takeover offers. Bids have come from "a number of capable strategic and financial buyers," and a deal may be announced next month, New York-based Six Flags said in a statement. It didn't name them.
Jetalliance orders 20 planes from jet maker Textron
Textron Inc., the world's biggest maker of business jets, won an order for 20 aircraft valued at $200 million from Austrian charter company Jetalliance. The aircraft will be used by Jetalliance to expand its reach into Eastern Europe, Textron said in a statement sent Friday on Business Wire.
Federal appeals court urged to uphold Ebbers' conviction
Prosecutors said the evidence against former WorldCom Inc. Chief Executive Bernard Ebbers was "overwhelming" and urged a federal appeals court to uphold his fraud conviction and 25-year prison sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Anders, responding Friday to Ebbers' request for a new trial, said prosecutors proved he knew about and participated in an $11 billion accounting fraud at the company he helped found. The scheme helped drive WorldCom, the No. 2 U.S. long-distance company, into bankruptcy.
Dell CEO backtracks from $80 billion sales time limit
Rollins' decision to drop his time frame of "within three to four years" set in April underscores the speed with which Dell's fortunes have changed.
Dell, which for the past three years has generated sales growth averaging 18 percent a quarter, reported third-quarter gains Thursday of 11 percent, the sixth straight period of slowing growth.
Siemens AG plans to cut 3,000 jobs at SBS business
Siemens AG, Germany's largest engineering company, said Friday it plans to cut about 3,000 jobs at its unprofitable SBS computer-services business outside Germany, bringing cuts to about 14 percent of the division's work force.
DaimlerChrysler sells entire stake in Mitsubishi Motors
FRANKFURT, Germany -- Automaker DaimlerChrysler AG ended its ill-fated involvement with Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Co. on Friday, selling its 12.4 percent stake in the company to Goldman Sachs for an undisclosed price. Before the transaction, DaimlerChrysler was Mitsubishi Motors' fourth-largest shareholder.
Coffee growers not hurt by storms as much as thought
Coffee plantations in Mexico and Central America probably didn't sustain as much damage as first reported during storms last month, according to Sucres et Denres SA, a Paris-based commodities broker.
Mexico said its October coffee exports rose by one-third from a year earlier to 130,601 bags, each weighing 60 kilograms, or 132 pounds.
Mexico and Central America accounted for almost 14 percent of world coffee output in the crop year that ended Sept. 30.


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Nov 26 2012 04:16 AM
Chinese authorities have made a career out of torture, oppression, murder. They are a pariah state in this world. Governments will not impose sanctions on China, so it is up to the peoples of this world to boycott Chinese goods. Hit them where it hurts, in their economy. They have created such an imbalance of wealth, not just in China, but across the world, it will only get worse by waiting for governments to act.


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Scion wants to become a small-premium brand
It’s been quite a while since anyone considered Scion as a whole to be a success. While its initial debut was met with a solid response from the public, it was only a few short years before Toyota’s so-called “youth division” was loosing its appeal. Despite some strong revival attempts, Car Buzz notes that sales are still underwhelming.
Even so, Toyota North America CEO Jim Lents still has faith in Scion, and expressed as much in an interview with Wards Auto. In the interview, Lentz outlined his ideas for Toyota’s third brand. He envisions the Yaris and Prius C covering the entry level end of the spectrum which leaves and opening to take on Mini or Fiat 500 in the premium compact market.
“I still personally believe small-premium is the direction we should be going,” said Lentz in the interview at a Toyota oppress event, as quoted by Jalopnik. “I think that the Toyota channel, itself, with vehicles like Yaris and other small, B-platform cars, can handle the lower end of the market. I think that C-platform premium small cars are probably the best place for Scion to be.”
While it’s an interesting plan, Autoblog asks the question that’s on everyone’s mind: How? How, when nothing in Scion’s lineup comes anywhere close to being considered premium, and it’s even further away from the lifestyle-powered exhaust that a Mini or a Fiat 500 provide. While its certainly possible to achieve, the time and money that would be required are extremely high.


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Wrocław technology scans your EYES to make contactless payments
It may seem like science fiction, but a Wrocław company has come up with a revolutionary form of payment which scans your eyes.
The first company in the world to launch iris payment on the commercial market, PayEye scientists and IT specialists developed the biometric technology and microbanking system that operates the PayEye technology.
The technology takes a digitally scanned image of the iris which is then converted into a special code to authorize the payment.
According to co-founder Krystian Kulczycki, the system is quicker than contactless payments with a card, phone or smartwatch and you don’t have to worry about leaving your eyes at home.
He told TFN: “As pioneers, we feel responsible for creating something new, a complete payment system.
“We operate in the field of finances and payments, so not only do we feel a great responsibility but by implementing the PayEye system we use our driving force, which is the vision and the benefits of science, technology and experience of our team.
“We try to implement our idea of service and product, which increase the comfort and security of payments, in a method which is best for users and partners.”
Launched only a few weeks ago, the company has already received 10 million PLN in funding from the EU for ‘Industrial Research and development of a biometric payment system based on transactions confirmed by user identification through biometry’ to further develop the product and its availability.
Kulczycki said: “Compared to other manufacturers and distributors of devices, PayEye is the issuer of the payment instrument, the processor of the payment transaction and is a payment institution operating under license from the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) and has the status of a Small Payment Institution.
“All of these elements which have been integrated by us are PayEye's greatest competitive advantage.”
The company now plans to expand into 60 outlets across the country by September before making the eye-payment technology available across Europe.
So far, the company has introduced its payment solution into 30 locations across Poland.


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Japanese mobile operator Softbank Corp said it will buy about 70 per cent of Sprint Nextel,the third-largest US carrier,for $20.1 billion the most a Japanese firm has spent on an overseas acquisition.
The deal,announced by Softbanks billionaire founder and chief Masayoshi Son and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse at a packed news conference in Tokyo on Monday,gives Softbank entry into a US market that is still growing,while Japans market is stagnating.
It also gives Sprint the firepower to buy peers and build out its 4G network to compete in a market dominated by AT&T and Verizon Wireless .
Shares in one of those potential targets,Clearwire Corp ,surged nearly 16.3 per cent to $2.70 in early trading.
Sprint owns 48 per cent of Clearwire. While Softbank said no action was required,most analysts and investors see a Sprint-Clearwire tie-up as an inevitable consequence of the Softbank deal.
Analysts have long said the US teleco industry needs to consolidate but few looked to Japan as a catalyst. Some investors worried that Softbank is biting off more than it can chew. But the 55-year-old Son is betting US growth can offer relief from cut-throat competition in Japans saturated mobile market.