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According to CNET, this year's semifinalists for some of the auto industry's most prestigious awards have been revealed, and there are a few surprises.
With the end of the fiscal year and October 1st budget deadline looming, Senate Republicans unveiled a proposed deal yesterday to keep the government funded and pay for important budget priorities.
North American car and light-truck production hit an August record last month, despite cooling demand, leaving dealer inventory at a multiyear peak and setting the stage for potentially generous sales incentives this fall. The Wall Street Journal reports that General Motors Co. led the auto industry with a 21 percent increase in output to 372,678 vehicles produced in the region, according to data provider WardsAuto.com.
Automotive News reports that industry experts have confirmed multiple times that millennials are major players in the auto finance market, debunking the notion that they don’t buy cars.
According to Fox News, Obama administration officials are previewing long-awaited guidance that attempts to bring self-driving cars to the nation's roadways safely—without creating so many roadblocks that the technology can't make it to market quickly.
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Google has once again rolled out an update for its Google Photos app that now focuses on managing the device's storage space in an efficient manner. The update v1.17 is not a major one but would be helpful for those who are space conscious or are using handsets with 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage.
Until now, when you edited and saved an image inside the Google Photos app, it would get saved as a copy in the device's storage. However, now once the image has been edited, it replaces the original image, resulting in saving slightly more space.
So, what if users want the access to the original image? Google has already thought of this. Once the edited image replaces the original file, you can simply open it and tap the three-dot option at the top-right corner of the screen, and press on the "Undo edits" option to view the original shot. The app also asks for a new permission to "measure app storage space." The app update is rolling out in phases so it might take some time to reach all the users.
The company earlier this month rolled out a feature for the Google Photos app that suggests a new album to users after they have been to an event or a trip. It also curates the "best shots" that a user has taken. Google Maps integration to add location details are also a part of the update. Users can add text captions to the album, and quickly turn on collaboration to let their friends and family members to add their own photos to the album as well.
For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2024 hub.

domain: news


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Codemasters have announced that their hit sim, DiRT Rally, will be getting PlayStation VR support in the near future, making it the
second third driving game to be tweaked for VR alongside Driveclub and Trackmania Turbo. The enhancement will cost £9.99 if you already have the game, or a new boxed version of the game, DiRT Rally PLUS VR Upgrade, will be hitting stores.
Unlike Driveclub the entire game will be supported in VR, including all the cars and all the routes. Codies have gone the – aha – extra mile and included a new co-driver co-op mode where the non-headset wearing playing can use the Dualshock to give pace advice notes to the driver.


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‘Shajgoj Female Fest 2022’ to feature Tahsan, Pritom, Sandhi
Popular musicians Tahsan, Pritom Hasan, Khayam Sanu Sandhi, along with the band Nemesis, will be performing at Shajgoj's female concert on December 2.
The concert will be part of a two-day long festival titled, "Shajgoj Female Fest 2022" at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) on December 1 and 2. The festival will feature performances, stall exhibitions, a fashion show, and a DJ Show.
According to the organisers, more than five thousand women will participate in this festival. Interested women can participate in this event through online registration and detailed information regarding this can be found on the Facebook page and website of Shajgoj.


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The Russian company Yarkiy Luch aka YLP, has introduced a new light named the Unicorn 1.0.
MechForce, maker of the extremely popular MechTorch and MechTorch Turbo 18350 triples, has released a 21700 light that follows in the MechTorch footsteps. The light is called the Tactical Suppressor Light, and is available as a "Light" model, and as a "Turbo" model, just like the Mechtorch.
Prometheus Lights, maker of many finely machined products - the Alpha flashlight, the Delta flashlight, the Lambda top, the Alpha pen, and the venerable Beta QR flashlight, recently acquired the flashlight brand FourSevens. Along the way there have been some upgrades and updates, and newer lights.... Today Prometheus Lights has announced a Kickstarter campaign for two new improved Quarks.
RovyVon hit the scene hard not too very long ago, with a couple of big-claim lights. The Aurora series had high output, and then circled back to have great emitter options. The E300 was a unique triple with a built in battery - an unusual right angle light. RovyVon is back again, this time with another in the Aurora line. It's the A23, and it's larger than the other Aurora series lights.
The Lumintop FW3A has been massively popular. There's now the FW3C (C for copper), and likely a FW3T on the way (T for titanium). Thus we'll call it the FW3x light - where x is any metal body. Steve Ku has made it better!
ReyLight has announced a limited (and not to be repeated) quantity of damascus LAN lights.
Fenix has announced the WT50R, which has so many functions it's hard to list them all. First, here's the light: That's no-joke of a light. Big beefy, and with a handle. Who doesn't love a handle light... The handle has multiple uses, and even includes a big metal e-switch for operating the WT50R. Primarily, this … Continue reading Fenix announces the WT50R a Rechargeable 3700 Lumen Searchlight
Skilhunt, maker of the venerable H03 series of headlamps, has announced an AA light with magnetic charging. Very limited information is available at this point, but this is a light worth mentioning. Here at PhotonPhreaks, magnetic charging isn't our favorite feature. But Skilhunt has utilized magnetic charging well in the past (H03C RC, H03F RC, … Continue reading Skilhunt announces magnetic charging AA flashlight
Lux-RC, maker of the 371d driver, has announced an "upgrade" to their popular FL33. The new light will be named the FJ33, and feature an all new driver.
Imalent, maker of some popular fun lights (DX80, and the newer MS18/R90TS kit), has announced the new DM35 and DM70 lights.


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Grocers shoot down GM apples
A large number of B.C. retailers of fresh produce have committed not to sell genetically modified apples if approved for sale in Canada.
This commitment from 20 retailers, including Vernon-based Nature’s Fare, comes as a result of a letter the Health Action Network Society (HANS) mailed to B.C. grocery stores and fresh-produce retailers.
“Nature’s Fare has made a commitment to our staff and customers to carry only certified organic produce, which means that none of our produce can be genetically modified,” said Alexa Monahan, with Nature’s Fare.
“Further to that, our customers have made it clear that they are vehemently opposed to the Arctic apple, and that they would not purchase it in our store or from other retailers.
The HANS letter was mailed to most produce retailers in B.C. and it requested the stores make a commitment in writing not to purchase or sell the Arctic apple, which is genetically modified not to brown as quickly as the current crop of commercially available apples.
“Our membership and thousands of other Canadians are very concerned about the possibility of GM apples being sold in their local stores,” said Michael Volker, HANS director of operations.
“Even back in 2012, 69 per cent of polled Canadians didn’t want the GM apple. This is why we took the initiative to contact retailers and ask them to honour the wishes of consumers.”
The B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association, which is made up of both organic and conventional growers, officially opposes the genetically modified apple.
The BCFGA has previously stated that contamination from GM apples could threaten the future of organic apples and the export market for B.C. apples around the world.
“We believe this will cause confusion for customers, because it is extremely unlikely a label will alert consumers to the fact that the apple is genetically modified,” said Volker.
“We are committed to continuing to contact retailers and grocers of fresh produce with the hope and expectation that this list will grow to reflect British Columbians’ demands for non-GMO apples in the marketplace.”


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From a Merlion "chou chou" to a "Game of Chope", local entrepreneurs have flexed their creative muscles to produce fun products that celebrate what it means to be Singaporean on the city-state's 50th birthday.
At lifestyle store Supermama, a collection called "Souvenirs from Singapore" pays homage to local icons by recreating them into 50 everyday items such as HDB-shaped erasers and a cuddly "chou chou" — which means "smelly pillow" or "baby pillow" in Chinese, and is the pillow or bolster that is given to small children for comfort during bedtime — taking the form of a Merlion, the lion-fish hybrid that is Singapore's emblem.
Supermama says some items in the collection, including the Merlion pillow, have sold out, mostly snapped up by native Singaporeans.
"Singapore has a strong narrative of different cultures and this is what we hope to [showcase] with the individual objects, which each tell a different aspect of the society that we live in," founder Edwin Low, who collaborated with fellow local design outfit Stuck and manufacturer Meykrs on this collection, told CNBC.
For other designers, the city-state's quirky lingo, known as Singlish, is what makes the Southeast Asian nation unique. A mishmash of English with words and phrases from Malay and Chinese dialects including Hokkien, the distinct tongue is a beloved part of the Singaporean life that, for most of the time, leaves foreigners baffled.
Published this month, "The Strangely Singaporean book" written by the Little Drom Store goes beyond common Singlish words such as "kaypoh" to explain over 100 phrases such as "blur like sotong" (commonly used to describe someone in a world of his own) and "stylo milo" (a local stand-in for 'You're so cool'). The new publication builds on the store's previous 'Strangely Singaporean' merchandise collection, which has been a best seller since its launch last December.
"We were inspired by our previous project [because] while doing it, we thought there must be more of these phrases. After talking to our parents and the older generation, we realized there were sayings like ' song song gao jurong' that we don't use anymore so we added them [into the book]," said Little Drom Store co-founder Antoinette Wong. "Song song gao jurong" is a Hokkien phrase used to describe utmost satisfaction.
Nostalgia is also a key theme, with some entrepreneurs saying that the country's 50th birthday marks a special time to look back at Singapore's transformation from a colonial trading post into a first world country within one generation. As such, celebrations for the Golden Jubilee should involve a re-connection with the simpler pleasures of yesteryear.
That's the concept behind "Game of Chope", a board game playing a pun on the name of popular U.S. television series "Game of Thrones" and largely based on the rules of a nostalgic favorite called "Aeroplane Chess."
Launched by design studio and brand WhenIWasFour last month, the game sets players on a mission to reserve a restaurant or cafe table using their Game of Chope game pieces instead of packets of tissue paper that in real life play a key role in a common practice called "choping", or reserving a table by leaving a tissue packet on it.
"With the availability of smartphones and the internet, technology is always around and for me that has led to a lack of social interaction and [relationships] have become very cold. So I wanted to use these nostalgic [board games] to bring back memories and encourage people to engage in more meaningful bonding activities," the chief designer behind WhenIWasFour, Li Ling Tan, told CNBC. "That was also one of the reasons why I started the brand six years ago."
The wave of SG50-inspired innovation has also spilled over into the tech sector.
The makers of an app called "JalanJalan" hope their creation will help Singaporeans uncover bits of history in lesser-known parts of the island. Users can either allow the app to send automatic alerts about interesting spots near you or search the app for a place to visit. Conceptualized nearly two years ago, "JalanJalan" - which means to walk about in Malay - was officially launched in April.
"A friend shared with us his research on how Chinese immigrants sought the blessings of Malay land deities when they arrived in Singapore. These shrines can be found around our island and we may have come across them without realizing. It made me realize that we pass by heritage nuggets such as these every day, and do not recognize how significant they are," JalanJalan creator Steve Tan told CNBC by email.
"Through the app, we hope Singaporeans will become more aware and concerned about our heritage," he added.
The founders - Steve Tan and his wife Michelle Lee - have also organized three heritage walks that have had an enthusiastic response from the public.
"We didn't expect Singaporeans to be so open about sharing their memories. After every walk, we've had participants gather at a kopitiam [or coffeeshop] to share memories while sipping 'kopi'," Tan said.


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UK gets its 3rd Prime Minister in less than 2 months.
UK gets its 3rd Prime Minister in less than 2 months. Former Minnesota police officer pleads guilty in George Floyd case. Biden launches new push for winter ready COVID vaccinations. You can subscribe to Five Minute News with Anthony Davis on YouTube, with your preferred podcast app, ask your smart speaker, or enable Five Minute News as your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing skill. Subscribe, rate and review at www.fiveminute.news Five Minute News is an Evergreen Podcast, covering politics, inequality, health and climate - delivering independent, unbiased and essential world news, daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


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Econet’s subsidiary Cassava Fintech International (CFI) has unveiled a voice and video conferencing service that takes up to 20 people on one call.
The service dubbed Sasai TeamTalk allows users to chat, pay and explore a vast range of services and content.
CFI chief executive Darlington Mandivenga said the service is aimed at easing communication and transactions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Sasai TeamTalk will offer free voice and video conference service, with secure end-to-end encryption, that connects up to 20 people on a single call, compared to telcos and most other social media platforms that offer between five and eight people on a conference call,” he said.
The Sasai App was launched in August 2019 and is already being used in 180 countries across the globe, including every African country. The platform already offers an in-app language translator service with over 80 languages, 50 of which are African.
Mr Mandivenga said the development of Sasai TeamTalk was inspired by the need to achieve business continuity and to “close the distance” created by social distancing.
“Sasai TeamTalk offers a platform where families, friends and even religious groups can get together and interact freely, wherever they maybe – even across continents,” he said.
The Covid-19 epidemic has pushed employees, students, teachers and other professionals working from home, resulting to a sharp demand for digital ‘telecommuting’ tools.
Credit: Source link


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Commenting on the importance of keeping sensitive data secure, featured on bdaily.co.uk
Yahoo’s cyber security breach has thrown the subject of online security into the headlines once more.
It was revealed last week that the names, telephone numbers and security questions for at least 500 million Yahoo users were stolen in one of the largest online breaches ever.
However, Yahoo is not the first company to be at the centre of such a scandal and they certainly won’t be the last. In the past year alone, cyber security incidents have cost UK companies an anticipated £34.1 billion.
“The two main risks a company faces as a result of a breach are, damage to its reputation and company valuation.”
To continue reading please follow the link


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The company also says it's fallen victim to unfavourable currency trends, principally a decline in the yen/dollar exchange rate, but even so the scale of reduction in its expectations has taken financial commentators by surprise.
In July, the company was talking in terms of a 240bn yen (£1.5bn) profit for the current fiscal year, but it's just reduced that forecast by almost 60 per cent to 150bn yen (£950m).
It's also lowered sales forecasts very slightly, from 9.2 trillion yen to 9 trillion, but that's a marginal improvement on the previous year.
The company said in its statement that "We expect the results of certain businesses in the Electronics segment, such as the LCD television, compact digital camera and video camera businesses, to be lower than the previous forecast."
The company says those revised expectations are "due to a deterioration in the market environment brought on by the slowing global economy and an intensification of price competition."
The past few months have already been very tough for Sony: the company says it expects to post a 21 billion yen (£132.5m) profit for the second quarter, which ended in September, down 72 percent from the 73.7 billion yen (£465m) it achieved in the same period last year.


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Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Oct. 31--Richard Holland had the intensity of a crime-fighter seeking out the city's most treacherous villain.
The 34-year-old Chicago resident was crouched on the floor Sunday morning, his fingers feverishly flicking through boxes of comic books. His mission: to flush out all X-Men comics and related titles.
"It's a sport for obsessive compulsives," said Holland, who rekindled his love of comic books while studying for the Illinois bar exam.
Holland and other fans, some with shopping lists, came to the Chicago Comic Conventions show Sunday at the Embassy Suites with hopes of finding that elusive title or simply adding to their collections. While other similar comic book shows--including the multiday Wizards World Chicago extravaganza, which drew 56,000 in August to the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont--cater to fans looking to meet artists and find new books, Sunday's event was geared toward collectors.
"It's like a big comic-book store," said Raphe Cheli, organizer of Chicago Comic Conventions.
More than 40 comic-book dealers and artists participated in Sunday's show, the third event held by Chicago Comic Conventions.
Those who wandered through the doors were among the shrinking number of enthusiasts, a reminder of an industry struggling to stay relevant among adults who lose their childhood fascination with comic books or children who find other distractions. Fewer fans translate into fewer sales, a troubling trend for everyone making a living off of comic books.
"It's in a bit of a slump," said Don Kramer, a DC Comics artist. "I am hoping it will pick back up."
Oscar Martin of Chicago arrived with two firm directives: to find as many Amazing Spider-Man issues as he could to finish his collection, and to cap spending at $75.
"I want a complete run of Spider-Man from 1 to 100," said Martin, 31, a graphics student at the International Academy of Design and Technology. "Those are the ones I'm missing."
He found about 30 issues before running out of cash. Those will be added to his burgeoning collection of more than 600 Spider-Man issues and the more than 2,000 comic books he owns.
Not everyone rifling through boxes of books was looking to cross off items on their shopping lists.
Kristie McWilliams, 47, of Sugar Grove went from table to table with a discerning eye for design. She plans to paper one wall in her home with covers. Her hunt yielded more than 60 books, each selected for color schemes or graphics.
"I'm just looking for cool stuff," McWilliams said.
Neither do younger generations of readers, many whom, comic-book aficionados said, are being lured away. As with many comic book conventions these days, Sunday's attendance skewed heavily toward men ages 18 to 45.
For Holland, his Sunday hunt yielded a stack of X-Force comics, an X-Men spin-off series. He figured he would spend less than $100 in the end.
"It's not a title I particularly enjoy, so I'm glad they are three for $1," he said.
To see more of the Chicago Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.chicagotribune.com.
Copyright (c) 2005, Chicago Tribune
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail email@example.com.


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Claire Boscq-Scott is known locally for her customer service obsession, she is now joining the rank of the Global Customer Service Gurus by being voted #Guru13 on the GlobalGuru.org. http://globalgurus.org/customer-service-gurus-30/
‘I was actually shell-shocked when I looked up the list, Claire says, I wasn’t sent an warning emails as the list went live on social media, so seeing my name as No 13 Global Customer Service Guru was just incredible. Having been obsessed by customer service and helping business to deliver exceptional customer, this is such an honor.’
Claire Boscq-Scott established The Busy Queen Bee brand in 2009 and has more than 25 years’ global experience in the customer services industry.
“The mystery shopping division of the business now caters to more than 40 companies, across four islands, with 85 professionally trained mystery shoppers. She also offer extensive training programme in customer service, networking speed buzzing events and self-published her book, Thrive with The Hive, in 2016. She launched her first Franchise in 2015 and is now looking at growing the Franchise opportunity in French and English speaking countries, with the new Franchisee in Mumbai started in January 2018.
“I am very proud of The Busy Queen Bee brand and the development of the franchise model is one part in our plan to continue to expand the business, its service offering and locations. I have a very big vision, not only to raise the standard of customer service around the world but also to empower women by giving them the tools to run their own successful mystery Shopping and customer experience franchise business
So, together we can stimulate women’s potential in business and raise their participation in process of social and economic development and to raise the importance of customer service and increase the level of excellence in local businesses.
For more information about The Busy Queen Bee please visit
or contact Claire on 07797 828950


text: The company managers interviewed by the National Statistics Institute (INS) have forecast for April-June a moderate drop in the activity of the processing industry, retail trade and services, and a relative stability in the construction works sector, compared to the three previous months, the INS shows being quoted by Mediafax. As part of the April 2009 contextual investigation, the managers from the processing industry forecast for April-June a moderate drop in the production volume, based mainly on the estimated fall in contracts and orders both for the internal and external markets. A downwards trend is also estimated for the number of employees. The price of industrial products is forecast to remain stable in the next three months. In the next three months the construction works will register a relative stability in the volume of production and the stock of contracts and orders. At the same time a reduction in the number of employees and a moderate price hike are forecast. The retail trade managers have estimated a moderate downwards trend in the sector’s economic activity for the next three months, the same trend being forecast for the overall volume of merchandise sales. In the opinion of the managers interviewed by the INS, the retail sale prices will grow moderately.


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24 Apr 2019
And the Winner Is…
Blueland cleans up at 2019 New Venture CompetitionTopics:
Photo by Susan Young
The finale of the 2019 New Venture Competition yesterday saw 12 student and alumni teams compete for some $315,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. As noted in the HBS News story on the competition, grand prize winners of the student business, student social enterprise, and alumni tracks each won $75,000.
Claiming both the alumni grand prize and crowd favorite awards was Blueland, which is “(t)aking the weight and waste out of your everyday products” through reusable bottles and concentrated cleaning tablets. “We’re starting with cleaning products,” CEO Gina Pak (MBA 2015) told the NVC crowd, “but the idea here is to really take over your home—and we have innovative, patent-pending form factors to do it.”
The $25,000 runner-up prize in the alumni track went to X-Cor Therapeutics, represented by Jayon Wang (MBA 2018), which has developed a medical device to help treat lung failure.
Wednesday’s finals were the culmination of seven regional alumni competitions around the world that featured 152 teams. As the HBS News item notes, the more than 200 judges included “many HBS graduates, from fields such as venture capital, private equity, law, accounting, philanthropy, impact investing, and social entrepreneurship.”
Class of MBA 2015, Section B
Class of MBA 2018, Section H


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Google released final Android 7.1.1 Developer sample 2 for Nexus devices earlier this week. Now we have an idea of the exact release date of the update.
Vodafone Australia has said that Google will release Android 7.1.1 update to Nexus 6P on December 6. The update will be related with next month’s security patch for Nexus phones.
If Nexus 6P is receiving the update, it is very likely that Nexus 5x, Nexus 9, Nexus player and Pixel C will also get the latest Nougat 7.1.1 update around same time.
Huawei Nexus 6P users are advised to make sure their device is fully charged before they download the update. Also, it is important you back up important data such as photos, contacts, messages etc.
Users will be prompted when the Firmware over-The –Air update is available for download. The update can also be downloaded from system updates option in about tab of setting menu.
This means that all Nexus 6P users are probable to receive the Android Nougat 7.1.1 update by December 20. However, Google hasn’t made the information official yet. Google’s new update brings with it new features such as app shortcuts and image keyboard support.
Meanwhile, a journalist as well as pod caster has also tweeted that the entire Nexus family will get Android 7.1.1 update on December 6. Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones already run Android 7.1 . Earlier this month Nougat debuted to the Android distribution charts and is present on only 0.3 % of all only Android devices.


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Bill Kristol found this NYT’s headline to be as PC as it gets:
“Native son”? Well, it’s a start.
In fairness, the Times’ article does get to some of the personal details of the alleged attacker … eventually:
Editor’s note: The headline of this post has been updated to correct a punctuational error.


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This week, Meta Platforms (FB) — formerly known as Facebook — made huge news as its stock cratered more than 25% on disappointing earnings and outlook.
At LikeFolio, we were neutral on the company going into this report.
But after a 25% haircut in the stock price, it’s time to take a look at whether the company’s pivot into “metaverse” territory has a chance of paying off.
Here are three things our consumer insights data is telling us:
They are catching the Web3 wave early
The concept of Web 3.0, a shared vision for the next phase of the internet, had just entered the popular lexicon when the Meta rebrand announcement dropped.
It’s debatable whether or not FB’s rebrand was the catalyst for the resulting surge in Web 3.0 awareness, but the outcome remains:
With a simple name change, a centralized Web 2.0 giant managed to attach itself to the decentralized revolution of Web 3.0.
Meta isn’t just talking the talk, either.
Its rebranding reflects a radical realignment of the company’s priorities.
Virtual Reality Leadership
Meta’s VR business, which began with its 2014 acquisition of Oculus, has become a focal point.
On its most recent earnings report, Mark Zuckerberg held up the company’s VR and AR products as “the foundational platform for the metaverse.”
This posturing has already served to bolster consumer Buzz in the near term:
Meta Quest (formerly Oculus Quest) mentions are at an all-time high, up +72% QoQ and +82% YoY on a 90-day moving average.
Meta has been incredibly effective in refocusing public attention toward new aspects of its business — like virtual reality.
Unfortunately, there is a good reason they want investors looking at the shiny new thing instead of their traditional business.
Their core business is under fire
Meta’s legacy business, social media, is facing a serious revenue decline at the hands of iOS privacy restrictions.
Facebook’s relatively new Reels feature has been stressed as a key area for expansion and a way to attract a younger userbase.
Underlying Reels mentions show promising adoption: +19% QoQ (90-day MA).
Yet the former namesake brand is still losing ground with American consumers of all ages, lagging Instagram in terms of YoY demand growth.
It remains to be seen whether Meta can effectively pivot away from its traditional business and deliver on the metaverse hype.
The transition has already been bumpy, to say the least.
That said, we’ll be watching closely for continued indications that Meta Platforms can live up to its new name… and deliver outsized returns for investors from here.


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Emerging-market stocks rallied, paring the biggest weekly drop in two months, as countries from Brazil to India signaled they would act to support financial markets. Samsung Electronics Co. drove technology shares higher.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index increased 1.1 percent to 932.76, trimming its weekly decline to 2.6 percent. Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone maker, jumped 3.2 percent in South Korea. Tata Motors Ltd. (TTMT), owner of Jaguar Land Rover, climbed 3.1 percent in Mumbai. India’s rupee rebounded from a record low, while the Brazilian real increased the most in almost two years. Homebuilders paced gains in Sao Paulo, driving the Ibovespa to a third weekly advance.
All 10 groups in the benchmark measure for emerging markets gained today, led by technology and industrial companies. Brazil’s central bank stepped up efforts to arrest the world’s worst currency decline, announcing a $60 billion intervention program involving currency swaps and loans. The Reserve Bank of India said yesterday that the nation’s economic and monetary policies must focus on preserving financial stability.
Hot India Stocks For 2015: Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd(RDY)
Dr. Reddy?s Laboratories Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a pharmaceutical company. It produces finished dosage forms, active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates, and biotechnology products. The company also conducts research in the areas of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, inflammation, and bacterial infection. In addition, it involves in the contract manufacture generic prescription and over-the-counter products for branded and generic companies in the United States. The company primarily focuses on therapeutic categories of cardiovascular, diabetes management, gastro-intestinal, and pain management. It markets its products in India, the United States, Europe, and the Russian Federation. The company has a co-development and commercialization agreement with Rheoscience A/S for the development and commercialization of Balaglitazone/DRF 2593, a partial PPAR-gamma agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes; an agreement with ClinTec Internatio nal for the development of an anti-cancer compound, DRF 1042; collaboration with the National Cancer Institute in Maryland; and an agreement with Argenta Discovery Limited for the joint development and commercialization of a novel approach to the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It also has an agreement with 7TM Pharma for drug discovery collaboration on selected drug targets; and an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc to develop and market pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, oncology, gastroenterology, and pain management. Dr. Reddy?s Laboratories Limited was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Hyderabad, India.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Teva has dropped 7.7% to $37.85 today at 3:23 p.m. but doesn’t seem to be spreading though the generic drug space. Taro Pharmaceuticals (TARO) ha gained 1.1% to $79, while Actavis (ACT) has gained 1.2% to $156.25 and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (RDY) has advanced 1% to $40.24. Mylan (MYL) has dropped 0.7% to $38.40.
- [By Dan Carroll]
The company’s generic drug segment should also help push emerging market sales. Abbott markets generic pharmaceuticals outside the U.S. only, and while the division isn’t growth-oriented — sales actually fell around 2% for the quarter — it provides an entry for the company to push into lucrative new markets such as India, where generics make up the large majority of the country’s retail market. The company will face tougher competition in this industry, however: Firms such as India-based Dr. Reddy’s (NYSE: RDY ) have also pushed hard into emerging markets lately, and Dr. Reddy’s in particular should benefit from its being headquartered in one of the industry’s top locales.
- [By Benjamin Shepherd] We’re now into day 15 of the US government shutdown, as House Republicans stubbornly try to defund Obamacare. No matter what sort of deal is eventually struck, health care costs aren’t likely to come down any time soon. And that’s good news for generic drug makers.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (NYSE: RDY) is one of the biggest players in generic drugs, offering more than 200 off-brand medications in the areas of cardiovascular disease, pain management and oncology, among others. In fact, this India-based company has become one of the largest makers of generics in the world, helping to drive more than 20 percent annual compounded earnings growth at the company over the past decade.
Hot India Stocks For 2015: Infosys Technologies Limited(INFY)
Infosys Ltd. provides information technology (IT) and consulting services worldwide. It offers IT services, such as application, architecture, independent validation and testing, information management, infrastructure, packaged application, SOA, systems integration, and knowledge services; product engineering services, manufacturing process and plant solutions, and product lifecycle management services; and consulting services in the areas of information and technology strategies, product innovation, next generation commerce, process excellence, and learning and complex change. The company also provides business process outsourcing solutions in the areas of business platforms, customer service outsourcing, finance and accounting, human resources outsourcing, legal services, sales and fulfillment, and sourcing and procurement outsourcing. In addition, it offers collaborative analytics solutions; digital consumer platform; Finacle universal banking solution; iProwe, a Web ac cessibility assessment product; mConnect, a real-time enterprise middleware; and research and analytical support services. Further, the company offers unified communications and collaboration solution that streamlines business processes between employees, customers, and suppliers; iTransform that helps healthcare organizations accelerate transition to new platforms; and supply chain visibility and collaboration product suite. It serves aerospace and defense, airlines, automotive, banking, capital markets, communication services, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, education, energy, healthcare, high technology, hospitality and leisure, insurance, life sciences, logistics and distribution, publishing, resources, utilities, and retail industries. Infosys Ltd. has a strategic partnership with Alstom SA. The company was formerly known as Infosys Technologies Limited and changed its name to Infosys Ltd. on June 16, 2011. Infosys Ltd. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered i n Bengaluru, India.
- [By Robert Martin]
Infosys (INFY), Housing Development Finance and Reliance Industries LTD are the top three holdings, with weightings between 8% and 10.5%. Of course, just about any India ETF will have a heavy allocation to Infosys and Reliance. However, INDA dedicates a lower percentage to energy than some of the alternatives, and instead leans more on IT and consumer spending.
- [By Aaron Smith]
The government accused software developer Infosys (INFY) of using workers with B-1 visas, which only allow temporary entry into the U.S. for business purposes, to perform skilled labor jobs.
- [By Brian Stoffel]
That helps explain why Accenture and IBM, the industry’s two biggest players, have been able to gobble up so much market share. But there’s a second tier of technology-consultants — in terms of sheer size — as well. That’s where Cognizant, as well as its main competition — Infosys (NYSE: INFY ) and Wipro (NYSE: WIT ) — come in to play.
- [By Michael Flannelly]
Shares of Infosys Ltd (INFY) spiked in pre-market trading on Friday after the software company posted second quarter earnings and revenues that beat Wall Street expectations.
The India-based company posted a second quarter net income of $383 million, or 67 cents per share, down from $431 million, or 75 cents per share, posted in the same period last year.
The company’s earnings per American Depository Share, or ADR, came in at 73 cents per share. According to analysts at Thomson Reuters, the company was expected to earn 70 cents per share in the quarter.
Infosys’ quarterly revenues came in at $2.066 billion, up from the $1.797 billion posted in the same quarter last year. On average, analysts were expecting the company to see $2.01 billion in revenues.
“During the quarter we witnessed broad-based volume growth, robust client additions, five large deal wins and increased sales momentum of our big data and cloud offerings. This growth is a result of our focus on execution, which helps our clients achieve their objectives.” said S. D. Shibulal, CEO and Managing Director.
“We will continue with planned investments and initiatives to explore new avenues of growth. We remain watchful of the sustainability of improving global economic fundamentals”, he added.
Looking ahead, the company sees revenues growing between 9% and 10% in fiscal 2014.
Infosys shares were up $2.72, or 5.41%, during pre-market trading on Friday. The stock is up 18.87% year-to-date.
Hot India Stocks For 2015: Stewart Information Services Corporation(STC)
Stewart Information Services Corporation provides title insurance and related information services required for settlement by the real estate and mortgage industries. It operates in two segments, Title Insurance-Related Services and Real Estate Information. The Title Insurance-Related Services segment offers services that include searching for and examining documents, such as deeds, mortgages, wills, divorce decrees, court judgments, liens, paving assessments, and tax records, as well as provides titles insurance for residential and commercial properties, undeveloped acreage, farms, ranches, and water rights. This segment serves attorneys, builders, developers, home buyers and home sellers, lenders, and real estate brokers. The Real Estate Information segment offers products and services, which primarily include lender services, title technology, foreign and domestic government services, mapping, title information, Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 tax-deferred property e xchanges, pre-employment services, and online filing and transaction management. Its customers include mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, mortgage investors, government entities, commercial and residential real estate agents, land developers, builders, title insurance agencies, and others interested in obtaining property information, as well as accountants, attorneys, investors, and employers. The company has operations primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, central Europe, Mexico, central America, and Australia. Stewart Information Services Corporation was founded in 1893 and is based in Houston, Texas.
- [By James Fink]
My housing pick is Houston-based Stewart Information Services (STC), a 120-year-old real estate business founded in 1893, that is still owned and managed by the founding family.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Tower Group has dropped 12% to $3.88 today at 11:39 a.m., while Stewart Information Services (STC) has dipped 0.1% to $31.16, the Navigators Group (NAVG) has fallen 1.4% to $54.78 and HCI Group (HCI) has gained 1% to $38.16.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Tower Group has dropped 40% to $4.43 today, and some other small insurers are also getting dinged this morning. HCI Group (HCI) has fallen 1.8% to $39.36, Stewart Information Services (STC) has declined 0.7% to $31.36 and the Navigators Group (NAVG) has ticked down 0.4% to $56.10.
Hot India Stocks For 2015: Tata Motors Ltd(TTM)
Tata Motors Limited, an automobile company, engages in the manufacture and sale of commercial and passenger vehicles primarily in India. The company offers cars, utility vehicles, trucks, buses and coaches, and defense vehicles, as well as develops electric and hybrid vehicles for personal and public transportation. It also involves in distributing and marketing cars; and financing the vehicles sold by the company. In addition, the company engages in the provision of engineering and automotive solutions, as well as machine tools and factory automation solutions; construction equipment manufacturing; automotive vehicle components manufacturing and supply chain activities; tooling and plastic and electronic components for automotive and computer applications; and automotive retailing and service operations. It offers its products and services through its dealership, sales, services, and spare parts network. The company also markets its commercial and passenger vehicles in Eu rope, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, South Asia, and South America. The company was formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Limited and changed its name to Tata Motors Limited in July 2003. Tata Motors Limited was founded in 1945 and is based in Mumbai, India.
- [By Paul Ausick]
Among car makers, the Cadillac brand from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), the Lincoln brand from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), and Toyota Motor Corp.’s (NYSE: TM) Lexus brand make the list, as does Jaguar, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors Ltd. (NYSE: TTM).
- [By Sophia Yan]
Shares of Tata Motors (TTM) tumbled almost 5% in morning trading in Mumbai as investors reacted to news of Slym’s death. Tata Motors also owns Jaguar and Land Rover brands.
- [By Trey Thoelcke]
The rise of VW could hit GM particularly hard, both in terms of reputation and in earnings. GM said it was looking to introduce four new Chevrolet models in China next year, as well as to expand its low-cost Baojun brand. Chinese buyers could already be looking elsewhere though, given the rise of VW and of Tata Motors Ltd. (NYSE: TTM), which sells cars under the Jaguar and Range Rover brands. Sales of Tata vehicles have risen sharply in the past year, and the company is set to begin producing cars in China.
- [By James Well]
Pfizer’s Net Income Growth Is Increasing Leading to Increase in Its Operating Margins
Net incomes and operating margins of a company give some insights into its financial health. Pfizer’s net income growth has accelerated this year. In fact, when compared with its direct competitors like Merck, Novartis, and Sanofi, the rate of increase of net income growth trailing twelve months (TTM) is greatest at Pfizer with $10.68 billion followed by Novartis with $9.37 billion while Merck and Sanofi lagged behind with $4.53 billion and $4.05 billion respectively. Really, rather than increasing, there has been a decrease in Merck’s and Sanofi’s net incomes this year which should be a source of concern for investors. A healthy operating margin shows that a company is earning more per dollar of sales and, hence, able to pay for its fixed costs including interest on debt.


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Delhi-based retail chain V Mart is treading cautiously on its expansion plans. V Mart does not want to rush with the opening of new stores.
The company plans to open eight new stores by the end of this financial year in tier-II and tier-III cities. The cities include Ujjain, Aligarh, Ballia, Chhapra, Arah and Patna, among others.
“We do not want to get into the mad rush of opening new stores and overstretch our finances. We would rather consolidate and stabilise our operations before exploring new geographies,” Lalit Agarwal, managing director, V Mart, told Financial Chronicle.
The company would invest around Rs 16 crore towards opening these stores.
Agarwal added that V Mart bargains hard on rentals before it finalises a store in any locality.
“The average rental for our stores is around Rs 30 per square feet and it forms 5 per cent of the total sales of a store,” said Agarwal.
In fact, low rentals form a critical part of V Mart’s business strategy because high rentals have been a burden for retail players who have been paying rentals as high as 15 per cent of their sales. “A store should earn Rs 550 to Rs 650 per square feet for it to be viable,” added Agarwal.
The company, which at present operates 52 stores across the country, is targeting smaller cities for fresh expansion.
“We feel the retail market in these cities is largely untapped and prospects of growth are much better,” he said.
The average size of a V Mart store is 8,000 square feet and the company targets middle-class people with the products offered in its stores.
The company is eyeing a 60 per cent growth on its sales turnover in the present financial year.
“The growth could come either through the increased sales at each stores or through consolidated sales from the increased number of stores,” said Agarwal.
Aggarwal added that the company studies the local market carefully before selecting the product range.
“India is a diverse country with varied preferences and every one of our stores is customised as per the local market to suit local tastes,” Aggarwal added.
Source: Financial Chronicle


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It's been over a year since Microsoft unveiled its last Windows 10 Mobile handset, the Lumia 650. At the time, that device was nicknamed 'the last Lumia', as there were no indications that the company was planning to release any more phones in its Lumia line, which it had previously continued after the acquisition of Nokia's devices and services business in 2014.
In many markets, its Windows phones are now sold out; indeed, earlier this week, Microsoft removed the last Lumia handsets from its Store in the UK. But a product listing on the Microsoft Mexico site for an unannounced 'Lumia 651' has raised fresh questions about the company's plans.
The listing - alongside Microsoft's other Windows 10 Mobile handsets - shows a device that's remarkably similar in appearance to the Lumia 650, which isn't terribly surprising given its model number. But there is one key difference in the specs, to suggest that this is more than just a typo on a 650 listing; aside from the fact that both the 650 and 650 Dual SIM are shown separately on the same page, it also states the Lumia 651 has a 5.2-inch display, rather than the 5.0-inch screen of the 650.
However, there are no other references to the Lumia 651 anywhere else on the Microsoft Mexico site, which only deepens the mystery.
Could the 651 be some local variant of the Lumia 650, which launched there a year ago? There are precedents for that - for example, the Lumia 635 was sold in some markets as the 636 and 638 with slightly different specs to the 'standard' model sold elsewhere. And in 2012, Nokia launched the Lumia 505, an entry-level handset exclusively sold on Mexico's TelCel carrier.
But given that Microsoft has evidently been winding down its Lumia line around the world, and that there have been no hints of any plans to offer more Lumia devices - even modified versions with unique hardware variations - that seems unlikely. For now, the Lumia 651 remains a curious anomaly.


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At the Cornell Institute of Fashion and Fiber Innovation (CIFFI) spring symposium May 18 in Clark Hall, Cornell fiber scientist Juan Hinestroza described his work to teach cotton – an ancient fiber used by humans as far back as 5000 B.C. – new tricks.
In the past decade, Hinestroza’s lab has used cotton to create conductive threads to power wearable and portable electronics, textiles that detect and filter noxious gases, and repel malaria-carrying mosquitos and antimicrobial fibers that fight the spread of disease. Currently, his lab is developing water- and oil-resistant cotton fibers free of fluorine, which can harm the environment and human health. A chemical engineer, Hinestroza achieves these breakthroughs by coating traditional fibers such as cotton and cellulose with novel nanomaterials that add functional properties.
“Our group is working on a scale of 5-10 nanometers [one nanometer is one-billionth of a meter] to give new properties to old materials,” Hinestroza said. “We see our approach as science driving design and design driving science. We plan to keep moving the boundaries, and we think that nanomaterials in textiles are a major driver of innovation and will continue to be in the near future.”
At the daylong conference, Hinestroza and fellow researchers in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology and College of Engineering – including graduate and undergraduate students – offered a glimpse of cutting-edge fiber and material technologies that may soon be woven into our clothing and other products. Hosted by CIFFI, which fosters collaborative research between Cornell and fashion industry partners, the event attracted some 50 attendees, including representatives from apparel companies Golden Technologies, Hanesbrands, WINDS Enterprises, L Enterprises, Bemis Worldwide, Global Composite and Intertek.
Like Hinestroza, Yong Joo, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, works on a microscopic scale, developing ceramic and metal oxide nanofibers for enhanced lithium-ion battery performance. He detailed how such technologies could be applied to improve batteries used in hearing aids and open source hardware chips. Huiju Park, assistant professor of fiber science and apparel design, shared his work designing better footwear and protective gear for firefighters, as well as 3-D scanning and modeling to develop smart garments capable of monitoring and protecting human health. Anil Netravali, professor of fiber science and apparel design, summarized his work on biodegradable plant-based composites as alternatives to petroleum-based materials in buildings, furniture and a range of commercial products.
Student presenters shared the spotlight, too, showcasing such projects as a dress shoe that automatically converts from flats to high heels and back, clothes made from optical fibers that strobe in response to music and workout gear that offers acoustic feedback when a weightlifter uses correct form.
“We are growing a platform for partnerships that can translate innovations at Cornell into commercial products in the fashion and apparel industries,” said CIFFI director Jintu Fan, chair and the Vincent V.C. Woo Professor in Fiber Science & Apparel Design. “This symposium is a way to explore new ideas and collaborations.”
Ted Boscia is director of communications and media for the College of Human Ecology.


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The Natural Products Association seeks member approval of bylaws changes that would extend membership benefits to large chains and online retailers.
“Right now, when NPA helps defeat harmful legislation in Congress or pushes back on damaging regulations, everybody in the industry benefits, but as NPA members under the current membership bylaws, only you are paying for it,” NPA President Jeff Wright wrote in an opinion piece encouraging an affirmative vote. “Continuing to deny NPA membership to those new to the industry won’t slow or stop their involvement in the marketplace. However, it does give them a free ride on you, while weakening our ability to influence legislation because we represent just a portion of the market.”
With this focus on legislative advocacy, leadership of the association of natural products retailers and suppliers began discussing the membership changes about a decade ago and moved more seriously toward these bylaws proposals about three years ago.
“Advocacy preserves an opportunity to provide consumers with products that are important to their health and wellness,” NPA CEO John Shaw said. “And that’s what separates us from other trade associations. We’re trying to assist with the greater good by creating and selling products that help people maintain and achieve a healthy lifestyle.”
The bylaws changes would:
- Remove the requirement that 75 percent of sales consist of nutritional foods, dietary supplements and related items.
- Remove the requirement that a retailer must have a physical storefront.
Members must approve the changes via mail-in ballots, which will go out July 25 and must be returned by Aug. 25. Votes will remain in third-party custody until results are revealed to all during the association’s annual business meeting Sept. 25 at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore.
The association will have online town hall meetings July 16 and 25 to answer questions and hear concerns about the proposal.
Some independent retailers have raised concerns about losing their voice to larger corporations that increasingly compete in the natural foods space. Shaw has tried to allay these fears in past organization meetings and reiterated in a Natural Foods Merchandiser interview that the “independent retailer is the backbone and will continue to be the backbone” of the Natural Products Association.
“Folks have legitimate concerns, but those concerns should be put at rest because NPA is not changing its core values nor democratic principles,” he said.
These guiding philosophies include the one-member-one-vote rule.
Because accepting such members has not been allowed, NPA staff do not have data about how many online and larger companies would like to join the association. Shaw estimates there could be 200 Internet retailers that would be ready to become members.
The organization currently represents 1,900 members, of which 1,184 are retailers that pay less than $100 to belong to the organization.


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Air Arabia has created a business model that has the potential to change the face of the regional industry.
This was the message from Air Arabia’s CEO Adel Ali, following the airline’s AGM in March.
It is little wonder that Ali is pleased as the airline announced a US$123 million profit and shareholders received a generous 10% dividend.
Ali continued, “Granted, Air Arabia is a relatively new player at six years old, and is thus rapidly expanding its business in what was a non-existent market before the Sharjah low-cost firm’s arrival, but the strength and diversity of its offering has surprised industry analysts. At the moment, we will probably grow our business at around 10-15% per annum.
"We have an expansion plan this year that will take us into a couple more points in India, and we’re also getting into Central Asia. But a greater focus will be on increasing frequencies into Turkey and intra-Gulf, which should take us to the end of this year."
"There’s a lot of unbalanced competition, and the oil price is still high, despite the huge amounts of surplus oil being stored around the world. The whole thing is very ambiguous in terms of how business will develop."
Source = e-Travel Blackboard: C.F


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Safaricom plans to outsource its sales workforce, internal documents by the company show. The move is seen as part of plans to restructure and cut costs as the telco seeks to compete with fast-growing rivals.
The market leader has been spending billions of shillings to expand its local and regional operations, but outsourcing certain services is part of a wider trend in the mature telecoms market.
Safaricom has invited firms to bid for the provision of external sales staff.
“Safaricom Plc is intending to run a request for proposals (RFP/tender) for the provision of an outsourced sales workforce, which is intended to lead to the identification of a reputable firm(s) to carry out trade development support activities for our consumer business, financial services, and enterprise business units, and enable the achievement of set business targets,” says Safaricom in documents seen by The Standard.
“The firm(s) will accomplish this through dedicated agents for acquisition and retention supporting our regional business teams’ activities.”
Safaricom’s regional business team is tasked with recruiting new customers, retaining them and ensuring market penetration on all its offerings.
It is also charged with accelerating the sale of the telco’s fibre and fixed wireless access solutions.
Safaricom, part-owned by South Africa’s Vodacom and Britain’s Vodafone, is under pressure to create new revenue streams as its voice business matures.
Safaricom has been seeking to diversify its income from voice, short message services, cash transfers and payments.
Last October, the firm revealed it is targeting large water utilities with smart meter solutions.


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Late on a Thursday morning in Eso Won Books in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, co-owner James Fugate was ready for a second cup of coffee.
A spate of visitors on a city tour had just left the store, and Fugate’s business partner, Tom Hamilton, arrived to man the register. Above his head, a quilt bearing the likeness of Michelle Obama hung on the wall. The following week, the former first lady’s memoir would be released and Eso Won—one of the oldest among the country’s 110 or so black-owned bookstores—would be the official bookseller for her sold-out appearance at the Forum. Beside it is another quilt of author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has called Eso Won his favorite place to buy books.
“Its specific mission is to make sure black authors always have a home,” Coates said of Eso Won in 2016. “This is important to me, not because it’s the world that I spring from but because it is the river I continue to drink from.”
When Fugate arrived in Los Angeles from Detroit 30 years ago, he ran the bookstore at Compton College. The retailer was owned by the chain Barnes & Noble, and Fugate noticed that the authors on the shelves didn’t reflect the demographics of his customers. He began to stock the store with more black writers, and started an independent book fair on weekends.
“I really didn’t like repping Barnes & Noble, especially in the black community,” Fugate said of his move toward independent bookselling. In the 30 years since Eso Won opened its doors in Crenshaw in 1989, the store has moved four times and hosted events for countless luminary authors including two former US presidents: Barack Obama before he was president, and Bill Clinton after he held office. Today, the store employs three people, plus another six who are available for the 25-30 community events Eso Won hosts each year.
At a desk in the bookstore’s back office where a desktop computer, an iPad, and a calculator with a roll of paper sat alongside many, many books, Fugate sat down with Quartz to discuss technology’s role in Eso Won’s business.
“As you get older and you’re busy, you have less time to learn technology,” he said, adding that he didn’t get a computer until around 2000 and is only now considering a smartphone for its ability to retain contacts and take pictures. That said, he used the iPad to sell books at an event the previous evening using the Square payment system, a service he deems “fabulous.”
The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
In terms of technology, what’s the big thing you know today that you wished you knew when you started?
I wish I realized how important emails can be to a business. When Eso Won moved to this area, around 2008, we really were struggling for the first couple of years that we were here. But one thing that helped bring us back was the American Booksellers Association sent out something about Constant Contact. And so we signed up. I realized—especially I think black bookstores—we don’t have as much media to really promote our books. Constant Contact, I found almost as soon as I started using it, which was probably nine years ago, I think it was $30 a month. Within the first month of each year, we would pay for the whole year. We’d see the value of it right away. Shortly after Muhammad Ali died, we got a book of memorabilia—$7.98 was the price it was on sale. It had been originally $35 and I ordered 50 of them. I sent out the email, and the first day they were gone. Our emails started keeping people in the loop, and it really helped things.
Amazon, of course.
Amazon has had the biggest impact on the book business, because it brings a bookstore to all of our homes—which is why, you saw the little flyer for Mrs. Obama[‘s new book]. I think we started doing those in August, and sending out emails. I knew people would say, “Oh, I can get this at Amazon.” But I wanted to create a sense of excitement for the book, and supporting your store. So we started doing that, and it’s helped us sell over 200 books already; they’ve been prepaid. So that’s very good.
What technology or tech service, that is not a giant company like Google or Apple, do you find is most useful in running your business?
The company we use for our book sales, it’s called WordStock. They have a point-of-sale system, and we’ve been using it for probably 25 years. It’s followed us from probably four different locations, and we really have had very few problems. We had a leak a couple doors over a week before Christmas, and they were able to get us to a new system up and running in three days.
We can do most things now that we’ve wanted to do. I couldn’t really think of anything.
Not so much. I like online banking.
I use it all the time. The other day I looked up all of the bills I want to pay over the next week, so I just ran a sheet of all the little numbers, just adding them up. I use a spreadsheet from Microsoft to manage a budget everyday. I used to do it all with one of those little accounting books, which are still around, strangely enough. Every month I would fill it out by hand.
Amazon is the biggest competitor we have. You have to constantly reinvent yourself, especially with Amazon—because Amazon has bookstores now and it’s just a matter of time before they start hosting authors.
A year ago, I thought self driving cars: No. The more I drive, the more I realize people are nuts.
I don’t think we will be around to see it, but I do think that it’s going to have an effect on everything, probably 25 years from now. I think it will affect our business, and I think it would make it better. Like, we used to know this lady, she was a city council woman. She used to come by all the time, but as she’s gotten older, they took her license from her—I guess they felt her eyesight wasn’t strong enough, and she doesn’t come by anymore. But if she could call up a self driving car or go get in the car, I’m sure she’d still be coming by. It’s going to be very interesting.
No (laughs)! Absolutely not. I don’t think so—I can’t imagine, but you also have to be innovative, you have to keep up. But I doubt it.


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32 suspected gang members arrested in NorCal credit card fraud scheme
More than 30 alleged members of the BullyBoy and CoCo Boy street gangs have been arrested in connection with a $1 million credit card fraud scheme spanning 13 counties across Northern California, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said.
"It is easier today, and more rewarding today, to engage in identity theft and financial fraud than it is to go out there on the street and commit physical, violent crime," Becerra said. "It pays more at lower risk."
The attorney general announced a 240-count indictment Monday that included 63 counts of conspiracy to commit grand theft; 54 counts of hacking, computer access and fraud; 56 counts of grand theft; 59 counts of burglary; and eight counts of identity theft.
Gang members would burglarize dental and medical offices and steal credit card terminals to gain sensitive personal information. Then, they would issue fraudulent patient refunds and open debit cards, sometimes in patients' names, according to Becerra.
"Not only were the terminals stolen, but the information that those terminals can provide, including patient records," Becerra said. "The merchants who did find themselves burglarized did reach out to their patients to notify them of the data breach."
Businesses in Placer, Yolo, Sacramento, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties were targeted between 2015 and 2016, according to the indictment.
"The people they are victimizing is constantly evolving," Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn said. "So in this case you see financial fraud, identity theft. But they are also involved in sex trafficking and other things that are outside of the overt violence we normally see. But also make no mistake that we still have the violence that gangs commit in our neighborhoods, and we are very committed to that. But this is an example of how gangs have evolved."
The arrests are the culmination of a three-year, multiagency investigation of a series of burglaries and credit card schemes.
"Any gang will pretty much cross rivalry boundaries if they can make money together," Deputy Attorney General Tawnya Austin said. "So these two gangs would not traditionally be seen as collaborators. But because there is money to be made, street gangs will find a way to work together, set aside their boundary and territorial differences, so that they can make money."
Of the 32 suspected street gang members identified, 25 are currently in custody in Sacramento County. The remaining seven are currently considered fugitives.
"Now that's what we found," Becerra said. "We know there is more out there."
Becerra advised merchants to use a password for their credit card terminal, if possible, and to lock up the devices after hours.


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New Jersey’s current medical cannabis operators can’t jump into the adult-use market just yet, as the Cannabis Regulatory Commission announced March 24 it wants to hear from those operators about how they’ll support both medical cannabis patients and adult-use cannabis customers.
CRC Executive Director Jeff Brown said that the operators are about 100,000 pounds too short on product to be able to support both a medical and adult-use market. The CRC plans to visit the state’s eight alternative treatment centers in the coming weeks to evaluate if they can support both customer types.
“Our goal is to work with the industry, and the industry to work with us, so at the very next CRC meeting we have a cohort of ATCs that are turn-key to launch this market here, simply pending a vote by this commission,” Brown said.
The CRC also approved 68 cultivators and manufacturers for conditional licenses. Thirty-three of those approved are Black-owned businesses, nine are Hispanic or Latino-owned, and four are Asian-owned.
“These are the first businesses to get a foot forward in the state of New Jersey,” Brown said during the CRC meeting, noting he was “humbled” to announce their approvals.
New operators aren’t expected to open until the fall.
New Jersey CannaBusiness Association President Edmund DeVeaux said the announcement marks a huge milestone for the state’s cannabis industry.
“By not rushing into this process and taking deliberate steps, the CRC has done it the right way. We are now closer to achieving our goals around legislative and regulatory intent to ensure that social equity and minority and women candidates are prioritized,” DeVeaux said. “If this had all been rushed out sooner, we would have been farther away from reaching those goals.”
“Doing things correctly was more important than doing things quickly. New Jersey is on its way, and we look forward to the next round of progress,” he said.
The New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association, which is comprised of the state’s current ATCs and run by Harmony Dispensary owner Shaya Brodchandel, released a statement that it was “disappointed with today’s decision to further continue its delay.”
“In November 2020, New Jerseyans made it very clear that they wanted a safe and legal adult-use cannabis marketplace in the state. It goes without saying that no one could have foreseen that some 16 months later, we would still be waiting to see this come to fruition,” the NJCTA said.
Once established, the adult-use market will create 19,000 new jobs, according to the NJCTA. Cannabis trade magazine MJBizDaily projected in March that New Jersey adult-use marijuana sales will ramp up from $625 million to $775 million in 2022, to more than $2 billion a year by 2025 or 2026.
“When it comes down to it, it’s New Jersey’s citizens who are missing out,” the NJCTA said.


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LG Electronics unveiled Monday the latest version of its flagship smartphone, boasting a higher resolution screen aimed at gaining a technical edge over bigger rivals like Samsung, AFP reports.
The Optimus G Pro -- the newest version of the Optimus G series and the first LG smartphone offering a full high-definition (HD) screen -- will hit stores at home Wednesday, the South Korean firm said.
The new handset is powered by Android software and measures 15.2 centimetres (5.98 inches) long and 7.6 centimetres wide. It goes on sale in Japan and North America in the second quarter.
The Optimus G Pro features a 5.5-inch display that packs over 2 million pixels, or twice as many as smartphones with ordinary HD screens, offering brighter and clearer images.
Global handset makers like Taiwan's HTC and Sony of Japan have recently rolled out models boasting full HD screens -- most commonly used for TVs -- to gain an edge in the increasingly competitive smartphone market.
Samsung Electronics, the world's top maker of both smartphones and mobile handsets in general, is also expected to unveil a new full-HD version of its headline Galaxy S model.
"With smartphones getting bigger and bigger, its visual function becomes ever more important," LG said in a statement. "An ability to offer high-resolution images is paramount."
LG, the world's number two flat-screen TV producer and the fifth biggest phone maker, has struggled for years in the rapidly-growing smartphone market, with its Optimus series lagging far behind Apple's iPhone or the Galaxy S.
But heavy promotion of new models saw LG's smartphone sales in the fourth quarter of 2012 surge 56 percent from a year ago to a record 8.6 million units.


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— This is the script of CNBC's news report for China's CCTV on August 11, Monday.
Welcome to the CNBC Business Daily, I'm Qian Chen.
The latest data from US consumer-market research group, NPD, says sales of jeans - as in the denim variety - are down 6% year-over-year - while sales of a different type of garment ARE taking off.
CNBC's Courtney Reagan tells us the implications.
Back to school is really the holiday season for denim sales but jean retailers arent expecting a blockbuster season thanks to the growth of ath leisure.
Teen preferences tell the story, Piper Jefferies biannual stock of teen survey shows last two years, teen girls brand favourties moved away from denim centred names like Levis, Guess, American Eagle, True Religion and towards ath leisure brands Nike, Lulu Lemon, Gaps athleta and Elle brands Victoria Secret.
But the death of denim goes beyond jeans, NPD groups says industry sales of jeans are down 6% year over year while many consumers are dressing down, sporting yoga wear beyond the gym, others are dressing up, fatigues of the same old jeans as the go to option, and it is showing up in the major denim players result.
BF corp's jean brands include Lee, Wrangler, Sefron mankind and Rocking Replubic, the company sells more jeans than any company in the world but it is seen where jeans revenue has fallen 3% over this year, while its sportswear revenues grown 4%.
BF corp adknowledges the trend and is working to incorporate stretch type innovations in its denim products. joes jeans say non denim segments is a huge driver for the back half of the year so the specialty denim maker is responding with inovative textile. Retailers response to merchandise has been strong.
The Gap inc. tells me denim is still a dynamic category for us, particularly at its Gap and Old Navy brands continues to be comited to continuous innovation in the category, back to you.
That wraps up this edition of the Business Daily.
I'm Qian Chen, reporting from CNBC's Asian headquarters.


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Look Ahead: All Ears
The new Listener™ tool from Mather Economics was the subject of a March 10 article onEditor & Publisher’s daily news feed. As Mather President Matt Lindsay describes in the article, “Until now, there hasn’t been a cost-effective tool that can consolidate online and offline data, and allow publishers to gain an in-depth understanding of how users interact with online content and brands. Listener solves the problem and provides visibility into digital operations and revenue with one log-in and one dashboard across all of the client’s platforms and business systems.”
Officially launched in January, Listener is currently used by about 50 clients. A trial period is available for those interested in seeing first-hand how it works. Read the full article.


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West Coast Cookies -n- Cream
Cookies -n- Cream has announced the addition of a second mobile shop that will be based in Los Angeles. Similar to the mobile shop they have in NYC, this will be for Los Angeles and surrounding areas and will carry all of the items that you can also find at their New York mobile shop.
They'll also be releasing exclusive items, occasionally, that you will only be able to get from the LA or NY mobile shop. For up to date info on locations, etc...follow the Los Angeles Mobile shop on twitter @TheCookiesMobLA.


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- Soccer star Megan Rapinoe narrated Nike's new spot.
- The campaign features 36 pairings of athletes including Lebron James, Serena Williams and Colin Kaepernick.
- The ad will make its debut at NBA tipoff in Orlando on Thursday night.
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe says the world has gone through big changes this year when it comes to race and equality but the conversation needs to continue.
"Players may be back on the pitch, but we are not going back to an old normal. We need to continue to reimagine this world and make it better," she said in a statement.
It's a cause that's personal to Rapinoe. The two-time World Cup champion has been an advocate for equality throughout her career. She was the first White U.S. pro athlete outside of the NFL to kneel during the national anthem. That was on Sept. 4, 2016, just eight days after Colin Kaepernick gained notoriety for his silent protest during a 49ers preseason game.
"The fact that people are finally starting to really listen and truly believe what Colin has been saying. They're starting to finally see and hear the collective experience of black and brown people in this country — whether it's the larger terrorizing of communities, or the less violent micro aggressions," she added.
Rapinoe said it's a great first step, but we need to continue to work to "dismantle the broken system."
The 35-year-old Rapinoe, named the 2019 Best FIFA Women's player, said she's grateful for all the organizers and activists of the Black Lives Matters Movement who have been doing so much work over the past few months.
"They really have given the country an opportunity to remake this world in a better way. ... I think we should all be very thankful for them doing this work to put us in a position where we have a template and we have a really, really amazing groundwork and foundation laid that — at the heart — is about respecting the creating equality for all people."
As Rapinoe seeks to continue the conversation, she is starring in a new Nike campaign about athletes advocating for change and standing up for their communities.
The short film is designed to show the commonalities shared by athletes around the world and some of the challenges they must overcome, whether it's bouncing back after an injury, seeking equal rights or handling things that are out of their control, such as the coronavirus pandemic.
You Can't Stop Us" will debut on TV as part of National Basketball Association tipoff on Thursday. The spot will feature a montage of 36 pairs of Nike athletes including LeBron James, Serena Williams and Kaepernick.
"I believe in this film because it's so important for companies and brands to give athletes a real voice in this moment, and to say something that's meaningful and powerful during this time to bring more people into the movement," she said.
It's a familiar theme for the sports apparel company. In 2018, Nike won an Emmy for best commercial, for its "Dream Crazy" campaign featuring Kaepernick. However, while this is an important message for the Nike brand to consumers, the company has seen some turmoil within its own management. Just last week, the company announced it was replacing its diversity chief for the second time in two years.
In June, amid the Black Lives Matters protests and calls for action, Nike and the Jordan brand announced a donation of $140 million over the next 10 years to organizations dedicated to racial equality and social justice.
Nike's newest ad comes at a time where cash-strapped companies are pulling back on ad spending, as marketing budgets are often the first things slashed during a financial downturn.
Yet the sports apparel giant has fared better than most, helped in part by its direct-to-consumer growth. In the fourth quarter ended May 31, sales fell 38% but digital sales saw 75% growth.
Rapinoe's star power has never been bigger. She will be appearing in a special interview series on HBO Sports beginning Saturday where she will be highlighting political issues through various interviews. Sports Illustrated named her their 2019 Sportsperson of the Year, amidst her heroics on the soccer field, her activism with social issues and her fight for equal pay in women's soccer.
Rapinoe, who appears in and narrates the film, said she believes it's important for her to use her platform to stand up for what's right.
"I happen to be an athlete in a country that glorifies athletes and asks them to be role models. So I am going to use that, whenever I can, to stand up for what's right and to do the right thing. I'm going to use the power that sport has given me, to do the right thing."


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An Israeli startup is developing a way to make brand new plastic products from the moth-eaten shirts, torn pants, and other unwanted clothes that we normally throw away.
TextRe uses synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon from textile waste, and combines them with certain substances, including a reduced amount of plastic and other unnamed materials, in order to create plastic pellets.
The startup says the process can be seamlessly integrated into the production lines of plastic manufacturing companies, who will mix the pellets with virgin polymers and ultimately produce a more sustainably sourced plastic product.
“Our purpose is to replace the use of virgin materials with recycled ones, and receive the best characteristics [like elasticity and durability] that we can,” Lee Cohen, co-founder and CEO of TextRe, tells NoCamels.
If Looks Could Kill
Of the estimated 100 billion garments produced worldwide every year, close to 92 million tons end up in landfills, according to illuminem, a platform that monitors businesses’ performance on sustainability and ethical issues.
Just one percent of these garments are recycled and around 12 percent are turned into lower quality products such as cleaning cloths, carpet padding and sound insulation.
The rest could take hundreds of years to decompose, harming the environment in the process.
To recycle them, synthetic fibers are separated from the piece of clothing, shredded into small pieces of plastic, and then melted down, usually to spin new yarn.
However, few items of clothing are recycled because each one is made of a different combination of synthetic and natural fibers, in addition to having various accessories like studs, zippers and buttons.
These factors make it a challenge to separate the synthetic fibers from the garment for effective recycling, and the process today is labor-intensive and slow.
But if the materials are not properly separated from one another, they cannot easily be recycled.
“It’s a big challenge, because technology has not developed enough to accurately separate the fibers,” explains Cohen.
With TextRe, however, the synthetic fibers do not need to be so meticulously separated in order for the startup to effectively turn them into brand new products. This requires much less time and effort than if they were being recycled into a lower-quality product.
The startup’s own tests have shown that their technology can successfully turn the separated synthetic fibers into pellets that are then injected into a mold to create a new plastic product.
In fact, TextRe says it has made prototypes of several plastic pellets that can be used in new products.
“Realizing that most of our clothes are made from plastic – like polyester – made it natural to think of ways to upcycle it for plastic industry applications,” Cohen says.
The Tel Aviv-based startup, which was founded in 2021, is now completing a proof of concept to demonstrate its technology’s feasibility.
It is working with a leading Israeli company that produces plastic, which is testing the process on its own production lines.
Cohen declined to disclose more about the process itself, citing company privacy.
End-consumers, companies, and even governments have all been increasingly seeking a solution to the textile waste problem, especially as public awareness has grown in recent years.
The European Commission is drafting at least 16 pieces of legislation that will make fashion companies take more responsibility for the environmental impacts of the clothes they produce.
These measures include a requirement for fashion companies to collect a minimal amount of their textile waste rather than discard it all. The governments of European Union member states even agreed that they should ban the destruction of unsold textiles in order to encourage more reuse and recycling.
“This is a great incentive for textile brands to find a solution that they can also earn money from,” says Cohen.
She believes that these regulations also incentivize companies to start replacing virgin materials with recycled ones. She says, however, that there is a dearth of quality recycled substitutes on the market today that hold up when compared to new polymers – which is where TextRe comes in.
“We were able to overcome some of the challenges within the process, given the fact that these fibers have different characteristics than conventional plastic products, which we continue to develop and improve to create valuable recycled plastic products,” says Cohen.
There are a number of existing companies that turn textile waste into new materials.
These include Virginia-based Circ, which uses water, pressure, and what it calls “responsible chemistry” to separate synthetic fibers from plant-based materials and turn it into high quality fiber, and German company Kleiderly, which takes clothing waste and recycles it into a sustainable alternative to oil-based plastics.
But Cohen says that solutions such as these involve expensive and unsustainable processes that consume a lot of energy – which is counterproductive to the ethos of sustainability.
In July, TextRe was announced as one of the winners of the 2023 MassChallenge Israel core accelerator program, a four-month intensive program that helps entrepreneurs develop their nascent companies.
In the coming months, TextRe and the other MassChallenge winners will participate in a roadshow to Boston and New York, where they will meet with investors, customers, partners, and business leaders and officials.
While the startup is primarily bootstrapped, it is presently in the process of fundraising of $2 million, and hopes to bring its product to market within the next 18 months.
“The second largest polluting industry in the world today is the fashion industry,” says Cohen.
“But we believe that this waste can actually be used over and over again as a raw material, instead of continuously sending it to landfills.”


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Samsung says they won't be offering refurbished Galaxy Note 7 devices for rent or sale in the U.S., though a recent rumor suggests that Samsung Galaxy Note 7R model, which is essentially a refurbished unit, could be released within the region and it could see a release as early as June according to the rumor. The timeline was derived given that the device was listed on May 13 for Bluetooth wireless approval, and that process often isn't lengthy. Another sign that the phone may be headed to US shores is that Samsung even received US regulatory approval for its Note 7R by the Federal Communications Commission on May 5th.
Earlier this year, Samsung confirmed that it would make updates to its original Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, a device that was recalled and has since been pulled off the market due to concerns over overheating, fire and explosion, and sell the device in South Korea. The Galaxy Note 7 was originally released in August last year, but it was quickly pulled off the market when users reported issues with overheating and fires. Samsung claimed that faulty batteries were to blame at that time, and re-released the phone later that month. Fire concerns persisted which led to Samsung discontinuing and recalled all Galaxy Note 7 devices. Since then, the company had issued an apology, investigated the incident more thoroughly and concluded that defects in the battery were to blame.
Eight months have since passed, and if Samsung had correctly identified the issue, the Galaxy Note 7R may be safer. The phone will launch with a smaller 3,200 mAh battery, but it will retain all of the flagship specs of the original device. Additionally, Samsung is expected to price the phone very attractively if it does make it to the US, with Samsung expected to give the Galaxy Note 7R mid-range pricing. While the Samsung Galaxy Note 7R won't come with a button-less design that Samsung uses on its current Galaxy S8 flagship it will still have a large 5.7-inch QHD resolution screen with curved edges, an iris scanner, and Samsung's highly rated camera experience. Despite indications that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7R may be headed to US soil, Samsung may still decide against actually launching the updated model in this market given the potential for further brand damage with the Note 7 name.
Samsung has issued an official statement regarding the Galaxy Note 7 refurbished units stating that "The objective of introducing refurbished devices is solely to reduce and minimize any environmental impact. The product details including the name, technical specification and price range will be announced when the device is available. Samsung will not be offering refurbished Galaxy Note 7 devices for rent or sale in the US."


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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced a settlement with Tempoe, LLC, resolving a multistate investigation into Tempoe’s advertising and leasing to consumers through retailers across the nation. The investigation revealed that Tempoe’s marketing and sales practices often misled consumers to believe they were signing up for an installment plan or credit sale when, in reality, they were entering into a lease agreement. The complicated structure and lack of required disclosures of the lease agreements often resulted in consumers paying 2-3 times the purchase price of the product or service.
“My priority as Attorney General will always be to protect Missourians, which includes holding companies who prey on consumers accountable,” said Attorney General Bailey. “Our office will continue to use every legal resource available to pursue justice for victims of consumer schemes.”
Through this settlement, Tempoe is permanently banned from engaging in future consumer leasing activities. All existing leases will be canceled, and consumers may retain the leased merchandise in their possession without any further financial obligation to Tempoe – resulting in approximately $33 million of “in-kind” financial relief to consumers nationwide. Additionally, Tempoe shall not provide negative information regarding lessees to any consumer reporting agency.
Consumers with existing leases do not need to take any action as Tempoe has automatically canceled their account(s) as a result of this settlement.
Finally, as part of this settlement, Tempoe will pay $2 million: $1 million to the states and jurisdictions participating in this settlement and $1 million to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has agreed to a parallel settlement resolving the same alleged misconduct.
Attorney General Bailey filed the settlement agreement in Cole County.
Forty-one (41) states and the District of Columbia participated in the settlement. Joining Missouri were the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.


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Daredevil Development and Walker Productions have launched the "Tilly and Friends" game app for Android.
Santoro's Gorjuss design property has added a swath of new licensees around the world.
Candlewick Press is planning a yearlong program of celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the children’s book Guess How Much I Love You.
Three licensing executives conquered the London Marathon and raised more than £6,700 for The Light Fund.
Aardman Rights has added three new partners to the licensing program for the Shaun the Sheep brand.
Three licensing executives will be donning their trainers and running the London Marathon on April 13 to support The Light Fund.
Rocket Licensing, licensing agent for the new series “Q Pootle 5,” has added two new partners for the extra-terrestrial CBeebies star.
Walker Books has teamed up with Daredevil Development to create the first-ever app for Tilly and Friends.
Beginning in spring 2014, Walker Books will group all its media-related and media-inspired under the new imprint Walker Entertainment.
Walker Books’ Tilly and Friends property is gaining global traction, following its television debut on CBeebies last September.
©2014 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


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General Pants Co. will rename 48 of its storefronts to General Peace Co. from today, November 24, to raise funds for Save the Child Australia and Oasis Youth Support. As part of the campaign, a T-shirt range will be sold throughout the world featuring ‘Give Peace’ designs from Stussy, Ksubi, Santa Cruz, Neuw, Zanerobe, Vans, Insight, Candidate and RVCA. (more…)
For the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and InStyle’s celebration of the 2015 Golden Globe awards season in West Hollywood last week, Isabel Lucas chose to team a navy-jacquard Prabal Gurung dress with some confusing footwear.
The winning dress was pulled from the label’s Resort 2015 collection, featuring a layered crop bodice and cutesy ruffled hemline. The Australian actress amped up her usual boho-luxe flair with a taste of vintage appeal via a long pendant necklace and black-weaved belt.
It wouldn’t be an outfit of Isabel’s without something a little unusual, here brought to fruition by pairing socks and heels. The frilled socks are cute and quirky just like the celeb herself, but the shoe-choice, especially the open-toe cut of the boot, wasn’t a hit with us.
Sorry Kim, Beyoncé is the ruling queen. In case you’ve been away from the Internet, Bey just dropped a new video for 7/11 that’s at once low-key and 100 percent major. Dancing in her hotel room with her backup dancers, she makes a night hanging with her girls look so damn cool. We’ll just wait for everyone to drop their own versions in 3…2…1…
C.Wonder fans better hightail it to the nearest location because the retailer is about to close a lot of its stores. The house Christopher Burch built in 2011 is about to go from retail to wholesale, according to BuzzFeed. The store was said to be a revenge project after his divorce with billionaire fashion mogul Tory Burch.
Over the years, critics of C.Wonder couldn’t help but see the similarities between Christopher’s brand and Tory’s, and they’re right: that blue blood, East Coast prep aesthetic is something both labels gravitate towards. Apparently, Burch was so keen on showing up his ex-wife that he expanded his label too rapidly. Several shady and unwise business moves have ultimately hurt the brand. BuzzFeed points to a Flatiron location in New York City that Burch was rumored to have bought because Tory’s favorite hair salon is in the same building.
C.Wonder expects to shutter 20 of its 32 stores by January 1 and transition into a wholesale business in hopes that it can make the leap into department stores. The brand has less than $75 million in sales annually, meanwhile Tory Burch’s brand is sitting pretty raking in over a billion dollars last year.
Somewhere in the world, Tory is smugly sipping champagne and counting her cash, completely unbothered.
Who says you need to spend an arm and a leg to look put together this winter? Joe Fresh’s Holiday 2014 womenswear lookbook is filled with drool-worthy winter-perfect items that don’t cost a bundle.
Chock-full of lush faux fur scarves, cosy sweaters, office-to-party skirts, socks for toasty toes, affordable (and warm!) winter parkas…add a little or a lot to your list.
Whether you’re shopping for yourself or your best friend, mother, sister, work wife or boss, these separates are sure to fill anyone’s stockings and tree with a whole lot of joy. (more…)


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GPU vendor Colorful created a limited-edition Nvidia RTX 3090 with air and liquid cooling, plus an LCD display.
With its latest addition to its FidelityFX graphics suite, AMD brings performance-enhancing supersampling tech to the masses, but with a key difference: support for both AMD and Nvidia GPUs.
According to the eBay's Terapeak tool, over 200,000 PlayStation 5 units have also been resold on the e-commerce site, generating $188 million in total sales.
Nvidia says that support for its performance-enhancing DLSS technology and real-time ray tracing will broaden this summer, hitting some key AAA titles such as Doom Eternal.
Upgrading or building out your workhorse PC on a tight budget? Here's how to shop for the right AMD or Intel processor under $200, along with the top-performing chips in our benchmark tests.
Buying the right processor for PC gaming is complicated—especially in these days of Ryzen, Threadripper, Core X, and Intel's many "Lakes." Here's everything you need to know to go CPU shopping, along with our top-rated reviews.
Ryzen? Core i9? Threadripper? Whether you're upgrading your desktop PC or building a new one, choosing the right processor is the most crucial and complex choice you will make. Let's de-perplex it! Here's how to make sense of AMD's and Intel's lines, backed by dozens of our deep-dive reviews.
The product has a higher clock speed than the standard 6900 XT. But the graphics card appears to only be available from prebuilt PC vendors.
Something was very off with Best Buy's purported launch of Nvidia's RTX 3070 Ti last Thursday. Despite the product 'selling out,' almost no one is reselling the card.
Zotac's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti AMP HoloBlack tops the charts for gaming graphics performance, but its second-mortgage-level price is daunting even before the inflation of 2021's GPU market hits it.
Nvidia says it will release the last Game Ready Driver for its Kepler-series GPUs, which debuted in 2012, in August.
Best Buy decided to sell the RTX 3070 Ti Founders Edition exclusively online, which angered consumers tired of competing with online bots for the scarce GPUs.
How scalpers, a pandemic, and a cryptocurrency boom formed a perfect storm that continues to make PC building an exercise in futility.
It runs at 902MHz, includes 384 CUDA cores, 2GB of DDR3 memory, and costs under $50.
The product launches on June 10, but unlike the RTX 3080 Ti launch, it won't be sold in stores, according to Best Buy customer service representatives.
Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Founders Edition is a sturdy upgrade to the original RTX 3070 and a wise option for 4K play in moderation. Its higher price pits it against the Radeon RX 6800, which tops it at times—but the GeForce card ultimately prevails.
The Radeon Pro W6800 goes on sale starting today at $2,249. Meanwhile, the W6600 is going to land in the third quarter for $649.
In a bit of irony, Jon Peddie Research is actually advising GPU manufacturers to avoid overreacting to the ongoing shortage, citing what happened in 2018.
Before it was taken down, Newegg's listing said Noctua's passive CPU cooler will retail for $100.
Consumers who tried to buy Nvidia's latest graphics card at Best Buy stores around the country on Thursday report that each location only had 64 units or less in stock.