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UPDATE – 17 August 2011: On 15 August 2011, Albert George of the Amazon Reforestation Project wrote to REDD-Monitor stating that “we have severed all ties with Shift2Neutral”.
Last week, Shift2Neutral announced its involvement in another project, this time in the Amazon. Shfit2Neutral has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Amazon Reforestation Project to “save more than 850,000 hectares of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil from Deforestation”. Shift2Neutral will also “assist in the Reforestation of more than 150,000 hectares of land already effected by Avoided Deforestation.” Whatever that means.
As with Shift2Neutral’s other projects, little information is available about the project in Brazil.
However, there is some information available about the Amazon Reforestation Project. It was founded by two men, Albert George and Dr. Francisco Ritta Bernardino. They met in 2007, at the treetop hotel that Bernardino runs, the Ariau Amazon Tower Hotel in Brazil. One visitor describes the hotel as “about the strangest thing I’d ever seen: five circular towers that resemble lopsided wedding cakes, topped with tin roofs painted in tropical blue”.
George and Bernardino set up the Amazon Reforestation Project together “to put the Amazon locals to work planting trees on Bernardino’s land.” Bernardino’s land covers an area of almost one million hectares.
On its website, Amazon Reforestation Project explains how it works:
ARP members fund the development of Green Zones in large deforested areas of the Amazon. Green Zones are acre tracts of land that have been depleted in the Amazon. Rainforest; Reforestation is the natural methods used in replenishing the Green Zones. The ancient methods used by tribes in the Amazon are used by the ARP Project to restore these depleted areas. The ARP partnership will secure the newly developed Green Zones for the life of the project. The Amazon Reforestation Project will replenish lands that have been destroyed for development by illegal lumbering. We will secure the land and replant it within a predetermined period of time after purchase of a Green Zone by a designated individual or corporate entity.
- Invest in conserving the largest expanse of tropical rainforest located in Brazil (The state of Amazonas is the largest state in terms of geographic area within Brazil with 98% encompassed by tropical rainforest).
The Amazon Reforestation Project is a registered member company of the Georgia Institute of Technology Advanced Technology Development Center. The ATDC website sheds a little more light onto the company operations in the Amazon:
Albert George of Savannah has teamed up with billionaire environmentalist Dr. Francisco Ritta Bernardino to make economic sense of Amazon reforestation. George and Bernardino launched the Amazon Reforestation Project to put locals to work planting trees on Bernardino’s 2.4 million acres of land in the Amazon rainforest. The locals are often driven to illegal logging to generate income due to lack of other employment opportunities. The Amazon Reforestation Project provides an alternative to illegal logging as a profession while reforesting the Amazon one tree at a time.
There is no mention of the project on Shift2Neutral’s website. Below is a press release about the project. REDD-Monitor has invited Amazon Reforestation Project and Shift2Neutral to provide further information about the project, such as what Shift2Neutral’s role is in the project, whether the project aims to generate carbon offsets and whether the project was drawn up in compliance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. REDD-Monitor looks forward to posting their response.
Shift2Neutral and the Amazon Reforestation Project sign a Memorandum of Agreement in an unprecedented move to save more than 850,000 hectares of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil from Deforestation and to assist in the Reforestation of more than 150,000 hectares of land already effected by Avoided Deforestation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Sep 16, 2010 – Atlanta USA – Shift2Neutral and the Amazon Reforestation Project sign a Memorandum of Agreement in an unprecedented move to save more than 850,000 hectares of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil from Deforestation and to assist in the Reforestation of more than 150,000 hectares of land already effected by Avoided Deforestation
Shift2Neutral with the assistance of its Canadian partner Mr Ron Dewhurst, worked closely with Co Founders of the Amazon Reforestation Project, Mr Albert George and President and Chairman renowned environmentalist and former spokesperson for Jacques Cousteau, Dr. Francisco Ritta Bernardino.
The key initiatives and drivers for the agreement is the protection of natural land and forests in area owned by Amazon Reforestation Project, and to work together to cease the decline in the environment at local, national, and global levels.
In the Amazon the uncontrolled cutting and burning of trees and the loss of surface soils rich in humus has resulted in the release of carbon into the atmosphere contributing to green house gases and accelerating global warming.
Both groups agree and believe that linking people’s economic self-interest and the health of ecosystems is one of the most promising ways to garner interest in the conservation challenges facing society today. The moment is now, for the private sector to put these strengths to work in ways that will permanently halt unsustainable deforestation and allow the global society to protect the ecosystems on which we all depend.
With the cutting of forests, billions of tons of greenhouse gases are released (from carbon stored in trees, plants and soils) into the atmosphere. Roughly 20% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are caused by deforestation. By comparison, the entire global transportation sector is responsible for roughly 14% of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
Both Shift2Neutral and the Amazon Reforestation Project believe this can be achieved with real benefits to local stakeholders. We must recognize the rights of indigenous peoples and the local communities involved, protect their native and indigenous environment and culture through mechanisms that provide assistance to them and the protection of their land.
Regardless of national or international policies, deforestation cannot be combated effectively unless local landowners and residents have a desire and need to protect the forests. Through leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) stemming from successful REDD+ programs can issues such as health, environment, food, education, bio diversity and culture be correctly addressed.
Through the conservation efforts of groups like the Amazon Reforestation Project and its founders and that of Shift2Neutral and its agents can avoided deforestation strategy be put into practice and not just motherhood statements.
About The Amazon Reforestation Project
The Amazon Reforestation Project Inc. is a registered member company of the Georgia Institute of Technology Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) science and technology incubator and is led by world renowned environmentalist and former spokesperson for Jacques Cousteau, Dr. Francisco Ritta Bernardino (President & Chairman), daughter Dr. Eliane Ritta Honorato (Chief of Operations) and Albert A. George II (Chief Executive Officer) former Director of Education for the Georgia Aquarium Inc.
Contact Amazon Reforestation Project Inc.
155 Wynfield Way
Atlanta USA 30331
# # #
Shift2neutral was created by a dynamic group who believe in a sustainable future and in working directly with the corporate community to achieve realistic change.
We provide a variety of services from
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies
Renewable Energy Strategies
Government and Corporate Environmental Policies
Green Marketing Strategies
Carbon Credit Certification (CER, VER, REDD+)
Broker sale of carbon credits


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But days before publication, Skullkickers #1, the first issue of the Tarantinoesque fantasy comedy from Image, has sold copies on eBay for $7.99. Seriously. People are trading in the futures markets with comics.
What does this mean? Well, it means that anyone who picks up a copy of this comic on the day of release could potential flip it straight away on eBay. And while some comic shops may be aware of this, limit copies to one per customer, or flip it themselves before it reaches the rack, plenty won’t. This could be Captain America #25 all over again. Without the promise of a stack of extra first prints on the way.
It’s also worth pointing out that certain online retailers are still offering copies at cover or below-cover price…
- Old Man Hawkeye #1 and Venom #160 Go to Second Printings - January 16, 2018
- Neil Gaiman Announces Paperback of Norse Mythology for Tuesday, March 6th - January 16, 2018
- Finally – Frank Miller’s 300 Prequel, Xerxes, from Dark Horse Comics in April 2018 - January 16, 2018
- So… Why Is Marvel Not Cancelling Their Lowest-Selling Comics? - January 16, 2018
- John Nee is the New Publisher of Marvel Comics - January 16, 2018

domain: news


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Goodwill Industries of Wisconsin originally had plans to expand its contract assembly and packaging business, but the plans has changed with the imminent sales.
The company is now building programs designed to employ people in e-commerce jobs and has expansion plans for its retail operations. The move should bring job growth in different ways.
A Goodwill Outlet is opening up in Racine, Wisconsin, selling goods that go unsold in regular stores. All items will be sold by the pound, including clothing and furniture.
The company is planning on expanding its e-commerce presence. Currently, books and jewelry are sold online. It is expected that the company will double its e-commerce workforce this year from 30 to 60 employees.
Goodwill starting working on designing a supply chain academy to meet the growing needs of e-commerce.
To read the full original article, please click here.


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To mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, Canadian Coin News has teamed up with Ontario’s Beaver Bullion to present another commemorative silver rounder. This latest rounder, which is nearly sold out, is the second piece in an ongoing series by CCN and Ontario collector and owner of Beaver Bullion John Masterson, who was commissioned to design and produce the rounders. The positive response following the release of the Canada 150 one-ounce silver rounder this July prompted Trajan Media, publisher of CCN and Canadian Stamp News, to continue the rounder series. Initially offered only to CCN subscribers, the rounder is now available to the general public; however, supplies are “very limited,” according to Trajan’s managing partner and CCN Editor Mike Walsh. Continue reading →
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WEC’s GTE Pro category has already dropped to three manufacturers last season following the withdrawal of BMW and Ford since 2018-19, December Aston Martin decision to resign from class Only Porsche played against Ferrari this year.
Corvette remained the only full-season maker after Porsche withdrew from the series at the end of last year and BMW reduced its commitment to four endurance races, making things worse in the corresponding GTLM class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. I am. The 2021 race.
IMSA announced for the Rolex 24 Hours last month: GT3-based GTD Pro category will replace GTLM next year, May leave WEC and ELMS as the only two championships to run GTE cars.
The WEC situation was complicated by the very healthy grid of the GTE Am class, which uses the same car as the GTE Pro, and this year 13 bumper entries were announced.
Molina, who was promoted to Ferrari’s full-season GTE pro lineup at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, said the GT3 was WEC’s “direction to go”, but by the time cars were built to match them. Regulations have been introduced that warned that it could take two years.
“I think they will do the same thing more or less [as IMSA]”Molina told autosport. “But the question is whether WEC can handle such a large grid for all brands. [with GT3 programmes] It will be interesting.
“There are so many brands and so little space that if you had the option to race at the WEC, everyone would want to race at least one car. It would be difficult, but that’s the direction to go. think.
# 71AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO: Davide Rigon, Miguel Molina
Photo: JEP / Motorsport image
“Still, as far as I know, the GTE project has been agreed. [current] Homologation will not end until the end of 2022. Porsche also announced a new car last year. “
Molina could abandon the GTLM class in favor of a second division based on GT3 cars, given the relatively low running costs and the fact that more manufacturers are manufactured in compliance with these regulations. It was a “logical” step from IMSA.
“I think that’s because there are more brands involved and the car is somehow easier to manage. It’s still complicated, but the maintenance is different and the starting price of the car is lower,” he explained.
“It also happened with LMDh. LMDh is trying to help brands create projects at the lowest possible price. This is similar and is a new reality of motorsport.
“This is a car with very good results and I think there is a lot of equality in terms of performance, as BoP saw in the very popular GT World Challenge. IMSA sees this. Must be. Logical steps to take.
“After all, we all adapt to the situation, but I love GTE because it has less driver aid like ABS and is a bit like a race car.
“But since I was in Ferrari, I had a championship with one type of car and another, and eventually adapted to it.”
Tips for Ferrari Molina to replace WEC’s GTE with GT3
https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/ferraris-molina-tips-gt3s-to-replace-gte-in-wec/5607620/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=RSS-ALL&utm_term=News&utm_content=uk Tips for Ferrari Molina to replace WEC’s GTE with GT3


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KARACHI: Bayer’s leading consumer health brand, vitamin and mineral supplement Berocca, has signed on to become the official energy partner for Quetta Gladiators in the running Pakistan Super League (HBL PSL) season 6.
A ceremony to mark the partnership was held at a local hotel, at which members of the leadership teams of Quetta Gladiators and Bayer Pakistan were present.
This is the second year running that Berocca and Quetta Gladiators have partnered for the HBL PSL, as Quetta Gladiators owner, Nadeem Omer, pointed out on the occasion: “We are very pleased to be re-uniting with this great brand which has helped boost the energy and fitness of our players. Quetta Gladiators is a star team in the HBL PSL, constantly on the quest for excellence, and our partnership with Berocca reflects this mindset. Energy and fitness is one of our top priorities, and that’s what Berocca stands for. It is a great fit for what we anticipate to be a terrific season ahead. By partnering with brands such as Berocca, we are not only increasing our brand equity but also ensuring that strong and recognizable brands are part of the biggest sports event in Pakistan.”
“At Bayer Pakistan, we are really looking forward to HBL PSL 6 and we are proud to be the first life science company in Pakistan investing in the great sport of cricket. Berocca is one of the world’s leading vitamin and mineral supplements, and the Quetta Gladiators are some of our best athletes – it’s an excellent fit,” said CEO and MD of Bayer Pakistan, Dr. Imran Ahmad Khan at the signing ceremony.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021


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Voice for Locals, which received a £1.82m grant from the UK Government to bolster small businesses’ potential, has digitised over 200 businesses across Northern Ireland in less than 30 days.
The initiative launched its latest drive ‘Times Are Changing’ at St George’s Market last week to help traders, who rely on in-person footfall, to extend their services online and tap into the world of e-commerce.
The Voice for Locals team met traders to introduce them to their tagline “Times Are Changing”, to illustrate that their trading times are changing. They can now expand sales, trading online every day of the week. It also signifies the fact that it is an opportune time for traders to take their business to a digital platform.
The initiative allows engagement with a broader audience, on a more consistent basis, beyond the confines of St George’s Market official trading days, thanks to the Voice for Locals digital directory of all…


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Shenda-owned Auria, the global supplier of vehicle acoustical and fibre-based products, has opened its new Vrable, Slovakia factory producing automotive flooring systems and decorative trim parts for Jaguar Land Rover and "other premium OEM customers".
The new factory spans 80,700 square feet (7,500 square metres) and houses both manufacturing and administrative space.
An additional 80,700 square feet will be added soon. The factory initially will have a workforce of 100 which will increase to 150 with the launch of new business expected over the next two years.
The company has spent about US$10m on the factory to date. The location was chosen due to its proximity to OEM customers' factories in the growing eastern Europe region and the highly skilled, educated workforce in the immediate area.
As well as JLR, which now builds the Discovery locally, Slovakia is also home to Kia and PSA and Volkswagen group vehicle factories.
"This new facility follows through on the commitment we have made to our customers to expand our footprint with manufacturing," said Auria president and CEO Brian Pour.
"As vehicle manufacturing continues to grow in eastern Europe, we see a great opportunity to support our customers from this operation."
"Fibres represent the next frontier for technological advancement for vehicles and other consumer products," said Shanghai Shenda chairman Yao Minghua.
"Shenda companies like Auria are proud to be at the forefront of developing and delivering fibre-based solutions from plants like Vrable which will meet the evolving needs of the transportation industry for decades to come."
Auria recently broke ground on a new factory in Wuhan, China. Once complete, the 242,000 sq ft (22,500 sq m) plant will produce carpeting for Shanghai GM's Chevrolet and Buick models produced locally. In January 2019, Auria China took possession of the company's new regional headquarters in Shanghai.
Auria Solutions was formed in 2017 with financial headquarters in Coleshill [Birmingham], England and operational headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, Shanghai, China and Duesseldorf, Germany. It operates 27 manufacturing and 11 technical facilities in 12 countries and employs 7,000 worldwide.


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BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The sudden announcement that Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO of Apple (AAPL) - Get Apple Inc. Report is bruising shares of the consumer-technology giant, yet professional investors say the company is still one of the best investments.
After falling more than 5% after Jobs' announcement Wednesday after the market closed, Apple shares have pared losses to less than 2% today. Investors such as Channing Smith, who manages the
Capital Advisors Growth Fund
, say Apple is on course to release products that people want.
"From a valuation perspective, and what they have in front of them through year-end, investors should be very optimistic," Smith says. "The product pipeline is set and the roadmap is there for the next six to 12 months. It's a matter of the company executing, which new CEO Tim Cook has proven he can do."
Jobs submitted his resignation to the Apple board Wednesday. The board subsequently named Cook, previously the iPhone maker's chief operating officer, as its new CEO. Cook is not new to the game, as he has taken over for Jobs during three previous leaves of absence for medical reasons.
"We don't have any concern about the company messing up or there being some operational setback," Smith says. "As we go into the holiday season, Apple continues to have the most innovative products in the marketplace. We don't have the fierce competition we expected at this point in the cycle. Apple's setup is very attractive as we move into the holiday season."
The Capital Advisors Growth Fund had 5.4% of its $24 million in assets allocated to Apple as of June 30, making it the fund's largest position. Across the entire firm, Capital Advisors has more than $16.2 million of the $920 million in assets under management devoted to Apple, which includes the mutual fund and separately managed accounts.
"We're buyers," Smith says. "We look at the valuation of the stock, and it's trading at 11 times forward earnings, which is a discount to the S&P 500 Index. If you take out the cash, or roughly $80 per share, you're looking at only 8.5 times forward earnings."
Herb Chen, manager of the
Huntington Growth Fund
, also is bullish on Apple. Chen expects Apple's vision and product line to remain intact, and that Cook's previous role within Apple will benefit him and Apple to ensure quality products. "Buy over the next few days," Chen writes in an email.
As it stands now, Jobs will remain as chairman of the company. The hope is that he will still be involved in the strategic direction of the company, which gives investors comfort. The question for investors, though, is whether Apple shares are trading at a discount because Cook is at the helm, which has been widely expected for months, or whether Jobs' health is still a concern even if he's not in the CEO chair.
"One of the biggest overhangs has been, and will continue to be, Steve Jobs' health," Smith says. "At some point, investors will realize the company's enormous profit growth. But there will still be that overhang because of Jobs' health. It'll still be there for some time until Tim Cook and the management team prove they can innovate and come up with the products like Jobs."
So while investors argue that there is no better growth story than Apple, there is some question over when to buy more shares. Smith says Apple could be worth $500 to $600, from today's $369, as long as the company continues to perform. He says his firm wouldn't be sellers until Apple fails to meet expectations.
However, while Smith says he would take advantage of any pullback in the stock to take a position in Apple, "I would not go out and buy the stock today. There will be some confusion among people who don't know what they want to do."
Smith also notes the potential for extreme market volatility with
Chairman Ben Bernanke slated to speak at a conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo., on Friday, where some market participants are betting Bernanke will unveil some type of asset purchase plan.
"You want to wait for clarity from Bernanke tomorrow. I think there is potential for a big disappointment," Smith says. "The market and Apple's stock will be volatile as we see continued concerns of economic growth. It's a great value where it is now and investors will be happy getting in today, but there will probably be opportunities in the next month to get it cheaper."
-- Written by Robert Holmes in Boston
>To contact the writer of this article, click here:
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Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Saturday, Nov 16, 2002
Corporate - Outlook
MindTree sees huge healthcare prospects
BANGALORE, Nov. 15
MINDTREE Consulting is preparing to become a niche player providing IT services to the healthcare segment.
``Right now, this is an area, where there is no clear leadership,'' said Mr N. Krishna Kumar, President and CEO, Enterprise Business. Healthcare is expected to become one of the more strategic verticals for the company and "very large in terms of size," he added.
At the moment, an intensive training programme is on in the company's Bangalore office to give 22 of its professionals a "strong understanding" of terms, business concepts and IT systems related to healthcare.
"We are taking a slightly different approach," said Mr Eric Mann, Vice-President, heading the healthcare practice.
The company is building up domain expertise first so that it can speak to healthcare customers in their language, instead of waiting for customers to come.
Domain expertise is very important for this segment, where there are a lot of legal and other issues, Mr Mann said. As of today, there is a shortage of people with knowledge of the industry in India, he said. MindTree is on the lookout for people at middle and senior levels with domain expertise and experience.
The idea is to offer a range of solutions in the healthcare area. HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act), the legislation for standardisation of the healthcare industry in the US is now being described as the Y2K of the healthcare industry. Everyone in that space has to radically update and standardise their systems, which could open up a huge market for integration.
Typically, the healthcare industry would require solutions for claims, clearing house, redesigning of systems, and integration. The biggest volumes of business come from the insurance and claims processing sector, Mr Mann said. MindTree plans to be in the integration space, making interface between the old and the new systems seamless. The other end, the BPO part, is most likely be done by a partner and the company is in talks for a tie up. "We are looking at maybe two partners to offer BPO," Mr Krishna Kumar said.
In the healthcare sector, MindTree already has Aventis, a multi-billion dollar pharma major as customer. It is developing Web-enabled applications, handling brand related work, and offering content management for the company.
The company is optimistic about organic growth. Earlier this year, there was a slowdown with war fears. However, since July-August, growth had been month-on-month, Mr Krishna Kumar said.
Healthcare is a $1.3-1.4 trillion industry, and the largest expense sector in the US. Apart from healthcare, MindTree is active in three other verticals - finance, automotive and the high tech product market.
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In the wake of scandals like the Cambridge Analytica data breach incident in March, there is definitely a conversation starting to happen around the ethics of consumer data collection and how to carry that process out. Most recently marketers have been preparing for the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR) coming into full effect on May 25th, 2018.
The new legislation, enforced by the European Union, aims to heighten protection of EU citizens' data, through tightened rules on how to obtain, process, store and share their information. Despite the GDPR being a tool to protect EU citizens, it does not only target businesses based in that region alone. Instead, it targets any and all data collectors seeking to store EU citizen data–meaning, Canadian businesses who provide their service to EU-based consumers and collect their data are required to comply with this legislation.
Non-compliance with the GDPR puts companies at risk of severe repercussions. Various violations of the GDPR pose fines of up to €20 million, or 4% of a company's global annual revenue, whichever amount is greater. Therefore, companies need to understand the legal requirements of the GDPR and ensure they are on the right track to compliance.
There are a few main features of the GDPR that marketers must pay attention to.
One of the GDPR's main goals is to improve transparency between data collectors and consumers and build a better system which puts consumers' protection first and foremost, and clearly communicates that to them. In marketing terms, EU residents filling out your lead form or completing a purchase requiring information collection must be informed explicitly why their data is being collected and the intention behind it.
For instance, if your business requires consumers to fill out a lead form you must ensure you explain to the consumer how their data will be used. If you plan on sharing their data with affiliates, track their activity on your website through pixels, or retarget them through emails, you must clearly state these intentions when asking for consent. GDPR stresses that 'opt-out consent' will no longer be accepted as a form of request for consent as it is ambiguous and does not fully articulate the intention behind data collection.
It is also important you remain transparent in your request to repurpose a consumer's data at any point during the relationship with them–even after said relationship has ended. Under the GDPR, consumers also have 'the right to be forgotten', meaning they are able to request their information be permanently deleted from your company's database as well as any third parties who were processing or owning that data as well. The one downside of this request is that it will limit a company's efforts to build accurate performance reports and trend forecasts based on consumer data, if they lose a significant amount of it in the long run.
The GDPR is also putting a lot of scrutiny on how organizations store and safekeep people's data. The information can only be used for the specified and intended purpose the consumer agreed to initially during data collection, otherwise the company is at risk for a violation fine. Additionally, sharing a person's data with a third party requires another request for consent and clear communication of the intent behind the move.
Companies must securely store this information and hold records of consent to prove compliance to GDPR standards to avoid fines, as well as records of the policies they are using to govern data collection and use. Canadian businesses operating their services in the EU are advised to audit and assess the current methods of data collection and protection in order to ensure they comply with GDPR standards.
They must also disclose any data breach or leak to data subjects as well as GDPR security provision within 72 of discovery to avoid significant fines.
There's been a debate circulating about how fair the GDPR legislation is on marketers. Steep fines and "unrealistic expectations" are a few of the named concerns out there, with some agreeing that the legislation provides more harm than good to retailers and businesses under the guise of protecting consumer data.
On the other hand, we think the GDPR is a step in the right direction for the industry. It will force businesses to educate themselves about consumer data protection and build better, transparent relationships with their customers which will surely positively impact brand loyalty.
There is no doubt that while the GDPR is currently localized to EU citizens, stricter data controls are certainly going to be enforced worldwide soon, and Canadian retailers need to take a closer look at the ethics behind their current methods of data collection and storage to ensure they are keeping up with the current global concern for data protection.


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Which Wich to open in Gonzales next month
Gonzales residents will have another lunch option in 2018, as Which Wich Superior Sandwiches is set to open in January on Cabela’s Parkway off Highway 30. The franchise offers close to 40 sandwich varieties that customers can customize any way they want with 70 toppings.
Franchise partners Shane and Kelly Waguespack are excited to bring this new concept to the people of Gonzales.
Shane Waguespack said he tried his first Which Wich in North Carolina while traveling for work. After trying the sandwich with endless options, he knew he had to bring this brand back home. He added that he and his wife have always wanted to open their own business.
“Their motto is Superior Sandwiches, and it is. It’s highly customizable, and you can make any sub into a salad so there’s that healthy food option too,” said Waguespack.
The opening has been in the works for two years, as they took their time finding the perfect location for the new lunch destination. The real estate piece, he said, is the most difficult. They wanted to find the perfect spot to make the location a success.
Waguespack worked with Which Wich real estate director Dustin Griffiths to find the best place in town for the store. Griffiths said the new location is a central spot with heavy lunchtime traffic. He added its proximity to both Highway 30 and Interstate 10 makes it the perfect spot with easy access for customers.
The Dallas-based sandwich brand has been in operation for 14 years with roughly 430 locations in 39 states and 12 countries. Griffiths said while this is the first Gonzales location, it’s the fourth to open in the Greater Baton Rouge Area. It also won’t be the last. The Waguespack’s have plans to open another location soon in Prairieville.
“Future development is on their mind, and we feel like the market could support it,” said Griffiths. “We’re really excited to join the Gonzales community.”
With this new food option for consumers also comes new job opportunities for workers. Waguespack said the Gonzales location will create 25 jobs in the city, with the future Prairieville location adding 25 more down the road. He noted Which Wich offers a great working environment for employees.
If all goes according to plan, the new Which Wich is set to open in Gonzales on January 22.
Follow Halen on Twitter: @LikeVanHalen


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Pinot Palooza, the world’s largest pinot party, will celebrate an almighty extravaganza in Auckland, after partying stints in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney this year.
In honour of its tenth anniversary, Pinot Palooza 2022 takes place on October 15 and 16 (unconfirmed) in Auckland. Therefore, wine lovers across the nation can celebrate their favourite grape variety with a range of Pinot Noir producers from New Zealand, Australia and beyond.
Certainly, a promising two day festival filled with wine, music, interactions and blissful tasting experiences. Plus, there’ll be plenty of food trucks and pop-up bars to satisfy the hunger. In previous years, more than 200 wine producers showcased their pinot varieties to festival gooers.
All 2021 ticket holders are automatically transferred to the new dates. However, new ticket holders will have to wait for releasing of tickets. As mentioned above, we are waiting on confirmation of these dates. Keep an eye on the Pinot Palooza website for more.


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Super Junior Update: Heechul Will Not Be Performing To Promote 'Replay,' Boys To Do Another Home Shopping Special
Once again, Super Junior will be gracing a home shopping network in part of promoting their new album, Replay. Unfortunately, Heechul will not be able to join Leeteuk, Yesung, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Donghae, and Choi Siwon in performing their latest songs due to health reasons.
Super Junior will be returning to the spotlight with the release of their new album on April 12. However, due to health reasons, Label SJ released a statement explaining Heechul's absence in promoting Replay on the group's official website, via Metro.
The entertainment company started its announcement by saying a "piece of unfortunate news to fans." "Due to health-related issues, member Heechul will not be participating in music show promotions for the group's 8th repackaged album Replay," it said. It was clearly sorry for Super Junior's supporters who have been waiting for their return with a repackaged album.
But, Label SJ promised fans that they will still see Heechul promoting Replay, except that he won't be performing in any musical shows. To recall, Soompi reported that Heechul opened up about his health condition before Super Junior made its return in November 2017.
The 34-year-old Korean singer is suffering from chronic pain since 2006, the time when he had surgery after fracturing his leg as a result of a car accident. So, as Label SJ's utmost priority is Heechul's health, they are asking Super Junior's fans for understanding.
Talking about the group's returning album, Replay has three new songs, "Me & U," "Super Duper," and "Hug," along with the title track "Lo Siento" or "I'm Sorry" in English. The latter song features Leslie Grace, Sony Music's Latin singer, and the Grammy winner Play-N-Skillz. The song was composed by Brother Juan and produced by Oscar Salinas.
So, in part of promoting the new album, Super Junior is making a one-hour home shopping special on Super Market on CJ O Shopping channel. This is the same thing the boys did last year. Leeteuk, Yesung, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Choi Siwon, and Heechul are the first South Korean boy bands to appear on a home shopping network.
This just proved that Super Junior doesn't only have talents in performing, but in selling as well. After selling suits, this time, they will be marketing face masks made by the known beauty brand—Avajar. This will happen after the release of their repackaged album, Replay, at 6 p.m. KST on April 12. The show will start at 10:45 p.m. KST.


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Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited or BSNL has once again informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that the procurement of local gear for deploying 4G services would create a lot of issues. As per the latest report by ET Telecom, BSNL has told the DoT that forcing it to purchase 4G telecom gear from local vendors will cause delays in rolling out the next-generation services to customers. BSNL also added that the gear from local vendors would be 'globally unproven' and that could cause a delay of at least 18 months for rolling out the services. Besides, BSNL also highlighted to DoT that the regionally procured infrastructure would result in increased costs and could result in frequent network quality issues.
BSNL Now Says the Local 4G Gear Will Reduce its Survival Chances
The state-run telco reached out to DoT several times in recent months regarding the purchase of locally made gear. As part of the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat programme, a technology group earlier suggested BSNL to fully make use of the gear made by local vendors. However, BSNL complained to DoT saying the local OEMs are charging close to 90% more for a single 4G tender compared to the tenders from global vendors.
In a recent meeting held between the DoT and BSNL's leadership members, they urged the telecom department to have a level-playing field in the industry. The leadership team of BSNL told DoT that the usage of local gear policy must also apply to the top three telcos- Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
As noted, BSNL is urging the DoT to reverse the local gear usage policy so that it can sustain the competitive Indian telecom market led by the likes of Jio and Airtel. “BSNL has voiced its concerns to its owner, DoT, that it must not be forced alone to buy unproven core 4G network gear from local suppliers, and that such indigenous procurement rules should also be applicable to all private telcos,” a top company executive told ET.
The report also says the telco's concerns will be discussed shortly by the Empowered Technology Group (ETG) that was appointed less than a month ago.


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¿The Battle Royal Division? It’s possible
According to an anonymous source in the study of Ubisoft Massive (formerly known as Massive entertainment), filled with developing The Division, its sequel and also completing the next game in the Avatar movie, has confirmed to Media Gamereactor that they are working on a Battle Royale title along the same lines as the popular Fortnite and Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
Apparently, Ubisoft has hired the Swedish developer to start searching for a Battle Royale game in January this year, and now Massive has reported that it could have something fun in a relatively short time, especially considering that The division contains almost all the necessary ingredients to make this type of shooting game.
So far, it’s just rumors, but nothing seems disturbing to take into account gender and company what it’s about.


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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (April 22, 2020) — Hy-Vee, Inc., in partnership with its melon supplier Sol Group, donated more than 2,000 jumbo, seedless watermelons to two Peoria, Illinois-based food banks today – Midwest Food Bank and Peoria Area Food Bank.
Hy-Vee delivered more than 1,000 jumbo seedless watermelons to each food bank. Each weighed approximately 20 pounds for a total donation of approximately 40,000 pounds. The donation was made as food banks struggle to keep their shelves stocked due to increased demand from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Product will benefit communities across Illinois and eastern Iowa.
“Hy-Vee has always been about giving back to the communities they serve,” said Adam Lazo, Head of Sales for Sol Group Marketing. “We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to help them take care of those in need.”
“We are extremely grateful for Sol Group’s partnership in helping us care for our communities during this difficult time,” said Tina Potthoff, Hy-Vee’s Senior Vice President of Communications. “We are committed to helping our local food banks and hope this donation will provide some relief for them and our communities.”
“The need to feed our local communities is at an all-time high. The donation of fresh produce provides great nourishment for individuals and families, especially for children,” said Wayne Cannon, Manager for Peoria Area Food Bank.
The donation to Midwest Food Bank – Peoria and Peoria Area Food Bank is part of a series of donations that Hy-Vee and Sol are making to help provide fresh produce to food banks across the grocer’s eight-state region.
Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 265 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $10 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 80,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.
Sol Group Marketing is the largest grower, packer and shipper of melons during the offshore season. Thanks to the commitment of its dedicated employees, Sol grows over 200 million melons across 17,500 acres of farmland in Guatemala and Honduras each season. Since 1985, Sol has uniquely owned and operated its farms and through its fully integrated supply chain, the company continues to succeed as the industry leader in food safety compliance and sustainable practices during the winter season. Part of the Fyffes Group since 2007, the company is committed to providing its customers with the highest quality products and excellent customer service while also growing the love for melons across North America. To learn more about Sol Group Marketing, visit www.solmelons.com.


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Image: Getty Images
People in Massachusetts overwhelmingly supported new right-to-repair legislation for cars in 2020. Now automotive manufacturers are doing whatever they can to delay and impede the implementation of the new law. The law was supposed to take effect in 2022, but new legislation filed in the Massachusetts Legislature would push that date back to 2025.
State of Repair is Motherboard's exploration of DIY culture, device repair, ownership, and the forces fighting to lock down access to the things you own.
The specific issue is whether car owners and independent repair shops should have access to the telemetric data generated by their cars. As cars become increasingly complex and computerized, the data they generate is key to conducting safe repairs. Access to that data has been withheld by automakers to keep people from repairing their own cars.The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry trade group made up of almost all car makers—including Ford, Honda, Hyundai, and GM—said that giving people access to telemetric data was dangerous. Massachusetts put the issues before voters in 2020 and the automakers spent $26 million running negative ads about the law. One ad implied that letting people access the data generated by their own cars would embolden sexual predators. Voters didn’t buy it and voted by a margin of 75 to 25 to allow people access to the telemetric data.The automakers kept fighting after the law passed and sued to prevent its implementation, arguing it was unconstitutional and it would be impossible to comply in the time allowed. It also pointed to a letter from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that claimed such a law would make it easy for hackers to access people’s vehicles. It’s a claim that’s been roundly and repeatedly debunked.
The results of the lawsuit are still pending and automakers continue to fight. On Monday, Massachuset’s Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure heard automaker backed proposals that would delay the implementation of the law until 2025. “After spending $26 million only to be resoundingly defeated at the ballot box, the big automakers and dealers still don’t get it,” Tommy Hickey, director of Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition, said in a statement. “Massachusetts consumers have spoken, and the law now gives them the right to control their own repair data so that they can get their car fixed where they want,” Hickey said. “However, instead of listening to their customers and attempting to comply with the ballot initiative, automakers and dealers filed a baseless, anti-democratic lawsuit. Now, they are again trying to thwart the will of the voters and ‘kick the can down road’ by using the Legislature to delay the law’s deadlines. We hope and expect that the Legislature will honor the will of their constituents, who voted by a 75% majority for Right to Repair.”The new law mirrors similar legislation Massachusts voters passed in 2012 requiring car dealers to make wired repair codes universal. There was a loophole in that law that exempted wireless diagnostics. The new legislation, if it’s finally implemented, would close that loophole.The battle in Massachusetts is part of a wider war for the right-to-repair. People want to fix their own stuff and device manufacturers—whether it’s Apple or Ford—don’t want them to. But 2021 was a good year for the movement. Biden issued an executive order aimed at fostering right-to-repair, Apple announced a program it said would help some people fix their devices, and national legislation was filed in Congress.In Massachusetts, it increasingly feels like automakers are fighting a losing battle.


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New War of the Immortals Update Hits
Perfect World Entertainment has announced the launch of its latest update to War of the Immortals. The update introduces a new Faith System that boosts both character and pet power, plus introduces newly discovered zones including Sunken Ridge, Lost Sea, and Rocky Abyss LV10. If it’s a fight you’re looking for, track down and hunt the 2 new world bosses, Rulean and Lorelei.
The new update also features a new instance, Runic Trench, so assemble your party and seek out the treasures within. Some features of the game have also been optimized to offer a more streamlined experience, and a new system has been added where you can earn increasingly better rewards just for playing.
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List of main economic event that have a significant impact on the pair EUR/USD for the week ending January 6th are as follows:
On Monday markets in United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Europe remained closed due to national holidays for the New Year.
On Tuesday, January 3rd, 2011, official data on German unemployment change was released in euro zone while in United States, data on manufacturing activity was reported. Moreover, US Federal Reserve released the minutes of its latest monetary policy meeting.
On Wednesday, January 4th, United States will report official data on factory orders while in euro zone, preliminary report on consumer price inflation will be published. France will report its official data on consumer spending on Wednesday.
On Thursday January 5th, 2011, government data on German retail sales was released in Germany whereas in United States, industry data on non-farm employment change, weekly data on jobless claims and data on crude oil inventories will be published. Moreover, report on service sector activity will be released by Institute for Supply Management.
On Friday, several reports will be published in United States which will include report on non-farm employment change, unemployment rate and official data on average hourly earnings. In euro zone, official data on retail sales and unemployment rate will be published. In Germany data on factory orders is to be produced on Friday.
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InVideo, a video editing tool with the world's first AI-powered Intelligent Video Assistant (IVA) has become the Product of the Month on Product Hunt.
Speaking to BBN Times, Co-founder and CEO Sanket Shah shared,
InVideo was the #1 Product of the Week and #1 Product of the Month with an overwhelming number of upvotes and raving reviews. Product development at InVideo is customer-driven — our objective with the Product Hunt launch was to invite feedback from the community. InVideo was well received by the PH community because it is an all-in-one video creation tool, unlike its competitors that are one-trick pony (single purpose) video apps.
InVideo got featured on Product Hunt on 19th Feb 2020, and was described as, “InVideo is the most comprehensive social video creation platform to create video ads, promo videos, social media videos and more. It comes power-packed with an extensive template library of 1700+ templates, a full-fledged editor, millions of stock videos and images, effects and more.”
The Product Hunt listing attracted ~3700 upvotes and ~480 comments out of which ~200 were reviews. Apparently, InVideo is one of the top-most reviewed and commented products on Product Hunt.
Unanimously all Product Hunt reviews of InVideo noted the app was best in its category at customer service, community support and easy video creation for social media, promo videos, video ads and intro/outro videos.
Demonstrating the culture of ‘customer centricity’ at InVideo, the startup’s founder Sanket Shah and Growth Hacker Rohan Chaubey replied hundreds of reviews and feedback in comments ensuring every user feels heard.
The San Francisco-headquartered company has raised $2.5M funding and currently has 100,000+ users across 150+ countries creating over 220,000 videos every month.
Furthermore, InVideo is the most sold product in AppSumo history. AppSumo is a lifetime deals website that mostly offers SaaS products.
InVideo’s Product Hunt listing’s top comment by one of the BBN Times contributors outlined a few pros and cons of the app.
The founder said mobile apps are on the way (both android and iOS versions).
The platform is the most positively rated across review websites and popular among freelancers, agencies, social media influencers, marketers, publishers and even large companies including AT&T, Sony Music, Reuters, CNN and CNBC.
G2Crowd reviews suggest InVideo outperforms in comparison to its alternatives like Filmora, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Final Cut Pro X. G2Crowd is one of the largest business software and services ratings websites based on user ratings and social data.
InVideo has received praise and endorsement from the likes of Neil Patel, Mari Smith, Jeff Bullas and more. This startup seems to have a very promising run in 2020 and beyond.
Rohan Chaubey is the international bestselling author of the award-winning book “The Growth Hacking Book”. His book is endorsed by Amitabh Kant, CEO and Director, NITI Aayog, Government of India. Twitter and IBM’s partner product Audiense ranks Rohan as India’s most-followed Growth Hacker. He co-founded International Growth Hacking Day on July 13th, 2019. He also had the honor of being listed as one of the 30 changemakers in India for the year 2018. He has helped notable organizations like UNESCO, UBER, RedBull, Kalyan Jewellers, Congress, BJP, SoGoSurvey, Freshworks, Interesting Engineering, Quest Nutrition, etc. Rohan is the host of his own web television series RohanChaubeyTV. He specializes in helping startups acquire their first 100, 1000, 10000 and 100K users/customers/followers.


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Consumer Confidence Growing In Sunshine StateThe stock market rocketed higher Tuesday after strong economic indicators showed the American economy continues to move ahead. The economic outlook has sent consumer confidence up nationwide, including in the Sunshine State.
Hurricane Sandy Still Impacting Local Car MarketSouth Florida's getting another number one ranking for motor vehicle fraud, but there are ways for local consumers to avoid becoming the next flood car victim according to local and national insurance fraud investigators.
Cars Damaged In Hurricane Sandy Now Flooding Local Market For Half-OffHugo Caseiro insists he's doing nothing wrong by rebuilding Hurricane Sandy flood cars and re-selling them around South Florida.
Is Your Food At Risk?The head of Florida's Supermarket food safety inspections now worries about forced cut backs on the number of sanitation checks Statewide following budget cuts that have left the program with fewer inspectors.
CBS4 Investigates: Are "Best Buys" Really The Best Deal?In a struggling economy, more and more people are forced to use almost every penny from their paycheck to make ends meet.
I-Team: Pick-Pocketing Crooks Going High TechIt's the latest battleground between credit card companies trying to make "smart cards" easier to use with more of your financial data and identity thieves trying to rip you off.


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Electrek reports Tesla’s plan to open about 52 new service centers in 2021
CALIFORNIA (US) – Tesla Inc plans to make an addition of at least one new service center every week in 2021, Electrek reported on Thursday.
The electric carmaker has seen an expansion of its network of service centers and Superchargers.
“Service could be particularly important as Tesla continues to try to expand outside its core market.”
The company has repeatedly said that it needs to expand its service center locations. It operates 466 service centers around the world, according to Electrek.
Tesla could not immediately be reached for a comment.


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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Wall Road’s sharp rebound hasn’t fairly carried over into digital belongings nonetheless languishing within the chilly of an intensifying crypto winter. However the market volatility obscures a quiet blockchain revolution happening below the floor.
Why it issues: Bitcoin, ether and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) typically dominate public conversations about crypto, and the general public’s creativeness. Amid the turbulence, nevertheless, it is likely to be extra helpful to consider these devices as an extension of the expertise powering them, with sensible functions past digital tokens.
Driving the information: Final week, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon renewed his criticisms concerning the sector, likening tokens to “decentralized Ponzis.” With all of crypto’s mushrooming legal and financial troubles, it’s onerous to argue his level (though some did).
- But the infamous crypto scourge extolled the virtues of blockchain, with the banking big dabbling in it with Onyx, a global payment platform.
The large image: JPMorgan isn’t the one one forging forward with blockchain growth, even because the cryptocurrency stoop deepens. The expertise’s use instances are rising in different areas like gaming, telecommunications and digital commerce.
- Previous to the pandemic, blockchain phones had been billed as the following big disruptive thing, although early momentum seems to have stalled.
- South Korea is exploring its makes use of in identification and authentication (which is sensible since Blockchain is successfully a digital ledger), to assist enhance the economic system.
- And newly shaped corporations are pioneering novel makes use of of the expertise – like TessaB, which sells second-hand telephones with the usage of a digital ledger; and IoTex, a platform that hyperlinks “Web of issues (IoT)” devices to the real world.
What they’re saying: Echoing Dimon, analysts at Financial institution of America pushed again in opposition to the concept blockchain lacks “intrinsic worth,” one of the vital fiercely debated ideas in crypto. Mentioning that Ethereum’s ledger has generated over $4 billion in transaction charges yr so far, BofA steered the expertise has extra room to develop.
- “We’re not but capable of forecast money flows, given blockchain expertise is a nascent trade and money flows stay unpredictable — however keep tuned,” the financial institution wrote.
- “Blockchains might generate money flows by way of transaction charges from validating native token transactions or from validating transactions originating on functions that run on high of the blockchain.”
The underside line: Even when crypto belongings proceed reeling, blockchain’s utility and use instances will preserve accelerating.


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AUSTRALIA’S INDIAN COMMUNITY SET FOR QUICK ADOPTION OF NEW FINTECH QR CODE TECHNOLOGY FOR INSTORE PAYMENTS
Ziksu offers a revolutionary digital instore payment platform which is expected to be easily adopted by Australia’s Indian community with most having already enjoyed similar technology overseas.
Fintech apps have proven to be extremely popular internationally particularly in APAC countries like India where QR code technology has been a dominant part of the financial landscape with QR Code UPI and a unified QR Code. Digital platforms, including PayTM, Google Pay and Bharat UPI, BharatQR, PhonePe, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay have been operating in India for many years.
As with fintech apps in India, the Ziksu app enables customers to manage transactions through their mobile device, including entering a PIN. Ziksu’s innovative instore digital payment product is the first of its kind to offer a third method of payment in store in Australia for 40 years.
The Ziksu platform incorporates QR code technology through its ‘Scan n Pay’ product and contactless mobile payment services with a digital transaction account and real-time funds settlement. It operates with the scope of Anti Money Laundering/Counter Terrorism Funding (AML/CTF) regulations and compliance.
‘Scan n Pay’ is 100 percent mobile and user-friendly, operating on any Android or iOS mobile device via the Ziksu app and is the first of its kind to utilise the New Payments Platform (NPP) whose original shareholder is the Reserve Bank of Australia. It enables the user to send and receive money through the app and has been developed as per the NPP QR Code Standard to support a consistent payment experience.
Consumers will also enjoy QR codes with no delays or wait times, additional budgeting tools, instant digital transactions as well as a digital transaction account with a BSB and account number. The platform has also been recognised with an international award as the Most Innovative Contactless Payment Solution (APAC) 2022 just one year after its launch.
Along with PayID, Ziksu also plans to incorporate PayTo technology into its platform, which will further enhance its product-offering by providing a 360-degree view of all finances on one digital platform. Ziksu has a global outlook and is on track to realising its strategic plan, and is developing a third product, which is expected to be taken to the international market in early 2023.


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Scrip: 世界の医療用医薬品＆製薬産業に関するニュース, Pink Sheet: 世界の薬事規制と承認審査に関するニ...
Merck & Co. Inc.’s sales in China grew by 58% to $275m in the 2019 first quarter, or by 67% excluding the negative impact from foreign exchange. That double-digit growth, led by newly launched products, prompted chairman and CEO Ken Frazier to highlight the beneficial effects of non-US markets on the company’s business.
“Our international business, which represented nearly 60% of our sales this quarter, has strong momentum, and we believe we have only scratched the surface, in terms of the opportunity we are now seeing in key markets, including China, where we are seeing significant growth,” Frazier commented. “We foresee a stream of additional approvals from our current portfolio of products across markets globally, and we will look to maximize those opportunities, powered by our commercial team’s proven ability to execute,” he added.
Merck reported an impressive start to 2019 financially, with CFO Robert Davis calling it “one of the company’s strongest quarters in its recent history.” Merck’s sales increased by 8% to $10.8bn in the first quarter of 2019, or by 11% excluding the negative impact of foreign exchange rates, compared with the first quarter of 2018, with the double-digit growth led by oncology, vaccines, and select hospital and specialty care products.
“In China, we are seeing strong sales of Keytruda (pembrolizumab), following its approval last year in metastatic melanoma, and we are very excited about our recent approval in China for Keytruda in first-line lung cancer,” Davis said. Chief Commercial Officer Frank Clyburn explained later in the call that Merck intended to bring additional Keytruda indications to the China market and was pivoting towards innovative rather than established products in that market.
During the first quarter, the strong demand for the HPV vaccine Gardasil/Gardasil 9 continued, with sales of more than $800m in the quarter, representing growth of more than 31%, with particularly strong uptake in China, Davis said. Sales in Merck’s hospital products business segment were led by the recently launched neuromuscular blockade reversal agent Bridion (sugammadex), whose sales grew by 30% to $255m.
He also noted that sales of Lynparza (olaparib, marketed with partner AstraZeneca PLC) doubled during the first quarter, driven by further uptake in ovarian cancer following the outcome of the SOLO-1 study (see sidebar).
The growth in oncology products led to one of the first questions asked on the analysts’ earnings call on 30 April being about whether Frazier now considered Merck to be pivoting away from being a primary care company post-Januvia, a traditional strength of Merck, to become a specialty company.
The suggestion was rejected by Frazier, who argued Merck was focused on following the science and taking advantage of the best opportunities that brings. “Currently, growth is being driven by oncology, but if you look at our pipeline, we have pneumococcal vaccines, for example, which are essentially primary care-type products, so we haven’t committed ourselves to one particular area of medicine,” Frazier commented.
The Merck exec also said following the science was one of the key drivers behind the company’s business development plans, where bolt-on deals were currently the most attractive. However, with stock markets staging a recovery since the beginning of this year, potential targets have become more fully valued, Frazier noted.
Merck & Co raised its 2019 full-year GAAP EPS range to between $4.04 and $4.14 and narrowed and raised its 2019 full-year non-GAAP EPS range to between $4.67 and $4.79, including a small positive impact from foreign exchange, when presenting its 2019 first-quarter results.
Sales were led by blockbuster Keytruda, which now represents 23.5% of Merck’s pharmaceutical sales, and whose sales rose by 55% to $2.27bn in the quarter, driven by higher first-line use in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), both as monotherapy and by the roll-out of its use in combination with chemotherapy.
Although impressive, analysts suggested that Keytruda sales were below expectations in the first quarter, a view not held by CCO Clyburn. “We are seeing very good continued underlying demand for Keytruda, despite inventory movement quarter on quarter, and in particular we are seeing strong underlying demand in the lung cancer indications both in squamous and in non-squamous NSCLC. Indeed, in squamous lung cancers we are seeing our market shares exceed 75% for new patients, so we have become the standard of care in that subset of patients,” Clyburn said.
He also said Merck was very excited about the opportunity for Keytruda beyond lung cancer, including in renal cell carcinoma, where there is a very strong opportunity for growth, and in head and neck cancer, where Merck is excited about the opportunity in earlier lines of therapy. “We also see significant opportunity for the roll out of additional indications in Japan, China and Europe,” he added.
Questioned about companies in China that have checkpoint inhibitors in last-stage clinical trials, Clyburn noted that the oncology market is data-driven, and the “wall” of data that Merck has on Keytruda will differentiate it from potential competitors.
Among non-oncology products, sales of the antidiabetic Januvia/Janumet (sitagliptin) declined by 5% to $1.35bn in the 2019 first quarter, Merck reported. A US PDUFA date of 3 June 2019 has been given for the priority review of a supplemental NDA for Zerbaxa (ceftolozane/tazobactam) for the treatment of adults with nosocomial pneumonia, including ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by certain susceptible Gram-negative micro-organisms. Europe’s regulators are also reviewing the same additional indication. Also in the middle of 2019, a priority review of relebactam combined with imipenem/cilastatin for Gram-negative infections with limited or no alternative therapies has a PDUFA review date of 16 July. During the first quarter, Europe’s regulators accepted an MAA for the Ebola-Zaire vaccine candidate, V920.
Scrip: 世界の医療用医薬品＆製薬産業に関するニュース, Pink Sheet: 世界の薬事規制と承認審査に関するニ...
The Swiss major's pharma chief tells Scrip that its gene therapy for SMA offers much more than Biogen's Spinraza for both patients and payers, noting that the company is ready with alternative payment models for the pricey treatment as soon as approvals for Zolgensma are granted.
By Emily Hayes
In second Phase III diabetes study to report, oral GLP-1 agonist semaglutide misses some weight loss goals when compared with Boehringer/Lilly's SGLT-2 inhibitor Jardiance.


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TikTok signs Merlin deal but its licensing work is far from done
TikTok and indie licensing-agency Merlin have announced a licensing deal covering use of music from the latter’s member labels “wherever the platform is available around the world”. The deal is effective immediately,...
January 24, 2020
Former Facebook exec Jeremy Sirota is Merlin’s new CEO
Last July, Charles Caldas announced that he was stepping down as head of indie licensing agency Merlin, a company he had been with since 2007, at end of the year. His replacement has just been announced and it is Jeremy...
January 9, 2020
Boomplay strikes Merlin deal and says it’s grown to 62m users
African streaming service Boomplay’s latest licensing deal is with indie-agency Merlin. The company already had a full set of deals with the global major-labels, as well as a catalogue of music from African labels and artists....
December 11, 2019
Merlin CEO steps down after another record payouts year
The boss of indie licensing agency Merlin will step down at the end of 2019. Charles Caldas revealed the news yesterday, having led the organisation since its earliest days in 2007. It’s an amicable life-choice decision,...
June 19, 2019
New Merlin Japan boss targets new markets for Japanese labels
Indie licensing agency Merlin has appointed former Spotify and Apple exec Akira Nomoto as the general manager of Merlin Japan. He was most recently director of licensing and label relations at Spotify Japan, and will work...
May 16, 2019
Mixcloud signs direct-licensing deal with Merlin for indies
When Mixcloud first launched its streaming service for DJ sets and radio-style shows back in the day, it also used radio-style licensing: blanket agreements that enabled it to operate, but which also imposed restrictions...
November 28, 2018
Merlin says average payments to Japanese members are up 70%
The headline from indie licensing agency Merlin’s latest stats announcement is that distributions to its Japanese members are up 200% year-on-year. However, as the agency made clear, that’s partly because it has grown...
October 22, 2018
Merlin says indie market-share is higher on paid streaming tiers
Indie licensing agency Merlin has published a report to celebrate its 10th anniversary, including the previously-reported stat that its annual payouts to members are now more than $500m. There are other new figures though....
June 28, 2018
Merlin approaching $500m in annual collections for members
As it approaches its 10th anniversary, Merlin has revealed that it will collect $500m on behalf of its members this year. To put that in context, the indie digital rights body collected $1bn in the first nine years of its...
June 19, 2018
Merlin turns 10 and celebrates indies: ‘We’re over-indexing’
Independent licensing agency Merlin is celebrating its tenth birthday by revealing that 2017 saw its highest number of new members since its first year of operation. The organisation has grown from a team of three when...
May 25, 2018
Facebook strikes more deals focusing on independent labels
Facebook announced its latest set of music-licensing deals on Friday, with independent labels the latest frontier for its (currently) UGC-focused efforts. Beggars Group, PIAS and Ingrooves were the latest partners, as...
April 23, 2018
Merlin signs deals with NetEase, Tencent and Alibaba in China
Indie licensing agency Merlin has announced agreements with the three biggest music-streaming service owners in China: Tencent, NetEase and Alibaba. The deals will see the catalogue represented by Merlin – music from...
March 15, 2018


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The entrepreneur, now 26, needed someone to guarantee the lease on his new space — a former cell phone store with a brilliant purple wall. So he called his mother, who at the time was in Taiwan.
He remembers his mother’s voice over the phone: “You’re doing what?”
Today R3fresh Superfood Café & Juice Bar is embarking on its fifth year in business. Kao said the business has roughly one half million dollars in yearly revenue.
The venue makes juices, each with a variety of fruits and vegetables. It offers açai sorbet imported from Brazil. Açai is the berry of a certain palm tree.
The business also lets customers build their own superfood bowls. It offers pitaya, coconut and chia puddings with the option of adding granola (made in-house) and fresh fruit.
A Passion for Food
Joe Kao is from Orange County. He moved to San Diego for work nine years ago. While working at businesses such as retailer Sur la Table, he helped friends get their businesses going.
He entertained thoughts of opening his own business. “Food and beverage is where my passions lie,” he said.
He had his eye on the bustling Convoy Street food corridor, and for a while considered a boba shop — a shop offering tea served with edible beads. Seeing what he considered “way too many” boba shops in the district already, he dismissed the idea and pivoted to offering juices and açai.
“I’ve been juicing my whole life,” he said, recounting how he grew up in a household where making juice and concocting juice recipes was an everyday occurrence. And there were no other juice shops on Convoy.
He said R3fresh is one of the healthier options on Convoy, where the typical restaurant emphasizes bold flavors and comfort food.
R3fresh now has a second store, in Fullerton, operated by Kao’s brother, Ben Kao.
The Kaos do many of their own tenant improvements, since another family business is renovating and reselling houses. In Joe Kao’s space on Convoy, white tile went up over the bright purple wall.
COVID and Beyond
When COVID hit, Kao made the decision to stay open, and offer take-out only. It was the right move, he said. Revenue declined but it was better than outright closure. Now, he said, he is considering outdoor seating for the store.
The business gets its share of regulars from the surrounding auto dealers and corporate offices on Kearny Mesa.
Looking beyond COVID, Kao is thinking about expanding R3fresh some more. He said he wants to avoid trendier areas such as downtown and North Park, and is looking north, considering small commercial spaces in communities such as Mira Mesa, Del Mar, Carlsbad and San Clemente.


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Peak shipping season is ahead — and the parking lot of container ships moored off the US West Coast continues to worsen, with the epicenter of congestion based around Los Angeles/Long Beach ports. On the other side of the Pacific, in southern China, a surge in COVID-19 has caused some of the biggest port congestion in more than one year.
So now port congestion is seen on both sides of the Pacific as it's hardly a secret that the recent collapse of trans-pacific supply chains will remain strained through the summer and one reason why prices for goods are soaring (as recently discussed in "It's About To Get Much Worse": Supply Chains Implode As "Price Doesn't Even Matter Anymore" and "Port Of LA Volumes Are "Off The Charts."")
But now, focusing at South China ports, exploding cases of coronavirus infections in Guangdong province, a top manufacturing and exporting hub, recently triggered local governments to increase prevention and control efforts that "curbed port processing capacity," said Reuters.
Major shipping companies have warned clients of vessel delays, changes to port call schedules, and the possibility of avoiding some ports altogether.
Ocean Network Express (ONE), a container shipping company, warned customers in an advisory Wednesday: "The container logistics situation continues to deteriorate around all the ports in the area [South China port]."
Most of the congestion has been building at the Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT), a deepwater port in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China handing some of the largest container ships in the world, has reduced capacity at the port due to a recent outbreak of the virus, according to Seatrade Maritime News, citing ONE.
The world's leading container line Maersk told customers to expect delays up to two weeks because of the reduced capacity of staffing at the port.
Refinitiv data shows 50 container vessels are moored in the Outer Pearl River Delta, waiting to dock at YICT. For comparison, this compares with 20 vessels for the same time last year.
Reuters quoted one exporter who said loading delays and slow deliveries continue to tangle global supply chains.
"Basically we had a similar experience last year so we have experience in responding, only the increase in transport costs are getting really astonishing. The freight fees are reflected in the increase in material costs which are up by around 15%-30% already," said a sales manager at an electronics cable manufacturer in Shenzhen, a large manufacturing city in Guangdong.
The congestion and delays in South China came when container shipping supply chains were already at full stretch due to US West Coast port congestion. As a result, container freight rates have hit a record high and are expected to continue to rise further.
"The recent rise in Covid-19 cases in China has resulted in a shutdown that may add to the already record cost of shipping goods out of China. The delays have already resulted in pressurizing soaring shipping prices within China due to a lack of containers and increased export demand," said Josh Brazil, the Vice President of Marketing at project44.
Port congestion on either side of the Pacific continues to deteriorate. It suggests that the normalization of trans-pacific supply chains will not happen anytime soon and will continue to add cost pressures for exporters in China and importers in the US - adding to the cost of products and ultimately pushed along to US consumers. Delays will also continue to create additional shortages...


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Supermarket chain Roche Bros. will pay the state $40,000 and adopt an anti-discrimination policy and training as part of an agreement to resolve allegations of racial profiling at its Downtown Crossing store, court records show.
In a 12-page document filed in Suffolk Superior Court Monday, Attorney General Andrea Campbell alleged that Black Roche Bros. customers were “disproportionately subjected to stops” by a third-party security company enlisted to curb theft at the Downtown Crossing store.
Campbell also alleged that some Black customers who were stopped were also banned from the store “at rates that were disproportionate to their percentage of the population, and disproportionate to their share of stops generally.” The state further faulted Roche Bros. for allegedly failing to exercise sufficient oversight over the security officers.
In its response to the allegations, the Mansfield-based grocer disputed Campbell’s claims and said it relied on its security company — Westwood’s Northeast Security — to “carry out its work in a non-discriminatory fashion.”
Roche Bros., which has more than 3,400 employees across 20 locations, described itself as “an inclusive, diverse, and community-oriented company that welcomes customers regardless of race or any other characteristic protected by law.”
In Monday’s filing, Roche Bros. said it engaged Northeast Security largely because its Downtown Crossing store — which opened on Summer Street in 2015 — has “a significant amount of theft.”
The grocer alleged that Northeast Security, referred to as NESI in court records, was responsible for its guards’ day-to-day work.
“If Roche Bros. had any reason to believe that NESI was targeting any specific groups based on their skin color or other protected characteristics — instead of based on reasonable suspicion of theft — it would have ended its relationship with the company immediately,” the company wrote.
Boston.com has reached out to Roche Bros. and Northeast Security for comment.
Under the agreement, Roche Bros. will work with an outside consultant to review its security policies and practices; adopt a policy prohibiting racial profiling and distribute it to Downtown Crossing employees and third-party security personnel; implement a policy for documenting each time a customer is stopped for suspected theft; and pay $40,000 to the state, among other stipulations.
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com


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We’ve got huge momentum going into 2019 and we’re just getting started! Our Co-founder, Maya French, was featured in Forbes today where she talked about the journey behind creating Koia, launching new product lines and future plans for the company. Click here to check out the full article on Forbes.com!
Congrats – you’ve made it to the last week of sweet relief! With just a few more days left in our 21 day challenge –


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Genetically modified crops are helping farmers around the world reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production, according to Kate Hall, managing director of the Council for Biotechnology Information and spokesperson for GMO Answers. Hall published her thoughts in a recent editorial published by Forbes.
My family is getting ready to go to the beach as I write this, but what I just learned about sand has temporarily halted my prep for the trip. Read moreRead More »
Corporate America is getting more concentrated. The country’s largest internet retailer just acquired its largest standalone organic grocer, and two of its largest aviation-parts makers plan to merge. From health insurance to internet search, fewer companies control more of their markets. Read moreRead More »


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Sidmouth Car of the Week: Used 2018 Nissan Qashqai, courtesy of Hamilton Garage
By Will Goddard
8th Jun 2022 | Car of the Week
Every week, Sidmouth Nub News publishes its Car of the Week courtesy of Hamilton Garage in Sidford.
This week we're showcasing a used 2018 Nissan Qashqai, priced at £13,995.
Make and model: 2018 (18) Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi Acenta SVP 5dr
Fuel economy: 74.3mpg
Fuel type: Diesel
CO2 emissions: 99g/km
Extras: Cruise control, leather steering wheel
You can take a closer look by scrolling through the pictures above and you can find the vehicle on the Hamilton Garage website.
You can find Hamilton Garage in Sidford here.


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Vulnerabilities Abound in Popular Android Apps: Report
Apr 18, 2018 1:11:01 PM - linuxinsider.com
About 20 percent of the most popular Android Apps available through the Google Play Store contain open source components with known security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers, according to a report Insignary will release next week. The findings are the result of the company's recent comprehensive binary code scan of the 700 most popular Android Apps on the Google Play Store. Insignary leveraged its fingerprint-based binary scanning technology to analyze APK files for known open source security vulnerabilities.


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Essential has been working quietly in the background since its PH-1 launched during the summer. It has been updating the phone with new camera improvements and shooting features, offered an Oreo beta trial for participants, and even held frequent Reddit AMAs to keep customers well informed about any concerns or questions.
The company has recently resurfaced the news with an estimated 88,000 devices sold in the whole of 2017. Today, the company is ready to launch a new color option as per the teaser posted (and promoted) on Twitter this afternoon.
The tweet says “A new wave is coming”, a clear play on words where “wave” hints at the blue/green color that the company promised when it first announced the PH-1’s pre-orders. This color is appropriately called “Ocean Depths”, as per Essential’s original announcement.
The teaser shows a date of February 15, which is this Thursday. We’d imagine that the new color option would become available on this date, though it’s still possible that Essential would hold a pre-order period. All will be revealed on Thursday.
Kind of have a point there. They didn't care enough to buy one at least. I just don't think extra colors are going to attract any new buyers for a phone that tanked out of the gate and now has a tainted reputation. I do however give Essential...
Finally! This is the color I have always wanted on an Essential phone!
An IDC research director has revealed that the company shipped just 88,000 units of the PH-1 in 2017.


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The Arc A380 may not be one of the best graphics cards around. However, Intel's entry-level Arc Alchemist graphics card has what it takes to run Crysis, which was the golden standard for gaming.
YouTuber PCGH Benchmarks & Analysis recently took the Gunnir Arc A380 for a spin in Crysis, which didn't faze the budget Arc graphics card. Do note that this is the original Crysis, which came out 15 years ago, and not Crysis Remastered, which debuted two years ago. Notwithstanding, the decade-old title didn't faze the Arc A380 at all.
The Arc A380 performed admirably in Crysis, delivering over 60 FPS at 1080p (1920x1080) on very high settings and anti-aliasing set to 4x MSAA. We also saw glimpses of the Arc A380 peaking over 80 FPS. Unfortunately, it's public knowledge that Arc doesn't offer outstanding performance outside DirectX12 or Vulkan titles. Nonetheless, the Arc A380 still offered great performance numbers in Crysis, a title that leverages DirectX 10. The YouTuber reported that the game ran beautifully, and we didn't see any frame stuttering.
Intel's current Arc drivers are holding the Arc A380 back, so the graphics card could still have some performance in the tank. Currently, the drivers lack optimization for legacy APIs and require more development to tackle APIs before DirectX 12. However, Intel recently admitted to reusing its integrated graphics software for Arc, which explains why the drivers gimp the performance on Arc Alchemist's discrete graphics card.
At the beginning of the year, Intel had promised to ship river four million discrete graphics cards in 2022. So far, the chipmaker has only released the Arc A380, which is only available in China. The company is still optimistic that it'll be able to get desktop Arc into gamers' hands later this year.
Plus, Arc is supposedly terrible with older APIs.
I'm equally interested in its graphics and compute prowess. I think Intel is further along on the compute side, but we'll find out soon enough.
That would mean it has about the power of the HD 7970, which isn't exactly a bad level of performance.
I wait for a card capable of running Tensorflow
Any time now, yep, millions of 'em.
Yes, with about the power of the modern RX 6400 based on processing power, a card AMD's AIBs sell for $150, and remember this is Intel's entry level card, so the comparison is valid.
So yes, it's not bad for a company who is no doubt giving their graphics division an unlimited budget and ending up with drivers worse than AMD (didn't think that was possible), and helmed by Raja Koduri.


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Silicon Valley Company Aims To Help Farmers Compare Seed Prices
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
When it comes to online shopping, it's common practice to compare prices. But what if that information wasn't available and you were being charged more simply because of where you live? That's what one Silicon Valley company argues is happening to U.S. farmers when they buy seed and fertilizer. Harvest Public Media's Madelyn Beck reports on ways that the company is trying to disrupt that practice.
MADELYN BECK, BYLINE: Aaron Phipps grows 2,100 acres of corn and soybeans on a farm in eastern Illinois near the Indiana border. He buys a lot of seed and fertilizer, but finding out if he's getting the best price is a challenge.
AARON PHIPPS: We've got no point of reference when we go into negotiate with suppliers to say, hey, this is where the markets at. We had no clue.
BECK: So Phipps joined Farmers Business Network, a Silicon Valley startup now with nearly 8,000 farmers who pay around $500 a year to join. They then share information on things like invoices for seed and fertilizer and crop performance. In return, they get to see an aggregation of everyone else's data, and that can show who's being overcharged.
FBN found that entire regions of the country are paying more for the exact same seeds. For example, farmers in Illinois paid about $23 more per acre for corn seeds than Nebraska farmers. FBN estimates that cost them an extra $260 million just last year. Receipts showed that farmers in central Illinois and northern Indiana, where farms are extremely productive, are paying the most. FBN's Matt Meisner says that's a problem for neighboring farms there that aren't as productive.
MATT MEISNER: You know, we expected there'd differences. I think we were surprised at the magnitude and the impact that it has on growers.
BECK: The startup blames practices by big seed companies like Syngenta, Corteva and Bayer, which merged with Monsanto last year. While none responded directly when asked to explain about the price disparities, Bayer did highlight its high-performing seed traits and technical services it offers beyond seeds and chemicals. It stated, quote, "Farmers understand not only the bottom line but also the return on investment they get when purchasing a bag of seed."
Chad Hart teaches ag economics at Iowa State University. He says there are a lot of reasons the seed companies charge more in certain areas.
CHAD HART: One of the biggest ones has to do with the - just call it basic supply and demand.
BECK: A high demand can fetch a higher price especially when farmers don't know what other people are being charged. Hart says it's unlikely that seed price transparency will immediately change how farmers buy their seed in part because of brand loyalty and shipping costs. But he says as more farmers have incentive to shop around, seed companies will probably begin to change how they price the product.
HART: So I think you'll see adjustment on both ends.
BECK: Meanwhile, some farmers are challenging seed markets by joining farm co-ops. They help them pool their buying power. But the purchasing power of a few hundred farms is easily dwarfed by multinational seed companies' vast distribution of power. Add to that the many headwinds that farmers are facing, like trade uncertainty and labor shortages.
Increasingly, some are just buying cheaper seeds with fewer special traits that keep pests away and help keep plants healthy. The Farmers Business Network is now selling those cheaper seeds even as it collects data on the prices of more specialized ones. Illinois farmer Aaron Phipps says he trusts the Silicon Valley startup to give him good price data and thinks transparency will lead to changes.
PHIPPS: Now that we've seen what can be done, I think the genie is out of the bottle, and you can't stuff this toothpaste back in the tube.
BECK: Once you show someone there's a better deal out there, it can change the way they buy what they need. For NPR News, I'm Madelyn Beck.
CORNISH: That story comes to us from Harvest Public Media, a reporting collaboration from the Midwest and Plains states. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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At the end of August this year, Suzhou sipic Information Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "sipic") disclosed that it had completed a new round of pre IPO Financing of hundreds of millions of yuan, and the old shareholder Yuanhe holdings continued to follow the investment. This is only more than April after the completion of the last round of 410 million yuan of e-round financing.
Behind the frequent financing is the acceleration of the capital pace of the AI voice unicorn.
"We are actively preparing to go public." Gao Shixing, chairman and CEO of sipic, introduced in an interview with 21st century economic reporter that the company has started the preparation work for listing in the window period of AI industry development.
Gao Shixing has been working in the field of artificial intelligence for more than ten years. He and his team have experienced the solitude in the embryonic stage of AI industry and experienced the noise of the explosion of smart speaker track.
In the view of this veteran entrepreneur in the field of artificial intelligence, the Internet of things industry, represented by the intelligent interconnection of all things, has just stepped into an upward phase, and market competition will continue to promote the development of the industry: "now, if there is no competition, there is no turning point. The more players, the better. They can jointly educate the market and drive the industrial chain. "
Dormant for ten years
The University of Cambridge was founded in Cambridge in 2007 as a high-tech enterprise.
After a small trial of ox knife, the three co founders of sibichi, Gao Shixing, Yu Kai and Lin Yuandong, returned to Suzhou Industrial Park in China. At that time, there were only a few start-up companies in the field of AI in China. Sipic first targeted its target market in the field of oral evaluation.
At that time, sipic was an AI voice company focusing on education business. Later, in 2014, the founding team stripped off the oral business unit and led by Lin Yuandong to establish Chi Sheng technology. With this as the starting point, sibuchi has comprehensively transformed the Internet of things.
Sipico, a second venture, focuses on the field of intelligent terminals, creating natural language interaction technology solutions for the Internet of things terminal markets such as smart car, smart home, smart toys / robots, smart wear, smart phones, etc. By the time Amazon echo dominates the smart speaker Market and China's smart speaker industry enters the "hundred box war", the market share of smart speakers in the field of smart speakers has been far ahead, and sipic, which is good at intelligent voice interaction technology, has basically achieved profit and loss balance.
The penetration of multiple application scenarios also marks that sipic has bid farewell to the helplessness of "finding nails with a hammer" at the beginning of its establishment. After everything intelligent detonates the intelligent voice market, sipic has covered many scenes in the field of intelligent terminals, such as intelligent white electricity and black electricity, intelligent wear, intelligent car, etc. now, there are hundreds of millions of Internet of things terminals in the domestic market, which are "aispeech inside".
The Internet of things has broad prospects. According to the Ministry of industry and information technology, by the end of February this year, the number of Internet of things users of the three major operators was 1.04 billion, and it is estimated that the number of mobile Internet of things connections in China will reach 1.2 billion by the end of 2020. As a partner of smart life, IOT products not only enter thousands of households, but also stay in the hearts of users.
All in Internet of things
During the outbreak of new pneumonia this year, the epidemic prevention and control robot developed by sipic has been employed in more than 100 cities in Jiangsu, Shandong, Chongqing, Hubei and Beijing. On the one hand, it supports grassroots community units in epidemic screening, information notification, residents playback and key tracking, on the other hand, it also forms big data reports to provide government departments as the basis for decision-making of epidemic prevention and control.
The new crown pneumonia epidemic makes the government departments aware of the limitations of grid management in dealing with emergencies, and the aforementioned digital assistant products have become one of the solutions for emergency; in the long run, the government departments are expected to further improve the governance efficiency and transparency through AI, and a large number of projects will be released in this field with the promotion of new infrastructure.
At present, the two core businesses of sipic include providing software hardware integrated full link voice interaction solutions for Internet of things intelligent terminals, intelligent cars and other customers, and providing "digital intelligent assistant" solutions based on Dialogic AI for financial, government, medical and other industries.
According to Gartner's prediction, the number of global enterprises and Internet of things terminal equipment in 2020 will increase by 21% compared with that in 2019; the revenue of global terminal electronic products will reach 389 billion US dollars by 2020, of which the scale of Greater China will reach 91 billion US dollars.
It is worth noting that sipuchi is also supporting the growth of start-ups in the field of artificial intelligence and intelligent interaction as an investor. As of the end of August this year, Cixing venture capital, an industrial investment fund jointly launched by sipic and Yuanhe chenkun, the investment management platform of Yuanhe holding master fund, has settled in dongshahu fund Town, Suzhou, and has invested in 27 ecological enterprises, forming a double link of business and capital with key enterprises in the industrial ecology.
"Calm down, the future value will gradually emerge. This is the concept of our entrepreneurship, but also the idea of making funds. " Gao Shixing saw that "these investments have gradually formed synergy with sipic, and the synergy will be stronger and stronger in the future."