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Since March 2020, it’s been a bad time to operate a hair salon. Alfonso and Lorena Martinez, owners of The Colour Bar, which has locations in Midtown and East Sacramento, endured three shutdowns totaling six months between March 2020 and March 2021. Early on, they had to lay off 19 of 22 staff.
But they focused on essentials: They kept their two marketing experts to stay in touch with clients and a bookkeeper to keep their finances in order. Customers bought gift certificates to show their support, and the company reminded them they could buy hair-care products through The Colour Bar’s website. At first, those online sales were mostly local. But as their virtual sales ticked up, they added a graphic designer and more marketing staff to boost traffic. The result is an attractive, high-end website that features frequent flash sales. Soon the company was selling statewide and then nationally. Now the web sales side of the business is as important as in-person salon services. The company is back up to 16 staff, says Alfonso Martinez.
It wasn’t a great time to be a startup, either. Mathew Magno is CEO at Davis-based Japa, which started in February 2017 and developed a smart parking app and related tools to identify open parking spots. Going into 2020, the target customers were universities — until those shut down after COVID-19 hit. “We had to say, are we just going to wait until things open up to get back to work, or do we pivot ourselves?” Magno says. The company started marketing to hospitals and municipalities, landed new clients and last year turned its first profit.
As many businesses scrambled to keep themselves afloat last year, their owners had to puzzle through an equally tough question: how to manage their money at a time when the future looked mostly dire. Now, with the economy improving as more people get vaccinated, Capital Region business owners say they’ve learned more about how to keep their personal and business finances on track during an economic crisis. Here’s what they and local financial planning experts say helped businesses survive the past year.
For owners trying to stay solvent during the pandemic, there were several terrible moments, but maybe none worse than mid-to-late summer in 2020, when government loans and rescue packages were rolling out. Businesses knew money was on the way, but the government had to depend on banks to get it that last mile. Managing these programs wasn’t terribly profitable for banks, and some small businesses were too small to get banks’ attention, so they got ignored, says Grant Bledsoe, a certified financial planner at Three Oaks Wealth in Sacramento: “It was a brutal six- or eight-week period. There were a couple of months of total desperation for many businesses.”
It was another lesson in the importance of cash reserves for business owners. Bledsoe recommends reserving between six months and two years of personal living expenses and, depending on the business type, up to two years of business operating expenses too. Two years’ worth of cash is a lot, but a substantial recession can stretch that long, he says. Almost none of his firm’s business clients had to close because, by and large, they took that advice, he says.
For Rachel Smith, owner of Sacramento public relations consulting firm WordSmith Communications, keeping 3-6 months of cash on hand was the central focus of her financial management. “A contract can be canceled very easily, which is completely understandable in this market,” she says. Her cash cushion let her retool to add virtual event planning as a line of business. She did a few pro bono events for clients and then found a thriving demand for the service.
Davis-based company Engage3, which helps food retailers use data to develop pricing strategies, devised another solution to a cash crunch when last spring’s economic collapse made investors pull back on financing and upended the company’s budget. Company leaders had to decide whether to cut back, which would include laying off staff. Instead, they set up a voluntary savings program that in effect let employees lend the company money at an agreed interest rate. It drew enthusiastic participation, helped the company get through, and let them avoid layoffs, says CEO Edris Bemanian.
This downturn also was a lesson in the value of keeping business and personal cash reserves separate, says Charles Ho, a certified financial planner and the founder of Legacy Builders Financial in Folsom. When the crisis hit, owners who kept a separate cash reserve for the business were less likely to have to choose between saving the business and jeopardizing their personal finances, he says.
A lot of people still think the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were a disaster last year, says Kevin Thelen, certified financial analyst at Prospero Wealth Advisors in Roseville. Yes, the Dow dropped almost 40 percent over the span of six weeks in February and March 2020. But by the end of the year, it had regained all the lost value and then some, ending up 6 percent higher for the year. By April 16 of this year, it was up another 12 percent to hit an all-time high. The S&P and Nasdaq’s numbers were even better.
All that goes to show you can’t usually win by trying to time the market, say financial advisers. If in March 2020, you’d told someone that the pandemic would make indoor gatherings impossible, force businesses to reshape themselves to survive and cause a global slowdown, “You’d have said this would end poorly for the market,” says Pat McClain, cofounder and senior partner at Sacramento-based Allworth Financial and co-host of the “Money Matters” talk radio show.
Instead, the opposite happened. Incomes for about half the population, especially those who worked in service businesses instead of brick-and-mortar retail, weren’t much affected. Because they had fewer outlets for spending money, their savings rates increased. With interest rates low, meaning few investment alternatives, they put their money in the stock market, driving it back up. The experience illustrates why a diversified portfolio is important: You can’t predict the equity or bond markets over short periods, McClain says. “Over the long term, stock prices are driven by underlying company earnings,” he says. “Over the short term, they’re driven by sentiment.”
Now, instead of market paranoia, we may have its euphoric opposite — a public that thinks the market can’t lose, says Suzy Taherian, adjunct professor at UC Davis Graduate School of Management and chief financial officer at electric powertrain manufacturer Wrightspeed. An institutional investor recently told her about a young woman working as a maid who took her $15,000 life savings and bet on one company, just before the value fell by half. The level of day trading has almost doubled since the beginning of 2020, according to a Credit Suisse report earlier this year.
But for amateur investors, betting on individual stocks is still usually a long-term loser, says Taherian. Those who feel strongly about an individual stock like GameStop or a risky commodity like Bitcoin should invest no more than 10 percent of their portfolio there, she says. They should keep the other 90 percent in a 401(k), a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-insured account or a diversified mutual fund.
And given today’s high valuations, Thelen says it’s a good time for investors to be cautious and make sure the risk level of their portfolio is appropriate. Big institutional investors are selling their stock portfolios and buying bonds, so individual investors whose stock portfolios got a big lift last year should rebalance, he says.
“In the new millennium, we’ve had the tech bubble burst, the financial crisis and the coronavirus (crisis),” Thelen says. “And every single time, not freaking out and instead sticking to a nice, disciplined approach, with a diversified strategy of stocks and bonds, has really done well.”
Debt’s a Drag
McClain says businesses that were carrying less debt were more likely to survive last year’s economy. Debt is a lever, but it works in both directions, increasing profits when business goes well but magnifying losses when it doesn’t. So in 2020, retail stores and restaurants that owned their own shop outright and weren’t paying leases or mortgages were more likely to survive even though they were hit hard, McClain says. In a crisis, you can cut hours and other expenses. But leases and debt service are the hardest to change, he says.
Being debt-light worked well for Josh Rubin, CEO of Post Modern Marketing, a Sacramento-based marketing, web design and site maintenance firm. He started the web design and SEO company Creative California in 2009, then merged in 2016 with the company Post Modern Marketing, becoming owner and CEO the following year. Part of his business strategy from the beginning has been not to grow using debt. It helps that he’s in a service business, so 70-80 percent of the company’s costs are labor. He’s sympathetic to businesses with different cost structures that were in debt and shut down, but not having to make debt payments was one reason his company could survive a 40-percent drop in revenue in second quarter 2020. By the end of the year, it had made it up and equaled its 2019 revenue.
Bledsoe of Three Oaks Wealth believes in businesses doing whatever they need to ride out a crisis because making it to the other side means lots of opportunities. If that means not funding your retirement account for several years so you can have enough cash to stay afloat, so be it. “Doing whatever you can do just to stay in the game is really important,” he says.
That’s been true for Bobby Reed, CEO of digital marketing and software development company Capitol Tech Solutions in Sacramento. In April and May 2020, the company’s donation processing business took a huge hit. But it held on, and that part of the business came all the way back. The company has added four staff since then, Reed says. On the personal investing side, surviving means he’s been able to take advantage of opportunities: He just bought a commercial building and is looking at perhaps purchasing a restaurant or gym, given that owners in those sectors now might be looking to get out.
What Comes Next
Now comes the 2021 rebound, if all goes as predicted. “I think we’re right at the beginning of a huge surge in consumer spending in 2021,” says Jeffrey Michael, an economist and the executive director at University of the Pacific’s Center for Business and Policy Research.
The number of payroll jobs in the Sacramento area fell by about 8 percent from February 2020 to September 2020, according to a brief the center published in March 2021. (It defines the area as Sacramento County plus the five adjacent counties to the north.) Despite the job losses, total wage earnings for the area as a whole didn’t fall much because most of the positions lost were lower paid, Michael says. Meanwhile, state and federal dollars poured in through unemployment insurance, the Paycheck Protection Program and more. And with restaurants closed and vacations canceled, consumers had fewer places to spend money.
All that means households on average are sitting on record levels of savings, according to a March 2021 Federal Reserve report. “If you’ve got a small restaurant, you could go from having your worst year to some of the busiest nights you’ve ever seen a few months from now,” Michael says.
The Colour Bar’s Martinez senses that having survived last year the company is positioned for even brighter days. “I think that when everybody is holding back, it’s actually time for us to spend more to grow our business,” he says. “We’re going to be conservative, but we’re also going to be very strategic and willing to risk. I think we’re in a position where the next move is going to be really big.”
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These three steps can help your company reach the right investors.
Seeing your account balances increase as you save or get a tax refund is exciting, but it’s important to make smart decisions with unexpected money. Here are some ways that you can make the most of extra cash.


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February 24, 2006
IDC's missing Itanium report found at rival analyst firm
Last week, we feared the worst. We feared that IDC - in a bid to tout Itanium for customers HP and Intel - had completely ignored the major issues facing the chip in the coming years. We feared that IDC's latest forecast for the server marketplace had once again missed the mark, continuing an ignominous seven-year tradition.

domain: news


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If you’ve ever wished that you could see the insides of stores that you’ve never set foot into, you’re in luck. Google has recently announced the launch of a new service called Business Photos. Using a concept that’s similar to Google Street View, but instead of giving us a 360-view of the streets, Business Photos gives users a 360-degree view of what the inside of a store looks like. Of course, not all stores are available to virtually visit (since it’s an opt-in, and Google has to go over there to snap photos), but from the demos available on Google’s website, it looks really good.
Unfortunately at the moment, Business Photos isn’t integrated with Street View yet, which means you won’t be able to click on a shop while looking at it from the outside – to visit the interiors you’ll need to access them via its Place Page. There’s no telling how popular this service will be, and how many stores or business locations will choose to put its insides up on the internet, but it definitely is an interesting concept. Head to the Google Maps site to check out some examples.


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It looks like embattled Linux desktop distribution Lindows may be changing the name of its flagship product and its Web site.
Lindows CEO Michael Robertson revealed that a product name change is coming in his latest “Michael’s Minute” newsletter published Tuesday. At issue is the San Diego-based company’s brand, which Microsoft is too close in name to its own Windows software platform to be anything less than trademark infringement.
“To assure that we can do business globally, we are in the process of selecting a different name for our web presence and product name,” Robertson wrote. ” I believe it’s the only way to respond to an onslaught from such a rich company, since we need to be able to continue to grow our business.”
Robertson goes on in his letter to state, “Our US corporate name will remain Lindows Inc. since we have meaningful name recognition and product distribution.” He also notes that outside of the U.S. the company will be known under a different name, as it currently doesn’t have the right to use the name internationally.
The official new name for Lindows is expected to be announced on April 14th.
Microsoft spokesperson Stacey Drake told internetnews.com that the company will continue to pursue its case against the Lindows name in the U.S. or wherever it pops up again.
“We believe that the Lindows name infringes our trademark in a number of countries around the world and many courts agree given the preliminary injunctions that have been granted,” she said. “We look forward to learning what the new name is and how they plan to implement the change.”
This wouldn’t be the first time that Lindows has tried to change its name to avoid Microsoft’s
litigation. In February, the company changed its name in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to Lin- -s (pronounced Lindash). Last month, a Dutch court ruled that Lindows, even as Lindash, was in violation of an earlier court order to not infringe on the Microsoft trademark and that the average computer user might not figure out that LindowsOS wasn’t a Microsoft product.
The continuing saga of Linux Desktop vendor Lindows.com Inc. vs. Microsoft began two months after Lindows debuted in late 2001 by MP3.com founder Michael Robertson. In Europe, Microsoft has found success in limiting the ability of Lindows to operate under that name. In the U.S however the back and forth tug of war currently has allowed Lindows to continue to use the name, pending an appeal over the terms of reference for the case, specifically whether or not, Windows should be considered a generic term.
On March 18th, a thread started by Lindows management on the company’s public discussion forum asked for suggestions for a new name. As of April 6th, there were 248 replies in the thread, including such sarcastic names as, “Shorthorn, Linhorn and LinOS, to name a few.


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I am seriously thinking of selling my tiny stake in Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) stock. One reason is personal. At 68, it’s time for me to consider bonds for income and to protect my retirement. But most of it is a sense that the fad for Nvidia stock has become a mania. This has nothing to do with what the company is doing. The idea of an AI training system for robots, suitably dubbed Eureka, is brilliant.
This also shows how Nvidia is moving “up the stack” from chips to operating systems to applications. There are 32 Nvidia analysts, whose mean estimate is for earnings of $3.16 per share, on revenues of $15.19 billion. I’ll take the over. It’s clear Nvidia will dominate the AI age the way the Cloud Czars dominated the last decade. This doesn’t mean Nvidia stock is worth its current price.
The Intel Gambit
The best reason to sell may be today’s “good news.”
Indeed, it could. But how much market share could this take, and at what cost, in terms of time and attention? Who would make these chips? If they’re to be built using the latest equipment, in the newest fabs, the answer is Intel.
Intel holds the key to America’s industrial policy, not Nvidia. Nvidia is a design house. Its hardware is software. Intel is the company that must make the stuff, and they’re working full-out at doing just that in their new fabs. These fabs should start producing wafers in 2025.
Why would Nvidia put that at risk, especially since it can partner on existing AMD designs, based on ARM software. CEO Jensen Huang didn’t just fall of the daikon truck.
Entrepreneurs Become Institutions
The rise of AI and of Intel’s need for government help are forcing the whole industry to think in new ways.
That’s the real message in Huang’s comment to Fortune that, if he had it all to do over again, he wouldn’t. Perhaps it’s that he now realizes he couldn’t.
Nvidia, like the Cloud Czars, is now an institution. It’s a public trust with huge public responsibilities. Managing it is exhausting, requiring a new skill set.
Huang’s era, of swashbuckling CEOs in leather jackets, is giving way to that of Gelsinger, who works alongside government. It’s giving way to a new generation of cloud leaders who must deal with government, and each other, in a cooperative spirit.
Huang sees this clearly. His partner for building new data centers based on Nvidia AI chips is Foxconn (OTCMKTS:FXCOF).
That’s the Taiwanese company that builds the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone in China. Diplomacy is going to be essential for any company seeking to do big things in the future. Nvidia does want to do big things.
The Bottom Line
You won’t find a selling signal in a company’s stock price. There are always reasons to buy the dip. But the new AI era has many unknown unknowns in it. Managing it will require a new kind of tech leader, less a King than a Prime Minister. Apportioning credit, and profit, between the private and public sectors will become more complex. Huang knows this. Investors need to know it too.
Does this mean Nvidia will fail in its mission? No. But it does mean that profitability can’t stay where it is.
As of this writing, Dana Blankenhorn held LONG positions in NVDA, AAPL AMD, INTC, and MSFT. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.


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T.I. continues to put smiles on so many fans faces. During Christmas the rapper paid for toys of single mothers at a local Walmart in Atlanta. With “Black Panther” coming out later this week he wanted to give back to deserving families again.
On Twitter he made an announcement and said, “Me and @Walmart joined efforts to support the community with free tickets for customers to attend an Advance Screening of @MarvelStudios @theblackpanther. We gave away 300 tickets to deserving families yesterday at the Cascade Walmart store. #BlackPanther.” He isn’t the only celebrity doing amazing things like this.
Octavia Spencer and Ellen DeGeneres are making efforts to ensure that a lot of Black children get to see a superhero that looks like them. After the #BlackPantherChallenge took off on social media and was able to raise money for families to see the film it continues to be successful. We can’t wait to see this movie 🍿


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Tokyo Electron shares sink after takeover by Applied Materials scrapped
Tokyo Electron Ltd (8035.T) shares plunged 15 percent on Tuesday to a six-month low after U.S. regulatory opposition forced the scrapping of its planned takeover by U.S.-based Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O).
The all-share purchase - a rare foreign bid for a Japanese firm - would have combined the No.1 and No. 3 makers of the equipment that makes semiconductor chips into a group with a stock market value of more than $38.5 billion.
Analysts had initially expected the takeover, aimed at spurring profit growth in both companies, to stand up to regulatory scrutiny.
Tokyo Electron shares fell as much as 14.8 percent in early trade to 6,555 yen, hitting their lowest level since late October, while the broader Tokyo market .TOPX was up 0.6 percent.
The slide came despite Tokyo Electron announcing it plans to buy as much as 120 billion yen ($1 billion) worth of shares, or 8.59 percent of its outstanding stock.
A Tokyo-based mergers and acquisitions lawyer said the unraveling of the deal was worse for Tokyo Electron as takeover targets often lose management focus, and customers, during the negotiation period.
Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron and No. 2 maker, ASML Holding NV (ASML.AS), hold 49 percent of the global market, according to market research firm Gartner, in an industry where the rising cost of developing chips, coupled with slowing semiconductor demand, are forcing alliances and acquisitions.
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Manuel Quevedo, Venezuela’s minister of petroleum and the president of the nation’s oil company PDVSA, announced via Twitter that the national cryptocurrency, the Petro, would be presented to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as “the main digital currency backed by oil.”
Quevedo also claimed:
Petro will become the digital currency of oil transactions worldwide; we will present it to OPEC, it is one of the internationalization measures of the currency.
Petro To “Guarantee” Economic Growth
According to Cuba’s state news agency, the Prensa Latina, Venezuela’s government intends to use the controversial Petro cryptocurrency to help market its oil by Q1 2019.
Quevedo noted that using the Petro to conduct international transactions would help revive Venezuela’s economy – which has been crippled by rampant corruption and US-led political and economic sanctions.
Venezuela’s petroleum minister added that encouraging the use and adoption of the Petro would “guarantee” economic growth for a nation that has the world’s largest (proven) oil reserves – “totaling 297 billion barrels” as of January 1st, 2014.
Investigation Reveals Petro Isn’t Used
Despite an extensive four-month-long investigation by Reuters, which strongly suggested that there was no evidence of the Petro being used in any type of transaction, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s administration insists that the so-called national digital currency can be considered a legitimate medium of exchange.
The Venezuelan government has also asked companies interested in the country’s oil products to use the Petro for transactions as they claim it’s backed by Venezuela’s oil reserves, gold, diamonds, and gasoline.
Notably, Quevedo recently encouraged large multinational shipping companies and airlines to open cryptocurrency wallets so that they may use the Petro for transactions. The minister told Chinese news outlet Xinhuanet that “the gasoline for planes, ships, we will be selling it in Petros. It is the currency of Venezuela.”
As covered on CryptoGlobe, the Petro officially went on sale to locals on October 29 through a government-operated portal. Venezuela’s residents were also told to use the cryptocurrency in order to obtain passports.
Petros Sold At Massive Discount
In July, the Venezuelan government had announced that it had pegged the Petro to the nation’s fiat currency, the sovereign bolivar, which was created after the bolivar nearly became worthless due to hyperinflation. Earlier in February, the Petro’s pre-sale was launched – even though the ruling party’s opposition members had said it was a scam.
At the time, VIBE, a cryptocurrency advisory group commissioned by Venezuela’s government, had reportedly recommended that the nation’s government privately sell $2.3 billion worth of Petro at a 60% discounted price. The leaked document, which was reviewed by Reuters, suggested that “Maduro’s valuation of the nascent petro faces significant market skepticism.”


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Snapchat seems to have settled on live TV as the ephemeral messaging service's ad model.
Snapchat is talking with marketers about incorporating ads into its live-events product called "Our Story," according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
Snapchat introduced "Our Story" in June as a way to organize people's Snapchat photo and video posts -- called "snaps" -- taken at live events. Each Saturday, for example, Snapchat picks a college football game and collects various snaps taken at the stadium before, during and after the game into a single, chronological "Our Story" that appears within Snapchat users' contact lists. "Our Story" feeds are updated throughout an event and can viewed piecemeal as snaps are added or in full after the event is finished. Within the last week, Snapchat has created Our Stories around the World Series, NBA star LeBron James' return to Cleveland and the New York City marathon.
Snapchat is looking to sell sponsorships of individual "Our Stories" as well as letting advertisers pay to have branded snaps appear within the live-event collections, the people said.
A Snapchat spokeswoman declined to comment.
Snapchat's ad strategy, at least initially, appears to be replicating advertising during live TV events. The service's first ads that debuted last month disappeared after someone exited the app and couldn't be shared with others and were likened to linear TV ads by its advertiser, Universal Pictures. The "Our Story" ads would bear even more obvious similarities given their ties to live events and the fact that while a person can start and stop viewing an "Our Story" they can't fast-forward through the linear feed.
As a hypothetical example of how the "Our Story" ads would work, a brand like Home Depot -- which is the presenting sponsor for ESPN's college football preview show -- could be the presenting sponsor for Snapchat's college football "Our Story" and have the brand's logo appear on the collection's opening title snap. The home-improvement retailer, which sells grills, could also take photos or videos of people barbecuing outside the stadium before the game, add a Home Depot logo and pay for those snaps to appear within the "Our Story" feed. Snapchat is expected to append some kind of labeling denoting the paid-for snaps as ads, the people said.
Snapchat is reportedly worth $10 billion on paper, but the company hadn't made any money until last month when it ran its first ad. To help close the gap between its valuation and revenue, Snapchat seems to be banking on its ability to attract brand advertisers who are directing their money to TV and online video. U.S. advertisers are projected to spend $6 billion on digital video ads this year and up that amount to $12.7 billion in 2018, according to eMarketer estimates.
While the "Our Story" ads are on Snapchat's roadmap, the discussions with marketers are in their early stages, and the timeline for the ads' roll-out is unclear, the people said.


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Here are the manufacturers with the 5 biggest price increases:
— By Quentin Fottrell
General Motors: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Silverado
+5.4% on the year
GM’s recall travails and new lineup has created a “disconnect” for shoppers, says Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. People see cars they really like at GM showrooms, but haven’t been put off by recalls with older models, he says. “The ignition switch problem is understandable and people don’t find it so unusual or scary.” In fact, 16 official deaths out of 29 million recalls is still a small number, he adds. “Unfortunately, that’s what took them so long to fix it. It’s not as scary as new Toyotas having unintended acceleration four years ago.”
Volkswagen Group: Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche
+5.3% on the year
Luxury cars are doing extremely well in the market right now, Brauer says, particularly the Audi and Porsche brands. Volkswagen recently launched the Golf GTI and Audi A3 using the company’s new “global platform” — known as the “Modularer Querbaukasten” in German – the unseen architecture that sits under the car which it plans to use for dozens of models. Volkswagen sales are also up overall across the globe, he adds. The Audi A3, an entry level luxury car, is selling for around $34,000, adds Edmunds.com analyst Jeremy Acevedo. “That’s been pushing sales for Audi as it transacts a bigger overall price than the Volkswagen,” he says.
Hyundai-Kia: Sonata, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Sport
+2.5% on the year
Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Motors Corp. have had slow sales in recent years, Brauer says, “but that seems to have stabilized.” The new Sonata is “very impressive” and hitting showrooms this month, he adds. “The Santa Fe and Santa Fe sport – both crossover SUVs – are doing well in the U.S., but perhaps not quite as well as Hyundai would like,” Brauer says. Kia released the K900 luxury sedan last year, which retails for around $60,000, and has helped push up the overall price for vehicles, Acevedo adds. “It’s indicative of both of those brands moving upmarket,” he says.
Chrysler Group: Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, RAM
+3.9% on the year
“The Jeep is doing tremendously and they are relatively expensive models within the Chrysler portfolio and continue to grow in terms of sales,” Acevedo says. “The Cherokee compact SUV has become quite a hit on the market.” Chrysler makes desirable products from Ram trucks to crossover SUV Jeeps, he says. The gradual recovery in the housing market has also helped Chrysler, he says, as private contractors need more trucks to serve that industry. The popular Grand Cherokee, “the flagship of Jeep brand and a huge seller,” has a hefty price tag, transacting at $41,000 on average, Acevedo adds.
Ford Motor Company: Ford, Lincoln
+1.5% on the year
Ford Motor Corp.’s


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Amazon Web Services and Salesforce expanded their partnership in a deal that will put Salesforce applications on AWS Marketplace, integrate Amazon Bedrock into Salesforce's ecosystem and better connect Salesforce Data Cloud to AWS services.
The announcement, made at AWS re:Invent, plays on the theme of foundational model choice as well as seamless data flows for joint customers.
According to the companies, Salesforce will support Amazon Bedrock, AWS' managed service for foundational models with one API. Amazon Bedrock will also be available through Salesforce's Einstein Trust Layer. Salesforce Prompt Builder will give customers the ability to send templates to their preferred foundational models available on Bedrock.
Model choice in generative AI applications will be a big theme at AWS' annual customer conference. AWS' approach is to offer a series of models for developers to easily leverage for generative AI applications. Model choice has been elevated as a topic given the OpenAI soap opera.
Constellation Research analyst Holger Mueller said:
"This deail is a key win for AWS Bedrock as AWS needs to implement its AI platform into SaaS vendor platforms, to ensure uptake and with that guarantee further cloud revenue. On the other side it is announcement that had to happen, since Salesforce is already using AWS as one of its public cloud platforms."
The availability of Salesforce applications on AWS Marketplace is also notable because it will give AWS to subscribe, manage and track Salesforce spending. Data Cloud, Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, Industry Clouds, Tableau, MuleSoft, Platform and Heroku will be available on the AWS Marketplace. Joint customers can buy Salesforce products through AWS Marketplace now and Salesforce said it will expand in 2024.
On the data front, Salesforce said Salesforce Data Cloud will expand data sharing across AWS including S3 via centralized controls. The companies said customers can use zero-ETL technologies and unite data visibility across Salesforce with integrations between Data Cloud and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS) and AWS Lambda.
Other key items include:
- Salesforce agreed to expand its usage of AWS services.
- Salesforce Service Cloud and Amazon Connect will tighten integrations for voice, digital engagement, forecasting, capacity planning and agent scheduling as well as generative AI tools.
- Salesforce said Heroku will be revamped as a platform-as-a-service layer across Salesforce and AWS. Integrations will cover model training instances, Amazon CodeWhisperer and Einstein Copilot Studio. "Mueller said the Heroku news is interesting because it "helps developers bridge the gap between Salesforce and AWS services for their next generation applications."
- Product integrations will be available in 2024.


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39 : btc atm near me: 4. Bitcoin ATM Launches In Saskatoon. Waterloo s BitSent On Track To Be Canada s Largest Bitcoin ATM.
Com listings have more bitcoin trade deals similar to this one. That s the one located atth Street Northwest. Virtual Bitcoin ATM in Stores. The network consists of locations across Vancouver Calgary Edmonton.
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If you re new to bitcoins we can help you learn where to start. Bitcoin atm locations near me Best bitcoin mining pool for slow miners Buy sell trade bitcoins from any of our convenient Bitcoin ATM locations all located in neighborhoods near you. You can also use Bitcoin Core as a very secure Bitcoin wallet. Buy Bitcoin in Canada.ATMs that swap cash for Bitcoins coming to Canada this fall. Marie, Ont Press Release. Bitcoin Machine Regina Regina Bitcoin BTM Buy Bitcoin for Cash; Sell Bitcoin for cash. Bitcoin Solutions owns operates the machine which will allow users to buy bitcoin with Canadian. These LocalBitcoins. West Edmonton Mall Entrance 50 Bitcoin Atm News Journal 14 dic. An Edmonton cafe will soon have an ATM where customers can exchange the digital currency known as Bitcoin for cash.
For those Sherlockians Alberta in Canada, numismatists near Edmonton check out the Sherlock Holmes Pub located on the campus of the University of Alberta. It s a Virtual Bitcoin Kiosk ATM, but without the physical machine. Robocoin Bitcoin ATM to open today in the West Edmonton Mall. On Tuesday the world saw the first Bitcoin automatic teller machine go live in a downtown Vancouver coffee shop allowing people to exchange Canadian cash for the digital currency at a current rate of211.
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DXY Index Currency Trend Exp. Range Support Spot Support Weekly Fortnightly S3 S2 S1 R1 R2 R3 DXY Index Up Up 87.58-89.00 87.58 87.71 87.94 87.9... ...http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/recos/mecklai-financial-report-november-26-2014/articleshow/45283778.cms
12:29pm IST HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - A Bank of Japan board member who voted for last month's huge monetary expansion defended the move on... ...http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/11/26/us-japan-economy-boj-idINKCN0JA0EE20141126
Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire.- Arab Proverb India has no choice but to grow at a... ...http://www.indiainfoline.com/article/news-top-story/daily-market-strategy-weariness-sets-in-114112601293_1.html
I The U.S. currency has seen hefty demand in recent sessions as markets prepare for U.S. monetary to tighten while Europe and Japan move in the... ...http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/rupee/dollar-softensweak-us-consumer-confidence-report_1237863.html
3:28am IST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street stocks closed mixed on Tuesday with early gains pared after the lowest U.S. consumer confidence... ...http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/11/25/markets-global-idINKCN0J927W20141125
Shinzo Aze has been approved Japan's...


text: Invest News DetailHurriyet - Türkiye’s new incentive package, expected to be introduced in the first months of 2012, once again has many international companies to consider the country as a production base. Among them, the French automotive manufacturing group PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) which had shortlisted Türkiye for a car manufacturing investment in 2008 but ultimately went for a capacity increase in one of its European plants as a result of the global financial crisis. “As of January 1, Peugeot has designated Türkiye as a fast growing market in the Mediterranean on par with Brazil, Russia, China and India. The company will consider its investment schedule based on the Turkish government’s new incentive package, as Türkiye can no longer be neglected as an auto market,” Peugeot Türkiye’s newly appointed head Marc Bergeretti said. Local automotive producers Tofas and Karsan manufacture three different types of light commercial vehicles (LCV) for the PSA Group in their plants in Bursa, northwestern Türkiye. “Türkiye tops the list of countries that the PSA Group will consider in case our European plants experience capacity problems. The PSA Group uses Turkish suppliers for LCV production, as well as parts procurement that reach EUR 90 million annually, meaning our head office in France is well aware of Türkiye’s importance,” said Bergeretti, adding that Türkiye’s position in the Mediterranean basin has changed considerably during the last decade and that Turkish-made goods are highly sought after for their quality. “Peugeot will continue to closely monitor Türkiye’s auto market and develop plans accordingly,” he noted. Automotive companies in Türkiye including Ford, Renault, Toyota, Hyundai and Honda produced over 1.2 million vehicles in 2011.


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The LG G2 Mini is set to arrive in the UK at the end of April and Clove have announced pricing of £249.99 (including VAT) for the 'small' Android smartphone. The UK retailer has the black variant listed and expect stock to arrive later this month.
Got an iPhone?Download Drippler 2.0
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10 Donald Trump Business Failures. TIME Staff. ... He held a glitzy press conference at which his son Donald Jr. predicted that Trump Mortgage would soon ...
The Many Business Failures of Donald Trump. ... When they get around to talking about Trump's presidential aspirations, the Donald barks, 'We need a businessman, ...
Donald Trump's 16 Biggest Business Failures and ... Donald Trump promised to "take the brand of the United States and make ... The Donald had high hopes for ...
Donald Trump likes to brag about his wealth, but some of his business decisions have been real duds. ... Donald Trump's failed businesses include Trump Steaks, ...
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He tried to run casinos and failed four times. That’s not evidence of ... Since Trump’s businesses aren ... Donald Trump’s first Cabinet pick ...
Donald Trump’s business fumbles. Benjamin Snyder. ... There are more failed Trump businesses. He sold steaks, ran a travel search engine, and published a magazine.
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... List Of Donald Trump's Failed Businesses! 3/18/2016 6:04 PM ET | Filed under: ... CLICK HERE to view "All The Times Donald Trump Failed At Business!"


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Zopa “growing [lending] by 45-50%” despite a freeze on new lenders.
Peer-to-peer lender says it has been tightening credit amid a squeeze on disposable income.
CEO says credit conditions normalising after 8 years of improvement, thinks the economy is OK.
LONDON — The CEO of peer-to-peer lending business Zopa has rejected claims the business is struggling to attract borrowers, saying the platform is still growing lending volumes by as much as 50%.
Zopa stopped accepting new money in December 2016, amid high demand to lend over its platform. The Financial Times wrote in September that Zopa’s experience highlights the “enormous difficulty faced by marketplace lenders attempting to find new borrowers.”
CEO Jaidev Janardana told Business Insider: “I do struggle a little bit with this thing that we’re struggling with borrowers. We have been growing [lending] by 45-50%. I don’t think there are other businesses that are growing at 50% year-on-year that would be looked at as struggling.”
Speaking to Business Insider at LendIt Europe this week, Janardana said existing investors have funded the platform’s growth by deploying more capital on the platform.
“What we have had is an issue of too much popularity on the other side,” he said. “Investors, particularly given ISAs, have just wanted more of our product. We see that as an incredibly good thing actually.”
Zopa, founded in 2005, is credited with inventing the idea of peer-to-peer lending: matching borrowers with investors willing to fund their loans online. The company only does consumer lending in the UK and has lent over £2 billion to date.
Zopa has built up a waiting list of 15,000 people who want to lend over the platform. The company hopes to let some of them onto the platform towards the end of the year.
Janardana said: “One of the things we could have done is just reduce prices and …read more
Source:: Business Insider


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Sink into the Whirpool of Life
I’m pleased to announced that paleontologist Scott Sampson, author of the new book Dinosaur Odyssey and host of the children’s tv show Dinosaur Train, has just launched a blog. It is called The Whirlpool of Life. Go check it out!
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Imagine being informed by your local city health department that you are not allowed to include a nutrition facts label on the popular products you make and sell for human consumption. Julianna Carella faced that very problem relative to gourmet snack items she produces at her Oakland, Calif.-based business, Auntie Dolores Kitchen.
“In 2010 the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) told us we had to take the nutrition label off our products,” says Carella, the company’s founder and CEO.
To be sure, Part 101 – Food Labeling of Title 21 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1, Subchapter B holds no authority over any Auntie Dolores commercial offering.
Imagine further that, even though you’re clearly turning out pretzels, assorted cookies, glazed pecans, chili lime peanuts, cheese biscuits, caramel corn, and fudge brownies for retail sales, your manufacturing facilities and products are not subject to any state or federal food laws, regulations, or inspections. Not for now, anyway.
You see, most all of Carella’s eye-catching goodies contain cannabis, a.k.a. marijuana, a regulated Schedule I (a.k.a. Class I) narcotic.
Cannabis is sometimes used to reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, to improve appetite in people with HIV/AIDS, and to treat chronic pain. Knowing this, the aforementioned company name makes total sense. Carella is quick to clarify that, no, she doesn’t have a dear, beloved aunt named Dolores. Rather, she explains, Auntie Dolores is a play on “anti dolores,” with “anti” meaning against and “dolores” being the Spanish word for pains.
When it comes to the $2.7 billion legal U.S. cannabis industry, local, state, and federal laws often conflict, Carella says. “Regulation is disjointed,” she emphasizes. “The right hand isn’t talking to the left hand. So regulations, often the lack thereof, are a major challenge.
“Since the beginning of our business, which was in 2008, our products have not been considered food, nor have they been considered medicine,” Carella continues. “They are just considered cannabis.”
That’s why the SFDPH forced Auntie Dolores to remove the nutrition labels.
“We urged the SFDPH to allow us to keep the labels because sick people eat our products, including diabetics and cancer patients with specific dietary needs, and they need to be able to read and understand what exactly is in them to get the appropriate dose of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the primary active substance in cannabis,” Carella relates. Most importantly, a scrupulous cannabis product label will include the THC content in milligrams (mg).
Cannabis foods, more commonly known as edibles, are made with an herbal or resin form of cannabis as an ingredient. These foods are consumed as an alternate means to experience the effects of cannabinoids without smoking or vaporizing cannabis or hashish.
Like many edibles manufacturers, Auntie Dolores utilizes carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction, often referred to as supercritical fluid extraction, as the method of procuring cannabis concentrate for its products. “CO2 extraction is considered the most effective way to extract beneficial essences from plant matter,” Carella points out.
The forward-thinking Carella says that, along with being one of the first edibles companies in California, Auntie Dolores was the first such Golden State entity to put a nutrition label on its products. “We convinced our city health department to allow us to leave the labels on because we feel consumers have the right to know this information,” she relates.
The label issue was resolved within three months, Carella reports, emphasizing her respect for the SFDPH. “The SFDPH has always been very proactive since San Francisco was the first city in all of California to have a medical cannabis ordinance,” she explains. “Historically, we have been able to communicate our needs as producers to the department successfully and they have been responsive and fair.”
Most all other edibles producers in California currently include nutrition labels on their products voluntarily.
What About HACCP?
According to the SFDPH, no edibles requiring refrigeration or hot-holding shall be manufactured for sale or distribution at a medical cannabis dispensary due to the potential for foodborne illness. Exemptions may be granted by the SFDPH on a case-by-case basis. For such exempted edible cannabis products, ice cream and other dairy products for example, SFDPH may require a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan.
At the federal level, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, where Schedule I substances are considered to have a high potential for dependency and no accepted medical use, making distribution of marijuana a federal offense.
“Regardless of the state of origin of any medical marijuana products, edible or otherwise, such products are not allowed to be transported across any state lines,” Carella mentions. “There is absolutely no interstate commerce, so legally consumers are not supposed to move them across state lines even if they are moving from one state to another.”
Not surprisingly, to date, the U.S. FDA has not approved a marketing application for marijuana for any indication, including medical use.
That said, the FDA currently holds no jurisdiction or power over U.S. commercial edibles, which are allowed to be produced and sold in some states courtesy of specific state statues. Nonetheless, Auntie Dolores follows basically all of the food safety measures any food company would implement, Carella says. “We use a HACCP plan, even though our products don’t require refrigeration or hot-holding,” she boasts.
Intelligent Regulations, Please
“I don’t believe there should be any restrictions as to the types of products we make, be they temperature sensitive or otherwise,” Carella asserts. “We want regulations in California, but we want intelligent regulations. The current regulatory climate here does not inspire one to avoid purchasing edibles from the black market.”
With a staff of 20 people, including six to eight in production, Auntie Dolores operates out of two rented facilities in confidential locations, manufacturing more than 5,000 units of product per month. As an example, a canister 5 inches in diameter containing 30 sugar-free, low glycemic pretzels (in an inner zip lock bag) counts as one unit. “Each pretzel is designed to individually deliver an optimal dose of THC, with a full mg content of 120 mg THC per canister of pretzels,” Carella relates.
(By the way, Carella says most California landlords won’t rent space to an edibles producer. And because of the manufacturing sites being kept confidential, Carella adds that bioterrorism isn’t a main concern of her company.)
It’s a federal crime for cultivators in any state to sell cannabis plants or byproducts to buyers in other states, so all Auntie Dolores edibles are made with THC and cannabidiol (CBD) derived from cannabis grown in California. CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid purported to provide anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety benefits.
“The hemp-derived CBD that we use comes from the seed and stalk of plants that are cultivated in Europe,” Carella mentions.
Carella purchases cannabis plants and extracts from a local cooperative of growers. “We use a van to pick these materials up, and we have sales representatives and a distributor that pick up our finished products and deliver them to the dispensaries” she relates.
Auntie Dolores is actually part of this cooperative. “Anybody that touches the plant, from growers to manufacturers in our kitchen, to retailers and documented patients, are considered members of our cooperative,” Carella explains.
Legalization of medical cannabis has allowed the laboratory testing of medicinal cannabis products. Any testing of cannabis or cannabis products must be conducted at labs in the states where they are produced. “Some of the biggest potential contamination concerns during cultivation or extraction are pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxin, and aflatoxins,” Carella says.
“California edibles producers are not required by law to do ingredient and finished product testing, but many dispensaries require testing,” she adds. “We do ingredient testing and finished product testing to determine microbiological safety and proper potency.”
Auntie Dolores relies on C.W. Analytical, a laboratory in Oakland that is dedicated to cannabis testing. Carella turns to this lab for analysis of raw materials and cannabis oils before they are used, THC potency testing of finished products, and heavy metals and contaminant testing of CBD and pet products.
“California cannabis labs are very busy since California is the biggest marijuana market in the world, holding some 50 percent of the U.S. market,” Carella mentions, noting that there are at least 35 cannabis testing labs in California.
In regards to sensory analysis, Auntie Dolores calls upon patients in its cooperative to handle taste testing of its edibles.
California Dreamin’: Change is Comin’
In the long-standing absence of detailed regulations and guidelines for its legal state medical marijuana industry, some California cities besides San Francisco have been making their own laws to oversee the manufacture of cannabis edibles, Carella says. However, this regulatory hodgepodge is about to change for California edibles manufacturers, as well as the state’s entire cannabis industry.
On Sept. 11, 2015, California passed three key pieces of legislation relative to medical marijuana. As a result, effective in 2016, California will (finally) have a highly scrutinized, fully functional medical cannabis industry, subject to stringent regulation of all components of the chain from plant growers to dispensaries, including edibles manufacturers.
Specifically, Assembly Bill (AB) 266 will establish uniform health and safety standards for medical marijuana, including quality assurance (testing) standards to be enforced by local code enforcement offices. AB 243 regulates cultivation of marijuana plants, including use of pesticides. And Senate Bill 643 creates a new Office of Medical Marijuana Regulation to regulate how cannabis is grown and sold and to set fees and license businesses. Cities and counties will enforce the regulations and can choose to create their own marijuana sales taxes.
“Regulations will be good for us,” Carella says. “We had no regulatory climate before and now we do. Without that, manufacturers are self-regulating, creating public health issues. In comparison, Colorado has strict rules to produce edibles, but California, no. Here anybody can produce edibles in a dirty basement or garage with no enforceable standards. And many companies are less than scrupulous with their product labeling procedures.”
At present only cannabis dispensaries require state licensing in California. “The three bills that were passed in September are addressing this issue and in the future growers and manufacturers will be licensed establishments,” Carella points out.
Rocky Mountain High on Regulations
Under the newest Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division retail marijuana regulations, most notably impacting potency, packaging, and labeling, effective Jan. 30, 2015, edibles sold recreationally must be wrapped individually or demarked in increments of 10 or fewer milligrams of activated THC. Moreover, edibles packaging is obligated to more stringent child-resistant capabilities. And now there must be more explicit warnings and information on labels, including statements such as “This product is unlawful outside the State of Colorado” and “The intoxicating effects of this product may be delayed by two or more hours.”
To help address the issue of protecting children from unintentional ingestion of cannabis, FunkSac, a Denver, Colo.-based packaging solutions provider specializing in odor barrier and child-resistant packaging for the cannabis industry, has recently applied Child-Guard, a child-resistant slider technology from Presto Products Co. (which is owned by a New Zealand investment company and operates five manufacturing facilities in the U.S.) to create a sister product to one of its existing products. The result is FunkGuard, a child-resistant reclosable package.
To that end, FunkSac partnered with Atlapac Corp., a contract converter of premade packaging based in Columbus, Ohio.
“FunkGuard was tested by an ISO 17025 accredited facility and meets the standards set for child-resistance by Title 16 CFR 1700 of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, as well as being listed on the next release of the ASTM D3475 index,” says Garett Fortune, CEO of FunkSac. “The pouch is also approved for use with food grade materials. FunkGuard can be used as a primary package or as an exit bag, wherein primary packages are placed into a larger FunkGuard pouch before leaving a dispensary in order to comply with individual state regulations.”
“We launched FunkGuard to provide a best of breed flexible packaging solution to the cannabis industry,” Fortune says. “FunkGuard can be used to package many different forms of product, including edibles, which are particularly dangerous if in the wrong hands. No solution is child proof, but FunkGuard is a great deterrent for kids and easy enough for adults, which is a tricky balance.”
“The design is both high-tech and intuitive,” adds Paul Unrue, Atlapac’s vice president of sales and marketing. “The design is intuitive because it works very simply but is very technical in its operation. It appears the Child-Guard slides open when slid across. But it won’t open the package unless you plunge the slider into the pouch. So it’s extremely difficult for a child to open, yet very easy for an adult to do so.”
Child-proof packaging could become a requirement in California, Carella predicts. “At Auntie Dolores we use a lot of plastic, heat seals, and additional materials to keep kids out,” she notes.
Constraints Surrounding Distribution
Auntie Dolores edibles are sold in more than 250 of the estimated 2,000 licensed dispensaries throughout California.
“Because we are organized as a not-for-profit mutually beneficial cooperative and have medical cannabis patients in our cooperative, we are able to provide goods and services to these members, including via the Internet, provided that they carry the proper documentation and identification,” Carella says.
In an arrangement that may seem confusing to industry outsiders, the company is legally allowed to sell Auntie Dolores products in any legal medical cannabis or adult use state through partnerships with entities that are licensed to produce and process cannabis in their state. Those partners are responsible for their own state and federal taxes.
“No Auntie Dolores product can be shipped across state lines but rather the brand is licensed as intellectual property to licensee partners who hold the proper license to produce edibles in their state,” Carella explains. “The licensees can make THC-based edibles with our proprietary specs and recipes, and then sell them with our label. Per our contract, they pay us a percentage of the revenues of anything they sell.”
“Our parent company is a California corporation and we file state and federal returns in California,” Carella adds. “We don’t have any revenues from licensees yet, but essentially any licensing revenues would be reported on our return.”
Evolving Cannabis Use Laws
In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 215, making the Golden State the first in the union to allow for the medical use of marijuana. While marijuana remains illegal federally, a total of 23 states, the District of Columbia and Guam now allow for comprehensive public medical marijuana and cannabis programs, as of Nov. 9, 2015. (Of these states, 14 reportedly had active retail markets in 2014.) Recently approved efforts in 17 states allow use of “low THC, high CBD” products for medical reasons in limited situations or as a legal defense. (Those programs are not counted as comprehensive medical marijuana programs.)
It’s important to note that there are no laws permitting purchase of cannabis for adult (recreational) use in California yet. However, a bill to legalize marijuana recreationally in California is expected to pass a legislative vote and be implemented in 2016.
Throughout the country, some of the most common policy questions regarding medical marijuana include how to regulate its recommendation, dispensing, and registration of approved patients. Some states and localities without dispensary regulation are reportedly experiencing a boom in new businesses in hopes of being approved before presumably stricter regulations are made.
Since marijuana is a Schedule I substance, federal law prohibits its prescription. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, medical marijuana “prescriptions” are more often called “recommendations” or “referrals” because of the federal prescription prohibition.
With regard to edibles for medical use, it is widely regarded that the appropriate dose and consumption schedule for each user varies and depends on many factors, including height, weight, tolerance, previous usage, current state of well-being, and health issues. It is reported that marijuana infused edibles can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to take effect.
“We’ve heard from many patients that the effects from edibles can last up to eight hours or longer,” Carella says.
States with medical marijuana laws generally have some form of patient registry, which may provide some protection against arrest for possession up to a certain amount of marijuana for personal medicinal use.
Only four states, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon, plus the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for adult use (and also medical use). Along with California, adult use advocates are now reportedly targeting additional states, such as Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada, for ballot measures in 2016.
There were 1.5 million purchasers of legal cannabis in the U.S. in 2014, according to the “State of Legal Marijuana Markets 3rd Edition Executive Summary,” published in 2015 by the ArcView Group, a San Francisco-based investor network focused on the cannabis industry.
Individual state requirements for cannabis traceability, quality assurance, and laboratory testing and monitoring requirements are definitely on the rise in legal cannabis states, says Patrick Vo, MS, MAcc, CEO of BioTrackTHC, a software company that serves the cannabis industry, both government agencies and the private sector. With offices in Denver, Colo. and Olympia, Wash., BioTrackTHC is a division of Bio-Tech Medical Software Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“Regulations, especially those addressing traceability, are crucial for advancing the cannabis industry, performing recalls, and improving product quality and safety,” Vo emphasizes. “As more states adopt a centralized traceability system, food safety will improve for edibles.”
According to Vo, the BioTrackTHC Enterprise System provides inventory and sales management capabilities, and is capable of submitting real-time data to state traceability systems, such as in Washington. BioTrackTHC’s system provides regulatory agencies with real-time inventory movements and compliance data. This comprehensive model links growers, processors, and retail dispensaries together to ensure that the entire supply chain is monitored from seed to sale.
Vo says BioTrackTHC’s Enterprise Systems are used in more than 1,300 locations in the 23 U.S. states that have legalized cannabis in some form, along with Washington, D.C., Jamaica, parts of Canada, and some Latin American countries.
Moreover, BioTrackTHC was selected by four of the last five state regulatory agencies to implement a seed-to-sale traceability system, namely Illinois, New York, New Mexico, and Washington. To date, six states have regulations for traceability. (Colorado and Oregon use different systems.)
“In Washington, BioTrackTHC is the state-mandated reporting system used by any business that touches the plant in compliance with Washington Initiative 502 (I-502) regulations,” Vo notes.
Passing in an Evergreen State election on Nov. 6, 2012 with 55.7 percent of the vote, I-502 mandated that rules for producers, processors, and retailers be in place by Dec. 1, 2013.
As it is described by the Washington Secretary of State’s office, I-502 shall “license and regulate marijuana production, distribution, and possession for persons over 21; remove state-law criminal and civil penalties for activities that it authorizes; tax marijuana sales; and earmark marijuana-related revenues.”
“All retail products under I-502, including infused edibles, must have laboratory-submitted passing test results and data in the traceability system before they can be unlocked for shipment to retailers,” Vo relates.
“It’s important to note that, whether a person or organization is for or against marijuana legalization, all can agree that proper tracking provides an important means of accountability and compliance for this emerging industry,” Vo adds.
Fastest Growing Industry in America
In 2014, according to ArcView Group’s executive summary, the legal cannabis industry expanded 74 percent to reach $2.7 billion in combined retail and wholesale sales, and thus firmly established itself as “the fastest growing industry in America.”
Five states now boast markets greater than $100 million, the executive summary continues, while one additional state posted 2014 sales above the $50 million mark. Legal adult use sales began for the first time in Colorado and Washington in 2014, adding $370 million in new sales dollars.
Colorado became the new epicenter of the industry as the first active adult use market, and recorded $315 million in 2014 adult use sales, for $805 million total combined retail (adult and medical) and wholesale sales, the ArcView Group’s research elaborates. Washington also successfully opened its adult use market mid-2014 and added $65 million in adult use sales. Both states launched these markets with relatively few problems, which has led to a growing public acceptance of adult use legalization as a safe workable model with economic benefits for the states that choose regulation over continued criminalization, the ArcView Group reports.
On the downside, Cannabis’s Schedule 1 narcotic status presents a major roadblock for those in the industry who seek financing. “Banks insured by the FDIC will not typically lend openly to cannabis companies for fear of repercussion from the government,” Carella explains. “And because of 26 U.S.C. 280E tax regulations, cannabis entrepreneurs are not allowed to write off many of the usual operational expenses incurred in more traditional businesses.”
Despite the financial, legal, and regulatory challenges associated with cannabis, Carella jumps at any opportunity to extol her high (no pun intended) level of satisfaction with a career in the edibles industry.
“For me, edibles production is a long term commitment,” she emphasizes. “I’m active on the board of the California Cannabis Industry Association because I want to be involved and have a say in our industry.”
“It’s really fantastic to help people with their health problems,” Carella says, “and to get them to eat, rather than smoke, cannabis, which is healthier. We get lots of testimonials, which is very rewarding. The positive feedback keeps me and my team going.”


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Alfa Romeo unveiled what is doubtless the hottest piece of machinery at the Paris show, the 8C Competizione. Unfortunately, the company followed the lead of their amici at Ferrari, and stuck it inside a photo-thwarting glass enclosure, turning the strobe-like glit of flashbulbs into a sort of lightswitch rave. Alfa says the 8C will be produced in limited number, but stopped short of revealing the powertrain. There will be more to come in this regard.
More on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione [internal]


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Out of the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, 92 increased in value from Q4 2017 to Q1 2018.
The total cryptocurrency market capitalization has increased by more than $100 billion over the same time.
We took a look at the top 10 best performing cryptocurrencies for Q1 2018, focusing on their growth and what makes them strong.
The two biggest companies were those who have avoided significant regulatory scrutiny – Binance and Huobi. These exchanges are not open to U.S. customers and do not appear to be giving their customers access to IOU tokens on their platform.
They are also moving into new markets with Binance setting up a bank in Malta and Huobi opening offices in Korea, Japan and Brazil this quarter.
Ethereum remains the second biggest cryptocurrency by market cap, but is facing competition from EOS which is currently ranked 5th (and has been as high as 4th).
EOS is attracting attention because it appears to be building an operating system for decentralized applications that is faster, cheaper and more scalable than Ethereum.
Ethereum’s founder Vitalik Buterin has launched another token which could be used to pay for gas on the Ethereum network – but will only do so once it has been proven that it would improve
Between January and March 2018, the total crypto market cap grew from $588.8 billion to $419 billion. Even though this time wasn’t as good as the previous quarter, there were still a lot of companies that performed very well in Q1 2018.
So, here is our list of the top 10 best performing companies that are listed on CMC:
1. SALT (SALT)
2. Vertcoin (VTC)
3. RaiBlocks (XRB)
4. ChainLink (LINK)
5. EOS (EOS)
6. Tronix (TRX)
7. Bitcoin Private (BTCP)
8. Loopring (LRC)
9. NEM (XEM)
10. Binance Coin (BNB)
The total crypto market cap has been rising steadily since the lows of mid-December and is now sitting at around $320B. The top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization are all in the green today, with IOTA (MIOTA) being the most notable riser, adding more than 10% over the last 24 hours.
In this article, we will cover the best performing companies from Q1 2018 and their unique value proposition.
While the first quarter of 2018 has been a rough one for the cryptocurrency industry, some companies have managed to outperform their peers and even experience growth during this period. This list highlights the best performing crypto companies in Q1 2018.
The U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange has expanded its operations to Japan, and has seen massive user adoption as a result. Despite being banned from operating in Hawaii, they have continued to grow at an impressive pace. In March, Coinbase acquired Paradex, which is a relayer platform that will allow users to trade hundreds of ERC-20 tokens directly from their wallets.
Binance has been posting some impressive numbers since it was founded in 2017. The crypto exchange currently holds the title for largest bitcoin and altcoin exchange by volume, having traded more than $5 billion worth of bitcoin in under 24 hours earlier this year. Binance also launched its own blockchain last month with plans to launch its own cryptocurrency (BNB) on the new blockchain later this year.
Circle is another American-based company that has experienced strong growth in Q1 2018 following several key partnerships and acquisitions during the quarter. The company recently partnered with Bitmain Technologies Ltd., which is the world
When it comes to the crypto market cap, all eyes are on Bitcoin. The first-ever cryptocurrency is still by far the most popular, with half of the market cap of all digital assets, despite falling from 90% a year ago.
However, there are plenty of other altcoins that have seen gains in the first quarter of 2018. While the total market cap has dropped, it remains higher than the start of the year.
The top 10 best performing cryptocurrencies in Q1 2018 were:
Bitcoin Cash (+129%)
crypto companies of the year.
Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency ever created has indeed become the most widely used digital currency on earth. Ever since the existence of Bitcoin in 2009, it has witnessed unprecedented growth across the world. The reason for its worldwide acceptance is no other than its ability to changed the way transactions are conducted in many electronic platforms. Conventionally, electronic card transactions take approximately three business days to get confirmation. On the other hand, Bitcoin transactions take few minutes to be confirmed on the blockchain.
Aside from being obtained by mining, Bitcoin can be exchanged for other currencies, products, and services. As of February 2015, over 100,000 merchants and vendors accepted bitcoin as payment. According to research produced by Cambridge University in 2017, there are 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users actively using a cryptocurrency wallet, most of them using bitcoin.
The top 10 crypto companies in Q1 2018
A total of $6.3 billion was raised by ICOs in the first quarter of 2018, according to a report by CoinSchedule. This is a drop from Q4 2017, which raised $6.5 billion through 125 projects, but it is much more than the average of the three previous quarters, which were roughly $1 billion each.
The number of ICOs also decreased, with only 271 completed in Q1 2018 compared to the 479 who launched the previous quarter. This is likely due to the cryptocurrency correction that began in January, which continued for most of February and March. However, this may not be entirely bad news for investors as it means ICOs are more selective about how they raise funds.
As well as raising less money than they did at the end of last year, many ICOs have also lost money since going live on exchanges and have struggled to perform as well as their competitors.
Despite this cryptocurrency slump, there were still some notable crypto companies founded or performing well in Q1 of 2018. Here are 10 examples:


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“Dairy-free, cheddar-flavoured cheese.” This particular combination of words might not sound appealing to the average South African, but to some vegans its allure is undeniable.
Over the past few years, and particularly in recent months, Woolworths has been populating its shelves with products like this: vegan alternatives to conventional food items. For these items to be considered vegan, they must not contain any animal products — no dairy, no eggs, no honey.
There is little data on veganism in South Africa, but Woolworths says its decision to offer these products has to do with “a shift in customers’ habits towards a plant-based way of eating”.
“As with any new product range, we always consider local and global trends as well as customer feedback to inform new product development,” said Richard Stockley, head of innovation for Woolworths food.
Veganism is certainly trending. New York-based restaurant consultancy group Baum + Whiteman forecast that “plant-based” would be the number-one food trend of 2018.
Anna Jordan, the director of the South African Vegan Society, agrees that more South Africans are making the transition to a vegan diet. This has led to a definite increase in the demand for vegan food products in recent years, she said.
Embracing the vegan community is regarded as making good business sense.
A 2017 Forbes article, titled “Here’s why you should turn your business vegan in 2018”, cites a number of indicators that “veganising” has the potential to boost business, including the fact that the global vegan cheese market is estimated to be worth just under $4-billion by 2024.
Woolworths, like other retail companies in South Africa, has struggled in the wake of the country’s recent economic instability. But, although the company’s fashion, beauty and home sections performed poorly in the 2017-2018 financial year, Woolworths’ food continued to trade ahead of the market.
In the company’s annual financial statements, Woolworths credited a “focus on quality an innovation” for its food aisles delivering this positive result.
Retail analyst Ron Klipin calls Woolworths a “disruptor in the market”.
“They are way ahead of their competitors in terms of fresh and prepared foods.”
Klipin said he is not surprised by the retailer’s decision to offer more vegan food items, especially considering the growing demand for health foods.
Although Stockley did not offer any details on how Woolworths has measured the success of its vegan range, he did indicate that customers have “responded well” to it.
With South Africa entering a technical recession it seems incongruous that consumers with smaller wallets would still seek out costly vegan products.
But a vegan diet that excludes expensive substitutes for foods, such as dairy products, does not necessarily cost more than that of a meat eater’s diet.
According to Statistics South Africa meat prices rose 9% between April 2017 and April 2018 — a fact that might make adjusting to a vegan diet attractive to those wanting to cut their food costs.
But a vegan diet that relies heavily on food substitutes can be on the more expensive side. Take some of the most popular vegan alternatives: almond milk, dairy-free cheese, vegan burgers or soy yoghurt.
At Woolworths a basket of these items would cost R195.92. The cost of the equivalent containing animal products is R144.41.
The only vegan substitute that costs less than its counterpart is the burger patty at R54.99, compared with the R89.99 for the beef version.
The cheapest basket is the vegetarian one, which comes to R109.41.
However, Woolworths relies on a client base that is willing to fork out a little more than the average South African on certain food items.
“If you look at Woolworths’ target market, most of their consumers have that sort of money to spend,” Klipin said.
The company can afford to price up these products, Klipin added, because its competition is “well behind” in terms of offering healthy and fresh foods.
Jordan said that increased competition is vital to the vegan movement. She noted that these consumers are economically diverse and so not all of them are willing to spend more on food.
“We’re not very happy about paying more. We don’t want to. But at the present time we are relieved that there are those choices,” Jordan said.
For now the idea is to put pressure on retailers, she added. “As the vegan population grows, we are hoping to see prices drop.”


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Stock Markets47 minutes ago (Sep 20, 2021 03:46AM ET)
By Rama Venkat
BENGALURU (Reuters) -Indian used-car platform Cars24 said on Monday it raised $450 million from investors including SoftBank Group, nearly doubling its valuation to $1.84 billion, as demand for personal transport soared during the pandemic.
Car sales have picked up in recent months as curbs ease and people avoid public transport, but carmakers have been hit by semiconductor shortages that have disrupted production. The used-car market has also seen a pick-up in recent months.
Demand for used cars is at an all-time high, Cars24 Chief Executive Officer Vikram Chopra said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
With the chip crunch driving up prices, automakers such as Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors (NYSE:) and Mahindra and Mahindra have taken production hits and raised prices of certain vehicles.
That is expected to benefit Cars24, however, as carmakers have warned that the output hits could stifle their ability to meet heated demand during the upcoming festive season.
The demand for pre-owned cars is expected to see a significant uptick in the next few months, Chopra said.
Cars24, founded in 2015, dominates over 90% of India’s online used-car marketplace and operates across more than 130 cities in India.
The new fund raise included a $340 mln Series F equity round featuring investments from SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2, Tencent Holdings (OTC:) Ltd and DST Global, Cars24 said, along with $110 million in debt from financial institutions.
“With this investment, we will continue to penetrate into existing car, bikes and financing business in India while venturing into new overseas geographies this year,” Chopra said in a separate statement.
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Remember that most of the firms left in the auto industry are actually global. They may have some U.S.-only fashions that are different in terms of gasoline economic system and emissions, but this could’t be the core of their product technique. At this level, China will pressure the world to maintain transferring sooner toward electrical and the EU will keep forcing the world to move towards extra strict fuel financial system and emissions requirements.
While the auto industry rescue resulted in a price of $9.3 billion to the federal government, the price of a disorderly liquidation to the families and companies across the country that rely on the auto industry would have been far greater. The authorities’s actions not only saved GM and Chrysler but they saved many businesses up and down the availability chain. When President Obama took office, America’s car trade was on the brink of collapse. The financial disaster had almost frozen entry to credit for vehicle loans and sales had plunged by 40 %. Faced with that sober actuality, the Obama Administration moved shortly to guard the broader financial system by stabilizing the industry.
Tariffs between the US and China additionally raised the costs of essential automobile-building supplies, biting into producers’ earnings. Navistar International and JAC has a three way partnership referred to as Anhui Jianghuai Navistar. Mahindra & Mahindra and Navistar International have a joint venture known as Mahindra Trucks and Buses Limited.
The electric-powered autonomous automobile will alter the way we drive … Read More


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Take a look at your pantry or maybe the cupboard where you keep the cleaning supplies. Chances are, most of the household products you buy are packaged in plastic. About one-third of the world's plastic winds up in the ocean, according to the World Economic Forum--that amounts to a garbage truck's worth of plastic dumped into the sea every minute. Meanwhile, only 14 percent of it is collected to be recycled.
A New Jersey company called TerraCycle thinks it's time for a better, more radical solution: zero waste. Under the company's Loop system, which launches in April, containers are designed to be reused. As in: You'll be using the same bottle that someone--or a lot of people--has already used.
The system has been years in the making for TerraCycle, which started in the college dorm room of a then-19-year-old entrepreneur named Tom Szaky. And it's no small stunt. Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Clorox, Nestlé, Mars, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo all redesigned their packaging to participate in a pilot program. Products from orange juice and mayonnaise to hand soap and detergent will all come in multi-use containers. Even toothbrushes will be reusable, with the head detaching from the lower half; new sticks of deodorant will be placed into recommissioned bases.
Szaky says the time is finally right for consumers to embrace a new way of consuming products that doesn't generate waste. "I've been doing this waste thing for 16 years, and people have always been aware and in agreement that garbage is a problem," Szaky says. "But, in the past 12 months, the world has awoken in a very, very big way. People are looking for alternatives."
Last year, for example, more than 250 companies ranging from PepsiCo to H&M pledged to cut back on their use of plastic, including making all their packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.
The Loop program launches in Paris on May 14 and in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania on May 21. In those states, customers will buy a product online through the Loop Store and pay a deposit for the container, usually between 25 cents and $10. The goods get shipped in a reusable tote bag. When the containers are empty, UPS picks them up in their original shipping tote. (Unlike with regular recycling, there's no cleaning necessary on the consumer's end.) The containers go to a plant where they're cleaned, sterilized, and refilled, and the whole process begins again.
"It has the same convenience of disposability," Szaky says. "This is how we move packaging and products from being disposable and owned by the consumer to being durable and borrowed by the consumer. Packaging becomes a service."
In France, one of Europe's largest retail chains, Carrefour, will participate in the program. The first U.S. retailer will be announced soon, and Szaky says it will be a company of similar scale. Eventually, the plan is for customers to be able to buy products and drop off the containers in stores.
Some of the products will cost 10 to 15 percent more than usual in addition to the deposit, but many will be on par with their regular prices. Customers get their deposit back once the containers are returned, and they aren't responsible for wear and tear.
This initial pilot run will determine both consumers' appetites for this kind of system as well as how feasible it is and whether the containers last as long as expected. The plan is to roll Loop out in more markets by the end of the year.
Szaky thinks customers won't merely get used to the system--he suspects they'll appreciate the benefits that come with containers that are built to last 100 uses or more. The Clorox wipes receptacle, for example, looks nicer and keeps wipes wet longer. The Häagen-Dazs container has two walls of stainless steel that keep ice cream frozen for hours. "It's such a departure from a coated paper box," he says.
Szaky co-founded TerraCycle while a student at Princeton in 2002. Its initial product was fertilizer made from worm waste and packaged in reused soda bottles. The startup won several competitions and soon muscled its way into retail stores like Home Depot.
Today, the Trenton-based company has 260 employees and several revenue models, all built around principles of extreme sustainability. One arm of the company, which operates in 21 countries, entails recycling products that usually get sent to landfills. Few items are off limits: Used chewing gum gets turned into plastic; soiled diapers are sterilized, separated into their fluffy and plastic parts, and turned into new products; cigarette butts can be turned into park benches or, appropriately, ashtrays.
Those programs, through which TerraCycle partners with companies like P&G, helped lay the foundation for the Loop system. "These relationships took time," Szaky says. "We've been working with these companies for a very long time, for 15 years in some cases. So we've built up a lot of credibility."
TerraCycle isn't the first company to attempt refillable packaging. Some brands, like makeup firm Kjaer Weis, have rolled out their own products in reusable containers. Food cooperatives like Brooklyn's the Wally Shop deliver groceries in reusable containers and bags. But the Loop system appears to be the largest of its kind.
Time will tell how widely it's adopted. "In a perfect world, I love it," says Mitch Hedlund, executive director of Recycle Across America, a nonprofit with the goal of revamping U.S. recycling programs. "Whether it will scale up to the impact they're looking for--that's the biggest question." Hedlund fears that Loop risks becoming a niche program for passionate environmentalists--those living in what she calls the "green bubble."
"The reality is there's a huge percentage of the population who are going to the store looking for convenience and the best deal," she says. "If it can reach critical mass, then I think it's a great solution."
For its part, TerraCycle pulled in nearly $33 million in revenue in 2018, up from $24 million the previous year. Szaky expects that number to jump again this year, thanks to Loop. The company appeared on Inc.'s list of the fastest-growing private companies four consecutive years from 2009 to 2012.
Talking numbers like these reminds Szaky of the company's earliest days, around the time he took an economics class in college. The entrepreneur recalls being taught the Friedman theory that the sole purpose of a company is to deliver profit to shareholders.
"That just took the wind out of my sails," he says. "Yes, you want your company to be profitable so you know it has a future. But I think the purpose of a business is what it does--what service it provides, what product it makes, how it helps people, society, planet. I wanted to create a business that puts those things first."