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The series, which was co-created by Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, launched earlier this month on premium cable net Starz in the US.
The company’s digital division, Starz Digital Media, has now licensed the show to Amazon Instant Video, blinkbox, Google Play, iTunes, Sony Entertainment Network, and Xbox Video.
Episodes will be available to buy on each of the services two days after their Saturday transmission in the US.
Episodes can be bought individually or digital customers can pre-buy the full season at a discounted rate. The platforms control the pricing but Starz recommends a price point of £2.49 (US$4.18) per episode or £14.99 for the full series.
“Enthusiasm from our digital partners in the United Kingdom for the latest Starz original series, Power, led us to give UK fans a unique opportunity to purchase episodes the next business day after their respective worldwide premieres,” said Mara Winokur, senior VP, digital at Starz Digital Media.
Starz produces Power and its sales divisions are distributing it to digital and linear platforms. The show had its international premiere at a screening at MIPTV in April.


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Farfetch and Mytheresa both reported booming sales in their latest results on Thursday, as the pandemic continued to send more shoppers hunting for high-end goods online. The question facing both companies is what will happen as luxury shoppers are once again able to travel and visit physical stores.
Farfetch is still the giant to beat in the space, and the market agrees. Its stock price has increased 546.5 percent over the last year. This week, Credit Suisse analyst Stephen Ju predicted the marketplace will grow its active user base tenfold by 2026, driven by its new joint venture in China with tech-giant Alibaba. Its goal remains to grow very large, very quickly: an official launch on TMall is due in the first week of March, and an expansion into the beauty market in 2022.
The company sold more than $3 billion worth of goods in 2020, up 49 percent year-over-year, generating revenue of $1.7 billion and achieving positive adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter for the first time. Profitability is still the goal for 2021. The company reported lower operating costs in 2020 and said customer acquisition costs declined to more efficient customer targeting. It also said discounts decreased in 2020 as brands took more control over their sales channels.
Mytheresa is aiming to succeed in a different lane: the wholesale retailer is hoping its high-income customers and close relationships with luxury brands keep it growing steadily, if slower than Farfetch, even after the pandemic. It has the advantage of running a profitable business model for years, reducing the pressure to expand at a breakneck pace, though as a newly public company it must show it has momentum.
At the German-based online luxury retailer’s first earnings call as a public company on Thursday, the company’s leader hammered a clear message: we are stable, profitable, debt-free and growing.
But in a competitive market where luxury brands hold substantial leverage, even a clean balance sheet and a wealthy audience may not be enough to survive. Some analysts, like Berstein’s Luca Solca, believe it is yet to be seen if there is a “viable and profitable competitive space for a differentiated multi-brand digital retailer,” like Mytheresa, which he said is undermined by high customer acquisition costs, over-reliance on Europe and low average order value. Other analysts, like Flavio Cereda of Jefferies, see Mytheresa’s strong financials, fruitful relationship with key brands, high-net-worth customer base and potential for global expansion as strong advantages.
Its latest results were in line with or better than analyst expectations. In the last three months of 2020, the all-important holiday season, Mytheresa reported net sales grew 33 percent to €158.6 million ($194 million), thanks to a record number of first-time shoppers. And during the last six months of the year, net sales increased 30 percent to €285 million, with an adjusted EBITDA of €32.6 million up from €17.2 million during the same period last year. Net income was €25.4 million ($31 million), up from €2 million ($2.4 million) the prior year. Growth was stronger in Europe and the US than Asia Pacific, where customers are more comfortable going to stores.
Shares ended down 4.7 percent on Thursday at $30.98.
Chief executive Michael Kliger was careful to stress that the company’s recent growth was due to more than just store closures amid pandemic lockdowns. He argued that the company is well-positioned to capture a significant part of the growing share of online luxury shares, projected to represent 30 percent of the market by 2025, by focusing on ultra-high net worth customers who represent the top 30 percent of the luxury personal goods market.
Mytheresa’s differentiator, the company posits, is a higher-end and more highly curated product offering than its much larger competitors, including Farfetch and Net-a-Porter. The company said the top 30 percent of its customers spend more than €15,000 with the company each year on average.
But finding and catering to those customers is expensive, and its customer acquisition costs are more than three times higher than that of Farfetch, according to a January note from Bernstein’s Solca. Mytheresa reported that customer acquisition costs have decreased recently, without disclosing metrics. Kliger said the company is aiming to cut back on marketing to customers with less propensity to buy and allocating more toward frequent shoppers.
The company still has work to do to increase its brand awareness with consumers. “We believe there is still more opportunity to improve online marketing efficiencies,” said Kliger. “We will continue to invest heavily in our growth while not needing or wanting to sacrifice our current profitability level.”
Mytheresa’s wholesale-reliant model, where it buys products and sells them at a markup, is another concern for investors, as many top brands have moved toward a direct sales model in recent years. Kliger said the company was in talks with brand partners to “increase merchandise availability,” with potential concession-style deals through the platform. As more luxury brands push to shift more of the sales direct-to-consumer, multi-brand platforms are pivoting to maintain those key relationships. Recently, Net-a-Porter agreed to a deal with Prada to drop-ship its products instead. Farfetch has already invested in “e-concession” relationships with brands.
We always stressed that our model probably will evolve as the industry overall evolves.
“We always stressed that our model probably will evolve as the industry overall evolves,” Kliger said. “We are in discussions with some major brands that would allow us to have on a more continuous basis, access to products, more products.... Nothing has been developed and also fully laid out in terms of financials.”
Mytheresa’s ability to offer limited-edition or special products from luxury brands will be key to growing its customer base. “Access to more selection, more access to items that are already sold out, items that are limited distribution is [all] highly interesting to our customers,” said Kliger.
Mytheresa will have to fight harder for access to limited-edition product as Farfetch continues to expand its dominant reach across the industry with both consumer-facing sales and brand-facing services.
“Farfetch has made the most of the digital luxury acceleration produced by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Solca said in a note.
Gaining market share and investing in the Chinese market, the second largest region for the marketplace, remain the top priorities for Farfetch. Other key areas of focus include forming deeper partnerships with luxury brands through e-concessions and store services and creating a stronger brand identity for Farfetch with consumers both in the West and in Asia.
“Building our brand is a tremendous opportunity, I always joke that we are a bigger business than we are a brand,” said founder and chief executive Jose Neves in an interview.
Neves defended Farfetch’s e-concession model, which counts 550 brand partners. He said it cost millions of dollars and six years to develop the technology, that offers a brand’s entire product offering online, and similar models on the market are simply a “financial arrangement” by which brands get better margins and retailers barely benefit. With a new system that Farfetch is offering to Burberry, Harrods has access to all of the British brand’s products from its mono-brand stores and distribution centres, which are then drop-shipped to Harrod’s online shoppers.
Farfetch’s owned brands through New Guards Group saw strong growth in 2020, too, with revenue more than doubling to $390 million and a profit margin of 48.9 percent. Chief financial officer Elliot Jordan highlighted the success of Palm Angels in particular.

domain: news


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A cracker that survived the sinking of the Titanic was sold for approximately 20,000 euros to a collector from Greece, according to a Daily Mail report.
Henry Aldridge & Son auction in Wiltshire sold the cracker, with Andrew Aldridge saying: “It’s the world’s most valuable biscuit.” Now it belongs to a Greek collector.
The biscuit belonged to a survival kit in one of the ocean liner’s lifeboat. It was the property of James Fenwick, a passenger of the SS Carpathia who volunteered to rush to the aid of the survivors of the sinking ship. Fenwick kept the cracker as a souvenir.
He put the snack in a Kodak photographic envelope and wrote a note which stated ‘Pilot biscuit from Titanic lifeboat April 1912’.
The auctioneer told the Daily Mail: “It is incredible that this biscuit has survived such a dramatic event – the sinking of the world’s largest ocean liner – costing 1,500 lives.”
The Titanic sank during its maiden voyage to New York from Southampton after the supposedly ‘unsinkable’ ship struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912. The ship sank at around 02:20 on April 15.


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ResortQuest International Inc. said today its loss widened in the fourth quarter to $17.5 million from a loss of $6.2 million a year ago, despite a 23.9 percent gain in lodging revenues from its Hawaii holdings.
ResortQuest gets lift
from Hawaii sales
Revenues, however, increased 11.6 percent to $34.4 million from $30.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2001.
ResortQuest, which owns the Aston Hotels & Resorts chain in the islands and operates dozens of vacation businesses on the mainland, said its Hawaii resorts' same-store gross lodging revenues were $33.1 in the fourth quarter, up from $26.7 million a year earlier, as it benefited from higher occupancy rates and revenue per available unit. Same-store lodging refers to properties that have been operated by ResortQuest for at least a year.
Overall, total gross lodging revenues rose 10.5 percent in the quarter to $58.5 million from $52.9 million a year earlier.
"We are encouraged by the quarter's sharp increase in total gross lodging revenues," said Park Brady, chief operating officer of ResortQuest. "Most notably, same-store sales in Hawaii, while still not up to historical levels, are continuing their strong rebound."
Excluding special items and charges, ResortQuest had a net loss in the quarter of $7.2 million.
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Unemployment: Hong Kong is gradually recovering from the post-Covid period, unemployment has steadily fallen from 7.2% in February 2021 to 4.5% in September., a new 14-months low. While this is still a relatively high comparing to under 3% unemployment rate back in 2019, the government is also optimistic that the labour market will further improve with the disbursement of the electronic consumption voucher from August 2021. Recent stats also shown that Hong Kong retail sales climbed for the seventh straight month and rose by 11.9% from a year earlier which also indicates that the retail market is recovering.
Hiring trends: IT remains the hottest industry, the industry is facing a growing talent shortage in data science/analytics, cloud and cybersecurity. The demand for IT talents is so huge that companies are starting to recruit overseas in countries like India and Philippines or simply turn to IT outsourcing service providers. Shipping & logistics follows closely after IT, while a lot of companies benefited from the Covid situation over the last 24 months, they are also facing the uncertainty of supply-chain challenges in countries with strict lock-down protocols, and insufficient labour supply. According to a HR survey, 65% of companies indicated the main reason for increased headcounts is company expansion and this is followed by growth in new roles (32%), which are strong indicators that the economy is in a expansion stage.
Emigration and its impact upon the labour market: Almost 90,000 Hong Kong citizens left the city over the last 12 months, according to the latest statistics. Hong Kong also experienced a significant drop of 1.2% in population, an alarming situation for the labour market. Industries like banking & investment, accounting, legal and compliance, media & marketing are facing the an exodus of mid-level to senior professionals emigrate from the city, and potentially creating a talent shortage in many organisations over the next few years. While a mass emigration may bring short term instability to organisations, some see this as an opportunity for high potential younger generation to be fast-tracked along the organisation ladder. Gemini also expects to see a growing demand in talent development and career pathing solutions over the next few years to counter the negative impact brought by this emigration, maintaining an agile, engaged and competent workforce will be a vital task for HR professionals. For more info on HR digitisation, please continue to read the article below!


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It’s a mobile webhead’s dream. Instead of hooking a laptop up to a cellular modem, paying extra fees and draining cell phone minutes to download data at a snail’s pace, soon it may be possible to turn that laptop on anywhere and connect to the Internet at speeds comparable to those of digital subscriber line or cable modem services, thanks to a new wireless broadband system from San Bruno, CA-based IPWireless.
Although the broadband-Internet market has fallen short of predicted demand, Peter Jarich, director of broadband research for Washington, DC-based Strategis Group, believes IPWireless’s scheme is different enough from other options to succeed. “What we’re talking about here is something fairly new and fairly revolutionary,” he says. “People really say they would like this kind of thing. If they could move around, and if they could take it with them, there is definitely demand out there.”
The system will beam broadband data from base stations to wireless modems that can plug into any device with a USB port, from laptop to personal digital assistant. IPWireless will manufacture the base stations, which wireless companies like Sprint PCS and Verizon can simply attach to their existing cell towers. Unlike existing wireless data services, IPWireless’s technology is based on worldwide third-generation (3G) wireless standards-which offer both mobility and high bandwidth where other systems offer only one or the other. 3G transmissions can penetrate objects like trees and walls, and should result in fewer dropped signals for users and fewer required base stations for cellular companies.
Craig Wireless, a wireless data service provider operating in Canada and the U.S., plans to deploy IPWireless’s technology in Vancouver, British Columbia, in May or June. IPWireless is also talking with undisclosed companies in the U.S. and Europe. Although pricing will be up to individual resellers, IPWireless says they should be able to deploy and sell the service at a profit without charging any more than for DSL. So far, no other broadband option-including DSL-has managed to regularly make profits while delivering service at such prices. IPWireless thinks its technology will buck that trend because users can simply plug in the $300 to $400 Palm-sized modem (above)-initially made only by IPWireless-and sign up online, eliminating the costly need for technicians to set up new connections on-site.
Though IPWireless is likely to be first to market, several other firms have begun trials of competing portable broadband technologies (see table). If Web surfers find the technology enticing, the Internet revolution could finally be on the move.
Other Mobile Broadband Firms
|BeamReach Networks||Sunnyvale, CA|
|Navini Networks||Richardson, TX|
|Iospan Wireless||San Jose, CA|
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Digiday+ Research: Where publishers see revenue growth in 2022
For all the progress publishers have made in diversifying their businesses, many of them head into 2022 more optimistic about their advertising businesses than the revenue streams that complement them, according to new Digiday+ research.
In November, Digiday polled publisher professionals on a number of topics, including how 2021 went for them and what they expect from the new year. 137 of them answered questions about how they think 2022 will go, both for their companies and for the media industry as a whole. The sample included input from publishers big and small — 50 respondents work at publishers with annual revenues over $50 million, 30 work at publishers with annual revenues between $10 million and $49.9 million, and 49 at places with revenue under $10 million; eight said they didn’t know their company’s annual revenue.
And as one might expect from an industry whose digital sector is projected to grow by 39% in 2022, most respondents foresee a good year. Three quarters of them agree their ad revenues will grow in the new year; among publishers that do not rely on consumer revenue at all, 85% agree that ad revenue growth is on the cards.
Yet there are nuances to how that optimism is distributed. Among publishers that consider subscriptions to be a primary source of revenue, for example, a greater share are optimistic about their subscription revenues growing than the share that’s optimistic about their ad revenue.
The data also reveals that media’s pivot to paid is still in motion. A bit less than one fifth of the respondents that do not have subscription businesses said that they expect subscription revenues to grow this year, for example. Similarly, nearly half of all publishers — 47% — said they expect their commerce revenues will grow in 2022.
The optimism that most respondents feel about their own employers’ prospects only extends so far, though.
While more than 40% of respondents strongly agreed that they were optimistic about their company’s prospects for 2022, only about 20% felt the same about the media industry as a whole.
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The Protocol of Intentions was signed yesterday in Moscow between Serbian Galenika, Russian Farminex and PSP Farman on the construction of a pharmaceutical factory in the region of Kalush.
The Protocol was signed at the meeting of the Russian-Serbian intergovernment committee for economic, trade and scientific-technical cooperation.
Galenika Deputy Director Zarko Ilic said to the press that the Protocol determined the obligations of all three sides: Galenika, as the oldest manufacturer of drugs in Serbia, Farminex, which is one of the national distributors of drugs in Russia, and PSP Farman, as a construction company.
According to his words, the plan is that the factory construction commences in April or May 2011 and be finished in two years.
– What will be built the first is a facility for production of so-called solid forms – pills and capsules, with the capacity of between 500m and 550m per year, while total capacities should result in a profit of 40 million euros on annual basis – said Ilic.
According to him, until the factory is finished, Galenika will be exporting drugs to Russia on the basis of an agreement worth 3 million euros that has been signed this year.
Ilic also said that it was difficult to work and sell drugs in Russia if the company had no national production.
He stated that the government had passed the decision that the share of foreign drugs in Russian market should be reduced from current 70% to 40%.
– Being aware of that, we have made the decision on the factory construction. The competition is huge because annual consumption amounts to about 10.5 billion euros, while between 7 and 7.5% of drugs are imported – said Ilic.


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Like many children,
knows what he wants for Christmas: a gift card for the Roblox videogame. What makes him different is that he is also the face of a toy brand himself that buttresses a $150 million retail empire. He is 8 years old.
Ryan made his name opening toys in YouTube videos, amassing 23 million subscribers to his “Ryan’s World” channel and more than $20 million a year in advertising revenue. Now, the second-grader from Texas is building his knack for “unboxing”—opening boxes of toys on camera—into a formidable franchise, with a TV show on children’s cable channel Nickelodeon and deals with
to sell his own line of toys, toothbrushes and even underwear.
Ryan’s first retail products hit shelves in 2018 through an exclusive partnership with Walmart. For this holiday season, Ryan’s parents, Shion Guan and Loann Guan, and his licensing and entertainment studio, pocket.watch, had bigger ambitions—to have more Ryan products in more stores and in as many departments as possible. To help Ryan understand the magnitude of his popularity, his father has considered presenting Ryan, who uses a stage name, with 23 million beans or marbles.
Ryan and other YouTube child stars’ influence has arguably eclipsed that of traditional TV commercials as children spend more time on the streaming platform. Today, there are roughly 1,000 Ryan products being carried in 75,000 stores. In Walmart’s toy aisle, there is Ryan’s “super surprise safe,” which retails for $39.82. It is a plastic cabinet with several boxes inside that children can bash, smash or tear through to get to the various Ryan-branded trinkets within, including slime and action figures. In the bedding aisle at Target, a $40 Ryan’s World “Twin Mystery Sleepover Egg Super Blanky” hides a half dozen surprise goodies including a pillowcase and a mask.
“We wanted to make ‘Ryan’s World’ a bigger global franchise than anything on TV,” said
founder and chief executive officer of pocket.watch, a Culver City, Calif., studio that seeks to turn YouTube child stars into franchises.
Retail sales for Ryan-branded products are expected to reach $150 million this year, compared with $42 million a year ago, according to pocket.watch.
A study by the NPD Group commissioned by the Toy Association said 42% of surveyed boys ages 2 to 5 said that they discovered toys on YouTube. The survey, which was released in November, also showed that 63% of respondents up to age 14 said that they bought or requested an item because they saw it on YouTube. About 43% of those respondents said the item was a toy, followed by videogames at 23%.
Ryan’s mom said she and her then-3-year-old began uploading videos of him opening toys in 2015 after he watched other children doing it and asked her if he could too. “Ryan ToysReview” was born. The reviews could be as brief as “awesome” or “wow” followed by several minutes of Ryan playing with the toys. Views and advertising money poured in, and he has been YouTube’s top earner two years running, according to Forbes.
That power has attracted some negative attention, particularly as the family began to get paid to feature certain toys or go to places like Chuck E. Cheese, according to a complaint filed by a consumer watchdog group. In August, Truth in Advertising wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission accusing the channel of deceptively pushing sponsored products to preschool-aged children who can’t distinguish ads from neutral content. Truth in Advertising said that it hasn’t received a response from the FTC. The agency said it doesn’t comment on submitted complaints.
A spokesperson for the family said they follow all terms of service and honor all existing laws regarding ad disclosure requirements.
Ryan also unboxes mystery toys on YouTube, in which a toy is hidden inside another one, like the safe. The “mystery surprise” category has become so big that traditional toy manufacturers are elevating it to new heights this holiday season.
Jim Silver, editor of review site Toys, Tots, Pets and More, or ttpm.com, estimates that this year eight of the top 10 toy companies are carrying things that have a surprise packaging element to it. In comparison, “only a handful” were doing it three years ago.
MGA Entertainment Inc. CEO
said he came across a gaggle of YouTube videos of children unboxing toys a few years ago. He thought it was strange but undeniably popular given the number that came up when he searched for the term. The next day he told his team to make “the ultimate unboxing toy,” he said. The brand that evolved from that—L.O.L. Surprise—has become a hit. Mr. Larian estimates the line has generated $5 billion in retail sales world-wide this year, up about 25% from last year. This year’s “L.O.L. Surprise Amazing Surprise” is an elaborate toy-opening maze consisting of a suitcase packed with 14 dolls and over 70 surprise baubles. It costs $98 and takes a child an average of one hour and 23 minutes to open, Mr. Larian said.
The question of how the YouTube page will evolve as Ryan gets older and the wish to minimize Ryan’s workload prompted his father, a former structural engineer, to start to imagine a world that expands beyond Ryan to animated characters.
Ryan goes to public school and spends three to four hours a week filming for the family’s nine channels, which produce more than 30 videos. “There was a huge risk of introducing those characters and scaling the business back from Ryan, but as a parent that was a risk we were willing to take to balance Ryan’s personal life.”
Child-development experts say that common-sense parenting, like making sure Ryan plays with other children his age, validating his emotions and tucking him in at night, would limit risks that could come with being a child YouTube star.
“If the commercialization undermines the opportunity for that kind of small group of friends playing without adult supervision, then that would be a risk,” said Dr. W. George Scarlett, a senior lecturer and Tisch Fellow at Tufts University who specializes in child development.
At age 8, Ryan wouldn’t necessarily understand what it means to be a star and have his face splashed across a thousand products, said Dr. Scarlett. That can become trickier as he hits his teen years, develops an awareness and can feel the pressure, Dr. Scarlett said.
The family’s production company, Sunlight Entertainment, has 30 employees who are tasked with creating a cast of animated characters and story lines that can take more of the spotlight. For instance, his father saw Ryan’s interest shift from opening toys to playing videogames, he designed a character named Combo Panda, a headphone-wearing cartoon animal that plays and reviews games. Ryan’s shows have expanded to include science experiments and DIY projects.
Mr. Williams of pocket.watch sees the brand already making the transition away from Ryan. He points to the Kellogg’s Ryan’s World Cereal on sale at Walmart. It isn’t Ryan’s face on the box, but that of Red Titan, Ryan’s cartoon superhero alter ego.
Write to Yoree Koh at [email protected]
Corrections & Amplifications
The parents of YouTube influencer Ryan Kaji are named Shion Guan and Loann Guan. Kaji is a stage name. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said their last name was Kaji. (Dec. 23, 2019)
Copyright ©2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8


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Death by AI
It's worrying that China will be leading AI considering they have yet to master safety for building lifts and escalators.
Alibaba has created a subsidiary to design and build silicon for artificial intelligence. The AI business will be called Pingtouge, the Chinese nickname of the small but aggressive honey badger. The chipset, the product of the company's Damo Academy R&D arm, is dubbed Ali-NPU. The company spoke of its plans at its annual …
Biting the hand that feeds IT © 1998–2022


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Bloober Team ended up putting their finger prints around the new generation consoles this walk around. Not only was Observer: System Redux a launch title for the PS5 as well as Xbox Series X/S, The Tool was the initial prominent next gen unique title for Microsoft’s new machine that appeared at the beginning of this year. Now they also will certainly both see physical box launches.
Bloober Group announced by means of a news release that they would certainly be partnering with Koch Media to release physical retail versions of both horror titles. Koch Media becomes part of the ever broadening Embracer Group. There is no day or period given for when to anticipate these releases or under which tag they will be published under, only that Koch will be dealing with the posting tasks worldwide.
Until then, Viewer: System Redux is readily available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X/S and also PC as well as The Tool is available on Xbox Collection X/S and PC by means of electronic ways, with the latter still getting on Xbox Game Pass.


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All eyes are always on the Golden Globes, but tonight, the red carpet holds a special meaning. After the last months of 2017 were rocked by revelations of sexual assault, harassment, and rape from some of Hollywood's biggest actresses and actors, the eleven year-old #MeToo movement started by Tarana Burke became a part of the mainstream conversation around sexual abuse. Some of the industry's biggest power players then coalesced at the beginning of 2018 with #TIMESUP: #MeToo's sister initiative that is translating the harrowing stories of survivors from speaking truth to power into action.
Dynamos like Ava Duvernay, Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon, and Meryl Streep are just a handful of women leading the charge for change, which involves a moment of solidarity on tonight's Golden Globes red carpet, with all those who support the movement wearing black. Ahead of the red carpet, we wanted to talk to some of the people who have a huge stake in not only the red carpet, but the image of some of Hollywood's most well-known figures: the stylists behind their fashion moments. Stylist Anita Patrickson is one of Tinseltown's go-to image makers for both women and men who like taking style risks: think Eiza Gonzalez, This Is Us's Justin Hartley, and Julianne Hough. We talked to Patrickson about why she's dressing her clients in all-black tonight, what she's looking forward to this awards season, and why the safety of women is paramount in every industry all around the globe.
Teen Vogue: The Golden Globes are always a big night for Hollywood and fashion, but with the Time's Up campaign and the black dress protest happening tonight, it's going to be a very pivotal and monumental evening. A couple of hours ago, you took to Instagram to share your thoughts on tonight's red carpet. But I wanted to hear from you personally about what the actresses and actors are doing tonight with wearing all-black and what your thoughts are on using fashion as a way to protest and stand up for a cause like this.
Anita Patrickson: I think it's fantastic. Fashion has always been such an amazing way to express yourself because it's so personal and it's really an outlet. This to me is no different, really. It's about standing out and showing solidarity while doing that. One thing that's great about this is that it isn't supposed to be elitist, but all-encompassing for all women, all men, and all people. Everyone within the community from all walks of life and professions to feel like they have a voice. And obviously this amazing fund that has been created and to show support for everyone who has suffered.
TV: And as many people as there are like yourself who have supported the movement across industries banding together to show their support, there has been a lot of criticism from those who think wearing black on the red carpet is not enough. Both you and I know that fashion can be really powerful because it's a form of self-expression. So what are your thoughts on the responses that are urging people in Hollywood to do more?


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Collected R.I. Glass Now Being Recycled
February 22, 2013
JOHNSTON, R.I. — Glass collected curbside in Rhode Island is now getting recycled. The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) began shipping a limited quantity of glass to a processor and sorter in Massachusetts about a month ago. Now all glass is being shipped there, unless it is unusable.
The state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) mandates the collection of glass for recycling. But the high cost of shipping to a recycler has prevented glass collected at the curb from getting remade into new bottles. Since 2003, glass brought to the state recycling facility had been crushed and used as daily cover for the landfill. In 2012, the General Assembly passed a bill that prohibited the use of glass in daily cover in order to address odor problems at the Central Landfill. Since July, all glass has been buried with other trash.
Recycling glass in Rhode Island is cost prohibitive due to low demand and the distance to ship it. Sand, the raw material for glass, is inexpensive and plentiful. Shipping used glass to a bottle maker exceeds the cost of making new bottles.
In fact, demand for glass bottles from beverage makers has dropped dramatically in recent years as plastic-bottle use has proliferated. Beer companies are now the most consistent user of glass bottles, but aluminum cans are quickly becoming the more preferable container.
The expense to ship glass, according RIRRC officials, will eat into the profits that are ultimately shared with Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns. RIRCC currently isn’t paying a tipping fee on the glass, just transporation costs to the Franklin, Mass., processor. If a tipping fee is ever charged, the cost could become too prohibitive to continue the program.
The best solution to paying for glass recycling at all is to keep it local, said Krystal Noiseux, recycling program manager at RIRRC. “The long-term fix for Rhode Island’s glass remains having a glass manufacturer open right here.”
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Strengthening its market leadership, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer, registered yet another month of strong sales. The company sold 591,091 units of motorcycles and scooters in November 2020.
Continuing to ride over the challenging market conditions caused by Covid-19, Hero MotoCorp reported a robust double-digit growth of 14.4% over the corresponding month of the previous year (November 2019), when the company had sold 516,775 units.
The company has reported domestic sales of 591,091 units in November 2020, as compared to 516,775 units in November 2019. Exports were also higher in November 2020 at 15,134 units as against 10,781 units in November 2019.
The company has sold 541,437 Motorcycles in November 2020, as compared to 479,434 in November 2019. Scooters sales jumped to 49,654 units in November 2020, as against 37,341 units in November 2019.
Hero MotoCorp has led the revival in the two-wheeler industry this year and this was witnessed in the record retail sales that the company registered in the recently concluded festival period. More than 14 lakh units were retailed in the 32-day period starting from Navratras till Bhai-Duj.
A best-in-class product portfolio, various festive initiatives, new-age digital sales solutions and a safe and sanitized customer buying experience at dealerships enabled the surge in sales.
The strong growth in sales has seen the company further strengthening its market leadership across motorcycle and scooter category, signaling the strong faith that Indian buyers continue to show for the most trusted brands.
The company has been continuously ramping up supply and production across its manufacturing units to cater to the increased demand. Hero MotoCorp believes that the growth in personal mobility post Covid-19 restrictions will further strengthen the demand for two-wheelers. The company intends to further strengthen its product portfolio, as well as consumer offerings to ride this wave further.
Shares of HERO MOTOCORP LTD. was last trading in BSE at Rs.3108.9 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 3104.65. The total number of shares traded during the day was 34900 in over 2994 trades.
The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 3150 and intraday low of 3075. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 108532519.


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Your visual brand identity is more than a logo. Adding a full suite of visual details takes it from mere logo to full brand design. A strategic brand identity means your customers can recognize your brand from a mile away. They will know it’s your Instagram post before they read who posted it. And they will be able to recognize your product and packaging from across a store.
The National Stationery Show took place last week. Craft Industry Alliance member Arianne Foulks was there and she brings us this report.
NY NOW is a wholesale trade show for the gift market. It takes place twice a year in New York City. Arianne Foulks attended the show last week and sent in this report.


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Pandemic, Recession Will Likely Lead To Different Holiday Shopping Season
It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means the holiday shopping season is about to begin in earnest — although in truth, it really already has, with commercials and sales not waiting for Black Friday.
But how will holiday shopping look during a pandemic and recession?
Sabrina Helm is an associate professor of Retailing and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona. The Show spoke with her for more on what she's expecting to see this year.


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Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, announces that Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0 has received a VB100 award from respected British magazine Virus Bulletin. The product successfully passed the publication’s latest comparative tests, demonstrating full compatibility with the recently released Windows Vista Service Pack 1.
The specialists at Virus Bulletin tested 37 antivirus products on a Windows Vista Service Pack 1 operating system. As well as comparing how effectively the antivirus products detected malware, compatibility with the latest Microsoft update was also assessed.
Almost half of the products, including McAfee VirusScan, Trend Micro Internet Security and BitDefender, failed to shine during the test, missing several known malicious programs. A number of the products also displayed instabilities running on the updated Windows Vista platform.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0 performed admirably throughout the testing process, demonstrating effective malware detection and superior stability on the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 platform. The performance earned the product yet another VB100 award, one of the most prestigious in the antivirus industry. According to John Hawes, author of the review, “Kaspersky has a long and illustrious record, producing consistently excellent detection rates and unimpeachable standards of design and implementation.”
“The compatibility of our products with the latest Microsoft updates has always been a top priority for us,” comments Alexey Kalgin, deputy product director at Kaspersky Lab. “For a number of years now we have had Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status and we are constantly taking part in Microsoft ISV Early Access Programs, which allows us to test the compatibility of our products with new platforms and service packs at the beta stage. This means we can guarantee that our users will have no problems when an updated version of Windows is officially released. The latest versions of our products are fully compatible with all versions of Windows Vista SP1, including the 64-bit version.”
Additional information about Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0 can be found on the official Kaspersky Lab site at www.kaspersky.com/kaspersky_anti-virus.
The full version of the comparative review of antivirus products running on Windows Vista Service Pack 1 can be found on the Virus Bulletin website (paid subscription required).
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is the largest antivirus company in Europe. It delivers some of the world’s most immediate protection against IT security threats, including viruses, spyware, crimeware, hackers, phishing, and spam. The Company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users. Kaspersky Lab products provide superior detection rates and one of the industry’s fastest outbreak response times for home users, SMBs, large enterprises and the mobile computing environment. Kaspersky® technology is also used worldwide inside the products and services of the industry’s leading IT security solution providers. Learn more at . For the latest on antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and other IT security issues and trends, visit www.viruslist.com.


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EV designer Zero Labs has shared demonstration footage of its proprietary EV platform designed specifically for classic cars being implemented on a 50-year-old truck. In a process it’s cleverly calling “retrobution,” the company electrifies the truck in just 24 hours. The video offers evidence that classic gasoline or diesel vehicles from previous decades can successfully be converted to fully electric versions to help reduce emissions.
EV conversion Stories April 27
EV conversion Stories October 29, 2020
GM has unveiled its 1977 Chevy K5 Blazer-E converted to electric power with its upcoming eCrate conversion kit using Chevy Bolt EV batteries.
EV conversion Stories October 9, 2020
EV West has unveiled its new Tesla crate motor mount kit to drop into V8 muscle cars in electric conversion projects.
EV conversion Stories August 6, 2020
A Tesla powertrain, along with several other Tesla parts, were used to turn Johnny Cash’s Rolls-Royce into a unique electric car with 200 miles of range.
EV conversion Stories September 5, 2019
VW becomes the latest automaker to standardize the electric conversion of its classic cars – starting with classic Beetles. They unveiled the first prototype ahead of the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany. expand full story
EV conversion Stories August 27, 2019
A French startup is trying to streamline electric conversion with Tesla batteries in order to offer a relatively cheap way to convert older fossil fuel-powered cars. expand full story
EV conversion Stories April 10, 2019
One of the coolest electric conversions we have ever seen, an old-school VW Bug powered by Tesla batteries, is being given away for a good cause. expand full story
EV conversion Stories November 14, 2018
EV conversion Stories October 31, 2018
ICON, a restomod company based in Los Angeles, and Stealth EV, a company specializing in electric car conversions, unveiled a new EV conversion at SEMA today: a 1949 Mercury coupe with a Tesla battery pack. expand full story
EV conversion Stories October 15, 2018
As I stated in my ‘Taking a Tesla Model 3 Performance to the dragstrip‘ post yesterday, there was only one other electric vehicle at the track this weekend and it was a special one: A Tesla-powered Honda S2000 that ran the quarter-mile in 10 seconds. expand full story


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Millennials grew up on social media and even use it to make payments these days. Should your business accept payments from social apps to attract younger buyers?
Nov 27, 2017
New data reveals modest intent for small business owners to accept emerging payment options as consumers drive toward a cashless future.
May 03, 2017


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Mr Biden’s $1.9trillion (£1.6tn) plan to help the US economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic is set to clear a final legislative hurdle when the House of Representatives votes on the measure on Tuesday. It is the third major spending package to counter the pandemic, and the first since Mr Biden took office in January with his Democrats narrowly in control of both houses of Congress. There is plenty of debate about whether the package is the right call.
To its supporters, it will reboot an economy in dire need of help, while to its critics it is a potentially inflationary overkill.
According to financial columnist and author Matthew Lynn the world will find out in due course but one point is surely clear: it is a fantastic opportunity for exporters to the US, Britain included.
He explained: “American consumers will be awash with cash.
“And given that the US is our largest trading partner, British businesses should be able to benefit from it just as much as American ones.
“Play it right, and financial services, drugs, media, fashion, upmarket cars and drinks brands could all be among the big winners from the spending spree – but they need to start preparing for that now.”
Indeed, given the relative importance of the US to British exporters, Mr Lynn claims the UK should see more of a boost than anyone aside from Canada and Mexico.
He added in his piece for the Telegraph: “It is a vast opportunity, and with our departure from the European Union still making that market difficult, it could hardly have come at a better time.
“In truth, President Biden is launching one of the great consumer booms of all time.
“He is determined to make the ‘roaring Twenties’ a reality, whatever the cost.
“There are risks to that, and the financial markets will have to assess them as the spending spree unfolds. But there will also be plenty of opportunities.
“It may end badly, but in the meantime it is going to be quite a party.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson might be pleased about Mr Lynn’s claims – as the US-UK trade deal he promised to reboot Britain’s economy after Brexit appears to be at risk now more than ever.
The European Commission is threatening the Government with legal action after differences on their post-Brexit trade agreement and more specifically areas involving Northern Ireland have become much more apparent.
Both sides agreed to conduct checks on goods moving across the Irish Sea, going from Scotland, Wales and England to Northern Ireland as the latter is still part of the single market.
The clause was signed as a measure to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland and respect the Good Friday Agreement signed in 1998.
Britain had until the end of March 2021 to implement the checks – but it has now decided to extend the grace period until October.
According to the European Commission, this breaches the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol and international law.
London responded by saying the UK had warned the Commission earlier this week before going public with the news and argued that the delay was a “temporary” technical step “to provide more time for businesses such as supermarkets and parcel operators to adapt to and implement the new requirements”.
Nevertheless, Britain’s move is likely to draw outcry – not just from Europe but also from across the Atlantic.
When last year, Mr Lewis told the Commons that the Government intended to break international law in a “limited and specific way” in the later ditched internal market bill, the then-US presidential hopeful Mr Biden warned about the need to respect the Good Friday Agreement.
Now that he has become US President, Mr Biden could take an ever harder stance on the issue.
Trade adviser Shanker Singham told Express.co.uk any suggestion the Government might resile from the agreement could damage US-UK relations and even scupper the plans for a US-UK trade deal.
Mr Singham, the CEO of economic consultancy Competere, explained earlier this year: “The number one priority which has gone up the list massively in the US with Biden is the proper implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
“So any suggestion that the UK Government is going to resile from the Protocol in any way, suspend it or whatever, would be very badly regarded in the US.
“It would not only kill any deal with Washington, it would likely kill the diplomatic relationship between the two countries, actually.”


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SDN Co Ltd, a South Korean provider of PV modules and marine propulsion systems, has unveiled a plan to build a new heterojunction solar module factory at its facility in Gwangju, in southwestern Korea.
In a filing with the Korean stock exchange, the company said the factory will have a capacity of up to 385 MW and will produce its GTG solar panel with a power output of 550 W, with no more technical or financial details being released.
Local media outlet mk.co.kr, owned by Maekyung Media Group, has also revealed that the panels will have an efficiency of 21.5% and that the total investment in the new facility will exceed KRW20 billion ($17 million). Furthermore, it reported that the new factory should begin manufacturing activity in March 2022.
The company is active in both the distributed generation and large scale project development business. It has developed several solar parks across Bulgaria, Japan and its home country. Its shipbuilding division supplies outboard motors for fishing and leisure boats.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: firstname.lastname@example.org.


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When the phone rings at Canada Goose, they never know who will be waiting on the other end of the line. Sometimes it's a professional dogsledder. Today, it's a Hollywood starlet.
Emma Watson's people have called the Toronto-based maker of heavy-duty, goose-down filled parkas with an urgent request. The 19-year-old British actress (who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies) has been coveting one of the company's distinctively Canadian jackets. It has to be blue, and it has to be a specific cut.
No problem. A few years back, when Canada Goose began to receive calls from stars and dignitaries expressing an interest in its arctic attire, the company designated a person at its Toronto headquarters to cater to them exclusively.
It was a watershed moment for a 64-year-old company that had built its reputation outfitting polar expeditions, oil riggers and police departments throughout the world-people far less concerned with how their clothing looks than whether or not it might save their lives. The outerwear manufacturer had long boasted that it made the warmest jacket on the planet (an untested claim); now Canada Goose was actively embracing the idea that its jackets might also be the most stylish on the planet. The question is, how long would it last?
Depending on who you ask, Canada Goose jackets have been credited as the breakout trend in the world's fashion capitals for the past seven or eight years. In that time, the highly-technical survival apparel has been migrating from the shelves of outdoor apparel stores to the racks of high-end clothing retailers like Harry Rosen and Holt Renfrew in Canada, Harrods in London and Colette in Paris-places more often associated with designer labels like Comme des Garçons and Dior Homme. In tandem, stylish urbanites have been showing up on the streets of the fashion capitals clad in the parkas with the circular red, white and blue "Arctic Program" patch. Today it's not uncommon to walk into a bar or café and see a half-dozen of the coyote-fur hoods draped over the backs of chairs. It's no accident. The rise of Canada Goose is the result of one of the savviest campaigns in marketing history.
At a modest plant in an industrial neighbourhood in Toronto, Canada Goose churns out 250,000 parkas a year-a rarity in the textile industry, where much of the actual construction of garments is often completed half a world away. An in-house fashion designer cuts the fabric, and dozens of seamstresses assemble the various pieces-sleeves, shoulders, backpanels-in a brightly lit room the size of a gymnasium. Canada Goose has been manufacturing its outerwear this way since 1946; some of the staff have been with the company for more than 30 years.
In an adjacent room, two men operate the machines that blow the company's namesake down into the unfinished recesses of the parkas. From the beginning, the company aspired to make its name synonymous with quality, especially the quality of its goose down, sourced from Hutterite farmers in rural communities across Canada.
Hutterite farmers eschew mass production, preferring to keep smaller flocks and allow the geese to mature before being plucked. This means the down itself is larger, creating more pockets in which warm air is trapped. It also means Hutterite down is more expensive, which is why few jacket makers are keen to use it.
By the time Dani Reiss, grandson of company founder Sam Tick, took over the company in 2001, Canada Goose had already earned its reputation as one of the world's foremost suppliers of arctic gear. The jackets were standard issue for participants in the United States Antarctic Program and the company's assertion that its parkas could withstand -70 C temperatures was enough to sell tens of thousands of parkas a year. Reiss, just 28 when he took the top job, believed he could take the brand further and set his sights on making an aggressive move into the fashion market.
As a way of making average weekend warriors familiar with the brand, Reiss started giving away jackets to anyone who worked outside: bouncers at nightclubs who could give the brand credibility with young adults, and even ticket scalpers, who could raise awareness with the sports-going crowd. "It was very much consumer-driven marketing and guerrilla marketing, no ad campaigns," Reiss says. "We would go to people who worked outside who were very visible. People look at what these people wear because they are the coldest guys out there."
Almost a decade later, Canada Goose is still adding new recruits to its army of pedestrian billboards. A recent deal with Fairmont Hotels means doormen and valets will greet guests in Expedition parkas. As well, the company launched a program called the Canada Goose Coat Check at Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors games, offering fans the chance to try on the parkas while checking their own garments.
"That idea came to me while sitting watching a hockey game with my jacket on my lap," Reiss says.
But perhaps the most successful relationship for Canada Goose has been with film crews, who, according to Reiss, have put Canada Goose onto Hollywood radars. The company doesn't pay stars to wear its product, but plenty have chosen to on their own: Matt Damon, Hayden Christensen, Maggie Gyllenhaal and teen-idol Hilary Duff have all been photographed wearing the company's jackets in public. They've also shown up onscreen. Nicolas Cage wore a Canada Goose parka in National Treasure (2004), Jessica Alba appeared in one in Good Luck Chuck (2007) and, most recently, Kate Beckinsale donned one for most of Whiteout (2009).
However, when Canada Goose finally went looking for an official brand ambassador, it didn't venture south to Holly-wood, it looked north to champion racer Lance Mackey, three-time winner of the Iditarod, the world's most famous dogsled race, a nine-day, 1,800-kilometre trek across the Alaskan wilderness. Mackey is to the North what gladiators were to the Roman Empire. Each March, thousands crowd the finish line in Nome, Alaska, just to see him mush past, in his imposing black parka, like Darth Vader on a sled.
In the company's Toronto showroom, Kevin Spreekmeester, a former arctic photographer who is now Canada Goose's vice-president of marketing, shows off the limited-edition Lance Mackey parka, with its extra thick roll of coyote fur around the hood and dogsledding patches sewn onto the body. He describes it as a mix between "NASCAR and an Italian fashion piece." That Canada Goose's jackets have been selected as authorized gear for such esoteric activities doesn't hurt its fashion pedigree, it helps. Canada Goose's most popular models-the Chilliwack, a bomber-style jacket designed for bush pilots, and the Expedition, worn by researchers in the Antarctic-make up the bulk of sales each year, with slightly more than half of the revenue coming from foreign markets.
At the extreme end of this spectrum is the Snow Mantra, a coat that retails for about $900 and is currently selling well in urban boutiques. Mesh pockets inside the liner are designed to accommodate a pair of instant hand warmers that provide extra warmth near your kidneys. A concerted tug at the two zippers on either side of the hips opens the jacket at the seams, allowing easy access to your sidearm (a little design feature that Canada Goose staff jokingly refer to as "BlackBerry access" ). Holding up one of the company's masterpieces, Spreekmeester admits that if you were to wear this jacket on public transit, "you would bake."
Reiss figures the key to the company's success is that it courts the most hard-core consumer first, which helps the brand stand out as a premium name in a crowded field. Canada Goose's rivals range from Mountain Equipment Co-op to North Face and Columbia, all of which produce jackets for the masses and most of which sell at much lower prices. What's the allure? "I've been told," Reiss says, "that when you wear a Canada Goose you feel like you're part of a club."
The average Range Rover owner has a median income of $300,000 (U.S.). Few of them will ever get around to driving one across the Sahara, but there is nevertheless a certain pleasure derived from knowing that it would survive the trip. Canada Goose owners have a similar relationship with their parkas, says Douglas Reid, professor of business strategy at Queen's University.
"I'd never heard of Canada Goose until this fall," he admits. When he mentioned to a friend that he needed a winter coat, the pal suggested he get a Canada Goose. "Why?" asked Reid. "I'm not going to go that far north." But therein lies the reason for the brand's popularity: "It's a signal to the world that I can afford a Canada Goose jacket," says Reid, who opted against such a specialized parka in the end. "It's much like buying a very large and visible watch. We don't need watches to tell the time-we can get that off our phones."
He admits that any brand navigating a sudden spike in popularity as large as this runs the risk of overheating. The list of fashion brands that have fallen victim to their own popularity is long. Some will remember there was a period in the 1980s when everyone in cottage country owned a Tilley hat; two decades later everyone showed up in a pair of foam clogs. Companies at the centre of a hot fad have to tread carefully, Reid says, as trends follow a familiar life cycle. "The moment you see a Canada Goose coat on sale, this thing is done," he says. That's when "all the aspects of cachet that drive a customer's willingness to pay up, whether it's affiliation or claims of performance, go out the window."
By the company's own estimation, Canada Goose coats have been riding high for several years now. How have they avoided oversaturating the market? The answer, says Reid, lies in rationing the supply, something that has worked for other lifestyle brands like Harley-Davidson. In the case of the iconic motorcycle brand, the company deliberately undersupplies the market, says Reid, in order to maintain an elevated resale value. "In Canada Goose's case," says Reid, "they would be keeping the status value high."
Meanwhile, Canada Goose is taking other steps to avoid becoming yesterday's cast-off in the eyes of the notoriously fickle fashion set. At a January trade show in Salt Lake City, Canada Goose rolled out a new fashion-forward coat called Hybridge. The name signifies a sportier take on the down parka with lighter, stretchier fabrics and removable linings. New product names like Tremblant suggest a coat designed for more recreational-and stylish-winter activities like snowboarding and skiing. The goal, says Reiss, is to stay relevant without going down-market.
"We would be foolish not to be concerned about overheating," he says. "But the key is for us to stay authentic. It's important to stay true to who we are," says Reiss, before adding one more piece of cautionary advice, "and not to believe our own press."
Year of the ...
The must-have fashion accessories we no longer covet. -Tiyana Grulovic
Von Dutch mesh hat
Vuitton LV handbag
Chanel Black Satin nail polish
Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses
DOES IT QUACK LIKE A GOOSE?
"When you think about a watch, you think about a Rolex made in Switzerland; it wouldn't be the same if the Rolex was made in Japan," says Kevin Spreekmeester, Canada Goose's vice-president of marketing. True, but that hasn't stopped counterfeiters in Asia from trying to muscle in on this Canadian-made parka's success.
Here's how a real Canada Goose Snow Mantra differs from the fakes.
The patch Canada Goose jackets have featured the "Arctic Program" patch since the early 1980s. However, counterfeiters have little trouble replicating the now-familiar red, white and blue motif and not all models feature it. It's buyer beware.
In keeping with its name, Canada Goose fills its coats with goose down. Cheaper Asian versions might be filled with low-quality duck or chicken down.
The collar If the fur's fake, so is the coat. All of Canada Goose's fur hoods are lined with distinctive coyote fur.
The shoulders Grab-loops on the shoulders are "designed to be strong enough if you need to be pulled from an inflatable boat or from a crevasse," Spreekmeester says. "I've seen versions where the straps are sewn right down."
The back A third grab-loop is located between the shoulder blades and features a patch with the name of the model (Snow Mantra, Resolute, Expedition, etc.). If it reads "Canada Goose," it's a fake.
The details Mesh pockets inside the liner are designed to accommodate hand warmers.
Few counterfeiters bother with such details.
MARCH 2010 REPORT ON BUSINESS\


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Taulia offers customers three free cash analytics tools during COVID-19
Taulia has announced it is offering three cash analytics solutions, at no charge, to customers to help execute their working capital strategies, strengthen their supply chains and manage risk during these challenging times.
Companies depend on the health of their supply chain; both treasurers and CFOs are under pressure to keep suppliers and employees afloat, all the while meeting debt obligations and maintaining their credit rating. To meet this challenge, Taulia is offering its cash analytics solutions at no charge: Cash Forecasting, Financial Supply Chain Analytics, and Cash Scenario Planner through August 31, 2020. The solutions offer the following:
- Cash Forecasting - First aggregates real-time and historical data, then applies machine learning to generate insights designed to help inform quick strategic decision making, which is critical in the current environment.
- Financial Supply Chain Analytics - Better understand payment programmes to improve supply chain health and assist with regional compliance.
- Cash Scenario Planner - Gives visibility on potential opportunities to leverage flexible working capital and provides insights on industry benchmarks to help long-term strategic planning.
DBS Bank joins Contour’s Beta Network
DBS Bank says it is the first Singapore bank to join Contour’s trade finance network, growing the number of banks on the platform driving a collective effort to digitalise global trade. Built on R3’s Corda, Contour’s network focuses on digitalising processes, including the creation, exchange, approval and issuance of letter of credits (LCs).
Joining Contour’s growing ecosystem of banks and partners aligns with DBS’ ongoing efforts to drive greater efficiencies in trade and unlock strategic value for its corporate customers. The demand for ‘contact-free’ banking amid the COVID-19 situation also makes digitalising trade processes an increasingly relevant and heightened priority for all participants during this period.
Through Contour, DBS will be able to tap on the network’s digital solutions to provide a fully digital end-to-end LC settlement process for its customers - including the transfer of electronic trade and title documents. This helps shorten settlement time, reduce paperwork and simplify complex trade processes. Corporate customers can also conduct digital pre-issuance negotiation between applicant and beneficiary in real-time, and share this with DBS post-endorsement for LC Issuance. This increases the accuracy of LCs issued and helps facilitate quicker resolution in the event of discrepancies. In addition, customers receive enhanced transparency with real-time tracking of transactions on the platform, along with a full audit trail.
Report reveals challenging outlook for eurozone business access to external financing
Euro area small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reported a decline in turnover (in net terms -2%, from 20% in the previous six months) in the latest European Central Bank (ECB) Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises (SAFE). This was the first such decline reported in the twice-yearly survey since early 2014. They also reported a sharp deterioration in profits (in net terms -15%, down from -1% in the previous survey), which was widespread across countries and sectors. The survey covered the period from October 2019 to March 2020.
Euro area SMEs continued to indicate the lack of availability of skilled labour as their main concern (24% of respondents, down from 28%), followed by the difficulty in finding customers (21%, down from 22%).
Regarding access to finance, the net percentage of SMEs reporting an improvement in the availability of bank loans remained positive, but declined to 5% (down from 10%). This was attributed to the willingness of banks to provide credit (11%, down from 14%). However, for the first time since September 2014, euro area SMEs perceived their own financial situations as a factor impeding their access to finance (-18%, down from 5%). In addition, the general economic outlook was reported to be having a strong negative impact (-30%, down from -13%), a net percentage not seen since March 2013.
SMEs’ responses on the expected availability of external finance are useful in gauging the possible impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the immediate future. On balance, they show that expectations about the availability of bank loans were falling significantly in the euro area (-11%, down from 4%), with the level of deterioration varying across countries.
Payoneer and ANNA bring AI to B2B international payments
Payoneer has teamed up with UK business account app ANNA to bring their expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) to the world of international payments. ANNA is a business account and tax app for small businesses. Founded in 2018, the app consists of a chat-based interface that combines AI with an always-on customer service team.
Users can chat to ANNA to set up payments, create invoices and have business admin questions answered. It has image processing software that recognises and reads customers invoices and receipts, so it can accurately estimate tax bills. The AI handles over 40% of customer requests and has led 20% of ANNA users to open their account in less than 5 minutes.
The partnership will allow ANNA customers, who are SMBs and freelancers, to use the chat function and AI capabilities to receive international payments in GBP, USD or EUR into their ANNA account. Users will get receiving account details in these currencies that act like local bank accounts. They can then share these account details with customers, be notified of a loaded payment, view balances, be told the exchange rate and initiate withdrawals - all via the AI chat function. The payment is then settled real time.
Trendrating’s data analytics now available via Bloomberg
Trendrating has made its ratings data and analytics available to Bloomberg Data License clients via the Bloomberg Enterprise Access Point (BEAP). The new additional offering on BEAP is touted as making it possible for portfolio managers and quantitative analysts to access data for professional equity investors with a “robust methodology” in order to rate price trends, validate investment ideas, add an extra layer of risk control and capture additional alpha.
This strategic collaboration with Bloomberg is seen as the latest step in an industry wide trend where buy-side participants have long been demanding access to new data sources and technology solutions to address limitations and key intelligence gaps of their legacy platforms. Trendrating’s data offers multiple levels of intelligence including rating and scoring metrics to help identify the strongest trends to invest in and the weakest ones to avoid, typically over a time horizon of a few months to a few years.
The data from Trendrating being made available via the Bloomberg Enterprise Access Point is available in the following regional categories: Developed World, Developed Europe, Developed Asia and the United States.
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NewsNow: Hydroblasting Content
Hydroblasting is used in excavation jobs to slice through rock like a hot knife cuts butter. The principle is a giant garden hose that aims ultra high pressure water at an obstacle. A walk through the Breckinridge, Colorado river basin shows that entire landscapes can be reworked with H2O.
A scan of the financial reports of Dow Jones, Reuters, Pearson, and AOL Time-Warner indicates that these monoliths of information are experiencing some erosion in their businesses.
Consider this: Dow Jones, for the period ending December 31, 2002, reported that its operating income before special items was $98.9 million, down 46.1 percent from 2001. This was after cost-cutting and restructuring.
Or this: Pearson plc said in its June 2002 interim report, "At the presentation of Pearson's interim results back in August 1997, we set ourselves the task of delivering double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share, believing that achievement would double the value of the company in five years. Five years on we haven't met all those goals."
Lastly this: Reuters reported its 2002 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £506 million in 2002 versus £1,001 million in 2001, a decline of 49 percent.
What's eroding these towering mountains of content? Pearson's and Dow Jones point to advertising revenues. But Overture Information Services (a pay-for-page views business) is advertising-based and continues to grow. Reuters' Tom Glocer points to "the toughest market conditions for decades" and singles out the firm's "our outright software business." At the same time, Microsoft Corp.'s software revenues continues to soar.
Most online users are accustomed to updating a Web page. Few casual users are aware of the profound impact Extensible Markup Language is having on content such as news. We must now consider that the flow of bits from Web services providing streaming data is chewing away at the foundations of traditional news publishing.
With the streams of digital information flowing from Moreover, blogs, and services such as Google's news page, is there room for another news service? Will news be reshaped as the music business has been reshaped?
NewsNow, a next-generation content company, operates from Fulham, an area of London that was also the original home of AOL's European hub. AOL have long since left Fulham but the area may have a winner in NewsNow, a news aggregator and syndicator founded in 1997. NewsNow has emerged as one of the UK's leading news aggregation sites and attracts about seven million page impressions each month. The company, managed by founder Nick Gilbert, chief executive officer, in 1998 began offering tailored feeds to customers on their Web sites.
In sharp relief against the towering content mountains, this 18-person news syndication service is pumping along. Nick Gilbert, a co-founder of NewsNow, said, "We are growing steadily in difficult market conditions, which gives us tremendous confidence for the future. We are one of about twenty independent UK dotcoms that have survived the crash without being sold, merging or going bust."
NewsNow, like its competitor Moreover, has extended into what is called a media monitoring service. It is not a news company that fields correspondents. Instead the firm aggregates content from other sources and presents it in a way that is more malleable, more easily fitted to the fast-changing needs of its clients than the information produced by the Dow Joneses or Reuters of the world. NewsNow allows a client to "watch" for information about a particular topic and receive customized information flows. The NewsNow stream can be used in an organization's portal or used on a single desktop. Instead of five-figure license fees, NewsNow offers its product at a fraction of the news monolith's fees.
There are some sharp distinctions between NewsNow's operation and that of a company like Factiva, which offers aggregation and an increasingly wide range of consulting services. NewsNow has developed technology that tracks over 6,000 source Web sites in about 600 categories. The categories include hot topics, business, industry sectors, information technology, and others. Each of these categories is further subdivided. The Internet, for example, contains clusters of stories about 22 subtopics. Examples include broadband, digital TV, and hacking, among 19 others. The content for the NewsNow service comes from over 84 countries. NewsNow provides information in 18 languages. The company tracks most leading online broadsheets and tabloid newspapers plus selected "underground" or lesser-known online news sites that are essentially ignored by the monoliths and many researchers.
Mr. Gilbert said, "We believe that the internet has rearranged the business of news monitoring in favour of smaller, leaner players. In many ways we are a 'poor man's Reuters' in that we cannot offer all they can but where we do compete directly we offer more for less. The only threat to the business is the trend toward paid-for subscription news sites. So far the impact has been negligible and in some cases we enter into cooperative deals with publishers taking this course. We have found that 99 per cent of publishers welcome being listed on our site because it has a positive effect on traffic. They also welcome the fact that we never seek to enter into syndication revenue deals with them because we do not believe the market is going that way."
With teens gravitating to audio and video, NewsNow takes a surprisingly conservative stance. Mr. Gilbert said, "We do not believe there is a mass market demand for anything other than text at present although we are reviewing streaming technology. We are aggressively adding to the languages we cover."
But changing behaviours are also operating in favour of NewsNow, Moreover, Google News and the thousands of other real-time news services available via the Internet as a quick visit to daypop.com or findnews.org are just two of hundreds of sites offering one-click access to news.
Internet researchers from Pew Internet & American Life to NUA Internet Surveys report that news is one of the more popular Internet services. It is not just the 20-somethings leading the charge. Almost half of the over 60 set who are online get news electronically. No comment about stock market mavens or sports bettors is necessary who, regardless of age, find mobile phones connected to sports scores particularly useful.
A January 2003 study conducted for MSNBC revealed The survey of 351 users found that most adult workers now spend more time reading news and information online than they do consuming traditional media such as television, radio, magazines, and newspapers.
About 35 per cent of the respondents said they used the Internet for news during the day. More surprising was that 37 per cent said they use the Internet for national news compared to 35 per cent using traditional media.
Nick Gilbert, NewsNow CEO, says this trend is evident from the use of the NewsNow's news portal. He noted, "Much of our traffic is during the working day. It seems that for the majority of people accessing news, online is very important. Companies must consider providing quick access to news to reduce the time wasted surfing for information.".
NewsNow's Secret Sauce
The company's secret sauce is, said Mr. Gilbert, "A recipe as closely guarded as that for Coca Cola or Kentucky Fried Chicken. Our secret sauce is a well-kept secret and kept in my head. I can say that one clue is fundamentally Linux open source. We provide the software widgets necessary for delivery of custom feeds directly to Intranets and Extranets. We also have developed a fast email alert tool that allows content to be directed to an audience of any size. We have worked hard to avoid the overhead associated with some of the programming approaches that clog networks and require extensive amounts of bandwidth."
He continued, "We have developed our code over the last five or six years, and we continue to refine it. Our programming that fuels the site and newswires is to our knowledge unique and proprietary. I think our technology is one key reason why we are the most widely used news aggregation portal in the UK and have a rising high brand awareness in the U.S. and elsewhere."
The NewsNow site is, in a sense, an online news search engine. Companies can track multiple words on sites across the world and have their results delivered within fifteen minutes of their publication on the Internet. A bit of poking around the site reveals that the NewsNow search tool supports Boolean queries and can monitor up to 500 keywords for each client. NewsNow system allows unlimited changes to the standing queries that are used to create the customized streams of content.
NewsNow offers a client log in to permit secure access to personalised services. New news-oriented sites can use a submit-a-site option so our editors can consider adding a source.
NewsNow's success is a one-two punch. The firm has been able to create buzz by getting its users to tell others about the service. In addition, NewsNow's executives have been able to land some blue-chip accounts. These include IBM, Balfour Beatty, Direct Line and Oracle. The NewsNow customers use the information to monitor news relevant to their company, their clients, competitors and internal needs.
Noted Mr. Gilbert, "NewsNow serves two purposes and one or the other hooks customers. First, we offer a free news aggregation service at the same time as being a provider of paid-for online news monitoring services. The free service is complementary and a showcase for the paying services. As a player in the news monitoring space we naturally have many competitors and imitators. This is not a space in which you can be unique. You compete on the way you offer your services and the ability to support the customer. Our marketing comes down to a very robust and easy-to-use free Web service and our customers selling other firms on our services."
He added, "We have added FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to explain online news monitoring. We have tried to be forthcoming with the benefits and drawbacks of the NewsNow approach. We try to operate in a straight forward manner because we have learned that many customers are somewhat fatigued by the effort required to understand what some of the larger firms' offer and what they charge."
NewsNow's financials are good and, said, Mr. Gilbert, "doing quite nicely. We are well funded and broke even last quarter for the first time. We are open to offers concerning further funding but we are also confident that will continue to grow organically for the foreseeable future. A public listing is one possible goal, but we wouldn't ignore an offer from one of the larger publishing concerns."
With so many sources of free and for-fee news, can NewsNow survive? From the vantage point of a content monolith, upstarts such as NewsNow, Moreover, and Google are of little consequence. Software--not content processes in place for years, decades, or centuries--do most of the work. The giants of the news business stand proud like the Niligari Peaks in Nepal. The world of Google news is remote, hard to see, its effects impossible to see until the landslide begins and then gains pace as the forces accelerate the transformation. Then, in suddenly, a mountain falls down.
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Pensacola mayor looks to embrace city's thriving food truck scene by clearing roadblocks
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves is looking to set clear rules that will allow for food truck court businesses in Pensacola.
Reeves is asking the Pensacola Planning Board to discuss a new ordinance allowing food truck courts to operate in commercially zoned areas of the city.
The city's current code doesn't address food trucks or food truck courts, and so opening a food truck court business remains a gray area in the city.
"We've had multiple inquiries into potential food truck pavilions, food truck parks, at scale in commercial properties," Reeves said. "We're a little bit behind the eight ball in Pensacola. We have surrounding areas and surrounding communities that already have things on the books like this."
Food truck court planned:The City Limits Food Park is bringing 3 food trucks to West Pensacola with more to come
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While no written proposals have been put forward, Reeves said the ordinance would require any food truck court to have permanent infrastructure such as customer restrooms.
"What we're ultimately looking at is a uniform formal opportunity to have multiple food trucks," Reeves said. "But that comes with rules and regulations."
Reeves is asking the planning board to discuss the idea at its meeting Tuesday, though he said the proposal would probably not be ready for a vote.
Pensacola has historically struggled with opening up rules to allow for food trucks. While the City Council has come close before to passing food truck regulations, none have ever won a majority on the council except for an ordinance passed in 2021 that set rules about food truck parking in downtown Pensacola.
Despite the lack of clear rules from the city, the food truck scene has thrived in Pensacola and Reeves said it's time for the city to embrace it.
"Times change, and I think people get that this is here to stay," Reeves said. "And I think there's a lot of value to it, and the more we can formalize it and we can have more clarity around how they operate, I think that's only a good thing for all of us."
While the Planning Board may not be required to vote on the proposal Tuesday, it could vote or wait until another meeting to vote on an ordinance, which would then go to the City Council for final approval.
Parking downtown:What you need to know about parking in downtown Pensacola
Reeves — who sold his downtown brewery Perfect Plain shortly after he was elected mayor — said he personally knows how hard it is to start a business and believes food trucks help bolster the city's food culture.
"I'm a big believer in supporting and advocating for food truck businesses because I can speak to it as well as anybody knowing how expensive it is to be an entrepreneur," Reeves said. "... Whether you're a chef or you want to open your own restaurant one day, you can't just snap your fingers and go get 5,000 square feet on Palafox. That's a difficult lift."
Reeves said the food truck courts carry added benefits of eliminating many of the complaints about them from other business owners that have been hurdles in the past to passing a food truck ordinance.
"We think that this could have some double win value," Reeves said. "... It's truly a permanent (business), not just find a piece of commercial property, put some gravel down and roll some trucks in there. It's going to be something that looks good and is there to stay."


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India Automation Expo 2017 ● INVT Showed Extraordinary Talents
Time of issue:2017-09-14
The 12th India international trade exhibition was ceremoniously held on August 9th to 12th, 2017 in Mumbai, India. INVT brought innovative technology products and a technological feast at home and abroad visitors and well-known medias.
India Automation Expo exhibition attracted nearly a thousand enterprises from dozens of countries and regions around the world. In this exhibition, INVT was brought together with its low , medium and high voltage inverters, as well as the integration of subsidiary elevators, new energy and products in other fields. There was an endless stream of spectators at the booth, showing a keen interest in INVT products.
During the exhibition, INVT attracted the india local TV stations, and its staff showed great interest in INVT's products and systems. Then they conducted detailed interviews.
Throughout the exhibition, All INVT staff are enthusiastic for explaining products performance in detail for customers, displaying system and distributing brochures. They were so busy but won the praise by all the visitors, and it is not just a recognition of their work, but also a recognition of INVT.
Last but not the least, INVT hopes to make some breakthroughs in India market through this exhibition and local media publicity, and in the meantime, push forward the development of India by making full use of products and technology.


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Boost has wrapped up its biggest-ever trade promotion by announcing the 20 winners of its grab a grand competition.
Each retailer won £1,000 cash and £400 in marketing and advertising support, which can be spent on redecorating, signage or community initiatives.
Al Gunn, sales director for Boost, said: “The objective of grab a grand was to increase awareness and drive sales in an innovative way. The challenge was totally embraced by many retailers and we have been totally overwhelmed by the efforts made.”
Pictured are Boost’s Noel Allen, left, with Mark Mullan of Today’s Local Collinward Northern Ireland.
Boost grab a grand winners
- Hazel Wilson, Wilson’s Newsagent, Aberdeen
- Kay Patel, Global Food & Wine (Best One), Stratford, London
- Raaj Chandarana, Tara’s News (Premier), High Wycombe
- Divyesh Patel, Mini Market, Englefield Green, Surrey
- Bay Bashir, Belle Vue Convenience (Lifestyle Express), Middlesbrough
- Yalcin Aydemir, Hilltop Supermarket, London
- Danny Singh, Cofton News & Wines (Lifestyle Express), Birmingham
- Karen Marshall, MPK Services (Londis), Conisbrough
- Nirogini Karnan, Londis Supermarket, Deptford
- Michael Quinn, Mace, Queen’s Elms, N.Ireland
- Baz Patel, Park Service Station (Costcutter), London
- James Kay, HKS Meteor, South Normanton
- Dave Dixon, NJB Askern Forecourt (Costcutter), Doncaster
- Nathan McCann, Wards Rockmount (Spar), Newry, N. Ireland
- Sanjay Joshi, Mandeville Wine Stores, Aylesbury
- Mark Mullan, Today’s Local Collinward, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland
- Edith Smtyh, Keystore, Lochfield Road, Paisley, Scotland
- Amrit Kaur, Mann Newsagents, Halesowen
- Owain Hughes, Damory Garage (Nisa), Dorset
- Craig Horner, Wentworth Village Shop, Rotherham.


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Car Rental and Rail Pulse: News and Notes for Week of April 25, 2016
Uber Surpasses Car Rental for Business Travelers
National Car Rental Teams with Major League Baseball Teams
Budget Offering One-Way Rental Promotion From Florida
Rail Europe Offering Swiss Discounts for Customers
JUST THE LINKS
Enterprise and travel expert Julia Dimon have teamed up to offer travelers suggestions and tips to turn local weekend getaways into vacations people will remember forever.
As part of Amtrak’s Trails and Rails program, the National Park Service has added the New York to Washington, D.C. Saturday morning route to the existing program.
To make using ride-hailing service Lyft easier for business professionals, the company has introduced business profiles with the intent of helping people keep their expenses in an organized manner.
Hertz Global Holdings announced that the company had received top honors in the Sustainability Outstanding Achievement Awards, presented by the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association.
For more Car Rental & Rail News
More by Donald Wood
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The dark web is a murky, mysterious place on the internet that most of us don’t understand – including me – but all of us should learn about it. In this case, ignorance is not bliss; it’s ill-advised.
You may have heard the dark web mentioned amid chatter about recent data breaches involving our personal information.
But are you like me and really don’t get what the dark web is? I bet you are.
For who knows how long, I’ve heard the phrase “dark web,” but I didn’t really give it much thought until after news surfaced about the monstrous Equifax data breach. The Equifax breach exposed the personal information of 145 million Americans.
Since that massive data breach, one of Equifax’s credit-reporting competitors, Experian, has been advertising a free dark-web scan to find out whether your email has been compromised.
In July, Discover rolled out a free service to alert card members if their Social Security numbers are found on risky websites. “Signups for our new Social Security number alerts more than doubled in the 48 hours after the announcement of the Equifax data breach,” says Laks Vasudevan, vice president of products and innovation at Discover.
Yet how can you be sure you should get a dark-web scan if you’re clueless about what the dark web is?
On the dark web, your personal info is for sale
To learn what that term means, I poked around a bit on the web.
As explained by Experian, identity thieves hang out – well, I guess that’s what they do – around the dark web to buy and sell your personal data, such as your Social Security number, birthdate and credit card account numbers.
Unfortunately, crooks aren’t just rummaging around the dark web to find your data. They’re also scouring the dark web for compromised gift cards.
SurfWatch Labs, a provider of cybersecurity software, warns that not only will gift cards be the most requested holiday present this year, but they’ll also be one of the items most frequently found for sale on the dark web.
According to SurfWatch Labs, “Fraudsters employ a variety of simple tricks to find active gift card numbers and codes to steal – and millions of gift cards will soon be loaded with active balances across the country.”
So, with all sorts of personal data and gift card numbers floating around, think of the dark web as a marketplace for crooks, much like Amazon is a marketplace for shoppers.
The dark web as a secret club
I must emphasize that not everybody on the dark web is an evildoer. For example, cops delve into the dark web to uncover criminal deeds, and journalists, human rights activists, dissidents and whistleblowers also use it for good.
However, most Americans believe the dark web is a virtual dungeon. A 2016 survey by Canada’s Center for International Governance Innovation found nearly three-fourths of Americans want the dark web to be shut down.
“The dark web isn’t an actual place, but rather a hidden network of websites,” Experian says. “While it requires special resources, it’s just a matter of steps and getting certain systems set up that provide a way in for those looking to join the dark web and keep information such as their IP address hidden.”
Visitors to the dark web install software to hide their identities. It’s sort of a secret club.
And it’s a very small club. The dark web makes up just 3 percent of the entire internet, Experian says.
That small club can do big damage, though. If an identity thief buys your data on the dark web, he or she can wreak havoc with your finances, like opening up credit card accounts in your name but without your knowledge.
How can we safeguard our personal information?
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do to prevent your private information from finding its way onto the dark web. Why? Experian notes that savvy hackers are constantly coming up with new schemes for stealing your data.
However, you can take steps to protect your data.
For one thing, you can check your credit report for irregular activity. (It was heartening to learn from a CreditCards.com poll that found 1 in 4 Americans checked their credit after the Equifax breach.)
For another, you can strengthen your online passwords. By the way, “password123” is a weak and obvious password; you’ve got to be more creative.
If you’re like me, you probably don’t look at your credit report often enough, and you likely don’t change your passwords often enough.
But if you and I want our data and our gift cards to stay off the dark web, we’re going to have to shed some harsh light on securing our valuable information. Remember, the dark-web thieves are out there and they’re not going away.
And the last thing we want to do is untangle a web of trouble spun by dark-web criminals.
See related: Q&A: What to know, what to do about Equifax breach, Credit cards can help monitor your credit in wake of Equifax breach, 13 ways to make sure your identity is stolen


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Plant Science Laboratories, are pioneering new forms of CBD supplements through an innovative micronization process.
420 Rez Bud is a new tribal cannabis dispensary located on the Seneca Nation’s land in Lawton’s, NY.
How do cannabis businesses protect their brands and register trademarks within the bounds of conflicting state and federal law?
UberEats is one step closer to delivering cannabis. In Ontario, Canada, you can now use the app to place pick-up orders at dispensaries.
Our founder, Geoff Brown, sat down with the President and CSO of LPC Naturals to talk about their proprietary products containing Beauveria.
One of New York’s top priority with legalizing cannabis is equity. Much work is needed to be done to reach the state’s goals.
Colleges and universities around the state are implementing cannabis-centered programs to meet the growing need for skilled workers in the industry.
Though many states have legalized marijuana, it still remains federally illegal. This is preventing financial institutions from getting on board.
Dr. Laszlo Mechtler of the Dent Neurological Institute discusses his recent study showing cannabis therapy to be a useful tool for elderly patients.


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With Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner and research pointing to the number of consumers turning to mobile devices for holiday shopping nearly doubling since last year, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has published its exclusive list of the most mobile shopping savvy cities in the U.S., with Washington D.C. landing at #11, a slight dip from last year’s rankings when the city came in at #10.
Houston claims the top spot for the second year in a row. That city’s number one ranking, driven by its mobile shopping versatility and dexterity, is closely followed by Seattle-Tacoma, which catapulted to the second spot from its number ten perch in 2011, followed by San Francisco, which is new to the top ten list. Among other notable changes, Boston made its debut in the top ten, while New York and Atlanta both saw slight declines. In comparison, Los Angeles and Chicago held steady in their rankings between this year and last.
The complete “2012 IAB U.S. Mobile Shopping Savvy Cities Index” is:
3. San Francisco
4. Los Angeles
5. New York City
8. Dallas-Ft. Worth
11. Washington, D.C.
13. Tampa-St. Petersburg
15. Minneapolis-St. Paul
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To download more information about the “2012 IAB U.S. Mobile Shopping Savvy Cities Index,” including statistics about smartphone shoppers across the country, please visit www.iab.net/mobileshoppers2012.


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Major security breaches continue to hit headlines, as businesses are forced to shift from focusing on the imminent nature of threats to calculating their potential financial impact.
Companies are investing billions of dollars in cybersecurity, but the average return on spending for security technology is only 14%. Every year the cost of a data breach continues to rise.
In spite of this, investors and shareholders don’t react strongly to news of a breach.
Target’s stock fell 11% after it revealed it was the victim of one of the largest breaches ever to have happened in the retail industry. But its stock quickly bounced back. Now, its stock is trading at the same level as before the breach. Read on
Adapted from WEF