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Intel Commits to $20 Billion Arizona Research and Production Facility
The exodus from Silicon Valley continues for major tech companies as Intel looks forward to creating a new manufacturing campus in the deserts of Arizona. The company announced the development of two new chip factories at its campus outside of Phoenix on Monday.
New Factory Facilities Will Create 15,000 Jobs Inside and Beyond Campus
As part of Intel’s “IDM 2.0” strategy, the company is rethinking the evolution of its integrated device manufacturing model. In order to serve the constant demand for new technology, the microchip giant will expand its foundry services while increasing output through new manufacturing facilities.
This new facility will allow Intel to continue manufacturing most of its products internally, assuring quality control for everything it offers. This includes the company’s next 7nm CPU chip, codenamed “Meteor Lake.” The new processor is expected to get its first test in the second quarter of 2021 and go on the market by 2023. Alongside the expansion, Intel will work together with IBM on a research collaboration to drive next-generation logic and packaging technologies for computing.
The tech giant will also create its own foundry business. Intel Foundry Services will launch under the leadership of semiconductor industry veteran Dr. Randhir Thakur. This direct foundry will be in charge of providing capacity for the U.S. and European markets, combining a wide-ranging product portfolio with “leading-edge process technology.”
The two new factories in Chandler, Arizona will support Intel’s next generation with an investment of $20 billion in its campus. In addition to creating 3,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent high-tech jobs, the new campus will create about 15,000 long-term jobs in the area.
“Intel is the only company with the depth and breadth of software, silicon and platforms, packaging, and process with at-scale manufacturing customers can depend on for their next-generation innovations,” Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said in a statement. “IDM 2.0 is an elegant strategy that only Intel can deliver — and it’s a winning formula.”
Intel Expansion Comes as Semiconductor Demand Expected to Rise
Announcement of the new facility comes as the semiconductor industry looks to meet new demands from a workforce that will remain at home for the immediate future. The Semiconductor Industry Association predicted in December that global semiconductor sales will grow 8.4% in 2021, eclipsing a 6.8% increase totaling $440.4 billion in 2020.
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Der innovative 3D-Scanner Hersteller Fuel3D kann wichtigen Partner in den UK sichern.
Fuel3D und Ultimaker bieten ab sofort ein Bundle für den britischen Markt an. Der FFF 3D-Drucker Ultimaker 2 wird gemeinsam mit einem Fuel3d Handheld 3D-Scanner angeboten. Ab Oktober werden ausserdem die Sales Teams beider Hersteller das Bundle in England anpreisen. Sollte dieses auf dem britischen Markt Anklang finden wäre eine Zusammenarbeit auf weiteren Märkten möglich.
Die komplette Pressemeldung:
Oxford, UK – September 2, 2014 – Fuel3D, developer of 3D scanning solutions, today announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with Ultimaker that will see the company’s groundbreaking 3D scanner offered as part of a bundle deal including the Ultimaker 2 3D printer to customers in the United Kingdom.
The agreement will see the companies offering the bundle deal to customers via their websites and through both companies’ direct sales teams in the UK, starting in October 2014.
“We want to transform people’s ability to create original content with their 3D printers and to do that we need to work with industry leaders like Ultimaker,” said Stuart Mead, CEO, Fuel3D Technologies. “This partnership with Ultimaker in the UK is a perfect tie-in for us and we are looking forward to working with them to bring the benefits of the Fuel3D scanner to 3D printing enthusiasts across the country.”
Since launching its first 3D printer in 2011, Ultimaker has quickly established itself as a prominent player in the burgeoning 3D printing market.
“We are very excited about the possibilities for the generation of 3D content offered by Fuel3D’s scanner and are excited to be working with them,” said Alex Mayor, Director, Ultimaker. “While the UK is the first market that we will be targeting this offer with, there is the potential to introduce it into additional territories over time.”
The companies will be jointly promoting each other’s products on their stands at the forthcoming 3DPrintshow tradeshow in London, September 4 – 6.
Fuel 3D Technologies raised over $300,000 for the development of an affordable, high resolution handheld 3D scanner through a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Earlier this year, the company announced a $2.6 million investment from syndicate of private investors, led by Chimera Partners. The company is currently working to fulfil Kickstarter orders, with full commercial availability of the scanner slated for later this year.
About the Fuel3D scanner
Fuel3D has developed the affordable handheld 3D scanner that delivers high resolution shape and color capture for a range of 3D modeling applications, such as 3D printing, as well as on-screen applications like 3D art, animation and game development. The scanner’s ability to accurately capture color 3D models of the face is ideally suited to the rapidly growing trend of personalization.
Fuel3D is the world’s first 3D scanner to combine pre-calibrated stereo cameras with photometric imaging to capture and process a 3D model in seconds.


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The government will be able to save some P230 million in transaction fees annually with the recently-launched digital tax payments system which allows Filipinos to pay their taxes online, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
The DOF said in a statement over the weekend the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) estimated savings of P230 million from the lowering of transaction fees charged by authorized agent banks (AABs) from P40 to P25 under the PESONet-enabled facility.
Launched by the BIR last August 15, the PESONet-enabled payment facility will allow millions of taxpayers to pay internal revenue taxes digitally anytime, anywhere, through digital channels provided by banks.
The DOF said the new interoperable digital bills facility aims to shift over 15 million tax payment transactions collected over the counter annually to the PESOnet online tax payments service, making the duty of paying taxes convenient, efficient and less costly for taxpayers.
Antonette Tionko, DOF undersecretary, said this represents more than 80 percent of the total number of tax payment transactions processed by the BIR each year.
Tionko earlier said the recent launch of the PESOnet-enabled tax payments service marks the start of the use of interoperable digital bills payment for taxes and other utilities in the country.
“Under this initiative, the BIR is the first government biller institution to pilot and adopt the interoperable digital bills payment service for tax collection,” Tionko said.
The BIR launched the facility in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Bureau of the Treasury, Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) and the payments industry.
This tax payment service is currently available only via Landbank and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. But the DOF plans to expand the service to include other AABs as well as other bills and utilities.


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This article was originally published in RAJ Devices
Legislative setback for European Commission proposal on mercury
You may also be interested in...
The latest medical device user fee (MDUFA) reports seem to indicate the percentage of premarket applications that receive a major deficiency letter are starting to come back up. US FDA says a key reason for the letters is because of insufficient testing information from device sponsors. The agency offers some steps that sponsors can take to avoid getting one of the dreaded missives.
Sponsors of PMA or HDE-authorized devices can make some modifications in response to COVID-19 without first alerting the US FDA under a recent guidance document.
“Repeated failures demonstrate that executive management oversight and control over the manufacture of drugs is inadequate,” FDA says. Warning submitted in March said falsifying data was found in making batch release decisions related to whether certain sterile ophthalmic drugs contained viable microorganisms.


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A new poll by the Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking shows 85 percent of Floridians say teenagers are likely to use the Internet to purchase alcohol.
It also shows 65 percent of Floridians are against anyone using the Internet to have alcohol shipped to their home.
"If you have a credit card it makes purchasing over the Internet too accessible. It's very simple," said Charles Golenbock, a Tallahassee resident.
A spokesperson for the Florida Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking says the message is clear that Floridians do not want alcohol sold on the Internet and delivered to homes.


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Razer, popularly known for its gaming hardware, has launched a new gaming handheld console. The US-based company launched the Razer Edge 5G at the RazerCon 2022. As the name suggests, the Razer Edge comes with 5G support, which makes it the world’s first dedicated 5G handheld console. The company has launched its new console in partnership with US telco Verizon.
The new Razer Edge 5G features a Snapdragon chipset under the hood. It also comes with a large display and a big battery pack. Let’s take a look at the Razer Edge 5G specifications, price, features and other details.
Razer Edge 5G Price and Specifications
Razer has launched the Edge 5G in the US for $399 (roughly Rs 33,000). The company has also clubbed the Kishi V2 Pro controller for the price. Those who want the Razer Edge Founders Edition, which also features the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless earbuds, will have to shell out $499.99 (roughly Rs 41,200). The console is currently on pre-reserve and will go on sale starting from January 2023 in the US.
In terms of hardware, the Edge 5G features a Snapdragon G3X Gen 1 SoC, which was launched last year as a dedicated chipset for gaming devices. The use of the SoC helps the Edge5G support many features, such as Wi-Fi 6E, mmWave 5G and a 144Hz refresh rate support for the display. While we are at it, the screen is 6.8-inch tall. It is an AMOLED panel and supports a 144Hz refresh rate.
The Edge 5G can be used to play AAA games, some of which come pre-installed. It also comes bundled with the Kishi V2 Pro controller. The console runs Android 12 out of the box. It comes with a 5MP front camera and packs 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM. There is 128GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage, which can be expanded up to 2TB via a microSD card slot.
The console also comes with dual speakers and two microphones. It packs a 5000mAh battery. The console standalone weighs about 264 grams and with the controller attached, it weighs about 400 grams. What are your thoughts on the Edge 5G? Let us know in the comments below.
Razer Edge 5G: What Games Can be Played?
Razer is billing the Edge 5G handheld gaming device as an ultimate Android gaming device which means users will be able to play every Android game that there is on this device. Of course that would also mean that region restrictions for availability of different games would also be applicable.
What would be interesting to see is the reception of the device when handheld devices like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck already exist and offer a different selection of games. Besides these the Edge 5G will also have to compete with gaming and flagship smartphones, trying to justify the need of another Android device when users already have phones.


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This weekend America’s most famous car race, the Indianapolis 500, will take center stage and prompt millions of fans worldwide to tune in to the action. And while it is true that there really are race fans that enjoy a competitive car-racing event, it seems as though there are substantially more fans interested in the Indy 500 for what might occur – like a few multi-car, out-of-control accidents. At least that’s what ESPN is banking on with their current television advertising this week that overtly states “It’s not that anything can happen, but that anything will happen”). This, of course, is sent to the viewer with the backdrop of cars flipping out of control.
Car racing may well be the most dangerous sporting event going today, with drivers literally putting their lives in danger each time they get behind the wheel of their car. Similar to hockey fights, fans will often jump over furniture when they hear a big crash has occurred – leading some to wonder about the psychology behind fan thinking and behavior. Why is it that we as fans want bad and dangerous things to occur, even when we know it might even lead to tragic consequences – like death?
What is especially interesting about the ESPN advertising campaign this week is that they also apparently understand that by promoting the danger of car racing they will likely widen their audience and drive up revenue as a result. The ad ESPN is running does not mention any specific drivers or cars, but instead reminds would-be viewers that if you tune in this weekend it’s not a question of whether something might happen, but instead a question of when. In other words, tune in long enough and you will most certainly see some cars flipping over the rails, and hey, isn’t that what you want anyway?
Could this be a sign of the times for future sports marketing? I can see it now, “Tune in to this weekend’s UFC fights and maybe you will see somebody experience a compound fracture, or watch Saturday night’s hockey game if you want to see somebody beaten until he’s unconscious!” It’s frightening to think that future sporting events might be marketed this way, but after seeing the ESPN spot this week I can honestly see this day coming…and soon.
As for this weekend’s race, will you watch because you are a race fan, or are you more enticed now because ESPN has whet your appetite for the car crashes they promise you will see?
Check out The Sports Doc Chalk Talk for more sport blogs, and be sure to follow me on Twitter!


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Elements of the Ebolowa Mobile Customs Brigade in the South region have seized 107 cartons of frozen chicken cuts meant to be sold in the local market.
According to a tweet posted on the official page of the Cameroon Customs, the frozen chicken was seized in the evening of Wednesday June 2.
Part of the tweet reads clearly that the importation, detention and circulation of frozen chicken on the Cameroonian soil is prohibited.
The ban went into force in 2006 with the aim of boosting the national poultry sector affected by massive imports.
Despite this ban, it’s common to see frozen chicken in some of our markets.
Reports have it that economic operators take advantage of the porous borders between Cameroon and neighboring Nigeria, Gabon, Chad and Equatorial Guinea to import frozen chicken and sell at cheaper prices compared to live chicken.


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Thursday’s top tech news another Cybertruck delay
Remember the Cybertruck? The cyberpunk-inspired pickup truck that Tesla announced all the way back in 2019? It’s been delayed again. Last year CEO Elon Musk said he hoped deliveries would start in the middle of 2023, but as of Tesla’s earnings call yesterday the company now doesn’t expect the vehicle to enter mass production until 2024. Here’s our full writeup on the company’s earnings release.
After banning Donald Trump from its platforms in 2021, Meta has now announced it plans to allow the former president back on Instagram and Facebook. Trump has also been unbanned from Twitter, although as of this writing he is yet to resume tweeting and instead favors communicating via his own social media platform Truth Social.


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The Fifth Network's "attention targeting" initiative will let media buyers deliver ads to pages it deems will garner longer view-times.
A small ad network with its roots in political marketing has introduced a targeting method based on an unusual branding metric: the likely duration of an ad's exposure to the end user.
The Fifth Network's "attention targeting" initiative will let media buyers deliver ads to pages it deems will garner the longest view-times. The mechanics behind the automated guesswork consist of contextual analysis combined with data from previous campaigns.
Bill Caspare, Fifth Network's president and CEO, said early tests of the offering have enabled it to offer advertisers an effective CPM at a lower rate than they pay for premium inventory. He said the targeting method allows the same interaction and click-through rates, plus the theoretical branding benefit of longer exposure to an ad.
"This is a branding product," Caspare said, adding the company will engage Dynamic Logic and InsightExpress surveys to measure brand lift for campaigns that use the method. He added internal trials had resulted in 300 to 400 percent longer ad exposure times than a control group of premium inventory.
Examples of content The Fifth Network says Web users spend the most time with include photo albums and certain kinds of news articles. "We're finding we're able to measure that," Caspare said.
Allen Stern, media director for Agency.com in San Francisco, said he's intrigued by the prospect of a length-of-exposure targeting scheme.
"It's definitely something we'd want to explore, since sometimes we see that transitional pages do not perform very well," he said. By way of example, he said the inbox for a Web-based e-mail system is likely a worse ad placement than that of an individual message page.
Stern was concerned however about the fallibility of such a targeting system, owing to factors ranging from people leaving browser screens open overnight to top-of-screen placements that are unlikely to be visible while someone scrolls through a page. "You need to take it with a grain of salt," he said.
The Fifth Network has attempted to allay such concerns by excluding wide banners from the program, along with any ad impressions lasting more than two-and-a-half minutes. "We try to set a whole series of parameters to be fair to our investment as well as to our clients," Caspare said.
Agency.com's Stern said he hadn't heard of The Fifth Network when asked about it yesterday, and he's likely not alone. The two-year-old firm is a relative no-name in a large and expanding field of ad network contenders. Its traffic is also slight: The Fifth Network didn't rank in comScore's May 2007 list of the top 50 ad networks. Between October 2006 and June 2007, the company served between 12 million and 25 million impressions on any given month, according to a spokesperson, while its total impressions for 2006 were 200 million. While the company's bread and butter is a banner network where 85 to 90 percent of the placements contain video, The Fifth Network also offers a video player and syndication platform with ad offerings.
Prior to launching The Fifth Network, Caspare worked for an Arizona-based political consultancy, db Associates, and later consulted with video ad firm Klipmart. The company's clients reflect that history, with a focus on government marketing contracts such as the Arizona Office of Tourism. Publishers in the network are heavily focused on newspaper Web sites, including sites run by The McClatchy Company, Belo Interactive, Gannett and Lee Enterprises.
On the heels of a fantastic event in New York City, ClickZ Live is taking the fun and learning to Toronto, June 23-25. With over 15 years' experience delivering industry-leading events, ClickZ Live offers an action-packed, educationally-focused agenda covering all aspects of digital marketing. Register today!
Want to learn more? Join us at ClickZ Live San Francisco, Aug 10-12!
Educating marketers for over 15 years, ClickZ Live brings together industry thought leaders from the largest brands and agencies to deliver the most advanced, educational digital marketing agenda. Register today and save $500!
Until March 2012, Zach Rodgers was managing editor of ClickZ's award-winning coverage of news and trends in digital marketing. He reported on the rise of web companies, data markets, ad technologies, and government Internet policy, among other subjects.
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce
This Magic Quadrant examines leading digital commerce platforms that enable organizations to build digital commerce sites. These commerce platforms facilitate purchasing transactions over the Web, and support the creation and continuing development of an online relationship with a consumer.
Paid Search in the Mobile Era
Google reports that paid search ads are currently driving 40+ million calls per month. Cost per click is increasing, paid search budgets are growing, and mobile continues to dominate. It's time to revamp old search strategies, reimagine stale best practices, and add new layers data to your analytics.
June 10, 2015
12:00pm ET/9:00am PT


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Daimler will launch its first fuel-cell vehicle in Europe this summer, research and development executive Thomas Weber has said.
Daimler originally planned to unveil the F-Cell model in 2010 and production will begin with small quantities in the three-digit range, Weber told Financial Times Deutschland. In 2012 or 2013, output should reach the four-digit range.
The vehicle will be rather expensive, therefore, Daimler will offer a leasing programme. This is a similar move to Honda which has a ‘production’ FCX Clarity model on lease to selected customers (mostly, it seems, in the movie business) in California and Japan.
F-Cell is Daimler’s response to criticism that it lags behind BMW in terms of the development of innovative, eco-friendly cars, an analyst told the paper.


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Amazon’s first robotics location in Mississippi is now up and running after the company’s official launch of its newest 700,000-square-foot facility in Canton Thursday morning.
In all, the new robotics facility, titled JAN1, stands at four stories tall with 70,000 storage pods that will house the majority of the sortable goods sold by Amazon. Associates will pick, pack, and ship customers’ orders alongside robots, allowing for a more efficient process that will enable Amazon to more efficiently meet consumer demand.
For months, delays have pushed the location’s opening date further behind, with Amazon last releasing plans to officially launch the plant on July 18. The plant opened one week later than the posted launch date and has since begun to ramp up production.
Reeves took to Twitter on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Canton’s state-of-the-art Amazon facility.
Great pay. Excellent benefits. Meaningful careers. This is what Amazon is bringing with 1,000 new jobs to Canton.
It was great to celebrate this tremendous investment today. Mississippi is open for business! pic.twitter.com/A3MDmctlcT
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) August 11, 2022
Reeves later clarified after JAN1’s opening ceremony that even more jobs are anticipated to be filled at the facility as production increases. Now, a total of 700 additional positions will be offered at the plant for those who apply.
To stay updated on announcements for future job openings at the Amazon facility in Canton, click here.


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The 2,000-square-foot former auto upholstery shop at 1004 N. Sheppard St. will soon be converted into a sort-of display case for Neo-Classic Cars.
“It’s going to be a more upgraded version of my spot downtown that still looks like it’s from the 1980s in Brooklyn,” said the owner of Jo Jo’s Famous Pizza.
Out-of-town buyers snap up the office and condo tower at 1001 Haxall Point and the building at Libbie Mill Midtown at 4901 Bakers Mill Lane.
The locally-based used vehicle consignment company, which recently listed on Nasdaq, is relocating to the HandCraft building at 3301 W. Moore St.
Green Leaf Medical will open in four months at 11190 W. Broad St. and is scouting locations in Scott’s Addition, Petersburg, Ashland and Carytown.
When he started in 1994, Jamie Nester made $4.25 per hour. Now he owns the business and it has $10 million in annual revenue.
“We’re trying to bring science and analytics to economic development,” said the founder of Richmond-based EDai, which considers a lot more than incentives.
The Philadelphia native plans to open a two-in-one restaurant concept at 407 N. First St. in Jackson Ward.
The Cordish Cos., Bally’s Corp. and Urban One are finalists. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Wind Creek Hospitality and Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos are out.
The furniture store will stay open in the space for at least the time being but the owners are mulling retirement.


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What will the future of retail look like in an increasingly cashless and digital society?
On the podcast episode of “Inspired Retail,” host Tyler Kern talked with Michael Graham, the vice president of Banking Solutions and Strategy for Hyosung America. The two chatted about how the shift from cash to cashless is impacting the future of retail. Hyosung America is an ATM servicing company that is a growing leader in the ATM industry, and naturally, the company is a front seat witness to how these changes are happening and what to expect next.
Kern said that the use of cash has dropped tremendously due to the transition to digital for many consumers. And this fact can be proven to be exceptionally glaring on any given day by simply questioning the amount of legal tender they both have in their wallets, stated Graham.
“There’s probably not a ton between the two of us, and I think that just kind of represents a lot of what’s happened over the last decade,” said Graham. “Obviously this trend towards digital … we continue to see this downward traffic trend from a physical perspective.”
With less cash being circulated comes concerns about the direction this could all be headed. This concern was further extrapolated at the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns. With more people at home than before, online shopping saw an exponential increase.
But Graham added that online shopping and quick delivery options benefit consumers in a way that has created a new cultural phenomenon. This along with the integration of digital payment options in retail stores creates less use for cash. As a result, it’s reduced cash circulation. On the contrary, cash remains a fundamental aspect of society that will retain a base of preferred uses and users.
“People are returning to physical brick and mortar … but cash is still needed and we still see this need for cash,” he said.
And even legislators agree. To ensure cash is being used and accepted in retail Congress passed the Payment Choice Act, making sure that all retailers accept cash in some way given the increasingly common ‘card only’ trend.
Graham said that this will be of benefit to consumers who do not have banking. He added that a segment of the consumer population has been ignored by banking institutions who favor mobile banking. These consumers, he said, are “unbanked and underbanked,” and how digital banking does more harm than good for these groups despite them helping the flow of cash usage.
Cash being used in retail does come at a cost for the retailer because staff is needed to handle, manage, and secure all cash coming in and out. It also helps retailers focus on other priorities in growing the efficiency of their business, stated Graham.
Nonetheless, Graham also stated that transactions under $50 and certain services such as landscaping have always relied on a cash payment. Those cash-preferred instances have more permanence.
At Hyosung, Graham cited that the company particularly focuses assisting retailers with cash solutions at their locations, and also coming to a full understanding of their specific needs for improvement. He said that this varies in small businesses and big retailers.
“As we’ve developed solutions, they’re really the result of customers telling us, ‘This is what we’re looking for,’ and Hyosung has really prided itself in being around customizing what the customer is really asking for,” said Graham.
Hyosung has a dedicated network specifically to work with retailers, and offering the best solutions to them.


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PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via IBN — The moment has arrived. Mark your calendars, as Oct. 25, 2023, will go down in history as the day when VenHub shatters the glass ceiling of retail innovation. VenHub is not just launching a product; it is launching the future of retail at its grand opening in Pasadena, California. Imagine the impossible and prepare to experience it. The VenHub Alpha Smart Store will be unveiled for the first time to a sold-out crowd of visionaries, leaders and enthusiasts who are coming from corners of the globe to witness this magical event.
“We’ve always believed in pushing the envelope,” says Shahan Ohanessian, CEO of Autonomous Solutions, Inc., the proud parent company of VenHub. “With the Alpha Smart Store, we’re not just pushing it; we’re catapulting it into a different stratosphere altogether. Thank you to all who will be joining us in person to be part of this groundbreaking moment.”
The demand has been so overwhelming that the company can’t keep it confined to physical boundaries. Due to an outpouring of interest, VenHub is planning virtual events in November to bring the marvel of the VenHub Alpha Smart Store to screens around the world. But it doesn’t end there. Prepare yourselves for monthly in-person events and group tours of VenHub’s state-of-the-art Pasadena showroom.
For those attending, prepare to be captivated. For those watching from afar, get ready to have your minds expanded. This isn’t just a step forward; it’s a quantum leap into what retail will look like for future generations.
Ohanessian continued, saying, “When we say this is only the beginning, we mean it. The stage is set, the curtains are about to rise, and the world is about to witness something it has never seen before.”
Are you ready to be part of the future?
Last Call for 15% Stock Bonus
The 15% stock bonus for all investors will expire on Oct. 30, 2023. This is more than a courtesy reminder; it’s an invitation to be part of a revolution.
VenHub is a cutting-edge retail solution that reimagines the shopping experience through smart automation. Blending the convenience of digital technology with the human-centric touch of traditional stores, VenHub offers 24/7 autonomous operations. Its innovative design ensures a seamless, efficient and personalized customer journey while also providing business owners with valuable data-driven insights. As the future of retail, VenHub is setting a new benchmark for modern-day commerce.
Safe Harbor Statement:
Safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as VenHub, Autonomous Solutions, Inc. or its management “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “foresees,” “forecasts,” “estimates,” or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe the division’s business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions, or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. VenHub, a division of Autonomous Solutions, Inc.
VenHub (Autonomous Solutions, Inc.)
United States: 888-585-4999
Email: [email protected]


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In December 6, 2012, Brazilian Foreign Trade Commission issued a proclamation. The proclamation decided to levy anti-dumping duties of 19.70 US dollars per kilogram on stainless steel tableware imported from China, and the tax calendar is five years. The mercosur tariff codes of the related products are 82111000, 82119100, 82152000 and 82159910.
In December, 2010, TRAMONTINA, a Stainless steel enterprise in Brazil, initiated anti-dumping proceedings. The enterprise alleged that the price of the luxury stainless steel tableware imported from China is lower than that in Chinese market which is dumping. After investigation in the following days, Brazilian authorities concluded that the related products which China exported to Brazil had caused damage to the domestic enterprises in Brazil
Brazilian media indicated that the federal government was strengthening trade protection and the anti-dumping actions towards cheap Chinese products had not carried out according to the wishes of President Rousseff. Levying anti-dumping duties towards Chinese products including the above-mentioned stainless steel tableware cannot stop the growth of the imports in Brazil.


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|Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) ’Golden Class’ And Hospitality Services Previewed At The Business Travel Show Dubai 2008
As well as speeding through the airport, travellers will be able to make use of the fully-equipped business centre with its professional secretarial assistance.
|Sorouh Partners With Leading Abu Dhabi Banks For Mortgages On Properties In The Gate Towers
Part of The Gate Towers, Commercial Towers will offer businesses the opportunity to share this landmark location, complete with the latest technology and executive accommodation.
|The International Exhibition For IT, Consumer Electronics And Home Technology
This three day event will enable you, first hand, to place your products and services in front of consumers and trade from all over the UAE and the wider region.
|First Gulf Bank reports solid financial quarter with 68% increase
77% of FGB Group Net Profit for the first nine months of 2008 was generated by the main banking businesses - Corporate, Retail, Treasury & Investments -, while the remaining 23% was contributed by FGB’s two subsidiaries and three associate companies.
|ADNEC To Showcase Gulf’s Largest Exhibition Centre At Asian Edition Of Key Travel Show
ADNEC will join the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and other key organisations from the emirate to promote Abu Dhabi as a premier regional and international business travel destination.
|First Phase Of Traffic Diversion In Salam Street Announced
He also urged people to take the side of caution by driving responsibly and appealed for their full cooperation in order to avoid accidents, traffic jams and delays.
|Finmeccanica And Mubadala Create Industrial Partnership
Alenia Aeronautica will also provide support to develop the manufacturing processes that are needed for international industrial certifications.
|Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition And Conference (ADIPEC) 2008 Is Set To Be The Biggest Ever
The number of exhibitors has grown to 1,500, who will be showcasing the latest technologies, with some 40,000 visitors expected to attend the event.
|Masdar To Invest In London Array Offshore Wind Farm As First Step Of A Global Renewable Energy Partnership With E.ON
With annual sales of just under EUR69 billion and close to 88,000 employees, it is already the world’s largest investor-owned power and gas company.
|Foreign Ministers converge to Abu Dhabi to attend Forum for the Future
Syrian Foreign Minister Waleed Al Maualem, Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Allawi, Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Nazar Medani, arrived today to attend the fifth edition of forum for the future 2008


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PepsiCo to invest another $2.5B in China
NEW YORK — PepsiCo Inc. said today that it plans to invest an additional $2.5 billion in China in the next three years as the food and beverage maker looks to boost its presence in the growing market.
The company’s overseas business has become a strong factor in its success, with PepsiCo reporting last month that international growth pushed its first-quarter profit up 26 percent, as people in developing countries bought more of its snacks and drinks.
But competition is fierce. PepsiCo, whose brands include Tropicana and Gatorade, has pledged to invest more in its overseas business as it fights stagnation at home and in Europe. But rival Coca-Cola Co. plans to do the same in these high growth markets.
In the first three months of the year, PepsiCo posted double-digit gains in sales of snacks and beverages in India and China.
Money from the PepsiCo’s additional investment in China will be used to open 10 to 12 new manufacturing plants, create a new research and development center, open five new farms for potatoes and oats and to build its brands.
The new plants will be used to make soft drinks, non-carbonated beverages and snacks. Additional production lines will also be installed at existing facilities. Plants will be built in the provinces of Fujian, Gansu, Henan and Yunnan in the next two years as part of PepsiCo’s plan to expand in interior and western China.
“We look forward to continuing to evolve our business in China and offer Chinese consumers a full portfolio of foods and beverages ranging from soft drinks and juices to oatmeal and savory snacks,” Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said in a statement.
PepsiCo previously announced a $1 billion investment in the country that will be completed this year.
The Purchase, N.Y., company currently runs 27 beverage and food plants and five farms in China.
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Richard Branson is moving the Virgin Hyperloop testing site to West Virginia. John Chambers is investing $25 million in West Virginia University. Tech titans are helping transform the coal economy.
Facebook is boosting its support of Black-owned small business in America, allocating millions in grants to this hard-hit sector.
Starbucks' Howard Schultz sent a letter to Congress calling for the government to help small businesses before the coronavirus pandemic devastates them permanently. The letter was signed by 100 business leaders at companies from Google to Salesforce.
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is counting on Ime Archibong to find the company's next hit product, but Archibong's job is even bigger than that.
Netflix employees send 98% of their political contributions to Democrats, while those at Qualcomm split theirs evenly between parties.
Sandberg said on Tuesday that Facebook will do what it can to help its employees and small businesses manage through the coronavirus outbreak.
Facebook announced Monday that Nancy Killefer and Tracey Travis are joining the company's board of directors, boosting its female presence to 40%.
Mellody Hobson, co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments, is a fierce advocate for financial literacy.
Facebook's policy on paid political advertisements has flaws that allow the spread of false information, the U.S. Democratic National Committee has said in a letter to Sheryl Sandberg, a top official of the social media giant.
Brad Smith, a regular contributor to Democrats, just wrote his biggest check of the year to support the speaker of the House.
Jeff Bezos growing ambitions beyond Amazon require him to give other top executives the chance to promote the company publicly.
Facebook is reportedly announcing its cryptocurrency this month, and will allow employees on the project to get paid in the new currency.
Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus and a former Facebook employee, admits he was fired from the social networking giant a few years ago, saying it was for "no reason at all."
When it comes to dealing with tech giants such as Facebook there should be a "menu of options" available — including splitting them up, says Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
Facebook executives need to focus on changing its business model, early Facebook and Google investor Roger McNamee told CNBC on Friday.
Sandberg said breaking up Facebook does not address the underlying issues people have with tech companies.
Facebook is going to take out $218 per share, CNBC's Jim Cramer says. The stock hit that all-time high last summer.
CNBC's Julia Boorstin reports on Facebook's first-quarter earnings.
Facebook said Jennifer Newstead is joining the company as general counsel, succeeding Colin Stretch
"Trillion dollar coach" Bill Campbell was a football coach-turned-management guru who mentored some of the most successful executives in tech, including Google billionaire Eric Schmidt and Apple's Steve Jobs.


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Disruptive next gen cloud security vendor swoops in to take traditional appliance-based market, offering partners high margins, as well as a great sales team, in order to grow business
Reading, UK β 15th November, 2016 - Next generation value-added distributor Cloud Distribution, a specialist in security, networking and storage, has just signed a major new vendor, Cyren (NASDAQ and TASE: CYRN), to add to the impressive roster of vendors already in its portfolio. Cyren is an established innovator and leading provider of cloud-based security solutions that protect businesses against Internet threats in web and email traffic.
In order to grow its business in the UK market, Cyren needed to find a partner with strong expertise in SaaS-based solutions. Cloud Distribution has an enviable track record of bringing highly innovative and disruptive vendors to market and was a natural choice. For its part, Cloud Distribution was looking for a new vendor to bolster its security offerings, and Cyrenβs suite of internet security products made perfect sense. As a result, the two companies have just signed a distribution agreement.
Atif Ahmed, Vice President of Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Cyren comments: βCyrenβs SaaS web and email security products are poised to dramatically disrupt the appliance-based approach to security. We were looking for a distributor that could help us take these innovative solutions to market and who better than Cloud Distribution. We partnered with Cloud because of the companyβs proactive approach, channel enablement tools, inside sales capabilities and support programmes, as well as its ability to create the right type of partner base in order to accelerate market adoption.β
This new partnership means that Cloud partners now have the opportunity to sell to legacy on-premise customers and migrate them into the cloud. Cyrenβs web and email security products are incredibly easy to manage and far more scalable and elastic than other solutions offered by many of the traditional cloud based vendors.
Adam Davison, Director, Cloud Distribution comments: βRight now the market is moving security into the cloud and this presents a massive opportunity for our partners. Businesses need to protect themselves from Internet threats, as their data and applications move to the cloud, employees are more mobile than ever before, and cyber-attacks are growing more sophisticated. Put simply, traditional appliance-based security solutions are failing to protect organisations from these threats because of limited compute capacity and the limited scope of on-premise protection. Now we have a highly disruptive solution which will be in big demand and even better we are going to give our partners significant margin which is always attractive.β
Cyrenβs cloud security solutions are poised to disrupt the legacy security market, leveraging cloud-scale computing and global visibility across the internet to deliver protection to any user, anywhere. Cyren offers a suite of SaaS security products delivered from the cloud, including secure web gateway (Cyren WebSecurity), secure email gateway (Cyren EmailSecurity, DNS firewall (Cyren DNS Security), and cloud sandboxing (Cyren Advanced Threat Protection) services.
Cloud Distribution will be building an internal sales team to generate leads for Cyren, and Cyren already has five sales people on the ground here in the UK. All leads will be passed onto the partners to help drive sales. There is also a full schedule of joint marketing campaigns underway to help stimulate opportunities for the channel. For more information on any of the campaigns and events or if you are interested in finding out more about Cyren please contact Cloud Distribution on 01635 800410 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.
- ENDS β
About Cloud Distribution
Cloud Distribution is a value added distributor of disruptive next generation security, networking and storage solutions that VARs can take to market quickly and easily. It currently distributes A10 Networks, Acronis, Aerohive, BlackBerry, Check Point Software, Cloud4Wi, DataCore, Gridstore, Exinda, Ignitenet, Netskope, Memblaze, Onelogin, OpenDNS, Peplink, SystemFlip, Trusted Knight, Unidesk and Vectra. Its portfolio of disruptive security and networking solutions helps resellers to differentiate themselves from the competition and create new markets to sell in. The company was founded in 2009 by senior executives with a wealth of experience in the security, networking and optimisation space. Its philosophy is to take innovative, cutting-edge vendors into the UK market by recruiting and working together with skilled, reputable, market making partners. For further information please visit www.cloud-distribution.com or follow us on Twitter @cloudtweeters
Cyren (NASDAQ and TASE: CYRN) protects more than 600 million users against cyber attacks and data breaches through its cloud-based web, email, mobile and endpoint security solutions. Relied upon by many of the world's largest technology companies such as Dell, Google, McAfee and Microsoft, Cyren offers enterprise-focused security as a service (SecaaS) solutions as well as embedded solutions for software and security providers. Cyren's global cloud security platform processes more than 17 billion daily transactions and uses innovative zero-day protection technology to proactively block over 130 million threats each day. Learn more at www.cyren.com.
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We help young firms to grow, prosper and create lasting value.
Even the most promising start-ups need all the help they can get. Although there are significant differences across industry sectors, The Times reported that over half of all start-ups will fail within five years. And that was before Covid-19, and the massive business challenges of social distancing, restrictive tiers and lockdowns.
It’s just as well then, that we set up MB Seed, a specialist division of Morgan Berkeley, to give new businesses the support they need.
Offering everything from statutory registrations and corporate governance to help with raising finance, we provide young companies with guidance from experienced and successful business professionals.
We help small companies to grow
Every year we look for start-ups in the technology, manufacturing and service sectors that have the potential for future growth but lack the initial capital to get off the ground.
We have investors that would consider an investment jointly with Morgan Berkeley. And we have MB Seed as a platform to provide entrepreneurs like ourselves the opportunity to excel. In return, we can share our business experience to develop businesses of the future.
What’s our cunning plan?
We hope that by helping these companies to grow big and prosper they’ll keep us as their trusted accountant, and we’ll enjoy a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship.


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15 area banks hit by Michaels breach
- Staff Boston Business Journal
The Massachusetts Bankers Association has heard from about 15 to 20 members who said they were affected by the data breach that compromised the debit card accounts of thousands of people who shopped at Michaels arts and crafts stores, according to the Patriot Ledger.
Texas-based Michaels Stores said it found evidence of tampered PIN pads in 80 of its stores, including shops in Braintree, Burlington, Danvers, Everett and Hanover, according to the Ledger.
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The world has a funny way of turning things on its head and todayâ€™s filing by Microsoft against Google for anti-competition practices is an ideal example.
Microsoft has put its weight behind the many other complaints stating that Google is preventing competition in the search market in the EU which is â€œto the detriment of European consumers.â€ Microsoft has filed a formal complaint with the European Commission as part of the Commissionâ€™s ongoing investigation into whether Google has violated European competition law. In a blog post, Microsoftâ€™s lead counsel, Brad Smith, outlines how Microsoft believes Google has breached competition laws. It says that Google has engaged in a â€œbroadening pattern of walling off access to content and data that competitors need to provide search results to consumers and to attract advertisers.â€
In Europe Google holds about 95 percent of the search market while in the US, Microsoft holds up to a 25 percent share directly through Bing and through its partnership with Yahoo! While it also has serious issues with the way Google operates in the States, it believes the situation is a lot worse in Europe. Microsoftâ€™s filing lists quite a number of instances where it believes Google is impeding competition. Among these is Googleâ€™s acquisition of YouTube in 2006, after which, Microsoft claims, Google put in place â€œa growing number of technical measures to restrict competing search engines from properly accessing it for their search results.â€ It also claims Google prevented YouTube from operating properly with Windows Phones. A more detailed outline of the complaints Mircosoft has can be read at the source link below.
Microsoft of course is well aware of the irony with it filing an anti-competitiveness complaint and even point this out in its blog posting. â€œHaving spent more than a decade wearing the shoe on the other foot with the European Commission, the filing of a formal antitrust complaint is not something we take lightly. This is the first time Microsoft Corporation has ever taken this step.â€
Of course this is not an isolated incident, and only last month we saw Google trapping Bing in a sting operation claiming Bing was stealing its search results. We imagine this will not be the last of the Microsoft-Google battles.
Source: Microsoft on the Issues


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Sam Raymond, a research analyst and consultant with infoDev, wrote a report “Crowdfunding in Emerging Markets: Lessons from East African Startups” with support from the UK’s Department for International Development, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australian Aid), Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The aim of the paper is to better understand the challenges of crowdfunding in emerging markets, where the crowdfunding market is expected to reach more than $300 million. (That figure represents about 2% of the $16 billion market worldwide.)
The research summarized in the report includes data from interviews carried out by Sherwood Neiss of Crowdfund Capital Advisors. The high level findings include six lessons--some of which will sound all too familiar to small coffee companies--about when, why, and how to launch crowdfunding campaigns, highlighting unanticipated challenges and non-monetary benefits.
Learn more: http://www.infodev.org/CrowdfundingAfrica


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MORE than 30 businesses will be showcasing everything from recycled furniture to building materials at this year’s Ideal Homes exhibition, next month.
Several new local businesses, including Aa Fired Up, Eco Living, Elise Jay Handpainted Furniture and GTS Direct will be exhibiting for the first time.
Organisers of the biennial show, the Shetland Rotary Club, said on Monday that preparations were well in hand.
A spokeswoman said the weekend event was the club’s biggest income source for its charities fund.
“For visitors to the show it provides the opportunity to see what’s new and available locally for the home,” she added.
The show starts at 5pm on Friday 13 September and runs over the weekend at Clickimin Leisure Centre, in Lerwick, until 5pm on the Sunday.
Entrance fee is £4 for adults; accompanied children under 14 go free.
Further details can be found on the club’s website at: www.rotaryclubofshetland.org.uk
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KFC founder shares his recipes
Published 12:00 am, Tuesday, May 29, 2012
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Want to cook like the Colonel?
Starting Tuesday, fans of KFC's Facebook pages could access two of Col. Harland Sanders' recipes and other content from his soon-to-be-released autobiography. The manuscript was written by Sanders in 1966 and discovered more than 40 years later.
The book features 33 never-before-seen recipes.
The entire book can be downloaded for free at facebook.com/kfc beginning Monday. KFC says the book -- "Colonel Harland Sanders: The Autobiography of the Original Celebrity Chef" -- is not available in bookstores or through online book sellers.
The book includes dozens of rare photos and firsthand stories from Sanders.


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PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is down again, declining to 8.1% in October.
September's rate was 8.2%, down from 8.3% the previous two months.
Department of Administration economists say the state gained 11,900 jobs in October. The increase is lower than the 10-average October increase of 16,900 jobs.
Both government and private sectors had below-average gains. Of the 11 economic sectors, six added jobs, four lost jobs and one remained unchanged.
The biggest gain was recorded by the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which added 4,900 jobs. That sector typically adds jobs this time of year as retailers prepare for the upcoming holiday season.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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According to a recent report, the Fashion and Textile industry emits more greenhouse gas emissions than international shipping and aviation combined. This does not even count the amount of waste the industry generates, as well as the huge quantity of water and resources it takes. Nowadays, consumers are more aware of fashion pollution issues, so it’s probably the right time for fashion brands to reconsider the production process of their clothes.
One of the latest brands to make a sustainable move is Levi’s. The USA-made denim brand, in collaboration with the eco-friendly brand Outerknown, proposed a rework of some iconic Levi’s products. As part of its SS18 output, the 511 jeans, a trucker jacket and a Western shirt have been made using Levi’s trademark Wellthread method, and all are available in four different colourways.
Outerknown‘s innovative green approach can be found not only in the sustainable design ethos,but also all the production process can be considered eco-friendly. The entire collection was indeed produced using water-saving printing pigments, plant based linen, organic cotton, and labels designed for recyclability.
Levi’s designers are constantly looking for new methods to produce the same jeans while cutting back on water, such as reusing water during production or developing new jeans that need less water than regular processes. Also, it’s all fully recyclable!
With prices ranging from $128 USD to $145 USD, you can purchase this entire collection at Outerknown’s online store now.
“We believe that, ultimately, it takes more than one company to make a difference,”said Paul Dillinger, VP and head of global product innovation at Levi’s. “Working together with Outerknown with the goal to move the apparel industry forward is a huge opportunity and step in the right direction for sustainable apparel.”
On Levi’s website, they state: “By 2020, our goal is for 100% of the cotton we use to be responsibly sourced.”, highlighting their purpose to become the world’s most sustainable apparel company by transforming the way they do business.


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Controlling distribution costs, organizational changes and the importance of data-based decisions were all hot topics up for discussion at the recent Virtual Revenue Strategy Forum, which took place on May 19, 2021 and was attended by more than 900 attendees.
Caryl Helsel, Founder & CEO of hospitality advisory firm Dragonfly Strategists, moderated a panel discussion on ‘Navigating Uncertainty to Profitability’.
Panelists Priya Chandnani, VP of Revenue Management, Benchmark Hospitality, and David Rochefort, President, Graduate Hotels engaged in a frank discussion on how both hotel companies had navigated COVID and the impact it had on their revenue results and operations.
Missed our Virtual Revenue Strategy Forum? You can still subscribe to watch the conference On-Demand at a time convenient to you. Visit https://www.duettocloud.com/rsf21
Caryl Helsel started by asking the panelists how they had been controlling distribution costs.
Priya Chandnani of Benchmark Hospitality admitted that they had been very cautious of distribution costs at the start of the pandemic.
“Driving direct business has been key for us in keeping those distribution costs low,” she said, adding that Benchmark had continued to invest in marketing throughout the pandemic. “That served us really well as we opened hotels back up. It really helped to keep those distribution costs low,” Chandnani said.
Graduate Hotels also leaned into direct business. “We wanted to control that customer relationship in a time of uncertainty, to communicate about our Graduate Cares program, and we saw a significant shift in direct bookings. Owning our database as a brand created significant savings from a distribution standpoint,” Graduate’s Rochefort explained.
Graduate Hotels used the pandemic as a time to take stock. “Our company is seven years old and we already have 30 hotels. We’ve seen tremendous growth in the past seven years. The pandemic enabled us to hit pause and think what would we do and what would we restructure,” said Rochefort.
“Revenue Management was the most sacred of functions in our company in the past year. We saw a lot of competitors cutting down their team but we wanted to make sure we were ready, that the engine was idling and not turned off. We use Duetto as our revenue management system. We centralized operations, knowing we could cover more hotels from a centralized point and thoughtfully add hotels back in as the needs arise.”
At Benchmark Hospitality, revenue was also seen as a core functionality. The company did not lose a single member of its revenue team.
“We have always been centralized in our approach. Although we have a few hotels where we do have on property DORMs, as we are very cautious of not all one size fits all in our hotels,” said Chandnani.
“One thing we did take as an opportunity was just cleaning house – auditing across all our systems. And we have been relying heavily on automation as well,” she added.
Benchmark Hospitality put machine learning very much in the center of its strategy as it worked out a way to make sense of the new demand trends, teaching Duetto to adjust to market changes.
“Duetto picked up really quickly and adjusted to the new demand trends. This helped us to continue to make decisions through data and not emotion,” Chandnani told the audience.
Duetto also played a central role in the revenue strategy at Graduate Hotels. Half of the owner/operator’s hotels were ‘in ramp’ anyway as they were new and had no historical data.
“We had no historical data so we used predictive analytics. We saw shifts from channels and demand patterns. Duetto was really core in us having a better understanding of what was really happening in the world in real-time and allowed our team and organization to really adapt.”
For Benchmark, revenue has always been focused on total profitability.
“It was almost like going back to our foundation,” said Chandnani. “How it has flipped is that we are paying close attention outside of rooms revenue: golf, spa, etc. It’s been a fantastic exercise working with the team to develop some of those modules. As an industry, this was a great reset to look at total profitability and look at cost of acquisition.”
For Graduate, being able to act immediately was vital. “The first 90-120 days of the pandemic were very difficult. As an owner/operator brand we are able to control everything. We shut every hotel down about 2-3 weeks ahead of our competition and saved millions. We are lucky to have every hotel open and operating right now,” said Rochefort.
“We really believe our marketing: secondary, tertiary, drive-to leisure - these markets will outperform the rest of the country in the next 12 months. We are very positive and have a real belief in hospitality, our concept, and our brand,” he added.
“A lot of our portfolio is outpacing 2019. We are focused on peak weekends, big football games, focused on the school year and a lot of that is rate driven, which is great to see. The big unknown is midweek and what does that look like? What does corporate travel look like? But weekends are outperforming two years ago,” Rochefort explained.
And it was a similar story from Benchmark: “We’re seeing similar trends to Graduate. Exceeding pace compared to 2019. We are doing better in rate, especially over the summertime and Q3. This is going to be the best summer for us ever. I do think that all sights are on Q3 and Q4 as summer ramps down we will see a shift in our mix. And it is important we react to that sooner rather than later.
Want to listen to this panel discussion as well as presentations from citizenM, Amazon Web Services and The Economic Outlook Group, LLC? You can still subscribe to watch the Virtual Revenue Strategy Forum conference On Demand at a time convenient with you. Visit https://www.duettocloud.com/rsf21
The Duetto Pulse Report is a free, data-driven analysis of information that matters most, updated and distributed on a quarterly basis.
Duetto's hotel automation technology enabled Helios Hotels to sell out many properties despite pandemic challenges. Read now.
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The organic supermarket chain Whole Foods has announced that it will no longer distribute plastic straws to customers starting in July, according to a press release on Monday.
The company also said that it would work to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used throughout its stores, including for fresh vegetables and rotisserie chickens.
Going forward, rotisserie chickens will be packaged in plastic sleeves that use 70% less plastic than the previous container. Shoppers in the fresh produce section will also find smaller plastic bags for wrapping fruit and vegetables.
In total, the brand claims these moves will eliminate 800,000 pounds of plastic waste every year.
“For almost 40 years, caring for the environment has been central to our mission and how we operate,” said A.C. Gallo, president and chief merchandising officer at Whole Foods Market, in a statement. “We recognize that single-use plastics are a concern for many of our customers, team members, and suppliers, and we’re proud of these packaging changes, which will eliminate an estimated 800,000 pounds of plastics annually.”
Whole Foods has long been a leader in the fight for sustainability. In 2008, the company stopped using plastic bags at check-out, before it became a global trend, replacing them with paper bags and encouraging customers to bring reusable totes.
The company also eliminated polystyrene, also known as styrofoam, and introduced takeout food containers made of compostable material.
Whole Foods has also been criticized on social media in the past for excessively relying on plastic packaging. In 2016, images of peeled oranges in plastic containers caused an uproar on social media, as users accused the company of generating gratuitous plastic waste.
The brand responded that it would stop selling oranges in this way.
In recent years, supermarkets around the world have vowed to reduce plastic waste. Trader Joe’s announced earlier this year that it would reduce 1 million pounds of plastic waste annually. A supermarket chain in Thailand introduced banana leaves as an alternative form of packaging, and supermarkets in the United Kingdom have embraced a ban on plastic bags.
These shifts are driven by a growing awareness of the harmful effects of plastic waste on the global environment. Marine animals as diverse as whales and coral have suffered and died from plastic debris, and plastic in the oceans gradually release toxic chemicals.
The consequences of plastic waste even reach humans. Studies have found that microplastics have become a part of everyone’s diets, ingested through water, food, or table salt, and these tiny particles pervade the air.
A recent study found an estimated 1 million people die prematurely every year because of plastic waste.
Although supermarkets can play a key role in reducing how much waste makes it to the environment, transformative action begins with governments.
More than 60 countries have taken action to restrict plastic production, the EU has unveiled a sweeping plan to ban single-use plastics, and the United Nations recently formed a global coalition to combat ocean plastic waste.
Source: Global Citizen


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With the launch of Acrobat.com, Adobe also released the latest version of Acrobat. Adobe Acrobat 9 is a major upgrade to one of its anchor desktop applications. There has been a number of Adobe releases in the past few days. First with Adobe Flash Player 10, Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 and Fireworks CS4 Beta, and the most recent launch is of Acrobat.com.
Adobe is one of the leading webtop providers and after its recent launch of an online version of Photoshop as Adobe Photoshop Express, and an online media player as AdobeTV, it has now launched Acrobat.com. Word processing, meetings and file sharing all-in-one. It is another big step towards providing more desktop-like applications online.
Acrobat.com integrates the three recently launched online services by Adobe: Brio, Buzzword and Share. Currently, it is only the public beta, the final launch is yet to come. With Acrobat.com’s launch, Adobe takes on Google Docs, Microsoft Office Live Workspace, WebEx, and GoTo Meeting, Scribd and DocStoc, all at the same time.


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The Galaxy SIII mini, which went on sale in the UK on Thursday, comes with a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 5-megapixel camera and the Jelly Bean (4.1) Android operating system.
Despite being called 'mini', the handset has a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display. It also has all of the staple smartphone features, such as Bluetooth (4.0), Wi-Fi, GPS and HSPA connectivity, as well as access to the Android app store.
In addition to these essential elements, the S3 mini carries some of the Samsung-specific features found on its larger sibling.
"This compact version features the ability to understand human gestures, S Voice, which provides customised commands, as well as Direct Call, which allows customers to automatically call that person simply from the motion of lifting the phone to their ear... to make an efficient and natural user experience," Samsung said in a statement.
Carphone Warehouse is offering the device for free on the Orange network on deals of £20.50 per month, with a two-year commitment. Amazon UK is selling the handset SIM-free for just under £300, but the online retailer is still listing the device as on pre-order, with an earliest ship date of 17 November.
Network operator Three said the Galaxy S3 mini will be in its stores from Friday, and will be available on its website from 16 November. On a pay-as-you-go basis, the handset costs £270 from Three, if bought with a top-up.


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Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc on the East Coast last week, begging the question of how the Category 4 storm would impact already-strained supply chains—but an analysis from DAT Freight & Analytics says that the national freight market should remain stable—even with freight rates rising as capacity shifts to other markets in the Southeast.
“If this was Houston, San Antonio … New Orleans, like a real Gulf Coast event, it absolutely would move the national needle,” Principal Industry Analyst Dean Croke of DAT told FleetOwner. In contrast, the places affected by Hurricane Ian are “relatively small freight markets,” he said, that have a higher volume of inbound loads than outbound loads.
“The polar vortex,” Croke said, referring to the series of winter storms in early 2021 that devastated the nation’s freight networks, “we never recovered from that crunch of capacity for that two-week period. I don’t know that this will do that.”
Croke said he expects inbound freight rates into Florida markets, such as the most heavily impacted market Lakeland, to stay elevated above outbound rates for at least four to six weeks. As carriers move freight into Florida, they will have to increase rates to account for miles spent deadheading out of the state, as crippled infrastructure means fewer goods are being produced and shipped outward.
Jason Miller, an associate professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University, wrote a similar analysis on the university’s website, stating, “The price of shipping via truck into the impacted areas of Florida will tend to increase much more than outbound transportation prices since impacted areas see a temporary decrease in outbound freight activity. Unlike with Harvey in 2017 that hit Texas and Louisiana, Florida isn't a large manufacturing state, so we shouldn't expect to see the same degree of disruption to sectors such as chemical manufacturing that we saw in 2017.”
Hurricane-related freight rates
When Hurricane Harvey struck Texas in August 2017, Croke said, inbound rates stayed 40 cents per mile higher than outbound rates for six weeks in Houston. He added that Florida, as a whole, already imports more freight than it exports, whereas Houston is a more equitable market.
According to DAT data, the average linehaul rate out of Florida increased by seven cents to $1.20 per mile, excluding fuel surcharges, after having dropped for three weeks prior. Inbound volume into Lakeland was up only 1% last week, but much more volume is expected this week as construction and emergency supplies continue to flow into the state.
Linehaul rates outbound from Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, two markets that supply large freight volumes into Florida, increased by 3 cents and 8 cents per mile, respectively. Spot rates in both markets had been decreasing for the three weeks prior to the hurricane.
“Florida is generally an area that carriers avoid even in good times because of the imbalance of freight, the amount of deadheads, it’s hit or miss,” Croke said. “There’s still a lot of capacity in the market that will get soaked up by the demand.”
Croke said that, in terms of capacity, “the broad market is slightly over-supplied. There’s been a lot of talk about the industry losing a lot of capacity. That hasn’t happened. … You’ve got to remember, carriers are coming off one of their best years ever last year.”
After West Coast port congestion last year and concerns over a potential strike among ongoing negotiations with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), many containerships have moved away from the West Coast, shifting capacity to the East and Gulf Coasts. As Hurricane Ian battered the shores, most of those vessels moved out farther to sea, up to 300 miles away—a day's sailing—to avoid the storm, before spending another day to travel back to ports such as Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Croke said. As they return to the ports, volume will surge, overwhelming the contract intermodal truckload market, which spills over into the spot market, shooting rates upward.
The Florida Department of Transportation waived weight and size requirements for any commercial vehicles hauling fuel, emergency equipment, services, supplies, agricultural commodities, and citrus. Hours-of-service requirements were also waived for vehicles providing emergency supplies or services. On Sept. 27, tolls along select highways in Florida were suspended.
Rates and volumes in this story are derived from a seven-day average of data posted to RateView, DAT’s truckload pricing analysis tool, which is based on $137 billion in annualized transaction data. All rates do not include fuel surcharges.


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MOFCOM: China continues to optimize the foreign investment environment
China will continue to create a more attractive investment environment for foreign investors, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson Gao Feng said Wednesday.
The America Chamber of Commerce in China's (AmCham) latest survey showed that 69 percent of American companies in the country were profitable in 2018. Its members see China among the top three global priorities for investment, and half of those are optimistic that steps will be taken to further open markets for foreign companies in China.
Gao recognizes that some U.S. companies face challenges in China, particularly regarding regulatory transparency, cost of production factors, market access restrictions and intellectual property protection. He says that China welcomes foreign chambers of commerce in China, including AmCham, to continue to make pertinent comments on the Chinese investment environment.
China will continue to promote reform and opening up, relax market access restrictions on foreign capital and continue to optimize the foreign investment environment. The country will continuously improve regulatory transparency, increase protection of legitimate rights and interests of foreign enterprises, as well as establish and improve foreign company complaint mechanisms, Gao says.


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This February, 2014, Dakar Foundation For The Performing Arts is producing its fourth SocialMediaWeek event as Google Hangout and virtual town-hall for stakeholders in shaping the future of Digital Diplomacy for students. This event will be a two screen experience examining the struggle and success of the digital literacy. This event will be a special installment of 90 Minutes Tv and it curriculum .
How To Grow A Digital Citizen is a virtual town-hall that features educators, schools, after school groups, companies, and non-profit organizations participating in a Google hangouts and other online platforms aimed at building awareness of digital citizenship as a set of defined, teachable skills, showcasing the resources available for teaching it and engaging parents, educators, students and lawmakers across the country as key stakeholders in making sure kids navigate the online world safely and responsibly.
What is Digital Citizenship? Digital citizenship education empowers students to make thoughtful decisions and develop a sound digital foundation for the rest of their lives. It’s a holistic and positive approach to helping students learn how to be safe and secure, as well as smart and effective participants in a digital world. That means helping them understand their rights and responsibilities, recognize the benefits and risks, and realize the personal and ethical implications of their actions. Helping a student become a good digital citizen cuts across all curricular disciplines.


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A new locomotive that cuts particulate matter emissions by 70 percent and NOx emissions by 76 percent and meets the U.S. government’s Tier 4 standards?
Very important, but not exactly very hip.
This is a problem GE is familiar with, since much of the company’s cutting edge operations are more likely to make you snooze than sit up. But GE has a track record of making high-science accessible. One way it does that is by partnering with cool artists, musicians, photographers and creators that can help turn something dry into branded works of art.
The locomotive in question, GE’s “Evolution Series Tier 4” locomotive, is the first freight engine that meets a strict government standard and cuts emissions by up to 76 percent. It’s a very important story for the brand — but one that could easily make its intended audience’s eyes glaze over. So the team inside GE’s content arm tapped Vincent Laforet, a French-American director and photographer, to shoot aerial shots of the field tests of the train so they look more like abstract works of art in a campaign that was released this week.
“We had an eye on him over at GE for a while,” said Katrina Craigwell, director of global content and programming at GE, who heads a team that takes charge of smart social and digital content for the brand. One of her primary challenges: finding cool creators to partner with in a way that dovetails with GE’s mission and image.
In this case, finding Laforet was serendipitous but also emblematic of how GE works. Linda Boff, executive director global brand marketing at GE, had become taken with a series of tilt-shift images. Craigwell went to agency Group SJR and asked it to find someone like the guy who shot those images. Matthew van Dusen, partner at the agency, happened to know the guy who took them — and even had a friend who used to work with him. “It was co-incidence and good luck,” said Van Dusen.
Another piece of good luck was when Van Dusen was at a science journalist meet-up and was introduced to Maki Naro, one of the only people in the world who makes comics about science. “He filled this weird but cool niche. We had to have him,” said Van Dusen. Naro went on to illustrate comics for GE’s social channels about big moments in science history.
Craigwell said that choosing “creators,” as they’re known, is a big part of the strategy. Often, a creator is someone the team already knows personally. For example, when GE worked with The Barbarian Group for “Drop Science,” a content-marketing gambit that turned sounds like jet engines and subsea compressors, it tapped American music producer Matthew Dear.
Colin Nagy, executive director of media and distribution at the agency, was a longtime friend of Dear’s and so brought him on board. “We thought that Matthew was the right casting because he’s so sharp, interested in science and tech and is also an amazing producer,” said Nagy.
One thing GE does not look for is people who have a history or background in pure technology, said Craigwell. “We don’t need that, we have that,” she said. “But if it’s someone fascinated by structure or shape, that works.”
In order to find good photographers who can translate complex scientific concepts into pretty Instagram pictures, the brand runs contests like the “Instagrapher” campaign. It encouraged people to take photos inspired by GE — the winner would become a GE Instagram photographer who would take pictures for specific campaigns or events. The winner was Adam Senatori, a commercial pilot who will be documenting most of the airshows in coming months for the brand.
Sometimes the process for finding artist voices is more targeted. GE found Kevin Weir, a “Tumblr celebrity” who goes by FluxMachine on a list Group SJR kept of creative people on Tumblr. The brand approached him when it wanted to do a project celebrating Thomas Edison. Weir is known for animating archival footage and so was perfect for the project.
Sometimes, however, things just don’t work out. A couple of years ago, Group SJR was working on a content project called “Choose your own adventure robot love story in space.” It tapped the comic Maki to do that one — but realized he just wasn’t a fit. GE decided to go in a different direction. The campaign is still there — Van Dusen said he hopes one day they can bring it back to life and put it out there. “It was just too weird, and sometimes we do get too weird,” said Van Dusen. “The nice thing is GE doesn’t hold it against you.”
“We have to be smart about the relationships we build with creators,” said Craigwell. “Often, it’s like giving them the keys to the brand, so it has to work seamlessly.”
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‘The influencer industry can be really vile’: Confessions of an influencer marketer on the industry’s unfair hiring practices
While the influencer industry might sound exciting and like it’s full of opportunities, one marketer can vouch for the horrific scenarios that still take place behind the scenes.
After a tumultuous 12 months, marketers are getting a clear picture of how they really did during a time of true uncertainty. And, as it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad.
Ad position: web_bfu


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News and Articles About Mobile
BY Jason FellIt will remain business as usual for the teams at Bump and sister photo-sharing app Flock -- for now.
BY Amy GahranFor all the media attention new smartphones get, innovation has, sadly, become stale.
BY Amy GahranThe tech giant is the first among its competitors to release a smartwatch device to consumers.
BY Jason FellThe Muse headband has sensors that collect a wearer's brainwaves and then translates the information to binary code.
BY Jason FellA new patent points to Google charging advertisers based on when users actually look at an advertisement.
BY Steve KovachHere's a look at one designer's vision for the forthcoming smartwatch.
BY Jason FellIt's not called 'Mega' for nothing. This device is a big smartphone to behold.
BY Jason FellCalled 'Galaxy Gear,' the wristwatch-like gadget will run on the Android operating system.
BY Amy GahranWhen you're not under a contract with a service provider you can pick the service you want and hopefully save some money while you're at it.
BY Jason FellSales of smartphones have finally surpassed sales of regular handsets worldwide, a new report says.


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A key measure of inflation rose 5.8% between December 2020 and December 2021, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Friday.
It was the biggest advance since 1982.
Energy prices alone rose nearly 30% over the course of 2021, while food prices climbed 5.7%.
Stripping out those two components, the core consumer price index – which is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation – rose 4.9% in the 12 months to December. That was the fastest price hike by that measure since 1983.
For the month of December alone, prices rose 0.4% – a decline from the 0.6% in both October and November. Core prices advanced 0.5%, the same amount as in November.
While prices rose, so did American incomes – albeit at a slower pace. Personal incomes increased by 0.3%, or $70.7 billion in December, while disposable incomes increased only 0.2%, or $49.9 billion.
That means inflation is wiping out the gains people got in their paychecks: Adjusted for inflation, “real” disposable incomes fell by 0.2%, “extending a long string of declines due to stubbornly high inflation,” according to Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO.
Americans also spent less in December, and consumer spending actually declined for the first time in months, slipping 0.6%. Real spending fell by 1%.
Retailers had warned customers of supply chain disruptions and shortages, effectively pulling the holiday shopping season into November.
“With retailers doing a good job of restocking store shelves late last year, supply will be somewhat less of an issue, it’s hoped,” Guatieri said
But the fallout from the rapid spread of the Omicron variant will probably make the start to 2022 a rocky one, also because of the expiry of the extra child tax benefits, he added.
“Consumer spending will struggle to post any growth in [the first quarter] given the weak handoff, though it should rebound in [the second quarter] with support from high savings,” Guatieri predicts.
This is important for the recovery, which could be hamstrung by Omicron at the start of the year – especially because consumer spending is such a big factor in US economic growth.


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Editor’s note: As part of our special editorial partnership, Channelnomics is publishing this recent article from CRN in the UK.
Last week it announced that from August, no new subscriptions to the service will be accepted, but said that all the resources would be available free of charge but only for up to 180 days, as opposed to two years.
At the time, resellers reacted badly to the move and a petition has since been launched, attracting nearly 2,500 signatures. The petition asks the software giant to create a more affordable alternative to its Developer Network (MSDN), which the petition claims can cost more than $6,000 per subscription.
In light of the uproar, at its Worldwide Partner Conference event in Houston, Microsoft’s U.K. director for partner strategy and program Janet Gibbons said the firm is listening to feedback and might review the most controversial element of the axe.
“I think we have heard from partners that the Internal Use Rights from a developers’ perspective is not long enough,” she said. “I am sure we will listen to that and make a decision as to if we will change that period of time or not.
“The reason for the change is that many of the resources in TechNet were available online anyway. The explosion of online and the fact you can find out info so easily from anywhere [meant] we no longer felt it was appropriate to sell it. The product just naturally came to the end of its life.”
For more UK channel coverage from CRN, visit www.channelweb.co.uk
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Trademark squatting and trademark hoarding have long been a troublesome problem for many foreign companies in China. Now, a breakthrough has been made in Chinese IP jurisprudence: Trademark rights holders can sue for unfair competition against trademark applications filed in bad faith and obtain injunctive relief and damages.
One precedent is the case of Emerson Electric Co. v. Xiamen Anjier Water Angel Drinking Water Equipment and Wang Yiping. Wang filed mass non-use trademarks similar to Emerson’s In-Sink-Erator trademark from 2010 to 2019 through two companies he controlled. The Xiamen Intermediate Court judged this to be unfair competition and the work of the appointed trademark agency to be aiding and abetting infringement. The two companies had to stop the infringement and compensate Emerson Electric with 1.6 million RMB, of which the trademark agency is jointly liable for 640,000 RMB.
Prior to this case, it was unclear whether the filing of trademarks in bad faith alone, without any actual use, constituted unfair competition and whether it could be successfully challenged in civil proceedings. With this ruling, a Chinese court confirmed for the first time that in the case of trademark applications filed in bad faith, a lawsuit can be filed for unfair competition and damages can be claimed for the legal fees incurred for trademark oppositions, trademark cancellations and administrative litigation. The agency that makes the bad faith applications on behalf of the applicant is jointly responsible for the infringement.
Source: IPR Action


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Posted BY: Teresa | NwoReport
The supply of diesel in the United States is still in a precarious position, and an insider in the auto industry warned if the crisis continues for longer it could permanently damage the already-weakened supply chain by Thanksgiving.
Automobile industry expert Eric Peters noted in an interview with radio host Kate Dalley that there will likely be a massive shortfall in diesel in the coming weeks “and that’s going to be felt economy-wide.” (Related: America is running out of gas: Surging demand leaves US with LESS THAN A MONTH’S supply of diesel.)
“Most people don’t appreciate the importance of diesel macro in the economy because most people drive a gas-powered car,” he said. “They don’t understand that everything that they buy pretty much is shipped from where it was made or where it was grown via a diesel-powered heavy truck and involved diesel-powered machinery to produce it.”


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Those dreaming the dream of unlimited online storage forever and ever just got a rude wakeup call.
A Gartner analyst says companies offering unlimited online storage are “already doing things like bandwidth throttling to help control the volume of data being stored and limiting the types of files you can backup,” according to a Computerworld article. And a major provider of online backup services says it will no longer offer unlimited plans, moving to a tiered pricing plan. That, according to PCworld.com, “destroys” the “dreams of essentially infinite online storage.”
The downfall of the great unlimited cloud storage era is good news for local and non venture capital backed managed service providers (MSPs), for whom unlimited online storage had become a competitive nightmare.
MSPs lost business to these companies or, at the very least, were only able to act as resellers for them. The costs of building out a managed online storage infrastructure were prohibitive under the unlimited storage scenario, especially when all the big companies were offering the same services at a fraction of what MSPs could sell it for without losing their shirts in the process.
But now, if the major name vendors are moving to tier-based pricing models, that makes it possible for local MSPs to compete for the backup business. And the local guys have an advantage in going for the business that the big guys can’t possibly hope to match: the local guys already know their community and know their customer base, and can deliver a far more personalized level of service that meets their customers’ individual needs. All of this, while providing them with software that solves their challenges and of course enables them to make a solid profit as well.
At ROBOBAK, we have excellent relationships with a number of MSPs throughout North America and beyond, and it’s obviously in our best interest for these MSPs to succeed. MSPs who have deployed ROBOBAK to their customers are able to deliver a full range of benefits, such as cloud based live Exchange and SQL data protection, agentless backup and restore and deduplication. Plus, unlike some of the bigger venture capital backed MSPs, local MSPs are able to tell their customers, “here’s where your data is being stored, and here’s who’s storing it.” Don’t underestimate that last point; trust builds relationship and provides peace of mind.
To be fair, several online backup companies still offer cheap, unlimited, flat rate cloud based storage, but the real question remains, for how much longer? ROBOBAK is pleased to say that tier-based pricing is where our channel partners have been all along.


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When parents start their back-to-school shopping next month, look for little clouds of inflation fears hovering over the lunchboxes and looseleaf paper.
A new study from Deloitte finds that while 86% of the adults in its recent survey plan to spend at least as much or more this year, they are ultra-aware of rising prices, both at the pump and at the grocery store.
In fact, inflation was listed as the top concern, with 72% mentioning higher food prices, and 70% citing higher energy prices. Concerns about the job market came in a distant No. 2, named by 51%.
Not surprisingly, that means they plan to be more militant about pricing in the weeks ahead, with 65% saying that good deals are the things they will look for most. (And 29% say they are finding that back-to-school items are more costly than they were last year at this time.)
They've even mapped out their deal-seeking strategies, with 64% of smartphone owners planning to use their phones to check back-to-school prices, 55% saying they will buy only what their family needs, 35% planning to use social networks, 28% consolidating trips to save on gas, and 26% reusing last year's items.
"Retailers need to be prepared for a consumer who is sensitive to prices, especially with the pinch households are feeling from higher gas and energy costs this summer," Alison Paul, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and Deloitte's retail & distribution sector leader, says in the report. "Retailers should monitor customers' reactions closely to recognize where they are flexible, and where promotions are necessary, to drive traffic and generate purchases of higher-margin products in the store."
The survey, which included 1,000 parents of school-age kids, found that among those earning $100,000 plus, confidence is much higher, with 82% of those respondents saying it was the same or better than last year, compared with 66% of those earning less than $100,000.


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- Dec 31, 2017
- SE British Columbia, Canada
There have been plenty of discussions on where car batteries are manufactured, including the recent mention of batteries made in Germany showing up. I had a look at some batteries sold here in Canada, including one with a green “eye” like the old AC Delco batteries. This one had a label that said it was “ Made in China “. Batteries are truly a world commodity.


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On this episode of Here Weed Go!, host Eddie Celaya is in New York City and he’s talking about just how widespread this marijuana movement is in the land of the free.
To help give some context to just how far the country has come in the last 10 to 15 years when it comes to pot, the guest for this episode is Ricardo Baca. As the original marijuana editor for the Denver Post, Baca covered the first-of-its-kind adult-use recreational rollout in Colorado.
More recently, as the founder and CEO of Denver-based, cannabis-focused PR/ad firm Grasslands, Baca has helped companies, brands and individuals within the industry tell their stories to a larger, more mainstream audience.
The discussion touches on how much public perception on cannabis has changed, what new emerging cannabis-friendly state investors and tourists should look out for next, and just how close the industry is to producing it’s first huge (think Coca-Cola or Kleenex) mainstream brand.