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The Backstreet Boys are “gonna bring the flavor” with a brand new venture — a tequila venture!
BSB aren’t back because they never really left, they’ve just evolved. The boyband are keeping busy working on new music, performing residencies in Las Vegas and AJ McLean is even working on a country project! That’s not enough for the five guys though. Now they’re launching a new business and they opened up to Tasting Table about the venture while in Cancun.
The admission started after Kevin Richardson admitted, “I like a good reposado or añejo.” Nick Carter then cut in saying, “And that leads us into talking about our tequila venture that we’ll be coming out with… just need to find a partner here in Mexico.”
That’s all the details they gave the publication so everything else right now is just hearsay. We can’t wait to hear more from the Backstreet Boys and their tequila brand and we’re always up for a tasting if they need us.
Stay tuned for more Backstreet Boys tequila news!


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London, United Kingdom (PRWEB) December 7, 2008
John Potter, former European Logistics Director and Global Sales and Operations Planning Project Director of SC Johnson Europe, has joined SCALA Consulting and further strengthens their strategic supply chain management capability.
SCALA Group (http://www.scalagroup.co.uk) Managing Director John Perry said the appointment follows the growth in the companies looking to identify new supply chain strategies in the light of the current economic and market position. "There is a growing need for companies to improve their total supply chain management skills and in particular reduce the capital tied up. John's experience in designing and delivering supply chain, inventory management, customer service, sales and operations planning will benefit our clients considerably".
In addition to his considerable experience in supply chain and customer service management, Mr Potter also has a background in accounting as a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. His financial experience includes accountancy roles in financial accounting, budgeting, product costing, and manufacturing accounting. He was also the Finance Director and Company Secretary of SCJ Ireland.
Mr Potter believes there are significant market and economic factors which will cause companies to question their current strategies. "The business world has changed in recent months. Markets and economies are in recession and the costs of imported goods and values of exported goods are changing dramatically. In addition, the pressures from all sides - in particular from consumers - for a greener approach continue to grow. But, customers still demand high levels of service.
"Under this set of circumstances it is not possible to be successful with supply chain strategies designed for a different real world economy. Now is the time for companies to step back, take a deep breath and review their supply chain management strategy"
For more information contact:
# # #

domain: news


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Looks like there's some real excitement (or general curiosity) for Windows 8. Microsoft announced that the Consumer Preview, released last Wednesday, had been downloaded more than 1 million times in less than 24 hours.
I'm guessing that this number has at least doubled or tripled as of Monday, since many probably held off until the weekend to give it a spin. Microsoft hasn't given any download update since Thursday's Twitter announcement.
This should also give a bump of Windows 8 market share, which sits at 0.02 percent. While that's a tiny fraction of a number, I'm still surprised that it has that -- the only available version was the features-light Windows 8 Developer Preview.
Did you spend some one-on-one time with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview this weekend? Let us know what your initial reaction is by sending a message to [email protected]
-- By Chris Paoli
Posted by Chris Paoli on 03/05/2012 at 1:19 PM
Let's walk through what to do and what you should avoid when group policy structures get a bit complicated.
Microsoft on Wednesday confirmed that it has addressed a so-called "BingBang" security issue that affected "small number of our internal applications" due to Azure Active Directory authorization misconfigurations.
Microsoft acknowledged that its emerging AI-based Bing search could affect content publisher revenue models, but also suggested that it is willing to talk terms.
Microsoft gave notice to organizations using perpetual-license Office versions about a coming 2023 milestone that could result in iffy Microsoft 365 services connections in this Wednesday announcement.
Microsoft's ongoing layoffs are hitting its home turf, with new notices affecting 1,248 people in the Redmond, Bellevue and Issaquah, Wash. areas in May.
More Tech Library


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A backhand smash and grab for bears
IT was game, set and match to bears on both sides of the Atlantic ahead of a decision on US interest rates on Wednesday. Shares looked to have priced in a 25 basis-point cut in rates, but some optimists have been talking about a possible hefty 50-point reduction to stave off deflation.
Many investors decided not to take any chances and took profits accrued over the past few weeks. A profits warning from giant brewer Heineken and household goods group Unilever provided them with another good reason to sell.
After Wall Street opened with a sharp fall, the FTSE 100 slipped 72.2 points to 4087.9 in thin trading. The euro eased to 69.2p sterling and $1.1523. The pound was worth $1.6657.
Unilever slumped 61 1/2p to 496p after warning that its sales were unlikely to meet forecasts set at the start of the year. It expects its leading brands, which account for the bulk of its sales, to grow by 4% instead of the previously stated 5-6% in 2003. AB Foods fell 18p to 534 1/2p and Reckitt Benckiser 48p to 1130p in sympathy.
Heineken's warning of flat first-half profits gave the rest of the drinks sector a huge hangover. Scottish & Newcastle, heavily exposed to the French market, dropped 21 1/4p to 377 3/4p. Heineken said the French market was down 10% and that it had taken market share. SAB Miller fell 23p to 405 1/2p and Diageo 34p to 665 1/2p.
No-frills airline easyJet rose 14 3/4p to 225 1/2p. Merrill Lynch upgraded from neutral to buy with a target price of 250p. Analyst Anthony Bor says average fares still look set to be lower in the second half compared with last year, but by less than anticipated at the time of the interims in early May.
He now sees an average fare decline in the second half from 5.5% to 2% to give a forecast full-year drop of 6%. As a result, Bor has raised his operating profit forecast from £50.5m to £69.5m and for next year from £61.8m to £85.3m.
Motorway services group RAC accelerated 16p to a year's high of 567p. Buyers have been in the driving seat ever since the group announced a 50-50 venture with Lombard North Central for a 10-year fleet management contract with British Airways (1p easier at 158 1/2p), which is expected to put £230m in its tank.
Retiring Bank of England governor Sir Eddie George's weekend TV comments that there will not be a house price crash and that falling property price inflation was unlikely to lead a general drop in prices across the country, failed to bolster housebuilders. Barratt Developments declined 14p to 446 1/2p despite fund manager FMR Corporation lifting its stake by 1.45m shares to 8.3%. Bovis Homes eased 10 1/2p to 418p and Countryside Properties 5 1/2p to 185p.
IBNet firmed 0.97p to 2.87p after announcing a reduced annual loss of £1.4m. The company is also talking to other businesses in the sector to see if there are any attractive opportunities, which could speed its overall development.
Speculative buying lifted Celtic Resources 24p to 189p. The company is taking full control of the Nezhdaninskoye gold mine in Russia in exchange for transferring a 23% stake in its own equity to Russian group IG Alrosa. Celtic will now own one of the world's largest gold mines, which contains a 28m-ounce resource.
Confirmation that Joe Bloggs jeans entrepreneur Shami Ahmed has acquired 7.9% of Austin Reed through contract for differences prompted an early rise of 6p in the fashion group before profit-taking left the close unchanged at 146 1/2p. Support services group Peterhouse closed 5p up at 286p. The stock was 12 1/2p higher, but then dealers heard that chairman David Jackson had sold 285,000 shares at 280p.
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Judging from the Pokémon Go craze, gaming is taking over the world. A Peterborough-based independent video game studio hopes to foster a local game development community by hosting the inaugural “PTBO Game Jam” this weekend at the Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront.
A “game jam” is a gathering of video game developers for the purpose of planning, designing, and creating one or more games within a short span of time, usually between 24 and 72 hours. Game developers include programmers, designers, artists, and others in related fields.
The PTBO Game Jam will include industry professionals, students, hobbyists, and those eager to learn with the common goal of creating video games in a short period of time.
The event begins on Saturday, August 13th at 9:30 a.m. with a one-hour seminar about making video games, followed by a 30-hour game jam beginning at 11 a.m.
Matthew Davey, of local game development studio dotBunny (www.dotbunny.com) that’s hosting the event, says the reason behind the jam is a desire to foster a local game development community.
Even setting aside Pokémon Go, it’s not an exaggeration to claim that gaming is taking over the world.
Market analysts expect the global gaming market to be worth over $90 billion in 2016, with mobile games overtaking PC and console games for the first time. It’s projected that the global video game industry — including revenue from PC games, console games, and mobile games on smartphones and tablets — will surpass $100 billion in 2018.
Over 19 million Canadians — around 54% of the country’s population — identified themselves as gamers in 2015.
The Theme: Cats on Leashes, featuring musician and voice actor Alexander Brandon
Admission to the PTBO Game Jam is free and is open to participants and observers, including media (although participants will be given preference if space is limited). Participants will be given a space to work at, including power and internet connectivity. Advance registration is required for anyone who plans to attend, whether participating or observing.
Sponsors of the PTBO Game Jam include dotBunny, Epic Games, Unity, Igniter Tickets, GitHub, Funky Rustic, and local VR startup ardeeXYZ.
For more information and to register, visit www.ptbogamejam.com.


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Who would have ever guessed that Mr. President Barack Obama was sporting a bulletproof suit to the Inaugural ceremonies? This really just confirms that he is indeed the baddest of them all.
While there hasn’t been any mention of specific details about the garment’s structure, some are speculating it may have come from the line by Colombian designer Miguel Caballero. Caballero is well known for his super tough but flexible and business appropriate clothing, such as the $7,500 polo shirt that can stop a shot from a 9-m revolver.
Due to some of the unfortunately rising levels of dangerous conflicts in Colombia and other parts of Latin America, the need for this type of clothing has also led to a spike in sales.
According to Caballero, many of his garments offer more than three levels of ballistic protection and they are about seven times more flexible than the Kevlar vests that are usually worn. Customers can seek their own specific level of protection, low will only withstand 9MM slugs and high will take on gunfire from Uzis and other automatics.
A few items sell for as low as $2,000, but you’ll have to shell out $10 Gs for the polo shirt that withstands automatic weapon fire.[mashshare]


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In response to this morning’s NBC TODAY Show segment on the dangers of delayed warnings from current smoke alarms, Universal Security Instruments reminds consumers about the new USST (IoPhic®) smoke and fire alarm with patented microprocessor technology. IoPhic smoke and fire alarms are very effective at detecting fast flaming fires and also respond very quickly to slow smoldering fires - up to 87% faster***than the maximum allowable alarm limit...
USI Product News & Updates
USI Company News / Smoke Alarms
TODAY Show Response - New Universal Smoke Sensing (IoPhic) Smart Alarm is Solution
USI Company News / Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Introduction of New Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Universal Security Instruments, Inc. today announced that two models of its revolutionary carbon monoxide plug-in alarms are now available for sale in the United States...
USI Company News / USST Smoke Alarms
Universal Security Instruments Revolutionary New Smoke Alarm Technology - USST
Universal Security Instruments, Inc. is unveiling revolutionary new smoke alarm technology in Booth 5212 (Central Hall) at the National Hardware Show, May 4-6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center...


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Latest Silicon Valley Stories
Further Increases Manufacturing Capabilities at Silicon Valley Customer Innovation Center MILPITAS, Calif., July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Flextronics (NASDAQ: FLEX) today announced
OTTAWA, Ontario, July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Diablo Technologies, a proven innovator in high-performance memory
Whipsaw product design honored again with 3 Gold and 1 Silver award. San Jose, CA (PRWEB) July 23, 2014 Whipsaw
SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Innovation in Japan - U.S.
Company Offers Full ITAD Services with Focus on Asset Refurbishing and Remarketing SILICON VALLEY, Calif., July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ITRenew, Inc., an industry leader in
SAN FRANCISCO, July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Optimizely, the fastest-growing optimization platform in the world, is traveling
Patented protective technology supported at Flextronics' Silicon Valley Customer Innovation Center and Flextronics' Design & Engineering Team Globally SAN JOSE, Calif.
Company Shows Continued Commitment to Sustainability and Environmental Concerns SILICON VALLEY, Calif., July 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ITRenew, Inc., an industry leader in
Silicon Valley tech giants are rolling out the red carpet to high school interns in an attempt to get a jump on young talent.
- The act of burning, scorching, or heating to dryness; the state or being thus heated or dried.
- In medicine, cauterization.


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2020/03/01-- seven mattress manufacturers and two unions representing U.S. mattress production workers announced that they had filed seven anti-dumping and one anti-subsidy tax applications with the U.S. Department of Commerce, allegations from eight The country ’s unfair trade in imported mattresses has caused “substantial harm” to the US mattress industry.
In addition, the petitioner also filed a countervailing investigation application for mattresses imported from China.
The mattress manufacturers and associations applying for anti-dumping and anti-subsidy applications are:
Brooklyn Bedding (Brooklyn Bedding Company)
Corsicana Mattress Co.
Elite Comfort Solutions (elite comfort solutions company, Leggett)
Innocor (same company as FXI)
Leggett & Platt
The two major labor unions are: Teamsters Union (United Truckers Union) and United Steelworkers (United Steelworkers Union).
Borrowing from Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia,
Also be careful?
Since the beginning of anti-dumping / anti-subsidy investigations on Chinese mattress exports in 2018, more and more companies have begun to export to Europe and the United States through Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. Furniture Today's data also shows that Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries have experienced significant growth in exports.
But this situation did not last long. The United States has noticed a surge in mattresses and other products from Vietnam, and is aware that many are from the Chinese market. Some businessmen also reminded that Vietnam also faces certain uncertainties.
Today, some companies “reacted” and began to fight back, bringing countervailing / anti-dumping tricks to Southeast Asian countries. In this determination of dumping margins in 7 countries, Vietnam also reached the highest 1008.28%, which is a dumping margin 10 times lower than the market price.
Of course, China has not been able to avoid it, but it is only a "counter-subsidy investigation" against Chinese companies.
At present, many leading enterprises including Xilinmen, KUKA Home Furnishing, Manwah Holdings, etc. have already deployed in Southeast Asia, while Mlily is in Serbia.
2020/09/01 SINGAPORE–Isocyanates and polyol markets in the Middle…
2020/07/24 HOUSTON--BASF has declared force majeure from its tolu…
2020/03/01-- seven mattress manufacturers and two unions represen…


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Over the past Month or so, it had been rumored that Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would be getting a high-definition release on the Wii U. The rumors were spurned by and entry for the game found in the Nintendo eShop servers.
Well, it turns out that the rumors were true. Nintendo took to their first Nintendo Direct since Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata passed away in July, to officially reveal The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' high-definition remake.
The game simply won't be a prettier version of the GameCube and Wii's Twilight Princess, it has been reworked to be compatible with six different amiibo. A new Wolf-Link amiibo and five other amiibo from the Smash series (as seen below).
That's not all though, as of today Nintendo will be taking pre-orders for a Twilight Princess Bundle that includes the remastered game and the Link Wolf amiibo. The bundle is set to release on March 4, 2016.


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Amazon Fresh is now free for Amazon Prime members. Amazon Fresh formerly cost $ 14.99/month on top of the price of a Prime membership, but it’s now included as an Amazon Prime benefit. Which means Prime members can get groceries delivered for free.
What Is Amazon Fresh?
Amazon Fresh is Amazon’s delivery service for groceries. Customers place an order for groceries, including fresh produce, frozen goods, and household essentials. And it’s delivered straight to their door within a couple of hours.
Amazon Fresh has been expanding of late, and it’s now available in more than 2,000 cities and towns across the US. However, the $ 14.99/month fee to use Amazon Fresh will have put some people off using the service. Which is why Amazon is now removing that barrier.
How to Buy Your Groceries From Amazon
Amazon announced that Amazon Fresh is now free in a post on Day One. Turning Amazon Fresh into a Prime benefit means Prime members in more than 2,000 US cities can now get their groceries delivered for free from Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods Market.
Amazon’s VP of Grocery Delivery, Stephanie Landry, said, “Prime members love the convenience of free grocery delivery on Amazon, which is why we’ve made Amazon Fresh a free benefit of Prime, saving customers $ 14.99 per month.”
— Amazon.com (@amazon) October 29, 2019
If you’re a Prime member already using Amazon Fresh, you can continue using it for free. However, due to how popular Amazon thinks Fresh will now become, other Prime members will have to request an invitation to begin receiving Amazon Fresh deliveries.
When Amazon has the capacity to add you as an Amazon Fresh customer, you’ll be notified. You can then start doing your grocery shopping on Amazon, and have it delivered to your door for free within the space of a couple of hours. As long as you pay for Prime.
Other Amazon Prime Benefits Worth Using
Amazon Fresh is just the latest in a long line of benefits for Amazon Prime subscribers. There’s free shipping, obviously, but there are lots of other awesome Amazon Prime benefits you’ve probably overlooked. And we can now add Amazon Fresh to that list.
Read the full article: Amazon Fresh Is Now Free on Amazon Prime


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Celtrino Express provides a document transaction platform for moving information between supply chain partners securely and with a full audit trail history to provide transparent reporting of processing progress. John Behan, Director at Celtrino, explains more about the potential applications of Celtrino Express.
John Behan, Director at Celtrino
“Transferring documents electronically between businesses has always been a trade-off between simplicity with error, such as when using email, or extremely complex to prevent these errors, such as traditional EDI. Neither of these approaches is ideal as online businesses move towards a more social model,” said Behan, “which is why Celtrino Express has been specifically designed to be simple and intuitive to use whilst providing a secure mechanism for transparent audit trail creation and workload reduction.”
May 25, 2012 in
Celtrino Express, Celtrino Platform, EDI, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Management


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While the Coronavirus brings a lock-down in the movement of people, it doesn’t point to an altered future, but rather an accelerated one.
The Coronavirus will accelerate changes in the economy that are underway.
We were already shifting the supply chain to include home delivery of groceries and every day items.
The Coronavirus lock down only speeds the shift.
Amazon and other suppliers are hiring thousands of workers to meet the acceleration.
Education was already moving online and will only do so more now that schools have cancelled classes and sent students home to log onto their computers.
Businesses were already moving to video conferencing and remote worker organizations.
The coronavirus ‘stay at home’ mandates across the globe encourage more users of Zoom and remote worker software.
Healthcare was already moving to “telehealth”-based care.
The overload of coronavirus patients on the healthcare system will increase usage of that model.
The coronavirus is moving our economy to the next generation and while it may be painful in the short run, it’s inevitable in the long run.
As a startup, think about how your company can be a part of the next economy.


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General Catalyst, one of the largest U.S. venture capital firms, is in talks to acquire an India-focused VC as part of efforts to expand its presence in the fast-growing South Asian startup market, three sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
The deal would allow General Catalyst to tap deeper into India’s vibrant technology scene that has lured over $100 billion in startup investments since 2010. General Catalyst has engaged with Venture Highway in recent months for the deal, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The deal with Venture Highway hasn’t finalized, so things including the target fund could change, the sources cautioned, requesting anonymity as the deliberation is private.
General Catalyst has backed about a dozen and a half startups in India — including fintech giant CRED, used car marketplace Spinny, and healthtech Orange Health — but the venture firm has been looking to significantly expand its presence in the country for more than a year, several people familiar with the matter said.
General Catalyst and Venture Highway did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
The U.S. firm held conversations with many senior individuals in India last year looking to find an India-based partner, many people familiar with the matter said. At some point last year, it also began evaluating the possibility of acquiring an India-focused fund and use that route to establish a broader presence in the country, the people said.
It’s not the first time a global venture house has explored this route to expand into India. Accel acquired Erasmic, which at the time had a corpus of about $10 million, more than a decade ago, creating Accel India.
General Catalyst, which has over $25 billion in assets under management, plans to invest more than $500 million in India over the next three to four years, another person familiar with the matter said. Its new focus on India follows the firm expanding in Europe last year by agreeing to merge with La Famiglia, an investor in several high-profile early-stage startups including AI firm Mistral.
Venture Highway — co-founded by Neeraj Arora, who played an instrumental role in Meta acquiring WhatsApp — is a New Delhi-headquartered venture firm that focuses on backing early-stage startups. The firm, the size of whose last fund (its second) was about $80 million, counts Meesho, ShareChat, and Moglix among its portfolio startups. Samir Sood, one of its other partners, recently stepped down. The firm also recently sold some of its stake in Meesho, TechCrunch first reported.
India, one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems, has attracted several heavyweights including Sequoia, Lightspeed, Accel, Tiger Global, SoftBank, and Insight Partners in the past decade and a half. A number of other high-profile venture firms including Coatue Management and QED and Andreessen Horowitz have also backed Indian startups in recent years as they pick young firms attempting to serve the fast growing internet market of over 700 million users.
Investing in India has proven uniquely challenging to many global venture firms that have entered the country or have explored such possibility, a partner at a India-based venture firm said. “India has immense potential but we don’t yet have the level of exits you see in the U.S., nor do we have the size of returns you might find elsewhere,” the investor said, cautioning that venture firms need to make peace with the fact that the time horizon needed for bigger payday is much longer in India.
Yet, globally funds — including asset managers — are increasingly expanding focus on India, whose $4 trillion GDP is expected to double by the end of the decade, according to Morgan Stanley. Invesco, T. Rowe Price, BlackRock, Fidelity and UBS have backed several Indian startups through their mutual funds in the last five years.
“Rather than thinking about average GDP look at how many households in India will make more than $50,000 to $75,000 a year by 2030. Our asset is developers,” Anu Hariharan, founder of VC firm Avra and formerly the head of YC Continuity, posted on X last week.
“India will have ~15 million developers in the next decade making $50,000 to $75,000 a year. For every developer household, there is a financial services household and a healthcare household that will also make $50,000 to $75,000 a year. That equates to ~45 million households (that will make more than $60,000 a year by 2030.) In comparison the UK today has 28 million households making $45,000 a year.”


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Study author, Rosario Cuomo, associate professor, gastroenterology, department of clinical medicine and surgery, 'Federico II' University, Naples, Italy, said that this study proves that the right combination of carbonation and artificial sweeteners can leave the sweet taste of diet drinks indistinguishable from normal drinks.
She said that tricking the brain about the type of sweet could be advantageous to weight loss - it facilitates the consumption of low-calorie drinks because their taste is perceived as pleasant as the sugary, calorie-laden drink.
The study identifies, however, that there is a downside to this effect; the combination of carbonation and sugar may stimulate increased sugar and food consumption since the brain perceives less sugar intake and energy balance is impaired. This interpretation might better explain the prevalence of eating disorders, metabolic diseases and obesity among diet-soda drinkers.
Investigators used functional magnetic resonance imaging to monitor changes in regional brain activity in response to naturally or artificially sweetened carbonated beverages.
The study has been published in Gastroenterology.


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- Apple unveiled a new iPad Mini on Tuesday.
- It's a glorified iPhone.
- The device clocks in at 8.3 inches, just a tad bigger than the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 6.7 inches.
Apple unveiled a new iPad Mini — and it's basically just a giant iPhone.
The company held its annual September iPhone event Tuesday, and among the cluster of product announcements was a supercharged iPad Mini. Priced at $499, it's Apple's "littlest iPad" — CEO Tim Cook said during the virtual event — and its 8.3-inch screen is only slightly bigger than the $1,099 iPhone 13 Pro Max and its 6.7 inches.
The device could fit comfortably in someone's hand, not unlike the iPhone Pro Max, and it gives the company's smartphone lineup a run for its money, given its array of bells and whistles.
It also comes with a speaker system that emits sound from both sides of the device in landscape mode. That's a feature that doesn't even come with the iPhone yet.
The new iPad Mini also has snazzier camera details, like ultra-wide lenses and Center Stage, the company's feature that tracks and refocuses the camera on you as you're moving during a video chat.
This new Mini will be the first iPad Mini to conform to industry standards and ditch its Lightning port for a USB-C, which would make it easier to transfer data. It also comes with the same proprietary chip used in the iPhone 13 lineup, and its home button is no longer situated on the front of the iPad Mini — it's housed on the top.
And lastly, the new Mini is compatible with Apple's second-generation Pencil, which attaches magnetically to the side of it.
The design updates to the iPad were the star of Tuesday's iPhone event. The changes made to this new iPhone 13 lineup were minor, such as a smaller notch — which was expected — and a bigger battery.


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November 26, 2003
Federal Reserve Districts
|Skip to content
Overview Economic growth in the Fifth District picked up a notch in October and early November as activity in the retail and services sectors increased more quickly and manufacturing output rose. Retailers said that customer traffic improved and they reported higher revenues and employment in recent weeks. Manufacturers chalked up substantial increases in shipments and new orders in October; the strongest growth rates in over six months. Commercial real estate activity moved higher as well, and while growth in home sales eased a little, residential realtors continued to record exceptional home sales figures. District bankers reported stronger commercial lending, but noted that residential mortgage refinancing dried up. In agriculture, generally mild weather allowed farmers to make good progress harvesting crops.
Retail Many District retailers reported an uptick in their sales in recent weeks, and contacts at general merchandise and building supply stores said that the pace of their sales quickened. A manager at a department store in the Greensboro, N.C., area said the local economy had stabilized following textile plant layoffs earlier in the year and store management expected holiday sales to be at or above last year's level. A big-box retailer, however, noted that sales patterns showed consumers were living paycheck-to-paycheck now that the effects of this summer's tax refunds were lessening. Automobile dealers reported mixed sales. A dealer in Charleston, W.V., said that, despite high manufacturer rebates, vehicle sales were down over the last month. In contrast, dealers in Maryland and central North Carolina registered higher sales.
Services Services businesses reported generally higher revenues in the weeks since our last report. A Baltimore, Md., financial services firm told us they had seen "strong and consistent" interest in their services and expected to increase hiring in the first quarter of 2004. Professional, scientific, and technical services firms located outside Washington, D.C., saw steady customer demand. In central Virginia and central North Carolina, revenues at healthcare systems rose, and in Maryland, environmental services firms experienced higher demand. A freight transportation business serving the District said demand for its services had increased over the past month as businesses rebuilt inventories.
Manufacturing The District's manufacturing industry expanded at a brisk pace in October. The expansion was particularly broad-based-firms in almost all sectors reported higher shipments. A contact at a Virginia lumber mill said business "bounced back" in recent weeks, and a counterpart at a mill in North Carolina told us that new orders were good and that much-needed capital improvements had been planned for next year. In addition, a manufacturer of industrial machinery in West Virginia described economic conditions in Central Appalachian coal fields as "favorable" and said customers were projecting higher capital investment in new mining equipment. There were, however, a few weak spots in the otherwise upbeat reports-a furniture manufacturer in North Carolina, for example, said that office furniture sales were still very much "in the doldrums." And a textile producer in North Carolina reported that increased imports from China had caused his firm to shut down two plants and eliminate 615 jobs recently. Manufacturers continued to tell us that they were doing very little hiring and that wage growth remained modest.
Finance District bankers said that loan demand was flat in recent weeks as higher commercial lending was offset by slower residential mortgage lending. Commercial lending was boosted, in part, by growing confidence in the strength of the economy-a Richmond, Va., banker said his clients were "ready to pull the trigger" to borrow funds and invest in their businesses again. While commercial bankers reported little change in credit standards in lending to businesses, there was the sense that lenders were aggressively pursuing new lending opportunities. Residential mortgage lenders were not as upbeat, reporting that mortgage refinancing activity had essentially dried up. Several contacts noted that mortgage lending for home purchases was generally stable, however, and expected mortgage lending to pick up over the next six months.
Real Estate Residential real estate agents generally reported that home sales remained strong although the pace of growth had slipped a notch since our last report. A realtor in Chevy Chase, Md., said properties were selling at or above asking prices and that condominiums and co-op properties were "extremely hot" sellers. A realtor in Virginia Beach, Va., described the market there as "wide open" with sales prices escalating 20 percent a year, and an agent in Odenton, Md., told us that her agency exceeded its sales goal in October by $2 million. But a few signs of cooling emerged in the District. An agent in Charlotte, N.C., said that while September home sales set a record, October closings had slowed as credit problems kept some potential homebuyers from securing loans. In addition, an agent in Greensboro, N.C., characterized home sales there as "slower" because of business closings and job layoffs.
Commercial realtors reported a "noticeable increase" in office and retail leasing activity during recent weeks. Contacts throughout the Fifth District noted that clients were "coming off the sidelines" and moving ahead with plans that had been on the shelf for months. Realtors classified recent activity into two categories: existing clients expanding their current capacity and new small businesses seeking space to begin their operations. Retail space in the Richmond, Va., market remained in high demand-a contact there reported that the latest retail vacancy rate remained unchanged despite the addition of over two million square feet of retail space in recent months. Leasing activity in industrial space remained sluggish, but one contact in Huntington, W.V., did note that there had been some recent interest from manufacturers.
Tourism Tourism remained mixed in October and early November. The coastal areas along the Outer Banks of North Carolina and at Virginia Beach, Va., have still not fully recovered from the damage caused by Hurricane Isabel in September and travel to those destinations was off. A contact on the Outer Banks said that recreational fishing, in particular, was down since Hurricane Isabel had damaged some chartered fishing boats and fishing piers. She noted, however, that progress had been made in restoring the damaged highway to Cape Hatteras. Contacts in mountainous areas in Virginia and West Virginia noted stronger tourist activity, adding that they were almost booked to capacity for the Thanksgiving holiday week.
Temporary Employment District temporary employment agencies reported somewhat stronger demand for workers in recent weeks, attributing the strengthening to a pickup in the economy. While most agents were optimistic that demand would strengthen further over the next several weeks, an agent in Gastonia, N.C., believed his agency would see lower demand for workers with the approaching holiday season and end-of-year budget freezes at some companies.
Agriculture Generally mild and dry weather in October and November enabled farmers to make good progress in harvesting crops and preparing fields for late fall plantings. Clement weather facilitated the harvesting of peanuts, cotton, soybeans, and sweet potatoes in North Carolina and helped farmers wrap up their corn harvest in Maryland. In addition, corn harvesting was nearing completion in Virginia and in West Virginia, and apple harvesting was completed in South Carolina.


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August 15, 2009 |
BANGALORE: Acer, the world's third-largest PC player globally, is seeing strong signs of a rebound in the Indian market, which showed flat growth during 2008 and some marginal improvement during the first quarter of 2009. Sales of notebooks and desktop PCs in the last three months has exceeded our expectations, said S Rajendran, chief marketing officer of Acer India. For the second quarter of calendar 2009, Acer recorded notebook sale that topped 90,000 units against 50,000 in the previous quarter, showing an 80% sequential growth.
March 5, 2014 |
KOLKATA: Global laptop and tablet makers say that launch of more than a hundred products in India is held up due to the country's decision to introduce mandatory certification, and that they will increase prices by about 5% to meet the compliance cost. Industry officials said that several globally launched products of brands such as Lenovo, Acer, Hewlett Packard ( HP ) and Samsung are unlikely to hit the Indian market soon due to a delay in procuring the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
June 15, 2004 |
BANGALORE: Combining aggressive pricing with attractive offers, Acer , the leading Taiwanese computer maker is pushing its laptops into the fast growing mobile PC market. Acer is combating leading and well entrenched MNC brands like HP , IBM and Toshiba and other popular ones like Dell. For PC vendors, gaining a dominant share in the growing notebook market is important as analysts are predicting a boom in notebook purchase. Notebook buying in India is growing rapidly.
May 26, 2004 |
BANGALORE: Acer India is doing to projectors what it did to the notebook ? make customers sit up and take notice. This time the company is offering a projector bundled with a notebook at sub-Rs 1 lakh prices. On a standalone basis, an Acer projector and Celeron notebook included in the offer costs Rs 1.05 lakh and Rs 45,999. Acer is offering a DLP (digital light processing) projector of 1,300 lumens along with a Celeron 2.6Ghz, 128 MB RAM notebook. Acer last year led the notebook price drop trend, by introducing sub Rs 44,000 Celeron-based notebooks and followed it by launching Pentium 4 notebooks at below the Rs 50,000 price point.
September 14, 2010 |
NEW DELHI: Multinational computer technology and electronics major Acer on Tuesday launched its new Liquid E Ferrari special edition smartphone. Acer collaborated with sports car-maker Ferrari to design the smartphone, which uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset, the company said in New Delhi. "In order to encash the festive mood in India, the phone will be available at Rs 29,999 till Diwali and later on, the price may be revised," Acer India chief marketing officer S Rajendran said.
September 24, 2002 |
KOCHI: To cash in on the fast growth of the information technology industry in the state, the leading player in IT hardware market, Acer India is planning a major foray into the state. The company will focus on two key segments of the state economy namely, cooperative banking sector and education, Mr S Rajendran, general manager-marketing told the ET. The cooperative banking sector will witness a major computerisation drive in the next few years, he said. Moreover, the company is already a major supplier to the cooperative banking sector of Pune and Tamil Nadu.
May 13, 2005 |
BANGALORE: Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) and Taiwanese technology major Acer on Thursday announced a joint marketing plan for the Asia Pacific market, including India, for the former's entry level storage solutions. As per the agreement, Acer will undertake marketing, sales and support for Hitachi's 9500V series modular storage systems in addition to third party products as part of a total storage area network (SAN) solutions. Hitachi already has a similar tie-up with Sun Microsystems for the high-end storage solutions for the Indian market, which generates a substantial share of its global revenues.
June 27, 2006 |
MUMBAI: In a bid to ramp up sales of laptop computers in second tier cities, IT majors like HP, HCL and Acer are partnering with lenders like Bajaj Finance, Citi Financial and GE Money to allure consumers with easy options to finance the purchase. Acer, a $9.7bn company globally, has recently tied up with Bajaj Finance to sell their laptops at zero per cent finance packages. "We think that absorbing interest costs will act as a catalyst and drive sales," says S Rajendran, GM-sales and marketing of the mobility and display products group, Acer India.
May 15, 2003 |
BANGALORE: Patience pays ? as the 3-year old Indian arm of the Taiwanese IT major Acer is discovering. Computer sales in the first three months of present year is already 70% of its total sales the entire last year. Acer India sold 20,000 units of computers in fist three months of current year as compared to 30,000 units it sold in full year 2002. Favouring Acer is the increased preference exhibited by consumers towards multinational brands over the local ones. The Indian PC market has three competing segments ?
June 14, 2012 |
NEW DELHI: PC maker Acer today said it is aiming to grow at a rate of 16-20 per cent on the back of demand from government, financial and education sectors. The company, which launched a range of new models under its Aspire series , also said it will expand its operations to tier II and III towns. "Industry is expecting a growth between 8-12 per cent and if there are forward looking governments and we get projects ... like if this year the UP government project clicks...


text: Renault's all-electric supercar، dubbed the Trezor، was named the 2016 Concept Car of the Year on Thursday at the Geneva Motor Show. The award is sponsored by the trade publication Car Design News، but the winner is chosen by a panel of 20 judges، which includes some of the top car designers in the industry. This year judges came from Hyundai، Nissan، Daimler، and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The vehicle، which was originally unveiled in September at the Paris Motor Show، is purely a concept vehicle for now. However، the company said it will inspire design elements in future Renault vehicles. The Trezor is powered by two batteries، one located at the front and one at the rear. This helps give the vehicle equal weight distribution. Each battery also has its own cooling system.


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Supermarkets Tesco and Asda will be joining Co-op, Morrisons, Waitrose, Aldi and Sainsbury’s as they pledge to stop buying Russian products as a result of the country’s war against Ukraine.
Asda will be removing about 100 products from its shelves and website – mostly spirits, but the list also includes fish and some sweets.
Asda’s co-owner Mohsin Issa said: “We stand with our customers and colleagues who are shocked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine – and our thoughts are with those people whose lives are affected by this crisis.”
However, Tesco will not be removing any products from its shelves, simply choosing not to place any further orders with suppliers.
A spokesperson for Tesco stated that it would no longer be “buying products from businesses that are wholly Russian-owned”.
A statement from the supermarket read: “We are supporting humanitarian relief efforts through our partnerships with the Red Cross, food banks and other relief organisations to help those affected in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.”
Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons Aldi and Co-op have all promised to remove Russian-made vodka from their shelves, as well as other products which are made in Russia.
Russian Standard vodka, which was founded by a Russian billionaire and continues to be made in Russia, has now been stripped from the shelves across most UK supermarkets.


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While the plant-based meat category is not short of startups promising to fix the broken food system, this is not the first rodeo for Andre Menezes and Timo Recker, who founded Next Gen Foods in April 2020 and have already launched products in multiple countries.
German native Recker, whose family business made schnitzel for three generations, had previously founded a successful meat alternatives business called LikeMeat in Germany (which he sold early last year), while Menezes – an engineer who hails from Brazil – was running Country Foods, one of the biggest food importers, distributors and processors in Singapore, when the two met in Singapore and hit it off.
Lipi… tastes like chicken
Although it’s not quite as crowded as the plant-based beef market, the US plant-based chicken market is heating up rapidly, with legacy brands from Lightlife to Tofurky and Quorn now jostling for space with food tech brands such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods; CPG giants such as Nestlé, Conagra, Kellogg and Kraft Heinz; and a flurry of startups such as Nowadays, Rebellyous, Daring Foods, and SIMULATE.
However, there’s still room for new players with a differentiated product and a scalable supply chain, insists Menezes, who is giving US chefs a sneak peek of the firm’s TiNDLE plant-based chicken this week at The Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival.
Made with texturized soy and wheat protein, Next Gen Foods’ flagship ingredient ‘lipi’ (an emulsion of sunflower oil and natural flavors boasting a distinct chicken-fatty-taste), coconut oil, methylcellulose, and oat fiber, TiNDLE is manufactured in the Netherlands, supplied frozen, and can work in a variety of dishes from butter chicken to nuggets, chicken sandwiches and tacos, Menezes told FoodNavigator-USA.
“Chefs love it. It comes in 2lb bags in portions, and they can shape it to make anything from kebabs to dumplings to a deep-fried chicken sandwich.”
'It's malleable when it's being handled, and it's firm when it's cooked, and chefs love that versatility'
The ‘lipi’ vegan chicken-fat emulsion “goes through the fibers, and it’s super-juicy,” he said, noting that “extrusion is a mixture of art and science, and we’re very lucky because our CTO John Seegers [who worked at LikeMeat with Decker] has been doing that for over 20 years and has done thousands of iterations.
“Everything impacts the outcome, from the ingredients, to the ratio of ingredients, to the temperature, to the speed of the flow, to the pressure, and then we have elements like oat fiber to give that extra texture, so all of it was designed so that it's malleable when it's being handled, but it's firm when it's cooked, and chefs love that versatility. They don’t want another chicken nugget.”
Not the first rodeo…
“As you can imagine, April 1st, 2020, was not a fantastic date to start a company,” observed Menezes, who has raised $30m of seed funding from investors including Temasek and GGV Capital, which sounds like a lot of money for a startup, but reflects the speed with which Next Gen Foods has gone from a chance meeting in Singapore to a business with 30 people, and products already on the market in multiple regions.
“At the beginning [thanks to a certain global pandemic], we couldn't even leave our apartments, we couldn’t go visit factories in Europe,” he said. “We couldn't visit people in the markets where we wanted to launch, so it forced us to be highly innovative in every single thing we do, and to design a business model whereby we’re basically a tech company with IP.
“We don't run manufacturing, we don’t have assets, we don't run trucks, but because of our backgrounds, we understand the supply chain, and we’ve made all the mistakes [that startups tend to make] in our previous lives. We understand where to source, how to source, what technology to use, which markets to target, how to do labeling, documents, distribution.”
For the US market, which Next Gen Foods plans to enter next year, beginning with restaurants and later via retail, the company is actively recruiting, said Menezes, who has recently hired former Givaudan exec Alex Ward as COO, former Temasek director Rohit Bhattacharya as CFO, former Johnson & Johnson marketer Charlotte Teo as global marketing director, and former head of communications at Impossible Foods, Rachel Konrad, as an independent director.
Any restaurateur or chef who would like to try TiNDLE is encouraged to reach out to the firm at firstname.lastname@example.org, said Menezes.
Interested in plant-based meat, dairy, and seafood alternatives?
Checkout FoodNavigator-USA's FREE 'Disrupting the Meat and Dairy Case' 3-part series:
Oct 13 (10am PT/1pm ET): Where next for meat alternatives? From plant-based burgers to fungi-fueled bacon - featuring Kroger, Atlast Food Co, Nature's Fynd, Nowadays, Oterra, and Roquette [NOW AVAILABLE ON DEMAND IF YOU REGISTER HERE].
Oct 20(10am PT/1pm ET): Where next for dairy alternatives? From oatmilk to ‘real’ cheese (minus the cows) - featuring Danone, NotCo, BioMilk, Change Foods, RSSL, and CP Kelco
Oct 27(10am PT/1pm ET): Where next for seafood alternatives? From tuna to shrimp - featuring the Good Food Institute, Good Catch, Ocean Hugger, New Wave Foods, and Aqua Cultured Foods.


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Hyundai’s product onslaught is scheduled to continue with two new or redesigned models that will be launched by January 2012. Following the recent Hyundai Veloster that made its debut at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai announced today at a dealer meeting in San Francisco that it plans to introduce a two-door coupe version of the Elantra this spring, as well as the redesigned Azera early next year.
No details have been disclosed about the upcoming Elantra Coupe. We expect it to carry the same 148 horsepower 1.8-liter engine, meaning we expect the highly touted 40 MPG rating to stick around as well. Following the Elantra, Hyundai plans to introduce the redesigned Azera for the North American market in January 2012. The 2012 Hyundai Azera will be powered by a direct-injected 3.3L V6 gasoline engine making 260-hp and will be more fuel-efficient than the current model.
Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai’s U.S. sales boss, said that the 2012 Azera will have the potential to sell between 18,000 to 20,000 units annually in the United States, which is a big leap from the model’s current volume.
[Source: Leftlane News]


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New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is a key event that gathers the fashion community to preview upcoming collections from both established and emerging designers. At NYFW 2024, L+R participated in The Edge, an initiative focused on the intersection of technology and fashion. Our team explored the influence of AI, digital innovation, Web3, and circular fashion on creating a more sustainable and inclusive industry. The Edge showcased how these innovations are becoming integral to redefining exclusivity in fashion.
Bridging Luxury and Accessibility
The event highlighted a pivotal moment for luxury fashion, historically marked by exclusivity and elusiveness, now being redefined through technology. Generative AI is at the heart of this transformation, crafting designs once deemed unimaginable. Brands like Adidas are pioneering this movement, turning to AI to create their most advanced 4D running shoe.
The potential for AI to dive deeper, learning and embodying a brand's ethos and heritage, holds untold promise. Imagine future creations when AI not only designs but does so with a nuanced understanding of a brand's legacy and values. Some may fear that the blooming of AI in fashion signals a departure from the human touch and a threat to traditional jobs. However, this technological evolution is an expansive platform for creatives to broadcast their talent and craftsmanship to a global audience.
Jana Bobosikova, co-founder + CEO, KIKI World.
AI's emergence in fashion signifies more than just an advancement; it represents a democratization of luxury. Through services like Turo and Rent the Runway, the once-unattainable is now within reach, offering everyday individuals the opportunity to experience luxury on their terms. This approach to fashion, powered by AI, opens the door to everyday glamour, offering everyone the chance to both look and feel like a celebrity on a daily basis. This shift doesn't diminish the value of any individual's creativity and skill; instead, it amplifies it, connecting creators and consumers in dynamic, previously unimaginable ways.
The Digital Wardrobe Revolution
At the event, a prominent trend among startups was the movement towards digital wardrobes, showcasing the use of 3D avatars for enhanced clothing selection and personal styling. This trend underlines a shift toward a more digitized future of fashion. However, industry experts Kotryna Jukneviciute of Arête and Nicole Belans of ThredX have highlighted the significant challenge of seamlessly integrating such advanced technology with current fashion offerings.
The introduction of Apple Vision Pro promises to bridge this gap, merging digital and physical fashion experiences. Innovations from Schumacher & Co. in employing 3D technology for engaging customers reveal the potential to surmount existing obstacles. This progress heralds a new phase of interactive shopping, aiming to refine online shopping experiences by making virtual try-ons more inclusive and accurate.
Abhi Patil with Evermore Founder Robin Lim
Calculated risks and experimentation are crucial for leveraging technology to propel fashion forward
Luxury Technology Strategist
Overcoming Industry Hurdles
The dialogue around Web3 and circular fashion brought forward the inherent challenges and opportunities within the industry. The sustainability paradox, where the desire for eco-friendly fashion meets the reality of affordability, calls for innovative solutions that do not compromise on ethics or aesthetics. Moreover, the potential of Web3 in ensuring authenticity and fostering a new level of consumer engagement is yet to be fully realized, constrained by both technological barriers and industry reluctance.
Luxury brands stand on the cusp of a transformative opportunity to reimagine the essence of exclusivity through the lens of technology. The opportunity to purchase iconic items like the Hermes Birkin or a Patek Philippe Nautilus could become much more transparent and direct. Misconceptions driven by social media that once made understanding and acquiring these pieces difficult may give way to an authentic path to ownership, breaking down the barriers that existed before.
Pioneers in the luxury sector, including Gucci, Loro Piana, and Bottega Veneta, have already embarked on this journey, leading the charge towards a new era of luxury retail. Their initiatives, particularly in anticipation of Europe's forthcoming mandate for digital passports for luxury items, show a proactive embrace of digital innovation to enhance the luxury experience, ensuring authenticity, provenance, and exclusivity are preserved in the digital age.
The insights from NYFW illuminate a path forward where technology not only addresses current industry challenges but also reimagines the future of fashion. L+R's strategic involvement in this evolution, particularly in the luxury market, foresees the importance of navigating these changes with foresight and innovation. Through workshops and Applied Imagination Sessions®, we're crafting actionable strategies that leverage technology to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.
As we reflect on the discussions and innovations presented this week, it is clear that integrating AI, digital innovation, and sustainable practices marks the dawn of a new era in fashion. The journey ahead is one of collaboration, creativity, and relentless pursuit of a fashion industry that is as inclusive as it is luxurious. At L+R, we believe this transformation is crucial, ensuring that as the industry evolves, it does so in a way that honors both its heritage and its future.


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Mid Cap Stocks
Office Depot draws increased call activity. The stock is off 4 cents to $5.07 and the focus in on Aug 5s. 11,781 traded against 17,656 in open interest, including a 5,900-lot for 32 cents when the bid ask was 25 to 35 cents. Looks like repeat buying from 7/15 and 7/17 when players were paying [...]
CH Robinson call volume 19x normal as buyers target Aug 67.5 strike. Shares at 3yr high and more than 10K Aug 67.5 calls have been bought today, most near 90c with data confiming opening customer account as the buyer. IV up nearly 3pts to 29% and todays flow will create the largest block of open [...]
Heavy trading in Herbalife. The stock is off $3.82 to $57.02 on increasing volume of 3.2 million shares after activist investor Bill Ackman said during a CNBC interview that he’s going to deal a “deathblow” to the multi-level market company. 36,000 puts and 12,000 calls traded. Weekly (7/25) 45 puts are the most actives. 8,073 [...]
Bearish pre-earnings flow in GNC. The stock is off 70 cents to $33.69 and one player bought a 3,439-lot of Aug 35 puts on the health and wellness products retailer for $2.65 per contract. 4,039 traded at that strike against 1,433 in open interest. The stock was downgraded last week on sales concerns. Estimated day [...]
Pre-earnings put activity in Popular. The stock is off 28 cents to $33.82 and Jan 32 puts are seeing the bulk of the flow. 6,800 traded, including a 5,000-lot for $1.96 when the market was $1.80 to $1.96. Looks like repeat buying from a couple of weeks ago when buyers were paying $1.80 for those [...]
Bullish risk-reversal in Tenet Healthcare. With the stock down 21 cents to $48.21 the investor sold 5,000 Aug 45 puts at 90 cents to buy 5,000 Aug 50 calls for $1.50. The new position doesn’t appear tied to stock and will capture an Aug 4 profit report.
Gamestop Oct 40 puts. The stock is up 15 cents to $42.98 and one player bought a 3,700-lot for $2.34 per contract. Volume at that strike is now approaching 7,000 against 1,249 in open interest. Investors are possibly looking for a pullback after a recent run up in shares of the video game retailer. GME [...]
Bullish trading continues in RF Micro. 7,700 Aug 11 calls on the chip-maker were opened following Friday’s increased action (see 7/18 color). The stock is up 37 cents to $10.94 today and Aug 10s are the most actives. 3,282 changed hands, driven by a sweep of 3,031 contracts for 90 cents when the bid-ask was [...]
Lennar Jan 37 puts. The stock is off 24 cents to $39.67 and looks like a 5000-lot is being opened for $2.05 per contract when the market was $1.89 to $2.14. This week’s light economic calendar includes Existing Home Sales tomorrow and New Home Sales Thursday. LEN reported earnings a few weeks ago and is [...]
InvenSense Weekly (7/25) 25 calls. The stock is up 17 cents to $24 and 1,010 trade so far. Opening.


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A SMALL Helena Valley producer has scooped a major prize at the 2016 Perth Royal Dairy Show for the mouthwatering gelato he makes in a shed in his backyard. Domenico Sabatino, best known as Mimmo, is pleased with the achievement in his third year of entering the competition.
His business, Mimmo’s Gourmet Gelato was named best small other dairy product maker and also won the Champion Gelato award for his Honeycomb Bliss.
Mimmo’s also won gold for its Cheesecake Meringue, Bacio and Red Velvet products.
Mimmo’s first entered in 2014 and won five silver awards, before winning eight silver last year and another six this year to go with its gold, champion and best awards.
He said his inspiration for the gelato came from neighbourhood children who asked him to make something using honey.
“I enjoy experimenting with flavours for young children,” he said.
“The children next door say, ‘can you make this, can you make that’ and they are my guinea pigs, I try out new flavours on them.”
Growing up in Italy, Mimmo learned his skills from Italian chefs.
“When I was nine years old I worked after school at a patisserie washing the dishes and watching the chefs creating amazing flavours,” he said.
“When you like what you do as a kid it stays with you your whole life.”
Mimmo came to Australia on holiday in 1984, met his future wife Teresa and stayed. He spent the next 20 years in the manufacturing industry before deciding to use his gelato making skills to build a business.
Mimmo said it took three days to create his award-wnning gelato and he made up to 500 litres a week in summer.
His products are available at Tubs Gourmet Gelato in Guildford, Embers in Kalamunda and Scoop Gelato and Crepes in Mundaring, as well as various restaurants across the state.
Other local producers to come out on top in the awards include York Ice Cream Co’s Jarrah Honey being named Champion Ice Cream. The company also won Gold for its Espresso ice cream, along with a string of silver awards.
BY SARAH BROOKES


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Bitcoin.Live, the new Bitcoin (BTC) and virtual currency platform was launched recently worldwide. Experts believe that this educational platform have a potential to revolutionize the ways in which the mainstream audiences grasp the education and learn about the cryptocurrency. It will give the trading strategy an edge that was not possible before.
The primary focus of Bitcoin.Live is to provide higher level education to the consumers that have been created using insight and educational tools from the experts in the industry. The platform wants to help its subscribers to improve their respective trading portfolios.
Bitcoin.Live to support all traders of virtual currency
The platform will support all the existing traders of virtual currency who have good experience of the crypto world and also those who have very little or are just starting as crypto traders. It is a platform, which will help subscribers understand as well as learn the tricks and tips on how to trade cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin.Live will serve as a treasure trove of information offering details on cryptocurrency trading through interactive discussions, blog posts, webinars, detailed reports, live events, and more. It provides information on current trends to make sure that the subscribers have up-to-date knowledge of the current changes in the cryptocurrency landscape. Earlier such information was available but in scattered form and was not even in tune with the current upheavals in the crypto sphere.
Now, the same information is available under the elegant canopy of Bitcoin.Live that is exclusively dedicated to providing service to its subscribers.
Platform dedicated to end uncertainly around crypto tokens
The founder of Bitcoin.Live, Bob Loukas, said that the investors, media, and traders have shown huge interest in the platform ever since they have announced the platform, which according to him is very much encouraging. Loukas further added that it indicates that there is a real need of such a platform within the industry.
According to Loukas, “Our experts are gearing up and filling the platform with the key advice to end the uncertainty around cryptos. We cannot wait to see the platform flourish and witness our subscribers succeed within this blooming market.”
The platform is accessible and affordable. Its team include six dedicated analysts who will offer their expertise and will increase their contribution as platform expands. These analysts have a wide range of experience from trading at the Wall Street to technical analysts and authors. Analysts who are leading the platform include CTheLight, Bob Loukas, Peter Brandt, Big Ched’s and Haejin. Traders can join the platform as subscribers exclusively through “Founding Membership” package which is at present limited only for the first 2000 sign-ups.


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Austin Psych Fest has announced its first round of artists for 2014. Founded in 2008, the festival serves as a showcase for psychedelic rock from around the world, spotlighting “the best new vanguards of mind expanding music.”
Among this year’s list, some notable names include the legendary British groups Primal Scream and The Horrors as headliners, along with Loop, The Black Angels, of Montreal, Black Lips, Mono, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Oneohtrix Point Never, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Gap Dream, Quilt and many more.
Austin Psych Fest will take place May 2-4, 2014. Check out the full list of artists below and visit www.austinpsychfest.com for more details on the festival.


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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a global leader in contract chip manufacturing, has made a substantial commitment to invest in Arm, a prominent British semiconductor designer, as it prepares to go public. This article delves into TSMC’s investment decision and explores the exciting developments surrounding Arm’s imminent initial public offering (IPO).
TSMC’s Investment in Arm
TSMC has officially greenlit an investment of up to $100 million in Arm’s upcoming IPO. This strategic move underscores the significant interest and confidence TSMC places in Arm’s future prospects. The final amount of this investment will be contingent on Arm’s share price at the time of the IPO.
Arm’s IPO Overview
Arm’s IPO is scheduled for this week in the United States, with the pricing of shares anticipated to fall within the range of $47 to $51 per share. This pricing strategy is poised to inject nearly $5 billion of fresh capital into Arm, propelling its valuation to over $50 billion.
Interest from Technology Giants
Arm’s prospectus has revealed substantial interest from prominent technology companies, including Nvidia, Apple, and of course, TSMC. These companies have expressed an interest in purchasing shares in the IPO, with a cumulative potential investment of up to $735 million. However, it’s important to note that as of now, no final decisions have been made by these potential investors.
Demand Surpasses Expectations
Reports indicate that Arm’s IPO has garnered immense demand, exceeding expectations by a remarkable 10-fold. Such overwhelming interest has prompted speculation that the order books for shares could close earlier than originally anticipated. Additionally, there are murmurs of Arm contemplating an upward adjustment of its IPO price range, a testament to the fervent market interest.
Arm’s Pivotal Role
Arm holds a pivotal position in the semiconductor industry as the architect behind the chip designs that underpin a staggering 99% of the world’s smartphone processors. This fundamental role makes Arm a linchpin for companies like TSMC, which manufacture semiconductors based on Arm’s architecture for tech giants including Apple and Nvidia.
TSMC’s Remarkable Status
TSMC, often referred to as the world’s largest and most advanced chipmaker, occupies a central role in the semiconductor ecosystem. The Taiwanese firm specializes in the manufacturing of semiconductors, catering to a diverse clientele ranging from Apple to Nvidia. Notably, many of the chips they produce are built upon Arm’s innovative architectural designs.
Excitement for the Development
TSMC’s substantial investment in Arm’s impending IPO signifies its unwavering belief in the semiconductor designer’s future prospects. With Arm’s IPO generating immense interest and the potential to reshape the industry landscape, all eyes are on this exciting development.
The Broader Implications
Beyond the immediate investment, this partnership between TSMC and Arm has the potential to impact the entire semiconductor industry. TSMC’s decision to invest up to $100 million reflects its confidence in Arm’s ability to continue shaping the future of chip architecture.
Arm’s IPO is not just a financial event; it’s a technological milestone. The fact that technology giants like Nvidia and Apple are considering substantial investments is indicative of the industry’s recognition of Arm’s importance. This move could pave the way for deeper collaborations and innovations in the semiconductor space.
Challenges and Opportunities
While the demand for Arm’s IPO shares is staggering, it also presents challenges. The possibility of oversubscription may lead to a need for careful management of investor expectations. Additionally, the consideration of raising the IPO price range could influence the dynamics of the offering.
A Long-Term Vision
TSMC’s commitment to Arm extends beyond this initial investment. It aligns with TSMC’s broader vision of continued partnership and innovation. This strategic investment could open doors to closer cooperation in the development of cutting-edge semiconductor technologies.
In conclusion, TSMC’s decision to invest in Arm’s IPO is a testament to the exciting prospects in the semiconductor industry. The world will be watching as Arm makes its debut in the public market, potentially reshaping the future of chip design and manufacturing.


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Residential redlining is well-known in the United States as a means for keeping whites and blacks living in separate neighborhoods. But what about retail redlining?
David Mekarski, the village administrator for the south Chicago suburb of Olympia Fields, told a startling story this week at the American Planning Association’s annual conference about a debate he recently had with a restaurant official. Why, he wanted to know, wouldn’t quality restaurants come to his mixed-race community, where the average annual household income is $77,000, above the county average?
The reply: “Black folks don’t tip, and so managers can’t maintain a quality staff. And if they can’t maintain a quality staff, they can’t maintain a quality restaurant.”
A gasp then rippled through the room in front of Mekarski. “This is one of the most pervasive and insidious forms of racism left in America today,” he says.
There’s a term for the phenomenon he’s describing: retail redlining. The practice is a more recent and less studied variation on redlining as it’s been historically recognized in the housing sector. In the context of retail, grocery stores, and restaurants, redlining refers to the “spatially discriminatory practice” of not serving certain communities because of their ethnic or racial composition, rather than their economic prospects.
This sounds like it is worth studying. This reminds me of research about food deserts and payday loan stores and pawn shops that show their relations tend to be related to social class and race. On one hand, the article suggests it is difficult in research to sort out the effects of economics and race as businesses consider a lot of factors for their locations. On the other hand, couldn’t research look at the locations of specific businesses, like Walmart or Walgreens, and see if they tend to be located in certain places over others when the economic characteristics are similar?
One thought on “Retail redlining”
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The Zambia Information & Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) says Airtel Zambia has an automated call blocking system at its call centre which bars all numbers that call the centre more than three times in any one day.
ZICTA acting Public Relations Manager Chisha Shimungala said in statement that this practice is an affront to consumers’ rights and interests as it denies them the right to make complaints.
He says the practice deprives consumers of the privilege to contact their service provider when necessary.
Shimungala explained that Section 67 of the Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) Act states that all service providers must deal reasonably with their consumers and address consumer complaints.
She said the failure to adhere to this requirement constitutes an offence and any service providers found wanting is liable to prosecution.
Shimungala revealed that ZICTA has directed Airtel to immediately cease the practice failure to which the Authority will invoke provisions of the Act and take stern action against the operator.
She has further advised consumers and the general public to report to ZICTA non adherence to the directive byAirtel.


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3D printing is becoming a staple in manufacturing worldwide. Some fear it will replace workers on the assembly lines, lead to widespread counterfeiting of name brand items, or be used to print guns. There’s even a car dealer on Market Square that’s working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create a 3D printed car. But what is 3D printing and what can the average person do with it?
Modern manufacturing techniques are a lot like sculpting; most things are built by taking away materials rather than by adding them. But 3D printing is known as “additive manufacturing.” A 3D printer builds objects layer by layer right before your eyes. Richard Sexton, an IT Technologist with the University of Tennessee’s Pendergrass Library, invited us to take a look at their 3D printer. The Cube X Trio, is a relatively inexpensive desktop printer which the library purchased in June of 2013. Engineering students from the College of Agriculture have used 3D printing to create prototypes.
Essentially, a 3D printer works like printing any document from your computer. You can download pre-made files from web sites like Thingiverse or you can design an object of your very own. Once the file is loaded into the printer, the magic begins. A spool of plastic material, like heavy fishing line, feeds into the printer where it is melted. A nozzle on the printer head sprays the melted material onto a surface. Each layer is built from the bottom up until the object is complete. The process reminded me of watching a Mold-A-Rama machine as a kid, only without that awesome, new box of crayons smell.
Richard envisions people using 3D printers in their homes to replace broken parts and to design their own creations. Libraries everywhere are looking to purchase 3D printers as a service they can offer the public. The Pendergrass Library has a new website, detailing what their 3D printer can do for students. For more information, contact Richard Sexton at (865) 974.4731.
Video and article by: Buck Kahler


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Bored Ape Kennel Club Continues Surge
Yuga Labs' assets continue to skyrocket a few days after the company teased the upcoming launch of "Jimmy The Monkey's" trial.
Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Ape Yacht Club, and Bored Ape Kennel Club have each traded more than 1,000 ETH on OpenSea's secondary marketplace in the last 24 hours, each eclipsing the total traded volume of the next three projects combined.
Amidst the volume surge, Bored Ape Kennel Club continues the strongest floor price increase, up nearly 26 percent to 6.89 ETH.
Some suspect the trading has been fueled on account of the recent trial of Jimmy The Monkey announcement, indicating that the initial roadmap contains a pawprint, potentially indicating some Bored Ape Kennel Club usage.
The first Yuga Labs' companion has been notoriously "excluded," not earning its own $APE airdrop when the native ecosystem token dropped earlier this year. Instead, to receive a distribution of $APE, Kennel Club holders need to own a Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFT to pair it with.
Another golden Bored Ape Kennel Club NFT traded this afternoon as well, this time selling for 23 ETH ($27,776).


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Celebrities are going wild for upside down bikinis, which appears to show them wearing their tops the wrong way around so they show more underboob....
Celebrities are going wild for upside down bikinis, which appears to show them wearing their tops the wrong way around so they show more underboob.
It might be getting chilly out there, but that hasn’t stopped shoppers from racing to buy a knit dress with cut outs that flash their flesh.
Australian fashion brand Glassons recently brought back the popular “Cut Out Knit Midi Dress” and it has virtually sold out across the country already.
The $59.99 mid-length dress comes in three colours – black, blue and cream – with a Glassons spokesperson telling news.com.au its success was all down to the “cut out detailing”.
While there’s still some remaining stock varying from store to store, shoppers who have snagged the sought-after item have been sharing pictures wearing the figure-hugging design online.
Former Bachelor contestant Bella Varelis wore the black design recently, declaring the risque number her “new fave LBD” (little black dress).
While popular Sydney influencer Kaesha Ann wore the cream colour at home, revealing she’d snapped it up during Vogue’s Online Shopping Night last week, scoring 20 per cent off.
Reaction to the slinky outfit was overwhelmingly positive, with followers of both women declaring it “stunning”.
“Oo la la,” one of Bella’s fan wrote.
“I love your dress,” another said.
“I’m going to Glassons right now,” someone else wrote.
While Kaesha’s followers had a similar reaction.
Other women shared photos of themselves wearing the dress out, one wearing strappy black heels with hers while posing on an outdoor staircase.
Another wore the blue version on a sunny day.
It’s not the first time the brand has had its products go viral, with shoppers previously going wild over its $30 bikini deal.


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Too much exposure to certain kinds of plastic could pose a health risk, according to new research. A new study by the University of Plymouth in England shows that there could be a "significant and widespread contamination" of everyday items containing black plastic, such as thermos cups, toys, coat hangers, and Christmas decorations.
Black plastic is mostly recycled from old electronic devices like laptops and music players, and repurposed into household items. Researchers found the presence of additives that can be harmful to human health in most of the products they tested, including food containers and cooking utensils.
The study confirms that the recycling of some plastic items introduces harmful chemicals into everyday items.


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Minnesota has long been part of “America’s Breadbasket,” but that doesn’t mean food is always easy to come by.
One of the less-discussed symptoms of the 2008 recession is a lasting inflation in food prices. Global food prices spiked in 2008 and only recently began to recover, dipping below crisis levels around 2015. But as of 2017, prices have been increasing once again and demands are on the rise.
The Jordan Area Food Shelf is stepping up to meet those needs on a local level; 781 families have used the Jordan Area Food Shelf to populate their dinner table over the years. This summer the local food bank moved from a century-old building on First Street to a more modern, spacious location on Water Street.
According to a 2017 USDA Household Food Security study, 9.5% of Minnesota households lack access to adequate food. This is typically due to lack of money and other resources and sometimes only applies to certain periods of the year.
Those numbers bare out in Jordan, where the Jordan Area Food Shelf serves 10% of area residents. A decade ago, that number was 6%. This was at a time when global food prices were surging and the Jordan Area Food Shelf was considering closing. However, the food shelf was kept alive by the efforts of then city councilwoman Tanya Velishek and former police chief Bob Malz, who brought local churches together and reorganized the food shelf into the nonprofit it is today.
“I love the food shelf,” said Velishek, food shelf chairwoman and Jordan mayor. “People need to eat, it’s a way to bring all the churches together to offer something to the community.”
For more than a decade, food shelf volunteers made a small, 19th century building work as their base of operations.
“If we had three families in there it was a little cramped and one of the things is definitely being conscientious of people’s privacy,” volunteer Teena Medick said. “If you got more than two or three families in there it lost that private feel.”
Storage for food used to be slim to none, Medick said. Large food drives were always welcomed and successful, but additional work was constantly required to find places to store the food before it went on the shelf. Early this year, the food shelf purchased the building that previously housed the Tree of Life Church at 312 Water Street. The food shelf was closed in April as volunteers spruced up the new building and moved the store of food.
In July, the food shelf re-opened with a completely new vibe. Gone are the days of the cramped food pantry. Visitors are now offered more of a grocery store experience with aisles of food, fresh veggies and a refrigerated section to peruse.
“You pick up what you need and then you leave,” Velishek said. “Some food shelves give you a bag full of groceries, we let you walk around and get what you need.”
Visitors are allowed to take home 23 pounds of food per family member Velishek said. Last Saturday 500 pounds of food left their doors on what was described as a “slow day.” The food shelf is only open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, but Velishek said they will typically serve five to 12 families in those three hours. The type of folks who visit the food shelf are as varied and diverse as the food selection.
“It’s not what people think,” Velishek said. “It’s also your working class that needs that little boost, or if someone lost their job — we’re really focused on assisting the whole community.”
And it takes a community to serve one. Regular donations are made to the food shelf from all kinds of local businesses, including Radermacher’s Super Value, Wagner’s Apple Orchard, Lunds & Byerlys in Prior Lake and local farmers.
“A lot of the people don’t like to be recognized, they just do it,” Velishek said.
The increased storage space and revamped layout has allowed the food shelf to better serve the community, but Velishek’s vision for the future of the organization also played a key part in motivating the move.
“The reason we moved into this building was because my hopes are to have a free sliding-scale clinic and offer free dentistry and possibly have clothes and other options for people who are in need,” Velishek said.
A sliding scale clinic model bases the price of services on a customer’s ability to pay. Velishek, who works in St. Paul as a nurse practitioner, said she is pursuing her resources to see if there is interest from other medical professionals to donate their services to the clinic project.
Only about half the space is currently used for food shelf activities. The other side is populated with three private office rooms and a waiting room. Velishek said she’d like to install a TV in the waiting room that informs visitors about simple steps they can take to improve their health and well being — something she has already achieved in a Peruvian clinic where she donates her time and services.
“I have these videos that I want to put up while they’re waiting for one of us to see them. Then they can go ‘Oh yea, my kids need vaccinations,’ or ‘Oh yes, I should get a flu shot so I don’t get the flu.’”
Velishek hopes to fill the vacant offices as soon as possible. Current ideas include chiropractic and dental services, lactation space, haircuts and general checkups. Looking further into the future, the food shelf may one day offer clothes for those in need. In the meantime, they’re working on transforming some green space behind the building into a community garden that would help fill the shelves.
“It’s a great opportunity to provide healthy food because with food drives you get nonperishable foods, which may not be the healthiest items,” Medick said.
Other available space might allow the food shelf to one day include a soup kitchen or special food offerings further in the future. But for now, the organization is focusing on its core tenet: feeding the Jordan community.
“There are people who, at this time in there life, maybe just need a little bit of help — well we’re here,” Velishek said. “We can’t fix the world’s problems, but we’re here to help.”
Updated 11:40 a.m. Friday
GOVERNMENT Council launches investigation
Complaint filed against council member


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November 4, 2016
Italy-based broadband provider Tiscali has seen its share price soar after giving official confirmation that it is in merger talks with BSkyB.
If negotiations prove successful, BSkyB will take over Tiscali’s UK broadband business for an estimated £450 million.
Tiscali’s share price escalated 40% yesterday when it issued a one sentence press release confirming discussions with BSkyB.
Tiscali has been up for sale since its February strategic review.
The company missed a self-imposed June sale deadline after talks with Vodafone fell through at the last minute.
Other companies that have considered a takeover bid but then walked away include BT and Carphone Warehouse.
If BSkyB’s bid is successful, it will become the third biggest broadband provider in the UK.


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Jack Ginsberg has donated over 3000 pieces to be accessed by the public
Wits Arts Museum (WAM) is showcasing thousands of global books art by exhibiting books from the new Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts until the beginning of July.
The books were donated by South African art collector and philanthropist, Jack Ginsberg.
Ginsberg, 72, told Wits Vuvuzela that the pieces of artwork as well as the thousands of additional items donated to WAM took about 50 years to build. There were over 3000 pieces of artwork donated.
“The genre of book art began in the [1970s],” Ginsberg said.
The collection used to be stored at Johannesburg Ginsberg’s home. He created the book art space at WAM as a research centre for people who want to specialise in book art. He hopes Wits staff and students and the public will access the artwork.
“I hope to have four exhibitions a year, where people can come and see the rest of the sites,” said Ginsberg.
He says he donated his world-renowned collection, reportedly the biggest in the southern hemisphere to WAM and not to a book library because he considers the books to be art.
“[The books] have to be handled like art: they can’t be lent out,” he said.
Ginsberg said that it was easier for him to donate the artworks there because he was familiar with how things worked in the museum. He also liked the staff’s work ethic and how dedicated they are in doing what they do.
WAM’s gallery assistant, Mpho Monama, said that the book art donation is a “great opportunity for WAM to grow versatility and variety of its collection. It also redefines WAM’s objectives and its collection”.
Julia Charlton, the senior curator at WAM said Ginsberg has given the museum “a lot of art works over the years”.
“He also helped us with building the museum,” Charlton told Wits Vuvuzela.
FEATURED IMAGE: Jack Ginsberg poses in front of one of the displays from his art book collection. Photo: Masechaba Kganyapa
- Wits Vuvuzela, Standard Bank Art Gallery celebrates black artists, March 10, 2019.


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The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) sent a warning email to the Aussie financial market intermediaries, including brokers, against the risks of possible “identity theft and fraud” amid the Optus data breach.

A copy of the email seen by Finance Magnates asked the market intermediaries to be “extra vigilant in verifying and managing customers’ personal information.”

Finance Magnates also reached out to multiple brokers to know their preparedness with the ASIC warning, however, at least one confirmed that it did not receive the AISC’s email.

A Massive Data Breach

Optus is the second largest telecom service provider in Australia. The company created a stir in the country earlier this week after revealing that the personal data of up to 10 million customers were compromised, which include home addresses, drivers' licenses, and passport numbers.

It was the largest data breach by scale in Australia.

This wasn’t a “hack”. Optus literally left the door wide open. The perp simply used a connection that wasn’t password protected to download the data.THAT’S a bigger story than a hack.Optus are culpable because the data was exposed and unprotected.It wasn’t hacked.
— ???????????????????? ???????????????????????? (@jasonjordan) September 27, 2022

The hacker initially asked for $1 million as ransom from the company and threatened to publish 10,000 Optus customers every day until the money is received. However, an anonymous online account claiming to be the hacker dropped the ransom demand recently and assured the deleting of the compromised data.

“At this stage, it appears that the data breach is limited to retail customers (and potentially small businesses) while enterprise accounts do not appear to be impacted,” ASIC’s email stated.

“The email from ASIC is very prudent given the scale of the Optus data breach,” Sophie Gerber, founder and Co-CEO of TRAction told Finance Magnates. “Although it has been sent to a subset of AFSL holders, really it applies equally to all businesses that deal with Australians regardless of whether they are in financial services.”

“Although it has been claimed that the hacked data has now been deleted, there is no doubt a level of skepticism given the nature of the party involved.”

Indeed, Optus also agreed to bear the multimillion-dollar cost of changing the driver’s license number of Australians affected by the data breach.

Earlier, ASIC also clarified that it expects all regulated market participants to “address cyber risk as part of their AFS license obligations.” However, the regulator does not recommend any technical standards or expert guidance as a part of the Australia Financial Services license requirements.

“ASIC has issued quite a number of media releases about cybersecurity and combined with the RI Advice, they show the level of scrutiny being applied to these issues. AFSL holders should be taking active steps to actively manage their cybersecurity and identity verification processes, staying on top of all developments and adapting accordingly,” Gerber added.

This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.


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Transitioning to a Post-COVID-19 “Normal?” Not so Fast.
I have been reading a lot of headlines talking about the post-COVID-19 economy, such as:
- “Transformation 2021”
- “Creating Successful and Agile Organizations in a Time of Unprecedented Challenges”
- “Five Key Factors in Planning for a Post-COVID ‘Normal’”
- “Reimagining the Global Economy for a Post-COVID-19 World”
- “Reinventing Workers for the Post-COVID Economy”
Before we start transitioning, since this year is coming to a close, I want to reflect on what I have observed the glass industry accomplish over this unprecedented year. Since being identified as an essential business, the glass industry has shown to be a “successful and agile industry in a time of unprecedented challenges.” Innovations came from the glass industry almost immediately, with Corona Guards, testing stations, modified office partitions, etc., to help keep businesses and hospitals open and safer. It is hard to find a business these days that hasn’t been touched by the local glass shop, as employees are protected by many of these innovations. They have supported the construction industry, keeping people employed while keeping their employees safe.
The supply chain from the glass fabricators to the jobsites has stayed constant, as safety programs were implemented to keep employees safe. Suppliers came through supplying PPE to their customers when they were scarce. Most salespeople I speak to have adapted to working from their homes, over the phone or Zoom meetings, and being available in the field or office when needed. The glass industry has always been a solutions business, whether it is creating energy efficient glass or designing a custom shower door. This year has been a test of the industry’s ability to use its experience to innovate. I think we passed the test.
Yes, the economy will change post-COVID. Interior office designs, home offices and new entrance designs will be part of it. I have heard about a “15-minute city” where everything you need is within 15 minutes: housing, shopping and the workplace. If the glass industry continues to be an innovative solutions-based business that services their customers, I think we will do well, no matter what the new normal looks like.
I want to thank USGlass for putting me on the team and Paul Bieber for sharing his time with me. It’s allowed me to keep in touch with old friends and make a lot of new ones. This has been a transformational year for me, and I know 2021 will be one for us all. Cannot wait to see how the post-COVID world turns out.
Thank you. Have a happy and safe holiday.


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Huawei’s Mate 9 is one of the best big phones you can buy right now, but the company promises the next one will be better – even better than the iPhone 8, in fact.
Richard Yu, Huawei’s consumer product chief, had the following to say in an interview with Bloomberg:
“We will have an even more powerful product. The Mate 10, which has much longer battery life with a full-screen display, quicker changing speed, better photographing capability and many other features that will help us compete with Apple.”
Of course, this is just a company executive promoting his own product, but there wasa lot to like about the previous device already. If Huawei can minimize the already-small bezels and further improve on its product, it might have a winner in its hand.
The other interesting bit of news is that Huawei says it’s giving up on “very low-end devices” because of the low margins. Hopefully that doesn’t mean it also plans on jacking up prices on its higher end models, which have generally been pleasantly affordable for their specs.
That said, Huawei is the third largest phone maker in the world, but it’s so far had trouble breaching the American market. Competing at a more premium price point might help give it a bit more mindshare. More than anything though, the company has to win over American carriers if it wants to go toe-to-toe with Apple and Samsung.
Apple’s FoundationDB open sources the database layer behind CloudKitJanuary 25, 2019


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Knowledge@Wharton - Born in the USA, Made in France: How McDonald's
Born in the USA, Made in France: Ho
Land of Michelin Stars
McDonald's Succeeds in the
France-- the land of haute cuisine, fine wine and cheese -- would be the last place you would expect to find a
thriving fast-food market. In a country known for its strong national identity and anti-globalization movement, it
seems improbable that McDonald's could have survived the onslaught of French social and political activism. In
1999, Jos Bov , an agricultural unionist, became a hero to anti-globalization supporters when he and his political
group, Conf d ration Paysanne, bulldozed a McDonald's in Milau, France, to protest against U.S. trade restrictions
on French dairy products. With bullhorn in hand, he declared to the television news cameras: "We attacked this
McDonald's because it is a symbol of multinationals that want to stuff us with junk food and ruin our farmers." In
2004, amid the nutritional controversy sparked by Morgan Spurlock's documentary Supersi e Me, McDonald's was
declared in French media to be the epitome of malb ouffe, or "junk food" and deemed partly to blame for the
nation's rising obesity rate.
And yet McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food corporation, with a global presence in 123 countries across all six
inhabited continents, has turned the home of Le Cordon Bleu cooking academies and the Michelin Guide of worldrenowned restaurants into its second-most profitable market in the world. The chain has more than 1,200
restaurants in France -- all locally owned franchises -- and a growth rate of 30 restaurants per year in the past five
years alone. What is at the heart of this impressive growth that has stunned French observers and surprised
business analysts? The three main reasons for McDonald's success are local responsiveness, rebranding and a
robust corporate ecosystem.
Local Responsi eness
Burger King -- arguably McDonald's largest...