text:
The rooster, with his jaunty head-topping comb and barnyard strut, is gone.
We’re talking about the male of the chicken species who for decades graced the labels of wines from Red Rooster Winery on the Naramata Bench.
The winery is still called Red Rooster, but the bird imagery on the label is gone in favour of contemporary, layered graphics capturing the winemaking process from land and soil to vines, grapes and barrels.
“The reimagined labels cleans up the look of the bottles and showcases the quality wine and our intriguing personality of refinement and innovation,” said winemaker Elaine Vickers.
The re-brand coincides with Vickers joining the winery from Black Hills Winery in Oliver.
She started at Red Rooster for the harvest in 2019 and made the 2020 vintage wines being released now with the new labels.
The first two 2020s out of the gate are the coopery-pink Rose ($29) made of Malbec, which has aromas and flavours of cranberry, rhubarb and grapefruit, and the Sauvignon Blanc ($21), a refreshing sipper that straddles New Zealand and French styles with a lime-gooseberry-and-guava profile.
Other new-label wines to be released through the summer and fall include Semillon, Pinot-3 (a white blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc), Cabernet-Merlot, Petit Verdot and Dry Riesling.
“The 2020 vintage is one of the best yet with its fruit characteristics and natural acidity,” said Vickers.
Red Rooster was purchased by wine giant Peller in 2005, but the winery maintains its own flair under the conglomerate, according to Vickers.
Peller also owns Okanagan wineries Sandhill, Tinhorn Creek, Wayne Gretzky, Black Hills, Gray Monk and Peller Estates.
New from Hillside
Speaking of new labels, Hillside Winery on the Naramata Bench has put its flagship red, the 2015 Mosaic ($54), in a bottle with an embossed, cream-coloured label featuring small flecks of colour coming together to form an abstract piece of art.
After all, that’s what a mosaic is, smaller pieces assembled to make a larger piece of art, much like
the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot blending to create the Mosaic sippable art.
The rest of Hillside’s new releases feature labels with a cutout so you see the colour of the wine in the shape of the winery building (on a hillside, of course).
In the case of the apple-and-nectarine 2020 Unoaked Pinot Gris ($23) that means light pink, resembling the palest of Rose wines.
For the grapefruit-and-ginger 2020 Gewurztraminer ($21) it’s a glimpse of pale straw liquid.
And for the juicy, red-and-black-fruit 2016 Merlot ($22), 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ($28) and 2018 Syrah ($32) it’s the deep garnet of these red wines.
Winemaker Kathy Malone admits it’s a rather eclectic mix of new releases.
But what all six of the wines have in common is they are hand-crafted exclusively from Naramata-grown grapes.
“At Hillside, our focus is to showcase the unique and compelling characteristics inherent in the terroir of the Naramata Bench,” said Malone. “(It’s an) enchanting region.”
More of everything
The latest BC Wine Grape Acreage Report shows there are more acres of vineyard, more wineries, more wine being made and more economic impact.
The report pegs the number of acres in wine grapes in 2019 at 11,086, up 8% from the 10,260 in 2014.
The number of wineries jumped 11% to 282 and the BC wine industry is worth $2.8 billion annually.
The top three planted grapes are Merlot at 1,619 acres, Pinot Noir at 1,332 and Pinot Gris at 1,167.
Steve MacNaull is an Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Email: firstname.lastname@example.org.


text:
We’ll just spare you any dumb cheesesteak-Big Apple references and get right to the info.
There’s an interesting meetup going down this Wednesday at Quorum that we think you should go to — if only to rep your hometown as it hosts tech doers and makers from New York. It’s called Maker Meetup: NYC meets Philly.
It’s a packed schedule from 6:00 p.m. on.
Here’s the lineup:
- Kurt Dudley and Doug Farber, Orange Maker cofounders
- Bevan Weissman, cofounder of New American Public Art
- Dr. Linh Le, founder of FlexTraPower
For the keynote presentation, we’ll hear from New York-based Canary Security Systems cofounder and CEO Chris Rill.
Here’s what he said at a recent TEDx talk on the subject of privacy and IoT:
Attendants at Quorum will also spot Marvin Weinberger, CEO of ecommerce site American Certified, and organizer of this very meetup.
See you there?
Knowledge is power!
Subscribe for free today and stay up to date with news and tips you need to grow your career and connect with our vibrant tech community.

domain: news


text:
The Bottom Line: NewSpring Invests in Joneca
September 02, 2021
NewSpring, a family of private equity strategies, announced today that NewSpring Mezzanine, the Firm’s dedicated mezzanine strategy, has invested subordinated debt and equity to support the acquisition of Joneca Corporation (“Joneca”) by Lightspring Capital Partners.
Joneca is a leading supplier of high-quality garbage disposals and residential kitchen products
Joneca is an Anaheim, CA-based supplier of garbage disposals, hot water dispensers, air sanitizers and other residential kitchen products. Joneca’s leading product, state-of-the-art garbage disposals, are developed by an expert team of third-party engineers that build products with industry-differentiating features, including stainless steel grinding parts, magnet motors, noise control, and odor protection. The Company primarily sells its products through major home improvement and big-box club stores, with a growing e-commerce presence through Amazon, Walmart, and eBay.
The Company is expanding into new product lines
Since its founding in 1985, Joneca has expanded its product line beyond garbage disposals to include hot water dispensers, sanitization products, and more home products that are in high demand as the trend of home improvement continues to take hold. To meet the growing demand for its products, the Company recently launched e-commerce capabilities, guided by a newly appointed director of e-commerce, and expanded its manufacturing capacity to produce additional units as needed.
Joneca is primed for domestic and international market expansion
With only 50% of homes in the U.S. equipped with a garbage disposal and even less internationally, Joneca is well positioned for continued growth to meet growing demand for the product. With few competitors, Joneca’s high-quality products stand out even further as home construction experiences strong growth across the U.S.
“Homeowners and builders are constantly looking for ways to add value to their properties by adding modern conveniences. Our growth across product lines over the past year, both internationally and domestically, demonstrates that there is trust in our offering from consumers, retailers, and distributors. With the backing and support of NewSpring and Lightspring, we will be able to continue our growth trajectory in a strategic and meaningful way.”
Joneca is led by a seasoned team of industry experts
Led by Founder and President Ed Chavez, Joneca’s management team has a proven track record of innovating and identifying new market opportunities, both in geographic markets and with new product lines, to help the company reach new levels of growth.
“Joneca has demonstrated its value as a market leader that is well-positioned to meet the needs of their partners and end customers. Their prioritization of product value, quality, and service positions them for fast growth and longevity. Ed has shown tremendous leadership ability and has set the company on a high-growth path that we are excited to be a part of. We look forward to supporting their continued success.”


text:
Pepsi Pulls Controversial Kendall Jenner Commercial After Backlash
Pepsi released a new commercial yesterday featuring Kendall Jenner and it didn not receive very good feedback. The commercial shows protests going on between a diverse group of people and the police. Kendall then makes her way through the crowd to hand the police office a Pepsi, which he accepts, causing them all to cheer and join together in unity. Sadly, that isn't how the world works and people were upset that Pepsi made light of such a serious and controversial issue.
Pepsi released this statement today:
Some of the people responding to the commercial include Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter:
Other Twitter users responded as well:


text:
The recent pandemic has changed the megatrends in packaging design, with significant implications for the short and long term
The global pandemic has had a dramatic impact on people’s lives, and this has had repercussions on consumers’ perceptions of packaging. Until a few months ago, newspaper and internet headlines were dominated by worries about the invasion of plastic on our seas, by environmental compromises and the difficulties of managing recycling. All of this created consumer awareness about more sustainable lifestyle choices and habits. Then the pandemic took over and packaging, particularly single-use plastic packaging, has become the key element in ensuring health and safety.
So, it’s clear that today the value of good packaging is well understood, yet our concerns related to environmental sustainability have all but disappeared.
This is why now more than ever the whole packaging industry should evolve and move in the direction that can offer the best protection for the environment and the society we live in, by taking on a key role in this change.
There are a few considerations that ensue from this, such as how we can change the world of packaging after Covid-19 and how we can prepare ourselves to contribute to the creation of a more solid future that’s eco-friendly.
Greater interest in sustainable packaging
At the height of the pandemic, the media’s attention focussed on the value of packaging in supplying and delivering products to homes to ensure the health and safety of consumers. The consequence has been an increase in the use of single-use plastic, due to the general need to reduce the risk of transmission of a virus that is little understood.
Packaging is now recognised as one of the key tools in safeguarding products and consumers yet, at the same time, the increased use of plastics is raising awareness further about current consumer behaviour patterns and waste management.
As time passes, this will demonstrate a raised awareness of the true environmental impact of single-use plastics and it is likely that there will be a tendency towards the choice of products wrapped in packaging that can be partially or entirely recycled. According to some research, even now consumers are already more likely to purchase products wrapped in eco-friendly packaging and, within the year, it’s expected that this will become an increasingly common requirement around the world.
A new vision of recycling
The current definition of recycling should be broadened and standardised. During lockdown, that has touched the whole world at various points in time, even consumers who don’t normally purchase online have used e-commerce services or apps for meal deliveries to their home. These numbers have reached unprecedented levels.
In the post-Covid-19 world, where it’s expected that home deliveries and online buying will remain high, emerging recovery technologies will be invaluable. It’s often difficult to recycle packaging. For this reason, it’s going to be all the more necessary to continue to protect products with functional and aesthetically pleasing packaging, as currently happens but with the added courage to create new components that can be completely recycled.
Discover Duo, the closure from the Collection range that can be separated and recycled
In the short term, the whole packaging industry will need to deal with a growth curve, characterised by research and development into more efficient ways of collecting, sorting and reusing materials and existing technology to tackle future consumer trends.
As forecasts predict that e-commerce and takeaway food services will continue to grow, ways of sorting multi-material packaging or identifying new ways of collecting pre-existing packaging need to be established.
We’ll need to set objectives and take effective action, but also introduce legislation and standards to widen the concept of recycling. Alongside this, we need an alignment between States and international organisations to include more collection types, promote innovation and help to support investment.
Reusable packaging will continue its growth, but in a different way
To reduce the risk of spreading the virus, a growing number of restaurants have suspended the use of reusable containers and in some countries, they have temporarily revoked the ban on using plastic bags. These changes have led many experts to ask themselves what the future of reusable packaging will be.
Realistically, aside from the initial unease, we can say that there’s nothing to fear and that reusable materials will be a growth opportunity. It will be sufficient to change approach and offer cleanliness and sanitation guarantees before being made available for reuse, with the potential for the creation of new business within this field.
This type of approach would reduce the risk of relying on consumer cleaning practices, by reducing the potential transmission through handling and by introducing a new development to the world of packaging.
Reinvention and action
While we look to the future of a post-pandemic world, we have the opportunity to assess and reinvent the environment we live in, by identifying structural weaknesses and committing ourselves to researching new solutions. To get started, we need to begin to look at packaging as a system and explore the impact of change to the supply chain. By doing this, we can bring together interested parties within the value chain to continue to create a shared vision of the near future.
Creating a joined-up strategy that recognises the value of packaging, but also emphasises how to deal with its weaknesses, could lead to economic growth for the whole industry. It won’t be easy but if we can align everyone around a strategy that’s based on principles that protect the environment and people’s health, it will be possible to increase efficiencies for the reciprocal advantage of society, the environment and the economy.
The concept of sustainable packaging goes far beyond just design. It demands innovative thinking, inquisitiveness, and the desire to move the circular economy forwards so that it can meet the changing demands of consumers and protect the world we live in.
Want to find out more about Tapì’s environmental activities?


text:
TacoTime will be offering fans a free small Mexi-Fries with the purchase of any sized drink on Friday, October 20, 2017 as part of the brand’s first ever Mexi-Friday celebration.
Story continues below
Mexi-Fries are bite-sized “potato gems” (tater tots) seasoned with a special blend of spices.
The side has steadily grown popularity over the years, with the brand now producing around 190 million Mexi-Fries every year.
Free Mexi-Fries will be available at participating locations while supplies last.
Image – TacoTime


text:
California-based MB Sports have agreed on the terms of licensing Malibu Boats, Inc.’s intellectual property that include a one-time payment and a portion of future royalties to be made to Malibu. “The boating industry continues to show respect for Malibu’s innovations,” Malibu CEO Jack Springer said in a statement. “Today, over 20 brands directly or indirectly license our IP, and in the towboat manufacturing segment, every significant towboat OEM now licenses Malibu’s patents.” On a related note, Malibu IP is the subject of the company’s ongoing patent litigation against what Springer called “the sole exception” in the towboat space, Skier’s Choice. A court had entered a favorable claim construction against the builder of Supra and Moomba boats, who Malibu says is infringing on its patents.
It’s been a summer of milestones for Cox Powertrain. Back in June. the U.K.-based manufacturer attained EPA Tier 3 approval for its most powerful, 300-hp CXO300 diesel outboard and its Florida distributor, Ring Power, started to receive shipments of the first production units. Now, the first installation of the engines is complete, with a twin setup on an Intrepid Nomad 345. “The production CXO300 engines are everything we expected and more,” said Ring Power sales and marketing specialist Royal Hendrix in a statement. The production engines meet all our expectations and we continue to be amazed after every trip on the water.”


text:
Patriarch Partners Taps Granger to Head Croscill/Glenoit/Excell
Home & Textiles Today Staff -- Home Textiles Today, July 31, 2012
NEW YORK - Patriarch Partners has appointed longtime industry executive Joe Granger as president and ceo of its Croscill/Glenoit/Excell subsidiary.
Granger most recently was president of Springs Global US Inc., which he joined in
Joe Granger - Patriarch Partners
Previously, Granger was the svp of sales, licensing and product/retail development at Ralph Lauren Home, where he spent nearly a decade. He earlier had been with Calvin Klein Home when it was licensed to the former Home Innovations, and prior to that was with the former Pillowtex.
"Joe's track record for achieving growth and inspiring innovation in the home furnishings industry well prepares him to drive the future of Croscill, Glenoit and Excell," said Lynn Tilton, Patriarch Partners' founder and ceo. "His experience and established relationships in this tight-knit industry, we believe, will foster accelerated expansion and increased marketshare for these great brands."
Patriarch Partners LLC is an investment firm and holding company that manages 75 companies - among them Ex-Cell, Glenoit and Croscill, the latter of which it acquired in November 2008 - and has annual revenues of more than $8 billion.
"I have long admired Lynn Tilton's and Patriarch's mission of saving iconic American brands and building great value for their respective constituencies," Granger said. "I am thrilled to lead this exciting company's new efforts to further build and enhance the brand value of Croscill, Glenoit and Excell for its retail customers and consumers."
Industry Related Content
Celebrity Branding at NY Home Fashions Market


text:
For decades, the government and local manufacturers have made efforts to encourage Israeli consumers to buy Israeli-made products. But citizens of the Jewish state were never blinded by patriotic propaganda; according to a survey conducted in 1971, two years after the Manufacturers Association first launched a campaign to promote local goods, found that 75% of participants believed that the quality of Israeli-made merchandize was lower than that of the imported merchandize.
- Pupils learn to buy Israeli chocolate, tomatoes
International chocolate manufacturers eye Israeli market
Cottage Cheese boycott sours Tnuva's bottom line
In 2011, despite the attempts to resurrect the "buy local" campaign, consumers were not shy about declaring that they choose imported food products over Israeli ones. More importantly, they also called for boycotts of manufacturers whose goods were sold cheaper abroad than in Israel. The reason this time wasn't quality – but prices.
But can the protest movement bring to the anihilation of the local manufacturing industry? According to a poll conducted by the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry, 86% of the 1,200 participants said they would prefer to buy an Israeli product that is priced the same as an imported one, and has the same quality.
Meanwhile, 37% said they would agree to pay up to 10% more for an Israeli product that is as well-made as the imported one. The ministry seeks to promote local goods by prominently labeling them as such.
Furthermore, a poll commissioned by Ynet found that 56.7% of consumers claim that when it comes to Israeli-made goods, they have not changed their buying habits recently, while 23.6% said that they buy more such products and 16.4% said they buy less of them.
The poll was conducted buy the Agenda institute and surveyed a sample of 458 people over the age of 25.
'Overcharging is unpatriotic'
Of those who said they prefer to buy Israeli products, 27.9% said they choose to support the local industry and 17.5% said they trust local manufacturers over foreign ones. But 25.7% said they have no other choice; in some departments, imported products are unavailable. Only 10% of the participants said they buy local because they consider the products better.
Among those who have cut back on buying local, 28.7% said they decided to do so because of changes in their financial situation. Over 20% said they buy imported goods because of their increasing prevalence on the shelves, and 22.4% said they have altered their habits as result of the social protest – even though only 10.5% believe that the imported mechanize is, in fact, cheaper. Only 8.6% said they said they believe that the imported goods are of higher quality.
Over the past year, protest leaders have called for boycotts of foods, manufacturers and stores whose prices were deemed exorbitant – included cottage cheese, Strauss candy bars and the Shufersal and Mega supermarket chains. And yet, 58.9% of those surveyed said it's important to them to buy Israeli-made food.
However, the consumers were willing to discard their ideological support when asked whether they prefer to buy imported produce if it's priced less than local fruit and vegetables – 67.5% said yes, accusing Israeli companies of abusing the lack of competition by raising prices.
"When we open the market for import, it is done one the expense of local employment and industry," a government source said.
Addressing the social protest, he added: "They want quick solutions but don't think of the consequences. We promote competition between local manufacturers. We aim to find balance between everyone's interests: manufacturers, consumers, the finance, agriculture and trade, labor and industry ministries. But we can't please everyone."
Benny Groberman, one leader of the consumer boycott on Israeli-made food products, conceded that the protest might hurt small, local manufacturers, but said it's the way to instigate change.
"It's very unpatriotic of them to demand us to be patriots when they act unpatriotically," he said, referring to local companies who overcharge.


text:
Finance Minister, Conor Murphy is encouraging all businesses eligible for the Large NAV £50,000 Business Grant Scheme to apply for funding and has extended the application deadline until Friday 14th May.
The scheme is being delivered by Land & Property Services and will provide financial support to those businesses occupying large commercial premises with a Net Annual Value (NAV) of over £51,000, which also qualified for the 12 months rates holiday.
Encouraging businesses to apply, Minister Murphy said: “So far almost 600 applications have been received for this scheme which is focused on supporting businesses across retail, childcare, manufacturing, hospitality, tourism and leisure which didn’t qualify for previous grants.
“I know many businesses have been focused on re-opening but I would encourage any business which thinks it may be eligible to check the online scheme criteria and submit their application before the final deadline.
“The online application process is simple and easy to complete but eligible businesses must apply before 23.59 on Friday 14th May to benefit.”
Further details including eligibility criteria can be found on the nibusinessinfo website.
Notes to editors:
- The following criteria apply to the Large NAV Business Grant Scheme:
- Businesses must have occupied commercial premises on 1 March 2021 with a NAV over £51,000.
- Business must have been awarded the 12 month rates holiday in 2020-21.
- Only one grant will be paid for businesses with multiple premises.
- Business in administration or with vacant properties cannot apply.
- Airports, food retailers, petrol filling stations and sports clubs are not eligible.
- Businesses that received or are entitled to receive the Department for the Economy’s Large Tourism and Hospitality Business Support Scheme are not eligible to apply.
- If a business previously received the £10k Small Business Support Grant or the £25k Retail, Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Grant and the NAV of its premises on 1 March 2021 is over £51,000 as, the business is eligible to apply but their grant payment will be adjusted to ensure they do not receive more than the maximum of £50,000.
- Applications will be processed in line with the Financial Assistance (Coronavirus) (Large Business) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021 No. 88.
- Murphy announces business rates revaluation 16 June 2021
- Murphy presses Chancellor for multi-year budgeting 15 June 2021
- Murphy launches student placement scheme 14 June 2021
- Finance Minister visits local Armagh manufacturer 09 June 2021


text:
A FORMER Trader Joe's worker has revealed the secret behind why there always seems to be so many employees working at the popular stores.
The chain makes it a priority for employees to chat with customers and make sure they are taken care of, and they have a way of ensuring the staff has the time to do so.
Speaking to Popsugar, the former employee, who worked at the store for a year, shared that the chain employs more workers than needed to make sure their customer service is top-notch.
"They totally overstaff so that you don't feel like your stocking duties or your register duties trump interacting with customers—they encourage you to be nice to customers," they said.
And the company goes even further to assure an above-average experience for shoppers.
The anonymous former employee revealed that workers try all the store's products in order to give quality advice to customers.
"Each Trader Joe's has a break room, and they have one person who's in charge of cooking new stuff that the store gets and making it available for the entire staff who comes through the store that day to try it," they shared.
And the pay is reportedly really good, according to the former employee, who claims he started making an hourly wage that was above his state's minimum wage.
Additionally, after three months of working more than 30 hours a week, employees reportedly get health insurance and a 401K retirement plan.
Store employees also can count on getting a raise once or twice a year, the former employee said.
While the Trader Joe's customer service experience is meant to be great, other employees have warned against buying certain items there.
Most read in Lifestyle
Four unnamed workers revealed a list of products that shoppers shouldn't buy when visiting their local store.
One worker said the frozen produce is too expensive, according to Business Insider.
While another claimed shoppers should go elsewhere when it comes to buying frozen fruit.
The cuts of meat on offer are too expensive although they are of good quality, a worker said.
And, a different employee told Insider that savvy shoppers could get better value for money if they looked around for their fruit and vegetables.


text:
This midstream giant, lithium producer, and apparel maker have long-term staying power.
News & Analysis: Hanesbrands
Sales of Champion accelerated for the second quarter in a row.
The activewear and international businesses helped produce double-digit organic sales growth.
HBI earnings call for the period ending March 30, 2019.
You probably won't have to go into debt to invest in any of these well-performing companies.
Here are three stocks that not only have high yields but also have lots of room to grow.
Activewear is driving the apparel company’s growth, but investors shouldn't ignore the value of its core innerwear business.
There's no need to pay a huge premium to bet on activewear.
Intel, Activision Blizzard, and Hanesbrands could be easy layups for investors.
A cheap valuation and improving operating results caused investors to take the lid off the stock price last month.


text:
Industries Qatar Q3 profit jumps
Doha, October 13, 2011
Third-quarter net profit at petrochemicals and metals company Industries Qatar (IQ) leapt 47.9 percent on Wednesday on strengthening petrochemical prices.
The Gulf's second-largest chemical producer by market value made a third-quarter net profit of 2.07 billion riyals, according to Reuters calculations, compared with 1.4 billion riyals a year earlier.
Analysts polled by Reuters on average expected the company to post quarterly profit of 2.2 billion riyals.
The company made a nine-month net profit of 6.25 billion riyals, it said in a statement without giving further detail.
Petrochemical prices have returned to near pre-crisis levels, but worries persist over how a potential double-dip global recession may impact petrochemicals companies' earnings in the world's top oil exporting region. - Reuters


text:
Friday 5, May
Why are the strawberries late in Berlin this year?
Local strawberries from Brandenburg are one of the first signs of summer
Normally, they’d already be here. Each year, local strawberries from Brandenburg are one of the first signs of summer, sold in markets from those little red strawberry-shaped stalls which pop up on every other street corner. This year, however, many are missing. Head to the supermarket and the strawberries on sale are, on the whole, from Spain. So, what is going on?
The truth is that, for the most part, they’re still in the ground. Cooler weather this spring has resulted in a delay to Berlin’s crop, but they’re on the way. Rather than arriving in early May, we should expect to see the first locally grown fruit hit the shelves in the middle on the month.
But is the local fruit really better than the imported stuff? They are a little more expensive but this is offset by other benefits. As you’d expect, buying regional strawberries is better for the environment, requiring less CO2 for their transportation. But the Brandenburg strawberries are also richer in vitamins too and, since they’re harvested later in the year, they’re generally sweeter.


text:
Apple will unveil a look at the next iteration of OS X next week at a “Back to the Mac” event, just as some critics started to wonder whether the company was abandoning the Mac forever in favor of iOS. The media will get to see what’s next for the Mac on Wednesday during the event, which will be held at Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters.
“Back to the Mac” promises a “sneak peek at the next major version of OS X.” The event invitation shows a lion peering out from behind the Apple logo, leading many to expect the next version of the Mac platform will be called OS X 10.7, Lion.
Apple has largely ignored its Mac business for several months, which has lead some critics to wonder about the imminent demise of the Mac. This concern went into overdrive when Apple focused on the iOS mobile operating system during the company’s annual developers’ conference in June.
But Apple has strong incentives to keep the Mac line strong and vibrant. Sales for Mac computers have been up 33 percent year-over-year for every quarter of the 2010 financial year. As of June 26, Apple has sold nearly 10 million Macs this year. Despite robust sales there’s no question Apple has left OS X to fend for itself recently. In fact, the company pretty well admitted as much by dubbing the event “Back to the Mac.”
It should be an interesting few days of rumors and speculation heading into the weekend and early next week. Here’s a quick look at five things that Apple could announce at the event.
iLife and iWork Update
Apple hasn’t done anything new with iLife and iWork since January 2009, when iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 debuted. Apple typically refreshes these products when introducing a new version of OS X, so an upgrade would not be a surprise. Apple also has incentive to update its software since Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac will be released in October. Apple’s iLife also needs an upgrade, especially with many competing free alternatives available such as Google’s Picasa as an iPhoto replacement.
iChat goes FaceTime
Apple has been steadily rolling out FaceTime to its iOS devices, the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone. Making all those devices compatible with OS X computers would make a whole lot of sense. Apple has also said it plans to make FaceTime an open standard available to other device makers and software developers. Those plans, however, have yet to materialize. If Apple puts FaceTime on the Mac, I’d expect at least a mention of FaceTime’s future as a cross-platform video chat standard.
New MacBook Air
Mark this prediction in the Captain Obvious category along with iWork and iLife. Apple has been steadily rolling out new Macs, but the ultraportable MacBook Air hasn’t been updated since June 2009. There are rumors that a new MacBook Air would be downsized from its current 13.3-inch screen to 11.6 inches and get a new low-voltage processor, according to AppleInsider.
With Apple’s heavy focus on iOS devices, a new version of OS X would be a good time to deepen the relationship and data-sharing capabilities between these devices. The most obvious example would be wireless data sync (preferably over a Wi-Fi network).
There have been a lot of rumors flying around about a new touch-based iMac. In June, a seemingly ludicrous rumor suggested that we would see an OS X/iOS iMac hybrid before the fall. That never happened, but rumors of touchscreen iMacs have been floating around since January. The rumors popped up again in August and one more time in October. A touchscreen iMac or an iOS/OS X hybrid are probably not on the docket for next week, but I’d bet Apple does add some more touch capabilities to OS X devices.
What are you hoping to see from Apple next week?
Connect with Ian Paul ( @ianpaul ) and Today@PCWorld on Twitter for the latest tech news and analysis.


text:
Gallerists with branches in Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul and now Tokyo
Fittingly, the gallerist who introduced Takashi Murakami to the West has now opened a gallery in Tokyo. The 130sqm space, which Perrotin inaugurated with an exhibition of recent paintings by the nonagenarian artist Pierre Soulages, follows on from the launch of a Seoul outpost last year (the programme highlight there this year was Daniel Arsham’s exhibition of ghastly coloured teddy bears sculpted in quartz). The real expansion, however, came in New York, where Perrotin opened a new museum-size space across three floors on the Lower East Side, complete with garden and shop (a place from which to retail KAWS limited-edition toys, the same ones that on first release crashed the website of MoMA’s shop). With the renovations half-complete, Perrotin staged a solo by Iván Argote; the space opened fully this month. Back in Paris, Xavier Veilhan (having represented France at the Venice Biennale) had an exhibition in September, alongside simultaneous shows by Klara Kristalova and Chen Fei.


text:
Snow Peak has revealed its latest Spring/Summer 2023 collaboration with the fishing apparel brand, Toned Trout. Since Toned Trout’s establishment in 2018, the brand has collaborated with Snow Peak on limited-edition collections.
LINK (via Hypebeast)
One thought on “Snow Peak Toned Trout Collab”
Hmm. I’ll have to get some of that Toned stuff for my next Tenkara Outing. Failing the latter, certainly my next, baitfishing with flies, Euronymphing Venture…..


text:
Tesla’s first-hand-care program, the second-year-long trial that was rolled out in January, has been a key part of the company’s push into the electric car market, but the company has been trying to lure second- and third-hand cars into the fold, too.
The second-Hand Car Guarantee program is part of a broader plan to improve safety and reliability for secondhand vehicles.
The program is intended to help keep vehicles safe and to ensure that secondhand cars are not in a position to damage other cars, according to Tesla’s press release.
In a recent test, the company found that a second-generation Model S sedan with a manual transmission performed worse on a driving simulator than a standard, electric model, the statement said.
It is unclear whether that difference was the result of a different steering input or because the Model S was more responsive to steering inputs, it said.
Tesla also is trying to get people to buy electric vehicles that they could actually afford, instead of relying on discounts to do so, according the statement.
Tesla is also trying to encourage owners of older vehicles to get a secondhand car instead of getting one from a dealer.
Tesla has also been working to improve the way it sells cars.
The company introduced a new model in September called the Model X, which is an electric car that can be bought by the driver for about $35,000, but has some drawbacks.
The company also announced that it is introducing a third-generation model called the Bolt in the first quarter of 2018.
It will have a more affordable price tag of about $37,000.


text:
Consumer attitudes and expectations are shifting — changing the playbook for how firms should put together to drive business this 12 months. Read more on the trends forecasters say are critical to growing business this 12 months here. Consumer sentiment is shifting away from mass-produced attire manufacturing and in direction of sustainable, regionally sourced clothes options.
Key assets include newspapers, radio and television news transcripts, trade publications, magazines and newswires. The city of Rockdale hopes cryptocurrency miners can make up for misplaced industrial jobs and tax income. Russian state media reported Thursday on an apparently doctored clip from a hoax name with U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel that furthers the Russian propaganda chorus about neo-Nazis in Ukraine. The House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot plans to meet Monday to contemplate recommending citations for legal contempt of Congress for two Trump Administration officers. Mainly, it’s a lot of enjoyable, and it’s already exciting to see what the Daniels will do next.
The payout came as the company’s whole net gross sales elevated practically 25%. It’s the 24th residence in the Chicago space to sell for $4 million or more up to now this yr, a tempo in step with final year’s record-busting yr of upper-end gross sales. Community Rules apply to all content material you addContent or in any other case submit to this site. The potential for critical injury was on the Wilsonville store from unsecured materials falling, tripping and falling in cramped aisles and inaccessible fire extinguishers and emergency exits, according to stories. Uber has been hit by driver shortages and a surge in meals delivery requests in the course of the pandemic. Flush with money from solid earnings, corporations repurchased $882 billion of stock in 2021 and show no signs of slowing down.
As properly as imposing sanctions, the US may really hurt Russia’s interests by exploiting its technological advantages. Rhode Island leaders want offshore wind to supply more of the state’s energy to cement its place as a hub for the trade, reduce… PAWTUCKET – State elected and education officers on Thursday launched a model new psychological health marketing campaign that seeks to deal with mental well being Business News wants for college students… Energy regulators scaled back plans to contemplate how natural gas tasks have an result on local weather change and environmental justice. Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged prisoners of war for the primary time since the invasion began one month ago… Catch up and prep for the week forward with this text of an important business insights, delivered Sundays.
It takes more than simply good marketing to get customers to buy non-essential objects. Some sellers have discovered out-of-the-box options for a retail setting that’s something however regular. These firms discovered new paths to profitability in the course of the pandemic. With Covid-19 numbers declining, and wanderlust increasing, many travelers nonetheless have the continent in their plans whereas hoping for the best. The Small Business Administration is giving small businesses some grace.
The newest round was imposed on Russian protection firms, parliament, and the chief government of the country’s largest financial institution. — As New York inches toward launching a retail marijuana market, gross sales of buds and edibles are already flourishing on some Native American land across the state. How to Move Your Shop or Business OnlineThe pandemic prompted entrepreneurs to move their brick-and-mortars into the digital sphere. The Hidden Role of Facial Recognition Tech in Many ArrestsThe technology is spreading quick among police, and often wrong.
Prices of gasoline in some components of the nation are actually shocking. Consider that the current average price per gallon in San Luis Obispo, California is now $6.08 per gallon based on GasBuddy.com, a really nimble industry supply. Similar prices are discovered all through the Golden State — and elsewhere to various levels throughout the united states A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon after using a ghost gun to shoot at Secret Service safety guards, federal prosecutors mentioned Thursday. Visit the Social Media Directory for a listing of Kelley School of Business packages and active social media channels. For the most recent Kelley School of Business happenings, observe our major account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Your Website Should be a Marketing Tool, Not a Development Showcase A website project just isn’t the time to bring all the bells and whistles your improvement and management teams can drum up—it’s time to make strategic choices…. CEOs, entrepreneurs, doctors, attorneys, educators and not-for-profit leaders are among the many 22 women IBJ honored Tuesday morning on the Indiana Roof Ballroom. Shareholders voted down a proposal to separate the company, whereas a competing plan to solicit buyout presents, suggested by activist shareholders, also failed.
The $6 billion, 55-acre project plans to include new towers, roads and bridges and parkland. A 12-story luxury house constructing is opening in downtown Skokie, with rents as excessive as $4,000 for a 1,200 square foot three bedroom. Illinois lawmakers permitted a plan to make use of federal coronavirus aid funding the state received final year to partially plug a hole in the state’s unemployment insurance fund.
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news supplier, reaching billions of individuals worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, monetary, national and international news to professionals through desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, business occasions and directly to customers. Stay linked with the Maryland business group by following our blog or attending relevant occasions listed on our calendar. Are you on the lookout for a particular tax credit score application or the newest annual report? The Maryland Department of Commerce additionally archives all paperwork in an online library where you can filter and search for exactly what you need.


text:
Online dating business Ashley Madison will pull a television advertisement featuring men “looking for someone other than my wife” after the advertising watchdog upheld multiple complaints from members of the public.
While the Advertising Standards Board dismissed complaints about the ad in August 2014, it said it has since received “an unusually high number of additional complaints” and with a number of new members on the board, it decided to examine the ad again.
The ad begins with a man singing a jingle with the words “looking for someone other than my wife”. He is then joined by another man singing the same jingle and looking at the Ashley Madison website on a tablet, on which images of women are shown. The ad ends with a collage of other men singing the same jingle.
As of December 16, the ad had received 481 complaints, making it the ad most complained about to the Advertising Standards Board in 2014.
The high number of viewers who took issue with the commercial also made it the most complained about ad since 1998, surpassing a 2007 ad from fast food chain Nando’s, which received 359 complaints.
One complainant labelled the ad “immoral and wrong”, while another said it was targeted to married men “to entice them into adultery”.
“This advertisement has the potential to destroy families and break up marriages, it should not be allowed on TV no matter what time of day it is,” they said.
“The advert is inappropriate, highly immoral, disgusting and wrong, by promoting the act of cheating on your marriage partner,” said another complainant.
“By encouraging dishonesty and immorality, it should not be approved by any television or other media channel, on the basis of gender discrimination. The ad is distasteful and offensive to any married women and therefore does not promote a healthy marital relationship.”
While the Ad Standards Board stated there is no restriction on a service such as Ashley Madison being advertised in Australia, it found it did breach Section 2.1 of the Advertising Code, which prohibits the discrimination and vilification of a person or section of the community on the basis of gender.
“The emphasis on the term ‘wife’ gave a strong message that wives are inadequate or somehow lacking … this suggestion is degrading to wives and does amount to material that demeans or makes people think less of wives,” said the board.
The board also considered complaints relating to the man in the ad “swiping” across the screen of his tablet to show the women he might meet through the Ashley Madison website.
While some members of the board felt the swiping action was a realistic depiction of how people use different online dating sites, a majority of board members found the swiping action gave an overall impression “of men flicking through a catalogue of women and this depiction strongly depicts women as a commodity to be bought and is demeaning and vilifying of women”.
SmartCompany contacted Ashley Madison but was directed to the response the company provided to the Ad Standards Board.
In responding to the initial complaints, Ashley Madison said it understands its brand or business “is not for everyone”.
“However, while we understand that there is a subjective element to one’s ‘tastes’, the advertisement objectively complies with the letter of the code and the intent and spirit of the code,” Ashley Madison said.
Following the Ad Standards Board’s ruling, Ashley Madison said while it disagrees with the board’s decision to uphold the complaints, “we respect the board’s decision and will abide by it”.
“We have decided to pull the ad and replace it with a different advertisement which we believe will not receive nearly the same frequency of complaints,” said Ashley Madison.
Advertising expert and Melbourne University senior lecturer Dr Lauren Rosewarne told SmartCompany the high number of complaints received by the Ad Standards Board is the key to why complaints were upheld the second time.
“The majority of ads don’t get anywhere near that level,” Rosewarne says.
“It’s a numbers game and the board’s hand was forced by the volume.”
While Rosewarne says many advertising complaints often come from individuals who believe a particular ad is in poor taste, the Ad Standards Board will only rule on whether the ad has breached any specific provisions of the industry code of ethics.
“People might have a gut reaction against this ad but the product is legal and advertising the product is legal. You can’t curtail an advertiser’s right to advertise a legal product,” she says.
But while Ashley Madison has agreed to discontinue this particular ad, Rosewarne says the complaints to the Ad Standards Board are unlikely to damage the Ashley Madison brand.
Ashley Madison told the Ad Standards Board that during the period the ad was broadcast, almost 200,000 new members signed up to Ashley Madison’s services. Rosewarne says the controversial nature of the ad was likely a contributing factor.
“It’s the perfect ad to go viral because most people don’t like it,” Rosewarne says.
“Advertisers know it’s no big deal to get a sanction. And the process takes so long. The lag time means the ad has already done its job and they probably have another ad lined up.”


text:
Bwin.party extends supplier partnership with Danske Spil
There has been a multi-year supplier services extension agreement that has made it possible for the bwin.party entertainment which has its headquarter in Gibraltar, to remain one of the major suppliers of podiums and contents for Danish state owned operator, Danske Spil. This extension period is to be granted up to 2019, and is a continuation of partnership with bwin.party which has been in operation since 2012, when the operator launched casino and poker services for Denmark’s newly synchronized igaming market. Currently, Danske Spil is the major gambling operator for the Danish market with around 603 million euros in profits for the year, 2014. The extension period was announced by the CEO Norbert Teufelberger, who stated that that he was grateful that their studios business operator had decided to extend operations up until 2019.
The bwin.party operators had originally settled a supply agreement with the operator in 2010, signing a five-year contract, only for this to be revoked following defiance from Playtech, which also proposed for the contract. Nonetheless it was then reselected as the ideal partner devoid of a new tender being released. Thus, London-listed bwin.party digital entertainment will continue to be a key supplier to Danske Licens Spil, which offers a number of gambling selections, which include; numbers games, national lottery, instant games, and machine gaming and many other categories. Danske Spil is also known to have developed a great and above alla profitable online gambling business, run by its fully-owned subsidiary Danske Licens Spil.
The bwin.party operators announced that it was ready to expand Danske Spil igaming services. The CEO further added that Danske Spil is the most common market leader in Denmark and he was delighted to be their major supplier of online poker and casino games. The CEO of Danske Licens Spil, Niels Erik Folmann, also made some comments stating that the digital channel had become a very important part of their operation in business and they were fully committed to expand it further through the years. He also stated that bwin.party was the most trusted to help in supporting their goals.


text:
How Blockchain Technology Is Improving Food Supply Chains
Supply chains are an integral part of most business, and even government, processes. A supply chain is an ecosystem of multiple entities working together to bring a product or service from the producer to the consumer and are aimed to ensure speed, cost, and system efficiency.
Despite best industry practices, the supply chain process can break down at certain points over issues such as tampering, counterfeiting, substitution, misrepresentation, violation of laws and other such problems. This can result in cases of product recall, disputes, legalities, and in extreme cases, even death. These result in huge economic losses and tarnish the company’s image and brand value while triggering health, ethical, social, and environmental concerns.
Today, we're going to look at how the food industry deals with supply chain issues, and how companies are turning to blockchain technology to try to solve those problems.
Common Food Supply Chain Problems
The deliberate substitution, tampering, or misrepresentation of food has increased significantly because of the complex global food supply chain system. This costs the food industry an estimated $49 billion worldwide each year, as reported by NSF International. Some food categories which have been a victim of food fraud include olive oil, milk and milk products, fruit juices, tea and coffee, honey, maple syrup, spices, seafood, and many others. The tainted milk scandal reported in China in 2008 is one such severe case that made news in recent years.
Seafood is one category with stark reports of illegal production and entry into the supply chain. The global fishing industry struggles with issues related to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). A 2015 report highlights that IUU fishing accounts for 10% to 22% of the total global fisheries production. Protocols are abused and thus fall short in fighting over-fishing, violation of international maritime laws, evasion of taxes, and crimes related to slavery and fairness in competition.
“An estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall sick after eating contaminated food and 420,000 deaths are reported every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years,” according to the World Health Organisation’s factsheet dated December 2015.
Ohio State University noted in a 2015 study that “the total national cost of food borne illness, up to $93.2 billion a year, [is] an increase from $77.7 billion in 2012.” The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention estimate that each year, 1 in 6 Americans falls sick after consuming contaminated foods or beverages.
Food Recalls & Losses
Food recall is a major fallout of abuse in the food supply chain which weighs on the profitability and reputation of companies. Based on a study conducted in 2010 by GMA, “It was found that the average cost of a recall to participating food and consumer product companies is $10 million, in addition to brand damage and lost sales.”
Over the years, some of the best brands and companies in the food industry such as Cadbury, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Tyson Foods, Nestle, ConAgra Foods, the Peanut Corporation of America, Blue Bell Creameries, and others, have all suffered losses due to recall and withdrawals from the market. In 2015, Chipotle suffered outbreaks of infections resulting in its stock price plummeting by 30% during the year. It reported a 14.6 % decline in restaurant sales during Q42015 and estimated that $14- $16 million will be spent on dealing with crisis management.
Supply Chain & Blockchain Solutions
Technology giant such as IBM (IBM), and retailers like Wal-Mart (WMT) are working alongside start-ups to digitally secure supply chains through the use of blockchain, which provides shared, traceable, and transparent record keeping.
In October, Wal-Mart launched the Walmart Food Safety Collaboration Center (WFSCC) in Beijing, targeted to “analyse root causes of food borne illness, and developing scalable solutions that can be made available to the entire food supply chain across China.”
Walmart, IBM and Tsinghua University have collaborated to improve the way food is tracked, transported and sold to consumers across China by applying the power of blockchain technology. Blockchain can overcome the vulnerabilities of the supply chain due to inaccuracies caused by the traditional paper tracking and manual inspection systems. It would facilitate digital tracking and storage of all product information (such as temperatures, dates, batch numbers, shipping details) at all levels and at each stage of the supply chain. This would enable faster and accurate detection of problems.
Likewise, Project Provenance Ltd is working towards greater transparency in the fishing industry by tracing the origins and histories of products’ by combining RFID tags with the blockchain.
The breakdowns in the various supply chains don't just affect profits - its toll is much greater. The use of blockchain can help create more transparent and less vulnerable supply chains to promote better businesses, ethical practices, and healthier lives on this planet.
Ready to Invest?
If, like us, you believe that the future of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies is a bright one, get in touch with your investment advisor or FBC directly using the contact form below. We will send you everything you need to get started investing in the future today.


text:
How digital identity solves privacy and compliance problems for business | Crypto News
How digital identity solves privacy and compliance problems for business » Brave New Coin
While all businesses collect data about their customers, some did so under stronger oversight than others. Businesses in industries from healthcare to banking have for years collected identification data within a regulatory compliance framework. Now with continuing global alignment of data and privacy laws, companies are facing similar requirements and precise data collection is more important than ever.
Knowing your customer
Banks, accountancies, and other financial services companies must comply with anti-money-laundering (AML) regulations. Among their obligations, these companies must implement, document, and maintain strictly-defined know-your-customer (KYC) rules to ensure their customers are who they say.
The Financial Transactions and Reports and Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) is one of the agencies responsible for enforcing Canada’s AML/KYC regulations. FINTRAC’s guidance spells out the personal data firms must collect as well as firms’ obligation to monitor the accuracy of that information.
A report in The Globe & Mail showed how far beyond the large financial corporations FINTRAC’s regulations extend. An audit of more than 800 small real estate brokers found 60% had significant or very significant AML/KYC compliance problems.
Data rights in Europe
Thanks to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies big and small must develop similar compliance programs for the personal data they collect. These regulations extend beyond the EU borders.
Elsewhere, the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation (APEC) has rolled out its cross-border privacy rules (CBPR), which ensure effective privacy protections against those who collect, store and process personal information. The key difference being, CBPR members are governed by their own national data protection laws whereas any company in the world that collects the personal data of an EU citizen must comply with the GDPR.
The protection of personal data is a “fundamental right” under the GDPR. That right gives Europeans control over their personal information and places an obligation on companies to protect the data.
Organisations that collect personal information must observe a set of principles that protect those data. The principle of data accuracy, for example, sets the expectation that personal data will be “accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date” and requires companies to ensure inaccurate data is “erased or rectified without delay.”
Of course, data accuracy is important to any business. The GDPR, however, converts data inaccuracy from a business inefficiency into a regulatory compliance risk. A pre-GDPR example shows the consequence of data inaccuracy. IT Governance reported in 2012 that Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) had fined insurance company Prudential £50,000 for confusing two customers’ accounts — and allowing the situation to continue for three years after first being made aware of the problem. In a post-GDPR world, any company may be held to a similar standard.
How much is too much information?
Data accuracy is not the only GDPR principle businesses must adopt. The data minimalisation principle requires collected personal data to be “adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed.” An on-going review process must consider whether the purpose is still valid as well as whether the information collected is still adequate and relevant.
These and other processes must be fully documented, reviewed on a regular basis, and communicated to company staff to ensure compliance. The more a company minimises the personal data it collects the less burden the compliance efforts will be, and the less risk the company will face from compliance failures.
The consequences of poor compliance
Even before GDPR went into effect, insurers’ attitudes towards data collection risks were hardening as claims related to personal data breaches drove insurers’ costs. The most recent NetDiligence Cyber Claims Study, for example, found that in the period 2014–2017, companies in the United States and Canada spent an average of $697,000 on regulatory defense costs alone.
In Asia, where regulators are tightening enforcement of data privacy laws, Dell EMC’s Data Risk Management Barometer ranked Singapore as the strictest enforcer. The Strait Times reported “nearly every fine issued by the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) centred around the same type of offence — inadequate security measures for personal data.”
Empowering consumers simplifies compliance
With a digital identity system, individuals control what personal information companies may access. A vineyard, for example, would not need to collect the birthdate of visitors to its website. A query to the person’s identity wallet would confirm the person is older than 18 based on a trusted source.
Another benefit to businesses will be a digital identity wallet’s ability to relay previous identity verifications. Alastria CEO Alex Puig told The Banker how a digital identity can make AML/KYC compliance easier: ”For example, I can prove I am a client of Santander, so BBVA could also accept me as a client without having to go through the KYC process.”
Digital identity accelerates business processes
Today’s verification systems impose significant costs on businesses through inefficiency, fraud and lost sales. A digital identity white paper from Australia Post and The Boston Consulting Group identified billions of dollars in savings and new revenue that a nationwide identity system would generate. Eliminating more than 300 million verification requests every year would save Australian businesses AU$2 billion.
The Japan Times reports that people must wait a week to open a new bank account due to Japan’s current verification system. A blockchain-based identity system under development by Japan’s banks will reduce wait time significantly.
In the future, interacting networks of blockchain-based digital identity systems will replace today’s inefficient verification system. Compliance with digital privacy laws and AML/KYC regulations will happen automatically. And customers will develop a greater trust in the companies they do business with since control of their personal information will be in their hands where it belongs.


text:
A recent report from mega-PR firm Edelman has recently been published showing, through surveys, consumers are now less trusting of brands on social media. For consumers who reside in the United States, only 30% of those consumers say they trust the content that companies push through social media. This is 11% lower than the total survey which included nine countries including the United Kingdom and Canada—41% of the total surveyed said they trust content.
Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman explains the reasoning for the distrust in social content, “People have now processed the epidemic of fake news and the Cambridge Analytica story.”
However, this issue of fake news and cybersecurity is zeroing in on the social media platforms that have become a place where consumers find their news—Facebook and Twitter. Other platforms like Instagram and Pinterest seem to still hold higher trust than the latter two due to their nature of being lifestyle sharing versus news sharing.
For many small businesses and startups, social media is a critical low-cost tool to their brand awareness strategy. Don’t pull up your business’ Facebook page and delete it quite yet, though. There are ways to still engage with consumers and make sure they are trusting of your brand. In order to keep consumers coming back to your social media accounts, you need to build trust and maintain that trust. To build trust and maintain trust, a brand must be consistent, be honest and be genuine. It is no secret that the more your social media platforms push sales and not engagement, the least trust your social platforms have among consumers.
Another important note is social media should not be your primary tool for consumer engagement, information sharing or sales method for your brand. If the Edelman survey and report is any indication of the future of social media, now has never been a better time to realign your marketing strategy or public relations strategy to position social media as a secondary or complementary tool rather than a primary tool and driver.
According to Edelman, four in ten social media users have deleted a social media account in the past year. While this statistic is not indicative of whether it is the platform you are using to reach your consumers, it is indicative of the current state of social media as a means for commerce and business communication.
While this information is shocking to some marketers and public relations professionals, it should come as no surprise. The boom in influencer marketing through non-celebrities over the last five to seven years arose due to the social media influence they have over consumers that brands did not have. Quite literally, influencer marketing arose due to the lack of trust in brands on social media.
Additionally, the focus on the content is king mindset of the last ten years has potentially damaged the information sharing process of businesses. The content is king mindset has made marketers and PR practitioners push content nonstop to websites, blogs and social media platforms as a means of search engine optimization. This flood of content in the fake news era is only going to hurt a brand. The focus should move from content is king to content is valuable.
With such little trust in branded social media accounts, there is no doubt that brands have to reevaluate their tactics and strategies moving forward in 2018 and beyond. To make it through the fake news era is the goal, but the goal will prove harder for some brands than others. Keep your social media accounts consistent, honest and genuine and your brand will make it.


text:
Verdun Console Announcement Trailer
Verdun announces that it will release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on August 30, 2016.
Videos You May Enjoy
Articles You May Enjoy
- Blazing Core Open Beta Begins
- Blazing Core – Knights of the Future, which has now entered the Open Beta phase.
- Grand Chase: Monster Train Event Returns
- KOG Games, a leading developer and publisher of popular free-to-play action MMORPGs, today announces the launch of numerous new content events...


text:
by George Leong, Profit Confidential
The objective of Black Friday shopping for consumers this year was simple: find the best discounts in the retail sector. And while discounts seem to be everywhere, consumers are more focused on saving a dollar. There will surely be some sad retailers in the retail sector this holiday shopping season.
The retail sector will likely face some hard times that could get worse as we move through the final two weeks of the key shopping season prior to Christmas.
While the likes of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE/WMT), Target Corporation (NYSE/TGT), and Kohls Corporation (NYSE/KSS) struggled to attract shoppers, discounter Dollar General Corporation (NYSE/DG) reported a strong fiscal third quarter that supports why I favor the discounters in the retail sector. (Read “What the Changing of the Guard at Wal-Mart Means for the Stock.”)
Discount retailers like Dollar General will likely continue to perform well and attract customers, since the economy continues to appear fragile, especially in the jobs market. And even as the economic renewal picks up, I still sense the discount retail sector will continue to fare well.
In the case of Dollar General, the fiscal third quarter (ended November 1, 2013) showed net sales jumping 10.3% year-over-year to $4.38 billion, up from $3.96 billion in the year-earlier fiscal third quarter. The key same-store sales metric jumped 4.4% year-over-year.
The company reported adjusted earnings of $231 million, or $0.72 per diluted share, in the third quarter, up 10% from $210 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, in the comparative quarter.
And while Dollar General is up 21.4% over the past 52 weeks as of December 5, the company has been consistently buying back its shares, which I view as a positive insider signal. The company has bought back 27.1 million shares since December 2011, and it just announced another $1.0 billion in share buybacks.
At its current valuation of 15.7 times (X) its fiscal 2015 earnings per share (EPS) and a price-to-earnings growth (PEG) ratio of 1.14, the stock still has some upside left. Dollar General’s current 52-week high is $60.25.
The chart of Dollar General below shows a nice run-up since September 2012, in which the stock has doubled in price and appears to be heading higher if it can break out of its current sideways channel near $60.00.
Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com
In addition to Dollar General in the discount retail sector, other discounters that I like include Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ/DLTR) and Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (NYSE/FDO), which is the smallest of these three discounters in the retail sector.
This article The Stock That Will Perform the Best as Consumer Spending Pulls Back is originally published at Profitconfidential


text:
Bob Prout, the third-generation owner of Prout Funeral Home, was a pioneer in the concept of green burials, interments that have a smaller impact on nature. Just ahead of Earth Day, Prout and his daughter Julia spoke about green burials for the National Funeral Directors Association’s Remembering A Life podcast.
According to the association, nearly 40% of people are interested in green funeral options, which can range from no embalming or the use of a biodegradable casket to using locally-grown organic flowers and funeral guest carpooling. Prout offers many of these options in its natural burials packages.
The Prouts are committed to the environment in other ways too. The business was the first Verona structure to have solar panels and it now has a Tesla Destination charger. Bob Prout has served for several decades on the Verona Shade Tree Commission. Julia Prout, who became a licensed funeral director in 2018, did a concentration in sustainability at The George Washington University, and has presented webinars and lectures on green funerals and natural burials.
You can listen to the podcast here.


text:
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller has welcomed Tesla’s decision to build a so-called ‘Gigafactory’ just outside Berlin. He said the “dynamic science research environment” in the region offered the right setting.
The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, appreciates the Californian electric car maker Tesla’s decision to build a big factory in Grünheide, near the city’s new BER Airport, by 2021. It will supposedly create 10,000 jobs. A statement read, the Berlin metropolitan area offered just the right setting because of its “dynamic research environment”.
Müller, who is also Science Senator, said with Tesla, another global company had taken a decision for the Berlin area as its location for a development and production center. “Our investment in science and research brings Berlin a new golden age”, Müller said. He called Tesla’s decision for the region “magnificent”.
The decision was evidence for the “enormous attractiveness” of Berlin as a business and innovation location. The latter had become a “magnet for big companies.” After Siemens “the next large project for the industry of the future” was coming in now. Müller also mentioned Amazon, Google and SAP, which were connected to the Berlin metropolitan area as well.
“We are benefiting from the thousands of skilled employees and talents from all over the world who are being attracted and educated by our universities, as well as from the innovation power of our scientific facilities”, Müller stated. “Therefore we will develop that area further and persistently continue investing.”
On Tuesday night, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk had announced his company’s plans to build a factory just outside Berlin, relatively close to BER Airport. The latter was supposed to be inaugurated seven years ago. According to the latest information available, it will open in October of 2020.
At its German ‘Megafactory’, Tesla intends to manufacture batteries and its Model 3, a mid-size sedan which is more affordable than the big Model S or the SUV Model X. A new, smaller SUV called Model Y will reportedly be built at the Brandenburg location as well.
Since Tesla revolutionized the electric car market some five years ago, German, French and Japanese car manufacturers have followed suit. Tesla’s market share in Germany has recently decreased. A new factory on site might give the company the boost it needs in Europe.
Do you like this article? If yes: Would you consider supporting this publication?
Up to now, we have been working without income for an entire year (as of September 23rd, 2019).
Your donation would make things easier for us. Thank you.
Please visit our donation page or go to our Paypal page directly.


text:
Established in 2022 by Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Rabah Habiss, Barakah is an online marketplace that aims to reduce food waste by connecting food retailers and consumers for the sale of surplus products and discounted meals. The platform not only helps businesses minimize waste and generate new revenue opportunities but also provides consumers with access to affordable and sustainable food options.
Christophe Maire, Founder and Managing Partner at Food Labs, commented on the partnership, saying, “Barakah’s model is beneficial for customers, retail partners, and the planet. We are supporting a brilliant team with ambitions to expand throughout the GCC and achieve global success with top Saudi tech talent.”
“Barakah is a venture demonstrating that commerce and growth can drive impact. Saving food waste is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity, and the more Barakah strives, the bigger the positive impact for society and the climate,” added Christophe Maire.
FoodLabs, a highly successful early-stage European VC specialising in foodtech and agritech startups, has an impressive portfolio that includes being the first investor in multiple unicorns and instrumental in building the fastest-growing European unicorn.
The decision to partner with Barakah not only sends a strong market signal for startups in the Kingdom and across the MENA region but also aligns with FoodLabs’ mission to support innovative ventures tackling pressing global challenges using proprietary technology.
Since its inception, Barakah has achieved remarkable success, selling over 400 thousand meals that would have otherwise been discarded across six Saudi cities. It has rapidly become one of the most downloaded food and drink apps in Saudi Arabia and has partnerships with over 800 merchants, including global brands like Dunkin and Tim Hortons, as well as major local retailers. Barakah’s seamless platform is poised to set a new standard in combating commercial food waste.
This funding represents a significant milestone for Barakah, paving the way for further expansion within Saudi Arabia and into new GCC markets.


text:
Active support and initiatives by financial regulators such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Bank Negara Malaysia and Bank Indonesia has enabled the Asia-Pacific Fintech ecosystem to grow significantly in 2017.
New innovations are expected to radically transform the way consumers shop, pay perform banking transactions and purchase insurance. The wave of new Fintech technologies is also changing customer behavior and interactions today.
Frost & Sullivan presented its annual Fintech Outlook at The Swissôtel, The Stamford in Singapore on 8 February. The event was attended by over 70 senior management and C-suite executives, marking the start of an exciting year ahead for the industry.
The Fintech industry in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a CAGR of 72.5% from 2015 to 2020, reaching US$72 billion. The positive outlook is fuelled by growth in digital payments such as increasing adoption of cashless payments by small and medium sized enterprises. There is also more widespread awareness of the viability of using P2P financing as well as new methods of crowd funding using Blockchain, which will lead to growth in the personal and business financing segment.
Key analysts from Frost & Sullivan’s ICT practice and its Fintech program presented the top predictions for the industry in 2018.
Emerging Trends in Fintech
Spike Choo, Consulting Director at Frost & Sullivan’s ICT Asia-Pacific practice discussed the emerging trends in Fintech for 2018. In line with Singapore government’s push to develop a cashless society, more initiatives will be launched to encourage more consumers and enterprises to adopt digital payments technologies.
He also expects to see more innovative Fintech services being launched in the areas of financial investments and advisory services as well as insurance due to advances in Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain. However, the sustainability of these Fintech services would depend on how well they are able to address the wide-ranging consumers’ investment and insurance needs while ensuring the business model is sustainable without compromising the customer experience.
Future of Cashless Payments in Singapore
According to Quah Mei Lee, Industry Principal, ICT, Asia-Pacific, the mobile payments market in Singapore was estimated to be worth US$1.4 billion in 2017. The market is still small but is growing fast. There are many supportive regional and local regulations and initiatives that will help Singapore move towards a cashless Society.
Singapore already has an optimal number of complementary mobile payment solutions to drive acceptance on the island state. Despite this, more and more "me too" solutions are entering the market. With only limited partnerships underway and a local first mentality, the market risks not achieving its full potential. Mei Lee stresses that mobile payments of the future needs to be global first, inter-operable and secure. Global alignment will be critical to mobile payments going mainstream.
Fintech in Singapore’s SME Landscape
In the wake of the global Fintech boom, disruptive market innovations have forced a radical shift of business models in the Financial Services industry, notably within the P2P Lending segment. Frost & Sullivan believes that leading banks and financial institutions are driven to be lean and agile on multiple fronts, including but not limited to new digital services, elevated customer experiences and innovative technological solutions.
Mr. Shuvro Mainuddin, Consultant, Banking & Financial Services, Asia-Pacific at Frost & Sullivan noted that the SME clients have been traditionally neglected by existing banks which has opened up a huge market for alternative financing providers to potentially fill in.
No longer just a channel, ‘digitalization’ is the new paradigm for leading banks and financial institutions in Southeast Asia to cater to the increasingly important SME client base. Such widespread adoption of Fintech will continue to reshape the financial services industry, making it more customer-focused than ever.
Customer Experience in BFSI industry
With increasing number of digital touchpoints, managing customer experience would require revisiting customer journeys to provide a seamless experience. The CX strategy would need to ensure that there is greater personalization of services coupled with proactive engagement.
According to Nishchal Khorana, Consulting Director, ICT, Asia-Pacific at Frost & Sullivan highlighted that a successful CX strategy would be based on an integrated approach to people, processes and technology in the digital era.
Analytics and Artificial Intelligence related technologies will also be fundamental to raising the bar for customer experience. On one hand, analytics will aid in developing a predictive approach to address customer needs, while on the other hand, Virtual assistants and Chatbots will drive greater operational efficiencies and standardization.


text:
DeAndre Jordan posts a very simple image to Instagram, after a recording emerges allegedly of the team's owner, Donald Sterling, seeming to suggest he didn't want black men at his games. Or his girlfriend to post images of herself with black men on Instagram.
The aircraft's lengthy wings are outfitted with 17,000 solar cells that will power it during a trip around the world next year.
After activists try to organize a general strike through text messages, the country's telecommunications ministry deems SMS a security threat.
Samsung's future-gazing scientists claim to have cooked up a way of developing atom-thin silicon alternative graphene on a commercial scale.
There are beautiful flower gardens, and then there are beautiful flower gardens made from multiple miniature cameras. Have a stroll through the latter variety.
Two new options expand what's possible with online photo editing on Google+. You can check focus with 100 percent zoom and give photos an HDR look.
It's the 216th anniversary of the landmark descent to Paris by a very brave Frenchman. Today's interactive doodle lets you get in on the action.
At CES, Hisense showed off a range of new Android-based televisions, tablets and smartphones to preview what consumers will see in 2014.
Gates has granted Manchester University £62,000 to research making condoms out of a new material.


text:
IBM is falling behind competitors EMC, Microsoft and Oracle in Web content management capabilities, analyst firm CMS Watch argues in a new report.
In the past year, Microsoft rebuilt its Web content management from scratch with Office SharePoint 2007, EMC re-invested in Documentum’s capabilities, and Oracle acquired Stellent, an enterprise content management vendor with a strong focus on Web content management, CMS Watch says.
But IBM seems to be neglecting its own Workplace Web Content Management (WWCM) software, claims CMS Watch founder Tony Byrne. “That function has fallen between the cracks between their Lotus group, the WebSphere group and the Workplace team. Nobody has really grabbed that bull by the horns,” Byrne says. “IBM is very quiet around this whole product and they haven’t really enhanced it very much. … Some customers are telling us they’re kind of wondering what’s going on.”
IBM officials could not be reached for comment. On its Web site, IBM boasts that its Web content management software has helped the Wimbledon tennis tournament create a rich Web site for its many fans worldwide. Byrne says he doesn’t see any evidence that IBM has a plan or ambitions for its Web content management product. However, IBM’s public inactivity on this front is fueling speculation that IBM might be preparing a major shift in strategy, which might disrupt current customers, according to Byrne.
“They could be completely overhauling their whole strategy the way Microsoft did. It’s possible they could acquire a new tool,” Byrne says. “We’re trying to alert the customer base to some potential dislocation. When a product goes quiet like this, sometimes it means there can be an abrupt move in your [the customer’s] future.”
But Microsoft’s problems are typical of a new release, Byrne says. Microsoft, EMC and Oracle all seem to be putting time and energy into performing research and development and laying out specific road maps.
<p"It's pretty clear among those four vendors, IBM is paying the least attention to Web content management right now," Byrne says.
IBM’s specific shortcomings, according to CMS Watch, include the following:
— WWCM is confusing to buyers because it comes in two versions, a Java edition associated with WebSphere and a Lotus edition.
— The product is feature-poor compared to rival offerings, “especially with respect to globalization services, at a time when many large customers are re-examining their Web publishing operations in a global context.”
— IBM’s Web content management suffers from bugs, although IBM has lessened this problem somewhat in a recent release.
— The product has a relatively inactive customer community and there is far less publicly available information regarding WWCM than there is for other IBM server products, CMS Watch says.
— Customers looking for consulting and integration help with WWCM will find that talent in these areas is in short supply.
Comment: [email protected]


text:
ONE in every three Kenyan smokers has tried to quit.
Yet, only a tiny fraction succeed.
Just how do we help them kick this deadly habit? And how do we persuade other smokers that it is a good idea to follow suit?
A sensible start would be to reject calls for tobacco-style restrictions on nicotine pouches.
Advocates for Tobacco Harm Reduction, like myself, believe that such knee-jerk reactions against innovation are dangerously counter-productive and block routes to a healthier future.
This is what Tobacco Harm Reduction is all about: getting serious about saving lives by acknowledging that the majority of the harm from cigarettes is caused by the burning of tobacco, which releases thousands of dangerous toxicants.
The evidence from countries like Sweden suggests that if smokers can get their nicotine without burning tobacco, we should be able to dramatically reduce the 30,000 tobacco-related deaths seen in Kenya every year.
Get rid of the burning, reduce the harm. Better still, get rid of the tobacco altogether.
Evidence shows that innovative nicotine alternative products, such as tobacco-free pouches and e-cigarettes, can deliver nicotine with a drastically reduced toxicant profile compared to traditional tobacco products.
A tobacco-free nicotine pouch, which is placed between the lip and the gum, would appear to be a particularly relevant alternative for smokers in Kenya, and the wider east African region, where there is a long tradition of using oral stimulants.
Such pouches do not contain any tobacco. With nicotine as the only active ingredient, they would belong on a similar risk spectrum to mainstream nicotine-replacement therapies (NRTs), such as nicotine gums, sprays, lozenges and patches.
Significantly, research shows that some alternative nicotine products are up to twice as effective as NRTs when helping smokers to quit. There are a number of theories as to why this might be, but it is likely due to the fact that, in the countries where these studies were conducted, there is (a) widespread public awareness about the relative risks of such products, (b) alternative nicotine products can typically be sold anywhere cigarettes are available: their retail is not limited to pharmacies; and (c) there is a resulting lack of stigmatisation involved with using such products.
Take Sweden, for example. Swedes have the highest consumption of pouches and the lowest smoking rates in Europe. The Swedish rate of tobacco-induced cancers for men is less than half the EU average.
Or look at the UK, where the government has adopted a progressive approach to alternative nicotine products, backed by international anti-smoking advocacy groups such as Action on Smoking and Health.
In just one year, e-cigarettes helped over 50,000 people in England quit smoking, while there are more than 6 million ex‐smokers in Europe who report that vaping helped them to end their smoking habit.
This is what makes calls for the Kenyan government to regulate tobacco-free nicotine pouches as if they were the same as cigarettes so alarming and regressive.
Other than the obvious point that these pouches are tobacco free, and therefore an ill-fit for legislation targeted at tobacco, the real issue is that this outdated approach could actually end up costing lives.
If Kenyans are told that nicotine is the same as tobacco and that nicotine pouches are the same as cigarettes, there is a serious danger they will be deterred from making the switch to less risky products.
This would be a huge setback for the Tobacco Harm Reduction movement in a region that is already making slow progress in the fight against smoking.
Another problem is that anti-smoking advocacy groups in Africa routinely suggest that alternative nicotine products pose a special danger to young people.
These claims wilfully ignore international data which consistently shows that regular use of alternative nicotine products amongst young people who have never smoked is extremely rare (typically around 0.04%) and that the majority of alternative nicotine product users are current or ex-smokers.
While nicotine pouches should never be sold or marketed to under-18s, it makes perfect sense to promote them as an alternative to adult smokers by making them available wherever cigarettes are sold and subject to the same supervision.
Not only are alternative nicotine products effective, they are also cost-effective for the government. The state pays nothing when an adult smoker switches to alternative nicotine products. Compare this with costly state-run programmes. Meanwhile, by helping smokers quit, nicotine alternative products help ease the disease burden of smoking and the associated costs to the state.
Traditional measures to reduce smoking rates, such as increasing taxes, banning advertising and restricting smoking in public areas, have reduced tobacco use in Kenya by only a single percentage point in the four years to 2016.
We need a change in approach.
Alternative nicotine products represent a genuine route to a smoke-free future that has been proven to work in countries that have embraced these products.
It is therefore essential that Kenya adopts a balanced approach to such products. We cannot simply treat them like tobacco products, when they are clearly so successful at helping smokers move away from tobacco.
If we fail in this, we will all count the cost.


text:
'iPad mini' build cost estimated to start at $200, may retail for $299
AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site.
A preliminary breakdown of expected component and manufacturing costs finds that Apple is likely to spend $195 to $254 in building the various models of its rumored 7.85-inch iPad, and is projected to sell the tablets at lower-than-usual margin rates
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities said in a research note to investors that the estimated bill of materials (BOM) plus manufacturing costs for Apple's iPad mini will range from $195 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, to $254.50 for the top-of-the-line 64GB 4G LTE version. Comparing these numbers with allegedly leaked retail prices from the UK, Apple will be seeing gross profit margins of 35 percent to 58 percent, much lower than its other iDevice offerings.
The third-generation iPad, which is also considered a low profit margin product for Apple, grabs a 37 percent to 51 percent margin rate. In contrast, the iPhone 5 is estimated to bring in huge margins of 68 percent to 72 percent.
While mere speculation at this point, the iPad mini's aggressive pricing structure could stymie competitors' attempts to encroach on Apple's industry-leading mobile device marketshare. As noted in a report earlier on Saturday, rival manufacturers are taking advantage of an emerging market for 5- to 9-inch devices, a gap positioned directly between the iPhone and 9.7-inch iPad that Apple has yet to fill.
As for parts cost, Kuo sees the iPad mini's screen as being the single most expensive component at $56.50, which covers the display, touch sensor, cover glass and other hardware. The assembly is said to employ a new technology called GF DITO, or "GF2," allowing the device to be 18 percent thinner than the full-sized iPad.
Coming in second is the total cost of the mini's logic board, which is estimated to cost $54 for the Wi-Fi only version and $80 for the 4G LTE-compatible model. As in the iPhone 5, Kuo expects Apple to use Qualcomm's MDM9615M baseband chip, a $24 item.
Also of note is the inclusion of what the analyst calls a "tweaked version" of Apple's A5X SoC that powers the third-generation iPad, though the mini's chip will be built using the 32nm process and will access 512MB of RAM. The original A5X was built on Samsung's 45nm architecture and leveraged 1GB of physical memory.
Rounding out the component checklist are the $33 casing, $16.50 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, $12 battery, and $7 in labor costs.
Apple is widely expected to unveil the iPad mini at a special media event on Tuesday, with rumors suggesting the company may also debut a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.


text:
ISLAMABAD: Due to the rapid growth of the telecommunication sector, the country has undergone an impressive transformation over the last four years.
E-banking transactions have posted a double-digit growth in value during the second quarter of the current fiscal year of 2017-18 as the development of digital payment platforms is attracting users towards cashless payments, the central bank said.
Introduction of Mobile Broadband Services (3G / 4G/LTE) in Pakistan is one of the biggest achievements for the country as the statistics issued by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) have shown that the number of mobile phone users reached 149 million by March 2018 and broadband subscriber reached 56 million.
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said e-banking channels, including real-time online, mobile phone, internet and call centre banking, automated teller and point of sale (POS) machines and e-commerce sites processed 186.7 million transactions worth Rs11.7 trillion, up 8.67 per cent in volume and 28 per cent in value in the October-December period.
“Cashless or digital payments have seen a rise in the country due to the development of digital payment platform and the introduction of PSO/PSPs (payment service providers) across various market segments,” SBP said in a quarterly payment systems review.
Transactions of Pakistan Real Time Interbank Settlement Mechanism (Prism), which is the second major source of digital payments in Pakistan, grew 19.1 per cent in volume to 0.42 million and 6.3 per cent in value to Rs93.6 trillion in the three-month period as compared to the corresponding period a year earlier.
According to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), a total of 2.3 million Internet Banking users were registered by the end of June 2017 with 25 banks offering a variety of financial services through Internet Banking (IB) like Intrabank and Interbank Fund transfer, scheduled fund transfers, Utility Bills Payments, Mobile Air-time top up, Intra-bank credit card payments, School fee payments etc.
In the last outgoing financial year 2016-17, Internet Banking processed 25.2 million transactions worth Rs968.7 billion during FY17 showing YoY growth of 32.5 per cent and 10 per cent in volume and value of transactions, respectively.
Utility Bills Payments contributed 9 million (35.9 per cent) in volume and Rs18.6 billion (1.9 per cent) in value of transactions while the remaining shares consist of other miscellaneous payments including school/university fee submissions, mutual fund payments, credit card payments, etc.
The share of Intra Bank Fund transfer transactions is 6.6 million (26.1 per cent) and Rs258.2 billion (26.7 per cent) in volume and value of transactions, respectively, whereas the shareInter-BankBank Funds transfers transactions in volume and value of transactions is 7.5 million (29.7 per cent) and Rs310.1 billion (32 per cent) respectively.
Internet Banking also facilitated 88.2 million non-financial transactions which include pay order, cheques books, bank account statements and Debit Cards.


text:
AFT Pharmaceuticals' founder and managing director Hartley Atkinson says he's having ongoing discussions about getting involved in providing medicinal cannabis products but the current tough regulatory environment doesn't make it very attractive.
"The regulatory climate at the moment is tough and it doesn't make it very attractive, but that can rapidly change," Atkinson told analysts on a conference call.
AFT would only be interested in medicinal cannabis, not the recreational use of the drug, he said.
"At this stage, commercially, it's not that attractive due to the regulations but they're being looked at."
Parliament passed legislation last year to improve access to medicinal cannabis and introduce quality standards for products. The Ministry of Health is designing the framework for how the law will operate to enable domestic commercial cultivation and manufacture of medicinal cannabis.
The government is planning to hold a referendum on personal cannabis use at the next election and Justice Minister Andrew Little has said the questions will require a yes or no answer.
Although the government is calling it a "binding" referendum, it can't commit a future government to that.
Currently, those wanting to prescribe, supply or administer most medical cannabis products need ministerial approval.
AFT's major product is the non-opioid painkiller Maxigesic, a patented combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen, which is sold in 20 countries and has been registered in 42.
Its annual report released today notes that concern is mounting around the world and especially in the United States about the overuse of prescription opioid medicines.
"The death rates in the US resulting from opioid overdose has now exceeded the peak death rate at the height of the AIDs epidemic," the report says, citing the US National Center for Health Statistics.
"A key problem is that patients start on opioids in hospital and are then discharged with an outpatient script leading to addiction problems in a proportion of patients," it says.
"Maxigesic IV and tablets offer an alternative non-opioid analgesic thereby creating new options for post-operative pain management."
It says the epidemic has turned attention in Australia and New Zealand onto codeine formulations.
From February 1, 2018, medicines containing codeine became prescription-only in Australia after clear evidence of significant misuse.
Atkinson said that quite a lot of the market "seemed to disappear" in Australia after that came into force, something he attributes to stock-piling of up to a year's supply and because many patients asked their doctors for prescriptions.
A similar change in New Zealand is potentially "a game changer" for AFT. "New Zealand seems to be one of the last markets in the world to reschedule codeine," he said.
MedSafe is proposing restrictions on the sale of products containing codeine from January 31, 2020 but it would still allow over-the-counter sales of products containing no more than 15mg per pill, a maximum daily dose of 90mg and packs of no more than three days supply.
A medical cannabis firm, Cannasouth, is in the process of raising up to $10 million from a share sale and will list on NZX if it can raise at least $5m.
The Waikato-based Cannasouth plans to use the funds raised for research and development, investigating sites to build commercial operations and to take on staff.