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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You’ll see many businesses participate in spreading awareness by including pink ribbons in their marketing campaigns as well as sponsoring and participating in local fundraisers. Is your business ready to take part?
At Tandem Interactive, our digital marketing agency in Fort Lauderdale will also be doing its part to bring awareness and raising funds for breast cancer research initiatives and treatment assistance. #TeamTandem will be participating in multiple events held by Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Broward throughout the month.
While Breast Cancer Awareness Month should always prioritize making a difference to those affected by the disease, it also presents an opportunity for businesses to connect with their customers and show them that they care about bettering society. Are your upcoming marketing efforts for your chosen cause solid?
One thing you’ll have to avoid is “pinkwashing.” A recently coined term, pinkwashing comes with pretty negative connotations. The last thing you want is your company to be perceived as pinkwashing Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here’s a breakdown of what it is and how to avoid doing it.
So, what is pinkwashing? First coined by the activist group Breast Cancer Action (BCA), the official definition of a “pinkwasher” is “a company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time, produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease.”1
The term pinkwashing is typically applied much more broadly nowadays. It is often used to describe companies and cause marketing campaigns that utilize pink ribbons and other Breast Cancer Awareness iconography but fail to make a significant enough commitment to helping improve the lives of breast cancer patients and their families.
Avoid Pinkwashing Breast Cancer Awareness Marketing
If your cause marketing efforts are all show and little to no action when it comes to actually making a difference this October, you’re likely pinkwashing. Customers and community members are becoming more aware and critical of this phenomenon. If they find your company is participating in the cause mostly or solely for your own benefit, be prepared to face some backlash.
The best way is to avoid pinkwashing in the first place. Here are just some of the ways to ensure your company’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month advocacy and fundraising efforts are genuine.
1. Use the Pink Ribbon Responsibly
The pink ribbon has become an incredibly recognizable symbol of Breast Cancer Awareness. However, a few loopholes have allowed some companies to abuse its use. While the Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization has its own trademarked pink ribbon, the pink ribbon actually started as a “peach ribbon” created by activist Charlotte Haley. After Haley refused to work with Self magazine and Estee Lauder on their Breast Awareness Month issue, the magazine created the first pink ribbon.
These well-known variations can be confusing for consumers. Additionally, since the color and general ribbon symbol cannot be trademarked, companies not affiliated with Komen or any other breast cancer charity can still use pink ribbons in their marketing.2 Multiple companies have been revealed to use pink ribbons to market a certain product, but not donate any portion of the profits to breast cancer research or other causes.
The previous excuse of “using the pink ribbon to spread awareness” just won’t cut it with today’s informed consumers. Avoid pinkwashing by using pink ribbons in your campaigns only if you will be donating a substantial portion of the proceeds to charity and other breast cancer foundations.
Also, don’t use pink ribbons to market known carcinogenic products or products with carcinogenic ingredients like certain cosmetics or junk food. KFC and Susan G. Komen got into hot water after teaming up for a “Bucket for the Cure” campaign, despite Komen asserting the campaign was successful in spreading awareness and bringing in funds.3
2. Be Transparent About Your Fundraising
An important way to avoid pinkwashing or being accused of pinkwashing is to be honest about where the money is going. Spell out the portion of profits you will be donating and which organizations it will be going to and the initiatives it will be used to support. Companies have faced backlash after it was revealed their combined marketing and fundraising campaigns weren’t as generous as they appeared to be.
For example, it was uncovered that Proctor and Gamble required customers to use a specific coupon when purchasing their limited-edition pink Swiffer products for a donation to be made. Those coupons had been published in newspapers weeks prior to the products being on sale. In the end, a significant number of purchases weren’t being used to raise funds.4 These are just some of the things companies have tried to hide when it comes to their Breast Cancer Awareness campaigns:
- Donation caps
- Sales being separate from donations
- Incredibly low donation promises
- Extra steps consumers need to take to contribute to a donation
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, make sure your company’s marketing, awareness, and fundraising are genuine, transparent, and substantial. Fall into the pinkwashing trap and you might be perceived as an unscrupulous company willing to make a profit off of people’s suffering. But that shouldn’t dissuade you from participating in this important cause. If done properly, you’ll not only deeply connect with your customers, but also be seen as a proactive business that truly cares about the community.
Tandem.Buzz is a South Florida full-service digital marketing agency serving clients nationwide. Our Fort Lauderdale SEO company specializes in organic SEM, social media, neuromarketing, visual marketing, and reputation management in South Florida and throughout the country. We are also a Fort Lauderdale PPC agency offering award-winning pay-per-click, remarketing, and other paid online advertising services. Contact us or call (954) 519-4114 today to find out how #TeamTandem can launch your company to the next level!
- Think Before You Pink.org – 4 Questions Before You Buy Pink
- Amy Westervelt, Forbes – The Pinkwashing Debate: Empty Criticism or Serious Liability?
- Nadja Popovich, NPR – Critics Cluck At Breast Cancer Awareness In A Bucket
- Emily Deruy, AB News – Pink Washing Is Real and It Hurts [Commentary]


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DENVER (CBS4) – The Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s new system of background checks for gun sales got put to the test with Black Friday holiday shopping.
The CBI has been working on a system to serve the demand for guns for more than a year.
Sporting good stores across the state saw a rush of gun sales on Black Friday.
Retail Gun sellers saw their biggest holiday of the year.
According to the CBI more than 3,300 background checks were filed.
A full staff was in place at 4 a.m. to accommodate the rush of sales.
“We see the numbers. We know what they’re going to be. We have to provide a good resource for the customers,” said CBI spokeswoman Susan Medina
The CBI’s new background check system takes less than three minutes and they are hoping to improve that time.
It comes as gun sales appear to be on a downward swing. Last year 1,000 more guns were sold on Black Friday.
“I think they’ll be softer than in years past. There’s some market saturation and there been a political drive, it’s not there,” said Gunsmoke Gun Shop owner Rich Wyatt.
Rich Wyatt says sales may dip because new laws make gifting firearms more challenging.
He says unless laws change the next spike in sales could come from a national tragedy
“We’ll see other things. If you remember the Rodney King riots that happened in California. Those spiked gun sales in Colorado. And so it could be anything that could spike gun sales here,” said Wyatt.
Some retailers say guns sales this year may not just spike on Black Friday, but stay high through the entire holiday shopping season.

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Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing, has agreed to acquire Pregis LLC, a leading protective packaging materials and automated systems manufacturer, from Olympus Partners, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
Pregis’ current management team, led by Kevin Baudhuin, president and chief executive officer, will continue under Warburg Pincus’ ownership.
Under Olympus’ ownership since May 2014, Pregis has made six acquisitions (Eagle Film Extruders, Easypack Ltd, Sharp Packaging Systems, 3M PolyMask, Rex Performance Products and FP International). The company has grown from 14 to 22 manufacturing facilities across North America and Europe. Pregis currently employees 2,250 team members.
The company has also made significant capital investments during that period including multiple new blown-film extrusion lines at its Pregis Films facility. The additional capability enhances vertical integration and addresses increased demand for higher quality flexible packaging, e-commerce protective material and surface protection films. Most recently, Pregis established a European operating unit to provide robust solutions on an even wider geographic platform.
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- NFT.com is an upcoming NFT marketplace that will use NFT “keys” for community governance and benefits.
- The Ethereum-centric marketplace has Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary as an advisor.
Right now in the NFT market, there's OpenSea—and then there's everyone else. Far, far behind.
OpenSea currently dominates the NFT marketplace space, racking up billions of dollars worth of trading volume each month. While there are noteworthy rivals on the horizon, including crypto industry powerhouses like Coinbase, none have made a significant dent in the NFT trading world just yet.
NFT.com hopes to change that. Led by CEO Jordan Fried, former senior vice president of Hedera Hashgraph, the startup aims to leverage that valuable domain name (which Fried said cost his company $2 million) and branding to onboard mainstream users into the maturing NFT market.
But as Fried and advisor Kevin O’Leary—investor and star of "Shark Tank"—recently told Decrypt, the plan isn’t simply to slap an easy-to-remember dot-com onto OpenSea’s familiar model. NFT.com’s creators take issue with the idea of a marketplace backed by venture capital firms, and they want to create something that is governed by their community of users.
“A lot of the other NFT marketplaces are Web2 companies putting lipstick on and calling themselves Web3 platforms,” Fried told Decrypt.
An NFT is effectively a blockchain-backed receipt that proves ownership of an item. It’s typically used for digital items, such as illustrations, profile pictures, sports collectibles, and video game items. The market ballooned to $25 billion worth of trading volume in 2021, with another $12 billion added in Q1 2022, per data from DappRadar.
In terms of how NFT.com plans to differentiate itself from its many competitors, the company's website clearly states: no VCs and no limited partners. Instead, NFT.com will launch 10,000 Genesis Key NFTs—to be auctioned and sold—that serve as governance tokens to the marketplace, which will be overseen by a DAO, or decentralized autonomous organization. Holders can also mint an NFT to represent their personal profile on the platform, which will showcase their owned collectibles.
Because there's nothing rarer.
Get a Genesis Key, mint https://t.co/hiZpqSjd1J#NFTGenesisKey pic.twitter.com/4epP2n6ZhE
— NFT.com (@NFTcomofficial) April 12, 2022
Fried said that the marketplace’s model is built on the idea that users and NFT creators will accrue value as the marketplace grows. “Our users are the CEO of NFT.com,” he said, adding that he considers himself more of a “steward and evangelist” than a proper CEO.
The idea of a token-driven, community-owned NFT marketplace without VC backing isn’t new, but it has yet to be executed at significant scale. Fried also said that previous attempts haven’t had “fully doxxed teams,” or creators that use their real names and backgrounds rather than pseudonyms.
He also suggested that creators—like Yuga Labs, the team behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club, or the founders of projects like Doodles or World of Women—should have some measure of control in the NFT.com ecosystem, as well as a relationship with the marketplace’s team.
“They don't have an account manager at OpenSea. They don't have a direct line to Devin [Finzer] and Alex [Atallah], the CEO and CTO. They're not valued,” he said of creators. “OpenSea is valued at $13.3 billion… but the people who helped them get there are not a16z and the investors. It's the creators who are creating NFTs on this platform.”
Starting on Ethereum
NFT.com is due to open up in May, and while Fried is partial to Hedera—and the marketplace’s team has a few other Hedera founding members onboard—he said that the platform will begin life in the Ethereum ecosystem. Ethereum plays host to such projects as the Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and Art Blocks.
It’s currently the largest network for NFT trading, and DAO members will vote on additional networks to integrate within the marketplace. Fried mentioned the growth of other NFT-hosting blockchains such as Solana, Avalanche, Polkadot, and Algorand, but said that “they pale in comparison to the unbelievable creator economy of Ethereum."
“Our philosophy is to support NFTs wherever NFTs exist. But you have to start on Ethereum,” he explained. “No other protocol even comes close right now. All of our original infrastructure is on Ethereum, but we hope to be multi-protocol as soon as we've got the capabilities and as soon as our DAO enables us to do so.”
NFT.com also sees significant potential in the market for NFTs that represent real-world goods. Avatars and artwork have shown the utility of NFTs, but they can also be tied to physical items—things like real estate, luxury watches, or stock certificates.
“Everything of value in the physical world will be represented in this digital world in the form of a token,” said Fried. “That's what gets me so excited about the opportunity with NFTs. They are better ways to transfer proof of ownership of a particular asset.”
Mr. Wonderful’s take
O’Leary, aka “Mr. Wonderful” from the "Shark Tank" reality TV series, is an advisor to NFT.com and shareholder in Immutable Holdings, the core company that is building the marketplace ahead of its official launch and transition to DAO governance.
The investor and TV personality has said that he holds various cryptocurrencies and took part in Polygon’s $450 million fundraising round in February. He told Decrypt that he likes to bet on infrastructure, and likened his interest in NFT.com as being akin to “owning the picks and shovels” during the gold rush.
I’m proud to be a part of this project. You are going to want to be a part of this too.
Get involved at https://t.co/5DkKzPedW1. #NFTGenesisKey https://t.co/ZrJevte4A5
— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) April 4, 2022
O’Leary said that he’s constantly being asked about NFTs by celebrities that are interested in the space, but they don’t really understand it or know where to start. Now he funnels them to Fried and the NFT.com team.
“[Celebrities] don't know what to do. They get approached by a million people, and many of them are rogue actors,” O’Leary said. “You want to go somewhere where you're going to get good advice, where you can get the infrastructure you need, and I just send them to him. That's probably my best value for the company, is to be an advocate for it.”
OpenSea has a considerable first-mover advantage and has dominated the NFT market since last August’s “second boom” following the initial early-year market surge. But O’Leary doesn’t see the market leader as unbeatable. As the NFT space matures and expands, he expects that rivals like NFT.com can claw away at OpenSea’s lead.
“The game hasn't even started for NFTs yet. It's not like we're in the second inning—it hasn't even started,” he told Decrypt. “[OpenSea is] out there, but by no means have they become the standard in any way. There's all kinds of opportunity here.”


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It’s easy to overspend without realising it, whether you’re in the habit of getting takeaways too frequently or ordering on ASOS too often. And for some, living under lockdown for much of this year has also meant spending more too.
According to a survey of more than 2,000 adults by the financial services firm Legal and General and CEBR, an economics consultancy, Brits spent almost £250m ($334.4m) extra a week on food, alcohol, entertainment and indoor hobbies during the first coronavirus lockdown.
On average, shoppers spent £104 per week on food and isolation activities, an increase of five% compared with before lockdown began on 23 March.
However, this year has also been problematic for our bank accounts. Whether it’s because of redundancy, income loss or furlough with less pay, many people are struggling financially. So how can we cut back on our spending without it making too much of an impact on our lives?
Watch: Should I pay off debt or save money during the coronavirus pandemic?
Comfort spending is something many people have indulged in this year, to make up for the fact we’ve had to spend longer at home, away from friends and unable to socialise in person.
Stress shopping is a real problem. In a recent Credit Karma survey, more than a third (35%) of respondents said they’ve made impulse purchases to deal with stress from the coronavirus pandemic. Among those who said they’d bought things on impulse purchases, nearly half (45%) said they’re stress spending at least once a week, and 17% are making impulse buys daily.
It can be easier said than done, but enforcing a bit of self-restraint can save you some serious cash. If you tend to spend hours online shopping, deleting apps like ASOS (ASC.L) or Amazon (AMZN) from your phone can help, or blocking certain websites. Before you buy something, ask yourself if you really need it.
With many of us eating out less and being at home more at the moment, it means our supermarket shopping is costing more. It can help to try the “supermarket downshift method” — a challenge based on the premise that supermarkets stock several different price levels of their staple products.
With the only real difference between the products being the price tag, you may save yourself a lot of money without noticing a change in quality. Opting for the lesser-known labels and own-brand products instead of branded ones can lead to significant savings.
Lots of us overindulged in food and drink this year. According to 2,254 interviews with UK residents by King’s College London and Ipsos MORI, 48% reported putting on weight and 29% said they drank more alcohol than they normally would.
Joining a gym may be the obvious option to get healthier and fitter, but memberships can be costly, particularly if you don’t end up going very often. There are many cheaper ways to get fit, such as walking, running, online exercise videos, and apps.
Many office workers are continuing to work from home and will do so in the future, at least for part of the time. Although working remotely comes with challenges, cutting back on your commute can also save you money on rail or bus tickets and fuel.
If you don’t work from home and can’t avoid driving, there are ways to make your car more fuel efficient which will save you money in the long-run. Keeping your tyres inflated, decluttering the car and keeping the air-con to a minimum will all help. If you use public transport, it can be worth skipping a bus trip a couple of times a week to walk instead.
Some supermarket deals may be legitimate, but it’s important to be wary of all discounts and multibuy deals. In 2019, Which? tracked the pricing and offers of 450 products available at Asda (WMT), Iceland, Morrisons (MRW.L), Ocado (OCDO.L), Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L), Tesco (TSCO.L) and Waitrose.
While most of the deals monitored did represent good value, there were 65 instances across the year of supermarkets using misleading discounts that didn’t represent the bargains they claimed. In particular, be wary of “was/now” discounts that suggest you’re getting a good deal on a product, or items that are always “on offer” — and use a sense of urgency to draw you in.
Watch: How to negotiate a pay rise


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Official press release for MacBook Pro, is that they can work up to 10 hours on a single battery charge. However, nowhere does it say that the word “to” means “two to three times less than 10 hours”, and that is the battery life reported by some “happy” owners of these mobile PCs.
Judging by the reviews, the new MacBook Pro, recently implicated in problems with the video card, working from 3 to 6 hours of battery life, that is at the level of three to four times less expensive laptop. Why is the voracity of the components of a mobile PC, is still unknown and track down the problem, I think, will not be easy, as some users MacBook Pro work 10 hours as advertised. Western information portals, including the famous Engadget, as well as a very authoritative edition of the Wall Street Journal, have already tested the new “MacBook”, and they have worked over 9 hours without plugging to the wall socket.
Probably Apple will not conduct an investigation into the causes of the lack of autonomy of the MacBook Pro, as long as the problem is not widespread. And that is why on the screens for these laptops, there are “artifacts”, it is already known: according to representatives of Apple, this is due to third party software, yet without specifying which one. Most likely, this is a subtle hint to the driver, for which Apple is, in fact, is not responsible.
© 2016, z-news.link. All rights reserved.


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The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is the sole plug-in hybrid minivan for sale anywhere in North America, but it hasn't had a particularly smooth rollout. Itís seven seats and 33 miles of EPA-rated electric range make it appealing to families who want a plug-in vehicle with more than five seats and more than 20 miles of range.
However while sales began in April, they were halted in June when Chrysler issued a recall related to a potentially faulty diode within the power inverter module. That part could stop functioning altogether, leading to a powertrain shutdown, and Chrysler said the recall affected 1,368 Pacifica Hybrid minivans in the U.S. and 309 more in Canada.
Now the Pacifica Hybrid has gone back on sale, with all new models carrying a 2018 model year and including the updated diode. Dealer orders for the car reopened last month. While Chrysler doesn't discuss production, it appears to have been building the 2018 Pacifica Hybrids for several weeks. Several owners on Pacifica online forums had described issues, ranging from difficulties in charging the battery to the powertrain shutting down in traffic, before the recall was announced (it's detailed on the NHTSA website in PDF format).
2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid back on sale after recall speedbump


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NONTHABURI – The Commerce Ministry is actively promoting Thai fruits in eight Chinese cities as China is easing its anti-COVID-19 lockdowns.
Somdet Susomboon, director-general of the ministry’s Department of International Trade Promotion, said his department launched promotional events as instructed by Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister JurinLaksanwvisit because China started to ease its lockdowns earlier imposed to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The lockdown relaxation followed effective COVID-19 control and raised Chinese demand for Thai fruits and it was good time for the promotions, Mr Somdet said.
The department and its trade promotion office in China were organizing the Thai Fruits Golden Months events in Shanghai, Qingdao, Nanning, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Xiamen and Kunming from May to July. The activities took place both online and offline, he said.
The promotions focused on durian, mangosteen, longan, coconut, mango, rose apple, pomelo and banana. The activities help market Thai fruits while orchards were yielding them, he said. (TNA)


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Synergy Research Group has released a report showing that Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, IBM and Google together dominate the public cloud space.
Their combined market share rose to 54 per cent in the latest quarter and their year-on-year revenue averaged 84 percent. In the same quarter the rest of the market grew by 33 percent. While this increase in volume was good for AWS as it keeps its clear lead with 29 percent market share, it was also good for the rest of the market, as Synergy points out, since the Q2 earnings of all major players indicates that average quarterly earnings in this sector are now approaching $6bn.
The surprise of AWS’s continued profitability, with the division’s operating profit up from Q1’s 17 percent to 21 percent in Q2, instantly sparked rumours that loss-making parent Amazon may spin-off the now profitable AWS.
The big four are ahead of the pack
North America accounts for over half of the international market followed by the EMEA and APAC regions.
John Dinsdale, chief analyst and research director at Synergy Research Group said: “The cloud infrastructure services market is quite clearly bifurcating with a widening gap between the big four cloud providers and the rest of the service provider community.
He continued: ”Developing the necessary global hyperscale data center infrastructure along with the required marketing and operations support is simply beyond the reach of all but a very small number of players. This is not going to change. The good news for the plethora of small-to-medium-sized cloud providers is that there does remain a wealth of opportunity for those that are focused on specific market niches or local geographic areas.”
Amazon’s growth is in no small way due to its grip on the public sector in the USA. In June this year The Washington Post said that Amazon held the lion’s share of cloud services to the USA Government as a result of a federal directive which ordered agencies to consolidate their data centers and move to the cloud. Amazon was well-prepared for this move and had already started to build an infrastructure and network of companies with histories of government work.


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How did all those "potentially fake" positive -- and badly written -- reviews of the BBM messaging app get on the Google Play Store? Beats us, BlackBerry says.
BlackBerry says it has nothing to do with a swathe of fake reviews on Google Play, while Samsung has been fined for paying writers to badmouth rivals.
CNET UK goes thumbs-on with the BlackBerry Q5, a QWERTY-equipped smartphone that's built like a bargain, but isn't necessarily priced like one.
BlackBerry's latest software and flagship Z10 phone are here -- CNET's reviewed them both, with lashings of hands-on photos.
CNET reviews the RIM BlackBerry Curve 9360 for T-Mobile. The RIM BlackBerry Curve 9360 makes a great entry-level offering for those already in the BlackBerry camp.
Verizon's BlackBerry Curve 9370 has its charms, but also some snags that will be hard for some to overlook when it comes time to buy.
The Motorola Admiral, Sprint's latest Android phone, has its sights set on BlackBerry.
RIM's service goes down as iPhone 4S anticipation rises. Also: Going mobile.
CNET rounds up its latest BlackBerry OS 7 handset reviews.
With the signature keyboard out of the way, BlackBerry-maker RIM strives to hang tough with the Android crowd, and mostly succeeds.


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PODCAST: The ECB’s bond-buying plan, McDonald’s goes all-veggie
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The European Central Bank has unveiled its plan to save the euro. The bank’s president Mario Draghi said this morning that the ECB will buy European government bonds in an effort to stem the debt crisis.
Tonight President Obama will accept his party’s nomination for president at the convention in Charlotte. In the meantime, as part of our coverage of the Real Economy — what matters most to voters in this election — David Gura reports from North Carolina on a father and son working at a start-up in Raleigh.
Amazon is expected to unveil the latest version of its Kindle fire tablet today. The Kindle Fire is cheaper than Apple’s iPad, and profit margins are thin. But Amazon is trying to sell as many as possible so that customers fill those tablets with books and movies purchased from Amazon.
The U.N. said this morning that global food prices were flat in August, easing fears of a global food crisis for now. But prices are likely to climb in the long term.
Gunmaker Smith and Wesson is reporting its quarterly earnings today, which come in the wake of three mass shootings. It seems, though, that those shootings haven’t stopped Americans from buying firearms.
Tomorrow, the Labor Department will release its August jobs report, and there will be a lot of talk about the millions of Americans who are still out of work. But what about the people who have jobs? Are they satisfied?
McDonald’s is going vegetarian — at least in India. The fast food chain is opening its first-ever vegetarian restaurant there next year in a city that’s home to one of the Sikh religion’s holiest sites.
And finally, actress Eva Longoria of “Desperate Housewives” fame is opening a new kind of restaurant: A steakhouse specifically for women. It’s opening in Vegas, and according to the L.A. Times, it’ll feature smaller portions and a catwalk for fashion shows. It’ll also have fog machines and rain curtains — you know, the stuff all women want in a steakhouse. Men will be welcome.
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Generous support from listeners and readers is what powers our nonprofit news—and your donation today will help provide this essential service. For just $5/month, you can sustain independent journalism that keeps you and thousands of others informed.


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LAST UPDATED : Aug 02, 2021, 07:19 PM IST
- Emotional parents come to terms with Kamalpreet's 6th place finish
Spending sleepless nights, pedalling 60kms to catch a glimpse of his daughter Kamalpreet Kaur's practice, besides borrowing money for her shoes and sports equipment, Kuldeep Singh's story is of a typical Indian father dreaming big for his beloved daughter.
- Reliance slips 59 places on Fortune list, SBI jumps 16 notches
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd slipped 59 places to rank 155th on the 2021 Fortune Global 500 list released on Monday. Reliance took a beating on the rankings as revenues dropped owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is its lowest ranking since 2017.


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F10 BMW 5 Series sold out in all markets
The latest announcement from BMW is rather worrying as they claim the new F10 BMW 5 Series has sold out in all the markets it’s been made available.
The new BMW 5 Series entered the European market about a month ago and the U.S. market just over a week ago and yet all the lots went out already. Happily since this isn’t a limited edition, you can still get one, you will however have to wait for about three months or so to put one in your driveway.
Ian Robertson, BMW’s sales boss was present at an industry press conference in Bilbao, Spain today were he made this information available to the public along with statements according to which the Bavarians were expecting something like this to happen since the 5 Series is a BMW core product and the F10’s less controversial styling when compared to the previous generation would see more market appeal.
Besides the styling there’s another important appeal of this BMW 5 Series, it shares almost 70% of its technology with the company’s flagship model, the BMW 7 Series. As an additional success item, analysts believe that the new 5-er is ‘stealing’ market share from Audi’s A6 because it will be soon replaced by an all-new model and customers are put off by the idea of buying a new premium car that’s almost already outdated.


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- 5 min
Wohnen und Leben 2018: In Germany, Digital natives think differently when it comes to buying furniture
Looking after your own four walls is a project that never seems to end. A total of 85 per cent of Germans are looking to purchase new furniture this year. While this figure has fallen from 95 per cent last year, it means that almost every apartment and house is still undergoing changes. Consumers are now more willing to part with a larger sum of money on these shopping trips, with 35 per cent expecting to spend more than €1,000 compared with just 31 per cent in 2017.
Bloggers vital for those setting up home for the first time
Breaking down purchasing behaviour by age group reveals a dramatic shift. Only 46 per cent of respondents under 30 gain inspiration from visiting a furniture store, while this figure is significantly higher among 50 to 59-year-olds at 59 per cent. Instead, online content such as blogs is a key decision-making tool for 18 per cent of young shoppers. By contrast, just one per cent of the older group consult blogs before purchasing furniture.
Young buyers look for ideas in many different places
Younger consumers are also more open to alternative influences. Thirty per cent of respondents aged up to 29 are inspired by their friends’ furnishing choices, while 18 per cent get ideas from travelling abroad and 12 per cent cite public spaces such as hotels and restaurants among their sources of inspiration. All of these figures are significantly higher than those of the overall population.
As well as the source of furnishing ideas, specific purchasing preferences also change with age. The under-30s invest more frequently in their bedrooms and living rooms, the most important spaces for those setting up home for the first time, while consumers aged between 30 and 49 spend a disproportionately high amount on children's rooms. From the age of 40 onwards, when consumers have long since set up home and their professional careers have advanced, an increasing number of respondents prefer to focus their efforts on the kitchen and something new for their living room.


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Just weeks after a rare Apple-1 computer sold for record numbers at auction, another operational unit of Apple’s first ever computer is set to go under the gavel.
Christie’s is expecting the machine to fetch more than $500,000 at auction in December, which doesn’t seem unrealistic when you consider that the previous Apple-1 mentioned fetched a whopping $905,000.
The computer is being sold by Virgina collector Robert Luther, who bought it at a police auction in 2004.
“My computer had been purchased directly from Jobs, and based on the buyers address on the [original] check, he lived four miles from Jobs,” Luther has said. It was originally bought in July 1976 from the Jobs family garage in Los Altos.
To confirm the Apple-1 still works, an expert recently tested it out with Microsoft BASIC and an original Apple-1 Star Trek game. It is thought that less than 50 original Apple 1-s are still in existence.
If you want to find out more about some of the most envy-inducing Apple auctions of all time check out our gallery here.


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Andy Jacobson Joins Epsilon as VP, Agency Sales
Industry Veteran to Oversee Agency Partnerships and Facilitate Growth of Online Solutions
New York, NY — September 17, 2013 — Epsilon, the global leader in delivering direct-to-customer connections that drive business performance, today announced that Andy Jacobson has joined as Vice President of Agency Sales, reporting to Eric Stein, Executive Vice President of Online Solutions.
In this new role, Mr. Jacobson will focus on Epsilon’s deep data solutions and proprietary customer segments to better assist global brands in the execution of targeted display campaigns. In addition, he will lead efforts to build out an agency-focused sales team to grow Epsilon’s display media offerings.
“Epsilon’s Online Solutions team is committed to helping marketers identify, recognize and target consumers with actionable data in the online space. We are pleased to have Andy join our team and build on our agency partnerships. His proven track record will enable our clients to achieve meaningful results and drive deep engagement with customers,” said Eric Stein.
Mr. Jacobson has over fifteen years of experience in digital media including sales management and leadership roles. Prior to Epsilon, Jacobson was VP of Sales at Everyday Health where he was responsible for the management, hiring and training of the sales organization. Before joining Everyday Health, he spent time at leading digital properties including ValueClick Media, ContextWeb, USA Today/theGannett Company Inc. and Google. Earlier in his career, he oversaw multiple business units at DoubleClick, where he built a $100 million telesales business, launched the email media business and established an internal start up ad network called Sonar.
“I’m excited to join Epsilon as they continue to grow and invest in their online solutions and agency partnerships. The role of data in today’s marketplace cannot be underestimated and Epsilon has a rich heritage of leveraging data to connect with customers across a variety of channels. The possibilities for clients are endless,” explained Mr. Jacobson.
Mr. Jacobson will be based in Epsilon’s New York, NY office.


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Public Relations Department of Monetary and Banking Research Institute, in the summary of the executive report, states: After the slowdown of the industrial production index of TSE listed companies in July and August, which kept the growth in the range of zero percent (compared to the same period last year), the growth of this index in September (compared to the same period last year) has slightly improved and reached 1.9 percent.
Restrictions on electricity supply for the cement and steel industries in September also led to negative growth in the production index of these industries. So that the basic metals and non-metallic minerals industry have experienced negative growth of 1.5 and 2.4 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year. Of course, the negative growth that these industries experienced in July and August was less. In addition, the decline in inventory in the basic metals industry indicates that demand for the industry's products has exceeded their production.
In September, the chemical industry, similar to recent months, had a production growth of close to zero. However, the sales of this industry in recent months have been less than its production, which has led to an increase in inventory in this industry. The motor vehicles industry also maintained its production growth of more than 10 %(compared to the same period last year), and sales growth in this industry was higher than production growth.
Download the full report here.


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A new 25 per cent added levy on a swath of European products including Italian cheese, French wine, Scottish Whisky, British Biscuits alongside thousands of other Europe-made food products proposed by the United States following a WTO ruling that legally empowered US to impose tariffs on European goods worth of $7.5 billion, would likely to heighten food prices in the United States ahead of holiday seasons and to cost US jobs as well, as the importers’ best-approach to grapple with an added tariff of such scale while staying competitive at the same time would be involving a slashing of thousands of US jobs, a specialty trade group said later this week.
In point of fact, following announcement of the office of US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, on Wednesday (October 2nd) that included proposed ban on hundreds of EU-made food products, the Speciality Food Association had released a statement on Thursday (October 3rd) saying that the tariffs would decline sales over the holiday seasons and negatively impact jobs of American citizens in more than 14,000 specialty food retailers alongside other 20,000 retailers across the US.
On top of that, adding that impacts of the tariffs would be “dramatic,” the trade group said later this week, “Higher prices will hit Americans in the wallet just as the holiday season is approaching. The cheese/charcuterie board that currently cost you $45 will put you back $60 after tariffs.
The treats you provide your family to celebrate Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays may become out of reach”.


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Opel takers would close Belgian factory
Both candidates bidding to buy Opel from US giant General Motors would shut the company's factory in the Belgian city of Antwerp, a senior local politician said in an interview published Friday.Brussels - Both candidates bidding to buy Opel from US giant General Motors would shut the company's factory in the Belgian city of Antwerp, a senior local politician said in an interview published Friday.
Both Canadian auto parts maker Magna and Belgium-based RHJ International had stipulated they would progressively shut down the factory, Kris Peeters, the minister-president of the northern Flanders region, told L'Echo newspaper.
His comments to the economic daily followed reports in the Austrian press that Magna planned to close the Antwerp plant of Opel, the European car-making arm of GM, in 2010.
Until a week ago Peeters had said he backed Magna's bid as he thought the group planned to keep the Antwerp factory, which employs more than 2,000 people as well as supporting numerous subsidiaries.
Now he said he would be contacting both companies to see what exactly they meant by "phasing out" and to see if there might be another alternative. He would also be contacting the European Commission, he said.
His fear was that the case was being influenced by political as well as economic considerations, with Germany having offerd billions of euros in loan guarantees in a bid to save tens of thousands of jobs.
"It's not looking good at all, but we have tried everything," he told the paper.
AFP / Expatica


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PC Jeweller spikes 29% after a steep fall in previous session
Shares of PC Jeweller recovered nearly 29 per cent on Monday after the management of the company clarified the promoters have neither sold nor pledged any shares with any institution.
The stock gained as much as 28.77 per cent to Rs 470.80 on the BSE.
The scrip had settled 24 per cent down on Friday after tanking over 60 per cent in intraday trade, following rumours IT firm Vakrangee had offloaded some shares of the company in the open market.
SIP Calculator: Need money for daughter's education? This SIP investment formula can help you generate Rs 1 crore
"We affirm that none of our promoters has diluted stake in the company and none of their shares are pledged as collateral with any institution," said PC Jeweller in a clarification to exchanges.
"We are moving ahead as per our laid down business plans of opening new stores and working on launching new collections. The company continues to witness very good footfalls and sales in the ongoing quarter," it added.


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Severstal (MOEX: CHMF), which is under sanctions and limited in export opportunities, is seeking to expand its access to end consumers of metal products in the domestic market. The purchase of a large metal trader, A Group, will allow the company to occupy 10% of the Russian market in the segment of metal sales from warehouses. According to analysts, further consolidation of the sector is likely due to purchases from large metallurgists.
Severstal by Alexey Mordashov acquired distribution business of the A Group corporation, which belongs to the structures of Alexey Zaitsev. The parties do not disclose the purchase amount. The transaction did not include the A Group Steel Metal Structures plant, which produces metal structures and sandwich panels. Severstal has no plans to buy out the remaining assets.
Severstal and its owner Alexey Mordashov are on the SDN list. In 2021, 47% of Severstal’s revenue came from export markets, including 30% from Europe. In the new realities, the company was forced to restructure. In November 2023, the company’s CEO Alexander Shevelev said “Interfax”that 90% of manufactured products go to the domestic market.
The deal will allow Severstal to increase its share in the secondary market of rolled metal to 10%, Viktor Romanovsky, director of Severstal Distribution, told reporters.
The share of Severstal Distribution in the Russian market at the end of 2023 was 5.7%, and A Group was 4.3%. According to him, after the transaction there is the potential to increase sales in the regions of presence.
The A Group network of metal centers includes 24 warehouses; last year sales volume amounted to 1.2 million tons. A Group’s revenue according to RAS increased in 2023 by 7.6%, to almost 76 billion rubles, net profit by 43%, to 1.5 billion rubles.
Mr. Romanovsky believes that there is indeed a trend towards mergers in the distribution sector. “We are looking at similar markets in Europe, Asia, America, and, apparently, the trend towards such M&A strategies will continue. Usually, distribution markets are characterized by consolidation at a certain point, and consolidation is not around a few players, but about five to seven super-large players,” he noted.
MMK Viktor Rashnikov also has plans to increase sales through his trading house. In 2023, the company’s trading house sold 1.5 million tons of metal products, and by 2026 it plans to reach a volume of 2 million tons. “It is planned to further develop the branch and warehouse network, in particular to enter regions that are promising in terms of metal consumption, increase the number of its own retail outlets, and expand interaction with existing retail sales networks,” the company reported in February 2024.
In recent years, the trading market has changed a lot, moving away from the “buy for a ruble, sell for one and a half ruble” model, notes Ilya Kolomeets, director of business development and consulting practice at Metals & Mining Intelligence. Now the metal trading company provides services, develops long-term relationships with clients and warehouse infrastructure. Moreover, metal traders began to sell increasingly larger quantities of metal to a wide range of clients. Metal producers have realized that it is difficult to maintain market share without developing their own trading houses and distribution channels, says Ilya Kolomeets. “If you only ship metal to a trader, you cannot know your end consumer. This, in turn, deprives the manufacturer of the opportunity to offer new products, services, manage prices and long-term contracts. Therefore, at the moment there are no metallurgical companies left that do not have their own trading house,” he notes.
According to him, the organic development of its trading house is a long story, associated with working in conditions of low margins, so Severstal decided, through a deal with A Group, to immediately strengthen its distribution, increasing access to end consumers. “I believe that the metal trading market may soon consolidate due to acquisitions by metallurgists,” concludes Ilya Kolomeets.


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Eating right and getting the right amounts of required nutrients is a must despite the quarantine. Instead of relying solely on canned and processed goods, one should also consume fresh fruits and vegetables.
Not only will these benefit our health in the time of COVID-19 pandemic, but you can also help farmers sell their surplus and recent harvests, which since the travel restrictions and temporary work stoppage, has suffered from slow sales.
Bonena Multipurpose Cooperative (BMC), a group of 78 farmers from Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija, has set up space in a cold storage in FTI Complex, Taguig, where you could buy vegetables and other fresh produce from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Based on social media posts by Slow Food Youth Network and Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement founder and chef Jam Melchor, the sale currently offers vegetables like squash, banana heart, pechay, ampalaya, banana, okra and kamote, along with eggs and dried fish among others.
Most people expressed their support in the cause but those who came from far places were hesitant to go since there are many checkpoints. But according to Melchor, interested buyers can get in touch with BMC’s Mary Ann Dela Rosa through 0917-8350338 to arrange for deliveries and pick-ups.
Photos courtesy of Jam Melchor on Facebook
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6 Jul 2022
A finished skeleton of a Gorgosaurus dinosaur that roamed the earth 77 million years ago will hit the auction block at Sotheby’s New York later this month.
18 Feb 2022
Sotheby's presents in New York a blue diamond valued at 48 million dollars
18 Nov 2021
A painting by Mark Rothko sold for $82.5 million (€72.6 million) making it the most expensive item of the evening. The collection was previously owned by real estate mogul Harry Macklowe and his former wife Linda.
5 Jul 2020
Pre-sale images of Sotheby's auction collection including a triptych by Francis Bacon that fetched $84.6 million at auction, held remotely because of the coronavirus.


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Autocar magazine has named MINI Car Manufacturer of the Year 2005 at its annual award ceremony held in London on Monday 14th November 2005.
Presenting the award, Autocar editor Rob Aherne said: ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œMINI has been a towering success every week of every year of its short life. The cars, which began production in 2001, have brilliantly echoed the appeal of the Issigonis original, while offering buyers a thoroughly modern design.ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â
The MINI factory at Oxford has achieved a reputation for production efficiency by managing to build its 500,000th vehicle nearly two years ahead of schedule. The Oxford plant employs 4,500 staff.
Dr Anton Heiss, Managing Director of BMW Group Plant Oxford, said: “Winning the Autocar award for Manufacturer of the year is an enormous compliment to MINI and the associates working at BMW Group Plant Oxford.”
“We’re delighted to receive such recognition for consistent excellence in the manufacturing of one of Britain’s most iconic brands. The real winners of this are Plant Oxford’s associates and it’s thanks to their hard work, flexibility and commitment to quality that we’re here today.”
Autocar editor Rob Aherne said: ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œSales in the UK now exceed 170,000 units, and MINI makes an important contribution to the British economy by exporting to 70 markets worldwide. These British-built products have also made a huge impact in the notoriously difficult United States market.ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â
The MINI success looks to continue with the impressive unveiling of the MINI Traveller concept at this yearÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s Frankfurt Motorshow.
ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œThe MINIÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s achievement is exceptionally well-founded and long-lasting and this is why it stands head and shoulders above other car makers in the industry. It is a thoroughly well deserved winner,ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â said Aherne.
MINI UK Press


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Mariah Carey is entering the alcohol beverage business. The iconic singer-songwriter has announced her new liqueur brand called Black Irish, which is in stores now. The name was inspired by Careyâ€™s heritage. Her mother is Irish American and her father was half Black and half Venezuelan.
Carey shared the announcement on Twitter on Monday afternoon. â€œIntroducing Black Irish ðŸ¦‹ Two years in the making. Truly a cause for celebration!!! ðŸ¸ðŸ¸ @goblackirish,â€ she tweeted.
Black Irish arrives in three flavors: original, white chocolate and salted caramel. The Original is described as the perfect blend of â€œdecadent Irish cream with aged Irish whiskey for a rich luxurious liqueur with aromas and flavors of freshly roasted coffee, milk chocolate, and warm spices.â€
Black Irish White Chocolate has â€œa slightly more refined and subtle chocolate flavor,â€ while Salted Caramel is â€œrich and creamy with sweet buttery notes of caramel and a touch of salt.â€
This isnâ€™t Careyâ€™s first time launching a beverage brand. In 2014, she partnered with Kevin Lilesâ€™ Go Nâ€™Syde to create a â€œButterflyâ€ flavor in support of her album, Me. I Am Mariahâ€¦The Elusive Chanteuse.
Get more info about Black Irish at its official website.
â€” Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) August 16, 2021


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UK passports ‘to be made in France after Brexit’
The new UK passport to be issued after Brexit will be made in France, according to the current British manufacturer. The current burgundy passport, in use since 1988, will revert to its original blue and gold colour from October 2019. The boss of UK supplier De La Rue told the BBC that Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto had won the £490m contract. Culture Secretary Matthew Hancock said a final decision had not been made.
New Look to axe 1,000 jobs and 60 stores
New Look will close 60 UK stores and cut 1,000 jobs after creditors approved a restructuring plan for the retailer. The stores will close within 12 months and some staff may be redeployed. The turnaround plan will cut the fashion chain’s rents by between 15% to 55% across its remaining 393 stores.
Tesla boss Elon Musk’s $2.6bn pay day
Tesla shareholders have approved a huge pay deal for its chief executive, Elon Musk, worth an estimated $2.6bn (£1.85bn). It is believed to be the biggest share-based pay deal in US corporate history. Mr Musk will only get the shares if Tesla hits certain targets related to metrics such as sales and share price. The vote was seen as a key test of support for Mr Musk’s leadership of the loss-making car maker, which is struggling to increase production.
Theresa May to warn EU leaders of Russian threat to democracy
Theresa May will tell a summit of EU leaders in Brussels that they must remain united against a threat from Russia to all European democracies. The prime minister will say the nerve agent attack in Salisbury shows Moscow has no respect for international law. A senior Whitehall official said Russia had “shown itself to be a strategic enemy not a strategic partner”. European leaders are also due to decide whether or not to agree the terms for a 21-month Brexit transition period.
Rise in centenarian drivers as RAC and AA say no need to give up your car too early
There has been a rise in centenarian drivers, figures show, as the RAC and AA say drivers need not give up their cars too early. The number of over-70s holding a driving licence has exceeded five million for the first time, new figures show. Analysis of DVLA data reveals 265 Britons over the age of 100 hold a licence, up from 162 in November 2012, with four people aged 104 the oldest licensed drivers. There has been a 15 per cent spike in centenarians with licences since October 2015. Once people reach 70 they must declare whether or not they are fit to drive every three years, without having to take a driving or medical examination. Concerns have been raised that some elderly people are continuing to drive when they are not fit to do so.
Factory orders fall to their weakest level since October
Factory activity lost further momentum this month in a sign that Britain’s manufacturing boom over the past year may be running out of steam. The monthly industrial trends survey from the CBI employers’ group showed the order book balance fell from +10 in February to +4 in March, the lowest since October and below every forecast in a Reuters poll, which had pointed to a modest drop to +9. A slowdown would come as a blow to the economy, buoyed by manufacturing since the Brexit vote as the cheap pound made exports more competitive. Surging global trade has driven demand for UK products and helped deliver nine months of growth for the first time since records began in 1968.
Britain set for lowest deficit in a decade
Britain is on track to record the lowest deficit for a financial year in a decade, according to official figures that suggest the chancellor will beat his borrowing targets. The budget deficit fell by £2.5 billion to £41.4 billion in the 11 months to February, compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year. It is the lowest figure for the month of February since 2008. Each month the Office for National Statistics publishes a figure that shows the gap between what the government spends and receives in taxes. The figure is closely watched by economists as it shows how much the government is borrowing to finance its spending plans and whether it is exceeding its target for the year.
Shell to fuel profits growth with 10,000 petrol stations
Royal Dutch Shell plans to open more than 10,000 new petrol stations by 2025 under ambitious plans to expand in fast-growing markets such as China, India and Mexico. Shell is already the world’s biggest fuel retail brand, with more than 44,000 forecourts serving more than 30 million customers daily. The Anglo-Dutch energy group operates in more than 70 countries worldwide, from drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico to selling gas and electricity to households in Britain.
THESE car insurance mistakes can cost you up to £677 – Are you making these errors?
THERE are a number of car insurance mistakes drivers are making that could potentially be costing £677, are you making these mistakes? Car insurance premium costs soared across 2017, and hit record high levels towards the end of the year. Experts predict that car insurance could continue to use in Britain throughout 2018, costing drivers even more. According to MoneySuperMarket, average premium prices high £574 in the UK in December 2017. The comparison website also uncovered new data that means that some drivers are almost paying £700 more than they should be for their insurance, due to simple mistakes.


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Investors uncertain about gaming industry’s future
Though new technologies could lead non-traditional consumers of video games to embrace new digital platforms, such as mobile and online gaming, investors are uncertain of where they fit in, Reuters reported.
The shift to digital has the potential to increase profit margins, as three-dimensional animation becomes more popular and more consumers embrace platforms that allow them to play games with a wave of their hands.
Yet investors are skeptical about the $60 billion a year global gaming industry’s ability to emerge from gaming trends in a market that is largely dominated by pastimes such as Activision Blizzard Inc.’s “Call of Duty.”
According NPD Group Inc., which tacks the industry, U.S. retail sales of traditional video game hardware and software are down 8 percent this year, but that doesn’t include digital and mobile sales in America, the industry’s largest market.
In the next year, according to John Riccitiello, CEO of Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts Inc., digital platforms are expected to account to for 50 percent of sales.
“You are either on the right side of a technology transformation or the wrong side,” Riccitello said, adding that those who fail to recognize the shift may be left behind.


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Most vital digital currencies suffered large drops over the last 24 hours, but one token indeed seemed to have posted gains.
It’s called tether, and the digital item aims to couple the cryptocurrency sourroundings to the fiat universe by restraining each token to government-backed currency. One fasten token is meant to equal $1, but price-checking website CoinMarketCap shows the cost varying by a few cents over time.
In fact, even though the cryptocurrency isn’t designed to go up opposite the dollar, it’s indeed the only one of the tip 50 digital currencies listed by marketplace value on CoinMarketCap to see gains over the last day.
The digital banking traded at $1.04 at 10:05 a.m. HK/SIN, according to CoinMarketCap data, and was up 3.23 percent from a day ago. It had a market cap of $1.69 billion.
On the other hand, the site showed that vital cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum and sputter were down 15, 16 and 24 percent over the same period, respectively.
Last year, fasten was reportedly hacked and scarcely $31 million value of the tokens were stolen.
On the website, fasten claims that the tokens are entirely corroborated by fiat banking resources that the association binds in the haven account. That, the organisation says, prevents the sensitivity customarily seen in cryptocurrencies.
In fact, tether’s built-in miss of sensitivity opposite the dollar is expected the reason for the small cost boost during the extended cryptocurrency sell-off. Still, as a means of remuneration built on blockchain technology, it fits the clarification of a cryptocurrency.
But fasten has seen a satisfactory volume of open criticism, which has included claims that the tokens are not meaningfully corroborated by U.S. dollars and has also overwhelmed on the apparent tie to the British Virgin Islands — which was demonstrated in leaked papers famous as the Paradise Papers.


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Pritzker announces new penalties for businesses that don’t enforce antivirus rules
Businesses will face warnings and possibly fines if they fail to enforce rules requiring face coverings and limiting crowd sizes under new emergency rules announced Friday by Gov JB Pritzker.
The new rules, which will face a bipartisan legislative panel next week, apply only to businesses and would not apply to individuals.
At a Chicago news conference, Pritzker said the new rules are significantly less harmful to businesses than laws currently on the books that provide for misdemeanor charges to be filed and for a business to possibly lose a license or other permits to operate.
Pritzker said a majority of businesses in the state have followed current guidelines to require the wearing of face coverings indoors and to limit crowds to no more than 50 people, or 50% of capacity, in the effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“These rules will ensure that the minority who refuse to act responsibly won’t take the state backward,” he said.
Under the three-step process, a business that isn’t enforcing the guidelines will first be issued a written warning and urged to comply with the rules. Those that remain noncompliant will be ordered to make some or all of their customers leave the premises. After that, continued noncompliance could result in a fine of $75 to $2,500 and a Class A misdemeanor charge.
There is not now a uniform system for taking action against businesses that won’t comply with requirements to wear masks and limit crowd sizes. Some communities, inclucing Sangamon County and the city of Springfield, have enacted their own policies for warnings to and fines of non-compliant businesses.
“We want to make sure there is a minimum enforcement mechanism for every city and county in the state,” Pritzker said. “This is one way for us to warn businesses that have been scofflaws.”
Pritzker previously tried to issue emergency rules that allowed for fines and misdemeanor charges to be filed against businesses and individuals who refused to comply with guidelines to control the spread of the coronavirus. He withdrew those rules when it became apparent a legislative oversight panel would not approve them. Pritzker said the General Assembly was then going to enact legislation to do the same thing, but failed to do so during the abbreviated spring legislative session.
Also Friday, Pritzker signed into law a bill passed by the General Assembly in May to provide greater protections to workers at retail establishments assigned to enforce face coverings and other coronavirus rules.


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- Articles tagged "z830"
Toshiba recently had a launch event that featured what Toshiba claims is the thinnest and lightest Ultrabook in the market right now. They also took the opportunity to introduce two new tablets, and a new all-in-one PC.
- M1's SIM-only postpaid plans aim to deliver value, flexibility and generous data
- Microsoft reveals Windows 10 local pricing
- Trend Micro for Windows 10 is a step ahead in more ways than one
- Ouya developers picking up the pieces after Razer's acquisition
- Qualcomm's WiPower wireless charging technology can now charge metal phones
- Razer gobbles up Ouya
- Plextor's M6V is the latest entry-level SSD to hit the stands
- Ultra tough RugGear Apex RG702 coming to Singapore


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Restaurants, more than almost any other type of business, have had to rapidly pivot their operations in the era of Covid-19. Gino Scala, owner and operator of four Great Full Gardens restaurants in the Reno, Nevada, area, got much needed help from Ooma in developing new ways to connect with customers.
Great Full Gardens is “a wholesome casual eatery supporting people’s choices to eat healthy,” in Scala’s words, with a team of 165 employees and an emphasis on locally sourced food.
A team member at Great Full Gardens
When the pandemic forced all Great Full Gardens locations to change their operations in March, Scala reached out to Ooma account representative La Tricia Glover for help in accommodating a new business reality where customers call much more frequently to get updates on hours of operation, inquire about indoor and outdoor dining options, place delivery orders and announce their arrival for curbside pickup.
Before coronavirus, Scala said he set up business phone services “without much consideration to how they affect the experience our customers have. Every once in a while, a customer would say I tried to call but the line was busy, or I got a voice mail and decided not to leave a message. Because business was good, I paid little attention. Then Covid hit and I found myself needing a phone that had more functions more than ever. I quickly reached out to La Tricia. She identified our challenges and came up with solutions.”
Glover arranged for the installation of Ooma Office, replacing phone service from a local cable provider that was expensive, inflexible and offered little customer support.
“Now, at each of our locations, we have a virtual receptionist, a special line for curb side pick-up, an on-hold marketing message, and more,” Scala says. “Our teams are freer to handle the business at hand, which has brought us more bottom-line dollars. I really think Ooma helped with saving the company.”
Great Full Gardens is almost fully back in business, with outdoor dining, indoor dining at 50 percent capacity, delivery orders and curbside pickup. And now the phones are always answered!


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Children’s Place Is Shutting Hundreds of Stores by 2020
Childrens Place Inc, an American specialty retailer of children’s clothes and accessories, is shuttering nearly 300 stores across the country, and will be laying off hundreds of workers in the process.
CEO Jane Elfers confirmed in an interview with TheStreet that the company will be closing 300 of its brick-and-mortar locations by 2020. Elfers said that Chief Operating Officer Michael Scarpa has put a store closure initiative in place to tackle costs. The company’s move to close stores follows a major decline in store traffic.
Elfers took charge of the company in 2010, and has been making efforts to keep the company afloat in a fast-changing retail environment. Elfers said that when she joined the company, it was locked in to five- to seven-year leases. However, with the lease terms now approaching an end, the company is in a flexible position to shut down more stores. (Source: Ibid.)
The company has already closed 142 stores across North America since 2013.
Elfers attributes the decline in store traffic to the fact that bigger mall anchors are closing their own stores in major malls. Department store companies like Sears Holdings Corp, Macy’s Inc, and J C Penney Company Inc are closing hundreds of their brick-and-mortar locations this year, as online retailers like Amazon.com, Inc. become dominant over the retail industry.
Large chains like these have long served as anchors at major malls, driving foot traffic to stores in the rest of the mall. Consequently, once a mall anchor leaves, customer traffic to all stores within that mall drops.
As of January 2017, the company operated a total of 1,039 “The Children’s Place” stores across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Childrens Place Inc operates as many as 644 of its stores within major malls.
Elfers said that the management team is focusing on a new business strategy. The company is starting to transfer its products to other retailers for sales, as well as tapping its digital channels. The company operates an online store and has been spending capital on improving the digital shopping experience. (Source: TheStreet, June 9, 2017, op cit.)
“The Children’s Place Is Closing 300 Stores by 2020,” TheStreet, June 9, 2017.
“Is Children’s Place the Place to Be?” TheStreet, March 10, 2017.
“Childrens Place Inc (PLCE.O),” Reuters, last accessed June 9, 2017.


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A.P.C. is expanding its downtown New York territory with the announcement of its new store in the West Village. With plans to open in December 2011, the new Perry Street location will definitely be the new hipster hangout. Be on the lookout for more details in a few.
Stay connected with complex Style


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Roy Doty has been illustrating books and magazines since the 1940s. I first came across his work around 1970 when I acquired an old stack of Popular Science magazines from the 1950s. He did (and still does) a regular comic strip called "Wordless Workshop," which showed you how to make something cool without using any words to describe how. That's difficult to pull off, but Doty's clear and precise drawing style was (and is) up to the task.
When we started MAKE in 2004, I was overjoyed to learn that Doty was still illustrating. I wrote him and asked if he'd like to illustrate our puzzle page. When he said yes, it was a dream come true.
To celebrate Leap Year, Doty sent out this delightful card of a Rube Goldberg-style machine designed to get you out of bed. Doty sends out a card for nearly every season and holiday. I think it's because he finds a lot of joy in life.
The chaos surrounding Donald Trump and Paul Ryan’s monster of a health care bill grows: a long-planned vote in Congress was called off today, representing a devastating blow to the narcissist-in-chief’s bravado. Late news on Thursday night, “The President told Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus to go to the capital and tell Ryan to call […]
Trump, his deal-making skills having failed him, simply ordered his party Thursday night to pass his unappetizing Obamacare replacement plan, or else. And the “else” is Obamacare, forever and ever and ever.
Toronto high-school students have been visiting the USA since their inception; I remember my own high-school trips to Buffalo’s Albright Knox gallery warmly. But they are a relic of the past, because the Toronto District School Board will not risk harassment and worse of its students at the US border, where people born to Arab […]
The Lightning port has thus far resisted the cruel fate that befell the headphone jack, and despite rumors that it may be disappearing come iPhone 8, for the present and foreseeable future, Lightning cables are a hot commodity for iPhone users. As such, we must make do in this strange time in which long, glorified […]
All the filters in the world won’t save your smartphone pics from a shaky hand. To really step up your mobile photography game, you’ll need some kind of mount to hold it steady. You could buy a smartphone attachment for a conventional camera tripod, but who wants to carry that kind of gear everywhere they […]
The forced transition from analog to digital TV signals was probably met with relative indifference from people with Netflix subscriptions and the “I don’t even own a TV” snoots. But anyone living in the vast swaths of the country that don’t have guaranteed high-speed internet, broadcast TV is a perfectly valid (and 100% free) way […]


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Maruti Suzuki Q3 net profit rises 36% to Rs 681.15 crore
Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India, India's largest carmaker, has said its net profit rose by 35.87 percent to Rs 501.29 crore for the third quarter ended December 31.
For the same quarter last year, net profit stood at Rs 501.29 crore. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 670.23 crore in the second quarter.
However, net sales during the quarter under review dipped by 3.07 percent at Rs 10,956.95 crore.
With agency inputs


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Are you going to San Diego Comic-Con 2017?
For almost all of you, you probably can’t definitely answer that question – yet.
But that’s all about to change, as Comic-Con International has revealed that Returning Registration for San Diego Comic-Con 2017 — the online badge sale in which general attendees who attended in 2016 get a first shot at scoring a golden ticket, formerly known as Preregistration — will take place on Saturday, March 11 at 9AM PT.
In order to be eligible for Returning Registration, as previously mentioned, you must have attended San Diego Comic-Con 2016 as a general attendee (press, professionals, volunteers, and other special groups will have their registration at a later date).
While for the past few years, attendees have had to “validate” their badge in order to prove they attended, last year CCI implemented an RFID badge system, which means we can all bypass that particular step in this process.
On the day of the sale, beginning at 8AM, you’ll be able to log into the EXPO Logic Registration Waiting Room, where you’ll need your Registration Code and the EXPO Logic Waiting Room link (both of which you can find in the “Registration Info” tab once you’ve logged into your Member ID beginning March 10, and it will also be e-mailed to you), your Member ID, last name, and credit card information. Beginning shortly after 9AM, the waiting room will randomly sort you into an order to purchase budges – in a system basically identical to last year’s system.
During the sale, attendees will be able to purchase up to three badges – including one for themselves (though you’ll need the last name and Member ID of anyone you’re purchasing for, and each person must also be eligible for Returning Registration on their own). Start buddying up now.
Just like with last year, CCI will be utilizing both RFID technology in badges, as well as physically mailing them to U.S. residents. Attendees will still need stop by at some point during the convention to pick up your bag, Sourvenir Book, Events Guide, and lanyard – and international attendees and child registration (for those under 12) will also still have to pick up their badges onsite. New this year, Comic-Con will be shipping badges out to domestic attendees individually, rather than to the buyer only — so make sure you’ve updated your address in your Member ID.
As always, this sale does not guarantee that those who are eligible to participate walk away with a badge. For years now, the demand by those wanting to attend the pop culture behemoth has far outweighed the actual number of badges available. CCI is always hesitant to relay actual numbers, but we roughly estimate that there are around 55,000 badges up for grabs in Returning Registration — which would put your odds of scoring one somewhere around 50%.
Compare that to the roughly 6% chance of getting a badge in Open Registration — the online badge sale that will launch later this spring and is open to anyone and everyone provided they have signed up for a Member ID — and you begin to understand why this sale can sometimes feel like a life-or-death situation. In the world of Comic-Con badge sales, any advantage helps.
Prices to attend this year are up slightly, five years across the board just like last year. That means a four day badge will run you $265, compared to last year’s $245.
Here’s a look at 2017 prices:
As always, you can also join us on our Live SDConCast during the sale, as we discuss any common error messages, thoughts about the new policies this year, why girl scout cookies and wine are the best after-badge-sale self-medication, and much more.
Open Registration – the badge sale open to everyone – will take place at a later date. Sign up for a Member ID and make sure you’re opted in to receive e-mails if you haven’t already.
Welcome, folks, to San Diego Comic-Con 2017.


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Entrust Datacard completes acquistion of hardware security firm nCipher from Thales
Entrust Datacard said it completed its acquisition of nCipher Security from Thales, a deal that gives it one of the leading general purpose hardware security modules.
Thales was required to sell nCipher Security as part of its previously announced deal to acquire Gemalto and nCipher has been operating as a stand-alone business within Thales since January. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"We are extremely pleased to complete this acquisition and bring nCipher's exceptional talent and technology into the Entrust Datacard portfolio," Todd Wilkinson, president and CEO of Entrust Datacard, said in a company release. "The need for secure network access and data integrity continues to multiply - from mobile devices and cloud services to connected IoT devices and digital payments."
Cindy Provin, CEO of nCipher Security, said her company is excited to join the Entrust Datacard team.
"This acquisition quickly expands the global footprint for nCipher solutions and accelerates our strategy for 'as-a-service' offerings," she said. "HSM's provide a foundation of trust for business applications such as PKI, blockchain, mobile payments and code signing."
Entrust said that the hardware security module business has been growing rapidly due to increased customer demand for stronger data and application security, increased encryption as well as privacy regulations like the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the electronic identification, authentication and trust services regulation.
The companies said that more than 300 nCipher employees are now part of the Entrust Datacard team and that nCipher would continue to operate out of Sunrise, Florida. The company also has a cybersecurity development center in Cambridge, U.K. and a sales support center in Hong Kong.


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Time to Step Back into Tapestry Stock Ahead of the Holidays
Luxury consumer apparel and accessories producer Tapestry (NYSE: TPR) shares has been declining despite a solid fiscal Q4 2021 earnings report that saw 60% YoY growth in Mainland China and...
Luxury consumer apparel and accessories producer Tapestry (NYSE: TPR) shares have been declining despite a solid fiscal Q4 2021 earnings report that saw 60% YoY growth in Mainland China and triple-digit full-year global digital gains. The high-end retail manufacturer of brands includes Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman has transformed its e-commerce and omnichannel funnels out of necessity during the pandemic while bolstering its appeal to the younger Millennials and Gen-Z demographic. The Company has come out of the pandemic as a more optimized organization as evidenced by its turnaround. The reopening trend should continue accelerate with COVID vaccinations. Supply chain issues have plagued other retailers for the upcoming holiday season and could be the underlying reason for the sell-off despite raising fiscal full-year 2022 top and bottom-line revenues. With gross margins hitting 74%, the Company is running on all cylinders. Inflation fears don’t seem to have much of an effect on luxury items. Prudent investors seeking to gain exposure in the higher end luxury fashion segment can watch for opportunistic pullbacks in shares of Tapestry for the holiday shopping season.
Q4 FY Fiscal 2021 Earnings Release
On Aug. 19, 2021, Tapestry released its fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results for the quarter ending June 2021. The Company reported earnings-per-share (EPS) of $0.74 excluding non-recurring items versus consensus analyst estimates for a profit of $0.69, a $0.05 per share beat. Revenues rose 126% year-over-year (YoY) to $1.62 billion, beating consensus analyst estimates for $1.56 billion. The Company declared a $0.25 per share dividend and intends to raise its dividend rate faster. The Company plans to pay off its July 2022 bonds totaling $400 million. The Company achieved triple-digit fiscal 2021 global digital gains to $1.6 billion in e-commerce sales. Tapestry CEO Joanne Crevoiserat commented, “We delivered standout results in Fiscal 2021 – a transformational year for Tapestry. Through our Acceleration Program, we sharpened our focus on the consumer, leaned into digital and data, and became a more agile organization. We reached customers in new ways and adapted to a rapidly changing environment, fueled by the power of our brands and passionate teams. Importantly, the traction of our strategy is clearly evidenced by our financial performance. We achieved a record annual operating margin as Tapestry, outperforming our expectations across Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, while investing for our future. The year was capped by a successful fourth quarter, highlighted by revenue exceeding pre-pandemic levels led by Digital and China – two areas of significant opportunity.” She continued, “Building on this momentum and the increasing demand for our categories, we are focused on driving our next phase of growth. We are in a position of strength, supported by our clear strategy, compelling brands and differentiated platform. We believe these competitive advantages will enable us to win with consumers and capture market share. Our conviction is underscored by the plans announced today to return over $750 million to shareholders in Fiscal 2022 alone. Overall, we remain confident in our ability to accelerate growth and profitability across our portfolio long-term, enhancing value for all stakeholders.”
Raised Fiscal 2022 Guidance
Tapestry raised EPS guidance for fiscal year 2022 to come in between $3.30 to $3.35 versus $3.18 consensus analyst estimates. The Company sees full-year fiscal 2022 revenues to come in around $6.4 billion compared to the $6.04 billion consensus analyst estimates.
Conference Call Takeaways
CEO Crevoiserat set the tone, “We've sharpened our focus on the consumer and clarified the unique positioning of each of our brands. This drove improvements in key customer metrics, including recruitment, retention, and reactivation. We enhanced our digital capabilities highlighted by our global e-commerce channel, a margin business for Tapestry, reaching approximately $1.6 billion in revenue. Nearly doubling versus prior-year, and over $1 billion ahead of pre-pandemic level. This was fueled by the acquisition of nearly 4 million new customers in North America alone including a growing number of millennial and Gen Z consumers and we sustained double-digit e-commerce sales growth in the fourth quarter even as we lapped more difficult comparisons online. At the same time, we drove continued sequential sales improvement for our global store fleet with operating margins that were once again above pre-pandemic levels.”
CEO Crevoiserat commented on its exploding growth in China, “We further strengthened our positioning in China, which still has tremendous runway supported by the growth of the rising middle-class. In fact, Tapestry's business in Greater China reached $1.1 billion in sales this fiscal year, led by over 60% growth on the Mainland. And at the same time, we grew our business with Chinese consumers globally, increasing at a high single-digit rate as compared to pre-pandemic levels. We successfully leveraged data and analytics, embedding capabilities across the Company to enhance our understanding of the customer, increased responsiveness, and drive faster, more effective decision-making.”
TPR Opportunistic Pullback Price Levels
Using the rifle charts on the weekly and daily time frames provides a precision view of the landscape for TPR stock. The weekly rifle chart has an inverse pup breakdown with a falling 5-period moving average (MA) near the $39.91 Fibonacci (fib) level. The weekly lower Bollinger Bands (BBs) sit at $36.88 as the stochastic daily mini inverse pup gains momentum. The daily rifle chart also has a bearish inverse pup breakdown with lower BBs at $36.87 as the daily stochastic has a mini inverse pup with falling 5-period MA resistance at $38.69. Each bounce attempt has been sold thus making the weekly market structure low (MSL) buy trigger at a lofty $43.63 breakout. Prudent investors can watch for opportunistic pullback levels at the $37.29 fib, $36.44 fib, $35.46 fib, $33.62 fib, $32.46, and the $30.79 fib level. Upside trajectories range from the $47.02 fib up towards the $63.05 fib.


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By Oliver Smith on Thursday 25 July 2019
CEO Anne Boden revealed the bank has also hit 60,000 SME customers.
Digital bank Starling has become the first mobile-only player to offer business bank accounts for companies with multiple directors.
UPDATE 26-07-2019 - Tide does offer multi-director accounts, but only with read-access for additional directors.
“Opening up our business account to SMEs with more than one person of significant control will give hundreds of thousands more companies access to our features, meaning they can manage their finances conveniently on their smartphone without having to worry about where their nearest bank branch is and when it will be open,” said Anne Boden, Founder and CEO of Starling Bank.
“We have a fantastic entrepreneurial spirit in the UK and Starling wants to give SME business owners the best possible banking services to make their life easier and allow them to focus on what counts,” she added.


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Don Poole, a former Naughty Dog employee who worked as an environment modeler for the firm, has suggested Uncharted may have been a fantasy game if not for Sony feeling pressure form the success of shooters on Xbox 360.
Speaking in an interview in the latest issue of Play, Poole said Sony said to instead cut the fantasy aspect out and make Uncharted more realistic.
“We were talking about a more ‘realistic’ game in terms of how it was modelled and rendered but the concepts were much more far out,” he said. “One was a forest world where the antagonists lived underground. It had elements of Tolkien in for sure.
“Sony kept pushing for a more realistic game in all respects. The market had changed a lot by then. The demographic was older and gritty shooters were really dominating. Sony wanted very much to get into that market share, it pushed all of its developers in this direction.”
Poole said this more realistic style was ordered from Sony not just to Naughty Dog, but to all studios under the corporate umbrella.
“So the big push from Sony, not just at Naughty Dog but at all of Sony’s development companies at the time, was to craft games for PlayStation 3 that were much more realistic,” he said. “The pressure from Xbox’s success with gritty shooters was a very real force on our direction at that time.”
“We had a lot of internal grumbling about the realist bent. More of the old dogs were from the Crash and Jak era and preferred that more whimsical style. But alas, that was a losing battle.”


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The P3 Blog
Popular Payable Posts
MineralTree for the Win!
Last week, some of the most innovative companies in the Boston area gathered at an awards ceremony hosted by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX). The organization has a history of recognizing the most innovative technologies being developed in the region – and considering the area is known for developing breakthrough technology, there have been some pretty notable winners over the 19 years of this awards program.
MITX put on a great awards ceremony – we had a great time meeting other innovators and enjoyed the celebration. We’re truly honored that MineralTree has joined a prestigious list of MITX Award winners for taking home the award for Best B2B Technology in this year’s program!
We were up against some very strong competition from the likes of LogMeIn and NPR Digital Services, which were also finalists in the Best B2B Tech Category. The respect and admiration we have for these companies makes it even more special that the judges recognized the value in what MineralTree is doing and validates that our product is on the right path to making a big difference.
MITX describes the Best B2B Technology category as recognizing innovative technologies that have made it easier for companies to do business with their customers, thereby not only making their work lives easier and more effective, but ultimately their customers happier.
MineralTree is attacking a $100 billion national problem – the costly and inefficient everyday task of accounts payable and business-to-business payments. Every company has to pay bills, but the accounts payable processes they use and the ways they make payments (mostly via check) just haven’t kept pace with technologies that are powering businesses today. We know that we can make a difference for companies, their employees, and their customers, and it’s gratifying to know that the MITX judges think we can too.
Congratulations to all the other MITX award winners and the finalists in the Best B2B Technology Category!
← Back to The P3 Blog


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- The Hollywood Casino at Greektown is adding cashless payment via bluetooth as one of its new offerings.
- It is the fist casino in Michigan to offer a cashless gambling option.
- Aside from the new tech, the casino also underwent improvements on its rooms, parking area, plus food and beverage options.
The former Greektown Casino in Detroit has undergone several changes. Most recently, the casino property changed its name to Hollywood Casino at Greektown. It has also undergone changes in decor, rooms, bars, restaurants, and even technology.
Now it’s adding “cashless payment” as one of its latest new offerings.
Said Hollywood Casino at Greektown general manager John Drake of his new tech:
“This is industry-leading technology. We’re the only casino in Detroit to offer it. It’s great to be able to have.”
“The casino industry, as much as it tries to be innovative, it’s not always the most innovative so we’re excited to say that we’ve been able to get here.. and offer something the customer should expect.”
New Way to Gamble
Hollywood Casino at Greektown has gone through a number of new changes this year: New renovations, new health guidelines, and even a new name. https://t.co/pu3NLSbqUn
— FOX 2 Detroit (@FOX2News) May 19, 2022
The cashless option called “mywallet is available using its mobile “My Choice App” loyalty program. It uses Bluetooth technology to connect customers’ mobile phones to slot machines and table games. Using Bluetooth, guests can add funds, collect winnings, and earn points without the need to use cash or cards. However, players will still be given the option to use the traditional means of cash or cards when gambling inside the casino.
Such cashless feature has been growing in casinos across the country and was born out of necessity due to the pandemic. In June 2020, research by the American Gaming Association revealed that 57% of casino visitors preferred contactless payments on the casino floors due to the threat of COVID-19. That research accelerated cashless gaming.
This cashless technology has been active in Nevada since 2010 when sports betting launched there. Since the pandemic, jurisdictions like California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, and Florida followed.
New Name and Lots of Upgrades
New name and lots of upgrades. Greektown Casino-Hotel becomes Hollywood Casino at Greektown. https://t.co/WH69QsEJdC
— Local 4 WDIV Detroit (@Local4News) April 25, 2022
The cashless payment option is just one of the many upgrades at the Hollywood Casino in Greektown. The casino also invested $1 million in improvements to the casino’s self-park and VIP parking garages. The VIP section is a 700+ car space with no public access. It was remodeled to cater to the casino’s high-tier clients.
Urban Cocktail, Rock Bar Lounges, and a new upscale Dunkin’ concept are in the hotel lobby. Meanwhile, a new Detroit Taco Company outlet will be included in the Monroe Market food hall. Likewise, the Prism steakhouse has a brand new menu.
The hotel rooms were also redesigned and work is expected to be completed in the coming months. The carpets, hallways, elevator vestibules, and other areas in the lobby have also been updated. The casino has also introduced a new “best-in-class” HVAC system.


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New Vespa LX125 just for ladies
Italy based leading two-wheeler producer, Piaggio is moving again into Indian auto market by the launch its new Piaggio Vespa LX 125 scooter by 2012.
The company will re-enter the Indian market for the thir
d time but this time looking forward to give surprising iconic value for Indian buyers. Ravi Chopra, Piaggio India Chairman and Managing Director said,“A Vespa is a Vespa, not a scooter.” The new gearless scooter will also be launched specially for ladies, who are scared to drive when they wear a Saree's. The company has recently received approval for Euro 45m loan from World Bank arm that it will use to build scooters.
The all new Piaggio Vespa will be powered by 125cc, single cylinder, 4 stroke, electronic injection engine. The powertrain of this scooter has got a good capabilities to produce maximum power output of 7.65 Kw / 8250 rpm while delivers peak torque of 9.6 Nm / 7250 rpm. According to some news sources the new scooter would be manufactured at Piaggio's Baramati Plant and is expected to be commerically available by 2012 in the Indian auto market.
The new Vespa LX125 can expect to deliver fuel efficiency of around 45kmpl in city and will also have a fuel tank capacity of this bike of 8.5L. The company's chairman Roberto Colaninno said the new Piaggio Vespa LX 125 scooter will cost about US$800 (Rs 32,000) to produce in the country. Piaggio hopes that the new gearless scooter will compete with another gearless scooters like Honda Activa, TVS Scooty Pep, Hero Honda Pleasure etc.


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Lowe’s Companies Inc., the U.S. owner of Rona and Lowe’s home improvement stores, says it’s closing nearly three-dozen outlets across Canada because of underperformance.
The 34 stores to be shut, most by the end of January, include 26 Rona locations, six Lowe’s and two Réno-Dépôts, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Sherwood Park’s 340 Baseline Road Rona is included in the closures and it will shut its doors on Jan. 31, 2020.
“While making decisions that impact our associates and their families is never easy, closing underperforming stores is a necessary step in our plan to ensure the long-term stability and growth of our Canadian business,” Tony Cioffi, interim president of Lowe’s Canada, said in the statement. “We are taking decisive action to build a healthy business which will provide us with the flexibility to reinvest in our future growth.”
The closures come after an internal strategic review and almost a year to the day after Lowe’s closed 31 properties across the country in November 2018.


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According to some mysterious 'sources', Kylie Jenner is set to star in her OWN spin-off TV show all about her growing empire (aka world domination)!
"Kylie is so excited," an insider spilled. "It's going to be all about building her business and hiring people for her team."
Kylizzle has been ~killing~ it with the Kylie Shop, which sells all her merch and recently launched two successful pop-up shops, and, of course, Kylie Cosmetics, which just dropped a new range of blushes.
If she wants to give us a BTS look at how she makes it all happen, we're SO here for it!
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TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese auto parts supplier Denso Corp (6902.T) is buying an additional 4.5 percent stake in chipmaker Renesas Electronics (6723.T) in a deal worth $800 million based on market prices, as car makers accelerate the adoption of self-driving and other technologies.
Denso is an affiliate of and supplier to Japan’s biggest automaker Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T). It has been ramping up spending on research and development of new technologies including “connected cars”. In February, Denso announced an investment in California cybersecurity startup Dellfer.
It is acquiring the stake from Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ), a state-backed fund that owns 50.1 percent in the chipmaker, INCJ said in a statement. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the transaction is worth about 85 billion yen ($796.9 million) based on Renesas’ share price.
As a result of the deal, Denso’s stake in Renesas will rise to 5 percent, while INCJ’s will fall to 45.6.
Renesas shares rose almost 9 percent on Friday after the news, before giving back some of the gains to be up 5 percent. Denso shares were down 0.1 percent. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index .N225 was up 0.2 percent in afternoon trade.
Automakers and auto parts makers have been racing to develop new technologies as the sector shifts to electronic cars and automated driving, boosting the role of chips and software in cars.
In a statement, Denso said it is “essential to further enhance collaboration with semiconductor manufacturers that have profound experience and expertise” to develop vehicle control systems in automated driving and other new fields.
Last week, Toyota said it would establish a new venture with Denso and another group supplier Aisin Seiki Co (7259.T), which would invest more than $2.8 billion to develop automated-driving software.
Reporting by Taiga Uranaka and Minami Funakoshi; Editing by Stephen Coates and Muralikumar Anantharaman