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Friday, May 10, 2013
Honor moms, grandmas and other important women in your life this year on Mother's Day.
Whether your mom is glamorous, girly, or even a little geeky, celebrate her in all her glory this Mother's Day by giving her the perfect gift. So, what to buy? What to do? First, a little history. Many people are inclined to believe Mother’s Day is a Hallmark-inspired holiday—but while they may profit from it, they certainly didn’t invent it. After a few false starts—including one by famous abolitionist Julia Ward Howe—Anna Jarvis and the culmination of her tireless efforts to honor mothers brought on the inaugural Mother’s Day in 1914. Woodrow Wilson officially signed it into law, thereby ensuring its place on our calendars on every second Sunday in May. To get an idea of who is behind the spending, as well as identify the different …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
April's business news includes a continuing foreclosure fight, new bars and restaurants, flat home sales, a new HCMC clinic, business awards and a new bakery.
Editor’s Note: The following is a collection of business related articles that appeared on the following Patch sites in April 2013: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. Edina Municipal Liquor Stores Among Most Profitable in Minnesota The City of Edina's three municipal liquor stores brought in $1.445 million in net income during fiscal year 2011. How About a Brewpub in Hopkins? They currently aren’t allowed in the community, but inquiries have prompted the City Council to discuss whether to change that. Sammy's, Version 2.0, Ready for Dog Days of Summer Sammy's Speed Dog—a gourmet hot dog diner—…
Sunday, April 14, 2013
This week's compilation includes the death of a grocery chain's namesake, Chelsea Clinton presents top prize to student and a manufactured home fire.
Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. (UPDATED) Washburn HS under Code Yellow as Students Protest AD Firing Students taking part will be suspended, school administration said. The Star Tribune reported that Athletic Director Dan Pratt was or will be fired in connection with the purchase of a new playing-field scoreboard. UPDATED: SW Journal Reports Principal Carol Markham-Cousins Out at Washburn HS Robert McCauley is now substitute principal at Washburn, a Minneapolis school district spokesman told the …
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Richfield-based retailer has been 'giving you an excuse to cut out of Thanksgiving early, since 1983.'
Best Buy takes its place beside tater tots, Bob Dylan and butter sculptures in one of BuzzFeed's trademark lists, 38 Things Minnesotans Are Too Nice to Brag About. The Richfield-based company is No. 29 on the list, just ahead of "Lakes." The caption that defines Best Buy's spot on the list reads: "Giving you an excuse to cut out of Thanksgiving early, since 1983." See all 38 things here. *** Related: Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Media comments range from cautiously skeptical to downright hostile.
In the short time since Richfield-based Best Buy's Monday announcement about the return of founder Richard Schulze as 'Chairman Emeritus', online observers has been abuzz with analysis and speculation. Here is a sampling. The Star Tribune told the tale of an unlikely boardroom bromance budding: What began as a tense standoff between Best Buy and its founder gradually evolved into an unlikely alliance between two men with enormous sway over the future of Best Buy: [Hubert] Joly as CEO and Schulze playing the role of both outside agitator and the company’s de facto spiritual leader. In a separate story, the Star Tribune questioned how well the founder fits his new job description: Show up smiling at company functions. Give advice when the …
Monday, March 25, 2013
The Richfield-based company's founder returns nine months after he resigned.
Richard Schulze is returning to Richfield-based Best Buy in the role of "chairman emeritus," the company announced Monday. Schulze, who founded Best Buy in 1966, resigned last June then embarked on an ultimately aborted effort to buy the company. From the statement Best Buy issued Monday: “Over the past several months, I have come to know and respect Hubert, and have a high regard for the work he and his executive team are doing to revitalize Best Buy for the benefit of all stakeholders,” said Schulze. “My dedication to the company that I founded and love is unwavering and, together with Hubert and the Board, I determined that the best way to support Best Buy would be to return in support of the initiatives underway.” “At the same time, it…
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The company said its moving forward with "transforming" the company.
Richfield-based Best Buy is staying a public company for now, and is still working on digging itself out of a rough financial hole. The deadline for founder Dick Schulze to make an offer to purchase the company expired Feb. 28. "The company received no such offer and will continue to focus on its transformation for the benefit of all of its stakeholders," Best Buy said in a statement. Schulze, who stepped down as board chair in June 2012, announced his desire to buy back the company and take it private last summer. Schulze stepped down as chair after an investigation found he failed to alert the board of allegations that former CEO Brian Dunn had an inappropriate relationship with a 29-year-old female staffer. According to Bloomberg, an …
Sunday, March 3, 2013
This week's selections include people stripping and dancing, a teen found after two weeks missing, a Byerly's overhaul and a new pizza restaurant.
Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. Maple Grove Senior High Head Hockey Coach Stefano Won’t Return Next Season The news of coaching change reportedly came on the heels of the final game of the season against Centennial High School Thursday in which Maple Grove lost. Best Buy Cuts 400 Corporate Jobs More cuts are still to come in 2013, according to the Richfield-based company. (VIDEO) Keith Ellison Battles Fox's Sean Hannity over Sequestration Ellison to Hannity: 'I'm laughing at you—and it's not the …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The company said there are more cuts coming over the next year.
Richfield's Best Buy implemented its first phase of 2013 cost cutting measures Tuesday when it announced 400 headquarter jobs were being cut. According to a company statement, the cuts will save $150 million and is just the first phase of the $725 million cost-cutting plan announced last fall. The cuts do not affect retail store employees, known as Blue Shirts, or include any store closings. More cuts will likely be announced after the company reports its fourth quarter earnings. Best Buy's top executive layer was also eliminated in October 2012. The following statement was released by Best Buy: Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) today confirmed that it has, as part of its Renew Blue transformation efforts, eliminated approximately $150 …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The company may be gaining some momentum.
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter It's been nearly a year since it all started to unravel for Best Buy. From CEO scandals and downed sales, to excessive excecutive turnover and risky store remodels, the company has been in a constant state of change. Remember when former CEO Brian Dunn resigned? But now, it seems as if things are changing for the better. In the past two months, Best Buy's stock has risen 40 percent, giving analysts, investors and employees a breath of optimism. According to the Star Tribune, Best Buy generated sales that were stronger than anticipated as shoppers purchased more flat-screen televisions and other major appliances. The performance impressed …


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Time magazine names Bernanke 'Person of the Year'
NEW YORK — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (bur-NANG'-kee) has been named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2009.
Last year's winner was then-President-elect Barack Obama. The 2007 winner was Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Other previous winners have included Bono, President George W. Bush, and Amazon.com CEO and founder Jeff Bezos (BAY'-zohs.)

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The Galaxy S7 is already rumored to copy a few of the latest Apple features, including 3D Touch and Live Photos. Now a new report claims Samsung could also copy the iPhone Upgrade Program with a smartphone rental service of its own.
According to ETNews, Samsung’s upgrade program will launch in March for the Galaxy S7. You’ll presumably be able to pay a monthly fee for the device and then upgrade to a new model after one year. The service will apparently be limited to South Korea at launch, though hopefully it will expand to the U.S. pretty quickly.
Additional details are still scarce but, if the rumors are true, we’ll probably learn more next month when the Galaxy S7 is unveiled. Samsung’s expected to announce its new phone in February at Mobile World Congress, though it may not hit stores until early March.
The Galaxy S7 will allegedly come in a few different sizes and shapes. We’re expecting a 5.1-inch flat-screen model and a 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 edge, while some rumors suggest the company could release an even bigger “Plus” model at the same time. All S7 variants will likely pack Quad HD displays, cutting-edge processors, upgraded cameras and reversible USB-C charging ports.


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Motorola CEO seemingly confirms plans for a $50 smartphone
The Moto G has already won itself a steadfast following, and is largely regarded as the first truly affordable brand name smartphone that doesn't suck. It would appear, however, that Motorola was merely scratching the surface with the budget device, as CEO Dennis Woodside confirmed plans for an ever more affordable device for TrustedReviews:
In much of the world $179 is a lot of money so there’s a big market at a price point of less than $179,” the Motorol CEO says, “We’re going to look at that and just delivering on that value promise is super important. I mean why can’t these devices be $50? There’s no reason that can’t happen so we’re going to push that.”“
This is as concrete a confirmation as you're about to ever pull out of a major manufacturer's CEO, and it sure feels like Woodside isn't playing around. Of course, the Motorola exec failed to provide any further details about what kind of a device we might expect and when, but we can't help but feel a little skeptical. Motorola has made an impressive stride with the Moto G on its path to bottom prices, yet $50 still sounds a tad farther down the line. In all honesty, however, some Chinese manufacturers have already arrived at this price point (see: Jiayu F1), so it's certainly not out of the realm of the possible. In any case, that's one seriously intriguing thought, and we almost smell Google's hand in this. After all, the Mountain View-based search giant has long promoted its desire to have every person connected to the internet (which is not at all accidentally good for business). Well, a $50 Motorola device sure sounds like a good way to start on the remaining half of the planet for which current offerings are unfortunately still a luxury.


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Following months of weak domestic sales as high fuel prices stoked consumer demand, the nation’s auto industry may report worse sales this year than last year, a company official said yesterday.
The official’s warning came after the latest government data showed new vehicle sales last month dropped to the lowest level for the same month in the last two decades.
Auto sales plunged by 20 percent year-on-year to 20,189 units last month and dropped by 7.7 percent from the previous month, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ latest data revealed yesterday.
Total sales for the first four months of the year fell nearly 20 percent to a little more than 90,000 units from the same period last year, the statistics showed.
“Sales in the domestic auto industry are still declining compared with last year, and the situation has not experienced any improvement even after the March 22 presidential election,” Steve Yang (楊湘泉), spokesman of Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車), said in a telephone interview.
He attributed the weaker-than-expected purchases of cars in the home market to the lack of consumer confidence and persistent inflationary concerns.
Hotai, the nation’s largest automaker that also distributes both Toyota and Lexus models, sold around 31,000 cars in the first four months of the year, down eight percent from a year earlier.
Total new vehicle sales reached 326,000 units last year, which was 10.8 percent lower from the previous year and the lowest number of vehicles sold in 20 years in this country.
Some automobile industry watchers have grown increasingly concerned that the yearly number could be below 300,000 units this year, barring substantial policy changes to boost consumer spending.
Yang said he expected total sales for this year to be the same as last year, but the figure may drop to around 300,000 in a worst-case scenario, he said.
Han Cheng-ping (韓正平), senior vice president and spokesman for Yulon Motor Co (裕隆汽車), said he expected total sales this year to be slightly above 300,000 units, affected mainly by the fuel prices.
Yulon Motor is the nation’s third-largest automobile manufacturer which assembles Nissan and General Motors cars in Taiwan.
However, China Motor Corp (中華汽車), the nation’s second largest automaker, said consumer confidence has been slowly climbing back after the presidential election, as the number of visitors to the company’s showrooms increased by 30 percent last month from a month ago, a company official said.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said the company’s sales in the first quarter fell by nearly 20 percent from a year ago.
But as the purchase sentiments seemed to show signs of slight improvement last month — allowing China Motor to sell 1,058 Outlander sport utility vehicles with a 2.4-liter engine last month and boost its overall market share to 15.1 percent in Taiwan — the company sold 3,642 new vehicles last month, a decline of just 10 percent from a year ago, he said.
Even so, consumers are still conservative about spending on cars because of rising domestic fuel and commodity prices, said the official at China Motor, which assembles and distributes Mitsubishi cars in Taiwan.
Yang and his China Motor peer agreed that it was still premature to comment on how the sales outlook in the second half of the year would turn out, as it would depend on the new administration’s policies and how those policies can help boost an actual increase in work opportunities and household incomes.


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The German-French software manufacturer CT CoreTechnologie will present a comprehensively revised version of the 4D_Additive software at the virtual Formnext Connect tradeshow from 10th to 12th of November 2020.
Since the trade fair this year is taking place online only, interested parties can get a demonstration of the software on the virtual booth of CT and ask questions directly to the software specialists. By this means, the concentrated know-how of CoreTechnologie for solving the tasks and challenges of additive manufacturing is available to the visitor.
On 10th and 11th November 2020 each day at 10am and 2pm, Expert Sessions will be held, in which an overview of the software will be presented and the extensive innovations of the software will be explained in detail. New tools for the creation of 3D surface textures as well as structures for lightweight components and for saving the models in high-precision step-format will be explained and shown live. The Expert Sessions will also be available as video in the Formnext media library.
Filed Under: 3D CAD World


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Swappie brings phones back to life
Swappie was born out of an unfortunate incident. Now it’s a blooming business expanding the life cycle of increasingly expensive smartphones.
The daily brief: 22 July 2019
All the daily Finnish business news that works: Kamux, Rovio, YIT and KONE make headlines.
IN PICTURES: The weekend wrap
Finnish arts are taking over, big week for visual arts and music. Take a look at the past seven days in entertainment from a Finnish perspective.
Happy Hour Skateboards is a wheely lifestyle
A group of Finnish lads embrace the freedom of skateboarding – and live it to the max with their own skateboard brand, Happy Hour Skateboards.
Do I know you?
Hyeri Cho set out into the world with an open mind and a lot of courage for a 15-year-old. From South Korea to Finnish Lapland, she has made her way down to Helsinki with a story to tell, one of determination and self-reflection.
Tarvas walks a mile in your shoes
Finnish shoe brand Tarvas wants to help all of us explore the world with dry socks – never mind the weather.
Happy summer holidays!
Good News from Finland is taking a break 6–21 July. Enjoy the summer!
The daily brief: 4 July 2019
All the daily Finnish business news that works: Outotec, Metso, YIT, Medicortex and Nanoform make headlines.
The daily brief: 3 July 2019
All the daily Finnish business news that works: Kide Science, Meyer Turku and Nexstim make headlines.


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Ford completes $2.3B sale of Jaguar, Land Rover
- from Business First of Louisville
Ford Motor Co. has completed its sale of luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover to India's Tata Motors in a $2.4 billion deal that netted the company about $1.8 billion in cash.
The previously announced deal, which closed today, included a $600 million contribution by Ford to Jaguar and Land Rover's pension plans, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
As Business First previously report, the deal with Tata, one of India's largest vehicle producers, includes a provision for Ford to continue to supply Jaguar and Land Rover with powertrains, stampings and other vehicle components. Ford also will provide engineering support, including research and development, in addition to information technology, accounting and other services.
Also, Ford's financing arm, Ford Motor Credit Co., will provide financing for Jaguar and Land Rover dealers and customers during a transitional period of up to 12 months.
Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford (NYSE: F) manufactures F-Series Super Duty trucks at Louisville's Kentucky Truck Plant on Chamberlain Lane and Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer sport utility vehicles at the Louisville Assembly Plant on Fern Valley Road.
In recent years, the company has struggled financially. Last month, Ford announced that it would cut production and salaried jobs in the United States to boost profitability. But CEO Alan Mulally said recently that the company likely won't meet its goal of returning to profitability in 2009.
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Engage3’s approach to measuring Price Image is based on complex behavioral modeling – avoiding bias, time delays, and inaction – and enabling accurate forecasting and pricing decisions.
Promotions are disappearing from grocery shelves, especially for national brand products that consumers are accustomed to buying at a discount. CNN tries to answer the question on when promotions will return in this article with its interviews with CPG companies.
The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business recently released a study which found that Lidl’s entry into the Long Island, NY grocery market drastically affected prices at its surrounding competitors.
In their 2020 US Online and In-store Grocery Shopping Study: Food Shopping during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Retail Feedback Group found that consumers are now less satisfied with their grocery store.
Key Value Items (KVIs), Price Indices, and Pricing Rules assume that you know the right items that drive consumer perception. Most retailers who use these traditional investment strategies miss ~50% Price Image key items.
Discounters and specialty retailers hold a special place in the wine market, and now they hold spots on Wine Enthusiast’s list of America’s 50 Best Wine Retailers. The magazine noted…
Supermarkets have taken their dietitians online, from ShopRite to Kroger to H-E-B. Dietitians, a staple of in-store health initiatives by retailers in recent years, have now expanded their services to…


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The amusement industry is keeping up a good front. In public, most operators, distributors and manufacturers talk gamely about grinding it out until the next economic recovery, new technology, hit game or industry upturn comes along. Privately, there's plenty to be gloomy about ... no need to recount the reasons here.
But look beyond the bad news. You'll find a solid list of upbeat developments that are beginning to transform the coin-op industry. Put these positive indicators together and you get an eye-opening picture of an amazingly robust and profitable amusement machine business a decade from now. Key trends include:
The fourth screen. That's what The Nielsen Co. calls live monitors in public venues. The first three screens are (1) televisions in homes; (2) desktop and laptop computers; and (3) mobile phones. The fourth screen is found in public venues like bars and restaurants … and it's one of the most exciting advertising platforms of tomorrow. Nielsen's latest survey has TouchTunes leading today's fourth-screen providers. By 2020, every new public-play videogame, dart machine, jukebox, redemption game, merchandiser, pinball and even pool table will be linked to this type of advertising network. Profits will be staggering.
The multiverse. In 2020, home and arcade videogames will not be competitors. They will be complementary media ... two equally viable portals, along with mobile phones, among other devices, that invite players to access the Internet, where hot new videogames will reside, replete with compelling nationwide or worldwide tournaments -- and the option for massively multiplayer online gameplay, or MMOG. This future can already be seen in Japan, where Sega's hottest arcade videogame is a Net-connected MMOG. This future is on view globally with a Namco arcade videogame that offers social networking. The amusement industry will rediscover a core truth: It doesn't need exclusive content. As with jukebox music, it simply needs equal access to universal content.
Sweepstakes. Operators of North Carolina, supported by the state's superior courts, have pointed the way to legally give players the risk-reward entertainment they crave … and give the amusements industry a way to compete with legalized gambling. With all due respect to redemption, skill games will never be as popular as games of chance. People will always be thrilled by the idea that Lady Luck is about to smile on them. Sweepstakes games don't have to emulate casino games in their reveal phase to offer this appeal. The "McDonald's Defense" argues for simple fairness (i.e., sweepstakes games are legal because they are basically the same as a fast-food restaurant sweepstakes). And, the non-gambling nature of the equipment bares the amusement industry's great strength in its competition with slot machines. Legitimate amusement devices can go anywhere. Slot machines can't.
Telemetry. Today's vending machines can allow routemen to drive past locations and detect restocking needs from the curb. Even more advanced venders use cellphone networks to report these facts 24/7 in real time to the home office. Digital jukeboxes have equivalent capabilities for real-time remote reporting and management. By 2020 virtually every machine on amusement routes will be capable of linking to a universal remote management network. A huge percentage will be linked.
Noncash payment. It doesn't take a crystal ball to see this coming. Coin mechanisms and banknote acceptors are preferred by operators, who like dealing with cash. Readers for smart, debit and credit cards are preferred by the public, which prefers dealing with plastic (or up-and-coming contactless mobile phone payment apps). The customer is going to win this argument. Holdout operators will be forced to convert to cashless payment, like it or not. And -- surprise -- they're going to like it, especially when they see system prices come down and per-machine revenues go up.
Now combine all this together, squint hard and you can see, 10 years from now, the outlines of a vibrant, growing, vigorous market. You can see a market with $15 or $20 billion in annual revenues (double or triple its current size). You can see an industry that has recaptured its reason for being. You can see a restructured industry that has achieved undreamed-of efficiency.
Most of all, you can see an industry that has rebounded to attract new blood and bright young minds -- as well as major outside funding -- on an ongoing basis. Now, how do we get from today's industry to this shining future? The way forward is no secret. It requires hard work, open minds and willingness to invest and experiment. This industry has those strengths in abundance.


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Apple iPad Leading Tablet Market: ABI ReportBy Nathan Eddy | Print
The Apple iPad dominated the tablet market in Q3 2010, representing 93 percent of sales, an ABI report finds.
Computer maker Apple continues to lead the burgeoning tablet computer market with 93 percent of sales, according to ABI Research’s "Netbooks, MIDs, Media Tablets, and Mobile CE Market Data" report for the third quarter of 2010. The report documents the shipment, price and revenue data for media tablets, ebook readers and netbooks for that period. The report found 4.5 million of the devices shipped during the quarter.
Senior practice director Jeff Orr noted that over time, Apple’s
first-to-market iPad advantage will inevitably erode to some extent. "ABI
Research has been tracking media tablets since December 2009; future quarterly
editions of this market data product will include market share tracking of all
the major media tablet vendors," he said.
This year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, was dominated by competing tablet devices from vendors like Motorola, LG and Samsung—all of which run on a variation of Google’s Android operating system. The Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy 10.1 feature the "Honeycomb" edition of Android, the first version designed specifically for tablet computers.
Vendors of e-readers continued to do well in their market, bringing new products to consumers in time for the 2010 holiday shopping season. "The U.S. continues to be the leading market for ebook readers," said Orr. "The three top vendors, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Sony, are comfortably maintaining their top positions in it."
Barnes & Noble introduced a color version of its Nook reader—the first color model from a leading vendor—while Amazon debuted a third-generation Kindle. Along with their new capabilities, these products also introduced lower prices than earlier generations of the devices.
The report noted that the first half of 2010 was slow for netbooks, as relatively few new products were introduced. However, Orr points out, "The third quarter saw PC OEMs again breathe life into the segment by introducing new platforms that offered dual-core processors, and lighter/thinner devices with significantly better performance, sleek styling and visual appeal."
The company’s report, available for $500, includes forecasts for all ultra-mobile devices (UMDs), including media tablets, netbooks, UMPCs, mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and mobile broadband-enabled consumer electronics (CE) devices. Shipments and revenue for these devices are provided, including shipments and revenues for each type of UMD by region, platform, operating system and connectivity attach rates.


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In potential threat to iRobot's Roomba, Dyson unveils robot vacuum
Bedford-based iRobot may now have some formidable competition in its quest to have a robot vacuum in every household, with British company Dyson unveiling its newest creation.
On Thursday, Dyson, which already makes vacuum cleaners and hand dryers, said it would release its new vacuum, the 360 Eye, in Japan, according to The Verge. Dyson's vacuum cleaner took 16 years and $47 million of research to develop.
The vacuum features a 360-degree panoramic camera, using infrared sensors to map out the environment. IRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT) is the maker of the popular Roomba robot vacuum cleaner, which has seen growth in sales around the world. The company also makes a floor-mopping and floor-scrubbing robot along with a pool-scrubbing robot.
In a statement from Colin Angle, the CEO of IRobot, said it was only a matter of time before makers of traditional vacuum cleaners shifted to robots to do the dirty work:
"Leading traditional vacuum companies are realizing what iRobot has known since our beginning 25 years ago – that many things are best left to a robot, and vacuum cleaning is one of them. This announcement is another step towards realizing our vision of traditional vacuums becoming a thing of the past. Since bringing Roomba to market in 2002, iRobot has led the home robotics industry, providing innovative technologies that deliver on the promise of maintaining a clean home without the hassle. The Roomba 800 series reinvented vacuum cleaning with its AeroForce Performance Cleaning System. Its first of its kind brushless design is virtually maintenance free and provides superior vacuuming performance on all areas of the floor, including under and around couches, beds and other furniture. More than 12 million of our robots are vacuuming, scrubbing and mopping floors - and cleaning gutters and pools around the world. We’ve long anticipated that our success would inspire others to do the same and believe that good competition will help grow the industry as a whole."
IRobot also released a video Thursday showing — in dramatic fashion — its robot vacuum cleaner in all its glory:
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The Chinese tech giant Huawei Enterprise introduced a set of three smart screens and named the series Smart Screen IdeaHub in April this year. The series features three smart screens: the white models IdeaHub S and IdeaHub Pro and titanium-gold IdeaHub Enterprise.
The new series of smart screens are mainly office-oriented and is designed for modern professional settings in which the monitors could easily blend in, and give the office a business-like aura. Two months after the series of smart screens were introduced, on June 8, the Huawei IdeaHub S model has finally gone on sale.
Huawei smart screens from this series are available in three versions: wall-mounted screens with a diagonal of 65 and 86 inches. The model variations of 65-inches and the 86-inches are priced at $3,719 and $7777 respectively.
The floor-mounted screen with a diagonal 65-inches falls somewhere between the above mentioned two, in terms of pricing. The price for the floor-mounted smart screen is $4100.
The Huawei IdeaHub S smart screen comes equipped with ultra-low latency of 35 ms, and to make office work easier, it also comes with support for handwriting recognition. Moreover, the smart screens also support native WeLink conferences and H.265 1080p HD video decoding. There is also a camera featured on the screen that comes with a resolution of 1080p.
The manufacturing company is claiming that the smart screens are capable of combining smart recording, high-res screen, and video conferencing for offices which have proved itself to be indispensable especially in this pandemic environment.
Huawei smart monitors were created keeping corporate conference rooms, executive rooms, office rooms, and other business scenarios in mind.
The company was also quick to remind everyone that the Huawei IdeaHub is different than anything that the company has been associated with so far. The smart monitors are more than ordinary smart TVs, and best suited for the office environment.


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The battle between e-commerce companies Amazon and Flipkart in India continues to intensify as Amazon is now closing the gap on Flipkart, according to Forrester.
Flipkart raised $2.5 billion from Softbank in 2017, bringing its total funding to $6bn to date and competing with Amazon, which committed $5bn to India for market share.
After surpassing Flipkart in 2016 for the first time, Amazon has strengthened its position as metropolitan Indian consumers’ preferred online retail destination and is aggressively closing the gap on Flipkart to become the single-largest online retailer in India in terms of sales, according to Forrester.
Fashion remains the only category where Flipkart has a significant edge due to its acquisition of fashion online retailers Myntra and Jabong.
The report further stated that with Amazon’s continuing focus on fashion and grocery in 2017 and 2018, Flipkart will find it difficult to retain its edge in 2018.
In addition, it concurred that despite slowdowns in 2016 and 2017, India remains the fastest-growing market in the world, with a CAGR of 29.2% to cross $73 bn in 2022.
Source: The Drum
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Amazon has announced the revival of its shipping service, Amazon Shipping, which had been put on hold at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this move, Amazon aims to compete with established logistics giants FedEx and UPS. The service allows sellers, including those on external platforms, to utilize Amazon’s delivery services for domestic shipments without needing to store their products in Amazon’s warehouses.
Confirming the resumption of the service, an Amazon spokesperson clarified that businesses must be selling on the company to be eligible for Amazon Shipping. The company is already known for providing shipping to merchants who utilize its storage and delivery service, Fulfillment by Amazon. However, Amazon Shipping caters to sellers who wish to leverage Amazon’s delivery capabilities while managing their own inventory.
Amazon Shipping, which was previously tested but paused in 2020 due to the surge in pandemic-related orders on the platform, has now been reinstated to support sellers’ order fulfillment needs. Amazon spokesperson Olivia Connors emphasized that the service provides sellers with an additional option for shipping packages quickly and cost-effectively, contributing to enhanced customer service.
Amazon had expanded its logistics operations during the pandemic to accommodate the rising online orders. This expansion led to increased warehouse capacity, but as the pandemic situation eased, Amazon was faced with excess warehouse space. The company responded with strategies such as subleasing, lease terminations, and delaying new construction to optimize its warehousing resources.
Notably, Amazon’s efforts to improve shipping speeds have borne fruit, with over 50% of Prime orders in major US metropolitan areas being delivered within a single day during the second quarter of this year. This highlights Amazon’s commitment to offering faster Prime delivery services to its customers.
In addition to reinstating the company’s Shipping, the company is making changes to its fee structure for third-party merchants. Merchants participating in Amazon’s Seller Fulfilled Prime program will soon be subject to a 2% fee on each sale starting in October, in addition to the existing commission fees they pay to sell products on Amazon’s platform. This fee adjustment has drawn attention, especially as it coincides with looming antitrust concerns surrounding Amazon’s market dominance.
As Amazon resumes its shipping service and introduces fee adjustments for sellers, the e-commerce giant continues to make strategic moves to enhance its logistics operations and maintain its position as a leader in the online retail space.


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Could this new industry framework reinvigorate England’s recycling rates?
England would see a much-needed increase in recycling, an improvement in the quality of recycled materials and a more comprehensive waste management service for households if a new, collaborative industry framework is adopted, WRAP has claimed.
As recycling week moves into its second day, WRAP has today (13 September) released a new report which outlines a potential framework for household recycling, developed by an advisory group of organisations including Green Alliance, British Retail Consortium and the Recycling Association.
The framework incorporates a four-stage recycling system that delivers positive changes to the manufacturing, use and recycling of products in England, where recycling rates have stalled. It is constructed around a collected vision that, by 2025, all packaging will be easily recyclable and clearly labelled to indicate its recyclability.
The framework also suggests a method in which a common set of dry recyclable materials will be collected through a three-part collection system: multi-stream with food; two-stream with food separate; and, co-mingled mixed recyclables with food separate.
In a group statement, the organisations supporting the new framework said: “Our organisations have contributed to the development of this Framework for greater consistency in household recycling in England and have committed to further initiatives to take it forward… We commend it to our sectors, and look forward to working with colleagues to realise the benefits identified.”
In its new report, titled A framework for greater consistency in household recycling in England – supported by Defra and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) – WRAP draws upon industry and local authority best practices to construct the framework, which it says could bring vast finical and sustainability benefits for the country.
WRAP’s collaborative framework would offer solutions to a number of existing “recycling barriers” in England, specifically by focusing on reducing consumer confusion, making packaging more recyclable and encouraging the waste sector to work closely with local authorities to collect core materials for recycling.
Up to 11 million tonnes of materials could be diverted from disposal – including eight million tonnes of food waste – if the new framework is adopted. Moreover, five million tonnes of greenhouse gasses could be negated and England’s recycling rate could increase by 7% by the year 2025, WRAP claims.
WRAP’s new chief executive and chair of the advisory group Marcus Gover said: “As an industry we have achieved so much in the last 15 years. A thriving recycling industry has been created and recycling is now a way of life. When Defra asked us to investigate the opportunities for greater consistency, we were delighted to lead this, and to work with representatives from each stage of the recycling supply chain.
“By pooling the wealth of recycling experience from across the sectors, we have developed a vision that offers the opportunity to increase recycling, improve the quality of recycled materials, save money and offer a good service to householders. It is only by joining together that we can now realise the benefits of the vision and I look forward to working with all those involved to do that.”
Simon Ellin, chief executive of the Recycling Association – a member of the advisory group behind the new framework – added: “As part of the advisory group that worked with WRAP on developing this framework, we believe it will improve quality because, by having a core set of materials that can be recycled in England, people will be able to make better, more informed decisions about which bin to put their materials into.
“But it should also mean that there will be more responsibility throughout the supply chain with local government, the recycling industry, retailers and brands all involved in developing this framework.”
The framework comes just one day after edie reported on two public surveys that highlighted the need for standardisation of both recycling information and packaging, and on the same day that a separate report from waste management firm Suez revealed that more than £9bn could be added to the UK economy if the Government effectively integrates circular economy principles into the country’s emerging industrial strategy.
Waste contamination has fast-become a key factor in driving up household recycling rates, with a recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request from the BBC detailing an increase of 84% recycling contamination over the last four years.
As part of Recycle Week 2016 (12-18 September), WRAP’s consumer campaign, Recycle Now, is attempting to engage a younger audience and inform them about the less obviously recyclable materials found around the house. Included in the campaign is an informative parody film, The Unusual Suspects – a four-part episodic series that builds anticipation for Recycle Week, with the second released today.


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15 June 2023 Sydney Australia
Telycam, a leading innovator in high-definition PTZ camera technology, is proud to announce its new strategic partnership with the AVW Group. This alliance will mark the expansion of Telycam’s distribution network in the Asia Pacific region, amplifying its reach and influence in the audio-visual industry.
Founded in 1983, the AVW Group has established itself as a preeminent equipment importer, distributor, and systems engineering company, specializing in Audio Visual, Broadcast, Satellite, and ICT systems. With a robust network encompassing over 500 reseller locations in Australia and New Zealand, AVW is set to bring Telycam’s advanced camera solutions to a broader customer base in the Asia Pacific.
Telycam, with its profound expertise in the industry, stands at the forefront of PTZ camera technology. Known for mastering the 3A (Auto Exposure, Auto Focus, Auto White Balance) core algorithm, Telycam offers a rich array of camera options, including USB/HDMI/SDI webcam and PTZ cameras, High-bandwidth NDI (Full NDI) PTZ cameras, certified NDI|HX3 auto-tracking PTZ cameras, and UHD 4K60 broadcast level cameras.
Lisa Huang, Sales Director of APAC, Telycam, spoke highly of the partnership, “It was a constructive conversation at the Broadcast Asia show when Aaron and I had the pleasure to meet Lloyd face-to-face. AVW Group has profound knowledge and experience in various AV applications. By leveraging their marketing efforts, local channel ability, and the commitment of each and every member from both teams, we will be able to bring the optimized AV solution and experience to all the local end-users, studios, and corporates.”
Telycam’s commitment to continuous research and development, optimizing ISP algorithms, and enhancing the performance of their cameras, underscores its mission to provide superior audiovisual solutions. The partnership with AVW is a testament to this mission, promising to bring high-quality video conferencing and live streaming solutions to more customers across the Asia Pacific region.
Lloyd Freeman, Director of AVW Group, expressed enthusiasm about the new partnership, “We look forward to introducing the Telycam brand to Australasia. Telycam has a clear price system and market position, and most importantly, their premium product quality and constant innovation. We believe our company culture and market activities align perfectly with that of Telycam. We prefer to sell Telycam cameras in the mid- to high-end category, especially to markets including broadcast, education, live event, and conferencing.”
Telycam state-of-the-art cameras offer top-notch live streaming capabilities, transforming how corporate meetings, online classes, and telemedicine consultations are conducted. With a particular focus on industries such as government, enterprise, broadcast radio, sports and esports, churches, education, and healthcare, Telycam is shaping the future of communication and interaction. By enabling real-time, high-quality video, Telycam enhances the connection between remote teams, e-learners, patients, and much more. Dedicated to continuous innovation, Telycam empowers businesses and institutions around the world to adapt and thrive in an increasingly digital landscape.”


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A new year brings fresh predictions about the future of marketing. Some of the boldest forecasts revolve around the growing need to better understand today’s empowered customer, which in turn can reveal opportunities for enhanced innovation and business growth.
If you’re wondering what to expect in the world of marketing in 2015, here are 3 predictions worth considering.
Personalized marketing will dominate.
According to a MarketingProfs article, personalized marketing will rise in 2015. “The stratagem of personalized marketing engages consumers with custom offers and services,” says the article. “It has been gaining speed and will become imperative for companies looking to grow in 2015. Most marketers understand that, but only 6% are planning with personalization in mind.”
The article notes that the first step to personalizing the customer experience is to get to know the customer. It notes how “interviews, case studies, customer surveys, and website cookies can all provide valuable data about the people who need your goods or services.” Check out MarketingProfs for more information and for an infographic about personalized marketing.
TWEET THIS: Personalized marketing is set to dominate in 2015. Is your company ready?
Customer-centric brand content will rise.
The rise of content marketing shows that more companies are seeing content as a strategic asset. Expect this to continue in 2015, but with a twist.
Michael Brenner, Head of Strategy at Newscred, says content produced by brands will “become more targeted and more personal.” He predicts that “content marketing will take a seat at the table, with budget and someone with authority to drive strategic content programs.”
Content will also increasingly become customer-centric, according to Brenner: “CMOs will begin to instill a culture focused on customers. Budgets will shift away from paid promotion and into brand content that their audiences actually want to consume. Marketing organizations will move away from silos based on channel or functional ownership.”
TWEET THIS: Brands will create a “culture focused on customers” and produce highly relevant content in 2015.
Marketers will scramble to be truly customer-centric.
Talking to CMO.com, Vision Critical’s very own Tyler Douglas predicts that marketers will prioritize customer intelligence in the new year. Here’s what he said:
Customer intelligence will be key for successful companies to win in 2015. Social, mobile, and cloud technologies have empowered customers to educate themselves before making a purchase. In a world where customers are well-informed and have more influence over a company and the decisions it makes than the other way around, companies must be customer-centric. They have to deliver products and an experience that please customers and keeps them coming back. In order to do that, companies need to get closer to their customers, fast. They have to adopt technologies that will help them learn about customer attitudes and opinions over time, and understand why they do the things they do.
TWEET THIS: Customer intelligence will be key for success in 2015.
As these predictions show, customer-centricity is becoming an urgent call for marketing teams and the organizations they support. For many brands, establishing a customer intelligence platform that allows two-way conversations with customers is the first step toward customer-centricity. Such a platform enables ongoing learning and engagement that can also deliver a sense of empowerment that today’s consumers crave.


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Many analysis carried out in the past has shown the connection between the iPhone price increase and the extension of the smartphone usage cycle. According to a recent Strategy Analytics report, the average user uses the smartphone for about 33 months before updating it with a newer model.
In recent years, Apple has accustomed us to small annual updates regarding the hardware and software news of the iPhone. In 2017, the Cupertino company launched the iPhone X with a completely new design. For the next two years, however, no major changes have been planned, in fact, the iPhone XS and the iPhone 11 brought / will only bring small changes. This has led to a reduction in user interest in new models, extending the smartphone’s cycle of use.
According to Strategy Analytics, Apple smartphones have an average usage cycle of 18 months, compared to Samsung’s of 16.5 months. However, this cycle is getting longer due to the few substantial innovations introduced in the new models. Currently, the average user willing to buy a smartphone for 1,000 or more euros, plans to use it for at least three years. According to the report in question, the next killer feature for the purchase of a new smartphone will be the arrival of 5G modems.
So for those who bought the iPhone X in 2017, they will spend exactly three years until the model with 5G connectivity arrives when you’ll probably notice a significant increase in sales. The intermediate years 2018-2019 will see only minor changes and therefore attract fewer users. This extension of the iPhone usage cycle was also confirmed by Apple itself. The company has been releasing operating systems aimed at optimizing the use of older smartphones for some years. Furthermore, Apple is investing a lot in services to try to balance the decline in hardware sales.


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We reported earlier that Renault will launch its entry level small car, codenamed XBA, in the Indian car market. The small car will rival against the likes of Maruti Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon, and it is likely to go on sale by the end of next year. The XBA small car will be based on the versatile CMF-A platform which was announced last year.
Like the Volkswagen Group’s MQB architecture, the CMF-A also adopted different body style, size and engine lineup. The Renault XBA will be manufactured at the Renault-Nissan production plant in Chennai. This is the same platform on which the Datsun Redi-Go crossover will be based.
This A-Entry level hatchback will be the lowest priced car sold by Renault in the Indian car market. Under the hood, the Renault XBA will get a new 1.0-litre petrol engine which is in the development stage. This engine will be coupled to a five-speed manual transmission gearbox. This model will also go on sale in the Brazilian market.
The competition level in the entry level market is all set to get furious. With Renault XBA, Datsun Go and Volkswagen’s budget brand, it will be interesting to see how Maruti will counter the growing challenge to keep its dominance in the entry level segment.


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The newest (PRODUCT)RED Apple Watch is here! Today, Apple revealed the Apple Watch Series 8 (PRODUCT)RED. The device offers groundbreaking technology including critical safety features, improved health tracking capabilities, all-day battery life, and so much more.
In addition to helping you live a healthier life, the Apple Watch Series 8 in (PRODUCT)RED helps fight health emergencies around the world, with a portion of every purchase going to the Global Fund. This funding helps strengthen health systems and fight the injustices that allow pandemics to thrive.
The Apple Watch Series 8 (PRODUCT)RED—and the new iPhone 14 (PRODUCT)RED and iPhone 14 plus (PRODUCT)RED announced today—are the latest additions to Apple’s full collection of (PRODUCT)RED devices and accessories. As a (RED) partner for over 15 years, Apple has generated nearly $270 million for the Global Fund to support the fight against global pandemics.
There’s no need to wait! The Apple Watch Series 8 (PRODUCT)RED is available to order NOW, with availability beginning September 16th. Make an even bigger impact when you pair your new Apple Watch Series 8 (PRODUCT)RED with one of Apple’s exclusive (PRODUCT)RED bands. Whether you choose the Sport Band (PRODUCT)RED, Sport Loop (PRODUCT)RED, or Braided Solo Loop (PRODUCT)RED, your purchase will help provide essential health services where they’re needed most.


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Today we have some massive news for any of you who have ever visited the Flixster or Rotten Tomatoes websites, a recent article posted on NPR suggest that Warner Bros has purchased the sites.
By purchasing Flixter, Warner Bros has in-turn inherited Rotten Tomatoes, exactly what Warner Bros has planned is currently a mystery, however a recent article posted on GigaOm suggest that we could potentially see Flixter become an application which will allow people to buy digital movies, not just Warner Bros films.
Sources suggest that the deal may have been worth as much as $90 million, before the deal Flixter’s applications for iPhone and iPad became extremely popular along with the Flixter app for Facebook. You can check out the Flixster app for Facebook here, the app for iPhone and iPad here. If you want the Windows Phone 7, Android or BlackBerry apps check out this link.
At the moment details regarding the deal are scarce, along with what Warner Bros has in store for Flixtser users, therefore we will have to keep you posted as we hear more.
What do you want to see Warner Bros do with Flixster? Are you worried about what changes will be made? Let us know in the comments section below.
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


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World's Biggest Lava Lamp Unveiled
11 September 2013, 17:37 | Updated: 11 September 2013, 17:40
The world's largest lava lamp has been unveiled in London to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
The lamps have been in continuous production for 50 years and have been handmade in Poole since first going on sale in September 1963.
The world's largest lava lamp was unveiled on September 11th at the Southbank Centre shop in Royal Festival Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the cult home furnishing.
It measures 2.4m tall and holds 200 litres of liquid, the most ever used in a single lamp.
The Mathmos Astro lava lamp was created by company founder and inventor Edward Craven-Walker, developed from a design for an egg timer he saw in a New Forest pub.
A defining element of 'the swinging '60s', the lamps featured in a number of cult TV series of the era including 'The Prisoner' and 'Doctor Who'.


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While the Supreme Court ban on BS III vehicles saw all auto manufacturers update their engines to BS IV compliance, Royal Enfield is taking the updation a step above by one-by-one introducing fuel injection in their motorcycles that so far ran on carburettors. The next in line is the Bullet 500, which is also to receive some cosmetic changes. The Indian website of Royal Enfield was last week updated with the introduction of fuel injection system in the Himalayan. Prices of the Bullet EFI have not been confirmed yet, but considering that fuel injection system is more sophisticated and expensive to make, the motorcycle will be priced a notch higher than the current model. A dealership in Delhi told us that Bullet 500 EFI will be available in the next 15-20 days.
The Bullet 500 EFI will be powered by a 499cc single cylinder 4-stroke fuel injection engine, which produces 27.2 hp @ 5250 rpm and maximum torque of 41.3 Nm @ 4000 rpm. Compared to the carburettor version, the EFI will provide a more refined ride with lesser vibrations.
The new motorcycle will also be available in a brand new colour – Forest Green, along with a new pillion grab-rail. The Royal Enfield winged badge on the tank will now come in silver and gold dual tone livery.
Other features include 19 inch shod with new MRF Zapper front tires, a vintage tail lamp and headlight casing with the signature twin pilot lamps known as ‘Tiger Eye Lamps’. Royal Enfield Bullet 500 is currently priced at Rs 1,72,125 onwards (ex-showroom, Mumbai), and the EFI version is expected to be priced slightly above. The price and other detail will be known soon when the motorcycle is officially launched by the fourth week of April.


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www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism, travel, transport, the environment, politics, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink.
Nuuk, capital of Greenland
Visit Greenland press release 28 May 2015:
Nuuk has a large tourism potential, and this should be developed. Nuuk has never been prioritized before as a tourist destination. One reason for this argument was that tourists would rather experience the “real” Greenland. But this is precisely the reason to market Nuuk.
“In Nuuk we can show tourists an exciting and modern Greenland. We can show them an Arctic metropolis with urban life and culture that is very much a part of modern Greenland. The Colourful Nuuk brand must be built upon to make the world aware of the many things our capital has to offer,” says Anders Stenbakken, Managing Director of Visit Greenland.
Sermersooq Business Council and Visit Greenland created the brand ‘Colourful Nuuk’ year, but until now it has only been used in limited ways, and lacking still a very important ingredient. Namely, citizen input.
Therefore, a new campaign is being launched to give city residents the opportunity to show what Nuuk means to them – so that the tourists who are interested in Greenland, get a sense of what the ‘real’ Nuuk is
Share your #ColourfulNuuk campaign
Throughout the month of June, there will be focus on raising citizen awareness on #ColourfulNuuk. It is an open-source campaign where locals are encouraged to tell us why and what they love about Nuuk in words and photos on social media.
They can upload their photos on @Ilovegreenland’s facebook page (www.facebook.com/ilovegreenland), or use the hash tag on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ilovegreenland) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/ilovegreenland). Note, users must have a public profile).
Throughout the month, all involved in the #ColourfulNuuk campaign will also go into the draw for many exciting gifts that show the best of Nuuk. It may be a tourist experiences as sailing into the fjord sponsored by Touring Greenland and Tupilak Travel, an overnight stay in Kangi Ski Center and Inuk Hostels or a barbecue package from Pisiffik – or just something nice to have, on a summer day in Nuuk – eg. sunglasses.
The campaign starts on June 1 and runs a month, and for more information check the website at next week.
While many in other countries are used to social media marketing, ‘Share you #ColourfulNuuk’ is the first time Greenland’s tourism industry is using social media in an awareness and marketing campaign such. This is an exciting development for Sermersooq Business Council and Visit Greenland and it will be interesting to see the results.
See more at www.greenland.com
#By #Danmark #Ferie #Grønland #Hovedstad #Nuuk #Reise
#Capital #City #Greenland #Holiday #Travel


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Which Cryptocurrency is halal? In 2018, scholars from the Sharia Review Bureau in Bahrain stated that investment in cryptocurrency and coins such as Ethereum and bitcoins were permissible under Sharia law and halal. Their view was that bitcoin could be considered property (maal), and did not contain any form of interest.
Is owning crypto halal? As cryptocurrency money is deemed permissible and halal under Islamic Sharia rules this has unlocked the crypto investment market to a global Muslim community with increasing numbers of Muslims with an interest in buying crypto and use it as a form of currency.
Is it haram to invest in crypto? “Cryptocurrencies as commodities or digital assets are unlawful for trading because they have elements of uncertainty, wagering and harm,” Asrorun Niam Sholeh, head of religious decrees for the Indonesian council of Islamic scholars, told reporters in November after issuing a fatwa against using crypto.
Is crypto halal or haram? All cryptos are neither halal nor haram.
Which Cryptocurrency is halal? – Additional Questions
Is Bitcoin halal or haram Mufti Menk?
1. Mufti Taqi Usmani – A Pioneer In The Field Of Islamic Finance. Mufti Taqi Usmani believes that cryptocurrency is used for speculative purposes, however, he does not consider it to be halal or haram. Rather, cryptocurrency can be termed as a ‘disliked’ form of trading from a Shariah point of view.
Is investing in Tesla halal?
However, Halal Investors estimates the bulk of revenue from Tesla’s leasing contracts, itself only 2.9% of Tesla’s total revenue, to be halal. Conclusion: Halal Investors finds only a non-material part of Tesla’s revenue to come from haram.
Is crypto future trading halal?
The Futures transaction as in vogue in stock and commodities markets today are not permissible for two reasons. Firstly, it is a well recognised principle of the Shariah that sale or purchase cannot be affected for a future date. Therefore, all Forward and Futures transactions are invalid in Shariah.
Is investing in NFT halal?
These NFTs will allow companies to show definitive proof that their business practices and products are certified halal, which means they are ethical according to Islamic jurisprudence principles.
Is trading haram in Islam?
The Quran states in aya 2:275 that “Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury.” But not all trade is allowed in Islam. The Qur’an prohibits gambling (maisir, games of chance involving money).
Are stocks haram?
It is generally accepted that buying stocks is not haram. This is because you are simply owning a percentage in a business. However, you do need to be sure the company in question is not dealing in a un-Islamic manner. Companies like Guinness (alcohol) and Ladbrokes (gambling), for example, would not be allowed.
Is ethereum halal Islamqa?
Ethereum is halal, conclude prominent Muslim scholars.
Is Bitcoin mining haram in Islam?
The use of crypto assets as a currency is forbidden for Muslims, according to Indonesia’s council of religious leaders.
Is Forex allowed in Islam?
Is Forex Trading Haram or Halal? Forex trading is both halal and haram, depending on the intent and behaviour of the individual investor. Trading with a proper strategy and Islamic account is halal, whereas with a regular interest charging account and no system, it’s considered gambling and haram.
Is crypto haram Hanafi?
“There is a general misconception that anything related to Bitcoin is haram,” said Aezaz. “This stems from the fact that Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency rather than a currency issued by a central bank. However, like fiat currencies, simply holding Bitcoin as a means of payment and store of value are perfectly halal.
Is crypto halal seekers guidance?
Bitcoin declared halal under Islamic law
Bitcoin is “permissible” under Sharia law, a study on the cryptocurrency has found.
Is Bitcoin legal in Saudi Arabia?
Cryptocurrencies have a quasi-legal status within Saudi Arabia. In 2018, the government placed an outright ban on banks processing any transactions involving cryptocurrencies.
Who is the richest Bitcoin owner?
Changpeng Zhao, $65 billion
Zhao is the founder and CEO of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. He used to once work at McDonalds flipping burgers but now, he is the richest crypto billionaire.
Which countries have banned crypto?
Bitcoin ban: These are the countries where crypto is restricted
- Algeria. Algeria currently prohibits the use of cryptocurrency following the passing of a financial law in 2018 that made it illegal to buy, sell, use or hold virtual currencies.
Is crypto legal in Dubai?
The Government of Dubai recently enacted Law No. 4 of 2022 on the Regulation of Virtual Assets (VAL) and established the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).
Do banks accept cryptocurrency?
Many people see crypto as a threat to the traditional financial industry. But surprisingly, some banks are crypto-friendly. Some big banks even allow you to buy digital assets.
Which country has no tax on cryptocurrency?
Portugal is one of the best places in the world to live if you want to avoid paying crypto taxes. Since 2018, all proceeds from selling crypto are tax free. Crypto trading isn’t considered investment income either. Provided you’re not a business, your crypto is also exempt from VAT and income tax in Portugal.


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2017 will soon come to a close, but it’s still not too late for every Trekker out there to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation, arguably the greatest TV series reboot of all time. And now, the folks at Shmaltz Brewing Company are releasing a new Collector’s Edition beer commemorating three decades of the voyages of Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D.
Called Star Trek Captain’s Holiday Ale, the beer is named for the fan favorite third season episode where a stressed out Jean-Luc goes to the pleasure planet of Risa, and gets himself into all sorts of trouble while on vacation. The commemorative beer comes brewed with orange peel and lime, and arrives in 4-packs to retail outlets in 35 states across the country. It will also be on draft at select bars.
For the more casual Trek fans out there reading this, wondering what the Tiki looking statue is on the case, that is what is known as a Horga’hn. One of these totems is given to Captain Picard by Commander Riker to display while on his vaycay on the tropical planet, but little does our good Captain know that the displaying the Horga’hn statue in public means you are signaling to receive Jamaharon, which is Risian for “looking to hook up.”
Last year, Shmaltz debuted two Star Trek 50th Anniversary Ales, and this year released three Star Trek specialty beers. The first was Star Trek Klingon Imperial Porter, followed by Star Trek Symbiosis, which launched at Comic-Con International in July 2017. Now, Star Trek Captain’s Holiday rounds out the year in true pleasure planet style.
Are you excited to to get all “Trek Tropical” with this new beer? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.
Images: CBS / Paramount / Shmaltz Brewing Company
Boldly go with more nerd news!
- Running down Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s biggest potential surprises!
- How Avengers: Infinity War could bring back Cate Blanchett’s Hela!
- Check out our exclusive preview of Deathstroke #26!
[brightcove video_id=”5606333800001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=”rJs2ZD8x”]


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From New Year’s Eve of every year, luxury travelers are always scampering of the places to be. It has become a tradition that like infectious disease grips every new luxury traveler in the block. For US citizens, travels and vacations are one of the greatest events they look forward to every year. Many families save up to five percent of their monthly income in order to afford a good vacation in a serene (often strange land) late in the year.
Which country will attract more travelers?
It is easy to stand and make speculations and bring out figures of country one thinks would attract the most travellers but this figure will be good as useless without a substantial backing. To be sure of their statistics, Resonance had 1,667 luxury travellers interviewed on their possible travel destination in 2016. The result they obtained as published in the 2016 Luxury Travel Report was a little surprising.
Travel Report – Most will visit Mexico in 2016
From the report of the test carried out, it was discovered that Mexico seems to be doing something spectacular since it ranked top with a total of 26% of travelers opting to travel to the country. Mexico was closely followed by Canada and Italy which pulled 24% of vote each.
Surprisingly, Germany and Bahamas won’t be seeing much of visitors this year compared to what it used to be in the past. Both countries had only 14% of the total 1,667 sampled populace of luxury travelers agreeing to give them a nod.
Australia and U.S Virgin Island came at the bottom of the top ten list with 12 and 11 percent of luxury travellers considering to give them a nod. This projections – though not absolute – tends to show that some of the countries needs to step up their luxury travel drives if they wish to keep enjoying the revenue they have been getting from the sector.
Mexico is a preferred destination for its high end resorts
Mexico in the last few years resuscitated many of her high end resorts for example the Resort at Pedregal, Rosewood’s Las Ventanas al Paraiso and several others. Also, there is a huge luxury tourism development at Baja California Peninsula, an initiative that began after the 2014 Hurricane that devastated the region.
There are also established brands like the Four Season who are not relenting in expanding their boundaries. Some of Mexico’s efforts have become a yardstick for many nations who now look to emulate the effort they have put in. The government of certain countries for example the Anguilla has set aside funds solely for the development of luxury travel.
Attracting more luxury travelers requires government and media attention
There are ways countries at the bottom of the log can attract more luxury visitors but it is not going to happen magically without the hard work. Governments of such countries must be ready to match words with action in terms of financing luxury apartments.
Also, the media can be a vital tool which these countries can use to advertise the little they already have to the world. If they don’t blow their trumpet, who will?
- The quest for new luxury destination kicks in as early as new year’s eve for luxury travelers.
- Vacation is a crucial part of many US families.
- Some families save up to 5% of their income for travels.
- Speculating the top luxury destinations without a statistical backing is useless.
- Mexico will attract 26% luxury travelers in 2016.
- Germany and Bahamas will only see about 14% luxury travelers.
- Australia will have very low amount of luxury travelers.
- The development in Mexico has become a yardstick to many countries.
- Government of countries that plan to increase their luxury travel drive must be ready to invest.
- The media can be used to promote the country to the world.
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Local Guitar Hero signed to endorsement deal
The exclusive, longterm contract makes Chike an official spokesman and consultant for The Ant Commandos, a company that manufacturers the plastic guitar peripheral and other videogame accessories.
"We look at him as our Tiger Woods," says Raymond Yow, the director of marketing for TAC. "We always look for this type of talented videogamer to help us design a better product. To spend so much time on this thing, they know things that other people don’t know, to really push the product, and we want that."
Although the monetary details are being kept under wraps, the deal comes with one very cool perk. Starting next month, Chike will begin meeting with an engineering team to create a special high-end guitar for top-level players.
"It’s going to have a lot of interesting new technology in it—totally different than all the guitars you see right now for the game," Yow says, adding that he expects the controller to be available by the end of the year in time for Christmas.


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Transite Technology has released Quantum, an integrated management solution the company says can cut transportation costs by 20%. Quantum includes Transite's My Freight Portal, which identifies the lowest-cost shipping choice, and several other technologies in Transite's portfolio.
“Transite Quantum has the most impact on customers' true profits and is our most powerful offering,” says Geoff Comrie, CEO of Transite. “Customers who only use our technology save money, and customers who use only our services save money too.”
Among the services Transite offers are rate negotiations, carrier contract management, shipment rating, freight bill auditing, financial reporting and other cost reduction options. www.transite.com


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Australia and India have long held a trustful bilateral relationship, gathering serious momentum in recent times. For around ten years, Australian businesses have monitored the rapid growth of their close neighbour, and vice versa, in anticipation of more formal access to new and evolving million and billion-strong customer markets.
As set out in Australia’s An update to an India Economic Strategy to 2035: Navigating from potential to delivery (dfat.gov.au) and India’s ‘Australia Economic Strategy’ (AES2020), opportunities to accelerate Australia-India business span numerous sectors. Taking India’s technology, talent pool and manufacturing capability combined with Australia’s natural competitive advantages in land, agriculture & natural resources and infrastructure, the countries seem a perfect match.
The most forward-thinking businesses with a presence in Australian or Indian markets (or both) have been continually adapting growth plans to better align with the opportunities these strategies identify, strategically positioning themselves for the long-awaited arrival of more accessible market entry pathways.
AI-ECTA: the new trade deal
The Australia-India bilateral architecture has been enhanced with the signing of the historic Australia-India Economic Cooperation Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) on 2 April 2022. Though it is an interim trade deal, AI-ECTA is substantive and far reaching, facilitating greater and more liberal trade and investment between Australia and India.
The agreement spans across trade in goods and services, people movement (including measures to increase the level of skilled migration – an ongoing issue in Australia) and other regulatory and non-regulatory modifications, as captured in KPMG’s placemat information guide on the agreement.
Signed at a uniquely accelerated pace, the AI-ECTA comes at a critical time for both countries’ economies.
In the face of an uncertain geopolitical climate, global supply chain disruption and insatiable demand, countries around the world are making concerted efforts to mitigate risk by acquiring sure supply pathways and reinforcing diplomatic security. Ensuring Australian and Indian businesses are taking every measure to capitalise on the newfound strength of the bilateral relationship and the technical market access advantages it entails, will be a key to success.
The benefits of increased trade, investment and capital flows, and the development of new supply chains, will benefit not just Australia and India alone, but offers potentially much wider benefits to support the broader Indo-Pacific region for years to come.
Leverage opportunities today
While there has been no official announcement on when both Australian and Indian parliaments are expected to approve the agreement, the expectation is that this will occur before the end of the 2022 calendar year. With the upcoming ratification of AI-ECTA, Australian boards and business leaders should recognise the power of newfound growth and diversification offered by the Indian market.
How organisations can better access the rich flow of goods, services and people between the two nations should be front and centre of every board room. Core to this growth will be discussing with internal management and stakeholders:
- What is our current India strategy, and does it need to be refreshed given recent developments?
- Do we have a solid understanding of the new arrangements under AI-ECTA, and are we leveraging them to their full potential?
- Given Government initiatives and the opening of the world’s second largest market by population (set to have 900 million internet users by 2025), what are the business models and opportunities that we can explore over the next 12-18 months?
- What is our present level of engagement with India? Why not start locally with your Indian counterparts across corporates, businesses, other networks and individuals within Australia’s large Indian diaspora?
KPMG placemat information guide
Our placemat elaborates on the opportunities the AI-ECTA creates for Australian and Indian businesses, with a succinct overview of the key regulatory changes to be expected and how KPMG can help companies to leverage them strategically.
Download to get started
Find out more
The IA-ECTA commences on 29 December 2022. Find out which rules must be complied with to access preferential customs duty rates at the borders.
IA-ECTA free trade agreement: Compliance rules to access preferential customs duty rates.


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Amrish Rau (L) and Jitendra Gupta (R)
After selling their payment gateway startup, Citrus Pay, to PayU in September 2016, co-founders Amrish Rau and Jitendra Gupta met one of their earliest backers, Teru Sato of venture capital firm Beenext.
Over lunch, they discussed what Rau and Gupta would do with the money from the deal; the duo had made a little over Rs 100 crore each. Sato, who started two companies in Japan and exited them, enquired how much they planned to invest in startups. Not more than 5%, they replied.
Sato was surprised by the answer, and revealed that as an entrepreneur, he had pumped 80% of his wealth into startups. Two years on, Rau and Gupta find themselves on a similar course.
“We have invested 30-35% of our wealth in startups and angel investments, even though we initially thought we would not go over 5%,” Rau told STOI. After serving as the CEO of PayU India, he now heads Naspers Fintech. PayU is owned by South African internet and media group Naspers.
Gupta and Rau have backed about 20 startups, which are turning out well. Already, the two have seen the value of their overall investment increase by six times. Some portfolio companies that have done well for them are e-sports startup Mobile Premier League, credit card bill payment platform Cred, neo-banking startup Open, craft beer brand Bira and Swedish credit card bill refinancing startup Anyfin.
The duo made their first investment bet in late 2015 in a firm called EasyRewardz, but it picked up steam after the $130-million acquisition of Citrus by PayU. In thepast three months, they have made about eight investments.
Given their background, they get a lot of the deal flow in the financial technology space, which is a major focus area, accounting for over a third of the portfolio.
“Another common theme is that we back founders MyGate whom co we -founder come Vijay across Arisetty in our work life and have dealt with over a period of six months to a year; we know their strengths,” said Gupta, adding that 75% of their investments fall in this category.
For instance, they had interacted with Mikael Hussain of Anyfin in 2015 when he was working with Swedish payments major Klarna as vice-president, looking after risk and other areas, a part of the business Rau and Gupta were trying to understand. When Hussain decided to launch Anyfin in 2017, he asked the two if they wanted to come into the picture as angel investors.
There have been times when Rau and Gupta didn’t take the same investment path. Rau, for example, is an investor in Signzy, whereas Gupta backs IDfy; the startups compete in authenticating users for fintech platforms.
The investments by the Citrus co-founders come at a time when overall early-stage transactions have fallen. The number of seed and angel deals has more than halved from the peak of 1,030 in 2016 to 484 in 2018, according to Tracxn.
Active angel investors, or super angels, come to the aid of startup founders who are struggling to stay afloat. Both Rau and Gupta have been playing that role.
“At the end of 2017, I ran out of money. Some of my angel investors provided fresh capital after a five-minute call — that saved my startup,” said Rameswar Misra, co-founder and CEO of Turms, which makes smart apparel. Gupta has put money in Turms.
Misra now has the backing of over 40 angel investors, leveraging their expertise for inputs on marketing, design, working capital and hiring. An early-stage investor is even willing to rework the fundraising terms for Turms.


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12 Sanborns stores close due to losses of 196 million pesos in the first quarter of 2021
Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox
Grupo Sanborns , owned by businessman Carlos Slim , recorded losses of 196 million pesos in its net profit at the end of the 2021 quarter. As a result, the chain confirmed the closure of 12 of its stores , according to the financial report sent to the Mexican Stock Exchange. de Valores (BMV).
From January to March 2021, Sanborns reported total sales of 10,575 million pesos , 6.6% less compared to the same period in 2020. Likewise, it indicated that as of March, a recovery was observed in Sears , Sanborns and Mix Up , thanks to the reopening of shops and restaurants.
- It may interest you: News goes viral that the emblematic Sanborns de San Ángel 'will close its doors' due to the crisis generated by the pandemic
The firm indicates that the restrictions imposed since last December 19, when Mexico City and the State of Mexico entered a red light, caused a drastic drop in the utility of their premises.
"These measures again impacted customer traffic in the metropolitan area, a region in which 42% of our physical points of sale are concentrated , " explained Grupo Sanborns , which now has 437 units, in contrast to the 449 it had in March 2020.
While the December-February closings impacted sales at its restaurants and department stores, other of its businesses did well. "On the contrary, our iShop and self-service stores considered essential performed well," they indicated.
According to the report, the categories of technology and electronics showed the best performance, while the large purchases and fashion reflected lower demand were.
"Customers remained cautious and the reduction in physical sales was offset by sales through e-commerce , which grew 3.5 times," the company explained.
As for its own credit cards , the company detailed that the number rose to 4.49 million, an increase of 28,000 new cardholders compared to March 2020.
"The percentage of overdue portfolio more than 90 days was 5.8% compared to 3.5% in the first quarter of 2020. The deterioration is partly explained by the impact on the economy of consumers due to the effects of quarantines" , concluded the signing of Carlos Slim.


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People believe Britain’s ability to produce its own food is increasingly important, suggests a survey carried out during the coronavirus pandemic.
The public also have a more favourable view of farming – perhaps encouraged by the efforts of growers and livestock producers to feed the nation during the crisis.
Asked whether their view of British farming had changed in the past three months, 28% of respondents said it was more favourable, while 11% said less favourable.
And 51% said they felt Britain’s ability to produce its own food had become more important.
The independent survey of 2,036 UK adults was carried out by pollsters Censuswide on behalf of the NFU on 20-21 April 2020.
NFU director general Terry Jones said the findings showed people were “on our side” through what is a difficult time for the industry and the country as a whole.
Drawing a comparison with the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak, Mr Jones said the effect of the coronavirus pandemic is very different to previous crises suffered by the farming sector.
“Foot-and-mouth was a farming crisis with a national impact,” he told journalists during an online media briefing on Monday (27 April). “This is a national crisis with a farming impact.”
Coronavirus has seen the government designate agriculture an essential industry, with farmers and food chain staff deemed to be key workers.
The importance of food and farming was further highlighted earlier in the pandemic as panic-buying shoppers cleared supermarket shelves of essential items.
Earlier, Defra secretary George Eustice said panic buying had now ceased and 500,000 food parcels had been delivered by volunteers to people unable to leave their homes due to a clinical condition.
“In addition, the major supermarkets have agreed to prioritise delivery slots for those in this shielded group,” said Mr Eustice on Sunday (26 April).
“So far, over 300,000 such deliveries have been made, enabling people to shop normally and choose the goods that they want to buy.”
Many supermarkets have taken steps to increase delivery slots for online shopping.
The number of supermarket delivery slots had increased from 2.1m to 2.6m since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, said Mr Eustice. It was expected to grow further to 2.9m delivery slots over the next couple of weeks.


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NEW DELHI: Air India
is offering rescheduling options without charges for future travel. “Passengers flying with us or planning to fly on our network till May 31, 2020, can now to book free of cost and travel at ease till December 31, 2020,” AI tweeted.
Lufthansa Group has extended its free rebooking period and is offering Euro-50 discount. “Passengers can rebook a new departure date up to August 31, 2020, and rebook to another destination. Discount of Euro 50 for every rebooking. Customers do not have to contact customer service before the original flight date, rebooking also possible afterwards,” the German major said. More on Covid-19
Virgin Atlantic says it will operate its “last Delhi-London Heathrow (VS301) scheduled service on Saturday (March 21) and Mumbai-London Heathrow (VS355) on Sunday.”
Etihad has suspended all flights between Abu Dhabi and Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad and Trivandrum from March 22 to March 28.
Lufthansa Group says “customers who have tickets for cancelled and existing Lufthansa Group flights can keep these tickets without having to commit to a new flight date straight away. Existing bookings will initially be cancelled, but the ticket and ticket value will remain unchanged and can be extended to a new departure date up to and including December 31, 2020. Customers can also rebook to another destination.
Previously, customers were asked to notify the airlines of their desired rebooking date by June 1, however this period has been extended by twelve weeks until August 31, 2020.”
“The Lufthansa Group offers its customers a discount of Euro 50 on every rebooking. Of course rebooking fees will still not be charged, regardless of which fare was booked. Should the rebooked fare be more expensive due to a change of destination (like rebooking from short-haul to long-haul), change of class of travel or similar, an additional payment may be necessary despite the discount. This regulation applies to tickets booked up to and including 31 March 31, 2020, and with a confirmed travel date up to and including December 31, 2020.”
Given high customer requests volume, Lufthansa Group has reiterated that customers do not need to contact its Customer Service before the original flight date as rebooking is also possible after the planned flight date has passed.
Etihad, which has reduced flights to many countries, said in a statement: “Due to the spread of COVID-19 novel coronavirus
and its continuing impact on air travel services globally, Etihad Airways continues to follow UAE and international government and regulatory authority directives and has implemented a series of consolidated network changes. This is also being carried out for the safety and convenience of its customers and staff, and to minimise operational disruption during this period.”
KLM has a no change fee for all tickets policy. The Dutch airline’s website says passengers “may change travel dates without having to pay the change fee: Until and including November 30, 2020, (they) can change travel dates if the same travel class as mentioned on your original ticket is available. From December 1, 2020, onwards, (they) can change travel dates if the same fare type as mentioned in original ticket is available. If changed to a higher fare type, may need to pay the fare difference.”
A Virgin Atlantic (VA) statement said: “Indian Authorities have advised that from 12:00 GMT on March 18 they will deny entry to any customers, regardless of nationality, travelling from UK, EU, the European Free Trade Association, and Turkey. This is a temporary measure that the authorities will review on March 31. We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience caused…”


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(KGTV) - Starbucks fans will have a limited time to test their fates at the drink counter this month with a new treat.
Starbucks will offer its Crystal Ball Frappuccino from March 22 to 26 at participating U.S., Mexico, and Canada locations.
The drink will come in three magical variations, blue, green, and purple. The drink itself is concocted with a creme-based Frappuccino infused with peach flavor and turquoise sparkles. That's topped with a peach-flavored whipped cream and candy sprinkle.
Gaze deep within our crystal ba...OMG it's a Frappuccino now! #CrystalBallFrappuccino ✨🔮
(Available in the US, Canada & Mexico while the magic lasts). pic.twitter.com/bYCFaeLwEO
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) March 22, 2018
But the fun part is customers won't know what color drink they'll get. Only a fortune teller could know what color the candy rocks will reveal.
The Crystal Ball Frappuccino is the coffee giant's latest variation of the popular drink. Last year, Starbucks delighted fans with special unicorn, zombie, mermaid, and Christmas tree Frappuccinos.


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Pasture heads to Charlottesville, UR opens a restaurant, and more pizza in Carytown?
There’s a lot of coming and going in the local restaurant scene, with one restaurant expanding beyond the city limits, another trying to take over the space of a fledgling record store, and the University of Richmond getting collegial in the kitchen.
On September 10th, the University of Richmond will open a restaurant downtown at 626 E. Broad Street inside the UR Downtown building. The restaurant will focus on breakfast and lunch, Monday – Friday from 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM. Chef Matthew Lee, former executive chef of the Altria Group, is in charge of a menu that will focus on local and seasonal options. The restaurant is part of UR’s ongoing effort to be involved in the revitalization of the downtown area. Check the menus out here.
— ∮∮∮ —
Mellow Mushroom might be coming to Carytown. The Atlanta-based pizza chain applied for an on-premise wine and beer license at 3012 W. Cary Street, the current location of Plan 9 Music. Apparently, the record store has been up for lease for a while and they’re looking to downsize. You can take a look at the Mellow Mushroom menu in case you want to plan a visit. We’ll keep you posted.
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According to Richmond.com, Pasture will be opening a second location in Charlottesville. Jason Alley and team, who run both Pasture and Comfort, will be opening Pasture’s second location at The Shops at Stonefield this winter. Alley chats more about the new location in this quick Facebook video. Remember you can visit Pasture in Richmond at 416 E. Grace Street:
- Monday – Friday, 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
- Monday – Thursday, 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Friday – Saturday, 5:00 – 11:00 PM
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If you don’t have plans to visit a body of water to celebrate Labor Day this weekend, The Tobacco Company has a Sunday night plan for you. Starting at 8:00 PM, The Trongone Band will be playing tunes and there will be summer cocktail specials along with $2 burgers. Tobacco Co. promises those drinks will be served in mason jars–nothing says “I have Monday off” like a cocktail in a mason jar.
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Dissenting Hewlett sells HP stock
5pc less clout
The Hewlett Foundation, which opposes the proposed Sircam merger with Compaq, has sold 5.5 million shares in HP and an undisclosed number in HP's Agilent division. It leaves the Foundation, controlled by leading merger dissident Walter Hewlett, holding 36.5 million shares. As these are voting shares, Hewlett has less clout than he did before the sale.
But it's a more complex arrangement than first appears: in all, the Foundation will acquire over a hundred million shares from the Hewlett family trust, giving Walter more rather than less board leverage, should he wish to stick around.
"We think this deal is so fundamentally bad that it will be defeated by a huge margin, not a close margin," Hewlett's advisor told the Mercury News. ®


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Apple’s iPhone Patent Design Deemed Invalid in Samsung Lawsuit
In an interesting turn of events, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a (non-final) rejection of an Apple patent successfully asserted against Samsung in the much-discussed patent litigation that finally brought the iPhone maker $547 million in damages, reports Florian Müller of Foss Patents. If the USPTO’s decision becomes final, the damages award (recently upheld by the Federal Circuit court) would be questionable.
After re-examining Apple’s US design patent No. 618,677, referred to as “D’677” in the Samsung litigation, the USPTO found that the design patent’s single claim “stands twice rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) [obviousness], rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a)/102(e) [obviousness in connection with a published patent application], and rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(e).”
The problem seems to be that LG and Sharp had already patented the “design” of a mobile terminal years ahead of Apple (the D’677 patent granted in 2010 describes “the ornamental design of an electronic device, as shown and described”) and even Samsung was granted a design patent (describing the ornamental design for a portable communication terminal) before Apple. That makes the first two reasons for the rejection.
The third and fourth reasons for rejection (obviousness in connection with a published patent application) are related to two Apple design patents: U.S. Design Patent No. D602,014 with other prior art and U.S. Design Patent No. D618,204. The examiner says U.S. Design Patent No. D618,204 is not the same as D’677. Apple now has to prove that it is.
The non-final decision comes at a time when Samsung’s request to have the patent case reheard (with the aim of reducing or vacating the $547 million damages award) was rejected without comment by the Federal Circuit. Of course, we can assume that Samsung was behind the re-examination request (filed in 2013), but this still raises questions about the validity of the initial ruling.


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After learning about displaced animals due to Hurricane Harvey, Alexia Porter knew she had to do something.
“I just saw all of the animals being rescued on the news and I felt bad, so I wanted to do something,” she said. “My mom said, ‘you’re a Girl Scout, you can figure it out.'”
And figure it out she did. Alexia, a 9-year-old Girl Scout Junior from Gurnee, Illinois, immediately started texting family members and friends to help her gather pet food for the Houston SPCA. She also visited local pet stores for supplies as well.
In about a week, Alexia collected more than 100,000 pounds of pet food – so much so that The Shipping Point in Gurnee needed a semi-truck to haul it all.
“The Houston SPCA called to say ‘thank you’ and to tell her she was an angel of a Girl Scout,” said Dena Porter, Alexia’s mom. “She was so honored and felt such a huge sense of accomplishment and pride for helping so many defenseless animals left orphaned in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.”
Alexia, who has a pet Dachshund named Hershey and a Blue Siamese cat named Elsa, is passionate about helping animals and hopes to someday become a veterinarian … or a doctor, teacher, singer or dancer.
“I felt really good because I think it’s awesome that we went from a really little truck to a big one,” she said. “I learned about giving back in Girl Scouts, and to be kind and caring in the Girl Scout Promise. I use it every day.”
To learn more about how you can help with disaster recovery, please visit girlscoutsgcnwi.org.