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While we’re all preparing to pop champagne at midnight to say goodbye to 2016, the Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar and falls any time between 21 January and 20 February.
The official Chinese New Year is Saturday 28 January 2017, and will see many wearing new clothes from head to toe, to symbolise a new start and fresh hopes for the year.Maskless woman spits at Waitrose cashier and shouts 'you're dead'
The lucky colour, red, and other bright colours will be worn, to go with the upbeat and festive mood.
Dragon and lion dances will be performed, as it is traditionally believed that such dances are a way to pray for good luck and drive away evil spirits.
According to the Chinese calendar, we’re at the end of the year of the monkey – more specifically, the fire monkey.
If you were born in 1956 or 2016, your character is ambitious, adventurous, and irritable.
2017 symbolises the year of the Rooster – those born in 1957 or 2017 are fire roosters, who are said to be trustworthy, responsible at work and have a strong sense of timekeeping.
To mark the upcoming Rooster year, the Chinese have created a Trump-inspired sculpture, which is on display at a shopping centre in Taiyuan, Shanxi province.
The designer said he was inspired by Trump’s iconic hair.
Roosters are said to be the most motivated animal in the Chinese zodiac, and make their careers a priority. They are hard-working and able to deal with a variety of jobs due to their multiple talents.
If you’re a rooster, you’re well suited to become a journalist, salesperson, hairdresser, soldier, surgeon or security guard.
Roosters who take the initiative will make good career achievements in the upcoming year, which will make up for the fickle finances from the previous year of the Monkey.
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It’s the real-world equivalent of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce, the fictional lawsuit Charles Dickens wrote about in Bleak House. The Jarndyce case in the chancery courts in Britain dragged on for so many generations the legal fees devoured the probate estate over which the parties were haggling.
Evidently there’s no risk of that outcome in the litigation between Czech beer brewer Budejovicky Budvar (“Budvar”) and Anheuser Busch over exclusive rights to use of the name “Budweiser.” There are 61 lawsuits pending between the two companies in 11 countries, with the first case filed in 1906. A possible global settlement fell apart recently.
Since 1265, beer has been brewed in Ceske Budejovice, a German-speaking city in the Czech Republic called Budweis for short. Beer brewed there has been called Budweiser for centuries. Budvar was founded in 1895 and has been selling beer it calls Budweiser ever since then.
Anheuser-Busch began producing the beer it calls Budweiser in America in 1876; AB itself was founded in 1852 and is now part of AB InBev.
The parties last reached a settlement in 1939, giving AB exclusive rights to use of the name Budweiser in the Americas north of Panama, but that agreement fell apart as each company sought to expand into new markets.
Currently, AB brews its Budweiser in more than 15 countries, and it is sold in 80 countries, with its key markets in the United States, China, Canada, and Britain. Budvar has rights in Germany and 67 other countries, including most of Europe plus eleven Asian countries including Japan, Korea, China, and Vietnam.
The two companies share the name Budweiser in Britain. AB lost an attempt to get exclusive rights to the name. AB was not pleased: “Our concern is that coexistence on the U.K. market with the Budweiser brand will lead to consumer confusion,” said Karen Couck, the spokeswoman for AB Inbev. “We want to make sure that when our customers order a Budweiser that they receive the clean, crisp taste of the global brand we have created.”
But a British consumer rights advocate says there is little likelihood of confusion between the two products. Budvar’s has “a full bodied taste” while “AB’s Budweiser has little taste, or in the words of AB InBev, a clean taste,” he said. “Customers know which beer is which.”
Source: Karel Janicek, “Century-old fight for Budweiser name hits new snag,” Associated Press, December 18, 2012

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Public records requests have revealed that on at least four occasions, the Raleigh-Durham police obtained warrants forcing Google to reveal the identities of every mobile user within acres of a crime scene, sweeping up the personal information of thousands of people in a quest to locate a single perp.
The warrants came with gag orders that banned Google from disclosing their existence; in their requests for the warrants, local prosecutors say that they don't even believe that warrants are needed to get this information, but since Google insists, they're willing to get them.
The cops insist that this approach balances the public's Fourth Amendment rights with their need to fight crimes. Only one of the crimes in which police used this dragnet technique has had an arrest; it's not clear if this arrest was the result of data from Google.
The demands Raleigh police issued for Google data described a 17-acre area that included both homes and businesses. In the Efobi homicide case, the cordon included dozens of units in the Washington Terrace complex near St. Augustine's University.
The account IDs aren't limited to electronics running Android. The warrant includes any device running location-enabled Google apps, according to Raleigh Police Department spokeswoman Laura Hourigan.
"At the end of the day, this tactic unavoidably risks getting information about totally innocent people," Wessler said. "Location information is really revealing and private about people's habits and activities and what they're doing."
To find suspects, police quietly turn to Google [Tyler Dukes/WRAL]
In the wake of this week's Motherboard scoop that the major US carriers sell customers' location data to marketing companies that sell it on to bounty hunters and other unsavory characters, Google has disclosed that they have told the carriers that supply service for its Google Fi mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that they expect […]
At CES, the Verge's Nilay Patel interviewed Vizio CTO Bill Baxter, who told her that when it comes to the surveillance features of his company's "smart" TVs, "it’s not just about data collection. It’s about post-purchase monetization of the TV...[When it comes to 'dumb' TVs,] we’d collect a little bit more margin at retail to […]
Sources "familiar with Ring's practices" have told The Intercept that the company -- a division of Amazon that makes streaming cameras designed to be mounted inside and outside your home -- stores the video feeds from its customers' homes in unencrypted format and allows staff around the world to have essentially unfettered access to these […]
Want a career in web design? It’s true that these days, most anyone can throw up a page or two. But for true workhorse web design, you’ll sometimes need to match the platform to the project. Enter the Complete Front-End Developer Bundle, an educational grand tour around the best tools for the web. For beginners, […]
Things move fast in the world of social media, and they don’t slow down for marketers looking to make an impact. Whether you’re grabbing eyeballs for a major company or a local business, you’ll need to adjust your strategy for every platform. Don’t have a strategy to begin with? That’s where the Social Media Marketing […]
It’s a rude awakening for that rookie vacationer abroad when they try to plug in their gear for the night. Veteran jet-setters know that outlet shapes can vary wildly from country to country, which necessitates that most boring must-have for any world-traveler: A sackful of clunky power adapters. Awkward problem, elegant solution: The Twist Plus […]


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Apple today has released an update to OS X Yosemite’s official Mail application via Software Update in the Mac App Store. It’s available for both developers and customers on the public beta. Apple says that the update fixes an issue related to users being unable to compose messages. It’s interesting that Apple issued this update as a standalone fix versus an entirely new developer preview. Apple released new developer and public betas for Yosemite last week. The final OS is expected to ship in late October.
As we shared this morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook today participated in the Climate Week NYC environment-focused conference to speak on behalf of Apple and the company’s efforts on preserving the planet. During his interview, Cook stated that Apple’s new headquarters will be what he thinks is the greenest building on the planet:
“We’re building a new headquarters that will, I think, be the greenest building on the planet. It’ll be a center for innovation, and it’s something clearly our employees want and we want.
Cook’s comments came in the context of discussing Apple’s efforts to monitor the environmental impact of the supply chain behind Apple’s products, not just Apple-operated facilities and improving the carbon footprint of other facilities. Cook echoed past comments by saying that Apple will focus on the supply chain “in a major way.” Read more
DisplayMate has put the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus through its usual rigorous display quality tests today, giving us a look at how the displays have improved and the differences between the two models.
The iPhone 6 Plus gets particularly high praise in the report with DisplayMate calling it “the Best performing Smartphone LCD” it’s ever tested. For the iPhone 6, however, that means not as great of a showing thanks to the display’s lower resolution and pixel density: Read more
While iOS 8 adoption was lagging behind last year’s release at just 15% before the official launch of the new iPhones on Friday, it’s now hovering at approximately 30% after record first weekend sales for the new iPhones. That stat, which comes from research and analytics firms Fiksu, Mixpanel, Appsee, & Chitika is below the almost 50% of users iOS 7 had this many days into launch last year.
Fiksu and Mixpanel also offered data on iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus adoption following the first weekend of sales. Both show that iPhone 6 is outpacing iPhone 6 Plus quite significantly after the first few days in customers’ hands, but it’s quite likely that could be due to a much tighter supply of iPhone 6 Plus. Read more
In an Irish radio interview, Bono discusses his various collaborations with Apple, as transcribed by TUAW. Interesting, Bono claims Apple now has 885 million iTunes accounts (up from 800 million as officially announced in April). With his work on a mysterious new music format, he aims to help Apple cross the billion accounts mark. The new medium has apparently been underway for a while, spanning back to a conversation with Steve Jobs in 2009. Read more
With the release of iOS 8 and the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, a ton of new video shooting features are now available to iPhonographers including Time-lapse mode, 240-fps Slow-mo mode, 60-fps HD capture, and Cinematic Video Stabilization. Apple demoed some of these video shooting features earlier this month at the September event, and the iPhone 6 camera microsite includes sample videos of each mode.
With Apple selling over 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets from pre-sales and launch weekend, we’re likely to see a more and more incredible videos shot on Apple’s new devices, and below we’ve put together a collection of some of the best videos shot in each mode from early iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus adopters. Read more
The next-generation USB “Type C” standard that became available to manufacturers last month will also offer a “DisplayPort Alternate Mode”, enabling the new USB cables to “deliver full DisplayPort audio/video (A/V) performance, driving monitor resolutions of 4K and beyond, SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1) data and up to 100 watts of power–over a single cable.” That means new USB cables that adopt the new slimmer Type-3 standard can essentially also work as a full-fledged DisplayPort cable. The announcement was made today by The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), which worked with the USB 3.0 Promoter Group to offer the functionality: Read more
Following a report earlier this month that claimed Apple was readying its long-rumored 12-inch MacBook Air in iPhone-style space gray and gold options, the Jack March is now back with more details of the next-gen Macbooks. According to the report, Apple will move from the current USB ports to the new slimmer, reversible USB Type C introduced last month by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group. It will also feature a “noticeably thinner design” and remove the current MagSafe charging solution. 9to5mac has reason to believe he has knowledge of Apple’s upcoming MacBook Airs.
It’s iPhone season once again and most of us are faced with a tough decision. Should you upgrade or wait around another year for a better device? That may be a tough decision, but it’s always easier to see the pros and cons of both sides with a good old-fashioned comparison.
We’re taking a look at Apple’s new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and last year’s iPhone 5s and going over the details and specifications for each device. Knowing the facts is half of the battle, but hopefully this will help you see the benefits from each side…
With the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus now officially in customers’ hands after a record opening weekend of iPhone sales, today we get a look at various benchmark results for the devices compared to the competition from AnandTech. Ahead of the site’s full technical review of the new iPhones, today it posted several benchmark results showing the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus win out by just about every metric. Read more
The Skype app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch has now been updated with support for iOS 8. Unfortunately, this does not include support for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus screen sizes, meaning Skype still renders at a scaled iPhone 5s resolution.
However, the update does add interactive notifications which helps streamline responding to content. Hence, new Skype notifications have buttons attached to the alert which can perform various actions. For voice calls, you can answer or decline. For video calls, you can choose between voice or video responses. For missed calls, you can respond with a message or call the person straight back.
Apple has today announced that it sold 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units in the first three days of sales. This includes the 4 million units sold in the first 24 hours of preorder sales. Apple’s newest iPhones have consistently been out of stock across the world, particularly the iPhone 6 Plus which is believed to have faced production issues, limiting the number of available devices for sale.
For comparison, Apple reported 9 million iPhone 5s and 5c sales in the first three days. This means the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus set a new record by over a million units. Apple is unlikely to give any more color regarding iPhone sales performance until its quarterly earnings call in October. As usual, Apple has opted to not share the breakdown of sales between the two new devices.


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The Federal Reserve’s policy meeting highlights this week’s slate of economic news.
U.S. retail sales are expected to fall in May as auto sales decline, fiscal support for consumers fades and Americans shift their spending toward services and away from goods while vaccine campaigns advance and more businesses reopen.
U.S. industrial production is forecast to rise in May, led by a pickup in manufacturing. Factory activity around the world has faced similar opportunities and challenges: Red-hot demand, rising costs, supply-chain bottlenecks and trouble hiring workers.
China’s economic indicators for May are likely to show another month of slowing growth, as the base effect of a pandemic year eases and production is suspended in the manufacturing and export hub of Guangdong province to control recent Covid-19 outbreaks. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal are forecasting industrial output increased 8.8% from a year earlier in May, decelerating from 9.8% for the prior month. Retail sales are expected to rise 13.6% versus April’s lower-than-expected 17.7% increase. And nonrural fixed-asset investment likely rose 16.6% in the January to May period, compared with 19.9% in the first four months of the year.
U.S. housing starts are expected to rise in May as builders confront strong demand alongside rising costs for materials and difficulty finding workers. One side effect: Prices for new and previously owned U.S. homes are surging.
The Federal Reserve releases a policy statement and new economic projections at the end of a two-day meeting. No major policy shifts are expected, but a recent inflation surge gives the Fed more reason to begin discussing an eventual wind-down of their pandemic-driven easy-money policies.
Bank of Japan’s
policy board is expected to maintain its easy monetary policy at Friday’s meeting but may discuss an extension of its special lending program designed to support companies affected by the pandemic.
Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Appeared in the June 14, 2021, print edition as ‘Economic Calendar.’


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African nations set to approve huge free trade deal (CNN)
The African continent is on the cusp of something big.
Fifty-five nations are negotiating a free trade deal that will cover more than 1.2 billion people across Africa, from Morocco all the way to South Africa.
Their leaders are planning to give political backing to the deal in late March, and launch a free trade zone for goods and services before the end of 2018, according to a spokesperson for the African Union, an organization that represents all 55 countries.
The Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) could eventually be extended to create common policies on investment, competition and intellectual property.
It covers economies with a combined GDP of around $3.4 trillion.
The deal is designed to replace a patchwork of smaller trade agreements and bring countries closer together, following the pattern set by the European Union.
Like the EU, African nations hope one day to allow the free movement of people across the continent. An African central bank and single currency could follow within 10 years, said Prudence Sebahizi, the CFTA’s chief technical adviser.
Analysts are still crunching the numbers for what the CFTA means for economic growth and prosperity. The United Nations estimated in 2012 that the CFTA could boost trade within Africa by about 50% over the course of a decade.
Growth is very uneven across the continent and has generally slowed over the past few years, down to 3.5% in 2017 from a recent peak of 7% in 2012, according to the International Monetary Fund. It is forecast to rise in the coming years, but not by much.
“The potential for the agreement to support the continent’s development is huge,” said Danae Kyriakopoulou, chief economist at the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), a financial think tank in London
Two of the biggest economies — Nigeria and South Africa — support the deal, according to the African Union, which works to promote economic and political integration. Nigeria is chairing the negotiations while South Africa has sent big delegations to each round of talks, it added.
But some experts are cautious about the prospects for success.
John Ashbourne, an Africa economist at Capital Economics, is a self-professed CFTA skeptic. He worries that the free trade zone could be “unworkably large” and may have limited benefits.
“While tariffs are a big problem, there are also very tangible reasons why intra-Africa trade is low. The infrastructure needed to facilitate intra-regional trade is poor, and most countries don’t produce many finished goods that their neighbors want,” he said.
That’s reflected in relatively weak trade ties between African countries.
“In absolute terms, African countries traded almost twice as much with the European Union as they did with each other in 2016,” said the OMFIF’s Kyriakopoulou. “This defies one of the principles of trade economics: that proximity matters.”
In a recent article in the Financial Times, Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou listed several obstacles to boosting continental trade, including “border delays, burdensome customs and inspection procedures.”
But the potential rewards are simply too big to ignore, he added.
“With the continent’s economy expected to grow to $29 trillion by 2050, the CFTA may evolve to cover a market that is larger than NAFTA today,” he wrote, referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
see CNN for more information http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/19/news/economy/africa-free-trade-deal-cfta/
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Japanese Man Steals 360 Raincoats Of Women Because Of A Fetish
A peculiar obsession with observing women wear water-resistant gear led to a man in Osaka, Japan, being arrested for stealing 360 raincoats.
The Abeno Precinct of the Osaka Prefectural Police detained Yoshio Yoda, 51, on September 22 on suspicion of stealing clothing items on numerous occasions.
According to reports, Yoda, an Osaka newspaper delivery worker, would cycle alongside women wearing vinyl or plastic water-resistant garments. Additionally, he would go to parking lots and look for bicycles that belonged to women. Investigators claim that Yoda would then search through those with attached baskets to steal women’s raincoats.
According to reports, Yoda said, “I was just as happy to see women wearing raincoats as I was to see them in underwear.”
In his home, police discovered about 360 raincoats. There have been allegations of the theft of about 320 them between December 2013 and May of this year.
Since 2009, Yoda has acknowledged stealing raincoats. He added that what piques his strange interest is the “clinginess of the wet garments.”
The overall harm inflicted by Yoda’s offenses was determined by the investigators to be about $7,734 (1.12 million yen), based on an average estimated cost of about $24 (3,500 yen) for each raincoat.
Yoda was identified by officials as the “Raincoat Man” after an inquiry.
Also read about A Japanese Man Arrested For Stealing 730 Pieces Of Women’s Underwear


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On Tuesday, South Korean technology firm LG teased an upcoming extended reality (XR) product that leverages virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) solutions via its LG Display sub-division.
In a first-quarter earnings conference call, an LG representative explained,
“We are closely monitoring the XR market and are preparing to enter it quickly if profitability and market size meet our standards. We are preparing products in advance”
LG Electronics introduced its Small and Medium-sized Business Division last year, which provides crucial research and development (R&D) related to OLED panels for upcoming XR headsets.
Currently, there is a growing demand for practical and efficient display solutions. Many firms construct various component solutions, including microLED, QLED, and OLED displays for XR devices.
Major firms such as Apple are developing OLED solutions with partners TSMC. Google is also investing in microLED technology for its upcoming XR headset following the acquisition of Raxium, a startup focusing on immersive displays.
Alternatively, several global startups have earned significant capital from strategic partners to accelerate and enhance experimental components. Notably, firms such as InZiv, Vuereal, and Porotech earned between $10 and $20 million each to assist in creating advanced display components and solutions.
LG’s Entry into the XR Marketplace
This week’s announcement does not mark LGs first foray into XR technology. In October last year, LG revealed a tech partnership with Apple and Microsoft to supply each headset vendor with 3D time of flight (ToF) components.
The partnership between the two firms and LG’s InnoTek division will supply Apple with components for upcoming XR products, potentially including Apple’s AR smart glasses set for launch next year.
Previously, LG provided Apple with components to enable lidar-powered, 5G-based AR immersive experiences on Apple iPad and iPhone Pro devices. The South Korean firm also supplies Meta with parts for its Quest 2 VR headsets.
Additionally, in November, LG launched U+ DRIVE for smartphone users, a service that provides users with a 3D content library housing nearly 1,500 XR assets at launch, suitable for various vertical use cases in areas such as education, entertainment, and tourism.
The U+ Dive content library currently contains around 3,000 digital assets and has hosted many virtual live events, including artists such as NCT 127, who performed exclusively on the platform.


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Likely lost in the hubbub of the potential Beats deal this week is the fact that Ari Partinen, one of PureView’s inventors over at Nokia, is moving to Apple.
Now that Microsoft wholly owns Nokia’s Devices & Services business, it was inevitable that some personnel shifting would happen, but this is a big gain for Apple. Partinen was one of the original authors of the PureView oversampling abstract that birthed the idea of large-megapixel sensors working together to deliver sharper, better-quality photos.
Apple has taken device imaging very seriously since the original iPhone’s 2MP rear camera, and more recently used a variation of oversampling to deliver better lowlight photos on the iPhone 5s. Dubbed pixel binning, the technique increases sensitivity by assigning two or more pixels in a particular area of the sensor the job of combining the capture of light. Photos of this kind are slightly lower-resolution than their regular counterparts but result in more usable nighttime photos.
It’s not clear what Partinen will be doing at Apple, but his expertise will certainly come in to play during the design process of the next few iPhones and iPads.


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Microsoft says that it has signed a 10-year deal with Nintendo that will see Xbox games be released on Nintendo's consoles. The move comes as Microsoft's attempted buyout of Activision Blizzard continues to cause concerns among antitrust agencies around the world.
Some are concerned that Microsoft owning Activision Blizzard could mean that flagship games like Call of Duty would become Xbox exclusives. But this deal would ensure that wouldn't be the case, with Microsoft also keen to sign a similar one with Sony and PlayStation.
Confirmation of the deal came when president Brad Smith took to Twitter to confirm that a deal had been signed, adding that it shows the company's commitment to ensuring Activision games like Call of Duty are available "to more players on more platforms."
Microsoft continues to try to find a way for it to be allowed to buy Activision Blizzard, but it isn't easy going. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has already suggested that Microsoft should strike Activision and Call of Duty from its buyout plans. In the United States, the FTC has already filed a lawsuit in an attempt to prevent Microsoft's buyout from completing.
The deal was originally announced in December 2022 and would see Microsoft hand over $69 billion. But it's increasingly clear that this isn't a deal that will be done easily, especially as Sony and PlayStation appear less than keen on agreeing to a deal similar to the one Nintendo just signed.
Another interesting point about today's announcement is that there hasn't actually been a Call of Duty game on a Nintendo platform since 2013 and there has never been one on the Nintendo Switch. Could this deal suggest that a new Nintendo console is in the works? One more capable of powering a AAA game like the ones produced by the Call of Duty franchise?
Time will tell.


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TechnoMetrica conducts monthly surveys for the National Association of Realtors to measure consumer opinions about home buying and homeownership. The survey findings are published by the NAR on a quarterly basis.
The IBD/TIPP Poll for June gauged consumer attitudes towards Boeing in light of the recent 737 Max plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Each month, Investor’s Business Daily and TechnoMetrica produce the IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index, a leading nationwide survey on consumer sentiment. In June, the Index dropped 5.4 points, to a reading of 53.2, amid growing concerns over the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
The following article on the limits of internet privacy highlights TechnoMetrica’s research on consumer sentiment towards Facebook and its handling of personal data.
In April 2019, TechnoMetrica surveyed U.S. consumers on their concerns over the privacy of their personal data on Facebook. As highlighted in the following article from Investor’s Business Daily, our poll found that more than one in ten (11 percent) Americans have stopped using Facebook due to privacy concerns.
Since 2012, Investor’s Business Daily and TechnoMetrica have collaborated on an annual study measuring investors’ sentiment towards their online brokers in regards to critical service areas. The following press release reveals the brokerage firms that topped the list of Best Online Brokers in 2019.
Fox News recognized the IBD/TIPP Poll as one of two political polls to call the 2016 presidential election correctly.
The following piece from Investor's Business Daily acknowledges TIPP's accuracy in correctly forecasting the 2016 presidential election for Donald Trump.
In 2013, the news organization Politico named Raghavan Mayur, the president of TechnoMetrica, as one of its “50 Politicos to Watch.” The piece explores Mr. Mayur’s successful approach to political polling during presidential elections.
The following article appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek, and highlights TechnoMetrica’s track record of accuracy in forecasting the results of U.S. presidential elections. The piece also provides insight into the firm’s polling methodology.


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Superabrasive’s new products at WOCPublished 19/4, 2016 at 13:11
At the recent World of Concrete exhibition diamond tools and equipment manufacturer Superabrasive introduced the latest addition to the Lavina line, the L25LM-X.
This is a self-propelled 635mm grinding and polishing machine featuring a second motor that propels the machine forward for a steady work speed and consistent scratch pattern. The self-propelled motion makes grinding much easier for the operator and also minimizes the risk of mistakes and improves productivity.
Superabrasive also unveiled a new Lavina propane vacuum V-32-G, featuring a Kawasaki propane engine, Longopac bagging system and HEPA filter. Switching to a propane grinder and a propane vacuum eliminates the need for generators and all power and wiring issues, and allows for a faster and easier set up. The propane vacuum will be available for sale in the summer.


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Update: Looks like Drake fans will have to wait a little while to check out Pick 6ix. While reps from Remy Martin announced in a release that the restaurant’s opening date was January 10, a rep from Butter PR, who is handling the launch, says a public opening date has, in fact, not been set. The rep promises more details will be released this week.
The news Toronto’s been waiting for since the OVO logo popped up this summer at Yonge and Wellington has finally arrived. Pick 6ix (33 Yonge), Drake’s new sprawling downtown restaurant and bar, will be hosting its grand opening tonight (January 10).
A few lucky folks got a sneak preview last night, as Pick 6ix was the site of a private pre-opening bash — specifically, a birthday party for Dwyane Wade, hosted by none other than Lebron James and attended by a series of hip-hop luminaries (including Aubrey himself).
A few interior details are visible from the party pix: plush teal velvet banquettes, marble and gold accents, striking wood paneling along the ceiling and walls, and a whole lot of cognac.
The news thus far about what’s on the menu at Pick 6ix (ostensibly a sports bar, judging from the name) has been limited to the fact that sushi will be on the menu. Recently, news leaked that Montreal chef Antonio Park is heading up the kitchen.
A new release from Remy Martin has shed a little more light on the cocktail program: You’ll be able to drink a Six Spice Fashion (made with Rémy Martin VSOP, Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, spice syrup and Angostura bitters), as well as a classic Sazerac.
Another little tidbit: a separate release from retractable-roof company OpenAire shares that the restaurant will feature a 2,100-square-foot open-concept patio with a glass enclosure. Expect way, way more details to be splashed all over social media by tomorrow morning.
email@example.com | @nataliamanzocco


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Revenue Officers have seized over 192,000 unstamped cigarettes, 10kgs of tobacco and over 1,960 litres of alcohol worth €150,000 at a house in Laois.
Officers carried out a search, under warrant, of a house in Durrow, Laois on Tuesday, July 31.
Revenue detector dogs Elvis and Stella made the detections and were part of a joint intelligence-led operation involving Revenue’s Customs Service and An Garda Siochána.
Cost to the exchequer
The seized tobacco products, which were branded ‘Marlboro’, ‘Winston’, ‘NZ’, ‘Camel’, ‘Kent’ and ‘Excellence’, have an estimated retail value of €109,000, which would represent a potential loss to the exchequer of €89,000.
The alcohol products have an estimated retail value of over €41,000 – with a potential loss to the exchequer of €31,000.
On Thursday, at Dublin District Court, Revenue Officers from Dublin Airport were granted a three month cash detention order by Judge John Lindsay.
SEE ALSO – BREAKING: Electric Picnic announces new headline acts


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UPDATE: House OKs $2 Billion More For Cash For Clunkers
Mo’ money, mo’ clunkers
If you were worried like we were that Cash For Clunkers was suspended due to lack of funds, worry not. It’s halfway to being extended, thanks to a House vote that approved $2 billion more dollars for the program. Now the program might last… a couple more weeks!
Because people are all over this deal
After that, you may need to borrow money. But for now, it appears that Cash For Clunkers may be extended. So long as your car’s not on the Cash For Clunkers list and meets the general qualifications, you can request the trade-in credit.
But will the Senate agree?
Aaron Smith reports for CNN that the House voted 316-109 to divert $2 billion from a U.S. Department of Energy program loan guarantee program. What will Secretary of Energy Steven Chu think of this? Furthermore, will the Senate be able to come to a consensus quickly? People want those cars they can’t really afford, you know…
Considering the overwhelming response to the Cash For Clunkers program (and tremendous activity on the less-than-able Cash For Clunkers Website), it’s no shock that the government has so far responded with urgency.
Obama is happy with the vote
“I’m pleased about the progress made in the House today about the cash for clunkers program,” said President Obama just before the approving vote. He has presented the Cash For Clunkers program as a stirring success: “I’m happy to report that it has already succeeded beyond our expectations. It’s working so well that there are legitimate concerns that the original funds might already be exhausted.”
But for your information, this wouldn’t have been a problem if the original $4 billion proposal for Cash For Clunkers had been instituted. But whoever said government was good at getting things right the first time?
Is this thing right?
Despite the obvious demand for Cash For Clunkers exceeding the supply of money, the CARS.gov Web site still showed that $780 was available for the program as of the morning that talk of suspending the program began. Again, getting things right the first time is rare. Yet I’m surprised that the government did not anticipate how many people would jump at this shiny new automobile program that’s sure to send many consumers closer to bankruptcy.
At least dealers are remaining cautious. More and more of them are requiring people to sign statements that they’ll return their new cars if government funding dries up. Which it still may do if the Senate cannot agree on the $2 billion extension.
Does my car qualify for Cash For Clunkers?
Everyone wants to know. So you should know that vehicles that have been bought after July 1, 2009 are eligible for refund vouchers of either $3,500 or $4,500, depending upon how much of a mpg improvement the consumer can make with a new vehicle. If your car gets 18 mpg (combined highway and city) or less and is younger than 25 years old (and does not appear on the list I mentioned in the second paragraph above… CLICK HERE), it may just be eligible for Cash For Clunkers. Follow the link for more details.
The overall goal of the Cash For Clunkers program is to spark sales in the sagging auto industry while getting more fuel-efficient, greener vehicles on the road, thus saving consumers money on gas and helping the environment. It comes at the perfect time for America’s domestic automobile industry, as the credit crunch of the recession and massive bailouts have damaged confidence in its viability. CNN cites sales figures for June 2009, with fell to 9.7 million. That, according to CNN, is well below the pace of years past.


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MUMBAI, India–India’s Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is buying troubled generic drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories in a US$4 billion all-stock transaction, the companies said Monday.
The combined company will be India’s biggest pharmaceutical firm, with annual revenue estimated at US$4.2 billion.
Shares of Sun Pharma rose 1.7 percent. Ranbaxy’s shares were down 4.8 percent in trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Ranbaxy is the leading drugmaker in India’s US$26 billion generic pharmaceutical industry, but it has faced penalties from U.S. regulators for years. The U.S. has banned imports of drugs from two of its factories because of concerns about quality control.
The acquisition will allow Sun Pharma to tap into Ranbaxy’s strong global presence and manufacturing capabilities. The combined company will have 47 factories across five continents and operations in 65 countries, said Dilip Shanghvi, Sun Pharma’s managing director.


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NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- MotoLink LLC, a wireless connectivity technology provider for powersports industry, today announced that it has won the 2018 Gas Tank Competition set up by Motorcycle Industry Council for new and innovative startups in the powersports industry. During the AIMExpo 2018 in Las Vegas, NV, the finalists presented their business plans to the panel of influential industry business leaders who judged them on monetary growth potential, overall strategic plan, scalability, innovation, impact and viability, among other criteria. The world's first connectivity platform for powersports, MotoLink™, showed the potential of transforming the industry by unlocking valuable diagnostic and riding data, generating new revenue streams, and cutting operational costs, bringing home the win.
"Congratulations to Alex Leonov and the entire MotoLink team for winning the Motorcycle Industry Council's 2018 Gas Tank Competition. We're proud to support the growth and success of emerging powersports businesses through our Gas Tank Competition and all four of the presenting companies were impressive," said Tim Buche, MIC president and CEO. "The passion and vision Leonov and his team have for expanding powersports vehicle connectivity is really compelling and earned them a first-place finish. We can't wait to see what's next for MotoLink."
"We are honored to receive this prestigious award from the powersports industry's leading association," said Alex Leonov, Founder and Managing Director of MotoLink LLC. "Our goal was to empower vehicle manufacturers, dealerships, insurance companies and other market players to generate additional revenue, cut operational costs, while also improving safety, customer satisfaction, and overall riding enjoyment by unlocking valuable vehicle data and enabling a critical link to the end user. This award is a very important milestone for us and a confirmation that we are on the right track with our MotoLink connectivity platform."
Sean Stephens, Head of Products and Technology of MotoLink LLC added: "We are proud to win the Gas Tank Competition. Our team has put in countless hours developing the MotoLink connectivity platform, filing two patent applications in the process. We want the MotoLink platform to fuel a new ecosystem of connected products and services using the potential of unlocked vehicle and riding data. There were missing links between riders, franchise dealers, and OEMs, and our technology helps bring them together in a win-win fashion."
MotoLink is the world's first connectivity platform for powersports vehicles that allows harvesting and monetization of sensor and geolocation data that the vehicles generate every day. The MotoLink platform delivers all the necessary hardware and software components to quickly bring secure connectivity to powersports vehicles and tap into valuable diagnostic and riding data. The MotoLink platform easily integrates with motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, snowmobiles, PWC, and other powersports vehicles, whether already on the road, brand new, or yet to be developed.
Modular and scalable, the MotoLink platform can be implemented fully or partially, as a co-branded or white-labelled solution, or custom-built based on exact requirements, all licensed to suit. MotoLink enables clients to introduce connectivity to their powersports vehicles on-time and on-budget. MotoLink engineering services, encompassing the entire range of product development and testing, will help bring a client-specific solution to the market quickly and ahead of the competition. To learn more, please visit https://motolink.net.
About MotoLink LLC
MotoLink brings the connectivity technology to the powersports industry empowering vehicle manufacturers, insurance companies, fleet operators, dealerships, and service shops to harvest valuable sensor and geolocation data from powersports vehicles. Data is analyzed and used to make riding safer, and improve experience for the riders, while generating new revenue streams and cutting operating costs. MotoLink connectivity platform features unique hardware and software that facilitate data collection providing a secure link to the cloud. MotoLink is a powerful and scalable platform that turns almost any powersports vehicle into a connected vehicle on time and on budget. To learn more, please visit https://motolink.net.
Tel: (888) 315-5550


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Under Armour, Inc. (UA) Stock Price Down 5.9%
Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE:UA) shares traded down 5.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $11.31 and last traded at $11.36. 10,577,360 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 132% from the average session volume of 4,561,302 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.07.
A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna Bancshares Inc reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $11.00 price target on shares of Under Armour in a report on Tuesday, November 7th. SunTrust Banks, Inc. downgraded Under Armour from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $14.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, November 1st. DA Davidson downgraded Under Armour to a “hold” rating and set a $15.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Cowen and Company set a $12.00 price target on Under Armour and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $11.00 price target on Under Armour and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Under Armour currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.49.
The stock has a market capitalization of $5,600.00 and a PE ratio of 28.61.
About Under Armour
Under Armour, Inc is engaged in the development, marketing and distribution of branded performance apparel, footwear and accessories for men, women and youth. The Company’s segments include North America, consisting of the United States and Canada; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); Asia-Pacific; Latin America, and Connected Fitness.
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Judging is now underway to see who will win the mcdonald's bling mac contest, a special promo for valentine's day. Mcdonald's is marking the occasion with the launch of two new sizes for a limited time – the grand big mac and the mac junior ashworth as new chief strategy officer and promotes laura fenton to managing director. For many firms, concentration strategies are very sensible these strategies involve trying to compete successfully only within a single industry mcdonald's. To celebrate its 50th birthday, mcdonald's has released six million coins diners can redeem for the iconic cannes 2018: and the outdoor grand prix goes to.
Companies may pursue a divestment strategy to refocus on their core business, in response to the operating environment in their industry or to release. Mcdonald's celebrated the grand opening of its new west loop to that strategy and i'm proud to welcome them home to the city of chicago.
Poe strategy meeting img_1344 mcdonald's grand opening ◅ back to all albums view slideshow of this album's photos. 2 days ago lawmakers say the bill starts the pentagon down the path toward fulfilling the trump administration's national security strategy, which calls on. The so-called grand mac comes with two heftier all-beef patties, two has forced mcdonald's to shake-up its own strategy in order to compete.
This history of mcdonald's is an overview of the original restaurant and of the chain many other companies followed mcdonald's strategies to turn their own 2018: the grand big mac is introduced for a limited time to commemorate the .
Mcdonald's global menu strategy vp ann wahlgren talks new food items from around the world at new hq restaurant in west loop, chicago. A revamp of mcdonald's iconic big mac burger and more aggressive the big mac strategy represents a case of getting playful with a well-known sizes: the traditional version, a larger grand mac and a smaller mac jr.
Mcdonald's is replacing at least 2500 cashiers with robotic kiosks as part of a grand strategy to stay competitive the embattled fast food giant,. A campaign by bbdo china for mcdonald's has won the grand prix in the effective social strategy category of the warc awards, a global. Tampering with a successful franchise model by ad hoc administrative intervention is a recipe for disaster.
Fairmont — the “mcdonald's of the future” is coming to fairmont.
How jim skinner beat the recession – mcdonald's ceo says it's not rocket out its responsibilities in what rolls up into one grand strategy, hopefully aligning.


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At first we didn't think 8e6 Technologies would be a part of this test, as the US PR failed to answer the emails we sent. However, we found the UK distributor and downloaded the current Microsoft ISA version...
Twenty-year-old cyber security researcher apprehended on suspicion of involvement
MPs question legal basis for facial recognition trials conducted by police forces
Neither Apple nor Microsoft have yet issued a fix
Trump could stop JEDI cloud contract over competition concerns as bidding comes down Microsoft versus Amazon


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Apple recently launched their 24 inch iMac and we are also expecting to see another new model a 32 inch iMac and iMac Pro.
Now we have a concept design of what the device may look like, the photo above was posted on Twitter by Apple Tomorrow along with some possible specifications.
Introducing, the all new, iMac Pro.
– 31.5” Screen (measured diagonally)
– Space Grey
– M1X with 32 GPU cores and 16 CPU cores
Concept by… ME!
RT please! pic.twitter.com/g1rZJhpqdb
— Apple Tomorrow (@Apple_Tomorrow) July 6, 2021
The 32 inch iMac Pro is expected to be around the same size as the current 27 inch iMac Pro, the screen will be larger due to much slimmer bezels than the current model.
We are also expecting these new iMacs to have the new updated Apple Silicon processor, this is rumored to either be the M1x or the M2. This will be the same processor that will be available in the new 14 inch and 16 inc MacBook Pro models.
As yet there are no details on when Apple will launch their new larger iMac and iMac Pro, we are expecting them to be made offical some time in September, possibly at this years iPhone 13 event.
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Inside SAP’s New York innovation community center
Old technology giant SAP is getting a newer, younger look.
Known for “enterprise resource planning” solutions and other boring software for business processing, SAP has almost 20,000 customers across 150 countries that include 14,100 banks and 5,600 insurers. Its banking customers manage more than $70 trillion in assets and service more than 140 million active banking accounts globally.
About a month ago it moved 400 sales and marketing employees (of its global 84,000 total) into the top five floors of a shiny new 52-story commercial office tower on Manhattan’s far west side to show customers it’s not stuck in its old ways, it’s ready to fast forward into the future. There is also a small number of existing corporate functions, like investor relations and IT support. SAP has added 60 jobs this year and plans to add headcount throughout 2018.
Executive offices still reside in Times Square. The Hudson Yards offices are more of a show for customers, who are brought to the 52nd floor.
“We’re showing the outside world things you wouldn’t think first of us as a company, it shows where we stand today,” Toni Tomic, vp of insurance and global head of industry business development, said of the new facilities. “You can feel it, touch it, smell it. If we come here with customers they’ll recognize we’re a different animal than they thought.”
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‘I felt like I was pushed into being a stay-at-home mom’: Confessions of a former ad exec on being fired after becoming a mother
In this edition of our Confessions series, where we exchange anonymity for candor, we hear from a former agency director about getting fired and struggling to find a job amidst navigating motherhood and launching a new project.
To get the attention of millennials and Gen Z, Ace Hardware is turning to influencers
Ace Hardware is adding a paid and organic influencer strategy to its marketing mix to allow the brand to make content that “doesn’t feel like an ad."


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Many people want your money.
Some are legitimate. They provide you with goods or services and expect a fair price for the work they do for you. That’s how capitalism works.
Others, though, are willing to lie, cheat and steal to get your hard-earned dollar, and modern communications keep making it easier for them to find victims.
Earlier this week, the Internal Revenue Service provided The Observer with a lengthy scam warning that we published in Wednesday’s newspaper. The IRS is seeing a surge in scams in which the recipient is told he or she owes tax money and threatening some action if it isn’t paid.
The IRS said it will not leave a prerecorded message on your voice mail. It does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal information. It reaches out to taxpayers in most cases through regular mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
For details on how to respond to those scams, visit irs.gov, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Report Phishing link.
But the scammers aren’t just pretending to be government agents.
Also this week, The Observer’s crime report included an incident in which a woman sent two Moneygrams totaling $2,350 in an attempt to purchase a dog being sold over the internet. She still doesn’t have the dog, and now she can’t get hold of the sellers.
Sgt. Richard Harris of the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office took the dog fraud report. In discussing it with The Observer, Harris said he had had four other scams reported within an hour that same day.
In those scams, someone called local residents and said a car associated with their personal information had been found with drugs in it somewhere far away. Pretending to be with law enforcement, the caller wanted the recipient to give them their personal information — name, date of birth, and especially their Social Security number — to “verify” it. In other words, they wanted everything they’d need to apply for a credit card in the recipient’s name, buy whatever they want and leave that person with the bill.
Be extremely careful about giving out personal information like that. Know who you’re dealing with.
Don’t buy something over the internet sight-unseen.
If someone claiming to be from a government or law enforcement agency wants immediate payment, it’s probably a scam. If they ask for payment in odd currency — like a pre-paid Visa card or Google Play card — you can be certain it is.
African princes do not launder money by sending it to random people they found by email.
You cannot win a lottery that you did not enter.
If you have won something, a legitimate contest won’t require you to pay a “service fee” to get your prize.
And, as cliche as it sounds: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.


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NRI 3D Printed This Hilarious Footlocker James Harden Flash Drive
Last year, Footlocker made some news when they released a rather comical commercial of NBA Star James Harden’s creation of the “Harden Soul” R&B album (obviously a joke), and then…
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Beartooth Announce Deluxe Edition Of 'Aggressive'
Beartooth just announced that a deluxe edition of their sophomore album ‘Aggressive’ is on its way.
The upcoming edition will be featuring six bonus tracks, as well as a Live DVD of a recent show in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
‘Aggressive’ was released last June 2016 through Red Bull Records, and features the singles “Aggressive” and “Hated”.
Pre-orders are now available through their website: Beartoothband


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The concerns of MCV and others have seemingly been taken on board.
Right at the beginning of 2011 MCV warned that Vita and the 3DS could both struggle in the market unless they adapted their software offer to account to the bite-sized low-cost gaming model pioneered by the likes of Apple.
And now Sony has said that it will utilise a flexible pricing strategy for Vita games that will accommodate both triple-A premium-priced titles and more portable-centric low-cost offerings.
"I think it would be safe to assume we will take a more tailored approach than perhaps we’ve done in the past,” European PlayStation boss Jim Ryan told Games Industry.[It would be] "foolish and nave to ignore what’s happening [in the smartphone sector]. It’s our challenge to ensure that the gaming experience that we provide is closer to that TV console experience than it is to your 69p thing that you’ve downloaded on your iPhone.
"If we do that and we provide great value to the consumer on games like Uncharted, I think the possibility to sustain historic console type price points is there."
It will be fascinating to see which titles from Vita’s launch line-up Sony feels it can charge full-price” for and which it feels the need to discount.
Sony’s Japanese Vita prices suggest that titles will sell for around the same price as is currently charged for PS3 games. Sony will also be selling many Vita games for less via PSN that it does at retail.


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Just months after declaring it has wiped its hands clean of its nefarious adware practices, Direct Revenue is now facing the wrath for past misdeeds thanks to New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Just like his previous actions against similar firms like Intermix, Spitzer is alleging that DR surreptitiously installed millions of pop-up ad programs on consumers’ computers.
The suit against Direct Revenue seeks a court order enjoining the firm from secretly installing spyware or sending ads through already-installed spyware. The suit also asks the court to require the company to provide an accounting of its revenues and asks the court to impose appropriate monetary penalties.
“Surreptitiously installed spyware and adware harm consumers and businesses, and my office will continue to prosecute these practices aggressively,” said Spitzer in a press statement. He continues, “These applications are deceptive and unfair to consumers, bad for businesses that rely on efficient networks to do their jobs, and bad for online retailers that need consumers to trust and enjoy their online experience. We will continue to side with consumers in their fight for control of their desktops.”
According to a release from Spitzer’s camp, the suit follows an extensive investigation in which the Attorney General’s office documented Direct Revenue’s practice of installing advertising software on computers without proper notice. In many cases, these spyware installations were instigated when Direct Revenue (or one of its distributors) advertised “free” applications (such as games or browser “enhancement” software), omitting reference to the spyware that would accompany any downloaded application. Once consumers downloaded these “free” applications, however, surreptitious code placed on their computers caused Direct Revenue’s own servers to install its spyware, without notice to consumers.
The Attorney General’s office also recorded several instances in which Direct Revenue’s spyware was installed through silent “drive-by-downloads,” i.e. downloads that took place without any notice at all to consumers. According to today’s report, the office documented 21 separate websites through which this practice, known as “bundling,” occurred. Among the names of the programs that Direct Revenue has downloaded through this method are “VX2,” “Aurora,” and “OfferOptimizer,” each of which tracks consumers’ web behavior and then delivers sequential pop-up ads to them.
Spitzer’s office’s investigation revealed that Direct Revenue and its officers deliberately designed spyware that, once downloaded, was extremely difficult for users to detect and remove. In many cases, the spyware reinstalled itself after removal by users.
An even more notable transgression occurred in April 2005, when then-Direct Revenue CEO Josh Abram (a defendant in the lawsuit) boasted in an email to a distributor, “We have a very stealthy version of our adware product which we’re happy to give u… Don’t worry. If we do a deal — a build together — these will not be caught.”
“It parallels what you saw when CDT took action against 180solutions,” Bill Day, CEO of WhenU, tells ADOTAS. “The difference here is with all the color in the email. You’re talking about a company– according to the Attorney General’s report — that was founded on a business model of fraud and deception. The color of the emails at least suggest that people reveled in the fact that they were a nuisance. Here, they were openly deceptive and that’s what surprises me the most.”
The lawsuit further alleges that Direct Revenue and certain number of its executives knowingly frustrated consumers’ attempts to remove the downloaded software by requiring consumers intent on accomplishing removal to go to a separate web site (mypctuneup.com), turn off their firewalls and download additional “uninstall” software.
The suit specifically names, and seeks relief and penalties from, the company’s founders and chief officers Joshua Abram, Alan Murray, Daniel Kaufman, and Rodney Hook.


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Honda says that all of its car sales will be electric in North America in 2040, which is a tweak on what other carmakers have been saying, like GM, which merely has an “aspiration to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035.” Enter the Honda Prologue, which is a car.
The logo for it looks like this:
It was announced Monday, an all-electric SUV that will be years late to the North American market and well after cars like the Tesla Model Y, the Chevy Bolt EUV, and the Volkswagen ID.4. This is big, though, because it signals that Honda going to try in the EV space here, after only bothering to do it elsewhere.
Yes, there is the Honda Clarity, a plug-in hybrid, and there is the Honda Clarity, a fuel-cell electric vehicle, and there are other electrified efforts like the Accord Hybrid, the CR-V Hybrid, and the Insight. But the Prologue is something different, an all-electric car for North America that sounds like a pretty big swing.
In addition to the Honda Prologue, the company will introduce an all-electric Acura SUV in the 2024 calendar year. Both will utilize the highly flexible global EV platform powered by Ultium batteries based on the company’s strategic partnership with General Motors. Honda also plans to launch a new series of EV models in the second half of the decade based on a new e:Architecture, with development led by Honda.
“Our first volume Honda BEV will begin our transition to electrification and the name Honda Prologue signals the role it will play in leading to our zero-emission future,” said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of American Honda. “The Prologue will provide our customers with a battery-electric SUV with the excellent functionality and packaging they’ve come to expect from Honda.”
Honda doesn’t sell the Fit here anymore even though the fourth-generation Fit is fantastic and Honda also doesn’t sell the Honda E here even though the Honda E also is fantastic, so Honda can get fucked pretending like it couldn’t do this until now (and that it can’t before the 2024 model year). That said, it’s not on Honda alone that the incentives to sell EVs in the U.S. are bad, as opposed to China and Europe.
In any case, it’s going to be very exciting when the 2024 Honda Prologue is a $40,000 mediocre electric that only people with money can afford, like all the rest of EVs in the States.


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Management One said on Friday that it has formed a new strategic partnership with Ignite Technologies and its RMSA retail service.
The partnership offers Ignite’s RMSA customers the opportunity to onboard to Management One’s Retail Orbit platform, which provides advanced data analytics and planning capabilities, while also leveraging Management One’s retail consulting services. Ignite’s RMSA analysts will join the company and become Management One affiliates.
Both companies have also agreed to work together to provide additional value to retailers with a focus on Ignite’s recently announced e-commerce and digital engagement suite of enterprise software solutions, which aims to help companies optimize their customers’ digital journey. The suite includes seven solutions: multichannel customer service, news and market insight digests for customers, interactive digital catalogs, website performance optimizer, website customer feedback, back-in-stock notifications, and intelligent search and recommendations.
“We are delighted to welcome RMSA’s customers and team to the Management One community,” said Mike Alic, president of Management One. “As the leader in delivering merchandise planning and business insights for independent retailers, we are confident we can help RMSA customers move their businesses forward in these challenging times. We are also excited by the opportunity to add even more value to the expanded Management One customer base by partnering with Ignite to educate our customers on the power of Ignite’s new e-commerce and digital engagement suite to accelerate their success in doing business digitally.”
“Management One’s predictive analytics and merchandise planning platform is a hub for indispensable information for retailers,” added Davin Cushman, CEO of Ignite Technologies. “The partnership is a fantastic opportunity for both Ignite RMSA customers and the entire Management One customer base. We’re pleased to partner with the recognized retail experts at Management One to transition RMSA customers onto the Retail ORBIT platform, and we believe the partnership is indicative of Ignite’s long-standing commitment to 100% customer success.”


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Paris-based enterprise-focused cybersecurity startup Acorus Networks has landed a €5 million funding round from Elaia Partners, Partech and Kima Ventures. The startup, which specialises on protection against DDoS attacks, will use the money to grow its technical team and hire a head of sales.
Founded in 2014 by Benjamin Schilz and Raphael Maunier, Acorus has built an infrastructure that supposedly can effectively resist both web and network DDoS attacks. Its customers include hosting services, e-commerce sites, media companies, carriers, banks, governments, and healthcare companies.
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The knives are out for Amazon this week thanks to a major sneaker brand. But at this point, it seems unlikely that major changes are in store for the eCommerce operator.
Here’s the scoop, in case you missed it: Nike announced that it is parting ways with Amazon and will no longer sell its products on the eCommerce marketplace, ending a pilot program that began in 2017. The sneaker and sports apparel company said it is going forge new retail partnerships and concentrate on its direct business.
For many years, Nike opted out of an Amazon partnership due to concerns that it would weaken the brand. It was also upset about the many unauthorized sellers on Amazon, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
“As part of Nike’s focus on elevating consumer experiences through more direct, personal relationships, we have made the decision to complete our current pilot with Amazon Retail,” the company said in a statement to Bloomberg. “We will continue to invest in strong, distinctive partnerships for Nike with other retailers and platforms to seamlessly serve our consumers globally.”
The Nike move could lead other brands to reconsider their relationships with Amazon, Jefferies analyst Randy Konik told CNBC. “Brands don’t need Amazon,” he said. “Amazon had a delivery speed advantage, but that advantage has compressed. With Nike leaving then Amazon platform … it strengthens our view that retailers/brands won’t be displaced by Amazon.”
Amazon Subscription Play
Even so, Amazon’s advantages remain significant, even in the wake of this Nike move, as fresh PYMNTS research confirms. After all, Amazon is the one to beat for online retailing — and this also holds true for subscription commerce.
More consumers turn to Amazon for retail product subscriptions than any other type of subscription product service, with 45.5 percent of survey respondents indicating they do so. This share is larger than the combined portion of consumers who subscribe to any single other product category, including the 42.9 percent of shaving products subscribers, the 35.7 percent who subscribe to pet products and the 32 percent who do so for beauty products.
That said, it’s not exactly fair to compare Amazon with its Amazon Prime offering that encompasses free shipping, music streaming and other perks to companies like Harry’s, Birchbox or Rent the Runway that focus on narrower product categories.
The survey reflects these differences between utilitarian services vs. product discovery, as the majority of Amazon subscribers (54.1 percent) subscribe for replenishment. So do 84.3 percent of shaving service subscribers. Beauty products and clothing are the reverse, with 90.1 percent of beauty subscribers doing so for “box-of-the-month” items and 76.2 percent of clothing subscribers doing so for the same reason.
The Nike move is not the only recent trouble Amazon is facing.
An online merchant has written a letter to Congress saying the company was forced to use Amazon’s logistics services, as it otherwise would have faced stiff penalties and possible suspension from the site. These moves made it necessary for the merchant to raise prices for its customers, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The 62-page letter talks about how Amazon is harming consumers, which is the general groundwork for an antitrust case. The letter accuses Amazon of tying in its logistics service with its marketplace, which would constitute an antitrust violation because a company can’t use its heft in one market to give itself an advantage in another. Amazon controls about 70 percent of all online marketplace sales in the U.S.
“When it comes to Amazon’s dealings with third-party merchants, some of the conduct actually does lend itself to antitrust scrutiny,” said Hal Singer, an antitrust expert and Georgetown University adjunct professor retained by the merchant. “If you can connect the conduct to some measurable harm, in this case increased prices, that gets you into the antitrust ballpark.”
Amazon denied the accusations and said it does not penalize merchants for using other delivery options.
“Amazon has invested tens of billions of dollars in developing a world-class fulfillment network, and we offer that network to sellers at highly competitive fees when compared to other options available to sellers,” Amazon said. “In fact, our research shows other comparable options available to sellers are approximately 50 to 80 percent more expensive.”
It remains unclear what, if any, impact the Nike move and this logistics complaint will have on Amazon, but it doesn’t seem likely now that they pose any major threat.


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Valve’s Steam has brought an iTunes-style experience to PC (and Mac) gaming, saving it from becoming a minor niche platform compared to consoles – and this year the company is set to take on Microsoft and Sony even more directly, by putting Steam in your living room. Valve is working on its first piece of hardware, the Steam Box: a small, quiet Linux-based PC designed for gamepads and big screen HDTVs.
Not only that, but the company is encouraging third-party PC makers to put Steam on their own living room-centric gaming-focussed computers. So far only the prototype Xi3 Piston has been shown off, but Valve boss Gabe Newell has suggested many other such machines are on the way in 2013. Provided these things are cheaper or as affordable as consoles, we can see them really taking off with serious gamer types.
Gaming on smartphones and tablets is already a huge deal (with over a billion downloads, Angry Birds is the most successful smartphone app of all time) and that trend is only going to continue in 2013 as devices get faster and screen resolutions rise. Take the insanely powerful Windows 8-based Razer Edge (essentially a gaming PC squeezed into a 10-inch tablet), for instance, or consider that there’s certain to be new iPad and iPad Mini models introduced.
The only thing stopping tablets and phones from becoming true hardcore gaming devices is the paucity of good physical controllers (touchscreens, marvellous as they are, aren’t really suited to games which require a high degree of accurate control), so we’re hoping phone-compatible gamepads like the PhoneJoy continue to improve, and that rumours of Apple working on a controller are on the money.
Android isn’t just for phones and tablets: you can whack Google’s operating system on almost any kind of device – including a games console. And 2013 is the year when we’ll be able to shove one under our telly. The most famous is Kickstarter phenomenon OUYA, which looks set for a March launch and a piffling US$100 price tag, but it’s not the only one: Nvidia’s Project Shield handheld (which can also be plugged into a TV for a bigger picture) has just been unveiled at CES; then there’s the Game Stick, a current Kickstarter project which has squeezed an entire console into a USB thumb drive.
Mobile and tablet gaming
We shouldn’t forget that the traditional console model still exists… at least for one more generation. Microsoft and Sony are expected to take the wrappers off their respective successors to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this year (probably at the E3 conference in June).
What can we expect? Well, the PS4 is strongly tipped to do away with physical media to concentrate on providing a cloud gaming experience, not just in the form of downloadable games but perhaps even games streamed OnLive-style: Sony’s acquisition of OnLive competitor Gaikai suggests something along these lines is definitely on the cards.
The Xbox 720 (or whatever it winds up being called) is likely to build on the success of Kinect with “Kinect 2.0”, a more advanced, more accurate form of motion control. We’ve just seen Microsoft Research’s Illumiroom at CES and it blew our socks off – hopefully something similar will be on board the console. There are also rumours of augmented reality glasses.
Speaking of motion control, 2013 will see the long-awaited launch of Leap Motion, a USB controller able to track two hands (and all your fingers) with unerring accuracy. Having seen first-person shooters demoed using Leap, we’re confident that it could be one of the few motion controllers that could appeal to hardcore gamers as well as the casual crowd. Look out for it early this year, alongside an accompanying app store.
Apple has never seemed much interested in games, with the Mac’s selection of titles (even after the arrival of Steam) looking decidedly second rate in comparison to the PC. However, the massive success of iOS as a gaming platform may finally spur the company into exploring new avenues – perhaps not on its existing devices but on the forthcoming “iTV” television set, which is almost certain to come with App Store integration and therefore some kind of gaming capability. Apple CEO Tim Cook has been spotted visiting Valve’s offices, suggesting that we could even see Steam coming on board. Which brings this article nicely back full circle.
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Contactless payments, with which it is only necessary to bring the card or mobile device to the reader to pay for the purchase for a few seconds, are growing exponentially worldwide year after year, and the countries of the Latin American region are beginning to join this unstoppable trend. Ann Marie Puig, a lifelong entrepreneur and philanthropist from Costa Rica, explains how contactless options continue to gain popularity in Latin America.
The accelerated penetration of contactless payment options has a very concrete explanation. In a world where convenience and effective use of time is everything, where more consumers choose to pay digitally instead of using cash, it is the simplest, fastest and safest way to make a transaction, which improves the shopping experience. Hence, tap-and-go payments are transforming the daily lives of millions of people and sectors around the world.
Contactless cards are the same as a credit or debit card; the difference is that they come with a built-in chip that allows the transaction to be completed, seven times faster than with traditional methods. Most contactless payments do not require a PIN or signature on low-value purchases, although this depends on local regulations.
Digital wallets work similarly to contactless cards. The difference is that these require the smartphone to contain a pair of chips: one that stores and encrypts the card information, and another that is nearby to transmit the encrypted card information to complete the transaction.
Explains Puig, “Although this technology dates back to 2005, it is in these last three years that its adoption and use has accelerated worldwide. In fact, in 2017, it had been launched in several new markets, while its implementation has been expanding in existing markets where digital wallets are accelerating their adoption.”
Contactless payments are currently active in more than nine million merchants in 114 countries around the world. Globally, one in five purchases with a card is made with this system, and it is estimated that until 2022, the contactless payment market will have an annual growth of 24%. Today, only 1% of contactless payments come from mobile digital wallets, but adoption is growing worldwide.
Europe and Asia Pacific are the two regions driving most of this growth. In Europe, more than 40% of face-to-face transactions are now made contactless, while in Asia Pacific, that percentage exceeds 50%.
In many countries the presence is preponderant. In Australia, more than 90% of transactions are contactless, while in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Georgia and Slovakia, three out of four transactions are contactless. Major markets, such as the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Singapore, New Zealand and Canada, are seeing increasingly widespread use and are expected to be higher in the coming years.
In Latin America, contactless transactions are beginning to loom and gain ground in some countries. “In the transport systems of Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Brazil,” adds Puig, “you can already pay without contact. Costa Rica leads the trend, since the government, in 2018, implemented an initiative to see 100% of the cards carry this technology, understanding the convenience involved in replacing cash, while growing readers enabled throughout the country.”
Contactless payments have penetrated strongly in specific sectors, such as small businesses and transport, where transactions are low cost and cash was the predominant means of payment. Kiosks, gas stations, convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, supermarkets and pharmacies have shown greater growth due to the introduction of contactless payments, as it is proven that contactless transactions promote greater purchases in the consumer, and therefore more profit for the merchant.
In more than 80 cities around the world, it is no longer necessary to buy tickets to pay for the train, metro or bus. Now, just by bringing the contactless card or mobile phone, it works as a ticket. Contactless cards make getting around simpler and faster. London introduced this system in the transport network in 2014 and, today, over 40% of trips are paid for that way. Nonprofits and brands are also adopting it to simplify donation processes.
Projections about the expansion of contactless payments are stark. With more countries and merchants adding to this trend, it is a fact that we are moving towards a world with contactless transactions. Faced with this horizon, all of Mastercard’s new cards issued in various regions, including Latin America, have this technology incorporated.


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American Express, the payments company, reported Monday (April 15) that credit card delinquency rates in March were flat with February, which should be welcome news as investors look for more signs the U.S. economy could be slowing.
According to a report in Seeking Alpha, American Express said the delinquency rate for U.S. consumer cards was 1.5 percent in March which was the same rate in February. The net charge off rate did increase slightly to 2.5 percent from 2.4 percent. On the small business front, American Express said the delinquency rate of 1.3 percent for March is also flat with February while the net charge off rate was also unchanged at 1.9 percent.
— Bloomberg (@business) February 25, 2015
The flat credit card delinquencies in March may be well received by investors who are looking for signs that the economy is nearing a recession.
JPMorgan Chase was able to post better than expected quarterly earnings late last week, pointing to strength in the economy as the driver. At the same time data points are starting to worry online lenders, which are reportedly taking steps to rein in their risk. Some are tightening credit standards for more risky borrowers while others are aiming to shore up capital. Online lenders don’t have the deposits like banks so they face higher costs of borrowing in a slower economy.
When American Express reported fourth-quarter earnings in January the payment company missed Wall Street’s estimates, planning merchant and services revenue that was lower than expectations. It was also hit by write-offs in its lending business that increases.
Cardmember loan provisions were $679 million, up 21 percent from last year. In terms of headline numbers, revenues of roughly $10.5 billion were below expectations $10.6 billion. Adjusted earnings were $1.74, which missed consensus estimates by six pennies. On the consumer front revenue was up 11 percent while commercial services grew 8 percent. Net card fees increased 11 percent as well.


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(Neil Wilson – Markets.com)
Can inflation be deflationary?
Of course, demand destruction is part of the cycle. But also yes in a more immediate sense depending on which basket of goods or services you are looking at. A few weeks back I commented that “core inflation is minded to backslide when real wages lower and non-core is ripping because of inelasticity of demand for food and energy….core was a measure for pre-pandemic not now”.
Now the proof from Walmart: “Food inflation is double digits and higher than at the end of Q1. This is affecting customers’ ability to spend on general merchandise categories and requiring more markdowns to move through the inventory, particularly apparel.” Right, so high food and energy prices means you have less money to spend on discretionary items. No way, who could have predicted this…? WMT shares plunged 9% in after-hours trading as it said this impact would lower its Q2 and full 2023-year forecasts. We knew that working through all that inventory was not going to be easy, but it seems to have been harder than expected for Walmart and suggests consumers are not wearing higher prices so well anymore.
Obviously, it’s easy to see why this happens. But it also highlights the problem in measuring economic growth today post-Covid. A lot depends on who you talk to, and what you use to measure it. An example is internet search: free but fundamental to the economy. How do you measure its impact? And we know that the labour market was upended in ways not seen before – getting workers to the right parts of the economy will take time. Stimulus has filled consumers’ pockets but earnings are not keeping pace – when does this mean people stop spending? Walmart suggests this is happening now.
US GDP data comes out this week and it’s anyone’s guess. Economists see +0.4% annualised growth quarter on quarter. The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model sees -1.6%. Meanwhile the White House is quietly trying to redefine what a recession looks like. In a blog last week, the administration argues that “it is unlikely that the decline in GDP in the first quarter of this year–even if followed by another GDP decline in the second quarter–indicates a recession”. This is kind of interesting, as apart from the obvious gaslighting that has become the new normal from this administration (and many other governments), it points to a genuine dichotomy. How can the US economy be in a recession when the labour market is strong and inflation is running at around 9%?
The Dallas Fed economic survey was an interesting snapshot of the US economy right now – it either going great guns or it’s a recession depending on who you talk to. Comments from the survey respondents showed a very wide variation. For example, whilst one respondent said: “Consumer goods demand continues to drop dramatically. I have been forced to temporarily close one production site,” another respondent noted: “We have gotten stupid busy and will stay this way through July and August. We have some really large jobs coming up, making for hectic times on the plant floor.” Even within one sector, chemicals, businesses are seeing different things. “The concerns of a looming recession have increased over the last month,” says one, while another says: “Business activity and sales remain solid. Our focus is pushing prices to recover margin.”
The general business activity index declined five points to -22.6, but the outlook improved, and inflation moderated. US consumer confidence data comes out today. Ultimately, it’s all about inflation – is the economy larger or small in real terms, allowing for inflation. This is all that matters, and strong labour markets can easily mask the fact that whilst people are holding onto their jobs (unlike in past recessions), they are not feeling good since wages are not keeping pace.
Across the pond, the German economy looks to be on the brink of recession. Yesterday’s Ifo Business Climate Index fell to 88.6 points in July, down from 92.2 points in June. Higher energy prices and the threat of a gas shortage continue to weigh on the economic outlook and the figures underscore the downbeat mood among businesses highlighted by last week’s PMI surveys. Meanwhile, there are murmurings about Italy’s access to the EU’s €800bn Covid recovery fund – of which Italy has €200bn earmarked – being under threat with the departure of Mario Draghi. The worry – as noted after last week’s ECB meeting – is that structural reforms required to get access to funds will be delayed or scrapped, which could put further pressure on Italian debt and prevent the country from being eligible for the TPI regime…doom loop.
Elsewhere, Alibaba shares jumped 5% overnight as it announced plans for a dual primary listing in Hong Kong. Unilever shares rose as it revealed it has increased prices 11% to cope with higher cost input inflation. Underlying sales growth hit 8.1%, with 9.8% from price and –1.6% contribution from volume. Amazon also said it will increase the cost of its Prime membership.
Energy lifted the FTSE 100 to its best in a month at 7,350 as oil prices bounced. Front month WTI and Brent have both climbed around $5 from yesterday’s lows and virtually closed the Sunday night open gap lower. US said to end SPR releases in the autumn…presumably the day after the mid-terms?
European bourses are down – Russian gas shenanigans not helping sentiment on the continent. Gazprom said supplies through Nord Stream 1 would drop to 20% of capacity. US futures are lower after a mixed session on Wall Street saw the S&P 500 almost flat, the Dow up a bit and the Nasdaq lower by 0.43% as tech fell again post Snap earnings. Microsoft and Alphabet today are looking to steady things.
Compass Group +10% this year and another strong report as travel, leisure and sport return. Indeed, it’s not just back but booming: underlying revenue at 109% of 2019 levels and margins improved despite inflationary pressures. With the good performance the company is increasing FY 2022 organic revenue growth guidance from around 30% to around 35%. Management also confirmed operating margin guidance of over 6% and now expects exit margin to moderate slightly from around 7% “due to the strong net new performance and ongoing inflationary pressures”.


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AUCKLAND, Tuesday: With jus t100 days until the return of the FIA World Rally Championship to Auckland, the organisers have annouced that Go Media is to be the official out-of-home media partner for Repco Rally New Zealand.
Repco Rally New Zealand will be staged in and around Auckland from 29 September to 2 October with the world’s best drivers “set to thrill kiwi motorsport fans in a historic homecoming of this event to New Zealand”.
Go Media managing director Mike Gray said: “We love to support sport and the major events that happen throughout our country and the return of the FIA World Rally Championship is a real coup, so we were very keen to get on board.
“It’s Formula 1 on gravel and it’s showcasing our stunning landscapes to a global audience.
“We’ll be promoting this across the country to drive attendance which will be a real benefit to the tourism and hospitality sector after the difficult last two years.”
“It’s Formula 1 on gravel – and it’s showcasing our stunning landscapes to a global audience.”
Repco Rally New Zealand ceo Michael Goldstein said: “Go Media are a can-do Kiwi company who’ve been helping us for months now to promote the rally right across New Zealand. Our early ticket sales show that the rally audience is truly nationwide.
“Go Media has a nationwide network of 72 digital screens in 23 markets and over the period of four weeks they reach 1.2 million New Zealanders.
Go Media has launched a 100 days to GO campaign in digital billboards across the country.
The 100-day countdown comes on the back of the ticket launch for Repco Rally New Zealand and the announcement that both Hayden Paddon and Shane Van Gisbergen will be competing against the world’s best drivers.
“Since we went on sale last week the Gold Passes have been selling incredibly well. For anyone interested in this week-long ticket we encourage you to get in quickly as they’re running short already.”
- For tickets and information about Repco Rally New Zealand visit www.rallynewzealand.com
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Canon has ended the days of cheap printers and cameras. Its CEO announced recently that the company’s 14-year-old mission was completed to transform the business into an industry with high-value added.
Fujio Mitarai is the CEO and chairman at Canon.
• Black Friday Specials on Canon (opens in a new tab
His strategy was highlighted in Japanese media after Canon’s financial results improved due to the weaker Japanese yen. He also noted that Canon intended to bring its main factory back home to Japan.
He told Tokyo Keizai Online that the company had never exported high-end SLR cameras to overseas markets. (Opens in new tab (machine translated). “Domestic production continues by streamlining and automating processes. It also closed the China factory that made low-end cameras at a cheap price this year.
Mitarai explained that his “foreign exchange” policy combines two key factors. First, the depreciating Japanese yen makes it more advantageous to export products from Japan. This is especially true for high-value products.
Also, the pursuit of low-value products based on overseas production will leave the company vulnerable to fluctuations in exchange rates. This is why it is important to centralize and streamline production in Japan.
These changes have also been triggered by declines in core businesses that Canon specializes in.
“The IT revolution, which began in the 2000s, and the rise of smartphones made it impossible to buy cheap cameras. Canon cameras sales have declined by a third. Despite Canon having the largest market share, their sales are declining steadily. This was my first time experiencing it. This was my first experience in the cloud.
We learned from this experience and decided to make changes in the business structure. We have made a difference in the industry that was once known for making cheap printers and cameras.
This gives Canon a good picture of the future. Naturally, there will always exist entry-level products in the world of printers and cameras. However, there is no doubt that the company is shifting resources toward the big ticket items – rather than cutting costs by making cheaper products in countries with cheaper labor.
We recommend that you read the entire interview (for which, you will need to create an account), as it covers everything from Canon’s investment into surveillance cameras to Canon’s heritage as a company which has lifetime employees (with a culture in which all executives start work at 6:50 AM).).
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TVision Insights, which tracks TV behavior using computer vision and eye-tracking technology, announced on Tuesday it has hired Mark Green as chief strategy officer.
Green was most recently chief operating officer of 4C Insights, a Chicago-based data science company that helps media brands identify their most valuable audiences. Before that, he served as a senior vice president several years at Nielsen, one of TVision's biggest competitors for providing advertisers and media brands with audience data.
The hire comes after TVision saw a 600 percent increase in revenue and an 800 percent increase in customers in this year's first quarter from the same period in 2016. The company, which now has 30 employees between the U.S. and Japan, closed a $6.8 million round last year led by Cambridge venture capital firm Accomplice, bringing total funding to $9.3 million.
Dan Schiffman, co-founder at TVision, told BostInno last fall that the company was working with three of the biggest TV networks in the U.S. Though he was unable to disclose them at the time, ABC and The Weather Channel have both made references to viewer attention data collected by TVision.
Green said he was introduced to TVision through a mutual friend, and he "immediately understood the product they're building and the problems they're solving." He originally asked to be an advisor, but he said TVision asked that he join the team instead.
"I've been in the TV industry for 30 years, and TVision Insights is tackling a real problem with a real business opportunity," Green said. I've seen lots of start-ups come and go in the space, but attention must become part of measuring business outcomes for television advertisers. The business problems are not going away, and TVision will be here for the long haul. I'm excited to apply my experiences in the space to ensure success."


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The combined force of physical and digital environments is truly positive for financial institutions and members. Consumers are engaging with institutions in the offline and online world – trying on shoes and later buying it online, or researching a car on a website and then walk into a dealership to buy the one they saw. As these two spaces blend more closely together, institutions also gain the ability to concretely understand their customers’ likes, dislikes, and communication preferences.
Customers are still interacting with digital and physical channels and this is a mandatory step in the digital transformation the financial sector is experimenting.
Integrating digital and physical channels also offers better insights into customer behaviors and help strengthen loyalty. To maximize the benefits from the merge of these two distinct universes, financial institutions need to take a few key actions.
In this case I want to propose one way to combine it.
Offer benefits to your members
There is a huge opportunity in the use of digital channels to offer benefits by making alliances with local companies.
This could be done by having a specific sector to advertise within your digital channels where the institution can advertise companies such as restaurants, gas stations, clothing stores, for example.
These partnerships with companies can be through economic deals or simply by offering to participate in our communication in exchange for granting benefits such as discounts or promotions. This is a way to monetize our marketing area and also to give our members benefits in local stores that they will appreciate when it comes to being faithful to our proposal.
In this way we combine our strength digitally with physical benefits for members.
From Bankingly we are sure that digital is a priority for the future, but we also know that physical presence is also very important in the early phases of a financial institution digital transformation. That’s why combining both worlds can be key in the race to give our members what they really want.
Bankingly, one of Latin America’s leading providers of world-class digital banking channels to financial institutions, announced today that it has raised $5.25Mn in a round led by Elevar Equity, and in which The Rise Fund, through its co-investment partnership with Elevar Equity, and Endeavor Catalyst also participated. Through its software as a service solution (SaaS), […]
Financial institutions’ clients go less than twice a week to the branch or a physical location of their institution. According to a March 2017 study published in The Financial Brand, the millennials moves themselves due to their financial institution 1.9 times on average per month. When from Bankingly we conducted the study ‘What financial institutions […]