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Biden Student Loan Forgiveness Plan
US President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan will forgive up to $10,000 per borrower and, for Pell Grant recipients, up to $20,000. The plan is eligible for individual borrowers with income up to $125,000 or households with income up to $250,000. Overall, the debt forgiveness plan would reduce student loan balances by about $400 billion (1.6% of gross domestic product) if all borrowers eligible for the program.
- Signed up On the surface, this plan appears inflationary as it lowers US consumer debt levels, which has led many to regard it as Biden’s new version of fiscal stimulus. However, we believe that this is far from the reality. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the $10,000 student debt forgiveness would have a fiscal.
- Multiplier of 0.13x, 2compared to COVID-19 relief measures, which had a 0.4x-0.9x multiplier. Given that student loan forgiveness has a much lower fiscal multiplier, we expect the impact on consumer spending to not be as strong as the fiscal stimulus payments issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the benefits of loan forgiveness will be extended
over time as consumers will pay their reduced monthly repayments thereafter. Those who have had their monthly payments eliminated entirely from loan forgiveness will not see a significant effect on spending, given that nearly all student loan borrowers have not been making monthly payments since the enactment of the loan deferral during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 10% of total household debt. It can be argued that there is a deflationary impact of the Biden plan once the student loan repayment moratorium ends. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a repayment freeze on these loans, but this will end in January 2023. As the graph below shows, about 1.2% of all student debt borrowers have repaid their loans. This will increase dramatically once the moratorium ends and forces cash outflows for consumers amid persistently high inflation (leaving less money to spend on goods and services). The deflationary impetus of this rebound in payments will likely outweigh any potential inflationary aspects of loan forgiveness.
Biden student loan plan


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Cargill reported net earnings of $445 million in the fiscal 2013 third quarter ended Feb. 28, down 42% from $766 million in the same period a year ago. Nine-month earnings totaled $1.83 billion, up 66% from $1.1 billion in the prior year. Third-quarter revenues edged up 1 percent to $32.2 billion, which brought nine-month revenues to $101.2 billion.
“Cargill’s earnings were below last year’s record third quarter,” said Greg Page, Cargill chairman and chief executive officer. “The current quarter demonstrated the balance that comes from Cargill’s diversified portfolio. In North America, our meat processing businesses were pressured by the drought-related high cost of feed ingredients. Even though many of our global food ingredients businesses experienced higher input costs, they nearly matched their strong performance in last year’s third quarter.”
Among Cargill’s five business segments, earnings in agriculture services were down largely due to the prolonged impact of last year’s drought-reduced crops in North America. Animal nutrition results were affected by Venezuela’s currency devaluation in February and by difficult economic conditions in meat and dairy production in several regions.
Third-quarter earnings in origination and processing were below the prior year, with mixed results across regions. Export demand for US soybeans and meal was strong all quarter due to limited pre-harvest supplies in South America. Brazil’s harvest began in February, but weather delays and logistical challenges significantly reduced soybean and soybean product exports below expectations.
Earnings in the food ingredients and applications segment were below the year-earlier period. Performance in food ingredients reflected value-creating customer solutions, good risk management and attention to costs, although the Venezuelan currency devaluation was a factor in holding results below the year-ago level. The animal protein businesses were negatively affected in North America by high feeding costs, tight cattle supplies and an oversupplied turkey market. Cargill’s beef processing plant in Plainview, Texas, was idled in February because of the tight cattle supply brought about by years of drought in Texas and Southern Plains states. A related, one-time charge to earnings was taken. Nine-month results in global animal protein were ahead of last year.
The risk management and financial segment was moderately below last year’s third quarter. Asset management activities performed well, though not as briskly as last year when financial markets rallied in response to easing in the European debt crisis. Results in energy trailed the year-ago period.
For more info: Cargill

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Plenty of electric cars are made here. Few are bought. Here's why.
In India, for instance, power charging infrastructure is scarce.
“The efficiency of the car, the lack of charging infrastructure, maintaining battery-powered cars are all issues,” says Sugato Sen, senior director of the New Delhi-based Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
The Reva’s limited battery capacity has certainly been a drag on sales. The need for repeated charging is putting off buyers. The car must be plugged in daily after use, making it a logistical nightmare to own and drive.
Additionally, India offers no inducement to become a convert to greener, low-on-emission electric cars, unlike the United States where the government provides generous tax subsidies for buyers of environment-friendly vehicles. “In every country where electric cars are sold, governments have played a strong enabling role but there is no such government push in India,” says Sen.
Reva’s modest seating space and, of course, its price are other sore points with car buyers in India. Here, small car competitor Nano sells for $2,500 but a Reva costs several multiples of that. So will any others launching in the future? All signs now point to a rough road ahead for electric cars in India.


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The price of LED lighting is constantly dropping while the technology advances. How can we cut the costs even more? I, Dr.Bulb, am thrilled that researchers at Rutgers University may have found a solution!
Most commercially available LEDs incorporate rare-earth metals like cerium. Currently, China limits the access to rare earth materials, successfully driving up the cost of energy-efficient lighting. Recently, both Japan and North Korea discovered large reserves of rare earth metals. This finding could force China to lower its price and break the rare earth monopoly. But now, there’s something entirely new helping decrease the cost of energy-efficient lighting that would prevent LED manufacturers from depending on rare-earth suppliers all together.
With a rare-earth substitute discovered by researchers, LED manufacturers have the potential to be less reliant on rare-earth suppliers. The new rare-earth substitute could allow LEDs to be inexpensive and more environmentally friendly. It’s made from a hybrid phosphor known as copper iodide, according to the Journal of The American Chemical Society study. This material is completely free of rare-earth metals and can be synthesized by a low-cost, scalable solution process. Not only will this enable the manufacturing of inexpensive LEDs, it will also make it possible for LEDs to produce a new kind of light. The introduction of ligands will allow the LEDs to emit a warmer light or other colors.
The main reason for not automatically switching to LEDs is the initial cost. LEDs made with this new and scalable copper compound can make energy efficiency easier to afford and, hopefully, help usher the world into a new era of sustainability.


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Also in today’s EMEA regional roundup: Orange agrees towers deal for rural France coverage; Ofcom proposes “locked” phones ban; Ericsson claims breakthrough with VoNR trial; Deutsche Telekom acquires chunk of gaming company.
Is Huawei about to be eased out of Telefnica’s European 5G core networks? That’s the suggestion of a Reuters report, citing the Spanish operator’s CTIO, Enrique Blanco, which says that Telefnica is to massively reduce the amount of Huawei gear it buys in the future, turning more to the Chinese vendor’s rivals instead. Blanco, however, is playing down the political aspects of the strategy, claiming that the move away from Huawei is a “purely technical decision,” adding that when “the core comes from a single vendor, the probability is high that a failure in one part stops the whole network.” (See Trump Is Losing the European War Against Huawei.)
Orange has agreed a five-year deal with ATC France, a subsidiary of American Tower Corporation, for the deployment of between 900 and 2,000 new mobile network sites located mainly in rural areas and along transport routes. The deal represents an extension of an existing arrangement between the two companies, which have been working together since 2012. Orange currently has 25,000 mobile radio sites in France, including 17,000 on fully owned infrastructure.
Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, is proposing new rules that would ban the sale of “locked” phones. Several companies, BT/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone among them, still sell handsets that cannot be used on other networks unless they are “unlocked,” which can cost around 10 (US$13) and be an irksome process. Ofcom’s research found that nearly half of all customers who try to unlock their device find it difficult, with long delays, dodgy codes and loss of service not uncommon. For more on what this could mean for the UK’s mobile operators, see this story on our sister site, Telecoms.com.
Ericsson is claiming an industry first with what it says was the successful completion of a voice-over-New-Radio (VoNR) interoperability test in combination with MediaTek. The test was carried out at the Ericsson Lab in Kista in early December, using bits and bobs from Ericsson and a Dimensity 1000 commercial chipset from MediaTek deployed on a 3.5GHz TDD band.
Deutsche Telekom is pouring more money into gaming (or “e-sports” if you prefer), with the acquisition of a 25% holding in Cologne-based SK Gaming. According to the operator, this is the first time a telco has invested directly in an e-sports company.
Next Layer, an Austrian communications service provider, has gone with Smartoptics’ DCP-M40 open line system in preparation for a 400G network upgrade in 2020.
Belgium’s Proximus has renewed its partnership with broadcaster VRT via the operator’s unpronounceable Pickx digital TV platform. Paul Lembrechts, CEO of VRT, said in a statement: “With its offer, the VRT wants to reach all Flemings in the best and most user-friendly way possible.” That’s this guy‘s holiday viewing sorted.
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News about IOST covering the Foundation, IOST developments, dApps, Node Partners, ServiNodes, and more.
OKEx Head of Pool Alina Yao discussed “Staking Economy in Crypto” on IOST International Telegram Group. Here is a recap
Introduction It has been a couple of weeks since IOST introduced its NFT Standard dubbed as IRC-721. NFT stands for
IOST Co-founder Terry Wang had a long and interesting Ask-Me-Anything Session on IOST Official International Telegram Group to answer some
Introduction It has been more than three months since the novel coronavirus struck China which quickly spread all over the


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Coffee company appoints new global chief marketing officer
March 19, 2013
Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, announced plans to expand its $70 million comprehensive ethical sourcing program with a new farming research and development center in Costa Rica. These programs are part of Starbucks’ ongoing billion-dollar commitment to ethically sourcing 100 percent of its coffee by 2015, the company says.
In honor of Groundhog Day, Seattle’s Best Coffee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Co., plans to ease the chill of six more weeks of winter with free beverages if the groundhog sees his shadow Feb. 2.
Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Co. announced a new partnership with New York-based cupcake retailer Crumbs Bake Shop Inc. to bring Starbucks’ brewed coffees, teas and espresso-based beverages to all Crumbs locations.


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Tesco is axing hundreds of deputy manager positions and thousands of team manager positions in its stores - but vowed the huge shake-up would result in more staff on the front line.
Staff at all Tesco’s larger stores were this week informed of the changes, which the retailer claimed would streamline management structures and improve service and availability.
Under the changes, deputy managers at all stores have been removed, and replaced by a new rotating duty system of lead managers from areas across fresh food, grocery, GM and nights, with the number based on the amount of staff at the store.
Meanwhile, team leaders across virtually all of Tesco’s larger stores have been given a choice of accepting a buyout payment and dropping to a lower pay level as general assistants, or taking redundancy, with negotiations starting on Monday.
Tesco also revealed some line managers were being displaced by a merger of departments in-store, which could see other staff given redundancy. However, retail director Tony Hoggett said on top of the extra 6,000 staff brought into stores in the autumn, Tesco was looking to increase its workforce in-store further.
“For a lot of our colleagues it is a very, very uncertain time,” he said. “But this is absolutely not about redundancies and taking heads out. This is about realigning service. We have sat down with thousands of people this week and very few issues have not been resolved.”
Hoggett said removing deputy managers would allow responsibilities to be spread more widely across stores. “There has been a big overreliance on two people to manage the store,” he said. “This means there will be anything between two to five senior managers who will be able to take responsibility.”
He added the decision to axe team leaders, following a trial launched in 12 Tesco stores in the East Midlands last year, was to improve service and availability. He vowed that every team leader had a job to go to.
Despite the drop in pay, Hoggett claimed staff had shown a good understanding of the rationale behind the changes.
“We haven’t had anyone who isn’t aware of the big picture. I have no idea how many people will end up taking redundancy but in the trials it was very few. We want to keep everyone.”


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The Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service wants to know if you are harboring a fugitive. In other words, is your pet properly licensed?
It is illegal to have an animal that is not licensed. This summer, there has been a 10-percent drop in people getting their pets documented. The result is a lot less money for SCRAPS and a lot more homeless animals on our streets.
“When you get a pet, you’re responsible for it. It’s no longer a wild animal. It belongs to you,” said pet owner Jeannine Senechal.
This year at SCRAPS, the cages are nearly all full and workers are faced with a threat. It is a case of more with less. Revenues at SCRAPS are down by a $.25 million because people are not licensing their pets.
“We want to do everything to protect the people and the pets without that revenue, it’s going to be hard,” said Nancy Hill from SCARPS.
SCRAPS gets a majority of its money from license fees. When people do not pay up, it cost SCRAPS.
Revenues at SCRAPS are down so much that administrators are considering reducing hours and staffing cuts. This could mean more homeless pets.
To get more people to license their pets, SCRAPS recently unveiled a new ad campaign, “Are you harboring a fugitive?”
The campaign was meant to get people’s attention, it is meant to make people more responsible.
The whole process of licensing your pet is actually pretty easy. You can do it online, in person at SCRAPS or over the phone. Failure to do so can result in a $56 ticket.


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Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL) Set to Announce Earnings on Wednesday
Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) will release its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, August 23rd. Analysts expect Burlington Stores to post earnings of $0.50 per share for the quarter. Burlington Stores has set its Q2 guidance at $0.45-0.50 EPS and its FY18 guidance at $3.86-3.96 EPS.
Burlington Stores (NYSE:BURL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 25th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.09. Burlington Stores had a negative return on equity of 294.39% and a net margin of 4.08%. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.57 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Burlington Stores to post $3.97 EPS for the current fiscal year and $4.53 EPS for the next fiscal year.
Shares of Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) opened at 80.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $87.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.23. Burlington Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.94 and a 1-year high of $104.07. The company has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91 and a beta of 0.51.
In other news, CEO Thomas Kingsbury sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.03, for a total value of $1,680,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 518,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,528,212.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Fred Hand sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.47, for a total value of $1,255,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 80,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,118,880.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 69,168 shares of company stock worth $6,272,491. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: “Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL) Set to Announce Earnings on Wednesday” was originally published by American Banking News and is the sole property of of American Banking News. If you are accessing this piece on another publication, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of international copyright legislation. The original version of this piece can be accessed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2017/08/16/burlington-stores-inc-burl-set-to-announce-earnings-on-wednesday.html.
BURL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets set a $96.00 price target on Burlington Stores and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 26th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Burlington Stores in a research report on Friday, April 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $113.00 price objective on the stock. TheStreet lowered Burlington Stores from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, June 23rd. Citigroup Inc. decreased their price objective on Burlington Stores from $100.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. Finally, BidaskClub lowered Burlington Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Burlington Stores has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.28.
About Burlington Stores
Burlington Stores, Inc is a retailer of branded apparel. As of January 28, 2017, the Company operated 592 retail stores, inclusive of an Internet store, in 45 states and Puerto Rico. Its product categories include coats, women, men, juniors, girls, boys, shoes, handbags and accessories, beauty and fragrance, home and toys.
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On April 25, 2022, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced plans to revive its powers to investigate “non-bank” financial companies that pose risks to consumers. Although the CFPB has held this authority since its inception in 2010, the agency has rarely invoked it, leaving it largely “dormant.” The CFPB announcement marks a possible reversal of this trend.
Supervision of “non-banks”
In addition to large deposit-taking institutions, the CFPB’s regulator also extends to certain “non-bank” — deposit-free financial institutions that do not have a banking charter. Many “fintechs” are non-banks. Generally, fintechs use technology to provide consumer financial products and services nationwide.
Three categories of non-banks currently fall under the CFPB’s non-bank supervision program:
Firstall non-banks that issue mortgages, personal student loans, and payday loans, regardless of size;1
secondNon-banks in certain other markets – such as B. Consumer Reporting, Collections, Student Loan Administration, International Wire Transfers and Auto Loan Administration – if they qualify as a “Major Entrant” as determined by the thresholds set in the CFPB Rules;2 and
third party, non-banks operating in an industry or market when the CFPB has reasonable grounds to determine that their activities pose risks to consumers. Actionable risks include any unfair, deceptive, or abusive act or practice, or any other act or practice that may violate the Federal Consumer Finance Act.3
It is the third category where CFPB oversight is largely dormant. The CFPB noted that while a 2013 rule of procedure sets out procedures for the CFPB to determine whether a non-bank’s conduct poses a risk to consumers, the CFPB has not applied that rule and “has now begun to rely on that authority.” to appoint”. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra noted that “the CFPB now uses dormant authority to hold non-banks to the same standards that banks are held to,” which will give the CFPB “a crucial agility to move as quickly as the market does.” allows [the CFPB] conduct audits of financial entities that pose risks to consumers and stop harm before it spreads.” Director Chopra’s words thus signal the CFPB’s intention to use the full power of its regulators to investigate non-bank providers of financial products and services for Regulate consumers – including businesses that would not qualify for oversight under the CFPB “major participant” rule.
Increased transparency about risk assessments
With its new reliance on the power to regulate risk posed by non-banks, the CFPB has issued a new code of practice to shed light on the process it uses to determine risk.
The CFPB uses various sources to identify risks, including CFPB complaints, whistleblower complaints, court and administrative decisions, information from state or federal partners, and news reports. If the CFPB may determine that its activities pose risks to consumers, non-banks will receive notification and an opportunity to respond.4 Existing CFPB rules consider all documents, records and communications related to these risk assessment processes to be “confidential” and protect them from disclosure.
The CFPB’s new procedural rule creates an exception to the confidentiality rule for a final “decision or order” of the director determining that the respondent is subject to the CFPB regulator because of the risks its conduct poses to consumers.5 Within seven days of service of the director’s decision or order, the respondent may file a request for confidentiality. The Director then decides whether the decision or order will be considered confidential or published in whole or in part on the CFPB’s website. The proposed rule states that this exception is based on “a public interest in transparency in relation to these potentially significant decisions by the director as head of the agency”. The rule also opens the door for decisions or orders to be used as “precedents in future proceedings”.
The CFPB noted that its new rule of procedure is exempt from the notification and comment requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act because it is “a rule of the organization, procedure or practice of an agency”. Nonetheless, the CFPB welcomes public comments and may change the Rule of Procedure based on comments. Comments are due by May 31, 2022.
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The CFPB’s move comes amid mounting pressure from some lawmakers in Congress, who have called for tighter regulation of fintechs and other emerging banking alternatives. Director Chopra has previously raised concerns about the risks consumers would take to less regulated non-banks for an ever-expanding array of financial services. Just last October, the CFPB ordered it to collect information about the business practices of major tech companies that operate payment systems in the United States – including Apple, Facebook and Google, for example. This was followed last December by an investigation into companies offering increasingly popular buy now, pay later (BNPL) credit – Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna, PayPal and Zip.
It’s too early to tell if the CFPB’s announcement signals the start of an era of increased scrutiny for non-banks, or if it was a token gesture to assuage concerns from fintech critics. These critics include traditional banks, along with some in Congress, who have accused fintechs of playing on an unequal basis given their less stringent regulatory environment.
The new CFPB transparency rule, at least in its current form, leaves significant open questions as to its application. The proposed rule does not codify a standard governing the director’s decision as to when a decision or order should be made public, although the CFPB “welcomes” comments on whether such a standard would be appropriate in the final rule. Nor does the rule address how quickly a decision or order is published after the director has determined that publication is appropriate. There is also no administrative mechanism to appeal the Director’s decision. This means that a non-bank wishing to challenge the agency’s assertion of supervisory powers under the rule must seek other remedies, including possible judicial review under the Administrative Procedures Act.
1 12 USC § 5514(a)(1)(A), (D) and (E).
2 ID. § 5514(a)(1)(B) (for “a major participant in a market for other consumer financial products or services, as defined in the CFPB Rules). See 12 CFR Part 1090 (contains the CFPB rules that define major participants in certain consumer financial products and services markets).
3 ID. Section 5514(a)(1)(C).
4 ID. Section 5514(a)(1)(C).
5 See 12 CFR §§ 1091.103(b)(2), .109(a) and .113(e).
© Copyright 2022 Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLPNational Law Review, Volume XII, Number 124


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We’re proud to announce that last month we launched the all new, much anticipated ecommerce website that we had been working on for Davidsons in the latter half of this year.
Not only is the new site a huge step up for Davidsons from a visual standpoint — their old website was using outdated branding, and an outdated platform — but is a huge leap forward in user-ability, technology, and overall function. With Davidsons Liquors' new user-friendly site, customers experience improved product searching and filtering, easier checkout, and an overall streamlined shopping experience compared to before. Customers can search for nearly every product available in stock at Davidsons and choose convenient in-store pickup or have items shipped directly to their door.
Site health and performance is up substantially compared to the previous site. In looking at the first month of the new site's activity compared to the previous month's (old site) activity, we can see vast improvements across the board — a 103% increase in overall visits to the site, a 109% increase in users to the site, a 147% increase in page views, a 21% increase of page visits per session, a .3% increase in visit duration, and a 14% decrease in bounce rate.
Because the new site is optimized for all devices — an absolute must in today's phone and tablet driven society — we're seeing a huge increase in improvements to site traffic from mobile & tablet users. There has been a 113% increase in mobile user sessions (123% from tablets), and improvements in all mobile/tablet visitor stats — improved session duration, page views, bounce rates, etc.
The site is also seeing major increases to its acquisition sources. Organic search traffic is up 127%, direct traffic is up 77%, and referral traffic is up 105%.
Overall, the new website we built for Davidsons is performing really well. There's no doubt that this launch has been a huge success, and that Davidsons will be seeing increased revenue from online sales due to the new site. A special thanks to Davidsons Liquors for their business, support, and continued faith in FiG!
If you have a need for a new ecommerce site, or need consultation on how to improve a pre-existing ecommerce site, contact us today to discuss!


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Did you attend a wedding this weekend? What about seeing friends or family attending a wedding this weekend on social media?
Either way, there’s a pretty good chance that you saw someone at a wedding on Saturday.
That’s because 8-18-18 was expected to be the largest wedding day of the year. Over 30,000 couples were expected to tie the knot, with an estimated 3.9 billion guests attending weddings this weekend.
TheKnot.com attributes the trend to the significance of the date, August 18, 2018.
In some cultures, the number 8 is associated with luck and balance. It’s also a pretty cool looking anniversary date!
If you weren’t invited to a wedding on Saturday, don’t worry. Between a gift, an outfit and accessories, wedding guests typically spend $261!
You just saved yourself a car payment!


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Brightcove, Surviving the Recession, Seeks New Fortune in Cloud Content
Whatever happened to Brightcove? You know, the Jeremy Allaire company known for developing a Web video-hosting platform and raising lots of money in the mid-to-late 2000s?
Well, for starters, it went public in February with a $55 million IPO. That didn’t begin to match the $103 million it had raised from prominent venture investors, including Accel Partners and General Catalyst, but it did help the company get to a healthy $300 million-plus market capitalization.
Brightcove (NASDAQ: BCOV) recently crossed the Charles River, setting up new headquarters in Boston after many years in Cambridge. The move is symbolic of something bigger. The company has also crossed over from being solely focused on Internet video to working with mobile devices and different types of digital content and services, such as apps for brand marketing. Its recent moves suggest it is trying to find new ways to make money by distributing content in the cloud more broadly.
In May, the company announced its first-quarter stats, which included quarterly revenues of $19.9 million (up from $13.1 million during the same period in 2011) and new customers such as Toyota and Starwood Hotels & Resorts (the company has some 4,400 customers in total). Brightcove is not currently profitable, but it flirted with profitability in recent years—2009 in particular—before investing more heavily in international growth and product development.
At the highest level, Brightcove’s vision is “to publish and distribute the world’s digital media,” says Jeff Whatcott, the firm’s chief marketing officer. “We believe in the power of the cloud, and we believe that content belongs in the cloud.”
That might sound a little nebulous, but let’s back up to understand the context. Brightcove started in 2004, led by Allaire, a tech entrepreneur and investor best known for helping create the Flash video format at Macromedia (now part of Adobe). Whatcott, another Macromedia alum, joined the firm in late 2008 after a restructuring that he says got Brightcove “properly set up for success.” As Whatcott explains, “The whole world was battening down the hatches. We pared back on some initiatives we had experimented with, focused in on the core, and made staffing changes right before I came in.”
It was a tough time for a lot of Web companies. “We continued to grow and succeed through that time frame, with more of a defensive posture, which I think was prudent at the time,” Whatcott says. “During the financial crisis, we did have some customers that went out of business. But to offset that, the general trend of video, which was our only business at that time, continued to be strong through the crisis.” Indeed, some big newspapers and media companies like the New York Times and Washington Post (noted Brightcove partners) upped their investment in video content, which seemed to help Brightcove’s prospects.
Now things are getting more complicated for the business—but that also means there could be more opportunities. … Next Page »


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Apple Stock Prediction
- Apple released its 3rd quarter earnings at market’s close on Tuesday, July 26
- The information disclosed shocked investors with much stronger earnings than predicted and sent Apple’s stock soaring
- Even before the earnings call, I Know First was thinking ahead to Q4 and wondered what others were predicting
- I Know First is currently bullish on AAPL for the long term
What do analysts and brokers project for Apple for Q4?
Some are sceptics: “We believe that Apple stock price is largely dependent on the success of its iPhone 7 launch later this year. Perhaps, the biggest disappointment at Apple has been the CEO Tim Cook’s lack of innovation during his 5-year tenure. Only truly new product was the Apple iWatch that has turned out to be a sales dud.” said Jay Srivatsa, an equity analyst.
Others are positive :”I think the car is being downplayed far too much […] Cook said that the number of users switching from Android to Apple over the past 9 months is at an all-time high. ” […]” Service revenue saw a big uptick as well this quarter and I expect to see that trend to continue going forward. I would recommend Apple as a buy and I am currently long the stock.” said Michael Cirelli, a Financial Advisor.
“We think the stock will benefit from multiple expansion as the market turns favorable on AAPL’s future. To us, the time feels right to buy into AAPL stock.” said L&F Capital Management, a quantitative investment management group.
What is I Know First point of view ?
I Know First was bullish before and remains bullish on AAPL after the earnings report. Now, after Apple surpassed expectations, I Know First continues to predict Apple to experience positive growth. Below are I Know First’s predictions for the 1-month, 3-month, and 1-year time spans. The forecast is from July 27, 2016, just one day after Apple released their earnings report.
To see the full article, click here


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P&G, Gillette launch heated razor, test waters with Indiegogo campaign
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the temperature settings of the razor.
Gillette and parent company Procter & Gamble are betting that men will pay up for a warmer shave.
The Heated Razor by GilletteLabs isn't on the shelves yet but early adopters can book one through am Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
It heats up in one second and has two heat settings, 113 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
"Experience the comfort of a hot towel with every stroke. Help us improve our latest innovation," the campaign said.
For $109, backers get a starter kit with one heated razor handle, a charger and six heated razor cartridges. Estimated delivery is February.
So, why the campaign?
In the past two years, P&G has been forced to slash razor prices and launch its own online subscription service to counter digital rivals Harry's and Dollar Shave Club.
In January, P&G launched a raft of eight new Gillette products designed to win back customers. At the end of 2017, the grooming segment's organic sales were down 6 percent in the last quarter.
More:P&G's Gillette has an unexpected new rival: Kroger
More:Procter & Gamble unveils Gillette blitz of better, cheaper razors
According to the Indiegogo campaign, development started in May 2017 with research into the heating bar. The anticipated end of the campaign is April, when Gillette will ask for consumer feedback.
"Your morning routine should be a time for restoration and preparation - getting you ready for the day ahead. We want to help guys take back their morning - and shaving is what we know best," the campaign states.


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CNET: Amid the hoopla over the new One, an Xbox executive reminds people without Internet connectivity that the venerable 360 is still available.
want latest gen graphics with no internet? GET A PS4
Lmao this is causing the stocks to drop/
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New Year’s resolutions are a polite conversation piece while at a party with friends and family. It is a bunch of worthless empty talk, and the worst sort of virtue signaling possible.
Going without air conditioning is my choice to live within my means without whining or demanding that other people pay my bills.
What else are we exchanging, besides money, for these so-called smartphones and total, unfettered access to the virtual world of the Internet?
Many young people are told over and over again to ‘Follow your dreams.’ But that’s often a one-way ticket to poverty, wasted time, and entitlement.
- Latest Development In Flynn Case Proves Special Counsel Was A Cover For Taking Down TrumpHis former lawyer’s latest testimony establishes two continue reading >
- New York Times Fudged Book Sales Data To Torpedo ‘Justice on Trial’ Best-Seller RankingThe New York Times blatantly ignored sales data to torpcontinue reading >
- Dissent Can Be Patriotic, But Hating Your Own Country Isn’tThe grand question of our time may very well be the simcontinue reading >


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When Microsoft first announced the original Surface tablet, many of us didn’t know that it was doomed to fail because of Windows RT. And when the company insisted with Windows RT in the second-generation, we already started to ask the question – when is Microsoft going to kill Windows RT ?
Of course, they haven’t officially announced the ‘killing’ of the OS, because that would’ve meant to acknowledge that they made a big mistake. But as the company made it official that Windows RT won’t be able to upgrade to Windows 10, it was obvious that those left with Windows RT-powered devices are going to be left with a dead OS. And I sincerely hope that Microsoft will do something for them.
For the rest of us who didn’t have to cope with Windows RT, Microsoft has now announced the Surface 3, the third-generation of the ‘affordable’ Surface line which comes with a full version of Windows. Panos Panay, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft Surface, made the announcement on the official Surface blog, saying the following:
When we developed Surface Pro 3, we set out to design the tablet that can truly replace your laptop – even your high-end laptop. Today we feel both fortunate and proud that the vision of Surface has become a reality with so many people using Pro 3 and loving the experience.
As you’d expect, the tablet comes with a free Windows 10 upgrade, when the operating system is going to be available. The Surface 3 can run all Windows apps including full Office, and also comes with a pen that is perhaps meant to mimic the success of the Surface Pro 3. Let’s have a look at some more features and specs of the product:
- 10.8 inch, full HD Display, 1920 x 1280 resolution
- Front 3.5MP and rear-facing 8MP cameras that both capture 1080p video
- 8.7 mm thin, weighs 1.37 lbs
- 3-position Kickstand
- 1-year subscription to Office 365 Personal
- Battery life up to 10 hours
- Quad-core Intel Atom x7 processor
- Full-size USB 3.0, Mini Display Port, microSD card reader, Micro USB charging port
- Speakers with Dolby Audio-enhanced sound
- 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage
The Surface 3 will start at just $499, and it’s available to pre-order today with devices shipping on May 5th in the US / Canada and May 7th internationally. However, what you need to know is that there’s also a 4G LTE version, as well, which starts at $599. The Surface 3 and Surface 3 4G LTE can be paired with the following accessories, as well – Surface 3 Type Cover, the Surface Pen which comes in silver, black, blue and red. and the Surface 3 Docking Station.


text: The East African aquaculture group consisting of Kivu Choice Rwanda and Victory Farms Kenya announced this month the completion of their Series B fundraising round for $35 million, constituting the largest ever investment in Africa’s aquaculture industry, to fund the expansion of the group’s operations in Rwanda and Kenya, and potential entries into Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania. The round was led by Creadev, with investors including the Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF), DOB Equity, Endeavor Catalyst Fund, and Hesabu Capital. The companies’ founders and angel investors - including Joseph Rehmann, Steve Moran, Kamran Ahmad, and Hans den Bieman - also invested into the transaction. The Story of Kivu Choice Upon visiting Rwanda in 2019, the company’s founder, Kamran Ahmad, was inspired to launch a fish farm on Lake Kivu to tackle the problem of affordable and sustainable protein production. In pursuit of this mission, in 2020 he joined Victory Farms Kenya, the largest fish farm in East Africa, and in late 2021 led a team of Victory Farms veterans to launch the organization's Rwandan counterpart, founding Kivu Choice. Shortly after its founding, the company was subsequently granted a 30-year lease of the RAB-owned Kigembe Fish Farm in mid-2022, and have since scaled the hatchery facility into the largest fingerling producer in Rwanda. Having celebrated their first harvest on Lake Kivu in March 2023, Kivu Choice is now expecting to produce over 1 million fish meals this year. In an interview with The New Times, Kamran explained the significance of this fundraising for the future of food security in Rwanda. “With the closure of this round, Kivu Choice is on track to become the largest and most sustainable protein production and distribution platform in Rwanda before year’s end, and a global leader in tilapia production within five years. At our target production of 20,000 tonnes per year, we expect to be producing the equivalent of almost two-thirds of Rwanda’s annual fish consumption; that’s over 50 million fish meals a year.” The rapid growth in Kivu Choice’s business, Kamran emphasizes, has only been possible with the Government of Rwanda’s support. “Kivu Choice’s success to date has only been possible with the strong support and collaboration that we’ve had with the Government of Rwanda. If you want to rapidly scale a business, I don’t think there’s anywhere quite like Rwanda to do so.” Supporting Employment, Fish Affordability, and Reducing Imports Jean Claude Ndorimana, the Director General for Animal Resources Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, noted that Kivu Choice’s hatchery in Kigembe, Gisagara District is the biggest hatchery in Rwanda, in addition to their commercial floating cages on Lake Kivu, Nyamasheke District; and that the scale of their operations producing table fish (tilapia) will have wide-reaching impacts on the Rwandan agriculture sector. “In addition to the contribution to food security and nutrition, the company will generate around 1,200 full time jobs,” Ndorimana said. In 2022, he said, Rwanda produced 43,560 tonnes of fish among which aquaculture (fish farming) contributed 3,900 tonnes and the remaining 39,660 tonnes were from capture fisheries from different lakes and water reservoirs. Meanwhile, Rwanda has a target to produce to 112,000 tonnes of fish annually by 2024. “Kivu Choice investment is considered important because they are projecting to contribute around 4,000 tonnes by 2024 and 20,000 tonnes by 2026. This will be a huge contribution to fish production as the country is importing between 10 to 15,000 tonnes of fish and fishery products every year,” he observed. As fish production increases, Ndorimana said, fish and fishery products will be available and affordable. Kivu Choice projections are to meaningfully increase the affordability of fish for Rwandans while investing in distribution channels to ensure that their products are available across the main towns of the country. Increasing Production of Fingerlings for the Industry Under its 30-year lease agreement with the Government of Rwanda, Kivu Choice will be supplying 1.2 million fingerlings a year to smallholder farmers to help the wider industry grow. Kamran, the company’s CEO, indicated that while Kigembe fish farm is the largest fish hatchery in the country and has enormous potential, it was underutilized until recently. He followed on to say that the company is now in the process of scaling up the facility, with investments in state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure for fingerling production. Advancing East African Food Security The East African fish supply deficit is one of the greatest supply–demand imbalances in the global food system today. Regional governments estimate a supply gap of 1 million tonnes of fish per year. The aquaculture industry meets a mere 3% of this deficit. Kivu Choice and Victory Farms present a scalable solution to East Africa’s nutritional security challenge. Tilapia is recognized as the most environmentally and financially efficient protein solution for Africa. For example, tilapia’s feed conversion ratio (FCR), a metric for production efficiency, is five times lower than that of beef, and thousands of times more land-efficient. Investment in sustainable African aquaculture can therefore help reduce reliance on imports and provide food for millions of people while supporting local agriculture industry. Building a Global Leader in Climate-Friendly Food Production Kivu Choice’s and Victory Farm’s products have a direct impact on the region’s climate change mitigation agenda by growing protein intake at much lower emission levels than other meat products, while using renewable energy and off-grid retail branches to reduce their carbon footprint across the value chain. Farmed tilapia emits just 1.5 kg of carbon dioxide per kg of product, three times lower than the next best animal protein (poultry), and 30 times lower than beef. At their current capacity, the group estimates that at least 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will be avoided by shifting consumers to fish.


text: Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND) today announced financial results for the three and 12 months ended December 31, 2012 and reviewed business highlights for the fourth quarter of 2012 and early 2013. Ligand’s 2012 Form 10-K is expected to be filed before March 12, 2013. Financial information related to contingent value rights contained in this news release is being finalized and is therefore subject to adjustment. “2012 was a transformational year for Ligand. Our operations reached profitability and positive cash-flow by year-end, and progress made in our late-stage partnered and unpartnered programs demonstrated the tremendous potential of our unique business model,” commented John Higgins, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ligand. “We are very pleased with the continued revenue growth of Promacta ®, partnered with GlaxoSmithKline, and believe the approval of Onyx's drug Kyprolis ® in 2012 is a significant event for Ligand and our Captisol ® business. Today, we have seven drugs generating royalties, with a potential for six more royalty-bearing products to be approved in the next three years. We expect to see continued advancement of our pipeline as well as revenue and net income growth in 2013 and beyond.” Fourth Quarter Financial Results Total revenues from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of 2012 were $13.6 million, compared with $12.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2011. The $0.7 million increase is primarily due to higher royalty revenues from increased sales of Promacta, partially offset by lower Captisol sales and license and milestone revenues. Cost of goods sold was $2.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of $0.3 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2011. Other operating costs and expenses from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of 2012 were $6.9 million, compared with other operating costs and expenses of $6.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2011. Research and development expenses of $2.5 million were roughly flat compared with the fourth quarter of 2011. General and administrative expenses were $4.3 million, an increase of $0.6 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2011, primarily due to costs associated with tax consulting projects.


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The PS5 official website is live and all the confirmed updates about the upcoming console of Sony will be available there.
From the end of 2019, the launch date of PS5 is one of the hottest topics in the gaming community. The release of the next-gen console is even confirmed by Sony and we are expected to grab the console by the end of 2020 at the holiday season.
Moving one step further Sony now officially launched the website of PS5 indicating that the date of the birth of this console is so far. If you visit the landing page of the website you can see a section for signing up to get a newsletter and a brief explanation about some information.
“We have begun to share some of the incredible features you can expect from PlayStation 5, but we are not quite ready to fully unveil the next generation of PlayStation. Sign up below to be among the first to receive updates as we announce them, including news on the PS5 release date, PS5 price and the upcoming roster of PS5 launch games.”
So if want to know about any further official detail about PS5 as soon as possible then you can sign up on the official web page of PS5 to get updated from the company itself.
The ongoing debates and speculations related to PS5 are getting more intense as we are getting one step closer every day from the expected time period of launch. Everyone is predicting and speculating about the price, specs, graphics, new features and the games that will be available on it. We are so excited to get our hands on the new PS5 console and experience the game by playing on it.
According to the experts, the price of upcoming PS5 or Xbox Series X will be a crucial thing for the buyers about which one they should buy. The performance and review is another pillar for the success of both consoles.
So stay tuned for more updates and news and visit the page of PS5 if are a PlayStation fan.


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PITTSBURGH (Jan. 26, 2024) — Single-game tickets for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s 25th-anniversary season will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, with pre-sale availability beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 6 for season ticket holders and select groups.
The Hounds are set to build off the team’s Players’ Shield-winning 2023 season that saw the team set single-game and season-long attendance records at Highmark Stadium, averaging more than the stadium’s 5,000-seat capacity with 13 of 17 matches sold out during the regular season. Advance sales of season tickets and multi-game Flexbook packages are pacing ahead of last season, and Feb. 8 will be the first chance for the general public to secure seats on a single-game basis for the home opener March 16 against Orange County or any of the team’s 17 home USL Championship matches.
Season ticket holders will have the first chance at single-game tickets at 10 a.m. on Feb. 6, and an additional pre-sale for partners and members of the Riverhounds Academy will open at 10 a.m. on Feb. 7.
In addition to the action on the field, the Hounds are excited to bring back some of their most popular promotions. Select $1 Beer Nights top the card, while promotional giveaway nights include a lovable “SquishAmo” plushie and more.
Year two of the Hounds Celebrity Series will throw things back to the team’s inception in the 90s, with stars such as wrestling legend “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan slated to meet fans at Highmark Stadium, and popular national halftime acts will join the entertainment, including the return of the popular Zooperstars.
A full promotional night schedule will be announced Feb. 5, prior to single-game tickets going on sale.
Single-game tickets will start as low as $18, and season tickets and multi-game Flexbook packages are on sale already. Fans are asked to be aware that, because of anticipated demand, there could be system delays during the initial public sale period.


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Polygonomicon, an independent game developer, has released a new video revealing their new game Varvarion. Varvarion is a fighting game that features beautiful cartoonish graphics as well as quick and intuitive hand-to-hand combat.
This video was taken from one such event, Tokyo Game Dungeon 2, which took place in Hamamatsucho on January 15, 2023.
We also heard from players who seemed to enjoy their time in Varvarion. However, they also offer constructive criticism, which is fantastic that the developer is open about this.
Up to four players may be able to play local split-screen in both co-op and versus modes, and a single-player campaign will be included in the final release, according to the developer's website.


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In yet another episode in the seemingly endless saga of consumer tech companies trying to impact on each other’ smartphone and tablet sales, Apple has been forced to stop selling its iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 in Germany.
This time, the appellant was Motorola. The issue at stake is an unresolved patent licence relating to the GPRS module. A German court has ruled that the Apple smartphone and tablet cannot be sold through retail channels in the country until the patent issue is resolved. The iPhone 4S uses a Qualcomm chip and is thus exempt from the ban.
Apple has also been in dispute with Samsung over alleged similarities between the design of the original Apple iPad and the similarly slim Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Tech site The Verge relays details of a report in German newspaper Finanz Nachrichten in which Apple says “Even if some iPad and iPhone models currently available in our online store in Germany are removed, our customers will have no problem finding these products in Apple stores or through authorised dealers.”
The spokesperson went on to say that Apple will appeal against the injunction as Motorola has refused to license the patent “on acceptable terms” and that the disputed module was declared an indusntrial patent 7 years ago.”


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Autosport owner Motorsport Network has acquired a stake in Formula E.
The electric single-seater series is in its third season and has attracted manufacturer entries from the likes of Renault, Jaguar and DS.
Formula E has also enticed growing involvement from BMW and Audi, while Formula 1 champion team Mercedes securing an option to enter the series in 2018/19.
Motorsport Network's acquisition of a shareholding was announced in the build-up to Formula E's Las Vegas eSports event, which is being held as part of the Consumer Electronics Show.
"Formula E has garnered the attention of capital cities, car makers and technology businesses alike," said motorsport.com chairman Zak Brown.
"The intelligence we can add to this picture is a discernible trend among our digital motorsport audiences to consume the racing content from Formula E.
"This has underwritten our decision to invest in the series."
Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag added: "The investment decision made by Motorsport Network has been evidence-based - a data-led decision driven by the growth in demand for Formula E content on the world's leading motorsport websites.
"This is the fusion of two future-focused businesses that are reshaping motor racing for the digital generation that will bring the benefit of the most integrated and extensive motoring and motorsport media operation to our series."
The Formula E move follows the acquisition of Motors TV by Motorsport Network and its recent purchase of Autosport, F1 Racing, Motorsport News and LAT Photographic.


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Date: April 5, 2019
In Case You Missed It!
Amazon Poses “Direct Threat To The Health And Safety Of Children And Babies”
Amazon’s disregard for serious counterfeit protections has allowed its platform to be flooded with hazardous products.
“Amazon’s marketplace for third-party sellers has spawned a vast ecosystem of counterfeiters, scammers and knockoffs, an ecosystem that poses an existential threat to businesses that lack the financial resources or manpower to do full-time IP enforcement. But it poses an even more direct threat to the health and safety of children and babies who, by law, are supposed to enjoy special protection from dangerous or unhealthy products – products that are now being mainlined into American homes via Amazon’s third-party selling platform.” (Inc., “How Dangerous Children’s Products Enter American Homes–Thanks To Amazon,” Jeff Bercovici, 4.4.19)
To read the full article, click here.
ABOUT THE FREE & FAIR MARKETS INITIATIVE
The Free & Fair Markets Initiative (FFMI) is a nonprofit watchdog committed to scrutinizing Amazon’s harmful practices and promoting a fair, modern marketplace that works for all Americans. For more information on the Free & Fair Markets Initiative, click here.


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Sony Playstation 5 :
He Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) of the United States, the agency charged with protecting the environment, has measured the power consumption involved in playing PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and has published its results, ensuring that both consume between 160 and 200 watts when used, a figure considerably higher than that of its predecessors and that of a 60-inch television. Similarly, the North American body has commented that when the consoles are in Sleep Mode they only consume one watt or less.
The high cost of consuming PS5 and Xbox Series X
However, have also warned that the Xbox Series X’s instant-on feature could end up resulting in about 500 megawatts a year, a high figure that could end up costing players an unexpected increase in their electricity bills, which is why they recommend not using it to save on energy consumption. In fact, they estimate that two-thirds of console users use this feature.
On the other hand, They also comment that the consumption of both PS5 and Xbox Series X reaches their highest peaks when we play new generation titles, but it drops considerably when we use them to enjoy titles from past consoles with their backward compatibility possibilities. The positive note in this whole thing is put by Xbox Series S, a platform that consumes much less energy, especially when we use it to play.
In addition, They also wanted to warn that watching television applications and video on demand on the console consumes more than if we do it through devices such as Apple TV or Amazon Fire Stick. To be more specific, they consume between 30 and 70 watts, that is, between 10 and 25 times more than the devices we have mentioned.
Finally, the NRDC wanted to advise Sony and Microsoft to study the consumption habits of gamers, check out how you use the console energy saving options and promote their use to raise awareness.


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At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, the makers of Nokia phones, HMD (Human Mobile Devices) has announced plans to create its own branded devices, as part of a multi-brand vision, which will see the company continue to sell Nokia phones and work with global partners.
“In our seven-year journey, collaboration and support has allowed us to achieve so much. We have plans to do more as we introduce the world to the new HMD. We want to be a catalyst for positive and profitable change by embracing a multi-brand strategy – crafting new HMD original devices, creating Nokia phones and collaborating with well-known global partners,” HMD co-founder, chairman and CEO, Jean-Francois Baril said.
E-waste is one of the most important issues for both tech makers and tech users and HMD seeks to make the repairability experience accessible to everyone.
On average, two-thirds (66%) of people in the UK currently live with a smashed screen. In Europe and Australia and New Zealand, repairable devices made up one in four HMD smartphone sales in 2023. This year, HMD expects that to grow to three in four devices in Europe and ANZ and half of the smartphone devices sold globally to be repairable.
“One year ago, we introduced our first repairable phone to a great response. 12 months on, we are determined to continue to push the boundaries to reimagine repairability. As more people seek out easy to repair devices so they can keep their phone longer – and save hassle or delays when fixes are needed – we’re excited to make that process as easy as possible, starting this summer,” HMD vice president of Europe, Americas and Enterprise, James Robinson said.
As Human Mobile Devices, HMD aims to redefine screen time, champion repairability and forge meaningful partnerships as part of its multi-brand vision.
“Our commitment to human-centred innovation has spurred our expansion, unlocking new prospects for us and our collaborators, and has been a driving force behind our adoption of a multi-brand strategy,” HMD chief marketing officer, Lars Silberbauer (feature image) said.
“We take pride working with remarkable partners and are excited about extending our collaborative efforts with dynamic new partners like Mattel. Barbie and HMD are on a mission to shake things up with a new flip phone coming this summer.”
The Barbie Flip Phone will arrive this summer 2024, promising style, nostalgia and a digital detox.
“At the heart of Mattel is design and innovation, and this latest collaboration is another step forward in that direction. The Barbie x HMD launch promises to be an exciting moment for Barbie fans of all ages, we’re excited to flip the switch and unveil it to the world at Mobile World Congress,” Mattel EMEA head of consumer products for publishing and LBE, Ruth Henriquez said.


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According to Platformer, Twitter is working on a new plan to save its advertising business by forcing users to opt-in for personalized ads. This could be part of Elon Musk’s plan to make up for losses after the company announced he was losing $4 million a day.
Platformer was informed that Twitter is considering personalized advertising as a solution to monetize its Blue service. However, this news must be confirmed by Musk or other sources within the company. Still, Musk shows that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep his company profitable, whether it’s selling high-end office chairs or kitchen gadgets.
After weeks of back and forth, Twitter has finally rolled out a new version of its Blue subscription service. Pricing is $8/month for web users and $11/month for iOS users. The first version was taken down soon after some users impersonated companies and caused their stocks to crash. However, the new Blue subscription requires phone number verification to prevent such incidents.
Twitter users must opt-in for personalized ads
The problem with the Twitter Blue subscription is that it costs about $6 in advertising revenue per user per month. The company also confirmed that Blue users will see fewer ads “soon”, and Musk talk About the “upper tier” ad-free version of Twitter Blue.
Speaking of ad-free Twitter, it’s consistent with the company’s efforts to keep advertisers on the app by offering them generous incentives. Of course, Twitter still makes a small amount of revenue from Blue subscribers, with advertising making up more than 85% of his revenue, so this could be a legitimate move.
The Twitter takeover has created a lot of distractions for Elon Musk. He is no longer the richest man on the planet, replaced by LVMH co-founder and CEO Bernard Arnault. Additionally, Musk’s cost-cutting campaign and forcing employees to work hardcore has caused dissatisfaction among employees.Whether Musk’s plans for Twitter will work remains to be seen. is.


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As Jon Stewart put it during a recent iPhone skit on The Daily Show, “Our long national nightmare is almost over” -- that is, Verizon Wireless will begin accepting preorders for the iPhone 4 from existing customers one week from today.
Despite some wild speculation about shipping delays on the new Apple TV, customers who preordered the refreshed box after the September 1 media event where it was introduced are now seeing their shipment status changed -- or even getting shipment confirmations.
For faithful Apple fans that don't have an Apple Store nearby, Best Buy has just announced that pre-sale orders for the iPhone 4 will start tomorrow, June 15th. The ginormous brick-and-mortar store will offer the iPhone 4 on its official release date of June 24th.
And in case Best Buy isn't near you either, Walmart will also carry the iPhone 4 on its release date, though there are currently no preorder options available. The iPhone 4 will come in black and white and cost $199 for a 16GB version or $299 for the higher capacity 32GB version.


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Posted by Dale Buss on June 4, 2012 08:55 AM
GM pressures TV networks for discounts in upfront.
Ducati is booming in North America.
Facebook sees future in India, and explores access for under-13-year-olds as fallout from botched IPO continues.
Adidas sues Merrell over three-stripe design.
Apple/Motorola patent trial will feature Steve Jobs 'testimony.'
Big Tobacco goes to war in California.
BlackBerry-maker RIM victim of own 'identity crisis' (at least it's still cool with South African youths).Continue reading...
Posted by Shirley Brady on March 21, 2011 02:00 PM
Having already screened at Sundance and South by Southwest, director Morgan Spurlock's new documentary on product placement (POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) is opening on Earth Day (April 22nd) in select US markets.Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on January 24, 2011 03:40 PM
The Sundance Film Festival kicked off last week with news that Morgan Spurlock's new documentary — The Greatest Movie Ever Sold — had sold.
In fact, it sold itself many times over: first and foremost to POM Wonderful for title sponsorship; to Sony, which will distribute it; and to the other brands who agreed to underwrite Spurlock's film in return for being featured placing their products as part of the film.
It all means that Sony will distribute the documentary in April under its new title — POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. The bigger question, as Spurlock seeks to sell out much in the way he intended to blimp out with his McDonald's-skewering Super Size Me documentary in 2004: who got bought and who got sold? And can such a cynical exercise really show how branding and product placement work?Continue reading...


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Apple has decided to transfer part of its production from iPads from China to Vietnam after months of supply chain issues around Shanghai and slow production due to lockdowns due to coronavirus outbreaks. COVID-19revealed this Wednesday Nikkei Asia.
According to the Japanese newspaper, the Chinese company BYD, specialized in the assembly of iPadshas worked with Apple to set up production lines in Vietnam and plans to start small production of these tablets in the Indochinese country.
Although the partial relocation of iPad production is mainly due to supply chain problems and lockdowns in and around Shanghai, it is part of a trend that began in recent years as a result of the trade war between Beijing and Washington during the term of Donald Trump.
Similar decision made
Two years ago, shortly before the pandemic broke out, Apple moved part of its production of AirPod Pro headphones from China to Vietnam, following in the footsteps of other leading US companies in various sectors in the face of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese imports.
Until now, the Biden Administration has not changed the import taxes on Chinese products, which, together with the lower cost of labor in Vietnamexplains that production transfers continue.
According to Nikkei Asia, Apple It has also asked its suppliers in China to increase the storage of electronic components and ensure the supply of chips in order to maintain production. (EFE)
We recommend METADATA, RPP’s technology podcast. News, analysis, reviews, recommendations and everything you need to know about the technological world. To hear it better, #StayHome.


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When you think of investments in food companies, it is not thought of as cutting edge, risky and experimental. It is thought of almost like commodity investments. There has been little change in the basic ways that food is produced for the last thousand years.
There has of course been changes in the intensity and process, but the reality is that meat still comes from animals, plants are grown from the land and dairy is produced from various cattle.
So it is surprising to hear that some of the world’s tech elite have started to heavily invest in food startups in the last 12 months.
This has included support from Bill Gates, Marc Benioff and Eduardo Saverin, to name just a few.
In fact Hampton Creek, one of the new crop of food startups, had over $90 million invested in it in 2014 alone.
So why are there all of these huge tech giants investing in food companies?
The answer quite simply is that it is one of the only industries today that is needed to grow aggressively over the next few decades.
This is because the world population is predicted to increase dramatically in the next 50 years to close to 9 billion people, a 1.8 billion increase in the number of people on earth today. People may want the latest phone or social media tool, but they need food, so supplying this is a must for both investors and society in general.
The reason that companies like Hampton Creek, Soylent and AgLocal have received so much funding is because they have shunned the traditional way of producing food, instead looking at cheaper, more environmentally friendly and less intensive practices.
One of the main byproducts of this is that they have rejected the idea that meat can only be made from animals and have instead looked at creating the same, if not better, flavours and textures through the use of plant proteins.
This has been done by companies such as Beyond Meat, who have been trying to perfect a burger made using no meat. Their initial experiment was described as tasting like ‘Rancid Polenta’ but after several changes has now been labelled ‘better than a turkey burger’, which is certainly an improvement.
This comes from breaking down what has made meat so popular in terms of taste and texture, then either recreate or enhance these elements to create the perfect replica.
It is different to the kind of lab grown meats that have been commonly mentioned in the past, simply because that utilizes meat cells to create more. This new type of company dispenses with the need for animals in the creation process at all. The reason for this is not necessarily the ethics behind the treatment of these animals (although this undoubtedly plays a part) but instead because around 30% of the World’s ice free landmass is covered by livestock and this huge number of animals produces over 14% of all greenhouse gases.
In addition to this, they also need feeding to create a decent amount of meat, for instance for every 1kg of useable beef it requires 10kg of feed. Simply taking the animal out of the equation means that the spaces used to create this feed can be used to create food direct for human consumption.
The tech community is justifiably excited about the prospect and have given their full backing to companies like these. To use a tired cliché, they have put their money where their mouth is.


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The USB 3.0 Promoter Group has announced that it is creating a brand new power delivery specification, which they feel will help to “extend the capabilities and usages” of cable bus power.
Is Windows Phone about to go big?
Digital Storm Vanquish II gaming PC
Which Android handsets would you like to see as Windows Phones?
Backed by IT industry giants that include Intel, and surrounded by several competitor solutions, all of whom harbor ambitions to become an industry standard, Certified Wireless USB will make its market debut later this year....


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JEDDAH: A partnership agreement to open more cinemas in Saudi Arabia has been signed by business chiefs.
Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Dawoud, chairman of the Saudi Entertainment Ventures Co. (SEVEN), and Fouad Al-Rashed, CEO of Asala Holding Co., on Thursday put pen to paper on a deal to establish new AMC cinemas in several Saudi cities.
The agreement is part of SEVEN’s strategy to develop and operate 50 movie theaters throughout the Kingdom over the coming years.
SEVEN, a unit of the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), aims to drive the Saudi entertainment industry forward through its other strategic sectors, particularly leisure parks.
Real estate firm Hamat Property Co., the operating arm of Asala Holding Co., specializes in the ownership, development and management of shopping centers and commercial properties. The company’s portfolio includes 25 operating shopping malls in the Kingdom.
SEVEN recently announced the launch of its first family-friendly entertainment complex, in Riyadh.


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Walla Walla’s Sears Hometown Store is under new ownership.
When new franchisee Gary Peck took the helm at the Main Street retailer about two months ago it marked the launch of a third career and a return to Eastern Washington for the Nebraska native.
The retired Air Force major, who spent time at Fairchild Air Force Base, had a post-military career as a math teacher, including in Clarkston.
After retiring from education, he returned to a home he owns in Nebraska, renovated it and was left afterward with a feeling he could not shake.
“I just really felt like I had something left to offer,” he said during a visit at the downtown Walla Walla store.
As he began to look for opportunities in business, he found the Sears Hometown Store franchise model.
The timing and location could not have been better. Walla Walla’s franchise had been turned back over to the company last spring from previous franchisee Scott Hester. With the location in the Pacific Northwest as familiar territory, Peck saw an opportunity to return to the region. He said he saw promise in Walla Walla.
“Coming here, I could see a strong message of supporting downtown,” he said.
In the process, the move also continues the seven-year presence of the retailer’s model.
Opened here November 2012 at 207 E. Main St., the store is independently owned and operated under license from Sears, Roebuck and Co. It carries a smaller range of products than a traditional Sears store. Its main offerings include home appliances, lawn and garden equipment, tools and mattresses. It does not carry apparel, electronics or housewares.
Peck said about 65% of the products come through the Sears distribution system with brands such as Kenmore, Craftsman and Diehard. But the operation also has access to products not seen in traditional Sears stores. Those include Whirlpool, Maytag, Frigidaire and Husqvarna.
About 65% of sales at the Walla Walla store is appliances. The next biggest category is lawn and garden, Peck said.
The 10,500-square-foot store is run with a crew of five employees Peck said were another part of why he picked the Walla Walla market for his latest venture.
“A critical factor was the team directly in place here,” he said. “They have a real dedication to customer service and working together.”
He said the ownership change has been well-received by customers who see the transition as positive for the store’s future in Walla Walla.
“Customers have been very appreciative of us staying in business,” Peck said. “I’m happy for the appreciation.”
A grand re-opening and introduction of the new ownership is in the works for Friday and Saturday.


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Digiday Retail Summit February 2018
The Amazon Effect
If there’s a word echoing through the retail industry these days, it’s Amazon. Whether retailers refer to Amazon as their friend, enemy or frenemy, there is no denying that Amazon has disrupted the retail industry (and many other industries) in a major way.
And even for those who don’t compete with Amazon, the shift in consumer expectations the behemoth has brought about impacts everything from customer experience to delivery times.
Join us at the Digiday Retail Summit to discuss how the Amazon shift is affecting the retail industry and its customers, from being able to share your brand story to acquiring data to develop better messaging and products.
Tickets Prices in USD


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An increasing market trend involves corporations performing a portfolio review to decide which parts of their business are wholly aligned with the overall corporate strategy. Often, following the review, corporations decide to divest or spin off the business units which are not critical to delivering on its strategic plan. The first expectation may be companies are divesting weak business segments, but some corporations have divested profitable businesses in order to simplify and re-align management’s focus on growing its core businesses. In other scenarios, companies have used these actions as a defense against a challenging environment or active investor base.
Pushed Towards Divesting
Darden Restaurants, the owner of Olive Garden and other dining chains, has been in a multi-year struggle with activist investors. Darden initially responded to activists by divesting its Red Lobster brand in 2014, which was met with waves of criticism and was partially responsible for Darden’s entire board to be replaced.
Recently, Darden spun off a sizeable portion of its real estate into a real estate investment trust. The new board believed owning the real estate assets offered no strategic value for Darden, but it can now use the funds raised to invest in the growth of its principal dining businesses.
More often than not if an organization decides to spin out or divest a part of its business it is a specific operating segment or business unit. The Darden Restaurants example is unique, because the organization solely spun out valuable assets. However, the end goal is the same; Darden removes parts of its business not driving the core strategic growth of the company.
Currently, the two leading strategies are divesting segments deemed to be low-growth or capital intensive, and divesting segments not aligned with a pre-defined core sector, such as industrial or healthcare.
Divesting to Focus on Growth Strategies
When an organization decides to invest in only its high-growth segments, it may choose to divest underperforming business units or ones with limited growth potential. As Ernst and Young noted in its 2014 Global Corporate Divestment Study, the cause for the divestment is not always the same and depends on the industry. Consumer-focused companies may find brands or product lines slowing due to a change in trends or consumer tastes. In the technology space, new innovation, like the new trends of big data and cloud computing, may cause a rapid shift in the entire industry.
One key example is consumer products leader Nestlé, who announced plans two years ago to move away from some of its underperforming business units. It was recently in the news for its divestiture of its Spanish frozen foods brand, La Cocinera. This move followed the sale of its PowerBar nutrition business and its divestiture of most of its Jenny Craig brand. Instead of investing additional capital into these businesses Nestlé has chosen to invest in its leading brands including Nescafe coffee, KitKat chocolate, and Purina PetCare all of which have grown well since announcing its divesting plans.
IBM altered its strategy to move away from businesses units with minimal growth expectations even if they were producing steady revenue streams. IBM recently completed its divestiture of its semiconductor technology business to GLOBALFOUNDRIES. IBM actually has to pay GLOBALFOUNDRIES over $1 billion to operate the business unit. This move followed IBM’s sale of its x86 server business to Lenovo, which closed in late 2014.
The technology giant has chosen to trim these large, but slow growing businesses in order to increase its investments in big data analytics and cloud computing. IBM’s recent performance has been stagnant, but its focus on high growth areas is providing it with a foundation to move back towards growing the business.
General Electric’s strategy is different from previous examples. GE is choosing to divest non-industrial related segments to generate funds for reinvesting in its core business or for returning cash to shareholders. Management recently announced it intends to generate 90 percent of profits from the industrials sector by 2018, compared to 55 percent in 2013. In June, GE agreed to sell its European finance business for $2.2 billion and earlier in the year it sold its private-equity lending business for $12 billion.
Future of Divestitures
Divesting has always occurred, for like when General Electric under Jack Welch became famous for selling any business where they were not a market leader. However, the attitude towards divestitures has changed. They are no longer seen as an option for culling weak business units, but are now nearly viewed as a necessity in order to kick start growth in the core business.
In Ernst and Young’s 2015 study, Steve Krouskos, Ernst and Young Deputy Vice Chair of Transaction Advisory Services, is quoted saying, “Even as the M&A markets experience their first real revival in nearly a decade, divestments remain at the center of a company’s growth strategy. Why is this? Because divestments are vital to portfolio optimization — they are at the heart of funding future business growth. Letting go is how a company grows.”
Ultimately, the rate of divestitures is not expected to slow down in the upcoming future. Ernst and Young said over half of the executives it surveyed are expecting the next twelve months to witness an increase in the number of strategic sellers.


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Woman claims to find squid-like substance in coconut water bottle
GOSHEN, N.Y. – A New York woman says she found a squid-like substance that made her violently ill in a bottle off coconut water.
Barbara Kline told WABC she noticed something tasted wrong after taking a sip of Vita Coco water on April 25.
"I swallowed a big clump. It was really nasty and it tasted really thick," Kilne says.
After opening the bottle, Kline found some kind of substance that looks life-like or moldy.
Kline said she began continuously vomiting for almost a week, and then suffered from diarrhea.
After posting the images of the disgusting mass to her Facebook page, Kline says Vita Coco asked for the substance so it can be tested, but she refused.
The company believes the package was opened or unrefrigerated, allowing what they call "random spoilage."
Kline, who says that she was just looking for closure and not money, wants it to be tested by an independent lab.
Copyright 2017 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.


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The courageous opening of Alihankinta Subcontracting Trade Fair in Finland created optimism for the future
Finland's leading industrial event Subcontracting and AlihankintaHEAT 2021 was organized for the first time after the pandemic gap year on September 21–23 2021. A total of 917 exhibitors from 16 countries and 7 460 visitors participated the event at Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre.
The main partner this year was Business Tampere. The next Subcontracting and AlihankintaHEAT will be organized on September 27–29 2022. The theme of the event will be Industry Appeal, Needs and Experts.
Subcontracting and AlihankintaHEAT 2021 succeeded well in the current situation, although the number of visitors was less than half compared to a normal year. Traditionally, the event has attracted over 16,000 trade fair visitors to Tampere.
– We really felt like we were bringing the 33-year-old event forward together over these difficult times. The spirit was very positive, and the whole event had an atmosphere of shared joy of finally making it happen. This goes to show that the well-known "Alihankinta Spirit" was still going strong, despite the pandemic, says the events Project Manager, Marketing and Communications Director Tanja Järvensivu of Tampere Trade Fairs Group.
First-time awarding the Industrial Act of the Year
History was made on the second day of Subcontracting, as the Industrial Act of the Year prize was awarded for the first time by the main partner of the trade fair, Business Tampere. Out of the three strong candidates, the winner was AGCO Power Oy from Nokia. The prize was received by Managing Director Juha Tervala of AGCO Power and presented by Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Mayor of Tampere. This recognition highlights the significance and value of industry, emphasizes the impact of individual acts, and encourages activity. In the future, the Industrial Act of the Year prize will be awarded every year.
Main Supplier of the Year 2021, awarded by Finnish Association of Purchasing and Logistics (LOGY), was Finn-Power Oy and Subcontractor of the Year 2021 was Coreplast Laitila Oy. The awards were received by VP Purchase & Logistics Tero-Jussi Teppo of Finn-Power Oy and Managing Director Mikko Toivonen and Sales Director Kauko Kämäräinen of Coreplast Laitila Oy. These recognitions, which have been awarded since 1987, aim to promote the competitiveness and networking of the Finnish manufacturing industry.
Next year's theme will be "Industry Appeal, Needs and Experts"
This year's theme of the Subcontracting and AlihankintaHEAT was Business from Data, highlighting the aspects of intelligent industry, security and productivity.
Subcontracting presents the metal, electronics, plastics and rubber industries, industrial ICT solutions, as well as design and consulting within these fields.
During normal years, the event has attracted over a thousand exhibitors from twenty countries and about 16,000 to 18,000 trade fair visitors.
The largest European maintenance conference will eventually be held in Rotterdam from 17 to 19 April 2023. Covid-19 threw a spanner in the earlier plans, but the Dutch Maintenance Society (NVDO), the European Federation of National Maintenance Societies (EFNMS) and Rotterdam Ahoy will combine forces again. At the same time, Rotterdam Ahoy will be hosting the largest technology and maintenance exhibition in the Benelux from 18 to 20 April 2023: Maintenance NEXT.
UE Systems, the world leader in ultrasonic inspection instruments & solutions for predictive maintenance and reliability, is offering a virtual/online Ultrasound CAT I course.


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Sodexo S.A. - 13.12.2018, 13:52
Sodexo has entered into an open innovation partnership with the Indian branch of Zone Startups, a global tech accelerator, demonstrating its commitment to fast-track growth in the Indian market.
Mersive Technologies Inc - 13.12.2018, 12:01
Wireless content sharing and collaboration solutions provider Mersive Technologies today announced support for Miracast screen mirroring on its Mersive Solstice wireless collaboration solution. With this addition, Solstice users can now wirelessly share content onto a display using the native screen mirroring capabilities of all major operating systems -Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS – even in cases when a user doesn’t have the Solstice app.
Oracle Corporation - 07.12.2018, 11:54
The rationalisation of its global supplier chain by 50 per cent and a 70 per cent reduction in approval times since 2016, are benefits of a decision by Western Digital Corp to migrate the core business systems of Western Digital, SanDisk and HGST to the Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Cloud.
Dan Diehl , Paul O’Malley , Lou Ronsivalli - 06.12.2018, 19:15
Aircuity CEO Dan Diehl, strategic consultant Paul O’Malley, and GioVantage Strategies, LLC principal Lou Ronsivalli, provide their take on the digital transformation of building products and services.
Inepro BV - 06.12.2018, 11:01
With research revealing the average person spends five years of their life waiting in lines and queues, Inepro BV has developed the SmartLine Q-Buster self-service Point of Sale (PoS) solutions to meet the the needs of organisations that want to use modern technology to improve customer’s experience of their brand.
Royal Academy of Engineering - 05.12.2018, 10:56
Engineering, business and governance challenges need to be addressed if the UK is to break down the barriers to sharing personal and non-personal data without eroding trust between organisations, according to a report published yesterday by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Facilio Inc - 05.12.2018, 09:00
Strong performance and clear go-to-market strategy underpin Tiger Global and AccelVC investment in facility and energy management software developer.
Systopia International - 26.11.2018, 08:51
Point of sale payments solutions provider Systopia has launched Digital Concierge, an innovative ordering and in-room assistance system that enables companies to provide on-demand services including delivery of refreshments during meetings.
Mersive Technologies Inc - 15.11.2018, 23:22
Wireless content sharing and collaboration solutions provider Mersive Technologies has been ranked at 139th place in Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™ listing of the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, and energy tech companies in North America.
Mersive Technologies Inc - 13.11.2018, 10:06
Mersive Technologies is the recipient of Frost & Sullivan's 2018 Product Line Strategy Leader award in the North American Professional Wireless Content Sharing market. Mersive, a leader in wireless content sharing and collaboration solutions, was chosen for the breadth and scalability of its portfolio, the feature-set it offers, customer purchasing experience and brand equity.


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By: Amber Hughes | From: Spectrum News
SAN ANTONIO — Although some folks visit Hill Country just for the wineries, thousands of tourists are expected to travel here to see the solar eclipse.
“On a typical Saturday we will be pretty full in here,” said Texas Wine Collective’s business development manager, Caroline Eidson.
The pours are flowing inside Texas Wine Collective’s tasting room. Eidson said in Fredericksburg they have nothing to whine about.
“We’re pretty excited about having two eclipses in the matter of, what, six months coming right over our heads in Hill Country,” Eidson said.
Texas is the only state in the path of the annular eclipse, and the total eclipse in 2024. The state is attracting tourists from across the country to the region.
“We’re going to welcome hundreds of thousands of people to this area,” Eidson said. “Hopefully, we’ll have about 500 here on our property.”
While the Hill Country may be a hot spot for viewing the eclipses, San Antonio is also high on the list.
“We want to get as many people here as we can,” said Marc Anderson, president and CEO of Visit San Antonio.
Many hotels have now reached their capacity for the rare phenomenon.
“Some of our hotels are already sold out for next year as well,” Anderson said. “So not only are they enjoying great attendance and visitation on Oct. 14, those visitors are already booking their rooms for next year.”
Hospitality is the third largest industry in San Antonio. Anderson stated they want people to come for the eclipses but stay for everything else the region has to offer.
“We’ve promoted… domestically but also internationally to our friends in Mexico and Canada,” Anderson said. “… If you’re in North America and you want to take a flight to San Antonio, you can see the amazing eclipse.”
Back in wine country, the Fredericksburg visitor center has already given away hundreds of eclipse glasses. They’re ready for the ring of fire, the final solar eclipse visible from the continental U.S. for another 20 years.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Eidson said. “We are super excited. I know that the town is getting very excited. We are expecting a lot more people in April.”