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LandAmerica to cut 291 more jobs (Times-Dispatch)
Bankrupt Henrico title insurer LandAmerica filed notice with the state that all headquarters jobs would be phased out by Dec. 31. Employees will not receive any severance. The first wave of cuts will come April 1 and affect 42 people. The biggest wave will happen April 15 when 139 people, from accountants to technical support specialists, will be let go.
TMD Friction’s Dublin plant to close amid bankruptcy (Roanoke Times)
The company, which calls itself the world’s leading maker of brake pads and linings, is in bankruptcy proceedings in a court in Cologne, Germany. TMD is based in Leverkusen, Germany.The 140 employees of the bankrupt German company will lose their jobs by May 31.
Despite Federal Aid, Many Banks Fail to Revive Lending (Washington Post)
The federal government has invested almost $200 billion in U.S. banks over the last three months to spark new lending to consumers and businesses. So far, it hasn’t worked. Lending has declined, and banks that got government money on average have reduced lending more sharply than banks that didn’t.
Angels Flee From Tech Start-Ups (NY Times)
Unlike venture capitalists, angels invest small amounts of their own money — as little as $10,000 and usually less than $1 million — in very young companies. But like all investors, many angels suffered deep losses when the market plunged last fall. That has left them skittish, investing in fewer technology start-ups and demanding more of those they do consider, leaving founders struggling to find money at the stage they need it most. The slowdown, entrepreneurs and investors say, could stunt the growth of new companies and have long-term effects on innovation.
Postal Service seeks to weather economic storm (USA Today)
These days, the check isn’t in the mail. It’s increasingly on the Internet — and that’s bad news for the U.S. Postal Service. Electronic communication and a withering economy have pushed the Postal Service into its worst financial crisis since Benjamin Franklin founded the institution in 1775. The Postal Service has lost $7.9 billion in the past two years. It has borrowed money to pay its bills. Mail volume fell 4.5% last year and the Postal Service expects a bigger drop this year. Last week, the agency asked Congress for permission to consider reducing delivery from six days a week to five.
Six companies born during downturns (Fortune)
Think a recession is a bad time to start a company? Imagine if the founders of these major corporations had thought the same.
[…] Read the original here: Newsfeed 2.3.2009 […]


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If you've been reluctant to take calcium supplements for fear of heart problems, it's time to cast that worry aside.
In the latest back and forth between researchers, new study findings offer assurance that people who take calcium at recommended levels for bone health can continue to do so safely.
The study, published last week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted in almost 1,300 older men and women and found no link whatsoever between calcium intake – from diet or supplements – and coronary artery calcification, a strong predictor of heart attack.
These findings come after two controversial studies from New Zealand researchers sparked concern that calcium supplements could raise the risk of heart attack, particularly in older women. Their proposed theory: Calcium ingested from supplements increases blood calcium and deposits in artery walls, building up in fatty plaques. Over time, calcified fatty plaques can harden and narrow blood vessels, hindering blood flow to the heart.
Many women stopped taking calcium pills, attempting to meet daily needs from diet alone.
Yet several concerns about the research methods used in these earlier reports have been actively debated in scientific journals, leading scientists to seriously question their conclusions.
The latest study set out to determine if calcium intake from diet and supplements was, in fact, associated with coronary artery calcification in participants enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study, the longest-running medical study to date. The investigators examined 1,278 men and women, average age 60, who were asked about their diet and supplement use and underwent CT (computed tomography) scans of their coronary arteries four years later.
After accounting for cardiovascular disease risk factors such as age, body weight, smoking and alcohol use, the researchers found no link between calcium intake and coronary artery calcium scores. Participants with the highest calcium intake from diet or supplements (1,558 to 2,821 milligrams in women and 1,047 to 3,050 milligrams in men) had the same calcium scores as those with the lowest calcium intakes.
These findings add to the weight of the evidence that calcium supplements do not have adverse effects on cardiovascular disease risk. In fact, previous studies have shown that calcium has beneficial effects on blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. There's also preliminary evidence to suggest that calcium plus vitamin D supplementation may improve blood glucose (sugar) control in people with type 2 diabetes.
While coronary artery calcification is indeed a risk factor for heart attack, there's not a stitch of evidence that consuming calcium causes this condition. Calcification in arteries is the result of events happening in damaged arteries, not simply because calcium is circulating in your bloodstream.
Furthermore, experts contend that the small increase in blood calcium that occurs after taking a supplement is unlikely to be large enough to cause calcification in artery walls, or any tissue in the body.
The appropriateness of inferring from study findings that calcium supplements – or any dietary factor, for that matter – causes harm should be based on four criteria: a strong association between calcium and heart attack, consistent findings from earlier studies, a dose-response relationship (e.g., as calcium intake increases, the risk of heart attack increases) and a biologic mechanism that makes sense.
According to an expert review of research on the link between calcium use and cardiovascular disease published this month in Advances in Nutrition, An International Review Journal, the earlier reports that raised fears among women and their doctors met none of these criteria.
The Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board – the organization that establishes nutrient recommendations for North Americans – also concluded that the evidence to date does not support a link between calcium and cardiovascular disease.
An adequate intake of calcium – from food and supplements – has repeatedly been shown to preserve bone density in older adults. Studies have revealed that age-related bone loss is more pronounced when dietary calcium is low, which is the case for many Canadians.
Meeting daily calcium requirements goes beyond bone health. Evidence suggests that calcium supplementation can help reduce the risk of precancerous colon polyps, maintain a healthy blood pressure, prevent pregnancy-induced high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia) and ease symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
Women and men, aged 19 to 50, need 1,000 milligrams of calcium each day; older women require 1,200 milligrams. After age 70, men's daily calcium requirements increase to 1,200 milligrams. The safe upper daily limit for calcium (from food and supplements) is 2,500 milligrams for adults 19 to 50 years and 2,000 milligrams for older adults.
Get the calcium you need from your diet first since calcium-rich foods provide many other nutrients important to health. If your diet falls short, make up the difference with a calcium supplement. (Most multivitamins do not contain enough calcium to suffice as a supplement.) That said, it's always important that you discuss with your health-care provider whether calcium supplements are appropriate for your health profile. People with chronic kidney disease, for example, should only take calcium as prescribed by their doctor.
Where to find calcium
Selected foods – dairy and non-dairy – that are rich in calcium:
Milk, 1 cup, 305 milligrams (mg) of calcium
Yogurt, plain, ¾ cup, 336 mg
Yogurt, fruit flavoured, ¾ cup, 254 mg
Cheese, cheddar, 1 oz., 204 mg
Fortified plant beverages (e.g. soy, rice, almond), 1 cup, 300 to 330 mg
Baked beans, 1 cup, 154 mg
Soybeans, cooked, 1 cup, 261 mg
Tofu, firm, with calcium sulfate, ½ cup, 253 mg
Almond butter, 2 tbsp., 112 mg
Bok choy, cooked, 1 cup, 158 mg
Collard greens, cooked, 1 cup, 266 mg
Rapini (broccoli raab), cooked, 1 cup, 200 mg
Spinach, cooked, 1 cup, 245 mg
Swiss chard, cooked, 1 cup, 102 mg
Blackstrap molasses, 1 tbsp., 180 mg
(Source: USDA Agricultural Research Service)
Leslie Beck, a registered dietitian, is the national director of nutrition at BodyScience Medical. She can be seen every Thursday at noon on CTV News Channel's Direct. www.lesliebeck.com

domain: news


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CNG-fueled Two–wheelers Hit Mumbai Roads
In its endeavour to protect environment, Mahanagar Gas in association with M/s Eco Fuel, launches CNG fueled two-wheelers in Mumbai
Photo Credit :
In an effort to protect the environment through eco-friendly fuel, Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) in association with M/s Eco Fuel (Indian Partners of Lovato, Italy) launched CNG fueled two-wheelers in Mumbai thus enabling them to run on safe and economical fuel.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan launched the two-wheelers at an event presided over by Vinod Tawde, Minister for Education, Youth, Sports & Cultural Affairs and Guardian Minister of Mumbai Suburban, Govt. of Maharashtra. Pradhan also launched e-wallet payments which can be used at the time of filling CNG.
Pradhan said that the launch of CNG fueled two wheelers will give an opportunity to more than 36 lakhs two-wheelers running in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to opt for this eco-friendly fuel. In the last few years, CNG powered vehicles have grown in Mumbai Metropolitan Region at a CAGR of over 70 per cent.
Priced at Rs 15,000, the CNG kit for two-wheelers comprises of two CNG cylinders of 1.2 kg each, which can run up to 120 to 130 km per kg at an approximate cost of Rs 0.60 per km per single fill and is expected to be substantially economical as compared to a similar petrol run vehicle at the current level of prices as per the kit manufacturer. In the initial phase, the scooters shall be retrofitted with a CNG kit manufactured by Lovato.
At present, two kit manufacturers - M/s ITUK & M/s Lovato have got two-wheeler CNG kits approved by ARAI, Pune and ICAT Gurgaon respectively. Lovato has got approval for 18 Scooter models of various OEMs present in the market. Considering the huge potential of this segment other kit manufacturers are also planning to launch their two-wheeler kits.
Speaking at the occasion, B. C. Tripathi, Chairman and Managing Director - GAIL (India) said, “This initiative is a part of our continuing endeavor to protect the environment through eco-friendly fuel.”
Said Rajeev Mathur, Managing Director, MGL, “Easy availability and accessibility of CNG stations across our operational area is the driving force of our CNG network.” “Barring few peaks in the day due to shift timings of the autos and taxis, there is almost a drive-in, fill-up and drive-out scenario in the CNG stations,” he added.
The present infrastructure spread has the capacity of dispensing more than 27 lakh kgs of CNG per day which can fuel over 10 lakh vehicles in its operational area. Additionally, MGL has also launched ‘MGL Connect’ Mobile App (available on Google Play Store) which will assist consumers to find the nearest CNG station in MMR and nearby areas for convenient refueling experience. MGL also promotes the opening of CNG stations from third parties on availability of plots and other pre-requisite permissions.
The launch was done in the presence of other dignitaries including Poonam Mahajan, Member of Parliament, Trupti Prakash Sawant, MLA, Alka Kerkar Deputy Mayor, MCGA and Rajesh Pandey, Director – MNGL.


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Bangladesh Jeweller’s Association (BAJUS) has urged the government to reconsider lowering the maximum limit from 100 grams to 50 grams regarding brining jewellery under baggage rule in the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2023-24.
At a post-budget press conference held at its office in Dhaka on Monday, the association also demanded 10 more facilities, including reducing the VAT rate from 5 per cent to 3 per cent on sales of jewellery items in the FY24.
BAJUS vice president Anwar Hossain said, “On April 4, we put forward 12 proposals in the budget for the FY24 which reflect the hopes of the jewellers.”
“But unfortunately, none of the proposals has been accepted in the proposed budget except one. It was disappointing and it might also affect the industry.”
“Government needs new sources of revenue to meet budget deficit. The jewellery industry can go a long way to meet the budget deficit if the VAT rate imposed on the sector is reduced,” he added.
He also explained that 5 per cent VAT levied on the sale of gold ornaments seems to be a burden on customers as many of them are reluctant to pay it. So, it affects revenue of the government as well.
BAJUS is demanding reconsideration of the 11 proposals made by it in the proposed budget for FY24.
They also proposed reducing customs duty (CD) levied on unrefined ore gold from 5 per cent to 1 per cent conditionally, and 5 per cent for IRC holders and VAT-compliant industries instead of 10 per cent for partially refined gold.
For rough diamonds imported by authorised institutions, BAJUS sought to decrease CD from 25 per cent to 10 per cent, and supplementary duty (SD) from 2 per cent to 10 per cent. VAT, AIT, and RD should be kept unchanged.
To encourage the import of smooth diamonds through legal channels, BAJUS demands reduction of SD from 60 per cent to 20 per cent.
BAJUS also emphasized the tax holiday facility for 10 years for the gold refining industry and a tax holiday for 10 years including exemption from all customs duties on imported raw materials and machinery to be used for manufacturing gold ornaments.


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A newly restructured Gamesys Group (formerly JPJ Group Plc) has confirmed that it will move to unify all compliance disciplines, utilising TruNarrative ‘single platform’ solution.
Updating stakeholders, Gamesys management confirms that the TruNarrative platform will act ‘on-boarding lead’ across all Gamesys brands, providing single point provisions for ID verification, fraud detection, behavioural monitoring, KYC referencing and further AML procedures.
Gaming Director, Simon Mizzi detailed the importance of Gamesys managing its compliance demands under a unified platform, allowing the London-listed operator’s brands to benefit from ‘unified customer journeys’ on KYC interactions related to identity checks, document validation, PEP and sanctions checks.
“Having access to multiple data source providers through a single API integration and interface is a huge benefit to us. It means we can react quickly to a constantly changing regulatory environment while having the freedom and flexibility to provide a world-class user experience.” – Simon Mizzi detailed
“This relationship demonstrates our commitment to understand and care for our customers and enables us to provide the most enjoyable customer experience”.
Heading into a crucial 2020, a restructured Gamesys is set to significantly expand its online gambling portfolio securing control of UK brands Virgin Games, Virgin Casino, Monopoly Casino, and Heart Bingo.
Adam Doyle, Head of Gaming at TruNarrative, said: “We are excited to be working with part of the Gamesys group plc, to provide them with access to multiple third-party providers covering their entire customer on-boarding journey via a single API.
“Sourcing multiple providers across the globe to meet varying regulatory requirements is a huge challenge. Providing Gamesys group plc, with the ability to work from a single platform across their on-boarding strategy will help the customer experience while also aligning with compliance and audit requirements “


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Score: 8 Last year: 8
AKQA performed well in its first full year under the WPP banner, making it a runner-up for Campaign’s Digital Agency of the Year in 2013 and only let down by a poor submission.
The shop boasted an 85 per cent pitch-success rate and captured 14 new clients, including being made the digital agency of record across Northern Europe for Beiersdorf.
New wins contributed £10.6 million to its £54.7 million revenue, brought in by key clients including Google, Unilever, Volkswagen, Audi, Nike, Fiat and EDF Energy.
AKQA consistently produces solid digital work for clients. It social media activity behind the Nike Hypervenom made this the most successful launch of a football boot without a TV ad in the brand’s history.
The trophy cupboard also filled up after the agency enjoyed its most successful year at Cannes to date. It won 14 Lions, seven of which were for work launched in London. These included a gold Cyber Lion for Nike+ Kinect Training and a Titanium and Integrated Lion for Nike "find your greatness". It also won Digital Agency of the Year at the Rev Awards.
In September, AKQA hired Ian Wharton as the creative director, reporting to the co-founder and chief creative officer, James Hilton. Wharton joined from the software publishing company Zolmo. Simon Spaull was hired from TBG as the general manager to focus on developing client relationships worldwide, Ron Peterson joined from TBWA\Digital Arts Network to head the social practice and Laura Stewart was appointed the head of business transformation.
AKQA is good at holding on to talent – 25 per cent of those who have worked there for five years or longer and 24 per cent of those based in the UK office were promoted last year, including Ben Jones, who became the chief technology officer, and Sam Kelly, who became the head of business development and marketing. However, Guy Wieynk chose to walk in early 2014 after 16 years at the agency.
The agency opened its 11th office – in Tokyo – with Nissan and Nike as its founding clients. It is planning to launch in Brazil and India this year.
How AKQA rates itself: n/s
AKQA's year in a Tweet: n/s
|Type of agency||Digital|
|Key personnel||Ajaz Ahmed co-founder and CEO|
|Tom Bedecarré chairman|
|Lester Feintuck chief financial officer|
|James Hilton co-founder and chief creative officer|
|Total accounts at year end||38|
|Accounts won||14 (biggest: Beiersdorf)|
|Number of staff||440 (+16%)|
Score key: 9 Outstanding 8 Excellent 7 Good 6 Satisfactory 5 Adequate 4 Below average 3 Poor 2 A year to forget 1 Survival in question
Footnote: *indicates where agencies claim the corporate governance constraints of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation.


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PM Modi to inaugurate mega International Museum Expo in Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day international museum exposition in Delhi on May 18 during which a host of cultural activities will be organised, said Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy. The event will be held from May 18-20 and will also commemorate the International Museum Day that falls on May 18.
Accor Group to add 30 more hotel properties in India
Accor SA plans to expand both its managed and franchised hotel business in India with 30 new properties to be added over the next five years. As part of the company’s strategy, the firm will focus on developing economy and mid-scale brands focused on tier-II, III, and IV cities in India. India is a key market for Accor, based on the country’s resilience and speed in recovering from the pandemic.
Pride Hotels Group announces launch of Pride Biznotel Canopus Digha
Pride Hotels Group is proud to announce the launch of Pride Biznotel Canopus Digha, located in the coastal town of Digha. The Pride Biznotel Canopus Digha is a sophisticated hotel that offers comfortable accommodations in a prime location with an array of amenities that make it the perfect destination for both business and leisure travelers. The hotel is conveniently located near the beach and close to several of Digha’s popular attractions, including the famous Digha Convention Centre.
Air India celebrates Mother’s Day with a unique creative initiative
Air India released a short film to celebrate Mother’s Day with a unique artistic tribute to mothers around the world, and the things they do for their loved ones. The innovative self-shot film beautifully and authentically captures the strong emotional bond shared between a mother and her child. Every journey is made sweeter by a mother’s care and affection. The film is self-shot by different creators from countries around the world and this lends a distinctly “original” touch to the production.
2023 has been and will continue to be the happiest year for the travel and tourism sector. It’s been an extremely good year for business and I am hopeful that it will remain so. In my business, I have already crossed the 2019 figures and are hoping to close the year with much better business figures than what we have registered in the past. People today are travelling like never before the pent-up demand, the craving for a holiday is not going down with time, rather, it is rather, it is increasing only. However, developments such as the recent GoFirst crisis creates unwanted restlessness amongst the travellers and brings to light some negative elements. Common people – the travellers become the sufferers along with small-scale agents.
–Neeraj Malhotra, Chairman – Northern India, TAAI


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Families to be banned from Sheffield IKEA and restaurants shut – full list of new changes
IKEA is set to reopen its Sheffield store on June 1 as shops prepare for the end of lockdown.
IKEA is the latest retail giant to reveal its reopening plans after the Government announced some shops could reopen from next month as part of the gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
The homewares chain said social distancing wardens will patrol the store and the number of customers would be limited.
Families will be banned, with the flat-pack giant saying only one adult and one child per household will be allowed inside at any time.
Play areas and restaurants will stay shut, but IKEA’s famous meatballs will be available in food courts to cook at home.
There will be extra hand sanitiser, and additional deep cleaning of bags, trolleys, bathrooms, equipment and touch screens.
Cash will not be accepted, with all payments by card or contactless device only, and customers should avoid travelling to stores just to process refunds - with Ikea pointing out it has a 365-day returns policy.
The 19 stores reopening are: Croydon, Greenwich, Lakeside, Wembley, Tottenham, Norwich collection point, Birmingham, Nottingham, Belfast, Manchester, Warrington, Gateshead, Leeds, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Reading, Southampton, Bristol and Exeter.
Bosses aim to limit customer numbers via a staggered entry system, and they are asking shoppers to ‘come prepared with ready-made lists and own bags’.
Opening hours will be reduced to begin with:
Mon-Sat: 10am to 8pm
Sun: 11am to 5pm
IKEA will also be introducing click and collect in all stores shortly.


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SHENZHEN, China — Fairy Fair is a mid-range womenswear brand that targets China’s 110 million female consumers between the ages of 20 and 30 years old. In their showroom in Shenzhen, Cindy Chen the head of merchandising briskly leads an inspection tour and comments on past sales performance. First, she holds up a big panda-eyes T-shirt and announces: “This was our bestseller last spring.” Then she points to the bunnies that swarm all over the brand’s summer miniskirts, another bestseller. Finally, she presents a whole menagerie of cats, swans, lions and mice that proudly parade on a successful series of tops. In the winter, she said, faux-fur hoodies with small ears have been doing well, helping this writer to understand why chilly Chinese girls sometimes look like bear cubs.
Until recently, these kinds of "childish" products have driven strong results. Launched in 2001, Fairy Fair grew quickly and deployed a network of over 800 stores in China. It makes a profit of about €10 million ($13.3 million) per year. But Ms Chen admitted the magic has faded in 2013 and, recently, Fairy Fair’s IPO filing was denied by China’s Securities Regulatory Commission because the brand’s growth predictions were deemed to be over confident.
Ageing little rich girls
At Fairy Fair, there is growing awareness that the “cute” style on which the brand is built is losing its appeal in the eyes of consumers born after 1990. But the penchant for “sweet” fashion remains strong among women over 25 years old (often called the Post-80s generation) and many Chinese, Korean and Japanese brands such as Olive des Olive, Only, One Page Bright and A02 continue to flatter the innocence of their not-so-young clients.
The fact is that marketing to women between 25 and 35 years old is attractive. Three decades of steady economic growth, public spending on education and the one-child policy radically improved the lot of Chinese girls born in the 1980s, a groundbreaking shift after centuries of discrimination. Financially independent and educated, these girls are more materialistic and egocentric than previous generations — some have pictures of themselves on their desks — and are, unsurprisingly, more avid fashion shoppers. A typical young urban woman lives with her parents and earns about €700 ($936) per month. She typically gives half to her mother and spends the rest of it on clothes (30 percent), followed by consumer electronic (11 percent) and travel (10 percent). According to a recent survey by the Boston Consulting Group, urban working women aged 26 to 35 are the biggest spenders on clothing in China. The survey also indicates that urban female consumers aged 14 to 45 account for 54 percent of total consumption of clothing in China.
But what pushes a 25-year-old Chinese woman to buy a teddy bear sweatshirt? From a Western point of view, cuteness is the reserve of children. At an age when their Western counterparts have mastered with ease the codes of négligé étudié, why are Chinese adults still playing with dolls?
A short history of Chinese looks
The historical and sociological background of modern China provides some explanation. On the one hand, until China opened up to capitalism in the early 1990s, the standard uniform for both men and women was a strict Mao suit in blue, gray or black. A scarf, of course red, would sometimes cheer women’s outfits. But overall, an austere Communist simplicity reigned supreme. In the summer, "Blazy” dresses, simple cotton shirt-dresses inspired by the Soviets, brought a bit of lightness. (They were introduced in the late 1950s after the visit of a Russian politician who claimed that the severity of the Chinese clothes did not quite reflect the cheerful prosperity of Socialist countries.) To some extent, the tastes of young women born after the 1980s were forged in response to the colourless, gender-neutral fashion heritage of their mothers. This probably goes some distance towards explaining their fascination for colourful, bright and childish clothes.
On the other hand, though more women are becoming career-oriented and prefer to marry later than before, Chinese mentalities remain traditional. Single women in China are driven by intense societal pressure to find a mate. In a survey of 32,000 people in 2010 by the All China Women’s Federation, 90 percent of men said that a woman should get married before the age of 27. Those that don’t risk being called sheng nu, or “leftover ladies.” To increase their chances, women are generally taught to be quiet and sweet and look young. Thus, for the post-1980s generation of women, adopting a “cute” and “sweet” style is often perceived as a way to defer the marriage deadline.
A fresh generation
But things change. Young women born after 1990 are breaking with the "cute" style that pleased previous generations. While the women born in the 1980s lived in an environment of fast economic growth, combined with rigorous education standards, post-90s women are no longer guinea pigs in a new socioeconomic experiment. They still suffer from the pressures of schoolwork and market competition, but they have adopted more liberal and individualistic values, which can translate into more selective and anti-mainstream shopping habits.
An important youth movement reflects this evolution of tastes. It’s called the Xiao Qing Xin (XQX) style, which literally means “small and fresh.” Coming originally from indie-pop music, the XQX wave has now engulfed other cultural domains, such as cinema, art and, now, fashion, presenting major challenges for Chinese brands like Fairy Fair, most of whom are ill-equipped to respond and paralysed by a backwards-looking mentality.
Genevieve Flaven is CEO of Style-Vision Asia, a trend agency based in Shanghai.


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Yesterday was Street Fighter Day at PlayStation Experience, with the annual Capcom Pro Tour drawing to a close with the 2015 Capcom Cup.
A fitting send-off for Street Fighter IV as a marquee game, Japanese player Kazunoko toppled Street Fighter legend Daigo Umehara in a close fought final. After having sent Umehara into the losers’ bracket in straight games, Daigo fought his way back to make the final, before capitulating to Kazunoko 3-2 in the decider. Full results, and more Street Fighter V developments saved for after Capcom Cup, are available after the jump.
A big surprise packet this year was unsponsored Brazilian player Keoma, who made it all the way to equal 7th by beating the likes of Snake Eyez, Gamerbee and Itabashi Zangief. There was even an Australian tilt, with Sydney’s own Humanbomb (now based in Hong Kong) reaching 9th before getting shut down by Snake Eyez.
Capcom Cup 2015 Results
1. Kazunoko (Yun)
2. MCZ|Daigo Umehara (Evil Ryu)
3. RZR|Xian (Gen, Poison, Dhalsim)
4. r/Kappa|PoongKo (Seth)
5. RB|Snake Eyez (Zangief, Evil Ryu)
5. r/Kappa|Misse (Makoto)
7. Keoma (Abel)
7. RZR|INFILTRATION (Decapre, Chun-Li)
9. Itazan (Itabashi Zangief) (Zangief)
9. CCG|Humanbomb (Sakura)
9. MCZ|Tokido (Akuma)
9. MD|Luffy (Rose)
13. Liquid|NuckleDu (Guile, Decapre)
13. YBK|Shiro (Abel)
13. AVM|GamerBee (Elena, Adon)
13. MCZ|Mago (Yang)
17. KIG|Problem X (Seth, C.Viper)
17. RZR|Fuudo (Fei Long)
17. YP|Valmaster (Chun-Li)
17. MF|TONPY (C.Viper)
17. QANBA.Douyu|Dakou (Evil Ryu)
17. Dashio (Seth)
17. QANBA.Douyu|Xiao Hai (Elena)
17. EG|Momochi (Ken, Evil Ryu)
25. RZR|RB (Hugo, Rolento)
25. Dark Jiewa (Ken)
25. Nemo (Rolento)
25. RZR|Gackt (Fei Long, Sagat)
25. EG|JWong (Rose, Elena)
25. YOMI|Dieminion (Guile)
25. RB|Bonchan (Sagat)
25. WFX|801 Strider (Abel)
After Kazunoko was crowned champion, a number of Street Fighter announcements were made. To start with, the Capcom Pro Tour would be returning in 2016, opening with Final Round 2016 next March in Atlanta. Street Fighter V will replace Ultra Street Fighter IV as the official Capcom Pro Tour game. Competitors in Capcom Pro Tour events earn points and sometime direct qualification to the Capcom Cup, so expect the best of the best to be there.
Also announced was that the team behind the miniseries Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist were hard at work on a sequel Machinima series, titled Street Fighter: Resurrection. A short teaser revealed Charlie Nash, sporting the stitches and staples of his SFV incarnation.
To further build hype for SFV, the intro cinematic was also shown to the crowd, accompanied by a new video of the full starting roster online.
Finally, a promotional video of the exclusive pre-order costumes was released online alongside all of that, showing off the “Sexy Ryu” Battle Costume that made waves months ago in action, as well as Battle Costume DLC for Chun Li, M.Bison and Cammy.


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ARKANA: Groupe Renault unveils the new production version of its Coupé SUV for Russia
In August 2018, at the Moscow international Motor Show, Groupe Renault introduced the Arkana show-car for the very first time. Today, it unveils the production version of this innovative, distinctively designed Coupé SUV. It will be on sale in Russia this summer, opening a new chapter in the history of the Renault brand on the international market.
23 May 2019


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AT&T Primetime tablet is affordable, long-lasting and built for ‘nonstop entertainment’
Here’s our clearest, cleanest, prettiest real-life look at the glossy Moto X4
Low-cost Nest Learning Thermostat is all about plastic in ev-leaked render
Leaked CAD sketches hint at very little change from iPhone 7s and 7s Plus
Perfect audiophile headphones for just $22.99
Fitbit beats Q1 revenue expectations, CEO insists first smartwatch is ‘on track’
Asus ZenFone AR starts selling in India, ZenFone 4 family reportedly coming next month
AnTuTu benchmarks Moto Z2 Force suspect with 6GB RAM, 128GB storage
Will an iPhone SE sequel come in August?
dbrand is accepting pre-orders for Galaxy Note 8 skins
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Posts Tagged ‘Sony’
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact looks very similar to full-sized XZ1 in new CAD-based renders
The upcoming Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact is unsurprisingly nothing special in terms of design, with thick bezels, sharp corners and a seemingly metal build.
August 18, 2017 4:12 am
Familiar-looking Sony Xperia XZ1 stars in freshly leaked hands-on photos and CAD renders
The design of the upcoming Sony Xperia XZ1 holds no more secrets following two detailed new visual leaks, with a bunch of specs also revealed.
August 16, 2017 4:07 am
Keep your family safe from cybercriminals with this VPN and tracker blocker — just $49
VPN technology can be activated to keep your internet connection encrypted and your data safe from cybercriminals. For a limited time, Disconnect is only $49, which is 90% off its original value.
Leaked Sony Xperia XZ1 separate from Xperia XZ1 Compact
Apparently, they are two of three smartphones to be launched in Berlin at IFA 2017. The third, the Xperia X1, is expected to bat mid-range.
August 15, 2017 7:43 pm
Boxy and compact Sony Xperia XZ1 leaked, has Android O
The XZ1 could just be another name for the Sony Xperia XZ Compact rumored for the fall. We see purported fresh, in-the-flesh pictures out of China.
August 8, 2017 10:29 pm
Sony Xperia XZ Premium gets critical $100 discount stateside, still feels a tad pricey
Launched at a prohibitive $800 MSRP, the unlocked US Sony Xperia XZ Premium now costs a Benjamin less, which is... slightly better.
August 8, 2017 4:48 am
Sony Xperia XZ Premium can now run Netflix in HDR
All the colors coming out of Netflix recently have required you to own an Android phone in order to experience them. Same deal today.
August 7, 2017 12:58 am
Sony 1Q17 earnings show overall success, more mobile sales
The Japanese conglomerate was able to rack up more sales for its Xperia phones than a year ago and has cut business costs to extract operating profit.
August 2, 2017 7:49 pm
OnePlus rolling out update for emergency calls bug, other Android phones still at risk
But it's not just the OnePlus 5 that's affected by a bug that kills 911 and 999 calls — several other Android phones do so with no clear pattern to it.
July 20, 2017 12:49 am
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra makes long overdue US debut at Best Buy for $400
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July 12, 2017 12:20 pm
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One episode a week, every week. We've been talking mobile technology for five years now. It's about time we bring back the people who started it all.
July 6, 2017 4:00 pm
Presumed Sony Xperia X Compact follow-up benchmarked with 720p screen, Snapdragon 835
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July 6, 2017 8:43 am
Xperia X Compact sequel is still possible, as two Sony flagships make the rumor rounds
Don't rule out the possibility of Sony unveiling a second-gen Xperia X Compact at IFA 2017, alongside a follow-up for the XZ Premium.
July 6, 2017 4:18 am
With ‘inconsistencies’ cleared up, Nougat updates for Sony Xperia XA and XA Ultra are rebooted
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July 5, 2017 11:41 am
Samsung still bests Apple in brand perception across Asia, even after damaging Note 7 recall
Fresh research conducted across 13 pivotal Asian markets found Samsung's brand perception around those parts remains better than Apple's.
July 5, 2017 8:54 am
Wena Wrist Leather bands with FeliCa available for pre-order
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July 4, 2017 12:45 am
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July 2, 2017 2:26 pm
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July 1, 2017 8:00 am
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June 30, 2017 6:19 am
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June 29, 2017 11:28 pm
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The company has partnered with a Swiss company to put multiple layers into reading a face for security purposes. Say, to get into your phone.
June 29, 2017 1:55 pm
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June 23, 2017 6:33 pm
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Blog: Dairy farmers "not afraid" of sustainability challenges
Sam Webb | 18 October 2011
There have been a lot of worrying news reports about food security recently so it has been reassuring to hear positivity about what producers can do to help feed a rapidly growing population.
Key stakeholders in the dairy industry gathered in Parma, Italy, at the World Dairy Summit (WDS) over the weekend to discuss how to meet the nutritional demands of a growing middle class in emerging markets and a spike in the population of sub-Sahara Africa and other regions.
Wesley Judd, an Australian dairy farmer, said the challenges the industry faces in ramping up production are extensive, such as inefficiency in supply chains and fragile agricultural system, but they can be overcome.
He said: "We need to acknowledge we have the ability to change and not ever forget that, from a production point of view, we are able to overtake these issues."
Elsewhere at the WDS, Tetra Pak CEO Dennis Jonsson spoke about the challenges in developing markets and the challenges and opportunities presented by consolidation in the dairy sector.
Today (23 December) is just-food's last day before closing for Christmas. We'll return, raring to go on Tuesday 3 January - but of course there's been plenty of top-notch content that has gone live in...
- 2017: three major drivers of M&A strategy
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- Kellogg names Fareed Khan as incoming CFO


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Self-driving delivery robots could soon be common sights in European cities
Airborne drone delivery is still more PR than public reality, but wheeled, self-driving delivery bots could be trundling down a sidewalk near you sooner than you think. London-based Starship Technologies, which counts Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis among its founding team, is launching a broad testing phase of its autonomous delivery bots in parts of the UK, Germany and Switzerland starting this month.


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Food giant General Mills announces 10-year plan to slash emissions by 28%
US food producer General Mills has announced that it aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 28% across the entirety of its value chain in the next 10 years.
General Mills will cut emissions from ‘farm to fork to landfill’ to achieve an overall reduction of 50-70% in emissions by 2050, the figure suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The company launched direct operations in 2005, putting an emphasis of reducing gas emissions. In the 10 years since the operational launch General Mills has seen gas emissions reduced by 13%. They have also invested more than $100m in energy efficiency and clean energy.
“For 150 years, General Mills has served the world by making food people love,”said Ken Powell, chairman and CEO of General Mills. “Our aim is to be around for another 150 years. We recognize that we must do our part to protect and conserve natural resources. Our business depends on it and so does the planet.”
In order to continue with reductions and reach the 10-year target, General Mills will have to look externally to help reduce emissions. It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions occur in external operations from packaging and ingredients.
Ken Powell added: “We know our greatest impact is outside our four walls – particularly in agriculture, ingredients and packaging. To reduce emission levels, we must work across our value chain with growers, suppliers, customers and industry partners. Together, we will identify new solutions and promote sustainable agriculture practices that drive emission reductions.”
To combat this, General Mills made a commitment in 2013, to source its 10 priority ingredients from sustainable sources. These ingredients represent over 50% of raw ingredients used by the company. The company will work closely with farmers and address key areas such as water management and soil quality.
“While our success depends on our actions, we cannot get there on our own,” said Powell. “We believe every company, government and individual has a role to play. Climate change is a shared, global challenge that is best addressed at scale.”
The big 10
Last year Oxfam announced that Associated British Foods, Coca-Cola, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg, Mars, Mondelez International, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever would rank 25th on a list of the world’s most polluting countries.
Out of the 10 brands only Associated British Foods scored lower than General Mills on the Oxfam ‘Battle of the Brands’
© Faversham House Ltd 2023 edie news articles may be copied or forwarded for individual use only. No other reproduction or distribution is permitted without prior written consent.


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|Written by Jeff Bear|
|Wednesday, 09 October 2013 10:25|
Playing the No. 1 team in the state on the road and losing 4-0 is enough to shake the confidence of any team. Just ask the Camp Verde girls soccer team, which had that very experience on Sept. 28 in a game at the top-ranked Desert Christian Eagles.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Oct. 9, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
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Widespread corruption and bribery by Wal-Mart in Mexico
April 22, 2012 4:39 AM Subscribe
"Wal-Mart dispatched investigators to Mexico City, and within days they unearthed evidence of widespread bribery. They found a paper trail of hundreds of suspect payments totaling more than $24 million. They also found documents showing that Wal-Mart de Mexico’s top executives not only knew about the payments, but had taken steps to conceal them from Wal-Mart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. [...] The lead investigator recommended that Wal-Mart expand the investigation. Instead, an examination by The New York Times found, Wal-Mart’s leaders shut it down."
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments


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Can Snail Mail Be an Insurance Policy?Jim Stewart. Founder DocuSend, powered by MTI. Updated on November 16, 2020
Despite providers' push for paperless delivery, research shows nearly 75 percent of all transactional communications (bills and statements) are still being delivered to U.S. households by postal mail. It's a clear indication that consumers still want the choice to receive sensitive documents through the U.S. mail, and security is among the top three reasons why they do.
And can you blame them?
Who can blame American households from shying away from what seems to be a less-than-secure technology? According to the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office), data breaches increased 75% between 2015 and 2017. Right or wrong, it makes the internet a scary place for many consumers. Facebook announced they had 90 million user accounts compromised by hackers in 2018. And it is increasing at an alarming rate. An April 2020 article from csoonline states:
Not long ago, a breach that compromised the data of a few million people would have been big news. Now, breaches that affect hundreds of millions or even billions of people are far too common. About 3.5 billion people saw their personal data stolen in the top two of the 15 biggest breaches of this century alone. The smallest incident on this list involved the data of a mere 134 million people.
Until recently, most billing and invoice software developers were unable to offer a print-to-mail solution for their software users. Offering a traditional print and mail service was too expensive to operate as a standalone service. This was particularly true for low volume, high frequency applications. But not anymore. Snail mail and electronic billing are now just two sides of the same coin. Software providers and accounting services can now offer both, and let their users decide right on their print menus.
Does That Resemble an Additional Layer of Cyber Insurance?
Not in the form of a policy. But companies that have taken legal precautions to protect themselves from data breeches still wind up with a public relations disaster in the event their email server is hacked. Not offering alternatives to electronic billing takes the decision out of your customers’ hands and puts the responsibility back on you. The DocuSend API reduces your possible exposure by providing software users with the ability to mail their sensitive documents through the US Postal Service.
So yes, you can think of it as insurance—if something happens, you want to be able to say you offered the option, but the client chose to use email instead.
Our DocuSend REST API is a cloud-based mailroom that your users pay for only when they need it. That’s right: zero overhead. And it is every bit as fast to upload a file for mailing as it is to send an email. Almost all businesses have clients that are reluctant to open attachments for fear they may contain malware or a virus, even if they are familiar with the sender. And their number is growing as hackers get increasingly more sophisticated at cloning email addresses and websites. That's why more and more companies are blocking all incoming emails with attachments that are sent to their employees.
And it can get even worse…
A far worse scenario is when security is breached. We have all recently witnessed the viral press coverage that can occur when sensitive data is exposed. The damage to an organization's reputation can be harder to recover from than the legal repercussions.
Now There Is a Choice
We invented DocuSend’s cloud-based mailroom to complement electronic invoicing, not compete with it. In addition to invoices and billing statements, it’s commonly used for mailing documents that are triggered by an unscheduled event. Shut-off notices, renewal or welcome letters, mandated notifications, legal notices, and product recalls are just a few examples.
DocuSend's print-to-mail API solution is some of the least expensive ''insurance'' you’ll ever get. Implementing a ''Send U.S. Mail'' button or dropdown menu item can be integrated in days or hours, not weeks or months. DocuSend’s enterprise mailroom is a fully supported revenue-generating REST API, and integration is free. No cost, no risk, and it generates revenue for you while providing a valuable service for your clients. How’s that for an insurance policy?
✅Let our experts take you through the process. Learn more.


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Spammers have turned back the clock and are recycling a years-old tactic by planting their messages in images, a security researcher warned Wednesday.
Security - News
Data on the Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter aircraft that was recently reported as being illegally accessed by foreign cyberspies has been available for more than four years on a peer-to-peer file sharing network, the CEO of a software vendor said at...
The South Korean government could force Google to block access to its YouTube Web site in an ongoing dispute over user privacy, Google's deputy counsel said Monday.
Adobe has promised to patch the newest zero-day vulnerability in its popular Adobe Reader software no later than next Tuesday, potentially adding another update to the month's busiest patch day for the second time in three months.
Consumer Reports magazine slapped its Best Buy logo on a trio of free security programs for Windows PCs, saying that they offer the "best combination of performance and price" and are a smarter pick than suites from companies like Symantec Corp. and ...
Apple and Opera lag behind Google and Mozilla when it comes to distributing Web browser updates due to how they've structured their patch programs, according to new research.
Pirated copies of Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) on file-sharing sites contain malware, according to users who have downloaded the upgrade.
Adobe Systems expects to have patches ready to fix the latest flaws in Acrobat and Reader by next week.
Researchers from the University of California gained control over a well-known and powerful network of hacked computers for 10 days, gaining insight into how it steals personal and financial data.
Two Missouri men who made over US$4 million pitching and selling everything from electronics to teeth whiteners to students in more than 2000 colleges and universities have been indicted by a federal grand jury on a variety of e-mail spamming and rel...
LexisNexis acknowledged Friday that criminals used its information retrieval service for more than three years to gather data that was used to commit credit card fraud.
The former IT director for a nonprofit organ and tissue donation center pleaded guilty to a charge that she broke into the organization's computer network and deleted organ donation database records, invoice files, and database and accounting softwar...
The U.S. Congress should look to provide incentives for private businesses to adopt stronger cybersecurity practices instead of creating new mandates, one information security expert told a congressional subcommittee Friday.
The CEO of a Seattle-area consulting company was sentenced to three months of home confinement Thursday for destroying a client's Web site following a contract dispute.
For the second time this year, a hacker has gained administrative access to a Twitter employee's account.
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The Australian government has warned tablets called ‘Big Penis USA’ could cause serious harm to health.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) warned consumers to stop taking the pills immediately.
After testing the product – alongside similar products called Australia tablets, USA Black Gold tablets and Germany Niubian tablets – it was found they contain the substance sildenafil.
The government regulatory agency said: ‘The tablets contain the undeclared substance sildenafil.
‘Sildenafil may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.
‘People with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease are often prescribed nitrates.
‘Sildenafil taken in combination with other medications can cause serious side effects.’
Sildenafil, which is more commonly known under the brand name Viagra, is commonly used to give men erections but requires a prescription in Australia.
This is to ensure the medication does not interact with other things the person is taking, and cause them health problems.
The TGA warned the supply of Big Penis USA pills containing undisclosed sildenafil is illegal.
Anyone taking the tablets is warned to stop immediately and take any remaining pills to their local pharmacy for safe disposal.
Those experiencing side effects after taking it are advised to see their doctor.
Anyone with concerns about this, or any other product, is advised to make a report to the TGA on 1800 020 653 or make a report online.
It was revealed in February supplies of Viagra will no longer be shipped to Russia due to its war with Ukraine.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at email@example.com.
For more stories like this, check our news page.


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Liquor maker Globus Spirits Ltd plans to launch premium brands in the country in partnership with international firms as it looks to expand India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) portfolio.
"...The company is in discussions with foreign partners for launch of IMFL brands in the premium category. However, these are still at an early stage," Globus Spirits Ltd (GSL) Vice President Shekhar Swarup said.
The company entered the branded IMFL business in 2007 and since then has launched four major brands--Hannibal Rum, White Lace, County Club and French Castle in India.
For the year ended March 31, 2012, GSL sold over 7 lakh cases of IMFL brands in the country.
He said the company is looking to expand reach in India for its IMFL brands in order to increase sales.
"We plan to create a large marketing and distribution network with existing brands and enter newer states -- eastern regions of India where the penetration of alcohol is lower," Swarup said.
Currently, the company's distribution network covers eight states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
GSL, which also sells various brands in Indian Made Indian Liquor (IMIL), is also pursuing opportunities to set-up a greenfield or brownfield distillery in the eastern part of India where the alcohol penetration is low.
"This would allow the company to enter the IMIL markets in these states and aggressively grow by leveraging its experience in this segment,"
For the year ended March 31, 2012, the company's net sales stood at Rs 555.22 crore. Its net profit of the year stood at Rs 40.89 crore.
Shares of Globus Spirits today closed at Rs 92.50 on the BSE, up 0.33% from its previous close.


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On behalf of the organized private sector tourism business owners and operators in Nigeria, we hereby condole with the families of the two victims, both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. We equally express our heartfelt sympathy with the families of the three Nigerian staff of Kajuru Castle who were abducted by the bandits, and call on security agencies to intensify efforts in rescuing them unhurt.
The general public may recall that the government has recently deployed security agencies, including the military, to quell the recurring violent community crises in Kajuru Local Government in Kaduna State. It is unfortunate that the festering community crises has now escalated to this unprovoked attack on a popular tourist resort in Kaduna State.
As the Federation representing Tourism Associations in Nigeria, we understandably see this attack on tourists at Kajuru Castle as a heinous crime against the already struggling Nigerian tourism industry. For which, our tourism businesses, nationwide, are being undermined by this wicked attack, even as Nigeria is being regrettably characterized as an unsafe tourism destination.
As the private sector representatives of the tourism industry, over the years, we have consistently called on both the Federal and State governments to provide adequate security at every tourist site across Nigeria. This is necessary because, aside the protection of Nigerian tourism sites and investments, tourism is an international service trade and social endeavour which can improve Nigeria’s image globally. Hence, tourism businesses in Nigeria should be encouraged, not poorly unprotected. Insecurity in any country is anathema to tourism development.
This latest attack on Kajuru Castle is a sad commentary and a glaring wake-up call. The government should immediately rise to the occasion and prevent a recurrence before it escalates and become entrenched in Nigeria. Such attack on tourists can deeply hurt Nigeria’s tourism development efforts and destroy our growing brand as a cultural tourism destination.
We therefore recommend the establishment of Tourism Police to be deployed at popular tourist destinations in Nigeria. The idea of Tourism Police is not new, it is a tested Policing structure currently being implemented at several international tourist destinations in Africa and the West.
Additionally, we call on the Nigerian Police and Department of State Security to readily avail tour operators with armed escorts, as they move around with tourists at known flash points in Nigeria.
Tourism is a significant contributor to Nigeria’s GDP and one of the largest employer of labour in Nigeria, as such no effort should be spared to stabilize the industry. Government needs to prioritize Nigeria’s tourism industry by creating a standalone Federal Ministry of Tourism and Culture, so that issues of tourism development and operational policies would be expeditiously dealt with. The existence of a standalone Tourism Ministry would foster public and private partnerships, which is the globally accepted method of sustainable national tourism development and economic growth.
Finally, we implore the tourist public, both domestic and international, not to loose faith in the safety of tourists at any Nigerian tourist destination. FTAN would continue to support government’s efforts to secure the country and to improve the operational environment of tourism operators in Nigeria.
Alhaji Saleh Kareem Rabo
The President, Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria.


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Chatham Food Center, the city's only black-owned, full-line grocer, has hired a general manager and eight other workers since October. Ujamaa Construction has brought on a project engineer, project manager and an accountant. Sensual Steps, a Bronzeville shoe salon, has hired a part-time employee and is looking for a bookkeeper.
Those are some of the tangible milestones the Chicago Urban League is using to evaluate its first crash course for local black-owned businesses. For the past six months, 16 minority companies have made their way through the league's inaugural NextOne program. The entrepreneurs were pampered with laptop computers, attend networking events and given one-on-one executive coaching. In turn, they spent hundreds of hours meeting with consultants and attending business classes.
Soon, that attention will be lavished on a second group of business owners while the first group tries to sustain its progress as construction spending slows and consumers keep a careful eye on their wallets.
Almost inevitably, some of these small businesses will fail, but Urban League President Cheryle Jackson said she isn't worried her freshman class will lose ground once it leaves the support network she created. "They're not cut off," she said. "They may not be receiving intensive care, but the baby is walking now."
If she is wrong, the biggest direction change in the Urban League's 91-year history may be called into question. Jackson, a former spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has shifted the organization's focus from social services to economic development and brought on big-name corporate sponsors such as BP and Chase to pay for the effort.
Jackson said she never expected instant success, and that's why sponsors are donating $6 million over three years.
Still, Jackson said she has achieved concrete results. "Several businesses have fundamentally changed their business model, their sales structure, their branding, their name. Some have discovered a better business to be in," she said. "This was an eye-opening experience for many of these businesses. They have realized their business had greater potential than they thought."
Some, like Nicole Jones, owner of Sensual Steps, were losing money and afraid their businesses might not survive. Instead, Sensual Steps ended the year with a 19 percent increase in revenue, most of it coming in the three months Jones was in the NextOne program.
Solid financial footing
It's a cold, rainy morning in late March, not exactly the weather to put shoppers in the mood to buy sandals. Sensual Steps' store manager Tracey Tabb takes advantage of the pause to telephone prom coordinators at area high schools, alerting them to the store's selection of glittery prom shoes.
Downstairs, Jones is having her last session with executive coach Francey Smith, who is summing up the progress the shoe boutique has made over the past six months.
"You have good profit margins based on your competition. You just need more customers," Smith said. It's nothing Jones didn't know before she started the program, but she is reassured just the same.
"I'm very excited to know I am on target. Finances was an area I was a little weak in, maybe even intimidated by," Jones confided. "As I let go of the fear and looked at the picture, it was a good outcome."
Sensual Steps' gross profit margin, something Jones didn't have a handle on before, is running 34 percent, better than the footwear industry average of 30 percent. Revenue in 2007 was up 19 percent from 2006, a big turnaround from last summer when sales were tanking.
Even though January and February have been slow, sales are still up 15 percent from the same months a year ago. Yet for Sensual Steps to move beyond its current break-even point, sales need to increase more or expenses need to be lower.
Jones said she is better-equipped now to pull that off, even if the economy's health is beyond her control.
For instance, Jones has changed the way she buys shoes. She used to travel to shoe shows and buy what she liked personally -- sexy high-heeled confections more suitable for a party than a day at the office.
But as she figured out how to extract more detailed sales information from her computer system, Jones was surprised to learn that her most profitable sellers were low-heel, comfortable shoes she had stopped carrying.
Her new, more conservative approach to buying may have been a disappointment to her suppliers at a recent shoe market in Miami, but coach Smith is pleased.
"This was the first shoe show I ever went to where I didn't buy anything. I took pictures and said I would review and get back to them," said Jones, an expert multitasker who munched on a takeout chicken salad with hot peppers during the coaching session.
"I had this submissive role with my vendors, but not anymore. It's a privilege for their shoes to be in my store. I shouldn't feel any pressure to purchase."
After she returned home, "I bought way less," Jones said.
Jones is focused on coming projects and special events like the all-day third anniversary party she is planning for April 26. She has applied for a grant to upgrade the store's facade, and Sensual Steps has gotten a Park District contract to operate a kiosk that will sell flip-flops, sunglasses and beach bags this summer at the Fullerton Avenue Beach.
On top of that, students in an entrepreneurship class at the University of Illinois Chicago are helping Jones get her message out to an Internet-savvy crowd. As part of a class project, they have produced a Sensual Steps video for YouTube that Jones plans to send out with the store's e-mail blasts. Sensual Steps now has its own page on MySpace.
"I have a lot of good things cooking," Jones said.
Other NextOne companies say they have accomplished a lot too.
Leonard Harris, president of Chatham Foods, said the program challenged him to spend his time more strategically. "I either need to be working in my business or working on my business," said Harris, who co-owns the store with his wife, Donna.
Harris hired an experienced general manager to handle daily operations while he studies competitors such as Whole Foods and Treasure Island and scouts new store locations.
Davetta Collins, co-owner of publisher BDC Capital Enterprises, said she has gained the confidence to launch two additional magazines: one called Dunamis for female business owners and corporate executives, and a second titled Risk and Reward for entrepreneurs.
She and her husband, Byron, have made another big decision. They will change the company's name to BDC Media Group to better reflect the fact they are in the publishing business, not the finance arena.
"Before we started the program, I just saw myself as a business owner who owned a magazine," Collins said. "Now I'm a publisher. I have creativity. And I really love that."
See also "Applicants line up for second round of NextOne program," Business section, Page 6


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When you go to a Mariners game, you pig out on the garlic fries. But when you go to a Sounders game, what do you eat? Top Pot Doughnuts, for one.
Today the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC announced a three-year partnership with the local company. According to a release, Top Pot will set up eight locations—coffee carts, kiosks, and concession stands—throughout Qwest.
Wonder if the notoriously not-food-focused Hardcore Fans can resist this temptation.


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Kilohearts has officially announced the upcoming launch of Phase Plant, an endlessly flexible virtual instrument that takes the company’s Snapins eco-system to new heights. Combining the proven power and flexibility of Snapin effects with an array of all-new signal generation and modulation devices, Phase Plant is a state-of-the-art hybrid modular system that gives you unprecedented […]
The post Kilohearts announces Phase Plant hybrid modular synth with Snapin integration appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Kilohearts has announced that a new synthesizer instrument is in the works. Mat Zo’s tweet shows a bit more of the interface. The plugin seems to combine Multipass with a wavetable/virtual analog synthesizer concept. Pricing and availability of Phase Plant is to be announced. More information: Kilohearts
The post Kilohearts sneaks upcoming Phase Plant wavetable synthesizer plugin appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Kilohearts has launched a sale on the kHs Equalizers bundle, offering 50% off for a limited time. No matter how you slice it Carve and Slice EQ will carve their names into your heart with their modern approach and quick results. These are two specialized equalizers and their combined powers will give you everything you […]
The post Kilohearts Carve & Slice EQ on sale for $49 USD in kHs Equalizers bundle sale appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Kilohearts has announced an extension on the Black Friday sale on its The Works plugin collection. We’re giving you a bit more time… If you haven’t already taken advantage of our Black Friday deal, we’re giving you an extra week to get The Works for just $199! That’s EVERY SINGLE KILOHEARTS PRODUCT with a 60% […]
The post Kilohearts extends Black Friday Deal on The Works, on sale for $199! appeared first on rekkerd.org.
As developers rushed to be the first to grab your attention, this year’s Black Friday quickly turned into Black Friday Week. At this rate I would not be surprised if we’ll be having Black November by next year… I have been trying to keep up with all the sales, posting news items and updating the […]
The post Black Friday 2018 – Top deals on plugins, sound packs & more appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Kilohearts has launched a Black Friday sale on The Works, offering a 60% disocunt on the complete bundle of Kilohearts plugins. It’s silly season once again. And far be it from us not to join in the silliness and offer you a massive discount… Indeed, the time has come for you to own EVERY SINGLE […]
The post Kilohearts Black Friday Sale: 60% off The Works plugin bundle! appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Kilohearts has announced a sale on its Multipass audio effect plugin and snapin host, offering a 50% discount for one week only. Multipass is an award-winning, multi-band, multi-effects audio processing plugin and snapin host. Here’s what Protostar, Monstercat DnB/Glitch Hop producer, has to say about Multipass: “I use Multipass to add things like chorus and […]
The post Kilohearts Multipass plugin on sale at 50% OFF this week appeared first on rekkerd.org.
Kilohearts has launched a 50% off sale on two of its Snapin effect plugins:
Kilohearts has launched a sale on two of its Snapin effect plugins. When nostaliga hits, Bitcrush can bring you back to the digital hardware of times past. It simulates the audio being played back using a low quality sampler with limited sample rate and bit depth. Mm, crunchy. The Bitcrush can be used to create […]
Kilohearts has launched a sale on its Faturator distortion unit, offering a 67% discount for a limited time only. Grit, oomph, fatness, raw, color, or just that certain something. Sometimes your sounds need a shovel of dirt. Faturator is standing ready to tear whatever you throw at it apart violently, and then gently (but firmly) […]


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Swedish gambling operator Svenska Spel has launched a new online gaming platform which will allow ‘all physical agents affiliated with Svenska Spel Sport & Casino to sell their participation games to customers all over Sweden.’
The new platform will be rolled out through the operator’s Svenska Spel Sport & Casino subsidiary, with retailers permitted to offer the Stryktipset, Europatipset, Topptipset, Bomben and Powerplay football betting games on the new platform.
“Finally, the agents can get access to all the benefits of online sales and services and thus have a huge customer base to work with. Now we are talking multichannel fully when you can buy a share from any store, no matter where you are in the country,” explained Mathias Johansson, Partner Responsible Store, Svenska Spel Sport & Casino.
Through the launch of the new platform, Svenska Spel will also deliver a new, dedicated customer section to its website for the new service, with each agent to have their own dedicated page through which they can target consumers.
The platform is expected to be connected to the Svenska Spel retail offering via the operator’s self-service betting terminals which were rolled out earlier this year.
The news comes after President and CEO of Svenska Spel, Patrik Hofbauer, backed proposals to issue a further crack down on selected sports betting markets as suggested by the Swedish Government.
The proposed ban follows on from a meeting held between Sweden’s social security minister Ardalan Shekarabi, the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) and the Swedish Ice Hockey Association which discussed the potential for manipulation across certain betting markets.


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Samsung has won its case to get Apple and HTC to share its patent settlement; an important development which could determine if any of Samsung’s latest products get banned by Apple. According to Samsung, if Apple is happy for competitors to use its patents with royalties, then the injunction is not justified.
According to The Verge, Apple’s attorneys were happy to share everything about the agreement – except for the financial terms of the settlement. While the US judge presiding the matter was sceptical of Samsung’s reasoning, he did order Apple to turn over the document. However, the settlement document has been placed under “Attorneys-Eyes-Only” – which basically means, Samsung’s lawyers can only see it, not its executives.
Meanwhile, FOSS Patents has found a public version of the settlement – which he found “in a place where few people look for this kind of information”. It reveals that the agreement does include HTC-owned S3 Graphics and VIA Technologies (who were also suing Apple but now has a separate settlement agreement; and many viewed VIA’s patents suits as an extension of HTC’s lawsuits). The big point of the agreement, however, is that the deal terminates early if HTC is bought out by another party.
Samsung and Apple’s injunction hearing is set for December 6. Can we expect to hear more about this settlement?


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Trying to compete in the saturated Moscow catering market, non-network establishments have discovered a new tool for raising funds – crowdfunding. This spring, at least three such campaigns were announced on popular fundraising platforms. So, the bar “Sur” decided to collect 1 million rubles. for the renovation of the basement in a café that has not yet opened, and the Black Cooperative for the construction of a coffee roasting shop. The Vinyl and Wine Bar encourages its patrons to spend money on a glass dome, which according to the plan will ennoble the courtyard adjacent to the institution.
Independent projects in the catering market often cannot receive the soft loans promised by the authorities during the crisis. As one of the restaurateurs recently explained to me, the owners of these establishments do not always have enough financial literacy: “Some make such business plans that no bank will agree to lend to the project.”
Unlike investor money and bank loans, fundraising through special platforms is more like sponsorship. In return, restaurateurs offer benefactors, depending on the size of the contribution, commemorative T-shirts, coffee, books, certificates, an invitation to a “secret” party, a subscription for several dinners, a glass of wine a day throughout the year …
The fashion for private donations and the desire to have a pleasant place in the city to meet like-minded people evoke a response in the hearts with varying degrees of success. One of the projects has already raised the missing amount, others are not doing so well. However, Russian restaurateurs are only realizing the power of the tool and will be actively using it in the near future, say the specialized Association of Investment Platform Operators. They believe that crowdfunding is not only fundraising, but also an opportunity to attract attention, which is already quite actively used abroad.
In the UK, for example, restaurateurs have long been using crowdfunding platforms to open new outlets or develop existing ones. An illustrative example is the English chef Gary Asher, who, having collected £ 103,000 for the opening of the first outlet, then built an entire empire on crowdfunding projects, which The Guardian wrote about back in 2017.
Unlike the British catering market, where, due to high competition in the crowdfunding segment, it is no longer easy for small players to raise the required amount, this window of opportunity is still open for Russian restaurateurs. The only question is how long it will remain so and who will have time to use the tool. Crowdfunding experts say that in Western countries, competition “puts everything in place quickly” and, as a result, well-known brands collect the most money. Although, as a rule, they can attract money in classical ways.


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The 'Isle of Armor' DLC to drop around the same time
If you're still waiting for the first Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC to drop – especially those in Japan and Australia where it is already June 17 – at least now we have a semi-confirmed time for when it'll be released thanks to a newly announced "Pokémon Presents" presentation, which will feature some "new product" news, according to the Japanese version of the stream, which will be going live at 6 AM Pacific Time, or 10 PM Japan Time.
While the western version of the live stream is playing coy on what the presentation will hold, the Japanese side says it is a "New Product Presentation," likely meaning there will be more than just the dropping of the DLC. Maybe more information on Pokémon Sleep? Maybe Sinn–
According to the description on the Japanese YouTube page, the presentation will last for around 11 minutes and featuring more information on the DLC and other things. The presentation roughly coincides with a planned maintenance period for Pokémon Home, which will allow more Pokémon from past games into the Galar region for the first time – without needing the DLC.
Source: Pokémon on YouTube
Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs the YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.


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NEW YORK – Wall Street tumbled Thursday on more disappointing economic news – retailers posted sluggish back-to-school sales reports and the government said the number of workers seeking unemployment benefits spiked last week. The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 200 points. NYSE, NASDAQ
Investors, already highly anxious about the overall state of the economy, were further unsettled when many of the nation’s retailers said shoppers curtailed spending last month due to higher gas and food prices. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, beat Wall Street projections because of its discounts.
Meanwhile, the Labor Department said new applications for unemployment insurance rose by 15,000 from the previous week. That broadly missed expectations for a fourth-straight week of declines.
“We’re seeing nothing but sellers,” said Ted Oberhaus, director of equity trading at Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC. “In a bear market, you sort of really don’t need an excuse to sell.”
The market showed little reaction when the Institute for Supply Management said the service sector grew unexpectedly in July for the first time in three months as new orders increased and inflation moderated.
The trade group of purchasing executives said its services sector index rose to 50.6 in August from 49.2 in July. It beat economists’ prediction of a reading of 50.0; a reading below 50 signals contraction, while a reading above 50 indicates growth.
In late morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 231.07, or 2.00 percent, to 11,301.81.
Broader indexes were also lower. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 23.32, or 1.83 percent, to 1,251.66; the Nasdaq composite index dropped 44.50, or 1.91 percent, to 2,289.23.
Bond prices moved higher Thursday. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.67 percent from 3.70 percent late Wednesday.
A barrel of light sweet crude fell 60 cents to $108.76 cents to on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It dipped below $108 a barrel on Wednesday.
In corporate news, Wal-Mart said sales of groceries and back-to-school products helped its August same-store sales rise 3 percent, beating expectations. Shares rose 43 cents to $60.25.
But other retailers fell. JCPenney Co. slipped 87 cents to $40.77, while Gap Inc. fell 54 cents to $19.43.
Toll Brothers Inc. reported it swung to a third-quarter loss as sales fell amid the housing slump. However, Chief Executive Robert Toll said he is seeing signs the market is stabilizing, and that pushed shares up 33 cents to $25.15.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 17.09, or 2.30 percent, to 724.82.
Declining issues outpaced advancers by a 3 to 1 basis on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 257.8 million shares.
Overseas, the Bank of England and European Central Bank left their benchmark interest rates unchanged, a move analysts expected as both face rising inflation and slowing economic growth. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 1.75 percent, Germany’s DAX index fell 2.60 percent, and France’s CAC-40 shed 2.61 percent. Japan’s Nikkei stock closed down 1.04 percent.
On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com


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When Bigger Isn’t Better – Challenger Properties Offering Sponsors Value for Money
13th July, 2015
Amongst the fall-out from the recent FIFA investigations, a number of brands expressed concern at being involved with the prestigious global property. Should those brands re-evaluate their sponsorship, they may well be inclined to look at a lower profile alternative – a challenger property with a solid foundation, set to ascend further into the public eye.
Lower profile properties allow sponsors to have greater access, less risk and a greater opportunity to tailor their involvement helping to facilitate a more integrated partnership with the rights-holder.
An example of this is one of Slingshot’s client’s GB Taekwondo, one of the shining lights of Team GB and golden hopes of Rio 2016. Established in 2002, the team has grown substantially in recent years developing into a team of 27 full time athletes including a school outreach programme, UK hosted international and domestic championships and a clear pathway to Olympic success.
The team has captured medals at the Olympics, World Grand Prix and most recently conquered at the World Championships where Bianca Walkden and Damon Sansum claimed Gold & Silver medals respectively resulting in national media coverage across the BBC and ITV. Jade Jones also clinched Gold at the inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.
With a challenger rights-holder such as GB Taekwondo the team offers sponsors an extremely flexible and personal platform to associate the brand – reaching multiple objectives in the business.
Hill Dickinson the law firm (a partner of the team since 2014) is a prime example of a company who has leveraged their partnership to great effect, creating tangible new business opportunities, cross company staff engagement and accomplishing multiple CSR objectives within the firm.
The firm was provided such flexibility due to the aligned core objectives of both parties. The team and athletes understood Hill Dickinson’s key objectives and helped facilitate this through their own understanding of their assets – a proactive approach not often taken with some of the more established rights holders. Through this sponsorship, staff have created lasting relationships with Olympic athletes which have grown and developed on the Road to Rio 2016 creating a more holistic partnership than mere branding or hospitality.
With challenger properties, brands have the opportunity to truly partner with the right-holders. Enabling the opportunity to reach success across company objectives with smaller companies who may believe sponsorship is out of their budget.
As the property evolves as will the partnership and fees associated. The brand’s objectives and focus will adapt, changing in tune to the success – reaping the rewards on their modest outlay with increased PR, awareness and opportunities. When working in this manner, sponsors find the ROI clear to see with such a cross section of involvement at all levels.
In the Road to the Rio Olympics, now is the time to consider how lower profile sporting properties could significantly benefit brands – without the price tag of sponsoring the Olympics.
The GB Taekwondo team has a calendar for 2015/2016 including the World Championships, Baku 2015 European Games, World Grand Prix, the Road to Rio and the crowning glory of the Olympics. Now is the perfect time to engage to access Olympic benefits leading in to Rio 2016, supporting your business objectives over the long term.
*Partnership opportunities are available with both team level with GB Taekwondo, and at the World Grand Prix held on the 16th -18th October 2015 at Sportscity Manchester.


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Combilift has expanded its product range with two remarkable pedestrian trucks. At At the official opening ceremony of its brand new manufacturing facility Combilift showed an new high capacity powered pallet truck, PPT, with lift capacities up to 16 tonnes. Earlier this year, at the LogiMAT, the new stacker was introduced. Both trucks are equipped with a patented multi-position tiller arm which offers more visibility and higher safety. Check the video and find out more.
Tags:Combilift, Heavy duty pallettruck, Intralogistics, Pallettruck, Pallettrucks, Stacker


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Cybersecurity being an integral part of the businesses today, companies have now started investing in making themselves secure. However there are some assumptions and myths that revolve around the security space that should be avoided.
Cyber security was rated amongst the top three risks by the corporates surveyed. Regulatory risk and technology disruption were the two other risks
While customised cyber liability cover for businesses has been around for years, these were not over-the-counter covers that could be bought by individuals.
The govt is looking at a firewall for govt infrastructure, at least initially, since non-state entities, particularly multinationals, may be concerned about being watched.
Introduces new UL 2900 series of standards that will check cybersecurity criteria for network-connectable products and systems


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In the fall of 2004, Rose withdrew $1,000, nearly one-tenth of his life savings, and paid a freelance coder $12 an hour to mock up a Web page. He got a deal on server space for $99 a month. He then purchased the domain Digg.com for $1,200 after failing to buy dig.com (owned by Disney) and digdig.com. The site launched on Dec. 5, 2004. Today Digg.com is the 24th most popular web site in the US, just a few ticks behind The New York Times (#19) and far ahead of Fox News (#62). Digg has also blown pass Slashdot.org to become the biggest geek news site on the net. Digg.com receives over 200 million page views per month and has over 400,000 registered users (a number that will double in 3 months, according to the article).
In term of income, Digg is breaking even so far – it will take in an estimated $3 million from Google AdSense and private ad sales. However, income is secondary at this point. According to the article, Digg is easily worth $200 million. The best part of the article comes at the end of this quote:
So far, Digg has succeeded. But success has also brought copycats and stress. A rumored $40 million offer from Yahoo! Inc. surfaced in January, which Yahoo denied. Two weeks before the Digg.3 release, AOL launched a rival under the old Netscape brand. (It was headed up by former Silicon Alley superstar Jason M. Calcanis, owner of Weblogs, who early on offered Rose an investment in Digg and an option to buy it for $5 million. That deal would have left Rose with no control. Forget it.) On July 18, AOL tried to lure Digg’s top 50 contributors with $1,000 a month to switch to its site, which led Rose to rant on his weekly podcast that Calcanis and AOL were trying to “squash Digg.” The corporate giant’s failure to gain inroads so far shows that simply copying Digg won’t work. It also spells out why Old Media types are so afraid of being eaten alive by the creative destruction these young new players are delivering. The barriers to entry are now so low that all it takes is a laptop and a $50-a-month Internet hookup to make a kid the next mogul.
All it takes is a laptop and a $50-a-month Internet hookup to make a kid the next mogul. Remember that people! Digg was started for just $1,000 and is now worth somewhere north of $200 million. If you have an idea, don’t keep it bottled up. Find a way to make it happen. All Rose had was an idea, but he follow through with it. You can read the full article here.


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Which? found that those booking a summer 2023 package holiday between November 1, 2022, and January 3 of this year would have paid 19 per cent more on average than last year.
When Which? compared the average prices for a week's holiday in six popular destinations - Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Turkey and Cyprus - it found Greece had seen the steepest rises, followed by Italy.
A seven-night break in Greece costs on average 30 per cent more than in 2022, with an average price tag of £867 per person for summer 2023.
According to data from Travelsupermarket.com, the average package holiday cost in Italy has risen by 23 per cent to £757, while the price of a holiday in Turkey has climbed by 21 per cent to £799.
Meanwhile, the cost of a package break in Spain has soared by 20 per cent to £693 – but despite the significant rise in average costs, it still offers the cheapest getaways, Which? notes.
At the lower end of the scale, the price of a package getaway to Cyprus has risen by 15 per cent to £809.
However, of the six popular destinations the consumer champion looked at, Portugal had the smallest rises in price, with the cost of a week’s package holiday rising by seven per cent, on average, to £705.


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BHG Singapore and Raffles City Singapore are ushering in the new year with the launch of a new concept store, ONE ASSEMBLY, to be located at levels 1 and 2 of the shopping mall. Opening its doors to the public by the end of this month, the store is a creative collaboration between the two retail icons.
This marks another chapter of transformation for the two household names as yet another milestone in their reinvention plans to innovate retail experiences. As established players in the retail industry, BHG Singapore and Raffles City Singapore are drawing on their combined industry insights to explore fresh ways of collaboration and inject new life into the local retail scene.
ONE ASSEMBLY is set to be a city destination offering the ultimate selection of beauty, fashion, home and living, and experiential offerings. Spread over two floors, the concept store in Raffles City presents the best of BHG Singapore’s brand repertoire and reintroduces well-loved familiar brands to shoppers of Raffles City.
Expect a refreshed shopping experience with two experiential spa cabins that will be introduced for shoppers to indulge, pamper, and relax. Besides enabling a seamless shopping journey with cashless payments like eCapitaVoucher, Hoolah with 3 months interest-free option, and FavePay instore, ONE ASSEMBLY looks to extend beyond the physical store with selected offerings to be made available 24/7 on CapitaLand’s digital platform ecapitamall.com in the future.
“We are excited to be embarking on this new project with our long-term partner, CapitaLand. ONE ASSEMBLY will provide new experiences to shoppers, and, combined with its prime location, we are confident that it will become a favoured destination for our shoppers. This new start in the beginning of 2021 also signals hope and optimism of a better future, after a tough 2020,” said Mr Udai Kunzru, Managing Director, BHG Singapore.
“We are delighted to collaborate with BHG Singapore and incubate interesting concepts and experiences for the shoppers of Raffles City. By joining hands to present ONE ASSEMBLY, we set out to enhance Raffles City’s shopping experience with a plethora of offerings that are thoughtfully curated for this collaborative space, delighting shoppers each time they visit us,” said Mr Chris Chong, Managing Director, Retail, CapitaLand Singapore.
A destination for indulgence, discovery and true retail therapy, ONE ASSEMBLY is the next place to be.


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*** ONE-TIME USE *** The Apple logo
Nicholas Kamm / AFP via Getty Images
One of the world’s largest public pensions by assets made major changes in its investments in large-cap tech stocks as 2021 came to a close.
PGGM of Zeist, Netherlands, cut investments in Apple (ticker AAPL), Intel (INTC), and Qualcomm (QCOM) stock in the fourth quarter, and initiated a position in Nvidia (NVDA) stock, according to a form it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
PGGM, which managed $327 billion in assets as of Dec. 31., didn’t comment directly on the stock trades. “PGGM has a passive strategy for listed equities, so we don’t have a specific view on specific companies,” it said in a statement.
The pension sold 1.1 million Apple shares to end 2021 with 3.6 million shares of the iPhone maker. The stock rose 34% in 2021, topping the 27% rise in the S&P 500 index. So far this year, shares are down 3% while the index is down 5.6%.
Near the end of December, Apple’s market capitalization approached $3 trillion, but it didn’t cross that mark until early January. One analyst saw a path for the company’s market cap to hit $4 trillion. Apple reported a strong fiscal first quarter at the end of January. “Demand for Apple products and services is materially outpacing supply and when the supply chain normalizes then Apple’s sales and margins will only accelerate higher, in our view,” a Citi analyst noted.
Intel stock hasn’t had the upward trajectory that Apple’s has had. The embattled chip giant saw shares gain 3.4% in 2021; so far this year, shares have dropped 6.8%.
Last year, analysts covering Intel had a skeptical take after the company’s spending climbed under new CEO Patrick Gelsinger, who told us in July the company could “triple, quadruple” in value. Gelsinger was among Intel insiders who bought up stock on the open market in October.
Late last year, though, PGGM was selling Intel stock, shedding 205,000 shares to cut its holdings to 1.3 million shares.
The pension also sold 223,317 Qualcomm shares to end the year with 509,533 shares of the maker of wireless chips and technology. Like Intel, Qualcomm underperformed the S&P 500 in 2021, rising 20% So far this year, Qualcomm shares have dropped 1.9%.
In January, CEO Cristiano Amon told us he was bullish on Qualcomm’s long-term outlook. The company is a play on multiple emerging trends, including connected cars, the metaverse, edge computing, wireless fiber, and next-generation laptops. Earnings, reported last week, were strong, but investors weren’t impressed at first.
Unlike the other two chip makers, Nvidia had a boffo 2021, with shares rocketing 125%. So far this year, Nvidia stock has dropped 17%, one of the more-bruised names as the tech sector was socked in a January market slump.
Particular to Nvidia, the company’s deal to acquire microprocessor design house Arm Holdings from SoftBank Group (SFTBY) now seems to have foundered. Other potential Arm buyers including Intel and Qualcomm don’t look likely to clear regulatory hurdles.
Inside Scoop is a regular Barron’s feature covering stock transactions by corporate executives and board members—so-called insiders—as well as large shareholders, politicians, and other prominent figures. Due to their insider status, these investors are required to disclose stock trades with the Securities and Exchange Commission or other regulatory groups.
Write to Ed Lin at email@example.com and follow @BarronsEdLin.