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Distilled Spirits Council Kicks Off Holiday Season with Launch of New Alcohol Education Website: StandardDrinks.org
Valdosta Daily Times
December 2, 2021
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec 2, 2021–In advance of the holiday entertaining season, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) today launched a new website, StandardDrinks.org, featuring a drink calculator and resources to assist adult consumers in making responsible decisions regarding alcohol consumption. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211202005677/en/
The website includes the definition of a “standard drink,” which contains 0.6 ounces of ethanol (the pure alcohol that is in all beverage alcohol), and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendation for moderate drinking for adults of legal drinking age who choose to drink: up to one standard drink per day for females or up to two per day for males.
The site highlights the fact that there is no beverage of moderation, only the practice of moderation and features examples of “standard drink equivalents,” including: 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (40 percent alcohol by volume [ABV]), 5 ounces of wine (12 percent ABV), 12 ounces of beer (5 percent ABV), or 12 ounces of a canned, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage (5 percent ABV).
“Knowing the definition of a standard drink and understanding drink equivalence are essential aspects of responsible alcohol consumption and are key educational components of StandardDrinks.org,” said Dr. Amanda Berger, Ph.D., DISCUS Vice President of Science and Health.
Visitors to the site can use the interactive calculator to input the volume, or container size, and the ABV of their beverage to see how it measures up to one standard drink.
“Today’s beer, wine and spirits products come in a range of containers with varying alcohol content, which makes the ability to calculate standard drinks even more critical,” said Dr. Berger. “The drink calculator gives consumers a way to see how their beverage of choice compares to one standard drink as defined by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.”
Other resources on the site include educational consumer videos with Kathleen Zelman MPH, RDN, LD, nutrition expert and former director of nutrition at WebMD. In one video, Zelman uses popular RTD beverages to demonstrate the importance of understanding the alcohol content of these products and how they compare to the definition of one standard drink.
“As a dietitian, I counsel adults to keep track of their alcohol consumption by knowing the ABCs of ABV and how the alcohol content of the drink they choose relates to one standard drink,” said Zelman. “The Dietary Guidelines are arguably the most important road map we use to promote public health, and this new website will help to inform adult consumers about the government’s guidance on alcohol.”
The site links to additional resources on alcohol consumption from sources such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Responsibility.org, the distilled spirits industry’s not-for-profit foundation to prevent drunk driving and underage drinking.
Dr. Berger stated that the new website is part of DISCUS’ commitment to promote the U.S. Dietary Guidelines as a USDA MyPlate Strategic National Partner.
“Over the decades, DISCUS has distributed several thousand copies of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines on alcohol to physicians, nutritionists and other health professionals ,” said Dr. Berger. “Through this new website, the distilled spirits industry will continue to do its part to help disseminate the messages of the Dietary Guidelines.”
The website also notes that some adults should not consume alcohol at all and recommends that visitors discuss alcohol consumption with their physicians, who can determine what is best for them based on individual factors, such as family history, genetics and lifestyle.
CONTACT: Lisa Hawkins


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SE Asian players receive more offers for scrap plastics amid China ban
According to media reports, China, the biggest importer of scrap plastics, will start to implement the ban as of January 1, 2018 despite players’ growing concerns regarding the global recycling industry, which is likely to be hit by the absence of China.
Data from International Trade Centre indicate that China imported 7.3 million tons of waste plastics in 2016 from countries including Japan, the US and the EU.
A converter operating in Vietnam’s PET market noted, “More import offers for recycled materials have emerged in Southeast Asia since China announced the ban decision in July. We also hear that a good amount of material have already been sold to Vietnam. This is good for us as we now have more alternatives when making purchases while offers are more competitive.”
A source from a Thai polymer producer commented, “We hear that several recycler companies are planning to exit from the Chinese market soon and move their operations to other destinations. However, even if other countries start to import more recyclable polymers, their total volume will not be as much as China’s overall import volume. Hence, we think that major scrap plastics exporters should find ways to eliminate their waste.”
More free plastics newsPlastic resin (PP, LDPE, LLDPE ,HDPE, PVC, GPS; HIPS, PET, ABS) prices, polymer market trends, and more...
- Global PET markets surge on heels of costs, tightness
- SE Asia PP uptrend fueled by China’s strong return
- US PE offers back in the game in global markets
- Egypt’s PP, PE markets rise to 5-month high in October
- Oct PE pricing under discussion amid rising costs, tepid demand in Europe
- Crude at multi-year highs contributes to a perfect storm in polymers
- An enduring challenge: Unprecedented times in PVC markets
- Saudi major opts for firm Oct pricing in both local and export polyolefin markets
- Coal prices hit record highs in China with knock-on effects for PP, PVC markets
- European PP players foresee stability for Oct despite higher propylene

domain: news


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Welcome to a new Patreon Producer BENNETT LESHNOVER⚡👍
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, your trusted source of EV information. It’s Saturday 5th August, Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don’t have to.
Trying a new thing so you know when to expect a show. We go live at 5pm UK, that’s Midday Eastern. Patreon supporters get the episodes as soon as they’re ready and ad free. You can be like them by clicking here.
Fisker PEAR SUV Unveiled: A Small, Affordable Electric Marvel
Fisker held its “Product Vision Day” in Huntington Beach, California, where they showcased the PEAR SUV for the first time. The PEAR is set to have a base price of $29,900 before tax credits, dropping to $22,400 after credits. It will be produced in the USA at the old Lordstown plant.
The Fisker Pear electric hatchback is set to arrive in the UK in 2025, with a starting price of less than £28,000.
The PEAR will have 35% fewer parts than Fisker’s Ocean, making it simpler and cheaper to produce. Made of steel, which is cheaper but heavier than aluminum. Includes a “Houdini door” that vanishes into the car body, and a front drawer-like storage area called a “froot.”
A boot that folds away into the rear bumper, along with a deep front storage compartment, simplifies cargo loading.
Central computing platform uses fewer, more centralized ECUs, reducing material cost and increasing performance.
Pear is described as being “driven by software, not hardware,” emphasizing its connected mobility features.
The interior is more spartan, focusing on utility rather than luxury. The EV offers room for either five or six people, with two battery sizes available. The smaller pack, providing 100-150 miles of range, is expected to be popular among city buyers, while another option offers 300-plus miles.
A feature that reconfigures the seats to create a flat space for lounging or car camping.
Fisker aims to eventually produce 1 million vehicles annually and plans to launch the PEAR in 2025. Reservations are open now at $250 each.
Fisker Ronin: A Convertible Grand Tourer
– Fisker’s Ronin is a unique sports car featuring a long hood and pronounced rear deck, with a design that hints at the brand’s future. Described as “the ultimate long-distance grand touring car” by Henrik Fisker, the Ronin is a four-door, five-seat GT that aims to redefine the supercar of the future.
– Unlike traditional coupes, Ronin has reverse-opening rear doors and is the world’s first four-door, five-seat hardtop convertible.
– The car is designed for high performance with a triple-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain, delivering 1,000 hp, and a 0-60 mph time in the 2.0-second range.
– Ronin’s targeted range is 600 miles, thanks to innovative battery integration throughout the vehicle’s body structure.
– Though the design model lacked an interior, it’s expected to have swiveling screens and recycled materials, with production targeted for the end of 2025.
– Reservations for the Fisker Ronin are open now for a $2,000 deposit, with a starting price of $385,000, positioning it against luxury EV convertibles from brands like Polestar, Genesis, and Tesla.
According to Autocar: “Henrik Fisker previously revealed to Autocar that development of the Ronin – run by Fisker’s new Magic Works facility in the UK, which is led by ex-Aston Martin special vehicles boss Dave King – is “a big challenge” because “it needs a unique, innovative, strong lower rocker structure to compensate for the lack of a B-pillar, to be able to sustain side impacts”.”
Fisker Unveils Alaska: A Lightweight Electric Truck with a $45k Price Tag
– Fisker has revealed the Alaska, a small electric pickup truck, claiming it to be the world’s lightest EV pickup. The Alaska is set to launch in 2025 and is built on Fisker’s FT31 platform, an extended version of the structure used by the Fisker Ocean.
– Priced at $45,000, the Alaska is designed to be a compact and affordable electric truck option.
The vehicle’s weight has been kept low through the use of aluminum and composite materials, though exact specifications have not been disclosed. Fisker estimates that the Alaska will offer a range of 230 to 340 miles.
– Reservations for the Alaska are now open, with a refundable deposit of $250.
– The Alaska’s design features a sleek and aerodynamic appearance, with a focus on urban use rather than heavy-duty off-roading.
– Fisker has not yet provided details on the powertrain, battery capacity, or range, but more information is expected in the coming months. The Alaska features a cargo bed that can be extended from 1.37m to 2.80m, and it includes a ‘Houdini’ bed divider to connect the cargo bed and rear cabin. Inside, the vehicle has wooden trim treated to feel like fabric, a cowboy hat holder, and a California mode, similar to the Ocean.
Fisker’s reservation system allows customers to choose their preferred vehicle, select a color, and even indicate whether they want a solar roof option.
Fisker Inc. has slashed its 2023 production forecast
Fisker Inc. has slashed its 2023 production forecast for the Ocean EV to just over 20,000 vehicles, down from more than 30,000 previously, due to manufacturing issues.
The reduction is attributed to a “short-term capacity constraint at one supplier,” affecting the Ocean crossover, which was launched in the U.S. and Europe in June.
The company’s output forecast for the Ocean crossovers this year has been cut to a range of 20,000 to 23,000, down from the previous estimate of 32,000 to 36,000, causing the company’s stock price to fall by about 6%.
The Ocean is assembled at a plant in Graz, Austria, operated by Magna Steyr, but Fisker manages the supply chain and is working to resolve the parts issue. CEO Henrik Fisker expressed frustration at the delay but promised a “huge acceleration of deliveries” in August.
In the second quarter, Fisker produced 1,022 Ocean SUVs, falling short of its target range of 1,400 to 1,700 units due to component shortages.
The company reported a loss of $87.9 million in the second quarter, slightly less than the $88.6 million loss in the same quarter last year, with revenue of $825,000 from 11 vehicle deliveries.
Fisker highlighted the benefit of using contract manufacturing, stating that it avoids the massive financial losses incurred by other startups as they build factories and ramp up production.
The production cut reflects the challenges faced by the startup automaker as it navigates supply chain constraints, but the unveiling of new products indicates Fisker’s commitment to expanding its offerings and competing in the EV market.
BHP and Toyota’s Electrification Deal
– Mining giant BHP and Toyota Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) about decarbonization, aiming to reduce BHP’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. The collaboration will also focus on a “decarbonization” journey map.
– BHP’s ambition is to electrify its fleet of 5,000 light vehicles in Australia. However, the term “electrification” in this context is unclear, as Toyota has mainly focused on mild hybrids rather than fully electric vehicles (EVs).
– Toyota has not yet released any fully electric vehicles in Australia but plans to launch three EV models in the next three years. One of these, the bZ4X SUV, has faced issues overseas. Meanwhile, hybrid vehicles make up 31.5% of new vehicles sold by Toyota in Australia.
– BHP has recently announced plans to replace its diesel haul trucks with electric ones, arguing that they will be cheaper and lower emissions than diesel or hydrogen fuel cells. The company has also been trialing Toyota Land Cruisers converted to fully electric and installed a Tritium charging station at one of its coal mines.
CATL Dominates Global EV Battery Market in H1 2023
– Global EV battery consumption witnessed a significant rise in January-June, reaching 304.3 GWh, marking a 50.1% increase from the same period in the previous year.
– CATL, a Chinese power battery giant, led the global market with its battery installations totaling 112.0 GWh in the first half of 2023, a 56.2% increase from the previous year.
– With a 36.8% market share, CATL remains the only battery supplier globally with a share exceeding 30%.
– Major passenger EV models in China, including the Tesla Model 3, Model Y, SAIC Mulan, GAC Aion Y, and Nio ET5, are equipped with CATL batteries.
– BYD, another significant player, saw its power battery installations reach 47.7 GWh in the first half of 2023, a whopping 102.4% increase from the previous year. This secured BYD the second spot with a 15.7% market share.
– BYD’s growth is attributed to its price competitiveness in China, achieved through a vertically integrated supply chain, including in-house battery production and vehicle manufacturing.
– The Atto 3 model launch propelled BYD’s market presence not just in China but also in other parts of Asia and Europe.
– LG Energy Solution, a South Korean company, secured the third position with a 14.5% share, followed by Japan’s Panasonic (7.5%), South Korea’s SK On (5.2%), and China’s CALB (4.3%).
– Other notable companies include Samsung SDI, Eve Energy, Gotion High-tech, and Sunwoda, with their respective market shares ranging from 1.5% to 4.1%.
California’s EV Surge: 1 in 4 New Cars Go Green
– For the first time in California’s history, 1 out of every 4 new cars sold in the last quarter were zero-emission vehicles.
– This achievement aligns with California’s climate goals, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The state has set a target for all new vehicles sold by 2035 to be either hybrid or electric.
– In April, California surpassed its goal of selling 1.5 million EVs, achieving this milestone nearly two years ahead of schedule.
– Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted California’s role in fostering innovation in the EV industry and emphasized the state’s incentives that make EVs more affordable.
– According to the California Energy Commission, over 25% of all new vehicles sold in the last quarter were EVs, totaling 125,939 sales.
– To date, California has sold more than 1.6 million electric vehicles, accounting for 34% of all EV sales in the U.S.
– To further boost green vehicle sales, the state offers rebates of up to $7,500 for battery-electric and hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles and up to $6,500 for plug-in hybrids.
UAW Seeks Over 40% Pay Raise for Workers in Negotiations with Detroit 3 Automakers
– The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is seeking a pay raise of more than 40% for its workforce from the Detroit 3 automakers (Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis). The proposed gains include a 20% raise upon ratification, followed by 5% raises each year of the four-year deal.
– This demand for raises is significantly more than what was negotiated in 2019, which included two 3% raises plus two 4% lump-sum payments over the course of the current four-year deal, expiring on September 14, 2023.
– UAW President Shawn Fain did not specify the exact amount but emphasized that the double-digit gain would be over the course of the contract, not each year. He justified the request by pointing out that the CEOs of the Big 3 have enjoyed a 40% increase in pay on average over the last four years, while inflation has gone up almost 20%.
– Fain also revealed that the union would seek a 32-hour workweek with 40 hours’ worth of pay, believing that this could encourage the Detroit 3 to hire more union workers and create more job opportunities.
Fiat Europe Stands by Dealerships Amid Digital Sales Trend
– Fiat Europe’s head, Gaetano Thorel, has emphasized the importance of dealerships, stating that they are the “engine” of the brand.
– Contrary to the growing trend of direct-to-customer online sales, Thorel believes in the significance of the dealer network, especially outside of Italy in countries like Germany, France, and the UK.
– He mentioned that dealers are the “face of the brand” and act as ambassadors in the market.
– While many car manufacturers are pushing for online sales (with Volvo selling its electric range exclusively online), Fiat Europe believes in the traditional dealership model.
– Thorel acknowledged the importance of online sales but seems to prioritize the physical dealership experience for customers.
London ULEZ Scrappage Scheme Widened for All Residents
– London’s Mayor has expanded the eligibility for the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) scrappage scheme to all residents.
– The initial scrappage scheme faced criticism for its limited compensation to affected drivers. The standard allowance of £2000 was deemed insufficient for many to purchase compliant vehicles to avoid the ULEZ charge.
– Despite the criticism, Mayor Sadiq Khan defended the ULEZ policy, emphasizing its importance in tackling air pollution and the climate crisis in London. He stated that around 4000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to air pollution.
– The ULEZ expansion aims to clear London’s roads of 200,000 high-polluting vehicles. However, some estimates suggest up to 400,000 cars could be affected.
– To avoid the ULEZ charge, petrol cars must meet at least the Euro 4 emissions standard, and diesel cars the Euro 6 standard. The new scrappage scheme offers up to £10,000 per claimant, though the standard allowance remains at £2000.
Germany’s Electric Car Sales Zoom in July
– Electric vehicle (EV) sales in Germany saw a significant boost, with brands like Polestar, Tesla, and MG Motor leading the charge.
– Battery-electric car registrations in Germany surged by 69% in July, reaching 48,682 units. This growth resulted in EVs capturing a 20% market share.
– The rise in July’s sales is attributed to automakers addressing their backlog of orders, which had been affected by supply shortages.
– Polestar recorded the highest growth with a 442% increase in sales. MG’s sales grew by 235%, while Tesla saw a 230% rise.
– Chinese brands also made their mark, with BYD registering 402 vehicles and Great Wall Motor selling 221 cars in July.
EU Sanctions €1.5 Billion Aid for ProLogium’s EV Battery R&D in France
– The European Commission has given the green light for France to provide state support worth €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) to ProLogium Technologies. This funding aims to bolster research and development for a new generation of electric vehicle batteries.
– ProLogium, a Taiwanese supplier, has entered into a collaboration with Automotive Cells Co. This venture involves major players like Mercedes, Stellantis, and TotalEnergies, aiming to develop advanced solid-state batteries.
– The R&D project, named “Prometheus,” will run until the end of 2029. It consists of three steps: developing a first generation of solid-state batteries to overcome conventional lithium-ion battery limitations, creating a new generation of solid-state batteries with higher energy density, and developing recycling processes for the new batteries.
– ProLogium is committed to sharing the technical expertise gained through the project with industry and academia. The project aims to foster an innovative battery value chain for electric vehicles in Europe.
– ProLogium’s first European factory will be built in Dunkerque, France, with an investment of €5.2 billion for a 48-GWh factory, including an R&D center. Construction is set to begin in the second half of 2024, with production starting at the end of 2026.
PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE
PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI
AUDI CINCINNATI EAST
VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST
NATIONAL CAR CHARGING ON THE US MAINLAND AND ALOHA CHARGE IN HAWAII
DEREK REILLY FROM NEVO.IE AND THE NEVO EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL
OCTOPUS ELECTROVERSE – GLOBAL PUBLIC CHARGING MADE SIMPLE WITH ONE APP AND ONE MAP.
LEASEPLAN ELECTRIC MOMENTS – PROVIDING ALL THE TOOLS AND GUIDANCE EV DRIVERS NEED
DAVID AND LISA ALLEN
JUKKA KUKKONEN FROM WWW.SHIFT2ELECTRIC.COM
BATTERY REPORTS FOR EVS AT RECURRENTAUTO.COM
ANDY NANCARROW AND LILIAN KASS
BRENDAN MCCARTHY AT NORTHFORK IRONWORKS
COLIN HENNESSY AND CAMBSEV
GARY A HAMMOND
IAN ‘STILL WATERS UK’ BENJAMIN
IAN (WATTIE) WATKINS
JAN FROM EMOBILITYNORWAY
JOHN VAN DEVOORT
JON AKA BEARDY MCBEARDFACE FROM KENT EVS
LAURENCE D ALLEN
NEIL E ROBERTS FROM SUSSEX EVS
PETER & DEE ROBERTS
REALTORS CHOICE PHOTOGRAPHY
ROB FROM THE RSTHINKS EV CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE
THE PLUGSEEKER’S EV YOUTUBE CHANNEL
THOMAS J. THIAS


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BELLEVUE, Wash. -- One lucky person just won a major shopping spree, all thanks to St. Jude Dream Home Showplace.
The St. Jude Showplace is a 5,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath home for sale in Bellevue. It was built to raise money from its sale for cancer research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Everyone who visited the home was entered in a drawing to win a $10,000 shopping spree at McDonald's Fine Furniture in Lynnwood.
And on Wednesday, they picked the winner -- Cora Chen of Bellevue.
Organizers said the raffle is their way of helping out.


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Wow, imagine Lone Wolf and Cub meets John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing.’ I just read the teaser, which will be only up for one week and it looks fantastic. I love Justin Jordan’s ‘Luther Strode’ and have read his other books, but this new horror series looks fantastic. The promo was available at NYCC and only 250 copies were available. No copies appeared on eBay and a search on Google turned up nothing. This could be one of those books that heats up and everyone is looking for.
Another Wednesday, another week of shelves filled with comic goodness and speculation gold. Here are our picks of the week for 10/23/13 in no particular order.
Continue reading “Comics Picks of the Week for Delivery 10/23/13”
Wednesdays are always so full of promise. Each Wednesday is like Christmas morning, full of promise and anticipation. This Wednesday is no different. There are plenty of good books to look out for that could heat up in the near future. Continue reading “A look ahead to Wednesday: October 23, 2013”
There is a good article over at bleeding cool this evening about trying to sell hot comics at NYCC. Jeremy Konrad writes about taking a stack of comics with him to NYCC to sell to help pay for his trip. Continue reading “Bleeding Cool article: The Evil Of Speculation Unleashed At NYCC”
We are running a series of look ahead this week to new series that may be worth checking out coming up in the next few months. A speculator always need to know what is on the horizon. Here are books coming out from Boom, Dynamite, Dark Horse, and other small publishers (not small press). Continue reading “A look ahead to November and December. Smaller Publishers”
Being a speculator, you have to stay ahead of the game and know what is coming out next week, and the immediate few future weeks. But it does not hurt to know what is coming out in the next couple of months. Here is a look at new books coming out in November and December and may be worth keeping on the radar.
The Diamond Comics Advanced Reorder List can give key insight into what is hot or going to be hot. It’s the list of what is most reordered by retailers before final order cut off and before the books ship. These books could be #2 issues coming off a hot selling #1, and event book, what customers are jazzed about coming into the store, or what retailers are hearing and selling based on what is going on in store or on blogs and message boards.
Continue reading “Diamond Comics Advanced Reorder List for 10/18/13”
Thanks to Terry Hoknes at www.hoknescomics.com for this little tidbit. I know people laugh at kids comics being valuable or collectible, but I can say that I sold a ton of My Little Pony #1 Phantom Variants when they came out. Almost 99% went to adult males, as the Bronie culture (which I am NOT a part of) is so big. I caught a lot of flack from people in stores when I was picking the books up, but when they found out how much money I had been making off them, they picked up a couple too. Continue reading “My Little Pony #12 Variant limited to 12 copies”
As expected, we have been saying this book was going to be good, ONI Press new release by (comicsheatingup.net favorite) Charles Soule Letter 44 has sold out. Continue reading “Letter 44 #1 from ONI Press sold out plus print run”
This list is updated every 2 weeks. This list is compiled from my non-stop research of the current market. I believe these were the most demand and growing in value books this month. This list focuses on all regular edition covers. (Variants are not listed otherwise they would likely dominate the entire list due to instant high prices and calculated small print runs). If you think I have missed any hot titles/issues of the last 5 years please let me know. Here are my picks of what I believe are the hottest comics at this very moment from all sold releases of the last few years online based on back issue sales ABOVE cover price.
Each week Terry Hoknes from www.hoknescomics.com releases a video spotlighting hot new comics. Here is this weeks, 10/16/13


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- Filed Under
DZALT Enterprises LLC has announced that the company has become an officially licensed Ohio Proud Partner.
The company is known for producing Buff Lo Dip, a wing and ranch dip created by Londonderry resident Duane Boring. The firm has grown its business through eight states ranging from the Midwest to the East Coast.
Ohio Proud is the Ohio Department of Agriculture's signature marketing program that promotes consumer awareness and sales of agricultural products that are at least 50 percent raised, grown or processed in Ohio. As a licensed Ohio Proud partner, DZALT Enterprises LLC is permitted to use the trademarked Ohio Proud logo in its packaging, advertising and other promotions.


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The British Fashion Council has released the shortlist for this year’s Fashion Awards, with Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Loewe leading the way with four nominations each. Winners will be announced on 2 December.
Fashion Scout, the international showcase for fashion pioneers, has announced the four winners of the Ones to Watch Award for London Fashion Week SS20. They are Gala Borovic, IA London, Studio Adaptive Skins and AV.
Launchmetrics and the CFDA have teamed up to release a report measuring the impact of different media at last month’s CFDA Awards, naming Jennifer Lopez as the most influential voice in the days surrounding the event.
Following the news that Tom Ford will become the institution's new chairman, the list of nominees and honorees for the 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards is out, featuring Virgil Abloh, the Olsen twins, Sander Lak and more.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has announced its 2019 AAFA American Image Awards honorees. Winners will be awarded at an official ceremony on April 15 at New York City's Plaza Hotel.


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South Wales pub company, Knife & Fork Food have announced an exciting new collaboration between their Penarth pub, The Pilot and cult BBQ foodie favourite, Hang Fire Smokehouse.
Hang Fire will be taking over the kitchens at The Pilot every Thursday night from September 4th to November 27th. Diners can expect to enjoy classic BBQ dishes including pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs and chicken, as well as some new speciality dishes that should delight Hang Fire fans both new and old.
And for the first time ever the team at Hang Fire will be accepting table bookings, a departure from their usual first come, first served approach, which has seen queues out the door at their previous venues.
Since its launch in 2013, Hang Fire Smokehouse has become a firm favourite on the South Wales food and drink scene. Hang Fire Smokehouse was established by Samantha Evans and Shauna Guinn, who set up Hang Fire last year following a 6 month road trip following the US BBQ trail from California to the Carolina’s, where they became obsessed with the American style of slow cooking meats.
As well as their famous pop up residencies in pubs the pair are frequently present at outdoor events around South Wales, which they announce via their Facebook and Twitter pages.
The Pilot, which opened in 2012, has attracted a number of plaudits, including a spot in the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide 2014, which recommends 570 pubs across the UK based primarily on the quality of their food. The Pilot’s sister pub, The Conway in Pontcanna, is also included in the guide, and together they were the only pubs in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan to be selected for inclusion.
The Pilot was also awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2014, which is given to the top 10% of businesses on TripAdvisor which ‘consistently achieve outstanding’ reviews on the website. One of The Pilot’s much loved dishes is Pilot Poulet, a whole rotisserie chicken served on a wood block which customers carve themselves; a twist on the classic Sunday lunch.
Sean Murphy, director of Knife and Fork Food who own The Pilot said: “We’re delighted to be working with Hang Fire Smokehouse. These guys really know how to make absolutely cracking BBQ, which is some of the best you’ll find this side of the Atlantic.
“Our pubs are all about great food, great atmosphere, and great drinks, and so collaborating with the Hang Fire crew is a perfect fit for us. We like their style and we’re really excited about the next three months.”
Sam of Hang Fire Smokehouse commented: “We’re delighted that Knife & Fork Food approached us to collaborate at The Pilot. We love their focus on great food, excellent customer service and fantastic drinks. The team at The Pilot are as excited as us about the next 3 months. There’s going to be a lot of smoke on the water in Penarth!”


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Barcelona, November 30, 2021.- As reported by the economic news agency, Bloomberg, the Covid-19 pandemic is speeding up a technological transformation of global trade as supply chains play catchup in shifting from paper to digital transactions.
That’s an emerging industry view as the ongoing disruptions force manufacturers, ship operators and importers to accelerate their investments in technology to smooth out kinks, reduce delays and ultimately cut costs.
Among those on the front lines: Bertrand Chen, the chief executive of Hong Kong-based Global Shipping Business Network, a nonprofit technology consortium set up to simplify the business of trade through the use of blockchain. Its backers include some of the world’s biggest shipping lines and terminal operators.
Chen, who has a background in finance, said GSBN’s technology can facilitate the secure sharing of data that’s needed to settle trade.
For example, the company’s product — Cargo Release — is said to have cut the process of physical exchanges of documentation at Shanghai port to less than two hours instead of as many as three days by stripping out the process of queues and in-person interaction.
“There’s no more people going to a shipping line counter to present documents,” Chen said in an interview. He says the pandemic disruption will force through change in the industry.
“You will have more digitization and more people adapting to technology,” he said. “What people haven’t been able to do for the last 20-30 years suddenly will happen due to Covid.”
The Asia Development Bank last month warned that the global trade finance gaprose 15% to $1.7 trillion in 2020 and say solutions include global standards and legislation for the digitalization of trade’s eco-system which would generate data, increase transparency, improve interoperability and ultimately boost access to trade finance.
Meanwhile, a report this month from HSBC economists titled “Smart Supply Chains” said manufacturers are going to deploy “internet of things” technology to, among other things, track inventory in real time and monitor equipment so they know when a machine is likely to go down.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance for businesses to embrace digital solutions more than ever before,” according to the HSBC report.
- Metals talks | The U.S. is beginning talks with Japan over global steel and aluminum excess capacity that will also address Washington’s tariffs on exports of the products from the Asian nation, President Joe Biden’s commerce and trade chiefs said.
- War of words | France’s top European Union official took a thinly veiled swipe at EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s “naive” and “narrow-minded” stance in a clash over how to tackle a dearth in semiconductor supplies.
- Fanning inflation | Almost 60% of U.K. companies are planning to raise their prices to recover rising supply-chain costs and wages, according to a closely watched business survey.
- Cheers for fears | Shipping disruptions and the threat of shortages mean some consumers finished shopping before the holiday season even began. At the Port of Savannah, containers stacked up like colorful children’s blocks are forcing officials to look for more places to store them.
- Drone down | Amazon has shifted staff working on its Paris-based drone research and development center to new projects, marking another set-back in the company’s delivery project.
- Know when to fold ‘em | Few tools of the global economy have survived without major innovations as long as the shipping container. Now the world’s supply strains offer an opportunity to test that incumbency with a new design: boxes that fold up to about one-fifth their normal size.


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DraftKings has received a gambling license to operate in the U.K., even as it fights that label to operate in the United States.» Read More
Adidas is launching a technology it claims will transform running shoes, which is approximately a $15 billion business.
Perhaps to investors, the shift in Under Armour describes the next phase in the company's development: From disruptive growth company to global retail machine ready to take on Nike
After an early season game, the hashtag #letrossdunk started popping up on Twitter. People caught on to it, and momentum grew until the Raptors started marketing the slogan in a direct effort to get Terrence Ross into the Dunk Contest.
Italy's top three leagues and 680 matches worldwide are considered suspicious by European law enforcement. Investigators believe a man from Singapore named Tan Seet Eng is a common link in many of them. The New York Times reports.
For the first time, Sports Illustrated has chosen a Target "Xhilaration" brand swimsuit for model Jessica Perez to wear in photos taken in Chile, reports CNBC's Courtney Reagan.
Kate Upton, the model who appears on the cover of this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, talks about a chilly photo shoot in Antarctica, and her plans for the future. (3:53)
Kate Upton is appearing for the second time in a row and her appeal is even greater in 2013. Some think she has supermodel status already. And when it comes to Upton, the numbers don't lie.
In an unprecedented move, the United Kingdom's head of Treasury, George Osborne, granted tax amnesty for the event.
The Superdome's power company, New Orleans-based Entergy, took the blame Friday for the Super Bowl blackout. Company officials said the faulty device performed without problem during previous events.
Bought by an antique picker for less than $100, the photo depicts the nine players and a manager of the 1865 Brooklyn Atlantics team.
Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt and other overseas athletes will be able to compete tax-free in this year's London Diamond League event at the Olympic Stadium after the British finance minister agreed to a "one-off" exemption.
Singapore is working with European authorities investigating the fixing of soccer matches on a global scale but its silence on any action being taken against local suspects risks damaging the reputation of the wealthy, tightly regulated Asian country.
Spanish football clubs spending less on players speaks to the league's ongoing problems with debt.
Colorado Rockies owner, Linda Alvarado, Alvarado Construction Company president & CEO, makes her pitch on jobs, construction, the economy and the business of baseball.
Singapore, which European investigators say is the source for hundreds of soccer matches being fixed in a global betting scam, promised on Tuesday to aid the probe but some in the game said many of the revelations were nothing new.
Soccer match-fixing is a rapidly growing scandal around the world - but not the U.S. What gives, America? Do you just not care about "football"?
CNBC's John Carney and Brian Shactman discuss the DOJ's lawsuit against Standard and Poor's, and a new soccer probe uncovering betting profits of $11 billion.
Sally Smith, President and CEO of Buffalo Wild Wings, explains why she decided not to advertise during the Super Bowl, when more than 8 million wings are served.
"Everyone is going to know him because the Super Bowl is a marketer's dream," says his agent, except Joe Flacco is not a marketers dream.
Retailers selling televisions cut prices going into this Super Bowl with deeper discounts than a year ago, according to reports.


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Anki today announced the debut of two new cars and two new tracks for its iPhone-compatible Anki Drive slot car racing game. Joining the existing four cars are Hadion and Corax, new characters that focus on speed and weaponry, respectively.
Designed by Anki and Hollywood legend Harald Belker, Corax and Hadion are the newest characters available for Anki DRIVE. Hadion is built for speed and is the only car that can access Turbo Boost, which enables you to fly incredibly fast down the track. Corax is the ultimate warrior, with the option to mount multiple weapons. Watch out, he’s an aggressive one!
First introduced in 2013 during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Anki Drive is a unique racing game that Anki describes as a “video game in the real world.” Similar to slot car racing, Anki Drive incorporates artificial intelligence, machine learning, and smartphone-based controls, allowing two players to shoot at one another while their cars autonomously race down a vinyl track.
Each of Anki’s cars have their own unique name, personality, look, and statistics. While some of them offer greater acceleration speeds, others have more energy or better weaponry. The two released today expand on the abilities of the existing cars, offering Turbo Boost (Hadrion) and multiple mounted weapons (Corax).
Along with the new cars, Anki is also introducing two new tracks: Crossroads and Bottleneck. Crossroads offers hard corners and a challenging intersection that requires solid timing and maneuvering skills, while Bottleneck introduces a bottleneck shape that must be overcome.
There’s also a brand new Race Mode in the Anki Drive app, which joins the existing Battle Mode. Weaponry is still available and the goal is to make it to the finish line first, beating out other players or AI-controlled cars.
Anki’s new cars can both be purchased today from the Anki website for $69.99 each, and the new tracks will be available on May 6 for $99. The original Anki starter kit can also be purchased from the Anki website for $199.
Technology problem? Easy, just hit the Mayday button (if you have one) or sign up for Google Helpouts and within a few minutes, you’ll instantly connect to an expert. Compare that with selecting a healthcare plan, or making trips to the clinic, and medicine can seem a little old-fashioned. Better is looking to change that with an iOS app that offers both a concierge to help you navigate your HMO’s bureaucracy, but also to offer instant access to the physicians at the Mayo Clinic when you’re feeling unwell. The app is launching from today, setting you back $49 a month, and while it’s currently not covered by any insurance plans, there are some incentives to help soften the blow.
Hyundai today announced that it will bring Apple’s CarPlay technology to its Sonata automobile lineup starting next year. This introduction makes Hyundai the first volume automobile manufacturer to bring CarPlay to the market.
The first Hyundai automobiles to offer the voice-driven system will be the company’s popular Sonata line. Models that are equipped with the CarPlay-compatible navigation systems will debut later in the 2015 model year.
Hyundai’s latest Audio Video Navigation (AVN) systems are already recognized for their beautiful, yet intuitive interface and advanced feature set. Our engineers took advantage of the vivid eight-inch touchscreen to integrate CarPlay for an experience that iPhone users will instantly recognize.
CarPlay allows an iPhone to integrate into the car’s infotainment system, providing Siri voice-controlled access to messaging, voice calls, Maps and music. The technology initially debuted as a factory-installed option in new 2014 luxury models from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo and will be added to existing 2014 Pioneer receivers as an aftermarket add-on.
New photos showing what appears to be another case for Apple’s larger-screen iPhone 6 have been posted by Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate]. While details about the case’s exact length are unknown, the images are said to have come from a Chinese accessory maker and show a case designed for the next-generation iPhone, similar to cases pictured last week and those on display at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair yesterday.
The case feature slightly rounded edges, similar to the design of the iPhone 5c and consistent with design drawings said to be for the iPhone 6. Like other cases and in line with a claim from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the case also includes a hole for a button along the upper right side of the device, which may be the new location of the power button. Rectangular volume control buttons similar to the fifth-generation iPod Touch are also notably present.
Rectangular volume (1) and right side power (2) cutouts (Annotated by Nowhereelse.fr)
Apple’s iPhone 6 is expected to launch in two sizes of 4.7 and 5.5 inches. The majority of leaks so far have depicted the 4.7-inch version, as it is reportedly on track for a release this fall. Apple is said to have been running into production issues with the 5.5-inch version, with that model likely seeing a release later this year or early next year.
Along with a larger screen, Apple’s next-generation iPhone is expected to include a thinner profile, upgraded A8 processor, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and an improved camera featuring optical image stabilization. A report earlier this week from Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also claimed that Apple is negotiating with carriers to increase the price of the iPhone 6 by $100.
Following a brief maintenance period worldwide, Apple’s Online Stores in the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, and the Czech Republic are now selling the 8 GB iPhone 5c. The device was spotted in these online stores by 9to5Mac.
The 8 GB version of the phone was launched last month in a few of Apple’s Online Stores alongside the relaunched 16 GB iPad 4. Apple revealed in a statement to Re/code that its strategy with the 8 GB iPhone 5c is to offer a low-cost option that is compatible with the growing number of developing LTE networks in certain countries. The report also noted that Apple prefers not to sell the lower-cost model in the United States because of the popularity of subsidized phones.
The 8GB iPhone 5c is available now through select Apple Online Stores as well as through various Apple Retail locations.
Apple and Samsung are duking it out in court yet again, but there’s at least one thing they (and a host of their smartphone making rivals) agree on: users shouldn’t be helpless when their phones are stolen. That’s why, starting in July 2015, all of the smartphones those companies sell in the United States will come with an anti-theft tool meant to help keep your data out of the wrong hands. The full list of backers includes the usual heavyweights: besides Apple and Samsung, there’s Google, HTC, Huawei, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, along with the country’s biggest wireless carriers. Those parties in total represent a tremendous chunk of the American wireless industry, so your next (or next next) smartphone will almost certainly let you stick it to the sticky-fingered.
And what, pray tell, would such tools do? According to the CTIA, users will be able to remotely wipe and restore their devices (say, from a cloud backup), and prevent them from being reactivated or used by unsavory types. That seemingly simple move wouldn’t just save us all anguish, it could save us a collective total of $2.5 billion a year in replacement costs and insurance fees. It sure sounds like a win for consumers, but some — like Senator Mark Leno, who sponsored a bill to create a kill-switch for connected gadgets in the Golden State — think such tools should be on by default rather than requiring users to opt-in. He’s probably on to something, but at least all these companies have a few months to iron out the details.
Filed under: Mobile
Apple, Google, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, Microsoft, Nokia and Samsung have announced a voluntary agreement to include anti-theft technology on all smartphones beginning next year, according to a report by Re/code.
The pledge has device makers agreeing that all devices going on sale after July of 2015 will have capabilities to remotely wipe data and to prevent the device from being reactivated without the owner’s permission.
A number of state and local lawmakers praised the agreement, though it was panned as inadequate by California state Sen. Mark Leno, who has proposed a mandatory kill-switch law.
“The wireless industry today has taken an incremental yet inadequate step to address the epidemic of smartphone theft,” Leno said in a statement. “Only weeks ago, they claimed that the approach they are taking today was infeasible and counterproductive. While I am encouraged they are moving off of that position so quickly, today’s ‘opt-in’ proposal misses the mark if the ultimate goal is to combat street crime and violent thefts involving smartphones and tablets.”
The senator pointed out that all smartphones must have similar kill switch features, or violent street crime and thefts will continue to occur as at least some of the device thefts will still be profitable.
It is likely that Apple’s Activation Lock, introduced alongside iOS 7, satisfies the requirements of the agreement already. Activation Lock effectively disables a stolen smartphone by preventing it from being wiped and reactivated without an Apple ID and password. Apple’s Find My iPhone also allows for devices to be remotely wiped and locked.
The beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store as well as through the Mac Dev Center.
Apple continues to ask developers to focus on Graphics Drivers and Audio, and Safari. As was discovered with the first beta, 10.9.3 adds new support for 4K displays, offering “Retina” resolutions that improve readability along with support for 60Hz output from the Retina MacBook Pro.
As we progress further into 2014, iPhone 6 rumors have begun to pick up, with case designs, schematics, molds, and alleged iPhone parts surfacing over the past few weeks to give hints at what Apple’s larger iPhone might look like.
Today Japanese site Mac Otakara [Google Translation] (via 9to5Mac) has shared some additional images of iPhone 6 mockups and accessories being displayed in several different booths at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair.
One image shows a physical iPhone 6 mockup that has allegedly been used to create cases for the next version of the iPhone next to an iPhone case made using the dummy version.
While few details can be gleaned from the model, it does appear to be larger in size with rectangular volume buttons and a sleep/wake power button on the right hand side of the device, which is in line with some previous rumors. It also possesses a round camera flash, as was described in schematics that leaked in March.
The site has also published a video displaying some lightning cables aimed at the iPhone 6 as well as a close-up look at the iPhone 6 mockup.
It is unclear whether the mockups and the cases are representative of the actual iPhone 6, but thus far, the iPhone 6 leaks coming out of Asia have all shared many of the same design similarities outlined above.
Apple’s iPhone 6 is expected to come in two sizes, at 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. The majority of leaks we have seen so far have depicted the 4.7-inch version, as it is said to be in production for a September or October release. The 5.5 version has seen some production delays, which could see it being released later in 2014 or in early 2015.
In addition to two display sizes, the iPhone 6 is expected to include an upgraded A8 processor, camera improvements in the form of optical image stabilization, slimmer bezels, a thinner chassis, and Touch ID support.
Microsoft today started selling its Office 365 Personal subscription, a less expensive version of Office 365 that targets individual users. The cloud-based subscription service provides access to online versions of Microsoft’s Office productivity suite, online storage in OneDrive and a block of Skype calling minutes.
The new personal option allows subscribers to connect one PC or Mac desktop computer and one tablet, including the iPad, to the online service. It will cost $69 per year or $6.99 per month. Customers who require more connections can sign up for the Office 365 Home plan, which is geared towards families with support for up to five desktops and five tablets.
The new Office 365 Personal plan is available for purchase at Office365.com. It also is available at Microsoft Stores and through Microsoft’s online and retail partners. Microsoft also offers Office 365 business plans, which are priced by the number of users and are designed for real-time, online collaboration using the Office 365 suite.


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Electronics manufacturer Casio is currently the exclusive advertiser supporting Richard Bangs Adventures--located at adventures.yahoo.com. And beyond topical ad placement, Bangs is also using Casio's EX-Z750 digital camera to capture the footage on display.
In hopes of creating more original content to differentiate itself from rivals like Google and MSN, Yahoo! approached Bangs over the summer, offering to take him on full time. Just last month, Yahoo! said it hired its own war correspondent, Kevin Sites, to provide multimedia dispatches from armed conflicts around the globe. Soon after, Yahoo! Finance added several columnists to create content that can only be found on Yahoo!.
Bangs is no stranger to intensely documented, far-off expeditions. He had worked with MSNBC and MSN, creating similar material for about nine years prior to joining Yahoo!. He has also published countless magazine pieces, 14 books, and several documentaries--and recently co-directed the IMAX Film, "Mystery of the Nile," which is currently showing in theaters.
Yahoo! also released survey results on Monday to illustrate its users' demand for adventure/travel writing and content. Yahoo! found that 72 percent of the respondents to its survey said they had been on or are planning a trip that involves adventure travel in the next five years. High-ranking travel destinations included Australia, Africa, and Alaska, Yahoo! said.


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Author Siddharth Kara raises the alarm about the growing human rights problem in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) after he witnesses workers, including children, toiling in cobalt mines for 2-a-day.
According to Kara, cobalt, a key chemical element found in lithium-ion batteries and used in many everyday devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, is mined under appalling conditions in the DCR.
According to DailyMail.com, about 90 percent of the world’s cobalt supply is done in the DCR.
Cara, an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Carr Center for Human Rights, paints a grim picture of the lives of African families. told DailyMail.com.“There are millions of the poorest people on the planet. [mining for cobalt]”
The Congolese government suspended reforms to the mining code.
“The moral clock has been dialed back to colonial times. They’re doing it for $2 a day and it’s the difference to them whether they eat that day or not, so they don’t have the power to say no. . “They said.
Tech giants such as Apple, Tesla, Microsoft and Samsung have come under fire for turning a blind eye to worker exploitation while publicly insisting they only do business with cobalt suppliers, smelters and refiners who Adhere to strict work standards.
Cara said the pictures she took of young children as young as six or seven years old carrying large bags of stones and mothers working hard while carrying their children painted a different reality. do
According to Kara, the growing trend of pushing more eco-friendly products and electric vehicles (EV) across the country is exacerbating the problem in DCR.
“It should be a green choice, getting an EV. Well, it’s not green for everyone,” he said.
Joe Rogan Podcast Guest Explains Electric Vehicle, “Heartbreaking” Source of iPhone Batteries in Viral Video
The human rights activist and author of the forthcoming book “Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives” added that US companies need to change course and reevaluate their relationships with cobalt suppliers. Needs that make profit on people.
“[Companies] to begin [the] The demand for cobalt starts with them — it’s their responsibility,” he said. “The supply chain only exists because of demand. They all say they source it ethically, they all will say supply chains are ethical but then you go to the Congo and you see that’s not true.
Tesla, in 2020, Closed a deal with GlencoreA Canadian mining company that operates a cobalt and copper mine in the Katanga region, in an effort to increase its supply of cobalt for its electric car batteries.
CEO Elon Musk announced in 2022 that the company plans to stop buying cobalt batteries and instead produce batteries in-house.
Read full article here


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Fire-LiteÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s got a brand new Web site
NORTHFORD, Conn. - Fire-Lite Alarms, part of HoneywellÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Fire Systems Group, has launched a new Web site for product information, industry news and technical documentation.
The new site offers an interactive product information finder, documentation libraries, technical support area and exclusive press room.
All the data sheets, drawings, brochures and agency listing information for the entire portfolio of Fire-Lite products are in the Product Locator section. A categorized compilation of documentation, from manuals to installation sheets, has been created to offer visitors an alternative way of locating product information. Under the support area, the latest technical bulletins, training schedules, software updates and interactive fire system configuration tools such as battery calculators and specification writers are available for download, free-of-charge. The Press Room has news and event information, project profiles and high-resolution image downloads. To see the new Web site, visit www.firelite.com.


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Early in the game: RPI creates video game major
- Richard A. D'Errico
- The Business Review
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is getting serious about games. The Troy school is creating a major in video game development beginning next fall.
But the major is more than fun and games. Students participating in the program have to have a double major--a bachelor of science in games and simulation arts and sciences; and a bachelor in computer science, communication, psychology, management or electronic arts.
Courses include introduction to cognition and gaming, sensation and performance, and 3-D animation. There are eight courses specifically devoted to games, including game architecture, history and culture of games, and artificial intelligence for games.
"That came from people in the games industry," said Jim Watt, RPI communication professor and director of RPI's Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory. Game developers don't want one-dimensional employees working on 3-D games. Students will take courses on Shakespeare and calculus.
"We're not looking for people who are easily discouraged," Watt said. "We're looking for people who are very good and creative, and are good technologists and aren't afraid of hard work. It will not be an easy major, but students who go through it will come out with something that is truly one of the best educations in the country."
Watt believes RPI's rigorous gaming major may be one of the first in the country offered at a traditional college. It's RPI's push to train workers in the $10 billion video game industry. Revenue is increasing 8 percent to 10 percent a year in the United States and is beating box office takes.
"There's definitely a market for it," said Jesse Schell, chairman emeritus at the International Game Developers Association in San Francisco.
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Jan–Mar 2017, Vol. 26, No. 1
Ag Innovation News
It all began in January of 1992 when the first issue went out to 4,000 subscribers who read former Executive Director Richard Nelson’s thoughts on what the paper would be. He wrote “…these pages will offer a sampling of AURI’s accomplishments in ag product commercialization, technology transfer and applied research…there will also be news of important progress in agricultural utilization wherever it occurs.”
This month the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute will say goodbye to John Goihl one of its longest sitting board members. Goihl has served three consecutive terms (the maximum allowed by AURI), representing agribusinesses and Minnesota Pork Producers. Recently Ag Innovation News sat down with him to talk about his business, his time with AURI and some of the highlights from his nine years on the board of directors.
Minnesota has built a strong foundation for the biofuel and forest products industries, so the Minnesota legislature’s passing of the BioEconomy Production Incentive in 2015 was a significant step in advancing the state as a global center for bioeconomy project development. The goal is incentivising utilization of the state’s abundant agricultural and forestry feedstocks to add value to local economies and develop sustainable fuels and chemicals.
AURI is seeing much more activity in the alternative protein arena thanks to significant innovations in food products. This is a global trend recently explored by Lux Research who reported that “the demand for alternative proteins, beyond fish and meat…will grow at 14 percent annually by 2024.” Many food innovators are exploring new formulations to impact the existing protein supply chain. Total protein demand will double to 943.5 million metric tons in 2051, according the new report.
Since 2002, AURI has recognized these kinds of businesses with the Ag Innovator of the Year award, presented to a Minnesota company that has shown innovation in the development of an ag-based product or process. The goal is to recognize the accomplishments of one deserving business and draw attention to value-added agriculture’s contributions to the state.
“We present this award to recognize innovation and excellence in Minnesota’s food and agriculture space,” says AURI Executive Director Shannon Schlecht. “AURI sees many great ideas from across the state and the award provides an opportunity to highlight a unique idea and innovative business.”
Minnesota food innovators are producing hip, handcrafted shrubs and switchels from muddled fruit, sugar and vinegar. These traditional drinks have roots in Colonial times, when people used apple cider vinegar to preserve fruit for the winter.
Nanobionic spinach plants can detect explosives Spinach is no longer just a superfood; by embedding leaves with carbon nanotubes, MIT engineers have transformed spinach plants into sensors that can detect explosives and wirelessly relay that information to a handheld device similar to a smartphone. This is one of the first demonstrations of engineering electronic systems […]
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) is dedicated to making its Ag Innovation News the most interesting, engaging and informative publication in the value-added agriculture sector. However, as it enters its 25th year of publication, the paper’s editorial staff understands that sometimes changes are necessary to stay current and meet the readers’ wants and needs. […]


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The service lets passengers find cheap rides from one city to another in 19 countries. But Brazil, not the US, is next on the company's expansion list, CEO Frédéric Mazzella says.
iPad and iOS news
The acquisition of data storage provider EMC continues the reinvention of Dell in the post-PC era.
Get ready to use your Xbox One wireless controller to play video games on Windows 10 tablets and PCs.
In a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, the physicist expresses more concern about economic inequality than about artificial intelligence.
The ride-hailing company is being sued after two women allege they were sexually assaulted by Uber drivers. The plaintiffs say Uber needs to do more to keep passengers safe.
What's changed in the newest Honda Accord, which nation's cars are the best to crash in and the amazing gall of the VW diesel tech scandal.
The world was supposed to end in May 2011, according to one prophecy, unless that was really just the beginning of the end, in which case the end of the end is set for Wednesday.
The 3DS XL's improved 3D head-tracking is a big step up and its performance boost more makes a noticeable difference. A few head-scratching design choices prevent us from falling for the New 3DS XL, but this is still the best Nintendo portable to get.
From the Cheapskate: Who says there's no such thing as a free virtual private network? Plus: Three bonus deals.
On-demand smartphone apps are known for addressing the whims and desires of the comfortable. It turns out they can also serve the greater good.


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The end of Shai Agassi's one-man show
A host of factors led to the surprising ouster of Better Place CEO Shai Agassi, including huge outlays, missed deadlines, poor personal relations and lack of managerial ability.
The business world has very organized protocols for what happens when a CEO is pushed out. First, the owner calls the CEO in for a talk, and they reach a quiet understanding that the CEO will announce - ostensibly of his own initiative - that he has exhausted the job's potential and is embarking on new ventures. Afterward, the company issues a formal announcement thanking him for his services and...
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It's nearly impossible to compete with China's largest e-commerce site Alibaba, but 360buy.com has quickly turned into a formidable rival.
Operated by Beijing Jingdong Century Trading Co., 360buy.com has distinguished itself from Alibaba by selling and shipping a wide variety of products, including computers, dishwashers and mobile phones to Chinese consumers rather than simply linking consumers to one another.
The so-called business-to-consumer part of e-commerce is expected to triple next year to $102 billion per year, or 47% of all online sales, according to Chinese research firm Analysys International.
360buy.com quickly established a foothold in the business-to-consumer market by mimicking Amazon.com's business model. While Alibaba's Taobao mall still has a larger market share, 360buy.com is quickly catching up.
360buy's executives have said that the company plans to go public in the U.S. this year, hoping to raise between $4 billion and $5 billion, which could make it one of the largest IPOs in U.S. history. The site is said to have generated roughly $1.6 billion in 2010 revenue.
China is the world's second largest economy, but it will still take years before living conditions are on par with other developed countries.
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If you are to have a well-rounded portfolio in 2017, you need to be in China, whose economy is projected to be roughly 50% bigger than that of the U.S. in 2020.
As is true with the U.S., investors looking for growth need to be invested in the internet. But there are dangers. I predicted recently that an internet stock bubble could be building, because the country has too many companies with too much market cap in that sector.
The U.S. bubble of the 1990s, however, developed as valuations got out far ahead of fundamentals. This allowed companies without much revenue to claim an enormous multiplier on sales from the market, based on growth assumptions that only a few companies could hope to satisfy. Chinese valuations are not that stretched. Most companies sell for little more than their U.S. counterparts, although not all have the same growth trajectories. Remember, it’s growth that you’re buying.
Take the talk that such-and-such company is “China’s Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)” with a grain of salt. Chinese companies don’t stay in their lanes that way. They seek whatever niche promises growth even if, from a U.S. perspective, it has little to do with their original business model.
Whether the bubble pops, there are some Chinese internet stocks that will get to the other side just fine. You need to consider them as investments.
Chinese Internet Stocks to Buy: Alibaba (BABA)
Start with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA), an essential part of any well-rounded portfolio. Alibaba is not Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). It was founded as a business-to-business marketplace, empowering small businesses first rather than consumers.
That’s a point executive chairman Jack Ma was making when he met with President-elect Trump recently, claiming 1 million U.S. jobs could be created if small town America took advantage of what Alibaba offers Chinese businesses.
Whether Ma can fulfill the pledge is less important than the meeting itself, which illustrates just how much a player Alibaba has become on the global business scene. While it now has many things in common with Amazon, like a cloud service, entertainment unit and a quirky leader, it is also much more. For instance, Alibaba has a version of Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) called Juhuasuan, and is reportedly interested in buying the U.S. company.
Alibaba handles logistics like United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) and payments like Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL). It offers its video products over-the-air like CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS) as well as online like Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX). It is going to have a bigger brick-and-mortar presence by taking Intime Retail Group Ltd., one of China’s largest mall and department store operators, private.
Alibaba is also determined to expand well beyond China. It is opening a logistics center in Bulgaria aimed at exporting that country’s products to the world, and lowering prices for local consumers. This may be the most important story here. Alibaba remains, at heart, a trading company, cutting business costs by handling marketing and logistics. That’s a global vision.
In retail, Alibaba is aiming to challenge Amazon in India and has taken a position against Amazon in Southeast Asia by buying a controlling stake in Lazada, which is a logistics as well as an e-commerce company, much like Alibaba itself. Of course, BABA is not a U.S. stock. Due to Chinese rules on foreign investment, what you’re buying is a call on earnings. But since a growing number of U.S. internet giants now have two-tier share structures that eliminate shareholder rights to control management, like Alphabet and Facebook, this should not trouble you.
Any portfolio with exposure to China should start with Alibaba … but it need not end there.
Chinese Internet Stocks to Buy: Tencent (TCEHY)
Tencent Holdings Ltd (OTCMKTS:TCEHY) stock is, if anything, more of a screaming buy than Alibaba. Because Tencent operates with less infrastructure, it can easily earn fatter margins and it’s actually bigger (by market cap) than Alibaba.
Tencent illustrates the point that you can’t really compare Chinese internet companies, or the Chinese market, with that of the U.S. At the heart of Tencent, after all, is a simple chat service, called WeChat, and mobile games. But WeChat is monetized more fully than any U.S. analog, and has 846 million domestic users. That’s nearly three times the population of the U.S.
Tencent is growing its top line at 25% per year, from a 2015 base of about $14 billion. It brings 27% of revenue to the net income line. WeChat is now introducing “mini” programs, a version of apps, that allow sharing of content and purchases and could send make those results look poor. Almost half of Tencent’s revenue comes from games. This let it buy the Swedish game producer SuperCell last year, known for Clash of Clans. You are more likely to have already used Tencent services than those of Alibaba.
The company’s Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) like cash hoard, about $13 billion at the end of September, is regularly invested in expanding the parameters of the business. That means it has a play in self-driving cars, in making personal loans, in mobile payments and now in video production. It is also expanding, not just in terms of customers but in terms of content producers, across Southeast Asia, which is filled with young people who have big ideas.
The vibe given off by Tencent is that of a company that is soaking up talent from throughout East Asia, not just its home market, and delivering the results of that talent back to the region’s consumers. Southeast Asia has the fastest changing, youngest demographics in the world, and Tencent basically owns that market. Who wouldn’t want to be in on that opportunity?
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) does not like many Chinese investments, but it likes Alibaba and Tencent, which it is convinced will continue to do well regardless of how U.S.-China relations go. When the bear says buy, don’t ignore it.
Chinese Internet Stocks to Buy: Weibo (WB)
Weibo is essentially a microblogging platform, and the site is filled with pictures and short video clips aimed at small audiences. Think Cheezburger.com, but more niche, more personal and easier to monetize. When someone you know posts something on Weibo you will get an SMS message on your phone, and advertisers can push such messages through the service. Weibo is tied closely to brands that can conduct market research and do promotions using its application program interface (API).
Comparing Wang to Dorsey, however, is an insult to Mr. Wang, because WB is still growing, it’s already profitable and Wang is nothing like Dorsey. He’s a computer scientist, not a social visionary. He’s also very corporate, having worked for Weibo’s parent company, Sina Corp (NASDAQ:SINA), since 2000. Yet, he’s just 35 and seems to understand his young, upwardly mobile platform intuitively.
I noted last week that Sina, which still owns half of Weibo, is the wrong company to invest in, in the same way that VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW) was a better investment than its parent EMC before Dell bought them both out. (Alibaba also owns a stake in Weibo.) Wang is a good corporate manager with solid cost controls, so that as the company’s revenues began exploding in 2016, he could deliver fat profits.
For all of 2015, for instance, Weibo had net income of $34.75 million on revenue of $477.89 million. During the September quarter of 2016, Weibo had net income of $32.10 million on revenue of $176.88 million. Margins, in short, have been accelerating along with revenue. Revenue and margin acceleration are why some companies are worth 20 times the trailing year’s sales, as WB is.
The Weibo service is now available on Xbox One, it has begun live-streaming NFL games and it is being used by foreign embassies to interact with Chinese consumers. Weibo is becoming, in short, the window young Chinese consumers have to the world, a place where it’s safe to talk about terrorism and smog.
The assumption that China’s government prohibits discussion and debate is a misleading one. The truth is it channels discussion. Social controls have kept Weibo from becoming like Twitter, and the knowledge that government can clamp down, that it sometimes does, benefits the company enormously.
Louis Navellier of Blue Chip Growth wrote here last December that Weibo is like Twitter except you should buy it. The relationship among Weibo, Sina and Alibaba is complementary, Navellier writes, but it’s Weibo’s growth that makes it a standout at a $9 billion market cap. That’s about right. You get growth with Weibo, you get the opportunity of a take-out at the right time and you get a CEO who understands his growing market. That’s a strong combination.
Chinese Internet Stocks to Buy: JD.com (JD)
Alibaba isn’t really the Amazon.Com of China. JD.Com Inc(ADR) (NASDAQ:JD) is. While Alibaba was founded as a B2B marketplace, JD was founded specifically to serve consumers … Chinese citizens as they are, rather than the striving entrepreneurs Alibaba hopes they will become. Thus, JD.Com has built a brick-and-mortar footprint few online companies can match.
This helps in two ways. Chinese manufacturers are not as sophisticated in managing inventory as American companies, so JD has a network of 210 warehouses around the country, comprising over four million square meters of space. Chinese customers aren’t all hanging around like Amazon customers waiting for deliveries, either, so there are 5,370 delivery and pick-up centers around the country, where the company also takes payments.
In addition to its own sourced merchandise, JD.Com offers something like Amazon’s third-party marketplace, allowing companies to sell directly to consumers, using its infrastructure. While Alibaba serves small producers, JD serves retailers. The largest such retailer is Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT), which now owns roughly 9% of JD.Com, a stake worth more than $3 billion. Those shares were bought at a recent peak in the stock price, nearly $30, meaning Walmart is presently underwater on the investment. But they’re not just there for the profit. They need the market knowledge as well.
The financials of JD.Com look similar to Amazon from a few years ago, before its cloud data centers, Prime memberships and media investments started delivering big profits. There is a lot of growth — 50% between 2014 and 2015, and JD.Com nearly reached its 2015 sales total in the first three quarters of 2016 — but there is not much in the way of profit.
Truthfully, there is no profit. At least, there wasn’t during 2016. But as with Amazon, when you’re growing rapidly you need to invest ahead of top-line growth. JD took on its first long-term debt in 2015, and now has almost 15% of its assets under debt as it chases top-line growth.
Don’t let the big numbers you see reported on this company fool you. The yuan-dollar rate is now nearly 7:1, so JD.Com is still doing less than $10 billion/quarter in business. Amazon does more business in a month than JD.Com does in a quarter. JD’s total assets are worth a little over $20 billion, and its operating cash flow, 11.135 billion yuan for the most recently-reported quarter. The market cap of $38 billion comes to about 1.5 times the 2015 dollar sales of about $25 billion, high for a retailer, but low for a tech stock.
Analysts disagree on the near-term prospects of JD.com. JP Morgan analysts recently upgraded the stock to “overweight” from “neutral” and Vetr recently called it a “strong buy.” On the other hand Bernstein recently downgraded it, believing it will fall further.
It’s hard for me to see Walmart backing a loser, however, and JD’s physical infrastructure gives it real advantages against other online rivals. That’s why it is on my buy list.
Chinese Internet Stocks to Buy: Baidu (BIDU)
By the time Alibaba went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014, Baidu Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) had been on the Nasdaq for nearly a decade, having debuted there in 2005. Sometimes called “China’s Google” because its primary business is that of a search engine, it has also proven a superior investment to its U.S. counterpart, the stock up 1,355% since its debut against Alphabet’s gain of 478%.
Baidu remains a minnow next to its American counterpart, with quarterly revenues of under $2.5 billion, and half as fat a profit margin.
While Google has moved to build a network of cloud data centers, Baidu has mainly stuck to its knitting in search, only adding transaction services and a service equivalent to YouTube slowly. Baidu’s video service is called iQiyi. While Google has worked heavily on the back-end of search, finding the right data in response to a typed query, Baidu, under chief scientist Andrew Ng, who teaches at Stanford, is working on the front-end, predicting that voice and pictures will create half of all search queries by 2020.
Baidu and Google, in fact, seem engaged in an artificial intelligence arms race, televising their successes across China and showing off their voice assistants at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show. Baidu also showed off an answer to the Amazon Echo, a robot with a screen called “Little Fish” in Chinese.
Professor Ng, who also co-founded the Coursera online college system and helped create the Google Brain, an early AI effort, believes AI will displace millions of jobs over the next few years and calls AI “the new electricity.” Analysts are as divided on Baidu as they are on JD, mainly due to its lower profit margins when compared with Alphabet. Stifel recently put a “buy” rating on the stock while Bernstein recently put a “sell” rating on it. Bernstein sees Baidu losing some of its 80% domestic market search share, it worries about its video share and it especially hates its transaction strategy, believing the company could more than double its operating profits by dropping it.
Bernstein may be right or wrong, in the near term. But I take a three- to five-year time horizon. I see Baidu as easily surviving in that time frame, and see its AI strategy as a winner.
Dana Blankenhorn is a financial and technology journalist. He is the author of the sci-fi novella Into the Cloud, available at the Amazon Kindle store. Write him at firstname.lastname@example.org or follow him on Twitter at @danablankenhorn. As of this writing he owned shares in AMZN, GOOGL, AAPL, FB and BABA.


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55: The Polaroid Revolutionary Workers Movement
When two employees at Polaroid discovered their company’s technology was being used by the South African government to help enforce apartheid, they protested and called for an international boycott of their employer until it withdrew from that country. It was one of the first anti-apartheid protests against a major U.S. corporation and the beginning of the broader divestment movement that followed. Polaroid’s leadership responded with steps it thought could help Black South Africans, and its efforts pose a question we still grapple with today: What responsibility do corporations have to promote social justice and human rights around the world?
For more on Polaroid, South Africa and the Polaroid Revolutionary Workers Movement: https://bit.ly/btyb-polaroid
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Avoid postal delays with paperless claims and statements
The U.S. Postal Service is experiencing delays in mail delivery across the country. At the same time, Americans everywhere especially vulnerable populations, such as elderly people and those living with comorbidities are being asked to stay home. As a result, many of your patients have very real anxiety over when (or whether) they’ll receive their medications.
According to a recent article from NPR, Nationally, an Ipsos poll found that 1 in 5 Americans got medication through the mail in the past week, and 1 in 4 of them experienced a delay or nondelivery.1 And patients aren’t the only ones impacted by lagging deliveries. Commercial and private mail services have been affected, creating concerns for small and medium-sized businesses that rely on mail delivery services.2
If your organization relies on paper claims submissions and patient statements, you could be facing longer A/R days and more work resubmitting lost claims. Likewise, with delivery delays, paper statements and bills may not reach patients in a timely manner, making it more difficult to capture patient payments.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has told the U.S. Senate that the Postal Service will not implement any changes in service until after the election.1 This could mean that more delays are on the horizon. Even if you have not yet experienced issues with lost or late mail, upcoming changes to U.S. Postal Service delivery programs may lead to more delivery issues in the coming months.
So, what can you do? Instead of bracing yourself for longer days in A/R, why not take advantage of this time to go paperless? With the right technology, you can:
- Give patients the option to receive their statements online via email
- Electronically upload claims attachments
- Submit claims online instead of by mail
Want to learn more about applications that can help you accelerate A/R and avoid postal delays? Read aboutABILITY CHOICE All-Payer ClaimsandABILITY EASE All-Payer, orrequest a demotoday.
- Postal Service Slowdowns Cause Dangerous Delays In Medication Delivery, Paige Pfleger, NPR, August 25, 2020. Accessed September 10, 2020, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/08/25/905666119/postal-service-slowdowns-cause-dangerous-delays-in-medication-delivery
- Are postal service delays hampering small business? KTTN News, August 13, 2020. Accessed September 10, 2020, https://www.kttn.com/are-postal-service-delays-hampering-small-business/
ABILITY and design®, ABILITY®, CHOICE® and ABILITY EASE® are trademarks of ABILITY Network, Inc.


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Bill Herrle: Regulation shouldn’t override innovation
Florida has made tremendous strides in improving its business climate, so it may come as a surprise when an archaic regulatory structure impedes a business from even opening its doors and jumping into the market.
But local regulations dictating limits for limo operations are doing just that to a company with an innovative and consumer-driven business model.
Uber allows a customer to summon an independently owned and operated limousine and town car via a smartphone app. Well, Uber would allow a customer to do that. But many municipalities don’t.
Limos operate as an oligopoly by way of regulation in many Florida cities, including Miami. Before a very recent embarrassment-induced adjustment down to 20 minutes on the part of the jurisdiction of Miami, the regulations required that a limo could not pick up a customer less than an hour from when it was requested. Additionally, arbitrary price points were dictated for the service, and the number of operators was tightly regulated, necessitating operator licenses to be re-sold on the secondary market for tens of thousands of dollars.
Businesses of the future like Uber are something that old regulations couldn’t have anticipated, but that’s why we need to adapt.
Today, effectiveness is often measured by whether something is bigger, better or quicker, so it might seem disconcerting that some legislators are intent that such counterintuitive and restrictive regulations remain in place.
The committee debate on this has been revealing. Legislators seem unable to comprehend that their regulatory protections may not be needed or welcomed by the public in the economy of the future. The Uber app allows customers to rate drivers after each ride, creating a continuous feedback loop to ensure a quality experience for both rider and driver. When explained this rating mechanism, some legislators were stuck in trenchant disbelief as to how the market could function more effectively than the Miami-Dade County For-Hire Transportation Customer Complaint Form (there is such a thing). The Legislature should have an open mind about new transportation options and develop frameworks that are focused on protecting consumer choice, not limiting competition.
The old way of regulating limos simply isn’t applicable in today’s cities, and only hampers competition. Regulations like the ones preventing Uber from operating in many of Florida’s municipalities not only slow down the economy, but they slow down the citizens, business owners and employees who are eager to use a service like Uber to more effectively navigate through their days. All these regulations do is create a barrier to growth, development and vibrancy in an effort to protect the status quo. We should be encouraging new small businesses to open in any city in Florida, not finding ways to stop new business growth by sticking to the “same old same old.” Free enterprise drives the economy, and we should be doing all we can to encourage it across the state, not make it impossible.
Uber is a great example of the free enterprise system at work, and lawmakers need to find ways to welcome it and all new, innovative, technology-centric businesses. Florida shouldn’t be a place where modern companies face archaic regulatory obstacles. Let’s eliminate artificial barriers and continue to move Florida toward growth and innovation, not back in time.
Bill Herrle is the executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business/Florida, the state’s leading small-business association (http://www.nfib.com/florida).


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As we relax and unwind over the holidays, it is easy to loosen our grip on our finances. With most retailers already in full festive season swing and Black Friday only days away, being caught up in the excitement of… Read More ›
This Christmas will take place against the backdrop of global economic and political turmoil, and a severely cash-strapped consumer base. Local political shenanigans, as well as Donald Trump’s election as the next US president, have had detrimental effects on the… Read More ›
As the season of excess approaches and before we fall madly into mayhem in the mall, let’s gift ourselves a moment to plan how to survive the season without entering 2015 debt-laden and depressed. It all starts with going back to basics.


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The seventh edition Bangalore Economic Literature Festival (BBLF) will be held entirely online this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a media partner of the festival, see Your story‘s cover of editions in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.
See also Your story‘s Book review section with reviews of over 320 titles, and our compilation of 85 quotes on World Book Day.
BBLF 2021 will be held on September 21 and 23. Our previous preview articles have covered starting tips and recovery after failure. As the pandemic crisis has raged for more than 18 months in India, the authors discuss eight aspects of resilience – from business shifts and digital transformation to cultural assertiveness and crisis preparedness.
1. Preparing for crises
“The best examples of business resilience have occurred in companies that had ‘vaccinated’ their business with a vaccine called people power, or engagement associated with culture and positivity,” explains R Gopalakrishnan, author of over 15 management books, including A biography of innovations and Wisdom for adult startups.
“I call this vaccine PP-365 because it is the best vaccine to create sustainable and sustainable businesses,” he sums up succinctly.
Deloitte Global report finds companies with built-in resilience were better equipped to handle the crisis, says Dr Karthik Nagendra, CEO of ThoughtStarters and author of The thought leader method: running your business with thought leadership in a changing world.
“I think the companies that were successful during the pandemic had some things in common. They had already invested in workforce initiatives like reconversion their employees or redraw work, ”he observes.
“They had diversified their operations and developed technological capabilities to drive new business models. They had adapted to teleworking, ensured employee safety and maintained trust between leaders and employees, ”adds Karthik.
These organizations value diversity, equity and inclusion and are committed to improving the environment and strengthening communities. “Thoughtful leadership focused on research, Collaboration among all stakeholders and focused on customer success will have a big impact in the current era, ”advises Karthik.
2. A return to traditional strengths
“The pandemic has affected people all over the world. The way people live and work has changed, perhaps irreversibly, ”observes Kaninika Mishra, author of The Quotient Indic: Reclaiming Heritage through Cultural Enterprise.
“In India, the uncertainties and vulnerabilities caused by the pandemic have seen people turn to familiar traditions prepare physically and mentally, ”she adds. The demand for turmeric as well as online yoga and meditation classes are said to have increased.
Kaninika notes that many small businesses have been more resilient and used imaginative ways to keep their business going than large organizations.
“I’ve seen yoga entrepreneurs with a 100% physical teaching model switch to an online mode overnight,” she recalls. Another company engaged in hand-woven products started mask making in a week when the sale of non-essential products fell to zero.
3. Business transformation
“I’ve seen founders really innovate and think outside the box, in the darkest times. Resilience has been tested on the financial, technological, operational and organizational fronts ”, recalls Bhavna Dalal, Founder and CEO of Talent Power Partners, and author of Checkmate Political Bureau.
Many have quickly changed and transformed their business models. “It was a survival of the strongest and bravest. Of course there was disappointment earlier but people recovered quickly and kept going, ”she adds, citing the example of the founders of a coworking space who turned their offices into facilities. quarantine.
4. Work from home
“Companies, which previously insisted on working six days a week, have learned the benefits of allowing people to work more flexibly from home. This is a significant shift in the mindset, which is about to change the very job market, ”says V Raghunathan, BBLF Chair and author of bestsellers such as Indian Games Play and Ganesha on the dashboard.
“The emerging model, in some ways, has been more favorable to women. It is more environmentally friendly leading to less fuel emissions, and more favorable to the labor market by creating new labor markets, in particular in the markets for the delivery of food and groceries, ”he adds.
There have also been breakthroughs in the use of technology to deliver online education and notable developments in healthcare. “Of course, many of them have their downside, especially when you consider the problems of children out of school for almost two years, or technical education without laboratory work, ”warns Raghunathan.
5. Brand power
Changes in business and marketing practices are cited by Jessie Paul, CEO of B2B consulting firm, Paul Writer and author of Marketing without money: from a beginner to a big brand on a frugal budget.
For example, Bajaj Consumer Service launched a whole new category of products – hand sanitizer – in the middle of the lockdown, as it was the need of the market. “They also intensified their digital presence in all product lines, as the ‘place of purchase’ had changed,” she explains.
Some brands have had to change their delivery models from in-person to remote delivery. “Those who had already embarked on the digital transformation were on the verge of success,” adds Jesse.
“In some product categories where the rules restricted business, resilience was in stay in the minds of consumers, manage employee branding to the extent possible and find unaffected niches to maintain the revenue stream, ”she observes.
She advises companies to understand whether their customer has changed due to the current crisis. Frameworks such as the ‘4 P’ (product, price, location, promotion) can help set up the scenario.
6. Digital transformation
“Every company that survived was smart enough to adapt. Many companies have adopted D2C, online deliveries and even WFH ”, explains Suresh Narasimha, tech entrepreneur, co-founder of CoCreate Ventures and owner of JustBooks.
“I am particularly proud of the way one of our companies Place of culture adapted to the pandemic and began to offer organized learning experiences, ”he adds. Instead of limiting itself to cultural events in physical spaces, it also offers online storytelling, workshops and interactive sessions on music, math and science.
“The pandemic has been a boon for digitally driven brands that were ready to seize the opportunity be it coffee or entertainment,” says Jesse Paul.
Now, digital transformation is the buzzword. “But that won’t be enough to give a competitive advantage, only to ensure survival. Catch-up brands must see beyond digital transformation operational efficiency, access to whole new market segments, ”she emphasizes.
7. Media changes
Some publishers have pivoted intelligently during the pandemic, according to Rishad Tobaccowala, Senior Advisor of Publicis Groupe and author of Restoring the soul of the company: staying human in the data age.
“My publisher HarperCollins quickly turned to using Gloss to distribute the book globally and virtually. Their virtual events were another form of resilience, ”he explains. “My book seems to have anticipated the main challenges and opportunities we face, which makes people think I wrote it after COVID when it was written in 2019,” he adds.
8. The festival industry
The challenges of the pandemic have also affected book fairs and cultural festivals. BBLF had to switch to a online format for the first time in 2020, and will also be virtual this year.
“As there is fatigue today about virtual events, the challenge is how to get people interested in an online trade literature festival. We have therefore chosen topical, topical and topical subjects ”, explains Benoît Paramanand, Co-founder of BBLF.
He cites the transformation of the workplace and the rise of literary technology platforms as other examples of resilience and growth. Other topics that will be discussed at the three-day festival next week include Indian commercial writing, political changes and the future of Indian science.
YourStory also published the paperback “Proverbs and quotes for entrepreneurs: a world of inspiration for startups” as a creative and motivating guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).