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Female fans of the New York Jets -- or football widows to the New York Jets -- are about to get much chicer, as well as lucky.
The design team of Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa are talking to the team about making women's T-shirts as part of the Jets merchandising.
Why Marchesa? They make gowns that are over-the-top glam, and they don't even do sportswear or day clothes. But Georgina's husband, Harvey Weinstein -- movie producer extraordinaire of The Iron Lady, W.E, The Artist, The King's Speach and My Week With Marilyn -- is a huge Jets fan. So the wife of Jets' owner Woody Johnson, Suzanne Johnson, reached out to Marchesa's Chapman with the germ of the idea.
The New York Post says Johnson's already got promotional plans for New York fashion week in February 2012 should this all come together.
"If Marchesa puts the shirt in their show, I will make (Jets quarterback) Mark Sanchez walk that model down the runway," Johnson said. "I will beg him."
The NFL has not confirmed the partnership yet, but said, "As we look towards Year 3 of our women's apparel campaign and at new ways to expand our apparel offerings for our female fans, we are exploring a variety of opportunities."
FYI, female products tied to the NBA have been pretty successful -- one line through Macy's features T-shirts and coats for basketball fans -- so apparently now Monica Botkier has been approached to design a line of tote bags and handbags associated with the NBA.


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Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 review
A couple of years ago this was the car that couldn’t be made, but here it is, defying conventional wisdom and on sale next year at a price of £26,995.
Peugeot’s 3008 Hybrid4 is the world’s first diesel hybrid passenger car, which short of running an engine on the principle of cold fusion is about as rare and exotic as it gets in the motor industry. Hybrid vehicles have effectively two engines and an expensive battery, which pushes up costs so that most examples use a small, cheap four-cylinder petrol engine to drive the car and charge the battery.
A modern turbodiesel engine is an expensive and economical unit (a diesel’s fuel injection and emissions equipment alone cost the same as an entire four-cylinder petrol engine) and, up to now, the small additional fuel savings and high costs of hybridising a diesel have not been deemed worth the effort. What also hasn’t helped the diesel hybrid cause is that hybrids have mainly been aimed at countries such as the USA and Japan where diesel is unpopular.
Things are changing, however. High fuel costs, plus stringent European fuel economy standards mean that hybrids are starting to be taken seriously and, as diesel occupies almost half of all European sales, diesel hybrids are now on the agenda. Volvo is planning to launch the world’s first plug-in diesel hybrid next year and the Peugeot/Citroën PSA group has invested heavily in this diesel/electric hybrid, with the 3008 the first example. This powertrain will also be launched in Peugeot’s 508 range next year, in the RXH, a boutique SUV arriving next spring, as well as equivalent Citroën models, which all helps make the considerable investment look more sensible to the company accountants.
Peugeot claims using diesel instead of petrol in a hybrid saves an additional 30 per cent in fuel economy and there are other benefits. The engine is a conventional 161bhp, two-litre, turbodiesel four cylinder, driving the front wheels through a robotised six-speed manual gearbox. A belt-driven 8kW generator charges the rear-mounted nickel-metal hydride battery, which supplies current to a 36bhp AC electric motor driving the rear wheels. So the 3008 Hybrid4 also gets four wheel drive for free, without the weight and expense of transfer boxes, propeller shafts and differentials.

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(CapitalWatch, Nov. 7, New York) Twitter is no longer a public company after Elon Musk's $44 billion buyout of the media giant, though many expect it to come back to Wall Street at some point. Sure, the company is bound to go through a lot of turbulence as Musk is shaking it up from top to bottom, so we will see analysts left and right voicing criticism of his moves. But keep in mind that Tesla's stock has seen one of the most successful public trading runs in spite of many an analyst's negative outlook. And Tesla's success story wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Musk's defy-all bulldozer approach. He may not have known all the challenges of running a media company before all this started, but he sure knows how to turn a sagging business around and make money. Plus, his nonpartisan, independent, and humanitarian idealism makes him a likeable figure for all – Musk may be authoritarian, but he is no Donald Trump. While bank analysts consider the balance sheets, retail investors consider personality.
So, here are Musk-related stocks to consider that will likely see growth in the mid- to long-term.
Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) at the Dip
Musk's automated EV maker has been sliding since last week, down 4% as of midday Monday and 15% lower over the past five days, which makes it a great "buy" opportunity. Its drop below $200 per share is a significant shift that some call "key point" signifying further decline. It was spurred by several factors, not only the Twitter deal, which raised fears that Musk may pull funds from Tesla like sell some stock to fund the purchase.
Another major factor was Tesla's showing a decline of EV deliveries at its Chinese gigafactory in October amid Covid-19 lockdowns, at 71,704 units compared with 83,135 shipped in September, according to China's Passenger Car Association. Yet comparing the figure with the preceding year shows that
In recent developments, China has signaled the extension of its zero-Covid strategy, but the public's dissatisfaction may shift the course of the policy somewhat. Meanwhile, Tesla is prepared to boost its Shanghai plant capacity to 1.2 million vehicles per year from 750,000. The company has deemed its gigafactory the most productive EV factory in the world, and there's no doubt it plans to expand on that title. The new energy vehicle market remains strong as ever, and China is the largest EV market thanks to favorable policies and extended subsidies.
Further, Tesla cut its prices on Model 3 and Model Y in China to up its competition against local brands. That will boost the demand for Tesla, and already competitors are seeing some backlog order cancellations in Tesla's favor, according to Citi analyst Jeff Chung, as quoted by Barron's. So, we'll likely see a turnaround for Tesla this month already – and Musk has repeatedly said that the demand for his EVs remains strong.
Livent Corp. (NYSE: LTHM) for Long-term
This stock ended at $30.37 per share on Monday, slightly higher along with the general market trend. As you may have guessed from its ticker symbol, Livent is a lithium miner and refinery, it's among the world's 10 largest, and it supplies Tesla along with another major producer, Albemarle Corp. (NYSE: ALB). For the purpose of this article, we spotlight Livent as the lithium pure play company and a low-coster.
Material shortage is the main issue for the EV industry, and lithium is at its epicenter. Lithium is crucial for batteries, just a handful of countries source it, and there are environmental challenges with sourcing it. Livent operates a mine in Argentina and is headquartered in Philadelphia – and it's been around for more than six decades, according to its website.
At the current level, shares in the company are down 7% over the past five days after the company released its Q3 data showing sales lower than analysts expected. Livent positioned its financials as record performance, considering 124% year-over-year revenue growth and adjusted earnings per share of 41 cents, up 925%. The company noted "near-term supply chain disruptions" that will possibly ease in the near future, while higher prices on lithium drove up sales.
Importantly, Livent is expanding and will see more expansion in 2023, it said in its Q3 report. It completed its lithium hydroxide project in Bessemer City, working on the lithium carbonate project in Argentina, and has secured a location in China, with the project expected to complete by the end of 2023. Further, Livent's 50% partner in Canada, Nemaska, is set to begin construction in Québec early next year. These are long-term projects, however.
Panasonic Holdings (OTC: PCRFY) for Innovation
Earlier this year, Japanese electronics giant Panasonic said it plans to increase its Tesla EV battery production by 10% by 2024. The boost is expected to occur at the factory in Nevada, jointly operated by Panasonic and Tesla. Panasonic is also building its second U.S. plant, in Kansas, in response to the high EV battery shortage.
InvestorPlace also named PCRFY one of the top battery stocks to buy last month thanks to its price-to-earnings ratio of 9.5 and the 3.5% dividend yield. More importantly, Panasonic is developing its innovative technology that would improve battery energy density by a fifth, as Reuters reported in July, citing the company. That would mean an additional 62 miles of driving range per battery pack, or a lighter EV. However, the company said it would complete the technology only by 2030.
OTC shares in Panasonic slipped 3% on Monday but are overall 7% higher from a week back. Year-to-date, PCRFY is down nearly 24% along with the general declines of the markets. While Tesla has several battery suppliers including Chinese battery giant CATL, listed in Shenzhen, and is building its own battery plant, Panasonic was one of the earliest investors in Tesla and is a sure winner if you're betting on Elon Musk.
Information provided is for educational purposes only, may be incomplete or out of date, and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice.


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CHESTER, N.J., May 20, 2020 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Home furnishings and design source The Whistling Elk, in Chester, New Jersey, has been named one of Home Accents Today’s Retail Stars for 2020 by editors of the premier trade magazine for the home accents industry.
The Retail Stars list, sponsored by AmericasMart Atlanta and Las Vegas Market, publishes each year in Home Accents Today’s May issue. This year’s list was compiled and narrowed down by research analysts and Thomas Lester, Home Accents Today’s digital & managing editor.
The Whistling Elk, owned by Barbara Clark Collins, is a sophisticated home furnishings shop featuring fine upholstery, furniture, lighting and distinctive home accessories that reflect the ultimate elegance and quality located in the heart of quaint Chester, New Jersey at 50 Main Street. The shop was established in 1990 and is a specialist in casual European elegance.
“Receiving this recognition is such an honor,” said Collins, “especially when retail is facing so many challenges due to the Coronavirus crisis. My hope is that it will remind us all to continue to support local business.”
The Retail Stars list, now in its 16th year, recognizes independent brick-and-mortar retailers of home accents – including furniture stores, home accessories boutique stores and interior design showrooms – that merchandise creatively, have a positive presence in their local communities and stand out from the competition.
“Home Accents Today’s 2020 Retail Stars list showcases some of the best independent home décor and home furnishings retailers in the country,” said Lester. “While retail faces severe challenges due to the coronavirus crisis, we believe these stores are among those that will step up and up with safe and creative ways to revitalize their business as shutdown restrictions gradually lift. This honor recognizes their skills, hard work and dedication, and should serve as a reminder to us all to support local businesses.”
This year’s class comes from 32 states. For a complete list of Home Accents Today’s 2020 Retail Stars go to https://www.homeaccentstoday.com/ to review the list.
Learn more about The Whistling Elk at: https://thewhistlingelk.com/
The Whistling Elk, 50 Main Street, Chester NJ 07930
News Source: The Whistling Elk
Related link: https://thewhistlingelk.com/
This press release was issued on behalf of the news source, who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/the-whistling-elk-chester-nj-is-honored-for-excellence-by-home-accents-today-magazine/


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The NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” game this week between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears will be broadcasting on Fox, NFL Network and for the first time this season, Amazon
Amazon, which has been airing a few NFL games over the past three seasons, is attempting to distinguish itself from traditional broadcasts. The e-commerce giant announced it’s offering a variety of new experiences for NFL fans, like alternate announcers and interactive in-game replays that it’s calling “X-Ray.”
Amazon will have three separate announcing crews available for fans to choose from: A broadcast television crew from a major network which for this week’s game is Fox
The new X-Ray replay experience will allow fans to rewatch plays from the game with unique statistical displays like player speeds and catch probabilities. Amazon has also created a series of original NFL shows it will run on Twitch, the Amazon-owned live streaming service. Amazon will simulcast 11 NFL games this year with Fox, and be the exclusive broadcaster of one other game.
“We are relentlessly focused on our customers, and continue to look for ways to improve the viewing experience on their behalf,” Jared Stacy, Director of Live Production at Amazon Prime Video, told MarketWatch. “We are thrilled to deliver Thursday Night Football for the fourth year in a row, and like with all of our top sports properties, nothing is more important than delivering premium, high-quality coverage.”
The $65 million contract between the NFL and Amazon is still relatively small compared with Amazon’s overall business, which secured $280 billion in revenue last year. So why is Amazon making such an effort to bolster its NFL coverage this year?
Amazon may be looking to purchase more NFL rights.
CNBC has reported that Amazon, along with other non-traditional broadcast brands like Apple
For years, Amazon has been rumored to be interested in expanding its NFL broadcast rights portfolio. The NFL, and more generally live sports, still dominate television ratings as 88 of the top 100 television programs in 2018 were live sporting events.
Lee Berke, president of LHB Sports Entertainment & Media, who has worked in the content rights industry for over 20 years, thinks the current Amazon deal with the NFL could be viewed as a trial period for the league to see if viewers react favorably to their sport being on Amazon Prime.
“I think that potentially bodes well for them in terms of other packages that might be available, such as Sunday Ticket,” Berke told NextTV shortly after the deal was announced. “It definitely works well from a bandwidth standpoint, from a distribution standpoint, for steamers in general. It sure seems like Amazon has a strong relationship with the NFL going forward.”
The Sunday Ticket package is currently held by DirecTV, a subsidiary of AT&T.
The NFL did not respond for comment on this story.
Amazon’s Jared Stacy would not confirm on the record that the company will seek to purchase more NFL rights when the league’s current TV deals expire, only saying that Amazon feels like it’s in a good position.
“We know many Prime members are passionate sports fans and want options for how to watch their favorite sporting events. We believe we’re uniquely positioned to deliver on this promise.”


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John Wayne Airport seeks to revamp terminal concessions with offerings unique to O.C.
John Wayne Airport is soliciting interest among local shops, restaurants and food and beverage suppliers as the facility seeks to revamp its concession offerings with brands that embrace local flavors and represent Orange County’s diversity.
Officials plan to submit a request for proposals from area businesses to bring new products to the airport starting in January 2024. An informational meeting will take place Thursday, during which business owners can learn more about the opportunities available.
JWA Airport Director Charlene Reynolds explained most of the retail, food and beverage concessions currently featured in the airport are provided through a master concessionaire’s agreement with Maryland-based HMSHost that will soon end.
The site will revamp about 80% of its concessions plans to contract with at least three to four prime concessionaires, along with individual businesses willing to comply with federal regulations and insurance requirements.
Reynolds said Friday the airport is looking for offerings unique to Orange County that incorporate a sense of place for travelers who use the terminal.
“We want the airport to be seen as a premier shopping and food experience,” she said. “We’d like the architecture to be reflective of Orange County and some of its renowned tourist attractions or its cultural icons.”
John Wayne Airport is also looking for opportunities to introduce touchless technology that would allow travelers to preorder items prior to their arrival and then pick them up, or purchase items automatically without having to check out.
“We’re starting to see more touchless technology and automation throughout airports, so it’s time to provide our guests the same level of experience they may have seen at other airports,” Reynolds said.
A passenger study conducted in August reported travelers to JWA were interested in seeing more Mexican food, craft burgers, pizza and healthy food options at the airport. They also expressed an interest in seeing high-end handbags and cosmetic items at retail shops.
Interested business owners, vendors and suppliers can meet with airport officials and learn more about the concession development program at Thursday’s meeting, which takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Airport Commission Room, located at 3160 Airway Ave., Costa Mesa.
“These [agreements] are typically done in a 10-year contact, and these opportunities don’t come around that often,” she said. “I highly encourage local businesses to come out and find out more.”
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Edinburgh’s festive season showed a big improvement on the previous year both for visitors and businesses alike, writes Andy Neal
IT MAY seem a long time ago, but the verdict is in on Edinburgh’s Christmas and the festive season certainly seems to have brought good cheer to the capital’s city centre businesses.
Essential Edinburgh represents around 595 businesses in the city centre’s Business Improvement District, and our research shows that shops, bars, restaurants and hotels all saw real benefits from the new-look Edinburgh’s Christmas initiative.
The Edinburgh Visitor Survey, which is carried out by LJ Research on behalf of Essential Edinburgh, is the first detailed look at how businesses themselves say they fared over this vital time of year – a trading period absolutely essential to the retail and hospitality sectors in particular.
While there are lessons to be learned – and we will look at those – the figures are clearly supportive of the efforts of City of Edinburgh Council, Essential Edinburgh, Marketing Edinburgh and all the stakeholders who worked together to create a vibrant ambience designed to attract people to the city centre.
The figures speak for themselves. Footfall in December massively bucked the UK trend – up 7.6 per cent against a UK figure down 2.9 per cent. More than 90 per cent of all businesses surveyed agreed that Edinburgh’s Christmas was good for the city centre.
Three per cent of businesses said their trading was better than the previous Christmas – with only 7 per cent reporting a significant downturn.
For the hospitality sector, 100 per cent reported a better Christmas than in 2012.
We know through the Edinburgh Visitor Survey that many visitors to Edinburgh in 2013 voiced concerns regarding the opening hours of shops and felt that, besides going to a bar or restaurant, there wasn’t much to do after 5pm in the city centre.
The Christmas survey showed that 70 per cent of retailers decided to extend their opening hours as part of the “Alive After Five” campaign in December, with a substantial number staying open as late as 9pm in the last couple of weeks of the month.
Consumer research carried out in December 2013 showed high awareness of the “Alive After Five” message of longer shop opening hours (77 per cent), and there was evidence to suggest that later opening hours are important in terms of incentivising visits to the city centre for locals.
In terms of footfall, Princes Street was the busiest spot, with almost 1.3 million people counted during December. The figures also showed a 7 per cent increase on the number of shoppers visiting the city centre later, between 5pm and 8pm, as the late-opening of retailers bore fruit. The evening footfall, up to midnight, was also up on the previous year, by more than 11 per cent, highlighting the positive impact for bars and restaurants.
Some of the other feedback from the survey included the observation that activity in St Andrew Square Garden had helped drive footfall, in particular to George Street and also into Rose Street, while it was acknowledged that positive marketing had helped build interest.
The repositioning of the ice rink, the show “limbo” and the amount of family activities on offer also all received positive feedback.
This is all good and positive, but it would be wrong to think that everything was perfect and there were no lessons that needed to be learned. Some key issues arose from the research, and Essential Edinburgh will work with our partners to ensure that we do endeavour to tackle these concerns when we come to plan Christmas 2014.
For example, there was a strong feeling that more needed to be done to drive footfall towards the west end of the city centre, as much of the activity was focused on the east end, which is also home to many of the city centre’s biggest retailers.
In addition, businesses wanted to see a greater variety in the types of stalls within the various Christmas markets, more and better signage and decorative lighting, and more music.
Last summer, the city centre’s businesses gave a resounding vote of confidence to Essential Edinburgh when our approval rating climbed from the 58 per cent it stood at five years previously (when the Business Improvement District was first established) to 78 per cent – a big jump in support.
As ever, Essential Edinburgh will work hard with our levy-payers, partners and our stakeholders to ensure that we maintain Edinburgh’s city centre as an attractive place to live, work, and visit – so maintaining its hugely positive international reputation.
And that means ensuring we build on the progress made so far to make 2014 an even greater success for all concerned.
• Andy Neal is chief executive of Essential Edinburgh www.essentialedinburgh.co.uk


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UPDATE 1-Danaos Q3 EPS beats; revises charterer payment terms
* Q3 EPS $0.30 vs est $0.26 * Operating revenue up 4 pct, lags estimates * Says considering plans to raise capital * Shares down 3 pct in after-market trade
Nov 11 (Reuters) - Container shipping company Danaos Corp (DAC.N) reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by higher utilization, and said it agreed with one of its charterers to revise payment terms.
In September, the company said one of its charterers, Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd, reduced all of its long-term charterhire payments to ship owners by 35 percent, but Danaos had not accepted the offer. [ID:nBNG500502]
"Last week, we agreed with Zim the revisions to charterparties we have in place for six of our vessels in operation, which reflect significantly improved terms compared to the initial unilateral imposed reductions in payments," Chief Executive John Coustas said in a statement.
"The revisions keep the original charter terms in place with deferred, interest bearing payment terms." For the third quarter, net earnings were $16.4 million, or 30 cents a share, down from $27.9 million, or 51 cents a share, last year. Analysts on average expected the company to earn 26 cents a share, before items, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Operating revenue increased 4 percent to $79.8 million, but fell short of analysts' average estimate of $81.3 million. Fleet utilization for the quarter was 99 percent, up from 98.8 percent a year ago.
Shares of the company were down 3 percent at $4.57 in after-market trade. They closed at $4.70 on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Thyagaraju Adinarayan in Bangalore; Editing by Anne Pallivathuckal)


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Can you ever be both “the best ever” and “below average”? Apparently, you can if you’re the Tesla Model S and the one handing out the superlatives is Consumer Reports magazine.
Barely two months ago, the non-profit publication issued a breathless report announcing that the high-priced battery sedan had effectively broken its rating system, actually scoring more than a perfect 100 points. But on Tuesday, at a presentation to the Automotive Press Association of Detroit, Consumer Reports announced the very same vehicle had major reliability issues, at least according to the owners it surveyed.
“Reliability has moved from ‘Average’ to ‘Below Average,’” said Jake Fisher, CR’s director of automotive testing. As a result, he added, “We’re no longer recommending the Model S.”
That move was the biggest surprise to emerge from the magazine’s annual Automotive Reliability Survey, and while it delivers a clear blow to Tesla, it also creates a cloud around Consumer Reports itself.
(How did other brands score in the latest CR Reliability Report? Click Here to find out.)
According to the 1,400 Tesla owners CR surveyed, the Model S had a variety of issues: squeaks and rattles, electric door handles that failed to operate, leaks, drivetrain problems and faulty chargers.
“As the older vehicles are getting up on miles, we are seeing some where the electric motor needs to be replaced and the onboard charging system won’t charge the battery,” noted CR’s Fisher. “On the newer vehicles, we are seeing problems such as the sunroof not operating properly. Door handles continue to be an issue.”
Indeed, Consumer Reports discovered how those hideaway handles could pose a problem simply getting into the Model S when it began testing the Tesla earlier this year. In a May article, it described the $127,000 Tesla Model S P85D it was testing as “undriveable,” because of problems with the automatic door handles that are supposed to extend out when someone with the keys approaches the vehicle, didn’t work.
“A new car shouldn’t have problems when you’ve owned it for less than a month,” the magazine said in the website posting. It also noted that CR was “far from the first” to experience that problem, among others.
(Click Herefor that story.)
In the end, the magazine had to call Tesla for help and the start-up automaker sent a flatbed truck out to pick the vehicle up and take it to a dealer for repairs. On the positive side, CR reviewers said they were pleased with the way the service problem was handled. And Khobi Brooklyn, a spokesman for Tesla, points out that in the Automotive Reliability Survey, “customers rate Tesla service as the best in the world.”
Nonetheless, how could an “undriveable” car go on to score 100-plus points and then earn a “Below Average” rating? How could the “best car” CR ever tested lose its “Recommended” endorsement just a few months later?
It all has to do with how Consumer Reports compartmentalizes its tests and surveys. The flurry of praise lavished on the Model S in August was solely based on the way it performed in driving tests, contends Fisher, who added, “That’s not about how the cars hold up” in the real world. That said, critics of CR wonder how the magazine could have overlooked the fact that, at one point it couldn’t even get into the Model S to run those tests.
(Tesla launches new, semi-autonomous Autopilot system. Click Here to learn more.)
The latest announcement has generated plenty of buzz, including extensive criticism of both CR and Tesla. But others believe it is a tempest in a battery-operated teapot.
“With any young company, you have some teething problems. But Tesla customers have such strong belief and loyalty they will excuse some of these problems,” Thilo Koslowski, automotive practice leader at Gartner Inc.. told the Los Angeles Times.“Tesla will fix the issues and learn from them. I don’t think it will hurt the company long term.”
Investors reacted nervously, Tesla stock initially plunging on word of the Consumer Reports downgrade but beginning to rebound on Wednesday morning.
Perhaps disconcertingly, the trendline for the Model S shows that its reliability problems have gotten worse, not better, over the last few years. At 43% worse than average, according to Consumer Reports, the battery-car got a half-black dot on the magazine’s visual rating system. Had it hit 45% it would have gotten the full black dot which has often been a kiss of death for products rated by the magazine.
And CR isn’t alone. TrueDelta, a service that asks owners to rate their reliability experiences, was even tougher on the Model S, noting in a new web posting, “In TrueDelta’s stats the Model S has long (had) well over twice the average repair frequency, even over three times.” But as was the case with Consumer Reports, it noted that Tesla “provided outstanding repair services when needed.”
Nonetheless, the wide range of problems, and the frequency with which they occur, could give many potential buyers reason to reconsider. And the timing couldn’t be worse considering Tesla is just launching its second product line, the Model X SUV. Traditionally, vehicles have higher quality concerns when first reaching market – in this case, about two years behind schedule.
Tesla will have to prove rather quickly that it can overcome its problems – but CR will have to ensure that the Tesla flap doesn’t strain its hard-won credibility.
(From vacuums to electric vehicles? Dyson buys promising battery start-up. Click Here to see what’s in store.)
3 responses to “Model S Quality Problems a Blow to Both Tesla and Consumer Reports”
A BIGGGGGGGGGGG CLOUD !!! I wonder if there was pressure from AUTOMAKERS in this CALL
Consumer Reports panned the Toyota Tacoma even though it had the highest reliability history of any truck on the market and also the highest resale value after 5 years: 50%. My Jetta Wagon lost 2/3 value in 6 years.
CR says the Tacoma roof is too low and the floorboard is too high. Well, for decades, the seat is mounted fairly low to the floorboard and with plenty of legroom under the dash. So it’s just not CR’s opinion of what seat height should be.
My 25 year old “5th generation Hi-Lux” has 256K on the odo meter and it still humming right along. It’s true, it doesn’t have ABS or even airbags. Just don’t get in an accident in it.
In recent years it has become obvious that CR’s reports leave a lot of questions when you can score better than 100% and have an undrivable vehicle. I believe that Consumer Report has lost a lot of credibility amongst car people who know cars well. The numerous problems with the Tesla S are an indication of rushing a product out the door without proper testing and quality checks. Having to replace the entire powertrain is a serious issue.
Trucking an EV hundreds of miles for product defect repair isn’t practical or acceptable for many consumers. As far as service is concerned some think Tesla has good customer service and some think it’s unacceptable. Lawsuits show that Tesla has been forced to buy back defective cars after numerous attempts to fix problems without success. Not being able to actually enter your car for instance is a significant issue.


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All the hard work paid off
When Sakurai explained his pitch for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, his entire development team was stunned. No one but him thought they could pull it off, but lo and behold, the madman did it.
It paid off, too, literally, as Nintendo has recently revealed that in under a year, the game has shifted 15.71 million units on the Switch alone. Remember, this isn’t a confusing “Wii U + 3DS” combined sales situation like the last Smash: this is nearly 16 million copies on justthe Switch, which has a total userbase of roughly 41 million units. That’s an insane reach.
But what I didn’t realize at the time (and as Digital Trends has pointed out) is that 15.71 million units is enough to catapult Smash Ultimateinto the monetary milky way and into the number one spot of “best selling fighting game of all time.” In a coveted top five list that now includes three Smashtitles (Brawland the aforementioned confusing Smash 4for two systems), Smash Ultimatehas beaten Super Street Fighter II‘s choke hold number of 15.5 million units, a record that’s been pumped up since the early ’90s through multiple iterations of the game.
This figure also makes Smashthe most popular fighting game series of all time with nearly 54 million copies sold, beating out big contenders like Street Fighter(roughly 43 million) and Mortal Kombat (roughly 49 million).“Not a fighting game” indeed.
Top Selling Title Sales Units [Nintendo]


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The chief executive officer of Galaxy Digital said that two big crypto assets, Bitcoin & Ethereum, are not going away despite significant degradation in trust among Investors.
Last week, Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, appeared in an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box. In the interview, he talked about the current critical situation of the crypto sector, which arose after the collapse of the second biggest crypto exchange FTX & its sister companies like FTXus & Alameda, etc.
Galaxy Digital CEO said that we are really in that phase of the crypto industry where there is a crisis of significant confidence and also the chain effect of this situation is going on where other weak model-based crypto companies are struggling to survive.
According to Novogratz, it is going to take around a week for the crypto investors to get their stuck funds back from the struggling platforms.
Perhaps, here Galaxy Digital CEO expects that people will soon get their funds back but the opposite of it many other experts think it will take more than a year in this process because bankruptcy & jurisdiction of multiple countries will play a significant role & surely it will consume huge time.
Novogratz pointed out the positive thing in this situation and said that more than 150 million people from the world chose Bitcoin to store their wealth and they are holding it via cryptography proof, so these funds are not going anywhere and Bitcoin will stay here.
“In no world is Bitcoin going away, or quite frankly, the blockchain in Ethereum and everything else,” Novogratz added.
Further, Galaxy Digital CEO also hinted that the market may go through a sudden recovery where big companies may show their trust & inject huge funds into the present situation as an opportunity.
Further, he added:
“I don’t think it’s gonna be a V recovery but any stretch. It’s going to be a grind out of rebuilding trust.”


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Country Road and Twyg have partnered once again to host the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards. Entries for the awards are now open.
Launched in 2019, the awards are aimed at recognising and celebrating efforts made by eco-conscious South African designers.
Last year, the Changemaker Award went to Cape Town-based designer Lara Klawikowski.
On how winning the award helped her business, she said: “It was an incredible gift as it helped me sustain my business during the pandemic at a time when almost all events were cancelled, and sales were low. It meant that I’m able to continue creating, designing, thinking of the future and planning knowing that I have the financial resources to do so.”
The Changemaker Award recognises designers who are environmentally considerate and promote sustainability.
“Sustainable fashion considers the future of the planet and the people making and wearing the clothes. It’s important to make clothes that people will love and that will last. We need to respect people’s emotional connection to clothes but also the people who make them, their work environments, their skills and their creative input,” says Twyg founder and director Jackie May.
Twyg, the not-for-profit company dedicated to inspiring change and supporting a more eco-conscious and forward-thinking future, will host the third annual Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards on November 18, 2021.
The winner of the Sustainable Fashion Changemaker category will walk away with a cash prize of R100 000.
Apply here to enter the awards.


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brawl at CES in Las Vegas this year, we can conclude that PlayStation fans are the Street Fighting champs. Team PlayStation was represented by Joe C., who uppercutted Major Nelson's representative, Josh, to victory. Professor PlayStation (Jeff Rubenstein) awarded him a Star Wars Battlefront PSP and a chance to get obliterated by Street Fighter legend Justin Wong.
Kudos to all that participated. As PS3 fans, we have to thank Joe for representing PlayStation and showing Xbox gamers all over the world that we're a force to be reckoned with. At least in Street Fighter.


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Salary cuts more feasible than job cuts, say experts; peg recovery period for retail at 9-12 months after lockdown ends
The short-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on retailers in the country will be severe, but retail sales recovery period for India is expected to kickstart from the first week of May subject to the lockdown not being extended further,
The Delhi-NCR market came next with nearly 70 percent of its total launched projects in the high-rise category.
Hyderabad sees 26% rise in housing prices since 2013 despite weak investor sentiments: ANAROCK report
Housing prices in Hyderabad rose have increased by 26 percent since 2013 despite weak investor sentiments and agitation for Telangana, according to property consultant ANAROCK.
Anuj Puri said although government has taken proactive stance towards cleaning up and regulating the real estate sector, there are still several policy-related pain points where the upcoming Union Budget can make a decisive difference
Online upstarts are under pressure from investors to produce returns, and this, combined with government regulation to ease online discounts, is reducing their advantage
After exiting EU, locations like Greece, Spain and Portugal may not remain as attractive to UK investors, and India may benefit from that.
The government today relaxed foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in construction sector by removing two major conditions related to minimum built up area as well as capital requirement. This means that any project regardless of size which is under construction can have access to FDI.
The real estate sector is looking for a Budget that will ensure tax-free incentives for low-budget housing, a boost in infrastructure spending and streamlining of regulatory processes.


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Find out all the latest news about the Mariinsky Label recordings, artists and touring.
18 Aug 2014
Available to pre-order here. Leonid Lavrovsky's celebrated production of Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet is released for the first time in HD, and in a Double Play, blu-ray and DVD package.
Sochi Olympics Closing Ceremony
25 Feb 2014
Valery Gergiev conducted the Children’s Chorus of Russia (comprising 1,000 children from all eighty-three of Russia’s regions) at the closing ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympics, while leading pianist Denis Matsuev performed Rachmaninov's...
Video: The Making of a Concerto
18 Feb 2014
Watch this in-depth look at Denis Matsuev's recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 2 on YouTube.The recording is now available to purchase on SACD or download.
Pianists to watch in 2014
28 Jan 2014
Canadian radio station CBC Music have named their '20 can't miss pianists in 2014', which includes Russian pianist Denis Matsuev.With a recital tour in the US and Europe, an appearance at the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games and two...
ICMA 2014 Winner!
20 Jan 2014
The Mariinsky label recording of Prokofiev's The Gambler has won an International Classical Music Award for DVD Performance. The production, filmed in the historic Mariinsky Theatre, June 2010, features a cast of Russian soloists including Sergei...
Classic Fm Drive featured Album
15 Jan 2014
The Mariinsky label release of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1, featuring Daniil Trifonov as soloist is Classic Fm Drive Featured Album this week! Tune into Classic Fm from 5-8pm this week to hear selections of the recording.Released in August...
iTunes Best of 2013
18 Dec 2013
The Mariinsky label recording of Wagner's Die Walkure has made the iTunes Germany 'Best of 2013' list! The recording features an international line-up of soloists including Anja Kampe, Rene Pape, Nina Stemme and Jonas...
ICMA 2014 Nominations
04 Dec 2013
Four recordings on the Mariinsky label have been nominated for the International Classical Music Awards 2014. Winners will be announced in early January.Best Opera: Wagner Das RheingoldWagner Die WalkureSymphonic Music: Shostakovich Symphony No 8DVD...
04 Dec 2013
Available from February 2014 will be Denis Matsuev's third release on the Mariinsky label, Tchaikovsky Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2. Matsuev is embarking on a Tchaikovsky year for 2014, with the new recording and extensive touring of Europe and the...
20 Nov 2013
Valery Gergiev, director of the Mariinsky Theatre, will open the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He will be joined by other Mariinsky label stars Denis Matsuev (Rachmaninov PC 3, Shostakovich PC 1 & 2) and Ulyana Lopatkina (Jewels). Read...


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The Tesco Express at Cardiffsbridge Road, Finglas, has had such a regular recent string of robberies that it has become one of the most raided stores in the country.
Since December 2016, the store has been targeted by armed robbers five times, including two robberies which occurred in the space of just three days.
The Gardai have had to implement a special policing operation in order to protect the store, and the Tesco store has upgraded its security, even closing early in a bid to prevent the attacks.
A source told the Herald that “staff have been left traumatised and the community is very concerned.
“People just cannot believe that these robberies are happening at such a rate.”
The latest robbery was last Monday, when two men entered the store armed with hammer and a crowbar.
Previous burglars have all been armed, with weapons including a steering lock and wheel brace, a hatchet, and a wrench.


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U.S.-China Trade Talks Wrap Up
January 9, 2019
U.S. and Chinese negotiators have concluded three days of talks this week in Beijing to resolve the trade dispute between the two countries, saying only progress was made in identifying and narrowing the differences between the world’s two largest economies. Further statements from both governments are expected, although President Trump tweeted that the talks were going well.
The trade talks among mid-level government representatives from both countries have raised prospects that Washington and Beijing can reach a deal before President Trump’s March 2 deadline for raising tariffs on nearly two-fifths of Chinese imports into the U.S. The president previously has raised tariffs on lubricants and additives imported from China.
The negotiations largely involved the extent to which China will agree to binding commitments to change its trade practices, including increased purchases of U.S. products, reforms to forced technology transfers and subsidies, and intellectual property protections.
The Chinese government has made a series of offers to the Trump administration over the past month to end the trade dispute, but many American officials are skeptical that Beijing will follow through on promised permanent, structural changes to its trade with the U.S.
China’s lead trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, is scheduled to visit Washington later this month. China appears anxious to end the trade dispute with the U.S., but the official Chinese news agency said that Beijing will not make any “unreasonable concessions,” and any trade agreement must involve compromises on both sides.


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Asda has launched a range of 97 vegan Christmas products as the festive season approaches.
Also coinciding with World Vegan Month in November, this comes as part of Asda’s largest Christmas offering to date with over 100 vegan and free-from products, as well as 326 new items across its stores.
The new vegan range available online and in-stores from 24 November, includes items such as Breaded Vegan Brie with Sweet Chilli Dip, plant-based Turkey Crown with Umami Stock and Chocolate Baubles.
Also catering to other dietary requirements, the Big 4 grocer is offering a range of free-from Christmas classics including Mince Pies, 6-Month Matured Luxury Christmas Pudding and Blood Orange Enbroed Cookies.
This news comes as Asda has announced that it will be offering its home delivery service on Christmas Eve for the first time in a bid to help its customers shop for any last-minute essentials.
Available across all 633 stores, the service’s last slot will be between 3pm and 4pm, with this also operating on Boxing Day and New Years Day from a select number of sites.
For all other deliveries during the run up to the big day, Asda’s Food to Order, Christmas delivery and collection slots opened on 25 October and will close on 15 December.


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Yum! Brands Inc. YUM, +0.11% said it hired pest control expert Robert Corrigan to conduct an independently review its New York City operations.
The Louisville, Ky., company said it will continue to insist that all ADF restaurants in New York City are fully inspected and given a "clean bill of health" before they are reopened.
Shares of Yum! Brands recently traded at $56.98.


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Great Eastern Women’s Run to bedazzle with S$12,000 diamond necklace giveaway
SINGAPORE — Runners can look forward to more bling at this year’s Great Eastern Women’s Run (GEWR), with a S$12,000 one-carat diamond solitaire necklace to be given away, while participants will receive a newly-designed rose gold-plated finisher medal.
The diamond necklace will be given out via a post-race lucky draw for participants of the 5km Live Great! Fun Run. Two 0.3-carat diamond solitaire necklaces worth $1,200 each are also up for grabs.
Runners taking part in the 21.1km half marathon will be given rose gold-plated finisher medals, while participants in the 10km, 5km, and 2km Mummy+ Me race distances will receive gold-plated medals.
These perks are among several new features at this year’s GEWR. Others include a zone with diamond photo walls and serialised diamond wristband cut-outs by local jeweller Ivy Masterpiece.
“We are constantly looking at ways to improve the run experience for our runners,” said Great Eastern’s head of brand and marketing Keith Chia. “This year, in addition to creating more Instagrammable moments, we are delighted to partner Ivy Masterpiece to bring a more dazzling run experience to our runners.”
Ivy Choa, Managing Director of Ivy Masterpiece added: “Diamonds often accompany special milestones in people’s lives, and we’re excited to be able to unite both running and diamonds for a unique experience on race day!”
The Great Eastern Women’s Run is Asia’s largest all-women run. In 2016, it won the Best Local Sports Event of the Year gong at the 2016 Singapore Sports Awards,
The run will be held at The Float@Marina Bay on Nov 12. Fees start from S$26, and registration closes on Oct 1. Interested participants can sign up at https://www.greateasternlife.com/greateasternwomensrun/index.html


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Editor’s picks: On strike
Here’s a rundown of this week’s can’t-miss SeafoodSource news stories and commentaries:
• Protesters across Europe took to the streets on Wednesday to demonstrate against new austerity measures proposed by the European Commission. In Spain, striking workers grounded fishing and selling activity in Vigo — Europe’s largest fishing port — and brought the city’s airport to a near standstill. Will the uproar impact the distribution of seafood throughout Europe in the long term? Stay tuned.
• The news out of Spain this week wasn’t all bad — a joint initiative by Epic Aqua Cádiz and Fortuna Blue took a step closer to building a sole and turbot aquaculture facility in Cádiz, Spain, that would include a hatchery, nursery and fattening units. The goal is to produce 3,300 to 3,600 metric tons of sole and turbot (mostly sole) annually using a recirculating system — a method that’s just beginning to realize its potential among Spanish fish farmers.
• Genetically modified salmon, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s potential approval of the AquAdvantage® Salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies, remains a hot topic in the mainstream media. Amid all the hubbub, one aspect that’s getting lost in the argument in support of GM salmon is the notion that it will make closed-containment farmed salmon more economically feasible, said SeaFood Business Editor-in-Chief Fiona Robinson in her commentary “Brouhaha over GM salmon.”
• Consumer misperception over the safety of Gulf of Mexico seafood remains a big concern in the wake of the oil catastrophe. But that hasn’t stopped Louisiana restaurateurs like Michael Farrell from opening new seafood concepts. Earlier this month, Farrell launched Bistreaux in New Orleans as a casual alternative to the adjacent Le Meritage, where he’s executive chef, and to be part of the city’s renaissance. Check out SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Christine Blank’s interview with Farrell.
• Earlier this month, Whole Foods Market launched a ratings system for wild seafood based on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s popular Seafood Watch traffic-light guide. As part of the new system, the 300-store natural-foods retailer advises its customers not to buy certain seafood species it sells because they’re unsustainable. Though Whole Foods’ intentions are clearly in the right place, this unconventional seafood-merchandising tactic has seafood professionals asking, “Why sell something you don’t want anyone to buy?” Take a look at my commentary “Don’t read this column.”All Commentaries >


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A New York judge awarded $125,000 in damages to a woman whose photo was used without her permission in an HIV awareness campaign, reports Gay City News.
Avril Nolan felt “completely shocked” and “devastated” to learn in 2013 that her image appeared in an anti-discrimination HIV ad by the State Division of Human Rights (DHR). The main text in the ad read “I AM POSITIVE (+)” and “I Have Rights.”
The problem, aside from the lack of permission? For one thing, Nolan is not living with HIV. For another, the campaign did not identify her as a model.
According to court filings reported by Gay City News, photographer Jena Cumbo photographed Nolan for a 2011 Soma magazine article, for which Nolan did not sign a model release form. Cumbo later sold the image to the stock photo agency Getty Images. DHR, which created the ad, then bought the image from Getty, assuming that Nolan had signed the proper release forms.
As previously covered in POZ, Nolan had planned to sue DHR for $1.5 million in 2015. The Court of Claims ruled the case could move forward, but DHR appealed, saying “HIV is no longer a shameful condition.” In January 2018, a judge ruled that Nolan could sue because HIV fell into what’s called a “loathsome disease” category. As such, Nolan was entitled to damages without having to prove financial harm.
In deciding the damages, Judge Thomas H. Scuccimarra reviewed testimony from Nolan and witnesses on how the incident affected her life and employment. Although she did not lose her job at a fashion industry public relations firm, the judge noted, Nolan did suffer anxiety and distress.
The judge decided that an appropriate compensation is $125,000, plus interest on that amount from his first ruling in her favor in June 2015.


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NanoTech Entertainment, Inc. (OTCMKTS:NTEK) share price has been declining down the charts from past few days. The share price has been posting very few trading sessions in the green and has declined a total of 56% since the start of the year. It is announcing new releases for 4K Ultra HD streaming offerings.
Recently, it disclosed that they have included Interstellar to its Streaming Network. However, the news didn’t cheer up investors for a long time. Prior to the news, the share price declined more than 11% to make a new 52-week low of $0.0166. It came at a massive volume of 7.82 million, resulting in $134,000in daily dollar volume. NTEK share price bounced back on Thursday and posted gains of 3.01% to close the day at $0.0171.
After making new 52-week lows and posting loss of under twenty cents a share late last week, NanoTech share price managed to move up to close in the green on Friday. The gains came due to a press release disclosing the long-expected name of the movie NTEK will be streaming on its platform.
About an hour after the market opened, the company issued a press release, stating that the Academy award-winning film that will be added to the UltraFlix is Christopher Nolan’s space story “Interstellar”. It won the Oscar in category of ‘Best Achievement in Visual Effects’. A licensing deal with Paramount will enable NanoTech to stream Oscar winning movie in 4K HD.
It is a delightful announcement to UltraFlix subscribers who can now view a movie that is good. It would act as a nice change from viewing 1987’s “Robocop”. The press release underlines NanoTech’s amazing technological capability of streaming lossless 4K HD content at mind blowing speed of “under 8” mps compared to minimum of 25 mps provided by its competitors.


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Interview with Bulut Bağcı, Founder of World Tourism Forum Institute
Although the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak affects many places, in particular public health, the tourism industry is one of the most highly impacted areas during this process, which accounts for 13% of its GDP and primarily leads to the closure of the current account deficit.
The president of the World Tourism Forum Institute, Bulut Bagci, said in his exclusive interview with Turkish Euronews that Turkey had a decrease of 80% in the tourism sector owing to the outbreak of coronavirus.
The World Travel and Tourism Council predicted that 50 million workers in the worldwide tourism field will remain unemployed due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
However, this number will grow to 75 million for Bagci if it covers tourism industries. According to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ‘s latest coronavirus behavior declared on Friday evening, foreign flights were also completely terminated.
A transition to red alert
The flight restrictions and cancellations have led domestic tourism experts in Turkey to a red alert status. Nearly a million workers are working in the tourism and tourism industries in Turkey. It also adds greatly to reducing unemployment statistics in Turkey.
“80% of tourism firms closed the shop and took their workers for free leave, and the industry is dwindling by 80%, even though the spread of the virus would stop absolutely in June, the industry needs to have a recovery wait at least until August. period of time, the maximum turnover is determined.” Bagci says.
The first free market to be open will be Russia
Bağcı said that the world has not been experiencing such a crisis in the past and that thus the authorities have trouble reflecting successfully and quickly, Russia is the first market to be opened when bilateral relations do not raise any political issue when the crisis ends. Since Turkey is Russia’s number one tourist destination.
Turkey welcomed 51.7 million tourists in 2019, and received a total of 34.5 billion dollars, according to official figures of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Russian Federation was among the most tourists coming to Turkey in the list. The following countries are Germany, Bulgaria, Britain and Iran.
‘Let’s ignore the European wholesale sector this year and let’s reflect on our plans for 2021. I’m anticipating local visitors, but returning tourist incomes may not imply anything in the region. We’ve had a serious foreign-currency input along with foreign tourism visitors and covered most of the current tourism account deficit.’
Turkey ‘s tourism income totaled $34.5 billion over the past year.
The government priorities
So what are the aspirations of government tourism industry professionals?
By naming the priority area of tourism Bağcı intends to concentrate on this area in subsidies and loans:
“The tourism business is the first to rebound positively by the moment the recession finishes. For instance, after the recession is finished, the building sector doesn’t spend promptly. Accordingly, our diplomatic representatives abroad are carrying out an active promotional drive, promoting health initiatives that we have adopted within the tourism sector.
In the other side, a dramatic shift in human travel and shopping habits is anticipated with the epidemic of coronavirus. For eg, people started to consider the risks of being sick from buffet choices in all-inclusive hotels. This method may even alter travel meanings.
Hotel health, SPA and other associated social areas are currently closed because both cost savings and sanitation issues are concerned.
Radical improvements in the hospitality and transport industries
Bagci insists that in the tourism industry sanitation would substitute luxury.
“Airlines are no longer going to ship citizens like fish-harves. We foresee improvement across the globe. If tourism stakeholders read this social change well and will turn themselves appropriately, they are going to thrive.”
“For example, any potential client would get the carpet in the hotel room disinfected, so people’s standards get shifted in this way. As organic food is common, as cases in cancer rise, the attention now shifts to hygiene. Airline companies and lodging facilities would be hygiene oriented.
The phase calls for the adaptation of other tourism operators to new circumstances. In September 2019, for example, Bağcı talks about the factors behind Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel company:
“With climate change in Europe, the shopping patterns of citizens have shifted, they have not been making early sales and they don’t feel like holidays. Thomas Cook has still failed due to the consequences on the business of climate change.”


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STOCKTON — Just a few months after the city modified its municipal code to allow the sale of retail cannabis, Stockton soon may allow for other types of marijuana businesses to take up shop in town.
The Stockton Planning Commission last Thursday unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s Municipal Code that would allow for manufacturing and cannabis microbusinesses to apply for permits to operate in Stockton.
The amendment will be considered by the Stockton City Council at a future meeting.
The amendment comes after Colorado-based consulting firm Freedman & Koski held several community meetings last year to help the city develop an ordinance that would allow for retail cannabis to be sold in Stockton.
Community meetings also collected the public’s input on allowing laboratories, delivery services and manufacturers in town.
In September, the city council approved an ordinance that allowed current cultivation sites to grow cannabis in town, and allowed existing dispensaries to sell retail cannabis along with medical marijuana.
The ordinance also increased the total number of permitted dispensaries from four to five.
Last Thursday, the commission’s approval of ordinance amendments allow for two new cannabis businesses to apply for use permits each year.
Two new cultivation businesses will be allowed to apply for permits each year as well, as will two volatile-manufacturing businesses each year.
According to Beverly Hills-based law firm Margolin & Lawrence, volatile manufacturing is the extraction of cannabis concentrate, otherwise known as wax or oil, for ingestion.
In addition, two cannabis microbusiness owners can apply for permits each year, according to staff.
A microbusiness, according to staff, can act as a retailer, distributor, non-volatile manufacturer and cultivator in one location.
Microbusinesses must engage in at least three of the activities listed, and if they take on cultivation, they must be located on a site smaller than 10,000 square feet, staff said.
Half of the applicants that apply for permits will be randomly drawn from a random pool for permit consideration, staff said, and the other half will be drawn from an equity applicant pool.
To be considered for the equity pool, applicants must be a woman or minority-owned business, live in an opportunity zone, live in a disadvantaged area or live in a Department of Housing and Urban Development-designated area. More than 50 percent of the business ownership must reside in Stockton as well, staff said.
Speakers Thursday night voiced concerns over the ordinance limiting the number of businesses that can apply for permits, as well as requiring some business types to be located at least 1,000 feet apart from each other.
Lee Neves, who ran the independent expenditure campaign that helped pass Measure P in 2016, said a two-applicant cap per year would hurt growth in the cannabis industry.
“Currently, as it is now, we can have two (applicants) per year in each council district. They’ll be there on paper, but there will be no room to have anyone fill those (spots), because of the two-per cap,” he said. “Right now, most of the land available for cultivation is in council District 5, and the rest of the council areas pretty much have no available property.”
Chris Hester, who owns a dispensary on Stagecoach Road, urged the commission to consider allowing multiple business types to co-locate on one site, as the 1,000-foot buffer requirement between cannabis businesses would make it difficult for the industry to grow as well.
“When you start giving them synergy and allow them to work out of one facility, you’re reducing security costs, you have a tight location and you keep everything under one roof,” he said. “If you start separating businesses out, we’re not going to find any location for them. There’s just not enough real estate in Stockton that’s zoned correctly.”
Staff said co-location will be allowed under the amendments, and that the 1,000-foot buffer had been removed from the proposal for all business types except dispensaries and cultivators.
The limit on two cannabis businesses per council district also was removed from the proposal, and replaced with the idea to allow two businesses of each type on an annual basis, staff said.
Thursday’s entire staff report, along with the full proposal and amendments, can be found online at http://tinyurl.com/newcannabisrules.
Contact reporter Wes Bowers at (209) 546-8258, or firstname.lastname@example.org. Follow him on Twitter @WesBo26.


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For the first time in several quarters, Wall Street didn't like what Facebook had to say in its earnings report.
Facebook posted its first $3 billion quarter and beat earnings estimates for the September quarter, but concerns about the company's plans to ramp up spending pushed the stock down by as much as 10% in after hours trading.
The stock was down by about 6% in early trading Wednesday, effectively shaving off more than $10 billion from the company's market cap overnight.
David Wehner, Facebook's chief financial officer, said on the earnings call Tuesday night that sales would grow by 40% to 47% in the fourth quarter compared to a year earlier, down from the 59% it grew in the third quarter. The reason, he said, was a "difficult comparison" with the fourth quarter in 2013 when the company rolled out more News Feed ads.
Furthermore, he revealed that the company's total expenses in 2015 would increase by 55% to 75% as a result of costs related to blockbuster acquisitions like WhatsApp and plans for more strategic investments.
"We believe that we have very substantial growth opportunities in front of us and we plan to invest aggressively to capitalize on those opportunities," Wehner said. "As such, we plan on 2015 being a significant investment year."
The company's execs didn't spell out much about what those investments may be, but analysts assume Facebook will invest in hiring, infrastructure and advertising and consumer-facing products.
"Facebook reported 3Q14 earnings that were solid… And then came the section of the earnings call with the CFO commentary," Brian Wieser, an analyst with Pivotal Research Group, said in an investor note. "Expenditures of this scale were clearly unexpected as the stock dropped off by more than 10% subsequent to comments."
As Wieser pointed out in his note, the CFO always seems to be the bearer of bad news at Facebook: it was Wehner's predecessor David Ebersman who noted the decline in teen usage around this same time last year that set off a wave of negative headlines.
While analysts acknowledged the mild shock of Wehner's statements on the call, most said it shouldn't be a major concern in the long run.
"This will result in slightly lower margin than the 'Street' expected," Arvind Bhatia, an analyst with Sterne Agee, wrote in an investor note. "However, we believe these investments will be helpful in driving stronger growth over the long-term."
Ultimately, news of Facebook's investment plans is a reminder that this is still very much Mark Zuckerberg's company. The CEO and cofounder owns a majority of Facebook's voting shares and will be as aggressive with investments as he sees fit.


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Cantillon: Lotto regulator seems a bit unsure about the numbers
Liam Sloyan faces criticism over lack of supervision of National Lottery operator
Since Premier Lotteries Ireland’s parent took over the lotto in 2014, it has become harder to win and more costly to play, and there has been a proliferation of online games, leading to concerns about problem gambling. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
The lotto franchise was sold to Premier Lotteries Ireland’s parent in 2014 for €405 million, and since the still-newish operator took over, it has become harder to win and more costly to play.
Under Liam Sloyan’s tenure in charge as regulator, which began in 2015, there has also been a proliferation in games offered through the online channel, including a €20 scratch card game, amid concern over an increase in problem gambling.
However, Sloyan appeared unsure on Tuesday about the number of games currently being offered online or the price tags attached.
Despite this, he couldn’t remember how many new games he had officially sanctioned, eventually guessing it was “somewhere between 30 and 40”.
Sloyan also seemed a touch vague on the precise vetting criteria being used, suggesting nonetheless it was consistent with relevant literature on problem gambling.
When it came to player protections and a potential loophole allowing users to open multiple accounts, he deflected questions on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.
And if this wasn’t bad enough, two years after the operator was forced to postpone a midweek lotto draw in the face of a technology meltdown, the biggest fiasco in Irish lotto history, there is still no published report as to what went on.
Sinn Féin’s David Cullinane suggested there seemed to be a lack of supervision of how PLI was pushing its products, an assertion that, on reflection, might at least merit a little bit more discussion.


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As the coronavirus pandemic continues, businesses have a greater understanding than ever of the age-old proverb: “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
It’s an environment where restaurants only operate as carryout and delivery, stores are limited on the number of customers allowed inside and many companies’ employees work exclusively at home.
Spring Branch Kombucha used the time to pivot production and lessen COVID-19’s steep impact on its bottom line.
“We’ll see the hit in April. I expect a minimum of 50%-75% decline,” said co-owner Chris Ollis. “I’m maybe being overly optimistic on that.”
Spring Branch’s fermented tea products were on tap at some 20 local retailers and establishments, but several now are closed temporarily. By mid-March, Ollis and his wife, Jessica, pulled the trigger on their long-range plan to can their products, previously only sold on tap.
“Our draft sales are going to be way down. So we’re redeploying production we have there toward cans,” Chris Ollis said.
Online orders of four kombucha flavors – strawberry rose, elderberry ginger, lavender and lemon hops – are delivered in Springfield every Thursday.
The immediate investment for small-scale canning production is minimal, he said, as they’re just labeling and marking the cans by hand. He expects full canning production in 12-15 weeks – a roughly $150,000 expense.
“We don’t have the manpower to, say, supply a grocery store right now,” he said of the three-person operation. “That’s why we’ve been holding off on it. But based on all the changes here, we’re going to let the market tell us exactly what we need to do going forward.”
Jessica Ollis said the initial April 2 run had 30 orders with nothing more than a message on social media promoting it.
“We’re learning what our capabilities are to manage this,” she said. “It’s a brand-new project. Obviously, we want to boost our sales, but keep it contained within something that’s manageable to provide our customers the best service and the best product that we can.”
A new project for printing company nPrint Graphix wasn’t born out of necessity.
Owner and CEO John Fugitt said the staff wanted to help the health care industry with personal protection equipment. The company has been producing face shields for medical use over the past few weeks in addition to its everyday workload.
“We wanted to do something basically to try and help out,” he said. “We had the equipment to do it, so we just jumped in and started making it happen. Being in business 24 years, you learn to adapt really fast.”
That work led to a purchase order of roughly 20,000 face shields for Chesterfield-based Bayer Crop Science, the agricultural and environmental arm of German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG.
Fugitt said his company made a new prototype for the order, adding Bayer is using 3D printing to produce the plastic headgear that holds the face shield in place.
“We’re roughly cranking out about 1,500 a day,” he said, noting Bayer reached out after seeing the company’s work mentioned in a recent KY3 broadcast.
Declining to disclose sales totals, Fugitt said nPrint Graphix has been holding steady since COVID-19 arrived. That includes its 12-person workforce, although he noted salespeople currently work remotely.
Around 500 face shields have been purchased by Mercy Springfield Communities and CoxHealth, Fugitt said, adding the company is currently working on 500 more for Jordan Valley Community Health Center.
Missouri State University’s Jordan Valley Innovation Center also is prototyping face shields using 3D printing and laser cutting, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.
The work is being done in partnership with CoxHealth, with designs shared upon request with other Each component of the shield can be taken apart and replaced separately, as well as cleaned thoroughly to hospital specifications. Upon finalization of the prototype, 5,000 face shields can be produced immediately, according to CoxHealth officials.
Polyfab Plastics and Supply Inc. also is assisting CoxHealth and Mercy with PPE orders, as each recently requested acrylic patient hoods that can be used for procedures, such as intubations. Both received prototypes the same day and have since ordered additional units, said Polyfab President and co-owner Mark Miller.
“We’ve always done acrylic work and environmental chambers before and this is very similar,” he said, noting roughly 33% of his company’s business comes from work with medical industry clients.
He declined to disclose order sizes and costs from CoxHealth and Mercy, but added Polyfab has remained fully staffed at 35 workers since the virus’ arrival.
Workers are observing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing guidelines, he said.
While the virus has kept students from returning to schools, Club Z! In-home Tutoring Services saw its business drastically fall off in mid-March.
“The first week of March, we had around 120 students enrolled. At the beginning of April, it’s less than 60,” said local Club Z franchisee Leisha Baker. “It’s definitely taken a hit.”
Revenue has fallen by about 50%, Baker said, declining to disclose the total. When Springfield’s stay-at-home order was enacted, the company made a quick transition into a virtual platform for tutoring sessions.
“We’re reaching out to all our tutors and trying to keep them working to some capacity,” Baker said.
Roughly 40 part-time tutors work for the local Club Z franchise, she added, a slight dip from 47 in 2018.
She said the company is mostly using the free version of Zoom, as well as Skype and Google Classrooms. She’s hopeful the beginning of the next school year will restore face-to-face sessions.
“I don’t think anybody expects this situation to be a long-term one,” Baker said. “It’s more for us a short-term solution, allowing us to provide support to our students.”
The Gochu LLC opened at Nixa food hall 14 Mill Market; HOA Management Specialists changed hands; and Chick-fil-A launched on the north side of Springfield.


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HMD Global, a Finnish company licensed to sell Nokia branded phones globally is all set to launch at least 3 new smartphones in the Indian market today. The smartphone maker might launch the new Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus, and Nokia 6 (2018) today at a scheduled launch event in Delhi. While the Nokia 7 Plus and the new Nokia 6 (2018 version) are successors to Nokia 7 and Nokia 6 respectively, the Nokia 8 Sirocco smartphone will be company's flagship device. Nokia will also live stream the launch event via its official Facebook page. As a reminder, Nokia launched 5 smartphones at MWC event in February which included Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 1, and Nokia 8110 4G. However, the Nokia 1 entry-level Android Oreo (Go edition) smartphone was introduced in the market last month itself at an attractive price point of Rs 5,499. As far as the launch of other smartphones are concerned, the company has been teasing the arrival for a while now.
Talking about company's flagship model, the new Nokia 8 Sirocco will feature top of the line specifications featuring dual rear camera with Zeiss optics with 12MP and 13MP sensors. It will come powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset in combination with a 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. On the other hand, the Nokia 7 Plus will be upgraded with better specifications as compared to its predecessor. It will carry Snapdragon 660 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage. Likewise the flagship model, the new Nokia 7 Plus will also carry the same shooter for better photography.
As far as the pricing is concerned, the India prices for the smartphones will be announced today. However, the new Nokia 8 Sirocco carries a price tag of 749 Euros (Rs. 59,754) while Nokia 7 Plus is priced around 399 Euros (Rs. 31,832) in the European market.
Coming to Nokia 6 (2018), the smartphone will be basically a revamped version of Nokia 6 which was launched in the Chinese market earlier this year. It comes powered by a Snapdragon 830 SoC processor coupled with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM and storage options of 32GB or 64GB. For photography, the smartphone will feature 16-megapixel rear shooter along with an 8-megapixel selfie camera. As the newer version of the smartphone is all set to be launched in the market, the current version recently saw a price dip in the domestic market. The new 2018 Nokia 6 is expected to carry a price tag of Rs. 25,000. Watch the Live Streaming here.


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E-cigarette companies are marketing their products questionably on the Internet, according to ad watchdog truthinadvertising.org (TINA.org), and consumers and industry members alike need to be wary.
The Madison, Conn. non-profit organization that uses investigative journalism, education and advocacy to empower and protect consumers against false advertising and deceptive marketing found after examining more than 150 e-cigarette sites—including wholesalers, retailers of major and minor brands and small, independent sites—that nearly two-thirds of the sites made one or more of the following problematic claims about e-cigarettes:
- They’re safer than tobacco;
- Can be smoked anywhere;
- Can help smokers quit; and
- Are cheaper than traditional cigarettes.
The review also showed that 41 percent of these sites market e-liquids—the fluid that fuels e-cigarettes—in kid-friendly flavors such as "gummy bear," "fruit hoops," and "Bubble Yum."
Additionally, half of the sites that were analyzed mention that e-cigarettes provide a health benefit, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains that risks associated with the products have not been fully studied. However, several reports have found in them the presence of harmful chemicals. This review is all part of the organization's ongoing investigation of ads by the emerging e-cigarette industry.
The report comes as the FDA finalizes its regulations for the tobacco industry. In 2014, the agency indicated an extension of its oversight of tobacco products to e-cigarettes. However, many e-cigarette companies are taking advantage of the regulatory gap.
TINA.org has alerted officials and the FTC in the past to deceptive advertising by the online e-cigarette company, Vapex. Several weeks later, the company was cited for multiple violations, including advertising risk free starter kits that weren't free, claims that the product was a healthy alternative to traditional cigarettes and that they could be used anywhere.
For more information on TINA.org's review of e-cigarette advertising, visit www.truthinadvertising.org/smoking-out-e-cigarette-ad-claims/.


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The Android Wear-powered Samsung Gear Live smartwatch was shown off by Google during its I/O press conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, and it is now available to pre-order in the UK.
At the Google Play store, the Samsung Gear Live can be ordered for £169, and will start shipping on July 7 – as will LG’s similarly-specced G Watch, which is also available to buy and priced £10 cheaper at £159.
Both smartwatches are also available to order in the US, priced at $199 and $229, respectively.
Samsung has revealed that the Gear Live will come with a 1.63in 320×320 screen, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, IP67 certification, a built-in heart rate monitor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage.
The Gear Live is available in any colour you like, as long as that colour is black.
LG said the G Watch features a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, coupled with an always-on 1.65-inch IPS (280×280 pixels) display, 4GB of built-in storage, 512MB of RAM, a 400mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and IP67 certification. It will be available in Black Titan and White Gold, said LG.


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This week the North Carolina Collections Association (NCCA) advised all collection agency merchant accounts pursuing debts in North Carolina, to suspend convenience fee charges. On April 11, 2014, a receivables management company agreed to pay a 21,000 civil penalty for collecting unauthorized convenience fees from debtors. This prompted a meeting between the North Carolina Collectors Association, the North Carolina Department of Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, and representatives of the state’s Attorney General to discuss the legality of convenience fees for consumers who pay by credit card or check by phone.
The Commissioner informed the NCCA that he considered the collection of convenience fees a violation of North Carolina law. This is contrary to NCCA’s previous understanding that convenience fees were legal, as long as, consumers were given an alternative to paying the convenience fee, the fee was reasonable and not a profit for the agency.
Gregg Sheperd, president of the NCCA, sent out an alert to all NCCA members about the new interpretation of convenience fees and demanded that all convenience fee collection be stopped. All collection fee activity that occurs after this warning could result in more civil charges by consumers.
In 2013, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached a settlement with one collection agency after a debt buyer failed to follow federal debt collection laws about convenience fee charges. The FTC charged the debt buyer after the organization failed to notify consumers that they were not obligated to pay immediately over the phone, thus eliminating the convenience fee. The company agreed to pay $799,958 in restitution.
The FTC claimed that the debt buyer violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and FTC Act by using deception to get consumers to pay over the phone, and by falsely threatening to file lawsuits against consumers if they didn’t pay immediately. The complaint also stated that the agency told consumers that were also required to pay an additional $18.95 for the service, and did not mention options to avoid the fee.
The issue could have been avoided if the debt buyer only mentioned an alternative to over the phone or credit card payment.
Currently, the NCCA is actively searching for a way to reverse the new interpretation of the law, or to change the laws in North Carolina in order to resume convenience fee collection.


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Austin-based startup is recognized as the Texas Unchained Business of the Month for June 2016.
It all started with a pair of high heels. And a woman who wanted to wear them without the pain in the ball of her foot that she was feeling with increasing frequency.
Tina Goodman, a businesswoman in Austin, Texas, was fed up with foot distress, and she applied a technique she’d known from her days as a nursing home administrator. As this publication describes in our feature article on Heelho, fixing the problem was a matter of “offloading” the pressure.
“We used to have a method of treating pressure wounds,” Goodman said. “That method was to put a pad over the sore, but the pad would have a hole in it, so that the sore would not come in direct contact with the bed and would have a chance to heal. Applying that same thought process, I took an insole, cut a hole in the insole in a place that corresponded to the part of my foot where my pain was, and I put the insole in my shoe and it gave me relief. I knew immediately I wanted to market this as a product. So I put a patent together.”
That breakthrough led to the formation of a startup business, Heelho Insoles, and the formation of a management team that numbers seven owner-employees.
As for the award itself, Goodman said that everyone on the team is honored and deeply appreciative.
“It’s feels like a well-timed reward for the dedication, enthusiasm, and drive that our team has showed that has taken us this far this quickly,” Goodman said. “It reinforces the worth of what we’ve put our faith in. We live in times when opportunity abounds for anyone who wants to create a business and make a go of it.”
Dianne D. Green, the Abilene, Texas, businesswoman who nominated Heelho for the recognition, said that the company has flourished because they are risk-takers and problem-solvers.
“They are highly collaborative and they are worker- and partner-empowering,” Green said. “They got their product to market at lightning speed. And it’s a product that gets rave reviews. In many ways, they are emblematic of a new breed that is making gains in business circles, not just in Austin and not just in Texas but across the nation and around the world. They are experimental, web-savvy, and incentive-driven. They’re not about brick-and-mortar. Heelho is more fluid and, where management is concerned, less hierarchical. Heelho knows its customer and its product and is streamlined about getting the two together, and the process has less to do with getting retail partners than it has to do with going direct to the buyer and building that relationship.
“Austin is itself an incubator community for businesses,” Green continued. “Mostly we think of these as tech startups. But the potentialities of the web, social media, and today’s take-any-comers marketplace offer room for non-technology products like this one as well. It’s largely about understanding how to thrive in an inbound, online environment. You don’t have to have a technical product to take advantage of sophisticated online marketing practices.”
For more on Heelho’s development, success, and philosophy, see the related article, “To Stand on Their Own Two Feet.”


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Nestlé Puts Italian Pastry And Candy Brands Up For Sale
Swiss multinational Nestlé is planning to sell confectionery brands, Spicchi di Sole, Fondenti, and Rossana, and possibly pastry brand Ore Lietem, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Nestlé has reportedly selected Vitale & Co as its advisor for its plans to sell the brands, but not the production side of the business.
Possible buyers include leading groups from the sector such as Sperlari, Ambrosoli, Elah Dufour Novi and Perfetti.
The decision is said to be part of Nestlé’s plan to focus its efforts on its core business, primarily chocolate, and comes after Nestlé announced its 2015 results, which revealed its weakest sales in the past six years.
There have been no official comments from Nestlé in the Italian press reports.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.


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You have searched for Raymond Kimutai Bett
in the news | LAST UPDATED : Jul 20, 2017, 03.06PM IST
- Bombay HC lets off Raymond boss in row over axing 500 trees
Bombay HC has let off Raymond group chairman-&-managing director Gautam Singhania in a case of felling of over 500 trees in his firm’s premises. Singhania had claimed that the company has its own horticulture department and he being the CMD could not be held personally liable for such an act.
- Raymond’s charity drive which may boost its sales too
Raymond Limited has come up with a charity drive which may also end up increasing sales at its retail counters. Under the plan, customers can walk into stores with a pair of old trousers which will be given away for charity. In turn, the company is offering free stitching services for a new pair.
- Raymonds partners with Goonj, offers free stitching for trousers in exchange of used ones
Raymonds in association with Goonj foundation on Monday announced an initiative that offers free stitching of trousers in exchange for used ones . The used trousers would be distributed to the needy, through the foundation.


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Can lightning strike twice? Digg, the high-flying-to-floundering social news site, just added new features, which some are suggesting could have big potential."Want to see the freshest videos about technology that have been validated enough to get 10 or more Diggs but aren't so popular that they've been dugg more than 50 times?" asks ReadWriteWeb. Per the new changes, "Those kinds of views are now easy to set up and read in real time."
"The idea is to make it easier to spot stories before they become popular, offering a more 'instant' view of the stories landing in Digg," Softpedia explains.
Also of note, there's now a new level of visibility into who has voted to bury a story, and when the burying is done on Digg's new Newswire service. "Over the coming weeks and months, the core ideas (rewarding transparency, showing real-time content and activity, increasing visibility of how actions impact story ranking) will be spreading across the rest of Digg," explained Will Larson, a software engineer at the company.
"Other features of Newswire include customizable sorting and displays that can be tailored to each user and an in-page update system," writes Search Engine Land. "The updating system operates much like Twitter in alerting users when new stories have been added."
"Digg has been reeling since their ill-fated launch of version 4, but new improvements and a more positive attitude towards their community are steps in the right direction," Search Engine Land adds.
"The 'Newswire' section is definitely interesting, but really seems like another attempt to get users into participating more in the curating process, which historically the mass majority of Digg visitors have not done," notes BlueGlass.com. "Past efforts with the Upcoming Section, the Recommendation Engine, and the My News section have really failed to ever get even a small fraction of Digg's users to do more than just read the Front Page."


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Lansco Unveils Potential for 13K-SF UWS Retail Space
At International Council of Shopping Centers‘ New York City National Deal Making Conference, a Lansco team showcased a new potential design for more than 13,000 square feet of retail at the base of the residential Dorchester Towers on the Upper West Side.
“There’s nowhere on Broadway where you have this much space available to create a synergistic tenant mix with a focus on contemporary fashion and we think the neighborhood can support and is crying out for those kinds of retailers on the Upper West Side,” Lansco’s Robin Abrams said at her booth today. She and colleagues Lisa Rosenthal and Alan Victor are marketing the space for Ogden CAP Properties.
Lansco is marketing 13,260 square feet of space on the ground floor at 2001-2017 Broadway spanning West 68th to West 69th Streets and Ms. Abrams said she is hoping for a retail mix a la Columbus Circle. Asking rents are $450 per square foot on the corner and $400 per foot in-line.
Current tenants in the retail space, all paying below-market rents and with leases rolling within the next few years, include Ann Taylor, BCBG, Innovative Luggage and Leicht kitchen showroom.
Lester Schwalb, head of leasing for Ogden CAP Properties and who is working closely with the Lansco team, noted that Ann Taylor, which has grown to 6,250 square feet since first opening in the building in the late-1980s, is “looking to get out.”
Ann Taylor has its space on the sublease market with an annual asking rent of $2.2 million, or $350 per square foot.
Ogden CAP Properties tapped Seattle-based international architecture firm Callison to create a new look for the retail facade, including some uniformity and blade signs while allowing for individual retailers to impart their own brand identity. The current facade is “a little bit dated,” Ms. Abrams said, and is a “hindrance” to bringing in new fashion tenants.
While Lansco has received offers “at top dollar,” from supermarkets, health and beauty aids and banks, Ms. Abrams said those are not the kinds of tenants Lansco is targeting for the Dorchester, which has 683 residential condo apartments on 35 floors.


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The Arrive Alive website received an interesting email earlier today from a regular visitor with interesting insights on the motor industry in South Africa. The information shared was provided by Investec to clients after some interesting research and discussions with motor manufacturers.
I gained permission from Peter Amitage of Investec to share these insights:
“We recently attended an Auto day hosted by Macquarie, with presentations from Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, Kia, Naamsa, Wesbank, Absa and others.
Among the industry experts, the forecasts for vehicle sales growth for 2011 ranged from 12% to 20% and from 8% to 15% for 2012. Most made the point that sales are still well off their highs and that pent up demand is still pretty strong. Year to date growth is in excess of 25% (January and February) and Naamsa projects 8 to10 quarters of growth from now.
Wesbank indicated that all the metrics are pointing in the right direction and there are still plenty of “good customers” who have the capability and willingness to buy. Applications are in an upward trend and likewise so are approval rates (now 42.7%). The July 2008 low was 34%. One interesting point Wesbank made is that approval rates are now permanently below the 75% range reached in 2007. This is because prior to the introduction of the National Credit Act (NCA) consumers did not have to disclose their other debts and hence financiers often did not have a full picture of a client’s financial situation. Thus the level of bad debts that were experienced in 2009 and 2010 are unlikely to be repeated in future.
Imperial distributes both Kia and Hyundai and the presentations gave some insight as to how these brands grew by 74% in SA last year compared with overall market growth of 24%. Both brands are exploding globally and are showing well above market growth in most territories. Kia has grown its global sales by a compound 37% for the last five years, with the global financial crisis not featuring on its growth path. The value/design/quality offering has improved markedly and there are plenty of new launches in SA this year for both brands.
Kia projected 33% growth for its brand this year and Hyundai over 20%. Hyundai sells twice the volume of Kia, so combined growth should be in the region of 22%. With some price increases, turnover should be up in the region of 30% in 2011. Another important point is that there are five years of parts and service revenues from these cars, so this locks in future turnover as well, with management estimating that 50% of distributorships revenue being of an annuity nature.
The biggest impediment to growth of these brands is access to stock. Globally both brands are approaching capacity from a production perspective and Hyundai reckons it could have sold 54 000 vehicles last year in SA (they actually sold 43 000) if it had had enough stock. The SA allocation is increasing disproportionately to the global average as SA is a strategic market and a profitable market (car prices are higher than average). Further investments are being made in increased capacity.
Both Hyundai and Kia hired industry design experts (from BMW and Audi) and we are likely to see this pattern repeated by the Chinese, where Imperial represents Chery.
Imperial will sign another five year distribution agreement with Kia in November (already agree in principle) and Hyundai signed a five year agreement with Imperial last year.
Other interesting points:
• Car prices went up 4.3% in SA last year (3% of this came from the new carbon tax).
• World car sales are 78 million units a year. SA is 0.7% of that.
• The SA peak was 740 000 in late 2006 and last year’s sales number was 490 000.
• The auto industry contributes 6.5% to SA GDP.
• SA imports and exports around 250 000 cars.
• SA export quality is good and the SA-manufactured Mercedes Benz won the award for best quality import in the US last year.
• AMH (Imperial) has 13.6% market share in SA. This is third behind Toyota (20.5%) and VW/Audi (14.3%).
• The top selling car in SA last year was the Polo Vivo.
• The average loan to value on a new car is 92%.
• The ratio of used to new car sales is 1.5:1.
• The average contract term of a new car loan is 58 months and the average contract term is 42 months (people sell their cars on average after 3.5 years).
• 50%-60% of the cars on the road are uninsured.
• The rate of applications for new car loans is at a record high, but approval rates are lower (mainly because of NCA revealing the full balance sheet of a consumer).
• Corporate loans are still 30% off their highs and have only recently started to increase, led by “yellow metal” (Caterpillar and Bell).
• 13% of car sales are into the car rental market (constant for a few years).
• Wesbank are the leaders in vehicle financing by a mile, with 42% market share. [Peter Armitage. Investec]”


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BlackBerry to Participate in Billington CyberSecurity Summit that Explores National Cyber Strategy
SAN RAMON, Calif., Oct. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced that John Chen, Executive Chairman & CEO of BlackBerry, will lead a discussion on National Zero Trust Strategy at the Billington CyberSecurity Summit. Joining him for the discussion will be executives from the United States Navy, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Accenture, and Appgate. The session will air on October 7, at 2:45pm ET.
"I am delighted to host a distinguished set of experts for a discussion on National Zero Trust Strategy, at the Billington CyberSecurity Summit," said John Chen, Executive Chairman & CEO, BlackBerry. "Adopting a zero-trust security architecture is pivotal to preventing and limiting the impact of cyberattacks, and to protecting the nation's critical infrastructure."
"We are honored by BlackBerry's partnership with us to produce the 12th Annual Billington CyberSecurity Summit. It underscores the critical role played by distinguished technology companies that comprise the whole-of-nation effort to enhance our collective cybersecurity," said Thomas K. Billlington, CEO and Founder, Billington CyberSecurity.
Speakers at the summit include:
The Billington CyberSecurity Summit, a world leading government event on cybersecurity, is being held virtually from October 6-8. Learn more or register at https://billingtoncybersummit.com/.
For more information on BlackBerry Zero Trust security solutions click here.
BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere.
For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.
Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.
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