text:
“The smartphone will most likely come with a 25MP selfie camera and 6GB of RAM”
Fresh renders of the Realme U1 have surfaced online showing its front and rear design. Trending Leaks has detailed some key specifications of the upcoming smartphone in addition to its design specifics. As you can see, on the front side, Realme U1 features a tear-drop notch, which houses the selfie camera and minimal bezels along the sides. The smartphone will likely come with an all-glass back and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner along with a vertical dual rear camera setup. Besides this, the volume rockers are positioned on the left side, while the power button is on the right.
We already know that the Realme U1 will be powered by MediaTek Helio P70 (the first smartphone in the world to do so) but courtesy to this leak, we now know that it will sport a 6.21-inch display with Full HD+ resolution and a 25MP selfie camera, which is no surprise considering the early promos by Realme. Other details include 6GB of RAM and 128GB native storage. It’s not clear whether this will be the only variant on offer or will there be more. Details regarding the phone’s dual-rear camera, battery and pricing are still unknown. Although rumour has it that Realme U1 will launch within the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 price bracket.
In other news, Realme U1’s AnTuTu benchmark scores surfaced online along with live images of its retail box. A photo comparing the benchmark scores of the Redmi Note 6 Pro and the Honor 8X and Realme U1 (with model number RMX1833) showed the Realme phone beating its rivals with a score of 145,021 points. It trumped the Kirin 710 by over 5,000 points and the Redmi Note 6 Pro by about 30,000 points. The selfie focused smartphone is set to launch in India on November 28th.


text:
There is an app for everything in today’s technology world. Rotational Savings (Esusu or Ajọ in Yoruba, Adashi in Hausa, and Etoto or Isusu in Igbo) now has its own digital app by the name Esusu.
Thanks to Wemimo Abbey and his Esusu Financial, Inc. co-founder Samir Goel.
UK leads in Islamic fintech ahead of Malaysia, UAE
Again, Nigerian Fintech Start-ups get £80,000 grant
The financial technology (fintech) industry in Nigeria is advanced and could easily become one of the best in the world if it continues to evolve as it has in the past decade.
Incorporating Wemimo’s innovation can only enhance this prospect.
According to Adedamola Agboola of Blackenterpise.com: “Raised by a single mother, Wemimo attended one of the better public schools in Lagos, but he (Wemimo) said he wouldn’t have been able to afford the tuition had his mother not participated in rotational savings.
“Now living in America, the 26-year old wants to help immigrants, students, and low-income families save.”
Esusu Financial describes itself as “a leading financial technology platform helping individuals save money and build credit.”
This enterprise, which was founded in 2016, has attracted some investments, including from Next Play Ventures, an entity that is led by Chairman and former CEO of LinkedIn, Jeff Weiner.
For the most part, Nigeria is still a cash-based economy, meaning that your purchases are mostly done in cash, as opposed to credit.
People pay cash to buy everything, including buying or building a house, even when the cost is in several hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Obviously, money so dispensed cannot be invested to build real wealth, for example, by taking advantage of compounding interests.
Moreover, accumulating capital for all but the low-cost items is hard to do.
Big price items are thus beyond the reach of the average person – everywhere in the world, and particularly in developing countries.
Countries such as the US depend heavily on access to credit to function financially, both at the government and individual level.
Although buying on credit can be undesirable in many situations, and can easily be abused and irresponsibly utilized, there are situations where access to credit may be a lifesaver, as well as the only means of creating substantial wealth.
Fortunately, the Nigerian government has recognized this, though this is a relatively new development when compared to more developed economies like the US.
At any rate, you need to be “credit-worthy” in order to be attractive to creditors.
This is where credit bureaus come in.
These are agencies, such as the CRC Credit Bureau Limited in Nigeria, that collect and research individual or corporate credit information and sell it for a fee to potential creditors, to help them (the creditors) decide whether or not to issue credit.
According to CRC, the data collected on you “captures when a credit account is opened, credit repayment history, the amount of credit you have available, the amount of credit you are using, outstanding debts, details on public records like bankruptcy, tax liens, etc.”
Now, Wemimo and Samir are saying that the financial responsibility embodied in a successful rotational savings (Esusu) arrangement should help you build your credit record and enhance your chances of obtaining credit for bigger price items and wealth creation.
This has not been the case before for people participating in Esusu cooperative financing.
So, this is a useful innovation by Wemimo and Samir.
Let’s look at the traditional Esusu model, to better appreciate the digital innovation.
According to research by Evans Osabuohien and Oluyomi Ola-David from Covenant University, the Esusu practice is believed to have originated among the Yoruba people of Nigeria, and to have spread from there to other parts of Africa, the Caribbean Islands, and among immigrants in the US.
These students describe the practice among the Yorubas as follows: “A group of people team up to contribute a fixed and equal sum of money at specific intervals – daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or bi-monthly – enabling each member to collect the entire sum in rotation.
When everyone in the group has benefited from the pool, a new rotation cycle is launched.”
Evans and Oluyomi also point out that “in urban areas, the Yorubas distinguish between Esusu and Ajọ.”
For the latter, a professional collector, the Alajọ, goes around to collect contributions,” and they describe Ajọ – and certainly Esusu – as being more personal than the formal financial system.
Digital Esusu mimics the traditional approach.
To use the platform, your bank account will be linked to the Esusu app, which automatically debits the contribution amount from your bank account on an agreed date.
Reportedly via Evolve Bank & Trust, a Memphis-Tennessee, USA-headquartered bank, Esusu holds the withdrawn money in an account but ultimately wires the sum to the account of the person whose turn it is to collect.
When participants fulfill their contributions, a report is sent to the credit bureaus to alert them that the individual has paid on time, which goes into the individual’s positive credit-building record, as each payment is seen as fulfilling a loan obligation to the group of participants.
Rent payment is usually not reported to credit bureaus, even in the US.
Esusu has changed this for its users that rent, by having their rent payments reported to credit bureaus, again to boost their financial score.
Nigerian credit bureaus can certainly piggyback on digital Esusu.

domain: news


text:
Inflation and a potential stock market crash. These are the two biggest threats to the US economy and to the financial wellbeing of Americans, so says a survey by personal finance software firm Quicken.
The Menlo Park, Calif.-based Quicken/SurveyMonkey online poll was taken earlier this month, which consisted of a sample of 1,200 US adults ages 18 to 74 from the Cint Consumer Network, according to Quicken's press release.
The survey revealed that nearly three-fourths who responded to the survey (71%) ranked inflation (currently at 7% and the highest since the early 1980s), as the top concern, followed by new COVID-19 variants, supply chain disruptions and a stock market crash. On that last point, the survey noted that 52% surveyed agree that there will be a stock market crash in the next five years. Of that group, 58% expect a looming stock market crash will impact their finances negatively, according to the press release.
Yet not everyone views a potential crash as such a bad prospect. Some Americans saw the financial gains that more aggressive investors had made from the day of the 2008 stock market crash, and are now looking to capitalize for the next one. According to the press release, 52% of self-described "aggressive" investors are likely to say the 2008 crash benefited them financially, compared to 18% of so-called "conservative" investors. What's more, 71% of aggressive investors, compared to 20% of conservative investors, believe a stock market crash in the future would benefit them financially. A notable percentage of respondents who believe there's going to be a crash in the next five years – 35% – agree that they're waiting for a crash in order to invest some extra cash.
A sizable percentage of younger adult generations surveyed – Millennial and Gen Z – also see the benefits to a future stock market crash. According to the survey, 41% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials agree that they are waiting for a stock crash in order to invest their extra cash. Another 30% of Gen Z and 28% of Millennials say they're waiting for a crash so that they can start investing, according to the press release.
Curiously, retirement and job security, normally cited as two major worries for Americans, fell to the bottom of the list of issues the surveyed respondents felt are most worried about in 2022.
How are Americans preparing for a market crash?
The Quicken survey revealed that many Americans are taking an assertive approach with their portfolios, adjusting accordingly for possible volatility. More than one-third, 37% of respondents, said they already have or plan to adjust their asset allocation in 2022 to prepare for a stock market crash. Those respondents include wealthier groups and the younger Millennial and Gen Z groups. Specifically, 49% of people with incomes between $200,000 and $499,000, and 73% of people who make more than $500,000 — and 49% of Gen Z and 46% of millennials — are most likely to have already made, or plan to make, adjustments to their asset allocation in preparation for a crash, according to the finding in the press release.
Forty-one percent of the survey respondents plan to do nothing should a market crash occur, while 42% plan to buy stocks. And 26% said they're likely to move money into an alternative asset like crypto or NFT.
A matter of trust
The Quicken survey shows that Americans across generations are likely to follow the advice of their financial advisor suggests should a market catastrophe occurs, while Gen Z and Millennials are very likely than older generations to listen to their family and friends or turn to social media for advice. The breakdown of the numbers are as follows:
- 49% are likely to do what their financial advisor suggests.
- 29% are likely to do what their family or friends suggest.
- 16% would turn to social media for advice. (Twenty-one percent of Gen Z and 29% of Millennials would turn to social platforms as a source for advice.
"Americans are feeling the impact of inflation across their daily expenses, which is why it's on everyone's mind," said Quicken CEO Eric Dunn. "It's important to understand exactly how economic changes, such as inflation and an unsteady stock market, impact our daily lives, and to have a handle on your personal finances so that you are prepared for the uncertainties ahead," Dunn said in the press release.
The timing of Quicken's survey coincides with the US Federal Reserve's recent announcement that it will tighten monetary policy at a faster rate by raising interest rates three times this year starting in March. A recent Reuters poll in mid-January predicts the median forecast to be between 0.75% and 1.00% by the end of the year.


text:
Thursday, February 25, 2021 / by Sam Gerardi
Interest rates are low, employment is rising, home prices—in most markets—are still well below their peaks, and rents are through the roof.
Every family and each individual has various factors affecting the ability and the decision to buy a home. If you live in a market where studio apartments are $2,400 per month—while nearby condos sell for $300,000—it might make sense to buy a house instead.
(Your local Realtor is always is your best resource in helping you assess market conditions.)
Five Compelling Reasons to Buy a House Right Now
1. Interest Rates Are Still Low
Mortgage interest rates are still low—for now.
A 30-year-fixed-rate loan now averages 4.16%, according to Freddie Mac, but many economists believe we will see 5% rates next year. As interest rates increase, so do your monthly payments.
A $300,000 house at 4.16% with 20% down would have a monthly payment of $1,168. With a 5% interest rate, that payment increases to $1,288.
2. There’s More Inventory
As more houses enter the for sale market, prices stabilize.
“Inventories are at their highest level in over a year, and price gains have slowed to much more welcoming levels,” said Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of REALTORS®.
The upside is consumers now have more choices, if they are looking at existing homes.
New homes are another story: Yun says new construction needs to double its current production to meet market demand.
3. Home Prices Are Going Up
The median price of an existing home was $223,300 in June, or 4.3% higher than June 2013. That’s the 28th consecutive month of year-over-year price gains, and economists expect that trend to continue. However, we are still at least 20% off the peak prices of 2006.
“Attempting to buy a home when the market is at its lowest point—or to sell at the peak—is tricky,” said Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist for Realtor.com.
He compares it to trying to time the stock market.
“You might get lucky one or two times, but overall, timing the market does not work,” Smoke added. “It all points to purchasing power, and that’s a reflection of price and interest rates, which will both be higher in the future.”
4. Rents Are Sky-High
If you live in a big city, then you know rent is astronomical. In San Francisco, many people are spending 42% of their monthly income to pay the rent. Nationwide, rents are rising at a 4% annual clip.
Buying a home would lock in your monthly payment and stabilize your finances with a fixed-rate mortgage. This is, of course, assuming you don’t live the San Francisco area, where the average price of a home is $1 million.
(If you’re renting and never thought you could afford to buy a house, try Realtor.com’s Rent vs. Buy calculator to see what’s possible.)
5. Employment on the Rise
Perhaps nothing is as important to the financial stability you need to buy a home as steady employment. The U.S. economy is finally adding jobs—about 200,000 new jobs per month.
The next generation of home buyers—the Millennials—has been particularly affected by the nation’s job slump. Saddled with student loans and tight lending restrictions, many in this generation have been living with their parents to save money until the economy picks up.
If your employment prospects look good these days and the other four factors check out, then it may indeed be the right time for you to buy a home of your own.
Realtor.com Real Estate News | Aug 5, 2014 | By: Chrystal Caruthers


text:
Deere (DE) gave a strong outlook for 2023 early Wednesday after beating earnings and revenue estimates for its fourth quarter, despite supply headwinds. DE stock broke out of a buy zone.
Deere, an industry indicator, benefited from farm equipment prices constrained to record highs by parts shortages, as well as higher crop prices. These benefits were offset by economic uncertainty and inflationary pressures.
Additionally, Deere and caterpillar (CAT) expect to benefit from US infrastructure spending. DE stock earns a spot on the prestigious IBD Leaderboard list.
IBD Live: a new daily stock market analysis tool
Estimates: Analysts polled by FactSet had expected Deere’s earnings for the October quarter to rise 73% to $7.11 per share. Total revenue jumped 27% to $14.4 billion.
Results: Deere’s earnings jumped 81% to $7.44 per share, a sharp acceleration from the 16% gain in the quarter ended July. Revenue jumped 37% to $15.54 billion, the third quarter of accelerating sales growth.
Outlook: Deere expects net income of $8 billion to $8.5 billion for fiscal 2023, beating consensus and up from $7.13 billion in fiscal 2022. Analysts now expect that DE’s earnings per share will rise 11.4% to $25.92.
“Deere expects another strong year in 2023 based on positive agricultural fundamentals and fleet dynamics, as well as increased investment in infrastructure,” CEO John May said in the statement on Wednesday. Deere results.
Last summer, the agricultural and construction equipment maker was unable to complete large tractors due to a shortage of parts. But May said Wednesday that the strong fourth quarter and fiscal year 2022 results reflected “extraordinary efforts to overcome supply chain constraints, ramp up plant production and deliver products to our customers.”
Deere shares rose 5.1% to 437.73 in the stock market today.
DE stock surpassed a buy point of 406.12 cup with handle on Nov. 8. It is now extended, which means the stock is not in the buy range. The buy range extends up to 426.43, according to the analysis of the leaderboard.
The relative strength line for DE stocks hit a new high on Wednesday after surging over the summer.
DE stock stands out very well in terms of IBD key scores. It scores a perfect composite rating of 99. It also carries an EPS rating of 94 and an RS rating of 92, both out of a 99, the best possible.
CAT stock fell 0.1% on Wednesday. Shares briefly recovered to a pint buy of 238 on Wednesday. In late October, Caterpillar smashed third-quarter earnings estimates, and revenues also beat.
Other agricultural stocks to watch include grain processors Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM), fertilizer producer CF Industries (CF) and Lindsay (LNN), an irrigation equipment producer that also plays a role in the green hydrogen infrastructure space.
The rally could use a vacation; 5 stocks close to buy points
Deere tractors face parts shortages
Tractor maker Deere grew sales at a healthy pace, helped by strong machine prices and demand for large farm equipment. But shortages of chips and other parts have led to partially built machines left waiting for parts for workers to complete assembly.
Profitability has been pressured by supply chain challenges, leading to significant production inefficiencies,” Edward Jones analyst Matt Arnold wrote in a note this summer.
These inefficiencies should lessen as supply chains normalize. “Demand for Deere products remains very robust, and we expect the favorable demand environment to remain, given high grain prices and increased infrastructure spending,” Arnold added.
An aging fleet of farm machinery increases replacement demand. Deere also manufactures excavators, backhoes, dump trucks and wheel loaders for the construction market.
Arnold assesses which DE shares to buy.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Warren Buffett stocks: what’s in Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio?
Here are the 5 best Dow Jones stocks so far this year
These are the 5 best stocks to buy and watch right now
Stocks to watch: IPOs, large caps and top-rated growth stocks
Find the latest stocks reaching buy zones with MarketSmith
#Bellwether #Stock #Pops #Guides #Strong #Year #Profits #Jump


text:
By John Lofstock, Editor
Southside Oil Co., operator of the Uppy’s convenience stores in Virginia, emerged today as the big winner of Exxon Mobil Corp’s retail assets in Maryland and Delaware, Convenience Store Decisions has learned. The decision was announced today in a conference call with dealers and bidders for the assets.
In addition to operating 42 Uppy’s convenience stores, Southside Oil is a wholesale gasoline distribution company serving the Mid-Atlantic and southern U.S for more than 75 years. It currently provides gasoline distribution services to approximately 109, company-owned and dealer-served BP and ExxonMobil stations.
The Chester, Va.-based oil company also provides petroleum terminal supply for approximately 125 million gallons of gasoline and 15 million gallons of distillates out of its Richmond terminal facilities. The company has its own fleet of proprietary transport vehicles and driver staff.
The deal also figures to be a boost to fuelperks!, Uppy’s growing fuel rewards program. As part of the community loyalty program customers can 5-25 cents off per gallon of fuel. For every $50 spent at neighboring Ukrop’s supermarkets, customers earn a savings of 5 cents per gallon at Uppy’s.
New Jersey Next?
The move by ExxonMobil follows the strategy it outlined in June 2008 to exit direct-store operations. Similar strategies were announced by Shell, BP and ConocoPhillips. Though ExxonMobil hasn’t made public its plans, it said it intends to sell the stores in large blocks to jobbers and distributors that can maintain its retail standards. Insiders told CSD that the winning bids for 256 stores in New Jersey could be next, and possibly before Thanksgiving.
In May, ExxonMobil began its highly anticipated sell-off. Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. acquired the On the Run convenience store franchise system in the U.S. and 43 of its company owned and operated sites in the Phoenix market. The agreement transferred to Couche-Tard the franchise agreements for about 450 On the Run c-stores operated by ExxonMobil branded fuel dealers and distributors. These stores, located in 28 states, primarily east of the Mississippi River, will continue to be operated by the franchisee dealers and distributors of ExxonMobil.
The 43 Phoenix sites were converted to Couche-Tard’s Circle K branded convenience stores, and offer Circle K branded fuel.
In other recent deals, Getty Realty Corp. acquired 36 Exxon-branded properties in a sale/leaseback transaction with White Oak Petroleum LLC for $49 million in September. Exxon also is selling its 25 stations in Hampton Roads, Va., to Doswell Ventures. That sale is scheduled to close by the end of November. The stations will continue to carry the ExxonMobil name.
More details to come on this story as they become available.


text:
A planned talk on RFID security by a security researcher has been pulled from this week's Black Hat Federal security conference after secure card maker HID claimed the talk violated the company's patent rights and threatened to take legal action against Chris Paget, the researcher, and IOActive, Paget's employer, if the talk went forward.
The company decided to cancel the talk after all-night negotiations with HID collapsed, said Josh Pennell, CEO of IOActive. In response, Black Hat organizers were forced to tear materials out of printed show proceedings and will instead present a discussion by a representative of the ACLU on the criticality of RFID security, said Jeff Moss, founder and director of Black Hat.
A spokeswoman for HID did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The incident recalled a 2005 dispute over a presentation at Black Hat in Las Vegas involving Cisco Systems and Michael Lynn, a security researcher who worked for Internet Security Systems at the time.
IOActive's decision to abort their presentation follows days of tense negotiations between the two companies, after HID became alarmed about Paget's discussion, "RFID for beginners," which was to address widespread security issues with the implementation of RFID in proximity cards that are sold by HID and other companies. Paget's RFID cloning device was on display at the recent RSA Security Conference in San Francisco, where he demonstrated for InfoWorld how the device could be used to steal access codes from HID brand proximity cards, store them, then use the stolen codes to fool a HID card reader.
Paget's presentation at Black Hat Federal would have included schematics and source code that attendees could use to create their own cloning device, and a discussion of vulnerable implementations of RFID technology in a wide variety of devices, Paget told InfoWorld at RSA earlier this month.
HID claimed that Paget's talk would infringe upon two patents the company owns, one dating to 1991 and another dating to 1992. Both cover methods of detecting RFID signals between a transponder embedded in a device and an "interrogator," according to a source familiar with HID's claims.
Pennell and others doubted that such broad patent claims could be used to stifle free speech, but said that the legal pressure mounted by HID, a subsidiary of Swedish firm ASSA ABLOY, was too much for his small, Seattle-based consulting firm to withstand.
"If we say anything, HID will sue. These large companies have lots of resources, so they can find [legal] matter with pretty much anything," Pennell said, admitting disappointment at the failure to reach an agreement with HID.
"It's always been IOActive's intent to help people with security," he said.
Chris Paget said that, unlike Lynn's sophisticated hack of Cisco's IOS operating system, the RFID cloning devices he built were simple devices concocted from around $20 in off-the-shelf parts purchased on eBay.
"This thing is simpler than a Furbie," he said, referring to the plush electronic play toy of years past. Moreover, the HID patents in question are public documents, containing all the information needed to build the RFID cloner, he said.
"This is not something new that we're doing. HID has known about this for about two years, if not longer," Paget said.
Indeed, HID marketing materials for its Smart Card technology notes that "by using diversified unique keys and industry standard encryption techniques, the risk of compromised data or duplicated (smart) cards is reduced," and that "these security measures are not implemented in proximity cards, giving contactless smart cards a significant security advantage."
While it's possible to make secure RFID devices that can store sensitive information, the HID proximity cards that use it are not secure, and customers who use the cards need to know that, Paget said.
"Our intent was to disseminate information so people could make informed decisions about RFID technology they're deploying. For example, whether to deploy a proximity card with a secondary factor like a biometric or PIN [personal ID number]. But we've been prevented by HID from discussing that, and we believe it's detrimental to the security community," he said.
Nicole Ozer, technology & civil liberties policy director at the ACLU of Northern California, said that the work IOActive was doing was vital and that, while the group supports the enforcement of patent law, "free speech must be protected and not "trampled by the overzealous use of patent law."
Government agencies, including the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Homeland Security, have all raised concerns about RFID security, even as they issue guidelines for using RFID in passports and other documents, she said.
"It's particularly important that the government and the public have all the information on RFID technology. The use of RFID without the proper protections could jeopardize privacy, security, and public safety," she said.
For Moss and Black Hat, which is now part of CMP, the decision by IOActive to cancel Paget's talk was a discouraging reprise of the controversy two years ago over Michael Lynn's talk in Las Vegas. Show organizers, once again ripping pages out of conference proceedings at the request of IOActive, and recalling CDs containing copies of Paget's presentation.
"We're supporting IOActive," Moss said, noting that CMP had its legal team working on behalf of IOActive to see if a solution could be reached.
"I'm not sure if it was part of HID's strategy to drop a bomb at the last minute, but it really screwed up our conference strategy," he said.


text:
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused virtually everyone involved with commercial real estate to pause and reassess their situation. For many in the industrial asset class, however, there hasn’t been time to pause as they’ve never been busier.
There’s no question that the novel coronavirus has realigned paradigms across every corner of the economic spectrum. In the industrial sector, this new reality and uncertain future has left some optimistic, others cautiously so and, unfortunately, created a bleak future for a minority.
“Overall, I’m pretty bullish about what things are going to look like on the other end of this,” said Joshua Hearne, SIOR, principal at Cawley Chicago. “I’ve been surveying different clients and the most of them tell me that 75 to 80 percent of their industrial portfolio is still in there and operating at some capacity.”
There are essentially three segments of industrial users right now: those that are thriving as a result of the pandemic, those that are treading water in anticipation of a rebound and those that simply won’t make it out of this situation in one piece.
The first group, largely made up of e-commerce and logistics firms, might be looking for some short-term expansion space right now. The second group might be asking for rent abatements or other help from their landlord.
“There are a couple groups, unfortunately, that are struggling and that might not make it to the other end of the tunnel, but I don’t think that there’s very many in that last category,” said Hearne. “Most people that I’ve talked to are pretty optimistic and can see the light at the other end.”
There is a sizable portion of the population that, until the pandemic, were late adopter to online shopping. COVID-19 forced their hand, however, and they are now getting a taste for the convenience that it brings. Once the economy recovers, these consumers may return to brick-and-mortar stores, but they likely will be new converts to e-commerce for much of their shopping.
“As strong as e-commerce was going into this, I think it’s going to be even stronger coming out of it,” Hearne said. “I think we’ve catapulted e-commerce ahead five to seven years.”
As a result, logistics firms are looking to pack in as many able-bodied workers as they safely can in six-foot increments, since they have largely seen an uptick since the beginning of the lockdown. Many without a strong e-commerce component to their business are working with limited staff or expanded shifts, but their continued activity is proof that there’s been little if any cutback in demand to move products to the consumer. For others, such as companies working in or serving the trade show, airline, restaurant and other industries, prospects are admittedly gloomier.
Cawley Chicago research indicates that industrial vacancy in the overall Chicago market rose to 6.3 percent, up from the 5.9 percent at the end of 2019. They forecast that the metro vacancy rate could stand at 6.6 percent by end of 2020, representing 85 million square feet of vacant industrial space.
There are currently 17 million square feet of industrial product now under construction in the Chicago metro. This space is currently 39.3 percent pre-leased, below the 50 percent pre-leasing rate that most developers deem a healthy ratio. However, Hearne feels that all things considered, that figure isn’t too worrisome.
“What you really want to watch is the time on market for new, speculative development. If that metric starts to linger too far without some absorption happening, that’s when there’s going to start to be an imbalance,” said Hearne. “For the past 12 to 18 months, absorption has outpaced the supply so if you start to see supply outpace the absorption, that’s when you know that’s when we start to worry a little bit.”
The majority of new spec development is, unsurprisingly, focused in the I-80 and I-55 corridors where nearly 5 million square feet across 17 buildings are now under construction. Only 28.4% of that space is pre-leased. But Hearne remains confident, even in these spec submarkets.
“Every industrial developer that I know of is still super bullish because they know that if they throw the shovel in the ground this spring, they’re not delivering until mid-2021,” Hearne said. “Between now and then, there will higher demand for e-commerce-related space.”
Lenders appear to be open to financing industrial deals at the moment. The one caveat being that—with the influx of Paycheck Protection Program requests and so many bank employees working from home—it may take longer to put a loan together.
“There is a little bit more cautionary red tape as they make sure that a borrower has a balance sheet that can support it,” said Hearne. “But overall, if it’s a stable company that they view will survive a short-term blip, then they’re not going to hesitate in providing them the funds that they need to press forward.”
Portfolio buyers are a slightly different breed. Some have delayed closing a deal in hopes that if they hold out for a month or two that they may get some sort of rebate because of the COVID-19 situation. Sellers are treading carefully too, anxious that their tenants’ financial situations—real or perceived—might shut a deal down.
“I haven’t seen a lot of packages go out for sale,” said Hearne. “They know that they if they put a portfolio on the market right now and a couple of their tenants start waffling during the process, it’s going to show a blip on the cash flow sheet.”
Acknowledging that the COVID-19 situation may cause a prolonged economic slowdown, demand for Class A industrial space is simply too strong for any enduring adverse effects. Additionally, most of the players in these arenas are institutional, so they’re very well capitalized. That’s not to say that there aren’t some jitters out there.
“Some would bend over backwards and do a deal for 25 cents to 50 cents a square foot below market with some sort of heavy free rent period up front, just to be the one to get a warm body in the door,” said Hearne.
There has been speculation that once the economy reopens and rebounds, we might see a re-shoring of manufacturing and pharmaceutical jobs. The overseas supply chain, especially with China, has become so attenuated that many corporations may opt to bring those jobs back to U.S. soil where they can better control the flow of products.
As hard and fast as pandemic countermeasures have caused dysfunction in our markets, it’s difficult to hold out hope that we aren’t at the start of another recession. But most experts remain confident that strong fundamentals are still in place and—assuming we can return relatively quickly to something approximating a normal, functioning economy—the velocity of activity we have become accustomed to the last few years may not be far off.


text: Update for April 2020. With the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is more important than ever to remember our small and local businesses. Being an old hack from the woder world, we would go to places armed with face coverings, gloves and daily medications to take for Malaria. Those are other "war stories" for another day. But … Continue reading APRIL 2020 update. Small Business Saturday ~ And there are a bunch of us small, and not so small anymore, businesses to support!


text:
SENSIO and Teranex to Demo Integration of Professional 3D Technology Into Leading Processing Platform
SENSIO® 3D Encoder and Decoder IP Cores and Teranex VC100 Universal Frame Synchronizer and Format Converter Offer Future-Proof Solution for High-Quality 3D Delivery
"SENSIO's reputation for innovation in 3D technologies is in line with our reputation for innovation in image processing, making this partnership a natural fit," said Mike Poirier, general manager of Teranex "Teranex was a key player in the transition from SD to HD, and moving on to 3D — the next wave of technological innovation — is a natural evolution for us. Our broadcast customers are looking for this technology, and we look forward to highlighting this exciting 3D solution at the 2010 NAB Show."
Professional-quality 3D technology to work with best-of-breed broadcast products
The SENSIO 3D technology is a professional grade frame-compatible stereoscopic compression technology. The SENSIO 3D encoder combines two streams, coming from any video source, into a single stream that can be transmitted throughout the existing broadcasting infrastructure for visually lossless encoding that yields outstanding results. SENSIO's 3D decoder IP core runs efficiently on Teranex's VC100 platform, taking advantage of its real-time processing technology. The dual-channel VC100 architecture is ideally suited to handle left and right eye processing and this capability enables broadcast of high-quality 3D programming on today's 1.485 Gb/s infrastructures.
Combined solution delivers immersive 3D experience – today and into future
"We are pleased that Teranex has joined the growing number of broadcast vendors that are turning to SENSIO for professional, high-quality 3D solutions," said SENSIO President and CEO Nicholas Routhier. "With ready access to our future-proof 3D technology, broadcasters can deliver an immersive 3D experience today and leverage their investment in conjunction with the 3D broadcasting infrastructure of the future."
During an event at the Bally's Hotel for the duration of the NAB Show, SENSIO will showcase its full line of 3D digital compression, decompression, and display-formatting technologies. A complete model integrating SENSIO technology within a live 3D broadcast chain will be on display at this event, which is open by appointment only. Information about visiting SENSIO at NAB is available via email at firstname.lastname@example.org.
About SENSIO Technologies Inc. (SENSIO
SENSIO Technologies Inc. (TSX.V: SIO) - With its significant expertise in the field of 3D video, SENSIO develops and markets stereoscopic 3D digital compression, decompression, and display-formatting technologies. Its solutions are deployed on a global scale by content creators, games developers, broadcasters, specialty channels, and digital cinemas, allowing customers to generate substantial additional value-added revenue streams.
SENSIO's flagship technology, SENSIO® 3D, enables the high-quality distribution of 3D content through conventional 2D broadcast channels networks (cable, satellite, and/or IPTV) and playback on any 3D display device, including plasma TVs, LED/LCD HDTVs, PCs, and glass-free 3D displays, as well as home theater and digital cinema projectors. A true multi-platform format, SENSIO® 3D is compatible with standard DVD and Blu-ray players, as well as game consoles including Xbox® and PlayStation® 3, and is the format of choice for the creation of high-profile 3D gaming experiences. SENSIO is listed on the Toronto TSX Venture Exchange.


text:
EU extends ban on selling binary options to retail clients.
- Reclaws International (Reclaws.com)
Europe’s financial regulator has said it will extend a temporary ban on speculative products popular with retail traders known as binary options, as it continues to wield its new “emergency intervention” powers.
The European Securities and Markets Authority said on Friday that it would renew a three-month “prohibition of the marketing, distribution or sale” of binaries to retail traders, which came into force in July, for another three months starting on October 2.
Binaries are leveraged bets on whether financial indices such as the price of gold or the FTSE 100 will rise or fall over a fixed period, sometimes as brief as 30 seconds. The initial ban constituted Esma’s first use of emergency “product intervention” powers, afforded to it in January under new MiFID II markets rules.
The continent-wide move came as concern grew that big losses were being incurred on complex products, which are typically marketed online as “get-rich-quick” schemes, while police have uncovered numerous scams linked to them.
Still, some have questioned whether the ban is an appropriate use of its new Mifid powers. But Esma said on Friday that it “considers that a significant investor protection concern related to the offer of binary options to retail clients continues to exist”.
As part of a broader clampdown on the online trading industry, Esma has also introduced restrictions on similar products known as contracts-for-difference, including curbs on the number of leverage providers can offer to retail customers. Those rules came into force in August and Esma is yet to state whether it will renew them from November.
Data show that between 74 and 89 percent of European retail accounts trading CFDs tend to lose money, with losses ranging between €1,600 and €29,000. Similar data is not available for binaries.
The regulatory crackdown is expected to hurt the profitability of large listed online trading platforms such as IG Group and CMC Markets, but also the wealth of smaller private operators that have sprung up across Europe.
However, the watchdog said on Friday that it had decided to exclude from the scope of the ban two types of binary product that was “less likely to lead to a significant investor protection concern”. These are longer-term binaries with a prospectus that are fully hedged by their provider, or binaries where the potential payout is at least equal to the initial investment.
Esma has the power to renew its three-month ban again if it feels national regulators have not taken sufficient action to protect investors.
Jake Green, the financial regulatory partner at law firm Ashurst, said: “This was expected and the CFD measures will surely follow suit. The industry will be seeing what attempt, if any, is made to make such a ban permanent.”
Separately, both Google and Facebook announced bans on adverts for binaries earlier this year.


text:
The Foxconn Technology Group's factory in southern China has been plagued by suicides in recent months. A young man who jumped to his death late Wednesday became the 10th person at the Shenzhen factory--and the 11th Foxconn worker--to commit suicide this year. His death came just after Foxconn's chairman led a media tour of the factory.
The Chinese factory is one of Apple's "main manufacturer contractors," and in addition to churning out iPods, iPhones, and iPads, the factory also supplies Intel, Dell, Sony, Nokia, and HP, among other firms.
The Associated Press writes of Foxconn's labor practices: "Labor activists have long said that Foxconn's problem was a rigid management style on factory floors, where the assembly line moved too fast and workers were forced to log too much overtime. Foxconn has repeatedly denied the allegations."
The company plans to institute new measures it hopes will prevent additional employee deaths. In addition to installing safety nets on Foxconn buildings, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou said more counselors would be hired, and explained that "employees were being divided up into 50-member groups, whose members would watch for signs of emotional trouble within their group." The Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday that the factory had also asked their employees to sign a "no suicide" pledge."
See pictures of the Foxconn factory in the slideshow below. Read more about the most recent tragic death here.


text:
International celebrities and Cuban bigwigs have graced the red carpet in Havana as the French fashion house Chanel staged its first Latin American catwalk show.
Karl Lagerfeld’s latest collection was infused with the styles and colours of the Caribbean island.
Cubans without an invitation to the exclusive event packed the balconies of old Havana or lined the police cordon outside, straining to catch a glimpse.
“What a sight. But I would have liked to be closer to the models,” said 52-year-old Mireya Correoso, who said she had never seen so much luxury and showbiz in one place.
Karl Lagerfeld greets models at the event in Havana. Photograph: Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images
It was the latest in a stream of international cultural events on the communist island as it opens up its diplomatic and commercial relations.
“The world is finally opening up to Cuba. Everyone wants to come and taste the forbidden fruit. Everyone wants to discover it, savour it, enjoy it, explore it,” said Mariela Castro, the daughter of the president, Raúl Castro, and a prominent gay-rights activist on the island.
Other high-profile people attending included the Hollywood stars Vin Diesel, Tilda Swinton and Geraldine Chaplin. Diesel is in town shooting the latest Fast and Furious action movie.
Last month the Rolling Stones played a concert in Cuba, after a visit by the US president, Barack Obama.
Obama and Castro’s December 2014 announcement of a rapprochement between their two countries has kindled new interest in Cuba, long isolated by a US embargo and its status as one of the last bastions of communism.
In announcing the show, Chanel said: “The cultural richness and the opening up of Cuba to the world have turned it into a source of inspiration.”
The show took place on an open-air catwalk on the Paseo del Prado, a long seaside boulevard in a scruffy neighbourhood that got a makeover for the occasion.
The half-hour show ended with a brief appearance by the German designer, dressed in his trademark gloves and a sequin jacket, who received a burst of applause and conga drums.
Speaking before the show, the local designer Idania del Rio said: “I think that catwalk is going to be more for Chanel than for Cuba. I don’t know whether the people here in Cuba are ready for this type of product.”
Nevertheless, as a fashion designer she was curious: “I want to see what $40,000 clothing looks like,” she said.
Afterwards, the 33-year-old was not entirely impressed: “It was very interesting and maybe too nostalgic. A lot of Cuban cigars, colours and hats from another era. It represented a Cuba that doesn’t interest me right now, because today’s Cuba is another, more contemporary Cuba.”
A model takes part in the Chanel show in Cuba. Photograph: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters
For years, the communist principles that ruled in Cuba after Fidel Castro won power in the 1959 revolution insisted on equality, even in clothing. Foreign brands were not available until the 1990s, when the market started to open up gradually.
Cuba entered a crisis after the Soviet Union, which had financially supported its communist government, fell in 1991. Cubans had to wear imported second-hand clothes from state-run stores. Authorities called it “recycled clothing” but ordinary Cubans referred to their trips to the official shops as “rag-shopping”.
With its cabarets and casinos frequented by US film stars and gangsters, pre-revolutionary Cuba had a thriving fashion scene. The end of the Soviet era encouraged a rebirth.
The future of fashion will depend on if and when US politicians end the 54-year-old embargo – still in place despite the diplomatic thaw.
“When we become a normal country, without the embargo, we will be leaders of fashion,” said Cuba’s best-known living designer, Raúl Castillo.


text:
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the results of its 2022 Global Passenger Survey (GPS). The results are based on over 10,000 responses from 222 countries and provide insights into what passengers are looking for from their air travel experiences.
This year’s results showed that after the pandemic, travellers are focused on making their journeys as easy as possible.
“Travel during Covid-19 was complex, cumbersome and time consuming due to government-imposed travel requirements. Post-pandemic, passengers want improved convenience throughout their trip. Digitalisation and use of biometrics to speed up the travel journey is the key,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security.
Planning and booking travel preferences
From the very first stage of the organising a trip, customers want convenience. Whether that’s choosing where to depart from, how to make their payments or how to offset carbon emissions, the survey revealed ease is key.
Proximity to the airport was passengers’ main priority when choosing where to fly from (75 per cent); it was even more important than ticket price (39 per cent).
Travellers were satisfied with being able to pay with their preferred payment method, which was available for 82 per cent of customers. However, having access to planning and booking information in one place was identified as the most important aspect of trip organisation.
Eighteen per cent of passengers said they offset their carbon emissions, with the main reason for others not doing it was because they were unaware of the option (36 per cent).
“Today’s travellers expect the same online experience as they get from major retailers like Amazon. Airline retailing is driving the response to these needs. It enables airlines to present their full offer to travellers. And that puts the passenger in control of their travel experience with the ability to choose the travel options that they want with convenient payment options,” said Muhammad Albakri, IATA Senior Vice President Financial Settlement and Distribution Services.
Travel facilitation means data sharing
IATA’s survey showed that most travellers are willing to share their immigration and visa information to make processing easier.
Thirty-seven per cent of travellers said they have been discouraged from travelling to certain destinations because of the immigration requirements. The complexity of the process was the main deterrent for 65 per cent of travellers, while 12 per cent said it was because of costs, and eight per cent because of the time it takes.
The majority of passengers (83 per cent) said they would share their immigration information to speed up the airport arrivals process. This figure is down from the 88 per cent recorded in 2021.
In terms of visas, 66 per cent of travellers would like to obtain a visa online before travelling, 20 per cent prefer to go to the consulate or embassy, and 14 per cent the airport.
“Travellers have told us that barriers to travel remain. Countries with complex visa procedures are losing the economic benefits that these travellers bring. Where countries have removed visa requirements, tourism and travel economies have thrived. And for countries requiring certain categories of travellers to get visas, taking advantage of traveller willingness to use online processes and share information in advance would be a win-win solution,” said Careen.
Airport processes rely on technology
Passengers are willing to use new technologies and processes to make their airport experience more convenient, even before they arrive for their flight.
Forty-four per cent of travellers identified check in as their highest priority for off-airport processing. Immigration procedures were the second more popular with 32 per cent, then baggage. Also, 93 per cent of passengers are interested in a special scheme for trusted travellers – who have completed background checks – to expedite security screening.
In terms of baggage handling, 67 per cent would be interested in home pick up and delivery, and 73 per cent would like remote check-in options. Eighty per cent of passengers also said they were more likely to check a bag if they could monitor it throughout the journey and 50 per cent said they have or would use an electronic bag tag.
Seventy-five per cent of passengers said they want to use biometric data instead of passports and boarding passes when they travel. Over a third have already used this technology before, with it gaining an 88 per cent satisfaction rate. However, data protection is still a concern for approximately half of travellers.
“Passengers clearly see technology as key to improving the convenience of airport processes. They want to arrive at the airport ready-to-fly, get through the airport at both ends of their journey more quickly using biometrics and know where their baggage is at all times. The technology exists to support this ideal experience. But we need cooperation across the value chain and with governments to make it happen. And we need to continuously reassure passengers that the data needed to support such an experience will be safely kept,” said Careen.
Understanding customer preferences is key when passenger levels are getting ever closer to pre-pandemic levels.


text:
John Flatley firm offers free rent to high-tech startup companyBy MARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader
September 18. 2013 9:36PM
The owner of a Nashua technology park is offering a year of free rent to a high-tech startup company with the most promising business plan.
The winner will get up to 5,000 square feet of free space in Gateway Hills, the business-residential-commercial park that John Flatley Company is building out of the former Digital campus in south Nashua.
“They’re on their own after that; we just help them get started,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, spokesman for John Flatley Company. Of course, Gateway Hills hopes the company will succeed and grow while staying at the technology park.
The company said the offer includes $10,000 in fit-up costs.
And the winner will be able to recharge his or her entrepreneurial juices by working alongside some 30 tech companies, including Dell, Aspen Technology and Skillsoft.
“Working within a master-planned technology campus with other like-minded companies has been extremely beneficial for our growth and our employees’ productivity,” said Peter Vicars, chief-executive of VGO Communications. VGO was one of two companies to win last year’s Flatley Challenge, the company’s first.
VGO is a robot-like device that allows sick schoolchildren to participate in classes remotely.
The contest calls for applications to be submitted by Oct. 31. The applications must include portions of the company’s business plan, projected financial resources and growth potential for the next three to five years.
Finalists will interview with Massachusetts-based John J. Flatley, who owns Gateway Hills, and other members of his executive team, McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said Gateway Hills has about 30 tenants in its Nashua Technology Park and six in an associated Nashua Office Park.
The Gateway Hills website says it has 1.5 million square feet of commercial space, but McLaughlin said some of that is being developed.
The development also includes 450 luxury apartments and a 35,000-square-foot retail center at the development’s entrance off Spit Brook Road.


text:
The latest Buckinghamshire Business Barometer survey reveals surging business costs affecting a majority of local businesses, who are seeing worsening trading conditions over time.
The survey results suggest that the second quarter of 2022 was a negative one for many businesses, with worsening trading conditions and business performance, undoing some of the progress achieved following the end of Covid restrictions.
What were the results of the survey?
Responses to the survey – conducted by Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Buckinghamshire Business First – related to the second quarter of 2022 (April – June).
The Business Barometer survey asked Buckinghamshire businesses about areas where they are seeing rising business costs, and their severity.
All businesses that responded to the survey experienced a rise in business costs in at least one of the 13 areas identified*. More than half (57%) experienced surging business costs in at least six or more different areas.
*Energy; good/materials; transportation (within the UK); staff wages; increased red tape; staff training; prices of goods and services imported; recruitment; debt repayment; extra tariffs or taxes; transportation (importing goods and services); changing supply chains; setting up EU subsidiaries.
Where are businesses feeling cost increases most?
Cost increases were seen particularly in energy (90% of respondents) and goods/materials (81%), which, for the majority of respondents, translates into businesses passing on price increases to their customers and clients.
There is clear intent for a significant number of businesses to implement long-term price increases (12 months or longer).
Other areas of increased costs include:
- Transportation (within the UK) - 73%
- Staff wages - 61%
- Increased red tape- 42%
- Staff training – 42%
- Prices of goods and services imported – 39%**
**A significant contrast was seen between the proportion of respondents that did (39%) and did not (3%) experience increased business costs related to the prices of goods and services imported, likely due to a combination of factors including Brexit, ongoing supply chain issues and the relatively more recent weak value of the pound making imports more expensive for UK businesses.
Cost increases are often large increases
More than half (61%) of respondents experienced a "large increase" in energy costs. This is considerably higher than the 19% of respondents in Quarter 3 (July to September) 2021 that reported a large increase in energy costs.
Large cost increases were also reported for:
- Goods/materials (17% in Q3 2021 to 43% in Q2 2022)
- Transportation within the UK (9% to 30%)
- Staff wages (7% to 18%)
The impact of Brexit on increasing business costs
The UK’s departure from the EU has contributed to increased business costs to an extent in areas such as increased red tape (42%), extra tariffs or taxes (31%), transportation (importing and exporting goods) (25%), changing supply chains (24%), and setting up EU subsidiaries (7%).
Debt repayments have also increased for just over a third (34%) of respondents. As a proportion of turnover, and for the majority of respondents that have debt repayments, it sits below 20% of their turnover.
A smaller proportion of respondents said debt repayments were between 20% and 50% of turnover (6%), along with those reporting between 50% and 100% of turnover (3%).
When factoring in the increased severity of other business costs for the majority of businesses, debt repayments could become a more concerning issue, particularly if interest rates continue to rise.
What are business’s future plans?
The Barometer also asked Buckinghamshire businesses what their plans are for the next three months. Responses given contrasted with the encouraging improvements shown for the previous quarter, reflecting the current uncertainty for businesses.
For instance, just over half (55%) of respondents intended to invest in marketing/advertising over the next three months, down from 76% in the previous quarter.
Just over a third (34%) of respondents intended to increase their headcount over the next three months, down from 53% in the previous quarter.
An increasing number of businesses were planning to decrease their headcount (10%). This is up from 3% of respondents in the previous quarter.
Similar negative changes are reported across the majority of areas, including a big drop in the proportion of businesses intending to invest in equipment and machinery (24% - down from 48% in the previous quarter).
See the full findings
Full findings from the Buckinghamshire Business Barometer survey for the second quarter of 2022 can be found on the Buckinghamshire Economic Intelligence Observatory.
Help is at hand for businesses
Philippa Batting, Managing Director, Buckinghamshire Business First, said: “The Business Barometer results help us ensure effective support is in place to support our business community in these economically challenging times. Help is at hand for businesses that are experiencing tough trading conditions with our broad range of business support packages, grant funding and advice.”
Representing more than 40% of the county’s businesses, and more than 70% of the county’s private sector employees, Buckinghamshire Business First provides its 14,000 members with knowledge, support and opportunities for growth, which in the current economic climate is needed more than ever.
To speak to our Business Support Team, please email email@example.com or call 01494 927130.
James Moorhouse, Economic & Labour Market Analyst at Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “As with each Business Barometer survey, the aim is to know how businesses have fared in the last few months in order to help build a picture of the needs and opportunities that exist in the Buckinghamshire business community. This valuable insight into the local economy is fed into our conversations with Government and other stakeholders to ensure the voice of Buckinghamshire’s firms is being heard nationally.”
Full findings from the Barometer survey for the second quarter of 2022 can be found on the Buckinghamshire Economic Intelligence Observatory.
The Buckinghamshire Business Barometer is a quarterly survey of Buckinghamshire businesses run by Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Buckinghamshire Business First.


text:
Drones for civilian use have become increasingly sophisticated – and cheap. Drone clubs are sprouting all over the country, featuring swaps, parts, kits, and knowledge sharing.
previously considered expensive, today drones for as little as $50 can perform sophisticated flying manuvers while shooting high definition video of the ground.
On interesting consumer drone, selling for under $20 is the CX-10. This Quadcopter is small, fast and incredibly precise in flight.
If THIS is what consumers can get today from China for $20, imagine what our government has in the works. No doubt, we will be seeing swarms of these, with an attitude.


text:
KISSIMMEE, Fla., October 22, 2007 – The expanded operating hours at Kissimmee Utility Authority begin today.
The utility’s customer service center and call center are now open from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday-Friday. This expands by 90 minutes the daily hours of operation.
The expanded hours are part of a plan announced by the utility in September to ensure continued high levels of customer service during a period of unprecedented customer growth.
Customers wishing to make a bill payment can also do so through the utility’s automated telephone service (407-933-7777), online at www.kua.com or at a Vcom kiosk at any area 7-Eleven convenience store.
Founded in 1901, KUA (www.kua.com) is Florida’s sixth largest community-owned utility providing electric and telecommunication services to 170,000 residents in five Central Florida counties.
# # #
Chris M. Gent


text:
Apple has emerged victorious in a potential $1 billion antitrust lawsuit against it -- and it only took a few hours to get a verdict. iPod users brought the suit against Apple, alleging iTunes software updates worked to block competitors' music.
A federal jury in Oakland, California, sided with Apple after a quick deliberation. Some newspapers reported the jury was out three hours and others reported four hours. Either way, Apple defended itself well and put the kibosh on damages, which could have ranged from $351 million to more than $1 billion paid to consumers who bought iPods between September 2006 and March 2009.
"We thank the jury for their service and we applaud their verdict," Apple said in a statement. "We created iPod and iTunes to give our customers the world's best way to listen to music. Every time we've updated those products -- and every Apple product over the years -- we've done it to make the user experience even better."
Plaintiffs' Case Misses the Mark
The lawsuit against Apple claimed the company violated both federal and state laws with a 2006 software update for its iPod. That software, the plaintiffs argued, blocked iPods from playing songs users hadn't purchased on Apple's iTunes platform. The plaintiffs also argued that the prohibition paved the way for Apple to push prices up on future iPod models.
The trial in the U.S. District Court in Oakland lasted two weeks. Apple's attorneys argued that the allegedly restrictive software update, iTunes 7.0, improved the iPod experience for consumers and did not affect iPod prices. Eight jurors agreed that Apple's update was a "genuine product development," the Los Angeles Times reported. And that settled it, at least for now.
"I think the jury had a really tough decision," Patrick Coughlin, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the Times. "We at least got the case to a jury and we hoped for a different result, but you have to always respect the jury process."
Coughlin told Bloomberg News that the judge had narrowed the focus of which product enhancements to consider in a case involving Microsoft. He explained that Redmond was found to have violated antitrust law by bundling its Internet Explorer Web browser with the Windows 95 operating system without consideration of other product improvements.
'Waste of Money'
As part of the trial, the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs offered video testimony recorded before he passed away. The recording was taped in April 2011, just months before his death. A transcript of the 27-minute deposition was made public earlier in December.
In the deposition, Jobs said he was "very scared" about failing to comply with the record labels' terms, which demanded iTunes carry digital rights management (DRM) protections. He explained that hackers typically found ways around DRM. The iTunes updates, he indicated, often aimed to patch DRM holes.
Jobs has had his last word, but Coughlin has not. The attorney for the plaintiffs plans to file an appeal.
We caught up with Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, to get his take on the case. He told us Apple likely should have lost because a service called
Music Match was forced out of business by the behavior the plaintiffs cited.
"However, the plaintiffs were also very inexperienced and didn't even have anyone on their side who had actually experienced the problem suggesting the case should have been thrown out," Enderle said.
"I think Apple let it go through so that they would have a win they could use to prevent anyone else from bringing a similar case. Apple has an excellent legal team and you won't win against them, even if the law is on your side, if you don't bring your A game. The plaintiff's didn't even bring their C game. It was a total waste of money as a result."
Image credit: Apple; iStock/Artist's concept.


text:
Fascination of Plants Day 2022
Fascination of Plants Day is back and is happening this month - 18th May !
The sixth international “Fascination of Plants Day” will take place on May 18th 2022. This will be launched by Plant Scientists across the world under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO). The aim of this day is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the importance of plant science research for agriculture and sustainable production of nutritious food, climate, as well as for horticulture, forestry and the production of plant-based non-food products such as paper, timber, chemicals, energy and pharmaceuticals.
UCC will mark this day by having an open day in the School of Biological Earth and Environmental Science, North Mall Campus, Distillery Fields, Cork, showcasing the research that UCC Plant Scientists are engaged in. In addition, with support from the UCC Living Lab Project, the University Urban Farm Project will be launched. This is the first University Urban Farm in Europe using this type of technology. The Urban Farm is exploring the potential of vertical aeroponic technology (Tower Farms) for growing plants with a lower carbon footprint, using less water and a lot less land. The event will kick off at midday and will run until 5pm on 18th May on Distillery Fields site . We will also have Tomas Quigley, Beekeeper, on site talking to us about the honey being produced on the North Mall Campus. We are looking forward to welcoming all ages. No need to book this free event in advance.
The Fascination of Plants Day will culminate in an "An evening with the trees of UCC Arboretum". Take a stroll through this important collection taking in their history, beauty and vast benefits. Book your place on the tour at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/319712577927


text:
Apple drops doorbell category from its HomeKit accessories page
sincity - Jul 18 2018 10:33 PM
Redswitches.com | 100TB | 1Gbps | X3440 | E3-1230 | E5620 | Starts EUR 50 | ORDER NOW |
Rs-Calvin - Jul 18 2018 11:56 AM
What are the places in Russia that are worth visiting?
Browdman - Jul 18 2018 06:44 AM
The best Amazon Prime Day deals 2018 in the US, ranked
sincity - Jul 17 2018 11:01 PM
The group known as Anonymous said Saturday it hacked into some 70 mostly rural law enforcement websites in the United States, a data breach that at least one local police chief said leaked sensitive information about an ongoing investigation. The loos...
Coop Norway has announced it is to stop carrying 51 gaming brands and toys previously available to customers, after the horrific events in Oslo and on Utøya, including games CoD4: Modern Warfare and World of Warcraft – titles which the perpetrator Ande...
BERLIN/HAMBURG (Reuters) – German ministers on Wednesday defended their response to the E.coli outbreak that has killed 24 people and signaled possible changes in the way the country handles health crises in the future. The German government has been...


text:
Do you have errors on a credit report or background report? We help consumers with false information on credit reports and background reports. Call 800-263-9091 24/7 for free case review.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals recently entered its long awaited decision on the called party issue under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The 11th Circuit held the called party is the subscriber of the phone number called by the defendant. Facts: Appellee claims Wells Fargo made multiple calls to her cell phone using … Continue reading 11th CIRCUIT RULES ON TELEPHONE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT (TCPA)
IDENTITY THEFT NEWS - WEEKLY UPDATE Here are some of the top identity theft stories from around the country. Identity theft among children on the rise: How to keep your kids safe New York Daily News By Rheana Murray / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Experts say identity theft is a growing concern not only for … Continue reading TOP IDENTITY THEFT STORIES – WEEKLY UPDATE


text:
Updated: 2016-02-05 08:05
By Andrew Moody(China Daily Europe)
Alibaba set to use huge war chest to again splash out on acquisitions this year amid some concerns over diversification
There are few greater success stories in China than Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba.
The 51-year-old former English lecturer rose to be China's richest man in only a decade.
And although he was relegated to second behind property magnate Wang Jianlin, president of Dalian Wanda Group, on the Forbes 2015 rich list published in October, his personal wealth still amounted to a hefty $21.4 billion (19.7 billion euros).
Virtually everyone in China at some time has used the company's Taobao retail platform - China's equivalent of eBay and described by The Economist magazine as "the world's greatest bazaar".
On Singles Day, Nov 11, the company attracted some 115 million buyers to its platforms, which also include Tmall, generating sales of $14.3 billion.
The scale of the company was perhaps best reflected when it pulled off the largest IPO in US stock market history when it listed on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2014, raising $21.8 billion.
Jeffrey Towson, professor of investment at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management, says Ma is foremost in a generation of Chinese entrepreneurs, including Robin Li at China's Internet search engine Baidu and Martin Lau, president of Tencent, the company behind WeChat, China's hugely successfully instant messaging service, that have real ambitions to take on the world.
"The leaders of China's Internet companies are highly aggressive and highly competitive. They are seasoned entrepreneurs and risk takers in their prime," he says.
Alibaba, however, perhaps now faces more challenging times with the slowing Chinese economy affecting its performance.
While its fourth quarter financial results announced on Jan 28 revealed that the value of products sold on its platform had risen a respectful 23 percent year-on-year to 964 billion yuan ($147 billion; 135 billion euros), they were also down on the 28 percent rise in the previous quarter. This led to the company's shares dropping 3.7 percent as the New York market opened.
Maggie Wu, chief financial officer of Alibaba group, remained bullish, however, saying the company's performance remained "excellent".
"We achieved impressive revenue growth as we are increasingly monetizing the user activity on our marketplaces, particularly on mobile devices," she said.
Gil Luria, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, put the slowdown in Alibaba's sales to the wider factor of the Chinese economy easing.
"The reality is, from these numbers we see Chinese consumer spending is slowing as well," he told Bloomberg.
Alibaba also faces the imminent prospect of the e-commerce market in China reaching greater maturity with less scope for the almost exponential growth of recent years.
It is set to grow at only 16 percent per annum in 2018, according to Iresearch, the Beijing-based consultancy, compared to 70 percent in 2011.
This is likely to prove something of a wakeup call not just for Alibaba but the whole e-commerce sector in China.
Ma, who remains an iconic figure in the world's second-largest economy and a role model for many would-be entrepreneurs, has embarked on a courageous diversification strategy to offset slowing sales growth.
Since its IPO, it has been on something of a spending spree. It has acquired many businesses away from its Internet core, moving into finance, entertainment, big data, logistics and healthcare.
It even bought a 50 percent stake in the Chinese football club Guangzhou Evergrande in 2014.
The latest move to grab the headlines was in December when it bought the South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong newspaper, for $266 million.
The move echoed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' 2012 acquisition of the Washington Post, although he made the investment privately and not through his company.
Many media commentators certainly have also highlighted the fact that the company's shares, after hitting a high of $120 shortly after the float, are now trading just below the IPO initial price of $68.
What has been concerning some investors is whether its diversification strategy is logical.
Some argue the group would be better served paying more attention to and investing in its flagship retail platforms.
Comparisons are made between Alibaba and its great Chinese Internet rival Tencent - founded by Ma Huateng and Zhang Zhiding in 1998 and now also spearheaded by Lau.
It has consistently focused on its core activities and, in particular, WeChat, which was launched in 2011 as China's answer to WhatsApp and now has 650 million active users.
Baidu has also hired Andrew Ng, who was once head of Google Brain, as its chief scientist to lead its research and development operations into the development of artificial intelligence in Beijing and San Francisco.
"I just don't think it is a great option for Alibaba. If you look at its Taobao core business, it is not growing as fast as before. How much can Alibaba gain from innovation? It is best going into other areas from which it can generate faster returns," says Lin Chen, assistant professor of marketing at China Europe Business School, or CEIBS, in Shanghai.
"Baidu is really investing a lot of time in artificial intelligence which is great. It is what US companies are doing right now but it is not a mature technology and, as such, it cannot be monetized right now."
Alibaba is unlikely to let up on its diversification strategy. According to analysts BNP Paribas, the company could even step on the accelerator.
It predicts the company has a potential war chest for acquisitions of some $38 billion in 2016, two-a-half times the $15 billion it spent in 2015.
Towson, also co-author of the best-selling The One Hour China Book, says Alibaba's love of dealmaking is partly driven by a need to gain greater scale.
"If your competitor becomes twice your size, you are likely at risk and just growing organically will not be enough. So Alibaba's activity is driven by a race to achieve size. This can often lead to competitive panic."
Qiu Lingyun, associate professor of management information systems at Guanghua School of Management, believes many misunderstand the logic of Alibaba's recent strategy.
"By these acquisitions they are actually investing in their core business. Their core competency is actually running a huge platform, which has now accumulated a huge amount of consumer data," he says.
"They need to find all kinds of ways to monetize this consumer intelligence. Many of its acquisitions are consumer orientated like online video, online gaming or what have you. So long as they are doing this, you can still say they are investing in their core business."
Wang Qing, professor of marketing and innovation at Warwick Business School in the UK, insists Alibaba is just taking advantage derived from freer regulation in China than in the US and Europe.
"They see what Alibaba is doing as risk and not an opportunity. What they often fail to appreciate is that antitrust regulation is not as well established in China as it is in the United States and Europe," she says.
"Amazon, for instance, would not be able to operate the way Alibaba has done because it would come across legislative barriers when making acquisitions."
Wang believes that is why it is wrong to compare China's so-called BAT (Baidu, the Chinese search engine giant, Alibaba and Tencent) companies with the Silicon Valley pioneering giants that emerged in the 1990s.
"The likes of Facebook and Google might have been groundbreaking in themselves but they emerged in a Western business environment that was quite well established. The Chinese firms have developed rapidly in an environment which in itself was very fluid and dynamic."
Max von Zedtwitz, the San Francisco-based managing director of Glorad, a partly Shanghai-based research center and think tank which specializes in innovation, says there are always risks for a company like Alibaba, which was something of a first innovator in China.
He says you have only got to look at Yahoo, which paradoxically still owns a 15 percent stake in Alibaba despite recent attempts to spin it off. The company was the leading search engine when the Internet took off in the 1990s but was largely swept aside by Google after it came on the scene in 1998.
"Perhaps the same thing might happen to some of these first wave Chinese companies like Alibaba. It might not have a big future at all. How many companies are able to maintain their leadership position over many decades? Certainly, very few Western companies have been able to do this," he says.
"We weren't talking about Alibaba 10 years ago and we might not be talking about Alibaba in a decade's time either. It may just be a temporary phenomenon."
But Towson thinks any doomsday scenario for Alibaba is unlikely.
"I think it has such a powerful competitive advantage with its e-commerce business. The economics of c2c (consumer-to-consumer) and b2c (business-to-consumer commerce) tend to naturally lead to one or two dominant players, like eBay and Amazon in the US. Yahoo never had such competitive protections in its business."
Qui at Guanghua says many people who pass judgment on Alibaba misunderstand the challenges it faces in what is a very unique China market. "The China market is way bigger than that of the US and it is also very diversified. You have people from rural areas who are very price sensitive and you also have those from the post-1990s generation who are looking for customized products," he says.
"It would be a difficult challenge for any company to serve so many needs."


text:
One of the biggest hits for one of the biggest bands of the eighties, ‘Rio’ is also a hit for four Duran Duran fans who will follow their idols across the UK on their sell-out tour.
To mark Duran Duran’s comeback tour and to fulfil the chance of a lifetime fans and friends: Alison Hughes-White (36, Birmingham), Karen Whittaker (35, Birmingham), Irene Turner (36, Isle of Wight) and Shruti Thakore (34, London) bought tickets to every one of their UK gigs and from 11 April can be spotted following the tour in a Silver Kia Rio, plated Rio LX.
Alison Hughes-White said: "We are huge fans of Duran Duran and because of the Kia Rio’s connection with one of their biggest hits we had our hearts set on following the tour in one so we approached Kia who kindly agreed to support us. The Rio is also reliable, economical and spacious accommodating all four of us plus luggage."
The four friends met online in the Duran Duran fanclub (www.duranduran.co.uk ) and between them have attended every UK gig as well as travelled to the USA to watch them play.
In addition to supporting Alison and friends, Kia is also running a national advertising campaign under the heading ‘Her name is Rio and she’s under seven grand’ which promotes the current £1,000 cash back offer. Competitions offering listeners the chance to win a Rio will also run on a selection of regional radio stations while dealerships across the country will be holding 80s nights to celebrate the introduction of CD players as standard across the range.
This is a 17-year+ news article, from our Kia archive, which dates back to the year 2000.
If in doubt check with your local Kia dealer as car prices and technical data will have changed since 2004.
Although our car news is published in good faith, we cannot guarantee it to be error free or complete or up-to-date.
Kia Rio Images may not be UK specification cars. Colours and exterior and/or interior elements may differ from actual models.
The car news and images remain the copyright of the rights holder and may not be used without their consent.


text:
Indonesia’s Go-Jek Acquires Philippine-Based Crypto Wallet
Indonesia’s leading ride-sharing firm Go-Jek has partnered Philippine crypto wallet Coins.ph, with the Indonesian firm making a “substantial investment” in the payments platform.
Concerns over ownership had prevented Go-Jek from making an entry into the Philippines market. However, that has changed with the January 18 announcement of their partnership.
Go-Jek acquires Coins.ph
According to local news outlets, Go-Jek has acquired the majority stake in Coins.ph, with reports putting the investment at $72 million. It is the company’s largest investment to date.
Go-Jek launched its services in 2011 and has grown into a sizable business attracting more than 5 million Indonesians. The company has reportedly been processing more than 6 million transactions monthly.
Philippine Fintech Coins.ph launched operations in 2014, with $10 million invested so far via contributions from two venture efforts and two funding rounds.
Go-Jek says that the partnership will offer Coins.ph an opportunity to continue its growth efforts as the crypto exchange strives to “meet the financial needs of all Filipinos.”
Users can access the exchange platform to purchase Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Ethereum (ETH) as well as use crypto to settle various online payments like bills.
Coins.ph CEO and co-founder Ron Hose noted that the crypto wallet was in the process of initiating new funding round when the Go-Jek opportunity appeared. The company, which is developing its exchange platform, will now benefit from its collaboration with the Indonesian firm’s payments unit Go-Pay.
Hose explained that the acquisition presents them with a chance to “showcase the success of Philippine startups,” adding that:
“In just a few years, our team has been able to build a scalable service extending financial services to millions of Filipinos.”
Go-Pay launched its services in 2016 and has seen significant growth since currently accounting for more than half of all Go-Jek transactions. Per the Manila Standard report, Coins.ph will continue its normal operations even after the deal closes.
The founder and CEO of Go-Jek Nadiem Makarim said that the partnership marked the beginning of the company’s “long-term commitment to the Philippines” as it continues its mission of using technology to improve lives.
Go-Jek finding it tough to penetrate the Philippine market
Go-Jek is backed by tech giants Tencent and Google, an aspect that could see it go on to conquer the Southeast Asia market.
However, while it has acquired a majority stake in Coins.ph, its efforts to penetrate the Philippines’ ride-sharing market have, for a long time, been limited by ownership-related issues.
A couple of weeks ago, Philippines regulator – the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) – rejected an application for a ride-hailing permit by Velox Technology a subsidiary of Go-Jek.
According to Martin Delgra, the LTFRB chairman, the Velox application failed to “meet the citizenship requirement and the application was not verified in accordance with our rules.”
The Filipino regulatory body has stated that Go-Jek fully owns it Velox subsidiary, whose application for a permit was filed in August. That was just before a change in regulation introduced a limit to foreign ownership in ride-hailing services to 40 percent.
What is more, the Philippines Department of Transportation has moved to limit the number of vehicles that can register for ride-sharing services to 65,000.
As Go-Jek looks to enter the competitive market, over 37,000 of these vehicles are already registered by eight firms.
Disclaimer: This is not investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile assets and are very risky investments. Do your research and consult an investment professional before investing. Never invest more than you can afford to lose. Never borrow money to invest in cryptocurrencies.


text:
It’s been more less an open secret that Ford is hard at work on a new Shelby GT500; prototypes wearing varying amounts of camouflage have been spotted multiple times in the wild over the last year But most of the motoring world was operating under the assumption that the new GT500 would be a 2018 model year vehicle, not a 2017 model. That model year suggests the new car will be arriving fairly soon…which we’ll touch more on in a second.
Full article: https://goo.gl/frkF9K
TopSpeed’s Top 5 Modern Muscle Cars That Could Use All-Wheel Drive
Welp, the seal is now officially broken: muscle cars can come equipped with AWD. So says Dodge, which, in case you haven’t heard, just introduced the Challenger GT, a V-6 motivated lead sled doling out over 300 horsepower to each of its four corners. “Blasphemy!” the muscle car faithful cry in protest. “What’s the point?” Truth is, AWD is the drivetrain du jour these days, especially amongst performance applications. As power levels rise, the tires need to call in reinforcements to put it all down. Not only that, but folks want a car that can do everything, including navigating slippery stretches of tarmac.
Full article: https://goo.gl/fRQQj8
Ford’s Latest Mustang Race Car: Shelby FP350S
There are many kinds of tiers in life when it comes to products and services. Some of the higher end products would require you to pay through your nose in order to achieve that kind of level which very few will be able to enjoy. However, majority of us would be on the lookout for something that is on the middle ground, offering as much bang for our hard earned buck as possible. If you have dreamed about owning an all American muscle car such as the Ford Mustang, what are your options? Should the new Mustang GT4 remain out of your budget’s reach, fret not. Ford has an alternative that is easier on your wallet, and yet packs quite a punch in terms of performance: the entry level Mustang race car known as the Shelby FP350S.
Full article: https://goo.gl/fBY4sW
6 Cars That Lied About Their Power Outputs
For various reasons, manufacturers are sometimes a little conservative with their power figures. Here are six cars that are a lot more powerful that stated…
Full article: https://goo.gl/RuatJc
The post Did Google Just Give Away the 2017 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500? appeared first on Muscle Car Fan.


text:
Popular Albany Japanese restaurant is expanding and just opened a brand new location in the Capital Region.
Kuma Ani is a well-established restaurant on New Scotland Ave in Albany and has been for the past five years. Now, they’ve just opened their next location on Wolf Rd in Colonie which the Times Union says focuses on “Japanese ramen and Chinese ban mein (noodle bowls) and Japanese donburi (rice bowls), plus assorted Asian appetizers.”
You can also experience Kuma Ani at their Crossgates Mall and Empire State Plaza locations. Though smaller, this Wolf Rd location menu does offer quite a few different options, including choices for vegetarians. They’re already open and plan on being open 11:00am-10:00pm Monday through Saturday and 12:00pm-9:00pm on Sunday.


text:
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is celebrating 50 years and for this, it has teamed up with Restaurant Brands International to commemorate the restaurant’s 50th anniversary by offering deductions this month, as well as guidance from couples, married 50 years. The restaurant was founded by Al Copeland in New Orleans, La., on June 12, 1972, with Restaurant Brands International.
The restaurant division of Restaurant Brands International Inc. will present a particular schedule of suitable discounts from Tuesday, June 12, through Monday, August 5. Cajun Rice and nominations for fifty-year sterling pairs of the company will be held during a month-long anniversary promotion.
Golden Couples and 50 Years Celebration
Similarly, In honor of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s 50-year birthday celebration, the company is promoting special deals on Tuesday, along with dating advice for couples celebrating half a century of being together in 2018.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen invites you to celebrate its birthday by sharing your beloved 50-year-olds with colleagues and availing yourself of some special offers. Popeyes’s signature chicken promotion is the return of Cajun Rice, a new video celebrating 50 years of love lessons, and a countrywide campaign geared toward lovebirds to share their story of 50 years.
Popeyes 50 Years of Love Film
Popeyes Special Deals on Popeyes menu on 50 years celebration
Starting Tuesday, Popeyes is providing various special deals on the Popeyes menu to encourage customers to come to celebrate with them.
- Cajun Rice will return to Popeyes’ menus for a limited time. Cajun rice (which previously had been called Rice Dressing) was both a popular menu item of ours and a personal favorite of ours in the past. Because creole and Cajun seasonings with bell pepper, onion, garlic, celery, and cayenne are unique, you can have mashed potatoes with cajun gravy to spark your tastebuds in deliciousness. Popeye’s discontinued the menu item Popeyes cajun rice, also known as dirty rice, in 2021. But it is largely due to our customer demand that the item be returned.
- The Popeyes restaurant is offering a five-piece dinner for $6.99 in participating areas.
- Popeyes is currently bringing out a new Strawberry Cheesecake Fried Pie at select restaurants in the US.
- The producers sent a letter inviting five couples celebrating their 50th anniversaries to participate in a discussion and create a short video to be shared on YouTube.
- The corporation welcomes couples, their friends, or their family members to nominate their love stories via Twitter or by emailing [email protected]. Popeyes proclaims the most heartwarming love story to be announced in a national ad.
As of the first quarter of March 2018, Popeyes operated 3,771 establishments worldwide. RBI also oversees Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Firehouse Subs franchises.
There are other Popeyes deals and meals on the Popeyes menu that include a Popeyes breakfast menu, the Popeyes daily deals, popeyes allergen menu, and the Popeyes kids meal as well. There are surely other wow deals as well. Just visit your near Popeyes location during the Popeyes opening hours. Furthermore, check the Popeyes app to order online at the official website Popeyes com menu.
When is Popeyes’ 50th anniversary?
Popeyes will hold the 50th anniversary of its Official opening in Belgrade, Mississippi, on June 12. Throughout the month, the company will celebrate this milestone.
Are Popeyes putting Cajun rice on the menu again?
Popeyes is supposedly bringing customers Cajun Rice to commemorate its birthday. The Miami-based chicken chain, which let the well-liked Cajun Rice side dish fall off its menu last year, said it would start dishing it out again on Tuesday for a limited time.
Why is this restaurant known as Popeyes?
Alvin C. Copeland Sr., in downtown Arabi, Louisiana, France, launches the shop Chicken on the Run. Encouraged by a few months of unstable cash flow, Copeland opens it again as Popeyes, this time serving New Orleans-inspired spicy chicken.


text:
Brendan Iribe is one of the video game industry’s most successful entrepreneurs. He is currently the CEO of Oculus VR, the Irvine-based developer of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. Oculus VR recently made worldwide headlines when on March 26, 2014, Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) announced that it was acquiring Oculus VR in a deal worth approximately $2 billion. The two companies are joining forces to create the best virtual reality platform in the world.
In 2012, Brendan and his team launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of Oculus Rift development kit. With the support of 9,522 backers, they exceeded their original goal of $250,000 and ended up raising over $2.4 million. The campaign remains one of the top 20 most-funded campaigns in Kickstarter history.
Before Oculus, Brendan served as Chief Product Officer of Gaikai, another innovative Orange County success story. In July of 2012, Sony Computer Entertainment (NYSE: SNE) acquired Gaikai for $380m.
Prior to Gaikai, Brendan spent a decade as co-founder and CEO of Scaleform, the #1 user interface technology provider in the video game market, which Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) acquired in 2011. Earlier in his career, Brendan worked as a game programmer and helped the Firaxis team develop the user interface for Civilization IV, a game that went on to sell millions of units and win multiple awards.
Bachelor's, CS and EE1998
|Jul 13, 2016||Uber Gizmo - Oculus Touch Controllers Won’t Ship Until Mid-October|
|Jul 13, 2016||Boston Tech Flash - Oculus catches up on pre-orders for Rift, announces dates for Oculus Connect|
|Jul 12, 2016||Variety - Digital - Oculus Starts Shipping Rift Without Delays, Announces Developer Conference|
|Jul 12, 2016||The Verge - Oculus catches up with Rift preorders, announces 2016 developer conference|
|Jul 12, 2016||TechReport - Oculus is now fulfilling Rift orders within two to four days|
|Jul 12, 2016||TechCrunch - Oculus launching the Rift without the Touch controllers probably wasn’t a great move|
|Jul 8, 2016||Business Insider Australia - The Silicon Valley 100: Ranked 1 to 100|
|Jul 8, 2016||Business Insider Australia - The Silicon Valley 100: From A to Z|


text:
It feels as though 2015 might be something of a decisive year in our country’s recent history and relatively immediate future.
A general election looms, so expect to be told one thing then the other, and we continue to live under the strain of a crippling national debt.
How will this affect marketing (as a concept, not in terms of a tagline for the three main party’s taglines) might not be the first question that springs to mind or even the most relevant.
But being involved in the industry we have something of a vested interest.
One of the stand out stories for me this week was Timpson dry cleaners offering their services for free to the unemployed. Unarguably a valiant gesture but one no doubt sanctioned and implemented with one eye on a positive PR spin.
And what a positive PR it has generated; coverage already achieved includes BBC News, Mirror, Metro (this blog!) and more.
This got me thinking: are we moving towards a scenario whereby advertising must have a conscience to be successful?
There’s no doubt advertising and marketing has had to adapt. Internet, social media, on demand viewing and more have all blossomed within the last decade or so and encouraged marketers to think again about how we reach people.
Last year saw great success for other campaigns with a social element including French supermarket Intermarche’s campaign to reduce food wastage and the Pilion Trust’s somewhat controversially-named F*ck the Poor viral ad, aimed at making people realise they care more about the poor than perhaps they were aware.
One swallow a summer does not make, as the saying goes, but it certainly feels as though marketers have realised the way to mass appeal is to give their campaigns a charitable edge.
You may call it cynical but if there is a positive outcome then sure it carries more credence than the traditional campaign aimed solely at selling us a product.
Chris Jacobsen, communications manager


text:
EA has announced a round of server shutdowns for a variety of online games, including a swathe of 2010 sports releases and the last of its basketball games.
Nhl 11 headlines
This week’s EU Store update highlights the NHL 11 and HAWX 2 demos.
Gametrailers has released a new video for NHL 11 showing off gameplay from both Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.
EA’s just announced its E3 line-up. And it’s massive.
Here we go. EA just put out the first screens of NHL 11, apparently favouring “enormo” format.


text:
Digital Nature Records is extremely proud to announce the launch of How Does It Feel, the most anticipated 2nd EP of Sonic Sense (Igal Yakubov), one of the most exciting producers to emerge from the Israeli Progressive Trance scene in the past year. Following his chart topping releases which included a tremendous remix to Ritmo, Sonic Sense delivers 3 brand new previously unreleased dance floor smashers, and featuring collaborations with Israeli super group Double Click and with another rising Israeli producer Ghost Rider. How Does It Feel EP is filled to the brim with aggressive progressive beats, relentless bass lines and build ups and ultra modern approach to sound and musical transitions, psychedelically melodic and hard hitting to the max.
Beatport has a new store that's faster and more responsive than ever, built to adapt to your changing needs in these changing times. Enjoy a first look at the beta of Beatport Pro and let us know where you think it should go next. @Beatport #BeatportPro