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Millions of Americans have been told by state officials to stay home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. But working from home isn’t an option for everyone, and some operations deemed essential and allowed to stay open can’t slow down or stop, even temporarily: Utilities have to keep the lights on and the water running, for instance. Others, like industrial manufacturers, are urgently needed to respond to the demands of the day, whether that’s medical equipment like ventilators and respirators or food and household goods like paper towels and toilet paper.
But an increasing number of those industries had already been making their processes smarter, through digital technologies like automation, artificial intelligence, and virtual and augmented reality. These technologies have been helping some manufacturers steer their way through the current crisis, pointing to how industry could adapt once it passes. To gain some insight, GE Reports caught up with Craig Resnick, vice president of consulting for the market research firm ARC Advisory Group, who offered his thoughts on how the current crisis may affect business models in the near future and beyond. “‘Normal’ tomorrow is going to be completely different than today,” Resnick said. “The companies able to react the fastest are the companies that are going to win in the long term.”
An edited version of our conversation follows.
GE Reports: What’s been the industry’s first reaction to the pandemic?
Craig Resnick: Nobody predicted a pandemic paralyzing the global economy. Businesses are saying they need to be better prepared from a digital transformation perspective, because the only certainty going forward is uncertainty.
GER: How is that different from before?
CR: We used to hear about companies being worried about the ability to access a plant or a factory that might be taken down by a hurricane, tornado or flood, for example. But with whole countries going under lockdown, how do you manage not having real-time visibility into the supply chain? How do you keep things moving if you’re in a no-staff situation?
GER: How are individual sectors reacting?
CR: We’ve been getting a lot of calls from the pulp and paper industry, for example. Even with the massive surge in demand for tissue products, these are products that don’t have expiration dates, so they may soon experience a downtick in demand. At the same time, with an uptick in demand for home delivery from Amazon and others, it changes the type of paper products they need to produce. Food and beverage companies, and to a lesser extent pharmaceutical companies, are starting to skip distribution centers and ship directly to consumers or to Amazon, which reships to consumers. The need for paper manufacturers to be flexible with types of packaging has gone through the roof.
GER: How will this affect how factories operate?
CR: In the old days, you’d shut the factory down for a couple of months for retooling. Now you’re in a situation where you need to have the right kind of automated machinery on the factory floor to support changing settings to manufacturing based on almost immediate data. The companies able to react the fastest are the companies that are going to win in the long term. Even if in the short term companies can’t be spending money on [these] projects, they’re all in the bunker planning for it now.
Automation will eliminate some repetitive tasks from the workforce, Resnick says, "but the number of technology jobs being created to support this digital infrastructure is going to surge." Above image courtesy of Craig Resnick. Top image credit: Getty Images.
GER: What about the impact on supply chains?
CR: The new normal is really going to put more pressure on the supply chain. Companies are only going to deal with suppliers that have gone through the digital transformation process themselves, regardless of their size. Even some of the companies that might be more familiar names in the supply chain, if they don’t keep up with digital transformation, they will lose out to a smaller competitor.
GER: Will automation affect the workforce?
CR: Automation eliminates some repetitive tasks that could be done by a robot. But the number of technology jobs being created to support this digital infrastructure is going to surge. There’s definitely going to have to be a strong human element going forward in production and manufacturing — just in different roles.
GER: What are the essential technologies that industry will be using?
CR: Artificial intelligence is certainly critical. Companies have been collecting their historical data for a long time, but they’ve never quite had the analytical tools that could process that data. Now with predictive analytics, they have the tools to make decisions based on all this history.
Augmented reality and virtual reality are also transformational. I can tell you that from the productivity enhancements we’ve seen on the factory floor. A worker retiring after a 40-year career knows exactly what to do, but the process isn’t really documented anywhere. Now companies are able to capture the knowledge and allow new hires to virtually tour the factory floor and give them step-by-step instructions.
Think of it like the YouTube videos we watch when we’re trying to fix something at home. Not only do AR and VR help train people who don’t have the benefit of that deep experience — it means somebody can come in and do a job at a similar level.
GER: What else do you see?
CR: Another huge technology is digital twins. For instance, a company like GE can give you a digital representation of a power turbine. Even before you commission it, you can simulate it in software. Not only does a digital twin speed up the time to implement the product, it also lets you run it on software and be able to predict when to schedule service. The biggest problem that any manufacturing plant faces is unscheduled downtime. Having digital twins and the internet of things to do predictive analytics and prescriptive analytics are really key going forward.
GER: What can we expect beyond this crisis?
CR: I do think that in the long run, this crisis is really going to accelerate a lot of digital transformation projects. It may never be the same business as usual, but the companies that will thrive are the ones that do the best job moving forward with this digital transformation. Although it can look very dire in the short term, the companies that embrace digital transformation are going to come back stronger than ever.


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Fan Expo Canada, one of the most highly anticipated four-day pop culture events of the season, will feature the women in gaming and esports leaders Femme Gaming at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from August 25 – 28.
Gaming fans can look forward to Femme’s iconic live Ladies Power Hour featuring an influential all-women panel to discuss the Fandom of Cosplay as well as a discussion of Safety in Gaming 101 for Parents and Kids hosted on the main stage.
Aside from these main events, Femme Gaming will have a central presence in the Expo’s main Community Area with an enormous booth filled with a 20-console game zone for fans to free play their favorite games, the highly-coveted Femme Gaming Lounge and an opportunity to meet and greet the founders of the organization.
“We are so excited and honored to have been invited to Fan Expo to help bring representation to Women in gaming and esports,” says Jessica Medeiros, the founder of Femme Gaming. “It’s companies like Fan Expo that are really setting the stage for future generations by recognizing a lack of representation for women throughout this entire industry.”
Tickets for the event are on sale now.
Through its bold leadership and innovation, Femme Gaming is transforming the gaming industry. With their mission of empowering the female gamer, Femme Gaming seeks to identify and highlight elite female and LGBTQ+ talent to bring fair representation to the industry. Since its inception in 2020, Femme Gaming has created a safe space and community for thousands of marginalized gamers worldwide and continue to make strides for women and marginalized genders in the industry every day.

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|Globalization - Countries
Libertarians say continuing embargo on Cuba does more harm to American freedom than to Castro
|WASHINGTON, DC -- By continuing to support the U.S. embargo on Cuba,
President Bush is undermining the freedom of the American people, Libertarians say.
"The U.S. government has no business ordering Americans not to trade with or travel to Cuba or any other nation," said LP Executive Director Steve Dasbach. "By stubbornly refusing to repeal this failed, 40-year-old law, Bush is punishing the American people for the crimes of Fidel Castro."
In an appearance in Miami's "Little Havana" on Monday, Bush called for democratic reforms in Cuba and reaffirmed U.S. support for the trade embargo imposed on dictator Fidel Castro in 1962.
But by focusing on removing Castro from power, Bush has ignored the fact that the embargo is undermining two fundamental American freedoms, Libertarians say: the freedom to trade and the freedom to travel.
Federal law imposing sanctions on Cuba makes it illegal for U.S. firms to trade directly with that nation, and travel restrictions created in 1963 impose fines of up to $50,000 on Americans who are caught traveling there.
"The trade ban violates the economic freedom of every American," Dasbach said. "Individuals and businesses in a free country should be able to buy and sell goods freely to whomever they like, without getting government approval.
"According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, U.S. firms lose between $600 million and $1.2 billion worth of business per year by not being able to trade with Cuba. Why should American businesses and consumers be punished because Cuba is a communist state?
"And why should American workers be deprived of jobs simply because their government has singled out one particular tyrant for punishment? After all, the United States trades with or gives foreign aid to other dictatorial states like Jordan, Egypt, and China.
"The Cuban embargo has, in effect, created a list of 'government-approved dictators,' like those in Jordan, Egypt, and China, and 'unapproved dictators' like Fidel Castro," he said. "U.S. politicians should abolish this arbitrary list and let American people and businesses decide for themselves which governments should be punished with a trade cutoff.
"The travel ban is reminiscent of authoritarian regimes like the former Soviet Union, East Germany, and yes, Cuba," Dasbach said. "The freedom to come and go as you please is a fundamental human right. Politicians have no business ordering Americans not to visit 'unapproved' countries, then fining and interrogating them when they return."
And the travel ban is enforced, Dasbach noted. The Treasury Department estimates that 50,000 Americans visit Cuba illegally every year, and an estimated 800 are prosecuted.One example: Two years ago, Marilyn Meister, a retired, 73-year-old Wisconsin school teacher, went on a Canadian-organized bicycle trip to Cuba. When she returned, she told The Washington Post, she was confronted by a U.S. Customs agent who "flew into a rage and made me feel like the most horrible of criminals." Meister was charged with violating the travel ban and ordered to pay a $7,500 fine.
"What kind of government feels threatened by a 73-year-old school teacher riding a bicycle in Cuba?" Dasbach asked. "Ours does. But when government bureaucrats have the power to berate ordinary Americans for going on vacation - then extort an exorbitant fine - it's time to repeal that law."
That's why the U.S. embargo on Cuba must be eliminated, Dasbach said. "If Bush really wants to send a pro-liberty message to Fidel Castro, he can do it by ending the embargo on American freedom."
(c) 2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006, 2007 DemocraticFundamentalism.org, All Rights Reserved


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LOS ANGELES — Dieters beware: Offerings at popular restaurants may have more calories than what’s stated on menus or company websites.
A team of scientists purchased items from 42 fast-food and sit-down eateries in Indiana, Arkansas and Massachusetts and measured the calories they contained. The list of stops on their calorie-busting tour included Burger King, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Chuck E. Cheese.
Only 7 percent of the 269 foods tested were within 10 calories of what they were supposed to be, the scientists found. Almost 20 percent packed at least 100 more calories than what was indicated. Over the course of a year, an extra 100 calories daily can add up to 10 to 15 pounds, said study lead author Susan Roberts, a senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
Los Angeles Times


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Varadero has always been one of the favorite destinations for Canadian tourism and we hope this loyalty for Cuba and, especially, for our spa, is maintained, said Ivis Fernández Peña, delegate of the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), in Matanzas.
In a press conference held this Friday at the Melí Internacional hotel in Varadero, the executive referred to the preparation of that destination with a view to the reopening of borders starting next November 15 and the repair and maintenance work of the hotel facilities and non-hotel companies in recent months to offer better and more attractive services to visitors.
In an aside with CubaPLUS Magazine, Fernández Peña referred to the Canadian market and added that it has always been the main issuer of Varadero and, unlike other markets, that country “is received in Cuba as part of the Cuban family.
Canada is very loved here and tourists from that nation have always taken great pleasure visiting our destination”, she said.
"Really, that loyalty that Canada has always had to Cuba we hope will be maintained and that they can see what we have prepared to be able to take care of them and guarantee them a unique experience during their visit to Varadero," the official reiterated.
Since 1996, Canada has been the first source of tourists to Cuba and in 2019 it registered more than 1,120,000 visitors, most of whom visited Varadero for at least one day.


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Sporting goods retailer officially files for Chapter 11
Gander Mountain has filed for bankruptcy, but it is proactively seeking a buyer.
The sporting goods retailer, which announced Friday, March 10 that it has filed for Chapter 11 protection, said it will pursue a “going concerns sale,” enabling it to function without the threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future.
The chain’s plan is to close 32 underperforming locations, and continue its search for a buyer. Currently, Gander Mountain is in active discussions with a number of interested parties, and expects to solicit bids prior to an auction to be held in late April 2017. The company expects to submit the winning bid to the Court for approval in early May and anticipates a closing of the sale by May 15, the chain said.
If Gander Mountain cannot get a buyer by late April, it will conduct a going out of business sale and shutter all of its stores, the company reported.
Like many retailers, Gander Mountain experienced challenging traffic patterns and shifts in consumer demand resulting from increased direct-to-customer sales by key vendors and accelerated growth of e-commerce. Despite aggressive actions to improve the efficiency of the company's retail operations and support functions, the underlying financial impact from underperforming stores and unproductive, excess inventory hampered efforts to create a sustainable path forward, according to the company.
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If you look at the introduction of iTV as a set-top box connected to your TV set, you might notice a few features missing: no DVR -like or TV tuner capabilities. In my view, this is not a technical oversight, in my view but is part of Apple’s strategy to become the center of the media universe and expand the control they have acquired over the music industry to the video one.
iTV is no different that Microsoft’s offering of the Windows XP Media Center extender but Apple seems to have a knack for making their products look like innovation when they are just fast followers.
First, there’s the name. While I doubt the final name will be iTV (due to the fact that there is already a TV network in the UK by that name and the fact that it’s a name that has been used as a standard for interactive TV), I suspect that Apple will come up with a similar sounding name, one that wil evoke a certain amount of coolness and connectedness. It will not be as jargonny as media extender. Apple is very good at marketing and it is clear that they now have their eyes set on the living room. As a result, the new name will evoke something that works as a natural in the living room.
People who have been tracking Apple’s effort in the space closely know that the company is now offering TV shows in a downloadable format either on a per episode or on a per-season basis. With today’s announcement, Apple is extending this model into the sport arena, with a partnership with the National Football League to offer season passes similar to the ones offered on DirectTV. This represents an interesting move into the sports arena and I suspect that announcements will eventually come for similar deals with other sports leagues. This is an interesting move in that it puts Apple clearly in a strong position as to TV programming and ensure that it gets a portion of revenue that could have gone to traditional broadcasters. What we may start witnessing here is Apple’s attempt to redefine television as a model where TV shows are sold by the show or by the season and not as part of a traditional channel offering or with advertising sponsorship.
This is an interesting gambit that flies in the face of existing business models for media distribution and it may impact traditional local broadcasters and TV networks. If Apple manages to disaggregate the content from a channel offering, the value of individual channels could eventually drop. Why watch ABC, CBS, NBC, or Fox when you can program your own channel. This is almost a natural progression in the media landscape changes that started with the introduction of DVRs at the beginning of this century.
Furthermore, if Apple is successful in its move, it may end up converting traditional cable companies into simple pipe providers, which would undermine the ambitions of players like Tim-Warner, News Corp., and Comcast in the integrated walled garden space. By moving content of IP based network, Apple would succeed and wrestling control of the channel distribution from those providers and force them to distribute their content over its store, picking up a fee for every show that is distributed.
… and then there’s Madison Avenue. Right now, a substantial portion of the revenue for television comes from models based on advertising. If Apple manages to convince a substantial portion of the public that buying a show from them is a better allocation of their entertainment dollars than subscribing to advertising-supported cable, we could see a major portion of advertising revenue evaporate. This would force TV station to focus more on live type of events, maybe even driving the broadcast networks away from a traditional mix and towards a more focused model, either centered around sports (which doesn’t necessarily work as a download as more people still want to see games live), news (with ample “from-the-field” type of coverage) and entertainment shows like “American Idol” where a low level of interactivity (“call this number to vote for your favorite star”) is tied to the programming, ensuring a required “live” showing. Sitcoms and TV dramas, as programmed type of entertainment, might be nearing the end of the advertising supported model. If you look at it in historic terms, this is part of a trend that was started by some of the pay channels like HBO and Showtime when they started producing original TV series. Because the series were more “edgy” and turned out to be quite good from a creative standpoint, people didn’t mind paying an extra $10 a month to watch them. Eventually, those series became available on DVD and found new audiences in that way. Apple took it to its logical conclusion by breaking them down to episode level, which allow you to get a taste, and season pass, which mirrors the DVD model but ensures that Apple gets a portion of the revenue.
And then there’s today’s announcement regarding movies. The movie downloads, while expensive, represent an interesting move into the video-on-demand arena. I suspect that, as time goes on, the price of downloads will drop and that Apple will extend their FairPlay DRM to establish a 24 hour or X number of plays model for a lower price. Because Apple has insisted on being able to release the movies in their store at the first time as they are released on DVD, it gives Apple a slight edge over the pay-per-view or cable TV model. Traditionally, Hollywood has distributed movies in theater first, then a few months later on DVD,then a few month later on pay-per-view, and finally on TV, traditionally on pay channels first and then broadcast ones last. Apple has managed to insert itself in the closest position to the theater release. Granted the price is high (in a lot of cases, equivalent to the price of a DVD with none of the added value and production cost) but I don’t think that Apple is looking at the DVD market right now.
They are trying to beat out the pay-per-view market for now so the release window is more important. If they successfully implement this strategy (and here again, the partnership with Disney makes sense as Pixar makes content that kids will want to see again and again in a variety of form, possibly getting parents to agree to purchase the movies online instead of DVD because they may be portable from one Apple device to another one), Apple will start impacting another revenue for traditional cable providers. As they do so, they might see more people buying movies, which will give them more power in dealing with the movie studios, which will result in their dropping the price first to $10 a movie and eventually to somewhere between $5 and $10 for a 24 hour or single play rental.
As I mentioned earlier, there is no DVR or traditional TV tuner built into the device. I believe that this was not due to a technical limitation but rather as part of a wider play to create an eco-system around the new device. Much like Apple initially allowed other companies to develop components that played well with the iPod, I believe they are trying to get a new ecosystem built around the new device. This will allow them to gage innovation in the space and identify which opportunities may be best for future integration or as components to add to the system. The initial connection will probably happen over the USB 2.0 connection on the device (which portends more connectivity options. Integration could also happen through some network type of interface connecting either wirelessly via the 802.11 connection (and notice here that they did not specify which flavor of 802.11 they were using) or the Ethernet connection.
This also could represent another revenue play for them as they license out a “made for iTV” (or whatever the final name is) certification model that would allow them to receive a portion of revenue on every device that plugs into the new box. This is a strategy that has worked well for them in the iPod arena and could be reproduced around the TV screen.
Why announce early?
Most surprising in today’s news was the fact that Apple pre-announced this product. There can be one or two reasons around this.
The first one could be that the announcement was added in the last few days because Apple was looking to announce more partnerships with movie studios but failed to get the contract signed in time to make the announcement (rumors have been that negotiations between the company and the movie industry have been tense, as studio heads want to avoid a repeat of what happened to the music industry and also fear ostracizing existing players in the DVD distribution world while Apple insists on making movies available through its store on the same day as DVD release). If you look closely, all the movies released in this launch are produced by Disney, which had little choice in the negotiations since its largest shareholder is Steve Jobs (as a result of the Pixar acquisition.)
Another possibility is that this is a pre-emptive move to stunt the arrival of Microsoft’s Zune product line. Microsoft has made it clear that Zune is part of an integrated device strategy that will allow them to take on the iPod. Considering that Microsoft already has multiple ways to get into the living room (Xbox, Media Extender, Windows Media PC edition), Apple may be worried about ceeding ground in that space and is working on a pre-emptive strike, announcing a product that will deliver everything the public want before Microsoft can make their announcement. The irony, if that’s the reason behind Apple’s announcement today, is that this is a typical Microsoft play: leverage a position of power in one market to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt in another one, therefore stunting the potential growth of new competitors as the public waits for your offering (Om Malik seems to agree with me on this). By doing so, Apple may also be buying itself more time to force stronger negotiating positions with the movie studios.
Let the Living Room Start
So the war is on with a number of different strategies: Cable providers are trying to leverage the power of their set top boxes to protect their de-facto monopoly in the living room.Sony is trying to leverage the power of its PlayStation franchise to get people to adopt its BlueRay technology and use the PS3 as the new center of the media world. Microsoft is taking a throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks approach, offering up multiple products ranging from set-top boxes to media center to Xbox to Zune. Apple is trying to take the approach it took with the iPod: late to the party but providing better design, a better marketing message, and an interface that has less feature but is easier to use.
All and all, it’s hard to figure out who will win out this one but I think that, so far, Apple may be taking the right approach and could extend its dominance in the audio space to a whole new arena.


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Through the extended deadline for January 1, 2017 coverage, Americans are demonstrating clear demand for quality, affordable coverage as 6.4 million consumers have signed up for Health Insurance Marketplace plans through HealthCare.gov, an increase of 400,000 plan selections compared to last year at this time. Total plan selections from November 1 through the extended deadline of December 19 include 2.05 million new consumers and 4.31 million returning consumers actively renewing their coverage. Consumers whose coverage will be automatically renewed for January 1 are not yet included in these totals.
“With a record 6.4 million consumers selecting plans for January 1, Americans are once again proving that Marketplace coverage is vital to them and their families,” said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell. “Now, we want uninsured Americans who have not yet signed up to know they have not missed their chance to get covered. Open Enrollment for 2017 continues through January 31st. With most Marketplace consumers able to find coverage for less than $75 per month in premiums, uninsured Americans should join the millions of Americans who’ve already gone to HealthCare.gov to check out their options.”
December 15th, the original deadline for January 1 coverage, was the biggest day of any Open Enrollment ever, with 670,000 plan selections, breaking last year’s December 15th record of 600,000. To meet high demand, CMS extended the deadline for January 1 coverage by two business days.
This snapshot covers plan selections made through the extended deadline of December 19. Throughout Open Enrollment, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will release enrollment snapshots for the HealthCare.gov platform, which is used by the Federally-facilitated Marketplaces and State Partnership Marketplaces, as well as some State-based Marketplaces. This snapshot is a special edition to report enrollment numbers for consumers securing January 1, 2017 coverage.
These snapshots provide point-in-time estimates of biweekly plan selections, call center activity, and visits to HealthCare.gov or CuidadoDeSalud.gov. The final number of plan selections associated with enrollment activity during a reporting period may change as plan modifications or cancellations occur, such as due to life changes like starting a new job or getting married. In addition, as in previous years, the biweekly snapshot only reports new plan selections, active plan renewals and, starting in January, auto-renewals; it does not report the number of consumers who have paid premiums to effectuate their enrollment.
Later in the Open Enrollment period, HHS will produce more detailed reports that look at plan selections across the Marketplace, including both states using the HealthCare.gov platform and State-based Marketplaces using their own enrollment platforms.


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- Performing high intensity cycling intervals using virtual reality technology significantly reduces leg pain associated with hard sprints, according to new research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
- Researchers believe that online cycling platform Zwift is not fully immersive enough to provide those same benefits.
- A virtual reality Zwift is currently in the works, which may immerse the user enough in the virtual world to give those benefits.
Zwift is an A-plus boredom beater for indoor cycling. Now, a study suggests that gaming platforms like Zwift in Virtual Reality—which is in the works, but yet to be released, a Zwift spokesperson confirmed to Bicycling—may end up making workouts hurt less as well.
With virtual reality, or VR for short, you wear a headset that fully immerses you in a dynamic virtual landscape. It engages your brain, helping to produce feel-good chemicals while distracting it from processing pain signals. The result? It can help you feel less pain. It’s so effective, in fact, that some hospitals use it to help patients manage acute and chronic pain.
High intensity interval training is known to very effective for boosting fitness, but it is also painful enough that some people skip the eye-popping efforts because they don’t want to deal with the quad-searing suffering that comes with it.
That gave a team of researchers from University of Georgia, Athens, an idea: Could adding interactive VR to high intensity cycling quell the pain while you improve performance?
To test it out, the researchers had 94 active men and women perform three sets of 30 second Wingate intervals, which are full-gas sprints performed at increasing resistance until it feels like you’re trying to flee a pack of dogs through quicksand while your legs are on fire.
Half the group performed the torturous test wearing VR headgear that featured a dynamically changing cityscape to replicate a real ride. The other half wore VR headgear, but didn’t get an actual VR experience. They just stared at a static picture of a cityscape and were instructed to mentally imagine cycling through that city.
Those who hammered away to the “real” virtual reality felt significantly less pain during the sprints, with no reduction in performance. Specifically, they rated the intensity of their pain more than 13 percent lower and nearly 12 percent lower than their static picture peers during the second and third sprints respectively.
But when asked if performing intervals using regular Zwift (without the VR) could have the same pain-reducing benefits, lead researcher Carly Wender was doubtful.
“Without the head-mounted display, users of Zwift are not fully immersed in the virtual world and can easily draw attention back to their pain as they exercise,” Wender told Bicycling. “The ability of VR with head-mounted displays to be so encompassing and distracting is what I believe makes it specially equipped to alter pain during exercise.”
Watch: Behind the Scenes of Zwift's E-Sports Cycling League
In other words, it would hurt just as much as sprinting in the real outdoors because our brains just aren’t engaged enough on one thing right in front of our faces to tune out the screaming of our legs.
[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]
But Zwift VR, which is not yet ready for consumers, does use a head-mounted display, so it is possible that if it does make it mainstream and cyclists are able to use it, they may reap similar pain-reducing benefits as those in the study experienced.
Early testers of Zwift VR have been intrigued by the platform, but note there are pros and cons that come with pedaling through a pretend landscape with a display strapped to your face.
The pros include, of course, pain relief, but also motivation, says Bicycling staffer Riley Missel, who got a sneak preview at a trade show last year.
“I felt like the ‘landscape’ passed faster the harder I went, which would be more motivating than a 2-D screen for an interval session,” she said. “I also would definitely choose to use it over cranking my neck to look up at my laptop screen.”
The cons: motion sickness, for one. While some people love it, others get green around the gills from the swirling immersive experience. “It gave me a little bit of vertigo from going around the corners,” Missel said. Some riders also find the headsets uncomfortable.
But if you know you can go really hard and your legs will hurt less, a little dose of virtual reality might end up being a good short term solution.


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Canadians embrace food – we value family traditions, recipes passed down through generations, global trends and show a lot of heart for our local producers. For almost 150 years, Catelli pasta has grown up with Canadian families through a shared passion for food – not to mention a shared birthday, a proud heritage and strong ideals. And like our country, Canadian families have evolved. Blended, single-parent and multi-ethnic families are part of our modern mosaic and match our evolving tastes and preferences – from locally sourced yet globally influenced, to simple, healthy and trusted ingredients. But what has stayed the same is our love of pasta. That's why leading up to this special anniversary year, Catelli along with three celebrated Canadian chefs – Cory Vitiello, Martin Juneau and Michael Allemeier – are taking a journey with Canadians to explore this universal food and its relationship with families across Canada today.
And there's no doubt we love our pasta. Case in point, almost 9 in 10 households have it in their cupboard. What's more, it's a 'real' food in an industry striving to meet the demands of today's health-minded Canadian families. So what do Canadians love about it?
Quite simply, pasta makes us feel good. In fact, three-quarters of Canadians said they feel relaxed cooking pasta because it's easy meal making or like that it offers so many options, most strongly felt by Ontarians at 82 per cent.* Other feelings cooking pasta evokes? Nearly a third of Canadians say experimenting with new pasta recipes makes them feel excited and half of Canadian parents in particular, feel confident they can create a good meal when cooking pasta.*
"It's not surprising that cooking pasta makes us feel good, and we get excited to experiment with it," says Montreal chef and Dad to two, Martin Juneau. "Families today really value the 3 E's of a pasta meal – easy, efficient and enjoyable. It's why I'm excited to start talking with Canadians about its place in their homes. Food has never been a more talked about subject and pasta offers us a range of meal options and nutritional benefits – not to mention that its simplicity gives us back the gift of quality family time, one of the biggest challenges we struggle with today."
In fact, when it comes to the role pasta plays in Canadians' lives, the majority say it means less kitchen time because of its easy prep or that it provides a lot of options for their family.* Health is important too. Almost half say pasta is a healthy meal option due to its simple ingredients and the fact that it can be further paired with 'good for me' ingredients.* And with healthier pasta options such as Catelli Smart®, with its very high source of fibre, Catelli® Gluten Free and 100% whole grain Catelli® Healthy Harvest®, serving this quality, delicious meal to the family is adding to the good feeling too. Six in 10 parents with kids in the household shared that pasta makes their kids happy or their family feel fueled.*
"There isn't a typical Canadian family anymore – and few of us would say our lifestyles are typical," says Doyle Brown, Senior Brand Manager, Catelli. "Just like Canadian families, pasta has become such a versatile food with so many ways to experience it – we're moving away from the traditional view of it as just an Italian meal. Canadians also have a lot to do with the many ways we enjoy pasta today – whether it's a fresh spin on an old favorite or something completely new and inventive."
Look no further than our quest for recipes. In 2015, Spaghetti Bolognese was the 7th most searched recipe by Canadians according to Google Trends, with lasagna in close pursuit in 9th. And breakout recipe searches have recently included everything from 'one pot pasta' and 'pasta bake' to 'pesto pasta' and 'basil pasta'.** Additionally, our love of local means we're cooking more with real, simple ingredients grown or raised close to home and available in local grocers or farmer's markets.
"The popularity in using fewer and fresher, local ingredients is helping build pasta's quality reputation," says Toronto Chef Cory Vitiello. "Canadians are learning they don't have to be trained chefs to get creative with their pasta dishes, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they've been up to in their kitchens!"
Yet, Canadians don't shy away from practicality either. The top two reasons Canadians add pasta to their shopping lists include: how easy it is to make a pasta meal (59%) and how affordable pasta is (48%).* Whether a bustling family household or a single individual, pasta remains one of the most reasonable meals on the market. And, the taste factor is never far behind – 4 out of 10 say they just can't live without it!*
"Pasta has a special place in Canadian households – and what makes it special is different for every family," says Chef Michael Allemeier. "It's a comfort food, an easy meal time win, a quick dinner fix and a crowd-pleasing entertaining option – and the recipe options are really endless. Look how butternut squash provides a delicious twist to meat lasagna or how fresh goat cheese and pesto puts a new spin on spaghetti."
The Catelli Pasta Journey
The Catelli team is hitting the road in 2016 to learn more about how today's Canadian families are enjoying pasta and inviting them to share their stories, their recipes and even their pictures at #CatelliFamilies. This spring, a video series documenting some of these stories will be introduced and a new collection of recipes inspired by our modern taste preferences – and featuring favourites from chefs Cory Vitiello, Martin Juneau and Michael Allemeier, will be available at www.catelli.ca. The majority of Catelli pastas – including 100% whole grain Catelli® Healthy Harvest® and fibre rich Catelli Smart® – are not produced with ingredients that have been genetically modified.
About Catelli Foods Corporation
Catelli is a Canadian pasta company founded in Montréal, QC in 1867. It holds the ranking of #1 Canadian pasta brand and is the leader in the health and wellness pasta segment. With more than 75 products available in its line-up today, including Catelli Smart®, Catelli® GlutenFree and Catelli® Healthy Harvest®, Catelli offers pasta made from simple, wholesome ingredients for every kind of family taste and preference.
About the Research Study:
A study of 300 Canadians was completed online between December 3 – December 8, 2015 by Environics Research.
*Environics Research Study (in partnership with Catelli), 2015
**Google Trends, 2015


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Ford announced on Wednesday that it will once again increase investment in zero-emission vehicles, and is expected to account for 40% of all-electric vehicles by 2030. The U.S. automaker said that by 2025, it will increase its investment in electric vehicles, parts and infrastructure to more than 30 billion U.S. dollars (approximately Rs 21,785 crore) and increase the target amount to 22 billion U.S. dollars (approximately INR 1,59,760 crore).
Established in February. The F-150 pickup is a green remodeling of the iconic American car brand, and said it received 70,000 customer orders in just one week. Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement: “This is our biggest opportunity for growth and value creation since Henry Ford began to expand Model T. We are holding hands. Live it.” Farley and other executives introduced the plan in a virtual meeting with financial analysts and other stakeholders. The d-F-150 is called “Lightning.”
Ford has started selling Mustang Mach-E electric off-road vehicles and will soon bring E-Transit freight trucks to the exhibition hall. The company has also invested in the production of its own batteries and recently announced a joint operation. Farley said that the goal is to reduce battery costs by 40% by 2025, and manufacturers have joined the trend toward zero-emission vehicles to help combat global warming.
It promised in January to stop producing diesel or gasoline cars by 2035. German car manufacturer Volkswagen also plans to provide 70 electric vehicles by 2030 and sell 26 million vehicles within 10 years. The goal “represents a safe balance between ideal and reality, especially for a company that relies heavily on trucks and SUVs.” Although other automakers have promised to increase their numbers, no car is as dependent on the sales of trucks and SUVs as Ford.”
Tesla tops the list in EV segment:
Elon Musk’s Tesla is still the dominant force in the electric car market, with a valuation of US$580 billion (approximately Rs. 42110.90 billion), while Ford’s US$51 billion ( Approximately 370.330 billion rupees). However, as the public’s interest in emission-free vehicles has grown, new entrants (including startups Rivian and Lucid) have also joined the market.
However, according to the president of specialty company Cox, electric vehicles accounted for only 2.5% of total US sales in the first quarter. Joe Biden of the United States prioritizes the development of electric vehicles and is currently discussing its huge infrastructure investment plan to provide various incentives, including establishing a network of 500,000 charging stations nationwide by 2030, and Convert 20% of non-electric school buses.
Ford also adopted Tesla’s goal, setting “By the end of this year, it will have about 1 million vehicles capable of receiving on-road aerial system updates, exceeding Tesla’s output in July 2022.”
In the initiative announced on Wednesday for the “Ford+” program aimed at driving growth, the company also announced the creation of Ford Pro, a global car distribution and service business dedicated to car sales and government customers.
The company is also cooperating with Google to use its cloud computing platform. It will also use Amazon’s voice program and other services provided by Apple and Microsoft. Ford Motor’s stock price rose 8.5%.


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Nokia licensee HMD Global on Thursday announced insurance offerings for its range of Nokia smartphones in India, in partnership with Servify. The insurance plans start from Rs. 399, and are meant to safeguard against risks over and above the purview of standard warranty. Three types of insurance plans were launched, all with 12-month covers.
The first is the Nokia phones insurance plan with accident and liquid damage protection, while the second is the Nokia phones screen protection plan. Both of these plans are only available for purchase within 15 days of buying a Nokia smartphone. The third plan is extended warranty, which is available for purchase 365 days from the smartphone’s purchase date.
HMD Global adds that more details and purchase options are available on Nokia.com/phones, Nokia mobile support app, and Servify.in.
Ajey Mehta, Vice President and Country Head, HMD Global, India, commented on the launch of the Servify-powered insurance plans, “Nokia phones stand for reliability and trust and we are taking this promise even further by partnering with Servify to offer affordable and comprehensive insurance and extended warranty plans. We have been speaking to our fans across the country and believe that this initiative will help them care for their Nokia smartphones and protect their investments.”
Sreevathsa Prabhakar, Founder, Servify, added, “We are extremely happy to partner with HMD Global to launch insurance and extended warranty plans for Nokia smartphones… We will make our best efforts to deliver an uncomplicated and transparent experience for Nokia smartphone fans by leveraging our after-sales tech platform.”


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In recent times, recalls have become synonym for most of the automakers in India. It’s now country’s largest passenger car exporter Hyundai to jump into the bandwagon and recall one of its products in India. The entry level affordable hatchback Eon has been recalled over clutch cable which is said to be fouling with the battery cable. The 7657 units have been affected manufactured between 1st and 31st January 2015.
Hyundai representatives will be calling the effected vehicle owners and they will be asked to visit the Hyundai service centre with their vehicles during the specific period of time. During the inspection, if the company finds the clutch cable fouling with battery cable or damaged it will be replaced free of cost.
It comes at the time when Eon has just registered its highest ever sales for the year 2016. The hatchback is due for a long facelift which is still a year or two away. Available between Rs. 3.27 lakh and Rs. 4.51 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the car is available with two engines- 0.8 litre and 1.0 l Kappa petrol. The 814cc engine develops 55bhp power and 75Nm of torque while the 1.0l Kappa petrol is good for 67bhp and 94Nm of high torque. Both the engines are matched to a 5-speed manual gearbox.
In 2014, the brand has issued recall of 2437 units of Santa Fe SUV to replace a faulty Stop lamp Switch. Over two million vehicles have been recalled so far ever since Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) started voluntary vehicle recall in July 2012.
Hyundai in a statement said, “Hyundai Motor India will voluntarily recall 7657 number of Eon cars in India manufactured between1st January 2015 – 31st January 2015. Eon customers of respective period will be notified in a phased manner for inspection of the clutch cable fouling with Battery Cable and replace the Battery Cable if found damaged”.
|Comparison of Hyundai EON|
|Comparison of Hyundai EON variants|


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By upping its distribution capabilities, Schuh is on a good footing for growth under managing director Colin Temple
Ask the footwear industry’s leading players what they think of Schuh and the response that comes back time and again is “slick”, with them heaping praise on the chain’s wide branded offer, its excellent back-office systems and great customer service. In a sector that has seen a great deal of change over the past year, Schuh continues to be one of the high street’s success stories.
Acquired by US group Genesco in 2011 for £125m, Schuh achieved sales of $364.7m (£216.8m) in the fiscal year ended February 1, 2014, slightly down on the $370.5m (£220.2m) it achieved for 2013. Profit has yet to be reported, but managing director Colin Temple says that, while it will be slightly down on the £25.5m it achieved in 2013 as a result of the popularity of its vulcanised styles that led to a bumper year, it will still be strong.
Whereas most retailers are trimming store portfolios, Schuh, which has 99 branches across the UK and Ireland, opened 18 stores last year and aims to open 10 to 15 this year.
To facilitate this growth Schuh has invested in a new £7m distribution centre, having acquired 245,000 sq ft of the J4M8 complex in Bathgate, West Lothian. The space is five times larger than its Warehouse at Schuh’s headquarters in Neilson Square in nearby Livingston, and will open in August or September. It will also create 50 jobs in Scotland over the next five years. Temple, who is described by his suppliers and competitors as one of the nicest people in footwear, says the development will improve efficiency and cut costs.
Schuh’s current warehouse has 82 chutes and, with one per store, there are not enough for the number of stores. This means it has to do two runs, the first for English and Welsh stores, which are further away, and a second for Scottish branches. “At the moment, our warehouse is very full and we have a lot of double handling to do. With the new warehouse we will get a much quicker turnaround,” says Temple.
The new warehouse will have 170 chutes, with the capacity to increase to 270, leaving ample room for growth, and will become Schuh’s primary distribution centre. The Livingston warehouse will remain open, but will focus on returns and stock that is being moved around the estate.
Temple says that due to the business’s West Lothian location, it can be hard to meet the expectations of consumers in the south of England that are used to being able to order before 10pm and receive their product the next day. To meet this demand, Schuh opened a satellite distribution centre in West Bromwich in the Midlands in December 2013.
“This allows us to put a veneer of as much stock as we can there and has enabled us to open our inventory until 10pm. So that extension is quite important,” says Temple. However, he adds that the biggest investment has been the store opening programme, saying that Schuh invests heavily in its own technology and that all of its systems are developed in-house: “For instance, we are experimenting with mobile payment in 14 stores. Restaurants have been doing it for years, but all they are doing is taking your money and not capturing any data, whereas we want to know what the SKU number was, what the size was, what payment method was used. It becomes very complicated and it has taken two and a half years to get all of the Wi-Fi to work.
“We’re just trying to find ways to speed up our customer’s journey through the store. We don’twant to rush them, we just want to take the unproductive bits out.”
While online accounts for a healthy 20% of sales, Temple adds that Schuh is “committed” to opening stores. The business has been focusing on London: it opened the doors to its second Oxford Street store in October and has a third planned for 2016, while other recent openings include Covent Garden in March. “The people are there and the money is there. We are also under-represented in the M25 corridor,” he says, adding that around three Schuh Kids stores will open this year, in addition to the three last year. Further investments include a stock room conveyor at its Marble Arch store to improve efficiency and stock room management, and kiosks where customers can buy from the online catalogue.
Temple says: “We want to be leading edge, but not bleeding edge. We don’t want to be crazy and get our fingers burnt with technology that doesn’t work, but when we feel it is robust enough we try to take it on board. The kiosks can tell customers which store has the shoes they want, can print them a ticket to say what the shoe is and where the store is, and at the same time alert the other store to put those shoes away for that customer. It’s all about service.”
The investments haven’t gone unnoticed by Temple’s peers. Daniel Rubin, chief executive of footwear chain Dune, says: “I have huge respect for Colin. The investment in technology Schuh has made has been stunning, and certainly industry leading. Theygot into multichannel way before anyone else and are continuing to develop it. In terms of technology and merchandising, they are strong.The other area where they are really strong is customer service.”
David Short, country managing director at Brantano and Jones Bootmaker-owner Macintosh Retail, agrees: “In a period where footwear multiple market share has declined, Schuh has established a clearly defined market position and is a destination store for a generation of young consumers. The business is built on brand authority and excellent service, but to deliver the consistent level of growth that it has in recent years it would be naive to underestimate the strong business processes and attention to detail that clearly underpin the organisation.”
Temple says Genesco, which also owns US footwear chain Journeys, leaves Schuh to run itself: “Every Monday I have a conversation with head of retail Jim Estepa at Journeys to discuss trading in our markets. Every month we’ll have a video conference with the Genesco management to talk about what our expectations are for the next month. I’ll also go there two to three times a year, and they will visit about the same number of times.”
He adds that because Genesco is listed on Wall Street, Schuh has a conversation with chief executive Robert Dennis every quarter so he can update them on how the share price is doing, and Schuh will present one- and five-year plans.
The partnership allows for investment into the business, and Journeys’ 960 US stores mean Schuh has greater clout when it comes to buying.
Temple admits that while Schuh has a comprehensive offer - stocking 93 brands ranging from Nike to Ugg to Converse - it is not unique, which makes its service proposition more crucial: “If you can offer a better experience for customers, they might have a propensity to come to back to you. The reality is by not having a unique product offer there is always the chance they might go somewhere else.”
Temple says footwear retailers must do one of three things to flourish: they can be the cheapest; offer something unique via their own-brand offer, which also allows for more “price elasticity”; or, as in Schuh’s case, offer an appealing shopping environment with the brands consumers want, along with great customer service. He adds: “If you can do all of those things, then there is a person in the market for you. And I would argue that those that have fallen by the wayside haven’t fitted into one of those categories.
“Barratts [which collapsed last year] perhaps wasn’t the cheapest, it didn’t offer something unique and the environment wasn’t special. Office is a good example of a retailer that has got the environment right. Its stores have a great environment that offers the footwear young fashionistas want, and it does it well.”
Schuh was established in 1981 and sales are split 50% women’s, 45% men’s and 5% children’s. Branded footwear accounts for 90% of turnover, and the mix is updated every season, with women’s labels Privileged, Ego & Greed, Youth Rises Up,
BucketFeet, and Swedish Hasbeens added, while men’s saw the introduction of Ecoalf, Jerusalem and Android Homme. However, Temple declines to reveal which brands are the best performers.
Priced between £20 and £110, Schuh carries 300 styles each season in its own-label collection, which accounts for the remaining 10% of turnover. Temple says that, while the margins are higher, the terminal retail price can often be lower: “It’s very hard to be a mono-brand footwear retailer. Dune does it quite well, but it is one of the few.”
In total, Schuh carries about 3,000 lines - but its largest store on Oxford Street can only display 2,200, so merchandising is key. “We stagger our ranges over the stores,” Temple says. “If we open in a new market, then we give the store a bit of everything, give it some time to see what sells and then take away lines that don’t sell. So all of our stores have unique ranges massaged by local demand.”
Harvey Jacobson, chairman of footwear brand house Jacobson Group, says Schuh has a “knack” for covering an “awful lot” of brands: “The offering is fantastic, with a lot of brands and a great selection, which is down to the merchandising side of the business. They have phenomenal systems, which are really slick and minimise their exposure to over-ordering on stock. They get the mix between branded and own brand right. Some stores overload on own brand, and others overload on purely branded.”
Despite strong trading in the UK and Ireland, Schuh has yet to follow the likes of Dune to international success. International sales only account for about 3% of the total, and the French website it launched in 2012 closed last year after failing to “gain traction in the market”, says Temple. However, he adds that as Schuh’s UK footprint is getting “mature” it might trial a store overseas, most likely in France, in the coming year. With a second foray into international in the offing, Temple will be hoping Schuh can remain one step ahead of the competition.


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Samsung invests £150 billion to become global chipmaking leader
The three-year plan will also see the firm make 40,000 hires
Samsung has outlined plans to invest 240 trillion won (roughly £150 billion) in semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals and next-generation networking among other key strategic areas over the next three years.
The majority of this funding, approximately 180 trillion won (approximately £112 billion), will be directed on expanding facilities and staffing in South Korea, although Samsung didn’t reveal a precise investment plan, according to the Korea Herald.
This investment package will also involve hiring 40,000 people during the execution of the plan. This is on top of 30,000 hires that were already planned.
The overall package also involves spending that Samsung previously outlined, namely a £110 billion investment up to 2030 in order to expand its chipmaking capabilities. This new, aggressive plan, however, involves spending much greater sums of cash within a much shorter timeframe.
The aim is to position Samsung as a global leader in strategically important areas, such as the tumultuous semiconductor industry. The firm plans to invest in advanced processes to allow it to maintain a leadership position in memory and logic chips.
For system-on-chip, the firm raised the importance of timely development of advanced processes, with Samsung aiming to start producing 3nm chips on a massive scale soon.
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Beyond chipmaking and biopharmaceuticals, the firm will also continue its research into technologies such as 6G, by investing in telecoms infrastructure and software.
Samsung’s aggressive levels of investment are particularly important because the semiconductor industry is one of the biggest in South Korea, and computer chips are one of its largest exports.
This round of investment comes after Intel announced earlier this year that it plans to reinvigorate its business with a $20 billion (roughly £15 billion) restructuring. The project, dubbed IDM 2.0, comes after Nvidia superseded Intel to become the most valuable chipmaker, while the firm also faced delays to key products.
While Samsung’s package appears to dwarf Intel’s, the South Korean firm’s plan also involves spending on emerging technologies such as AI and robotics, as well as display applications, high-density and solid-state batteries.
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Photos Reveal an Unannounced Xiaomi Mi MIX in White
At the end of last month, Xiaomi held a launch event for a trio of new products. At this event, they announced the Xiaomi Mi Note 2, Mi VR, and a concept phone that they are calling the Xiaomi Mi MIX. While many people were excited to see the Mi Note 2 and the Mi VR announced, it was actually the Mi MIX smartphone that stole the show.
Since launch, a number of people have been able to get their hands on the device and some are calling it “the smartphone of the future”.
What made the Mi MIX stand out from the other products Xiaomi launched, as well as most of the smartphone market today, is the way they designed the bezels. Now, the design of the Xiaomi Mi MIX isn’t entirely new. Sharp has been tinkering with this type of design in smartphones since late 2014 (most notably with the Sharp Aquos Crystal). We even saw Dell use a similar design (albeit with slightly bigger top and side bezels) with their Venue 8 7000 tablet.
Xiaomi has only officially announced one version of this Mi MIX concept phone. The company has even said they are unable to do a wider release for it because the ceramic body limits them to producing 10,000 units per month. Still, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from spinning around this highly sought after smartphone. Last week there were rumors about a mini variant spotted in some low quality photos, but now there could also be a new color in the works.
4 photos show what could be a white color variant of the Xiaomi Mi MIX. Thanks to the newly leaked photos, we get a good look at the front, back and left side of the phone. As with all unannounced devices, this might not ever see an official release, but it’s nice to see what Xiaomi is working on behind the scenes.


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Toy giant Mattel has backed the teen-founded WeStopHate.org campaign with a host of Monster High activities.
As well as a monetary contribution, Mattel will spread the WeStopHate message to tens of millions of girls over three months.
Users were introduced to WeStopHate founder Emily-Anne Rigal on a Monster High microsite, with online activities to complete.
Next month, Monster High and WeStopHate displays will go up in over 1,500 Walmart stores across the US.
A special animated web video will go live in mid-July which will also spread the WeStopHate message, which is to inspire tween girls to embrace 'the unique qualities that make them perfectly imperfect'.
"Emily-Anne's messages of self-acceptance and esteem-building are vital for tweens today and perfectly align with our brand's mantra of celebrating your individual fun freaky flaws," said Lori Pantel, Monster High's VP of global brand marketing.
"Together with Walmart, we can introduce, empower and educate girls with this message as they prepare for a new school year."
Emily-Anne Rigal added: "I am so excited to be partnering with Monster High to inspire young girls with playful, positive messages that they can use to resurrect a positive self-reflection and celebrate that we are each perfectly-imperfect just the way we are."
Last year Mattel backed the Kind Campaign, a girl-founded movement and documentary dedicated to spreading messages of kindness.
Want to receive up to the minute toy industry news straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up for the free ToyNews Daily Digest and Newsflash services. You can also follow ToyNews on Twitter and Facebook.


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Hard seltzers and sparkling waters are all the rage right now, and breweries have noticed, with both major and craft breweries making their own versions of spiked bubbles to soothe declining beer sales.
Marijuana companies are now jumping on the trend, too.
Previously comprising sodas, teas and concentrated shots, the marijuana drink market has expanded, with companies like Phyx and Oh Hi selling carbonated drinks with low THC and CBD — and low calories — in Colorado dispensaries.
"For us, it really came from La Croix and really enjoying that beverage, personally, and seeing it as a nice, fun summer beverage," says Phyx founder Niccolo Aieta. "There is still kind of this stigma around [marijuana], so people are taking edibles, because they're easy to use and you don't have to smoke. But sometimes that can be a crazy experience if you eat too much, so we target low or microdose experiences."
With THC-infused beers already a thing for over a year, it was only a matter of time before pot companies tried to mirror the success of White Claw, Truly and other sweetened, boozy seltzers with fewer calories than their hoppy counterparts. Both Phyx and Oh Hi — a cannabinoid-infused seltzer brand started by the co-owner of Ska Brewing and the owners of Durango Organics dispensary — sell drinks infused with fruit flavor and 5 to 10 milligrams of THC, with low doses of CBD, as well.
Unlike hard seltzers, which can prove problematic for new drinkers who don't realize their alcohol level, the current marijuana options may be easier to handle for consumers who know their tolerances. However, 10 milligrams of THC can be a lot for inconsistent users, just as three White Claws can be a lot for your lightweight friend who rarely drinks.
"There's a lot of canna-curious customers out there who have read a lot about marijuana but don't know how they should use it," Aieta adds. "So how do they dip their toes in that water? When you have a highly dosed beverage and try to meter it out in a shot glass, that doesn't really work. We wanted something bright, poppy, cool and refreshing."
You can find Oh Hi drinks in Colorado dispensaries right now, and Phyx expects to be in 120 stores statewide by July.


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C-store chain QuikTrip has begun construction on its first location in the Tucson, Ariz. market, The Arizona Star reported.
The site is located at 2345 E. Irvington Road, and QuikTrip spokesman Mike Thornbrugh said he expected the 5,000-square-foot store with 16 gas pumps to be open by mid-January.
This site will mark the first of many QuikTrip locations planned for the Tucson market. QuikTrip has been buying locations across the valley, including near South Craycroft and East Golf Links Road, West Valencia and South Camino de la Tierra, and North Kolb Road and East Tanque Verde Road, The Arizona Star reported.
“We have a lot of experience from watching the Phoenix market,” Thornbrugh said. ‘We think the opportunity is for us to get in, carve out a niche and secure a pretty good market share for us. It’s just a natural fit.”
The Tulsa-Okla.-based company currently has about 70 locations in the Phoenix market.


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In the past, we have seen umpteen leaks showing the design renders, cases and live photos of the HTC One M9 successor. Now, HTC has uploaded a new teaser of the upcoming HTC 10, also known as HTC One M10. To top it off, price of the flagship specific to Europe has also been leaked.
Come April 12, the long-awaited HTC 10 will make its debut with Snapdragon 820 onboard. Meanwhile, HTC has been busy teasing a bunch of features under the #powerof10 promo campaign. So far, it has shown the device capability specific to audio, camera and the very beautiful exterior.
This time around, the latest teaser under the same #powerof10 campaign points to performance and it shows capacitive keys beneath the screen. The handset will apparently come with a hardware Home Key, which is similar to the well-received HTC One A9. The teaser said “Not all phones are created equal. The fastest and smoothest Android. You’ll feel it.”
Moving on to the reported HTC 10 specifications, Winfuture citing GFXbench said the handset will carry a 5.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen with QHD resolution. This Snapdragon 820-powered device will come backed by 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage space with microSD card slot for further expansion.
When it comes to camera configuration, a 12-megapixel rear-facing sensor and a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter have been tipped.
Speaking of price, the HTC 10 will reportedly set the buyers back by 740 euros, which roughly translates to $853. HTC is apparently working on a Snapdragon 652-powered variant and this is expected to cost less, GSM Arena reported.
Here is the latest teaser from HTC:
— HTC India (@HTC_IN) March 29, 2016


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Container shipping is showing strong demand for scrubber installations. File Image / Pixabay
Shipping company Evergreen Marine has taken delivery of a third giant container ship fitted with a scrubber.
The firm has taken delivery of the 23,992 TEU ship EVER AIM from Samsung, following the delivery of its sister ships the EVER ACE in July and the EVER ACT in September, shipping intelligence service Alphaliner said in its weekly newsletter on Wednesday.
The 23,992 TEU capacity of the vessels makes them the world's largest container ships.
Demand for scrubbers has been particularly strong in the container segment in 2021. 71% of the large container ships ordered in 2021 will come fitted with a scrubber, industry body BIMCO reported in August, citing data from Clarksons.
The market share of HSFO within global bunker demand has risen significantly as a result of scrubber installations over the past two years. HSFO took up 25.3% of total marine fuel demand in Singapore in September, up from 22.1% a year earlier.


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Does the idea of the 3D iPad appeal? Apple has been rumored to be considering a 3D display for its next-gen tablet, though so far nothing has been confirmed; still, NetbookNews stumbled upon a new CPT panel while at Display Taiwan, and the company chose to demo its 3D screen slotted into a first-gen iPad chassis.
The 9.7-inch 3D panel is yet to be added to CPT’s site, but according to the video demo below it relies on special glasses in order to see the 3D effect. That, along with references to screen resolution halving, suggests a passive 3D system, where polarizing lenses in the glasses are used to filter out the left and right eye image respectively. NetbookNews apparently weren’t allowed to check its resolution, either, though they tell us it was definitely higher than the 1024 x 600 of the current first- and second-gen iPads.
Of course, while CPT was clever to demonstrate its panel in such a familiar – and teasing – way, that doesn’t mean Apple is looking to the company for the iPad 3 or beyond. We can’t help but think that if Apple was to adopt 3D, it would go for the most user-friendly system and push for glasses-free technology. Demanding that users wear the geeky specs may work when they’re using a big-screen TV in their lounge, but it’s less acceptable on the move.
Rumors surfaced back in May that Apple was looking to 3D for the iPad 3, expected to arrive in 2012, with studios reportedly working on building up catalogs of suitable content. Foxconn was also tipped to be confirming to inside sources that 3D was on Apple’s agenda.


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IGM 2022 Istanbul 27th International Garment Machinery, Spare Parts and Sub-Industry Exhibition, which will bring garment machinery manufacturers together for the 27th time at Istanbul Tuyap Fair Center, will be held on 8-11 September 2022.
IGM 2022 International Garment Machinery Exhibition, organized with the partnership of Tüyap Fairs and Exhibitions Organization Inc. and Teknik Fairs Inc., which has elevated the ITM-International Textile Machinery Exhibition a global brand, is will be the most comprehensive meeting point of the industry where investors and visitors from all over the world can see the latest technologies in garment machinery.
Zafer Özbilge: We Believe that We Will Make Very Good Sales and Our National Economy Will Gain Acceleration at the IGM 2022
A cooperation protocol was signed with İNSAD-Istanbul Embroidery Industrialists’ Association and its members, who announced that they will participate to the IGM 2022. Zafer Özbilge, Chairman of the Board of İNSAD said, “As an Association; We give great importance to the Garment Machinery Exhibition, which has been held by Tüyap for 26 years, and we knew very well its contribution to the country’s economy. As a result of the consultations we have made with our members, we have decided to participate to the IGM 2022, which will be held this year in cooperation with Teknik Fuarcılık, which has 30 years of exhibition experience. During the pandemic process, people sighed for exhibitions. We believe that we will make very good sales and our country’s economy will gain acceleration with the arrival of many trade delegations and visitors from abroad at the IGM Exhibition.”
Necip Güney: IGM 2022 Exhibition Will Revive the Domestic Market and Increase Exports
Necip Güney, Chairman of the Board Teknik Fairs Inc., stated the following regarding the cooperation: ‘‘Thanks to the cooperation between Tüyap and Teknik Fuarcılık, which has been going on for nearly 20 years, we will carry the success we achieved at the ITM International Textile Machinery Exhibition to the garment machinery industry as well. I believe that the IGM Exhibition will soon become the most important exhibition in the world in its field. The declaration of İNSAD members that they would be with us on this journey gave us strength. I think that the IGM 2022 Exhibition, which the garment and ready-to-wear industry is excitedly waiting for due to a 4-year mandatory break, will revive the domestic market and create a growth opportunity for the industry by increasing exports. I would like to thank the members of INSAD for being with us.”
IGM 2022, which continues its sales at full steam and has intense participation demands; It will host thousands of visitors and trade delegations from many parts of the world from Europe to Asia, from the Middle East to the Balkans.
The IGM 2022, which will embrace the entire garment and ready-to-wear industry with its wide and comprehensive participant profile, technology and product variety, will showcase the latest technologies used in garment and ready-to-wear production from sewing to cutting, from ironing systems to packaging, from embroidery to printing.


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RIYADH: Saudi chemical giant SABIC has reported a surge in second-quarter profits to SR7.93 billion ($2.1 billion), beating analysts’ average estimate of SR5.9 billion.
Profits jumped nearly 4 percent from SR7.6 billion in the same quarter a year earlier, coupled with a revenue jump of 32 percent to SR56 billion, according to a bourse filing.
Analysts had earlier forecasted a 23-percent profit decline along with a 25.7 percent surge in sales to SR53.3 billion, Argaam data showed.
The Riyadh-based company attributed the results to higher average selling prices and sales volume, despite an increase in feedstock prices and selling expenses.
A higher share in the results of associates, including SABIC Agri-Nutrients which posted a 262 percent rise in quarterly profit, also beefed up the company’s performance.
“The second quarter’s strong financial results demonstrate SABIC’s robust operational performance across the different segments,” said Yousef Al-Benyan, CEO of SABIC.
“Our commitment to sustainability and innovation was evident through winning two silver and three bronze awards in the prestigious Edison Awards. These awards also reflect our commitment to helping achieve our long-term objective of carbon neutrality by 2050,” he added.
Among the major developments this quarter, SABIC started pre-commissioning activities at its China plant in partnership with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., Sinopec. The plant has an annual production capacity of 260,000 tons.
The company’s board recommended a SR2.25 per share cash dividend for the first half of the year, representing a total payout of SR6.75 billion and a 29 percent increase from the same period in 2021.
SABIC also outperformed when it comes to half-year performance, reporting a 15 percent profit increase to SR14.4 billion as well as a 36 percent higher revenue of SR109 billion for the first half of 2022.


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Leave your car, avoid the weekend traffic, and ride Metrolink to the beach, theme parks, ball games, downtown Los Angeles and beyond. Metrolink’s Weekend Pass gives you unlimited rides for only $10. The pass is valid system-wide from 7 p.m. on Friday through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday and is available for purchase at all Metrolink station ticket vending machines.
Starting July 7, start enjoying more weekend travel options. Metrolink has added four round-trip trains on the Orange County Line between Los Angeles Union station and Oceanside on the weekends. Additionally, the Inland Empire-Orange County Line will be operating between Oceanside …read more
Read more here: Councilman Jeff Lalloway


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What attitudes and behaviors define entrepreneurs? What traits are typical of an entrepreneurial spirit? How do these characteristics manifest across countries and cultures? Answers to these questions will be discussed at the November 18 event Grit Happens: Defining the Entrepreneurial Spirit.
Join Amway President Doug DeVos, Global Entrepreneurship Week President Jonathan Ortmans and special guests speakers for the reveal of the 2015 Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report and a panel forum about the characteristics of entrepreneurs.
Guests to this anticipated event will hear about AGER, an annual worldwide study that examines attitudes toward self-employment and the changing entrepreneurial landscape. This year’s report delves deep into the key characteristics of entrepreneurs and debuts the Amway Entrepreneurial Spirit Index, a new research layer that measures entrepreneurial spirit in three dimensions including desire, confidence and conviction derived from acclaimed psychologist Icek Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior. Panelists will also share their perspective on the changing entrepreneurship landscape and offer expert advice to entrepreneurs.
Can’t attend the event? Join Amway President Doug DeVos for a live Facebook chat from 7:00-8:00 a.m. EST as he announces key findings from the 2015 Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report and takes your questions about entrepreneurship. (facebook.com/amway)


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The two will lend their expertise to an exciting new program.
Tips to determine who’s right—and who’s not.
The brand is increasing its distribution.
The brand is partnering with Lolë for its 2015 Lolë White Tour.
Tokyo facility is scheduled to open in 2018.
NJPEC members: Nominate an expert in Entrepreneurship, Package Development, Package Engineering, Purchasing, or Sales.
Signs agreement with luxury organic sunscreen company COOLA
Research shows category will be worth $47 billion by 2019


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Expect 2017 to be the year that determines whether the Windsor-built minivan will be able to maintain Fiat Chrysler’s stronghold in a segment it created more than 30 years ago.
Since its April launch, the new Chrysler Pacifica minivan has generated respectable sales in the all-important U.S. market.
But 2017 will be the year that determines whether the Windsor-built minivan will be able to maintain Fiat Chrysler’s stronghold in a segment it created more than 30 years ago.
“My sense is the Pacifica will significantly sell more than the combined sales of Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan in 2015,” said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com.
“That’s largely because the two vehicles are no longer competing against each other.”
In Windsor, more than 6,000 direct jobs depend on the success of the Pacifica, which began production in April.
As of Nov. 30, Fiat Chrysler has sold 52,083 Pacifica’s in the U.S. and 2,299 in Canada. While the automaker launched the Pacifica with five trim levels across the border, it initially introduced only three top-priced models in Canada before adding two lower-priced trim levels later in the year. A plug-in hybrid version was launched earlier this month.
The Pacifica — redesigned and renamed — replaces the Town and Country — FCA’s former luxury minivan nameplate. While the Town and Country appealed to premium car buyers, the Caravan attracted the value-oriented consumer.
The twin-van marketing strategy has enabled FCA to command about 40 per cent of minivan sales in the U.S. and 70 per cent in Canada.
While the two vans were essentially the same vehicle, the Pacifica was the subject of a more than $3-billion, design and engineering overhaul. “It’s such an important vehicle to FCA,” said Nerad, adding that the automaker will fight to preserve its share of minivan sales.
“There’s a concerted marketing effort on the Pacifica,” he said. “In the past, FCA has had a divided message. They had to support the Caravan and Town and Country with separate media campaigns. That’s problematic.”
Timothy Cain, chief analyst and founder of
As well, plateauing industry sales and competition from new minivan entries could prove challenging for a vehicle priced at the upper end of the segment.
Honda, noted Cain, will be unveiling a redesigned Odyssey at next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
“The Odyssey will come with at least a nine-speed, automatic transmission, and I’ve heard rumours of a new 10-speed, which would lead the segment in fuel efficiency,” said Cain.
“If the new Odyssey is a flashier, bolder and brasher minivan, it won’t make things easier for the Chrysler Pacifica, which has such a premium price point.”
Softening industry sales are another concern, he said, noting that FCA has extended the Christmas shutdown of the Windsor Assembly Plant by an additional week.
“Growth has slowed, and automakers are realizing we can’t constantly be over inventory because it worked last year and the year before.”
Pacifica’s success also hinges on whether it can capture sales at the lower end of the segment once FCA discontinues the Caravan, added Cain.
“We still don’t know when FCA plans to end production of the Caravan,” he said. “But that van is not representative of true demand because it is discounted so heavily.”
With a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price of C$37,995, the Pacifica “operates in a different sphere.”


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Netflix confirmed in a shareholder letter late final week that its transfer to not permit customers to share passwords without spending a dime may start by the tip of March.
In October, Netflix introduced plans to vary itsand mentioned it might finally begin charging individuals to share accounts, however on the time it didn’t give a particular date for when the brand new coverage would start.
Even now, the corporate has not specified a date however did say within the letter that it might start rolling out paid sharing extra broadly “later in Q1 [quarter one].”
“Whereas our phrases of use restrict use of Netflix to a family, we acknowledge it is a change for members who share their account extra broadly. So we have labored onerous to construct further new options that enhance the Netflix expertise, together with the flexibility for members to evaluation which gadgets are utilizing their account and to switch a profile to a brand new account,” the corporate mentioned.
Within the letter, it detailed that account sharing, which it mentioned is completed in additional than 100 million households, “undermines” its capability to take a position and enhance.
The corporate, which described 2022 as a “robust” 12 months, suffered its first subscriber loss in additional than a decade when its buyerwithin the first quarter of final 12 months.
Regardless of these losses early final 12 months, Netflix shared it ended on a “brighter end,” praising its fourth-quarter income, working revenue, and membership development because it exceeded forecasts with content material likethat “outperformed” its expectations.
The corporate famous within the letter, nonetheless, that the deliberate crackdown on account sharing will probably lead “close to time period engagement, as measured by third events like Nielsen’s The Gauge” being “negatively impacted.”
In efforts to extend development, the corporate additionally launched a lower-priced ad-supported plan in November, stating that the transfer has pushed “incremental membership development.”
“We consider now we have a transparent path to reaccelerate our income development: persevering with to enhance all features of Netflix, launching paid sharing and constructing our advertisements providing,” Netflix mentioned.


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An article in today’s New York Times details how magazines are suffering as a result of a collapse in luxury spending.
- While the year started out well, the bottom fell out in October. According to MasterCard’s SpendingPulse, luxury spending dropped 20.1 percent in October alone.
- More than half of affluent consumers have cut their spending on luxury products compared with a year ago, according to a study by Unity Marketing.
- Ad pages at the top luxury magazines fell 22 percent year over year for the December issues, according to Media Industry Newsletter.
As an owner of a small luxury hotel what can you take away from the article?
- You already know it is rough out there.
- While not placing large ad budgets in Conde Nast Traveler you should know most media will offer steep discounts – if you are a good negotiator.
- While magazines rates will certainly drop, concentrate your marketing in media that will produce the greatest ROI. Focus on your best customers and prospects. Expand email and direct marketing relationship building programs. Keep your web site current and optimized and your database in good shape.
We specialize in customer relationship marketing, so if you have a question, contact me (see About Us). Safe Travels – Madigan Pratt


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Virtually blind and penniless, Leung Ping-kuen usually spends his nights dozing in one of Hong Kong’s many 24-hour McDonald’s but now finds himself back on the streets because of the coronavirus.
The 37-year-old is one of the city’s so-called “McRefugees”, a small community of homeless and rough sleepers who use the fast food chain as a shelter.
McDonald’s has long turned a blind eye to those sleeping overnight in their restaurants, a more common sight in the summer months when it is sweltering outside.
But in a bid to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the company recently ended all dine-in services in Hong Kong from 6 pm for the next fortnight.
“I heard about the news on Tuesday afternoon and I knew it would be trouble for me,” Leung told AFP in Sham Shui Po, one of the international business hub’s poorest districts.
“They also have a business to care about, so I understand it’s a tough decision for them.”
Despite its phenomenal economic rise, Hong Kong has long been a poster child for inequality.
It boasts one of the highest concentrations of billionaires in the world.
But at the other end of the spectrum, life is punishing in a densely packed metropolis with a desperate housing shortage, eye-watering rents and a limited welfare state.
And like many other places dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, it is the poor who are the least prepared and the hardest hit.
Leung said he lost his job in a logistics company four years ago after cataracts made him blind.
He technically has a home, if you can call it that.
For HK$1,900 a month (US$245), he rents a tiny 40 square-foot (3.7 square-metre) cubicle under a stairway with no window, no independent flushable toilet and no proper lock on his door.
“My place does not have a tap so I have to come down here for water to take my medicine,” he told AFP.
The restaurants offer him a place to grab a bite, clean up and catch up.
Leung said he would rather spend the next few weeks on the streets than return to his stuffy dwelling, and hopes McDonald’s will soon open its doors again.
“McDonald’s has been a rather safe place for me,” he added.
The company said it was doing what it could to help with social distancing and wanted to discourage dining-in during the busy evening hours.
“We understand that different people may have different reasons to stay in our restaurants,” the chain told AFP. “We only hope they can fight the epidemic along with McDonald’s.”
Hong Kong had nearly 1,300 registered homeless people at the end of 2018, double the previous tally in 2011, according to official figures.
But experts say the real figure is likely much higher with people flitting in and out of homelessness and many more living in substandard accommodation such as the city’s notorious “cage homes”.
“We have 400,000 people who live in spaces less than 100 square feet,” Jeff Rotmeyer, from the charity ImpactHK, told AFP.
ImpactHK has seen a 20 percent rise in homelessness since the outbreak began in January, battering an economy already in recession after months of pro-democracy protests.
“You are going to see thousands of people on the streets this year, which is pretty dark,” he said.
Many say McDonald’s inadvertently provides an invaluable, if imperfect, service.
A partial count conducted in 2018 by the Society for Community Organisation (SCO) found 448 people who regularly slept in McDonald’s restaurants.
“It’s not easy for us to apply for places in government-funded or NGO-run temporary dormitories, they are always quite full,” said Ng Wai-tung, a social worker with SCO.
Ng urged the government to open some of the temporary shelters it uses during typhoons to help accommodate the homeless during the coronavirus crisis.
When his local McDonald’s ended its evening dine-in service, Cheung spent the night in a nearby park despite a previous painful experience of being beaten and robbed there.
“Society and the government will not take care of people like me,” the 58-year-old former truck driver fumed, asking only to use his surname.
With no mobile phone, David, 60, said he had no idea his local McDonald’s would be closing.
“I couldn’t prepare anything and I couldn’t find a place for the night,” he said, giving just his first name.
“Now I have become a real street sleeper.”


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Singapore-based entrepreneur Bhupendra Kumar Modi of the Smart Group is all set to enter the pure electric vehicle segment in India under his brand Smart Dreams.
The company has tied up with the Hong Kong-based BYD Auto Industry Company which is engaged in electric vehicle manufacturing and is an investee company of investment guru Warren Buffet.
Smart Dreams has inked a technology partnership with BYD for transfer of technology for manufacturing electric vehicles, namely e-buses to start with. This will be followed by production of cars for use as e-taxis and later a separate plant will be set up for manufacturing electric cars, BK Modi said at the unveiling of one of the e-buses. His focus is on contributing to public transportation through the e-bus and e-taxi offerings and is keen that the government exempts the segment from taxes.
The Smart Dreams plant is coming up at ModiCiti, near Moradabad, with the first two buses procured from BYD and given for a three-month trial to Delhi Transport Corp. The company is in talks with several state transport undertakings (STUs) for city electric buses and is hopeful of bagging multiple orders soon.
The Smart Dreams e-bus is air-conditioned and powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery with a life duration of more than 4,000 recharging cycles. It can cover a distance of 250km on a fully charged battery. A full charge takes 5 hours of recharging.
“Today countries like China have put air quality on the same priority as core sectors like infrastructure and defence and it is about time India did the same. The Indian government will have to take bold steps and incentivise citizens and industry players to adopt electric vehicles. One of the ways we could encourage the industry is by making it a zero tax industry,” says Modi.
Modi is non-committal about the investments in the manufacturing facility or the number of e-buses to roll out from the plant, saying it will be similar to what bus plants usually attract. He is equally reticent about the bus pricing saying it will be at par with similar buses.
Smart Dreams has also started electric vehicle manufacturing operations in Singapore for e-buses along with BYD with volumes expected to be based on demand.
In India, the target is STUs in macro-cities and the upcoming 100 smart cities where an efficient public transport system is the need of the hour. The e-vehicles will also contribute their bit to cutting pollution.
The e-buses will start production with a 50 percent localisation content that will be steadily built up to 75 percent with the battery to be indigenised last over the next 3-5 years. BYD is a leader in battery manufacturing and has a bouquet of advanced technologies for the product.
BYD by bit
At present BYD is training the workers of Smart Dreams in e-bus manufacturing. The company had earlier also entered into an agreement with Mercedes-Benz for manufacturing cars and launched the Denza all-electric sedan in 2014. Smart Dreams hopes to leverage this expertise when it explores car manufacture in India. A second plant will be envisaged for manufacture of car once the e-bus and e-taxi plant picks up steam.
Liu Xueliang, managing director of Asia Pacific for BYD Auto, says that 16 years ago the company had planned electric vehicles for China and today have been able to achieve this through consistent efforts. “India is a big market for us, and with the business environment being favourable we feel it is the right time for us to capture the e-vehicle market of the country. We are proud to collaborate with Smart Group in this endeavour in India.”
BYD has an electric bus manufacturing facility in USA and has a contract to supply electric buses to the Los Angeles county. In the last two years, its e-vehicles have been sold in many countries including Uruguay and Jakarta.


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DEMO Africa, which can be described as a launch pad for African technology and trends, while also attracting over 2,000 people from around the globe to experience the finest African innovations, is holding in Morocco this time. Previous edition of the event has been held in Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg. In this event, selected startups gets to be introduced to an audience of investors, technology buyers, corporate acquirers, strategic partners and global media. The very right audience they need.
Applications are now being rolled out for startups to launch at the 2018 edition of DEMO Africa in Morocco. The event would give entrepreneurs the chance to meet potential investors and buyers. This is in addition to providing mentorship and tools that are worth more than US$25,000.
“These tools are meant to provide a soft landing for entrepreneurs building solutions using industry grade infrastructure,” said Stephen Ozoigbo, managing partner of the Lions@frica initiative.
Benefits from the DEMO Africa programme includes an eight-week mentorship programme and access to tools and services from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft. Startups selected as finalists will get the chance to join global stakeholder for the Lions@frica innovation tour in Silicon Valley. This is as they continue their journey to globalising their solutions and gain great tools needed to expand.
According to the event director Mbugua Njihia, he said, “This is a very competitive process and companies will be required to go through a series of competitions to represent their countries and region,”
To select finalists, there would be a DEMO Africa tour that would take place across the continent. This tour would help identify very high potential start-ups that are worth it.
Deadline for applications is set at June 30. This is after which a continental panel of judges will adjudicate the applications. The finalists startups for the DEMO Africa programme would be announced at the end of July. Want to apply as a startup? Go HERE.


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8:52 a.m. PT UPDATE: Kim has left the courthouse. The settlement was announced in front of Judge Hank Goldberg. Humphries was required to attend the hearing, but he didn’t . Humphries could possibly face sanctions for not showing. That will be decided at a later date.
8:40 a.m. PT UPDATE: Kim has just arrived at court, wearing short black dress with long sleeves.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries have finally settled… Continue reading Finally Free! Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries Reach Settlement In Nasty Divorce
Indian Publishers and Songwriters to benefit financially from having their videos on YouTube
BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | November 18, 2011
The Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) and YouTube today announced a licensing agreement that will allow songwriters, music composers and Music Publishers to earn revenue on YouTube.
This is YouTube’s first collection society deal in India. YouTube generates revenue only… Continue reading IPRS and YouTube reach a deal for music
Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have announced that “Star Wars: The Complete Saga” broke the global Blu-ray sales record with one million units sold and $ 84 million in consumer spend:
Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced today that STAR WARS is the bestselling catalog Blu-ray Disc of all time with worldwide sales totaling one million units, including 515,000 units sold… Continue reading "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" Sales Reach $84 Million Worldwide
By Jen Heger – Radar Legal Editor
Dylan Howard – Senior Executive Editor, Star magazine
In a stunning development announced late Friday evening, Mel Gibson & Oksana Grigorieva have reached a settlement in their ongoing custody battle regarding their daughter, Lucia, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
The Public Information Office of the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a statement on Friday night regarding the deal.
PHOTOS… Continue reading Mel Gibson And Oksana Grigorieva Reach Custody Agreement Over Daughter Lucia
Billy Ray Cyrus has revealed he once planned to “reach out” to Michael Jackson but the King of Pop died before he was given the opportunity.. . The … Continue reading Cyrus wanted to reach out to Jackson