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Canon's challenge comes as Western governments try to stop China from acquiring the most advanced semiconductor technologies and as global demand for chipmaking machines has gone through the roof.
If successful, Canon's "nanoimprint" technology could give Japanese manufacturers back some of the edge they lost to rivals in South Korea, Taiwan, and, increasingly, China over the past three decades.
Canon's industrial group boss Hiroaki Takeishi said: “We would like to start shipping this year or next year... we want to do it while the market is hot… It is a unique technology that will enable cutting-edge chips to be made and cheaply."
First shown off in mid-October, Canon's nanoimprint lithography—a technology under development for more than 15 years but which the company says is only now good enough to sell—stamps chip designs onto silicon wafers rather than carving them using light.
The process, says Canon, will be "one digit" cheaper and use up to 90 per cent less power than Netherlands-based ASML's market-beating and light-based extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology.
ASML has left rivals behind. It is the only group able to make the fancy EUV machines vital to producing the latest generations of chips at manufacturers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung Electronics in South Korea, and Intel in the US.
But the machines made by the Dutch tech company are also the most pricey part of the manufacturing process, costing more than $150 million each, and there are long waits for delivery, giving Canon some room to market its technology.
Takeishi said the goal was not to pinch share away from EUVs but to work alongside them and other technologies to help the industry grow. "
Although Canon is hopeful it can find a gap—focusing first on 3D Nand memory chips rather than more tricky microprocessors—analysts are doubtful of its impact.
Radio Free Mobile researcher Richard Windsor said the tech was old news.
“If nanoimprint technology was a better technology, I think it would have been working by now and in the market in bulk," he said.
One of the biggest hurdles for Canon is boosting its success rate in making smaller and smaller chips. It starts at the 5-nanometre—or billionths of a meter—node for circuit widths and aims to reach 2nm.
Takeishi would not say the potential yield—the share of chips made that are good enough to sell to customers—from the nanoimprint machines, but analysts have said it would need to be near 90 per cent to compete with EUV.
"As for defect risk, I think our technology has mostly sorted out the issue," Takeishi said.
However, since the existing chip manufacturing processes are made for EUVs, introducing new technology will cause various troubles.
The first deliveries will, therefore, be for trial runs, with Canon having to persuade customers that the hassle of fitting the new machines into existing factories is worth it. The company said significant layout changes would not be needed, but some extra kits, such as cleaning machinery and mask production, would be required.
Analysts hoped that Canon could flog the machines to China, which ASML can no longer do with its advanced tools because of US export controls. But Japan's export controls, made to match Washington, target advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment more widely, making it hard for Canon.
"There aren't that many choices left but to pay close attention to this issue," Takeishi said when asked how much the company considered the risk of sanctions in making the nanoimprint lithography machines. It's got to a point where nobody knows where the risks are."


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Jaguar's first ever electric vehicle is created to compete with the Tesla Model X and will travel from Brighton to Lands End on a single charge.
The partnership between Jaguar - owned by India's Tata Group, along with Land Rover - and Waymo is among the first instances of luxury brands combining with a tech company to push forward autonomous systems.
JLR and Waymo will "work together" to design and engineer these self-driving I-Paces.
Galaxy J7 Prime 2 appears on Samsung's Indian website
The new Samsung J7 Prime 2 is revealed in black color but it is expected to come in champagne gold as well. Furthermore, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is shown to have 4GB of RAM and 64 GB built-in storage.
Waymo previously announced its goal of having self-driving services available to the public this year.
The company started testing its self-driving minivans on public roads in Novi, Michigan in late 2017.
Meanwhile Waymo is testing its connected cars in locations across the United States, including Detroit, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; and Austin, Texas. The ultimate goal: "with Waymo as the driver, products tailored for every objective and every trip", said Waymo in a post on medium.
The all-electric I-Pace SUV will begin testing this year before deploying in 2020.
China 'warns off' United States destroyer in South China Sea
It said two Chinese Navy ships "took immediate action to identify and verify the USA ship, and warned and dispelled it". In January, a United States destroyer carried out FONOP and came within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal.
"The company knows its technology is solid and it's eager to allow a wider audience to experience it". The company has racked up the most autonomous test miles on roads, and millions more in simulation.
Waymo, the self-driving arm of Alphabet has announced at a press conference today in NY that it will supply luxury automaker Jaguar with self-driving technology for its new electric i-Pace SUV. It says that the auto will soon start playing a "vital full-time role" in its service soon.
Our passion for further advancing smart mobility needs expert long-term partners. Waymo and others might be experimenting with taxi-replacement schemes right now, but early adopters of self-driving technology are nearly certain to be well-heeled and status motivated when the free betas are through and suddenly we have to start paying for such services.
Uber first launched its self-driving vehicle program onto public roads in Pittsburgh back in September 2016.
Weather Alert Day: Morning Snow And Rain Across Southern Colorado
A flash flood watch remains in effect for Columbia County and adjacent areas of Arkansas and Louisiana through Thursday morning. A cold front will approach by the afternoon with another chance for rain showers, so keep the umbrella for another day.
The announcement was made ahead of the 2018 NY auto show, and signaled Waymo's broader interest in more automakers beyond past partners.

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According to the research outfit, IPTV subscriptions in western Europe, which totaled 25.54 million at the end of last year, will grow by seven million between 2015 and 2021 to reach 32.53 million, while the number of pay satellite homes, which numbered 21.61 million for 2015, will decline by about 300,000 over the same period.
IPTV revenues meanwhile are forecast to rise by US$1.2 billion (€1.05 billion) to reach US$5.77 billion in 2021. Satellite revenues are forecast to fall by US$1 billion over the same period.
According to Digital TV Research, the decline in pay satellite is down to operators, particularly in Spain and Italy, converting satellite customers to more lucrative multi-play bundles on their fixed-line networks.
Overall pay TV penetration is forecast to edge up from 56.8% at end of 2015 to 59.5% by 2021, with the overall number of pay TV homes rising from 97.4 million to 104.3 million over the same period.
While this represents an increase of 6.9% overall, the number of digital pay TV subscribers will grow faster – by 19%. However, analogue cable customers on basic packages are likely to prove resistant to converting to more expensive digital packages and pay TV revenues are forecast to remain flat at around US$31 billion, led by the UK, with revenues of US$7.217 billion by 2021.
Pay TV revenues in Germany are forecast to reach US$4.183 billion, despite that country having more pay TV subscribers than the UK.
By 2021, pay TV penetration will range from nearly 100% in the Netherlands to 36% in Italy. Eight countries will exceed 90% pay TV penetration in 2021. However, pay TV penetration will fall in Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland – countries with a large number of legacy analog cable subscribers.
Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “The remaining analog cable TV subs are the most obstinate. These homes have had several years to transfer to digital platforms – including those from their existing operators, but are still holding out. When conversion finally happens, these homes are more likely to convert to free-to-air platforms such as DTT or satellite than their predecessors.”
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We expected Kia to reveal the next-gen Sportage this month, but we’re quickly approaching May without a word from the company. A new video has captured a test vehicle navigating through traffic that shows the crossover still wearing camouflage and skin that conceals much of its design. We expect it to line up with the other recently redesigned Kia models that showcased the company’s bold designs.
The latest video doesn’t reveal much beyond what we’ve seen before, although we can see the taillights in action, which feature a trapezoidal shape similar to vertically stacked headlights. The tight wrap at the front reveals the grille outline, which feels deep and wide while still sporting the tiger nose grille. There also appears to be a wide grille opening in the lower bumper. The rear has a thick coating on the hatch, although we can spot the taillights through the camouflage.
We expect the Sportage to offer two wheelbase lengths, depending on the market, as well as various powertrains. The car is expected to offer gasoline and diesel engine options, as well as electrified engines. The new Sportage will ride on the same platform as the new Hyundai Tucson, which will likely share powertrains as well. That means we could see the new Sportage packing a 3.5-liter four-cylinder developing 187 horsepower (139 kilowatts) with a 1.6-liter hybrid that produces 226 horsepower (169 kW). Spy plans have confirmed that there will also be a PHEV version.
Although Kia has yet to hear when it will reveal the new model, it is rumored that it will go on sale in the United States before the end of the year. It’ll be a welcome update for a model that needs to fend off a bunch of strong competitors. The next-gen Sportage will have a new design inside and out, with a tech-driven interior and a plethora of safety features.


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Google’s Pixel is an exceptional phone — and that’s putting it mildly. In our review, we found the Google-branded Pixel’s hardware speedy, its battery life better than average, and its camera among the best we’ve ever tested. But no phone’s perfect, and if Google’s support forum is to be believed, its Achilles heel is its microphone.
It’s not a new issue. Last year, in October, Pixel owners began reporting broken microphones on brand new units in a thread on Google’s support webpage that generated hundreds of responses. Some users reported that the mics fixed themselves after a few hours for no apparent reason, but less fortunate users weren’t able to get them working again.
Google began investigating Pixel mic complaints in January, and by late February settled on an explanation: A hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio codec. “This problem tends to be transient because of the nature of the crack,” Google employee Brian Radowski wrote.
“Based on the temperature changes or the way you hold the phone, the connection may be temporarily restored and the problems may go away. This is especially frustrating as a user because, just when you think you’ve got it fixed, the problem randomly comes back.”
Google began shipping new Pixel units to affected owners, but some of the replacements exhibited the same problem. The company acknowledged the issue, and said that it made changes to the manufacturing process in February to ensure that future replacements don’t experience the same problem.
Google estimates that the problem occurred on less than one percent of Pixel phones made before February, and said that it usually arises after the phone has been dropped in such a way that it severs the connection between the mic and the motherboard.
Google is instructing owners affected by the mic issue to return their phones.
Manufacturing defects aren’t all that uncommon when it comes to smartphones, and the Pixel is far from the first to suffer one. Apple’s iPhone 4 experienced issues with cellular reception when held in a certain orientation — the controversy, dubbed “antennagate,” saw then-CEO Steve Jobs extend affected customers a free plastic bumper and a 30-day refund offer. A subsequent iPhone debacle, “bendgate,” arose when iPhone 6 owners found that the phone’s metal bezel bent relatively easily when that iPhone was placed in a back pocket.
- Samsung may have just killed the Galaxy S10
- 9 Apple products we’re expecting in 2023: iPhone 15, M2 Mac Pro, and more
- Does the Samsung Galaxy A54 have a headphone jack?
- Surprise Apple sale brings big discounts on iPad and Apple Watch
- Apple Watch Series 9: the 6 biggest things we want to see


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The big Japanese distributor is basically opposed to the Loot Box concept adopted by its counterparts - but definitely plans to offer us more and more games based on network connectivity instead of single-player storytelling situations
The real money purchase offerings within games, especially those designed to allow for improvement and practical advances in gaming itself, continue to be the hottest topic of conversation in the market - and now the prominent Japanese Square Enix company decides it's time to voice its opinion.
The company CEO Stated in an interview Because the distributor does not plan to add purchases for standard games to the console market and the PC market, because, for him, consumers do not quite understand the need for additional payment for a product that already paid 50 dollars or 60 dollars - this is unlike the mobile world from which the trend came in the first place, where titles are Those who have raised a few dollars may choose to offer additional purchases as a major revenue-generating mechanism.
It's good to see that there are factors that still choose to try and see consumers' point of view without thinking solely about the line of earnings, but that doesn't mean Square Enix doesn't want to adopt gaming access as a service - the various creations will continue to receive additional DLC content, and mass gaming Online such as Final Fantasy 14 will also receive micro-transactions at an additional cost.
In addition, the company plans to make extensive efforts to create games with more prominent and significant online components at the expense of titles where the main ingredient is a local single player - including through the famous Eidos Montreal studio, which has given us the latest Deus Ex games. In other words, Square Enix may not agree with the specific application of distributors like EA or WBIE, but they are certainly interested in finding methods to generate revenue and increased branded profits and titles that may not be appreciated and understood by the entire gamers community.
Square Enix has already confirmed that in the coming year we are expecting a new game in the series tomb raider High-quality (probably called Shadow of the Tomb Raider), and it seems to be hoped that it will be a similar experience to its predecessors - and not a title that will seek an excuse to justify a regular network connection or payment for plug-ins that are mandatory for anyone who wants to reach their full potential.


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Trisport AG has taken over the trademark rights from Kettler. In the ISPO.com interview, managing director Stefan Christen talks about the future and why he receives a wave of positive feedback from the industry.
How does the oldest outdoor company in the world manage digital transformation? ISPO.com talked to Schöffel owner and managing director Peter Schöffel about the reorientation of his company, in which no stone was left unturned.
The digital change poses a number of challenges for the sports market. How the continent of Europe can prepare itself for this will be demonstrated at a conference of the Association of the European Sporting Goods Industry.
Winter sports experienced a summer of resignations: With Laura Dahlmeier, Felix Neureuther or Marcel Hirscher, winter sports lost its most famous athletes. But this creates space for new ski stars. ISPO.com shows the most important.
The Professional Triathletes Organisation, a group of athletes, plans to acquire the Ironman rights previously held by the Wanda Sports Group of China. They orient themselves thereby at the successes of other kinds of sport.
The mountain sports brand Dynafit moves to Kiefersfelden, which should increase the attractiveness of the company for employees in the outdoor segment. Meanwhile the owner Heiner Oberrauch prepares his withdrawal.
China wants to become a world leader with billions invested in football. The DFB and the Bundesliga clubs are competing with other countries for the market with enormous potential, which is not free of imponderables.


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December 5, 2017 - Emmy-award winning television show The Doctors highlighted the growing problem of toxic toys flooding the marketplace. The show's producers recently partnered with ACT Lab to learn about product safeguards and to test a batch of toys for chemical, mechanical, and safety compliance.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Nov. 8, 2017 – ACT Lab, the independent third-party accredited laboratory that conducts safety and compliance testing for consumer products, has retained SOAR Communications of Salt Lake City to manage its PR, media relations, and corporate communications, effective immediately. SOAR Communications is a full-service public relations firm, with a special focus [...]
Long Beach, CA – September 12, 2017. Hiroshi Yamazaki has joined ACT Lab and recently established ACT’s newest sales and research office in Osaka, Japan. “Yamazaki’s intimate knowledge of safety standards coupled with his experience in global manufacturing and professional leadership will help ACT facilitate greater communication with suppliers, manufacturers, importer/exporters in Japan, Vietnam, [...]
Long Beach, CA – January 16, 2017. As of the New Year, Cory Sutela has joined ACT Lab to oversee engineering for the third-party testing lab group. Sutela has PhD in Engineering from Cambridge University (UK) and brings over 15 years of bicycle testing experience to the ACT team. Most recently Sutela was employed at [...]
February 11 2016, Long Beach, CA - ACT Lab will officially open an independent third-party product safety and compliance testing facility in Taichung, Taiwan by third-quarter 2016 per the continued demand for quality products sourced from the region. "Since ACT's inception we have envisioned opening a testing lab in Taiwan. With continued demand from our customers [...]


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Mugen reveals its electric superbike for the 2017 TT Zero
One of Honda's traditional racing partners, Mugen, unveiled the electric superbike that will attempt to bring home the fourth consecutive victory at the Isle of Man TT Zero. The Shinden Roku made its first public outing at the 2017 Tokyo Motorcycle Show, along with an electric motocross concept.
The TT Zero has grown to become one of the most popular electric motorcycle races in the world, supporting the legendary Tourist Trophy that has been taking place on the Isle of Man every year since 1907. The electric class of the TT was first introduced as TTXGP in 2009, and was won by Team AGNI's Rod Barber. The next year its name changed to TT Zero, and continued in this format to become integral part of the Tourist Trophy.
Mugen arrived at the TT Zero in 2012, essentially acting as Honda's partner in the electric class, employing a traditional Honda rider and multiple TT winner, John McGuinness. After achieving second place finishes in 2012 and 2013, Mugen proceeded to completely dominate the battery-powered field in every event since 2014, usually with McGuinness adding to his already impressive tally of Isle of Man victories. The only exception was last year, when a minor technical setback whilst leading left him in fourth place, with the win going to his teammate, Bruce Anstey.
The 2017 Mugen team will once again star McGuinness, with another expert rider and Isle of Man celebrity, Guy Martin, replacing Anstey.
Apart from winning, for this year's TT Zero, all the participants will be eyeing the 120 mph (193 km/h) average lap speed barrier. Signifying the radical progress achieved over just a few years of competition, the 87 mph (140 km/h) that Barber posted during his 2009 TTXGP win have led the electric superbikes to the 119 mph (192 km/h) record lap that McGuinness managed last year on the 2016 Mugen Shinden Go.
Owing its name to Japanese numerals, the sixth (Roku) version of the Shinden superbike doesn't appear to be very different from last year's motorcycle – the Shinden Go, or Five. Mugen does not disclose much in terms of technical data, and the only difference we can spot in the little information that has been released is a minor reduction in weight, from 250 kg (551 lb) to 248 (547 lb).
With the carbon fiber monocoque frame and all the running gear, including suspension and brakes, appearing to be identical with those used last year, we expect the only differences to concern the electric powertrain. The only relevant information we managed to get from Mugen's Japanese blog hints at new batteries of undisclosed capacity and the same maximum output voltage of 370 V as in previous Shinden models, as well as a new inverter. Apart from these, the Shinden Roku should be little more than a fine-tuned version of the motorcycle that has been dominating the TT Zero for three years in a row.
It will be very interesting to see what kind of competition will come against Mugen for the 2017 TT Zero, given that its stronger adversary in 2016, Victory, recently announced the end of its motorcycle production, and this is expected to also include its ex-Brammo electric racer that climbed to the second podium step last year.
Mugen unveiled the Shinden Roku at the 2017 Tokyo Motorcycle Show, displaying it next to a prototype electric motocross bike, the dinosaur-styled E.Rex. Practically no information was released for this motorcycle, with no tech details and only some PR lines about investigating the future of electric MX.


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Vietnam International Café Show 2022 to open in HCM City
More than 200 domestic and international exhibitors will participate in a coffee, food and beverage exhibition called Vietnam International Café Show 2022 from July 21 - 23 at Sai Gon International Exhibition and Convention Center in HCM City.
The Vietnam International Café Show 2022 will open in HCM City in July. (Photo: VNS)
This annual event, which is part of a series of Café Show exhibitions in Seoul, Shanghai, Paris and Vietnam, is an opportunity for leading domestic and foreign managers and experts to meet and share orientations, strategies, solutions and practical management tools in the manufacturing, processing, and distributing industry of coffee, tea, food and beverage for restaurants, hotels and other food service businesses.
The event is organised by Exporum Vietnam Company and sponsored by Vietnam Coffee - Cocoa Association, Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, Trade Promotion Agencies in Vietnam and other agencies.
Joining the event will be famous international brand names in the coffee industry such as Victoria Arduino, Nuova Simonelli, Sanremo, La Marzocco, BFC, Breville, CIME, Lamvita and Giesen.
Famous Vietnamese coffee export companies will also be present at the event such as Trung Nguyen, Simexco, Intimex, An Thai, Tin Nghia and Vinh Hiep.
Many brands of raw materials and ingredients for bartending and baking such as Maulin (Great Eastern), Dalamilk, Vinamilk, Barista Buddy and Richs Product Vietnam (ICEHOT) will also be showcased.
Also at the exhibition, there will be competitions including the Vietnam National Barista Championship (VNBC) and Vietnam National Latte Art Championship (VNLC), which are the only two competitions in Vietnam certified by World Coffee Events (WCE).
The competitions aim to find the best baristas representing the Vietnamese barista industry to compete in international contests. This is an opportunity for young Vietnamese to have the opportunity to hone and show their skills, use many new products as well as listen to the opinions of leading experts in the world to improve their professional skill level.
Many other activities will take place such as Sweet Class, Cherry's Choice and Coffee Talk, where the trend of exporting Vietnamese specialty coffee to the Republic of Korea market and European countries will be discussed.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been working with domestic ministries, agencies and foreign partners to facilitate travel of Vietnamese and foreign citizens, said Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.
With the blockchain market showing signs of recovery and the amount of capital increasing sharply in recent weeks globally, investors are now more confident in seeking out stronger connections to move forward.
The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism suggested extending the implementation of support policies until 2023 to help tourism businesses overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic as travel businesses are still facing difficulties.
The festival is an opportunity to remember the merits of parents and ancestors.
Minister of Public Security To Lam says that the government’s decree on betting is expected to help reduce illegal online betting.
Vietnam decided on Thursday to further lower retail prices of oil and petrol on Thursday, the fifth consecutive time since late June.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has ratified the national cyber security strategy in response to cyberspace challenges till 2025 with a vision towards 2030.
Drugs containing the active ingredients Tecovirimat, Brincidofvir, Cidofovir, and Probenecid are those recommended by WHO.
The embassy of Finland in Hanoi said the reason for the non-recognition is due to the lack of place of birth on the new passports.
Reigning Miss World Karolina Bielawska arrived in Vietnam on August 10 as a special guest of the finale of Miss World Vietnam 2022 slated for August 12 evening.
Bad debt in the real estate sector is projected to surge as property bonds worth over VND207.8 trillion will fall due in 2023 and 2024.
ASEAN Online Sale Day 2022, part of activities marking the 55th founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), kicked off on Monday, drawing more than 300 businesses from the region.


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Mitsubishi Logistics creates blockchain tracker for delivery
New York City: Mitsubishi Logistics has harnessed the power of blockchain to provide its customers with the ability to track their shipments. This provides customers with the peace of mind that their outsourced pharmaceutical shipments will be maintained in the appropriate conditions throughout the shipping process.
To facilitate the expeditious movement of illicit substances, the blockchain technology known as ML Chain was created by Mitsubishi. Because of this technology, the company’s customers are able to monitor the temperature of their shipments even after they have been transferred to another party, in addition to seeing other essential information.
The new ML Chain allows for the tracking of shipments all the way from the production facilities and distribution hubs of pharmaceuticals to the distributors. It is already being used by Takeda Pharmaceutical for several of their products in the Japanese market.
The motors firm has come to the conclusion that using blockchain technology would allow for the secure transfer of data on a worldwide scale, and as a result, they have made the decision to use it. Its newly developed distributed ledger technology suggests that there will be other uses of blockchain technology in the not-too-distant future.
In the not too distant future, Mitsubishi Logistics intends to extend the capabilities of ML Chain to include international shipments as well as the transportation of goods from wholesalers to pharmacies and hospitals. It sees the platform as a means to aid with quality control and inventory management in addition to being a safeguard against the sale of counterfeit drugs.
In addition, the company that is part of the Mitsubishi Group will consider using ML Chain as a tool to assist in the development of innovative and safe direct-to-consumer distribution channels. It will evaluate the data collected via the platform in order to improve supply chains.
Authorities all around the globe are calling for more rules in order to make certain that medicine is carried in a manner that is both safe and effective. The Japanese government finalized GDP rules in 2018, marking the beginning of their implementation. Because of the appearance of COVID-19, there is an increased need than there has ever been before for the secure transportation of pharmaceuticals and vaccinations.
By the end of October, Mitsubishi Logistics had completed constructing a distribution center for medical products in the city of Ibaraki, which is located near to Osaka. This month, the firm made the announcement that it will be developing its own service architecture that is consistent with GDP for the delivery of pharmaceutical commodities at room temperature. By increasing the size of its fleet of delivery trucks, it will increase the number of locations that are serviced.
The Yano Research Institute estimates that the market for logistics outsourcing services for the businesses that produce pharmaceuticals and medical equipment reached 110 billion yen ($778 million) in fiscal 2020. This represents a growth of 3.8% when compared to the market in the previous year. As both the quantity of medications delivered and the percentage of work contracted out to distribution companies continues to rise, there is a growing tendency toward selecting distributors on the basis of the quality-control methods they use.


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After the P51, Panasonic has launched a range of Android smartphones to get a better foothold in the Indian market.The Panasonic P11 is their new dual SIM offering that comes with changeable back covers. Check out the specifications and features of Panasonic P11.(Reviewed by ET's Karan Bajaj)Image courtesy: mobile.panasonic.co.in
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By: KFOR – The Oklahoma Corporation Commission held a special meeting Monday concerning a proposed senate bill that would change how utility companies ask for rate changes.
Senate Bill 1103, or the Ratepayer Protection Act, is generally supported by electric utilities and opposed by consumers and business advocates.
Those for the bill, such as OG&E, say it will make utilities more efficient and accountable, while those against it say it will increase electric bills for consumers and decrease Corporation Commission oversight.
The Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee voted 10-2 in support of the bill on March 2.
OG&E spokesman Aaron Cooper explained that with the bill, rate changes would become performance-based.
“If performance-based rates become law, then this would add more transparency and accountability to the process because it would lead to a yearly review of our costs and our investments,” he said. “The Corporation Commission would take a look at those every year. Whereas now, they look only when an electric company goes in for rate adjustments, which for OG&E is every three or four years. Under this bill, the Commission would look at our costs and investments every year and make a determination on that.”
But opponents like the Oklahoma Industrial Energy Consumers (OIEC) say it takes away the Commission’s authority to thoroughly investigate and regulate Oklahoma’s electric utilities. OIEC fears the utilities would then take advantage of consumers and businesses by hiking prices.
“The utilities will certainly file annual reviews and they’re not going to file for a decrease. That never happens,” said OIEC General Counsel Tom Schroedter. “It always ends up in a request for a rate increase.”
He described it as a “one-way profit center for utility companies and their shareholders.”
“The Corporation Commission cannot reject a performance-based rate plan,” he continued. “The law requires the Corporation Commission to accept a performance-based rate filing, and that is not good for customers.”
OG&E told the Commission that the bill will protect customers from huge price shocks like that of Winter Storm Uri in 2021, by requiring electric utilities to have stored natural gas in preparation for such events.
They also explained that through the bill, they’d return 100 percent of excess profits to customers, 75 percent through direct refunds, and 25 percent invested in improving grid reliability.
“They shouldn’t be able to retain 25 percent of that and make investments that haven’t been reviewed and that we might not agree with,” countered Schroedter. “So, 100 percent of those refunds need to come back to ratepayers.”
The Commission ended up not voting on a stance for SB 1103 Monday. A motion for a vote was put forward but two of the three commissioners would not give a second, saying they’re too busy with a major case involving the 2021 winter storm to give their due diligence on this.
“The way this agency handled the last ‘Consumer Protection Act’ cost Oklahoma ratepayers a billion dollars more than Commissioner Hiett said it would, and two billion dollars more than the utilities said was even owed for that 2021 Winter Storm,” said Commissioner Bob Anthony in a released statement about Monday’s special meeting concerning SB 1103. “We need to stop the obstruction and cover-up and do our duty to find the truth about what went horribly wrong with the last one before we start offering our ‘advice’ on any more utility regulation legislation.”
Cooper said OG&E expects the senate floor to vote on the SB 1103 on Wednesday or Thursday.


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The severe labour shortage in Canada affecting businesses across industries, compelling many to cut down operations, reduce hours and in some cases, even euthanize livestock. Studies point out that 55% of Canadian entrepreneurs are struggling to hire workers and because of this reason, they are compelled to work more hours or delay or refuse orders.
The labour shortage is pointed out to be a major impact of COVID-19, which has posed a major hurdle as the country is on the road to economic recovery. So businesses, especially small business are putting pressure on the government to take immediate measures for finding a solution to this crisis.
In a press release issued recently, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) vice-president of national research Simon Gaudreault said small businesses had already been experiencing a very significant shortage of labour at the beginning of 2020 and the situation was made worse by the pandemic.
“Industries that were locked down for long periods of time, like hospitality, have seen a mass exodus as workers upskilled or switched to other jobs, and virtually all sectors are facing major demographic upheavals with not enough new workers coming in to replace those who are retiring.”
Reports show that such widespread labour shortage is being experienced despite majority of affected businesses raising wages for the employees. The labour shortage affected food services, healthcare and retail sectors badly. According to a report by the Royal Bank of Canada, the number of job vacancies increased by about 22 per cent in Canada when the economy reopened in last summer.
Opportunities for immigrants
In this context, the Canadian job market is opening up a wealth of opportunities for the newcomers. For Canada, immigration is a means for ensuring enough supply of skilled labour in the market. It means those with skills and work experience have high demand in Canada. Moreover, Canada has set an ambitious immigration target for the year 2022, of inviting 411000 new immigrants to the country. So, for those who plan to move to Canada, this is the right time. You can explore the possibilities of migrating to Canada by talking to the Canada immigration experts of CanApprove. Contact us now.


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Elon Musk is no stranger to attention-grabbing headlines, and the Tesla CEO said last April the company would in the future have a battery that lasts for a million miles.
According to a report on Wired.com, Musk’s statement may not be so far-fetched. The article said that earlier this month, a group of battery researchers at Dalhousie University, which has an exclusive agreement with Tesla, published a paper in The Journal of the Electrochemical Society describing a lithium-ion battery that “should be able to power an electric vehicle for over 1 million miles” while losing less than 10 percent of its energy capacity during its lifetime.
In the paper, the Dalhousie researchers, led by lithium-ion expert Jeff Dahn, showed that its battery significantly outperforms any similar lithium-ion battery previously reported. They foresee the battery powering self-driving robotaxis and long-haul electric trucks—two products Tesla is developing.
“Full details of these cells including electrode compositions, electrode loadings, electrolyte compositions, additives used, etc. have been provided,” Dahn and his colleagues wrote in the paper. “This has been done so that others can recreate these cells and use them as benchmarks for their own R+D efforts.”
Based on the average American commute, Dahn estimates that most electric vehicle owners use only about a quarter of a charge per day. But to make a fleet of robotaxis or long-haul electric trucks, the batteries would have to exhibit significantly higher energy because of the discharge and recharge cycles these vehicles have, which is the impetus for the research.
According to the article, the lithium-ion batteries described in the paper use lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, or NMC, for the battery’s positive electrode (cathode) and artificial graphite for its negative electrode (anode). The electrolyte comprises lithium salt blended with other compounds.
Dahn’s team achieved the battery’s high performance by optimizing the battery’s chemistry and tweaking the nanostructure of the battery’s cathode. Instead of using many smaller NMC crystals as the cathode, this battery relies on larger crystals.
Lin Ma, a former PhD student in Dahn’s lab who was instrumental in developing the cathode design, says this “single-crystal” nanostructure is less likely to develop cracks when a battery is charging. Cracks in the cathode material cause a decrease in the lifetime and performance of the battery.
The article noted that days after the benchmark paper was published, Tesla and Dahn were awarded a patent describing a single-crystal lithium-ion battery almost identical to the batteries described in the paper. The patented battery includes an electrolyte additive called ODTO that the patent claims can “enhance performance and lifetime of Li-ion batteries, while reducing costs.”
According to the article, it is not clear whether the battery described in the patent is the million-mile battery that Musk said would enter production next year.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Palm Inc. sank as much as 18% Friday after the company offered a disappointing financial forecast due to weaker sales of its handheld organizers and increased competition from larger rivals in the cell phone market.
The outlook came after Palm late Thursday reported sales for the period ended Aug. 31 rose to $342.2 million, up 25% from a year ago, on surging sales of its Treo Smartphone. That device lets consumers browse the Web, send instant messages, snap pictures and send email.
Net income, meanwhile, fell 7% to $18.2 million, clipped by higher operating costs.
Palm is predicting fiscal second-quarter sales of $435 million to $440 million, short of Wall Street's target of $450 million.
In a conference call, Palm executives pinned part of the lowered outlook for the current period on slower-than-expected growth overseas, especially in Europe, where it faces competition from Ericsson,
Although Palm sold 470,000 Treos during the quarter, up 160% from a year ago, average selling prices are easing as higher shipments are leading to carrier discounts, the company said.
In addition, sales of its personal digital assistants, or PDA's, fell 29% from a year ago, enough to raise serious concerns about that business from some Wall Street analysts.
Bear Stearns slashed its earnings estimate for the current fiscal year to $1.40 per share from $2.00, "reflecting Palm's outlook of weak PDA sales," and said in a report that the shares were fairly valued at $29.


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After months of rumors about its fate, Bellevue-based T-Mobile USA was sold today to AT&T for $39 billion in a deal that’s reshaping the wireless industry as it begins delivering a new generation of services and devices.
If the deal is approved by regulators, AT&T will become the nation’s largest wireless carrier by a significant margin, leapfrogging Verizon Wireless and extending its upcoming mobile broadband network to 95 percent of the population.
There was speculation in recent weeks that T-Mobile – the fourth-place carrier – would merge with third-place Sprint and perhaps Kirkland-based Clearwire, improving Sprint’s position against the largest two carriers, AT&T and Verizon.
But instead AT&T’s bulking up for its intensifying competition with Verizon, acquiring T-Mobile from parent Deutsche Telekom for $25 billion in cash and plus stock in a deal AT&T expects to close within the next 12 months.
AT&T will use T-Mobile’s spectrum and network of towers to improve the quality of its service, which has been a sore point since it was burdened by heavy data usage of iPhone users starting in 2007. It also settles for good the question of which “fourth generation” network T-Mobile will pursue, since its customers will now have access to the LTE technology that AT&T’s developing.
“This transaction represents a major commitment to strengthen and expand critical infrastructure for our nation’s future,” Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive, said in the release. “It will improve network quality, and it will bring advanced LTE capabilities to more than 294 million people.”
T-Mobile and AT&T were already distant cousins. AT&T descended from the McCaw family cellular phone companies formed in the 1980s, and T-Mobile was previously a wireless company started by McCaw veteran John Stanton.
Together the companies employ around 8,500 people on the Eastside, but the overlapping administrative positions mean some cuts are likely.
AT&T didn’t specify what will happen to T-Mobile employees but its release implies that it intends to maintain T-Mobile staff and its large concentration of employees in the Seattle area. An excerpt:
Bringing AT&T and T-Mobile USA together will create an impressive workforce that is best positioned to compete in today’s global economy. Post-closing, AT&T intends to tap into the significant knowledge and expertise held by employees of both AT&T and T-Mobile USA to succeed. AT&T is the only major U.S. wireless company with a union workforce, offering leading wages, benefits, training and development for employees. The combined company will continue to have a strong employee and operations base in the Seattle area.
By acquiring T-Mobile, AT&T’s effort to expand its network leaps ahead. It also means that customers of the combined company will have access to both the current 3G network and AT&T’s new ultrafast fourth-generation LTE network as it comes online.
It’s acquiring 46.5 million T-Mobile customers, T-Mobile’s wireless spectrum and T-Mobile’s collection of cell sites.
AT&T’s market share will jump from about 33 percent to 43 percent with T-Mobile folded in. Verizon has around 35 percent of the wireless market.
Obtaining regulatory approval will be a challenge. The companies may be forced to divest markets, letting go some subscribers, to obtain approval, industry consultant Chetan Sharma said.
“I don’t see them approving as is,” he said, predicting that “it will be a long, drawn process in terms of analysis to see if this makes it less or more competitive.”
AT&T is apparently anticipating the scrutiny. In its release, it asserted that market competition is “escalating” and consumers have multiple wireless options:
“The U.S. wireless industry is one of the most fiercely competitive markets in the world and will remain so after this deal. The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world where a large majority of consumers can choose from five or more wireless providers in their local market. For example, in 18 of the top 20 U.S. local markets, there are five or more providers. Local market competition is escalating among larger carriers, low-cost carriers and several regional wireless players with nationwide service plans.”
AT&T said customers of both companies “will see service improvements – including improved voice quality – as a result of additional spectrum, increased cell tower density and broader network infrastructure. At closing, AT&T will immediately gain cell sites equivalent to what would have taken on average five years to build without the transaction, and double that in some markets.”


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There's absolutely nothing wrong with Toyota's Auris hatchback - except, perhaps, that it's a little boring.
But the company has recently added a hot 180bhp SR version to the range, which succeeds the Corolla, and will release a couple more SRs this spring.
The first is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine and the second by a 130bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine. Both have 17in alloys, lowered sports suspensions and rear spoilers.
A six-speaker audio system is also standard. Prices start at £14,495 for the 1.6 and £16,095 for the diesel version.


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Provident Financial has been accused of driving the payday loan industry to a “new low” by sending a high-cost credit advertisement featuring the faces of children and babies that had previously been sent to financially vulnerable people. Xmas.
Provident, who owns Vanquis Bank and Moneybarn, sent out a mailing featuring a smiling child wearing a Christmas cookie hat, children decorating their grandfather with garlands, and people hugging each other with the words, “That wouldn’t be. not Christmas without … the look on his face … decorating grandpa … and visiting loved ones.
In a letter to Andrew Bailey, Managing Director of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Ms Reeves expressed concern over “the behavior of the credit provider Provident who cynically used the intense pressure on household finances over Christmas to target vulnerable customers.”
“I think it was a cynical tactic to exploit vulnerable people who are struggling financially at the best of times, let alone the holiday season,” Ms. Reeves wrote.
“Provident has tried to reach people’s hearts with a deliberately emotional message to get them to take out a loan at a great interest rate. “
Last week, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad was irresponsible and should not be reused.
Ms Reeves welcomed the move but said she did not go far enough to tackle this “blatantly irresponsible behavior when it comes to offering loans.” The ASA, which is funded by advertisers, does not have the power to impose fines on businesses.
Last year, Provident was ordered to pay a fine of £ 2million and £ 169million to 1.2million Vanquis customers for selling a companion product called a Redemption Option Plan (ROP) which has not been fully explained.
The FCA tried to curb high-cost credit providers with rules capping payday loan interest rates in 2015. Last month, the regulator said providers must compensate consumers who have been mis-sold, even in cases where no complaint has been filed. .
But concerns remain that cash-strapped borrowers are turning to payday loans and other expensive forms of credit to make ends meet.
Bank of England data last week showed credit card debt increased 7.1% in the year through November and now stands at £ 72.5 billion sterling.
A representative from Provident said: “The ASA informed us of a complaint filed about the advertisement and we subsequently removed it from circulation, prior to the ASA’s final decision.
“Provident has also assured the ASA that this content will not be used in other marketing materials. “


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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT on Conclusion of World Trade Organization Meeting
I am pleased and proud that the members of the World Trade Organization ("WTO") have accepted my invitation to hold the 1999 WTO Ministerial meeting in the United States. This meeting will enable us to advance the ambitious agenda I laid out earlier this week to shape the world trading system to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Next year's meeting will bring home for Americans the important stake that we all have in the global economy. And I welcome the decision by the WTO to ask United States Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky to chair that meeting. In Geneva, we made important advances on our proposal to free the potential of electronic commerce. I am particularly pleased that the WTO members joined the United States in a standstill on any tariffs on electronic transmissions sent across national borders. We cannot allow discriminatory barriers to stunt the development of the most promising new economic opportunity in decades. This worldwide proposal builds on far-reaching agreements we reached within the last week with the European Union and Japan.
As we build a trading system for the 21st century that honors our values and expands opportunity, we must do more to ensure that spirited economic competition among nations never becomes a race to the bottom -- in environmental protections, consumer protections, or labor standards. Without such a strategy, we cannot build the necessary public support for continued expansion of trade. I will work to ensure that the WTO and other international institutions are more responsive to labor, the environment, consumers, and other interests so that we can build the public confidence we need in our trade expansion initiatives.
I want to thank Ambassador Barshefsky, Secretary Glickman, Ambassador Rita Hayes, our Ambassador to the WTO, and all the representatives of the U.S. business community, and other participants in the Ministerial who worked to make this meeting a success.


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Time to put brakes on long car loans
Published 10:00 pm, Friday, May 5, 2006
It appears that we've hit another consumer milestone, and it's not one we should be proud of.
Last year, it was our savings rate. In 2005, for the first time since the Great Depression, the personal savings rate fell into negative territory.
This year, consumers have hit another landmark. The majority of auto loans are now five years or longer.
New vehicle loans longer than 60 months accounted for nearly 55 percent of loan originations, according to the Consumer Bankers Association's 2006 Automobile Finance Study. Used vehicle loans of more than 60 months accounted for 40 percent of originations.
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In 2000, five-year or longer car loans accounted for just 22 percent of all such lending.
Have people lost their financial minds?
"It is to a certain degree a sign that people are stretching," said Fritz Elmendorf, vice president of communications for the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA). "It does raise the question of whether people are buying more car than they can afford and should they put the brakes on their car-buying behavior."
This trend is troubling because stretched-out auto loans have led to another milestone, an increase in the percentage of vehicle owners who are "upside-down." That's a term to mean your loan balance is higher than the value of your car. With a longer-term loan, the value of the car declines faster than the loan balance.
That certainly is not a good position to be in if you want to trade or privately sell your vehicle. Oh, and you better hope you don't get into an auto accident and the car is totaled. If it is, you won't get enough of an insurance payment to pay off the loan.
In 2001, 25 percent of trades were upside down, according to retail transaction data from the Power Information Network, a division of the marketing research firm JD Power and Associates. In 2005, 33.5 percent of car buyers owed more on their trades than the vehicles were worth.
The average new vehicle loan size increased 4 percent to $23,534 from $22,638 the year before, the CBA found. The average used vehicle loan increased 3 percent to $16,419, up from $15,961 a year earlier. Those are the averages. Certainly many people are spending far more than the average for a ride.
There's another reason why loan terms are being drawn out, Elmendorf said.
"Fundamentally (consumers) are looking for monthly payments they can afford, even if it means adding a year onto their loan," he said.
While consumers may prefer longer loan terms, the CBA survey showed that the lowest auto loan rates, at about 5.5 percent, were available for terms of four years or less, compared with rates approaching 7 percent for loans longer than five years.
Recent data from Edmunds.com, an online resource for automotive information, showed that 33.5 percent of car buyers had a loan term of 72 months. The average loan size was $26,156 with an interest rate of 9.6 percent.
Let's say you finance a car for $23,500 for 60 months at a 7 percent interest rate. Your monthly payment is $465.33. At the end of that loan you would have paid about $4,420 in interest. Finance that same vehicle for 48 months at 5.5 percent and you will pay about $2,730 in interest. Your monthly payment is higher, $546.53, but you save $1,690 in interest over the life of the loan.
If you need to keep your monthly payment around $465, get a less expensive car.
Here's one gauge of auto affordability. For most people, 12 percent to 15 percent of after-tax monthly income is the maximum you should be paying in a monthly car payment, according to Bankrate.com, which has an auto-loan calculator on its Web site. The site also has a calculator to help you figure out how much car you can afford based on your after-tax income.


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It seems Microsoft and Nokia in Hong Kong has changed tack a bit, and instead of targeting buyers directly, have decided to go for the impressionably young children first.
WeloveWP.hk have posted these pictures from a Nokia Lumia event held in Tsuen Wan Plaza promoting the Nokia Lumia 710, 800 and 610.
Instead of the usual Smoked by Windows Phone show, there was instead a clown handing out balloon animals.
The clown was also instructed to create the giant balloon Windows Phone, seen in the pictures above.
The usual Windows Phone marketing fare was also available, and I bet those parents were forced to spend a lot longer than usual at the booth while their kinds awaited their turn with the clown.
See many more pictures at WeloveWp.hk here.


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After the threat of the spread of coronavirus infection in Ukraine was imposed quarantine, food prices began to rise almost every day. Producers of goods and sellers voiced the reasons, however, many experts accused them of wanting to enrich themselves through the situation.
In the article “24 channel” is reported to be in Ukraine, the introduction of price controls on products at the state level.
The government of Ukraine refused to state regulation of prices in the country in 2017. At that time it seemed logical. The situation in the country all have long been accustomed. When the dollar is growing for him to rush up and prices. Manufacturers attribute this to the fact that the goods are purchased in foreign currency. When the currency depreciates, the prices remain high, and manufacturers shrug their shoulders and explain that these processes are not connected.
“We are actively working to ensure price stability for socially significant product groups remained. Planned and are working to introduce more soft tool of regulation, but right now it’s 10 products that are important for every Ukrainian and households,” said the newly appointed Minister of economic development, trade and agriculture Igor Petrashko.
According to him, at the moment these measures will be sufficient to maintain price stability, so that food was available to every Ukrainian.
The Ukrainian government plans to regulate prices for such products as sugar, flour, buckwheat, wheat flour, eggs, pasta domestic production, milk fat content of 2.5%, wheat-rye bread, chicken carcasses, butter and mineral water without gas.
Such list of goods in Ukraine is defined for the first time, this was stated by the Chairman of the National Council of economic development Alexey Doroshenko. Was determined not only by the list of goods, but also the price category, country of production and packaging. Besides, this list was first included in the drinking water. All this, according to experts, will allow to carry out qualitative monitoring of pricing and in the future the list of the regulated goods can be expanded.


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Arctic15 finalist Kiosked is rapidly gaining ground with its in-content online sales platform. The startup has now partnered with Suomi24, Finland’s largest web community, to provide interactive online marketplaces (kiosks) to the community’s 2700 discussion forums and 1.3 million unique weekly visitors.
The kiosks basically turn Suomi24 into a huge marketplace. Kiosked’s Web Wide Shop platform has an automated self-provisioning interface that enables advertisers to place their products and services in a consumer relevant context. In other words, advertisers will be able to target an audience that is quite likely already thinking about purchasing their product.
”We wanted to offer companies an easy and efficient way to directly promote and sell their products and services where their consumers are already sharing information with each other; and making shopping decisions”, says Jarno Alastalo, Director of Suomi24.
Kiosked claims that the CTR (click-through-rate) of its service is 5-25 times better than that of comparable banner advertising.
”One of Kiosked’s main goals is to help brands and merchants to reach online consumers in a way that serves the consumer. 99% of people don’t see online banner ads and most people find them annoying. We want to turn online advertising into a service, which serves advertisers, merchants, and consumers alike”, says Kiosked’s CEO and Co-founder Micke Paqvalén.
Suomi24 is among the very first services to launch Kiosked’s platform. A quick test of the kiosks at Suomi24 tells us that the service still suffers somewhat from a lack of advertisers, but it will be interesting to see how the platform works once it has gained some momentum at such a large-scale venue.


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The Reuben Brothers paid about $150 million for the Surrey Hotel, a discount of roughly 30 percent off its asking price.
The company run by British billionaires Simon and David Reuben purchased the hotel at 20 East 76th Street, property records filed with the city Tuesday show. That’s about $65 million less than the asking price of $215 million that Bloomberg cited last week when it first reported news of the deal.
Representatives for the Reuben Brothers and the Surrey’s seller, the Kaufman Organization, could not be immediately reached for comment.
The hotel filed for bankruptcy earlier this year when the ground lease holder, Ashkenazy Acquisitions, filed for Chapter 11 after the hotel’s operator missed payments.
This the latest acquisition in the U.S. for the Reubens, who have been snapping up properties this year. In late April, they purchased a retail condo from SL Green for $170 million and recently purchased stakes in three hotels in Chicago, Miami and Las Vegas.


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One of the prevailing story lines that we’ve been covering in depth over the past several weeks has been the array of smartphones Samsung is expected to launch in just a few weeks. The cheapest of those — referred to as the Galaxy S10 Lite in leaks — should, in theory, compete with Apple’s iPhone XR. But a benchmark that popped up online this week seems to suggest that the S10 Lite will struggle to come close to its rival.
Spotted by GalaxyClub on Tuesday, the benchmark for a phone with model number SM-G970U (supposedly the S10 Lite) offers up multiple revelations about the highly anticipated device. First and foremost, it seems to confirm that the S10 Lite will ship with a Snapdragon 855 processor on board. Second, Samsung looks to be including 6GB of RAM on this “budget” phone — double what the XR offers. But that’s just part of the story.
As compelling as those specifications appear, the actual Geekbench scores (single-core and multi-core) tell a different story. This is where it’s worth noting that early benchmarks aren’t necessarily accurate, and could very well be a result of unoptimized software, hardware, and other factors, but a single-core score of 1986 and a multi-core score of 6266 would be incredibly disappointing. To put those results into perspective, the iPhone XR scored 4795 and 11213, respectively. Furthermore, previous scores for the Snapdragon 855 came in at 3332 and 10941.
With Samsung expected to unveil its next smartphone line in February, it’s a little too close for comfort in terms of how close these benchmarks are appearing relative to when the phones will actually launch. Still, if the benchmark is legit (save for the scores), an upgraded processor and extra RAM bode well for the S10 Lite.
In addition to a Snapdragon 855 and 6GB of RAM, the S10 Lite is also said to feature a flat display, 128GB of storage, a dual rear camera, and 3100 mAh battery. It will be joined by at least three other S10 phones: the Galaxy S10 edge, Galaxy S10+, and one or two 5G smartphones.


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Posted on Monday, May 7th 2012
Of late, several major tech companies have developed significant platforms upon which entrepreneurs are bootstrapping successful, sustainable businesses. Of course, Microsoft continues to be one of the most successful players in that market. Here is the story of Brian Knight and Pragmatic Works, a $12M a year business that has been built in the SQL Server eco-system
in Jacksonville, Florida. More recently, Apple, with the iPad/iPhone app eco-system, has injected serious throttle into the game. Salesforce.com has also empowered many entrepreneurs with Force.com and the AppExchange. What is interesting about these two platforms is the added resource of a go-to-market strategy: App Store in the case of Apple and AppExchange in the case of Salesforce.com. The trend on platform strategies at large enterprises is going to continue to be not only offering the platforms but also offering viable go-to-market strategies.In our work with corporate partners, 1M/1M is attempting to inject incubation capabilities into this eco-system development effort as well. It’s a bit early for us, but the vision is to teach to thousands of entrepreneurs who want to build on top of an existing platform the mechanics of building businesses. Currently, these kinds of businesses do not have much access to the incubators because of their smaller TAM.
Through the last couple of weeks, we have shared with you projects we’re doing with Microsoft, A&N Media, BlueSnap and eLance.
A&N Media is offering a series of 1M/1M scholarships to entrepreneurs in Britain to stimulate entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom. With a reach into 130 million consumers, A&N’s channel will offer a significant go-to-market opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to bring B-to-C products to market. Please note that while the scholarships are for UK entrepreneurs only, the channel opportunity is more broadly available to 1M/1M entrepreneurs. More here.
Also, BlueSnap and Elance are, together, offering 12 scholarships to entrepreneurs working on digital commerce and subscription businesses. The deadline for applications is May 11. More here.
This segment is a part in the series : Trend


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According to a recent report, the revenue generated by China’s cloud gaming market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 135% from 2020 to 2023. The industry forecast report was jointly released by Newzoo and the Tencent research institute.
The report also showed that the estimated global average CAGR for the cloud gaming industry over the same period was 101%. This 24% difference signifies China’s emergence as one of the world’s leading cloud gaming markets.
The number of cloud gamers in China is expected to hit 60.65 million by the end of this year. Furthermore, the report revealed an 81% increase in cloud gaming patent activity in the country.
(All information was provided by The Rahnuma Daily)


text: The music concert and festival industry has seen continued growth, with 59% of adult Internet users having attended a live music event in the last three years. The number of summer festivals is growing yearly with many of the key events being staged at full capacity and selling out in record time, however, there is a question as to how long the market can sustain such growth. Rock and pop events continue to be the most popular, although classical music is showing signs of a comeback with live events such as Proms in the Park, crossover acts, orchestral collaborations with rappers and classical club nights all attracting potential new consumers. The Internet has dramatically changed the structure of the industry by providing the consumer with immediate and direct access to music online; downloads and podcasts are both commonplace. Over half of those who have attended a concert or festival in the last three years bought their ticket over the Internet. The wide range of music available online has enabled audiences’ tastes to be more eclectic than ever before which can only be a good sign for the industry. Mobile phones are also playing a key part in technological advances with the introduction of ticketless gigs whereby barcodes sent via text message replace the traditional paper ticket, moreover WAP video footage sent via the phone is being implemented to promote events. For the majority of people the main motivation to attend a concert or festival is the actual atmosphere as much as the music and the biggest complaint is food and drink with nearly 90% of those questioned thinking that it is too expensive. This report analyses current trends in the music concert and festival industry, featuring exclusive consumer research highlighting the main audiences for each genre. It examines the level of spend and frequency of attendance at live music event and looks at attitudes amongst concert and festival-goers.


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SRINAGAR: J&K Bank on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global travel portal Goibibo with a view to extend benefits to its customers availing techno-based delivery channels like debit cards, credit cards and e-banking,
According to the agreement the bank’s all debit and credit card holders and net-banking users will be able to avail “considerable discounts” on domestic and international flights, the bank said in a handout issued here.
“In addition to flights, the users will also get preferred rates on booking of bus tickets and hotels,” it said.
The bank’s Vice President, Strategy & Business Development (S&BD) Tabassum Nazir and Goibibo’s CEO Sanjay Bhasin signed the MoU.
Speaking on the occasion, Tabasum said, “The tie-up is part of the bank’s plan to explore and leverage the virtual market places and use these huge platforms for customers’ convenience and additional benefits. It will provide our customers cheaper travel and other bills”.
The offers are available on www.goibibo.com wherein customers can select the desired coupon code under ‘Bank Offers’ icon displayed on the site.


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Peak Rock Capital has agreed to sell Lew’s Holdings, the owner of Lew’s Fishing, Strike King Lures and Hunters Specialties, to BDT Capital.
No financial terms were disclosed. The deal is expected to close in several weeks. Robert W Baird & Co was financial adviser to Lew’s on the transaction with McDermott Will & Emery LLP providing legal advice.
In partnership with Peak Rock, Lew’s Holdings has successfully executed a series of transformational growth and operational initiatives, including the acquisition and integration of five founder or family owned businesses; development of a deep bench of leadership talent; substantial investment in product innovation; and significant expansion and reorganization of the Company’s commercial organization.
Peter Leibman, managing director of Peak Rock and board member of Lew’s, said, “Lew’s investments in industry leading talent and product innovation, along with the addition of several new brands have resulted in outstanding growth and have positioned the Company for long-term success. We are thrilled with the accomplishments of Lew’s and its outstanding management team over the last few years with the support of Peak Rock.”
Ken Eubanks, chief executive officer of Lew’s, added, “Lew’s significant investment in new brands, product development, and our team would not have been possible without the tremendous support of Peak Rock. As we move forward, the Company is excited to work with BDT to continue to rapidly grow our business through additional acquisitions and organic growth initiatives.”
Anthony DiSimone, chief executive officer of Peak Rock, said, “This transaction demonstrates Peak Rock’s ability to invest in transformative growth of founder and family owned middle-market consumer businesses. We look forward to continuing to make similar investments in companies that can benefit from Peak Rock’s strategic and operational expertise and collaboration.”
Robert W Baird & Co. acted as the financial advisor and McDermott Will & Emery LLP acted as the legal advisor to the Company on the transaction.


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Financial Times: Electric Car Costs Higher than Traditional Engines
Aug 31, 2020
Electric cars will remain significantly more expensive for European carmakers to produce than combustion engine models for at least a decade, according to Oliver Wyman. While the total cost of manufacturing a compact emissions-free vehicle will fall by more than a fifth by 2030, to €16,000, this will still represent a 9 percent gap when compared with petrol or diesel models.
To read the entire article, please click here.


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Rare. Magical. Mythical. Few of the words used to describe this startup that has become Nigerian’s biggest fintech company.
Flutterwave provides a payment infrastructure for global merchants and payment service providers across the continent. This company has a mission to build payments infrastructure to connect Africa to the global economy.
Founded in 2016 by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Olugbenga Agboola, and Adeleke Adekoya, its headquarters is in San Francisco, California with operations in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa , and seven other African countries.
Its current CEO is Olugbenga Agboola, after Iyinoluwa Aboyeji stepped down to focus on family and helping small scale businesses and other startups grow.
Named Africa’s best fintech company at the Apps Africa Innovation award in 2017, only a year after it was founded, this mythical creature will go on to become one of the biggest startups in Africa and among the only startups in Africa with a valuation of over 1 billion with Egyptian payments company Fawry, Nigerian payments company Interswitch and Dubai-based e-commerce giant Jumia all making the list.
Since its inception, Flutterwave has become one of the fastest growing companies in the world, processing close to $9 billion in payments and 140 million transactions across over 33 African countries where it currently operates and serves more than 290,000 businesses including Uber, Flywire, Booking.com and Facebook.
With investment from experienced Fintech investors such as Ycombinator Continuity Fund (investors in Stripe), Greycroft (investors in Braintree and Venmo), Greenvisor Capital, Omidyar Network, and Glynn Capital amongst others, it seems the sky’s just the beginning for this once startup turned Fintech giant.
The Biggest and The Baddest
But this giant is not without its problems. Two months before receiving the highest payment processing license from the Central bank of Nigeria, The Fintech giant was accused of operating without proper licensing in Kenya by the Kenyan central bank. The Governor of The Kenyan Cental Bank, Patrick Njoroge, disclosed on July 28, 2022, after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting, that Flutterwave has not been granted a license for certain operations in the Country. The clarification from the Central Bank of Kenya followed an initial ruling by a Kenyan High Court on July 6, 2022, which froze all assets and accounts of Flutterwave in the country.
According to Wikipedia, Flutterwave, in an official response, disclosed that it submitted applications for licensing to the central bank of Kenya in 2019 but has not been granted one.
Flutterwave has also recently been subject to multiple lawsuits and allegations of denying former employees stock rights as well as having a culture of bullying and harassment.
Flutterwave denied accusations of financial misconduct, including claims of money laundering in Kenya and irregularities related to stock options, and said it has taken action against those found culpable for any form of harassment in the company. It said the IPO plan is subject to market conditions.
According to Abubakar Idris from restofworld.org, The former head of implementation at the company responsible for its expansion into East Africa, Clara Wanjiku Odero, alleged that she had been bullied and harassed by the company’s current CEO, Olugbenga Agboola, that she’d had to fight to get paid after she left the company, and that the company’s “negligence” had led to her being investigated by the Kenyan police.
Talks with 12 former employees of Flutterwave, show that Odero’s allegations are reflective of what they claim are recurring issues at the company.
The former employees alleged that the company encouraged behavior that included harassment and bullying, inappropriate relationships between managers and staff, that the Fintech giant underpaid departing employees for their stock options, and that basic administrative errors were made using company document, which created serious legal problems for the former employees. Some of the allegations were previously reported by local investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, on April 12.
The Fintech giant denied all accusations and said they were investigating each of these allegations and that they are either false or issues that have been addressed before hand.
The Nigerian business space has always been ridiculed with controversies and corruption, but among all these uncertainties, Flutterwave continue to lead Nigeria (and Africa) in the Fintech industry and this growth will push Nigeria and Africa into the forefront of the Global Economy.


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Aha Radio has announced that it has added some compelling CBS content to its already robust line-up and in addition will open up its platform to ALL services. The CBS move will include staples such as The CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, Face the Nation, and The Entertainment Report. The open platform will make it a breeze for Aha to continue adding content as the company and distribution grow.
While many will need to use their smartphone to access Aha, the company has some major auto players on board including Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Subaru, and six other for 2013 cars, with makers such as Toyota rolling out Aha in the very near future. Aha is more a distribution platform than a distinct service. The platform carries Slacker, Deezer, Rdio, and many others. If content is King, Aha, with over 30,000 choices is definitely in the royal family.
The modern dashboard is more robust than ever and Aha will certainly be a long term player in the space. Stay tuned, because Aha Radio will be making more waves in 2013 and beyond.


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While the ride-hailing industry suffers from this pandemic, and after Uber’s massive Q2 losses, can its main rival, Lyft, do any better?
Aug. 12, 2020
Lyft’s [LYFT] share price has failed to gain traction so far in 2020. For the year to date, it has been dragged down 28.75% to close at $31.05 on 10 August.
Lyft’s share price hit a high of $53.94 on 11 February before plummeting to a low of $16.05 in the mid-March market plunge.
The stock recovered to $40.98 in early June before slowing down again.
Lyft’s share price has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic, as travel restrictions and lockdowns kept office workers, shoppers and tourists at home. On top of this, Lyft was also hit by legal action taken by California and Massachusetts over its classification of drivers as independent contractors.
So, can its upcoming second-quarter earnings report, due 12 August, drive Lyft’s share price back up?
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An interrupted ride
Following first-quarter results, Lyft’s share price largely escaped pandemic pains. The company reported a 23% year-over-year rise in revenues to $955.7m and a net loss of $398.1m, down from $1.1bn in the same period last year.
However, lockdown did begin to have a negative impact on ride volumes, which fell 75% year-over-year in April. As a result of the uncertainty, Lyft pulled annual profit and revenue forecasts.
In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in June, Lyft announced that it had seen a 26% increase in rides during May — although this was still down by around 70% compared with the level a year ago.
Lyft has also taken drastic action to steady the course. It made 17% of its workforce redundant and furloughed a further 228 employees, according to CNBC, as it looks to cut costs by $300m by the end of 2020. If the company achieves this goal, Lyft’s share price could well rise.
Lyft stated in the June regulatory filing that its adjusted EBITDA loss for the period would not be higher than $325m if its average daily rides volume in June remained unchanged from May.
Analysts are expecting a loss of $1.55 per share in the upcoming quarter compared with $2.23 a year ago, according to Learn Bonds. Yahoo Finance analysts, on the other hand, are forecasting an annual loss of $2.32 per share, as cost-cutting kicks in.
Bearish commentators predict that Lyft may lose out to its rival Uber Technologies [UBER]. Unlike Uber, whose share price climbed 8.7% in the space of a week to close at $32.90 on Friday 7 August, Lyft is predominantly focused on the US market where the virus continues to surge. The firm also lacks business diversity, offering no additional services like food delivery, which could see Lyft’s share price fall further yet.
There may even be further competition looming in the shape of electric vehicle maker Tesla [TSLA] and its proposed robotaxi offering. Tasha Keeney, an analyst at Ark Invest, told Benzinga that Tesla would have a lower cost basis across its electric vehicles fleet.
“Stay away from [LYFT]. The fact that Lyft has been consistently unprofitable and will likely stay that way, plus the reality of new competition, will depress it,” Mark Hake wrote in Investor Place.
He even suggests that it could eventually become a takeover target. “Maybe Tesla or some other EV maker would step up. At some point, Lyft has to finance its losses. A takeover could be an easier way to do this,” he says.
“Stay away from [LYFT]. The fact that Lyft has been consistently unprofitable and will likely stay that way, plus the reality of new competition, will depress it” – Mark Hake
Is it all doom and gloom for Lyft’s share price?
Not everyone is bearish on Lyft’s share price outlook.
“Lyft is going through a rough time, but ridesharing demand should recover,” Andrew Tseng wrote in The Motley Fool.
“When it does, Lyft should reach overall profitability at a lower level of ride-hailing because of the fixed costs it’s eliminating this year. Investors shouldn’t expect a rapid rebound in demand for Lyft’s service anytime soon, but it appears well-capitalised enough to see the eventual recovery,” Tseng claimed.
Despite the expected widening of losses, the majority of analysts seem to be bullish on Lyft.
Among 42 analysts polled by MarketScreener, the consensus rating was to Buy the stock, a rating held by a majority of 18, while 16 suggested the stock is a Hold and seven Outperform. The average price target of $42.12 would represent a 35.65% increase on Lyft’s share price through 10 August’s close.
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Rumors have been swirling around a special motorcycle accessory that’s about to hit the market.
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Honda recently debuted the 2013 Fourtrax Foreman, but since the company made so many changes and upgrades last year, there isn’t much to report about the new model.
I know a lot of folks who pack up their ATVs when the weather turns cold, but not everyone is scared off by a bit of ice and snow.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is relaxing its stance on the purchase of E15 ethanol fuel.
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) announced the nominations for its annual year-end awards, which honor the best amateur and professional racers, as well as organizations in motorsports.


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Anne Armstrong is running for governor in Rhode Island on the "Compassion Party" line and she really wants voters to know that she smokes weed every day.
Marijuana legalization is the central element of Armstrong's platform and, in order to highlight this, she released a campaign ad on YouTube earlier this month that features her taking a big hit from a pot pipe.
"I use cannabis every day," Armstrong says in the ad. "I cook it into food and I use it as medicine to help me with a physical condition. I use it as a dietary supplement and, yes, I do smoke cannabis. And, yes, I do inhale and it helps me."
Armstrong goes on to list some of the things she believes marijuana helps her with.
"It helps me to focus. It helps to facilitate communication," says Armstrong. "It doesn't make people crazy."
To prove these points, the ad shows footage of Armstrong furiously typing on a laptop, presumably after using marijuana to facilitate her writings.
Armstrong goes on to accuse the government of lying to people for a "long time" and depriving them of something "essential to our health" by prohibiting marijuana use.
"That's why people get sick with cancer, that's why they get sick with a lot of chronic degenerative diseases, because they've been deprived of cannabinoids and our bodies need them," Armstrong says.
The clip concludes with Armstrong taking a hit from her pipe at about 1:10. Watch the clip below.


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Two elephants have helped prevent a truck from overturning in Louisiana.
When authorities responded to an emergency call about an 18-wheel vehicle stuck in a muddy lay-by, they found the elephants hard at work.
The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office said the truck had been hauling three elephants from New Orleans to Dallas when it got into trouble.
Officials were “astounded” by what they saw, a spokesman said.
The truck became stuck when it pulled off the highway and onto a lay-by near Powhatan, Louisiana, shortly after 07:00 local time on March 24.
“When deputies arrived on scene, they were astounded to find two elephants keeping the eighteen wheeler from overturning,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
As the truck began to lean towards a ditch, the owner led two of the elephants out of the trailer and corralled them into preventing the truck from falling further.
Recent rains have caused the ground surrounding the highway to become soft, the sheriff’s office said.
Eventually a tow-truck pulled the vehicle to safety, and the elephants were able to rest.
It is not clear who owns the elephants or the truck.
[youtube Sl0e0FinuX8 650]
GM has reported a fall in car sales in December in what was a disappointing month for US car makers.
GM stocks fell 2.4% after it reported a 6.3% fall in sales compared with December 2012.
Ford and Chrysler both reported rising sales, but not the increases that industry analysts were expecting.
Chrysler sold 161,000 cars and trucks in December, up 5.7% on the same period in 2012 and Ford reported a 1.8% rise in December sales.
Analysts said that poor weather in parts of the US kept customers away from dealerships in December.
“At the very beginning of the month the pace of buying was slow because there were so many storms around the country,” said Edmunds.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs.
“Now what we’re seeing is some of the automakers are stretching their December deals into January.”
2013 is expected to be the best year for US auto market since 2007, with total annual sales of about 15.6 million
Kurt McNeil, vice president, of US sales for GM, said: “December started a little slow but sales were stronger later in the month, especially in the week between Christmas and New Year.”
Meanwhile Ford said that a four-day weekend for Thanksgiving late in November may have brought forward sales that would have fallen in December.
For Chrysler the Jeep brand continued to be a strong performer with a 34% rise in sales last month.
With a 9% rise in annual sales, 2013 was the strongest year for Chrysler since 2007.
“Our Jeep and Ram truck brands had a strong finish led by the all new 2014 Jeep Cherokee and the Ram pickup truck,” said Reid Bigland, head of US sales.
Overall, sales in 2013 were strong for the big three Detroit car manufacturers, who were helped along by strong sales of their truck offerings.
Truck sales tend to increase in relation to home sales, which were strong for much of the year as the US economic recovery spurred long-delayed housing activity.
“Trucks on the road are even older than cars on the road,” said Michelle Krebs.
However, Toyota, the third biggest player in the US market, didn’t do as well as the US manufacturers.
Toyota saw sales in December decline by 1.7% from a year ago to 190,843.
Analysts had been expecting Toyota to report rising sales.
However, 2013 is expected to be the best year for US auto market since 2007, with total annual sales of about 15.6 million.
That would be a strong recovery from 2009 when sales fell to 10.4 million during the depths of the recession.
On October 3rd and October 4th, visitors to the first edition of Commercial Motor Live have the chance to test some of the newest HGVs, large vans, or other commercial vehicles.
They can go behind the wheels and drive the latest trucks from Isuzu Truck, Mercedes-Benz, Renault or Volvo, on miles of open track.
Commercial Motor Live is a new event from Road Transport Media, launched under brand name Commercial Motor, a weekly magazine, founded in 1905. The magazine is dedicated exclusively to the commercial vehicles and to the road transport industry in the United Kingdom.
The two-day event is held at one of the largest vehicle testing centers in Europe, Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire, UK. Constructed in the 1960s by Vauxhall, the General Motors subsidiary, the tracks have been used for the development and demonstration of every type of land vehicle, from motorcycles and passenger cars to heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), military and off-road vehicles. Hill Route, one of the most important tracks, has appeared in motoring television programmes as Top Gear and in the James Bond film, Casino Royale.
Commercial Motor Live 2012 is dedicated to commercial vehicle operators and aims to bring them the latest legislation and technology updates, latest product development updates, and latest vehicles to try.
Fleet managers and business owners, operations managers, and industry stakeholders participate to this event.
Exhibitors include large goods vehicles producers, tires manufacturers, service and fuel suppliers to the road transport industry, such as Goodyear, Isuzu Truck UK, Mercedes-Benz UK, Pullman Fleet Services, Michelin Tyre, Renault Trucks, Scania, Shell Fuel Save Partner, Texaco UK, Toyota Material Handling, Volvo Truck & Bus.
The seminars aim to provide visitors with useful industry information. The programme contains industry advice, legal updates and recent technology developments, such as Road Transport Legislation and Compliance, Drivers: Managing your best assets, Out of Hours Deliveries – Unlocking the Night, Operational Update, Euro-6, Telematics, Tyre labelling, Tachographs.
Visitors at Commercial Motor Live 2012 have the chance to drive for the first time the new Antos, Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty distribution truck.
At Commercial Motor Live 2012 visitors have the chance to drive the new Antos, the new Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty distribution truck, for the very first time.
Also, guests have the opportunity to ride and drive a Unimog, new Canter Hybrid, new Actros and Mercedes-Benz vehicles which have been equipped with Dual Fuel technology.
From Renault Trucks delegates can drive:
Premium Long Distance 6×2 tractor with Privilege cab: 44 tonnes; 460hp EEV.
Premium Long Distance 6×2 tractor with Privilege cab: 44 tonnes; 460hp EEV. Both Premiums are fitted with Optidriver+ automated gearbox, Optiroll controlled ‘freewheeling’ function, intelligent cruise control and EBS/ESP.
Kerax 8×4 tipper with Global cab: 32 tonnes; 380hp EEV; Thompsons Loadmaster 14m³ steel tipping body; Optidriver+ automated gearbox.
Midlum 4×2 rigid with Global cab: 18 tonnes; 270hp EEV; Newlands GRP 8.8m body with Anteo tuckaway 2t tail lift; Optitronic six-speed automated ’box.
From Volvo Truck & Bus, as well as an FM11, there are a dual-fuel FM13, an FLH curtainsider, and an FMX.
FM11 6×2 Globetrotter: 44 tonnes; D11 450bhp; I Shift transmission
FM13 6×2 Globetrotter: 44 tonnes; D13 460bhp; I Shift transmission; dual-fuel LNG
FLH 4×2 rigid medium cab; 18 tonnes; D7 290bhp; Bevan curtainsider with Dhollandia Tuckaway Tail lift; I Sync transmission
FMX 8×4 B Ride sleeper cab; 32 tonnes; D11 450bhp; Wilcox Wilcolite insulated aluminum tipper body; I Shift transmission.


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Sales start March 9th at 10am PT via the Steam digital storefront.
With the launch of Valve’s highly-anticipated VR first-person shooter Half-Life: Alyx less than three weeks away, those without VR headsets are clamoring to get their hands on anything capable of running the graphically-intense Half-Life prequel/sequel hybrid. Of course, the most immersive experience will come from using the Valve Index, a beastly piece of VR hardware featuring dual 1440×1600 RGB LCDs, ultra near-field flat-panel speakers, and custom pressure-sensitive “Knuckles” controllers.
Despite the daunting $999 price tag, Valve Index has proved a hit among dedicated VR enthusiasts, offering arguably the highest-quality consumer VR experience available at the moment. So much so that Valve has actually had a difficult time keeping up with consumer demand since the headset’s release this past June. Thankfully, Valve is swooping in at the last minute with a new supply of Index headsets that will go on sale this Monday, March 9th.
Users will need to visit the Steam storefront via a web browser or dedicated client at 10am PT/1pm ET, at which point the full Valve Index VR Kit—which includes the headset, controllers, two 2.0 base stations, and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx—will be made available for purchase. Those interested will need to be in front of their computers at the stroke of 10 to even have a chance at picking one up.
Those who already own an Index can hop onto SteamVR now and download two new Home environments inspired by Half-Life: Alyx.
Half-Life: Alyx launches on SteamVR March 23rd for $59.99.
Feature Image Credit: Valve Corp.


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William Clay Ford | Detroit Lions owner, 88
Ford Motor Co. said in a statement Sunday that Mr. Ford died of pneumonia at his home. Mr. Ford help steer the family business for more than five decades. He bought one of his own, the NFL franchise in the Motor City, a half-century ago.
He served as an employee and board member of the automaker for more than half of its 100-year history.
"My father was a great business leader and humanitarian who dedicated his life to the company and the community," William Clay Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Co. and Lions vice chairman, said.
Mr. Ford's first full season leading the Lions was in 1964, seven years after the franchise won the NFL title. - AP