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Atlanta rappers continue to sell units, evident by the most recent SoundScan Music Sales report. Specifically, Atlanta’s own Future, 2 Chainz, and Young Jeezy continue to make the ATL proud with their sales success.
Atlanta Rappers Album Sales
After 25 consistent weeks on the charts, Atlanta’s Future continues to move units of his debut album Pluto. This past week Pluto sold another 4,195 copies bringing the total sales of Future’s project to 175,420.
We expect Future to see a spike in Pluto sales as his latest single “Turn On The Light” continues to pick up momentum. There is also word of a re-release of Future Pluto which is sure to bring the sales spike to life.
Seven is a lucky number for some, but for Atlanta’s 2 Chainz, it’s the number of weeks his debut album Based On A T.R.U. Story has been charting. Powered by singles like “No Lie ft. Drake” and “Birthday Song ft. Kanye West”, 2 Chainz’s album sold another 14,636 copies this past week bringing the artist-formerly-known-as Tity Boi to
302,781 in total album sales.
B.o.B.’s Strange Clouds album continues to stay on the charts. This week Strange Clouds sells 1,864 copies; 234,098 copies of Bobby Ray’s have been sold to date.
It’s been 42 weeks since Young Jeezy released TM 103: Hustlerz Ambition, but Jizzle continues to keep a presence on the SoundScan charts. Jeezy pushed another 1,648 units this past week bringing the total sales of TM 103 to 649,803.
Single Sales by Atlanta Rappers
Future’s Pluto has spawned a variety of hits, notably “Magic” and “Same Damn Time”. Fire Marshall Future’s latest single from Pluto, Turn On The Lights, has sold 215661 units. Compared to last week, “Turn On The Lights” sales are up seven percent (7%). Here’s what ATLRap said about “Turn On The Lights” in our Pluto Album Review.
Future isn’t the only Atlanta rapper with a single that sold more this week than the week before. 2 Chainz’s Kanye West assisted “Birthday Song” is up six percent (6%). “Birthday Song” has sold 228,501 copies to date.
Another one of 2 Chainz singles continues to chart. “No Lie” features a hook by Drake, which typically equates to sales success. “No Lie” is approaching platinum status with 894,285 copies sold to date.
Finally, T.I.’s “Go Get It” makes a big jump this week. Up forty one percent (41%) from last week, “Go Get It” is approaching 150,000 copies sold.


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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Port53 Technologies, an industry leader in customer-centric cloud security, today announced its support as a sponsor of America’s SBDC North Star CMM effort to illuminate U.S.-based small businesses about the importance of maintaining a robust cybersecurity posture to protect confidential information.
America’s SBDC acts as an umbrella representative for Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) operating within the United States and its territories. America’s SBDC, located in universities, colleges, and the premises of state economic development agencies across the nation, is funded in part by the United States Congress, through a partnership with the nation’s Small Business Administration (SBA). Some 1,000 local centers provide free consulting and low-cost training to fledgling businesses.
Port53 will help interested businesses upskilling their leadership teams on how CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) – a standard originally created for Department of Defense contractors – can be easily adapted for use by SMEs in protecting themselves against an increasingly devious threat landscape.
“Many small businesses that are attacked never recover,” said Charlie Tupitza, Cybersecurity and Data Protection Lead, America’s SBDC. “Our purpose in the cyber and data protection arena is to make sure that entrepreneurs and business owners know what their obligations are and how they can meet them in the most comprehensive and cost-effective way. Port53 is the ideal sponsor in this regard because they have worked with thousands of small businesses across the nation in deploying enterprise-grade cybersecurity solutions, making these technologies accessible to all by delivering the solutions in a subscription-based model.”
“Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT and technology issue, but rather an Executive and Board-level concern. Therefore, it is absolutely critical for organizations to move away from an ad-hoc, point solution approach to their implementation of their cybersecurity posture, and move towards a holistic, risk-based management approach,” states Omar Zarabi, President and CEO of Port53. “For too long, SMB organizations have relied on a best of breed approach to implementing security checks. This has led to cybersecurity stacks that are incongruent and siloed, leaving an organization vulnerable to advanced attacks that are targeting SMB organizations at a much higher rate than ever before.”
Small businesses have more frequently found themselves in the crosshairs of bad actors since the proliferation of online data and the emergence of attacks such as ransomware. America’s SBDC has observed incidents that include data-breach attacks by nation-states and criminals “stealing intellectual capital, personal and business information, and creating havoc in business environments.”
“If you are a small business that falls prey to cyber-criminals, your brand is tarnished before you ever get a chance to prove yourself in the market,” Tupitza said.
The emergence of COVID-19 and the subsequent need for remote workforces have accelerated cloud adoption, propelling feasibility studies to become production environments in mere weeks. The protection of identities and connections has now become more urgent.
“A more rigorous and more integrated security stack is essential to guarantee your business continuity,” Zarabi added. “By leveraging the cloud as a delivery mechanism, assessing your security posture, understanding the individual needs of businesses of all scales, and determining your security stack, we allow businesses to operate and thrive without cyber worries.”
Port53 Technologies is focused on delivering enterprise-grade, cloud-delivered security solutions that are easy to deploy, simple to manage and extremely effective, helping customers not only get a big-data and predictive approach to security, but also a more integrated and automated approach. Port53 works closely with Cisco’s leading security offerings. Learn more at www.port53.com.
About America’s SBDC
America’s SBDC represents Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) operating within the United States and its territories. Hosted by universities, colleges, and state economic development agencies, SBDCs are funded in part by the United States Congress, through a partnership with the nation’s Small Business Administration.

domain: news


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The Sony Vision-S 01 and Vision-S 02 Concept EVs give us a preview of what Sony Honda Mobility could have in store.Photo: Sony
Sony and Honda are moving forward with their joint venture to make EVs that will allegedly be sold in the U.S. by 2026, but not as Sony or Honda branded cars. The two companies are titans of their respective industries, but now that auto and tech have started to overlap, Sony and Honda plan to use their expertise to bring EVs like the Sony Vision-S concept to market. And whatever EV the joint venture finally comes up with will rely on Honda dealers for service despite not wearing a Honda badge, as Automotive News reports.
Oddly enough, the EVs that Sony Honda Mobility eventually produces (or, if it produces any at all) will not wear a Honda badge — or Sony lettering, for that matter; it’s not like prospective buyers of these EVs will be able to bring their cars to Best Buy or the local big box. Even though EVs need less maintenance than their ICE-equipped counterparts, electric cars still require periodic service.
It might be a bit unnerving to buy a new EV from a new (untested) company, so Honda says its joint-venture EVs will fall back on its extensive dealer network in the U.S. for service. The Japanese automaker has over 1,100 Honda dealers and 270 Acura dealers in America, which it hopes will put buyers at ease. The move is a good strategy, which would sidestep the issue of either company refusing to lend their future EVs the brand recognition that Sony and Honda bring. Indeed, it could put buyers at ease and encourage them to give the new EVs a shot.
But the decision is hardly putting dealers at ease because Sony and Honda are not committing to a legacy sales model, and there are rumors that the EV company will favor online sales. So, it’s likely dealers will provide after-sales support, according to Automotive News, but Sony Honda Mobility and Honda leadership is mum about dealers being involved in the initial sale at all:
Speaking at the company’s financial results announcement Wednesday, [Honda] CFO Kohei Takeuchi said the sales model will be a completely new one, echoing early talk of an online approach.
“It will be something unconventional, not Sony, not Honda, but something new,” he said.
Takeuchi said the sales and servicing plan is still under discussion. But he added Honda has a network of more than 1,000 U.S. dealers who are well situated to service the new cars.
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Honda is catching a bit of flack for it, and its dealers are wary the auto giant will exclude them from EV sales under the new joint venture. Dealers are reportedly going as far as accusing Honda of purposefully establishing a joint venture with Sony to avoid franchise agreements in the U.S., which (I gotta hand it to Honda) is a shrewd if unsavory move.
Photo: Sony Honda Mobility
I mean, it’s hard to feel bad for dealers — of no specific car brand — who have lately been eager to tack on fees and markups that seem unreasonable. In the end, car buyers have proven that they will pay these markups regardless of the cost increase, so it’s not all on dealers. But, likewise, it’s not necessarily all on automakers to cater to dealers as the industry makes sweeping changes — both to combustion methods and retail networks.
To be fair, Honda dealers are right to be suspicious because Honda has already said that the age of EVs will kill off the mega dealership. Honda is under the impression dealerships will go through a big crunch after decades of expansion. Many auto makers are rushing to catch up to the direct sales model that Tesla popularized; they’re afraid the rampant growth of the last few decades is finally over. But, hey, service is where it’s at (talk about labor costs) and at least Honda says dealers will still be around for that.


text: LeapFrog (LF), which makes computers for children, is advancing after research firm Roth Capital wrote that the stock's drop of over 10% yesterday was "unwarranted." In a note to investors earlier today, Roth analyst Elizabeth Pierce wrote that the decline was likely caused by a misunderstanding about a Wal-Mart (WMT) ad for a LeapFrog product called the Leapfrog LeapPad Leapster 2, a portable video game console. The ad said that the product, which was updated in 2009, will be sold for just $20, the analyst wrote. Investors likely thought the ad was referring to Leapfrog's recently launched LeapPad 2, a computer tablet for children that's selling for $99, Pierce believes. The analyst doesn't expect the LeapPad2 to sell for less than $99 during this holiday season, and her checks indicate that sales of the tablet have been strong so far. Pierce expects LeapFrog to report solid results going forward and reiterated a $15 price target and Buy rating on the stock. In early afternoon trading, LeapFrog rose 27c, or 3.63%, to $7.71.


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When the Kroger Express toll plaza opened in August 2011, it wasn’t the first of its kind in Illinois.
It was just the first in the state, and it was the first that didn’t charge a one-time surcharge on tolls.
The $2.50 fee was supposed to cover the tolls for one-way vehicles, but when drivers began using the kiosks to pay for goods like gas, the surcharge wasn’t necessary.
“It wasn’t a cost that we felt was necessary,” says Jennifer Eichner, the executive director of the Illinois Toll Plaza Association, which represents the state’s six toll companies.
“We felt that it would provide more revenue to the state.”
Eichners group, which has about 20 representatives representing companies like the Krogers, has been pushing to remove the surcharges since the beginning of the year.
The Kroger’s decision, along with a growing trend of companies offering discounts on health care expenses, led to a surge in businesses offering discounts for health care purposes, too.
And the push for more affordable health care has spurred a slew of companies to offer discounted rates.
“People want to pay their health care bill and be able to buy things with their money,” says Jason Lippman, vice president of corporate communications for the National Federation of Independent Business.
Lippmans group is one of several representing the state toll companies, which also include companies like Bank of America and American Express.
“They are getting very, very aggressive on lowering the rates, because they think it’s a good business model,” says Eichnser.
“So we are starting to see more businesses that are offering discounts and getting the health care discount.”
While companies like Kroger and American have been doing well with the health-care discounts, some of the state companies have struggled with their health-recovery strategies.
The Illinois Toll plaza has seen a surge of new health care providers, but the group is concerned about what that could mean for consumers.
“The health care industry is in a transitional period right now,” says Lippmann.
“I would say it’s really important that they continue to be aggressive and aggressive on the consumer side.
And it’s certainly not something that the state should be doing.”
And the trend is spreading.
The number of new firms offering health care discounts for consumers has jumped from 10 in 2016 to 30 so far in 2018, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
And those businesses have been taking advantage of a state law that allows them to lower their prices by up to 20% for all kinds of goods and services.
“These companies are really targeting consumers with a discount, and they are charging them a discount for a service they can’t get at a retail store,” says Laura M. Kopp, an analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
“That’s the problem that they are running into.
The state is not doing enough to make sure that they have those resources to be able make that transition.”
Consumers who need help paying their health bills have a few options: Find a discount at a health insurance company, or negotiate one yourself.
While consumers can use their existing health insurance to pay, they also can negotiate a lower monthly premium or take advantage of discounted rates at other insurance companies.
For example, a company that offers a 20% discount on a policy that covers a portion of a patient’s health care costs could get more money from the government or from taxpayers by offering a lower premium, according for example to the American Medical Association.
Or, the same company could lower its monthly premium to cover a portion and then use a federal tax credit to get another $5 off its monthly bill.
But many people are finding that negotiating with a health insurer can be difficult, and there are several ways to do it.
If you don’t have health insurance, you can get an “affordable care card” from a company like Kaiser.
The card, which costs about $30, can be used at many health care sites, including Kaiser Permanente, Planned Parenthood and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.
For an extra $5, you could buy the card with money you already have on hand, or buy a discount card that can be activated with a credit card or other payment method.
Or you can sign up for a prepaid health plan from a major health insurer.
A prepaid health card is an insurance plan that has a pre-set rate, so you don.t have to pay out-of-pocket when you visit your doctor, nurse or other doctor.
In 2018, more than one million people used this option, and the number of people signing up for the plan grew from 1.3 million in 2017 to 2.4 million in 2018.
But while consumers can negotiate with insurance companies, many don’t.
That’s because insurance companies can charge more when they make out- of-pocket payments, says Kopp.
Some health insurers, like Blue


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Omar Said: Decision to expand Bruin Bike Share fails to acknowledge program falls flat
(Hannah J. Kim/Daily Bruin)
By Omar Said
April 27, 2018 12:10 a.m.
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain. UCLA probably didn’t expect that moment to come for its bike share program so soon.
UCLA started its Bruin Bike Share program last year in an effort to provide affordable transportation to students on and around campus. UCLA said in November, a month after the program had launched, that initial participation in the program had exceeded its expectations: It expected to sell 425 monthly or yearly memberships and ended up selling 498.
Bruin Bike Share’s circumstances have soured since then. The membership number has fallen to about 300 members as of April, said Katherine Alvarado, a UCLA spokesperson. The university is now spending $80,000 per year, on top of the fees paid by the bike share users, to fund a program that continues to lose popularity.
Students are turning away from UCLA’s clunky bikes to the next generation of transportation on campus: electric scooters.
Electric scooters from companies like Bird and LimeBike have found their way into students’ hearts and have become ubiquitous on and around campus. Bird is now celebrating its millionth ride, and is making enough money to donate $1 per day per scooter to the cities it operates in, said Rachel Katz, a Bird spokesperson. And Lime scooters have been seeing an increase in use on campus despite only having been on campus for a few weeks.
Bruin Bike Share had its time on campus. UCLA needs to cut its losses and end the program.
And UCLA is already behind in the race of the two-wheelers.
Katz said Bird has given away 20,000 free helmets as part of a safety program designed to make it as convenient as possible for riders to be safe, which makes it pretty clear the company is dealing with far more than the measly 498 members UCLA Transportation was so excited to have back in November.
Of course, Bird operates in multiple cities, meaning they have a larger pool of potential riders to begin with. But data from electric scooter companies still points to the fact that bikes are not riding so well with the UCLA campus community compared to scooters. Mary Caroline Pruitt, a spokesperson for LimeBike, said the company offers bikes, electric-assist bikes and electric scooters for riders to rent. Students and Angelenos at large seem to overwhelmingly prefer electric scooters over both kinds of bikes.
And we’ve already started to see signs of Bruin Bike Share running a flat tire. After exceeding expectations in November, David Karwaski, senior associate director of UCLA Transportation, said the department was setting its sight on a lofty goal of 850 members by the end of the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
Five months following the launch of Bruin Bike Share, the program has seen a nearly 40 percent drop in membership. Electric scooters have clearly cut into Bruin Bike Share’s numbers, and the program will only continue to bleed as more people discover how much more convenient they are than bikes.
Worst of all, UCLA Transportation can’t seem to tell it has hit an iceberg. On April 20, it announced the expansion of Bruin Bike Share to places like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. Even this move doesn’t seem fully thought-out, considering members only get 90 minutes of ride time a day. If a user decides to stop for lunch or go shopping between bike hubs, their 90 minutes could quickly expire, leaving them paying minute by minute for their bike rides. That’s a big problem, especially when a transportation program should encourage students to stop and enjoy themselves, rather than rush from one place to another.
On top of that, bikes aren’t ideal for the campus environment, which is peppered with staircases and few easily navigable bike paths. Navigating around staircases on campus with a bike can be more time-consuming than just walking – or using an electric scooter.
While the idea of a bike share program was noble – and even enticing – at first, electric scooters cater more to students’ transportation needs. Stubbornly maintaining the bike share program would only result in UCLA throwing more money into a deflating program.
Yes, there are administrators like Chancellor Gene Block, who expressed concerns over the electric scooters flocking to our campus. But that doesn’t mean UCLA should continue to push its dwindling Bruin Bike Share program. This program would have made more sense in the early 2000s, when electric scooters weren’t accessible and bikes rolled over the other two-wheelers. But riders have switched gears, and electric scooters will only continue to pull ahead in the transportation race. UCLA Transportation would be better off spending its $80,000 on parking scholarships or on subsidized partnerships with the scooter companies students love so much.
Students had their chance to ride UCLA’s cheesy basket-laden bikes. But, reality needs to intrude: Students have already scooted past the university’s bike share program.


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More people than ever are tweeting on Twitter – as you read this, millions are making pithy comments about their least favorite celebrities and the joy or pain of the baseball game they’re watching – but no one’s making money from it, right?
Wrong. A Culver City startup is among the vanguard of small tech companies striving to turn all those tweets into profits.
Culture Jam, founded in 2008 by brother-sister team Matt and Amanda MacNaughton, gives Twitter users free stuff in exchange for a tweet about a musician, group or business. Want that new Pearl Jam song for free? Tweet about it and Culture Jam will give you a special code to download the song from iTunes. And Culture Jam gets paid for running this tweet-based promotional campaign.
“We reward people for telling their friends that they like a brand,” said Amanda MacNaughton, the startup’s chief marketing officer.
Culture Jam launched its first campaign last year to distribute an album from Travis Barker of punk band Blink-182 and the late DJ AM. More than 27,000 people tweeted about the CD to download it for free, including Internet gossip Perez Hilton and actor Ashton Kutcher.
Since that promotion, the company has organized 150 additional marketing campaigns for musicians, film companies and businesses. For example, Irvine makeup company Too Faced Cosmetics promoted its holiday line by giving away samples in exchange for tweets.
The company’s software, called Promo Jam, creates a promotional website and provides tracking information so a customer can see who is tweeting and how successful the campaign is.
Dudley Blossom, director of the marketing and management department at New York fashion business school LIM College, said Twitter campaigns like these can be successful because people are more likely to respond to user-generated content than traditional marketing.
“It makes the brand concept very real and personal,” Blossom said. “You’re reading about it from your friends. This makes Twitter a very powerful tool.”
Culture Jam also has the advantage of Twitter’s already established audience. The four-year-old San Francisco-based Twitter has more than 160 million users posting 90 million tweets each day. No surprise, then, that Culture Jam is not the only L.A.-area company looking for a way to tap into this community.
West Hollywood online advertising broker Ad.ly connects tweeting celebrities with products. The company pays the “influencers” – celebrities with a big Twitter following such as Kim Kardashian and “Real Housewives of New York” star Bethenny Frankel – to tweet as part of its marketing campaigns.
Sean Rad, Ad.ly founder and president, said user-generated content is what makes Twitter a potential moneymaker for businesses.
“Twitter has made it very easy for influencers to produce content and distribute that content to an audience very quickly,” he said. “Influencers are creating a lot of valuable content, and we feel that there needs to be a revenue opportunity for these influencers.”
Pasadena startup PostUp, a spinout of Bill Gross’ Idealab that was formerly called TweetUp, lets Twitter users pay for their posts to be displayed prominently in searches.
Industry experts don’t expect the Twitter fad to fade anytime soon – the company announced a redesign last week that many say makes it more user friendly. But still, there are questions about the viability of any company that depends on Twitter.
“It’s growing for now, but the question is whether Twitter can last,” said social media marketing consultant Tamar Weinberg. “What happens if Twitter shuts down?”
Ad.ly created a partnership with MySpace in June and just announced a deal with Facebook. Culture Jam is also developing deals with both social networks. Matt MacNaughton, the company’s chief executive, said it could adapt to whichever social media sites are most popular.
“We want to take this concept and broaden it to the whole social media industry. It’s a big growing marketplace,” he said.
Culture Jam, which rents a small loft office in the Helms Bakery Building, recently launched its PromoJam software for anyone to use. Previously, the firm designed and ran its promotions. But now, any business can subscribe to the software and run its own campaigns. A small coffee shop, for example, could use one of PromoJam’s predesigned templates to ask its customers to Tweet for a free pastry.
Prices range from $30 a month for a basic promotion to $100 a month for advanced customization options. Culture Jam also will run an entire campaign for a premium price. With this expansion, the five-employee company expects to reach $1 million in revenue by the end of the year.
The software gives small businesses, such as boutiques or coffee shops that have smaller Twitter followings, the same opportunity to create Twitter promotions as Culture Jam’s more prominent customers.
“Everyone needs to interact on social media these days because all the customers are there,” Amanda MacNaughton said.
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iOS 9 is Apple’s next iPhone and iPad update that brings a smarter Siri, public transit directions to Maps, true tablet multitasking and new built-in apps.
Unveiled yesterday, it’s Apple’s next big project between April’s Apple Watch launch and September’s expected iPhone 6S unveiling, and developers can download it today.
iOS 9 makes a big push for stability, a smaller download size and legacy phone and tablet compatibility. That older iPhone and iPad you have will work with this update if it runs iOS 8.
New iOS 9 features consist of redesigned built-in apps and premiers new ones. Here’s what to expect.
1. iOS 9 release date
iOS 9 for free will be available to the public either in July or later this year when it’s expected to launch with the new iPhone. Think: September.
It is, however, available today to those enrolled in iOS developer program, keeping with Apple’s same-day delivery pattern. Of course, becoming registered developer requires paying a fee.
2. iOS 9 compatibility
iOS 9 is to be more inclusive than previous iOS versions. Apple is choosing to make this update compatible with older iPhone, iPad and even iPod touch devices, too.
Okay, it’s not technically more inclusive just yet. Basically, if your dated hardware runs iOS 8, it can run iOS 9.When the rumored iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPad Air 3 and iPad mini 4 launch, then list will grow by two.
But overall, it’s good news, as older phones and tablets aren’t getting muscled out. The iPhone 4S and iPad 2 are safe, for now, and a few 30-pin dock devices live on.
3. A more proactive, smarter Siri
Siri in iOS 9 is getting the much-needed smarts to rival Google Now. Apple’s personal assistant understands the word “it” within context and brings proactivity to the operating system.
iOS 9 proactivity puts even more at your fingertips through Siri. It suggests appointments to add to Calendar and pulls up photos based on location and time with the sound of your voice.
Plug it into your car? It’ll bring up that audiobook you were listening to before. It’ll even tell you when to leave for an appointment across town, a feature that has made Google’s app for iOS a must-have.
4. Apple Pay expands
Apple Pay has been touted as a success, but so far has been limited to the US. That all changes when the mobile payment platform launches in the UK next month. Canada and China are rumored to be next up.
The official Apple Pay UK release date is happening in July and it’ll be backed by nearly 70% of credit and debit cards there, including Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland and HSBC.
Considering these newfound iOS 9 capabilities, Apple is renaming Passbook (the app where Apple Pay resides) to Wallet.
5. Apple News apps
In addition to getting rid of Passbook in favor of Wallet in iOS 9, Apple is replacing Newsstand with News, and it’s very familiar if you’re a fan of magazine-style news aggregators.
Apple News for iOS 9 is Flipboard, HTC BlinkFeed and Feedly wrapped into one app. It features a personalized feed and is coming to US, UK and Australia at launch.
6. Apple Maps
Apple Maps is sometimes unavoidable, even if you’re a dedicated Google Maps users. Siri and built-in apps still open directions up in the default navigation app. That won’t change.
The good news is that iOS 9 is going to make Apple Maps better, and maybe even tolerable. In its first major refresh since 2013, the app now includes long-awaited public transit directions.
7. Multitasking for iPad
iOS 9 brings true multitasking to its newer iPad tablets, and we’re not talking about the “multitasking” app switcher that premiered with iOS 4 back in 2010.
iPads will finally be able to handle more hefty productivity tasks. That’s to the delight of enterprise users who prefer iOS for personal use.
There are three ways to view multitasking windows on an iPad; Slide Over, Picture-in-Picture and Split View.
8. New iOS 9 keyboard
Apple launched what it called its “best keyboard yet” with the iOS 8 QuickType, and it’s trying to one-up that statement with the iOS 9 keyboard.
iPad’s on-screen keyboard now features a built-in shortcut bar, which flanks the next-word suggestions above the QWERTY letter keys. Cut, copy and paste to the left; bold, italic, underline and attachments to the right.
Cursor control is now easier with a handy (or fingery) slide mechanic when using two fingers. It basically turns the iPad QuickType keyboard into an trackpad. It’s way easier than hovering over the tiny cursor, trying to land in between letters.
Finally, shortcuts are coming to wireless keyboards so that you can interact with apps using their own built-in shortcut keys. Pressing and holding the Command, Option or Control key brings up the shortcut list.
9. Under the hood
New features are exciting and all, but iOS 9 needs to run better than iOS 8, which had a series of WiFi and battery drain problems from the get-go. Some users are still complaining.
Longer battery life is a chief concern of iPhone users, but they can squeeze out an extra hour thanks to a new Low Power mode. Apple says iOS 9 pulls switches you didn’t even know existed to save juice.
You may be able to install iOS 9 this time around without deleting all of your photos. It’ll take about 1.3GB, whereas iOS 8 needed massive 4.5GB of internal storage. That was awful on a 16GB iPhone.
CPU and GPU usage will be more efficient thanks to iOS 9, further improving performance, and security is said to be stepped up.


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A new study conducted by Edmunds and cited by Automotive News shows a BMW dealer needs significantly less time to sell an electric vehicle in the United States than a Mercedes-Benz dealer. The analysis compiled data from September and revealed an “i” model spent an average of 38 days on the dealer’s lot before being sold to a customer. Mercedes took more than double the time to sell an “EQ” model as dealers needed a whopping 82 days.
Not only did BMW perform better than its archrival but it also had a much shorter turn rate than the industry average in the luxury segment of 57 days. In September 2023, the Munich-based marque also bested Audi as the E-Tron cars carrying the Four Rings are part of a dealer’s inventory for about 46 days before finding a new home. According to the same study, BMW had 80% EV lease penetration in September while Mercedes had only 43%. The segment average was 73%.
Much like BMW has decided against bringing the iX1 and iX2 to the United States, Mercedes is also not selling its entry-level electric car, the EQA. However, the bigger EQB is available with either five or seven seats. The quirky i3 small hatchback was phased out last year, and while there’s no replacement in sight, BMW’s Head of Development Frank Weber recently hinted at an “i1” on the Neue Klasse platform coming near the end of the decade. It’s rumored to carry the “NB0” codename and slot below the iX1 when it arrives in 2028.
Speaking of the i3, the alphanumeric moniker is still used exclusively in China for a locally produced 3 Series Sedan with a longer wheelbase and an electric powertrain. Cited by Automotive News, data collected from insurance companies and other sources shows BMW sold 36,000 i3 electric sedans through September. During the same interval, iX3 accumulated 29,500 sales in the People’s Republic. The next-generation i3 and iX3 will move away from the CLAR platform shared with the conventionally powered models and switch to the bespoke Neue Klasse architecture.
Source: Edmunds via Automotive News


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|By Marketwired .||
|November 15, 2012 12:01 AM EST||
CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwire) -- 11/15/12 -- More than 80 percent of U.S. consumers and, perhaps more surprising, over 60 percent of Chinese consumers say that they are willing to pay more for products labeled "Made in USA" than for those labeled "Made in China," according to new research released today by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
In September, BCG surveyed more than 5,000 consumers in the U.S., China, Germany, and France regarding their attitudes toward the value of the Made in USA brand and their actual buying behavior. The results reveal that U.S. consumers will pay a premium for the Made in USA brand across a broad range of product categories, although the premium varies significantly depending on the category. The following details are among the findings:
- About two-thirds of U.S. consumers are willing to pay a premium for ten key product categories that were tested -- from baby food and appliances to electronics and apparel.
- The premium they are willing to pay varies, ranging from about 10 percent to more than 60 percent in the categories tested.
- In every one of the ten categories, at least 20 percent of U.S. consumers are willing to pay a premium of more than 10 percent.
- Nearly 60 percent of U.S. consumers had chosen Made in USA products over less expensive Chinese goods at least once in the month before the survey.
In surveying Chinese consumers, BCG found a similar willingness to pay more for U.S.-made goods. The results showed the following:
- More than 60 percent of Chinese consumers are willing to pay more for Made in USA goods.
- Nearly 50 percent of Chinese consumers prefer a product made in the U.S. to a China-made product of equivalent price and quality.
- The premium that Chinese consumers are willing to pay ranges from about 10 percent to almost 80 percent in the categories tested.
- More than half had chosen U.S.-made products over less expensive Chinese goods at least once in the month before the survey.
"These findings suggest that there's a big opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to command a price premium by promoting the Made in USA brand -- not only in the U.S. but also in China," said Harold L. Sirkin, a BCG senior partner and coauthor of the research. "Retailers may want to adjust their strategies to capitalize on the strong consumer interest."
The findings -- part of BCG's ongoing study of the changing global economics of manufacturing and its Made in America, Again research series -- support previous BCG analysis showing that the U.S. is becoming increasingly attractive as a location for making certain products for the U.S. market and as a base for global exports. The U.S. has improved its cost competitiveness compared with China and the advanced economies of Western Europe and Japan, leading BCG to estimate that higher U.S. exports -- combined with production "reshored" from China -- could create 2.5 million to 5 million new U.S. jobs in manufacturing and related services by the end of the decade.
"The higher brand value of U.S.-made goods is a further reason why companies should rethink their global manufacturing footprint and consider the U.S. as a manufacturing location," said Michael Zinser, a BCG partner who leads the firm's manufacturing work in the Americas and is a coauthor of the Made in America, Again series.
In both the U.S. and China, respondents of all age groups and income levels expressed a concern for quality, a key driver of the consumer preference for U.S.-made products. Eighty-five percent of U.S. consumers and 82 percent of Chinese said they "agree" or "strongly agree" that they feel better about Made in USA quality. Patriotism is another strong consideration among U.S. consumers: 93 percent said that they would pay more for U.S.-made goods in order to keep jobs in the U.S., and 80 percent said that buying U.S. products demonstrates patriotism.
"Quality and patriotism are powerful factors that retailers will have to consider in their marketing communications around Made in USA products and in their sourcing strategies," said Kate Manfred, leader of BCG's Center for Consumer and Customer Insight in the Americas and a coauthor of the survey.
In contrast to U.S. and Chinese consumers, European consumers strongly prefer products made in their own countries. More than 65 percent of consumers in both Germany and France said that they would be willing to pay more for products made in their home country than for those made in the U.S.
To arrange an interview with a BCG expert, please contact David Fondiller at 212 446 3257 or [email protected].
About The Boston Consulting Group
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The cloud promises new levels of agility and cost-savings for Big Data, data warehousing and analytics. But it’s challenging to understand all the options – from IaaS and PaaS to newer services like HaaS (Hadoop as a Service) and BDaaS (Big Data as a Service). In her session at @BigDataExpo at @ThingsExpo, Hannah Smalltree, a director at Cazena, will provide an educational overview of emerging “as-a-service” options for Big Data in the cloud. This is critical background for IT and data profes...
Feb. 6, 2016 11:00 AM EST Reads: 109
With an estimated 50 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020, several industries will begin to expand their capabilities for retaining end point data at the edge to better utilize the range of data types and sheer volume of M2M data generated by the Internet of Things. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Don DeLoach, CEO and President of Infobright, will discuss the infrastructures businesses will need to implement to handle this explosion of data by providing specific use cases for filte...
Feb. 6, 2016 11:00 AM EST
Fortunately, meaningful and tangible business cases for IoT are plentiful in a broad array of industries and vertical markets. These range from simple warranty cost reduction for capital intensive assets, to minimizing downtime for vital business tools, to creating feedback loops improving product design, to improving and enhancing enterprise customer experiences. All of these business cases, which will be briefly explored in this session, hinge on cost effectively extracting relevant data from ...
Feb. 6, 2016 09:00 AM EST
SYS-CON Events announced today that Interoute, owner-operator of one of Europe's largest networks and a global cloud services platform, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 18th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2015 at the Javits Center in New York, New York. Interoute is the owner-operator of one of Europe's largest networks and a global cloud services platform which encompasses 12 data centers, 14 virtual data centers and 31 colocation centers, with connections to 195 ad...
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Most people haven’t heard the word, “gamification,” even though they probably, and perhaps unwittingly, participate in it every day. Gamification is “the process of adding games or game-like elements to something (as a task) so as to encourage participation.” Further, gamification is about bringing game mechanics – rules, constructs, processes, and methods – into the real world in an effort to engage people. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Robert Endo, owner and engagement manager of Intrepid D...
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The IoT's basic concept of collecting data from as many sources possible to drive better decision making, create process innovation and realize additional revenue has been in use at large enterprises with deep pockets for decades. So what has changed? In his session at @ThingsExpo, Prasanna Sivaramakrishnan, Solutions Architect at Red Hat, discussed the impact commodity hardware, ubiquitous connectivity, and innovations in open source software are having on the connected universe of people, thi...
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WebRTC: together these advances have created a perfect storm of technologies that are disrupting and transforming classic communications models and ecosystems. In his session at WebRTC Summit, Cary Bran, VP of Innovation and New Ventures at Plantronics and PLT Labs, provided an overview of this technological shift, including associated business and consumer communications impacts, and opportunities it may enable, complement or entirely transform.
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For manufacturers, the Internet of Things (IoT) represents a jumping-off point for innovation, jobs, and revenue creation. But to adequately seize the opportunity, manufacturers must design devices that are interconnected, can continually sense their environment and process huge amounts of data. As a first step, manufacturers must embrace a new product development ecosystem in order to support these products.
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Manufacturing connected IoT versions of traditional products requires more than multiple deep technology skills. It also requires a shift in mindset, to realize that connected, sensor-enabled “things” act more like services than what we usually think of as products. In his session at @ThingsExpo, David Friedman, CEO and co-founder of Ayla Networks, discussed how when sensors start generating detailed real-world data about products and how they’re being used, smart manufacturers can use the dat...
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When it comes to IoT in the enterprise, namely the commercial building and hospitality markets, a benefit not getting the attention it deserves is energy efficiency, and IoT’s direct impact on a cleaner, greener environment when installed in smart buildings. Until now clean technology was offered piecemeal and led with point solutions that require significant systems integration to orchestrate and deploy. There didn't exist a 'top down' approach that can manage and monitor the way a Smart Buildi...
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One of America’s largest craft breweries and one of the first to export American craft beer to Europe, Stone Brewing Co., announced that it has laid off a portion of its workforce in what is being called a workforce restructuring. The news comes on the heels of the celebration of its 20th anniversary and just this year opening a brewery in Berlin, Germany.
Speculation started with this tweet today.
— Beth Demmon (@iheartcontent) October 13, 2016
Reports from affected employees started to appear Twitter and Facebook throughout the afternoon. Later in the day, former head brewer at Stone, Mitch Steele posted to Facebook about the news.
How ‘it came to this’ may have to do with what Stone’s current CEO, Dominic Engels, refers to as pressures from Big Beer, specifically AB InBev‘s tactical distribution efforts. Slowing growth in the ‘craft beer’ sector may also be a contributor. No matter the cause, this news will surely send a bit of a shock wave through the community, as it is the first significant reduction in labor force the modern craft beer movement has seen.
(Escondido, CA) – Due to an unforeseen slowdown in our consistent growth and changes in the craft beer landscape, we have had to make the difficult decision to restructure our staff. Unfortunately, this comes despite a year that includes the incredible accomplishments of opening two new breweries, which are ultimately expanding the availability of Stone beers and boosting the reputation of American craft beer in Europe.
More recently however, the larger independent craft segment has developed tremendous pressures. Specifically, the onset of greater pressures from Big Beer as a result of their acquisition strategies, and the further proliferation of small, hyper-local breweries has slowed growth. With business and the market now less predictable, we must restructure to preserve a healthy future for our company. Even given this unfortunate circumstance, we will continue to be fiercely independent and, importantly, Stone remains one of the largest – if not the largest – employers in the craft brewing segment.
It is crucial to recognize that this decision was made after much careful consideration. Approximately 5% of all team members were affected, and they were offered a substantial notice period and career transition services. The team members no longer with our company are talented, committed individuals who have held important roles in our organization, and we expect that their talents will be in high demand. This reduction was not a reflection of the work they did, but a careful decision made to ensure that our company will remain competitive and profitable. No additional layoffs are expected within Stone’s foreseeable future.
In summary, we want to emphasize the following points:
This year, we completed several significant investments that have been in the works for a number of years.
A recent decline in domestic growth for the category and for Stone has forced us to restructure in order to preserve our independence in an increasingly competitive category.
Stone remains one of the largest – if not the largest – employer in the craft beer segment and remains dedicated to providing our fans with fresh beer


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FleetCor has acquired Travelcard Nederland, a fuel card issuer in the Netherlands.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Norcross, Ga.-based provider of fuel credit card and specialized payment products said in an Aug. 4 news release that the acquisition would give it a stronger foothold in Europe.
Travelcard was founded in 1986 by Dutch fleet management company LeasePlan. It says it has about 300 thousand active fuel cards in the market, operating across nearly all fueling stations in the Netherlands with a significant presence in Belgium and Luxembourg.
FleetCor also purchased Comdata, a business-to-business electronic payments provider, in 2014 for $3.45 billion from Ceridian LLC.


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Remember when Donald Trump defended his love of eating fast food because of the strict FDA guidelines many franchises must follow in order to protect themselves from being sued? "One bad hamburger and you take Wendy's and all these other places and they're out of business," the former President said.
While that's mostly true, as fast food eating establishments are usually cleaner than five-star restaurants, whenever you're relying on humans to do something, you can definitely count on human error coming into play. A business is only as good as the employees who work there, and while employee turnover rates are a huge problem for big corporations, there are many folks who take food preparation seriously — even if they aren't getting paid the big bucks to do so.
One TikToker, however found someone who didn't seem to follow these recommended food handling guidelines.
User @ashcashnyc uploaded a video he took at his local Wingstop where he expressed his disgust at a worker handling the food without gloves.
He said that he canceled his order after seeing the employee dump the chicken into the fryer without gloves, but was quickly met with a wave of criticism from folks who pointed out that even at the finest of eating establishments, most chefs handle food with bare hands.
There were even some folks in the comments section of the video who claimed that they worked at Wingstop themselves and stated it was the company's policy to instruct workers to prepare meals without gloves in an effort to curb cross-contamination.
"People who've never worked at a Wingstop don’t know that we are not allowed to wear gloves when handling raw chicken — only when prepping sides and dips."
Another person defended the worker online, saying, "I work at Wingstop. Before he drops the baskets of chicken, he washes his hands. Plus, the fryers are at 350 degrees."
There's plenty of literature that indicates cross contamination can very well occur while handling food with gloves, too.
Some commenters didn't appreciate the way the TikToker outed the fast food worker online in a bid to get them in trouble, either.
"He’s working hard, preparing a delicious meal for someone. Acknowledge him for that, not for something that’s not even relevant. Good job, sir," one person wrote.
Ultimately, many of the remarks asserted that the employee preparing the food without gloves wasn't actually a big deal: "All the bacteria burns with the oil's heat. You’ll be fine. They don’t touch the wings once they put them in that pot."
Another wrote, "As someone who is a chef ... I promise you, even at the finest restaurants, we do not use gloves."
TikTok user @huevosyketchup also addressed the "Wingstop Glove Scandal" in a now-deleted TikTok where they confirmed that their employees do not wear gloves.
@Ashcashnyc's post has also been deleted, at the time of this article being published.


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Siptea to Close on Sunday
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — On Sunday, Laura Stewart will close the doors at siptea's Broadway location for the last time. By next month, the space is set to be home to a cafe serving lunches.
The tea house opened in October with dreams of becoming a neighborhood gathering place, but the economic downturn led to a severe drop in revenue. Despite a recent uptick, Stewart could no longer wait for business to pick up.
"Seven months is a long time to lose money everyday," said Stewart sadly. Earlier, the shop had seen good days bring in $450. At the beginning of the year, that dropped to $250.
The low revenue wasn't for lack of a solid product. Stewart's line of organic teas are served with a disciplined style, and the tea house garnered some national attention.
That prompted westsiders to trek Downtown and try siptea, but it remained inconvenient to patronize. "Parking is a problem," says Stewart thinking about the increase in parking meter fares. "While loose leaf tea people will travel, parking is too expensive just to have tea."
Stewart also feels that with no other real options in this part of Broadway, return visits became infrequent.
Once the doors close, Stewart will continue to sell her teas online. She also plans to look at locations in other areas of the city with active walkability more favorable to her brand of tea house.
That doesn't mean Downtown's out of the question. "We came Downtown because it was an under-served community" she said. "If someone has a great [downtown] location, I would listen."
Those looking to get in a last purchase can do so at 852 S. Broadway. Doors close at 6pm on Sunday.


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Rare gems of automotive history are always popping up at the Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but the racecar you see above just made a little more history. This Mercedes W196R was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio to wins in the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix races, and when the hammer fell at auction yesterday, the $29.65 million price it fetched made it the most expensive car ever sold at auction. It’s also earned the honor of being the most expensive F1 car ever sold and the most valuable Mercedes-Benz in the world.
Still battered by racing and time, this car in an important piece of history to both Formula One and Mercedes-Benz alike. According to Bonhams, Fangio’s wins gave Mercedes its first back-to-back post-war Grand Prix victories, and it introduced F1 cars to fuel-injection, tubular spaceframe chassis and inline eight-cylinder engines. Robert Brooks, Bonhams Chairman, called this car the “most important historic Grand Prix racing car ever offered for sale.”
Based on our own records, the Mercedes W196R came close to almost doubling the prior record holder for the most expensive car sold at auction, a 1957 Ferrari 250 TR Prototype that sold for $16.39 million at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction in 2011. The Mercedes even came kinda-sorta close to the record price for a car sold privately, the current big seller being a 1962 Ferraro GTO built for Sterling Moss that went for a reported $35 million in a private sale last year.
Scroll down for more information about the Mercedes W196R F1 car, and be sure to check out the trio of images (including one of the car in action).
Read the original here:
Official: Fangio F1 car sells for record $29M at Goodwood auction


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It’s the most hardcore BMW M5 ever built! That’s the conclusion you come to when you look at the specifications of the new M5 CS. BMW is going a step further and saying that it is the most powerful car in the history of BMW M.
We know it’s been a while since Porsche introduced the original Boxster, but it’s hard to believe that it's actually been 25 years. To celebrate 25 years of Boxster production, Porsche has unveiled a limited-edition anniversary model called the Boxster 25 Years.
Singer Vehicle Design has done it again! If you’re not familiar with the company, they basically take old air-cooled Porsche 911s and make them irresistible – both in terms of design and performance. But this time, they’ve taken inspiration from the Porsche 959 and SC/RC rally cars to create the All-Terrain Competition Study (ACS).
The Toyota GR Yaris is probably the most surprising car of 2020, which is why it absolutely deserves to be the standout car of the year. Even before the pandemic, cars were heading towards a green, sensible, electrified-but-unexciting future. A future where performance cars that don’t cost the same as a house would be consigned to the pages of history, and for the longest time Toyota seemed to be at the forefront of this trend. But then it releases the GR Yaris – a homologation special that harks back to specials of the 1980s and 1990s, like the Celica GT-Four or Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
Following its reveal earlier this year, Ford has announced that the new Ranger Raptor will go on-sale in Europe in the middle of 2019.
After the F-150 Raptor managed to get legendary status amongst fans of off-road vehicles and pickup trucks, Ford decided to give its Ranger pickup the same treatment as its bigger American-market sibling. Apart from being a lot smaller in size than the F-150 Raptor, the Ranger Raptor also gets a small, very European 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine with 213hp and 500Nm of torque. However, both the F-150 Raptor and Ranger Raptor have a 10-speed automatic transmission.
BRABUS have done some work on the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S to produce the BRABUS 600 Compact SUV.
One of the most anticipated sports cars of the year finally broke cover this week, the BMW M2 Competition, and it comes complete with M3 and M4 power.
It's been a week since the doors for the Geneva Motor Show opened, and they still are until this Sunday. The big theme this year is eco-friendliness, but with a twist. The twist is fun! With cars like the Volvo Polestar 1 and Honda EV concept cars, it seems like manufacturers have finally realized that people want cars that are eco friendly, but also fun. There's plenty of other interesting non-EV and non-hybrid cars as well, but 10 have stood out more than others. Hope you approve of the list.
The 2018 Geneva Motor Show is upon us, and there's plenty of new metal to get excited about. Eco-friendliness, as usual, seems to be the popular theme -- with a seemingly endless list of new electric and hybrid cars. However, a lot of manufacturers have managed to make them exciting. It seems that the days of boring, uninspiring eco-friendly cars are going away. Outside of the world of electric cars and hybrids, there's plenty of exciting new performance cars, as well as a great number of interesting new everyday cars. The doors open to the public tomorrow, check out these pics to get a preview.
The eighth-generation of the Audi A6 has arrived, complete with new styling and packed with plenty of technology for an improved, more efficient driving experience.


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PETALING JAYA : Iran is looking to import one million tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia in the near future, following a significant boost in imports in the first half of this year.
In a statement today, the Iran embassy said the country imported a total of 309,704 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia between January and May this year, which marked a five-fold increase over the same period last year. It now targets an additional 650,000 tonnes this year.
“Iran is poised to continue increasing palm oil imports from Malaysia to reach one million tonnes and above annually in a bid to address the growing demand over the next few years,” the embassy said.
“This, however, requires better coordination and cooperation from the relevant ministries, government-linked companies, and agencies to further strengthen the bilateral ties towards a mutual goal.”
The embassy said that Iran is currently the largest importer of palm oil among countries in the Middle East.
It added that Iran aims to become Malaysia’s hub for the distribution of palm oil and palm oil-related products into the lucrative markets of West Asian and Central Asian nations bordering its country.
Iran noted that this would pave the way for more strategic bilateral trade ties between both nations.
In June, Malaysia overtook Indonesia to become the biggest crude palm oil exporter to India, the world’s largest importer of vegetable oil, with exports climbing to 2.42 million tonnes since November. Between November and March 2021, India bought 1.68 million tonnes of crude palm oil from Malaysia.
Last year, China was the largest importer of Malaysian palm oil at 2.731 million tonnes, followed by India (2.727 million tonnes), Netherlands (1.073 million tonnes) and Pakistan (1.004 million tonnes).


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Nations across the globe are working on digital currencies, with Japan the latest to dip its toe in the water.
Although the Bank of Japan’s deputy governor stated earlier this year that it had no plans to launch a digital currency, the Bank’s Institute for Financial Research on Friday released a report exploring legal issues around the issuance of digital currency.
Early accessWhile the report doesn’t represent the official views of the Bank of Japan, its publication does indicate that the Bank is interested in exploring the legal issues around a CBDC—including whether or not it can issue a digital currency, whether CBDC is a currency, and whether transactions can be restricted or currency seized.
Japan’s fledgling interest in a CBDC is dwarfed by that of neighboring China, which has invested heavily in its plans for a digital currency.
The currency, called the Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP), would boost financial inclusion in rural areas, said Mu Changchun, who heads the People's Bank of China's digital currency research institute, at a conference in Singapore earlier this month.


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Scotland sets new targets in support of "ambitious" service developments:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Scotland has announced plans to process its more than 1 million outpatient consultations and 500,000 hospital admissions within a 15-week period, by March 2009. An 18-week target in these areas (including day-care treatment) is already in place for the end of this year, but the new 15-week plan will support the ultimate 18-week maximum GP-to-referral time set for December 2011. Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon described the service developments involved as "ambitious", but that the progress to date had been "excellent".
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Managing partner Corey Goodman said venBio didn’t have trouble closing its fund, because the venture capital firm prepared its investors for an economic downturn months ago.
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Everyone may be raving about the iPhone, but the real king of mobiles is not Apple. It happens to be Nokia, who managed to get their worldwide market share of mobiles all the way up to a massive 40%, despite slippage in North America. They still remain the largest phone maker worldwide, and they cite component shortage as the reason for the loss of sales in the U.S. Whether or not that is true, they still have plans to bring 12 new phones specifically for the U.S. in 2008.
This might interest Apple, who will always be contending with both Nokia and Motorola in the U.S. One area where Nokia has them beat is entry-level, with sub $100 phones planned. It would be interesting to see Apple try to move in on the bigger companies territory.


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Democrats’ spending bill aims to collect minimum taxes from large, profitable corporations.
At least 70 of America’s largest companies will pay more in taxes under a new minimum tax, according to an analysis released by Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, as a way to pay for a spending bill running through Democrat Congress. are proposed in. Thursday.
The report takes a first look at which companies may face higher tax bills under the proposal, which calls for a 15 percent minimum tax to be applied to companies that generate more than $1 billion in profits to shareholders. report even though they have zero federal tax liability. The plan is included as a source of revenue in the $1.85 trillion social policy and climate bill that President Biden is trying to push through Congress.
The new tax will apply to so-called book income that companies report to their shareholders but not to the IRS. ,
The purpose of book tax is to raise money from companies without increasing the corporate tax rate to 21 per cent. While Mr Biden originally promised to raise the corporate tax rate to 28 percent, moderate Democrats have opposed that proposal.
Ms. Warren’s report found the tax would require companies such as Amazon, FedEx, Google, Facebook, General Motors, T-Mobile and Verizon to pay more to the United States government. A recent report by the Joint Committee on Taxation determined that the proposal would generate $319 billion over 10 years.
Ms. Warren said in an interview, “Giant corporations have figured out how to run this system so that the cost of running this country is borne by hardworking families, while these large corporations all churn out profits and slash taxes. give little or nothing.” , “It’s time to put a stop to that.”
Ms Warren’s office used data compiled by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy on publicly traded companies in the Fortune 500 and S&P 500. The analysis considered “taxes paid” as a company’s current income tax expense, or how much they paid in US federal taxes and foreign taxes in 2020.
According to Ms. Warren’s analysis, Amazon was able to reduce its tax rate to 11.5 percent in 2020 instead of 21 percent. The tech company would have paid $836 million more in federal and foreign income taxes, according to which minimum tax applies. Ms. Warren’s analysis. Amazon declined to comment.
The report also found that FedEx had an effective tax rate of 7.2 percent and, if the new tax was in place, would have paid $518 million more in taxes in 2020. FedEx said the analysis was “premature” and that it all paid off. tax is due.
“Unless there are clear details on the calculation of this proposed corporate minimum tax, it is premature to speculate or estimate how the tax will apply to specific companies,” FedEx spokesman Chris Allen said in a statement.
Opponents of the new tax expressed concern that it would give more control over the US tax base to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, an independent organization that sets accounting rules.
According to a letter to members of Congress of more than 260 accounting academics, “Potential politicization of the FASB will likely result in lower-quality financial accounting standards and lower-quality financial accounting income.”
The group also warned that under the new proposal, companies may report smaller profits to their shareholders to reduce their tax bills. He suggested that the idea of using book income as an alternative tax base is overly complicated.
“If there are perceived problems with the tax system, the tax code will be clean and easy to fix,” he wrote.
#Democrats #spending #bill #aims #collect #minimum #taxes #large #profitable #corporations


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On May 12, TOMODACHI Uniqlo Fellow Ryohei Kawanishi’s work was one of 15 featured graduate projects on exhibit at the Parsons Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) Fashion Design + Society Exhibition. USJC Executive Vice President & COO Suzanne Basalla, Council Member Susan Onuma, Beverly Okada, and other friends joined the Opening Reception to celebrate the exhibition (also visited by notable fashion industry leaders such as Donna Karan).
Ryohei with his design
Ryohei, one of Japan’s most talented young fashion designers, created eight “looks” as part of his graduate project, titled The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even. This collection is a response to Marcel Duchamp’s enigmatic work of the same title, and showcases Ryohei's technique, creativity and humor. Ryohei has completed two years of study in the unique “Project Runway”-style MFA program at Parsons The New School for Design, with his graduate studies fully-funded through a generous gift to TOMODACHI by Uniqlo. Ryohei is greatly appreciative of the scholarship, without which he would not have found the opportunity to study in New York’s fashion scene or had been able to pursue his dream of creating his own designs.
Ryohei is one of three students in the first cohort of Fellows who entered school in September 2013. (His colleagues attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and Stanford Graduate School of Business.) In addition to his academic and studio training, Ryohei and the other TOMODACHI Uniqlo Fellows gained valuable business experience during a 2014 summer internship at Uniqlo USA’s NYC headquarters, under the leadership of Uniqlo USA’s Director for Corporate Social Responsibility, Mr. Jean Shein, who also attended the Exhibition’s Opening.
A model wearing Ryohei's design
Ryohei plans to work throughout the summer to complete additional looks for the collection in time for the Parsons Fall Runway Show in September, and has invited local USJC Associate Members and the TOMODACHI Uniqlo Fellows conducting internships in NYC this summer to visit him and learn more about his designs (details to follow, NYC-based Associate Members!).


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It may be a surprise to learn that many top-shelf cannabis-infused ointments, shampoos, and body creams found across Europe and, increasingly, in the United States are made in the Czech Republic. Entrepreneurs in the heart of Europe are using their traditional cannabis know-how to fill a niche in the world’s growing markets for cannabis-infused topicals.
A Long Herbal Tradition
Slavic nations have used herbs in homeopathic medicine for centuries, if not millennia, and the tradition continues today. Locals often prefer homemade rubs to mass-produced body care products.
Cannabis was a particularly popular herbal remedy in Czech lands until the American-led prohibition on cannabis started in the 1930s. But even as the drug war ramped up, folk medicine remained alive and well in the countryside. Generation after generation continued to cultivate small amounts of cannabis or hemp to make topicals that ease the aches and pains of everyday life.
In 1989, when the Iron Curtain fell after 40 years of communism, cannabis topicals producers began to pop up. In the early years, cottage industries made products at home by hand, combining formulas of petroleum jelly, pork lard, or coconut oil with hempseed oil or cannabis extracts.
Most home producers ignored health and narcotics rules and, unsurprisingly, many went bankrupt, merged with peers, or were shut down by health authorities or the police. Legal troubles stemmed largely from the fact that homemade products, unlike many produced today, tended to be made from cannabis and not hemp, meaning they sometimes contained amounts of THC that exceeded the 0.3% threshold in Europe. And that made them controlled substances.
“Nowadays it is absolutely common to see a whole range of legal, cannabis-based products in every drugstore in Czechia, a stark contrast with neighboring countries,” said Hana Gabrielová, who’s farmed hemp for nearly two decades.
With more than 20 years of experience under their belts, the country’s main producers of infused topicals have gained considerable market share — not only at home but also abroad, outpacing other European competitors.
Differing laws among E.U. nations are a big piece of the equation. In Germany, Europe’s biggest national market with eight times the population of Czechia, local law regulates hemp like high-THC cannabis. The Czech government, on the other hand, regulate hemp as an industrial commodity with virtually no limits on cultivation and processing.
As such, domestically produced hemp cosmetics, dietary supplements, and fiber are extremely limited in Germany — and much easier to import from the Czech Republic. It’s a similar situation in Spain, the UK and beyond. If you find cannabis topicals in Berlin, Bavaria, or Brighton, they’re probably Czech made.
“We managed to sign export agreements worth around $3 million just in first three months of 2016,” said Robin Kazík, co-founder and owner of the topicals company Annabis. “By this October we should have branches in 12 different countries.” Annabis sells its goods in Europe, has initiated sales in Asia, and is expected to have its goods on American pharmacy shelves later this year after a lengthy process of securing FDA approval.
An originator in the field is Cannaderm, founded by hemp enthusiasts in Northern Bohemia. The company has been offering its goods in the U.S. for years via online sales, but it now faces competition from other Czech-based manufacturers, such as Carun Pharmacy. Carun’s owners have recently teamed up with an Florida-based businessman of Czech origin, and this year the company plans open a store dedicated to hemp-based products in Panama City Beach, Fla.
Jiří Stabla, owner of Carun Pharmacy — and also a techno DJ on the Spanish island of Ibiza — has already expanded retail operations to the United Kingdom and Poland. Plans are in place for Carun to expand even further.
Stabla’s business has been called misleading by authorities in Czechia. While he calls his stores “cannabis pharmacies,” they aren’t technically pharmacies, and the products don’t (or shouldn’t) contain THC. Stabla counters that Carun products are made from herbal hemp extract and are rich in other cannabinoids, differentiating his goods from the majority of cannabis cosmetics globally that instead rely on hempseed oil for their cannabis contribution.
“We are just opening our first cannabis pharmacy in the U.S.,” the 32 year old said, “and if it proves successful, we would like to open two more this year, most likely in New York and Dallas.”


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BSNL has launched a new USIM exclusively for the 4G mobile network for only Rs 20 and is seen as the biggest plunge to compete with other providers. After the start of 2018, the state-owned company has been aggressively expanding the 4G services in several parts of India. According to sources, BSNL is planning to install 10,000 4G eNode-Bs in the North, East, South, and West Zones and for this purpose, the phase 8.4 tender has been finalized.
If you wish to migrate to 4G services, you should exchange the existing SIM card for the new 4G USIM. The main reason is that of the fact that you can’t access and work with the 4G network using the existing 2G and 3G SIM cards.
As part of the 4G launch, BSNL will only launch the new 4G USIM card and will work all smartphones. Moreover, the 4G USIM comes irrespective of memory size and are of fourth form factor, which is same as the existing 4G SIM cards provided by competing mobile service providers.
The main purpose behind the launch of the low-priced 4G SIM cards is to create an awareness among people about the benefits of the 4G network. With just Rs 20, customers will be able to experience the power of the 4G network. The company is hopeful of bringing new customers within the next few months. BSNL has already launched 4G services in Kerala and Karnataka and is gearing up to pull the plug all over India by the end of 2018.
Recently, BSNL has started a facility with which new customers will be able to subscribe to new landline and broadband connections via social media. The customers should make use of the relevant hashtag along with a message and a BSNL staff will be in touch with the customer to discuss the further steps. Industry analysts are of the opinion that the move is to compete with the likes of Reliance Jio, who has been aggressive on social media.
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A group of film production giants including Roadshow, Disney and Netflix have launched fresh legal action to force Australia’s top internet service providers to block a suite of pirate websites that have found renewed popularity amid a battle between streaming services and the fragmentation of content offerings.
The film studios – including Roadshow, Disney, Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros, Paramount and Netflix – launched the action earlier this month seeking to protect the copyright of a range of box office hits including children’s favourites The Lego Movie and films from the Toy Story franchise as well as episodes of Netflix favourite Stranger Things and the Big Bang Theory.
It’s the most recent action by the film studios which have peppered Australian internet service providers with court requests to block access to the pirate sites over the past few years since law requiring ISPs to block sites that were determined to be pirate sites were passed in 2015.
Telstra, Optus, TPG and its owned brands (including Vodafone, iiNet) along with Aussie Broadband are all listed as defendants as well as a long list of smaller providers. The studios have previously launched separate action against the broadband providers to block specific titles on pirate sites.
“The application made at the Federal Court of Australia is another important step for the many people who earn their living in the creative and copyright industries in Australia,” said Andrew Stewart, from Baker McKenzie, who is running the case for the studios.
Stewart said the case also reflected the important roles of ISPs in addressing piracy.
“Research reveals that blocking orders which have been adopted in dozens of countries around the world are effective in decreasing traffic to illegal pirate websites and in migrating users to legal content providers.“
Federal data reported earlier this year showed a resurgence of piracy in recent years after initially tapering off following the new laws and court orders. That increase was put down to a proliferation of streaming services that has fragmented offerings by studios and led to some consumers to seek out shows and movies that are not offered on their preferred streaming providers.
The studios took fresh action this month to shut down 24 sites offering illegal downloads of their shows and movies including alternative versions of the notorious KickAssTorrents sites and TorrentsBay.
This was the second action taken this year alone, following the studios asking the court for orders to shut down more than 50 sites in August. The studios last year won orders for the ISPs to block 63 sites that were offering illegal downloads of its films.
Industry sources who declined to be named because they weren’t authorised to speak on the record said all of the telcos involved had followed the court’s orders and blocked sites over several years and various court cases.
The telcos indicated they would continue to abide by the court’s orders.
“We will abide by the Federal Court ruling and will act accordingly,” a spokesman for Telstra said.
A spokesperson for Optus said: “When instructed to do so by federal courts or the Australian Federal Police, Optus blocks domains.”
A spokesperson for TPG said: “We don’t condone piracy and will abide by court rulings when instructed by the courts or federal police.”
Aussie Broadband declined to comment.
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The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lessened its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 439,500 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 18,547 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.11% of Ross Stores worth $25,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ROST. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1,908.5% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 26,454,293 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,742,545,000 after purchasing an additional 25,137,186 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch AG raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 7,335.3% in the 2nd quarter. Flossbach Von Storch AG now owns 5,000,270 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $288,666,000 after purchasing an additional 4,933,020 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 3,501.6% in the 2nd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,942,654 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $112,149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,888,715 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 68.4% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,604,774 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $265,834,000 after purchasing an additional 1,870,314 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 393.0% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,573,128 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $90,817,000 after purchasing an additional 1,254,028 shares during the period. 90.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) opened at 63.12 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $61.89 and its 200 day moving average is $60.41. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.85 and a 12 month high of $69.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85 and a beta of 1.13.
Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 17th. The apparel retailer reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.05. Ross Stores had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 42.95%. The business had revenue of $3.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post $3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 7th were paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 6th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.12%.
In other news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 15,492 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.00, for a total transaction of $945,012.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Brian R. Morrow sold 6,157 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.30, for a total transaction of $402,052.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.
Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ROST shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, August 21st. Instinet restated a “buy” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Sunday, August 20th. UBS AG decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $70.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 18th. Telsey Advisory Group upgraded Ross Stores from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, July 14th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, Bank of America Corporation restated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Sunday, August 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.17.
Ross Stores Company Profile
Ross Stores, Inc and its subsidiaries operate two brands of off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores-Ross Dress for Less (Ross) and dd’s DISCOUNTS. The Company is the off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the United States, with 1,340 locations in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Guam, as of January 28, 2017.
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LAUREN Goodger vamped it up last night in a busty black corset detail dress.
The former TOWIE star, 25, looked glam as she attended the Pure Beauty Awards
2012 at London’s Savoy Hotel in the frock despite forgetting to
tuck in the dress’ label.
The white tag could be seen through a sheer panel in the knee-length number’s
Lauren is well known for her fashion hits and misses.
But yesterday she looked sexy in the busty number, which featured an
animal-print skirt, ruffles on the bum and belt, a black bustier top and
Lauren teamed her outfit with red spiky peep-toe Christian Louboutin heels and
matching bright red lippy, and made sure to keep warm by covering up in a
Also at the bash was TV presenter Lizzie Cundy and another former The Only Way
Is Essex star Amy Childs.
Both women were wearing numbers from Amy’s clothing collection.
Lizzie, 44, opted for Amy’s Lexi Pale Dusky Pink lace dress and some
shimmering gold heels.
While Amy, 22, wore her Pia lace party dress and black suede platform


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For the most part, Mark Cuban’s new online pharmacy provides the significant discounts it advertises on hundreds of prescription medications.
Experts have pointed out the areas where it still falls short.
Since opening in January, Cost Plus Drugs has provided patients with over 800 low-cost generic medications for treating common illnesses like cancer, dementia, and leukemia.
The leukemia drug imatinib, which normally sells for almost $2,500, can be purchased through Cost Plus Drugs for about $14.40. Regardless of whether or not they have medical insurance, everyone must pay that amount.
The project aims to slow the rise in expensive prescription drugs in the United States. According to a Gallup and West Health poll from 2021, an estimated 18 million Americans, or 7% of U.S. adults, couldn’t afford at least one prescription prescribed by their doctor.
Assuming all goes as planned, Cuban’s pharmacy would cause a significant disruption in the pharmaceutical sector and lead to decreased medicine prices in the United States.
However, analysts at MJGlobal Report suggest that Cost Plus Drugs can only have a limited effect because it hasn’t yet entered the market for brand-name pharmaceuticals, which is the primary factor in their extremely high prices.
“As much as I appreciate the venture, what they’re doing does not address the enormous elephant in the room,” says Gabriel Levitt, head of the consumer advocate organization PharmacyChecker, in an interview with CNBC Make It.
“Brand-name drugs are truly what is increasing in price every year, prompting millions of Americans to cut back on meds or not take them at all.”
This is where Cuban’s low-cost pharmacy has been successful thus far, and this is why experts say it is not yet a solution to the United States prescription drug price crisis:
Explanation of the inner workings of the Cost Plus Drugs model
When a pharmaceutical company develops a novel drug formulation, it can legally block any rival firms from manufacturing or selling the drug by filing for a patent on the new formulation. Patents on pharmaceuticals typically endure for 20 years, after which other companies may begin producing generic versions of the branded drug.
According to Dr. José Pagán, chair of NYU’s school of public health policy and management, “pharmacy benefit managers” are a significant source of the high prices for these generic pharmaceuticals. Cuban’s pharmacy is currently focused on reducing these prices.
Health insurance companies, large businesses, and others who contract pharmacy benefit managers rely on them to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Pagán argues that although they must negotiate discounts or rebates, they are frequently blamed for increasing the costs of low-cost pharmaceuticals to increase earnings.
Cost Plus Drugs bypasses the pharmacy benefit managers in favor of direct negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, resulting in substantial savings on generic medications.
A 15% markup, plus $3 for pharmacy labor and $5 for delivery, is added before the pharmacy offers the drugs to customers with prescriptions, as stated on the drugstore’s website.
The catch is that Cost Plus Drugs don’t participate in insurance networks because pharmacy benefit managers are so frowned upon by insurance companies.
The problem with generic versions of name-brand pharmaceuticals
Patents on medications do more than merely allow their manufacturers to corner the market. They empower pharmaceutical companies to set the prices for their products.
In 2018, approximately 80% of prescription drug expenditures were for brand-name drugs, even though brand-name drugs make up a far smaller share of prescriptions than generic drugs. According to the FDA, the final cost of generic medications is often 80% to 85% lower than their brand-name equivalents.
Typically, Inma Hernandez, an associate professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California San Diego, explains, drug manufacturers will only accept lower prices for their brand-name pharmaceuticals if they pay rebates to those pharmacy benefit managers.
To further boost the likelihood of patients being supplied these pharmaceuticals, the middlemen add them to a formulary, which is an insurance plan’s list of favored medications. According to Hernandez, the insurance companies that employed these intermediaries split their profits with the patients who paid the total prescription price.
Hernandez also adds that there is a long-term indirect advantage for patients: cheaper rates. One issue in her mind is the lack of information about pharmacy benefit manager rebates. She believes that only the PBM can tell you how much of the savings is actually passed on to insurance and from there to patients.
The provision of formulas by pharmacies is not possible and is not desired. So, as Hernandez points out, pharmaceutical companies have very little motivation to provide rebates to Cost Plus Drugs.
In any case, development is better than standing still.
Cuban told CNBC Make It that the matter is being worked on and that “within six months,” Cost Plus Drugs will have brand-name medications. This is just a ballpark estimate; he clarifies, “We are not ready to disclose anything at this moment.”
If Cuban’s pharmacy can attract a large enough clientele to compete with major insurance providers, pharmaceutical companies may be motivated to offer rebates. Cuban made a claim in a PBS News Weekend podcast last month.
There is a real possibility that the drugstore won’t be able to undercut the insurance business, but at least officially, Cuban’s ambitions remain hazy.
To be sure, Cost Plus Drugs is having an effect. Pharmacy professor at Brandeis University Cindy Thomas says she is “pleased” with the pharmacy’s progress.
Uninsured, underinsured, or high-deductible insurance plans benefit the most from it. However, it helps a wide range of people in the United States who still need generic pharmaceuticals.
There will soon be a Cost Plus Drugs facility in Dallas, occupying 22,000 square feet, producing generic versions of its brand-name products. According to Thomas, the plant might allow the Cuban drugstore to sell their brand-name generics at a lower price.
Thomas is optimistic that the company will remain in business since he believes it has a bright future. Even if it’s only generics at first, now is a fantastic opportunity to disrupt the pharmaceutical sector and find a method to cut prices.