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Clothing retail giant, Abercrombie & Fitch, has entered a deal to sell Green Growth Brands’ Seventh Sense Botanical Therapy brand CBD products in more than 160 stores following a trial in ten stores earlier this year. Products to be sold include CBD body lotions, muscle balms, lip balms and sugar scrubs. It is a big boost to Green Growth and is their second biggest wholesale agreement deal since the passing of the Agriculture Act late last year.
“Abercrombie & Fitch understands how to connect with their target-customer, not just in the U.S. but across the globe,” said Green Growth Brands CEO, Peter Horvath.
“They have incredible brand recognition in our current target markets and beyond, and we are excited at the prospect of building our partnership together.”
125-year old Abercrombie & Fitch operates in more than 250 locations and also owns another leading clothing retailer, Hollister. Green Growth boasts the strongest sales per square feet in the US cannabis industry and is expanding its cannabis operations throughout the country. It recently entered a deal to establish a CBD presence at ShopSeventhSense.com, in malls across the country and at DSW shoe stores.
RELATED: What is CBD?
Nu-metal group Hollywood Undead is back on tour and grateful to put the restrictions of the pandemic behind them. While touring was on hiatus the band was busy crafting their new album Hotel Kalifornia, which debuted August 12. Two of Hollywood Undead’s founding members have also been immersed in another, less musical, venture. Jorel Decker […]
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Although still considered a somewhat less common alternative cannabinoid, HHC – or Hexahydrocannabinol – has been gaining popularity over the last year. To the point that it’s currently undergoing a rebrand, so to speak. Some companies have started referring to HHC, as HXC. Learn why the switch to HXC is happening. To stay current on […]


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Following its 2010 debut at the New York International Auto Show, the Optima became a catalyst for Kia Motors’ tremendous growth and has been the brand’s best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for three years running. Now, five years later, Kia will return to New York on Wednesday, April 1, for the world debut of the passionately designed and obsessively crafted all-new version of its popular midsize sedan.
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BANGALORE, India With about 125 captive and non-captive integrated circuit, board, and embedded design companies in India at present, a wave of mergers and acquisitions is being predicted by Indian semiconductor executives.
Indian design companies work in analog design, ASIC/FPGA design, system design, and IP creation, and according to the Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA) generated design revenues of $583 million in 2005, while other hardware and board designs generated $14 million and embedded software writing generated $2.5 billion in revenues. In all, this amounted to $3.20 billion, a number that is set to grow.
“The single biggest challenge for small Indian design companies those with up to 50 engineers is sales and marketing,” said A.G. Karunakaran, president of electronic design services provider, GDA Technologies Inc. (San Jose, Calif.) GDA, which has three development centers in India, is scouting for small design firms here to partner with. “We can be a sales and marketing channel for small design companies that have their own IP and we are exploring such partnerships,” Karunakaran added.
“I expect to see mergers and acquisitions. Most firms are in the $1 million to $2 million range (of revenues) and will remain small working on an opportunistic and bootstrapping basis. Today, there are just half-a-dozen true specification-to-silicon kind of design firms in the country,” said Tapan Joshi, vice president of marketing at eInfochips Ltd., co-headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and Ahmedabad, India. That company, which provides ASIC and embedded systems design and application software, is looking for acquisitions in the mixed-signal and back-end space and considered two acquisitions in India last year.
The 19-year old D’Gipro Systems Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, is one of India’s oldest PCB and VLSI design houses. With revenues of $1.5 million in its 2004-05 financial year, it too is looking for a merger or an acquisition. “Only a merger or acquisition will help us capitalize on the increasing design business opportunities,” said S. Ramachandran, its president and chief executive officer.
“As the industry matures, I see a lot of consolidation happening,” said GDA’s Karunakaran. This has already started to happen, with the Pune-based Persistent Systems Pvt. Ltd. buying the Goa-based Controlnet India Pvt. Ltd. last year, in a landmark deal for the Indian design industry.
Despite a wave of consolidation the overall number of design output from India is expected to rise sharply due to India’s cost advantages compared with some other parts of the world.
The recent acquisition of another Pune-based firm, Pace Soft Silicon Pvt. Ltd., by Nvidia Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.) shows overseas firms are also looking at picking up design firms in India.


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Brazilian exports of processed beef amounted to US$ 429.4 million in the first nine months of 2005, 20.7% more than the US$ 355.6 million exported during the same period last year.
These data were released yesterday (10) by the Brazilian Association of Meat Export Industries (Aboec).
The biggest buyer of the product was the United States, which imported US$ 125.5 million between January and September of this year, 12.7% less than during the same period last year.
The United Kingdom is the second largest customer, with US$ 101.3 million (7% more than during the same period last year), followed by Venezuela, which imported US$ 34.2 million, 210% more than in 2004.
Foreign sales of beef, pork, and poultry are expected to reach around US$ 8 billion this year, as estimated by the Secretary of Agricultural Surveillance of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply, Gabriel Alves Maciel.
If this estimate is borne out, meat will take over first place from the soybean complex in Brazilian agribusiness exports, as indicated by the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture (CNA), when it announced the balance of international sales of foodstuffs, meats, and dairy products from January to July.
During this period agribusiness exports amounted to US$ 24.2 billion, 9.1% more than the US$ 22.2 billion sold during the same period last year. However, unlike soybeans, for which world market prices are lower than in 2004, meat prices improved, and Brazil expanded its exports to around 40 countries.
Between January and July of this year, Brazil exported US$ 4.4 billion worth of meat, 34.5% more than during the first seven months of 2004. Besides the increase in export volume, the average price of meat, US$ 1.527 per ton, was 7.3% better than last year’s price.
On the other hand, the average price of soybeans is down 18.8% this year, from US$ 287.8 to US$ 233.6 per ton. Although the product continues in first place among Brazilian exports, the sales have lost impetus: The US$ 5.4 billion in revenues obtained in the first half of 2005 are 17.2% less than the US$ 6.5 billion registered between January and July of 2004.


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Two years after Palm Beach County began regulating roadside vendors, compliance officer Jack Babich is finding fewer and fewer violators trying to skirt the rules.
That was not the case in November 1985, when the ordinance went into effect. In the months following, Babich would patrol the county`s roadsides and find violators wherever he went.
The vendors -- operating out of the back of pickup trucks, trailers and carts -- were an independent bunch who did not take kindly to rules regulating where they could set up shop and what they could sell.
Babich called those vendors who resisted the rules ``gypsies.``
``Now I don`t catch anybody,`` he said. ``They`re not out there cheating anymore. They know I`m out there.``
The law, which expires every 12 months, is scheduled to be tentatively renewed for another year by the County Commission on Tuesday. A public hearing and final vote are slated for Nov. 24.
Commissioners, when first mulling over the problem of unregulated vendors, considered a ban on roadside sales. But they were persuaded to allow limited vending after vendors argued that they provided a valuable service to county residents.
The ordinance allows vending along uncurbed roads, with certain restrictions. It also requires yearly fees of $500 for a permit, license, insurance and security deposit in case they leave their designated area littered or damaged.
The ordinance also restricts to two the number of vendors who can occupy a location. And vendors are limited to selling fresh produce, flowers, plants and prepared foods such as hotdogs and snacks.
According to Nancy DiFede, who administers the ordinance for the county, 150 vendors hold permits.
``There are many more people who would like to be out there,`` she said. ``We have a waiting list of people who want good spots.``
There is plenty of room to accommodate more vendors, but only certain locations are good for business, she said. So vendors would rather wait for a prime location than pay $500 for a spot on a little-traveled road.
The intersections of Palmetto Park Road and Military Trail and State Road 7 and Forest Hill Boulevard are two of the hottest locations, DiFede said.
The unincorporated area west of Boca Raton, in general, is in big demand by vendors, but residents in the area have complained that the carts and wagons are unsightly and create traffic hazards.
Before the ordinance went into effect, the Palmetto Park Road-Military Trail intersection ``was like a little flea market,`` DiFede said. ``We really cleaned up that roadway a lot.``
Even though vendors have been abiding by the new rules, Babich continues his rounds of county roads three times a week, watching for violators.
``I never let them know when I`m coming around,`` he said.


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The brand association has been signed for two years and involves a pan-India communication campaign, the company said in a news release.
To kick start this association the company – whose brands include Gowardhan, Go, Pride of Cows and Topp Up – will launch a dedicated YouTube channel and special edition shows called Good to Go! on Living Foodz TV channel.
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GSMA Comments on the Agreement on European Electronic Communications Code
The European Commission, Parliament and Council have reached a political agreement on the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC). In the GSMA’s view, this agreement is a political compromise that fails to confront long term challenges for the European telecommunication sector and could hinder deployment of 5G networks in Europe, weakening the region's competitiveness and harming European citizens.
In particular, these setbacks include:
- Investment uncertainty: the GSMA is disappointed that the agreement does not deliver sufficiently on the ambition to provide a strong, pro-investment regulatory reform. The GSMA believes that only such an assurance would allow the industry to make the necessary investments that would ultimately benefit consumers.
- Lack of harmonisation: while some constructive provisions have been introduced, the main issues remain untouched. These include ensuring meaningful convergence of spectrum awards across the Member States, and reassuring investors that licenses will have a longer duration than today.
- Lack of a level playing field: despite some progress, the agreement fails to address the fact that the European telecoms sector is still over-regulated, in some key areas, resulting in it not benefitting from a level-playing field. The agreement does align some consumer rights attached to the use of all interpersonal services providers, but many differences still remain. A policy of ‘same service, same rules’ would lead to more competition, innovation and consumer benefit.
- Additional retail price regulation the adopted measures on intra-EU calls are unjustified, as consumers and businesses enjoy a variety of choices for making calls to other EU countries. Moreover, the agreement infringes EU law, notably the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality enshrined in the Treaty on the European Union.
Afke Schaart, VP and Head of Europe at the GSMA said: “As shown in the past, Europe has the ability to overcome difficult decisions and ensure a more solid and scalable EU market. We are disappointed that this crucial opportunity - for citizens as well as for the 5G industry - was not fully grasped, and strongly believe in the need of a better deal for Europe’s global digital competitiveness.”
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com.
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End Glover Park’s Liquor Moratorium
After a long standoff between citizens, business owners and community organizations, the Glover Park ANC has voted to raise the cap of its 16-year-old moratorium to bring in more bars and restaurants—by two.
Two more liquor licenses for beer, wine and spirits have been brought into the commercial strip that has been struggling to attract commerce for years. Empty storefronts and underwhelming establishments run up and down the blocks of Glover Park, with retail scarce and new businesses almost nonexistent—unless you can’t the new Chipotle, which sticks out like a very fancy weed.
The neighborhood has long struggled with revitalization efforts, caught between lifting the moratorium altogether to bring in more bars and restaurants, and its residents resisting for fear of their neighborhood turning into a raucous bar crawl avenue and party scene every weekend. As Washington City Paper pointed out, “It’s a familiar debate: Places like H Street, Barracks Row, and U Street have all flirted with the idea of turning off the taps.”
This is the first increase in liquor licenses for the neighborhood since 2008, when three new licenses were released and all but devoured by the already-existing Surfside, Breadsoda and Rocklands.
Still, the Glover Park Citizens Association (GPCA) is fighting to lift the moratorium entirely. “By not recommending to end the [liquor license] moratorium completely the last time this debate happened, the ANC missed a chance to promote growth and diversity in our neighborhood eateries... Liquor licenses are necessary for Glover Park restaurants to compete with restaurants in other nearby areas,” GPAC said in a joint statement on their petition website, GPMoratorium.com.
The next GPCA meeting to discuss the moratorium is Tuesday, March 6, at 7pm at Stoddert Elementary on Calvert St. For more information visit GPAC online.


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Earlier this week, we reported that Discord has been looking for a buyer and that Microsoft is in talks with the company for a potential acquisition.
Now, a new report from The Wall Street Journal claims that the Redmond giant is planning to close the deal by next month. According to WSJ, Microsoft is in exclusive talks with Discord and is planning to close the deal for over $10 Billion by next month.
Microsoft has been focusing on gaming lately as the company recently acquired ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda. Last year, the company even tried acquiring TikTok when the former President Donald Trump forced ByteDance to sell the US operations of the company to an American company.
If the deal is materialized, it will be Microsoft's largest acquisition since its purchase of LinkedIn back in 2016. The Redmond giant has made a series of purchases recently including the acquisition of GitHub and ZeniMax Media, for $7.5 Billion apiece.
Discord has seen massive growth lately with the company's valuation increasing to $7 Billion after the latest funding round in December. The company also generated over $130 Million in 2020, up from $45 Million in 2019. Along with a potential acquisition, Discord is also looking at an IPO as the company hired its first Chief Financial Officer, Tomasz Marcinkowski last week.


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BERLIN (AP) — The European Free Trade Association, a group of four countries outside the European Union, has largely concluded a free-trade agreement with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc that includes Brazil.
The Swiss economy ministry said Saturday that the agreement “in substance” was reached in Buenos Aires Friday and ultimately will see some 95% of Switzerland’s exports to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay free from tariffs. It said it also would prevent EFTA — whose other members are Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — being put at a disadvantage to the EU, which has reached its own trade deal with Mercosur.
The Swiss statement said that the accord includes “provisions on climate protection and the sustainable use of forest resources.” Its signing is expected by early 2020 and Switzerland aims to ratify it by 2021.
Announcing the deal on Twitter late Friday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called it a “big victory” for Brazil in efforts to open up trade with other countries.
News of the EFTA deal came just as France and Ireland were threatening to block the EU-Mercosur deal over fires ravaging part of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin argued that past EU trade accords also have faced obstacles but ultimately were ratified. He said in Bern that “the fact today is that the EU countries have made a decision — this could last a year, two years or three years, perhaps it will fail — but if it does not fail … and we have nothing, we have a huge problem for our companies.” Regarding the forest fires, he indicated that the accord offers a platform to better discuss such issues and exert pressure.
In Norway, the center-right government faced criticism from the opposition and environmentalists.
Trade minister Torbjoern Roee Isaksen defended the EFTA deal, telling Norwegian news agency NTB that “sustainable forest management is an important theme of the agreement”.
Anja Riise Bakken of the environmentalist NGO Future In Our Hands said she found it “terribly difficult to understand” how her country could enter such a deal “while the Amazon is burning”. She said Norway risks losing its credibility built over past years as a rainforest advocate.


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Enugu State Govt. Moves To Sustain SMEs
The Enugu Government said it has demonstrated commitment and competency in the management of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the state.
Speaking during a one day training for entrepreneurs in the state, the Special Adviser to Enugu Governor on SMEs and Investment Promotion, Mr Anayo Agu, said the state has funded over 2500 companies totaling about 2 billion Naira.
Mr Agu said the state made funds available for running and starting up business irrespective of where the individual comes from.
He said the state is ready to take advantage of foreign partnership because of its abundance in trainable individuals who are willing to grow in business and contribute their quota.
He noted the state has attracted a lot of foreign investments which are at the preliminary stages citing the U.S solar power plant at Nachi.
“We have a U.S company that is still at the beginning stages of establishing a solar plant in Enugu state and to be precise at Nachi, the reason these investors are coming to the state is because of the full assurance that is coming from the state. Not only that the state will protect the investment but also to enable it.
“In terms of international business, we have international airport; the Akanu-Ibiam International Airport which is thriving, we have Ethiopian airline that operates twice weekly, and just by the airport we have the free trade zone”.
Mr Agu further explained that the free trade zone will give manufacturers opportunity to sell goods at duty free and equally export to another countries.
He said the state will continue to provide enabling environment to ensure the ease of doing business.


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Philips Q3 profit falls, despite higher revenues
For the quarter, which ended Sept. 30, Philips reported sales of €1.8 billion ($2.46 billion U.S.), compared to €1.6 billion ($2.19 billion U.S.) in the same quarter last year. The Andover, Mass.-based company said it was a 5 percent increase before considering a negative currency impact.
Earnings before interest, tax and amortization (EBITA) rose to €197 million ($270 million U.S.) for the 2008 third quarter, compared €188 million ($258 million U.S.), boosted by a €45 million ($62 million U.S.) one-off gain on the sale of Philips Speech Recognition Systems.
Excluding this gain, EBITA amounted to €152 million ($209 million U.S.), impacted by acquisition-related charges of €17 million ($23 million U.S.), mainly at Imaging Systems, reported Philips. However, earnings were down from €169 million ($232 million U.S.) in the 2007 third quarter.
"Health was always considered to be stable. Now with orders being pushed back in the United States due to the financial crisis, the question is how long will this last and will it happen in Europe too," said Rabo Securities analyst Frits de Vries, reported Reuters.
Philips said that it will accelerate initiatives to “improve margins and to further optimize operation's structure, particularly in Imaging Systems.” These efforts are expected to lead to charges of approximately €50 million ($69 million U.S.) in the fourth quarter.


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Think biking isn’t an activity for the ice? The City of Calgary challenges that idea with a new initiative at Bowness Park!
The recent addition of ice bikes – the first of their kind in Canada – is part of the City’s commitment to creating experiences in public green spaces. Also at the winter park is a new 1.6-kilometre ice trail for Calgarians to enjoy recreational skating, experiences that support the City’s ongoing commitment to enhancing available winter activities. Current public health orders must be adhered to when using both the bikes and ice trail.
“Today, we’re celebrating a new sport – ice biking!” Coun. Ward Sutherland said in announcing the ice bikes, available to rent for use on Bowness Park Lagoon. “It’s brand new to Canada and we are proud to offer 10 bikes specially-designed for use on the ice. Bowness Park is one of the most versatile parks in western Canada and, with the addition of the new ice trail and ice bikes, there is truly an activity for every member of the family.”
Rent your bike from the Bowness Park Skate Shop, operated by the University of Calgary Outdoor Centre.
A safe, stable alternative to skating, or for those who want to try something new, the ice bikes are like traditional bicycles, but mounted on a sled-like platform, so users can pedal and steer around the ice as they would on a road.
The bikes are single speed and users can simply pedal backwards to stop. Because little balance is required, ice bikes accommodate a wide range of ages and users, including those with physical accessibility challenges.
Adult and child-sized bikes are available for rent at a cost of $12/half-hour or $20/hour. Helmets are mandatory for those under 18 years-old, and strongly recommended for all users.
“Between each rental, the bikes are sanitized, cleaned and then they’re brought back out and ready for use,” says Todd Reichardt, Manager Parks North and West Region with The City of Calgary. “We ask that all park visitors and users maintain a proper safe distance of two metres, as well as consider wearing a face covering or a mask.”
Lace up at the lagoon
For those looking for an alternative to skating on the Lagoon, the Bowness Park ice trail is a new option. The surface of the ice trail is approximately eight centimetres thick, created by flooding the grass with water, in layers, until a thickness for skating was reached. Once the ice trail is open, park visitors will be able to enjoy a skate during regular park hours (5 a.m. to 11 p.m.), with LEDs lighting the way after dark.
If you go:
- Visit Calgary.ca/BownessPark for more information on the ice trail and for the latest information on closures.
- Visit Calgary.ca/icebikes for information on rental conditions and how to reserve a bike online.
Please note that Provincial Health Protocols are in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Plan your future adventures throughout the West Coast at westcoasttraveller.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thewestcoasttraveller. And for the top West Coast Travel stories of the week delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Armchair Traveller newsletter!


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GERMANY – American multinational ingredient provider, Ingredion has acquired KaTech, a German provider of advanced texture and stabilization solutions, effectively expanding its specialty ingredients portfolio.
The acquisition comes five months after Ingredion agreed to acquire the remaining stake in Verdient Foods, taking its ownership of the plant-based protein joint venture to 100%.
KaTech offers a variety of solutions that assist food and beverage manufacturers with product formulation, ingredient functionality and technical assistance.
The firm is said to have application expertise in areas such as stabilisation, texture enhancement, protein enrichment and emulsification.
It particularly has a strong focus on plant-based, dairy and dairy alternatives, meat and fish, savoury and bakery products.
Founded in 2010, KaTech is based in Lübeck and operates two locations in Germany, one in the UK and one in Poland. It has approximately 95 employees.
Ingredion says the acquisition will expand its Food Systems platform with stabilising and texturising solutions and broaden its customer base.
“KaTech has deep food formulation expertise which complements our leading texture business in Europe,” said Jim Zallie, Ingredion’s president and CEO.
“The addition of KaTech enhances our ability to formulate customised, complete food solutions leveraging Ingredion’s expanded ingredients portfolio. It also expands the geographic footprint of our Food Systems growth platform complementing our positions in the US and Asia,” he added.
Ingredion starts manufacturing on-trend sustainable plant protein isolate in North America
Meanwhile in the US, Ingredion announced two new additions to its plant-based portfolio produced at the Company’s new pea protein manufacturing facility in South Sioux City, Nebraska.
Ingredion says that the two solutions, Pulse 1853 pea protein isolate, and PURITY® P 1002 pea starch, are 100% sustainably sourced from North American farms, enabling food and beverage manufacturers to create innovative plant-based food and beverages.
“We are committed to shaping the future of plant-based food — and we’re continually investing to help our customers formulate and innovate in this rapidly developing space,” Jim Zallie said.
The new pea isolate and pea starch join the Company’s portfolio of plant-based proteins and ingredients, which includes the plant protein concentrates and flours produced in Vanscoy, Saskatchewan.
“By combining our expertise and product formulation capabilities with high-quality ingredients, we are well-positioned to be a reliable supplier supporting our customers with breakthrough, innovative plant-based solutions,” said Jorgen Kokke, Ingredion’s executive vice president and president, Americas.
Their introduction means that the Company is now the only manufacturer in North America to offer “produced in the U.S. and Canada” plant protein isolate, concentrate, flour and starch products ranging from <10% to 85% protein on a dry basis.
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Europe leads the world in mobile broadband penetration with nearly twice the subscribers per 100 inhabitants than that of The Americas and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The CIS leads all areas surveyed in mobile cellular subscriptions with over 130% penetration, according to a recent survey by the ITU.
More than 62% of the broadband subscribers in the US subscribe to a wireless broadband plan, according to data provided by the OECD (see Figures 1 and 2). The United States ranks 9th overall in wireless broadband penetration, according the same survey.
The use of broadband in the US has risen dramatically over the past decade, growing nearly 7-fold from 2001 to 2009 (see Figure 1). However, there are disparities among different socio-economic groups. The US Department of Commerce recently released a report analyzing these “broadband adoption gaps” to highlight where the private sector and the US government can focus their efforts to bring broadband access to all Americans (NTIA 2010).
Apple is poised to pass Microsoft in the streaming media player market. Combining iTunes and QuickTime Apple narrowed the gap with Microsoft to 7.6 percentage points. At current growth rates, Apple should pass Microsoft in streaming media player usage by early 2011.
Two-thirds of adult Americans (66%) use a high speed Internet connection at home, according to a recent survey by PEW Internet. US broadband penetration is up only 3 percentage points over the same time a year ago however, when broadband penetration stood at 63% in April 2009. While most demographic groups showed slow growth, African-Americans were a major exception.
Michael Copps of the FCC said that the US needs a “broadband czar” to coordinate how government agencies promote broadband. At a recent meeting in North Carolina to promote the state’s spread of broadband, speakers emphasized the need for a coordinated effort in the US in order to compete worldwide. Meanwhile in the US, broadband penetration approached 90% in May, only a rounding error away. Overall, US broadband penetration in less than 60% among US households, and is ranked 17th worldwide.
The US dropped to 22nd place in broadband connection speed worldwide in a recent study by Akamai. The fastest broadband cities in the US are college towns, according to the same study. The top 10 US cities averaged four times faster than the average US broadband speed of 3.8Mbps. Meanwhile broadband penetration among active Internet users dropped to 95.17% in March 2010.
Who will get the biggest piece of the streaming media pie? By sometime next year it could very well be Apple. Driven primarily by the rapid growth in iTunes, Apple’s players are becoming more popular, while Microsoft and RealPlayer are flat or losing market share (see Figure 1). Meanwhile, broadband penetration among active Internet users grew slightly to 95.33% in February 2010.
Over two-thirds of the world’s population have a mobile phone subscription, according to a recent report by the ITU.
Mobile subscriptions drive wireless broadband growth,
with mobile broadband growing faster than fixed broadband lines and second only to mobile phone growth itself.
Meanwhile in the US, broadband penetration grew to 95.1% among active Internet users
in January 2010.
The US dropped to 25th place worldwide in broadband penetration by household, according to a recent survey by Point Topic. From Q2 2009 to Q3 2009 US broadband penetration by household fell from 22nd place to 25th place. Meanwhile, broadband penetration in US homes inched up to 94.55% in December 2009.


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English author, Duncan Whitehead, has reported that sales of his books in the USA have trebled overnight, as shoppers continue to panic-buy goods and food.
However, the increase in sales appears to have had nothing to do with the stories themselv...
A Miami man was today left shattered after an outbreak of acne marred a blind date which he was positive was odds on to lead to a possible sexual encounter.
Regrettably that did not occur.
Dr Daniel Cun, 32, handsome, charismatic, kind and a...
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Salad doesn't scale like software
Sweetgreen missed its chance to address the unique challenges of building a restaurant that thinks like a tech company.
Sweetgreen debuted on the public market in mid-November to investor fanfare. Its stock price popped on day one, opening at $52 per share up from an initial price of $28. At that price, the company was worth $5.5 billion. Shares have since settled lower, valuing the company between $3 and $4 billion.
Stock price alone doesn’t determine a business’s success or even future promise, of course. But it is a signal that investors see potential in the business model for future growth — it’s why they back it with their actual dollars. The promise of future growth is also why investors backed the business in multiple rounds totaling a reported $478 million since its inception.
After one particularly lucrative round of fundraising, Sweetgreen was flush with $200 million at a valuation over a billion dollars — “unicorn status” in tech speak. An Inc. profile of the company at the time explained how its founders thought of it as a tech company, not a restaurant. It would be a refrain that followed Sweetgreen through the years, helping to define its growth story and ultimately contributing to its success. But... the company makes salads that people pay money to eat. It can call itself whatever it wants; at the end of the day, that’s a restaurant.
During its IPO, with all eyes on the company, Sweetgreen’s leaders missed an opportunity to explain — and, frankly, to own — the differences between building a restaurant business and building a technology business.
Until recently, most of what we knew about Sweetgreen the company was what Sweetgreen executives told us. Take that now-infamous Kara Swisher interview in 2018 when Sweetgreen co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman said that the company was profitable. Or in 2020 when the company told the New York Times its revenue “topped $300 million.” After the company’s IPO filing was made public, Axios reported some discrepancies — the company was not, in fact, profitable. Further, its 2019 revenue fell at least $26 million short of the number it told the Times the year before.
In restaurant tech, unprofitability doesn’t equal doom. Just ask DoorDash! In fact, Sweetgreen’s real numbers probably would have bolstered its claim that it was operating like a tech company, optimizing for growth and scale while continuing to build the sort of brand and infrastructure required to be the ubiquitous fast food chain of the future. Without disclosing during the Swisher interview that he was talking about adjusted figures, Neman gave a statement that was misleading at best, but also untrue without proper context.
This profitability claim cast the rosy glow of success on Sweetgreen as it grew its tech-salad empire. On IPO day, a CNBC host asked Neman about the profit vs. no-profit discrepancy. Neman said he was referring to adjusted figures in the 2018 interview — the sort of math that a business uses to measure its own success. It’s common practice, but these figures are not a standardized accounting metric across companies, and they’re certainly not what the average person understands as “profit.” (The host didn’t ask about the missing $26 million in revenue from 2019. Chalk it up to a rounding error, I guess?)
I’m not privy to any internal Sweetgreen discussions, nor did I speak to company reps for this piece. But the information we’ve been given speaks for itself: Sweetgreen wasn’t profitable when it said it was, and revenue numbers reported to the press were higher than the numbers on the balance sheet, just as Axios first reported.
Ironically, by doing this, Sweetgreen was acting like a tech company. Silicon Valley has become known for its fake-it-til-you-make-it culture, with founders and company leaders inflating numbers, hyping products that don’t yet exist, or just lies by omission. There’s an actual federal trial happening in Northern California about this very thing. Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced former leader of Theranos, a blood testing startup, has recently taken the stand in her own defense against charges of defrauding investors. The case has received an incredible amount of attention, including plenty of speculation about what it means for the future of startups in Silicon Valley with a history of “celebrating aggressive innovation at the expense of the complete and whole truth,” per one expert quoted in the New York Times.
To be clear: Sweetgreen is absolutely not Theranos, and the stakes at each business are very different. But, again, Sweetgreen is also not *just* a tech company. It’s a buzzy restaurant business with 140 locations that served 1.3 million customers in the three months before it filed IPO paperwork. The company wants to earn the same hockey-stick growth that its peers in the tech space show investors, because growth and scale and market penetration and total addressable market are the names of the games in investor-backed businesses. But salad doesn’t scale like software.
I wish Sweetgreen’s leadership had taken a moment to address this pressure. Restaurant businesses aren’t the same as technology companies, as badly as they want to be. They shouldn’t be expected to follow the same growth trajectories nor net the same returns. When external pressures hold them to the same growth or returns standards, they create seriously unreasonable expectations that — honestly — should not apply to a business trying to make healthy food for the masses.
This discrepancy played out in headlines this week from Insider and the Wall Street Journal: Insiders at Reef, the ghost kitchen company that uses a mix of parking lot trailers and brick-and-mortar locations to house its shared kitchens, say that the company’s rush to grow quickly has created literal dangerous working and food safety conditions, all while the company skirted local regulations and permitting in the name of “innovation.”
"It's a typical example of a tech company trying to run a restaurant company like a tech company," a former director at Reef told Insider.
As a restaurant / tech company hybrid, Sweetgreen is clearly aiming for the sort of big disruption popular tech companies have already enjoyed, vaulting them into infamy and indispensability. It recently purchased Spyce, a salad restaurant where the food was made by robots, and it plans to scale the tech in its restaurants to create better margins and faster service, all things that will bolster its market position.
There’s nothing wrong with shooting for the stars here — but Sweetgreen should do it as a restaurant, not a tech company. Acknowledging its trajectory, addressing unreasonable pressures, and setting a standard for responsible forward-thinking restaurant growth would be the real disruption.


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In its Q2 2022 earnings shareholder letter, Roku struck an alarming note for investors and the advertising market: “There was a significant slowdown in TV advertising spend due to the macro-economic environment, which pressured our platform revenue growth.”
Roku estimates its third-quarter revenues will only reach $700 million -- while analysts were expecting $902 million. Going forward, Roku could not offer any full-year guidance.
All this rattled investors, and sent Roku’s stock down a massive 22% in after-market trading to $67.29.
Anthony Wood, chief executive officer of Roku, speaking on its earnings phone call with analysts, said: "Even though in the scatter market we're seeing softness, we had a robust upfront recently where we closed over $1 billion in commitments for the first time."
Roku reported overall second-quarter advertising revenue of $764.4 million (up 18%) -- compared to the estimate of $805 million that analysts were expecting for the quarter.
Roku’s “platform” revenue -- where much of its advertising revenues reside -- was up 26% to $673.2 million versus a year ago. Its set-top-box player sales were down 19% to $91.2 million.
On top of this was a $110.5 million net loss from operations -- versus a $69.1 million net profit a year ago.
“Consumers began to moderate discretionary spend, and advertisers significantly curtailed spend in the ad scatter market (TV ads bought during the quarter),” adds Roku in the shareholder newsletter.
It says: “We expect these challenges to continue in the near term as economic concerns pressure markets worldwide. In response, we took steps in the second quarter to significantly slow both operating expense and headcount growth.”
Roku says it added 1.8 million incremental active accounts, to now total 63.1 million.
This story has been updated


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Bartlesville, Okla. — Early stage entrepreneurs, as well as current business owners in the Bartlesville area, are encouraged to submit their innovative business ideas to the Build Bartlesville competition.
Build Bartlesville is a second-year program of the Innovation Center at Rogers State University. Participants in the competition will compete for their share of up to $15,000 in grant funds to start or enhance their business.
Entrepreneurs who plan to compete should visit the competition website, www.BuildBartlesville.info, and complete the intent-to-compete forms by January 25, 2013. Proposals are due on February 11, 2013. Finalists of the competition will receive one-on-one coaching from Innovation Center staff members to help solidify their business idea for the final stage of the competition, oral presentations before a panel of judges.
“Sometimes entrepreneurs need a little capital to turn an innovative idea into a commercial success. We are offering an incentive to encourage more people to take their ideas to the next level,” said David Wood, President and CEO of Bartlesville Development Corporation.
The competition is open to qualifying startups or businesses looking to expand in the Bartlesville area or willing to locate a business there, Wood said. The grants are intended to create jobs in the Bartlesville community and may be used for implementing ideas resulting in a new business, upgrading a product line or service, or branching into new markets. Successful proposals will have the potential to increase wealth for the Bartlesville area. To be eligible, the innovative product or service will generate more than one half of its revenues from outside Washington County.
Applicants with the best plans to start or expand a business will receive a portion of $15,000 to go toward eligible costs, which include equipment, the purchase or improvement of property, marketing and more.
“We want to encourage the pioneering spirit Bartlesville was founded on,” said Jeri Koehler, director of the Innovation Center at RSU. “This competition is a way to provide the seed funds to do just that. Through the RSU Innovation Center and our partners we provide the assistance entrepreneurs need.”
The Build Bartlesville innovative ideas competition is a collaboration among Rogers State University and the Bartlesville Development Corporation. Area sponsors include the 66 Federal Credit Union, Armstrong Bank, RCB Bank, the Strategy Center at Tri County Technology Center, Woolaroc, the Price Tower and the Bartlesville History Museum. The official media sponsors for the event are Bartlesville Radio and the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise newspaper.
More information regarding the competition and eligibility requirements are available at www.BuildBartlesville.info.


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Can Silicon Valley Culture Survive at Wal-Mart?
Wal-Mart is finally getting serious about e-tailing: For $300 million, the world’s largest retailer just purchased social media startup Kosmix and its ecommerce-savvy team, apparently in an effort to compete with Amazon and its ilk. But can Kosmix, whose founder is a Stanford graduate and runs a classically Valley, innovation-centric outfit, survive at the cost-cutting, results-driven retailing colossus that is regularly the target of labor lawsuits?
Here’s Kosmix founder Anand Rajaraman on his blog, talking about why even Google’s much-touted “20% time” isn’t enough to create a culture of real innovation at a tech company:
At Kosmix, we don’t specify a set fraction of time for people to spend on new ideas. Instead, we have focused on creating a culture that engenders new ideas and rewards innovators, encouraging them to tackle new projects above and beyond their 100% contribution to mainline company execution.
Kosmix’s all innovation, all the time model flows directly from the freewheeling graduate school culture in which many of its PhD computer scientists cut their teeth:
There’s something about the graduate school environment that seems to bring out great ideas. Many of the great technology companies (e.g.,Yahoo and Google) have been created by graduate students. We have strived to maintain a grad school environment at Kosmix. Wall around and you’ll hear plenty of heated hallway discussions and intellectual free for alls; nerf gun fights erupt over details of relevance algorithms.
Now try to imagine a nerf gun fight breaking out in the staid, low-slung corporate headquarters of Wal-Mart in Bentonville, Arkansas.
It’s hard to think of a more awkward corporate marriage since the ill-fated AOL/Time Warner merger. Proposing that Wal-Mart would buy a company like Kosmix is like proposing that Bank of America would be interested in buying Vice Magazine.
Granted, Kosmix is a tiny startup, barely a pimple on Wal-Mart’s backside, but the price it sold for indicates that the corporate parent is serious about absorbing many of the lessens learned by Kosmix’s core team in their many years developing ecommerce applications for everyone from Amazon to eBay.
Wal-Mart’s speciality is not R&D, however. Outside of supply chain management, it’s not in the company’s corporate DNA to think of new ways of doing things. For a company whose primary business model is being so big that it can demand ever lower prices from its suppliers, a startup full of eggheads who make a living dreaming up new ideas in between bouts of childlike fun could not be more alien.
Arguably, this is why Wal-Mart has been a follower and not a leader in the e-commerce space. Why even bother when its stores are so ubiquitous? Clearly, though, someone at Wal-Mart recognizes that even everyday purchases are increasingly researched on the web, and the online social graph is replacing all other forms of recommendation.
If Wal-Mart manages not to suffocate its newest acquisition, it’s hard to see how its corporate culture can remain unchanged. Maybe that’s a good thing?
Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives
The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.
Learning to code isn’t enough
Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.
Deep learning pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has quit Google
Hinton will be speaking at EmTech Digital on Wednesday.
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Uber is celebrating the launch of its IPO. The San Francisco based company went public on Friday, May 10. While many are celebrating the success of the tech company, its drivers are planning protests and asking for a raise. The drivers, which are 1099 contractors, are accusing Uber of keeping profits high and pay low.
In its first week on the New York Stock Exchange, Uber’s stock prices averaged about $40 per share, giving the company a valuation near $75 billion.
Uber competitor Lyft, has seen even higher stock prices averaging $53 per share.
Days before Uber went public, drivers from the app giant and Lyft in collaboration with the Rideshare Drivers United, called for a nationwide boycott during rush hour from 7 to 9 am. The strike gained attention and slowed traffic on the apps, but Uber and Lyft gained an unlikely ally.
The National Labor Relations Board released a memorandum outlining limitations to contract employees to organize labor unions and protest wages.
In 2018 , the New York City Council voted to place a cap on Uber, Lyft and similar “For Hire” type vehicles in the city. “Our city is directly confronting a crisis that is driving working New Yorkers into poverty and our streets into gridlock…” – Bill de Blasio, New York City Mayor said in a statement.


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“SA Coins started out mainly dealing in ZAR coins (coins from the Boer republic and Kruger era), then incorporated the Mandela coins,” he says.
“We are leaders in especially the R5 market.”
In June 2010, the following prices on NGC-graded R5 Mandela coins were realised on Bid or Buy:
* R2 900 for an MS60;
* R20 075 for an MS61;
* R3 500 for an MS62; and
* R51 600 for the MS69 mentioned above.
Prices have come down to earth from those heady days. In October 2011, the average price realised for an MS61 was about R900, while MS62-graded coins sold for between R100 and R145.
If the Bid or Buy market has come off the boil somewhat, the market is still hot elsewhere, according to Glenn Schoeman, the president of the South African Association of Numismatic Dealers and the chief executive of Gold Reef City Mint.
“A client phoned me and said he had struck a bargain. He had been offered 50 NGC-graded MS66 Nelson Mandelas. The seller only wanted R25 000 a piece. The guy told me they are worth R40 000 each,” Schoeman says.
“I asked him: ‘How rare can they be? The guy is offering you 50 of them’.”
Schoeman says there are people who are on the telephone all day trying to sell the coins – “and they do sell them”.
Another way the average person could end up being enticed to buy is through discount coupon websites such as Groupon. (These websites disseminate news of discounts offered by businesses to consumers. But the savings kick in only if a certain number of people take up the offer. The intention is that buyers encourage family and friends to take up the offers as well.)
Earlier this year, another dealer, Coin Invest, offered MS66-graded Mandela 2008 R5 coins for sale through Groupon with the following sales pitch: this is an “extremely valuable coin that will only become more valuable over time”. The coins were on sale for R1 232, which was described as a “discount of 56 percent” and a “saving of R1 568”. Coin Invest sells them on its website for R2 800 each.
A total of 439 people bought the coins.
If they had spent 30 minutes looking on the internet, they would have seen that MS66-graded Mandela R5 coins sell on Bid or Buy for about R90.
In October 2011, the Coin Invest site was offering an MS67 for R4 669. Coins with the same grade were selling for R300 on Bid or Buy at the time.
Personal Finance could not track down any person associated with Coin Invest or any physical address.


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Ubon, a prominent audio brand in India synonymous with the fusion of music, youth culture, and action sports, proudly welcomes Indian cricketer Dhruv Jurel into its fold as its newest brand ambassador. Dhruv’s stellar performances in recent test matches against England and his tenure as a player for the Rajasthan Royals since 2023 make him an ideal fit for Ubon’s ethos, targeting music, youth, and fitness enthusiasts.
In addition to this exciting partnership, Ubon has also revealed its sponsorship with the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2024, further solidifying its presence in the sports and entertainment arena.
Positioning itself as a ‘Made in India’ brand, Ubon has emerged as a dominant force in the offline audio market, offering a wide range of value-for-money, stylish, advanced, and high-quality products. With availability in over 3000 cities across India and expanding globally to regions like Africa, UAE, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, Ubon continues to cater to diverse consumer preferences and aesthetics. By focusing on product design that seamlessly integrates with the modern consumer’s individual style, Ubon has cultivated a vibrant community of over a million enthusiasts who proudly showcase their UBON accessories, making a bold lifestyle statement.
Regarding the partnership, Ubon co-founder Lalit Arora, said, “We are immensely proud to be associated with the rising star of Indian Cricket, Dhruv Jurel. He is a youth icon and inspires Generation Z through his hard work and achievements. His dynamic persona perfectly goes with the brand-BORN TO BE FREE. We are excited and looking forward to working with him.”
Jurel remarked, “Music constitutes a significant facet of my lifestyle. It aids me in regulating my thoughts, alleviating anxiety before pivotal moments in games, and facilitating relaxation. The key to maximizing enjoyment of music lies in selecting the appropriate accessory. Ubon, with its stellar audio quality and stylish designs, has become my trusted companion, perfectly aligning with my personality.”
This collaboration highlights Ubon’s commitment to endorsing sports, fitness, and a wholesome lifestyle. Dhruv Jurel will be playing in the IPL this year, one of the most widely viewed cricket tournaments worldwide, and this association will enable Ubon to connect with a larger audience, presenting its products to a broad and diverse consumer demographic.


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Orbit International Corp., an electronics manufacturer and software solution provider, announced that its Electronics Group (OEG), reported bookings in excess of $3,250,000 for the second quarter of 2021. Deliveries for certain of these orders have already commenced and are expected to continue through the third quarter of 2022.
Mitchell Binder, President and CEO of Orbit International commented, “We are pleased to report that orders for the OEG exceeded $3,250,000 for the second quarter of 2021. These orders included approximately $770,000 for a display used on several aircraft programs and over $730,000 in orders received by our Q-Vio Corp. subsidiary for its displays used for both defense and industrial applications. Our sales teams for the OEG are working on several new and follow-on opportunities that we hope will result in comparable bookings for the third and fourth quarters although the timing of the receipt of these awards, particularly from our military customers can be subject to delay.”
Binder added, “We are also encouraged that in June 2021 our Power Group (“OPG”) received additional orders, utilizing its VPX technology, that resulted in total orders through June 30, 2021, exceeding VPX orders for the entire 2020 year. We believe we are still at the forefront of this technology and that our VPX opportunities will be the driver of future revenue growth for this segment of our business. However, our increase in VPX power supply bookings continue to be offset by weak bookings from our commercial division. Many of our commercial customers are in the recovery stage resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and we are hopeful that as the pandemic’s adverse effects subside, our commercial business will begin to improve.”


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The Abu Dhabi-based facilitator of global trade, logistics and industry, AD Ports Group, has announced that it plans to expand Khalifa Port, one of the world’s fastest-growing ports, to include drydock services.
The expansion is set to further enhance the port’s offering of port and marine logistics services, from container and cargo handling to vessel repairs and maintenance, to better meet the needs of existing clients and attract new ones.
Furthermore, the addition of drydock services will enable Khalifa Port to meet the growing demand for these services from regional and international clients, as part of the group’s long-term growth strategy.
“The addition of drydock services is a strategic move aimed at driving growth and enhancing the company’s competitive position in the market. AD Ports Group’s extensive experience in the port and marine logistics industry and its commitment to innovation and excellence make it well-positioned to succeed in this new venture,” AD Ports Group CEO and managing director, Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi said, adding that the expansion is part of the group’s ongoing commitment to providing clients with the best possible services and solutions to meet their evolving needs, while further enhancing Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading hub for global trade.
The recent announcement is part of an expansion project inaugurated by the UAE President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in December, to mark AD Ports Group’s 10th anniversary.
The $1.09 billion (AED 4 billion) expansion project, which entails the development of the Port’s South Quay, Khalifa Port Logistics, and Abu Dhabi Terminals, has increased Khalifa Port’s area size from 2.43 square kilometres to 8.63 square kilometres, extending its quay wall from 2.3 kilometres to 12.5 kilometres.
Currently, the port features 21 berths and offers bespoke services for key strategic industries, positioning it as one of the world’s leading deep-water ports, with an estimated value of $5.5 billion (AED 20.4 billion).
Khalifa Port has been ranked in the top five of the global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, and now hosts three of the world’s top four shipping operators, COSCO, MSC and CMA CGM.


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Swiss telco Swisscom will bundle its IPTV platform Swisscom TV with streaming service Netflix through a joint subscription from January 27, 2020.
Netflix ended 2019 on a high, growing Q4 revenues 31% year-on-year and posting a full-year total of over $20 billion. Furthermore, it surpassed 100 million paid members outside the US in the fourth quarter.
Sky and Netflix have announced an extension to their two-year old distribution agreement.
Belgium has become the latest country to see an increase in the price of its Netflix subscription.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has opened a new French headquarters in the capital Paris.
Almost one in five Polish internet users watched Netflix last month.
Poland’s Kino Polska TV would like to partner with Netflix in the production of new movie content, according to its CEO Boguslaw Kisielewski.
A leading television academic says binge viewing has now fallen out of fashion.
Two Las Vegas men plead guilty to running illegal streaming services with more content than legal sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu.
Netflix overtook Vod.pl to become the most watched on demand service in Poland in November.


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Aldercote is owned by David and Paul Dillon and the company’s engineering director, Marc Paish. The Dillon family have a strong track record in the vehicle-mounted boom industry, having previously owned Priestman Powered Access.
David Dillon, director of Aldercote, said: “We invested heavily in the design engineering of our new boom lifts, so we naturally wanted the best possible sales and support partner to ensure their success. APS has a great combination of experience, manpower and reputation for customer service, making them the ideal distributor.
“With these new products and the appointment of APS as our UK distributor, we are confident we can once again become a leading supplier to the utility and equipment rental sectors.”


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Does your pet have what it takes?
In celebration of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl‘s upcoming release, The Pokémon Company has launched a real-life Pokémon Contest – for your pets.
The ‘Pokémon Presents Super Pet Contest’ follows the formula of Diamond and Pearl’s Contest events, with fans being able to submit photos of their pets into three categories: Clever, Cute and Cool. If you have a pet that has what it takes, entries are being accepted up until 9th November at 8am GMT, but you’ll need to be from the UK, France, Germany or the US to take part.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com


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Head of identity ecosystem initiative helped drive $30 million in pilot project funding
Showing results 1 to 20 of 3,045
The US Patent Office has granted Apple a patent for a virtual-reality headset designed to accommodate an iPhone for its display, much like Google's Cardboard or Samsung's Gear VR headset.
The microblogging site said that overall requests are up, lumping the US with Turkey and Russia as countries that have significantly increased in government data demands.
Accenture's acquisition aims to improve the firm's analytics, cloud and mobility portfolio for federal clients.
Scott has more than three decades of experience in the technology industry -- not to mention the role of CIO pops up several times on his resumé.
The sales boost that the iPhone 6 has given Apple has allowed iOS sales to overtake Android in the US for the first time in three years.
Reddit's transparency report reveals that 58 percent of US government requests for user data were accepted in 2014.
As it turns out, Apple can still say the U.S. buys more iPhones than China. Whoops.
The whistleblower organisation is demanding answers from Google over why it took so long to disclose that it had handed over details of three WikiLeaks' staffers' emails to the US government.
A scheme to bring women from around the Middle East and Africa to work with tech firms in the US is opening its doors to a fresh round of participants.
In a unique addition to the ongoing discussion around net neutrality, BlackBerry CEO John Chen has called on the US government to prohibit discrimination against the less than 1 percent of users on its platform.
Canaccord Genuity survey of U.S. carriers finds that Apple leading the pack for high-end smartphones with Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 in third place.
On the heels of the Sony hack, a senior Democrat has revived a controversial law that wants private companies to share its customers' data with the US government.
Numbers from UBS suggest China accounts for 35 percent of iPhones sold worldwide, marking the first time the smartphone has moved more units in the country than the U.S. market.
Apple's had a tough year. So have we. Here's how the iPhone maker made it up to us.
The "Cromnibus" budget bill blocks the Obama administration's plans to relinquish control of Internet domain name and address administration. We're all better off this way.
Loss of a smartphone is reported in 10 percent of all thefts and robberies in the US. Secure your iPhone with Apple's activation lock and apply a security setting to your device now.
A study shows that Title II reclassification of broadband in pursuit of net neutrality brings with it federal, state and local fees that would be over $100 per year in many areas.
LG has gained the NSA's NIAP validation for its flagship smartphone to be used by the US government.
It's been a relatively quiet weekend here in the US, government screwup-wise. But that doesn't mean there's not a lot going on 'round the world, especially when it comes to cyberattacks and cybercrime.
The best of ZDNet, delivered
- 1 33 ways to improve your iPhone's battery life
- 2 Perfectly legal ways you can still get Windows 7 cheap (or even free)
- 3 How much does an iPhone 6 really cost? (Hint: It's way more than $199)
- 4 Seven privacy settings you should change immediately in iOS 8
- 5 So you have an app idea and want to make a bajillion bucks


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Telangana government to give LED bulbs to poor
The Telangana government has decided to distribute LED bulbs in Greater Hyderabad.
TS energy minister, G. Jagadish Reddy wants to give LED bulbs to citizens in Greater Hyderabad as a New Year gift. If the minister has his way, the distribution of LED bulbs will commence as a pilot project in Greater Hyderabad before the GHMC poll code comes into effect.
The minister held a review meeting with top officials of the energy department, GHMC and Transco and discussed the cost of each LED bulb. These LED bulbs save up to 50 per cent energy and will benefit both the consumers by reducing their electricity consumption per month and also reducing the overall energy consumption in the state, officials told the minister. LED bulbs of 9 watts cost Rs 400 to Rs 500 depending upon the company.


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MGM redesign. Movie executives leave after Amazon deal
Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, heads of film business at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, are leaving the company, in a move that comes shortly after Amazon took over the legendary studio.
Amazon closed its $8.5 billion deal to buy MGM in March.
MGM houses a library of 4,000 films and produces films such as the James Bond series and the “Creed” films. The studio is now part of a group of companies overseen by Mike Hopkins, who also runs Amazon Prime and Amazon Studios.
De Luca and Abdy will leave this summer, which Hopkins said in an email to staff Wednesday would allow the company to continue its “gradual and measured approach” to integrating MGM with Prime Video and Amazon Studios.
“As I said at our town hall in March, nurturing MGM’s legacy of quality storytelling is a top priority. MGM has indeed become a home for great storytellers,” Hopkins said in the e -mail.”And this house will only get bigger, as we invest and work together to release an even bigger roster of rooms in the years to come.”
Hopkins did not name replacements. Hopkins is taking the time to assess how the management of MGM’s film group should be organized, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment.
Speculation in Hollywood had swirled about how Amazon would handle having management teams from MGM and Amazon Studios under the same corporate roof. Amazon Studios, which makes shows like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” is headed by Jennifer Salke.
De Luca and Abdy, both respected film industry executives, had made strides to bolster MGM’s slate even during the COVID-19 pandemic. They joined in early 2020. De Luca’s title is Chairman of the Film Group, while Abdy is Chairman of the Film Group.
Their departures were their decision, the pair said in their memo to staff announcing the move. They did not specify what they intended to do next.
The shakeup does not change the role of powerhouse reality TV producer Mark Burnett, president of MGM’s global television group.
MGM’s recent releases include the latest James Bond film ‘No Time to Die’, Ridley Scott’s ‘House of Gucci’, Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Licorice Pizza’ and the musical ‘Cyrano’.
Some in the film industry feared that Amazon would change MGM’s movie strategy to fuel its streaming service as rivals invest in films to attract more subscribers. But Hopkins’ letter, referring to a “broader theatrical slate,” said Amazon didn’t want MGM movies streamed directly.
The news comes during CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where theater owners and studios come together to tout their movie schedules and discuss hot industry topics, including theatrical “windows,” i.e. the length of time films are shown exclusively in theaters before they are available online.


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A decade since the 2003 tropical storm that began its fiscal and operational woes, Market House in downtown Annapolis is expected to reopen in the coming weeks with a lineup of vendors selling falafel, gelato, sandwiches and crab cakes from the historic building.
Since Tropical Storm Isabel blew through and flooded the building in 2003, the Market House has operated in fits and starts as the city struggled to repair the building and attract a stable lineup of vendors.
Between renovations and lawsuits from former tenants, the city has spent millions of dollars on the Market House since 2003.
Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen said in recent weeks that the Market House is finally poised to reopen.
"I'm confident the Market House is going to be very successful," Cohen said.
Construction has been underway for several weeks, with vendors renovating stalls and installing equipment. Cohen said he's been so excited about the progress that he posts pictures of construction work on his Twitter account.
The vendors who complete construction will open as soon as they are ready, rather than waiting for all of the stalls to be ready, Cohen said.
The first vendor to open likely will be Amsterdam Falafelshop. Arianne Bennett, owner of the company's original shop in Washington, D.C., said she's "really psyched" to open an Annapolis location. She hopes it will open within the week.
"This is just a very exciting segue for us. It's more exciting than going into a mall. It feels a like a small community, a bunch of small businesses," she said.
Guillermo Barrios will bring Firenze Gelateria back to the Market House. He also operated in the building the last time it was open in 2011.
"It's been a long wait, but we are finally making it happen," he said.
Barrios said he's a couple weeks away from opening — which is good timing, considering gelato is a largely seasonal business, he said. He's planning to sell 24 flavors made on-site at the Market House.
Local restaurateur Harvey Blonder, who owns Buddy's Crabs & Ribs in downtown Annapolis, is overseeing four businesses going into the Market House: Yellowfin Seafood & Oyster Bar, Carl's Corned Beef & Delicatessen, Midship Fresh Bar and Hard Bean Cafe. He expects to start opening the stalls in the next few weeks and praised the city government for a smooth permitting process.
Blonder said the Market House lineup will appeal to locals as well as tourists. "I think it's an excellent mix and I think it will be very, very successful," he said.
Annie Waheed, owner of Severna Park's Good Life Market, will operate the Annapolis Organic Market and the Good Life Smoothie Bar in the Market House. She's excited about the vibrancy returning to the Market House.
"People are anxious to see that building open," she said.
Cohen said once all vendors are open, the city will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and start promoting the Market House. He said that's when he'll fulfill his promise to walk a plank into the water at City Dock — a pledge he made when the city blew a self-imposed deadline to reopen the Market House in fall 2012.
"For me, the real issue here is not getting the Market House open tomorrow or getting the vendors open all at once. The issue is getting it open and having it be successful, not only this summer, but for the long term," Cohen said.
In recent years, the city has fixed problems that plagued the Market House in the past.
A year ago, the city spent nearly $700,000 to install geothermal wells and a new air conditioning system, according to David Jarrell, the city's director of public works.
Recent improvements included reconfiguring the building, expanding the bathrooms and adding a 24-seat window counter to take advantage of views of City Dock, at a cost of $300,000. Previously, vendor stalls blocked the view.
Sean O'Neill, president of the Annapolis Business Association, said he's glad the Market House is close to reopening, but he cautioned that vendors may not have an easy time.
He said downtown restaurants and food shops face challenges because state workers have only a half-hour break for lunch and thousands of sandwich-seeking workers and visitors were lost when Anne Arundel Medical Center left the city for a new campus in Parole more than a decade ago.
"It's always good to see something open that's been closed," O'Neill said. "Hopefully, the new vendors will at least get some people coming downtown that haven't been down in awhile. Unfortunately, the Market House will never be what it used to be."
Vendors will pay for the expenses of running and maintaining the Market House, including trash, utilities and marketing. When each tenant's gross sales tops a portion of $1.5 million assigned to the group, they'll pay 9 percent of sales to the city. All vendors' leases expire at the end of 2017.
There's been a Market House in downtown Annapolis since 1788, according to the city. The current building was built in 1858.


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PALO ALTO, Calif. (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies came under pressure Monday, a day before the companies report their second-quarter results. At least one analyst, however, predicted upside potential for the two companies compared to analysts' consensus earnings estimates.
H-P hwp, based in Palo Alto, Calif., is expected to earn 82 cents a share in the period, according to analysts polled by First Call. This compares with 73 cents per share earned in the fiscal 1999 quarter.
Salomon Smith Barney predicts the tech bellwether will earn 84 cents a share in the latest quarter, with revenue pegged at $11.9 billion. PaineWebber also has an 84-cent estimate, which puts them ahead of the First Call consensus forecast of 82 cents.
But Salomon also anticipates that the company's top line will exceed its estimate by up to $200 million. Analyst John Jones believes H-P's upside could come from its consumer and mobile PC businesses, as well as from an increase in its entry-level and mid-range UNIX server businesses.
"We believe storage and services continue to be a work-in-process opportunity for the second half of the fiscal year," Jones wrote in a recent research note.
H-P shares slipped 2 3/16 to 129 3/8. The stock has fallen off its all-time high of 156 set on April 7.
Meanwhile, analysts believe Agilent Technologies A, -0.63% will report earnings per share of 32 cents. Agilent, partially spun off by H-P last November, earned 28 cents a share in the year-ago quarter.
Agilent makes testing equipment for Internet service providers and chip manufacturers, plus ultrasound imagers for hospitals as well as measurement equipment and other products.
Salomon's Jones anticipates Agilent will report 34 cents a share, leaving room for the possibility of upside to the tune of 3 to 4 cents a share. The analyst also expects sales of $2.5 billion, powered by a 25-to-30 percent increase in its semiconductor products in addition to growth of 30-to-35 percent for its test and measurement equipment division.
H-P is expected to distribute its remaining stake in Agilent -- currently about 85 percent -- June 2. Agilent's share price has risen 100 percent from its first-trading day closing price of 44.
The stock traded lower Monday at 88 3/16.


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Asia remains Richemont’s main sales driver
By Tammy Foyn - Sep 13th, 10:03
Asia was again the main driver of sales growth at Richemont, the world’s second-biggest luxury goods group said in a trading update on Wednesday, ahead of its AGM.
Sales at the group, whose brands include Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Piaget, for the five months to end-August rose 12% from a year earlier at constant exchange rates and 10% at actual exchange rates, it said.
Stripping out inventory buy-backs in the year-earlier period, sales were up 7%.
Asian growth was still far ahead of any other region: sales in Asia excluding Japan rose 23% in constant currencies and 22% in actual currencies, and Japanese sales were up 11% and 6% respectively. For the year to end-March, Asian sales grew 37%.
The Americas posted growth of 9%, on both bases — slower than the 17% growth reported for the full year; European growth was 3% on both bases, and in the Middle East and Africa it was 2% in constant currencies and 1% in actual currencies.
Richemont posted a decline in full-year operating profit in May, and chairman Johann Rupert was less forthcoming than investors had hoped with proposals to reinvigorate the company, telling them at the results presentation, "Either you trust us or you sell your shares." The company’s watch division has been the main source of discomfort, hit hard by China’s anti-graft measures introduced in 2012 that included a ban on luxury gifts.© BusinessLIVE MMXVII
Sainsbury’s is playing the long game
21/11/2017 - 13:34
Sainsbury’s management appeared unphased after emerging as the underperforming grocer this quarter. Should investors be worried? In the short term, Sainsbury’s may struggle, but they have solid long term prospects.
Shoppers set to spend over £10bn in this year’s Black Friday bonanza
21/11/2017 - 11:47
Higher prices and increased retailer participation will drive Black Friday spend this year with total sales over the period set to rise 3.8%.
This year’s Black Friday promises to be ‘best ever’
21/11/2017 - 11:26
Economist Mike Schussler said he expects to see large numbers of consumers spending on Black Friday despite the dire economy.
Black Friday, Cyber Monday 2017 reflect growing digital evolution and appetite for seamless digital experiences
21/11/2017 - 11:16
With digital transformation initiatives permeating everything business does, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period this year is expected to illustrate just how far online retailers have come in embracing Availability.
What are South Africans expecting this Black Friday
21/11/2017 - 11:03
We’ve all heard the stories about Black Friday in the US - all the latest goods at crazy low prices - but are South Africans experiencing the biggest day on the shopping calendar in the same way? Kevin Tucker, Founder and CEO of PriceCheck, Africa’s most popular comparison and discovery service, says there’s no doubt about it.


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Steve Rowe, the new chief executive of Marks & Spencer, is keeping control of the retailer’s struggling clothing division in an attempt to revive its flagging sales.
Mr Rowe, who took over the top job on Saturday, has told staff that he would continue to be directly in charge of the group’s clothing-centric general merchandise division “for the foreseeable future” as he makes a turnaround of the division his “number one priority”.
The decision is a departure from M&S’ past strategy which has seen separate heads for its food and general merchandise division reporting into the chief executive.
However, it is thought that Mr Rowe wants to personally see through a change in strategy in the retailer's troubled clothing division which has suffered a falling sales in 17 out of 18 quarters.
He had originally been named as head of the general merchandise when John Dixon abruptly quit in July but was swiftly promoted just six months later when former chief executive Marc Bolland decided to retire following another slump in sales and six years at the helm.
Since taking control of the division he has already made significant changes to the team which has led to the departure of head of womenswear Frances Russell and Jo Henkins being promoted from head of lingerie to become director of womenswear.
Mr Rowe spent his first day in his new role on Saturday at Marks & Spencer’s shop in Croydon, where he started as a “Saturday boy” with the retailer almost 30 years ago.
In a memo to staff, Rowe said he plans to put “customers at the heart of every decision” in an attempt to win back shoppers. He added that he was determined to “keep things simple” to ensure that M&S “worked as a team” and “do it in a way that was profitable”. Insiders said that Mr Rowe’s remarks are a departure from his predecessor’s strategy.
“We are going to think much more about our customers and continuously adapt to our customers needs because if we do not change with them we will not succeed”, Mr Rowe told staff at a meeting earlier on Monday.
“One of the things that I have learnt during my time at M&S is that we have a tendency to over-complicate things. I’m a big believer in keeping things simple. Doing things simply means we serve customers better, manage costs, and work more efficiently.”
“I wholeheartedly believe in the growth of this business. We need to work together and work smarter in order to do it, but I know that it’s achievable and that we can achieve it in a profitable way for our shareholders.”
The new M&S boss is to face the City for the first time on Thursday, as investors brace for an estimated 3pc fall in quarterly sales in its general merchandise division.
However, the slump will be an improvement on the disastrous 5.8pc plunge it posted for the crucial Christmas trading period, which M&S blamed on unseasonal weather along with its high street peers.
“We believe that new chief executive Steve Rowe brings with him an appetite for change”, analyst at Peel Hunt said and urged him to make “sweeping changes” to its clothing division.


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NVIDIA took the personal computing and gaming space by storm at the Game Developer Conference 2015 on Tuesday by announcing a brand-new edition to the GeForce TITAN X graphics card. The new GPU stands as the single most powerful thing that has crossed the personal computing world, and will do more than simply make waves at an event for having a casual, yet flashy launch. Jen-Hsun Huang said on stage, “We have launched the most advanced GPU ever,” before going on to point out that the company had decided to give the first one that was created to the founder of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney.
The addition of this model is something that many had seen coming, but to this extent it really wasn’t expected at all. To give some perspective, some within the industry have noted that this is almost twice as much as what others had expected heading into this event, and much more than what anyone would’ve even dreamed the company might put together – if conditions were absolutely perfect.
However, NVIDIA has been a leader in the gaming graphics space for some time now. Additionally, they have been putting together some of the most important technological work that anyone has even seen in the gaming space – leaving their mark on everything from consoles to tablets. At this point, it is just a matter of how much further ahead can they get. They’re already the leaders in the industry – and events like this – when they’re launching such high-profile equipment while blowing away the competition – just proves that what they’re doing at NVIDIA is significantly better than what is being done elsewhere.
It is unclear right now how many products this GPU might actually be seen in, but at this point it’s the announcement that is exciting enough. As the rest of the tech world adjusts themselves and reseats themselves after this blockbuster announcement, it will be interesting to see where the industry as a whole goes from here. All of this came in the same period and at the same event as the company announced their new SHIELD console system that is also expected to make serious waves in the gaming space.


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WASHINGTON — An all-industry working group led by members of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) and RVDA of Canada continues to quietly work on a series of parts delivery issues that could ultimately help improve dealers’ abilities to expedite warranty and other consumer repairs in the field, RV Business reported.
The so-called “parts initiative,” which surfaced publicly after the three trade groups issued a joint mission statement regarding “service-related issues” during last winter’s Louisville Show, was on the front burner again at the June 4-8 annual RVIA Committee Week. The group met in downtown Washington D.C., where representatives of the 15-member all-industry task force met with the executive committees of both RVIA and RVDA.
“We have a cross-functional team with a number of RV dealers and suppliers and OEMs that meets on a weekly basis – and will through August – to look at a number of aspects of how we deliver service to end customers, and we’re measuring and benchmarking and looking for ways to improve,” reported Garry Enyart, director of RV business for Minneapolis-based Cummins Power Generation.
The full story is available at RV Business.


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23rd October 2018
Targetting the wrong customers? Misunderstanding the internet? Spending too much on the wrong things?
Is retail really collapsing? Management’s just getting misguided
Our "Emperors' Clothes" report reviewsBuy the report
Primark establishes new record for UK clothes retailing profit
With an opening programme in its last quarter that included its second New York City store, Primark set a new record of £843 millon ($1.14 billion) in profit for a UK clothing retailer.
Primark makes money because it doesn’t sell online – not despite it.
WWF starts four-country “textile greening” project in Vietnam
Project contributing to water quality improvement and sustainable energy use will run in China, Bangladesh, India and Vietnam.
Sam’s Club to trial “no cashier” branch
Walmart’s member’s only Sam’s Club announced on October 28 that a Dallas trial of an upgrade to its “Scan & Go” app, which will investigate cashier-free operations, will start “as early as next week”
6th November 2018
What’s really made Primark the most profitable British clothing retailer ever?
With an opening programme in its last quarter that included its second New York City store, Primark today announced a new record of £843 millon ($1.14 billion) in profit for...
19th September 2018


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Since the beginning of this year, the retail price of diesel at Serbian petrol stations went up by 3.5 dinars per litre, while the price of petrol went up by 1.5 dinars per litre.
The main reason for this is the hike in the global price of crude oil which jumped from $45 per barrel to as much as $70 per barrel. The current price of petrol sold in Serbia is 145.2 dinars per litre and 154.2 dinars per litre of diesel. These prices could go up in the following period by 2 dinars per litre due to the fact that the state authorities have increased fuel excise which is adjusted to the rise in consumer prices from the previous year.
“The situation has started to change for better a few days ago, with the global prices of a barrel declining. On Saturday, it dropped to around $65, so if this trend continues in the coming days, it would be realistic to expect that the fuel prices in our country would drop too”, says Tomislav Micovic, Secretary General of the Association of Oil Companies of Serbia.
In Europe, Greece has the highest price of both unleaded petrol (1.60 EUR per litre) and diesel (1.38 EUR per litre), while Serbia ranks sixth in terms of unleaded petrol prices, and third in terms of diesel prices.


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Trades from tip coronet during Facebook (FB), Nvidia (NVDA), Qualcomm (QCOM), Electronic Arts (EA), Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and Ross Stores (ROST) lead a week’s insider activity.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg filed for a sale of 735,977 shares of Facebook value about $95 million.
The sales were done days after a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced a devise to deposit $3 billion to “help heal all diseases by a finish of a century.”
Zuckerberg and mother Priscilla Chan had formerly pronounced they devise to give divided 99% of their Facebook shares, value about $45 billion, during their lifetime toward munificent causes.
Shares of Facebook have been relocating laterally given violation out of a prosaic bottom progressing in a month, and are adult 0.4% so distant this week, right during a 128.43 buy point.
IBD’s TAKE: Between Echo, Messenger bots, Siri and Cortana, there are an awful lot of small AI helpers out there. Read IBD’s latest cover story for more: “Amazon Echo, Facebook Bots, Apple Siri Spruce Up Digital Butlers.”
Board member Tench Coxe sold 82,269 shares of Nvidia valued during $5.4 million, according to an SEC filing.
This week, a graphics chipmaker debuted a new synthetic comprehension chip, Xavier, for unconstrained vehicles. Nvidia’s chips can be found in cars from Tesla Motors (TSLA), Honda (HMC), BMW and Mercedes-Benz, among others.
Nvidia shares are on lane for a 6% weekly gain, climbing usually ceiling given May.
President Derek Aberle sold 15,000 shares of a company, value $953,241. The sale came amid reports that Qualcomm is in talks to acquire NXP Semiconductor (NXPI).
Qualcomm shares are adult scarcely 10% this week, and NXP has shot adult 22% vs. a week ago.
CEO Andrew Wilson dispensed with 50,000 shares of a video diversion publisher to a balance of $4.25 million, according to a Thursday SEC filing.
EA and other video diversion publishers like Activision (ATVI) and NetEase (NTES) have been attack new highs as the console cycle stays plain and digital income grows.
EA shares are adult 1.1% this week. The batch is now extended out of buy operation after violation out of a prosaic bottom with 80.09 entrance prove in mid-August.
Palo Alto Networks
The cybersecurity firm’s president, Mark Anderson, sold 19,210 shares of Palo Alto Networks for $2.9 million.
Shares are adult some-more than 5% for a week, after retaking their 200-day in mid-September and sagging tighten to their 50-day late final month on unsatisfactory guidance.
Peers FireEye (FEYE) and CyberArk (CYBR) are both trade next their 50-day lines.
CEO Barbara Rentler and President James Fassio both filed for a sale of shares, with Rentler offered 12,840 shares for $818,693 and Fassio vouchsafing go of 12,000 for $760,200.
The off-price sequence is an outperformer among a often-struggling sell peers. Analysts prove to a “treasure hunt” interest of selling during off-pricers heading to returning feet traffic.
Shares are adult 0.1% for a week, and are building a prosaic bottom with 66.38 entrance point. TJX (TJX) shares are down 1.5%.
Insider exchange don’t typically have a vital impact on a batch or prove vital tentative news. Rapid murder of all or many of an insider’s holdings, however, can impact a stock.


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Google’s December Security Update Brings KRACK Fix And Other Security Fixes
- Google’s December update brings the KRACK fix regarding the security issues and also brings a slew of patches for Qualcomm, Nvidia and MediaTek products, but there is no functional updates section.
- Several issues that came up with Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL such as random reboots, audio playback sounding tinny and full of static when recording video and the Pixel 2’s buzzing noise were fixed or not is yet to be known.
- Google says that there will be two patch levels coming up this month. The firmware images for Pixel and Nexus devices will not be available until tomorrow.