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Big advertisers are leaving Facebook in droves. Does it matter?
It’s been nearly a month since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, and the conversations around police brutality and racial injustice continue to shake the world. While much of social media has reflected this conversation, from ongoing calls to action from organizers and activists to more passive shows of support like black squares on Instagram, dissent has also started to converge. White supremacists and far-right groups have called for violence against demonstrators and even organized efforts to try to disrupt rallies and frame protesters for acts of violence. And while these conversations have existed in the shadier corners of the internet, like 8chan, for quite some time, they are increasingly happening on Facebook.
Most mainstream social networks have started cracking down on hate speech and taken action against calls for violence, even when they come from the president himself. Reddit recently banned thousands of communities for spreading hate, including the largest community of Trump supporters on the platform. Twitter has, on multiple occasions, flagged tweets from President Trump that violate company rules. Twitch decided to suspend his account for "hateful conduct." Snapchat stopped promoting Trump's posts. But Facebook, by contrast, continues to profit off the president's advertising money while taking minimal action, even when his content clearly breaks company rules.
Because of Facebook's inaction on these issues, many corporations are for the first time seriously reconsidering whether they want their business associated with the platform. Additionally, they are being forced to weigh the negative implications of having their products and services appear alongside potentially incendiary content.
The Anti-Defamation League, along with other organizations like Color of Change and the NAACP, are leading perhaps the most significant effort to date to disrupt Facebook's operations. The Stop Hate for Profit campaign has organized more than 100 major brands that have all pledged to pull advertising from Facebook-owned platforms for the month of July. The companies — which include the likes of adidas, Coca-Cola, Ford, Starbucks, Unilever, and Verizon — are demanding that Facebook take steps to address hate speech on its platform.
For years now, Facebook has been a largely unavoidable and unmovable object. The company's network spreads far and wide, with billions of users on its platforms including the flagship social network, Instagram, and WhatsApp. While the company has come under fire plenty, including from lawmakers and regulators, and taken its fair share of lumps, including a record $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission, it continues to operate largely uninterrupted. The Stop Hate For Profit campaign doesn't focus on trying to force new regulations on Facebook or get people to abandon the platforms en masse. Instead, it targets Facebook's real source of power: advertisements. As company CEO Mark Zuckerberg famously told the US Senate when asked what exactly it is that Facebook does to make money, "We sell ads."
As companies have agreed to pull advertisements, Facebook's foundation has started to look a little bit shakier. The company's stock dropped eight percent last week when multinational consumer goods company Unilever announced that it would stop advertising on Facebook platforms through the end of the year, and saw a three percent dip on Monday when companies including Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Hershey's all announced they would participate in the boycott. The company has lost $60 billion in market value in just the last few days as advertisers pull out. This has won some concessions from Facebook already. Zuckerberg recently announced that the company will flag posts that violate the rules of the platform, including if they are from users of public interest like President Trump. This is a reversal from the company's stance just weeks earlier when Zuckerberg declined to flag posts for fear of taking on the role of "arbiter of truth."
The drop in market value and the quick course correction from Facebook are indicators that the advertisers may have some power here. The question is just how much can they wield. Jessica Liu, a senior analyst at market research company Forrester, tells Mic that it will depend on not just how many companies get involved, but how big they are — and how long they are willing to withhold their money from Facebook while losing out on the company's significant audience.
"The absolute number of companies boycotting is important to form this consortium, [there is] power in numbers," Forrester says. "But also which advertisers is important. If Facebook's top 10-20 advertisers by media spend defect, Facebook will feel the absence." According to Liu, advertisers hold the purse strings when it comes to Facebook, and they can use that power to exert change. "Advertising is just one piece of brands' activity on social media but gets the most media attention because it fuels the social networks' revenue and what Wall Street pays attention to."
A BMO Capital Markets report provided to Mic noted that Facebook has more than eight million total advertisers, ranging from multinational corporations to small businesses and individuals. It will take a sustained effort from advertisers to stay off Facebook and for those ad dollars to not immediately be replaced by other companies more interested in selling products than Facebook's morals.
Dan Salmon, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets, says the situation "should continue to be monitored" to see if companies continue to pull out and if those decisions influence other companies to follow suit. "This advertising boycott is a great first step to forcing the social networks to improve their environments and user experiences," Liu says. "The next step is for brands to reevaluate their entire social media presence."
"We invest billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and continuously work with outside experts to review and update our policies," a spokesperson for Facebook tells Mic. "We know we have more work to do, and we’ll continue to work with civil rights groups, GARM, and other experts to develop even more tools, technology and policies to continue this fight."
Liu also notes that while advertisers are Facebook's profit center, ads on the platform are only as valuable as they are because Facebook holds the attention of so many users. She says that users are the lifeblood of the company, and a shift away from Facebook-run platforms would also damage the company's revenue. Pulling advertising is capable of producing instant impact, she says, but an exodus of users alongside that loss of ad dollars would have a more profound impact over time.
Getting Facebook to actually start taking hate speech seriously will require a long-term, multi-pronged approach that hits the company's pocketbook now and hurts its potential profit inthe future. In the past, these types of campaigns have proved difficult to execute. News cycles change quickly; attention spans are short. The current civil rights movement has shown the capacity for sustained action. Now it will be up to advertisers and users to show Facebook they have the stomach to stay away until things change.


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The Apple Watch rollout hasn't been the smoothest experience, with buyers facing long shipping delays and confusion about how to actually buy the device, which was released Friday.
Technically Incorrect: In a piece of must-see television, designer Isaac Mizrahi and presenter Shawn Killinger break off from clothes to debate astronomy.
Wireless contracts and device subsidies will soon go the way of the dinosaur. CNET's Marguerite Reardon explains how to navigate the changing mobile landscape.
Mobile-payment service wants to distance itself from extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also called ISIS.
Videoshop will help you create a quality video to share with friends and family, but takes time to figure out the editing controls.
What happens when kids are asked to use a typewriter for the first time? The Fine Brothers find out in this latest "make us all feel old" video series.
Technically Incorrect: In the new book "Becoming Steve Jobs," the Microsoft co-founder marvels at Jobs' ability to excite a crowd about technology.
People do it with taxis, people do it with Lyft. Now, drivers for the ride-hailing service are petitioning Uber to allow for cashless tipping by including an in-app gratuity feature.
On April 1, Netflix is giving a lot of movies the axe, no joke. Not to worry -- here's what's replacing them.
It's the most anticipated new product from the world's largest tech company. But will the wearable be as successful as the iPhone or the iPad? The debate begins.

domain: news


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There is faith in a stock, and then there is really believing in stock.
The latter is where Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Woronka sits with Peloton.
The analyst cut his price target on Peloton on Friday in light of the affiliated fitness player’s dismal earnings on Thursday. But even with the cut, Woronka’s $24 price target estimates a nearly 130% upside in a stock that has lost 91% over the past year amid much struggle.
“While the market is clearly skeptical about PTON’s ability to get there, we would not underestimate the enormity of the changes PTON is making operationally or the speed with which decisions are made and new processes are initiated,” Woronka wrote in a note to customers. “We are well aware that regenerating revenue while reducing costs is an extremely difficult task and is not often successful. But we believe that PTON’s story is very different and we believe that F4Q22 is likely to prove to be the nadir from which it can begin a sustainable recovery”.
Peloton stock fell more than 4% on Friday, trading around $10.50 as of 1:25 p.m. ET., after plummeting 18% on Thursday.
Woronka argued that there is hope for brighter days ahead for Peloton under new CEO Barry McCarthy.
That said, the analyst added, “each quarter becomes incrementally more crucial to restoring some modicum of confidence in the company’s ability to simply return to breakeven EBITDA.”
In the eyes of other analysts, the past four quarters show that Peloton hasn’t done much to warrant such optimism about its future prospects.
The company’s quarterly revenue in its fiscal fourth quarter was up 28% as members exited the workout platform. Peloton’s loss per share – which included restructuring costs of $415 million – totaled $3.68 per share. And the company’s adjusted EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization] posted a loss of $288.7 million in the quarter.
Peloton has now lost about $1.5 billion in total over the past two fiscal years.
Less optimistic analysts say Peloton will soon be forced to raise cash to drive McCarthy’s turnaround plan.
That possibility, combined with weak fundamentals, led longtime Peloton bear Simeon Siegel of BMO Capital Markets to maintain his underperform rating on the stock. Siegel Price Target: $9.75.
“While most headlines are pointing out that PTON shares are down nearly -95% from their peak, we believe the most important flag is that PTON’s market cap is still ~$4 billion,” Siegel wrote in a note to clients. “Subscription revenue is great (upset, but great). But we fear that growth is on the back burner and efforts to continue to expand will prove to be diminishing returns. Bear Hug brand loyalists enjoy recurring revenue and we see a healthy business, not a $5B+ business, but a healthy repeat business. Continue to grow and we’re afraid the pressure on the flywheel is only getting stronger.”
Brian Sozzi is editor-in-chief and Anchor on Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and up LinkedIn.
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2K has confirmed that the Borderlands 3 next-gen upgrade will be available alongside the launches of the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series X, and Playstation 5. This means for Xbox Series X | S owners, you can upgrade on November 10, 2020. For the PlayStation 5 owners, it will be on November 12, 2020, for the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, and on November 19, 2020 for the UK and the rest of the world.
All players who own or purchase both a copy of Borderlands 3 and a next-gen console will be able to download the upgrade within the same console family for free. This is in line with what most consumers would have been hoping for as games receive a next-gen upgrade. And it will certainly come as good news to the hardy Vault Hunters of 2K’s most recent wacky shooter.
But that’s not all, 2K have also teased more exciting news coming later this month. To find out what’s in store, tune into a special episode of The Borderlands Show on October 29, 2020, at 5pm BST, over on the Borderlands Twitch channel. You can catch the episode here.
Borderlands 3 is out now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. It will be coming to Xbox Series X | S and PS5 in November.


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Snorkel AI Deepens Partnership with Google Cloud to Help Enterprises Unlock the Potential of LLMs
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 10, 2023 — Snorkel AI, the data-centric AI platform company, today announced it has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to help enterprises cross the chasm between AI potential and real-world impact. Today Snorkel is announcing the availability of its data platform for foundation models on Google Cloud Marketplace and extending its collaboration to include Vertex Generative AI Studio.
The partnership between Snorkel AI and Google Cloud is aimed at helping enterprises accelerate the development of private generative and predictive AI applications grounded in the factuality of their own data. With Snorkel Flow, Google Cloud customers can develop, fine-tune, and adapt ML models of all sizes—including multi-billion parameter PaLM foundation models such as FLAN-T5-XXL—using their own proprietary data and subject matter expertise.
Google Cloud customers can now purchase Snorkel Flow directly from Google Cloud Marketplace. Companies adopting new technologies such as large language models can get started faster and more efficiently with flexible billing options and the ability to retire Google Cloud committed spend with every dollar spent on Snorkel Flow.
“Snorkel AI and Google Cloud are empowering organizations to push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI,” said Alex Ratner, CEO and co-founder of Snorkel AI. “We are incredibly excited to build on years of academic partnership and collaboration with Google, and capitalize on valuable programs like Springboard and Marketplace, to deliver significant value for Google Cloud customers. Together, we can help enterprises harness the power of programmatic labeling, foundation models, and generative AI to solve their most impactful problems and ultimately realize the potential of AI at scale.”
Snorkel AI is actively exploring new ways to utilize and adapt Google Cloud’s large language and foundation models with programmatic labeling, fine-tuning, and distillation, all using data-centric AI workflows optimized on Google Cloud infrastructure.
Snorkel AI is a Built with Google Cloud AI partner and was one of the first AI companies invited to join Google Cloud’s Springboard program for startups. With Springboard mentorship and engineering support, Snorkel AI doubled down on product development and research initiatives that equip Google Cloud customers to scale automation to the “iceberg under the surface” of valuable but unstructured enterprise data. In short order Snorkel AI announced integrations with Google Cloud data and AI services across the MLOps workflow, enabling AI developers to seamlessly access and programmatically label data in Google Cloud and then rapidly train, serve, and adapt machine learning models at enterprise scale.
“We’re excited that Snorkel will expand its use and application of Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities, and help organizations of all sizes accelerate their gen AI development,” said Manvinder Singh, Managing Director, Partnerships at Google Cloud.
Snorkel AI co-founder Paroma Varma will be speaking at Google Next in San Francisco on Tuesday, August 29th in a panel titled, Large language model training: tackling data challenges (AIML 119). To learn more about Snorkel AI’s partnership with Google Cloud visit www.snorkel.ai/google.
About Snorkel AI
Founded by a team spun out of the Stanford AI Lab, Snorkel AI makes AI application development fast and practical by unlocking the power of machine learning without the bottleneck of manually-labeled training data. Snorkel Flow is the first data-centric AI platform powered by programmatic labeling. Backed by Addition, Greylock, GV, In-Q-Tel, Lightspeed Venture Partners and funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, the company is based in Palo Alto.
Source: Snorkel AI


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May 6, 2014
Blackberry unleashes the swanky new Z3 for just about $200!by Gavril Mankoo
Remember how the technology world had begun wearing black bands, mourning the death of Blackberry? Well, it seems like the Canadian technology company has no plans to desert the smartphone race, yet, and has recently unveiled its newest brainchild, part of the Z series. The new Blackberry Z3 has grabbed quite a lot of attention with this release; particularly because of the fact that the company has finally realized that affordability is king. Disappointingly though, the Z3 doesn’t sport a physical keyboard, a feature that converted many smartphone users into Blackberry fans in the past. Instead, the phone comes with a 5-inch qHD (960 × 540 pixels) touch screen display that promises to keep your eyes well-pleased.
The phone runs BlackBerry OS 10 and sports a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (MSM8230) powerhouse with an Adreno 305 GPU. With a 5MP auto focus rear camera and an LED flash on its rear, the Z3 also comes with a 1.1MP front-facing camera, aiding video-calls and selfies. The phone supports 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE with aptX codec and GPS, juiced by a 2500 mAh non-removable battery. The new Z3 comes with 8GB internal memory and is expandable up to 32GB with a microSD card. All this for about $200 seems like a good deal, doesn’t it?


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The improving economy has left Americans with a little extra money in their pockets, encouraging many consumers to increase spending across categories, with a particular penchant to splurge on entertainment activities, according to Mintel’s latest research. This comes to the detriment of the clothing, footwear and accessories market as consumers are encouraged by the trend of spending on experiences over material goods. Consumers are holding on to a budget-conscious mindset, persisting after the recession and reinforced by retailer and manufacturer promotional activity, as seen in the household care and apparel markets, keeping sales growth in check.
While beauty and personal care consumers typically take a functional approach toward purchases, resulting in two thirds (67%) saying they spend about the same compared to previous years, a notable 17% of consumers report spending more in 2015, reflecting a willingness to spend on products with added benefits. This is balanced by consumers also cutting costs on basics such as sun protection and shaving products by trading down to lower-priced offerings, all adding up to moderate growth of 2.9% 2014-2015, with sales reaching $124.3 billion in 2015.
Much of the success seen in discretionary categories is due to the fact that Americans are more confident in their financial situations compared to years past. More than two in five (44%) Americans describe their financial situations as “healthy” in 2016, compared to 37% in 2015 and 33% in 2013, indicating that improvements in the economy are being felt at a household level.
“As the economy continues to improve, and Americans settle into ‘healthy’ financial situations, our research shows that consumers are interested in spending discretionary income on vacations, leisure and entertainment experiences,” said Dana Macke, senior lifestyles and leisure analyst at Mintel. “However, some Americans are still struggling to find a balanced approach to spending. In an attempt to spend prudently while still enjoying whatever extra they have, consumers are trading down in categories like household care and seeking out lower priced options for basic beauty and personal care needs, while allowing themselves modest luxuries like a nice dinner out.”
A reliance on beauty and personal care staples has resulted in slow but steady market growth of 17% between 2010-15, reaching estimated sales of $124.3 billion. While most consumers are spending the same amount on beauty purchases in 2016 (67%) as they have in the past (vs 65% in 2013), Mintel research indicates that some consumers are beginning to shift away from lower-priced options and are spending more for products with added benefits, as 16% of beauty retailing consumers purchase products to upgrade their existing collections. This is especially true of grooming staples like hair care as natural hairstyles are trending, driving consumers to seek healthy-looking hair and boosting sales of conditioners as well as products touting smoothing and moisturizing claims.
The household care products market has experienced only minimal growth in recent years, rising just 3% 2010-15 to an estimated $47 billion. A budget-conscious mindset persists long after the recession, keeping sales growth in check. Household care consumers balance their continued focus on economizing with strong interest in products that offer greater convenience, cleaning performance, and safety, as 47% of household care consumers say easy to dispense is a top purchase driver, along with safe (43%) and easy (31%) to use.


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KLGadgetGuy | Malaysia's fastest growing tech portal and YouTube channel
Lenovo is helping to transform personalized computing for businesses
Facebook adds a feature to stop people from copying profile pictures
Neffos is offering attractive deals for the X1 and X1 Max…
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Panasonic Toughbook CF-MX4 and CF54 and Toughpad FZ-X1 enters the Malaysian...
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The Sony Alpha A9 launches with a RM21,799 price tag
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May 30, 2017


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Britain’s Got Short Loaves of Bread to Fight Food Waste
I hate bread. No, I’m not gluten-free. No, I don’t care about the calories. And yes, I am perfectly content to fill up on a basket of it before my meal. What I hate about bread is when someone brings a loaf of it into my house. A deep fear immediately takes hold: I do not eat enough bread at home to finish this loaf before it gets stale and moldy, I shudder. Suddenly, I feel resigned to eating sandwiches for every meal. Am I going to have to go out and buy a turkey – because this’ll almost certainly have to become stuffing?
In the age of rabid concern about food waste, these anxieties are even more heightened. But as the Huffington Post recently pointed out, a British company has found a better way, producing shorter loaves that still have normal-sized slices.
Interestingly, the Little Big Loaf from Kingsmill isn’t a new concept born out of our world’s increased concern over wasting food. The brand first introduced the 40 percent smaller loaves that boast “full size slices” right on the packaging back in 2009 after noticing the increase in single-person households in the UK. “Giving consumers this option does, we believe, reduce the amount of bread being wasted,” Kingsmill said very matter-of-factly to HuffPo via email. At the very least, it’s hard to imagine the loaves would cause people to waste more bread.
Of course, Kingsmill didn’t invent the idea of the half-loaf of bread, but the product once again serves as a reminder of the little things companies and consumers can do to tackle the much larger issues of waste. Then again, plenty of commenters on the article have another reminder for us: You can always just buy a normal loaf and freeze what you aren’t going to use right away.
Bread is so complicated. Maybe I should go gluten-free…


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KGI Securities, a reliable source for iPhone leaks in the past has stated that upcoming Apple iPhone will support wireless charging. The company is expected to announce three iPhones this fall and all of them will reportedly support wireless charging and glass casing.
Earlier it was reported that only the top-end iPhone with OLED display will come with wireless charging. According to KGI, wireless charging would increase the internal temperature of the phones however, general users are not expected to notice any heat differences. The new hardware component could increase the cost of production by up to $5 per phone.
Apple is expected to bring major design changes to iPhones this year as it is will be company’s 10th anniversary. The company is tipped to release three new iPhones of which one will be a premium model with OLED display and two other iPhones that will be successor of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.


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medv4380 (1604309) writes "The patent lawsuit filed by IA Labs regarding Wii Fit and other Nintendo accessories has been dismissed before it could go to the Jury. The case was previously discussed on slashdot here. It appears that Maryland courts maybe a much better venue then East Texas." Link to Original Source
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The arc shopping centre in Bury St Edmunds has appointed a new manager.
A fund-raiser has been launched for a popular bowling alley after its manager was left ‘devastated’ by the Government’s decision to delay reopening.
A not-for-profit organisation is holding a free webinar on volunteering, with a panel of industry experts on hand to answer any potential questions.
Greene King has embarked on a project to install electric vehicle charging points in suitable sites across its pubs.
Maison Bleue wins Tripadvisor award for fifth time.
West Suffolk Council is encouraging applications for phase two of the 'local scheme' to help businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The restaurant chain plans to close 15 per cent of its outlets.
Not only has the British Heart Foundation shop reopened - but also received a £1,370 donation.
KLM has today resumed flights to Europe from Norwich Airport - offering passengers a link to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
A Bury St Edmunds restaurant has been saved in a takeover deal.
Barnes Construction is due to begin work on the £8.4 million redevelopment of 17-18 Cornhill in Bury St Edmunds.
'Nice atmosphere' is praised by traders.


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'Shady' sportswear could be in shops this year...
EMINEM is planning on launching his own line of clothing.
The rapper has teamed up with a Nesi Apparel to create a collection of sportswear, according to today’s New York Post newspaper (January 9).
The range, set to be simply called ‘Shady’ and could be in shelves by the autumn.
A source close to the project said the clothes will be a “pure reflection of him and what he’d be wearing”.


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It was another rough week for the markets, as the losses for 2022 continued to pile up. The Dow saw its sixth consecutive negative week, with a drop of 0.24%. The S&P 500 came down by 0.21%, while the Nasdaq saw the most damage, losing 1.54%. It was the fifth straight losing week for the S&P 500, as well as the Nasdaq, which is now down 25% from its November 2021 high.
Tech stocks continued to get pummeled, with Amazon.com Inc AMZN finishing the week about 7.7% lower and Shopify Inc SHOP dropping 11.6%.
Investors also got relative clarity on the Fed's interest rate hiking plan, as the target fed funds rate was increased by 0.5% on Wednesday to a new range of between 0.75% and 1.0%.
Benzinga continues to examine the prospects for many of the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.
"You Can Now Stream Apple Music On Roku Devices," by Shivdeep Dhaliwal, looks at the impact of the announcement that Apple Inc’s AAPL music streaming service is now available on Roku Inc’s ROKU platform.
Chris Katje writes about why May could be a big month for Walt Disney Co DIS investors and fans in, "Could The Force Be With Disney's Stock In May? Several Star Wars Events Could Provide Catalysts For The Media Giant."
In "Bitcoin Is Halfway To The Next Halving: Another Bull Run Incoming?" Adrian Zmudzinski writes that Bitcoin BTC/USD is on its way to decreasing its inflation rate once again, and many crypto enthusiasts believe it may result in another parabolic price increase.
For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:
"Cathie Wood Cuts Twitter Stake By 85% As Elon Musk Bulks Up Takeover Financing — Also Trims Tesla," by Rachit Vats, looks at how many shares of Twitter Inc TWTR and Tesla Inc TSLA Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest Management sold this week, as Elon Musk moves to purchase Twitter.
Adam Eckert reveals which chipmaker stock Steve Weiss decided to sell this week among top semiconductor companies, NVIDIA Corp NVDA, Advanced Micro Devices Inc AMD and Micron Technology Inc MU in, "AMD, Micron Or Nvidia: Which Chip Stock Did This Investor Just Dump And Why?"
"Meta To Hire Fewer People Than Expected, And Blames Apple," by Adrian Zmudzinski, looks at why Meta Platforms Inc. FB recently lost daily users for the first time in its 18-year history, and is blaming Apple Inc AAPL for the loss.
For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:
Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A toy drive started by a man who was killed in a Myrtle Beach shooting in October will continue.
Darius Hemingway was killed in a shooting at Hwy 501 and Canal Street Oct. 12. Last Christmas, he bought dozens of gifts for kids and planned to do the same this year. The toy drive will be happening again this year, thanks to his friend, Jaylen Wright.
The toy drive will be on Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Racepath Community Park . Over a dozen drop-off locations are listed in the flyer posted to Facebook. Information how to donate can be found in the Facebook post.


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FIRST LOOK: 36M CALYPSO MOVES SHEDS AT MULDER
The final touches to the 36-metre yacht Calypso are being made as the new superyacht was moved from her shed at the Mulder Shipyard.
The new superyacht seems on track to be ready for delivery to her new owner in a few weeks time, who bought her in-build during September last year. [36m Calypso yacht makes her first appearance at Mulder] Photo: Mulder ShipyardComing in at just under 300-GT, Calypso compliments her two sisterships Solis and Delta One, delivered in 2015 and 2017 respectively.
Calypso features exterior design by Claydon Reeves, interior design by John Vickers and naval architecture by Van Oossanen. [36m Calypso yacht makes her first appearance at Mulder] Photo: Mulder ShipyardSoon to be available for charter for up to 10 guests across five staterooms, the Mulder ThirtySix model can travel to top speeds of 17 knots thanks to twin CAT C18 1150HP engines.
[36m Calypso yacht makes her first appearance at Mulder] Photo: Mulder Shipyard


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LOS ANGELES – the Rubicon Project, the Internet advertising infrastructure company, reveals exclusive insight into emerging industry trends and market shifts that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2009, along with trends and predictions for what’s in store for 2010, in the seventh installment of its Online Advertising Market Report series.
Included within the report is the latest update on the Rubicon 20 Index, a measure of performance across a number of factors (including CPM, revenue and traffic volume) on a roster of 20 of the Web’s most heavily-trafficked properties. CPMs across the Rubicon 20 Index have risen by an average of 34 percent vs. Q3 2009, due to holiday ad spending and major online traffic drivers, such as celebrity news topics.
“Based on the serious spending increases from advertisers and innovation on both the supply and demand sides of the equation in the fourth quarter of last year, we believe 2010 is going to be a strong year for the digital advertising industry. As a market, we have spent the last few years working out the inefficiencies and identifying opportunities,” said Craig Roah, COO and Founder. “As many of our partners and customers can attest, the coming year will be focused on the next evolution of the market and identifying solutions that garner revenue that’s aligned with value – driven by the shift toward a truly open marketplace with transparency and controls that satisfy publishers and their demand partners.”
Additional key forecasts and trends addressed in this report include:
Audience-based buys in the REVV™ Marketplace captured rates four times the amount that was paid for more typical content and site targeted buys;
An advertiser side push for greater control and transparency, as marketers sought control over where and when ads appear;
Properly segmented and targeted online ad inventory changed attitudes about the definition and perceived value of unsold inventory;
Ongoing evolution in the ad network market: vertical ad networks will flourish and demand partners will differentiate through innovation, retargeting, audience segmentation and verification;
Online video ad market expected to bring more brand dollars online with new ad formats and standardization of metrics and measurement.
Also included in this report is market insight from industry leaders including Patrick Mersigner, Senior Director of Interactive at CreativeLoafing.com; Rob Beeler, Vice President, Content and Media at AdMonsters; Tommy Moreno, Principal and Managing Director at The Glenroe Group; Maureen Little, VP of Business Development at Turn; Jaan Janes, CEO of Pulse 360; Eric Franchi, SVP, Business Development at Undertone; Andrea Kerr Redniss, Managing Director and SVP at Publicis’ Optimedia; Charles Curran, Executive Director of NAI; Ben Abbatiello, Senior Director, Business Development at interCLICK; and Dan Greenberg, CEO of Sharethrough.
To access the full Q4 2009 Online Advertising Market Report, as well as past published reports for free, visit: http://www.rubiconproject.com/market-intelligence.
About the Rubicon Project
Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Rubicon Project launched in 2007 with a mission to automate the $65 billion global online advertising industry. The company’s Yield Management Optimization platform, REVV for Publishers™, is engineered to accelerate revenue for premium Web publishers. Backed by $42 million in funding from Clearstone Venture Partners, Mayfield Fund, IDG Ventures and GE/NBC Universal’s Peacock Equity Fund, the Rubicon Project serves premium publishers like NBC Universal, Gannett and CareerBuilder; optimizing more than 45 billion ads each month and reaching 500 million unique Internet users. Ranked second in overall Internet reach by Quantcast, the Rubicon Project also helps ad sales channels around the world gain access to precise audience-segmented inventory, at broad scale.


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The function, hosted by Enchanted Events Inc., will be on Thursday, April 4 from 7 to 10 p.m.
More than 40 small business and independent vendors, including Avon, Pamper Chef and Isegenix, will participate. They'll be selling jewelry, baby clothing, sporting goods, candles, frames, and more, say organizers.
The event is free; visitors will be entertained by DJ entertainment, belly dancers, and Tottenville singer Nicole Medoro.
"We strive for our vendors to get the most out of the event, making money, booking future jobs and meeting new people," said organizer Jamie Daragjati.
Members from four nonprofit organizations – the American Cancer Society, World of Women, the Carl Bini Foundation and Sissy's Angels – will attend.
SMB Studio Arts in Eltingville will be selling works by students and donating the money to charity.
"There's a whole bunch of different things. It's going to be really good," said Ms. Daragjati.
For more information, call 347-985-0818.


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Juneau is hosting three back-to-back meetings this week on the future of Alaska tourism marketing.
The Alaska Tourism Marketing Council, the public-private arm of the state Division of Tourism, meets Wednesday at the Goldbelt Hotel. The Alaska Travel Industry Association, the new, 1,000-member private-sector group, meets there the next day.
And the Alaska Visitors Association, up to now the group that has led the visitor industry, meets Friday at the Elks Lodge.
The tourism marketing council and the visitors association are scheduled to dissolve June 30, as part of the ``new millennium plan'' approved by the Legislature last year.
The travel industry association then will do all tourism marketing for the state. The group is seeking a $5 million state appropriation and is supposed to find $2 million in private matching funds. By Fiscal Year 2003, the targeted mix is $6 million private, $4 million state.
This week's meetings are largely concerned with the ongoing transition among the organizations, said Tina Lindgren, the former AVA executive director who is now the chief staff person for the travel industry association.
At the same time, a marketing plan for 2001 must be developed and current marketing activities must be sustained, Lindgren said. ``We have to go through a period where it's a little more confusing, rather than less. ... You can't afford to have a hiccup in the marketing.''
John Mazor, president of the Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he's anxious to see a draft of a new marketing plan and hopes that there will be programs with the potential to increase independent travel to Juneau.
``Personally, I would like to have seen a marketing plan by now,'' said Mazor, an AVA board member. ``I would have to characterize it as being a little bit behind schedule.''
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The emergence of electric propulsion has brought great expectations and many important opportunities for those who want to participate in vehicle production.
According to News Auto, the cost
May 18, 2021 09:49 ET | Source: ReportLinker ReportLinker
New York, May 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)-Reportlinker.com announced the release of the report "
According to the latest report of the IMARC Group, entitled "European Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Market Share: Industry Trends, Scale, Growth, Opportunities and Forecasts 2021-2026", the market is e
If you want to invest in an aquarium for raising fish, you know how important it is to choose the right equipment for their lives, adequate oxygen and food, and good care. However, there are many t
Kraken defeated Montreal 5-1, winning for the first time in Seattle. (1:49)
The NHL's newest team is transforming Seattle into one of the oldest traditions in the league.
On Tuesday nig
Retro rallying has recently seen a huge renaissance. Racing cars like Africa Twin, DR Big and BMW R 9 T Urban GS have all returned within the past ten years.
Just like you think there were no
Weaving is a complex process that requires technology other than the loom to obtain the highest quality fabric.
The loom is the star of the weaving room. It is the largest and most obvious te
You can buy any coffee maker at will, but if you are seeking expert advice to choose the coffee maker that best suits your needs, then you have come to the right place.
It doesn’t matter wh


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Screenshot used by permission of CBD.io Screenshot used by permission of CBD.io
From skin products to easing arthritis to quieting yappy dogs, CBD, the substance in the marijuana plant that doesn’t intoxicate, is all the rage and on the shelf at a store near you.
But if regulators have their way, it won’t be on the floor at the CBD.io show, which opens Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The industry trade show will generate tourism revenue for Southern Nevada and millions of dollars in deals between distributors and retailers.
While not all CBDs are created equal — some are derived from hemp and others from cannabis — all forms are unwelcome on the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“The LVCVA communicates to show organizers that CBD and Marijuana products are not allowed on the show floor,” says Amanda Peters, spokeswoman for the Convention Center. “We treat hemp the same way we treat cannabis. They are both illegal at the federal level and therefore not allowed on our campus.”
But hemp, codified as part of the farm bill passed by Congress in December 2018, is legal for some uses.
Peters says “the team is aware of that decision.”
“That is the stupidest policy I have ever heard,” Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, who championed legalization of cannabis in Nevada, told the Current. “Hemp CBD is legal under federal and state law and LVCVA needs to get real.”
“Under federal law the farm bill did legalize hemp but it says the USDA and FDA have to weigh in,” says Cassandra Farrington, CEO and Co-Founder of MJBizDaily, which produces a marijuana trade show at the Convention Center in December. “Until the USDA and FDA weigh in, ingestible products are not allowed.”
“People who are putting CBD in a lip


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Which undated images released to the puchea Force (AKP), reveals a custom made wrist watch and that Cambodia introduced because the memorabilia getting world frontrunners that will sit-in the latest Association out-of The southern area of Far eastern Nations (ASEAN) summit within the Cambodia. (Agence Kampuchea Press thru AP)
BANGKOK (AP) – A customized wrist watch out-of Cambodian leader Hun Sen from the ASEAN conference into the Phnom Penh, a base-a lot of time dagger during the Grams-20 group meetings when you look at the Bali, and you will cricket ice-cream and you can Thai noodles that have worm sauce from the this new APEC discussions inside Bangkok.
Globe leadership enjoys a good surfeit from swag and you may shocks looking forward to her or him while they sit-in back-to-back-to-right back summits into the China doing recently.
Hun Sen increased eye brows a few weeks ago when he announced which he might be that have unique-version observe created for You.S. Chairman Joe Biden and other frontrunners probably the brand new Connection of The southern part of Far-eastern Nations discussion, and that works from week-end. Of many speculated the previous mid-level Khmer Rouge commander perform function his or her own cup on the timepiece regarding the narcissistic vein regarding autocratic frontrunners in past times, including Iraq’s Saddam Hussein otherwise Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi.
However the latest device, and that Hun Sen told you was created making in Cambodia, try a sleek gold timepiece that have coppery-gold hand and you can a leather strap, having “ASEAN Cambodia 2022” printed for the the deal with.
Hun Sen did not say what the provide try well worth just like the the guy revealed they this week for the their Fb web page, but did state however getting using it himself whatsoever three summits – foregoing among the rare, designer wristwatches in the range whoever $one million-plus price tags had been a source of grumbling for the impoverished Cambodia.
Along with Biden, a great many other world management who’re receiving the latest Cambodian view, as well as Australia’s Anthony Albanese, Canada’s Justin Trudeau and you can Japanese Finest Minister Fumio Kishida, have a tendency to take a trip out of Phnom Penh next to the Indonesian island from Bali in which there are lots of old-fashioned ornaments waiting for you to them from the Selection of 20 meeting.
G-20 organizers in 2010 state the fresh management, including likely to are China’s Xi Jinping, would be asked to put on colourful tees made from the standard Balinese woven fabric endek, similar to those people that Indonesia gave away in the 2013 APEC group meetings it hosted where in actuality the country revived the brand new for the-once again, off-once again seminar customs off a team photos as to what certain enjoys dubbed “dumb shirts.”
Frontrunners may also located a traditional kris dagger, a distinctive asymmetrical knife usually ranging from eleven and you may 14 in enough time that have a great wavy knife.
Predicated on organizers, for each and every dagger requires between one to and you may 6 months while making, and even though made use of because treat guns prior to now he could be now usually used within unique ceremonies.
There are no “stupid tees” a year ago at the China-Pacific Financial Cooperation group meetings, held virtually as a result of the pandemic, which have machine The latest Zealand as an alternative getting merino wool scarves into the males and capes to the females.
It seems like Thailand cannot intend on reviving the tees this 12 months during the then APEC seminar inside the Bangkok. Instead, organizers state they’ll be providing frontrunners silk neckties and you can shawls, together with handkerchiefs and masks.
There can be culinary adventure, although not, as the nation, well-known for its cuisine, earns Thai dining startups chose off a competitor so you’re able to high light durability below a concept dubbed “plate so you’re able to globe.”
Biden is not likely to be on hand toward APEC conferences, however, Vp Kamala Harris, Xi while some will be presented the ability to try out meals for example carb-free ramen spaghetti created from egg white proteins, milk-free ice cream which have kale and you can passions fruits, low-salt Thai pasta with an excellent sauce produced from sandworms, and ice-cream made from this new necessary protein off crickets, regulators spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri said.
Celebrity cook Chumpol Chaengprai was planning the fresh gala food so you can cover case, underneath the concept of “renewable Thai gastronomy.” Its menu has not yet come announced.


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The new Canon Powershot ELPH 530 HS will be the first Canon camera with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities. That means you'll be able to wirelessly upload photos to the Internet as well as to transfer media directly to mobile devices. »2/07/12 12:01am 2/07/12 12:01am
Kinja is in read-only mode. We are working to restore service.


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While the next generation of consoles appears ready to launch in 2020, Microsoft is gearing up for the final phase of this generation with a more casual-focused digital only console that will release without a disc drive. Reports call this new console the Xbox One S All-Digital, or if you're a cynical individual, the Xbox One SAD (acronym not approved by Microsoft).
Rumors have persisted for several months that Microsoft was developing an all-digital console to release during the last year or two of the Xbox One lifetime. It's often during this point, late in generations, where manufacturers release smaller, stripped down consoles in order to maximize profits and to entice those who still haven't bought a unit to jump in.
In addition to the digital only console, Microsoft will also reportedly unveil a disc-to-digital program, similar to that of the VUDU disc-to-digital transfer for movies. Details of the program are still vague, but it would seem Microsoft would allow people to somehow scan their discs or offer them to authorized retailers in exchange for a digital copy of the game. That would bridge the gap between those who want to purchase this new console and still have a library of physical discs.
The idea is sound and there's evidence that this new unit - if reports are to be believed - could help give the Xbox One ecosystem a second wind heading into the launch of its successor in 2020. Digital sales have continued to climb in recent years to the point where the industry's largest publishers, including EA and Ubisoft, are seeing digital sales overtake physical sales. Discs are becoming more and more useless. And there are plenty of reasons why this transition is occuring.
The physical disc has essentially become DRM for games these days. Due to the massive sizes of games and the relatively slow read speeds of disc drives, all games are fully installed on the hard drive before they're playable. Whereas 15 years ago, you could buy a game, go home and immediately start playing, today you're stuck waiting for the full game to install on the console. To make matters worse, almost all games launch with massive day-one patches. "Tom Clancy's The Division 2" will have a 95GB patch when players pop in the disc for the first time Friday. That is on top of the already necessary install time for the base game itself.
The video game industry is simply following in the footsteps of the music and movie industries. In those industries, compromises to quality had to be made in order to facilitate instantaneous streaming and downloads. An MP3 does not sound as good as a CD. A Netflix stream does not look at as good as a blu-ray. But video games don't have that issue. A digital copy is the exact same as a physical copy.
The only downsides to digital distribution is the issue of ownership rights, which is still heavily contested. With physical media, individuals still have the capacity to trade or sell their discs once they're done with them. Gamestop created an empire out of this - and is now consequently slowly sliding into irrelevance due to the rise of digital ownership, which does not allow any sort of trading or selling. Once you purchase a title, it's yours to own forever. Up until recently, it wasn't even possible to get a refund. So there are still some issues at hand.
The future is digital and Microsoft knows this. The company knew this when it unveiled the Xbox One in 2013 with the idea of a fully digital ecosystem that included using physical discs as licenses for digital copies. Under the original vision for the Xbox One, individuals would purchase a disc, install the game to their console and would no longer need the disc to play. The problem with the original vision was in Microsoft's insistence of ensuring the console was connected to the Internet at all time and would require verification every 24 hours.
There's still a lot of details that have yet to be revealed. According to reports, the console could be unveiled in April - two months ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It should serve as a cheaper alternative to the standard Xbox One S or the Xbox One X, though no price was specified. For someone who's not interested in the system's 4K UHD blu-ray player, but still wants to play games, this could be a great option.
It's still too early to release a primary system without a disc drive. Even next generation consoles should and will ship with a disc drive. There is still a large part of the country - including many areas in Southwest Oklahoma - that do not have the broadband capabilities to download and install literally hundreds of gigabytes of data per game. But that time is coming and it's nice to have a more affordable option for those who prefer the convenience and have the capability.


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MUMBAI: An online travel site has released its monthly travel report derived from live buyer data. The latest report covers facts about domestic holiday consumption pattern in India.
As per the report released : Average price spent on a holiday for a family of 3, this year was Rs 21,999. Jammu and Kashmir region leads the pack at Rs.38,577 spend followed by Kerala and Andaman. Holiday in Uttarkhand region is the most economical at Rs.9995. The preferred tourist destinations in Uttarkhand are Mussoorie, Nainital, Lansdowne and Corbett.


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Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick still isn’t convinced of the virtues of the growing Asian free-to-play market, arguing that there simply isn’t a high enough proportion of players paying for content.
His remarks came before a group of investors at the Credit Suisse 2013 Technology Conference in Scottsdale Arizona, attended by GamesIndustry International.
"I’m not psyched about a business where three percent of your customers pay you, which is what you’re dealing with," said Zelnick.
"But we’re flexible. If that’s the way the business evolves, as long as we can get paid and make a profit doing it, we’re happy to contemplate it. I’m skeptical that for very high-end products, that’s the way the business goes. I think you’ll continue to sell those high-end products as the entry point, and then you’ll have in-game monetization for certain sold items and free items."
While this is certainly not a strong endorsement, Take-Two is exploring the free-to-play market in Asia, but Zelnick’s comments make it sound like it will be some time before a major foray into the new sector.
This jibes with his other comments at the event, where he spoke confidently of the success of next generation consoles, and that Take-Two plans to stay true to its former emphasis on triple-A titles while maintaining an “ecumenical” approach to platforms and business models.
“Our DNA remains these very high end, triple-A, immensely immersive experiences, and I don’t really see us deviating from that," Zelnick explained.
Considering the strong sales of next generation consoles over the past month, it makes a lot of sense to try and target what is obviously still a very popular platform for games.
Zelnick suggested that the record-breaking sales of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are due to a newfound consumer interest in hardware, and agreed with an investor who asked if he thought the new machines would have a larger install base than the current generation in five years.
"I’d specifically say yes because it appears that – and this is largely anecdotal but tablets are a good example – all these new iterations of more and more exciting hardware seem to have picked up in velocity generationally compared to five or ten years ago," he said.
"But if we had a big market meltdown, for example, a repeat of ’08 and ’09 in three years, or two years, or two minutes, that would influence it. But if this economy stays on this track, yeah, I feel good about it."


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The American Red Cross selects SpendHQ for spend visibility needs
Access the podcast with their CPO
SpendHQ is providing enterprise-level spend visibility for one of the most recognized nonprofit brands in the U.S., the American Red Cross. By implementing the SpendHQ spend analytics solution, the American Red Cross can confidently identify sourcing opportunities and meet cost optimization goals.
Their Chief Procurement Officer and head of supply chain said: “After benchmarking spend analytic tools used across all industries, the American Red Cross selected SpendHQ based on our evaluation of their practitioner-built tool and practical approach.”
During a Spend Insights podcast, he shares his perspective on the role of procurement on overall business performance, the importance of spend analysis, and how it’s directly impacted their ability to create “fact-based” visibility while promoting supplier innovation and mitigating third-party risk.
Listen to the Podcast
“We’ve invested in tools like SpendHQ to give us that visibility, transparency, and categorization of what that spend actually looks like.“
In this 20-minute podcast, VP Supply Chain and CPO at the American Red Cross, shares insights around the importance of spend analysis and how it’s directly impacted their ability to create “fact-based” visibility while promoting supplier innovation and mitigating third-party risk.
They have about $3 billion in revenue, and their total addressable third-party supplier spend is close to 45% of their revenue that they want to manage.
He says it starts with business imperatives, which for them includes a cost gap that they need to close. They set targets with the business. “What gets measured gets managed.” They use SpendHQ to build with business partners more robust category strategies by looking at the data.
“We’ve invested in tools like SpendHQ to give us that visibility, transparency, and categorization of what that spend actually looks like. And why do we do that? Very simply, we are trying to make sure that of the dollars that we have, we are being good stewards of our donor dollars as well as the money that we make in our hospital business and our training business. We’re like anyone else, we need a return on our investment. So this is very critical for us in terms of business performance to have a better handle on our third-party spend.”
He praises the excellence of SpendHQ’s spend data taxonomy and classification to give them a solid foundation for the analysis and planning.


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The gamemaker has suspended Swapnote, the messaging app available for its 3DS handheld, after discovering that gamers have been using the service to exchange inappropriate pictures and other material.
"Nintendo has learned that some consumers, including minors, have been exchanging their friend codes on Internet bulletin boards and then using Swapnote (known as Nintendo Letter Box in other regions) to exchange offensive material," the company said in a statement. "Nintendo has been investigating ways of preventing this and determined it is best to stop the SpotPass feature of Swapnote because it allows direct exchange of photos and was actively misused."
The shutdown took place on Halloween at 7:00 pm PST, and it was a universal one. Users can no longer send or receive messages.
The ability to send and receive photos was a relatively new one for Swapnote. Nintendo added it in an April update along with the ability to attach audio messages. At the time, it was positioned as a way for 3DS users to have access to some of the same features as mobile gamers.
Of course, sexting happens in the mobile phone world as well. Nintendo is very careful with its reputation, though, and clearly wanted to avoid any sort of controversy once it figured out children were using its system for these purposes.
"Nintendo always wants to provide a positive experience for all consumers and limit the risk of any inappropriate activity or misuse of a service," the company said. "We feel it is important on this occasion to take this action. We are very sorry for any inconvenience to the many consumers who have been using this service responsibly; however this decision was made considering the point that many minors also use this feature of Swapnote."
- Technology & Electronics
- Nintendo Letter Box


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An overview of the Philippine fintech landscape, its current challenges, prospects, and crypto regulatory policy.
The pandemic has accelerated the development of the fintech industry. Cashless payments and banking digitalisation have started running rampant, and many countries, including the Philippines, quickly took on the new trend. Despite noticeable positive improvements and increasing capitalisation of the financial technology sector, the island country is not yet as advanced as the other Southeast Asian nations.
The lack, or even non-existence, of a well-structured regulatory environment alongside poor financial inclusion of the industry hinder the progress. Nevertheless, fintech companies are rising, and their future is shaping as we speak.
Industry Development and Its Current State
Financial inclusivity is a typical issue of most developing countries. According to the central bank of the Philippines (BSP), in 2019, less than 30 per cent of Filipinos had bank accounts. In this regard, BSP set an ambitious goal to raise this figure to 70 per cent by 2023, and the numbers did increase.
Fintech solutions, at least some of them, can assist with solving the inclusivity issue quite efficiently. Just think of it: today, over 74% of Filipinos own smartphones and can easily open a bank account using their devices via a legitimate app approved by authorities.
Thanks to fintech platforms, the number of Filipinos with debit cards almost doubled from 2013 to 2018. As for digital payments, their spread is estimated to be around 30%, getting ahead of other countries in the region. Another positive note is that women’s involvement in the digital payment scene is even higher than men’s, and the former are more financially included in general.
The pandemic ended up being a powerful accelerator, forcing banks to go digital and authorities to start planning out regulations strategies. With ecosystem broadening and increased sector funding, fintech startups count has begun growing. Currently, there are over 220 fintech firms registered in the Philippines, mainly focused on mobile payments, wallets, lending, eCommerce, investment, and blockchain tech.
Three central government institutions regulate the Philippines’ fintech industry: the BSP, the SEC, and the Insurance Commission (IC). The goal of BSP is to increase financial inclusion and mindfully broaden the ecosystem of related service providers. The SEC is responsible for controlling lending and a few other industries. As for the IC, it monitors the insurance and home maintenance organisations.
Until recently, the Philippines authorities haven’t made too many attempts to regulate the fintech industry. Starting from 2021, things got off the ground, especially for cryptocurrency, open banking, and other actively growing industries.
At the beginning of 2021, BSP set guidelines on virtual asset service providers to protect the Philippines from becoming an easy target of criminals and terrorists. Apart from strict AML rules, crypto exchanges and other financial organisations were obliged to obtain proper licences to operate in the country. A few months later, BSP introduced new guidelines for the Open Finance Framework, suggesting a consent-driven data-sharing model.
Opportunities and Roadblocks
An open digital environment provides the Philippines’ fintech companies with more opportunities. It is reasonably easy to integrate the country’s fintech products with services from neighbouring countries, paving the way for a sprawling international infrastructure.
Covid-driven state tax incentives for small and medium businesses empowered companies to launch new products and services faster. At the same time, regulators moved off dead centre. They started actively participating in the industry’s present and future, bringing hope to the country’s rising number of fintech companies.
On top of that, other technology industries, such as AI, eCommerce, data science, are getting more support from authorities. The possibilities of collaborations between these companies and fintech firms can refine the growth area and tailor a new class of products and services.
Insufficient investment is a massive roadblock en route to fintech evolvement. Despite the surging interest and a couple of exceptional cases like Mynt or PayMongo, the industry’s funding leaves much to be desired. Perhaps, the investment situation will improve once the country puts forward its first decent regulatory framework.
The lack of talent is another concern. Digital space is highly competitive, and experienced specialists are hard to find even in the most tech-savvy regions. The Philippines has to start the transformation by introducing new educational programmes and fair wages.
The Bottom Line
The pandemic made people change their financial habits and turn to digital payments and online banking, empowering fintech companies in many Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines. Although the industry is still in its infancy, the growth potential is higher than ever. The introduction of a well-designed regulatory framework alongside encouragement of investment will help significantly improve the state of the sector.


text: The Nike LeBron 11 story is far from over with at least two new colorways to be released in the upcoming months. That’s only for the regular version… Elite and Ext series are about to debut very soon as well. One of the upcoming LeBron XI styles is the presented Blackout colorway. Black always works good on posite kicks, but this time Nike Basketball adds more flavor with textured Hyperposite panels and Camo details spilled on the outsole, inner lining and the logos. The “Blackout” LeBron 11 is scheduled to be released on Saturday, March 29th at Nike.com. Photo via @fwalker03.


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Small business bankruptcy filings dropped in many areas of the U.S. from coast to coast in 2010, according to a new study, with some Western regions experiencing sharp declines. The one exception was California, where economic turmoil remained high last year and accounted for nearly 20 percent of the country’s business failures.
The study, sponsored by credit reporting agency Equifax, analyzed national bankruptcy trends among the nation’s more than 24 million small businesses by metropolitan statistical area (MSA). It focused on the time frame from the fourth quarter of 2009 to the same quarter last year.
While bankruptcy rates continue to put pressure on geographies across the county, 10 of the top 15 MSAs with greatest number of small business bankruptcies in the last quarter of 2010. The Chicago-Naperville area showed the greatest decline, dropping 30.13 percent year-over-year.
Following behind — and flying in the face of the state’s overall trend — were a number of California MSAs such as Sacramento-Arden-Arcade- Roseville, many of which reported double-digit decreases during the same period.
But the news wasn’t positive across the board, with five MSAs experiencing a year-over-year rise in bankruptcy rate. One surprising results involved the Wisconsin-Rest of State MSA, which saw a 16.52 percent jump in small business from the last quarter of 2009 to the last quarter of 2010 — more than any other MSA on Equifax’s top 15 list.
“For small businesses, the road to economic recovery was marked by a number of challenges in 2010, and many states such as California and Oregon face an uphill battle in the months ahead,” said Dr. Reza Barazesh, an Equifax senior vice president. “Despite these hurdles, the landscape is showing signs of improvement. Our recent analysis indicates that bankruptcy trends are easing and creating an environment that is more conducive to cultivating small business growth.”
- The Secret to Business Success? Profitability, Not Investors
- Bankruptcy Options for Small Businesses
- Debt Consolidation Services: Advantages and Pitfalls
Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at firstname.lastname@example.org. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.


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ROME, N.Y. – Rome police are still looking for the person who broke into Engelbert’s Jewelers in Rome on Christmas morning.
The suspect was caught on surveillance video smashing through the glass front door of the West Dominick Street store around 4 a.m. Items were stolen, but the total value of the stolen merchandise is unclear at this time.
Rome police have released a photo of the suspect taken from the surveillance camera.
Anyone with information should contact Det. Commander Kevin James at 315-339-7715.
Engelbert’s glass door has been replaced, and the store will reopen Tuesday at 10 a.m.


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Online advertising rates: are we seeing the collapse yet?
The Google stock dip makes it painfully clear that we might indeed be looking at a “race to the bottom” in online advertising rates. This weekend, analyst Eric Jackson of Ironfire Capital pointed out that the value of advertising has been dropping quarter after quarter for five quarters now, and that the end is not in sight. The shift to mobile, according to Jackson, will cause sorrow for every advertising based model, because mobile ads are even cheaper than desktop ads. Says Jackson: Google and Facebook face essentially the same problem. He added: if Facebook stock can halve based on this, who’s to say that Google stock can’t tumble as well?
Over at the excellent Monday Note, Frédéric Filloux (general manager digital operations for Les Echos Groupe) thinks that the ever lower advertising yield will essentially split content on the web in two.
Clickfarms versus quality content
On one side will be the sites with a high number of clicks but a low Average Revenue Per User, such as Huffington Post and other ‘content farms’.
On the other side of the gap are the sites with a high ARPU but much lower volume, like The Economist, Financial Times, etcetera. Filloux thinks this will have three big consequences
- A rise in paid-for-performance advertising
- A rise in alternate formats beyond traditional display — for better or worse
- And a split between volume-driven and quality-driven digital properties.
To an extent, the third trend is a consequence of the other two.
The alternate formats are of course ‘sponsored stories’ or ‘native ads’ – advertising that was produced with editorial help from the publisher, and that is almost indistinguishable from editiorial content. Filloux thinks it will be the model of the future, and he points to Henry Blodget’s Business Insider as a trailblazer in this field.
Is there a future for online, advertising based business model?
Photo: that’s a controlled demolition! http://www.flickr.com/photos/biscuitsmlp/2600996972/sizes/z/in/photostream/
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A California Labor Commission ruling recently declared that an Uber driver is an employee, not an independent contractor, a decision that could eventually increase costs for the smartphone app-powered start-up and disrupt its budding same-day delivery service.
The June 3 judgement, which became public Tuesday when Uber filed an appeal in a state court in San Francisco, applies only in California and to one driver, but if upheld it could set a broad precedent that could lead to higher costs for the company, including drivers’ health care benefits and gas.
Currently, Uber drivers are considered independent contractors, taking an 80 percent cut of fares but covering their own costs and paying their own taxes. But the commission stated several instances of control that Uber maintains over the drivers as evidence that the drivers are treated as employees.
“Defendants hold themselves out as nothing more than a neutral technological platform, designed simply to enable drivers and passengers to transact the business of transportation,” the ruling reads. “The reality, however, is that defendants are involved in every aspect of the operation.”
Uber said in a statement that officials in five other states have found that its drivers are independent contractors and that the majority of drivers “can and do choose to earn their living from multiple sources, including other ride-sharing companies.”
With that being said, the California ruling was not the first time the company has come under fire for its definition of the term “independent contractor.” Earlier this year, the U.S. District Court rejected Uber’s bid to classify its drivers as such, saying a jury would rule on their status. Meanwhile, in Florida, a state agency ruled that Uber drivers are employees.
While the decision is under appeal, if it’s sustained it could hurt the start-up’s $40 billion-plus valuation and pose a potential risk for other crowdsourced services, such as rival ride-calling app Lyft, same-day delivery company Deliv and chore service TaskRabbit. Not to mention Uber’s own same-day delivery pilot that relies on Uber Rush bike couriers and Uber car drivers to drop off packages from participating brands in less than three hours. It could also convince online behemoth Amazon to pull the plug on its latest attempt at disrupting traditional delivery services: a mobile app dubbed “On My Way” that would enlist ordinary people to pick up and drop off packages as they go about their day.
“This ruling basically means that [the price of] same-day delivery is going to go through the roof,” David Bozin, vice president of growth development at retail platform start-up Bindo, told Retail Dive. “Yet on-demand has become a normal thing—consumers are used to it. There need to be a mix between getting more creative and updating the business model. Everyone will have to get smarter about deliveries.”


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The UK’s top financial watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has kicked off 2023 with strict warnings for the tech and crypto sectors, amid concerns that the cost of living crisis will make some more susceptible to financial scams.
Last year, the FCA made companies change or remove 8,252 misleading or fraudulent promotions — 14 times more than in 2021.
This sharp uptick in FCA regulation is expected to continue this year.
The UK government published a policy statement on Sunday, outlining its overhaul approach to crypto regulation. It indicated that it will seek to introduce a framework for promotion that brings crypto assets in-line with other financial products, as well as include a “bespoke exemption” in the Financial Promotion Order for crypto firms registered with the FCA to communicate to UK customers.
In its official statement the following day, the FCA said that “cryptoasset businesses marketing to UK consumers, including firms based overseas, must get ready for this regime.”
Pending Parliamentary approval, the “regime” will create four official ways to promote crypto in the UK:
- Have an FCA-authorized person announce it,
- get it approved by an FCA-authorized person,
- communicate it through a crypto firm registered under the MLRs with the FCA,
- or make sure it falls under the “bespoke exemption” category.
However, the FCA has warned on Monday that a prison sentence of up to two years could be the price of breaking new restrictions on financial promotions.
“Promotions that are not made using one of these routes will be in breach of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), which is a criminal offence punishable by up to 2 years imprisonment,” the FCA stated.
FCA holds tech accountable for surge in scams, too
Finalized rules are expected to be published once legislation has been made. However, the FCA made clear that crypto companies should be taking the necessary preparations now in order to be ready when the watchdog comes knocking.
“We expect cryptoasset businesses to be ready, willing and organised at the point of their application,” the FCA said. “Acting now will help ensure [crypto firms] can continue to legally promote to UK consumers. We encourage firms to take all necessary advice as part of their preparations.”
However, the FCA isn’t just aiming to hold crypto accountable for a surge in financial scams. Last week, tech firms were told to do more to protect consumers, following a major increase in scam promotion on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms led to a record number of take-down orders.
“More needs to be done by tech companies to protect consumers,” the watchdog said. It further emphasized that ‘fin-fluencers’ should think very carefully before endorsing financial products and to clearly disclaim the promotional deal in ads.
Sarah Pritchard, FCA executive director for markets, said: “This year, we will continue to put the pressure on people using social media to illegally promote investments, which put people’s hard-earned money at risk.”


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There are times when one might be tempted to think that the world has reached “peak stupidity.” But there is no end.
On the upside, given what has happened to attorney pay over the last 10 years we may have hit peak lawyer however.
(From Fox News)
Two McDonald’s customers in Florida are suing the fast-food giant for a hefty sum of $5 million because they say they’re being unfairly charged for cheese they don’t want on their burgers.
Cynthia Kissner and Leonard Werner argue that hamburgers and cheeseburgers are different prices on the McDonald’s menu, but when they order a Quarter Pounder without the extra dairy, they’re still forced to pay the same amount.


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Apple is getting more friendly with trade-ins, Gmail improves its inbox and new LG G4 specs are rumored. This and more past the break.
Apple has always been very exclusive about welcoming anything that is not made by them, but there is one thing they should be more open about. That would be accepting non-Apple smartphones as trade-ins, which is something they are now opening up more to.
The Cupertino-based company is now allowing people to trade in Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices. Any user can bring said devices in and get credit towards a new iPhone. Likewise, you can now trade in any computer for credit towards a Mac PC.
This new program is only available with retail locations, which is a bit unfortunate, but Apple is making big moves here.
Opinion: Are you taking in your device for a trade? It’s an easy way to get some cash for your phone without having to look around for a buyer. We have all heard them Craigslist stories!
Gmail for mobile has been supporting non-Gmail accounts for some time, but we all know it can be a mess to have to look through multiple accounts. Today’s Gmail for Android update brings in a feature that will be god-sent for those who take advantage of multiple email accounts.
Google has introduced an “All inboxes” option that will aggregate all your new email. All emails will now be threaded, as well. Whether it’s a Google account or not.
Opinion: I am actually quite excited about this. I happen to use about 7 different email accounts, so this will make it much easier to get things done.
We have no clue when the LG G4 will be leaked, but we can definitely tell you what the mean internet highways tell us about the phone. A new benchmark has been leaked. The protagonist? Of course, the LG G4, a phone that is expected to be among the best in 2015.
The benchmark comes from GFXBench and depicts a device with a 5.5-inch 2560x1440p display, a 1.8 GHz six-core Snapdragon 808 processor, an Adreno 418 GPU, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage and a couple cameras set at 15/7 MP.
Opinion: I suppose the weirdest part here is that LG is opting for a Snapdragon 808 processor instead of an 810. Why would this be? It’s true that the 808 will be less power hungry, but it will also be less powerful. It’s weird to make a decision like this for a phone that is meant to be a high-end handset. Do remember these are still just rumors, though.


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Tech giant Apple will hold a press event on 12 September to unveil its much anticipated new iPhones, which are expected to introduce a whole new design and set the tone for the next few years.
As people increasingly use mobile devices, their data storage demands keep growing. So data storage company Western Digital is targeting that demand with its new 400 GB microSDXC card.
The season bringing a new generation of flagship smartphones is rapidly approaching and it's a big one, with the 10th anniversary iPhone, new Pixel phones, and the Galaxy Note 8.
From the ashes: Samsung is trying to move past its disastrous Galaxy Note 7 with a successor sporting a dual-lens camera, animated messages, note-taking and less battery capacity.
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By Staff writer
Decision follows earlier move to exempt tenants of retail shops and restaurants at NCTH-owned hotels
The National Corporation for Tourism & Hotels (NCTH) has announced that owners of hotels under its management will be exempted from all management fees and other expenses for three months.
The move is part of its support for the country's precautionary and preventive efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, chairman of NCTH, said: ''This decision follows an earlier move to exempt tenants of retail shops and restaurants at NCTH-owned hotels from rents for three months.''
The current number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UAE is 333, with 85 new cases reported on Wednesday. Two people have died from the virus in the country so far.For all the latest travel news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and Linkedin, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.


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This guy found a way to run Apple's Mac software on an iPad - and it works surprisingly well
- YouTuber Jonathan Morrison has pulled off something iPad and Mac fans have been dying to see: A full version of MacOS, Apple's operating system for Mac computers, running on an iPad.
- For this setup, Morrison used the 2018 Mac Mini as a way to put MacOS on a 2018 iPad Pro.
- You have to see it to believe it.
For years, one of the biggest desires among iPad owners is that they wish it could run Mac software. The iPad is an excellent device for consuming media, like watching movies or reading books, but a handful of limitations keep it from being a real work computer - the main one being that it runs iOS, instead of a more robust desktop operating system like Apple's MacOS.
Apple insists iPads and Mac computers will always be separate devices, and that we will never see desktop software on an iPad. Apple's Craig Federighi, who leads software efforts for both Mac and iOS devices, told Wired earlier this year that he's "not into touchscreens on PCs," and doubts he will change his mind.
But thankfully, there's a way to experience MacOS on an iPad, even without Apple's official blessing. YouTuber Jonathan Morrison says he saw this unique setup "hit the internet this week," and after trying it himself, filmed how well it works for everyone to see.
Here's how Morrison made MacOS run on an iPad Pro, and how you can do it, too:


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A decision by Apple Inc. to remove an iPhone app called the Manhattan Declaration was the subject of intense debate in December.
The Manhattan Declaration is an authoritative statement initially signed by 148 signatories, all of them prominent Orthodox Christian, Catholic and Protestant religious leaders, affirming the sanctity of life, religious liberty and marriage (Bill Donohue was one of them). Released on November 20, 2009, it has since garnered upwards of a half-million signatories. Recently, Apple approved the Manhattan Declaration app, rating it 4+ (free from objectionable material). But then a petition drive by Change.org members resulted in Apple’s decision to remove the app; the complainants charged that it was “anti-gay” and “anti-choice.”
There is nothing anti-gay about affirming the traditional understanding of marriage. Moreover, while anyone is free to disagree with these positions, to slap the label of bigotry on this statement is as absurd as it is offensive. Indeed, it is an insult to millions of Americans who share its sentiments.


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The saga of the Samsung Galaxy Tab sales numbers and return rate continues, with a Korean blog by Samsung stating that "the return rate is below 2 percent". This cryptic statement is attributed to the Samsung Electronics Mobile Communications Business, in response to analyst reports that the Galaxy Tab return rate is as high as 16 percent.
Samsung needs to get better communicators on staff, as it keeps creating problems of perception over how well the Galaxy Tab is doing in the market with its unclear statements. The company has come under fire for claiming that 2 million Galaxy Tabs have been sold, then back-pedaling when pressed admitting that these are in-channel sales to partners, not consumer sales.
With Apple expected to roll out the iPad 2 soon, it is important to understand how well competing tablets are doing in the market. Google is pushing the Honeycomb version of Android for upcoming tablets, and the confusion over how well the Galaxy Tab is doing in the market isn't helping the case that Android tablets can give the iPad a decent run for the money.


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A Story-driven first-person stealth-action game in which the player gets to assassinate drug dealers and crime bosses
For Immediate Release
Helsinki, Finland - August 30, 2018 - Independent developer Laina Interactive announced today that its first game The Slater will be released on Steam platform on September 20th 2018.
Brand new gameplay trailer:
The Slater puts the players in the shoes of a former cop Mark Slater and sends them on a revenge mission as they seek the source of a new designer drug D-Pain. The Slater is a story-driven first-person stealth-action game, where the player's objective is to assassinate targets silently, cleanly and without anyone witnessing the kills. Game offers intriguing gameplay mechanics that rely heavily on observation, distractions and disguises.
The Slater encourages players to explore their environments and to think, who should they kill next and how.
The game will be priced at Steam for $14.99.


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Meyer’s new location will create long-term capacity in a growing market for the company.
Company selects Meyer Distributing and Turn 14 Distribution.
Meyer will carry Armorlite’s entire catalog of products including complete replacement flooring systems, drain plugs and cargo products for the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator models.
Air Lift was recognized as a top truck accessory and equipment vendor.
Evans joins the more than 700 brands stocked and distributed by Meyer Distributing, recently named SEMA Warehouse Distributor of the Year.
Meyer Distributing’s specialty parts retailers and aftermarket wholesalers across North America will now have access to Weego’s line of products, including the new premium jump starters, accessories and battery packs.


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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 25
By Nazrin Israfilova - Trend:
Export revenues of Azerbaijan Jewelers Association in the first 11 months of 2021 rose, Toghrul Abbasguliyev, chairman of the association told Trend.
According to Abbasguliyev, this indicator amounted to over 24 million manat ($14.1 million) compared to 16 million manat ($9.4 million) in 2020.
He said that the jewelry goods in finished and raw form have already been exported.
"The jewelry goods are exported to almost all continents, but the potential is noticeable in the CIS countries, especially in Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. In the future, the countries of Eastern Europe will also be included in the list of export countries. The traditional importers of the goods are Italy, Turkey, the UAE, and Thailand. China and India make up a small share," added the CEO.
"Association of Azerbaijan Jewelers" public union was created in February 2020, at the initiative and support of the Azerbaijan Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA). Its main mission is to turn Azerbaijan into a regional jewelry center.


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Large cannabis growing facilities are up for sale in communities across the province as the industry comes to grips with slower-than-expected sales of government-sanctioned cannabis products.
An 18,000-sq.-ft. cannabis cultivation and processing facility is for sale in the Village of Lumby after its owner True Leaf Brands entered bankruptcy proceedings. The asking price for the warehouse-sized operation on 40 acres is $7.25 million.
“We are on a good piece of land in a town that is supportive of the business, so we’ve had quite a bit of interest,” said True Leaf CEO Darcy Bomford. “The deadline for bids is June 19.”
– Read the entire article at Vancouver Sun.
Credit: Source link


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Buyers seek calves that are weaned and processed, and they avoid cattle deemed “high risk”
High quality genetics and a solid reputation are no longer enough for your calves to top the market on sale day.
“If you want to earn top-dollar for your calves, preconditioning is a must,” says Mark Harmon, Joplin
Regional Stockyards (JRS) marketing manager. “The greatest demand from buyers is for calves that have been weaned and preconditioned prior to sale day.”
One of the nation’s largest livestock auction markets, JRS sold more than 430,000 cattle in 2014, claiming a primary market area consisting of 33 counties in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The area features beef operations of all sizes, but many of them are small. Harmon says those 33 counties are home to 50,000 cattle operations, with an average cow herd size of 32.
“On a normal feeder-cattle sale, we will have approximately 500 consignors with an average head count of 12 animals,” Harmon says.
During the heavy fall feeder cattle runs, Harmon says buyers are looking for calves that are weaned and processed, and they avoid cattle deemed “high risk.” He encourages producers to do things that will “differentiate yourself and your product from the norm.”
As calf prices have risen substantially the past two years, there might be a tendency among some producers to believe the value of preconditioning is reduced. That’s a fallacy, Harmon says.
“The more calves are worth, the more preconditioning pays,” he says.
Purdue University veterinarian W. Mark Hilton concurs with that belief. “2014 was the biggest ‘no brainer’ year in history to precondition your calves,” he says. “2015 could be even better.”
Hilton and Purdue agricultural economist Nicole J. Widmar examined the profitability of preconditioning in an 11-year case study of an Indiana beef herd. They found that precondition was profitable for the producer in each of the 11 years of the study, returning an average of $80.70 per calf to labor and management per year. Annual returns ranged from $26.04 per calf to $116.48 per calf per year.
“Profitability improved as the manager’s experience with managing the precondition component of the operation increased,” Hilton says.
Factors that contribute to increased profit from preconditioning include average daily gain, days-on-feed, cost of gain and feed cost of gain. Overall, returns to preconditioning were primarily due to added weight sold, 63% of return, with the price advantage at a preconditioning health sale adding the remaining 37%.
And that sales price advantage can be stunning. This past year, Superior Livestock Auction reported a $12.06 per cwt “health price advantage” for weaned and vaccinated calves. Hilton notes that even if a preconditioned calf only gained 1 lb. per day, the producer would earn $62.20 per head with that health price advantage. Increase the calf’s weight gain to 3 lb. per day, and the profit is $211 per head, or a 169% return on the preconditioning investment.
Hilton offers four keys to success in a preconditioning program:
1. Team building. Gather a team of experts willing to continue learning with you, he says. That might
include a veterinarian, nutritionist, Extension personnel, etc.
2. Weight gain. “In preconditioning, if you’re not having those calves gain a significant amount of weight … you’re not going to have as much profit in them,” Hilton says. “The genetics we’ve got today—they can do it. In our 11-year study in Indiana, weight gain was the most important factor in profitability.”
3. Herd health and nutrition. Finding the right vaccination program and timing is essential to preconditioning success. Hilton encourages producers to have one-on-one consultations with their veterinarians.
In the Indiana study, 79% of the cost of preconditioning was in the form of hay and feed, Hilton says, underscoring the importance of nutrition. “We found having a balanced diet was key to getting 3 lb. per day gain in our calves.”
4. Marketing. “Your calves are special,” he says. “You need to build a resume for them.” That includes finding out more about how the calves do after weaning by retaining some ownership or participating in a small-scale feedout. Hilton says the bottom line is that health pays—but it pays even more when marketing matches management.
“If you are not adding value to your calves, you are making a huge mistake leaving money on the table and giving feedlot owners poorer quality cattle,” Hilton says.


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The Chinese company that owns popular video-sharing app TikTok is exploring all possibilities to ensure that its subsidiary can continue operating in the United States, according to a memo sent out Monday by Chief Executive Officer Zhang Yiming.
Beijing-based ByteDance has come under pressure from Washington to sell off its U.S. TikTok operations over concerns that the company’s links to the Chinese government threaten the privacy of U.S. citizens.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Sunday that President Donald Trump is likely to take action in the coming days. People familiar with the matter told Reuters that Trump agreed to give ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale to Microsoft.
In the meantime, Microsoft said in a blog post Sunday that its CEO, Satya Nadella, and Trump had a conversation on the potential acquisition and "Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States."
Zhang, who founded ByteDance in 2012, said Monday that his teams are working around-the-clock "for the best outcome." Without naming Microsoft directly, Zhang acknowledged that ByteDance is in negotiations with a tech firm, but "we have not decided on the final solution yet. The attention of the outside world and rumors around TikTok might last for a while,” he said.
According to the memo that was reported in the Chinese media, Zhang complained to his employees that “the current geopolitical and public opinion environment is becoming more and more complex. TikTok's U.S. business is facing the possibility of being forced to sell by CFIUS, or TikTok products may be banned in the United States due to administrative orders."
CFIUS, or the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, opened a review last year of the Musical.ly purchase that led to TikTok’s creation. Zhang also said that despite their willingness to adopt more technical solutions to allay Washington’s concerns, the company believes CFIUS will require it to sell the TikTok U.S. operation. "We do not agree with this decision,” he said.
As TikTok surged to become one of the most popular apps in the world, Washington began calling for a national security investigation into the app. White House officials and lawmakers are worried what information TikTok shares with the Chinese government about the app’s roughly 100 million American users.
Zhang emphasized again that TikTok is a privately run business.
“We’ve always firmly protected the security of users’ data, the platform’s independence and transparency,” he said.
U.S. officials have argued that such guarantees mean little because Chinese companies generally have no choice but to bend to Communist Party demands.
On Monday China’s foreign ministry said it strongly opposed any U.S. actions against Chinese software companies, and it hoped the U.S. could stop its “discriminatory policies.”
In an interview Monday with U.S. business news network CNBC, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer called the company’s pursuit of TikTok “exciting.”
“Price is important, as well as whatever restrictions come with it from a government perspective, but I think it’s an exciting avenue for Microsoft to really increase its consumer base,” he said.
In the meantime, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday called for a U.S. company to purchase TikTok.
“A U.S. company should buy TikTok so everyone can keep using it and your data is safe,” he said in a tweet, "With TikTok in China, it’s subject to Chinese Communist Party laws that may require handing over data to their government.”


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Citicorp has licensed software from Netscape Communications Corp. for use in electronic commerce services, the companies announced Tuesday.
Citicorp executives said it will give them a start on a new wave of Internet commerce, in which the bank will help business customers sell goods and services over the World Wide Web.
And this first major deal with an aggressive technology-deploying financial institution could give Netscape a shot in the arm as Microsoft Corp., its rival for Internet browser supremacy, must fight federal antitrust charges filed Monday.
Senior analyst Ted Schadler of Forrester Research said, "Citicorp's decision represents a level of credibility" for Netscape as it pursues the Fortune 1000 commerce market.
"If you consider what Citibank is, we are the essence of commerce-we connect the buyer to seller and offer a financial component to help facilitate business," said Edward Horowitz, corporate executive vice president and director of the Citibank advanced development group.
"As the world gets more wired, the demand is not just to provide the financial aspect of a transaction," he said. "It is to provide customers with the value-added information to facilitate and track the order."
Citicorp, which has a pending merger with Travelers Group that would make it the largest financial company in the world, would assume the role of what Netscape terms an "enterprise service provider."
Its offerings would extend beyond traditional banking functions into hosting Web sites and managing commerce-enabled intranets and extranets on behalf of customers.
"Citibank recognizes the Internet as a powerful tool for gaining competitive advantage," said Jim Barksdale, president and chief executive officer of Mountain View, Calif.-based Netscape. "We are excited that Citibank is in front of an important new trend."
Mr. Barksdale said Netscape's technology can help automate business processes, purchasing, customer service, and product development. The Internet promises to drive down the overhead costs while letting businesses reach millions of customers.
In praise of Netscape, Mr. Horowitz said it "had to go through a lot of hoops" to be able to meet Citicorp's global needs.
The banking company's decision to use the entire range of Netscape's CommerceXpert family, plus its application server and directory server software, continues its move away from long-held prejudices against outside vendors.
"There was a time when you needed to build and design and support your own software," said Mr. Horowitz.
"With the advent of Internet and 'thin client' software, we are finding we don't need to do that and are shifting to a strategy of buying off-the- shelf software"-modified to meet the needs of the bank's customers.
"This agreement provides us with a set of tools to accelerate the development of (electronic commerce) applications for both corporations and consumers," Mr. Horowitz said. u