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Click on the headline (link) for the full text.
Many more articles are available through the Energy Bulletin homepage
The £1,290 car delights Indians but horrifies the green lobby
Amelia Gentleman, The Observer
After years of secret preparation, the world’s cheapest car will be unveiled in Delhi this week – delighting millions of Indians as much as it is horrifying environmentalists.
At 100,000 rupees (£1,290), the People’s Car, designed and manufactured by Tata, is being marketed as a safer way of travelling for those who until now have had to transport their families balanced on the back of their motorbikes.
Ratan Tata, 70, chairman of the family-run business, who has spearheaded the race for a cut-price car, wrote on the company website: ‘That’s what drove me – a man on a two-wheeler with a child standing in front, his wife sitting behind, add to that the wet roads – a family in potential danger.’
(6 January 2008)
Thieves target vehicles’ catalytic converters
John Spano, Los Angeles Times
With a socket wrench and 90 seconds, criminals can make off with the emissions-reduction devices — and the platinum they contain.
This holiday season has seen an explosion in thefts of expensive, platinum-laced catalytic converters from parked cars, and authorities report that high-clearance sport utility vehicles are the targets of choice for thieves.
With a common socket wrench and 90 seconds, they leave drivers stuck with cars that sound like Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and facing repair bills topping $1,000.
“It’s an epidemic. It’s everywhere,” said Lt. Bob Turnbull of the El Segundo Police Department.
… The prize is a catalytic converter, a device used to reduce emissions. Platinum is more valuable than gold, and the contents of a typical converter are worth $40 to $50 to scrap-metal dealers.
(2 January 2008)
Are the suburbs a health hazard?
Kathy Flaxman, Globe and Mail
Some say a bigger home on a wide lot can take a physical toll
“The suburbs are a nightmare – a total planning disaster. People move in because they’re affordable, and then they can’t do anything. They’re in the car all the time. You get this big house, but studies show that the rate of heart attack increases with the length of time you are stuck in traffic.”
Dr. Kim Connelly, cardiologist, is talking about Australia, but no matter what continent, he is not a fan of suburbs. In Canada on a research grant from the Australian government, he has his studded tires on, but the tires are on his bike. This 36 year old physician cycles through all four seasons from his home in on Helena Street in west-end Toronto to the two hospitals, St. Michael’s and Sunnybrook, where he’s researching heart disease and diabetes.
(4 January 2008)
This year resolve to update cosmetics to eco-friendly brands
Aaron Hill, Salem Monthly
Every adult American uses an average of 10 personal care products a day containing 100 or more unique chemicals, according to a recent report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The study is part of an effort by EWG to provide comprehensive safety information on industrial chemicals in cosmetics.
It identified a total of 200 chemicals from personal care products alone. Many are known toxins.
A scientific technique known as bio-monitoring, in which scientists track the levels of synthetic chemicals in people, continues to provide details on what has become known as the chemical body burden.
…According to Hankins, over 90 percent of all beauty and cosmetic ingredients are derived from petrochemicals and other synthetics.
“The manufacturing and processing of these compounds is not only bad for people, but it creates an unsustainable business considering we have hit peak oil production,” he said.
(31 December 2007)
Junk Mail Box: Stopping Paper Waste
Alan Durning, Sightline
On my email accounts, I have filters that keep out most spam. But my regular mail boxes at home and the office? No such luck! Advertising arrives in the post daily, by the sheaf and by the ream.
It annoys me. Here I am, scrupulously recycling and contemplating the climate impacts of my consumption, while L.L. Bean and its ilk are dropping slabs of paper in my mail box: paper that took carbon-storing trees to create, climate-polluting factories to mill, and carbon-belching trucks to haul. All told, it’s 41 pounds of junk mail a year per American.
Admittedly, junk mail isn’t high on Cascadia’s lists of menaces. According to estimates developed for the US Postal Service, it accounts for just over one tenth of one percent of all energy use (at least, if Cascadia matches the US average), plus one-fiftieth of municipal solid waste.
Still, it’s worth a little attention, especially when you consider that virtually no direct mail actually works.
…The environmental implications of junk mail-most of which are caused by paper production and disposal-are worth spelling out. This report by a group of national environmental organizations says that, among US manufacturing industries, papermaking is the first-ranked consumer of water (per ton of product), third-ranked consumer of energy, third-ranked emitter of toxic pollutants into the air, fourth-ranked emitter of greenhouse gases, and fourth-ranked emitter of toxic pollutants into water.
Paper’s climate impacts are particularly troubling:
(31 December 2007)


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Iranian companies' non-oil exports amounted to $3.6bn for the period, up from $3.3bn during the same period in 2007.
The export figures were released by Iran's Customs Administration on 13 October.
The government body says that the volume of exports had also increased since 2007, although it declined to say by how much.
Iran's current account balance is forecast to be 11.2 per cent in 2008, according to the latest projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
By far the largest contributor to Iran's positive current account balance comes from its oil and gas exports.
The IMF predicts that Iran's overall economic growth will be 5.5 per cent in 2008.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic advances, some companies have been able to change strategic focus to stay afloat in new and innovative ways. Here’s what their actions have to teach the rest of us.
Agility, resilience, flexibility — these organisational holy grails should now be more urgently and more enthusiastically pursued than ever before. Why? Because they are the keys to business survival.
Chaos and uncertainty are all around us right now, thanks to COVID-19, but there are some things we know for certain. It is certain that this pandemic will wreak havoc on lives and communities worldwide. And it is certain that the change it brings will put companies out of business if they can’t change their ways of operating quickly enough.
What then can businesses — large and small — do to respond? Today, organisations need to be extra quick-thinking, decisive, inventive, and reinventive. Already around the world we are seeing examples of how agile businesses are pivoting, strategically and creatively, to take advantage of new opportunities - and their actions can help show the way. Here are some inspiring examples:
Rethink what you do. Use what you have
Fashion giants such as Armani, Burberry and Prada (amongst others) have shifted from making ball gowns to surgical gowns. General Motors, Ford and Tesla are manufacturing ventilators. South African micro distillery Inverroche has shifted from making gin to hand sanitizers, as have multinational drink and beer manufacturer AB InBev. Brewgooders in the UK are assisting citizens in supporting NHS staff by giving them the opportunity to thank frontline workers by ‘buying them a pint’ - in true British tradition. The company has set up a delivery service where pints of beer can be delivered on behalf of individuals to the homes of frontline workers as a way of thanks.
Forge new and unlikely partnerships
Biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca’s CEO Pascal Soriot says, “governments need help with their supply chains, capabilities, skills and expertise - and that it remains crucial for companies to partner with others in order to scale their efforts.”
In the USA, Coca-Cola is partnering with a not-for-profit organisation and Georgia Tech engineers to provide plastic sheeting and logistics and supply chain support to help produce face shields for health workers. Even smaller businesses such as Vienna’s horse drawn carriages who generally depend or tourists are continuing operations by now delivering meals to seniors across the city. Locally, Vodacom and Discovery have partnered to provide free online doctor consultations available to all South Africans. Cape Town based Granadilla Swim is partnering with other small businesses such as Woodstock Bakery and local organic farmers, whose sole access to markets collapsed with the onset of the lockdown. Granadilla is now using their on-line order capacity and distribution channels to deliver fresh produce instead of swimwear to clients around the Mother City.
Step up and stay in touch
Like their international counterparts, South African big business has stepped up to the front line. Some have made hefty cash donations to the Solidarity Fund, while others are providing products or services. For example, UNILEVER is donating soaps and sanitizers to various charitable organisations, while the SASOL Foundation is offering free online primary and high school text books and resources during lockdown.
Even small enterprises, arguably the already most damaged and at risk, can demonstrate care and stay in touch with their customers. Countless small businesses are offering on-line information and awareness campaigns, online classes, entertainment, recipes, and even simply uplifting messages of encouragement on social media platforms.
No matter the size of your business, brands have a responsibility to give back to loyal customers by showing solidarity and empathy particularly during this time. Brands that connect with customers even by just showing solidarity may also have the best chance of survival. Despite a smaller wallet post COVID19, customers will have a soft spot for brands that reached out to meet their physical or emotional needs when times were tough. As an article in the MIT Sloan Management Review points out: “In addition to simply being a good practice for ethical reasons, there are empirically established correlations between charitable activities and future financial performance, improved relations with government authorities, and reputational legitimacy.”
Forget short term sales
If you have not yet shifted your approach to marketing, now is the time. Move away from an emphasis on the hard sell, to a newer marketing paradigm of support. Marketing should be the role that cares about and listens to the consumer, feeding information back into the company to inform strategic decisions.
For many businesses, sales or the provision of services are not possible during lockdown at all. But it is possible to use this time to stay in touch with consumers and in touch with their changing skills and needs. Take the world famous Keukenhof flower park in Holland which has launched a series of innovative virtual tours to take its spring flower display to millions of people online. Similarly the Museum of Modern Art in New York and MusÃ©e d’Orsay in Paris, amongst others are offering virtual tours of its art exhibitions.
Athletic apparel company Lululemon have created an online platform for hunker downers to do yoga classes at home during the lockdown. While this may not increase sales of products in the short term, it allows customers to remain part of the brand while stores are closed and improves well-being during lockdown. It is likely that this new way of connecting with customers may continue post lockdown. Changing consumer needs will lead to a demand for new services and products and for new ways of consuming services and products as well as a change in spending patterns in the months and years ahead. Staying in touch with customers and understanding their needs by meeting them where they are is likely to put your organisation in a better position to meet those needs.
Take care of your staff
In addition to the measures announced by President Ramaphosa to mitigate COVID19’s impact on employees and SMMEs, many businesses have already shown enormous agility in crafting caring crisis-management plans for their staff. Moving staff off-site, setting up systems for working remotely, or conversely providing protective gear and sanitising work environments. Further innovations include extending paid sick or annual leave provisions, rethinking HR policies, providing learning opportunities, offering dedicated support to anxious staff, taking salary cuts at management level to ensure wages for the most vulnerable employees. Cared for employees are loyal employees, and more likely to go the extra mile.
The end of lockdown is not the end
COVID19 has inflicted severe human suffering and economic strain already, and it will continue to do so well into the future. The end of lockdown will not be the end of COVID19. Finding a way of being agile enough to continuously adapt as the world moves from crisis to crisis is likely to be part of our new normal.
What these inspiring companies are showing us is that in these strange new times, strategic agility — the ability to move fast to take advantage of change to secure competitive advantage — is a key business skill for the new normal.
Of course, not every business will be able to redeploy their capabilities or resources to meet society’s immediate needs. But do what you can. Ask yourself, what are the improvements we can make, and look for incremental innovations. Better still, figure out the “why” of your organisation, and it will be easier to change your “how”. According to Simon Sineck, clarity of purpose (why does our business exist) will ensure the ability to think of new and different ways (how) to achieve your desired end result.
For organisations wanting to brush up on their strategic agility, answering three simple questions is a good place to start: (1) What do we have that’s necessary now? ; (2) What do we have that others do not have? ; and (3) How then do we partner with others to achieve our desired end result?
Agility (be that strategic or creative) adaptability and empathy for both employees and customers are key elements in staying afloat in the short term and improving the chances of business survival in the long term.
Mignon Reyneke is Associate Professor of Digital Marketing at the UCT Graduate School of Business.


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JD.com rolls out fleet of autonomous delivery vans as online shopping giants embrace unmanned operations
- The roll out in Changshu city in Jiangsu province began in August after the company tested its Level-4 autonomous driving technology in Wuhan earlier this year
- However, analysts say it could take more than 10 years to achieve large-scale use because the technology is expensive and firms need to figure out how to make money
JD.com, China’s No 2 e-commerce player, will deploy 100 autonomous delivery vehicles on public roads in a Chinese city by the end of the year as the country’s online shopping giants push for more unmanned deliveries amid the pandemic.
“We will continue to increase the investment in logistics technology, and we will also make logistics technologies available to the general public, facilitating social infrastructure upgrades,” Zhenhui Wang, chief executive of JD Logistics, said in a statement on Thursday.
Wang said more than 100,000 of the “autonomous robots”, which look like minivans, will be deployed over the next five years, enhancing customer experience and alleviating the workload of frontline workers.
The Beijing-based company said the unsupervised vehicles, loaded up with parcels, have built-in intelligence to plan their own delivery routes from JD’s delivery stations to the recipient’s addresses.
After arriving at the designated delivery location, the system messages or calls the recipient with a retrieval code so they can pick it up. It is programmed to wait a certain amount of time before leaving the residential compound or office building. If the customer does not pick up the package, the delivery will be rescheduled, according to the company.
The vehicle’s autonomous driving system, which was designed in-house, can reach up to 50 kilometres on one battery charge because its power consumption is 10 per cent of the industry average, or equivalent to that of a standard light bulb, according to the company.
JD’s move highlights how Chinese e-commerce players are keen to apply unmanned delivery technology in real life scenarios. The technology used by JD is similar to that of robo-taxis currently operating on public roads. “[It] uses highly autonomous driving technology and is verified by a cloud simulation platform, which is based on accumulated data from real road conditions,” Qi Kong, chief scientist of automation at JD Logistics, said in the statement.
However, analysts do not see the technology becoming commonplace any time soon.
“[Unmanned delivery] is definitely a trend … and there are a lot of opportunities to use the technology on last mile delivery. But the cost, including the hardware, software and applications, is extremely high,” said Zhao Yue, an analyst at research firm Analysys.
“To achieve large-scale use, it will take at least 10 years, if not 20, because the companies need to figure out a business model and how to make money from it. There are supportive policies to deploy unmanned delivery vehicles, but specific implementation of the ground rules from the government are still needed.”
Intelligent sorting systems help China's JD.com cope with demand during Covid-19 pandemic
Beijing-based Meituan, the country’s largest on-demand delivery platform, has been testing autonomous delivery systems in closed situations. Last week, the company launched an app-based smart store that offers unmanned deliveries to Beijing’s Shougang Park, which is expected to become a 2022 Winter Olympics facility. Park visitors can have their orders delivered to specific stations in the park, according to the company. Meituan said a similar service will be deployed in the 2022 Olympic athletes community.
Online shopping is booming in China as more people move to digital platforms in place of physical malls. The total number of parcels delivered in China via express firms to date exceeded 60 billion as of Sunday, according to the State Post Bureau.


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The initiative, Project Velocity, will deliver technology that can print up to 500 A0 colour prints per hour - around 15 times faster than conventional inkjet systems – on a 1,060mm print-path at 1,600 x 800dpi.
The touchscreen-controlled system will be fitted with six addressable media rolls, with the ability to switch between rolls and widths with up to 1,200m output capacity. The Velocity concept is making its public debut at the Canon Europe Drupa stand (Hall 8A, C06-1), where visitors can see hourly demonstrations.
Memjet president and chief executive Len Lauer said: "The Océ partnership is significant, underscoring the performance that Memjet technology and components deliver. Océ’s wide format experience, excellent product development, sales and marketing expertise, and worldwide brand and distribution make them the ideal partner for Memjet in the wide format segment."
Infotrends' Tim Greene said the partnership would change the competitive landscape of the global wide format market, overnight. "Velocity takes advantage of Océ's strengths such as paper handling for production environments, production workflow in the technical market and controller technology, and wraps them around Memjet's revolutionary technology and components," he added.
Océ will reveal pricing and availability information in the second half of 2012.
Meanwhile Memjet has also announced it is to partner with Toshiba TEC Corporation to develop multi-function office products. Toshiba will integrate Memjet components into a "Multi-function Peripheral product (MFP)" including a scanner, photocopier and colour printer.
On display at Memjet’s Drupa stand (hall 5, E28) is a future MFP, which is being co-developed by both companies.
Under the partnership agreement Toshiba will evaluate Memjet technology for high-speed requirements in manufacturing, logistics and retail environments.
General manager Hidetaka Nonami said: "Customers are continuously looking for the latest innovations that strengthen operations as well as the financial bottom line. We believe Memjet has developed an approach to office printing that can do both."


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By Amy Robinson
The last year has caused a revolutionary change in how businesses across all industries operate. In order to survive, companies have had to adapt and find new ways of connecting with customers – and prospective customers alike – and keep them engaged.
Arguably, the coronavirus pandemic has affected the finance sector in a unique way. Like many other industries, finance firms have had to increase their digital presence and offer more self-serve capabilities to clients. However, unlike other sectors, they’ve also had more of an onus placed on them to ensure they’re being supportive and fair.
As we all know, the pandemic has been financially challenging for many people, which is why the FCA issued updated guidance at the end of last year outlining enhanced support that should be available to consumer credit customers experiencing payment difficulties as a result of Covid-19. The guidance covered a wide range of financial services including the use of personal loans, credit cards, store cards, catalogue credit, rent to own, buy now pay later, pawnbroking, motor finance and high-cost short-term credit, with advice on payment deferrals, and an emphasis on tailored support.
Offering a more tailored service became commonplace in 2020 with companies recognising an increasing need to treat each of their customers as unique individuals. Giving customers more self-serve capabilities also became a popular option, with businesses exploring channels such as interactive voice response (IVR), mobile web apps and chatbots.
With so much to consider and with new guidance and regulations introduced on a regular basis, finance firms were essentially forced to up their game and improve their customer service. Our latest research confirms this, highlighting how a third of finance companies increased their business messaging during Covid-19. Appointment management, customer service and delivery information were the main use cases for business messaging last year.
Given the amount of uncertainty regarding recovery, the sector has a challenging task ahead to ensure customers feel supported and valued. With this in mind, here are three trends we predict will continue to play an important role in 2021.
Personalised debt recovery strategies
Personalisation is here to stay, and will only become more important over the years to come, as companies face more pressure to retain their existing customer base. Statistics show that one in three people have gone into debt since the start of the pandemic which is consequently negatively impacting their mental health – as a result, it’s vital that firms act with compassion. We expect to see the industry go beyond ethical debt collection this year, focusing on taking people’s circumstances on a case-by-case basis and offering tailored solutions. This may include offering struggling customers longer-term plans in a bid to make their repayments more affordable. For those that can’t get a deferral, lenders or finance companies may be able to:
- Reduce or not charge interest on arrears
- Be flexible with the amount outstanding, and how long the customer has to pay it
- Allow customers to pay a small amount for a fixed amount of time
- Make a bespoke payment arrangement
Engagement through business messaging
Keeping customers engaged is challenging, but fail to do so and you could lose that customer altogether. It’s likely to be a while before face-to-face interactions become the norm again, so it’s important for companies to introduce more effective ways of communication. As mentioned above, business messaging increased in 2020 and we expect to see that ‘one in three’ figure rise even more this year.
With so many people having a mobile phone, it makes sense for businesses to explore this option. Data shows that nearly 70% of consumers use private messaging to interact with brands and that experience will overtake price and quality in importance to customers, so it’s a no-brainer to be experimenting with as many channels as possible to drive that engagement.
The rise of Virtual Customer Assistants (VCAs)
It’s probably unsurprising to hear that during the pandemic there has been a 44% increase in call volume to contact centres within the UK. Add operational challenges and staff shortages to this and companies were faced with a choice: continue as they were, potentially risking an increase in dissatisfied customers, or pivot. Many chose the latter, reducing call, chat and email enquiries through the introduction of a Virtual Customer Assistant.
VCAs have two great benefits to customers. Firstly they ensure that customer enquiries get dealt with quickly and accurately thus reducing pressure on the customer services team while also helping your customers to feel supported. Additionally, according to Aspect Software 73% of customers want to solve product or service issues on their own. VCAs support this desire as customers are able to self-serve in an efficient manner and removes the need to be sat on hold just to have a simple request resolved.
None of the above are new in nature, but they’ve been exacerbated by the current climate, and in many ways become an essential part of everyday business. While finance firms cannot control the pandemic, they can control the way they react to it and how they can help their customers navigate the challenges it brings.
About the Author
Amy Robinson is a senior brand development manager at telecommunications provider Esendex, which supports businesses with mobile messaging solutions. Amy takes great pride in assessing the industry’s latest developments and adapting them into new and innovative proposals to ensure that Esendex provides a unique and highly effective service to its customers.


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|Bid||28.81 x 800|
|Ask||28.99 x 3200|
|Day's Range||28.75 - 29.14|
|52 Week Range||26.36 - 46.99|
|Beta (3Y Monthly)||1.44|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||N/A|
|Earnings Date||Jan 29, 2019 - Feb 4, 2019|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||36.54|
Spotify (SPOT) announced last month its plan to repurchase up to $1.0 billion of its shares by April 2021. Facebook in April added $9.0 billion to its share repurchase program, and Alphabet in February announced a fresh $8.6 billion share repurchase program. Alibaba has lined up $6.0 billion for share repurchases for the next two years, while eBay exited the third quarter with $4.7 billion remaining under its existing share repurchase authorization.
About 58.0% of the 12 analysts covering Etsy (ETSY) stock have given it “buy” ratings as of December 12. The remaining analysts have given it “hold” ratings. Analysts are bullish on Etsy because its strategic efforts are pushing it in the right direction, as is evidenced by its strong financial performance and stock price movement. There have been no price changes on Etsy stock in the last 15 days.
An expanded Facebook and PayPal relationship is mutually beneficial and could be a game-changer for PayPal, according to MoffettNathanson.
On December 7, Alphabet (GOOGL) was the world’s second-largest Internet player, with a market capitalization of $746.49 billion. Meanwhile, peers eBay (EBAY), Baidu (BIDU), Amazon (AMZN), and Facebook (FB) had market caps of $28.37 billion, $62.98 billion, $830.86 billion, and $401.27 billion, respectively.
Baidu (BIDU) has been active in the bond market lately. Baidu’s past bond sales include $1.0 billion in notes maturing between 2024 and 2028. Baidu said in press releases that the bond sales were aimed at raising funds to repay some of its outstanding borrowing, with any remainder being used for general corporate purposes.
Investing.com – U.S. futures pointed to a mixed opening bell on Thursday as Chinese companies began buying American soybeans, boosting optimism that the two countries will reach a trade deal.The S&P 500 futures rose 2 points or 0.08% to 2,654.5 as of 6:40 AM ET (11:40 GMT) while Dow futures inched down 5 points, or 0.02%, to 24,561. Meanwhile tech heavy Nasdaq 100 futures increased 15 points, or 0.23%, to 6,784.5.The U.S. and China struck a trade truce earlier this month and have been in talks ever since, increasing hopes that the trade war between the two will soon be over. ...
There's a growing cottage industry of dealers who acquire discarded items at very low prices, only to resell some of them back on Amazon and eBay at a premium.
The recent sell-off in tech stocks has led to divergent views on Shopify (NYSE:SHOP). Others look to the enormous growth of Shopify stock as filling the niche that Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) cannot supplant. Some look at the forward price-to-earnings (PE) ratio that hovers above 220 and conclude that it has nowhere to go but down.
The top-tier Wall Street bank is admitting it was wrong with a bullish call on (EBAY) stock earlier this year. Analyst Brian Nowak lowered his rating to Equal-weight from Overweight for eBay (ticker: EBAY) stock, predicting weak growth for sales at the company’s main U.S. business, the eBay-branded website. “We were wrong about core marketplaces’ growth and durability and our work shows US marketplaces’ growth is likely to hold back the [valuation] multiple investors pay for eBay,” he wrote on Wednesday.
STOCKSTOWATCHTODAY BLOG The Dow Jones Industrial Average is soaring this morning—and if you believe the headlines it’s because the U.S. and China are making progress on trade. Or maybe a benign CPI report.
Morgan Stanley's bullish case for eBay Inc (NASDAQ: EBAY ) was based on a positive outlook for the core marketplace business -- a thesis that hasn't played out as expected. The Analyst Morgan Stanley's ...
Investing.com – U.S. futures pointed to a higher opening bell on Wednesday as trade optimism rose after upbeat comments from U.S. President Donald Trump.The S&P 500 futures rose 17 points or 0.67% to 2,658.88 as of 6:40 AM ET (11:40 GMT) while Dow futures gained 148 points, or 0.61%, to 24,572. Meanwhile tech heavy Nasdaq 100 futures increased 59 points, or 0.89%, to 6,776.75.Trump tweeted on Tuesday that talks with China were “very productive.” The two countries agreed to a trade truce in early December in order to discuss a trade deal. ...
Analyst Brian Nowak cuts his 12-month price target for the online marketplace by 40 percent, predicting little growth over the next year. "We under-estimated how quickly core marketplaces would deteriorate: We were wrong in double-upgrading eBay," the analyst writes. A faster-than-expected deterioration of eBay's EBAY marketplace is likely to cap any future stock gains, according to Morgan Stanley, which downgraded the stock to equal weight on Wednesday.
Verizon VZ was downgraded to "equal-weight" from "overweight" at Morgan Stanley, which notes Verizon's year-to-date outperformance compared to both the S&P 500 and rival AT&T T . Morgan Stanley feels the stock is now fairly valued and that good news is already priced in. Mallinckrodt MNK – The Food and Drug Administration declined to approve a reformulated version of the British drug maker's opioid painkiller Roxicodone.
Facebook’s (FB) TTM (trailing-12-month) price-to-sales ratio is 15.08x, while the industry average is 8.54x and the sector average is 2.67x. Peers Twitter (TWTR), Baidu (BIDU), eBay (EBAY), and Square (SQ) have TTM price-to-sales ratios of 5.36x, 7.70x, 2.64x, and 6.20x, respectively.
Considering FedEx's (FDX) shareholder-friendly initiatives and other positives, we believe that the company will be able to counter headwinds like high costs.
Facing pressure over high-profile allegations of sexual harassment, Google recently changed its policy of forcing those claims into arbitration. But this isn't all good news for employees.
NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2018 -- In new independent research reports released early this morning, Market Source Research released its latest key findings for all current investors,.
Green Monday, the second Monday of December, has always been one of the year’s best shopping days for eBay (EBAY). The company coined the term “Green Monday” in 2007. Today is Green Monday, and we can expect big sales on eBay—which the company desperately needs.
Along with the big discounts, the convenience of mobile e-commerce is making it an unstoppable trend. The simple answer is that while Amazon doesn’t need PayPal, everyone else does. PayPal is thriving because companies are clamoring for a neutral, trusted digital intermediary for payments, and its platform of 254 million active accounts drives higher sales.
SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, eBay and TIME'S UP are launching an initiative to raise funds for the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund in celebration of the movement's upcoming one-year anniversary. Now through December 20th, shoppers can visit eBay.com/TIMESUP to make an impact through a variety of inventory and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.


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Debenhams has begun talking to agencies about its advertising account, currently at TBWA Simons Palmer.
The department store began reappraising its 3m agency roster last summer, following the departure of advertising and promotions director Alison Dow.
Knight Leach Delaney won part of the business last May, but it went back to TBWA when the agency shut down five months later. TBWA was first appointed in 1995 to develop the store’s TV advertising campaign.
Chairman of TBWA Simons Palmer Jonathan Hoare confirms that Debenhams is reviewing the account. He claims the store is specifically looking at moving its advertising in-house, though other agen- cies are understood to have been approached about the business.
It is understood that the Burton Group’s recently acquired mail order clothing company Racing Green is also looking for an advertising agency for its 1m account.
Debenhams’ holding company Burton cleared out the store’s top marketing executives last year to create the new position of visual and promotions director six months before the marketing director’s post was axed.
Debenhams has also begun a revamp of its stores, which will roll out nationally.


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
Not all athletes get a second chance. Michael Vick got one, and he’s really making the most of it.
Three years after his 18-month incarceration for bankrolling a dog fighting ring, The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is launching a sports clothing line called V7. The clothing line, which is part of a licensing partnership with celebrity fashion mogul Ruby Azrak, will be sold exclusively at Modell’s shops along the East Coast. Vick was in New York City Tuesday to promote the clothing line on The Today Show and in the 42nd Street Modell's store.
In line with his promotional push, Vick also has a book, “Finally Free,” slated to come out Sept. 4, in which he has shared his thoughts on the dog fighting conviction, his time in prison and returning to the NFL.
The book and the clothing line are the latest points of income for Vick, which will help him continue to build his current fortune. Once bankrupt, Vick is now No. 50 on the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes. He signed a six-year $100 million contract ($35 million guaranteed) with the Eagles before the start of last season after becoming the 2010 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Nike re-signed Vick last year after cutting ties with him in 2007, and he also inked new deals with Unequal Technologies, MusclePharm and Core Synergy.
Vick's financial hole was deep. He faced 45 claims against him worth $18.97 million, and owed another $2.5 million to the Royal Bank of Canada for defaulting on a real estate development loan, as well as $1.1 million to Wachovia Bank on a loan he received to set up a wine shop and restaurant, causing him to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2008.
But as his new shirts read, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” At this point in his life, that is the motto Vick is living by. Along with losing a lot of money, he lost a lot of fans through the dog fighting scandal. But a large support base did stick by him. Now they are the fan of an author, clothes merchant and a married man who was wed to his long-time girlfriend Kijafa Frink last month. Oh, and he’s still in the prime of his athletic career.
Maybe Vick has finally grown up. His bank account certainly has.
Follow me on Twitter at @LanceMadden.


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Tencent Games Will Verify IDs to Limit Playing Times for Children
Like every other nation, the Chinese are not immune to the negative effects of video games. They too are haunted. And by nothing less sinister than the evils of gaming addiction, failing eyesight, and unfinished homework. Yes, the horror is real. But it was precisely this last issue which forced Tencent Games to finally take action. With this decision being overseen by the all-seeing state government. Not a big surprise, really…
So in September, Tencent Games started to impose strict age & time regulations on its games.
The honor of Kings – A Tencent Games Test-Case
The first victim of this newly initiated project – termed ‘health system’ – is the Honor of King’s title. A mobile app game with a wildly popular follower-base. So popular, in fact, that parents lodged complaints against it. Because their children were staying up well past their bedtime to play it. Which caused them to fall behind on their important schoolwork. And no child guardian can let this pass, obviously.
Gamers’ eyesight was (allegedly) also being impacted. So another objective behind these measures concerns improving their shortsightedness. Which simply means being able to see nearby objects clearly, with 6×6 vision.
Now, young Chinese gamers are bound by the following restrictions when playing the video game:
- Those aged 12 & below can only play for 1 hour/day (between 8 am and 9 pm)
- Those aged between 13 & 18 are allowed only 2 hours daily
To make good on its claims, Tencent Games plans to verify player ages through facial recognition. Along with scanning local police databases to confirm IDs. Though these actions are still in the experimental stage.
By the end of this year, the company aims to extend these rules to 10 other popular titles. With this net planned to cover all of its mobile games by 2019. So less ‘timewasting’ and ‘health-wasting’ retreats for the young ones!
Privacy Rights Groups are Concerned
As expected, this decision has caused many raised eyebrows among privacy rights advocates. The Chinese government is already well known for its hard-hitting authoritarianism. And this move is being seen as just another attempt by an already powerful executive to seize more control.
From the government’s angle, this approach is easy enough to understand.
Video games, like other multimedia productions, invite dissent. And encourage protests; in the manner of rebelling artworks. Issues which the Chinese state takes very seriously. Because it aims to maintain complete control of all aspects of public life. As well as public thought.
In this respect, all ‘ideas’ that go against the state narrative need to be censored. Even if a hint of suspicion arises regarding their intent. It is in no way shocking, then, to note that the state-run media has always vilified video games. Blaming them for their addictive quality, and for promoting social violence. Nor that it came out in full support after the Tencent mobile games announcement.
Even the government’s own newspaper, the People’s Daily, seems to be excited. In a recent issue, it praised Tencent’s ‘important step towards taking social responsibility’.
So go figure.
But Tencent Mobile Game Players Will Find a Way…
Another issue heavily discussed on social media points to the simple-mindedness of the company.
South Korea put similar gameplay restrictions on its video game industry. But this only caused gamers to become cleverer about the entire affair. And so they took hold of their parents and elder siblings’ mobile phones. Because these were obviously not blocked by the government’s controls.
Critics of the Tencent mobile games system claim that the government has learned nothing from this example. And so it is bound to repeat the same mistake. But at the cost of damaging its own country’s gaming industry.
Tencent mobile games bring in the majority revenue share for Tencent Holdings. So putting rigid player blocks on them directly translates into cornering the company. A measure which will cause it to incur heavy losses.
And this has indeed happened.
Because ever since the government’s ban was slapped on the company, its share prices have dropped. Many local investors have even jumped ship – as they don’t see profitable times ahead.
The Challenge Ahead
China currently has more than 600 million gamers. And most of them are absolutely hooked onto one Tencent game title or another. So for the company to identify all of these people will be a huge challenge. An issue which has already raised a lot of concerns within its headquarters in Shenzhen. Even by working overtime and at full capacity, the company won’t succeed overnight. Most experts are giving it a 5-year figure – with full control expected to take the swing by 2023.
But since the government is pleased with this rollout, timing may not be a big problem. The state, after all, has a history of providing regulatory relief to businesses who toe its line. And Tencent does seem to be doing that. If only to protect its own long-term interests.
The second problem relates to the government’s ban – which will last till 2019. During this period, players will not be able to make in-app purchases on Tencent games. Since these are the major routes from which the company gains revenue, profits will continue to plummet.
Still…the parents are happy. Which does count for something, right?
Internet Plans – an American Twist to the Affair
In the U.S, video games from Tencent are also a big thing. Popular titles like:
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (2017)
- Ring of Elysium (2018)
- Call of Duty Online
Are enjoyed by many avid gamers on a daily basis. Many prefer to use local ISP vendors to download and play them. Both on mobile and standard gaming consoles.
In this respect, Optimum Internet plans are a popular service option.
Or this Internet Plans? it’s Your Call
The same, to a large extent, can be said about Xfinity Internet plans. These come with over 6 affordable subscription options. And they make playing any online gaming title a breeze.
Disclaimer: To our knowledge, we have made all the required efforts towards obtaining owner/publisher approval for the use of images in VISIONECLICK.COM blog posts. However, if you find violations of any sorts regarding any image, please feel free to contact us. Prices and packages mentioned may vary with time and the specific locations.


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The Cortana Code
In a fiscal first quarter earnings report, released this past Thursday, Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood stated that search—and, therefore, Bing—contributed more than $1 billion to the company’s earnings for the period. A big chunk of this change, roughly 20 percent, came from Windows 10 devices.
Cortana, the personal digital assistant better known as “not Siri”, is built directly into Windows 10, a shrewd move by Microsoft which has significantly increased the number of Bing searches performed every day. Any device running Windows 10—which includes smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers—automatically gives users Bing results in searches when Cortana is used. These devices also provide Bing results as the default for “manual” searches, unless the user specifies otherwise by punching in ↑, ↑, ↓, ↓, ←, →, ←, →, B, A, start.
The thinking on Microsoft’s part is pretty simple here: Very few people use Bing if Google is an option, so just don’t give users that option. Many Cortana users probably don’t even realize that they’re receiving Bing results; many others simply may not care. Either way, by steering people directly to Bing whether they like it or not, Microsoft has made major gains on Google in the online search wars.
Yahoo’d Have Thunk?
Microsoft’s collaboration with Yahoo has been another boon to Bing’s growth. For the last…um, while now, I guess, Yahoo search results have been powered by Bing. It’s not exactly a secret, but Yahoo never really put that info front and center either. People using Yahoo search (all 30 or so of them) have received Bing results, whether they knew it or not (or wanted to).
Earlier this week, however, the relationship between Bing and Yahoo more or less ended. Yahoo announced it had struck a similar deal with Google and shown Bing the door. Despite this obvious setback, Microsoft officials still expect their search engine to break even at some point during the company’s fiscal 2016.
For more information on how Bing has grown since 2009, check Google.


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Much-loved Australian brand Koskela has recently released the latest in their range of locally-produced furniture. Made for ‘long lunches outdoors with friends, impromptu outdoor barbeques and fun-packed days that run into nights.’ the new JIM range comprises a six-seater long table, circular table, bench seat, stool, and chair, as well as a two-seater bench seat. The sleek collection has been crafted from durable powder-coated steel in an earthy palette of Eucalyptus and Terracotta, as well as classic black-and-white.
Founded almost 20 years ago by Russel Koskela and Sasha Titchkosky, Koskela is committed to ethical production and social enterprise. A certified B Corporation, Koskela designs and manufactures all their wares in Australia. As well as their long-term partnership with Rainforest Rescue (committed to preserving the Daintree Rainforest), Koskela also has ongoing relationships with Australian Indigenous communities creating an alternate source of income independent of Government funding for artists and artisans.


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eWavelength sees 300% year on year growth thanks to government initiatives and the ‘digital revolution’ in the UAE.
Something amazing has been happening in the UAE, a strong and powerful digital revolution. According to Global Media Insight, the ‘UAE has now grown into the most digital-friendly country in the Middle East.’ This openness to all things digital, coupled with favourable government initiatives supporting and encouraging start ups, has seen digital marketing companies such as eWavelength, grow 300% in the past year alone with exciting prospects for the future.
Rosie Seldon, Director of eWavelength, says the conditions in the UAE offer fertile ground for digital businesses:
“The new business set-up options are beginning to make it so much easier to register a business and make it possible to operate and thrive here. When you consider that in the UAE people are online for just under 8 hours daily, spending as much as 3 hours on social media every day - it’s not hard to see the growth opportunities for the digital sector.”
With over 500,000 business licenses issued in 2018, the word is out that the UAE is the go to destination for companies wanting to launch their businesses across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The UAE Government has a clear and decisive vision for business growth such as the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MRM) Business Award and the Mohammad Bin Rashid Innovation Fund Accelerator to name but a few.
Thanks to investment in infrastructure and hardware, UAE residents and visitors enjoy very fast internet speeds, especially on mobile, with Etisalat currently doubling speeds for home internet subscribers. Add to this unrivalled sporting and cultural events, the upcoming Special Olympics 2019 and Expo 2020, and you have digital audiences growing at an exponential rate.
eWavelength has worked with 31 clients, delivering over 300 pieces of work. Rosie says that the key to success is getting on the same wavelength as her clients, spending time to understand their business in depth and working with them as part of an extended team. The eWavelength business delivers and manages projects through its team of digital and marketing consultants.
“Our aim is to work as an extension of their team”. Bringing digital knowledge into the organisations or delivering specialist skills such as high quality English and Arabic copywriting, digital design, digital experience journey analysis, data analytics, and social media and web strategies. The team work as part of the client’s wider team to deliver digital strategies to boost brand awareness, digital exposure and sales enquiries.
Looking to the future, eWavelength is investing in the long-term, implementing a digital training scheme for all employees, attracting new creative talent and championing the UAE as a thriving digital and creative hub. “We’re hugely excited about the future opportunities for growth, investing in new talent and supporting some of the region’s leading businesses to grow and reach out to new audiences. Our door is always open, whether that be to start ups, international businesses, or new talent.”
As a trainer for Google’s Digital Training Academy, Rosie wants to use her digital strategy to support the Knowledge Economy vision to upskill the UAE. When Rosie arrived in Abu Dhabi five years ago she noticed that many companies were struggling to find strong digital marketing talent. It is very expensive to recruit from abroad so Rosie is designing an ongoing in-house training programme for all staff to be rolled out later this year. She is also hoping to work with other training companies in the region, to help deliver the UAE’s bold 2021 Vision for a knowledge economy.
Rosie’s advice to new start ups is simple: ‘It takes time to build up trust with prospective clients and build a name for your business here. Success relies heavily on developing your company’s skillset and connections, but if you put the effort in, there are a lot of opportunities for growth in the UAE and it is a hugely rewarding place to work.”
eWavelength is a digital marketing consultancy that manages and delivers digital projects in the UAE through our network of digital consultants. We have helped some of the region’s leading entertainment, finance and aviation businesses implement and deliver digital strategies to boost sales and income. Talk to us to discover powerful digital strategies that work across platforms and channels.


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We held our annual bake sale at our headquarters in Stansted, to raise funds and awareness for MacMillan Cancer Support – a reputable charity that offers support and guidance to victims of cancer from diagnosis through to treatment and beyond.
The bake sale took place on 15th November where we invited neighbouring businesses to help raise money by purchasing some cakes and bakes freshly made by the Wastepack team.
Homemade sausage rolls and Reece’s peanut butter chocolate cake, were just a few of many delicious treats on offer throughout the day. We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone that contributed and thanks to our generous customers from the surrounding businesses, we managed to generate a healthy £500 for Macmillan! Good work team!


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APPLE HAS BEGUN COURTING internet service providers (ISPs) in the US to get direct connections for its servers to their broadband networks.
Blogger Dan Rayburn, who specialises in writing about streaming media, revealed that deals are in negotiations, though he did not name names as to which ISPs are involved and with what firms.
Apple's name was notably absent from a recent open letter from the information technology industry to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calling for protection of net neutrality.
The FCC has entered a 60-day consultation period on plans for approving "fast lanes" for paid internet traffic, which will mean the end of net neutrality in the US.
Rayburn said Apple is looking at connecting directly to ISPs through its own content delivery network (CDN), an approach that does not prioritise traffic through the internet, but rather goes around it instead. It could use this method to speed traffic on its iCloud service, App Store and other proprietary services.
While Apple is pursuing such opportunities, Netflix has said it entered into them unwillingly and has repeatedly expressed its desire to preserve net neutrality.
Rayburn said that although Apple creates two percent of internet traffic overall, compared with 34 percent for Netflix, when there is a software update for iOS this figure shoots up to 40 percent, and this is the type of bottleneck that it wants to avoid in the future.
We asked Apple to clarify its position on net neutrality and comment on the blog report, but it declined to comment. µ
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Video shows off upcoming handset in Rose Gold compared to iPhone 6S predecessor


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Theresa May, the UK prime minister, has said that there will be no new Brexit referendum “in any circumstances”. This came in response to former education secretary Justine Greening’s claim that a fresh plebiscite is needed to end the parliamentary “deadlock” over what sort of Brexit deal the government should be pursuing.Read more
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Medalli Group was founded in 2017 and today is one of the growing brands in the global industry, continuing to develop dynamically. A distinguished reputation, innovative approach and profitable working conditions are our main advantages.
Our core mission is centred on the most precious commodity of all – time and money. By valuing time and money and understanding the importance of efficiency in the fluctuating, lightning-fast world of financial markets, every decision we make is designed to ensure that our clients and business partners, as well as our team of professionals, invest their money wisely.
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The first US company to achieve a trillion dollar market value, the tech giant boasted trend-setting products, a cash pile larger than the economy of some countries and consumers so loyal they would camp out overnight.Read more
House prices grew at the slowest rate since 2013 in January, according to official figures that signalled the UK was heading later this year for the first fall in property values since the financial crash.Read more
Medalli App is coming soon to the Appstore
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Manage your portal from your smartphone
Everything’s online, so you can manage your account whenever you want, wherever you want, with our user-friendly interface.
The other hidden benefit of being a Medalli member is being able to give back.
Every time an investment is made with Medalli, we donate £50 to build schools in third world countries.
The Water Project invests in safe water and sanitation projects that benefit small rural and urban communities in Africa.


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The brand is eyeing at opening almost 20 new stores in the current quarter.
Bata India, a leading manufacturer of footwear in India, is planning to add 70-80 new stores in FY20. The brand is eyeing opening almost 20 new stores in the current quarter.
RK Gupta, CFO of Bata India, said, "Margins are sustainable at 20 percent plus and also expect double-digit growth going forward. In retail, we grew by 18 percent and we are putting our best efforts. We expect that it will continue. We are taking a lot of new initiatives in wholesale business and from the coming quarter business will stabilize."
"In first 9 months, we have opened almost 62 new stores. In the current quarter, we are planning to add almost 20 new stores and in FY20, we have a plan to add 70-80 new stores, subject to availability of right space in the right town," he added.
The company was incorporated as Bata Shoe Company Private Limited in 1931. In 2017-18, the footwear major added more than 100 new retail stores, 31 franchise stores and renovated over 90 stores across the country.


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Netflix is quietly expanding its gaming empire, and Microsoft is expected to be playing a leading role.
The tech companies announced a partnership to build Netflix’s advertising offering in July, but people familiar with the deal suggest this is likely just one element of their alliance.
Netflix executives have talked up the company’s gaming ambitions for several years — naming Epic Games as one of its biggest rivals in a shareholder letter last year — but its offering has so far struggled to scale. Less than 1% of subscribers have downloaded any of the 22 mobile games Netflix rolled out since November last year, according to an Apptopia report for CNBC. Still, the company said it plans to double the size of its mobile gaming portfolio by the end of 2022.
Recent job postings suggest Netflix may be looking to expand beyond mobile and into cloud gaming. It is searching for a rendering engineer “to support our cloud gaming service,” according to one job ad. The role will assist with building SDKs to enable developers to write games for the Netflix cloud games ecosystem. Other ads for senior games and tools engineers discuss how Netflix is “building a new internal game studio” for social party video games. Netflix did not return a request for comment.
In cloud gaming, games run on remote servers and stream to a user’s device, bypassing the need to download. Also referred to as “gaming on-demand,” this market is expected to nearly double in 2022 to $3 billion and grow to a $41 billion industry by 2029, according to Fortune Business Insights.
It is opportune, then, that Microsoft has both cloud gaming expertise and infrastructure to support such a venture for Netflix. With Xbox Game Studios, which generated $16 billion in revenue in 2021, Microsoft is the world's second-largest video game company. Microsoft’s gaming offer could soon balloon if its deal to purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion is approved — although it still has a lot of regulatory concerns to appease.
Microsoft officially launched its cloud gaming service in September 2020 and runs it on Microsoft Azure, the world’s second-largest cloud computing service.
Netflix has a long-time cloud computing relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS), but it is reportedly seeking to control rising costs from the service as part of a broader strategy to reduce expenses. Using a rival cloud provider like Azure for some of its computing and storage needs could be one way to cut costs, as well as reduce its reliance on AWS.
“The motivation to move off AWS over to Microsoft would make sense, because there's a lingering concern on the Netflix side that they've built their entire tech stack on what is now a huge streaming competitor,” said Travis Lusk, director of Ebiquity Tech, North America. It’s also been rumored that Amazon is interested in purchasing EA Games.
Moving away from AWS will also be crucial for Netflix to lure big retailers to its ad offering. One ad expert, speaking anonymously, said retailers such as Walmart are seeking to keep their data off AWS due to competition concerns with Amazon.
Netflix executives have poured cold water on rumors that its deal with Microsoft is more extensive than just an ad partnership. During its second-quarter earnings call with investors, chief operating officer Greg Peters said it was a “great ads partnership deal at the end of the day.” But he did add that Netflix “will look for those opportunities as they exist with Microsoft.”
“It seems to me like advertising is the smallest part of this deal,” said Tal Chalozin, cofounder and CTO of ad tech firm Innovid.
Since Microsoft will use its own tools and systems to build Netflix’s ad-supported layer, having the same underlying technology across multiple services would “makes things smoother,” Lusk noted. “I would be shocked if everything that Microsoft offers isn’t trying to get installed at Netflix.”
One person familiar with the deal said a cloud partnership is “pretty certain,” as tech giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Salesforce generally bake cloud elements into large-scale deals.
“If you have cloud computing space to offer, that's a pretty powerful currency you can bring to the table in any type of business partnership or discussion,” said Seth Schachner, managing director of Strat Americas and a former Microsoft Advertising exec.
The two companies also have long-running board-level ties. Microsoft’s president and vice chair Brad Smith is a Netflix board member, while Netflix CEO Reed Hastings sat on Microsoft’s board from 2007 to 2012. “I think there was a handshake,” the anonymous source said.
Gaming and advertising experts that Campaign US spoke with believe a cloud gaming partnership between Netflix and Microsoft is a “no brainer” given their complementary technology and business ambitions.
Microsoft brings everything Netflix needs to kickstart an ad-supported gaming business: a comprehensive game library, cloud capabilities and an ad tech solution.
“While Netflix dominates in video streaming, so far the gaming offering isn't luring in subscribers. It comes back to an important qualifier — who has the best content?” said Kelsey Chickering, principal analyst at Forrester.
Gaming could become an important subscription and ad revenue stream for Netflix, which has seen revenue slow substantially and lost more than 1 million subscribers so far this year.
“Netflix’s step into gaming is a natural way to engage an already rapt consumer base in a whole new way,” said Lewis Smithingham, SVP of innovation at Media.Monks.
“The key reason for Netflix being interested in gaming is to create a new growth engine,” said David Jones, founder and CEO The Brandtech Group. “Netflix invented a category and had several years being the only player until it became the most competitive category out there. This play can allow Netflix to reassert their lost dominance.”
“In my view, this may well be a better revenue generating opportunity than their slightly odd decision to take advertising,” Jones added.
Netflix offers premium IP that can be converted into new gaming franchises. Many of its mobile games center around its original hits such as Stranger Things, The Queen’s Gambit and Too Hot To Handle. Netflix could also take its gaming IP and convert it into streaming content. Microsoft’s previous bid to acquire TikTok demonstrates its interest in becoming a content owner.
The duo also have complementary business models that allow for easy integration. Microsoft’s gaming division is moving closer to a subscription model with Xbox Game Pass, which provides access to hundreds of games for a monthly fee. The company recently rolled out a family plan allowing users to share an account with four other people.
Media expert Evan Shapiro said in a blog post he believes that Microsoft could bundle Xbox Game Pass with a Netflix subscription “as soon as this fall.” Shapiro, like several industry experts we spoke with, believes the ad deal could even be a precursor to Microsoft potentially acquiring Netflix down the road.
“Depending on when Activision closes, I believe Microsoft and Netflix will consummate a marriage some time next year,” he wrote.
Advertisers are interested in the potential of such a tie-up. “I would love to see a combined Activision, Xbox and Netflix offering. It would be something that reaches and engages with a younger audience in a far better manner than just Netflix or gaming,” said Bharad Ramesh, executive director of research and investment analytics at GroupM.
It’s important not to overlook the culture fit too. Both are technology companies “first and foremost” with advertising a secondary consideration, where traditional media companies are more advertising-centric and perhaps less concerned with customer experience, according to Schachner.
A formidable opportunity for advertisers
A Netflix-Microsoft gaming empire would present a formidable opportunity for advertisers and allow Netflix to cross-sell opportunities, experts believe.
Where advertising in gaming has been limited by technology, requiring hard-coded ads or product placements, cloud gaming allows for dynamic ad insertion and more ad opportunities, says Innovid’s Chalozin. “When gaming moves to streaming you can scale up and standardize advertising so much more,” he said.
Gaming also enables brands to activate in highly interactive environments, said Forrester’s Chickering. In Forrester's 2022 Media and Marketing Benchmark Recontact Survey, over half of US online adults say they play video games weekly. For adults under 25, that number jumps to 85%.
Where streaming content can often be passive, gaming is a “smart way for Netflix — and brands — to get that lean-in engagement,” said Marika Roque, COO of Kerv Interactive.
But gaming requires new ad formats beyond basic interstitials.
“The real power for brands in gaming is to be part of the game in a meaningful way, rather than interrupt an experience with a full-screen ad that's a forced view,” said Harley Block, cofounder and CEO of Gen Z brand consultancy IF7.
Gaming platforms have seen success with ads that offer a value exchange, such as incentivized play — where users are able to unlock new levels or game credits by watching ads. Innovid offers a “limited commercial interruption” product which allows TV viewers to engage with ads up front to avoid them for the remainder of a show. Chalozin said the product has been successful across brand metrics like recall and awareness.
Kerv Interactive’s Roque suggests Netflix could innovate on the ad experience by giving consumers choice and control. For example, it could offer subscription discounts if viewers agree to consume a certain number of ads.
“One thing that millennials and younger people want are options, especially as we head into a potential recession,” Roque said.
(This article first appeared on CampaignLive.co.uk)


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Columbus-based Card Services business, a premier provider of branded private label, co-brand, and commercial credit programs, has signed a new multi-year agreement to provide private label credit card services for Cornerstone, a business unit of HSN.
Verifone reported net revenues for the quarter ended April 30th were $490 million, compared to $466 million a year ago, a 5% increase. the Company says more certified solutions and offerings is beginning to yield benefits.
Coupa Software announced a strategic alliance with MasterCard. The partnership, which has been formed through MasterCard’s Commercial Products and Enterprise Partnerships teams, aims to develop a set of services that further enhance the payment experience of Coupa’s more than 500 customers.
Commerce Bank has come together to offer Rewards credit card programs with more than ten organizations across the country. A regional bank with dual headquarters in St. Louis and Kansas City, Commerce continues to expand its co-brand credit card portfolio at a national level and establishing relationships in new markets.
SmartBiz is now the exclusive platform for SBA-guaranteed loans for Sam’s Club Business Lending Center, a convenient digital platform for small businesses that eases access to the capital they need with member-exclusive savings of up to 20% on loan fees.
Powa Technologies has gone to bed with S-Cubism Technologies to become the first Japanese-based POS software provider to complete integration with its PowaPOS tablet-based hardware. The full-featured solution will use its EC-Orange POS for iPad and Windows, and is available from Billing System Corporation, a leading payment gateway and reseller.
Visa and Williams-Sonoma announced that Visa Checkout, the online check out service that Visa launched less than a year ago, is now live online at Williams-Sonoma, America’s leader in high-quality cookware and tools, electrics and entertaining essentials. With Visa Checkout, Williams-Sonoma customers now have a fast, easy and secure way to pay online.
Based on new regression analysis, based on non-parametric statistics, e-commerce is expected to top $3.6 trillion by 2020. Forecaster RAM Research now predicts global e-commerce will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.57%.
The recent introduction of Samsung Pay and Android Pay as well as India and soon to be announced Brazil mobile payments is having a profound impact on mobile payments forecasts. CardData now expects global m-commerce will soar from $390 billion this year to $1071 billion in 2020.
Pakistan will become the first foreign market to launch the UnionPay mPOS (Mobile POS) service.
X-Cart, a global provider of hosted shopping cart services for eCommerce businesses has teamed with Coinzone, a leading Bitcoin payment solution provider dedicated to making it easy for European merchants and consumers to use and accept digital currencies.
Visa and Verifone announced a partnership that will enable merchants to offer their customers a more streamlined, secure purchase experience across digital and face-to-face commerce environments, often referred to as omni-channel commerce.


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The FTC comes down on mobile apps developer Broken Thumb Apps, squeezes $50k out of them for violating children’s privacy. Broken Thumb Apps’ parent company W3 Innovations has been forced to pay out $50,000 in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
W3 was charged with illegally collecting personal information from children. This marks the first FTC case involving mobile applications. Broken Thumbs Apps is an iOS app maker with many games under it’s belt including Zombie Duck Hunt, Truth or Dare and Cootie Catcher. Most noteworthy are the Emily games such as Emily’s Girl World and Emily’s Dress Up as they were marketed towards children in the Apple App Store.


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It's that time of the year when people await the Union Budget with bated breath. The whole nation has great hopes for the forthcoming Union Budget 2022.
The fate of several industries will be discussed in the upcoming budget, which will be held on February 1, 2022.
Today, we want to focus on one of the most important sectors of the Indian economy – Fertiliser sector.
The Indian government plans to allocate nearly $19 billion in its federal budget to compensate fertiliser companies who sell their products at lower than market prices to farmers, reported Bloomberg.
Following the withdrawal of three farm law bills last year, five states including Uttar Pradesh, are set to hold elections earlier this year. This step is believed to placate farmers.
The increase in fertiliser subsidies may aid fertiliser businesses in recouping volumes lost last year due to higher input costs. The rise in subsidy would also assist farmers in coping with chemical firms' price hikes in order to reduce input costs.
Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58% of India's population. Based on this, India's fertiliser sector is incredibly essential. It produces some of the most crucial raw materials for agricultural production.
The growing population of India is also one of the benefits for the fertiliser business. It would result in increased demand in the future.
With the help of Equitymaster's powerful stock screener, we've narrowed down the best fertiliser firms in India for you to track.
These are the stocks that came up when we ran the screener for top fertilizer companies in India.
1. Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals
Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals is a manufacturer of urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP).
It's the largest manufacturer of urea in the private sector with an installed capacity of 1.5 m tonnes per annum (MTPA).
The company's segments include fertilisers and other agri inputs, own manufactured phosphoric acid, textile, shipping, and others.
It was also engaged in software business. But in 2021, it sold assets and transferred certain liabilities of the business to cease the software operations.
The firm has a wide distribution network of 3,700 dealers and 50,000 retailers across the country. It has presence in states such as J&K, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and others. It has access to 90% of total market size of fertilisers in India.
For the September 2022 quarter, the net profit of Chambal Fertilisers rose 15.8% to Rs 5.1 billion against Rs 4.4 billion during the same quarter last year.
The company will declare the December quarter results on 28 January 2022. It will also provide information related to dividend pay outs.
So far, the stock price has risen 111% to Rs 477 as on 20 January 2022 from Rs 214 in the same month last year.
2. Coromandel International
Coromandel International is a part of the Murugappa Group. The group has presence across various industries such as auto components, abrasives, financial services, transmission systems, cycles, sugars, farm inputs, fertilisers, plantations, etc.
The company is one of India's leading agri solutions providers. It offers a diverse range of products and services across the farming value chain.
It specialises in fertilizers, crop protein, bio-pesticide, specialty nutrients, organic fertilizers, etc. The company distributes its products through a network of 20,000 dealers and 2,000+ market development team.
It owns and operates 16 manufacturing facilities across India in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and other locations.
Coromandel International shares have underperformed in the last one year, declining by about 8%. Investor confidence has been affected by the irregular monsoon.
However, the company's profitability prospects seem bright, thanks to anticipated growth in the upcoming Rabi crop season.
The company did well on the revenues front for the quarter ended 30 September 2022, registering a growth of 34% over the previous year.
3. Rama Phosphates
Rama Phosphates (RPL) is one of the leading phosphatic fertilizer manufacturers, i.e. single super phosphate (SSP) fertilizer manufacturing, in India.
The company also produces oleum, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK), de-oiled cake, and soya oil.
It's trademark brands, ‘Suryaphool' and ‘Girnar' are well recognised in the farming community.
On the financial front, Rama Phosphates net profit rose 101.1% to Rs 227.2 million in the quarter ended September 2021 against Rs 113 million during the previous quarter in 2020. The company's strong performance was on the back of higher operational revenue.
Over the last 5 years, the company has delivered good profit growth of 39.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
That apart, ace investor Dolly Khanna has picked up additional stake in this multibagger fertilizer stock, as per the December 2021 shareholding data.
Dolly Khanna has bought around 0.4% stake in Rama Phosphate, taking the total holding to nearly 2.3%, or 4 lakh equity shares in the company.
The fertiliser stock in the last one-year has delivered multibagger returns of 320%, while in a month's time, it has gained 31%.
4. Dharamsi Morarji Chemical
Dharamsi Morarji Chemical company is engaged in manufacturing of bulk chemicals and specialty chemicals used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, detergents, dyes, etc.
This smallcap company was among the first producer of sulphuric acid and phosphate fertilisers in India.
It's a multi-product, multi-locational company and has emerged as the single largest manufacturer of SSP in India as well as a major producer of heavy chemicals.
It has two manufacturing facilities located in Roha and Dahej.
The company is backed by a number of key clients including Alkyl Amines, IPCA, Apcotex, Aurobindo, Dow, Deepak Nitrite, Pidilite etc.
The company recorded a strong growth in revenues in September 2022 quarter as the revenues increased 61% to Rs 725.3 m against Rs 497.7 m in the same period last year. The growth is due to higher realisations and moderate increase in volumes.
However, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margins and profitability suffered on account of sharp increase in the prices of raw materials and freight costs.
The company recorded strong performance in the specialty chemicals segment despite the challenging operating environment. It remains confident about passing on the increasing input costs to customers in this segment.
The outlook for the specialty chemicals remains strong. The company is witnessing strong demand from domestic as well as export customers.
In the past year, the company has managed to double its investor wealth. The share price has surged over 100% during the period.
5. Deepak Fertilisers
Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals (DFPCL) is an Indian manufacturer of industrial and agricultural chemicals, crop nutrients, and fertilizers. It also owns real estate.
The company has marketed fertilizers under the brand name of ‘Mahadhan' since 1990.
Deepak Fertilisers is one of the largest manufacturers of chemicals in India. It manufactures technical ammonium nitrate (mining chemicals), industrial chemicals, and crop nutrition. These products have uses in explosives, mining, infrastructure, and healthcare.
Recently, Deepak Fertilisers' Smartchem Technologies, a fully-owned subsidiary, said that Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for a Rs 22 billion technical ammonium nitrate complex.
The complex, located at the Gopalpur Industrial Park, will have an annual capacity of 377-kilo tonne and is scheduled for commissioning by August 2024.
Once completed, the project will help Odisha become a key supply source for technical ammonium nitrate, serving the entire Eastern region, from where a majority of future mining growth is expected to come.
This bodes well for the company.
Deepak Fertilizers reported a 16% YoY jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 933.3 million in the second quarter ended September, primarily driven by higher income.
The net income in the second quarter increased to Rs 18 billion from Rs 14.2 billion in the year-ago period.
Deepak Fertilisers share price has delivered around 45.5% return to its shareholders in the last one month, while in the last six months the chemical stock has given around 29% return.
While, in the past one year, it has given around 230% return to its investors.
Snapshot of top fertilizer stocks in India from Equitymaster's stock screener
Here's a quick view at the above mentioned companies based on some crucial financials.
Please note these parameters can be changed according to your selection criteria.
This will help you in identifying and eliminating stocks that are not meeting your requirements and give emphasis on those stocks that are well inside the metrics.
Given the importance of agriculture, the fertiliser business is one that the Indian economy cannot afford to ignore.
The share of agriculture in gross domestic products (GDP) increased to 19.9% in 2020-21 from 17.8% in 2019-20. The last time the contribution this high was in 2003-04.
Agribusiness is a life-sustaining industry and it offers excellent investment opportunities.
However, not all agricultural stocks are the same. Each business has its own set of concerns. When deciding which agricultural stocks are suitable, examine how these opportunities and risks fit with your investment preferences.
Look for companies which are innovating. Think agritech, which has huge untapped potential. Although at a nascent stage, agritech is bound to change the way agriculture business is done.
To conclude, when it comes to investing, the stock you choose must be credible. Investors should put their money into a firm that has a proven track record of success.
If there isn't enough confidence in the stock, it can make the initial investment weak and deplete it before it has a chance to grow.
Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such.
(This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com)
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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Aluminium Bahrain CEO optimistic about expansion approvals in 2015
The CEO of Bahraini aluminum smelter, Aluminium Bahrian, is optimistic that they will get approval for expansion this year.
The chief executive of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), owner of one of the world’s largest aluminum smelters, said on Tuesday he was optimistic the company would receive the needed approvals for its $2.5 billion Line 6 expansion project this year.
“I am optimistic that we will get approvals in 2015,” CEO Tim Murray told an industry conference in Dubai.
“We are pushing as a management very hard for this move forward,” he said.
The plan will make Alba the largest single-site aluminum smelter in the world by boosting per-annum production by 400,000 metric tons at a time when demand for the metal is growing.


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According to the blog, NVIDIA engineers have been "embedded at Valve" to help them out with the development of its Linux-based SteamOS platform. NVIDIA's engineers are helping to improve OpenGL performance, and optimizing overall performance for NVIDIA's GeForce GPUs. NVIDIA is also helping Valve port the Source engine over to Linux, as well as reduce input lag in SteamOS.
This shouldn't come as a surprise for most, with AMD securing contracts in all three next-gen consoles, NVIDIA needed to have done something: and this something is quite extraordinary. This is a big move for PC development, especially with NVIDIA and Valve working together. I think I've died and gone to heaven.
Oh gosh - I don't believe I'm actually reporting on this, but here we go: a fake Apple ad has been making its way around on social networks, pushing people to "update to iOS 7 to become waterproof."
The ad tries to 'sell' iOS 7 to you, in a salesman type of way, by stating: "In an emergency, a smart-switch will shut off the phone's power supply and corresponding components to prevent any damage to your iPhone's delicate circuitry." Countless people fell for it, destroying their iPhones in the process. I can't help but laugh (please don't take offense if you're on of these people), but one angry person who thought a software update would make their iPhone waterproof said: "Ok whoever said IOS7 is waterproof GO F*** YOURSELF."
I do have a question for these iDiots: if you thought a software update would magically make your iPhone waterproof, can I have the same update for my car? Maybe I can firmware flash my car and have it 10x better on mileage. Maybe I could firmware flash myself and have the ability to fly? Apple fans, officially reaching a new low.
It looks like Apple has had great success with iOS 7, which has seen over 200 million installations since it was released. Within 72 hours of its release, iOS 7 overtook iOS 6 as the most-used mobile OS on Apple devices.
Apple noted in its press release that "more than 200 million iOS devices are now running the completely redesigned iOS 7, making it the fastest software upgrade in history." So it looks like Apple struck... gold, with its iOS 7 release. 200 million users downloading and installing any product, not just a mobile OS, is a massive number in itself.
The general release builds of CyanogenMod 10.1.3 are hitting the tubes that flow the Internet to our homes, and with it, brings a few nice features to the modded Android OS.
We have support for CM Account built into the release, which was previously only available for the 10.1 nightlies, which allows users to remotely locate and wipe their missing devices. This is something that is pretty identical to the Android Device Manager, but we can't complain about that, it's a great feature.
CyanogenMod 10.1.3 should be the last of the Android 4.2-based builds, with everything shifting to Android 4.3 from CyanogenMod 10.2 onwards.
Last week we broke the news that Valve was prepping for three big announcements this week surrounding its Steam gaming platform, and today the company released its first announcement by unveiling a new operating system. The new SteamOS is a free, open-source operating system that is designed around steam and built on Linux.
Valve says the new OS is capable of running on "any living room machine" which presumably means custom-built HTPCs, Laptops, and almost certainly the mystical Steam Box many industry insiders expect to be launched during one of the company's next announcements on Wednesday or Friday. Unfortunately Valve did not clue us in on an actual release date, but did say that the new OS would be available for download "soon."
"As we've been working on bringing Steam to the living room, we've come to the conclusion that the environment best suited to delivering value to customers is an operating system built around Steam itself," Valve stated. "SteamOS combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux with a gaming experience built for the big screen. It will be available soon as a free stand-alone operating system for living room machines."
We saw a tease yesterday of the new status bar with gray icons in Android 4.4 KitKat, but now we have another look from 9to5Google, which gives us a closer look at the redesigned stock apps on Android 4.4.
You can see from the images above that we have the Messaging app, and the Dialer app, which both look quite nice in their updated form. Controls for the Messaging app have been shifted to the top right of the app, and the Dialer app gets a much more streamlined look, with a nice blue color scheme. We should expect Android 4.4 KitKat to arrive mid next month on the rumored Nexus 5 handset.
The New York Police Department seem to share boxes of donuts with Apple, going as far as being crowd control at and around Apple stores on iPhone launch days, for example when the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C launched over the weekend.
Thanks to the new iPhone's being announced, the NYPD is expecting an increase in theft of Apple's latest smartphones. Apple's iOS 7 features new security measures that help deter theft, with the NYPD and other police agencies in the US using it to secure their smartphones, making their jobs easier.
The new feature that the NYPD likes is the Activation Lock, which forces anyone who has your phone to enter an Apple ID and passwords before they can turn off the "Find My Phone" security feature, erase it, or reactivate it. Because this happens, someone who steals your phone would need to enter in their secure information, which most would do in the excitement of nabbing themselves a new iPhone.
Apple may have launched its iOS 7 platform, but it is receiving mixed responses if my Facebook news feed has anything to do with it. Well, on the other side of the field we have Google with its Android 4.4 KitKat OS which is set to hit Android devices in the near future.
The latest tease, in the shot above, shows off a new status bar with gray icons versus the current blue. I dig it, as it is more visible on the screen than blue is. We are to expect Android 4.4 KitKat to have a refreshed UI, which is something I'm quite excited to see. What to expect? We don't know just yet, but I expect we'll see much more in the coming weeks, where I hope we'll see the Nexus 5 unveiled with Android 4.4 KitKat on board.
If you're one of the many millions of people who have just updated your iOS device to iOS 7, you might want to read this news. There is a rather large security hole in Apple's latest mobile OS, which lets anyone access your device directly from the lockscreen.
The video above shows just how easy it is to bypass the lockscreen, where all someone has to do is access your iDevice's "control center" and then open up the alarm clock. It sounds stupidly easy, and that's the problem. Holding the phone's sleep button will bring up the option to power the device off with a single swipe, but instead someone can tap "cancel," double click the home button and access the device's multitasking screen.
This gives the person access to the device's e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, photos, and Flickr account. Apple knows of the issue, and said to Forbes: "takes security very seriously and we're aware of this issue. We'll deliver a fix in a future software update."
Cyanogen has secured $7 million in venture funding from Benchmark Capital and Redpoint Ventures, with the main goal of CyanogenMod becoming a major player in the mobile OS arena.
A major player, you ask? Yes: Cyanogen wants to compete directly with the big boys, and wants to overtake Windows Phone and BlackBerry to become the third most used mobile OS in the world. The statement comes directly from Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster, who talked to The Verge, where he said: "There's always been lot of talk around who's going to be the third dominant mobile computing platform. Windows Phone would probably be No. 3 now. If you look at what our actual user base is, we might be equal to or greater than that."
Cyanogen founder Steve Kondik also had something to say: "The mobile devices out there, they're just not meant for anybody to use. They're essentially mobile cash registers. We want to help you get stuff done, and use these things to their fullest potential."


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On December 23 a burglary complaint was filed at a East Jefferson Street location. According to reports, a woman reported that someone had forced entry into her apartment by the back door and removed an Acer computer, a Sony PlayStation 3, two bottles of perfume that had been placed under a Christmas tree, a 7 inch NextBook tablet, an 8 inch NextBook tablet, five pair of size 8 Nike Air Jordan shoes (still in box), one pair of size 2 Nike Jordan shoes, one pair size 3 Nike shoes, $200 cash and a Ninetendo DS video game. The woman also stated that her male Yorkie mixed breed dog wearing a green sweater was also missing. An officer had located the dog one hour prior to the woman filing the burglary report. The dog was located on North Main Street and was returned to the complainant. An officer also located the Acer computer and the PlayStation 3 game system in a wooded area behind the woman’s apartment. Both those items were processed successfully for fingerprints and returned to the complainant.
On December 13 a threat to injure person complaint was filed at a Vine Street location. According to reports, a man stated that after he asked another man to remove a bottle of water from his vehicle, the second man pulled a pistol and pointed the pistol at the ground. The complainant said the man with the pistol told him he was “going to make me pop your (expletive).” The man with the gun then left the area walking toward North Jefferson Street. Several people at the scene refused to offer statements regarding the altercation.
On December 24 a larceny from auto complaint was filed at a Meadow Ridge Drive location. According to reports, a man stated that someone had entered his 2001 Mercury Marquis and removed a 19” Phillips flat screen TV and a Apple Ipad. Both items where located in the trunk and are valued at $1,150.
On November 27 Carri Donielle Vann, 40, Lithia Springs, was arrested and charged with possession of amphetamine and drugs not in their original container. According to reports, a Madison Police Officer responded to a request by the Georgia State Patrol to take over a drug investigation following a traffic stop in the rear parking lot at Wendy’s restaurant, Eatonton Highway. According to reports, the officer observed Vann and two toddler children who were not in safety restraints in the vehicle. The vehicle had been stopped for an expired tag. The officer also recovered two bags of suspected methamphetamine, a bag of uknown pills; some partially crushed, and a glass pipe from the vehicle. Vann told the officer that she was supposed to meet a man in Madison to drop off one of the bags and then was supposed to meet other people in Gwinnett County to drop off the other bags. The woman said she was supposed to get $100 per drop off and she was going to use the money to go Black Friday shopping for her children.


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General Polymers now solely owned by Greg Boston
Boston has bought all remaining equity interest in the resin distributor from company co-founder Michael Kirtley.
Resin distributor General Polymers Thermoplastic Materials LLC entered into a binding buyout agreement of all remaining equity interest from Michael Kirtley on March 17, making current CEO and president Greg Boston the sole owner of the Rochester Hills, Mich.-based company.
In a March 20 news release, Boston said that 2023 “looks to be a challenging time in the plastics industry…especially for the large ‘big box’ distribution networks.”
“Despite these challenges, following a simple, direct strategy of focusing on value added business in distribution of engineered compounded and branded thermoplastic resins is producing continued growth,” he said. “We are and will continue to invest in resources in support of colleagues within the General Polymers family and customer support functions.”
General Polymers was co-founded by Boston and Kirtley in 2016, and distributes a wide range of engineered resins and compounds from suppliers such as AsahiKasei, ComPlas Engineering Plastics, Elix Polymers, Enviroplas, Greco, Lotte Chemical, Mitsubishi, Nycoa, and Polyram.


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Emojis have gained immense popularity during online conversations, so much so companies have started adding new ones based on something that is trending across the globe, be it a fashion statement or a social message, and Apple has added a few to its fold this World Emoji Day — whatever that may be.
The new set of emojis which include a guy sporting a beard, exploding head, a woman breastfeeding, a zombie, dinosaur and much more will be rolled out for iOS, macOS and watchOS later this year.
In celebration of the World Emoji Day, the App Store will highlight apps that can be used to ‘create or do fun things with emoji’. iTunes Movies is also featuring emoji instead of select movie titles.
In all likeliness, the new set of emojis will be delivered alongwith the iOS11 update.
“In celebration of World Emoji Day, Apple is sharing some of the new emoji coming to iOS, macOS and watchOS later this year. With thousands of emoji available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, there are many ways to add personality to every message,” the company stated.
Other emojis coming to iOS, macOS and watchOS include a woman with a scarf, genie, sandwich, coconut, T-Rex, Zebra and a guy doing yoga. More might be added a bit later.
Google Bids ‘Blobs’ Adieu
World Emoji Day beckons action on behalf of the biggest mobile operating system and Google doesn’t like coming second.
The company has announced that they’ll be launching a new set of emojis and will be discontinuing their famous ‘Blob’ emojis.
“On World Emoji Day, we’re taking the time to bid farewell to our old Android emoji, known fondly by fans as ‘blobs’. We’re rolling out a new set of emoji as part of Android O. They’re squishy and lovable — and designed for more consistent communication. Breaking up is hard to do, but we’ll find love in a blobless place,” the company stated.


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Bitcoin-loving software program agency firm MicroStrategy’s inventory is thru the roof as the largest digital forex approaches a brand new all-time excessive.
MicroStrategy—which trades on the Nasdaq below the ticker MSTR—was up almost 24% when buying and selling closed Monday. Shares are actually priced at $1,334 a pop, the very best value seen in almost twenty years.
Right now, MicroStrategy announced that it plans to supply a personal sale of $600 million value of convertible senior notes with a purpose to buy extra of the asset.
For the reason that firm adopted a Bitcoin-buying technique again in August 2020, its shareholders have performed nicely: the agency’s inventory has jumped by 809%. It’s now the biggest publicly traded firm that holds the asset.
Co-founder and chairman Michael Saylor stated when the corporate first bought Bitcoin that it was a great way to combat inflation over the long-term and get return for shareholders, claiming it was a “reliable retailer of worth.” The corporate was beforehand sitting on giant quantities of money.
Since then, Saylor has repeatedly stated that MSTR inventory is a secure guess for buyers wanting easy, regulated publicity to the highest cryptocurrency.
His firm, which sells knowledge analytics software program, has continued to buy Bitcoin and now owns 193,000 BTC, valued at greater than $13 billion at right now’s costs.
Bitcoin is fast approaching its November 2021 all-time excessive of $69,044 per coin. Right now, according to CoinGecko, it’s up almost 7% in 24 hours and is buying and selling fingers for $68,217 at time of writing.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.


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PORTLAND -- Nike has removed a 2007 ad which refers to Olympian Oscar Pistorius as a bullet in the chamber, after he was accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend.
Reeva Steenkamp, 30, was shot four times early Thursday morning in Pretoria, South Africa. Pistorius was arrested in connection with her murder.
Pistorius was considered a national hero in South Africa, and was known as Blade Runner because of his high-tech artificial legs.
A Nike spokeswoman told KGW the company removed the bullet ad from Pistorius' website after news of the murder came out Thursday.
The brand campaign was created in 2007 and the copy was in reference to Oscar s speed and performance on the track, said Erin Patterson. Nike felt it was appropriate to take the ad down from Oscar s website recognizing the sensitivities of the situation.
Patterson also said Nike had no plans for Pistorius in upcoming campaigns.