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March 31, 2022
TikTok is introducing a new feature, the TikTok Library, aimed at making it easier for creators to augment entertainment content and jump on trends. The TikTok Library will initially be populated with content from Giphy, including the audio-enhanced GIFs known as Giphy Clips. Companies ranging from TV and movie studios to game makers, record labels, sports leagues and media outlets have been sharing licensed content using Giphy Clips. Giphy was founded in 2013, and was in 2020 purchased for $400 million by Facebook, now Meta Platforms.
Today, the Giphy Clips feature has expanded “to include thousands of content makers who want to leverage GIFs with sound — also known as short-form video — to reach Giphy’s hundreds of millions of daily active users,” writes TechCrunch.
TikTok says in its Library announcement that it is adding “a new category of entertainment content, making it easy for people to start or participate in their own trends, using clips from their favorite shows, GIFs, memes and more by seamlessly integrating them into their TikTok videos.”
TikTok plans to continue adding Library content from additional sources, building a catalog of audio and sounds, text templates and other creator tools. Giphy Clips available at launch include:
- Reactions: capturing an emotional response, designed to be relatable to users
- Quotes: including “memorable catchphrases and quotable moments from notable personalities”
- People: featuring popular celebrities, athletes and other notables who help creators express themselves
- Iconic moments: memorable instances from awards speeches, beloved TV scenes, or game-play
Giphy’s TikTok integration “will include a portion of the GIPHY Clips library in the tens of thousands, in addition to millions of GIFs from Giphy’s wider library,” a spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch. The clips can be edited for length. The TikTok Library will initially be made available on Android, in select markets, to be followed by iOS and further expansion to more users in the weeks ahead.
Social Media Today declares Giphy tools “a good addition for TikTok, especially given the popularity of reaction content in the app, with its Duets feature enabling users to add their own take on trending clips.”
In December, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority ordered Meta to divest of Giphy, claiming it would stifle competition, which could have incentivized the pact with TikTok — a competitor to Meta’s Facebook and Instagram — to prove it has no antitrust intent, and is treating third parties equitably.


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LA County business owners become reluctant enforcers as coronavirus rules tighten up
Atika Enciso strives for excellent customer service, but when a client walks into Studio Blo, her North Hollywood beauty salon, before greeting them, she stops them and asks to put on their masks.
“You just have to make a joke of it because you can see people roll their eyes or they say something and you’re just like, ‘Sorry, we just want to keep everyone safe,’” she said.
As Los Angeles County rolled out its new mask rule, which went into effect over the weekend followed by a spike in COVID-19 cases brought by the highly contagious Delta variant, businesses are forced to figure out whether and how to enforce rules on masks.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, business owners and their employees often became major enforcers of government restrictions, putting their own safety and well-being at risk.
Some workers faced violent reactions and even endured injuries while trying to enforce the rules. In Van Nuys, a Target worker was punched and left with a broken arm last year after confronting two customers who refused to cover their faces. A Ralphs employee in Mid-Wilshire was rammed with a shopping cart after asking a customer to wear a mask or leave the store. Scores of store workers have faced irate, sometimes screaming mask foes, some of the interchanges posted to social media.
Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association, said the employees were often caught in the middle of the mask war.
“We are not law enforcement, and you can’t ask the employees to be the enforcers of this mandate,” she said. “The county needs to figure out how they are going to enforce it.”
L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said last week deputies wouldn’t enforce the new indoor mask mandate because it contradicts the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
In addition, the mask mandate makes businesses worry that Los Angeles County is going to return capacity limits and potentially impose another lockdown, said Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association.
“What are they trying to accomplish by having the mask mandate back?” she said. “Is it going to encourage particular communities to go and get vaccinated? We support it, but is it the right way to do it?”
Michelin added that it could make sense(would be sensible) for public officials to mandate everyone to get vaccinated instead of forcing businesses to be enforcers of government restrictions.
“It’s kind of like, ‘Let’s squeeze businesses and put them in that position which they don’t want to be in,’” she said.
With the labor shortage and high taxes, she added, the new mandate might be the last straw for some small businesses that are still trying to recover from the pandemic lockdowns.
“At what point do you hit your limit?” she said.
Dr. Winnie Moses, the founder and medical director of Parfaire Medical Aesthetics in Pasadena, said she had not seen any effect of the rule on her medica spa. Pasadena said Monday it will reinstate the indoor mask rule for residents regardless of their vaccination status.
“I think it’s a setback but we haven’t seen any effect on our business,” she said. “We haven’t seen any cancellations.”
Dr. Moses added that most of her patients already wear masks when they visit her clinic.
For Enciso the mask mandate is not just a new rule, but a potential sign that more restrictions might be on the way. She worried about the future of her business, which only recently showed a sign of recovery as her customers started attending social events and used her services.
Since the day county officials announced the new mandate, about 10 of her clients canceled their appointments.
“I’m scared that there’s going to be another shutdown,” she said. “If that happens, that’s going to hurt us.”
Los Angeles Supervisor Kathryn Barger said it was important to educate the public about the new variant and “let businesses take upon themselves to mandate masks.”
Barger added that she didn’t hear any information about additional restrictions coming up. She said health officials were closely monitoring the COVID count and “if the numbers keep going up and it crosses over from unvaccinated to those who are vaccinated, then we really need to rethink how we are addressing COVID in LA County.”

domain: news


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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is under increasing pressure from investors and labor-rights groups to name its garment suppliers after a fire in Bangladesh killed more than 100 people at a factory that made its clothes.
Proponents say public disclosure of supply chains — a move made by Nike Inc. and other retailers in recent years — encourages accountability that leads to factory improvements in countries where unsafe conditions are widespread.
After the blaze at the Tazreen Design Ltd. factory Nov. 24, labor-rights organizations have called on Wal-Mart and other companies to take more direct responsibility for the suppliers and factories that make their garments. Wal-Mart maintains low costs in part by “turning a blind eye” to the conditions and safety of workers around the globe, according to John Liu, the New York City comptroller.
Liu is a trustee and investment adviser to the New York City Public Pension Funds, which holds about 4.9 million Wal-Mart shares, an investment of about $337 million.
“As a corporate policy, we don’t discuss our supplier relationships,” Kevin Gardner, a spokesman for Bentonville-based Wal-Mart, said in an e-mail.
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, has more than 100,000 suppliers, according to its website.


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Brit-Govt Business Secretary Greg Clark has announced the consortium of UK universities that will form the Faraday Battery Institute, a new £65 million research institute responsible for building the UK’s status as a global leader in battery research and technology.
He said: “The institute will bring together the expertise and insight from its seven founding partner universities, industry partners and other academic institutions to accelerate fundamental research to develop battery technologies.
“This will ensure the UK is well placed to take advantage of the future economic opportunities from emerging technology.
But none of the universities or colleges are based in Scotland.
The universities forming the institute are Southampton, Newcastle, Cambridge, Oxford,Warwick, Imperial College London and University College London.
With £65 million of funding through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Faraday Battery Institute will invest an initial £13.7 million (more than 20% of its budget) to set up a new headquarters.
The Faraday Battery Institute, with £65 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, is part of Government’s £246 million investment in battery technology through the Industrial Strategy.
Clark added that this will help’ UK businesses seize the opportunities presented by the transition to a low carbon economy and ensure the UK leads the world in the design, development and manufacture of batteries for the electrification of vehicles.”
Meanwhile, the Solar Trade Association will today publish new guidelines for the domestic battery storage industry to increase consumer confidence.
The STA aims to encourage high standards early in the development of the UK’s currently nascent domestic battery storage industry, putting the interests of domestic consumers uppermost.
And, having achieved 5% VAT on domestic storage for the installation of storage alongside new solar PV, the STA is now pressing for the 5% VAT rate to apply to the retrofit of battery storage for the 875,000 homes that already have solar PV.
3 Oct 2017


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Tesla Workers Can Now Make Dinner With Vending-Machine Meal Kits
(Bloomberg) -- The meal-kit industry is looking for growth in the next generation of vending machines.
Chef’d, a company backed by Campbell Soup Co. and Smithfield Foods Inc., is putting its meals in hundreds of new-age machines across the Bay Area, including at the offices of Tesla Inc. and Chevron Corp., and on the campus of Stanford University. It’s betting that workers on their way out the door might be in the market for boxes of pre-portioned ingredients that allow them to skip the grocery store on the way home.
While Chef’d is a small player in the meal-kit market, it’s been driving growth through sales at grocery stores, an increasingly popular strategy in an industry mostly built on e-commerce subscriptions. About seven months after the company ramped up its retail push, Chef’d meals are in almost 1,000 U.S. stores. Sales from brick-and-mortar locations now generate more than half of revenue.
The partnership with Byte Foods, which operates more than 500 vending machines packed with ahi tuna poke bowls, kale salads and kombucha, gives Chef’d another outlet to get its meals in front of customers.
“Most people are not looking to be forced into a subscription,” said Kyle Ransford, chief executive officer and founder of Chef’d. “You’re seeing people shift to the model we have in place.”
The Chef’d move into vending machines comes as the meal-kit industry grapples with the online subscription model. It’s expensive to acquire and keep customers that way, leading companies to increasingly look to sell their products in supermarkets. Retail sales of meal kits gained more than 26 percent last year to surpass $150 million, according to Nielsen.
Grab and Cook
Chef’d meals are in about 100 vending machines, and the company has plans to expand soon to the more than 500 across the Bay Area that are served by Byte.
The meal kits, generally two portions, sell for about $15 to $20 and are designed for busy workers who can grab one on the way out of the office. A Byte Foods fridge at the offices of Bolt, a San Francisco venture capital firm, is currently offering “black truffle butter sirloin steaks,” a meal Chef’d says can be prepared in 15 minutes.
Chef’d is also experimenting with branded fridges, made by Byte, that it plans to place at a handful of large residential buildings. The machines use radio frequencies to tally what a customer has purchased, with the door unlocking only after a credit card has been swiped. Byte is talking to large food companies interested in machines that could be placed at hospitals or gyms, according to Lee Mokri, the company’s founder.
“Brands are looking to sell their food at places where people don’t currently buy food,” he said.
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.


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A new small MINI electric crossover is due in a few years, and this concept gives a very strong hint of what the production-ready MINI Aceman could look like.
The next generation of models from MINI will form the brand’s most comprehensive and wide-ranging line-up ever, and a key part of the puzzle will be a new all-electric compact crossover sharing its underpinnings with the future all-electric MINI Hatch. Due in 2024, this important new member of the line-up has been previewed with a new concept: the Aceman.
The name sounds similar to the short-lived Paceman three-door small SUV, axed in 2016. However, MINI’s head of design, Oliver Heilmer, told Automotive Daily that the moniker isn’t a nod to the past but a clean break, as the new car will be the “ace in the pack.”
It slots into an entirely new spot in the MINI line-up created by repositioning the Countryman, which will grow in size for its next generation to around 4.5 metres long. The Aceman will be slightly smaller than the outgoing Countryman, at just over four metres long, but the fully electric architecture the car will be based on – just like this concept – will maximise packaging to improve space inside despite its relatively compact footprint.
Technical specifications for the Aceman concept have not been detailed, save for shared use of MINI’s new all-electric platform for the next Hatch coming in 2023. That means that the Aceman will be built in China. Based on the limited details of what we already know about this new platform, two battery sizes and two power outputs could be offered. An entry-level car with around 135kW and a 40kWh battery for a claimed range of around 300km will form the basis of the line-up, while a more powerful car with 160kW with a 50kWh battery would look to target 400km from a full charge.
Instead of being a technical showcase, this is very much a concept car that details where the brand’s design language is heading and what the production Aceman will look like two years from now – and according to Heilmer, it’s more than 80 per cent complete.
“Since this is the new family member, it was clear for us that this will have a modern approach, it will break out of typical form language,” begins Heilmer, who talked Automotive Daily through the ins and outs of the Aceman’s appearance and brief.
Although similar in length to the soon to be discontinued MINI Hatch five-door, the Aceman concept is wider and taller, with a more SUV-inspired shape. A two-box profile with the wheels pushed right to the very extremes of the car’s body means the car’s overhangs are short, also making the most of space inside, and it’s onto this chunky silhouette that the new design language, called ‘Charismatic Simplicity,’ is projected.
The front end of the car is where the Aceman diverts most significantly from current MINI design language, with a new face that’s designed entirely for the brand’s electric era. Most significantly, the headlights aren’t round, but Heilmer says that in many ways the new front is “more classic” than the brand’s current look, given the new octagonal frame grille element that’s illuminated in turquoise.
The red vertical elements emphasise the height of the car, we’re told, but they’re also home to a pair of external speakers – one of many concept car touches sprinkled throughout the Aceman. Another set is found in the rear valance.
The speakers give an audio welcome for the driver as they approach the car, but they’re also to draw attention to the new generation of sound design being created for the next-generation electric MINI models. “We are making every sound new. The driving sound, indicator, whatever, everything is composed specifically for the new MINI family,” Heilmer told us. “Even from its sound it will be recognisable as one of the new MINIs.”
Prominent and upright wheel arches create a tough look for the compact SUV, housing 20-inch wheels. A large roof rack is another nod to the car’s positioning as the brand’s new baby SUV, and it’s also home to a trademark MINI touch, with the brackets forming a Union flag-like motif.
At the rear, a clean look has been applied with little clutter, the compact tailgate sitting flush with the rear bumper wearing a MINI badge and Aceman lettering. “A MINI should have a good stance, that’s important,” says Heilmer, before teasing that a new level of customisation is in the offing for MINI buyers, a group traditionally keen on personalisation.
“The customer might be able to choose between two or three different signatures,” he said, suggesting that those who don’t want the Union-flag inspired tail-light design will be able to choose something else.
The use of colour is a massive part of MINI’s concept and newcomer model that will follow it. The Aceman’s pearlescent blue paint is combined with a British Racing Green roof, the car’s speaker elements are highlighted in red, and there’s also that turquoise frame and purple badging to take in. However, the car’s colour palette is even bolder inside the cabin.
As per MINI’s traditional approach, the use of space inside the Aceman concept is clever, maximising interior space so that the small car feels quite big inside from our early look around the car. There’s no leather or chrome inside, with various textile surfaces and iridescent metals used to create an eyecatching environment.
Alongside the unusual seat upholstery, the concept’s steering wheel is trimmed in green velvet velour. But alongside the fun, modern feel there’s a huge nod to the original Mini in the shape of the dashboard architecture and infotainment system.
“Due to digitalisation we are able to achieve it again,” says Heilmer. The Aceman features a single, round OLED infotainment screen in the centre of the dashboard, and in the concept it’s near-production-spec hardware.
Beneath it sits a small bank of switches, where the parking brake, gear selector, drive modes and volume control buttons are located, plus a power toggle interpreted as a modern-day take on the original’s turnkey. Placing these here frees up space for an adaptable centre console that runs from the car’s front area to the rear.
Another concept car touch is the inclusion of three “experience modes”, setting the theme for the infotainment unit and the dashboard as a whole. Toggling one of the modes reveals that the infotainment sprawls beyond the main screen, projecting across the entire dashboard.
The navigation can take up the whole surface, and a ‘charging game’ has been devised with projection technology. The goal is to successfully spell ‘Aceman’ across the dashboard using floating bubble letters, flung out of the screen and across the fascia with a swipe of the finger.
Tying in with the Aceman’s playful approach, the car will make its debut not at a motor show, but at a gaming convention. It will be shown in August at Gamescom 2022 in Cologne. The production version will likely break cover towards the end of 2023, before going on sale in 2024.


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Dubai Shopping Festival 2014 to open on 2nd January
The 19th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) will be held on 2nd January 2014, thereby kick-starting the events calendar for 2014 in Dubai.
Being the biggest shopping extravaganza in the Middle East, DSF has helped attract 4.66million visitors during the same period last year, particularly from Saudi Arabia, Russia, India and UK.
The increased flow of tourism has had a knock-on effect for hospitality sector in Dubai, with hotels reporting growth of 4.7 percent last year, with occupancy rates hitting 90 percent.
The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), which forms part of Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, runs the month-long shopping extravaganza.
The Chief Executive of DFRE, Laila Suhail, when announcing dates for next edition of DSF, also said that by announcing the dates for four months prior to DSF 2014, all involved in organizing the event, from retailers to hotel operators and travel agents here and overseas, will get adequate time for planning, preparing and implementing a vast line-up of high-quality events and shopping promotions.
Posted on 5/9/2013
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UNITED STATES – First announced just yesterday, LatinVFR has posted a couple more preview images from the developers upcoming product update for Miami International Airport (Prepar3D V4.4+ only). Specifically, the screenshots highlight the North Terminal structure.
You may recall, the update is expected to include native PBR ground and building textures, new jetways (also with PBR), wet effects, additional objects, numerous fixes, and expanded city coverage. According to LatinVFR, release is ” coming this month!”
For more information about the existing version of KMIA by LatinVFR, visit the product sales page via the developers website.
Source // LatinVFR Facebook page


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The bright lights of Christmas brought more than 24,000 vehicles to 2014’s Fantasy Lights display at Spanaway Park.
For the holiday season, 24,139 vehicles came through the gates from Nov. 27 to Jan. 1 for the two-mile drive among nearly 300 lighted displays, said Scott Hall, recreation superintendent of Pierce County Parks and Recreation.
That was 755 more vehicles than in 2013, Hall said.
As for attendance, 157,307 people visited Fantasy Lights in 2014, up from 152,601 in 2013.
The busiest day was Dec. 20, the Saturday before Christmas, when 1,334 vehicles came through. On average, 671 vehicles visited the displays each night.


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Sneak Peek: New NASCAR merchandise tent at Pocono
Out with the haulers, in with the tent.
NASCAR's new approach to selling team merchandise is making its debut this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The NASCAR Fanatics Tent is replacing the individual merchandise haulers that fans have come to know and love.
Here's a sneak peek, thanks to SportsBusiness Journal's Adam Stern.


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Confirmed: 2015 Dodge Challenger to debut at 2014 New York Auto Show
The announcement of the 2014 New York debut of the 2015 Dodge Challenger came from SRT boss Ralph Gilles as he met with a handful of people from Motor Trend for a video roundtable to discuss the 2014 SRT Viper, the new Viper TA and the Motor Trend tests that first found the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 victorious over the new Viper GTS followed by a second test where the new Viper TA bested the Corvette ZR1. After Gilles and the rest of the crew in the video were done talking about the Viper – during which time the new Chevrolet Camaro Z28 came up – the discussion turned to the Challenger and SRT’s answer to the new high performance Camaro.
“The Challenger is about to go under the knife…its actually under the knife as we speak,” said Gilles. “We’re doing a lot to [the Challenger] and were going to come with an answer for [the Camaro Z/28] and for our friends at Ford.”
Ralph Gilles ended the discussion on the 2015 Dodge Challenger by saying that “this time next year, you will see exactly what I am talking about.” With that simple comment, the long time bigwig of the Chrysler Group and the current head of the high performance SRT brand has essentially confirmed that the next generation Dodge Challenger – presumably a 2015 model year vehicle – would debut at next year’s New York Auto Show. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise as the updated business statement released by Chrysler earlier this year revealed that there would be some new models coming to both Dodge and SRT that many of us believed would be the new Challenger but Ralph’s comment to Motor Trend all but confirms a 2014 NYIAS debut of the next generation Challenger.
Nothing is known about what to expect from the next generation Dodge Challenger but with Gilles’ comment about having an answer for the Z/28 and Ford, we would presume that the 2015 Challenger will be far more vicious than the current models. While the 470 horsepower Challenger SRT8 will make short work (stock versus stock) of the Camaro SS or the Mustang GT in terms of straight acceleration, Dodge and SRT don’t have a real answer for the likes of the Camaro 1LE, the Camaro Z/28, the Camaro ZL1, the Mustang Boss 302 or the Shelby GT500 Mustang. There have long been rumors that SRT is working on a supercharged Hemi that will make substantially more power than the current offering with the help of a factory supercharger and this new blown Hemi is supposedly code named the Hellcat.


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While Kim recently implied that husband Kanye West is a billionaire, he has a reported net worth of $160 million.
Kanye has built his wealth not just by producing, rapping, and acting, but through business ventures such as his shoe line for Nike called Air Yeezy and another shoe line with Louis Vuitton.
Who is richer Kim or Kylie?
The youngest, Kylie Jenner, is by far the wealthiest — beating Kim Kardashian West’s net worth by a staggering $650 million. Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, and Khloe Kardashian are all worth about the same, while Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner are worth more than most of their children.
How much is Kim and Kanye worth 2019?
Kanye West is a hugely successful rapper, designer, and producer, but Kim still outearns him. Not that he isn’t also insanely rich: His net worth is estimated at around $150 million, according to Forbes as of July 2019.
Who is the richest Kardashian?
Who is richer Kim or Paris?
Paris Hilton’s net worth
But her career really hit the stratosphere in 2003 when her 2001 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon came out. It’s pretty close, but Hilton ranks just behind Kardashian. She has a total net worth of $300 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.


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"Black business ownership jumped 400% in one year."
Bloggers, Aug. 20
Conservative bloggers are championing a survey that they say indicates a 400 percent jump in the number of black-owned businesses in the United States in the past year -- and they're attributing that supposed increase to President Donald Trump.
This new claim originates from a 2017 client email survey conducted by two private companies and focused on small businesses. The aggregated findings, posted on the companies' websites in January, do not reference Trump.
Small business financing company Guidant Financial and online credit marketplace LendingClub Corporation sent out an email survey to their clientele nationwide; they received responses from about 2,600 "current and aspiring entrepreneurs." The companies both posted general articles about the results of that survey on their websites in January without making any distinction about race or ethnicity except that 47 percent of "aspiring entrepreneurs" surveyed were minorities.
The 400 percent increase in black-owned businesses claim, however, was not made until a subsequent graphic was published on Guidant's website on Aug. 8.
It was not clear from the released results how the companies came up with the 400 percent jump. The percentage of African-American respondents who owned businesses was not published, nor was that figure from last year.
The survey sample was not random, the response was voluntary, and the margin of error was not made public.
This graphic said it relied on the same survey data, and it highlighted the African-American business owners in the pool. The methodology the companies provided did not break down respondents by race, only saying that minorities accounted for 47 percent of aspiring entrepreneurs who responded.
PolitiFact contacted Guidant about the claim in the graphic on Aug. 21. Two days later, a new version of the graphic was posted, this time without any mention of a 400 percent increase.
"We have found that the 400% statistic is being misrepresented in its context and therefore we have decided to pull that statistic from our info graph," public relations consultant for Guidant Stacia Kirby said in an email. "Our mission is to help people get started and funded in owning their own business."
When it comes to black-owned business numbers, we couldn't find another source that supports this increase from 2017 to 2018. The Annual Business Survey data about Business Owner Characteristics for 2017 is not yet available, and most recent Census data related to minority-owned businesses is from 2016.
Robert Fairlie, an economics professor at the University of California-Santa Cruz, studies entrepreneurship and authored a book about its relationship with race in the United States.
Fairlie said there was no indication that African-American businesses had seen significant growth in the past year.
"That would be great if there was a 400 percent increase given that African-American rates are so low, but everything that I have seen from Census and BLS data does not show that kind of growth," Fairlie said.
Because of the small sample size and lack of corroborating data, we rate this claim False.
Copyright 2024 Tampa Bay Times. All rights reserved.


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Congratulations to Jyl and Carissa from Mom It Forward on the launch of their new site, the way cool chip in widget, and the upcoming LIVE #gno parties/fundraisers that are going to happen all over the US and Australia on April 18th!
What is Mom It Forward?
Mom It Forwrd is the newest trend in mom groups and makes giving back fun, sociable, accessible, and stylish. The Mom It Forward mission is “to change the world one mom at a time” by strengthening women, helping them become the best moms they can be, and providing support.
Who is Mom It Forward going to help?
The answer to this is always changing. At the Blissdom conference in February MOM IF members helped serve food at a homeless shelter. Recently Mom IF Utah members held a family service project to benefit kids who are abused or neglected. The LIVE #GNO event is raising money for The Pope Foundation which helps women and families support themselves through a concept called microfinance. The Pope Foundation took the microfinance one step further and created 2 more businesses to help their movement. (Read all about this in the Mom IF Fundraiser FAQs)
How you can help Mom It Forward?
1. Chip in via the widget above.
2. Grab the widget and place it on your own blog, website, Facebook page, My Space page, etc.
3. Attend or even help organize one of the local LIVE events taking place April 18th.
4. Donate $20 or buy some of the the Pope Foundation's Basa Body line of products and you'll automatically be entered to win one of three gift cards: $250 Disney gift card, $150 Amazon gift card, $100 Target gift card.
I'll be helping with the DC event so let me know if you'll be there too!
Counting my blessings,


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UPDATE: The US has removed Xiaomi from its blacklist. Xiaomi has confirmed that via its official Twitter handle.
ORIGINAL: It seems like the US has agreed to remove Xiaomi from its blacklist. This information comes from Bloomberg, as a filing has been spotted in the US courts. The US Department of Defense has affirmed that a final order removing Xiaomi from the blacklist “would be appropriate”.
The US will remove Xiaomi from its blacklist, details coming soon
That’s not all, though. The filing says that the two parties have “agreed upon a path forward that would resolve this litigation without the need for contested briefing”. The specific terms will be issued on May 20, it seems.
For those of you who are not familiar with the situation, Xiaomi was added to a blacklist by the Trump administration back in early January. It was accused of being a “Communist Chinese Military Company”.
What did that mean for Xiaomi? Well, it aimed to prevent US investors from investing in Xiaomi. That would also see Xiaomi delisted from US exchanges.
Xiaomi was quick to deny such accusations. The company stated that it’s an independent, publicly traded company. It managed to win a temporary injunction against blacklisting back in March.
Based on this report, we’ll find out more on May 20, when all details will likely be officially announced. Things are looking up for Xiaomi, that’s for sure. This only comes as icing on the cake.
Xioami is making strides in the smartphone market, especially in Europe
Xiaomi managed to become the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in Europe in Q1, trumping Apple. Xiaomi grew on a global scale as well, as it managed to pick up quite a few Huawei users along the way.
Both IDC and Counterpoint Research confirmed Xiaomi’s YoY growth, and it seems like it will only continue this year. The company is expanding continuously in Europe, and is doing a great job at grabbing market share.
Xiaomi recently announced its first foldable smartphone in China, and that device will likely arrive to other markets soon as well. Two more foldable smartphones are expected this year, the same goes for the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4.


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Global Crypto Exchange OKEx Partners with India-based CoinDCX
CoinDCX also announced the launch of its new DCXfutures product. The product meets demands that have increased for access to Futures, Options, and higher leverage trading in India’s market.
A maximum of 15x leverage trading for renowned cryptos like BTC, ETH, XRP, BCH, LTC, EOS, ADA, and TRX will be available with DCXfutures.
The Collaboration Benefits
CoinDCX CEO and co-founder Sumit Gupta stated that the exchange believes that this collaboration will make the country one of the fastest-growing economies globally based on the huge potential of the crypto market to accelerate economic growth and generate wealth. He went on to say that it would offer new opportunities and address new challenges.
Currently, one can only access the DCXfutures option through invitation. The public will access DCXfutures from the second quarter of this year, according to a press statement.
OKEx India head Zac Zou spoke of India’s potential to accelerate crypto adoption exponentially. He said the country could stimulate mass adoption of cryptos, which is why exchanges’ efforts to add fairer currencies to the domain.
Beforehand, Malta-based exchange, Binance announced an integration of its P2P trading platform with a top cryptocurrency exchange in India, WazirX.
Partnerships with international exchanges and India keep increasing, showing that cryptocurrency’s regulatory domain seems somewhat positive in the country. Numerous unbanked populations in India can take advantage of exposure to digital assets.


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The launch of the video iPod and availability of ABC shows on iTunes generate interest in watching video online or on portable devices; however, video isn’t new to the Web. A report expected to be released today from Points North Group gauges interest in “video everywhere.”
Twenty percent of online users watch video online three to four times a week. Of the varied offerings, more than 10 percent of online consumers view movie previews, television shows, music videos, or sports segments at the same frequency.
“Our whole finding here is really the significant interest. There’s the early adopter core audience out there already engaging in this kind of activity,” Points North Group analyst Craig Leddy told ClickZ Stats. “They want TV everywhere.”
|U.S. Consumer Internet Video Adoption|
|Activity||Engage in 3-4 times a week (%)|
|Watch a video news segment||20|
|Visit the website of a television network or particular show||16|
|Watch a movie preview||13|
|Watch an entire television show||12|
|Watch music videos||11|
|Watch a preview or video segment of a TV show||11|
|Watch video segments of sports news||11|
|Watch video segments of sports events||11|
|Download a Podcast||4|
Source: Points North Group and Horowitz Associates, Inc., 2005
Though the audience is 20 percent strong, it’s a relatively small group of online users. “There is a large audience where there is little-to-no interest right now,” said Leddy.
The Web is the predominant venue for video; 28 percent watch regular TV shows on their PCs or laptops, and 22 percent download content to watch on a PC or TV. Portable devices will take hold as adoption continues. Nineteen percent of video hounds watch live newscasts on cell phones or other portable devices; 17 percent watch entire TV shows, and 16 percent watch movies. Before the iPod Video was released, other portable devices, such as cell phones; PlayStation Portables; Portable Media Centers; and PDAs offered the capability. Content, however, was limited.
“Look at what Apple did with the audio iPod. That really is a watershed development in media technology devices. They really cut through the other devices that are plagued in this field,” said Leddy. “Apple came up with a user-friendly way to navigate, which is a big issue even for some Web sites.”
|U.S. Consumer Internet Video Interest|
|Activity||Percentage of Users|
|Watch regular television shows on a PC or laptop||28|
|Download, store and play video content from the Internet directly to your TV||22|
|Watch real-time live newscasts on your cell phone or portable device||19|
|Watch entire TV shows on cell phone or other portable device||17|
|Watch entire movies you downloaded from the Internet on your cell phone or other portable device||16|
|Being able to click on an advertisement and get more detailed information about a product on your TV||16|
|View entire live sporting events through your cell phone or other portable device||12|
|Notes: 1. n=1,098
2. Percentage based upon respondent rankings of 4-5 on a scale of 1-5 for each activity.
|Source: Points North Group and Horowitz Associates, Inc., 2005|
How consumers tolerate advertising in direct Internet and portable forms of video remains to be seen. Sixteen percent of the Web’s video watchers said they like being able to click on an ad and get more detailed information about a product.
“I think there are opportunities in the advertising arena in several stages,” said Leddy. “The value they’re going to get out of this is to extend their brand and build greater loyalty to their customer base. Advertising at this stage is probably in the form of sponsorship for the programmer.”
Current video offerings run video advertising, notes Leddy. Inventory attached to video content is reportedly sold out on a number of video content sites.
Research was conducted in cooperation with Horowitz Associates. More than 1,000 online users were surveyed for the study. Points North Group recently changed its name from K-Town Group.
Election 2016 is already like no presidential race before it, and one of the most striking aspects of this year’s race is the disparity ... read more
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We put China and United States head to head on smartphone sales and smartphone penetration; 4G subscribers; 4G coverage and speed; mobile internet users and m-commerce; to find out where the world’s biggest m-commerce opportunity lies.


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According to a price-tracking site called camelcamelcamel (and highlighted by qz.com), Amazon has changed the price of the King James Version of the Bible over 100 times since May of 2010. What on earth? In the past five years, it's been listed as low as $8.99 and as high as $16.99. Amazon spokesman Scott Stanzel wouldn't dish on the exact process that goes into determining when and how a item's price changes, but Amazon does change prices on up to 80 million items a day. So, the Bible's not exactly unique in having its rate adjustments, but some of the circumstances around it all are a little interesting.
A little snooping gives a clearer picture. For example, the KJV Bible saw a dramatic price hike in early 2014—jumping from its all-time low at the end of 2013 all the way to about $14.49—which just so happened to take place right around the time of the History Channel's The Bible miniseries. And that $16.99 high? That was on December 30, 2012—back when everyone thought the world was about to end. But here's the question: Is Amazon changing prices to keep up with customer demand? Or are they anticipating demand based on current events? ... Discuss


text: "More than 150 artists exhibit their designs at the Tattoo Art Festival in Paris. From traditional Chinese patterns to modern hip-hop graffiti, more than 150 artists exhibit their designs at the Tattoo Art Festival in Paris. Several thousand tattoo fans from around the world gathered at the fair. Organizers said theyve seen an increase in young people and women who are interested in tattoos. The least expensive styles start at around 75 U.S. dollars and go up to several thousand dollars for full body tattoos."


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Pfizer: Established Products And Consumer Health In; Animal Health And Nutrition Out
This article was originally published in The Pink Sheet Daily
Executive SummaryPfizer takes a middle-of-the-road approach to breaking out non-core businesses, announcing plans to explore alternatives for Animal Health and Nutrition.
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Pfizer's ambitious plans to spin out its Upjohn branded and generics business will result in a smaller, innovation-focused pharma. The decision comes after nine years of back-and-forth about whether the move would unlock value.
Beyond the sale of its nutritionals business and spin-out of animal health into Zoetis, no additional separations are planned for Pfizer in the near-term. But CEO Ian Read discussed how he sees the company’s Established Products and Emerging Markets businesses evolving over the long-term, including the potential for an eventual breakout, during a year-end financial call Jan. 29.
Pfizer CFO Frank D’Amelio talks about the big pharma’s long-term vision and cost-reduction initiatives during the Morgan Stanley Healthcare conference. Management will continue reviewing the portfolio on an ongoing basis to see how best to maximize shareholder value, he said.


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February 04, 2020 10:22 am
BlackBerry is parting ways with its licensing partnering TCL Communications, with whom it had entered into a brand licensing and technology support agreement back in December 2016.
April 19, 2019 3:52 pm
BlackBerry Messenger or BBM, which once dominated the world of instant messaging in an era before WhatsApp took over will be shutting down on May 31
March 08, 2019 7:11 pm
Optiemus Infracom has launched a BlackBerry branded wireless charger in India at Rs 2,499. The charger will be available in black colour and it will be sold exclusively on Amazon.
February 26, 2019 3:30 pm
BlackBerry has unveiled BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition at the Mobile World Congress 2019 which is a red coloured and upgraded version of the BlackBerry Key2 launched in June last year.
January 16, 2019 6:57 pm
The answer to the crisis is a simple one. We must own our individual data and be given the transparent choice to monetize or otherwise leverage it.
November 19, 2018 10:20 pm
BlackBerry said the acquisition of Cylance would enable it to add artificial intelligence capabilities to its existing software products, the all-cash deal would close before the end of its current fiscal year in February 2019
November 17, 2018 10:08 pm
BlackBerry, which dominated the smartphone market a decade ago, has shifted to selling software to manage mobile devices, as well as areas such as driverless cars.
November 12, 2018 2:12 pm
BlackBerry Key2 LE review: BlackBerry Key2 LE fails to recreate the magic of an old BlackBerry phone.
October 08, 2018 12:43 pm
BlackBerry KEY2 LE has been officially launched in India by Optiemus Infracom Limited for a price of Rs 29,990. KEY2 LE will be Amazon exclusive in India with sales starting October 12, 2018.
October 03, 2018 4:40 pm
BlackBerry Evolve exclusive to Amazon and those interested can register click on 'Notify Me' to get notified when the phone becomes available.
January 31, 2016 10:34 am
BlackBerry Priv, Huawei Honor 5X, Lenovo Vibe X3 and more. Here's a quick look at the recently launched smartphones creating a buzz.
January 31, 2016 10:32 am
BlackBerry Priv is the first Android smartphone from the company, which will cost Rs 62,999. Here's a close look at some unique features of the device.
May 18, 2015 3:45 pm
Here is a picture gallery of Asus Zenfone 2, BlackBerry Leap, Xiaomi Mi 4i, HTC One M9+, Gionee Elife S7, LG G Flex, Lumia 640 XL with express reviews.
May 10, 2015 9:40 am
BlackBerry has announced its new Leap smartphone in India.
January 15, 2015 3:40 pm
BlackBerry Classic costs Rs 31,990 and will be available exclusively on Snapdeal.com starting January 15.
June 22, 2020 6:11 pm
February 11, 2016 11:26 am
BlackBerry Priv retains most natural elements of Android while adding their bits as add-ons and not as a wrap like other manufacturers
February 09, 2016 7:36 am
June 08, 2020 2:13 pm
Just when the world thought the company from Waterloo had no chance of reviving its handset business, BlackBerry has come up with the Passport. And it is a huge gamble, given that this phone has a very unique form factor and is not meant to sell in volumes.
July 03, 2014 12:02 pm
Sonu, Soha, Shraddha and others share throwback photos on Raksha Bandhan


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Cellulant, a Kenyan payments Company entered a five-year partnership with GAINDE 2000, a Senegal-based trade facilitations systems provider, to provide end-to-end infrastructure payments and solutions for governments and multinationals.
The partnership will combine GAINDE2000’s e-government solutions with Cellulant’s payment solutions to be able to provide a comprehensive regional end-to-end technology payments solution throughout the African continent. Providing this digital platform will meet African governments’ need to improve their trade environment, meet the challenges of payments and reduce time and cost in trade transactions.
Daniel SARR, Regional Executive Director of GAINDE 2000 says the partnership with Cellulant is not only a milestone in their journey to facilitate trade formalities, but it also represents a dramatic shift for the future of financial trade-related transactions, security operations and human-driven applications.
What is the feasibility of this partnership?
GAINDE 2000 has a wide range of functionalities and allows traders and shipping companies to submit customs declarations online. This basic service it gives, has grown into the design, implementation and operation of digital platforms for governments and businesses.
Cellulant on its own provides Tingg, a single digital payments platform that addresses complex payments for both governments and businesses. It connects thousands of businesses with 154 payment options and 35 countries.
With both partners holding the fort properly from their ends, the partnership will sure meet its goal of offering digital services through out Africa.


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On Monday the IAB released its second “Outlook for Data” report, a survey conducted by the Winterberry Group that benchmarks data-driven marketing practices. Its responses show “a general maturity in the evolution of marketer data,” said Dennis Buchheim, SVP of data and ad effectiveness for the IAB.
The number of businesses that plan to increase investments in data-related services and solutions ticked up from 67% last year to 71% in 2017, the survey of 108 marketers found.
But there remains a great need to prove the value of all the data they’ve been collecting, licensing and normalizing, Buchheim said.
Respondents said their biggest data investment in 2016 was around “general audience analytics” (i.e. data collection). This year, “cross-channel measurement and attribution” shot to the top of the list.
“When we hear marketers tell us their number one priority is ‘measurement and attribution,’ they’re not telling us that to serve an academic purpose,” said Jonathan Margulies, managing director at Winterberry Group. “They need that because they’re being held to account and need to justify their investments to people up the organization.”
This year, 45% of respondents said “difficulty in proving ROI of data-driven programs” will be a top challenge this year to data-driven marketing, compared to 26% of respondents last year.
So don’t be surprised if the IAB takes a more active role when it comes to attribution standards and validation.
“There are so many different vendors offering different solutions and methodologies,” Buchheim said. “But there’s a need to develop the right questions to ask attribution vendors and the things we can do to validate models.”


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The economy officially shrunk in the first quarter despite the steady drumbeat of supposedly positive news from the administration and the mainstream media. Economists continue to insist the odds of a recession are low, though we may be in the middle of one already. Some seem to believe the economy is great, but the people just can’t understand the greatness.
Recently, I argued that the United States was facing a looming economic disaster brought to you by President Biden. I based my belief on two simple facts. First, President Biden and his enablers in the expert class plus the mainstream media have been talking up the greatness of an economy they completely fail to understand, taking credit for growth that was purely a result of healing from the self-inflicted wounds of the lockdowns and inflation, rather than an organic, sustainable phenomenon. Second, these same groups were simultaneously downplaying and underestimating the impact of the highest inflation in decades coupled with a supply chain crisis they seemed incapable of addressing. The result, in my opinion, was a toxic mix that would soon lead to an economic crisis, despite the cheerleading in the headlines. On Thursday last week, we learned that I was almost certainly correct: The US economy shrank “unexpectedly” in the first quarter, down some 1.4%, the first and most important data point that signifies a recession.
As CNBC described it, the economy “fell off a cliff” when gross domestic product “unexpectedly declined at a 1.4% annualized pace in the first quarter, marking an abrupt reversal for an economy coming off its best performance since 1984, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.” Unexpected appears to be the keyword here because even the normally conservative Dow Jones had expected a 1% gain. Perhaps needless to say, CNBC continued to offer a litany of largely meaningless excuses, from Omicron to inflation to Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also attempted to spin consumer spending as a bright spot, noting that the figure “held up fairly well for the quarter, rising 2.7%.” While this might seem promising in isolation, inflation surged much higher over the same period, 7.5% in January, 7.9% in February, and a whopping 8.5% in March, meaning the quantity of goods and services purchased likely declined despite the headline number. Putting this another way, consumer spending only increased because of costs, and that increase falls well short of the rise in those costs. If prices had remained the same year-over-year, consumer spending probably would’ve fallen, perhaps substantially. CNBC described it thusly, “Prices increased sharply during the quarter, with the price index for gross domestic purchases surging 7.8% in the three-month period, following a 7% gain in the fourth quarter of 2021.”
Of course, CNBC is also sure to note that “recession expectations on Wall Street remain low,” even though “there’s further trouble ahead for the economy: In an effort to combat burgeoning price increases, the Federal Reserve plans to enact a series of rate hikes aimed at slowing growth further.” Think about that for a moment: The geniuses on Wall Street think the odds of a recession remain low, but they expect growth to slow because of the Federal Reserve. Growth is at negative 1.4%, slowing further is even more of decline, which will almost certainly result in at least two quarters of negative growth, the definition of a recession. As Ozzy Osbourne once sang in the 1991 hit “No More Tears,” it’s like “going forward in reverse.” To be sure, there are some who might dispute my analysis and I am no economist. John Cassidy writing for The New Yorker argues that we shouldn’t “take the surprising drop in GDP at face value.” He points to defense spending, which can fluctuate quarter to quarter, and a rise in imports while existing US inventories were sold off as the primary factors driving the contraction, believing they will be short lived. In his mind, “American households continued to spend amply in the first three months of this year, and U.S. businesses invested heavily in new equipment, particularly in information technology. Over-all sales generated by the private sector increased at a healthy annual rate of 3.7 per cent, which augurs well for the rest of the year.”
Unlike CNBC, he describes the 2.7% increase in consumer spending as absolute consumption, adjusted for inflation, noting that “personal consumption increased at an annualized rate of 2.7 per cent, and nonresidential private fixed investment in equipment rose at a rate of 15.3 per cent.” It is true that these numbers, or at least some of them, are supposedly adjusted for inflation, but there are two reasons to doubt whether this is captured accurately. First, the Federal government uses a significantly lower inflation number, one that puts it at 5.2%. In their assessment, “current dollar” GDP which is not adjusted for inflation increased at 6.5%, but again that is lower than the overall rate of inflation itself. Second, the GDP report noted something potentially more ominous: Real disposable income for consumers declined 2%, along with the savings rate, which fell some $180 billion, from 7.7% in the fourth quarter last year to 6.6% in the first quarter, meaning that even if absolute consumption did in increase, it was driven by people dipping into their savings, an unsustainable phenomenon in the long run. There is evidence the situation is even worse: Another report issued last week found that inflation pushed workers total wages and benefits down 3.7%.
Regardless, Mr. Cassidy concludes, “If you add these three volatile factors affecting G.D.P. together, they reduced the headline growth figure by roughly 4.5 percentage points, which explains why it came in negative even though underlying spending by households and businesses was strong. It should also be noted that in the first three months of the year employers created nearly 1.7 million jobs, and the unemployment rate fell from 3.9 per cent to 3.6 per cent. In other words, the headline G.D.P. figure was misleading.” To support his conclusion, he cites Greg Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, who said, “Cutting through the noise, the U.S. economy appeared generally robust,” along with the economics team at Goldman Sachs, who claimed the report had “much firmer” internals. Alas, Mr. Cassidy fails to inform his readers that Mr. Daco has been consistently wrong about the Biden economy, painting a rosy picture at odds with reality many times, driven largely by his faith in government spending as the solution to all economic problems. Barely a year ago, Mr. Daco was claiming, “We anticipate a summer mini-boom in activity, juiced up by reduced virus transmission, increased vaccine diffusion and generous fiscal stimulus.” In his view, “The key engine of growth is going to be that powerful cocktail of both a healthier economy along with fiscal stimulus.” We know how well that prediction panned out.
To his credit, Mr. Cassidy is fair enough to acknowledge that the future might not be so bright, cautioning that the “big economic question is what will happen to spending by households and businesses—the bedrock of the economy—as the Federal Reserve moves to raise interest rates, last year’s stimulus continues to diminish, and high inflation rates continue to eat into purchasing power. Already, there are signs that some types of interest-sensitive spending are being affected: with mortgage rates rising, existing-home sales fell in February and March.” Some journalists and pundits were not nearly so objective in their assessment. Alana Semuels, writing for Time Magazine, believes “The Economy is Great. The Middle Class is Mad.” She begins with an anecdote about a man named Jeff Swope, who felt the “first spurt of anger bubble up when he learned in February that his landlord was raising the rent on the empty two-bedroom apartment next door by more than 30%, to $2,075 a month.” She quotes Mr. Swopes himself, saying “The frustration—it was always a frog in the boiling water type of thing. I’d always felt it, but on a basic level. Something’s always brewing. We looked at the rent increase, and it was like, OK, this is ridiculous. I was like, ‘What the???’” Ms. Semuels uses this and other anecdotes along with a few data points to conclude “Middle-class U.S. families have been treading water for decades—weighed down by stalled income growth and rising prices—but the runaway inflation that has emerged from the pandemic is sending more than a ripple of frustration through their ranks.”
In other words, it’s not Biden’s fault, even though this frustration exists when “On the surface, the economy looks buoyant. But like Swope’s slowly cooking frog, lots of middle-income earners are realizing that they’re in hot water and going under.” She quotes Richard Reeves, the Future of the Middle Class Initiative Director, “It’s not like this volcano came out of nowhere. To some extent, we’ve seen these long-term shifts in the economy like sluggish wage growth and downward mobility. It can take some time for the economic tectonic pressure to build sufficiently—and now the volcano is erupting.” The volcanic feeling is supported by other people she interviewed, who described their situation in variously negative terms even as they are considered middle class by economists. “The American Dream is an absolute nightmare, and I just want out at this point.” “It’s really discouraging. I’m losing hope. I don’t know what to do.” “We did what we’re supposed to do—but we’re just so cost-burdened.” “It’s the most money I’ve ever made, but I still can’t afford to buy a home.” “I’ve put down roots here. I don’t want to be forced out.” How Ms. Semuels squares that sentiment with the notion the economy is great remains completely unsaid.
David Sirota, writing for The Guardian takes a similar tack, claiming that Americans merely “believe nothing is getting better,” suggesting that belief is not reality. The media, you see, has “successfully duped a chunk of voters into not believing some basic economic realities.” In his opinion, the problem is that President Biden hasn’t been bold, or rather progressive, enough. He “started out in a much different direction. Right after being sworn in, he signed an American Rescue Plan that rightly provided direct economic aid to millions of non-rich people. As poverty subsequently dropped, Biden’s poll numbers temporarily rose, seemingly halting the ascent of Republicans’ authoritarian mob. But now things have stalled, and Biden seems intent on accelerating – rather than combating – a rising tide of disillusionment.” Mr. Sirota suggests the President proceed immediately with a litany of campaign promises, from the perennial increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour, to halting even more drilling on federal lands, to canceling student debt, to a public option for Medicare, to the costs of prescription drugs, to more labor unions. In other words, the same things progressives have been clamoring for for over a decade, yet another case of amazing how the answer to any problem is always what they wanted in the first place.
What Mr. Sirota doesn’t tell you: Even left-leaning economists believe the obvious truth that the much touted American Rescue Plan is largely or at least partially responsible for the inflation crisis. The Biden-friendly fact checking site Politifact analyzed the issue and determined that around half of our current inflation is due to the Democrats showering trillions of fresh, fake dollars on a rebounding economy after trillions had already been spent. A former member of President Obama’s Treasury Department, Steven Rattner, agrees, taking to The New York Times last year to claim President Biden was being “dishonest” when he blamed inflation on the supply chain crisis. “Blaming inflation on supply lines is like complaining about your sweater keeping you too warm after you’ve added several logs to the fireplace,” he noted. Mr. Ratner also claimed to have warned Democrats that the American Rescue Plan would lead to inflation before they passed it, and now insists we should focus on cutting the deficit to bring the economy and prices back into line. Of course, President Biden has long since moved on from blaming the supply chain crisis for our woes to blaming Russia, basically anyone but himself and his own progressive policies. The one thing that remains constant, however, is that he and his expert enablers like Greg Daco along with their supporters in the media have consistently been wrong, the entire time he’s been in office. It should be noted that this is the precise opposite of what we saw in the Trump era, when every piece of positive economic news was spun as sings of a coming crisis. Sadly, we can expect more of the same, and given the completely unexpected economic shrinkage, it seems pretty clear we have already entered Biden’s recession and the looming economic crisis I wrote about barely two weeks ago is here.
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Just over 12 months ago, Zencoder waved goodbye to Minnesota to join the ranks of the Silivon Valley startup scene. Today, Minnesota native Jon Dahl announced that his venture has been acquired by Brightcove, a public company based in Cambridge, MA.
Zencoder, a cloud-based video and audio encoding software as a service (SaaS), got its start in early 2010 when partners Jon Dahl, Brandon Arbini, and Steve Heffernan flew out to Mountain View to participate in the Y Combinator program. They later raised a $2m round, led by some of the tech industry’s top angel investors such as Chris Sacca, Dave McClure, and Ron Conway.
Brightcove (NASDAQ: BCOV) is a global provider of cloud content services and provides a family of products used to publish and distribute the professional digital media. Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Brightcove, is also a Minnesota-native. He founded Allaire Corporation which sold to Macromedia in March of 2001 and later went on to found Brightcove, now a 300+ person company. This is Brightcove’s first post-IPO acquisition.


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There are several options to buy and sell online, but Craigslist has become a go-to spot to find local deals, without getting items shipped.
Chicago Police and the Cook County Sheriff's Office say they're seeing an increase in reports of stolen goods on the site and others. The I-Team shows you how Craigslist helped one consumer, while another lost thousands.
This was the Craigslist ad for a 2001 Honda CR-V that enticed 19-year-old Vanessa brown. She paid the seller $2,600 in cash after looking at what she thought was the title with a matching VIN number.
"And I gave him the money and we looked over a couple more things and we left," said Brown.
But five minutes after this Blue Island mother left with her first car, a cop pulled her over because the car did not yet have plates.
"And they came back and said, 'Can I have you step out of the vehicle, you are being arrested for driving a stolen vehicle' and my heart dropped and I said, 'What do you mean a stolen vehicle?'" said Brown.
Brown says she was cuffed and hauled off to a police station on 71st and Cottage Grove where she sat for four hours. She was released without being charged, but police took the stolen car and what ended up being a fake title.
Cook County Sheriff's Office Commander Michael Antone runs a special ops unit that monitors Craigslist. He says it's common for investigators to get reports about questionable goods on Craigslist, eBay and the classifieds site, Backpage.
"You don't know what you are getting. It could be a used item, it can be a counterfeit item, we have seen a lot of that, it could be a stolen item. People don't know. You are buying from a picture, you could download a picture form the internet," said Cmdr. Antone.
Antone and Chicago police both say if you're going to buy used items online, you should ask the seller for a serial number, or for a car, a VIN number. You can then ask police if the item has been reported stolen. On eBay, you can look at a seller's profile and history of sales. You can also report suspicious activity to individual websites.
Karla Shaw turned to Craigslist for help when her South Side condo was burglarized in November.
"And when I went to the computer this is what I saw with my serial number and I said, 'Oh my god that is my computer!'" said Shaw.
A CPD detective got her iMac back for her. The Craigslist seller, Shehzad Nonani says he bought the computer from a street corner on the city's South Side. He wasn't charged.
"I'm out of the $1,300 I paid," said Nonani.
The I-Team tracked him down working at this gas station on the city's South Side.
ABC7's Jason Knowles: "Did you have any reason to believe it was stolen?"
Nonai: "No, like I said the only reason I would get, if I turned it on, it would come up to a password, some sort of Apple ID saying you need a password."
He says the computer log in didn't require a password and it wasn't locked, so he thought it was legit. And that the people who sold it to him may have wiped Shaw's information. Luckily for Shaw, she saved the iMac box.
And there's another way to safely buy used items online. One detective told me you can conduct the transaction in a police department lobby. If a seller has a stolen item, they probably won't want to go to a police department.
Eyewitness News reached out to Craigslist, based in San Francisco, several times, in the last few weeks. No one got back to us.


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Carrying Christmas and holiday merchandise won’t be the only requirement for keeping merry customers and ensuring holiday profits this year. It’s true that wholesalers and the retailers they supply have been stocking shelves earlier and earlier each year, chasing the estimated $450 billion in holiday spending. However, since experiencing economic turmoil, increasing gas prices, and […]
In yet another sign consumers are ready to spend again, the NRF says lovers and others will spend 11 percent more this year on February 14th.
In an encouraging sign for a growing economy, an industry report says shoppers will spend heavily for February 14th.
High sales activity from Christmas continues as buyers sniff out reduced-price offerings.
With the economy still crunching some folks, more consumers are paying cash for gifts and sticking to a budget.
Research firm sees consumers as more willing to go online and spend this Christmas season. The question is, are retailers ready?
Although consumers are not convinced the worst is over, published reports say many will be giving gifts that people ‘want’ rather than ‘need’
Consumers will return to the stores this holiday season despite the ongoing gloom & doom. Research finds they’re ready to spend again.
Good news for retailers: Sales this holiday season are expected to be up a healthy 2.3%.
Having had enough of feeling down, NRF says Americans will be spending large on spooky holiday this year.


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Digital TV News: Sean Lin
Mstar T12 UHD TV SoC incorporates Fraunhofer MPEG-H Audio
Sep 15, 2017 – Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and MStar Semiconductor have announced the availability of the MPEG-H TV Audio System decoder in MStar’s 4K mainstream TV system-on-chip (SOC) platform T12.
News categories: MStar Semi, Fraunhofer, Sean Lin, Harald Popp, Digital TV, Semiconductor, Smart TV
MStar IC supports Dolby Multistream Decoder MS12 V2
Aug 30, 2017 – Dolby (NYSE: DLB) and MStar have announced a solution to deliver immersive Dolby Atmos experiences to TV sets. MStar has made available the latest iteration of Dolby Multistream Decoder MS12 on the first IC to support both MS12 v2.2 GA and Dolby Vision.
News categories: Dolby, MStar Semi, Giles Baker, Sean Lin, Digital TV, Semiconductor, Smart TV, Worldwide
LG and MStar support Eurofins' 4K HDR Ultra HD logo scheme
Jun 7, 2017 – Eurofins Digital Testing has announced that LG and MStar have committed to Eurofins’ 4K HDR Ultra HD logo scheme. The scheme identifies devices that have been fully tested and proven to deliver the highest picture quality currently available.
News categories: Eurofins Digital Testing, LG Electronics, MStar Semi, Johan Craeybeckx, SY LEE, Sean Lin, Digital TV, QoE, Semiconductor, Smart TV, Worldwide
MStar adopts Dolby Vision for 4K Ultra HD TV SoCs
Oct 14, 2015 – Dolby (NYSE:DLB) has announced a collaboration with MStar Semiconductor to add Dolby Vision to MStar's 4K Ultra HD SoCs for HDR TVs in 2016. Dolby has worked with Mstar to optimize Dolby Vision for integration into MStar's video processing engine.
News categories: Dolby, MStar Semi, Giles Baker, Sean Lin, Digital TV, Semiconductor, Silicon IP, Smart TV, Worldwide
Mstar Semi first with HDMI 2.0 sink device certification
Aug 7, 2014 – MStar Semiconductor has announced the certification of the first world-wide sink device under the HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) Version 2.0 standard, which enables the support of 4K resolution at 60fps.
News categories: MStar Semi, Sean Lin, Semiconductor, Smart Home, Smart TV, Worldwide
- Cinedigm partners with Vewd for global OTT channel distribution
- 3SS and Technicolor upgrade Com Hem Tv Hub to Android P
- Pay TV ARPU at record high levels in the Nordics
- Applicaster Quick Brick Framework speeds video app development
- Evolution Digital launches Android TV device management platform
- Zixi powers 4K UHD Bloomberg TV+ service
- Telekom Malaysia selects Skyworth as 4K Android TV Operator Tier partner
- FourthWall Media adds Neilsen Smart TV ACR data to analytics platform
- TDS Telecom rolls-out IP video and Cloud DVR with Velocix
- A1now selects Vionlabs for AI-powered recommendations
- Global AVOD expenditure to double
- Gem Shopping Network to use Comscore TV measurement
- United Group makes strategic investment in Forthnet
- Disney+ and Apple TV+ both see success during first six months in the market
- Comcast, Charter and ViacomCBS announce Blockgraph partnership
- Britbox app now available on BT TV set-top boxes
- Conviva partners with Akamai on QoE intelligence
- ATRESMEDIA and smartclip deepen HbbTV advertising partnership
- Bouygues Telecom replaces set-top box with Smart TV app
- Comscore, Kantar extend measurement partnership with Auditel Italy


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Patent P.I. was named the winner from this past weekend’s Startup Weekend Buffalo held at Medaille College, beating out 12 other teams for the top prize.
Patent P.I. is a patent-tracking program designed to deliver reliable results to attorneys and technologists. Second and third-place finishers were companies called LookTag and Heads Up. Patent P.I. and LookTag were awarded a cash prize ($1,000 and $500), as well as valuable startup services, such as legal advice, consulting expertise, accounting assistance, and professional memberships. Additionally, each of the top three companies are guaranteed the ability to pitch Buffalo-based incubator Z80 Labs for entry into it.
LookTag is a fashion website that allows users to tag outfits they see online and find online retailers that carry similar looks. Heads Up is a minimalist display that interacts with a user’s smartphone to provide the user with feedback.
Local volunteers comprised of technology professionals and entrepreneurs have worked over the last year to bring the global Startup Weekend brand to Buffalo, starting with its first event held last November, and the most recent one. Presently, there are five teams still operating from the first Startup Weekend Buffalo held last November. The first place winner, DoSomething, is headed to California to capture their first round of funding this month, and Boat Share is getting will soon launch its business, in addition to a few other teams who are still working on their ideas.
Startup Weekend is a global non-profit organization with a mission to connect local entrepreneurs and foster the development of new companies. Since its inception last November, Startup Weekend Buffalo has connected nearly 300 local entrepreneurs, developers, designers and startup enthusiasts with mentors and resources to launch Buffalo’s next startups.
Startup Weekend Buffalo is a 54-hour event where local entrepreneurs, developers, designers, marketers, product managers, startup enthusiasts and anyone interested in building a business will come together to share ideas, form teams, and launch a startup. For more information, visit www.buffalo.startupweekend.org
Startup Weekend supports the development and expansion of entrepreneurship through events worldwide that educate aspiring entrepreneurs by immersing them in the process of moving an idea to market. Startup Weekend has built a network of more than 55,000 alumni, thousands of volunteer organizers and 100 trained facilitators spread across more than 300 cities in 100 countries. Kauffman Foundation, Google, Microsoft, .Co, Sendgrid, and Cloudmine are sponsors.


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Hostess to close the Chicago bakery that created the Twinkie - just a year after it re-opened
- The bakery at Schiller Park, which re-opened in July last year following the company's bankruptcy, will close again in October 'to improve efficiency'
- The decision leaves 400 workers out of a job but the sweet treats will continue to be made at other factories
- The Twinkie was invented at the bakery in 1930 when a manager wanted to put extra shortcake pans to use
Hostess Brands has announced it will close the suburban Chicago bakery where the Twinkie was invented in 1930, cutting 400 jobs and shuttering a piece of American baking history.
On Wednesday, the company said it plans to close the Schiller Park bakery in October.
Hostess Brands CEO Bill Toler said the company is closing the plant as it tries to improve efficiency, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
National treasure: Twinkies were invented in a suburban Chicago bakery in 1930 - but the company behind the sweet treat has now announced that the bakery will be shutting down in October to improve efficiency
'While the old Hostess company was in bankruptcy, many competitors took over the shelves and are tenaciously defending their business and thus we must be highly efficient and technologically advanced to compete,' he said.
Hostess filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
The plant's employees were stunned by the news, Donald Woods said. He is president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 1.
'They were working like 12 hours, six days a week, and they were looking for this plant to be a part of their future,' he said, adding that the workers voted in May to rejoin the union.
They had been told the company planned to keep the plant open long term, he said.
Site: The Schiller Park bakery, pictured, re-opened last year following the company's bankruptcy, and workers were told the company would keep it open long term. Employees said they were shocked by the U-turn
The company said they will be providing severance packages as well as outplacement services, and the workers' union will push for employees to be relocated to other plants.
The bakery had just reopened a little over a year ago as Twinkies returned to store shelves after Hostess' bankruptcy.
At the time, Hostess brands were sold off to different buyers. Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo bought Twinkies and other Hostess cakes for $410 million.
The spongy, cream-filled snack cake was invented in Schiller Park in 1930 by a bakery manager looking for uses for idle shortcake pans.
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Bahrain Ministry of Information raids illegal end-user
As part of its campaign against software piracy, the Bahrain Ministry of Information recently conducted a raid on a computer user and seized over 50 PCs loaded with illegal software, including Windows 98, Windows 2000, Office 97, Norton AntiVirus 2000, Norton Anti Virus 2001 and Adobe Photo Shop.
Bahrain is one of the most active countries that is firmly cracking down on software piracy by tracking resellers responsible for peddling illegal software products as well as end-users who are infringing the copyright laws in the country. Business Software Alliance (BSA) is aggressively monitoring the prevalence of counterfeit software market through feedback from authorized resellers on a continuous basis.
The BSA is an international organization representing leading software and e-commerce developers in 65 countries around the world. Established in 1988, BSA has offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)


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‘Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered’ Latest News & Update: Female Fighters, More Maps, New Game Modes Added In Operation Arctic Wolf
"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered" has received a massive update with a stack of new maps, game modes, items, and even -- for the first time -- female combatants. Activision says that its latest supply drop for "Call of Duty 4" is codenamed "Operation Arctic Wolf."
"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered" Female Characters
With the update, which was released on Tuesday, Dec. 13, "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered" fans get a bunch of new characters, including female fighters. This is the first time that "Modern Warfare" has received playable female characters.
"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered" Maps
Aside from the new characters, the new update for "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered" also includes six additional maps for its multiplayer mode. The remastered edition of "Modern Warfare," which launched in November, initially came with 10 maps. The new December update adds more to the game, increasing the total number of maps to 16.
The new maps include Bloc, Pipeline, Strike, Countdown, Showdown, and Wet Work. Apart from these, Activision says that there is a special Winter Crash map that has tons of Christmas Easter eggs scattered all around. This is a Christmas-themed revamp of the original Crash map. But unlike the original, which was only available for the PC, the new Winter Crash map will be playable on consoles. In a Twitter post on Tuesday, "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" designer Amos Hodge wrote, "Today, Winter Crash will be added into the map rotation on any playlist that contains the normal Crash map."
"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered" New Game Modes, Items
In addition, the December update adds two new game modes -- Hardpoint and Gun Game -- to "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered." The first-person shooter video game will also get new personalization items, including combat uniforms, weapon camos, calling cards, emblems, melee weapons, reticles, and weapon customization pieces. Activision says that two special weapon camos -- Gift Wrap and Ugly Sweater -- can be unlocked for each weapon class by finishing challenges in the Winter Crash map.
The new personalization items can be crafted using the Parts crafting currency in "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered." They can also be earned organically via supply drops. IGN says that in November, a data mining leak found possible clues to upcoming microtransactions in "Modern Warfare."
The 24/7 Winter Crash playlist for "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered" will be made available on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Meanwhile, a limited segment of "Call of Duty 4: Infinite Warfare" will be playable for free beginning Thursday, Dec. 15. The playable parts include the first two missions, Zombies in Spaceland (level cap of 3), and the multiplayer mode (level cap of 15).


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The MG Car Club are sorry to announce that due to Silverstone Circuits Limited’s decision to carry out essential track maintenance during June 2019, MGLive! has lost its venue and dates. Silverstone has been the home of MGLive! since its inception as the MG Car Club’s annual national meeting, meaning the loss of the opportunity to host the event at Silverstone has hit the Club very hard sentimentally. The MG Car Club are now exploring options to move the event to a new location and date, with further announcements to be made on this in due course once arrangements are in place.
Jaguar Land Rover retail sales in February 2019 were 38,288 vehicles, down 4.1% compared to February last year. Strong sales of I-PACE, E-PACE, refreshed Range Rover and Range Rover Sport were offset by overall weak customer demand in China as well as the run out of the old Range Rover Evoque, with sales of the all-new Evoque expected to ramp up over the coming months. February 2019 Change year-on-year Apr 2018 – Feb 2019 Change year-on-year Jaguar Land Rover 38,288 (4.1)% 502,020 (5.4)% Jaguar 12,235 5.8% 155,936 3.8% Land Rover 26,053 (8.1)% 346,084 (9.0)% Retail sales were up significantly in North America (25.4%), UK (11.3%) and modestly higher in Europe (1.1%) but weaker market conditions continued to weigh on sales in China (down 47.6%).
Jaguar’s women are celebrating International Women’s Day by showcasing automotive industry careers in a new video. The video, called #SheDidIt, stars some of the female employees who design, manufacture, test and sell our cars. Creating a workforce as diverse as our customers will help Jaguar deliver the cars women want. The women of #SheDidIt tell a full female story of Jaguar vehicles, from clay modeler Shamaila Khan’s design work right through to customer Jess Monks, who loves her Jaguar F-PACE performance SUV.
Aston Martin DBX – the British luxury marque’s first SUV – has continued its intensive development programme this week at Pirelli’s official test facility, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Pirelli’s R&D Sottozero Centre at the Flurheden Proving Ground provides a range of extreme environments, from snowy roads to ice handling courses, allowing Aston Martin’s vehicle dynamics specialists – led by Aston Martin Chief Engineer, Matt Becker – to put the DBX prototype to the test.
Jaguar Land Rover is the first car maker to put its cars to the test with the AIR Index – and the new independent on-road emissions testing procedure has found that Jaguar Land Rover diesel models have some of the lowest NOx emissions of any car on sale today. The models independently tested for the AIR Index were 180hp 2.0-liter diesel Ingenium 4WD versions of the Jaguar E-PACE, Land Rover Discovery Sport and outgoing Range Rover Evoque. The AIR Index has previously rated the Land Rover Discovery 3.0TD6. All four achieved an ‘A’ rating – the top rating possible – signifying that each of them emits between 0-80mg/km of nitrogen oxides or NOx.
MG Motor UK is set to launch its very first battery electric vehicle in the UK this autumn with the arrival of the MG ZS electric SUV. With a full-sized boot and room for five, the MG ZS EV is the perfect car for people who want to go electric but also need the space and practicality of a compact SUV. Since launch in November 2017, MG ZS has become a familiar sight on British roads, always propelled by unleaded petrol fuel. With prices starting from just £12,495, packed full of tech and sporting a 7-year warranty, MG ZS has become a popular choice amongst British car buyers. From autumn, the petrol version will be joined by its zero-emissions electric equivalent, bringing affordable electric motoring to the British public.
Investindustrial has today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Morgan Motor Company Ltd (“Morgan”), the iconic 110-year old British sports cars manufacturer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and it is expected to complete in April 2019. The Morgan family will continue to act as stewards for the brand and retains a minority shareholding. Meanwhile, for the first time in its history, the management team and all employees will have a share of the business. The investment is executed without financial debt, and Morgan will have a positive net cash position upon closing of the transaction. The investment in Morgan is made by a separate fund (with a different strategy) from Investindustrial V L.P. (whose investment subsidiaries hold a stake in Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC).
The latest title from Porter Press takes readers behind the scenes at Aston Martin to witness the resurrection of the DB4 G.T., one of the most desirable cars ever made. Aston Martin DB4GT Continuation – History in the Making by James Page is due out this month in the UK with sales in the US shortly thereafter with a cover price of $60usd. When the Aston Martin announced in early 2017 that it would build 25 Continuation examples of this model, first made from 1959 to 1963, author James Page was granted exclusive access to key people involved in the project and to the Aston Martin Works factory where the cars took shape.
Aston Martin has agreed to an important new long-term partnership with the D’station Racing AMR team, signaling a high-profile return to the Japanese Super GT Championship for the British luxury sportscar manufacturer in 2019. The agreement, which features the highest level of partner support from Aston Martin Racing, includes a one-car programme in the Super GT 300 class (comprised mainly of customer and works-supported GT3 machinery) using the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
Our video this week comes from a show local to me – the Cars at Kiawah show. This is a great show of about 300 cars with mixed marques, mixed ages, and mixed types. This past year Dennis Gage from “My Classic Car TV” came out and covered the show. Of particular interest to our readers will be the first vehicle featured, a 1954 Austin Champ. You may be familiar with the smaller Austin Gypsy, but how many of you have seen a Champ?
Bentley Motors has announced full details of the world’s fastest production SUV. The Bentayga Speed features an enhanced 635 PS (626 bhp) version of the renowned 6.0-liter W12 engine that delivers a top speed of 190 mph (306 km/h) and 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds. Designed, engineered and handcrafted in Great Britain, the Bentayga Speed is the most powerful and performance-oriented Bentayga to date. With a top speed of 190 mph, the Bentayga Speed is the most powerful and performance-oriented variant to date. It builds on a long tradition of Speed models that was born with the Continental GT in 2007 and pushes the boundaries of Bentayga performance further since claiming the production SUV record at the grueling Pikes Peak International Hill Climb last year. To match the elevated levels of performance, the Bentayga Speed sports a purposeful exterior […]
So the headlines confused even us. There is a partnership between French car manufacturer Citroën and Austin Healey. But before you get all excited, as I must admit we did, you need to know that it is not the Austin-Healey you are thinking of. This Austin Healey is a person, a renowned British sportsman. So, Citroën UK proudly to announced that English rugby star and sports commentator, Austin Healey, is the official UK Brand Ambassador for New C5 Aircross SUV. From playing rugby for England to showing off his moves on Strictly Come Dancing, Austin embodies Citroën’s ‘Be Different, Feel Good’ spirit.
Few abbreviations generate as much anticipation and excitement among MINI enthusiasts as GP. Two letters reserved for the brand’s most powerful and exclusive model, conceived for the road, but born on the racetrack. Next year the new MINI John Cooper Works GP will deliver on this promise and will be taking to roads across the world. With more than 300 hp and featuring MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology, the new MINI John Cooper Works GP is set to become the fastest and most powerful MINI ever to be approved for use on the road and will be produced in a limited number of just 3,000 units for worldwide sale.
The Range Rover Sport effortlessly combines dynamic on-road handling, luxurious refinement and trademark Land Rover all-terrain capability. The introduction of an all-new 400PS in-line six-cylinder 3.0-liter petrol engine enhances performance, refinement, and responses along with improved fuel economy. Available initially on the special edition HST model, the all-new 400PS Ingenium engine is more responsive and better balanced than the previous V6 petrol. With 550Nm of torque, it powers the Range Rover Sport from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 6.2 seconds (0-60mph in 5.9 seconds) and to a top speed of 140mph (225km/h). The smooth and responsive new six-cylinder unit has an innovative combination of advanced features, including the introduction of an electric supercharger to deliver immediate power response. Able to spool fully in just 0.5 seconds at up to 120,000rpm via a direct connection with the throttle, the new technology virtually eliminates […]
Jaguar Land Rover is expanding its Ingenium engine family with a new six-cylinder petrol engine designed and engineered in-house and manufactured at its £1 billion Engine Manufacturing Centre (EMC) in Wolverhampton, UK. The 3.0-liter straight six-cylinder petrol engine, which will debut on the Range Rover Sport, is available in 360PS and 400PS versions with torque capable of up to 495 and 550Nm, is more responsive and better balanced than the outgoing V6 petrol. It features a unique combination of an electric supercharger to deliver immediate response supported by a twin-scroll turbocharger and Continuous Variable Valve Lift, which boosts power and help the engine to breathe with maximum efficiency. These performance-boosting technologies, combined with Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology, optimizes performance, fuel economy and reduces emissions. The MHEV 48V system uses a small integrated electric motor to harvest energy lost during deceleration, […]
Bentley Motors is launching its 2019 Apprentice recruitment campaign with 51 new positions to start in the autumn of 2019. Opportunities cover areas including Digital, Sales and Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Purchasing, as well as Engineering and Manufacturing. The structured digital career path will offer technical, academic and hands-on experiences to support the digital transformation of the company. Commenting on the recruitment drive, Dr. Astrid Fontaine, Member of the Board for People, Digitalisation and IT at Bentley Motors, said: The apprenticeship programme is existential to secure and develop the future talent at Bentley. In the rapidly changing world of automotive, mobility and services, we are proud to deepen the existing digital experiences that already exist as part of the programme, by launching pure digital apprenticeship positions. It is vital as we transform our business that we look to the next […]
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that a record number of places are available for the company’s 2019 Apprenticeship Programme. Since the program was launched in 2006, numbers have progressively increased, with 2019 offering a record 31 candidates the opportunity to join the team at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex. The Programme includes, for the first time, Sir Ralph Robins Degree Apprenticeships. Sir Ralph Robins is a Non-Executive Director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and has had an exceptional career in engineering and industry. The Degree Apprenticeships have been launched in Sir Ralph’s name in recognition of his contribution to the renaissance of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The Apprentices will study for BEng Mechanical Engineering Degrees at the University of Chichester, attending the University’s new Engineering and Digital Technology Park.
Global sales for McLaren Automotive, the British creator of luxury sports cars and supercars, rose to 4,806 cars in 2018 with sales up 43.9 percent over the previous year. This is another record for the company which has increased sales every year since its formation in 2010. North America, which represents McLaren’s biggest single market and over a third of global sales, surpassed the 5,000 cars sold mark since sales started in 2011 and achieved another year of record growth. European sales rose 44.2 percent but the biggest leap was seen in China at 122.5 percent growth following the introduction of the 570S Spider and 720S. China now accounts for almost 7 percent of the total global sales. McLaren’s UK domestic market remained strong, achieving a 49.2 percent year-on-year growth.
Morgan Motor Company announced record profits as it prepares to launch a range of vehicles in its 110th year. The iconic Malvern-based family-owned firm, which employs 204 staff, said profits jumped to £3.6million last year from £2million 12 months earlier. Output dropped from 750 to 681 cars as the firm said goodbye to the thirsty V8 engine and the Aero 8 and Plus 8 models which use it. Morgan is expected to launch a more frugal but sportier replacement at this spring’s Geneva Motor Show.
Evolution E-Types has launched an exclusive behind the scenes interview with the Evolution creator Uryk Dmyterko ahead of their showcase at the forthcoming London Classic Car Show. Evolution E-Types creator Uryk Dmyterko explains how a combination of passion and determination has evolved his successful parts supply business into building the ultimate Jaguar E-Type where quality has been redefined to another level.


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The pioneering designer will stage his AW16 show in the Big Apple
The two fashion powerhouses knock heads in the latest issue of System magazine
The inimitable fashion photographer brings prints, films, posters and more to Red Hook Labs in New York
The brand’s new chief creative officer has claimed he’s ‘completely, completely obsessed with trying to get out of the fashion system’ – so are we on the brink of radical change?
Who saw this coming?
From gravity-defying wigs to headpieces bordering on sculpture, see the best of SS17’s hair, beauty and accessories
Shot by Willy Vanderperre and styled by Olivier Rizzo, the images capture the unsettling spirit of the Nightmare and Dreams collection
With prints of the artist’s work and nods to fetishwear, Simons presents his SS17 collection surrounded by a one-night only display of his incredible archive
From his beginnings in Antwerp to his outsider mindset, this is everything you need to know about one of the most visionary designers of our time
The Barbican will question the meaning of bad taste with shocking, excessive pieces from designers such as Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Marc Jacobs
Sidney Toledano reveals that the process of appointing a new creative director is still underway
Today, Dior are staging their cruise show at the historic house – but it’s not for the first time...