text:
The US Treasury said it would inject $US1.5 billion ($A2.25 billion) to the credit arm of ailing auto giant Chrysler aimed at financing new consumer loans to help boost sales.
The loan would be given to a special entity set up by Chrysler Financial "to finance the extension of new consumer auto loans as part of a broader program to assist the domestic automotive industry in becoming financially viable," the Treasury said in a statement.
The money was from an auto bailout fund set up under the larger $US700 billion ($A1.05 trillion) Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) financing facility established after congressional approval last year.
The action came about two weeks after the Treasury provided a $US4 billion ($A6 billion) loan to cash-strapped Chrysler as part of package for it and General Motors to stave off collapse amid tight credit and dismal sales.
GM, the largest US carmaker, has also received $US billion, with a pledge of an additional $US5.4 billion ($A8.11 billion) in mid-January. It would be eligible for a further $US4 billion from February pending congressional action.
The Treasury has also provided $US6 billion ($A9.01 billion) in aid to GMAC, the financial arm created by GM but now owned 51 per cent by Cerberus, the parent of Chrysler.


text:
Beam Global Spirits & Wine Toasts Bourbon Heritage Month
Deerfield, Ill. – August 25, 2009 – What Bourbon cocktails are Americans looking forward to enjoying most during Bourbon Heritage Month? According to a consumer survey released today from the leading American spirits company, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. [Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO)], Americans believe that “Bourbon on the Rocks” best captures the heritage of Bourbon, “America’s Native Spirit” as declared by the U.S. Congress in 1964.
Beam Global applauds Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear for signing a proclamation today which recognizes September as “Bourbon Heritage Month” for the third consecutive year. This proclamation honors the deep-rooted legacy of the Bourbon industry in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
In the spirit of this celebratory month and in collaboration with Clarus Research Group, Beam Global Spirits & Wine polled 970 legal purchase aged consumers nationwide asking them which cocktail best honors Bourbon’s 200-plus years of American history. Of those who made a choice, 45 percent selected “Bourbon on the Rocks,” which included 52 percent of male respondents and 39 percent of female respondents. The Manhattan and Old Fashioned each received 21 percent of the vote, while the Mint Julep received 13 percent.
“This survey confirms what so many bartenders already know: Consumers know what they want and how they want it,” said Bobby “G” Gleason, master mixologist, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. “Bourbon is a popular spirit and although its versatility makes it a favorite in mixed drinks, it appears that Americans prefer their Bourbon on the Rocks.”
In addition to the survey, Beam Global also created a Facebook-based personality quiz application to celebrate the month. “Which Bourbon Cocktail Are You?” invites legal purchase aged consumers to discover which Bourbon cocktail best fits their unique personality and style. Legal purchase age consumers can access the quiz at: www.beamglobal.com/cs/quiz beginning September 1.
Two-thirds of the Bourbon made in Kentucky comes from Beam Global’s iconic brands including Jim Beam Bourbon, the number one-selling Bourbon in the world; Maker’s Mark Bourbon; Knob Creek, the number one selling Super-Premium Bourbon; and Booker’s, Baker’s and Basil Hayden’s, which round out the rest of The Small Batch Bourbon Collection. The Bourbon industry provides more than 3,000 jobs in Kentucky and more than $3 billion in gross state revenue. More than 500,000 visitors from all 50 states and more than 25 countries annually tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which includes the Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark distilleries. This year marks the Trail’s 10th anniversary.
The Kentucky proclamation declaring September to be “Bourbon Heritage Month” calls for consumers who enjoy Bourbon to do so responsibly and in moderation, in Kentucky and across the globe.
The telephone-based survey was conducted among a national probability sample of 970 consumers aged 21 years or older and was completed during the period August 20-23, 2009. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percent.

domain: news


text:
Aliko Dangote Foundation N10Million Ramadan Food Donation Rejected In Abuja, 10 Truck Loads Of Gift Meant For IDPs Returned. The foundation reportedly went to the minister’s office to deliver the multi-million naira items such as sugar, salt, spaghetti, rice, Danvita, and wheat meal only for the gifts to be rejected. In a rather surprising and shocking manner, highly-placed officials in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) rejected donation of food items from the Dangote Foundation meant for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Abuja. The food items were reportedly offered in the spirit of Ramadan.
All entreaties that the food items were meant for distribution to the needy like the IDPs fell on deaf ears.
Ramadan supplies are delivered to the 36 states, including FCT every year and state governors assign a contact person to receive the items which are delivered in trucks on behalf of the governor before distribution to the identified beneficiaries by the state government.
The foundation, owned by the richest man in Africa, as part of its mandate to give, especially in the holy month of Ramadan for the indigent and the vulnerable in the society has the tradition of donating money and food materials to the less privileged and victims of other disasters across the country.
Some residents of the FCT expressed dismay at the action of highlu-placed officials of the FCTA ministry and wondered how the plight of the IDPs would be addressed during Ramadan as the items were meant for them and no one elsewhere.
A Dangote Foundation source confirmed that as at the time of filing this report, about 31 states had already taken deliveries of their items and some have started the distribution. It was learnt that 106 trucks of food items are on their way to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital in fulfillment of Dangote’s promise to make this Ramadan fulfilling for the IDPs in the states.
Callers at the FCT secretariat at Area 11, it was gathered, were said to be very displeased on hearing of rejection of the food items, which they believe would have made the IDP camp in Abuja and other vulnerable feel the good side of Ramadan.
According to them, the reason behind the rejection of the food items cannot be justified because those in the IDPs camp are hungry and some of them are dying.
The source said Dangote Foundation had in the past supported victims of disasters with monetary and food items donations. Food items were donated to the victims of post 2011 elections in some parts of the North while victims of flood disaster across the country were also helped with various food items and other materials.
The latest donation of food items was coming shortly after the foundation donated N2 billion for the rehabilitation of the IDPs in various camps in Borno State.
According to him, Dangote Foundation also took its charity abroad when in 2015, it donated $1 million to support the government of Nepal to rehabilitate the victims of two devastating earth quakes that ravaged the country that year in quick succession.
The foundation also donated $500, 000 to the government of the Republic of Niger to support victims of meningitis outbreak in the country.


text:
TOY MAKER FOR THE WELL HEELED Apple has reported record profits, having flogged 37 million Iphones during the fourth quarter of last year.
The firm reported financial results for the 14 weeks ended December 31, 2011 on Tuesday.
The company posted record quarterly revenue of $46bn, nearly double the $26bn revenue in the year ago quarter. It reported record quarterly net profit of $13bn, more than double its $6bn profit in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Gross margin was 44.7 per cent compared to 38.5 per cent in the same quarter last year. International sales accounted for 58 percent of the quarter's revenue.
Apple sold 37.04 million Iphones globally during the quarter, representing 128 per cent unit growth over the year ago quarter.
The fruit themed firm sold 15.43 million Ipads during the quarter, a 111 per cent unit increase on the year ago quarter. The company sold 5.2 million Macs during the quarter, a 26 per cent unit increase on the same quarter in 2010.
However, Ipod sales are in decline, and Apple sold 15.4 million Ipods during Q4 2011, a 21 per cent unit decline from the same quarter last year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "We're thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of Iphones, Ipads and Macs. Apple's momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline."
"We are very happy to have generated over $17.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO. "Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 13 weeks, we expect revenue of about $32.5 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $8.50." µ
You could soon buy that ivory backscratcher on Marketplace in a few taps
Just in case you're too posh for Whole Foods
Borked butterfly mechanism is dead
AI nirvana in the cloud


text:
6 , 2000
Apple CEO Steve Jobs told financial analysts today he expects to ship faster Macs in the coming months, as well as the full release of OS X in "early 2001," reiterating a message delivered to analysts months ago. He also said he expects Apple to start shipping machines with CD-RW drives, admitting "Apple completely missed the boat" on CD-RWs. He declined to add more details to plans for future products.
Apple held a conference call today to answer investor concerns over the company's announcement that it will show its first net loss since Steve Jobs returned to Apple three years ago. The company expects to report revenue of about $1 billion and a net loss, excluding investment gains, of between $225 million and $250 million when actual results are announced Jan. 17.
"The $600 million revenue shortfall from previous expectations is owing to lower than expected channel sellthrough across all geographies and unplanned sales promotions and pricing actions," Apple reported in a prepared statement. "The net loss is the result of the revenue shortfall and cancellation charges related to decreases in forecasted component purchases for current products."
"The swift industry-wide decline in PC sales will result in Apple's first non-profitable quarter in three years," said Apple's CEO Steve Jobs in a prepared statement. "We're not happy about it and plan to return to sustained profitability next quarter. We are committed to reducing our channel inventories to normal levels by the end of this quarter and remain very excited about the new products and programs Apple will be rolling out in 2001."
"In light of the lower results anticipated for the December quarter, we now expect revenues for fiscal 2001 to be in the $6 to $6.5 billion range," said Apple CFO Fred Anderson in a prepared statement.
For more information, visit http://www.apple.com.
Post a comment or question on the Creative Mac World Wide User Forum!


text:
Volkswagen Group strengthens market position in 2020 and hits the ground running in e-offensive
The Volkswagen Group handed over 9,305,400 vehicles to customers worldwide in 2020, a decrease of 15.2 percent year-on-year due to Covid-19. In December, deliveries were down just 3.2 percent on the same month of the previous year, while in the fourth quarter they declined by a total of 5.7 percent. This meant that the Group slightly expanded its global passenger car market share in 2020 amid a declining overall market. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Group’s e-offensive with a large number of new models met with keen in-terest from customers in the year now ended and resulted in deliveries of approximately 231,600 all-electric vehicles, more than three times the volumes delivered in 2019. Plug-in hybrids were also very popular with customers, who purchased 190,500 units (+175 per-cent). In Western Europe, the share of electric vehicles therefore surged to 10.5 percent of overall deliveries (2019: 1.9 percent).
“The Covid-19 pandemic made 2020 an extremely challenging year,” said Dr. Christian Dahlheim, Head of Volkswagen Group Sales. “The Volkswagen Group performed well in this environment and strengthened its market position. We are particularly pleased that we hit the ground running in our e-offensive in spite of the pandemic and thus took a big step forward in the implementation of our Together 2025+ strategy. We will keep up the momentum this year, adding many more attractive electric models.”
Top 5 all-electric models:
– Volkswagen ID.301 56,500 units
– Audi e-tron 47,300 units
– Volkswagen e-Golf02 41,300 units
– Volkswagen e-up!03 22,200 units
– Porsche Taycan 20,000 units
Top 5 plug-in hybrid models:
– Volkswagen Passat04 27,200 units
– Audi Q5 23,500 units
– Porsche Cayenne05 21,500 units
– ŠKODA Superb06 16,400 units
– Volkswagen Golf 15,200 units
Deliveries in the regions developed as follows in 2020:
A total of 3,616,900 vehicles were delivered in Europe (-20.5 percent) and the passenger car market share was expanded to a significant degree. In Western Europe, 2,939,900 customers took possession of a Group brand vehicle (-21.6 percent). Battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids were very popular here, accounting for 10.5 percent of the Group’s deliveries in Western Europe (2019: 1.9 percent). Demand for electric models was even stronger in Germany, the Group’s home market, where electric vehicles made up 11.6 percent of Group deliveries (2019: 1.5 percent). Here, a total of 1,097,700 vehicles across all drive systems were handed over to customers (-19.5 percent). Deliveries in Central and Eastern Europe declined by 15.6 percent to 677,000 units.
In North America, 785,800 customers took delivery of a new Group brand vehicle, 17.4 percent fewer than in the previous year. Deliveries in the USA registered a slightly softer fall of 12.1 percent to 574,800 units.
In South America, the Group succeeded in significantly expanding its market share. A total of 489,700 vehicles were handed over to customers, representing a 19.5 percent decrease on 2019. In Brazil, the region’s largest market, deliveries fell on a similar scale by 19.7 percent to 377,600 units.
The Asia-Pacific region was the fastest to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here, the Volkswagen Group saw deliveries drop by 9.1 percent to 4,122,200 units. In China, the Group’s largest single market, deliveries were down 9.1 percent, with 3,849,000 vehicles sold.


text:
Basically, you noticed it for years, a Trend towards more, and increasingly higher fees for services, says Nicodemus. The low interest rates set by the financial houses under pressure. Thus, the Parking of funds cost in the case of the European Central Bank (ECB) currently has an annual 0.5 percent interest. This adds up, sometimes on the billion euros. Also, the requirements of a more stringent regulation leads to high costs. The credit institutions brake, therefore, on the cost.
it is Often the paper transfers, calls to the telephone service or withdraw the money at an ATM that does not belong to the Pool of the customer Bank, for the high amounts are required. Up to five euros of the evaluated money houses cost in some a paper transfer, withdraw money at the ATM of a foreign Bank up to six Euro.
The greatest chances of a free checking account, there are in Online accounts. The testers found currently 20 online led salary accounts, which are without further conditions, for free. However, the fee for the credit card in addition, most of a year. Services such as calls to the telephone service or Transfers to paper costs here are usually extra. As a free Foundation test accounts were defined without a basic fee, fees for account statements, bookings, the debit Card and withdraw the money at ATMs in the Bank pool. In addition, it may not be tied to conditions such as a regular money - and content input in a certain height.
"in addition to the free 20 current accounts, we have found 71 accounts models, up to 60 euros in annual costs," said Nicodemus. "This sum is, in our view, in order. It must not be free, finally, there is a power behind it.“ Each consumer must decide which account you want to customize a model for him. Anyway, you should check the annual fee statement carefully. "There, you can see what it is that drives the costs up," recommends the "financial test"-expert.Updated Date: 17 August 2020, 09:19


text:
7th Pay Commission to be implemented for varsity, college teachers
Oct 11 2017 by Francis Osborne
The government on Wednesday extended the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission for the teaching faculty of central and state universities and aided colleges.
"In addition, the revised pay package will cover teachers of 119 Centrally Funded Technical Institutions viz. IITs, IISc, IIMs, IISERs, IIITs, NITIE".
The approved pay scales will be applicable with effect from January 1, 2016, official Twitter account of the Press Information Bureau said.
The move will benefit 7.58 lakh professors, assistant professors and others, Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar said after a cabinet meeting, where the decision was taken. He said the hike would be anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000.
While the government has chose to hike the basic minimum pay beyond the 7th Pay Commission, there is not much clarity on the arrears.
Amazon offers a new way for students to get a Prime membership
Amazon is taking aim at one of the unintended consequences of the internet age: purchases racked up by a youth with a credit card. And teens whose parents have a Prime membership will also be able to access Prime benefits at no additional cost, Carr added.
Kindle Oasis 2 vs Oasis: What's new in the 2017 model?
And it also has ambient light sensors that adjust the brightness as you move from room to room, or from outdoors to indoors. Weirdly, last year's Oasis lacked this feature despite the fact that the cheaper Voyage had it previously.
"We want education to improve, to attract good people to the profession".
The implementation of the pay commission recommendations will cost the government an estimated Rs 30,748 crore per year.
The revised salary of the vice chancellors is now Rs 2.25 lakh per month, instead of current Rs 1.75 lakh per month. The Centre will bear the additional burden of the states on account of revision of pay scales.
According to a statement by the central government, for the state-funded institutions, the revised pay scales will require adoption by the respective state governments.


text:
Farewell db Bistro Moderne, hello db Bistro & Oyster Bar
Chef Daniel Boulud has added an oyster bar to his restaurant empire and it can be found right here in Singapore. Nope, Boulud hasn't opened a second restaurant in our city; following a recent revamp which saw db Bistro Moderne sprucing up its space to welcome an oyster bar, the restaurant has taken on a new name — db Bistro & Oyster Bar.
Speaking about the revamp, Boulud said: "Seafood has been one of the most popular items at db Bistro over the past few years. Keeping the customer in mind, we've decided to expand the seafood menu and reflect that in our restaurant branding."
In addition to the slew of Parisan bistro favourites and New York-style burgers that have found pride of place on the menu, the revamped menu brings with it plenty from the sea. Expect to find freshly shucked French and American oysters alongside Maine lobsters and Alaskan king crabs. Apart from a daily selection of crudo and ceviches, you'll find seafood-centric dishes ranging from a classic shrimp cocktail to crowd-pleasing lobster rolls. Seasonal dishes such as whole-roasted Mediterranean seabass and Boulud's signature octopus 'a la plancha' — featuring tender hunks of octopus cooked on a metal plate — also make their appearance on the menu.
Watch Boulud himself introducing The Royal Platter, a dish from the new menu:
db Bistro & Oyster Bar. The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. #B1-48, Galleria Level, Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Leave a comment
Buro 24/7 Selection
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders is a lesson on depicting and consuming culture responsibly
We get exclusive facetime with Zac Efron, the leading man for Hugo Boss’s Hugo Iced
So Here's The Thing: A new dating column to read now
Formula 1 Singapore 2017: Duran Duran, OneRepublic, Seal and Ariana Grande to perform
Adidas is launching 6 more NMD Primeknit colourways at Pedder on Scotts
Buro 24/7 Selection


text:
Second chances can apply to your personal life and business, which was the case for Deion Sanders and the footwear and apparel corporation Nike.
In 1992, while playing in the National Football League (NFL), Sanders signed an endorsement deal with Nike, according to Sports Illustrated. It was reportedly worth $250,000 for the first six months, per Sportskeeda.
“I almost did that, I was close,” Sanders said in a 2017 interview with Complex.
Sanders also had the option to sign with LA Gear. Ultimately, Sanders settled with Nike in 1992, and his deal reportedly increased to seven figures within six months of the initial signing, Sportskeeda notes.
“Nike came on with the bag, too,” Sanders told Complex.
In 1993, Sanders was granted his own signature line, “The Nike Air Diamond Turf,” Sports Illustrated mentions. His time with Nike would spawn five collaborations, Complex notes.
According to Sanders, his shoe collaborations with Nike did well, outperforming his peers.
“One thing they never said either, even back in the heyday, we outsold everybody,” Sanders told Complex. “Because Jordan at that time was just a limited number that they put out, and we blew it out the door. Much love for everybody in the ATL because they supported. I would drive through the hood, man, all the kids. Everybody had on a pair of these things.”
Sanders’s relationship with Nike would later take a turn, thanks to a matter he said is related to the original Diamond Turf sneaker, which he co-designed with Nike Designer Tracy Teague.
“Tracy Teague from Nike, we came up with these. That’s why I’m upset with them right now. We created these together, but they don’t wanna see me. They don’t wanna direct deposit,” Sanders explained, per Complex.
Joe La Puma, the host and senior vice president of content strategy at Complex Media, asked Sanders if he would return to Nike. He responded with “Never,” at the time.
Sanders would go on to work with sportswear company Under Armour for over a decade, beginning in 2009, USA Today reports. However, Sanders found his way back to his original shoe home when he was hired by the University of Colorado Boulder. Per USA Today, the school has a sponsorship agreement with Nike that will conclude in June 2025.
According to a statement from Under Armour obtained by USA Today Sports, the company said, “Under Armour had a longstanding partnership with Deion Sanders for more than a decade, and we are proud of what we accomplished together. Now that he has gone on to Colorado, we can’t wait to see him continue to positively impact the game and look forward to watching him find continued success with his new partners, athletes, and expanded communities.”
Nike commented, “We welcome Deion Sanders back to the Nike family.”


text:
- Nobody sees it yet, but this self-driving company is preparing to go public
- Video games aren’t “just for kids.” Serious money can be made here…
- The looming currency war: Bitcoin vs. the U.S. digital dollar
The world received some welcome news yesterday.
Biotechnology company Moderna, which has been working on a vaccine for COVID-19, announced some very early results from its Phase 1 trial. The results were optimistic.
The S&P 500 enjoyed more than a 3% pop on the good news. And Moderna is now trading at an astounding forward valuation for 2020 of 340 enterprise value (EV)/sales. You read that right – the equivalent of 340 years of revenue, not profit.
It is always good to keep things in context.
The trial has data from just eight healthy patients so far. It demonstrated that the patients were able to produce neutralizing antibodies after taking Moderna’s candidate vaccine.
Antibodies are critical for protecting against a virus. So this is optimistic news.
The FDA already approved Phase 2 trials. These trials will be used to evaluate the efficacy of the candidate vaccine against patients who have COVID-19. Presuming that Phase 2 goes well, Phase 3 trials could begin as soon as July.
It is a race against time, but not because the COVID-19 pandemic is getting worse. Soon, there may not be enough patients with COVID-19 to conduct a large-scale Phase 3 trial.
We have already seen this happen in China. Gilead, which has also seen positive results from its antiviral drug remdesivir, had to cancel its earlier clinical trial in China due to a lack of patients.
New cases have been dropping in the U.S. since early April. This is despite the dramatic spike in testing – more tests reveal a larger part of the population has or had COVID-19. And I predict we are going to see a rapid drop in new cases as we enter June.
Testing facilities around the country are already having a problem finding enough people to test. Even though the U.S. is now testing about 350,000 people a day, in most states, testing facilities are running at a fraction of their capacity.
I’m rooting for Moderna to move as quickly as possible. A successful Phase 3 clinical trial won’t result in FDA approval for a vaccine. But as we have already seen with Gilead’s remdesivir, it could receive a quick emergency use authorization as early as this fall.
Assuming Moderna is successful, there are some exciting implications.
The company used the genetic sequence of COVID-19 to create a synthetic vaccine in a short period. Success will usher in a new generation of synthetic biology companies that have long struggled to get attention and funding for research and development.
Things are about to change in a good way in the biotech industry.
Now to our insights…
Reading the tea leaves with Waymo’s latest move…
We have talked a lot about Waymo and self-driving cars recently. This is a trend that’s moving fast.
Back in March, Waymo raised $2.25 billion from outside investors in the automotive industry. It was purely a strategic move.
Google didn’t need the money – it was just putting strategic partnerships in place for the future of its self-driving technology division. That move signaled that Google was close to spinning out Waymo into its own entity.
And Waymo just took in another $750 million in outside investment, this time from investment firms like T. Rowe Price and Fidelity Investments.
This tells us not only that Google is not only going to spin Waymo out soon but that there is a very good chance that Waymo is preparing to go public. That’s the only reason why they would be raising money from investment firms at this stage.
And it makes sense if we look at where Waymo is in the product cycle. It just released the fifth generation of its self-driving cars. We talked about that earlier this month. This current generation is being positioned as the finished product, the version that is ready for production and deployment.
So I predict that Waymo will announce at least one major partnership this calendar year focused on commercialization. Then we should expect to see the company file for an initial public offering as early as 2021. I will be watching closely for that.
A sale is unlikely. Google will want to maintain tight control over the software code to ensure that any data collected from the cars and passengers will remain the property of Google.
We are really starting to see the autonomous vehicle industry come together.
We talked last week about Tesla’s Autopilot subscription program and the company’s master plan.
Back in January, General Motors’ autonomous vehicle company Cruise announced its first self-driving car.
Meanwhile, Ford is quietly preparing to launch a self-driving fleet in Austin, Texas, even if its launch date was pushed back. And we are seeing the other carmakers scramble to catch up as well.
For investors, we should prepare for some exciting opportunities in this space. At the right valuation, Waymo could be a great investment.
And as consumers, we should start rethinking everything we think we know about transportation. A brand-new industry is forming right before our eyes, and the major players are each making big moves to stake their claim in the industry.
This early stage gaming giant is making all the right moves…
Last month, we talked about how 27.7 million people showed up to watch a live music concert inside of Fortnite.
For the benefit of new readers, Fortnite is an incredibly successful multiplayer game set in an immersive digital world.
What makes games like Fortnite “sticky” is that young people play them to hang out with friends. They put on headphones with a microphone, and they talk to each other while exploring the virtual world together.
Imagine a social media platform like Facebook in the context of a gaming environment… That’s what Fortnite is like. Friends get to hang out and chat while having fun. You can play one on one, in teams, or last man standing.
Epic Games is the company behind Fortnite and the wildly successful virtual concert. It’s now valued at around $15 billion. And this company is making all the right moves.
Epic Games just announced the next version of its gaming engine called Unreal Engine 5. We can think of this engine as the underlying software that games like Fortnite are built on top of.
And the name is not a misnomer. The graphics are simply stunning. Look at this:
Unreal Engine 5
Source: Epic Games
It’s hard to believe that this is a video game. Everything looks so lifelike.
And here’s the best part – Epic Games made this gaming engine available for other companies to use. That means outside developers can take it and build new games on top of it.
This is a brilliant move because Epic Games earns royalties on all games developed using its platform. The company will get 5% of all future revenues, right off the top. This is a great residual income stream.
And it’s a win-win for the industry because this will save other developers a lot of time. They can just build new games on top of this fantastic gaming engine.
So Epic Games has positioned itself perfectly in what will be a monumental year in the gaming industry. Both Sony and Microsoft are set to launch their next-generation consoles – the PlayStation 5 and Series X – later this year. Developers will be able to use the Unreal Engine 5 to build games for both consoles.
Plus, the COVID-19 lockdown has been an absolute boon for the gaming industry. With the kids out of school and people stuck at home, these virtual game worlds have become a prime source of social interaction. That’s a trend that will continue, even after the lockdown officially ends.
As we have discussed before, gaming is a massive $105 billion global market… And COVID-19 is pushing that number higher. Epic Games is one of the best players in this space, and it may soon be an excellent way to get exposure to the gaming trend.
The company is in the process of raising more capital right now to gear up for increased demand. That will likely value the company above $20 billion. From there, Epic Games will be in a perfect position to go public.
Visa joins the digital currency push…
The days of physical cash are numbered. That’s what Visa’s new patent tells me…
The patent outlines the details of a digital currency system – a replacement of paper money. Physical currency would no longer be in circulation.
Instead, we have digital fiat currencies. These are digital representations of the U.S. dollar, the British pound, the Japanese yen, the euro, and so on.
And Visa’s patent details a central computer that manages the money supply and digital transactions of the new digital currencies.
Visa is the largest credit card company and payment network in the world. It has 336 million cardholders and 40 million merchants in its network. The fact that Visa is moving in this direction tells us that the push for digital currency is picking up.
And notice how Visa’s approach is the exact opposite of the blockchain industry.
Blockchain technology was designed to be used as a decentralized network where no one party has control. And a set of mathematical rules determine a digital asset’s monetary policy, not be a central bank.
In contrast, Visa’s patent outlines a permissioned, centralized system that will keep the powers that be in full control of money. We can bet this will be well-received by governments and central banks around the world.
And, of course, they will present this as a good thing.
After all, it would have been much easier to administer the COVID-19 stimulus and aid checks if we had a digital currency system. The money could be transferred to people’s digital wallets instantly with a few keystrokes.
And policymakers are already aware of this idea. The original version of the economic stimulus package that Congress put forward in late March outlined a “digital dollar” and “digital dollar wallets.”
That proposal was ultimately removed. But there is no doubt that digital currency is the future. And that future is coming much faster than most people realize. I’m on record saying that China will have a digital version of the renminbi before the year is out.
The only question is if the digital currencies we use will be centralized or decentralized. That’s setting us up for a major competition between decentralized assets like bitcoin and digital currencies designed to represent countries’ fiat currencies. Visa is positioning itself to be a player in this newly emerging space.
This will be a historic battle to watch.
Editor, The Bleeding Edge
P.S. Digital currencies are inevitable. And when they arrive, they will raise the profile of blockchain technology. A handful of blockchain stocks are set to profit in the age of digital currencies.
But 99% of investors have no idea this is coming. That’s why I’ve been quietly preparing my readers with quality blockchain-related technology stocks that will prosper in the years ahead. Learn about my favorite blockchain stocks right here.
Like what you’re reading? Send your thoughts to [email protected].


text:
The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) held the conference “Digital Croatia 2030” for the third year in a row to promote debate on the future of digitalization in Croatia. The digitalization of business has been accelerated significantly as a response to the global pandemic and this topic, along with the influence of global trends and policies on digitalization in Croatia, were the focus of discussions at the conference. In recent years, digitalization has been at the forefront of creating public policies in the European Union and this trend will be going strong in the times ahead of us.
The conference consisted of two panel discussions. At the first panel discussion on applying digitalization with a special emphasis on digitalizing the economy after the pandemic the panelists were Bernard Gršić, State Secretary, Central State Office for the Development of the Digital Society; Mišo Predojević, Business Solutions & Systems Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Croatia; Jurica Toth, MD, PhD, Government Affairs Manager, Medtronic Adriatic and Tanja Kuzman, SEE Digital Startup & Innovation Senior Manager, PwC and the opening remarks were made by Burak Kircali, Principal Business Solutions Manager, Business Value, SAS EMEA.
The panelists agreed that digital transformation demands a significant change in mindset and also that, by applying digital technologies, companies achieve faster and better results on the market as well as greater added value. The pressures of the pandemic have sped up changes related to digitalizing business and the need for digitalization and its benefits have also been recognized. Digitalization generates huge amounts of data which need to be networked so that, by applying quality analytics, strategies may be developed based on the data, which will contribute to creating a better and more effective digital society in Croatia, for which EU funds are available as well. Investments into innovative companies and start-ups in Croatia are ten times smaller than investments in countries at the forefront of these investments, so it is necessary to make a significant step forward and speed up the process of digitalization, as well as create innovative education models.
At the second panel discussion, prior to which opening remarks were made by Ratko Mutavdžić, CEE Regional Technology Officer, Microsoft, panelists discussed the impact of the European digital framework in Croatia. Ognian Zlatev, Head of Representation in Croatia, EU Commission; Stephen C. Anderson, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary For International Communications And Information Policy, Bureau Of Economic And Business Affairs, US Department of State; Eva Ivančić, Public Policy Manager CEE, Facebook and Tomislav Vračić, Senior Account Technology Strategist, Microsoft concluded that the transatlantic data flow between the EU and the US is the largest in the world, with an estimated value of 1.3 billion USD. Thus, the EU and the US should intensify cooperation and decide on the ways in which to alleviate legal insecurities connected to the transfer of data and to enable regular and legally secure business for companies. Global companies have global users and an appropriate agreement which would allow for international data flow, while at the same time protecting privacy, is a prerequisite for a strong partnership between the EU and the US.
They added that the Electronic Communications Act and the Digital Markets Act create a safer and more open digital space and ensure that users have safe access to the internet and give companies the chance to compete both on and off the net. They allow for the free flow of information, protect the freedom of research and intellectual property, while also preventing an increase in illegal content.
The conference, which was held online, gathered more than 120 representatives from public institutions and the private sector.
Since 1998, AmCham Croatia represents business interests of American, international as well as Croatian companies. With more than 250 members, employing over 91.000 people, we are the voice of international business in Croatia. We are the first choice of international companies for policy advocacy in Croatia.Join us now


text:
Google announces general availability of GPUs in Kubernetes EngineAndika Pratama
Google have announced the general availability of GPUs as a service with Kubernetes Engine. Since its beta release earlier this year, GPUs in Google Kubernetes Engine has been the fastest growing feature.
One of the biggest benefit of using GPUs is its massive processing power which is perfect for enterprise machine learning. NVIDIA’s Tesla V100, P100 and K80 GPUs are the ones which are doing the heavy-lifting while catering to the different needs and budget of the user.
To monitor the GPUs in terms of workload and memory usage, users are able to access it on their GCP Console. It can also be visualised in Stackdriver.


text:
Apple Allegedly Pencils In March 15th For iPad Air 3 And 4-inch iPhone 5se Unveil
Gorman indicates that his sources have pegged Apple’s next keynote for March 15th, during which the folks from Cupertino are expected to make two major product announcements. The first will be the long-rumored iPhone 5se, while the second will be the iPad Air 3.
The iPhone 5se is expected to retain the same 4-inch screen size and resolution of 2013’s iPhone 5s, but will include updated internals to appeal to folks that aren’t took keen on the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone 5se is expected to be powered by a downclocked A9 processor and will incorporate Touch ID support and NFC capabilities to enable Apple Pay. Both the front- and rear-facing cameras are expected to be carryovers from the iPhone 5s (which isn’t exactly a bad thing, as the 5s has an excellent rear camera).
The iPhone 5se is expected to be offered in 16GB and 64GB models with pricing starting at $450 off-contract.
Apple will also announce the iPad Air 3, which is expected to nab some features from its larger iPad Pro sibling. The 9.7-inch tablet should feature quad speakers and a Smart Connector on the side for powering and connecting to “smart” accessories. For those of you that absolutely must take pictures with your tablets — usually in the most annoying ways possible — Apple will reportedly include an LED flash for the rear camera.
It remains to be seen if the updated iPad Air 3 will help turn around Apple’s fortunes in the tablet market. The company reported that for fiscal Q1 2016, iPad sales were down a whopping 25 percent year-over-year.
Apple is also expected to make some rather low-key announcements for the Apple Watch. According to Gurman, Apple is releasing “an entirely new band line made of a new material” along with a Space Black version of the incredibly cook Milanese Loop.


text:
Honda has announced some serious savings on the 2016 CRF250R and CRF450R models from July 1 until September 30.
Start winning with Honda’s ‘Zero to Hero’ deals offering MX … Read More
The 2016 Honda GROM will make its first appearance on Aussie shores this month at Federation Square in Melbourne.
The Grom has been a hit across the world and for … Read More
The funky and compact Honda commuter that has taken the world by storm is coming to Australia.
The Honda Grom has wowed riders all over the globe with serious … Read More
Snap up a great deal on Honda’s legendary 2015 CBR1000RR before March 28 and start 2016 on the bike of your dreams.
No other Supersport motorcycle combines hard-hitting power, stunning … Read More
Following the announcement that Team Honda Racing will run the road and off-road racing teams under the one banner in 2016, we are pleased to now reveal the rider … Read More
Honda Australia and Motologic are excited to announce that from 2016, the Honda road and off-road racing teams are joining forces! Both teams will be operating from just … Read More
The action is always amazing at Phillip Island, one of the most iconic and breathtaking motorcycle racing circuits in the world.
Phillip Island Championship Action Gallery: About Phillip Island:
The … Read More
Having tested many of the larger capacity LAMS options the little single-stroke 286cc Honda machines have to compete against considerably more powerful and in some cases better spec’d … Read More


text:
For the month of June, Microsoft through Xbox is expected to deliver AAA games for free to members of their Xbox Live Games with Gold program.
While nothing has been announced so farXbox Live Director of Programming Larry Hryb (Major Nelson on Xbox Live) usually announces the roster of games for the coming month sometime around the last week of the current monthfans are speculating that Microsoft may keep up with the momentum that it created with their April release.
Last April, Xbox Live Gold released what they called the roster of “April blockbusters.” This release of major titles somehow kept upeven for a littlefor the month of May. Now, for June, Xbox is once again expected to surprise their members with AAA games.
According to rumors, the kick-off of the E3 event this year in June might push Microsoft to deliver AAA games for Xbox Live Gold members. Some of the expected titles include “Ryse: Son of Rome,” and the racing hit “Forza Motorsport 5.” Both of these games were released for the Xbox One.
In the meantime, Xbox Live Gold members who still have not downloaded some of the free games offered in May may still do so, as three out of the four offered games are still available.
“Defense Grid 2,” a tower defense game featuring a unique experience in gameplay system, is still available for the Xbox One until May 31. “Costume Quest 2,” where players play as twins in a world of dress up, can be downloaded for the Xbox One until June 15.
Meanwhile, the classic arcade game “Peggle” for the Xbox 360 is still downloadable until May 31. It should be noted that due to the Xbox One Backwards Compatibility feature, Xbox One owners can also download and enjoy Xbox 360 games on their consoles.


text:
Digitimes reported that Apple is continuing talks with the struggling Sharp over its IGZO display panels. Before making a switch, the company is evaluating whether Sharp’s supply will be able to meet the demand of the iPhone, iPad mini, and 10-inch iPad throughout 2013.
The sources said Apple is in further discussions with Sharp over IGZO panel production capacity estimates for 2013 and is also inquiring about whether AU Optronics’ (AUO) L5C line could be used to produce the technology.
We previously detailed the benefits of an IGZO display when we spent some hands-on time with it at IFA Berlin. We found it to be pretty impressive, as it can be built under a 2 mm bezel, and it features a smoother touch and the ability to consume one-fifth to one-tenth of the power consumed by a-Si displays (which would lead to smaller batteries in devices). Apple reportedly wanted to use it with the third-generation iPad, but scrapped those plans at the last second. The fifth-generation iPad is now looking like a likely candidate for the new screen tech in March.
Check out a hands-on below:
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


text:
Hiroki Totoki, current CFO of Sony, says cloud gaming could pose a threat to traditional physical consoles like the PlayStation down the line, but he doesn’t believe it’ll do so in the near future.
That’s according to comments from Sony’s latest quarterly conference call translated by Twinfinite in which Totoki addresses the risks and opportunities facing PlayStation in the next five years.
According to those translations, cloud gaming rendering physical consoles obsolete is an extreme example of a potential threat, but Totoki says it’ll be much longer than five years before that is the case.
As for risks in the more immediate future, Totoki says that the rise of cross-platform free-to-play games could be considered a possible threat, though he notes that relationships with third-party partners will help Sony mitigate any negative effects from either risk factor.
His comments come just as the PlayStation 4 surpasses 91.6 million sold, a milestone hit around 5 years into the PlayStation 4’s lifetime. However momentum for the current generation of consoles is slowing down, as noted in Sony’s latest financial reports, and the company is hoping that network service and add-on content sales will help mitigate that potential “volatility” in its hardware business going forward.


text:
Well, make that five. This sight is quite amazing…five bald eagles in one tree! The picture was taken on a farm near Chico, CA and demonstrates the close ties between agriculture and conservation.
The Port of Oakland’s export numbers jumped 10 percent since October 2015. The primary contributing factor is an increase in agricultural shipments, specifically a 30 percent rise in exports of edible fruits and nuts.
The Port of Oakland has always had a more balanced mix of imports and exports. Exports account for 52 percent of the port’s business with farm products contributing 40 percent of Oakland’s exports.
We are honored to be part of the process for our agricultural exporters.


text:
With the entire crypto market still reeling from stablecoin TerraUSD’s $45 billion collapse, Morgan Stanley warned this week that NFTs could be next in line.
Saying that the bank had been caught off guard by the depegging of TerraUSD and run to zero of its sister coin LUNA, analyst Sheena Shah said the bank undertook a “broader re-evaluation of where many crypto prices should be trading at” as a result, Fortune reported.
See also: TerraUSD’s Price Collapse Shows Vulnerability of Dollar-Pegged Cryptos
Among other things, it found that the high prices of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) was attributable mainly to “speculation, with limited real user demand,” that has caused prices on the top-selling collectables like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club to fall.
The same thing has been seen in the prices of NFTs providing ownership of virtual plots of land in metaverse projects, the report said. As that “land” is usable mainly as a location for building other things like games and brand marketing outposts in metaverse projects like Decentraland and The Sandbox, the sales have largely been grounded in traditional real estate speculation: That location matters. Prices are higher, for example, within districts reserved for fashion brands and related projects.
That hasn’t dissuaded VC powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, which announced on Wednesday (May 18) that its crypto arm, a16z, had created a $600 million fund targeting metaverse games, saying: “It’s clear to us the industry has entered a new era.”
Read more: NFT Weekly: The Popping of the NFT Bubble Has Been Declared Again, but Investments Keep Coming
Arguing that “games will play a pivotal role in defining how we socialize, play and work over the next century,” a16z said, “there is no better time than now to build a fund focused on supporting the next generation of games builders.”
How serious are they? The new fund’s name is GAMES FUND ONE, which suggests that a GAMES FUND TWO is at the very least expected. So, it’s not a stretch to say that Andreessen Horowitz has north of $1 billion in mind for the metaverse games built out of and using NFTs.
The vast majority of NFT projects were built on Ethereum, but there are growing signs that is changing. On Friday (May 20), DappRadar showed that the Solana-based NFT marketplace Magic Eden saw just shy of 300,000 transactions in 24 hours, more than six times the roughly 48,000 seen on the top NFT marketplace, Ethereum-based OpenSea.
That said, Magic Eden’s transaction volume was nearly $22 million, compared to OpenSea’s $25.7 million. It’s worth noting that transactions aren’t just sales — they include listing new NFTs for sale and each bid on an item as well.
But broadly speaking, non-Ethereum NFTs are becoming more popular — thanks in no small part to the transaction fees which can ranges form $25 to $75 on OpenSea, versus pennies on Solana-based Magic Eden. Dapper Labs, maker of the mass-market breakout NFT line NBA Top Shots and OG breakout CryptoKitties, built its own blockchain, Flow, last September in order to get away from Ethereum.
Beyond that, Ethereum showed its flaws as an NFT platform quite dramatically on May 5, when the frenzied launch of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) developer Yuga Labs’ latest NFT project, a metaverse virtual land sale, ground Ethereum to a near-halt and shoved transaction fees up to a $10,000 high briefly — several orders of magnitude beyond their previous record highs.
See here: Bored Apes NFT Rampage Spikes Transaction Fees to $200M for 55,000 Sales
However, Solana has had its own problems, with an NFT sale crashing the Ethereum-killer blockchain on May 3.
Related: Another Blockchain Overwhelmed by NFT Transactions as Solana Crashes Outright
Universal Music Group has jumped into the metaverse with both feet, laying out a brand marketing outpost and cutting several deals with companies including Genies and Curio to develop NFTs for its artists — collectables, not actual song-carrying tokens. On Tuesday (May 17), it announced a distribution deal with marketplace LimeWire for those artist NFTs.
Also read: NFTs With Attitude: Rapper Ice Cube Believes Crypto Tokens Can Disrupt Labels’ Power
“Together, we will focus on quality content, utility and accessibility for the mainstream by offering unique NFT projects for artists and fans in a trusted environment,” UMG said. It’s a pretty vast turnaround for LimeWire, which has reinvented itself from the dot-com era filesharing service that record labels sued for $75 trillion in 2011 — eventually settling for $105 million.
Other NFT investments this week include Japan’s largest investment bank, Nomura. On Monday (May 16), the Financial Times reported it had announced plans to launch a new firm dedicated to crypto investments, including NFTs and decentralized finance (DeFi) investments for institutional clients.
Crypto lending platform Pine is also moving into NFTs, CoinDesk reported this week. A $1.5 million funding round will go towards building a lending platform using NFTs as collateral, as well as “Pine Now, Pay Later” — a BNPL-style platform for would-be buyers who need to finance NFT purchases. It has a variety of lending pools offering different terms, said Pine co-founder Alex Ho.
Recalling selling a BAYC NFT for seven ether — the current floor price is about 95 ETH — in order to buy another NFT collectable that hasn’t appreciated to the same extent, Ho said, “I decided to build out Pine so that NFT owners like myself are able to unlock liquidity without having to sell their NFTs.”
It’s not alone, with a number of other lending platforms including Arcade, NFTfi, PawnFi and Trust NFT up and running.


text:
Fenwick & West represented Gigya, Inc., the Connected Consumer Management Suite, in a $35 million growth financing. The round of funding was led by Intel Capital and included new investors Common Fund Capital and Vintage Investment Partners, as well as existing investors Adobe, Advance Publications, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Greenspring Associates and Mayfield Fund.
With this new round of funding, Gigya will invest heavily in expanding its global market share by devoting resources to scale its sales, marketing and client services teams across its seven offices around the world. The company also plans to expand its product line.
The Fenwick transaction team was led by corporate partner Cindy Hess and corporate associates Kristine Di Bacco and Patrick Grilli.


text:
A number of parties have expressed interest in buying Hewlett-Packard's Autonomy software business as well as its EDS services arm, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Wednesday.
The world of new Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker is lot more complicated than the one imagined by his predecessors.
WASHINGTON -- The IT industry shed employees last year at a much faster pace than they are now hiring them, but at least the industry is hiring.
Departing HP CEO Mark Hurd managed to bring HP from the brink of collapse and restore respect for the HP brand in only five years. Forced to resign as a result of a sexual harassment scandal, Hurd takes with him his vision for the future of HP, leavi...
Breaking up is hard to do. And when it comes to IT outsourcing, it can be expensive and risky, too. But issues with an outsourcer--such as deteriorating service levels, lack of investment, excessive turnover, or even fraud--are potentially even more ...
One thousand members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will go on a 48-hour strike at HP on Monday after the company refused to extend its job security guarantee beyond October.
Hewlett-Packard has been forced to reduce the amount of profit it reported last quarter to cover additional costs awarded against its EDS division in a lawsuit brought by British Sky Broadcasting in the U.K.
Dell has agreed to buy Perot Systems for around US$3.9 billion in cash, and intends to make the company its global services delivery division, the companies said Monday.
Hewlett-Packard reported a 2 percent drop in revenue for the July quarter, which was better than expected, and said its business is stabilizing.
On Monday, Microsoft began offering its hosted services to companies in 18 countries outside of the U.S. and said that EDS would help sell the services.
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Google Pixel XL full, in-depth smartphone review: Phones just got smarter
- 2 Sony Xperia XZ review: turbo-charged last-gen phone
- 3 Hisense Series 7 ULED 4K UHD TV review
- 4 Sony X9300D and X8500D UHD 4K TV review
- 5 Moto X Force review: Leading features from a mid-range phone
Join the PC World newsletter!
Latest News Articles
- Gallipoli is now an amazing video game
- U.S. indicts Russian for hacking LinkedIn, Dropbox, Formspring
- An IoT botnet is partly behind Friday's massive DDOS attack
- Bankers plan to give Corda blockchain code to Hyperledger project
- Easy-to-exploit rooting flaw puts Linux computers at risk
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
- Google Pixel XL full, in-depth smartphone review: The new best Android phone
- Japan Robot, gadget and car expo slideshow
- Panasonic DX900U UHD 4K smart TV review: Best all-round TV ever?
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?
- FTIntegration Solutions ArchitectNSW
- CCIT Manager - ANZNSW
- CCContract Systems Analyst (SQL/Web) 161027/SA/842Asia
- CCChange Manager - Telco projectsNSW
- FTWeb DeveloperNSW
- CCContract IT Assistant (UNIX/Windows) 161028/ITA/003Asia
- CCICT Business AnalystACT
- FTSolution ArchitectACT
- FTSenior Analyst ProgrammerNSW
- FTSOE ArchitectNSW
- CCSenior Business Analyst, Margin ProjectsNSW
- CCEnterprise ArchitectNSW
- CCDemand ManagerNSW
- CCImplementation ManagerVIC
- FTEnterprise ArchitectNSW
- CCContract Junior Programmer (JAVA/SQL) 161013/JP/602Asia
- FTDevOps EngineerVIC
- CCContract IT Assistant (Office Automation) 161031/ITA/541Asia
- CCContract Management SpecialistNSW
- CCSystem & Network EngineerVIC
- FTFront End DeveloperSA
- CCSenior Procurement SpecialistVIC
- CCInfrastructure ArchitectNSW
- FTSalesforce Subject Matter ExpertNSW


text:
Forbes Travel Guide names new five-star hotels
For the first time, Forbes Travel Guide crowns a second batch of five-star hotels, restaurants and spas mid-year, providing travelers with more up-to-date ratings.
Forbes had named new properties five stars earlier this year. But today, it adds three hotels, four restaurants and a spa.
The new five-star hotels include the first in Seattle and Vancouver and a new five-star hotel in London.
Michael Cascone, president of Forbes Travel Guide, said the company decided to add the mid-year update “to provide even more, and more timely, information in a rapidly changing market – for the benefit of travelers as well as the hotel community”.
“This allows us to assess and rate hotels that were not available for inspection in the previous cycle, such as new properties or those undergoing renovations, or those that have worked to improve their service levels since the previous evaluation round,” he said. “In a dynamic and information-rich environment, it is important that consumers have the most up-to-date information when making travel decisions, and our goal is to provide them with the most comprehensive and authoritative information in the market. »
Forbes will also continue to name new properties five stars at the start of each year.
The Rosewood Hotel Georgia by Rosewood Hotels in Vancouver received five stars after a complete renovation, making it the first hotel in Canada to receive the highest rating.
The Sense Spa inside the Georgia Hotel also received five stars.
The Four Seasons Hotel Seattle has received a five-star designation, the first to achieve one in this city.
Overseas, Forbes Travel Guide gave London’s Connaught five stars.
London also received four new four-star hotels: Dorset Square Hotel, Dukes, St. Ermins and The Halkin.
The new five restaurants include:
- Meadowood’s Restaurant, Napa Valley
- Plume Restaurant at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C.
- The Fearrington Restaurant in Fearrington Village, North Carolina
- Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos, California.
The latest installments bring the total number of Forbes Travel Guide five-star hotels to 83. California has the most of any state with 12.
London and Hong Kong each have seven five-star hotels, making them the international destinations with the highest tally.
The hotels earn five-star status for “virtually flawless service and the finest amenities,” Forbes said.
“The staff are intuitive, engaging and passionate, and go above and beyond,” the company said.
At four-star properties, “attention to detail is prevalent throughout the property, from the design concept to the quality of the products provided,” the company said. “The staff are accommodating and take pride in meeting your specific needs throughout your stay.”
Alan Campey, Regional Vice President of Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, awarded Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s five-star status to “the incredible team that has made our guest experience their ultimate goal with a commitment to high standards. the highest standards, engaging our customers and providing intuitive services and refined service.”
“With this prestigious award, which marks the first hotel in Canada to receive the highest rating, Rosewood Hotel Georgia has set a benchmark as a global industry leader,” said Campey.


text:
BMW ready to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2016 with a production-ready autonomous concept car.
The famed Bavarian marque BMW has will celebrate a milestone in 2016 where it will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Ironically, the brand famed for sheer driving pleasure, is about to celebrate its centennial by previewing an autonomous concept car in a production-ready state.
According to a report by Autocar, BMW’s sales and marketing head Ian Robertson has hinted that the brand is close to introducing the next generation technology. Robertson further added, “We’ve reached the ‘feet off’ phase of autonomy, and now we’re in the ‘hands off’ and ‘eyes off’ phase, but only for brief periods.”
In addition to that, Robertson also highlighted that BMW’s upcoming centennial celebrations, scheduled for March 7th, would focus strongly towards the future of BMW. The brand will likely reveal several models and concepts during the festivities, much of which being inspired by said direction, and towards featuring autonomous or self-driving abilities as well.
BMW is no stranger towards self-driving tech. The firm has dabbled in the tech for quite a while now, resulting in its impressive ‘self-drifting’ M235i. In fact, the BMW i3 pictured in this post also boasts self-parking abilities, having successfully parked itself in a multi-storey garage in a special demonstration held last year.
For the brand that promises ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’, perhaps the biggest puzzle lies in how much autonomous ability should it grant its drivers.


text:
On the web dating website Zoosk is rolling down a unique function that allows users confirm the authenticity of profile photos. The explicit objective, in accordance with CEO Shayan Zadeh, would be to avoid daters from publishing pictures of on their own once they had been a decade more youthful or 20 pounds lighter. Such an element may save on line daters a great deal of undue dissatisfaction, however it may also teach other on line platforms a lesson that is important.
People crave privacy online. It has driven the growth that is explosive of like key, Yik Yak, and Whisper, and has now driven the self-destructing-message trend launched by Snapchat. Yet, this move toward privacy has arrived at a high price, producing a perfect storm for online trolls, scammers, and impostors to wreak havoc regarding the sleep of us.
If you have been being attentive to the headlines recently, you understand that the trolls happen behaving specially defectively, filling internet web sites from Twitter to Gawker with hateful and content that is gruesome. Because of this, these firms have already been obligated to find out in realtime simple tips to stop the trolls without running every final Tweet and on line remark past an interior review board first.
Featuring its brand new picture Verification solution, Zoosk appears to be going for a accountable and proactive method of the situation, offering its upstanding users a way of protecting on their own from the bad people. It could serve as a model for other platforms web-wide if it works.
It might probably save on the web daters a great deal of undue dissatisfaction, however it may also teach other on line platforms a essential concept.
To confirm a photograph, Zoosk asks users to just simply just take a video clip selfie, which records their appearance from a few angles.


text:
The Benefits of Legalized Weed in Canada
The world is slowly but surely waking up to the many benefits of cannabis. After years of being demonized, cannabis is finally starting to be recognized for the versatile and powerful plant that it is. Canada has been at the forefront of this movement, becoming the first G7 nation to fully legalize cannabis for recreational use.
Now that cannabis is legal in Canada, there are many opportunities for businesses to capitalize on this new industry. But what are the benefits of legalized weed in Canada? Here are just a few:
1. Increased tax revenue
legalizing cannabis will result in increased tax revenue for the Canadian government. This is because the government will now be able to tax cannabis sales, just like they do with alcohol and tobacco. This extra revenue can be used to fund important public services like healthcare and education.
2. Job creation
legalizing cannabis will create many new jobs in a variety of sectors. From growers and dispensary owners to edibles chefs and cannabis tour guides, there will be plenty of new job opportunities for Canadians.
3. Improved public health
legalizing cannabis will have a positive impact on public health. For one, it will make it easier for people to access cannabis for medical purposes. It will also allow the government to regulate the quality of cannabis products, ensuring that they are safe for consumption.
4. Reduced crime
legalizing cannabis will likely result in a reduction in crime. This is because the illegal cannabis market is often linked to organized crime. By making cannabis legal, the government can take away the power from these criminal organizations.
5. Social acceptance
legalizing cannabis will help to reduce the social stigma surrounding the plant. As cannabis becomes more mainstream, more people will be open to trying it and realizing that it’s not the dangerous drug that they’ve been led to believe.
These are just a few of the many benefits of legalized weed in Canada. It’s an exciting time to be alive, and the country is on the verge of making history.
How to Get the Most Out of Legalized Weed in Canada
The Canadian government has recently legalized weed and it is now available for purchase in many different stores across the country. If you are looking to get the most out of this new legalization, there are a few things you can do to make sure you are getting the best possible experience.
First, it is important to understand the different types of weed that are now available. There are many different strains of cannabis, each with its own unique effects. Some strains are better for relaxation, while others are better for pain relief or focus. It is important to find the strain that is right for you in order to get the most out of your experience.
Second, it is important to find a reputable source for your weed. There are many different stores that now sell cannabis, but not all of them are created equal. Make sure to do your research to find a store that is reputable and has a good selection of quality products.
Third, it is important to start slow. If you are new to cannabis, it is important to take things slow at first. Start with a small amount and work your way up. This will help you to avoid any negative side effects and will allow you to find the perfect dose for you.
Fourth, it is important to be aware of the law. Although cannabis is now legal in Canada, there are still some laws that you need to be aware of. For example, it is still illegal to drive while under the influence of cannabis. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the laws in your province or territory before using cannabis.
Finally, it is important to enjoy yourself. Cannabis is a great way to relax and enjoy yourself. Make sure to take the time to appreciate the experience and to find the strains and products that you enjoy the most.
The Different Ways You Can Use Legalized Weed in Canada
Now that weed is legal in Canada, there are many different ways that you can use it! Here are some of the most popular ways:
1. Smoking it
This is the most popular way to use weed, and it can be done in many different ways. You can roll it up in a joint, pack it into a pipe, or even use a bong.
2. Eating it
Weed can also be consumed in edible form, which is a great option for those who don’t want to smoke it. Edibles can be found in many different forms, such as cookies, brownies, gummies, and more.
3. Drinking it
Another popular way to consume weed is by drinking it in the form of a tea or tincture. This is a great option for those who want the benefits of weed without having to smoke it.
4. Topical application
Weed can also be used topically, which means applying it to the skin. This can be done in the form of a lotion, cream, or oil. Topical application is a great way to get the benefits of weed without ingesting it.
Weed can also be consumed in the form of a suppository. This is a great option for those who want the benefits of weed but don’t want to smoke it or eat it.
Now that you know the different ways you can use weed, it’s time to start exploring! Try out different ways and see what works best for you.
The Pros and Cons of Legalized Weed in Canada
The Pros and Cons of Legalized Weed in Canada
The debate surrounding the legalization of cannabis in Canada is a complex and multi-faceted one. On the one hand, there are those who argue that the drug should be legalized in order to better control its use and regulate its quality. On the other hand, there are those who argue that legalization would lead to an increase in use, and potentially lead to negative health consequences.
There are a number of pros and cons to the legalization of cannabis in Canada. One of the main pros is that it would allow the government to better regulate the drug and control its quality. This would mean that users would know exactly what they are taking, and that it would be free of impurities. It would also allow the government to tax the drug, which would generate revenue that could be used to fund drug education and prevention programs.
Another pro of legalization is that it would allow police to focus on more serious crimes. Currently, a large number of police resources are devoted to the enforcement of cannabis laws. If cannabis was legalized, these resources could be redirected to more pressing issues.
There are also a number of potential cons to the legalization of cannabis. One of the main concerns is that it would lead to an increase in use. It is possible that more people would try cannabis if it was legal, and that some of these people would go on to develop problems with the drug. There is also a concern that legal cannabis would be more accessible to young people. It is important to note, however, that there is no evidence to suggest that cannabis is more harmful than alcohol or tobacco, which are both legal substances.
Another concern is that legal cannabis would be more potent than the cannabis that is currently available. This could lead to more people experiencing negative health effects, such as anxiety and paranoia. It is important to note, however, that there is no evidence to suggest that legal cannabis would be more potent than illegal cannabis.
The debate surrounding the legalization of cannabis in Canada is a complex one. There are a number of pros and cons to consider. Ultimately, the decision will come down to a weighing of the risks and benefits.
Introduction: A legal market for recreational cannabis is set to open in Canada in October 2018.
The legal market for recreational cannabis is set to open in Canada in October 2018. This is a landmark moment for the country, as Canada will become the first G7 nation to fully legalize and regulate the sale of cannabis. The move is expected to generate billions of dollars in economic activity and create thousands of new jobs.
There are many ways to capitalize on the legal weed market in Canada. Here are a few ideas:
1. Start a cannabis-based business
With the legal market for recreational cannabis set to open, there will be a huge demand for cannabis-based products and services. If you have a great business idea, now is the time to start planning and putting it into action. There will be plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs who are willing to seize them.
2. Invest in a cannabis company
The legal cannabis industry is expected to be worth billions of dollars. As an investor, you could get in on the ground floor of this rapidly growing industry and make a lot of money. There are already many publicly traded cannabis companies, and more will surely follow as the legal market opens up.
3. Get a job in the cannabis industry
The legal cannabis industry will create thousands of new jobs. If you’re looking for a new career, this could be a great industry to get into. There will be opportunities for everything from growers and dispensary workers to marketing and sales professionals.
4. Help others navigate the legal cannabis industry
With the legal cannabis industry still in its infancy, there will be a lot of confusion and misinformation. As a cannabis consultant, you could help people navigate the legal landscape and make sure they are compliant with the new rules. This could be a very lucrative business.
5. Write about the legal cannabis industry
There will be a lot of interest in the legal cannabis industry, both in Canada and around the world. As a journalist or blogger, you could write about the industry and help educate people about this rapidly evolving sector.
The legal market for recreational cannabis is set to open in Canada in October 2018. This is a landmark moment for the country, as Canada will become the first G7 nation to fully legalize and regulate the
What opportunities exist for entrepreneurs?
With the legalization of cannabis in Canada, there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to get involved in the industry. Here are some ideas on how to capitalize on this new industry:
1. Start a cannabis grow-op: With the recent legalization of cannabis, there are now opportunities to start legal grow-ops in Canada. This could be a great business venture for those with the right land and resources.
2. Start a cannabis retail store: Another great opportunity for entrepreneurs is to open up a retail store selling cannabis products. This could be done either online or offline.
3. Start a cannabis edibles business: With the legalization of cannabis edibles, there is now a huge opportunity to start a business making and selling these products. This could be a great way to get involved in the industry and make some money.
4. Start a cannabis packaging business: With the legalization of cannabis, there is now a need for businesses to package and distribute cannabis products. This could be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to get involved in the industry.
5. Start a cannabis consulting business: As the cannabis industry is still new, there is a need for businesses to help educate and advise people on all things cannabis. This could be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs with the right knowledge and expertise.
What are some of the challenges associated with entering the legal cannabis market in Canada?
The legal cannabis market in Canada is still in its early stages, and there are many challenges associated with entering it. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of clarity around the rules and regulations. The federal government has not yet released a clear framework for how the legal cannabis industry will operate, and this has created a lot of uncertainty for businesses. Another challenge is the high cost of entry. Setting up a legal cannabis business can be expensive, and there are still relatively few investors willing to put money into the industry. This means that many businesses are struggling to get off the ground. Finally, the legal cannabis industry is still very small, and there is a lot of competition. This can make it difficult for businesses to stand out and attract customers.
What are some tips for entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on the legal cannabis market in Canada?
The cannabis industry in Canada is expected to be worth $22.6 billion by 2025, according to a recent report by Deloitte. With the industry expected to grow so rapidly, there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to get involved and capitalize on this market. Here are some tips for entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on the legal cannabis market in Canada:
1. Understand the cannabis market
The first step for any entrepreneur looking to capitalize on the legal cannabis market in Canada is to understand the market. This includes understanding the different types of products that are available, the different ways to consume cannabis, and the different regulations that are in place.
2. Find a niche
The legal cannabis market is still in its early stages, which means there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to find a niche and become a leader in that space. Whether it’s developing a new type of cannabis product or finding a way to market to a specific audience, finding a niche is a great way to get ahead in the cannabis industry.
3. Develop a strong brand
A strong brand is important in any industry, but it’s especially important in the cannabis industry. With so many new players entering the market, a strong brand will help you stand out from the competition.
4. Get involved in the community
The cannabis industry is still largely considered to be taboo, which means there is a lot of stigma surrounding it. As an entrepreneur, you can help to change the perception of cannabis by getting involved in the community and promoting the positive aspects of the industry.


text:
LAGOS – The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said it will begin to impose Value Added Tax (VAT) on online transactions, both domestic and international, with effect from January 2020.
The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Tunde Fowler, disclosed this at the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) Technical Workshop on VAT on Monday in Abuja.
Fowler said that a lot of countries in the world had identified Nigeria as a good market and many of them were into online businesses, adding that there was the need to tap the potentials to generate more revenue for the country.
He, however, said that the date of commencement of the VAT on online transactions would be subject to government’s approval.
“We have thrown it out to Nigerians. Effective from January 2020, we will ask banks to charge VAT on online transactions, both domestic and international.
“VAT remains the cash cow in most African countries, with an average VAT-to-total tax revenue rate of 31 percent. This is higher than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s average of 20 percent.
“This statistics, therefore, is a validation of the need for us to streamline the administration of this tax with the full knowledge of its potential contributions to national budgets.
“It is, however, also bearing in mind the rights of our taxpayers,” he said.
According to him, in Nigeria, for example, VAT is critical to the development of projects at all levels of government.
“VAT revenue is shared 15 percent to the Federal Government, 50 percent to state governments and 35 percent to local governments.


text:
Nissan has launched an exclusive new series of Frontier domestically. The Frontier Platinum Limited will have a thousand production units, all being equipped with diesel engine, automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.
The Volkswagen Group is working to raise the standard of the Skoda brand. The information was revealed by Winfried Vahland, CEO of the brand originates from the Czech Republic, the website Automotive News Europe.
Opel announced on Monday (17) that its new engine 1.0 turbo three-cylinder with direct injection model will debut in 2014 Adam compact. The presentation will take place at the next Geneva Motor Show, with opening scheduled for March 6.


text:
Boston, MA, 03/25/2014 (usastockreports) – Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF) is the highest ranked bank in terms of service delivery to customers, according to Temkin Group rankings. The bank came in at 8th overall, in a ranking involving 268 companies. The bank further received 10 points higher than that of the overall banking industry.
Regions’ senior executive vice president Bill Askew was quick to point out that the ranking was a reflection of the bank’s commitment and dedication towards clients and associates. Region’s maintains it has been building relationships with its customers to better understand their needs and provide the best of solutions in terms of their financial goals.
Temkin carried out a survey of 10,000 US consumers in which each one of them was asked to identify the company they had interacted with, over the past 60 days. The rankings only took into considerations companies with more than 100 consumer responses.
Consumers were required to rate their experiences for each of the companies they interacted and how they felt about the services offered. Consumer ratings and verdict was subsequently used to establish the overall rating of a company.
Regions Finally Surpasses the Psychological $10 Mark
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF) continue to enjoy a good run in the market after finally clocking the psychological $10 mark which is close to its $52 week high of $11.74. The biggest worry at the moment with many investors is whether the company will be able to maintain the upward momentum. Region’s stock has rallied by over 10% in the past 12 weeks with many analysts of the view that the company could hit further heights in the coming months.
Regions CEO awarded 3.9% Pay Rise
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF)’s Chairman and Chief Executive officer has seen his 2013 pay package receive 3.9% hike according to a filling to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The CEO 2013 salary will include a basic salary of $975,000 and stock awards worth $2.93 million.


text:
Brazil was keen to boost bilateral trade with Pakistan as both countries have great potential to enhance trade in many items. This was said by Brazilian Ambassador Claudio Raja Gabaglia Lins, while addressing business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI). The deputy head of mission of Brazil Embassy also accompanied him. The… Read More »
The ongoing trade war between China and the US is pushing the Asian powerhouse to sweeten ties with neighboring India. China’s refiners are considering the purchase of unprecedented amounts of Indian raw sugar, with a delegation visiting the South Asian nation next month to meet mill officials and inspect logistics infrastructure, according to an Indian… Read More »
The amount of sugarcane crushed in the first half of November in Brazil’s key Center-South region was expected to be 21.1 million mt, down 10% year on year and 15% lower than the previous two-week period, an S&P Global Platts survey of analysts found Monday.
The American Medical Association wants the Food and Drug Administration to adopt front-of-package warning labels for foods with high levels of added sugars, according to a statement from the group. The AMA also asked the FDA to limit how much added sugar can be allowed in foods making health or nutrition claims on the package. Albert… Read More »
After a daylong agitation by one thousand sugar cane farmers led by Farmers Association President Rajendra Desai in front of the sugar factory protesting against the government insensitiveness to their problems, they withdrew their agitation late evening after the Government (RCS) as well as South Goa MP Adv Narendra Savoikar intervened and gave them written… Read More »


text:
DEWITT, N.Y. - New orders for components headed to a ground-based radar system will bring in $9 million at Anaren Inc.
The company can't say what radar the parts are for or who the customer is, said John Hoeschele, marketing communications and government relations manager at Anaren (NASDAQ: ANEN). The new orders are a continuation of an existing contract and won't lead to any new hiring.
Anaren, headquartered in DeWitt, makes components for use in wireless and satellite communications and the defense industry. The company employs 860 people.
Deliveries of the newly ordered parts will begin in the first quarter next year and take about 12 months.
Anaren's leaders have been facing pressure to sell in recent months from one of the company's shareholders. Executives have declined to comment on the matter.
The company earned $3.4 million in the quarter that ended June 30, up more than 15 percent from the same period last year. Net sales for the quarter totaled $42.3 million, up 10.9 percent.


text:
All-in-one UGC platform improves and expands in booming UGC marketplace
DALLAS, Oct. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — JoinBrands, the leading influencer marketing and user-generated content (UGC) platform, has unveiled new updates, optimizing the system for the upcoming holiday season. Aimed at helping brands capitalize on the fast-growing UGC marketplace, JoinBrands offers unparalleled value in terms of affordability and quality.
Since its launch in late 2022, JoinBrands has seen tremendous growth, registering over 126,000 content creators and collaborating with more than 10,000 brands. Impressively, it reported over $2.5M in payouts to creators and has overseen more than 40,000 UGC collaborations between brands and creators.
Hunter Cowan, a JoinBrands UGC creator, said she turned her hobby into a full-time business through the JoinBrands platform. “It has changed my entire life as a family dynamic. I’m making a substantial amount of money that allows me to homeschool my six daughters and earn a great side income that supports my family.”
JoinBrands’ platform allows brand owners and marketers to quickly identify, engage, and collaborate with an extensive network of seasoned UGC creators. “Our goal is to help businesses simplify UGC and save time and money,” said JoinBrands co-founder and CEO Leo Limin. “We continuously innovate to streamline the entire UGC management process, allowing brands of all sizes to effectively execute their UGC strategies.”
- Fast, Easy and Free Onboarding: New users can join and post a job in just a few clicks. It’s free to sign up, free to create a campaign, and free to see and choose from creators and portfolios. Brands only pay when a creator accepts the job.
- Content Creator Certification: JoinBrands upholds strict quality checks for creators, rating them up to a level three certification. Every content creator undergoes a screening process that includes submitting a UGC example for each category.
- Enhanced Creator Profiles: A new feature to instantly view creator portfolios, inclusive of their pitch videos, work samples, and reviews.
- Diverse Campaign Options: From videos, how-to’s, and unboxing reels, to product selfies and demos, with prices starting as low as $15.
- Integrated Marketing Tools: Content rights and whitelisting are managed within the platform. Brands can easily promote content across TikTok, Instagram Reels, Amazon Shopping, YouTube Shorts and more.
- Secure Payments: A streamlined payment process ensuring both brands and creators experience hassle-free transactions.
“We’ve really come to appreciate JoinBrands in our marketing arsenal. It’s not only affordable but also super easy to navigate,” said Jason Pratt, CEO of Bluechip Brands, which owns a portfolio of direct-to-consumer brands including JoySpring Vitamins. “We’ve seen our conversion rates go up. Plus, we can play around with social ads without breaking the bank on big influencers. It’s been a game-changer.”
For more insights on how JoinBrands is bridging the gap between brands and creators, visit www.JoinBrands.com.
JoinBrands is a leading influencer marketing platform transforming how brands engage with influencers. It streamlines content creation, influencer marketing, and social posting, providing brands with the tools needed for impactful influencer campaigns of any scale.


text:
Fries, pizza, chocolate, and ice-cream are the top foods – that hungry Brits would be least willing to share with others, a study has found.
More than a tenth of food lovers admit they never share their meals, with 49% saying one of their top annoyances in life is when pals pinch food off their plate without asking.
Fries are the top food deemed too tasty to share – with 15% having ended up in a full-blown argument with someone who has helped themselves to their fries, despite claiming not to be hungry.
And the survey of 2,000 adults found that, when eating out, 37% order exactly what they want, and intend to keep it all to themselves.
For 27%, one of their pet peeves is when people expect to split meals and try a bit of everyone's – with one in six left irritated by the fact they may pay more, but actually eat less.
And three in ten (29%) would sooner buy someone else a meal, rather than share their own food with them.
However, more than half of those polled (53%) admit they experience food envy when dining out, leaving them wishing they had ordered the dish someone else is eating – with almost a quarter unable to resist temptation, and asking for a bite.
The research was commissioned by KFC, to mark the launch of its Signature Fries, flavoured with a combination of herbs and spices inspired by their chicken.
To combat “fry-by-night” thieves, the brand has pioneered the 30cm long “Fry Swatter” – designed to combat those wandering hands.
Kate Wall, from KFC, said: “Sharing fries can be a touchy subject. The research proves that fry-snatching is one of the nation’s biggest gripes, so we challenged ourselves to create something to stop them once and for all.”
The study also found that work colleagues, friends, and sibling are among those that respondents are least likely to share their food with – and 16% have had to step in physically to stop a person stealing their food.
However, 27% admitted to snatching chips off someone else’s plate when they’re not looking.
And it also emerged that just 27% will always allow others to have a nibble of their meal – although 18% do so out of politeness, rather than wanting to.


text:
Subway opens largest Asian store in Shanghai's West Bund
Subway is opening its largest store in Asia in the West Bund area of Xuhui District as Shanghai's catering scene continues to rebound, and localized elements have been added to reflect consumers' tastes.
The new eatery has a submarine-shaped design, the first of its kind in the world, reflecting the signature freshly-made sandwich that allows customers to choose different types of meat, cheese, and other toppings.
In addition to made-to-order sandwiches, Subway also offers breakfast set menus with coffee and a sandwich, along with side dishes and snacks, and the burgeoning west bund area provides it a new window to engage with young trend setters.
Covering over 300 square meters of space, it features an interactive menu ordering device, and decorative drawings are in place to offer a more immersive dining experience.
Exclusive flavors such as mascarpone cheese and ham, and mascarpone cheese and red beans are designed to appeal to different palates.
"China's catering market is still climbing, and many catering companies are spending much effort in new market segments, and their continuous investment in branding, menu innovation, and digital provide additional growth opportunities for multinational brands like Subway," said Eric Foo, president of Subway Asia Pacific.
The company is planning 500 to 1,000 new restaurants each year over the next several years with continuous efforts to make the quick service restaurant chain relevant to Chinese consumers by strengthening digital capability, menu innovation, brand image, and overall guest experience.
Earlier this year, Subway reached a deal with master franchisee Shanghai Fu-Rui-Shi Corporate Development Co to open nearly 4,000 new sandwich shops across mainland China over the next 20 years.
If you go:
Address: Bloc 1, 1F, Lumina Shanghai, No 175, Longyao Rd
Opening hours: From November 9, 07:30-21:30


text:
From Business Day Live.
The South African Department of Tourism hopes to bolster job creation and alleviate poverty by developing underused state assets and properties into tourist attractions and facilities.
It has commissioned a feasibility study for a pilot budget resort chain with the goal of making domestic tourism more accessible to ordinary South Africans, according to a report in Business Day Live.
Partnerships would be sought to “derisk” the venture, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said Tuesday in parliament.
“The time has come to remove the final barriers to fully unlock our country’s tourism treasures and the intrinsic value of travel for all South Africans,” he said.
The 3.4-million foreign visitors to South Africa in 1993 grew by 300 percent to 13.5-million visitors in 2013. Of those, about 70 percent were tourists.
Read more at Business Day Live.


text:
Viaje’s annual collaboration project has a new name, and a new partner. This week came word that Viaje will be teaming up with Quesada Cigars to produce”Juntos”. Plans are for the Viaje Juntos cigars to make their debut at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show.
The Viaje Juntos is the new name for the Viaje Collaboration Series – which has been renamed due to trademark issues. The new name still keeps to the spirit of the series as it means “together”.
According to a report by Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider, the Viaje Juntos will be made at the Quesada Cigars factory in the Dominican Republic. The blend consists of a Dominican Negrito wrapper, a Dominican Criollo binder, and a combination of Criollo 98 as well as some ligero for the filler.
Juntos will feature unique packaging. The cigars will come in a tall cylinder consisting of two interlocked tins. The top tin will contain ten 6 x 54 Toro cigars while the bottom tin will have ten 6 x 54 torpedo cigars. There will be 1,000 units produced containing the cigars.
This is the third consecutive year for a collaborative project by Viaje. It was in 2014 when Viaje introduced the Collaboration series with the release of the Viaje Collaboration 2014. According to Viaje President Andre Farkas, the concept of this series is that Viaje will collaborate with another member of the cigar industry “every year or so” to develop a cigar. For the Viaje Collaboration 2014, Viaje teamed with its longtime production partner Casa Fernandez. Last year, Viaje teamed up with its newer Dominican-based production partner PDR Cigars to produce the Viaje Collaboration 2015.


text:
Included in the agreement is the high profile use of Ericsson's full range of cell phone and satellite communications equipment by 007 Brosnan. "We have created a visionary futuristic concept phone for the movie, which will feature in some of the film's spectacular action scenes," says Jan Ahrenbring, Ericsson's director of marketing and communications technology.
Ericsson is also planning to use the movie to showcase new phones which will be available to consumers worldwide as the movie premieres in individual markets. The Swedish company refused to disclose the financial side of the deal, although the company has not commented on one report, carried on Swedish public television, that said Ericsson paid UAP $15m to secure the contract in competition with arch rivals Nokia of Finland and Motorola.
Copyright June 1997, Crain Communications Inc.