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Teen plans coffee shop to employ people with special ablities
PANAMA CITY — At 21-years-old, people describe Baylee Hanson as one of the most positive people you will ever meet, but she, like the vast majority of people with Down syndrome, has had trouble keeping work.
So, one of her best friends has decided to create a place in Panama City where Hanson and people with similar abilities can work: Vinny and Bay's Coffee and Eatery.
It started four years ago when Madeline Lovejoy met Baylee Hanson in her drama class at Mosley High School.
“She loves so unconditionally,” Lovejoy said of Hanson. “She doesn’t have a negative part about her. She’s always so positive and that makes me positive too.”
Since graduating, Lovejoy said Hanson’s parents have told her about the struggles they face with finding their daughter job opportunities in the area. Across the county, Hanson isn't alone. In 2015, only 17.5 percent of persons with a disability were employed, according to data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
So Lovejoy, with the help of her mother Kara Rigby, decided to step up and create a place where people like Hanson can work. The mother daughter team plan to open Vinny and Bay’s Coffee and Eatery in downtown Panama City this summer. They plan on hiring people with special abilities to work within the shop, whether it be greeting people at the door, bussing tables or running the cash register.
“I don’t think people realize what their abilities are,” Rigby said, who owns The Maddie Hatter. “They have different skillsets than maybe you or I, but they can do a whole lot of things we can’t do."
The coffee shop's name was inspired by Madeline’s relationship with Hanson as well as Vinny Vargas, who is autistic and is the son of a fellow downtown business owner.
“Baylee’s mom often says everybody needs a relationship like Madeline and Baylee have,” Rigby said. “A friendship with no boundaries.”
Lovejoy and Rigby want Vinny and Bay’s Coffee and Eatery to be a place for people with special needs to call their own, as well as a place for the community to gather and get to know those special people. The slogan for the shop is ‘Be changed for good,” which comes from the personal experience Lovejoy and Rigby have had with these special people.
“If you take just a few minutes to get to know them, it changes your whole outlook on life,” Rigby said. “It’s a great thing for them, but it’s absolutely life-changing for you.”
Rigby said since she created a Facebook page for the coffee shop and posted their story, she has received an outpouring of support from the community and from people from as far away as South Dakota. An architect has designed the coffee shop for free, and she has numerous people who have volunteered to paint once the location for the shop is chosen.
“It is going to take a whole community to get this thing going,” Rigby said. “It's going to require some building, construction and reconfiguring so it will be a comfortable environment and accessible for the special abilities employees."
For more information or to find out how to help, go to Facebook and search for Vinny and Bay’s Coffee and Eatery.


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The American Consumer Is Holding Up
Despite elevated joblessness, Superstorm Sandy and the fiscal cliff, American consumers seem to be spending and that’s good for the economy. Holiday shopping is always a focus this time of year; the real question is where the demand is coming from – are people using savings or just shifting their purchases around.
The downside to the outsized role of consumer spending is that it means less saving and investment, which makes our economy less productive. We need to focus on exports – getting consumers abroad to spend on our products.

domain: news


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New trend rising in popularity among brides-to-be
A lot of brides-to-be start exercising to look their best on their big day, but there is also a surprising new trend with future brides.
Before the “I do’s,” some women are heading to the doctor’s office before they show off that big ring.
Some women want the pictures of their rings to be even more perfect.
Thanks to the selfie, hand rejuvenation is taking over brides-to-be.
“This usually is done in people with aged hands. But however we’re seeing more and more trend of younger people wanting to do this,” said Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Bardia Amirlak. “A hand lift is when you actually try to tighten the skin around the hand by a small incision in the approximate part of the hand where it connects to the skin and pull the skin.”
Dr. Amirlak says other popular hand treatments include lasers for unwanted marks, or fillers to make a hand more smooth.
A hand lift costs between $600 and $1,200 per session, depending on the number of injections.


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CINCINNATI: Unused to the role of a small fish in a big pond, the world's largest advertiser is seeking a way out of the pharmaceuticals business and has briefed Goldman Sachs to evaluate opportunities.
The exodus from pharma is in line with Procter & Gamble's declared policy of focussing investment and marketing resources on its higher-growth businesses.
The fmcg giant's healthcare division sells over-the-counter products such as heartburn treatment Prilosec, Pepto-Bismol and Vicks, while its pharmaceuticals business markets prescription drugs that focus on women's health and gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal problems.
Between them in 2008 the two units posted $14.6 billion (€11.39bn; £10.14bn) in sales and $2.5bn in net earnings. P&G said its pharmaceuticals unit accounts for global sales of more than $2bn.
Speaking to analysts in December, P&G chairman-ceo Alan G Lafley revealed that the company had stopped investing in new drug development, adding that he would consider divesting some of its key pharmaceuticals brands.
In the 1990s when P&G was investing bigtime in pharmaceuticals, the returns had been well above those from consumer products. "Today," said Lafley, "pharma companies trade at multiples at or below consumer products."
Data sourced from Financial Times; additional content by WARC staff


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Commenting on his team’s upcoming project Ridge Racer Unbounded and last year’s high profile closures of Blur and Split Second studios Bizarre Creations and Black Rock Studio, RRU’s producer Joonas Laakso has suggested that the market cannot sustain “simple” arcade racers.
“The market is not fit for a very simple arcade racer anymore,” said Laakso, speaking in the latest issue of GamesTM.
“There was a very definite feeling in the studio of ‘Would this be enough? Even if we make a really good new Ridge Racer, is it going to be enough to sell?”
The team’s concerns led them to create Ridge Racer Unbounded’s unique City Creator.
“Should we package the game with a hundred tracks and a hundred cars or a neat storyline?’” continued Laakso. “It was after these discussions and looking at the technology we had lying around we came up with the City Creator.”
Ridge Racer Unbounded’s City Creator gives players the opportunity to create their very own tracks. According to the game’s box, the game ships with “thousands of tracks” on-disc.
Other publishers and developers don’t appear to share Laakso’s concerns, however.
SCEE, of course, is banking on MotorStorm RC’s success for PlayStation Vita and PSN.
The game is a simple arcade racer built around basic time trial mechanics, implementing a Micro Machines-style isometric viewpoint and featuring short, simple tracks.
A Vita version of Ridge Racer built around the series’ classic arcade mechanics is also due for release at the handheld’s launch.
Meanwhile, Mario Kart Wii, released in 2008 and another ‘simple’ kart racer, is the Wii’s second best-selling title, shifting 28 million copies. Its successor Mario Kart 7 launched on 3DS in December last year and has sold over one million copies.
Ridge Racer Unbounded launches on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on March 2nd.
Tags: Ridge Racer Unbounded
GRID Autosport, The Evil Within, Valiant Hearts, Space Hulk, Supraball and Homefront: The Revolution star in this intriguingly varied issue of our free-to-read .Download Now!


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Kalona Amish form cooperative to sell goods in bulk
F rom his whitewashed farmhouse in southern Johnson County, James Bontrager can look across the fields and see, in the distance, the homestead where he grew up.
One of nearly 200 Amish families in the Kalona area, Bontrager's 80-acre farm no doubt looks much the same as his father's, and that of his father's father. Acres upon acres of row crops, cattle in the pastures, chickens in the coops, laundry on clotheslines, and a horse and buggy on the road — to visit an Amish farm today is, in many ways, to step into the 1800s.
But Bontrager's farm also includes some sights that would have been unfamiliar even a generation ago. Namely, a cluster of steamy greenhouses just a stone's throw from his home, each packed floor to ceiling with plants and produce.
Bontrager is one of 15 or so Amish farmers who have formed a new cooperative to sell goods in bulk, and who are preparing to construct a new sales building this spring to host twice-weekly auctions. The cooperative, called Twin County Produce Auction, held its first sale Friday morning outside Central Discount Grocery Store, an Amish-run business that's serving as a temporary site for the auctions until the new facility is built.
Bontrager says that many in the Amish community are tending greenhouses on their farms these days. Just this spring he's seen a number of families construct hoophouses for greenery and vegetables for the first time.
"As land prices rise so rapidly, we have to diversify more and get more out of a small acreage," said Bontrager earlier this week. He was dressed in a traditional round-brimmed hat, denim jacket and pants, and a pair of rubber workboots as he walked through his greenhouses.
Bontrager has four separate greenhouses on his farm, each crowded with baskets hanging from ceiling poles, tables overflowing with garden plants and long patches of soil where the year's first tomato plants and kohlrabi are taking root. Out in his fields, he's set aside two or three acres to plant produce this year.
The greenhouses are heated by LP space heaters and wood-fired furnaces; outside, a windmill is used to pump well water to the home and outbuildings.
Bontrager and other Amish growers in past years have sold their goods at an auction down the road in Frytown, the tiny unincorporated village in southwest Johnson County. But he said an increased demand in fresh produce, along with a growing number of sellers within their community, spurred the need for an auction facility of their own.
The cooperative plans to construct its building just behind Stringtown Grocery, the Amish country store at 2208 540th St., just off Highway 1 between Iowa City and Kalona. The farmers have submitted their building plans with Johnson County for review, and they can break ground if and when they're approved.
Bontrager said members of the Amish community will gather later this spring to construct the facility, which will be about 150 feet by 100 feet, once it's cleared by the county.
Nancy Roth, the managing director of the Kalona Historical Village, helps coordinate bus tours through the area. Roth said she's noticed many new greenhouses cropping up on Amish farms in recent years.
"I know they're always trying to come up with ways to help support their families; they don't really have the land to expand the crops, so they're trying to find ways to make that extra money by working with what they have," Roth said.
Sheldon Bower, a farmworker from Wellman, is serving as the contact person who is connecting the Amish growers with buyers. Bower said representatives from large grocery stores, roadside stand operators, garden stores and farmers market vendors are among the buyers who have frequented the produce auctions in past years in Frytown.
Mike O'Leary, a retired Iowa City Community School District principal who now lives near Riverside, is among the locals who regularly attend the produce auctions.
"There's more of a demand for locally grown produce that doesn't have to travel by semi thousands of miles to a different location," said O'Leary, a supporter of the new cooperative who stopped by Bontrager's farm to tour the greenhouses earlier this week. "This stuff is picked the day before or the morning of the auction, and it's not refrigerated."
Bontrager carts his plants and flowers to the market behind his draft horses; later in the growing season it will be tomatoes, pumpkins and other produce. At peak harvest times, he said he can cart as many as seven or eight wagons full of goods to the sale.
Tending to the greenhouses means plenty of added work beyond his fields and livestock, but Bontrager, a father of 10, said it's a family effort.
"You can get the children involved," he said of the work in the greenhouses and vegetable gardens. "It's a lot of labor in this, but working together as a family can be a blessing. We don't hire any help in our operation — it's just the family."
Reach Josh O'Leary at 887-5415 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
Twin County Produce Auction
• What: A new cooperative made up of Amish farmers in the Kalona area will supply wholesale plants and produce. The wholesale auctions are geared toward grocers, farmers market vendors, restaurants and others who buy in bulk quantities.
• When: Auctions will be at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays through October.
• Where: A new auction building is expected to be built this spring at 2250 540th St. S.W., behind Stringtown Grocery in southern Johnson County. Until the new facility is built, sales will be held down the road at Central Discount Grocery Store, 2298 540th St. S.W.
• More information: Call Sheldon Bower, order buyer for the cooperative, at 319-930-8402.


text: Guo Yuhang, chairman of the Star Joint Venture and chairman of the China Blockchain Application Research Center, said: Libra and JPM are two very different things. JPM is a financial institution that sends money for profit, while Facebook is based on non-profit purposes to meet the needs of a large number of customers. All operations of financial institutions require licenses, and Libra, which is issued by Internet companies such as Facebook, is created based on user needs, creating “inclusive finance” for everyone, rather than using a license like Wall Street’s financial institutions to monopolize such services. . In addition, Internet companies like Facebook are more market-oriented and more free. JPMorgan Chase is regulated, and the process of providing financial services is more complicated, and it is necessary to provide various documents to regulators such as the US SEC.


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General Motors To Buy Back 200M Government Shares
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - General Motors, trying to clear the stigma of being partly owned by the U.S. government, will spend $5.5 billion to buy back 200 million shares of its stock from the treasury.
The government, in turn, promised to sell its remaining 300 million shares on the open market starting in January, and get out of the company's business within the next 12 to 15 months.
"This announcement is an important step in bringing closure to the successful auto industry rescue, it further removes the perception of government ownership of GM among customers, and it demonstrates confidence in GM's progress and our future," Dan Akerson, chairman and CEO of GM, said in a statement.
GM said Wednesday that it will pay $27.50 each for the 200 million shares, and it expects to close the deal by the end of the year. GM stock closed Tuesday at $25.49, and it shot up 7.1 percent in premarket trading Wednesday to $27.30.
The government got its shares of the company as part of a $49.5 billion bailout of GM that began nearly four years ago. The bailout saved GM from collapsing into financial ruin.
"A fortress balance sheet has been a pillar of GM's financial strategy and has enabled us to undertake today's actions. GM's balance sheet will remain very strong, with estimated liquidity of approximately $38 billion at the end of 2012, following the closing of the share buyback," Dan Ammann, senior vice president and CFO, said in a statement.
The move leaves the government with 300 million shares, which it pledged to sell "in an orderly fashion" within the next 12-15 months, subject to market conditions.
GM's purchase of the 200 million shares still leaves the government about $21 billion short of breaking even on its investment. To break even, the government would have to get nearly $70 each for its shares.
TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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No one likes to read about death and collisions and mind-numbing safety statistics, except when it's good news.
Read This Article
Infant and child car seat manufacturer, Britax, is recalling 14,220 child seats for a faulty harness.
Ford celebrates a 15 year partnership with the King Ranch by unveiling the new models at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
General service reminders and auto tune-ups may be a thing of the past, according to a recent report.


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NFL is the most popular sport in America. It is back again with new excitement. With the expansion of technologies in recent years, NFL has extended its streaming option via online, cable TV, and mobile devices. Check How To Watch NFL 2021 Streams For Free, Reddit NFL Free Streams Details.
Currently, there are many options to watch NFL live online from anywhere. Check out the various ways to watch NFL.
NFL games can be viewed on FOX, NBC, CBS ESPN, and the NFL Network.
If you don’t have cable, you can stream Sunday Night Football games on Peacock or find games on other streaming service providers such as YouTube, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, or Sling.
ESPN will broadcast “Monday Night Football” for another season in 2021. Viewers will be able to stream the game on ESPN’s website and app and also by using the streaming service to watch the matches.
“Thursday Night Football” will be broadcast on three networks this year: NFL Network, Fox, and Amazon Prime Video to watch the games.
Additionally, you can stream all your local in-market games on your mobile device for free using the Yahoo Sports app or the NFL app.
The r/nflstreams subreddit was one of the most valuable resources for NFL fans around the world. Links, which were reliable for the most part, were posted for every single NFL game.
Fans were also spoiled for choice, considering they could watch NFL Redzone and NFL Network. And the best part about all of this was that the streams were completely free.
No payment, no account, just a link with a couple of pop-ups here and there.
However, the free ride came to an end when Reddit banned the page. So, why did Reddit ban one of their most popular pages?
The short answer to this question is that the subreddit was technically illegal. If you watch other sports, you probably weren’t too surprised to see Reddit make this decision.
Before the ban, the page for NBA and Soccer streams were also taken down.
The basic problem is that posting free links is a clear case of copyright infringement and leagues were starting to take notice.


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Josh Barro talks with his panel about what steps the European Union could and should take to solve the current crisis.
High-end fitness chain Soulcycle files for an IPO07:00
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What do plunging gold prices reveal?10:41
Hillary's fight against 'short-termism'14:10


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Shoppers ‘returned to reality’ in January, a month in which online sales grew by only 11.3% compared to the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
The figure, published in today’s BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for January 2012, comes after a strong December in which internet sales grew by 18.5% over Christmas. In January, however, consumers tightened their belts, both online and offline. Overall retail sales grew by 2.1%, compared to last January, but the telling like-for-like sales figure was down by 0.3% compared to last year. But on both measures, said the report, this was the “the second-worst January, after January 2010, since the survey began in 1995.”
Stephen Robertson, director-general of the BRC, said: “January has marked a return to reality for shoppers and for retailing in all its forms. Non-food, non-store retailing strengthened in the run-up to Christmas but these figures show consumers have reined in their spending since and business has returned to much closer to the 12 month average.
“The underlying factors which are affecting overall retail spending are also taking their toll online. Sales are being driven by high levels of discounting as cautious customers try to balance their budgets.
“Massive growth in online retail searches is not translating into the same rate of sales growth, showing people are shopping around and making careful decisions about what to buy.”
Across UK retail, food sales slowed after Christmas, while non-food sales were driven by heavy discounting in clearance sales.
Helen Dickinson, head of retail at KPMG, said: “After a strong than expected December these latest figures are rather sobering. The return to negative like-for-like sales reflects the trend seen throughout most of 2011 and is a stark reminder of the challenges facing retailers.”
Joanne Denney-Finch, of grocery analysts the IGD, said: “Consumes are adapting to the era of austerity by being more proactive about securing the best deals. Our research shows that seven in 10 shoppers now rate promotions as very important when choosing what stores to shop in.”


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(Yicai Global) Oct. 25 -- Baidu Inc. [NASDAQ:BIDU] rolled out a new artificial intelligence (AI) system for DeepVoice, which can generate simulated human voices from text using deep learning technology. The company previously released two versions, and the final update is more efficient and powerful than its predecessors.
The new version of DeepVoice claims it can learn more than 10,000 voices in half an hour, which opens doors for many applications, cnBeta reported.
This technology can give different characters in video games and audio books their own voices to enhance the user experience. Compared to human voices, those made by DeepVoice sound artificial.
The first edition of DeepVoice could only process short sentences, and could learn one accent at a time after several hours. DeepVoice 2, which Baidu released in May, could imitate an accent within an hour and the system was able to learn hundreds of different accents.
Baidu is not the only search engine company working on text-to-speech, and Alphabet Inc.'s [NASDAQ:GOOG] DeepMind has been pursuing similar projects such as WaveNet. It boasts better accents and can produce human-like 'labial' sounds that have been used in the English and Japanese versions of Google Assistant.


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The bright minds in Cadbury's R&D department have done something amazing—they've created chocolate that won't melt. Willy Wonka has to be real. Just has to be.
The "temperature tolerant" candy remained solid, even after spending three hours in an incubator where the temp was 104 degrees, according to its patent filing. At that point it was still solid when pressed with a finger, and it didn't collapse into a brown sticky, molten mess like you'd expect. The logical fear here is that it might not actually melt in your mouth at this point, which would pose a threat to your digestive system, but apparently with a little more pressure it can be broken.
So how does it work? First of all, we're assuming Oompa Loompas play an important role in the process. But also, researchers at Cadbury found a way to break sugar particles into even smaller pieces, diminishing the amount of fat they're coated with, which apparently makes chocolate bars impervious to heat. Do you live south of the equator? Do you have a habit of leaving candy in a hot car? Do you find melted chocolate in your pant pockets often? Your worries are over. [Daily Mail via LA Times via Pat's Papers]


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Multiplayer co-op and a number of other great additions make diving into Orcs Must Die! 2 a delight.
Pricing not available
Technically Incorrect: He couldn't resist. He has a new show to sell. Colbert posts his reaction to the Supreme Court decision within hours of its announcement.
Starting July 1, smartphones sold in the state must come with software that lets users lock a stolen phone so it can't be used, making it harder to resell. Crime statistics show the tech is already working.
Apple's streaming service is now live, but you won't find it in the App Store.
CNET's Marguerite Reardon explains to an AT&T unlimited-data customer what the FCC's historic fine against the company for misleading customers really means.
Technically Incorrect: In a Facebook Q&A, Mark Zuckerberg's intellect is tested by one of the world's great minds.
Check out CNET's roundup of must-have Blu-ray movies to show off your home theater. We'll be updating our picks as new discs come out.
Check out CNET's roundup of must-have Blu-ray discs. We'll be updating our picks as new discs come out.
A judge tentatively orders Pao to pay up, but the amount is only a quarter of what her former employer had requested.
Follow along as we stream and report on what big players like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and more have to say at the E3 video game conference kicking off Sunday.


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Today’s grocery market is cut-throat in terms of competition, both online and offline. Kroger has been a successful offline grocer since it was established in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is also North America’s largest supermarket chain by revenue ($115.34 billion for the fiscal year 2016). But, things clearly aren’t the same as before. With competitors like Walmart and Amazon breathing down their necks, an e-commerce platform for Kroger is a must to battle rivals.
Realising that digital footprint is the future for grocery retail, the supermarket giant revealed Kroger Ship, an e-commerce platform where customers can order from a range of products on the website ship.kroger.com and have them delivered to their doorstep. Kroger Ship’s home delivery is free of cost for orders exceeding $35 and carries a $4.99 fee for smaller orders. During its trial period, Kroger has announced that customers can shop from a curated assortment of 4,500 Kroger brand products and more than 50,000 other groceries and household items. Yael Cosset, chief digital officer at Kroger said, “Kroger Ship is our next step in developing an effortless experience that allows our customers to shop when and how they want. Our new service is just another way we are redefining customer experience as part of Restock Kroger, bringing more convenience and options to shoppers across the nation.”
Besides staple household items and customer essentials, Kroger Ship will process bulk orders, international foods and flavors, health and wellness products and a host of other specialty items. A Ship customer will be offered exclusive deals and savings including a host of promotional codes, discounts and offers along with a handy “set and save” subscription which will slash 5% off daily essentials. They can also earn fuel discounts and save up to $1 per gallon by purchasing online. Ship customers will be offered free shipping in its initial stages, with no minimum purchase, along with a one-time promo code which will slash 15% off their order value. Kroger is set to expand its Ship service to more markets soon.
With this venture in place, Kroger Ship walks hand-in-hand with the brand’s 2,800 grocery stores and delivery service from 1,200 locations, not forgetting the 1,250 curbside pickup locations as well. It also goes without saying that Kroger’s online presence gives them an added edge in this immensely competitive market.
Frank Bruni, vice president of supply chain and procurement at Kroger confirmed, “We are still working on our expansive logistics and fulfillment infrastructure to support the progress of Ship; with the unflinching help of our brands and Kroger’s manufacturers and suppliers, our idea is to build a seamless e-commerce system that provides our customers a large number of products and allows Kroger to ship nationwide.”
With Ship, Kroger is moving ahead with a strategy to boost its own e-commerce capabilities. Kroger saw digital sales surge 90% in 2017 and it is projected to grow its online business from 1.7% of sales at present to 5% by 2022.


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If you were anywhere close to screen yesterday you probably saw what is the biggest movie news of the year and potentially of the next few years to come. Warner Bros. announced that they will be releasing their entire slate of 2021 movies on their streaming partner HBO Max the same day as they hit theaters. Yep, that means “Dune”, “The Matrix 4”, Denzel Washington’s “The Little Things”, “Godzilla vs. Kong”, “The Suicide Squad” and many other big WB titles will be available to stream at home on their theater release date. 17 movies in total. And just like that HBO Max is a major player in the streaming game.
Now maybe this won’t have a big effect. Maybe this is just Warner offering viewers choices. Maybe this will be a “unique one-year plan” as WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff stated. On the other hand this could be a tectonic shift in the moviewatching landcape. It could be the beginning of a major change in the way movie fans consume blockbuster content. ￼And it brings with it some obvious questions. If the decision proves profitable would WB really consider going back to the old model? Will other major studios follow? If they do can the already struggling multiplexes sustain another year? How many will be forced to close permanently? How many jobs will be impacted? As is often the case, there is a cost to convenience.
Many of us were posing similar questions earlier in the year when Universal Pictures began testing the waters at the start of the COVID-19 theater closings. Some theater chains were criticized for fighting the move by banning Universal’s films from their screens. In reality those chains understood the potential damage a streaming future would have on their industry and they took a desperate stand. It did them no good. Since then other major studios have tinkered in the streaming space. Disney put “Mulan” on their streaming platform for a “premium” price. Sony Pictures sold rights to “Greyhoud” to Apple. Netflix bought distribution rights of “Enola Holmes” from Warner Bros. Paramount sold the rights to “Coming 2 America” to Amazon. These are just some of the digital moves we have seen from studios since March.
But nothing has been quite as significant and potentially game-changing as the Warner Bros. announcement. Yes COVID-19 still lingers and too many theaters remain closed for exclusive big screen releases to be profitable. In that sense this seems like a smart and well-calculated business move. From a viewer’s standpoint the idea that people can look forward to a slate of big studio movies without the fear of delay is exciting and gives the still apprehensive moviegoers a way to watch where they feel safe.
But let’s not overlook the big unknown. How will this ultimately effect the big screen movie experience? Is it realistic to think that movie houses won’t be effected by this? Is it remotely plausible that Warner and any other studio that follows their lead will abandon this new model if it proves to be a moneymaking success? Many theaters have worked hard and gone to great lengths to show that movies can be watched safely on the big screen. But without public confidence or big movies to show, they now find themselves up a creek without a paddle. And its hard to believe that big blockbusters going to streaming is going to help their already precarious situation.
So what do you think of this huge news? Are you excited or concerned, fascinated or shocked? I’d love to hear your thoughts.


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The Walt Disney Company has sued Blockbuster, accusing the chain of cheating its video unit of approximately $120 million under a four-year revenue-sharing agreement.
The suit, filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, seeks $120 million. The Buena Vista Home Entertainment unit of Disney asserts that Blockbuster improperly deducted ''promotional'' credits, failed to account for ''hundreds of thousands'' of missing videos and sold videos prematurely under the agreement, which was signed in 1997.
Under the contract, Blockbuster was to share rental revenue from Disney films with the studio in exchange for reduced prices on videos. Blockbuster ended the agreement last year after Disney complained of the discrepancies, the suit says. The agreement covers only VHS tapes, which matter less to Blockbuster as rentals of digital video discs surge.
''Blockbuster has arrogated for itself huge sums belonging to Buena Vista Home Entertainment to which Blockbuster is not entitled,'' according to the seven-page suit.
Randy Hargrove, a spokesman for Blockbuster, said the company had not had a chance to review the suit. Viacom Inc. owns about 81 percent of Blockbuster.


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Hi there! Here is the latest TradeSanta’s weekly digest.
- The International Monetary Fund predicts that central banks may issue digital currencies in the near future;
- Mike Novogratz predicted Bitcoin price and revealed his thoughts about Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency;
- Bitrue exchange was hacked and $4.2 million in different assets were stolen.
Cryptocurrency Market Stats
Total market capitalization of all cryptocurrency assets slid down to 326 billion USD. Check the last week’s main results in the table below.
|Stat||Value (7d change)|
|Market Cap||$ 326 205 011 965 (-0.02%)|
|Markets||19 106 (+0.38%)|
|BTC Dominance||61.4% (+2.3%)|
Major Coins’ Price Stats
According to the CoinMarketCap data, top-3 cryptocurrencies slid down during the last week. XRP dropped by 15.34%. Check results of the previous week right in our table.
|Coin||Close||7d Gains||7d High||7d Low|
|Bitcoin||$10 817.16||-0.35%||$13 796.49||$10 491.85|
Quote of the Week:
Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance, commented on the quickest BNB transaction with the lowest fee: “This transaction: cost $0.015 USD in fees, took 1.1 seconds, and $1.2 BILLION in value transferred. The future is here.”
In Case You Missed It:
- According to the report, produced on June 27 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), central banks may issue digital currencies in the future. IMF also noted that several central banks from different countries plan to implement Central Bank Digital Currency and evaluate its potential impact on financial stability. Uruguay has launched e-Peso, and Sweden and China are close to implementing new currencies. Central banks want to find an alternative to cash, because of its reducing frequency of use. Moreover, implementing digital currencies will lead to cutting bank costs, and attract more customers to banks.
- Mike Novogratz, Galaxy Digital founder, has predicted that BTC will be between $10 000 and $14 000. He also told CNBC about Facebook’s Libra Project, predicting that initially it won’t be decentralized, butFacebook team will reach this goal over time. Novogratz added: “What is tricky is the Facebook wallet which is where they will make their money. It will probably be a large part of commerce that is done on that blockchain.”
- Cryptocurrency exchange Bitrue announced on Twitter that it was hacked, and $4.2 million in different assets were stolen. The hacker moved 9.3 million XRP and 2.5 million ADA to different exchanges. Bitrue promised to refund all users who have suffered from the hack, and conduct an emergency inspection. Bitrue team tweeted that the platform will be running normally again “as soon as possible.”
That’s all for now. We hope that our digest is helpful. Stay tuned for more blogposts, and as usual, we wish you a successful trading!


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Owston Ferry WI raise funds
Visitors to the Coronation Hall in Owston Ferry enjoyed a chat and a cuppa recently.
Members of the village WI organised a coffee morning which raised £250 towards their funds.
Spokesman Tess Johnson said: “I am pleased to say that we had lots of visitors who enjoyed homemade scones with jam and cream with their coffee.
“The tombola sold out and the white elephant and cake stalls were very busy.”
The morning concluded with a raffle.


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THE speed at which prices were rising in Hong Hong slowed last month, but the
Housing costs continued to be the major component in the rise in the cost of living, but the Government said cheaper food items reduced the overall figure.
Despite high interest rates - which normally bear down on inflation - and higher unemployment, lower retail sales and a sluggish property market, the benchmark measure of inflation, Consumer Price Index (CPI) (A), moderated slightly to 9.1 per cent from 9.6 per cent in April.
Last month the Government raised its forecast for inflation this year from 8.5 per cent to nine per cent, but for the first five months of this year the rate of price increase has averaged 9.4 per cent.
The other measures of inflation are also above the Government's forecasts.
CPI (B), which covers the next band of households as measured by expenditure, increased 9.5 per cent last month, slowing from 9.9 per cent in April, while the Hang Seng CPI, which measures the wealthier households in the territory, slowed from 9.8 per cent to 9.5 per cent.
The Composite CPI rate, which covers households measured in the territory, slowed by half a percentage point to 9.3 per cent.
While the indexes recorded a slower rate of increase, some of the individual components continued to accelerate.
Despite the continued fall in the underlying prices of property coming on to the market, there is little sign in the government figures of rental demands moderating.
Driven by new tenancy agreements, the cost of housing last month was 12.4 per cent above that in the same month last year, when measured by CPI (A).
At the upper end of the market, the Hang Seng CPI showed the cost of housing rising at 12.8 per cent.
The cost of services continued to rise faster than the average level of inflation, increasing 10.3 per cent in the Composite CPI.
There were also above average increases in the costs of clothing and footwear although the Government said the rate of increase for these items was slowing.


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Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) May 19, 2006
The life-expectancy of a bestselling novel has halved within the last decade, according to a long-term study of fiction bestsellers. It has fallen to barely a seventh of its level 40 years ago.
The findings of the 50-year study are announced as America’s book trade gathers in Washington for Book Expo (May 18-21), its largest annual get-together, while the movie of “The Da Vinci Code,” the mother of all recent bestsellers, goes on worldwide release (May 19). The study was conducted by Lulu.com (http://www.lulu.com), the world’s fastest-growing source of print-on-demand books.
The average number of weeks that a new No. 1 bestseller stayed top of the hardback fiction section of the New York Times Bestseller List has fallen from 5.5 in the 1990s, 14 in the 1970s and 22 in the 1960s to barely a fortnight last year -- according to the study of the half-century from 1956-2005.
In the 1960s, fewer than three novels reached No. 1 in an average year; last year, 23 did.
“The blockbuster novel is heading the way of the mayfly,” says Bob Young, CEO of Lulu.com, referring to the famously short-lived insect.
The plummeting life-expectancy of a fiction bestseller, says Young, reflects the way that the publishing industry is unravelling, in an age of over-production, plus media fragmentation and now disruptive new technologies such as the Internet and print-on-demand: “The publishing revolution is nigh.”
Similar trends are happening in other sectors, from music to movies, adds Young. “It’s part of a cultural shift.”
The future of publishing, he continues, belongs to “niche-busters” – books targeting a niche rather than mass market.” Over 1,200 new niche-buster titles are now published on Lulu each week.
Although the latest annual book trade figures show the first fall in US book production for years, the period covered by Lulu’s 50-year study saw a huge growth in the annual output of new titles. The number of books published in the US almost doubled between 1993 and 2004 – from 104,124 to 190,078.
Blockbusters, of course, do still exist, concedes Young, who could not do otherwise in the week that the movie of “The Da Vinci Code” opens worldwide. Indeed, the biggest ones today sell more overall than their forerunners. But even uber-blockbusters like “The Da Vinci Code” fail to achieve the sort of unbroken dominance that was once routine.
The three novels to have topped the list for the longest stints during the 50 years studied were “Advise and Consent,” a political thriller by Allen Drury, which hit No. 1 on Oct 14, 1959 and stayed there for 57 consecutive weeks; “The Source,” an historical epic by James Michener, which reached No.1 on July 11, 1965 and stayed top for 43 weeks; and “Love Story,” by Erich Segal, which, from May 10, 1970, bestrode the list for 41 weeks.
The longest unbroken spell that “The Da Vinci Code,” by contrast, has topped the list was 13 weeks, between November 16 2003 and February 15 2004 -- or two months less than the average No. 1 bestseller in the 1960s. Dan Brown’s novel first hit No.1 on April 6, 2003, but stayed top for just two weeks. It has since lost and regained the top spot over 15 times, for varying periods.
“The market today is more chaotic,” says Young. “The churn rate is far higher.”
A growing number of bestsellers, says Young, now spend just a single week atop the list. “The New York Times will soon have to publish its bestseller lists daily instead of weekly, in order to stay up-to-date.”
ABOUT LULU.COM: Lulu.com, the world’s fastest-growing source of print-on-demand books, lets you publish your own books, eBooks, calendars, images, music and videos at no advance cost. It was founded by Bob Young, who previously co-founded the software company, Red Hat.
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Financing Winners Like NewsGator
Last week NewsGator announced that it had raised a $12m round led by new investor Vista Ventures and existing investors Mobius Venture Capital and Masthead. Greg Reinacker – NewsGator’s founder / CTO reflected on the progress from the first $1m investment that Mobius made and Jeff Nolan’s talked about our excitement of getting Lisa Reeves (formerly from SAP Ventures – now at Vista) involved.
I’ve been an investor (via Mobius Venture Capital) from the very beginning of NewsGator. I wrote a post titled Why Did We Invest in NewsGator? in June 2004 shortly after making a $1m seed investment in the company (mostly in Greg Reinacker and his vision.) Reading back through it makes me feel simultaneously nostalgic and intensely proud of what the now 75+ people at NewsGator have accomplished.
NewsGator has a variety of products built on top of the RSS platform technology they have created. We’ve seen great adoption of the NewsGator Enterprise Server (over 100 of the Fortune 2000 are now customers), are seeing rapid growth in our new NewsGator Social Sites product (integration of NewsGator Enterprise Server with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007), and have been blown away by the market success of the NewsGator Widget Framework (over 50 customers added in 2007.)
We took a "go heavy on building the technology" approach at NewsGator and it has paid off nicely. The expertise within the company around RSS technology is humongous. We’ve started (but have not limited ourselves to) a Microsoft view of the enterprise and as a result have extremely deep links into SharePoint, Exchange, and Active Directory (along with some of the best Microsoft .NET developers on the front range.) And we’ve been able to attract incredible product talent to the team which has resulted in an awesome portfolio of integrated products on various platforms including Windows (FeedDemon), the Mac (NetNewsWire), Outlook, and Mobile (name a platform, we’ve got it.)
Lisa Reeves – who comes from the world of enterprise software – understands the potential of a company like NewsGator. In a universe where many VCs are saying things like "we are only interested in consumer Internet" or "we only want to fund companies with a pure SaaS model", Lisa saw past the nonsense of such limiting thinking and focused on the potential of the overall business.
As a huge believer that the consumer Internet innovations that we’ve seen take front and center stage over the past few years are now ripe for application to the enterprise, I’m rabidly excited about the prospects for NewsGator.


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In an interview with Cheddar on Nov. 27, Christine Sandler, the head of sales at Coinbase revealed that the US-based crypto exchange had quietly opened its OTC desk this month. The new product will act as a compliment to its exchange business and will make it easier for institutional investors to purchase crypto assets.
According to Sandler:
“We launched our OTC business as a complement to our exchange business because we found a lot of institutions were using OTC as an on-ramp for crypto trading. We felt this was a huge benefit to our clients to actually leverage both our exchange and our OTC business.”
Coinbase Now Joins Circle And Other Firms In Offering OTC Services
Normally, OTC transactions take place between two parties directly. It’s different when compared to an exchange where orders are usually matched between third-party buyers and sellers.
As of now, the OTC service is only available for Coinbase prime customers like financial institutions that look to trade with business funds.
“Trades settle seamlessly and instantly, with funds available for immediate withdrawal” and “no possibility of a failed trade and no need to chase down wires and blockchain transfers.”
Moving forward, she adds that the service will likely be integrated with Coinbase Custody.
The Coinbase Custody was launched in July, and it targets hedge funds and other high net worth clients.
The crypto exchange initially revealed plans of launching an OTC trading desk in June. At the time Asiff Hirji, the company’s chief operating officer claimed that acquiring regulatory licenses would help the firm take a “path to offer future services that include crypto securities trading, margin and over-the-counter (OTC) trading, and new market data products.”
In late October, the exchange was given the go-ahead to form a custodial firm for digital assets by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
Now, the exchange and joined other notable cryptocurrency firms that are already offering OTC services. The likes of Circle which is backed by Goldman Sachs. The firm has Circle Trade that caters for both individuals and institutions.


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National’s strategy to rely on commodities such as milk powder and logs has been exposed in the September trade figures released today, the Green Party said.
“National’s strategy to hang all economic hope on exporting ever-increasing volumes of milk powder and logs, is shown to be misguided,” Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.
Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) reported the values of total exports fell 3.0 percent in the September quarter, following a 7.5 percent fall in the June quarter, with falls for both quarters led by dairy products and logs. Dairy exports were down 8.8 percent in the September quarter despite a 2.7 percent rise in volume.
SNZ said manufactured exports fell 2.7 percent for the quarter and 0.9 percent for the year. The trade deficit was $1.0 billion for the quarter and $1.4 billion for the month of September, equating to 37 percent of exports.
“Alarm bells should be ringing that maybe not all is well with the rock star economy,” Dr Norman said.
“Milk powder prices have plunged by around 50 percent this year. National essentially bet on dairy prices continuing last year’s rise. But, unsurprisingly, they have discovered that markets respond to prices.
“Not only is the idea of relying on ever increasing volumes of dairy production bad for the environment, it is bad economics to depend so heavily on one product.
“Our future should be in adding value. That creates more jobs, diversity and wealth. As well, added-value products are less vulnerable to the vagaries of markets. National is not putting enough into Research & Development to support the development of high value exports,” Dr Norman said.


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Fulton Bank N.A. trimmed its holdings in FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) by 7.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,055 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock after selling 510 shares during the quarter. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in FedEx Corporation were worth $1,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FDX. FNY Managed Accounts LLC acquired a new stake in FedEx Corporation in the 1st quarter valued at about $100,000. Alexandria Capital LLC lifted its stake in FedEx Corporation by 2.1% during the first quarter. Alexandria Capital LLC now owns 527 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Brick & Kyle Associates lifted its stake in FedEx Corporation by 1.5% during the first quarter. Brick & Kyle Associates now owns 674 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Hefty Wealth Partners lifted its stake in FedEx Corporation by 26.0% during the second quarter. Hefty Wealth Partners now owns 630 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patten Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of FedEx Corporation by 700.0% in the 1st quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 760 shares of the shipping service provider’s stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. 75.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
In other news, CEO David L. Cunningham, Jr. sold 17,565 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.00, for a total value of $3,706,215.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 29,148 shares in the company, valued at $6,150,228. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP John L. Merino sold 7,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.26, for a total value of $1,521,072.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,163,404.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 77,757 shares of company stock worth $16,447,426. Corporate insiders own 8.45% of the company’s stock.
Shares of FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) opened at 214.83 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $209.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $201.96. FedEx Corporation has a 12 month low of $159.55 and a 12 month high of $219.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41 and a beta of 1.28.
FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 20th. The shipping service provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.88 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $15.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.56 billion. FedEx Corporation had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 4.97%. The firm’s revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.30 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that FedEx Corporation will post $13.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 11th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 8th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. FedEx Corporation’s payout ratio is currently 18.08%.
FDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Vetr downgraded FedEx Corporation to a “sell” rating and set a $204.84 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, August 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on FedEx Corporation from $194.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 12th. BidaskClub downgraded FedEx Corporation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. Zacks Investment Research downgraded FedEx Corporation from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of FedEx Corporation in a report on Wednesday, September 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $223.85.
About FedEx Corporation
FedEx Corporation (FedEx) provides a portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services through companies competing collectively, operating independently and managed collaboratively, under the FedEx brand. The Company’s segments include FedEx Express, TNT Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight and FedEx Services.
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Twitter might be the one company that can open a new business intending not to make any money.
Earlier this month the social networking site announced it was going into the wine business and donating all the proceeds to San Francisco-based charity Room to Read. Monday, Twitter will press its first batch of its own label with Crushpad, a San Francisco-based custom wine making facility. The unveiling party comes as fellow tech company Amazon jumps out of the wine making business.
Company reps pressed their own grapes, which is a process that drains all of "the free run juice out of the fermentation vessel and into barrels."
The social networking site without a revenue model will donate $5 from every $20 bottle to charity. Maybe Twitter could use its wine structure as a revenue model.


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CHICAGO — “Upcycled” ingredients can have a “triple bottom line” effect, said two speakers Feb. 25 at the American Society of Baking’s BakingTech 2019 in Chicago. Upcycled ingredients involve finding a functional use for what normally is a discarded item, said Carole Widmayer, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for the Coffee Cherry Co., Bellevue, Wash. Coffee cherries and brewers’ spent grains are two examples.
“Upcycling is really just a new trendy word for a very, very, very old idea — How do you take byproducts and turn them into coproducts?” said Dan Kurzrock, co-founder of ReGrained.Triple bottom line refers to how upcycled ingredients help people, the planet and company profits.“If we look at the economy, society and the environment, they are not separate silos,” Ms. Widmayer said. “They are fully integrated. If any one of these is off, the others fail, too. We must have a safe planet, a healthy planet, because without that we can’t grow crops, we can’t raise animals, we can’t produce the water (needed in food production).”
Upcycled ingredients may hit upon people’s desire, led by millennials, to seek an element of better, as in better for the planet or better for people, she said.


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The following is an exclusive guest contributed post to MMW from Ian Wu, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Cheetah Mobile.
As the use of influencers has become a standard tool in a marketer’s arsenal, the level of scrutiny that influencers are subject to has also increased. More government regulation regarding sponsored posts on social media has forced influencers to be transparent about product placements and promotions, which in turn has heightened public awareness of influencer marketing. As a result, brands need to tread carefully when it comes to influencers and make sure that the people they choose are aligned with their brand goals. This goes both ways — influencers themselves have to be aware that associating themselves with a bad product or company could serious damage their future ability to influence.
The Fyre Festival is a perfect example of influencer marketing gone terribly, terribly wrong. In this case, influencers were rebranded as “Fyre Starters,” a group of 400 or so with significant followings on Twitter and Instagram. They were each instructed to post an orange square on Instagram at the same time on the same day to announce the Fyre Festival to the world, an announcement that was preceded by a photoshoot with well-known models (including Emily Ratajkowski and Bella Hadid). On the strength of this influencer campaign, the Fyre Festival managed to sell out its general admission tickets — costing $1500 each — before announcing the lineup.
The festival was a disaster. Guests were promised luxury accommodation, gourmet meals and musical performances; instead, they were given tents (some of which lacked beds) and sorry-looking sandwiches, with no entertainment to speak of. Much of the blame has (rightly) been placed on the shoulders of the festival’s organizers, the rapper Ja Rule and 25-year-old CEO Billy McFarland, but it doesn’t rest exclusively with them. Instead, the Fyre Festival illustrates the pitfalls of influencer marketing; or, more specifically, what happens when influencers promote a product they know nothing about.
People hate inauthenticity, especially in ads. This might seem obvious, but the number of brands who have been keen to jump on the influencer bandwagon without taking the time to create a proper strategy is staggering. The Fyre Festival is the perfect case in point: despite the initial success of the influencer marketing campaign, the company was unable to follow through on their promise to create and host a luxury music festival. As a result, the credibility of the influencers who promoted the festival is badly damaged — which in turn could impact the success of future campaigns.
So how can brands craft the perfect influencer campaign? By thinking long and hard about which influencers they reach out to. The biggest mistake that a brand can make is to enlist an influencer based solely on their follower count. In order for an influencer campaign to be successful, people need to feel that the influencer has a real connection to the product — that they’re promoting it not because they’re getting paid, but because it’s a good product.
In April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent letters to over 90 celebrities informing them that they had to disclose any “material connection” between themselves and the company whose product they were promoting. This, unfortunately, was too late for many of the so-called “Fyre Starters” — most of whom did not disclose their financial ties to the festival itself, and who faced an immediate backlash once news of the disastrous event broke.
The best influencer is always going to be the person who’s already using the product. Some brands already understand this: Sperry, the brand best known for its boat shoes, has been working with about 100 “micro-influencers” — people with smaller but dedicated followings– who have posted popular pictures of their Sperry products. There are a few benefits to this approach; firstly, it’s incredibly cost-effective. The influencers who worked with Sperry’s campaign were not compensated for their efforts, although they were credited whenever the company shared one of their images. Secondly, the audience for these influencers should be the target audience that the brand or product is trying to reach, which increases the likelihood of conversions. Finally, the use of micro-influencers lends a sense of authenticity to any campaign. Instead of paying supermodels to tout your product, which is more along the lines of traditional advertising, using micro-influencers helps consumers build more intimate, trusting relationships with the brand.
The point of using an influencer instead of a traditional marketing campaign is that, in addition to their facility with social media, they have a dedicated following on the basis of their persona. The public sees influencers as people with good taste and whose recommendations they trust. Brands who decide to go the influencer route must be mindful that having more followers doesn’t necessarily translate to more people buying the product; instead, targeted campaigns with micro-influencers whose audience demographic matches the target demographic for the brand are more likely to have a high degree of success. A campaign that utilizes micro-influencers and traditional media buys could potentially be more successful than hiring a famous influencer or celebrity. In other words, put your focus on the people who buy your products, not the celebrities who promote them.


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Following a successful debut, Annupurna Interactive will be hosting its showcase once again this year, with the publisher promising “reveals, announcements, and much more”.
This is one of my more anticipated games for 2022 so I am looking forward to that.
This year’s show will take place on 28th July at 8pm UK time (12pm PT / 3pm ET), and will be streamed across the official Annapurna Interactive Twitch and YouTube channels.
As you can see, we will be getting to learn even more about Stray following its release next month.
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Legacy State Bank, Loganville, recently raised $705 for Project Renewal through the Bank’s Casual Change for Charity Program.
Peachy Posts - 7/20
John McNair, CBA President & CEO, was a recent guest on the Bank Marketing Show Podcast, hosted by Chris Bates, CEO of AgoraEversole Marketing Agency, and Dan Novalis, CEO of 2Novas Marketing Agency. The podcast features trends, tactics and inspirations from experts and industry leaders. John’s podcast will be released July 25th. Learn more and listen at www.bankmarketingshow.com.
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The Magnetic Pockets Stand attaches to the again of any MagSafe iPhone, and Satechi says that it was created to have a “robust and dependable attachment” to maintain the pockets from coming off of the iPhone. As much as 4 bank cards, debit playing cards, or ID playing cards could be saved within the pockets, and there’s a cutout for shortly exhibiting an ID.
NFC passthrough is out there from the entrance pocket, enabling Faucet to Pay performance with out the necessity to take away a card from the pockets.
Along with serving as a pockets, the accent could be unfolded and used as a safe stand to prop up the iPhone for FaceTime calls, watching movies, enjoying video games with a Bluetooth controller, and extra. It could connect to the iPhone in both horizontal or vertical orientation when used as a stand accent.
Created from a leather-based various, the Magnetic Pockets Stand could be bought in seven colours. Black, brown, navy blue, and orange are obtainable from the Satechi web site, and Apple is promoting the Pockets Stand in black in addition to three unique colours, together with forest inexperienced, purple, and blue.
Satechi’s new Magnetic Pockets Stand is out there beginning at present and it’s priced at $40.
In June, Apple introduced iOS 17 with a variety of latest options and adjustments for the iPhone. Following over three months of beta testing, the free software program replace will probably be launched this Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. Beneath, now we have recapped 10 key options coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, with extra options coming later this 12 months. The replace ought to be launched to…
With the discharge of a brand new working system, there are a number of options and design components for builders to undertake. Now that iOS 17 is out, many main apps are getting fascinating updates at present, which we have rounded up beneath. watchOS 10 additionally has a brand new design language, so there are a number of Apple Watch updates to take a look at too. Flighty (Free, Premium Subscription) Common flight monitoring…
iPhone 15’s USB-C Port: 4.5W Charging for Equipment, USB 3.2 Gen 2 for Professional Fashions, and Extra
In a assist doc printed on Friday, Apple supplied some extra particulars concerning the USB-C port discovered on all iPhone 15 fashions. First, Apple mentioned all iPhone 15 fashions can cost an Apple Watch, AirPods case, or different small equipment related to the USB-C port at as much as 4.5W. Apple already introduced this functionality, nevertheless it had not supplied the wattage data. Second, the…


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Chinese investors have rushed into the domestic chipmaking sector, as they remain positive on the industry’s growth after being cornered by the Trump administration, industry analysts said on Sunday.
More than 140 billion yuan ($21.6 billion) flowed into semiconductor companies in 2020, nearly four times the amount in 2019, according to media reports. It was also the year when China’s chip companies received the most investment on the primary market.
Experts said that the investment frenzy was a kind of collective awakening, after the US placed sanctions on Chinese semiconductor companies such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.
“Chinese investors are confident that China’s chipmakers will be forced, as a result of the US crackdown, to grow on their own, and the industry has great potential because of China’s huge market and production capabilities,” independent telecom analyst Xiang Ligang told the Global Times.
Zhang Yi, CEO of Shenzhen-based iiMedia Research, said that investors previously hesitated because most of these companies had no way to be listed in China, since they often had difficulties making profits in the short term. Now that the Science and Technology Innovation Board has come into being, those worries have dissipated.
Last year, 32 semiconductor companies went public in China, and six achieved a market value of about 50 billion yuan.
According to Xiang, the lack of capital hindered the development of China’s chip industry, particularly production, in the past 20 years. The costs of chip assembly lines and chipmaking equipment were very high, and private companies were reluctant to invest.
Since investment capital has started to flow into the industry, experts are confident that companies will grow fast and break technological bottlenecks.
“I believe it would take China less than three years to research chips used for consumer goods like portable computers and mobile phones, an area where China still lags behind some countries,” Zhang told the Global Times.
But Xiang cautioned that there are still some risks. For example, some local governments might see the chip sector as an opportunity and establish industry parks to nurture such companies, but they don’t have the ability to guide the companies’ direction and will just waste money. Also, he said that speculative funds might enter the sector.


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These contents are translated by Google Translate
At NoMaps 2018 held in Sapporo on October 10, 2018, Wataru Fukatsu, COO of our company, talked about the future of blockchain with investor Shinichiro Isago from LINE, Hideaki Takahashi from Mobile Factory, and Daisuke Tsuboi from INDETAIL. Participated in a panel discussion titled
In 2018, the domestic recognition rate of “Bitcoin” was close to 90%, and blockchain is steadily moving from attention to realistic social implementation. This time, in order to introduce the latest real efforts, LINE, Scalar, and Mobile Factory, three companies that are promoting innovative efforts using blockchain, were invited as guests to hold a panel discussion. He talks about business transformation and the future due to the introduction of blockchain.
Shinichiro Isago (LINE)
LINE Corporation Developer Relations Team Manager / Platform Evangelist
In order to realize LINE's smart portal strategy, we plan and promote a business platform strategy that shortens the distance between companies and society and individuals by widely disseminating technologies such as AI and chat bots that bring about lifestyle changes. responsible person.
After graduating from Tokyo Institute of Technology, he experienced many ERP implementation projects and new business development while working at Oracle Japan, a strategy consultant at Roland Berger, and a product marketing manager at Realcom, which was listed on Mothers.
Since the dawn of the cloud, he has actively promoted Microsoft Azure technology enlightenment and startup support as a Microsoft evangelist before taking up his current position.
Hideaki Takahashi (Mobile Factory)
Mobile Factory Inc. Mobile Service Division Uniqys Team Product Manager
Joined Mobile Factory Co., Ltd. in 2015.
He is in charge of front-end development and construction in the mobile content business. He is currently the product manager responsible for the Uniqys Project.
Daisuke Tsuboi (INDETAIL)
INDETAIL Co., Ltd. CEO
Obtained an MBA from Otaru University of Commerce Graduate School of Entrepreneurship.
After accumulating development experience as a system engineer in the IT industry, he became the manager of the Sapporo branch in the HR industry.
Established an IT venture in 2009 with the vision of "building a role model for local ventures". Since September 2017, he has also been a visiting professor at Hokkaido University of Science.
With the vision of creating a new technological base in Hokkaido as a “cluster of blockchain technology”, he launched a voluntary organization “Blockchain Hokkaido Innovation Program (BHIP)”. He conducts blockchain awareness activities.


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Contact: IgniteTech Marketing, firstname.lastname@example.org
AUSTIN, Texas — October 14, 2021 — IgniteTech™, the company “Where Software Goes to Live™,” today announced the transition of 12 new software solutions from Avolin, a separate business unit within the ESW Capital organization.
These latest additions cap off a record year of growth for IgniteTech, with over 40 new products added to its software library, which now exceeds 60 solutions across a wide variety of industries, markets and functional areas.
“IgniteTech is excited to continue the partnerships that the Avolin organization has built with its impressive customer base,” said Eric Vaughan, IgniteTech’s CEO. “We are committed to ensuring continuity and innovation for the software solutions that our incoming customers have come to expect. We are also looking forward to bringing even more value to former Avolin customers, at no additional cost, with our exciting IgniteTech Unlimited program with solutions such as our Cloud Cost Optimization offering which reduces Cloud spend simply and automatically.”
IgniteTech’s world-class team is strengthened by bringing Avolin team members on board as part of the transition. Avolin customers affected should expect the combined efforts of the teams to deliver more service, innovation and results than ever before.
The new offerings strengthen IgniteTech’s Sales & Marketing Enablement, Functional Process Automation, Information Technology Acceleration and Communications & Remote Engagement software suites, and include:
These new product additions continue to make good on IgniteTech’s promise to continuously expand its portfolio of products in the IgniteTech Unlimited (what Avolin customers knew as “Prime”) program for both current and incoming IgniteTech customers. IgniteTech Unlimited is the groundbreaking, Netflix-style license model where every IgniteTech customer has full access to the entire IgniteTech enterprise solution portfolio — at no additional cost. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, IgniteTech customers deployed over 100 software solutions as part of the Unlimited program, driving down their costs and improving remote-work collaboration across their organizations.
Transitioning customers should expect all billing, support and services to continue seamlessly, and IgniteTech will make any additional announcements regarding changes when appropriate.
Ignite Enterprise Software Solutions, Inc. (IgniteTech) is one of the world’s foremost and innovative enterprise software companies. Founded in 2010, IgniteTech is a privately-held company and a member of the ESW Capital group of companies. Building on its corporate vision, “Where Software Goes to Live™,” IgniteTech grows solely through acquisitions, delivering on the promise of revitalizing enterprise software through the three pillars of the Company’s corporate vision: to save and stabilize the software and businesses it acquires; to innovate and transform products to the AWS cloud and to add Unlimited value with a one-of-a-kind, Netflix-style software subscription that includes all products in IgniteTech’s solution suites.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


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With Easter weekend upon us, we are faced with a very weak boat show calendar. Luckily for the die-hard boat show fanatics, Easter is not celebrated by everybody, so we still have a couple of nautical events to share on this week's boat show round-up...
This Weekend's Boat Shows
Once again, it's a light weekend for boat shows, but you are welcome to jump ahead to the updated, easier-to-read FirstBoat boat show calendar. Here's what's on tap...
- A boat show is just one component of the Rand Show 2012. South Africa’s premier exhibition and the largest consumer launch pad in the country has been going on for more than a century and attracts about a quarter of a million attendees throughout its run. This year's Rand Show runs from April 6th through the 15th.
- Today is the first day of the Hainan Rendez-Vous Boat Show in Sanya, China. Sailing enthusiasts and followers of the Daily Boater will recognize Sanya as the home to China's entry in the Volvo Ocean Race which is currently in its 5th leg (of 9) from Auckland to Itajaí.
A light boat show round-up like this one gives us room to plug one of the local shows we'll be attending. SailQuest, in its 3rd year, has moved to a great new location this year. This spring boat show kicks off the boating season in New England and is being held at Milford Lisman Landing Marina in Milford, Connecticut from May 18 - 20, 2012. Visit the SailQuest site for the latest updates on this show.
There are a few more shows, as well as links to the official websites of all these events and more on the First Boat boat show calendar.
Did We Miss One? Let us Know!
If we didn't mention a boat show this weekend, please comment on the Daily Boater Facebook page or here as a comment on DailyBoater.com. Thanks, and see you at the next show!


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Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Even though we've had a pretty wet spring so far, somewhere out there in the lower mainland there are people that have faith that better weather is on its way. Yes I am talking about thieves.
Optimistic about sunny days ahead, they've been very busy...
And so have we, responding to break ins to such fair weather businesses as...
Optical stores who have just received their new sunglasses inventory
Bike Stores, Vancouver bike lanes may get busy this summer
Big bike stores, as in motorcycles. Helmets and leather outfits and bike gear for the open road
Tanning Salons who carry expensive tanning lotions
Stores that sell camping equipment
And since its BBQ time, stores that sell gas grills.
Thieves may steal it but people buy it. Call me an optimist too but I like to think that when people buy things online or at swap meets most don't know where its coming from. They just think they're getting a good deal!
But you know what they say... if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Monday, May 27, 2013
After finding and returning some bank cards and other personal id in a walkway to a park, we talked with the RCMP Officer who came at the bequest of the owner to pick them up. The wallet had been stolen out of a parked car not too far away.
He reported that car break ins are a big problem in South Surrey White Rock area. It is not such an issue in other areas but South Surrey residents are just too trusting.
Thieves will move quickly through a neighborhood looking into cars to see what has been left inside.
We've been told by others that they have seen this happening in broad daylight not just at nighttime. Pretty brazen actually!
The Officer also said that what they are really looking for is garage door openers so that they can break into homes.
So lock those cars and take your garage door remote inside with you, otherwise you could be leaving your home and family very vulnerable.


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Thursday, August 23, 2012
For new and returning students at Washington University, let us at Patch be the first to welcome you to campus. Here's a helpful guide to prepare you for the upcoming semester.
Welcome back to Washington University in St. Louis, returning students! And for the freshmen WUSTL Bears, and new students at the Washington University School of Medicine and Washington University School of Law, let us at Patch be the first to welcome you to campus. Patch is your source for local news, events, photos and information, whether you're looking for the best places to eat in St. Louis or trying to figure out bus schedules and bus routes. And because we know you'll need them (and WashU students don't need any more stress!), be sure to bookmark the Washington University map and directory. Places to Eat Around Campus Everyone loves a good dining hall meal, but the area around Washington University in St. Louis—specifically in the …
Sunday, August 19, 2012
A variety of shops are located near Washington University for students needing anything from school supplies and guitar strings to computers and running shoes.
New to St. Louis and looking for groceries, running shoes, a decent used camera or guitar strings near WUSTL? Patch is your online source for local news, and we also have a comprehensive directory for anywhere to get anything. Browse the stores below to familiarize yourself with your nearby shopping destinations. Each link has what you need to check out the store online or in person. Groceries supplies: School supplies: Clothing and misc. Clothing School supplies Misc. Groceries supplies Clothing and misc. School supplies Misc.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Daniel Burke will serve on the nonprofit's Major Gifts Committee.
Armstrong Teasdale lawyer Daniel Burke has joined the Clayton Century Foundation Major Gifts Committee, the firm announced Wednesday in a news release. “We are fortunate to welcome the expertise and dedication that Dan Burke brings to our organization,” foundation President Gary Feder stated. “His background will be of particular assistance to the foundation in documenting gifting and project implementation procedures. We are experiencing great success thanks to a growing and talented volunteer workforce.” The foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the arts, history, parks and sustainability in the city. Burke graduated this year from the Leadership Clayton program sponsored by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce. He is part of …


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Seemahale Telecoms, a South African based telecoms and broadcasting infrastructure and services company, is ready to release its Android-based smartphones and tablets in the South African market.
Company founder, CEO and chairman, Thabo Lehloke, told MyBroadband recently that the devices are currently undergoing the last round of regulatory testing and are ready for pre-order.
— Tech Report (@TechReportSA) November 26, 2013
Once they have received enough orders, Seemahale will begin manufacturing the devices. They have already ordered many of the components and are engaging with mobile network operators and retailers to get them on board with the project.
The devices will be assembled and packaged in South Africa using imported, bare printed circuit (PC) boards. Lehlokoe indicated that while he would also like to source the PC boards locally, there is not currently a supplier who could handle the volumes required. “As we start selling more and more of these [smartphones, tablets], maybe there would be a business case for [local PC board manufacturers] to invest in equipment,” Lehlokoe said.
The first devices produced will be a 5-inch smartphone and a 10.1-inch tablet. They will be priced at R2,500 and R3,500 (including VAT) respectively, and will be ready to go to market from early February. Looking into the future, they plan to launch a low-cost 4-inch smartphone which will cost less than R1,200 and a 7.86-inch tablet with a dual-SIM model which will be less than R3,000.
They are hoping that these low-cost, locally produced devices will service the entry level consumer in South Africa, who has so far been denied such technology because of the prohibitive price tags.
In an interview with Reuters last year Lehlokoe said, “We want Africans to be proud that they can do this themselves, and not just be consumers of everyone else’s solutions.”


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October is Small Business Month – an entire month dedicated to honouring Canadian small businesses and the passionate people that power them. We are always proud to call ourselves a Canadian small business but have been extra mindful about taking time out this month to reflect on the clients that enable us to grow and thrive.
It’s been a busy fall for team ThinkHatch and we are loving every minute of it! Last week we had the opportunity to meet some of the city’s best and brightest as part of the Toronto edition of Startup Open House, held in partnership with Canada’s Tech Fest, Elevate. We always look forward to these kinds of events because it’s an opportunity to connect with the community at large and share some great conversations.
This week was a big one for us here at ThinkHatch! Our founder and President, Emily Foucault was a judge at the first ever ‘Build your Dream’ Accelerator Program at Toronto-based women focused co-working space, Make Lemonade. The program was designed to give 10 women-identified people a space to operate their growing businesses, access to one-on-one business coaching on brand strategy, business coaching and financial mentorship at no cost and a kickass community to join.
This week ThinkHatch proudly celebrates the first-year anniversary of its official launch.
As a startup company itself, ThinkHatch took on the challenge of working alongside other small businesses to guide them through the connected and often overwhelming world of marketing.
Starting a successful small business takes a vision. For ThinkHatch it began with a realization that the current marketing model needed rethinking. Clients’ needs did not match what employees were able to provide during the dated 9-5 work day. Consequently, the model was reworked and resulted in an agency structure that uses a unique cloud-based model. The marketing world needs to improve on providing life balance and well-being for its employees and ThinkHatch used that as its core belief.
This week team ThinkHatch had the pleasure of being part of WestJet’s first-ever hackathon.
Dubbed #hackinthehangar, the event welcomed over 100 members of the tech industry from 16 companies, including major players like Adobe, Deloitte, Facebook, Snap Inc. and Twitter, to the WestJet campus in Calgary. If you’ve never been to a hackathon, the idea is to bring together teams to build digital solutions in a collaborative and fun environment while working in a sprint-like amount of time.