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Football players dream of the Super Bowl. Jockeys strive for the Winner’s Circle. Shoppers, and retailers, gear up for Black Friday.
The day after Thanksgiving has become the unofficial Gold Cup for amateur shoppers and bargain hunters. But don’t let the curlers and fuzzy slippers fool you; these early birds mean business.
In the wee hours of the morning, Wal-Mart shoppers began prowling the aisles mapping out a strategy that would complete their shopping lists and leave their bank accounts still in the black.
Gary Smith, Wal-Mart store manager in Stephenville, said the serious shoppers started prowling the store at 2 or 3 a.m. even though sales didn’t start until 5.
When associates cut the plastic on the store’s early bird specials at 5 a.m., a store packed to capacity with shoppers went wild for the season’s hottest buys on toys and electronics.
“There’s not one particular toy,” Smith said. “Movies and music are big this year and, of course, the Wii. This year it seems like there’s so many different items.”
This year the bargain hunters were hot on the trail of electronics, toys and fashion items. And those with a game plan got the goods.
One shopper walked by loaded down with Xbox games - she had managed to get the games of choice and also the best deals. As she made a call on her cell phone, her strategy was revealed.
“This is team Xbox,” the young shopper said.
It was a well-organized group, made up of teams - one team for video games, and others for electronics, clothing, small appliances, and jewelry. Her face showed the delight of a mission accomplished, while others were lost in a tumultuous sea of savage shoppers, ready to pounce on their neighbors to save a bundle and fill their sleighs.
And with many people working with tighter budgets, many area retailers are hoping shoppers will stay close to home this Friday.
“The economy is going to help everybody that’s a lower price type retailer,” Smith said.
Melissa Braswell of Spare Time in Glen Rose said overall sales Thanksgiving week were down about 50-percent from this time last year, but Black Friday sales were up by more than a third.
“Most people go out of town first,” Braswell said. “Sales may pick up when last-minute shoppers start coming in.”
Rustic Rhinestone on the square also had a good day Friday.
“Friday was a really good day,” said Gina Willingham. “There was a lot of traffic. I was happy with that day and Saturday was good, too.”
Willingham said Sunday’s numbers dropped some but thought most people were busy traveling and getting ready to head back to work.
Nationally, shoppers spent more than $10 billion over the weekend, averaging $360.15 per shopper. Nearly $9 billion was spent on Friday alone. One-third of all shoppers were already in the stores by 6 a.m. Friday morning.
Despite a 3-percent increase for retailers, online businesses missed projected sales.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicted 61 million shoppers would browse the net on Cyber Monday to polish off those shopping lists. They also predicted e-tailers would see a 24-percent increase in sales over last year’s numbers.
However, early reports indicate they may see only a seven or eight percent increase.


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The majority of Europe’s indexes remained buoyant on Wednesday, as buyback announcements from heavyweights Lloyds Banking Group PLC and Glencore PLC lifted share prices and kept markets mostly positive.
News of the buybacks helped counter lower profits at both firms, and a merger blow handed out by the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority to supermarkets J Sainsbury PLC and Asda Group Ltd, the U.K. subsidiary of Walmart Inc.
How are markets performing?
The Stoxx Europe 600
What’s driving the markets?
Buyback announcements from two heavyweights lifted the markets on Wednesday.
UK-listed bank Lloyds Banking Group PLC
Meanwhile, Anglo-Swiss miner Glencore PLC
However, U.K. retailer J Sainsbury PLC
“There is now serious doubt over the deal, enough to send Sainsbury’s 14% lower, forcing the orange supermarket to a 10 month low of £2.50”, Connor Campbell, a financial analyst at Spreadex said.
In Brexit news, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is set to meet European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Wednesday and will try to secure legally-binding changes to the withdrawal agreement they struck last year, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, three pro-European lawmakers from her Conservative Party announced their defection to a new centrist grouping in the U.K. parliament, citing Brexit as a key concern.
What stocks are active?
Meanwhile, U.K. supermarket Wm. Morrison Supermarkets PLC
Laith Khalaf, an analyst at stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “It’s an ill wind indeed which blows no-one any good, but that seems to be the order of the day with Tesco and Morrison selling off too... this suggests the market is concerned Walmart may now seek to sell off Asda to another party.”

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MUMBAI: A group of 28 lenders to Future Retail
have approved a resolution plan
to restructure the company’s existing debt under the RBI’s special scheme for Covid-related stress, the retailer said in a regulatory filing on Saturday. The restructuring is, however, subject to the K V Kamath-led expert committee’s nod.
The resolution plan also includes the restructuring of Future Retail’s non-convertible debentures (NCDs) that are listed on bourses. However, NCDs issued to certain trusts and US bonds, carrying an annual interest of 5.6% and maturing in 2025, will not be part of the resolution plan, Future Retail said.
The company believes that it will be able to recover from the Covid-induced financial stress once the resolution plan is implemented. Future Retail has a debt of about Rs10,000 crore and the restructuring will give promoter Kishore Biyani
time to chalk out a new strategy even as he awaits the court’s approval on the sale of the company’s business to Reliance
As part of the resolution plan, lenders have agreed to extend the repayment period of working capital loans by two years. They have also decided to waive unpaid penal interest and processing fees from March 2020 till the implementation date of the plan. They have also agreed to convert interest accrued between March and September 2020 into a loan, which will have to be paid by December.


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A shortage of "rare earth" metals is hampering the growth of renewable energy technologies. Now, researchers are working to find solutions to the problem.
Before the blockbuster green building event kicks off this week in the "workshop of the world," these unique themes are already emerging.
Alternate formats with less stringent transparency cause a kerfuffle.
Here's how some of the biggest toy brands are making strides toward protecting the planet's natural resources.
Dramatic changes to the way products are assessed in LEED v4 will reverberate beyond the building products industry.
Are conflict minerals lurking in your supply chain? With a reporting deadline less than 10 months away, a new tool can shed light.
Researchers are finding new ways to bond metals in order to bring ultralight, efficient cars to the next level.
Interface is helping villagers in the Philippines collect old fishing nets to be recycled into carpet yard. Is the program too good to be true?
Using Cradle to Cradle products will give green buildings a leg up when seeking LEED certification.
It's in style to treat workers better and waste less.
Using nano-optics to mimic a butterfly wing creates an ink-free image that's brighter than a hologram and impossible to counterfeit.
The risk of making recycled content a sacred cow is that we stop asking hard questions and forget that recycling is not an end unto itself.
Playworld Systems has made a company-wide commitment to adopt Cradle to Cradle design, avoid harmful materials and eliminate waste.
It aims to address social justice and equity issues, including diversity, worker rights, health care and occupational safety.
Nike and several U.S. agencies create LAUNCH System Challenge 2013 to seek innovations in sustainable fabrics.
Everyone has a role to play in making and using building products make without unhealthy chemicals.
Is carbon positive packaging possible? Polythene U.K. claims its newly launched Polyair packaging, made from sugar cane, actively removes carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere.
Puma designs a new line of biodegradable and recyclable products to be among the first to meet C2C criteria.
Constant reformulation and doing more with less are CEO Dominique Conseil's approaches to managing risk in the supply chain.
Stage three organizations increase innovation and cut costs by teaming up with previously unrelated industries.


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A new management team has been appointed to look after the Trafford Centre following the collapse of intu last year.
Pradera Lateral, a joint venture formed at the end of 2020 between shopping centre management specialist Pradera Limited and developer Lateral Property, has been named as asset manager with immediate effect.
The Trafford Centre's owner, Canadian pension fund CPPIB, has said the firm won a 'competitive' selection process to be the new asset manager, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Industry insiders had tipped Westfield - the company which runs the mega shopping centre in Stratford, London - to get the nod.
Although the company has been managing shopping centres in Europe and China for more than 20 years, Pradera is little known in the UK.
Other than the Trafford Centre, its only other current management mandates are retail parks in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and Yeovil, Somerset.
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Fraser Pearce, director of Trafford Centre Group (UK) Limited, said: "Our appointment of Pradera Lateral as asset manager of The Trafford Centre marks a major step forward for the Northwest’s leading retail and leisure destination.
"Pradera Lateral were selected as asset manager for their experience in UK asset management as well as strong global retail experience.
"They have a mandate to both stabilise the centre during the ongoing reopening in 2021 as well as restore The Trafford Centre as a leading UK retail and leisure destination."
Pradera Lateral together with its other group companies currently manages a retail property portfolio of more than £3.5bn, comprising 58 assets including large shopping centres in cities as diverse as Chongqing, Shanghai, Istanbul and Turin.
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With a team of 35 in the UK, Pradera Lateral is headquartered in London and has other UK offices in Harrogate and Manchester.
The Harrogate and Manchester offices are expected shortly to be combined into a new office at The Trafford Centre.
Colin Campbell, chairman of Pradera Lateral, added: "We are delighted to have been selected to work as asset manager of The Trafford Centre alongside CPP Investments.
"We are looking forward to designing and delivering a successful future for The Trafford Centre, with our immediate priorities being to help support brands through the re-opening and to welcome back our customers to this very popular retail and leisure destination."
Savills was appointed property manager for The Trafford Centre in August 2020 and will continue in that role.
CPP Investments became the owner of The Trafford Centre in December 2020 following the administration of Intu Properties plc in June 2020.


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I’ve got a few small news items, that aren’t really enough for a full post, so I thought I’d round them all up in a little news summary.
Costco in Charlottesville, Virginia Opening Today
The new 150,000 square foot Costco at the Shops at Stonefield will be opening today at 8 am! The 200 employees are ready, the new store is all stocked and the surrounding roads have been widened and traffic lights installed so that hopefully everything goes smoothly for the big day. They will have local craft beers and food items, as well as University of Virginia apparel.
3171 District Ave
Charlottesville, VA 22901-2784
Costco Photo Center Website Still Down
CostcoPhotoCenter.com is still down as a result of the recent hacking of their third party vendor, PNI Digital Media. The message on the photo center website says that they are working hard on the situation, but do not expect the site to be up and working again until the middle of August. They will update the message on the website when more information is available, so you can check it for the latest information on when the site might be back.
- AddictedToCostco.com: Costco US Photo Center Down to Investigate Possible Third Party Data Breach
Costco in Virginia Cracking Down on Black Market Cigarette Purchases
After a recent investigation by News 4 in DC, Costco has tightened up its checks on people buying large quantities of cigarettes. Cigarette taxes in Virginia are some of the lowest in the country at just $0.30 per pack, so it can be quite lucrative to buy your cigarettes in bulk at a store like Costco or Sam’s Club in Virginia and then take them across state lines and sell them for a nice profit. Unfortunately, this little scheme is only viable if you’re not paying all of the required fees and licenses that are required for doing this legally. Apparently, Costco and other stores were not giving thorough enough checks to people buying huge quantities of cigarettes at their locations in Virginia, but that’s changed now. Costco has recently posted new signs in their Virginia stores that say they require tobacco purchasers to show additional ID, complete specific IRS forms for cash purchases over three thousand dollars, and provide their license plate for transporting cigarettes.
- News 4: Costco Makes it Clear: Bulk Cigarette Buys to Be Scrutinized
- Consumerist: Costco Joins In Virginia Crackdown On Bulk Cigarette Buyers


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BlackBerry phones were once the go-to choice for many professionals, offering unparalleled security and email functionality.
But as time passed, other smartphones emerged, leaving many to wonder: do BlackBerry phones still work?
The answer to this burning question is, unfortunately, no – at least not for the classic BlackBerry devices.
On January 4, 2022, the company stopped running support for its classic devices, marking the end of an era for these once-ubiquitous gadgets.
While this may be disheartening to loyal fans, it’s essential to stay informed and explore alternative smartphone options.
Though your classic BlackBerry may no longer function as it once did, you’ll find a wealth of innovative devices in the market with features that cater to your professional and personal needs.
So, embrace the change, and discover a new phone that matches the efficiency and security that BlackBerry was known for.
Do BlackBerry Phones Still Work?
If you’re wondering, do BlackBerry phones still work? The answer depends on which model you have.
BlackBerry has officially ended support for its classic devices, including those running BlackBerry OS 7.1 and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, and BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1, as of January 4, 2022.
However, some users have reported that their devices continue functioning after the support end date.
While this means that your BlackBerry device might still work for now, it’s important to remember that the situation could change in the future.
Despite the end of support, newer BlackBerry devices, like the BlackBerry KEY2 series, which runs on the Android operating system, will still function and receive support.
So, if you have a recent BlackBerry phone that doesn’t rely on the legacy BlackBerry OS, you shouldn’t face any issues related to support termination.
In conclusion, while some older BlackBerry devices may still function, it’s wise to consider upgrading to a more modern device as support for the legacy BlackBerry services has officially ended.


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The technology startup Coriant has recently been looking for the best ways of pushing its range of data transmission technology into the forefront of the telecommunications industry. Coriant is hoping it will add to the reputation developed before Marlin Equity Partners purchased the Nokia department responsible for creating business for the telecommunications giant and created a brand new company. One way Coriant is hoping it will become even more successful in the future is through the employment of key personnel who have the skills and abilities to push the company forward to become even more successful than it has ever been since it was created in 2013.
Over recent months it has been rumored the high profile technology executive Shaygan Kheradpir has been working with Coriant in a bid to find the best way forward for the future. This has proven correct after Kheradpir was finally revealed as the new CEO of Coriant in October 2015 and saw the executive develop a strategy designed to push the technology company on to a more profitable and successful future. Kheradpir has a long history of finding ways of cutting costs and lowering development times for the companies he has worked with in the past.
The largest level of success for Kheradpir came when he was in charge of development at Verizon and later moved on to the financial giant Barclays. At Verizon, Kheradpir was given the task of developing the research and development area of the business by introducing major changes in the way the development department operated. The success he achieved led to the executive developing a new strategy for the IT department of Verizon that saw a large level of outsourcing to lower costs to below telecommunications industry standards.
Coriant has recently announced the appointment of Shaygan Kheradpir was completed to play to the strengths of the executive in terms of the level of spending and profit undertaken by the startup. Coriant is looking to complete an overall review of the business that Kheradpir is working on to make sure the company is at the forefront of the technology industry for many years to come.


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A day before its official release, I spoke with a couple of Autodesk Fusion 360 staffers, Daniel Graham, Fusion 360 Senior Product Manager and Bill Danon about what to expect in the newest update.
The biggest news was the inclusion of simulation capabilities in Fusion 360 – at no additional cost – at least not for now or the foreseeable future. That in itself is pretty significant. Of course, there were some other improvements and enhancements, but let’s start with simulation
Simulation in Fusion 360 lets you perform linear stress analysis that assumes linear elastic behavior and infinitesimally small displacements and strains, as well as modal analysis for study the dynamic properties of structures undergoing vibration. With Fusion 360 simulation you can define materials, add constraints, and add loads to solve for weaknesses in assemblies, within the design environment.
When in the Fusion 360 design environment, a workspace labeled “SIM” under the workspace switcher is where you choose from two types of simulation studies: Static Stress and Modal Frequencies.
For many years all of the major CAD vendors have been touting the importance of managing the mountains of design, engineering, and manufacturing data created using their software. Conversely, most manufacturing organizations, large and small, have made the transition from 2D to 3D and are finally investigating how to best manage these mountains of CAD and associated product development data beyond files, folders, Excel spreadsheets, Window Explorer, and FTP servers.
It is estimated that approximately 70% of commercial CAD seats today still are not connected to any product data management (PDM) system, and the CAD/PDM/PLM companies are very aware of this situation and are doing everything possible to change it. It has come down to an aggressive SMB-marketing of existing “scaled down” or “right-sized” PLM solutions, as well as introducing of new opportunities by leveraging cloud and open source solutions.
The biggest challenge in the SMB space is promoting an answer to the question, “Why change?” At the end of the day, if a company can get things done by using Excel, Office and email, a very compelling alternative solution to change is needed. Small doesn’t necessarily mean simple. Small- and medium-sized business is complicated and competitive. Cost and implementation challenges are still two key elements that every vendor struggles with when trying to provide a viable PDM solution for SMBs.
Various sources claim the following benefits of PDM, including:
30 percent to 70 percent shorter development time
65 percent to 90 percent fewer engineering changes
20 percent to 90 percent faster time to market
200 percent to 600 percent higher quality
20 percent to 110 percent higher productivity for engineers
While these are impressive figures, many SMBs are still not convinced of the benefits of PDM and remain on the fence as to whether to implement it or not. This indecision presents both a challenge and an opportunity for making believers of SMBs in PDM.
Generic Product Data Management Overview (From Wikipedia)
Organizations implement PDM for many different reasons, but virtually all implement with common goals, including:
Securely controlling product-related information
Sharing product knowledge for collaboration
Searching for and reusing product information.
The two biggest words and phrases that resonate with SMBs regarding PDM are “preconfigured process workflow” and “design reuse.”
As much as I have tried to resist the temptation to gush all over myself, I’ve had a tough time restraining my enthusiasm for the myriad cloud-based computing and storage options that have come online in the recent past and their potential. OK, it’s time for a reality check – facts, fallacies, myths, and risks.
Keep in mind, though, that Onshape is online only and always requires a Web connection to be functional. With connectivity so universally ubiquitous, this shouldn’t pose a problem for a majority of prospective users. At this time, the company has no plans for making Onshape available offfline, so if this is an issue or concern, then Onshape may not be a design tool for you. However, that said, I’d encourage you to check out Onshape.
Also, I pointed out that as interesting Onshape is, it is by no means the first or only cloud-based technical/design/engineering software offering. As a matter of fact, it turns out there are quite a few, including:
Admittedly, this is not an exhaustive list, and is not meant to be. I just wanted to provide some of the cloud-based tools currently available. I also realize that the above have different features and capabilities, so it’s not an “apples to apples” comparison.
While the following video is a few years old, and some of the technologies discussed have been superseded or retired, it provides a good overview for novices of what cloud computing is about.
San Francisco is always a great destination, but even more so when the weather is sunny and warm as it was this week while we attended the REAL 2015 Summit, Autodesk’s initial foray into making sense of a term it coined – reality computing. In Autodesk’s vernacular, creating data is what ultimately is used to create reality, but more about what that actually means later.
REAL 2015 was nothing like any company-sponsored event I had ever attended. It was all about 3D capture (scanning/sensing), computing (modeling), and creating (additive/subtractive manufacturing). It was more like a sophisticated maker faire than a traditional trade show. I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical about coming to REAL 2015, thinking it was going to be a 2 ½ day Autodesk sales pitch/advertisement to a captive audience, but was pleasantly surprised that it was nothing of the sort, and was more analogous to a TEDx event, which is a very good thing.
Capture was put into the context of sensing that is becoming ever more ubiquitous (think smartphone cameras); Compute was about the cloud, mobility, social media, and analytics; and Create was about the increase of accessible fabrication. These three branches were talked about going from feasible to transformational, as well as Autodesk’s initiative as a company of then transforming implications to applications.
With what seems like forever, we have witnessed the ongoing and perpetual consolidation of the CAD industry as companies continue to get swallowed up by others. Some of the acquisitions have been successful and some, well, not so much. We’ve witnessed CAD companies acquiring CAD companies, simulation companies acquiring CAD companies, and other types of technical software and service companies acquiring CAD companies. With all the attention seemingly focused on the CAD side, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there also has been a significant consolidation through acquisition on the CAM side, as well the past several years. Let’s take a quick look at a few of these acquisitions as the CAM circle continues to get smaller.
As impressive as it is, last month we gave 3D printing a bit of a dressing down based on personal experience. The blog post was a reality check and a look at the technology not through rose-colored glasses. That’s not to say, though, that 3D printing is still one of the biggest innovations on the manufacturing front, if not the biggest, in recent memory.
Even with the major advances that have transpired in 3D printing, there are still a number of skeptics who view the technology as little more than a promotional stunt or gimmick.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2015 took place this week. It’s an annual tech festival that began in 1967 that today attracts more than 160,000 attendees checking out about 3,500 exhibitors. Over the years, some of the more significant technologies first released at CES have included:
1970 – VCR
1981 – CD player
1985 – Nintendo Entertainment System
1998 – High-definition TV
2000 – Satellite radio
2003 – Blu-Ray DVDs
2015 – 3D Printing(?)
We didn’t attend CES this year, but we have been monitoring the activities in a pavilion dedicated to innovative technologies, including 3D printing.
Next week, along with what is expected to be over 9,000 attendees, we’ll be in Las Vegas for Autodesk University (AU). Yes, it’s an Autodesk vehicle, but it’s also much bigger than that.
AU is analogous to a big box store (ironically, it starts on Cyber Monday – December 1) with one-stop shopping for technical software for a broad range of industries – manufacturing, media/entertainment, GIS, AEC, and so on.
If you’re coming to Las Vegas for AU, it’s always a good idea to know your objectives for attending and what you hope to get out of it. In other words, come with an agenda based on asking the following questions on behalf of yourself and your company looking ahead five years:
What are you working on now and what do you want to be working on?
What will be the core competencies of our company and our competitors?
What technologies are our competitors acquiring and implementing, and are they new or complementary?
What technologies will emerge and be vital to our business?
Will our company be able to use methods and technologies from other industries?
Will our company grow strictly by organic means, or through partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions?
How will our company’s staff differ from todays and what skill sets will be required?
How will we deal with data – interoperability, legacy, management, etc.?
These are all important questions, because regardless of position today, no company can afford to remain complacent if they hope to remain competitive.
AU is always a good place for monitoring industry and technology trends, market direction, future requirements, industry rumors, and R&D within Autodesk and many of its partners.
AU, like other live software/technology events are great for meeting with Autodesk folks, exhibitors, peers, and potential customers. It’s also an opportunity to learn at the myriad industry-specific classes that are offered, as well as unparalleled networking. With all that we do via email, texting, phone calls, Skype, Web meetings, etc., AU is a great venue for face to face discussions and conversations before, during, and after each day’s formal events. Some of the best inside “dirt” (ranging from successes to frustrations) we pick up on is outside the confines of the conference itself, and we always look forward to catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Always expect the unexpected at AU, because you might just hear, see, or learn something that will drive a solution to a problem, or a new direction for you, your company, and your career.
So, if you are going to AU 2014, don’t just go for the sake of this year, but also for considerations down the road.
Autodesk, Inc. announced that it will be investing up to $100 million in 3D printing companies over the next several years. The Spark Investment Fund, which will be operated within Autodesk, is the first of its kind for the 3D printing industry and will invest in entrepreneurs, startups, and researchers pushing the boundaries of 3D printing technology and accelerating the third industrial revolution.
Check out the video below from May 2014 at the MakerCon Bay Area event where Carl Bass, the president and CEO of Autodesk, announced the company’s first venture into digital fabrication hardware:
Autodesk Spark Demonstration With Carl Bass, Autodesk CEO
Coming about six months after its major Windows releases, Autodesk, Inc. announced today the releases of AutoCAD 2015 for Mac and AutoCAD LT 2015 for Mac.
Although Autodesk estimates that only 1-3% of all Macs run CAD software, this is still a significant milestone for AutoCAD for the Mac platform, now in its fifth release. Significant because in the five years since the first release of AutoCAD for Mac, the Mac platform base and presence has expanded from about 15 million to today’s approximately 80+ million. A nice increase in potential market.
We just returned from one of the most interesting events of the year for us and one that we always look forward to – SIGGRAPH 2014. SIGGRAPH (short for Special Interest Group on GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques) is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics (CG) convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization.
The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974, and this year’s event was held in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia.
As usual, we found the most interesting aspects of the conference to be the SIGGRAPH Emerging Technologies program and the exhibit floor.


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Norwest Venture Partners, the 58-year-old venture firm backed primarily by Wells Fargo, has closed its 15th fund with $2 billion. The firm closed its last fund with $1.5 billion at the beginning of 2018; the firm now manages $9.5 billion across all of its funds.
We talked with managing partner Jeff Crowe a couple of days ago about the outfit’s seemingly aggressive funding pace. Though venture firms have begun announcing new funds on what’s closer to a two-year cycle than than every three or four years, as was long the case in the industry, putting $1.5 billion to work in even less than two years’ time seems notable.
Crowe explained that the firm’s growth equity team — which can write checks that range from $50 million to $100 million — has been highly active, writing big checks in recent years to Cority, Vuori and SmartSign, among others. Cority is a Toronto company that makes environmental, health, safety and quality (EHSQ) software; Vuori is an apparel performance brand; and SmartSign produces custom signs.
That growth equity team often goes after founders who’ve bootstrapped their companies, as might a more traditional private equity firm. It separately makes what it considers “late-stage venture” deals, meaning it participates in traditional Series B, C, D and later rounds.
Other bets from Norwest’s most recent fund include a wide variety of consumer brands, including the personal finance app Dave, the smart home products company Wyze (it makes a home security camera), the home-buying business OpenDoor and the flexible workspace company Knotel.
Norwest has meanwhile seen numerous exits over the past couple of years. Health Catalyst, a Salt Lake City-based analytics vendor, went public this past summer, as did Silk Road Medical, a Sunnyvale, Calif., company that’s developing a neuroprotection and stent system used in transcarotid artery revascularization procedures.
Norwest was also an investor in both Uber and Spotify (though Crowe declined to say how much of either stake Norwest has since sold).
The firm has seen some of its portfolio companies acquired in the not-too-distant past, too. For example, in June, publicly traded WorkDay announced it was acquiring Adaptive Insights, a cloud-based platform for business planning, for $1.5 billion. Another company, an employee engagement platform called Glint, was separately acquired by LinkedIn roughly a year ago for undisclosed terms.
As for this new fund, the team — to which it added partner Priti Choksi last year — remains the same, says Crowe. So does its mission of backing teams at a variety of stages and sectors, including, broadly, consumer, enterprise and healthcare in the U.S., India and Israel.


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Quality reporting issues on some materials made with recycled or reclaimed content had a negative impact on A. Schulman Inc.'s recent quarterly earnings — and sent the firm's stock price down almost 25 percent.
The issues were with some material made at plants in the Evansville, Ind., area that originally were operated by Lucent Polymers and then by Citadel Plastic Holdings. Schulman acquired Citadel last year.
Schulman first reported the issues in its 2015 annual report, which was filed Oct. 20. But on Jan. 11, when they were cited again in the company's first-quarter financial report, they sent the stock price tumbling.
“We were open and honest about this since day one,” President and CEO Bernard Rzepka said in a Jan. 13 phone interview. “We haven't lost any customers, and I'm now feeling even more optimistic, because our business is really starting to grow.”
By Jan. 15, Schulman's share price had regained some of its losses, but it was still 17 percent down from its closing price on Jan. 8, before first-quarter earnings were announced.
The Fairlawn, Ohio-based company said it had “discovered discrepancies between laboratory data and certifications provided by Lucent to customers with respect to certain products using recycled or reclaimed raw materials.”
Schulman “took immediate decisive actions following our initial discovery, including implementing strict protocols designed to meet customer standards and certification requirements for all future shipments,” the firm said.
Rzepka said the affected materials mainly were polypropylene and polycarbonate blends used in compounds. The materials represent annual sales of between $15 million and $20 million and are sold to approximately 300 customers.
“Once we realized we couldn't replicate the formulas, we stopped shipping all products that didn't comply and looked into prior shipments [of the materials] at all facilities,” Rzepka said.
The reporting situation cost Schulman $4.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2016. Officials said that an internal investigation will continue as to the scope of products, customers, and other parties affected.
“Our bottom line was significantly impacted by the costs incurred during the investigation and the ongoing resolution process of the Lucent quality reporting matter,” Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Joseph Levanduski said in the company's quarterly release.
The Lucent plants involved in the quality reporting incident are two of three that will be closed by mid-year. Rzepka said the decision to close the plants was not related to the reporting issue, but was centered on how best to use assets in the Evansville area, where Schulman and Citadel each had operated production facilities.
The third plant to be closed also is in Evansville. Even after those closings, Schulman will have four production plants there. Those closings were announced in October.
Although Schulman's first-quarter sales grew more than 5 percent to $649.2 million vs. the same quarter in fiscal 2015, the Lucent matter and currency conversion caused first-quarter profit to tumble 44 percent to less than $7.5 million.
Schulman's fiscal 2016 “has begun on a challenging note, with weakening macroeconomic conditions across several regions, continued pressure in the oil, energy, and material markets, ongoing currency headwinds, and the costs of our internal actions to resolve the Lucent matter,” Rzepka said in the Jan. 11 release.
As a result, he added, Schulman “is undertaking additional cost reduction actions company-wide, designed to more than offset the first quarter shortfall.”
Lucent was founded in 1997 by compounding veteran Tim Martin. It then was acquired in late 2013 by Citadel, which combined numerous materials firms — including several compounders — before it was acquired by Schulman. At the time it was acquired by Citadel, Lucent operated 15 extrusion lines and employed 250 at four Evansville-area plants.
Materials market sources said that integrating Citadel has been more challenging than expected for Schulman. The $800 million deal was the largest acquisition in Schulman's 88-year history. The transaction added 21 plants, 1,200 employees and $550 million in annual sales to Schulman's base.
Rzepka remains confident. The Citadel deal was announced just a couple of months after he became the firm's CEO in January 2015.
“People have asked us if we would do the Citadel deal again if we had the chance,” said Rzepka, a 24-year Schulman veteran. “And the answer is yes, we would do it again.”
Schulman is one of the largest compounders and concentrate makers in North America and Europe. The firm posted sales of $2.4 billion in fiscal 2015.


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The opening of Central City in Spring 2003 will increase Surrey’s inventory by over 50 %. The decision by Tech BC and ICBC not to occupy this space as originally planned will significantly increase the vacancy rate unless several large tenants choose to relocate to Surrey. The Central City office complex at the corner of King George Highway & Fraser Highway is expected to be ready for Winter 2003, adding 880,000 square feet to Surrey’s inventory. The RCMP leased the entire 70,000 square foot 203rd Professional Centre in Langley.
Swanker Hayden Connell Architects has completed a two-phase high quality fit-out of office suites for the growing serviced-office market leader SHC’s services ranged from brief consolidation through to space planning. Enact Conveyancing Sydney which is related to property is very important and useful for such people who were thinking or planning to sell or buy house recently from the real estate field. But this real estate field is difficult to understand and because of that people go for making hiring for experienced conveyancers for doing their full property conveyancing process.
Office space that is physically unoccupied at the time of the survey, regardless of its contractual leasing state. The trend in major retail properties is toward consolidation of ownership. According to Avison Young managing partner Bob Levine, “a few private and institutional owners already holding numerous retail assets are trying to buy more, while those with only a few assets are getting out.
He attributes this to the more management intensive nature of retail in comparison to other investment property classes. Illustrating Levine’s point, RIOCAN REIT purchased three additional retail centres during this half year, This brings their total retail assets acquired in BC during the past nine months to over $270 million. The hired conveyancers should have experience and enough knowledge of real estate field to manage the whole process and make it better to complete successfully. So it is possible for you to do this only you have to make certain search before hiring a conveyancer.
Scheme design and statutory applications in a two-part programmed, which was completed in ten months. Mercy is committed to maintaining our position as one of the leading health networks in Greater Cincinnati. Mercy officials noted that the anticipated $10 million loss this year represents only about 2 percent of its net revenue of $450 million.
The 36,600 sq ft scheme comprises mainly closed offices meeting rooms and comprehensive office support areas for a wide and flexible range of renting options. The Ohio attorney general’s office and national consumer advocacy groups say complaints about Internet fraud have increased every year, and usually crest during the holiday shopping season.
Conveyancer/ specialist or even called as the legal one or deserving to manage the conveyancing process that has the involvement of properties title from person to another one. The design incorporated a high regard for lasting and visibly high-quality materials, finishes and detailing. Particular attention was paid to the acoustic performance of the metal-faced monobloc re loadable partitions, It is to your greatest advantage to designate a conveyancer/ specialist toward the begin of the procedure as this will help speed things up.
It is essential you pick the right conveyancer/ specialist to complete the transport; some individual who is secured in the business and has involvement in this field. Unhappy shoppers most often complain about delays in delivery, hidden shipping costs, damaged goods, daunting return fees or that they received counterfeit merchandise – if they received anything at all. To ensure an optimal balance of variable room sizes and privacy in the corridors and offices winning a $16,000 consent ruling against a Licking County woman who allegedly sold counterfeit Beanie Babies through an online auction site. That case has since been followed up by three more, said Stephanie Beougher, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office.
Internet consumers are expected to spend about $20 billion this year, and the vast majority of shoppers will be happy with their purchases. But the Federal Trade Commission received over 10,000 complaints about online companies in 1999, Two new industrial lettings have recently been secured at Harmony Court; Govan Glasgow owned by London based investor O & H Ltd. Ms. Beougher said the attorney general’s office has already received more than 200 calls regarding online companies this year. We have seen an increase every year in Internet fraud complaints.


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(CBS/AP) In what's mildly surprising news, music sales in the United States are up. Finally, there's more music out there that people are willing to pay for rather than steal. So maybe everyone in the United States owes Lars Ulrich an apology.
U.S. music album sales grew in the first six months of the year from a year ago, the first gain since 2004, thanks to rising sales of digital tracks and albums.
Tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan said Wednesday that overall album sales rose nearly 4 percent to 221.5 million units, from 213.6 million a year ago.
The figure includes compact discs and digital albums. Nielsen also counts 10 tracks sold individually as one album.
The top-selling album was Adele's "21," with 2.5 million albums sold, while Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" came second with 1.5 million albums, thanks largely to a promotion on Amazon.com that sold her album for a heavily discounted 99 cents.


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The AR windshield of the future coming the end of this year.
Augmented reality, or AR, could be on car windshields by the end of the year.
AR systems are set to become options drivers can choose when buying cars. They can superimpose route indicators, pedestrian alerts and other graphic information in the driver’s field of view.
The technology promises safety and convenience enhancements, and is expected to take off around 2020, when more companies are expected to bring products to market.
German autoparts maker Continental is leading the way. This year it plans to mass-produce AR head-up displays — translucent projections, sometimes referred to as HUDs, that allow pilots or drivers to see information without having to look down — and market them to European makers of luxury cars.
Japanese rivals plan to market their own AR options around 2020.
In automotive AR, text and images are imposed on a windshield right in the driver’s line of sight. Some images can be made to appear relative to actual objects ahead.
The technology is becoming commercially viable thanks to advances in driver assistance systems that use cameras to recognize and map the immediate streetscape around a vehicle. These systems can now appear to “draw” lines right on the road that drivers can follow to their destinations.
The rapid adoption of these cameras has made them more affordable — and relieved AR developers from having to build their own cameras from scratch, an expensive endeavor.
Automakers, too, are getting into the game. Last year, Germany’s BMW unveiled a concept car loaded with AR features. Its system can, for example, impose an image to help the driver see a bicyclist in his blind spot. And the projected images move as the vehicle does.
In Japan, Toyota Motor and Mazda Motor have started to study the possibility of introducing AR for the sake of safety.
As for this year, automotive AR is expected to be limited to simple functions, such as indicating what lane to be in. But in the years ahead, the systems will gain more skills, like imposing images on dangerous obstacles to make the driver more aware.
As self-driving technology advances and drivers are freed from steering, AR may create new business opportunities. One possibility is an automotive version of the “Pokemon Go” smartphone game. Such a game would impose characters on windshields to make the journey somewhat adventurous. Another possibility — displaying ads from stores and other businesses a car is about to approach.
Automakers believe the leading AR technology companies stand a chance to gain a strong position in the automotive industry as they will obviate the need for all the gauges and displays on the dashboards of today.
The companies gunning for this kind of leverage include Continental, Denso and Nippon Seiki. Meanwhile, Konica Minolta and Pioneer are trying to enter the field by tweaking proprietary technologies.
Continental’s technology combines a conventional HUD and a monocular camera originally developed for driver assistance systems. With the camera, the system can detect lane dividing lines and the vehicle ahead, then superimpose graphics accordingly.
It uses arrows to guide the driver along the shortest route to his or her destination. In addition, it can impose lines on the vehicle ahead to indicate that the adaptive cruise control is engaged and the system is following that particular vehicle. It can also show a dotted line on the road between the driver’s car and the one ahead to help the driver keep a safe distance.
In a prototype system, graphic images are made to appear as though they are 7.5 meters ahead of the driver’s eyes. Information that is not directly related to the driver’s view, such as speed, appears 2.4 meters ahead. This is the same as on conventional HUDs.
The images that seem to be imposed on objects are produced using a digital micromirror — a device composed of a large number of tiny mirrors arrayed on a flat surface, each mirror representing a single pixel on a computer display. By changing the angle of the individual mirrors, the device can reflect light from a source so as to form desired images in specific locations.
Images created by this device are then magnified as they bounce off multiple concave mirrors set up behind the dashboard until finally they are projected onto the windshield.
Drivers need only keep their eyes on the AR-enhanced road ahead.
Via NK Automotive.


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By Jeyup S Kwaak
Like many office workers in South Korea, Cho Sung-joon went out drinking with his colleagues most weeks during his five-year stint at Samsung Electronics Co.
After kicking off the night guzzling soju, a rice-based liquor, over grilled pork or raw fish, he and his co-workers would move on to a pub or karaoke lounge, occasionally past midnight.
“We did drink a lot to blow off steam,” said Mr. Cho.
It’s a hierarchical bonding experience known as hoesik — literally “staff dinner.” Deeply ingrained in South Korean business culture, hoesik usually involves free-flowing alcohol, often forced upon lower-ranked staff who are expected to serve and entertain their superiors. Not playing the rules is a shortcut to soured relations and poor performance reviews.
Current and former Samsung Electronics staff say Samsung’s hoesik weren’t particularly excessive, but in September the parent company, Samsung Group, implemented a strict code of conduct for staff dinners. The rules banned rituals like beolju, or forcing drinks on others, and sabalju — the mixing of several different beverages to make a potent punch.
Spokespeople for Samsung Group and its subsidiaries declined to comment for this article.
Samsung’s move to manage its own drinking culture comes as South Korea has more broadly made some steps this year towards tackling excessive alcohol consumption and drink-induced violence.
South Koreans are by far the heaviest drinkers in Asia and the biggest consumers of spirits in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Drink is valued as a social glue that has long been a part of the collective identity. With minimal laws against public intoxication, drunks dot the streets of the largest cities after dark. Convenience stores sell cheap hard liquor around the clock.
Alcohol-induced violence has also long been tolerated as a side-effect of the nation’s love of the bottle. Arrests have been rare and judges have lowered sentences for criminals if they were found to have acted under the influence of alcohol.
In 2008, a seven-year old girl was raped by a man in suburban Seoul. Prosecutors sought life imprisonment, but the court ruled that the man was too drunk to know what he was doing and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
A campaign this summer led by one of the nation’s major newspapers in coordination with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has sought to change attitudes about drunken violence. More than 500 repeat offenders were arrested.
“Individual incidents involving alcohol weren’t considered newsworthy,” said Lee In-yul, assistant editor at the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, which ran a high-profile series on alcohol-related violence, or jupok. “We didn’t see that some of them were part of a bigger picture.”
Away from the extremes, companies are finding that attitudes towards drinking are changing among younger staff. Many keep their hoesik attendance to a minimum, puzzling their superiors.
For previous generations, jobs at large conglomerates represented a dream destination — you made every effort to fit in, including accepting the drinking culture. Some job hunters still detail their drinking ability on their resumes.
But as conglomerates seek to increase employee loyalty in an increasingly mobile labor market, some are acknowledging that hoesik culture can be a turn off for some talented employees or potential new hires.
Mr. Cho left Samsung in 2011 to study for a Masters of Business Administration in New York, although he says the drinking culture wasn’t a factor in his decision.
Meanwhile, fresh recruits at Samsung said that they were surprised by the mild initiations and subsequent get-togethers this year.
“Maybe on one or two instances, we were asked to make a toast,” said a new hire who asked not to be named, “but that was it. No one was pressured to do anything.”
“The (company) policy is enforced so well that the general mood is it’s gone too far,” said a 20-something analyst who joined Samsung’s securities arm before this year’s campaign.
The trick for companies may be to find the sweet spot of team-building through social drinking, while avoiding the excesses that hoesik are sometimes known for. For society in general, the challenge remains much larger. ◦


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Two wireless networks were recently restored to service in China, bringing the total number of LTE network additions to at least three in the world.
The three Chinese LTE networks were all provided by China Mobile, the country’s third-largest wireless carrier, which announced last week that it will restore its 3G and 4G networks to use by more than 40 million users by the end of 2017.
China Mobile is also the countrys largest wireless carrier and the country is expected to overtake the United States as the largest wireless market in the coming years.
China’s mobile market is expected by analysts to grow to nearly 9.5 million users in 2021.
Intel, which owns several wireless networks in China and is the leading maker of LTE routers, said last week it was partnering with Chinese telecoms to restore its wireless networks to LTE, as well as other networks.
“We are committed to supporting the Chinese Mobile brand and providing connectivity services for the long term,” Intel said in a statement.
“Our network will be back up and running in a matter of weeks.”
Intel said the restored networks will be used by some 3.4 million users and will have a range of speeds of up to 30Mbps.
China Mobile, which has a market cap of about $9 billion, is China’s third largest wireless operator.
China has seen more than 20 million mobile users add 4G service to its networks.
The countrys network is also expected to see an increase in smartphone sales as Chinese smartphone manufacturers have become increasingly popular with consumers.
China is also expanding its LTE network in a bid to catch up to the United Kingdom, which is the world’s largest smartphone market.
China recently opened a new wireless network in Hong Kong and plans to add a second in the city of Shenzhen, which accounts for about half of China’s total wireless market.


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The Sony hack, the latest in a wave of company security breaches, exposed months of employee emails. Other hacks have given attackers access to sensitive information about a company and its customers.
Companies across the globe are on high alert to tighten up network security to avoid being the next company brought to its knees by hackers like those in the dramatic Sony cyberattack.
It’s not quite as terrifying as the videos of brutal beheadings on YouTube, but it’s still scary considering the ramifications. ISIS is reportedly using malware as part of its arsenal of terror.
In the weeks before hackers broke into Sony Pictures Entertainment, the studio suffered significant technology outages it blamed on software flaws and incompetent technical staffers.
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Rachel Gamarra explains that while the world’s economies fall into recession, Peru’s is racing ahead as Peruvians increased their spending by a huge 19% in 2008. With the country’s economy only growing at about 9% and wages remaining stable, where is this money coming from?
While the first world is shrinking, the developing world is expanding and that includes Peru. Consumerism is on the rise and this holiday shopping season is sure to be a clear indication of those increased percentages.
Shopping centers and retail stores are popping up all over the country both big and small. Lima’s infamous Mesa Redonda gallery is expected to pull in $600 Million US Dollars this Christmas season alone, a hundred million more than last season’s sales.
So what is driving all this consumerism in Peru?
The Peruvian economy is increasing, foreign investment is on the rise, GDP and exports are growing, however the average Peruvian wage is bucking the growth spurt and remaining stagnant.
The common Peruvian is depending more and more on plastic and retailers are encouraging its use by making the acquisition of retail credit as easy as pie.
The biggest malls and supermarkets aren’t found in exclusive districts such San Isidro, Miraflores, or La Molina, but rather in low income a.k.a. “C-Class” districts such as Los Olivos and the Cono Norte of Lima. Retailers in Peru specifically target the C-Class market, a socio-economic group that averages $200 USD or less per month.
Imagine your local supermarket offering you store credit (for us Americans this only exists with Wal-Mart.) Sounds odd, why buy groceries with a grocery store credit card? In Peru this is common practice with Metro Supermarkets, a part of the Wong (now Chilean Cencosud) family.
EZ-CREDIT is the name of the game and for Peruvians that cannot prove formal income, they can always provide proof of receipt of 6 foreign money transmittances to get their Metro Supermarket Card or Tarjeta Metro.


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Campbell Soup heiress Mary Alice Dorrance Malone, who owns Iron Spring Farm on Old Stottsville Road in Coatesville, has once again made it onto The Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans, writes Max Bennett for the Philadelphia Patch.
This year, the combined net worth of the Forbes 400 has increased by $240 million and currently stands at an astonishing $3.2 trillion.
As the largest shareholder of the Campbell Soup Company, Dorrance Malone comes in at No. 213 with a net worth of $3.7 billion. Her wealth makes her the third-richest person in Pennsylvania.
Dorrance Malone’s grandfather, John T. Dorrance, is the inventor of the condensed-soup formula, which ended up transforming the company in 1897.
In addition to sitting on the Campbell Soup Company’s board, Dorrance Malone currently serves as the president of Iron Spring Farm, a horse breeding and training company that owns several large properties in both Pennsylvania and Florida.
The richest person in America in 2020 is Jeff Bezos, founder of e-commerce giant Amazon, with a net worth of $179 billion.
Read more about Mary Alice Dorrance Malone from the Philadelphia Patch here.
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India became the top food exporter to the League of Arab States for the first time in 15 years on Tuesday by surpassing Brazil.
A report by Reuters from Sao Paolo said that India's share was 8.25 percent of the total agribusiness products imported by the 22 Arab League members last year, higher than Brazil's 8.15 percent ending Brazil's 15-year advantage, according to the data that the Arab-Brazil Chamber of Commerce gave to Reuters.
The report said, "The Arab world is among Brazil's most important trade partners, but its distance from those markets took its toll as the [Covid-19] pandemic rattled global logistics".
India reportedly held the edge due to quick shipping of food products to the Arab states beating pandemic-related disruptions to the global supply chain, according to the chamber.
Agricultural exports from India rose sharply to nearly 25 percent in 2020-21, according to data from the ministry of commerce. The increase came even as India's total exports had dropped by over 7%.
Agricultural exports expanded to $32.5 billion in 2020-21 close to the record level of $32.7 billion in 2012-13. Meanwhile, the share of agriculture in the total exports exceeded 11 percent, the highest recorded.


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Shares of streaming player manufacturer Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) saw its shares climb after receiving an upgrade from Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer analyst Jason Helfstein has upped his rating on the stock from “perform” to “outperform” and has forecasted that the stock will see 15% upside over the next 12 to 18 months.
According to the analyst, he sees the stock experiencing a comeback as the company begins to leverage its role as one of the leaders in providing over-the-top television.
Helfstein believes the company’s homegrown Roku Channel may add to the 21 million or so customers it has in the U.S. and could capture $19 billion in revenue potential.
The analyst wrote, “The rapid adoption of The Roku Channel gives us incremental confidence in the channel’s ability to garner viewership on other platforms, such as Samsung, allowing Roku to monetize a broader portion of the OTT ecosystem than we had previously assumed was possible,” Helfstein wrote. Roku should be able to wield “its advantages in pricing and merchandising to remain the market leader in consumer-facing connected television solutions.”
He also wrote, “Roku’s business today is generating users for the Roku platform, either on a Roku Player or the Smart TV Roku OS, and monetizing its partners’ content, either by taking a share of subscription video on demand/advertising video on demand revenue or selling subscription video on demand advertisements itself and sharing the revenue with its partners.”
Helfstein has a $50 price target on the stock. Shares saw an increase of a little over 5% on the upgrade and price target.
It was in May that Roku had reported better-than-expected first-quarter financial results. For the quarter, the company reported a loss per share of 7 cents, excluding items. Analysts had expected 15 cents a share. Revenue was reported at $136.6 million. Analysts on the contrary were expecting $127.6 million.
CEO Anthony Wood stated on the earnings call, “We kicked off the year with another great quarter, active accounts were up 47% and gross profit was up 62%. The transformation of TV from legacy TV to [indiscernible] streaming pace 2.37 but has a long way to go. Consumers are moving from traditional pay TV services to Internet deliver services. Roku is building a large audience for content providers and advertisers and aggregating streaming services for consumers. We have a leading TV screening platform in the U.S. with nearly 21 million active customers.”
He also said, “The Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) OS is the number one licensed TV OS and Roku TVs are in aggregate the number two best-selling smart TV in the United States and we’re growing fast.”


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The Left-leaning Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy warned, in a detailed report, that price-based “ad valorem” taxes on marijuana are a recipe for trouble when prices go down – as they do in every jurisdiction where legalization takes hold. https://itep.org/taxing-cannabis/
Now the Right-leaning Tax Foundation has joined the warning: “states risk losing out on forecasted revenue if prices continue to go down.” https://taxfoundation.org/safe-banking-act-state-marijuana-revenues/
Here’s more from that Tax Foundation article:
“Out of the seven states with operational taxable markets, six have price-based excise structures, and revenues would suffer if prices decline in a more competitive market.
. . .
“Cannabis prices have already dropped substantially since the early days of legalization. In Alaska prices went from about $4,000 a pound to about $2,300 a pound. Currently the average price per pound is around $1,400 nationally. These prices could drop further as a result of federal regulation changes.
“States should be aware of this when designing and maintaining their excise tax structure for cannabis. Only Alaska’s system is safe from the effects of volatile cannabis prices, as it is purely weight-based and guarantees $800 in revenue per pound. Generally, excise taxes are imposed at a specific amount regardless of the price, but seven out of eight states have chosen the ad valorem option for marijuana. The complexity and wide variety of products make an ad valorem tax a simpler approach but these seven states risk losing out on forecasted revenue if prices continue to go down. Colorado and Nevada have hedged their structures by basing part of their price-based taxation on a government-set average cost based on weight.”


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Celebrating female power, Chinese style: Shopping mall hosts bra-undoing contest on International Women’s Day
- The competition took place in south China's Liuzhou city on March 8
- Scantily glad models stood with their backs to the stage wearing masks
- In the fastest time possible customers took off their bras using one hand
- See more of the latest updates from International Women's Day 2016
A shopping mall in China seemed to have got the wrong idea when celebrating International Women’s Day with a one handed bra competition.
Six scantily clad female models lined up on a stage at the store in Liuzhou city on March 8, as men and women took it in turns to undo their bras using only one hand.
Bizarrely the models had masks on as they stood with their backs to the crowd. The winner was a woman who managed to undo all six bras in 14 seconds.
Bizarre: A shopping mall in China celebrated International Women's Day with a one handed bra competition
A race: Contestants had to undo each bra worn by the models with one hand in the fastest time possible
Confused: The store may have got the wrong idea when celebrating International Women's Day with this game
At the event, a total of eight spectators volunteered to take part in the competition, but surprisingly according to China Daily, only one of them was a man.
The aim of the game was to undo each bra with one hand in the fastest time possible.
Not only did the models participate in the contest, they strutted their stuff on the stage wearing only their underwear and a mask as dozens of prying customers looked on.
According to the report, the contest was put on to attract more customers on International Woman’s Day.
But it seems whoever’s idea it was to hold a one handed bra competition using nearly naked models, they may have not understood the meaning of the day.
It is not clear in the report what the prize was for the winner of the competition.
Wrong idea:The shopping centre in China seemed to have got the idea of Women's Day wrong with this contest
Strutting their stuff: The models didn't seem to care about the competition walking the stage in their underwear
Spectacle: Models lined up for International Women's Day as people tried to take off their bras with one hand
This is not the first time businesses in China have come under fire for 'missing the point' on International Women's Day.
In 2015, two of the country's most popular websites were criticised for using 'sexist stereotypes' on the day that is celebrated by millions across the globe.
Search engine Baidu had a ballerina in a pink dress, who turned into a bride and then into a mother pushing a baby, on its homepage.
And video-sharing site Youku, wrote to all its female users on its page: 'May the world treat you gently.'
According to the United Nations, International Women’s Day on March 8 is a time to reflect on progress, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
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By Claire Ferris-Lay
Stores turning to fashion shows, branding campaigns in bid to boost traffic and sales
retail outlets are pulling out all of the stops to boost their brand awareness
as they look to increase customer loyalty and drive footfall to their stores
amid increased competition.
such as Bloomingdale’s, Virgin Megastore and Mini are hosting fashion shows,
live band performances and festival style events as they look to offer
customers more than just a shopping experience.
has got to be more than the product. It’s got to be where you get it from;
you’ve got to have a reason to come to the store and that reason is that you
like the buzz and you like the feeling,” said Paul Cardwell, executive director
for the Brand Union, Middle East.
never used to be an issue here because you had such a captive audience of
people but now there are so many malls, so much competition, you have to work
home to luxury shopping malls such as Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, is
the second second-most attractive emerging market for retailers after China, in
part because high disposable income, according to management consulting firm AT
accounts for 30 percent of gross domestic product in the emirate, home to about
40 shopping malls, Standard Chartered Bank estimates.
retailers in western markets have sliced their marketing budgets amid a
sluggish economy, Dubai stores are banking on lavish advertising campaigns to
get customers through their doors.
store Bloomingdale’s, operated by Dubai’s Al Tayer Group in the UAE, launched
its fall/winter 2011 collection with a month-long ‘New York, New York’
included live fashion shows, an in-store appearance by Hollywood star Eva
Longoria, beauty promotions and a four-metre tall King Kong installation by the
Los Angeles filmmaker and pop artist, Mr Brainwash.
store also collaborated with a number of brands to create limited edition
created the awareness of the Bloomingdale’s brand in the market here. Eighteen
months ago we were new to market and people didn’t know what Bloomingdale’s was
or what we had to offer, today I think we’ve worked hard to promote what we are
about,” said Matthew Mackenzie, general manager at Bloomingdale’s Dubai.
only is it good for footfall and is it a point of difference for Dubai Mall, it
is cements our relationship with the mall and shows our commitment to the
Virgin Megastore opened its Dubai Mall store in September, it ran a 23-day
campaign that included live in-store performances from local bands and DJ’s.
host a two-day festival, Drive Out Loud, at the end of October in which Mini
owners can participate in the largest regional convoy, watch stunt shows and
participate in competitions.
advertising market, once dominated by real estate firms, is showing signs of an
improvement as the economic outlook picks up. UAE firms spent around $349m
on advertising in the first three months of the year, accounting for 12 percent
of the Middle East’s overall advertising spend during the first quarter,
according to data from the Pan Arab Research Centre.
Megastore Middle East’s regional marketing manager said it’s becoming
increasingly important for brands to mix their marketing strategies to include
the crisis hit Dubai the big brands and the big players in the markets started
deviating from the traditional mix and started to think of more strategic and
clever ways to spend their money on marketing and activities,” said Tarek
“It definitely increases traffic but it also
increases people’s loyalty to the brand and it puts our brand closer to the customer
and closer to the artists and the talent in this country.”
Maybe improving service levels would help... just a thought
Are you sure a Telcoguy is the right person to be spouting that wisdom?
I can give you my word that I have never worked in the UAE.
I am just a victim of both du and etisalat here!
But wait, let see what Bankguy has to say...


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Intel $INTC is set to report fourth-quarter Earnings on January 24. So far, the company’s earnings have beat Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last four quarters, by an average of 18.7%. Just as an example, in the last reported quarter, Intel revealed results of $1.40 per share on revenue of $19.163 billion, instead of an estimated $ 1.15 per share on revenue of $18.115 billion, which is 18.7% year over year and 13% quarter over quarter. The year-over-year improvement can be explained by both data-centric and PC-centric businesses growth.
The coming earnings report will have an influence on the $INTC valuation and either move it higher if these key numbers are going to be better than expected, or if they miss, drag the stock down. The expectations for the world’s largest chipmaker are an EPS of $ 1.22 on revenue of $19.01 billion. Those numbers represent year-over-year growth of 13% for EPS and 11.5% for revenues. The stock currently carries a “Hold” rating by Zacks.
Intel’s focus on data center, cloud, self-driving car, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) are key growth drivers for the fourth quarter. So let’s take a look on factors that might have an impact on the company’s results:
- The chipmaker launched the much awaited Xeon Scalable CPUs on 10nm Ice Lake architecture featuring robust AI and memory capabilities. Notably, it has been selected by Alibaba (BABA) already. The robust adoption of the company’s CPU and GPU processors are expected to bolster Data Center Group or DCG revenues.
- The company introduced new 9th Gen Intel Core processors in the quarter under review. Intel also showcased latest hybrid CPU architecture client platform, dubbed as “Lakefield” by the company. It’s quite possible that the new CPUs will expand the company’s customer base.
- Intel presented Project Athena, by which the company aims to enable advanced laptops to utilize robust technologies including 5G and AI.
- Intel revealed that it is working on an AI-based inference chip, NNP-I (Nervana Neural Network Processor for Inference). The chip is aimed at assisting companies having higher workloads with accelerated inference. Notably, Facebook is one of the development partners in the project.
All the above-mentioned factors are likely to impact the company’s fourth-quarter results. Further, the greater number of threads and cores in the recently introduced Intel Core i9-9900K gaming processor is anticipated to aid the semiconductor giant to improve its competitive position against peers like Advanced Micro Devices AMD.


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We are excited today to announce the release of Merkle|RKG’ s Q1 2015 Digital Marketing Report. Now available for download, this quarter’s report offers data and analyses on the latest trends across paid search, product listing ads, search engine optimization, display advertising and other topics surrounding digital marketing.
Category Archives: RKG
In this video we walk you through some of the reasons why fewer mobile visitors convert, and provide you with five tips to increase mobile conversions and get more out of your mobile users.
Dissecting phone data by geography reveals some interesting trends that advertisers may be able to take advantage of in order to drive even more value from this growing traffic source. Here’s a look at some of our findings surrounding phone performance by state.
We've kept a close eye on search data and we'd like to fill you in on how Firefox's shift to Yahoo might potentially affect your PPC campaigns this year.


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THE United States Department of Agriculture recently issued its biannual review of global livestock and poultry markets, providing historical supply and trade information and offering estimates of the global supply/demand outlook for 2015.
The full report, which can be accessed here, is published in April and October each year.
Over the years, global trade in livestock and poultry has become a significant factor, in part because of the surge in demand from emerging markets but also due to the emergence of large global producers in Asia and South America, challenging traditonal exporting countries like the US and Australia.
In a recent edition of its Daily Livestock Report, Steiner Consulting noted that shifts in global meat trade often had significant implications for prices in the US domestic market.
In the beef segment of the meat protein spectrum, some may not realise that the US is again the largest beef importer in the world.
“Most of the beef coming here is lean manufacturing beef that goes into hamburger production and a strong US$ and record high lean beef values have made the US the most valuable grinding beef market in the world,” DLR’s report said.
As a result, most beef suppliers to the US have ramped-up shipments – Australia included.
US beef imports for 2015 currently are projected at 1.32 million tonnes carcase weight, revised upwards by 95,000t by USDA compared to its October forecast. The figure is still slightly lower than in 2014, however.
“Worth noting, though, is that US beef imports are 387,000t higher than in 2011. That’s a rise of 41pc,” DLR said.
As can be seen in DLR’s graph, published here, Australia has gone against that broader trend, lifting exports to the US for the calendar year to date by some 56pc, year-on-year.
Growth from China transforms world beef trade
China has emerged in recent years as a global beef buyer and the latest USDA data confirmed that position. Combined beef imports of China Mainland and Hong Kong in 2015 are projected by USDA at 1.25 million tonnes, revised lower from the 1.265 MT projected in October but still 18pc higher than in 2014.
“It is truly impressive that in 2011, combined beef imports from China/Hong Kong were a mere 181,000 MT,” DLR notes.
“The growth in Chinese beef demand has certainly transformed world beef trade. China has been able to fill its growing needs through both direct purchases from Australia and Uruguay, as well as indirect flows from Hong Kong and neighbouring countries, which in turn rely on US and Brazil for beef supply,” DLT’s report said.
India becomes supply giant
If China has been the major market mover on the import side, India has become by far the largest beef exporter in the world, with product shipped across price-sensitive markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Some product is likely finds its way into China via the grey channel trade, but because of its FMD status it does not compete directly with the US.
“As with China, Indian beef supply bears watching as it has an outsized influence on global beef trade,” DLR suggests.
Brazil exports in 2015 are currently forecast by USDA to be 2 million MT, revised down by 235,000t compared to the October forecast, but still 5pc higher than a year ago and 50% higher than in 2011.
“World beef trade has been shifting, with more product available in South America and India and increased demand in North America and Asia,” DLR said.


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To install the upgrade, users need to connect their devices to their computers using Sony PC companion software.
Sony has rolled out the Android 4.0 update for its Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo smartphones globally including India. Quite strangely, Sony had earlier announced that the upgrade will first be available to the Sony Xperia NXT devices including the Xperia S, U, P and Sola before others.
Along with Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo, the ICS upgrade is now also available for Sony Xperia Arc S, Neo V and Xperia Ray as well. Following this it is being expected that the software upgrade for Sony Xperia S smartphone will also be made available soon in the days to come.
The Android ICS upgrade brings along a whole new look and feel for the users as far as user interface goes. An updated Timescape user interface will also be available for these phones. The Android 4.0 operating system has been optimised individually for each device to offer best possible performance with the devices.
To install the upgrade, users need to connect their devices to their computers using Sony PC companion software and follow the steps suggested by the software to upgrade their devices.
It has the same frosted glass back and black front panel as the other variants of the phone.
Apart from Xperia Z6 Lite, five other versions of Z6 are rumoured to be launched next year.
However, reports claimed that Sony may not launch the Xperia Z5 Compact which too was unveiled along with the other two Z5 series phones earlier in September.
Till date Sony in its advertisements has been showing models in swimwear taking pictures underwater using Xperia smartphones. Was it a work of imagination?
We have to wait and watch to see the impact on the sales of Sony Xperia smartphones after these updated guidelines.
The Sony Xperia M5 promises to be a great camera smartphone with 13 megapixel auto focus front camera and 21.5 megapixel rear camera.
As per the latest tweet from Evan Blass, Sony is set to launch three phones, namely the Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact and Z5 Premium.
Both the Sony Xperia M5 and C5 Ultra offer 2 TB expandable storage slot, Android Lollipop operating system and octa core processors.
The new Sony Xperia Z3+ has few enhancements over its predecessor, the Xperia Z3.
The water and dust proof smartphone has the latest Android operating system and an octa core processor.


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Calsonic Kansei Corporation Business Report FY ended Mar. 2018
(in millions of JPY)
|FY ended Mar. 31, 2018||FY ended Mar. 31, 2017||FY ended Mar. 31, 2016|
ｰThe Company announced it will make a full entry into the automotive cyber security field. Calsonic Kansei and the French IT venture Quarkslab have established White Motion LLC, a joint venture company, to develop in-vehicle security software. White Motion will develop software for the automotive industry for the time being and then widen the scope of its business to include Internet of Things (IoT). The head office of the JV company is located within headquarters of Calsonic Kansei. It is capitalized at JPY 20 million and is owned 50/50 by the two companies. The president of White Motion, recently appointed, is Yuichi Kuramoto from Microsoft Japan. Main businesses are development of products and of services to strengthen security measures for automobiles, as well as security evaluation of in-vehicle components, security education, and security consulting. (From an article in the Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun on July 20, 2017)
ｰThe Company has announced plans to increase the number of engineers it employs within Japan by 30% by 2021 as part of its plan to strengthen capabilities in cutting-edge technology research. The company is aggressively pursuing the hiring of software engineers due to mid-term business plans that emphasize the field of electronics. Calsonic also plans to increase its engineering capacity in centers in China and Myanmar as it bolsters its global presence. (From an article in the Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun on September 19, 2017)
ｰThe Company announced that it has launched a new product, the "CK-SMiTH" which dramatically improves the weight saving and catalyst temperature rise by converting the turbine housing of turbocharger into sheet metal. The "CK-SMiTH" is the world's first product for diesel engine vehicles, achieving a 15% reduction in weight, and improved catalyst temperature rise performance compared to conventional cast housings. Its name comes from the initials of "Calsonic Kansei Sheet Metal innovative Turbine Housing". (From a press release on October 25, 2017)
ｰThe Company announced a USD 16.33 million investment for a facility in Madison, Mississippi, creating 98 new jobs. Calsonic Kansei (CK) is a supplier to Nissan’s Canton automotive assembly plant. The company employs more than 500 workers at the Nissan Supplier Park, and will relocate 42 of those employees to the new facility. The new facility is currently operating, with Phase 2 expected to be completed in 2018. (Mississippi Economic Development Corp. release on July 17, 2017)
Mid-term Business Plan Compass 2021
ｰThe Company aims to achieve added-value revenue* of JPY 750 billion in the fiscal year that ends in March 2022 as a system solution provider.
Priority areas are: large gauges, HUDs, display panels of cabins featuring autonomous driving, electrification and connectivity; integrated control between EUCs; next-generation power electronic products including regenerative batteries, inverters and BMSs; thermal management systems including heat exchangers and high efficiency air conditioners.
The Company set a goal to raise the ratio of value-added sales* of new and innovative products from 6% to 30%.
The product planning division was established in October 2017 for the development of products that extend across business units.
*Sales other than those designated or supplied by OEMs


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|AT&T hiring for 70 Wichita positions, expanding U-Verse to Hutchinson
|AT&T announced at a news conference Tuesday that it’s hiring for 70 positions in Wichita, almost all of which are new.
The company has added about 30 positions at its Wichita customer service call center, and it’s hiring about 15 staff members to work at local retail stores. Nancy Garvey, AT&T’s vice president and general manager for the Greater Midwest Region, said the company is filling a few retail positions that existed previously, but it’s also expanding retail staff because stores…
|What can you code in an hour? Wichita-area students will find out (Video)
|It took about an hour at Clearwater High School on Monday for a student to create a basic motorcycle racing game that could be played with an Xbox controller.
That student and others at the school were learning some of the basics of Kodu, a visual programming language that allows for the rapid creation of games.
But it’s not really about the game, says Mike Welty, the school’s computer science teacher.
Clearwater High School is one of several Wichita-area schools participating in An Hour of…
|Wichita woman starts online store for handcrafted soaps
|Wichita woman Kat Sickmon is turning her soap-making hobby into a business with the launch of KatMadeThis.com, a site where she’s selling hand-crafted soaps and laundry detergent.
Sickmon says she has some inventory on the site, but she’ll also take custom orders. Some items are seasonal, like Christmas trees and snowflakes, and she says she’s also “trying to get into geekery” with upcoming creations like soap molecules suspended in clear bars.
The soaps are dyed mostly with clay or mica,…
|All Things BBQ added a PayPal option to its e-commerce site. Should you?
|Shoppers who buy on the All Things BBQ website now have the option to check out not only with a credit card or debit card, but also with PayPal, a service that allows people to transfer money online.
Josh Cary, e-commerce director at the Wichita-based store, says the site has been offering the PayPal option for about four weeks, and over the course of that time, customers have exercised the option on about half of online orders.
“People are opting to use this at a great rate,” he says.
|JCB Laboratories installs contamination-monitoring system for compounded medications
|JCB Laboratories in Wichita has installed a new monitoring system that is designed to protect compounded medications from contamination.
JCB is a sterile compounding pharmacy that produces medications for hospitals and clinics mostly outside of Kansas.
The company says the new monitoring system is a response to new federal legislation that increases regulatory oversight of the compounding industry.
In November, the Senate passed a bill that gives the Food and Drug Administration more authority…
|AtlasMD’s software for direct-care doctors now available
|Wichita medical practice Atlas MD has launched the electronic medical records software it designed for direct-care practices.
The program is called Atlas.md EMR.
Atlas MD is a direct-care practice, sometimes also described as a concierge practice. The doctors don’t work with health insurance. Instead, they charge patients directly, with a monthly fee affording patients flexible access to the doctor in-person or through electronic communications. Each doctor has a load of no more than 600 patients.
|More than $500K still available for entrepreneurship tax credit after Kansas policy change
|As 2013 draws to a close, more than $500,000 in tax credits are still available for Kansans who donate to the programs of Network Kansas, an organization that helps provide entrepreneurs and small businesses with seed capital.
Donors who contribute receive a 75 percent state income tax credit.
Steve Radley, president and CEO of Network Kansas, says the state makes available up to $2 million in tax credits each year.
He says a larger-than-usual portion of the funds is remaining in December partly…
|Justin McClure Creative’s graphics to liven up CMT Artists of the Year show
|It’s a big night for country music in — where else? — Nashville as Country Music Television presents its CMT Artists of the Year Awards show Tuesday night. And some of the motion graphics that will be displayed during the live performances were created in Wichita.
Justin McClure Creative, which does motion graphics, animation and design work from Old Town, designed the motion graphics for Eric Church’s performance at the 2012 CMT Artists of the Year Awards. This year, McClure work will complement…
|Go Wichita launches new integrated website
|The Go Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched a livelier, more interactive website, GoWichita.com.
The new website aligns industry best practices and user-habit research to show the city’s breadth and beauty, Go Wichita President and CEO Susie Santo says in a news release. It was imperative to have a user-friendly site to showcase Wichita’s amenities as more people make their travel decisions online, she says.
After site traffic analysis and keyword research, Go Wichita developed…
|Cyber Monday sales gains expected nationwide and at Wichita’s OverstockArt.com
|About 131 million people were expected to shop online today in what’s become known as Cyber Monday, the day when holiday shoppers turn to online retailers for deals.
That’s according to the National Retail Federation, which is anticipating about a 2 percent increase today over the number of people who shopped online last year.
Growth is expected even though many — an estimated 141 million people — made online purchases during the long holiday weekend.
For Wichita-based OverstockArt.com,…


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Press Release – Paris, November 1st, 2023 – Nextlane, a leading innovator in automotive retail software solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Hartmut Wagner as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Wagner will assume his role as CEO, effective November 1st, 2023. This change in leadership comes as Nextlane continues its mission to help drive innovation and growth in the automotive industry.
Hartmut Wagner brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Nextlane. With a proven track record of successfully leading companies through periods of transformation and expansion, his appointment greatly aligns with Nextlane’s strategic objectives. Mr. Wagner has held senior positions in leading software and technology companies such as HP, Exact and Micro Focus and he was CEO for Collenda and, most recently, Serrala.
Julian Ciccalè, the current CEO of Nextlane, will transition from his role as CEO to join the Nextlane Board. Mr. Ciccalè’s visionary leadership has been instrumental in Nextlane’s journey to becoming a market leader in automotive retail software. His move to the board underscores his dedication to the company’s ongoing success, and his insight will continue to be an asset to Nextlane’s strategic decision-making process.
“We are delighted that Hartmut has agreed to help lead Nextlane through the next stage of its development” said Christian Stein, Managing Director at PSG. “We remain grateful to Julian Ciccalè for his outstanding contributions during his tenure as CEO and look forward to his continued participation on our Board.”
Hartmut Wagner commented on his new role, saying, “I am honored to join Nextlane at such an exciting time in its history. The automotive industry is rapidly evolving, and Nextlane is one of the organizations at the forefront of the industry’s transformation. I am eager to work with the talented team at Nextlane to help drive innovation and growth as we continue to provide outstanding solutions to our clients.”
Under Hartmut Wagner’s leadership, Nextlane will continue to focus on delivering advanced AI and cloud software solutions that empower automotive dealers and car manufacturers, enhance customer experiences, and drive business success.
Nextlane is a European leader in automotive retail software solutions. The company’s mission is to empower automotive dealers and car manufacturers to help drive business growth and enhance their customers’ experience through cutting-edge technology. Nextlane offers a comprehensive suite of software products that address various aspects of the automotive retail process, from vehicle inventory management to after-sales workshop management, accounting, and invoicing.


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Google has no reason to buy a Yellow Pages company. Does it? I’ve railed about this before, the sourcing at British newspapers is nearly as bad as second class blogs. Listen to this little bit of sourcing gymnastics:
The Independent newspaper in the U.K. reported today that a “market source heard talk of a 500 pence-per-share bid” for Yell by Google. Spokespeople for Yell and Google couldn’t be reached immediately to comment.
Jesus. And I woke up and thought that Google might buy Circuit City out of Chapter 11, so I printed it.
4 thoughts on “Please, Don’t Make Me Yell”
Unfortunately it has been forever so here in the UK! The press still lives by the old adage ‘Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story’
Yes, that mysterious “Mr Source” does get about a bit. Nearly as much as “Mr Insider”. Anybody that still believes hacks within the national press in Britain still look for two sources before printing are more than a little nieve.
Having said all of that i do believe that the quality of journalism in the UK remains higher than it is anywhere else in the world.
Its also true to say that some journalists at tabloids… of which the Indie seems to be trying to copy have vivid imaginations.
Guys, guys, guys… It is all down to a quiet week and some watercooler talk.. except that rather than talking about the new hot chick, they talk about Google’s next billion pound acquisition… Snip from the article…
“As the market donned tin hats for a second day of losses, only Yell Group had traders shouting about potential takeovers; the latest reheated bid story on a quiet week.”
“Another source said: “These rumours were doing the rounds about a year ago. Normally they would come out as idle chat on a quiet day.””
More seriously though… Yell would allow Google to exploit the UK SME/Corporate sector more effectively as Yellow Pages are still big business here. There’s a potentially lucrative match to be done with Google Maps but…
At USD 5 bn, Yell might be a bit too expensive for Google… Better invest elsewhere or wait for the stock prices to fall even more. As a footnote, Yell, unlike say Youtube, is all about Quality, not quantity. It is the 124th most visited website in the UK but managed to generate more than USD 4 bn worth of revenue in 2007 with profits of nearly 500m.
Just a few lines for your ramblings.
I am a former Yellow Book employee. It would not surprise me at all if Google decided to buy Yell for the entire package it would bring them. Especially with Yell being down 50% (aprx.) from where the were a year ago. Yell corporate has made a huge push in the last 12 months to really pump up online advertising from all customers. Yes, it could be to just improve overall profit, but it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if they were making themselves much more attractive for a “google” type company. $5 billion wouldn’t put a dent into Brin & Co’s fortune & it would give them a 5,000 person sales force to market to small/mid range businesses in major markets. We’ll just have to wait & see.


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Ford is bringing back the beloved 4x4 SUV. Here's what to expect.
Wouldn't it be awesome if these showed up again?
Let's hope the production model looks this good.
It'll still share a platform with the Everest, but Ford says the Bronco will be a completely different vehicle.
By posting photos of a two-door off-roader in the desert, Ford proves itself to be the ultimate Troller.
A Ford executive confirms the 2020 Bronco will share bones with the Ranger, and we engage in some well-sourced speculation.
At the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, Ford officially confirmed the Bronco will return in 2020 as a midsize off-road 4x4.
Work on the long-awaited SUV will be done alongside the next Ranger.
Political fact checking leads to great news for truck fans.
imagined what a Raptor-based Bronco could look like. Ford, if you're reading this, build it now!
Reports say the Bronco is coming back, and a Wrangler pickup is finally on its way. Which one would you choose?
Future Ford Bronco concept designed by the folks at Bronco6G.com hits all the right buttons
Buried in Ford's union contract proposal is mention of future plans to build the compact pickup and long-gone 4x4 at a US facility.


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At the Expo Centre Sharjah.
PHOTO BY SUPPLIED
SHARJAH – Shoppers still have two days left to avail of up to 80 percent discount on electronic and fashion items at Sharjah’s mega sale.
The Consumer Electronics Fashion (CEF) runs until December 3 at Expo Centre Sharjah and features popular brands in fashion, accessories, home appliances, smartphones and electronics.
The emirate’s “biggest ever mega sale” is now on its third year and hosts key retail players like Sharaf DG, Plugins, Jashanmal, Better Life, Splash, Sportone, and Top Fashion.
Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, said the launch of CEF coincides with Martyr’s Day, National Day and the Prophet’s birthday.
Al Midfa invited shoppers to take advantage of the discounts on offer. DAJ/Expat Media
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