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EDDIE HEARN SAY’S DAZN ARE FINANCIALLY SECURE. ‘NO WORRIES’
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As early as 2017, only a year after launch, reports started to surface that DAZN might be facing financial issues. With the expected difficulty of breaking into a new sector, the company brushed off suggestions of poor sales and ROI, return on investment, as part of the plan to play the long game. DAZN’s plan was always to play the long game, investing millions each year on their streaming service and building subscriptions, as they attempt to revolutionize sports broadcasting.
Then with DAZN managing to successfully reduce their debt burden from $980million to $275million between 2017 and 2018, helped by Len Blavatnik’s $848 million investment, speculation about their financial future abated for a while.
It’s normal for many big companies to operate in a state of debt while remaining successful, the lack of fluid finances usually due to investing heavily in things like marketing, assets and talent contracts, all of which are vital for future growth. As the adage goes ‘You have to spend money to make money’, so the fact that DAZN was in the red was not initially a sign for concern.
However, with the arrival of COVID-19 marketing the suspension of global sports events, DAZN might be faced with a very uncertain future. The investment they made that put them in a negative balance, was all well and good while money was still rolling in and their key assets i.e. massively expensive sportspeople, were still bringing them subscriptions. Now the money has stopped coming in though, DAZN has already spent millions acquiring contracts and investing in their streaming infrastructure, mainly with borrowed cash.
As many of us are all too aware, our creditors want their money, pandemic or not. Many of us are still making monthly payments on the car we’re not driving to work, the phone we’re basically only using for Twitter or Sky Sports with nothing all to watch but replays. Meanwhile, DAZN is stuck paying out millions for athletes, their servers that are running at 1%, office space that’s empty, and employees that aren’t working on anything.
As the COVID situation developed, DAZN announced to its creditors that the money owed would not be paid until sports resumed. At the weekend The Financial Times reported, “The global suspension of sports fixtures during the pandemic has seen some subscribers pause monthly payments. DAZN has also sought to defer payments it owes to sports leagues, citing the lack of live action.”
Len Blavatnik is currently looking for investment in DAZN, even willing to give up some stake in the company, to recover some of the money he has invested. The article in the Financial Times went on to report “Research group Enders Analysis has estimated DAZN’s financial commitments on securing sports rights total at least £3.7bn”.
Responding to questions regarding the article posted by the Financial Times at the weekend, Hearn took to Instagram live recently to quell the rumors, “Don’t believe everything you hear. Got meetings on Friday to sort the schedule… It ain’t ideal times for anybody. I mean if you’ve got a subscription company that thrives off live sport and there’s been no live sport, it’s obviously not the best… I think Mr. Blavatnik’s going to be just fine”.
Before the global pandemic shut the world down, I was incredibly skeptical of news surrounding DAZN’s financial issues. It’s common for rumors to spread when a company’s debt level is revealed to the public, as generally there is a lack of understanding about financial investment during a company’s growth phase and how it appears on the balance sheet.
Many Fortune 500 companies operate with low accounting liquidity, meaning that most of their financial assets are tied up in investments, during periods in which they are focusing on growth. The companies flow in and out of profitability in cycles, as they invest, grow, then reap the rewards.
The problem for DAZN right now is that they have invested, they’ve grown, but are now unable to reap their rewards. DAZN announced last year that 2019 and 2020 were to be times of strategic growth for them. The pay-off for them would have come towards the end of 2020 as all the huge events they had planned were completed.
We hope Eddie Hearn is right and that Len Blavatnik and his $3billion fortune are going to be ‘just fine’. Not because we have a soft spot in our hearts for Ukrainian billionaires, but because DAZN’s model of a set-price sports subscription service is only going to be good for sports fans worldwide if they can pull it off.


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Danny Spewak, WGRZ10:58 p.m. EDT June 29, 2015
It’s not easy finding a cheap Buffalo Bills ticket these days.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Nick Giammusso joined the ticket business at the perfect time in Buffalo: two decades ago, in the immediate aftermath of the Buffalo Bills’ Super Bowl run.
“They were selling tons of tickets,” Giammusso said. “And now, that excitement… we’re right back to where we were in the mid-90s.”
Giammusso, the President and CEO of VIPTix.com, began his work in the Buffalo market 21 years ago. Since then, his company has expanded nationwide, linking ticket buyers and ticket sellers together for a variety of sports and entertainment events. His website includes tickets for all 32 National Football League teams.
So far in 2015, only a handful of teams have more ticket demand than his hometown Buffalo Bills. The franchise has already broken a record for most season-ticket sales (more than 57,500), and single-game tickets are entirely sold out for the first seven home games. Therefore, when fans turn to Giammusso’s website on the secondary market, they’re having trouble finding cheap seats.
The cheapest ticket for the Bills’ home opener against Indianapolis on Sept. 13 runs about $140, nearly double the price Giammusso normally sees.
“It’s a lot different than what everyone’s been used to,” Giammusso said. “We’ve seen such crazy demand for the home opener.”
Turns out, only seven NFL teams have higher prices than the Bills on VIPTix.com. Fans in Green Bay will need to pay the most to see the Packers’ home opener ($361). The cheapest tickets reside in St. Louis ($45).
On StubHub, the cheapest listing for a ticket to the Bills’ home opener runs about $115.
Giammusso said this is the highest period of demand, however. Group tickets may go unsold and return to the ticket market, which would help provide some relief to fans.
“I’d probably say just wait a little bit. Just see what prices are doing,” Giammusso said. “They’ll come down a little bit.”pantai kuta bali
That’s what Dan Almasi is waiting for. A graduate of Lancaster High School and a current student at Buffalo State College, Almasi aims to make at least a home game or two each year.
“It’s tough, especially for a young college kid to afford,” Almasi said. “You can look at it positively and say, hey, if prices are going up, that means the team is going in the right direction. So that’s absolutely true. Hopefully, we’ll get what we pay for this year.”

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About Last Night: SVA's Fashion Photo Grads Take Over Milk Gallery
After a year of blood, sweat, and fashionably placed tears, the finest photographers from the School of Visual Art’s MPS Fashion Photography Class of 2015 finally saw their hard work pay off, at the opening to their exhibition right here at the Milk Gallery. As the wine was poured and people flowed into the gallery, the graduates hugged, cheered, and struck celebratory poses in front of their respective walls. Curated by Art + Commerce co-founder and managing director Jimmy Moffat, the exhibition was a low-key celebratory affair after a year-long intensive that challenged as much as it rewarded their art. I caught up with some of them as I weaved through the crowd of club kids, Instagram stars, and art fiends who had come out to support the photographers.
For Tory Rust, whose collection is fittingly called “I Take Pictures So I Don’t Have to Deal with Words,” the thought of any kind of interview was slightly alarming. Once I assured her that the coverage would be short, she dished on the inspiration behind her vibrant collection of work. “I really love color and I think it came from my childhood,” she explained. “I would wear a lot of mismatched clothes and used to paint my bedroom a new color every year.”
If childhood vibes inspired Rust’s collection of work, it was the subjects themselves that guided Sarah Murray’s wild portraits—including one of a 72-year-old British badass wearing her best bomber jacket. She explained that casting was the big draw for her when composing a shot. “I always look for someone who inspires me in a way that I can create a scene around them based on their character.”
Amidst all of the stories about their favorite subjects and what drew them to fashion photography, there was unanimous praise for the lessons they’d learned in the MPS program. Jae Eun Seok revealed that she was inspired by all of her classmates. “We all help each other because fashion photography isn’t working by myself,” she explained. “It’s a collaboration.” Murray gave a shoutout to the solid team they’d built, and revealed that the reason she went into the program was because it was the only one in the country and, hailing from Ohio, being able to work in New York was a huge draw. That was also the deciding factor for Rendy Mahardhika when I asked him about the program as well. His favorite part so far, though? “The exhibition and free booze!” As the night wound on, we found the illusive Jimmy Moffat enjoying a quiet moment in the back of the gallery and asked how he was enjoying the show he’d been putting together over the past few days.
“Love it,” he exclaimed before darting away into the packed crowd.
The SVA MPS Fashion Photography 2015 Graduate Exhibition will run from January 21 – 31 at Milk Gallery, 450 West 15th Street.
Stay tuned to Milk for more fashion photography.


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Triumph Motorcycles India will be launching the Bonneville Speedmaster in India on 27th February 2018. Here are the details.
Triumph Motorcycles India is all set to launch the Bonneville Speedmaster in India on 27th February, 2018. While the company sure did send us an invitation for the press launch of a new motorcycle on the said date, they did not confirm the motorcycle to be launched. Although, the image on the invitation is definitely that of the Speedmaster which we recently rode in the USA! Triumph has already confirmed that it will be launching the new-gen Tiger 1200 and the new-gen Tiger 800 in India along with the Bonneville Speedmaster. In fact, we recently rode the all-new Tiger 800 in the beautiful locales of Morocco as well.
The Bonneville Speedmaster therefore, will be the first motorcycle launch from Triumph in 2018, in India of course. The Speedmaster is inspired from the Bonneville Bobber, sharing some of the parts and components but gets different riding dynamics and a few changes to the look as well, most noticeably, the pillion seat with a chrome grab-rail. Apart from that, the Speedmaster gets all-LED lighting, cruise control, ride-by-wire, two riding modes (road and rain), ABS (anti-lock brakes), traction control and lots of customisation options as well.
It is powered by the same 1200 cc high torque parallel-twin engine which makes 76 bhp at 6,100 rpm and peak torque of 106 Nm at 6,000 rpm and is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The Speedmaster will be the most affordable cruiser from Triumph, when it is launched in India.
The Speedmaster will be the latest motorcycle to join Triumph’s modern classic portfolio in India and we expect the price to be around ₹ 10 lakh to ₹ 11 lakh. The Bonneville Bobber has been Triumph’s fastest selling motorcycle globally and the company hopes to replicate the same with the Bonneville Speedmaster in India as well.


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This year’s UKinbound conference was held in Bristol between 5-7 February. The three day event included business appointments, networking opportunities, panel debates and presentations from a range of industry experts. Discussions focused on sustainable travel and the challenges British tourism faces post Brexit.
Representing Visit Jersey were CEO, Keith Beecham and Head of Trade, Sarah Barton, who maximised the event to showcase Jersey to our industry partners, securing over 25 appointments at the B2B workshop, where more than 300 pre-scheduled appointments took place between buyers and supplier delegates.
Informal networking events held at the Bristol Museum and dinner under the wing of Concorde at Aerospace Bristol, extended the opportunity to share industry knowledge and meet new partners.
Read more about UKinbound’s predictions for the year ahead:


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mopay, a global leader in innovative payment solutions for online merchants, announced today an agreement with Smilegate West, the publisher of CrossFire, the world’s top-grossing free-to-play online game in 2013. CrossFire has been ranked #1 with about $1 billion revenue in a recent report from Superdata Research on top-earning free-to-play PC online games. Smilegate West is publishing CrossFire in all of the Americas. mopay provides the respective carrier billing infrastructure.
CrossFire came out as the surprise winner in the annual survey from New York-based Superdata Research, investigating the worldwide revenue of the most popular free-to-play games on the PC. The First Person Shooter CrossFire has been hugely popular in Asia and not only scores with its low bandwidth requirement and easy-to-play gaming experience but also with surprisingly high revenues for 2013.
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Now then, here’s an interesting thing. It’s well known that the Nexus range is made entirely of Google’s own, untarnished view of what Android phones should be like, without any additional interface on top. The last phone to be released in the range was the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and everyone seemed to love it, which is fair enough, really, ‘cos it was brilliant.
According to CNet, though, Google might be planning on expanding the Nexus range, ‘cos they apparently filed a patent back in January for a new sliding phone. And the thing is… it turns out that there’s a couple of rather compelling reasons to suspect this will indeed lead to a Nexus slidephone going on sale…
Firstly, there’s the fact that the patent application lists none other than Andy Rubin as the inventor. That is a name you should recognise instantly, what with him being so important in the Google world, but there’s more to it than just his name. Y’see, normally, a patent apparently takes roughly 18 months to go through.
This one was filed in January, and published in April. Thus, it’s been fast-tracked, and that fact alone is very telling.
So, one possible conclusion is that Google will be releasing a Nexus slidephone, and given how quickly it’s been patented, they plan on doing so soon. Maybe they’ll get Motorola to make it, who knows? The other possibility is that they’re patenting it, just for the sake of patenting it, and thus, they’re not releasing a Nexus slidephone. One of those two must be true, right?
No idea which one, of course, but I guess we’ll find out in the fullness of time…
More news as it happens! And be sure to subscribe now to get all the latest action from the world of mobile phones!


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York’s ultimate corner shop is back on the market.
Number 2 Coney Street, which was home to Burgins Perfumery for 137 years, was set to be reborn as a café.
The Lucky Days group planned to open its fourth branch in the ground floor building, on the corner of St Helen’s Square.
But it has now withrawn its change of use application, and the unit is open to offers once more.
Ten-year lease plan
Lucky Days planned to open a café and takeaway at the Coney Street outlet.
It was planning to take a ten-year-lease, transforming the basement into a seating area for 26 customers, and creating an outdoor seating area.
Owner Chris Holder told the Press that he encountered too many bureaucratic challenges in attempting to alter the building, which is Grade II listed.
He also said he was told he could only have enough outdoor seating for four people, rather than the 16 he had hoped for.
The property is now on the market again with Blacks.
The rent is put at around £45K a year, and the business rates £18.8K a year. That gives you two floors with a total of 607 sq ft of space.
The business was subsequently taken over by June Yeo and then Hanus Wolf in 2011.
Hanus closed Burgins in July 2017, saying that digital shopping, out-of-town stores and the decline of Coney Street had all played a part.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stroll past Burgins on a visit to York


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Supplemental Testing: Natural Products Groups Dispute Fraud Claims
With a high-profile attorney general taking aim at the nutritional supplements industry using a controversial type of testing, a key trade group plans to conduct testing of its own to counter “bad science” with “good science.”
DNA testing is a critical crime-solving tool for law enforcement. But does it make sense to uncover the ingredients in nutritional supplements? Although New York State’s attorney general thinks so, the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) says: Not so fast.
As part of an investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office, DNA tests were conducted on store-brand herbal supplements to determine whether the products contained the plants listed on the bottle. Overall, only 21 percent contained the listed ingredients, and 79 percent had no labeled content or contained material from other plants. Walmart, in particular, had a poor showing, with just 4 percent of its supplements showing DNA that matched the listed ingredients.
As a result, Schneiderman called on Walmart and three other retailers—Target, Walgreens, and GNC—to stop selling the products and to provide information about how the supplements they sell are produced, processed, and tested. Such supplements are not currently regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“The DNA test results seem to confirm long-standing questions about the herbal supplement industry. Mislabeling, contamination, and false advertising are illegal,” Schneiderman said in a news release. “They also pose unacceptable risks to New York families, especially those with allergies to hidden ingredients.”
(If you’re curious about the complete test results, The New York Times has those here.)
The American Botanical Council was quick to criticize the test results.
“DNA testing seldom is able to properly identify chemically complex herbal extracts as little or no DNA is extracted in many commercial extraction processes,” the association said in a statement. “Basing its actions on the basis of only one testing technology from only one laboratory, the NY AG results are preliminary and require further substantiation. Additional testing using microscopic analysis and validated chemical methods should be conducted to confirm the initial results upon which the AG is acting.”
Rather than taking the news—and the related negative publicity—lying down, UNPA plans to do some testing of its own. UNPA President Loren Israelsen said that the group is planning to purchase supplements at stores around the country and will have them tested at up to six certified botanical testing labs.
“They will perform universally accepted methods and procedures to test the products and will independently report their findings, which will be made public,” Israelsen told the Associated Press. “We feel the most appropriate response to bad science is good science.”
In comments to Natural Products Insider, Israelsen added that the group leaned on its members to assist.
“We issued a call to our members to fan out with the list of the products noted in the AG’s release, to purchase and forward to us those products on the view they may disappear off the shelf quickly and that the ‘evidence’ would disappear,“ he said.
In one case, it’s already too late. Walgreens has removed the supplements from store shelves to comply with Schneiderman’s request and likely won’t allow them to be tested.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)


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Panasonic has announced that its Lumix GH6 camera, which was due for release in late 2021, will not be released before early 2022.
Panasonic has released new firmware for its Lumix GH5 Mark II mirrorless M4/3 camera offering new capabilities and performance improvements.
Next month will see the release of the Panasonic Lumix S Series 35mm f/1.8 lens, which completes the planned series of four f/1.8 lenses for the L-Mount system.
Due for release next month, the new Panasonic BS1H full-frame box-style camera combines the cinematic video performance of the Lumix S1H with an easily-deployable box-style body.
Panasonic has unveiled a new large-aperture wide-angle fixed focal length Lumix S Series lens, the 24mm f/1.8 (S-S24).
The latest addition to the popular Lumix G Series is the Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.7 ASPH lens, which is due for release next month.
The first model in Panasonic’s G series of cameras to introduce high-quality wireless live video streaming plus pro-level video capabilities.
Next month will see the arrival of the new Lumix S 50mm f/1.8 (S-S50) lens for Panasonic’s L-Mount full-frame mirrorless camera system.
The new Panasonic GH5 Mark II is the first in the series to offer high-quality wireless live streaming plus expanded video capabilities.
Panasonic has announced the development of a new flagship for its Lumix G series of cameras, with a new high-speed M4/3 sensor and Venus Engine processor.


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NFIB Weekly NewsLeading the News Small Business Optimism Index Shows No Signs Of Recession (10/15/2019)
24/7 Wall Street (10/13, Ausick) reported on NFIB’s small business optimism index for September, noting that it “slipped from 103.1 in August to 101.8,” while showing “no sign of a recession.” NFIB President and CEO Juanita D. Duggan was quoted saying, “All indications are that owners are eager to do more, but they’re uncertain about what the future holds and can’t find workers to fill the jobs they have open,” while Chief Economist William Dunkelberg was quoted saying, “The persistence of unfilled job openings and reports of a deficiency of job applicants indicate that there is still substantial economic optimism about the economy on Main Street.”
Biryla: Corporate Transparency Act Onerous For Small Business, Unlikely To Be Effective Against Crime (10/15/2019)
NFIB New York state director Greg Biryla wrote in the Syracuse (NY) Post-Standard (10/8) that “it is highly questionable that” the Corporate Transparency Act “will do much to address global terrorism, trafficking or laundering operations, but it will certainly succeed in creating extensive and onerous new regulatory, reporting, and security burdens for hundreds of thousands of small business owners.” Biryla added that the measure “is a massive intrusion by government, and it would have a pronounced impact across Central New York. Nearly 80% of businesses in Central New York have fewer than 20 employees.”
September Small Business Optimism Falls, Yet Remains Historically High (10/08/2019)
NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index for September took a slight dip, falling by 1.3 points to 101.8. Nonetheless, the index maintained a historically high level, falling within the top quintile of all historical data. The index reflected continued job creation, investment, and spending, while the Uncertainty Index reflected high levels of concern, though “the survey shows no sign of a recession.” NFIB President and CEO Juanita D. Duggan was quoted saying, “As small business owners continue to invest, expand, and try to hire, they’re doing so with less gusto than they did earlier in the year, thanks to the mixed signals they’re receiving from policymakers and politicians. ... All indications are that owners are eager to do more, but they’re uncertain about what the future holds and can’t find workers to fill the jobs they have open.”
NFIB President Calls On Congress To Make Small Business Tax Cuts Permanent (10/08/2019)
NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan wrote in Fox Business (10/2) that “the 2017 tax cuts are a big win for small business,” as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act addressed small business owners’ concerns over federal business income taxes going back years. Duggan said most NFIB members that reported lower taxes invested the gains in their businesses, most commonly as pay raises for employees. However, a “growing concern” among members “is the future of the tax cuts,” most of which expire at the end of 2025. Duggan called on Congress to “make permanent its most important parts to small businesses, which means passing the bipartisan Main Street Tax Certainty Act.”
NFIB Quoted In Opinion Pieces (10/08/2019)
Former SBA Administration and The Latino Coalition chairman Hector Barreto wrote in Fox Business (10/5) that “while the stock market spikes and dips, small business...is steady and doing great. Small-business owners are feeling great about the future, too.” Barreto mentioned NFIB’s small business optimism index, saying it “has been at historically high levels since 2017.”
Consumer Spending Up 0.1% In August; Income Rose 0.4%, Savings Rose To 8.1% (10/01/2019)
The AP (9/27, Rugaber) reported the Commerce Department on Friday reported that US consumer spending rose “just 0.1% in August, the smallest gain in six months,” while “incomes rose at a solid pace” of “0.4%, up from a small gain in the previous month.” The AP added that “excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices ticked up 0.1%,” and “the savings rate rose to 8.1%, a sign that consumers have a healthy financial cushion and aren’t overspending.” Meanwhile, “the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge climbed just 1.4% in August compared with a year earlier, below its 2% target,” and it has “mostly been below that level since the target was adopted in 2012.”
Business Climate Trump Record Includes Near Double Historic Growth Rate In Corporate Profits (10/15/2019)
Bloomberg (10/12, Ponczek and Hajric) reported that since President Trump was elected, “annual S&P 500 profits have gone from $116 a share to an estimated $179.30 next year,” or “near twice the historical growth rate.” Overall, analysts estimated S&P profits would be $176.70 on the year, but estimates have now fallen to $162.90. Bloomberg suggested tariffs are responsible, but even with that result, “there’s no denying that corporate profits have surged” and quoted Edward Jones’ Nela Richardson saying, “If things were to persist, that’s a great legacy to stand on.”
Fed To Begin Short-Term Treasury Bill Buying Program (10/15/2019)
The AP (10/11, Rugaber) reported the Federal Reserve said last Friday that it will “buy short-term Treasury bills each month until the second quarter of 2020 to inject cash into the banking system and make it easier to control its benchmark lending rate.” The Wall Street Journal (10/11, Timiraos, Kiernan, Subscription Publication) reported the Fed will begin initial purchases of $60 billion in Treasurys over the month starting Tuesday. However, the New York Times (10/11, Smialek) reported Fed “is trying to convince the world that it is not a new round of” quantitative easing.
Fed Policymakers Expressed Concern Over Weakening Business Activity (10/15/2019)
The New York Times (10/9, Smialek) reported, “Several Federal Reserve policymakers, at their most recent meeting, voiced concern that weaker business activity and investment could lead to slower hiring and consumer spending,” according to minutes published Wednesday. They “expected the economy to continue growing steadily with the help of their rate cuts, the minutes showed,” but they were “increasingly worried about risks to that outlook from President Trump’s trade war, the threat of a chaotic British exit from the European Union and protests in Hong Kong.”
Reuters (10/10, Mutikani) reported that the Labor Department announced Thursday that “in the 12 months through September, the CPI increased 1.7% after advancing by the same margin in August.” Reuters said the announcement that consumer prices “were unchanged in September and underlying inflation retreated, support[ed] expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in October for the third time this year amid risks to the economy from trade tensions.” However, other data announced Thursday “showed an unexpected decline in the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits last week,” which could “complicate matters for the Fed amid divisions among officials on the appropriate response to the rising headwinds to growth.”
Job Openings At Lowest Level Since March 2018 (10/15/2019)
Reuters (10/9, Mutikani) reported US job openings “dropped by 123,000 to a seasonally adjusted 7.05 million in August, the lowest level since March 2018,” the government reported Wednesday. Reuters said the decline “suggest[s] employment growth was slowing largely because of ebbing demand for labor as the economy loses momentum.”
Powell: Despite Risks, Economic Outlook “Favorable,” Continued Growth “Most Likely” (10/15/2019)
Reuters (10/8, Schneider, Saphir) reported that on Monday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell “flagged openness to further rate cuts amid global economic risks, and said the time to allow the Fed’s asset holdings to begin to expand again ‘is now upon us’ in order to ensure money markets function smoothly.” In “comments...to the National Association for Business Economics,” Powell “did not commit to further rate cuts, and noted that the economic outlook remained ‘favorable’ and continued growth ‘most likely.’” Powell, however, also “repeated that as global risks evolve the Fed would move ‘as appropriate’ to keep the decade-old expansion under way.” The AP (10/8, Rugaber) quoteed Powell as saying, “At present, the jobs and inflation pictures are favorable,” but “there are risks to this favorable outlook.” Powell, adds the AP, was “referring specifically to the US-China trade war and Brexit,” and to the fact that “major overseas economies, such as Germany, are also stumbling.”
Small Business Marketing Capital One Survey: Small Business Owners Confident, Even As Recession Concerns Mount (10/15/2019)
In continuing coverage, the Motley Fool (10/9, Kline) reported that the new Capital One Small Business Growth Index shows that nearly two-thirds of small business owners believe current business conditions are “good or excellent,” even as 43% of respondents “say they are concerned that a recession will impact the success of their business in the next year.” There is considerable overlap between the two groups, according to the article, with the Capital One survey finding that there are many “who believe that conditions are good or excellent now but also feel that a recession may be coming.”
Fintechs Increase Small Business Lending (10/15/2019)
Eden Amirav, CEO and co-founder of Become, wrote in Payments Source (10/9) that many small businesses are “crunched for credit, but where traditional banks have failed to meet entrepreneurs’ needs, a rising breed of fintech upstarts are starting to fill the void.” Amirav pointed to the recent launch of Stripe Capital as an “encouraging preview of how this new breed of lenders can help fuel small business growth through a tech- and data-savvy approach.” While he argued Stripe’s move to “start offering loans to its merchants represents a step in the right direction,” Amiraz believes that “to truly succeed, lenders like Stripe will need to expand their lending to small businesses beyond their own merchants.”
Study: Banks Failing To Meet The Needs Of SME Clients (10/15/2019)
Bank Innovation (10/8) reported that a new study from Forrester Research has found that banks “should be leaning more on digital than human” as they turn their attention to small business clients, arguing that “banks should be investing more in digital services that make onboarding processes simpler for their small and medium-sized business clients (SMEs).”
Stripe’s Move Into Small Business Lending Questioned (10/15/2019)
The Financial Times (10/9, Subscription Publication) questioned Stripe’s move into small business lending amid growing signs of a recession. The piece said investors should raise objections to offering loans to risky borrowers.
Banking-As-A-Service For Small Business Lending On The Rise (10/08/2019)
LendIt (10/4) reported, “most small banks and credit unions do not have the resources to build a fully digital small business lending experience so they often lose this business to fintechs and big banks.” The piece said Streetshares “offers a lending-as-a-service solution specifically targeted at these smaller financial institutions to help them compete with the larger players; it is not just about competing with larger banks, companies like PayPal and Square are some of the largest small business lenders in the country now and they are offering a completely digital lending experience.”
Community Banks See Bright Future Even With Wall Street Uncertainty (10/08/2019)
Reuters (10/3, Schneider) reported that “the view from Wall Street may be all trade wars, tariffs and uncertainty these days, but ask a Main Street banker and things are pretty darn good.” A healthy housing market, growing small business sector, and solid consumer spending levels have supported most banks throughout the country, even as declining global trade levels weigh on Wall Street. At a recent conference hosted by the St. Louis Fed, Conference of State Bank Supervisors executive Michael Stevens said that Fed officials have “continually made the point that the economy is on a strong footing. Employment is strong. The household sector is strong. When you get down to that local level – I see consistency” with the Fed’s view of a continued household-driven expansion.
Wages and Benefits District Judge Expected To Rule On H-2A Minimum Wage Injunction (10/15/2019)
The Salem (OR) Capital Press (10/10, Wheat) reported from Richland, Washington that US District Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr. is expected to “rule soon on a request from tree fruit growers for a preliminary injunction to halt an increase in the minimum wage for tree fruit workers.” During arguments on October 9, Mendoza “said he understands harvest is underway and that a decision is needed quickly, said Peter Spadoni, a Wenatchee attorney representing McDougall & Sons Inc. and Columbia Fruit Packers Inc., both of Wenatchee, and Evans Fruit Co., of Cowiche.”
Amazon Faces New Suit Over Overtime, Wage Claims In Federal Court In Washington State (10/15/2019)
Bloomberg Law (10/10, Dailey, Mulvaney, Subscription Publication) reported a new suit filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington by a driver employed by an Amazon Delivery Services Partner claims the e-commerce company is responsible for overtime claims from drivers. The suit argued Amazon is more of a joint employer to these drivers than a purchaser of services from the DSP company and “is the latest to argue the Seattle-based online retailer should be liable for overtime and minimum wage violations,” the story reported. Amazon “has been the subject of litigation over joint employment for the work it contracts out, including cases in Florida, California and North Carolina,” Bloomberg Law added.
WSJournal Analysis: Social Security Discussion Has Shifted Left (10/08/2019)
The Wall Street Journal (10/5, Rubin, Davidson, Subscription Publication) reported the discussion over social security has shifted to the left, with the President having ruled future benefit reductions out and Democrats having united behind greater taxes and bigger benefits.
Warren Unveils Plan To Raise Wages, Strengthen Worker Rights And Unions (10/08/2019)
The Hill (10/3, Klar) reported, “Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) unveiled a plan to raise wages and strengthen the rights of workers to organize on Thursday” as part of her presidential campaign. If elected, the Senator “said she would sign an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay a $15-per-hour minimum wage, and she said she’d push Congress to pass a $15-per-hour minimum wage for all workers, including disabled workers and tipped workers.” She would also “prohibit states from adopting ‘right to work’ laws, and that she would back ‘card check’ rules strongly opposed by business groups that would make it easier for unions to organize workers by allowing a union to be certified if a majority of employees sign union cards or otherwise offer support.”
Study Finds 70% Of US Workers Likely To Quit Within A Year At $7.25 Minimum Wage (10/01/2019)
CNBC (9/25) discussed turnover for small business, saying a recent analysis found “employees earning $7.25/hour (the current federal minimum wage) have a 70% chance of leaving within a year.” This is more “than double the average turnover rate of 32%.” CNBC said the study comes “alongside the recent passage of the Raise the Wage Act in the U.S. House of Representatives,” which “proposes a gradual increase to the federal minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $15/hour by 2025.”
States “Scrambling” To Fund Job-Training Programs As Older Adults Increasingly Work Past 65 (10/01/2019)
The Chicago Tribune (9/24, Henderson) published a piece by “Stateline,” reporting that more and more US workers are continuing to work past the age of 65, “both out of financial necessity and to stay busy.” The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts this trend will increase over the next 10 years, projecting that the share of older adults working or looking for jobs will rise from 19.6% in 2018 to 23.3% in 2028. The article says “states are scrambling to fund more job-training programs” for older adults, such as the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which “pays minimum wage to people 55 and older to work for nonprofits and public organizations, such as schools and hospitals, while they gain skills and references for the open job market.” SCSEP “requires participants to have incomes no more than 125% of the poverty level.”
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SGL Carbon SE, the lightweight-materials maker backed by BMW, will book a writedown and cut 500 jobs as the slumping auto and aerospace sectors rely less on carbon fiber.
Structural changes in some markets combined with COVID-19 mean SGL Carbon’s mid-term prospects are lagging behind expectations, the German company said in a statement Thursday.
The supplier will book an impairment of as much as 100 million euros ($118 million) in the fourth quarter.
Torsten Derr has had a tumultuous start to his campaign as CEO at the company. Appointed just as the pandemic hit, the former Lanxess and Bayer executive is seeking to pare costs at a company that has regularly disappointed investors including BMW and Volkswagen Group. Its shares have plunged 74 percent since the start of 2018.
When BMW invested in SGL Carbon in 2011, it was keen to secure a supply of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics to trim the weight of models such as the i3 full-electric hatchback.
But while the material is lighter and stronger than steel, it’s also costly and cumbersome to work with and recycle.
In 2017, BMW announced it would exit a joint venture with SGL.
The automaker’s upcoming iX electric SUV, which goes into production next year, will not rely as heavily on carbon fiber as the i3.


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As Sofia Digital celebrates its 23rd birthday in May 2023, it takes a moment to reflect on its transformative journey. From its roots as a spinoff from a government-funded innovation project in 2000 to its current position as a global leader in the digital television landscape, the company’s story is one of resilience, innovation and growth. A constant spirit of adaptation has allowed Sofia Digital to navigate technological change and industry challenges, while its commitment to standards like Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) has provided a steady foundation for its diverse service offerings. Through significant technological shifts, strategic partnerships and the steadfast support of its dedicated employees, Sofia Digital continues to redefine interactive television services and shape the future of the industry.
Founded in May 2000 as a spinoff from a project funded by Tekes (now Business Finland), a Finnish government agency supporting research and innovation, Sofia Digital embarked on a mission to revolutionize interactive television services. Collaborating with Finland’s leading broadcasters and operators, including Sonera (now part of Telia), Elisa, Veikkaus and Nokia, the company quickly garnered attention and investment. With initial seed capital provided by Elisa Ventures and multiple rounds of investment from venture capital company Sentica, Sofia Digital hit the ground running, determined to make its mark in the digital television landscape.
In August 2001, Sofia Digital launched the world’s first DVB-MHP service – an interactive technology for televisions at the time. Participants from the initial research project were also involved in the DVB-MHP service delivery, with the first major international DVB-MHP delivery to Italy taking place in 2003.
However, DVB-MHP standard development ceased in 2003, posing a challenge for Sofia Digital. The company pivoted to DVB-H technology for Nokia, launching a Mobile TV/DVB-H product in 2007. The product won the Best of IBC award and attracted the South African company Multichoice as a customer. Despite being showcased at the Mobile World Congress, DVB-H was discontinued in 2012, marking the second technology selection failure for Sofia Digital.
Sofia Digital’s CEO, Ari Pöyhtäri remembers the first decade of the company as colorful and full of ever-changing situations. “There were plenty of setbacks, and at some points the outlook was not very promising. But I think it eventually only made us stronger”, Ari reflects.
Throughout these challenges, testing services remained a crucial part of the company’s service portfolio. Since 2006, Sofia Digital has provided Nordic television testing for television manufacturers entering the Finnish market and currently serves as the custodian of the Finnish Cable Ready and Antenna Ready logo testing regimes.
The maturation of digital television, enhanced TV hardware capabilities, and faster networks catalyzed Sofia Digital’s strategic shift towards smart TV and HbbTV technologies. Hybrid Broadcast Broadband Television (HbbTV) made its debut in 2012, with Sofia Digital actively participating in its development from the onset. This commitment bore fruit by 2014 as the company secured multiple international HbbTV clients across diverse countries such as Estonia, Hungary, Turkey, Malaysia and Singapore, heralding a new era of growth. The increased popularity of smart TVs with native application stores around 2015 further propelled Sofia Digital’s success. Today, the company boasts a global clientele, delivering smart TV applications to numerous customers worldwide.
An enduring pillar of Sofia Digital’s success has been its work with Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) standards and broadcast headend technology, a foundation laid since its inception in 2000. The company’s expertise in DVB has resulted in deliveries across the globe. A notable example is MyTV in Malaysia, which powers the national network using Sofia Digital’s technology. As the industry shifts from traditional broadcasting networks to the internet, Sofia Digital continues to break new ground, pioneering the implementation of DVB-I. The company’s sustained commitment to DVB technology underscores its ability to adapt and innovate within a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Sofia Digital has experienced profitable growth since 2015, reporting a turnover of 3.1 million euros for 2022. The company has also received numerous accolades for its fiscal responsibility, including the Strongest in Finland Platinum award (2019–2022) from Asiakastieto Ltd as well as the Menestyjät certificate, awarded to the most successful Finnish companies by the country’s leading financial newspaper, Kauppalehti, for five consecutive years. Sofia Digital has maintained a triple A credit rating since 2020, demonstrating its resilience and adaptability in the face of technological change.
“After all these years, I’m happy that we have finally found a track for sustainable growth. One of the key factors has been the stabilization of industry technologies. However, the ones we should be most grateful to are our loyal customers and skilled employees. I’m delighted to see many of our employees have been part of our team from the beginning. Recently, we’ve even welcomed back some who had left earlier. So it seems we’re doing something right,” Ari celebrates in his modest Finnish style.
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Apple has recently confirmed that there will be two new additions to its staff: Jamie Elricht and Zack Van Amburg, two familiar faces at Sony Pictures Television who now become part of the Apple team. Among their exploits, it is worth mentioning that were production assistants in prestigious and well-known series such as Breaking Bad or their prequel Better Call Saul.
The company of the apple has been saying for a long time that they intend to create a list of original programs, in the purest Netflix or HBO style, and everything seems to point to these two men, Elricht and Vam Amburg, as the leaders of this new project.
New faces in Apple, but with experience in Sony
We all know that Cupertino’s guys work on their new projects in detail and keep everything under tight control, so it’s not surprising that for this new challenge of creating original content they have counted on people specialized in the field.
Erlicht and Van Amburg with Bryan Cranston (Walter White from “Breaking Bad”)
“Jamie and Zack are two of the most talented television executives in the world and have been instrumental in developing the golden age of television. We have exciting plans in place for customers and we can’t wait for these two professionals to start demonstrating their expertise at Apple,” said Eddy Cue, senior vice president of software and Internet services at Apple. Van Amburg’s response was quick: “Apple has an insatiable thirst to delight customers with its products. We couldn’t be more excited about what’s coming up,” said the former Sony Pictures Television.
Netflix, get ready here is Apple
The incorporation of these two television production professionals comes shortly after the presentation of Apple’s first series, The Planet of the Apps, which suggests that California wants to make a strong commitment to the development and creation of original content. If at this year’s WWDC they already surprised us with the presentation of a series, now the arrival of Jamie Elricht and Zack Van Amburg confirms the suspicions: Apple does not want to be left behind and intends to offer its users services similar to those offered by the popular Netflix, and to do so it will have two of the best professionals Sony had on staff.
“Planet of the Apps” is the first series produced by Apple.
I personally believe that all innovations are good, at least in the first instance, and should be welcomed, or at least given the opportunity to demonstrate whether or not they are worthwhile. Netflix is today a giant when it comes to producing original series and of course Apple is going to have a hard road ahead if it wants to compete with this platform, but as Steve Jobs said at the time: “Innovation distinguishes leaders from followers”.
What do you think of these two new additions? Did you know them? Do you think they can bring experience to Apple’s new project?


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Here’s a list of 52 black-owned beauty suppl stores in the country, courtesy of OfficialBlackWallStreet.com. Ace Beauty Supply 12805 Prairie Ave, Hawthorne, California 90250 (310) 978-4452 Annie’s Beauty Supply 920 22nd St. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33712 (727) 343-9582 Atlanta Beauty Depot 2388 Cobb Pkwy SE, Smyrna, Georgia 30080 (770) 916-1990 Beaute’ Mark Beauty Supply […]
You won't find perfect, bouncy curls in this ad.
Delicia Taylor claims she was left bald after using L’Oreal’s SoftSheen-Carson Optimum Alma Legend No-Mix, No-Lye Relaxer, TMZ writes.
Imagine you get a call from the Today Show producers to model in their beauty segment live on television. That’s exactly what happened for Malyia McNaughton last week. She met with YouTube celebrity Deepica Mutyala to prepare for their summer hairstyles that could be mastered in 60 seconds segment. The two mapped out a plan about which style […]
A video captures a Black woman confronting a White Man about his dreadlocks, accusing him of cultural appropriation. The incident happened on San Francisco State University's campus. School officials are investigating.
President Obama speaks out on how our culture has affected black women and the beauty standards they currently face.
No, they're not "boxer braids."
The photo, which has since been taken down, was flooded with negative and racist comments about Lagum's natural pout.
Customer Antonio Robinson said he was shocked when he noticed one employee dipping her hair into a pot of water in the same area where food was being prepared last week.
In I-am-sad-to-even-have-to-write-about-this-today reporting, a Kenyan blogger wrote a post about how natural hair is ugly.
An eighth-grader was reduced to tears and utter embarrassment last week when she was sent to the principal’s office for simply wearing her natural hair.…
Woodlands Elite Cheer removed 11-year-old Makayla Fallaw from their roster for refusing to straighten her hair. Jenny Fallaw said her daughter joined the team in April and was never told until recently to straighten her hair for competitions.


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Gionee Marathon M5 Plus India price announced at launch
Gionee’s Marathon M5 Plus smartphone was unveiled at a December event in China, and it was expected that it would also become available for other markets. Some months later we know now the Gionee Marathon M5 Plus India price as announced at the launch for the country.
When the M5 Plus launched in China it was priced at the equivalent of Rs. 25,575. That doesn’t always reflect the final price when a device arrives for sale in another region, but this time it wasn’t too far out. The confirmed Gionee Marathon M5 Plus India price is Rs. 26,999 and it will be available in Champagne Gold or Polar Gold colors. The phone will be on sale soon across India.
Specifications of the Marathon M5 Plus include a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6753 64-bit octa-core processor with Mali-T720 graphics. It has a large 6-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 featuring 2.5D curved glass. The phone has 3GB of RAM, 64GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD to 128GB), and a sizeable 5020 mAh battery. The battery has fast charging and is claimed to last for up to 34 hours on standby.
Further specs include a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF, LED flash, and 1080p video capture, and at the front there’s a 5-megapixel shooter. Connectivity is well covered as it supports 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, USB Type-C, and GPS. The dual SIM phablet runs the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system with Amigo UI 3.1.
The Marathon M5 Plus measures 160.9mm x 81.2mm x 8.4mm, and weighs in at 208g. It features DTS audio as well as a fingerprint scanner built-in to the Home button, and it’s an attractive looking handset with a metal build. Are you pleased to hear of the Gionee Marathon M5 Plus India launch? What are your thoughts on the price of this smartphone?


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Linksys & StarHub, announced the exclusive launch of the Linksys Velop MX4200 WiFi 6 Mesh System router in Singapore
The Linksys AXE8400 takes advantage of the newly opened 6GHz band, to reduce congested, unsteady Wi-Fi connections and delivers more bandwidth to consumers’ homes for clearer, faster networks and strengthened reliability.
Sony have announced the arrival of the FX3 camera that combines the best of Sony’s industry-leading digital cinema technology with advanced imaging features from Alpha™ mirrorless cameras to create the ultimate cinematic look. The FX3 will be available at Sony Store – 313@somerset, Sony Store online and Cathay Photo from April 2021.. Prices will be announced at a later
The limited time premium Mac app bundle from Parallels is only available from 17 February 2021, Wednesday, to 1 March 2021, Monday and can be purchased here & will be priced at US$79.99.
“Engineerforce,” a SaaS system that calculates estimated man-hours by AI for IT engineers, on January 27th, 2021.
The World Photography Organisation announces the shortlisted photographers in the Student and Youth competitions of the Sony World Photography Awards 2021.
Maybank #HeartofSG campaign accumulated over $111,000 in donations, with every dollar going directly towards the President’s Challenge Empowering for Life Fund (ELF)
DPEX released its 2021 Data Protection Trends Report for ASEAN taking into account the impact of COVID-19 and digitalisation
870 EVO in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB will be available at a recommended retail price (RRP) of $69 onwards
When COVID-19 cases began surfacing in the country and well before WHO had declared the illness a pandemic. In response, companies and organizations across the country have had to rapidly adapt to working from home, adopting a range of online collaboration tools along the way.


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Tata Power, India’s largest integrated power company, as part of its commitment towards sustainability and another green milestone has launched the first Electric Vehicle charging station in Mumbai. The facility is located at Tata Power Receiving Station in Vikhroli.
Tata Power has taken this initiative of providing charging stations along with Mass – Tech Controls. The company aims to build a network of such charging stations to make it easier for people to adopt Electric Vehicles and be future ready. These charging infrastructures will help the country achieve its ambitious plan of mass scale shift to electric vehicles by 2030.
“We are proud and happy with the launch of Electrical Vehicle Charging stations as Tata Power continues to set a high standard in adopting sustainable practices by using innovative technology, providing customers access to energy-efficient processes. We are moving towards clean power for all and it is our endeavour to provide best of the solutions for our country to achieve a greener tomorrow”, commented Mr. Anil Sardana, CEO and MD, Tata Power.
These charging facility would facilitate electric car owners to charge their cars at any time safely and conveniently. The chargers can also monitor the car battery charging status and units consumed while charging a car. The company plans to set up charging stations at various locations in Mumbai and is already in discussions with various stakeholders.
Currently, in India customers have a limited choice of electric cars which includes the Mahindra e2o and the Mahindra eVerito. In future, it is expected that Tesla and Nissan will bring in their electric vehicles to India as well. The likes of Mahindra, Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki are focusing heavily on developing battery powered products for the country.


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Apple will not be forced to bend its App Store payments policy with immediate effect, after an appeals court heeded to Apple’s plea and granted a stay on the initial ruling that was given on the Apple vs Epic Games case.
Earlier this year, the iPhone maker was ordered by a district court to allow developers to accept payments through external links. The ruling essentially bypassed Apple’s restriction of using its own payment method for in-app purchases, through which the company earns a commission.
Appealing against this verdict, Apple argued that enabling such a feature for developers would require the company to build a payments infrastructure that accepts purchases outside the App Store, which would, at the very least, require time.
A statement by Mami Goldberg, Apple spokesperson, reportedly says that the company thinks making such a change “would have created new privacy and security risks, and disrupted the user experience.”
Apple took the privacy stance in its defence of anti-competitive practice allegations made by Epic Games. The latter alleged that Apple runs a monopolistic service that does not allow developers a fair route to ply their trade -- without paying a hefty chunk of their earnings to Apple. Epic also claimed that Apple’s “walled garden” approach was crushing any notion of competition, thereby not allowing iOS users the freedom to choose how to pay for services.
Apple, in its defence, cited examples of privacy and security breaches across both its rival software ecosystem, Google’s Android, and even its own macOS. Apple’s software engineering chief, Craig Federighi, had argued that while macOS allows third party download sources, it is significantly more vulnerable to software breaches than iOS.
Apple’s chief executive officer (CEO), Tim Cook, had also argued that a major chunk of developers on the App Store were below the minimum annual revenue cut, after which Apple charges a commission to the publishers of apps and services. He further defended Apple’s commission rate by stating that the amount counted as royalty for using a proprietary web platform that Apple had built by itself.
The company has now won the appeal, meaning that it will not be compelled to allow developers the ability to send external payment links through apps -- at least until its appeal is heard in court. However, the appeals court did not issue a stay on a second part of the order against Apple, which stated that it will have to start allowing developers a way to communicate with its users directly, if it collects voluntary information from its users.
Facebook, notably, introduced a creator programme recently that bypasses Apple’s in-app payment process by directly mailing a payment link to users. Going forward, it remains to be seen how such processes are affected, and what the verdict of Apple’s appeals against the Epic verdict eventually reads.


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The largest wallet provider, Blockchain, partnered with the largest bitcoin payment processor, BitPay.
A large donation to a non-profit working to protect the Amazon rainforest has been blocked by compliance hurdles at crypto payments firm BitPay.
BitPay processes about $5 million in bitcoin for real estate transactions through international and domestic individuals and firms.
Online electronics and software retail giant Newegg has expanded bitcoin payments to nearly all of its served countries in partnership with BitPay.
Poland's first cryptocurrency exchange queries users about why they use their loot.
You can now pay your AT&T bill with crypto.
Income tax payers in the U.S. now have the option to receive their federal and state refunds in bitcoin through Bitpay and Refundo.
Avnet, one of the world's largest distributors of electronic components and services, is now accepting crypto payments through BitPay.
U.S.-based crypto payments processor BitPay says it processed over $1 billion-worth of transactions last year.
Birks Group, one of the oldest luxury jewelry retailers in Canada, is now accepting bitcoin payments at eight of its stores.


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As the TikTok negotiations run into trouble, President Trump has indicated he has no intention of extending a ban deadline of September 15.
TikTok has earned the ire of US officials with repeated accusations of privacy and security violations. As a result, officials have repeatedly labeled it a threat to national security and Trump announced a ban that is scheduled to go into effect September 15.
Microsoft and Walmart joined forces and emerged as early frontrunners to buy the social media platform’s US operations. Oracle also expressed interest, with Trump speaking favorably about a possible deal. Unfortunately, for the first time in years, the Chinese government altered its export rules to prohibit selling technologies that include AI, impacting TikTok’s algorithm.
It’s unclear if a deal will be able to be reached, although Trump has made it clear there will be no extension granted.


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Recently, Chevy went public about a series of modified show cars that they are planning to bring to SEMA this year. The most exciting of which being a pair of Camaros. The new Black Accent and Red Accent editions are based on the new sixth-generation 2016 Camaro SS model.
The Black Accent concept is based on a red Camaro SS coupe and features a blacked out aero kit, fuel cover and bowtie badge, as well as satin black stripes and darkened tail lamps. This concept also has dropped suspension, 20 inch wheels, air intake and a red engine cover.
The Red Accent starts out as a Camaro SS Convertible with leather interior, blacked out bowtie badge, dropped suspension, 20 inch alloy wheels, hash-mark fender graphics, custom grille and done up with red and silver trim.
The Accent concepts are being displayed to showcase some of the accessories that Chevy is offering the new Camaro models, and will be presented at SEMA along with modified versions of the Malibu, Sierra, Sparx, Sierra and Trax.


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Michael just sent me a link to an article at the Boston Globe’s website about the FleetCenter’s naming rights going up for auction on eBay after Bank of America decided to pay a small pocket of change (about $3M) to get out of the buiding’s naming rights contract that they inherited after acquiring Fleet Bank. Proceeds from each of the single day naming rights will go to charity. There’s no mention of specific charities in the article. As of the time I’m writing this, there are six days days up for auction with the highest bid at $3,050.
The highest bidders won’t get to change the giant FleetCenter sign overlooking the highway. But they will get an assortment of perks, including their names on the FleetCenter’s website, its Jumbotron, and a message for callers to the automated phone system, which will say ”Thank you for calling the ‘YourCenter.’ They also will get four tickets to the day’s game or show, and a framed photo collage and a certificate, and a ”special surprise gift package.”
Update:The fine print on each of the listings mentions that “net proceeds will go to FleetCenter Neighborhood Charities (FCNC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit private foundation that benefits outreach initiatives focused on children and families in the Greater Boston area.”


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Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Bank of England - Interest Rates
Continuing on from yesterdays post of the UK inflation figures, the Bank of England has decided to keep interest rates at its historic low of 0.5%.
The policymakers voted to keep the rates the same to keep in line with their medium term goals.
Thanks for the comments yesterday, I'll explain some of these terms:
The CPI (Consumer Price index) and RPI (Retail Price Index) is how the Government (UK in this sense) measures inflation; they measure the price of household goods and compare them year on year.
Raising the Interest rates means there will be a higher cost in borrowing money, yet the value of the currency will increase, increasing the incentive to save (a savings account will have a higher interest rate).
Interest rates were cut in many countries (USA, UK e.g.) to stimulate economic growth because of the banking crisis.


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Hungary: FEPE 56th Annual Congress in Budapest, More speakers announced
In addition to Dave Trott as our key note speaker, FEPE are very pleased to announce further speakers today.
Nancy Fletcher, President and CEO of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America will be returning to the FEPE stage to update us on the American OOH industry.
For more than 20 years, Nancy Fletcher has been responsible for leading the out of home advertising industry’s legislative, marketing, and product improvement efforts. As an attorney and former media company executive,
Fletcher is ideally suited to meet the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. During her tenure as OAAA president & CEO, out of home advertising revenues have tripled and market share has doubled, in no small measure due to industry advancements and unity formed and fostered under her care.
Before joining OAAA, Nancy served as senior vice president for Patrick Media Group, the largest out of home media company of its time. She also spent more than a decade with Naegele Outdoor Advertising in various capacities including president/general manager of the Minneapolis/St. Paul division and general counsel for the parent corporation. Before joining the out of home industry, she worked as a young lobbyist at the Minnesota legislature.
Annie Rickard, Global CEO of Posterscope will also be with us in Budapest.
Annie was a founder of Posterscope UK and, since 2001, has led the development of the global network which is now Posterscope Worldwide. The network now has over 600 people, in 48 offices around the world. Annie is passionate about being a pioneer for the medium looking for new opportunities for advertisers that better integrate the medium with search, mobile, content and transaction.
Annie last spoke at FEPE in Milan in 2012 and a lot has happened in OOH since then so we are loking forward to her insights on the current global issues facing our industry.
The 56th FEPE Congress, titled "Your Audience is Waiting", will be held between Wednesday June 10th and Friday June 12th at the Intercontinental Hotel, Budapest.
As always there will be 2 full days of presentations and high calibre speakers from across the world, all of whom will be bringing their unique viewpoints on the Out of Home industry.
Last year's congress in Vienna was FEPE's best yet, with over 300 delegates attending from 31 countries, both new records for us.
There will be an exclusive exhibition area attached to the main congress hall, and spaces are now available to reserve. If you are a supplier who wishes to get your product in front of an audience of global OOH decision makers please email us soon so we can hold a space for you.
The Thursday night Gala Dinner, in keeping with the FEPE tradition of finding special locations, will be at the Buda Castle, (which is also the National Gallery) one of Budapest's foremost buildings, and the Friday night social evening will be at a dinner cruise down the river Danube, taking in all the sights of Budapest for 3 hours.
As usual we have negotiated a special delegate rate for the hotel rooms and delegates are able to pay by credit card or bank transfer, which we hope will make bookings easier for some overseas delegates.
You can register by following the link here
FEPE members all recieve an additional €500 discount so if you are considering attending with colleagues and are not a member, please get in touch so we can organise the most cost effective package for you.
Speakers and other details will be announced in future newsletters.
OOH follows TV as 'most trustworthy' medium
Consumers rate out-of-home as the next most trustworthy medium to TV, according to a new study by FEPE International.
The research, carried out by Future Foundation on behalf of FEPE International, revealed that 28% of consumers find television advertising 'most trustworthy', followed by 24% for OOH and 22% for press. Conversely, just 3% find online advertising the most trustworthy medium.
When asked which types of advertising are the most memorable, 46% of the 1,000 respondents from the UK, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa, voted for TV, 34% OOH and 7% press. Similarly, online scored a low 4%.
The research also revealed that half of urban consumers agree with the statement, 'I like it when I see advertisements for products I already own,' increasing to 54% for those aged 18-34.
The 'post-purchase reassurance' effect was particularly marked in technology products, which the report says highlights that OOH is a "trusted ad medium."
Commenting on the research, FEPE International's executive director, John Ellery, said: "We're all aware of the power of TV and the growth of online advertising. But this major research study shows that out-of-home is a major force in the digital age as it is so highly valued by consumers.
"The growth of digital outdoor and NFC technology that allows consumers to interact with digital posters will only accelerate this trend."
We would also like to direct you to the new FEPE bookstore, (link in the top menu) set up in collaboration with Amazon.
We have collected together information on many books relating to Out of Home advertising, research, historical and more generic advertising. If you click on any link in the store you will be taken directly to Amazon's site where you can buy the item in the usual way, assuming you have an Amazon account.
We hope that anyone visiting the store will find something of interest to them, but if you think we have forgotten a particular book, please email us the details and we'll add it in.
FEPE is always open to new members
If you are an Out of Home media owner, Supplier to the OOH industry, National Out of Home Association or Agency we will welcome you to our Federation. Membership forms can be found under the membership tab, or please email us for further details.


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DUBAI: New York Fashion Week is in full swing and the Hadid sisters have been spotted all over the city, along with the likes of hijab-wearing model Halima Aden.
US designer Tom Ford opened New York Fashion Week on Thursday with his signature high-gloss swagger, but he is one of a dwindling number of heavyweights showing his stuff in the Big Apple, AFP reported.
New York is the first stop in the world’s runway carnival that heads to Milan, London and Paris, but little by little, the top names in the biz are foregoing a stateside catwalk show.
The 57-year-old Ford, who turned out a fairly restrained collection last season, went for more of the same this time out.
Ford went back to the archives of his fall-winter 1996 collection for Gucci which, by his own admission, sealed his reputation as a major talent.
Long, fluid backless gowns were reminiscent of the series of white dresses the Texan showed in Milan more than 20 years ago.
A red pants suit worn by top model Gigi Hadid recalled a similar ensemble he sent out back in the day.
But the cuts and styles certainly had a modern touch — more cleavage, more tightly cinched waists and cropped trousers.
As for the fabrics, Ford got creative — beyond silk and velvet, the designer showed sultry suits for men in leather, and several fur coats — possibly fake furs, as he had promised a year ago to only use fur in moderation.
Jaunty furry hats made a statement — they looked perfect for New York gangsters in the 1970s.
Ralph Lauren — another reference point in a New York Fashion week lacking some spark — hit the runway on Thursday.
Immaculately dressed young waiters offered coffee and pastries as soon as you sat down at Ralph Lauren’s scaled-down fashion show on Thursday, a stark contrast with last season’s lavish anniversary extravaganza in Central Park, the Associated Press noted in its review.
There was no stage, no spotlights, just models — including a gold-clad Bella Hadid — sauntering casually among the tables at Ralph’s Cafe, Lauren’s recently opened cafe space at his Madison Avenue women’s store.
Guests munched on mini-croissants, egg-white frittatas and bagels with smoked salmon as models glided through the room in simple but flowing ensembles in a limited palette of black, white and gold.
Casual looks came first: all-white suits with wide-legged trousers and military-style jackets, for example, or black pants with a shiny gold blazer. There was a series of dresses and jackets emblazoned with large white flowers on a black background.
For evening, it was more black, and especially more gold: a shiny gold floor-length cape, for example, or a shimmery strapless gown. Metallic knits were featured in both casual looks and party looks.
For her part, hijab-wearing model Halima Aden took to the catwalk for US brand Sherri Hill and offered her Instagram followers the chance to win the cyan blue gown she wore on the runway as part of a competition with UNICEF.
“Please be sure to make a donation this month at the designated link in my bio for your chance to win the one-of-a-kind couture evening gown! Thank you in advance for your support of children around the world!” she posted on Instagram.


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Bata Malaysia Grabs Silver at Putra Brand Awards 2018
Bata Malaysia has proven its excellence in the nation, once again, by being awarded Silver under the Apparel & Accessories category for the 9th Putra Brand Awards. Graced by over 1,300 marketers and agencies, the prestigious event took place at the Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
The awards, also dubbed the ‘People’s Choice Award’, is organised by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) and backed by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).
The event recognises Malaysia’s favourite brands based on interview findings from the public. This year, the organisers partnered with global market research and consulting firm Ipsos to compile the largest brand research sample in the nation – recording over 7,000 interviews in total.
Bata Malaysia’s Country Manager Mr Ajay Ramachandran expressed, “We are truly honoured and humbled by this recognition from the Putra Brand Awards. At Bata Malaysia, we are always striving to provide the best in terms of the modern consumer experience – by continuously upgrading our products in line with the store ambiance to be appealing for today’s consumers."
"This award is an acknowledgement that we are on the right path. We will use this recognition as a fuel for us to further improve and diversify our offerings while strengthening engagement with our consumers," added Mr Ajay.


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When it comes to product liability in California, there are many ways in which an error can occur that leads to a defective product. One type of defect is a quality defect. According to InTouch Manufacturing Services, quality defects can range from no big deal to a serious issue. They can be of little risk to consumers or they could lead to serious risks to consumers. Identifying and fixing these defects helps to ensure products are of the highest quality.
More than 115 people die every day in the United States due to opioid drug overdoses according to the the National Institute on Drug Abuse. How did we get here? Many say that doctors and organizations overselling pain drugs are to blame. In fact, some are taking leading pain authorities across the country to court.
The federal government takes the public's safety on the roadways of California and across the country extremely seriously. When innovative vehicles are involved in crashes, it often results in an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, a government agency that uses its findings to prompt safety regulations from legislators and other governing bodies. Auto manufacturers typically also conduct their own investigations, and the approaches used may not be compatible.
Even though the United States is at the top of healthcare with advanced medical techniques and the ability to save lives in ways other systems cannot, it is suffering from a crisis. Affordable and accessible healthcare is not available to every citizen. This often leads to situations where patients are not treated properly in California hospitals. One such situation that happens all too often is patient dumping.
With all the recent talk about gun control and rights in California, it has brought to light the legal concept of liability. Gun manufacturers are in a unique situation. They sell a product that is designed to kill and harm, so if the product works as intended, it will kill or harm. However, at the same time, the product can be used to kill and harm in an illegal way. National Public Radio explains the complex situation when it comes to the liability of gun manufacturers.


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A revival of its semiconductor business has helped Samsung to post yet another record profit in the past quarter. The company's improved sales of memory chips for phones, servers and game consoles helped offset flat growth in Samsung's high-end smartphone business. Facing similar problems as Apple in the high-end smartphone market, Samsung warned investors that growth in the premium segment would remain tepid in the near future. However, the company is hoping for strong growth in tablet sales as it is gradually narrowing the gap with market leader Apple.
With a net profit of 8.24 trillion Won ($7.66 billion), Samsung managed to outperform Apple profit-wise for the second consecutive quarter. The Korean electronics giant may have to move a lot more units than Apple to achieve that profit, but it is a testament to the company's overall health that it manages to turn a sizeable profit while competing in so many different markets.


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Courtney Love Threatening Lawsuit Over Kurt Cobain Guitar Hero Game
Eccentric singer Courtney Love is threatening legal action against game giant Activision — who brought her late husband, rocker Kurt Cobain, back to life for the latest edition of Guitar Hero.
The firm created a Cobain character for Guitar Hero 5, which arrived in stores September 1. In the game, the late Nirvana star appears alongside fellow legend’s Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Cash.
Activision claims it received the green light from the rocker’s bandmates and widow Love, who is one of the shareholders in Cobain’s estate, before featuring him in the game. However, Courtney insists she didn’t approve the use of Cobain’s image — and has taken to her Twitter.com page to warn Activision of a pending lawsuit.
“For the record this Guitar Hero shit is breach of contract on a Bullys (sic) part and there will be a proper addressing of this and retraction,” a furious Courtney wrote. “We are going to sue the shit out of Activision we being the Trust the Estate the LLC the various LLCs Cobain Enterprises.”


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Angry parents say a school is confiscating unhealthy snacks from kids' lunchboxes - while serving ice cream and chocolate brownies in the canteen.
Staff have been scrutinising the lunchboxes in a drive to stop children eating fatty and sugary food.
Crisps, biscuits, processed meat products and even fruit juices and flavoured waters have all been removed.
But parents say it is ridiculous to target lunchboxes when children who have school dinners at Childwall Valley primary are being served sugary desserts by dinner ladies.
And they say the "lunchtime police" have even snatched healthy items such as chicken along with the banned snacks. Helen Phillips, 34, said teachers at the Liverpool school took her 11-yearold son Dylan's pure orange juice drink because they said it was too high in sugar.
She added: "I am all for healthy eating but the way it has been enforced is disgusting."
The school has written to parents saying the campaign is part of "our responsibility to teach children how to eat healthily".
Head Kevin Basnett said the changes were made after a questionnaire and extensive consultation. He said 86 per cent of parents supported the move.
Mr Basnett said pupils' bags were not being searched and any snacks confiscated were handed back at the end of the day.
He said children found with an outlawed snack were offered a healthy alternative.
A school in Sheffield has asked the city council to revoke an ice-cream van's licence to stop it parking outside and selling to pupils at lunchtime.


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His credentials as a tech entrepreneur can't be questioned, but why does Michael Dell find himself reinventing his company and career?
news analysis The latest Dell executive to leave as a result of Michael Dell's housecleaning was the man perhaps second-most responsible for the company's once-remarkable success.
Kevin Rollins came into Dell in 1996 as the operations and business expert ready to help a 31-year-old Michael Dell make his direct-mail company grow. Together, the two built a PC powerhouse that changed the industry and made billions of dollars for shareholders. Dell played the technology visionary, Rollins made sure the factories kept humming, and the company found new ways to grow.
But their meteoric rise to the top of the tech industry slowed dramatically in 2006, Rollins' second year as Dell's CEO. He for Dell's slipups in 2006, resigning as CEO and stepping down from the company's board of directors.
So what happened? Dell appears to have fallen prey to a common problem for those on top: quite simply, the world changed, and Dell did not change quickly enough.
"The usual bag of tricks--leveraging the supply chain and their economies of scale--hasn't worked," Richard Shim, an analyst with IDC, said after Dell announced the departure of Rollins.
Dell has lost both its and most-favored hardware company to Hewlett-Packard. In trying to regain market share, Dell may have spent too much time of the PC market, eroding the operating margins that were once the envy of the entire PC industry.
And perhaps most ominously, the company is under investigation by the that occurred on Rollins' watch.
But there are problems at the PC maker that even Michael Dell won't be able to fix overnight. during both the dot-com boom and resulting bust, when competitors like Hewlett-Packard and Gateway foundered. During the boom, it rode the wave of corporate PC purchases. After the bust, it established itself as the low-cost leader in a market where people were just looking for PCs: nothing fancy, just a PC that will get the job done.
With additional gains in servers and storage sales, Rollins began talking about ambitious revenue goals of $60 billion by the end of 2006 and or 2009.
But those goals depended on Dell expanding into other markets. Rollins knew the PC market was maturing, and so the company devoted almost all of a trying to convince analysts and the media that Dell was no longer a PC company; that it was on the cusp of becoming a broad IT powerhouse. The message was that even if the PC market slows, Dell has the ability to continue growing at leaps and bounds.
Fast-forward to 2006, when the company that perfected nimble PC production looked decidedly flat-footed when reacting to changes in the market:• The , as businesses stop a three-year post-Y2K binge on PCs and wait to see how Microsoft's Windows Vista will fit into their application environments.
• Consumers grow increasingly tired of and shoddy customer service, and start flocking to retail stores to search for new PCs that have style and panache.
• Advanced Micro Devices carves out a at Intel's expense and establishes itself as a credible player with both businesses and consumers.
• Notebooks threaten to overtake desktops in mature economies like the U.S., and by the end of the year.
were documenting their concerns all over the Internet in 2004, but the company didn't significantly address the problem until May 2006 when it announced plans to spend $100 million upgrading its customer support. It later announced plans to simplify the customer experience on its Web site with and a redesign of the page. in hopes of reaching customers more directly.
"Our intention with this blog is to address issues that are important to our customers. Give us some time and we'll prove it," wrote Dell's Lionel Menchaca on the second day of Dell's blog.
Likewise, PC customers are becoming more concerned with the look and feel of their systems these days, and have little time for boring boxes. Dell recognized this by introducing its XPS lineup of flashy high-end PCs, but did not start overhauling its mainstream units until late last year under a design initiative previously headed by product guru John Medica.
"We are seeing that the product design expectations from small businesses and consumers are becoming more different. It is very likely that in the future we will deliver products that are more tailored to those specific customer expectations," in November.
Demand for AMD's processors was strong throughout 2005, as the company enjoyed a performance lead over Dell favorite Intel. But Rollins stuck with Intel until 2006, just as based on a new design that erased AMD's performance advantage. The company much later than the competition, and alienated a long-time partner just as it was reasserting itself.
And Dell's famous cost advantage throughout all those years became less important as the industry shifted to notebook PCs, which are generally built and assembled by third parties in Asia. Dell chose to do much of its , actually creating a situation where its costs were higher than those of its competitors.
Rollins' departure follows a from Round Rock, Texas over the past few months. Company veterans such as Medica, small-business sales chief Joe Marengi and Chief Financial Officer Jim Schneider have all left or signaled their intentions to leave following a tough year for the PC company. New executives--many from --have joined Dell in hopes of injecting new thinking into the company.
Unfortunately for Rollins, however, his ultimate legacy might be the outcome of the accounting investigation. His mantra as the business side of Dell's two-headed leadership team placed responsibility for accounting squarely on the shoulders of both him and Schneider: both of whom are now gone.
Michael Dell was in an enviable position when he to hand over the CEO reins to Rollins. The company was at the peak of its powers and seemingly could do no wrong. Now Dell gets a chance to add to his legacy with a bid at a turnaround project that was already under way in Rollins' last days with the company."The company is going to be invigorated with the change," said Samir Bhavnani, an analyst with Current Analysis. "Even though Michael Dell was around the last two years, he wasn't able to have the impact on the company that he had when he was the CEO. Now he can."


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River Mounts launches St Patrick’s Day collection
River Mounts is among the commerce’s main UK suppliers of bridal robes and tremendous jewelry, with a devoted commerce counter in Hatton Backyard and Antwerp’s Diamond District.
Birmingham-based designer River Mounts has introduced the launch of its new assortment in celebration of St Patrick’s Day.
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While "torrent" is now considered a word associated with digital theft online, that may be about to change thanks to BitTorrent Bundle.
Bundle was started as an Alpha project in May with the hopes of building a better distribution platform along with artists, labels and studios. The idea is to create a platform where the more media is shared, the more valuable it becomes. So far this test has seen remixes powered by people, reinvented mix tapes and even an education revolution. But how can this help artists?
BitTorrent Bundle for publishers, which is launching 24 September, aims to make torrenting less technical. So if you've recorded a song this will help you tap into the 170 million BitTorrent fans around the world.
It sounds a bit like MySpace for all forms of media. All the artist does is upload as much content as he likes then it's gated into a Bundle with its own custom landing page that can be shared with the world. So while it might not be monetising anything just yet it is acting as a platform to fame.
Sounds good to you? Sign up to the closed Alpha program.


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2020 Audi Q7: Petrol power on the cards for Australia
Audi has revealed initial details about its upcoming 2020 Q7 line-up, with petrol power back on the cards for Australia.
No petrol-powered variant of the pre-facelift Q7 was offered, despite BMW and Mercedes-Benz offering petrol power in their large SUV rivals to the Q7. That could change when the 2020 Q7 touches down in the first half of 2020.
Production constraints in Europe caused by the rollout of stricter WLTP emissions tests have left the Q7, traditionally one of Audi's strongest-selling models in Australia, in limbo through 2019. Just 167 have been registered this year, down from 1197 to the end of June in 2018.
When it arrives next year, the new Q7 will provide Audi a much-needed boost. The brand is down 32.2 per cent in 2019, lagging well behind BMW (2505 sales, down 4.0 per cent) and Mercedes-Benz (3377 sales, down 13.2 per cent).
Speaking with CarAdvice at the international launch of the new Q7, an Audi spokesperson confirmed the turbo-diesel Q7 50 TDI will lead the charge Down Under, but a '55 TFSI' petrol is also a 'maybe' for Australia.
BMW caters to those keen on petrol power with its X5 xDrive 40i, while Mercedes offer the GLE 400.
Power in the 50 TDI comes from a V6 turbo-diesel engine making 210kW and 600Nm, put to the road through an eight-speed automatic transmission. That makes it a natural rival for the BMW X5 30d (195kW/620Nm) and Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d (180kW/500Nm).
The closest equivalent in the current Q7 line-up is the 3.0 TDI, priced from $106,900 before on-road costs. Audi Australia hasn't confirmed pricing for the new model, but we'd suggest it'll be in a similar ballpark.
Details about the 55 TFSI are harder to come by, but we can use the Q8 55 TFSI as a guide. It's powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 making 250kW and 500Nm, once again hooked up to an eight-speed torque converter.
The new Q7 will arrive locally in the first half of 2020.