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Welsh businesses are being encouraged to consider exporting their goods and services abroad by UK Ministers, to mark the one year anniversary of the Department for International Trade.
In 2016 there were more than 3,800 businesses exporting in Wales with an annual combined value of £12.4bn exports. Now, Ministers are urging other business to take up the support on offer including financial incentives and online matching services.
To mark the anniversary Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns has announced that he will be writing to 26,000 Welsh businesses that have been identified as potential exporters and sending them a copy of a dedicated exporting guide for Welsh businesses.
The Wales Export Guide, sets out the full range of support available to Welsh businesses from the UK Government and contains inspiring stories of companies based in Wales that are successfully exporting. Alun Cairns hopes that businesses will recognise the huge potential available to help them invest and grow.
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:
"I want Welsh businesses to get out into the wider world, to trade and do business all around the globe. That is why we are sharing the advice, guidance and support available from the UK Government, in particular from the Department for International Trade, for businesses in our Wales Export Guide. We want to help them to build their brand abroad as we continue to increase UK exports and encourage inward investment."
DIT has helped to secure billions of pounds in export opportunities, and since its creation in July 2016, the department has also supported;
- a trade mission to India which resulted in £1.2 billion worth of business deals
- the largest ever healthcare trade mission to China which saw British organisations sign deals worth more than £250 million
- UK architecture firms to secure a contract worth tens of millions of pounds in UAE
DIT has also set up ten working groups across 15 countries to strengthen trade and commercial ties with key trading partners around the world.
International Trade Minister, Greg Hands said:
"We are already a great trading nation, but as an international economic department we now want to encourage businesses to look at whether there could be a global market for their goods and services.
"By designing our own trade policy in Britain’s national interest, after we leave the EU, we will be able to take advantage of growing markets around the world and further boost our export successes."
Through great.gov.uk, the department gives UK businesses access to millions of pounds’ worth of potential overseas business, helping them start or increase exporting.
There’s been more than 2.4 million visits to great.gov.uk and more than 3,300 UK businesses have already registered on the government’s ‘Find a Buyer’ service to match UK businesses to worldwide demand.
Exporting support for Wales
DIT hosted the inaugural Wales Export Business Summit where more than 80 businesses came together to access advice and guidance from entrepreneurs, international business owners and export champions. The summit helped to connect firms starting out on their exporting journey with the expertise they need.
In the last year, DIT has supported almost 1,200 companies in Wales by helping them attend overseas trade shows, carry out crucial market research and develop international relationships.
One Welsh manufacturer that has benefited from government support is Pontypool-based company Flamgard Calidair. Through UK Export Finance, which operates as part of DIT, Flamgard secured a contract to provide specialist fire and shut off dampers to the Chernobyl site. The €1.5bn multinational engineering project, managed by international contractor Novarka, will be installed in late 2017.


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It’s time to break out your cherry and silver. It’s homecoming season at the University of New Mexico!
The time-honored tradition kicks off this Sunday and will culminate with the Lobos hitting the gridiron to take on San Jose State on October 1st.
Sunday, an online auction go underway and bidding will be available for many items.
This gives alumni around the country the opportunity to participate in the events being held here locally.
Available for auction will be Disney packages, football game-day packages for the Dallas Cowboys, artwork, jewelry, restaurant gift certificates – and all sorts of other valuable items.

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Overall, Uber Eats is driving the company's growth, while its ride-sharing unit is slowly improving from the depths of the spring. However, the company faces a major challenge with a shortage of workers that could force the company to raise rates which would compress margins.
Inside the Numbers
In Q1, Uber posted a net loss of $0.06 per share which was significantly better than expectations of -$0.54 per share. Revenue came in below expectations at $2.9 billion vs $3.3 billion.
Overall, Uber had a loss of $108 million in the quarter which was an improvement from a $968 million loss in its previous quarter. However, a major factor was its $1.6 billion gain from the sale of its self-driving unit, ATG. A better measure for the company would be its operating performance which resulted in a loss of $1.5 billion.
Given the nature of the pandemic and how different regions were locked down and restricted travel at different times, it's tough to make year-over-year comps for Uber. However, the company expects to become profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis by the end of the year. The company also warned that its delivery business would face tougher comps and likely lead to its revenue growth rate decelerating.
In Q1, mobility gross bookings came in at $6.8 billion, 38% lower than last year. Delivery gross bookings were $12.5 billion, a 166% gain from last year. Total revenue for Uber Eats was $1.7 billion, a 28% increase from the previous quarter.
In its conference call, management struck an optimistic tone as it said that ridership is on the upswing, and the company has been successfully adding more restaurants to its food-delivery platform including an agreement with GoPuff to supply more convenience-store and grocery items.
Of course, a major challenge will be recruiting drivers as many likely left the platform once the pandemic began last March. Uber is looking to spend $250 million on a one-time stimulus aimed at getting drivers back on the road. Currently, it has 3.5 million drivers on its platform which is a 22% decrease from last year. Not enough drivers would likely result in longer wait times and higher fares which could lead consumers to consider other options.
Stock Price Outlook
Uber is down by nearly 30% over the last 3 months. While the economy's gradual reopening is clearly a positive development, it's been an underperformer due to the rotation out of growth stocks. Therefore, investors should remain cautious in the near term but have a constructive outlook in the longer term.
Uber is dominant in ride-sharing, and this category should resume its growth once the world returns to normal. Given expectations of a huge burst in travel due to the coronavirus, the company should see a major boom in revenues in the second half of the year.


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Tilray Stock Forecast
With the marijuana industry as strong as it is now, it seems you can pick any marijuana stock and you’ll see fast gains. Of course, that is not the case; all pot stocks are not created equal. That brings us to one of the most successful marijuana companies over the past few weeks, Tilray Inc (NASDAQ:TLRY). Tilray stock is up big and looks like it will only continue to improve.
TLRY stock has soared 46% over the past five days, climbing over 21% on Monday alone.
The company is being bolstered—like a great many other pot stocks—by the massive investment from Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) in Canopy Growth Corp (NYSE:CGC), but has since supplemented that goodwill with victories of its own.
The most recent came as the company announced a supply agreement with the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, which Tilray will fulfill via its subsidiary, High Park Holdings Ltd.
“We’re thrilled High Park will have the opportunity to supply the province of Nova Scotia with a safe, secure and reliable source of adult-use cannabis products,” said Adine Fabiani-Carter, Chief Marketing Officer at High Park, in a statement. (Source: “Tilray Selected by Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation to Supply a Variety of Adult-Use Cannabis Brands and Products,” The Financial Post, August 27, 2018.)
“Our intention is to deliver on the high expectations Nova Scotians have of us by cultivating and distributing a portfolio of world-class adult-use brands and products that will lead the market in quality, excellence and craftsmanship.”
This is the second major supply agreement that the company has signed in the past week, helping set TLRY stock apart from its competition.
The other deal came by way of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province.
The province recently shifted from a public monopoly on marijuana storefronts to private ownership, radically altering how marijuana sales will function in the region.
Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com
As such, Ontario has been signing supply deals with a good number of marijuana companies and many of the heavy hitters, including Tilray.
The Cannabis Retail Store, a government entity, signed a supply agreement with Tilray for the marijuana company to supply the province with a variety of cannabis products for use starting on October 17.
“Our goal is to deliver on the high expectations that Ontarians have of us by cultivating and distributing a portfolio of world-class adult-use brands and products that will lead the market in quality, excellence and craftsmanship,” said Fabiani-Carter in a separate statement. (Source: “Tilray® Announces Agreement with the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation to Supply a Variety of Adult-Use Cannabis Brands and Products,” Business Wire, August 20, 2018.)
What to Expect from the Tilray Earnings Report
With the Tilray earnings report coming shortly, I can’t imagine that the numbers will be enough to spur growth.
The stock is already rocketing sky high on the back of the hype surrounding the marijuana industry. Unless the numbers are truly spectacular, I doubt they’ll be enough to encourage more investors to jump into Tilray stock.
The problem is that many of the people getting in on the marijuana industry during the recent rush have been doing so for the future potential of the industry, not for short-term gains.
With more investment deals on the way and marijuana legalization spreading, the future is exciting. But the reality of the current sales is likely to disappoint newcomers to the industry, and that’s why I don’t expect much movement as a result of the earnings report.
I expect the stock value to drop on Tuesday slightly as a result.
Overall, the Tilray stock forecast is looking very bright as the company completes these major supply agreements.
The company has already seen triple-digit growth since it had its initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq in July, becoming the first marijuana company to do so.
The next major event on the horizon for TLRY stock is its earnings report, which will be released on August 28.


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I have written often about the Internet Archive (archive.org), Brewster Kahle's noble experiment begun in 1996 that aims at "universal access to all knowledge."
It provides permanent storage of and free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images and nearly 3 million public domain books, according to Wikipedia. It is probably best known for the Wayback Machine, which allows you to view websites as they looked in the past.
Now, the Archive needs your help.
Last week, a fire started at the Archive's San Francisco scanning center. Of the physical materials lost, about half had already been digitized.
"This episode has reminded us that digitizing and making copies are good strategies for both access and preservation. We have copies of the data in the Internet Archive in multiple locations, so even if our main building had been involved in the fire, we still would not have lost the amazing content we have all worked so hard to collect," the website said.
But about $600,000 worth of high-end digitization equipment was destroyed and the Archive is asking for contributions to replace the equipment.
You can help by going to archive.org and clicking the "donate" button.
Rant: Best Buy is the latest retailer to open up earlier on Thanksgiving Day -- 6 p.m. Last year the stores opened at midnight. This is getting a little ridiculous. First stores started opening at 6 a.m. Black Friday, then 4 a.m, then midnight, now 6 p.m. Thanksgiving. So clear the table, kick out the family and go shopping.
Some holiday gift ideas: A Canadian tailor shop is offering a stylish bulletproof suit. Carbon nanotubes in a layer under the exterior fabric harden on impact to stop both bullets and knife blades, according to the shop, Garrison Bespoke. This is a gift for a very special person because it costs $20,000.
A Russian company has announced plans for a space hotel, called the Commercial Space Station, to open by 2016 that will be able to accommodate seven guests in four cabins. Again it's a little pricey -- a million dollars for a five-day stay.
The CBC reports that a Saskatchewan man who has developed an affordable 3-D printer has attracted more than $700,000 in crowdsourcing. The printers will sell for $100.
They were doing research: Wired.com surveyed 200 security professionals, asking them what kind of problems they've had to deal with.
Forty percent said they've had to clean their senior leadership team member's device because it was infected by going to a porn site.
Leading security woes were malicious email links and family members using corporate devices.
Website of the week: A crew of techies did what the government could not. At healthsherpa.com, you can easily find out the cost of health plans you can sign up for under the Affordable Care Act. You can't subscribe right on the site, but there are links to the insurance companies' sites. The site was built in a weekend.
Science history fact of the week: Nobel prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr, who laid out the modern idea of an atom as a nucleus with electrons revolving around it, was given a house with a pipeline connected to the Carlsberg brewery next door, providing him with free beer for life.
Send comments, contributions, corrections and condemnations to firstname.lastname@example.org.
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Wednesday to Sunday!
31 Jan – 4 Feb 2018
Fu will be responsible for expanding the reach of Sesame Street in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan by “developing and implementing a new long-term strategic vision to help the next generation of children … grow up smarter, stronger, and kinder.”
A former executive at Heinz, Gillette, and 20th Century Fox China, Fu most recently served as president and CEO of Wanda Studios Qingdao. In his new role, he will work to expand Sesame Street’s commercial business across a variety of platforms while securing strategic partners in consumer products, content distribution, production, and more. In keeping with Sesame Workshop’s work in countries around the globe, Fu will also develop Sesame Street-branded educational materials and community outreach programs.


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Today, Sony Computer Entertainment America announced that the PlayStation Store will soon receive an upgrade, completely revamping the current interface. Included in the press release was a screen capture of the new store, featuring eight content categories and a more streamlined structure.
While the press release first notes that the current interface is an "integrated online storefront," it moves on to say that the new PlayStation Store "will live natively on PS3, enabling customers to more easily and quickly locate and purchase games, and download demos, game videos, Blu-ray movie trailers and other game-related content for PS3." SCEA also announced that no new content will be made available prior to the new store's opening, which means that April 3rd and 10th -- normally days that would have seen new content -- will not feature updates. We assume that, considering the new store structure will roll out along with the release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, PSN users will see a new PlayStation Store on April 17th when normal store updates resume.
Lastly, SCEA comments that PS3 owners will be simply prompted to download a free firmware update to enable access to the new store. User accounts will not be altered and the virtual wallet system will remain unchanged. We'll keep you posted if more information becomes available.


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POULSBO — Sound Brewery is all set to grow its business and brew more beer, but it needs one thing to make the expansion happen.
Sound Brewery needs more juice for its brew.
Electricity available at the brewery’s new center of operations — the former Clark’s Auto & Diesel Repair on Viking Avenue — is lacking. The brewery has expanded its business to the site, across the street from its original location on Bovela Lane. But the site does not have enough power to run Sound’s various brewing equipment.
City staff considered a few options to solve the issue, and settled on the installation of a new above-ground power line that will cross over Viking Avenue. Poulsbo’s City Council unanimously approved a new power line to the brewery’s building on March 5.
Placing the power line underground, another option, would come with a $50,000 price tag. The overhead power line comes in at around $35,000, not to mention the lesser impact on traffic along Viking Avenue, Jim Groh, a senior engineering tech told the council on March 5.
Sound Brewery is currently going through the permitting process to install the new power line that will extend from the east corner of Bovela Lane and Viking Avenue, and cross over to the west side of Viking Way to the new brewery.
“That’s the plan,” said Mark Hood, owner of Sound Brewery. “But it ain’t done until it’s done. (We’re) still going through inspections, etc.”
Sound Brewery initially attempted to purchase the former Courtesy Ford dealership in late 2013 and move its operation there. But the effort fell flat. With new equipment ready to brew, the small business opted to move into the former auto repair shop across the street.
“The new facility will be capable of doing eight to 10 times what (the old) one will, and will be brewing only,” Hood said.
The Sound Brewery tap room will still operate out of its original location on Bovela Lane. The brewing will take place across the street, and will allow the brewery to greatly expand its operation and produce more beer.
While the new location is good for now, Hood said he remains on the lookout for a better location.
“For at least the next year and a half we’ll be keeping the current brewery here, along with tasting room,” he said.
“Meanwhile, we’ll be looking for somewhere that could potentially house a brewpub with [a] smaller brewery, food, better parking, etc.”


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NewPage: Location of headquarters still to be determined
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After the Miami Township-based papermaker announced the $1.4 billion deal Monday (click here to read that story), it had no firm answers about what would happen to the local headquarters.
The official line is that representatives from NewPage and Verso will form a team to lead integration planning efforts on behalf of the combined company after the closing.
“At this time, there are a number of details that still need to be determined, including the location of our headquarters,” Shawn Hall, NewPage’s director of communications, told me. “NewPage and Verso will work together to ensure a smooth transition for stakeholders of both companies.”
Dave Paterson, the CEO of Verso, will lead the combined organization. At closing, Verso has agreed to appoint to its board of directors a current director of NewPage.
NewPage has about 350 employees here and the company was just turning the corner after it emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December of 2012. It posted a $21 million profit in the third quarter last year.
In July 2012, in the midst of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, NewPage turned down an unsolicited $1.4 billion merger proposal from Verso because it was a bad deal. (Click here to read that story).
The announcement did send Verso stock skyrocketing. In mid morning trading Monday its shares on the NYSE were up $1.05, or 162 percent, to $1.70.
The NewPage/Verso combination is expected to trim more than $175 million in costs during the first 18 months after the deal closes.
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The world’s largest brewer has reported a fourth quarter rise in normalised profits of 34% on 2012, with the World Cup promising to boost sales in Brazil.
Taittinger is launching a new limited edition bottle featuring hologramatic footballs to cement its position as the official Champagne of the FIFA World Cup.
The UK’s I Heart wine brand has added a Brazilian sparkling Moscato to its range in advance of June’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Scottish craft brewer BrewDog has opened a bar in São Paulo, bringing its global tally to 14.
Sazerac’s CEO Mark Brown has told the drinks business that he is “excited about the long term potential of American whiskey” especially in emerging markets.
Having placed their trust in the wines at entry level, UK consumers are now trading up on Chilean wine, according to the latest figures from market analysts Nielsen.
Exports of Scotch whisky grew in the first six months of 2013, according to new figures released by the Scotch Whisky Association.
Fashion scion turned Cognac producer Giorgio Gucci is selling off 5,700 bottles of his own Cognac brand, whose combined value is estimated at around $18 million.
Declining economic growth rates, high levels of inflation and protectionist threats are hampering sales of imported wine in Brazil.
Champagne Taittinger has been announced as the official Fifa Champagne in an agreement which runs until December 2015.
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Scorpio Bulkers continues its bulker fleet clearout having entered into an agreement to sell the 2016-built ultramax bulker SBI Phoebe.
The vessel has fetched a price of $17.65m and delivery of the vessel is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2021.
Scorpio Bulkers announced its intention to exit the dry bulk sector during 2021 and is investing in wind turbine installation vessels.
The company has recently sold eight vessels and has contracted to sell seventeen additional vessels, all of which are expected to close in the first half of 2021. Scorpio Bulkers also intends to sell its 24 remaining wholly-owned or finance leased dry bulk vessels during 2021.


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This last April, we traveled to Washington D.C. with the National Cannabis Industry Association to lobby!
The cannabis industry is denied standard banking rights that other state licensed businesses have access to and many folks within the industry even lose their personal banking due to their connection to the cannabis industry. This in turn makes the cannabis industry a cash-only, perfectly legal, state licensed business. This is not only a public safety issue, but also an unnecessary business hassle. We lobbied our story, explaining to law makers and staff that it is unjust and unfair to deny us typical banking rights.
It was amazing to come together from all parts of the United States with other people within the industry all working towards the same cause.
In Prineville, we've helped set up the annual 4th of July carnival in the park. We are also proud members of the Chamber of Commerce and have sponsored various other community events.
In Madras, we helped the local community last winter by collecting non-perishable food items for those in need. We also stay closely connected with our local Warm Springs tribe, most recently helping to support votes for tribal adoptions.
At the state level, we are actively involved with both the local and state politics, ensuring that both our patients and our customers rights are being protected and their voices heard.
We are also proud sponsors of the 2016 Airshow of the Cascades! August 26th, 27th, and 28th.


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Citing a drop in U.S. motorcycle sales, in addition to shifting demand across its lineup, Harley-Davidson has announced that it will close its Kansas City, Missouri, plant by July 2019, eliminating 800 jobs. It will shift operations to its York, Pennsylvania, plant, adding 450 “full-time, casual and contractor” jobs to that location, for a net loss of around 350 jobs.
In a letter to local York station FOX43, Harley explains:
“We are launching a significant, multi-year manufacturing optimization initiative that is anchored in the consolidation of our Kansas City, Mo. final assembly operations into our York, Pa. final assembly plant. This decision was made after very careful consideration of our manufacturing footprint and the appropriate capacity given the current business environment. We are constantly evaluating capacity and our current U.S. capacity exceeds U.S. demand.
We anticipate an increase of approximately 450 full-time, casual and contractor positions will be added at our York facility, which will be expanded to support additional production. Specific details on expansion are still being developed.”
It’s no secret that the U.S. motorcycle industry is in a downturn right now; industry-wide Q4 sales are down 6.5 percent compared to 2016, with Harley alone down 11.1 percent. Heavyweight, cruiser and touring bike sales have taken a big hit, thanks to aging Baby Boomers and a lack of interest from younger generations.
As the market contracts and demand drops, Harley is doing what it has to do in order to remain competitive.
The Kansas City plant was built in 1998 and produces the Sportster, Dyna and Street lines. The Dyna line was killed off and rolled into the new Softail family, while Street line sales have been soft. Closing the plant will cost an estimated $170 to $200 million over the next two years, but is expected to save the Motor Company $65 to $75 million per year after 2020.
In an official statement, Harley CEO Matt Levatich said, “This decision was extremely difficult but necessary under the circumstances. The Kansas City operation–and our employees there–have an impressive tradition of safety, quality, collaboration, and manufacturing leadership. I have profound respect for the men and women in that facility and I thank them and the Kansas City community for their years of support and contribution to serving Harley-Davidson–our dealers–and most importantly, our riders.”
According to its Q4 earning report, which was released this morning, Harley’s net income fell 82 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with a year earlier. Revenue, however, was up, from $1.11 billion to $1.23 billion. The drop in net income was attributed in part to a charge associated with the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and a $29.4 million charge due to its voluntary recall of 57,000 motorcycles earlier in 2017, due to a faulty oil line clamp.


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Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP) on Wednesday reported first-quarter earnings of $29.5 million.
The Orlando, Florida-based company said it had profit of 59 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.02 per share.
The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 98 cents per share.
The direct seller of plastic storage containers and cosmetics posted revenue of $581.8 million in the period, which also beat Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $579.8 million.
For the current quarter ending in June, Tupperware expects its per-share earnings to range from $1.14 to $1.19. Analysts surveyed by Zacks had forecast adjusted earnings per share of $1.21.
The company expects full-year earnings in the range of $4.60 to $4.70 per share.
Tupperware shares have risen 11 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has dropped 19 percent in the last 12 months.
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on TUP at http://www.zacks.com/ap/TUP
Keywords: Tupperware Brands, Earnings Report


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Stardust Solar First Company to Become Authorized SunPower Dealer in Canada
A Victory Square Technologies Portfolio Company, Stardust Solar now offers SunPower residential solar solutions as it continues rapid growth in the solar marketplace
- As SunPower dealer, Stardust will offerresidential SunPower brand products including Maxeon technology
- National distribution agreement for Stardust Solar with operations across Canada including in Burnaby BC, Kamloops BC, Edmonton Alb, Regina Sk, Barrie Ont, Montreal Que and Halifax NS.
- SunPower offers 25-year warranty on its solar panels leading the way in Canada.
(July 6, 2021, Vancouver, British Columbia) – Victory Square Technologies Inc. (“Victory Square” or the “Company”) (CSE:VST) (OTC: VSQTF) (FWB:6F6) is pleased to announce that its portfolio company Stardust Solar has become the first and only coast to coast Authorized Canadian dealer of the highly sought after solar and energy services provider, SunPower. As an Authorized SunPower Dealer, Stardust will offer its SunPower solar solutions to residential customers including SunPower’s DC solar panels and InvisiMount mounting hardware for faster installation and design.
A solar leader since 1985 with over 360,000 homeowners powering their homes with SunPower systems, California-based SunPower is a vertically integrated provider of the world’s leading solar systems. SunPower’s solar panels are the most efficient, durable and best looking available in the industry, supported under one comprehensive warranty. Leading public and private companies have chosen SunPower to provide solar cells including thousands of respected companies in technology, education and government among others.
“Stardust Solar plays an important role in growing solar adoption in Canada. We are excited to welcome them into the SunPower fold and be a part of helping more homeowners go solar,” said Tony Garzolini, Vice President of Sales at SunPower.
This agreement is a gamechanger for Stardust Solar as it continues its rapid growth throughout the Canadian marketplace. The Company now has over eight distribution channels from coast to coast in Canada.
“We are honoured to represent SunPower across Canada. SunPower will be game-changing for our business and for homeowners,” said Mark Tadros, CEO of Stardust. “Until now, Canadians weren’t afforded many options in their search for solar products, and education around solar power efficiencies, product choices, options and the solar lifestyle savings were minimal at best.”
VST CEO Shafin Diamond Tejani said, “We congratulate Mark and his team at Stardust Solar on becoming the firstAuthorized Dealer of SunPower solar technology products across Canada. This strategic business decision positions our portfolio company to further capture market share and continue its month over month growth increase here in Canada and beyond.”
Stardust is changing the solar landscape in Canada. With a network of solar training centres across North America, Stardust Solar is already widely regarded as the leader in solar education now having certified over 2,000 solar installers across Canada and the USA. With a growing list of franchise locations across Canada, Stardust leans on its background to educate homeowners about important key differences in solar products and their warranties, and offers choices when purchasing life-changing solar equipment including SunPower. For the first time, homeowners in Canada are afforded the opportunity to make an empowered choice about solar, with the option to choose the premium, high-efficiency solar system from Stardust Solar’s new line of residential SunPower solar products.
“Solar is the future today! Stardust Solar Technology literally changes lives. Owners of our Stardust Solar equipment quickly realize that solar power is much more than saving money and healing the planet. It’s about producing clean energy and reducing one’s carbon footprint today and well into the future,” continued Tadros.
For more information about Stardust Solar please visit their website https://stardustsolar.com/. Check out VictorySquare.com and sign up to VST’s official newsletter at www.VictorySquare.com/newsletter.
For further information about the Company, please contact:
Contact – Edge Communications Group
Telephone: 604 283-9166
Contact – Howard Blank, Director
ABOUT VICTORY SQUARE TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Victory Square (VST) builds, acquires and invests in promising startups, then provides the senior leadership and resources needed to fast-track growth. The result: rapid scale-up and monetization, with a solid track record of public and private exits.
VST’s sweet spot is the cutting-edge tech that’s shaping the 4th Industrial Revolution. Our portfolio consists of 20 global companies using AI, VR/AR and blockchain to disrupt sectors as diverse as fintech, insurance, health and gaming.


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Cronos has quietly launched its Cronos Play developer tools earlier this month, and it could have big implications for the world of blockchain-based play-to-earn gaming, giving developers everything they need to come up with more immersive experiences and ultra-realistic graphics.
Introducing Cronos Play, Cronos’ gift to the Web3 gaming
Cronos Play is a modular suite of developer tools and services designed to help them create more compelling GameFi applications on the Cronos blockchain. Notably, Cronos Play provides support for a number of high-end gaming engines, including Unreal Engine 5, which most famously powers Fortnite, plus the Unity Engine that powers games including Pokémon Go and Call of Duty: Mobile, as well as movies such as the 2019 remake of The Lion King.
It also supports the incredibly popular C++ programming language that’s a favorite of game developers. The launch of Cronos Play is a key part of Cronos’s strategy to bring millions of video game enthusiasts to the burgeoning world of Web3 gaming.
The potential of emerging P2E titles to traditional mobile games
A lot has been written about the potential of P2E games, which take advantage of the unique capabilities of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency to enable players to earn an income simply from playing games. However, the best-known P2E titles, such as Axie Infinity, are often criticized by traditional video game enthusiasts.
They claim that the gaming experience is too dull, and critics say many of Axie’s players – most of whom are based in low-income countries like the Philippines – see playing the game as a chore that they endure simply to earn money, rather than an enjoyable way to spend their time. The P2E gaming model clearly has big potential but it will only realize it if it can begin to cater to the traditional community of video gamers. In other words, the gamers who’re not primarily motivated by the chance to make money, but rather by having fun. According to Statista, that’s more than 66% of regular games players.
The presently limited selection of P2E games simply doesn’t appeal to those users. Traditional video games offer a far superior selection of more enjoyable games, with better graphics, richer storylines, and more genres to choose from. An immersive sandbox game like Grand Theft Auto allows players to completely immerse themselves in an alternative world, providing a genuine escape from the drudgery of their real existence, where they can become the hero with all of the money, the girls, and the glory. P2E games simply cannot compare.
Cronos Play can help bridge the gap between the two communities
This is what Cronos intends to change as they launched Cronos Play, giving developers the tools they need to make more realistic, enjoyable games that can tap into the unique capabilities of blockchain and crypto. To that end, Cronos Play has already announced a key integration with the ChainSafe Gaming SDK, web3.unity, which is an open-source software development kit for mobile, web, and desktop games built with the Unity engine.
The beauty of web3.unity is it gives Unity game developers an easy way to integrate essential P2E features such as crypto and NFTs with their games. The keyword here is easy, as it means developers can instead focus on what they do best, building more compelling and fun games with immersive storylines and rich, lifelike graphics that will appeal to the much larger core of gamers who just want to be entertained.
The launch of Cronos Play and its integration with ChainSafe’s web3.unity may well have gone under the radar, but the coming deluge of exciting, immersive, enthralling P2E gaming experiences it promises to unleash will do anything but.


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Everyone's favorite chubby purple ghost will be a playable character in Pokken Tournament.
Pokken Tournament - Nintendo's new Tekken-style Pokemon fighting game - has just had a new fighter revealed: Gengar, everyone's favorite chubby purple ghost. You can see his reveal in the trailer to the right, which shows him throwing down with the likes of Lucario and Pikachu, using his shadowy tricks to gain an advantage.
Nintendo and Bandai Namco announced the new fighter at the NicoNico Chokaigi 2015 event, where more footage and information about the game was also revealed. We now know that the game will launch in Japanese arcades this summer, though we have no further info on if it will make its way to consoles, or even American arcades.
Previously, Nintendo revealed Pikachu, Gardevoir and Suicene as playable fighters for the game, as well as showing off the unique controller the Pokken Tournament arcade machines will use.
It looks like Nintendo is giving us another Super Smash Bros.-style slow-reveal of all the Pokken Touranament fighters, rather than simply reveal them all in one big announcement.


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Insider Selling: Innophos Holdings VP Sells 3,677 Shares of Stock (IPHS)
Innophos Holdings (NASDAQ:IPHS) VP Mark Feuerbach sold 3,677 shares of the stock on the open market in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.16, for a total transaction of $213,854.32. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 26,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,539,437. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.
Innophos Holdings (NASDAQ:IPHS) traded up 1.38% on Thursday, hitting $57.87. The stock had a trading volume of 56,445 shares. Innophos Holdings has a 1-year low of $44.27 and a 1-year high of $58.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $55.0 and a 200-day moving average of $52.65. The company has a market cap of $1.270 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82.
Innophos Holdings (NASDAQ:IPHS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the analysts’ consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $216.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $213.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. Innophos Holdings’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Innophos Holdings will post $3.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Innophos Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ:IPHS), is a producer of mineral-based specialty ingredients with applications in food, beverage, pharmaceutical, oral care and industrial end markets.
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Royal wedding: Tesco's £16 Kate Middleton replica dress fliying off the shelves
It’s the copycat dress that sparked a fashion frenzy. A bargain basement version of Kate Middleton’s midnight blue engagement dress has been flying off shelves across Northern Ireland.
And the Tesco lookalike — based on the £349 Issa silk wraparound — is the company’s best-ever selling dress online.
Only a handful of the dresses — a mere snip at £16 — are currently available, although Tesco has launched two new colours — black and red — in the same style.
To capitalise on the success of the dress high street store Peacocks is also launching its own version, priced £14, which will be available in-store from December 20.
Such is Kate Middleton’s influence now as a style icon that the white Reiss dress she wore for her official engagement photographs with Prince William is now exchanging hands on eBay.
The Nanette belted gown, with three-quarter length sleeves and a frill along the zip, was advertised at the weekend on eBay for £179.
The dress, from last season’s autumn/winter collection, is no longer available in-store, but following the release of the engagement pictures it too is expected to spawn a raft of copycat designs.
At various Tesco shops around Northern Ireland, the blue £16 wraparound dress from the Florence and Fred range was sold out this week, with none available at Springhill in Bangor or Knocknagoney. However, the Newtownbreda store had the frocks on sale.
More stock was added online following the fashion gold rush, but these |also sold out within minutes.
Jan Marchant, Tesco clothing buyer, said: “The response from our customers to the ‘Kate’ dress has been incredible. We have never seen a dress sell out so fast.
“It seems many women already want to emulate the elegant Kate Middleton look and I have no doubt that she will become the next style icon and influence fashion on the high street.”
One fashionista who managed to get her hands on the coveted ‘Kate’ dress was Belfast student Katie Patterson.
The 18-year-old bought the dress just days after seeing the bride-to-be wearing hers for the official announcement.
She said: “When I saw Kate Middleton wearing the dress for her engagement announcement, I thought she looked stunning. I liked the colour and the shape of it.
“When I was in Tesco a few days later I saw the copycat dress, and because it was such great value I snapped it up.
“I absolutely love it — it is |elegant and sophisticated yet stylish at the same time, and it will be great to wear out this Christmas.
“The Issa one was a bit out of my price range, but I think it’s a great idea that Tesco launched its own, much less expensive version.”
Belfast Fashion Week organiser Cathy Martin said: “Kate Middleton looks set to be the next big style icon.
“The Issa dress she wore |to announce her engagement |to Prince William was a beautiful sapphire blue, which flattered her skin tone and matched her ring.
“She does tend to play it quite safe, but as the future wife of Prince William, that is to be expected.”
Cathy added: “However, she |is also very elegant and chic |and I’m not surprised her dresses are proving so popular with customers.”


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As car sales plummet, bike sales are soaring, reports the Los Angeles Times. To many Americans, there’s only one act more painful than breaking a sweat: spending money. Stingy drivers nationwide are ditching their cars to become road warriors of a different breed, which is spiking bike sales and changing the way we look at bicycles. Once for leisure and exercise, bikes are now viewed as a practical mode of transport—and a good reason to leave the car in the garage.
Industry sales for this year haven’t yet been published, but Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong Coalition, an advocacy group, told the Times, "Bicycles for transportation has not been a big thing until very recently… April and particularly May, and now June, have been phenomenal months. This is across the board and across the country."
The cycling trend is growing—and quickly. Jim Whitsett, owner of Cynergy Cycles in
Michael Hall, a television editor, has begun cycling a 25-mile round trip commute to work and saves $150 per month by doing so. The price however, is his compromised safety.
He told the Times:
"It’s definitely saving me money, but may be taking years off my life due to the fact that it’s a terrifying experience” …The problems, he said, include the cellphone-using, "coffee-drinking, shaving, makeup-putting-on person who’s not paying attention" and the furious motorists who swear at him if he slows them down "for a nanosecond."
For now, Hall and fellow bike commuters may not be entirely safe alongside absentee drivers, but they can take solace in knowing that they’re smarter than the driver applying lipstick while eating breakfast, conversing with a client, and checking e-mail on her iPhone. Steering a bike makes multi-tasking impossible—just one of its many awesomely simple side benefits.
Photo via flickr by chilcy
- MTA Helps Commuters to Bike-and-Ride
- School Principal Refuses Bike Rack, Students Protest
- Could Less Money Make Us More Green?
- RVers Rambling Less on the Road
- Bike Mowers


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HOCHIMINH, Vietnam – The Nokia C3 launched in Vietnam on Monday to a rather positive reception. All of the devices prepared for the launch day sold out way ahead of schedule. Crowds gathered from 5am in four cities – Hochiminh, Hanoi, Danang and Cantho – for the launch at 8am. What was intended as a full-day event had to end three hours later when the shelves ran empty. Check below for pictures from the event.
You’ll recall that the Nokia C3 received a similar reception when it was launched in Indonesia earlier this summer.
In Hochiminh, over a thousand people gathered before 7am.
The Hanoi sales and activation centre.
Prize draw winners in the service and activation area.


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TOPEKA – (February 4, 2019) – A Topeka man pleaded guilty last week to one felony count of violating a consumer protection order, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.
In February 2016, a civil consent judgment entered under authority of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act was approved in Shawnee County District Court against Travis D. Kaiser, 48, of Topeka, d/b/a T’s Lawn Service. In that consent judgment, Kaiser was found liable for deceptive or unconscionable acts against Kansas consumers. He was enjoined by the court from engaging in any future door-to-door sales in the State of Kansas as defined by law. In December 2016, Kaiser was personally served with a notice of potential criminal liability if he engaged in further door-to-door sales.
On Friday, Kaiser pleaded guilty to violating that consumer protection order and engaging in a door-to-door sale on May 6, 2017.
This is the first conviction in a case brought by the Kansas Attorney General under a new law passed by the Kansas Legislature in 2016, creating the crime of violation of a consumer protection order. That law provides the attorney general authority to charge a person with a crime if that person has been prohibited by a court order from engaging in door-to-door sales, given proper notice, and nonetheless continues to conduct door-to-door sales.
District Judge Carl William Ossmann accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for April 8 at 11:30 a.m.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Steven Karrer of the attorney general’s Fraud and Abuse Litigation Division.
Kansas filed the charges after an investigation was conducted by the Office of the Attorney General and Topeka Police Department.


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The well-loved and evergreen Care Bears brand is growing its presence in the children’s and adult apparel sector, thanks to a string of new partnership signed up by its European agency, Bulldog Licensing.
Cohen and Wilks, Tikiboo, and Park Agencies have each struck up new agreements with the property that will see them develop a range of adult and babywear clothing, all scheduled to hit shelves over the coming year.
Established design and clothing company, Cohen and Wilks International Holdings, will launch a collection of ladies’ nightwear, underwear, and babywear based on the nurturing bears who first launched in 1982. Some 38 years later, Care Bears’ new 2D animated Care Bears: Unlock the Magic airs daily on Tiny Pop and is also available through Lionsgate for home entertainment and VOD from Netflix.
Activewear brand, Tikiboo, will create a new range of sportswear and continue to expand its licensed offering with the new Care Bears deal. The extensive collection is designed for sports fans of all ages and is set to feature Care Bears-inspired leggings, tank tops, hoodies, bags, t-shirts, shorts, base layers, running jackets, sports bras and running scarves.
Leading licensed apparel designer and developer, Park Agencies is also on board in the UK, and will develop a selection of adult apparel including ladies’ and men’s daywear and nightwear.
The new licensees join a consumer product offering which is already present across retail. Bulldog Licensing, which handles licensing in the UK and Eire, has secured several deals for the property over the last year, and the new licensees reflect the agency’s plans to expand Care Bears’ reach the UK for babies, girls and adults.
In addition to its new Care Bears: Unlock the Magic that launched last year on Tiny Pop and immediately raced up the ratings charts, new master toy partner Basic Fun! will be launching a new line of plush, plastic, and electronic toys this autumn in the UK.
Rob Corney, Bulldog Licensing’s MD, said: “Care Bears is so well loved in the UK that we have to be incredibly careful to select partners who will respect the brand’s heritage and deliver product which will be accepted and loved by its many fans. Cohen and Wilks, Tikiboo and Park Agencies are the perfect partners to do this and we are excited to work with them on the new collections.”


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EU Canada trade deal finally nearing conclusion
The European Union is finally close to the conclusion of a free trade agreement between the EU and Canada, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA.
The deal is set to benefit people and businesses – big and small – across Europe as of the first day of its implementation. To allow for a swift signature and provisional application, so that the expected benefits are reaped without unnecessary delay, the Commission has decided to propose CETA as 'mixed' agreement.
This is without prejudice to its legal view, as expressed in a case currently being examined by the European Court of Justice concerning the trade deal reached between the EU and Singapore. With this step, the Commission makes its contribution for the deal to be signed during the next EU-Canada Summit, in October.
President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "The trade agreement between the EU and Canada is our best and most progressive trade agreement and I want it to enter into force as soon as possible. It provides new opportunities for European companies, while promoting our high standards for the benefit of our citizens. I have looked at the legal arguments and I have listened to Heads of State or Government and to national Parliaments. Now it is time to deliver. The credibility of Europe's trade policy is at stake."
After receiving the green light from the Council and the consent of the European Parliament it will be possible to provisionally apply the agreement.
From day one, CETA will scrap almost all customs duties, saving EU firms hundreds of millions of euros a year in duty payments, thus also benefitting European consumers directly, by reducing prices and increasing choice of products imported from Canada.
It will boost trade in services, create new market access and provide better access for European suppliers of services in which EU companies are world leaders, ranging from maritime services, telecoms, and engineering to environmental services and accountancy. It will make it easier for service suppliers to travel between the EU and Canada to connect with their customers.
It will facilitate the recognition of professional qualifications for regulated professions (such as architects, accountants and engineers), opening up new opportunities for professionals in these sectors. And it will allow EU companies to bid for Canadian public contracts at all levels of government – federal, provincial and local – and in areas from IT systems to roads to trains.
Besides cutting customs duties, CETA will help cut costs for EU firms, especially the smaller ones. This will happen thanks to the mutual recognition of so-called "conformity assessment certificates" for a wide range of products, from electrical goods to toys. For example, if an EU firm wants to export toys it will only need to get its product tested once, in Europe, to obtain a certificate valid for Canada, thus saving time and money.
Canada has also taken commitments to follow the EU's approach and publish all its public procurement tenders on a single website. This will make it much easier for interested EU companies to access the information they need about such tenders.
Thanks to CETA, Canadian and EU businesses will now compete on a truly level playing-field.
CETA also contains strong rules on the protection of labour rights and the environment. Both sides have pledged never to undermine the EU's high standards for the sake of commercial interests, but instead to work together to encourage others around the world - particularly developing countries - to raise their own.
Over 140 European Geographical Indications of food and drink products (from Tiroler Speck, from Austria, to Gouda and Roquefort cheeses from the Netherlands and France) will enjoy a high level of protection in the Canadian market, whereas without the agreement there is no such protection. CETA will make sure that only genuine products can be sold in Canada under those names.
In addition, CETA introduces a new investment court system and enhanced rules on investment protection. This guarantees the right of EU governments to regulate in the interest of their citizens, while still encouraging foreign investors by protecting their investments. The new system also makes the resolution of investment disputes fairer and more transparent. As such it serves as an important step towards the EU's ultimate goal of a global investment court.
Following a decision by the Council, it will be possible to provisionally apply CETA. Its full entering into force will be subject to the conclusion by the EU, through a Council decision with the consent of the European Parliament, and by all Member States through the relevant national ratification procedures.
Read the June 2016 issue of Business Review USA & Canada magazine
- Canada's free trade agreement with the EU: all you need to knowLeadership & Strategy
- What’s happening with the Canada-EU trade deal?Corporate Finance
- What do protestors have against the Canada-EU trade deal?Leadership & Strategy
- CETA: what you need to know about Canada’s EU trade dealCorporate Finance


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KERRY FASHION WEEK
MARCH 02, 2015 by GARY AT CHUPI
After the excitement of London and Milan fashion weeks, now Ireland has its chance to shine. We are delighted to be attending the 7th Annual Kerry Fashion Week this Friday! KFW celebrates the best of new, emerging and established fashion industry talents from all over the country and we are very proud to be nominated in the category for ‘Best Accessories Designer’. Chupi will be wearing a special bespoke dress on the night made by a friend of the brand, the amazing up and coming Irish designer Zoe Carroll! Keep an eye on our Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter this week where we will be posting live updates of the event!


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UPDATE 1-Gigante postpones Office Depot de Mexico IPO on market volatility
MEXICO CITY Feb 5 (Reuters) - Mexican retailer Grupo Gigante said on Wednesday it had postponed its up to 5.0 billion Mexican peso ($373.72 million) initial public offering of Office Depot de Mexico due to volatility and market conditions.
The company, which only announced the offering in January, had planned to price on Wednesday up to 291 million shares in the office supplies retailer, including an over-allotment option.
Grupo Gigante, which also operates restaurants, in June acquired the 50 percent stake in the office supplies chain that it did not already own.
Mexico saw a record number of companies listing on its stock exchange last year but a worldwide emerging market sell-off so far in 2014 has damaged investor confidence.
VivaAerobus, a Mexican low-cost airline, is seeking to list in Mexico later this month.
- Malaysia Airlines plane missing at sea off Vietnam, presumed crashed |
- CORRECTED-UPDATE 4-Malaysia Airlines plane crashes in South China Sea with 239 people aboard - report
- China draws 'red line' on North Korea, says won't allow war on peninsula
- Warning shots fired to turn monitors back from Crimea |
- Malaysian plane crashed off Vietnam coast: state media


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|By Marketwired .||
|January 14, 2014 06:37 PM EST||
HILO, HI -- (Marketwired) -- 01/14/14 -- Royal Hawaiian Orchards, L.P. (OTCQX: NNUTU) (or "RHO"), one of the world's largest growers of macadamia nuts, today announced its commencement of a rights offering (the "Rights Offering"), which is being extended to all holders of record of the Company's Depository Units as of the close of business on November 4, 2013 (the "Record Date"). If these subscription rights are exercised in full, the Rights Offering is expected to raise approximately $9 million after expenses.
"We are taking a major step forward towards realizing our goal to transition from a farming company to a branded healthy snack food company with this Rights Offering," said President and CEO Scott Wallace. "Our strategy is to capitalize on consumers' views of nuts as an upscale healthy snack that can command prices above traditional mass-marketed products. Our Royal Hawaiian Orchards® brand products contain no artificial ingredients, are non-GMO (non-genetically modified organisms), gluten-free, and have no sulfites. We are leveraging the existing nutritional properties inherent in tree nuts in our line of macadamia-based foods. Our strategy is based on promoting the health benefits of macadamia nuts, which are similar to those of almonds, a food product that has achieved strong market positioning based on growing consumer awareness of associated wellness properties.
"In the short time since our launch in late 2012, the Royal Hawaiian Orchards® brand has been accepted by consumers as a healthy snack alternative with retail distribution in over 3,000 stores in the continental U.S. and Hawaii. The funds from this rights offering will be used to quickly expand distribution nationwide to national, regional and independent grocery and drug chains, as well as mass merchandisers, that target consumers with healthy eating habits and the disposable income needed to afford premium products.
"By pursuing a branded products strategy and continuing to farm macadamias, we believe that we may have a pricing advantage, because we are able to produce nuts from our own orchards at a relatively fixed and currently favorable cost and do not have to compete to purchase nuts from third parties. Further, we believe that should wholesale nut prices decline, our branded strategy serves to mitigate our exposure to fluctuating commodity prices."
As of the Record Date, RHO's two largest unit holders beneficially owned a combined total of approximately 59% of the Depositary Units. These unit holders have indicated that they intend to exercise their rights in full. Such indications are not binding, and such holders are not legally obligated to purchase any Depositary Units.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of any securities referred to in this press release in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The Rights Offering will be made only by means of the Prospectus pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
If you are a unitholder and you have any questions about the Rights Offering, please contact AST Phoenix Advisors, our information agent, at (866) 828-6929 (toll free).
About Royal Hawaiian Orchards
Royal Hawaiian Orchards, L.P. is one of the leading growers and processors of macadamia nuts in the world, processing and marketing macadamia nuts in-shell, bulk kernel and all natural, "better for you" snack products marketed under the Royal Hawaiian Orchards® brand name.
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and future performance of the Partnership that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These include statements, among others, regarding future nut prices, which are based on certain assumptions and forecasts, pricing advantages, and the mitigation of exposure to fluctuating prices. The Partnership files documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports, which contain a description of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from current expectations and the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
Telephone: (949) 661-6304
For organizations that have amassed large sums of software complexity, taking a microservices approach is the first step toward DevOps and continuous improvement / development. Integrating system-level analysis with microservices makes it easier to change and add functionality to applications at any time without the increase of risk. Before you start big transformation projects or a cloud migration, make sure these changes won’t take down your entire organization.
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SYS-CON Events announced today that delaPlex will exhibit at SYS-CON's @CloudExpo, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. delaPlex pioneered Software Development as a Service (SDaaS), which provides scalable resources to build, test, and deploy software. It’s a fast and more reliable way to develop a new product or expand your in-house team.
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SYS-CON Events announced today that IoT Now has been named “Media Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 6–8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. IoT Now explores the evolving opportunities and challenges facing CSPs, and it passes on some lessons learned from those who have taken the first steps in next-gen IoT services.
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Updating DevOps to the latest production data slows down your development cycle. Probably it is due to slow, inefficient conventional storage and associated copy data management practices. In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 20th Cloud Expo, Dhiraj Sehgal, in Product and Solution at Tintri, will talk about DevOps and cloud-focused storage to update hundreds of child VMs (different flavors) with updates from a master VM in minutes, saving hours or even days in each development cycle. He will also...
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Extreme Computing is the ability to leverage highly performant infrastructure and software to accelerate Big Data, machine learning, HPC, and Enterprise applications. High IOPS Storage, low-latency networks, in-memory databases, GPUs and other parallel accelerators are being used to achieve faster results and help businesses make better decisions. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Michael O'Neill, Strategic Business Development at NVIDIA, focused on some of the unique ways extreme computing is...
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The explosion of new web/cloud/IoT-based applications and the data they generate are transforming our world right before our eyes. In this rush to adopt these new technologies, organizations are often ignoring fundamental questions concerning who owns the data and failing to ask for permission to conduct invasive surveillance of their customers. Organizations that are not transparent about how their systems gather data telemetry without offering shared data ownership risk product rejection, regu...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that WineSOFT will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Based in Seoul and Irvine, WineSOFT is an innovative software house focusing on internet infrastructure solutions. The venture started as a bootstrap start-up in 2010 by focusing on making the internet faster and more powerful. WineSOFT’s knowledge is based on the expertise of TCP/IP, VPN, SSL, peer-to-peer, mob...
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The Internet of Things can drive efficiency for airlines and airports. In their session at @ThingsExpo, Shyam Varan Nath, Principal Architect with GE, and Sudip Majumder, senior director of development at Oracle, discussed the technical details of the connected airline baggage and related social media solutions. These IoT applications will enhance travelers' journey experience and drive efficiency for the airlines and the airports.
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With billions of sensors deployed worldwide, the amount of machine-generated data will soon exceed what our networks can handle. But consumers and businesses will expect seamless experiences and real-time responsiveness. What does this mean for IoT devices and the infrastructure that supports them? More of the data will need to be handled at - or closer to - the devices themselves.
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Dataloop.IO, an innovator in cloud IT-monitoring whose products help organizations save time and money, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Dataloop.IO is an emerging software company on the cutting edge of major IT-infrastructure trends including cloud computing and microservices. The company, founded in the UK but now based in San Fran...
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Big Data, cloud, analytics, contextual information, wearable tech, sensors, mobility, and WebRTC: together, these advances have created a perfect storm of technologies that are disrupting and transforming classic communications models and ecosystems. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Erik Perotti, Senior Manager of New Ventures on Plantronics’ Innovation team, provided an overview of this technological shift, including associated business and consumer communications impacts, and opportunities it m...
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The financial services market is one of the most data-driven industries in the world, yet it’s bogged down by legacy CPU technologies that simply can’t keep up with the task of querying and visualizing billions of records. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Jared Parker, Director of Financial Services at Kinetica, will discuss how the advent of advanced in-database analytics on the GPU makes it possible to run sophisticated data science workloads on the same database that is housing the rich inf...
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It is one thing to build single industrial IoT applications, but what will it take to build the Smart Cities and truly society changing applications of the future? The technology won’t be the problem, it will be the number of parties that need to work together and be aligned in their motivation to succeed. In his Day 2 Keynote at @ThingsExpo, Henrik Kenani Dahlgren, Portfolio Marketing Manager at Ericsson, discussed how to plan to cooperate, partner, and form lasting all-star teams to change the...
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In his keynote at @ThingsExpo, Chris Matthieu, Director of IoT Engineering at Citrix and co-founder and CTO of Octoblu, focused on building an IoT platform and company. He provided a behind-the-scenes look at Octoblu’s platform, business, and pivots along the way (including the Citrix acquisition of Octoblu).
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"delaPlex is a software development company. We do team-based outsourcing development," explained Mark Rivers, COO and Co-founder of delaPlex Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
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Tate & Lyle PLC announced that it is supporting a new three-year research project by The University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute which aims to improve the understanding of the UK food system and help people experiencing food insecurity and living with obesity make healthier, more sustainable food choices.
The University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute has been awarded £1.6m funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to carry out the project, which will investigate how issues around poverty, food insecurity, and obesity may affect shopping habits.
The data will be gathered from participants from across the UK who will be sharing their experience of living with food insecurity and obesity, and also working with a large UK retailer to study the shopping habits of around 1,600,000 consumers.
The three-year study will bring together a panel of consumers, policy makers, charities, food and drink producers, processors, and retailers, as well as expert academics to advise, co-develop, and test strategies that can support future transformation within the UK food system. The results of the research will be made publicly available at the end of project.
As part of the project, and as the only food and drink ingredient solutions supplier on the panel, Tate & Lyle will provide industry insight on reformulation, as well as share their expertise on nutrition.
Dr Kavita Karnik, global head, nutrition & regulatory affairs at Tate & Lyle, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our guidance, expertise and know-how for this important piece of research.
“We are a science-led organization which helps big and small brands all over the world make food and drink healthier and tastier. Driven by our purpose of ‘Transforming Lives through the Science of Food’, we believe this research is essential to better understand food systems in the UK and provide real-world strategies of how dietary inequalities can be addressed within the food retail sector in an environmentally friendly way.”
Professor Alexandra Johnstone, Rowett Institute, added: “With the cost-of-living crisis it is only going to get harder for people to make healthy food choices, particularly those who are living with obesity and food insecurity. This is a vital piece of research, and we are very much looking forward to working with this excellent team on this extremely important topic.”


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Three years after being sued by Cisco Systems for giving its iPhone the same name as a Cisco product, Apple has taken another page from the Cisco playbook, renaming its iPhone operating system, iOS.
Meru Networks is adding new features to its enterprise Wi-Fi diagnostics, monitoring and security software, along with a new radio frequency scanner for spectrum analysis. The goal is to improve wireless reliability to the point where it can work as ...
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Cisco Tuesday said it intends to acquire privately held Moto Development Group, a product design consulting firm that helped develop Cisco's Flip video camera. Moto, not to be confused with Motorola (which sometimes is referred to by the nickname Mot...
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The group developing a super-fast wireless data technology that can transmit data up to 10 times as fast as today's fastest Wi-Fi published its initial specification on Monday and named Cisco as the latest backer of the technology.
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Cisco Systems on Tuesday introduced its next-generation Internet core router, the CRS-3, with about three times the capacity of its current platform.
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India's mobile subscriber growth plateaued and mobile saturation abated in 2012--signs of an industry stabilizing which could mean room for tariff hikes.
At the end of December 2012, the number of GSM subscribers was 786.64 million, according to figures released Monday by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. This was less than one percent higher than the corresponding period the previous year.
In 2012 mobile saturation, known as teledensity, dropped by 4.5 percent to 70.82 percent. This is a tale of the city and the village. A 6.34 percent rise in rural teledensity (39.85 percent) helped to offset a 10 percent drop in urban teledensity (149.9 percent).
Sridhar T. Pai, CEO of research firm Tonse Telecom, told ZDNet the smaller telcos were scaling back their operations, while regulatory changes were stifling others.
"This is typical of market hitting a phase of maturity and the beginning of the end of hyper-competition," Pai said. "Once policy is firmed up a major phase of consolidation will kick in."
He said operators will boost their revenues by raising tariffs, increasing the average revenue per user (ARPU).
In 2012, ARPU--a key metric for the telco industry--barely rose from 96 rupees to 98 rupees. There was an 8 percent increase in the overall amount of calls made by subscribers every month, to 174 minutes; and subscribers increased the number of SMSes sent per month, from 36 to 38.
However, in recent days, Pai said, India's two biggest telcos, Airtel and Reliance have raised charges by 22 percent and 30 percent, respectively.
"Consumer price elasticity is now inert. This means, if prices are increased further, call volumes are not noticeably dipping," he said.
This could even help to solve some of the telcos' long-term debt woes. For example, Airtel reported its debt stood at US$11.7 billion as of March 2013.
"Ideally this trend will continue across the board for mobile voice," Pai said. "It is positive, as the ARPU will scale further and hopefully over time will pull some of these beleaguered telcos out of the red."
Meanwhile, quarter-on-quarter, the number of CDMA subscribers decreased by 20.53 percent to 77.74 million.
The biggest affected was Reliance, which lost 16.12 million customers in the last quarter of 2012, but still retained 50 percent CDMA market share.
The total number of wireless subscribers at the end of 2012 was 864.72 million, a 4.62 percent drop on the previous quarter.


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As 2014 rolls on, compressor manufacturers continue to be excited about where the market is heading, but, when it comes to things like refrigerants and regulations, challenges remain.
Although some market tendencies and themes are common among compressor manufacturers, a variety of factors were identified as most influential.
Joel Moseley, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Bristol Compressors Intl. Inc., said environmental drivers are the biggest concern for his company right now.
“Environmental drivers, including alternate refrigerants and elevated energy-efficiency requirements, are the most important trends for us,” Moseley said. “All of our global customers are affected and look to us to support their challenging system requirements. The regions with the most aggressive changes include Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S.”
Eric Walthall, regional marketing manager, Danfoss North America, said the most important trend to Danfoss remains energy efficiency, specifically the increasing focus on part-load efficiency in the air conditioning segment.
“Over the next two to three years, we expect to see new commercial air conditioning regulations focused on significantly improving part-load efficiency,” he said. “To address these new standards, Danfoss is building its part-load efficiency toolbox, which includes application-optimized compressors, variable-pressure ratio compressors with our patented intermediate discharge valve, and manifolding and variable-speed compressors, where Danfoss is on the leading edge of innovation.”
Walthall noted there is a clear need to reduce the global warming impact of refrigerants in the long term.
Energy efficiency continues to be a key factor for Bitzer, said Dave Sylves, director of inside sales and marketing. “The market is demanding higher full- and part-load energy efficiencies in their systems,” he said. “Bitzer meets this challenge in a couple of ways. Rather than offer a one-size-fits-all compressor, we optimize our compressors based on system conditions.”
At Emerson Climate Technologies Inc., Frank Landwehr, vice president, air conditioning marketing, said the most important trend right now is capacity modulation.
“In both residential and commercial applications, the industry is using various forms of modulation to satisfy increasing demands for high-efficiency systems. This is being driven by new regulations and general concerns about energy costs,” Landwehr said. “There have been many advances in modulation technology over the past few years, including variable-speed, two-step, digital, and multiple compressor schemes like tandems and trios. Each of these technologies has provided very cost-effective solutions in different applications.”
Michel Moreira, senior leader, commercial refrigeration products, Embraco, said refrigerant movements are influencing decisions at Embraco.
“It’s about a strong movement to ban HFC [hydrofluorocarbon] platforms, moving to green ones, mainly R290, for commercial refrigeration,” Moreira said. “It’s a reality in Europe, and Asia and South America are following very close behind.”
Next Big Thing
Chris Sorensen, OEM sales manager, Carlyle Compressor Co., is proud of Carlyle’s 06M reciprocating compressor, with non-ozone depleting R-410A, which is designed for commercial refrigeration applications.
“We will continue to innovate our reciprocating and screw compressor product lines to bring value to our customers while being good stewards of the environment,” Sorensen said.
Moseley said Bristol Compressors is expanding its product line at both ends of the capacity range. In 2014, Bristol will release a new line of fractional hp compressors to better serve its refrigeration customers and address several specialty markets. The company also has partnered with Torad LLC on spool technology, which will grow Bristol’s commercial line from 10 to 25 tons.
“Both of these fresh new products will be paired with Bristol’s inverter technology, and development considerations include alternate refrigerants R-32, R-290, and CO2,” Moseley said.
Danfoss Turbocor Compressors Inc. introduced its Variable Twin Turbo (VTT) line of oil-free, variable-speed, magnetic-bearing centrifugal compressors at the 2014 AHR Expo. It features IntraFlow technology, an innovative and patent pending technology for improving compressor efficiency, and an extended stable operating range while simplifying capacity control, said Jose Alvares, director of sales, Americas.
“This new drive technology will be exclusive to the VTT Series and is the result of integrated research and development efforts, blending Danfoss’s extensive expertise and capabilities in high-efficiency compressors and variable-frequency drives for the HVAC industry,” Alvares said.
Landwehr said Emerson is continuing to explore options including the use of electronics, such as CoreSense technology, to make its compressors more reliable and more efficient.
“[Our compressors] are also beginning to interact with other system controls, which are increasingly moving away from traditional electromechanical control methods,” Landwehr said. “We are also globally researching the development of new refrigerants with lower global warming potentials. When considering the breadth of our compressor lineup, and the number of applications we serve globally, including air conditioning and refrigeration, this effort requires a lot of cooperation across many industries and regions. Emerson Climate is working closely with many refrigerant chemical companies and our OEM customers in the development of potential new refrigerants.”
Eddie Rodriguez, director, chiller product planning, Daikin Applied, said, “We are continuously working on technologies that improve compressor performance and expand this capability in large-capacity chillers.”
For Embraco, the biggest challenge centers on design solutions with premium efficiency and cost-competitive solutions, Moreira said.
“Some of the technologies already available in the market, including the Fullmotion technology, still have a regular penetration in sales due to their costs,” Moreira said.
Sorensen said the biggest challenge for Carlyle, and the industry, will be keeping up with refrigerant regulations and product efficiency requirements.
“There are limited acceptable options for low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants that have low toxicity, are nonflammable, and can achieve required energy-efficiency goals when compared to current refrigerants, such as R-404A and R-410A,” Sorensen said. “The challenge is to develop compressors with improved efficiencies to meet future efficiency requirements with low-GWP refrigerants. Our goal is to continue focusing on advancing technology in support of our customers’ refrigerant choices and application needs.”
Sylves said Bitzer is taking a proactive approach toward worldwide refrigerant rules and regulations.
“The challenge is industry-wide. For example, we’re all anticipating changes in refrigerant offerings to address low GWP,” Sylves said. “We monitor refrigerant legislation throughout the world to ensure we have the appropriate compressor for our OEM customers, and though we are a leader in CO2 compression, it is not a practical solution for all applications. Bitzer publishes an annual refrigerant report to update our customers on global developments.”
Alvares said Danfoss Turbocor is constantly educating the market on the benefits of high-efficiency, variable-speed, oil-free compressor technology. “We’re particularly focused on sharing knowledge in developing countries,” he said. “However, this is rapidly changing, and, in some developing countries, like China and Brazil, the interest in energy-efficient products has been growing heavily over the last few years.”
Landwehr said Emerson is tackling the same challenge its OEM customers and channel partners face — the rising cost of typical HVAC systems, which he accounts to the abundance of new efficiency and environmental regulations.
“Many of these regulations will likely add cost to the systems, which will, in turn, dampen consumer demand,” Landwehr said. “For Emerson Climate Technologies, and the industry, our biggest challenge will be to provide cost-effective and innovative HVAC technologies that deliver improved energy efficiency and value for our end-use customers. In addition, our industry needs to improve its communications of the economic and comfort benefits derived from high-efficiency systems so consumers can make good, informed decisions about their HVAC investments.”
Publication date: 3/31/2014


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A Global Commitment to eliminate plastic waste and pollution at source has been signed by 290+ organisations, representing 20% of all plastic packaging produced globally. It was officially unveiled by Ellen MacArthur at the Our Ocean conference in Bali on 29th October.
The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with UN Environment, and is signed by many of the worlds largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs. Signatories include well-known consumer businesses such as Danone, H&M Group, L’Oreal, Mars, Incorporated, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, and Unilever; major packing producers such as Amcor; plastics producers including Novamont, and resource management specialist Veolia.
The Global Commitment aims to create ‘a new normal’ for plastic packaging. Targets will be reviewed every 18 months, and become increasingly ambitious over the coming years. Businesses that sign the commitment will publish annual data on their progress to help drive momentum and ensure transparency.
Targets include to:
- Eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use to reuse packaging models
- Innovate to ensure 100% of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled, or composted by 2025
- Circulate the plastic produced, by significantly increasing the amounts of plastics reused or recycled and made into new packaging or products
Eliminating unnecessary and problematic plastics is an essential part of the Global Commitment vision, and will make it easier to keep remaining plastics in the economy and out of the environment.
“We know that cleaning up plastics from our beaches and oceans is vital, but this does not stop the tide of plastic entering the oceans each year. We need to move upstream to the source of the flow. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment draws a line in the sand, with businesses, governments and others around the world uniting behind a clear vision for what we need to create a circular economy for plastic. This is just one step on what will be a challenging journey, but one which can lead to huge benefits for society, the economy and the environment. I encourage all businesses and governments to go further and embark on a race to the top in the creation of a circular economy for plastic. One in which this material never becomes waste or pollution.” – Dame Ellen MacArthur
The Global Commitment and its vision for a circular economy for plastic are supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and have been endorsed by the World Economic Forum, The Consumer Goods Forum (a CEO-led organisation representing some 400 retailers and manufacturers from 70 countries), and 40 universities, institutions and academics. More than fifteen financial institutions with in excess of $2.5 trillion in assets under management have also endorsed the Global Commitment and over $200 million has been pledged by five venture capital funds to create a circular economy for plastic.
“The plastics crisis can only be solved with the combined efforts of all key players in the system. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s strategy in plastics is to advocate, amplify and accelerate a connected suite of initiatives for change; therefore we are working closely with other key organizations, such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to convey a joint message on our ambitious joint commitments, and to develop the tools needed to achieve these in partnership with companies, civil society, governments and citizens. WWF therefore endorses the The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment as we consider it an important step forward to join the efforts of businesses and governments around the world towards system-wide solutions.” – Pavan Sukhdev, President of WWF International
UN Environment, which leads the Global Partnership on Marine Litter and its Clean Seas Campaign, last month also launched the Global Plastics Platform to support international efforts to tackle plastic pollution. It said it would use its convening power to drive engagement with the Global Commitment from governments and other key players. Governments that sign, pledge to put in place policies and enabling conditions to support the Global Commitment’s targets and vision.
“Ocean plastic is one of the most visible and disturbing examples of a plastic pollution crisis. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is the most ambitious set of targets we have seen yet in the fight to beat plastics pollution. It sets out the steps businesses and governments must take if we are to find a solution to the root causes of plastic pollution and we urge all those working towards dealing with this global issue to sign it.” – Erik Solheim, Executive Director of UN Environment
View the full list of Signatories
Find out more about the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment
Danone Dairies UK
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Global Partnership on Marine Litter GPA
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
World Economic Forum
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
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Home sales rose in January to the highest pace in nearly two years, flashing signs of health ahead of the spring-buying season.
The National Association of Realtors says U.S. home sales increased 4.3 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.57 million. That’s the highest level since May 2010.
Sales have risen in three of the past four months. But they remain well below the 6 million that economists equate with a healthy market.[dmc-related-post-wp numitems="3" title="Related stories"]
First-time buyers, who are critical to a recovery, are increased slightly to 33 percent of sales. In healthy markets, first-time buyers make up at least 40 percent.
Homes at risk of foreclosure made up 35 percent of sales last month, up from 32 percent in December.
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Just Eat sees 58% rise in revenues as more consumers buy their takeaways online, and via mobile
Just Eat today said order numbers and revenues were up by more than 50% in its latest financial year, reflecting a fast move online for takeaway ordering both in the UK and its other international markets. Pre-tax profits, however, were down compared to the previous year.
The online delivery marketplace, a Top250 retailer in the IRUK Top500
, today said revenues hit £247.6m in the year to December 31 2015, 58% up on the same time last year. Order numbers reached 96.2m in the year, up by 57% on the same time last year.
Chief executive David Buttress said: "The global online takeaway market continues to grow as consumers become ever more demanding; wanting more choice and greater convenience. Just Eat has been at the leading edge of developing and growing the online marketplace for takeaway food delivery as it responds to these changing trends."
In its core UK market, he said orders rose by 48% to 67.3m. More than 70% of all UK orders came from mobile devices, including orders via the Just Eat apps. Orders via apps accounted for 41% of all UK orders. That's up from 33% at the same time last year.
At the same time, the number of takeaway restaurants using the platform reached 24,600 at the end of the year, up from 24,600 a year earlier.
But pre-tax profits of £34.6m were down on the £57.4m reported last time, after costs including £6.6m relating to the acquisition of businesses in Australia and Mexico, as the company increases its international presence.


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Crunchies 2008 Finalists Voting is now open and the community can vote to chose the best startups, internet and technology innovations of the year.
The 2008 Crunchies are co-hosted by GigaOm, VentureBeat, Silicon Alley Insider, and TechCrunch. It is the second annual competition and award ceremony which will help showcase and recognize these compelling startups, internet and technology innovations.
The winners will be announced live at the Crunchies award ceremony at 7:30 pm, Friday, January 9 at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. The reception will follow from 9 pm midnight across the street in City Hall’s Rotunda. After-party co-host MySpace will be supplying a celebrity DJ. There will be an open bar, finger food, game room, and other fun surprises.
Guess who all are competing for the Best Technology Innovation / Achievement of 2008 – Facebook Connect, Google Friend Connect, Google Chrome, Windows Live Mesh, Swype, and Yahoo! BOSS – who will win?
So start voting and chose the best. Vote the companies, products and people that best fit each category, and you can vote up to once per day. Finalist voting will close on January 5 midnight PST. Hurry and get your votes in.