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In 1970, healthcare spending in the United States totaled $74.1 billion and ballooned to $1.4 trillion by 2000. Two decades later, these costs tripled, tallying in at $4.1 trillion. From 2019 to 2020, health care spending shot up by 9.7 percent, more than double the 2018 to 2019 figure. What these stats make clear is healthcare spending is on the rise, and Americans need more affordable healthcare options.
One way to provide these options involves shifting towards convenient care centers. A trend underscored by Walmart and UnitedHealth Group’s recent announcement that they have joined forces in a long-term, value-based healthcare partnership.
Here’s everything you need to know about this development and what it says about the future of healthcare in America.
Walmart’s Foray into Healthcare
The healthcare industry is set for a shakeup if big retail has its way, and one of the companies spearheading this effort is Walmart. The company boasts more than 200 million weekly customers and hopes to provide many of them with better medical options.
Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon explains, “We’re on a journey to transform health care, connecting more people to the right care at the right time — at a cost that makes sense. This collaboration puts the patient at the center of health care by leveraging the strength and complementary skill sets of our two companies to accelerate access to quality care.”
Changing the Healthcare Landscape
Walmart already places a substantial focus on medically underserved communities (MUCs) nationwide. To date, the company has located 4,000 stores within designated MUCs, providing these communities with much-needed resources and information regarding social determinants of well-being and access to healthcare.
According to Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president of health and wellness at Walmart, “The people who work at Walmart — they are from these communities, they are trusted in these communities. The way that we partner is we first listen. We hear the needs of our own associates, we partner with leaders in the community, and then we provide service.”
Next-Level Strategic Partnership
Walmart and UnitedHealth Group have committed to a ten-year partnership with two primary goals: 1) facilitating value-based care adoption among Walmart clinicians and 2) launching a new Medicare Advantage Plan.
The decade-long agreement underscores the dedication both companies have to their endeavor. As David Carmouche, M.D., a senior vice president at Walmart, explains, “This isn’t a pilot. It’s a long-term commitment to work together to extend value-based care models to seniors and Medicare beneficiaries across multiple geographies over time.”
A New Direction
Walmart and UnitedHealth Group believe this new direction will allow them to reach hundreds of thousands of Medicare Advantage subscribers. What’s more, UnitedHealth’s Optum will help clinicians employed by Walmart deliver better healthcare by utilizing decision support tools and data analytics. These changes will ensure a higher level of care in a convenient location and at an affordable price point.
Carmouche emphasizes the last of these points: “It really allows us to fulfill the promise of trying to keep care affordable. The affordability piece we think is driven better in a value-based environment.”
Next Steps for the Partnership
Open enrollment for the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage Walmart Flex plan begins October 15 and will be available in Georgia for the 2023 plan year. Starting in January, those enrolled in United Healthcare’s Choice Plus PPO plan will have access to Walmart Health Virtual Care in-network.
While the success of this value-based healthcare initiative remains to be seen, this new direction is something medical professionals should pay attention to. Patients need affordable healthcare options that provide better outcomes.
Value-Based Healthcare for Patients
Managing diabetic neuropathy requires delivering value-based healthcare to your customers. That’s where we come in. We offer the only comprehensive peripheral neuropathy care program on the market. Offered at an affordable price, it’s a game-changer for managing this debilitating condition.
But we need you to get the word out to your customers and their caregivers. People living with diabetes visit your facility every day. They trust you and look to you for solutions that will positively impact their quality of life and health. They’re a part of your community and changing their lives for the better is as simple as starting a conversation. In the process, you’ll ramp up profits with zero patient acquisition cost.
Would you like to learn more about our unique approach to treating peripheral neuropathy? The NeuropaCalm Care Program combines cutting-edge therapies for incredible results. Our multidisciplinary strategy offers the most significant relief available on the market today. Learn more about managing neuropathy with the NeuropaCalm Care Program.


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During today’s New Game+ Expo, companies such as NIS America took to the online communities in order to announce some upcoming releases, one of which is coming to PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 later this year. Here’s a look at what they revealed.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is preparing to bring the Trails of Cold Steel story arc to an end thanks to its latest trailer. Now, we know just bow the war will unfold as both original and new members of Class VIIs will come together and fight for the safety of all of Erebonia.
NIS America has revealed that Trails of Cold Steel IV will be coming to PlayStation 4 and PC with a Nintendo Switch, each releasing in the Fall of 2020 and the latter in 2021. The game will pick up where the events of Trails of Cold Steel III left off in previous times.

domain: news


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Truro's 'destination' Christmas market promises a month of festive magic
Christmas markets are one of the best things about the festive season, from people selling mulled wine to handmade ornaments, you’re bound to have a great day exploring stalls
One of Cornwall’s biggest Christmas markets is set to return this year, and word on the street is that it will be bigger and better than ever. The BIG Christmas Market will return to Truro later this month and will run until Christmas Eve. Rather than stalls, new for this year, artisan traders will be housed in wooden cabins decorated to give a more festive feel.
Market coordinator, Stewart Girvan, said: “The beautiful wooden cabins, made for us locally by Llawnroc Furniture, will really upgrade the market experience for both traders and visitors. Not only will they look magical - festooned with lights and individually styled by each of the traders – it will also make for a better visiting experience, whatever the Cornish weather throws at us.”
The Mayor of Truro, Cllr Carol Swain, said: “The BIG Christmas Market will be better than ever this year, promising an unmissable yuletide experience for the whole family. I know the aspirational team behind the project are still finalising the details, but suffice to say that the new improved market will be a real destination – one to rival those of other beautiful cities around the UK.”
- Cornwall student sang Welsh national anthem to sound like a demon in new Exorcist film
- New Year's Eve masquerade ball at Truro Cathedral to make epic return - but you can't go
For more information and regular updates about The BIG Christmas Market, follow Truro Farmers Market on social media. New trader applications can be made here.


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SME fair gets one day extension
Published : 18 Mar 2017, 20:41
The "National Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Fair-2017" scheduled to be concluded tomorrow, gets one day extension and will now continue till March 20.
SME foundation took the decision in line with the stakeholders demand including sellers and buyers, said a press release here today.
SME Foundation is organising the exhibition with the main thrust of promoting the SME products, exhibition and introduction of SME goods for expanding business, trade and commerce. The fair began on March 15.
Around 200 SME institutions are exhibiting their SME products, including Jute, agriculture and leather products and electrical and Information and Technology goods.
The fair remains open 10 am to 8 pm.
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More than 100 Starbucks stores in South Florida’s Miami-Dade and Broward counties are now delivering through Uber Eats.
Starting Tuesday, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte makes its long-awaited return to stores in the United States and Canada, while supplies last.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, one of the world’s leading roaster and retailers of specialty coffee and tea, is introducing limited edition “Bright Future” Blend Coffee and Tea for the back to sch
With the debut of two new seasonal specials and the return of a fan favorite this fall, Nékter Juice Bar is reinforcing its position as the go-to destination for 100 percent fresh, clean, and nutri
The full offering of fall beverages will hit Biggby Coffee stores this week with everything from Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Caramel Apple Cider.
Wine and beer sales are on the rise. Is it time for your brand to cash in?
Cold-pressed juice brand Evolution Fresh announced it will expand its functional beverage portfolio by entering the $1.2 billion refrigerated tea category with the launch of new bottled Evolution F
There’s nothing better on a hot summer day than an ice-cold, thirst-quenching lemonade with a funky twist. Taco Bueno launched limited-time Cool & Fiery Lemonades.
Wienerschnitzel once again finds itself at the center of a celebration in August thanks to the arrival of two classic summertime treats.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, one of the world’s leading roaster and retailers of specialty coffee and tea, announced that it is introducing two new varieties of the Cookies & Cream Ice Blend
Peet’s Coffee announced the debut and national launch of Peet’s True Iced Espresso, a line of shelf-stable canned iced espresso flavors inspired by top-selling drinks in Peet’s coffeebars: Black an
Maui Wowi is ready to welcome back its signature summer coffee. Back by popular demand, Midnight Kona coffee returned to participating locations and events June 13 for a limited time.
Starbucks is expanding the platform this summer, expanding nationally throughout 2018.
The Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refreshers beverage tastes as exotic as it sounds, with a deep magenta color bursting with sweet, tropical flavors.
Brooklyn coffee roaster Toby’s Estate announced the highly anticipated launch of Black + Almond Cold Brew, a 12 oz. ready-to-drink beverage.
Starting Tuesday, consumers can enjoy one of the first premium sparkling ready-to-drink (RTD) iced tea beverages on the market with the introduction of Teavana Sparkling Craft Iced Tea.
Starbucks is putting a flavorful spin on three customer favorites that will also become part of its permanent menu for participating stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Caribou Coffee said it is the first nationwide coffeehouse to offer bubbles in its iced coffee drinks.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, the leading fast-casual cafe concept known for both its better-for-you food options and smoothies with a tropical twist, announced the release of its very limited-time smoot
Peet’s Coffee, The Original Craft Coffee, announced the addition of Peet’s Baridi Black Nitro Cold Brew to its line of bestselling, ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brew.
Sonic Drive-In is blending the classic all-American combination of creamy ice cream and decadent cookies into one delicious Shake.
Dunkin’ Donuts announced Wednesday the addition of Cookies & Cream to its popular and fast-growing line of bottled, ready-to-drink iced coffee beverages produced and distributed by The Coca-Col
What do the mystical sparkles mean? Your fortune shall be revealed (for a limited time) with Starbucks new Crystal Ball Frappuccino blended beverage.
McDonald’s announced Wednesday its celebrating the flavors of coffee with the new McCafé Turtle beverages.
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Royal Cup Coffee & Tea, a leading importer, roaster and distributor of premium and specialty coffees and teas, announced the April 2, 2018 launch of a new line of shelfstable, ready-to-drink co
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When the new Smiling Moose concept opened on Monday, January 29 at 2110 S. University Blvd. in Denver, fans of the award-winning sandwich concept noticed things are a little different.


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As Danes Specialty Coffee celebrates its 25-year anniversary, Managing Director Paul Jackson reflects on the evolution of Australian specialty coffee and how the past is destined to repeat.
After Italian immigrants brought their love for espresso to Australia in the 1950s, coffee quickly became ingrained in Australian culture.
According to World Atlas data collated in 2017, per capita, Australia ranks 42 in the world for coffee consumption. Despite not placing among the highest consumers, Australia has developed a reputation as being a global leader of specialty coffee and an influential trendsetter in the Asia-Pacific.
One company that has contributed to the growth of Australia’s specialty coffee industry is Danes Specialty Coffee, which is this year celebrating its 25-year anniversary. Danes Managing Director Paul Jackson says modern trends gaining popularity are driving the coffee industry back towards traditional espresso bar concepts.
“Coffee was meant to be short, black, and fast. That’s how Italians invented espresso, with the espresso bar an institution embedded into their culture. You would take ‘una pausa’ [a pause] for a strong, dark shot of coffee with a buttery pastry, enjoy a chat with the barista, then move on,” Paul says.
“When the specialty coffee wave hit Australia around 25 years ago, takeaway coffee was a minimal percentage of coffee sales. Most people dined in.”
Over time, fast-paced lifestyles and a demand for on-the-go products have fuelled the takeaway coffee industry. As technology progressed, large Styrofoam cups were developed and later replaced by plastic and paper cups.
An unforeseen repercussion of this was the massive amounts of waste these single-use cups would generate.
“Today, we are increasingly aware of the negative effect our takeaway habit has on the environment. Over a billion single use cups are thrown away each year in Australia. Many end up in landfill or the ocean and will not break down in our lifetime,” Paul says.
“We’re now seeing a shift in the use of takeaway cups across the specialty coffee industry. Customers are demanding more sustainable solutions from cafés, roasters, and milk suppliers.”
Danes listened and acted, developing its own plant-based cups in 2019.
“There’s no better single-use cups out there on the market that are more environmentally sound,” Paul says.
“The Australian takeaway market isn’t going to disappear overnight, but the movement towards sitting down and drinking in is undeniably happening.”
Instead, he expects the eco-friendly mindset to push the coffee industry back towards a traditional Italian espresso bar culture.
“The next evolution is to revert to the original Italian way. Stop, order, sip, dash. We’ll avoid single-use cups altogether, in a throwback to slower, simpler times,” he says.
“It’s a full circle evolution, with consumers going back to some simpler choices that reflect a change in
Although consumer trends are changing, Australia’s highly competitive specialty coffee industry means roasters are constantly pushing the limits of flavour and quality, including Danes.
In 2018 and 2019, Danes celebrated its quarter-century birthday early, winning the Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA) Champion Roaster and achieved multiple gold medals for its coffees.
Its Mocha Gold won the Milk Coffee Blend category at 2018 AICA and Danes’ Ascension won the 2019 AICA gold in the espresso category.
In order to convey these award-winning flavour profiles to customers, Danes takes pride in being transparent and engaging with its communications. To do this, Danes includes a brew guide and flavour pentagon on its packaging, a guide which visually illustrates the coffee’s balance of body, flavour, sweetness, aroma, and finish.
The roaster also separates its coffees into three distinct “flavour tribes” to characterise its beans: chocolates and caramels, nuts and spices, and fruits and berries.
“Across the whole bean-to-cup supply chain, customers are pushing for greater transparency. The knowledge gap between customers and roasters is getting smaller,” Paul says.
“Together, these elements provide a clear, simple vocabulary to quickly and easily define the subtleties of our coffees. Our flavour language is accessible for all levels of coffee knowledge.”
While the sustainability revolution and a greater level of transparency is changing the way Danes operates, another key evolution Paul has witnessed during his career is the rise of dairy-alternative milks.
“One of the most disruptive changes in the specialty coffee industry in the last five years has been the rise of non-dairy milk alternatives. From acrid black coffee back in the instant coffee days to the huge milky mugs people drink now, we’re looking at alternatives to traditional dairy milk,” Paul says.
“It’s customers themselves who are leading the way, as many seek fresh plant ‘mylks’.”
Danes has embraced this trend, partnering with Inside Out, an Australian almond milk brand that started selling smoothies at the Bondi Beaches’ Farmers’ Markets.
According to Grant Freeman, Business Development Manager at Inside Out, non-dairy milk currently accounts for 20 per cent of volume in the specialty coffee sector – a figure that is growing each year.
“This is driven by a few key factors. Being lactose-free, it’s friendlier on the gut, it’s suitable for a vegan diet, and is often considered an all-round healthier choice. As the category becomes more mainstream, it’s predicted that consumers will increasingly demand fresh, high-quality dairy alternatives,” Grant says.
As dairy-free milk is often paired with coffee, Inside Out has created its products to complement espresso, rather than overpower it.
“Working with Danes and other industry experts, we identified that existing ultra-high-temperature offerings overpowered coffee, which is why we developed Café Originals – a quality range that can texture and complement distinct flavour profiles,” Grant says.
“We can confidently say we have created both an almond and oat milk which don’t compromise on taste and that are also made the right way, using a high percentage of Australian almonds and all the right ingredients.”
With sustainability and dairy alternatives influencing the future of the coffee industry, Danes’ Paul Jackson says its integral for roasters and others in the industry to stay in touch with consumers.
“Consumers are pushing sustainability and dairy alternatives and ultimately we’re led by them. They have the right to speak – their habits will determine our path,” he says.
“As cafés and roasters, it challenges us in the specialty coffee industry to show leadership in these areas.”
This article appears in the April 2020 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
For more information, visit www.danes.com.au


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DEERE & CO, the world‘s largest manufacturer of agricultural machinery, has reported an 86% increase in earnings for the second quarter of this year, reports the Financial Times .
The company has also forecast robust growth across all product lines because of the continued strength of the US agriculture sector.
The rise in earnings is attributed to the rise in farm incomes from last year‘s harvest. The company also admitted that US farm subsidies played a vital role.
Net income rose 86% from $256m (£143m) to $477(£266m) for the quarter with global sales rising 34% to $5.8bn (£3.2bn).
Deere & Co chief executive Bob Lane said the company was “profitably expanding” and that it had benefited from an aggressive asset management strategy.
One of the key factors behind the improved fortunes is the way in which Deere managed its inventory levels across what is a naturally cyclical industry, he said.
In spite of a 34% rise in sales, inventory levels were flat following a programme of “lean and efficient inventory levels”.
“The company is in a position to fully participate in the recovery now under way on our key markets and realise improved cash flow,” said Mr Lane.
The paper reports that sales for the quarter rose 29% for the quarter and 29% for the last six months.
Deere said it expected equipment sales this year to rise by about 25% with net income forecast at about $1.2bn (£669m).
But the company warned that retail sales in western Europe would be slightly down due to the fall in farm incomes following a recent drought.
Deere shares, which have rose 48% during the last 12 months, were trading at $64.89 (£36.20) by midday in New York on Tuesday (May18).


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The Indian Mission in Tanzania has asked Indian steel mills to explore the possibility of upping exports to the African nation.
Currently, China, South Africa, and Japan dominate the Tanzanian market; the Union Steel Ministry might consider pushing Indian offerings, which are already in high demand.
The High Commissioner of India to Tanzania, Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, has proposed sending a business delegation by the end of this year to facilitate a buyer-seller meeting.
Details of the letter
businessline has reviewed a copy of the letter.
“....while India is leading in certain segments such as bridges, lock gate towers, doors and windows, pillars and column rods and angles, it lags in other segments such as iron or non-iron alloy steel... A visit by Indian stakeholders dealing in steel sectors will be a good idea to promote our steel sector export,” the letter by Pradhan stated.
As per the letter, the Steel Ministry can consider sending a business delegation during September-December period.
“We discussed the issue with major importers and local steel manufacturers who manufacture basic items using scrap as raw material. It is felt that with some efforts India can increase its exports in the segments where it is at present lagging,” the letter said.
India’s market share in Africa
In 2022, Tanzania — one of the largest countries in the African continent — bought iron and steel and articles worth $1250.27 million. Indian export was $105.52 million.
India currently is the fourth largest supplier of iron and steel to the African nation with a market share of 8.44 per cent in 2022. Market share fell from 8.75 per cent in 2021, but improved in 2020 when it was 6.15 per cent.
Other countries like China improved its share to 41.47 per cent (vs 38 per cent in 2021 & 36.6 per cent in 2020). South Africa’s market share is 12.58 per cent (an improvement over 9.84 per cent in 2021 and 8.45 per cent in 2020), while Japan is at 11.43 per cent (it declined from 15.82 per cent in 2021 and 8.31 per cent in 2020).
- Also read: Indian steelmakers express concerns over rake shortages impacting raw material transportation
Indian exports statistics
In the iron and steel export category, Indian players had a stable market share of 6 per cent (compared to 2020) or $49.25 million in 2022; while in the category-specific break up (classified as articles of iron and steel) its market share doubled to 14 per cent (over 2020) to $56.27 million.
According to documents available with the Ministry, in the flat rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, hot rolled, plated, and coated category, India was among the top six suppliers with exports being valued at $0.91 million.
- Also read: SAIL seeks imposition of countervailing duties on low-priced Chinese stainless steel imports
In fact, exports in the category fell from $2.59 million in 2020 to $1.17 million in 2021. Against this, Chinese exports increased from $68.32 million in 2020 to $182.21 million in 2022.
In the flat-rolled product category, the country lost market share slipping down to the 10th spot from the eighth rank in 2020. In value terms, exports stood at $0.10 million in 2022 versus $0.32 million in 2020.
Indian exporters topped in the bridge and bridge section segment which stood at $23.05 million in 2022, up threefold over 2020-levels of $7.28 million.
Railway track and construction material exports were a category in which India saw some gains, but in value wise it remained at 2020 levels of $0.14 million.


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The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (“CCPC”) recently announced that a proposed acquisition by DMG Media Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust Plc, of sole control of JPIMedia Publications Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of JPIMedia Limited, was void because of ‘Gun-Jumping’.
Gun-Jumping is the offence of implementing a merger or acquisition that is notifiable to the CCPC without first securing clearance from the CCPC. Such a transaction is void under section 19(2) of the Competition Act 2002. Furthermore, significant penalties can be imposed (i.e. fines on conviction on indictment (a jury trial) of up to €250,000 (with a maximum daily default fine of €25,000)).
In this case, the relevant transaction was notified to the CCPC on 29 November 2019 in accordance with section 18(1)(b) of the Act which relates to notifiable mergers and acquisitions involving media businesses.
On 10 January 2020, the CCPC made the following announcement that as the parties had implemented the acquisition before receiving clearance from the CCPC, the acquisition was void: “Following enquiries by the CCPC, Daily Mail and General Trust Plc confirmed that the acquisition was put into effect on 29 November 2019. By implementing the acquisition before receiving clearance from the CCPC, Daily Mail and General Trust Plc and JPIMedia Limited have infringed section 19(1) of the Competition Act. Consequently, as provided for by section 19(2) of the Competition Act this acquisition is void. The CCPC will continue to assess the notified transaction in accordance with the Competition Act”
This is the latest investigation in the CCPC’s recent trend of taking enforcement action against Gun-Jumping. In April 2019, it secured its first ever criminal conviction for Gun-Jumping.
Going forward, the CCPC will have substantially more resources at its disposal to investigate competition law infringements such as Gun-Jumping, because resources which were previously dedicated to carrying out merger review have now been “freed up” due to a significant decrease in the number of transactions notified to the CCPC. In total, just 47 transactions were notified to the CCPC in 2019 (a 52% decrease from 2018). This decrease was the result of an increase from 1 January 2019 in the turnover thresholds at which a notification of a merger or acquisition to the CCPC is required.
Parties involved in mergers or acquisitions in Ireland should ensure that they are fully aware of the rules on merger control and Gun Jumping and if uncertain, should contact their competition advisors to avoid any unnecessary risk.


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Is hardware in AV a disappearing act? Which came first, the ever-changing AV integration business model or advances in technology?
Oblong Industries’ Mezzanine, which made its debut at InfoComm, is a collaborative conference room solution that allows for multi-user, multi-screen, multi-device collaboration. Any person on a network can bring their own device and share content and applications.
Firstly, hardware-free AV is a misnomer, said Rob Balgley, CEO of Mersive. “It’s actually more accurate to think of it as nonproprietary hardware or commodity, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware like a Windows 7 PC or an Android platform. The benefits are more than just reductions in capital expenditure; there are also reductions in maintenance and support because the skill required to support these standardized platforms is far less specialized and subsequently less pricey.
AV designs can be simplified with standard computer platforms and software-based solutions because software offers greater flexibility resulting in less project complexity and faster deployments.
“It’s also true that standard computer, graphics processing, and network technology platforms have all benefitted from the impact of Moore’s Law, which states that the current pace of improvements in semiconductor technology results in the doubling of speed, capacity, and throughput every 18 months, which is not true of specialized proprietary hardware,” he added. “This exponential rate of improvement, combined with cost-effective software solutions running on these standard hardware platforms, will steadily usurp traditional AV technology strongholds in control, distribution, and management systems.”
Mersive founder and CTO Christopher Jaynes said it’s no surprise that technology trends tend to lead transitions in business models. “A new technology becomes available and, over several years, the way it is delivered, integrated, and sold adapts.”
Examples from the past decade include the shift from analog to digital video and the introduction of video over IP. “The major technology trend in the AV space over the past 15 years is the introduction of flexible software and commodity computing equipment as a viable replacement for custom hardware,” he noted. “What were once expensive, custom video processors are now composed of commodity CPUs and network interface cards on a standard computer running software.”
Video streaming over wireless networks, webcasting, HT ML5-capable hardware video decoders, and cloud-based media servers will continue this trend. The good news, said Jaynes, is that software is flexible and can be integrated with other technologies more easily than hardware-based systems. “AV integrators who embrace software will be able to provide more value to their customers by supplying complete solutions that are deeply integrated. Examples include collaboration software in the conference room that is integrated with their room scheduling systems, the video teleconferencing codecs, and even their traditional in-room control panels.”
The Right to be Free of Friction
Hardware isn’t disappearing per se, said David Kung, vice president of business development at Oblong Industries. “Instead, what we’re seeing are the functions of dedicated hardware now dispersing across multiple devices and a parallel shift in the kind of functionality which solely resides in a dedicated appliance or within devices, displays, and the cloud.”
There will continue to be a role for dedicated hardware, so we may never be completely hardware-free, but we all aspire to being friction-free, he explained. “We want shared content and shared workspaces without having to jump through multiple hoops and patch together different solutions to get there.”
Hardwired video connections are already being displaced by wireless options, and dedicated video codecs are being displaced by a combination of lower-cost hardware and cloud-based solutions.
“The master room control remote will likely remain a fixture,” Kung added. “But, we see mobile clients providing comparable functionality and, most likely, increased usability as a result of being freed from the cycles of producing hardware. While hardware will still be present, it may become more transparent as controls are displaced from installed hardware in the room to software controls resident on the devices that participants bring into the room.”
See It, Hear It
The most significant change in a hardware-free AV system is clearly going to be in video conferencing, said Mark Madison, executive vice president of systems integration at CompView. “With companies like Google and Microsoft claiming to be very close to that literally being built into everyone’s browser, the need for other products and services will be severely diminished. The advances in VC cloud infrastructure and the reduced costs of increased bandwidth is having a major impact on the traditional VC solutions.”
Secondly, he noted, is the migration to IP distribution of AV signals being controlled by software systems. “As the AV backbone becomes more IT oriented it will change the entire industry and the type of people working in it.”
It’s a Broad, Broad World
The attendant benefits of the transition from specialized hardware to commodity hardware and software means that high-performance AV solutions are now available to a broader market, which in turn means higher volumes, increased competition, and more aggressive technology innovation, Balgley maintained.
“We want shared content and shared workspaces without having to jump through multiple hoops and patch together different solutions to get there,” said David Kung, vice president of business development at Oblong Industries. “All of this results in better products at lower prices. Some obvious examples of this trend are in video teleconferencing which has been revolutionized by ‘soft codecs’ making the technology to more users in more applications, which in turn changes the use case criteria resulting in even faster growth and adoption.”
Wireless technology is another good example of how Moore’s Law has accelerated performance to the point where cables are no longer needed; cost comes down, flexibility of deployments goes up, and use cases proliferate to include new and innovative applications.
“The explosive growth of wireless content sharing is now possible because of advancements in wireless technology speed and throughout in smaller and less expensive packages,” Balgley said, “which, when combined with cheap computer processing and smart software, can make switches, controllers, and cabling a thing of the past.”
A general rule of technology holds that hardware systems always evolve towards more commodity, lower-cost, general-purpose platforms with the slack being taken up by increasingly sophisticated software, Jaynes stated. “The first telephone systems required entire buildings to house custom switching hardware commissioned and built by the Bell telephone company. That same network hardware is embodied in the general-purpose WAPs and switches of the internet.”
At the same time, he said, the value your service provider offers is in their routing and wireless hand-off algorithms, their noise-suppression capabilities, and the ease in which you can manage and make a call on your cellphone. “In short, the value is in software running on the commodity internet hardware. This same trend has played out in almost all other aspects of computing—disk drives, cluster computing, print services, etc., and it is just now accelerating in the AV market.”
Jaynes predicted back in 2007 that HD video transport over wireless would be a possibility by 2010 and, with the help of the National Science Foundation, Mersive began building the architecture for a wireless video transport architecture in software.
Mersive introduced an update to its Solstice platform, a media sharing and collaboration tool, at InfoComm. Solstice enables multiple users to connect simultaneously to a shared display using a range of devices over an existing WiFi or ethernet network. “I was off in my predictions by about two years,” he conceded, “so I hesitate to predict what will be wireless next. However, I can say that many large enterprises already have a clear program in place to remove the video cables from all of their office spaces in the next 18 months. If I had to guess, there are several areas where wireless transport will impact AV. Your computing environment will undergo the same transition. That is, the concept of a desktop that is attached to your personal computing device, with its various windows and applications left open when you go home at night and then waiting for you when you return, will certainly be replaced by a virtual desktop in the cloud, accessible anywhere in the next few years. Digital signage systems will transition to wireless video transport in the next few years, along with other public display infrastructure.”
This will open new interaction and collaboration models for integrators to contemplate. “Finally, on-premise digital media switching and control systems will migrate away from miles of cabling embedded in walls and become wireless in the next five years.”
The AV industry has a rich future, Jaynes agreed. “After all, audio and video are both input-output devices that need to interact with customers directly and, as a result, will never be replaced by software running in the cloud. AV integrators should focus on providing high-quality endpoints that are interconnected through software. Endpoints that deliver beautiful, immersive, high-resolution display experiences and high-fidelity audio rendering and capturing will always be important.”
However, how those endpoints are controlled, connected, and integrated will be defined by software and commodity hardware. “Anything that doesn’t fall into one of those categories today is likely to go away,” he cautioned. “Examples include expensive video routers, hardware-based video codecs, and video switches.”
But what the removal of dedicated connectors or interfaces suggests is less about the boxes that will no longer exist and more about the functions currently residing in dedicated hardware that will no longer exist, Kung noted. “What’s even more exciting is the new functionality that dedicated hardware will bring: improved sensing, improved inputs, improved integration with other services, and more. It’s an exciting future ahead!”
Karen Mitchell is a freelance writer living in Boulder, CO.
Never Fade Away
Some AV hardware will never disappear, at least not in our lifetime.
For example, it is unlikely that the use of microphones, speakers, and amplifiers will ever cease, noted Daniel Routman, sales engineer for Ford AV. “A microphone converts sound to an electrical signal which gets boosted by an amplifier and reproduced by a loudspeaker diaphragm. The technology of capturing and reproducing sound has remained largely unchanged for over 100 years, and is likely to remain that way.”
In fact, transducers, anything that converts something to electrons or converts electrons to something else, will not go away, said Ben Bausher, senior consultant for the audio and video systems group at Jaffe Holden. “In addition to the audio side— microphones, preamps, amplifiers, and speakers—the video hardware that will remain includes cameras and display units, whether they are monitors, projectors, LED arrays, etc. Also, if we are virtualizing everything else, there will need to be a computer somewhere along the line to run it all.”
How We Say It
For those willing to keep their eyes wide open, the delightfully overwhelming nature of InfoComm has made it the perfect place for technological serendipity, said Michael Colburn, senior designer at RTKL. “For years, manufacturers, contractors, and consultants debated the apparent approach of convergence. Now we’re focusing on debating its proper role or method of implementation. This conversation is couched in meaningful and often adversarial terms such as ‘for-or-against’, ‘obsolete’, or ‘unstable’, even though the truth is more gray than black and white. More interesting by far though is what has been happening on the fringes of this conversation.”
The same technology that has driven the convergence of AV and IT fields is also bringing us new technologies that were never a part of traditional AV designs, and it’s these areas that Colburn finds fascinating. “I’m most interested in the new services that cloud computing, big data, and even the Internet of Things have made possible. We are starting to see signs that future conference rooms could include services such as automated speech-to-speech language translation, automated note-taking, and further advances in responsive room environments.”
Microsoft Skype is rolling out real-time translation to assist in calls between participants speaking different languages, something that previously would have required simultaneous interpretation even for a quick chat. Several startups, Colburn noted, including Gridspace, are trying to help companies capture intellectual property and add tagging automatically, something that could never be done with a traditional microphone and amplifier. “Cisco, IBM, Siemens, and a host of IT industry stalwarts are trying to make everything in our environment responsive, sense-able, and intelligent through sensor networks, integrated connectivity, and software programming. This is but a small sampling of the new crop of enabling technologies that are sneaking into our clients’ world.
“Debating the pace of convergence in our schools, offices, and homes seems shortsighted. We’re talking about whether one dedicated appliance computer can be replaced by a general-purpose workstation computer. Meanwhile the means to completely transform what it means to meet, to collaborate, and to communicate is evolving all around us. Manufacturers, contractors, and consultants would all do well to keep their eyes on the big picture and figure out models for how we help our clients select and implement the best combination of hardware, infrastructure, and services to meet their needs.”


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Gun makers in sights of Texas lawmakers
- By James Jeffrey, Capitol Correspondent
Gov. Rick Perry is encouraging firearms makers and sellers to move to Texas to get away from gun-control efforts in other states, spurred by incidents such as the shooting in Newtown, Conn., which killed 20 children and six adults.
And state lawmakers appear eager to support the governor’s overtures with industry-friendly legislation.
Perry’s suggestion that certain Texas-based firearm businesses — those that only sell their products to Texans — be allowed to sidestep federal regulations has been incorporated in a House bill voted out of committee May 2.
Meanwhile, a bill passed by the Senate in April proposes economic development incentives for manufacturers of firearms, firearms accessories and ammunition.
So far, Perry’s welcome mat for the firearms industry — he’s sent 34 letters to gun industry companies across the nation, according to his office — appears to be attracting guests who welcome the Texas hospitality.
Six North Texas Congressmen were among the dozen U.S. Congressmen who recently wrote letters inviting three Connecticut gun companies to move here. Letters were sent to PTR-Precision Technologies Inc., The Marlin Firearms Co. and Mossberg Corp.
“I’m glad to set up my company here, and if it comes down to it and my wares can only be sold to the 19th-largest economy in the world, I can live with that,” said John Harrington, founder of firearms retailer Shield Tactical.
Harrington discussed the virtues of moving his company from California to Texas in a YouTube video posted by the governor’s office. He also testified at a committee meeting considering the bill to exempt intrastate manufacturers of firearms from federal laws or regulations.
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The CPS at the University of Davis has been very supportive of the initiatives in Australia to establish an affiliated Fresh Produce Safety Centre. Over the past year they have very generously shared their research outcomes, they have given presentations to our industry, and this year invited Australian researchers to apply for research grants to work collaboratively with US scientists on issues important for the Australian fruit and vegetable industry.
As part of the ongoing collaboration Dr Robyn McConchie from the University of Sydney was invited to take part in a panel session at the recent 2013 CPS Research Symposium held at Wegman’s Conference Centre in Rochester, NY State. Due to the increasing awareness and interest from the US industry, the Research Symposium was held over 2 days. To view a summary of Day 1 on Listeria and Composts please click here.
Click here to view the outcomes of projects from the second day on “Water Quality for Irrigation and Postharvest Practices”, ”Pathogen transference: Pre-harvest, harvest and Packaging.” And “Hot Topics.”
Food Safety in vital for creating consumer confidence in the fresh produce industry and therefore imperative that buyers and sellers invest into a business culture that puts consumers first. But how exactly do you develop a food safety culture in your business? find out here, with this free webinar.
Thank you to the fresh fruit and vegetable industry for the great response and support for the establishment of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre. The FPSC in gaining momentum with over $125,000 in pledged funds!
These funds will be leveraged to apply for matched funding from the Australian government to develop the strategic plan of the Centre, the Constitution, the legal framework, the Board of Directors, and the R&D priorities as communicated to us by the fresh produce industry. The Centre will administer the following activities in food safety that will benefit the entire fresh produce industry:
- securing and managing research funds,
- leveraging research funding,
- managing the industry-driven research projects,
- maintaining the website,
- providing education, communication and information
Look who has pledged!
Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is releasing new resources to help the global fresh produce industry understand the U.S. government’s latest proposed rules to implement the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The association announces plans for bilingual produce-specific webinars explaining the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposals for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) and Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors, released by the agency on July 26. PMA also announces release of English and Spanish summaries of the FSVP proposed rule.
The FSVP proposed rule summaries are tailored for the global fresh produce industry, as the proposed rule would extend U.S. food safety standards to imported foods. English and Spanish summaries of the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors proposed rule will follow soon.
PMA will partner with Canadian Produce Marketing Association, Fresh Produce Association of the Americas and Western Growers to host an English-language webinar covering the two newly proposed rules on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 3-4:30 p.m. EST.
That webinar will feature FDA experts Brian Pendleton, J.D., and Charlotte Christin, J.D., both FDA senior policy advisors who will explain the proposed rules and then answer participants’ questions. PMA will also host a Spanish-language webinar covering the proposed rules on Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 3-4 p.m. EST. Both webinars are free; registration is now open for the English webinar, and will open soon for the Spanish webinar.
“The global reality of today’s fresh produce supply chain is reflected in these latest proposed rules,” said PMA Chief Science & Technology Officer Bob Whitaker. “PMA is here to help all of our members, inside and outside the U.S., understand FSMA’s implications on our global industry.”
PMA’s latest summaries and webinars are designed for:
- U.S.-based fresh produce importers, who would be responsible for implementing the FSVP rule;
- non-U.S. fresh produce suppliers to U.S. importers, who would be responsible for working with importers to meet FSVP requirements;
- fresh produce buyers and sellers who utilize or participate in third-party audits; and
- auditors or certifiers, who would be subject to the third-party audit rule
Access FSVP proposed rule summaries and additional PMA resources, by visiting the “What’s New” section of PMA’s online FSMA Resource Center.
New resources translating current research from the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) into practical applications for individual food safety programs are now online and openly available to all industry members. These tools distill the 16 CPS-funded research programs discussed at the 2013 Center for Produce Safety Produce Research Symposium held June 25-26 and the 2013 Fresh Connections: Food Safety Highlights event that followed June 27, both at the Wegmans Conference Center in Rochester, N.Y.
“Translating science-based research on produce safety into real-world application for industry members’ own food safety programs is what the CPS, its annual symposium and these online tools are all about,” said Dr. Bob Whitaker, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Chief Science & Technology Officer. “By making this information widely available in everyday language, we are able to more effectively leverage data to improve food safety programs and close gaps in industry’s food safety efforts.”
Online tools available at PMA.com include:
- 2013 Fresh Connections: Food Safety Highlights presentations – eight recorded PowerPoint presentations led by Drs. Whitaker and Gorny. In addition to outlining the basics behind current CPS data, these presentations also look at some of the research’s implications relative to the Food Safety Modernization Act and current pending proposed rules.
Many of the key lessons noted in the guide and presentations will also be the subject of a series of podcasts PMA will be adding to its resource library over the next few months. The podcasts will feature Drs. Whitaker and Gorny along with PMA Director Food Safety & Technology Johnna Hepner and will be available through www.pma.com. The full technical reports for the 16 research programs presented during the 2013 CPS Produce Research Symposium can be found on the CPS website at email@example.com
The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) held its fourth annual research symposium in Rochester, NY at the Wegmans Conference Center on June 25-26, 2013. The symposium featured sixteen CPS-funded research programs and discussions on what the research means. While the full technical reports for these research programs can be found on the CPS website, PMA’s Dr. Bob Whitaker, chief science and technology officer, and Dr. Jim Gorny, vice president food safety and technology, translated the research to identify ten key lessons learned from the symposium.
2013 CPS Symposium: 10 Lessons Learned
A number of resources from the 4th annual Center for Produce Safety Research Symposium have now been made available via the CPS website:
- Symposium presentations including one by Bill Marler – “The Evolving Legal and Financial Realities of Produce Food Safety: What it means for you”- CPS website. See the full list of Resources
- Final reports, CPS funded research – CPS website; Awards list . Reports are noted on right hand side of the page.
- CPS 2013 Research Posters – CPS website; Poster Sessions
Stay tuned for the key learnings from the event.


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Talent, passion and hard work. Add in an ability to think outside the square and you have a recipe for success, as these innovative Sydneysiders reveal.
PIERRE ISSA, 36
Butter maker, perfectionist
When Pierre Issa's wife tasted the first batch of butter he made two years ago, she said it was average. "I took that as a challenge," says Issa. "How can I make the best-tasting butter for the woman I love?" From his factory in Tempe, he fronts that challenge every day. Issa's unhomogenised butter is churned from single-origin cream and hand-packaged in foil with a label featuring his alter ego, Pepe Saya. "Pepe is the nickname given to me by my dad and Saya is an island in my mind that is my escape," says the son of a Lebanese father (who makes the metal moulds for the butter) and an Australian mother (who makes the factory workers' cloth hats). Leading restaurants including Rockpool and Est. now use Pepe Saya butter, but Issa has loftier goals: "The dream is for Pepe Saya to be synonymous with the word 'butter'."
JODIE FOX, 30
Online retailer, trend hunter
It seems an obvious question to ask someone who runs a hugely successful online retailer which allows women to design their own shoes: what's in Jodie Fox's shoe cupboard? "Perhaps a better question to ask would be 'What isn't in your shoe cupboard?' " she says. The former finance lawyer teamed up with erstwhile Google employees Michael Fox and Mike Knapp in October 2009 with a simple idea - providing women with the opportunity to realise their perfect shoe by choosing everything from toe size to heel type to fabric to colour. Suppliers warned them that they'd be broke in three months. Instead, Shoes of Prey broke even in two months, and this year received a $3 million injection from nine investors. "In the last three years, women have spent more than 50 million minutes on the website designing shoes," says Fox, who has also started Sneaking Duck with her colleagues, a similar website for spectacle frames.
PENNY FULLER, 38
If you were asked to design a church building, what elements would you use? Stained glass windows? A cross? Statues of saints? When Penny Fuller and her husband Jad Silvester were approached by the Dapto Anglican Church to design its new 500-seat auditorium, none of these things entered into the equation. Their sleek, icon-free design won an award at this year's NSW Architecture Awards and Fuller also picked up the Emerging Architect Prize. "When we established our studio four years ago, we only had one ambition," says Fuller. "We wanted happy clients. The design of the church responded to our client's request for a building that is a gathering point for the community." Fuller, who also teaches design at the University of Sydney and UTS, currently has two pressing projects with Silvester - establishing a second studio in Melbourne and renovating their Harry Seidler-designed apartment in Elizabeth Bay.
HENRY WILSON, 29
Designer, ethical innovator
In many ways, Henry Wilson feels like he's simply continuing the Australian tradition of tinkerers and innovators working away in their back sheds. It's just that his tinkering has resulted in winning last year's Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award for his A-joint, an ingeniously simple piece of joinery that can be used in everything from the manufacture of tables to shop fit-outs and emergency housing. Terms such as "sustainable upcycling" are often used when describing Wilson's work, but he maintains that "green design or eco design shouldn't be unusual, it should just be. To design around a person is crucial, as you should be designing for longevity." Wilson's adaptation of classics such as the Anglepoise lamp and Wassily chair have attracted worldwide acclaim, culminating in him winning a Qantas Spirit of Youth award this year, which includes a mentorship with London-based Australian designer Marc Newson.
CAMERON VOTAN, 29
ADAM JACOBS, 30
Fashion retailers, e-commerce entrepreneurs
"Did you ever build a sandcastle when you were a child, adding bits on, making it cooler than the other kids?" asks Jacobs. "What we do is exactly like that, except the sand has become e-commerce." Just over a year ago, Jacobs and Votan filled a gap in the online market with The Iconic, which they founded as part of a team of five. It sells top fashion brands with a three-hour delivery in Sydney, overnight delivery to other capitals, and 100-day free returns. The dynamic duo have given the industry a shake-up. In just one year, they have expanded from a staff of 10 to 300, they now stock 500 brands, and they reportedly have 150,000 unique visitors a day. "For too long Australians have had to rely on shopping overseas," says Votan. "We wanted to give them a local world-class online shopping experience." Jacobs sums up The Iconic's strategy in one sentence: "We want to make shopping online for fashion a dream."
KYAH SIMON, 21
Soccer player, role model
She got her first big break at the age of 15, but it wasn't the one she wanted. Ten minutes into Kyah Simon's debut first-grade soccer game, she was hit with a tackle that fractured her tibia and fibula. "It was a major setback but it gave me the determination and hunger to come back better and stronger," she says. She certainly did that. Simon joined Sydney FC in 2009 and became the club's top goal scorer in the 2010/2011 W-League season. Last year, as a member of the Matildas, she became the first Aboriginal person to score a goal in a World Cup. "I try to be a role model for the indigenous youth out there, to give them something they can aspire to," says Simon, who spent this year overseas playing with the Boston Breakers. "It's something I can relate to from when I was a little girl looking up to Cathy Freeman."
KYM ELLERY, 29
Fashion designer, tastemaker
The little girl from Western Australia who threw a tantrum when her mother wouldn't buy her a white skirt with red polka dots is now calling the shots. In the first six months of this year Kym Ellery showed her new collection in New York, Paris, Sao Paolo and Australian Fashion Week and opened a store in Paddington. Her designs, which have been inspired by everything from Wes Anderson films to basketballers on Venice Beach are now credited with pioneering "tomboy chic". "I like to think that the girl who wears my clothes is someone who likes to be comfortable whether she's wearing a cocktail dress or a pair of jeans," says Ellery. Those girls include Lady Gaga, Cate Blanchett and Rihanna, who was photographed on the red carpet last year wearing an Ellery dress. "I'm a big Rihanna fan," she says. "When that happened I was singing 'want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world' around the office all day."
BEN BARBA, 23
NRL player, man of the moment
Few NRL players have lived up to their nickname as convincingly as Ben "X Factor" Barba. The Bulldogs fullback had to run up to the stage so often during this year's Dally M Awards that he could have used the evening as a training session. He won four gongs, including the big one, the Dally M Medal for player of the year. "I still find it hard to believe when I see the medal there in the trophy cabinet with my name on it," he says. Even though he joined the Bulldogs at 17, Barba was held back because of his smaller stature, "which is why I admired blokes like Matty Bowen and Preston Campbell, who weren't the biggest blokes but put their bodies on the line week after week". Of course, Barba has something else in common with those two players - he's an indigenous Australian. "I'd like to think that, like them, I'm an influence on young kids' lives and I want to be a good role model."
JESSICA STEIN, 24
Fashion blogger, globetrotter
"Of course my friends don't hate me!" says Jessica Stein, when asked if her mates are at all jealous of what she does for a living. For the record, her life involves travelling the globe up to seven months a year and being photographed in beautiful clothes in beautiful locations in beautiful cities. Stein is not a model - although with her long blonde hair and fine features, she could be mistaken for one. In early 2010 the former real-estate worker from the NSW central coast started a blog called Tuula, named after the Finnish word for wind, "because a friend told me I go with the wind". The blog documents what she calls her "wanderlust and wardrobe, a visual diary filled with a mixture of travel, fashion, people, places and trends". Unlike most diaries, Stein's is followed by 11,000 people on Twitter and 235,000 on Instagram. When the(sydney)magazine spoke to her, she was in New York en route to Brazil, then to LA, back to New York, then Europe. "After that, who knows?" she said.
DAVID CHANG, 35
Restaurateur, culinary rebel
Hanging in Chang's Momofuku Seiobo restaurant in The Star are black-and-white pictures of guitarist Angus Young. What does this Korean-American restaurateur know about Acca Dacca? "I'm very much a fan, especially of the Bon Scott era," he says. "I think AC/DC is a national treasure and one the greatest exports that Australia has ever produced." Chang's restaurant is proving to be one of our greatest imports. Opening in October last year, it was awarded three hats in the 2013 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. Admittedly, Chang has form, opening his first Momofuku restaurant in New York in 2004 and expanding the empire and earning plaudits ever since. But the straight-talking chef wasn't resting on his steamed pork buns. "It was a huge honour and it blew us away to get three hats," he says. "We are our harshest critics and we definitely made mistakes along the way, but I like a challenge, I love working hard, and we're here in Sydney for the long term."
CHRISTOPHER ESBER, 25
Fashion designer, boundary pusher
Christopher Esber still remembers the very first piece of clothing he designed. It involved chicken wire, Christmas lights and a quilted strapless dress. "It was pretty bad," he admits. "But it's embedded in my mind." The guy should give himself a break; he was five years old at the time. Esber has refined his style since then, but his designs are no less adventurous and eye-catching. He made his Australian Fashion Week debut at 23 and this year won the coveted L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival's National Designer Award for a highly anticipated show that included everything from parkas to nipped-waist dresses. "The award is internationally recognised, so it's made it easier with the transition of presenting in New York," he says. Esber finds that the Australian fashion industry does have constraints, but "as a result your creativity is always pushed to find the right solution and that can lead to unexpected results".


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Amazon Academy programme for rural SMEs launched in Scotland
In partnership with Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International, we’re running a series of free workshops in Aberdeen, Dumfries, Inverness and Selkirk this year to help rural SMEs grow their revenue, enhance their productivity and boost their exports.
Run in association with Enterprise Nation, the Amazon Academy programme is a series of UK events that provide hands-on, practical advice to help SMEs succeed in the digital economy, in particular by boosting their productivity and growing their revenue and export sales.
With the right skills small businesses have the power to sell around the world with just a laptop, internet connection and a great product or idea. That’s why we’ve launched a £1m SME Apprenticeship Fund and new Amazon Academy programme - to help small businesses succeed in the digital age.
Amazon has partnered with Enterprise Nation to launch Clicks and Mortar, a new programme to help small businesses grow on both the high street and online.
Amazon Academy Newcastle: North East businesses selling on Amazon achieve 67 million pounds in exports
Hundreds of small businesses attended the Amazon Academy in Newcastle today to learn how to grow their business and boost their exports through e-commerce.
Welsh businesses achieved export sales of more than £100m last year by selling on Amazon, helping to support more than 3,000 jobs in Wales.
Amazon Academy in Glasgow opens doors to hundreds of SMEs learning how to succeed in the digital economy
Over 650 small businesses and authors attended the event at the SEC Centre in Glasgow to learn how to grow their export sales, how to boost their productivity - and for authors, how to self-publish and reach a global audience.
Helping SMEs export and use innovation to grow their business were the main themes today at our Amazon Academy held at the EICC in Edinburgh.


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Prospective buyers of Hyundai electric vehicles have the opportunity to take home some big-money bonuses, but time is running out on the promotion.
As explained in Bloomberg, Hyundai Motor Co. will give as much as $7,500 in cash bonuses to EV buyers in the United States through Jan. 31.
The promotion is an effort by Hyundai to “keep its cars competitive with automakers qualifying for tax credits under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act,” per Blomberg. The company doesn’t have a U.S.-based factory, making its vehicles ineligible to meet the requirements of the Clean Tax Credit program in which buyers can get a tax credit of up to $7,500. Hyundai resorted to giving the equivalent in discounts.
The incentives apply to buyers of the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and Kona Electric. Research by BloombergNEF found that Hyundai and its affiliate Kia sold over 69,000 electric vehicles in the U.S. in 2023, making it the second-biggest EV maker behind only Tesla.
The tax credit for EV buyers is part of an ongoing effort by the Biden administration to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. However, only a few vehicles qualify for the credits, and Bloomberg noted that the list may continue to dwindle further as new rules are being put in place to discourage automakers from depending on Chinese suppliers for parts.
The IRS website lists the requirements for receiving a tax credit, which include your adjusted gross income and the vehicle’s manufacturer-suggested retail price. While EVs aren’t affordable for many consumers, recent price reductions and the tax credit program can help make it easier for those who desire to switch to battery-powered vehicles.
Hyundai is hoping to become eligible for the tax credit sooner rather than later, as the company is building an EV plant in Georgia with the goal of starting production later this year.
“What we decided is to double down,” Hyundai President and Global COO José Muñoz told the Associated Press. “We try to accelerate as much as possible, the project. And we are confident that the original date of January 2025 would be probably pulled ahead maybe three months or so. If we can, even more.”
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QR codes require consumers to have a smartphone and internet access.
Supporters have hailed the legislation, which advanced 65-32, as a bipartisan compromise.
The bill directs the USDA to create a national labeling standard.
Spending legislation requires regulations for genetically engineered salmon.
Environmental groups have pushed back at the FDA for approving the fish.
The regulations date back to 1986 before genetically engeered crops were commercialized.
The department has allegedly failed to provide records on genetically engineered crops.
The bill would create a federal standard for voluntary GMO labeling, preempting state laws.
Of 800 moms surveyed online, 93 percent want the company to label products with GMOs.
A Vermont federal district court judge upheld the law set to take effect July 1, 2016.
Debate over labeling genetically engineered ingredients has resurfaced in the GOP Congress.
There is no federal requirement to label genetically modified or engineered products.
The bill creates a national standard and blocks state laws on GMO labels.
The bill, which lawmakers hailed as a breakthrough, could get a vote next week.
The public now has until May 10 to submit comments.
The poll comes as lawmakers consider blocking mandatory labeling laws with the spending bill.
The decision is a major victory for the biotechnology industry.
The restaurant is accused of using the "GMO-free" claim to make its food seem healthier.
The legislation preempts states from enacting their own mandatory labeling laws.
The bill would prohibit states from enacting labeling laws and regulating genetically modified...
A new survey shows 88 percent of Americans favor gentically modified food labeling.
Groups are fighting a push for labels on all food containing genetically modified organisms.
GMO foods have drawn criticism from food safety groups.
For families trying to make it in this economy, every dollar counts. And it’s getting harder. The...


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SpinDance of Holland Recognized and Honored as a Michigan 50 Companies to Watch Award Winner
MICHIGAN, March 17, 2015 – Nearly 60 companies from across the state will be honored at the eleventh annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event on May 7, 2015, at the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing.
Awards include the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch, Main Street USA, Small Business Innovation, Government Contractor of the Year, Small Business Person of the Year, Small Business Exporter of the Year, and more.
SpinDance, Inc., located in Holland and Cascade, Michigan, is a provider of software development services to companies across several industries throughout Michigan and beyond. Since its founding in 2000, SpinDance has helped area manufacturers build and deliver connected, smart products. SpinDance has recently focused its attention on the growing “Internet of Things” where it is already finding success.
Mike Ellis, President of SpinDance, is thrilled to be recognized as a Michigan Celebrates Small Business Award Winner. According to Ellis, “This award is the culmination of our long-standing commitment to provide customers with the innovation, design, and quality software required to realize their connected product goals. We are proud to be headquartered in West Michigan and play a role in moving our state forward as a technology leader.”
The Michigan 50 Companies to Watch Award,…


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Updated: Thursday, 21st March 2019 @ 1:44pm
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'Our view of food is warped': Manchester grocer takes fight for healthy eating online
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Owners of 4K televisions who enjoy watching their favorite shows on Netflix in ultra high-definition should get ready to shell out some extra cash. The company will charge 50 percent more for streaming higher-resolution 4K content, which it says have become more expensive to acquire and distribute.
Netflix has increased its monthly subscription charges for streaming television shows and movies in ultra high-definition to $11.99 a month, Businessweek reported, adding that Netflix’s 4K service, which is still quite limited, is expected to increase its offerings in 2015 with new original shows such as Marco Polo and others.
“We’re very high on 4K, and I think 4K is around to stay. It’s one of those things, you can see the benefits,” Cliff Edwards, a Netflix spokesman, told Businessweek.
Netflix’s 4K streaming content currently includes Sony’s newer film releases, Breaking Bad, NBC’s The Blacklist and Netflix’s own shows. The company first announced in May that its original series, House of Cards, would be streamed in the higher-definition 4K format, offering nearly four times the resolution of current high-definition TVs.
According to Netflix, the latest price increase will not immediately affect existing subscribers -- already paying for 4K content -- as they will be “grandfathered” into the older $7.99 a month plan until Aug. 12, 2016, HD Guru reported, adding that the new 4K plan allows up to four devices to stream content simultaneously.
Consumers who would buy a new 4K TV this holiday season will have to pay the new pricing of $11.99 for ultra high-definition content, or watch plain old HD.


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Police have launched Operation Yuletide, a campaign to cut crime in the weeks running up to Christmas.
Officers traditionally see a rise in offences like domestic violence and thefts in December and they will use social media to tell the public how they can protect themselves from falling victim.
Chief Supt Phil Ward at Humberside Police, said: “Sadly, not everyone embraces the festive spirit for the right reasons and we know that there will be a spike in crimes in December, from the theft of shopping bags left in cars to a rise in cases of anti-social behaviour and incidents of drink-driving.
“We’re working hard to keep everyone who lives, works and visits our area safe this Christmas and are once again running our festive operation to tackle these areas of demand.
“From additional officers patrolling shopping centres, markets and drinking hotspots, to specialist support workers in our call centre to support vulnerable people – we want to reassure you that your safety is our number one priority.
“We don’t want to dampen the Christmas spirit, however it’s important that the people are aware of potential risks and know where to go and what support they can get.”
Operation Yuletide officially begins today and will run through to the New Year.
Chief Supt Ward continued: “While many businesses wind down during December with parties and time off, it’s one of our busiest periods.
“We’re a 24/7 organisation and our officers and support staff do an excellent job, year-round to keep you safe.”


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The UK commercial vehicle manufacturing sector enjoyed its best July in six years last month, according to new figures. Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows more than 8,000 new commercial vehicles, including vans, taxis and trucks, were built in the UK last month.
That figure represents an increase of 43.9 percent compared with the same month last year, and the best July performance since 2016. It’s also the eleventh consecutive month of growth for the industry, which has enjoyed a strong 2022 so far.
Over the first seven months of the year, 58,693 new commercial vehicles were built in the UK, up 46.9 percent compared with the same period last year. In fact, the difference in output between the first seven months of 2022 and all 12 months of 2021 is less than 8,000 units. UK output has been so prolific that it’s the best first seven months of a year since 2012.
The export market has been particularly strong this year, with more than 34,000 vehicles (58.6 percent of the total output) heading to customers abroad. That’s a 72.9 percent increase on the first seven months of 2021, when exports made up just under half of all commercial vehicles produced in the UK.
However, there has also been growth in the domestic market, with the number of vehicles destined for UK customers rising by more than a fifth in the first seven months of 2022. And in July, the growth was even stronger, with the number of vehicles built for British customers up by 58.5 percent compared with the same month last year.
All this is in stark contrast to the fortunes of the new car industry, which has struggled with supply issues caused by the global microchip shortage, war in Ukraine, and the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Now, both industries will have to contend with the energy price crisis, which is causing costs to sky-rocket.
“The commercial vehicle sector continues to provide a shining example of successful UK automotive manufacturing with the best year to date performance since 2012,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes. “This is testament to the quality of commercial vehicles made in Britain, which are in high demand at home and abroad. However, the continued success of this export-led sector is not guaranteed, amid some of the toughest economic conditions in living memory. Urgent action is needed to bring down the high energy costs faced by automotive factories if their competitiveness is to be sustained.”


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PAPER GOLD DOESN’T GLITTER
by Egon von Greyerz
Today when gold in US dollars is making a new correction low, the paper shorts are elated. They believe they can win this game of frightening every gold investor to sell their holding. But this elation is likely to soon turn to desperation.
Supply tight in gold and silver
As I have discussed many times, the physical market in gold and silver is very tight. Bullion banks have low stock levels and central banks have leased or sold a major part of their gold. But since they refuse to be properly audited they are desperately trying to hide the real position. China and India are continuing to buy more than the annual production of gold by the miners. And the supply situation from the refiners is tight with delivery delays for bigger orders.


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The Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic has issued a statement saying it will not support any change of legislation that would extend the use of the word “bryndza” to products that contain less than 50 percent sheep cheese.
Spokeswoman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Katarina Durica, informed The Daily that the Ministry would support ‘Slovenska bryndza’ with Protected Geographical Indication, which EU legislation demands must contain over 50% sheep milk solid. The statement released by the Ministry also stated: “It is not, and cannot be, the intention of the Ministry to support imitations of traditional Slovak bryndza”.
The European Commission registered Slovenská bryndza on its food list of Protected Geographical Indications on 16 July 2008. Bryndza, which is a very distinctly flavoured sheep cheese, has been produced in Slovakia since the 15th century and is said to be very good for the health, mostly thanks to the content of various beneficial bacterias. It is shipped throughout the world, but is an acquired taste that many foreigners find hard to get used to at first.


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Distracted driving has always been an issue. Even before cars existed, people crashed their horse-drawn wagons because they were not paying attention.
Yet, smartphones have caused the most significant increase in distracted driving and deaths or injuries due to it. A new study suggests that the type of phone you use could affect your propensity to use it while driving.
Android versus iPhone: How distracted driving among users shakes out
A 2021 survey by The Zebra quizzed drivers about how often they used their phones while driving and how they used them.
The survey found that 55% more of those with Android phones admitted using their phone while driving. Only 40% of those with Apple phones admitted to doing the same. Does this mean Apple phones distract you less? Not according to answers given to different questions the survey asked the year before.
In 2020 59% of Apple users said they felt a high pressure to respond to a text. For Android phones, that figure was 18%. When looking at video calls, 70% of Apple users video said they chatted while driving, compared to 24% of Android users.
The report does not explain the incongruity between the two sets of data. Yet, one thing is clear from the responses: far too many people use their phones while driving.
The only safe phone in a car is one you do not use
Regardless of what phone you use, you have options to make it less distracting. For example, you can turn off notifications, put the phone out of sight, or turn it off. If a driver crashes into you and injures you, they may have been using their phone at the time. Discovering they were can help place the blame for the crash where it is due.


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5G is the next big bet for the entire telecom industry, with chip-makers making a big push for creating 5G radios and smartphone manufacturers promising 5G enabled handsets by 2019, including Xiaomi
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The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 was launched earlier this year and the smartphone was packed to the brim with exciting features. The smartphone sported some very unique design choices as always but also packed the very best of Qualcomm’s mobile system on a chip. During the launch of the Mi Mix 3, Xiaomi had confirmed that a 5G variant of the phone would launch for the European market in 2019, and it appears that Xiaomi is going to make good on that promise.
Xiaomi President Lei Jun shared an image on Weibo of a Mi Mix 3, but with some very interesting information. On the top bar, a faint 5G symbol can be seen (top right) along with a ‘P’ logo on the top left. This could very well be the 5G enabled Mi Mix 3 the company spoke about during the launch. It also points to the possibility that the 5G enabled Mi Mix 3 might come with Android P out of the box. Besides the content of the photo, there’s no other detail about the Mi Mix 3.
It would be safe to assume that the 5G ready version of the Mi Mix 3 would sport the same internals as the existing version. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 is not yet 5G compatible, so it is possible that the Mi Mix 3 shown in the photo is running on the next Qualcomm chipset, the Snapdragon 855 which is expected to be 5G ready. If Xiaomi does launch the Mi Mix 3 in a 5G flavour we don’t expect much of the design to change from the existing one.
Many manufacturers are now moving towards a 5G world with the entire telecommunications industry betting big on the technology. Both Intel and Qualcomm are readying their 5G radios alongside Samsung and Huawei. The question at the moment is not necessarily who will be the first 5G smartphone to market, but whether 5G will be ready for mass deployment by 2019 and whether it will fulfil all the functionality we have seen demos of time and time again.
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Australian Dollar/Canadian Dollar (AUD/CAD) Exchange Rate
AUD/CAD Pivot Points
AUD/CAD Latest Updates
Australian exports plunged 11.0% in April with imports down 10.0%, resulting in a smaller than forecast decrease in the trade surplus as compared to March.
Preliminary PMI reports out of Australia for May show the manufacturing sector contraction at a steeper rate than in April,
Australia reported an unexpected 15% surge in March exports, but the Australian Dollar was unable to benefit from it.
While the Australian government rushed through to economic stimulus packages worth A$83.6 billion, it will now enter a five-month recess.
Australian economic data showed a further contraction in consumer as well as business confidence.
Consumer confidence contracted in Australia as Covid-19 cases outside of China increased. China relaxed restrictions, offering a much-needed improvement in the condition.
Better than expected housing data out of Canada released yesterday was trumped by a surprise surge in the value of home, owner-occupier, and investor loans out of Australia.
As the new string of a deadly coronavirus spreads around the world, Asian economies are the most directly impacted ones.
Chinese trade data for December showed a sharp increase in exports, but this is likely due to demand from the holiday shopping season.
Bullish momentum is fading after price action reached its resistance zone, but it managed to record a marginally higher high.
Dovish minutes released by the Reserve Bank of Australia highlighted concerns over weak wage growth and inflation targets.
Conflicting reports were released over the past few hours in regards to the US-China trade talks.
Get the AUD/CAD Forex signal for February 23, 2017 here.
The AUD/CAD pair initially tried to rally during the session on Thursday, but as you can see sold off yet again.
The AUD/CAD pair initially broke higher during the day on Wednesday, but as you can see struggled at the 1.0150 level. The market broke down from there, but as you can see we still see the 1.01 level as an area of interest for the marketplace, as it was previously resistive.
Check out the updates for signals posted throughout December 2013 and January 2014 here.
The AUD/CAD pair continues to fall over the longer-term, and I think December will see more of the same. The reason I am doing analysis on this pair is that it is so useful when it comes to others markets.
The AUD/CAD pair initially fell during the session on Tuesday, but found the 0.9750 level as being supportive enough to push the market much higher.
The AUD/CAD pair rose during the session on Friday, bouncing off the 0.9750 level again. This is an area of consolidation and I find interesting, simply because we have the Australian dollar looking like it's trying to find support against the US dollar, then this market does tend to mirror that one.
The AUD/CAD pair fell during the session on Thursday, testing the bottom of the hammer that had formed on Wednesday.


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Tesla Motors (TSLA) Introduces New High Performance Car, Added Safety Features
Shares of Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) were off -8.01 or -3.12 percent to $249.00 per share in Friday's premarket. The company unveiled its new vehicle along with added safety features to its Model S during an open to the public event last night in California. Tesla stock closed at $257.01, down -2.27 or -0.88% in Thursday's regular trading session, which saw the market have its worst day this year.
Last week, founder and CEO, Elon Musk said in a Twitter post that it was "About time to unveil a D and something else . The cryptic message came with a graphic image of the lower part of a vehicle and the date of October 9th.
Tesla unveiled their new car at an event featuring car rides on an airport tarmac. The P85D is Tesla's most impressive car so far. "This car is nuts. It's like taking off from a carrier deck. It's just bananas, said Elon Musk, CEO and founder, next door to Space X, his other company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
The new P85D will match the Mclaren F1- one of the fastest cars ever built - reaching 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and maxing out at 155 mph versus 130 for its current high performance model, the P85. In addition, Tesla announced that the new Model S will include an array of high tech safety features allowing the car to avoid dangerous situations.
The P85D will have the same exterior as the Model S sedan but will feature a new motor between the front wheels in addition to the motor in the rear. The new motor provides the car with all wheel drive and boosts the vehicle's acceleration and top speed.
Despite the mass of the second motor, Tesla managed to improve the car's efficiency and range, adding 10 miles per charge more than on the current 85D and P85D, which get 275 miles per charge. The range of the 60kWh version of the car shows an increase from 208 miles to 225 miles.
The safety features on the Model S will have the car steer itself back into its lane if the car begins drifting and brake automatically if the car is close to colliding with something. The new system will also move the car over a lane when the driver uses the turn signal, and be equipped with cameras that can spot pedestrians and traffic signs, read speed limit signs and adjust the car's speed.
In addition to the above mentioned features, Tesla is adding a radar system to see through fog and snow, a 360 degree ultrasonic sonar and a software system combining all the data with GPS, navigation and traffic systems in real time.
Tesla stock is trading lower in today's premarket, indicating that investors are lukewarm with the new car and safety features. Nevertheless, Tesla stock is still being recommended by analysts and is more than double its yearly low price of $116 per share.
Other News About Tesla Motors
Credit Suisse Likes Tesla Motors Inc
Credit Suisse is giving a $325 price target on Tesla stock.
Why Selling Used Cars Could Work For Tesla Motors Inc
Tesla will begin its own certified pre-owned vehicle sales program.
Other Stocks in the News
Symantec Corporation To Split Into Two Publicly-Traded Companies
One company will focus on security, the other will concentrate on information management.
Nissan recalls 2013 Altimas for hood latch problem
Over 220,000 Altimas will be recalled because their hoods could fly open while driving.