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What happens to spent malting grains from the craft breweries, coffee grounds from cafés, leftovers in the award-winning kitchens, and the old frying oils from food trucks and diners?
BioCycle April 2013, Vol. 54, No. 4, p. 20
Asheville, North Carolina, has gained a national reputation as a hub of local and artisanal foods. In fact, the local foods movement in this Southern Appalachian city has become so embedded in the community consciousness that the city has dubbed itself “the world’s first Foodtopian Society.” There are hundreds of unique restaurants, dozens of bakeries, breweries and cafés, and over a dozen tailgate farmers markets in this city of about 85,000 people. And according to Maggie Cramer, communications manager for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), there’s been a five-fold increase in the number of restaurants sourcing local foods in the Asheville region over the last decade.
“You can’t open a restaurant in the Asheville area without making a commitment to support local farmers,” says Cramer. “It’s what consumers want and what chefs know they can get.” ASAP, a nonprofit based in Asheville, supports farmers in western North Carolina in a variety of ways, including publishing a popular local foods guide that helps connect consumers to farmers. The number of farmers in that guide has increased by over 800 percent since it was first published 10 years ago. And those farmers are always trying to grow or raise new foods for this demanding market.
What may not be as obvious is the care and innovation that’s occurring with the stream of organic by-products, residuals and wastes that inevitably follow from the more celebrated farm-to-table segment of the food cycle. What happens to spent malting grains from the craft breweries, used coffee grounds from cafés, leftovers in the award-winning kitchens, and the old frying oils from food trucks and diners? It turns out that there’s been just as much creativity in this less visible sector of the local food system. And the experiences of Asheville in capturing and using food wastes and by-products — the successes as well as ongoing challenges — can serve as useful examples to communities in the Appalachian region and beyond for what’s possible.
North Carolina has one of the most diversified agricultural economies of any state. It’s a leading producer of such varied products as hogs, trout, turkeys, sweet potatoes and cucumbers. According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, farming plays a major role in the state’s economy, accounting for nearly a fifth of the state’s jobs and income. But it’s generally not considered a major player when it comes to grain production and processing. When wheat prices hit historically high levels in 2008, Jennifer Lapidus, Asheville artisanal baker, became concerned about the future availability of flour and what it might cost. “The cost of the baker’s most essential ingredient rose as much as 130 percent,” she recalls.
Like all bakers in the Asheville area, Lapidus was dependent on distant sources of grain and at the mercy of commodity prices that seemed less predictable. Her answer to the simple question, “why don’t we grow bread wheat in North Carolina?,” drove her to establish Carolina Ground, a stone-milling L3C dedicated to serving as a link between regional farmers and bakers. (An L3C is a low-profit liability company, essentially a social enterprise that bridges the gap between nonprofit and for profit investing.) To Lapidus, this was a tangible way to improve security and sustainability. By finding willing farmers, seed cleaners and bakers, she created a mechanism and assembled the infrastructure for local grain farmers to find a regional market for their products and for bakers to gain access to regionally-produced grains and locally-milled flours. The wheat and rye flours that Carolina Ground produces are used by over a dozen bakeries and restaurants in Asheville.
Lapidus found allies in her quest for local grain in Brent Manning and Bryan Simpson, cofounders of Riverbend Malt House. Established in 2011, Riverbend produces malted wheat, barley and rye for the vibrant craft brewing industry. Before it opened, the only local ingredient in Asheville’s craft beers was the water. Now, a handful of craft breweries in Asheville are using some regionally-grown grains malted by Riverbend.
Both processes, milling and malting, generate organic residuals. In the case of milling, grain middlings result from the bolting or sifting process that separates out larger particles from the whole stone-milled grain, leaving a finer final product that bakers prefer for some applications, such as lighter pastries and breads. Carolina Ground’s middlings end up as livestock feed, just as they have throughout the millennia of grain milling. This year, Carolina Ground will be getting a whole hog, in the form of custom-processed pork, raised on its own middlings.
Malting — the process by which grains are prepared for brewing — involves three stages: steeping, germination and kilning. Riverbend adapted a building originally built as a grocery warehouse, and uses the climate-controlled room designed for ripening bananas, for the steeping and germination stages. Once steeped, the wet grain is spread out on a concrete floor and allowed to germinate. In the last stage, the grain is transferred to a hot-air kiln to stop the germination process without destroying enzymes necessary for brewing. Following kilning, the grain is “debearded” to remove the rootlets before bagging for the breweries or packing into home-brewing kits. These dried rootlets, along with broken or undersized kernels, end up as a by-product that has several uses. Some goes to small-scale egg producers as an absorbent bedding for the laying hens. But another local emerging market for this by-product is specialty gourmet mushroom production.
Chris Parker and Joe Allawos, opened their store, Mushroom Central, in West Asheville in 2012 as an extension of their business Asheville Fungi. Their partnership formed out of a mutual passion for hunting and raising mushrooms and their shared belief that mushroom farming can be done successfully in an urban setting. The store sells mushrooms, fungal (mycelium) cultures to other producers, and the equipment needed for small-scale home production. The basement serves at their growing room, where a variety of organic materials captured from the waste stream are used as substrates for producing about a dozen different gourmet mushrooms, such as elm oysters, king oysters and lion’s mane, for area restaurants and retail customers.
The main substrate ingredients include wood shavings from a nearby wood-worker, coffee grounds from the Clingman Café (about a mile away) and malted barley by-product from Riverbend. These residuals are pasteurized, packed into sterile bags and inoculated with fungal spawn. Mushroom Central taps into another organic waste stream as well — the top branches of healthy oaks and poplars cut down by tree maintenance services — and inoculate them for mushroom production in log culture.
Culturing and cultivating fungi in Asheville doesn’t end with gourmet mushrooms. Sarah and Chad Olipant started Smiling Hara Tempeh in 2009 and supply grocery stores and restaurants in North Carolina and adjacent states with their vegan products. Tempeh is produced by culturing cooked soybeans. During processing, the soybeans are dehulled and broken into pieces using a commercial coffee grinder prior to soaking and inoculating with a Rhizopus fungal culture. “We’re growing a tropical fungus and it’s similar to indoor mushroom farming,” explains Chad Olipant. The only wastes generated during the process are the hulls and dust from dehulling process, which are sent to Asheville Fungi to be mixed in with their mushroom substrates.
Fermentation in tempeh production may be unfamiliar to many, but the same process is also fundamental to brewing beer —a lot of that is happening in Asheville. Since 2009 Asheville has held or tied for the title of the Beer City, USA, an annual online poll. Over a dozen craft breweries operate in and around Asheville and plans for more are in the works. The process of brewing beer involves subjecting malted barley, and sometimes other grains, to yeasts that consume the available carbohydrates and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Other flavorings, typically including hops, are also added. In order for yeasts to access the energy source, the malted grain is mixed with water and heated in a process called “mashing.” Enzymes in the malted grain break down starches into simple sugars that are dissolved into the liquid or wort.
Once mashing is complete, the wort is fermented into beer, leaving the spent grains as a by-product. Though amounts vary with different recipes and types of beer, about two pounds of dry malted grain are required per gallon of beer produced. Literally tons of spent, wet brewer’s grains are produced daily in Asheville. Fortunately, this material has a variety of potential uses, including serving as mushroom substrate, compost feedstock, biomass fuel, and even a baking ingredient. But most of what’s produced in Asheville becomes a feed for dairy and beef cattle, and hogs. The strong demand for local meat and dairy products drives this since there are many nearby farms eager to take the material and little flat land around for feed grain production.
Fryer To Fuel Tank
Farms around Asheville are getting more than just livestock feed and bedding from the city’s organic waste stream. Some, like Jamie Ager, co-owner of Hickory Nut Gap Farm, are also getting fuel. This certified organic farm produces grass-finished beef, pastured pork, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. In keeping with the farm’s commitment to sustainability, Ager uses biodiesel blends from Blue Ridge Biofuels to power the tractors on the farm. Blue Ridge Biofuels was started as the Asheville Biodiesel Cooperative and actually occupied a shed at Hickory Nut Gap Farm in the early years of its operations. It incorporated in 2005 and now has nine employees making over 300,000 gallons of biodiesel annually — with capacity to produce one million — from used vegetable oil it buys and collects throughout western North Carolina. It has about 500 collection accounts in the region that it services with three vacuum trucks (which run on biodiesel).
According to Woodrow Eaton, general manager and founding member of the employee-owned company, most of the biodiesel produced is sold as three products at about a half dozen gas stations in Asheville: B20, B50 and B99. The production process involves collecting the used oil, transporting it to the company’s facility in a former grocery warehouse in the River Arts District of Asheville where it is cleaned of food particles and dewatered, and then carrying out the chemical reaction, technically known as transesterification. Because the waste methanol generated during the process is completely recovered and reused, the only by-product generated is glycerin, which is sold to a refiner that cleans and resells it.
Blue Ridge Biodiesel is now participating in a collaborative feasibility project called “F3.” The three Fs refer to field, fryer and fuel tank. Locally produced canola will be pressed into food-grade oil, used in Asheville restaurants, and then collected and turned into biodiesel for transportation and home heating. The grant-supported initiative is starting with 50 acres of canola grown in Asheville and should be a good test of the potential viability of localizing not only cooking oils but also renewable fuel.
Food Recovery And Diversion
Despite the economic, environmental and social costs, a tremendous amount of food in the United States is wasted — and most of this uneaten food unfortunately ends up in landfills. In Asheville, however, there are many intentional and coordinated efforts along the food supply chain and waste stream to capture and use food before it finds its way to the landfill. These rely on community collaboration, ingenuity and good communication for success.
It’s not hard to find community organizations engaged in helping those in need and improving the quality of life in Asheville. MANNA is an established, well-known nonprofit that connects the food industry with community organizations addressing hunger throughout western North Carolina. It distributes food donated by local farmers, grocery stores, food processors and food drives. Another, much smaller, volunteer organization with a similar aim is Food Not Bombs. Student volunteers from the University of North Carolina, Asheville (UNCA) and Warren Wilson College, who are actively involved with the loose-knit organization, get donations of food nearing their expiration dates from area grocery stores and use them to prepare vegetarian meals for the homeless. A kitchen on the UNCA campus is used to prepare the foods and bring them to Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville every Sunday morning.
Of course, some food isn’t recovered — and that’s where Danny Keaton comes in. He owns and operates Danny’s Dumpster, which started as a hauling business to handle recyclables, compostables as well as trash destined for landfill. When the small composting operation Keaton relied on in the city stopped accepting materials in 2012 and prepared to close, he had nowhere to take the food waste collected from grocery stores, restaurants and schools. After a difficult few months, Danny’s Dumpster struck a deal with the city of Asheville to use six acres of its land for a new composting facility in exchange for accepting and composting the city’s green wastes. The new facility opened in October 2012.
Composting is a new experience for Keaton, but he seems to be up to the challenge. He has about 80 commercial or institutional accounts for his hauling service; about 60 use the composting option. These include restaurants, grocery stores, a hospital, a college, a university, and a group of five public elementary schools that collectively include over 1,000 students. (According to Keaton, this is the first official public school composting program in North Carolina.) He and his two employees are handling about 30 tons of food waste weekly. The restaurants are particularly challenging since they need to be serviced 3 to 4 times/week and typically can’t make it through a weekend without at least one pickup.
Danny’s Dumpsters has three roll-off in-vessel composting units supplied by Advanced Composting Technologies and is planning to add more in the near future. The food waste is mixed with landscape waste and held in the vessels for 2 to 3 weeks for a quick heat-up period before being windrowed for several months. All leachate is collected in an aerated, underground tank. Once finished compost is ready for sale, Keaton plans to market to the local landscape industry, which will likely be more lucrative than selling to farmers. He is negotiating with New Sprout Organic Farms as well but the compostable utensils included in the feedstock stream could prevent a deal since these may not be permitted in USDA-certified organic systems.
The food waste stream from Asheville’s households is also getting some attention. A Raleigh-based company called CompostNow is surveying the attitudes of Asheville residents to assess the potential viability of a residential organic waste collection and composting service. The company, which already operates successfully in other parts of the state, has set up a website explaining its services and fees and is requesting feedback from Asheville residents.
What distinguishes Asheville from most other cities is not the entrepreneurial spirit, the social and environmental consciousness, or the ubiquitous and deep commitment to the local culture, community and economy. It’s the balanced combination of all of these. Asheville suffered under heavy debt and sluggish economic growth from the 1930s until the 1980s, stifling innovation and development. But in just the last decade there has been an amazing transformation that’s evident in the solar hot-water and photovoltaic panels seen on restaurant roofs, recycling and compost receptacles that are standard in cafés, the self-service bicycle repair stations along sidewalks, the charging stations for electric cars, and of course the renowned local foods and brews. While duplicating exactly what’s happening in Asheville may not be realistic, perhaps other communities can learn from its experiences and implement their own foodtopian experiments.
Sean Clark teaches and directs the educational farm at Berea College in Kentucky.


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Sustainability is not an expense or charity, but an investment and business model for companies that, among other things, allows them to be more competitive. In addition, it helps reduce costs, enhance human talent and enable trade.
These are some of the messages released yesterday about the true concept of business sustainability, which is conceived as an investment and business model that allows companies and entrepreneurs to be more competitive within their markets, which also benefits the country.
CentraRSE CEO Juan Pablo Morataya stated that in the event of the impact of the pandemic, companies that adopted this business model were up to 80% more resilient, due to the presence of sustainability standards and strategies. “A company should not start investing in sustainability with less than 5% of its budget, and then, depending on scale and impacts, measure how to increase or decrease that amount.”
He said that when the investment reaches 5%, in the next five years it becomes as high as 20% because it has created new economic resources because of the advantages that these resources produce in reducing other costs” and it becomes a virtuous circle. This is a very practical, accounting and financial way to understand where to work Sustainability, because if I invest 5% I will protect 80% of the risks that my operation may involve, this will turn out to be 100% profitable,” Murataya said.
Sustainability helps in at least two aspects: in minimizing and reducing costs or expenses; And that it is a business enabler because companies can participate more in global markets with greater capacity, by integrating practices of transparency and accountability, human rights management, biodiversity, water footprint measurement, loyalty programs for their collaborators and strategic social investments in the communities where they operate, the director explained.
In addition, despite the initial investment for the implementation of these projects or mechanisms, subsequent savings are achieved in managing and using resources, supporting the environment, and retaining human talents.
In addition, they have access and more opportunities to increase sales to international markets and do business at better prices, since major global supply chains have set different rules in order to meet the demands of international markets.
Of these, the most developed is the European Union, which has 27 new regulations; OECD countries, which have a corporate due diligence guide and a guide on sustainability and responsible business conduct; And the United States, whose free trade agreement with Central America and the Dominican Republic was the first to actually include labor and environmental practices from which it can continue to benefit.
Enrique Crespo, Executive Director of Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI) and Chair of the Forum, said that sustainability is seen as a fundamental issue of differentiation as the private sector and responsible companies take responsibility for state building, but he believes it is not. Important for the private sector only, so they also invite the public sector to join “because we need to create conditions for the country for sustainable development based on the contribution of all of us to mitigate the social and economic gaps of the space that touches us.”
“Sustainability is not philanthropy, it is not philanthropy, it is not voluntary, it is the practice of business that generates opportunities and profitability with a higher goal, thinking about the people who surround us and the society in which we live, and this year we want to talk directly about the link between sustainability and competitiveness, “too” On CentraRSE’s 20th anniversary, we want to go a little further and talk about the institutionalization of sustainability as a necessary way to increase the impact of sustainable practices and keep pace with the public sector by finding spaces for collaboration and co-construction “, said the entity’s president, Jorge Torono.

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Good news: There is such a thing as National Ice Cream Day. Better news: It’s on Sunday.
Back in 1984, President Ronald Reagan named July National Ice Cream month and named the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream day. The ice cream industry in the United States contributes more than $39 billion to the economy and creates more than 188,000 jobs, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
When Reagan made the proclamation, he called for people in the United States to observe National Ice Cream Day with “appropriate ceremonies and activities,” according to the IDFA.
Here is a list of vendors offering ice cream deals on Sunday:
- Fenton’s Creamery (Oakland and Vacaville) - Fenton’s Creamery is celebrating its 123rd birthday Sunday by offering junior Black & Tan sundaes for $1.23, according to Good Day Sacramento. The sundaes are usually $9.25.
- McDonald’s - The fast-food chain is offering free vanilla soft-serve for those who have McDonald’s mobile app. And if you enter the offer between 2 and 5 p.m. local time, you could have a shot at free McDonald’s soft serve for life.
- Cold Stone Creamery - It’s not National Ice Cream Day specific, but if you sign up for My Cold Stone Club, you can get a “buy one, get one free” coupon that’s good through July 23, according to Spoon University. There will also be a “buy one, get one free” offer on its Confetti Cupcake Ice Cream, a limited summer flavor, according to the Orange County Register.
- Dairy Queen - You can join Dairy Queen’s Blizzard Fan Club and “buy one, get one free” Blizzard coupon, according to Spoon University.
- Wendy’s - The fast-food chain will offer Frostys, vanilla or chocolate, for 50 cents until Aug. 25.
- PetSmart PetsHotel - Why leave your dog out of the fun? If you visit a PetsHotel location on Sunday with your dog, they’ll be giving out dog-safe ice cream.
- Whole Foods - Whole Foods locations will be having a one-day sale on pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice creams, frozen yogurts and non dairy treats. Customers can get two pints for $6. Select locations will also host “Sundae Fundae” sampling events, according to Whole Foods’ website.


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Even though the coronavirus pandemic has affected each individual important marketplace, it’s no surprise the impression on journey has been sizeable. In simple fact, a latest examine reveals that 90% of world-wide journey marketers have slashed their internet marketing budgets. And, as equally business enterprise and leisure journey have been brought to a standstill, lots of brand names have been forced to downsize. But as corporations get started to convert the lights again on and people start out to regain self-assurance, there are two important factors journey marketers are weighing: how to know when to reopen and what the new normal for journey will seem like.
Across the globe, the harmony amongst customer safety and the economic impression on journey remains a struggle. But actions taken now to get ready for the restoration could impression the potential of corporations to endure. With that in head, we’ve recognized journey trends, insights, and strategic methods marketers can apply to their highway map to aid navigate the path ahead.
How to know when to reopen
There are lots of things to assess in deciding when to reopen or resume functions, not the very least of which is the consumer’s urge for food to do so. Google’s group mobility stories can aid you understand these dynamics in your sector.
The stories are damaged down by area and exhibit the improve in visits to retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential places.
What travel’s new normal could seem like
The pandemic has brought on big shifts in customer conduct. Some shifts could be momentary, these types of as increases in persons making an attempt to cancel their flights or acquiring out if their flights have been canceled. In simple fact, we observed “cancel flight” queries (these types of as, “canceled flight” and “can i cancel my flight”) improve more than 15X in March 2020 as opposed with January of this year.one As nations start out to open, we are viewing these quantities get started to decrease.


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Chipmaker AMD names new chief financial officer
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.N) said on Wednesday it promoted senior executive Devinder Kumar to chief financial officer after the struggling PC chipmaker announced in September its previous CFO was leaving.
Kumar, a 28-year AMD veteran, had been standing in as CFO since AMD announced the departure of Thomas Siefert, who was liked by many on Wall Street.
Since 2001, Kumar was corporate controller at AMD, which like other PC-related companies has been hit by a slump in demand as smartphones and tablets grow in popularity.
AMD, one of Silicon Valley's oldest chipmakers, has been laying off engineers while looking for new markets for its chips as it faces dwindling cash reserves. (Reporting By Noel Randewich; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
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Apple just bought itself some much-needed time. The company said it sold more iPhones in the March quarter than even the most bullish analysts had expected. It threw $30 billion more into a stock buyback programme. And profits grew 7 percent. Article | Video


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It is being speculated that since Miley Cyrus is no longer under the Disney company, the Disney Channel’s newest star Bella Thorne will take her place when it comes to fan base and popularity. Bella is part of the new Disney Channel Original Series “Shake It Up,” which just aired this week to great viewer numbers.
But this isn’t Bella’s first big TV show. She has also starred on “Dirty Sexy Money” and “Big Love” as well as had a guest spot on the Disney Channel Original Series “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
Do you think that Bella is the next Miley?


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The fast fashion giant has opened 16 shops in Australia in two years - but foreign workers are being left behind, report alleges.
WIN TV will struggle to maintain local content after losing popular shows like The Voice and The Block and rugby league coverage from July 1.
There has been some aptly named fast food over the years.
The great-grandson of the founder of Cottee's cordial has started a health food business and says buying back Cottee's is ''possible'' one day.
Telstra has confirmed the departure of its chief technology officer, Vish Nandlall, amid a report that he had had falsified information on his resume and plagiarised a speech.
One sunny afternoon last September, more than 250 handpicked members of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, or CSIRO, gathered in a grandstand of the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The US Federal Reserve chairwoman has reinforced a recent effort by central bank officials to prepare investors for higher borrowing costs.
Health officials have stopped short of fully endorsing World Health Organisation guidelines to end the aggressive marketing of breast milk substitutes and baby foods for newborn and older infants.
The Panama Papers, Swiss Leaks and Lux Leaks highlighted the fragmented and limited protection offered.
The fashion and homewares chain faces stiff competition from upmarket and downmarket competitors.
Victorians are facing power price rises if warnings by the French owner of Australia's dirtiest power station – Hazelwood in Victoria's Latrobe valley – close it down.
Decades of covering the markets shows that for investors, buy and hold is the default. This is Mal Maiden's last column for Fairfax Media.
He spotted an opening in the market from a history class book.
Dairy troubles are a dead-weight on local economies.
Superfund Partners and Elston have partnered to launch Superstash, a mobile app to convert young couples to SMSFs.
Thousands of people are relying on life insurance that is worthless.
Economists are meant to be too hard-headed to believe in the existence of a magic bullet.
Nirary Dacho and Anna Robson have established refugeeintern.com to connect skilled refugees with companies offering internships or traineeships.
A change is coming to David Jones, but the winds of it may blow customers out the door into the wide open spaces of Westfield's malls.
Having trouble with your internet or phone provider? Here are some ways you can get even.
The sale of The Sunday Times and PerthNow website to rival Seven West Media is almost complete.
Disgraced blogger Belle Gibson could be forced to publicly apologise for claiming to have cured her terminal cancer with healthy food and natural therapies.
Female career climbers have been urged to leave the ladder down instead of pulling it behind them after they reach the top.
The ASX rose for a seventh straight week to levels last seen in August 2015, as investor mood continues to improve.
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The ASX has jumped to a nine-month high, spurred by the big banks and health-care stocks.
It is not the first time supermarkets have been targeted by the ATO.
Scott Morrison and Chris Bowen offered up economic body blows during a fiery Treasurer's debate. Courtesy ABC News.


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Green Vehicle Disposal – Automotive News Blog
New-car buyers have a lot of reasons to care about used-car prices. For starters, there’s the value of your trade-in, assuming you have a trade-in and you’re not coming out of a lease.
According to the used-car auction firm ADESA Inc., Carmel, Ind., in April the average used-vehicle wholesale price was $10,096, down 4.5 percent from a year earlier. That number hit a recent peak in March 2012 at $10,625, so the current level still isn’t bad. Average used-car prices bottomed out at an average of $8,628 in October 2008, according to ADESA data.
In an uncertain world, one thing that’s completely predictable is how many 3-year-old used cars there will be, three years from now. The answer is, the number of new cars being built today.
Mercedes-Benz is recalling 272 GL-Class SUVs to tighten the bolts holding down the seatbelt anchors, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Specifically, the bolts holding the belt fittings in the second-row seat may not have been tightened properly at the factory and could loosen further over time, which could leave a passenger vulnerable to greater injury in an accident. All trims of certain 2013 model-year vehicles are
So far, the cell phone’s primary contribution to driving has been the emergence of the even more oblivious driver, distracted, eyes wandering, meandering in the lane sometimes like a drunk. But the phone — or more specifically, the smartphone, hand-held computer or other mobile computing device — is poised to give drivers the futuristic capabilities of the Batmobile’s remote control.
Recent concept cars such as the Rinspeed iChange and the Chrysler Global Electric Motorcars Peapod have embraced Apple’s popular iPhone as a device not only for making phone calls or playing music, but as the key to starting the car.
That might sound like an impractical futuristic application of smartphone technology, but in fact, that and many more innovative uses of hand-held computers are coming to market in the near future.
While Detroit is still the hub of the U.S. auto industry, California’s Silicon Valley is quickly becoming the center for automotive technology innovation — and the site of research labs for car companies.
The latest example is Nissan’s new research center, which will focus on autonomous driving and connected cars.
Earlier this week, the Japanese automaker and its partner Renault opened the Nissan Research Center Silicon Valley to form “collaborative partnerships with companies and research institutions in this global technology hub.
Popular Mechanics visited the Detroit Auto Show and has come up with a comprehensive list of the 10 best cars!
Honda plans to unveil the Urban SUV Concept at next month’s Detroit Auto Show, a crossover that will be based on the Japanese maker’s subcompact Fit model.
The North American International Auto Show, as it’s formally known, will be awash with downsized crossover-utility vehicles – including the long-rumored Lincoln MKC which will share some of its basic underpinnings with the small Ford Escape, albeit trimmed out for the luxury market.
Talk about going green! No, you can’t simply pump the green scum that forms on your swimming pool into your gas tank, but motorists in the San Francisco area now can fill up on a new biofuel derived from algae.
There are plenty of proponents searching for ways to replace petroleum with renewable fuels, though some alternatives, such as corn-based ethanol, have come under fire, especially in the wake of last summer’s nationwide drought. But the biofuel system developed by South San Francisco-based Solazyme, Inc. won’t tap the food supply.
Leonardo DiCaprio is more than a pretty face and a Hollywood star; he recently discussed his involvement with Fisker Automotive. The Karma, manufactured by Fisker, is a plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan that was developed in Anaheim, California and became available for purchase in 2011.
DiCaprio has made a name for himself appearing in blockbuster films like “Titanic,” “Shutter Island” and “The Departed.” Besides having two films scheduled to be released in 2013, “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Great Gatsby,” the 37-year-old actor recently discussed why he is investing in Fisker Automotive.
The average fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the United States in August rose for the first time in five months, University of Michigan researchers say.
Vehicles sold in August had an average fuel economy of 23.8 mpg, according to a report by the university’s Transportation Research Institute.
August marked the fourth best month on record and an 18 percent increase (3.7 mpg) from October 2007 when the institute began tracking monthly data.
The 0.2 mpg improvement from July to August most likely reflects the increased price of gasoline, researchers say.
The average national price for self-serve regular gasoline on July 1 was $3.43, which jumped 30 cents to nearly $3.73 on August 1, and other 10 cents by the end of August to $3.83 a gallon, according to AAA.


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Sustainability and fashion are an interesting pair. In an industry that is defined by constant change, how can it be sustainable? The effect the fashion industry has on the environment is massive. Most critics focus on the use of natural products and sheer amount of fuel used for transportation. As such, I’m sure ‘eco-friendly’ is not your first reaction when you think of the fashion industry. Despite this, many brands have approached their spring-summer 2018 collection with the idea of sustainability in mind. In their August issue, i-D ran a series of articles along the theme of fashion’s first movements into a new, ecological future.
When you see an article in a popular magazine like i-D titled “Burberry will no longer burn their unsold clothes”, it’s not surprising to hear about protests happening across the fashion world. So how has the industry reacted to the new demand for ‘slow fashion’? London Fashion Week declared itself “fur free”, a statement hugely supported by Stella McCartney. It was the first main fashion week where none of the shows would have animal fur involved. This was following the series of protests and support of anti-animal cruelty actions. Christopher Raeburn’s collection threw the “spring and summer” brief out of the window and instead focused on the growing issue of climate change. Raeburn used clothes to show how desperate the situation of climate change is. His goal was to make people sit up and take notice, and it was a hit during the fashion week.
On the negative side however, Chanel came under fire for chopping down one hundred year old oaks to use in their show. The official statement from Chanel claimed that for every tree they cut down they were going to plant another. However, few were convinced and as such they are still unpopular amongst the sustainable fashion movement. It seems as though despite the move towards a new, eco-friendly future, many luxury brands are still ‘behind the curve’, so to speak. This raises the question: how long can unsustainable brands last? Will customers leave them behind? Will ignoring these issues lead to a shortage? Or does it even matter? However, as of now, the future looks unpredictable.


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Restaurants have been closed for most of 2020 and all of 2021. What’s Michelin’s rational?
Like restaurants themselves, Michelin has had to pivot In these unprecedented times. The awards had been planned to be held at The Roundhouse in Camden back in October last year with members of the public being invited for the first time, but the pandemic put paid to those plans. It was then expected to take place at The Dorchester, but the Coronavirus has prevented that from happening as well, so it is instead being run as an online virtual event on Monday 25 January. In a statement published last week Michelin said it was going ahead with the guide to ‘promote the industry as much as we possibly can’. ‘We want to shine a light on our industry, to keep people talking about it in the media and remind everyone of what we have, and to bring news of our great restaurants to a global audience’, the statement said
Surely the guide’s inspection schedule was seriously disrupted…
While Michelin acknowledges that there were challenges it says that the team started working on the guide in August 2019 and that much of the work was done before the first lockdown hit. Delaying the guide by four months and going digital only has meant it has been able to get everything done with readers and restaurants assured that ‘no shortcuts were taken’ and that ‘the methodology remained the same and there was no change in the standards looked for’.
So, who's in the running for a star this year?
It's hard to say, but there is hope among chefs that Michelin might be more generous with its awarding of stars than in previous years given its current mission statement about promoting restaurants. If we were to have a stab at it we'd like to see Tom Brown's Cornerstone be awarded its first star and also accolades for what Tom Booton is doing at The Dorchester, The Quality Chop House, Akoko, and Launceston Place. Outside of London, what Luke French Is doing at Joro is star worthy in our book as is Hove's Little Fish Market to name just two. It would also be nice to see John Williams' hard work at The Ritz be acknowledged with a second star.
Will any stars get taken away?
Potentially, yes. But Michelin has confirmed that England’s five three-star restaurants are safe from demotion. However, Michelin says that restaurants that have changed their concept in a bid to try and survive the pandemic, either with simplified or cheaper menus, may lose stars, although we suspect Michelin is likely to be cautious in this regard, especially when it comes to restaurants that are planning to return to their original concept when normal service resumes.
Sounds messy. Lots of restaurants have been forced to switch things up...
They certainly have. Starred places to keep an eye on include Ikoyi, which dropped its tasting menu, and Bright, which is currently serving a simple takeaway menu. It will also be interesting to see what the little red book does about Nathan Outlaw. Last year saw the chef close his two-star Restaurant Nathan Outlaw and reopen as Outlaw’s New Road, a much simpler, a la carte-only affair. Having visited recently we can confirm that standards remain as high as ever. It will therefore be interesting to see how Michelin handles the change of name and format. Another venue to watch is Josh Eggleton’s The Pony and Trap, which will soon change its name and become a ‘community interest company’ that hosts three communal dinners per week.
Any chance of a new three star?
Maybe. Two-star chefs Clare Smyth, Mark Birchall and Claude Bosi are in our view the most likely to be elevated to three-star status. If the French edition of the guide - published earlier this month - is anything to go by then Michelin looks to want to be seen as both generous and progressive. Over 50 restaurants received their first star and the French guide also gave a Michelin star to a vegan restaurant for the first time ever. Sacré bleu indeed.
Anything else to look out for?
The Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2021 will also see the use of a green clover symbol to highlight restaurants that promote ‘sustainable gastronomy’, so expect to see some greener restaurants featuring this time round.


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GM Modular introduces smart home systems – News
Jayanth Jain, CEO and MD, GM Modular, Vishal Kothari, CEO – Middle East
G-Bus, a one-of-a-kind home automation system transforms living spaces with internet-connected devices to enable remote monitoring and management of devices and systems.
Leading electrical company GM Modular recently showcased its groundbreaking products like next-generation switches, home automation, LED lights, fans and more with the aim of providing the best in design and comfort in every home. As the market leader in switches and other home accessories, the company is at the forefront of innovation. G-Bus, a one-of-a-kind home automation system transforms living spaces with internet-connected devices to enable remote monitoring and management of devices and systems.
With G-Bus, consumers can control lights, blinds and shutters, temperature, security system, music. It provides homeowners with security, comfort, convenience and energy efficiency by allowing them to control smart devices with your smartphone.
GM uses the highest quality components and has two decades of luxury design experience. The company has three showrooms and two warehouses in the United Arab Emirates and plans to set up a giant warehouse inside the free zone that will serve the Middle East and Africa.
Vishal Kothari, Export Manager at GM, said, “GM has built a strong network with over 250 dealers and 50 retailers across the UAE. Additionally, the organization plans to expand its presence in Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, aiming to be a one-stop solution for all electrical appliances. Additionally, GM creates recyclable products, furthering the idea of global sustainability. “GM has always been driven by creative spaces in homes, building designs, etc. At GM, we are constantly inspired by ideas to make products that speak the same language of comfort and luxury,” added Kothari.


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DOXA expands their US retail presence in partnership with Watches of SwitzerlandZach Blass
DOXA has enjoyed a notable resurgence over the last few years, the famed diver’s watch brand coming in strong in 2021 with a standard production line of carbon SUB 300 divers to follow up the 2020 GPHG-nominated limited edition. While DOXA watches have a cult following within the watch community, their modern timepieces are typically acquired through their easy-to-use e-commerce platform on their website. But for some, a necessary step before purchase is to get a feel for the watch in the metal. Now, thanks to a retail partnership with Watches of Switzerland, DOXA watches have expanded their retail presence in the USA – allowing more consumers to intimately engage with their robust creations.
As of now, DOXA watches can be viewed in person within Watches of Switzerland Soho in New York City and purchased in-store or on Watches of Switzerland’s e-commerce platform. This partnership further extends the reach of these historic divers, rooted in professional usage by acclaimed divers such as Jacques Cousteau. A pillar of the dive watch community since their introduction in 1967, DOXA watches have remained largely unchanged over the decades – their iconic design profile distinct from all of their competitors in the marketplace. Their robust and colorful watches have been subtly refined to meet the demands of modern watch buyers, and have recently expanded into new and exciting case materials such as cutting-edged forged carbon.
While speaking with HauteTime, David Hurley, EVP of The Watches of Switzerland Group US explained, “Watches of Switzerland has been dedicated to providing its clients unmatched experiences and products since we opened our first SoHo flagship in 2019. DOXA is an integral part of watch history and we are thrilled not only to be their exclusive point of sale in the US, but to also be a source of education on the brand through our extensive platforms.
“While DOXA has built an impressive cult following amongst certain watch enthusiasts who are aware of its impressive contributions to the evolution of dive watches, Watches of Switzerland looks forward to growing this audience exponentially, and we are proud to provide a space where the DOXA brand can be experienced firsthand.”


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Battery-powered folding cars wouldn't be out of place in an Inspector Gadget cartoon, but pretty soon, they may be commonplace on the streets of Europe. And you know what's the best part? At only $16,210, they're affordable.
Designed by the MIT Media Lab, the Hiriko -- that's Basque for "urban car" -- is set to go on sale in 2013 across Europe, but most people won't have to buy them to drive them. According to a new story in Fast Company about the unveiling of a new prototype, it "will be deployed in Europe using a car-sharing model a la Zipcar, but run by city governments." Europe is a sensible place to release the ultra compact vehicles, since when the folded, up to three Hirikos can fit in a single parking space. (Makes the Smartcar seem kinda fat, huh?) Check out the expanded Hiriko on the left and a folded, parked Hikiko on the right:
Close up and in real life, the prototype Hiriko kind of looks like a bug -- not a Volkswagon Beetle, an actual bug:


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(Reuters) - Canadian yogawear retailer Lululemon Athletica Inc
The company inched up its full-year earnings forecast to $1.86 to $1.91 per share from $1.85 to $1.90 and revenue forecast to $2.0-$2.05 billion from $1.97-$2.02 billion.
The profit forecast however was short of analysts' average estimate of $1.93 per share, while the revenue forecast compared with analysts' average estimate of $2.02 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Shares of the company, which has posted better-than expected profit for at least the past eight quarters, were up 2.8 percent at $63.25 in light premarket trading.
Lululemon is in the midst of a turnaround to improve quality, expand its product line and solve supply-chain problems, while laying the groundwork for faster international growth.
Total comparable store sales rose 6 percent on a constant dollar basis in the first quarter ended May 3 from 1 percent a year earlier.
The company has been trying to grow its men's apparel business in sync with women's, while also offering more fashionable apparel.
Lululemon's earnings rose to $47.8 million, or 34 cents per share, in the quarter from $18.98 million, or 13 cents per share, a year earlier.
Revenue rose about 10 percent to $423.5 million.
Analysts on average expected a profit of 33 cents per share on revenue of $418.9 million.
Lululemon shares had risen more than 10 percent this year on the Nasdaq.
(Reporting by Solarina Ho in Toronto and Amrutha Gayathri in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr and Savio D'Souza)


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WASHINGTON - Children's bed canopies sold at IKEA are part of a massive worldwide recall.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission says about 255,000 of the bed canopies are being recalled in the United States over strangulation concerns. The recall affects 2.6 million items worldwide.
Federal officials say there have been nine reports worldwide of children getting entangled in the bed canopies, including one in the U.S. involving a 7-month-old girl who pulled the canopy's fabric into her crib and wrapped it around her neck several times.
The canopies were sold at IKEA stores and online from August 1996 through March 2014 for between $10 and $30.
If you have purchased a recalled canopy, you should stop using it and return it to any IKEA store for a full refund.
Copyright 2014 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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NSW festival Splendour in the Grass celebrates record ticket sales, selling out all 42,500 tickets to its increased-capacity 2019 event
By Anna Grace on 11 Apr 2019
The 19th edition of Australia’s Splendour in the Grass Music and Arts Festival today celebrated its largest on sale to date, selling out a record 42,500 tickets in six hours through ticketing partner Moshtix.
Splendour, promoted by Live Nation-owned Secret Sounds, sold 7,500 more tickets than last year, after announcing an increased capacity for its permanent site in North Byron Bay Parklands, New South Wales. The festival also introduced an installment payment option for this year’s event.
Parklands, home to fellow Secret Sounds-run festival Falls, applied for permission to become a permanent 50,000-capacity festival venue in January, receiving approval in March. The site is now the permanent home for Splendour and Falls.
“We’re stoked to announce that we’ve sold a record amount of tickets this year after months of planning and hard work by our wonderful team,” say event producers Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco.
“We’re so grateful to see the continued passion and loyalty for Splendour in the Grass. We’re looking forward to sharing our forever home at the North Byron Parklands with more fans than ever before in 2019.”
The line-up for this year’s festival includes headline acts Chance the Rapper, Tame Impala and Childish Gambino, who are joined by Foals, Catfish and the Bottlemen, James Blake and the Lumineers.
“We’re so grateful to see the continued passion and loyalty for Splendour in the Grass”
Ducrou and Piticco also thank Splendour’s long-time ticketing partner Moshtix for “delivering a seamless on sale”.
“The continuity they [Moshtix] offer our fans makes things easier for everyone involved,” comment the event producers, urging those who missed out on tickets to utilise the Moshtix resale facility.
“For many years now, the [resale] platform has allowed us to minimise the potential for scalping and ensure that our true fans are treated fairly and given the best opportunity to secure tickets,” add Ducrou and Piticco.
Moshtix managing director Harley Evans says the company is “proud” to be able to provide an authorised mechanism for ticket resale that “does the right thing by the fans.”
“This is Moshtix’s 10th year working on Splendour in the Grass,” says Evans. “It’s been a great privilege working with Jess, Paul and their amazing team knowing they always put the fans’ interests at the forefront of everything they do.”
The International Ticketing Yearbook 2018 lists Moshtix as one of several significant independent ticketing companies operating in Australia. Ticketmaster acquired the ticketing provider in February 2019.
Fans that missed out on Splendour in the Grass tickets can sign up to the resale waiting list here.


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Arby's bringing jobs, community partnerships to Kewanee
Along with "The Meats" and curly fries, the new Kewanee Arby's will be bringing with it several dozen jobs and promises to be deeply involved with the community through local sponsorships.
The restaurant, whose construction on the northeast corner of Midland Plaza Shopping Center started in March, could open as soon as late July.
Kevin Ramirez, part of the decades-old, four-person ownership group that has 15 other Arby's restaurants in 12 cities in Illinois and the Quad Cities, said they all are from small towns in the region and their track record involves investing in the communities in which they operate.
Up to 50 jobs will be created when the restaurant opens and the owners are already looking to assemble a local management team and have it in place by the end of June.
"We'll see where it goes from there, but I think it's going to be very well-received in Kewanee and we're going to keep busy," he said.
Construction is ongoing and crews will be able to put up the walls and start work on the interior after the concrete is finalized. Next will be to add the signage and furniture.
"We're off to the races and getting ready to make those orders," he said.
In addition to the jobs the restaurant will bring to Kewanee, Ramirez said other Arby's developments in the group had led to surrounding growth. Already the owner of Midland, Peoria-based Cohen Development, has discussed plans to renovate the 50-year-old shopping center, though the extent of those plans has not been made public. Commercial tenants in the center say they have yet to be informed about any major changes to the shopping center, anchored by a Menard's store.
City Manager Gary Bradley said subcontractors for the restaurant and representatives of the shopping center had either applied for or expressed interest in applying for incentives within the city's Tax Incrementing Financing District and through the countywide Enterprise Zone.
Ramirez said the ownership group prides itself on the community relationships it builds with any new restaurant that opens.
"We're huge in community investment," he said. "If there's an organization that has a need, we'd love to partner with them. I'm a big believer of never forgetting where you came from and giving back."
In addition to ongoing community partnerships, he said the group is heavily involved in the annual national Arby's "No Kid Hungry" campaign.
Long time coming
If it wasn't for a worldwide pandemic, Kewaneeans would already have been awash in curly fries for the past year.
"COVID just backed everything up," said Ramirez. "It just brought everything to a screeching halt. COVID has been a full-time job."
He noted that the chain's restaurants were still restricted to dine-in-only service as they had been for the past year and is uncertain when that policy would change. So when the restaurant opens, it still may be a drive-through-only experience.
"All of our locations are safe and secure," he said. "We're still waiting for vaccination rate, et cetera, to open dining back up."
Ramirez said the decision to come to Kewanee has been long in the making, but the discussion has always led back to Kewanee. Other locations such as Geneseo also were considered.
"All of the information and the feeling pointed us right back to Kewanee every time," he said. "We like the smaller towns and feel like there is a niche there."
City Manager Gary Bradley said the work to get a commitment from Arby's has been a long one.
"It was literally a couple of years in the process," he said. "A lot of work has gone into it."
Even though Kewanee is small, Bradley said he agrees with Ramirez's assessment of how it fits a niche, because it is still the largest city in the region and draws shoppers who need to buy something but who don't want to travel all the way to Peoria or the Quad Cities to get it.
"We're pulling Galva people here because when they choose a Walmart, they choose ours," he said.
He said the city subscribes to a market research service that provides precise consumer purchasing and market data by sector, and the data shows that Kewanee still has work to do to keep those shoppers buying local.
He said the Arby's deal leads back to 2018 when he attended the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Chicago, where he met a group of corporate representatives staking out good retail locations.
"They said they had a franchisee that might be interested and we continued our talks from there," he said. "I sent them the contact information for several sites that I thought they’d be interested in based on what they said they were looking for and they were able to work out an agreement with a property owner who was interested in redevelopment."
And while the construction materials incentives are attractive for a number of reasons to developers, the Arby's deal may not have hinged on that. Bradley said the franchisees won't get the same benefit as the construction crews building it, but they will benefit from being part of the city's Tax Increment Financing District.


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2020 was indeed a year to remember, but probably for the wrong reasons. And yet, there were many positives to emerge from a society struck by a pandemic.
As people were stuck at home, many sought distractions from the monotony. This was good news for the once-humble podcast — a format that had already been enjoying significant growth, but which went into overdrive last year.
“The past couple of years have seen the world’s biggest brands invest heavily into podcasting, and podcasts occupy a unique position in the media landscape,” said Jack Preston, director of Acast Creative in the UK and US. “Podcasts are giving brands the unique opportunity to speak to audiences in a space like no other. It’s an intimate environment with more than 90% of listening taking place in our headphones.”
Preston was speaking during Campaign’s Radio and Audio Advertising Summit, an online event that featured discussions and presentations on topics such as why audio should be part of brands’ media mix, what a data alliance sounds like, and how radio is a flexible creative channel.
In a session called ‘Why podcasts should be at the heart of your branded content strategy right now’, Preston explained that Acast is the world’s biggest podcast marketplace, housing the most listened-to shows and a portfolio of talented creators. It works with more than 20,000 podcasts, and racks up 60 million monthly listens in the UK alone.
Acast works exclusively with an array of publishers and platforms including The Guardian, BBC, Mashable, The FT, TED, The Economist, Huffpost and Vice; while its client list covers all verticals and includes brand names such as Porsche, Microsoft, Heinz, Sainsbury’s, BMW, Barclays, Durex, BT, Vodafone, and John Lewis & Partners.
Branded content on podcasts
As Preston explained, the Acast Marketplace comprises three main pillars: “Whenever a brand runs a campaign in podcasting, it will rely on one of — or a combination of — three things.”
Firstly, there are ads that are dynamically inserted into a podcast when the listener taps ‘play’; secondly, sponsorship, “whereby the host of a podcast creates a read on behalf of your brand that sits inside their episodes”; and finally branded content.
It was the last pillar that Preston focused on during his session.
There are two ways that a brand can approach branded content in podcasts, “although there are thousands of things you can do”, Preston said.
There are original branded shows, such as Now TV’s Plot Twist, Vodafone’s Business Unusual and Ford’s Dare To Create. “From a brand’s perspective this requires them to become their own publisher. You create your own content, you launch your own feed, and you amass your own listener and subscriber base.”
Then there are collaborations, where brands team up with an established series. “They’ve done a lot of the hard work, they’ve built that listener base, which is one of the hardest things to do. They have a host who will have a really great rapport and relationship with the listeners. This could result in a five-minute segment, it could be a bonus episode of the podcast, a mini-series, or it could be a live event. There are so many things you could do.”
Media and marketing professionals often talk about the notion of a ‘captive audience’ when waxing lyrical about their engagement with consumers. However, it’s a term with negative connotations, conjuring images of people subjected against their will to something that is pointedly a sales message; a distraction from the content they are really there to engage with.
But with podcasts there is an expectation that advertisers should (or must) engage consumers more subtly by weaving their brand credentials inextricably into genuinely compelling content.
Thankfully the “creative opportunities are endless and levels of engagement are unbeatable compared with any other media buy”, Preston said.
The average listening time for an episode of an Acast-launched branded podcast is 28 minutes, with many of those listeners going on to subscribe and listen to multiple episodes. One recently published Acast podcast gained 6.4 million minutes in listening time. As far as engagement goes, “that, I honestly believe, is unbeatable.”
According to BBC research on ad avoiders, podcasts boast far greater engagement than TV advertising. Its study found that consumers were 22% more likely to remember a brand mention in a podcast compared with a TV ad.
Meanwhile, according to Kantar, podcast listeners are more receptive to brand messaging than most media – second only to influencer-endorsed branded content, beating TV, online display and social media story ads. And Acast Creative combines both podcasting and influencer-endorsement in every branded content campaign launched.
Decade of change
The past 10 years have seen the podcast not just grow, but evolve into a far more sophisticated beast. A decade ago, the format was predominantly an adjunct of radio, with the charts then showing that eight out of the top 10 UK podcasts were online radio replays.
Today’s top 10 features standalone podcasts, with exclusive shows spanning topics from true crime, sports and politics, to current affairs, education and celebrity interviews.
Preston’s professional relationship with podcasts harks back 10 years, when he was working for Virgin’s content team. At the time, the company was coming to the financial year end and there was some leftover budget.
“I pitched the idea to my boss of making a branded podcast,” Preston recalled. Although the boss wasn’t keen, he was less eager to lose that excess budget.
Having convinced the business of his idea, Preston produced the Voom Podcast from Virgin Media Business to find the UK’s next entrepreneur. It struck a chord with listeners and went on to get to the top of the charts — leading to the commissioning of a second season. By that point Virgin grasped the potential of the podcast and brought in a bigger team to produce the follow-up.
“It was fairly indicative of how the branded podcast got off the ground,” he said. And things have since changed even further.
2020… and beyond
Ten years’ on, advertisers looking to invest in branded content podcasts are different in three ways: “More often than not they have a really significant budget,” said Preston. “They want a really rigorous approach to creative and content, as they would anywhere else; and they want a long-term strategy.”
Last year, Acast’s global listening data showed that its podcasts accrued nearly 2.5 billion listens, up 25% year on year; and unique listens grew by 30%, demonstrating that new listeners are getting a taste for the podcast habit.
Advertisers are both driving and responding to the podcast’s popularity. There was a 63% increase in podcast buying in 2020 compared with 2019; while Preston’s team worked with 30 brands to launch original podcast series, more than double the volume in 2019; and Acast’s financial growth has been fuelled by creative campaigns and brands, which have accounted for 24% of 2020 revenue, compared with 14% in 2019.
Push your limits
It wasn’t just growth that helped 2020 stand out from previous years, Preston noted. “What excited me was brands wanting to do some innovative things despite the physical limitations imposed upon us.”
Among the four creative trends was a boost in brands investing in new formats of branded podcast. “PlayNext by BMW is a brilliant example. Hosted by Edith Bowman, this was a genuine media-first – the first time that a podcast had featured songs from artists played in their entirety.”
2020 also saw more podcasts playing the leading role in overarching marketing campaigns, demonstrated by Belstaff’s Road Less Travelled, hosted by Reggie Yates. “What I love about this is it really took centre stage in the whole marketing campaign. The podcast artwork, the talent involved front and centre in OOH and digital imagery. They’re not just podcasts anymore.”
Cross-platform campaigns also included John Lewis’s At Home with Lily & Anna, which Acast worked on alongside Refinery29. “Increasingly our podcast stars are being used on other channels and we’re collaborating with other media owners and publishers,” Preston said.
Finally, more brands than ever are getting on board by sponsoring live-streams, a trend Preston “wouldn’t have predicted at the start of last year”. For instance, O2’s sponsorship of a live stream of RHLSTP with Richard Herring featuring James Acaster.
“With everybody locked down, appointment-to-view content felt a bit more relevant. There were big trends and they’re going to continue into 2021 for sure.”
As Dani Murphy, content and strategy director at Havas, who Preston introduced towards the end of his presentation at the Summit, and who shared some top tips, put it: “Thank god for podcasting, it’s been a saving grace in 2020. They’ve entertained us, they’ve kept us up to date and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they’ve been our friends.”
Dani Murphy, Havas content and strategy director, shares three tips for brands to have in mind when using podcasts to tell their stories.
1. It differs from TV and digital. In the same way you can’t just whack a TVC clip into a banner ad and expect results, you can’t really put a brand manifesto into a podcast series.
2. You need to think about your brand identity first and foremost. ‘What do we sound like? If we were a person, who would we be and who would our friends be? What topics do we align with? What do we stand for — are we a useful brand or an entertaining brand, or a bit of both?’
3. The last things to factor in are subtlety and being conversational. Just because you have 30 to 40 minutes doesn’t mean you can monologue about product benefits. It’s unlikely to be your tagline sadly, so it’s a watchable, interesting hook. Use a journalistic approach of finding an angle. Journalists use a headline to draw people into the detail. Subtlety is key.


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The recently-opened Taco Rock in Rosslyn is hosting a “Flammin Hot Poppers Challenge” later this month.
The “offbeat, one-of-a-kind eating contest” will be held on Monday, Feb. 24 from 7:30-10 p.m at Taco Rock (1501 Wilson Boulevard).
Participants will eat as many jalapeño pepper poppers as they can in 10 minutes, without consuming any other food or beverage, a press release said. The winner will take home the Taco Rock Title Belt and a $100 cash prize. Those who come in second and third place will win a medal and a Taco Rock gift card.
“Each contestant will be served up a plate of jalapeño pepper poppers,” said the press release. “They must eat as many flaming hot poppers as they can in ten minutes, one popper at a time, to within one quarter inch of the jalapeño cap.”
Entry to the competition is $10. The event will be free for spectators.
Photos courtesy Taco Rock
For the second year in a row, the in-person Marine Corps Marathon and associated festivities have been cancelled. The Marathon, a major tourism event for Arlington, had been scheduled for…
Clarendon-based Axios is growing quickly, in part due to its entry into a shrinking business: local news.
Tesla Dealership Coming to S. Glebe Road — ARLnow’s scoop from February is all but confirmed: “Tesla Inc. appears to be filling the high-end auto dealership void left by Maserati’s…
Find the ultimate urban farmhouse in this week’s Just Listed. The 4 BD/2 BA house built in 1909 sits on a quarter-acre lot and features a finished attic and a basement.


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Bitcoin ATM-maker Coin Outlet buys LibertyX networkThe price of the purchase is dependent on current Bitcoin exchange rate, which the ATM retrieves from the internet in real-time.Maybe this is the reason why out of 136 Lamassu Bitcoin ATMs worldwide,. according to my Bitcoin ATM map,.
Bitcoin-machine maps would let people shop on their mobile devices for the most competitive.Lamassu has set up an online map of bitcoin ATM locations that. it might take a while before you see a Lamassu bitcoin ATM in.
Want To Get Bitcoins? This ATM Will Turn Your
Bitcoin ATMs | CoinGreed.comSee Products Ethereum support enabled Cash to Ethereum in no time.Lamassu announced it had installed an Bitcoin ATM in Albuquerque and plans to install another later this. Site Map.
To mark the occasion, Lamassu has set up an online map of bitcoin ATM locations.See latest Lamassu news and information about its competitors and other companies in its sector: Press Release: Lamassu Announces Modular Two-Way Bitcoin ATM.
Newsbtc.com – Bitcoin News ServiceThis will help put cryptocurrency on the map in the region for sure,.Now that Bitcoin ATM manufacturer Lamassu has announced. on the map all over the world. ATM.This is a Lamassu manufactured machine located in the vegetarian and vegan restaurant.
Seattle And Austin Are Getting Bitcoin ATMs - Fast CompanyManufacturer Lamassu has sold 120 of its Bitcoin ATMs in its first four months, becoming a major player in a brand-new competitive space.
ATM Bitcoin Machine - Lamassu
Graz to receive a Bitcoin ATM - CoinfinityLamassu was. which regularly updates a helpful and navigable Bitcoin ATM map,.Bitcoin ATM maker Lamassu says that it currently has 100 live machines worldwide, accounting for 34% of the entire Bitcoin ATM market.Initially, Lamassu and Robocoin,...Bitcoin ATM is located at Tian Bistro am Spittelberg in Vienna.The ATM either has a certain amount of Bitcoins to sell in a dedicated wallet, or it connects to an online exchange to purchase the bitcoins in real-time on behalf of the buyer.The Bitcoin ATM purchasing process usually goes something like this.
Bitcoin ATMs For Australia, The First In Melbourne : Bitcoin
This October the company Lamassu confirmed that it shipped the first bitcoin ATM, which buy and sell bitcoins on their bitcoin wallet.Many governments have strict financial regulations that determine where and under what conditions an ATM can be installed.Lamassu has begun production on a Bitcoin ATM and plans to ship 15 preliminary units in September. The.
Queue building up for Lamassu ATM in Singapore : BitcoinThe following are the Bitcoin ATM makers I was able to find along with their prices and wait times that are.
Lamassu.is Bitcoin ATM Machine | Lamassu - PagesstudyRolf Deppe and business partner, Monre Botes, are the geniuses who decided to run the Lamassu Bitcoin.
Lamassu Says Bitcoin ATMs “Profitable” – 34% of Market
Collects phone number and sends a code in a text message as means of user identification.If you opted for a paper wallet to be generated, it will be printed and your purchased bitcoins will loaded on its public address.
Author Topic: [VENDO BTC] PRIMO - Bitcoin Forum - IndexThe digital currency Bitcoin is heading to the physical world.There are many types of Bitcoin ATMs available, all with varying capabilities, specifications, and features.LocalBitcoins have recently started allowing Bitcoin ATMs listings.
Lamassu’s Zach Harvey Shares Data on the Growing Use of
Queue building up for Lamassu ATM. it would be interesting to see a coinmap type of website but just for bitcoin atm.BITCOIN ATM Makes BUYING and SELLING BITCOIN SIMPLE Manufacturer Lamassu is ending 2013 on a high.Lamassu has also created an online map that tracks where their machines have gone to in 2013.


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Instacart Making it Harder to Find a Date in the Produce Section
July 12, 2013
Instacart, a grocery-delivery service, has closed $8.5 million in Series A funding led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Khosla Ventures, Canaan Partners, SVAngel and an individual investor. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company plans to use the investment to fund expansion, with a goal of being in at least 10 major cities across the U.S. by the end of 2014. In conjunction with the transaction, Sequoia’s Michael Moritz has joined Instacart’s Board of Directors.
Khosla Ventures and Canaan Partners were also participants in the company’s $2.3 million financing in October of last year. Instacart links users with personal shoppers who take orders using a mobile device and then deliver groceries to a user’s doorstep in as soon as one hour. The personal shoppers shop at Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Costco, although Instacart is not affiliated with or sponsored by any of these companies. What sets the company apart is that it uses a crowdsourced model for its personal shoppers, thereby not needing warehouses or delivery trucks.
As the company grows, it seems that the grocery delivery space is growing as well. Multiple companies within the industry have landed deals just this year. Austin-based Greenling raised over $5 million in Series B funding this January, while Charlottesville, VA-based Retail Relay and Lafayette, CO-based Door to Door Organics each landed deals in April, grabbing over $8 million in funding and over $3 million in funding, respectively.


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By Lauren Pollock
Zimmer Holdings Inc. agreed to buy fellow orthopedic device maker Biomet Inc. for about $13.35 billion in cash and stock, in a bid to position the combined company as a leader in the musculoskeletal industry.
The deal, which has been approved by the boards of both companies, would end Biomet's bid to return to the public market. The maker of dental implants and artificial hips and knees earlier this year filed plans for an initial public offering, partly to pay off debt from its 2007 buyout.
For its part, Zimmer has faced a weak domestic market for reconstructive hip and knee products as people delay surgeries in a still-uncertain economic environment. In recent quarters, however, there have been signs that the declines are stabilizing.
Shares of Zimmer, which also reported improved first-quarter results, surged on the deal, rising about 11% premarket and pushing up peers like U.K. medical equipment maker Smith & Nephew.
Zimmer, the former orthopedics business of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. that was spun off in 2001, said the combination will enhance its offerings in the knee, hip, surgical, spine and dental categories, as well as in the faster-growing sports medicine, extremities and trauma categories. It deemed the musculoskeletal industry to be worth about $45 billion; Zimmer's market value is about $15 billion and it has more than 9,500 employees globally.
Zimmer's agreement for Biomet is the latest transaction in what has been a busy week for health-care deals. Like Zimmer's transaction, the earlier deals were designed to focus each firm on specific sectors where it believes it has the size and expertise to generate significant sales growth.
Earlier this week, Swiss drug giant Novartis AG and the U.K.'s GlaxoSmithKline PLC announced more than $20 billion in deals. Novartis will sell its animal-drugs business to Eli Lilly & Co. and most of its vaccine business to Glaxo, and Novartis will buy a portfolio of cancer therapies from Glaxo. Novartis and Glaxo said they also pooled their nonprescription products, such as the pain relievers Excedrin and Panadol, in a joint venture.
Zimmer Chief Executive David Dvorak, who will lead the combined company when the deal for Biomet closes, said his company believes "current demographic and macroeconomic trends affecting the healthcare industry will reward companies that successfully partner with other key stakeholders to improve patient care in a cost-effective manner."
The acquisition price includes the assumption of debt and all but $3 billion is in cash. At closing, which is expected in the first quarter of next year, Zimmer stockholders are expected to own about 84% of the combined company, with Biomet holders owning the rest.
The combined company will continue to be based in Warsaw, Ind., where both companies are already located. Two representatives of Biomet's principal stockholders will join the board.
Biomet was acquired in 2007 for about $11.3 billion by Blackstone Group, KKR & Co., TPG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s buyout arm. Each of those firms pitched in about $1.3 billion in cash, with the remainder, about $6.2 billion, covered with new debt. Biomet still carries much of that buyout debt on its balance sheet.
Biomet said earlier this month that its fiscal third-quarter loss narrowed, benefiting from fewer special charges and higher hips and knees revenue.
For 2013, Zimmer and Biomet together had revenue of about $7.8 billion. The deal is expected to add to Zimmer's earnings on a double-digit basis in the first year after closing, and it sees synergies of about $270 million a year by the third year after closing.
The deal was unveiled as Zimmer reported slight increases in profit and revenue for its first quarter and lowered its earnings view for the year based on a higher share count.
Write to Lauren Pollock at email@example.com


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Consulting firm Genpact said today it has acquired the German supply chain management consultancy Barkawi Management Consultants GmbH & Co. KG, saying the deal would help it serve clients in the consumer packaged goods, industrial manufacturing, and high-tech industries.
New York-based Genpact said the deal will allow it to expand its menu of professional services, adding capabilities in consulting and digital technology capabilities for supply chain management and aftermarket services. Founded as a business unit of industrial giant General Electric Co., Genpact was spun off in 2005 and reported 2016 revenue of $2.57 billion.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Mike Landry, who has been president of Barkawi North America, will now lead the integrated Genpact global supply chain business from Barkawi's offices in Atlanta. Andreas Baader, Wolfgang Schürholz, and Oliver Bendig will continue to lead the European business, based in Munich, Germany.
Genpact made the acquisition as part of its strategy to drive digital-led transformation along with digitally enabled intelligent operations for supply chain transformation, the company said. That sector is critical for driving growth in many enterprises because companies need agile operations that quickly respond to fluctuating demand levels, market changes, and increased supply chain complexity, Genpact said.
Munich-based Barkawi Management Consultants specializes in providing both strategic and operational supply chain management services, including areas like supply chain strategy design and execution, demand planning, supply planning, sales and operations planning, distribution strategy, and design, the firm says.
Following the sale of the Barkawi Management Consultants division, company founders Karim and Carena Barkawi will focus on the other portfolio companies of the Barkawi Group, which include the technology startups ClearOps, star/trac, Teqport, and Servify.


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AT&T has announced the day of sequels is April 24, as long as it relates to ZTE and LG. The Big Blue carrier has just announced that not only is the Spro 2 from ZTE launching on April 24, but so is LG’s G Flex 2.
Tagged #LG G Flex 2
The LG G Flex 2 is coming to Sprint next month, specifically on March 13. After being announced at CES 2015, the LG G Flex 2 has garnered plenty of positive reviews and attention, making it hotly anticipated. After it was announced, ... Read More »
LG has come out and said that initial issues with the Snapdragon 810 processor have been resolved and that the G Flex 2 and upcoming G4 won’t be affected. A recent report stated that Samsung wouldn’t be Read More »
Most Tweeted This Week
The announcements have slowed, the hands-on posts are up and bloggers and enthusiasts are finally stopping to take a rest from the craze that is CES. But now that CES 2015 is winding to a close, it’s time to see what were the best and worst announcements of the year’s largest tech conference. And to ... Read More »
One of last year’s most interesting devices was the LG G Flex, the first curved and flexible smartphone to hit the market. Unique as it was, though, it was destined to be niche product and a concept device. This year, LG is back with the G Flex 2, which aims to ... Read More »
LG is a company that’s not afraid to try new things. Last year, one of its more interesting concepts was the LG G Flex, one of the first phones with a flexible display and the capacity to bend. The company is ... Read More »


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This week’s top-5 stories curated to catch up with the crypto world.
We have launched Cryptogram, an India-focused free weekly newsletter on blockchain tech, global crypto markets, and Web 3.0 technologies which promise to change our future. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, click here. You can read our past editions here.
The most comforting news for the cryptocurrency markets right now is the decline in US inflation. In response to the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI), Bitcoin’s hourly chart immediately soared beyond $24,000 as investors rejoiced in the favorable news about inflation. From the Ethereum blockchain’s long-awaited switch from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake mechanism to football giants Real Madrid and Barcelona filing a joint trademark application for metaverse and more… Read on.
Ethereum’s final testnet merge goes live on Goerli
The long-awaited transition of the Ethereum blockchain from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake has been completed as the third and final test environment network (testnet) merging has been completed.
After Ropsten and Sepolia, Goerli was the third and final public testnet to do a “dress rehearsal” of the Merge. The testnet merge brings the project one step closer to Ethereum’s mainnet upgrade. The mainnet Merge is anticipated to take place this September.
The Merge, one of the biggest blockchain upgrades yet, will drastically lower Ethereum’s energy usage while advancing the network’s long-term scalability, security, and sustainability objectives.
As the Merge approaches, the price of Ether (ETH) has experienced a dramatic rise, rising 72 percent in the last 30 days.
Polygon reports 400% increase in the number of DApps in 2022
Decentralized applications (DApps) on the layer-2 Ethereum scaling platform Polygon network have topped 37,000, a 400% increase in 2022.
The team made this disclosure in a recent blog post about data from its Web 3.0 partner Alchemy, a key driver behind the surging number of DApps being built on the network.
The number of monthly active teams, which is a metric of developer engagement on a blockchain, also hit 11,800 at the end of July, up a staggering 47 percent from March.
A total of 1.6 billion transactions have reportedly been carried out on the network to date, with more than 142 million unique user addresses and $5 billion in assets secured thanks to DApp usage on Polygon, according to the report.
Nas Daily Academy teams up with Web3-focused Invisible College
Singapore-based online platform The Nas Academy, headed by well-known YouTuber Nuseir Yassin, has announced the release of the first course bundle that can be unlocked with an NFT collection. The focus of the new crypto academy will be the dynamic Web 3.0.
The curriculum was developed in partnership with Invisible College where in the first stage, courses worth $2,000 will be made available, covering topics like NFT investing, community building, video editing, and crypto fundamentals.
The partnership also wants to develop a platform for crypto content creators where they can charge for their expertise, providing them the tools to create their own classes and academies that fans can enroll in.
Members of Invisible College who own a Decentralien NFT will have free access to more than 18 Web 3.0 and creator courses on Nas Academy.
Additionally, Invisible College will partner with Nas Academy to recruit top Web 3.0 educators to conduct courses on the platform to gather enough expertise and guarantee that the NFTs become in-demand products.
Real Madrid and Barcelona file a joint trademark to enter metaverse
Football giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have filed a joint Web 3.0 trademark application to enter the metaverse.
On August 5, the competitors filed trademarks for covering virtual reality gaming, non-downloadable virtual clothing, footwear, headwear, downloadable blockchain transaction management software, e-wallet software, and more.
Recently, FC Barcelona sold an NFT to commemorate Johan Cruyff’s “impossible goal” against Atletico Madrid in 1973 for $693,000.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, entered the metaverse in May to create a digital copy of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium that allows spectators to virtually visit the stadium and see a 3D recreation of the trophy cabinet.
In late June, Cristiano Ronaldo also signed an exclusive NFT relationship with cryptocurrency exchange Binance to develop several NFT products for the platform.
WazirX and Vauld’s assets frozen by ED
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen assets worth Rs 370 crore of cryptocurrency exchange Vauld. This comes just days after the financial probe agency froze assets of WazirX in connection with a money laundering probe. We have covered the WazirX story extensively in this week’s Cryptogram newsletter.
Use promocode TNM51 at www.giottus.com/profile#promo after registration to get Rs.51 worth free Bitcoin.
Disclaimer:This article was authored by Giottus Crypto Exchange as a part of a paid partnership with The News Minute. Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky. There may be no regulatory recourse for any loss from such transactions. Please do your own research before investing and seek independent legal/financial advice if you are unsure about the investments.


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WICHITA _ The city of Wichita is in the process of holding one of its Internet-only auction of surplus vehicles and equipment.
The online auction closes at 10 a.m. on March 10. Items up for auction include cars, pickups, vans, fire trucks and automotive equipment.
The items may be inspected from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on March 5 at the lot north of 1801 S. McLean Blvd.
For an item listing or to place bids, go to www.purplewave.com.The city has three to five auctions each year.


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With the Ohio River’s historic reputation as a working river — and a polluted one, at that — the Louisville Water Co. has had more than a century to work out the kinks of treatment to make it’s main source of water safe to drink.
The company also has a knack for getting the water to taste good, too.
A press advisory just came into my email saying the city’s Pure Tap water won a big national taste-testing competition at the American Water Works Association conference in Denver. It was named People’s Choice competition “Best of the Best” winner, the top honor among more than 20 competing sources.
“We’re honored to be chosen by our peers as the “Best of the Best,” the city-owned company said.
The company last won the title in 2008.
Kelley Dearing Smith, company spokeswoman, said before the challenge that the competition works like this: “First, a panel of water experts and consumers will examine, sniff and taste samples of water to declare the “best of the best” winner. Then, attendees at the conference sample to name the “people’s choice” for tap water.
She said that in the early 1900s, the company employed a “chief taster” to sample the water 40 times before it went to customers. Today, Louisville Water still has a taste test panel and sampling the product is one of 200 tests scientists perform daily on the drinking water supply, she said.
Some sort of shindig is planned for Friday. Details to come later.


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Last year, Sony experimented with its compact middle-class smartphone, the Xperia X Compact, and now it returns with the new Xperia XZ1 Compact as its 2017 contribution to the compact flagship smartphone world. Will Sony make a comeback in 2017 or is the Xperia XZ1 Compact likely to flop? Read on for our first hands-on review.
I am more interested in the code of this page than in the article.
What do you think?
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact release date and price
The IFA has always been an important event for Sony since the launch of the Xperia Z3 Compact in 2014. Each subsequent year, Sony has launched a compact flagship smartphone at IFA. Unfortunately though, fans were disappointed with Sony Mobile last year because its small and handy smartphone with a 4.6-inch display, the Xperia X Compact, was delivered with middle class hardware instead of the usual high-end hardware from the top smartphones in the Xperia line.
So in 2017, Sony Mobile is bringing us the Xperia XZ1 Compact, going back to its roots with the compact Xperia smartphones. The convenient housing contains almost the same hardware as in the top Xperia model, the XZ Premium. The more expensive and more powerful hardware of the XZ1 Compact is also reflected in the pricing though. The Xperia X Compact launched in 2016 at $500, so we can expect the price of the Xperia XZ1 Compact to rise to $600 or so.
click here to read more


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“The GDP based on 2011-12 is already very old. The revision should have been done sometime around 2017-18, and that’s why the consumer expenditure survey was taken up.”
He said that while 2020-21 was completely ruled out for carrying out the survey, the government would have to take a call for 2021-22 and see whether it would be a normal year. “FY21 will see negative growth. But even if you recover from it, it should seem that the normal growth momentum is returning and that one could use it as a base year. The base should capture a stable economy,” said Sen, who has estimated GDP to contract 10.8 per cent with first three quarters reporting negative growth.
Meanwhile, ratings agency Crisil has projected 2020-21 to see the worst recession in country’s history, with GDP to contract by 5 per cent. It has said that about 10 per cent of GDP in real terms could be permanently lost, so going back to the pre-Covid growth level was unlikely over the next three years.
The earlier GDP base was revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12. The 2008 SNA guidelines recommend base revision every five years.
In the earlier case, the GDP base was initially to be revised from 2004-05 to 2009-10, but it turned out to be quite an abnormal year with the financial crises and the drought. “The financial crises were such that we didn’t know how long it was going to play out, so we decided to go with 2011-12,” Sen said.
On whether the government should consider revisiting the consumer expenditure survey carried out in 2017-18, Sen said it would be pointless as that year saw two economic shocks — demonetisation and the introduction of goods and services tax. The leaked CES report for 2017-18 showed that consumer spending fell for the first time in more than four decades.
PC Mohanan, former chairman of National Statistical Commission, said all statistical activities would come to a standstill, as besides the fact that collection of data would be near impossible amid the Covid-19 pandemic for the next few months, the current year will not be a normal year.
“More than GDP, it is the CPI that will need a revision as consumption patterns of people change and are required to be revised. GDP, on the other hand, is not as much a worry. It can continue with the current base for some more time as the companies’ data is already getting updated from the MCA 21 database,” he said.
The entire expenditure side of national accounts depends on the consumer expenditure survey. The expenditure side comprises data indicators pertaining to trade, private investments, government spending, and demand. The production side of national accounts is based on various enterprise surveys.
Before the pandemic struck in March, the Centre had put on hold indefinitely all the surveys and economic census following reports of attack on surveyors due to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) fears.
Sen said fears related to the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC remained, and appeared to be overshadowed by Covid-19. “Hence, may resurface again later. That is another challenge because if households do not cooperate, there can’t be a survey,” he added.
Initially, the national accounts series were revised every 10 years in line with the Census, which was later changed to every five years since 1993-94, using the employment and unemployment surveys.
The NSS consumer expenditure survey (CES) measures the household consumption level and patterns related to living standards. The CES is used to provide the budget shares of different commodity groups for the rural and urban population, which is used to prepare the weighting diagram for official consumer price indices.


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Arbitrade-linked gold hands in limbo
Pure gold casts of Nelson Mandela’s hands that were once linked with Arbitrade, have still to find a new home despite being put up for auction in New York City in March.
The collection of four casts failed to find a buyer for the set during the auction, although there were successful phone bids for two of the hands, which sold for $2.3 million and $2.25 million respectively.
However, it has now been reported that after the auction finished the successful bidder for the two casts immediately offered to buy the other two, at a total cost of $9 million for the set.
Five months later, the unidentified buyer has yet to make the payment, according to a report last week by Bloomberg Businessweek.
Auction house Guernsey’s held the auction at Jazz at Lincoln Centre, in New York.
The casts were made in South Africa in 2003 and Malcolm Duncan, who bought them that year, agreed in 2018 to sell them to Arbitrade Inc for $10 million. Arbitrade, a crypto company, acquired Victoria Hall, on Victoria Street, for its global headquarters the same year.
Arbitrade is no longer involved with the gold hands. Last June, it assigned its right to purchase the casts to Sion Trading FZE, a company in the United Arab Emirates that once acted as its gold procurement agent.
According to a court document earlier this year, Mr Duncan still held one of the casts and claimed to be awaiting a final instalment payment of about $1.4 million for one of the other casts.
Mr Duncan told Bloomberg Businessweek there is another potential buyer for the gold hands if the Guernsey’s sale never happens.
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Earlier responses here: RBA meeting yesterday - responses
and RBA meeting yesterday - responses ... 2
This now via HSBC (in brief):
- recent weak retail sales numbers
- low Q3 CPI print
- ABS announcement that the re-benchmarking of the CPI, due on 31 January, will knock around 0.2ppts off the CPI measure
.... the RBA continues to see things as remaining on track
It seems that the RBA has been reassured by the improving global economy and tightening local labour market
- RBA forecasts are 'largely unchanged'
- they still expect growth to pickup to an above trend pace
- pointed out that the labour market is tightening up and is expected to drive 'some lift in wage growth over time'
- 'likely to remain low for some time'
- RBA's 'central forecast remains for inflation to pick-up gradually
As the RBA Governor stated at the parliamentary testimony, back in August, it is a 'reasonable assumption' that 'the next move will be up rather than down' but that 'it's quite some time away if things play out as we expect'.
- Nothing since then appears to have pushed this view off track
- although we will get more specific details in the official statement on Friday
In (HSBC's) view, the market pricing is too benign, with current pricing showing a cash rate hike is not fully priced until February 2019. We expect the tightening labour market will start to put some upward pressure on wages growth in coming quarters, which should support inflation, and that the RBA will want to start to head back towards neutral as soon as it is confident that underlying inflation is clearly on the path back to target