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BEVERLY, Mass. — While current retail fuel margins are at historic highs, the nagging question is: How much will retail fuel consumption be reduced due to Americans now working from home, the canceling of major gatherings and general sheltering in place?
Here are three predictions on how COVID-19 and social distancing will affect transportation fuel.
Of the 132 million workers in the United States, 10% (or more than 13 million) are working from home. The average commute is 26 miles daily, which equates to a decrease in gasoline demand of 1 million gallons per month until this is over. There will be some increase in driving from “staycations” and reports of people fleeing urban areas for the suburbs and country, as well as driving to simply get out of the house yet remain safe in their vehicle. But for now, a decrease in gasoline consumption is most likely.
The outlook for diesel consumption is more optimistic, which is primarily driven by home deliveries and e-commerce.
We have 165 million trucks in the United States, and 100 million are box trucks used for last-mile delivery. There is little doubt that long-haul carriers such as JB Hunt and Schneider will be hurt with the collapse in container shipments to the United States, especially from Europe and China. The 34 billion gallons used for smaller trucks will increase by 3 billion gallons, however, almost offsetting the 2-billion-gallon decrease in long-haul transport; therefore, we should see annual diesel consumption rise to 55 billion gallons.
The big picture
Last year, U.S. ground transport fuel consumption was 200 billion gallons, including 146 billion gallons of gasoline and 54 billion gallons of diesel. So our average fueling site in the United States sold 1.3 million gallons annually, or 25,000 gallons per site week.
Assuming this crisis lasts all year, gasoline consumption will fall to 134 billion gallons and diesel consumption will grow to 55 billion gallons, for a total ground fuel consumption of—worst case—189 billion gallons or 23,000 gallons per site week for the average retailer, or a consumption decrease of 8%.


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Poco has also announced price hike across all variants of the Poco X2 smartphone due to GST hike. Other smartphone brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, and more have already increased their prices. The price hike is due to the fact that the Government of India recently decided to increase the GST on smartphones from 12% to 18% starting April 1, 2020.
After the price hike, Poco X2 6GB + 64GB variant will now be priced at Rs 16,999, against its earlier price of Rs 15,999. The 6GB + 128GB variant now costs Rs 17,999, against itsearlier price of Rs 16,999, and lastly the top-end 8GB + 256GB variant now costs Rs 20,999, against itsearlier price of Rs 19,999. The revised prices are already live on Flipkart, but the phone isn’t available to purchase at the moment due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Poco X2 was launched in India in February this year. To recall the specs, Poco X2 features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display with 2400 x 1080 pixel resolutions, 120Hz refresh rate along with HDR 10 and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The smartphone has a quad-camera setup with a combination of a Sony IMX686 64-megapixel sensor, an 8-megapixel ultrawide angle lens, a 2-megapixel super macro and a 2-megapixel depth sensor for portrait shots.
For the front, there is a dual-selfie camera a 20-megapixel primary lens and 2-megapixel depth sensor. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor. The Poco X2 has a 4500mAh battery with 27W fast charging support. A 4,500mAh battery with 27W fast-charging fuels the handset and it runs on the Android 10 with MIUI 11 on top. Connectivity features includedual-band WiFi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, NFC, and USB Type-C.

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Many low-priced stocks are that way for a reason and should be avoided. However, not all stocks with low share prices are damaged companies and risky "penny stocks." Here are five stocks, all trading for under $10 per share, that our contributors think are actually good investments.
Sean Williams: Although it regularly flutters right around the $10 mark, I'd suggest that investors take a closer look at Xerox (NYSE:XRX), which is much more than your parents' photocopying company nowadays.
Xerox is in the midst of a multiyear transformation that's de-emphasizing its legacy businesses in favor of high-growth service businesses. Chances are, just as Xerox's commercials predict, you're unaware of the industries where Xerox is gaining a foothold.
For instance, Xerox is responsible for processing all Medicaid claims in California, the state with the largest population, and it has around 12 states that it currently contracts with to provide Medicaid services. With Obamacare providing easier access to medical care vis-a-vis the Medicaid expansion, Medicaid spending could wind up doubling between 2014 and 2022, which would play right into Xerox's hands.
Additionally, Xerox is among a handful of companies providing electronic health records to the healthcare industry. As hospitals and physicians push further into the digital age, Xerox should be able to capitalize.
Lastly, you'll even see the Xerox brand name behind the electronic toll collection process in parts of Texas.
As you might have guessed, Xerox's transformation isn't without its speed bumps. The company has restructured its operations and cut costs numerous times now, occasionally missing Wall Street's expectations. However, with a forward P/E of nine, a yield of close to 3%, and the company essentially trading at book value, Xerox could be an intriguing stock worth socking away for the next decade or longer.
Brian Feroldi: While I generally tend to avoid investing in stocks that trade for less than $10, there are a few stocks trading in that price range that have caught my eye recently. One of them is IGI Laboratories (NASDAQ:TLGT), a specialty generic pharmaceutical manufacturer that has been on a stellar run for the past few years.
The company's strategy is to sell generic versions of specialty pharmaceutical products for the topical, injectable, complex, and ophthalmic markets. With every passing year, more drugs in these markets lose patent protection, and IGI has been aggressive in creating copycats, obtaining regulatory approval, and selling them in pharmacies at a discount.
While the company currently has only seven products on the market in 12 different formats, the company has a huge pipeline of 30 products currently pending approval, which represents a $1.4 billion market opportunity. While the company is still losing money, it expects to reach breakeven by the end of the year, and from there profits should grow quickly as its pipeline clears regulatory approval and starts generating revenue.
Even with a price tag of less than $7, the stock can hardly be called cheap as it is currently trading around 9 times sales, but given its huge pipeline, that price may look reasonable a few years from now. With the recent beat-down in healthcare-related stocks, now might be a great time to pick up a few shares in this small-cap growth story.
Chambers Street recently entered into an agreement to merge with Gramercy Property Trust, in an all-stock deal expected to close late this year. The merger makes a lot of sense -- the companies have complementary portfolios of properties, and the merger will add diversification and allow more financial flexibility to pursue opportunities as they come up. Additionally, the deal is expected to produce about $15 million in annual cost savings.
The combined company will use the Gramercy name and ticket, and will consist of 298 properties, 99.4% of which are occupied. Among the companies' largest tenants are Bank of America, Amazon.com, Raytheon, and many other big-name corporations.
Despite the seemingly good news, Chambers Street shares dropped considerably following the announcement -- mainly because the terms were agreed upon at a lower value than the then-current share price. And shares have continued to fall amid the general market weakness lately. Having declined more than 18% year to date, Chambers Street trades for just $6.57 per share, and pays an impressive 7.8% dividend on a monthly basis.
As we await the merger vote that's scheduled to be presented to Gramercy's shareholders in December, now may be the time to get in on this great REIT business at a cheap price.
Selena Maranjian: InvenSense (NYSE:INVN), recently trading near $9 per share, seems attractively priced, with a forward-looking price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of about 15 and a five-year growth forecast of 20%. The company is a leader in motion-sensing technology, which is used extensively in smartphones and other mobile devices. (Think, for example, of optical image stabilization, which plays a big part in making mobile cameras so good.) InvenSense's stock has been more than halved over the past year, presenting an appealing entry point for long-term believers.
Why has the stock dropped? Well, its last quarterly report was solid, but management's near-term guidance was weaker than many hoped. Quarterly revenue was up 59% over year-earlier levels, with adjusted net income advancing 10.5% and topping analyst expectations. InvenSense's CFO Mark Dentinger blamed some of the weak guidance on the fact that the company has a handful of very big customers, which get volume discounts on pricing. (Apple and Samsung are estimated to generate 38% and 23% of InvenSense's revenue, respectively.) There has also been concern about uncertainty regarding how much growth can be expected from China -- and uncertain consumer sentiment in the United States, too. Dentinger has noted, though, that China still represents a "pretty sound and solid growth story," even if growth slows. In its first quarter, sales in China rose 22%, with profit margins expected to grow.
Meanwhile, InvenSense is aiming to build other revenue streams, such as in microphone and audio platforms -- and even automobiles and drones. Management also has noted rising demand for optical image stabilization in more devices. InvenSense is worth consideration for your portfolio.
Besides the clinical successes of several cancer immunotherapies over the last year or so, I think Inovio is an intriguing immunotherapy stock right now because the company is working on synthetic DNA-based vaccines that could be used to either prevent the onset of disease, or improve patient responses to immunotherapies in general.
Keeping with this theme, Inovio has teamed up with Britain's AstraZeneca to test the ability of its killer T-cell activating immunotherapy INO-3112 (VGX-3100 plus DNA-based IL-12) to improve clinical outcomes in patients with a wide variety of human papillomavirus-driven cancers, when used in combo with Astra's own experimental immunotherapeutic products.
The good news for Inovio's shareholders is that Astra has a strong track record of being aggressive when it comes to its cancer immunotherapy program, meaning that investors should know whether this combo approach works sooner rather than later.
Inovio is also planning on advancing its own lead clinical candidate, VGX-3100, into a late-stage trial for cancer and precancers of the cervix induced by the human papillomavirus next year. So, this tiny vaccine maker has multiple irons in the fire, so to speak, that could create value for shareholders over the next few years. Stay tuned.


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Microsoft to Acquire Obsidian Entertainment? – The Dev Behind Fallout: New Vegas
Microsoft to Acquire Obsidian Entertainment
A big change in the gaming industry is coming soon as Microsoft is said to be acquiring indie development studio Obsidian Entertainment, the same studio behind games like Fallout: New Vegas and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II.
At the moment, the offer has been made but no indication of signings just yet. This means that there is indeed a possibility that the deal may fall apart, just as many acquisition offers in the past has. However, it is being claimed that “sources” close to the companies stated that it is about 90% and it is believed that it is a matter of when, not if.
Such a deal will provide Obsidian Entertainment with plenty of resources, stability, and the backing of a huge company immediately, though game developments may be focused on more specific platforms in the future.
If and when it happens, it would not be the first time Microsoft has made such an acquisition. They have done similar deals with Mojang (the creator of Minecraft), Ninja Theory, and Playground (Forza Horizon). This will basically expand Microsoft’s roster of 1st party developers which will make them better suited to fight against the likes of Sony and Nintendo for platform dominance.
While Microsoft and Obsidian Entertainment has had some disagreements in the past, such as the case with the cancelled Xbox-exclusive Stormlands game, the Xbox team is now under a new leadership so the friction from before may be nonexistent now. For now, only time will tell.
Pokdepinion: Well, I certainly didn’t see this coming. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more development studios getting acquired.


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Vietnam dairy company TH Group is investigating regions of Far East Russia for farm and processing plant locations as part of its announced plans to invest some $2.7 billion in the country.
The majority of that amount, or about $1.7 billion, is expected to flow into the Far East regions of Russia, with a delegation from the company this month visiting sites in the Khabarovsk territory. Local officials said the Vietnamese company is considering the construction of a large dairy complex for 2,400 cattle.
Earlier, the Vietnamese delegates visited the Amur territory, where they announced plans to build three dairy farms for 6,000 cattle and a soybean processing facility. Other projects being considered include production of butter and cultivation, processing of ginseng.
“Over time, we plan not only to meet local demand, but also to export products,” TH Group President Thai Huong told the media in April when first announcing the Russia plans. “The Far East is in close proximity to the markets of China and Japan, where there is a large deficit of ecologically friendly, organic products, and this opens up great opportunities,”
The overall strategy of TH Rus Primorsky LLC, a subsidiary of TH True Milk, is to create a full-cycle dairy cattle breeding complex in the Primorsky Krai territory, according to earlier media reports.
The company has plans to build three livestock complexes with a total head of 15,000 cattle and a milk processing plant with a capacity of up to 60,000 metric tons of dairy products per year. The company also intends to invest in the cultivation of fruit and medicinal plants.
Last year, the company began construction of dairy complexes in the European parts of Russia, in the Kaluga and the Moscow regions. Investments in those projects are expected to reach about $800 million. In addition, it was reported that the company plans to build a livestock complex in Bashkiria. Approximate investment is $220 million.
Russia’s current self-sufficiency for milk is only 75% so there is domestic demand to be, while Russia’s Far East has plenty of land for growing crops for fodder and is in proximity to Asia for exports.
What’s more, the self sufficiency rate for milk in Far East regions is low, just 10% in Khabarovsk and 22% in Primorsky Krai where Vladivostok is located. Between 2010 and 2015, milk production in the Far East declined by 54,000 tons.
“Cattle in the Russian Far East are traditionally scarce so such businesses could be very successful,” said Maxim Krivelevich at the School of Economics and Management of the Far Eastern Federal University.
“Milk is a large volume of liquid, it does not make sense to export it. Therefore, most likely, milk, cream, sour cream will go to the Russian market, and milk-based, valued-added processed products will go for export. Cheese and ice cream perfectly fit into the latter category,” he said.
TH Group runs dairy farms, processing facilities and distribution. It’s key brand – TH True Milk – accounts for more than 50% of their domestic dairy market. The company produces about 50 products and sells it in 39 countries.
In terms of acreage, TH True Milk complexes are the largest in Asia and can produce up to 500 million liters of milk per year.


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THE Brunei Tourism Board and Royal Brunei Airlines is currently hosting a four-night stay, beginning Monday, in the Sultanate for a Malay Consortium comprising media representatives and travel agents from Singapore, in hopes of boosting Islamic tourism in Brunei.
The familiarisation trip (fam trip) is part of Brunei's continuous efforts to promote the country as a unique Islamic destination, and is held in cooperation with Singapore Tourism and Darussalam Holdings, as the appointed agent for Islamic tourism, stated a press release from the board.
"With the growing interest in Islamic Travel and on the recent promotion and marketing in advertisements through the Berita Harian newspaper, sales on Islamic packages have been on the rise. One travel agent has successfully closed 10 sales for Islamic travel up until July 15, 2012," the Brunei Tourism Board (BTB) release stated.
The participants of these Malay Consortium of 10 representatives from travel agents and media representatives to 'The Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures' will get a first-hand understanding of the Islamic places of interest in the country.
"To further enhance their experience; the media group will also have the chance to experience an overnight stay at the Ulu-Ulu Resort in Temburong," BTB said.
This fam trip includes a visit to His Majesty's collection of Islamic Artifacts on display at the Brunei Museum and at the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Islamic Exhibition Gallery.
"Tourists, especially those from the region for whom it may be difficult to visit Middle East countries, have a chance to marvel at exquisite and often unique pieces of Islamic art, illuminated and miniature Al-Quran, calligraphy in various styles, weaponry, scientific instruments, and everyday objects from the Muslim world throughout history," the BTB said.
The statement added: "The exhibition also features various priceless Islamic Artifacts and ancient relics from His Majesty's private collection."
Lim Guat Wen, RBA's country manager in Singapore, said in a previous release: "Brunei is the only remaining sovereign Malay Islamic monarchy, and this trip will help the (consultants) guide their customers better when planning a visit there. Brunei is the place to be for Muslims wanting a spiritual retreat away from the hustle and bustle of today's lifestyles."
Some of the representatives on the fam trip are from: EDN Media, Hardi Travel, Halijah Travels, HZ Travels, Raffles Holidays and Berita Harian newspaper.
The Brunei Times
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
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It's been a Spice World kind of week.
Not long after news of the tour broke, a video resurfaced of the five of them chatting after their surprise performance at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony in which Beckham admitted to feeling "sick" and "nervous" before going on stage.
The Spice Girls stormed to worldwide fame in 1996 after the release of their first single "Wannabe", spreading their message of girl power. She, Mel B, Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell will be reuniting, while Victoria Beckham focuses on her family and fashion line.
However, the "Stop" hitmakers still won't rule out hope that Victoria will join them for at least one show on the tour.
Melanie C has claimed that she and the Spice Girls didn't actually ask former bandmate Victoria Beckham about whether she'd like to take part in their upcoming reunion. Uh-oh, awkward much?
"So growing up I was super blonde, and my real name is Emily but I wanted to be called Emma because of Baby Spice and guess what?"
Walmart is doing Black Friday the earliest in its history
It will follow that on November 21 with early access to Black Friday deals on the company's website starting at 10 p.m. Video Games - There will also be a large variety of video games available for purchase and prices start at $12.
"But she did raise the point that she was never actually asked".
Stone said she saw The Spice Girls live in the '90s, again in 2008 and has plans to get tickets to next year's reunion show.
"I spoke to her ... before the announcement and she has said it for years that she just doesn't want to do it anymore, so we knew that", Geri adds, while Bunton insists the "door is open" for her to return. "She [is] busy with her fashion and she has moved on". We support her and she has been a huge part of our lives and we care about her so it's all good ...
"She just didn't want to do it", Emma added.
"It isn't true that I demanded that", she said, before admitting that she cracks the whip when it comes to the vocals.


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Brandma.Co Received Strategic Investment from Seinosuke Sato
HONG KONG, July 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Brandma.Co Limited, the leading brand management and protection expert in China, announced on July 16, 2014 that Mr. Seinosuke Sato has made an early-stage strategic investment to the company. The deal was completed last week in Hong Kong with the terms undisclosed.
Mr. Sato is a renowned entrepreneur and investor in Silicon Valley and Tokyo. His most recent venture is BrainPad Inc., an industry pioneer in the Big Data field, which offers cutting-edge analytical services and solutions to large-scale web portals, as well as serving retail, finance, telecom, and e-commerce enterprises in Japan. “I firmly believe Brandma has already seized the window of opportunity in the China market,” said Mr. Sato. “The team has demonstrated terrific power of execution and is fulfilling the demanding needs for brand protection in China. I will assist Brandma by enhancing its data processing and analytics capability, upgrading its online brand monitoring and fraud detection mechanism, as well as accelerating Brandma’s global expansion strategy.”
“It’s our honor to earn distinguished investors like Sato-san’s recognition of Brandma’s value and share our vision,” said Mr. Ching Chiao, Founder and the CEO of Brandma.Co. “With Sato-san’s guidance and experience, Brandma is advancing to become a world-class technology company. Our existing customers and partners can rest assured that Brandma continues to offer a reliable, scalable and secure platform for protecting their domain names, trademarks, as well as other digital brand assets. Most importantly, we will keep acting proactively and aggressively in acquiring customers to sustain our market leader position in this competitive market.”
Mr. Chiao also serves as an ICANN GNSO Councilor who oversees the global top-level domain name policies, and a Board Member of .asia TLD registry. He founded Brandma.Co Limited in early 2013 and the company has operations in Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Taipei.
Ms. Cathy Peng


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Bitcoin Gold is the hard fork of Bitcoin launched in late October, the crypto currency which was once the fifth most valuable crypto currency in the world is now struggling to be in top 20 and currently standing at the 16th Position with $4 billion in market cap behind currencies like Monero, NEO and many others.
Price trend down
Price trend in Bitcoin Gold is down with low volumes, it seems like market is not focusing on Bitcoin Gold and currently more interested in emerging coins than the old fork of world’s largest crypto currency. Price of Bitcoin Gold started at around $560 when fork was just launched in late October but later went down to as low as $150 in following days. Currently Bitcoin Gold is trading in a price range of $250-$300 which is way below then the starting price of more than $500, despite of recent Bull trend in the crypto market, Bitcoin Gold is struggling to follow the market trend and it seems like a Lost child in Crypto market with no direction.
Lack of Interest
Lack of Interest is another big reason why Bitcoin Gold is not getting as much attention as it should have, Investors are pouring their money in new coins and taking a break from Bitcoin and its forks, recent performance by Bitcoin and Its forks and other crypto currencies like Ripple , Ethereum and TRON is an example. While Bitcoin and forks like Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Gold struggled to keep up with their price, Ripple and Ethereum had crazy Bull run in the market with more than 500% gain in the market for Ripple and more than 200% gain for Ethereum.
If we take a look at projections in coming days, there is no doubt about the fact that sooner or later Bitcoin and forks will get attention from investors and they will start pouring their money in. It’s a wait and watch sort of situation for the currency
Is Toronto Next to Accept Bitcoin for Property Taxes?
Toronto is the biggest city of Canada with a population of more than 6 million. It’s also one of the leading global financial centers which makes it an attractive place for investors.
Bitcoin has emerged as the leading cryptocurrency in the world and attracted a lot of attention from financial investors. There are many crypto exchanges and investors in Toronto, which makes it an important destination for crypto startups and investors.
Recently, there has been a surge in usage of Bitcoin in the Real Estate world as lot of companies around the world are now accepting Bitcoin for buying and selling of properties. In April 2019, Innisfil, A town located in Ontario, at a distance of about 1 hour drive from Toronto, announced that they will accept Bitcoin for property taxes at the municipal level. In July this year, Richmond Hill announced that they are ready to accept Bitcoin as a payment method for property taxes.
Evan Kuhn, Co-Founder of a Toronto based crypto exchange Coinberry believes that integration of Bitcoin as a payment method for property taxes in Toronto can reduce cost, not only for tax payers, but for municipalities as well. Kuhn mentioned
“It doesn’t cost homeowners to use the service, and it costs the municipalities far less in processing fees”
“A credit card company charges a 3% fee,” he said. “Our fee is .5%, so that’s a lot more beneficial for the municipalities.”
He further explained the entire process to make it simple for the users and for the authorities. “When a resident makes a payment through our exchange, the company immediately converts the Bitcoin into Canadian Dollars and pays the relevant authority, so in basic concept this entire process works like a credit card system but with lower fee for both parties”
Morning Crypto Roundup
- Crypto market entered into a consolidation phase, with market cap at around $265 billion, market is currently trading in a range
- Bitcoin stays above $10,000
- Gray scale reported in a recent report that there are 7.1 million active Bitcoin users worldwide with more than 32 million Bitcoin wallets.
- After Innisfil and Richmond Hills, is Toronto next to explore an opportunity to pay property taxes through Bitcoin?
- According to a report from CryptoCompare.com, Untrusted crypto exchanges are dominating the crypto volume with more than 2/3 share


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Bharosepe Technology Services Pvt. Ltd, which operates educational payments startup Jodo, has raised $15 million (around Rs 118.5 crore) led by Tiger Global, the company announced on Tuesday.
The round also saw participation from existing investors, Elevation Capital and Matrix Partners India, from whom Jodo has previously raised $4 million.
The funds will be used to accelerate product innovation and sales, and further grow the Jodo team. Currently, the company has over 150 employees.
Jodo was founded in 2020 by Atulya Bhat, Raghav Nagarajan and Koustav Dey, Jodo’s offerings are a suite of specialised payment and lending products to make fee payments convenient and affordable for parents of students while making fee collection hassle-free for educational institutes. Jodo currently works with over 700 educational institutes.
The founders met while working at Matric India Partners, Bhat is an alumnus of IIT Madras and IIM Ahmedabad. Raghav founded lending startup Rupeevest after graduating from IIT Kharagpur. Dey has worked with companies such as Morgan Stanley, and McKinsey, and is an IIT Kanpur alumnus, according to their respective LinkedIn profiles.
The company said it is currently focused on catering to the private education sector which they claim has over $100 billion in annual spending.
Mridul Arora, Partner, Elevation Capital said “The enthusiasm with which their products have been adopted by schools and parents alike proves that not only are they solving a deep pain point, but that they are doing so through tech-first solutions that are intuitive to use.”
VC firms have started signing smaller cheques for early-stage startups in recent times. Tiger Global made its first seed investment in India in May, betting on software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform Shopflo, at a pre-product stage. Tiger lately has shifted its focus to Series A and smaller rounds.
In June, Tiger invested in business-to-business (B2B) manufacturing and automation startup Groyyo. Followed by investment in a battery-swapping network for electric vehicles, Battery Smart.


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Online consumer electronics retailer Newegg – which last month suffered defeat in an Eastern District of Texas patent case against Erich Spangenberg-backed NPE TQP – was lauded as a champion of the anti-‘troll’ cause when it prevailed in patent litigation against Soverain Software earlier this year.
Although the reality is very different, what Newegg has understood is that labelling another party a ‘troll’ – even when they make products and invest heavily in R&D – gets you a sympathetic audience and a lot of positive coverage in the press. It also catches the attention of legislators who probably do not know one end of a patent from the other.
Soverain’s patents covering an online ‘shopping cart’ system have gained a certain notoriety in the patent-sceptic press – not least after they appeared to be held up by US Congressman and Innovation Act author Bob Goodlatte as a supposed example of low quality assets being used to launch abusive lawsuits when he spoke at a House of Representatives Judiciary Committee hearing in October.
The long-running battle between Soverain and Newegg began when the former filed suit in the Eastern District of Texas in November 2007 claiming that Newegg – along with seven other retailers – had infringed its patents relating to an online ‘shopping cart’ system for use on e-commerce websites. Soverain had acquired the patents when it purchased the e-commerce business of Open Market – including the market-leading TRANSACT software – in 2003.
All of the alleged infringers settled with Soverain apart from Newegg – which as a matter of policy refuses to negotiate with entities it deems to be ‘patent trolls’ – and the case went to trial in 2010. The court ruled that Newegg had infringed Soverain’s patents and that it had failed to meet its burden of proof of clear and convincing evidence that the patents were invalid. As a result, the jury in the case was not required to decide on the patents’ validity.
Newegg subsequently asked the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) to remand the case back to the lower court for a jury verdict. The CAFC panel hearing the appeal decided to go further. In January this year, it overturned the lower court’s judgment and invalidated Soverain’s patents in a decision that Soverain claims is riddled with irregularities including errors in the opinion, rulings on unasserted claims and a ruling of invalidity on obviousness which Soverain alleges contravenes its rights under the Seventh Amendment of the US Constitution.
“Over the past 10 years, the USPTO has re-examined our patents twice – in 2005 and 2010 – and both times has concluded that they are validly issued and confirmed all the claims,” Soverain president Katharine Wolanyk told IAM during an exclusive interview last week. “So from our perspective the decision of the Federal Circuit is really an outlier – even Newegg sent a letter to the Federal Circuit within a week of it issuing its decision saying that there were all kinds of errors in the opinion.”
In October, Soverain petitioned the US Supreme Court to review the CAFC decision. A number of amicus briefs have been filed in support of its case, including one from i4i – the small software company which triumphed at the court in June 2011 after the justices rejected a Microsoft argument that the standard for finding a granted patent invalid should be lowered from ‘clear and convincing’ evidence to a ‘preponderance’ of evidence.
While the dispute shines the spotlight once again on the CAFC and its sometimes controversial handling of patent cases, it also highlights the looseness of nomenclature when it comes to labelling which patent owners are ‘trolls’ and which are not. At the time of the CAFC’s decision, Ars Technica reported that court records showed that Soverain had never made a sale and that the customer service phone numbers it provided appeared to be disconnected. Wolanyk refutes those claims and states that Soverain is an operating company that continues to market its TRANSACT product and to provide technical support for it.
Furthermore, she says that the original inventors named on the TRANSACT patents work closely with Soverain on ongoing product development and patent filing activities, as well as providing testimony when the patents have been litigated. “Newegg is very fond of referring to us as a troll, and that got picked up by the anti-patent camp,” says Wolanyk. “We take issue with that – because we have been an operating business that has been in existence for almost 20 years now. We have had a very successful run with our software and we are simply trying to license our patents.”
Interestingly, another business that Newegg dubbed a ‘troll’ and defeated in the courtroom earlier this year is Alcatel-Lucent. This is a company that has invested billions of dollars in research and development over the years, manufactures and sells products and services to business and consumer markets, and provides employment for thousands of people across the globe. It couldn’t be further from the stereotype of the bottom-feeder operating out of a token empty office in Marshall, Texas. However, the fact that it wants to protect that investment by asserting its patent rights – whether directly or through partnering with third-party NPEs – seems to make it a ‘troll’ in Newegg’s eyes.
This is Wolanyk’s grievance with the way in which Newegg and Representative Goodlatte have typecast her company. “The definition seems to come down to anybody who has patents that you don’t like,” she says. “Those who use the term keep changing that definition to exclude themselves and point the finger at someone else. Take a look at the companies in the smartphone battles – some of whom, like Google, acquired many of the patents they are asserting. So why is that okay, while it is not for we who bought an operating business 10 years ago and have continued to run that operating business alongside trying to license our patents?”
As for Goodlatte’s Innovation Act, Wolanyk expresses concern at the speed with which the proposals have moved through Congress. “We are worried about non-patent lawyers making significant changes to the judicial process and the patent law when they may not fully understand the ramifications,” she says. “We are just about one year past the implementation of a vast body of patent legislation – the America Invents Act – and people are already starting to see that not everything worked out as intended there. There needs to be more deliberation and more consultation with all the stakeholders in this process as opposed to what is a fairly narrow group of self-serving companies which are pushing this legislation.”
Nevertheless, Wolanyk does accept that a level of reform may be needed to counter abuse of the patent system by some users. “We agree there may be bad actors out there, but we certainly don’t believe that most people who seek to license their patents are bad actors,” she says. Soverain and small patent-owning businesses like it are forced to litigate if they are to have any hope of getting a return on their investment in R&D, she says: “If you send a letter to a prospective licensee or try to enter into a conversation with them immediately, it puts you at risk of getting a declaratory judgment filed against you, and that means that you are in litigation anyway. From our point of view, we would welcome the ability to have licensing negotiations without litigating. But at the moment we are forced to either litigate in what is a very inefficient system, or not to license our patents at all – which to patent owners doesn’t feel like a very real choice.”
IP management, Licensing, IP politics, IP litigation, Patents, IP business
For sake of a leveled playing field it makes sense to use the same type of label for companies that like infringing patents or anti-trolls - as you called them. Once I proposed calling them patent smurfs - that's perhaps to cute. Patent sponger may be better - but finding the right term is in fact a question for the people with English mother tongue.
The disbalance of public reception seems to be influenced very much by the very punchy term "troll". Obviously this is to simple to describe the complex environment in which patents are used and asserted.Gottfried Schüll, Cohausz & Florack on 11 Dec 2013 @ 15:42
Balance is something that is sadly lacking in the current debate around patent rights.
The popular press has leapt on the term Patent Troll - complete with eye catching imagery. With a little prodding from Gottfried's note may I suggest the label "Patent Leech" for the anti-trolls. My Concise Oxford offers two definitions of note: 1) a bloodsucking parasite, 2) a person who extorts profit from or sponges on others. An infringing entity could in the extreme be considered to be sucking the IP lifeblood out of a patent owning entity through infringement. Certainly the sponging on others description fits some infringers. And, the visual imagery is probably even more disgusting than Trolls!
Will trading insults - calling each other Trolls and Leeches - lift the intellectual tenor of the debate? Not likely. But perhaps we could get some symapthetic attention for the patent owners side of the story.Terry Ludlow, Chipworks on 11 Dec 2013 @ 17:42


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A study shows that a plant in the Amazon region can kill human cancer cells and produce toxicity for tumors.
This is the plant Vismia baccifera that is collected in the Amazon region of Colombia and has "the largest antitumor capacity" in several plants of the Amazon, according to a study by a group of scientists from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of the Basque Country (UPV / EHU).
"We decided to use it because it was the one that produced the most toxicity for the tumor cells of the liver," Dr. said. Jenifer Trepiana, author of the research, to the Spanish news agency Efe on Sunday.
In the development of the information, Trepiana explained that by increasing the free radicals, the plant in question "blocks the death caused by the cell cycle".
Vismia baccifera is used by indigenous peoples because of its anti-inflammatory ability to cure diseases of the urinary tract and skin diseases.


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Travi$ Scott is currently on the road doing a joint tour with the Weeknd, but last night, he stopped by the Fillmore in Maryland to do a solo show. The show was lit and Travi$ has a treat in store for the fans when he debuted two brand new songs at the show!
The titles of the records still are under raps, but Travi$ Scott revealed that one of them features Wiz Khalifa. Could a new project be on the way already? We’ll have to wait and see. Until then check out the clip from last night’s show below.


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Adidas report 26% profit increase
By iSportconnect | August 4, 2016
Adidas reported a 26% rise in North American sales, cialis cheap as they continue to take ground from rivals Nike.
Second quarter sales in North America were €788 million ($878 million). Greater China was the company’s fastest-growing region, with revenue increasing 30 percent. Adidas last week published preliminary second-quarter earnings, raising its full-year sales and profit forecast for the fourth time in 2016.
It means that Adidas and Under Armour are the fastest growing sports brands in the USA, taking market share from leaders Nike.
Adidas also reported that overall sales growth this year will increase in the “high teens,” while profit from continuing operations will increase as much as 39 percent, approaching 1 billion Euros.


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PlumChoice, Inc., the leader in specialized technical services for cloud applications and the Internet of Things (IoT), will present, “The New Cardinal Rules of IoT Adoption: Four Practical Practices That Underpin Success of Connected Home Products & Solutions,” on Wednesday, August 12 at 2 p.m. ET.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) projects that spending for consumer electronics, which includes connected home products and solutions, will reach $286 billion in 2015. The webinar, led by Peter Gerstberger, vice president and general manager for retail at Zonoff, Inc., will discuss the evolving connected life landscape and how “thing makers” and “thing sellers” can adapt current strategies to support consumers before, during and after purchase, ultimately bolstering adoption rates, increasing revenue and driving greater lifetime value.
“Consumers are willing to spend on connected home products and solutions, but they are inundated with a plethora of brands, device types and innovations for their personal technology environment,” said Gerstberger. “They need help throughout the customer journey, from pre-purchase support through installation, integration, ongoing usage and upgrades. If brands want their products and solutions to succeed long-term, they need to rethink their current IoT strategy to include that level of care.”
The webinar is geared toward device manufacturers, retailers, software vendors, data aggregators, and solution providers and will provide insights on how to eliminate the complexities that consumers experience when purchasing, integrating and updating connected home products and solutions within their broad, and increasingly diverse, personal technology environments.
Attendees will experience a behind-the-scenes look at how IoT brands can succeed by understanding:
- The need to help consumers avoid the stumbling blocks at the point-of-purchase
- The four essentials for increasing product adoption
- How revenue is impacted with the right kind of support
- The value of lifetime expansion
- Current strategies that are ultimately limiting IoT success
“Data shows that in a few years, on average, each household will have more than 17 connected devices from multiple manufacturers.” said Karen McPhillips, vice president of marketing for PlumChoice and host of the webinar. “The sheer volume and compounding complexities as these products proliferate throughout the home make it extremely difficult for brands to deliver on the promise of the IoT: to provide the end-user with convenience, simplicity and control. If brands are unable to deliver on that promise, their IoT innovations will be returned and they’ll lose the opportunity to generate revenue and provide greater lifetime value for customers.”
To register for the webinar, click here.


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© The Financial Times Ltd 2016 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.
Here’s a much-anticipated feature from Facebook that marketers may love, if not its users.
The online social network has just announced it is beginning to test a video format for advertisers, where videos will begin playing as users scroll down to them in their news feeds. Clicking on them will turn on the sound. Read more
Mark Zuckerberg accused the US government of bad PR, saying it failed to communicate the balance of security and economic interests behind its internet surveillance efforts – in turn creating a massive PR problem for Facebook.
“I think the government blew it,” he said at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. “It’s my job and our job to protect everyone who uses Facebook and the information they share with us. It’s our government’s job to protect all of us and also to protect our freedoms and protect the economy and companies. And I think they did a bad job of balancing those things.” Read more
Some 614,000 users who appeared in a Sponsored Story on the site without giving their consent will now receive $15 each. That’s slightly more than anticipated under an earlier proposal, partly because lawyers and activists will receive less.
For Facebook, whose market cap has just surpassed $100bn, this is hardly an Erin Brockovich moment. But it’s another reminder that there’s a fine line between social advertising – which uses your friends’ buying habits to influence your own – and anti-social advertising, which just annoys everyone. Read more
Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to turn Facebook into a “mobile first” company faced an important test on Thursday as the company unveiled what was expected to be its own mobile software platform: a version of the Android operating system that puts the social networking service front and centre.
But would it be enough to give Facebook a firmer foothold in a smartphone world increasingly dominated Apple, Google and Samsung?


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Hundreds of account holders at major super funds Hostplus and Rest are complaining about long wait times, poor communication and payment delays as members rush to participate in an emergency government scheme allowing early withdrawals.
The complaints come as new figures show the two under-pressure funds account for nearly a quarter of all applications for early withdrawals under the scheme since it officially opened last Monday.
Hostplus, which manages $44 billion, was set up for hospitality workers, and Rest, which oversees $54 billion, was established for retail employees. Those two sectors have both been hit hard by the social distancing restrictions put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
People who have lost work as a result of the coronavirus pandemic can withdraw up to $20,000 from their super accounts in two instalments under the scheme, with the first phase opening up last week. Hostplus says 7 per cent of its members took advantage of the scheme last week, with the average claim being $7,134. The fund said it has already paid out $603 million but scores of members say they are still waiting.
Catering business owner Mykel De Laat applied to withdraw $10,000 from his Hostplus account as soon as the scheme opened on April 20 and was approved by the tax office two days later, but has still not been paid. "Still nothing," he said. "I need to pay rent and now I'm in the s--- with them. It's just an endless domino effect."
"This the industry fund for the one industry that was shut down first. They should be the ones who have been better organised. The way we’re being treated is so poor," Mr De Laat said.
Former hospitality worker Kiarra Henderson contacted Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters after spending two hours on the phone to Hostplus' customer service line trying to finalise her claim.
"Surely there is something that can be done to encourage these super funds to do the correct thing or at least make them improve communications with clients on the actual stages of process for our funds," the letter said.
Hundreds of Hostplus members have posted messages on the fund's social media pages, complaining of crashing apps and poor communication.
A Hostplus spokesman said the ATO was "ultimately responsible for administering and approving the release of these payments by super funds" and denied any delays. "Hostplus is meeting all its payment obligations within government established timeframes."
Rest Super received 94,264 applications as of Wednesday totalling $683 million from the ATO as of Tuesday this week, making up 5 per cent of the fund's total members. Members in their thirties have been most likely to apply and the average withdrawal has been $7,248.
Rest member Richard Stockdale lost his job at a butcher on Queensland's Sunshine Coast at the start of March. He was defaulted into the retail sector fund while working at Coles and Woolworths in 2006 and now has a balance of more than $60,000.
Delays with Centrelink payments means it's been almost two months since the 40-year-old had any income. Mr Stockdale says he can't afford to visit his daughter in Brisbane and struggles to pay for essentials like food and rent. "We're lucky to have a grapefruit tree out the side of the house but if I eat another grapefruit, I'm going to go bananas."
Mr Stockdale said he spent four hours on the phone to Rest on Tuesday to be told his application was under review.
"But no one actually has any reason why. I said, 'I have one bank account, I have one super fund, I’ve had the same phone number for years, I’ve changed all my details months and months ago as far as addresses go. What could you possibly be reviewing?'"
A Rest spokeswoman said around 90 per cent of payments had been processed within five days. "Those that aren’t meeting this timeframe are because of the need for additional verification for certain accounts. Rest has also identified and intercepted some fraud attempts."


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Dacia, the Romanian Renault subsidiary, has unveiled a new model -- the Lodgy. It's a new minivan that's aimed at the family market....
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The Game Awards 2021 returns this December to shine a light on some of the best and brightest video games of 2021. Between the speeches, there will be tons of exclusive reveals to see regardless of whether you’re on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, or PC. Below, we outline everything you need to know about The Game Awards 2021 including its confirmed date, time, stream links, predictions for what we’ll see, and the status of an in-person event.
When is The Game Awards 2021 date and time?
On September 30, Game Awards host Geoff Keighley announced that The Game Awards 2021 will air on the evening of December 9 in 4K UHD on a wide variety of platforms. While a start time has yet to be publicly revealed, history dictates it will probably be around 6:30 p.m. Eastern, with a pre-show airing 30 minutes before the main event.
Where do I watch The Game Awards 2021?
The Game Awards 2021 is set to air across 40 different video, social, and gaming platforms this year, but all the main ones should suffice for those hoping to keep track of the action. These are the official Game Awards accounts, so they should be streaming in full 4K as long as your device supports it.
In our experience watching and covering The Game Awards over the past few years, we’ve found that each platform, especially when it comes to video, has its own benefits and drawbacks. Twitch, for example, is often a few seconds ahead of the YouTube stream and features an opportunity for viewers to get any free Twitch Drops Keighley may or may not announce over the course of the proceedings. YouTube is generally a hair behind Twitch, but it offers a less laggy experience that functions better on older hardware.
The Game Awards 2021 predictions
While it’s a bit difficult to predict what will be on the slate of exclusive reveals this far ahead of the show, we’ll offer a few educated guesses that sound most realistic to us. We don’t have any inside scoops to share, but these announcements just sound right to us.
- Something The Last of Us related: As we inch toward the expected 2022 premiere of The Last of Us TV series on HBO, Naughty Dog should have something ready to hype up a year ahead that will almost assuredly be focused on the outbreak-based drama. Will it be The Last Of Us Part II Director’s Cut with an included Last Of Us remake? Will we get a first glimpse at The Last Of Us Part II multiplayer or even the TV show itself? All of these sound possible.
- Dragon Age 4: This game was revealed back at The Game Awards 2018, and we have heard little more than a peep from it since. Rumors suggest the project’s been rebooted, but, if that’s the case, I think it’s high time we see some proof of that even if it’s in a CG format.
- Elden Ring: Geoff has aligned himself pretty closely with Bandai Namco and Elden Ring ever since the game was fully revealed at Opening Night Live in June. We expect that trend will continue in December with even more footage and reveals. To make our prediction a bit spicier, we’ll also say these new details will arrive alongside some kind of delay outside the game’s currently known release date of January 21, 2022.
- Mass Effect 4: Mass Effect closed out The Game Awards last year, so it’d be appropriate to continue that narrative in 2021. If we don’t see much during N7 day on November 7, it seems all the more likely we’ll see it here.
- Final Fantasy XVI: Square has insinuated that it intends to show off Final Fantasy XVI sometime in the reasonably near future, and, since the game wasn’t a part of Tokyo Game Show this year, The Game Awards would be the next major stop on the press junket if they did want to show it off in 2021.
- Other updates on ONL reveals: Opening Night Live featured a ton of supposed 2022 games in addition to Elden Ring that we’ll likely see again at TGA in some way. Games like Saints Row, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and Horizon: Forbidden West all release next year, so we’ll likely see more from them.
- Fortnite: There’s almost always some kind of Fortnite reveal at The Game Awards, so why should 2021 be any different? Season 8 is expected to end on December 5, which likely means most major events will have happened in-game before the show, but there’s still plenty of opportunities to show off new skins. Maybe with the launch of Metroid Dread, we’ll finally get that Samus skin we were expecting last year.
- Splitgate and New World: These two games are perhaps the biggest zeitgeist titles at the time this article is being written, so we’d have to imagine Keighley has something in the works for a Game Awards reveal. Both of these games have live-service elements, which makes them perfectly suited for updates to come in the future.
- At least one Schick Hydrobot Joke: True fans of The Game Awards will likely remember the Schick Hydrobot from The Game Awards 2016, as their presence continues to loom over the show even years later. Will they be back, or will Keighley just mention them? It has to happen.
What are The Game Awards 2021 nominees?
Each year, a voting jury of high-profile outlets nominate the many games. “Nominees for most categories of The Game Awards are chosen by an international jury of over 95 global media and influencer outlets, selected for their history of critical evaluation of video games,” an official FAQ reads. In 2020, nominees were announced on November 18, which was just under a month prior. It seems likely that 2021’s nominees will similarly be announced in mid-November.
Expect 2021’s biggest games to receive nods. That ought to include titles like Deathloop, Resident Evil Village, Returnal, Scarlet Nexus, It Takes Two, and many others.
What musical performances will be featured during the Game Awards 2021?
So far the only announced musical performance includes Sting performing “What Could Have Been” from the soundtrack to the Arcane League of Legends TV series. More news about musical performances is expected to arrive in the coming days.
Will the Game Awards 2021 be an in-person event?
Yes! There will also be a live audience at the Microsoft Theater watching the event on stage as it unfolds. The in-person festivities will be invite-only, however, which means you likely have to be part of the media to get a seat. For the viewers at home, though, this change in setting will still provide a distinctly different experience from what we watched in 2020.


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Earlier today we have been surprised by a huge leak revealing the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 in all its glory. The leak in question …
Xiaomi has been contemplating very good results from its Euro trip. The company has successfully launched stores in Italy, France, and Spain over the course …
The huge demand for bezel-less smartphones has placed several smartphone manufacturers in the middle of a race for the best offering. The advent of 18:9 …
The Redmi Note 5 was released in China during last month, for those unaware, the handset is a new version of the same device released …
The Huawei P20 Plus has been rumoured to sport a triple camera setup, although no solid proof has been seen yet. Renders of the alleged …
The Huawei Mediapad M5 Pro appeared a few days back before the official unveiling. In the last report, the M5 Pro was seen with its …
Huawei isn’t always the best seller in the West, but things may be turning around for them according to the company themselves.
Now that phones with dual camera setups are getting “ordinary”, phone manufacturers have begun to play with another factor, that is the different color variants …
Has the first real photo of the Meizu MX4 Pro been leaked? Sources on Weibo are claiming so.
Today our source at UMi sent us the official final specifications of the entry-level UMi X1 Pro octacore smartphone available from mid March.
Latest rumours claim that LG will be launching the QHD, octacore LG G3 as early as June this year!
Chinese tablet maker Ramos will unveil a new device named the Ramos i8 which will not run Android but rater Windows 8.
U.S. based reseller, TabletMaxx launched an online website in early February with several prominent import brands available directly within the United States.
UMi have officially announced that their flagship UMi X3 octacore smartphone will go on sale mid-March along with the UMi X1 Pro smartphone.
A filing at the United States Patent and Trademark Office seems to confirm that LG is working on the rumored LG G3. That doesn’t necessarily mean that its reveal is imminent however.
Whenever a new smartphone is about to hit the market you can be sure that someone will leak some details by way of Antutu or spy photos. The latest LG G Pro 2 leaks are thanks to the former.
The LG G3 is highly anticipated, despite the expected announcement of the LG G2 Pro. This is everything we think we know about the LG G3
MWC is shaping up to be the event to be seen at as Samsung, Oppo, Meizu and now possibly LG are rumoured to be launching their latest flagship devices.
After India’s Micromax, China’s Ramos is up for the task when it comes to dual-boot tablets, with the Ramos i10 Pro.
Google might be spending most of its energy on the Chromecast, but that doesn’t mean other companies aren’t willing to try and make the Google TV system work.
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Invesco announcing partnership with crypto enthusiast’s institution
Invesco Ltd., one of the largest ETF issuers in the United States, has announced partnering with Michael Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital Holdings merchant banking institution that works in the digital assets and blockchain industry.
The fourth-largest ETF issuer stated that the company will be developing a partnership with Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital Holdings to create U.S.-listed physically backed digital assets funds.
The venture will be used by Invesco to create market-leading crypto ETFs which have not yet received a regulatory pass and review from the SEC. Invesco has already filed an application to launch a digital assets fund, which already garnered major demand from both retail and institutional investors.
The cryptocurrency industry is yet to receive significant funding from products like ETFs and has good potential for growth, said the company’s ETF business lead, John Hoffman. He also stated that the company spent years looking at the development of the blockchain industry. He compared crypto with the early days of ETF development back in the late 1990s, and they are excited to focus on the cryptocurrency market.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has been cautious about the cryptocurrency industry and the ETFs tied to it. But at the same time, the regulator’s leader, Gary Gensler, has signaled that the SEC is open to a discussion about ETFs based on crypto futures. Companies like Invesco and ProShare have already filed applications for related funds.
The company is aiming at allowing customers to invest in digital assets as a technology and not as a speculative tool. Hoffman thinks that the crypto ETF market will follow the steps of commodity-tracking funds since they have numerous similarities between them.
Facebook Begins Piloting Its Crypto Wallet in U.S.
Facebook has finally started rolling out its digital wallet
Social media giant Facebook has started rolling out its Novi digital wallet in the U.S. and Guatemala, according to an announcement posted by the company’s blockchain exec, David Marcus, on Twitter.
The purpose of the pilot is to test the wallet’s key features in the wild.
While stablecoins are typically used by traders for parking their gains, Marcus hopes that the trial will be able to showcase a new use case:
We’re also hopeful this will demonstrate a new stablecoin use case (as a payments instrument) beyond how they are typically used today.
Notably, Facebook will be trialing its wallet with Paxos’ Pax Dollar as a cloud of regulatory uncertainly continues to hang over its own stablecoin project.
Coinbase’s custodial arm will be responsible for safeguarding users’ funds.
Initially named “Libra,” the project ditched its controversial structure along with the moniker after stumbling upon regulatory roadblocks in 2019, and it was reintroduced as Diem in April 2020.
Marcus announced that the Novi crypto wallet, which was initially named “Calibra,” was ready to come to market in August.
UK investors have lost $200M in cryptocurrency scams since 2021
- Investors in the UK have lost over $200 million in cryptocurrency scams since this year.
- About 558 of the fraud reports were related to fake celebrity endorsements.
Cybercriminals are still capitalizing on the growing attention and popularity of digital currency to siphon money from unsuspecting investors. Recently, the fraud and cyber reporting center of the United Kingdom (UK), Action Fraud, disclosed that the residents have lost over $200 million (or £146,222,332) in cryptocurrency scams since the beginning of the year.
Cryptocurrency scams up 30% in UK
The losses so far already represent a 30 percent increase from the record last year. The Action Fraud said investors have filed 7,118 reports of cryptocurrency scams since January, most of which were from people below the age of 50 years, losing over $28,000 (£20,500) on average. The majority of the victims (52%) were aged between 18 and 45.
“Reports of cryptocurrency fraud have increased significantly over the past few years, which is unsurprising given everyone is spending more time online,” said Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Craig Mullish from the City of London Police. “Being online more means criminals have a greater opportunity to approach unsuspecting victims with fraudulent investment opportunities.”
Fake celebrity endorsements
The Action Fraud noted that some of the cryptocurrency scam reports they received were connected to fake celebrity endorsements. We have reported several cases where cybercriminals impersonate well-known figures or use fake testimonies to deceive people into investing in their projects.
Between April 2020 and March 2021, about 558 UK investors filed fraud reports involving “bogus celebrity endorsements,” and 79% of all the inventors who fell for these scams said it was crypto-related.
As recently as October 15, Cryptopolitan reported that scammers made away with about $1.4 million from Tinder users who were tricked into a fake Bitcoin dating app.
Here’s Why Billionaire Real Estate Mogul Barry Sternlicht Owns Two Different Crypto Assets
Billionaire and real estate magnate Barry Sternlicht says that he owns Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) for a number of reasons.
In a new interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, the chief executive of Starwood Capital says that he’s invested in crypto due to his concerns regarding endless money printing and what he sees as questionable monetary policies.
“The reason I own BTC is because the US government and every government in the Western hemisphere is printing money now until the end of time, And this is a finite amount of something, and it can be traded globally and people have fiat currencies whether it’s in Nigeria or… Bolivia or wherever, you can move into something that the world has accepted as a substitute for gold.”
Referencing JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon who said he thinks Bitcoin is “worthless”, Sternlicht argues that the same case could be made for gold.
“What Jamie Dimon talked about, I mean gold is kind of worthless too, silver [as well], they have some industrial uses, but they’re minor.”
The billionaire says that while Bitcoin is minimal in its purposes, he sees high potential in Ethereum’s ecosystem, plus all of blockchain technology in general.
“Since it’s 18 million float of 21, I think Bitcoin… It’s the biggest. It’s a dumb coin, it has no real purpose other than a store of value, and it’s a little crazily volatile. So Ether, which is right below it, I own some of that. That’s a programmable Bitcoin, and then there are tons of other coins that are built off of that system… I’ve become very interested in blockchain technology as a whole, the digital ledger is going to change everything…”
"Gold is kind of worthless," says Barry Sternlicht. "The reason I own #bitcoin is because the U.S. government and every government in western hemisphere is printing money now to the end of time and this is a finite amount of something and it can be traded globally." pic.twitter.com/72zYQTjF0y— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) October 13, 2021


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The Best Buy Black Friday sale in July is available on July 24 and July 25 online and in stores.
The Best Buy Black Friday 2015 Sale in July is on July 24 and 25.
How To: Buy a Pokemon Go Plus
Consumers can shop in store and online for Black Friday deals. Best Buy says that there is no need to wait for after Thanksgiving sales to get Black Friday pricing on the electronics and appliances.
This is suggesting that the retailer will offer real Black Friday deals as Amazon did on Prime Day.
Best Buy will offer deals on computers, appliances, home theater, cameras, fitness tech, accessories and more.
A Best Buy Black Friday Ad for the July sale is going to be released to get an overview of the deals.
Don't Miss: See the first leaked Black Friday 2016 Ad
We expect the Best Buy Black Friday sale to start in the early hours of Friday morning.


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With the consumer confidence index near bottom and a growing concern over employment savings and security, consumers ravaged by debt are still willing to go green. High-efficiency water heaters and energy-efficient appliances still appear on shopping lists, even as people search for ways to save their money.
Buying compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent ones, carpooling and growing your own vegetables also make the list.
Consumers are far more likely to take energy-efficient measures once they discover that they would save money over the long term. The idea of reducing one’s living expenses while consuming less energy certainly brings peace of mind.
According to a recent survey by The Shelton Group, the majority of consumers place savings over environmental concerns for their purchases. This is a change from recent years where helping the environment topped the minds of most.
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GM Goes Greener
Special Domains for Green Sites
Facebook Goes Green
Eco-Friendly Olive Farms
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This article is one of 350,000 experiments. We use crowd filtering, big data and AI to identify insights.
Consumers Are Going Green Out of Necessity
- By: TopDogApr 4, 2009


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Cadbury launches new Twirl flavor with cryptic adverts
Cadbury has announced the launch of Twirl Caramel, a new take on the iconic Twirl, with caramel flavors wrapped in layers of chocolate. A series of cryptic advertisements have appeared in unexpected places, to limit the excitement to those with eagle eyes enough to spot them.
Twirl Caramel appeared on the tidal banks of the Thames this week. Despite being placed prominently in the Royal Victoria Dock, Greenwich, the adverts were submerged at high tide, with the message largely obscured, making them visible only to passers-by who happened to be there at the right time. Passing Thames riverboat commuters, canoeists and cable car users were among the few to spot it.
Other quirky placements have seen Cadbury advertise on a remote island with a population of two and the UK’s least used train station, keeping it a secret among the lucky few who end up in these remote locations.
Just as mysteriously as they arrived, all ads are now gone. Hinting at the upcoming Twirl Caramel bars themselves, Cadbury hinted that they are likely to be a real hit with fans, following the success of Twirl Orange, which has become a permanent member of the Twirl family l ‘last year.
Frederike Grohmann, Cadbury Twirl Brand Manager at Mondelez, said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of Twirl Caramel, but we want people to know that this is a limited edition bar, which we know it will be popular. That’s why we’ve controlled the hype with our adverts, which only the most discerning Cadbury fans will have spotted.
As part of the campaign, Cadbury also identified several locations where Twirl superfans were located, including London, Liverpool and Birmingham. Advertising on billboards for a limited time only, viewers who spotted the adverts were among the first to get their hands on Twirl Caramel before it hit the shelves, with Cadbury awarding the first 5,000 a bar free, imploring them not to share the exciting news any further.
Twirl Caramel is due to land next month and will be found in local supermarkets, newsagents and www.CadburyGiftsDirect.co.uk, RRP 69p.


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Voyageur Pharmaceuticals has announced that it is progressing with its product development, regulatory pathway and material processing/manufacturing operations that could result in revenue generation in Canada this year and more importantly revenue generation in the US early next year.
As part of the product development process, Voyageur has recently completed the design and testing of the first batch runs of its smoothie product line of barium sulfate contrast agents used for medical CT imaging.
Further, the company is currently working through the scaled batch requirements for quality control and for meeting various regulatory requirements and specifications.
Upon completion of the facility designs and detailed cost and schedule, Voyageur will begin to seek financing for this strategic buildout
Once this testing is completed, the data will be used to support the initial marketing and sale of the Company's line of barium sulfate imaging products that are approved for the Canadian market and in tandem will be used for the FDA submission.
Based on preliminary discussions with the FDA, Voyageur has submitted extensive documentation for the first barium contrast product license application. Voyageur is currently scheduled to meet with the FDA in June, to finalise submission requirements for this product and once this application is approved, the company plans on submitting applications for additional products.
Upon receipt of the application, the FDA may grant the license within 120 days, thus giving Voyageur the approval to market its first barium sulfate contrast agent in the US.
Voyageur's plan for revenue generation is close to being executed, which will support financing and full integration of the Frances Creek project.
Infrastructure for barium processing/manufacturing
Voyageur has engaged the engineering firm ACH Engineering (ACH) to develop a detailed plan for the construction of two linked facilities.
An Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) plant to refine the barium concentrate from its quarry into an API grade product. ACH will design the automated Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) drug and device pharmaceutical manufacturing facility.
These two facilities will become the foundation of the only fully integrated and totally controlled entry into the global imaging market for barium sulfate contrast agents.
This control is intended to provide Voyageur with a low-cost advantage that should support the gaining of market share and improved margins.
Upon completion of the facility designs and detailed cost and schedule, Voyageur will begin to seek financing for this strategic buildout of the company's fully integrated drug and device manufacturing.
Voyageur recognises the strategic value of being fully integrated, owning and extracting its own APIs. The company's barium resource is critical and strategic for customers, currently threatened by global supply chain constraints and increasing geopolitical risks. Voyageur will be able to provide supply security to customers over long-term contracts, with reduced risk to supply disruptions and volatility.


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According to data from Barclaycard, which processes nearly half of all UK card transactions, consumer spending in the first part of November fell to an 18-month low as households cut back in anticipation of Black Friday at the end of the month. No doubt we will see the impact on hospitality spending reported in the coming weeks.
Spending fell to just 2.2 per cent in the first three weeks – down from 4.1 per cent in October, and nearly half the 4.0 per cent growth seen last November – as the hype around the US-imported event firmly took hold in the UK.
The number of purchases made in the first three weeks of November slowed in all categories, compared with the previous month, with the exception of cinema/theatre transactions. The sharpest slowdowns were in those retail categories widely expected to see major Black Friday discounts, including clothing, DIY, electronics and furniture.
Total in-store spending fell into negative territory for the first time in two years, with the amount spent on the high street in November shrinking 1.1 per cent year-on-year compared to an increase of 1 per cent in October.
Online spending grew 14.6 per cent (up on 10.2 per cent last November and the 13.8 per cent average so far this year) with Black Friday deals starting earlier this year – Amazon, Argos and Carphone Warehouse were among the retailers starting Black Friday discounts up to a week before November 27.
On Black Friday itself, consumers chose to shop online rather than brave the crowds. Online spending rocketed compared to the same time last year, seeing an uplift of 15.1 per cent. The average transaction value (ATV) of online purchases also rose 6.6 per cent, suggesting shoppers were buying higher priced items online.
Chris Wood, Chief Operating Officer at Barclaycard, said:
“Yet again, Black Friday proved a big draw for consumers this year. Consumers seem to have geared up for the main event this time round, holding back on buying anything other than the bare essentials in the weeks leading up to it. Spending in the three weeks prior to Black Friday fell to its lowest level in 18 months and was just half that of last November.
“Online spending on Black Friday was up 15 per cent year-on-year, with consumers deciding to avoid last year’s in-store stampedes and shop from the comfort of the sofa. As a result the share of spending carried out online jumped from a quarter to just under a third. With consumers now holding back their Christmas shopping until the deals start to emerge, the Black Friday weekend is now firmly established as the biggest shopping event of the year.”


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Soon after Gabby Slome brought her adoptive dog, Pancho, home from a vacation to Colombia, she noticed something unsettling: He was gaining way too much weight.
"I was feeding him what I thought was really good food from a premium kibble brand, he gained weight really fast," Slome told Business Insider. "I like to say he became Americanized rather quickly."
Slome was working out of Primary Ventures at the time, which is where she met Alex Douzet. He had also just adopted a dog, and the dog had gained 14 pounds in a short amount of time. Douzet and Slome were worried about their pets, so they started looking into it.
All signs pointed to the food.
"When we really looked into it, we were seeing that 60% of the dogs in the US are obese, diabetes has increased by 98% over the last 10 years, the rate of cancer has drastically increased, and 90% of the cancer is because of lifestyle and diet," Slome said. "When we looked into what’s at the root cause of this, we found that dog food was really the basis."
The pair decided to form their own company, which they named Ollie. The company is officially launching Wednesday and has raised a $4.4 million seed round, led by Primary Ventures and Lerer Hippeau Ventures, with participation from Canaan Partners, among others.
Giving pet food a good name
What sets Ollie apart, the company says, is the ingredients in its food and how the food is tailored to individual dogs' needs. All the food is prepared in a USDA- and FDA-regulated kitchen, which means it's safe enough for humans to eat.
Most people don't know what goes into the food they feed their pets, and that's part of the problem, Slome says. Most dog food contains rendered meat and byproducts — which could range from wood chips to roadkill. Plus, the food is heated to high temperatures, artificial flavors are added to get dogs to eat it, and pet food brands suggest bigger serving sizes than are actually necessary, Slome says.
Ollie food contains things like spinach, chia seeds, and blueberries, and is heavy on protein like chicken or beef. Users can go to Ollie's site and enter information about their pets — like age, weight, breed, and activity level — and the site's algorithm calculates the best food and the best serving size for the dog. The food is delivered every two weeks, arrives in a sealed, Tupperware-like container, and needs to be refrigerated.
Ollie food costs about $3 per day and the company can ship the food nationwide. By some very rough calculations, that's not much more expensive than buying food from a higher-end brand like Blue Buffalo. More importantly, Slome says, Ollie's food keeps dogs healthier and at a more ideal weight, something most dog food on the market doesn't do.
"We're really here on a mission to raise the bar and give dog food a good name," Slome said.


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Ocean View Beach Club recently celebrated its grand opening with the completion of its single-family model court featuring new designs from K. Hovnanian Homes. The community will debut the coastal villas the weekend of April 15-17. The weekend will provide a first look at three fully furnished models of the six townhome-like offerings from K. Hovnanian. Prospective buyers will be first in line to take advantage of large savings on several quick move-in villas they can begin enjoying as soon as this spring.
April 9, 2016


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KeyCorp (KEY) announced on Thursday it has formed a strategic investment and partnership with Snapsheet, an innovator of self-service claims solutions for insurance carriers. This investment follows the joint launch and announcement of Snapsheet Transactions, a payment platform on the back end of Snapsheet’s existing claims solution.
According to Key, Snapsheet Transactions provides carriers with a payment hub that features a variety of payment options, without adding complexity or risk to insurance carriers’ back-end processes. The bank reported that the new partnership marks the most recent in a series of investments with emerging fintech providers, affirming its commitment to bringing innovative solutions to market. Matt Miller, head of product and innovation at KeyBank Enterprise Commercial Payments, stated:
“Insurance companies have traditionally been slow to adapt to the growing expectations of choice, convenience, and ease of use. This partnership gives our clients a competitive advantage by enabling them to handle claims faster and leverage Key’s payments platform to process transactions quickly and efficiently. This collaboration with Snapsheet exemplifies our model of partnering with companies whose solutions align with our broader strategy of delivering innovations that make our clients’ businesses grow, avoid risk and be profitable.”
Snapsheet President CJ Przybyl also commented:
“Our technology is transforming the claims industry by focusing on the customer-first experience, while simultaneously optimizing operations. The partnership with KeyBank broadens our platform and increases our capabilities to seamlessly process both claims and payments swiftly and effectively.”
Snapsheet’s cloud-based software is notably used by more than 60 of the largest auto insurance providers to guide users through a photo- and information-gathering process. Key added that it and Snapsheet will continue to partner with each other to support the rollout and execution of enhancements and innovations related to Snapsheet Transactions. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.


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The cyber theft, which was first reported by local finance website bilyonaryo.com, occurred during the Independence Day weekend this year. Hackers were said to have used a combination of ATM withdrawals and online transfers to undertake the heist.
Department of Finance secretary Carlos Dominguez III said digitalization of transactions and distribution of aid through banks and e-wallets were the reasons for the success of the small business wage subsidy (SBWS) program.
DOF secretary Carlos Dominguez III said they cannot make secure projections on PhilHealth’s fund life as its information system is incapable of generating relevant data despite spending “close to P200 billion”.
The national government, spearheaded by the Department of Finance and Landbank, has launched the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFBank) as a digital-only, first branchless government bank that allows overseas Filipinos to perform banking transactions anytime and anywhere in the world.
The Department of Finance (DOF) said tax payments made through electronic channels last year amounted to P1.8 trillion, which was 84 percent of the total collections of the BIR.
The Department of Finance (DOF) has warned the public against false information that DOF secretary Carlos Dominguez III is promoting a cryptocurrency auto-trading program called Bitcoin Revolution.
The Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue are currently crafting regulations and designing a system to collect VAT on digital transactions to help the government raise revenues.
The Department of Finance (DOF) has announced that it will launch two digital-based programs aimed at improving tax compliance and expanding financial inclusion, especially among Filipino migrant workers.


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We understand that smart business decisions are about taking risks that pay off. That is the approach that Mazda takes with its cars, breaking new ground and pushing boundaries to create better and better vehicles. It has won many prestigious awards that prove how effective innovations such as its SKYACTIV Technology really is.
What Car? presented Mazda with the ‘Ultra Low Carbon Award’ for its groundbreaking SKYACTIV Technology, saying it “shows how a radical rethink can deliver real gains without resorting to more expensive hybrid and fully electric configurations.”
Mazda’s innovative SKYACTIV Technology gained the manufacturer the Editor’s Award from Fleet World. The Editor claimed that “SKYACTIV [Technology] will give Mazda a renewed vigour in the fleet market”.
As the Mazda CX-5 won the ‘Best Small SUV’ award from Fleet World, the judging panel Chairman commented: “the CX-5 shows that an SUV can be efficient with low CO2, and still have the benefit of four-wheel drive.”
The Mazda CX-5 won Car of the Year 2015 in the ‘Best large SUV under £25,000’ category at the What Car? Awards. What Car? said the Mazda CX-5 has “one of the best four-cylinder diesel engines we’ve tried”.
Awarded the winner of the ‘Best Upper Medium’ category by Fleet World. The judging panel Chairman declared the Mazda6 “an extremely fine business car”.
The luxurious Mazda6 also won the ‘Best Upper Medium Car’ award from industry experts Fleet News, who noted the car’s “excellent, highly efficient petrol and diesel engines”.
Fleet World: "Mazda has worked hard to edge itself to the top of the class on efficiency without losing the driver appeal of its flagship, and it shows in almost every detail."
Business Car Magazine: "Following in the footsteps of its predecessors the Mazda6 is the driver's choice in this class, with sharp, engaging handling."
Fleet News: "Few new cars bring something genuinely different to the market that rewrites the rules of the game. But the latest Mazda6 would appear to do just that."


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‘Vision Pulse’ made its debut in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, and has become one of the more popular in-game Specialists.
However, Black Ops 4 saw a major adjustment in how Vision Pulse is used, with players needing to bring up a pair of goggles in order to view enemies.
Enemy players now only show up for a brief moment of time while the goggles are in use in BO4, compared to being fully highlighted throughout the duration of the Specialist in BO3.
Yet when enemies are not highlighted in the new version of Vision Pulse, the entire screen turns gray while peering through the goggles.
This can make it tough to see non-highlighted enemies, and some believe it puts Vision Pulse users at a harsh disadvantage.
Reddit user ‘Hyperfolk’ suggested that the best way to combat the disadvantage would be to have the pulsating effect paired with a color screen, much like how it works for Recon’s teammates.
Others have argued against a change to Vision Pulse, stating that the point of such a disadvantage is to ensure balance between Specialists.
At the time of writing, it is unknown if Treyarch plans to make any adjustments to Recon’s Vision Pulse in Black Ops 4.
Should such a change be implemented? Let us know in the comments below!
COD 2020 Teasers: Black Ops 4 Summit map, Treyarch social profile
As we opened our new crates that Activision sent through, Black Ops 4’s Summit map got an update.
The screens in the center of the map in Black Ops 4 turned on which seem to match to what some of our slides show:
There’s also a look at clocks of 4 out of the 5 locations that some of us got as part of the slides to see:
These changes do appear to be new, especially the screens with the targets on them. Analyzing older images of the maps showcase that the screens were not showing the same thing.
In addition, Treyarch has updated their cover photo on social channels.
It’s getting cold out there…
Gameplay from Black Ops 4’s canceled campaign mode revealed
A user on Reddit, r/BlackOps4, has shared what appears to be the very first footage of gameplay from the canceled campaign mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, which released in October 2018, was the first Call of Duty game to not have a traditional campaign mode, instead opting to have three online-based modes.
Treyarch insisted throughout the year that they really didn’t have plans for a campaign and were focusing on an online connected experience for Black Ops 4, but many reports and sources described the campaign as being too ambitious and canceled because of issues with development.
On Reddit, a user has shared about two minutes of alpha footage of the gameplay of Black Ops 4’s campaign. The campaign, in alpha-state footage (meaning its not complete), had a very similar HUD to the MP experience of Black Ops 4. The user claims that the campaign and MP were supposed to be connected, and that’s why the HUD is so similar.
The gameplay starts by showing a message of “FIND THE AQUILUS CEO.”
Here’s the gameplay footage:
The user who posted this has not said where they got this gameplay footage as of now. He said he only has this footage, alongside an augmented footage of the engine of BO4, which he is not releasing at this time.
Double XP live in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 through February 6
To celebrate the big game this weekend, Treyarch is activating Double XP Quad Feed in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 this weekend – starting now.
Live in game now is:
- 2XP in MP
- 2XP in Zombies
- 2XP Party Game Moshpit
All of this is live in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. This is live through February 6 at 10AM PT.
For those still enjoying Black Ops 4, enjoy a new XP weekend!
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Virtual Trade Shows Give the Environment a Break
Aug 3, 2020 12:01:23 PM
Consider, for example, one of most visible impacts of in-person trade shows and industry events on the environment: waste generation. Anyone who has seen an exhibit hall following a large-scale event can attest to the large volumes of packing materials, excess publications, residual swag, flooring, and booths and structures left behind as trash. And during the event, it’s hard not to notice trash bins filled with single-use plastic bottles and service ware.
The latest statistics certainly validate these observations, suggesting tradeshows generate an incredible 600,000 tons of trash, making the trade show industry the second largest industry to produce the most amount of waste. And this is before CO2 emissions are considered. If you’re ready for more advanced math, now account for the impact of shipping, flights, and road transportation on the environment. According to MeetGreen, a sustainable events consultancy and event management company, the average three-day, 1,000-person national conference generates 584 tons of CO2 emissions, 70% of which are the result of air travel. Then there’s water usage, the energy costs associated with air conditioning, food and beverage waste… Are you looking for greener pastures?
The experts have long agreed that one way to radically reduce the waste and air-travel emissions produced by trade shows and industry events is to use virtual or hybrid meetings. Historically, these models were gaining traction but were far from the norm–until COVID-19 upended event calendars globally.
In the first three to four weeks following the COVID-19 outbreak, many companies scrambled to take their business events virtual. Admittedly in panic mode, these organizations were simply looking to implement tools and technology to quickly enable a global employee base to successfully work on a remote basis. Fast forward a few weeks, however, and the majority of organizations acknowledged that social distancing and other precautions weren’t a temporary state of being, but really a new normal. As a result, event planners, marketers, and business leaders re-thought their entire events strategy. It was a much longer-term discussion, and one with huge environmental benefits.
According to recent statistics, the typical virtual event with 2,300 participants reduces carbon emissions by some 3,300 tons; an estimated 17,000 trees would be needed to have a similar effect. In addition, the average number of pieces of paper saved by the use of digital documents at virtual events is 36,000 per show. These benefits aren’t lost on event planners, exhibitors, and attendees. COVID-19 and climate change are giving stakeholders wider pause for thought and prompting questions, such as, “What is the carbon footprint of a mega trade event, with 100,000+ people travelling from all over the world to converge on one place?” and “Can this really be justified in the face of the huge challenges around global warming?”
While the health emergency is forcing companies and individuals to break barriers in order to continue to work with some semblance of normality, other factors, such as the growing awareness of the ecological impact of air travel, should hasten global adoption and further the case for remote communication and collaboration technologies long after the pandemic subsides. States 6Connex CEO Ruben Castaño, “Virtual events are not a one-time byproduct of the pandemic. With greater frequency, organizations are pivoting to virtual conferences to reduce travel costs, increase audience reach, and decrease carbon footprints.”
And the good news is that virtual events aren’t a tradeoff. Organizations don’t have to sacrifice event results for the environment. With a little planning and the right technology, virtual events can be run effectively and even increase attendee engagement rates beyond those of a physical event. Recalls 6Connex customer Glassdoor of their first virtual event, “Throughout it all, people were blown away by the environment, the branding, the colors, and the rooms. The event’s professional aesthetic was a big hit, and we received nothing but positive feedback from the attendees as well as the management team.”
Today’s pandemic is forcing industries to re-think B2B communication in ways that will long outlast the COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, trade show cancellations and decisions to forego attendance at international exhibitions has focused attention on the long-term sustainability of such events and whether there isn’t a way to do them more efficiently and with less of an environmental impact.
Ready to kick-start your own green event strategy? Contact a 6Connex product specialist today to learn about our online event consulting services or request a demo.


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Greenlam Industries Q2 net rises 11 pc to Rs 20.7 cr
Surfacing solutions provider Greenlam Industries Ltd on Tuesday reported an 11 per cent increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 20.7 crore for the second quarter ended September on the back of robust sales.
The company, which posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 18.6 crore in the same period last quarter, said its board at a meeting held on Tuesday approved raising of up to Rs 150 crore through issuance of non-convertible debt securities on private placement basis.
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Consolidated net revenue in the second quarter grew by 57 per cent to Rs 454.2 crore as against Rs 289.3 in the year-ago period, Greenlam Industries Ltd said in a regulatory filing.
During the period, its laminate business revenues grew by 60.4 per cent in value terms and 46.7 per cent in volume terms on a year-on-year basis, it said.
Greenlam Industries Ltd Managing Director and CEO Saurabh Mittal said,"The current quarter witnessed a substantial top line growth across the laminate and decorative veneer category."
However, he said steep inflationary increase in raw material costs and supply side disruptions along with time lag in raising prices resulted in lower gross margins.
"Though we have passed on raw material costs to the market, the same has been inadequate considering the rising costs of raw material. We may have to take further price hikes going forward if raw material prices continue to remain elevated," Mittal added.
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