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BOSTON (AP) — A important vulnerability in a widely utilised software tool — one promptly exploited in the on the internet sport Minecraft — is fast rising as a major threat to businesses all over the planet.
“The internet’s on hearth ideal now,” claimed Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at the cybersecurity company Crowdstrike. “People are scrambling to patch,” he said, “and all forms of folks scrambling to exploit it.” He claimed Friday early morning that in the 12 hrs because the bug’s existence was disclosed that it experienced been “fully weaponized,” that means malefactors had designed and dispersed tools to exploit it.
The flaw may well be the worst personal computer vulnerability learned in many years. It was uncovered in a utility that’s ubiquitous in cloud servers and business software utilised across market and govt. Until it is preset, it grants criminals, spies and programming novices alike straightforward access to interior networks the place they can loot valuable facts, plant malware, erase crucial info and much more.
“I’d be difficult-pressed to imagine of a company that is not at danger,” explained Joe Sullivan, chief stability officer for Cloudflare, whose on the net infrastructure protects websites from malicious actors. Untold thousands and thousands of servers have it put in, and professionals said the fallout would not be recognized for various times.
Amit Yoran, CEO of the cybersecurity organization Tenable, identified as it “the solitary largest, most significant vulnerability of the very last decade” — and possibly the most important in the record of modern day computing.
The vulnerability, dubbed ‘Log4Shell,’ was rated 10 on a scale of a person to 10 the Apache Computer software Foundation, which oversees advancement of the software program. Everyone with the exploit can receive complete obtain to an unpatched personal computer that employs the software,
Professionals mentioned the extraordinary ease with which the vulnerability allows an attacker access a web server — no password necessary — is what can make it so risky.
New Zealand’s laptop or computer unexpected emergency reaction team was between the to start with to report that the flaw was becoming “actively exploited in the wild” just several hours soon after it was publicly noted Thursday and a patch produced.
The vulnerability, situated in open up-resource Apache software program used to operate web-sites and other world-wide-web companies, was reported to the foundation on Nov. 24 by the Chinese tech big Alibaba, it explained. It took two months to develop and launch a correct.
But patching devices about the entire world could be a sophisticated undertaking. When most companies and cloud suppliers these types of as Amazon ought to be able to update their internet servers simply, the exact Apache software program is also generally embedded in third-occasion applications, which usually can only be up to date by their proprietors.
Yoran, of Tenable, stated corporations want to presume they’ve been compromised and act immediately.
The initially evident indicators of the flaw’s exploitation appeared in Minecraft, an on line video game massively well-liked with young children and owned by Microsoft. Meyers and safety professional Marcus Hutchins reported Minecraft users ended up now employing it to execute systems on the pcs of other users by pasting a brief information in a chat box.
Microsoft said it experienced issued a software update for Minecraft buyers. “Customers who use the resolve are protected,” it mentioned.
Researchers described discovering proof the vulnerability could be exploited in servers operate by organizations this sort of as Apple, Amazon, Twitter and Cloudflare.
Cloudflare’s Sullivan stated there we no indication his company’s servers experienced been compromised. Apple, Amazon and Twitter did not immediately react to requests for comment.


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Nairobi county government scooped four awards during this year’s Public Service Day.
This was for innovating the e-Jiji pay app that is lauded for the convenience in revenue collection.
The app was recognised for easing access to services and reduction of congestion and fraud especially in the payment of parking fees.
It emerged the best under the Customer Focus category and second runners up in Leveraging ICT for quality service delivery.
E-Jiji pay was also second runners-up in Overall Winners category and scooped the Cabinet Secretary award for the best stand.
The Ministry of Information won three awards in the event that was held on Friday at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.
A total of 74 innovations were exhibited during the two-day fete.
The ministry emerged the winner in leveraging ICT for quality service delivery for its Ajira innovation.
The idea also won the best Youth and Marginalised Groups award.
The programme that connects Kenyan youth to online jobs, training and mentorship for income generating ventures also scooped the Overall Winners award.
"Jobs have been made available for freelancers every day through online outsourcing," the adjudicators said.
"The programme has the potential to make Kenya a choice labour destination both locally and internationally."
The National Treasury won the Partnership award for its M-Kiba retail bond issued via mobile phone.
The app which encourages saving and investment culture among Kenyans was lauded for opening up the bond market.
It was also hailed for increased customer base, sourcing funds for financing government infrastructure and promoting financial inclusion.
Kenyatta National Hospital was first runners up in the Youth and Marginalized category for its Kangoroo Mother Care programme.
The programme is an inexpensive substitute for incubators especially in rural areas where it offers higher survival rates for premature babies.
Kitale County referral hospital was second runners up in that category for using smartphones to screen and refer children with visual impairment for treatment.
The Adjudicator’s Award went to the ICT Authority for its Damu Sasa application.
The digital idea enhances efficiency in blood delivery services by interlinking hospitals’ blood banks.
Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development was first runners up in the partnership category for its Kenya Education Cloud.
The app offers access to quality approved learning content to teachers and students.
The Postal Corporation of Kenya was awarded first runners-up for its M-Post app that curbs loss of mail by notifying clients via phone whenever they have letters in their mailboxes.
Winners in all categories will travel to Rwanda between June 21-23 to participate in the African Public Service Day.
The continental event, that is held every two years, will bring together winners in every category from all African countries to showcase their best innovations.

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Saints Row IV
It has begun! The first E3 trailers are rolling in, and the bar is already set high. Deep Silver and Volition have delivered the latest for Saints Row IV.
In the latest trailer, we see more of the President than we probably need to as he awakens in the Zin simulation. As he fights his way out, we get a chance to see the rest of the cast in action (including two Shaundis). Of course, one of the biggest attractions, superpowers, are on hand as the Commander in Chief flies through the air with nothing to encumber him. Nothing.
You can check out the new trailer below. Saints Row IV arrives for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on August 20, 2013.


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The bright side is that since today RadioShack. 274 679 Radioshack Specs… has officially been purchased by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), giving the distressed company a brand-new lease on life. The disadvantage, at least for folks like us, is that there are no instant strategies to return the renowned electronics seller to its brick-and-mortar roots. As the name indicates, REV specializes in online retail, having actually previously revamped the Web presence of other bankrupt services such as Pier 1 Imports and Dressbarn.
While the press release does not outright prevent the possibility of brand-new physical RadioShack places, it’s clear that REV thinks the future of retail isn’t to be found in your local strip mall. As the US mulls further lockdowns in reaction to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s difficult to disagree. There will be millions of bored kids and grownups searching for something to do throughout the long winter season nights, and an electronic set or 2 shipped to their door might be just the important things.
REV says they prepare to relaunch the rather dated RadioShack website in the nick of time for the business’s 100th anniversary in 2021. Since this composing the website presently says that sales have been momentarily stopped to enable inventory restructuring, though it’s unclear if this is straight related to the buyout or not. Getting an accurate count of just how much merchandise the business still has on hand after shuttering the majority of their physical places in 2017 certainly seems like something the new owners would want to do.
We all know how that story ended.
RadioShack’s shambling remains were offered another shock of life today when they were purchased by another company that plans to relaunch the once-great seller as an online-focused brand.
The store’s remains were purchased by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a start-up founded in 2019 that’s been scooping up brand names from other faded retail giants too, including Pier 1, Modell’s Sporting Product, Dressbarn, and more. REV says RadioShack’s website currently has “strong existing sales and sales potential,” and the business is “positive” it can further raise awareness of the brand internationally.
REV claims it’s effectively turned around other business it’s introduced as online brands. The Wall Street Journal reported that Dressbarn more than doubled its profits between the very first and 2nd quarter of 2020.
RadioShack was founded in 1921 and became a retail staple in the ’80s and ’90s for anyone looking to grab tech basics. For a long time, that implied real radio parts, however ended up consisting of great deals of electronic toys (one Edge editor fondly remembers his Armatron) and eventually phones. Its fortunes decreased significantly as online shopping got here, and the business filed for personal bankruptcy twice in the past five years. RadioShack still licenses its name to third-party “licensed” shops and sells branded products within some areas of HobbyTown, a crafts seller– similar to how you can still discover “Sharper Image” products at Kohl’s even though that merchant shut its physical doors over a years earlier. REV didn’t state whether those RadioShack licenses would remain. 274 679 Radioshack Specs
REV says it will “quickly relaunch” RadioShack’s website. For those of you still clinging on to fond memories of the store, there’ll be a familiar enough place to go when you desire to buy expensive HDMI cables and knockoff headphones.


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Taking a look back at the week in news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit highlights a number of stories, including Samsung presenting their challenger to the iPhone 6, Motorola's potential champion waiting in the wings, IDC's market share numbers are good news for Android, HTC announcing their Creative Lab for creating software that will run on any Android device, Asus preparing to launch an Android Wear smartwatch, Facebook's Android permissions, and the success of Xiaomi's Mi3 handset in India.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the very many things that have happened around Android over the last seven days.
Samsung Pushes The Galaxy Alpha To The Front Lines Against Apple
It's an easy decision on what to lead with this week... Samsung's announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. With a metal chassis, it brings a new material to the Galaxy range, although the handset continues to use a plastic back cover and Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 to cover the screen. Specification wise the Alpha is at the very top end, with the Exynos 5 Octa 5430 powering the handset, alongside 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB on on-board storage.
It does feel like Samsung's counter to Apple's iPhone 6, launched just ahead of the competition so Samsung can say 'first' for many of the elements. Forbes' Gordon Kelly takes a look at the match up, but don't expect a declaration of a winner just yet. We need to see the iPhone 6 officially, and even then not everyone will tell you which phone to buy.
Motorola Prepare Some New X-Phones, G-Phones, And Smartwatches
Motorola has invited the world's tech press to Chicago for an event on September 4th. While the invites are coy about what will be on display, it is widely expected that the follow-up handset to the critically acclaimed Moto X will be announced. If you trust the rumors, the Moto X+1 will come with a quad-core Snapdragon processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, and run Android 4.4.4. This is Motorola's handset that will compete with the iPhone 6, the Galaxy Alpha, and a few more similarly specced flagships from other manufacturers.
It would not surprise me to see the Moto 360 Android Wear smartwatch given a release date at the event, and the debut of a mid-tier smartphone to follow up on the successful Moto G handset from last year.
Android Wear Is Good For Something, And Asus Is Joining The Party
Speaking of smartwatches and Android Wear, two items to highlight in the ongoing discussions. The first is a combative piece from Brooks Barnard on AndroidAndMe talking about Android Wear and what it is good for. After a year with a Pebble, and a month with the LG G Android Wear device, Barnard sets out the reasons why you should get a smartwatch in the future.
Secondly, Asus's CEO Jerry Shen has been speaking at an investor's conference and informed them that Asus is woking on an Android Wear device. It should be cheaper than the current watches on the market. That means we're looking at a sub $200 smartwatch, and a potential announcement at the Berlin IFA event in the first week of September.
Where's The Retail Competition For Android?
IDC's quarterly look at smartphone market share is good reading for Android fans. With 84.7% of the share from Q2 2014, Android is clearly the dominant partner in terms of volume (if you start looking at profits, usage, and other indicators, the story becomes less clear). With Apple's iOS on 11.7%, Android has just one (minor) competitor for volume. Microsoft (2.5%), BlackBerry (0.5%), and others (0.6%), are a long way back and it would be fair to say that Google's operating system has easily seen of Windows Phone and the other challengers. It's a two-horse race and if we're honest, the two horses are looking for different results - Android for the maximum market share and Apple for the mid and high-end share of sales.
Meanwhile Google's own data shows the latest version of Android (4.4) is now present on 20.9% of Android devices, although Android 4.x Jelly Bean remains the most popular, with 54.2% of the market.
HTC Ready To Release Software For Other Android Devices
Look deeper into the IDC figures, and it's clear that some manufacturers are struggling. HTC had early success with Android, but has struggled to maintain sales and critical acclaim until recently. It's interesting that the software differentiation that HTC has will now be available to other platforms, as the company announces the HTC Create Lab (reports Ina Fried for Re/Code).
The first product that will be available to install across the full range of Android devices will be 'Zoe', a video editing and compilation-making tool for people to share videos and media from their handset to the rest of the world. Expect Zoe to be available in the near future, and we'll cover it here on the Android Circuit.
Facebook Finally Asks For Permission
The issue of app permissions in Android has decided to pop up again, mostly around the perceived land-grab of permissions that Facebook's new messenger app ask for when it is installed. This is partly down to the nature of Android, which ask for permission for every feature in advance (unlike iOS which will ask only when permission is required thanks to a user interaction). Facebook has moved to address these concerns through their support pages, talking about how Android irks, what they ask for, and why they ask for it.
Almost all apps need certain permissions to run on Android, and we use these permissions to run features in the app. Keep in mind that Android controls the way the permissions are named, and the way they’re named doesn’t necessarily reflect the way the Messenger app and other apps use them.
First We'll Take China, Then We'll Take India...
Finally, Rahul Srinivas takes a look at Xiaomi's successful launch of the Mi3 in India. While many manufactures have had China pencilled in as the next growth market, the Chinese manufacturers have a solid grip on their home market. India was next on the list, but Xiaomi has created a huge buzz in the country already:
On the first day of the sale three weeks ago, Flipkart, the exclusive online retailer selling the Xiaomi MI3 crashed. The first sale lasted a tad under 40 minutes. The second? Two seconds – the recent third and fourth sales ended in less than three seconds. And why not? For a very affordable price of Rs.13,999 ($230) people were being sold a phone with specifications that could only be seen on a device that would cost at least Rs.10,000 ($164) more.
At some point Xiaomi is going to look towards the western markets. I hope everyone, from manufacturers and networks, to consumers and critics, are ready.
‘Android Circuit’ will round-up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!


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> Rogers Communications is delivering more recording capability with a Cisco-built 500 gigabit hard drive PVR that can store up to 62 hours of HD or 280 hours of SD programming. Rogers is making the unit available for $599. A smaller 160 GB version costs $499 and will be available for retail beginning this summer in Ontario. Story.
> System-on-a-Chip provider Sigma Design has reorganized into two strategic business groups--the Media Processor Business Group and the Home Connectivity Business Group--to consolidate a spate of recent acquisitions and better serve a customer base of set-top box manufacturers and consumer electronics companies. News release.
> Save the date. Time Warner Cable will report its quarterly earnings April 29 with analysts generally predicting pretty good results. Story.
> Figuring European cable operators are especially interested in fiber deep technologies like RFoG, RFPON and GEPON, Aurora Networks will let it all hang out at the ANGA Cable Show in Germany this year. Release
> Ad Systems has completed the first of six installations of its digital media and video communications technology for ad insertion and streaming video with Bulldog Cable TV in Conifer, Ga., covering 24,000 TV households in fourth counties in the Macon DMA. News release.
> This may seem like it's coming out of left field, but political analysis site On Media is reporting that Comcast is working with RightNetwork, an organization On Media labels "right wing" and whose mission is to "entertain, engage and enlighten Americans who are looking for content that reflects and reinforces their perspective and worldview." Whatever that may be, apparently. Story.


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McDonald’s is set to acquire Israeli digital startup Dynamic Yield in order to improve the fast-food chain’s customer experience, specifically at drive-thrus.
Although the specific terms were not officially disclosed, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the deal, that the agreement is worth $300 million.
The technology, according to the McDonald’s company, will “provide an even more personalized customer experience by varying outdoor digital Drive Thru menu displays to show food based on time of day, weather, current restaurant traffic and trending menu items. The decision technology can also instantly suggest and display additional items to a customer’s order based on their current selections.”
“Technology is a critical element of our Velocity Growth Plan, enhancing the experience for our customers by providing greater convenience on their terms,” said McDonald’s president and CEO Steve Easterbrook. “With this acquisition, we’re expanding both our ability to increase the role technology and data will play in our future, and the speed with which we’ll be able to implement our vision of creating more personalized experiences for our customers.”
“We started Dynamic Yield seven years ago with the premise that customer-centric brands must make personalization a core activity,” said its CEO, Liad Agmon. “We’re thrilled to be joining an iconic global brand such as McDonald’s and are excited to innovate in ways that have a real impact on people’s daily lives.”
The acquisition is McDonald’s largest since buying fast-casual restaurant chain Boston Market two decades ago.
There are 180 standard McDonald’s locations in Israel with more than 50 of them kosher eateries. The only kosher McDonald’s outside of Israel is in Buenos Aires.


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The number of young people who tried electronic cigarettes after never having smoked a conventional cigarette more than tripled between 2011and 2013—increasing from 79,000 to 263,000, a study released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
And those who smoked e-cigarettes were subsequently more likely to say they planned to use conventional tobacco products, says the study, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
“The data, which comes from the 2011, 2012, and 2013 National Youth Tobacco surveys of middle and high school students, show that youth who had never smoked conventional cigarettes but who used e-cigarettes were almost twice as likely to intend to smoke conventional cigarettes as those who had never used e-cigarettes,” the study says. “Among nonsmoking youth who had ever used e-cigarettes, 43.9 percent said they intended to smoke conventional cigarettes within the next year, compared with 21.5 percent of those who had never used e-cigarettes.”
Absent more restrictive federal regulations that apply to conventional tobacco products, many schools have taken their own steps to ban e-cigarettes, Education Week reported this month. From that story:
Thirty-eight states prohibit the sale of the product to minors, but e-cigarettes and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, aside from those marketed for therapeutic purposes, are unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A rule proposed by the FDA in April, if passed, would put such devices under the category of tobacco products, allowing them to be regulated as such. The comment period for the proposed rule ends Aug. 8."
Lawmakers have complained that the products, perceived by many as a way to quit smoking, are actually luring in new, young users through their marketing campaigns. That has led a group of Senate Democrats to call for greater regulation of the products’ marketing, Politics K-12 reported this month.
A version of this news article first appeared in the Rules for Engagement blog.


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Brinker International Inc.
shares fell 1% in Wednesday premarket trading after the restaurant company reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that missed expectations. Net income totaled $75.0 million, or $1.58 per share, after a loss of $49.2 million, or $1.20 per share, last year. Adjusted EPS of $1.68 was below the FactSet consensus for $1.72. Revenue of $1.009 billion was up from $563.2 million last year and just ahead of the FactSet consensus for $1.004 billion. Brinker got a boost from dining room and banquet sales, and sales from the It’s Just Wings digital brand. There was also an additional week during the most recent period. Comparable sales jumped 65.4%, below the FactSet consensus for 67.8% growth. Chili’s comparable sales grew 59.8% and Maggiano’s soared 147.9%. Brinker stock has tumbled 10% for the year to date while the S&P 500 index
has gained 18.4% for 2021 so far.
View more information: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/chilis-parent-brinker-international-reports-earnings-miss-2021-08-18


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NIGERIA: COMPANIES MISS DEADLINE FOR NITEL SALE
A consortium has missed a deadline for a $750 million down payment to purchase Nigeria's struggling state-run telephone company (NITEL).
Usman Gumi -- the managing director of the Nigerian company GiCell and a member of the New Generation Telecommunications Consortium asked for an additional 30 days to put up the money.
The consortium had bid $2.5 billion to buy the failing Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd., known locally as Nitel.
Nitel, in principle, provides landline telephone service in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with 150 million residents. However, the state company's telephones now rarely work.
Attempts to privatize Nitel have failed in the past.


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- Report: DACA recipients increasingly being denied federal housing loans Friday 3:54 PM
- Chris Christie is finally getting praise—for turning down Donald Trump Friday 3:39 PM
- Net neutrality died last year. But the fight’s just begun Friday 1:18 PM
- Kim Kierkegaardashian creator says popular Twitter account ‘speaks to the duality in all of us’ Friday 1:02 PM
- Facebook admits that 6.8 million users’ private photos were exposed Friday 12:55 PM
- YouTube reviewer heads to homeless shelter to critique the food Friday 12:46 PM
- Viral video shows Brooklyn woman’s racist tirade and violent attack Friday 12:38 PM
- 7-year-old migrant girl dies in Border Patrol custody Friday 11:31 AM
- People are losing it after hearing the end of Ariana Grande’s new song ‘Imagine’ Friday 11:28 AM
- Failed Green party candidate was secretly behind this popular QAnon account Friday 11:05 AM
- Dude gets dunked on for claiming Keira Knightley’s ‘six pack’ makes her trans Friday 10:52 AM
- A theoretical tax on Bud Light has infuriated conservatives Friday 10:10 AM
- Tumblr is back on the iOS App Store as NSFW content ban looms Friday 10:10 AM
- Here’s why YouTube deleted 58 million videos and a ton of accounts Friday 9:43 AM
- The 25 worst passwords of 2018 Friday 9:27 AM
The company will be opening two clinics in Santa Clara, California.
Apple is known as a hardware and software maker, but it will soon embark on an entirely new role: healthcare provider. In an effort to provide the “world’s best health care experience,” Apple is planning to launch a series of healthcare clinics for its employees, CNBC reports.
The clinics are called AC Wellness, and Apple is opening its first two clinics in Santa Clara County, California. One will be located at its new Apple Park headquarters, the other will be slightly north of its Cupertino campus. The endeavor will include a primary care group as well as a fitness coach, care navigator, and a phlebotomist for handling on-site lab work. According to job listings for the new medical network, AC Wellness will also add a couple more unique roles to the mix: a population health designer and clinical program design lead. These individuals will help build and implement disease prevention programs for Apple staffers, as well as programs to generally promote healthy habits.
Apple isn’t the first to venture into this realm. Amazon partnered with Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan to develop a cost-effective way to improve employee healthcare for the companies’ combined 1 million employees. The health plan will reportedly be “free from profit-making incentives and constraints,” according to Bloomberg. The plan also promises to provide transparent clinic visit and lab test costs and to give patients the ability to directly purchase any necessary medical equipment themselves.
It’s feasible that Apple’s healthcare clinics would implement similar measures, although Apple didn’t offer comment for CNBC’s report.
Apple has made it clear that it is interested in the health tech space—specifically in seeing if devices like the Apple Watch can be useful as medical diagnostic tools. In trials with health startup Cardiogram and the University of California, San Francisco, Apple’s smartwatch was able to successfully identify users with sleep apnea and hypertension. It was also successful in identifying atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat condition that can be an early warning sign of stroke.
Between monitoring health stats on an Apple Watch, keeping track of your data in iOS’ Health app, and now its healthcare clinics, Apple will be in a unique position to test out modern preventative care, helping its employees to stay healthy and potentially cutting back on costs in an extremely costly industry.
Christina Bonnington is a tech reporter who specializes in consumer gadgets, apps, and the trends shaping the technology industry. Her work has also appeared in Gizmodo, Wired, Refinery29, Slate, Bicycling, and Outside Magazine. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and has a background in electrical engineering.


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This publication features lifestyle stories around cannabis use and experiences, including emerging trends in wellness, travel, food and drink, pop culture, and cannabis-related brands.
ECentralSports targets the emerging premium
on-trend esports and egaming market.
Unparalleled esports and egaming content that speaks to key consumers about trends, news, lifestyle and happenings in the $150 billion market.
Established as the news, lifestyle, and entertainment weekly in Vancouver for 50 years, the Georgia Straight is an integral part of the active urban West Coast lifestyle with over 1.081 million readers per week.
The story of the north Toronto tunnel.
Mar 04, 2015
If the Ikea monkey had shown up in todays Stephen Harper-fuelled, terror-crazed environment, the paranoia-pushing PM would have tried to.
Mar 03, 2015
Police say they've cracked the case of the "mystery tunnel." But the explanation behind it is still pretty weird.The Toronto.
Mar 02, 2015
Underground chamber was sophisticated and secret, but cops don't know what it was for
Feb 24, 2015


text: A sales assistant, who allegedly refused to show a handbag and told her that it was "too expensive" for her, said that the media mogul's story about what happened in the luxury Zurich boutique was "absurd." "This is not true. This is absurd. I would never say something like that to a customer. Really never. Good manners and politeness are the Alpha and the Omega in this business," the sales assistant told Switzerland's SonntagsBlick newspaper Sunday, August 11, according to Daily Mail.


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I’m starting Crowd BioVentures because I think crowdfunding can revolutionize biotech startup fundraising and ultimately get more early stage companies the seed money they need to succeed. Getting early stage companies money is a crucial step towards better care in the clinic, but unfortunately angels and VCs have begun to neglect seed funding in the biotech sphere. I can’t blame them. Major biotech/pharma companies now pay huge premiums for startup intellectual property. As such, investors can get quick money by funding late-stage companies that are ready to sell their product to Pfizer, GSK, Invitrogen, etc.
Even though there’s a crunch on funding for early stage biotechs because of this trend, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing: enter crowdfunding. Alina Dizik at Art of the Startup wrote an excellent summary on the advantages crowdfunding offers startups compared to traditional funding sources like venture capital. Briefly, crowdfunding gives startups 1) a pre-revenue proof of concept 2) early customer feedback by engaged users 3) sales and marketing insight 4) market size data 5) incentive to get organized early on and 6) new ideas for future projects. I highly suggest you check out the full post; it’s worth a read.
There’s no doubt crowdfunding offers some advantages to fundraising from angels or VCs. What surprises me is how unimaginative traditional investors have been in their reaction to the crowdfunding craze. To be sure, VCs have some real questions to answer about their role and rate of return–especially given that so many actually lose money. But that doesn’t mean the VC biz is dead like Fred Wilson seems to think. Here’s his scathing forecast for VCs:
This is, I think bad news for the venture capital industry, but terrific news for the entrepreneurs…it’s been an inexorable march from an industry that was very much skewed towards institutional VCs to an industry very much in favor of the entrepreneurs and it’s just going to get more and more and more that way.
Check out the full story on GigaOm. Wilson’s conclusion is that VCs will likely end up blogging, filling advisory boards, and contributing large portions of capital to crowdfunding campaigns. Wow. The end of the VC as we know it? I don’t think so. In fact, I think crowdfunding will help VCs make more money. Right now, venture capital as a whole underperforms public markets, but ultimately crowdfunding will change that. Startups will raise small sums of seed money (up to $1 million/year under the JOBS Act) to get their proof of concept, market data, etc., and eventually they’ll turn to traditional VCs for future rounds of funding. While VC firms would no longer be necessary for series A, they’ll be crucial for expansion! The really exciting news for VCs is that they’ll get more mature companies looking for money: no more losing millions on the next high profile failure like Color (you know, that app that lets you share photos with people around you? No? Hm. It got $40 million from VCs). Startups will be able to approach VCs with more specific goals in mind instead of a makeshift app that may or may not have a real market. This is huge, and I expect VCs will see a massive increase in their rate of return as a result of vetting by the crowd early on.
Another important point to make is that crowdfunding platforms will make it easier for VCs to hold a large, fully diversified portfolio of startup companies. Wilson, of course, mentioned this possibility, but it’s ripe for more discussion. By owning smaller portions of hundreds of companies, VCs and angels can increase the likelihood that they’ll get massive returns from rare runaway success stories (think Facebook–$10k of early investment would now make you a multi-millionaire). While a situation like this is rare, having a diversified portfolio would let VCs stay in the seed funding game (losses from unsuccessful startups won’t hurt so bad) and support startups they’d like to see succeed and eventually work with to expand. A supporting role like this could be enormously significant for crowdfunding campaigns (“$20k pledge from Union Square” is great advertising), and VCs can extend this support with relatively little risk!
While I think VCs will soon become startup expansion specialists rather than maintaining their current role, there’s no doubt in my mind all of this will be good for both startups and traditional investors. Crowdfunding has the potential to be revolutionary. VCs like Fred Wilson have already realized this, but I think they’re failing to see the positive side for their own business. Crowdfunding will help their bottom line even if they’re no longer superstar entrepreneur scouts. Assuming funding portals arrange the right regulatory environment alongside the SEC, crowdfunding could become the new stock market and prove itself a legitimate investment option. The coming months will be critical to establishing legitimacy for crowdfunding portals. It’ll be very interesting to see how the story unfolds…


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Saturday, June 30, 2012
By Manoj Kumawat
Diesel price hike imminent to contain rising fiscal deficit
The car industry is highly banking on diesel cars, Honda is bringing diesel Honda Brio, Honda City and Honda Jazz in India and Maruti is focusing on diesel cars production while Tata and Toyota have cut down the production of petrol cars. Amidst such as bright prospect for diesel cars in purview, the bulging fiscal deficit could play a spoilsport for the car industry in India and following it, the government could think of cutting the subsidy on diesel. Resultantly, the diesel price will increase directly impacting diesel car sales. However, the impact on diesel cars in India sales will be less as people have paid as high as Rs 76 for petrol and they can easily pay some Rs 5 extra per litre on diesel. Still there will be a big gap between the petrol and diesel prices.
Now that there are diesel cars lined up for India and every car maker is stressing on diesel cars, the government foresees that the consumption of the subsidized diesel by cars in India will also increase subsequently. Thus sensing this, it is thinking of decreasing the subsidy on diesel that will increase the price of diesel initially by Rs 3 to Rs 5. Besides diesel, the government could also think of reducing subsidies on LPG and fertilizers. Till recently, there was an uproar regarding the special tax on diesel cars being contemplated by the government. But that has received severe censure by the car makers specially Mahindra that is a prominent diesel car maker in India.
In the meantime, car companies are preparing for diesel car launches and the latest launch will be that of Renault Duster SUV. With a mileage of over 20 kmpl on diesel, the Duster SUV by Renault is expected to take away all the worries even if there is an increase in the price of diesel in the near future. Expected to have a price tag of around Rs 7 lakh to Rs 8 lakh, the SUV Duster will be available in diesel and petrol models. The Duster launch is scheduled on July 4.


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More than 11,000 marijuana plants have been seized by Kern County sheriff's deputies in a raid on two clandestine growing sites in the Mill Creek Mountain area northeast of Bakersfield.
The Sheriff's Office says the department's major violator unit and a SWAT team served a search warrant Wednesday on the rural area near Highway 178.
Three people working in the area fled, but one was captured and booked for investigation of growing and possessing marijuana for sale.
Nearly 5,700 plants were removed from one garden and nearly 5,500 were seized at the other garden. A helicopter hoisted the contraband plants out of the area so they could be destroyed.
Love For Thanksgiving feeds over 64,000 people
Love for Thanksgiving is the largest single feeding event in Kern County, and many would say it is one of the largest in the country.
Mission expected to feed nearly 500 people today
Volunteers with the Mission at Kern County are prepping to feed nearly 500 people this Thanksgiving.
Retail stores prepare for holiday shoppers
Black Friday and Thanksgiving are about to collide head on as most stores plan to kick-off holiday sales early by opening their doors on…
Monitoring speeding near dance studio
Police monitored drivers passing through what some say is a hot spot for speeding downtown Bakersfield.


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With the Camp Fire still raging in Northern California and winds pushing smoke south, San Francisco has the worst air quality in the world as of Thursday, according to IQAir’s world air quality and pollution city rankings. Many people are wearing face masks to keep the smoke and ash out of their lungs as they go about their lives.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) provides a full explanation about how to choose and best use the correct mask to protect against wildfire smoke, and how often to replace your mask. CDPH recommends particulate respirators, and those masks will bear such ratings as N95 or P100.
Most Bay Area stores stocking masks have been running out almost as soon as new shipments arrive. So, for employees who can’t work from home, some companies are handing out face masks to help their workers breathe easier during their commute.
Web security company Cloudflare handed out masks in its San Francisco office.
Hazardous air quality is a public health issue, so it makes sense that companies focused on health and wellness are also helping employees, as well as the public, take extra precautions. San Francisco-based telemedicine company Doctor on Demand had masks on hand for employees this week. So did Carbon Health, a San Francisco startup that’s part virtual platform, part primary care clinic.
Greg Burrell, Carbon Health co-founder and vice president of clinical product, notes that since primary and urgent care is the company’s focus, it was important to have masks on hand for the staff. “We’re residents here too, and offering a working mask to our patients and our neighbors in this unhealthy air is such a small but effective way that we can help,” he says. “We know there were long lines at the hardware stores, and most are now sold out.”
Fire departments across the northern half of the state are giving away free face masks while supplies last. And some companies are also giving away free masks to the public as well.
Kelly-Moore Paint store locations all over Northern California are giving away free masks (limit five per family) while they last. You can find a complete list of participating locations here.
There’s also word that Starbucks has been giving free masks to patrons seeking refuge from the smog. Starbucks did not immediately respond to Fortune‘s request for confirmation and comment.


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Seedrs teams up with NatWest to offer alternative funding options
Seedrs has teamed up with NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to become part of the Capital Connections programme.
Through the programme, the crowdfunding platform will be joining a panel of funders to provide alternative finance solutions to business and commercial customers of NatWest and RBS in the UK who are unable to access the financial support they need through traditional funding routes.
Seedrs is currently the only equity-based finance provider on the panel, which features other finance providers such as iwoca, Assetz Capital, Funding Circle, Royal Bank of Scotland Social & Community Capital and Together.
Customers of NatWest and RBS will be able to have direct contact with funders that are part of the panel, and there will be no commission paid for referrals that are made by relationship managers.
According to Seedrs, the crowdfunding platform was selected by NatWest and RBS to join the panel because of the support that it has provided to early-stage businesses and businesses that are focused on growth.
Seedrs Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Jeff Lynn said that through the partnership, the crowdfunding platform looks forward to working with many more entrepreneurs with exciting growth-focused businesses across the UK to deliver the funding that they need from seed to Series A and beyond.
He added that it is encouraging to see a high street bank embracing fintech and recognising the importance of alternative finance for funding the start-up ecosystem in the UK.
The global pandemic has highlighted many heart-warming and positive stories of grit, resilience, kindness and collaboration from across the planet.…
In just a few months, COVID-19 has changed a number of sectors including tourism, healthcare and education. Each sector is…
All businesses benefit from having a structured approach to expenditure and resource allocation for meeting the company expenses. Proper cost…


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The United States Maritime Alliance, the employer group that negotiates the master contract with the International Longshoremen's Association, called the ILA’s planned work stoppage threat “disturbing.”
The terminal operator increased spending from $70 million to $200 million in preparation for ultra large containerships.
Matson President and CEO Matt Cox said the Honolulu-based shipping company had “exceptional” results for the full year of 2015, while fourth quarter 2016 results were hindered by the increase in bunker fuel prices from mid-November through December.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
Total deal value and volume in the transportation and logistics industry for the full year in 2016 fell 31 percent and 6 percent, respectively, from the previous year, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Although the Malaysian ship owner reported lower profits and revenues for the third quarter of 2016 compared to a year prior, the company did have some notable accomplishments during the quarter.
The Bonn, Germany-based parcel carrier and logistics provider posted a third quarter 2016 net profit of 618 million euros, a significant increase from just EUR 49 million in third quarter 2015, even as revenues slipped 3.9 percent to EUR 13.9 billion.


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Paytm has announced that it is testing the Face Login feature for its Android users as an added layer of security. The company has revealed that the new feature is currently under various testing in the company’s Android Paytm Beta application.
The company has revealed that the feature has been tested with over 10,000 distinct faces and witnessed nearly 100 per cent accuracy. To achieve this, the app maps over 200 distinct parameters on the human face for high accuracy. Paytm says that the platform has witnessed multiple users giving away their account details to others and most of them are not comfortable in changing or resetting their password. However, with the Face Login feature, users can enrol their face to access their account.
“We consider the security of our user’s accounts to be of paramount importance. As a large number of users are linking their bank accounts on the app for instant money transfers & UPI, we feel that our users would appreciate the additional layer of security and ease that Face Login offers. Our tech team is currently working on enhancing our proprietary algorithms to make it more intuitive for users. This will make accessing Paytm account even simpler & faster; prevent phishing attacks and offer instant access on the go,” said, Deepak Abbot, Senior Vice President, Paytm.
Previously, the company announced its new foreign exchange services for money exchange of 20 top international currencies. The company will also offer multi-currency Forex card and cash. The service is currently live on the brand’s official website and it will be soon be launched on Android and iOS apps. The company claims that users can load up to $250,000 in a financial year into this card and can buy up to $3000 as currency notes.


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McDonald’s solves delivery problem: how to keep fries hot
The fast food giant sees the home delivery market as key to its future growth
McDonald’s Corp, which is counting on a new delivery service to fuel growth, thinks it’s solved the industry’s dreaded french-fry problem.
Fries are notorious for not traveling well – often arriving at the other end in a mushy, cold and unappetising state. But the food has become McDonald’s No. 1 delivery item since the company began offering the service through UberEats in the United States. And satisfaction rates are high, said Lucy Brady, the chain’s senior vice president and global chief strategy officer.
To ensure that fries can weather the journey, employees take pains to make certain they’re as hot and fresh as possible before being added to bags, she said. And they’re typically delivered within 30 minutes, helping prevent them from wilting en route.
“The first thing everyone was concerned about is: will the fries be hot and fresh?” Ms Brady said in an interview. But patrons are having a great experience, she said.
The stakes are high for McDonald’s to get it right. The company sees restaurant delivery as a $100 billion (Dh367bn) market that could help maintain growth in the US. Some investors have become concerned that McDonald’s expansion is flagging: shares of the fast-food giant dipped on Tuesday after its domestic sales failed to top Wall Street estimates.
McDonald’s has expanded its delivery service to more than 5,000 locations across the US after a small test in Florida last year. CEO Steve Easterbrook, who took the helm in 2015, is also looking to a new mobile app to help keep customers loyal.
The other top sellers for McDonald’s delivery service include Big Mac meals, double cheeseburgers and McChicken sandwiches.
Customers who order delivery food also are more likely to tack on desserts, Ms Brady said. Items like McFlurries – another thing that desperately needs to be delivered quickly – have helped make the average bill as much as twice as big as in-store orders. UberEats also charges a booking fee, typically about $5, that can vary by location.
Another quirk of delivery customers: they’re more likely to order McDonald’s for dinner. About 60 per cent of delivery is 4pm or later – higher than in its restaurants.
Updated: February 1, 2018 10:30 AM


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Salmonella contamination can grow on blueberries – unlike strawberries – when harvested at or near full ripeness and cooled at retail display temperatures, a study by University of Florida researchers finds.
The study in July"s Journal of Food Protection compares the fate of salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on bruised and intact surfaces of both berries at shipping as well as retail temperatures.
It finds E. coli populations decline at both temperatures, roughly equal to 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit for shipping and 60 for retail.
The same holds true of strawberries inoculated with salmonella. But on blueberries the pathogen, after an initial decline, grew back to levels near or above initial amounts over a seven-day period.
The study found no significant difference between bruised and intact surfaces or between two maturity levels. Ripe fruit is more vulnerable to bruising during harvest and transport.
The strawberries were subjected to modified atmospheres. Those did not affect the behavior of E. coli O157:H7 and salmonella on contaminated strawberries at either temperature, according to the researchers.
The study authors are Michelle Danyluk, Loretta Friedrich and Thao Nguyen of the university"s Citrus Research and Education Center.


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Bazillions o’ Bottle Caps Littering our Oceans
Bottle caps are consistently listed in the top five types of plastic litter on beaches and are also in the top five items considered harmful to marine life....
Sustainable Hair Care
Ingredients aside, one of the biggest ways the beauty industry harms the environment is through its hard to recycle plastic packaging. Oftentimes, made from mixed plastics, these containers are not recyclable and find their way into landfills or waterways. "In 2018, in the U.S. alone, almost 7.9 billion units of rigid plastic were created just for beauty and personal care products. And the problem is set to get worse." -Plastic Pollution Coalition.


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The African Growth and Opportunity Act - a trade provision that allows thousands of products from African countries to enter the U.S. tax-free - is due to expire in September. While the U.S. Senate has recently passed legislation to extend the Act for another 10 years, it still has to go through the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, many say the program has only benefited a few sub-Saharan African countries and needs some revisions. Mariama Diallo reports.
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Mar 28, 2022 (Penny Stocks via COMTEX) -- You might've heard something about this year's Academy Awards, and it had little to do with the awards. In tense moments following a Chris Rock joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, husband Will Smith walked up on the Oscars stage and slapped Rock across the face. While Rock didn't move forward with charges, the Will Smith slap at the Oscars is captivating headlines.
So, why not find some stocks that are "slapping" traders in the face (in a good way)?
Today we're taking the topic of popular penny stocks on Reddit and turning it into a new category: Penny Stocks That Slap. The focus will be on social sentiment and market momentum heavily fueled by retail speculation.
Reddit Penny Stocks To Watch
Mullen Automotive Inc. ( NASDAQ: MULN )
DatChat Inc. ( NASDAQ: DATS )
WiMi Hologram Cloud Inc. ( NASDAQ: WIMI )
Bitfarms Ltd. ( NASDAQ: BITF )
Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation ( NASDAQ: HYMC )
Penny Stocks to Buy Now
Penny stocks are some of the most volatile, and as a result, they can return some of the most significant gains in short periods. It's important to understand that when you're discussing any stock fueled by retail speculation, the big market swings can happen within moments. If you're looking for the best penny stocks to buy now and using social sentiment as a guide, keep that in mind. Here are a handful of penny stocks growing in popularity among retail traders this week. (note:none of them slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars).
One of the most popular meme stocks of the month has been Mullen Automotive. Thanks to upbeat sentiment in the EV space, in addition to the excitement for things like short squeeze penny stocks and stocks with unusual options activity , MULN shares are benefiting from multiple trends. However, the latest saw shares pulling back for the better part of the last week thanks to a mix of profit-taking and market uncertainty.
This week, however, bullishness on EV stocks, thanks to a proposed Tesla ( NASDAQ: TSLA ) stock split, Mullen, and other industry names are rising. What's more, the company has also released another update that has stuck with traders. It's expecting to report in excess of $65 million in cash and cash equivalents when it files its quarterly update. Commenting on the milestone, David Michery, CEO and chairman of Mullen Automotive, explained, "With the financing we received, we now have more than enough capital to execute on our commitments for 2022, including the start of the Mullen FIVE EV Crossover program and continued development on the Mullen ONE EV Cargo Van program. The Company's balance sheet is the strongest it has ever been in our history."
With its Mullen ONE coming to market next quarter, MULN stock could remain a focus of traders during the first half of the year.
This week, the popular social media and encrypted messaging app company, DatChat is back in the spotlight. The company gained meme stock status during the second half of 2021, shortly after making its public debut. Via deals with notable names, including BarStool, DatChat's platform has been introduced to the masses, but for 2022, that hasn't necessarily resonated with the market (so far).
This week, however, things a more upbeat. DatChat reported that it's launching metaverse advertising and an NFT monetization platform. Its VenVūū brand will become the lead on this initiative. DatChat CEO Darin Myman explained, "Each VenVūū Dynamic NFT is a unique NFT like owning your own multi-media outlet that you own and control in 'Your World'. Not only will this create unique opportunities for supporters of DatChat, but will also be a significant contributor to our Company's ability to grow our top-line."
Since minting on the platform begins next month, anticipation has already started building. In addition, you've also got prospects of expanding into other media formats for advertising, including 3D images, virtual product placements, and wearables that DatChat says could come later this year.


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How much does your dog's harness do to keep it safe in the car? Not much, according to a recent study.
In the Subaru-sponsored study by the Center for Pet Safety, researchers tested harnesses that claimed "testing," "crash testing" and "crash protection" on the packaging and what they found is more-than-a-little unsettling for dog owners.
All but one of the eleven harness brands that claimed testing had performance flaws, the study found — and three brands showed "catastrophic failures," where stuffed test dogs became in-vehicle projectiles that could strike vehicle surfaces or even other passengers, two-legged or four-legged.
For their tests, the researchers created three plush test dogs — one small (25 pounds), one medium (45 pounds) and one large (75 pounds) — to mimic real-life dogs. From there, they performed crash-testing and evaluated which harnesses kept Rover safe and which put him at risk of being injured.
The Sleepypod Clickit Dog Harness, which costs $89.99, was deemed the top performer in the test. It was the only harness that let the test dog stay on the seat for all three weight classifications.
The $30 IMMI Petbuckle, on the other hand, exhibited catastrophic failures for both small and large dogs in the study. (The IMMI doesn't come in a "medium" size, so a medium-sized dog was not tested in it.) The Kurgo Tru-Fit Enhanced Strength harness, the Bergan Dog Auto Harness and the RC Pet Harness also all exhibited catastrophic failures in at least one weight class.
Other than the Sleepypod harness, all harnesses were deemed "not optimal." The reasons: tethers long enough for a dog to strike the roof, over-rotation that could lead to spinal injuries or hardware integrity issues.
Check out some footage of the testing here:


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Tech stocks mostly rose in early trading Tuesday, with Apple Inc.
and Microsoft Corp.
Among the advancers. Both tech bellwethers are scheduled to report quarterly results after the close of trading. Printing-technology company Lexmark International Inc.
rose more than 5% to $49.57 a share after it reported second-quarter results that exceeded expectations. Netflix Inc.
however, fell almost 5% to $429.50 a share on concerns about rising expenses at it expands its online video-streaming service into more European countries. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index
rose 19 points to 4,443.


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Alibaba’s Tmall Global now features goods from 14,500 overseas brands, 80% of them selling in China for the first time.
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Office Depot is still working to zero in on what, from the customer`s perspective, will be the best uses for web-enabled kiosks. But Maffitt notes that kiosks in stores are a trend to watch, citing a retailer where kiosks print out products in a gift registry and a map of the store and kiosks in Starbucks that expand the cafe`s offerings by letting shoppers buy music CDs.
The 3-phase multi-channel approach
Coordinating the Web Experience and the Store Experience
Mark Duff, director, Multi-Channel Programs, REI
Consumer cooperative and retailer REI launched REI.com in 1996, and has striven since to stay a step ahead of fast-evolving consumer expectations in its web execution. Today, that means tightening up multi-channel integration. "It`s not a game you get to choose to play," said Duff. "This is the new retail baseline."
Duff said REI has yet to completely nail the cross-channel experience, noting that it`s a moving target. However, it`s broken the effort into three phases. Phase one is consistency among channels in pricing, product information, brand presentation and customer service policies. "When you can`t be completely consistent, let the customers know why," he said.
Phase two is leveraging channel-specific strengths across other channels. "Each channel brings something different to the game," he said. Leveraging the advantages of each for the other channels at REI includes initiatives such as web-enabling contact center phone agents, expanding live help on the web and giving each store its own web page under REI.com`s store locator feature. Soon, added Duff, each store will post its own content to its page.
Phase three is blending different capacities of channels to create packaged experiences. In such a scenario, for example, a customer interested in snowshoeing might read an article about it on the site, call an REI agent to discuss equipment, learn from the agent that the local REI store is sponsoring a snowshoeing clinic, then go back to the web site to register for the clinic. After attending the clinic, the customer could get a one-day coupon for purchases online or in the store. Such packaged experiences represent "the next level of elegance in multi-channel retailing," Duff said.
Operations: Fulfillment, e-Payments and Customer Service
The fraud fighters
Taking Charge of Online Chargebacks
Maurice Nicholson, director, payment management, Columbia House
Jeff Foster, executive vice president, Retail Decisions
Mike Yakel, vice president, emerging products, Visa USA
How well an online retailer manages chargebacks and fraud can aid customer retention and help build profits, Jeff Foster, executive vice president at Retail Decisions, told the conference. "There are a lot of things in common between customer service and customer care and the transactions that you determine you`re going to accept or deny," Foster said. "And there`s a lot of customer care involved in how you manage chargebacks."
For instance, online retailers must use different procedures in reviewing international transactions from what they use with U.S. transactions, said Mike Yakel, vice president of Visa USA. "There is a different risk metric with non-U.S. transactions," in part because some of the risk tools aren`t available outside the U.S., he said.
But going overboard with anti-fraud measures on international transactions can mean missed sales, Foster said. "If you`re turning away 15% of your international business and we know that only 2% or 3% in a worst case is actual fraud, that`s an opportunity to increase your business simply by changing the way you attempt to prevent fraud," he said.
Automating chargeback resolution and fraud prevention also can generate more profits for a retailer, said Maurice Nicholson, director of payment management at Columbia House. When he joined Columbia House in December 2003, the company was paying card company fines of $20,000 a month for excessive chargebacks, Nicholson said.
But once it automated fraud review, chargeback rates dropped. "We fundamentally changed the economics of our credit card customers," making them more profitable, Nicholson said.
Two Approaches to Outsourcing Fulfillment
Steve Craig, CTO, ShopNBC.com
Anne Kelly, president, Junonia
Outsourcing fulfillment can help an online retailer cut costs but it also can lead to customer-service and quality control problems. "With drop shipping, you gain a great deal of capital freedom," said Steve Craig, CTO of ShopNBC.com. "If you don`t sell anything, you have no sunken costs." ShopNBC, a subsidiary of ValueVision, drop ships about 20% of its goods.
Outsourcing fulfillment also enables retailers to focus on marketing rather than operations, said Anne Kelly, president of Junonia, online retailer of plus size women`s apparel. Junonia began outsourcing fulfillment in 2001. "We create products and we market them to our customers," she said. "For us, it was really important to focus on what we did well."
But outsourcing also has a downside. "The difficulty is how to maintain quality at a distance," Kelly said. Retailers can test quality control by performing test orders, Craig said. They also need to question fulfillment centers upfront about their ability to ship different size items, for example, treadmills or mattresses, he said.
Retailers also shouldn`t underestimate the costs of moving to third party fulfillment. "You can assume that every time you make a change to your fulfillment, it`s going to get messed up," Kelly said. "You should count on losing at least half a month`s revenue."
What`s more, outsourcing fulfillment can lead to a lesser margin. "If you`re not willing to take inventory risk on a large buy, you`re not going to derive as high a margin as you would if you took receipt of those goods," Craig said.
Selecting a delivery service
Delivery Options: Finding the Most Expedient Order Delivery Service
Beth Enslow, VP, enterprise research, Aberdeen Group
Alison Castle, vice president, operations, eToys


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Mayfield Dairy was awarded four Best of Show Governor’s Trophies in the Dairy ComMayfieldition at the 2013 Tennessee State Fair— an event hosted and sponsored by the Tennessee Dairy Products Association.
The dairy products comMayfieldition has become an annual tradition at the Tennessee State Fair. Each year, dairy producers throughout the state come together at the state fair and comMayfielde in one of nine categories where products are judged on criteria based on taste, body and texture. This year, Mayfield Dairy received Governor’s Trophy for each of the following products:
- Reduced Fat Buttermilk
- TruMoo Whole Chocolate Milk
- Cottage Cheese
- Butter Pecan Premium Ice Cream
These awards come in addition to Mayfield recently being recognized by Cooking Light Magazine for having the best tasting ice cream sandwich in the country.
Mayfield received the 2013 Grand Prize in the ice cream sandwich category in the national publication’s fourth annual Taste Test Awards (also known as “The Tasties”). These annual awards name the best-tasting and healthiest grocery store products from across the country in 20 categories, which are also featured in the October issue of Cooking Light.
“Winning these prestigious awards is a mark of pride for Mayfield Dairy and builds upon our legacy of making award winning dairy products that exceed customers' expectations in both taste and quality,” said Scottie Mayfield, president emeritus with Mayfield Dairy. “We take great pride in receiving these honors because they represent the hard work and continued dedication to excellence that our employees have each and every day."


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PARIS, July 26 – French auto group Renault reported a profit plunge on Friday owing to charges for halting its activities in Iran and for restructuring in France.
The group reported a net profit for the first six months of the year of 39 million euros ($52 million) compared with 746 million euros at the same time last year.
The exceptional charges helped to push the operating result to a loss of 249 million euros from a profit of 519 million euros last time.
But sales rose by 2.4 percent to 20.4 billion euros, the group said in a statement, and it stood by its outlook for the full year despite what it termed a “tougher environment than expected.”
The company took a charge this year of 512 million euros for its activities in Iran which have been hit by a hardening since July 1 of international sanctions which now include the auto sector.
Finance director Dominique Thormann told a press conference that “there is an effective halt to activity” in this country.
Renault is the second biggest French auto group after struggling PSA Peugeot Citroen which early last year interrupted its activities in Iran.


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It’s no secret that, when it comes to dining in the burbs, Bergen County restaurants have been impressing for a while now, filled with a mix of longstanding stalwarts, trendy hot spots, and excellent ethnic eats. And the food scene is only getting better. Here’s the scoop on five soon-to-be-open spots to keep on your resto radar.
This is a big one. Culinary star David Burke is joining forces with fellow veteran chef Ricardo Cardona (best known for NYC’s Sofrito), to cook up Cuban-Asian-American fusion cuisine inside what looks to be a stunning 7,000-square-foot space at residential development The Modern in Fort Lee. The last reports had the place opening its doors in the fall of 2018 and we’re still waiting, but last month the place put a call out for staffers on Facebook and we've seen the exterior structure coming together so we’re hoping it’s coming soon ...
We’ve become big fans of the talented Robbie Felice, executive chef and owner of Wayne’s rustic-Italian eatery Viaggio, where he focuses on farm-to-table fare, makes his own in-house charcuterie and fresh pastas, butchers his own meats and even dry-ages steaks. (And he’s only 28!) So, we’re super excited about his next venture, the 83-seat Osteria Crescendo set to open by late March in Downtown Westwood. The place will have a much more modern feel and will also offer large-format entrees for group dining fun along with a bar serving up cicchetti, Italian snacks and small plates, and a beverage program focused on both traditional and custom Italian cocktails.
Poke is one the hottest fast-casual trends in the country so it’s no surprise somebody’s opening a new shop that’ll be doling out Hawaii’s beloved raw-fish-and-rice dish to Ridgewood residents. Details are sparse, but the sign’s already up outside the former Red Mango space. And if it’s a healthy, quick, and local option, we already know we’re in.
Mamere French Bistro
If you’ve ever been to Paris, you know that absolutely amazing (not to mention super sexy) French brasseries are on just about every corner. Around here? Not so much. That’s about to change when the chef Thomas Ciszak and wife Evelyn, owners of Paramus’s innovative Chakra open Brasserie Memere at Closter Plaza. He’ll helm the kitchen and she’ll serve as GM and run the bar program. The idea is to make it an approachable everyday brasserie with classic French fare, which sounds pretty perfect to us. Look for it to open this Spring.
You guys, Fairy Tale Forest is coming back! For real! After a 14-year-closure the kitschy theme park we frequented as kids with those whimsical handmade sculptures will be reopened after a major restoration by the original owners’ granddaughter. And bonus: The venue will be opening an onsite eatery called Fables. No Hansel & Gretel hot dogs here. The place will offer upscale fare created by chef Christine Nunn of Ridgewood’s Picnic on the Square. The plan is to have it up and running by spring but setbacks seem to plague this place so don’t get your kids’ hopes up yet ...


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Here is some good news today for those of you who love Samsung’s Messages app. Earlier this year, Samsung announced they would bring support for Google’s RCS-chat in Samsung Messages. As reported by XDA-Developers an update with Google’s RCS-chat in Samsung Messages is rolling out.
Google’s RCS-chat is essentially iMessage for Android. It allows users to easily share large files with better quality. It also shows when a user is currently typing as well as shows read receipts. Read receipts show when a message has been delivered and read by the receiving party.
Along with these features, messages that are sent via RCS are sent with blue bubbles instead of green. This may seem trivial but anyone who has been mocked for being a green bubble will understand why this may be.
Google’s RCS comes to Samsung Messages
Google has been a champion of using RCS for a long time. RCS allows for more features for the end-user to enjoy. Instead of having to send multiple long messages users can send one long message.
Text messages get confusing when a long message is broken down into multiple smaller ones. Especially, when those smaller ones arrive out of order. There is now end-to-end encryption as well which is very important.
Google along with the GSMA introduced the RCS universal profile so any carrier or OEM could easily implement it. Some carriers took longer than others to implement this. Google took a different approach and directly enabled RCS for users through its Android Messages app. This was perfect. Except for those who enjoy other messaging apps like Samsung’s.
Finally, though there is another option. Samsung sells millions of phones each year. Each phone they sell comes with Samsung Messages pre-installed. This will introduce millions of users to the benefits of RCS. Now with Google’s RCS in Samsung Messages, other OEMs may adopt the RCS universal profile in their messaging apps.
Unfortunately, as with a lot of good news, there are caveats. One caveat is Apple has not adopted Google’s universal profile. So, cross-platform messaging will be handled via SMS. Another caveat here is that Google’s RCS in Samsung Messages is still rolling out. It is not widely available just yet. With that said, some users will have this option available before others. Keep your eyes open and look for RCS support as the rollout continues. If you don’t have it already.


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Intel announces 22nm chip plans
Chip giant Intel unveils details of Knights Corner, designed for high performance computing.
Intel is set to launch a new 32-core processor designed with supercomputing in mind.
The company announced details of the chip at the International Supercomputing Conference in Germany this week, saying it will be based on its Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture and use its 22 nanometre manufacturing technique.
The MIC chips the first of which is codenamed Knights Corner will run alongside each other as co-processors in high performance computing (HPC) systems.
"While the vast majority of workloads will still run best on award-winning Intel Xeon processors, Intel MIC architecture will help accelerate select highly parallel applications," Intel said in a statement.
The company also confirmed the processor will involve some of the aspects of its dumped Larrabee graphics chip, as well as other Intel projects.
"Intel's Xeon processors, and now our new Intel Many Integrated Core architecture products, will further push the boundaries of science and discovery as Intel accelerates solutions to some of humanity's most challenging problems," said Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel's data centre group, in a statement. "The Intel MIC architecture will extend Intel's leading HPC products and solutions that are already in nearly 82 per cent of the world's top supercomputers."
A small number of developers have already got their hands on the new chip but the majority will have to wait until the second half of 2010 when Intel will increase its distribution.
At the other end of the scale, Intel also confirmed releases of new products in its low-powered Atom range.
During a keynote at the Computex conference in Taipei, David Perlmutter, executive vice president and co-general manager of the Architecture Group at Intel, confirmed the upcoming releases of its Moorestown chip for mobile devices, its in-car entertainment system and its smart TV project alongside Sony, Logitech and Google.
The company claimed the new Atom platform offers more than 50 per cent reduction in power consumption when devices are idle as well as improved performance.
"Intel believes the strength of the Atom franchise can help consumers realise the true potential for a common experience to enable the compute continuum," said Perlmutter."With platforms ranging from compact and portable netbooks, to Smart TV experiences and innovative tablet designs, Intel Architecture is driving innovative products based on a unique "port of choice" software strategy."
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2013 SRT Viper Production Begins, First Car Auctioned for Charity
In a ceremony at its Connor Avenue Assembly Plant, Chrysler celebrated the start of production of the 2013 SRT Viper. The very first customer car, with its VIN ending in 001, was also presented to owner Scott Thomas. He won the car after bidding $300,000 at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2012; the profits from that auction will benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.
During the ceremony, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne unveiled a plaque dedicated to former company group vice president Dan Knott. The plaque reads, "Today, we are a real car company again," a quote attributed to Knott when the 2013 SRT Viper program was confirmed. Knott, who died in 2012, was instrumental in the development of previous iterations of the (Dodge) Viper and led Chrysler's SRT operations from 2002 to 2009.
The Connor Avenue Assembly Plant built the Dodge Viper from 1992, but the factory was idled in 2010 when the sports car temporarily went out of production. But the location was re-opened to assemble the new 2013 SRT Viper. About 150 workers there hand-build approximately 12 cars each day. The new Viper has an 8.4-liter V-10 engine with 640 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. Pricing starts at $99,390 (after a $1995 destination charge).
Although the company is already building cars, the first 2013 SRT Viper coupes won't reach customers until February as they will first be subjected to "rigorous quality checks."


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Cedar Rapids, IA –-(Ammoland.com)- The new Expert Edge elk calling kit from Wayne Carlton’s Calls includes three patented Premium Flex Infinity Latex diaphragm calls – the Single Reed, Double Reed and the 2.5 Reed versions, allowing hunters to produce a wide range of bull and cow elk sounds.
The Expert Edge calling kit also includes an instructional DVD featuring elk calling legend Wayne Carlton, who gives tips on using diaphragm calls to bring in a trophy bull elk.
The Expert Edge calling kit sells for a suggested retail price of $9.99.
For more information about other Hunter’s Specialties products, log onto the Hunter’s Specialties website at www.hunterspec.com, write to 6000 Huntington Court NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402, or call a Consumer Service Specialist at 319-395-0321.
Hunter’s Specialties is the world’s largest manufacturer of hunting accessories and has been producing quality products since 1977. Hunter’s Specialties manufactures over 900 products.
Owners David and Carman Forbes, who live by the company motto “For Sportsmen, By Sportsmen,” started H.S. with just one product-No-Mar Camo Gun & Bow Tape. Visit: www.hunterspec.com


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We are on the first day of 2022; a year said to be a transition period for the Indian market and world economy.
Media reports suggest that we will see high liquidity easing off, the interest rate going up, and earnings growth improving in India (1).
Last year, India was lagging when it came to recovery. Hence we can expect mid-earning growth in the next three years, with domestic sectors like banking, industrial, real estate, and manufacturing being the major contributors. We can also expect low overall returns compared to earnings growth.
We are at the new economic cycle and expect positive GDP growth for India over the upcoming years to normalize back to the around 6.5% line growth rate.
It would be one of the significant growth in other large economies, with the whole investment cycle gradually picking up over the next three years. The exports are also doing well because of the strong global growth. We can expect it to continue thanks to China’s policies and various measures taken by the Indian government, including PLI schemes (Suggested Reading: Semiconductors PLI Scheme Gets Cabinet Nod; A Better Late Than Never Move for India).
Overall, the market still looks good for long-term investors, while some expected volatilities for short-term investors amid rising global interest rates and inflation. It can be transitory, and the market is already adjusting (2).
Here are three critical factors we believe will fuel the Indian market:
- Business and economic recovery as the pandemic winds down with the increased vaccination drive
- High liquidity in the global market with institutional investors pouring more money into the Indian market
- Intact fundamentals of the overall economy in India and more companies likely to enter equity markets
IPO Frenzy is Unlikely to Continue
There is no doubt that the IPO market was hot in India in 2021, and we saw a lot of new listings with huge retail participation. Many new-age tech companies went public, and the market is now grappling with how to value these companies as we continue to a lot of volatility in some of these tech companies (Suggested Reading: India Witnessed a Record-Breaking IPO Rush in 2021 and Set to Carry the Same into 2022).
Previously, most of these stocks were getting valued in the private market. Hence, the market and investors need to adjust to the right valuation with a learning curve.
For instance, the reception of Zomato shares was stellar, and they are up around 5.44% from their first launch on July 23; on the other hand, Paytm is down over 13% from its debut on November 18.
Another digital payments company, Mobikwik, has delayed its IPO after the disappointing start of Paytm (3). According to media reports, the scrutiny of fintech companies and their ability to make revenue and profits is on the rise.
However, according to Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha (4), there will be an appetite for future IPOs, and the bigger question is how these companies will fare in the long term. He further highlighted that many tech startups, including many that have gone public, are overvalued.
“Most of these companies are not profitable and don’t look like they will be profitable in the upcoming five years. Hence it is challenging to justify their valuation,” explained Kamath.
On the other hand, Sandeep Naik, Head of General Atlantic for India and Southeast Asia (5), believes that investors should separate a company’s valuation and its fundamentals when looking at any startup.
“In the last two years, we have seen a number of IPOs, and there are many more companies in the IPO pipeline. The way companies are coming out, we get a great validation that the global capital markets are looking at our country as one of the most attractive markets to invest in,” explained Naik.
Overall, it is likely that the euphoria in the IPO market we have seen will ease off. While we will continue to see new IPOs, investors will be more discerning about where they participate because we have seen both hits and misses in the past three months.
In short, the market will only look at companies with a steady business model and reasonable profits and valuations.
How Does 2022 Look for Indian Startups?
According to a CNBC report (6), Indian tech startups will continue to attract capital from both public and private markets in 2022 as they grow and mature.
In 2021, the Indian startup ecosystem saw a notable shift, with several high-profile startups debuting. These companies include Zomato, Paytm, and Policybazaar. The most awaited startups in the IPO pipeline for 2022 include Ola and Oyo.
Indian tech startups also minted a record amount of funds from VCs and private equity companies (Suggested Reading: How Can Indian Startups Emerge Stronger in 2022?).
As per a recent PwC India report (7), from July to September 2021, Indian startups made over $10.9 million in revenue. It’s more than double the funding received in Q3 of FY 2020 and up 41% over Q2 of FY 2021.
As of October, Indian entrepreneurs had raised a total of 28.5 billion dollars in fundraising, twice the amount raised in 2020 (11.3 billion dollars) and 2019 (13.1 billion dollars).
Seven hundred forty-five startups obtained VC foundations by the end of October 2021, compared to 698 startups in 2020 and above 763 in 2019.
According to Hurun Research Institute data (8), India has overtaken the United States and China as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.
We believe that the Indian startup ecosystem is ready to reach a new level in 2022, given the major surge in the number of prospective unicorns and more companies going public.
“Sequoia Capital India is very bullish on the Indian tech startups and their abilities to generate long-term value for stakeholders,” stated Managing Director of the venture firm, Rajan Anandan (9).
“The Indian tech ecosystem has validated that India can build large companies and build significant shareholder value. And with many promising IPOs lined up for 2022, we can expect this trend to continue,” added Anandan (10).
Even though startups are likely to continue to attract capital in 2022, the pace of fundraising and growth may slow down compared to last year.
According to Amit Anand, a founder partner at Jungle Ventures (11), “it is because there was a lot of stifling in 2020 around funding rounds that were scheduled to happen that year but were postponed because of the pandemic. The picture looks different if we take all the fundraising that has happened this year and spread that across the past two years.”
The picture still indicates India as a growing market. However, it also indicates a gradual, long-term growth instead of a one-off surge, explained Anand. For international investors like Jungle Ventures based in Singapore, India is a strategic market, and bets are generally made for the long term.
“It is because of the domestic investors and entrepreneurs that have built the entire ecosystem to a point where it can attract global capital because there are growth rates and business maturity,” said Anand.
In addition, the Indian market is also getting deeper, and the overall talent quality has also improved. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated digital adoption, which led to many startups growing at a much faster rate. And as long as these startups can show scale, funds will continue to follow, added Anand.
Yet, we believe that there are some headwinds that startups will have to overcome when it comes to raising capital and entering public markets. Those challenges include slow economic recovery and inflation pressure. There is also a need to navigate policy normalization from worldwide central banks such as the US Federal Reserve (12).
Indian Tech Industry Will Continue to Prevail in 2022
The year 2021 was driven by technologies like AI, ML, Cloud, among others who pioneered some of the most advanced tools and applications focused on accelerating worldwide economies. And amid all the industries worldwide, India has emerged as the global leader in adopting these advanced techs (13).
In fact, many tech experts believe that India will lead the global disruptive tech market in 2022 and beyond (14).
The Indian tech industry witnessed unprecedented growth over the past years, and even the subsectors witnessed massive growth. The tech industry witnessed a speedy growth in all markets, starting from ecommerce to cloud computing in 2021.
“We believe that the innovation and growth we witnessed last year will continue in 2022 and drive the overall IT industry forward. With more than 82% of the Indian enterprises prioritizing cloud investments this year, the industry is set for exponential growth,” believes Kumeet Bawa, MD, and President of SAP India (15).
Moreover, cloud technologies will keep on evolving as they incorporate and adapt to new developments like 5G (Suggested Reading: 5G Technology: Advantages, Facts, Concerns, and Myths). The advent of these new technologies will pace up the migration towards cloud platforms. Bawa also believes that sustainability will be another key factor as industries worldwide continue to embed in their businesses to address climate issues.
Businesses that rely on technologies with zero emissions, zero waste, and total inclusivity will win big in 2022 and upcoming years.
Furthermore, the Indian IT sector is also developing at a high growth rate, which contributes greatly to the country’s GDP.
Overall, the Indian tech industry is steadily proceeding towards disruptive technology and will continue to grow in 2022.
Five Trends Supercharging Indian Industries
Ever since Facebook changed its name to Meta, there has been an inexorable pull towards the metaverse. The amalgamation of metaverse and Web 3.0 has increased the possibility of a seamless merge of physical reality and virtual reality.
Many startups working with VR/AR technologies extend the concept to entertainment, gaming, tourism, health, and education. It will be thrilling to witness how large capital pools accelerate their adoption.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency
NFTs saw significant development last year and have emerged among the hottest sectors worldwide. Even though the possibility of using cryptocurrency instead of fiat money is still remote in India, blockchain technology is already being used to build many products, businesses, and services for banking and other mainstream markets (Suggested Reading: Web 3.0: Marking an End to Monopolistic Tech Giants?).
Vertical Ecommerce (VEC)
VEC platforms are specialized tech platforms for product groups where people can easily access products of their choice at competitive prices.
VECs are built on extreme specialization to offer their loyal customer bases exciting services. With Nykaa witnessing an outstanding market debut, the discussion around VEC has increased even further. And we expect to see more buzz around them in 2022.
As internet offerings become prominent in the mainstream market, financial services are embedded in every app we use. From micro-savings to BNPL, Buy Now Pay Later, to creator economy and payments for gaming, fintech is becoming a natural part of the internet.
Consolidation is common among big techs as they aim to raise more capital and take out their competitors. We saw it happening across several sectors, including health tech and edtech. And as IPOs become attainable goals for more tech startups, we see it inevitable in 2022.
In the fintech industry as well, with rising capital infusion, there is room for companies for rapid growth as winners compete for more market share. We expect players in every vertical and offer consolidated services to their consumers (16).
The year 2021 closed successful decade-long democratization of technology. It is a movement we need to cherish, and we look forward to seeing what 2022 and the years ahead hold for India.


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SAN FRANCISCO—Nvidia Corp.'s Tegra 2 mobile processor landed the key socket in media tablets announced at 2011 Mobile World Congress by LG Electronics Co. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
LG (Seoul, South Korea) Monday (Feb. 14) unveiled the LG Optimus Pad, featuring an 8.9-inch display and running version 3.0 of the Android operating system (also known as Honeycomb). According to LG, the Optimus Pad is the first tablet with a 3-D camera.
LG said the Optimus pad would begin shipping in March. The company did not disclose pricing for the product.
"With a flood of tablets hitting the market, we felt strongly that the LG Optimus Pad needed to set a new standard for what a tablet should be," said Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Co., in a statement.
Nvidia's Tegra 2 competes with applications processors from Texas Instruments Inc., Qualcomm Inc., Freescale Inc., Marvel Technology Group Ltd. and others in the red hot market. Dozens of tablet products are expected to be showcased this week at Mobile World Congress. Nvidia has previously racked up several tablet design wins, including the highly anticipated Motorola Xoom.
"The world of computing is shifting under our feet," said Phil Carmack, senior vice president of Nvidia's mobile business. “Tablets are quickly taking their place as our most personal computer, providing previously unimagined capabilities and full mobility."
On Sunday, Samsung unveiled Galaxy Tab 10.1, a Tegra 2-powered tablet with a 10.1-inch screen that also runs Android 3.0. Samsung's original Galaxy Tab, released last year, used Samsung's own Humming bird ARM-based processor.
"Our first Galaxy Tab successfully defined a new generation of Android tablets," said Hyungmoon Noh, vice president of Samsung's R&D strategy group, in a statement. "We've worked closely with Nvidia to raise the stakes again."
Noh said the Galaxy Tab 10.1 would provide an optimal entertainment and multimedia experience without compromising mobility.
Samsung did not say when the Galaxy Tab 10 would begin shipping.
The moment Google announced Android 3.0 reference design based on nVidia Tegra 2 platform, they already won. Now everyone will simply adopt the platform because Google has already done most of low level software work and testing.
BTW IMO Samsung 10" device is a big mistake. Most people bought the first gen Galaxy Tab because its a 7" device instead of 10". If one had to choose b/w two 10" devices, definitely most people are going to choose iPad.
David Patterson, known for his pioneering research that led to RAID, clusters and more, is part of a team at UC Berkeley that recently made its RISC-V processor architecture an open source hardware offering. We talk with Patterson and one of his colleagues behind the effort about the opportunities they see, what new kinds of designs they hope to enable and what it means for today’s commercial processor giants such as Intel, ARM and Imagination Technologies.


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However hyperbolic it sounds, it is nonetheless true: this weekend is easily among the most crucial of the year for the British economy. For many retailers, half of their entire year's sales are made in the runup to Christmas; and retail accounts for about 5% of the UK's GDP. Which makes just how many people tramp in and out of shops this weekend, bearing just what number of bags, and with just how much debt on their plastic, important not only to millions of hard-pressed households but to the nation's businesses and economy. Many recession-hit shops, their suppliers and their creditors have been holding out till closing time on the 24th. A good Christmas could mean a stay of execution; a lacklustre one will hasten the fall of the commercial guillotine.
So far, British shoppers have failed to oblige. All the indicators – whether "footfall" (or trips to the shops), surveys of consumer confidence, bashing of credit cards, or total spending – have been at least deeply disappointing or straightforwardly down on last year. The British Retail Consortium predicts that £5bn will be spent this weekend alone, but it admits that that will not be enough to prevent a wave of business failures early in 2013, joining Clinton Cards, Peacocks and Comet which have brought down their shutters for good. This is not always bad news. Struggling and (sometimes) bad retailers go out of business; others come along in their place. Our Price begat mobile-phone shops begat a thousand Poundlands and cafes. After one of the biggest consumer booms in history, British high streets already look overshopped. A period of consolidation is well overdue.
But to look past the inevitably gloomy post-Christmas headlines (and the equally inevitable "50%-off" window signs), what is odd is just how dominant the old model of debt-fuelled consumerism remains. When Alistair Darling was in No 11, the biggest steroid he could imagine administering to the collapsed British economy was a cut in VAT. David Cameron came to power swearing to reduce the UK's dependence on debt of all kinds. Yet the government's own projections for the British economy (published by the Office for Budget Responsibility this month) show that Mr Cameron's hopes for growth rest on households spending more.
Private consumption is set to rise every year for the next few years, so that come the next election it will be the single biggest contributor to growth – far outstripping business investment or public spending or exports. Given that wage rises continue to lag behind inflation, the coalition is relying on Britons doing more of the thing that helped trigger the crisis: namely, borrowing and buying like it's 2006.


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Innovative products from Taiwan captivate New York audiences in Times Square
NEW YORK, September 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The famous red symbol of excellence comes to New York City. Taiwan Excellence is an award label that recognizes the best products from Taiwan annually. As part of its 2022 World Tour, Taiwan Excellence is breaking records with an awe-inspiring stopover at one of the world’s most famous landmarks. For the first time ever, a creative link established between two Times Square display screens, producing a breathtaking experience for all visitors. The iconic One Times Square billboard watched by millions around the world during the New Year’s Eve countdown is seamlessly connected to the ABC supersign, creating a unique interactive 3D spectacle. (Campaign video on Youtube)
Dynamic storytelling with 3D experience
A gorgeous blue sky with fluffy white clouds sets the scene. jade mountainthe quintessential symbol of Taiwan the natural surroundings sit majestically, while the eye-catching Taiwan Excellence logo is launched into the clouds. The 3D logo weaves its way in and out of different scenes that symbolize the international reach of Taiwan innovative products. Passers-by will marvel at the various 3D animations that fly between the two panels, symbolizing the friendship between Taiwan and America.
The streets of New York City will be illuminated by Taiwan Excellence, accompanied by an excellent concept, bringing everyday excellence to people’s lives. Audiences will leave Times Square with a strong sense of Taiwan creative power and innovative product design. The campaign will be in Times Square in New York City of September 19 to September 25with a record link show on September 19 and September 24.
Achieve excellence every day
Focusing on four major areas of product excellence, the coveted Taiwan Excellence Award is given to products that are innovative in research and development, design, quality and marketing. As an international design and technology hub, Taiwan home to many major global brands. With the Taiwan Excellence Awards, each year a team of multidisciplinary professional jurors selects the best Taiwanese products.
In October, a selection of the winning products of the 2022 Taiwan Excellence Award will be presented in washington d.c., the Ronald Reagan Building and the International Trade Center. Drift in a Immersive future at the first-ever “Taiwan Excellence Immersion Pavilion” and experience many design-driven high-end lifestyle solutions. For more information, visit the official website of the Taiwan Exhibition UNITED STATES 2022and the Excellency of Taiwan instagram.
About Taiwan Excellence
The Taiwan Excellence Awards celebrate the ingenuity and innovation of Taiwanese companies that demonstrate outstanding R&D, design and quality in product development.
The annual event is committed to elevating Taiwanese business creativity internationally. Please visit www.taiwanexcellence.org for more information.
For more information and campaign visuals and videos, please download it here.
New York Tiger Festival
Tel: +1 646.441.8000 | [email protected]
Taiwan Foreign Trade Development Council (TAITRA)
Tel: +886-2-2725-5200 ext. 1368 | [email protected]
SOURCE Taiwan Excellence


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Bloomberg Politics published this video item, entitled “Biden Is Said to Be Close to Rollback Some China Tariffs” – below is their description.
President Joe Biden may announce a rollback of some US tariffs on Chinese consumer goods as soon as this week as the administration seeks means to fight accelerating inflation, according to people people familiar with the deliberations. Eric Martin reports on Bloomberg Television.Bloomberg Politics YouTube Channel
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