text:
- How To
- Cigar Info
- Site Info
Currently viewing the tag: "Premium Cigars"
A once popular cigar line from Miami Cigar & Company will be making a grand return to the spotlight during this year’s International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) trade show and convention in Las Vegas this June. The company announced the return of the Don Lino Africa line. Don Lino Africa features a Habano […]
The post Miami Cigar & Company Announces Return of Don Lino Africa appeared first on Tobacco Business Magazine.
J.C. Newman Cigar Company is launching The American, the first 100 percent American cigar. Hand rolled by Americans in a historic U.S. cigar factory using heirloom American cigar tobaccos, this cigar is all-American, from its boxes, bands, labels cigar molds, and even its cellophane tubes. All parts of this unique project were made in the […]
The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) has announced new dates for its 2020 international trade show and convention. The 88th Annual IPCPR Trade Show and Convention will now take place July 10-14, 2020. This date moves the show back to the second week in July, as it has been held for many […]
George Sosa, Vice President of Sales at Alec Bradley Cigar Co., has resigned from the company. “I would like to thank George for his many years of service,” commented Alan Rubin, founder of Alec Bradley Cigar Co. “Over the last 12 plus years, George has been an integral part of the brand; increasing both domestic […]
Cigar Marketplace, a new dynamic online platform announced back in April 2019 [read more here], is ready to announce the first group of cigar manufacturers who will take part in the platform. In a press release, Cigar Marketplace’s CEO and founder Starky Arias revealed that AJ Fernandez Cigar Company, C.L.E. Cigar Company, Casa Cuevas Cigar, […]
The post Cigar Marketplace Announces First Manufacturer Partnerships appeared first on Tobacco Business Magazine.
Davidoff Cigars has announced the nominees for its 8th Annual Golden Band Awards, which is dedicated and designed to honor and recognize the best of Davidoff’s retailers in the industry. This year’s Golden Band Awards will be held on Sunday, June 30, 2019, and this year it will have a special cigar and culinary experience. […]
The post Davidoff Cigars Announces 2019 Golden Band Award Nominees appeared first on Tobacco Business Magazine.
According to reports from Cigar Aficionado and Halfwheel, General Cigar Co. will be shipping the new Hoyo de Monterrey La Amistad Dark Sumatra this July. Blended by longtime General Cigar collaborator A.J. Fernandez, the Hoyo de Monterrey La Amistad Dark Sumatra will feature an Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder and filler tobaccos from the […]
The post Hoyo de Monterrey La Amistad Dark Sumatra Coming in July 2019 appeared first on Tobacco Business Magazine.
Altadis U.S.A. has a new cigar its preparing to release: Trinidad Espiritu. This cigar is a collaboration with A.J. Fernandez and is described as a medium- to full-bodied Nicaraguan puro. “It has been an honor pay tribute to our Latin Caribbean heritage and to work closely with Master Blender A.J. Fernandez on this project,” said […]
The post Altadis U.S.A. Reveals Latin Caribbean-Inspired Trinidad Espiritu appeared first on Tobacco Business Magazine.
Crowned Heads announces Las Calaveras EL 2019, the sixth installment in the highly anticipated annual release from the company. Las Calavares first hit the market back in 2014 as a tribute to those who have passed away in the previous year. Intended to celebrate the lives and remember those passed, Las Calaveras attempts to look […]
The post Crowned Heads Reveals Details for Las Calaveras EL 2019 appeared first on Tobacco Business Magazine.
Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente, the Joya de Nicaragua’s Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) exclusive for 2018, is now available again for all TAA members. The company has also announced the release of an additional promotional item–a 5-pack of Selección de Torcedor 2019. Joya’s Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente was released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of […]


text:
“Noble” Grapes Become World’s Most Planted
In 1990, most of the world’s most widely planted grape varietals were either generally unknown, unpronounceable or both. Twenty years later, Cabernet Sauvignon is king, Merlot is queen and Tempranillo, Chardonnay and Syrah are powerful princes. And what of Rkatsiteli, Sultaniye, Mazuelo and Bobal? They’re now somewhere down the food chain with the common folk. In fact, only one of the top three grapes in 1990—Airen, an obscure (in the U.S., at least) Spanish white wine grape—remained among the leading trio in 2010, though falling from first to third behind Cabernet and Merlot.
These are just some of the findings of a recently released database of the world’s wines compiled by professor Kym Anderson of the University of Adelaide. Among the report’s other findings:
· The fastest-growing varietal in the world is Tempranillo, the chief grape of Rioja and increasingly blended with other red wine grapes, which since 1990 has gone from constituting 5 percent of Spain’s vineyards to 20 percent.
· Wine drinkers worldwide are drinking more red wine and growers are planting more red wine grapes. From 2000 to 2010, the global share of red varietals has gone from 49 percent to 55 percent.
· The amount of land given to winegrape production in the U.S. has increased by 30 percent in the 2000-2010 time period, the largest increase in terms of acreage, though New Zealand and Australia have put new land into production at a faster rate.
The report doesn’t hazard a guess as to why any of these development have taken place, though it lists terroir, marketing and the ability of the most popular winegrapes to grow well in a variety of locations as possible explanations.

domain: news


text:
The acquisition will help support the revenue growth of Ishii Sports and strengthen of the management foundation of the company contributing to the persistent growth, the company said in a release.
Ishii, which was founded in 1964, sells its sports equipment online as well as through a chain of 32 retail stores in Japan. The products are focused on outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering and canoeing supplies. Along with its self branded products it also sells other big brands including The North Face and Nordica.
The company also offers related services such as equipment repair and training.
Established in December 1992, Advantage, focuses on acquisitions, growth capital, privatization and turnaround opportunities in Japan, China and South Korean markets. Its investment portfolio lists just under 50 companies so far, according to information available on the PE firm’s website.
As per reports, Advantage is currently investing out of a $200 million bridge fund that closed in 2013. It is also reportedly raising a new flagship fund – and a $400 million fund for investments outside Japan.


text:
A team of companies in the Italian textile supply chain, led by RadiciGroup, has created the first similar simulated spacesuit entirely designed and engineered in Italy, for use in the Space Medicine Operations (SMOPS) mission, which is promoted and organized by Mars Planet, the Italian division of the Bergamo-based Mars Society. under the auspices of the Italian Space Agency.
SMOPS’ mission focuses on space medicine, monitoring the health of future astronauts and developing technologies to support simulating life in space and the planetary environment.
RadiciGroup, which collaborates with important Italian textile groups such as Eurojersey, Vagotex and DEFRA, is committed to making this project a reality. In fact, it provided the materials to build the clothing of the six similar astronauts who would participate in the mission, and orchestrated the technological development that led to the creation of technical clothing for use in extreme conditions. In fact, the clothes will be used, from April 10 to 23, to conduct a series of experiments at the installed research station in the Utah desert, simulating conditions for life and work on Mars.
“By participating in SMOPS, RadiciGroup and other textile companies that we participated in the project, I was able to get closer to a frontier sector such as aerospace, enhance and expand their knowledge and try innovative solutions that could then have business applications, for example in the biomedical sector or where high safety standards are required – comments Filippo Servalli of Radici InNova, RadiciGroup Research and Innovation – in this mission we have been able to take advantage of skills related to developing personal protective clothing (PPE) acquired during the pandemic and then apply them to the industrial sector, taking them to a higher level ».
A contribution to the SMOPS mission by the team led by RadiciGroup is to create three technical garments, featuring high standards in luxury, comfort and performance, that will allow similar astronauts to move easily and safely outside the base station with the help of advanced control, monitoring and communications systems.
“Internet trailblazer. Travelaholic. Passionate social media evangelist. Tv advocate.”
Negative calorie foods. what does that mean? full list
Weather report. The Middle East plunges into winter. Snow from Lebanon to Amman, cold also reaches Egypt
Here’s what happens to your body if you eat kiwi in the evening: “crazy”


text:
Multiple independent sources have confirmed that AMD has Zen x86 prototype chips ready for demonstration, and we might see them tomorrow during the Computex 2016 press conference in Taiwan.
AMD prepares for IPC race with Intel
In May 2015, we reported that AMD’s first Zen CPUs, launching in Q4 2016, would most likely be quad-core chips based on a presentation slide showing the company’s Zen core units scaling up to four cores with shared L3 cache. According to new information released one year later, this may not be the case and, the company could be preparing to launch eight and six-core variants in a tight efficiency race against Intel's 'Kaby Lake' CPUs.
Lisa Su, AMD's CEO confirms
Ever since AMD announced a Chinesejoint joint server venture, people have been asking around to get a bit more details. Now AMD's CEO has confirmed the technology involved is both x86 and ARM.
Opening the platform up helped
It appears that IBM’s Power system, which had been largely written off, is back from the dead and Biggish Blue’s attempt to resurrect it might have paid off.
Five sign up
More than five computer makers have announced that they are going to use servers with ARM processors.
Zen can reboot server business for AMD
Many have noticed that AMD had pushed the plans to introduce its Skylake processors in 2015. This was supposed to unify the ARM and X86 processors from AMD in the same socket.
Greenland APU gives it the necessary firepower
AMD mini cores and modular designs backed by HBM graphics and the upcoming Greenland GPU core might be a winning combination for AMD.
No APU, 16MB L2, 64MB L3 cache
We recently showed you a new 16 Zen core next generation processor with Greenland integrated graphics and DDR4 support.
Has integrated Greenland HBM GPU
We have mentioned both AMD's Zen core processors, as well as Greenland HBM memory powered graphics in the past, but now we have a few more details.
Products coming by the end of the year


text:
HUDSONVILLE, MI -- When Jana Lynema’s marriage dissolved, she had to do more than find a new place to live. She had to find a new home for her hairstyling business, which had operated out of her house for two decades.
She decided to rent a shop that would allow her to combine her longtime vocation and passion for upcycling old furniture and housewares into one business. Christened "Painted Farmgirl," the unusual shop is located at 4010 Chicago Drive in front of WW Greenhouses.
Lynema, 39, says she was able to launch her business on a shoestring budget thanks to the generous support of family and friends who volunteered their time and donated resources.
Best friend Michelle Hinken spent two months helping her refurbish the interior. They knocked down a wall to open up the space, redid the floors and did a special paint treatment on the tired paneling to make them look like barn walls.
The outside of the small building is just as cottage-esque, surrounded by landscaped flower gardens.
Her mother donated a buffet, which Lynema gave a white distressed finish. Hinken’s father cut out the middle to install a sink, and added plumbing. The result is a hair salon station that fits in with the rest of the shop's shabby chic farmhouse look.
Friend Kalee Verstrate styles the shop, creating motifs filled with layers of treasures Lynema either inherited or found at sales that have been repainted or transformed.
“I couldn’t do it alone,” said Lynema. “It’s been amazing. I felt like the Lord was blessing me by placing people in my life to help this happen.”
The greatest gift may have come from her grandmother Victoria Elliot, who died March 22 at age 89. Lynema inherited much of her grandmother’s estate of keepsakes lovingly collected over the years, from old shoeboxes to vintage cards.
“My grandmother was everything to me,” Lynema said, who would do her grandmother’s hair once a week and play cards with her. “Putting out her things and seeing how much people love them helps me deal with the loss.”
She turned her grandmother’s old wooden trays into unique menu signs by covering the middle with chalkboard paint and trimming them bright colors. She turns old lamps into chandeliers and door knobs into decorative wall hooks.
Lynema described Painted Farmgirl as a shop that offers “upcycled furniture, one-of-a-kind accessories, custom orders, and in-home color consulting – along with color and style for the hair.”
The retail portion takes up less than half of the 700-square-foot building. The back is her workshop where she “upcycles” many of the items she sells in the shop.
She admits her plan to blend a hair salon with a retail shop had a few of her supporters knitting their brows.
So far, the unusual combination seems to be working.
Opened a month, sales already have exceeded expectations. The little shop is finding a loyal following among women who are spreading the word on Facebook.
“It’s really cute,” said Lori Breucker of Holland, who came shopping with her friend Heidi Dyk, whose friend recommended it on Facebook.
They spent more than 30 minutes oohing and aahing over the little treasures they found.
Dyk bought an old-fashion file cabinet with ten slender drawers for $25 that she thought was a good deal. The newly added green and slate blue finish would fit perfectly in into the décor of her old farm house, she said.
“She definitely has a lot of talent,” said Dyk. “I think it’s really going to catch on.”
Store hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.


text:
Shares of Twilio TWLO, -2.22% tumbled 25% on Wednesday after Twilio blamed client Uber’s distancing for a weaker-than-expected outlook. That’s prompted analysts to admit they were wrong about the severity of the threat set to weigh heavily on Twilio’s business.
On a call with analysts shortly after the company reported first-quarter earnings late Tuesday, Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson said Uber, which accounted for 12% of the company’s revenue during the quarter, would be moving some of the technology it uses to communicate with customers in-house.
Twilio makes cloud-based software that brands can use to reach out to customers: think in-app messaging services. While it has major brands on its books as clients, including Nordstrom JWN, +1.11% , Airbnb Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.AMZN, +0.23% , Uber and Facebook Inc.’s FB, -0.30% WhatsApp are its two largest clients by far.
Read more on MarketWatch


text:
As part of its ongoing efforts to advance the sustainability of the seafood offerings at its approximately 2,300 stores, Albertsons Cos. is making a public commitment that guarantees its sushi will be sourced sustainably and responsibly.
The company’s sushi commitment is focused on ensuring the top five wild and farmed-raised seafood species used for sushi will meet its Responsible Seafood Policy by year-end 2022. It lays out plans to transition tuna, farmed salmon, species of whitefish used for surimi (imitation crab), and farmed shrimp to responsible sources. In addition, the company pledges to discontinue the sale of unagi (eel) until sustainable sources become available. Not only are wild eel populations in severe decline, but they can’t be bred in captivity, leading to poaching activities in some regions.
The commitment means that these frequently used sushi ingredients will meet at least one of three requirements:
- Rated green (best choice) or yellow (good alternative) by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program; or
- Certified to an equivalent environmental standard; or
- Sourced from fisheries or farms making measurable and time-bound improvements.
“Sushi represents a large and growing opportunity for retailers to affect positive change in seafood sustainability,” said Lori Dupre, Albertsons director of retail support, deli prepared food. “We’re proud to be a leader and help start this transformation that will maintain the viability of various fish species and their ecosystems.”
The “Top 5 by 2022” sushi commitment was developed as part of an ongoing partnership with FishWise, a nonprofit sustainable seafood consultancy.
“Albertsons Companies continues to be an industry leader in seafood sustainability,” said Ashley Greenley, director of business engagement at FishWise. “Despite being a growing sector in grocery, very few retailers, especially of the size of Albertsons Companies, have included sushi in their sustainability policies.”
Albertsons Cos. is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the U.S. It operates stores across 35 states and D.C. under 20 banners including, Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs, as well as meal kit company Plated based in New York City.


text:
Business intitative results in almost $1 billion in purchasing within Detroit
An initiative that encourages Detroit companies to buy goods and services from each other appears to be working.
The initiative is called Detroit to Detroit, or D2D. It's a program of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, a non-profit that aims to make Detroit businesses successful.
Nineteen percent of the purchases went to Detroit-based construction projects.
Brian Watkins, program manager of D2D, said the program started in 2013 with 15 businesses and organizations as purchasers.
He said those 15 partners purchased $550 million in Detroit in 2012. After the initiative, those 15 businesses and organizations purchased $810 million in the city. Last year, that number rose to $926 million.
"Our program is leading the way in changing the culture of procurement in Detroit," Watkins said, "so we can improve the economy of Detroit one business at a time."
There are currently 18 businesses and organizations that are part of the D2D Buyers Council, including Greektown Casino-Hotel, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Quicken Loans.
Watkins says before D2D, these businesses would buy supplies from business in other states when they could have been keeping that money in Detroit. He says the program increases businesses' awareness of buying opportunities in Detroit.
D2D is funded by a New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan.


text:
Apple: Will SE Spoil the Party?Apple launched a new device, iphone SE, sometime back. It got a very negative response from buyers, due mainly to its high price tag. Faced with such a situation, most companies would have gone for a price correction. But trust Apple to be different.
By Ashwini Agarwal
It has gone ahead and raised prices of all its other devices by up to 29 percent. The company has said that this was to push up the sales of the SE as it found that devices bigger than SE, like iphone 6 and 6S, were priced at lower rates. The company thought this was hampering SE sales.
This kind of inverted pricing logic is not going to work. The latest price revision will take all its devices out of reach of a large majority. Even those who buy Apple just to flaunt will think twice before dishing out a fortune as better products at lower prices are available in the market. "But an iphone is an iphoneâ will cease to matter if it is priced beyond a certain level.
Already, Appleâs market is shrinking across the world, including India. KGI Securitiesâ analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that with no pathbreaking innovation, users are going to shrink further and Apple will be one of the top 5 underperforming smartphone brands in 2016.
This illogical price rise will dampen buyer mood in India. As it is, people were not converting to iphone 6 or 6S as prices were high and resale value of old device was low. A major rethink is necessary at Apple regarding pricing policy and features innovation.


text:
Although Sony?s E3 2016 conference was only about games? reveal and release date announcements, Microsoft went on showcasing the future of Xbox. While Sony was mum regarding the PS4 NEO and a possible PS4 Slim during their conference, Microsoft announced Project Scorpio and the Xbox One S. Sony reacted to Microsoft?s hardware offering and said that it has its own strategy for the console and the company is happy with it.
Sony?s European president Jim Ryan said that he is not surprised by what Microsoft revealed at E3 this year. After hosting PlayStation E3 Showcase, Ryan discussed the upcoming console and the games the company is planning to bring this year and beyond. During an interview with VG24/7, Ryan talked about how the company feels about Microsoft?s consoles, and he said that speculations and discussions on the internet were ?well-grounded.? What Microsoft revealed reportedly didn?t surprise Sony much, as there was nothing particular which can be considered as a great surprise.
Ryan wished Microsoft luck. He, however, emphasized, that they have their own plan. ?We?ve got our strategy and we?ll pursue that,? he said.
It seems that Sony has no intent on making a PS4 Slim as the company said it is content with the aesthetics and specs of its console. ?We?re happy with the shape of the PS4 and what it does.? He assured fans that things are going really well with Sony?s ambitious projects.
It seems that both Sony and Microsoft will be compared again when it comes to their upcoming consoles. As Microsoft announced a slimmer version of its console at E3 called the Xbox One S, many are predicting that Sony will make a similar move by releasing a PS4 Slim. According to the company, they only wanted to talk about games at during their E3 2016 conference.


text:
This year's "State of the Industry: Mobile Marketing in the UK
" report has discovered that mobile continues to be seen as an effective marketing channel and disruptive across industries, but is yet to reach its full potential.
Download your sample to find out:
- The four themes uncovered in a survey of UK marketers, including mobile in the UK post GDPR
- Key insights from the results
- Data points on mobile disruption, potential and media integration
The findings of this year’s survey reveal that mobile marketing is becoming increasingly more effective and is impacting all sectors across the UK, and this is set to continue with three quarters of UK marketers expecting to increase their mobile budgets over the coming year.”
— Amy Rodgers, Managing Editor - Research & Rankings, WARC


text:
GSTN CEO Prakash Kumar says new GST filing format, e-invoicing to help in ease of doing business, reporting for taxes
Updated : February 14, 2020 05:05 PM IST
GSTN CEO Prakash Kumar said there is a need for standard to ensure complete interoperability.
The GSTN CEO said that in India, the aim is to make digitisation part of business process of taxpayers and eliminate all manual reporting.
Sanjay Aggarwal, senior vice-president of PHD Chamber, said e-invoice is the future means of electronic billing.


text:
NEW YORK, 12 MAY 2010 - Microsoft has launched the newest versions of its Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint software packages.
Microsoft Business Division president Stephen Elop spoke before a packed studio at the famed NBC Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, the room where "Saturday Night Live" is broadcast.
"It is a moment of fundamental change and there are a lot of reasons for this," Elop said, noting that organizations have tighter budgets and a more mobile workforce. Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 have been designed to meet these challenges, he said. "The 2010 products represent an epic release for Microsoft."
The NBC location seemed fitting and not just because the weather was cloudy outside: As mass media kingpin NBC finds itself both battling with and trying to adopt new forms of media, so too must Microsoft position its software packages as an essential part of office life while buzz steadily builds around new-fangled cloud computing.
Microsoft itself plans to offer hosted online versions of Office 2010, called Office Web Apps, later on this summer. The stand-alone software versions are available to businesses today. Elop noted that the software can be run either in-house or from the cloud and mobile versions for the Windows 6.5 and Windows 7 platforms will be available as well.
In an interview following the launch, Kurt DelBene, senior vice president of the office business productivity group of the Microsoft Business Division, further clarified Microsoft's approach to bringing Office 2010 to the cloud. The new version of SharePoint features the Web versions of the Office suite. When Office 2010 is released to consumers next month, Windows Live will run Web-based versions of the office software, as part of the company's SkyDive service.
But Microsoft does not see these cloud offerings as a replacement for the PC software. "We anticipate people will use a combination of the rich clients and the Web clients," DelBene said. The online versions will be geared toward tasks best done online, such as collaborative editing, but the PC software will be where people will continue to go to create documents, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint decks, he said.
Naturally, a bulk of the day's launch focused on new features, the kind that online offerings, such as Google Docs, can't yet match.
And these new features with Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 are more than fancy trim, Elop argued. They will also help organizations save valuable time.
Working on behalf of Microsoft, IT analyst firm Forrester estimated that a 7,000 employee knowledge-worker focused business would save US$7 million a year upgrading to Microsoft Office 2010. The savings would come from the many time-saving features the suite has, explained Rob Koplowitz, principal analyst, Forrester Research.
Sign up for Computerworld eNewsletters.


text:
Dallas, TX – June 27, 2019 – As more and more young entrepreneurs are looking for ways to make money from their own skills, some are looking to capitalize on the blockchain.
In fact, according to a recent survey by the McKinsey Global Institute, nearly half of the youth entrepreneurs surveyed said that they plan to leverage blockchain to make some kind of business.
In the United States alone, blockchain is becoming more and better known for the ease with which it’s used to create digital currencies and smart contracts, and for its ability to connect with a growing number of people with a wide variety of interests and interests.
In many ways, blockchain offers an entirely new way to connect the dots between the various industries in which blockchain is being used, from commerce and finance to health and education.
In this article, we will look at some of the companies and companies that are utilizing blockchain for their business purposes, and what we can expect from them moving forward.
The Rise of the Blockchain Business The rise of blockchain has been quite dramatic, with its recent popularity reaching the point where businesses are now considering using it for a wide range of different purposes.
Some of the major companies that have been utilizing blockchain include:Civic Platform – An organization founded by Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, is one of the first companies to use blockchain technology in their business.
They use it to create an immutable ledger that they can use to verify ownership of assets and transactions.
Their goal is to create a more secure way for businesses to operate, and the result has been a number of benefits: the ability to create smart contracts and smart assets, a way to record payments and payments systems, and to track and store customer records.
The blockchain technology is also being used in ways that are positive for the world of commerce and governance, such as in the U.S. and in China.
According to an internal McKinsey report, there are more than 1,200 blockchain startups in the United Kingdom, with nearly 100 operating in the UK.
In addition to this, more and the more blockchain startups are being incorporated in more and other countries, including Brazil, India, and Russia.
These countries are seeing rapid adoption of blockchain technology, as well as the increasing popularity of it in the developing world.
A few companies that recently have received a significant boost from blockchain are:Chainalysis – Chainalysis is an organization founded in 2014 that focuses on the use of blockchain to create secure data sharing systems.
They are now focused on developing solutions to address the growing problems associated with data breaches.
In a recent interview, CEO Benoit Pécresse said that his company is able to recover data from up to 100 data breaches in less than two days, and is now able to analyze more than 200 million records in just two days.
Chainalysis was able to do this because they had already created the first blockchain based data exchange system, called “The Basket.”
The system has been used by several of the largest U.K. financial institutions, and Chainalysis has been working to expand this technology for use by many more organizations.
Blockchain is also used to secure information that is transmitted over the Internet, as the term blockchain implies.
For example, blockchain data could be stored on the Blockchain for a specific business, or it could be transferred to another Blockchain based on a specific transaction.
In addition, blockchain enables a more transparent way to manage business transactions.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Blockchain co-founder and CEO Andreas Antonopoulos said that, with blockchain, business can now move faster than ever before, and that the technology is now being used for transactions like remittances and online payments.
Antonopoulos also said that the ability of the technology to enable a more frictionless, more transparent and more efficient transaction process is helping to make the world a more peaceful place.
The Future of Blockchain in the Healthcare Industry The healthcare industry is rapidly evolving, and blockchain technology will be increasingly used to facilitate this process.
In 2019, blockchain technology has been being used to track patient records and identify patients.
In China, there have been several initiatives aimed at creating a blockchain-based system for the monitoring of patient’s conditions, which could provide the ability for a patient to be seen without the need for a physical examination.
This system is called the Nanjing Blockchain, and according to its website, is a collaborative effort between the local government and medical professionals.
In this article we will focus on the companies that use blockchain in their healthcare sector.
In 2019, the healthcare industry has seen the emergence of a new type of blockchain.
As blockchain technology becomes more popular, many organizations are starting to use it in their own businesses to record the information of their employees.
In 2018, there were more than 40 companies using blockchain in the healthcare sector, with a number that is growing rapidly.
The healthcare sector has seen its share of disruption and disruption is occurring across industries, with the healthcare blockchain coming under increasing scrutiny.
The health sector is also seeing the rise of


text:
(Yicai Global) May 17 -- FAW Volkswagen Automotive Co., a China joint venture under the world's biggest carmaker, will recall nearly 660,000 Audis in the country due to problems with electric coolant pumps which could pose a fire risk.
The recall will begin on June 6, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said online yesterday. The affected models are listed below:
Made between Nov. 7, 2011 and Nov. 8 2013 (20,300 cars)
2013-14 Audi A4 Allroad
2012-14 Audi A5
Made between May 3, 2011 and Jan. 17, 2016 (638,800 cars)
2012-15 Audi A6L
2013-14 Audi A4L
2013-14 Audi Q5
There are two issues with the pumps. The first is that they are at risk of overheating if blocked by debris, and the second is that moisture could lead to an electrical short. The problems could lead to corrosion, and in severe cases, the engine bay catching fire.
Editor: James Boynton


text:
New Jaguar XJ
Merc CLS fighting four-door to differ wildly from current car
The next Jaguar XJ looks set to be a far different animal to the one we have at the moment. The current luxury saloon hides its technological aluminium platform and smart dynamics under an antiquated design that has changed little over recent generations of XJ, and it's a formula that saw the XJ sell around 87 per cent less cars than its key Mercedes S-class rival in 2008.
However, the all-new XJ is set to deviate massively, switching to a four-door coupe body style in the same vein as the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Aston Martin Rapide. In fact, these are the key names apparently touted as competition for the Jaguar XJ, as the company's new owners push the flagship Jag further upmarket. As the XF is doing so well, it'd probably make sense to move the XJ out of its way.
There was some criticism of the production XF, which didn't quite deliver on the sleek, swooping promises of the C-XF concept (pictured). It could be that elements of the C-XF's design have been held back for the new XJ, whose swooping roofline can just about be made out in spy shots. The new car will get the torquey 3-litre V6 diesel recently announced by Jaguar, and will no doubt get the new 5-litre V8 petrol unit set to debut in the XFR. New XJ prices are likely to kick off north of the current car's £44k starting point.
An XJ concept could debut as early as this summer, while this weekend will see Jaguar unveil the new XFR and XKR at the Detroit motor show. Busy times as the Big Cat aims to battle the falling market, although with a nine per cent rise in UK sales, Jaguar had one of the best 2008’s in the motoring industry. Fellow company Land Rover’s sales dropped 30 per cent.
Read about evo's Jaguar XF SV8, the newcomer to our Fast Fleet.


text:
Who or what is Faraday?
Like Nikola Tesla, the patron saint of battery-carmaker Tesla Motors, Michael Faraday was a pioneer in the fields of magnetism and electricity, and his name is now being used by another mysterious electric vehicle start-up, Faraday Future.
Emerging out of the blue, the company has set up shop in California and says it is looking to put up a new, $1 billion manufacturing plant But exactly where its money is coming from and what sort of cars it plans to build are far from clear.
“When creating our vehicles, we began with four wheels but we are re-envisioning everything else,” Faraday Future declares in a newly launched website. “With backgrounds in automotive, aerospace, biomedical, consumer electronics, and others, our rapidly growing engineering team brings a uniquely diverse approach to the future of mobility.”
Over the past decade, there’s been a burst of start-up activity like the auto industry hasn’t seen in decades, with most of those automotive wannabes focused on alternative powertrain technology. The vast majority have quickly folded, overwhelmed by the costs and technological challenges. But a rare few, notably Tesla, have actually gotten into production.
(Tesla beats forecast – still loses $75 mil in Q3. Click Here for the latest.)
Whether Faraday will make it into that elite is far from certain. Indeed, exactly what Faraday is remains unclear. A spokeswoman reached by the Associated Press, Stacy Morris, would only say, “We’re in stealth mode where we’re not revealing ownership.” She added, “There’s a significant investor who wants the company to stand on its own merit before being associated” with it.”
Faraday was originally incorporated in the State of California in May 2014, according to the AP, as LeTV ENV Inc. That links it to a Beijing-based holding company owned by Jia Yueting, a man often referred to as the Chinese Steve Jobs.
The Asian billionaire has followed a similar path, until now focusing on smartphone and television technologies, but also planning to launch a new online store in the U.S. before the end of the year. Like Jobs, Yueting sees himself as a visionary who takes pride in “disrupting” traditional industries.
The now renamed Faraday Future apparently employs about 400, a number of them poached from Tesla – which itself has been hiring talent away from traditional automakers as well as tech giant Apple.
What little is known about Faraday’s plans is that it wants to produce an all-electric vehicle focused on the high end of the market – a broadly outlined business strategy that so far resembles Tesla’s. That Silicon Valley firm recently launched its Model X electric SUV, which will offer various version priced into the $100,000 range.
But where the Tesla Model X and Model S sedans visually resemble traditional automotive offerings, an image on the new Faraday website offers a silhouette of two decidedly different-looking vehicles, their bubble shapes looking more like something from a science fiction flick.
The closest to anything done by a traditional manufacturer might be two recent concept cars: the Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and the Toyota FCV Plus revealed at the recent Tokyo Motor Show.
(Click Here for more on the radical Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA.)
“The FF Design team members have each been hand selected to create something that the world has never seen before,” the company’s website hints.
The exotic design and the battery-based drivetrain may be just the beginning of Faraday’s push to differentiate itself from traditional automotive manufacturers. Spokeswoman Morris mysteriously hints that, “People’s lives are changed by their mobile devices, the way that we interact. The car industry hasn’t caught up sufficiently. The car still feels like a place where you’re disconnected.”
The start-up apparently wants to move fast and could have its first car on the road by 2017. That might be a stretch considering it doesn’t even have a factory. But it says it is already working to fill that gap, with four states now in the running for what it says will be a $1 billion assembly plant.
(Toyota pushes design boundaries with FCV Plus. Click Here for a closer look.)
Faraday Future hasn’t completely broken from the rest of the auto industry, ironically. It is now operating out of a building in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena that used to be the U.S. headquarters of Nissan before it moved to Nashville.
Nissan is one of the traditional industry’s most active proponents of both battery power and autonomous driving. Its Leaf model is the world’s best-selling EV and it is planning to add more models to the line-up in the coming years.
Nissan isn’t alone. General Motors has just launched a redesigned version of the Chevrolet Volt, and is readying a long-range pure battery-electric vehicle, the Chevy Volt. Indeed, there are dozens of new plug-based vehicles scheduled to reach market over the next five years, even though the segment is expected to grow only modestly in the coming years. Navigant Research estimates such products will account for just 468,000 sales in 2023, or 2.6% of the total U.S. new vehicle market.
Whether any of the start-ups, including Tesla, will be around then is far from certain, but Chinese entrepreneur Yueting appears to be willing to bet a billion or more he’ll find his niche.
3 responses to “Mysterious New EV Start-Up Plans $1 Bil Plant”
Well, it’s a good laugh to read about this. I hear they are happily overpaying their talent, so a couple of year gig for a young engineer might be good fun.
I wonder if this company will also get a $465 million loan from Obama?
GT, here’s an interesting fact: more than half of the loans provided by the Obama Admin actually resulted in payback AND companies that went ahead and have been successful — perhaps only initially, but still successful. (Tesla is one, whether we like it or not, Wall Street greatly validating that point.)
Now, go look at some of the venture capital and angel funds who are backing many of the same types of companies. In fact, look at VCs and their ilk overall. Their track record is — for a VERY solid VC — getting payback from barely 10% of the companies they fund. There’s plenty of data available to support both of these points. Take the politics out for a minute and the reality is that the government loan fund picked five times as many “winners” as the typical VC.


text:
Nintendo and Mattel to release Super Mario-inspired Barbie “Storytelling Fashion Packs”
Posted on September 11, 2020 by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News
Nintendo has big plans in store for Super Mario’s 35th anniversary. Not only are multiple game releases on the way, but the celebrations extend to merchandise as well. Amazon listings have now revealed an interesting partnership with Mattel.
A few different Barbie “Storytelling Fashion Packs” have popped up on Amazon. They are as follows:
Amazon is listing an early November release for these Super Mario-inspired products.


text:
Google Question Hub is an online knowledge marketplace developed and provided by Google. As part of the company’s massive effort to reduce non-existing digital media workload, it makes use of various but totally not-known search engines to gather unanswered questions for content producers, such as freelance journalists.
While this does help increase the company’s ability to provide searchable content, Google has made other attempts at making its product more useful to its users. For instance, the company introduced its Google Answers features, a sort of online Q&A that is available on Google’s main website. Its goal?
Through this initiative, Google would focus more on providing relevant answers to questions that its users ask, rather than simply cluttering its already overflowing list of search suggestions with irrelevant or old information.
This new endeavor seems to be part of the bigger push by the company to become a more community-based website. According to its latest partnership with Yahoo!, Google will begin offering Google Answers Searches results on Nigeria and Indian topics.
The project is said to have the support of a number of non-profit organizations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which will promote the use of the service as a way to bring awareness to issues affecting neglected communities.
Google’s decision to support these organizations might help solve one of the biggest problems many internet users in the developing world face: how to find relevant information on things that matter most to them. For someone living in one of the poorest regions of the world, finding out what Google plans to do with its new project in Nigeria could be a big help.
Google’s partnership with Yahoo! is also another step towards expanding Google’s already huge reach beyond the scope of search results. With the ability to cross-reference existing Yahoo! Answers pages with Google’s own Knowledge Graph, Google will be able to provide more information and results to its existing product, such as Google question hub.
What makes this new effort with Yahoo! and the Gates Foundation so interesting is that it allows us to imagine the potential for the development of a Google search engine, which is not based solely on its current model of providing search results based on keyword searches.
The formation of the Google question hub could pave the way for more improvements to the way Google delivers its answer to queries. This new feature is a clear sign that Google wants to stay ahead of the competition in the global online market.
Now, if Yahoo! Answers and other content creation opportunities such as MySpace are already effective, then what makes a Google question hub different?
For starters, Google is looking at the role played by publishers, who have traditionally submitted articles, blog posts, and other types of content to the search engine. The authors of the content may no longer be required to submit these articles manually to Google since they can now submit their work directly to the Google question hub.
This is definitely a good sign for all the SEO companies and content creators out there because now they have an easier way of reaching Google and getting top rankings in the result pages.
The fact that the Google question hub will enable publishers to use anchor texts in their submissions means that the system will be able to detect and count only those keywords that have been used more than once, and therefore provide better ranking results for them.
This will definitely help the SEO companies, as they will be able to save lots of time and money spent on the manual answering of questions or creating content. The formation of a new Yahoo! Answers segment could pave the way for an even better place in SERPs.


text:
After more than 40,000 cans of food were donated to local foodbanks to help Kiwis in need earlier this year, PAK’nSAVE stores are running their PAK’canSAVE initiative again, to be #HereforNZ, supporting local communities. With more families than ever struggling to put food on the table, the PAK’canSAVE initiative, which is on now, has never been more important.
“With the challenges of Delta making it harder than ever before for New Zealanders, we decided to run another PAK’canSAVE this year to help top up our partner foodbanks. We have a commitment to be Here for NZ and PAK’canSAVE is one way we can bring to life our promises of ensuring New Zealanders have access to healthy and affordable food and supporting local communities," said Steve Anderson, Managing Director at Foodstuffs New Zealand.
PAK’canSAVE is running for two weeks from 1st until the 14th November, with each PAK’nSAVE store across the country partnering with their local City Mission, foodbank, or food rescue organisation. PAK’nSAVE is hoping to increase the number of donations for this 2nd PAK’canSAVE, with a target of ten trollies per store filled with donated cans and goods. Customers can drop donations of tinned goods to their local store which will be given directly to the foodbanks and on top of that, PAK’nSAVE will collectively donate $100,000 to these organisations.
One of the organisations receiving customer donations is Hawke’s Bay based Ahuriri Covid 19 Response hub, set up to support families struggling in the Hawkes Bay community. For the first PAK’canSAVE campaign, PAK’nSAVE Napier owner, Sonya Hassleman, chose the Ahuriri Covid 19 Response hub to receive their donations.
“Covid-19 and the additional pressures lockdown has had on our community has meant there’s more demand for our food parcels. When Sonya and the team at PAK’nSAVE Napier asked if we could be a part of this campaign back in July we were delighted. It’s awesome to be part of this wonderful initiative once again,” said Tania Eden, CEO of the Ahuriri (Napier) Taiwhenua.
With Christmas less than two months away, the donations will help replenish food banks nationwide and provide food for those in need during what can be a difficult time for many financially. “It’s so important we help our whānau, there are so many vulnerable people in our community and we need to support them as best we can,” said Eden.
Let’s give a can New Zealand.


text:
The Displayport 2.0 interface specification was finalized early in 2019, but it is still missing in consumer products. A few weeks ago, VESA announced the awarding of the first accredited certifications, among others AMD with Ryzen 6000 Series for Laptops It was an Ultra-High Bit Rate (UHBR) certified. It looks like this certification will reach the upcoming Radeon RX 7000 series as well.
According to Twitter user Kepler 2 Has new information searched in revision to Linux kernel, which provides more details on alternatives to the RDNA 3 family of image outputs. AMD is said to support Displayport 2.0 at Ultra Bitrate 20 (UHBR20), which is the worse variant of the standard and allows a full 80Gbps. With the UHBR20, graphics cards will be equipped to drive, for example, two 8K displays at 120 Hz at the same time.
This isn’t the first time that similar information has been leaked through Linux-related updates. As early as August last year, AMD claimed to be laying the groundwork for Displayport 2.0 for the next generation of graphics cards Then according to UHBR10. There, the bandwidth is instead 40Gbps, which would have left HDMI 2.1 as a higher-performance alternative with 48Gbps.
In addition to the Ryzen 6000 series certification, the upcoming Ryzen 7000 series with Zen 4 architecture has also been confirmed to have Displayport 2.0 support, which indicates that the same applies to the RDNA 3 series and Radeon RX 7000 series, depending on which UHBR variant remains to be seen.


text:
Arlington, Va. The supermarket pharmacy business is healthy and growing in both services and tie-in opportunities, according to a new report from the Food Marketing Institute (FMI).
The study, "Supermarket Pharmacy Trends 2008" reports that key benchmarks are up significantly from 2002 to 2007, including median number of prescriptions filled per day, median percentage of prescription sales from generic drugs, median percentage of prescription sales to total store sales, and median of the gross margin for the pharmacy department.
Additionally, the study found that 92.7% of supermarket pharmacies will be ready for "e-prescribing" by the end of the year.
"What is most significant [about the report] is that in today’s volatile marketplace, whether it is competition from other retail-pharmacy providers, mail-order providers, or competition to keep the overall health-care costs down, supermarket pharmacies continue to post strong and steady performance figures," said Cathy Polley, FMI’s VP of pharmacy services.


text:
The Austrian moto maker, KTM created a hurricane in the Indian motorcycle market recently by unveiling the all-new 2017 KTM 390 Duke a few days back at the EICMA. The bike has been given the similar designing updates as its bigger 390cc sibling.
From front to rear end, the bike has been transformed into an even more mean looking hooligan with new headlights, side body panels, fuel tank, tail section and more. The bike gets a new rear subframe and also a new engine cover sits below the bike. Unlike the 390 Duke, the 200 Duke doesn’t get the front LED lights. Apart from the all the 390 Duke based upgrades, the bike also misses out on TFT instrument console to keep the manufacturing costs into the limit.
Talking about the engine, the bike receives the same tried and tested 199cc single-cylinder engine delivering the 25bhp as before. On the other hand, the bike is now Euro4 compliant thanks to its new exhaust assembly. The bike is expected to launch in India by early 2017.
When launched it will take down its competitors like Benelli TNT 25, Mahindra Mojo and Royal Enfield Himalayan. Stay tuned to ACH for more motoring news.
Also read: KTM displays 790 Duke concept at the EICMA,


text:
Will the US Ever Get Chinese Cars We’ve Waited 20 Years For?
The promise of a new wave of imported cars from China like Japan in the 1960s and South Korea in the 1990s hasn’t happened. Why? It has been almost 20 years since the expectation of new Chinese imports seemed on the horizon. But we’ve seen nothing. China is the world’s largest market for auto manufacturers and there is a gang of Chinese manufacturers. They have had plenty of time to learn the US market and fine-tune their products. Will the US ever get those Chinese cars we’ve been waiting 20 years for?
There have been attempts to bring China-built vehicles here. In 2005 Chery made inroads into the US through the efforts of Malcolm Bricklin. Besides creating the Bricklin sports car in the 1970s he also helped Subaru get a toe-hold here in the 1960s.
There have been announcements from Zotye, GAC, Great Wall, Chery, and Geely that US launches were imminent
Over the years there have been announcements from Zotye, GAC, Great Wall, Chery, and Geely that landing on our shores was imminent. But nothing ever happened. Lynk & Co, an offshoot of Geely, is set to launch here in 2021. As of now, no plans have been revealed and no substantive steps have been observed.
Some consultants like Michael Dunn have an idea of what is holding off launches. “When they cast their eyes on the U.S. market, it’s so big and so profitable that it has an irresistible attraction for Chinese automakers,” Dunne told Automotive News. “When they arrive on the California coast and set up their office, they find that it’s impenetrable. And that’s when they often make a U-turn and have to rethink it.”
China has avoided the US with sales and growth opportunities in their home country
There are a number of reasons why this is happening. First, there have been plenty of sales and growth opportunities in their home country. Why go through the expense, effort, and time to break into the US with so much to reap at their doorstep?
Then there is the US-China trade debacle. When Japanese companies first came to the US they did it solely exporting their vehicles from Japan. There was no requirement to build factories here. That is not the case for China today. With relations between the US and China so low imports from China are essentially closed.
Nothing has come based largely on the Trump tariffs making Chinese products highly uncompetitive
The Trump administration requires 27.5% tariffs on the Buick Envision and Volvo S90, both built in China and exported here. Volvo has shown certain Chinese products alongside Volvo, which is Chinese owned. But so far nothing has come from it based largely on the tariffs that make anything highly uncompetitive.
Since 2017 the once-hot Chinese market has cooled creating excess manufacturing capacity. So there is pressure to expand sales through US conquests. Chinese cars are having success in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Chinese JAC Motors crossovers are manufactured in Mexico. For now, automakers in China have their eye on Europe.
Those Chinese companies with the best chance of breaking into the US are the ones that can offer an inexpensive internal-combustion vehicle at the bottom end, or an electric, autonomous, or connected car at the high end, according to Dunne. However it sorts itself out, there will be Chinese vehicle manufacturers here in the coming years.


text:
MarCom New Media prides itself on avoiding cookie cutter marketing and PR solutions like the plague. In today’s segmented world, one size no longer fits all. Communications in the digital world involves a multi-layered and integrated approach, for many reasons. Here’s why.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
You don’t have to go any further than music to see the big divide in interests and life perspectives between generations—from Baby Boomers through Millennials. Music has transitioned from Frank Sinatra to Elvis to The Beatles to Elton John to The Bee Gees to Michael Jackson to Mariah Carey to Rihanna, and so it goes.
The U.S. population is now commonly segmented into four segments: Baby Boomer; Gen X, Millennials and Generation Z. While remarkably similar in size, each of these audience segments is completely different in beliefs, life experiences, and how they like to get information. Within each of these generations are sub-generations with their own characteristics, not to mention the regional differences that affect each one.
Marketing professionals are forever defining our target audiences in order to better understand how to communicate with them. The baby boomers (1946 to 1964) are now in their fifty’s and sixty’s, and there is Generation X (1965-1980), Generation Y (1977-1994) and the Millennials (1980-2001) who are now between 18 and 34 years of age. Generation Z (1995-2012) will be coming of age from 2013 to 2020, and we don’t know as much about this group yet.
While most of the living generations pay attention to online news sites, newspapers, radio and television, most of the 80 million millennials prefer to infiltrate social networks, and usually from their mobile devices. It turns out that the Millennials consume information in much different ways than previous generations. Their paths to discovery and content they consume are also quite varied; visual, graphic, concise, and integrated. Unlike their predecessors, Millennials don’t consume news in given times – like watching the 6:00 p.m. evening news, but rather their news consumption is woven into a continuous digital feed of both news and social media interaction.
Translating Marketing Messaging
At MarCom New Media, one of the first things we want to understand when we meet a new client is their target audiences. Who are they trying to sell their product or service too? How can we reach them, and with what messages? Also, what mediums will we use? Once we have defined these targets it makes it much easier to come up with creative campaigns.
Ever-Evolving Media Platforms
There are tons of media to choose from traditional outlets (print, radio, billboards, direct mail, TV, etc.) to a number of digital or online platforms such as blogging, content marketing, or pay per click (PPC) and mobile platforms including click-to-call. Within these media groups are different delivery methods: classified ads, display ads, radio/TV spots, re-targeting ads, native advertising, product placements, social media, and more. Each media platform has its own demographic: Baby Boomers are more likely to watch the news on TV; Millennials are more likely to get their news through Snapchat, Instagram or the Internet. But, not all Baby Boomers get their news from ABC, and not all Millennials get their news exclusively from social media.
Influencers are Here to Stay
Most of us have seen the popular show, Mad Men, set during early 60’s. Back then, publicists, or PR professionals, were called to influence the media after the marketing and advertising strategies were in place. Today public relations strategies are integrated into the strategic marketing campaign early on, and the tactics involve much more than simply calling the press from a phone booth. From researching the target media and influencers, to developing key messages, preparing press materials, graphics and then doing media relations, and developing social media tactics, public relations and social media have expanded into essential strategies to target and influence multiple audiences of all ages.
Just as social media helps influence target audiences, and can be essential to branding, PR offers quantitative and qualitative results; meaning we can measure how many people read the press we get, and we can measure what messages were conveyed by the media.
The good news is that we no longer need to guess which campaigns deliver the best results. Digital marketing offers accurate analytics to measure any campaign, and we are always tweaking campaigns for maximum results. If it doesn’t work, we toss it.
Overall, there is one trend that cuts across generations, media and delivery methods—the marketing messages that work are the ones that deliver information creatively rather than try to sell something. This affects all avenues of marketing and is central to the approach MarCom New Media takes on behalf of its clients.
If you’d like us to take a look at your business to see what we can do to help reach your target market and better communicate with them in today’s digital world, simply email email@example.com, or call323-650-2838.
Sources: Inside the Habits of America’s Digital Generation; Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs; March 2015


text:
New Markets Power VW To 3.1% Global Sales Increase in 2007
VW expects 2007 to show a 3.1% increase in global sales for its Volkswagen core brand vehicles, with most of that growth occurring in new markets, most notably China. In contrast, sales in the EU, Volkswagen’s main market, have actually fallen 2.9% YTD compared with the same time last year, making the contribution from the developing markets even more important.
A 3.5% increase translates into moving a little more than 3.5 million units sold for VW in 2007, which would be an all-time sales record for VW.
VW is coming off a great August, with sales of 286,000 units, an increase of 12.1% compared to August 2006.
Closer to home, VW recently announced ambitious plans to increase United States sales of their core VW brand to 800,000 units by 2016, up from last year’s number of 235,140.
COPYRIGHT Autosavant.net – All Rights Reserved


text:
- The TSX technology index climbed 3.64 per cent on Tuesday, July 5
- SHOP stocks spiked by nearly 10 per cent this day
- DSG stocks also closed higher, up by almost six per cent, in this trading session
The TSX technology index climbed 3.64 per cent on Tuesday, July 5, with some major tech stocks rising back into green territory. Though energy stocks dragged down the broader market, with the TSX primary index losing 1.02 per cent, Canadian tech stocks like Shopify (TSX: SHOP) and Descartes Systems (TSX: DSG) were among the top gainers leading the benchmark index this day.
SHOP stocks spiked by nearly 10 per cent while DSG stocks also closed higher, up by almost six per cent on July 5. So, let us talk about these TSX tech stocks in detail.
Shopify Inc (TSX: SHOP)
Shopify, owner and operator of e-commerce platform, recorded a two-year compounded annual growth of 60 per cent with a revenue surge of 22 per cent in the first quarter of 2022 compared toQ1 2021.
The C$ 55-billion market cap company also reported an agreement to buy fulfilment technology company Deliverr to simplify supply chain management for merchants.
Stocks of Shopify plunged by roughly 76 per cent in 12 months. According to Refinitiv, SHOP held a moderate Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 51.56 on July 5, with 3.41 million shares exchanging hands.
Descartes Systems Group Inc (TSX: DSG)
Descartes Systems posted a revenue rise of 18 per cent to US$ 116.4 million in Q1 FY2022 from Q1 2021. The software company said its net profit grew by 26 per cent YoY to US$ 23.1 million in the latest quarter.
Descartes Systems also announced earlier in June that it has acquired XPS Technologies, a parcel shipping firm, to strengthen its e-commerce shipping abilities.
DSG stock slid by nearly 19 per cent year-to-date (YTD). As per Refinitiv findings, DSG held an RSI of 63.27 on July 5.
©Kalkine Media®; ©Garis Studio via Canva.com
Shopify and Descartes are e-commerce players working on improving supply chain infrastructure through different business strategies, including acquisition. Also, these tech companies saw their revenue rise year-over-year (YoY) in the latest quarter. An additional point to consider here is both debt-to-equity (D/E) ratios are less than one, indicating their preference for equity financing over debt reflects lower solvency risk.
Please note, the above content constitutes a very preliminary observation based on the industry, and is of limited scope without any in-depth fundamental valuation or technical analysis. Any interest in stocks or sectors should be thoroughly evaluated taking into consideration the associated risks.


text:
Vancouver’s capital markets regulator surveys fintech firms
The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) wants to serve the fintech firms in the state better.
The BCSC has published a new webpage that provides a primer to technology companies doing business in the capital markets space. The page also has a link to the BCSC 2017 Tech Survey, which attempts to understand the regulatory challenges faced by fintech companies operating in the region. The survey is open until 21st February 2017.
BCSC says the survey is part of its effort to consult with and collaborate with stakeholders in the market and will help determine how future regulations shape up.
“Our aim is to work with stakeholders to provide flexible and balanced regulation for innovative business models,” says Brenda Leong, chair and CEO, BCSC. “We also need to assess whether securities regulations are keeping pace with the evolving tech landscape.”
The regulator has also formed a dedicated tech team to help fintech companies understand prevailing securities laws better. The team can be reached via email and a toll-free number, both of which are available online.
By Soumik Roy, editorial contributor to Banking Technology
Banking Technology has recently visited Ontario, Canada to explore its fintech scene, invited by the Ministry of Economic Development and Growth (MEDG). Click here to read about our adventures and findings.


text:
Yesterday, a tornado struck in Mobile, AL that caused a ton of havoc. The local Mercedes dealer looked to be hit pretty hard, with their sign toppling on top of a poorly ML350 that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We just spoke to Jim Sullivan, the General Sales manager at the dealer, and the damage was worse than that one poor SUV. Sullivan told us that, while nobody was thankfully injured in the tornado at the dealer, numerous cars weren't as lucky.
Sullivan doesn't have an exact number, but he estimates that somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 cars were damaged by the storm. None of these cars were AMG hot rods.
Amazingly, the dealer is back up and running already. They got the sign off of that ML350 yesterday morning and are up to speed. They are there, selling cars, and have replacements coming from Mercedes for the damaged ones.


text:
Electric is partnered with an awards winning firm ranked top 5 in multiple categories. Together, we have secured media for CEOs and executive clientele with the likes of Fox News, ABC’s 20/20, CNBC, The New York Times, and niche outlets like TBN and American Management Association.
Media exposure can exponentially grow your company. We specialize in “Executive Branding;” taking the CEO, an executive or other significant member of your organization and leveraging them to get you top news placements.
Consider these numbers from a brand study by Burston-Marsteller, one of the world’s largest PR firms. Based on a CEO’s reputation, influential business leaders revealed:


text:
The new credit card portfolio now includes TD Clear, an innovative interest-free card, and TD FlexPay, a flexibility-focused card, as well as updated customer favorites TD Double Up and TD Cash.
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, today announced the launch of a new suite of credit card products that includes two new credit card types as well as improvements to existing customer favorites, building on TD’s growing momentum in the credit card space. The launch introduces TD Clear, a no-interest credit card that charges a simple monthly fee— the first of its kind in the U.S. market—as well as TD FlexPay, TD’s most flexible credit card to date with increased payment flexibility and generous balance transfer offers. The new credit card offerings complement the enhancements also made to the existing TD Double Up and TD Cash credit cards.
The launch represents TD Bank’s most significant investment to date in the credit card space, creating new card offerings and improving existing products. It comes on the heels of substantial investments in TD’s credit card servicing and digital experience. This expanded credit card portfolio represents a full range of options for customers to determine the best fit for them.
“Customers are looking for clarity around credit to empower them to handle their finances with confidence,” said Matt Boss, Head of Consumer Product at TD Bank. “Our new cards, paired with our existing offerings, provide a solution for everyone. TD Clear delivers transparency and simplicity, taking interest out of the equation with a low monthly fee. TD FlexPay offers our most payment flexibility yet, giving cardholders the option to schedule a Skip a Payment once a year while providing late fee forgiveness on the first late payment every twelve months.”
Introducing TD Clear: No Interest Rates, Just a Simple Monthly Fee
TD Clear is a subscription-based credit card with no interest—just a straightforward monthly fee. Consumers can choose between two products: a $10 monthly fee for a $1,000 credit limit or a $20 monthly fee for a $2,000 credit limit, with no hidden fees. That means no foreign transaction fees, no annual fees, no cash advance fees, no over-the-limit fees, no returned payment fees, and no interest charges.
“This card is the first of its kind in the U.S.,” said Chris Fred, Head of Credit Cards and Unsecured Lending at TD Bank. “Our research indicated that many customers want a simple solution to credit. TD Clear provides simplicity with a predictable monthly payment.”
Source: Company Press Release


text:
After you shed your cow costume and down your free Chick-fil-A meal, you might have a hankering for something sweet. Lucky for you, today’s turning into a day of freebies. A new local water ice franchise is dishing out free servings.
Rocco’s Italian Ice is giving one regular-size water ice to each customer today to celebrate its six new locations around Philadelphia and Montgomery County. The husband and wife team say the recipes are authentic and made fresh daily.
You’ll find locations in Nicetown, Feltonville, Lawncrest, Mt. Airy, West Oak Lane and Wyndmoor. Hand-outs run 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.


text:
* U.S. sales continue strong run in main market * Looking at making cars locally in China (Adds background on U.S. sales) TOKYO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Fuji Heavy Industries , the maker of Subaru-brand cars, has seen its U.S. vehicle sales rise 20 percent so far this month from a year ago, continuing a strong run in its main market, its chief executive said on Friday. Ikuo Mori also told Reuters in an interview that Fuji Heavy was looking into various possibilities for producing cars ...
Premium Content (PAID Subscription Required)
"INTERVIEW-UPDATE 1-Subaru U.S. Nov sales up 20 pct yr/yr" is part of the paid WardsAuto Premium content. You must log in with Premium credentials in order to access this article. Premium paid subscribers also gain access to:
All of WardsAuto's reliable, in-depth industry reporting and analysis
Hundreds of downloadable data tables including:
• Global sales and production data by country
• U.S. model-line inventory data
• Engine and equipment installation rates
• WardsAuto's North America Plant by Platform forecast
• Product Cycle chart
• Interrelationships among major OEMs
• Medium- and heavy-duty truck volumes
• Historical data and much more!
For WardsAuto.com pricing and subscription information please contact
Lisa Williamson by email: email@example.com or phone: (248) 799-2642


text:
GreenTech Giant Agilitee has opened a second Agilite XPress Dealership in Fourways Mall yesterday the 16 December 2022 and this great success story follows the successful opening of its first XPress Dealership on the 1st of December 2022 in Cape Town.
The Cape Town store sold out everything on its first day in business, which is a great sign that Africa is truly ready for Electric Vehicles.
The Agilitee XPress Fourways is also owned by a group of women as Agilitee is spearheading the empowerment and the development of female entrepreneurs across the continent.
This Dealership is owned by a company that is owned 10 women who came together to purchase the Agilitee Xpress Franchise at $425 000/ R7 500, 000 from Agilitee.
The Agilitee XPress Dealership also houses battery swapping infrastructure for electric two and three wheelers, this is where those who want to charge their scooter batteries will go and and swap an empty battery for a full one at no cost.
The battery swapping for Agilitee Scooters is free of charge to all those who use Agilitee Electric Scooter.
Commenting on this great milestone is the founder and CEO of Agilitee, Dr. Mandla Lamba, ” Within the past 16 days we have managed to pen two dealerships of Agilitee XPress both in Cape Town and Fourways Mall, and this for us as a team is remarkable.
The Cape Town store is 90% owned by women and the Fourways Mall one is owned 100% by women and I have no words to describe how I feel.
God is really doing a new thing in Africa, women are the core drivers of the New World Order and this is proof in the pudding.
We are now preparing to open the Agilitee XPress Dealership in Pretoria in few weeks and I hope that it will be women who will buy it once we are finished setting it up.
We will be rolling out a minimum of five Franchises of Agilitee XPress every month from January 2023 going forward and I am happy that all these dealerships are franchises that anyone can buy and get own a share of our success story. All I can say is, To God Alone Be The Glory.


text:
The cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has released the
findings of a new survey offering insights into the crypto landscape in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the report, the UAE’s dynamic crypto
landscape is on an upward trajectory despite numerous challenges.
A staggering 59% of crypto users in the UAE see
cryptocurrency as a long-term investment, recognizing it as a reliable store of
value. Moreover, 35% view crypto as a means to diversify their investment
portfolios, while 11% use it as a hedge against inflation.
But it’s not just about investment; 29% of
respondents consider crypto a more convenient way to store assets than
traditional banks. Additionally, crypto’s practicality is evident, with 22%
using it for daily payments, 12% for cross-border remittances, and 9% for
purchasing NFTs and other digital assets.
Alicia Kao, the Managing Director of KuCoin, stated:
“Our survey has unveiled the pressing needs and aspirations of the UAE’s
crypto community. Trust, security, and education are at the core of their
concerns. This report not only illuminates their preferences but also
solidifies the UAE’s position as a leader in the crypto revolution, with a
dominant 72% preference for Bitcoin and a strong appetite for blockchain and AI
According to most respondents, security is
paramount, with 63% of users emphasizing it when selecting crypto exchanges.
Brand reputation (52%) and efficient customer support (47%) are also
significant factors. These findings reflect the importance of safeguarding
digital assets and the growing discernment of users in the region.
While the UAE‘s crypto scene is promising,
challenges exist. Market volatility, voiced by 52% of respondents, presents
opportunities and risks. The most significant challenge is the lack of trust in
crypto platforms, cited by 48%. Limited knowledge and education also pose a
challenge for 26% of respondents.
The UAE is abuzz with excitement about various
crypto innovations. AI and blockchain integration excites 62% of users, reflecting
a strong interest in harnessing AI’s potential to enhance data analysis and
automation within the crypto space. Besides that, blockchain-based identity
solutions and decentralized finance capture significant attention.
UAE’s Crypto Landscape
Diverse interests are driving the adoption of crypto
in the UAE. 55% of the respondents see cryptocurrencies as investment tools.
There is also a strong appetite for remittances, everyday…


text:
Sign in to comment on this article
Not logged in before? Register for FREE guest access today.
You will be able to:
David Beckham is the new face of Sainsbury’s, fronting its Active Kids campaign and Paralympic Games sponsorship.
Asda is claiming to be the first supermarket to hand over the future of an entire range to a leading cookery school in a revamp of its Extra Special own-label range.
Baxters soup is back on TV this weekend for this first time in five years. The first ad in its new 5m campaign, which runs until the end of November, airs during Downton Abbey on Sunday. It features a group of friends, faced with unexpected visitors, who improvise with ...
Site powered by Webvision Cloud


text:
By Rahul Bhagat 16/10/2023
Minecraft has recently surpassed the milestone of selling over 300 million copies, making it one of the best-selling games in history.
Grand Theft Auto V, a popular game, lags with over 185 million copies sold.
This achievement was announced during a Minecraft Live event where new features were unveiled, including a trial chamber with traps and mobs.
Mojang Studios' head, Helen Chiang, highlighted the incredible success of Minecraft as it approaches its 15th anniversary.
Minecraft was first made available to the public by game developer Markus Persson (Notch) in 2009, though the official release came later in 2011.
New DLCs, including a Star Wars: Path of the Jedi and Planet Earth DLC, are being developed for the game.


text:
Around noon of November 9th of last year, a Black Chevy Suburban pulled up to a New Hampshire liquor store. The driver, a 46-year old Queens, New York resident named Juncheng Chen, bought some booze, then headed off to another liquor store to make another purchase.
Then another, then another.
In total, Chen bought liquor at six different New Hampshire stores that afternoon.
Chen didn’t know it, but he was being watched. A criminal investigator with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance was trailing him from store to store,and then southbound on the highway. When Chen crossed the border back into New York, the investigator contacted a State Trooper.


text:
South African agriculture, especially the fruit industry, can improve its quality and competitiveness by using novel biotechnology-based technologies, such as diagnostic tests to check harvest maturity and predict storage quality through identified biomarkers, says Genetwister Africa acting CEO Dr Kevin Chambers
The horticultural biotechnology company opened a laboratory and offices in Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape, in May 2010, and is currenlty expanding its facilities. Genetwister Africa, which entered the South African market in 2008, is also searching for a South African shareholder.
The company currently offers three main services, namely diagnostic tests, plant tissue culture services and biotechnology research services, aimed at improving the quality of agricultural and horticultural products.
The diagnostic tests provide accurate infor- mation to farmers and exporters on harvest maturity, prediction of storage potential and, ultimately, the quality and taste of products.
Plant tissue services
Plant tissue culture services include pathogen-free micropropagation, micrografting, virus elimination and embryo rescue services.
Biotechnology research services provide biomarker identification, marker-assisted breeding, breeding consultancy services and expression profiling.
The company aims to grow its services to the South African agriculture industry and, specifically, the fruit industry but will also be looking to expand its services to other industries. Currently, services are only offered in South Africa but the company aims to offer its services in the rest of Africa in 2012.


text:
Veterans can now go online and order their new identification cards.
By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES Published: January 29, 2018
WASHINGTON – Veterans can again submit online applications for new identification cards through the Department of Veterans Affairs website after the system was taken down in December following rollout problems.
The purpose of the identification cards is to help veterans prove their military history without having to carry around their DD-214 certificates, which contain sensitive information. The new IDs do not replace VA medical cards or defense retiree cards, nor do they qualify as official government-issued identification.
As of Jan. 29, the VA was processing 14,609 applications for the cards, said VA spokesman Curt Cashour. Any veteran who served in the armed forces, including in the reserves, and has an honorable or general discharge can request them.
High demand for the cards crashed a VA webpage in December, when some veterans were met with error messages or a webpage that failed to load. The VA temporarily stopped the online application process and asked veterans seeking new ID cards to leave their email addresses, stating they’d be notified when they could apply.
Now, the online application process has resumed to all veterans. Cashour said veterans are no longer being asked to leave their email addresses.
Veterans can apply at the Vets.gov website and will be asked to create an online account.
Veterans who have applied will start receiving their cards in early March, Cashour said. In the meantime, approved veterans can download an image of their IDs and print them or download them to their mobile phones.
In 2015, Congress ordered the VA to create the cards to make it easier for veterans to receive certain benefits such as discounts at stores and restaurants.


text:
A common feature of any discussion about a given book market is that the sales happening in the domestic retail sector are the only numbers that matter.
This week comes news in Brazil from a study by GfK and the National Bookstores Association (ANL) that, compared with the same period in 2017, book sales are up in both value (1.2%) and volume (8.6%).
The retail numbers come in at 3.8 million units sold for R$ 142.3 million ($38.5 million), with the average price for a book down 6.9% to R$37.3 ($10).
Year to year revenue growing at 4.2%, for R$1.75 billion ($473 million), totaling 40.7 million units.
And despite the presence of Amazon, bookstores continue to see growth – 3.6% – while accounting for 92.1% of print sales.
That via PublishNewsBR.
But there’s another side to the book market of any country, quite apart from untracked ebook sales, etc), that rarely gets discussed but by happy coincidence came up this week over at the BrazilPublishers website..
Brazil Publishers describes itself as,
an industry project to promote exports of Brazilian editorial content carried out through a partnership between Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil)., an umbrella organisation that seeks to raise the profile of the publishing industry in Brazil.
It transpires that Brazilian participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which finished last month, generated an additional $700,000 in book business, expected to come in over the coming twelve months.
Brazil Publishers Manager Luiz Alvaro Salles Aguiar de Menezes, who is also International Affairs Manager of the Brazilian Book Chamber, said,
Last year, US$ 680,000 were generated in business expectations. In 2018, this value increased, proving that the export actions of the Brazilian editorial content that we produce generate results for the publishing houses that are part of Brazilian Publishers and for the whole market, since Brazilian literature is reaching readers from other countries.
This $700,000, important to stress, is just from the Frankfurt event.
Earlier this year Sharjah was guest of honour at the Sao Paulo Biennial, and while I don’t have any figures it’s safe to say deals were done, and safe to say more deals will be happening at the Sharjah International Book Fair that is happening right now in the UAE.
And of course at myriad other global book fairs and trade shows through the year.
A reminder that, important as domestic sales are for any publisher, they are only part of the show.
And while print exports have many accompanying challenges and costs, digital exports are a far more efficient, and far more lucrative option for publishers willing and wanting to embrace the global markets.


text:
Unleash the power of tomatoes from seed to shelf
Added on 12 December 2022
Future Food-Tech today announced an exclusive innovation challenge with The Kraft Heinz Company, culminating at the flagship Future Food-Tech San Francisco summit on March 16-17. The challenge seeks innovative solutions to unleash the power of tomatoes, delivering on taste, sustainability, nutrition, convenience and/or affordability.
The Innovation Challenge
Kraft Heinz is interested in a wide range of solutions including ingredients, processing, and packaging technologies, as well as finished products, and companies are encouraged to have proof of principle and prototypes. Start-ups are invited to apply before Friday January 20, 2023, and can find additional information on the challenge at https://futurefoodtechsf.com/innovation-challenge/.
Three finalists will be selected to pitch their innovative solutions to Kraft Heinz judges in front of a global audience of food brands, corporations and investors at the Future Food-Tech San Francisco summit on March 16-17, 2023, and the winning start-up will be revealed by Kraft Heinz live on stage. The finalists will also be invited to attend both days of networking and insights at the summit and will benefit from considerable brand visibility to Future Food-Tech’s global network.
Click here for more information.
Image Courtesy of Urban Ag News


text:
Not yet, however a group of researchers is creating a novel digital tongue that mimics how style influences what we eat … Researchers have developed a new open-source computational method, dubbed Spectra, which improves the evaluation of single-cell transcriptomic information. Yet the technology hasn’t seen much scale-up and commercialization largely as a result of its inability to self-correct.
For More Information You can visit: Technology News
Sometimes, hackers attempt to entry the information illegally and continue to find ways to get through even the toughest security measures. That’s why implementing cybersecurity solutions has become mandatory in today’s time. According to specialists, Metaverse real estate gross sales reached$501 millionin 2021 and are anticipated to increase tremendously in the coming time. For instance, VR headphones enable people to discover things, get immersed in the digital world, and share their experiences.
Apple Issues Worrying New Iphone Alert – Verify Your Settings Immediately
Sanjay Patil from Goa spoke of promoting natural farming as a method to prevent farmer suicides. “Inorganic farmers should Technology News shift to organic whereas organic farmers ought to move to pure farming,” he said.
Oppo Find N3 Flip comes with MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chipset, a strong triple camera setup which additionally features a telephoto and extra. For inquiries related to this message please contact our support staff and supply the reference ID under. Cisco’s $28-billion deal for Splunk is more doubtless to prompt other tech giants to splash out on related acquisitions. The urgent utility by eMedia towards MultiChoice over Rugby World Cup rights has been struck off the roll.
Threads will quickly roll out an edit button for customers which will enable them to make modifications to their posts after they’ve been published. In addition to this, customers may also get the flexibility to share voice notes on the platform. US politicians want to limit American companies from working on a freely out there chip technology broadly utilized in China. It is now obvious that the mass-produced artifacts of technology in our increasingly densely populated world—whether electronic devices, vehicles, batteries, phones, household appliances, or industrial robots—are increasingly …


text:
Publisher's full-year digital sales more than double as Trials Evolution sells 500,000 in three weeks; Driver: San Francisco and Rayman Origins ship 2 million each.
Ubisoft today posted its full-year financial results, showing off a return to profitability thanks in part to the doubling of its digital and online sales.
For the year ended March 31, Ubisoft reported total revenues of €1.06 billion ($1.35 billion), up from €1.04 billion ($1.32 billion) the year before. The publisher also posted a net profit of €37.3 million ($47.6 million), a turnaround from the prior year's loss of €52 million ($66.4 million).
Ubisoft pointed to a handful of factors that drove the comeback, among them a nearly 111 percent jump in its online and digital sales. The company's digital business includes titles like the Xbox Live Arcade hit Trials Evolution (which sold 500,000 in three weeks), as well as microtransaction-driven titles like The Settlers Online and Howrse.
In Ubisoft's packaged goods business, an "excellent" showing from Assassin's Creed: Revelations (which shipped 7.2 million copies, about even with Assassin's Creed Brotherhood) and the continued success of the Just Dance series (which shipped 15 million copies cumulatively) were also singled out as sales drivers. Driver: San Francisco and Rayman Origins were also noted as "critical successes" by the publisher, with each title shipping 2 million copies worldwide.
The Wii continued to be the publisher's biggest platform, accounting for 33 percent of Ubisoft revenues for the year. The Xbox 360 followed with 29 percent, while PlayStation 3 games contributed 22 percent of the publisher's total sales.
Looking to the year ahead, Ubisoft expects a significant boost from its core gaming business. The publisher was particularly enthusiastic about its return to the shooter genre with Far Cry 3 and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, the latter of which is the most preordered Tom Clancy title to date in the US. Ubisoft is also pushing its core brands into new places, as it plans to launch a free-to-play Assassin's Creed on iOS and Android phones at the end of the year.
"From a longer-term perspective, Ubisoft is positioning itself to capitalize on the forthcoming arrival of the next generation of consoles which will be increasingly connected and will strongly boost the market thanks to a new qualitative leap and the integration of social games benefits and the item based model, the ongoing strong growth in the free-to-play market for PCs, smartphones and tablets," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said in a statement. "These major opportunities will enable us to extend our global reach, increase our average revenue per user (ARPU) and therefore raise the profitability potential of each of our brands."
Bungie is lucky they bought RedLynx. I guess to make money, they let someone else make the game and then Bungie buys the company.
Downloaded Driver as soon as it was available £20's was a good price, gotta say its a majorly underrated game!
All we nee now is for MARVEL too let their games be downloadable, been wanting to DL a couple Spiderman games for awhile now lol.
Here's an idea how to get even more profit Ubisoft:
Permanently remove always on-line DRM from all of your PC games.That would win a lot of favors in the PC community,and you would actually start getting some good sales and publicity from PC gamers...
Restrictive DRMs and bad console ports are the quickest route to low sales and high piracy rate on the PC...
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will be a 'one time activation online' game, and will be possible to play offline. Unless you want to play multiplayer of course. It seems like they're slowly learning.
@Stressthesky I thought they said it wasn't coming to PC..
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is coming to pc. Release date is June 12th.
@eric_neo3 It isn't. PC is getting Ghost Recon Online which will be free to play. Wii-U is getting the same thing.
Content you might like…
E3 2012: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's producer and lead designer tell us why and how Raiden is going to steal the spotlight.
- Jun 5, 2012
Users who looked at this article also looked at these content items.
Avalanche Studios co-founder says developer's ambition is for action, not moments that make players cry; steampunk-style game on hold. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 6:33 am PT
4A Games creative director Andrew Prokhorov thanks Jason Rubin for telling the studio's story, but says, "We deserve the ratings we get." Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 12:44 pm PT


text:
For the majority of importers, Jan. 26 will pass as any other Tuesday this year. But those who have ignored or missed the flood of preparatory information about Customs’ enforcement of the Importer Security Filing rule are in for a shock.
Starting Jan. 26, those opting to take that route will pay a price for noncompliance, not enough to put them out of business, but still enough to hurt.
“I think there are a lot of companies out there that are not filing because they elected not to do so, or more likely, they’re simply unaware of the requirement,” said Bruce Leeds, a Los Angeles trade attorney. Customs and Border Protection “has done a great job of outreach, but it’s hard to reach all those people.”
Mike Laden, principal at supply chain security and customs compliance consultant TradeInnovations, said there are two types of companies that find themselves in a precarious position: “the procrastinators and those who wrongly believed that this was going to go away. You have these companies that pinned their hopes on trade associations getting this thing derailed. They’ve been sitting on their hands.”
The ISF violator may be a small importer who only makes one or two entries a year, but size doesn’t really matter. “Two weeks ago, we were on the phone with one fairly large importer — several thousand entries per year — and they’re just beginning to design and implement ISF,” Laden said. “That’s cutting it very close — too close for my comfort.”
|The rule, commonly known as 10+2, obligates importers and ocean carriers to report 12 data elements that don’t appear on the ship’s manifest and file the information 24 hours before the ship sails from a foreign port for the United States. Customs said it needs the details to better identify high-risk cargo that warrants closer scrutiny. It’s a key to the agency’s supply chain security strategy.|
“We’ve been getting a lot more questions from folks, and it’s fairly evident that they weren’t prepared. But that’s not the vast majority of what we’ve seen,” said Richard DiNucci, director of Customs’ Secure Freight Initiative. When enforcement starts, “We’re ready if issues turn up, but by and large, we’re pretty optimistic that we’re in good shape.”
Leeds said Customs would “go easy on companies that have made a diligent attempt to get their ISF filings in order. If the importer is trying to get it right, I think Customs is going easy on those folks. Rich (DiNucci) has said several times, ‘We don’t want the money; we want the data.’ Money is a tool to get the data.”
In the first few weeks or months of enforcement, Customs’ hammer will fall on importers who have not made ISF filings, Leeds said. Even then the response is likely to be relatively benign. “Customs will hold up the release of the cargo until the importer files the ISF and gets a bond,” he said. The worst penalty is an order to the carrier not to load an importer’s boxes if it doesn’t have an ISF bond.
“If everything is being done timely, getting that bond is not going to be a problem,” said Matthew Zehner, vice president of Roanoke Trade Services, a Schaumburg, Ill.-based insurance broker and sureties firm. “When it’s known there’s a violation — it’s late, you missed the deadline — it gets dicier.”
Because late filing by definition is a violation, Zehner said a surety knows Customs will make a claim against the bond. To get a bond, the importer will pay a premium — maybe $5,000 extra in cash — that the surety will keep until Customs’ claim is settled. An importer’s money could be tied up for years.
“We’re not going to just hand them the bond, and we’re not going to wait six months for Customs to issue penalties,” Zehner said. “We want to take our security in advance.”
When Customs announced the 24-hour rule in 2002, it sent a chill through the supply chain. With ISF, the trade generally commends Customs for its education efforts. “The shipping community knows that Customs has done a great job in telling the world about this new requirement,” Laden said.
“I think this one has the ability to disrupt or cause more pain and frustration for importers who didn’t get the message, because it touches everyone in the supply chain,” he said. “Remember, the 24-hour rule only affected the carriers . . . This change is unprecedented. It impacts the entire supply chain.”
Contact R.G. Edmonson at email@example.com.