text:
The social networking platform, Weibo, is turbocharging its key-opinion-consumer network for beauty brands. Earlier this month, it launched a new hashtag #trynewmakeup (#开新妆) to recruit KOCs to work with makeup brands. To date, the hashtag has amassed 1.29 billion views and 227 thousand discussions.
To participate, applicants need to either post a photo of themselves with a bit of text or a vlog about their own makeup and skincare products while tagging #trynewmakeup. Then they need to fill out basic information on a web page. On June 16, Weibo launched the first event with the Korean beauty brand Papa Recipe to recruit 15 KOCs to review their new products.
Compared to rival WeChat, Weibo has been slow on releasing new tools or partnerships with brands, but in a virus-battered economy, it is rightly stepping up its game.
For the fiscal quarter ending on March 31 this year, owner Sina reported that Weibo’s revenue from advertising and marketing dropped 19 percent from a year ago. It is a significant loss given that Weibo accounts for around 80 percent of the group’s margin. But their new KOC network is likely to be a new revenue stream with a minimal investment.
Brands, especially the smaller ones, can benefit from this rather low-budget marketing approach. Collaborating with Weibo could give a brand exposure during the recruiting phase, and another wave of exposure as KOCs post about the products. Let’s see if this will work on both ends.
The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article stated Pape Recipe is a Canadian brand. This is incorrect. Papa Recipe is a Korean beauty brand with global reach.


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Remember that XCOM first person shooter that hasn’t surfaced since E3 2011? Well it looks like 2K Games finally is going to make an announcement regarding that title. According to a blog post on 2K’s website, the re-reveal of the game will be in “only a matter of days” and that it has “undergone an evolution” since the last time we saw it.
To be a bit more specific, the blog post says the following:
“The creative development of this game has been a collaborative process of discovery and iteration,” said 2K in a blog post. “2K’s culture allows our studios the freedom to refine their visions, to explore new ideas, and to deliver the best possible experiences for players. Through this exploration, 2K Marin has refined their vision, and as a result the game has evolved into a high-stakes narrative experience imbued with core XCOM concepts.”

domain: news


text:
Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Friday, January 18th, 2013, 08:10
Category: iPhone, News
A growing network…that’s never a bad thing.
Per AppleInsider, U.S. carrier Sprint announced Thursday that its 4G LTE network, which offers faster connections to the iPhone 5 and Apple’s latest iPads, will expand to 28 new cities in the coming months.
The continuing deployment is part of Sprint’s Network Vision strategy, in which the company will consolidate multiple network technologies into one new, seamless network.
The goal, Sprint said, is to increase efficiency and enhance network coverage, call quality and data speeds for customers across the U.S.
The full list of markets that will gain access to Sprint 4G LTE follows:
Bay City, Mich
Florence/Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Homosassa Springs, Fla.
Hot Springs, Ark.
Lake City, Fla.
Lake Havasu City/Kingman, Ariz.
The Villages, Fla.
During the pre-launch phase, customers of Sprint with compatible 4G LTE devices, like Apple’s iPhone 5, may begin to see coverage. Customers are welcome to use the network before it officially launches.
Sprint promises that customers on its LTE network will see enhanced call quality and better performance. 4G LTE allows for significantly improved data speeds, which will enhance browsing the Web, streaming music or video, and downloading applications from the App Store.
Sprint has already announced nearly 200 markets where Sprint 4G LTE is on its way, including Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tenn.; Miami; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans; New York; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C. The carrier announced plans to expand its LTE network in 100 new cities in September.
If you’ve had a chance to try the new Sprint network locations, let us know what you make of them in the comments.


text:
Tesla Interested in Google's Self-Driving Technology
May 7, 2013 4:48 PM
comment(s) - last by
It may be deployed in future Tesla vehicles
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is interested in self-driving technology for his future fleets -- and he's
going to Google
Musk has been talking to Google about its work with self-driving cars and how to implement such a system for future Tesla vehicles. However, Musk doesn't want to call it "self-driving," but rather "autopilot" technology.
“I like the word autopilot more than I like the word self- driving,” Musk said. “Self-driving sounds like it’s going to do something you don’t want it to do. Autopilot is a good thing to have in planes, and we should have it in cars.”
The idea behind such technology is to not only make driving more convenient, but also safer. Cars equipped with self-driving systems can react to certain situations and prevent a crash, for example.
Google is the place to go for insight on the new technology, considering Google has launched self-driving projects over the last couple of years. Its test fleet consists of Toyota Prius', Audi TTs and Lexus RX450hs equipped with the self-driving technology.
Google's self-driving cars use LIDAR, which is a rotating sensor on the roof that scans more than 200 feet in all directions for a map of the car's surroundings; a position estimator sensor that helps locate its location on a map; four radar sensors to identify the position of distant objects, and a video camera to detect traffic lights as well as moving objects like pedestrians.
“The problem with Google’s current approach is that the sensor system is too expensive,” Musk said. “It’s better to have an optical system, basically cameras with software that is able to figure out what’s going on just by looking at things.”
As of right now, Google's self-driving cars are allowed to drive on Nevada, California and Florida roads for testing. Last month, it was reported that
Michigan may approve autonomous vehicle licensing
Musk sees autonomous driving -- or autopilot -- as the next step in the evolution of vehicles, but isn't working on development quite yet.
“We’re not focused on autopilot right now; we will be in the future,” Musk said. “Autopilot is not as important as accelerating the
transition to electric cars
, or to sustainable transport.”
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Self driving cars are a huge economic impact
5/8/2013 9:43:33 AM
It is definitely the future. What we have to see is the 1% will allow this to happen soon enough, as I believe the technology will be available sooner than we think. This is a change in paradigm, and implies that huge corporations today might not need to exist or at least be smaller.
I read somewhere that every year we have technology advances that eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. We are too slow to keep up with it. I wonder how we would adapt to such "driverless" reality.
RE: Self driving cars are a huge economic impact
5/8/2013 3:27:00 PM
sounds great until some nut job... or a "terrorist-cell" decides to put a bomb or a contagen into these shared vehicles....
"The Space Elevator will be built about 50 years after everyone stops laughing" -- Sir Arthur C. Clarke
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McDonald’s on Wednesday announced major changes to its digital leadership as the company continues to build on the technology used inside of its restaurants.
The Chicago-based burger giant named Lucy Brady its chief digital customer engagement officer, a newly created position that will report to CEO Chris Kempczinski and will lead a new digital customer engagement team at the company.
Daniel Henry, the Chicago-based company’s global chief information officer, will now report directly to new CEO Chris Kempczinski.
“We must accelerate our focus on the digital experience by taking a more holistic approach that drives value from our existing customer-facing digital investments to better engage customers and drive profitable growth,” Kempczinski told employees in a systemwide message sent Wednesday and shared with members of the media.
Digital ordering is increasingly important to McDonald’s, and other chains as well, and the burger giant has invested heavily in recent years to bolster its capabilities. It is adding digital kiosks inside its U.S. restaurants as well as artificial intelligence technology in its drive-thrus. The company made a pair of major technology acquisitions last year in Dynamic Yield and Apprente.
It has also jumped into third-party delivery with both feet through deals with services Uber Eats and DoorDash.
Yet Kempczinski said meetings with operators and employees in the U.S. and around the world indicated that the company isn’t doing enough on this front. “Digital is transforming global retail, and it will transform McDonald’s,” he said. “At the same time, I’ve heard your feedback that we still have more work to do to fulfill our digital potential.”
“Technology is growing exponentially in our business and will be a strong catalyst for growth.”
Kempczinski noted that Henry has “spearheaded a new product-centric approach to technology” that “will yield great dividends for us going forward.”
Brady has been McDonald’s senior vice president of corporate strategy and business development for the past three years. Kempczinski said that group was a driving force behind the rapid expansion of McDelivery, which grew into a $4 billion global business from $1 billion in 2017.
Brady’s team also “ran point on the acquisition of Dynamic Yield,” which is already improving average check in drive-thrus with digitized menu boards that suggest items based on time of day and weather and other things.
Global delivery along with marketing technology will report directly to Brady in her new role, which will be designed to analyze technology “through the lens of the customer.”
The team will feature “experts from marketing technology, finance, operations, marketing, insights, analytics and other functions to develop world-class digital experiences including ordering, personalization, loyalty and delivery,” Brady said in a message to employees.
The group will work alongside a new Digital Advisory Council featuring executives such as McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger, CFO Kevin Ozan, International President Ian Borden, Brady, Henry and Colin Mitchel, the company’s senior vice president of global marketing.
Brady said that the team plans to “proceed quickly to keep pace with the external environment,” even as it is “thoughtful about this team’s priorities.” She said the company plans to seek input from various markets and groups over the next 90 days and will share more in April.
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text:
Allstate Corp.’s Esurance is looking to hit a home run with baseball fans with a new commercial starring San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey as a delivery-room doctor.
In the 30-second spot, set to debut during the Esurance All-Star Selection Show on Sunday, a fully-uniformed Mr. Posey shows up to an expectant couple’s hospital room to help deliver their baby.
“I’m sorta your doctor,” Mr. Posey explains to a confused mother in labor. “We both wear gloves and we always deliver in the clutch.”
The commercial is Esurance’s latest in its “Sorta You” campaign, which launched during the Super Bowl with spots starring Lindsay Lohan and Bryan Cranston. The overall message of the campaign is to remind consumers they should be getting insurance plans that are tailored to them, said Esurance Chief Marketing Officer Alan Gellman.
“People don’t feel like they’re treated like individuals in the insurance category,” Mr. Gellman said. “We treat people as individuals by leveraging technology and by connecting them to people. We know how important that is to our customers and potential customers.”
Esurance aims to reach the “self-directed” market, customers who want to research and shop for insurance plans on their own and who often are tech-savvy. The brand’s net written premiums, a measure of the value of policies sold, rose 8.6% in the most recent quarter.
In May, Esurance became the Major League Baseball’s exclusive auto insurance partner and named Mr. Posey as a brand ambassador. As part of the deal, Esurance is also the title sponsor for the MLB’s new digital all-star game ballot for fans to vote for their picks to play in the league’s all-star game. More than 500 million votes were cast in the ballot, a new record, and the starting position players in this year’s all-star game will be unveiled on Sunday.
“We need to and want to create an emotional connection to the brand and a great way to do it is connecting to people’s passion points,” Mr. Gellman said. “Sports is among the biggest passion points and also has among the highest viewership and engagement. That’s why you see so much money going into it.”
Esurance spent $65.1 million on traditional and display advertising in the first quarter and $263.1 million for all of 2014, according to data from WPP’s Kantar Media.


text:
FullContact Buys Cobook, Adds Contact Management Apps and 1M Users
Denver-based startup FullContact announced today that it has acquired Cobook, a Latvia-based company that’s created a popular contact management app for Apple users. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
FullContact is a Techstars grad that’s trying to solve what CEO Bart Lorang calls the world’s contact management problem. The company wants to integrate address books from Microsoft Outlook, Google Contacts, social networks, and even information from real-world business cards into a single online address book.
FullContact says it already manages more than 1 billion contacts and is developing an application programming interface (API), hoping that developers will want to build new programs incorporating its features.
The visions of the two companies have a lot in common. In FullContact’s eyes, “if you’ve got an address book, you’ve got an address book problem.” In the case of Cobook, CEO Kaspars Dancis said his company wants to “make contact management actually enjoyable.”
But they also took different approaches. FullContact’s Address Book is a Web-based product, while Cobook developed apps for Apple’s OS X and iOS platforms. By acquiring and eventually integrating Cobook, FullContact will be able to expand quickly onto mobile devices, Macs, and PCs.
“Users are clamoring for our capability on their desktop, our capability on their iPhone and their iPad, and honestly with a mobile world, it makes a lot of sense to expand our unified address book capability onto the Apple ecosystem. It was a logical next step,” Lorang said.
In addition to Cobook’s apps, the deal brings FullContact about 1 million users spread around the world. Cobook’s six-person team will join FullContact, including Dancis, who will become the product manager for FullContact Address Book.
Their first task will be integrating the two companies and their products. The executives haven’t quite decided how they’ll do that, but a blog post from Dancis said that Cobook’s apps will remain the same in the immediate future.
After that, Lorang said the company will develop apps for other platforms, like Android or Windows—something else users want.
“You don’t care [about the platform], you just want your address book to work, regardless of which service you end up using,” Lorang said.
Following the acquisition, FullContact will have 42 employees. The company has raised $8.5 million from investors.
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text: China,Government,International Relations | December 7, 2015 Written by Ben Lampert and Giles Mohan. As President Xi Jinping met his African counterparts at the sixth Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg last week, the focus was on the high-level trade, aid and investment deals that will emerge. But what is often overlooked in the coverage of FOCAC and the broader intensification of China-Africa relations over the last 15 years is the accompanying rise of more everyday Sino-African engagements engendered by the substantial expansion of Chinese migration to Africa. Encouraged by a range of social and economic push and pull factors, of which China’s diplomatic charm offensive on the continent is only one, there are reports that as many as one to two million Chinese people are resident in Africa, with most having arrived since the early 2000s. Where this significant migration has been discussed, it is generally in negative terms that mirror the wider coverage of China-Africa relations framing it as the latest form of economic imperialism to afflict the continent. As exemplified by a British newspaper article entitled ‘How China has created a new slave empire in Africa’, a widespread contention is that Chinese enterprises operate in enclaved compounds with few connections to wider society and satisfy much of their labour needs with imported Chinese workers. When they do employ locals, it is claimed that they offer them only pitiful wages and inhumane conditions. While it would be equally unfair to characterise relations between Chinese migrants and their African hosts as unproblematic examples of the ‘win-win’ cooperation trumpeted by Chinese and some African leaders, our research suggests that the Chinese presence in Africa can be much more locally embedded and beneficial than is often recognised. Enclaves and embeddedness China-Africa headlines are often captured by large-scale, Chinese-backed energy and infrastructure projects in Africa. These are usually carried out by Chinese state-owned enterprises with political and financial support from the Chinese state. Such projects are undeniably a key marker of China’s heightened engagement with Africa and reflect to various degrees China’s geo-political ambitions around resource extraction, market entry and diplomacy. They are also an important driver of Chinese migration to Africa, involving the deployment of Chinese managers, engineers and workers, usually on short-term contracts of a few years duration. These projects can produce enclavic developments, such as bounded construction sites on which a large proportion of the Chinese workforce lives, that have attracted criticism even though they are characteristic of much international investment in Africa. However, as important as state-linked, project-based migration flows are, they are only part of the story. Another key flow is that of a range of independent Chinese entrepreneurs and professionals working with Chinese private companies who come to Africa to pursue their own business ambitions and careers with little or no link to any state agendas. Hence we find small and medium scale Chinese investors pushed out of China by intense competition and attracted to Africa by its untapped market opportunities, particularly around affordable consumer goods but also the growing demand from expanding middle classes. Such entrepreneurs establish a range of businesses including retail and wholesale shops, Chinese restaurants, hotels and casinos, health clinics, assembly and food processing plants, and plastic and metal products factories. Alongside this, we find young Chinese graduates appointed to positions in African countries to help establish and manage local branches for their corporate employers, introducing products and services ranging from tomato paste to telecoms equipment. For these dynamic professionals, moving to Africa represents an opportunity to escape an intensely competitive graduate jobs market in China, often earn higher salaries than they might attain at home, and gain language skills and international exposure. Significantly, the vast majority of these entrepreneurial and professional migrants and their businesses rely on developing strong local connections, especially in terms of engaging local customers and employing local labour. In the latter case, our research in Ghana and Nigeria identified this at a variety of scales, from the independent Chinese traders in markets in Lagos and Accra who generally employ at least a couple of local assistants all the way through to the largest Hong Kong Chinese-owned industrial groups that employ thousands of African workers. Chinese entrepreneurs and managers often emphasized that employing Africans was central to their business strategies, it being seen as considerably cheaper than importing workers from China and essential to understanding the local market. Furthermore, while management positions tend to be dominated by Chinese staff, having at least some Africans in these roles is often considered useful, particularly in dealing with government officials and managing local workers. In some cases, African staff constitute a significant proportion of management and/or have risen to some of the most senior positions. Conflict and cooperation In such ways, Chinese migrants and enterprises can be much more embedded in African societies and economies than is often realised. Where such embeddedness is acknowledged, it tends to be the resultant conflicts that are emphasised. Our research certainly confirms that significant tensions have emerged such as some Ghanaian traders agitating against the rapid expansion of Chinese traders in central Accra and Nigerian trade unions protesting at the poor treatment of local labour in some Chinese-owned factories. As serious as these tensions are, they often represent wider conflicts than the outcome of Chinese migration alone. For example, Ghanaian traders’ agitation about Chinese competitors has been part of a broader campaign about the impact of foreign traders in general in which the greatest concern was reserved for Nigerian traders. Similarly, Nigerian trade unions note that poor wages and conditions are far from unique to Chinese factories and represent issues across the manufacturing sector, involving a range of foreign and locally-owned companies and raising the need for more effective regulation by the Nigerian authorities. Furthermore, what tends to be overlooked is that more cooperative and mutually beneficial relations also emerge. In our research, we have documented how some Ghanaians and Nigerians enjoy good working relations with their Chinese bosses and colleagues, generating Sino-African socialising, friendships, and business and personal partnerships. Importantly, these more convivial relations have generated significant opportunities for African actors to develop their skills, advance their careers, and pursue new business opportunities. For example, a Nigerian entrepreneur in Lagos utilised the Chinese connections he had developed working at a Chinese company and, subsequently, with a Chinese business partner to establish his own business importing Chinese goods. He now has one of the largest and most popular shops in the Lagos ‘China Town’ retail complex and is also using his networks to meet Chinese investors interested in supporting his long-standing ambition to mine minerals in south-east Nigeria for export to China. Similarly, Nigerian employees of one of the Chinese telecoms companies operating in Nigeria have taken advantage of the extensive hands-on training provided by the company to launch fast-moving careers in the country’s booming telecoms sector. For instance, a Nigerian who had risen to a senior position in the Chinese company argued that what he learnt there enabled him to establish his own telecoms services firm. ‘We started by saying that we will sell knowledge,’ he recalled, ‘and all this came from my last place of work […]. The Chinese trained me.’ His company now enjoys substantial contracts with most of the big telecoms companies in Nigeria and employs more than 100 staff, many of whom he has trained by drawing on the expertise he gained at the Chinese company. African agency It is clear that while there are undoubtedly serious tensions around the rapid growth of Chinese migration to Africa, everyday Sino-African encounters can be much more convivial, cooperative and mutually beneficial than is often portrayed. Key here is the role of African agency – rather than being the oft-portrayed victims of mobile Chinese investors, Africans are actively shaping their relations with Chinese actors in ways that further their own interests and potentially promote African development. Recognising this is central to better understanding these informal, everyday encounters which, in turn, are likely to be as important as formal state-to-state negotiations in determining the nature and outcomes of Sino-African relations. Ben Lampert is Lecturer in International Development and Giles Mohan is Professor of International Development in the Development Policy and Practice Group at The Open University, UK. They are co-authors of ‘Chinese Migrants and Africa’s Development: New Imperialists or Agents of Change?’ (Zed Books). Image credit: CC by Ben Lampert and Giles Mohan/Flickr. Greenland’s mines could finally attract Chinese investment What to expect from a Tsai presidency?


text:
Key players in New Zealand’s burgeoning medicinal cannabis industry are divided over whether the plant should be legalised.
While none have plans to enter the recreational market, one company says New Zealand’s medical profession isn’t ready for legalisation.
Others say Kiwis are already using illicit cannabis, and the country needs a regulated market because prohibition has caused more societal harm than good.
In October, New Zealanders will vote on the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill, which has been written to give Kiwis an idea of how the law for recreational cannabis might look.
Greg Mission, Managing director of the fast-growing Bay of Plenty medicinal cannabis company Eqalis, said its stance on legalisation was clear – “not yet”.
* Cannabis referendum: How legalisation could affect medicinal cannabis companies
* Legal recreational use of marijuana backed by more than half of Kiwis
* NZ referendum polling is prompting a cannabis industry rethink
Mission said time was needed for the medical profession to catch up and properly engage in the field “before the floodgates open”.
“We simply need more time to explore the potentially enormous improvements this complex plant and all its compounds can have on the health and well-being of our community,” he said.
“We’ve been so long without the choice, why is it such a hassle to hold off and allow the medical profession to catch up?”
Research by the New Zealand Medical Journal indicated that 79 per cent of General Practitioners in New Zealand had concerns about prescribing medicinal cannabis.
Eqalis “strongly” supported decriminalisation, and across-the-counter sales of medicinal-grade cannabidiol (CBD).
Mission had seen in trials patients using pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products to treat serious health conditions with vast improvements.
But he warned that it could be different for patients opting to self-medicate.
Each person had a different metabolic rate for various cannabis components, such as CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
There was also a “sizeable group of people” who had a genetic predisposition for psychosis from THC.
“There are strains out there that can produce over 30 per cent THC, so if you extract that in your home kitchen using online advice, the extract you get off that is hugely potent. A drop of that could blow you away.”
Mark Lucas, co-founder of Hamilton-based biopharmaceutical company Cannasouth, said the company hadn’t taken a stance on legalisation because it was a “public issue”.
Lucas said the reality was that cannabis was already widely used by many New Zealanders.
“Some people get confused and think [legalisation] is about creating a new marketplace, but it’s not. It’s about harm-reduction and creating the least amount of commercial space possible.”
He said it was “not true that cannabis doesn’t exist and the referendum will turn it on” – but rather it already existed and the new legal framework would regulate it and those controlling that industry.
“Which do we want controlling it – the illicit market or the legislation and government?”
Manu Caddie, of the Gisborne-based medicinal cannabis company, Rua Bioscience, said about 3,000 people were still convicted for cannabis-related offences each year in New Zealand, many of them for cultivation.
The company supported the ‘Yes’ vote because cannabis prohibition had caused significant harm to society.
The bias against Māori in police discretion on these matters was well-documented, Caddie said.
Within a year after legalisation in Canada, cannabis-use by youth dropped significantly. In Colorado, which legalised in 2012, cannabis-related arrests of indigenous youth also reduced.
“These are positive results and one of the strongest arguments for legalisation with strict regulation is that it reduces youth use and access as we have seen happen overseas.”
Caddie said medicinal cannabis products might be slightly more accessible to patients, but the biggest barrier was still the high cost.
“This is the reason many patients support legalisation.”
Paul Manning, chief executive of the country’s largest Auckland-based medicinal cannabis company Helius Therapeutics, said it also supported legalisation.
This was due to the high numbers of people already using cannabis and “obviously doing so entirely through the illicit market”.
“[The illicit market] where there’s no quality standards, no IDs asked, varying degrees of quality and potency – none of those controls exist under the current [prohibition] regime, and there are harms caused by that, without a doubt.”
Prohibition had “failed to reduce harm”, he said.
Controlling cannabis instead, and applying quality standards to the products to sell them through responsible retail vendors, could create jobs and tax revenue.
If legalised, a whole new “cannabis wellness industry”, not produced under the medicinal cannabis scheme, but a recreational one, would likely emerge.
Products from this industry could be beneficial for minor health complaints, which he estimated could be worth around $700 million.
“This might include CBD supplements, lozenges, CBD cosmetics etc. – products you wouldn’t go to a doctor for, as they’re more akin to vitamins and health supplements.”
But Manning cautioned that anyone suffering from a serious medical condition should seek help from a health professional first.
“The thing we don’t want is to create a marketplace where you have lots of patients with serious conditions self-prescribing.”


text:
SAMSUNG HAS BEGUN mass production of what it calls the industry's first 'Through Silicon Via' (TSV) DDR4 memory in 128GB modules.
Aimed at powering enterprise servers and data centres, the memory is touted as the largest capacity and the highest energy efficiency of any DRAM modules ever made, while also operating at high speed.
Samsung's new TSV registered dual inline memory module (RDIMM) follows the introduction of its 3D TSV 64GB DDR4 DRAM in 2014, and marks a potential breakthrough as it is said to "open the door for ultra-high capacity memory at the enterprise level".
The 128GB TSV DDR4 RDIMM comprises 144 DDR4 chips, arranged into 36 4GB DRAM packages, each containing four 20nm-based 8Gb chips assembled with TSV packaging technology.
Samsung said that TSV packages are unique because where conventional chip packages connect die stacks using wire bonding, the TSV chip dies are ground down to a few dozen micrometres, pierced with hundreds of fine holes and connected vertically by electrodes passing through the holes, allowing a significant boost in signal transmission.
"The volume production of our high speed, low-power 128GB TSV DRAM module will enable our global IT customers and partners to launch a new generation of enterprise solutions with dramatically improved efficiency and scalability for their investment," said Samsung's EVP of memory sales and marketing, Joo Sun Choi.
"We will continue to expand our technical cooperation with global leaders in servers, consumer electronics and emerging markets, where consumers can benefit from innovative technology that enhances their productivity and the overall user experience."
As well as the industry's highest capacity and TSV's advanced circuitry, Samsung's 128GB TSV DDR4 module has a special design through which the master chip of each 4GB package embeds the data buffer function to optimise module performance and power consumption.
As a result, Samsung's TSV DDR4 RDIMM is said to provide a low-power solution for next-generation servers with speeds at up to 2,400Mbps, reaching nearly twice the performance while cutting power use by 50 percent compared with the firm's previous DRAM modules.
"We are responding to the growing demand for ultra-high capacity DRAM by accelerating production of TSV technology in the market and quickly ramping up 20nm 8Gb DRAM chips to improve manufacturing productivity," added Samsung.
"In solidifying its technology leadership and expanding the market for premium memory solutions, the company plans to provide a complete line up of its new high-performance TSV DRAM modules within the next several weeks including 128GB load reduced DIMMs."
Samsung said earlier this year that it will open a $14.4bn fabrication facility in South Korea in what will be its biggest investment in a single plant. Production is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2017.
It is not known at this stage whether the fab will make logic or memory chips, but Samsung said it will be built in the city of Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, and is expected to bolster profits in the firm's well-established and successful semiconductor business as well as grow beyond the declining sales of its smartphones. µ
But it'll only be available to a select few
We should be shocked, but...
But the search giant has now squashed the bug


text:
Consumers with colds and allergies are being urged by regulators to stop using certain Zicam sprays and swabs linked to a loss of the sense of smell, and the products are being pulled off the market by the manufacturer.
This comes years after the settlement of more than 300 lawsuits against Matrixx Initiatives (Stock Quote: MTXX), the makers of Zicam cold and allergy treatments, after the same problems were reported.
The Food and Drug Administration says it received 130 reports of a loss of sense of smell after using the intranasal zinc products. According to many of those reports, the loss of sense of smell occurred after the first dose of the treatments, the FDA says.
The FDA says consumers should stop using certain Zicam products, and Matrixx says on the Zicam Web site that it will issue refunds to consumers. The FDA also says Matrixx must refile an application to continue selling the products. Future labels must warn about the risk of losing one's sense of smell.
Even while withdrawing its products from the market, the company maintains that Zicam products are safe.
“Matrixx Initiatives stands behind the science of its products and its belief that there is no causal link between its Zicam Cold Remedy intranasal gel products and anosmia,” the company’s acting president William Hemelt said in a press release. The company blames the loss of sense of smell to the common cold. Zicam rapidmelts and chewables are not affected by the recall.
In 2006, Matrixx agreed to pay $12 million to settle 340 lawsuits filed by consumers who said they lost their sense of smell after using the zinc treatments. After the FDA's warning yesterday, the company's stock plunged almost 70%.
To request a refund, call Matrixx at 877-942-2626 or visit Zicam.com
Cheap Ways to Fight Off Allergies
Winning the Cold War for Less Money
Save on Prescriptions, Go Generic


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Veterans from the established gaming world flock to web3. Whether they’re doing it out of fear of missing out or out of genuine belief in blockchain technologies, the trend seems irreversible for now as more and more investment is made in the industry.
Oasys, a Japan-Singapore-based startup building a blockchain for game developers, just raised $20 million. The round was led by Republic Capital with the participation of Jump Crypto, Crypto.com, Huobi, Kucoin, Gate.io, Bitbank and Mirana Ventures.
Instead of a traditional equity round, the capital came in a private token sale, which “will not dilute the equity of our project we strongly believe in” and “allows us to reach a broader base of donors than a traditional fundraiser.” for stocks.” Daiki Moriyama, president of Oasys, told TechCrunch.
The founding team is deeply rooted in the Japanese gaming industry, but chose Singapore as the company’s other home because Japan has “regulatory issues related to crypto assets,” the executive says. Singapore has emerged as a crypto hub in Asia in recent years.
Some of the biggest obstacles to blockchain-based applications are slow transactions and high gas costs, the costs incurred when adding a transaction to a blockchain. Infrastructure developers such as Solana, Avalanche and Polygon are trying to make blockchain services more scalable.
Oasys, only five months old, has the same goal. For most games to be “fun” or “good” in the blockchain, they need to be highly scalable with high transaction speeds and low or zero gas costs for users, Moriyama suggests.
With a focus on blockchain games, Oasys has attracted a list of well-known names in the gaming world to be “validators” on its blockchain. The network uses the “proof-of-stake” consensus mechanism, a less energy-intensive alternative to the “proof-of-work” method used in the Bitcoin chain. In PoS, a validator “bets” its tokens in the network and is responsible for ensuring that the data stored in the network is valid.
Oasys’ early validators include Bandai Namco Research, a research arm of the Japanese entertainment conglomerate; SEGA, a Japanese console giant; French games group Ubisoft; South Korean video game companies Netmarble, Wemade and Com2uS; as well as Yield Guild Games, an a16z-backed outfit in the Philippines that allows users to play games to earn tokens that can be cashed out.
Ultimately, Oasys hopes to allocate more governance power to its community and move into what is called a decentralized autonomous organization. Unlike a traditional company with a board of directors that determines the direction of the business, a DAO has no central authority and relies on blockchain-based smart contracts to execute decisions agreed upon by the community.
With the new financial infusion, Oasys plans to strengthen partnerships with game developers, digital asset exchanges and others in the gaming and crypto industries. It will also spend the money on marketing, business development and hiring. The company has about 20 employees in Singapore, Japan, South Korea and the US
Asked about possible partnerships with Oasys crypto exchange investors, Moriyama explains, “There is, of course, a firewall between the investment team and the listing team, but the fact that the investment team thinks we are worth investing in is likely to become very important.” valued by the listing. team as a result.”
Oasys is actively working to list its tokens on various crypto exchanges.


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California set a marijuana sales record of $348 million in July, the biggest month since the 2018 rollout of the state’s legal market. That sales figure comes from Headset, a marijuana data tracking firm based in Seattle. Before July, the biggest cannabis sales month in California came in March, when many retailers witnessed panic-buying by […]
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About the author
Steve serves as the founding editor of Hemp Stash News. With over 10 years experience in the news publishing business he decided to extend his vast portfolio by editing and publishing news about the Cannabis industry. Steve has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the Northern Arizona University.
Steve can be reached out at: Steve.Morrison@hempstashnews.com


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JAMMU: The Consulate General of India, New York in association with Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) organized a virtual International outreach programme cum conference to promote export of Saffron of the Union Territory.
The event, which was aimed at to increase the export of this globally renowned spice in the US market, was attended by Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India (CGI), New York, Devi Prasad Misra, Consul (Trade), Ankita Kar, Managing Director, J&K Trade Promotion Organization, Celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna, Dr. Nasheeman Ashraf, Senior Scientist, CSIR IIM and food columnist Ramin Ganeshram besides senior officials from J&K Government and CGI, New York along with members of Saffron Exporting community of J&K and American Importers.
Dwivedi, while addressing on the occasion, said that “J&K is the largest producer of best quality saffron in the world. As we embark on to explore the potential markets, events like these will help us to reach potential buyers in every country and increase the brand value of our products in the international market”
“We are thankful to Government of Jammu and Kashmir for this unique initiative and hope that both the markets will be mutually benefitted by this joint venture. We want to get more of Indian Saffron to the US as India is one of the leading producers of Saffron and we look forward to add value to trade and the production line.” asserted Randhir Jaiswal.
The event also served as a knowledge dissemination platform about various aspects of Saffron.
Vikas Khanna shared insights about the culinary story of saffron while Dr. Nasheeman Ashraf introduced scientific and genetic nature of Indian Saffron to the participants through his session- ‘From Farm to Plate’.
Ramin Ganeshram talked about the Global history of Saffron and America’s First Michelin-Starred Indian Chef Hemant Mathur spoke about the use of Saffron in Western Cuisine.
The event was targeted to enable the reputed exporters of Saffron to connect with the potential US importers. More than 40 saffron exporters had been registered with the JKTPO for this event.
The event was concluded with a Question and Answer session and the details along with company profiles of the registered exporters from J&K were shared with the CGI, New York to connect the buyers and sellers.
Ankita Kar delivered vote of thanks to all members and participants.
Pertinently, with an aim to put Jammu and Kashmir on an accelerated socio-economic growth phase various similar events are being planned across different sectors to connect the stakeholders.


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Editor’s note: The following guest post is by Gurbaksh Chahal, the CEO of gWallet, a virtual currency offers startup. Previously he founded BlueLithium, which was sold to Yahoo for $300 million in 2007.
Don’t be surprised if one day soon the must-have item of the season doesn’t even exist. Not in the real world, anyway. Then again, what did reality ever have to do with desire anyway? The psychology of the fast-growing virtual marketplace is turning out to be uncannily similar to the real one.
It’s been easy to overlook the rise of virtual goods and the virtual currency used to buy them. Tucked away in the back pages of social games, offer walls seemed like obscure alleyways frequented by only the most determined (or foolhardy) players—especially in the wake of the Scamville controversy. Talk of “gold farmers” toiling in sweat shop conditions to harvest coveted items in MMOGs like World of Warcraft and EverQuest added to the sense of shadiness hanging over the virtual economy. Sure, a few people might be willing to trade a chunk of their time—or even their cash—for products that exist only online, but how big could virtual goods ever really get? The answer is increasingly clear: really big—and getting bigger all the time.
230 million social gamers can’t be wrong
The emergence of virtual currency from the shadows has come in tandem with the mainstreaming of the social games in which it plays a prominent role. Like the social networks on which they run, games like Farmville and Mafia Wars draw a far more diverse, broad-based player population than even the most popular console and PC games. With more than 230 million unique users per month, games by Farmville publisher Zynga alone are played by half of the world’s Facebook users each month. According to games manufacturer PopCap, roughly a quarter of the people in the U.S. and U.K. play social games regularly. Strikingly, more than half of them are women—a far cry from the traditional “gamer” stereotype. Over time, social gaming will play an increasing part in family time—especially for family members in remote locations, where such games will substitute for the board games of years past.
Easy to get drawn into, and based on open-ended narratives as well as social interaction which heighten engagement and long-term loyalty, social gaming has generated a wealth of anecdotes testifying to its addictive nature: the nighttime curfew imposed in South Korea after one couple allowed their real baby to starve to death while they were busy feeding their virtual baby. The 12-year-old kid who blew $1,400 playing Farmville. The countless hours of productivity—to say nothing of sleep—lost to compulsive play. For publishers, the question hasn’t been as much how to gain a large audience—but how to monetize it.
That’s where virtual currency comes in. By rewarding players with in-game cash for watching a movie trailer or taking a quiz, publishers can command high CPMs from advertisers. It’s worked reasonably well so far—virtual currency is already the fastest-growing segment of monetization in the social gaming industry, and more than half of the players in the PopCap study report earning and spending virtual currency each day, most of them either to gift friends or to advance within game play. Letting players earn virtual currency rather than pay for it is now a $720 million business, and a 2009 PlaySpan/VGMarket Landmark Digital Goods Study projected that virtual goods could account for 20 percent of gaming revenue by 2011. Of course, those are last year’s numbers—given the rapid growth of casual gaming (Zynga alone will make as much as $1 billion this year, I am hearing from reliable sources), the true scale of virtual currency is an upwardly moving target.
As a new generation of easy-to-use toolbars replaces those sketchy deal walls, and opportunities to obtain virtual currency are woven more seamlessly into games—and as tighter publisher controls reign in the worst of the Scamville-type abuses—more and more mainstream consumers will be willing to participate in the virtual economy. With real money at stake, publishers, social networking sites, retailers, and other members of the ecosystem will continue to push virtual goods to new levels of visibility. And as the virtual economy grows, its psychology will increasingly resemble the real marketplace. At least, that is what people like me in the industry are betting on.
Brands are already a prominent part of the social Web. Facebook users post branded gifts on each other’s walls—paid for with real money—and become fans of those brands’ pages. And why wouldn’t they? The essence of social networking is the expression and projection of one’s identity, and brand affinity is a central theme of nearly every modern consumer’s persona. Why buy a Gucci dress when you can get the same look from DKNY or even J Crew? Because it helps you express something different, and feel better doing it. Virtual goods are no different, except they are don’t cost as much. Already, branded virtual goods are clicked ten times more often than non-branded equivalents. In this light, it isn’t hard to visualize the virtual marketplace of the near future.
As more real-world brands in more categories extend into the virtual marketplace, branding will increasingly seem like the norm, pushing unbranded virtual items down in status to the level of store brands and generics. For some consumers, this provides the opportunity to replicate their existing brand relationships; for others, virtual items can help satisfy the desire for their unaffordable real equivalents. The hottest brands will command the highest prices, even if practically indistinguishable from lesser labels and knockoffs—just as in the real world.
As is already beginning to happen, virtual currency will become a much more accepted form of payment for both online and offline environments. Brands will infiltrate games to a much greater degree by not only circulating virtual items, but skinning and creating games from the ground up that are embedded with strong brand messages. This isn’t a new idea, but with console games, big budgets and the finite development processes meant brands had to commit a lot of money to messages that could not be guaranteed to stand the test of time. By contrast, social media games are relatively cheap to develop, and they can be constantly manipulated and improved to communicate the right message for brands at the right time.
New business models will emerge as well. Virtual malls will sell branded virtual goods directly to consumers. Consumer-friendly, eBay-style secondary markets will emerge for virtual goods across multiple social games where prices are dictated by actual demand, at least for those games whose publishers are willing to allow it—and why wouldn’t they, given the deepened engagement and loyalty such transactions will foster? In fact, much of this kind of thing is already happening in the world of MMOGs; now, it’s just a matter of applying these proven models in the much broader world of social gaming.
For advertisers, I believe the momentum behind social gaming and virtual goods will prove irresistible. Rather than being dependent on a single consumer behavior to deliver an impression, they’ll integrate ads throughout the interactive social gaming environment to capitalize on the huge amount of time their customers now spend there.
Just five years ago, anyone predicting that we’d be talking about mainstream virtual goods in 2010 would have been dismissed as a dreamer. Last Fall, in the wake of Scamville, people were ready to write its obituary. But virtual currency and social gaming are both here to stay—and the opportunities they generate are growing faster than anyone thought possible.


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Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Anthony Hylton, has joined his Cabinet colleague, Phillip Paulwell, in condemning those gasoline retailers, who do not pass on the full benefits of oil price reductions to consumers.
Minister Hylton says that in too many instances, businesses are quick to react when the the price of inputs rise, but are reluctant to act when the price of those same inputs are reduced.
The Minister amde the comments yesterday while addressing a luncheon put on by the Small Business Association of Jamaica, in New Kingston.
Minister Hylton says he’s asked the Consumer Affairs Commission and the Fair Trading Commission to monitor the prices being charged by gasoline marketing companies.
Anthony Hylton, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, speaking yesterday in New Kingston.


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Lil Jon is threatening to sue a fancy Hamptons store for selling a hip flask bearing his song title, “Turn Down for What.”
The rapper’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Blue & Cream in East Hampton warning them to stop selling the flasks unless they make a licensing agreement with him for 40 percent of future profits.
Blue & Cream owner Jeffrey Goldstein said, “The flask was inspired by the song’s party theme. This is likely a case of a third party trying to bully us, but the right thing to do is to stop selling the flask. It was all in good fun; it wasn’t meant to cause an international incident.”
Blue & Cream caters to an A-list clientele including Gwyneth Paltrow, Chanel Iman and Christie Brinkley.


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SINGAPORE: Petra Foods downbeat over low cocoa prices
Petra Foods, the Singapore-based consumer and B2B chocolate and cocoa group, has sounded a warning over the prospect of lower cocoa prices on its ingredients business this year.
The company, which supplies to customers including Kraft Foods, Mars Inc and Barry Callebaut, saw sales from cocoa ingredients fall by almost 13% in the first three months of the year on the back of "weaker" cocoa bean prices.
Petra Foods said EBITDA from the division, which accounts for the majority of its turnover, increased 1.4%. However, it warned the division's results in 2012 could be lower than last year if the trend on cocoa prices continues.
"Although the cocoa ingredients started the year on a positive note, the industry and market is facing headwinds in the form of pricing pressure as a result of the excess supply situation. If the situation persists, the financial performance of our cocoa ingredients division in 2012 is expected to be significantly lower than that achieved in 2011," CEO John Chuang said today (10 May).
The fall in revenue from Petra's cocoa ingredients arm led to lower overall turnover in the first quarter of 2012. Revenue fell 7% to US$402.6m despite a 9.5% increase in branded consumer sales. The higher sales from consumer products helped boost earnings from that division, with EBITDA up 27.3%.
Group EBITDA increased 13.5% to US$34.5m. Net profit rose 20.5% to US$16.3m.
Chuang said: "The performance of our Branded Consumer Division in 2012 is expected to remain strong, essentially a continuation of the growth momentum already generated in the first quarter of 2012. The consumption environment in our regional markets is expected to remain vibrant supported by the strong regional economies and fast growing middle income class."
Shares in Danone rose today (7 November) after reports activist investor Nelson Peltz had acquired a stake in the French food giant....
- Foodservice focus - all-day breakfast; concept NPD
- Decision on US dietary advice missed opportunity
- How brands are eyeing their own retail presence
- Why Lactalis could move for Dairy Crest
- Retail margin management in spotlight
- PepsiCo, Coca-Cola 'battle for stake in Chobani'
- Arla banned from selling skyr yoghurt in Finland
- Kerry eyes more European markets for Cheestrings
- Raisio revamps UK cereal arm, jobs to go
- Earth's Best infant formula line launched in China


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Millions of people are forced to work remotely during the COVID 19 pandemic and it will take a long time for things to get back to normal. This is where companies are figuring out the best collaboration tools. Companies are already teaming up through video conferencing platforms like Zoom and other messaging apps, but there is also another untapped way for the people to work together even if they are thousands of miles apart. This is where Artificial Reality (AR) comes in. Let’s have a look at how the ongoing outbreak will affect the world of artificial reality.
The COVID 19 pandemic is testing each facet of our infrastructure in terms of education, supply chains, networking, healthcare and a lot more. People are seeking new ways to do everything. For example, children are logging on Zoom for their online classes and food delivery apps are bogged down with a number of requests. Artificial intelligence will be the future adopted to assist customers to purchase the right things without the need to leave their house.
Lockdowns have proven to be boon for mobile app store as well as apps download. It has resulted in increased revenue for the mobile artificial market. Due to the current crises, the biggest impact for AR app store revenue is in the category of games. Moreover, brick and mortal closure limitations have less impact on AR, but the supply chain divisions including retail, manufacturer and distribution have already delayed A-VR game titles.
Artificial Reality Hardware Sales
COVID 19 outbreak could be a benefit for AR hardware demand as business and individuals seem to stay connected during the crises. However, brick and mortar retail crises could pose a negative impact on AR hardware. In the short term, supply chain disruptions look to have a particular impact on the company’s AR hardware supply chains. Thus, it is important to monitor whether or not it becomes a huge factor in the upcoming years.
COVID 19 has a very less negative impact on the AR while it’s contributing a lot to make as many benefits as possible in the various sectors. Looking and hearing possible realities through the power of AR can stir our willingness to welcome and activate positive changes in the world. Let’s make it as our united goal and dedication to build for the best of humanity.


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Four fifths of Americans who bought a car from a dealership last year paid more than the sticker price - a 276-fold increase in just two years. A new study from auto market research firm Edmunds showed that only 3 per cent of cars bought at American dealerships were sold over the manufacturers' suggested retail price (MSRP) at the start of 2021. The trend slowly rose by May before skyrocketing up to 82 per cent in January 2022, a 276-fold increase since the 0.3 percent in 2020. Ford saw an average of $163 add-on to MSRP in 2021, although one Seattle woman told the Washington Post she'd been warned she'd have to pay $12,000 over the list price for one of the firm's hybrid pick-up trucks, prompting her to abandon the purchase. GM's Chevrolet and GMC brands saw markups of $625 and $677, respectively. GMC's prestige Cadillac line saw an average of $4,048 last month. Kia, Hyundai's popular bargain brand, saw an average mark up of $2,289. On average, the new markup on cars have cost consumers an extra $728, with shoppers reporting that electric vehicles and hybrids are being sold at an additional $10,000 or more. Ford said they would withhold deliveries of their most popular vehicles, including the new F-150 Lightning pickup and other electric vehicles, from dealerships that are overcharging the cars..
LEST WE FORGET in these miserable times....
I am a Ronald Reagan fan. I still believe Reagan was the greatest president of my lifetime - that being said,
I can not ignore that no president in modern history turned the economy around as fast as Trump did (started the day after his election) and in four years had the greatest economy ever in my lifetime. Every small business owner I know, will say the same thing. Our paint company TAMCO grew nearly 600% in the first 2 years of Trump's economy. Today, our sales are 15 times greater than they were in 2014! I credit God as well for our turnaround. In fact, answered prayer by God, trumps TRUMP! I believe God gave us the Trump victory, and Americans allowed their best president to be illegally booted from office through fraud.
82% of Americans are now paying above sticker price for dealership cars, with sellers blaming Biden's inflation and supply shortages - sparking threats from GM and Ford to withhold popular cars like the F-150
Note the story is misleading claiming inflation was bad in 1982... IT WAS NOT!
|1973||8.7%||End of gold standard|
|1975||6.9%||Stop-gap monetary policy confused businesses and kept prices high|
|1981||8.9%||Reagan tax cut- took office Jan. ALL Democrat Congress|
Inflation skyrockets to 41 YEAR high: Prices soar by 7.5% in the highest spike since 1982 with Americans having to pay an extra $250 a MONTH under Biden
The U.S. inflation rate hit a 40-year high in January, with prices rising 7.5 percent from last year, the Labor Department announced on Thursday. It's the highest spike in consumer goods since 1982, under the Carter administration. Prices rose by 0.6 percent from December, going up for the sixth consecutive time and signaling the months-long surge that's been hitting Americans in the pocketbooks is not slowing down. The average U.S. household spent an extra $250 per month as prices have leapt, according to a new analysis published in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. People can expect to be paying more for virtually every facet of life, from food to cars, and even housing and their monthly bills.
Panic on the streets of Kiev: Terrified residents scramble to flee capital and rush west as air sirens ring out after Ukrainian president declares martial law
Locals from Kiev, Lviv and Mariupol formed huge queues stretching out of goods stores despite the threat from enemy artillery overhead. Traffic was gridlocked on the main roads out of the capital despite calls for people to stay at home - with some bursting into tears as they made it to safety over the border with Poland. But the city centres were ghost towns as martial law was imposed, apart from some cars whizzing past on their way out and tanks, military figures and some citizens who have taken up arms against the Russians. Russian troops swept into Ukraine in early morning raids on Thursday as President Vladimir Putin gave the green light for his forces to launch a 'special military operation' which also saw a bombing campaign begin. He warned other countries any attempt to interfere would lead to 'consequences you have never seen' but was met with international condemnation, sanctions and was compared to Adolf Hitler by
Trump took over from a miserable Obama economy that destroyed much of the middle-class of America. Within months, the economy was booming, low unemployment, a decrease in illegal aliens, and factories reopening in America.
These numbers don't lie!. I think we will see 9-12% in 2022 then a big BUST is coming. Your 401K and IRA's will be worthless.
In this May 10, 2020, file photo, a shopper pushes his cart past a display of packaged meat in a grocery store in southeast Denver.
(The Center Square) – A new report estimated the annual cost of elevated inflation this year will be around $3,500 per household.
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s leading business schools, released the report, which estimated much higher costs for American families because of inflation that has risen this year at the fastest rate in decades. MORE
Wholesale inflation hits a record 9.7%: Supply chain disruptions 'will continue to pin producer prices near record levels'
- Wholesale inflation hit 9.7% in 2021, according to new data on Thursday
- It comes a day after consumer prices hit 7% inflation, the most since 1982
- Experts say that 'persistent supply disruptions' are keeping costs high
- Biden's approval ratings have taken a huge hit because of the surge in prices
Biden gave out way too much free money and nobody wants to work anymore': Arkansas iHop posts message blaming the president for the store slashing its opening hours'
An iHop in Arkansas posted an anti-Biden notice on it's doors telling customers that because he gave out too much free money there were no employees available to work the restaurant. The sign read: 'Due to the fact that Biden gave out way too much free money and nobody wants to work anymore. We are forced to reduce our hours during this week,'
Inflation soars to its highest level in 40 YEARS as prices jump 6.8%: 'Bidenflation' socks consumers with the biggest jump since Reagan administration
NEW The US inflation rate has hit its highest level in nearly 40 years, adding woes for consumers and compounding the issue as a political liability for President Joe Biden. The consumer price index rose 0.8 percent last month after surging 0.9 percent in October, the Labor Department said on Friday. It pushed annual inflation to 6.8 percent in November, the highest increase since June 1982 and well above October's 6.2 percent annual rate.
Wholesale prices rose 8.6% from a year ago in October, another record annual gain and the biggest spike in more than a decade. Inflation hit 6.2%, the highest rate of annualized inflation since the 1990s. Whereas once voters were promised "transitory" inflation, today, economists warn that we'll be in this for a while.
"Reversing this trend is a top priority for me," President Joe Biden said Nov. 10, after months of his administration's dismissing inflation as a "high-class" and short-term predicament – there's "nobody suggesting there's unchecked inflation on the way – no serious economist," the president promised a few months ago. Biden's National Economic Council Deputy Director Brian Deese had argued that inflation was actually a good thing, and the entire administration had pushed the notion that the best prescription to alleviate inflation was more big, progressive spending – part of a broader trend of Democrats saying utterly absurd things about the economy.
Democrats have seriously underestimated the frustration voters, unable to get the things they desire nearly instantaneously, are going to feel, as people such as Jen Psaki crack jokes about supply-chain problems – "the tragedy of the treadmill that's delayed." What about rising prices?
This week, Democrats, with an assist from some Republicans, approved another $1 trillion-plus infrastructure bill, even as they push through an unprecedented multitrillion-dollar reconciliation bill. All this comes after $6 trillion of deficit spending during the pandemic, which many Democrats argued wasn't even enough.
Meanwhile, a third of recent inflation increases has been propelled by energy prices, which spiked 6.7%. Biden defenders such as Paul Krugman, who have no compunction blaming Republican governors for seasonal variances in the spread of viruses, contend that Biden has no control over gas prices. Well, the first thing Biden did was freeze new oil and gas leases and shut down future pipelines. Biden now begs OPEC to increase production and help lower worldwide gas prices, but his domestic political goals and action run contrary to this position. Virtually every "green" plan in existence will intentionally, through mandates or bans or taxes or contrived "markets," make fossil fuels more expensive or reduce use. Expensive gas is their goal. So how can Democrats credibly maintain they have a plan to stop rising prices?
On top of all that, Democrats continue to push for a major expansion in the welfare state during a tight labor market. It is reminiscent of their insistence that unemployment insurance be expanded even after the pandemic had ebbed. Biden's spending plan includes programs that disincentivize work. Typically, massive "safety net" programs are instituted by Democrats during times of recession, not of growth. There are more jobs than jobseekers in the country.
It's true that governments caused much of the demand shock we are experiencing, needlessly shutting down entire economies during the pandemic. Yet, Democrats have allowed their strident ideological wing to take over the party, aggravating these underlying trends. Why Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema (or Biden, once considered a moderate himself) would follow progressives off into this quagmire defies logic – not only economic but political logic.
Big Banks Big Businesses actually Hate Most Americans- and HATE CAPITALISM - Why? They depend on BIG GOV HANDOUTS!
American Express invited great-grandson of Nation of Islam founder to give 'capitalism is racist' talk: Staff were forced to undergo CRT training to 'identify their privileges'
Internal documents show how the banking giant is telling its workforce that the capitalist system that pays their salaries was founded on 'racist logics'. Khalil Muhammad (right), the great-grandson of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad, spoke at a company event telling Amex workers that capitalism was based on 'racist logics and forms of domination' and that they are 'complicit' (inset). Other documents reveal how Amex has created an 'anti-racism initiative' for its workforce on 'systemic racism', 'white privilege' and 'microaggressions' (left). Amex's revenue grew 6.5% in the last fiscal year to a whopping $31.36 billion while the CEO took home a total salary package of $24.2 million in 2020.
Don't believe the hype of liberal supporting billionaires who want higher taxes... They want them for YOU- not them!
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos paid no income tax in 2007 and 2011. Tesla founder Elon Musk’s income tax bill came to zero in 2018. And financier George Soros went three straight years without paying federal income tax, according to a report out Tuesday from the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica.
Overall, the richest 25 Americans pay less in tax — 15.8% of adjusted gross income — than many ordinary workers do, once you include taxes for Social Security and Medicare, ProPublica found.
An anonymous source delivered to ProPublica reams of Internal Revenue Service data on the country’s wealthiest people, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg.
ProPublica compared the tax data it received with information available from other sources. It reported that “in every instance we were able to check — involving tax filings by more than 50 separate people — the details provided to ProPublica matched the information from other sources.’’
Using perfectly legal tax strategies, many of the uber-rich are able to whittle their federal tax bills down to nothing or close to it. Soros went three straight years without paying federal income tax; billionaire investor Carl Icahn, two, ProPublica finds.
The findings are sure to heighten the national debate over the vast and widening inequality between the very wealthiest Americans and everyone else.
ProPublica reports that the tax bills of the rich are especially low when compared with their soaring wealth — the value of their investment portfolios, real estate and other assets.
'Do you think a rich person should pay taxes no matter what?' Billionaire Carl Icahn DEFENDS revelation that America's richest have paid ZERO income tax following IRS leak
Corporate raider Carl Icahn, who is ranked the 40th wealthiest American with an estimated fortune of $14.9 billion, did not pay any federal income tax in 2016 and 2017. The 85-year-old's tax records were included in the trove of confidential IRS records that was made public on Tuesday by ProPublica. Icahn says he paid the taxes he owed and that he registered losses because interest on his loans was higher than his income. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos paid no income tax in 2007 and 2011, while Tesla boss Elon Musk's income tax bill came to zero in 2018. Investor George Soros went three straight years - between 2016 and 2018 - without paying federal income tax. Law enforcement and the IRS are now investigating the leak. ProPublica say they don't know who provided the data and acknowledged the possibility it could have come from 'a state actor hostile to American interests'.
Bidenomics: American Middle-class to pay for tax increases while liberal Democrat billionaires pay virtually nothing
President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan could raise taxes modestly for some middle-class households, despite his vow that anyone making less than $400,000 would not see an increase, according to a new analysis. 'Taking into account all major tax provisions, roughly 20 percent to 30 percent of middle-income households would pay more in taxes in 2022. However, their tax increases would be very small,' non-partisan Tax Policy Center wrote in a report. 'Among those with a tax increase, low- and middle-income households would pay an additional $100 or less on average. Those making $200,000-$500,000 would pay an average of about $230 more,' the report added. The analysis found that, even if some households saw a modest increase, the average lower- and middle-income household would see an overall decline in their taxes. The analysis also found that the tax picture would change in 2023 under the current plan, which expands Child Tax Credits only through 2022. TPC found that the 'effects of these changes would result in many households paying higher taxes in 2023 than in 2022. They would shrink the average 2023 tax cuts for low-income households, raise taxes slightly for moderate-income households, and increase taxes significantly for the highest-income households.'
Biden's broken promise: Build Back Better will force 30% of middle class families to pay higher taxes - breaking president's vow to only tax the super-rich, analysis finds
Driving a hard bargain: Haulage firms offer $100,000 salaries and $15,000 bonuses to lure 80,000 truckers and ease supply crisis as empty shipping containers are dumped in streets because California port is full
LOS ANGELES, California — Sixty-six cargo ships were at anchor off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the busiest and second-busiest container ports in the United States, respectively, on Monday as an ongoing cargo crisis continued.
Disaster: Biden Economy Only 235K+ Jobs in August
Misses Projections by Half Million!
One of Worst Jobs Reports in U.S. History
Carney: Could Be *Over* Estimate
The median forecast of analysts was for 740,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.2 percent.
The idiotic idea that the United States should follow global warming prodigal, but China does not to do so, and pollute more than all other countries in the world is INSANE! Politicians and Green New Deal Democrats are obviously being paid by China to destroy American businesses.
A new report released late week found that communist China’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 were higher than the rest of the developed world combined.
The report was published by the Rhodium Group, a leading independent research provider that specializes in matters involving China, energy & climate, India, and economics.
“Using our newly updated global emissions data through 2019, we estimate that in 2019, for the first time since national greenhouse gas emissions have been measured, China’s annual emissions exceeded those of all developed countries combined,” the report said. “China’s emissions were less than a quarter of developed country emissions in 1990, but over the past three decades have more than tripled, reaching over 14 gigatons of CO2-equivalent in 2019.”
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) As the Delta variant continues to wreak havoc across the country, sending up cases and hospitalizations mainly among the unvaccinated, local concerns about what that will mean for the fall are becoming more palpable.
Delta variant COVID-19 cases have popped up here on the Central Coast, where local health departments are tracking the prevalence among those who are hospitalized.
"What we're finding is that with Delta, because it does shed so much virus, the vaccines are probably not as good at preventing infection within the vaccinated population," said Dr. David Ghilarducci, an official with the Santa Cruz County Health Department. "If we start seeing that kind of the same level of urgency, then we're probably going to have to institute some more social distancing measures. Especially now because just being vaccinated doesn't mean you can't catch it and you can't pass it on to somebody else."
According to CBS News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already stated that "the war has changed" against COVID-19. An internal report also suggests the CDC believes the Delta variant could be as contagious as Chickenpox.


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March 17, 2022
Licensing Expo (register here) is gearing up to host the consumer product industry's most memorable and productive in-person get together in three years, with a growing roster of brands signing on daily to exhibit at the in-person event to be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, May 24-26, 2022.
Produced in partnership with industry trade association Licensing International, the not-to-be-missed event continues to lock in cross-category brands from around the world, from sports to gaming, entertainment, corporate brands and artists, with 17 countries represented to-date. With 40 new companies confirmed in the past 4 weeks alone, the event now comprises more than 170 exhibitors signed on to date, indicating the appetite and confidence for the event’s return this May. The exhibitor list is now available online and is accessible here.
"Licensing Expo returns in-person for the first time since 2019, and excitement among the industry is palpable,” says Anna Knight, senior vice president, licensing, Informa Markets. "This is a business-critical time in the calendar for brands, manufacturers and retailers alike – they're coming with a pen in hand ready to ink new deals and discover the new trends that will line their shelves in the coming years, but also to reconnect in-person possibly for the first time since the pandemic. The licensing industry is built on relationships, and we’re delighted to be able to provide a safe and comfortable environment for people to reconnect, strengthen existing partnerships, celebrate successes and do business at scale face-to-face for the first time in three years. We’re also extremely excited to showcase Location-Based Experiences as the event’s theme, creating even more opportunities for brands to engage and inspire attendees in new ways."
The event is on track to showcase brands from all major and emerging categories, including character and entertainment, fashion and apparel, gaming and eSports, FMCG, attractions and theme parks, sports, art and design, non-profits and museums. Latest exhibitors confirmed include Banijay Brands, Legendary Entertainment, Hasbro, MGA Entertainment, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Epic Story Media, Mattel, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Lego, Joester Loria Group, Beanstalk, Buzzfeed, The Pokémon Company, Falcon’s Creative Group, TOHO, Bravado, Zag, Ubisoft, Wildbrain CPLG, NFL Players Association, Shell Oil Company, Crunchyroll, Buzzfeed, Games Workshop, Jazwares, King Features, WWE, Moonbug Entertainment, Peanuts Worldwide, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America, Frida Kahlo, Yale University, MGM Studios, Spin Master, BBC Studios, Crayola Properties and many more.
"Society is adapting to and people are becoming increasingly comfortable with our 'new normal,' and as such, we're seeing consumers spending again and investing in brands and characters they built an emotional connection to while in lockdown," says Cynthia Modders, president, Firefly Brand Management. "Licensing Expo could not come at a better time for us, helping our clients tap into consumer trends born from the pandemic and get their exciting new products on shelves and e-commerce platforms."
"At Falcon’s, we are experts at creating worlds where your imagination can fly free,” says Cecil D. Magpuri, chief executive officer, Falcon’s Creative Group. “We are giving intellectual property owners the freedom to expand their brands into the realms of immersive destinations, entertainment content and consumer products. Falcon's will transport audiences into imagined worlds using our patented technology and storytelling prowess. We have already helped many of the world’s most iconic brands connect with their audience to build fandom at a whole new level. We cannot wait to showcase our experiential entertainment innovations and new themed destinations in development that will enable brands to take the connection with their desired audiences to new heights well `beyond’ what they could ever imagine.”
"Excitingly, we're seeing a robust selection of brands represented from across the globe, including Europe, the U.K., Japan, South America and the U.S,” says Knight. “We're taking every measure possible to ensure non-domestic exhibitors and attendees are fully equipped with the latest health and safety measures in place, in addition to providing logistical information that will simplify international travel to Las Vegas.”
Thousands of retailers and manufacturers have already secured their free ticket to attend and meet with these brands, including Amazon, AMC Theatres, Bioworld, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Concept One Accessories, Difuzed, Funko, GAP, Hallmark Cards, Hot Topic, It’Sugar, Jakks Pacific, Jazwares, Kellogg’s, Macy’s, Moose Toys, Old Navy, Pacsun, Paladone Products, Primark, Spin Master, Zulily and many more. Attendance to Licensing Expo is free and tickets can be secured here.
Licensing Expo health and safety measures:
All Licensing Expo participants will be required to wear a face mask while indoors at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. In addition, all participants at Licensing Expo 2022 must either:
Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (at least two weeks after final dose) and provide proof of vaccination by presenting either the original vaccination card, a photocopy of the vaccination card, or digital proof. Full name and date must be visible, and a photo ID is required. Vaccinations accepted as determined by the CDC. Proof of vaccine boosters will not be required.
Receive a negative antigen COVID-19 test within 24 hours prior to attending the event, or a negative PCR test within 48 hours, and provide proof of a negative result before entering the show alongside a photo ID.
Read more about:Licensing Expo
License Global is the leading news source for the brand licensing industry, delivering award-winning editorial content including news, trends, analysis, and special reports about the global consumer product and retail marketplace.
Through its print edition, website, daily e-newsletter and event publications, License Global reaches more than 150,000 executives and professionals in all major markets. The magazine also serves as the official publication for the sector’s trade events, which include Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo Shanghai and the Licensing Leadership Summit.
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Afro-Caribbean bookshop New Beacon Books is to close on the eve of its 50th anniversary due to pressures from e-retailers such as Amazon, its owner has said.
Founded in 1966 by the late poet and publisher John La Rose and his partner Sarah White, New Beacon Books in London's Stroud Green specialises in works from Caribbean, Black British, African and African American authors. The bookshop also used to previously publish books specialising in black British, Caribbean, African and Asian literature.
Speaking on the decision to close the shop, White told The Bookseller that the current physical bookselling market and the growth of online retailers such as Amazon have made surviving difficult for independent booksellers. White said that the shop used to receive specialist orders from libraries and institutes but that cuts to funding have meant that this is “no longer the case”.
Although the retail operation is closing, White insisted the move represents a new chapter for New Beacon Books (NBB), and the company still intended to run events. The George Padmore Institute (GPI), an Afro-Caribbean archive chronicling the literary, cultural and political history of black Britain, was founded above the shop in 1991 and will continue to operate.
Earlier this year, discussing the shop's 50th anniversary, White said: “While New Beacon’s achievements deserve to be recognised and celebrated, both the GPI and NBB are very well aware that the world of books and publishing have changed enormously since 1966 and it is unrealistic to continue operating in the same old way.
“In 2017 New Beacon will be undertaking a reorganisation so its traditions and vision can continue into the future though not necessarily within the same structures.”


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Through Vietnam blog site, Tinthe.vn, it was reported that the latest generation iPhone that was allegedly named the iPhone 5S will have a 12 megapixel camera.
In addition, Apple also improve low-light photography feature so image quality in low-light [...]
Researchers from IBM managed to break the record by making the world’s smallest movie.
The film uses atoms as an actor in a movie called “A Boy And His Atomic” lasted 1 minute 35 seconds.
The film is made using stop-motion technique, [...]
Although there are many audio applications and media that can be used to play music on your Mac, iTunes is still the most popular choice in the management of musical content.
iTunes offers the ease of controlling the sequence of music, create playlists, [...]
Microsoft also released membership on Xbox live has increased by 15% during the third quarter of 2012.
Based on data obtained from a number of media releases Microsoft, stated that the number of sales of the Xbox 360 console has sold over 70 million [...]
Not long after the presence of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 at Mobile World Congress, is now audible leaks on the presence of its 3G version.
It is verified through a newspaper as reported endgadget.com (12/03), the series Galaxy Note 8.0 3G has entered [...]
Map of Japan and Korea also did not show up.
Among users of Bing Maps in a number of countries, was shocked by the disappearance of the map of the three influential countries in the world, Japan, Korea and Israel from the map application.
Various monitors with lots of different sizes in the market at affordable prices. However, sometimes you are confused in choosing the size of the computer monitor widescreen or standard size.
Here are some comparisons of the size widescreen computer [...]
Who does not know the game Battlefield series. Games were popular through its multiplayer mode has a slick visual images and an interesting storyline.
According to an official invitation received by Gamespot, Electronic Arts and DICE plans to celebrate [...]
Sony showed off its latest ultrabook Windows 8 operating system, Vaio T13 “Touch Screen”, Indocomtech exhibition in 2012 at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC).
With a 13.3-inch wide screen, users can enjoy a new experience with Windows 8 [...]
BlackBerry, formerly known as RIM, decided not to sell latest BlackBerry 10 smartphone in Japan.
“Japan is not a major market for the BlackBerry,” said the company recently announced that BlackBerry Q10 and Z10.
Quoted from Cnet, Friday [...]
The observations made by Repair Labs under a microscope.
According to a report released by Repair Labs, the quality of the screen which is owned by iPad mini, it is still above iPad second generation.
It is based on the quality of each screen tablet [...]


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Mandela’s daughter plans to auction items such as hearing aids, an ID card, and symbolic “Madiba” shirts in the United States
South Africa is taking legal action to prevent the auction of 70 personal items belonging to Nelson Mandela, the iconic anti-apartheid leader, BBC reported.
His daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, plans to auction items such as hearing aids, an ID card, and symbolic “Madiba” shirts in the United States. However, the South African government argues that these possessions belong to the nation and should not be taken out of the country, invoking national heritage laws.
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) has filed an appeal to block the sale, supported by the sport, arts, and culture ministry.
Minister Zizi Kodwa emphasises the importance of preserving Mandela’s legacy within South Africa, stating, “It is thus important that we preserve the legacy of former President Mandela and ensure that his life’s work experiences remain in the country for generations to come.”
The government had previously opposed the auction in 2021, leading to its cancellation and subsequent legal battles. While the High Court in Pretoria initially permitted Makaziwe Mandela to proceed with the sale, the government is now appealing this decision, claiming the items’ “unpermitted export for exhibition or sale.”
The auction is scheduled for January 22, with items already listed for sale by Guernsey’s auction house. The potential proceeds have stirred debate in South Africa, with some advocating for government intervention to preserve the “priceless” items, while others argue for the family’s discretion in the matter.


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The Leeds Weirdo Club studio is launching a new publication titled Leeds Weirdo Club Annual 2014 at their Leeds location today, May 6.
As the working studio of artists Doug Bowen, Matthew Crawley, Harry Meadley (whom we previously reviewed here) and David Steans—was founded by the latter three in 2012, and engenders a collaboration amongst the four artists’ solo practices.
Today, the three founders launch a new 200-plus-page publication, available for purchase at £20. The launch will feature special guest Gently Used, as well as free drinks.
See the event page for details. **


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Taking a spin through diet's new world order
By JANET K. KEELER
Published January 19, 2005
I am excited about the new federal dietary guidelines. It is good to know I can still drink rum and eat white rice.
I am thrilled that the PepsiCo "Smart Spot" on Diet Pepsi and Baked! Lay's chips tells me that I am making good choices.
How cozy I feel knowing that the Grocery Manufacturers of America, General Mills, SuperTarget, the South Beach Diet guy, the USA Rice Federation and the Distilled Spirits Council are behind me in my quest to eat more healthfully in 2005. I hope one of them will answer the phone when I need a friend to keep me off the Rocky Road late at night.
Oh, some crabby Cornell University professor is trying to bring me down with her warning of Complex Carbohydrate Intolerance. She says if I eat the whole grains, fruits and vegetables that Dr. Fed says I should, the megadose of fiber will twist my gut like a pretzel. Ugly things could happen.
Isn't she a party pooper?
The doom-and-gloom professor's e-mail came, via her Dallas PR agency, last week on the very day that the updated version of the federal government's dietary guidelines was released. Hers was among a flood of communication from food conglomerates, lobbying groups and folks seeking ink.
In the new dietary world order, they want the media to know that they are still viable members of the food chain.
But are whole-grain Lucky Charms really what nutrition experts have in mind for us?
The guidelines tell us to eat more whole grains, fruits and veggies. Count calories, not carbs or fat grams. Get on that treadmill for 30 minutes a day, more if you need to lose weight, even more if want to keep it off.
Carving out time for exercise in our already busy days will be easier than staving off the spin coming our way.
Meredith Vieira of The View is part of the national promotion for the Smart Spot, a green emblem on PepsiCo products that proclaims "Smart Choices Made Easy." Put your trust in her.
The Grocery Manufacturers of America "share the government's concern about the quantity of saturated fat and trans fats in the average American diet." Good to know that the makers of snack cakes have seen the light.
General Mills "applauds the new guidelines" but was smart enough to change its white-flour cereals to whole-grain products before the announcement. Kellogg beat the feds to the punch by announcing its reduced-sugar cereals last year.
The Distilled Spirits Council toasts the government for advising us to drink in moderation. Funny, we used to call alcohol empty calories.
It is true that many food manufacturers are making more healthful products, but much of that has come because of government and consumer pressure. Producers are voluntarily removing trans fat from baked products. How coincidental. The government will require products with artery-clogging trans fats to say so on the packaging beginning next year. What company wants a cigarette-style warning on its food?
Hey Watch Out: These cookies have sent otherwise healthy rodents into cardiac arrest.
The government has spoken, and it is time for consumers to show resolve. We need to be picky about what we buy and suspicious of claims that big business cares about our bottoms when it is likely more interested in the bottom line.
No amount of advertising, or e-mails, will convince me that a 100-calorie scotch and water is as good for me as an apple.
Janet K. Keeler can be reached at 727 893-8586 or email@example.com
[Last modified January 18, 2005, 10:37:07]
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Kristopher Johnson, 32, from Arlington, holds his winning check from Washington Lottery.
The Chevron station off of Highway 9 in Lake Stevens Frontier Village helped make Kristopher Johnson, 32, from Arlington, a multimillionaire just days before Thanksgiving.
The store sold the winning ticket for the Friday, Nov. 20, $6.5 million Lotto drawing. The winning numbers are 05-09-11-22-45-48
“Oh my gosh! Are you kidding?” exclaimed a store employee when notified by the Lottery. Deborah and others were working the night shift at the store and were excited by the news.
“We just can’t wait to find out who it is; hopefully it’s one of our regular customers,” Deborah said.
The store found out on Monday, Nov. 23 that Johnson was the lucky winner.
That gas station is not a normal stop for me,” Johnson said.
He and his son were headed to his grandpa’s to help do some work on the house.
“My grandpa lives on North Lakeshore Dr. and we stopped for some snacks,” he said.
Over the weekend, Johnson said his “better half” April was checking the numbers online.
“I heard her make some noise and then she called me over to make sure we had all of the numbers.”
Sure enough, all of the numbers matched and Johnson was a multimillionaire in a matter of minutes.
“I didn’t know how to feel. It was like ‘wow’,” he said.
Still in shock, Johnson does know that the first of the money will go to helping out his grandparents with their house.
“I haven’t even told my kids yet,” Johnson said.
It should be a great Christmas at the Johnson house this year.
The jackpot is the largest drawing since February. For their efforts, the Lake Stevens Chevron will receive a retail selling bonus of $65,000. Store employees say it’s the first major jackpot ticket the store has sold.
Lotto Jackpots start at $1 million and tickets cost $1 for two chances to win. Lotto drawings are every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. Pacific Time.