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Watching movies at home has existed since Blockbuster stores were still open, but the introduction of streaming services has taken entertainment to a whole new level. In fact, watching movies at home has become as easy as clicking a button on the TV remote. And while streaming services have made waves in the film industry, they haven’t wholly replaced movie theaters – yet. The U.S. box office saw a 28% decrease in 2019, but according to experts, streaming services are not the cause.
In fact, some think the most popular streaming service, Netflix, might be the one in jeopardy – with the introduction of other streaming services. However, streaming services have become more popular than paid TV services. So how do streaming services measure up to theaters? Do people prefer watching movies from the comfort of their own home more than on the big screen – even when first released? We surveyed over 1,000 people about their movie-viewing preferences to learn which screen reigns supreme and why. Keep reading to see what we found.
Half of frequent moviegoers would prefer to stream movies at home.
- People who primarily used Amazon Prime Video were the most likely to prefer watching movies in theaters (40%).
- People who primarily used Hulu were the most likely to prefer streaming movies at home (73%).
While just under 60% of Americans are subscribed to a streaming service, 65% of our respondents said they would prefer to stream new movies at home. But the preference seems to come down to experience versus convenience: Millennials watch traditional TV less than any other generation, yet were the least likely to prefer streaming new movies at home. On the other hand, Gen Xers were the most likely to prefer streaming new movies at home at 73%.
But it isn’t all about age – frequency also plays a role. While 92% of those who only went to the theater once a year or less preferred streaming new movies at home, 75% of those who went a few times a year said they would prefer to stream. Even among monthly moviegoers, 50% indicated a streaming preference. Only people who went to the theater at least once a week preferred to see a new movie at the theater.
Millennials were the most likely to pay a higher price to stream.
- More than 3 in 4 people said they were at least somewhat likely to pay a premium to stream new movies from home while a quarter of people said they were very likely to pay a premium
- People who said they were very likely to pay a premium to stream new movies at home were willing to pay more. They averaged $13 per movie or $28 a month.
When movie theaters first opened, a few nickels were enough to enjoy a film. Fast forward 70 years and the average price of a single movie ticket in North America has reached a record high of $9.38. But around the world, some tickets can cost moviegoers upward of $50. Considering the increasing cost of going to the theater and a strong preference for at-home streaming, more than 3 in 4 people said they would be at least somewhat likely to pay a premium to stream new movies at home. While 74% of baby boomers said comfort was worth a premium price, 76% of Gen Xers and 80% of millennials said the same.
However, when asked about the price, people were willing to pay more for a single ticket to a standard movie than they were per new movie streamed at home, with an average amount of $12. But when it comes to paying per movie streamed at home, the price people were willing to pay dropped to $11.
Paying to stream isn’t doomed, though. It seems that people would rather pay more for a monthly service than a single stream. Across all generations, people were willing to spend an average of $22 per monthly service to watch new movies at home.
Comfort is the top reason people prefer to watch From home.
To combat the failing box office, movie theaters have turned to recliners, a full menu, and even fully stocked bars. But plush seating and alcoholic beverages haven’t done much to gain support – comfort and the cost of food and beverages at theaters were the main reasons people preferred to stay home and stream new movies.
Nearly 70% of people said they prefer to watch new movies at home because it is more comfortable. Baby boomers were the most likely to identify comfort as one of their top three reasons (78%), but 68% and 66% of Gen Xers and millennials said the same, respectively. The cost of food and beverages at theaters along with the ability to adjust the viewing experience were also among the top three reasons people preferred to stream. However, millennials were the most likely to cite others reasons: 16% of the younger generation said one of their top reasons was lack of time, while 17% said they would need to find a babysitter if they went out.
“Theater experiences” increase movie enjoyment for the majority of people.
Watching movies at home may come with unmatched comfort, but the sound, sight, and overall experience make some major films better suited for the theater – or at least that’s how it seems. When it came to viewing preferences for popular film premieres, the majority of respondents were just fine watching them from their couch.
A whopping 66% said they would consider watching the next films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars franchise from home. And for the next movies in the DC Universe or Harry Potter franchise, people were even more likely to consider watching from home. Only 27% said they would need to see the next DC Universe movie in theaters, while 25% said the same about the next Harry Potter film.
Whether it’s the bigger screen, louder sound, or an array of snacks, aspects of the “theater experience” can positively influence people’s enjoyment of a movie. While only 18% said it made a movie less enjoyable, nearly 60% said it made a movie at least slightly more enjoyable.
Streamers plan to go to the movies less over the next three years.
- People who primarily used Amazon Prime were the most likely to say original movies produced by streaming services were more entertaining than theater movies (18%), followed by people who primarily used Netflix (15%).
The popularity of Netflix and other streaming services has put pressure on movie theaters. While streaming services aren’t solely responsible for the drop in ticket sales, people clearly favor the cheaper, more convenient option – so what does this mean for the future of theaters? Sixty-four percent of people said they would go to the movies less in the next three years, while only 5% said they would go to the movies more over the next three years.
Despite popular movie theaters using Netflix as a model for new subscription services, Netflix users were the most likely to say they would go to the movies less (67%). Sixty-three percent of Amazon Prime Video users and 59% of Hulu users said the same, while cable TV users were the least likely to admit to a decline in attendance.
But the future of ticket sales is only one issue faced by the film industry. One of the most well-known directors in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg, has voiced concern about original movies produced by streaming services making their way to the Oscars. But 31% of our respondents thought theater movies were just as entertaining as those produced by streaming services, and 16% thought these original movies were even more entertaining than films in theaters. Nevertheless, the 52% of people who believed theater movies were more entertaining than originals produced by streaming services might side with Spielberg.
Future of content?
There’s no denying that Americans favor comfort – and the same goes for movie watching. Whether using live TV streaming services like Hulu + Live TV with a TV guide or an on-demand service like Netflix, viewers have more choices. Streaming services have opened doors for people to watch new movies at home and have even convinced frequent theatergoers to stay in. But the future of movie theaters isn’t completely doomed. New ticket subscription services may make the theater experience more attractive to viewers, especially since cost is a major factor in their decision to watch from home.
However, if subscription services start releasing movies at the same time as movie theaters, home entertainment could take on a whole new role. But until that happens, the cost and comfort of watching movies at home are well worth the wait.
Dealing with cable, on the other hand, isn’t. With so many streaming services, it’s difficult to know which one will provide the same content as your beloved cable package. At Flixed, we’re here to help you cut the cord and find the right streaming service for your needs. Making the switch doesn’t mean missing out on your favorite channels or even a heftier price tag – to learn how, visit us online today.
Fifty-one percent of respondents identified as female, and 49% of respondents identified as male. Less than 1% of respondents identified as a gender not listed in our study. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 78 with a mean of 38 and a standard deviation of 11.7. Fifty-nine percent of respondents were millennials, 27% were Gen Xers, and 12% were baby boomers.
Content streaming platforms were limited to results with 60 or more respondents.
Fair use statement
Netflix and chill has become the standard way to watch movies, but many people might not realize what their streaming habits mean for theaters or the film industry. If you’d like to share our findings with your followers or friends, the graphics and content found here are available for noncommercial reuse. We just ask that you link back to this page to give the authors proper credit.
Lisa Holden • Editor
Lisa Holden is an editor and creative based in Houston, TX. Lisa holds a BA in African-American Studies from Temple University and has spent her career working in news publications and magazines, even founding a magazine herself. She began working as an editor for Flixed in 2023. When she’s not editing or working on one of her many creative endeavors (whenever that is), she enjoys traveling to new places and biking on sunny days.
Flixed.io's contributors and editorial team will often recommend products we believe to be useful for our readers. We may receive an affiliate commission from product sales generated through these affiliate links.


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In total, Tesla models were the subject of nearly 70% of the reports of the 392 accidents listed, for almost all between July 2021 and mid-May 2022, according to the NHTSA.
Tesla-branded vehicles equipped with self-driving software have been involved in 273 crashes in the United States, according to a report released Wednesday by the US Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA), which is currently investigating the driver assistance system. driving the American manufacturer.
The report focuses on vehicles with so-called Level 2 software, which is software that can accelerate or decelerate the car and turn the steering wheel if necessary, but requires an attentive driver who is ready to regain control at any time. In total, Tesla models were the subject of nearly 70% of the reports of the 392 accidents listed, for almost all between July 2021 and mid-May 2022, according to the NHTSA.
The agency nevertheless specifies that the same accident may have been the subject of several reports and that the figures published on Wednesday “are not significant data in terms of safety”. To be counted, an accident must have occurred when the driving assistant had been activated at some time during the previous 30 seconds. Another criterion, the incident must have involved either a pedestrian or a two-wheeler (bicycle or motorcycle), or the transport to the hospital of an individual, or have caused the triggering of the airbag or have required the removal of the vehicle.
Honda is also the subject of numerous reports
Among the 11 other manufacturers listed, only Honda has been the subject of a significant number of reports (90). The NHTSA recalls that the number of accidents must be related to that of the manufacturer’s vehicles equipped with a driving assistance system, but Tesla is, by far, the brand with the largest fleet of this type in the States. -United. NHTSA recently expanded an investigation, which began last summer, into the potential link between Tesla’s driver assistance system and a series of crashes with emergency vehicles. The investigation moved from preliminary assessment to engineering analysis, the last step before a possible recall. Autopilot, the electric vehicle manufacturer’s system, is supposed to help the driver follow the trajectory of the road and keep the right distance from other vehicles, but Tesla makes it clear that the driver must remain vigilant at all times. Asked by AFP, Tesla did not respond immediately.

domain: news


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With audiences largely reluctant to return to the movies, it’s not just theater chains that are struggling to adapt to life during the pandemic. Farmers who supply theaters with popcorn have seen orders for their product almost disappear as retail suppliers have seen sales surge. While Orville Redenbacher, Jolly Time, and Pop Secret have benefited from consumers staying home, the Preferred Popcorn company in Nebraska has millions of tons of unsold kernels on hand.
Preferred Popcorn primarily supplies snack distributors for movie theaters with 50- to 100-pound bags of popcorn. Initially, the company was unable to repackage its products and sell it to retailers and supermarkets, leaving silos stuffed with popcorn kernels that could fill more than 80 million movie theater tubs. Since all that corn could only stay sellable for about a year, Preferred Popcorn started looking for alternatives to movie theaters. Their search led them to Misfits Market, a subscription service that specializes in unattractive but edible produce.
“The food supply chain has been disrupted in meaningful ways by the pandemic. Our goal is to serve a pretty unique purpose in that supply chain,” said Abhi Ramesh, founder of Misfits Foods. “We work with Preferred to repack the giant bags into 28-ounce household bags, branded with Preferred Popcorn as a way to get recognized by consumers.” So far Misfits has purchased tens of thousands of kernels from Preferred, but the company still has a lot of unsold stock that could go bad if business does not pick up soon.
- Why are popcorn farmers who supply movie theaters struggling during the pandemic while retail brands like Orvile Redenbacher thrive?
- How does Misfit Markets help Preferred Popcorn reach out to new markets?


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Ice cream performs well at Unilever but Flora spread slump continues
Tempting treats: Strong demand for ice cream boosted sales at Unilever
Strong demand for ice cream boosted sales at Unilever - but a slump in the Flora spreads business underlined why the struggling division is up for sale.
The consumer goods giant said group sales rose 2.9 per cent in the first quarter of the year, pushing revenues up to £11.2 billion.
But the spreads business, which includes Flora, saw sales fall 5.1 per cent to £630 million.
Unilever, whose brands also include Hellmann’s, Dove and Domestos, put the spreads division up for sale earlier this month after fighting off a surprise £115 billion bid from US food giant Kraft Heinz.
After fending that off, Unilever launched a comprehensive review of the business to bolster defences against further bids.
Shares rose 0.3 per cent, or 12.5p, to 3950p yesterday.
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Qatar’s Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad al-Thani, a senior official at the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) has observed that the country with its fiscal integrity and growing central bank reserves, is undergoing “unparalleled recovery” enabling it to outperform its regional peers.
Sharing her thoughts at the second Qatar Trade Summit, Sheikha Alanoud, QFC’s Managing Director for Business Development remarked that “Our economy is currently experiencing unparalleled recovery with significant expansion over the last four months. This has been predominantly due to new business orders.”
Qatar Financial Centre’s latest Purchasing Managers’ Index revealed that both output and new businesses continued to register growth in the country as operations returned to normal following the lockdown and industrial areas reopened.
Sheikha Alanoud stated that the latest figure from the PMI indicated that the business conditions in the non-energy private sector segment of the economy improved in a sustained manner to touch the third-highest figure in over two years.
“The recent trend in the data is consistent with a decline in gross domestic product or GDP of 4.6% in the second quarter, followed by a strong rebound of 4.3% in the third quarter,” QFC Business Development GM stated while adding that the performance of Doha’s non-energy private sector is an affirmation of the COVID-19 stimulus package.
Earlier, the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management (for combating COVID-19) has announced a huge $20.6 billion stimulus package to support the private sector. The package included measures to provide business continuity with exemptions of customs duty on food and medicines along with payment holidays for the utilities and rent.
“This has assisted in maintaining fiscal integrity and allowed central bank reserves to grow in 2020,” Sheikha Alanoud maintained.


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ScHoolboy Q just released his new video for the single “CHopstix” and now he decides to announce his upcoming album CrasH Talk. He took to Instagram drop a trailer for the project, which hits stores on April 26th.
This will be his first project since 2016’s Blank Face album.
Check out his announcement below and stay tuned for ore information as it’s revealed.
View this post on Instagram


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Kenneth Shapiro Named Executive Vice President of Sales, Clear Channel Outdoor – North America
New York, NY – January 16, 2013 – Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) today announced that Kenneth Shapiro has been named Executive Vice President of Sales for its business in the U.S. and Canada. Reporting to Walker Jacobs, Chief Revenue Officer and President of Sales for Clear Channel Outdoor – North America, Shapiro will have direct responsibility for sales to national clients in the U.S. and also accountability for maximizing the results of all local selling in the U.S. and Canada. In his new role, Shapiro will work closely with Suzanne Grimes, President and Chief Operating Officer, and the company’s entire executive team.
“The out-of-home industry has grown for 14 consecutive quarters and is poised for even greater success as advertisers continue to grapple with reaching audiences in today’s fractured media environment,” said Grimes. “Clear Channel Outdoor has an enviable portfolio of outdoor media in the most important U.S. markets. We are building a world-class team that will optimize the value of this portfolio by driving greater marketing success for our clients, and Ken will play an important role in realizing this vision.”
Shapiro will lead the development of comprehensive go-to-market sales strategies and direct business development initiatives that align with the company’s efforts to help advertisers effectively reach and more deeply engage specific target audiences among today’s modern, connected mobile consumers. In addition to managing and growing all existing revenue streams, Shapiro will develop sales programs aimed at driving revenue from new customers and monetize potential new products and businesses. He will also collaborate across the organization to develop customized solutions for clients and work with product development to identify opportunities for new services and features that respond to evolving consumer behaviors and marketplace trends.
Shapiro is an eighteen-year veteran of Turner Broadcasting Sales, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President at Turner Digital. In this role, he and his team drove revenues for CNN.com, NBA.com, BleacherReport.com, NASCAR.com, PGA.com, TBS.com, TNTDrama.com, TruTV.com, funnyordie.com, TCM.com, Cartoonnetwork.com, adultswim.com, smokinggun.com, and many other properties. Previously, as Vice President for Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital, he held national sales leadership responsibilities covering NBA.com, Yahoo/NBA, and Yahoo/MLB.
“Ken is a tremendous leader and a truly talented salesman and strategist,” said Jacobs. “In many ways, the opportunities at hand for out-of-home parallel those of the digital medium several years ago. I am excited to work closely with Ken to leverage Clear Channel Outdoor’s fantastic media portfolio in inventive ways that expand the value proposition for out-of-home advertisers.”
About Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc., (NYSE: CCO) is one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies, with more than 750,000 displays in over 40 countries across five continents, including 48 of the 50 largest markets in the United States. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings offers many types of displays across its global platform to meet the advertising needs of its customers. This includes a growing digital platform that now offers over 1000 digital billboards across 37 U.S. markets. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings’ International segment operates in nearly 30 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America in a wide variety of formats.
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/CCOutdoor
Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CCOutdoorNA
Clear Channel Outdoor
e: [email protected]
p: (212) 812 0089


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Two PlayStation 4 games expected to release this week, Ark: Survival of the Fittest and Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy, won’t be available as previously planned.
For Ark: Survival of the Fittest, it was announced back in April for a July 19 beta release on PS4 by developer Studio Wildcard. However, in an undated update on the PlayStation Blog, they revealed that it’s been put on hold to focus on Ark: Survival Evolved:
Hey ARK fans, Studio Wildcard is putting the PS4 version of ARK: Survival of the Fittest on hold in order to focus on preparing ARK: Survival Evolved for PS4 release. While this means ARK: Survival of the Fittest won’t be releasing on PS4 in July 2016, we’re working towards an earlier release of ARK: Survival Evolved.
Ark: Survival Evolved’s full release is currently scheduled for holiday 2016, and it will have PlayStation VR support on PS4.
For Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy, it was expected to release today, July 18, as the latest PS2 game on PS4. Over the weekend though, Quantic Dream said it was delayed, but a new date should be given soon:
Apologies,FAHRENHEIT – INDIGO PROPHECY won’t release on 7/18. We shall confirm the release date in the next days. Should be soon. Stay safe.
You can see this week’s new releases over here.


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Crypto money analysis company Flipside Krypto reported that the long-standing Bitcoin wallets are starting to move.
Bloomberg reported that the number of active Bitcoin wallets, many of which have been asleep for a long time, saw an uptrend, which could be a precursor to some major market movements.
Bloomberg bases its data and analysis report on the data of the Cripto currency analysis company Flipside Crypto, which invested in the Crypto currency venture capital company Digital Currency Group (DGC) in November and from the large crypto money exchange Coinbase.
According to Flipside, as of October 2018, many non-active Bitcoin owners, who had been inactive for a long time, were identified as those who did not transfer their Biotag for 6-30 months and started to transfer their coins. Thus, based on data from the previous month, the active wallets now hold 60 percent of the circulation of Bitcoin.
In general, active Bitcoin supply has been reported to increase by 40 percent since 2018. Eric Stone, head of data science at Flipside, said:
”This is definitely a big change. There’s more potential than usual for fizzling.“
Both 2015 and 2017, Bloomberg noted similar similar wallet movements before Bitcoin‘s huge historical price volatility. In 2017, crypto money rose to $ 20,000, the highest price of all time.
David Balter, CEO of Flipside, said that long-term Bitcoin holders, who were outdoors during the volatile markets in most of the past few years, are currently on active radar. Stating that this trend could continue, Stone said:
Un We have no reason to wait for a few more years to be stagnant. “


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Is it any wonder they priced it wrong? Huge £5.8bn gulf across Royal Mail shares valuation revealed
Royal Mail was valued at up to £8.6bn ahead of its privatisation in October, it has emerged, as the row over how undervalued its £3.3bn sale was rumbles on.
The gulf in estimates made by 21 anonymous banks was revealed, highlighting a staggering £5.8bn gap between that highest figure and the lowest of £2.8bn.
The banks estimated an average lower price of £3.9bn and an upper value of £4.8bn, underlining why shares have soared 81 per cent since their float at 330p.
Privatisation: Banks faced difficult decisions during the valuation period due to uncertainty
The offer was priced between 260p and 330p, with high demand pushing the eventual float price to the upper end of that scale, valuing the postal service at £3.3bn.
Shares immediately rocketed – hitting a high of 615p in mid-January - leaving ministers to face claims of undervaluing the company.
Business minister Michael Fallon said that banks based their estimations on limited publicly available information, and stressed during evidence at the select committee on business, innovation and skills that the valuations were based on widely varying assumptions.
He said: ‘These were very much illustrative valuations which the banks produced several months before the IPO was implemented against a completely different backdrop.
‘They therefore did not accurately reflect the specific circumstances and market that prevailed immediately prior to the IPO when pricing decisions were being taken.’
Two of the banks Goldman Sachs and UBS advised government ministers on the sale, at the time when the threat of Royal Mail strikes over pay and pension cast a shadow over its valuation.
Four months on from the sale shares were trading at 598p at mid-afternoon today.
Private investors were prevented from fully cashing in on the Royal mail float bonanza by high demand for shares. They were invited to apply for as much as they wanted, but in the end those who applied up to £10,000 received a uniform £749.10 allocation of 227 shares, while those who applied for more received nothing.
Those who applied for shares through most brokers could trade freely from the outset, but others who applied via email or post had to wait until they received the appropriate share information for their account.
The postal service also reserved 10 per cent of shares for Royal Mail workers, but they must be held for three years before they can be sold.
City analysts have described Royal Mail as a dry run for the eventual reprivatisation for Lloyds Banking Group, which the taxpayer still owns a third of.
A first Lloyds share sale raised £3.2bn last September, reducing government stake from 38.7 per cent to 32.7 per cent.
In light of the ‘float fever’ taking over the City, with popular high street retailers such as Pets At Home and Poundland joining entertainment group Merlin and Royal Mail in listing on the stock market, City brokers suggest an April share sale for Lloyds could be on the cards to take advantage of investor sentiment.
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By Tommy Wilkes and Fanny Potkin
LONDON (Reuters) – Twitter Inc
The prohibition will cover advertising of initial coin offerings (ICOs) – crowdfunding used to raise cash by creating new coins – as well as token sales and crypto-wallet services, the San-Francisco-based firm told Reuters.
The new policy, whose implementation date was not announced, will also – with limited exceptions – stop crypto-exchanges from advertising on its platform
Twitter said this month it was taking measures to prevent crypto-related accounts from “engaging with others in a deceptive manner”, but had faced calls to go further after bans from Facebook Inc
Facebook has restricted crypto-related adverts, while Google earlier in March announced a ban that comes into force in June .
Regulators have stepped up warnings that bitcoin and other virtual currencies are highly speculative, some potentially fraudulent and that investors should be prepared to lose everything.
But last week the G20 group of rich nations failed to reach a consensus on how to supervise them.
Advertising of cryptocurrencies has boomed as demand for investing in them soared, with everything from London’s transport network to Japanese television featuring adverts for the virtual coins or ways to trade them.
“With the increasing number of ICOs coming to market it is an impossible task for anyone, much less platforms like Twitter or Facebook, to keep on top of which ICOs and cryptocurrencies are genuine versus frauds,” said Zennon Kapron, director of financial consultancy Kapronasia.
“Although certainly ICO advertising must have been a significant source of revenue for Twitter, the repercussions of fraudulent activities just weren’t worth the risk.”
The price of bitcoin is down more than half to around $8,000 from a December peak of almost $20,000 as fears of a regulatory clampdown spooked investors. News of the Facebook and Google bans also knocked the price.
Bitcoin fell almost 5 percent on Monday to $8,062
Ethereum <.MVETH> and Ripple’s XRP <.MVXRP>, the second and third biggest digital currencies by market capitalization, have tumbled this year too.
While critics call cryptocurrencies a ponzi scheme that will end in tears for the majority of investors, supporters say the coins are backed by powerful new technology that can replace traditional fiat currencies and upend the existing banking system.
(Reporting by Tommy Wilkes and Fanny Potkin; Editing by Kevin Liffey and John Stonestreet)


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A district court in Illinois has dismissed a consolidated class action lawsuit seeking damages from Michaels Stores Inc. for a card breach the arts and crafts retailer suffered starting in 2013. Find out the grounds for the court's dismissal.
The website of the European Central Bank has been breached and contact information for event registrants stolen. The breach only came to light when a hacker attempted to obtain a ransom to return stolen data to the bank.
Sources say a yet-to-be-confirmed breach of payment card data linked to transactions at Goodwill Industries could be linked to a point-of-sale vulnerability that may have affected other numerous merchants.
Point-of-sale retail breaches are the rage, but they are just one cyber-crime trend on the mind of RSA researcher Uri Fleyder. What are the malware and mobile threats that organizations should monitor?
The 9/11 Commission, in its 10th anniversary report, cautions Americans and the U.S. government to treat cyberthreats more seriously than they did terrorist threats in the days and weeks before Sept. 11, 2001.
The EU Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce pilot is set to coordinate cross-border investigations - across Europe, the United States and beyond - into cybercrime, including payment card fraud, DDoS attacks and malware rings.
Two zero-day vulnerabilities reportedly were exploited by the attackers who hacked NASDAQ's systems in 2010. While a senior U.S. legislator claims the hackers had "nation-state" backing, security experts say it's still not clear who hacked NASDAQ or why.
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Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew this week took the precedent-setting step of publicly addressing the financial system's cybersecurity shortcomings. Learn why one expert says this could represent a policy shift for the Treasury Department.


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Are you thinking of selling items online, but have no idea how to get started? It probably seems easy enough, since so many Singaporeans are selling things online. But with so many ecommerce platforms available to you, you’re bound to get puzzled about which platform to choose. If you’re feeling this way, read on for…
Apple has finally entered what many believe to be the next big wave of computing: augmented reality. At its annual conference for developers on Monday, Apple unveiled new augmented reality (AR) software that can display virtual objects onto the real world.
Snapchat-style video stories and stickers have been integrated into Skype as part of a revamp of the app. The BBC's Chris Foxx tried the new version and asked the company's Amritansh Raghav why he wanted to make Skype more like Snapchat.
A new study reports that companies are "unprepared for risks created by vulnerabilities in internet of things applications." The report, "2017 Study on Mobile and IoT Application Security," was conducted by the Ponemon Institute


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Buying a sporty coupe is almost always an exercise in left-brain/right-brain conflict.
Sure, you want snazzy good looks and lots of...
You've come a long way, Chrysler.
Read This Article
The United Auto Workers union has reached a tentative agreement with Chrysler.
Chrysler recently revealed details of its future lineup to its dealerships, presenting more than 60 new or refreshed models to dealers at a conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chrysler and Dodge minivans are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for a potential fault in their headlight mechanism.


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Don't laugh. This small rural community doesn't have a *real* supermarket. About 12 years ago, the whole village was reeling from the news that a Co-op was coming to town. The local shops objected. The local residents rubbed their hand with glee that they'd no longer have to travel 5 miles to get to a supermarket. The reality was a lot starker. The Co-op was built. Being a Co-op it's not cheap, but convenient and has a lot larger selection then any tiny enterprising shop could wish for, but it's hardly push-the-boat out territory. Then last year, some bright spark at the corporate giant Tesco decided we could do with a branch here, whilst our nearest Tesco is only 5 miles down the valley. The same arguments are being made, the same pitiful excuses for why it shouldn't be allowed are being put forward. The reality is, it'll be a few hundred yards away from the Co-op. The only business that will suffer will be the Co-op. I know people who shop at Co-op because they're lifetime members, and travel from miles around, passing by Tesco/Asda/Morrisons on the way. So it'll not suffer that much, but the boon for the local residents will be worth every penny. Let's see if it happens though. The council will have to have their pockets laced quite heavily, but being Powys and Tesco, I can see a deal being struck no matter how many people object. Meanwhile, the BBC cover it. It's so rare for the BBC to even visit the area, so it'll be nice to show my readers a little of what the UK looked like 50 years ago, because that's what it's like here. It's like living in a timewarp, and it's lovely.
*video removed to stop it playing all the time. Click here instead
That Donald Trump handshake gif
1 week ago


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Given the nationwide restrictions placed in 2020, the world’s second-largest cinema chain remained closed for the majority of the year, only re-opening for brief breaks in-between lockdowns. Annual revenues declined to $852.3m, compared with $4.37bn for the previous year. The company’s debt currently sits at approximately $8bn and expectations for 2021 revenues were in the region of $2.5bn, with hopes that there will be no further pandemic induced setbacks.
As a result, Cineworld slashed its annual dividend in order to improve its cash flow and hasn’t yet announced a date for when it will start re-offering quarterly payouts to shareholders. Given this slumping performance, Cineworld stock has seen an increase in short sellers over the past year, although there is still hope that the re-opening of the world’s entertainment centres may have a positive effect on Cineworld’s share price, as lockdowns start to ease across the UK.
Mid-2020, the company also pulled out of its $2.3bn proposed Cineplex acquisition and in 2021, it was the subject of takeover speculation, further adding to the company’s volatile price action. Therefore, it’s worth keeping an eye on company news when trading Cineworld shares.


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Hackers use new worm to infect PCs
Virus pretends it's Windows Genuine Advantage
Updated 10:00 pm, Wednesday, July 5, 2006
A newly discovered worm, pretending to be Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Genuine Advantage program, is being used by hackers to install malicious software on personal computers.
The worm, a program that spreads itself throughout an infected PC, is being sent by way of Time Warner Inc.'s AOL Instant Messenger software, said Ronald O'Brien, senior analyst at Abingdon, U.K.-based Sophos Plc.
Closely held Sophos first warned about the worm Monday.
Once installed on a PC, the worm copies itself into a Windows system folder, creates a new file displayed as "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Notification" and becomes part of the computer's automatic startup, O'Brien said.
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Hackers can use the software to gain control of the PC, grab confidential information and create denial of service attacks against targeted Web sites, according to Sophos.
"The worm is using the Genuine Advantage identity as a means of convincing users of its validity," O'Brien said from Lynnfield, Mass., where Sophos has a U.S. office.
Kjersti Gunderson, a spokeswoman for Microsoft, said the next version of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool, to be released Tuesday, will scan for and clean the so-called Backdoor: Win32/IRCbot.R worm.
Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage software checks to see that users have licensed copies of Windows before allowing them to download important updates onto their PCs.
Microsoft's security advisory about the worm can be found at: www.microsoft. com/security/encyclopedia/details.aspx?name.


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- Instagram feed not found.
Following the official release of her debut album ‘Glorious,’ Foxes has taken the music and fashion worlds by storm. As she begins her UK tour we look back at how Louise Rose Allen transformed into the Grammy winner and artist ‘Foxes.’
This bank holiday weekend team Premier Scout were out and about at Dot to Dot Festival in 3 of the UK’s coolest cities Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham. The festival is spread out over different venues all showcasing fresh emerging artists from around the the country.


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Another ethical controversy associated with search marketing has been the issue of trademark infringement. The debate as to whether third parties should have the right to bid on their competitors' brand names has been underway for years. In 2009 Google changed their policy, which formerly prohibited these tactics, allowing 3rd parties to bid on branded terms as long as their landing page in fact provides information on the trademarked term. Though the policy has been changed this continues to be a source of heated debate.
Facebook had an estimated 144.27 million views in 2016, approximately 12.9 million per month. Despite this high volume of traffic, very little has been done to protect the millions of users who log on to Facebook and other social media platforms each month. President Barack Obama tried to work with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to attempt to regulate data mining. He proposed the Privacy Bill of Rights, which would protect the average user from having their private information downloaded and shared with third party companies. The proposed laws would give the consumer more control over what information companies can collect. President Obama was unable to pass most of these laws through congress, and it is unsure what President Trump will do with regards to social media marketing ethics.
To create an effective DMP, a business first needs to review the marketplace and set 'SMART' (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Time-Bound) objectives. They can set SMART objectives by reviewing the current benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs) of the company and competitors. It is pertinent that the analytics used for the KPIs be customised to the type, objectives, mission and vision of the company.
Digital marketing is defined by the use of numerous digital tactics and channels to connect with customers where they spend much of their time: online. From the website itself to a business's online branding assets -- digital advertising, email marketing, online brochures, and beyond -- there's a spectrum of tactics that fall under the umbrella of "digital marketing."


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Sounds like a good plan
When one hears the name 'Michelin' you either think of performance car tires or really expensive restaurants. What you don't think about is carbon neutrality, global warming, and environmental causes. Well, the French tire company is looking to change that perception. Michelin last year developed the world's first carbon-neutral tire called the e.Primacy that has started rolling out to global markets, but the company wants to go one step further by removing harmful plastics from the environment, and more specifically, by manufacturing tires out of recycled plastic bottles. Michelin has set a goal of achieving 40% sustainable materials by 2030 and wants to be fully carbon neutral by 2050.
Michelin is better known for developing high-performance tires for cars like the record-breaking Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, but the times are changing, and traditional sports car manufacturers such as Porsche and Audi are now delivering eco-friendly warriors such as the Audi RS e-tron GT and blistering Porsche Taycan. Michelin sees this as a chance to grow and plans on recycling nearly 3 billion plastic bottles a year. Working with French biochemistry company Carbios, Michelin believes that it has a way of transforming these bottles into tires. By using a certain enzyme to depolymerize polyethylene terephthalate (PET) the resulting high-tenacity polyester can be used for tires due to its high thermal stability and breakage resistance.
"These high-tech reinforcements have demonstrated their ability to provide performance identical to those from the oil industry," said Nicolas Seeboth, director of polymer research at Michelin, in a statement. There is still no word on what applications these tires will be suitable for, and how much it will cost to produce, but if Michelin can crack this process, it will herald a new era for transport, manufacturing, and the future of mankind. Way to go Michelin.


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Good morning! Payments Insider is delivered first thing every morning exclusively to BI Intelligence members. Send your confidential tips to email@example.com.
APPLE PAY LOSES TWO RETAIL PARTNERS: Over the weekend, CVS and Rite Aid shut down support for Apple Pay in their stores across the country. CVS and Rite Aid weren't official launch partners, and both retailers haven't commented on why they chose to back out of the system. But the news shows that retailer adoption won't come automatically for Apple Pay, despite Apple's enormous influence over consumers.
The reasons Rite Aid and CVS dropped out of Apple Pay is almost certainly due to their membership in a powerful retail consortium called the Merchant Customer Exchange or MCX. MCX is made up of legacy retailers like Gap, Old Navy, and Sears — as well as Best Buy and Wal-Mart, two companies that publicly rejected Apple Pay in the run-up to its launch. MCX is developing its own QR code-based payments system called CurrentC, which MCX members are hoping would let them successfully avoid paying intermediaries fees on credit and debit card transactions. Three things to know about this growing conflict:
- MCX signs retailers to three-year deals, according to a 2013 FierceRetail report. This could explain why we're seeing CVS and Rite Aid pull out of Apple Pay just a week after they launched with Apple's payments system. They were "probably contractually obligated" to do so, as Business Insider's Jay Yarow puts it. Other payments industry sources have also reported that MCX requires retailers to only use CurrentC for in-store mobile payments.
- Early reviews of CurrentC are very poor. General consensus has it that the CurrentC system is convoluted and difficult to use compared to Apple Pay. To use it, shoppers have to unlock their phone, launch the app, point their camera at the cashier's QR code, and wait. If it fails, shoppers have to manually input a generated code. Commentators have called the system "clunky," lacking "ease of use," and "an anti-consumer mess."
- CurrentC lacks Apple Pay's level of security and privacy. CurrentC's choice to build on QR code technology has been criticized because QR codes are relatively easy to hack, according to Fortune. Furthermore, CurrentC also requests that users submit personal information including their social security number, something that Apple Pay explicitly avoids doing for privacy reasons.
APPLE PAY IN CHINA: In an interview with China's Xinhua News Agency, Tim Cook confirmed plans to bring Apple Pay to China, according to PYMNTS. Apple Pay would benefit from the large number of stores that accept NFC-based payments in China in comparison to the US. On the other hand, iPhones account for just 16% of the China's smartphones versus about 42% in the US. "China is a really key market for us. Everything we do, we are going to work it here. Apple Pay is on the top of the list," said Cook.
APPLE'S PLANS FOR NFC GO BEYOND PAYMENTS: A number of companies, including HID Global and Cubic, are in talks with Apple to gain access to the NFC chip on the new iPhones, according to a report from The Information. The partnerships could still end up bolstering Apple Pay's success. If people get used to accessing the subway with their iPhones, for example, they may be more receptive to paying with their phone as well.
CREDORAX RAISES $40 MILLION: Online payment processor Credorax has finished a $40 million round of investment, led by Columbus Nova Technology Partners and previous investor Blumberg Capital, according to TechCrunch. Credorax's goal is build a payment architecture that can be used internationally, by merchants no matter their location. TechCrunch points out that the business model requires a lot of capital because the markets they are trying to enter are already dominated by existing players.
PROSPER PLATFORM USED TO ISSUE OVER $2 BILLION IN LOANS: Prosper Marketplace, one of the largest peer-to-peer lending platforms, announced it has surpassed $2 billion in loans issued, according to Finextra. While its a significant milestone, it is less than half of the $5 billion in loans issued by competitor Lending Club.
Here's what else BI Intelligence members are reading...
Have a productive day!


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Directors' Deals: Garden centre boss prunes his stake
INVESTORS take a strong interest when company bosses buy or sell shares in their own firms. Directors have in-depth knowledge of their businesses, so it can pay to track their moves. Every week we reveal the directors who have bought or sold big stakes.
Brian Evans, the outgoing chairman of Wyevale Garden Centres, Britain’s biggest plant seller, did a bit of pruning last week. He raised £800,000 from the sale of more than 221,000 shares at 361p each.
The trade came a day after the company announced that he would retire in December and may represent a tidying up of loose ends. Evans’s shareholding now stands at 224,000 — 0.4% of the issued shares. His replacement as chairman has yet to be named.
Wyevale’s share price has recovered since September when it revealed flat first-half profits, which it blamed on the poor spring weather. It has also been selling off some


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School uniforms needed for Madison Co. foster children
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Jackson-Madison County Foster Parent Association is looking for the community’s generosity.
The association currently has 30 foster children requesting school uniforms for this year.
As part of their clothes drive, you can either buy the uniform outright or make a monetary donation to help buy the clothes.
The president of the association, Renae Adelsberger, says the clothes drive is a small event that brings big smiles.
“Often for these kids, it’s the first time they have received clothes that still have the tags on them. It is really a special moment when they receive those,” Adelsberger said.
To donate, head to the association’s website.


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Business Spending Powering On
Kiplinger’s latest forecast on business equipment spending
Capital spending is still on a roll, rising 1.5% in August, fully regaining its prerecession level and then some. Computer and communications equipment spending is still hot, evidence that many companies continue to equip their workforces for remote work. Machinery spending and orders are strong. Even though many uncertainties about the economy’s progress remain, businesses are apparently deciding to push ahead with expansion plans that had been on hold, in order to be prepared for the eventual recovery. New orders are also tracking the strength in spending.
A decline in motor vehicle and parts spending and orders was likely just a pullback after July’s surge. The same was true for defense spending.
Now that the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil has picked up to around $40 per barrel, a modest boost for purchases of oilfield equipment seems likely. The number of active drilling rigs has ticked up in Texas and Louisiana lately. However, spending on rigs and related gear could falter again if oil prices retreat later in the year.
- 1Kiplinger’s Economic OutlooksRegularly updated insights on the economy’s next moves.
- 2Big Third Quarter, Modest Growth in FourthKiplinger’s latest forecast for the GDP growth rate
- 3Worker Recalls NarrowingKiplinger’s latest forecast on jobs
- 4Vaccine Results Boost Long-term RatesKiplinger’s latest forecast on interest rates
- 5Inflation Moderates for Second Month; Used Car Prices Stop RisingKiplinger’s latest forecast on inflation
- 6Business Spending Powering On - currently readingKiplinger’s latest forecast on business equipment spending
- 7Gasoline Prices to Turn HigherKiplinger's latest forecast on the direction of energy prices
- 8Home Sales Remain SolidKiplinger's latest forecast on housing starts and home sales
- 9COVID-19 Surge Boosts E-commerce, Hurts In-store Sales and RestaurantsKiplinger’s latest forecast on retail sales and consumer spending.
- 10Trade Continues to ReboundKiplinger's latest forecast on the direction of the trade deficit.


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Posted: Feb 6, 2013 4:30 PM by Jessica Holley - email@example.com
Updated: Feb 6, 2013 5:48 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI - The Weststar Food Company has been a part of this community for a decade. Over the years it's sold raw beans to the US Department of Agriculture. And those beans bought with your money can be found in food banks across the nation.
Some may call them the magical fruit, but for the Weststar Food Company it's business. And millions of these beans are packaged right here in Corpus Christi. Their bean packaging warehouse opened on Port Avenue 10 years ago, and stays busy because of the large consumption of beans in South Texas.
"Majority of what we do is pinto beans. It's probably 95%. But we also do black bean,s as well as yellow beans, or mayocoba beans. This market is mainly a pinto bean market," says Patrick Wallesen Managing Partner at Weststar Food Company.
You may have seen these Weststar beans at local grocery stores like HEB, but the federal government is also using hundreds of thousands of dollars of your tax money to purchase these beans. Weststar Food Company estimates the USDA paid them $830,000 for its beans last year. That money not only paid for beans going to food banks in the United States, but also many of the bags are exported to foreign countries for US aid.
"You see your tax dollars at work, we hope that it goes for good and we think that it does. It seems like the food banks that we work with are well ran, well organized and are a real asset to the community," says Wallesen.
Federal government contracts only make up one sixth of Weststar Food Company's business. In fact, it says 2012 was one of the company's biggest years working with the federal government.
"The one thing is, is that it can fluctuate a lot. It is very competitive so it fluctuates year to year how much business we get with the USDA," says Wallesen.
Your tax money, used by the USDA, to fill hungry bellies.
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8 Comet stores in Wales have opened for their last weekend of business before they shut their doors for good.
Administrators were called into the electrical firm last month after it fell into financial difficulty.
The store in Bangor will shut its doors tomorrow, while Monday will be the last day of trading for shops in Llandudno, Cwmbran, Llantrisant, Valegate, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil and Haverfordwest
More top news
The whole of Wales is covered by a yellow warning to be aware of very strong winds developing tonight.
Did you miss any of our coverage? Catch up here on Wales at Six.
Catherine Herridge made a remarkable discovery...


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Aston Martin has had a lot of awesome rigs come out in recent years with models like the One-77, the Vulcan, and the DB11 all rolling out. One thing the brand has lacked, however, is that halo car that gets the oohs and ahhs. Aston plans to release such a car soon, as it has partnered up with Red Bull Racing to create a new hypercar.
Unfortunately, Aston Martin revealed absolutely nothing about its upcoming vehicle, which is currently codenamed the AM-RB 001, except that is will use input from Red Bull Racing in the development of its aerodynamics, composites, and various mechanical bits. The closest thing to revealing what this vehicle may look like is a quote from Marek Reichman, who said: “We are in the process of developing a hypercar that combines the latest in aerodynamics from F1 and the stunning design language of an Aston Martin sports car.”
There is also no mention of the powertrain that this new hypercar will make use of. I expect that it will feature a modified version of one of its existing engines, like its 6.0-liter V-12. Another possibility is a road-legal version of the 7.0-liter V-12 from the Vulcan or maybe a boosted version of the One-77’s 750-horsepower 7.3-liter V-12 engine.
Regardless of which engine it uses, Aston needs to recognize that there are certain expectations that come with mentioning the word “hypercar.” This typically means well in excess of 1,000 horsepower and aerodynamic work like the brand has never seen before.
There is no timeline for the AM-RB 001 to go from brainstorming to an actual vehicle, but I am sure we are looking at a minimum of two years, so strap in for the long haul, folks.


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Apple and Samsung are going to battle in court again starting March 31st. Each of them started with five patents to battle against each other with, but now Samsung has four because a multimedia sync patent was thrown out by Judge Lucy Koh. Judge Koh also gave Apple a summary judgement win for their auto-complete patent. This puts Apple ahead of Samsung before the trial even started.
All of patents are related to user interaction and two of Samsung’s patents are standards-essential (FRAND) patents, according to Engadget. Generally FRAND patents need to be licensed out. The U.S. patent office agreed to look at the validity of Apple’s auto-complete patent again.
The devices that were named of allegedly infringing the models are older. But the historical sales of each device will affect the size of any award that is given by the court if an allegation is upheld. The devices that are being questioned in the court case includes the:
– Galaxy Note II
– Galaxy S III
– Galaxy Nexus
– Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
– iPhone 5
– iPhone 4s
– iPad 2
– iPad with Retina Display (3rd generation)
– iPad with Retina display (4th generation)
– iPad mini


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Cocoa in the chocolate of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, as well as brands like Cadbury, comes from Ivory Coast, the world’s leading cocoa producer. It is grown there exclusively by smallholders – though brands tend to buy their beans from traders, further down the supply chain. With that in mind it’s concerning that an increasing amount of this cocoa is being grown at the expense of Ivorian forests and the wealth of biodiversity found within them.
With cocoa farmers from neighbouring countries looking for fertile land on which to plant, some encroach on Ivorian forests to do so. In 2017, Mighty Earth estimated that 35% of the country’s production was grown on protected areas. According to Forest 500, if this rate of deforestation continues, the country could lose all of its forest by 2034. This would mean no cocoa, as it is the forest that creates the right conditions and soil fertility in which most cocoa crops can thrive.
Not that all is lost. We are working with the Ivorian forestry agency to demonstrate there is a way to protect these forests that doesn’t come at the expense of cocoa farmers’ livelihoods. The challenge lies in how cocoa is grown, whereby it is first planted within the forest; it is only when the crop has established itself within the shade of trees and needs more sunlight that forests are cut and burned.
So conserving forests requires knowing when cocoa has first been planted. No small task for the forestry agency, which does not have the resources to patrol the entirety of the country’s forest on foot. Satellite monitoring is one solution, but normal imagery would merely show the land cover as a healthy standing forest. There hasn’t been anything capable of detecting small disturbances, or cacao planted underneath the canopy, until now.
In collaboration with Airbus we have developed Starling – satellite technology able to identify small changes that occur beneath the forest canopy. We have used it in Cavally Forest, one of Ivory Coast’s most biodiverse areas, to develop an accurate base map, detecting forest that is intact, degraded (as a result of farmer encroachment), or established with cocoa. This, combined with ongoing monitoring, is supporting the forest management agency to focus patrol efforts in specific areas of Cavally Forest, discouraging farmers from further encroachment. As a result there was a 60% drop in the deforestation rate from April to July of 2018. Starling results show that 58% of the original forest reserve is still intact forest that can and should be protected.
This could be scaled up throughout the country and to other commodities too, increasing the chances of maintaining healthy, standing forests. If Ivory Coast’s remaining forests are to be protected it is essential stakeholders have accurate and timely information to take action if illegal planting is taking place. Starling offers that. But this enhanced monitoring is not purely about compliance, or banishing cocoa farmers who have planted in protected forests. Kicking illegal farmers out of supply chains without measures to support them would severely risk the country’s status as the leading cocoa producer. At present, cocoa is worth $5bn in exports to the Ivorian economy.
Directing future farmers to establish cocoa and other crops outside current forest areas, while also providing support to optimise their yields – but not at the expense of the environment – is vital to the future of a healthy and sustainable cocoa industry. Striking such a balance is possible, but it will require a concerted and sustained effort from multiple stakeholders including the Ivorian government and, just as crucially, chocolate manufacturers, if it is to come to fruition.


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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) began sending out extra allotments during the pandemic.
However, as inflation continues to grip the United States, and the cost of groceries continues to rise, the organization have continued to use Emergency Allotments (EA) that were started during the pandemic.
When did the extra SNAP Benefits start?
As the pandemic started taking a hold of the world in March 2020, the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was passed whereby the law authorized the use of emergency allotment supplemental benefits to households receiving SNAP.
States were then given permission to issue supplemental EA SNAP benefits to households not receiving the maximum benefit for the household’s size.
In April 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the supplementation policy and authorized the payment of a supplement of at least 95 dollars to all households receiving SNAP benefits.
Who is eligible for the extra SNAP Benefits?
All households receiving SNAP benefits are eligible to receive EA benefits provided the state that they live allows for the additional payments to be made.
This includes households that already receive the maximum SNAP benefit amount with respect to their household size, and households that are eligible for a monthly supplement of less than 95 dollars.
However, as the pandemic recedes, states have curtailed their EA allotments, although 13 states will continue to provide additional benefits till July 15, 2022.
Which states are providing SNAP Emergency Allotments in July?
The following states will continue to provide additional payments worth at least 95 dollars in July:
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
These additional funds are directly credited to the recipient’s electronic benefits transfer card (EBT).
The EBT card is used like a debit card, but has the added caveat of only working at authorized stores.


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Do gooders stay doing good, and now, they are doing good together. Seattle Coffee Gear, who back in May committed to donating $150,000 to “baristas, cafes, roasters, and coffee techs across the country” affected by COVID-19, have teamed up with Getchusomegear, a non-profit organization by Chris McAuley (profiled on Sprudge here) getting coffee equipment in the hands of marginalized baristas, to provide a total of $50,000 in grants to 10 marginalized business owners in the coffee space.
Per the announcement made via the Getchusomegear Instagram, each grant will consist of $5,000 and are for “business owners who are navigating new ventures and transitioning to newer and bigger things for themselves in coffee.” Recipients of the first five grants, all Black women, have already been been announced and include: 2020 Sprudge Twenty inductee LaNisa Williams (Barista Life LA to open Hustler’s Cup), BiankA AlloyN and SabreeN Naimah (Cute Coffee), Lori Jones (BLACK•OLOGY Coffee Company), Talitha Clemons (Bright Vibe Coffee), and Sprudge Editor at Large Michelle Johnson (The Chocolate Barista).
View this post on Instagram
It is our pleasure to introduce you to BiankA AlloyN & SabreeN Naimah, the @ilovecutecoffee team! Cute Coffee builds long lasting relationships with their farmers and producers through direct trade. They source from farms run by women and their families. Anyone who has met BiankA and SabreeN can attest to the fact that their smiles and positivity are truly contagious (not to mention, cute!) We are thrilled to give @ilovecutecoffee a grant to help them build a mobile roasting/brewing truck! We're working with @getchusomegear to identify and distribute grants to entrepreneurs from historically marginalized communities. We are so honored to work with these two rays of sunshine who continuously spread love and joy across the California Bay Area, and soon, the entire country! Here's to hoping Seattle is their first stop once they get the truck up and running. 🤞We also plan to live by their motto "Keep it Cute, or Put it on Mute!" 📷: @misterrclark
Spearheaded by McAuley, the second round of grant applications and announcements is set for some time in November. More information will become available on the application process via the Getchusomegear Instagram in the coming weeks. In the meantime, though, Seattle Coffee Gear is in the process of featuring each of the five grant recipients, so head on over to their Instagram page to learn more about the group already announced.


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With one week until Christmas, will your packages still make it on time?
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Retailers and shipping companies have spent weeks warning shoppers to buy Christmas gifts early to avoid any potential delays because of supply chain issues, but with a week to go before the holiday time is starting to run out for procrastinators.
The deadlines for packages sent by USPS Ground and First-Class Mail have passed as have the cheapest FedEx options. However, more limited and expensive options are still available.
Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and other large companies have faster delivery times for subscribers.
University of South Carolina operations management expert and professor of management sciences Mark Ferguson says big retailers have gone the extra mile to guarantee the arrival times they advertise are accurate.
“Some of the largest retailers have commissioned entire ships coming from Asia just to deliver their cargo,” Ferguson said.
He explained that during the pandemic, many people have turned to online shopping as a safer and more convenient option. But that added an extra strain to the system in addition to supply chain issues triggered by the pandemic.
“In terms of buying physical things, it is much higher as a percentage of paychecks than it has been in a really long time. Part of that is still the COVID effect. [People] are not traveling as much and spending as much on experiences and services as they used to,” Ferguson said.
But the shipping industry on the east coast, in particular around the Carolinas, has an advantage over ports in busier cities like Los Angeles.
“We have a fairly significant port and rail system,” Ferguson said about South Carolina. “Our port is not backed up as much as some of the others, in particular on the west coast. Our rail system, our inland ports, do not require physical truck drivers.”
He said that historically the cost for a shipping service to move materials from the port through Los Angeles is often higher than the cost of getting cargo to the port from Asia.
Ferguson said that the issues causing shipping delays are not new, but the increased demand has exacerbated them.
“The whole system is sort of patched together. It is still very manual…Our ports are not nearly as modernized as other ports in the world,” he said.
Copyright 2021 WIS. All rights reserved.
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The tip of globalization? : Planet Cash: The indicator of Planet Cash: NPR
STACEY VANEK SMITH, HOST:
From the early 1990s, the world experienced a two-decade globalization boom. The countries became more closely linked in many ways. People and companies traded more goods and services across national borders. They invested more money in each other. And the advent of the internet made it easier for them to share information with the touch of a button.
CARDIFF GARCIA, HOST:
And the promise of globalization was that it would make the world economy more efficient and more successful because it would allow people and businesses within countries to specialize in the things they do best and then act for things who have favourited other countries do best.
VANEK SMITH: But globalization shouldn’t just be about economics. Fans of globalization also hoped that it would make the world a more peaceful place, because when countries are dependent on one another for their economic prosperity, they will not gain that prosperity through political disputes or through an extreme level fighting each other in a war. But as the US trade war with China and a number of other diplomatic disputes recently demonstrated, that assumption about globalization seems increasingly shaky.
I am Stacey Vanek Smith.
GARCIA: And I’m Cardiff Garcia. Today on THE PLANET MONEY INDICATOR we are discussing a new framework for understanding globalization, a framework that says that globalization itself has provided the diplomatic weapons used in these disputes.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
VANEK SMITH: Henry Farrell is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. He says some of the assumptions people once made about globalization are now being undermined.
HENRY FARRELL: So I see the basic assumption of globalization in the fact that when you start to give the world work, when you start to get involved in all these complex international trade relationships and to produce things in a way that transcends national borders goes beyond the limits that you could do this with a minimum of politics. And I think we are now seeing that politics is getting more and more complicated.
GARCIA: Political disputes between countries, Henry says, are increasingly damaging the close economic ties these countries have enjoyed. That shouldn’t really happen.
A premise of globalization was that the way countries and companies and other actors trade and invest money with one another would largely be based on rules that those countries had already agreed to, and that political disputes between the governments of the same countries would not stand in the way. But now…
FARRELL: And in particular, national security concerns are starting to overshadow some of the ways in which actors have tried to create more efficient ways of building and trading, and really threaten to potentially undermine those kinds of relationships that really help us do the kind of thing build – the kind of products we have relied on.
VANEK SMITH: Right now, the most obvious example of how national security politics intrudes on a trade relationship is the US-China trade war.
GARCIA: Yeah. You see, the trade war started as you’d expect – with tariffs. These are taxes on goods that are sold by a company in one country to people and companies in another country. The US and China have now raised tariffs on each other’s goods by hundreds of billions of dollars.
VANEK SMITH: For a while, those tariffs were part of a negotiation that was mostly about economics. The US wanted to sell more American goods within China, and China wanted the same from the US. The US also wanted China to protect the technology and intellectual property of American companies doing business in China.
GARCIA: But the US and China couldn’t reach an agreement. And now the US and Chinese governments are targeting each other’s economic weaknesses in this larger diplomatic stalemate, which is largely national security. And these are economic weaknesses that exist precisely because the two countries have become such close trading partners in the course of globalization in the last few decades. It’s like spouses know each other’s weaknesses so well precisely because they’ve become so intimate.
VANEK SMITH: That does – and that can make the fighting even more brutal.
VANEK SMITH: Right?
FARRELL: What we are beginning to see and think is that if you go really deep, deep, deep into globalization, so that you rely on, for example, a certain product that is made in another country, then you expose yourself exposed to possible pressure from this other country, which can then use the fact that you are dependent on this product to compel concessions to act against you in ways that you may not like.
GARCIA: When countries do this – when they take advantage of the interdependence of their trading partners and the global trading system, Henry calls it weapons-grade interdependence. He is working on this concept with his colleague Abraham Newman in a new study.
VANEK SMITH: And maybe we should use that term for relationships too.
GARCIA: Oh god.
VANEK SMITH: (Laughter) Interdependence with weapons. In any case, armed interdependence helps explain what the US did to Huawei, a giant Chinese telecommunications company. So Huawei has 188,000 employees. And it operates in more than 170 countries. It sells smartphones all over the world – almost everywhere except the US. And it also sells the equipment that countries can use to build their own wireless networks.
GARCIA: Huawei has a shady past. It is accused of stealing technology from American companies such as Cisco, T-Mobile, and Motorola. Also, the US government believes that Huawei has a close relationship with the Chinese government and that Huawei could help the Chinese government spy on people in other countries by using the telecommunications equipment it sells to those countries, which is one reason that the US has long believed that Huawei poses a national security threat.
VANEK SMITH: So the US government has taken steps to prevent Huawei from buying or licensing the American technology it needs to make its products, like the glass for its smartphones – Huawei is buying it from Corning, the US company – or the microchips Huawei buys from Qualcomm, or the Android operating system Huawei gets from Google. The US is also pushing other countries not to buy Huawei smartphones and devices.
GARCIA: So think about what’s going on here. The U.S. government is suspending trading with Huawei not only because of unfair trading practices, but specifically for national security reasons – to prevent Chinese espionage and surveillance.
And for this the US is even ready to hurt its own companies, which can no longer sell technology to Huawei, and to hinder other countries from buying devices from Huawei altogether. The US is taking advantage of Huawei’s dependence on its trade with the US and with other countries.
VANEK SMITH: And of course that goes both ways. The Chinese government has threatened retaliation in a number of ways, including threatening to cease exports of rare earths to the United States. Rare earths are therefore necessary to make all kinds of electronics and automobiles and other advanced technologies, including military equipment. And of all the rare earths the US imports from the rest of the world, 80% comes from China.
GARCIA: So this is another example of how interdependence between American and Chinese companies is being turned into a weapon, this time by the Chinese government.
VANEK SMITH: Henry Farrell says he’s not surprised. In fact, he suspects that the world is increasingly moving in this direction.
FARRELL: And I think that to some extent this is also a kind of world where things like that escalate pretty quickly, because it could be that if one country starts doing that, another country could do the one before More optimistic portrayals of how globalization works will take revenge. And you can develop these spirals very, very quickly. And I think it’s plausible that we’re seeing that between the United States and China now.
GARCIA: A world in which countries are more and more comfortable taking advantage of other countries’ economic dependencies to get what they want politically. And also a world in which countries therefore try to reduce their own economic dependency so that it cannot be exploited.
VANEK SMITH: And the way countries are becoming less economically dependent on one another is primarily by doing less business with one another – trading less with one another, exchanging less information and investing less money in one another – globalization in reverse, basically – a less connected world.
GARCIA: And in the case of the US and China, the two largest economies in the world that are closely related economically, there is no real precedent for what happens when these two economies begin to separate.
FARRELL: What if these economies get more and more suspicious and fearful? This is a big, big open question and something we need to get started with really quickly because the long-term consequences of failure can be very serious indeed.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
GARCIA: In this episode, we have only scratched the surface of weapons-grade interdependence. So if you want to find out more, we link to Henry Farrell’s paper with Abraham Newman at npr.org/money. This podcast was produced by Constanza Gallardo and fact-checked by Emily Lang. THE INDICATOR is a production by NPR.
NPR transcripts are created by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, on a deadline basis and created using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR programming is the audio recording.


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Advent International, a buyout firm based in US that holds local drug maker LaborMed is on the verge of taking over Ozone’s product array, without sharing any financial details of the deal.
The two companies are in advanced takeover talks
One official said that Advent International was already in advanced takeover talks with Ozone, with the possibility of actually having already stroke a deal by now. A person close to the matter said Ozone board had already approved the buyout offer from Advent earlier this month, and that LaborMed had acquired only Ozone’s portfolio.
As for the size of the deal, estimations vary. In default of any official source, information circulating in the market indicated that in a first stage, the move was driven by hopes an offer at about 80 million euros could emerge. Nevertheless, according to more recent information the value dropped to 20 million euros and even below.
This is the second deal in drug industry concluded in 2009, after the Belgium’s OTC producer (over the counter) Omega Pharma acquired full equity stake in Hipocrate 2000 and Hipocrate Distribution Group in March 2009, after takeover talks that lasted half year.
Once the deal closed, the transaction could bring LaborMed and Ozone annual sales of over 60 million euros and a market share of 3%, namely a top ten position in Romanian pharmaceutical companies.
Market specialists say it was a win-win deal, as the portfolio of both companies is complementary. LaborMed is focused on prescription drugs, while Ozone has a strong presence in OTC drugs. Last year, Ozone Romania reported turnover of 35.1 million euros, up 19% from 2007. The group’s turnover stood at 77 million euros.
Advent: It’s too early to comment
Advent did not confirm the transaction, saying it was too early to comment, and that nothing has changed in the fund’s strategy year-to-date. “We’re still scanning the environment for other buyouts that could be complementary or could diversify our portfolio, both in Romania and in the region”, Sebastian Tcaciuc, director of local subsidiary of Advent International told Wall-Street.
The crisis brought new opportunities to Advent, Sebastian Tcaciuc continued. Although the pharmaceutical sector remains attractive, new opportunities emerged in other markets such as business service, FMCG and retail.
Advent International completed fundraising for 1 billion euro fund that it intends to use over the next few years for buyouts opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe. Historically, Tcaciuc said, Romania attracted almost a third of Advent’s previous funds, which can be considered as an “indication for expectations related to the allocation of the current funds”. The director of Advent Romania added that both options were under review – full takeover of companies, as well as partial takeover of companies, “but the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis”.


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Businesses in Torquay have been warned that Christmas will be cancelled if this year’s 2015 Christmas is not financially supported..
Torquay’s very own “Mr Christmas” Steve Holdup and Mike Bailey (Torbay Carnival Chairman) have set up a campaign to help the town to celebrate Christmas in style, which will include the return of the parade and carnival for the first time in five years.
However, if businesses are not willing to support the Christmas festivities this year, it seems that the future of Christmas in Torquay is in jeopardy.
Steve Holdup said:
“I don’t mean to cause alarm, but unless we do something, then there will be no Christmas this year. I have been synonymous with Christmas for 30 years and I have the drive to see something happen, but there is no plan B. There will be no Christmas.”
He continued by saying:
“I am passionate about wanting to see this work. We want people to have a reason to come into the town, not just for shopping. We are asking all businesses, small or large, right across the board, to help. If everyone can contribute what they feel they would like to we will acknowledge them as a sponsor”
Many different events are in the pipeline including Santa arriving at his Grotto, a concert with school choirs and even a fairground for all the family to enjoy.
If you are a local business and would like to support the Torquay Christmas festivities, then you can ring 01803 327514, or email [email protected]


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Michael Jordan memorabilia has been a hot commodity since the height of his career with the Chicago Bulls. Two pairs of shoes, worn in different sports, and at different parts of his career, just sold in May. They garnered more than $600,000 at auction.
Thursday marks 23 years since one of Jordan's most iconic moments: The Flu Game. We would learn in "The Last Dance" documentary that it should be called The Bad Pizza, Food Poisoning Game. In that game -- Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz -- Jordan scored 38 points, while fighting flu-like symptoms, and gave the Bulls a 3-2 series lead. Chicago would win the series 4-2 and their fifth NBA title.
After the game, Jordan's sneakers -- 1997 Air Jordan XIIs -- were grabbed by Utah ball boy Preston Truman. In 2013, Truman sold the shoes at auction.
After the Flu Game, Michael Jordan gave his shoes to a Utah Jazz ball boy.— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 11, 2020
In 2013, the shoes sold for $104,765! pic.twitter.com/RJfOQ37Uxc
"I have looked at the shoes maybe four times since putting them in a safety deposit box 16 years ago," former Jazz ball boy Preston Truman told ESPN at the time of the auction. "I would go years without even thinking about it. ... I just didn't see the point to something so cool and a part of NBA history sitting at my bank anymore."
Here's a look at some of the wild prices other Jordan memorabilia has sold for:
Game-worn Team USA Converse sneakers from the 1984 Olympics
Jordan is now almost synonymous with Nike, but he was a Converse man throughout college and wore the brand's shoes during the 1984 Summer Games. The pair sold was worn during the gold medal game when Jordan scored 20 points to win the first of his two Olympic gold medals.
Game-worn, autographed Air Jordan 1s worn during Jordan's 1985 season
While the sports world was glued to the broadcast of the Jordan documentary, these shoes were sold by Sotheby's. According to The Action Network, they had just been sold the previous July for $437,000.
Game-worn, Dream Team jersey Price: $216,000
Robert Edward Auctions has a game-worn, signed Michael Jordan Dream Team Jersey up for bid. Starting price: $25,000. Your kids don't REALLY need college, now do they? pic.twitter.com/VdvxGwUnsZ— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) April 7, 2020
Jordan wore this jersey during the 1992 Summer Olympics wear the Team USA basketball team, featuring Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullen, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Christian Laettner.
Jordan baseball cleats worn during 1994 season
Heritage Auctions sold a pair of baseball cleats Jordan wore during his brief time playing minor league baseball with the Birmingham Barons.


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Buybacks have gotten a bad rap from both Republicans and Democrats. But stocks would be trading at a massive discount without them.Marketsread more
Fiat Chrysler and France's Renault could soon partner up to take on the sweeping changes to the global auto industry, according to a report in the Financial Times. The...Autosread more
Microsoft shares have gained 133% since November 2015, outperforming a tech "basket of unicorns" over that stretch.Technologyread more
The president's state visit comes amid tensions with carmaker Toyota over potential auto tariffs. Trump has repeatedly threatened Japanese and European carmakers with tariffs.Traderead more
When commercial real estate investor Manny Khoshbin spent $2.2 million on the fastest production car in the world, he had no idea it would very quickly also become the...Autosread more
The IRS is about to release a new draft of Form W-4, which will more closely reflect the changes stemming from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. For workers, that means they'll need...Personal Financeread more
The Mega Millions jackpot has spilled over $400 million. It would be the ninth largest winning since the game began in 2002.Personal Financeread more
Trump was speaking at a meeting of Japanese business leaders in Tokyo during his state visit to Japan on Saturday.Marketsread more
The biggest U.S. gasoline price surge in years is running out of steam just in time for the start of the summer driving season.Energyread more
The federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 per hour since 2009. But several states, and even some companies, have since taken matters into their own hands to pay employees a...Workread more
Stocks rose on Friday, but notched weekly losses as investors worried the U.S.-China trade war is hurting economic growth.US Marketsread more
Gold prices fell more than 1 percent to the lowest price in nearly six years on Tuesday, pressured by expectations that the United States will raise interest rates in December, and as the dollar rose and stocks rebounded from losses suffered after Friday's attacks in Paris.
The other precious metals followed gold down, with silver dropping for the fourteenth straight session to a 2-1/2-month low and platinum tapping a seven-year low.
Spot gold was down 1.1 percent at $1,070.18 an ounce, after falling to $1,065.18, the lowest since February 2010.
U.S. gold futures for December delivery settled down 1.4 percent at $1,068.60.
"The euro's on the defensive, the equity markets have done okay and (there are) expectations of a rate rise," said James Steel, chief metals analyst at HSBC Securities in New York.
Bullion prices have fallen for 14 out of the past 15 sessions under pressure from expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve is set to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade.
That would lift the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold while boosting the dollar.
Data showing that U.S. consumer prices rose in October after two months of declines fed into those expectations.
"If inflation starts picking up, the Fed will be feeling a lot more stable with their future rate hike approach," Ava Trade analyst Naeem Aslam said. "The U.S. rate hike is still the major denominator for the gold price."
Shares in major markets rallied, while the U.S. dollar and Treasury yields rose as firming inflation backed expectations of an impending interest rate hike.
"We believe that gold will face further headwinds in the next few weeks as an extension of euro zone quantitative easing is announced in December, thus pushing up the dollar against the euro and other major currencies, and as the market fully prices in a mid-December Fed rate rise," Mitsubishi said in a note.
Silver fell 0.1 percent to $14.08, the lowest since late August.
"I think it's a handmaiden to gold. In a period where gold is in this slump it's very difficult for silver to rally, even if the physical demand seems quite good," Steel said.
Spot platinum was down 1.7 percent at $845 an ounce, the lowest since December 2008, having fallen 16 out of the past 18 sessions.
Palladium fell 1.5 percent to $540 an ounce.


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Q. Experts are always saying that many parents install children's car seats incorrectly. What are parents doing wrong?
A. The three biggies, says Karen Blackburn, traffic safety specialist for the Automobile Association of America in Garden City: The seat is too loose, it's in the wrong spot and it's facing in the wrong direction.
"Most people can't get a good fit," Blackburn says. Parents shouldn't be able to move the base more than one inch once installed, and, ideally, not at all, she says.
Other mistakes include parents using out-of-date equipment handed down or purchased at a garage sale. Parents might also use the car's latch attachment and seat belts incorrectly or jointly, which could cause strain on the car seat and cause it to crack, she says.
Some parents use the wrong-size seat for the child's size, says Rachel Lugo, a certified car seat technician and regional director of EAC Network, a not-for-profit community organization.
Parents also use other products that they shouldn't, both Blackburn and Lugo say. For instance, a mirror they attach to a window or a headrest so they can see the child while driving. "It can get dislodged in a crash and hit your baby in the head," Blackburn says. Also, it distracts the driver. "Where are the parent's eyes supposed to be? On the road," Lugo says.
The Suffolk County Police Department and EAC Network are offering a free check from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 6 at the Southold Fire House; call 631-648-7100, ext. 219 for an appointment. Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park is offering a free check on June 14; call 718-470-3352 for an appointment.


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Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, the world’s second-richest man has second thoughts over cryptocurrency. The wealthiest man alluded that the features of cryptocurrency and its ilk is super risky.
In recent media interviews, Bill Gate has quoted that Bitcoin is “better than a currency” and it is exciting because it is cheap.
In a 2015 interview with Blackchannel, Gates restated that Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin is a technology that can “make moving money between countries easier and getting fees down pretty dramatically”.
Another third Ask Me Anything session of Bill Gates on Reddit states:
“We don’t use bitcoin specifically for two reasons. One is that the poor shouldn’t have a currency whose value goes up and down a lot compared to their local currency. Second is that if a mistake happens in who you pay. However, then you need to be able to reverse it so anonymity wouldn’t work”.
Recent statement over cryptocurrencies entirely changed the crypto minds.
Bill Gates commented on the competency of Bitcoin, Initial Coin Offerings, and cryptocurrencies on the social media website Reddit AMA. He daunts the use of cryptocurrencies because of the anonymous feature of cryptocurrencies.
He said that cryptocurrency has “causing deaths in a fairly direct way,” observing the ease with which drugs like fentanyl can also purchase online using cryptocurrency.
One of the Reddit users replied to the statement saying you can buy Fentanyl with cash; Gate defended by stating:
“Yes – anonymous cash is using for these kinds of things, but you have to be physically present to transfer it which makes things like kidnapping payments more difficult.”
Gates Is Not Always Right
First and foremost, these cryptocurrencies are released on exchanges and distributed on exchanges. And the crypto exchanges can be regulating or even shut down. As the outcome, the exchanges have KYC (Know Your Customer) requirement as similar to the procedure of banks.
Hence, the cryptocurrency is pseudonymous which means transactions can be tracked by a forensic audit. Since they are records in the blockchain.