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50 Bitcoin exchanges have been filed with the Japanese financial authority – Bitcoin regulation news
The Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) has revealed that around 50 bitcoin exchanges have filed registration documents with the agency, according to a local publication. They are now being reviewed for compliance.
Read also : Australia Introduces Bill That Regulates Bitcoin Trading
50 digital currency exchanges applied
The Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) has started examining whether exchanges dealing with digital currencies, such as bitcoin, have made any efforts to protect users, the Sankei Shimbun Saturday. The media also wrote that as of June 30:
According to the Financial Services Agency, around fifty registrations have been received.
In April, the Japanese government amended its fund settlement law to recognize bitcoin as a legal payment method, putting the FSA in charge of digital currency. Bitcoin exchanges are then required to register with it.
Businesses operating digital currency exchange offices before April have until the end of September to register. Although no stock exchange has been registered as of July 31, the publication noted that “more than ten out of 20 to 30 companies will register.” However, the post did not say whether the 10 are among the aforementioned 50 apps.
FSA begins to review trade
Before a stock exchange can be formally registered, its application is reviewed by the FSA to ensure that the requirements imposed by the amended law are met. If the agency finds no issues during the preliminary review, the exchange will go through the registration process and begin a full review.
Specifically, the FSA first checks whether the exchange has taken appropriate measures to protect users and correctly communicated to them the risk of loss resulting from price fluctuations, the publication explained. The agency also examines whether the company’s assets are clearly segregated from user deposits as well as controls for an appropriate risk management system which should be regularly reviewed.
Types of exchanges
In Japan, not only are there startups that operate bitcoin exchanges like Bitflyer and Coincheck, but there are also a growing number of large companies that are adding bitcoin exchanges as part of their services.
Before April 1, some companies have already entered space. Remix Point Inc, a publicly traded conglomerate with a market value of around 21 billion yen (roughly $ 192 million), launched the Bitpoint bitcoin exchange in March of last year. Jasdaq-listed financial information provider Fisco Ltd, which recently issued Japan’s first bitcoin-denominated corporate bond, also set up a bitcoin exchange in April last year.
After April 1, some forex brokers started or are starting their own bitcoin exchanges. Internet giant GMO, which operates the biggest The forex broker, GMO Click, launched its own bitcoin exchange in May. Originally called “Z.com Coin by GMO”, the exchange changed its name to “GMO Coin” on August 8th. Other forex brokers entering the space include SBI Holdings and Money Partners Group, but they have yet to announce any opening dates.
What do you think will happen in Japan if the 50 bitcoin exchanges launch soon? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Nikkei
Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check out our tools section.


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With a new year comes a new resolution. And while some of us might resolve to exercise more, take up a new hobby or become more organized, the one vow that we all have in common is to adopt healthier eating habits.
After a long, indulgent season of turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, we should venture into spring with lighter hearts and thinner waistlines. “Spring marks a new beginning,” says Barbara Parisotto, registered dietitian. “It’s a great time to cleanse our bodies of toxins and that starts with improving how we eat.”
Of course, with the tempting confections and deep-fried delights that call our name on the drive home, down the aisles of the grocery store, and even from our own pantry doors, this feat is not always easy. If you need that little push to get started, Read more
The Holidays can be a stressful time of year, for many reasons, so an invigorating but relaxing hot yoga class can be just the thing to smooth out some of that anxiety and tension. What many people don’t realize is that hot yoga is also an excellent full-body workout that improves posture, tones muscles and builds immunity.
The recent popularity of yoga may make it seem like simply the latest in a long line of passing trends. However, this combination of discipline for the mind, body and spirit has been around for thousands of years. That is a lot longer than spinning classes or the South Beach Diet, so the ancient combination of meditation and physical exercise must be doing something right. Of the many varieties of yoga, the one that is heating up in Toronto is Read more
After months of monitoring, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that swine flu is the first global flu pandemic since 1968. Since April of this year, H1N1 (swine flu), has spread globally to 74 countries across the world. With almost 30,000 people infected and 141 deaths, there are grave reasons why we all need to concern ourselves with our immunity. As pharmaceutical companies gear up to concoct vaccines that could take months to hit the market, boosting your body’s resistance to infection may be your best bet to avert the flu. Read more
Humankind’s precarious future depends on what we’re doing to our bodies today.
After watching a recent CBC documentary called “The Disappearing Male,” I was shocked to discover not just what we’ve done to our planet, but what we’re doing to ourselves – and it’s affecting our very survival. It seems global warming isn’t our only worst enemy. Believe it or not, humankind is just beginning to discover a new threat, and it’s found in everyday products like canned goods, shampoos, baby bottles, and in our air and water. Some 90,000 man-made chemicals have been developed in the last 60 years, and now they’re slowly being linked to a major decline in male births. In the last 30 years alone, three million fewer baby boys have been born. This emerging issue, which few people have heard about, prompted me to ask some serious questions. Read more

domain: news


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Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
For the first time since the recession, shoppers plan on spending up to $854 this holiday season, which is almost equal to the $859 average spent in 2007, according to a study by The American Research Group.
Despite the threat of a possible 'fiscal cliff,' spending is up 32 percent from 2011, showing increased consumer confidence, according to an article by Independent Retailer.
Along with the expected increase of spending, shoppers do say they plan to wait for sales. This year, 54 percent of those surveyed said they would wait for sale prices. In 2011, 53 percent said they would. This is a dramatic increase from 2006 when 33 percent said they would wait for sales.
Mitchell Harper, CEO of Bigcommerce, said to Independent Retailer that he thinks part of the increase has to do with small businesses online exploring new marketing territories.
“Shoppers want to be helped, not marketed to, and small- and medium-sized businesses understand that," Harper said. "They are some of the most genuine social media users, leveraging channels like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to extend their reach to potential customers beyond traditional sales channels.”
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Indian freelance journalist Shubhranshu Choudhary brings to our attention a set of articles published in the Hindustan Times (1 and 2) and the BBC about the work that he and Microsoft designer Bill Thies (who recently gave a talk at our group) did to establish a grassroots news network in Chhattisgarh, India. Based on an audio wiki technology developed by Thies and Saman Amarasinghe at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the system is named CGNet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice), which enables trained amateur volunteer journalists to phone in their reports to a central number where moderators then record and check the reports for accuracy. Once approved, the report is sent via text message to everyone on the news service's contact list, and they can subsequently phone in to hear the story at normal phone charge, which is less than five rupees (10 US cents).
Derek Thompson at The Atlantic Online reports on his blog that a new NBER paper suggests that online news consumption is much less ideologically segregating than face-to-face interactions, but more segregating than offline news consumption. The abstract of the paper states:
"We use individual and aggregate data to ask how the Internet is changing the ideological segregation of the American electorate. Focusing on online news consumption, offline news consumption, and face-to-face social interactions, we define ideological segregation in each domain using standard indices from the literature on racial segregation. We find that ideological segregation of online news consumption is low in absolute terms, higher than the segregation of most offline news consumption, and significantly lower than the segregation of face-to-face interactions with neighbors, co-workers, or family members. We find no evidence that the Internet is becoming more segregated over time."
Thompson, however, views the results in more pessimistic terms:
David Brooks, writing in the New York Times, cites recent research that may mitigate concerns expressed by Cass Sunstein and others about the potential of the internet to increase ideological segregation. A study by researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business compares online segregation to segregation of both traditional media and face to face interactions. They find that:
"[A] significant share of consumers get news from multiple outlets. This is especially true for visitors to small sites such as blogs and aggregators. Visitors of extreme conservative sites such as rushlimbaugh.com and glennbeck.com are more likely than a typical online news reader to have visited nytimes.com. Visitors of extreme liberal sites such as thinkprogress.org and moveon.org are more likely than a typical online news reader to have visited foxnews.com."
News consumers with extremely narrow exposure are in fact very rare:
"A consumer who got news exclusively from nytimes.com would have a more liberal news diet than 95 percent of Internet news users, and a consumer who got news exclusively from foxnews.com would have a more conservative news diet than 99 percent of Internet news users."
Overall, they conclude that:
Lowell Feld, a blogger at Blue Virginia and author of the book Netroots Rising, sends the link to an article written by Evgeny Morozov in Foreign Policy Magazine that attempts to dispel the "myths" that the Internet promotes freedom, political activism, and perpetual peace. Lowell does not take a position either way but finds the article relevant to the larger debate about liberation technologies. The purported myths listed by Morozov are the following:


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While consumers are bombarded with cause-related marketing pitches, it seems they still can't get enough. The new Cone Cause Evolution Study, part of its 17-year benchmark study, reports that 83% of Americans want to see more. (Moms and Millennials, ages 18-24 years, are the biggest fans.)
But it seems letting consumers pick how the money will be spent--despite the popularity of the Pepsi Refresh Project -- doesn't work as well as most marketers think. We caught up with Alison DaSilva, EVP of the Boston-based marketing agency, to find out what's up in the pink-, green-, yellow- and red-ribbon jungle:
Q: So what's up with mothers?
A: They are so committed -- in any study, there is always a small group of naysayers, but not here. In the general study, 88% of people say it is acceptable for marketers to use causes -- it was 95% with moms. In food and beverage products, 94% of moms want to know about causes; in manufacturing, it's 91%. They are also more passionate about causes, including health and disease, education, and economic development.
Q: And Millennials?
A: In this group, 94% say cause marketing is acceptable, and 53% have bought a product benefiting a cause this year, versus 41% for the total study. A company's support of social or environmental issues is more likely to influence their decisions outside the store, too, including where to work (87% vs. 69% average) and where to invest (79% vs. 59% average).
Q: But you found they want to do more than read about it on Facebook. So maybe the Pepsi Refresh Project isn't such a success?
A: Pepsi Refresh ignited so much buzz and excitement. Pulling out of the Super Bowl last year caught everyone's attention -- it was a big, bold dramatic decision. It identified the need for consumers to be a part of the cause-related experience. But the majority of consumers want more. In our study, 61% say they would prefer to see a company make a long-term commitment to a focused issue, rather than voting themselves.
Q: But don't consumers like to "like" things?
A: Yes, but it is difficult to sustain over time, and marketers need to ask how to bring consumers in beyond the click of a button. And consumers want more -- eventually, consumers will want to know what the social impact of the campaign was. Pepsi is going to struggle with their microsponsorship, because people will ask: "Where is the social outcome?' Since Pepsi Refresh has raised so much in one-time grants and small efforts, that makes it hard to point to large-scale accomplishments.
Q: So Pepsi stands for too many causes?
A: Well, they are consumers' causes, not Pepsi's causes. Campaigns like this don't build long-lasting brand equity -- they don't define what the company stands for.
Q: What kinds of campaigns do?
A: It's different for different companies. Those that stand for causes that relate directly to their business can be leaders in a different way. Companies like Whole Foods Markets, Timberland, Starbucks, and the Body Shop -- the causes they align themselves with relate directly to what drives their business. And they've made it their job to make those issues relevant to their consumers.
Q: Should companies strive for that?
A: Not always. Educating the public about something like fair trade practices, for example, takes a big commitment. There has to be a strong institutional will to take that on -- it's not for every company.


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Do you have any yet?
Here is how the travel will most likely look like this year. What do you bet on to be the most popular trend?
Of course, the future is unpredictable, but there are some expectations. Due to the decrease in the number of cases of infection with the omicron, the tourism industry will experience a significant recovery in spring and summer.
As governments around the world loosen coronavirus restrictions and change their approach to accepting Covid-19 as a manageable part of our daily life, the travel industry is expecting a surge in travelers. While uncertainty remains about the course of the pandemic and government policies regarding mandatory mask wearing and travel testing requirements, there is a strong desire for travelers to make long-distance travel this year.
Educational vacation and family travel
After two years of lockdown and classroom closures, millions of children across the country have fallen behind in the classroom. And parents looking for lesson plans that can complement learning are now looking for experiences with an educational focus when they travel. After the downturn due to the pandemic, the number of family learning itineraries is growing with Road Scholar, a tour operator that develops educational travel programs for all ages.
Wellness and sexual well-being
Sexual wellness is one of the fastest growing areas of the global wellness industry, and travel is increasingly becoming part of it. A growing number of hotel chains and relationship therapists are offering couples retreats and beach sessions with intimacy coaches and guided anatomical studies to meet the needs of travelers seeking greater couple satisfaction and personal pleasure.
Car rental forecast
Perhaps consumers heeded the advice to book cars early after last year’s shortage. But rental agencies have so far not been able to expand their fleet – largely due to a slowdown in car production – and an expected increase in travelers after one that will only increase the scale of car problems.
Cities are back
Yes, city travel is back. After more than two years of avoiding city centers, travelers are eager to return to their favorite metropolis and immerse themselves in the sights, cuisine and sounds of a foreign city.
Flying in 2022 looks very similar to flying in 2021, at times reminiscent of the pre-pandemic norm. The main difference from 2021 is that there will be more people on planes and at airports — 150% more passengers are expected this year than last year. As far as where you can fly to, you will have more options than last year. Destinations that have long been closed to most travelers, including Australia, the Philippines and Bali, have begun to reopen. Airlines are gradually returning old routes and expanding them with new ones.
You will still need to check the latest entry requirements before flying overseas.
All inclusive resorts (off the beach, too)
A new generation of home resorts is introducing a near-all-inclusive model, eliminating the need to worry about where to eat and what to do. Why “almost”? These properties do not include alcoholic beverages per night.
Small and eco-friendly cruises
After two years of devastating losses and a tentative restart last June, the cruise industry is facing a difficult start to 2022 as the highly transmissible variant of the Omicron coronavirus has caused a spike in cases on board ships, forcing some cruise lines to cancel routes. But demand for future cruises is still strong, especially among die-hard cruisers.
Smaller river and expedition cruises are also expected to become more popular this year as cruisers look for bigger destinations and more sustainable ways to travel.
Lodging and robots
Perhaps this year travelers will return to hotels. Hotel Associations expect total bookings to nearly match the numbers of 2019.
City hotels are looking strive to compete for digital nomads by adding stylish extended stay accommodation options, social entertainment and convenient workspaces. The pandemic has also accelerated the adoption of hotel automation, such as keyless check-in, staff digital communication and robotic room delivery, as a cost-effective response to labor shortages.


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Kerbal Space Program is drifting in the direction of the PS4, Squad have announced at E3.
“Space is for everyone,” reasoned the developers. “Regardless of how you prefer to play.”
But the studio reassure that this apparent giant leap is in fact just a small step for the game, and won’t throw ongoing PC development off-course.
Want more from Kerbal? Here are the best Kerbal Space Program mods.
Kerbal runs on Unity, and the engine’s “flexibility and ease of use” has made the PS4 port a “no brainer”, the developers said in a forum FAQ. That chimes with what we’ve heard about Unity’s potential for porting from other developers, like Snapshot’s Julian Gollop.
Squad have chosen Flying Tiger Entertainment to head up development – a Californian studio who’ve built a number of engines themselves. They’re allowing Squad to take a relatively hands-off approach.
“They have experience and have shown us time and time again that they were simply the right choice,” said Squad.
“Will this have a negative effect on the development of the PC version? Absolutely not,” they went on. “If anything, working in collaboration with Flying Tiger has helped us speed up processes like the Unity 5 upgrade, but in general the two will remain separate versions of the game, much like the educational version TeacherGaming works on.”
TeacherGaming sell a school-focused version of Kerbal named KerbalEdu, which was developed alongside the main game.
Kerbal recently left Steam Early Access, but Squad plan to continue updating it for free.
In our Kerbal Space Program review, Steve said the sim “beautifully captures the tediously incremental marvel of space exploration”. What do you make of it post-Early Access?


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GUWAHATI, April 7: The biggest and the most colourful festival of Assam, Rongali is back after a gap of two years owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The three-day event will commence from April 8 at Veterinary College Ground, Khanapara, Guwahati and will be inaugurated by the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The sixth edition of the fest is emphasising on ‘Vocal for Local’ and conducting an exhibition that will see the attendance of 200 entrepreneurs, self-help groups, start-ups, agri-entrepreneurs, weavers, artisans, farmer producing companies, government agencies and industrial organisations.
Rongali will showcase products made in Assam such as Gahori brand of meat, Bahubali eggs, Repose, Kanyaka and Gorukhuti, plenty of products by startup entrepreneurs, large exhibition of Agro & allied products by APART, spectacular Assam handloom products to be displayed by weavers and artisans across Assam, wide variety of craft products and many more.
Various cuisines from entire India will be on display at Rongali. Ethnic, local, spectacular varieties of food of various Assam’s tribes and communities e.g. Bodo, Mising, Karibi, Tiwa, Dimasa will be presented during Rongali. The food exhibition will be curated by food blogger Dr Geeta Dutta and will present myriad dishes from all the tribes and communities of Assam. NGO, Priyobandhu will organise a food competition of ethnic foods, veg, non-veg and sweet dishes with large number of participation across Assam.
Rongali 2022 will also bring entire facets of Assam under one roof. Bodo, Mising, Dimasa, Rabha, Gorkha, Tea tribes, Moran, Karbi, etc., various communities will display their colourful culture. Musical bands, designers, and artisans are coming in big numbers from various council areas to perform in Rongali. Special Exhibition of Tea tribe communities will be a major attraction.
“Through ‘Vocal for Local’ exhibition, we are trying to create a market for these community-based entrepreneurs, whose crafts suffered a lot during the lull period of the coronavirus pandemic. Multi-cuisine food exhibition has always been a major attraction of the festival. This time special importance has been given to the expansion of Assamese food. In addition to this, attractive shops of Assamese and Indian food have been arranged in Rongali,” said Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief organiser, Rongali.
As Rongali is happening during the spring, Bihu Husori and Bihuwati competitions will be one of the major attractions of the festival. Bihu Husori teams are coming across Assam. Attractive prizes with first prize of one lakh each are on cards. There will be a competition of 500 years old Ankiya Bhaona, creation of the greatest Assamese of all time, Mahapurush Sankardeva will be on full display, Ram Bijoy, Rukmini Haran, Parijat Haran etc. will be performed. There will be an open mic, hip hop stage where music, poetry sessions and other activities will be held. Artists will also present folk music, independent music. As music binds people together, ‘Rongali Good Vibes Music Stage’ will have fresh and some of the famed names in the line-up including Sannidhya Bhuyan, Bhaskar Opswel, Dipakshi Kalita, Prabin Bora, Diptanil Baruah, sister duo Aparupa Satrupa and many more along with Zubeen Garg, Raghu Dixit, Bipul Chetri. Rongali will organize special screenings of blockbuster Assamese movies such as Hiya Diya Niya, Mission China, Ratnakar among others in association with the Assam State Film Finance & Development Corporation. On 8th evening, Dr. Bezbaruah 2 produced by AM Television’s music and poster release will be organized before the performance of Zubeen Garg.
Rongali will present spectacular fashion shows by the best designers, models, and showstoppers, who will showcase the rich handloom and fabrics of the region. One of the major attractions of Rongali this time is Shruti Haasan, Bollywood star and musician, who will be present at Rongali along with talented artist from Assam Shantanu Hazarika. Plenty of tourists, tour operators will be visiting Rongali.
Rongali will be the biggest ever event in Assam, Entry is free. The programme will start from 11 am to 10 pm.


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Competition for local telephone service is at last heating up, as cable companies begin their first serious push into local and long-distance service, routing calls over the Internet to avoid the call completion charges that artificially inflate the price of long-distance calls.
Cablevision today rolled out its first Internet telephone package -- combining local and long-distance telephone service with high-speed Internet access and digital cable television, all for $90 per month. Cox Communications started marketing a similar plan a few weeks ago.
Cablevision said the pricing makes the Internet phone service practically free, since many consumers are already paying $90 a month for cable and high-speed Internet access. The $90 price will be good for one year.
Cox offers a $99.99 plan that gives customers either unlimited phone calling or digital cable, plus a premium service for $124.99 that offers all that plus additional services.
Local telephone companies aren't likely to welcome the news. They're already losing business to cell phones and to competitors like AT&T and MCI, who lease space at discounted rates on the local companies' circuits.
Cablevision already has about 100,000 telephone customers in its New York service area. It charges about $35 per month for standalone phone service. It charges $45 for high-speed Internet access and $40 for digital cable if purchased separately.
The Bell companies have been responding to the competition by offering their own packages, usually consisting of local, long distance and DSL Internet service. Though still losing basic business, the Bells are taking long-distance business away from AT&T and MCI are a rapid pace.
SBC Communications has been the most aggressive Bell company in pricing bundled service. It charges $105 a month for unlimited local and long-distance calling, high-speed Internet and television, delivered by EchoStar Communications Corp. For an extra $25, it will throw in 250 cell phone minutes per month.
Verizon, which competes with Cablevision in the New York area, has a package comparable to Cablevision's, selling for $123.85 per month.
AT&T, MCI Raise Rates
The trend is reversed among the long-distance carriers. As their business deteriorates, they're raising prices as fast as they can.
AT&T is adding an "in-state connection fee" in six more states starting next month. The company says its fee covers extra costs of doing business in various states. Less than a year ago, AT&T; assessed such a fee in only 12 states. Now the total will be 25 -- half of the states in our country. What's more, MCI and Sprint have followed AT&T; with similar fees in the past.
MCI will increase phone rates and fees effective July 1st. Monthly fees on 17 domestic service plans will rise $1. Five different international calling plans' fees increase $1 as well. International calls from the U.S., which connect to mobile phones overseas, will be charged at higher rates.
MCI is said to be making plans to quit offering consumer phone service, including local and long-distance. The next day, MCI's TelecomUSA division increased rates and fees for its 10-10-987 service.
"Those hikes are relatively early in the life of this service, which launched nationally with a big ad campaign last April," said Rich Sayers, editor of consumer help sites 10-10PhoneRates.com and Phone-Bill-Alert.com. "This appears to accelerate MCI's burn-and-churn* marketing strategy in the dial-around segment."
Sprint and AT&T; may increase some rates on national long- distance plans in July, but it is more likely those increases will come in August, Sayers said.
Sprint recently increased some fees related to its local phone service in several states. Fees increased 20 to 25 percent in most cases. For example, a charge to not be listed in the phone book going from $2.50 to $3; a Toll Restriction charge for blocking outgoing long-distance calls rising from $2 to $2.50.
"These charges for not getting something really irritate consumers and me too," said Sayers.


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Barcelona currently have some problems they are facing and they are not insurmountable. In particular, the club continues to suffer from financial problems, while they are also in the middle of a court battle over El Caso Negreira.
Compared to this, the club’s stock issues seem fairly minor, but it’s an increasingly frustrating problem.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Barcelona home shirt is being sold in almost every size for adults, with the only exceptions being the XXL short-sleeve and some long-sleeve sizes.
In the eyes of Barcelona, the problem revolves around their supplier – Nike. The club believes that the company is not in compliance with the program that was approved months ago by the club itself, known as Licensing and Merchandising.
Barcelona will not have enough shirts in store until October 23, the Monday of El Clasico week.
Their sales are a huge help to the club in their quest to solve their financial problems, so the club’s frustrations over this are understandable.


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BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) announced on Tuesday that it had taken delivery of its 10th A321neo (new engine option) from Airbus, as part of its strategy to boost operations by adding more environmentally friendly aircraft.
The newest A321neo is the airline’s 18th eco-plane, it said in an e-mailed statement.
The eco-plane “is known for its 20% increase in fuel-efficiency, on top of nearly 50% reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft,” it added.
Cebu Pacific Chief Strategy Officer Alex B. Reyes said the airline’s shift to the more fuel-efficient neo engine aircraft “not only supports our sustainability strategy, but also enables us to continue offering our trademark low fares.”
“The arrival is timely because we see positive developments indicating recovery. We are continuously ramping up our domestic network and are preparing for more international destinations to ease restrictions for leisure travelers,” he added.
The airline aims to restore more than 100% of its pre-pandemic domestic capacity this month.
It recently renewed its partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board “to inspire Filipinos to travel again.”
“We believe this partnership is very timely as it’ll surely contribute to the recovery of both the industry, as well as our respective countries,” said Candice A. Iyog, vice-president for marketing and customer experience at Cebu Pacific.
The airline noted that Singapore recently reopened its borders to all fully vaccinated Filipinos. — Arjay L. Balinbin


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Back in the early 1990s, when regional firefighters acquired a phone from Moli Vitality, they understood exactly where to head: the company’s battery warehouse. The Vancouver-based company was the 1st to mass generate rechargeable lithium-metal batteries. But the batteries experienced a nasty habit of exploding, which sooner or later led to a huge remember that bankrupted the company.
30 many years have passed, but today’s lithium-ion batteries are however wont to blow up. One offender is the liquid electrolyte, a usually flammable natural and organic solvent that facilitates the movement of ions concerning a battery’s electrodes. Replacing this flamable product with a strong, some argue, could generate safer batteries.
The reality, however, is by no means as basic. Reliable-state electrolytes, though unquestionably significantly less flammable than their liquid counterparts, are not completely immune to fires possibly. But that could now improve, many thanks to new engineering formulated by a group led by Yi Cui, a materials scientist at Stanford College.


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For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 2, the El Segundo-based sporting goods retailer reported net income of $11.6 million (51 cents per diluted share), compared with $8.6 million (37 cents) in the like year-ago period.
Net income for the fourth quarter included a charge of $0.8 million (3 cents per diluted share) associated with the exchange of $33.1 million principal amount of the company's 10.875 percent senior notes.
Net sales increased by 13.4 percent to $217.6 million from $191.8 million in the year-ago quarter.
For the current first quarter, Big 5 expects same-store sales growth to be in the low single-digits, resulting in earnings per diluted share in the range of 32 cents to 35 cents.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
For the third quarter ended Dec. 31, the Santa Monica-based entertainment company reported net income of $3.4 million (3 cents per diluted share), compared with a $35.7 million loss (45 cents) in the like year-ago quarter.
Excluding a $3.4 million writeoff of deferred financing costs and a $3.2 million charge for stock appreciation rights, the company said it would have reported adjusted net income of $9.9 million (10 cents per share) for the most recent third quarter.
Third quarter revenue increased 170 percent to $190.4 million from $70.6 million in the prior year's third quarter.
The Calabasas-based telecom product manufacturer reported partial financial results for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.
The company said it is involved in discussions with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the accounting of the acquisition of its majority interest in its Santera subsidiary and the distribution of Santera's profits and losses between Tekelec and Santera's minority shareholders after the acquisition goes through. Tekelec will release full financial results for the fourth quarter once the matter is concluded.
Revenues for the fourth quarter were $115.9 million, compared with $75 million in the year-ago period. Orders received in the fourth quarter for Tekelec products and services were $159.7 million, compared to $138.1 million in the prior year's comparable quarter.
For the third quarter ended Dec. 31, the L.A.-based digital music company reported net income of $12.8 million (36 cents per diluted share), compared with a loss of $25.6 million (92 cents) in the like year-ago period.
Revenues rose to $12.1 million from $3.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2003.
The earnings included operations from the Roxio software division, which was sold to Sonic Solutions on Dec. 17. The company said its loss from continuing operations was $16.4 million (47 cents per share).
For the fourth quarter ending March 31, Napster expects revenues to grow to approximately $14 million. The company is also revising its full-year revenue guidance for Napster to $43 million from an earlier range of $35 million to $40 million.
United Online Inc.
For the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, the Woodland Hills-based Internet service provider reported net income of $80.2 million ($1.26 per diluted share), compared with $24.4 million (35 cents) in the year-ago quarter.
The latest quarter's results include a tax benefit of $68.6 million ($1.07 per share), versus a benefit of $12.3 million (18 cents per share) in the prior-year quarter related to the crediting of a portion of the company's deferred tax assets.
Revenues rose 23 percent to $119.6 million from $96.9 million for the year-ago quarter.
The company estimates revenues for the March quarter to be between $126 million and $129 million.
21st Century Insurance Group
The Woodland Hills-based insurance holding company reported fourth-quarter net income of $22.5 million (26 cents per diluted share), compared with $18.4 million (22 cents) for the like-period a year earlier.
Direct premiums written were $325.8 million, versus $304.6 million a year earlier. Underwriting profit increased 39 percent to $18.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2004, compared with $13.3 million.
The El Segundo-based dialysis services provider reported fourth-quarter net income of $56.6 million (56 cents per diluted share), compared with $62.8 million (61 cents) for the like period a year earlier.
Net operating revenue was $616 million, versus $553.4 million from a year earlier.
The company estimates 2005 operating income to improve from 2 percent to 6 percent over the 2004 operating income performance.
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Between 2,500 and three,500 Russian tourists could travel weekly to Varadero starting next April 1, when the Russian Federation will restore flights between Moscow and Cuba’s primary sun and beach destination.
Based on the Cuban Embassy within the capital of the Eurasian country, the resort positioned north of Matanzas is able to receive Russian tourists and offer them “a cushty stay in protected epidemiological conditions,” Cubadebate reported.
The flights to Varadero of the airlines Aeroflot, Rossiya, AZUR Air, NordWind and Royal Flight will restart in April in consequence of the negotiations carried out by the Cuban delegation on the International Tourism Fair held from March 16 to 18 in Moscow, the source indicated.
Russian tourism to Cuba grows by 30 percent
Essentially the most famous sun and beach destination on the island, whose beaches are among the many 25 best on the planet in response to TripAdvisor, requires visitors to comply with health protocols that include the presentation of a negative PCR certificate for coronavirus, carried out 72 hours before the departure of the flight, and carrying out the identical test upon arrival on the Cuban airport.
Russian tourism to Cuba registered a rise of near 30% in 2019 when the island received almost 178,000 visitors from that Eurasian country, a figure cataloged as a record for that market that has develop into one in all the emerging issuers to the island.
The Cuban Ministry of Tourism estimated that in 2020 the variety of Russian visitors would reach 200,000, however the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the tourism sector globally for several months and blurred the recovery plans and eventual growth on the island.
At the top of that yr, the Eurasian country was placed among the many top 10 issuing market of tourists to the Caribbean nation, with a complete of 47,742 travelers, despite the travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Official figures specify that up to now in 2021, about 13,800 Russian travelers have vacationed in the various tourist destinations operating in Cuba.


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By John McHale
BALA CYNWOOD, Pa. - Industry and university scientists are working together to develop a paper-thin, bendable, full-color display that could enable systems designers of the future to affix data displays to virtually any transparent or opaque surface.
Display experts at Universal Display Corp. in Bala Cynwood, Pa., and Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., have developed such a roll-up display technology called "organic light emitting diode" that not only is conformable to almost any shape, but also offers a sharper image than today`s liquid crystal displays (LCDs), its proponents claim.
The transparent, flexible organic light-emitting device uses the basic building blocks of vacuum-deposited, organic small-molecule materials that emit bright light when stimulated electrically.
The thin, rugged, lightweight design has the potential to replace or augment a wide variety of existing displays, and to carve out many entirely new display applications.
For example, it could enable designers to remove the heavy cathode ray tube (CRT) from aircraft cockpit head-mounted displays, says Janice Mahon, vice president of technology commercialization at Universal Display. "The display can be put on the pilot`s visor."
Rapidly reconfigurable camouflage also is a possibility. For example, many camouflage schemes could be displayed on the bottoms of airplanes to enable their pilots to blend in with blue sky, darkness and stars, clouds, fog, or terrain.
Soldiers also may someday use this technology for attaching displays by Velcro to clothing, Mahon says. "They can take it off, type a message to their commander, and slap it back on a wristband."
Mahon cautions that while the technology has the potential for all these applications, it is still being optimized and is in the early stages of development.
The technology provides the opportunity for low-cost mass production using roll-to-roll processing, says Steven Abramson, president and chief operating officer of Universal Display. The monolithic device is built on a single surface, typically glass, and is about 1/1000 of the thickness of a human hair.
"These breakthroughs offer distinct advantages over existing technologies that include display transparency; the potential for cost-effective, high-resolution full-color; and the possibility of fabricating displays in various sizes on a variety of surfaces," he says.
"Our research partners have now shown the ability to combine two of their organic display inventions, transparency and flexibility, into a single device," Abramson says.
In its most common structures, known as a "single heterostructure," an organic device consists of a hole transporting layer and an electron transporting layer sandwiched between two conductive layers to form a solid-state thin-film device, Mahon says.
Typically, light emits from the bottom layer, which is transparent, while the top one, usually made of a material like aluminum, is opaque. This new technology uses a transparent top, thereby emitting light from both sides, Mahon says
The three enabling organic device technology platforms developed at Universal Display and at Princeton are transparent, vertically stacked, and flexible devices.
Transparent devices are possible in part because their organic materials are themselves transparent, which provides the foundation for a vertically stacked pixel architecture for high-resolution, full-color display applications.
Individual red, green, and blue transparent device elements are placed in a vertically stacked arrangement and individually contacted with a differential bias across each element, Mahon explains.
The traditional method has been to place red-green-blue organic device elements side-by-side in much the same way that CRTs and LCDs are configured for full color. It is like watching a big screen TV at a sports bar; when you are up close, the color is blurry and the human eye can see the individual red, green, and blue instead of the intended color mixture.
Yet with vertically stacked pixels, each pixel emits full color, no matter how large, Mahon says. It provides the potential for high-resolution images due to compact pixel size. This technology is equally applicable to head-mounted miniature displays, as it is wall-sized color TVs, she says.
Experts can fabricate these displays at low-cost due to the elimination of the side-by-side pixel growth, Mahon says.
The new displays can be made sunlight-readable by placing a black sheet behind the screen, Mahon says. The black sheet absorbs the sunlight, enabling only the light from the display to be visible. Otherwise the glare is the same as other displays, she says
Universal Display is also part of a team that won a $3 million contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for the continued development of ultra light-weight, full-color organic diode flat panel display technology.
Princeton University is the research partner of Universal Display Corp., the exclusive licensee of this revolutionary organic display technology. For more information contact Universal Display`s Janice Mahon by phone at 609-258-6815, or by mail at P.O. Box 1157, Princeton, N.J., 08542-1157.
The transparent new screen from Universal Display promises to open a new set of display applications.


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NEW DELHI: Despite its popularity among fans, advertiser and sponsorship interests in the Indian Premier League (IPL), expected to be held in the UAE between September and November, would be sombre compared with last year. The advertiser response to the prized cricket tournament too would depend on the covid-19 situation in India, said top media buyers.
“IPL 2020 will not be a patch on the Twenty20 league of last year," said Meenakshi Menon, founder of media audit and advisory firm Spatial Access. “Timing wise, I do not see the consumer demand in the market reviving," she added, putting a question mark on the brands’ proclivity to advertise.
Sports and media industry experts estimate a 10-20% drop in advertising, on ground as well as in team sponsorship spends from last year as advertisers have seen their businesses shrink during the covid-induced lockdown and are grappling with poor cash flows.
The official broadcaster Star India is unlikely to cross last year’s revenue of over ₹2,000 crore with big brand categories such as automobile, apparel, cab hailing apps, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) and food & beverage companies shying away from expensive television advertisements. “You have to spend at least ₹30 crore on IPL just to achieve that minimum threshold presence. How many advertisers will like to spend that kind of money at this time," asks Menon. She added that since it’s a close-door event, the excitement on ground will be missing.
Yet others say that online firms across categories such as e-commerce, edtech, video on demand services and online gaming may drive IPL advertising which is expected to touch anywhere ₹1,500 to ₹1,700 crore.
"It's not going to be easy for stakeholders. Having said that, IPL is an avenue for the market to bounce back. It's a big event which garners eyeballs which can create a certain pull for marketers," said Jai Lala, chief operating officer, Zenith India, a media agency.
Given that it's also being held during the festive season, Lala added, brands willing to push their marketing efforts might end up advertising during the tournament. "The dip in advertising volumes is not an area of concern but the main challenge would be to get 30 to 50 advertisers on board," he said.
Star's online video streaming platform Hotstar is expected to do well as the network will sell bundled ad deals to brands which can shore up upto ₹400 crore worth in ad spends.
However, the event being hosted in UAE along with limitation brought by social distancing norms would impact on ground activations which is expected to fetch ₹300 crore revenue. The team sponsorship revenue could range between ₹400 and ₹500 crore.
"Team sponsorship won't be deeply impacted especially for big teams such as Mumbai Indians or Kolkata Knight Riders. However, franchisees might end up giving more assets to brands for the money they are paying," said an independent sports marketing executive on the condition of anonymity.
(Shuchi Bansal contributed to this story)


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Vivo V21 5G has been launched in the market of India through an online event today. The phone has been introduced with the latest features like 44MP selfie camera, 33W fast charging. So let’s have a look at the price and specification of the device:
Vivo V21 5G Price and Availability
The company has introduced the phone in 2 variants. The phone’s 8GB + 128GB variant has been launched for Rs 29,990 and the 8GB + 256GB model at a price of Rs 32,990. The sale of V21 5G will begin on Flipkart from 6 May.
Vivo V21 5G features
The V21 5G features a 6.44-inch FHD + resolution 20: 9 aspect ratio at the front with an AMOLED display notch. Talking about the processor, you have been given the mid-range chipset MediaTek Dimensity 800U in the phone, which is offered with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage options.
Talking about photography, the phone has a 64MP + 8MP + 2MP triple camera setup at the back, while a 44MP front camera setup for selfie and video calls is given under the notch. The device runs on Android 10 based FunTouch 11 OS.
In other features, basic features such as large 4,000mAh battery, 33W fast charging, USB Type C, Dual SIM, 3.5mm audio jack, in-display fingerprint sensor are also included.


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Mazda today revealed the all-new Mazda CX-3 to the world at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Renault is set to unveil the Duster Oroch show car, a styling exercise for a five-seat recreational pick-up truck featuring the robust looks of a true SUV at the 28th Sao Paulo Motor Show.
In a world premiere, Mazda will unveil its all-new compact crossover SUV – the Mazda CX-3 – at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show.
One man, one G, one life’s work. That sums up the essence of an unprecedented global adventure. When Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine set out in their Mercedes-Benz 300 GD to visit as many of the countries around the world as possible, the G-Class was just ten years old.
The first ever Range Rover, chassis number #001, will be going under the hammer in The Salon Privé Sale, hosted in partnership with Silverstone Auctions, in London on September 4. This incredibly special car, estimated at between £100,000 and £140,000, was the first example of the iconic British SUV to roll of the production line […]
In their 35 year existence, TRD has been an integral component in Toyota’s success in the U.S., not only in numerous motorsports racing victories but in the area of high quality performance parts and accessories.
The PPI Toyota Trophy Truck, driven by legendary racer Ivan “Ironman” Stewart from 1994 to 2000, rolls out of RK Motors Charlotte, one of the nation’s premier restoration shop, after being fully restored to competition specifications.
History was made when Malaysia’s first offroad club, the 4×4 Adventure Club of Kuala Lumpur, was officially registered on February 11 1987.
When rain showers and dark clouds dominate the sky during the South West Monsoon in August, when the heavy precipitation transforms the dry, dusty trails into formidable and punishing terrain, and when most tourists skip the rainy season in the State of Goa, India – it was time to unleash the inaugural Indian chapter of […]
A Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid electric four-wheel drive SUV, entered and managed by the Two & Four Motor Sports rally team supported by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), successfully completed the FIA-certified Asia Cross Country Rally 2014 (AXCR) in its T1E class (electric vehicle class).
Toyota Racing Development (TRD) enter the new 2015 Tundra TRD Pro Series in the 47th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. The lightly modified Tundra Pro Series will compete in the Full Size Stock Class this November 12-16 in Ensenada, Mexico.
Even though the “mother event” grand final Rainforest Challenge (RFC) has always been held in Malaysia at end of the year; but there has never been an edition in home country for national aspirants vying for a place in the final, until June this year. Thus, on 21-25 June, RFC Malaysia Trophy made its debut […]
The Land Rover and The Royal Geographical Society (with Institute of British Geographers) supported ‘Pole of Cold’ expedition team have reached their goal – Oymyakon, Russia – aka the ‘Pole of Cold.’
Three Range Rover Diesel Hybrid prototypes complete 10,472 miles along the Silk Trail by traversing 13 countries over 53 days from Solihull, UK, to Mumbai, India. It is the world’s first ever hybrid expedition along the Silk Trail and one of the boldest driving adventures ever pursued by Land Rover.
On Sunday 31 March, four retired avid Suzuki fans began a 28,000 mile fundraising tour around the world in aid of Save the Children and the Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington, Hampshire.
Toyota’s redoubtable Hilux continues to push the boundaries of extreme endurance, completing a marathon Antarctic journey of more than 5,900 miles, further than any vehicle of its type has managed before.
OTHER RECENT ARTICLES
BFGoodrich Tires, the company that created the first all-terrain tire in 1976, is set to launch its most advanced light truck tire ever this fall with the new All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire.


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Commonwealth Bank will activate its innovative payment technology across the Adelaide Metro tram fleet from Sunday 20 September 2020, enabling local commuters to pay with any Visa and Mastercard debit or credit card, including digital wallet acceptance, rather than cash or metroCARD.
With the pandemic influencing people’s confidence in paying with cash, this new payment option, powered by CBA’s technology, offers Adelaide commuters another way to pay. It will be particularly convenient for those who do not have a metroCARD or do not take the tram very often.
South Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Corey Wingard MP said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has really highlighted the benefits of contactless payments and the need to have more options available. We can already pay for things like groceries or dinner at a restaurant with payWave so it makes sense to expand this technology to include public transport.”
The new payment technology is part of a new pilot being operated by Adelaide Metro in partnership with Conduent, MasterCard and Visa. The pilot is stage one of an upgrade of the Adelaide Metro ticketing system to help make travel faster, easier, safer and more accessible for commuters.


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The number of families in the 50-plus age category which have moved to Essex County in the past three years continues to grow under the region's Windsor Essex Active Retirement Community Initiative.
Since it was launched midway through 2009, the number of families moving here has reached 942 with an overall real estate investment of $241 million.
Last weekend, supporters of the program staffed a booth at the annual Toronto Golf and Travel Show in an attempt to identify more families considering early retirement or a move to a more inexpensive region. "Simply put, you can cash out and purchase the same home or upgrade in Windsor-Essex for 30-60 per cent less than the GTA and still have enough money left over for investing in a secure future," said Krista Del Gatto, volunteer president of WEARCI and executive officer of the Windsor-Essex County Association of Realtors.
WEARCI is a partnership between the real estate association, Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Windsor Home Builders Association.
Bargain store proving its worth: A five-month-old discount retailer located in the former Elias grocery store on Tecumseh Road West is slowly gaining a foothold among consumers seeking bargains.
Stocked with all-new merchandise, EntertainmentDeals. ca sells books, DVDs, CDs, children's toys and games, posters, craft supplies and collectibles, all at liquidation prices of between $1 and $20, according to store manager Cheryl Durning.
The company also has a store at 8424 Wyandotte St. E.
Eventually, it's expected that the Tecumseh Road store will take space in a new commercial development on the same site.
Focusing largely on small Ontario communities, the company also has stores in Ingersoll, North Bay, New Liskeard, Bolton, Bradford, Cookstown, Barrie and Collingwood as well as larger centres such as Niagara Falls, Hamilton, Sudbury and St. Catharines.
LucasWorks! expanding operations: Windsor-based staffing firm LucasWorks! is opening another location in Woodstock.
Melanie Burns, who has five years of experience in the staffing industry as recruiter and administrator, has been named branch manager.
LucasWorks is a full-service staffing company helping clients find new employees in professional and managerial positions, administrative, temporary and contract jobs in all sectors. The company, established locally by Maureen Lucas, also has offices in Kitchener and London.
Entrepreneur workshop scheduled: A business and legal workshop for entrepreneurs with fresh ideas will be held Tuesday, March 19 in the McPherson Lounge of Alumni Hall at the University of Windsor from 5 p.m. to 6: 30 p.m.
It's being organized by the university's Centre for Enterprise and Law. For further information, visit uwindsor.ca/ cel. To register, contact email@example.com.
Pizzeria's fundraiser benefits hospital: Customers and staff of Antonino's Original Pizza have raised $1,000 for the Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital's angioplasty program.
The restaurant donated $1 from every heart-shaped pizza, nutella dessert pizza and cinnamon sticks order sold in February to the program and customers purchased 500 paper hearts for a further $500 donation.
firstname.lastname@example.org or 519-255-5539


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Sony closed its first quarter of the fiscal year (ending June 30, 2010) with a strong increase over the ¥37.1 billion loss ($426M) it saw during the same time period last year. In financial statements released today, Sony revealed its quarter ended with a net income of ¥25.7 billion ($295), pushing overall year-over-year sales up by 3.8 percent to ¥1.7 trillion ($18.7B).
Although the overall PlayStation brand saw an increase in hardware and software sales for the quarter, the combined Networked Products and Services division, of which it is a part of, recorded an operating loss of ¥3.8 billion ($43M). The reported loss still pales in comparison to the ¥36.7 billion ($422M) drop the division saw in the same time period last year.
In the period, PlayStation 3 hardware saw an increase of 2.4 million units, versus 1.1 million the previous year with software sales climbing to 24.8 million units (a 10 million unit increase over last year). PlayStation Portable sales dipped to 1.2 million units from 1.3 million; however, software sales for the handheld jumped 900K units to 9.2 million.
PlayStation 2 hardware remained constant at 1.6 million units but software dropped 5.1 million units to 3.4 million.


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In order to make train journeys smooth and hassle-free, the Indian Railways is planning to roll out an integrated mobile app for multiple travel-related bookings ranging from hiring a taxi to ordering food online from favorite restaurants. As of now, there are apps for booking train tickets and ordering food online but not for other services.
“Our plan is to make the process of traveling more comfortable. We intend to provide all the basic services like booking hotel rooms, ordering food, hiring a taxi, porter, and other services through an integrated app. There are total 17 services that we intend to offer travelers through an integrated application”, a Railway official said.
“We do have an app for booking tickets and bedrolls online, but it is not enough in the present day competitive life where people often make sudden and unplanned journeys. To ease out this last minute pressure off the passengers, the Indian Railways has come up with the proposal of a single app with multiple services. We have already started working on it”, he added.
The application will be made available from January 2017 to more than 2 crore travelers, who commute in about 11,000 trains per day across 7,000 stations in the country.
In addition to this, the Indian Railways department is also gearing up to bring awareness among public on good sanitary practices, in line with the Central government’s Swaccha Bharat scheme. Also, the availability of battery cars in various important stations across the country will be increased in collaboration with private firms.


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Old-fashioned toys, vintage clothes and a range of keepsakes will be on show as the Antiques and Collectables Fair returns to the Bundaberg Region this month.
For more than a decade the popular event has been offering locals a chance to step back in time and take in the 20,000-plus items from the past.
Antiques and Collectables Fair coordinator Allan Lawson said there would be a range of heritage, Deco and retro items from years gone by for locals to add to their collection, or they could start fresh in the fast-growing hobby of collecting.
“The fair gives people the chance to find that special something or a unique collector item,” Allan said.
“We’ve been coming to Bundaberg for more than 10 years – the fair is always quite popular.
“There will also be plenty of colour and creativity on display from the Bundaberg Quilters who will be showcasing their incredible talent to visitors.”
Along with the opportunity to find little treasures, Allan said there was also the option for local residents to set up a stall, or they could take along an antique to be appraised.
“We have free selling sites to local residents for sale of their private collections,” he said.
“The free admission for children under 14 years will offer an opportunity to learn more about Australia's early pioneering days.
“There truly will be everything for sale from old toys and China to rare bottles, coins, books, jewellery plus many quirky collectables which will provide a window into our past.
“The Antiques and Collectables Fair will see the Bundaberg Recreational Precinct Showgrounds Pavilion turned into an old-style department store with thousands of antique and collectable items for sale with sellers from throughout Queensland and New South Wales.”
The Antiques and Collectables Fair
When: Saturday 11 March from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday 12 March from 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Bundaberg Recreational Precinct
Cost: $10 adults, and $8 pensioners, children under 14 free
For more information: Allan 0488 197 167 or click here
- Other news: Lions club gives life-saving donation to school


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Neobank delays loan rollout due to COVID-19
Volt Bank is delaying the launch of its loan products to ensure its foray into lending is done “in a very prudent way”, but it expects to launch its mortgage offering to the broker channel by the end of the year.
The fintech lender – which became the first organisation to be granted a restricted ADI licence in 2018 before gaining its full licence last year – has revealed that the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and its associated market disruption has led the bank to delay the launch of lending products, which were scheduled to be released from the “middle of this year”.
As well as delaying the launch, the neobank also outlined that it intends to make mortgages, rather than personal loans, its first credit product on market.
Speaking to The Adviser, Volt Bank’s co-founder and CEO, Steve Weston, elaborated: “Initially, we said that we would [first launch] personal loans (unsecured/secured), and then we would do mortgages and then we would do small-business loans… but when you look at previous economic hiccups, the first area that is hit is unsecured lending, things like personal loans, credit cards and unsecured business loans.
“Typically, looking at previous credit track record is very helpful when assessing a borrower’s capacity to repay a loan, but in an environment like we are seeing now, even people with the most unblemished credit record may default if they don’t have a job,” he said.
To read more, please click on the link below…


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Seattle’s Elysian Brewing sold to Anheuser-Busch
Three founders of Elysian Brewing to stay with company, which includes four Seattle bars and the brewery in the Georgetown neighborhood.
Seattle Times business reporter
10 largest microbreweries in Washington
Georgetown Brewing Co. — 51,200 barrels
Elysian Brewing Company — 50,167
Mac & Jacks Brewery Inc. — 42,050
Fremont Brewing Company — 17,658
Fish Brewing Co. — 12,802
Pike Brewing company and Liberty Malt Supply — 12,028
Iron Horse Brewery — 11,488
Hales Ales — 9,980
Silver City Brewery — 7,930
Source: Liquor Control Board (data based on the number of barrels produced between January and November 2014)
After a day of interviews, phone calls and reading messages on social media, Dick Cantwell said he is ready for a beer.
As one of the founders of Elysian Brewing, he’ll be drinking a Spacedust, to be exact.
Friday, national beer giant Anheuser-Busch announced it is buying Seattle-based Elysian Brewing, furthering its efforts to join the fast-growing world of craft beer.
The 20-year-old local company, which includes four Seattle bars and the brewery in the Georgetown neighborhood, was founded by Cantwell, Joe Bisacca and David Buhler in 1995. All three men will be staying on with Elysian, the companies announced Friday.
“For two decades, we’ve welcomed guests into our brewpubs and served them creative and impeccably crafted beers,” Bisacca, Elysian CEO, said in a statement. “With the support of Anheuser-Busch, we will build on past successes and share our beers with more beer lovers.”
Elysian sold more than 50,000 barrels of beer in 2014, making it the second-largest microbrewery in Washington, according to the Liquor Control Board. The popular Immortal IPA accounted for more than a quarter of the total volume.
Anheuser-Busch’s purchase of Elysian is expected to close in the next three months. Terms were not disclosed, but the owners say the Elysian brand will stay the same.
“Our aim is to keep everything the way it is with all the ridiculous and varied beers,” said Cantwell, co-founder and head brewer.
Best known for Budweiser and Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, which is a subsidiary of the Belgian-Brazilian company InBev, owns 47.2 percent of the U.S. beer market. But according to the national Colorado-based Brewers Association, Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors have collectively lost about 20 million barrels of beer in sales since 2008.
Friday’s acquisition announcement is another example of Anheuser-Busch trying to counter declining sales by growing its craft-beer portfolio. The company bought Chicago-based Goose Island in 2011, followed by New York-based Blue Point Brewery Co. and Oregon-based 10 Barrel Brewing last year.
“Consumers are constantly evolving,” said Andy Goeler, CEO of craft beer at Anheuser-Busch. “We are trying to get consumers the kinds of beers they are looking for.”
While accounting for only 14.3 percent of U.S. beer sales in 2013, the craft-brewing industry has grown from a niche market into a more than $14 billion industry, according to the Brewers Association.
Since 2010, the number of barrels of craft beer sold in the United States more than doubled. Between January and June 2014, 10.6 million barrels were sold, up from 4.9 million during the same period in 2010, according to the Brewers Association.
Association director Paul Gatza said the craft-beer market likely will be up about 18 percent for 2014, while the overall beer industry will be up just under 1 percent.
“The big guys see what is happening with the market, with craft brewing being the major growth in the industry,” Gatza said. “The major domestic brands are down, and they are looking for business opportunities where they can find them.”
Bisacca, Cantwell and Buhler were in their 30s when they opened the original Elysian bar on Capitol Hill. The men have expanded the company to include Elysian Tangletown in the Green Lake area, Elysian fields in Sodo near the sports stadiums and Elysian BAR near Westlake Center.
They opened the new brewery on Airport Way South in Georgetown in 2011. It has an annual production capacity of 130,000 barrels.
Elysian hopes to produce 70,000 barrels of beer in 2015 and outgrow their new production facility in the next few years, which is where working with Anheuser fits in.
“We are 20 years in, and we’ve grown to be a pretty large company,” Buhler said. “We need to look forward to keep a brand that is growing, growing.”
The founders say the new owners will not change the popular Seattle company. The Loser Pale Ale with the slogan, “corporate beer still sucks,” will still be produced; the annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival is still on the schedule for the first weekend of October; and the beer will still be made by the same Seattle brewers who live in Seattle.
While the men said Friday’s announcement is beyond the wildest dream they could have imagined when they opened Elysian, they said they hope their local following will understand their decision and continue to support the company and the beer.
“I like to think the loyalty we’ve gotten because of who we are and what we’ve done would allow those who are disappointed to give us a chance and go taste our beer,” Buhler said. “Our beers are only going to get better.”
Gatza, of the Brewery Association, remembers when Anheuser bought its 34 percent stake in Redhook in 2004. He attended a festival in Seattle and some people donned “Budhook” shirts to represent that they thought Redhook had sold out, he said.
“When a deal like this goes down, there is a sense of loss in the craft-brewing industry, as well as some of the customers,” he said. “Some people will certainly look at it as a sell out and a betrayal. But others don’t know, don’t care, or just care about what is in the bottle.”
Coral Garnick: 206-464-2422 or firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Yogurt sections in grocery stores across LATAM are growing as consumer demand for the products increase. In response, brands are innovating with on-the-go and high protein versions increasingly in demand.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Sensient Technologies completed its acquisition of the natural color business of Lima, Peru-based GlobeNatural. The new entity will operate as Sensient Natural Colors Peru S.A.C.
Brazil must shift its organic strengths towards secondary production, the animal sector and functional ingredients if it wants to secure a brighter future, says the executive director of Organics Brasil.


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The share of computing devices bought by consumers worldwide is forecast to grow from 65 percent in 2013 to 72 percent in 2017, as more enterprises embrace the bring your own device trend, according to Gartner.
The analyst firm said the forecast signifies the growing importance of designing product for the consumer inside the enterprise.
Hpwever, worldwide PC sales are expected to continue to decline. Gartner forecast a drop of 10.6 percent in 2013.
The analyst firm’s latest worldwide device numbers show Apple and Google are likely to be big winners from the ongoing shift in consumer preferences.
Tablet shipments are expected to grow 67.9 percent, with 202 million units, while the mobile phone market is forecast to grow 4.3 percent, with volume of more than 1.8 billion units.
Google’s Android operating system is expected to dominate, with more than 1 million devices running Android expected to be shipped in 2014, compared with 354,849 devices running Apple’s iOS and just 22,291 BlackBerry devices.
“Although the numbers seem to paint a clear picture of who the winner will be when it comes to operating systems in the device market, the reality is that today ecosystem owners are challenged in having the same relevance in all segments,” Gartner research vice president Carolina Milanesi said in a statement.
“Apple is currently the more homogeneous presence across all device segments, while 90 percent of Android sales are currently in the mobile phone market and 85 percent of Microsoft sales are in the PC market.”


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On Reflection: A Shell of an Idea
Tidal Vision rides chitosan growth wave
October 6, 2021
This story is featured in the October issue of Seattle Business magazine. Subscribe here to access the print edition.
Former commercial fisherman Craig Kasberg thinks about shrimp, crab and lobster in very different ways than most people.
Kasberg is the founder of Tidal Vision, a Bellingham-based company riding an explosive wave of growth based on its use of chitosan, a type of fiber derived from shellfish shells.
We certainly didnt invent it, says Kari Ingalls, director of business development at Tidal Vision. We just found a way to make it widely accessible to the marketplace.
Chitosan, a biopolymer produced by the cells of living organisms has historically been used in many industries, including medical cosmetics and textiles. Tidal Vision devised a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly chitosan extraction process that utilizes the entire shell for zero waste, making it attractive to industries such as water treatment, agriculture, food preservation and a range of consumer products.
In wastewater treatment and agriculture, for instance, chitosan is an alternative to harsh chemicals, Ingalls says. It is nontoxic, biodegradable and biocompatible, and displaces synthetic chemicals that are harmful to health and the environment.
The company expects to more than double its employee count to around 50 by years end. It recently opened a production facility in Wellford, South Carolina, after announcing a partnership with Leigh Fibers, North Americas largest textile processor.
Ingalls says Tidal Vision may one day go public, though that’s not top of mind.
Were really growing fast and well continue to do that, she says.


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Olcay Tuncay, has designed a new power packed performance formula 1 car that can run at the speed of 200 mph without fuel. This concept Alfa Romeo AW30 racecar might be the first racecar that uses wind as its power source.
Orion streamliner is a cool motorbike concept designed by Mehmet Doruk Erdem who got the inspiration from predatory bird's Body.
Spanish costume designer Alassie, of El Costurero Real, has designed light muslin scarves with beautiful, realistic, butterfly wing prints. Alassie moved to Barcelona where Alassie began a Masters degree in Costume Design for Theater, Movies, Opera and TV at the Istituto Europeo di Design.
A new tallest building is set to make records in China with one of the most energy efficient towers ever built!. The 120-story tower "Megatall Wuhan Greenland Centre", designed by Adrian smith and Gordon Gill Architecture is under construction and is expected to be completed in 2017.
Daniel Valle Architects studio has created a platform of 30,000 meters on water for water pavilion for the Yeosu Expo. This is proposed for the location in South Korea, Whereby the passers can walk inside the ocean water without diving or swimming.
Warka water is an innovative design that harnesses drinking water from the air. Installed its pilot project in a rural Ethiopian village has won the prestigious 2016 World Design Impact Prize at a World Design Capital gala in Taipei.
Apple has recently announced the small screen size smartphone under the name iPhone SE. The iPhone SE is expected to arrive in India at a starting price of Rs. 39,000 during the first week of April.


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Buyout firm India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA) is investing up to $40 million in VKL Seasoning to finance its next phase of growth as the firm moves from a wholesale firm to a value-added player. The investment is expected to flow in tranches.
Vallabhdas Kanji Ltd, now known as VKL Seasoning, started operations in 1935 as a whole spices dealer and later expanded into private label and food ingredients businesses. In 2011, it decided to exit from bulk spices and private label businesses via a sale to agri and food commodities major Olam International Ltd for $18 million.
The deal with IVFA includes both primary infusion and a secondary sale of shares of investors. According to sources familiar with the development, the deal would also mark an exit for Ascent India Fund, managed by Ascent Capital Advisors. The fund had invested $6 million in the company in 2006.
With this investment, Haresh Chawla and Vikram Nirula, partners at IVFA have joined VKL’s board of directors. Avendus Capital and DSK Legal were the advisors on the deal.
VKL currently makes food ingredients and flavouring solutions in India and the Middle-East with a strong focus on the quick service restaurants (QSR) and processed food industries.
VKL is the flagship company of Kanji Moorarji Group that also includes Kancor Flavours and Extracts Ltd and Autohangar (India) Pvt Ltd, a dealer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in India.
"Our goal is to enhance our product offerings substantially over the next few years in related food segments with the growth coming from a combination of organic and inorganic initiatives. This funding will help us grow our domestic capacities and expand business development efforts in the Middle East and Africa," said Ajay Mariwala, managing director, VKL.
Betting on derivatives of consumption
According to reports published by Rabobank and by Assocham India, the QSR segment is worth $600 million and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 30 per cent until 2015, while the packaged food industry, which is growing about 15 to 20 per cent annually, is likely to touch $30 billion by 2015.
While funds like Everstone Capital, India Equity Partners, SAIF Partners and New Silk Route have taken direct exposure to this sector, several players have invested in derivatives of this sector.
Motilal Oswal Private Equity has invested in Mrs Bector's Food, which supplies to fast food chains like McDonald's and Domino's while Bakers Circle, which is backed by GEM India Advisors and former Goldman Sachs' partner Hank Uberoi's fund Haystack, also supplies to major QSRs operating in India.
Then there also specialised logistics and supply chain companies such as Brattle Foods (GTI Capital) and Snowman Logistics (Norwest Venture Partners), which have also raised PE funding.
“We have been closely tracking the food industry in India and are very excited about this partnership. We believe VKL is well positioned to benefit from a robust growth in the underlying QSR and processed foods industries. The company has an impressive customer base, strong knowledge of the local palette and robust track record in the attractive flavours and seasonings segment," said Vishal Nevatia, managing partner, IVFA.
(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)


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Set to debut just next summer, the new French model will be positioned on a lower rung of the Dacia a Renault Logan, which is currently the most successful low-cost car.
The Dacia Logan project launched 10 years ago has proven to be a success for the French, and this motivates them not to stop here and move on to move to the step number two with a more affordable car. According to the publication Les Echos, the new range of cars will include the models with a standard price of just 3,500 euros!
This will be made possible thanks to the use of a new Camm platform developed in collaboration with the specialists from Nissan. On this basis it will be built at least four new models, a sedan, a hatchback, a SUV and a MPV with seven seats for the passengers.
The cars will be assembled at the factory in Morocco, ulterior the first models will appear in the Indian market.


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EAI, exciting Next Steps in a Mobile 1st World or a Step Too Far?Escrito por Tony Dillistone el 13/04/2018 a las 15:09:16
In what seems in many ways, such a long, long time ago (but was in actuality about 2002) I entered the brave new world of Mobile Media.
I joined an international media company based in Europe, to head up a North America-focused division of their very successful mobile sports content business – text alerts; subscription WAP, and burgeoning video.
From today’s perspective, our offerings seem so primitive and rudimentary but… in the day, we spent much of our time explaining the ins and outs of even such basics as SMS alerts to North American media executives who not only were unaware, but also, saw little potential for mobile as a media platform. (Oh, how times have changed!)
(Image courtesy of ITNEWSBUZZ.com)
Ah… the heady days of what we happily referred to, tongue-in-cheek, as a “Wild West Show.” Mobile content in North America was so new and exciting… guidelines were developed on the fly… we broke new ground…we struggled to educate our market… we “fought” for top-tier deck position with the carriers… we were warriors… we were evangelists for the future… (more of those experiences at a later date) we built an industry and analytics systems… as a result, worldwide mobile traffic has been greater in volume than desktop traffic for several years now and shows strong growth and …but… did we “REALLY” know our users?
So… what’s next?
Hive thinking has it that mobile Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be the game changer, in part driven by growing consumer use of virtual personal assistants (like Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa) in increasingly smart devices, and the expected rollout of “faster, bigger, better” 5G networks.
AI in smartphones is not new… it has powered some basic smartphone functions for years. But Gartner Inc. predicts that by 2022, 80 percent of smartphones shipped will include AI functionality, up from 10 percent in 2017.
“With smartphones increasingly becoming a commodity device, vendors are looking for ways to differentiate their products," said CK Lu, a research director at Gartner. "Future AI capabilities will allow smartphones to learn, plan and solve problems for users. This isn't just about making the smartphone smarter, but augmenting people by reducing their cognitive load. However, AI capabilities on smartphones are still in very early stages."
The next wave of development is predicted to be based on Emotion artificial intelligence (EAI) systems and that those systems will become so sophisticated, that by 2022, personal devices will know more about an individual’s emotional state than their own family.
Yes, it’s game changing. Imagine the integration of Chat bots and mobile apps able to recognize and respond to your every emotional state, such as anger, frustration, irritation, happiness, grief – potentially personalizing EVERY interaction with our devices.
“Emotion AI systems and affective computing are allowing everyday objects to detect, analyze, process and respond to people’s emotional states and moods to provide better context and a more personalized experience,” said Roberta Cozza, a research director at Gartner. “Prototypes and commercial products already exist and adding emotional context by analyzing data points from facial expressions, voice intonation and behavioral patterns will significantly enhance the user experience,” added Ms. Cozza. “Beyond smartphones and connected home devices, wearables and connected vehicles will collect, analyze and process users’ emotional data via computer vision, audio or sensors capturing behavioral data to adapt or respond to a user’s wants and needs.”
In light of the current Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal, amongst others, and resultant outrage over perceived intrusions into our privacy, how do you think EAI will be received?
Wearables - à Votre Santé (To Your Health)
How Technology is Changing the Emmys


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Since it first started back in 2009, RuPaul's Drag Race has become a hit TV show that's loved by audiences all across the world. Seasons two through ten are currently available on Netflix Canada, and since they made their debut on the streaming service, Canadians have gone crazy for the show. It's Official, Drag Race Canada is happening so get ready to lip sync for your life.
It was announced today, June 27th, by streaming service Crave that a new original streaming service is coming our way - Drag Race Canada. This is the first ever Canadian adaption of the show, although Canadian contestants have competed on the original series before.
The exciting news comes just as Pride month is coming to a close, which gives the LGBTQ2S+ community another reason to celebrate, especially here in Canada. Show creator RuPaul is beyond excited to see the series expand to Canada.
"I am proud to announce that the Drag Race family is expanding as Crave is about to begin production on DRAG RACE CANADA. The panel and judges will be from the Great White North, representing Canada's very best. This new franchise has my whole-hearted blessing. Good luck…and don't puck it up!"
Along with the new series, Crave is also bringing all past and future seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race to the streaming service, along with the all new RuPaul's Drag Race UK series. Fans of the show all across the globe have a lot to be excited about today.
Casting for the new series will begin this summer, and production is likely to begin this fall, somewhere in Ontario. Hosts and judges for the show have yet to be officially announced, but RuPaul already hinted in the press release that we can expect to see some major Canadian talent, not only competing in drag but judging as well!


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We really, really hope the latest report on the Nexus 5’s release date is accurate for two reasons. First, we’re tired of Nexus 5 release date rumors. Second, and far more importantly, the next pure Google phone is shaping up to be one of the most amazing Android phones of the year. Google’s Nexus 4 was all about value when it launched at a shockingly low price with mid-range specs last year. This time around, however, Google and LG are cooking up an absolute beast that features cutting-edge specs but still manages to stay remarkably affordable. And if a new report from Sunday pans out, the phone will finally debut later this week.
Alongside a press render of the upcoming Nexus 5 in white, @evleaks on Sunday reported that Google will finally launch its next hero phone this coming Friday, November 1st. According to the phone’s service manual that leaked recently, the Nexus 5’s specs include a 5-inch full HD display, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 chipset, 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, a 2,300 mAh battery with support for inductive charging, NFC and Google’s new Android 4.4 KitKat operating system.
Images of the Nexus 5 have leaked a number of times and we have also seen the phone in a pair of videos. According to an accidental listing in Google’s online store that was pulled shortly after it went live, the Nexus 5 will start at just $349 will no service contract required.
For Android enthusiasts, at least, it’s definitely going to be a happy holiday season this year.


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Investor curiosity within the bitcoin choices market elevated, with the cryptocurrency nearing report highs within the lead as much as Tuesday’s launch of the first-ever U.S.-based bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Bybt knowledge reveals that the cumulative greenback worth of bitcoin choices contracts open on main exchanges rose to $14 billion on Tuesday, hitting the very best since April. The tally was a whisker away from the height of $14.68 billion reached on March 24.
Open curiosity or the variety of contracts traded however not squared off with an offsetting place rose to a six-month excessive of 229,220 BTC.
Bitcoin reached a report UTC shut above $64,000 on Tuesday because the ProShares’ ETF made a powerful debut on the New York Inventory Change, registering a buying and selling quantity of $1 billion.
Hopes that the U.S. would approve a futures-based ETF strengthened late final month after the Securities Change and Fee (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler reiterated assist for the structured product. Since then, bitcoin has rallied over 40%, and choices open curiosity has elevated by 50%.
The pick-up in choices exercise within the days main as much as the binary occasion – the SEC’s determination on ETF proposal – signifies elevated participation by refined traders and market maturity.
“A particularly uncommon incidence for Bitcoin is the Occasion-driven commerce, noticed as Futures ETF deadlines approached after which authorized. Choices are an ideal software to make use of in these situations,” Deribit Insights tweeted. Deribit is the world’s largest crypto choices alternate accounting for greater than 80% of open curiosity and buying and selling quantity in bitcoin and ether choices markets.
Choices are by-product contracts that give the purchaser the fitting, however not the duty to purchase or promote the underlying asset at a predetermined worth on or earlier than a selected date. A name choice provides the fitting to purchase, and the put choice provides the fitting to promote. A name purchaser is implicitly bullish available on the market, whereas a put purchaser is bearish.
Seasoned merchants typically use each calls and choices when the end result of a binary occasion is unsure, however an enormous transfer in both path is anticipated. Nonetheless, flows have been predominantly bullish forward of ProShares’ ETF itemizing, with merchants piling into out-of-the-money or increased strike name choices, as blockchain knowledge analytics agency Glassnode talked about in its weekly report revealed Monday.
“The favoured choices contracts seem like name choices with strike costs above $100,000, with a typical open curiosity of $250 million to $350 million for name choices expiring on the finish of the 12 months. The open curiosity in name choices dwarfs that in put choices, aligning with the general bullish market sentiment,” Glassnode stated.
Over-the-counter tech platform Paradigm recently registered steady shopping for of topside calls and name unfold methods at strikes between $70,000 to $120,000. Trades facilitated by Paradigm are robotically executed, margined, and cleared at Deribit.
The ProShares Bitcoin Technique Fund noticed a buying and selling quantity of $1 billion on Tuesday, changing into the second-most closely traded new ETF on report, based on Bloomberg knowledge.
“Volumes have been just about proper on the screws the place the “ETF Nerds” had been predicting — about $1 billion,” David Nadig, chief funding officer and director of analysis of ETF Tendencies, stated in a Twitter response. “The character of that quantity appears to be [coming from] the small lot, implying retail traders, speculators and high-frequency merchants moderately than massive institutional allocations.”
In keeping with Bloomberg analysts, Valkyrie’s futures-based bitcoin ETF could start buying and selling later this week.
The launch of futures-based ETFs might have a constructive influence on the derivatives market. “CME choices are at the moment a really small a part of the entire crypto choices market. Maybe we might see some development and growth in CME choices consequently,” QCP Capital stated in its Telegram channel final week.
On Tuesday, the CME accounted for two.7% of the worldwide bitcoin choices open curiosity of 229,220 BTC.