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China’s gross domestic product (GDP) numbers have long been questioned by the international community due to its lack of transparency. Data from recently leaked government internal documents from Dalian city of Liaoning Province reveal a grim picture of China’s economy amid the resurgence of COVID-19 in different regions since July.
While the global economy has declined sharply this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and most countries’ economies have had negative growth rates, China has reported a 3.2 percent rise in its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the second quarter, compared to the same period last year, according to its National Bureau of Statistics.
However, the leaked documents obtained by The Epoch Times reveal that Dalian city’s economy took a dive in the first half of 2020 and government debt was ten times above the international warning level set by the European Union.
One of the documents titled, “The Completion of Estimated Major Economic Indicators,” issued by the Statistics Bureau of Lushunkou district in Dalian, reflected a much worse situation than the officially published data for the first five months of this year.
On July 24, the Liaoning Provincial Bureau of Statistics issued data, stating that in the first half of 2020, Dalian “achieved a regional GDP of 315.50 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 3.5 percent at comparable price/value.”
In the context of global economic decline caused by COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns, Dalian’s reported 3.5 percent GDP decline is relatively mild.
But experts have long questioned the veracity of China’s statistics. Take Dalian as an example.
Leaked Reports Expose Dalian’s Double-digit GDP Slump
According to data from the Dalian Bureau of Statistics, Dalian’s GDP in the first half of 2019 reached 367.10 billion yuan ($53 billion). Calculated in absolute terms, then, Dalian’s GDP in the first half of 2020 actually decreased by 8.6 percent, rather than the officially reported “decline of 3.5 percent.”
The Dalian municipal government also manipulated GDP data. Dalian’s GDP in 2018 and 2019 were 766.8 billion yuan ($112.1 billion) and 700.17 billion yuan ($102.4 billion) respectively; in absolute terms, last year’s GDP fell by 9.1 percent from the previous year. However, authorities still used the opaque comparable figures to reverse the sharp decline in Dalian’s GDP in 2019 to “6.5 percent year-on-year growth.”
The internal documents obtained by The Epoch Times further confirmed that authorities fudged their data.
Leaked internal reports of the Lushunkou District of Dalian, which is one of its seven districts, in the first half of the year revealed that Dalian’s economy actually experienced a sharp decline—several times more than what was reported in official data.
At present, there are three types of GDP accounting methods in China: production method, income method, and expenditure method. The Chinese regime mainly uses the production method to calculate GDP, while the United States and other international finance organizations use the expenditure method.
Three indicators—total retail sales of consumer goods, fixed asset investment, and import and export trade surplus—are the most important components of GDP accounting in expenditure method, from which the actual changes in Dalian’s GDP can be seen.
The internal report shows that in the first four months of 2020, the absolute number of “social fixed asset investment” decreased by 25.7 percent year-on-year, and the city-wide growth rate was -17 percent. In the first five months of this year, the year-on-year growth rate was -14.3 percent. The city’s growth rate is at -8.9 percent.
“Total retail sales of consumer goods” fell 20.1 percent year-on-year in the first four months, with a citywide decrease of 24.6 percent; in the first five months of this year, there was a year-on-year decrease of 64.2 percent and a citywide decrease of 21.4 percent.
“Commercial housing sales” in the first four months decreased by 53.8 percent year-on-year, and the city’s growth rate dropped 14.8 percent; in the first five months of this year, the year-on-year growth rate was -48.1 percent, and the city’s growth rate was -21.9 percent.
These three elements are similar to the metrics of total retail sales of consumer goods, fixed asset investment, and import and export trade surplus (adverse) in the CCP’s official statistics, which can be used as the main basis for calculating local GDP, and can reflect the real changes in the GDP of Lushunkou district and Dalian city.
In Lushunkou and Dalian, which has little export or import trade, the two major indicators that have the greatest impact on the GDP are “social investment in fixed assets” and “total retail sales of consumer goods,” that have both fallen below nearly 20 percent in the first four months of this year.
The “total retail sales of consumer goods,” which has the greatest impact on GDP, has continued to decline, even falling below 60 percent in Lushunkou. In contrast, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims that consumption has contributed as much as 60 to 80 percent of China’s GDP in the past three years.
Dalian’s “commercial housing sales” and “total retail sales of consumer goods” showed an accelerated decline—the decline widened from 14.8 percent in the first four months to 21.9 percent in the first five months. These two indicators reflect the current drop in consumption in China.
To sum up, the double-digit decline in economic indicators disclosed in the internal report reveals the truth about Dalian’s economy this year: not only has its GDP plummeted, but its economic situation is still deteriorating.
It is worth mentioning that although the Statistics Bureau of Lushunkou District did not enter quarterly gross product data in its internal statements, it has preset a value of -3.0 percent for the GDP growth rate in the first six months.
Lushunkou District’s Debt Ratio Is Alarming
In April this year, China’s Ministry of Finance reported that as of the end of 2019, the local government debt ratio was about 82.9 percent, which was lower than the internationally accepted standard of 100 to 120 percent, and lower than the 60 percent warning line put out by the EU.
However, a leaked government document shows a much grimmer picture of government debts.
The real numbers are disclosed in Lushunkou’s “Report on Work to Prevent and Resolve Government Debt Risks,” submitted to the Dalian municipal government: “As of the end of June 2020, the total debt balance of Lushunkou was 27.68 billion yuan, including the 13.292 billion government debt and the 14.388 billion hidden debt.” “Our district debt ratio is 736.30 percent, and the hidden debt risk level is red,” it noted.
The district government has actually gone bankrupt, as China current affairs commentator Li Linyi said, after analyzing the data shown on the internal report.
Despite the huge debt, Dalian is seemingly operating normally. The leaked documents also disclosed how the local government plans on repaying the huge debt.
The district government stated in the report that in 2020, it needs to repay 3.48 billion yuan debt; however, it only has “100 million yuan in budget ” to pay for it. The Lushunkou district government listed many tactics to find money to pay the remaining 3.38 billion yuan debt, including “withdrawing money” from the banking industry and land financing—“make full use of idle land” and “taking land to finance through the newly formed State Development & Investment Corporation,” the document stated.
The Lushunkou district government also disclosed in the document that the report was issued in compliance with instructions from the Dalian Municipal Finance Bureau, in order to assess the risk level of the local government’s hidden debt.
Li believes that this means that the higher-level CCP authorities are fully aware of the government debt risks, knowing that they could capsize at any time. Thus, they are trying to find out the real internal numbers. This also confirms that the CCP’s debt crisis is far beyond the outside world’s imagination and has already exceeded the critical line of a financial crisis, he added.
The resurgence of the COVID-19 outbreak since July has caused several areas in Dalian to be locked down again. Residential communities in Dalian were continuously sealed off by authorities. Many residents became unemployed and economic production came to a halt. Li pointed out that the CCP’s lockdown measures have worsened Dalian’s economic decline.
He Jian contributed to this report


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Record companies and music websites are being encouraged to avoid exclusive agreements, as China"s top copyright authority attempts to stimulate the online music market.
The National Copyright Administration met with about 20 record companies and associations from China and abroad on Wednesday to talk about online music copyright protection.
The administration asked the music companies to stick to market rules and international practices to widen licensing and spread online music; and it underlined the laws and international conventions on copyright, warning them against any infringement.
The discussion came a day after the administration held a similar meeting with major internet companies whose interests include online music platforms.
"Labels should not sign exclusive agreements with online music providers. The agreements should follow a reasonable and fair rule," Yu Cike, the administration"s director of copyright management, said on Wednesday.
"Online music providers are not allowed to push up licensing prices and cause vicious competition," he said, adding that they must also support the work of copyright organizations to protect the rights of copyright holders.
Yu Guofu, a partner at Beijing Shengfeng Law Firm, which specializes in intellectual property law, said: "It is a macro adjustment and control move to adjust the online music industry. Copyright law allows exclusive agreements, but when it harms the public interest, the government can step in and make an adjustment."
On Tuesday, Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding announced they had reached an agreement to share music licensing.
In a joint statement, Tencent subsidiary Tencent Music Entertainment Group said it will sublicense music from record labels－such as Sony Music, Warner Music, and Universal Music－to Alibaba, while Ali Music Group will give Tencent its exclusive rights purchased from Rock Records, HIM International Music, Bin Music and Media Asia Group.
The pact will allow for the exchange of millions of record labels and global recording stars on their respective streaming platforms, from Alibaba"s Xiami to Tencent"s QQ Music, Kugou and Kuwo.
Since the administration launched its effort to tackle unauthorized music online in 2015, about 2.2 million unauthorized songs have been removed from music websites, according to the administration.silicone bracelets uk personalised rubber bracelets uk printed wristbands custom silicone bracelets 24 hour wristbands

domain: news


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The complaints are organized into groups with data published by vehicle, vehicle component, and specific problem.
Find out more about our advertising opportunities.
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Buying a car is the second most expensive expenditure that a person can make after buying a home in Mumbai.Instead Hyundai issued a TSB dealers have been replacing pads rotors on a per-complaint basis.Upcoming Hyundai cars in India include the Venue, Santa Fe 2019, Sonata, Grand i10 2019, Elantra 2019, Kona Electric, Creta 2020, Palisade, Verna 2020, Ioniq.Vehicle Problems, find out what cars to avoid, view the latest problem trends, or keep up-to-date with the most recently reported problems.Read our funny complaints to see people who found humor in a bad situation."m", "Autobeef "What's Wrong With your Car?" are trademarks of Autobeef LLC, All rights reserved.A new car depreciates really fast and nearly 40 of its value gets eroded in the first year itself.Find out more about us in the press or read stories from drivers who praise our work.The most expensive car in Hyundai's lineup is the Tucson, arts embroidery martial patch priced.
But still, if you are not the one who has the courage of boarding a local mode of transport in the peak office hours, a car is the only alternative.
Used cars, on the other hand, depreciate slowly in value and its value doesnt really get eroded.
Then the road tax on the vehicle is already paid.
The brand currently has 495 dealers and more than 1,300 service points across the country along with an R D facility in Hyderabad.
Now with the new transport law coming soon, the road tax paid will be applicable all over India, thus saving you from the trouble of paying again if you change the state.In total, Hyundai has 9 models on sale in India.26.95 Lakh for its top variant.The used car owners either get it already installed by the previous owner or in case it is not there the local garage person can do it for you at a much nominal cost.Mumbai, delhi, bangalore, mumbai, mumbai Delhi Bangalore.Also there is a pattern of complaints about the 2013 Elantra brakes grinding at very low mileage.Share on Facebook, email this page, helpful websites.I'm looking to buy or sell car.Locals are known as the lifeline of Mumbai and driving to work is often seen as a big headache given the pathetic condition of traffic.People have an affinity towards expensive cars, but buying them fresh might be heavy on the pocket.No one has added a helpful site for this 2013 Elantra problem yet.Besides these perks, there are things that the dealers do for the first-hand owners like the protective film, anti-rust treatment etc.The final straw is that for several years in a row, Elantra owners report significantly lower gas mileage than the EPA estimates, there's a small trend of engine problems.


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iPlayer founder launches next big TV thing-Zeebox
Anthony Rose unveils the secret to connected TV
The tech wizard behind Kazaa and the BBC’s iPlayer, Anthony Rose, has unveiled his long awaited next project – Zeebox.
Speaking on a panel at Mipcom last week in Cannes, Rose declared that the future of television would be based on personalised recommendation, the premise of his new venture.
“My starting proposition is that people hate choice. Either a trusted source says ‘here’s the one’… or it can be the force of overall, everyone what they’re watching – the most popular – or what specific friends are watching, or it can be a recommendation service… Everything from here on is about tweaking the balance between these propositions,” he said.
Rose says that current EPG’s have an inherent design fail which don’t factor smart recommendation based viewing suggestions.
Rose described the platform as ‘TV’s new best friend.’ “It’s not people moving away from live TV. It’s making live TV better for the next generation,” he said. The platform is expected to go live later this month and has raised $US5 million in start up funding.
Ex-EMI exec and Peoplesound founder, Ernesto Schmitt, has been named CEO. Zeebox is attempting to leverage the rise of connected TV usage as a real-time platform for social TV viewing by turning their tablets into a socially networked remote control.
The first iteration of Zeebox will be a free app for iPad followed by iPhone and Android versions which are TV guides that concurrently display what your Facebook and Twitter community is watching on TV. Those with connected TVs can flip channel straight from the app like a remote control. Users can also chat in the iPad app and send invites to share the viewing experience with friends.
Viewers will also be able to buy products advertised on TV allowing users to interact with what they are watching through clickable tag. The tagging that Zeebox is currently working on is the sugar on top of he platform, and is an automated content recognition (ACR) technology that provides meta tagging and links while TV is being broadcast. E-commerce will be the natural outcome of this feature allowing viewers to instantly buy online while they are watching.
Rose foreshadowed his interest in developing this type of platform when in Sydney earlier in the year and also hinted that there may be Australian VC backing for the project. At the time Rose warned that in the rapidly growing connected TV’ space-which will hit 6 million units in the UK alone by year end- “the device manufacturer wants to be the new gate keeper, they want revenue share, they want to control access.” Zeebox appears tobe giving some power back to the broadcaster and the viewer.
He advised broadcasters that in order to survive fragmentation, “the broadcasters and content providers must be able to control a combination of all those end destination experiences. And they need to do that to remain relevant today and keep their eyeballs.”
And while device manufacturers covet the gatekeeper role, it will be the role of the arch aggregator that consumers will most covet in their entertainment experience, he forecasts. “Who is the taste-maker is vitally important,” he posits. “The reality is that every TV produced in the next 6-9 months in a developed country is going to be a connected TV. So by 2014 the majority of TVs will be connected to the internet and if the content offerings are good they will be connected,” he said. ®


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“Our favorite thing to do is have women come in and let us personally style them,” Edwards said, “and so for us to be able to see them come back in and have that, I think it’ll impact our sales a lot.”
With Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announcing plans Monday to begin a phased reboot of the state economy on May 1, local business owners are evaluating their options in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Both of Azlinn Hope’s brick-and-mortar locations, one in downtown Johnson City, which opened on Tipton Street in late 2019, and the other in Morristown, have been closed since mid-March.
Edwards said her two locations saw healthy business during the Christmas holiday last year, momentum that she said continued into 2020.
“I would say it definitely impacted our sales for spring,” she said of COVID-19. “But luckily spring is not our biggest selling time.”
The pause in foot traffic caused by the virus has given Edwards time to rebrand the boutique, and the business has also managed to streamline its online sales process. Although its physical locations are closed, Edwards said the boutique has continued to ship orders to customers.
NuYu Hair Lounge, 201 E. Main St. Suite 2 in Johnson City, has been closed since late March. The business has rescheduled appointments in anticipation of opening on May 1, but owner Felicia Arreguin said she’s taking the decision day-by-day and week-by-week as the situation changes.
“We’ve been dramatically affected,” she said about impact of COVID-19 on her business. “Right now there’s been zero income for the month of April.”
She’s also foregone rent, another form of income, from the stylists who work at her establishment.
“I just didn’t feel like that was fair, and I wanted to help them out as best as I could, too,” she said.
Asked if she thought the timing of the reopening was appropriate, Arreguin said she doesn’t anticipate the novel coronavirus is something that will clear up by May 1. Arreguin added that she would be discussing plans on the appropriate time frame for reopening with her team on Tuesday.
“If they don’t feel comfortable, then I’m not going to push that, either,” she said. “We’ll continue to stay closed until we feel that it’s safe.”
Noting that the businesses technically can’t abide by the six-feet social distancing recommendations, Arreguin said it could be necessary for hair salons to have masks available for stylists and clients.
In a news release issued Monday evening, the same day that Lee announced he wouldn’t be continuing the state’s safer at home order beyond April 30, the City of Johnson City said it has extended its safer at home order through April 26.
Originally issued on March 31, the order closes non-essential businesses, requires adherence to social distancing guidelines and restricts travel. It can be extended in one-week increments.
“We are currently working on a ‘reopening plan’ that will ensure the health and safety of our residents and visitors, while gradually relaxing the requirements of the stay at home order currently in place,” City Manager Pete Peterson said in the release. “This is being developed following the national guidelines and in conjunction with health and business professionals.”
Peterson and Johnson City Mayor Jenny Brock did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
As of early Tuesday afternoon, Dr. William Block, dean of the Quillen College of Medicine, said the state hasn’t yet seen the decrease in cases outlined in a federal plan released by the Trump Administration last week, which lays out the conditions for a staged reopening of the economy.
One prerequisite was a downward trajectory in documented cases or the number of positive tests as a percentage of total tests within a 14-day period.
“I can’t predict what that’s going to look like nine days from now,” Block said. “And so I hope the governor is correct in his assertion, but his guess is maybe as good as mine.”
Having the capacity to conduct adequate rapid testing and contact tracing would also be ideal conditions to start reopening the economy, Block said.
Block said the region is close to having adequate testing capacities, but noted that if the area saw a surge in cases, it would be beyond its ability to test as rapidly as desired, possibly leading to delays in results.
Supported by the best medical evidence and not a calendar date, he also hopes local mayors and officials will be empowered to stage the reopening plan as appropriate for their area.
Block indicated the manner in which the opening is conducted is more important than the date itself. He added that Lee is balancing more than just the medical considerations in his decision making.
“We’re also very hopeful that the decision is correct,” Block said, “and ... I hope that the loudest voice being heard is that of (Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey) and her committee that is really driving the medical decisions for this.”
Even when her stores do reopen on May 1, Edwards said the boutiques will still be offering curbside pickup and will likely maintain a maximum of 10 people inside at a time.
As a small business with two storefronts, Edwards said it will be easier for the boutique to enforce proper safety guidelines than supermarkets or larger restaurants.
She doesn’t think there are many small businesses that would be able to weather a multi-month economic shutdown.
“We set ourselves up well,” Edwards said. “We saved and we’re always very prepared, but I do know that there are some different businesses around town that it could really help them stay open.”


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Over the past year, there has been heated discussion over whether the Bush administration has adequately addressed the threat of bioterrorism in regards to the nation's food supply.
Whichever side you take on that debate, it appears the food industry itself -- both on the manufacturer and the retailer side -- has been taking steps to secure its supply chain.
"The No. 1 priority for GMA members is securing the protection of their brands, which goes hand-in-hand with protecting the consumer and making sure the food products they get are safe and wholesome," said Susan Stout, vice president of federal affairs for Grocery Manufacturers of America, Washington.
"There are several fronts that retailers and manufacturers are moving on to enhance the security and safety of the food supply chain," said Peter Regen, vice president of global visible commerce for Blue Bell, Pa.-based Unisys, a systems integrator. "There is a front for protection, a front for detection, and a front for response. You see progress being made on all those fronts."
Food Marketing Institute, Washington, is involved on several such fronts. For example, FMI and its members are working with the federal government to facilitate the rapid detection of any "agents" that could be introduced into the food chain, noted Tim Hammonds, FMI's president and chief executive officer. "There's a lot of development going on with research laboratories and simulated tests to ensure that we, in the food industry, can respond quickly if a bioterror event occurs," he stated.
FMI and its members are also participating in various simulated attacks with police, fire 51and other security agencies to make sure "we have the capabilities to respond effectively before an emergency actually occurs," said Hammonds.
Last year, FMI partnered with the International Compliance Information Exchange (iCiX), Melbourne, Australia, to provide a Web site (www.icix.com) for verifying, communicating and promoting supplier compliance with myriad food safety and quality standards, including FMI's own Safe Quality Food Initiative. "This service is a first for the food industry and a must in this time of heightened concern about food safety worldwide," Hammonds said.
Austin, Texas-based Michael Angelos, a manufacturer of frozen Italian foods, is now posting all of its compliance documents to the iCiX database "so anytime a retailer wants to verify our compliance with bio-terrorism regulations, they just log in and they can see whether we have all the appropriate documents," said Anass Bennani, manager of information systems for Michael Angelos. Bennani said many major food retailers have required the company to use the service.
Recordkeeping has become more pressing for retailers and manufacturers. With the recordkeeping provision of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 now law, supermarkets and their suppliers are gearing up to implement automated systems and best practices that will enhance recordkeeping processes.
Lot code tracking, to the industry's relief, is not among the requirements for retailers. However, retailers will still be required to maintain records identifying the previous source and subsequent recipient of food -- information they already have in most cases. Companies with 500 or more employees must comply by Dec. 9.
One large grocery retailer is beta-testing an integrated data tracking and data management solution from Plano, Texas-based Retalix. "This retailer already runs our systems," said Barbara Thomas, a spokeswoman for Retalix, "They began working with us on track-and-trace in July 2003. They want to be ready in advance to capture transactional data and be able to do a 'show and tell' for the federal government" when the USDA's COOL (county of origin) legislation and FDA's [recordkeeping] bioterrorism regulation go into effect.
COOL labeling takes effect for seafood on April 4, and is slated to be applied to affected commodities like meat Sept. 30, 2006.
Scot McLeod, vice president of marketing for Atlanta-based Ross Systems, said retailers, especially those with a large store-brand program, are seriously concerned about the damage their brands could suffer due to large-scale contamination of packaged goods, be it accidental or intentional. To cost-effectively provide the brand assurance sought by retailers, private-label suppliers need, he noted, a system of record that includes bi-directional lot traceability.
Michael Angelos has been using Ross' software to track its products through its supply chain for years, said Bennani. The system is flexible enough to incorporate additional information when new regulations come along.
Without automated systems, such as the Ross software, said Bennani, "we could still be a part of a data network like iCiX, but only if we had many more people in Quality Assurance and if we killed a large number of trees each year."
Gerry Greenleaf, vice president of distribution for Hannaford Bros., Scarborough, Maine, said the chain intends "to continue to add enhancements and capabilities as regulations get clearer, and as we can build those enhancements and capabilities into our infrastructure. In essence, we are trying to make the process of accessing required information easier."
Greenleaf said Hannaford is also having recordkeeping conversations with product suppliers. "We are putting more quality-control constraints on our private-label vendors," said Greenleaf, "because these products are under our control. They carry our brand, and we have the expectation that the vendors who make those products will get the needed information to us. Of course, how they get that information to us is their challenge. "
In a study conducted by the Journal of Commerce and Unisys late last year, more than 75% of respondents said the greatest weakness in supply chain security lies within the first links of the chain -- where cargo is loaded, or en route to seaports.
Thus, many retailers and manufacturers that import products from overseas are testing diverse low- and high-tech technologies that can monitor products as they move from loading docks, through oceans and into home ports.
Many of these technologies, though initially costly and complex, have the added benefit of potentially being able to lower logistical costs substantially by giving visibility into where products are and who has access to them.
Sara Lee Coffee & Tea Foodservice, a unit of Chicago-based Sara Lee and its sister division, Sara Lee Branded Apparel, has participated in two pilots funded by a $58 million grant from the Transportation Security Administration, which has since been absorbed into the Department of Homeland Security.
Randy Koch, practice director of supply chain management for Unisys, which implemented the Sara Lee pilots, noted that the pilots, which ended last October, specifically tested the effectiveness of using new tracking processes and technologies to enhance visibility into the supply chain and create a supply chain audit trail.
For example, Unisys used handheld devices to ensure there weren't chemical or bio-agents on coffee bags loaded from a dock in Brazil onto containers. Unisys also checked the containers for "false walls" that could hide materials. To make sure containers were sealed properly, a regular seal and tamper-evident tape were used on the sides of the closed doors.
"If the door was open in transit, the tamper-resistant tape would change colors and the tampering could be immediately detected visually," said Koch.
The more high-tech route was to put an RFID tag on each container and track that container though its life cycle, using RFID readers.
After implementing four pilots to date, Koch said Unisys determined that "process integrity and training" are the most critical components of increasing security. "You need standard operating procedures for people to follow to increase security," he said.
Unisys also found that most container-tracking technologies, at this point, do not work sufficiently or are prohibitively expensive, Koch said. However, one high-tech solution that proved effective and economically viable is an RFID-sensor container security device that goes inside the container and detects door openings. "We tested 15 door-opening events, and it caught all 15," said Koch.
Getting the Word Out
Communication plays a vital role in combating threats to the food supply. To shore up its outreach network, Food Marketing Institute, Washington, has been coordinating a public/private sector partnership known as the Food and Agriculture Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) since February 2002.
"ISAC is a mechanism for us to push out to our members and to other associations like the GMA, via e-mail, information about warnings and alerts that would come to us from governmental agencies like the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] or the FBI," said Tim Hammonds, president and chief executive officer of FMI. "Associations like GMA would then push out that information to their members."
ISAC, said Hammonds, also gives FMI members and affiliated associations a forum for reporting confidential "watch and information warnings" to the DHS.
"ISAC tells retailers and other industry participants when there are suspicious activities to look for and where to report any suspicious activities they may know of."


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Bad week at the box office: Ticketmaster faces call for federal probe in the U.S.
Congressman wants attorney general to investigate, cites CBC's undercover report on secret scalper program
A congressman is calling on the U.S. attorney general to investigate possible "corruption" and "market malfeasance" at global entertainment giant Live Nation after a recent CBC/Toronto Star report exposed a secret partnership between the company's Ticketmaster division and scalpers.
Bill Pascrell, a Democrat from New Jersey, cited the revelations from the CBC reporting in a letter sent to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday.
The letter asks for the Justice Department to conduct a "thorough investigation of anti-competitive behaviour by monopolistic Ticketmaster to root out speculation and anti-consumer behaviour in the opaque ticket marketplace."
Back in July, CBC News and the Toronto Star sent a pair of reporters undercover to a ticket industry convention at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Posing as scalpers and equipped with hidden cameras, they learned first-hand how Ticketmaster's resale division recruits scalpers by pitching them on custom software called TradeDesk. The program helps scalpers resell large quantities of tickets quickly and efficiently.
The footage shows a Ticketmaster employee admitting to turning a blind eye to scalpers who use multiple accounts and other tricks to violate the company's own ticket-buying limits.
If a ticket is resold on Ticketmaster, the company collects fees a second time on the same ticket.
"This should be illegal," Pascrell told CBC News last month after viewing the footage. "The secondary market is corrupt right now and it's only going to get worse."
Watch as CBC News goes undercover to expose Ticketmaster's secret scalper program
After the report was published, the U.S. Senate's consumer protection committee demanded to know more about Ticketmaster's "professional reseller program" and TradeDesk. It gave Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino until 5 p.m. Friday to reply.
Instead, Rapino had his deputy, Jared Smith, president of the Ticketmaster division, deliver senators a four-page letter.
In the letter, Smith explained how Ticketmaster tries to stop scalpers from using ticket-buying software, blocking an average of five billion purchases by bots every month.
He also said the company's experiments with new paperless technologies including "Ticketmaster Presence" and "Verified Fan" may hold the key to stamping out speculation in the world of rapidly transferable electronic tickets.
"We do not have any tools or programs — not TradeDesk nor anything else — that would allow users to circumvent ticket purchasing limits, buy tickets in bulk, or otherwise gain an advantage over other fans," Smith said.
The CBC report never suggested TradeDesk is used to help scalpers buy tickets, only to quickly list tickets for resale on Ticketmaster and other sites, and to easily adjust the prices of those tickets.
But during the conference in Las Vegas, a Ticketmaster Resale employee did tell the undercover reporters that "damn near every one" of his clients has multiple Ticketmaster accounts to circumvent ticket-buying limits, and that he works with one scalper who has 200 accounts.
"You're not going to make a living [selling] six or eight tickets," the employee said, unaware he was being recorded.
In a subsequent statement, Ticketmaster said that even before the publication of the CBC story, it had already begun an internal review of professional reseller accounts and employee practices.
FTC announces ticket 'workshop'
On Thursday, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it will hold a public workshop in early 2019 to "shed light on the industry-wide advertising and pricing issues, and explore ways to address deception beyond traditional law enforcement."
Within hours of the announcement, Live Nation released a statement saying, "To be clear, this is an industry wide workshop — not a probe." The company said it "looks forward" to participating in the process.
Live Nation's stock also had a volatile week, closing down $2.60 per share, or 4.73 per cent.
Canadian Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains told CBC last week he has personally called the head of this country's Competition Bureau to convey his concerns and was assured the agency is examining whether Live Nation/Ticketmaster's scalper program breaks any Canadian laws.
Live Nation is also facing four potential class-action lawsuits.
The company has not responded to CBC's requests for comment on this week's developments.


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If you’ve been reading the news this past week, you most likely know about the latest red meat study. The headlines read, “Red Meat Will Kill You!” or words to that effect.
But is it true? To find out, it is important to look past the headlines and see what the study really says.
An example of the popular media reporting of this study comes from this ABC News article, “Red Meat Tied To Increased Mortality Risk.” On the surface of it, red meat comes out badly in this article.
Study co-author, Dr. Frank Hu, comes right out and says, “[The study] provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death.”
And since Dr. Hu works at Harvard and the study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, that pretty much seals the deal, wouldn’t you say?
Not so fast. Let’s look closer at this study.
The first clue that all may not be what it seems show up right in the ABC article. It’s buried in the ninth paragraph. It says, “The study could not conclude that red meat consumption caused the increased risk of death, rather that there was an association between the two.”
In other words, it is an association, not proof of cause. The other way to say this is, “Correlation is not causation.” We’ll come back to this one in a moment.
The second clue is that this isn’t an experimental study. Instead it is an observational study. In other words, they asked people to tell them what they eat. The thing to know about this type of study is that people don’t always tell the truth. They aren’t necessarily lying, but they may not recall the facts correctly. The results are subject to error. Sometimes this error is extreme.
By contrast, an experimental study tests variables to determine what may be causing one outcome or another. That’s a huge difference. This study did no such thing.
Now back to the issue of association. The study showed a definite correlation between red meat consumption and dying earlier. But what wasn’t so widely reported was that there was also a much higher correlation between eating meat and several other activities. These included:
- Lack of exercise
- Not taking multivitamins
So if Dr. Hu’s statement that meat contributes to premature death is true, then it is equally plausible to conclude that eating meat also increases the chances of someone smoking, not exercising and not taking vitamins. Of course no right-thinking person would think such a thing.
If you want to read more on this, there is a brilliant, in-depth review of this study. It is done by researcher and author, Denise Minger. She’s best known for her debunking of the China Study. Her blog is Raw Food SOS. Her review of this latest meat study is on Mark Sisson’s site, Mark’s Daily Apple. The article is called, “Will Eating Red Meat Kill You?”
All the best to you for your health and happiness,


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Devices aiming to detect cannabis-impaired drivers
Two start-ups are taking aim at safety in order to capitalize on the billion dollar cannabis industry that will become legal in Canada on Oct. 17.
Guard-Ex is a Waterloo company working on an impairment detection device that uses virtual reality goggles.
The device tracks physical indicators of impairment such as eye movement, brain activity and heart monitoring.
Another start-up, SannTek in Kitchener, is working on a breathalyzer that uses nanotechnology.
The device will focus on individual molecules detectable in breath, which company officials say will produce substantially fewer false positive results than current technology.
“It’s too early to publicly say where we’re at right now, but definitely when we release this device we’ll be above 90 per cent,” said Noah DeBrincat, CEO of SannTek.
Police services are currently slated to enter legalization using a device called the Drager DrugTest 5000.
It has been criticized for producing false negatives in drivers, likely due to cannabis’ presence in the body’s system for 28 days after use.
The window of impairment, however, is estimated at just six hours.
Both companies are hoping to capitalize on the massive industry legalizing on Oct. 17.
Researchers have estimated the Canadian government will bring in approximately $1.2 billion a year from cannabis from tax.


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A medical bandage and hosiery manufacturer has announced a £400,000 renovation of its factory.
Urgo Medical, of Shepshed, which produces more than 19 million bandages and hosiery units per year, is updating the knitting room in the plant, where the medical bandages are made.
Managing director Justin Cole said: "We're looking to bring production for six million bandage units here from overseas."
The company, which has a turnover of about £25 million, employs 150 people in the UK, with 100 based at the Shepshed factory. Eighty per cent of the workforce is female.
Urgo specialises in making different medical bandages, dressings and hoisery, supplying the products to the NHS, medical wholesalers, pharmacists and nurses.
Its products include anti-bacterial dressings, wound dressings, compression bandages for sprains and strains and a hoisery brand for healing leg ulcers.
The French family-run company is bringing out new products this summer and next February, and a further two products each year, which is expected to help increase turnover by seven per cent.
Justin said: "We have just renewed our lease for the next five years, therefore securing the future for Urgo Medical in Shepshed."
The business was founded by Parema in 1928 during Leicestershire's textile industry boom.
In 2002, it was bought by Laboratoires Urgo, the European parent company of Urgo Medical, which sells products worldwide including cough syrup, disinfectant products and dressings.
Since 2011, the company has worked with Loughborough College to provide apprenticeships for youngsters.
Nicky Morgan, the Conservative MP for Loughborough, said: "I am delighted to hear how successful Urgo Medical's business in Shepshed is and to hear about their plans for investing in new machinery.
"This is great news for local employment and our local economy and for the NHS, too."


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IF you thought the backlash against the metaverse was savage, you haven’t seen the pitchfork mobs fomenting unrest online over the sudden ascent of NFTs.
ow if that sentence means nothing to you, let’s back up a bit first.
Mark Zuckerberg has been trying to convince us since late last year that virtual worlds known collectively as the metaverse are where we’ll all socialise in the future. Few outside of Facebook believe his vision is anything but a grubby money-making exercise.
Yet it pales beside the Wild West gold rush that Non-Fungible Tokens (or NFTs) have come to represent in the digital realm. NFTs emerged because digital items such as images or bits of software can be copied ad infinitum. Unlike a real-world object such as a painting or a diamond, digital items have no scarcity and thus no value.
But the tech dudes who now seem to run our lives figured that attaching an NFT to a digital object effectively made it unique and hence something people would pay for. Using the same blockchain technology that underpins cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, the NFTs and their attached item (image/video/song/whatever) could now be bought and sold.
In theory, NFTs have their legitimate uses, such as allowing digital artists to get paid for their work and proving ownership of items composed only of bits and bytes.
But, as always in nascent technological leaps, NFTs have left the door open to hucksters and snake-oil salesmen, with video games a prominent frontier.
It’s not a new idea in the gaming sphere, with NFT-based Cryptokitties making its debut in 2017, enabling players to buy and sell cat characters via cryptocurrency Ethereum. But the bandwagon really gathered pace in mid-2021 with the sudden lockdown popularity of the Pokémon-like game Axie Infinity, where NFT-based creatures have fetched as much as €100,000 in rare cases.
Just a few months later and many big corporations have come sniffing for gold. Ubisoft, known for blockbuster series such as Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, dipped a toe in the murky waters with December’s launch of a range called Quartz. It consists of items for its Ghost Recon Breakpoint game such as one-off helmets or guns, each with a unique serial number.
The blowback from gamers was immediate and concerted, with the announcement trailer getting 40,000 dislikes.
“I think gamers don’t get what a digital secondary market can bring to them,” Ubisoft’s Nicolas Pouard said last week. “Gamers really believe it’s first destroying the planet, and second just a tool for speculation.”
Here, Pouard puts his finger on two of the critical weaknesses of NFTs. All blockchain technology requires huge computing power, and thus electricity, to keep track of the ledger, creating an environmental nightmare. Because NFTs are eminently resellable, we’ve seen rollercoaster valuations just as happened in Bitcoin-land as speculators piled in and out.
Unfortunately, you’re going to hear a lot more about NFTs in the coming months. Twitter has just added NFT avatars. US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel hyped his NFT artwork purchase on late-night TV. Atari is launching the gruesomely named GFT — an NFT of a game-themed item that you buy as a gift for someone without knowing what it is.
Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
NFTs and the digital art gold rush will probably all end in tears appeared first on maserietv.com.


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Irish engineering group Mincon said revenue and profit rose in the first quarter of the year, with strong growth in the first three months of 2018.
Revenue was up 6 per cent for the quarter, with pretax profit of 12.4 per cent up from 10.8 per cent.
Manufactured sales at the firm were up 19 per cent compared with the previous year, with third party sales down 27 per cent. Mincon product sales were 81 per cent of total revenue, up from 73 per cent in the first quarter of last year. The firm said Mincon Nordic and Australia showed particularly strong growth.
The company said an improvement to its product mix was behind the increase.
“We continue to invest in better engineering as our core proposition, delivering value, and positioning ourselves where this quality provides differentiation in the markets and with the customers we serve,” the company said in a statement. “While we continue to run key factories, machinery and our people beyond the levels of maximum efficiency, this increase in own manufactured revenue underwrites our profit uplift.”
Mincon warned it may be losing out on opportunities due to lengthening order periods caused by constraints in factories. The company has already invested €5 million in raw materials and work in progress in the second half of 2017, to mitigate price increases and to reduce stock depletions due to demand, and €2 million in inventory in the first quarter of the year.
Additional capacity and upgrades will come on-stream later in the year, which is expected to improve the product quality and cost efficiencies.
“We have, to a degree, slowed order intake as an inability to deliver is not helpful to our business or that of our customers,” the company said. “Our business has continued to grow well with the early sector recovery, though we see some caution from market commentators about certain commodities and pricing.”
The Group completed the acquisition of Driconeq ìn the first quarter of the year in an €8 million deal. The company currently makes a gross margin of 22 per cent and will represent one-fifth of Mincon’s revenue in the future. After a number of investments, the company had 18 million in cash at the end March.


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5 October 2012
SEPA, the new domestic form of payment transfer
Although SEPA did not receive regular attention until recently, SEPA transactions have been processed since 2008.
SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) – the new European payment method – was introduced in February 2008. So far, this SEPA transfer method has primarily been used as an alternative to international payments (formerly referred to as cross-border transactions). Until 2011, over 90 percent of Equens’ SCT traffic consisted of payments between banks in two different countries. This year, however, we have seen an increase in the use of SEPA payments for national transactions (formerly referred to as domestic transactions).
The explanation for this rise is the increased interest in SEPA among banks and other market players. Furthermore, a growing number of organisations have started preparations for the migration, resulting in an increase in the number of transactions. We have noticed that the terms ‘domestic’ and ‘cross-border’ are still widely used in the market, for example during operational meetings with banks. Furthermore, many banks use different systems and strategies for processing the two payment flows. This is striking, since SEPA is specifically intended to make cross-border payments redundant!
As from February 1, 2014, a payment between banks in two different SEPA countries will be processed in the same manner and in accordance with the same EPC deadlines. Therefore SEPA will be the new domestic and the new cross-border form of payment transfer. This is the exact purpose of SEPA: integrating international payments to bring us one step closer to a Single Euro Payments Market. The above examples show that the preparations for SEPA are well underway, but the ultimate goal is not yet in sight.
From a technical point of view, the preparations are going well, since by now most stakeholders are aware that systems and processes need to be modified in time. The next step is to generate and increase awareness within banks, organisations and market parties that the payments market is about to change. All parties involved need to know that in sixteen months’ time, payments – for services and goods – will no longer be subject to borders in Europe.
This article was also published on Dialogue online.


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Market researcher: Li-ion battery price stays too high for mass adoption of electric vehicles
April 02, 2012 // Christoph Hammerschmidt
Early demand for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles has fallen short of optimistic projections, as vehicles like the Chevy Volt have missed sales targets. The key to growing the market is reducing the cost of Li-ion batteries, according to a Lux Research report.
While larger-scale production will help reduce costs, the effect of scale-up and likely technology improvements bring nominal battery pack cost only to $397/kWh in 2020 – far short of the $150/kWh target from the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) and not enough to reach the mass market, the market researchers reckoned.
“Vehicle applications demand a different scale in both size and performance, and no other incumbent technology combines the power and energy performance of Li-ion batteries,” said Kevin See, Lux Research Analyst and the lead author of the report titled, “Searching for Innovations to Cut Li-ion Battery Costs. Plug-in vehicles' fates are tied to the cost of Li-ion batteries, so developers need to focus on the innovations that have biggest impact on cost."
To see what technologies can impact Li-ion battery cost, Lux Research studied the cost structure of Li-ion batteries, and considered the innovations that could drive disruptive decreases in cost necessary to spur growth of the electric vehicle market. Among their conclusions:
- Materials improvement and scale are insufficient to cut costs. While scale does have a significant impact in driving costs down, it is not likely to lead to a disruptive drop in battery pack costs unless coupled with other innovations.
- Cathodes remain the biggest target. Cathode capacity and voltage improvement hold much more value than anode innovation. In the optimal case, with a maximum voltage increase of 1V and capacity increase of 200 mAh/g, the nominal pack cost dropped 20%.
- Beyond Li-ion remains a focus. Technologies such as Li-air, Mg-ion, Li-S and solid-state batteries push past the limitations of Li-ion batteries and achieve higher energy densities and specific energies. Each technology has its supporters – PolyPlus and IBM for Li-air, Toyota for Mg-ion, Sion Power and BASF for Li-S and Sakti3 for solid state batteries — but all face significant obstacles. A clear leading contender that can meet strict requirements on cycle life, power performance, and manufacturability has yet to emerge.
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At least one of the DoorDash users who claims she is among the nearly 5 million people affected by a massive data theft wants to take a bite out of the food delivery giant. On Friday, a Queens woman filed a class action lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court against the Silicon Valley company regarding the…
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According to the recent numbers released, Huawei has managed to hold its position of being the world’s second largest smartphone brand behind Samsung and ahead of Apple despite the stern constraints being put on by the United States. The smartphone market witnessed a decline overall but Huawei was among the only companies to stand on the positive side. What makes the growth all the more astonishing is the fact that Huawei is in severe trouble as its business with American tech companies has been disrupted severely.
As per the numbers by Strategy Analytics, the smartphone market showed signs of stability despite a decline of 2.6 per cent. Samsung stands as the number one name with 22 per cent of the market share followed by Huawei with 17 per cent of the total market share and Apple completing the top three with 11 per cent sharing. Samsung saw a 7 per cent rise in the number of smartphone sales as its mid range entrants managed to woo the customers. Huawei experienced growth mainly owing to its showing in China itself. In other regions like North America and West Europe, Huawei did experience a sluggish push to its sales. The analysis also revealed that Apple experienced a drop of 8 per cent in the number of iPhone sales during the past quarter. Xiaomi and Oppo followed in at the fourth and fifth spot, reportedly due their strong presence in their respective local markets. This is for the first time that Chinese makers including Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, and Vivo will hold 42 per cent of the market share, a major concern for the American phone makers.
Talking of Huawei’s growth, after months of uncertainty and a series of yes and no, Huawei is finally expected to release smartphones with its very own Hongmeng OS.


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Recycling works because it's economically feasible. Someone makes money re-using your papers and packaging. To ensure recycling is also environmentally sound, consumers need to put the right things, in the right way, in the bin. Some of the no-no's may be surprising. To avoid mistakes, it helps to know what happens after you bring your recycling to the curb.
Many people fill their oversized recycling containers to the top. To keep that hefty volume of stuff out of the landfill feels virtuous. But without a bit of knowledge, good intentions may backfire.
Lane County began co-mingled recycling, that is, collecting everything but glass in one bin, in 2004. Sarah Grimm is Lane County's Waste Reduction Specialist:
Grimm: “The move to go with curbside co-mingling recycling was a really great move in terms of making it easier for the public and reducing truck idle time on the streets, which is pollution, and injury on the part of the drivers.”
With those advantages came an increased risk of the wrong materials being placed in the stream. Sarah Grimm:
Grimm: "Because it's a container with a top, people have a lot more opportunity to do wishful recycling, which I promise you does not work."
At Sanipac's recycling center, the loads dumped from residential pickup mostly contain allowable material, but there are problems. Aaron Donley is a sales manager:
Donley: "There’s still a variety of contamination issues, a big one is these plastic clamshells which a lot of fruit or sandwiches, stuff like that comes in. This is not allowed in the co-mingled stream."
The chasing arrows symbol with numbers inside was introduced 25 years ago to identify different types of plastic. Since then, there are new ways to reshape and reform plastics and change their chemistry. So now, a clamshell with a "2" on it cannot be re-processed in the same way as a milk jug, which is also stamped with a "2." Jugs, tubs, and bottles are the only plastics accepted by most curbside recyclers. Sarah Grimm:
Grimm: "You know the citizen, hopefully, can just understand that each little different type of plastic, even each different shape of plastic with the same number on it, probably needs to go to a different facility."
Most of Sanipac's recycling is trucked north to the Columbia Recycling Center in Vancouver, Washington. There, miles and miles of mechanical separators bounce and roll, sorting the recycling by shape and size. Chris Thomas is the District Manager:
Thomas: "Pop cans, aluminum cans, beverage containers, the system is designed to take them out because of their original shape. So any change in shape causes problems. Even wadding a piece of paper up and throwing it in your recycling bin by your desk causes problems, 'cause now that paper acts more like a container than paper."
Thomas says machines will treat anything flat as paper. So flattened milk cartons could be baled with paper and cause issues at the paper mill. Also, anything nested inside a different material may be sent to the wrong re-use facility. Bottom line: Leave things separated and in their original shape.
Non-recyclable items like bubble wrap and pizza boxes with grease embedded not only wind up as garbage, but also add hours of work for manual pickers. Aaron Donley highlights one special nuisance on the sorting line:
Donley: "A lot of people think plastic film or plastic bags are part of the commingled stream."
Chris Thomas in Vancouver says, even though Portland, Corvallis and Eugene have banned plastic bags, he has not noticed a decrease in bags gumming up their machinery:
Thomas: "We still have to stop our machine. It's getting easier to clean, but we still have to stop it 4-6 times a day to cut the plastic bags that have wrapped around our screens."
For the past few years, scrap has been the United State’s biggest export to China. Since February, China has stiffened its standards on receiving U.S. recyclables. Because there are few domestic markets for rigid plastics numbered 3 to 7, most of those are currently being dumped in the landfill. That includes garden store pots and coffee cup lids. Still, there are local repurposers of steel and paper and, says Chris Thomas, some plastic:
Thomas: "There's a new PET processing plant that takes most of the water bottles and plastic beer and soda bottles from around Oregon. It's up in St. Helens OR. We send the majority of our PET plastic over there."
Thomas says the St. Helens facility breaks up, washes and sorts the P-E-T. It’s then sold in chip or pellet form to be made into usable products. Grimm wants consumers to know it will take time to establish more U.S. plastics processors.
The number of items not allowed in the recycling bin may be discouraging, but there are plenty of ways to make a difference. Choose to buy things with less packaging. Look for other ways to recycle. And follow your local recycler’s rules—it will help, even if your bin isn’t quite as full.


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The late 1970s were a time of bold — and regrettable — fashion choices.
In the world of sports, no fashion choice was as bold as the Canucks’ Flying V jerseys, which the NHL franchise debuted in 1978.
After years of mediocrity on the ice, the team decided to change its look, scrapping its blue-and-green jerseys in favour of a brash black-red-and-gold colour scheme.
At the time, designer Bill Boyd gave a series of pseudo-scientific reasons for the team’s new colour palette.
“Colours are read by rods and cones in the eyes and the input travels along different sets of nerves,” he told columnist Jim Taylor.
“With the Canuck uniforms, we are going from the coolest of colours, blue-green, to the hottest, red-orange. The cool colour is passive, the hot one aggressive. Plus the black. It’s the contrast of colours that creates emotion. White produces no response at all, so we went with yellow, which is warm, pleasant, happy. What we are attempting to create is an atmosphere that will help create the happy, upbeat, aggressive player.”
WATCH: The infamous Canucks streakers
The jerseys featured a large V across the front of the jersey. The sleeves were adorned with the team’s skate logo, which were later featured on the front of the team’s jerseys. In its time, the logo was considered anything but fashionable, with critics often joking that it looked like a plate of spaghetti.
Former Canuck Jack McIlhargey said the new look raised a few eyebrows in the locker room.
“I remember one of the guys said, ‘Well, last year we played like clowns, now they’re dressing us like them,'” he said.
“The V uniform was supposed to set a new trend, it was designed by a company out of California,” former Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths said.
“The V was powerful, it was Vancouver.”
But not everyone realized the giant V across the front of the jersey was supposed to stand for Vancouver.
Goaltender Richard Brodeur says when he walked into the Canucks dressing room for the first time, he thought the V uniforms had to belong to another team.
“Holy crap, what is this?” he said. “I said, ‘This has to be a junior team.’ I walked out.”
Former players note that there are plenty of positive memories associated with the jerseys. The team wore the Flying Vs during its run to the 1982 Stanley Cup finals.
“Nobody complained about that jersey that year in ’82,” Brodeur said. “Everybody thought it was pretty good. Everybody loved them. You win, you look good. You lose, you look pretty bad.”
Decades after being put out to pasture, some wonder if the V jerseys have enough retro charm to appeal to a new generation.
McIlhargey is skeptical, noting that when his daughters have jersey day at school, they wear a Canucks blue-and-white jersey over their dad’s Flying V.
Former Canuck Darcy Rota thinks the time may be right for a return to the V, saying the team should consider bringing the jerseys back from time to time.
“Many people like it, many people don’t,” he said. “I think it should come back one day a year. Maybe Halloween. That would be nice.”
— With files from Squire Barnes


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The Huawei Mate 30 Pro promises to push the envelope of smartphone photography
Huawei appears to be the company single-handedly pushing the development of smartphone camera performance, at least in the hardware segment. Starting with last year's P20 Pro, Huawei's flagships have progressively featured class-leading camera hardware and that trend looks set to continue with the Mate 30 Pro.
According to a new report, the Mate 30 will feature two 40 MP sensors. The main shooter will be the same game-changing 40 MP RYYB sensor that debuted on the P30 Pro. The ultra-wide-angle camera is the more interesting one, as it's said to also be a 40 MP 1/1.7" sensor.
Ultra-wide-angle shooters are generally much worse than the main cameras but, if this rumor turns out to be accurate, the Mate 30 Pro could have an ultra-wide-angle shooter that outperforms the main sensor on most other flagships.
Both shooters are expected to have a new Cine Lens feature for video recording. Huawei phones have received flak for sub-par video recording and we could finally see improvement in that department.
The telephoto lens is expected to be an 8 MP sensor capable of taking 5X optical zoom shoots, just like the P30 Pro.


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Teen clothing retailer Aeropostale Inc. said Thursday that its net income rose 43% as revenue grew and online sales surged.
Net income in the three months to May 1 climbed to $45.4 million, or 48 cents per share, from $31.7 million, or 31 cents per share, in the year-ago period.
Revenue rose 14% to $463.6 million from $408 million.
The results beat the expectation of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, who were looking for 46 cents per share of earnings. Revenue matched expectations.
Stores in existence for a year or more experienced a sales increase of 8%, up from 11% growth in the same quarter a year ago. Net sales from the online business grew 42% to $23.8 million from $16.7 million a year ago.
The company said it expects second-quarter earnings of 45 cents per share to 48 cents per share. That is roughly in line with the 47 cents forecast by analysts.
Aeropostale's shares rose 44 cents to $27.85 in after-hours trading, after closing down 40 cents, or 1.4%, at $27.29 in the regular session Thursday.


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Facebook has yet again made updates that will have an effect on what type of content users see as a part of their Facebook experience. This time, updates include three new changes to the News Feed algorithm.
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More and more content is being created and shared everyday. On average, there are 1,500 stories that could appear in one person’s Facebook News Feed, increasing competition for stories to gain exposure. Ultimately, Facebook’s new update to reduce the overlay of promotional Page posts in News Feed means that brands that post promotional content without paying for it will see a significant decrease in organic reach.
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See a change in your News Feed? Starting this year, Facebook tightened its rules regarding promotional posts after an “on-going survey” with users reporting that they “wanted to see more stories from friends and Pages they care about, and less promotional posts.”
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Leaked BlackBerry Mercury screenshot seems to confirm Android Nougat and a 1620 x 1080 pixel resolution
According to previous reports, the BlackBerry Mercury should feature a full QWERTY keyboard, in addition to a touchscreen display of around 4.5 inches.
As you can see above, it appears that the BlackBerry Mercury doesn't have on-screen buttons, which likely means it comes with hardware navigation keys. Leaked images allegedly revealing the BlackBerry Mercury do indeed show hardware navigation buttons just below the phone's display, above the QWERTY keyboard.
Possibly powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, the Mercury should further feature 3 GB of RAM, a fingerprint scanner embedded into the space bar, 32 GB of internal memory, and a (hopefully long-lasting) 3400 mAh battery.
It's said that the BlackBerry Mercury will be released in the US via Verizon, though we're also expecting the phone to be sold unlocked - just like all other Android-based BlackBerries launched until now. Min you, "Mercury" could be just a codename, so the device may have a different name once it hits shelves.
source: Roland Quandt (Twitter)


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Ford's 2013 Fusion Is a Game Changer
It's been a long time since any analyst could seriously say a Ford vehicle could compete with one of rivals Toyota or Honda in terms of quality and value. That's what makes the Fusion a welcome addition to the world in 2013 - finally there's a domestic vehicle that can compete. It's clear by looking at the numbers that the Fusion is taking market share away from Toyota's Camry; that's great news as long as it continues to deliver on quality and value. Let's take a look at what critics have to say, how it's selling, and what it means for Ford as an investment.
The Fusion beat out five other models from Toyota, Mazda, and Dodge to take home this year's "Green Car of the Year" award from the Los Angeles Auto Show. Kelley Blue Book called this year's Fusion the "Best Redesigned Vehicle" of the year, noting that its style hints from Ford's previously owned Aston-Martin brand is refreshing in a typically bland segment. U.S. News & World Report crowned the Fusion with the 2013 "Best Cars for Families" award and it has won the best mid-size car category for three straight years. In addition, U.S. News dubbed Ford's ride the "Best Car for the Money" giving it credibility to compete on terms of value - a welcome change for Ford buyers.
Toyota's Camry has long dominated the segment but Ford's Fusion is clearly taking market share away recently. To get a better idea of how the gap has been closed, look at the graph below:
While Toyota seemingly bounced back last year, the story isn't the same five months into 2013. The Camry still has sold more vehicles but is down 6.8% in sales compared to last year. Meanwhile, the Fusion is up 25.4% compared to last year - closing the gap even further.
Why it's important
If you're a Ford investor, or potentially one, you already know that the most important segment is full-size trucks because it brings home the profits. That said, the Fusion is part of what Ford calls the "super segment", a combination of the subcompact, compact, midsize sedan, and small utility segments. Consider that those segments accounted for 35% of vehicle sales in 2004 but now represent more than half. Looking toward the future trends, where consumers are anticipated to continue to downsize vehicles, Ford expects market growth to surge in this "super segment". Ford is focusing its efforts there with newly designed or refreshed models and the result should improve the company's top-line revenue and sales figures.
I think the 2013 is a game changer, and not just because it has the potential to capture the Camry's leading position, but because it represents the change Ford has made as a company. Ford recognized it would no longer be a profitable company that warranted our investing dollars with the vehicles it produced 10 years ago. Since then, its efforts have created a lean operation to improve profitability and is now producing vehicles that can compete with its Japanese rivals. The Fusion represents those two points exactly. Ford announced that its Fusion production plants are running at 114% capacity, and that it plans to add more capacity as soon as this summer. When that happens, look for the Fusion to bring home even higher sales numbers - much to the delight of Ford investors.
The best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. The Motley Fool's free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich" names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of. Click here now to keep reading.
The article Ford's 2013 Fusion Is a Game Changer originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Daniel Miller owns shares of Ford. The Motley Fool recommends Ford. The Motley Fool owns shares of Ford. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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It’s true we’ve experienced significant growth this past year – having recently closed a series A funding round and picking up a significant amount of global clients across retail, CPG, manufacturing and financial services industries. We are pleased to have been named Plug and Play’s “Hottest Company” for August 2015!
“This recognition underscores our ability to grow and provide unique services to companies in a variety of industries,” said Rich Wagner, CEO, Prevedére. “We’ve graduated into the retail industry and have picked up a lot of new clients. Plug and Play has been great from a channel, investment and networking perspective and we look forward to continuing to take advantage of this partnership.”
Plug and Play Tech Center is a business accelerator that specializes in growing tech startups. Every month, Plug and Play recognizes a new start up for its ability to grow, remain competitive and provide unique products or services.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Plug and Play’s global network includes 300+ tech startups, 180+ investors and a community of leading universities and corporate partners.


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Late last week, HBO finally axed the HBO channel via Apple TV Channels. As it stands now, any HBO subscribers who previously accessed the service via Apple TV Channels now have no access to any HBO content. Naturally, some existing HBO subscribers are a bit miffed.
The good news, though, is that Apple is taking measures to placate HBO subscribers in the form of refunds and discounts on an HBO Max subscription.
Today's Top Deal
The post Apple is offering HBO Max discounts to certain customers appeared first on BGR.
Today's Top Deals
- Amazon shoppers rave about this 22-in-1 screwdriver set that’s down to $18 today
- Brilliant $30 Amazon find expands a power outlet without an ugly power strip
- Amazon’s massive Kasa smart home sale has deeper discounts than Prime Day
- Today’s top deals: $50 soundbar, Alexa in your car for $20, $90 Ring Doorbell 2, $230 touchscreen laptop, $6 smart bulbs, more
Trending Right Now:
- Maps gets a great new feature in iOS 15 that Apple never announced
- Forgotten action thriller with three Marvel stars hits Netflix next week
- This stimulus program gets you up to $25,000, but no one seems to know about it


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Entries in 'jade raymond' (7)
Motive Studios and Visceral Games GM Jade Raymond has assured fans that work continues on EA’s mystery Star Wars game.
Former Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond joined EA for a very good reason.
Sports, shooting, mobile – EA is at the top of its game in many genres, but the open-world action genre is one in which it admits it falls short.
Former Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond has joined EA to open a new studio.
Jade Raymond, founder of Ubisoft Toronto and producer of its Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and Splinter Cell games, among others, has left the company.
Games that treat players like idiots are Jade Raymond’s biggest bugbear, the Ubisoft developer has said.
Rising development costs will eventually stifle innovation in games, says the head of Ubisoft Toronto.


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The Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price is outpacing the benchmark today.
Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank stock closed yesterday trading for $21.39. In morning trade on Tuesday, shares are swapping hands for $2.40, up 0.1%.
For some context, the ASX 200 is down 0.7% at this same time.
This outperformance comes despite overnight disruptions to the big four bank's online banking services, impacting thousands of Westpac customers.
With Aussie banks increasingly pushing their customers online and away from physical branches, cash payments were not an option for many affected customers.
Here's the latest.
Westpac share price resilient in wake of service disruptions
Customers impacted by the banking outage reported issues like being stranded at the servo after being unable to pay for their petrol. Others complained they couldn't even report the issue to the bank, as they could not log into the required app to make contact.
However, as of early this morning, the service outage was reportedly resolved, likely minimising any negative impact to the Westpac share price.
Westpac reported that the disruptions to its mobile and online banking services were restored around 5am.
The bank said it recognised the outage caused disruptions for its customers and apologised for the incident.
"We know how important it is to have 24/7 access to online banking," Westpac stated.
According to the bank, the online and mobile disruptions were caused by a routine technology update around 9pm last night. This meant customers were unable to view or access their Westpac accounts online.
Management noted that Westpac's technicians had identified the problem "and worked through the night to fix it".
The bank added that payments via cards and digital wallets, scheduled payments and ATMs were not affected by the outage.
Customers with specific concerns resulting from the online service disruption were encouraged to contact the bank for assistance.
The Westpac share price is down 6% year to date.


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As its workers in Bessemer, Alabama, seek to unionize, Amazon keeps touting its $15 an hour pay—more than double the federal minimum wage, which applies in Alabama. But it turns out that’s not such a great thing to brag about in that area.
“The most recent figure for the median wage in greater Birmingham, a metropolitan area of roughly one million people that includes Bessemer, was nearly $3 above Amazon’s pay there, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” The New York Times reports. Jennifer Bates, an Amazon worker who earned more in a previous job, pointed to Amazon’s support for a $15 federal minimum wage, saying: “It looks to me like Amazon is admitting it’s only paying a minimum wage, and this is not a minimum-wage job.”
But “high” pay isn’t the only way Amazon tries to keep unions out. The company has a history of surveilling, threatening, and retaliating against worker activists.
● UNITE HERE is pressing Massachusetts hotels to commit to rehiring furloughed workers as business comes back:
Esther Montanez, a housekeeper at the Hilton Boston Back Bay, said she hasn’t heard anything about getting rehired. Montanez and her union coworkers have been pressing the hotel to commit to rehiring people once there’s enough work, including trying to present managers with a petition earlier this week, but they refused to meet with the workers, she said. Montanez, a 31-year-old single mother of a 5-year-old, has been getting by on unemployment but no longer has health insurance.
● Two paths to reining in gig companies are going head-to-head in Connecticut, writes Edward Ongweso Jr.
● Dispatch from Alabama: The biggest Amazon union drive yet, reports Luiz Feliz Leon.
● The Teamsters hint at a combative national project to organize Amazon, Hamilton Nolan reports.
● Two alternative takes on Markos’ recent critique of the PRO Act: Three reasons why the PRO Act won’t destroy freelancing or the gig economy, by the Economic Policy Institute’s Eve Tahmincioglu, and The PRO Act and the ABC Test, from the Authors Guild.
● Erik Loomis: How COVID ripped off the neoliberal band-aid.


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Author Archives: Katie Milligan
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (July 28, 2014) – Start Co. announced today that The Honorable Edward B. Montgomery, former White House Chief Economist and current dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, will be the keynote speaker at the Summer of Acceleration Demo Day Aug. 21.
Demo Day is the culmination of a nationally recognized intensive 14-week startup training and mentoring program created for entrepreneurs with innovative startup ideas in the information technology (Seed Hatchery), logistics innovation (Sparkgap), women-led technology (Upstart) and social enterprise (Sky High) industries. Montgomery’s keynote will focus on the community impact of high-growth entrepreneurship and how this is especially key for communities such as Memphis.
“Economic growth and revitalization in today’s fast moving economy requires the deliberate and systematic development and nurturing of an entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Montgomery. “Public private partnerships can play an important role in fostering and supporting startup companies from their earliest stages through to maturity.”
Montgomery is widely recognized as an authority on economic development, labor law and policy. He has had a long career in academia at institutions such as the University of Maryland, Michigan State University, Harvard University and Stanford University. Montgomery was also tasked by President Obama to act as the executive director of the White House council for auto communities and workers. He is also a prior chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor. Montgomery’s public policy expertise is frequently sought after and has also been featured in major media outlets such as C-SPAN, Politico and Bloomberg BNA’s Daily Labor Report.
“The Honorable Edward B. Montgomery is one of the most respected voices on economic development in the world today,” said Andre Fowlkes, Start Co. president. “We’re thrilled that he’ll be sharing his insights on the importance of entrepreneurs and the startup culture in building communities for the future and how communities like Memphis can apply accelerator methods across established social, government and business sectors.”
Demo day will host investors, industry executives and the community at large at this year’s Demo Day, where 16 startup teams will showcase their companies. To register or learn more about Demo Day, please visit neverstop.co/demoday.
About Start Co.
Start Co. is a nationally recognized nonprofit 501(c)(3) Memphis-based venture development organization that relentlessly builds founders and companies, promoting entrepreneurship for everyone with a focus on digital startups. Start Co. is a member of theGlobal Accelerator Networkand is currently working withJumpStart, Inc.to advance Memphis’ economic growth through entrepreneurship. The organization is supported by partners includingarcher>malmo,Baker Donelson,The Marston Group, Orion Federal Credit Union,andMosaik Solutions. More information can be found atneverstop.co.
(Chattanooga Times Free Press) In Tennessee, we currently have six accelerators across the state that are nearing the end of their industry-specific summer cohort programs: GigTank in Chattanooga, Jumpstart Foundry in Nashville, ZeroTo510 and the Start Co. programs in Memphis, autoXLR8R in Spring Hill and MediaWorks in Knoxville.
All of these programs began in May and will end with demo days later this month or in August. GigTank wraps up with demo day on Tuesday, July 29 at Girls Preparatory School. GigTank is the world’s only accelerator with access to a gigabit-speed Internet and focuses on companies in areas of 3D printing/additive manufacturing, healthcare technology and smart grid development.
View the full article at Chattanooga Times Free Press
(Memphis Daily News) Education reform has been alive and well here in Memphis over the last few years. There have been many great initiatives established to secure dollars and establish programming to move our youth forward. As always, I am thinking of scale, sustainability and innovation to stay relevant.
Teach for America is one effort that has been growing strong since it landed in Memphis in 2006, especially given our struggles with only 4 percent of high school students graduating college ready and 26 percent holding a bachelor’s degree in the metro area, according to Teach for America. Its mission is valiant, “growing the movement of leaders who work to ensure that kids growing up in poverty get an excellent education.”
It has been interesting to see how entrepreneurship is taking root as a means to further Teach for America’s mission. Let’s face it, TFA is a startup. A startup that began in 1989, but nonetheless its model is original, innovative and scalable. It’s no wonder that entrepreneurs are spawning out of its corps, and we are seeing that right here in Memphis in terms of advancing education.
View the full article at The Daily News
(Memphis Daily News) “I Choose Memphis” spotlights Memphians who are passionate about calling this community home. New Memphis Institute provides the profiles.
Job title and company: Community Manager, Start Co.
Length of time living in Memphis: 5 years
Life history: I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and moved to Memphis to attend Rhodes College, where I studied international studies and political science. Memphis was supposed to be a temporary stepping stone, but the more I got to know it, the more I realized I couldn’t bring myself to leave! I was hooked and wanted to invest in the city I had come to love, so I joined the team at Start Co. – a globally recognized organization that builds startup founders for the digital economy in Memphis. I now consider myself a proud Memphian.
First memory of Memphis? Other than a brief tour of the Rhodes campus, I hadn’t seen the city itself until I arrived for my college orientation … just in time for Elvis Week. Imagine my surprise upon seeing flocks of Elvis impersonators flooding the streets of my new city.
What is your favorite local festival? BBQ Fest. There is a reason people come from all over the world for this. From the multistory tents along the river to the slow-cooked pork, chicken, alligator and anything in between, it’s hard not to be impressed by BBQ Fest.
Read the full article at The Daily News
(The Tennessean) In my last column, I wrote about the progress that Tennessee’s network of accelerators has made since 2012 and the new “Accelerator 2.0” structure.
Six accelerators across the state are in the middle of industry-specific summer cohort programs: Jumpstart Foundry in Nashville, ZeroTo510 and the Start Co. programs in Memphis, autoXLR8R in Spring Hill, MediaWorks in Knoxville and GIGTANK in Chattanooga.
All of these programs began in May and will end with demo days later this month or in August. Nashville’s Jumpstart Foundry is the oldest of the programs — this is its fifth cohort — and it also recently received national recognition as one of the best accelerators in the country from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and TechCrunch. Over the past five years, 30 companies have graduated from Jumpstart Foundry, and 65 percent of those are still in business. Most have gone on to raise substantial amounts of outside capital.
View the full article at The Tennessean
Silicon Valley is a sort of Mecca for startups.
Facebook, Google, Apple: It’s enough to make a budding techie salivate.
But Silicon Valley should watch out for “Bluff Valley:” Memphis was named one of the top ten places for startups by a recent NerdWallet study.
“We have one team from Silicon Valley, we have two teams from New York,” said e-publisher Screwpulp CEO Richard Billings, “One of the great things about Memphis is it doesn’t cost as much to start up. Just the cost of living, the cost of office space, the taxes, everything is 4.8-percent lower than the national average.”
Screwpulp was just a pitch in 2012 at a Start Co. event, 48 Hour Launch; two years later, it has a staff of five and growing, office space downtown, and a growing user base.
View the full article at My Fox Memphis
America’s startup scene is getting bigger by the day. Hundreds of incubators and accelerators are helping businesses around the country, with many of the biggest programs centered in New York or the San Francisco Bay Area. But that doesn’t mean you have to go to the coasts to get your business started. Plus, taking your business to a smaller city means a cheaper cost of living for you and your team and cities on the up-and-up often offer tax incentives for new businesses as well.
What’s the difference between incubators and accelerators? Generally speaking, incubators work with just-formed companies and accelerators work with existing businesses, offering mentorship, training, professional services and capital funding in exchange for equity. The programs are competitive and can last anywhere from a few months to more than a year. (This list excludes accelerator-esque programs that are membership-based campuses, such as 1776 in DC. You can find more incubators and accelerators around the U.S. and around the world on F6S.com and atGan.co.)
Here’s a list of 26 accelerators and incubators outside of NYC or San Francisco organized by region with cost-of-living information from Forbes’ Best Places for Business and Careers so you can find the place that’s right for your company. For comparison, the cost of living is 54.3 percent above the national average in San Francisco and 29.8 percent above the national average in New York City. The average home price is $742,500 in San Francisco and $442,600 in New York.
View the full article at Consumer Electronics Association
(WMC) – Did you know that Memphis could be one of the best places to start up a business? According to CNN Money, it ranks as one of the top 10 cities in the country.
Start Co. is a company, located in Downtown Memphis, that makes it their job to help get new businesses off the ground. This summer, it is taking on 18 teams and preparing them for a demo day that could end with investors for entrepreneurs with good ideas.
Maggie Owsley is not from Memphis, and she never thought she would end up here until she started her own company called Play-tag.
“Play-tag is a wearable device for dogs,” said Owsley. “It’s a dog tag that goes on your dog’s existing collar, and it communicates with your mobile app.”
Read the rest of the article at Action 5 News
Next week, a venture called MadeIn is launching a new shopping platform in Memphis to connect people to a website where they can buy and sell local goods.
The venture is a digital platform that will act as a kind of local version of Amazon, and MadeIn creator Jennifer Sadler said her startup also will sell curated gift boxes that include an assortment of local products.
Sadler has been working with Start Co. over the summer to launch MadeIn, which she hopes raises awareness of the many sides of Memphis that get obscured in the shadow of things such as Elvis and barbecue. And to help get the word out about the platform, MadeIn is throwing a party.
Continue Reading at The Daily News
Memphians know that blues and barbecue aren’t the only things made in Memphis. Now, the startup online marketplace MadeIn brings locally made products to visitors and natives alike.
The website’s platform offers a selection of items for individual sale and curated boxes. Founder and CEO Jennifer Sadler got her start with making City Boxes, a package that sampled the best art, food, music, and gifts that Memphis had to offer. Transitioning to an online gallery was done with the help of Start Co., a development organization for Memphis startups.
View the full article at Memphis Business Journal


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Survey says: What’s most important to today’s digital banking customers?
Do you remember the last time you talked to a bank teller or your bank’s customer service? It turns out about half of us don’t want to remember. A recent Glassbox survey reveals that about half of American consumers prefer frictionless digital banking experiences over human interaction. This is one of the key findings in an increasingly digital and hybrid banking landscape.
To learn more about customer preferences in digital banking security, features, loyalty incentives and related topics, our survey polled 2,000 consumers in the United States and United Kingdom.
How does digital banking compare to in-person experiences for today’s consumer?
- Digital banking rules: People of all ages prefer digital banking over in-person. Almost 80% want to manage some or all their finances digitally, and more than half use digital banking once a week or more.
- Security is a top priority: 40% of respondents reported that online safety is the most important element of digital banking.
- Frictionless platforms are key and drive customer loyalty: 35% said online banking that is easy to navigate and smooth are why they remain with their bank. But…
- Technical issues are a deal-breaker: 32% reported that they are more likely to change banks if they encountered technical issues when banking online.
- Region and age affect mobile banking;
- 26% of U.S. consumers bank on both mobile and desktop, but more than half of U.K. respondents will choose mobile banking over desktop.
- Almost half of Millennials and Gen Z rely on desktop for their digital banking needs, breaking the stereotype that tech-savvy generations automatically turn to apps.
Digital banking takeaways for financial institutions
- Customers don’t want to talk to people when they are banking online or in apps. Invest in technology and UX features to quickly gather, assess and respond to issues as they arise.
- With ample banking options available to consumers, if your digital banking experience isn’t smooth and seamless, it will affect customer loyalty—and your bottom line.
- Consumers want to know that there are strong levels of digital security and banks should take all precautions necessary to proactively find and respond to the latest security and data privacy threats.
- Banks need to adapt and transform their digital presence to keep up with consumers’ ever-changing online needs and to be aware of region-specific and demographic preferences.
With the growing importance of digital banking experiences, it’s imperative that banks gain a deep understanding of their customers’ digital behaviors and can rapidly prioritize enhancements to optimize that experience. Digital experience analytics platforms like Glassbox can play a key role in delivering against new digital expectations.
Want to learn more about what’s important to today’s digital banking consumers? Download our eBook, 5 Digital Journeys Every Retail Bank Should Optimize.


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A pillar of Trump's campaign is to get out of NAFTA and kill TPP as well as slap on huge tariffs for imported goods. Economists think that well make things more expensive in America and Kill American Jobs.
President Reagan attempted a similar anti-laissez-faire program:
Large tariffs would mean that Americans would pay more. When President Ronald Reagan put a quota on the number of cars Japan could ship to the United States, American car makers hiked prices by $1,000 on average, knowing they would face less foreign competition.
Do you agree?
It's a little difficult to understand how increasing prices on imports will kill American jobs. The idea is that it will promote American jobs as it will now be cheaper to make products with American labor than pay the tariff and that does seem reasonable.
One could argue that it will cost American jobs because no one has the money to spend on American products (having given it to government in the form of tariffs), but isn't the obvious solution to reduce taxes by that same amount, leaving Government with the same "income" and the people with the same "spending money"? Or do you expect liberals to gobble up the extra "taxes" in entitlements to further lock the citizen to government charity?
I do think the tariffs are fraught with danger and that they could result in considerable harm. The question is would they cause more harm than continued exodus of jobs, and that one is impossible to predict without seeing that actual taxes being proposed.
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Right now it looks like Putin/Trump are in agreement about the hacking. Can this issue be addressed without being partisan? Is the future of US democracy at stake? What are Trump's advisors telling him?
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What do you think Trump's legacy as president will be?Every president tries to leave a legacy - what legacy will Trump leave? Good or bad?
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