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The lead developer of Monero has unveiled a new second-layer protocol that will allow users to create and trade digital assets on top of the privacy-centric cryptocurrency’s network. The open-source project, called Tari, will make it possible to program and issue non-fungible assets like loyalty points, in-game items, and concert tickets over the blockchain. The … ContinuedCCN
05/23/2018 / 16:52:52
Monero dev Riccardo Spagni and entrepreneurs Naveen Jain and Dan Teree are launching a new digital asset protocol on the privacy token's network.
05/23/2018 / 06:59:26
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The short-term rental market, valued at over $100 billion, has transformed global tourism, accelerated the nationwide housing crisis, and created fortunes for early adopters. But now, customers, governments, the public, and even hosts themselves are turning against the home-sharing concept that was once seen as an appealing alternative to hotel chains.
Airbnb recently announced that its temporary ban on “party houses” and other large, noisy events is now permanent. This crackdown on rowdy guests is just one sign that the tide is turning against short-term vacation rentals.
In this article, we’ll explore the key factors behind the short-term rental bust:
- Hosts are struggling to fill properties
- Platforms like Airbnb are losing their price advantage
- Cities are introducing legislation to curb short-term rentals
- The public opposes these rentals in their neighborhoods
- Competition from hotels and other platforms is heating up
Read on to understand why the $100 billion short-term rental industry is being disrupted from all sides.
Hosts Can No Longer Fill Their Properties
Hosts were the first to benefit from short-term rental platforms like Airbnb. Homeowners earned extra income by renting out spare rooms to travelers, who paid higher rates than long-term tenants.
But the market soon became oversaturated as investors bought up properties specifically to list them on Airbnb. Hosts are now struggling to find enough travelers to fill vacant nights.
With long-term rental rates rising, the yield gap between short and long-term leases is narrowing. Many hosts can no longer justify the extra effort of managing short-term stays when the reward is diminishing.
Platforms Like Airbnb Are Losing Their Price Advantage
Airbnb disrupted the hotel industry by offering an affordable alternative to overpriced chain accommodations. However, average booking values on Airbnb have increased drastically in recent years while guest numbers grew modestly. Airbnb is simply not the budget option it once was.
Hotel chains now offer extended stay suites with full kitchens and living areas that mimic the Airbnb experience for less. Between rising Airbnb rates and competitive hotels, the platforms are losing their price advantage.
Cities Are Introducing Legislation to Curb Short-Term Rentals
In cities plagued by housing shortages, politicians are taking aim at short-term rentals. Regulations introduced in many cities make short-term leasing illegal or highly taxed without proper licensing.
Fines for unregistered listings can run into the millions in cities like Los Angeles. Continued regulatory pressure will prune illegal listings from platforms like Airbnb.
The Public Opposes Short-Term Rentals in Their Neighborhoods
Short-term rentals have been unpopular with long-term residents who dislike the noise and nuisance of transient guests cycling through their buildings.
Now, homeowner associations are banning short-term stays outright. The public backlash poses an existential threat to short-term rental platforms and hosts seeking easy profits.
Competition From Hotels and Rental Platforms Is Heating Up
Airbnb faces increased competition from hotels upgrading their extended stay options and from rental sites like Vrbo, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor entering the short-term market.
These competitors chip away at Airbnb’s brand dominance and could offer lower host fees, diverting listings. Airbnb’s high transaction fees provide a wide moat today, but competitors will continue to threaten its market position.
Short-term rentals disrupted a stale hotel industry by offering flexible, affordable accommodations with a homey feel. But oversaturation, unprofitable yields, regulations, public opposition, and competition have combined to undermine the $100 billion industry’s incredible growth.
The party appears to be over for short-term rental platforms. Time will tell if the likes of Airbnb can adapt their business models and value propositions to get back in the public’s good graces.

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Dog and cat owners always treat their furry friends as part of the family, so there’s no reason to leave them behind when the Christmas season rolls around.
On the last Monday in November, Raquel Morado of Elgin didn’t know when it was time to meet Santa at Aurora’s Fox Valley Mall.
“He’s part of the family,” Morado said as she stood at the mall with her 8-year-old dog Bella. “She’s a member of our family and she really loves all the lights and decorations and we’re big Christmas people. Anything to get her out of here and include her. It’s also her birthday month.”
Fox Valley Mall is once again offering pet owners a chance to meet Santa this year at the popular Peanuts Christmas Experience attraction, located in the far west end of the lower mall.
Another special pet photo session is scheduled for this year, Monday December 11th from 4-7pm.
Christina Arias, Fox Valley Mall’s marketing director, said the shopping center has “actually had this event for over 10 years.”
“We bring it back every year because it’s so popular,” he said.
During the holiday season, Arias said it’s not uncommon for sessions for pets to have “20 to 40 families per event” and there have been some surprising attendees.
“It’s mostly dogs but some cats, some reptiles, guinea pigs, ferrets, all kinds of pets,” she said. “As long as they’re on a leash they’re fine. We’ve had bearded dragons and rats too.
Arias said owners want their pets to come to the event because the animals are “part of their family and they want to have a family photo at the holidays.”
“It makes sense to include their pets,” he said.
At a recent photo event, pets received a free goody bag containing treats, a holiday bandana and some pet toys.
Morado said her dog was “excited and loves people,” something not seen with all pets the night she visited Santa at the mall.
Sue Lyon of Plainfield brought her 9-year-old Schnauzer, Ollie, to a picture session Nov. 27 and said it was his first time seeing Santa.
“We coached him a little bit. We talked to him before he got here and he was a little nervous,” Leon said as Ollie gave a little shake.
Levine said her dog was actually a new member of the family, who got it after losing their pet a year ago.
“We’ve had this since last December. We had a person in our subdivision who got a new job while traveling and couldn’t bring a dog with them,” Leon explained. “She knew we were grieving after losing our dog a month ago – another schnauzer too – so we got Ollie.”
The mall is offering photo packages with Santa that range from $39.99 to $49.99.
To reduce overall wait times, families are strongly encouraged to make reservations in advance of their visit. https://bit.ly/3FtjCXr. Mall officials said reservations are not required, while strongly encouraged.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon News.


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Marketers are staging sweepstakes, quizzes and events to gather people’s personal information and build detailed profiles. New privacy protections put in place by tech giants and governments are threatening the flow of user data that companies rely on to target consumers with online ads.
As a result, companies are taking matters into their own hands. Across nearly every sector, from brewers to fast-food chains to makers of consumer products, marketers are rushing to collect their own information on consumers, seeking to build millions of detailed customer profiles.
Gathering such data has long been a priority, but there is newfound urgency. Until now, most advertisers have depended heavily on data from business partners, including tech giants and ad-technology firms, to determine how to focus their ads. But all of the traditional tactics are under assault.
Apple Inc. rolled out a change on its devices this year that restricts how users can be tracked. Google is planning a similar push for its popular Chrome browser. New privacy laws in California and Europe are adding to the squeeze on data.
So brands are deploying an array of tactics to persuade users to surrender data to the brand itself—loyalty programs, sweepstakes, newsletters, quizzes, polls and QR codes, those pixelated black-and-white squares that have become ubiquitous during the pandemic.
Avocados From Mexico, a nonprofit marketing organization that represents avocado growers and packers, is encouraging people to submit grocery receipts to earn points exchangeable for avocado-themed sportswear. It is also conducting a contest for the chance to win a truck. To enter, consumers scan QR codes on in-store displays and enter their name, birthday, email and phone number.
“We have a limited window to figure this out, and everybody’s scrambling” to do so, said Ivonne Kinser, vice president of marketing for the avocado group. It has managed to capture roughly 50 million device IDs—the numbers associated with mobile devices—and is working to link them to names and email addresses. The group plans to use the customer information for ad targeting and to make its ads more relevant to its customers.
Building detailed profiles of customers can be costly, since it requires sophisticated software and data science expertise. “We can do a little bit at a time, but it will take years,” Ms. Kinser said. Consumer packaged-goods companies, in particular, will likely struggle to get meaningful quantities of data, since many don’t sell directly to their customers.
No matter how successful brands are in these efforts, they will have a minuscule amount of user data compared with giants like Facebook, Google and Amazon.com Inc. Marketers will still spend huge sums to advertise on those platforms for the foreseeable future. But by having their own robust databases, companies could make their online ad campaigns less costly and more effective.
Miller High Life ran an online contest this summer to give away a branded patio set. The lucky winner got a bar, stools and neon signs. The company’s prize was the personal details of almost 40,000 people who signed up, including emails, birthdays and phone numbers. The reason it asks for birthdays is to validate ages, since it’s an alcohol brand.
Molson Coors Beverage Co., Miller’s parent company, said as more people opt out of being tracked by apps, having more customer data can help keep its ad costs from rising when it buys digital ads across social media channels and from online publishers using automated ad-buying systems.
Molson has conducted more than 300 data-collection efforts this year, including sweepstakes and contests at bars around the country. Many customers signing up in the contests agree to let the brewer store their information and use it for marketing purposes.
“You could think it’s a bad thing, like, we’re trying to access people’s information, but people actually have no problem sharing that information because they’re getting a benefit out of it as well,” said Sofia Colucci, global vice president of marketing for the Miller family of brands.
The upshot is that major apps, including Facebook, will have less data over time to help brands target ads on their platforms. Apple declined to comment. Reaching desirable audiences on Facebook is already getting more expensive for e-commerce brands. The company, whose parent is now known as Meta Platforms Inc., said Apple’s change hurt its sales growth in the most recent quarter. Meta said it is working on technology to mitigate the issues.
Buying and targeting online ads has long been helped by cookies, tiny files stored in a browser that carry information about a person’s online behavior. Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., has said that by late 2023 it plans to pull the plug on third-party cookies within Chrome, in the interest of user privacy.
Google recently tested a new form of ad targeting that would let marketers direct their ads at large cohorts, such as people interested in travel. In some cases, Google will let marketers use their own customer data to target individuals on Google properties such as YouTube—another move that makes it important for companies to collect their own data.
Developing strong relationships with customers, always critical for marketers, “becomes even more vital in a privacy-first world,” David Temkin, Google’s director of product management for ads privacy and trust, said in a written statement.
California’s Consumer Privacy Act and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation have both made it more difficult for ad-tech firms and data brokers to collect information that brands can use, helping put the onus on companies to gather data themselves.
Companies aren’t after just a few personal details. Many aim to log most of the interactions they have with customers, to flesh out what is called a “golden record.” Such a high-quality customer record might include dozens, even hundreds, of data points, including the store locations people visit, the items they typically buy, how much they spend and what they do on the company’s website.
This kind of information doesn’t just help with online-ad targeting but also lets brands personalize other parts of their marketing, from the offers they send people to which products are displayed to customers online.
PepsiCo Inc., which began to get more serious about data collection several years ago, already has roughly 75 million customer records and is looking to double that in two years. The data pile has helped the snack and beverage giant save tens of millions of dollars, said Shyam Venugopal, senior vice president of global media and commercial capabilities.
Buying ads on platforms such as Facebook and Snap Inc. is more expensive if marketers use those companies’ data, several marketing executives said. In North America, most of PepsiCo’s online ad targeting now uses its own customer data, so the costs are lower, according to Mr. Venugopal. Its campaigns are also more effective at reaching the right audiences, he said.
Partly to expand its cache of data, PepsiCo has launched an online store for its Mountain Dew Game Fuel brand aimed at gamers. About 35,000 people registered in the first six months and provided some personal information, Mr. Venugopal said.
Companies in retail, travel and hospitality are well positioned to harvest data because they deal directly with consumers. Many such companies have long invested in loyalty programs that offer perks such as fare discounts or hotel-room upgrades, and have already built customer databases for personalizing marketing.
Dining chain Chili’s Grill & Bar has about nine million active loyalty members, and its records contain about 50 different bits of information, including how many times a person ordered certain foods such as burgers, fajitas, ribs or a kids meal, the company said. Chili’s also has some emails, phone numbers and purchase history for 50 million customers who aren’t active loyalty members, which it can use for ad targeting.
In an example of how the data help to tailor messages, ads sent to someone who frequently orders appetizers might say, “Come in for a free app,” said Michael Breed, senior vice president of marketing at Chili’s, which is owned by Brinker International Inc. He credits the chain’s stash of customer data for helping avoid major fallout from the policy change Apple made.
Some retailers that saw a surge in online sales early in the pandemic supercharged their data collection. “It allowed companies in a very natural way to know a lot more about you,” said Chris Chapo, former vice president of advanced analytics for Amperity, a marketing technology firm.
In 2020, Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. added 8.5 million new loyalty-program members, or athletes, as it calls them. The company has more than 20 million loyalty members.
Dick’s loyalty-member profiles can include up to 325 data points and customer traits. These include the purchases members make, whether they have children, what draws their attention on the website, how much they have spent with Dick’s over 12 months and what is their “lifetime value”—an estimate of how much they will eventually spend with the company.
Molson began ratcheting up its efforts in reaction to the European privacy laws. A pivotal moment came in 2019, when Brad Feinberg, vice president of media and consumer engagement for North America, paid a visit to a bar in Madison, Wis., where a field marketing manager was hosting a contest. Patrons put their names in a fish bowl for the chance to win two tickets to a football game.
Mr. Feinberg asked the marketing manager what he did with the bowl of names after the contest. “I throw them in the garbage,” the manager replied, according to Mr. Feinberg.
He realized how much data Molson was failing to capture, given hundreds of such events it held weekly. He eventually persuaded the company to invest in data collection and set data goals for each of its 80 brands. Molson said its customer-records collection has helped it save more than $300,000 this year on data fees when buying online ads.
By: Suzanne Vranica
Source: Big Tech Privacy Moves Spur Companies to Amass Customer Data – WSJ
AOP Publishing Tech Talk: Key insights on metrics, experience, privacy, and revenues
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Digital Publishing Is Scrambling the Industry’s Rules
Hovering above the discussion of all these technologies is the fear that the publishing industry could be subject to the same upheaval that has plagued the music industry, where digitalization has started to displace the traditional artistic and economic model of the record album with 99-cent song downloads and personalized playlists. Total album sales are down 19 percent since 2001, while CD sales have dropped 16 percent during the same period, according to Nielsen BookScan. Sales of single digital music tracks have jumped more than 1,700 percent in just two years. What writers think about technological developments in the literary world has a lot to do with where they are re sitting at the moment. As a researcher and scholar, Anne Fadiman, author of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” and “Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader,” thinks a digital library of all books would be a “godsend” during research, allowing her to “sniff out all the paragraphs” on a given topic. But, she said: “That’s not reading. For reading, you have to read a book in its entirety and I think there’s no substitute for the look and feel and smell of a real book â€” the magic of the paper and thread and glue.”
[...] For many authors, the question of how technology will shape book publishing inevitably leads to the question of how writers will be paid. Currently, publishers pay authors an advance against royalties, which are conventionally earned at the rate of 15 percent of the cover price of each copy sold.
[...] In the context of history, the changes that today’s technology will impose on literary society may not be as earth-shattering as some may think. In fact, books themselves are a relatively new construct, inheritors of a longstanding oral storytelling culture. Mass-produced books are an even newer phenomenon, enabled by the invention of the printing press that likely put legions of calligraphers and bookbinders out of business.
That history gives great comfort to writers like Vikram Chandra, whose 1,000-page novel, “Sacred Games,” will be published in January. Mr. Chandra, a former computer programmer who already reads e-books downloaded to his pocket personal computer, said he saw no point in resisting technology. “I think circling the wagons and defending the fortress metaphors are a little misplaced,” he said. “The barbarians at the gate are usually willing to negotiate a little, and the guys in the fort usually end up yelling that ‘we are the only good things in the world and you guys don’t understand it,’ at which point the barbarians shrug, knock down your walls with their amazingly powerful weapons, and put a parking lot over your sacred grounds.
“If they are in a really good mood,” he added, “they put up a pyramid of skulls.”


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Hemet might be the last place you’d expect to find a gourmet food store.
Since she opened Pasta at Large six years ago, Sofia Okolowicz has watched a succession of 13 owners come and go among three neighboring food stores.
“I’m struggling like everyone else,” admits Okolowicz, 64. “It’s Hemet. It’s not easy.”
But the 4-11 dynamo has hung onto her 1,200-square-foot business at 140 N. Harvard St., a gourmet store unique to the city.
“It supports itself, but it’s not profitable,” she said recently, while preparing a batch of quince pie filling.
Even so, Okolowicz has survived through constant reinvention of her homemade, international take-out fare, ranging from empanadas to Polish pierogi to classic Russian borscht.
She wholesales her pasta, which she makes from scratch (baked with cheese she grinds herself) and home-grown fruits and vegetables from her 20-acre farm in the Temecula Valley to some of the local wineries and Old Town stores.
A skilled woodworker, Okolowicz dries herbs on a rack she built herself and hopes to eventually make and sell her own honey and olive oil.
“She’s one of the community’s hidden assets, a real gem,” said weekly customer Diane Mitchell, 62. She can cook anything. And it’s nice to buy one serving.”
Read more about this unusual store in Hemet in the business section of The Press-Enterprise on Tues. Dec. 11.
Visit Pasta at Large’s website: http://pastaatlarge.com/
For information, call: 951-929-1599
Pasta at Large is at 140 N. Harvard St., Hemet


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General Motors’ retail China sales gained 5.2 percent to exceed 750,000 vehicles in the second quarter.
The sales increase was mainly driven by demand for Wuling and Cadillac brands, GM China said in figures released this week.
In the three-month period, Wuling deliveries surged 28 percent to top 346,000. The number includes more than 85,000 units of a four-seat full electric sedan the brand launched in July 2020 at a starting price of 28,800 yuan ($4,444).
Cadillac sales advanced 9.1 percent to approach 64,000 on demand for the XT6 SUV and the CT5 sedan.
Buick deliveries also rose 5.7 percent to exceed 225,000 on volumes generated by the LaCrosse sedan, the Enclave SUV and the Envision crossover.
But Baojun demand plunged 45 percent to around 52,000 while Chevrolet sales slipped 19 percent to roughly 63,000.
Thanks to a 69 percent rebound in the first quarter from the coronavirus-battered year-earlier period, GM’s China retail sales in the first six months jumped 30 percent year over year to some 1.53 million.
GM operates two joint ventures with local partner SAIC Motor Corp.
SAIC-GM, headquartered in Shanghai, builds and distributes Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac cars and light trucks,
SAIC-GM-Wuling, based in the southwest city of Liuzhou, produces and markets minibuses, compact pickups and micro electric cars for the Wuling brand as well as entry-level cars for the Baojun marque.
While maintaining overall retail sales in China in the second quarter, vehicle production at the two joint ventures were affected by industry-wide chip shortage, according to data released by SAIC.
Output at SAIC-GM shrank 37 percent to 81,196 vehicles in May after slumping 29 percent in April.
Production at SAIC-GM-Wuling was flat at 113,478 in May after rising 19 percent in the previous month.
Output numbers of the two partnerships in June were not released.


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At least one Chinese merchant has already reported holding back a shipment of Napa wine following China's imposition of tariffs in a trade war with the US, as traders on both sides hope for a swift resolution. Reporting by Emily Xie in Shanghai and Chris Mercer in London.
China imposed an extra 15% tariff on US wine imports from 2 April, as part of punitive measures against more than 100 American-made products in retaliation for president Trump signing restrictions on Chinese steel shipments.
‘These tariffs put our products at a price disadvantage and we urge swift resolution of this issue before long-term disruptions are felt,’ said Robert Koch, the president and CEO of the California Wine Institute.
Tariffs on US wine imports in China have risen from 48.2% to 67.7%, the Institute said.
That’s particularly galling at a time when Australia is moving towards tariff-free access to China, set to happen in 2019, and Chile and New Zealand already have the benefits of free-trade deals there.
‘Recently, we called off a 40-foot shipping container [of wine] from Napa Valley,’ said Qiang Huang, sales director of Napa Reserve Fine Wines Ltd, a leading supplier of California wines in China.
‘We also have 500 cases of undeclared wines in the supervision warehouse in the Shanghai bonded [free trade] zone,’ Qiang Huang told Decanter.com. ‘The tariff rate adjustment will directly affect this batch of wines.
‘Since this trade war was caused by the political contest between China and the United States, as a wine importer, there is really little we can do except wait for a miracle.’
The hope is that it is only a short-term dispute, Qiang Huang added. ‘I am more optimistic about the [longer term] future prospects of American Napa Valley fine wines in the Chinese market.’
Alberto Fernández, managing partner of Torres China, which represents wineries include Ste Michelle Estates, Coppola Winery and Marimar Estate, said that the US was still only small part of the Chinese wine market and so the impact may not be immediately clear.
But, he told Decanter.com that extra tariffs could hurt brand building efforts.
‘Those duties increases will turn into wines costing a few RMB more to buyers, and in the on-trade [that means it] will be hard to find American wines by the glass as a result. [That is] not a good thing as brands are built there.’
He said that American wines could also suffer from anti-US sentiment on social media channels such as WeChat and Weibo, which are important drivers for online sales in China.
Other observers have argued that, at the top end of the market, wealthy Chinese buyers would be unlikely to be influenced by relatively small increases to bottle prices.
‘We will continue to pursue our marketing initiatives in China with confidence that the popularity of California wines will continue to grow,’ said Koch of the California Wine Institute.
The value of US wine exports to China alone have increased by 450% in the past decade, the Institute said.


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TAIPEI, Dec. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — When “Metaverse”swept the world, Apple CEO Tim Cook said “I stay away from buzzwords and prefer to call it augmented reality”, praising AR as the core technology behind Metaverse. Mastering the hard powers of AR technology and combining that with infinite creative artistry, Speed 3D Inc. has taken the lead on AR digital commerce and is excited to announce the launch of “FunkAR – AR Gifting Service Platform”, inviting everyone to celebrate this year’s Christmas in the Metaverse.
Content is King in the Metaverse, with emphasis on superior delivery of a Reality and Immersive Experience
Founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg had recently announced changing its company name from Facebook to Meta, and described Metaverse as a virtual world where users are not only able to see its content but also take part in it through work and play. Chairman and CEO of Speed 3D Inc. Marvin Chiu adds, “In order to achieve an ideal reality and immersive experience, content exquisiteness and mobile phone performance, alongside the popularity of 5G and 6G are distinctively important.”
With soft and hard powers combined, Speed 3D Inc. has become an architect in the Metaverse
Speed 3D Inc. started its business using 3D Avatar technology to complete facial analysis and detection with instant scan. Over the last 3 years, the company has worked with over 200 international brands in the global marketplace and has accumulated a vast array of unique AR technology project experiences. With the company’s development of FunkAR – WebAR Gifting Service Platform, Speed 3D Inc. is heading straight to the Metaverse in a full-speed rocket, ready to pioneer the construction of a new world in the Metaverse.
“Everyone is anxious to enter the Metaverse, yet with its doors now wide open, there is nothing inside. Soft and hard powers including but not limited to virtual identities, diverse contents, and immersive experiences are all necessary to construct the Metaverse. To this, we are completely ready!” comments Chiu.
FunkAR gifting platform launches virtual gifting – dare to imagine, ready to fulfill
Subsequent to FunkAR’s release of the “AR Card”, “AR Gift”is to be launched today -simultaneously with an international version, ready to stun the world! In its release video, Chiu first appears as the prominent general during the early Tang Dynasty Xue Rengui and then space robot, demonstrating the ability to control climate and environment. “In the Metaverse, as long as you dare to imagine, you can become any character you imagine, and any means of superpower can be fulfilled.” says an excited Chiu.
Combining social engagement and interaction with digital commerce, FunkAR is THE entrance to Metaverse. Users can create real-time customizable AR cards and gifts; on top of widely seen cakes, floral bouquets, other interesting decorative options include dinosaurs, planets, rockets – amusing choices that display the infinite possibilities of AR. More interestingly, FunkAR may also be offering NFT limited collections in the near future, or expanding to offline product redemptions, promising a more immediate and interesting experience.
Celebrate this year’s Christmas in the Metaverse, and realize your seasonal wishes with AR
With Christmas season approaching, FunkAR has also launched its new Christmas-themed pavilion, inviting everyone to celebrate this year’s Christmas in the Metaverse! Consider sending a customizable AR greeting card to your friends and family – this collectible seasonal wish not only retains the warm sentiments that come with a hand-made greeting card, it is also engaging and interactive, sure to bring an abundance of surprise, joy, laughter to its recipients.
Send your AR Gift NOW:
Speed 3D Inc. is a foremost pioneer in the Augmented Reality (AR) application field, focusing on creative AR content and new generation AR platforms development on the global market.
SOURCE Speed 3D Inc.


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Leaked Amazon Memo Describes Fired Black Warehouse Worker As ‘Not Smart Or Articulate’
Leaked notes from an internal Amazon meeting attended by leadership, including founder Jeff Bezos, discussed a plan to smear fired warehouse employee Christian Smalls, labeling him “not smart or articulate” in an effort to make him “the face of the entire union/organizing movement.”
“He’s not smart, or articulate, and to the extent the press wants to focus on us versus him, we will be in a much stronger PR position than simply explaining for the umpteenth time how we’re trying to protect workers,” Amazon’s General Counsel David Zapolsky wrote in notes from the meeting forwarded widely within the company.
The discussion surrounding Smalls, who is Black, was during a daily meeting to update everyone on the coronavirus situation. On Sunday (March 29), Jay Carney, Amazon’s SVP of Global Corporate Affairs, described to CNN the purpose of the daily meetings.
“We go over the update on what's happening around the world with our employees and with our customers and our businesses,” he said. “We also spend a significant amount of time just brainstorming about what else we can do.”
Amazon fired Smalls, who was a warehouse worker, last Monday after he led a walkout of numerous employees at a Staten Island distribution warehouse. Amazon claims Smalls was not fired for leading the protest, but because he violated a company-imposed 14-day quarantine after he came into contact with an employee who tested positive for COVID-19.
Smalls says the female employee who tested positive came into contact with many other workers for even longer periods of time before her test came back. He says he was singled out after begging management to sanitize the warehouse and to be more transparent about the amount of sick workers.
Zapolsky’s notes also revealed that they wanted to make Smalls the focus of its narrative when questioned about worker safety.
“We should spend the first part of our response strongly laying out the case for why the organizer’s conduct was immoral, unacceptable, and arguably illegal, in detail, and only then follow with our usual talking points about worker safety,” Zapolsky wrote. “Make him the most interesting part of the story, and if possible make him the face of the entire union/organizing movement.”
In a statement to Vice News, Zapolsky says his insulting and arguably racist comments about Smalls “were personal and emotional.”
“I was frustrated and upset that an Amazon employee would endanger the health and safety of other Amazonians by repeatedly returning to the premises after having been warned to quarantine himself after exposure to virus Covid-19,” he said. “I let my emotions draft my words and get the better of me.”


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Electric, Combustion, or Hybrid? John Grifonetti Shares Tips on Which Type of Vehicle You Should Purchase in 2021
If you’re in the market for new wheels, you might automatically start searching for gasoline or diesel vehicles. And while the combustion engine has been a reliable choice for decades, there are other factors that can make the choice a bit more challenging, says John Grifonetti, an entrepreneur and car dealership owner in Old Tappan, New Jersey.
More specifically, hybrid and electric vehicles are surging in popularity and should be considered in the overall buying decision. However, while they come with their advantages, there are also still some disadvantages. Here’s some car advice and answers to common questions from Mr. Grifonetti to help guide your shopping in 2021.
Is Gasoline Still King?
The short answer to this question, says John Grifonetti, is yes — at least for now. The biggest reason is due to the fact that there is so much existing infrastructure for combustion engine vehicles (more specifically, gas stations).
That means less driving around to find a charging station for an electric vehicle, which could be few and far between depending on your location. For that reason, gas vehicles still win as people crave convenience and that won’t change anytime soon.
While internal combustion engines have made strides in terms of fewer emissions that can harm the environment, the price of fuel — while still relatively low — will start to climb in 2021 depending on COVID-19 recovery.
What About a Hybrid Vehicle?
If you’re set on moving partially or fully away from combustion engines, then it comes down to electric or hybrid — the latter that offers the best of both worlds, says John Grifonetti of Old Tappan, New Jersey.
Hybrid vehicles have gained traction in the industry over the past several years, but despite this, they still often carry higher price tags than their gas-powered counterparts. Unless car dealerships are offering a sparkling lease deal on a hybrid, most people will opt for the standard model. However, aside from some environmental benefits, hybrids may cost you less in maintenance over the life of the vehicle.
If you’re willing to spend more money upfront for a hybrid, you will have to drive a considerable number of miles to see any real savings if gas remains inexpensive. In fact, it could take five years or more depending on the make and model ,to save enough money at the pump to justify the extra cost of the vehicle.
Hybrid Versus Electric Vehicles
So fully electric or not? When it comes to hybrids, it makes sense cost-wise versus an electric vehicle if you have a relatively short commute. That’s because you may not have to engage the internal combustion engine much or at all in this case, saving fuel, explains John Grifonetti.
There is a 100% chance you won’t need any fossil fuel with an electric vehicle, though they generally cost more up-front. However, while hybrids are reliable, they’re likely to cost you more for maintenance down the road due to their internal combustion components.
Final Thoughts From John Grifonetti
For 2021, the bottom line is convenience and saving money — and usually the combustion engine will win on those points.
However, as more charging stations are installed across the country to serve electric car owners, this could change fairly soon. Many customers at car dealerships are saying they will consider a hybrid of electric vehicle when they make their next purchase.
In fact, John Grifonetti expects electric cars to dominate the market in as early as 10 years from now.


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If you are avoiding milk and dairy foods in your diet without a medical diagnosis advising you to steer away from them, you might want to think again, if a study by the CSIRO and the University of Adelaide is anything to go by.
Iconic drink company, Milo, has launched a tracker designed for kids that helps to monitor their health, fitness and activity. A study commissioned by Milo revealed that 78% of Australian kids are getting less than the recommended daily amount of exercise, with one in four (28%) getting less than half.
Thanks Sam for debunking these alternative facts
If you have to use a fancy device why not just vape?
Exactly. A landline number Is just an additional al a source of calls for shonky companies trying to sell you[…]
Nice article Peter, Thx!Finally an example of the GOOD that this double-edged sword can do.need more of this.
Having FTTP internet I took a good hard look at what my telephone requirements were.I found I could get Australian[…]


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Jaunt, the cinematic VR company that switched to AR last year, announced today that it has sold software, technology, and "certain other assets" to American telecommunications Verizon.
Founded in 2013, Jaunt became known not only for producing high-quality 360 video for consumers, but also a 360 camera dubbed Jaunt One aimed at industry professionals.
In October 2018, Jaunt decided to pivot to AR and dismiss most of his staff in the process. Since then, the company has recently been involved in the design and training of neural networks for real-time estimation of human poses and segmentation of body parts, something aimed at creating volumetric videos and human 3D models.
The company raised more than $ 100 million from Disney, Sky, and Axel Springer.


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Sunday newspaper share tips
EACH weekend This Is Money brings you a round-up of shares being recommended in the Sunday City pages.
SHARES in model train maker Hornby have been on a fast track since March 2001 but they may now be running out of steam.
Hornby reported good half-year results on Friday with profits up 33% and sales rising 13% ahead of its key pre-Christmas season.
But forecasts of strong growth should not mask the fact that Hornby has a price-to-earnings ratio of 20, so profit-taking is expected. Sell at 1102.5p.
BUYING shares in restaurant group Ask Central has been a recipe of success for investors, with its stock rising from 109p to 172p this year.
It served up a new treat last week with news that its founders, the Kaye brothers, were in takeover talks with City Centre Restaurants.
But while the deal has pleased markets, it is far from assured and there are rumours the Kayes may quit the group while some analysts believe Ask's profits may be depressed by delayed openings of some new sites. Sell at 172p.
The Games Workshop, the world's biggest toy-soldier maker and retailer, is investing in an online gaming platform that it hopes will boost current annual sales of £129m and profits of £17.5m.
The Nottingham-based company has built profits recently on sales of the Lord of the Rings range and will introduce Warhammer Online next year.
Analysts say the potential for fantasy games offering a multi-player platform using the Internet are huge. The shares fell 10.5p on Friday to 731p and a price of around 700p would be good value. Conditional buy.
DRUGS group GlaxoSmithKline has faced criticism over its lack of near-term drugs to fill the gap left by blockbusters going off on patent trades.
But the company is readying for a research and development day next month to present early-stage products in its pipeline.
Glaxo has a relatively low value at present and investors might want to take a bet on its stock in the medium-term. Buy at 1390p.
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When I left home this morning I certainly didn't expect to be doing a TV interview about EU regulations dictating the minimum permissable size of a kiwi fruit. But that's what this job is like. We're expected to be able to talk in an informed - or at least an opinionated - way about all manner of subjects at the drop of a hat.
So here's the story - a local fruit and veg wholesaler has been hauled up for importing 520 kiwis from Chile which were 4g below the required weight and so must not be sold or even given away. I thought at first this must be another one of those euro-myths so beloved of the tabloid press; where I used to work, at Britain in Europe, we published a whole pamplet's worth of them, called Straight Bananas (here's an extract). But it seems to be true, as the Rural Payments Agency have confirmed the story, saying that the consignment failed to meet EU grading rules.
A quick bit of research into these rules revealed that "to facilitate trade and increase the profitability of production, products are graded and subject to standards." Compliance checks are carried out at the marketing, rather than the production and packaging stage. In other words, the kiwis are flown halfway round the world before inspectors come in and object to their very existence.
As you might expect from my previous line of work, I'm probably more appreciative than most of the positive benefits of EU membership, including some of the rules relating to food production (e.g. animal welfare and food safety standards). But this is pretty ridiculous. Surely it's up to the customer to decide whether or not they want to buy a smaller than average kiwi fruit? (It's not beyond the realm of possibility that they might actually want a smaller one). And given rising food prices and the growing awareness of just how much food we waste every day in the developed world, it seems outrageous that people are employed to order grocers to throw away perfectly good food.
So I will be collaring Gareth Thomas the next chance I get. (He divides his time between being the DFID minister responsible for trade, and the DBERR minister for trade and consumer affairs, so I figure he must be the man to save small kiwis). According to news reports the European Commission said earlier this month it wanted to relax the rules which prevent misshapen or underweight fruit and veg being sold. And my research into grading rules said that special measures can be taken in the event of shortages or exceptional surpluses. So there's all to play for - victory can be ours!


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Shares of Pentair PLC. (NYSE:PNR) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $66.23.
Several brokerages have issued reports on PNR. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Pentair PLC. from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Zacks Investment Research cut Pentair PLC. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 26th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Pentair PLC. from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 28th. Gabelli cut Pentair PLC. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, BidaskClub cut Pentair PLC. from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 5th.
In related news, Director Edward P. Garden purchased 290,000 shares of Pentair PLC. stock in a transaction on Monday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $65.31 per share, with a total value of $18,939,900.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David A. /Wi Jones sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.68, for a total value of $676,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,408,014.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 1,726,000 shares of company stock worth $112,619,140 and have sold 237,500 shares worth $15,706,725. 9.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Pentair PLC. by 126.8% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,508 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 843 shares in the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP raised its stake in Pentair PLC. by 142.7% in the second quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 1,602 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $107,000 after buying an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. FNY Partners Fund LP bought a new stake in Pentair PLC. during the first quarter worth about $125,000. First Personal Financial Services raised its stake in Pentair PLC. by 17.6% in the first quarter. First Personal Financial Services now owns 2,006 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Pentair PLC. by 13.0% in the second quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 2,444 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $162,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. 86.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Pentair PLC. (NYSE:PNR) opened at 61.57 on Friday. Pentair PLC. has a 52 week low of $53.80 and a 52 week high of $69.03. The stock has a market cap of $11.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.12 and a beta of 1.38. The company’s 50-day moving average is $64.69 and its 200 day moving average is $63.18.
Pentair PLC. (NYSE:PNR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.00. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. Pentair PLC. had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 12.86%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Pentair PLC. will post $3.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Pentair PLC. Company Profile
Pentair, Inc (Pentair) is a focused diversified industrial manufacturing company. The Company operates in two segments: Water & Fluid Solutions and Technical Products. Water & Fluid Solutions is providing products and systems used worldwide in the movement, storage and treatment of water. Technical Products is engaged in the global enclosures and thermal management markets, designing and manufacturing standard, modified and custom enclosures that house and protect sensitive electronics and electrical components and protect the people that use them.
What are top analysts saying about Pentair PLC.? - Enter your email address in the form below to receive our free daily email newsletter that contains the latest headlines and analysts' recommendations for for Pentair PLC. and related companies.


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Food Prices Soar
Is it your imagination that the price of your favorite cereal has jumped to well above the $2.99 you had come to rely upon, or that your wallet feels limp after a trip to the grocery store? It’s not just you--world food prices have risen to near record heights according to a study by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization.
In recent years the agricultural terrain has fallen prey to random bouts of natural destruction, a phenomenon many would link to climate change. Weird weather patterns rumble across the earth’s landscape, precarious in aim and disastrous in scope. Argentinian droughts and Australian floods are just two examples of such disasters, forcing market prices for products to rise as resources are depleted. Particularly severe are the price peaks for sugar, meat and cereal. These fluctuations have already broken 2008 records, when riots broke out in Haiti and Cameroon.
This study represents the convergence of environmental and economic blows the planet has suffered in recent years, as resources become scarcer and the competition for resources grows fiercer. These price jumps will impact countries at every stage of economic development as well as contributing to overall inflation.
On a positive note, hopefully more people will see this as a lesson in conservation and realize that food, like money, does not arrive to us independent of our own efforts. When the supply is limited, it is up to us to meet that demand, by minimizing wastefulness, by buying locally, and by producing our own food through permaculture.
Image by Keith Bacongco on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing.


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Boston, MA 05/14/2014 (wallstreetpr) – On May 12, 2014, a leading vertically integrated producer, distributor and also retailer of branded fashionable apparels, American Apparel Inc (NYSEMKT:APP), revealed its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2014.
The net sales of the company declined 1% to reach $137.1 million on a 7% hike in wholesale net sales and a 7% decline in comparable store sales. The company recorded a decline in gross profit by 1% to stand at $72 million in the first quarter of this year. In addition, the financial earnings announced on May 12, 2014 for the first quarter of 2014 also includes adjusted EBITDA figure. It has improved by $2.1 million to accomplish $1.4 million for the 1Q2014.
Decreased operating expenses
American Apparel Inc (NYSEMKT:APP)’s operating expenses reduced 5% to arrive at $79.5 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2014. A year back in the same period it was $83.3 million. As a % of sales, the company’s operating expenses reduced to 58% for the 1Q2014 compared to 60.4% for the 1Q2013. The decline includes $ 3 million in professional fees, lesser payroll and associated costs, and marketing and advertising. The decrease is mainly because of the cost cutting moves.
The company had to bear $0.5 million as impairment charges in the retail store as compared to $0.1 million in the first quarter a year back. Additionally, the stock compensation expense was lesser by $2.3 million, while there was an increase in equipment lease expense by $1 million.
The CEO of American Apparel, Dov Charney, mentioned that the company is encouraged by its good performance in the first quarter. Its achieved results are way ahead of the company’s 2014 business plan. American Apparel Inc (NYSEMKT:APP), in the first quarter, had taken several cost control steps and its efforts are aptly reflected in all facets of business, stated the CEO. Moreover, the company is now focussed upon ways to advance top line performance.


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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday defended his plan to impose a 16-ounce limit on the size of sweetened drinks sold in restaurants and other establishments across the city.
NEW YORK — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday defended his plan to impose a 16-ounce limit on the size of sweetened drinks sold in restaurants and other establishments across the city.
The move is designed to combat obesity but has rekindled criticism that Bloomberg is turning New York into a "nanny state."
"We've got to do something," the mayor said in an appearance on MSNBC. "Sitting around and watching our kids get fatter and fatter ... that's just not something we should do as a society. We have an obligation to warn you when things aren't good for your health."
The restrictions -- slated to take effect in March 2013 after public hearings -- would apply to bottled and fountain drinks sold at more than 20,000 restaurants, as well as movie theaters, stadiums, arenas and mobile food carts in all five boroughs.
There would be no limit placed on diet sodas or beverages with less than 25 calories per eight ounces and the ban would not affect drinks sold at supermarkets or grocery stores.
Bloomberg maintained that the city is "not taking away anybody's right to do things," but is hoping the new restrictions will discourage New Yorkers from consuming more than they should.
"The idea is you tend to eat all of the food in the container. If it's bigger, you eat more. If somebody put a smaller glass or plate or bowl in front of you, you would eat less," he told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell.
Under the rules, if someone wants more than 16 ounces of a soda or sweetened drink, they would "have to make a conscious decision to get another cup," Bloomberg explained. "And we think a lot of people won't."
Sixteen ounces is larger than most soda cans but smaller than most plastic soda bottles. Bloomberg noted that 30 years ago, "6.5 ounces was the size of all soda drinks in bottles in machines."
Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for the New York City Beverage Association, slammed the city's proposal.
"There they go again. The New York City Health Department's obsession with attacking soft drinks is again pushing them over the top," he said in a statement.
"The city is not going to address the obesity issue by attacking soda because soda is not driving the obesity rates," he claimed.
Bloomberg told the New York Post he did not expect the soda industry to come up with legal ammunition to fight the new rules.
"I don't know how in court you would challenge it," said the mayor. "We're not taking away any rights."
During his tenure, Bloomberg has successfully ushered in several health initiatives that have drawn criticism, including a citywide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, a ban on the use of trans-fats in foods and a mandate for all menus and menu boards to post calorie counts.


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APCOA Parking and Intu commit to clean transport
Five major companies have made ambitious new commitments on clean energy and transport during London's Climate Action Week.
Car park management company APCOA PARKING Group and shopping centre owner intu have joined The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, committing to install EV charging infrastructure through the 2020s to help accelerate the transition to electric transport.
Last year there were more than 26,000 individual charges across intu's existing network of EV charging points, saving an estimated 137 tonnes of carbon dioxide compared to driving diesel and petrol cars.
As a member of EV100, intu plans to install more than 80 new charge points at its 14 directly managed UK shopping centers by 2020, while also transitioning its own vehicles to EVs by 2030.
APCOA PARKING has committed to switching its 300 mopeds, cars, vans and buses to electric by 2030. APCOA PARKING will also install charging infrastructure over the same timeframe, to encourage EV uptake by its customers and 5,000 employees.
Sportswear retailer JD Sports Fashion plc, The City of London Corporation and property investor Derwent London have committed to source 100% renewable electricity by joining RE100 – the global corporate leadership initiative toward zero carbon grids, led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP.


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Nutella Lovers Can Now Get Their Fix at Krispy Kreme
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love Nutella, and those who obviously need to check their taste buds. Now, as if we needed another reason to love donuts, Krispy Kreme is pairing their famous fried snack with the sinfully delicious hazelnut and cocoa spread. But you may have to go across the pond to delight your palate with this sweat treat (unless you bake some one-bite Nutella donuts at home).
For a limited time, Krispy Kreme UK is offering the Nutty Chocolatta donut from a “hole in the wall,” ATM-style pop-up donut shop. For £2 (around $3), people can get the Nutella-stuffed, chocolate-and-hazelnut-topped concoction, and all the proceeds will benefit the UK charity Teenage Cancer Trust. That’s a double feel-good donut, all right.
View this post on Instagram
The day has come! Our #KrispyKreme #HoleInTheWall is open for business, serving up new delicious #NuttyChocolatta doughnuts between 8 AM to 8 PM for the next 2 weeks! Come on down and see the magic at our #Holborn store. All the proceeds from the event are being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust. #London #PopUp #Charity #NationalDoughnutWeek
A post shared by Krispy Kreme UK (@krispykremeuk) on
Starting this Friday, the daydream-worthy donut will be available in all UK Krispy Kremes. While this news is excellent for those living in the UK, or those of us already planning a trip there this summer, it’s less excellent for folks that are stateside. Sadly, as of right now, there are no plans to roll out the donut in the US. But we really hope that after this limited edition UK launch between May and September, Krispy Kreme will bring the donut to us in the states.
A half dozen of these bad boys and a Disney-filled Netflix experience seems like the perfect cold weather treat, no?
What’s your favorite donut? Tell us @BritandCo!
(Photos via @KrispyKremeUK)


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Mr. Evan Gappelberg reports
NEXTECHA S INFERNOAR CHOSEN BY GRUNDFOS THE LARGEST PUMP MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLDA FOR MULTIPLE VIRTUAL TRADE SHOWS
Nextech AR Solutions
Corp.'s InfernoAR has been chosen by Grundfos, the largest pump manufacturer in the world, based in Denmark, with more than 19,000 employees globally and offices in 56 countries, for both its virtual summit for its United Kingdom team to highlight the company's focus on innovation and it's virtual summits for Norway and Sweden. The event's initial deal value is $60,000 and will have sponsorship opportunities with virtual booths and AR, potentially increasing the value of the deal significantly.
Grundfos is the largest pump manufacturer in the world, based in Denmark, with more than 19,000 employees globally. The annual production of more than 16 million pump units, circulator pumps, submersible pumps and centrifugal pumps.
According to Grandview Research the global virtual events market in 2020 is $90-billion and expected to reach more than $400-billion by 2027, growing at a 23 per cent CAGR. With Nextech's InfernoAR platform having augmented reality, AI, end-to-end encryption and built in language translation for 64 languages, Nextech is well positioned to rapidly take market share as the growth, and digital transformation accelerates globally.
Evan Gappelberg, chief executive officer of Nextech, comments: "We are rapidly signing international deals with multinational companies and market leaders like Grundfos that are choosing our InfernoAR over our competition because our platform simply is a better solution. This deal with a multibillion-dollar global manufacturer demonstrates our ability to help our clients engage their teams, customers and suppliers on a global scale and our commitment to building long-term relationships with the biggest businesses in the world." He continues, "We are experiencing significant business momentum in North America and in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region. We continue to execute on our business plan which is to invest in our business with the rapid build-out of our AR and video conferencing technology, as well as the rapid hiring of talent to meet the ever growing demand for our products and services."
Recent company highlights in 2020
Sept. 11, 2020: Nextech is now an approved Microsoft partner creating enormous new business opportunities for the company. This partnership provides access to the Azure Marketplace so that InfernoAR can be sold directly through the Marketplace.
Sept. 9, 2020: The company acquired fast-growing e-commerce software platform
Next Level Ninjas. Next Level Ninjas matches brands and product testers on its
VIP Product Testers
website, helping brands gain business momentum. The platform works across multiple e-commerce platforms including Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Walmart, Jet and Etsy. It services nine Amazon marketplaces: United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and five EU marketplaces: U.K., Denmark, France, Italy and Spain.
Sept. 3, 2020:
TAG Digital Health
a member TAG has chosen InfernoAR for its Nov. 1, 2020, event at a cost of $50,000 for the initial event. There will be sponsorship opportunities with virtual booths and AR. TAG hosts more than 150 events each year and serves as an umbrella organization for 24 professional societies.
Aug. 27, 2020: Carnegie Mellon University has chosen Nextech's InfernoAR platform for a virtual series beginning September, 2020.
Aug. 25, 2020
Q2 2020 highlights:
- Revenue grows 290 per cent to $3.5-million;
Gross profit grows 484 per cent to $2.1-million with a 61 per cent margin;
Working capital of $5.6-million;
Total bookings $3.7-million.
Aug. 11, 2020: Company announced that it has begun a major expansion of its AR e-commerce business. In the past 60 days the company has signed new distributor deals with major brands such as; Dyson, Philips Norelco, MR. Coffee, VitaMix, MetroVac, Breviel and Cusinart. These new distribution deals position the company to take full advantage of the new shop from home paradigm shift in e-commerce as well as leverage its full augmented reality technology stack into these brands, which includes its WebAR, ARitize360 app and its 3D/AR advertising network. The company expects these new products to have a significant impact on future revenues.
July 30, 2020: Ryerson University, a globally recognized leader in higher education with over 46,000 students, have partnered to launch RALE, the Ryerson Augmented Learning Experience platform, based on Nextech's InfernoAR. The technology licence agreement has an initial value of $250,000 with the potential for more revenue tied to additional AR services.
July 17, 2020: The company launched a new immersive video conferencing software called ScreenAR.
July 13, 2020: The company is launching a new video conferencing software into its InfernoAR platform (September, 2020). The new video conferencing features will integrate collaborative classroom learning, one-to-one networking and traditional video conferencing directly into the platform letting users seamlessly launch, and manage both collaborative experiences and large audience events directly from InfernoAR.
July 8, 2020: The company is pleased to announce that it has filed to uplist its stock to the Nasdaq Capital Market.
July 2, 2020: Hired Arnaud Amet as director of sales for Europe. Mr. Amet situated in Paris, France, comes from regional and global sales and marketing roles in Microsoft (MSFT) where he worked for over a decade ending in 2015. He also has significant experience with his own startup in sales and marketing of AR/VR to large brands partnering with Facebook, Huawei and Microsoft.
June 18, 2020: Company announces that it has signed a partner supplier agreement with
. BDA Sports will be using the InfernoAR virtual event platform for their signature annual Think Tank 2020 program for teams in NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL.
June 10, 2020: Company signed a partner agreement and contract to provide its InfernoAR virtual events platform services to Skybridge World Dubai clients. Skybridge is a leading events, exhibition and marketing solutions provider to global corporations whose clients include: Emirates Glass, IBM, Lilly, Henkel, Amgen and many others. Nextech and Skybridge have already solidified their partnership and signed up their first customer, Bohringer Ingelheim.
June 4, 2020: The company launched its new ARitize360 app now live and available for a free download on both iOS and Android. The app's three-dimensional scan technology will add to the revenue-generating power of its AR e-commerce solution and its recently launched 3D/AR advertising platform.
June 1, 2020: CEO of Nextech, Evan Gappelberg, purchased 100,000 shares. It was reported that on May 5, 2020, he purchased 929,885 common shares of Nextech common stock, this is his fourth buy for the year 2020.
May 22, 2020: The company announced very positive results for its recently launched 3D/AR Ad Network which went live on
Feb. 4, 2020
. Using the company's 3D/AR ads resulted in a 300-per-cent increase in sales conversions, a 32-per-cent increase in click-through-rate (CTR) and a 23 per cent lower cost per click than traditional 2D ads.
May 14, 2020: Q1 revenue grows 177 per cent to $2.5-million, gross profit grows 267 per cent to $1.3-million, working capital of $3.5-million.
May 12, 2020: InfernoAR platform integration with all major video platforms including its previously announced integration with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype and new integrations with Cisco Webex, BlueJeans, Google Hangouts, Google Meet and GoToMeetings. These critical integrations continue to extend the capabilities of the platform, broaden the utility of the platform and help end-users become even more productive while using the platform.
About Nextech AR Solutions Corp.
Nextech is one of the leaders in the rapidly growing
augmented reality market
estimated to grow from $10.7-billion (U.S.) in 2019 and projected to reach $72.7-billion (U.S.) by 2024 according to Markets & Markets Research; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 46.6 per cent from 2019 to 2024.
The company is pursuing four verticals:
An advanced augmented reality and video learning experience platform for events, is a software-as-a-service video platform that integrates interactive video, artificial intelligence and augmented reality in one secure platform to allow enterprises the ability to create the world's most engaging virtual event management and learning experiences. Automated closed captions and translations to over 64 languages. According to
Grandview Research the global virtual events market in 2020 is $90-billion and expected to reach more than $400-billion by 2027, growing at a 23 per cent CAGR. With Nextech's InfernoAR platform having augmented reality, AI, end-to-end encryption and built in language translation for 64 languages, the company is well positioned to rapidly take market share as the growth accelerates globally.
ARitize for e-commerce:
The company launched its SaaS platform for webAR in e-commerce early in 2019. Nextech has a "full funnel" end-to-end e-commerce solution for the AR industry including its Aritize360 app for 3D product capture, 3D/AR ads, its Aritize white label app it's "try it on" technology for online apparel, 3D and 360-degree product views, and "one click buy".
ARitize 3D/AR advertising platform:
Launched in Q1 2020 the ad platform will be the industry's first end-to-end solution whereby the company will leverage its 3D asset creation into 3D/AR ads. In 2019, according to IDC, global advertising spend will be about $725-billion.
ARitize Hollywood Studios
: The studio is in development producing immersive content using 360 video and augmented reality as the primary display platform.
We seek Safe Harbor.
© 2020 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.


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Realme GT Neo 5 has been confirmed to be released in China next month
The Realme GT Neo 5 smartphone’s release has been officially announced by Realme. On the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, the company has publicly teased the upcoming offering. The smartphone is scheduled to make its home country debut next month, though the launch date is yet unconfirmed. The upcoming GT Neo 5 will be the first smartphone in the world to offer 240W fast charging, according to Realme. They prepared to launch the technology last month.
Apart from the fact that it will launch next month and have fast charging technology, the ad has no important details about the Realme GT Neo 5. The smartphone has, however, already been spotted in leaks and on a number of certification websites. The upcoming device will replace the Realme GT Neo 3 from last year. Due to the Chinese belief that the number “4” is unlucky, the company has decided to drop the GT Neo 4 moniker. Abhishek Yadav, a tipster, says that the GT Neo 5 will make its debut on February 8. The official launch date will be revealed in the upcoming days.
The Realme GT Neo 5 will be powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Chipset, according to a Weibo poster that went around last month. It will have an optical image stabilization-capable Sony IMX890 main camera sensor (OIS). The smartphone was shown in leaked renders as having a dual-tone design with the camera module being Black and the majority of the rear panel being White. Another vertical rectangular module is placed on an enhanced rectangular island.
The Realme GT Neo 5 is said to include a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 1.5K resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and an inbuilt fingerprint sensor as its primary features. The device is expected to include up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage and up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The Realme GT Neo 5 is said to have two battery options: a 4,600mAh cell that supports 240W charging and a 5,000mAh battery that supports 150W charging.
- Motorola Moto E13 India Launch Date & Price Have Been Leaked
- Infinix Zero 5G 2023 Will Be Launched In India On 4 February
- Li Jei Says OnePlus Would Soon Launch New Blockbuster Products, OnePlus Ace 2?


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London-based Aconite is launching smartprocess, a complete transaction, script management and testing system for chip cards, aimed at financial institutions and retailers migrating to EMV standards.
Smartprocess delivers EMV transaction processing, payment capabilities for POS terminals, post-issuance script management, testing and diagnostics, and card upgrade and repair.
Aconite says the system exploits the benefits that can be derived from the move to smart cards, including fraud reduction, bad debt reduction and risk management.
Mike Woods, CEO, Aconite, says: "Smartprocess addresses many of the EMV migration challenges that financial institutions and retailers face."
The software will be showcased at this year's Cartes exhibition and tradeshow in Paris.


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Samsung Galaxy J1 has now gone official, it is listed on company’s Malaysian website. Though it is listed on the website which is showcasing its features, its price and availability details are yet to be disclosed. However, a month ago its price was tipped from an online retailer as approximately Rs. 10,000, but it is not confirmed by Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy J1 is the first smartphone in the all new Galaxy J series. [...]


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We have received the following extraordinary account from Indian trade unionists. Foxconn was the target of an earlier LabourStart campaign -- at its factory in China, where the Apple iPhone is produced, there was a rash of worker suicides. Now the same company is employing ruthless union-bashing tactics in India.
Protesting against this all the workers went on strike from 24th September.
On 9th October around 500 workers along with A Soundararajan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu state committee of CITU, E Muthukumar, secretary of the Kancheepuram district committee of CITU were arrested and put in prison. Full story...
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Because I sure do…it’s wholesome, safe and nutritious and always hits the spot every time whether I’m celebrating my engagement with a KC strip or relaxing at La Fiesta with some tasty fajitas – beef hits the spot.
This year the Beef Board is sponsoring a new campaign, “I Heart Beef”. The campaign is targeted at consumers in order to educate them on the heart healthy aspects of lean beef. It will also encourage consumers to purchase more beef, especially for that special someone on Valentines Day. Aspects of the campaign include a recipe contest and electronic and online communications to reach consumers. If successful, the Beef Board hopes to pursue similar avenues in March for St. Patrick’s Day and promotion of corned beef!
Tell your significant other or your best friend that if they really want to spoil you on Valentine’s Day, they should buy you a steak!
Until next time,


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The testing of the feature was revealed by social media commentator Matt Navarra on Twitter, crediting journalist Oriol Salvador.
The app currently allows approved users to tag products in posts, featuring up to five items in a single image or video and up to 20 products in multi-image posts.
However, the ability to mention products in the caption of a post has also rolled out on the platform, with fashion designer Victoria Beckham tagging one of her moisturising products in the description of a video.
new on Instagram? tagging products in the COPY of an Instagram feed post… https://t.co/0gIBIPq5UV
— Matt Navarra | 🚨 #StayAtHome (@MattNavarra) June 17, 2020
The news follows the announcement of Instagram Shop in May, with the feature first launching in the US in the summer.
Writing in a blog post, Facebook said the tool is “a new way to discover and buy products you love in Instagram Explore”.
“You can get inspired by collections from @shop, browse selections from your favorite brands and creators, filter by categories like beauty and home, and purchase the looks you love all in one place.
“And later this year, we’re adding a new shop tab in the navigation bar, so you can get to Instagram Shop in just one tap.”
It has not yet been revealed when the product tag feature for captions or Instagram Shop will be rolled out more widely.


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More than 3,000 new companies in tourism sector created in first quarter of 2016
Many factors are indicating that this year is going to be another record year for the tourism sector.
International visitor numbers are already up on last year, tourists are spending more money and hotel occupation has already been fairly high.
But not only this, the situation is looking good for businesses in Spain as well, and recent figures show that during the first three months of 2016, a total of 3,325 new businesses within the tourism sector were established.
This news is much needed, especially after more than 2,100 companies within the sector folded over the last 8 years because of the economic crisis.
And, the increase in the number of new businesses related to tourism in the first quarter of this year is 32.3% higher than for the same period in 2015. Not only that, but this is the largest rise in the number of commercial businesses in the last 10 years.
It is worth noting that that majority of new businesses created within the sector between January and March belong to the food and drink industry (81.5%), while the rest of them are made up of hotel and accommodation businesses and travel agents.
The number of new businesses being created each year in the tourism sector began to decline in 2007, although it was 2009 that saw the lowest number of new companies registered, with just 6,000. By 2015, the figure had reached 9,800 for the whole year.
Thankfully, new companies in the tourism sector are being established in greater numbers, and according to data, owners are investing a greater amount of capital into them as well.
And, statistics have also revealed that fewer businesses within the sector are having to close down due to bankruptcy. Thenumber of failed companies fell by 15% during the first quarter of 2016, with only 89 going into liquidation. Twenty-seven of these belonged to the hotel industry, while 61 were dedicated to selling food and drink.
The greatest number of businesses within the tourism sector failed in 2013, with a total of 608. Last year, in 2015, this was reduced to just over half, at 312, with the majority of those going under being in the food and drink industry. Those least affected were the travel agencies.
Let’s hope that the worst is now finally behind us and that Spain can continue to prosper and create new employment and jobs for many more people.


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Consumers care about the real world. At least that was one of the strong messages delivered at this year’s South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW). Over the past five days engineers, programmers, designers, academics, and marketers gathered for SXSW in Austin, Texas, as they do every year, to consider the future of interactive applications and platforms.
In recent years, this event has been a showcase for social networking; Twitter took center stage in 2007 and last year there was much buzz around mobile apps focused on social. While social networking companies still had a strong presence this year, there was a noticeable shift from virtual, networked products and enterprises to physical, hands-on products. In other words, real world hardware was hot.
The re-focus on hardware was embodied by one of SXSW’s key note speaker, Elon Musk, the man who built PayPal but who is now immersed in the real world of rockets, cars and solar panels through his leadership at SpaceX, SolarCity and Tesla Motors. The new hardware on display at SXSW included MakerBot’s 3D printer and its new prototype for 3D “Digitizer.” On the event’s opening day, in a keynote address to a packed house, MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis, demonstrated the capabilities of the digitizer, which uses a turntable and lasers, to scan a three dimensional object and create a file that can then be read by the company’s 3D printer. The digitizer and printer together offer an easy way to duplicate three dimensional objects. The next day at SXSW, in the same room, the inventors of the Leap Motion controller demonstrated their product, which enables computer users to control their computers with gestures. On top of these high profile roll outs, the trade show floor at SXSW offered looks at much, much more hardware.
The shift to hardware at SXSW should not be a surprise. It’s a shift that reflects what we’ve seen so far this year at other industry events like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January and the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February. All of these events show a movement toward translating the advances in mobile data and the “Internet of Everything” into hardware (and electronic components) for business and individual consumers – a movement that offers a bright future for the electronics supply chain.


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While the search for true human-level computing power is still elusive, the targeted use of artificial intelligence is currently transforming individual lives and entire industries. From intelligent sourcing and automatic ordering optimizing supply chains for manufacturers to AI assistants routing incoming telephone calls and enhancing customer service, the examples are all around us.
These specific uses for artificial intelligence are already well known, at least within the industries where their impacts are being felt. What is less known, but potentially far more important, is the conclusions AI will lead us to, especially in areas like hiring.
Amazon as an AI Proving Ground
The use of automation to screen resumes and artificial intelligence to guide hiring decisions has begun to be implemented at some companies. Arguably the most high profile examples of artificial intelligence guiding the hiring process happened at Amazon and this experience serves as a cautionary tale of its current limitations.
At first blush, it would appear that Amazon is the perfect proving ground for an algorithm that automates the hiring process and facilitates the sorting of resumes. The online retail giant is notoriously choosy about the candidates it hires, and the company can receive thousands of resumes for every job opening.
Given the sheer volume of applicants, some type of automation is virtually essential for Amazon. So when the company began experimenting with an artificially intelligent hiring assistant, hopes ran high. Unfortunately, the reality was less than spectacular, and the company announced it was discontinuing the project.
Discriminating Against Women
Almost from the start, there were issues with the Amazon AI hiring tool. Some of those issues arose right away and were very obvious, while others initially flew under the radar, potentially making them far more insidious and much more dangerous. One of the biggest problems with the Amazon experiment was the way it skewed hiring decisions in favor of male applicants. Tech industry watchers and government officials have long decried the male-dominated nature of work at high tech firms like Amazon, but the artificial intelligence tool appears to have made the hiring process even more imbalanced.
The team behind the artificial intelligence recruiting tool Amazon used had been hard at work since 2014, building in real-world experiences and the unique recruiting challenges faced by other high tech companies. Even so, the bias shown by the tool eventually proved problematic, and the company claims it is no longer relying on AI to recruit new workers for its various warehouses and offices.
Talent Optimization as a Human Approach
While some hiring tools are still in experimental stage, smart options currently exist to help companies build a world-class workforce. Talent Optimization, for example, provides a framework for hiring that leaves the human element intact. Through aligning an organization’s business strategy with its current workforce and future hires, this data and analytics tool helps companies make smart hiring decisions without gender bias.
In the short term, no one truly knows what the future of artificial intelligence will be when it comes to making hiring decisions. In some cases, the recent Amazon experience should serve as a cautionary tale, uncovering the current limitations of a technology that, for all its potential, is still in its infancy.
About the Author: Shelley D. Smith is a best-selling author and Talent Optimization Advisor PI Midlantic. Her experience over the past 35+ years has earned her a reputation as the Creator of the Culture Inquiry in businesses all along the east coast, and beyond.


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The only thing growing faster than the global drone population is the population of people thinking “how can I knock these annoying things out of the sky?” DroneShield offers a way to do just that, and now in a much more portable package, with the DroneGun Tactical — that is, if you’re an authorized government agent, which I doubt.
Over the last few years, the Australian company DroneShield has been showing off its DroneGun, essentially a high-powered antenna that blasts drones’ own antennas with a signal powerful enough that it drowns out the controller’s instructions. Many drones in such a situation treat this like a loss of signal, and attempt to make a safe landing or, if GPS isn’t also scrambled, return to a known location.
The problem with the DroneGun is that it’s really big, requiring a backpack with the batteries and other components in addition to the rifle-like gun itself.
I’m aware the pictures shown here are renders, but upon asking I was assured the device is in production. They already made the original, so I don’t doubt it.
DroneShield claims that the Tactical will drop drones more than a kilometer away (about half the distance of the original), though you’ll need to maintain line of sight; if the drone reestablishes signal with its controller, it might just take off again. You should get an hour or two of straight jamming, more than enough to take down a dozen UAVs. A GPS blocker add-on is also available, which makes it all the more sure that the rogue craft will simply descend instead of flying home.
I can certainly think of a few recent situations where I would have liked to bring an irresponsibly piloted drone down safely to give it a good stomp. But unfortunately ordinary folks like myself are strictly prohibited from getting their hands on one of these things.
The FCC hasn’t approved the device for use in the U.S., meaning it’s illegal to operate one unless you’re an authorized agent of the government; for example, someone testing it for the military. (The Tactical, in fact, was developed “following comprehensive international military end-user trials.”)
When I asked DroneShield’s CEO if these devices were likely to ever get FCC approval, he simply responded “no.” Well, at least he’s honest. You can learn more over at the company’s site.


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Dubai-listed Aramex said it has separated its core activities as part of a “new operating model” aimed at seizing growth opportunities in the transport and logistics sector after Covid 19.
The company, in which Abu Dhabi-backed investment holding company ADQ last year bought a 22.25% stake, said it had created Aramex Express, which will provide delivery services between business and customers, and Aramex Logistics, which is responsible for business-to-business operations.
Aramex announced the adoption of a new operating model, through which it aims to improve the level of customer services and enhance the efficiency of operational processes, by launching Aramex Express, which includes international and local express transportation solutions, and its services for businesses directed to individuals, and will include “Shop and Ship” solutions and e-commerce. Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Small and Medium Enterprises.
It appointed Muhammad Al-Akhras as Chief Operating Officer of Aramex Logistics and Alaa Al-Saudi as Chief Operating Officer of Aramex Express.
Othman Al-Jedda, Group CEO of Aramex, said: “The global transportation and logistics industry is witnessing radical transformations, primarily driven by the boom in the e-commerce sector, challenges in supply chains, high customer expectations, in addition to the tremendous speed in the pace of digital transformation.”
Stemming from our keenness to establish Aramex’s leading position in the sector and enhance its growth, competitiveness and reliability in a sustainable manner, we decided to focus on seizing growth opportunities by separating our core business lines.
The business express services segment accounts for 70% of the group’s revenue, and Aramex has stated that it plans to boost growth by creating new domestic and international trade routes.
The company plans to expand its logistics activities, which account for 28% of revenue, by increasing its presence in key markets and markets that facilitate trade flows to the region.
The statement said that the recovery in oil prices is expected to help growth in shipping activities.
As part of the redesign, the company created a new regional structure and appointed a Chief Strategy Officer to oversee international expansion and merger and acquisition plans.
Meanwhile, Aramex Logistics, which includes solutions for air, sea and land freight, warehousing and distribution, will serve the business base of companies across several industries including oil and gas, healthcare, pharmaceutical, aviation and aerospace, retail, fashion and more.
Al-Jedda added: “By launching Aramex Express and Aramex Logistics, we will enhance the company’s flexibility so that we can focus more on seizing the right opportunities for growth and diversifying our customer base, as well as investing in employing the best and latest technologies, and raising the levels of efficiency in our business. Through our existing investments, we will provide our customers with improved levels of service and create long-term value for our shareholders.”
Al-Jedda continued: “We are witnessing many good growth opportunities in the express transport services sector, which accounts for 70% of our revenues, and we intend to continue developing this sector. As for our logistics services sector, it constitutes about 28% of our revenues.”
According to the latest market studies, the global logistics industry is expected to reach $1,232 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% from 2020 to 2025.
More specifically, the global e-commerce-related logistics industry is expected to reach $657 billion in 2025, representing an 8.6% compound annual growth rate in the cited period.
Market studies expect the express freight and international parcel freight sector to increase by 9.2% to reach $117 billion, and the express freight and domestic parcel freight sector to grow by 8.6% to reach $543 billion. Meanwhile, the freight forwarding and contract logistics sector is expected to grow 6.2% to $242 billion and $331 billion, respectively.
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Diamantaires stockpile roughs fearing further price hikeMelvyn Thomas | TNN | Nov 22, 2012, 07.59 AM IST
SURAT: Diamantaires in Surat have started stockpiling rough diamonds after the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) began decreasing the prices by about eight per cent recently.
As per the data by Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), India imported $1.48 billion worth of rough diamonds in October, up 109 per cent compared to the same month in the previous year.
In the past one year or so, the rough diamond prices have increased by almost 25 per cent in the global market with the leading diamond mining companies like Alrosa, De Beers and Rio Tinto citing increased cost of mining and other issues like depleting stocks in the existing mines.
Industry sources said that the surge in imports followed a period of lower than usual level of imports that started in May, as manufacturers suffered from stunted polished diamond sales against high rough prices. In October, the DTC lowered prices and decreased supply to meet the market's needs.
In October, the volume of imports, 15.6 million carats, increased 191 per cent compared to the depressed imports in October 2011.
A DTC sightholder said, "There is a fear in the market that the prices of rough diamonds may increase in 2013 following the dwindling supply of the diamond mines globally. However, the diamond manufacturers have started piling up their inventories. There is an even price benefit after the DTC lowered the rough diamond prices by almost 8 per cent."
Dinesh Navadia, president, Surat Diamond Association (SDA) said, "The demand for rough diamonds has increased in the last one month. The import of roughs was quite low during the first seven months of 2012 as the prices had increased. Now since the prices have come down, the diamond manufacturers have started stashing the goods to meet their demands for the coming year."


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The Indelicato family has been crafting wines in California for almost 100 years. Left to right are Jay Indelicato, chief operating officer; Mike Indelicato, customer service lead; Cheryl Indelicato, family/brand ambassador; Stephen Mathews, fourth generation winemaker; Marie Mathews, director of hospitality and retail sales; and Chris Indelicato, chief executive officer.
MANTECA, Calif. — Ninety-eight years ago, an 18-year-old immigrant from Sicily was looking for land in California that resembled his homeland to grow grapes. He found it in San Joaquin County.
“In 1924, Gaspare Indelicato and his wife, Catherine, purchased a 688-acre dairy ranch and planted small plots of Carignane, Mission, and Zinfandel vines for making their Delicato wine,” said Indelicato family spokesman Brent Dodd.
Today six family members are involved in the wine business. The winery harvests grapes from more than 6,000 acres of estate vineyards in the Napa, Lodi, Monterey and Sonoma regions to craft wines that express the diversity of these appellations.
Delicato’s winemaking team in partnership with its growers manage many varietals including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir.
A lot of the wines are only offered through the winery’s tasting rooms or its wine clubs.
In the last couple of years, Delicato has taken steps to prevent drought damage.
This ranges from installing flow meters on wells and pumps to adding a system that allows Delicato to reclaim 2 million gallons of water a year for landscape and vineyard irrigation.
Because these efforts have worked so well, the winery hasn’t been drastically impacted by the drought.
More changes have also happened in the tasting room, Dodd said.
“We are finding that consumers are more wine savvy now than five years ago, and there is a desire to understand wine in greater depths,” he said. “We see this show up in tastings that are paired with food and experiences that bridge the gap between climate and terroir and how it translates to the glass.
“As a result, we are seeing that consumers are willing to trade up and spend more per bottle than wine drinkers five years ago.”
Consumers of Delicato wines have a variety of brands and wines from which to choose.
Gnarly Head is a value-driven wine label that produces a range of wines from California fruit. The brand was created in 2004 and is best known for its production of Lodi Zinfandel from 35- to 80-year-old head-trained vines.
Delicato Family Wines introduced the Bota Box in 2003, taking inspiration from traditional Spanish wine skins known as “botas,” which were used to carry wine for centuries.
Being one of the fastest-growing wineries in the U.S. with a nearly 100-year pedigree doesn’t come without its challenges. The biggest tests are the cost of energy and natural disasters, Dodd said.
“Water restrictions are becoming tighter and tighter and ... drought-like conditions throughout the Central Valley and North Coast make the probability of wildfires extremely high. For perspective, since 2015 we’ve had only one year when we didn’t have to worry about smoke taint,” he said.
“We just hope to keep producing quality wine for another 100-plus years.”
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Customers in south Winchester and Frederick County have a new, convenient option to purchase spirits and Virginia wines with the opening of the latest Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) retail store. Virginia ABC officials will host a grand opening ceremony at 241 Kernstown Commons Boulevard Unit 5F on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m.
The 2,814 sq. ft. store is located in the Kernstown Commons retail center, close to Interstate 81 and Route 11.
“This new location in Frederick County serves as an added convenience for the area’s growing population and business base,” said Virginia ABC Chief Executive Officer Travis Hill.
The public is invited to the ceremony, which will include brief remarks, a ribbon cutting, photos and informal store tours.
Store hours will be 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The store employs a store manager, assistant store manager, two lead sales associates and two sales associates. It is the sixth store in the Winchester area, and the 397th Virginia ABC store.
Store inventory will include more than 2,400 items, including 426 different brands and sizes of whiskeys, 274 cordials, 215 vodkas, 210 bourbons and 162 tequilas.
Customers are encouraged to visit Virginia ABC’s website at http://www.abc.virginia.gov
to search for stores, determine the availability of products at any retail location and order spirits online for in-store or curbside pickup, or home delivery in select areas.
Per the Code of Virginia, ABC’s profits from in-store and online retail sales are remitted each year to the commonwealth for designated state programs and services. For fiscal year 2021, ABC contributed a total of $622.8 million ($243.6 million from retail sales) to the commonwealth.
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) is a major source of revenue for the commonwealth, contributing more than $2.7 billion to the general fund in the last five years. Virginia ABC currently operates 397 state stores and provides alcohol education and prevention programs for people of all ages. Its Bureau of Law Enforcement oversees approximately 19,000 ABC licensed establishments. Now marking its 88th year, ABC remains committed to progress and innovation in carrying out its vision of bringing good spirits and excellent service to Virginia.
Web: www.abc.virginia.gov Facebook: @VirginiaABC and @SpiritedVirginia Instagram: @spiritedvirginia Twitter: @VirginiaABC LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/virginiaabc