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Nokia have been hacked, and user account information has been taken according to a Nokia statement. the developer forum has been taken offline after a breach – the unknown hacker(s) have made off with database tables.
You may have seen reports or received an email from us regarding a recent security breach on this developer.nokia.com/community discussion forum.
During our ongoing investigation of the incident we have discovered that a database table containing developer forum members’ email addresses has been accessed, by exploiting a vulnerability in the bulletin board software that allowed an SQL Injection attack. Initially we believed that only a small number of these forum member records had been accessed, but further investigation has identified that the number is significantly larger.
The database table records includes members’ email addresses and, for fewer than 7% who chose to include them in their public profile, either birth dates, homepage URL or usernames for AIM, ICQ, MSN, Skype or Yahoo. However, they do not contain sensitive information such as passwords or credit card details and so we do not believe the security of forum members’ accounts is at risk. Other Nokia accounts are not affected.
We are not aware of any misuse of the accessed data, but we are communicating with affected forum members, though we believe the only potential impact to them may be unsolicited email. Nokia apologizes for this incident.
Though the initial vulnerability was addressed immediately, we have now taken the developer community website offline as a precautionary measure, while we conduct further investigations and security assessments. We hope to get the site back online as soon as possible and will post developments here in the meantime.
If you have any questions on this, please contact [email protected]
According to Nokia the forum members accounts are not at risk because the breached database does not contain sensitive information such as passwords or credit card details.
Kitguru says: Have you been a victim in this attack?


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When the chokehold of the downturn left pinched pockets in its wake, those who considered tradeshows a huge part of their marketing mix didn’t vacate the show floor. Instead, they firmly sought to exhibit without buying the structure.
Even though the economic climate has improved, budget constraints still exist, and exhibit rentals continue to prevail as an alternative option to buying. As a result, an exhibit house’s rental inventory and partnerships have become valuable commodities that attract and retain customers as much as the rental itself.
“The rental market continues to grow. It’s a wonderful way for the exhibit house to build bottom line profitability if working with the right rental properties,” added Robert Laarhoven, vice president of sales and partner, beMatrix USA.
A rage of inventories
While there are common pre-engineered structures tradeshow companies carry in their warehouses, especially if they use the same vendor, service standards and overall rental programs vary from business to business. Small-to-large exhibition companies may carry certain types of pre-engineered structures and may have to outsource or purchase other options.
Additionally, some of the largest of the large custom houses might not have the inventory of rental solutions available to them, according to Dick Wheeler, president of California-based ProExhibits.
In contrast, rentals are huge business for others serving the exhibition industry. Rentals constitute 90 percent of Michigan-based Exhibit Exchange’s operation, according to its owner, Mark Kiely.
“We doubled our inventory due to the amount of business we were awarded. It’s rare we have to build [from scratch]. Clients like the flexibility of a rental,” Kiely added. “We pick the structure and hardware and reduce the costs by two-thirds.”
For some tradeshow companies, consistently expanding their inventory allows them to invest in their customers who in turn buy their products. It’s a quid pro quo partnership that continues to work for several reasons. This is evidenced by ProExhibits, which invested $3 million in its inventory.
Different structures for different folks
Opinions differ, but many in the industry agree that exhibit rentals should only be purchased when exhibiting one-to-three times a year. Another division lies in what rental structure is best. Everyone has their reasons for purchasing certain structures from suppliers, so do the customer who ultimately rents from the exhibit house.
No matter if the structure is a portable or pop-up; modular or custom modular system; or traditional custom wood and metal, flexibility and savings is at the heart of every successful rental program. The fact is that some rentals cost more than others and perhaps have more attractive qualities than others. But of course, that also depends on the point of view.
“Rentals give companies flexibility, whether they are startups or well-established. They can exhibit at multiple venues at the same time. Once you buy a booth, you can’t go to a conflicting venue at the same time. Rentals are economical, and you can have a completely different look from year to year. You’re not stuck carrying it as an asset for five years until you pay it off. I’m not saying [rentals] are perfect for everyone, but they are the right solution for our clientele,” Kiely said.
Some exhibit houses see traditional custom wood and metal exhibits as something to be sold, not rented, due to the construction and operating costs. At the other end of the spectrum, some tradeshow companies may see this option as an investment into a major client. Agreeing with the latter option, ProExhibits invests in designing and constructing customized rentals for specific clients who use them for at least three tradeshows, according to Wheeler.
There are two types of custom rentals. The first is when the exhibit house builds and designs the structure with the intention of renting it to the customer. Also, there are pre-engineered solutions where surface colors are changed and graphics are added. This type of rental could be custom, modular or portable.
Portables or pop-ups are considered the solution for those who want less to operate, carry or install. Modular systems are popular for their configurability and lightweight aluminum that saves on drayage and operating costs. Additionally, most modular systems require no tools to put them together.
Overall, rentals are long-lasting, according to Laarhoven, who noticed the quality and durability of 10-year-old frame systems at International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), held in September 2014 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
Saving time and money
“[Rentals] reduce the amount of time it takes to get to the market. Generally, pre-designed and pre-engineered solutions take under a month. However, custom-designed rental solutions require the same amount of time as a custom property,” stated Wheeler. “There is 60 percent savings over designing and building something new the [customer] would own. The client doesn’t have carrying costs. It’s all built into one flat fee.”
Managing the logistics and owning the rental property means the exhibit house is responsible for the associated expenses. But there are ways to save here as well. For example, with beMatrix being such a popular rental system, according to Laarhoven, the company has noted how easy it is for tradeshow companies to avoid transporting equipment across the U.S.
“Our customers may rent to each other. If we have a customer in Boston and they find it too costly to send their inventory to San Francisco, they may find it more cost-effective to rent frames from another exhibit house in that market.” Laarhoven explained.
He added that regional tradeshow companies may not see each other as competition like the major exhibit houses probably would.
While there are perks to renting, both financially and logistically, there may come a point where the end user prefers to own the exhibit. For these instances, companies like ProExhibits partner with third-party leasing companies and offer the leasing service to customers.
Wheeler stated that it’s possible for customers to pay off an exhibit in 12 to 60 months as well as augment what they’re buying over that time period.
Adding leasing services is another instance of the quid pro quo partnerships exhibit houses take on when investing in their relationship with customers.

domain: news


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Swiss contract manufacturer Siegfried Holding has fattened up its API manufacturing capabilities, having completed a deal to buy three production operations in Europe from BASF. The exchange, the German chemical giant says, allows it to narrow its focus on higher-margin pharma products.
The companies said Thursday that they had completed their €270 million ($302.3 million) deal in which Siegfried bought BASF's ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and caffeine API businesses, as well as BASF's custom drug manufacturing operation. With the deal, Siegfried picked up plants in Minden, Germany; Evionnaz, Switzerland; and Saint-Vulbas, France, that employ more than 800.
"Through this acquisition, Siegfried will reach the critical size to play a leading role in the supplier market as a recognized partner for the pharmaceutical industry," Siegfried CEO Rudolf Hanko said in a statement The company said the three sites had sales of about $287.5 million last year.
BASF explained today that while the custom synthesis business has been transferred in its entirety to Siegfried, it will handle sales and distribution of the APIs for the Swiss company through late 2016.
When the two announced the deal in May, BASF said it intended to focus on its polyethylenglycol (PEG), ibuprofen and omega-3 business. While it has a market-leading position with its PEG operations, two years ago it made a play in the ultrapure omega-3 arena that has yet to pan out. It invested $1 billion to buy Pronova BioPharma in Norway. It also spent another €22m ($29.2 million) to expand a plant in Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides, west Scotland, that it acquired from Equataq but it noted in an earnings report this year that its fish oil business has struggled.
- here's the Siegfried release
- here's the BASF release


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Did you think that the patently insane suits surrounding Android had been curtailed now that Apple’s litigious pursuits in The US and Australia have been set back? Think again. This morning British Telecom, one of the largest telecommunications conglomerates in the world, filed suit against Android creator Google in Deleware, United States. The company asserts that Android infringes upon six key patents, mainly involving navigation and location-based operations.
Android has been a battlefield of patent litigation for the last year, but this case is fairly unique: BT is targeting Google directly, instead of an individual manufacturer as Apple and Microsoft have done so far. Many speculate that OEMs had been targeted instead of Google because their smaller size would make them easier to fight with in court, and indeed, many suits have already ended in various settlements. BT is one of the only major corporations to sue Google directly, which may allow Google to bring the considerable strength of its own legal team to bear in the current weorldwide patent debacle.
The myriad of patent infringement cases being played out all over the world are simply too numerous to mention, but Apple’s cases against Samsung and HTC have taken the spotlight in the United States. A federal judge overturned a requested sales ban of Samsung’s Galaxy line of products, and the case against HTC has yet to be decided. Microsoft is suing Barnes and Noble for its Nook line of tablets, after securing licensing
shakedowns deals with HTC, Samsung, Asus and various other manufacturers. Oracle is one of the only other companies to sue Google directly, with the former claiming that Android infringes upon its Java licenses.


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EA Sports has announced that a server side update for Madden NFL 13 will go live tomorrow on the Xbox 360 and PS3 that will address the issue experienced by some in Connected Careers mode where the team under control registers as being falsely and dramatically (in the billions) over the salary cap occurring at some point beyond the first season.
Needless to say anyone who encountered the bug had their progress essentially halted and time invested in the mode wasted. It was poor form by EA to go over three months without acknowledging the issue or resolving it while instead doing things like releasing new features for Ultimate Team. The fix coming now is necessary but will be too late for many.
Given that this is a server-side update it will only apply to “Online” Connected Careers. It will fix those already in progress as well as prevent the problem from occurring within new careers. The company did not issue comment on whether the fix will be part of a future patch which would be necessary for it to apply to “Offline” careers as well.


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Up to $10 million in state money may be coming to the Utah State Fairpark. The Fairpark Board was able to participate in a meeting at the Utah State Capital this month and speak to a panel of lawmakers about how important the heritage of the Fairpark is to our community. This legislative panel will be opening the issue of funding and renewing the lease for debate when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
“The time for studies and discussions should be over,” said Bryce Garner, chairman of the Fairpark Community Council. “Anything that brings sustainability to the Fair and keeps the Fairgrounds where they are, intact, is something we wholeheartedly support.”
Discussions during the meeting involved bringing the Salt Lake County Fair and the Days of ’47 Rodeo to the fairgrounds, as well as major structural improvements to the grounds including renovating the rodeo arena, or adding an Expo style building for conferences. More business to the State Fairpark means more positive growth for our area and the possibility of better restaurants, shopping and retail to support the growth.


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According to reports, China’s digital currency is taking shape with trial runs or pilot projects that are being centered around travel subsidies and Communist Party fees. The agency in charge of developing the digital yuan confirms that the pilot schemes have been approved in four cities. This development comes hot on the heels of Libra, a cryptocurrency backed by Facebook, that has since scaled back its ambitions to become a global currency.
A screenshot of the planned digital currency emerged recently, and it seems to be a test version developed by the Agricultural Bank Of China. The National Business Daily in China reported that the Xiangcheng district of Suzhou was expected to put the currency to use in May, by giving 50 percent of payments of travel subsidies to public sector workers through digital avenues. Another publication, the 21st Century Business Herald has also reported that some Communist Party members are paying their membership fees by using the digital currency as well. It seems that the Digital Currency Research Institute of the People’s Bank Of China has also confirmed that there are trial programs involving China’s state-owned banks, in terms of this digital currency too.
The current murmurings indicate that the pilot schemes for the digital currency would be held in four cities, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Xiongan and Chengdu. Apparently, the 2022 Winter Olympics venues could also be used to test the currency. While there is no official timetable for the launch, there is rampant speculation swirling around the launch date. Some are saying that it is imminent, and share prices of the companies have surged last week in Shanghai and Shenzhen. According to Citic Securities, China is expected to make the sovereign digital currency readily available to the public later this year. Estimates are the the total size of China’s digital currency ecosystem could reach $USD 140 billion in the coming years.
The only other global competitor out there is the Libra payment system, and they recently updated white paper outlines the significant work that they have done on the design of the Libra payment system since June 2019. They are now offering single-currency stable-coins in addition to the multi-currency coin. An enhancement of the safety of the Libra payment system with a robust compliance framework is also in the works.
The ecosystem is forgoing the future transition to a permission-less system while maintaining its key economic properties. It’s also building strong protections into the design of the Libra Reserve. With at least 1.7 billion adults globally who are currently unbanked, the potential to get everything done through a $40 smartphone is something unmissable for an enterprise like Libra. Interbank-fees, remittances fees, wire costs, overdraft charges and ATM deductions are all negative aspects that hurt the bottom line of these individuals, and that’s why a system like Libra could be a game-changer for the future.
Companies in this ecosystem believe that it is possible to combine the best aspects of blockchain-based technological innovation, via distributed governance, open access and security. Coupled with robust compliance and regulatory framework, the building of certain compliance requirements at the protocol level can revolutionize the ecosystem. Ultimately, the goal of systems like this is to serve as a foundation for financial services, including a new global payment system that meets the daily financial needs of billions of people.
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We provide information about Asia Blockchain Review latest activities as well as global blockchain news and research. Subscribe to our Newsletter now or Contact us


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Published: 28 October 2016
On Thursday 20th October, Why Media was delighted to be informed that they achieved 100% in a mystery shopper exercise arranged by their client County Square, a regional shopping centre in Ashford, Kent.
The top marks score was awarded by the mystery shopper - a new initiative that Savills has implemented into its retail schemes - for Facebook and Twitter management. The criteria looked at how County Square uses social media, not only to communicate its offer, but also how quickly and efficiently they respond to questions
Claire White, Account Director for Why Media comments; ‘We were delighted when we received the feedback. We have been working with the centre for two years and it’s nice to know that our hard work pays off. Part of our social media management strategy is to ensure questions and queries are responded to quickly and accurately. We live in an age of 24 hour service and although a shopping centre may close its doors at 6pm, customers still expect a response on platforms like Facebook around the clock. Our team are obsessive about ensuring messages are responded to whether it’s 10am on a Monday or 8pm on a Sunday. We are now looking forward to the next mystery shopper!’
Following the excellent feedback, Fran Burt, Centre Manager at County Square commented: ‘County Square’s recent ‘Secret Shopper’ research received 100% results for both Facebook and Twitter accounts with comments that they were easily located, recently updated and enquiries were responded to within 15 minutes. We’re delighted with the results of our Secret Shopper report and would like to thank Why Media for all their hard work with regards to the social media section of the report’
Why Media undertakes all digital marketing for County Square and over the last twelve months has delivered an effective strategy across social media and email marketing. We provide monthly analytical reports that support set KPIs and showcase return on investment for both the Centre Management, Managing Agent Savills and shopping centre owners Kennedy Wilson.
Why Media is an award-winning design, marketing, digital communications and PR agency offering tailored solutions to companies on a global scale. We have extensive experience in delivering design and marketing services to a spectrum of companies including professional services, property companies, financial institutions and shopping centres. We have offices in London UK, Hertford UK, Finestrat ES & Brescia IT.


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Google is planning to open retail shops in the United States by the end of 2013. Besides the U.S., Google is also planning to open an outlet in Dublin, Ireland, as the tech firm attempts to make its products more reachable to consumers, both in-web as well as physical items.
Reports said that among the items that will be featured in these Google stores are Nexus devices, Google Chromebooks and future products that are yet to be released. Currently, Google has several in-store kiosks called Chrome Stores found in some Best Buy locations in the U.S. and several other PC World stores in the UK.
At this time, Google's products are popular via online purchasing and they feature many products in-web or physical ones.


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cheap jordans in china It is often after many months or years, you may begin to “catch on” that you are being covertly emotionally manipulated! You may begin to doubt your perceptions (from being Gaslighted), you may feel confused and confounded more often and you may feel unhinged and off balance. Covert Emotional Manipulators create a false sense of security and like to have you in their clutches. This way they can gain the cheap jordan 10 upper hand to your thinking cheap jordans in china.


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Telecoms regulator in India has put a cap on the number of text messages that can be sent from a mobile phone to deter tele-marketers, according to reports.
The new ruling comes after several failed attempts to rein in the tele-marketing firms who have been freely sending unsolicited marketing texts to users on a daily basis. Under the current system, subscribers can register their numbers with a “national do not call” list by sending a text to a 1909 number.
The latest measure comes after an announcement in December that companies found to be abusing the ‘do not call’ list would be subject to heavy fines. In addition to the new cap, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has also barred commercial calls or messages between the hours of 9pm and 9am.
Yet while official figures suggest the number of unsolicited commerical calls has dropped significantly since the ‘do not call’ submission list was introduced four years ago, consumers still express frustration at the sheer volume of marketing texts they receive.
With India currently remaining the fastest-growing global mobile phone market, with over 700 million users, it remains to be seen whether the tele-marketing firms adhere to the latest ruling.


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After striking out with attempted buyouts of Gateway 2000, Digital Equipment, and Micron Electronics, Compaq finally hit one into center field Monday with its US$3 billion purchase of Tandem Computers. The deal gives Compaq some much-needed bench strength in high-end systems for major clients, and practically doubles the company's sales force.
"Strategically, it makes a lot of sense," said Dan Niles, an analyst at Robertson Stephens. Although the purchase price is more than 40 percent higher than Tandem's market value as of Friday, he observed that "this is not an abnormal premium for an acquisition."
No cash is changing hands; Compaq will pay for the acquisition with 29 million shares of stock. Tandem in turn will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Compaq, with Tandem CEO Roel Pieper staying on as head of the unit.
Compaq is in need of help if it is to remain competitive against discount rivals like Gateway and Dell, and if the company is to make further inroads with deep-pocketed corporate clients.
Relying almost exclusively on resellers for its PC sales, Compaq has found it tough to go head-to-head with online competitors capable of making direct contact with shoppers. At the same time, the Houston-based manufacturer has come up short in providing technical support for its increasingly muscular machines, fomenting discontent among customers.
Each of the recent acquisition attempts was intended to address these shortcomings. Either Gateway or Micron would have given Compaq better footing against Dell, while Digital would have provided a virtual army of support staff. As it stands, the Tandem buyout positions Compaq more securely in the high-end niche market, but may not go far in tackling the company's more chronic problems.
"What the deal really does is help move them away from being just a PC company," said Scott Miller, an analyst at Dataquest. "They still have issues with Dell on the low end."
Nevertheless, Compaq is by no means hurting. The company saw first-quarter earnings soar 66 percent over the previous year, with sales up by about 14 percent. Compaq CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer has predicted that annual revenues will double to $40 billion by 2000, and is fond of telling interviewers that PC buyers need look no further than what he calls "Wintelpaq" for all their computer needs.
"We talk about Compaq as if they're in dire, dire trouble," Miller noted. "Compaq is not in deep trouble yet."
In the past year, Compaq has worked closely with Tandem on so-called cluster systems that bring multiple servers into play for data-intensive networks. Tandem has increasingly looked to the PC server field as a growth market for its cluster technology.


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Facebook could be looking at letting its users make in-store purchases via its Facebook Messenger chat app, according to The Information. “Tucked inside the code for Facebook’s Messenger are clues for how the chat app plans to become a marketplace, including an unreleased feature that lets people use the app to buy things in stores,” the publication says.
Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions
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Its is really a good thing from facebook
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Microsoft will bring its Xbox One to an additional 26 territories in September, including India, Japan and Russia, and promised further details in April.
"On the heels of the most successful Xbox launch in history, we continue to be blown away by the support and engagement of our fans," said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing, strategy and business, Xbox, alongside the announcement.
"You're spending an average of over five hours per day on Xbox One. And following the launch of Titanfall - as well as the highly anticipated Twitch broadcasting feature - we've seen you light up Xbox Live even further. In fact, last week we saw the highest number of hours logged on Xbox Live since the launch of Xbox One."
The full list of countries is:
- Czech Republic
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa


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BSkyB has settled its trademark legal action against Livescribe, after the digital pen maker agreed to rebrand its flagship "Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen".
The pay-TV company sued US firm Livescribe over the "Sky" mark in the £154 gadget, which records audio and wirelessly transfers it to users' computers.
In a joint statement, Livescribe said it accepted that the smartpen infringed BSkyB's trademark and will rebrand it as the "Livescribe Wi-Fi Smartpen".
The trademark infringement dispute prompted Livescribe to pull the gadget from UK stores, although BSkyB said it has now agreed for the firm to sell off stock existing prior to the rebrand.
A spokesman for BSkyB said: "We are pleased to have reached a settlement with Livescribe after Livescribe agreed not to contest Sky's court action.
"We will remain vigilant in protecting the Sky brand and will continue to take appropriate action against those companies who seek to use our trade mark without consent."
The broadcaster is protective of its "Sky" brand and has previously taken legal steps to protect it. Three years ago, BSkyB was involved in a long-running trademark dispute with the internet telephony service Skype over its use of "the mark".
In a statement, Livescribe said: "While Livescribe does not offer any goods or services similar to those of Sky and had no intention of infringing Sky's rights, Livescribe is pleased to reach a settlement with British Sky Broadcasting. We moved quickly to settle and look forward to launching the rebranded product as the "Livescribe Wi-Fi Smartpen" in the European Union on 1 March 2013."
The digital pen is the first to "integrate Wi-Fi technology and cloud services," according to Livescribe, and a top-end model costs $249.95 (£154).
• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email firstname.lastname@example.org or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".


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Venue catering group Lime Venue Portfolio (LVP) has announced, 21 December, record figures and another year of growth for the business.
The brand posted an annual turnover of £40m across its portfolio of managed venues for 2015, an increase of 11% from last year, with eight venues achieving growth of 20% year on year or more.
The brand continues to invest in training and the delivery of sales and marketing support that has helped grow the portfolio as a collective.
LVP sales director Jo Austin said: “These are stunning figures, ahead of the market and underlining the faith that out customers have in Lime Venue Portfolio venues. Our venues have performed magnificently in a tough market.
“We’re incredibly proud of the reputation we have for the quality of our food and venues but we’re also delighted that we continue to connect our customers with the venues that will help make their events a success.”


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By Haley Wilson
The Birmingham Times
Centered around “community, culture, and sisterhood,” SoulSistah3.0 is an “Africa-inspired business” that not only offers a variety of stylish earrings—wood-burned, hand-painted, authentic pairs from Ghana—but also promotes literacy to at-risk youth across Birmingham.
The company was founded by Tamica Banks in 2017, after the Birmingham native traveled to Ghana on a mission trip that sparked her desire to become more knowledgeable about the continent’s rich history.
“It’s breathtakingly beautiful,” she said. “My love for Africa, African literature and culture definitely increased. I will never forget that trip.”
Motivated by her mission trip, Banks realized she could spread the knowledge she acquired in Ghana through her originality in Birmingham.
“I’ve always had a lot of art, but I didn’t know my own creativity,” she said. “Being in Ghana really inspired me to pass along the message and beauty I personally got to see there. I really wanted to start a business that would inspire young girls of African descent to see beauty in themselves, their culture, and mother country—Africa—through sisterhood.”
“I wanted to highlight who we truly are,” she added. “As Black people, some of us have history that goes back to Egypt. … We are kings and queens, gods and goddesses, and our ancestors-built dynasties and empires for centuries. I want to showcase this through my business.”
That rich history inspired the name SoulSistah 3.0.
“I wanted to do something that was very popular in our community among Black women,” Banks said. “A lot of businesses had ‘Soul’ this and ‘Sistah’ that, … [but] I had to make it my own and put the 3.0 behind the name to take it to another level. We are Black women and Black culture … simply taken to a maximized level.”
“Diversifying My Brand”
Banks filed an application with REV Birmingham, enrolling as a first-time vendor at the economic development agency’s October 2020 Woodlawn Street Market, which is designed for “local entrepreneurs to launch their businesses and interact with customers while also adding to the vibrancy of downtown Woodlawn.” The event was significantly scaled back last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Banks was convinced that the positive experience was an “opportunity for build and grow her business.”
“I love meeting my customers, and their friends and family,” she said. “Vending is my favorite part about being an entrepreneur in Birmingham. Something about knowing someone has a piece of something you created in their home and is rewarding.”
Even though the 2020 Woodlawn Market was scaled back, Banks was still able to grow the popularity of Soul Sistah 3.0 and incorporate new products like bracelets, hand-painted art imported from Ghana, necklaces, and a men’s jewelry line to both her street market in Woodlawn and her virtual platform in the online Marketplace. She also has added T-shirts promoting reading and awareness of the school-to-prison pipeline, as well as natural product lines for all skin and hair types.
“When I first got started, my brand was really just for Black women,” said Banks. “I had to remarket myself, rebrand myself, and reach out to different markets … by diversifying my brand. I’m able to get into more communities and markets, which helps to increase my customer base and my revenue, so it is growing my brand.”
Banks has spent the last year, “growing her business, creating new products, and utilizing digital platforms like Facebook and Instagram.” She also set up a website on Etsy,www.etsy.com/shop/soulsistah30, to better reach her customers.
In January 2021, Banks started working with Robert Emerick, REV Birmingham’s client relations manager, to organize her business finances. They have created an accounting system, hired a tax accountant, and developed a plan for an optimized vending booth. Now, Banks said, she has created a “solid business plan that will allow her to continue building her brand and growing her business.”
For Banks, giving back to the community where she grew up has always been a top priority. As an alumnus of Woodlawn High School, community has a “special place” in her heart.
“It’s where I grew up. It’s my home,” she said. “My grandmother grew up in Woodlawn. It’s where I really just kind of went from a little girl to a teenager to the transition of becoming a woman.”
The love of her home community is so strong that Banks often features her high school colors throughout her work.
“You will always see green and gold earrings in my collections,” she said. “When I am in the community, I am always at home. I also love seeing old classmates, which brings back special memories.”
Banks, who has a son, makes it a point to encourage young people to read and better themselves.
“I give out free books whenever I have events,” she said. “In the summertime, I set up at a lot of farmer’s markets and keep little wooden basket filled with books in my area.”
“I want to do something to make a difference in the lives of kids,” Banks added. “I love kids, and I put a strong emphasis on African literature because I want them to know who they are. I want to teach young girls who they are and that their history starts in Africa. It’s important to empower them, to encourage them, to motivate them.
“There are all these negative images of who Black people are, … [and] I think it’s important we educate on who we really are and not how we are portrayed or stereotyped to be.”
For more information on SoulSistah 3.0 or to shop the collection, you can follow @SoulSistah3.0 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or visit the site on Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/soulsistah30.


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Yesterday, the Premier League kicked off once again, as fan noise from FIFA 20 echoed in stadiums instead of the real thing. While it helped to quell some of the eeriness of an empty stadium, now the Premier League could be leveraging digital platform once again until the season ends.
This as Deadline reports that Amazon is looking into streaming matches for free in the UK. With matches regularly streaming live alongside actual games on Amazon Prime Video, the interactivity of Twitch is what the company is betting on this time around.
“We are extremely passionate about delivering the best experience for our customers whilst following guidelines to ensure the safety of our production team,” Alex Green, MD of Amazon Prime Video Sport Europe, tells the publication.
“Beyond this, we have made a number of additions that bring extra choice to our customers in how they watch, from full-crowd Stadium Atmosphere to streaming our Prime Video fixtures on leading streaming service, Twitch,” he adds.
To that end it is aiming to use Twitch as a means for fans to interact with one another, given the fact that meeting up at pubs, bars and other venues is not a possibility during quarantine.
If this little experiment proves successful, we could see Amazon push more live sports to services like Twitch, although we doubt it will be freely available, as is the case with this current Premier League plan.
For now, this is said to only be an offer for Twitch users in the UK, but hopefully there is talks to make it available here too, given the popularity of the League in South Africa.
Given the fact that MultiChoice has exclusive rights to air games, the chances for now are rather slim, but perhaps some innovative fans out there will make use of a VPN to get around that issue.
Oh, you also never heard that from us.


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South East businesses are already benefiting from a £200 million business support service launched recently by the government to accelerate the growth of firms employing less than 250 staff.
GrowthAccelerator will drive growth for up to 26,000 ambitious small to mid-sized businesses across England, creating 55,000 high-value jobs.
The support is being delivered by over 100 expert Growth Managers and 800 growth coaches who have been recruited on the basis of their successful past experience with growing businesses. This includes a team of innovation specialists who work with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to help small firms capitalise on their intellectual assets. Trade mark, design and patent protection has added significant value to UK firms, enabling business continuity at home and abroad.
The national team of GrowthAccelerator coaches includes Clive Bonny of Strategic Management Partners based in Brighton. Clive, one of the team attending the Intellectual Property Office Masterclass, says; “The scope of work that we can provide through GrowthAccelerator is tailored to each client and can include many operational areas such as marketing, customer services, skills training, managing strategic change and innovation. Intellectual property protection also ensures business continuity and adds real value to branding and reputation.”
Businesses on the GrowthAccelerator programme may be able to secure funding from the IPO to commission an IP professional to conduct an IP audit of their business. An additional £3000 funding per applicant is available to protect intellectual property such as trademarks and brand designs.
Two Brighton businesses have already signed up to the programme. Jamie Malpass, MD of Malpass Meats Direct, says; “My family firm has been supplying the best fresh Smithfield market meat direct to the public for over 200 years. GrowthAccelerator support is helping us set up a cash and carry business for south coast residents to buy quality fresh meat at much lower prices than vacuum packed supermarkets. As a result our turnover is forecast to increase by a million pounds within 12 months.”
“Tom Druitt, MD of The Big Lemon Bus Company, says “Our buses run on recycled waste cooking oil and we have just been declared by the City Council as the preferred bidder to operate the 52 bus serving Woodingdean and Ovingdean. This grant support enables us to manage our growth and continue to improve the service we provide in order to fully live up to our catchphrase “Turning Waste into Happiness”
Entrepreneurs who are interested in finding out more about how they can benefit from expert support to help them achieve their goals and grow their businesses should contact their local Growth Manager, Sue Sharpe on email:
firstname.lastname@example.org, Tel:07436 098651 or visit www.growthaccelerator.com
Or contact Clive Bonny email@example.com tele 01273 308865


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Chinese Plan to Buy Stake in GM
byon 11-14-2010 at 07:09 PM (252 Views)
Auto Maker, Other Overseas Purchasers Seen Taking 16% of American Icon's New Share Offering
NEW YORK—In a sign of the changing fortunes of the world's top two economies, China's biggest auto maker, SAIC Motor Corp., is negotiating to acquire a stake of about 1% in General Motors Co. worth about $500 million, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The U.S. auto maker also is prepared to sell more than $1 billion worth of shares to sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East and Asia. Combined, the sales would give foreign investors roughly 16% of the shares to be sold next week under an initial public offering of stock, and give them a stake of some 4% in the Detroit auto maker. GM declined to comment on the investment talks.
The issue of overseas investors buying GM shares in the company's IPO has been a sensitive one for the U.S. government, which plans to reduce its 61% stake in the auto maker to about 35% through the IPO."


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FPAC announces scholarship winners
June 10, 2016 - The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is pleased to announce the winners of this year's 2016 Green Dream Internship program.
Ten students will receive a scholarship and their choice of an iPad mini or GoPro to help them blog this summer about their adventures as interns in Canada's forest products industry. The blogs will be posted on TheGreenestWorkforce.ca, an online tool highlighting the future of the forest products industry and job opportunities available across the country.
The Green Dream blogs will give students the opportunity to share their adventures over the course of a summer work placement inCanada's forest products industry. Students from all walks of life, studying in various fields, such as forestry, human resources, chemical engineering and environmental science, will share their stories online.
"Supporting and encouraging highly talented young people is a priority for our industry, and it's also important for the Canadian economy." said Derek Nighbor, CEO of FPAC. "These interns are the future of our industry and we want to follow their adventures as they explore our industry and share their stories."
The GreenestWorkforce.ca features stories from a variety of employees working in the forest products industry who found their careers in the sector because they were looking for an adventure, to make a difference and to feel valued. Career jobs in administration, science, engineering, skilled trades and mill operations are among those now open in communities across the country. Visit TheGreenestWorkforce.ca for more details.
To read the blogs posted by summer Green Dream Interns please visit: http://thegreenestworkforce.ca/index.php/blog/.
Congratulations to the following 2016 scholarship recipients:
1.Melissa Jenkins – Tolko Industries Ltd. – High Level, Alta.
2.Faron Dyck – Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. – Whitecourt, Alta.
3.Sydney Goward – West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. – Williams Lake, B.C.
4.Francois Messely – Resolute Forest Products – Trois-Rivières, Que.
5.Caroline Thompson – West Fraser Co. Ltd. – Quesnel, B.C.
6.Bailey Robinson – Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd. – Peace River, Alta.
7.Stefano Kangsan Jun – Weyerhaeuser Company Limited – Grande Prairie, Alta.
8.Tony Wu – Canfor Corporation – Burnaby, B.C.
9.Danielle Amaral - Canfor Corporation – Prince George, B.C.
10.Olivia Watt - Canfor Corporation – Vancouver, B.C.
FPAC provides a voice for Canada's wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. The $65-billion-a-year forest products industry represents 2% of Canada's GDP and is one of Canada's largest employers operating in hundreds of communities and providing 230,000 direct jobs across the country.
Source: Forest Products Association of Canada
June 10, 2016 By CNW/FPAC
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Former employees and clients of a San Mateo spa that closed last month have told city and state officials that the business shut down without warning — and failed to make good on outstanding wages and gift certificates.
The state Department of Industrial Relations said a former employee of the Sandra Caron European Spa on Third Avenue filed a complaint for $6,000 in unpaid wages for hours worked between July 14 and Oct. 10. If officials find in favor of the plaintiff, the spa may also have to pay nearly $2,800 in penalties, said Erika Monterroza, a spokeswoman for the agency.
A second employee, who worked as an aesthetician and asked that her name not appear in print because she feared reprisal, said the spa owed her more than $300 in wages for the first five days of October. The woman said four massage therapists and another aesthetician also never received their paychecks.
Between seven and 10 former clients of the spa called the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown San Mateo Association about unredeemed gift certificates, association Executive Director Kelly Mitter said.
“They just sort of vanished,” Mitter said. “It’s like somebody went home one night and never came back.”
San Mateo police Lt. Mike Brunicardi said a resident contacted police Wednesday about the spa but didn’t file a report because it was a civil rather than a criminal matter. He added that a gift certificate is a contract between a business and a customer and doesn’t fall under the department’s jurisdiction.
The store had no “closed” sign in the window this week. A for-lease sign and locked door were the only indications the business had closed.
Russell Hitomi, a senior property manager for Coldwell Banker Commercial-Wilbur Properties in Palo Alto, said his company began eviction proceedings after the spa failed to pay its October rent of about $13,000. An unidentified woman then dropped off the keys Oct. 7 or 8, said Hitomi, adding that the business had occupied the building for at least 10 years and signed a five-year renewal lease just two months earlier.
“We’re going to go after them for the entire five years,” Hitomi said. “It may be kind of a moot point, because I’ve heard that (the owner) has filed for bankruptcy.”
Hitomi added that Coldwell Banker plans to bring in a liquidator to buy up the spa’s abandoned equipment and merchandise, which includes massage tables, robes, washers and dryers, facial creams and an assortment of Betty Boop dolls.
On its Web site, the spa bills itself as the “largest day spa in the Bay Area,” housed in an 8,000-square-foot facility. It also advertises a number of job openings, including for a receptionist and massage therapist.
The spa remained operational Friday and appeared to be accepting credit card payments for gift certificates. The spa’s phone was disconnected and owners Lionel and Sandra Caron did not answer a message left at their San Mateo residence or an e-mail seeking comment.
The spa received 1-1/2 stars on the popular Web site Yelp and just three positive reviews out of 29. Complaints mostly center on the decor and customer service, which one user described as “curt and snarly.”
David Finkelstein, an attorney representing the Carons in the dispute with Coldwell, said the two parties were in settlement discussions.
Finkelstein cited the “general downturn in the economy and retail businesses” as the primary reason for the spa’s closure.
It wasn’t clear whether some of the business’ financial difficulties sprang from civil lawsuits filed against it by women who accused an employee of fondling them during massages. A jury convicted 33-year-old masseur Kevin Bradshaw of inappropriately touching two women at Sandra Caron and another San Mateo spa, and he is currently serving a one-year sentence in San Mateo County jail.
In an Oct. 28 document filed in San Mateo County Superior Court, one plaintiff charges that the Sandra Caron spa rehired Bradshaw knowing he had been fired from Massage Envy in San Mateo after being accused of sexually battering a customer.
According to the court filing, Bradshaw regularly engaged in sexual activity with female clients at Sandra Caron and rubbed a customer’s breasts and pubic region without consent just one day before he was accused of making similar advances toward the plaintiff.
Todd Emanuel, the plaintiff’s attorney, said he was representing “multiple victims” in cases involving inappropriate touching at the spa. The spa’s attorney in the case, Peter Dixon, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Customers with Sandra Caron gift cards can apply 25 percent of their certificates’ value to any 60-minute regularly priced spa service at The Spa Studio on South B Street, owner Wendy Narlock said. In addition, former Sandra Caron customers will receive a 30 percent discount at their first appointment.
Narlock said she made the offer because she felt sorry for the customers and wanted to attract new business.
“I hope people don’t think that this is something that happens all the time,” Narlock said. “We’re definitely not a fly-by-night outfit.”
Jessica Bernstein-Wax can be reached at email@example.com.


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After months of turmoil between Hideo Kojima and publisher Konami, the creator of the Metal Gear series finally revealed his next move. Kojima created a new, independent studio called Kojima Productions, and its first game will be a collaboration with an old friend: PlayStation.
The news was confirmed in a video from PlayStation, featuring Kojima and Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Andrew House. The video, which was almost a minute and a half, didn’t reveal much else -- that is, until the end, when a new logo was unveiled for Kojima’s new studio.
“Kojima Productions” was also the name of the development team behind the Metal Gear franchise. It seems that Konami was willing to part ways with the nomenclature and give it to Kojima for his new studio. The Metal Gear series, however, will probably remain with Konami.
The new studio also has a new website. So far, there are no details about the next game, but a few positions are open, and there’s a mission statement from Kojima himself.
It might take some time until we see another title with the words “A Hideo Kojima Game” on the cover, but at least the rebirth of Kojima Productions signals the end of a turbulent time in Kojima’s career.
Rexly Peñaflorida II is a Contributor at Tom’s Hardware. He writes news on tech and hardware, but mostly focuses on gaming news. As a Chicagoan, he believes that deep dish pizza is real pizza and ketchup should never be on hot dogs. Ever. Also, Portillo’s is amazing.
Follow Rexly Peñaflorida II @Heirdeux. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
Maybe, but whatever money they give him, they'll make every cent back in pre-orders alone, and they know it.
I think it was time for Kojima to move on and do his own thing outside of the Metal Gear franchise. MGS V was a giant let down to me (story wise), and I'm longing for the Metal Gear that Kojima would never make: MGS 6 'New Skin' .
Ok, my Metal Gear rant is done...FOR NOW


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The new Audi RS 6 Avant wagon proved to be unique not only in the line of Audi itself, but also in the market as a whole. If you search, it turns out that there are not very many premium station wagons on electric motors, and if you take into account the 20-year history of development, then there are only a few. According to preliminary data, the next generation of the Audi RS 6 Avant will be produced as a full-fledged "hybrid", but the current station wagon will receive at least two new modifications. At the moment, the German developers do not want to announce technical details, but they assure that this will be the "extreme" version in the entire line. It was possible to get a laconic comment on this issue from Eva Stania, the official representative of Audi, who answered several questions from the Australian edition of "Wheels". According to her, we can expect the appearance of new modifications of the Audi RS 6 Avant, the first of which will be the Performance version, which was also presented in the previous generation line. And after it, an even more extreme station wagon model will appear, all the details of which are still kept secret. But a top manager from Audi assured that we are talking about a truly special car with which the company will be able to surprise everyone. While Audi connoisseurs are at a loss, rumors have already appeared on the network that we can talk about the launch of the Audi RS6 GTO Concept version of the 2020 version. But there are no official comments on this yet and, most likely, in the near future will not. Well, we can only wait for Audi to lift the veil of secrecy and provide more information.
You can check the repairs and mileage of any Audi with our help, remotely by VIN code, by ordering a service - AUDI CHECK BY VIN CODE


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A haze of regulatory uncertainty surrounding marijuana marketing has Ottawa pot producers and investors worried, even as local companies position themselves to capture a slice of the new market before the now-settled Oct. 17 legalization date.
With the federal government mandating that pot be sold in plain packaging, some cannabis companies in the region are marketing themselves as “craft growers,” investing in educational initiatives and launching new lifestyle brands – all ahead of an expected clampdown in October.
Many in the budding industry say they fear upcoming regulations will severely limit their ability to brand and market products.
From sleek corporate hubs to cozy creative studios, this magazine is a celebration of diversity in workspace excellence.
“It’s important to build brand awareness in advance of those regulations,” says Chuck Rifici, founder and CEO of Auxly Cannabis Group (formerly Cannabis Wheaton Income Corp.). “And so people are advertising now in ways that they won’t be able to advertise in a few months.”
Not everybody’s outlook is so dank. Sean McNulty, the co-founder of cannabis investment company Canopy Rivers and principal of XIB Financial Inc., is betting that recreational marijuana consumers will follow a similar path as beer drinkers in this country.
He says Canadians have an appreciation for local, small-scale products, evidenced by the popularity of craft beer. That’s why Canopy Rivers is investing in smaller companies even as its parent company, Canopy Growth, makes large acquisitions around the globe worth millions of dollars.
To this end, Canopy Rivers – the investment affiliate of the well-known Smiths Falls-based producer – recently invited cannabis entrepreneurs to pitch their business business plans to access a share of $1 million in seed funding.
McNulty compared the product produced by micro-growers to a high-end scotch – grown in small batches at a level of quality that large companies can’t match.
He said companies such as Canopy Rivers have the opportunity to invest in these small-scale operations, allowing them to benefit from the business acumen of a big player like Canopy Growth without being swallowed whole.
“The people that were the best in cannabis over the past 20 years were mostly criminals, or were doing something that was stretching the lines of the law,” said McNulty. “Now we’re in a spot where those laws have all changed, and many of these people did not get licenses.”
“The time to do that is right now and we’re giving them an opportunity to do so.”
However, Michael Garbuz – the head of corporate strategy and legal counsel at Ottawa-based cannabis holdings firm CannaRoyalty – argues that the parallels between cannabis and beer in Ontario are limited.
Garbuz said that though Canadians might have an appreciation for small-scale cannabis, the regulations could mean these growers won’t fit into the industry like a craft brewery. Most significantly, the cost per gram offered by provincial resellers like the Ontario Cannabis Store often may not be profitable and, with strict branding regulations, smaller growers may have difficulty differentiating their products from the big names.
In other areas of the market, some say they’re worried about their ability to communicate with consumers.
Ottawa-based National Access Cannabis has spent the past four years establishing itself as a go-to destination for patients to access medicinal marijuana through proper channels.
In January, the firm said it planned to also expand into the recreational market, an announcement that was followed in April by news that NAC planned to convert a number of Second Cup cafes into pot dispensaries and lounges in Western Canada.
Matt Ryan, the head of marketing at NAC, says it’s important that companies focus on education.
“The entire industry is going to help change the stigma.”
“A lot of people believe that cannabis is just smoking weed,” says Ryan. “The entire industry is going to help change the stigma.”
Meanwhile, companies such as NAC that have traditionally marketed themselves as medical marijuana firms are now launching new “lifestyle” brands in advance of the opening of the recreational market.
NAC is launching a recreational brand, Meta Cannabis Supply Co., while just across the Ottawa River, Gatineau-based pot producer Hydropothecary recently launched a new brand, HEXO, aimed at “bring(ing) people together to share enjoyable and life-affirming experiences.”
Terry Lake – the vice-president of corporate and social responsibility at Hydropothecary – says he feels regulations are shaping up to be restrictive in a way that could harm the cannabis industry and prevent the move of cannabis from the black market to the mainstream.
“We shouldn’t be limiting information,” says Lake, a former B.C. health minister. By information, he doesn’t just mean advertising and branding.
“It’s an opportunity for the industry to talk about responsible use,” he explained. “We want to make sure that we can inform potential customers about our products.”


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You might remember how heated things got when WarnerMedia announced their day-and-date release model, something depending on where you look for numbers didn’t seem to make a huge impact on subscriber growth for HBO Max in Q1. Filmmakers Christopher Nolan (Tenet) and Denis Villeneuve (Dune) came out swinging with public comments denouncing the company.
There was even a report that Nolan was unlikely to work with WarnerMedia again.
Netflix’s film chief Steve Stuber has mentioned to The Wall Street Journal (via Coming Soon) that he has spoke with Christopher Nolan about his desire to see them expand into global distribution of their original films. Nolan has been a huge champion of traditional theatrical windows and audiences having access to the theatrical experience. Apparently, he’s also talked about potentially working with them but the cinematic distribution would be a huge sticking point for that to happen.
STUBER: “I think there are aspects of global distribution in the cinema that are still appealing. Chris Nolan and I have spoken quite a bit…and that’s still something he wants deeply. If we can’t provide that, it will still be an issue for him.”
“I think we have a model that works and we’ve done well with the theaters that have played us. As these things change, we’re all having these conversations to see where it all lands and what the landscape on the other side of all of this is.”
There have been plenty of calls for Netflix to get into the theater chain business as some companies have been struggling and now that studios can legally buy-up theaters it would allow Netflix to fully embrace a hybrid model of distribution with their original films that could allow their tent to expand with more high-profile filmmakers looking to work with them, like a Christopher Nolan. Netflix has been able to convince Martin Scorsese to bring The Irishman to the streaming giant and they’ve been able to win multiple Academy Awards with their originals.
It does feel like Nolan could be directly courting studios to find a new home and making sure his movies will be released in theaters worldwide is going to be part of whatever deal he attempts to secure. At this point in his career, any place would likely welcome him with open arms alongside blank checks for future projects.
SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


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Google [GOOG] announced last month that it would stop re-directing its Chinese visitors to their Hong Kong website are their Internet Content Provider license was up for renewal in China.
Google was basically told by the Chinese government that it was unlikely that the license would be renewed unless this was done.
We are very pleased that the government has renewed our ICP license and we look forward to continuing to provide web search and local products to our users in China.
Google users in China can still access the uncensored Hong Kong results as before from a link on the Google.cn homepage.
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SDK Changes Open Door to VOIP Over 3G Networks... iPad Phone Calls Possible?
iCall announced today that Apple had made changes to iPhone SDK that makes Voice over IP (VOIP) over cellular networks possible.
With the latest revisions Apple has made to the iPhone developer agreement and Software Development Kit, iCall for the iPhone and iPod Touch now enabled unrestricted free local and long distance calling over 3G data networks.
iCall claims to be one of the few VoIP applications that has been permitted by Apple to operate on the iPhone platform. This allows users to make telephone calls over AT&T's 3G data network without using their plan's minutes.
The no-VOIP-over-3G restriction had been in place since the launch of the iPhone SDK due to Apple agreements with AT&T. AT&T announced that it would allow such applications back in October and Apple promised to make the necessary changes.
The change comes with the launch of the Apple iPad which suggests that these same applications could be used to make voice calls on the new device. The 3G enabled iPad notably does not include any voice service with its $30/month unlimited data plan, but it does include a microphone and speaker. We're not sure if these iPad data plans will be somehow excluded from the VOIP apps, but it would otherwise offer an inexpensive contract-free way to make mobile phone calls.


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Also: Chelsea Manning Gets Into Bitcoin
VISA STEPS INTO THE METAVERSE
A nascent online world that promises to transform the internet into a virtual reality, the metaverse has attracted massive investments from gamers, founders and crypto enthusiasts of all kinds but now major financial institutions awake to the frenzy.
On Monday, VisaV+0.4%announced it paid $150,000 for a CryptoPunk NFT, one of the 10,000 unique 24×24 pixel images of the namesake collection featuring various characters and stored on the Ethereum blockchain. Thus the payments giant took its first step into the all-encompassing world of virtual experiences, digital assets and avatars, blazing a new trail for the kinds of services payments companies and banks may need to offer in the future. Federally chartered bank Anchorage Digital helped facilitate the deal and, importantly, became the first known U.S. bank to custody one of these novel assets . Visa’s head of crypto, Cuy Sheffield, told Forbes the company plans to purchase more NFTs and help “drive this new shift of commerce,” supporting merchants and platforms that want to partake in the frenzy.
The news set an already bubbly market for non-fungible tokens ablaze. CryptoPunks’ trading is up by 459% this week, according to industry tracker DappRadar. Leading trading platform for digital collectibles, OpenSea, has surpassed $1 billion in monthly trading volume, thus becoming the first NFT marketplace to pass this milestone.
BITCOIN’S BRIEF JOURNEY TO $50,000 HIGHS
Rising on the news of Coinbase announcing a $500 million crypto purchase program and United Wholesale Mortgage, second largest mortgage lender in the U.S., starting to accept bitcoin for payment, the top cryptocurrency jumped above $50,000 Monday morning to about $50,421, its highest price since May. (You can find an in-depth technical analysis of bitcoin’s surge here [premium content, Forbes Crypto Asset & Blockchain Advisor]).
The spike was short-lived as the global cryptocurrency market endured a $125 billion pullback mid-week. As of Friday morning, bitcoin is getting close to the 200-day moving average of $46,040, heading into the monthly options expiration worth roughly $2 billion.
CHINESE BITCOIN MINERS ARE BACK IN BUSINESS
Meanwhile, bitcoin’s network difficulty, a measurement of the challenges presented to those mining the cryptocurrency, saw a 13% increase—the second largest of the year—as miners continue to relocate machines outside of China in the wake of its recent mining ban. Difficulty adjusts roughly every two weeks (or every 2,016 blocks) and moves up as more miners are competing to find blocks on the network.
With much of the mining capacity (typically in the form of server farms) moved to North America, Russia and Kazakhstan, bitcoin’s hashrate has now recovered roughly 85% from its low point earlier this summer. Any adjustment above 10% is considered substantial in the mining industry, and this one is poised to cut into mining profits at a time when they were inching towards yearly highs as a result of reduced competition.
TOKENIZED MUSIC ROYALTIES?
Musicians are undeniably among those successfully capitalizing on the NFT boom. Electronic dance music artist and producer Justin Blau, a.k.a. 3LAU, stirred the music industry in February when he sold the world’s first-ever tokenized album, which grossed $11.7 million in under 24 hours and briefly held the record for the most expensive single non-fungible token ever sold. Now he wants to enable fans to earn money alongside their favorite artists with the launch of music investment platform Royal. The venture raised $16 million in seed funding led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and Paradigm.
Royal aims to democratize access to music ownership by letting users not only invest in but also own rights to their favorite songs and albums through limited edition, autographed digital assets recorded on a to-be-decided blockchain. These NFT-like assets will grant its holders tokenized ownership in songs’ master recording rights as well as offer special privileges including concert tickets, backstage passes and merchandise.
BLOCKCHAIN 50 SPOTLIGHT: Ant Group
Alibaba spinoff Ant has more than 50 blockchain applications in development on its own blockchain platform, AntChain. One notable example is OpenChain, which launched in 2020 to enable small and medium-sized enterprises to tap its blockchain technologies and smart contracts as a way to lower costs. So far more than 6,000 users have written 100,000 smart contracts, facilitating 400 million transactions.


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A slew of Amazon delivery thefts has spurred residents of an affluent San Francisco neighborhood to fight back using sophisticated surveillance apps and smart cameras like Nextdoor, Nest, and Amazon’s own Ring, according to a new report.
But their efforts have enraged digital civil rights activists and sewn racial discord in the elite area that has undergone rapid gentrification.
The Atlantic chronicled the struggles that Potrero Hill residents faced from a local “porch pirate” who continually targeted their Amazon packages. The resulting legal battle has tested the limits of their liberal compassion as the neighborhood continues to grapple with the growth of “citizen surveillance” technology.
Potrero Hill was once a working-class neighborhood dominated by minority communities and bohemian artists. But the nearby big tech boom in Silicon Valley has helped to transform the neighborhood into a predominantly white-collar enclave where homes sell for millions of dollars.
The Atlantic noted that the neighborhood’s most prominent hospital is now named after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
It was digital technology that eventually enabled Potrero Hill residents to catch the culprit: a former drug addict and public housing resident named Ganave Fairley, who was eventually convicted of multiple thefts as well as drug possession.
Fairly stole or damaged numerous Amazon packages from doorsteps around Potrero Hill. She was nabbed after residents caught her on Nest and another cam called Kuna, as well as cellphone cameras, according to the report.
An estimated 17 percent of American homeowners currently have a smart video surveillance device, and unit sales are expected to double by 2023, according to the report. Amazon acquired Ring last year, while competitor Nest is owned by Google.
Competitive pricing has contributed to their growing popularity. But the real boost has come from police officers. Local officials also told the Atlantic that Amazon’s Ring division has been “particularly aggressive in marketing its products” by partnering with police departments around the country.
“Citizen surveillance” had drawn the ire of digital civil liberties activists, who object to the partnerships between big tech companies and law enforcement.
These groups recently signed an open letter calling these partnerships a “serious threat to civil rights and liberties, especially for black and brown communities already targeted and surveilled by law enforcement.”
The Atlantic reported that Fairley is currently appealing her convictions, arguing that each “stealing spree” should equal a single conviction, rather than each stolen item.
The legal battle has ignited race discord in the neighborhood. Fairley is black while many of her Potrero Hill victims are white.
After serving time in jail, Fairley was released on probation, but was allegedly back to stealing Amazon packages in no time.
The Atlantic reported that posts started appearing this fall on the Neighbors app showing Ring videos of someone who fit Fairley’s description taking packages from doorsteps.


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Good news for the folks who think that the Microsoft's Windows Store is suffering from a dearth of useful apps: the floodgates are now officially open and hopefully, more Modern-style apps will be available for three-finger swiping sometime soon. Up until now, only qualifying companies were allowed to submit Windows 8 Apps, but today, Microsoft announced that indie developers can start submitting apps as well.
The company also added 82 new app submission markets, meaning that developers from 120 different regions worldwide can start slapping together code for Modern-style apps. When Windows 8 actually touches down on October 26th the company hopes to offer the Windows Store in more than 200 areas and 100 different languages.
As a token of ongoing appreciation -- and a way to drive app development as well, no doubt -- Microsoft is also offering a free 1-year Windows Store developer account to certain MSDN subscribers and students enrolled in the DreamSpark technical education initiative. Companies enrolled in BizSpark, a startup-focused program, will also receive developer subscription discounts.
Earlier in the year, Microsoft outlined the pricing scheme for Windows 8 apps. While it's possible to list an app for free, premium apps start at $1.49 and can be sold for as much as $999.99, with prices increasing in $0.50 increments. Microsoft takes a 30 percent cut of the proceeds until the app hits $25,000 in sales, where the royalty drops to 20 percent.


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June 11, 2012
Jefferson City, Mo. – Attorney General Chris Koster today announced that he has reached a settlement with McMullen Auto Credit, LLC, and its owners Nikki Darlene McMullen, Jamie McMullen, Sr., and Jamie McMullen, Jr.
Under the terms of the agreement, the McMullens are prohibited from ever again owning or operating an automotive dealership or an automotive wholesale business in the state of Missouri. In addition, the McMullens must offer to re-purchase six vehicles for which they never delivered good title and to refund the total amount of the consumers’ down-payments, trade-ins, and installment payments. In addition, the agreement requires the McMullens to pay $7,210.00 in restitution and $12,500 in fines, penalties, and costs to the state of Missouri.
The settlement resolves allegations that the McMullens were, among other things, failing to provide titles to customers; failing to provide car warranties promised to and paid for by customers; issuing multiple temporary permits for the same vehicle in violation of Missouri law; and making unlawful threats of repossession. Shortly after the Attorney General filed suit against the McMullens in December 2011, they decided to close their doors permanently.
“There are clear laws in Missouri to protect buyers of used vehicles,” Koster said. “When these laws are violated we will act aggressively to stop the violations and seek restitution for those harmed.”


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After 2 years since the enforcement of the GDPR, we have learned a lot about its effects, challenges, and advantages. But what learnings does the data hold? Numerous research has been conducted in regard to the privacy regulation, as the GDPR continues to be influential in shaping the way businesses utilise the data they gather. While obliging with the regulation has required plenty of investment from businesses, GDPR compliant organisations are now reporting on gaining a wide-range of competitive advantage thanks to compliancy. In this blog post, we look into key learning points based on global and European research.
1) Compliance is much more than data protection.
A global study amongst 1,263 organisations revealed that 58% firms say that the GDPR has encouraged new innovative uses of data for them, while 73% had taken action in improving their methods of managing customer data, and 31% said that GDPR compliance has made their business operations more effective. (GDPR Report, 2019)
2) Consumers care about their personal data
A study of 1,000 UK consumers showed that 62% stated they were more confident about sharing their information to businesses that have taken initiatives to being GDPR compliant. 57% still preferred to receive a form of personalised marketing from the businesses they interact with and because of further transparency amongst businesses, 62% understood the need for the businesses to access their data. (GDPR: A Consumer Perspective, 2018)
3) Data breaches are on the rise
Research has revealed that amongst the EU countries, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK had the most data breaches reported to supervisory authorities between 25th May 2018 - 27th January 2020. The report states that it’s likely that a wide variety of data breaches had been notified from minor errors such as mistakenly sent emails. (GDPR Data Breach Survey Report, DLA Piper, 2020)
4) Risk Assessments are an absolute must
A global research into over 785 different Data Risk Assessments aimed to understand the severity of exposed sensitive files found that 53% of organisations had over 1,000 sensitive files exposed to all employees within the company. On average, every employee had access to over 17 million personal files. (Global Data Risk Report, 2019)
5) The most important priorities for DPOs today
A survey amongst 471 Data Protection Officers and Privacy Officers working for organisations around the world, representing a mix of 16 different industries, found that 49% have made the creation of a privacy-aware culture a top priority, and 20% are making new privacy technology implementation a priority as their organisation’s privacy programs mature. (Challenges & Priorities of DPOs in 2020, 2020)
6) Average amount of DSRs received by organisations is increasing, and the struggle for addressing them is real
Out of 370 EU and US respondents, 56% said that “locating unstructured personal data” was the most difficult issue in responding to a DSAR”. This was considered as the most challenging issue as it included further steps (e.g. access, deletion, and rectification requests). The report also showed that manual methods are still a common practice for responding to DSARs which could suggest the difficulty in working with locating unstructured data. (IAPP - EY Annual Governance Report, 2019)
According to reports by the Autoriteit Personsgegevens (the Dutch DPA), 2019 saw more than 27,000 privacy related complaints registered, out of which most, 29%, concerned the possible violation of granting an individual their right to privacy.
7) GDPR Compliant companies hold a competitive advantage over their competitors
97% of organisations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas identified that they gained competitive advantage or investor appeal from their privacy investments according to the 2019 Consumer Privacy Report of Cisco. The report also revealed that organisations deemed to be GDPR-ready experienced almost 60% shorter sales cycles compared to those not fully compliant and that 42% of businesses indicated their privacy investments had enabled further agility and innovation in their organisations. (Consumer Privacy Report, CISCO, 2019)
Another important study involving 1,100 compliance, privacy, data protection, and IT executives across ten countries in eight sectors (including the Netherlands) showed that 76% of compliant organisations experience strong performance driving benefits such as greater customer loyalty, and increases in online purchasing. (Championing Data Protection & Privacy, Capgemini, 2019)
As the GDPR recently turned two years old, we can expect even further developments from the world’s most comprehensive data protection regulations. Looking back at the statistics and studies conducted throughout it’s enforcement, we can see that despite the challenges that business may face, there are numerous underlying benefits of compliance. Not only does GDPR compliance help businesses manage and protect valuable information, but it also assists organisations in making a stronger relationship with consumers.


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On Saturday, the 200-year history of this community will be told via fashion.
A fashion show that showcases fashions over the 200-year history of Campbellsville will take place at 7 p.m. at the Campbellsville Civic Center. Everyone is invited to attend and participate by wearing or bringing fashions from the 1800s through the present.
For Council member Sharon Hoskins-Sanders, this fashion show is a way for people to look at our past. The idea came from the city’s Bicentennial Committee, of which Hoskins-Sanders is a member.


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The supersoaraway STMicro sales machine
In Brief: Peddling like crazy
STMicroelectronics will post Q1 revenues 46 per cent up on the same period last year. Sales for the period to April 1, are expected to come in at $1.6 billion or higher, against $1.1 billion in Q1, 1999, according to the French chip giant. Analysts says it is riding high on the back of booming demand from mobile phone makers. ®
Sponsored: RAID: End of an era?


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A Newcastle inflatable hot tub company is planning to make waves overseas as it targets new markets in Europe and the Middle East.
Wave Direct was launched in 2019 as an online venture for Dan Luper and Tom Jeffrey, selling a range of inflatable hot tubs as well as sports and leisure kit.
It was originally a sideline business for the pair, but rocketing demand for hot tubs to enjoy in lockdown took it from first year turnover of £300,000 to sales of £4m in one month alone last spring.
Now the firm is expanding its partnership with e-commerce platform Aero, to help establish a presence in Europe and the United Arab Emirates for its inflatable Wave spas, hot tubs and sports equipment including kayaks.
Having already made the first steps into exports with £1m worth of sales in the US last year, Wave Direct is working with Middlesbrough’s Aero Commerce to support the management of payment transactions through a series of new country-specific websites.
All its new websites offer the latest functionality and next-generation technology, including an augmented reality feature, which allows customers to view a hot tub in their own home.
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The move forms part of Wave Direct’s continued scale-up strategy, building on its impressive 2020 performance.
The company achieved sales on £13m in the last year and it is targeting turnover of £25m for its current year.
In addition to its direct sales ecommerce activity, the company has also secured a number of online and instore agreements with high street retailers including John Lewis, The Range, Selfridges, Iceland, Homebase and B&Q.
Looking ahead, Wave Direct also plans to expand its premises as it grows its design, manufacturing, logistics and support services capabilities.
As a result, the team of 15 will also more than double this year, with the creation of 25 new North East jobs.
Tom Jeffrey, managing director of Wave Direct, left his job as e-commerce director for online retailer Jules B to focus fully on Wave Direct.
Mr Jeffrey said: “We are confident there will be a demand for our range of products in more international markets and are gearing up to make Europe and the UAE our next target regions.
“Having tested our export capabilities with sales into the United States, which is gaining momentum, we are well placed to enter new markets.
“With the government and the EU reaching a Brexit agreement Europe is a natural next step for Wave Direct, along with the UAE, which also presents real opportunities for the business.
“Key to our strategy will be our continuing relationship with Aero Commerce. We have worked closely with them since we have founded the business with their platform supporting part of our online activity, which will now be at the core of all our UK and international ecommerce sales transactions.”
Richard Bendelow, chief executive of Aero Commerce, said: “Wave Direct is an entrepreneurial success story that is thriving based on a high-quality product range and exceptional online presence.
“Tom and his team haven’t stood still and are continuing to evolve to not only maximise on the lockdown-boom in hot tub sales, but also create a sustainable international leisure business, supported by our ecommerce platform, Aero.”


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During their panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Udon Entertainment announced that they will be releasing a “Catherine + Catherine Full Body Ultimate Art Portfolio” for release in February, 2024.
The Art Portfolio will include 20 removable art prints featuring promotional artworks from Catherine and Catherine Full Body.
During the panel, Udon also highlighted their current and upcoming Persona releases. Notably absent is the previously announced Persona 5 + P5R Official Design Works, which was originally scheduled for release in 2022, and the Persona Q Official Visual Materials, originally scheduled for release in Summer 2016.
It was also confirmed that upcoming release for the Persona 4 Arena Ultimax manga will feature a Barnes and Nobel exclusive cover.


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Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Executive Committee started a congress on Monday, focusing on reviewing the city’s socio-economic development and discussing measures to carry out next year’s tasks.
|A view of the park in front of the City Hall (Photo: Tuong Thuy)|
A report by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to the Party Executive Committee mentions good results in socio-economic development.
The metropolis’s GDP is forecast to grow by 12.2%, including 6.7% from the service sector and 5.41% from industry and construction. The service sector has enjoyed a 13.2% growth year-on-year, higher than any of other sectors.
Regarding economic sectors, the State sector has grown by 9.1%, the private sector 14%, and foreign enterprises as a whole 13.1%.
Foreign direct investment inflows into the city have soared by 2.3 times year-on-year. Especially, Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, has increased its investment to US $1.04 billion.
Besides the good results, the report says enterprises are still weak in global competition in terms of price, product quality, distribution, prestige and brand name.
Another notice is the five major industrial fields – food, footwear, garment, chemical and textiles – are almost labor-extensive. In addition, production size of the city’s 25 key products is still small.
Regarding next year, the report’s suggested GDP growth is 12.2-12.5%. Others are a 15% increase in total export revenue (excluding crude oil), 18.4% rise in total investment, bringing jobs to 250,000 people (including 110,000 new jobs), reducing the unemployment rate and poverty rate to less than 5.6%, and raising the clean water use rate to 87%.


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CES 2018: Welcome to Mass Personalization of Fitness
By now a good percentage of people know what it’s like to walk 10,000 steps, thanks to the proliferation of activity trackers. They know their resting heart rate, their caloric intake, even their risk of illness and disease thanks to breakthoughs in sports and fitness technologies. But it’s only the beginning of the journey.
It’s been a wild year of mass personalization, where pop culture icons like Gwyneth Paltrow pointed out that every muscle can be trained and your water bottle can tell you if you’re drinking enough fluid. And, analyzing everything from sweat to DNA give us actionable data needed to fine tune the human body.
The fitness tech industry will continue to expand as athletes and everyday folks alike recognize the power that technology brings to improving their performance and their health. At this year’s FitnessTech Summit and Exhibition, we’ll reveal the newest ideas, insights, products and, yes, even a bit of insanity, that are on the radar for 2018 and beyond.


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We need to shift the narrative about Ontario’s shrinking manufacturing sector
By : Barrie McKenna | July 08, 2020
Note: This article originally appeared in the Globe and Mail.
Barrie McKenna is a former Globe and Mail columnist and author of the Innovation Economy Council’s new white paper, Factory Forward: How Advanced Manufacturing is Retooling Ontario’s Industrial Heartland.
There are two ways to look at last week’s sale of smart eyewear maker North Inc. to Google parent Alphabet Inc.
Some see it as another example of a foreign giant swooping in and acquiring promising Canadian technology. But others consider it a sign of a much more positive and powerful trend under way in manufacturing here: The business of making things is rapidly moving up the evolutionary ladder.
North, based in Kitchener, Ont., produces glasses that use innovative human-computer control technology, which allows wearers to do much of what they do now on smartphones without using their hands. And it’s been making the devices in a place where many experts fear manufacturing is going extinct.
In Ontario, a quarter of a million factory jobs disappeared in the Great Recession. In the decade since, factory job growth has stagnated. Labour-intensive, high-volume manufacturing has continued to migrate to lower-cost locations such as Mexico.
But the layoffs and plant closures aren’t telling the whole story. We need to shift the current narrative about manufacturing to align with reality.
That’s because, despite the lost jobs, gross domestic product from manufacturing has continued to rise at a steady clip. We are producing more with fewer workers. And much of the factory activity that remains is, by definition, advanced manufacturing. Robots, 3-D printers, sensors and powerful software are part of the new tool kits being used by today’s manufacturers.
North is not an outlier. A report released this week by the Innovation Economy Council shows that a clutch of advanced manufacturing sectors are contributing an outsize share of factory job creation and economic growth in Canada.
These sectors – identified as advanced because they invest more in research and development and employ more high-skilled workers than other manufacturers – accounted for half of the roughly 45,000 factory jobs created in Ontario since 2010. Over that period, employment is up 98 per cent in agricultural chemicals, 45 per cent in aerospace, 42 per cent in industrial machinery, 22 per cent in auto parts, 17 per cent in electronic components and 17 per cent in medical devices. That compares with job growth of 7 per cent across all manufacturing industries.
In 2020, advanced manufacturing is often less about what companies make than how they make them and what knowledge gets embedded in their products. The trend is expanding the traditional supply chains of established manufacturers to include makers of software, clean technology and sophisticated medical devices.
NGen, the federal government’s Ontario-based advanced manufacturing supercluster, recently surveyed its 2,500 member organizations, asking whether they identified themselves as manufacturers, technology companies or service providers. More than half checked all three boxes.
“That is reflective of the state of advanced manufacturing,” NGen chief executive Jayson Myers said. “You have to think of yourself as a technology company.”
The good news is that Canada has a flourishing network of tech suppliers that are helping to make people and companies more productive.
BlackBerry’s Ottawa-based QNX division is part of a growing stable of suppliers digitizing cars and trucks. The newest vehicles built in Canada contain as many as 150 million lines of computer code and dozens of electronic control units. Electronics and software now comprise almost a third of a vehicle’s value – a share that’s likely to rise as vehicles become more electric, autonomous and connected.
Acerta Analytics Solutions Inc., which like North grew out of research and talent from the University of Waterloo, is using artificial intelligence to help automakers and vehicle parts makers detect early defects and wear. Clearpath Robotics Inc. of Waterloo, Ont., makes powerful battery-powered autonomous vehicles that shuttle loads of as much as 1,500 kilograms around factory floors.
Manufacturers are packing more technology, software and services into their products, turning the ordinary into the innovative. Toronto-based Myant Inc., for example, is reimagining the functionality of textiles. The company weaves tiny sensors and actuators into fabric, creating wearable and interactive electronic devices. And there is Smarter Alloys, also of Waterloo, which uses lasers and advanced metallurgical science to program products such as orthodontic wire and energy-saving generators to react in predictable ways when exposed to heat.
The pandemic is a powerful reminder that manufacturing matters – but today’s manufacturing, not yesterday’s. Canada needs to raise the profile of our new advanced manufacturers and celebrate the established firms that are using technology to be more productive. We need to meet the future by expanding our pool of tech-savvy talent, by providing incentives for more companies to invest in R&D and by encouraging Canadian firms to work together to build supply-chain resiliency.
It’s not just about having the capacity to make our own personal protective gear and vaccines when global supplies are scarce, although that’s critical. The broader lesson is that making things is an essential part of a thriving innovation economy. If we do it right, we can cement Canada’s role as a global manufacturing leader for decades to come.