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The Dutch semiconductor equipment company ASML, recently faced a drop of about 1.5% in pre-market trading. Canon unveiled advanced machines capable of producing cutting-edge semiconductors, positioning them as simpler alternatives to ASML’s extreme lithography machines.
Canon’s FPA-1200NZ2C machines boast the ability to produce semiconductors using a 5-nanometer process, with potential for even smaller fabrication down to 2 nanometers. In comparison, Apple’s powerful A17 Pro chip found in their iPhone 15 Pro operates on a nanometer process. Notably, ASML’s EUV machines, vital for lithography, are large in size and come with hefty price tag of approximately$200 million.
While Canon did not disclose the exact price of its FPA-1200Nz2C machine, reports suggest that it is targeting semiconductor foundries such as Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM). This is expected to dent ASML’s revenues since TSM already purchases EUV lithography tools form ASML. Hence, this is a clear indication that Canon is looking to disrupt ASML’s market share.
TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted a reduction in the ASML’s shipments.
Canon’s move into the semiconductor market is a clear challenge for ASML, which has been the leader in the semiconductor equipment industry for some years. However, Canon’s nanoimprint semiconductor manufacturing systems could revolutionize the production of semiconductors in terms of speed and efficiency. This could eventually lead to an uptick in Canon’s market share.
Canon’s entry into the semiconductor market is disrupting the status quo dominated by ASML in the equipment industry. The announcement of its FPA-1200NZ2C machine is a clear indication that Canon understands the market and the need for faster and more efficient equipment. Given that ASML’s EUV machines are larger and more expensive, the new machine from Canon could potentially provide a more cost-effective solution for businesses that require sophisticated semiconductor equipment. As more businesses shift towards smaller and more efficient semiconductor technology, Canon’s move into the market may be the start of a significant shift in the semiconductor industry.


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Alaska Senators Applaud $30 Million Alaska Pollock Procurement Contract for Nutrition Programs
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by John Sackton – November 9, 2018
Alaska’s two senators, Sullivan and Murkowski, applauded the USDA’s latest approval of a section 32 purchase of Alaska pollock worth $32 million.
The original request, submitted by ASMI, was for a purchase value of $100 million in Alaska pollock, and was justified due to the tariffs imposed on Alaska pollock products by the US and China as part of their trade war.
Since then, both Alaska pollock and pollock produced in Russia have been exempted ...
To Read Full Story Login Below.

domain: news


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LOCAL FARMERS SEE INCREASE IN DEMAND AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Local farmers have seen an increase in business since the coronavirus pandemic started. Although they’ve had to alter their methods of delivery and service, farmers have been pleased to help people eat a healthy diet of local produce and meat. One Uniontown farmer said his demand has tripled.
“It’s been really awesome you know we’ve been kinda able to step up,” Uniontown farmer Ben Moore said. “Luckily the weather has been perfect so that makes it a little bit easier but we had plans already for 2020 to push our products more convenience and COVID just kind of ramped that up.”
Moore said now that orders are being made online, things are even easier for him.


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Cash has really become basically disappeared in Sweden as individuals make use of oral implanted incorporated circuits to invest for items in addition to services.
Over 4,000 Swedes previously have really little incorporated circuits oral implanted under their skin, in addition to the federal government projections that cash will definitely be absolutely removed before the year2025
Financialpost.com documents: The financial authorities, that as quickly as approved the trend, are asking banks to preserve advertising notes in addition to coins till the federal government can figure out what going cash-free approaches for young in addition to old consumers. The get financial institution, which anticipates cash could tarnish from Sweden, is assessing a cybercash– an e-krona– to preserve strong control of the money supply. Lawmakers are taking a look at the fate of online negotiations in addition to inspecting account if an electrical grid quits working or internet servers are stopped by power failings, cyberpunks or maybe fight.
” When you are where we are, it would definitely be inaccurate to unwind with our arms crossed, refraining from doing anything, as well as afterwards just bear in mind of the truth that cash has really vanished,” asserted Stefan Ingves, guv of Sweden’s get financial institution, described as the Riksbank. “You can not turn around time, yet you do require to situate a technique to handle alteration.”.
Ask most people in Sweden simply exactly how often they pay with cash in addition to the remedy is “virtually never ever before.” A fifth of Swedes, in a country of 10 million people, do not make use of automated teller manufacturers any type of longer. More than 4,000 Swedes have really oral implanted incorporated circuits in their hands, allowing them to invest for rail taking a trip in addition to food, or enter keyless work environments, with a wave. Eating facilities, buses, parking lot in addition to additionally pay washrooms depend on clicks rather than cash.
Client groups mention the adjustment leaves various seniors– a 3rd of all Swedes are 55 or older– together with some immigrants in addition to people with problems at a downside. They can not comfortably accessibility to electronic approaches for some items in addition to acquisitions, in addition to trust banks in addition to their customer service. As well as additionally the advancement in the direction of a cashless society can topple the state’s centuries-old obligation as sovereign guarantor. If cash disappears, organisation banks would definitely have much better control.
” We need to quit in addition to think about whether this is superb or unfavorable, in addition to not just unwind in addition to yield,” asserted Mats Dillén, the head of a Swedish Parliament board taking a look at the problem. “If cash disappears, that would definitely be a big alteration, with substantial implications for society in addition to the financial environment.”.
Urban consumers worldwide are gradually paying with applications in addition to plastic. In China in addition to in numerous other Eastern countries abounding with young clever gadget consumers, mobile negotiations are normal. In Europe, worrying one in 5 people mention they rarely carry car loan. In Belgium, Denmark in addition to Norway, debit in addition to credit card use has really struck record highs.
Nevertheless Sweden– in addition to particularly its young people– mosts likely to the lead. Costs in addition to coins represent just 1 percent of the financial environment, contrasted to 10 percent in Europe in addition to 8 percent in the U.S.A.. Worrying one in 10 consumers invested for something in cash this year, listed below 40 percent in2010 A great deal of vendors in Sweden still accept notes in addition to coins, yet their positions are thinning.
Among 18- to-24- year-olds, the numbers are stunning: As long as 95 percent of their purchases are with a debit card or a wise gadget application called Swish, a settlement system developed by Sweden’s biggest banks.
Ikea, whose flat-box home furnishings is a staple of young family members, has really been trying to identify the destination in addition to outcome of cashless organisation. In Gävle, worrying 100 miles north of Stockholm, managers selected to go cashless temporarily last month after they identified that much less than 1 percent of purchasers taken advantage of cash– in addition to Ikea employee were spending worrying 15 percent of their time taking care of, counting in addition to conserving car loan.
Patric Burstein, a senior manager, asserted the cashless evaluation had really launched employee to collaborate with the sales floor covering. Up previously, around 1.2 of every 1,000 customers have really been unable to pay with anything yet cash– in addition to primarily in the lunchroom where people usually have a tendency to spend alteration. Instead of problem with costs, Ikea has really been providing those customers free gifts.
” We asserted, ‘If you want a 50 cent hotdog, be my site visitor, take it. Nevertheless complying with time maybe you can bring a card,'” asserted Burstein,38 The evaluation previously suggests that cash is not vital in addition to, instead, could be costly, he asserted. “We’re spending a lot of resources on an exceptionally little section that truly need the remedy,” he asserted.
The nearby branch of the Swedish National Pensioners Firm has really led arguments versus the experiment, partly, as a result of the reality that various seniors like to go to the Gävle Ikea for a treat.
” We have around 1 million people that aren’t comfortable making use of the computer system, iPads or apples iphone for economic,” asserted Christina Tallberg, 75, the group’s across the country president. “We aren’t versus the digital task, yet our company believe it’s going a little also fast.”.
The business has really been enhancing car loan to advise seniors simply exactly how to pay online, yet, paradoxically, that superb campaign has really been stumbled by a riches of cash. When collections for training are soaked up backwoods– in addition to the seniors add in cash– the pensioner answerable ought to drive miles to situate a banks that will truly take the money, Tallberg asserted. Worrying half of Sweden’s 1,400 banks branches say goodbye to accept cash deposits.
” It’s primarily challenging, as a result of the reality that the banks decline to take cash,” she asserted.
Banks have really driven the cashless improvement by encouraging consumers in addition to vendors to make use of debit in addition to charge card, which produces banks in addition to credit card companies rewarding prices. That includes the bank-developed Swish clever gadget application.
Sweden’s banks have really minimized cash in part for security as well as safety elements after an outbreak of horrible burglaries in the mid-2000 s. The across the country mind is kept in mind by a popular helicopter burglary in Västberga in 2009, when thiefs showed up on the roofing system treatment of a G4S cash remedy depot in addition to swiped millions– a drama presently being ended up being a Netflix film. In 2015, simply 2 banks were robbed contrasted to 210 in2008
In current times, banks have really uncoupled atm machine by the hundreds. So little cash is taken advantage of because it has really become costly to track in addition to maintain, asserted Leif Trogen, an authorities at the Swedish Bankers’ Company.
There are 2 proposals by Swedish authorities to preserve cash offered. Parliament wishes just the best banks to deal with cash. The get financial institution is asserting all banks to preserve car loan streaming. Swedbank, SEB in addition to numerous other big Swedish financial institutions are combating the lawmakers’ demands, specifying it would definitely place an unneeded problem on them to provide much better get to.
” The demand for cash is minimizing at an in the past quicker rate,” Trogen asserted. “As a result, it is basically inaccurate to impose legislations to impact the demand for cash.”.
The get financial institution has approaches to end up a pilot variant complying with year of a new type of Riksbank car loan– the digital krona, or e-krona– that can transform physical cash or a minimum useful unwind the existing cash issue. An e-krona would definitely indicate that the functions of a cash back by the state would definitely remain, additionally in an all-digital world that is fast resembling.
Christine Lagarde, managing manager of the International Monetary Fund, remembered just recently that a variety of get financial institutions were “seriously thinking of” digital cash.
” While the circumstances for digital cash is not international, we need to analyze it a lot more– seriously, completely in addition to creatively,” she asserted.
Ingves, the get financial institution guv, asserted, “This is not a fight on cash, yet no individual has really claimed that this transformative task is probably to give up.”.


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Following yesterday’s first spy shots of the new Lexus IS-F Coupe, that will be called RC F, we are bringing you new images and details showing the hot coupe testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Details are limited, but this new Lexus coupe borrows design cues from the LF-LC concept, LFA supercar and the new IS revealing us a four-tailpipe exhaust system from the IS-F, spindle grille, large air intakes, air intake in the bonnet, air intakes behind front wheels and an active rear spoiler.
The RC-F trademark was recently filed by Toyota in the United States and Europe hinting at a new model that is most likely the car pictured here.
In addition to the high performance RC F a standard RC is also likely planned with a hybridized 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and a 3.5-litre V6. Possible debut is already this autumn at the Tokyo Motor Show.
The hot RC F pictured here is expected to use a 5.0-litre V8 with over 450bhp, while the public debut is very likely in early 2014 at the Detroit Motor Show.


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The Chennai office of the agency will handle the media mandate for the online jewellery portal.
Starcom Worldwide has won the media duties of the online jewellery portal Caratlane.com. The Chennai office of the agency will handle the account and manage all media investments for the company.
This is the first time since its launch that Caratlane.com takes up advertising. The portal is looking for a mix of creative and strategic advertising campaigns that will establish strong brand recall.
Confirming the win, Narendra Alambara, vice-president, Starcom Worldwide Chennai, says, "We are in the process of evolving strategic long-term plans for the brand. The strategy and our recommendations will be based on the current and future goals of the brand, and on the ideal platforms for the brand to generate engagement with audiences."


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Red Bend Software, a Waltham, Mass.-based company that for years has supplied carriers and handset makers with technology for updating customers' devices, is now branching out into mobile virtualization.
Mobile virtualization is attracting more attention as companies grapple with the security and management implications of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend. Red Bend's vLogix Mobile 5.0 product, launched last week, addresses these issues by enabling two operating systems to run simultaneously on a mobile device using virtualization.
vLogix Mobile 5.0 is aimed at Android OEMs and carriers that are looking to increase sales to business users. It includes a type 1 hypervisor, which is more secure and creates a stronger partition between the business and personal segments of a device, according to Richard Kinder, vice president of technology for Red Bend.
"This gives IT departments the confidence that the applications that go on the device are isolated from the employee's personal data," he said in an interview.
Type 1 hypervisors typically take longer to implement than type 2 hypervisors, but vLogix Mobile 5.0 can be integrated in weeks as opposed to months, allowing OEMs to get their devices on the market more quickly, Kinder said.
Red Bend was founded in 1999, and its update technology for mobile OEMs has shipped on more than one billion devices since 2005, Kinder said. Red Bend added mobile virtualization to its portfolio with its September 2010 acquisition of VirtualLogix, Santa Clara, Calif.
"In the firmware update and software management market, we've demonstrated an ability to take complex technology and package it in a way that allows customer to deploy it on a massive scale," he said.
vLogix Mobile 5.0 uses Red Bend's software management technology to allow for easier deployment of mobile virtualization, said Kinder.
"From a management perspective, we enable provisioning of the virtual machine images down to the device, using the same compression technology we use in software updates over wireless network," Kinder said.
One of the big opportunities in BYOD is for network operators to offer value-added services. Red Bend, as a member of the Open Mobile Alliance, is working to establish standards for mobile services. The company is proposing the Virtualization Management Object (VirMO) standard, which seeks to create a common method for managing virtualized mobile devices.
"We're trying to create a platform for long-term differentiation, to enable our customers on the mobile handset side to offer BYOD ready device, and operators to offer value-added services," he said.
Kinder declined to name specific customers and licensees, and while he said it's possible that vLogix Mobile 5.0 will be available in devices this year, he wouldn't confirm this, noting that the timing will depend on OEMs and carriers.


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The Czech based automaker Skoda has officially presented to the public a modified version of the Citigo, named the Rally, in Worthersee, which is coming as a concept car.
After starting its life under a teaser image along with the Citigo DJ, the Skoda Citigo Rally Concept is once again being placed into the spotlights, this time with the car manufacturer presenting it in Worthersee, Austria. According to Skoda, the Citigo Rally Concept is actually a preview for the upcoming rally car which the brand has in development, but the company didn’t say when the production version will be officially presented.
The Skoda Citigo Rally Concept is standing out from the crowd thanks to its new aerodynamic and aggressive body kit, which is adding new front and rear bumpers, modified side skirts, wider wheel arches, a new front grille, a redesigned hood and a rear wing, along with a different sports suspension and a fresh set of 18-inch alloy wheels which suit just perfectly under the new arches. The model’s roof has been extended with the downforce-inducing rear wing and the model has been fitted with a central mounted tailpipe.


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Upcoming car launches in February 2024
We're just in the second month of 2024 and January already bought us several new cars ranging from the Tata Punch EV to vehicles like the Rolls Royce Spectre. While January was jam-packed with new launches, February will be rather quiet but we will still have a few new cars coming our way. Let's take a look at what the month of February is set to bring along.
Tata Tiago and Tigor AMT CNG
Tata Motors has already released teasers and launched bookings for its Tiago hatchback and Tigor small sedan, which will have an industry-first CNG-powered automatic option. Both versions will be powered by the same 1.2-litre engine and a 5-speed AMT transmission. The Tiago iCNG AMT will be available in three trim levels: XTA, XZA+, and XZA NRG, while the Tigor iCNG AMT will be available in XZA and XZA+. In terms of cost, we should expect the AMT versions to have a premium of around Rs 50,000 over the corresponding MT trim.
Mahindra XUV300 facelift
Mahindra is set to debut a facelifted version of its popular compact SUV, the XUV300. The XUV300's five variations are anticipated to remain unchanged, with the same 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine options combined with manual and automatic gearboxes. The automobile is slated to get a big design update, with upgraded interiors and amenities. The XUV300 facelift pricing is projected to rise slightly from the existing SUV's Rs 7.99 lakh to Rs 14.75 lakh.
Hyundai Creta N-Line
Hyundai has upgraded the Creta's look and interior. Now, the Korean automaker is slated to debut the Creta's sportier N Line model. Mechanically, the Creta N Line is projected to use a 160PS and 252 Nm, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine paired to a DCT automatic transmission. While there are rumours of the SUV receiving a 6-speed manual, Hyundai has yet to confirm this. Expect Creta N Line costs to linger just above Rs 20 lakh.
Starts Rs 9.99 Lakhs
Starts Rs 7.95 Lakhs
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EA has made a mysterious pair of new trademark filings in the usual gaming categories, for something called JetSet Detectives and something else called JetSet Secrets. (The trademarks differ from Sega’s Jet Set radio, which separates the two words with a space, so don’t get any wild ideas.) As spotted by Fusible, the publisher also took out an enormous pile of domain registrations for both titles. We’ll query it, but don’t expect much of a response, and remember that EA is making a strong push for the social market with its PlayFish and Popcap teams.
A $50,000 PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds tournament will be hosted through G:loot’s Global Loot League.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake concept art from Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Exhibition makes its way online
Concept art of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is currently on display at Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Exhibition in Japan. Images of the exhibit have been posted online.
Latest Xbox One Preview update adds additional inactivity shutdown options, fixes various issues, more
Members of the Xbox One Preview Update Alpha ring will can now download the latest Xbox One system update.
Sony Pictures has registered thelastofusmovie.net, which naturally has sparked speculation that a film adaptation of the already strongly cinematic PlayStation 3 exclusive is on the way. Try not to get too excited; it may just be a defensive purchase. There have been no whispers suggesting such a thing is on the way, but these things […]
Trion Worlds, its CEO Scott Hartsman, and regular registrar Mark Monitor have all made a number of domain registrations related to the word “Trove”. Fusible spotted the registrations, which include variants like PlayTrove.com and TroveGame.com. All the domains have been transferred to Trion Worlds’ own domain server, too. No word on what this could mean, […]
Light has been shed on the JetSet Secrets domains and trademarks filed by EA earlier this month. Turns out, it’s a hidden object Facebook game where you play as a globetrotting, “brilliant, savvy detective.”


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January 25, 2018
Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, LLC announced today that it has closed its deal to acquire territory from The Coca-Cola Company across the New York Tri-State Metro area. The definitive agreement, signed October 28, 2017, comes approximately five months after The Coca-Cola Company announced a letter of intent with the bottling partner as part of a broader plan to refranchise its operations in North America.
Liberty Coca-Cola officially opened its doors today, and welcomes more than 4,600 associates to its family. The new bottler’s areas of service includes the cities of Philadelphia and New York, part of Delaware, the state of New Jersey, Long Island, parts of Hudson Valley, NY, and Fairfield County, CT. Liberty Coca-Cola will operate four production facilities and ten distribution centers throughout the region.
Visit the News Release here


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The Public Health Department is planning to introduce tobacco vendor licensing.
“It is at the drafting stage. Shops intending to sell cigarettes should not sell other eatables, particularly those meant for children. Vendor licensing will restrict the sale of cigarettes in such shops,” A. Somasundaram, joint director, Public Health, and nodal officer of the Tobacco Control Cell, Government of Tamil Nadu, said at the release of the study, “Big tobacco: tiny targets”, on Tuesday.
‘Tobacco vendors targeting children’
He added that the licensing would be implemented by the Municipal Administration, while the Department of Health would include it in the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA).
He said the department had collected ₹45 lakh as fine from 25,000 violators under COPTA. There were 7,000 violations in terms of sale of tobacco to minors.
A. Ramakrishnan, designated officer, Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, said any complaints could be registered through WhatsApp at 94440 42322.
Article source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/vendor-licensing-in-state-soon/article26647508.ece


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UPDATE: Intrade announced Monday evening that it would be closing its site to U.S. bettors due to "legal and regulatory pressures." Current customers have until Dec. 23 to close out existing "predictions" and until Dec. 31 to withdraw funds. Intrade said it will waive its withdrawal fee .
"We understand this announcement may come as a surprise and a disappointment, and we apologize for the short notice and haste required to deal with this. We would like to sincerely thank all US customers for their custom, support and loyalty over the years," the company said.
Every couple of years when campaign season heats up, Intrade enjoys its turn in the spotlight. Now, after the latest election, the "prediction market" finds itself in the crosshairs of regulators.
The Commodities Futures Trading Commission filed a civil complaint in district court in Washington D.C. Monday, charging Intrade and its parent company, Trade Exchange Network, both based in Dublin, Ireland, with violating a ban on off-exchange options trading.
Specifically, the CFTC says the two companies have been:
[O]ffering commodity option contracts to U.S. customers for trading, as well as soliciting, accepting, and confirming the execution of orders from U.S. customers, all in violation of the CFTC’s ban on off-exchange options trading. The CFTC’s complaint also charges Intrade and TEN with making false statements concerning their options trading website in documents filed with the CFTC, and charges TEN with violating a 2005 CFTC cease and desist order.
"It is against the law to solicit U.S. persons to buy and sell commodity options, even if they are called 'prediction' contracts, unless they are listed for trading and traded on a CFTC-registered exchange or unless legally exempt," said David Meister, director of the regulator's enforcement division. The restrictions Intrade and TEN are accused with violating "enable the CFTC to police market activity and protect market integrity," he added.
The 2005 cease and desist came as a result of similar charges. The CFTC is now claiming that from Sept. 2007 to June 25, 2012 the companies have operated a website allowing U.S. customers "to buy and sell options predicting whether specific future events would occur, including whether certain U.S. economic numbers or the prices of gold and currencies would reach a certain level by a certain future date, and whether specific acts of war would occur by a certain future date."
Intrade allows traders to make one-way bets on everything from political nominations and election outcomes to the Academy Awards' Best Picture winner and whether the U.S. economy will fall into recession. The firm has previously petitioned for CFTC oversight, arguing that a more liquid and transparent market with a clear regulatory framework would deter efforts at the very manipulation the agency seems concerned with. (See "Can Intrade Win After The 2008 Election?")
Given Monday's charges, regulators appear to remain wary of such overtures. "Today's action should make it clear that we will intervene in the 'prediction' markets, wherever they may be based, when their U.S. activities violate the Commodity Exchange Act or the CFTC’s regulations," Meister said.
A spokesperson for Dublin-based Intrade was not immediately available for comment.


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What will the energy-efficient house of the future look like? The Wall Street Journal recently asked four architects to stretch their imagination and design an energy-efficient house “without regard to cost, technology, aesthetics or the way we are used to living.” They came up with some imaginative ideas. One envisioned a home that functioned more like a living tree. Another imagined a home with a “biomorphic” skin that could change colors to insulate or cool the home. The third architect focused on constructing a home covered in plants that would provide food and shelter from the sun. The fourth turned to ideas from the past such as a “breeze chimney” for cooling to go alongside newer ideas such as solar paneling built directly into the roof. All in all, it’s a wonderful preview of what our green future may look like.
Credit: Wall Street Journal


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Foreigner Live From New York Premieres On Pay Per View Friday, April 10
FOREIGNER LIVE FROM NEW YORK PREMIERES ON PAY PER VIEW FRIDAY, APRIL 10
PPV Concerts Continue 2015 Rise
New York, Wednesday, April 1, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOREIGNER LIVE IN NEW YORK, a full concert captured from the award-winning, legendary rock band's current 2015 tour, will premiere on pay-per-view on Friday, April 10 at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT, it was announced today by distributor MultiVision Media, Inc.
The concert, produced by Live Alliance Inc., utilized 15 cameras, and was executive produced by Nate Parienti, Brian Ricco, and Foreigner lead guitarist and founder Mick Jones.
Driven by such hits as Juke Box Hero, Waiting for a Girl Like You, Cold As Ice, Hot Blooded, Urgent, and I Want To Know What Love Is, Foreigner continues to rock the catalog charts. Earlier this year, Foreigner sales eclipsed those of The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Queen, proving Foreigner’s tremendous following among rock fans.
“We are excited that we can share ‘Foreigner Live in NY” with thousands of our fans across the country via pay-per-view,” said Foreigner founder Mick Jones. “The Capitol Theatre is such a unique venue, and provided the perfect backdrop for this special evening.”
The event will be available in High Definition and state-of-the-art 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and will be carried throughout the month on cable and satellite in North America via iN DEMAND, VUBIQUITY, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK in the United States and ROGERS CABLE and BELL EXPRESSVU in Canada. Please consult your local guide for channel and encores on your carrier. The suggested retail for FOREIGNER LIVE IN NEW YORK is $19.99.
The concert will also be available world-wide on home computers, laptops, iPhones, iPads, and android devices by streaming from payperviewliveevents.com, presented by All Oceans Interactive Media, Inc.
"We are very excited to present this legendary band from the sold-out Capitol Theater so that fans around the world can relive the thrill and excitement of a live show from this great band," said Ricco, a television veteran, who has held executive positions with Cablevision, Showtime, IN DEMAND, and Vubiquity. "The vocals of Kelly Hanson and stage wizardry of Mick Jones is a rock fans dream."
This will mark the fifth recent concert distribution by MultiVision Media. LAURYN HILL LIVE FROM BROOKLYN BOWL premiered in November, followed by live performances by GRATEFUL DEAD bassist Phil Lesh on New Years Eve, ALICE COOPER LIVE FROM AUSTIN, and SOCA MONARCH FINALS FROM TRINIDAD.
Live Alliance, Inc. and MultiVision Media, Inc., a partnership that began in 2012, will announce a major concert event for the summer shortly.
CONTACT: Caitlin Taylor 212-731-2151


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Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- It always pays to stick with the big long-term themes that are working, Jim Cramer told his Mad Money TV show viewers Monday, in a special "Invest in America" show in front of a live studio audience of men and women serving in our armed forces.
Cramer said home gamers will never be able to beat the professional day traders or programatic trading over the short-term, but sticking with long-term themes can pay an annuity for many many years. He highlighted three stocks that he said fit this model.
Must Read: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks
First up was Whitewave Foods (WWAV) , the natural and organic food maker that's hands down the winner in the plant-based milk segment. Whether its almond or soy milk, Whitewave is seeing growth in the U.S. and in Europe, all while poised to start operations in China later this year.
Then there's Gilead Sciences (GILD) , a company which Cramer said is beating big pharma at its own game, with numerous successful drug franchises and a pipeline of terrific prospects.
Finally, Cramer said Alibaba (BABA) is playing for the long-term, becoming larger than Amazon.com (AMZN) and a lot more profitable too. Shares are already up big since the company's IPO and Cramer said he may have to revise his $120 price target even higher.
Whole Foods Turnaround
With shares of Whole Foods Market (WFM) going from Wall Street darling to the most-hated list last year, is it finally time to buy back into this organic grocer? Cramer said after listening to the company's conference call last week, he thinks it is.
Cramer explained that shares of Whole Foods fell from $64 to $39 a share over the past 12 months as investors fretted about cannibalization and increased competition in the natural and organic food space, but thanks to a number of new initiatives, Cramer said Whole Foods can once again be a core holding in your portfolio.
Must Read: 10 Stocks George Soros Is Buying


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Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. (NYSE: SRC) President and CEO Jackson Hsieh said the net-lease REIT has collected 60% of April rent to date and expects that figure to rise to 65% to 70% by the end of the month.
Speaking on an April 13 investor call, Hsieh said nine of Spirit’s top 10 tenants are paying April rent. He added that 17 of the company’s top 20 tenants are paying April rent, including one that made a partial payment on some of their stores. That’s equivalent to about 83% of Spirit’s top 20 tenants’ contractual rent, Hsieh said.
Meanwhile, Spirit is evaluating 126 tenant requests for rent deferral, Hsieh said. So far, 23 requests have been approved by Spirit’s investment committee. Of those 23 requests, about half were for 30-day deferrals, 14% were for 60-day deferrals, and the balance were for 90-day deferrals, he noted.
Hsieh pointed out that 62% of Spirit’s properties remain open, while 10% are partially open and 28% are closed. Spirit’s most resilient tenants, he said, include grocery stores, drug stores, professional service providers, warehouse space, pet supply stores, and home improvement stores. The most challenged include gyms, entertainment, and casual dining tenants.


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California Public Utility Commission members have many factors to consider whenever they evaluate a merger. But in my view, it comes down to a single question: Will California consumers benefit from this? For the T-Mobile-Sprint merger, the answer is yes.
By Henry A. Waxman
Henry A. Waxman, who represented Los Angeles in Congress from 1975-2015, is chairman of Waxman Strategies and an advisor to T-Mobile, firstname.lastname@example.org. He wrote this commentary for CALmatters.
Reliable, fast, and accessible consumer wireless connectivity has been the catalyst for much of California’s leadership on innovation.
It’s not just Apple, Google, Uber, Lyft and Airbnb. A new generation of exciting innovators will redefine how we tackle critical issues in the years ahead. The ability to connect and share data instantly will be the fuel of our state’s vibrant economic engine.
Now 5G, the next generation of wireless technology and networking, is arriving. All indications show it will enable an even greater—and more inclusive—wave of innovation.
What will 5G make possible? Cities that are smarter, greener, and healthier through a fully-realized Internet of Things, where connected cars, smart sensors, and edge computing will make it possible to control how our world works like never before.
Connected devices will facilitate more transparent supply chains, more efficient logistics, and cleaner and more accountable industries. 5G will also lead to healthier people, thanks to advances in healthcare delivery through telemedicine and mHealth wearables that continue to emerge.
Making this future a reality requires bold measures to build and power a world-class 5G infrastructure. This infrastructure can’t be built overnight.
But the California Public Utilities Commission will soon review a merger between Sprint and T-Mobile that can bring that infrastructure to California more quickly, in a way that benefits consumers throughout our state and nation.
As a member of Congress, I always studied proposed mergers with a critical eye. In my 40 years as a U.S. Representative, including my time as chairman of the Energy & Commerce Committee, I worked to protect California consumers. This led me to oppose concentrations of power, especially if such actions would lead to less competition, higher prices, or lower-quality products.
But after working with and for T-Mobile and after studying the merits of this transaction, I can say with confidence that the Sprint-T-Mobile merger will benefit Californians.
In fact, I couldn’t imagine a better company to lead us into the 5G era. T-Mobile already has disrupted the wireless market by putting consumers first. The company ditched two-year service contracts, went all-in on unlimited data, and invested in its industry-leading customer service.
Though T-Mobile is much smaller than AT&T and Verizon, its consumer-centric practices have driven the competition to follow suit, helping more Californians gain access to reliable phone service and mobile internet.
This is the kind of leadership consumers should demand as the road to our 5G future is paved.
Importantly, the New T-Mobile has pledged to invest nearly $40 billion to deploy 5G from coast to coast. And only by combining T-Mobile’s low-band and Sprint’s mid-band wireless spectrum can we realize a network that is far-reaching and high-powered.
Critics argue the merger will take the industry from four players to three. In reality, the merger will create a stronger competitor to the giants, AT&T and Verizon. The combined company will be able to compete more effectively than either could on its own.
The New T-Mobile will also have greater incentives to win over customers with competitive pricing, innovative services, and better coverage in urban and rural areas. The competition will drive down prices and increase service.
Public Utilities Commission members have many factors to consider whenever they evaluate a merger. But in my view, it comes down to a single question: Will California consumers benefit from this? For the T-Mobile-Sprint merger, the answer is yes. That’s why the Public Utilities Commission should swiftly approve this merger.


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The six-second canvas represents a new opportunity for video content marketing as a means to to drive business response, says Gian LaVecchia, Managing Partner, Digital Content Marketing at MEC, in an interview with Beet.TV. Vine is pushing creators to think through a new lens and tell stories in a compact way, and so is Twitter’s “Amplify” program, he says.
“There are profound opportunities for brands to drive action. We are going to start seeing brands capitalize and fully leverage that Vine canvas,” he says. “The challenge for Twitter is it’s live and in the moment, but they’ll have to figure that out.”
But measurement remains a hurdle for content marketing. “Our inability to consistently present sound findings and real business performance is holding us back. We need to figure out how to effectively measure emotion, engagement, attention, and connect those to business metrics.”
LaVecchia was one of the speakers at the Beet.TV video advertising summit on “outstream” advertising presented by Ebuzzing & Teads. Please find more videos from that event here.


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Sony Appoints New Head of PlayStation Division
Sony promoted John Kodera as the new head of PlayStation, the electronic giant’s most important division and largest growth driver, according to Bloomberg.
Kodera, who has primarily worked on online service PlayStation Network, will take over as CEO at subsidiary Sony Interactive Entertainment, replacing Andrew House who ran the unit since 2011. House will remain as chairman through the end of the year and then pursue what he called new challenges outside of Sony.
The appointment comes at a critical time for Sony. Shares are trading close to a nine-year high on expectations games will continue to boost growth, but with the PlayStation 4 console heading toward the end of its lifecycle analysts are starting to question what comes next. Kodera’s efforts to add non-gaming content to the PlayStation Network show that Sony’s chief Kazuo Hirai sees the addition of TV shows, movies and music as one way to ease the earnings volatility between console lifecycles.
“John Kodera has led Sony’s network service business since 2013 and played a pivotal role in its growth,” Hirai said in a statement. “With the significance of network services increasing across the entire Sony Group, I believe that John is ideally equipped to build on the foundations Andy has left in place.”
Games made up 21 percent of Sony’s total revenue last fiscal year and 36 percent of its operating income. During the period, PlayStation Network for the first time generated the majority of the games division’s revenue, as online subscriptions and digital downloads outweighed hardware sales.
"I intend to build on the amazing progress Andy has made enhancing the PlayStation brand and expanding the game and network services business, and will strive to further strengthen the unique value proposition we are able to offer via the PlayStation platform,” said Kodera.
Under House, Sony regained its lead in the gaming industry, with the PS4 outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One by more than three to one. He has also worked on bringing virtual reality to the masses, with the PlayStation VR now the industry-leading high-end headset after selling more than a million units since launching a year ago.


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Ford’s Honda City rival based on the B500 platform cancelled as the American brand focusses on increasing volume sales of existing products
Ford seems to have put off the plans for developing a mid-size sedan in the C-segment to rival against the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid. The sedan that was supposed to be in the pipeline had been said to succeed the underwhelming Ford Fiesta according to ET Auto.
Effectively putting an end to the in-house developed of the sedan from Ford’s Indian subsidiary in Chennai, it was initially tipped to arrive at the market in two years’ time. With the abandoning of B500 platform based sedan, the American auto giant is seeking ways to improve market share by focussing on the current portfolio instead.
Ford appeared first at the Indian market in late ‘90s but it is yet to achieve a humongous leap in sales. Ford EcoSport set the benchmark in the sub-four metre compact SUV segment but with the arrival of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and other crossovers its popularity has diminished lately. Rubbing salt to the wound was the latest gen Figo twins as despite being potent products, they floundered to attract customers.
The company launched Mustang GT pony car as its flagship model a few weeks back but it is no way a volume chaser. The new Ford Endeavour premium SUV entered in January 2016 has been taking the fight to Toyota Fortuner but then again it cannot produce volume numbers. The current situation puts emphasise on the next avatar of Ford EcoSport but the segment is tightly packed with the advent of micro-SUVs and slightly premium compact crossovers.
General Motors doesn’t appear to be bringing the Global Emerging Market platform to our shores which eventually hold the $1 billion investment plans. While showing discontent over the stringent emission norms about to be introduced and the NGT’s push to ban diesel vehicles, GM is currently conducting a “full review of future product programme”. Subsequently, Ford has commenced a marketing campaign and initiated several service initiatives to boost the sales.
India is likely to become the world’s third-largest car market by 2020, according to IHS, up from fifth place now, with annual sales nearly doubling to about 5 million vehicles from 2.7 million last year. Compared to Ford, Renault is relatively new to India but since it aimed at affordable space, the Kwid made all the difference. Perhaps for the struggling manufacturers, India-specific vehicles will be ultimate key for their future success?
Soure: ET Auto


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Biden, Bloomberg.com, China, Donald Trump, editing, Im-Politic, imports, Jeff Bezos, journalism, Mainstream Media, Michael Bloomberg, tariffs, Trade, trade deficit, trade war, Washington Post
A RealityChek post last month suggested that America’s news media are experiencing a genuine editing crisis, and just yesterday appeared an example that left even me – someone who for decades has been tracking these lapses (or biases?) and the misinformation they’ve often spread – speechless.
Well, OK, not exactly speechless. But here’s what I mean.
The Bloomberg.com article in question, titled, “China’s Response to U.S. Trade Talks Shows Gap Between Two” was almost entirely unobjectionable. Indeed, for the most part, it focused quite competently on recent statements made by top U.S. and Chinese officials showing how far the two economies remain from resolving the trade and broader commercial issues they’ve clashed over for many years.
But then came this chart:
From the title, you’d expect it to show both that the immense U.S. trade deficit with China currently stood at an all-time high, and that the increase was being driven largely by still soaring American imports from the People’s Republic.
Except if you eyeball the chart with even a little care, you see that if America’s imports from China (the solid white line) are now in record territory, it’s not by much compared with the previous peak in mid-2018. Moreover, since they’ve barely budged since then, and the U.S. economy has grown by some ten percent during this period, the China shortfall has clearly become smaller as a share of gross domestic product – a crucial piece of context.
Moreover, it’s absolutely clear that the Chinese trade surplus with the United States hasn’t been surging at all lately. Indeed, according to the vertical orange-ish bars it’s represented by, it’s slightly below last year’s peak and has fallen slightly since early 2018. Yes, there’s been a surge. But it took place during the decades before.
And kind of mysteriously left out: Mid-2018 is when former President Donald Trump began imposing tariffs on imports from China.
But that’s not the main point here. I’ve seen and written about headlines that misrepresent the body of the article they accompany. (That last post on editing provided one example.) But I don’t ever recall seeing a chart’s title contradicted by the chart itself. Like Amazon.com co-founder Jeff Bezos, who now owns the Washington Post, Bloomberg.com co-founder and majority owner Michael Bloomberg has more than enough bucks to at least try preventing such embarrassing goofs. Time to start opening up that wallet.


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The mobile food cart trend is pushing its way into Fort Wayne.
Selling items such as hot dogs, burritos and ribs, vendors are setting up shop at shopping centers and street corners.
Juan Molina sets up Taqueria Mi Cocinita at 5599 S. Anthony Blvd. from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays. He’s been open for about a month, he says.
Molina has eight options on his cart, and his best-sellers are the tacos and burritos. Burritos run $5.99, and tacos range from $1.75 to $3.
Joe’s Dogs has been setting up at Jefferson Pointe for less than a year. Joe Gomori, who owns Joe’s Dogs with a business partner, set up for the first time a week before Black Friday, and he served holiday customers through Christmas. The mobile unit shut down for the coldest months and opened again about a month ago, Gomori says.
The hot dog cart, in front of Buckle and American Eagle at Jefferson Pointe, offers a variety of toppings – ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, relish, onions and sauerkraut. Joe’s is looking into offering a South American-style dog, with tomatoes, green sauce and mayo, and Gomori also hopes to eventually offer chili dogs.
The cart is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays, during Jefferson Pointe’s summer concerts; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Big Lacy’s BBQ has been open at South Anthony Boulevard and Decatur Road for a year. Lacy Curry opens his barbecue stand no matter the season. .
We had a nice winter, so it wasn’t too bad, he says. We had a couple days when it was a little challenging (weather-wise), but overall, it was good.
Business has continued to improve for Big Lacy’s, Curry says, and the vendor starts to serve sandwiches about 11:30 a.m. and stops when the meat is gone – usually by 5 p.m.
Big Lacy’s offers a variety of menu options, though the mobile unit’s best-selling item are Curry’s rib tips – available in small, medium or large for $6, $8 or $10, respectively.
William Drake, owner of Detroit’s Finest Coney Island, will have been in business for a year this summer, with his hot dog unit set up at 3915 S. Anthony Blvd. at East Rudisill and South Anthony boulevards, near the former Dawson’s Root Beer stand.
His stand is a trailer, something he hooks to his pickup every morning and evening, six days a week. Detroit’s Finest is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and the majority of Drake’s customers come from the immediate area, though some do drive from northern Fort Wayne, he says.
His hope is to be in a building – look, Ma, no wheels! – within two months, when he would add chili cheese fries and eventually chicken fingers to his Coney/hot dog/Polish sausage menu.
A traditional Coney dog, the stand’s specialty, runs $2.75.
Ready for a move
Tokens-N-Tickets is getting ready to close shop and move down the street, changing from what is primarily thought of as a family fun center to a family fun center and pizza buffet.
The business’ current location on Nobel Drive will close in the middle of the month, co-owner Stacie Clevenger says. During that time, everything will be moved to the new location – at the former Joe’s Crab Shack at 5820 Coldwater Road – which will open within three or so days, the owners hope.
Right now, Tokens-N-Tickets offers some hot food, but in the new location, the name will change to Tokens-N-Tickets’ Pizza Shack Buffet, with half the space devoted to a pizza buffet.
In addition to 14 different pizzas, the full buffet will include 18 items on the salad bar, pasta, chicken fingers, dessert and an ice cream bar.
Everyone’s really excited, Clevenger says of Tokens-N-Tickets’ regular customers. They are wanting something they can do as a family.
Now, they can get dinner, too.
The Dairy Queen on Southview Avenue has closed.
A peach-colored sign from the Indiana Department of Revenue is posted in the window. The sign says the store owners were guilty of a Class B misdemeanor for not holding a valid Registered Retail Merchant Certificate from the state.
To wish its customers a happy Cinco de Mayo, Lebamoff’s Cap n’ Cork (1031 Broadway) will host a free beer, wine and liquor tasting from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.
The tasting will feature seven wines (from sweet to dry, red to white), two tequilas, two rums and three beers.


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Apple Blocks Stolen iPhones, Making it Useless for Thieves
With the rise of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in US, businesses have been affected as they are being raided by the people.
Over the last two days, four Apple stores have been robbed causing a huge loss as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs have been stolen. However, Apple have added a feature whereby the phone cannot be unlocked when stolen. A pop-up message urging thieves to return the goods appear instead.
The device has proximity sensors that disallows thieves to unlock the phone, making them useless. A Twitter user has shared the message that states, “Please return to Apple Walnut Street. This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.”
This shows that no good comes from stealing, except leaving you with a guilty conscience.
Image via @onlyfanobtainer by Twitter
SOURCE: The Apple Post
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Buyers, sellers, and consignor representatives turned out in force to celebrate the August opening of Brasher’s Northwest Auto Auction’s all new facility in Eugene. The two-day event began with an open house during which owner John Brasher and general manager Lisa Larkin welcomed more than 450 customers for a tour of the auction’s new home.
Brasher’s new 26-acre facility, located two miles from the previous auction, includes a 12,000 square foot auction arena with four double-blocked lanes for eight lanes of selling capacity. Offices are located in a two-story, 5,000 square foot office building. The facility also features covered check-in, six lanes of transport parking, and three acres of customer parking.
The auction served guests a barbecued steak dinner and entertained the crowd with music provided by River City Rhythm and Blues Band. The band was led by one of the auction’s own dealers: Vince Lombardo of Oregon’s Best Cars.
The next day’s grand opening sale included a 1,330-vehicle consignment, the largest in the auction’s history.
“We sold 851 vehicles at the sale, a great sale rate in itself, but even more remarkable when you consider the fact that we sold more vehicles than we’d ever run in a single sale at the old facility. We sold more vehicles at the grand opening than would fit on our old lot!” said Larkin.
Larkin reported that nearly 400 vehicles ran in the fleet/lease and repo lane. WFS Financial kicked off the event, selling the first car to Dan Woodruff of Oregon’s Best Cars. Bank of America followed with 89 vehicles. Other featured fleet/lease consignors included ARI, Capital One, Fleet Lease Disposal, Key Bank, RSA, MMH Leasing, Oregon Community Credit Union, OSU Federal Credit Union, PHH, Qwest, Pape Group, Reliable Credit, Selco, United Finance, Wells Fargo, Volunteers of America and Goodwill.
“Our consignment from local dealers was equally impressive,” said Larkin, who noted that individual lanes were devoted to Kendall Auto Group, all Oregon Lithia stores, and major new car stores in Central and Southern Oregon. “We had cars lined up down the street for more than a quarter mile waiting to check in at 8 a.m. on the morning of the sale. We were able to process them quickly in our new check-in area, and had them all ready for the sale.”
More than 530 dealers attended the grand opening sale, most staying to the very end for a chance to win a plasma TV, ’04 Honda Sport Trac, and ’04 Honda jetski. The first 200 dealers received pullover jacket commemorating the grand opening, while the auction gave away 40 leather jackets during the course of the sale. Free breakfast was served courtesy of the Oregon Independent Auto Dealers Association.
Brasher’s Northwest Auto Auction holds a consignment sale every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. In addition, the auction hosts RV auctions every second Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.
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Luxury fibres and fabrics: Changes in supply and demand
Despite the challenging global economic climate, demand for high-end apparel continues unscathed. Our management briefing this month looks at changes in the supply and demand of luxury fibres and fabrics, sourcing shifts, and web-based tools and trade fairs to help narrow down a product search.
Clothing labels worldwide are usually a standard read, with fibre names such as 'cotton,' 'nylon' and 'polyester' remaining constant from season to season. But when it comes to luxury textiles, there seem to be more evolving trends in terms of fibres used - along with more dynamic changes in supply and demand.
While trade fairs remain the primary channel for finding suppliers for any kind of fabric, the sourcing of luxury fabrics and fibres has seen a small revolution over the last decade - thanks in large part to the development of web-based technologies that have integrated face-to-face contact with online services.
Despite the financial storm clouds that have disrupted Europe's economy over the past few years, the continent's luxury apparel sector has proved remarkably resilient, with global demand for their products rising.
Despite the challenging global economic climate, demand in the luxury sector continues to remain unscathed, with high-end apparel consumers not willing to compromise on quality.
- Trump and the apparel industry – Infographic
- $1.7bn package to boost Pakistan clothing exports
- British Brexit plans prioritise tariff-free trade
- How US border adjustment tax could affect apparel
- Mexico riots hit apparel retailers and shipments
- Cambodia clothing exports at risk from Brexit
- Apparel brands urge Bangladesh PM to address wages
- MAS Holdings planning second industrial park
- American Apparel to shutter all stores?
- Better compliance "crucial" for Bangladesh growth
- Outdoor performance apparel 2016: A broader perspective
- Anti-odour clothing: fresh fashion for an active lifestyle
- Global apparel markets: product developments and innovations, October 2016
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- Global market review of lingerie – forecasts to 2022


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Despite suspicions that any secondary market in resort time-shares would be dominated overwhelmingly by would-be sellers --wanting "out from under" their impulse purchases--there are more potential buyers out there than sellers.
That is the surprising conclusion from a survey of mail and telephone responses to a Feb. 24 real estate section story in The Times reporting on the first nationwide auction of these "slices of time." The auction was held three weeks earlier in the Los Angeles Convention Center and sponsored by Marina del Rey-based MDR Telecom.
In the first eight days following publication of the Times' story, according to Mario Collura, president of the sponsoring realty firm, 63 telephone calls and 438 letters from 17 states and Canada reached his office seeking details on the next auction scheduled for late July.
"About 60% of the letters which we've received are from prospective and highly qualified buyers," Collura said. "These include attorneys, doctors, CPAs and other professional people, and they are looking forward to our July auction and the chance to buy vacation home use."
About 10% of the responses were from sellers definitely interested in listing their time-shares with Collura and the other 30% were from potential sellers seeking further information.
Average Price $3,600
In a final tally of the results of the February auction, according to Collura, "75 time-share intervals were sold by auction and by mail-in bid and the average paid price was $3,600. Additionally, we have backup offers on a number of time-shares.
"Results seem to indicate," he added, "that time-sharing is alive and well when the price is right."
At a time when the nationwide average price for a one-week time-share is being offered by developers at $7,000, a full 90% of those trading properties at the February auction did so at prices at least 50% under the developers' offering price.
"Our auction resulted in 75 happy buyers and 75 happy sellers, and that's a positive consumer reaction," Collura added."
From a would-be seller at the July auction: "In response to the excellent article on your operation which appeared in yesterday's (Feb. 24) Los Angeles Times, I would very much appreciate receiving information on your next auction. . . . I am a time-share owner interested in selling." And from a would-be buyer: "The Los Angeles Times provided a very interesting article on your approach to the secondary market for time-share condominiums. Please send me your catalogue when developed for the July auction. For a better perspective of what was available (at your first auction) and their 'real' market value I would appreciate a catalogue (of the earlier auction)."
Submit Minimum Bid
As in MDR Telecom's February sale, sellers listing their time-shares for the July auction, must also submit a minimum bid no greater than 50% of the developer's price (although the near-even balance between would-be buyers and would-be sellers interested in the upcoming auction suggests that such deep discounts may be short-lived), must pay an up-front, non-refundable fee equal to 5% of their minimum bid to finance the advance catalogue of offerings and pay a 15% sales commission if the offering is successful.
Further information is available for both buyers and sellers from MDR Telecom, 13464 Washington Blvd., Marina del Rey, CA 90292.
In spite of the popularity of the time-share concept--up from 100,000 units a year in 1976 to 600,000 last year--the field has long been plagued by the virtual non-existence of a secondary market, an absence largely explaining the sharp discounts characterizing Collura's February auction.
"What this indicates to me," Collura added, "is that the marketing costs of new time-shares are very high and are being passed along to the buyers of new time-shares, but not to the buyers of resales at auction."


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Tesla Autopilot Software Update Coming Soon, Stock Down 4.42%
Electric automaker Tesla (TSLA
) is working to improve its self-driving system to fix a braking problem. Tesla stock fell 4.42% on Wednesday to close at $589.89.
CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the revamped autopilot software may be released in the next few months. However, the executive cautioned that it is difficult to accurately predict the timing of a new product’s availability.
The coming update is expected to bring many advancements to Tesla’s self-driving feature. Notably, it will resolve the problem of Tesla cars on autopilot randomly applying the brake, particularly when driving under an overpass or bridge.
To fix the autopilot software’s inconsistent braking problem, the company decided to remove radar and instead rely on cameras for vision.
“We had to focus on removing radar & confirming safety,” said Musk.
Tesla will offer the enhanced autopilot software on subscription. That will be an alternative to the one-time payment of $10,000 the company has been charging drivers for its self-driving technology. Tesla plans to begin selling the subscription in about a month. (See Tesla stock analysis on TipRanks
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives
reiterated a Buy rating with a $1,000 price target on Tesla stock. Ives’s price target implies 69.52% upside potential to the current price.
The analyst noted that Tesla’s China car sales dropped sequentially in April as the company struggled with safety issues, but China remains an important market for Tesla. Also, the analyst stated that the cars sold well in Europe in April, as demand there has been strong.
“We believe overall China demand is on a 300k+ annual run rate and is poised to represent roughly 40% of deliveries for Tesla by 2022,” commented Ives.
Consensus among analysts on Wall Street is a Hold based on 11 Buy, 6 Hold, and 7 Sell ratings. The average analyst price target of $645.95
implies 9.50% upside potential to current levels.
TSLA scores a 3 out of 10 on TipRanks’ Smart Score
rating system, indicating the stock is likely to underperform the market.
Electronic Arts Delivers Impressive FY21 Results, Announces Dividend
Alphabet Launches $100M Fund To Reward YouTube Shorts Creators
Amazon Expanding In Louisiana With Robotics Fulfillment Center


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How strong is your anchor?
Its main focus is the incident when the Ever Given cargo transporter crashed and blocked the Suez Canal – the world’s busiest shipping corridor – for a week leading to huge disruption in global supply chains.
It explores how shipping companies invest millions in sonar, weather radar and other systems to help predict obstacles on their course and other events that will hinder them – as well as continuing to use human lookouts.
Despite these tools, they can still be literally blown off course by unforeseen events and obstructions so they have to adapt quickly and come up with a new way forward or else find themselves stuck in one place at best or possibly in danger of sinking at worst.
The news of forthcoming energy price rises in the UK from April is the equivalent of a severe storm warning.
Businesses have little time to come up with a plan on how they will weather an increase of 50% or possibly even higher.
Millions of customers will see their domestic energy bills rise as the energy price cap was confirmed to be rising by nearly £700 taking the average default tariff bill close to £2,000.
The cap is also expected to rise again in October although sector regulator Ofgem have announced a policy consultation this week canvassing views and opinions on moving the sector to a quarterly cap level review rather than biannually.
They argue that this will see customers seeing smaller rises occurring in increments throughout the year rather than a huge increase twice a year.
Mark Bennett of energyhelpline.com said: “Last year’s wholesale energy price crisis, which saw costs increase nearly ten-fold by December, really caught the energy industry unawares resulting in 29 suppliers either entering administration or going into liquidation.
“Ofgem has reacted by making a series of changes to the price cap methodology, which means that from April and in times of significant upheaval, the price cap can be amended outside of the normal price cap cycle. In theory this would work both when wholesale prices are rapidly increasing, as well as when they are tumbling.”
The government is scrambling to find measures to offset the incoming price shock and is proposing a £200 loan to be repaid over five years and a one-off £150 reduction in council tax for bands A-D.
None of which will be applicable to businesses but will instead fall entirely on their workforces and customers instead.
The implications for consumer facing business sectors such as retail or hospitality are clear. A huge and sudden increase will probably see an immediate reduction in discretionary spending.
Businesses in recovering sectors suddenly facing huge cost increases themselves along with customers having less disposable income is a problem.
Additionally, companies will immediately face wage pressure from staff struggling to keep the lights and heat on at home at the same time as they will be juggling other incoming cost increases such as higher business rates, the end of VAT discounts in some sectors as well as increased transport costs and economy-wide labour shortages.
This is in addition to a rise in National Insurance Contributions of 1.25 percentage points while many local authorities are planning to increase their business rates to cover other shortfalls in essential services including social care.
A perfect storm is coming – time to batten down your hatches
Chris Horner, Insolvency Director with BusinessRescueExpert said: “Many companies have the conditions of a perfect financial storm heading right for them this April.
“Businesses on fixed energy deals will see them coming to an end and the marketplace for new deals will be minimal, if one exists at all.
“26 energy suppliers have failed and gone out of business in the previous six months alone and there’s no guarantee that more won’t follow this year.
“Some business owners or directors will be paying close attention and will already be looking at savings that could be made through reducing planned investment or putting off recruitment decisions.
“No matter what they decide, one smart use of time right now is to get some professional advice on what can be done to strengthen their businesses before the wave of energy price increases and any other unforeseen obstacles hole them beneath the waterline.”
A good captain can avoid most foreseen problems facing their vessel and a lot of unknown ones too by taking a prudent approach.
They will make repairs and course adjustments when they need to and won’t go full steam ahead into unchartered waters either.
The best leaders will also seek advice and counsel when they aren’t entirely sure which way to go – which is where we come in.
We offer a free consultation to any business owner or director who wants to explore their horizons and get some clearer ideas about what lies between where they are and where they want to go.
They’ll also be able to accurately appraise any threats to their firm and learn about what they can do to mitigate and overcome them in the closing window of action available to them.
The final lesson we can take from the story of the Ever Given is that even if every right decision is taken – things can still go wrong but the effects might be even worse in that scenario.
Which is why we’re always available to help – before, during or after running aground.


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Day two of ag retailer conference brings new insights
Day two of the Agricultural Retailers Association annual conference and expo offered a variety of speakers from differing backgrounds to offer attendees new insights and perspectives that could help them in their businesses.
Kicking off general session, Daren Coppock, president and CEO of ARA, welcomed attendees to this year’s conference, titled “Ag Retail Top Guns: Preparing your business for the future.” He introduced the first speaker Carl Casale, president and CEO of CHS. Casale’s presentation, “Navigating a Dynamic World” highlighted variable influences impacting ag retail businesses. These influences included the impact of China on food, feed and fuel demands. He discussed world demand for grain products and pointed out where shifts in demand and production are anticipated to be in the next decade. Casale’s key point was in asking retailers how they remain relevant to their customers. He provided the example of K-Mart. Nearly everyone in the room recognizes the brand, but a small fraction had actually shopped at the store within the past six months. He stressed that retailers need to find out how to be relevant to their customers to succeed in building their business.
Following Casale was Charlie Stenholm, former Texas Congressman and Senior Policy Advisor with OFW Law, who offered his “Post-Election Analysis and the Impact on Agriculture” presentation. Stenholm started off saying that the country’s two-party political system may split into a three or four party system as factions within both the Democrat and Republican parties that may want to leave their original party. Stenholm stressed that both parties seem to be ignoring the big problems, but eventually they will have to sit down and learn how to compromise. He also drew parallels between the agriculture industry and the oil and gas industry. He said both are intrinsically linked. They both need each other. Other topics he touched on included biotechnology, immigration and cooperating more fully for mutual benefit with Canada and Mexico.
ARA’s Coppock provided a look at the accomplishments ARA had achieved within the past year. The biggest achievement was the Hours of Service legislation. He outlined the key topics and strategies ARA is working on, with a strong emphasis on member services.
Awards were also a big part of the day’s events as awards were given for the ARA Retailer of the Year, the AGCO Operator of the Year, the ARA Distinguished Service Award and the ARA Jack Eberspacher Lifetime Achievement Award.
- US soy exports to China could drop with crush-margins at 2-yr low
- Corn to see record production for 2014-15
- Maximizing buyer power in volatile markets
- Insight into drought tolerance of TAM wheat varieties
- Ag markets turned mostly lower Tuesday morning
- GMO safety, weed control top concerns as U.S. study kicks off
- U.S. GMO labeling foes triple spending in first half of this year
- Activists fighting Golden Rice even more in 2014
- Source shows half of GMO research is independent
- White House issues veto threat on bill to block WOTUS rule
- Stoller soybean research produces 214 bushels per acre
- FCC aims to offer high-speed internet to rural America


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Legal Washington Pot Stores Opening Soon, But Production Lags
Eric Cooper has a sort of "The Dude" vibe: Hawaiian shirt, leather brown sandals and a bushy silver goatee. He smoked weed for the first time when he was about 14. He’s a former contractor and registered nurse. Cooper grew medical marijuana, and now he’s one of the owners of Monkey Grass Farms in Wenatchee, Washington.
Monkey Grass Farms is one of the big boys: a tier-three Washington state-licensed indoor pot grow. That means they can nurture about 21,000-square-feet of marijuana plants.
It has taken $100,000 of start-up, investors, lots of friends and family, and four months to set up this major grow. Inside, it’s dark, humid and green. Fans and machinery hum. And the plants are all bathed in eye-piercing light -- and party music.
“We’ve have approximately 300,000 total watts in lights here." Cooper said. "We brought in enough lumber to frame a whole house.”
Not quite ready
Twenty and 30-somethings with badges around their necks scurried around the building, going from plant to plant like bees on flowers in late summer. The place looks like the inside of Costco – just filled with a whole lot of pot.
But you won't see any of that choice bud in stores at the beginning of July.
Cooper said their marijuana needs about four months to go from cutting to harvest. Monkey Grass and other producers still need a couple more weeks to dry down, package, test and deliver their product. So that means no Monkey Grass until mid-July.
And that’s the story with many of growers in Washington. It takes a while to set up these big grows -- and to actually grow the product. Cooper said he stopped answering his phone because stores have been hassling him.
A seller's market?
The state’s Liquor Control Board has predicted a possible shortage of marijuana in the first few weeks of July, when pot stores open. And that puts the growers in control.
“We’re looking for shelf space," Cooper said. "If they want a percentage share of our crop, we want a percentage of shelf space. And it’s going to be the prime shelf space.”
Monkey Grass is following a model of more established agricultural crops in Washington. Many commodities in Eastern Washington, like grapes, potatoes, and blueberries, are grown on contract. And Cooper said Monkey Grass is being kind of choosy where their product goes.
“My daughters have been real good about going out and meeting with them," Cooper said. "Looking at their locations. Getting a general feel for their type of management style. Are they more business-like, or more like 'let’s go out and smoke a joint?'”
Monkey Grass plans to harvest a fresh crop nearly every week. Cooper said he thinks the market will steady in about two to three months.
Resins, edibles, sodas and other pot products will come along. But they won’t likely be on store shelves at first. That’s because they take even more time for baking, processing and testing. And no marijuana kitchens have been licensed by the state agriculture department yet.
Cooper is optimistic that Monkey Grass will be licensed to also grow outdoors soon. He’s already building the facility. Cooper said figuring out this frontier business is too much fun. "It’s like the wild west,” he added.
He just wishes he could get his product into consumers’ hands a bit quicker. He’s hoping the pot business chills out by October. By then he plans on being in Maui sipping a little umbrella drink.
"Do I love that plant? It’s been good to me for the last 35 to 40 years," Cooper said. "It’s kept me a little sane, I should say. I love my family, I like my weed.”
Jordan Schrader with The News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington, contributed to this story. Read his companion piece here.


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Loading from a previous auto-save or manual save does not appear to solve this issue either.PC players have found a fix that involves editing their save files, but that option is not available for PS4 and Xbox players.
Kotaku's video producer, Paul Tamayo, was able to load a previous save that he had backed up to a USB drive, but noted that "loading from a cloud save did not work as it automatically uploaded as he was playing."
At this time, there is no comment or response from developer Hello Games.The No Man's Sky Next update launched on July 24, the same day as the release of the Xbox One version. Multiplayer was one of the most requested features for No Man's Sky and NEXT made it possible, except for the DRM-free version from GOG.com that will be seeing it added later this year.
In addition to the NEXT update, Hello Games will be introducing weekly updates next week that will focus on community challenges. Hopefully this issue will be resolved by then.
Adam Bankhurst is a freelance writer for IGN and once had his save file for Ninja Gaiden erased by a friend and is still recovering, so he hopes this issue gets resolved soon. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst.
If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, learn more.


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Brand selects Henrik Fisker because of a shared ‘innovative spirit’.
Maurice Lacroix has signed the designer of the world’s first electric sports car as a new ambassador for the Swiss watch brand.
Henrik Fisker, founder of Fisker Automotive, is the design genius behind Karma, the world’s first eco-friendly high-performance sports car. He has also been the designer behind many designs for car giants BMW and Aston Martin.
Maurice Lacroix said that it chose Fisker as an ambassador because he shares the brand’s “innovative spirit”.
Maurice Lacroix managing director Marc Gläser added: “Maurice Lacroix stands for a contemporary interpretation of the Swiss art of watchmaking. Who better than Henrik Fisker, whose concept has revolutionised the car industry, to represent our products and values? Our common basis lies in the similarity of our approach.”
Fisker said that he accepted the invitation to be a Maurice Lacroix brand ambassador because he can see “a very close connection with these watches and the beauty of a car”, adding that he felt “immediately inspired” when he first saw the watches.
Discover Maurice Lacroix: Buy Maurice Lacroix Discover Maurice Lacroix


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After nearly 30 years at Vogue, Grace Coddington—a longtime, cherished magazine family member known for her star turn in The September Issue and her hatred of Instagram—is stepping down from her position as creative director of the fashion bible.
Vogue’s wedding announcements are aspirational schadenfreude: they allow you to peek into the lifestyle of the super-rich, while simultaneously reassuring you that most of the couples featured are totally detached from reality, as they are likely tasked with the continuance of stiff, modern-day dynasties. The…
Some things in life are hard to take.
Was 2015 a good year for diversity in fashion magazines? Is it ever? The needle moves ever so sluggishly toward progression each year, but this wasn’t the best in terms of inclusion. Which is why Vogue insists that it’s on a mission to push forward.
Ethiopia, the South of France, Jackson Hole: These are not places I have ever been, but joke’s on me and you and all of us, because Vogue’s most photogenic and independently wealthy editors will be touching down for some casual visits over Christmas—and they even allowed us into their beautiful homes to watch them…
Swedish actress Alicia Vikander is currently everywhere (she’s starring in approximately 1 million movies and is nominated for two Golden Globes, thanks to her performances in Ex Machina and The Danish Girl) and the cover of January’s Vogue is no exception.
Vogue’s creative director Grace Coddington thinks people posting about food all the time on Instagram are “pathetic” and she’s obviously right. But whatever, look at that cat. #cats #catsofinstagram #cutecats #catstagram #kittycats #catlove #catowners #catladies #meowmeow.
Jennifer Lawrence, the highest-paid and arguably most beloved actor working today, spoke with Vogue’s Jonathan Van Meter as part of the December issue’s cover story. In the article, she comes off as funny, highly intelligent, and very sad.
Grace Coddington, creative director at Vogue and fashion’s true breakout star, is about to become an even bigger name than she’s ever been before. The style icon and former model has just sold the rights to her memoir Grace to A24.
As Fashion Week looms, we are reminded that the fashion industry is continually obsessed with and excited by its own inner workings. Thus, naturally, insider/muse/high profile friend, etc. Alexa Chung is premiering a new documentary series, “Secrets of the Fashion Industry,” on British Vogue’s YouTube channel.
In today’s Tweet Beat, the Empire cast stunts, Chrissy Teigen is very excited about a chair and Mariah Carey shares a gem.
Vogue has released a fun little video wherein we observe columnist Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis—or “TNT,” her much more relatable nickname—pretend to shop for beds.
The UK’s baddest performer, FKA twigs, is set to drop a new EP soon, and Monday on Zane Lowe, she previewed the first song, “Figure 8,” which she says in the subsequent interview was inspired by the method by which one creates hand illusions in voguing.
Channing Tatum’s voguing scene in Magic Mike XXL (and in that Vanity Fair clip) seemed to ignite the internet, but even more legendary was the part of the film that featured real-life voguer and MC Dashaun Wesley.
In 2015, audiences have a fairly fixed idea of what constitutes a “pop” performance. In stadiums and arenas, we expect to be dazzled for the price of our often very expensive tickets, moved from our seats not just with excellent music but with magnificent light shows, elaborate choreography, otherworldly costuming.
Hey, remember low-rise jeans? That trend from the early-aughts that looked universally terrible on everyone? The style of pants that are the most abusive thing to happen in fashion since the whale-bone corset? Well, horror of horrors, Vogue says they’re back.


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Need a new stash box or a bong? Starting next month you won't find them on store shelves.
Starting mid-July, anyone wanting to buy a colorful bong or secret stash box will have to ask for it in the city of Hattiesburg.
Gone are the days of self-service purchases and browsing the newest items on store shelves as the paraphernalia will have to be hidden from public view.
The Hattiesburg City Council voted unanimously Tuesday at its regular meeting to limit sale of items that can be considered drug paraphernalia.
The new ordinance says paraphernalia-type items may not be openly displayed — it cannot be visible or accessible by the public without intervention from a store employee or owner.
The items may not be purchased by anyone younger than 18. Proof of age must be shown at the time of purchase.
In addition, the items may not be sold within 750 feet of a church, school, kindergarten or preschool.
"One thing we have to do is protect those that are most impressionable in our society — the most vulnerable — our kids or people in recovery who are fighting that battle every day," Mayor Toby Barker said. "They don't need to go into a situation with all this paraphernalia in front of them right there at the cash register.
"It's a real attempt to modernize the city of Hattiesburg's approach to drug policy in a way that is constructive."
Violations of the ordinance are misdemeanors, punishable by a fine of $100-$500 and up to 90 days in jail or both.
Council members discussed a draft of the ordinance at its May 9 meeting and made a few changes before passing the new law.
In December 2017, James Moore gave a presentation to City Council, showing them that drug paraphernalia, available in all shapes, sizes and disguises, was readily available at head shops, convenience stores and other retail outlets in the city.
He brought in a few items to show what the paraphernalia looked like — from pipes that look like toys to hidden compartments in what appear to be household products.
In Mississippi, possession and sale of drug paraphernalia is illegal, but not all products fit the definition of paraphernalia so can still be sold legally.
For example, city attorney Randy Pope said, syringes and needles can be used for illegal drugs, but diabetics and people with other health issues need to purchase them for medical use.
He said keeping them behind the counter would still make them available
"We're not licensing the sale of something illegal," he said. "We are regulating (paraphernalia). This would discourage people from selling or using them."
'Ritual in progress':Hazing, drugs, weapons found at USM Sigma Chi house, reports show


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Mumbai, Nov 05: The price of onions in Lasalgaon, Maharashtra’s biggest onion market, fell further on Wednesday. The rates of onions decreased by Rs 700 per quintal in Lasalgaon mandi.
The import of onions from other countries and arrival of new onions in the market are being cited as the reason for the fall in onion prices.
On Wednesday, the best quality of onion was priced at Rs 4711, the general quality at Rs 3400.
While on Tuesday, the best quality of onion was priced at Rs. 5300, the general quality at Rs 4000 rupees quintal and the lowest quality at Rs 1001.
The onion which was being sold on November 2 (Monday) at Rs 6,191 per quintal, has become cheaper on Tuesday by Rs 1000 per quintal.
The onion prices had seen a sudden spike due to heavy rains causing damage to onion crops. It resulted in the decrease of inflow of onions to the mandis.
The government had to step in to control the onion prices, the effect of which has already started to show.
The keep the price of onion under control, the government on October 23 had reduced the stock limit on onion to 25 tonnes. The government had banned the export of the vegetable in September itself.
The onion has also been given to states from the buffer stock. NAFED has started sending 1 lakh tons of onions to the market.
These were some of the steps undertaken to control the rise in price on onions. (Zee Media)


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As one of the fastest growing retailers, Aldi continues to power through its growth plans. After snapping up multiple Lucky’s locations and setting its sights on another acquisition in France—as we reported on our sister site AndNowUKnow—the discount grocer is investing in one of its largest distribution centers ever. The facility, located in England, was worth approximately $83 million (£64m), and spans over 600,000 square feet.
According to East Midlands Business Link, the new DC is part of a $1.3 billion (£1 billion) investment strategy that Aldi announced last year. This plan includes new stores and store upgrades in addition to significant time spent refurbishing DC’s. The new facility will employ over 400 individuals and service more than 80 stores.
“Our new Sawley distribution center significantly increases our capacity and allows us to open even more stores across the East Midlands to cater for the growing number of shoppers switching to Aldi,” said Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi U.K. and IRL. “Although some of our newest and most popular stores are situated in the East Midlands, there are still many towns and cities where we have a limited presence or none at all. This is something that we are looking to address in the coming years.”
The news source noted that this is the United Kingdom’s eleventh Aldi DC and is expected to make the region’s supply chain more efficient than ever.
As Aldi continues to strategize its expansion plans, Deli Market News will be on the lookout for the latest.


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the $2 trick that will change your wardrobe
We spent just a few hours—and even fewer dollars—completely recoloring our entire closets.
For more how-to dyeing tips from fashion news director Jen Ford, check out her videos on dyeing leather and cotton or silk.
more on luckymag.com
Cut your routine in half without skimping on the skincare.
Jennifer Lawrence was photographed backstage this weekend at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas where, you guessed it, Martin was performing…
According to Nylon’s October 2014 issue, prodigal talent Tavi Gevinson has added a new activity to her eternally-expanding résumé: taking over the wor…
We barely even recognize her!
Out October 3, David Fincher’s Gone Girl has been garnering spectacular reviews from critics. But will it stand to impress the fashion crowd?


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People cheated in lucky draw phone scams lost $4.6m
Published on Dec 23, 2012 7:29 PM
MORE people were cheated in phone scams involving lucky draws in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year.
This year's victims also lost more money - $4.6 million in the eight months compared to last year's corresponding $3.8 million.
The number of successful phone scams involving fake kidnappings, however, fell this year compared to last year.
Twenty people were cheated of $115,000 between January and August, compared with 32 people who lost $189,000 in the same period last year.
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eBay bans Kate magazine sales
Auction website clamps down after copies with topless pictures were sold for €34
INTERNET auction site eBay is banning resale of copies of French magazine Closer with the topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge.
Copies have been selling for up to €34 online.
The ban was started after eBay said it received "strong feedback from the eBay community" and the site removed any copies still for sale.
This week a French court banned the magazine from publishing more pictures or selling them on to other outlets and ordered that it hand over all digital files to the Royal Household within 24 hours or face a €10,000 penalty for every day's delay. It has now handed over the files.
Police also raided the Paris offices of Closer looking for evidence of the identity of the photographer who took the pictures of Kate sunbathing on a terrace at Viscount Linley's Chateau d'Autet in Vaucluse.
It is part of a criminal investigation demanded by the Royals to find out how the pictures were taken, although laws on the freedom of the press in France protect the confidentiality of sources.
There was no word on whether Italian magazine Chi and the Irish Daily Star which also published the pictures were affected by the eBay ban. Danish and Swedish magazines are also to print the pictures.


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Will the Palm Pre Overtake RIM's BlackBerry in the Enterprise?
News Analysis: The Palm Pre is on its way to store shelves. It's certain to appeal to some in the consumer space, but is it ready for the enterprise? That's a question that might not be answered so easily.The cell phone industry is an interesting space. Competition is fierce. A handful of companies dominate the market. And as more cell phones hit store shelves, customers are requiring a slew of features, including touch-screens, cameras, camcorders, an App store, and much more. At the same time, competition dictates that phones will only enjoy the spotlight for a short amount of time before a competitor sweeps in to take the glory.
And for the next few weeks, it's the Palm Pre that will supplant all others to take the spotlight in the mobile phone industry. Scheduled to hit store shelves June 6, the device is Palm's last chance to save itself from irrelevance.
And that's the biggest issue facing the Palm Pre. Sure, it's a neat device that will surely appeal to some, but when it's released, it will only be available to Sprint customers. According to reports, Sprint currently has 50 million subscribers. That's certainly nothing to scoff at and since its Nextel acquisition, the company is servicing a slew of companies. But consider the fact that the BlackBerry is available on every major carrier, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint, and it quickly becomes clear that Palm is at a significant disadvantage. As it stands, companies can find a BlackBerry on any major carrier. If a particular firm is a Verizon Wireless customer, employees can have a BlackBerry. But if they want a Pre, they won't be able to do it. Palm simply can't match RIM. Being carrier-agnostic is important when a company wants to be a major force in the industry. And right now, Palm can't achieve that with the Pre.