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Amazon and Global Optimism Welcome Henkel and Signify to The Climate Pledge
Today, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Global Optimism announced that Henkel has joined The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040—a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s goal of 2050. Signify, which already achieved carbon neutrality earlier this year, is also joining The Climate Pledge to collaborate with other signatories and share best practices.
Signatories to The Climate Pledge agree to:
- Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis;
- Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon emission elimination strategies;
- Neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially-beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040.
“By signing The Climate Pledge, companies around the world are taking collective action to protect our planet from the catastrophic impacts of climate change,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “We welcome Henkel as they join us in our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement. We are also excited for Signify, which achieved carbon neutrality earlier this year, to join The Climate Pledge with the goal of collaborating with other signatories and sharing best practices. These companies are demonstrating important leadership as they help us accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and protect the planet for future generations.”
Henkel’s commitment to leadership in sustainability has been embedded in its corporate culture for decades. The company has been working closely with Amazon to promote sustainable innovation—for example, to enhance customer experience through new and sustainable packaging. Henkel’s long-term goal is to become climate-positive by 2040. In the near term, the company plans to reduce the carbon footprint of its production by 65% by 2025 and 75% by 2030. By 2030, 100% of the electricity Henkel uses to power its operations will come from renewable sources. And by 2040, Henkel aims to have converted all remaining fossil fuels used in production to climate-neutral alternatives and supply surplus carbon-neutral energy to third parties. In addition, Henkel wants to leverage its brands and technologies to help customers, consumers, and suppliers save 100 million tons of CO2 in a ten-year period from 2016 to 2025.
"Climate change is a global challenge, which requires our collective action. At Henkel, we want to make a positive contribution to protecting the climate. Based on our achievements to date and in line with our ambitions for the coming years, we are pleased to join and support The Climate Pledge," said Henkel CEO Carsten Knobel. “Together with Amazon, Global Optimism, and the other signatories, we are committed to drive tangible progress and jointly take action to limit global warming.”
Signify, the world leader in lighting, is another new member of The Climate Pledge. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21), in Paris, in December 2015, Signify committed to achieve carbon neutral operations in 2020. Last September, it announced that it had reached this milestone and plans to double its positive impact on the environment and society by 2025. Signify will join The Climate Pledge to share its experience, and to help and encourage other signatories to advance their own carbon reduction programs.
“We are pleased to join The Climate Pledge community as it mobilizes companies to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early,” said Harry Verhaar, Signify Head of Global Public and Government Affairs. “We are committed to sharing best practices with other companies from our own journey to carbon neutrality in 2020, and to ramp up our positive impact on the environment and society.”
“The Paris Agreement set out a unifying roadmap for all countries, all companies, and all people to address the climate crisis by taking actions to ensure we do not exceed 1.5C in global warming,” said Christiana Figueres, the UN’s former climate change chief, now founding partner of Global Optimism. “By joining The Climate Pledge, these companies are demonstrating both their ambitions for the future and for recovery now. Their actions and investments are creating sorely needed jobs, spurring innovation, regenerating the natural environment, and helping their consumers to buy more sustainable products. The growing collective of companies joining The Climate Pledge, acting in accordance with science, is cause for optimism.”
Last year, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. Amazon was the first signatory and thirteen organizations have now signed The Climate Pledge including: Amazon, Best Buy, Henkel, Infosys, McKinstry, Mercedes-Benz, Oak View Group, Real Betis, Reckitt Benckiser, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Signify, and Verizon—sending an important signal that there will be rapid growth in demand for products and services that help reduce carbon emissions.
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2019, Henkel reported sales of more than 20 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of more than 3.2 billion euros. Henkel employs more than 52,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2019 sales of EUR 6.2 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020 and have been named Industry Leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for three years in a row. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
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Global Electronic Toll Collection and Road Usage Charging market to reach €490 billion in 20302.12.2020 17:06:00 CET | Press release
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Continental Structural Plastics Perfects Carbon Fiber RTM Process, Launches Production Programs2.12.2020 16:27:00 CET | Press release
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Pricefx Reimagines Pricing Software with Groundbreaking Product Enhancements2.12.2020 15:30:00 CET | Press release
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Soar the Skies with Demon Avenger in New MapleStory M Update2.12.2020 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Starting today, Maplers can take to the sky with the new warrior class, Demon Avenger, in Nexon’s free-to-play mobile MMORPG, MapleStory M! This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201202005043/en/ MapleStory M (Graphic: Business Wire) Soaring through the battlefield with Demon Wings, the Demon Avenger joins the fray with an Exceed System that deals excessive damage. Using HP to cast skills, the Demon Avenger can easily recover using various healing abilities, including Blood Pact, in the midst of battle. A selection of limited-time events are also available, including: Demon Avenger Celebratory Log-in Reward Event: Players logging in from today through December 7, 2020 will receive a special gift to help their character level up once per account. Demon Avenger Growth Support Event: Until January 11, 2021, players who reach a certain level will receive additional in-game items useful for a specific character’s level-up
Uber, Rivian, JetBlue, Cabify, and Boom Supersonic Sign The Climate Pledge2.12.2020 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Today, during Web Summit 2020, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Global Optimism announced that Boom Supersonic, Cabify, JetBlue, Rivian, and Uberhave joined The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040—a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s goal of 2050. Signatories to The Climate Pledge agree to: Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis; Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon-emission elimination strategies; Neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040. “By signing The Climate Pledge, companies around the world are making a bold commitment to help protect our planet from the devastating impacts of climate change,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “The trans
DXC Technology and Microsoft Collaborate to Power a More Personalized, Intelligent, Secure and Modern Workplace Experience for Global Enterprises2.12.2020 14:30:00 CET | Press release
DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) today announced an expanded strategic collaboration with Microsoft to deliver a more personalized, intelligent, secure and modern workplace experience to help companies to address rapidly evolving business challenges and customer and employee needs. DXC and Microsoft are joining forces to deliver a solution and suite of services that will help companies to empower their employees with a modern workplace experience and to ensure customers’ employees can seamlessly and securely work anytime, anywhere and on any device. Called DXC MyWorkStyle™, DXC brings the largest install base of workplace customers and the blueprint for the modern workplace experience. As part of the collaboration, Microsoft and DXC will work together to co-develop and deliver the solution, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning from millions of data points to create a modern workplace experience. DXC and Microsoft will bring together leading technology, engineering talent a


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Capacitive sensing provider Cirque has teamed up with authentication specialist SecureKey to build EMV payments security into its GlidePoint NFC-enabled trackpad. The new GlideSecure trackpads “will provide an ideal solution for personal authentication and payment applications” say the partners.
- Apple Pay arriving in Germany?
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- Pizza Hut offers NFC tattoos that let customers order favourite takeaway

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EVs are the way to and with their global recognition reaching an all-time high in recent years, hopes from different companies are immense. However, how is General Motors participating in this segment, and what is General Motors’ potential in the EV race? This article delves into the details and explains how General Motors could be the next big player, even surpassing the current contenders.
GM In The Competitive Market
With Tesla leading from the front and several other competitors quickly catching up, major automakers such as Ford and GM are also gearing up to gain a fair share of the revenue from this lucrative segment.
Trends Are Changing
As environmental regulations become more stringent, it is becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to survive without jumping on the electric vehicle bandwagon.
Several governments around the world have even set deadlines for completely banning gasoline vehicles, implying that the transition to EVs is anything but slow.
In today’s market, General Motors understands that to compete against the already established competition in this segment, drastic measures must be taken, and that is exactly what GM is doing.
The New & Improved Chevy Bolt
The 2022 Chevy Bolt already appears cleaner and more refined. What’s more exciting is that the Bolt is now available at a lower price, making it more accessible to a larger number of people.
Thus, GM is adapting to the competitive market and doing so in style.
Joe Biden Mentioned GM In His Speech
The thriving EV segment has made all Americans proud, after all, Tesla the trailblazer in this segment is based in the US. However, when it comes to EVs, it is not just Tesla that Joe Biden is proud of.
The president of the United States of America recently visited the General Motors plant in Detroit. He mentioned GM and its goal of becoming 100% electric by 2035 while mentioning the key contributors that have made America proud.
When the current president of a superpower recognizes a company’s efforts, it means a lot. It also exemplifies that the company is on the right track.
New EV Models From GM
General Motors, now cognizant of the need to transition to electric vehicles, is taking bold steps to add several vehicles to its line-up.
20 New EV Modes By 2023
The company intends to launch up to 20 different EV models by 2023. These vehicles will be sold under a variety of brand names, including GM, Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet.
China A Major Market
Many of these new electric vehicles will be aimed at the US market. However, in some cases, the new EVs will be introduced in countries other than the United States, such as China.
The newly launched Hummer EV is the brand’s flagship product in the electric segment.
This new vehicle not only provides supercar level acceleration, rushing from 0 to 60 mph in about 3 seconds, but it also takes care of the environment, unlike its predecessors, which were gas-guzzling monsters.
Potential Of General Motors
GM has embarked on a journey to sell more than a million electric vehicles to the US and North American markets.
This means that GM’s potential in the EV race dwarfs that of any competitors, including Tesla, and can be attributed primarily to the company’s ability to offer a large number of models.


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What causes your skin colour to be darker or lighter? Scientists say its in your genes and have established a genetic link to skin colour. In keeping with the diversity of its population groups, Indians also exhibit a wide canvas of different skin tones.
According to a scientific study, people in India have skin tones ranging from pinkish, fair, wheatish, brown to dark brown. Hence, it seems to be one of the perfect models to understand the genetic architecture of skin colour. In contrast, Africans and Europeans have homogeneous skin colour.
Kumarasamy Thangaraj at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, in collaboration with the Estonian Biocentre, Estonia, and five other institutes, have published some interesting insights into this phenomenon in the November 17th online edition of The Journal of Investigative Dermatology where they have explored the genetics of skin colour variations across India.
“One of the reasons for this diversity in skin colour in India could be due to different waves of human migration into the country and recent admixture of all Indian populations, which we predicted in our previous study that it could have happened about two thousand years ago,” Thangaraj told BusinessLine .
The scientists also found some influence of the social structure defined by caste system and ethnic groups on skin colour pigmentation. Skin colour was found to vary significantly among ethnic groups and social categories studied. For example a Kashmiri group was extremely fair in colour, while an ethnic group in Kerala exhibited darker colour.
The researchers then compared the skin colour (phenotype) with the genetic variation (genotype) of the individuals. Those with derived (mutant) alleles (gene mixture through marriages) had fairer skin compared to those who had old (wild type) alleles.
“Our study clearly reflects the profound influence of the strict marriage patterns and multi-layered endogamy adding further to the variation in skin colour contributing to the mosaic of skin tones” says Chandana Basu, one of the authors of the study and researcher at Estonian Biocentre, Tartu, Estonia.
Skin colour is one of the most distinct phenotypes in humans and modern science attributes it to the biological pigment called melanin. The global spectrum of skin colour that we see across the world is contributed by several genes acting together to provide a canvas of different skin tones. The change of skin colour from dark to white is indeed an adaptation of our ancestors (read people out of Africa) and is a reflection of the delicate balance between the skin being light enough at low UVR (Ultra Violet Radiation) zones to allow sufficient production of vitamin D and dark enough at high UVR zones for photoprotection.
India seems to capture the central stage in the arena when it comes to diversity of skin colour. “We have done an extensive epidemiological survey of 1,167 individuals belonging to 27 populations and quantified melanin content at the most exposed and least exposed areas of the human body in the middle region of the Gangetic plains (Uttar Pradesh and Bihar), and selected 374 individuals for the first round of genetic study, said Anshuman Mishra, the first author of the study.
The gene SLC24A5 is known to make skin lighter and explains about 25-38 per cent of the pigmentation differences between Europeans and West Africans. A variant/ modification (rs1426654) in the gene was earlier shown to be associated with skin pigmentation measures in India.
In the present study, the research team has analysed the entire gene and found another variant (rs2470102), which contributes to skin pigmentation variation in the Indian subcontinent.
This is yet another effort of CSIR-CCMB in the field of genomics, which helped us in understanding the genetic link to the skin colour, said Rakesh Mishra, Director, CCMB .
On the future implications of such findings, he said they point to the era of personalised medicine based on the link of genomic features with disease susceptibility and drug response. Such studies, at very large scales, will be needed to establish individual specific lifestyle advisory and medical prescriptions as it is clear that “one size does not suit all” is also applicable to the area of human health and disease, Mishra added.


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EBay has reached an agreement to sell a 65 percent stake in its Skype Internet telephony, video conferencing and instant messaging unit for $1.9 billion in cash to an investor group led by Silver Lake.
In addition, eBay will receive a note in the principal amount of $125 million from the buyers, which also include Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, the company said Tuesday.
The deal, which isn’t subject to financing conditions and is expected to close in this year’s fourth quarter, puts Skype’s value at $2.75 billion.
In April, eBay announced its intention to spin off Skype, saying the Internet telephony unit didn’t mesh with eBay’s two core businesses: its e-commerce marketplace and its PayPal online payment division.
At the time, eBay said it planned to launch an initial public offering (IPO) for Skype, probably in the first half of 2010, but that the nature of the spin-off and its timing could vary depending on market conditions.
The deal struck with Silver Lake and the other investors is a better alternative, eBay President and CEO John Donahoe said in a statement. “This deal achieves our goal of delivering short- and long-term value to eBay and its stockholders, without the possible delays and market risk of an IPO,” Donahoe said. “Selling Skype now at this great valuation, while retaining an equity stake, makes sense for the company.”
By giving up majority ownership of Skype, eBay fades into the background of Skype’s future. This isn’t what eBay had in mind when it paid $2.6 billion to buy Skype in October 2005. Back then, the plan was to mesh Skype with the eBay marketplace to boost communications and commerce between merchants and buyers. That vision never became a reality, and two years after the acquisition, eBay wrote down Skype’s value by $1.4 billion.
In order to realize its potential for growth, Skype needs to be an independent business, according to Donahoe. “As a separate company, we believe that Skype will have the focus required to compete effectively in online voice and video communications and accelerate its growth momentum,” Donahoe said in the statement.
Egon Durban, Silver Lake’s managing director, said that the new majority owners, with their technological and business development experience, will help Skype accelerate its growth.
Silver Lake is an investment firm that focuses on the technology field. The list of companies it invests or has invested in includes Ameritrade, Business Objects, Travelocity and Seagate Technology. Index Ventures invests in technology, bio-technology and clean technology and its current and past investments include Playfish, Weatherbill, MySQL and Last.fm. It was an original backer and owner of Skype. Andreessen Horowitz was created in June of this year by former Netscape wonderboy Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.
EBay didn’t address in its statement the legal squabble over access to Skype’s peer-to-peer technology. In July, eBay said it was developing an alternative to the technology currently used by Skype because licensing talks with the owner of the technology had broken down.
When eBay bought Skype, the deal didn’t include the technology used to run the VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) service. That technology is owned by a company called Joltid, which licenses the technology to Skype.
Skype brought Joltid to a U.K. court earlier this year in a bid to resolve the licensing dispute, which led Joltid to terminate the licensing agreement.
“Joltid has alleged that Skype should not possess, use or modify certain software source code and that, by doing so, and by disclosing such code in certain U.S. patent cases pursuant to orders from U.S. courts, Skype has breached the license agreement,” eBay said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing in July.
Skype responded to Joltid’s move to terminate the license by asking the court to declare the termination was invalid. The court case is due to be heard in June 2010.
EBay is struggling to jump-start growth in its online marketplace, as it faces increased competition from Amazon.com and other rivals, and deals with the effects of the economic slump on online sales.
For its second quarter ended June 30, eBay’s revenue fell almost $100 million to $2.10 billion year-on-year, mostly due to its core online marketplace business, since both PayPal and Skype posted revenue increases.
The marketplaces business unit, which includes eBay, Shopping.com, StubHub, Kijiji and other e-commerce sites, generated $1.26 billion in revenue, down 14 percent year-over-year.
In contrast, Skype had $170 million in revenue for the quarter, up 25 percent year-on-year. It ended the quarter with more than 480.5 million registered users. Skype had revenue of $551 million in 2008, up 44 percent compared with 2007.
Although eBay had net income $327.3 million, or $0.25 per share, operating margin decreased to 19.6 percent for the quarter, compared to 24.8 percent in 2008’s second quarter.
In March, Donahoe outlined a three-year plan for growth, telling financial analysts that the eBay marketplace “hasn’t kept up with competition, nor customer needs.”
In April, eBay announced the sale of StumbleUpon, which it acquired in 2007, saying that it too lacks “synergies” with eBay’s core business. That month eBay also said it would begin taking a more hands-on approach to solving disputes between merchants and sellers, a departure from its laissez-faire philosophy in an attempt to make eBay more attractive to a broader audience of shoppers who consider the site’s buying experience today too risky and chaotic.


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New Aspen jet service to take off in 2021
A new luxury charter-jet service announced last week it will provide nonstop flights to select major U.S. markets beginning in 2021.
Along with direct flights between Aspen and New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and select Texas markets, AspenJet is creating what it calls adventure air transfer service — SlingShot — to such Colorado resorts as Eagle/Vail, Steamboat Springs and Telluride.
AspenJet, through Jet Aviation Flight Services, will operate Embraer ERJ-175 aircraft using CF34-8E5 engines. The 30-seat planes will include a SkyKennel for passenger pets, as well as a walk-up SkyLounge.
“Having been a frequent visitor to Aspen since the mid-1970s, living here full-time now and having followed the ASE (airport) Visioning Process quite intently, I believe we’ve identified the perfect solution at just the right time” said Patrick Dial founder, president and CEO of AspenJet, in a statement. “The current trend of consumers crowd-sourcing semi-private air travel is not just about COVID-distancing or saving money. Rather, it’s more about enjoying an elevated travel experience that begins the minute you hand the valet your keys, bypass TSA lines and quickly get on-board a private jet, not after the tiring beat-down you experience in getting to your destination. It’s also about making new friends, ones you might hike, ski, dine or possibly do some new business with, as well as enjoying a more eco-friendly way to fly. Think carpool for the jet-set crowd.”
More details at AspenJet.net.
Market artisans go online
Artisans who can’t sell their products in person at the Aspen Saturday Market are selling them online.
The city of Aspen now has a page for local artisans, called “Aspen Saturday Market,” on http://www.aspenspecialevents.com, where vendors share information about themselves, their art, and sell goods on links to their personal webpages.


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LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. card firm Vantiv has made a formal offer to buy Britain’s biggest payments processor Worldpay for 8 billion pounds ($10.39 billion), five weeks after the deal was first announced.
Worldpay said on Wednesday that Vantiv has offered 55 pence in cash, 0.0672 of a new Vantiv share, an interim dividend of 0.8 pence per Worldpay share and a special 4.2 pence dividend, valuing the former RBS unit at about 8 billion pounds.
Deal - Vantiv - Payments - Group - Company
The deal will see Cincinnati-based Vantiv creating a global payments group – with the combined company to be called Worldpay – with a pro forma enterprise value of more than 22 billion pounds and global headquarters in the United States. It will be listed in New York but retain a secondary listing in London.
Wake Up To Breaking News!


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When it comes to consumer demand for fuel-efficient cars, there is no denying the sales data and the automakers' own words. The bottom line, according to Mark Fields, president of Ford, is that “people want vehicles that get better fuel economy.” And Bob Carter, Toyota vice president of U.S. sales, said: “Fuel economy remains a top purchase consideration among consumers.”
With gasoline prices over $4 gallon in many parts of the country, consumers are flocking to fuel efficient cars and giving a jolt to sales of electric cars. And thanks to stronger standards, the U.S. automakers are much better prepared, and indeed thriving, in the light of the latest surge in oil prices.
In March, the Detroit three all posted sales gains: GM 12 percent, Ford 5 percent and Chrysler 34 percent. And in their own words, fuel-efficiency is driving these sales increases.
GM sales of fuel-efficient vehicles hits record
March was a record month for sales of high fuel-economy vehicles for General Motors.
GM said Monday that its 12 vehicles getting 30 mpg or better on the highway had combined U.S. sales of 100,000 or more for March—a new record for the company. According to Mark Reuss, president of GM North America:
"Three years ago, about 16 percent of the vehicles GM sold achieved at least 30 mpg on the highway. Today, that number is about 40 percent and we have more new fuel-economy leaders on the way.”
Ford says fuel efficiency is “spurring” new sales
Like G, Ford is seeing the benefits of fuel efficient cars being translated into more sales. According to Mark Fields:
"Higher gas prices are spurring people to buy vehicles because they want vehicles that get better fuel economy."
Chrysler “high fuel prices encouraging” sales
Chrysler is back on its feet with new models that are more fuel efficient than their previous generation. In Chrysler’s own words, Reid Bigland, CEO of the Dodge Brand and head of U.S. sales says:
"The combination of credit availability, an improving economy, pent-up demand and even high fuel prices encouraging people to acquire newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles are all helping to drive industry sales. Thanks to these factors, we experienced sales strength across the board.
Hybrids and electric vehicles sales jump
Toyota sold a whopping 28,711 Prius hybrids in March, another monthly historical record. Fully prepared to meet the demand for the hybrid model that was once considered fringe, Toyota sells four different Prius models: the original hatchback, a wagon version, a subcompact, and a plug-in version.
Take note: Prius outsold the popular affordable Corolla model in March. Given brisk first-quarter sales, Toyota on track to meet a goal of 220,000 Prius sales in the U.S. this year, up from 136,463 in 2011
And the favorite target of the right wing media, the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, had a huge month, hitting a monthly record high of 2,289 units in March 2012. That’s a 90 percent from February 2012 and nearly 300 percent increase from January.
Fuel efficiency driving job growth
Over the past five years, Ford has doubled the size of its team working on fuel-saving technologies, now has more than 1,000 engineers working on hybrid and electrification programs, and plans to double its workforce dedicated to better fuel economy. Again, according to Mark Fields, fuel efficiency will continue to drive job growth at Ford:
“To meet growing demand for our fuel-efficient vehicles, we are continuing to invest in new jobs in the U.S. and converting our facilities for further advancements.”
And record monthly sales of the Chevy Volt hybrid electric plug-in car in March is putting workers put on the production line at GM’s Detroit Hamtramck plant one week early, according to the United Auto Workers.
So what’s so crazy about 54.5 mpg increasing auto industry profits?
March sales growth shows fuel efficiency, sales, profits and jobs, all go hand-in-hand. This is exactly the same conclusion that a new report by Citi Investment Research and Analysis in collaboration with Ceres reaches when looking at the impact in 2020 of the 54.5 mpg standard for 2025.
Citi and Ceres conclude that the industry as a whole will also likely see big profits, earning a 5.3 percent increase in profits of $4.76 billion in 2020. American automakers will likely enjoy the biggest percentage increase in profits (6.3 percent), pulling in an extra $2.44 billion dollars in 2020 under the standards.
March sales demonstrate that higher fuel efficiency can drive sales growth. In turn increased sales can drive profits and auto jobs. Drivers have more money in their pockets to spend on other goods. We send billions of dollars less on importing oil.
No doubt, the level of consumer demand for fuel-efficiency will continue to rise and fall with oil prices. But any automaker which bets against continued price volatily and builds their business plans around the return of cheap oil...well, to put in mildly, that's just bad business sense.
The price spikes of 2007 and 2008 bankrupted two of three domestic automakers. Fortunately, stronger fuel-efficency standards takes any remaining guesswork out of the hands of the automakers about oil prices.
The bottom line: fuel efficiency means a stronger economy, a healthier environment, and more energy secure America.


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- Sendy has announced that it has received financial support from MOL Plus Co. Limited, the corporate venture capital of investors, in an effort to expand fulfillment services in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Côte d’Ivoire. This is coming a month after the Kenyan startup conducted the second round of layoffs.
Sendy has announced that it has received financial support from MOL Plus Co. Limited, the corporate venture capital of investors, in an effort to expand fulfillment services in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Côte d’Ivoire. This is coming a month after the Kenyan startup conducted the second round of layoffs.
Sendy offers the simplest way for companies of any size to move goods through a spectrum of fulfillment services, empowering them to boost productivity and growth.
Direct fulfillment helps businesses that need to deliver goods to customers. Smart fulfillment makes it easier for e-commerce and B2B business owners to pick up products, sort them, and have them delivered to customers, and all-in-one fulfillment helps online businesses operate more efficiently by picking up parking, storing, and shipping their orders.
“There are numerous opportunities to reduce inefficiencies in supply chains and logistics throughout Africa.
“As we continue to provide more value and more solutions to help the merchants we serve grow and be treated better, we believe that our financial and operational partnership with MOL plus and MOL logistics will have a significant positive effect on not only the growth of Sendy and its fulfillment network.
Mesh Alloy, CEO and Founder of Sendy made continued his statement, saying: “we will collaborate with MOL Logistics to take advantage of their strengths and knowledge in logistics and cross-border fulfillment in order to expand our services and network of clients.”
MOL Logistics offers comprehensive logistics and supply chain options to companies around the globe. MOL Plus, MOL’s corporate venture capital fund, invests in high-impact businesses that are reshaping the ocean shipping industry and logistics.
The union of MON and Sendy creates an avenue for fantastic synergies that will streamline logistics for enterprises. To provide its customers in transportation and freight more mid-mile and last-mile services, MOL will collaborate with Sendy.
“We made a very deliberate decision to invest in Sendy because of the solution they provide and the fact that we have a shared objective. We all want to make logistics more democratic and help African companies transport your goods safely and economically.
We anticipate a dynamic cooperation. As we create this joint commission with Sendy, we aim to engage with partners who have creative ideas like Sendy by forging valuable synergies and collaborations,” says Takuya Sakamoto, representative of MOL Plus.


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Major sports sponsor Anheuser-Busch on Tuesday roundly criticized the National Football League over a series of recent off-field scandals.» Read More
Investor support for large acquisitions and a desire to trump rivals in consolidating markets have led CEOs to strike big transactions in 2014.
Even as BlackRock is set to amass $1 trillion in exchange-traded fund assets, investors increasingly send money to low-cost leader Vanguard.
Investors identifying as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender are puzzled about their financial rights and responsibilities, a new survey found.
Car repair costs differ depending on where you live. See if you're paying more.
President Barack Obama plans to nominate former Proctor & Gamble executive Robert McDonald as the next Veterans Affairs secretary
Thanks to the World Cup, America's obsession with soccer is growing to a fever pitch.
The penthouse at the Ritz-Carlton is the newly anointed highest-priced apartment in downtown Manhattan.
Asset manager BlackRock disclosed on Friday that it may be facing possible civil charges by U.S. securities regulators.
The chain has unveiled a new type of delivery car complete with a built-in pizza warmer and extra-large drink holders.
The recalls affect certain Chevy Cruzes, Corvettes, Silverados, Sierras, Tahoes and Suburbans, among others.
Deal site RetailMeNot faced a setback when it failed to be a top result in Google searches, but it will likely remain the Internet's coupon king.
Although Germany may have won the game, and the U.S. may have advanced, ESPN came out as the winner of Thursday's big soccer match.
Rand Paul is cozying up to Wall Street to give the impression he is establishment enough to run strong in 2016, POLITICO's Ben White says.
A plan to automatically re-enroll the vast majority of people who bought health insurance on HealthCare.gov could lead to some nasty surprises.
A record number of tech firms are showing their pride this weekend at San Francisco's annual gay pride parade.
Both food and gas prices are on the rise, and the link between them could cause more consumer headaches this summer.
Consumers are paying more for food at the check-out stand. But prices could go even higher due to the drought hitting the Southwest.
Michaels said it had raised about $472.6 million in its initial public offering after pricing shares at $17, the lower end of an expected range.
The United States will urge China to resume discussions on cybersecurity.
U.S. consumer sentiment rose in June as consumers remained optimistic the sluggish first quarter was due to difficult winter conditions, a survey released on Friday showed.
Get the best of CNBC in your inbox
Stephen Hung, a luxury hotel entrepreneur, ordered 30 Rolls-Royces—the largest single order ever of Rolls-Royces, according to the company.
Within an hour of going online Monday, the citrus-flavored soda had sold out. It was soon restocked, only to sell out again, Today reports.
The restaurateur who publicly blasted LeSean McCoy for leaving a 20-cent tip said he won't apologize for starting the controversy.
A memo to Janet Yellen ahead of Wednesday's all important meeting.
Mad Money's Jim Cramer goes off the charts on Apple and looks at a pocket of resistance in Amazon.
Mad Money's Jim Cramer sees more upside ahead for Agios Pharmaceuticals, which he calls the leading player in the discipline of cancer metabolism.


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Mattress pad catches on fire at Macy's in Sioux Falls
SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Officials with the Sioux Falls fire department say a mattress pad that caught on fire at the Macy's store in the city's mall forced the store to close for about an hour.
Authorities say Wednesday's blaze started after the material was pushed up against a fluorescent light. No injuries were reported.
Macy's employees initially knocked down the fire using an extinguisher. Firefighters removed the mattress pad from the building and ordered shoppers and employees to evacuate the store.
Large fans were set up to clear the smoke from the building and everyone was allowed back inside about an hour later.
Five fire trucks, two support vehicles and 21 firefighters responded to the scene.


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HARTSELLE, Ala. – Planning to make a splash and have some fun at the Hartselle Aquatic Center next summer? If so, this one-day sale on season passes and souvenir cups is for you.
2020 season passes will be sold at a 30% discount on Tuesday, December 10 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. at the Civic Center. Each household can buy the first season pass for $70 and additional passes for $35 each with the discount.
Passes will be valid from May 23 until the Sunday after Hartselle City Schools return to classes.
The Aquatic Center will also be selling the 2020 souvenir cups at a discount on Dec. 10 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the Civic Center. One cup will be $15 and two will be $25 (normally $30). With a souvenir cup, you can get free refills all summer.
Pool hours for summer 2020 are already set:
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Thursday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Sunday: 1-6 p.m.
For more information, call the City of Hartselle at (256) 773-2581.


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There are plenty of things you can 3D-print these days…from cups to toys to guns and even body parts. The technology has been successfully used in several industries providing components that are lighter, stronger and cheaper than traditional parts. While they have already made 3D-printed cars in the past, it was only a matter of time before someone went next level and created a fully functional 3D-printed supercar. Divergent Microfactories have unveiled the Blade, a 3D printed supercar that does 0-100km/h in 2 seconds and is considerably cheaper, has a third less emissions than an electric car and weighs nothing compared to regular manufactured vehicles.
And it looks like so.
Not too bad, although i think it woulda looked better if they made the bonnet section longer and the windscreen shorter.
“Divergent Microfactories’ technology centers around its proprietary solution called a Node: a 3D-printed aluminum joint that connects pieces of carbon fiber tubing to make up the car’s chassis. The Node solves the problem of time and space by cutting down on the actual amount of 3D printing required to build the chassis and can be assembled in just minutes. In addition to dramatically reducing materials and energy use, the weight of the Node-enabled chassis is up to 90% lighter than traditional cars, despite being much stronger and more durable. This results in better fuel economy and less wear on roads.”
Here’s the CEO, Kevin Czinger, explaining how the tech works and giving a tour of the vehicle.
I’d rather take a 3D printed 1969 Mustang though.


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Coin has some bad news and good news for its thousands of backers.
The bad news is that backers won't be able to get their hands on the final version of the credit card replacement device until the spring of next year. Bummer for those who were hoping to receive Coin this summer as earlier announced. The good news, however, is that Coin is expanding its beta program by 50% from the original 10,000 beta testers to 15,000.
In a letter sent to its backers on Saturday, Coin admits that it was "overly optimistic" and going for summer 2014 as the launch date of its final product, saying that it needs to conduct further testing nationwide and that the cost of testing is not for their backers to bear. This comes just one day after Coin announced that Coin backers who opt to enter its beta program will have to pay an additional $30 to receive the final product when it ships this fall. This is on top of the initial $50 each person paid to back the Coin venture.
"Coin Beta was a hard decision but important step as we want to deliver the device we all expect and nothing less," writes [password: letter] Kanishk Parashar, Coin founder and CEO, in an apology letter. "Getting Coin to work with thousands of different card readers of different makes, models and regions is not easy and that's why we need the help of an extended beta team."
So far, Coin's makers have succeeded in slimming down the device to a 0.84-mm form factor similar to that of a real credit card and including an e-ink screen and Bluetooth low-energy for security. The device also features tactile touch to provide users feedback whenever they tap on the Coin button.
"Coin swipes successfully in 85 percent of the locations we visit," says Parashar. "Our hardware team is focused on the remaining 15 percent."
Coin is a new device introduced in November that is intended to look, feel and act like a credit card. Anyone using Coin can simply leave their credit cards, debit cards and gift cards at home since Coin can take over and replace all those cards by containing all the information on multiple cards in one device. Coin features a digital stripe that mimics the magnetic strip found in most cards that allows users to swipe the device for any transaction that accepts credit cards.
To use Coin, users have to install a device management app set to become available for iOS and Android sometime next month, where they will enter all their card information into the app. After that, they can leave those several cards at home and carry only Coin in their wallets.


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Last week I mentioned that I was doing a talk called "The Dark Side Of Online Advertising." A number of people wrote to ask about the talk, so I thought I'd summarize it here today.
The talk focused on 10 not very encouraging stories about online advertising in 2016. Here they are with links when appropriate.
1. Click rates on display ads remain so low, they are not even rounding error.
Viewiership of display ads is almost as discouraging.
2. Ad fraud is completely out of control. The best anyone can do is guess at the amount of fraud
3. Facebook was found to be overstating some metrics by as much as 80%. (Since my talk on Thursday, more "irregularities" have been revealed.)
4. The Association of National Advertisers conducted an investigation that found that unethical agency media practices were "pervasive."
5. Several reports surfaced showing that ad tech middlemen were scraping as much as 70%
of online media budgets
6. Proctor& Gamble, the world's largest advertiser, said it was discontinuing its "precision targeted" Facebook advertising
after seeing sales drop 8% in a year
7. A study by the American Marketing Association showed that over 88% of marketing executives reported no tangible results
from social media marketing
8. It was reported that Google and Facebook were responsible for 72% of all the world's online ad revenue
(outside of China) -- the largest media duopoly in history.
9. 70% of media and marketing executives say they are dissatisfied with the state of online advertising
10. Over 400 million people worldwide were said to have ad blockers on their connected devices. This was called "the largest boycott of anything in human history."
Of course, none of this will change anything. Online advertising will continue to grow by double digits in 2017 because, as everyone knows, everything else is dead.
Or as a cynical bastard once said, marketers are from Mars.


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Commercial Uses for Unmanned Aircraft Eyed
There comes a moment when military technology gets repurposed for civilian roles.
RETAIL: Pricing, Action Sports Connection Help Drive Sales
In its first year in business, Blenders Eyewear, founded in 2013, sold about one thousand pairs of sunglasses.
PROPERTY: Site Expected To House 10,000; Retail and Office Plans Move Slower
Millenia — a Chula Vista development so big that it could be its own small city — is about two-thirds finished with construction already underway on the rest of it on the east side of Chula Vista.
Joe Panetta has served as president and CEO of Biocom since 1999. Biocom is an association for life science companies and service providers.
University of California San Diego’s economic impact for the state came in at $16.5 billion.
Andrew Vassiliadis To Lead Club With Warren Smith
In mid-June, Sports Illustrated reported that retired professional soccer player Landon Donovan and his business partner, Warren Smith, were looking for local investment.
STARTUPS: Good Ideas To Get Technical Backing
A new venture fund founded by two tech executives looks to invest in startups that are using technology to better others’ lives. Greatscale Ventures was founded by Aaron Contorer.
DEFENSE: San Diego’s Defense Role Brings a Giant Economic Impact
The Defense Department pumped an estimated $28.1 billion into the San Diego County economy.
BEVERAGE: Ten Years In the Making, Co. Tapped Traditional Methods, Experts
San Diego-based Cutwater Spirits has revealed its latest creation: the brand’s first tequila offering.
According to a press release, Rich Pinnella is Luna Grill's first ever chief brand officer and Bob Bartlett its chief financial officer.
STARTUP: Company Went Through EvoNexus And Y Combinator
In 2010, when 25-year-old Nathan Resnick lived in China as part of a high school foreign exchange program and after starting his own fashion e-commerce business.
Connect and SDVG To Co-Host Contest For First Time
San Diego-based Connect named 21 finalists for its Most Innovative New Product Awards.
The company attributed the increased sales to the performance of its acoustic hailing devices and the complimentary federal grant preparation services it offers departments looking to procure LRAD’s systems.
MANUFACTURING: Area Firms Fill Pentagon’s Varied Requirements
Much of San Diego’s sizable manufacturing capacity goes to support the Department of Defense.
Silvergate Bank named Antonio Martino as the company's new chief financial officer.
REAL ESTATE: Skilled Executives Put Their Perspective on the Market
Carrie Bobb stood out when she became a commercial real estate broker in 2003 in a field dominated by men.
Growth Accelerator Fund Competition to Support Startups
Two San Diego business accelerators were each awarded $50,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition.


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Having a Facebook Account Is to Beg to Be Manipulated
Photo Credit: Twin Design / Shutterstock.com
Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email.
What do you call it when media try to manipulate your feelings without first asking for informed consent?
Example: The average Facebook user sees only 20 percent of the 1,500 stories per day that could have shown up in their news feed. The posts you receive are determined by algorithms whose bottom line is Facebook’s bottom line. The company is constantly adjusting all kinds of dials, quietly looking for the optimal mix to make us spend more of our time and money on Facebook. Of course the more we’re on Facebook, the more information they have about us to fine-tune their formulas for picking ads to show us. That’s their business model: We create and give Facebook, for free, the content they use and the data they mine to hold our attention, which Facebook in turn sells to advertisers.
Those are the terms of service that everyone, without reading, clicks “I Agree to” – and not just for Facebook. We make comparable mindless contracts all the time with Gmail, Yahoo, Twitter, Amazon, Siri, Yelp, Pandora and tons of other apps, retailers and advertiser-supported news and entertainment. If you’re online, if you use a smartphone, you’re an experimental subject in proprietary research studies of how best to target, engage and monetize you. They’re always testing content, design, headlines, graphics, prices, promotions, profiling tools, you name it, and you’ve opted in whether you realize it or not.
Many of these experiments hinge on our feelings, because much of what makes us come, stay, buy, like, share, comment and come back is emotional, not rational. So it should surprise no one that Facebook wants to know what makes its users happier. But when they acknowledged last month that they had tested – on 700,000 people, for one week – whether increasing the fraction of upbeat posts in their news feeds made them feel more upbeat (it did), a firestorm broke out.
The charge: People are being treated like guinea pigs without their consent. Unaccountable corporations are secretly manipulating our emotions. This is the slippery slope to “Brave New World.”
So what else is new? Neil Postman first warned us about “Amusing Ourselves to Death” – the name of his book – in 1984, before the Web was spun. But that didn’t stop entertainment, which is exquisitely attuned to the marketplace, from making its long march through our institutions. Today, politics is all about unaccountable corporations manipulating our emotions; they're constantly testing and targeting their paid messages to voters, none of whom are asked for informed consent. The news industry is all about the audience, and much of its content has long been driven by the primal power of danger, sex and novelty to trap our attention, but there's no clamor for shows and sites to warn us we're lab chimps.
John Kenneth Galbraith called advertising " the management of specific demand." Ads tell us stories, which are all variants of: If you buy this, you'll be happy. Their words and images were tested on audiences even before Don Draper was a boy, and now digital analytics gives marketers new attention management techniques to use on us. Today, every tweet, every YouTube or blog post aspires to be viral, and when that happens, no one complains that some cat or cute kid or Kardashian has used Orwellian mind-control to manipulate our mood.
I’ll give the Facebook freakout this: University partners did the research using Facebook’s data, and the academic vetting process could have gone the other way and nixed the project. But even if that had happened, Facebook could still have conducted this experiment, just as they and Google and plenty of other companies no doubt continue to adjust algorithms, run randomized trials of content and design (known as A/B tests) and discover the many economic, political and cultural micro-tribes we consumers belong to. Academic committees called Institutional Review Boards rule on what professors can do to research subjects, but informed consent in Silicon Valley is basically what someone can get away with, which is what’s been true for commerce, politics and the content industries since at least the 1980s.


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POSTED: Friday, November 27, 2009 - 7:05am
UPDATED: Thursday, June 3, 2010 - 11:59pm
Many stores across the country opened their doors extra early for Black Friday.
Stores in Baton Rouge were no different. Kohl's opened at 4 Friday Morning. Target opened up just an hour later.
Folks were camped out all over the place. Some people we talked to at Target say they got there at 9 Thanksgiving Night - a full 8 hours before the place opened.
For a look at deals around the Capital City - head over to this website:


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On last week’s DL Show during a discussion about the HTC-made Pixel 2 XL under codename “muskie” that was scrapped by Google in favor of the LG-made Pixel 2 XL under codename “taimen,” Tim tossed out the idea that “muskie” may not be dead and could arrive as the HTC U11+. According to a report out of The Verge, that’s actually what happened in a way.
A source told The Verge that the U11+ is the “muskie” device, just not in the exact form that Google likely had lined up. And that makes some sense since Google would have matched the design up to the Pixel 2, whereas the HTC U11+ just looks like a U11 device with a full-display front. But as is noted in this report, the fingerprint reader very much resembles that of one Google would use, as do the dimensions of the U11+’s display and overall spec sheet.
To recap, the U11+ sports a 6-inch Super LCD 6 QHD display (18:9), Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, a 12MP UltraPixel 3 camera, and 3930mAh battery.
While this could be seen as disappointing to those still stuck on the Pixel 2 XL’s display drama, I really just want to know what caused Google to make the switch to LG. Is it because HTC couldn’t find a source for a 6-inch OLED panel and LG was the one ready to sell them to Google after a Google investment? If so, why couldn’t Google just fit them in the HTC phone rather than a full switch to LG? Please don’t tell me it was Google returning a favor to LG for giving them first dibs on their new POLED panels.
And for those tossing out this idea that this Super LCD panel in the U11+ would have made it into the final Pixel 2 XL from HTC, you should probably stop there. Google is fully into OLED displays and has been for years now. The last LCD they used was in the Nexus 5X, likely as a cost cutting measure. The last 6 top-tier phones from Google have all used OLED displays of some type (Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL). Also remember that HTC is the king of LCD panels, yet they made the Pixel, Pixel XL, and Pixel 2 for Google and went OLED because Google told them to. Again, chill on the “OMG THIS WOULD HAVE SAVED THE PIXEL 2 XL!”
On a related note, if this is a phone based off of “muskie,” is anyone wondering if that has anything to do with it not being available for purchase in the US? HTC told us that they just didn’t want to step on the toes of U11 owners. However, that seems like an odd thing to worry about when you just announced what could be the most advanced phone you’ve ever built. Why would you not want that sold in this wireless market?
// The Verge


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BT Indirect Channels (BTIC) has claimed that Oftel is happy with BT's use of indirect sales channels, following an investigation by the telecoms watchdog.
Mark Hollister, recently appointed director of BTIC, met Oftel on Monday to discuss its ongoing investigation.
"Oftel is happy with the progress to date and there have been no further complaints to deal with," he said.
Oftel declined to comment on the findings of its "private meeting" with BTIC.
The investigation began after BT used a reseller to offer an unpublished discount to a potential customer in a bid to win business from virtual network provider Vanco.
BT was told to publish the discount or pull out of the deal. It decided to withdraw and Oftel launched an investigation into BT's indirect selling strategy.
A Vanco spokesman indicated that Oftel had handled the case well. "We would not comment on BT's use of indirect channels as long as they are not used in an unfair way," he said.
Cotton seedling freezes to death as Chang'e-4 shuts down for the Moon's 14-day lunar night
Fortnite easily out-earns PUBG, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018
Meteor showers as a service will be visible for about 100 kilometres in all directions
Saturn's rings only formed in the past 100 million years, suggests analysis of Cassini space probe data
New findings contradict conventional belief that Saturn's rings were formed along with the planet about 4.5 billion years ago


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Walla Walla woman waits on ticket refund, AG files lawsuit
WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Just before the pandemic hit, Alexi Storm from Walla Walla, and her boyfriend were hoping to attend the Wheatstock Concert in Oregon.
Storm said she bought tickets for $65 because the proceeds would benefit local seniors graduating from high school.
“Randy Rogers was coming to Helix, Oregon which is really close to Walla Walla and I was really excited to go,” she said.
But, the concert was cancelled amid COVID-19 restrictions.
Brown Paper Tickets, a Washington-based company, sent out instructions for people to get a refund.
At the time, the vendor who calls themselves a ‘fair trade ticket company’ was facing dozens of cancelled events due to the pandemic.
“‘Hey, submit your order number and you can get a refund, and I did that right away and I never heard back,” Alexi said.
After months of emailing concert organizers and Brown Paper Tickets, Storm realized she wasn’t the only one trying to get her money back.
In September 2020, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson stepped in to investigate.
“I was really optimistic that I’d get my money and the state even said they have to send reports in every month to show how many refunds they’re processing,” Storm recalled.
The Attorney General said they received 1,200 complaints about Brown Paper Tickets. People reported they hadn’t received refunds, despite the company’s policy and even some event organizers said they were never given proceeds from tickets.
Investigators determined nearly 45,000 organizers and attendees were affected by cancellations.
Eventually, the AG’s office ruled Brown Paper Tickets had to pay back $9 million in refunds and $70,000 to the office for fees.
“Emailed and followed up every maybe six-eight weeks, I’ve been checking my bank statements,” Storm said to this day, she hasn’t received the money back.
Alexi said what’s more upsetting, the Wheatstock Concert hasn’t changed ticket vendors; they’re still using Brown Paper Tickets.
“Now going into summer and seeing this concert advertised again, and them using the same company I’m starting to get frustrated and more importantly just upset that
that this can keep happening,” she said.
Employees with Wheatstock said that decision had already been put into place for 2021’s concert. Additionally, they were told Brown Paper Tickets would handle getting the refunds out in a timely manner. KAPP KVEW was told they also owe the nonprofit at least $2,000.
The Walla Walla resident said it may not be hundreds of dollars, but she’s self-employed and supports herself; and hopes she gets the money back soon.
Alexi has heard back from both the Wheatstock organizers and Brown Paper Tickets who said they are still processing refunds due to an employee shortage and overwhelming amount of refunds.
KAPP KVEW did reach out to both vendors, as of the story’s original air time, they have not responded for comment.
More from KAPP KVEW:
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY YAKTRINEWS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.


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Editor's introduction: With the popularity of mobile phones, more and more people use mobile terminals, and enterprises have invested more capital and manpower into mobile terminals. PC seems to be gradually buy email list forgotten by people. However, in the past two years, the PC market has suddenly rebounded, and there is a big "comeback" trend. The author of this article analyzes this phenomenon, hoping to help you. During the epidemic this year, Forbes, a well-known American financial magazine, once published an article.
It's understandable that masks or other living materials are in short supply, but why is there a shortage of even PCs? Especially in the United States, a country with a PC penetration rate of more than 90%? The rise of smartphones has buy email list brought people into the era of mobile Internet. Under the influence of factors such as the "epidemic", mobile office and mobile teaching are developing rapidly. However, in the end, it turns out that smartphones are not omnipotent.
As is currently the case, the marketing community generally believes that we are in the "mobile age" and that a large amount buy email list of marketing budget is invested in the mobile terminal, but the reality tells us that this perception may be premature, and the value of the PC is gradually returning. 1. From "Black Swan" to "Double Eleven", the boundary between mobile and PC is being redefined The statement "PC is a sunset industry"


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We chatted with Francesca Dal Bello, a former Company Secretary, who embarked on a journey of self-discovery and adventure after 16 years at ENI.
Cygnetise was featured as Startup of the Month in the July edition of IBS Journal. In this interview, our CEO Steve Pomfret talks about the company, our technology and what the future holds.
Last week Cygnetise presented at “The Future of Wealth” conference organised by the International Banking Forum and PwC in Jersey. The event focused on the seismic changes caused by structural reform, the fintech revolution and what this means for businesses charged with growing international wealth.


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PC makers weren't the only ones who dealt with a grim 2022. Canalys estimates that smartphone shipments tanked 11 percent year-over-year, making it worst annual performance in a decade. The fourth quarter was worse — shipments fell 17 percent compared to the end of 2021. That was also the worst fourth quarter of the past 10 years, according to analysts.
Most industry heavyweights had a tough time, too. Apple and Samsung were the only two major brands to gain market share in 2022, growing to 19 and 22 percent respectively. Chinese rivals Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo all shrank. It won't surprise you to hear that Apple overtook Samsung in the last quarter (the iPhone 14 family was brand new, while the Galaxy S22 was relatively old). However, it was still a record high — Apple claimed 25 percent of the market in the fall where Samsung had 'just' 20 percent. Higher-end brands held steady, in other words.
You might already know why the market went south. The combination of a tough economy and supply problems hurt demand and created shortages. Even if you could afford your dream smartphone, you might have had a difficult time finding it. That led companies to run sales and otherwise go to great lengths to entice customers and clear out unsold stock.
Don't expect 2023 to be much better. Canalys predicts that the smartphone space might only grow slightly at best. China's re-opening is poised to help, but researchers only believe the effect will be noticeable toward the second half of the year. If that proves true, phone makers may still end up fighting for your attention with aggressive promos.


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Bowsette fans, we are so sorry …
By Adam Bankhurst
Nintendo has officially revealed, incorrectly, that the internet phenomenon known as BOVSET won't be afraid of New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch and that she won't, at least for now, become a cannon.
Via ResetEra, this news is confirmed by the official New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Web site description for the new super crown that can be used by tootette and will turn you into "super-powered peachette."
This super crown item is what sparked the conversation around Bowsette, as when fans heard of Toadette and Peach could be a new character, they soon asked what couldn't Bowser and Peach do the same?
Twitter user Ayyk92 Posted a comic after announcing new Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the switch and it inspired countless other creations of Bowsette and the hope that we would soon see you as a cannon in the Mario universe.
Super Mario Odyssey's art was even artificial, showing what would happen if Bover had his own version of Cappi in Peach, which would be more or less a different version of Bowsette.
Well, Nintendo has shot all that down, at least for now. Reads the official Super Crown description, "When Tootette finds one, it can transform into the super-powered plugin. (Sorry, Luigi-only Tootette can use this item!)"
So, as it stands, Bowsette will remain a dream for now, but with enough love and support for Bowser / Peach Hybrid, there's no telling what the future can do.
New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe will be released on the Nintendo Switch on January 11, 2019, and you can check out our 2012 Review of our original title to help you wait and cope with this unfortunate news.
Adam Bankstur is a news writer who is sad and is not a canon for now, but always hopes for a brighter future. @AdamBankhurst.


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He may not talk to the press too often, but when he does, Frank makes it count.
The Smokers Club Festival‘s lineup includes Wiz Khalifa, Schoolboy Q, Kid Cudi, and more.
He also recounted panicking before the ‘Force Awakens‘ release.
Number 10 have also said the PM has no plans to reach out to Stormzy.
Canada‘s Jocelyne Larocque was spotted removing her silver medal after losing to the U.S. in the Olympic final on Thursday.
The track comes from the remix version of her ‘Mogoya‘ album, due March 2.
"I know what I‘m doing, and I know what I want, and I‘m ready to let people in and listen to what I wanna say with my music."
New Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 colorways release in March 2018 at a retail price of 720.
The ‘Concrete‘ Adidas Harden Vol. 2 release date is March 10, 2018 for a retail price of 140.
This prep school student is claiming "emotional trauma and pain and sufferring" over a game of musical chairs.
‘A Wrinkle in Time‘ will hit theaters on March 9, 2018.
Trump‘s plan for a ‘big, beautiful wall‘ has begun.
Mississippi Pride organizers were disappointed when their parade proposal was turned down.
Lisa Kent says she‘s got her swag thanks to Tupac occupying her body.
The note soon went viral on social media.
Kylie Jenner gives her fans the latest update on Stormi.
Sorry, Netflix-and-chill lovers.
Meryl puts Harvey in check.
Let‘s see if jeweler Aqua Master will finally get the money.
Express Pool is expected to cost 50 percent less than UberPool.
The San Antonio Spurs may need to come to grips with life without Kawhi Leonard for the rest of the season.
A woman is posing as a high-profile producer who entices men with "dream job" offers.
The star‘s humble Houston beginnings lay in hours of footage.
The founder of Rap-a-Lot Records issued the warning via Instagram.


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A driven but fun-loving executive, Hermann has kept a low press profile since she joined the company, but can now trumpet some of YSL’s achievements.
Powered by Pilati’s designs, YSL is ranked number-one within Gucci Group in terms of editorial credits, prorated versus advertising investments.
The Italian designer, who worked under Ford before taking the solo reins in 2004, took some lumps for his first collection of wide belts and tulip-shaped skirts. But it would prove influential, and his recent collections have received more critical acclaim, especially a breakthrough futuristic collection last year.
What’s more, the brand has achieved double-digit growth every year since 2005 without opening any retail stores — the only label in the Gucci Group to have that distinction.
To be sure, YSL’s retail network has been a bugbear for Hermann in more ways than one. The 61 company-owned stores quickly opened during the Ford era gave YSL an immediate platform to compete with other top brands, but also burdened the firm with the high fixed costs. (There are also seven franchise locations.)
Hermann and Lee were also saddled with a too-dark store concept that did not resonate with consumers. “When the first concept is a failure, you can’t have another,” she said.
Last year, Pilati unveiled the first new-look boutique at its historic Saint-Sulpice location in Paris, with ceilings and wall panels in the glossy lacquer that’s the color of YSL’s legendary Opium perfume as the central design element.
Hermann dubbed the new decor a success, citing double-digit growth at Saint-Sulpice. About a dozen locations now reflect the new interior design. The brand is present in about 250 wholesale doors.
Having fought its way out of the red, YSL can resume expanding its retail network. A unit in Seoul recently opened, and three more locations in Asia are coming in 2009: Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, Hermann said.
At present, YSL’s business is concentrated in Europe, which in 2008 accounted for 57.8 percent of sales, versus 21.6 percent for North America, 13 percent for Asia-Pacific and 7.5 percent for Japan, where the brand logged a 10 percent sales gain last year.
YSL is absent from South America, has only two locations in China and is only this year making footprints in Southeast Asia — meaning plenty of scope for future geographic expansion, Hermann said, rattling off Las Vegas, Germany, Brazil and China as future possibilities.


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Windows 8.1 – Overview & Tutorial!
Windows 8.1 – Overview & Tutorial – Overview of how windows 8.1 looks with new features like the new start button. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer officially announced the return of the start button on Windows 8 at the Microsoft Build developers conference on Wednesday.
Video from Windows (No copyright intended)
Twitter – http://goo.gl/2PMfS
Website – http://goo.gl/0lVO3


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XDR Security Firm ReliaQuest Moves To Partner-Focused Sales Model
The company, which provides an ‘open’ platform for extended detection and response, said it has shifted to a model where all new deals will include a channel partner.
ReliaQuest, a provider of extended detection and response (XDR) technology that aims to correlate and prioritize cybersecurity threats across a customer’s environments, has committed to including partners on all of its new deals as it seeks to accelerate its growth with the help of the channel.
The Tampa, Fla.-based company offers the GreyMatter security operations platform that features an “open” XDR architecture. That means the platform can be used to analyze data feeds from third-party tools, allowing customers to leverage their existing security products.
The approach has caught on with partners, which already were involved with 70 percent of new ReliaQuest deals in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to Colin O’Connor, COO of ReliaQuest.
“From a VAR perspective, what’s really unique is that they’re not having to go in and explain why ReliaQuest is going to replace [tools] that they’ve sold them or put in their environment in the past,” O’Connor told CRN. “Instead they’re saying, ‘Hey, ReliaQuest and the GreyMatter solution actually can help you to maximize the investments you’ve made in tools like CrowdStrike or Splunk or SentinelOne, or your Palo Alto [Networks] stack, or Microsoft stack or whatever it is.”
ReliaQuest integrates with third-party tools to facilitate detection, investigation and response to cyber threats, he said.
XDR has become a major emphasis in the cybersecurity industry in recent years as customers have grappled with a number of growing issues, including a massive shortfall in skilled security professionals, intensifying threats and an overload in alerts from their tools.
Many of the major players in the cybersecurity industry have made XDR a top focus, but ReliaQuest aims to stand out in part by staying neutral on what tools a customer should use to monitor their environments and devices. In fact, the GreyMatter platform can actually identify gaps in a customer’s product usage and make recommendations about tools that would be useful to adopt, O’Connor said.
For instance, “we are not an endpoint detection response solution, but we know how important it is to have that level of visibility on the endpoint,” he said. “And so if a customer doesn’t have that today, one of the first things that we’re going to do as part of our solution is say, ‘Hey, we’ve noticed you have a critical gap on endpoint, for [stopping threats] like ransomware. So you should look at getting an EDR solution so we can help you continue to mature and grow your security operations platform.’”
This represents a major opportunity for partners, O’Connor said, because “a lot of times partners don’t have that same level of visibility” as ReliaQuest is able to have, in part through having insights on threats from across its 700 customers.
In other words, by working with ReliaQuest, partners can “help be part of that prescriptive solution” for customers, he said. “There’s a lot of value that a partner gets by helping to bring that that level of insight into what’s going on across their [security operations center].”
ReliaQuest has surpassed $200 million in annual recurring revenue, O’Connor said. The privately held company, which last year reached a valuation of more than $1 billion, reports having grown its revenue by 45 percent in 2022 from the year before.
Expanding its work with partners has already been “a huge accelerator for our growth,” and the company believes that its move to a “partner-first” model should help the trend to continue, O’Connor said.
A huge need for customers currently is gaining the ability to better sift through their security data and alerts to find the threats that really matter, said Justin Domachowski, founder and CEO of Canonsburg, Pa.-based Defy Security, a ReliaQuest partner since 2017.
“People want to know: How do we tone down the noise?” Domachowski said. GreyMatter helps tremendously with figuring out what is a real issue, and what is not, he said — and can then answer the question, “where do we go from there? Where do we start?”
That dramatically speeds up response efforts, Domachowski said, while ReliaQuest’s open approach is hugely valuable to customers, as well.
When a customer makes a big investment into new security tools, the “last thing they want to do is have to start all over” with the analytics that utilize their security data, he said.
Additionally, customers are constantly pivoting to different technologies as threats evolve, and ReliaQuest can accommodate those needs as well, Domachowski said.
The “partner-first” shift by ReliaQuest is a huge win for the channel, he said. Defy Security grew its revenue from its business with ReliaQuest by 21 percent in 2022, versus the prior year, and expects to match or exceed that growth rate this year, Domachowski said.
Now that ReliaQuest has embraced “a fully partner-focused model, I think that’ll give us additional opportunities,” he said.


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DECORAH — Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. is killing it. Their Assassin is helping.
Another limited release beer is drawing the interest of thousands as the brewery’s whiskey barrel-aged imperial stout, Assassin, is scheduled for release Friday.
The release won’t be a party like the brewery’s release of Morning Delight in October – the taproom won’t hold the 1,000 ticket holders, and it’s too cold to move the party outside.
“For an event like this, it’s a lot more chaotic and stressful for staff,” said Toppling Goliath owner Clark Lewey.
But that doesn’t mean the beer won’t be flowing elsewhere. Kegs of Assassin have been distributed around Decorah and other longtime Toppling Goliath accounts in Northeast Iowa.
“It seemed like the right thing to do for what will likely be our last release in our small, little taproom.”
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About 15,000 people registered for an online lottery to be one of 1,000 people invited to the Toppling Goliath tap room to purchase a package that includes two 22-ounce bottles of 2016 Assassin, one bottle of 2016 KBBS and commemorative glassware for $200.
On the heels of the brewery’s Morning Delight release, in which about 60,000 attempted logins crashed a third-party ticket seller, this latest limited-release beer is proving to be more orderly.
Construction continues on an expansion of the brewery’s production facility and a nearly 9,000-square-foot facility. The next batch of the beer, which is one of four Toppling Goliath beers on Rate Beer’s top 50, will likely be at the new facility.
When that will be is up in the air. Assassin and KBBS are ready when they’re ready, Lewey said. It takes about 17 to 20 months for a batch to age in whiskey barrels.
“It’s sought after and people know we do not package it until it’s perfect,” Lewey said.
Assassin was first released in 2012, and Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout, a 12 percent alcohol by volume imperial stout brewed with coffee aged in bourbon barrels, also debuted in 2012.


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Sales of non-alcoholic beer are soaring in the united states, thanks to improved high quality and taste, in addition to generational shifts in drinking culture. For brewers, it’s a welcome source of latest Business News development and a spotlight space for investment. The ASX200 has completed up zero.7 per cent in its fifth straight day of gains amid a pullback in US bond yields and reports of new stimulus measures from Beijing.
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Debt reached a record £2.6 billion due to hovering wholesale prices and cost-of-living pressures on households, summer figures show. Eight women who traded within the Nineteen Seventies and 1980s shall be awarded the Freedom of the City of London for their achievements within the financial sector. OCTOBER is Cyber Security Awareness Month and a possibility for all companies to reflect on the defences surrounding their IT… Results of the UK four-day week trial present that majority of firms that took half are sticking with the new regime with employees reporting feeling less confused while productiveness is maintained. One video game set on the streets of Lahore has confirmed successful with locals. Reproduction of reports articles, photos, videos or another content material in complete or partly in any type or medium with out categorical writtern permission of moneycontrol.com is prohibited.
Solar Power Is A Renewable Power Source That Has The Potential To Revolutionize The Way We Generate Electricity
Update customers with the latest by way of posts, provides, direct messaging, and more. Share pictures, your logo, and more Show your business’s character with pictures, a cover picture, your logo, and extra to face out to clients. Show who you would possibly be Add attributes like women-led so individuals can be taught more about your small business. International Graphite is closing in on a big company milestone with the expected commissioning next month of its new micronising plant at Collie in Western Australia’s South West area. Nearly three million hectares of Kimberley cattle country is up for sale with a billionaire Chinese-Australian property tycoon pulling the pin on the funding after just six years. The huge rise in interest rates over the past 18 months might encourage many households to extend their savings, a senior Reserve Bank of Australia official says, even these with larger ranges of debt.
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Fed-funds futures merchants boosted the possibilities of a 25-basis-point fee hike by the central bank in December to 31.4%, up from 26.3% a day in the past. SHANGHAI – A Chinese foreign trade regulator official stated “programmable features” of a central financial institution digital foreign money could assist enhance the effectiveness of monetary coverage instruments, state media reported on Friday. The transaction closed on Thursday, real-estate news outletThe Real Dealreported, citing the Multiple Listing Service database. The sale was dealt with by Dina Goldentayer and Danilo Tavares, who are with real-estate company Douglas Elliman. Show a list of your small business services and provide on-line quotes, so customers get the data they need to choose you.
China Exports And Imports Each Fall 62% In September In A 5th Straight Month Of Decline As World Demand Weakens
But there is adequate moral and legal grey areas to make it an actual moral quandary for business leaders. We need businesses like Patagonia to set an instance for what moral capitalism can look like. Redcurrent’s business fails to sell, unsecured events get zilch The homeware retailer, which had 5 stores across the nation, was placed into liquidation in February. Vero ordered to pay $3.9m over multi-policy discounts About 42,000 clients affected and overcharged between 2014 and 2022. Kiwibank fined over $800k for misleading prospects Some 35,000 prospects overcharged between September 2005 via to March 2020.


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- Good Friday long weekend saw a 167% increase in booking demand compared to last year
- Varanasi emerged as the top choice among pilgrimage destinations with the maximum number of bookings across India
- There was a 57% increase in booking demand for beach destinations, whereas hill stations witnessed a 43% growth in bookings
Long weekends offer an excellent opportunity to tick-off some of the destinations from your travel bucket list and give yourself the much-needed break to rejuvenate. From corporate millennials planning a staycation with friends to individuals seeking spiritual enrichment to those away from home and longing for a short visit to their home
–towns, long-weekends are sacrosanct for all.
Ahead of the Good Friday long weekend starting from 7th April 2023, global travel technology company, OYO shared some interesting travel trends. As per the company, there is a 167% uptick in booking demand for the three-day long weekend as compared to last year.
As per the booking trends, spiritual and pilgrimage destinations are witnessing the highest demand, indicating a shift towards prioritizing spiritual experiences over luxury among Indian travellers. Varanasi emerged as the top choice among pilgrimage destinations, followed by Puri, Shirdi, Amritsar, and Haridwar. Alongside these cities, Tirupati, Mathura, Vrindavan, Guruvayur, and Madurai also saw a significant surge in demand for the upcoming long weekend.
The ongoing debate about hill stations versus beach destinations continues as the company recorded a remarkable 57% increase in booking demand for beach locations, while hill stations experienced a 43% rise in booking demand.
The region wise breakdown shows that Southern India received maximum bookings followed by East, North and West regions. Interestingly, business destinations such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata also received increased traction for the Good Friday long weekend.
Speaking on the increased bookings, an OYO spokesperson said, “Travel in India has witnessed a renaissance of sorts in the last one year. Travellers today will seize any opportunity they can get to explore new destinations, and long-weekends present that perfect sweet spot where people can travel without taking too many days off from work. We have continued to witness an increase in travel demand for long-weekends over the last one year and the Good Friday long-weekend this year is no exception. We are happy see the shift in demand towards more spiritual and pilgrimage destinations, which have been a significant contributor to our growth. With our in-app features like features ‘Pay at Hotel’, easy cancellation and refund policies, and 3-click booking process, people can continue to plan their vacations hassle-free.”
To enhance customer experiences on its platform, OYO has recently launched its latest feature Super OYO to help users discover highly rated OYOs. This is an exclusive program with only 200 hotels currently tagged as ‘Super OYOs’ across 73 cities. To make customer journeys smoother, the company has also launched several tags and highlights such as Trip Type, Long Stays, Check-in Ratings, among others. Check-in ratings offers consumers greater transparency so that they can make informed choices while booking hotels. Further, OYO’s loyalty program ‘Wizard Plus’ offers free room nights after every 5 stays.


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(U-WIRE) BOSTON – Do you ever watch old spy movies where sleuths in suits sneak around taking pictures with their shoes and wonder what became of the spy of today? Oh, he’s still there in North Korea somewhere pretending to work in shipping, but he’s only one lens in the scope of modern espionage. What is more common is the guy just down the street, an agent of the office park cul-de-sac. He’s watching you now, tracking, logging and analyzing your every move. You’ve seen him and you know full well what he does. He just looks different in coffee-stained khakis sitting behind a computer monitor.
I’m talking about Internet Service Providers, which control our connection to the World Wide Web and thus all the personal data that’s stored on it. Your websites? Cached. Your search engine history? Saved as history. Your downloads? Tagged and bagged. It’s all there, from the very first Internet link to what you just now clicked, saved as encoded cookies sitting there as treats for whomever can reach the jar. The question is: Who’s allowed in?
It might be speculation, but with enough financial incentive, it’s very likely that ISPs will get in on the act and start selling our Internet records to advertising companies producing specialized content. It’s probably already happening. I bet some firm, pushing Pepsi or porn or petroleum, is designing ads based off my entire web history.
Google already does this with their sidebar links prompted by key words in emails, news preferences and search engines. That’s what we sign up for with a Google account, and it’s docile enough. But take a look at Facebook. Last year, the website launched Beacon, a program to track your online purchases from select partner sites and broadcast them throughout your network – without your consent. After a huge backlash, Facebook removed the feature, yet founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed the technology will be refined and one day accepted. Facebook took a lot of flak for that one, but it sent a disturbing ethical ripple throughout the Web. Just how secure is our Internet history? What kind of privacy do we have?
Financial motives are one thing, but what happens when the government gets into the act? AT’T is entrenched in legal controversy since it gave phone records to the National Security Agency without requiring warrants, a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unwarranted search and seizure. Yet some congressional members want to give them a free ride and change surveillance laws to better suit the ill-titled Patriot Act. Well, it’s a small step from phone companies to Internet providers. And isn’t mining personal information for advertising already an invasion of privacy?
Are we, the hunted Internet users, wary enough of our predators? I’d say most people don’t know what’s going on, but if they did there would be public outrage. So maybe the solution is a cultural shift toward “clean information,” toward ethical advertising. Maybe people should be able to choose what information is accessible and have the choice to be targeted. After all, the Internet is a wonderful commercial source.
Someone should start a non-profit that offers legitimate data collection and allows mining only with information explicitly allowed by the target consumer. If ethically sound data becomes popular, it can shift the market and entice information technology firms to buy “clean.” And the real money-maker – whom I hope will give me a 10 percent cut for the idea – is the guy who comes up with an algorithm to search you out on the web and wipe you clean from any ISP, like Internet bleach.


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Kiwis are switched on when it comes to telecommunications
The Commerce Commission says New Zealanders are switched on when it comes to telecommunications.
It says they know what they want when it comes to telecommunications, and they like new technology and the ability to use it flexibly.
"Kiwis are enthusiastic adopters of telecommunications technology," says Telecommunications Commissioner, Tristan Gilbertson.
"In 2021, we have seen that they increasingly expect telecommunication products and services to offer high levels of flexibility alongside functionality and connectivity."
The Commerce Commission's 15th Annual Telecommunications Monitoring Report shows an increasing uptake of uncapped mobile plans and steady increases in fixed and mobile data usage. The report shows that the average amount of data used on a fixed-line connection rose from 284 GB to 330 GB per month and from 3.29 GB to 4.21 GB per month for mobile connections.
The report found that the number of copper connections dropped by 30% last year. And that most consumers coming off copper have moved to fibre, but that some are moving to wireless broadband. New Zealand has one of the highest levels of wireless broadband uptake in the OECD, with 15% of broadband connections now using this technology.
"In 2020, we noticed that COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were accelerating the growth in fixed broadband data usage," says Gilbertson. "While we have seen this trend continue, it has eased this year, with a shift towards products that enable greater flexibility in Kiwis' work, study, play, and stay connected."
In 2021, there were big jumps in the number of residential and business consumers choosing uncapped endless mobile plans, up 143% and 165% respectively on the previous year. Mobile is moving in the same direction as fixed broadband, where 79% of households are on unlimited data plans.
"We have all had to adapt our routines and lifestyles to deal with the range of disruptions and challenges created by the pandemic," says Gilbertson. "Telecommunications can go a long way to help us adapt, so the findings and trends we have seen in our monitoring report this year reflects the shifting priorities of our purchasing choices."
The Annual Telecommunications Monitoring Report measures and identifies trends in the competition, development and performance of New Zealand's telecommunications markets. The report also includes fixed broadband and mobile market share figures, largely unchanged from 2020.
The Commission says it is looking to improve the format and contents of the Annual Telecommunications Monitoring Report, ensuring that it remains relevant and fit for purpose. A consultation process to seek views will kick off later this year.
Key developments in 2021:
Mobile roaming revenue continued to fall due to travel restrictions: Ongoing border closures restricting travel led to total mobile roaming revenue dropping to $15.6 million in 2021, down 86% from 2019. Revenue from domestic customers roaming overseas fell 90% from 2019, while revenue from subscribers of overseas networks roaming in New Zealand fell 72% from 2019.
The popularity of uncapped mobile plans rose: In 2021, 42% (or 739,000) of residential on-account subscribers purchased uncapped 'endless' mobile bundles, up from 18% in 2020. Similarly, 26% (or 348,000) of business on-account subscribers purchased uncapped mobile bundles in 2021, up 10% in 2020.
Entry-level mobile plan prices dropped: The cheapest offer for an entry-level mobile plan of 50 minutes of calling and 500MB of data decreased by $2 in 2021 to $15 per month. Similarly, the cheapest offer for a mobile plan of 188 minutes of calling and 2GB of data decreased by $1 in 2021 to $27.
Fixed-line broadband data usage growth eased: Data usage by both fixed and mobile connections has continued to increase over the year. The average amount of data consumed on a fixed-line broadband connection increased from 284GB to 330GB per month. The average amount of data consumed on a mobile connection increased from 3.29GB to 4.21GB per month. However, the growth in fixed-line broadband data usage eased to 16%, compared to 2020, where growth was 37%.
Formal copper migration started: Chorus began formally withdrawing copper services where fibre is available in March 2021 by issuing the first notices under the Copper Withdrawal Code. As of 30 June 2021, Chorus had yet to withdraw any copper services but had issued 1,100 first notices and 128 further notices under the Copper Withdrawal Code.
At the same time, Spark has started progressively shutting down its Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and moving customers off copper products.
The ongoing trend of customers choosing to move off copper services, combined with the start of formal withdrawal, has seen total copper broadband connections drop 30% to 308,000 in the year to 30 September 2021.
Commission 111 Contact Code came into force: From 1 February 2021, retail service providers (RSPs) have been required to tell new customers and remind existing customers that their home phones may not work in a power cut. RSPs had until 1 August 2021 to make extra support available to customers who meet the Commission 111 Contact Code criteria of a 'vulnerable consumer'.
Half of all mobile consumers remain with their provider for more than five years: A statistically significant consumer survey undertaken for the Commission found that fixed broadband customers switched providers more frequently than mobile customers. 52% of mobile customers have been with their current provider for more than five years, compared with 43% of fixed broadband customers.