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According to ICANN chairman Peter Dengate Thrush, nobody but nobody controls the Internet. Not China, not Comcast, not your IT guy, not Clippy, nobody. The Final Boss of the Internet does not exist. But there does exist a nonprofit that governs Web addresses, and that’s Dengate Thrush’s organization, the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN makes sure there’s some degree of rhyme and reason to the domain names that you see in the URL bar at the top of your browser.
Since it was created in 1998, ICANN has had a distinctly American flavor. For one thing, the U.S. Department of Commerce reviews all ICANN policies. Its main office also happens to be located in California. But since the Web is worldwide, other countries have long demanded more say in the process, claiming ICANN no longer needs its U.S. training wheels.
Now, the U.S. Department of Commerce and ICANN have signed an agreement called the “Affirmation of Commitments,” which puts policy review in the hands of an independent advisory committee. The U.S. gets a representative on that committee, but now it’s just one voice among many.
The debate about making ICANN less Americentric was sometimes pretty heated, but when he spoke with us, Dengate Thrush struck a pretty sportsmanlike tone. He said, “I think the U.S. role, via government, has been absolutely critical, and in the main very well-managed. Many times I’ve said how fortunate the world has been that this has been rooted in the U.S.”
Listen to the podcast (14:25 minutes).
Even Better Than the Real Thing
When you travel for work, your boss probably hates putting you in that plane even more than you hate sitting in that plane, because business travel is really expensive. One alternative that’s getting more attractive by the day is video conferencing. I’m not talking about webcam Skype chats; this is big screen, high-resolution, low-latency video meetings that simulate actually sitting across the table from somebody.
Cisco already plays in this space, and now it’s getting in deeper by laying down $3 billion for Tandberg, a Norwegian company that makes video conferencing equipment. Under the deal, Cisco is establishing a new telepresence technology division and putting Tandberg CEO Fredrik Halvorsen at the helm.
The economy has been in the gutter over the last year, but it caught Cisco with a fat wallet, so the company’s used the opportunity to go on a buying spree. This Tandberg purchase seems to be getting good reviews. Peter Cohan of Peter Cohan and Associates told us, “Business travel is one of the first places companies cut back in the recession — and as they continue to be cost-conscious, an investment in video-conferencing equipment may seem to be a good buy.”
Rules Are Rules
Like any other communications company, AT&T hates the FCC, except for the times when it adores the FCC. An example of the former happened last week, when FCC chairman Julius Genechowski voiced some opinions that were way too pro-Net neutrality for AT&T’s liking. An example of the latter also happened last week, when AT&T asked the FCC to investigate Google for not being neutral enough.
The complaint centers on Google Voice, a new application from Google that helps organize the user’s various phone numbers into one single channel for getting in touch. It also offers cheaper ways to make international calls and text messages, though it still users wireless carriers’ networks.
Calling Google “one of the most noisome trumpeters of so-called ‘net neutrality’ regulation,” AT&T complained that Google is far from neutral when it operates outside of its own service. Specifically, Google Voice does not connect users to certain rural phone exchanges, and that, said the carrier, is discrimination.
Google acknowledged that yes, it does block calls to these exchanges, because of exorbitant rates charged to long-distance companies — such as AT&T — for connecting to those regional networks.Moreover, Google claimed AT&T was comparing apples and oranges. In an official blog post, Google’s Richard Whitt explained that, “The FCC’s open Internet principles apply only to the behavior of broadband carriers — not the creators of Web-based software applications. Even though the FCC does not have jurisdiction over how software applications function, AT&T apparently wants to use the regulatory process to undermine Web-based competition and innovation.”
Regardless of how you feel about the person occupying the Oval Office, it’s against the law to threaten to kill the president of the United States. That is not a new law. It’s one of those special kinds of speech that the First Amendment does not protect, and if you go around even joking about harming the president, you’ll get a visit from some neatly dressed men who never take off their sunglasses and always seem to be talking into their sleeves.
Looks like some kid on Facebook just learned all about that. If you’ve spent more than 10 minutes on the site, you’ve probably noticed that 40 percent of it seems to be made up of inane surveys and polls. You can vote on who should win Top Chef, whether or not you think the world will really end in 2012, whether flightless water fowl ought to exist in a rational universe, and so forth.
This week, users also briefly got the chance to vote on whether or not Barack Obama should be killed. The options were Yes, No, Maybe and Yes if he takes away my healthcare. Apparently, over 700 people voted before someone reported it and the survey got yanked by Facebook, which offered the Secret Service its full cooperation.
That response earned the praise of Lon Safko, a social media consultant and coauthor of The Social Media Bible. With so many millions of users posting everything on their minds at all hours, you can’t possibly have staffers reviewing every single comment and chirp to decide whether it’s legal or not. It’s also worth noting that users quickly brought the poll to the attention of authorities and Facebook management, so there is some self-policing being done out there. As Safko told us, “Sometimes social media brings out the best in people, sometimes it’s the worst, and sometimes it brings out the stupid.”
Back to the kid. The Secret Service reportedly discovered that the survey was the creation of a juvenile — “a mistake,” they called it. They gave the kid and the kid’s parents a good talking to but said they wouldn’t press charges.
According to the numbers being reported, some investors — intelligent people who’ve made lots of money by making good decisions in the past — think Twitter is worth $1 billion dollars. Yet at this point, a 14-year-old with a lawnmower will probably earn more money this weekend than Twitter has in its entire existence.
Twitter CEO Evan Williams has confirmed that his company recently closed a big round of funding. He won’t say how much, but the widely reported figures are around $100 million, which would put the company’s total worth at around $1 billion.
It’s raised some concern that we’re seeing the start of the next Internet bubble. Actually, $1 billion is a pretty reasonable price tag to put on Twitter if you compare it to other popular social networking tools. In fact, it’s a relative bargain — Facebook’s valuation is 10 times that, which comes down to $33.33 per face, compared to 20 bucks per twit.
On the other hand, Facebook at least has a job. It is making some revenue. Twitter has earned none thus far, so investors are betting on its ability to eventually find its way. Could be through targeted ads, display ads, who knows? Hey, it’s gotta work out — Oprah likes Twitter, and it’s funny to see all those crazy famous people tweeting all day, so the thing’s gotta be golden right?
37signals CEO Jason Fried doesn’t think that’s exactly the kind of thing you should be looking at when pumping hundreds of millions into a brand-new company. “The tech industry is starting to get in the wrong mindset again — which is companies being valued on things outside of traditional metrics like revenues or profits. Now it’s based on how much other investors want to invest or page views or celebrity usage.”
Someone to Watch Over Me
When Microsoft was pushing its Live OneCare security suite, it kind of felt like you were buying a house from a developer but renting the door locks for a recurring fee. Should an OS maker sell licenses for an operating system but then charge a subscription to make that OS secure? Wouldn’t it have an opportunity to juice customers for more money simply by creating a problem and then selling a solution?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Microsoft would ever resort to such villainy, but it was definitely a juicy target for Redmond haters and conspiracy theorists. Besides, the fact that Windows users should buy antimalware software, period — regardless of who makes it — was a soft spot Apple repeatedly mentioned in its own marketing.
So, Microsoft decided the best thing to do would be to make its AV software free. Microsoft Security Essentials version 1.0 is out, and it can be used by anyone with a non-pirated copy of Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later.
Microsoft does have to walk a fine line between giving its users protection and not stepping on the toes of other antivirus vendors, whose cooperation it needs. So MSE is free, but it’s also pretty bare-bones — it lacks personal firewall, backup and PC tuning features. For those, you’ve got to pay up.
Long Road to the Market
Back in early 2008, it was kind of exciting to hear about this so-called Nuvifone that Garmin was working on. They make good nav devices, so it only made sense to breed one with a cellphone. They even had some product mock-ups at the time, and back then anything with a big touchscreen like an iPhone’s was expected to be a serious contender.
Now the Nuvifone has finally gotten around to announcing a carrier, launch date and price and that’s AT&T on Oct. 4 for $300 with a contract and after a rebate. But while the Nuvifone has been in the womb, the world has changed. For one thing, the iPhone got a lot smarter and built a garden that’s now growing tens of thousands of mobile apps, and a few of them use the iPhone’s GPS for turn-by-turn directions.
It’s not just the iPhone, either — other mobile OS lines have been drawn. Android and BlackBerry have app stores, Palm is making a stand with webOS, Windows Mobile promises bigger things for the future, and Symbian is still putting up a fight. If a handset doesn’t have a popular mobile OS and an app store, then it’s not really part of the smartphone in-crowd.
So what does the Nuvifone G60 have? It seems to focus foremost on its navigation features, as one might expect. Its core is a high-end Garmin nav device, with built-in maps and points of interest. It also has a browser, email access, a camera and a full touchscreen keyboard. All its main functions seem to tie into location in one way or another.
But what about the OS? It’s a proprietary build based on “a variation of Mobil Linux,” according to Garmin spokesperson Jessica Myers. So, don’t expect the wide variety of functionality that an app store would add to the mix. Myers added that Garmin is also working on an Android phone for later next year.
So in the Nuvifone’s favor, we have the fact that so many of its functions focus on location — that seems to be the basic DNA of the device. And a good Garmin nav unit will run you a few hundred bucks, so adding a phone and a browser to it and marking it at $300 doesn’t sound like too much of stretch. But with navigation apps available for so many other phones — phones that can also use tons of other apps and happen to cost less — it looks like the first Nuvifone might be looking at a steep uphill drive.
Everything Louder Than Everything Else
Listening to loud music on an MP3 player probably won’t kill you. Maybe it will if it keeps you from hearing a fire truck or a train. But as a general rule, exposing yourself to hours of high-volume music every day doesn’t lead to death. It just makes your hearing worse and worse until you’re nearly deaf.
The European Union would rather not see that happen, so it’s updated the volume standards for portable music devices. They’ll have to maintain their default setting at 80 decibels. They’ll also have to include warnings about listening to music at high volumes in their instruction manuals.
It’s all largely in response to mounting medical evidence that prolonged exposure to music at volumes even just a little above that of a conversation or road traffic could lead to impaired hearing over the long term. It doesn’t usually manifest overnight, but as the years and the decibels pile up, it becomes more noticeable, and by then it’s too late — you’re using an old-timey ear trumpet.
Even after the rule kicks in, you’ll probably still be able to use workarounds or portable amps if you really want to crank it up.
When it comes to new products, Google isn’t exactly discreet. When it has a new idea, it tends to show it off long before it’s done cooking, usually because it wants some free feedback. But when it’s on to something it thinks might be extremely popular, it tends to limit availability to an exclusive, invitation-only group. It did it with Gmail and Google Voice, and now it’s doing it with Wave.
Exclusive is a relative term, I suppose. Google sent out invites to 100,000 people to try out the new service, which it admits still has plenty of kinks to work out. Those 100,000 are made up of developers, volunteers who signed up on a list a few months ago and select Google Apps users, and they each get to nominate a handful of friends to joint the test too.
So what is Wave? It’s a real-time mashup tool. It’s got the power of wikis, the power of email, of social networks, of instant messaging. It’s a platform for real-time, collaborative communications. Each wave is a complete thread of multimedia blips. Waves are shared, with collaborators added or removed at any point. It’s the hive mind of the Internet. It’s an ocean of thought and creativity. It’s a massive brain stem router with the collective consciousness of all its users.
OK, I’m just pulling words out of the air here. Haven’t used it yet. Sounds neat.


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Meals rising prices is set to heat up in North America as unpredictable climate and geopolitical threats drive shopping expenses greater. Food expenses are expected to improve between 1.5 % and 3.5 % next season hardly errant rising prices, but a pick-up from this season’s speed of just 1 %, forecasts a University of Guelph paper to be released Friday. Higher expenses for frequently purchased items, like egg and meat, are bound to put stress on purses. Meals accounts for about 14 % of Canada household costs, according to Research North America, with lower-income houses spending a greater share of their budget on food than higher-income families.
Food prices 2013
This season, we saw the nationwide amount of rising prices surpass food rising prices. Next season, it’s actually going to be the opposite. We’ll likely see food expenses surpass the nationwide amount, lead author of the review and a specialist in food submission and policy. The university’s past forecasts on the direction of overall food expenses were precise for both 2011 and 2012. So, in this case you have to worry in consuming some ingredient which is increasing as well as others.
Several styles will food expenses. Geopolitical threats, such as governmental uncertainty and protectionism, along with more extreme climate, will place way up stress on food expenses, especially nourish, driving improves in meat and egg. The review forecasts meat and chicken expenses will improve 4.5% and 6.5%, respectively, due to rising nourish expenses for livestock nourish and greater production expenses in the chicken industry. The cost of egg will go up between 3.5% and 5%, mostly thanks to improve in animal welfare-based technology. The price of nourish will likely improve 1.4% to 2.7%, while vegetables, fruit, almonds, fish and fish are all set to improve between 1% and 3%

domain: news


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According to a Reuters source, TikTok has conducted a test, allowing users in Vietnam to play games on the app.
Putting games on the app will help increase ad revenue as well as the amount of time users spend on TikTok. TikTok is currently one of the most popular apps in the world with over 1 billion monthly users.
Meanwhile, Vietnam, with a young population (70% under 35 years old) and a passion for technology, is an attractive market with major social networks such as TikTok, Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) and Alphabet (parent company Google and YouTube).
A Reuters source revealed that TikTok intends to expand the game testing to Southeast Asian countries, starting in the third quarter.
A TikTok representative confirmed that the company is testing HTML5 games, a form of minigames, into the app through cooperation with game developers and game studios like Zynga. However, the company declined to comment on its plans with Vietnam or its gaming ambitions. The platform representative affirmed that TikTok always wants to create richness and regularly test new features, bringing value to the community.
Reuters also does not know whether TikTok plans to roll out the game feature in markets other than Vietnam. While TikTok users can watch the game via the livestream feature, in most regions they can’t play the game on the app. In the US, only a handful of games appear to be coming, including “Disco Loco 3D” and “Garden of Good” by Zynga.
According to the source, despite starting with minigames – games with simple gameplay, short duration, TikTok’s game ambitions do not stop here. TikTok will have to apply for a license to put the game on the platform in Vietnam. The process is expected to go smoothly because the games in the plan do not cause controversy or involve gambling, violence or sex.
Users of Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – have been able to play games on the app since 2019. TikTok games are likely to contain ads, and revenue will be shared between ByteDance and the game developer.
TikTok’s attempt to jump into the gaming space comes as no surprise. Other major technology firms also want to retain users in one way or another. For example, Facebook introduced Instant Games in 2016, and Netflix also recently added games to its platform.
It also marks ByteDance’s latest attempt on its journey to becoming a major player in the game. The company acquired game studio Moonton Technology last year, directly competing with Tencent, China’s largest gaming enterprise.
Even without games, TikTok still recorded a strong increase in ad revenue. This year, TikTok ad revenue could triple to more than $11 billion, more than Twitter and Snap combined, according to research firm Insider Intelligence.


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February 6, 7:45 am
Chipotle Mexican Grill has been growing in popularity over the past few years, attracting both new customers and investors.
The company’s success can be attributed to several factors. Among a few things to mention, Chipotle has built a strong brand reputation, centered around high-quality, fresh ingredients and a commitment to sustainability. The company has adapted fast to new trends and invested heavily in digital technology, including online ordering, mobile app ordering, and delivery. And lastly, Chipotle has consistently demonstrated strong financial performance, with growing revenue and increasing profitability.
But the company is facing significant competition from both traditional fast-food chains and other fast-casual restaurants, who are all vying for market share. Chipotle's focus on fresh ingredients and high-quality customer service also requires a significant investment in labor, which can drive up costs. This, combined with increasing minimum wage laws and the ongoing debate about worker rights and pay, could negatively impact the company's profitability and make it a less attractive investment.
Looking closely at some alternative data for the company, we can see some upside on the company’s mobile apps which have seen a slight increase in downloads (up by 20% over the year according to our estimates). However, job growth remains stagnant, while other main competitors have increased their hiring efforts. Chipotle has announced plans to hire 15,000 people ahead of "Burrito season", but this has not yet shown up in the company's job postings.
The sentiment in multiple stock forums is lackluster, averaging 70 on a 100-point scale, despite the company's stock price going up, with a 14% increase from February 2022. Its main competitors have traded relatively flat during the same period.
Another thing to take into consideration is Chipotle's price-to-earnings (PE) ratio, a commonly used valuation metric, which is significantly higher compared to its competitors in the fast-food industry. Chipotle has for months been hovering around 50x while Mcdonalds is hovering around 25x and Wendy's around 26x. This can be due to the fact that Chipotle has demonstrated strong growth in recent years and that the company has a relatively low level of debt compared to its competitors.
Take all this into consideration and it’s hard to see a strong upside for Chipotle in the short term. The company has seen success in recent years (and the stock price already reflects that) due to its growth potential and commitment to new trends such as fresh ingredients, sustainability, and digital technology. However, it faces significant competition, increasing minimum wage laws, no real growth in web traffic or app downloads, and stagnant job growth. The company's PE ratio is also significantly higher compared to the fast-food industry. These factors and a market that has already pumped the price in the last couple of days could make Chipotle less attractive as an investment opportunity.
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Forbes ranks the top 50 most influential CMOs & finds 40% lead technology companies
One in three of the CMOs to rank on Forbes' list were women.
Forty percent of the marketing leaders who rank on Forbes’ 2017 list of the top 50 most influential CMOs belong to technology companies.
With telecommunications and internet organizations making up part of the tech sector per Forbes report, seven of the top ten CMOs were in tech, including the marketing leaders from HP Inc., Apple, GE, Twitter, Samsung Electronics America, Airbnb and Cisco.
The No. 1 most influential CMO was Keith Weed of Unilever. Also in the top ten were Ford Motor Company CMO Musa Tariq and Mastercard CMO Raja Rajamannar.
Although most would categorize Mastercard as a finance company, Rajamannar told Marketing Land during an interview last year that his organization was a tech company.
“We are a technology company that happens to be in the payment space,” said Rajamannar.
Forbes says it based its rankings on social media data. It analyzed things like the percentage of a brand’s audience taking action on branded content, and mentions of the CMO in relation to their brand across Twitter, blogs, websites and news stories. Forbes also looked at the CMO’s LinkedIn networks and how inter-connected the CMOs were within their marketing community.
Of the top 50 most influential CMOs, one in three were women. GE’s CMO Linda Boff ranked No. 4 — the top-ranking female CMO on the list — followed by Twitter CMO Leslie Berland at No. 5. Cisco’s Karen Walker ranked No. 10.
SAP’s Maggie Chan Jones, who ranked No. 15, is another marketing leader in the tech space. During her interview with Marketing Land, she says she recommends that any marketing leaders who may lack a technology background should always consider bringing their CIO into the fold.
“The stronger the alignment between the CMO and the CIO, the better the marketers can leverage the technology savviness from the IT side to help create business solutions,” says Jones.
Be sure to read the following Marketing Land’s interviews and listen to our “Path to CMO” podcasts with the executives who made Forbes Top 50 Most Influential CMOs list this year:
- Mastercard’s CMO Raja Rajamannar shares the 9 passion points that shape its event strategy
- How data & analytics help shape SAP’s marketing message & strategy
- How Lenovo uses martech to build unified campaigns around its separate business groups
- The Path to CMO with Taco Bell’s Marisa Thalberg [Podcast]
- The Path to CMO with Deloitte’s Diana O’Brien [Podcast]
- Hyundai outlines the social strategy driving its latest new car launch
- Heineken Stays Ahead Of The Game By Sponsoring Fastest Growing Sport In U.S.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


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Suit accuses company of privacy breach
E-mail addresses allegedly sold despite promise
Published 9:00 pm, Thursday, March 23, 2006
ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York's attorney general sued an Internet company Thursday over the selling of e-mail addresses in what authorities say may be the biggest deliberate breach of Internet privacy ever.
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer accused Gratis Internet of selling personal information obtained from millions of consumers despite a promise of confidentiality.
The consumers thought they were simply registering to see a Web site offering free iPod music players or DVD movies and video games, Spitzer spokesman Brad Maione said. On sign-up pages, Gratis promised it "does not ... sell/rent e-mails."
- Young entrepreneur Blake Pyron heads to UN Fox4
- Lyft Testing Netflix-Like Subscription Packages for Riders Wibbitz
- Lexus Is Getting Into the Luxury Boat Business Fortune
- Start-Up Offering to Preserve & Upload Your Brain, But There's a Catch Buzz 60
- Amazon Unveils 'Spheres' Green Space In Seattle Associated Press
- Tariffs could affect Maine businesses WMTW
- Triad CEO provides tips on how women can maximize business potential, finances WXII
- Lending business changes policies in wake of Florida school shooting Fox5Atlanta
- The Booming Business of eSports Cheddar TV
- Inside essential oils marketing, a billion-dollar wellness business with plenty of critics Mic
- Millennials fell for scams more than grandparents last year Fox29
- International reaction to Trump's tariffs Euronews
- EXCLUSIVE: Facebook Takes on LinkedIn With New Jobs Tool Cheddar TV
- Amazon Acquires Smart Doorbell Maker 'Ring' for a Reported $1 Billion Wibbitz
- Apple Admits it Uses Google's Cloud for iCloud Wibbitz
- A look into the shipping container home business Fox29
- Airbnb Appeals To Luxury Market With 'Airbnb Plus' Buzz 60
- The Shocking Amount Americans Spend on Impulse Buys in Their Lifetime Buzz 60
- US Marijuana Job Growth Could More Than Double By 2021 Buzz 60
- Amazon Offering Cash Back to Customers Who Shop at Whole Foods Wibbitz
Instead of confidentiality, Spitzer said, Gratis sold access to their e-mail information to three independent e-mail marketers, and hundreds of millions of e-mail solicitations followed.
In a statement, Gratis spokesman George Thompson said the allegations the company sold e-mail addresses to e-mail marketers, and that these companies purchased personal user information from Gratis, were "completely untrue."
Thompson said Gratis hired Datran Media of New York City, a leading e-mail marketer, to manage "the logistics of marketing products and services via e-mail to Gratis' own user base." He said Datran or two other hired companies "at no time ever engaged in a sale or purchase of data."
Gratis, based in Washington, D.C., always controlled and owned the users' information and never profited from any sale of data, he said.
March 12, Spitzer sued Datran Media, accusing it of using unauthorized personal data "mined" by other firms from about 6 million e-mail addresses nationwide.
Datran agreed to reform its practices under a $1.1 million settlement.
Spitzer's "data mining" investigation began last year amid reports of companies compiling and selling marketing lists.
Gratis owns and operates Web sites that offer free merchandise for registering their e-mail addresses. The state fraud lawsuit accuses its owners, Peter Martin and Robert Jewell, of privacy violations in 2004 and 2005.


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New York 'Times' Explores Weed World Finances, Finds Guns and Drugs
New York 'Times' on banking in weed.
Banking is one of the legal marijuana industry's most challenging woes.
The major players and key influencers in the pot game range from Silicon Valley and Wall Street types to Humboldt County hippies and Canadian hipsters and faltering Chicago politicians, which is about par for any burgeoning financial generator.
Transactions take place almost exclusively in cash. Banks won't store that cash because the federal government doesn't know yet how to regulate it. Most of it smells like actual weed.
Cy Scott, entrepreneur behind the noted cannabis brands Leafly and now, Headset, tells The KIND:
"Banking is a problem for everyone in the space, and it's unbelievable that it's still a problem that's not fixed...Washington has taken in more than $114M in excise tax, in 2015 alone. Yet, businesses in this space struggle to keep their bank accounts."
In it's documentary Guns, Drugs and Money, the New York Times takes a look at the banking problem through the lens of America's legal weed experiment, Denver, Colorado.
Believe it or not, the paper of record locates armed security personnel.


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Tucked in one side of Church Street is Blossom- a bookstore that bibliophiles in Bengaluru are too familiar with.
Blossom Book House, better known as Blossom, is a book store in the real sense of the word. Unlike a big chain-store, Blossom does not boast of huge spaces, with tidy stacked rows of books.
But what it lacks in neatness perhaps, it makes up for in character.
Blossom has a unique old school charm. The air in the store has the overwhelming smell of the thousands of books it is home to, the books that sit patiently waiting to be read.
Those who have been to the book store might agree that the sight is indeed a tempting one. A book lover’s haven, there are books not just on the shelves, but they are also stacked in every possible nook and corner of the store.
In case one cannot find what they are looking for in the vast sea of books, the staff is always ready to help.
Mayi Gowda, the owner of the store, is an unassuming man. The smile he dons along with his polite demeanour makes it easy to understand why his customers like him and his store, and why they keep returning.
Mayi Gowda, the owner of Blossom believes in creating a bond with his customers.
Set up in 2002, Blossom has an interesting history that not many may know of.
Gowda, who hails from a village in Mysuru, had come to Bengaluru to pursue higher education. His family was not a well-off one, and Gowda had to take up a night job along with getting enrolled in a day college.
It was during this period that Gowda happened to notice book vendors selling books on the pavements and the decent business they did.
Since his job and work wasn’t working out together, he quit both and started selling second hand books on the road side near Mayo Hall.
Once business picked up, Gowda finished a course in engineering and even got a job in GE.
“I didn’t like what I was doing there. I worked there for hardly 15-20 days after which I quit,” says Mayi Gowda speaking to The News Minute.
And that is when Blossom was born.
A book lover himself, Gowda had initially opened Blossom in another location.
( Blossom has a footfall of around 150 during weekdays and around 300 in the weekend. )
“The earlier store was so small that there was very less space for too many people to stand together. The staff used to come out of the store so that customers could browse easily and more comfortably,” says Gowda recounting those days.
Talking about the popularity his store has garnered in more than a decade of its existence, Gowda says “We are unique in a sense because we sell both new and used books. We even buy used books from customers”. The competitive pricing, including heavy discounts, is also one reason that draws book-lovers to his store, he states.
"The books we have can range anywhere between Rs 50 to Rs 15,000. We have a collection of antique books that are very expensive", he adds.
County of Kent, 1823 publication; one of the most expensive books in the store.
An online Blossom store was also launched in 2006, but the direct sales from the store are much higher that its online counterpart. The reason, Gowda asserts, could be that buying books online is relatively more expensive because of the courier charges that get added to the price of the book.
Blossom has a variety of books on various genres in English and Kannada. Comic is one of the most popular sections in the store.
“Classics are the regular bestsellers here,” he states. When asked about Chetan Bhagat books, which is considered to be a top seller everywhere, Gowda says that “people do buy his books, but it is not that popular here”.
When asked whether reading habits over the years have changed, or rather decreased, Gowda said there have been no such changes.
Does Gowda feel the pressure of competition with several giant book organisations like having a significant presence in the market?
“No really. These chain-stores, some of which I know are closing down, have very less personal interaction with customers like we have here. That is another reason I think we are doing well,” he says.
There are no plans of expansion for Gowda as of now. Space, however, he knows is an issue as even this 4,000 sq ft store seems to fall small for the sheer number of books they have.
Jaishankar, a regular customer at Blossom.
Jaishankar has been a regular customer at Blossom ever since its inception. Though he resides in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar, he says “coming to Blossom is never a problem for me”.
“It is a wonderful place and Mayi is a very good man. I love the atmosphere here. I like the variety of books they have,” he says adding that he comes to the store at least twice every week.
This piece was first published on The News Minute on December 26, 2014.


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The new Destiny update will bring paid level boosts to the game
Since the introduction of the Eververse Trading Company, bringing microtransactions into the PlayStation and Xbox title, fans have been able to purchase emotes for their own pleasure.
The studio are now preparing to launch a new paid option away from cosmetic upgrades to allow players a level boost to their character.
It will mean Destiny fans, or new players who are looking to catch up, will be able bring their Titan, Warlock, or Hunter up to level 25.
Bungie launched the Eververse Trading Company for The Taken King expansion
Players will be able to jump to the point where Light becomes a factor into further expansion, costing £25 for those interested.
The new Destiny Update is still pretty far away from the game's current max level of 40, while Bungie have yet to officially announce the new paid option.
The Eververse Trading Company recently expanded into Sparrow Racing League items, including celebration emotes, Sparrow designs, horns and a Record Book.
Gamers who own The Taken King expansion pack can compete in death races against five others on planets including Venus and Mars.
PS4 users will also be treated to exclusive sparrows and gear as well as a new quest which is available for a limited time.
Races run for three weeks and conclude on December 29, according to Bungie.
Sparrow Racing information:
- Obtain your SRL Licence Quest and SRL Bounties.
- Earn a new Sparrow as part of the SRL Quest.
- Upgrade your reputation by completing SRL Bounties.
- Each Race is a chance to earn SRL gear and Shaders.
- The higher your reputation, the better the post-game drops.
- Helmets and Class Items can drop with up to 320 Light.
- Helmets and Class Items with Light can be used for Infusion.
- All other SRL gear has no Light, but features racing perks.
Sparrow Racing in Destiny: The Taken King


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As You Sow engaged beverage companies to set container recycling and recycled content goals and beverage and food retailers like to take responsibility for collection and recycling of beverage and food containers left in their restaurant and stores. Much of this work now takes place under the Consumer Packaging initiative.
In 2013, McDonald’s agreed to replace expanded polystyrene foam beverage cups with more environmentally responsible paper-based cups at all 14,000 U.S. restaurants, and competitor also Dunkin’ Donuts agreed to phase out foam cups within two to three years. Through shareholder dialogue and the filing of proposals, As You Sow secured commitments from Starbucks and three of the largest U.S. beverage companies for quantitative bottle/can recycling goals:
- Nestlé Waters North America agreed to an industry recycling goal of 60% of PET bottles by 2018
- PepsiCo announced an industry recycling goal for 50% of PET, glass bottles and aluminum cans by 2018
- Coca-Cola agreed to recycle 50% of its own PET, glass bottles, and aluminum cans by 2015. The company did not meet the 50% goal for the U.S., where its recycling rate was at about 42% at the end of 2015. However, it did meet a related goal to recycle 50% of bottles and cans globally. We continue to engage with the company on increasing recycling.
As You Sow is now building on these successes to engage more broadly with consumer packaging companies in the food and beverage industry though our new consumer packaging initiative.
One effort that remains focused on the beverage sector is with Dr Pepper Snapple Group. As the third largest soft drink company after Coke and Pepsi, they should have developed bottle/can recycling goals to match those made to us cited above.
As You Sow also publishes a unique survey and report card ranking beverage industry performance on the environmental attributes of containers and efforts on container recovery. Alex McIntosh, Nestlé Waters’ director of corporate citizenship, credited As You Sow’s 2006 Scorecard and subsequent dialogue as “getting our attention and encouraging us to look at the recycling challenge more broadly.”
After engagement with As You Sow, Nestlé Waters became the first major beverage producer to support legislation that increases container recovery rates and, in October 2008, the first to support an industry-wide recovery goal for PET plastic.
Last year, over 200 billion beverage containers were sold and over 130 billion of those containers ended up in landfills or were incinerated. Beverage container recycling rates have been declining nationally from 54% in 1992 to less than 36% today.
Most people don’t realize that beverage container recycling has a direct impact on climate change and energy security. If all of the beverage containers that were wasted last year had been recycled, 15.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gases would have been avoided, the equivalent to emissions from 36.2 million barrels of oil, which is equal to 52 days of oil imports from Iraq.
Using recycled materials is one way that beverage companies can reduce emissions and energy use. Making containers from recycled content uses significantly less energy and fossil fuels in their production than using virgin materials: recycled aluminum uses 95% less energy, recycled plastic uses 30% less energy, and recycled glass uses 35% less energy.


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Multichannel just shared a telling study by Arris on consumer video viewing patterns. Their research "found that 59% of consumers now watch mobile TV, a figure that jumps to 72% of 16-24 year-olds." And older consumers 65+ are also embracing mobile to watch video. And while this study sampled 19,000 consumers in 19 countries, it certainly supports the value that mobile viewing is playing in our lives.
Of course it would be helpful to know more about this study including which devices are being used, percentage of mobile verse wired viewing, which video platforms are gaining usage, and more. And a better definition of mobile which I believe is meant to include WIFI and cellular platforms. The rise of short form video on Facebook, long form content on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, and viewership platforms like Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Sling TV, tablets, and smartphones are all an integral part of the trend in viewing away from the settop box.
It seems clear that with a younger demo embracing mobile over other platforms, consumers will continue to re-evaluate the value of their cable subscription, their investment in more data packages on cellular, the speed of their broadband and WIFI connection, and content aggregators to drive further adoption. And the trends described at the end of the article strengthens the argument that more devices are being connected for WIFI viewing and more usage is being diverted to streaming media. The TV Everywhere mentality is arriving.


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Digital identity verification provider honored for helping organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements
Jumio, the leading AI-powered trusted identity as a service provider, today announced its identity verification solution was named a 2019 SIIA CODiE Awards finalist in the best compliance solution category. Finalists represent the best products, technologies and services in software, information and business technology.
Jumio has completed over 170 million verifications to date and uses a unique hybrid approach of augmented intelligence, AI, machine learning, face-based biometrics, certified liveness detection, computer vision technologies and human review to prevent fraud and determine if users are who they claim to be. Jumio also helps organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements including Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Jumio was recognized as one of the best compliance solutions that enable businesses to connect regulatory developments with internal policy systems, organizational risks and controls and regulatory training. Jumio can verify over 3,300 variants of government-issued IDs issued by more than 200 countries and territories. When businesses expand to new territories and countries, Jumio can help quickly onboard new customers in that location and meet local compliance mandates.
“Consumer privacy and online data protection remain top concerns for regulators today. While verifying new user identities, companies are capturing a range of personal identifying information,” said Robert Prigge, Jumio president. “Protecting this sensitive information and helping organizations maintain compliance is one of our top priorities, and we are honored to be recognized for our innovative identity verification solutions addressing this need.”
The SIIA CODiE Awards are the premier awards for the software and information industries and have been recognizing product excellence for over 30 years. The awards offer 76 categories with an industry focus on education technology and business technology. Jumio was honored as one of 137 finalists across the 44 business technology categories.
“The 2019 CODiE Award finalists are some of the most innovative, high-impact products in the market. We are thrilled to place a spotlight on these innovations and the power they have to transform the future of how we do business,” said Jeff Joseph, president of SIIA.
The SIIA CODiE Awards are the industry’s only peer-recognized awards program. Business technology leaders including senior executives, analysts, media, consultants and investors evaluate assigned products during the first-round review which determines the finalists. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products and the scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners. Voting is open now through May 17.
This recognition continues a momentous year for Jumio. In 2019, the company launched Jumio Authentication, a biometric-based authentication solution and Jumio Screening, a fully-automated AML screening solution. Jumio also won a number of industry awards including Best Product in Biometrics, Best Product Fraud Prevention and Market Leader in Compliance by the InfoSec Awards, a Best Place to Work by Business Intelligence Group, the Fastest Growing Cybersecurity Company in the 2019 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, Business Intelligence Group’s 2019 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards, and one of the Best Places to Work in FinTech by SourceMedia.
To learn more about Jumio and its award-winning end-to-end biometric identity verification solutions, visit jumio.com.
When identity matters, trust Jumio. Jumio’s mission is to make the internet a safer place by protecting the ecosystems of businesses through cutting-edge online identity verification and authentication services that quickly and accurately connect a person’s online and real-world identities. Jumio’s end-to-end identity verification solutions fight fraud, maintain compliance and onboard good customers faster.
Leveraging advanced technology including augmented intelligence, AI, biometrics, machine learning, certified 3D liveness detection and human review, Jumio helps organizations meet regulatory compliance including KYC, AML and GDPR and definitively establish the digital identity of their customers. Jumio has verified more than 170 million identities issued by over 200 countries and territories from real-time web and mobile transactions. Jumio’s solutions are used by leading companies in the financial services, sharing economy, digital currency, retail, travel and online gaming sectors. Based in Palo Alto, Jumio operates globally with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific and has been the recipient of numerous awards for innovation. For more information, please visit www.jumio.com.
About the SIIA CODiE™ Awards
The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to showcase business and education technology’s finest products and services. Since 1986, thousands of products, services and solutions have been recognized for achieving excellence. For more information, visit siia.net/CODiE.


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Within the next 10 years, we anticipate that virtual reality will not only be related to gaming – virtual reality and augmented reality will turn out to be an integral part of all major industrial processes. Let’s take a look at why.
Today, much of our lives can take place in the digital world; Our finances are entirely online, telemedicine appointments have replaced traditional doctors’ offices, and the number of people working from home has never been higher. But now, a new race in cyberspace has begun to dominate digital conversations as tech giants and startups alike vie for market share in the metaverse through one thing: virtual reality.Read:Pokémon Sword And Shield’s Latest Limited-Time Distribution Event Gets Online Access
With virtual reality (VR) devices expected to reach 112.62 million units shipped by 2026, virtual reality technology has carved out a large and growing space in the gaming industry. This equates to a global market size of $84.09 billion by 2028, showing a compound annual growth rate of 44.8%. Augmented reality (AR) technology is experiencing a similar rise with this market segment expected to reach US$88.4 billion by 2026. These increases are largely due to innovations in 5G technology and interactive games, and are also driven by increased investments in technologies after The pandemic pushed everything online.
The global virtual and augmented reality market value is expected to swell from $14.84 billion in 2020 to $454.73 billion by the end of this decade, with the allied market research report having a potential compound annual growth rate of 40.7%. With this kind of rapid growth comes a great opportunity as virtual and augmented reality technologies see increased implementation across the automotive, manufacturing, education, healthcare, entertainment and corporate sectors.Read:Gran Turismo 7 Update 1.23 Adds Volkswagen ID.R, Nissan Silvia S14, and Porsche Vision GT Spyder; Arrives September 29 – GTPlanet
Within the next 10 years, we anticipate that virtual reality will not only be related to gaming – virtual reality and augmented reality will turn out to be an integral part of all major industrial processes.
As reported by Crunchbase, investments in AR and VR technologies are on the rise as the fourth quarter of 2021 was unlike anything else in terms of project interest. Nearly $2 billion in venture capital poured into AR/VR hardware and software startups at the end of last year, making this investment the largest in any quarter. Ever.
The company’s renaming and repositioning officially known as Facebook may not have affected funding directly, but it may have something to do with the influx of interest in VR. With Zuckerberg’s growing enthusiasm to make the metaverse his own, he’s spearheaded the virtual reality conversation with innovations in wearable technology, upgrades to Horizon Worlds, Project Cambria, and more. In fact, the company expects to spend at least $10 billion this year on research and development in virtual reality, augmented reality, and metaverse-related technologies.Read:Broken Roads Will Torment You With Character-Altering Moral Choices (and That’s Brilliant)
Meta is currently leading the headset revenue package, with IDC reporting that Quest 2 accounted for 78% of total VR headset sales in 2021. Meta is followed by DPVR with 5.1% share in the global market, Bytedance at 4.5%, and VR leader HTC coming in fourth place. But other big companies are starting to invest in hardware and software that supports virtual and augmented reality technologies, and Wall Street sees this growing interest creating a trillion-dollar market.
Tech players like Sony, Samsung, Google (think Google Glass or their upcoming AR glasses), and Microsoft (now merged with Niantic, the maker of AR-based Pokémon Go) have already launched VR/AR technologies and are set to continue to innovate in While other companies such as Apple are recalling plans to launch augmented reality glasses and related iPhone capabilities in the near term.
As investors continue to flood the market, smaller startups will start rocking the cyberspace, particularly in broader use cases that have nothing to do with gaming. New entrants aim to create value for consumers, with many abandoning the metaverse entirely; AppliedVR has created a working virtual reality business model that can operate without immersive worlds. ManageXR helps companies manage their Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality devices with their platform, and their company has grown from just 30 customers to more than 100 customers in just ten months as companies increasingly look to implement virtual reality technologies in their daily lives.
As all of these companies are busy building the next *big* thing in virtual reality, one thing is certain: No matter the use, the market for these technologies will be driven forward by innovations in the systems behind them. In other words.
Innovations in virtual and augmented reality components will stimulate competition in the market.
Implementing and deploying these technologies at scale requires hardware, software, and processing advances along with improvements to the overall physical design of wearable VR. Many of the problems Meta has with creating VR headsets, is that the designs are too heavy and too heavy to be brought to market. Additionally, creating wireless options is critical in our increasingly cable-free world; This is more difficult than simply adding a rechargeable battery because that battery life is usually limited, and the graphics come in at a lower resolution. This points to the need to develop a graphics card that can not only support these wireless designs, but can also make the virtual reality experience so similar to human sight that the user does not distinguish between the real and virtual world.
Additionally, with the introduction of 5G, data processing in virtual reality settings will see reduced lag, lower data congestion, higher quality screens, and improved navigation. However, the pursuit of manufacturers now is to make necessary developments in software based on virtual reality technology that can support the enhanced connectivity offered by 5G, 6G and beyond networks.
Improvements in overall design, motion tracking, and immersive imaging will propel current VR systems to become more like the fully connected devices of the future. As computer processing power continues to grow and wireless connectivity expands, the capabilities of these devices will continue to expand. But the conflicts associated with them as well.
Industrial innovation creates opportunities for complex litigation.
As competition in the industry heats up, many players will struggle to become the best system. This friction drives both innovation and litigation opportunities, particularly in matters relating to antitrust, patent infringement, trade secret theft, breach of contract, mergers and acquisitions, and shareholder disputes.
As the virtual and augmented reality markets (both inside and outside the metaverse) continue to grow, developments in software and hardware combined with the need for regulation in space will create conflict. We see fights over intellectual property among the most prevalent as developers will have to start aggressively defending their intellectual property as the market becomes more saturated. Moreover, major acquisitions taking place in the virtual reality market will lead to mergers and acquisitions and theft of trade secret issues. We also expect discussions about data retention and handling, especially if industry regulations surrounding consumer data protection come later rather than sooner.
If your company needs help preparing for these challenges, reach out to the WIT team for the best experts who can advise you on your strategy. Our teams of experts have been created to address what we expect will be key areas of litigation in emerging video game content and technologies.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the topic. It is recommended to take the advice of specialists in such circumstances.


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12 Top Remodeling Trends for 2011
New year, new list of remodeling projects to start around the house. At least that’s what remodelers and contractors are hoping.
So, what remodeling projects are on top of everyone’s list?
The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) conducted an exclusive poll of their top builders and developers for us and found that while most people are not starting major renovation projects due to the economy, now is the time to take care of the smaller jobs around your home.
Call it the over-arching remodeling trend for 2011: Tackling small projects while you wait to do the really big remodeling project that’s on your list.
READ THE FULL LIST OF 12 TOP REMODELING TRENDS ON MONEYWATCH.COM
65% of Internet Users Bought Something Online
About 65% of Internet users have paid for some kind of online content, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.
Pew found that digital music and software are the two most common purchases, yet almost half of the users have only bought one or two kinds of content, and most have only used one method of access, such as streaming or downloading.
Of the 1,003 people surveyed, 75% were Internet users, which is consistent with the general proportion of Internet use in the U.S.
While previous surveys had looked at online purchases in general, the goal of this one was to isolate purchases of content only, rather than physical items. Of the people who where online, less than two thirds had ever used it to buy some kind of content.
33% of those who bought online content had gotten either digital music or software, and 21% had bought apps for cell phones or tablet PCs.
In this survey we asked the following question: “Please tell me if you have ever paid to access or to download any of the following types of online content?” The findings show that:
* 33% of internet users have paid for digital music online. * 33% have paid for software. * 21% have paid for apps for their cell phones or tablet computers. * 19% have paid for digital games. * 18% have paid for digital newspaper, magazine or journal articles or reports. * 16% have paid for videos, movies or TV shows. * 15% have paid for ringtones. * 12% have paid for digital photos. * 11% have paid for members-only premium content from a website that has other free material on it. * 10% have paid for e-books. * 7% have paid for podcasts. * 5% have paid for tools or materials to use in video or computer games. * 5% have paid for "cheats or codes" to help them in video games. * 5% have paid to access particular websites such as online dating sites or services. * 2% have paid for adult content.
And 6% of internet users said they had paid for another kind of content not mentioned in the list of 15 the survey offered.
READ MORE on PewResearch.org
READ MORE on CNN: 65% Internet Users Bought Online
US Mortgage Rates Rise This Week
McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that both fixed-rate mortgage rates eased slightly this week. The 5-year hybrid ARM dropped back slightly, but the 1-year ARM rates were up.
30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.81 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending December 23, 2010, down from last week when it averaged 4.83 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.05 percent.
15-year FRM this week averaged 4.15 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 4.17 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 4.45 percent.
5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.75 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.77 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 4.40 percent.
1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.40 percent this week with an average 0.7 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.35 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 4.38 percent.
According to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac, “Mortgage rates were little changed this week following significant increases over the prior several weeks. Economic reports in December have suggested the economy began regaining momentum towards the end of the year, with consumer spending, industrial production and exports all posting solid gains. Treasury yields backed up as this stronger growth outlook caused an improvement in risk appetites and the likelihood of deflation to recede further.”
“Rates remain low, however, despite the recent rise, and are still well below where they began the year. Low mortgage rates are an important factor in housing affordability, which in October was the highest on record, according to the National Association of Realtors® . These conditions are conducive to improving housing market conditions, and indeed, sales of existing single-family homes rose 6.7 percent in November to the strongest pace since June, according to the Realtors. In addition, the median sales price rose 1.2 percent over November 2009, which represented the first 12-month increase since August and largest gain since April. Finally, new construction on one-family homes in November rose to the strongest rate since April, based on figures released by the Census Bureau,” he said.
READ MORE from Freddie Mac: US Mortgage Rates Rise This Week
Jobless Claims Hit Lowest Level Since July 2008
The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits slid last week to the lowest level in nearly two and a half years, indicating that labor-market conditions continue to improve.
Initial unemployment claims declined by 34,000 to 388,000 in the week ended Dec. 25, the first time the figure has dropped below 400,000 since July 2008, the Labor Department said Thursday in its weekly report. The previous week’s figures were revised up slightly to 422,000 from 420,000.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected claims would fall by just 2,000.
The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits slid last week to the lowest level in more than two years, indicating the labor market may be improving. The four-week average of new claims, which aims to smooth volatility in the data, also fell to its lowest point since July 2008. That more closely watched figure decreased by 12,500 to 414,000. While seasonal layoffs often pick up in the week before Christmas, a Labor Department economist said there is nothing unusual about the figures reported by individual states.
READ MORE on WSJ.com: Jobless Claims Hit Lowest Level Since July 2008
Flea Market Fakes
Used to be, if you wanted a knockoff handbag or fake fragrance, Lower Manhattan’s Canal Street was a mecca.
But with flea markets across the country now carrying the same kind of counterfeit products with poser trademarks, authorities warn that shoppers may get more than they bargain for in poor quality and safety risks while helping fund criminal syndicates in some cases.
“If the price is too good, you have to think about it,” said Lt. Mike McDonnell with the New Jersey State Police cargo theft unit. “If you see it at a flea market and it’s half the price of normal, you have to think there’s something wrong.”
The unit earlier this month seized more than 5,000 pieces of counterfeit product at a flea market in Springfield, including fake Estee Lauder and MAC cosmetics that retail for more than $300,000.
The safety risks of buying fake goods are real, experts say.
Counterfeit goods are different than so-called knockdowns, or cheaper brands. Knockdowns, like items sold by Wal-Mart, Target and other major retailers are required to undergo safety checks. Fakes usually are smuggled into the country and unregulated.
Safety risks include fake batteries that contain mercury, electrical products that don’t meet safety standards, perfumes found to contain urine and high alcohol content, and clothing made with toxic dyes and flammable materials.
READ MORE on NPR: Flea Market Fakes
Last Minute Things You Can Do To Lower Your Tax Bill in 2011
My friend and Equifax Personal Finance Blog colleague Eva Rosenberg (an Enrolled Agent also known as “Taxmama”), has some easy things you can do to lower your tax bill next April. But the kicker is, you have to get it done before the end of the year.
She suggests that you start by doing a quick estimate to see if you’re going to owe taxes next year. You can use TurboTax’s TaxCaster or H&R Block’s Tax Estimator.
If you’re going to owe money next April, here are some things you can do to beef up your deductions:
You paid the first installment of your property taxes earlier this month. Pay the next installment before December 31.
Around December 28–31, pay your January mortgage payment. By then, you will have accrued nearly a whole month’s interest. You’ll be able to claim the deduction in 2010.
Clean out your closets and attics. Make a complete list of the good, usable things you find and no longer need and donate these books, toys, electronics, pieces of furniture, etc., to your favorite charity. See my blog earlier this month for specifics.
If you can afford it, increase your retirement plan contributions. That will reduce your taxable wages for this year.
If you don’t itemize because you don’t have a mortgage or deductible expenses, what can you do? You can use credits. See if you still have time to score some of these energy credits or child-friendly credits.
You may qualify for an IRA deduction. And if you do, the good news is you can wait until April 18 to fund it.
READ MORE on the EQUIFAX PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG
Need Help With Your Mortgage? Try These Resources
Call Of The Day
Will is thankful that he has a job and he wants to feed people. I recommended that he work with these two organizations, so that his money will go as far as possible to feed as many people as possible:
Suggestion from a listener:
A resource for North Fulton Residents is the North Fulton Community Charities. They have a food bank that serves the entire large N. Fulton area.
Address:11270 Elkins Rd., Roswell, Georgia 30076 [Map]
Tel: 770-640-0399 Fax: 770-640-9220
Email: [email protected].
Please add your suggestions to the blog via comments.


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Cisco Hires Former Apple Exec Mark Papermaster
Mark Papermaster, who is believed to have been the fall guy following Apple's highly publicized antenna problems with the iPhone 4, has joined Cisco to work on the company's important line of network switches.
Microchip expert Papermaster started work Monday as VP of Cisco's Silicon Switching Technology Group, where he will be responsible for managing the application-specific integrated circuits that go into the Nexus 7000 and Catalyst lines, a Cisco spokesman said. Papermaster will report to John McCool, senior VP and general manager of the company's Data Center, Switching and Services Group, which accounts for $15 billion in Cisco product revenue annually.
Papermaster left Apple in August after less than two years on the job. His departure followed quality problems associated with the iPhone 4, which was Papermaster's responsibility. The most publicized problem involved the design of the antenna that wrapped around the phone. When the user touched an area at the bottom of the device, it would lose signal and the call would be dropped. To appease angry customers, Apple handed out a case at no charge to cover the antenna.
The antenna was one of several problems with the iPhone 4. The new high-resolution display, which Apple called a "retina screen,” got high marks from reviewers, but was reportedly less sturdy than the screen it replaced. The screen was reportedly more inclined to scratches in ordinary use and spider webbing if dropped.
Papermaster and Apple did not give a reason for his departure. However, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that Papermaster had had a falling-out with Apple chief executive Steve Jobs. As a former IBM executive, Papermaster also didn't do well in Apple's very different corporate culture.
Papermaster was working on IBM's PowerPC microprocessor when he left the company in 2008 to join Apple. IBM sued Papermaster, claiming his joining Apple violated the non-compete clause in his IBM contract. In January 2009, the parties settled the lawsuit, with Papermaster agreeing, presumably with Apple's blessing, to check in with IBM if he suspects that any innovations he develops at Apple infringed on confidential or proprietary information he picked up during his years of work at IBM.
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Apple has introduced the iPhone 4S, a feature upgrade to its iPhone 4 that failed to deliver on fans' expectations of an all-new iPhone 5.
Apple has introduced its latest iPhone, the 4S, and reduced prices on older models. Credit: Kent German/CNET
The iPhone 4S smartphone, introduced on Tuesday at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, will keep the same aesthetic features as the iPhone 4. On the inside, it has a better processor and graphics than its predecessor, and it comes with Siri, a personal assistant app that uses voice recognition to deliver answers to spoken questions.
Apple unveiled the new smartphone with relatively little fanfare, launching it at its offices rather than at the much larger Moscone Center conference hall in San Francisco, where previous iPhone and iPad announcements have taken place.
Many people were expecting an iPhone 5, a redesigned handset with a significantly updated feature list and a new design. But with the iPhone 4S, Apple is aiming at the middle rather than the top of the market, where ever-increasing numbers of Android devices have been sold.
"The simple fact that what was announced was not called an iPhone 5 will leave many feeling rather empty," Ernest Doku, technology expert at uSwitch.com, said in a statement. "A phone which talks to you and answers your questions? That's the iPhone 4S. Slightly disappointing from a hardware standpoint."
The handset comes with a dual-core A5, as used in the iPad 2. This brings dual-core graphics, which the company said are up to seven times faster than those in the iPhone 4. It also provides better battery life, according to Apple.
"For the first time in an iPhone, we now have eight hours of talk time on 3G," said Phil Schiller, head of worldwide marketing at Apple. "[It provides] 14 hours of 2G talk time, six hours of browsing in your network, nine hours on Wi-Fi, 10 hours of watching video, 40 hours of listening to music."
Its wireless antenna set-up has been upgraded to improve call quality and data download speeds, Schiller added. Its predecessor suffered from an antenna glitch that resulted in poor cellular reception.
The iPhone 4S "intelligently switches between two antennas to transmit and receive," Schiller said in at the launch event.
Previously, Apple's handsets came in GSM and CDMA variants for the different standards used in the US and elsewhere in the world. The iPhone 4S will support both technologies. "Now the iPhone is a 'world phone'," Schiller said.
In addition, the phone's camera now has an 8-megapixel sensor for better photos, plus a lens with a bigger aperture and an upgraded backside illumination sensor. Video recording is now in 1080p HD.
The handset now comes with Siri. The beta app is a personal assistant that can be asked questions such as what the weather is like, or what a word means. It will speak the answer, as well as bring up any relevant apps, such as a weather app. People can also call on it to do things such as dictate a document, send a text message or get directions.
"Apple's new Siri assistant, unique to the new 4S, is a powerful harbinger of the future use of mobile devices — not just the power of voice but, more importantly, the ability to contextualise a statement or request," Thomas Husson, a European consumer mobile analyst at Forrester, said in a statement.
Apple will begin taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4S in the UK on Friday, for delivery from 14 October. It will start at £499, whereas the iPhone 4 is listed currently at £429 for an 8GB model without a SIM. In the US, a 16GB iPhone 4S will cost $199 on a two-year contract, and increasing storage to 32GB and 64GB takes the price up by $100 each time. In addition, the iPhone 4 has been reduced to $99 on a contract.
A phone which talks to you and answers your questions? That's the iPhone 4S. Slightly disappointing from a hardware standpoint. – Ernest Doku
The prices of earlier 3GS and 4 models are being reduced to a level to match the cost of iPhone's Android rivals, according to analysts.
"The new prices announced to the new iPhone 4S and previous iPhone versions allow Apple to compete in the price segments where Android is fiercely growing, the mid-range," Francisco Jeronimo, a mobile analyst at IDC, said in a statement.
"Apple will attract first-time smartphone users and users from mid-price Symbian devices looking for an upgrade, but will it attract current iPhone users to replace their current iPhones? Definitely not," he added.
During the launch event, Apple confirmed the arrival of iOS 5 on 12 October and introduced a number of new features for the mobile platform. The updated operating system will deliver usability changes such as one-tap access to the camera and native editing of photos. Among the new native apps is iMessage, which lets people send text messages to any iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad running iOS 5. The update also brings iCloud, Apple's cloud-based back-up and storage service, to the iPhone.
Apple's iCloud will sync music, documents and photos with the iPhone 4S, providing a daily back-up. This will ensure it is easy to restore a device from iCloud, said Eddy Cue, Apple's head of internet software and services.
One of the new native apps, Find My Friends, is intended to make it easier to locate family and other people who use the software. The location sharing in the app can be set to 'temporary', to increase privacy, and there are parental controls to stop children from deactivating it.
Tim Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs as Apple's chief executive in August, revealed that the Apple App Store now holds more than 500,000 apps and receives more than one billion app downloads per month — a total of around 18 billion apps over the store's three years. By comparison, the Android Market has around 300,000 apps.
The iPhone 4 launched in June 2010 at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). To date, it accounts for more than half of all iPhone sales, Cook said. In its latest financial report ending 25 June, Apple said it had sold 20.34 million iPhone handsets during the preceding three months.
Discover the technological heritage of the iPhone via our Tech Family Tree timeline and poster.


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Gastronomes in Ho Chi Minh City will once again have the chance to indulge in a variety of rich European food during the 4th European Food Festival on December 12. Organized by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Vietnam, the annual food fair will feature 25 food and drink pavilions from leading HCM City hotels and restaurants including the Caravelle, Park Hyatt, Sheraton, Sofitel, Pacharan and Pendolasco.
Organized by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Vietnam, the annual food fair will feature 25 food and drink pavilions from leading HCM City hotels and restaurants including the Caravelle, Park Hyatt, Sheraton, Sofitel, Pacharan and Pendolasco.
Delicacies will be also served up from the likes of An Nam Gourmet, New Zealand Ice Cream, Red Apron, the Vine Group and more.
Food lovers can sample an offering of cheeses imported from France and the Netherlands, along with Belgian chocolate and German beer. Delicious coffee, cappuccino and expresso drinks prepared by Espressamente Illy will also be on hand.
In addition, a host of activities are lined up to entertain audiences including live music performances by Emerald Flamenco, an “Ao dai” (Vietnamese traditional tunic) fashion show, a lucky draw for prizes and vacations, and a kids' corner.
There will also be an exclusive charity sale of Unilever brand cosmetics to benefit Poussières de Vie and Saigon Children’s Charity.
This year’s 4th European Food Festival will be held at HCM City’s EuroCham at 257 Hoang Van Thu, Tan Binh District, from 5.30pm to 11.00pm.
Tickets cost 280,000 VND for those 12 years and above and can be purchased at the EuroCham HCMC office, 49 Mac Dinh Chi, Dist. 1. Children are allowed free entry but must purchase vouchers to buy food and beverages.
Last year’s European Food Festival attracted over 800 people.
For more information and ticket reservation, contact firstname.lastname@example.org or call 08 3827 2715.


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The Port of Sept-Îles has posted its best-ever performance as a cruise ship destination in 2019.
Nine cruise ships carrying nearly 19,000 passengers and crew members visited the city on Quebec’s North Shore this year.
That is twice the number of passengers and crew members than the port registered in 2014, which was the record until this year.
Three cruise ships — Seabourn Quest, Le Champlain and Serenade of the Seas — made their inaugural visits to Sept-Îles in 2019.
The latter ship’s overnight visit on Sept. 7–8 came as a result of a last-minute repositioning due to Hurricane Dorian, which caused havoc along the Eastern Seaboard and in the Atlantic Provinces.
Another notable guest in the Port of Sept-Îles in 2019 was the Queen Mary II, which made two visits.
“Having visits from such a prestigious ship is a great calling card for us,” says Marie-Ève Duguay, executive director of cruise destination development for Destination Sept-Îles/Nakauinanu, a local non-profit that handles cruise ships for the Port of Sept-Îles.
According to Duguay, Sept-Îles is both willing and able to welcome the growing numbers of cruise ships that ply the waters of the St. Lawrence River.
“There are a lot of opportunities because traffic is still growing,” says Duguay.
She also pointed to the growing potential of niche expedition-style cruise ships like Le Champlain, a luxury yacht with only 184 passengers and 110 crew.
Operated by French cruise line company Ponant, the ship visited Sept-Îles for the first time in August.
Duguay says the port regularly receives high praise from cruise ship lines and high ratings from cruise ship passengers.
Sept-Îles notably received the 2019 Cruise Insight Award from London-based Cruising Insight Magazine.
“We get a lot of live comments from visitors, but we also receive e-mails from people after their visit, saying how much they enjoyed themselves here,” says Duguay.
“The things they like the most is the warm welcome they receive from people, whether it’s on the dock, in the museum, in stores, at local attractions or just in the streets.”
Duguay says the port’s most popular attractions are linked to the North Shore region’s distinctive history, culture and environment.
The most visited attraction by cruise ship passengers is the Old Trading Post. Set on the original site of an old Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading post in an Innu village that is only a 10-minute bus ride from the cruise ship passenger terminal or a 40-minute walk, the animated site offers a glimpse into the daily life of a 19th-century fur-trading post.
It includes a main building with a fur trade exhibit, a guardhouse, a chapel and an Innu structure.
“It offers people a surprising experience based on the meeting of the Innu and Euro-Canadian cultures over time,” says Duguay.
Other attractions include a 3-hour culinary walking tour of North Shore food and drink, zodiac boat rides in the Bay of Sept-Îles and, the latest attraction, guided visits to one of the bay’s seven islands—called Grosse Boule—to find, harvest and taste everything from seaweed to scallops.
“We’re always looking for activities that build our offering,” says Duguay. “We work with local groups to create experiences that are of international calibre quality and that meet the particular interests and time constraints of cruise ship passengers, things that will give them a quick but memorable look at our region.”


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Italian distributor Esprinet has posted a fall in profits for the year, although sales were up 6%.
For the year ended 31 December 2017 consolidated sales were €3.217bn, up from the €3.042bn in 2016. Gross profits were €167.5m, up 2% on €163.9m last time.
But operating profits were down 11% to €34.3m, and net profits fell 7% to €25.1m. Consolidated sales for the fourth quarter actually fell 2% to €1,089bn
Esprinet said: “The rationalisation of the cost structure, which began in 2017 with the primary goal of guaranteeing a significantly lower break-even point, will continue in 2018 as a logical outcome of the renewed focus on reducing fixed costs.”
It added: “The competitive landscape should gradually show lower pressure compared to the previous year, as demonstrated by the sales trend in the first weeks of the current year.
“The management confirm 2018 sales will grow at a 'low-single digit' due to the positive effect of the Italian operations, and an expected reduction of sales in our Spain operations arising from eroded revenue in the retail fulfilment sector.”
The company is predicting operating profits for the year of between €39m and €41m, net of non-recurring and extraordinary items.


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Indian handset maker Micromax has announced the launch of its new dual SIM phone – the A45 Punk. Priced at Rs 5,499, the Micromax A45 Punk runs on Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread), and is equipped with a 650 MHz processor. This phone has following salient features:
- 3.5″ inch HVGA capacitive display
- Resolution of 320 X 480 pixels
- Talk time of 4.5 hours
- 1300mAh battery
- 2 megapixel camera
- Expandable memory of up to 32 GB
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Micromax A45 comes pre-loaded with company’s voice assistant app AISHA, a voice recognition app which made its debut with A50 Ninja, which is touted to provide solution to the queries of its consumers and help them to make calls, send messages, search for a life partner, know about nearest pizza outlet, weather conditions and much more. A45 punk provides the users with access to a plethora of apps such as Facebook, Mstore, WhatsApp and other apps from Google Play store.
This phone features WiFi,Bluetooth connectivity and FM Radio, which are the craze among youngsters. “The device offers a new way to explore, discover and enjoy music and thus revamp their entire music listening experience through excellent quality and funky looking headphones provided along with the device,” said the company in a press release.
At this pricing, it is one of the cheapest smartphones from Micromax as well as from all Android manufacturers in the country. Thanks to the bigger display and voice assistant app, it is expected to undercut the sales of other budget Android smartphones.
The A45 Punk is available in two colours – white and black. This model will be available across all leading retail outlets in India.


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During a meeting of the telecommunications commission of San Francisco, an SBC engineer revealed SBC's hotspot plans for the year: He said that SBC plans to offer its Freedomlink hotspots in 900 locations in California by the end of this year and already has 27 venues under contract (which usually means signed but not built in hotspot industry speak). Freedomlink is the product name for its hotspot network that SBC announced in the middle of 2003.
At the time, SBC said that Wayport would help it build hotspots in a whopping 6,000 locations within SBC's 13 state region by the end of 2006. The company also said it would begin by building more than 1,000 hotspots in several hundred locations by the end of 2003. SBC seems to have missed the mark by a wide margin as its Web site currently lists 30 hotspots, including a handful at Cingular stores and SBC offices.
It's becoming comical, really, watching companies like SBC make grandiose promises that don't even come close to fruition. As we reported earlier in the month, Sprint PCS has a similar track record. Sprint PCS said last year that it would build 1,300 hotspots and so far has two. Cometa pledged that it would start rolling out hotspots in 50 urban markets in 2003. So far it has hotspots in four states--a long way from its promised 20,000 hotspots by the end of 2007. [link via Matt. The SBC engineer's comments come just after 40 minutes into the program.]


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The Fan Store situated in the corner of the Joe Royle Stand has now added new items online and in-store.
New leisurewear stock in-store includes ladies and men's t-shirt's, men's tracksuit pants and hooded jackets alongside junior tracksuit pants, sweatshirts and hoodies. Whilst branded face masks are back on sale.
The opening times of the Club Shop are below, but it will be open this evening (Tuesday 29 September) between 5-6:30pm for the families of academy scholars as well as the public.
There will be a one-way system throughout with supporters being asked to adhere to guidelines set by the government and are asked, where possible, to pay by contactless which has now been increased in-store to the sum £45.
The latest edition of the 'Boundary Bulletin' from the Crawley Town game at the weekend is now also available to purchase for £3.
A reduced poster programme wasn't produced for the EFL Trophy match against Wolves U21 and this will also be the case for the upcoming fixture in the same competition against Doncaster Rovers.
Whilst you're here...
Despite this change in the league rules, Latics will continue to produce a 64-page programme for home league games and a reduced edition for cup matches - but it needs your backing once more, especially with games being behind-closed-doors.
While our club partners continue to support us, and fans still buy the programme in sufficient numbers, we will continue to produce a programme for the foreseeable future.
How To Buy Programmes
Matchday programmes will be available to purchase in-store at the Club Shop throughout the season.
Please note, for home matchdays the Club Shop will be closed, like the Ticket Office, due to games being classed as behind-closed-doors and in order to prevent fans from travelling to Boundary Park and breaking local lockdown advice.
|Tuesday to Saturday
You can contact the store direct on email email@example.com or telephone 0161 624 3538.
The address of the Club Shop is below with parking available directly outside.
Oldham Athletic Fan Store
Joe Royle Stand
Boundary Park (Off Hilbre Avenue)


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Peers branded the European Commission's new anti- fraud strategy, proposed in March, an 'action plan with no plans for action'.
In a scathing report - the fourth in six years - on financial control and fraud in the European Union, the Lords' committee on the European Communities said it was not possible to calculate the full extent of fraud.
'So many irregularities have been discovered in every sphere of community financial activity that it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that fraud exists on a monumental and growing scale,' it said.
The European Court of Auditors report, published last November, identified 'little or no improvement' in EU financial management, despite repeated criticism.
Examples of fraud included: farmers claiming money for storing grain which they do not have; payments of subsidies to cotton producers twice over; and cattle-smuggling across borders to evade customs levies.
The peers criticised the European Council of Ministers' 'unwillingness' to take strong measures to combat mismanagement and financial irregularity.
They called for a task force of outside experts to review how European institutions discharged their financial responsibilities; a strengthening of the Court of Auditors; and more lucid anti- fraud legislation.
The scale of EU fraud could amount to anything between pounds 2bn and pounds 6bn a year, according to estimates given to Parliament this year.Reuse content


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Donut shop, while revenues surge, bites into expansion
Little Donut House adds to its menu and enlarges its Tampa bakery café.
Business Observer Staff
| 11:34 a.m. August 6, 2018
TAMPA — A year after opening, Tampa-based Little Donut House has greatly expanded its menu and is looking to open a second location in the Tampa Bay region. Founder and owner Stephen Schab says the company’s revenue is up by 63%, year-over-year, and that he’s evaluating sites in St. Petersburg, Wesley Chapel, Trinity and Brandon for a second location.
Little Donut Shop opened in May 2017 at 4048 W. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa and its simple menu of coffee and mini donuts proved a hit with customers.
Schab has gradually added items like breakfast sandwiches and bagels to the menu, and on Aug. 18 he and Katie Schab, his wife and business partner, will introduce a dozen new offerings, including lunch sandwiches and salads, during a new menu launch party that’s open to the public, according to a statement. They will also unveil expansions and additions to the restaurant, including 20 feet of booth seating, couches, cozy chairs and newly painted wall murals, according to a press release.
“Being a small family business is awesome because it gives us the opportunity to mold our concept based on customer feedback,” Stephen Schab states in the release. “Our long-term goal is to have many Little Donut Houses across the country. But first we had to perfect our concept. This latest expansion will be ‘the icing on the donut.’ Appealing to both the breakfast and lunch crowd furthers the stability of the business, making it ready for expansion.”
Schab adds, “Successful expansion requires serious discipline and execution. Physically making a donut or sandwich is easy; building and operating a café is extremely challenging. The key to long-term and replicable success is robust, customer-oriented processes and procedures and this is what we excel at.”


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Amazon has revealed plans to establish same-day delivery services in Sydney and Melbourne, a move one logistics leader described as “playing catch-up” to existing market players.
Speaking at The Australian‘s e-commerce summit on Thursday, Craig Fuller, Amazon’s chief of Australian operations, said the company aims to launch the service in Sydney and Melbourne.
Under the plan, Amazon customers who place an order before 11am could receive their delivery by nightfall that day.
The company will leverage its six national fulfilment centres and more than a dozen delivery stations for those deliveries, and is expected to lean on independent contractors working through Amazon Flex to send those goods home.
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Amazon launched its same-day delivery service in the select US cities in 2019. It has expanded across the country since, and into major international markets including the UK.
Amazon same-day delivery is likely to face a warm response from Australian consumers, whose online shopping habits have only grown in value and volume over the past two years.
But Steve Orenstein, CEO of ASX-listed Zoom2U, said Amazon will offer a service already available to many Australian businesses and consumers.
“I think it’s a positive thing, it’s great that they’re doing it,” Orenstein said, even if “a number of companies in the market already do same-day delivery [as] this is what consumers are looking for”.
Domestic competitors offering same-day delivery can serve customers differently, he added.
Unlike Amazon, which processes deliveries from warehouses and delivery centres, Zoom2U often facilitates deliveries from brick-and-mortar stores to end consumers.
Orenstein said this model gives smaller players an advantage, as businesses can “leverage their retail footprint” instead of working through the Amazon ecosystem.
Stores can operate as “micro-warehouses”, he said. “That allows them to be really close to the consumer, and to be able to do an even faster delivery because the delivery system is really short.”
While Amazon plans its rapid delivery operations, ‘instant commerce’ operations like Milkrun are also pushing for the same-day delivery, and often same-hour delivery, of everyday grocery items.
As retailers adjust to new consumer expectations — and organised labour groups negotiate fair working conditions for drivers — Orenstein said Amazon’s announcement comes at an “exciting time” for Australian retail.
“Products are going to be able to get to you much much faster than what you’ve ever had,” he said.


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With a Billboard Style Issue cover story and 2016’s viral Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Black Beatles” under their belt, Rae Sremmurd are swiftly proving that they are among today’s youngest and most influential stylish hip-hop artists.
So it’s no surprise that American sportswear brand Reebok selected brothers Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee to front the company’s latest “Classic Leather” campaign.
“When we were starting out, we had all these wild house parties in Tupelo, Mississippi,” said Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi in a statement. “It was all about creating a community for different kinds of people to come together and just have fun. The Classic Leather is all about defying classification — anyone can wear it, wherever you’re from, whatever your situation is.”
The Massachusetts-based company is no stranger to working with some of the biggest names in hip-hop. Within the last year, they’ve collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on his “This is Classic” campaign in July, Teyana Taylor designed a blood-red “Question” kicks with reptile print and a touch of icy-blue detailing in October, and Future dropped his black and white “Zoku Runner” sneaker this March in London.
“Swae and Jxmmi are the perfect partners for the Classic Leather. These guys are constantly pushing boundaries, which Reebok Classic is all about,” said Todd Krinsky, General Manager of Reebok Classic. “Few artists so passionately embrace life and nonconformity like Rae Sremmurd, and we’re excited to bring them into the Reebok Classic family.”
Krinsky previously told Billboard at Future’s pop-up shop that while their competitors in the sneaker industry “didn’t accept nor acknowledge” that young consumers look to entertainers for sartorial inspiration, Reebok did. “We said, let’s change the game a little bit and see what happens. Now you have athletes and musicians that can sell product [with Reebok].”
For a recap of Rae Sreemurd’s performance from day two of Governors Ball, click here.