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Politicians say we have the most productive workers in the world. They don't know what they're talking about.
Still, it’s important to realize that not all productivity gains are illusory. The truth is, there are still plenty of U.S. companies that find it more cost-effective to boost their domestic productivity by investing in new equipment and training workers. With better statistics, we might even be able to identify which industries have the highest prevalence of these “domestically productive” companies—and thus identify the sectors where American workers are actually competitive on the global stage (or could be made competitive with a little investment). But as it is, we are left with anecdotal glimpses of the competitive landscape.
In an unusual coincidence, for example, the Hanover, New Hampshire, region has long been home to two of the world’s leading manufacturers of plasma torches and cutting systems—powerful tools that are used, for instance, to cut plate steel for trucks and bridges. This is a global market, where much of the high-end demand comes from infrastructure investment in developing countries such as China. But the two companies have gone about competing in dramatically different ways. One company, Hypertherm, has focused on boosting productivity at its New Hampshire facilities. By investing in new equipment and continually improving its workflow, it has been able to remain competitive with overseas rivals without significant offshoring. “We looked at doing some manufacturing in China,” says Evan Smith, the general manager of Hypertherm. “It didn’t make sense for us.”
Instead, Hypertherm—which ships two-thirds of its output overseas—is actually expanding facilities in New Hampshire. The company is constructing a new building just down the road from its current headquarters to help house some of its 1,000 employees.
Meanwhile, just a few miles away, their rival company Thermal Dynamics recently announced plans to move its New Hampshire plasma system manufacturing operations to Texas and Mexico by December 2011. According to the company’s press release, the move, affecting about 100 workers, was “critical to our ability to better serve our customers and grow our business profitably.” Thermal Dynamics’s parent company, St. Louis-based Thermadyne, declined to comment further.
Presumably Thermal Dynamics’s shift of plasma torch production to Mexico will cut costs and improve the company’s profit margins, even as the number of domestic workers falls. If the assembled plasma cutting systems are shipped to the U.S. before going to customers, the government’s economic statistics will register a gain in manufacturing productivity.
Nevertheless, from the perspective of the New Hampshire and U.S. economies, there’s a big difference between Hypertherm’s and Thermal Dynamics’s approach. By focusing on domestic productivity growth, Hypertherm encourages more hiring in New Hampshire and more exports from the U.S. By relying more on supply chain productivity gains, Thermal Dynamics’s products may become more globally competitive, but the main beneficiaries may not be U.S. workers.
How, then, can we become a nation where it makes economic sense for more companies to behave like Hypertherm and invest and create jobs in the U.S.? As is often the case, the first thing we need is a better understanding of the problem. We honestly don’t have a clue about what’s really going on in the U.S. economy. What’s worse, we think we do.
Often, despite all the signs that the blood is draining out of our economy, and particularly our manufacturing sector, our highly problematic national productivity statistics can make it seem like we already live in a nation full of Hypertherms—companies honing their operations at home. Journalists and politicians can easily enough find examples of companies that are genuinely increasing efficiency of their U.S. operations, and generalize these examples to the entire economy. A mostly upbeat April 2011 Associated Press article, for example, attributed the weak job market to rising productivity, claiming that “U.S. workers have become so productive that it’s harder for anyone without a job to get one.” The proof? National productivity statistics, plus one example of a plastics company that was able to produce a part with fewer people. The growth of global supply chains was not mentioned.
Both President Obama and his Republican rivals seem to have fallen prey to the same illusion. “We still have the best workers and farmers, entrepreneurs and businesses, students and scientists,” Obama repeated, with variations, as he cruised through Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois this past summer. Or as Mitt Romney told Ohio factory workers in July 2011, “Our workers are the most productive in the world—so trade ought to be good for us.”
On the campaign trail, these words represent not just a flattering slogan but an economic diagnosis and policy prescription. According to the theory implicit in this kind of talk, the U.S. has no fundamental long-term competitiveness problem: American companies have honed their competitiveness by shaking off unnecessary workers and low-value businesses, and will be ready to hire once the global economy recovers.
In the minds of Obama and his team, the big problem is insufficient demand, and the appropriate short-term policy response is fiscal and monetary stimulus. In the long term, the best thing Washington can do is enact policies that prepare American workers and small businesses to take advantage of those opportunities and continue touting the virtues of free trade and future growth. On the other side of the aisle, the Republican presidential candidates and congressional leaders are identifying high taxes and pervasive regulations as the main causes of our economic problems. From this perspective, if only government would get out of the way by cutting taxes and reducing regulations, the private sector would bring prosperity to everyone through high productivity growth.
Both sides suffer from the same fundamental blindness. To shake the American political debate out of this bipartisan rut, the first order of business is to run an industry-by-industry “competitiveness audit,” as the Progressive Policy Institute has proposed in a recent policy brief. Such an audit would compare the price of selected imported goods and services and their domestic equivalents. This would allow us to identify which U.S. industries are in the lead, which ones are close to being competitive, and which ones are out of the running. It would require some extra spending for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, whose able but chronically underfunded personnel would be the natural candidates to carry out the audit, but it wouldn’t cost that much to run a pilot program on selected goods and services. Armed with this information, government statisticians would finally be able to distinguish between domestic productivity gains—which lower the cost of U.S. production—and supply chain productivity gains—which take advantage of declines in the cost of overseas production.
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Couple brings traditional South American drink yerba mate to the UK with the launch of Yuyo brand
With Brazil in the spotlight this summer thanks to the Rio Olympics, one couple is bringing the traditional South American drink yerba mate to the UK, with an Ocado launch for their Yuyo brand this month.
Biochemist Dr Charles Grummitt and his partner Rosie Marteau, a Spanish translator, founded Yuyo – which means herb or wild plant in Spanish – on their return to Britain after travelling in Latin America.
Yerba mate, pronounced yer-bah ma-tey, is a herb from the holly family with a combination of caffeine and theobromine, the feelgood compound from cacao.
Feel good: Pope Francis, left, is a fan of yerba mate; Rosie Marteau and Charles Grummitt launched their Yuyo brand after travelling in South America
Pope Francis and footballers Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi are all yerba mate drinkers. ‘The theobromine kicks in more slowly than caffeine, so what you get is a cleaner, more sustained lift than coffee, without the crash,’ said Grummitt.
In May last year the couple won a competition called The Seed Fund, set up by branding consultancy The Collaborators, to help fledgling food businesses in the South West to flourish.
The business, based in Shaftesbury, Dorset, launched its Yuyo brand at the Source Trade Show in Exeter in February. The brand has six blends, each certified organic by the Soil Association – four are yerba mate-based and two are rooibos-based.
With the help of The Collaborators, the couple commissioned an artist to create paintings for the packaging inspired by South American street art and came up with the slogan ‘Escape the Ordinary’.
Healthy: The brand has six blends, each certified organic by the Soil Association
Marteau said: ‘We’re still a small business with just one full-time employee, yours truly, and some freelance support, but we’re managing to break into mainstream retail with listings with Whole Foods, Planet Organic and, from later this month, Ocado. Lots of this is thanks to hard work, combined with the amazing branding prize from The Seed Fund and Start Up Loans.’
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The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a number of global challenges, affecting systems and key industries all over the world. Since the outbreak, DynaRisk's intelligence team has been tracking a number of sources including the Dark Web for new scams, threats and industries being targeted by cyber criminals. Here are some key takeaways so far...
Phishing has surged by over 60%
COVID-19 themed scams have increased significantly as the weeks have gone by. There have been thousands of Coronavirus-related domains registered globally since January, and we have identified over 2,500 malicious websites since March. Google has also reported an influx of phishing emails to its Gmail users, blocking over 18,000 virus related phishing emails every day. Read more about the coronavirus phishing techniques here.
Cyber criminals are agile
The scams currently in circulation vary in terms of sophistication, but one thing is clear - cyber criminals are trying out new ways to defraud victims 24/7. We have seen fake Outlook web apps designed to steal credentials for fraud, fake Coronavirus tracking apps that install malware, phishing emails impersonating government and official institutions and new iterations of ransomware being released.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the forced downtime and increased sense of fear has given cyber criminals more opportunities to take advantage of both businesses and consumers.
Companies of all sizes need more robust cyber security measures
Due to the fast measures taken by authorities to stop the spread of the virus, companies were forced to change the way they operate in just days. With more employees working remotely, cyber hygiene - often at the bottom of the to-do list - should be a top priority. Security events such as data breaches and loss of data to ransomware are never truly anticipated or prepared for, however the risks increase with a remote workforce.
To help employees learn ways to manage their personal cyber security risks, protect the company’s digital assets and increase resilience against growing threats, we are offering our Ultimate plan free for 30 days. Simply select our Ultimate plan here, apply code WORKREMOTE when you sign up and get your personal cyber dashboard complete with your Cyber Security Score, tailored action plan and personal ID monitoring setup in minutes.
No app is 100% secure
The increase in our reliance on digital tools has also brought some security vulnerabilities to light. Video call apps including Zoom and Houseparty have been targeted by cyber criminals and a new trend called Zoom ‘bombing’ has surfaced in recent weeks. However Houseparty has denied accusations that it was hacked, offering a reward to anyone that can prove the app was compromised. Despite this, many users experienced account takeovers on other accounts after installing Houseparty.
To prevent similar experiences we recommend that you utilise the highest security settings for video call apps and services, and ensure that your accounts use unique, strong passwords.
Cyber criminals, like Coronavirus, do not discriminate
Regardless of the size, revenue and industry, cyber threats can affect any and all businesses. During this period, we have seen hackers targeting health and education services, as well as tourism. Unfortunately the universal attitude is one of indifference - many business owners don’t believe that cyber threats apply to them. However we have seen businesses of all shapes and sizes targeted over the past few weeks.
Get cyber threat intelligence LIVE
If you’re interested in keeping up to date with the latest cyber threats, join our upcoming webinar. In our bi-weekly threat briefing, we look at new scams in circulation, vulnerable industries, what is happening in hacking communities and provide examples of COVID-19 specific business and consumer threats.


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The legendary communist revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is for sale on Craigslist.
Oleg Zeleniak, a Ukrainian-born businessman, is seeking buyers for the 15-foot statue of Lenin he recently won at an auction in Atlantic City. The imposing likeness had stood for seven years at the entrance to a Russian-themed restaurant at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino.
"Make me an offer which I won't decline...or just stop by and take a look yourself at this beautiful piece of art," Zeleniak says in his Craiglist pitch.
By phone, the Egg Harbor Township resident, 22, tells me he purchased the piece thinking it would make a good promotion for his Hammonton-based warehouse business. But Lenin proved too tall for the space.
"He is a part of history to me, just like Hitler and Napoleon, all those guys," says Zeleniak, who grew up after the Soviet Union Lenin is credited/blamed for founding had fallen to pieces, enabling Ukraine to become independent.
Regarding Lenin's significance, Zeleniak adds, "people can agree or disagree."
Indeed: conservative columnist Michelle Malkin, who grew up in Absecon, was among those assailing the "commie" statue after it was installed outside the Red Square restaurant in 2005.


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- Business of Brands
- 1 min read
Blackberrys aims to be Rs. 1,500 crore brand by FY20
Blackberrys, which had started its journey from the bylanes of Chandni Chowk in 1991, had closed FY 2017-18 with a revenue of around Rs. 900 crore
Menswear brand Blackberrys aims to grow over 60 per cent in two years to register Rs 1,500 crore turnover by FY2020, as the company is expanding its sales network, said a top company official.
The company, which operates three brands -- Blackberrys, Blackberrys Causals and Urban - has plans to add 100 new stores this fiscal.
"We are expecting 25 per cent this fiscal and the next fiscal and we see ourself in the region of Rs 1,500 crore by FY 2019-2020," Blackberrys Director Nikhil Mohan told .
Blackberrys, which had started its journey from the bylanes of Chandni Chowk in 1991, had closed FY 2017-18 with a revenue of around Rs 900 crore.
The company presently operates 240 brand stores in which 185 are the company operated stores and rest are franchise operated.
In the coming new 100 stores, which the company plans to open this fiscal, 35 will be company owned and rest 65 would be franchise operated.
The company is now planning for a push towards southern markets with its three brands.
"Our biggest focus is South India, which is a large market for the industry. Our participation is there low right now," Mohan said, adding that the company had created logistics infrastructures to help growth in the region.
Presently, its exclusive retail stores contributes almost 50 per cent in sales volume, while the rest come from multi brand outlets and other channels.
Online sales contribute around six per cent of the total sales, Mohan added.
Blackberrys also expects contribution from accessory products to grow up to 10 per cent of its total stores' sale from the present 7 per cent.As part of its strategy, Blackberrys has last week revamped its brand image and adopted a new logo and tagline.


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Bakkt, the crypto assets trading platform created by Intercontinental Exchange and backed by Microsoft and Starbucks, has revealed some details on its future plans.
According to a publication in Medium, Bakkt will be federally regulated and will offer transparent, efficient price discovery and an institutional quality pre- and post-trade infrastructure. There will be no option for trading on margin and no leverage will be offered. Instead, Bakkt will rely on trusted price information. And even though “price discovery” might sound bland and boring for something as exciting as cryptocurrencies, it is essential, Bakkt notes.
One of the main features of the Bakkt solution will be that the buying and selling of Bitcoin will be fully collateralized or pre-funded. “As such, our new daily Bitcoin contract will not be traded on margin, use leverage, or serve to create a paper claim on a real asset,” the publication reads. “This supports market integrity and differentiates our effort from existing futures and crypto exchanges which allow for margin, leverage and cash settlement.”
In addition Bakkt will offer solid and regulated market infrastructure that would make the crypto asset class more accessible both to institutions and the general public.
“Whether you’re an investment manager seeking federally regulated, institutional trading and security solutions or a consumer looking for more choice in transacting, we’re working to make the vision for wider application of digital assets a reality,” the post said.
Earlier this month Bakkt announced its launch, without giving much detail, except that it would offer the trading of physical bitcoin futures starting in November. The project includes the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange - Intercontinental Exchange – and Microsoft and Starbucks, among others. The involvement of Starbucks in it made some media run headlines suggesting that the popular coffee shop chain will start accepting Bitcoins, which forced it to publicly deny the claims and clarify that its involvement will be of more technical nature.


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This Toledo Startup is Empowering Musicians Through the Metaverse
How VerseBooks is harnessing the power of NFTs and blockchain tech
Across the tech world, Web3 concepts like NFTs, blockchain and the metaverse are dominating conversations about the new era of the internet and a new understanding of ownership. And while artists and programmers are likely very aware of the potential of those technologies, the music industry seems yet to capitalize on its potential. That’s where Toledo’s VerseBooks comes in. The startup was originally founded as a way to convert MP3s into NFTs, but has introduced its own metaverse to start a new era for the company.
“VerseBooks is an NFT marketplace where we’ve also created a product called metaverse as a service,” said Co-founder and CEO Delence Sheares. “Everyone is trying to get into the metaverse, but there hasn’t been any technological infrastructure laid to enable a novice or someone who has no experience in coding or anything of that nature and wants their own private metaverse experience. I liken us to a Shopify for metaverses. If you want to have an eCommerce store, you can go to Shopify and set up your own B2B and B2C models. Essentially, that’s what we’ve created with MetaVerseBooks. It’s the Shopify of metaverses powered by NFTs.”
VerseBooks knew that they had something with their idea to turn MP3s into NFTs, creating an NFT marketplace that they could scale up. But as they watched the concept of a metaverse start to catch on, they decided to create their own, providing tools for companies, artists and brands to interact with one another and their customers. With MetaVerseBooks, they’ll have a virtual world with 50,000 parcels of land that they hope will give artists a new platform to expand their creativity and their reach.
“The world of blockchain technology hasn’t been ubiquitously adopted in the music industry yet,” Sheares said. “However, the music industry is one of the largest that really connects everybody from art, film and entertainment. There’s nothing that you can do that doesn’t encompass some type of music engagement with it. So a lot of these music artists don’t really own their brand — they don’t own their audience. Even if you have 20 million followers and are a megastar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube, you don’t own that. So we’ve created the infrastructure to provide music creators, whether you’re Katy Perry, Kendrick Lamar or the starving artist next door, to have your own infrastructure and metaverse, so you can actually own your audience.”
For Sheares and the VerseBooks team, the timing of their venture couldn’t be better. Not only are they on the cutting edge of their technology, but the world knows enough about that tech that they can capitalize on a more informed customer base. Their goal is to ride the wave of similar concepts that are widely known while providing exactly what they want.
“It’s all about embracing the consumer psychology about blockchain and NFTs,” Sheares said. “Facebook is spending so much money to educate and make the general consumer comfortable with what a metaverse is, and it’s allowed companies such as ours to be able to move in without paying for that education. The big money is already being generated. There was $25 billion worth of NFT investments just from VCs alone last year in an industry that’s only still in its infant stages. So we believe that we’ve been able to capitalize off of where the world is with NFTs and blockchain.”
Sheares wants to bring that huge market to the artists who create the content that drives the music industry. Rather than putting power in distributors’ hands, he hopes that VerseBooks and their metaverse can provide a platform to boost musicians.
“In the music industry, artists are normally the last ones to be able to take advantage of the technology,” he said. “The labels, distributors and publishers come in first, all of the incumbents who have all of the social equity and financial equity and capital to move the needle. But the artists and the true creators, who are the foundation of the industry, are always left out. We’re bringing the culture into the technology as opposed to the technology misappropriating the culture’s involvement. It’s always been top-down instead of bottom-up. We want to enable the culture to be able to embrace the tech, not just be a part of it.”
With huge financial numbers floating around, it’s easy to see why VerseBooks feels their ceiling is high. Buoying those expectations are a variety of partnerships they’ve forged and are working on, including peer-to-peer payments technology company Circle, communications infrastructure services company Winsonic, AI company BrainRap, AI and blockchain experts Accubits and the goal of partnering with Universal Music Group to connect with their artists. The company has lofty goals, and their Toledo home gives them confidence in what they can build.
“Ohio has a rich history in tech, but we’re also the glass capital of the world and Toledo is a city of less than 250,000 people with six Fortune 500 company world headquarters and a history of tech, art and music,” he said. “When you converge all of those things, you can make it in Toledo. Being on a coast or in a big city doesn’t automatically bring credibility or automatically make you a unicorn. We’re real, down-to-earth people who work hard and want to bring credibility and visibility to the heart of America, which is Ohio.”
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A Manchester convenience store owner and his employee were arrested this week for allegedly taking customers’ food stamp benefits for cash, gasoline and male enhancement pills, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Friday.
Manchester Quick Mart owner Javed Saeed and Dastgir Saeed, an employee who helped operate the store, were charged Wednesday with committing food stamp fraud offenses between November 2016 and January 2020, according to a news release.
The two South Windsor men and others are accused of illegally allowing customers to redeem their benefits for cash and ineligible items; in exchange, those customers’ food stamp cards were charged a premium of nearly 50%, the release said.
SNAP benefits are meant to help low-income households eat healthy. They can only be used for food, non-alcoholic beverages and seeds and plants that produce food. All other items are ineligible, including beer, wine and liquor, tobacco, vitamins and supplements, and household products.
Javed Saeed, 52, and Dastgir Saeed, 68, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and one count of food stamp fraud, charges that carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
They were indicted Sept. 14 by a federal grand jury in Hartford.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Office of Inspector General.
Rebecca Lurye can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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NEW YORK — Just one week into the new year and already there are mixed perceptions about the state of consumer spending.
Will consumers continue their free-spending ways, buying everything their hearts’ desire? Or will they snip the purse strings in favor of savings, and pull back on some purchases? The outcome depends on which economist you ask.
Data from Deloitte Research’s Leading Index of Consumer Spending suggest shoppers could feel pressured in 2005 to spend less.
The latest Deloitte Index report, reflecting in part the sharp decline in home prices last month, indicate “lost momentum after the recent upturn in consumer spending during the 2004 holiday season.” The Index fell in December after two consecutive months of growth, signaling a potential decline in consumer purchasing power. Comprising four components — tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices — the Index declined to 4.5 percent from a downwardly revised gain of 5.1 percent in November.
According to Deloitte’s findings, the strength of consumer spending levels will depend on housing prices, real wages and employment growth. The Index measures consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.
“If the housing market has peaked, consumer cash flow will dry up, putting a lid on future consumer spending. However, if the recent weakness in housing prices is a one-month phenomenon, or a passing anomaly in the data, consumer spending will remain on solid ground,” observed Carl Steidtmann, Deloitte’s chief economist.
With the economic environment expected to remain volatile throughout the year, Steidtmann cautioned retailers to maintain a “tight grip on inventories, new store openings and hiring.”
One area that could buttress future spending by consumers is the labor market. Stronger employment growth is needed in 2005 to sustain household cash flow, Deloitte’s data indicated. However, just how strong the labor markets will be this year is still debatable. Last year, many economists struggled over why job growth was lackluster when employment levels should have gained ground because the U.S. economy was supposedly showing gains.
On Friday, U.S. stock trading was mixed following a report from the Labor Department that U.S. nonfarm payrolls grew by a seasonally adjusted 157,000 in December. Economists were generally expecting a gain of 175,000. The unemployment rate, however, remained steady at 5.4 percent.Based on data from Retail Forward’s Future Spending Index for January, consumers are expected to spend at a stronger pace in the first month of the new year. Retail Forward’s Index rose to 104.9, the highest level in six months, from 98.7 in December.
“This month’s results show that the late-holiday shopping momentum should extend into the new year,” observed Steve Spiwak, economist at Retail Forward. He added that “rising incomes, the year-end spurt in the stock market, gift cards and generous discounts are stoking spending plans this month.”
Retail Forward also tracks spending by households based on annual income. The index for Up Market Households, those with incomes greater than $75,000, surged in January to its best showing since April to 105.4 from 89.9 in December. The stock market bounce in November and December and upmarket buying fed the increase, Retail Forward said. This group of households was most optimistic about jobs and incomes.
The future spending index for Down Market households (incomes less than $22,000) rebounded from October’s low, indicating a rise in optimism over near-term spending plans. The index for the Down Market for January registered at 105.5 from 103.7 last month. This household group, however, continues to have worries about job security as well as heavier credit card debt loads.
The index for the middle group, or Middle Market households, registered 104.2, near its highest levels in six months. This group has annual income of between $22,500 and $75,000, and strength in home buying offset wariness over availability of jobs and heightened concerns about credit card debt.
While there is high expectations that consumers won’t change their spending habits anytime soon, there’s also an indication that many are walking around with gift cards burning holes in their pockets.
Retail Forward concluded from its latest monthly survey that consumers received an average of 2.5 gift cards-certificates per household this past holiday season, and that they purchased nearly the same number of cards to give as gifts. Down Market households received more gift cards than they purchased, while Up Market households purchased more to give as gifts than they received. In addition, Wal-Mart is expected to gain the most from an increase in spending this month, particularly from those in the Down Market households using their gift cards.Kathleen Camilli, president of Camilli Economics, who spoke Thursday at the New York Society of Security Analysts’ Semi-Annual Market Forecast luncheon, was optimistic over consumer spending.
“I don’t have the dismal view of consumers as most [others],” she said. “The wealth impact will kick in, and people will start to spend on higher levels of wealth.”
Most economists are pegging gross domestic product to experience a steady growth rate of 3 to 4 percent, which could keep spending levels up.
Camilli is forecasting 4.5 to 5 percent GDP growth in 2005, higher than many of her colleagues. She also sees “inventory building in 2005. Companies were ramping up in 2004, and will continue in 2005,” she said.
Kari Bayer Pinkernell, director and senior U.S. strategist at Merrill Lynch & Co. who spoke at the same program, observed that the stock markets have shown what she referred to as a “post-election relief rally,” with energy prices dropping from $55 a barrel before the election to its current $45 a barrel price tag. She cautioned that it is too soon to predict what 2005 will be like based on just one week’s trading patterns. She noted that Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan is “more hawkish, taking some numbers down” in regard to slowing growth this year.
Another concern was raised by Arnie Berman, Global Capital Markets Strategist at CreditSights Inc., who noted, “We exited 2004 with inflation [worries] muted. Now there’s a greater concern regarding inflation.”
Yet Berman also believes that, while many investors will sit on the sidelines for a period due to perceived market uncertainty, there’s a strong likelihood that the trends will be favorable for 2005, which would be music to retailers’ ears every time consumers open their pocketbooks.
Supermodel @helenachristensen teamed up with longtime friend and designer @camillastaerk on a joint @paredeyewear collaboration. The lineup features three styles and 11 offerings, all of which embody a vintage feel. Get all the details on how they celebrated the collab on WWD.com. #wwdaccessories #wwdeye (📷: @slovekinpics)
“It’s a hard industry to keep motivated, as well, so finding different subjects and people is what makes it worth it – when you’re like, oh, I’ve met great people, I feel like I’ve done something good, and I feel proud of having done this,” said French actress Stacy Martin on being grateful for the variety of roles she’s take on. Read @ktauer’s full interview with Martin on her her latest film “Godard Mon Amour.” #wwdeye (📷: @danieldorsa)
After showing in front of the Eiffel Tower for his last two women’s ready-to-wear collection, it looks like @anthonyvaccarello may be heading to the Big Apple. Sources say the designer will stage his next @ysl show in NYC on June 6. Get all the details on WWD.com. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @aitorrosasphoto)
EXCLUSIVE: Two and half months after John Targon, cofounder and codesigner of Baja East, was hired as creative director of the contemporary division at Marc Jacobs, he has left the company, WWD has learned. Marc Jacobs International, which is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, confirmed Targon’s departure in a statement: “John Targon is a talented designer and we appreciate the work he has done here. Ultimately working together did not make sense for the brand and we wish him the best.” Read the story by @jessiredale, link in bio. #wwdnews
@theluxurycollection is officially launching a collection, tapping Sofia Sanchez de Betak for the capsule. Over 30 styles will be featured in the Chufy x The Luxury Collection, debuting next month at Bergdorf Goodman, The Webster, FiveStory and more. De Betak, known as “@chufy,” drew inspiration for the collection from her trips to Japan in the past year #wwdfashion
@lhd, founder and CEO of @thewebster, has teamed up with @lebonmarcherivegauche for the European launch of her ready-to-wear line, LHD. The launch will come with an exclusive pop-up opening today that’s set to run through May 20. Located on the second floor, it carries her debut Miami-themed resort collection, launched in November as see-now-buy-now. #wwdfashion


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PCCW’s net profit up 28 percent on 3 percent sales increase
Hong Kong-based quadruple-play operator PCCW has reported that its core communications revenues for the twelve months ended 31 December 2010 rose by 3% to HKD21.47 billion (USD2.75 million), driven by a 3% increase in fixed broadband and voice turnover to HKD16.72 billion, attributed to data services growth. Consolidated sales were also boosted by a 2% rise in mobile revenues to HKD1.71 billion and TV and content turnover which climbed 1% to HKD2.38 billion. PCCW’s fixed broadband lines in service grew by 5% in the year to 1.37 million, its number of mobile customers increased 4% to 1.48 million, and a 4% rise in IPTV users gave it a total of 1.04 million at end-2010. Annual consolidated EBITDA was up 5% at HKD7.07 billion and the group posted a 28% hike in after-tax profit to HKD1.93 billion.


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CNET editors spotted a prototype of Duracell Powermat’s upcoming iPhone 5 inductive charging case at Pepcom’s MobileFocus Global in Barcelona, Spain.
Hot on the heels of news that a “low-budget” iPhone is on the way comes astounding news that the iPhone 5 is now available to everyone, regardless of whether they sign a contract. Indeed, Walmart has made the newest iPhone model available to its customers through its Straight Talk banner.
Apple is indeed after diversifying its iPhone offering with a cheaper version of its flagship handset. Both the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have confirmed Digitimes’ earlier report citing anonymous supply chain sources.
Sprint is betting heavily on the iPhone, reportedly agreeing to purchase 30 million handsets over the next four years. The carrier got to work quickly by accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 4 on Thursday, and announcing their unlimited data plan. “Sprint’s Simply Everything Plan is the only plan from a
I understand that maybe Apple was a bit bold in still hanging on to the same overall, external design of the iPhone 4 and by really not adding much to be desired, but there are still some who consider the 4S a worthy upgrade. Regardless of you owing a 3GS
Did T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman deliver devastating news about the rumored T-Mobile iPhone, or did he just state something we kind of already knew? Brodman told T-Mobile employees “we are not going to get the iPhone 5 this year,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean T-Mobile customers who were
J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz believes Apple’s plans to launch two new iPhones — the iPhone 5 and updated entry-level iPhone — in October will “likely drive quarterly shipments for the device higher.” Moskowitz’s research revealed that the iPhone 5 will feature world phone (GSM and CDMA) capabilities to target
We’ve all seen iPhone accessories that turn your iPhone into a remote control, but the Park4U iPhone app turns your device into a remote for your car, not your entertainment center. The Automatic Park4U system allows your vehicle to park on its own by using sensors to guide itself into
GameStop announced that they’re now accepting old iPod, iPhone and iPad devices in exchange for in-store credit. There is also a rumor that they will be carrying new Apple mobile devices and accessories in the future. This is great news for gamers who would like to trade-in their old Apple
Two Best Buy leaks revealed that they are prepping for the iPhone 5 to arrive in October. An internal memo published by BGR states that iPhone 5 pre-sales are expected to start in the first week of the month, and that store managers should also prepare themselves for a Sprint


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ARKANSAS, USA — There's a new way to watch 5NEWS on your streaming device.
It's our new 5+ app, and it's now available on both Roku and Amazon Fire, offering our audience a free option to watch all of 5NEWS' content.
5+ will feature all newscasts, from our morning show to our 10 p.m. news at night and everything in between.
Viewers will also get to see live breaking news coverage outside of our traditional broadcast timeslots, plus original content - like Order Up! an original 5NEWS series documenting local eateries.
Here's how you can start streaming 5+ today:
Go to the app store on your Roku or Amazon Fire device.
- Search for "5NEWS" or "KFSM"
- Select the 5+ app
- Download the app to your device for free
- Start watching 5NEWS around the clock!
When you open up the 5+ app, you'll first see an option to view our 24/7 stream, which will air all 5NEWS newscasts and breaking coverage, along with newscast replays, in case you missed a show.
Beyond the 24/7 stream, viewers will also have access to various additional content sections featuring UnNatural State of Crime, Order Up!, Community Spotlights and 5NEWS Vault.
Need to know today's forecast? You can get it on demand on the 5+ app, too.
Woke up late and missed the morning show? Catch up on the 5+ app.
Trying to stay on top of Northwest Arkansas and River Valley news or learn something new, like gardening? The 5+ app has you covered— 24 hours a day, seven days a week on your TV or through your phone.
DOWNLOAD THE 5NEWS APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE 5NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KFSM in the Channel Store.
For Fire TV, search for "KFSM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Photo by Abigail Bassett for The Verge
Toyota is offering to buy back its bZ4X electric SUV crossovers after recalling the vehicle in June, as first reported by Electrek. The recall, which Toyota issued not even two months after the bZ4X’s release, involves loose hub bolts on the steering wheel that could cause it to detach while driving.
Toyota initially advised bZ4X owners not to drive the vehicle, and suggested that they notify their local Toyota dealer so they can pick up and store the car while they wait on a fix. The company would then provide customers with a free loaner car in return.
But a letter to customers obtained by Electrek and confirmed by The Verge reveals that Toyota is also offering to throw in a few extra freebies in exchange for the inconvenience,…


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Asphalt invades Music City
Apr 27, 2016
What do thousands of professionals in the asphalt industry, an array of the newest asphalt products, Nashville and the month of March have in common? The World of Asphalt Expo! For a week in early March, the industry’s leading manufacturers and service providers showcased their latest offerings to attendees from across the U.S.
For the fifth year, professionals from Ingevity’s Pavement Technologies group exhibited at the show. This year, the team took an interactive approach with a “March Madness” basketball-themed booth that allowed visitors to have fun learning about six different value points of Evotherm® and Evoflex™, while taking shots from different spots on the court.
“Being able to shoot hoops while talking to customers about key benefits of our products is a fun way to engage with customers,” said technical marketing manager Lance Brooks.
All visitors to the booth were entered into a drawing for a YETI® Tundra cooler. Congratulations to the winner: Danny Deveraux, VP and GM of CalPortland Construction!
We look forward to seeing all of you next year at CONEXPO in Las Vegas!


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Geneva, 3 Jun (D. Ravi Kanth) – The United States appears intent on triggering another tariff war by targeting countries that impose “digital services taxes” on American digital behemoths, including Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft among others.
As countries remain economically and financially devastated due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, the US Trade Representative (USTR), Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, has subtly warned its trading partners, including the European Union, not to impose digital services taxes under the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The European Commission is considering a DST (digital services tax) as part of the financing package for its proposed COVID-19 recovery plan,” the USTR’s office suggested on 2 June.
In a statement issued on 2 June, the USTR Robert Lighthizer said that his office is initiating “investigations into digital services taxes that have been adopted or are being considered by a number of our trading partners”, under the Special 301 section of the US Trade Act of 1974.
The countries listed under the Special 301 investigations include Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
Ambassador Lighthizer claimed that the Special 301 of the 1974 Trade Act “gives the USTR broad authority to investigate and respond to a foreign country’s action which may be unfair or discriminatory and negatively affects US Commerce.”
According to the USTR, “President Trump is concerned that many of our trading partners are adopting tax schemes designed to unfairly target our companies.”
“We are prepared to take all appropriate action to defend our businesses and workers against any such discrimination,” Ambassador Lighthizer said.
Interestingly, the USTR’s announcement of investigations has come six months ahead of the US Presidential elections in which the support of the GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple) companies for funding is crucial for both the Congressional parties.
The Special 301 investigations could ultimately result in imposing new additional tariffs on these countries.
Significantly, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the rich country economic club, has been conducting negotiations on a multilateral approach for taxing the digital services.
Apparently, some countries have opted to move ahead with their own digital services taxes until OECD members are able to reach a consensus.
The chair of the US Senate Finance Committee Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and the ranking Democrat Ron Wyden (D-Or) concurred with the USTR’s decision.
“As we have previously stated, these digital services taxes unfairly target and discriminate against US companies,” they said.
In a joint statement issued on 2 June, the senators said that “actions taken by the Organization for Economic Cooperation [and Development] member states to enact digital services taxes are contrary to the organization’s goals and are counter to the OECD process. We support USTR’s use of the Section 301 investigation process to examine these discriminatory unilateral measures.”
According to a digital trade analyst, who asked not to be quoted, “France is not the only country which is levying a digital tax. An increasing number of countries, both within the EU and outside, are levying digital taxes based on their national laws and directives.”
“While the US is initiating an investigation under its Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974, national laws and directives of other countries allow this tax,” the analyst said.
“This is where the importance of the WTO (World Trade Organization) Appellate Body comes to the forefront, which the US has itself destroyed,” the analyst added.
Moreover, “while France will be able to fight this case, many developing countries may not have the legal capacity to withstand the US in the court of law. Therefore, we need the WTO to be effective and countries to decide multilaterally the need to impose digital taxes,” the expert argued.
However, the USTR claimed that “over the past two years, various jurisdictions have taken under consideration or adopted taxes on revenues that certain companies generate from providing certain digital services to, or aimed at, users in those jurisdictions.”
The USTR listed its specific concerns with each country in its Federal Register notice. The countries include:
1. Austria: In October 2019, Austria adopted a DST that applies a 5% tax to revenues from online advertising services. The law went into force on January 1, 2020. The tax applies only to companies with at least EUR 750 million in annual global revenues for all services and EUR 25 million in in-country revenues for covered digital services.
2. Brazil: Brazil is considering a legislative proposal entitled the “Contribution for Intervention in the Economic Domain” or CIDE. If adopted, CIDE would apply to the gross revenue derived from digital services provided by large technology companies.
3. The Czech Republic: The Parliament of the Czech Republic is considering a draft law that would apply a 7% DST to revenues from targeted advertising and digital interface services. The tax would apply only to companies generating EUR 750 million in annual global revenues for all services and CZK 50 million in in-country revenues for covered digital services.
4. The European Union: The European Commission is considering a DST as part of the financing package for its proposed COVID-19 recovery plan. The EU DST is based on a 2018 DST proposal that was not adopted. The 2018 EU proposal included a 3% tax on revenues from targeted advertising and digital interface services, and would have applied only to companies generating at least EUR 750 million in global revenues from covered digital services and at least EUR 50 million in EU-wide revenues for covered digital services.
5. India: In March 2020, India adopted a 2% DST. The tax applies only to non-resident companies, and covers online sales of goods and services to, or aimed at, persons in India. The tax applies only to companies with annual revenues in excess of approximately Rs. 20 million (approximately US$267,000). The tax went into effect on April 1, 2020.
6. Indonesia: Earlier this year, Indonesia adopted an electronic transaction tax that targets cross-border, digital transactions. Further implementing measures are required for the new tax to go into effect.
7. Italy: Italy has adopted a DST. The measure includes a 3% tax on revenues from targeted advertising and digital interface services. This tax applies only to companies generating at least EUR 750 million in global revenues for all services and EUR 5.5 million in country revenues for covered digital services. The tax applies as of January 1, 2020.
8. Spain: Spain is considering a draft DST. The measure would apply a 3% tax to revenues from targeted advertising and digital interface services. This tax would apply only to companies generating at least EUR 750 million in global revenues for all services and EUR 3 million in in-country revenues for covered digital services.
9. Turkey: Turkey has adopted a DST. The measure applies a 7.5% tax to revenues from targeted advertising, social media and digital interface services. The tax applies only to companies generating EUR 750 million in global revenues from covered digital services and TL 20 million in in-country revenues from covered digital services. The Turkish President has authority to increase the tax rate up to 15%. The law went into effect on 1 March 2020.
10. The United Kingdom: The United Kingdom is considering a DST proposal as part of its Finance Bill 2020. The measure would apply a 2% tax on revenues above GBP 25 million to internet search engines, social media, and online marketplaces. The tax applies only to companies generating at least GBP 500 million in global revenues from covered digital services and GBP 25 million in in-country revenues from covered digital services. The bill is in the final stages of adoption by Parliament, and if passed, payments would be due from affected companies in 2021.
Earlier, Washington had threatened France for pursuing a “digital tax regime” by proposing to slap tariffs of up to 100% against $2.4 billion of French imports in response to the French digital services tax on American tech companies.
In short, despite hundreds of billions of dollars of annual turnover by the US GAFA companies through advertisement revenue in other countries, the targeted countries must either drop digital services taxes to combat the COVID-19 economic crisis, or face retaliatory tariffs, the USTR has warned.


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Category: Press Release
We are just hours away from the launch of the Xbox One in Australia. As such I thought it would be a good time to share this official press release that I received from Microsoft Australia a couple of weeks ago. It details 10 of the new, exciting and innovative features that the Xbox One has to offer.
The Batman: Arkham Origins Official 17 Minute Gameplay walkthrough video features Senior Producer Ben Mattes and Gameplay Director Michael McIntyre at WB Games Montréal as more they guide viewers through the mechanics of the new title, highlighting the game’s deep combat system and engrossing narrative.
The Xbox One will be at PAX and you can get a glimpse of it on Aussie soil – check out this press release for all the info.
On September 3, Diablo® III will make its console debut on the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft in the U.S., Canada, Spanish-speaking Latin America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
OzBoxLive Press Release | Turtle Beach is excited to announce that they are working with Microsoft to develop market-leading audio solutions for Xbox One. The two companies will leverage their proprietary technology and experience in gaming to bring advanced audio solutions to consumers.


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Apparently December 28th is the launch date for a Chipzilla line up which should include five faster, lower energy consuming processors – set to consume no more than 35W – aimed at the ultra thin and portable notebook market.
The line up would probably also count the much whispered about 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo, dubbed the T9800, and also the 2GHz Core 2 Quad Q9000, the firm's first normal power quad-core processor for notebooks.
The chips will purportedly fetch US$530 and US$348 respectively (in bulk), pushing them more towards high-end and mainstream models.
Three lower-end processors, the 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo P9600, 2.66GHz T9550 and 2.53GHz T8700, priced at $348, $316 and $241 respectively would be updates for cheaper processors.
Getting into the Christmas spirit, Intel has decided that as well as releasing its new line, it will also slash prices on current top-end Core 2 Duo P8600 processors by $32, pushing them down to $209 in January 2009.
The updates will be launched just a matter of weeks before mobile Core i7 processors are supposed to be launched. These should be faster than the December updates with comparable clock speeds.
DodgyTimes also reports that Intel’s P55 PCH Ibexpeak chipset, set to link up with coming soon processors, Lynnfield and Havendale, will probably be made available to motherboard manufacturers by Q3 of next year.
Intel to launch more core 2 duos in late December
By Sylvie Barak on Oct 20, 2008 3:25PM
Intel plans to launch one of its last batches of Core 2 mobile processors towards the end of December, according to sources in the Taiwanese rumour mill.
Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.


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Today we learned that the video game sold 1.34 million copies in its early days in stores.
Nintendo today announced a new free update for Mario Golf: Super Rush that will be available for download starting tomorrow. Among its contents, the arrival of a new playable character stands out, Toadette, but there is much more.
The Japanese company through a brief message on Twitter has advanced the landing of a new game mode, Qualifying matches, as well as an extra tour that responds to the name of New Donk —That many will remember for being one of the worlds of Super Mario Odyssey. Finally, the Camelot Software team will implement improved motion control.
If you are not convinced by the additions in this download, you will be happy to know that Nintendo has secured the arrival of more news this year. Meanwhile, you can see in the tweet that accompanies the news how they look on video.
Sales of Mario Golf: Super Rush
The contents of this update have been released a few hours after the fiscal results of Nintendo, where it has been reported the number of Nintendo Switches sold as of June 30 as well as their video games. Thus, the Japanese hardware manufacturer has announced that Mario Golf: Super Rush has sold 1.34 million copies, a very commendable figure considering that its launch took place a few days before the end of the quarter, on June 25.
In the words of Jesús Bella in his review of 3DJuegos, with Super Rush we are before a good title, with a brave proposal that materializes in the inclusion of an adventure mode and a fast golf style that moves away from the traditional approach, to which some content is missing, something that perhaps this update will help solve. If you want to know more about the video game, you can read the analysis of Mario Golf: Super Rush.
More about: Mario Golf Super Rush, Nintendo and Camelot.


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- 3 min read
Spencer Retail's Devendra Chawla on why digital marketing is need of the hour
Chawla spoke at the inaugural edition of the Brand World Summit on digital marketing how has revolutionised marketing strategies
“ Conventional marketing channels such as newspapers and TV have entered the online space and directly into the palms of the customers through their smartphones. Further, consumer behaviour is changing and now opinion matters more than ever. This has also made social media engagement more important than ever,” Chawla said.
He further added that digital allows to scale business in a more efficient manner as compared to traditional media, every movement of the consumer online can be mapped. “ It is critical as a business need to be cost-effective and it is here that digital plays a critical role through personalisation, efficient tracking, monitoring and analytics,” he added.
Read Also: Brand World Summit: Marketing in the time of convergence
For Chawla, ‘personalised’ and ‘premium’ shopping experience for customers across the value chain are a must and digital enables organisations to deliver the same. According to him, from the exploration of choices to consider after-sales are all important pillars in a journey undertaken by any brand.
Furthermore, speaking on the pace of digital transformation, he noted that it is interesting and growing at a rapid speed. “ Digital has enabled us to get ‘Single view of customers ( SVOC)’. Each customer is unique, and so is the communication to her. However, all retail players are not at the same level of tech adoption and there are players who are at a nascent stage to those who are at the growth stage.” he noted.
As per him, brands need to keep customers at the centre of decision making and while doing so it is important to follow certain guidelines, “Companies need to facilitate customers a greater connection to the product, simplify shopping at every stage and attract customers with in-store experiences, Chawla explained.
Read Also: Brand World Summit: Branding in the digital world
He next went on to elaborate how artificial intelligence (AI) and voice - which are currently at nascent will in the future will play an important role in driving purchase decisions. “There are mainly two types of voice search - search on speakers such as Alexa and search on mobile. ‘Voice’ and ‘ Vernacular’ are shaping shoppers experience by enabling users to interact with platforms in their own language. This is the start of personalisation. Use of natural language SEO to create content will further expand the umbrella of technology and customer base,” Chawla elaborated.
In the end, he spoke about the evolving role of marketing as a function on the back of the digital explosion. “ Before the advent of big data, marketing functions were largely focused on creating brand awareness through mass-market promotional efforts. However, the landscape has undergone a seismic shift. Marketing is becoming a technology hub now,” he said, adding that CEOs must pay close attention to the following marketing metrics such as customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (LTV) and social media engagement.


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Edo Government, through its Edo Skills Development Agency (Edojobs), has set up a fashion and style corner with the aim of creating jobs as well as boosting the fashion industry in the state.
The fashion and style corner was set up by Edojobs in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ)’s Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE) programme.
The Director of Edojobs, Mr Omole Niyi, while inaugurating the centre in Benin on Saturday, said the initiative was to create a conducive place where youths can make garments as a source of livelihood.
According to him, “This is aimed towards creating employment opportunities in Edo in line with Gov. Godwin Obaseki’s led administration in the state in different dimensions such as Information Technology Communications (ITC), skills acquisition, creative industry.
“This is just one of such initiatives where we have garment production factory where our youths that interested in fashion can come and learn.
“They will be trained and at the same time they can use our machines to produce for their customers and make monies for themselves.
“The GIZ is ready to partner with us on training our youths on the modern way of sewing and the fashion industry generally.
“Those who are already into fashion can come and make use of our modern equipment once they apply through the Edojobs platform”. he said.
He urged interested candidates to log on to Edojobs online platform and register and they would be invited for the training, adding that it was more than giving them starter packs.
“We have different partners who have fashion industries or fashion hubs in the state and beneficiaries would be trained in the locations.
“The training will run for a minimum of six months and after six months we expect that you should be able to make money for yourselves”, he stressed.


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Searching for ‘antivirus’ now only shows games or Find My iPhone-esque apps.
Apple has seemingly decided to crack down on antivirus and antimalware apps, removing them from the App Store. Although there has been no official statement from Apple on a policy change, Apple’s loose guidelines allow them to pull pretty much anything at any time, particularly something like antivirus which has questionable utility within the sandboxed iOS environment of iPhones and iPads.
One casualty of the removal is Intego’s VirusBarrier, which claims that this takedown was not specific to its product with Apple deciding the entire category of antivirus products is now off-limits.
expand full story


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The HDBaseT Alliance has officially introduced the HDBaseT-USB3 standard Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) Show 2024 in Barcelona. The standard allows for high-performance Professional-Grade extension of USB 3.2 Gen 1, up to 100 meters/328 feet over standard Category cable.
“USB 3.2 is rapidly becoming the go-to interface for USB-based peripherals used in video conferencing. The ability to extend it reliably has become a challenge for AV and IT Professionals, and our HDBaseT-USB3 standard’s ability to do so with cost efficiency and simplicity is exactly what the industry needs. The uptake of the technology by our member manufacturers has been impressive and we’re excited to preview the first products supporting HDBaseT-USB3 in our booth at this year’s show,” says Effi Goldstein, president, HDBaseT Alliance.
Made possible by HDBaseT Alliance Co-Founder Valens Semiconductor’s new VS6320 integrated chipset; the technology will be on display in the HDBaseT Alliance booth featuring live demonstrations of both performance and stress tests. In addition, a dozen of the industry’s first products supporting the new technology will be showcased, including extenders, cameras, and huddle-room docking stations for simple plug-and-play BYOD connectivity.
“For years the pro AV market has been relying on sub-optimal USB3 extension solutions,” adds Gabi Shriki, head of audio-video business at Valens Semiconductor. “We’re changing that — Valens managed to overcome the technological barriers and is now introducing a high-performance, reliable and cost-effective single-chip USB3.2 extension solution. The VS6320 is already getting industry recognition, winning awards…and most importantly, we already see the major pro AV players designing their next-generation products around this high-performance technology.”
HDBaseT Alliance Demos & Interviews at ISE 2024
While at ISE 2024, the Alliance’s signature Power Wall makes a return, providing visitors with an up-close look at over 60 of the latest HDBaseT 3.0 products. Additionally, select Alliance members in the booth will offer a comprehensive range of live demonstrations featuring the latest HDBaseT 3.0, KVM, and videoconferencing products, as well as solutions for bringing broadcast reliability to the pro AV market, connectivity testing, and components enabling the powering of devices with more energy efficiency. Co-exhibitors include ATEN, Apantac, Good Way Technology, HDCVT, Key Digital, MSolutions, Silvertel and Valens Semiconductor.
The Alliance’s HDBaseT Extended interview series will also take place in its booth at ISE 2024, featuring panel discussions with industry thought leaders, live from its Alliance member Datavideo-equipped studio. Moderated by Commercial Integrator’s Dan Ferrisi, the discussions will explore the latest pro AV trends in education, immersive experiences, resimercial design, videoconferencing and more at Booth #2P500.
This article originally appeared on our sister site Commercial Integrator.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!


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A federal grant will give lower income Oklahomans healthier food choices. It is expanding the SNAP program by matching benefits for recipients who shop at local farmers’ markets.
The goal is really three-fold. First, it brings more federal dollars into Oklahoma. Second, it helps out local farmers. But most importantly it urges people who receive SNAP benefits to eat healthier.
Bessie Fisher of Oklahoma City is helping care for her grandchildren, and she says she couldn't do it without the help of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called SNAP formerly known as Food Stamps.
"It's just a big help to me and like you can see my grandkids. I got 11 of them, but it's a big help," Fisher said.
And now a big help for the program: The state of Oklahoma is getting a $480-thousand federal grant to match up to $20 a day for participants who shop at local farmers’ markets.
“Fresh fruits and vegetables are the most expensive part of your grocery budget. Everyone knows that,” said Sheree Powell Department of Human Services. “And so they often resort to buying less expensive foods to stretch their dollars."
Farmers say it also gives recipients the chance to talk with the people who are producing their food.
"How that's better for them than buying a product in the store that's got a whole bunch of coloring or other products like that that aren't good for them,” said Tori Sparks with the Duncan Farmers Market. “How this is better for their child, maybe who has a lot of food allergies. Teach them how to read a label."
Fisher says, with her active family, she’ll take all the help she can get.
"I think it's a good idea,” Fisher said. “Twenty dollars? You can't beat that."
The program is now underway. Here is a list of participating Farmers Markets:


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A little birdie told us recently that the ICAEW was looking at the whole social networking phenomenon, considering using sites like Facebook and MySpace to try and communicate with younger audiences.
Everyone’s doing it, don’t you know. TS even has its own Facebook page, if you look hard enough that is.
Only the ICAEW may find there is already a site devoted to it on the FB network, and it is already helping to, um, ‘communicate’ some of the issues the body faces.
TS doesn’t know how to put this delicately, but it’s called ‘ICAEW s***s b***s’, only, um, without the asterisks (this is a family magazine). Sample comments on the site include one from a member (or it may be a student) saying ‘I hate Tax’. Another says: ‘i [sic] can’t bloody believe there is a group called ICAEW s***s b***s!!?! Anyway it does.’
Accountancy Age Jobs is delighted to announce the launch of a brand new look website for finance and accountancy professionals
The UK gender pay gap will not close until 2069 unless action is taken to tackle it now, according to new research by Deloitte
Three former Tesco executives, including the former finance director of Tesco UK, have been charged with fraud by the Serious Fraud Office in relation to a £263m accounting scandal at the retailer.
Deloitte chief executive David Sproul is among 11 chief executives to take part in global executive search firm Odgers Berndtson’s CEO for a Day scheme


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Will Indonesia's elections usher in economic reforms?
Indonesia is set to elect a new president in the coming months.
For many businesses operating in Southeast Asia's largest economy, there are hopes the new government will usher in economic reforms.
So how much will the election change the business environment, and will it be change for the better?
The BBC's Rico Hizon spoke to Indonesian businessman Henri Honoris, the head of PT Modern Putra Indonesia and franchise-holder for more than 100 7-Eleven stores in the country.
25 Apr 2014
- From the section Companies


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Industrial X-ray solutions provider, VisiConsult, has announced that it will exhibit at the ASNT Annual Conference, the largest NDT event of the year, in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. This time it will be particularly exciting for visitors who will get a glimpse into the future of NDT.
“During this year we have developed a new brand dedicated to the NDT market – VCxray” comments VisiConsilt’s new Head of Sales, Jason Robbins.
It will emphasize our focus as a holistic industrial X-ray company with products ranging from the simple solutions to the ultra-complex ones.” It also stands for the new era of VisiConsult as Lennart Schulenburg, General Manager of VisiConsult explains: “During the pandemic we redesigned our product portfolio according to the needs of our global customer base and invested significantly into new technology and innovations – especially related to NDE 4.0.”
Details of the new product lines and latest developments will be unveiled at the ASNT conference. Visitors will be able to see the new solutions using dedicated Virtual Reality (VR) glasses, and with these glasses the new systems can be seen in real size and explored on the spot.
In addition to the new brand and the new product line, a ‘Future Cube’ will be showcased. This dedicated experience space will showcase live demonstrations of VCxray’s NDE 4.0 solutions, covering Digital Twins, Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and a new software platform.
For more information: www.visiconsult.de


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Music Gear News
Celebrated Bassist Kevin Walker Praises Steinberg
The celebrated songwriter, bassist and producer Kevin Walker has worked with the likes of Timbaland, Prince, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West and has toured with a huge number of household names.
Kevin has been a user of Cubase since he got his first copy in 1992, and now his studio is based around Nuendo and recently Cubase 5.
It's not just in the studio that Kevin uses Steinberg products however; having been a musical director for a number of stars, he's used Cubase for many things including tracking live vocals on stage.
The latest incarnation of Cubase has given Kevin renewed respect for the software.
"The pitch correction tools are great. I used to use Melodyne. I find VariAudio a lot simpler and more efficient."
"You are not going to realize the full capacity of Cubase without the new hardware integration.
"I want to switch to all Steinberg software and hardware in my studio to get the full benefit because everything works so well."Posted on 24 Feb 2010 14:53 to category : Band / Celebrity News
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Founding guitarist of legendary LA band Y and T Joey Alves passes away due to complications relating to Ulcerative Colitis. Documentary on soon to follow.
Destroyer Cola is to be the latest release in rock veterans Kiss' long line of merchandise currently available to the general public for purchase
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Never before has music been so accessible. With social media, tab sites and forums at your immediate disposal, learning your favourite song couldn't be easier.
Recent Music News
The latest entry into the acclaimed microphone brands line-up, the sE8 Small Condenser Microphone packs a big punch despite its diminutive and compact frame.
A familiar face in an all new format, the Waza Amplifier Head lets you experience the full power of an established classic in the comfort of your own bedroom.
A visual percussion instrument that promises a completely immersive rhythmic experience, the DR-01S is the first of many in the latest percussive generation.
In celebration of BOSS' 40th anniversary, the company releases a triumvirate of their most famous and sought-after pedals in a limited-edition box-set format.
In celebration of their rich history, VOX launches the AC30HW60 and AC15HW60. Designed to emulate the classics, VOX add impetus to the saying 'old is gold'
Continuing the legacy of Elektron's previous entries, the Analog Four MKII/Analog Rytm MKII marks the beginning of a new era graced with bountiful enhancements


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Frozen food retailer Iceland wants a new store on a retail park outside Rhyl.
The Deeside based supermarket chain already has a shop inside the White Rose Centre in the seaside town.
But store bosses say they now want a second outlet on the Clwyd Retail Park, between Rhyl and Rhuddlan.
It has sparked concerns that the town centre store could close but Iceland said this was not currently on the agenda.
A spokesman from Iceland said: “I can confirm that we are planning to open a second store in Rhyl later this year, on Clwyd Retail Park, and that this will be under the Iceland fascia rather than in our larger The Food Warehouse store format.
“There are no current plans to close the existing Iceland store in The White Rose Centre.”
The town centre of Rhyl has been going through a difficult few years - losing big names like Next and Marks and Spencer and more recently Dorothy Perkins.
This has seen the resort suffer with one of the highest rates of empty units of any town in Wales.
It is hoped Iceland won’t be added to the list of those who have left town.
There has also been positive investment news in the town with Premier Inn opening a new hotel last week on the seafront.
Aldi has also applied to build a larger store in a move to the Marina Quay retail park that will create extra jobs.


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A recent study commissioned by WSP and the EDF published a list of the states with the most investments in electric vehicle (EV) production. The U.S. Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Investments and Jobs report reviewed investment in projects like charging stations, electric cars, and renewable energy developments.
One state that stood out was North Carolina. As of March 2023, the Tar Heel State has seen more than $6.2 billion in EV-related investments. Two areas where growth is evident are charging infrastructure and factory construction.
Expanding The Charging Network
In November 2022, the state Department of Environmental Quality announced it was distributing $6.8 million for charging station expansion across 64 sites. Soon there will be charging stations across major highways from the coastline to the Blue Ridge Mountains, including storm evacuation routes. The hope is the growth will reduce range anxiety and increase EV adoption.
A settlement between Volkswagen and the Department of Justice is funding the charging station expansion. The North Carolina Volkswagen Mitigation Plan is rolling out EV charging sites in two phases across five programs. Seventy-five percent of the settlement funds will be used from June 2022 to 2024, with 33 out of 40 counties using renewable energy to power EV chargers.
Private Investment Boom
Private-sector manufacturing is expanding North Carolina’s reach. Companies are setting up factories to continue building batteries, semiconductors, and other technologies. Multinational firms have seen the opportunity to build out America’s growing EV sector, especially with the incentives outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act.
VinFast has allocated $4 billion to open an automotive plant. The company will build its line of electric SUVs in Chatham County, generating thousands of jobs. Construction began in 2022 and is expected to be completed in July 2024. VinFast estimates the factory can create 150,000 vehicles a year.
“VinFast’s transformative project will bring many good jobs to our state, along with a healthier environment as more electric vehicles take to the road to help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
Semiconductor producer Wolfspeed plans to open a Silicon Carbide factory in Chatham County and “apply for and obtain federal funding from the CHIPS and Science Act to accelerate the construction and build-out of the facility.” It will supply companies like Jaguar Land Rover with EV technology to power a new generation of vehicles. Phase 1 of construction will be completed in 2024, costing around $1.3 billion.
One of the largest EV factories is going up near Greensboro. Toyota announced the construction of a new factory in Liberty, NC, as the auto giant ramps up its electric car production.
It’s a total of $3.8 billion, $2.5 billion of which is going toward a battery plant expansion. The world’s second-largest auto manufacturer wants to reach carbon neutrality by 2035, with EVs being a big part of the solution.
“This is an exciting time for Toyota, the region, and the many North Carolinians we will soon employ,” said Sean Suggs, Toyota’s Battery Manufacturing North Carolina president. “This incremental investment reflects our continued commitment to ensuring jobs and future economic growth for the Triad region.”
Why has North Carolina become such a positive EV investment area? One big reason is access to a ready labor force receiving the proper training and certifications. This shift is boosting the state’s attractiveness, by creating jobs, helping to reduce emissions and boosting the state’s energy independence.


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What happens to Park City’s post-holiday waste after it's dropped off at Recycle Utah
Boxes, styrofoam, wrapping paper and more. Gift giving during the holidays creates a lot of waste. So where does the recycling go after it arrives at Recycle Utah?
The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year at Recycle Utah. The nonprofit recycling center accepts 45 different items including hard to recycle things like light bulbs, printer cartridges and electronics.
The center is located on a half-acre lot just behind the Boneyard on Kearns Boulevard and Woodbine Way. And despite its size, Recycle Utah moves close to two-thirds the amount of recycling as Summit County’s entire curbside program.
“Put that into perspective, the curbside recycling program does about 2,900 tons and Recycling Utah does about 2,000 tons,” Recycle Utah Executive Director Carolyn Wawra said. “So the curbside program that picks up from Summit County every other week, we're hovering about a 900 ton difference which isn't a lot, you know, it's a lot for this little mighty recycle center to be matching the entire county curbside program.”
During the holiday season, besides plastic and glass, the majority of the items being dropped off at the recycling center include cardboard, wrapping paper and styrofoam.
The demand for cardboard dries up this time of year, which means Recycle Utah has a difficult time unloading it. A commodity that would usually fetch anywhere from $600 to $1,000 a week during peak season, costs Recycle Utah right now about $1,000 to $2,000 a week to get rid of.
Recycle Utah works with a broker to help get the best price for its collected material. Scott Simar is that broker. He works for Pro Recycling and said when they can find a mill to take Recycle Utah’s cardboard, it’s typically turned into more cardboard.
“The majority of recycled cardboard is made into the corrugate that's in a box that you see come from Amazon or when you purchase from the store,” Simar said. “What they usually do is about 80% of the box is recycled. And usually that's the corrugate inside. The outside layers are usually a virgin or raw material, just because it makes it a lot prettier and more presentable box.”
Cardboard is turned back into cardboard and wrapping paper is recycled into paper. But Simar said not all wrapping paper is recyclable.
“The majority of the wrapping paper is recyclable as a mixed paper,” Simar said. “So it's a lot easier to try and keep with craft style wrapping paper, like brown wrapping paper. Something that you can tell is just paper on itself. No, no, no glitter to it. No foil, no cellophane.”
Ribbons and bows are not recyclable but the styrofoam that encloses many sought after holidays gifts is.
Unlike most curbside recycling programs, Recycle Utah accepts styrofoam. The center has a cold press densifier that chops up and compresses it into styrofoam bricks. The bricks are then shipped off to manufacturers that turn it into other polystyrene products like solo cups, food packing and similar styrofoam packaging.
Like cardboard, styrofoam and all recyclable materials are commodities that fluctuate. The price Recycle Utah can get for these products is based on demand. When demand is low, the nonprofit has to pay to get rid of the community's recyclables.
It’s why Recycle Utah is asking people to drop some money in its donation buckets when they’re dropping off their recyclables this holiday season.


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Also up for grabs was Evans’ 1974 Golden Globe for “Chinatown” — which sold for $83,200.
A movie memorabilia auction of massive proportions has been announced for this Dec. 1 and 2, and it's chock full of legendary items from silver screen classics.
"The bar, fittingly, resembles the 'world' which Hitler hoped to conquer!," the auction house hyped. Selling Nazi artifacts is illegal in many nations.
You could find out what it's like to shred through “Eruption” on Eddie Van Halen’s guitar.
The online auction giant plans to start authenticating pricey shoes sold on its US marketplace to make sure merchants aren't hawking fakes.
An exceptionally rare, 14.83-carat “fancy vivid purple-pink internally flawless” diamond is expected to fetch up to $38 million at a Sotheby's auction next month.
American economists Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson won the 2020 Nobel Prize in economics Monday for their "improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats."
Las Vegan Bruce Morelan kept his Flowing Hair Silver Dollar, one of the first 1,758 minted in the US, after no one placed his minimum bid, which often are what...
A mummified cat found buried in a house in a Transylvanian city mentioned in Bram Stoker’s Dracula is expected to fetch up to $1,564 at auction. The fossilized feline was...
The UK’s biggest hoarder amassed an epic collection including Beatles and Elvis Presley memorabilia, vintage comics, rare books and myriad tchotchkes — hoping to fund his retirement with them, according...


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Facebook said Monday it will add 1,000 employees to its global ads review teams over the next year to put the kibosh on foreign state-sponsored ads.
The company will examine not just the content of the ad, but also the context in which it was bought and the targeting parameters used. Facebook’s ads review system will change to take these signals into account.
Facebook, sensitive to how some users hijacked its free-form employer and education fields to foment racism and hatred, also will proactively work to identify targeting parameters that could be used to contravene its policies before an ad runs.
Ads with certain types of targeting – ”Jew haters” would seem to qualify – will be sent for additional manual review before hitting the platform.
Beyond beefing up its manual review process, Facebook will invest more in machine learning to flag and remove ads at a larger scale.
Facebook also will hand over the more than 3,000 Russia-linked ads it discovered on its platform to Congress, many of which “appear to amplify racial and social divisions,” Facebook’s VP of global policy, Joel Kaplan, wrote in a blog post.
The content guidelines on Facebook are about to get a lot stricter and more transparent. As a follow-on to Mark Zuckerberg’s recent promise to “bring Facebook to an even higher standard of transparency,” Facebook will make it more difficult for buyers to hide who they are when they pay for an ad.
Unlike on television and other traditional media, where advertisers are required by law to disclose who paid for a political ad, there’s no such disclosure requirement for online political advertising.
As part of that effort, it looks like Facebook is getting rid of unpublished or dark posts that allow brands and publishers to target users with content, usually ads, doesn’t actually live on their pages, meaning that only people within the target audience could see them. Going forward, users will be able to see all of the other ads a page is running even if they weren’t targeted.
It’s also about to get harder for advertisers to hide who they are. Facebook is updating its policy to require “more thorough documentation” from advertisers that want to run US federal election-related ads, Kaplan wrote. Before an advertiser is approved to buy an ad, it will have to confirm the business or entity it represents, although that doesn’t necessarily help if an organization creates a shell corporation.


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Will Voke start a new fave of e-cigarettes in 2019?
At present, the hottest vape on the market is the mini vape. So what is the next generation of e-cigarettes? Next year, will Voke lead the new trend of vapes?
As for Voke, I wonder if everyone still has an impression on it. It was the first e-cigarette to receive a UK medical product license in September 2014 and it will be launched as a non-prescription drug in the UK. It will be used in conjunction with existing nicotine replacement therapies including nicotine patches and nicotine chewing gum. It is said to be produced by British-American Tobacco.
It was originally planned to sell to the market in 2016. Later, the company behind Voke, Kind Consumer Holdings Limited, said that due to the expansion of the manufacturing process, the product will be delayed until 2019.
To say medicine e-cigarette, this is it! This is the real medical e-cigarette!
The company’s chairman, Paul Treniman said: “Voke is expected to provide an alternative to smoking for smokers and those around them, so that it can truly reduce the health risks of smoking.”
The product looks no different from the disposable e-cigarettes that have been popular for years. But seeing the introduction, it is an amazing product! The product is provided nicotine formulations through a breathing valve in a cigarette-sized medical device, and its technology is protected by more than 340 global patents.
According to the company’s website, Voke contains 0.45 mg of nicotine. Clinical trials have shown that a dose of 0.45 mg of nicotine can effectively alleviate the smoke addiction of smokers without causing harm to the human body, and the product does not produce visible smoke. It has no smell and avoids affecting others when using.
Unfortunately, the current product has not been seen and experienced, I don’t know how this product is! I am very much looking forward to the launch of Voke!
VOKE® NICOTINE INHALER – FURTHER FUNDING WILL SUPPORT MANUFACTURING FACILITIES AND COMMERCIAL LAUNCH 15th August 2018, LONDON, UK


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Bitmain, the largest bitcoin mining chips manufacturer, decides to go public and that too by raising IPO of $18 billion worth.
Bitmain is filing an IPO on Hong Kong stock exchange at a market capitalization of $40 to $50 billion. In past many Chinese tech companies have turned themselves in to public companies and Bitmain is all set to contribute in to hot trend. Founded by 32-year-old Jihan Wu, Bitmain aimed to make cryptocurrency the future money of the world. He said:
We will also invest into our vision about the future of a crypto market. We think that it will start to support the real world economy, and to build more than this financial market on the Internet. src: Fortune
Bitmain marked about $1 billion Pre-IPO finance. Its valuation i.e $15 billion is almost double than the valuation many predicted in April. If Bitmain successfully raises $18 billion IPO, then it will be substituting the place of social media giants, Facebook who managed to raise about $17 billion, that was world’s 10th biggest, IPO.
Up till now, Bitmain has seen great progress in collecting huge sums of money from different companies and organizations. In a Series A funding round, $50 million had been raised by Bitmain with the support and help from Sequoia Capital China and IDG Capital. Progressing further in to Series B funding round with the investments coming from Sequoia Capital China, U.S. hedge fund Coatue and EDBI, Bitmain raised about $400 million. The significance of the funds can be seen from the valuation of company after Series A fund round which was $1 billion and after done with the Series B funds, it valued about $12 billion.
In the beginning, the company manufactured ASIC chips to mine bitcoin efficiently. Later after blossoming in mining bitcoin, company expanded its services thus encompassing altcoins such as bitcoin cash, litecoin, ethereum etc. Its dominance can be easily seen from its performance so far. Bitmain has been now dominating in its domain as leading mining machines manufacturer. Bitmain’s machinery is handling 66.6 percent of mining volume.
Bitmain has been enjoying milestones since its origin. It surpassed 17 year old company, Spreadtrum Communications by becoming second largest integrated circuit design maker in China. Now Bitmain is heading toe to toe with Huawei HiSilicon for the throne of world’s largest chip maker. It is accelerating in capturing market in short time span as compared to Huawei HiSilicon. Experts even expect it to outperform companies such as Nvidia and AMD very soon in the chip making business.
Moreover, the mining giants are generating revenue from mining bitcoin as well. Currently mining pools of Bitmain are covering 40 percent of the mining network. Its mining pools, AntPool and BTC.com are at the moment controlling almost 38 percent of world’s bitcoin mining power. BTC.com is serving about 11200 bitcoin blocks whereas AntPool has about 440,000 machines for mining cryptocurrencies. Company is generating large sums of revenue noticeably $11 billion in 2017 and $10 billion in Q1 of 2018 and with the help of IPO, co-founders’ are looking forward to sum up to almost $30 billion benchmark. Such a strong file has persuaded investors to ponder over the company’s plan of raising an successful IPO.
Bitmain has been involved in number of outside investments as well. Recently, company has invested in tribeOS and continued its investments in blockchain tech to maintain its image. In past it has also bestowed investments to BizKey, DEx.top, Circle, Huawei and black.one. It also played important role for adding ethereum extension on Opera browsers. By doing so, Bitmain has established itself as a digital currency infra structured institution to gain attention and trust of investors.
Apart from chips, Bitmain has also seen the prospects of AI and has began investing in it as well. By the end of 2018, it is planning to launch its AI chips called Sophons. The company even claims to match the power of AI products with the ones produced by Google. With the success of AI chips, company looks forward to generate revenue up to 40 percent of total from it only and rule the future Tech world.
Since its creation, Bitmain is growing and developing at a remarkable pace. Accomplishing one success milestone after another, Bitmain has just been managing all pretty well. With its reputation and image, it has taken a bold step to expand on scales impossible to reach on its own. So,target of $18 billion has been set and striving everything necessary for this milestone is the agenda.


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One more Huawei handset is added to the World’s largest electronics market as the company has introduced its Huawei Honor 4A smartphone in China in a press conference on Tuesday.
The company has revealed its new entry-level smartphone with a price tag of CNY 599 (~Rs. 6,100) for the 3G variant. Meanwhile, the 4G variant has been retailing at CNY 699 (~Rs. 7,200). It is expected firm the company to unleash the smartphone in India as well, however, it hasn’t revealed any detail about it.
It runs on Emotion UI 3.1 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop supported by a 1.1 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 chipset that is embed with Adreno 304 GPU and 2GB of RAM. The handset is available with 8 GB of onboard storage with no storage expandability option.
It is featured with a 5-inch full-HD display with 720×1280 pixels of resolution and a 2 megapixel of user-facing camera above it. Also, the manufacturer has provided an 8 megapixel of decent image shooter.
The Huawei Honor 4A was revealed with dual-SIM support and 3G/4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS, 3.5mm stereo audio jack and Micro-USB 2.0, as connectivity options. The handset is fueled with a 2200 mAh of battery.
Tech Specs for Huawei Honor 4A
|Display||5-inch HD 720p display|
|Camera||8MP rear and 2MP front facing camera|
|Processor||1.1 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 chipset|
|OS||Emotion UI 3.1 w/ Android 5.1 Lollipop|


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Dubai: The e-commerce sector in the UAE is booming. In the first quarter of this year alone, 1605 e-commerce licenses were issued. These figures show that the e-commerce scene in the emirate is gaining strength. According to the Dubai Economy and Tourism Department, 18013 companies have been issued e-commerce trade licenses since its inception in 2017 until last March.
Of the licenses, 13671 are for professionals. 4342 in the commercial sector. As of March this year, 1334 were in the professional and 271 in the commercial sector. Startups and freelancers now have the opportunity to start an e-commerce business in Dubai. “This is a testament to the growing e-commerce scene in Dubai,” he said. However, if the ownership is in the name of 100 per cent indigenous citizens, three visas will be issued, officials said.
E commerce services
Beginners will also have the opportunity to set foot in the business world. Being able to start businesses and startups from the comfort of your own home makes things easier. Most e-commerce services are provided in the areas of portals, social media marketing services, web designing, project management services, fashion designing, blogging services, clothing trade, internet content, painting, and sales of products including perfume. Those who obtain such licenses will not be able to open shops directly.
E-commerce licenses include membership in the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, access to services from local banks, access to exports through the right to attend exhibitions and conferences, and exhibit venues. The e-commerce license can be obtained by registering at invest.dubai.ae . Authorities said the license could be issued within minutes of registration.


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Turnstile revenue in July was worth RMB5.05 billion or $731 million according to data from measurement and consultancy firm Ent Group. Under reporting rules introduced this year that figure includes some $45 million (RMB313 million) of fees earned by online ticketing agencies. But even with the fees stripped out, the month saw a gain of 5% compared with July 2016, which was worth RMB4.51 billion.
Data for the first seven months of the year shows a similar pattern. Year to date grosses were worth $4.66 billion (RMB32.2 billion,) inclusive of RMB1.98 billion of ticketing fees. The net figure represents 4% growth.
In terms of admissions, growth was stronger. Some 926 million tickets were sold in the first seven months of 2017. That was an 8% gain on the 859 million total between January and July 2016. It implies that mean ticket prices are continuing to fall as a result of price competition, and more significantly, because cinemas continue to be built in towns and cities with lower purchasing power.
Helping keep the score on the uptrend were major performances by India’s “Dangal” on $188 million, “Transformers: The Last Knight,” with $224 million in the period, and the first few days of “Wolf Warriors 2,” contributing $194 million. Other July releases “Despicable Me 3” and “Wu Kong” contributed $144 million and $100 million respectively.


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We swapped out an old Filtex system in Sugar Grove, IL last week. Replaced the unit with a Modern Day unit and added a valve in the basement. We also replaced the old filtex style inlet valves with new, standard type and upgraded the tool set to a new EBK 360 tool set.
With the new data breaches on Facebook and continued reports of personal information being stolen from various websites now is the time to shift our buying habits back to buying local. I addition to that there is the risk of buying counterfeit products or products with no warranty. TTI Floor Care recently sent dealers a […]