text: China will step up its plans to further open up the financial industry to foreign investments as a means of shoring up its post-coronavirus economic recovery and to also help tackle the prospect of a slow down later in the year. The country must push on with its commitments to open up the banking and insurance sectors, while leveraging both the international and domestic markets, to establish itself as “a popular destination for foreign investment”, the State Council, China’s cabinet, said in an executive meeting on Wednesday. It is not the first time Beijing has turned to the strategy, but it is reaffirming its commitments ahead of a l ikely economic slowdown in the second half of the year after a robust first six months aided by fiscal stimulus and a strong start off the back of low production levels last year. “As a developing country, China’s development must rely on the real economy. Greater financial openness should better serve the real economy, which is of great importance to maintaining the country’s economic stability,” said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The wider opening-up of the financial sector will help foreign institutions to share the dividends of China’s economic development and will also help promote the further development of the Chinese economy Xu Hongcai But Li also warned that the government should safeguard economic and financial security as its economy opens up further. “[China] should ... use [foreign capital] to our advantage, especially guiding the capital flow into the real economy to help the innovation and industrial structure transformation of the country,” Xu Hongcai, deputy director of the economic policy commission under the China Association of Policy Science, said on Thursday. Xu added that the authorities need to plan ahead by providing targeted guidance to systemically important financial institutions amid the economic slowdown to avoid the financial risks from spreading across industries and across borders. “The wider opening-up of the financial sector will help foreign institutions to share the dividends of China’s economic development and will also help promote the further development of the Chinese economy ,” he said. “Expanding opening to the outside world will also inevitably increase the potential risks and challenges facing the country.” Since the start of the US-China trade war in 2018, Beijing has been attempting to open up its financial markets, with lifting restrictions on financial services top of the agenda during the negotiations with the Trump administration over the phase-one trade deal that was eventually signed in January 2020. China had also already committed to opening up its financial markets when it joined the World Trade Organization almost 20 years ago, but it has faced criticisms for failing to make good on its promises. Wednesday’s State Council meeting said that China will take the necessary steps to achieve a higher level of financial openness based on a negative list approach and by aligning with higher international standards. China updated its negative list – which sets out industries where foreign investment is limited or prohibited – for foreign investment in 2020 and removed all restrictions for the financial sector. China implores US firms to invest more in northeast rust-belt region near Russia, North Korea It will also refine the market access threshold for foreign-invested financial institutions, such as banks and insurance companies, while also improving the rules concerning cross-border transactions between parent and subsidiary firms of financial institutions and optimising the channels for foreign capital to enter the Chinese domestic financial market. The meeting also said that the country will improve management requirements for direct investment projects that are closely related to the real economy. It also said China will look to keep the yuan exchange rate basically stable and at an adaptive and balanced level. The State Council also called for the building of mechanisms for the monitoring, evaluation and early warning of systemic financial risks, while also improving its macroprudential policy framework. The meeting also decided on measures to further facilitate cross-border trade and reduce the time and money lost during customs clearance, which should ensure a steady growth of imports and exports in the second half of the year given “changes in international situation and environment”. China’s exports grew by 32.2 per cent in June compared with a year earlier, up from 27.9 per cent growth in May, while imports grew by 36.7 per cent last month, year on year, down from 51.1 per cent growth in the previous month. Both imports and exports beat expectations, but the customs administration warned earlier this month that China’s trade may slow in the second half of year “due to a higher base one year ago”. “The growth rate of foreign trade will decline to a certain degree in the second half of the year due to higher base a year ago,” Li Xingqian, head of foreign trade at the Ministry of Commerce, said on Thursday. “The development of foreign trade still faces many uncertainties and instabilities. The continuous pandemic, the fragile recovery of the world economy, high raw material prices, and poor shipping and logistics all have further squeezed the profit margins of trade companies and affected their willingness to take orders.” Li added that the authorities will introduce more targeted policies to reduce the overall cost for trade companies. Of course, opening-up is to make the cross-border flow of capital more flexible and free in the future, but we also need to do some concrete work to ensure financial stability Huang Yiping The State Council meeting on Wednesday also noted that more than 100 foreign-invested banks, insurance, securities, payment and clearing institutions have been approved to set up business in China in recent years. But, while strengthening financial support for the real economy and preventing any systematic financial crisis in the years ahead, domestic financial institutions have shown ever-declining efficiency, warned Huang Yiping, a former central bank adviser and now deputy dean of Peking University’s National School of Development. “Financial opening is a very important channel to achieve these two goals,” he said during a speech in March. “Of course, opening-up is to make the cross-border flow of capital more flexible and free in the future, but we also need to do some concrete work to ensure financial stability.” So far, foreign companies such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse have set up joint venture securities companies in China, while American Express has been approved for a bank card clearing business license for its joint venture business. Last year, rating company Fitch also joined S&P in entering the Chinese market.


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Chefs and those who supply them have started cultivating New York’s version of fallow ground: their roofs. Greenpoint’s Rooftop Farms sells to restaurants like Vesta and Anella. A kitchen garden grows above a shipping container in Roberta’s backyard. Even Jean-Georges Vongerichten has hinted he’ll sow seeds on top of , the location of his new ABC Kitchen, opening this month.
Best New Idea: Rooftop Restaurant Farms
From the 2010 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine
So what exactly does “best” mean in a city with thousands of pizza joints, hundreds of celebrity masseuses, and museum-worthy concept shops on every corner? Well, in the case of this, our annual “Best of New York” roundup, there’s a heavy emphasis on what’s new or what has somehow remained virtually unheard of (until now, of course).

domain: news


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Sep 10, 2014 Outside Duluth, Minnesota, a greenhouse grows tilapia and lettuce side by side.
Sep 2, 2014 "Made in the USA" is a powerful label, but you'd better be sure you use it correctly.
Sep 2, 2014 Manufacturing states like North Carolina hope to create similar apprenticeship programs.
Aug 22, 2014 Marketplace's Noel King and Lindsay Foster Thomas recap their trip to Ferguson, Missouri and tell us about their experience.
Aug 20, 2014 Clouds — and people running from them — appear in images from Ferguson to Cairo.
Aug 18, 2014 The Swiish Bar and Grill seemed far away from the violence. It was and it wasn't.
Aug 11, 2014 Farmer Chuck Eggert explains life on the farm.
Aug 2, 2014 Market Basket grocery stores in New England saw protests in support of its former CEO.
Jul 18, 2014 Have anti-immigration protests affected business in Murrieta, California?


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Ghandhara Nissan plans to introduce electric cars in Pakistan within the next three years, the company has confirmed.
It will be in collaboration with a Chinese firm, The News reported Thursday.
The electric vehicles will be in line with government’s initiative to implement the electric vehicle policy, Ghandhara Nissan said during a meeting with Board of Investment (BoI) Secretary Fareena Mazhar on Wednesday.
The auto company’s CEO, Muazzam Pervaiz, visited the board with his team to present a business plan of brownfield investment of Rs2.4 billion.
China’s Chery Group is collaborating with Ghandhara Nissan.
The plan is to roll out different types of passenger cars, ranging from hatchbacks to sedans, crossovers to sports utility vehicles and electric vehicles.
Car sales increase in Pakistan
Car sales in Pakistan increased 18% to 78,910 units during the first six months of the current fiscal year.
Industry data showed consumer demand is coming back to normalaided by low interest rates.
Suzuki, Indus Motors, Honda and Hyundai sales’ were recorded at 67,019 units in the corresponding period last year, Topline Securities said, citing data from the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association.
Demand is expected to continue increasing during the year.
Passenger car sales increased 12.6% to 11,247 units in December from 9,987 units sold during the same period in 2019. However, sales remained lower against 11,914 units sold in November 2020. Jeeps, buses, tractors, three-wheelers and motorcycles have also shown an increase in sales.


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States are leading the way when it comes to protecting people from dangerous chemicals. And it’s a good thing, because the federal Toxic Substances Control Act, on the books since President Ford signed it into law, is broken.
This statute is so dysfunctional that only five of the tens of thousands of chemicals in commerce have been restricted under its authority.
To fill the regulatory gap, 33 state governments have taken action to protect their citizens from well-known hazardous chemicals such as BPA, formaldehyde, lead, mercury and flame retardants. (See maps below for more details.) Many of the state laws take children’s health into special consideration when banning toxic chemicals from consumer goods like toys, baby bottles, sippy cups and children’s jewelry.
But a chemical industry-backed bill being offered by Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) would block states from taking new actions to regulate chemicals that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated high priority.
Maine, Vermont and California grant their state agencies authority to give priority to chemicals of concern and to regulate those chemicals in products. Both Maine and Vermont focus on children’s products. Lawmakers in New York, Oregon and Washington are considering legislation to grant their state agencies similar authorities.
The California Attorney General’s office recently sent a letter to Washington asserting that the industry bill might undermine the state’s ability to protect Californians from toxic chemicals.
Of greatest concern, the letter said, was that the industry bill would prevent state authorities in California (and elsewhere) from regulating “high priority chemicals” years before federal regulations could take effect. The industry bill would also prevent states from passing laws to supplement and co-enforce federal regulations once they’re on the books, even though states commonly do so under other environmental and consumer protection statutes.
In some instances, the industry bill would undercut states’ abilities to protect people through other environmental laws, such as those meant to protect air and water.
True TSCA reform should give priority to human health over industry interests. Because states have played a pivotal role in recent years in taking actions to protect public health, TSCA reform must maintain a role for states to regulate dangerous chemicals and must preserve states’ capacity to supplement the work of the federal government.
Click on the maps below to see where state governments have taken action to protect people’s health from hazardous chemicals. Data is complied from Safer States Bill Tracker.


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Apple customers have become the victim of the first campaign hackers have launched against Mac computers using ransomware. The attack, which took place over the weekend, used a pernicious type ransomware, researchers with Palo Alto Networks told Reuters on Sunday.
Takes three days to affect
Ransomware is a prominent name among the fastest-growing types of cyber-threats that work by encrypting data on infected machines and then blackmailing users to pay ransom in hard-to-trace digital currencies in exchange for an electronic key to retrieve their data.
Hackers used a tainted copy of a popular program known as Transmission to infect Macs, said Palo Alto on Sunday in a blog. The blog stated that users who downloaded version 2.90 of Transmission, which was released on Friday, got their Macs infected with the ransomware.
Palo Alto stated that KeRanger is programmed to affect a computer and then remain quiet for three days, after which it will connect to the attacker’s server and start encrypting files, rendering them inaccessible. The blog said that once encryption is completed, KeRanger demands a ransom of 1 bitcoin, which is equivalent to approximately $400.
Apple revokes digital certificate
Such cyber-criminals typically target users of Microsoft’s Windows operating system and make hundreds of millions of dollars every year from ransom, noted security experts. Palo Alto Threat Intelligence Director Ryan Olson said that the KeRanger malware appeared on Friday and is the first functioning ransomware to attack Apple’s Mac computers.
To prevent further infections, Apple took some steps over the weekend, such as revoking a digital certificate that enabled the rogue software to install itself on Macs, said an Apple representative. Also Transmission removed the malicious version of its software from its website and released a version to automatically remove the ransomware from infected Apple Macs.
The website advises Transmission users to immediately install the new update, version 2.92, if they suspect their Mac to be infected. The victims whose machines have been compromised but cleanup hasn’t started could start losing data access on Monday, or three days after the virus was loaded onto Transmission’s site, said Olson.


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One of the distinguishing features of the American dairy case has been the dominance by regional milk brands and the lack of a real national brand, even as national brands have proliferated and done well in every other dairy segment. Much has to do with the local imperatives of fresh milk distribution as well as the federal government’s regional pricing structure.
So Dean Foods took a big bet in 2015 when it decided to introduce DairyPure. It launched as America’s largest brand of regular fluid milk by bringing all of its regional dairy brands under one label. And the investment paid off financially, too, as two years later the DairyPure brand is generating $1.5 billion in sales.
Dallas, Tex.-based based Dean crafted the DairyPure brand by combining the appeal of a true national brand of milk—backed up by a “Five-Point Purity Promise” to affirm its values—with the confidence of a co-branded local or regional brand in each market, leading to co-branded packaging with the DairyPure logo. There have also been co-branded marketing campaigns such as a recent Kraft Macaroni and Cheese tie-in.
The pledge promises that DairyPure contains no artificial growth hormones, is from cows treated with no antibiotics; continuously tested for purity throughout processing; from only cows with a healthy diet; and cold shipped fresh from a local dairy.
Little has actually changed with the products per se, and most of the sales volume was present under Dean’s collection of regional brands. But DairyPure already accounts for more than 14 percent of America’s total $10.4 billion fluid milk market. And it ranked No. 1 on the 2016 New Product Pacesetters list from market-research firm Information Resources Inc., with a launch that generated nearly $1.2 billion in sales.
“Labeling and creating a large national milk brand had never been done before, and now we can advertise and communicate the benefits of the brand,” Kurt Laufer, Senior Vice President, Chief Customer, Marketing and Innovation Officer for Dean Foods (right), told brandchannel. “But we will maintain the local brands because people want to understand that they’re getting the purest milk possible and that’s being delivered via their local dairy.”
Laufer told us more in a Q&A:
What were the factors that led you to create DairyPure?
When you just have local brands, it’s hard to have media-buying efficiencies. It’s hard to invest efficiently when you’ve got small regional brands that are fragmented. We also knew that there would be a market for a branded milk. Only about 10 percent of American consumers are “branded consumers,” who only buy branded milk. Another 30 percent only buy private-label milks [in part because of the heavy impact of pricing movements in the category]. About 50 percent to 60 percent of milk shoppers go both ways.
Did the success of TruMoo, the one percent-fat chocolate milk brand you introduced in 2011, pave the way for DairyPure?
Yes. We learned from TruMoo that there is certainly room for a national brand even while in many cases keeping the local brand too. It has evolved over time, but that same concept allows us to advertise nationally, and the sub-brands allow us to tie that back to the local brand. Consumers are very aware of local brands, and we don’t want to come across as a big, bad national brand, where you can’t be sure where your milk actually comes from.
How has the Five-Point Purity Promise helped the brand grow so quickly?
One reason is that more people are tempted to switch to plant-based “milks.” They think they have to go to plant-based milks to get that purity. DairyPure starts to create the promise and tell truths out there rather than have false perceptions.
Also, we’re starting to see whole milk back on the rise. This is the first time in years the discussion is all about whole and full fat, and we’re excited about that. We’re going to start to move that into the forefront of our advertising and what we picture in it. It’s hard to buck that trend: Shoppers tell the truth, and that’s where it’s going.
How will the DairyPure brand grow from here?
We recently extended DairyPure into a line of creams, coffee creamers and sour creams, and we plan cottage cheese in 2018. We’ll be a master brand in the dairy category – anything that could play in the purity segment. Everything has to be able to stand up to that 5-Point Purity Promise. So we’re being very intentional about where we can play and where we can’t with this brand—you won’t see it in dips, for example.
And why are retailers excited about DairyPure?
The market basket for the person buying DairyPure also probably includes buying Eggland’s Best eggs, a premium product, and maybe they’re making a point of buying Land O’ Lakes butter. So it’s a branded dairy shopper who is very valuable to retail partners. That’s where this brand is starting to make a difference.
Get more branding insights in our Q&A series. Suggest a Q&A: firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Spike in covid Zhejiang renews concern of impact on supply chains
Its main city, Hangzhou, is home to China's largest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group Holding, as well as other technology firms.
BEIJING: China's Zhejiang province, a manufacturing hub is recording around a million new Covid-19 cases in a single day and the situation has sparked concerns among people regarding its impact on supply chains, Nikkei Asia reported.
Zhejiang, located near Shanghai, has a population of about 65 million people. Its main city, Hangzhou, is home to China's largest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group Holding, as well as other technology firms.
Aside from Apple suppliers, Zhejiang is home to Japanese automaker Nidec and a slew of other foreign manufacturers. Citing a report released on Wednesday by the British research group Airfinity, Nikkei Asia stated that daily instances in China possibly top one million. Zhejiang's disclosure suggests a far higher figure.
New cases are been reported throughout China. Dongguan in Guangdong Province reported Friday that daily illnesses ranged from 250,000 to 300,000, while Qingdao in Shandong Province reported 490,000 to 530,000 daily infections.
However, official data from the central government do not reflect such rapid spread, raising concerns about the central government's information disclosure. The provincial government released the number on Sunday, adding that it expects daily infections to peak around New Year's Day, possibly at 2 million, Nikkei Asia reported.
After China abandoned its restrictive "zero Covid" policy about two weeks ago, regional numbers of infected persons with coronavirus point to explosive outbreaks and overstretched healthcare systems, writes Chang Che, Asia technology correspondent for The New York Times (NYT).
However, the intensity and magnitude of the country's first nationwide outbreak have remained largely a mystery as official figures from the central government remain low. Notably, the Communist Party has cast aside the restrictive "zero Covid" policy, which set off mass protests that were a rare challenge to the Communist leadership.
Meanwhile, there is a shortage of medicine, as Covid rips through parts of China, millions are struggling to find treatment -- from the most basic cold remedies to take at home to more powerful antivirals for patients in hospitals.
Gripped with grief and anxiety, many in China want a national reckoning over the hard-line Covid policy. Holding the government accountable may be a quixotic quest, reported NYT.


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Photos and article by Tanner Mashburn, TMashPhotos
Out of the dozens of events that take place during Monterey Car Week, The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, has become a favorite for most. Car companies from all around the world come to show off the best they have to offer and this year was no different.
Every car company, from Pagani to Acura, was in attendance to show off their latest creations. What makes The Quail even more unique is that, for some manufacturers, it is the only place during the whole of Car Week where their cars are on display for the public to see.
One of these examples is the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster SV. The 750 hp blue masterpiece made its global debut at The Quail but was then reserved the rest of the week for private events. The Koenigsegg One:1 also made an appearance and stole the attention of thousands who passed by, including Jay Leno and Instagram motivator Manny Khoshbin. Acura’s display of red, blue and black NSX models gave people a first look at the new car before they begin to hit showrooms in the near future.
Pagani’s display was definitely a sight to behold, with customer cars surrounding a display where Mr. Pagani himself was explaining to everyone who walked by what made his cars a true Italian work of art. Other new cars on display included the Porsche GT3 RS, BAC Mono, Bentley EXP 10, Shelby GT350, Aston Martin Lagonda, redesigned Ford GT and many others.
However, it is not all about the new cars. Jaw-dropping sights, such as a gathering of Ferrari F50s, a Ferrari 250 GTO, a Jaguar XJ220s, a Lamborghini Countach and countless other classics, were on display. Although The Quail is a public event, tickets sell out very quickly.
For those who are not able to get a ticket in time, the spectator parking lot in itself is a combination of hundreds of the best cars ever made. An incredibly rare sight any other time of the year, Porsche 918 Spyders, Mclaren P1s and Ferrari LaFerraris seemed almost common throughout the parking area.
The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering never disappoints and continues to grow. Although it is hard to imagine, next year will almost certainly be even better.


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High costs and limited access have prevented some governments from investing in biotechnology products. However, as more biosimilars are introduced to the market, a growing number of Latin American countries are approving these advanced medicinal products, providing their populations with access to drugs that have revolutionized the treatment of some chronic diseases.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines a biosimilar medicine as a biological product highly similar and with no clinically significant differences from the reference product already approved by the FDA, while the definition from the European Medicine Agency (EMA) is a medicine highly similar to other biotechnological product already approved. In addition, the World Health Organization has developed a prequalification program to help countries that lack a rigorous regulatory framework.
Recognizing the advantages biosimilars present, a growing number of Latin American countries have started to invest in these medicines.


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Earlier, OnePlus announced that it had fully integrated its smartphone brand with OPPO. So, the company will now operate under the OPPO brand. However, OnePlus can still maintain its independence. Based on previous information, OnePlus stated that it would retain OxygenOS.
OnePlus has now announced that it will integrate its operating system, namely OxygenOS, with ColorOS. The company said that this integration step aims to take advantage of available resources given the company’s merger with OPPO.
Reportedly, OPPO has far more resources and a bigger technology platform. Those resources are certainly expected by Smartphone as they can be used in an effort to ensure each of its products receive stable and timely software updates.
The integration of the two OxygenOS operating systems with ColorOS may not be of much concern to users as it will not affect the overall operation and interface of the device. Smartphone said it would form a more reliable development team to make this integration step possible.
OnePlus insists its Smartphone will still run OxygenOS.
Despite the move to integrate the two operating systems, OnePlus insists its Smartphone will still run OxygenOS. In addition, the company ensures OxygenOS will be on a more stable platform. OnePlus also ensures that smartphones with future models will also continue to run OxygenOS with the latest version. At the same time, smartphones with existing models will receive the update via OTA along with the Android 12 update. OnePlus also announced that it would provide operating system updates on its flagship products three times since its launch. In this case, the company’s flagship products such as the OnePlus eight series will get three Android operating system updates
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Marriott's Starwood database hacked, 500 million may be affected
- Marriott Internatiοnal Inc <> said οn Friday that hackers accessed abοut 500 milliοn recοrds in its Starwood Hotels reservatiοn system in an attack that began fοur years agο, expοsing persοnal data of customers including some payment card numbers.
Shares fell 5 percent after disclosure of the hack, οne of the largest in histοry, which prοmpted regulatοrs in Britain and at least three U.S. states to annοunce plans to look into the attack.
The hack began in 2014, befοre Marriott offered to buy Starwood fοr $12.2 billiοn in November 2015, acquiring brands including Sheratοn, Ritz Carltοn and Westin to create the wοrld’s largest hotel operatοr. The cοmpany closed the Starwood deal in September 2016.
Passpοrt details, phοne numbers and email addresses of some 327 milliοn Marriott customers were expοsed, accοrding to the cοmpany. Credit card data may have been taken fοr other customers, it said.
“What makes this serious is the number of people involved, the intimacy of the data that was taken and the lοng delay between the breach and discοvery,” said Mark Rasch, a fοrmer U.S. federal cyber crimes prοsecutοr.
Customers cοmplained to Marriott thrοugh its accοunt οn Twitter, where Starwood was amοng the top trending U.S. topics. Some criticized the cοmpany, using terms including “duped,” “angry” and “merger disaster” to describe the incident.
Marriott said it learned of the breach οn Sept. 8 when an internal security tool sent an alert abοut suspicious activity.
“We fell shοrt of what our guests deserve,” Marriott Chief Executive Arne Sοrensοn said.Slideshow> to cut $350 milliοn off the price it paid when it acquired mοst of Yahoo.
Marriott said it was too early to estimate the financial impact of the breach and that it would nοt affect its lοng-term financial health. The hotel chain said it was wοrking with its insurance carriers to assess cοverage.
Baird Equity Research said in a nοte to clients that breach-related cοsts, including legal fees, technical expenses and increased security, cοuld fοrce Marriott to delay the rοllout of a new customer loyalty prοgram planned fοr early 2019.
“Investοr sentiment toward Marriott cοuld remain somewhat negative in the near term until this security incident is fully resolved and its true financial impact is learned,” Baird said.
The Hyatt breach highlights the need fοr cοmpanies to pay close attentiοn οn cyber security when making acquisitiοns.
“Understanding the cybersecurity pοsture of an investment is critical to assessing the value of the investment and cοnsidering reputatiοnal, financial, and legal harm that cοuld befall the cοmpany,” said Jake Olcοtt, a vice president with cybersecurity firm BitSight.
Starwood brands include W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheratοn Hotels & Resοrts, and Westin Hotels & Resοrts.


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SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Ionobell, a company that develops silicon battery technology for electric vehicles and other applications, aiming for increased range and performance at a lower cost, announced that they have raised a recent seed extension round of $3.9M led by Dynamo Ventures and Trucks VC bringing the total amount funding to $7.3M in seed investment fundraising. The initial equity round was led by Trucks VC, with participation from Dynamo Ventures and Alumni Ventures.
Ionobell has expertise in battery material and cell development, alongside several decades of energy storage, Li-ion, and fabrication knowledge and experience are used to build battery technology that will help automotive clients save up to $1,200 per vehicle.
Traditionally, building batteries is a large-scale, long process that eats up time, money, and resources. Many battery companies in the space are unable to reach production scale because of the costs of building their batteries. The landscape is littered with failed or failing battery companies, unable to afford the billions of dollars, hundreds of technologies, and decades of process development time needed to achieve viable battery production, thereby stifling innovation and resulting in your car today still using the same battery technology from 20 years ago. The only way to drive major innovation is by creating a “drop-in solution”, which allows over 100 battery production facilities opening in the US to immediately upgrade and produce better battery solutions without massive new capital expenditure. Ionobell is actively working with the largest manufacturers in the business to license its battery technologies and make this a reality.
Ionobell’s silicon material is 500% more energy-dense than Graphite and with its porous structure, it still meets the lifecycle needs of automotive, even in solid-state designs, enabling greater range, faster charging, and lower costs than existing batteries. Additionally, Ionobell’s novel approach reuses waste materials to significantly reduce the environmental impact for its industry partners, further enabling the circular economy.
“Almost every single product we use in our daily lives, from our phones to our cars to our coffee machines, uses batteries,” says Robert Neivert, CEO of Ionobell. “The average consumer, however, doesn’t realize that a multitude of different technology providers and partnerships produce these batteries. At Ionobell, we want to give manufacturers and producers better solutions for their demanding battery customers. This means creating silicon-forward batteries that are more energy-efficient and cost-effective. They are also a “drop-in solution” with their existing processes/equipment, both solid-state and standard Li-Ion. We’re powering the technology that powers people’s lives.”
With this funding, Ionobell plans on expanding its production across the United States. Moreover, it aims to bring its transformative recycled battery material to new manufacturers and a broader array of industries. Currently, they work extensively with the world’s largest automotive manufacturers in the US.
“At Dynamo, we believe in investing in the future of supply chain and mobility,” says Jon Bradford, Managing Partner of Dynamo Ventures. “Ionobell’s novel battery technology from reused materials that can power the technology in our everyday lives. Moreover, the impact ripples from product inception through manufacturing, transportation, supply chain, and end use, encompassing conception to distribution. Ionobell leads the charge in creating a greener global industry by literally powering the future, driving towards environmental improvement.”


text: ZTE Axon 7 Could be a Major Contender Dylan Duarte May 15, 2016 News ZTE has been producing smartphones that have been reliably solid, but they’ve yet to really hit something out of the park, which means they’re yet to be a threat to the bigger players. That might change, and soon, with the ZTE Axon 7. The ZTE Axon and ZTE Axon Pro were good phones, if unremarkable. The ZTE Axon 7, scheduled for a reveal on May 26, boasts incredible specs: Qualcomm Snapdragn 820 chipset, 5.5-inc QHD screen, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage (plus MicroSD), fingerprint sensor, 20-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front camera, and a 3140mAh battery. Like I said, it’s an undoubtedly impressive phone. The kicker? It might come in a lot cheaper than most flagship phones, which would certainly be disruptive in the smartphone market; assuming it makes it to North America. The big question next to the price point is why the name Axon 7? It’s the not the seventh in the line, nor do any of its specs have anything to do with seven. The best we can figure is that it’s due to the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7. Did ZTE just skip a handful of numbers in order to play catch up? Share This With The World!


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Prevu Accelerates West Coast Expansion with San Diego Launch
Prevu, a real estate technology company on a mission to empower homebuyers and save them time and money, today announced its expansion into San Diego, advancing its strategy to bring unparalleled control, transparency and savings to the home buying process in metropolitan cities across the country. The launch marks an expansion within California following the company’s entry in Los Angeles and Orange County earlier this year, and is well timed for San Diego homebuyers looking to save money in the face of rapidly increasing home prices.
The California Association of Realtors recently reported that the current median home price in San Diego County increased 19.6 percent year-over-year and outpaced many markets across the country. Lack of housing supply and low mortgage rates, coupled with a highly active real estate market, are projected to drive strong buyer demand, making it more difficult for buyers to identify and purchase homes that meet their needs. Prevu’s Smart Buyer™ digital home buying and technology platform empowers consumers to seamlessly search listings, collaborate with their experienced local agent, and buy a home online. This zero-pressure digital experience delivers a smarter, more efficient way for homebuyers to transact, and has generated an average savings of approximately $23,000 per transaction since the platform’s launch in 2017.
“Prevu is not only saving buyers time, money and frustration, we’ve created a digital platform that elevates the entire experience of purchasing a home by putting more power in the hands of consumers while providing experienced agents to guide them through the process,” said Thomas Kutzman co-founder and co-CEO of Prevu. “Our value proposition is even more important in today’s competitive housing market, as homebuyers compete for the homes of their dreams. Expanding to San Diego – which boasts a strong job market and attractive climate – marks a natural next step for us as we continue to roll out and scale our service offering in Southern California.”
Prevu digitizes the home buying process, allowing consumers to search for available listings, schedule tours, make offers, and more easily collaborate with their dedicated agent. The platform’s experienced local agents guide homebuyers every step of the way along the most-complicated last mile of the transaction, from offer through closing. What’s more, Prevu’s differentiated structure eliminates most of the overhead costs associated with operating a real estate brokerage, and the platform translates these efficiencies into savings to buyers in the form of an industry-leading commission rebate of up to two percent of the home’s purchase price.
“Prior to the pandemic, consumer interest in digital homebuying and selling platforms was steadily increasing, and Covid-19 has accelerated that interest in a way that is unlikely to reverse post-pandemic,” said Chase Marsh co-founder and co-CEO of Prevu. “A number of platforms have come to market offering different ways to rethink the homebuying and selling process, but what none of them have been able to do is create a value proposition that allows buyers to save tens of thousands of dollars per transaction without sacrificing a great homebuying experience. This is what sets Prevu apart and our business in the first half of 2021 increased 5x year-over-year.”
In addition to San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange County, Prevu also has operations in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia.
Prevu is a real estate technology company on a mission to empower homebuyers. The company’s digital Smart Buyer™ platform offers a homebuying experience with unparalleled control, transparency and savings when purchasing a home. With Prevu, consumers can seamlessly search, offer and save up to two percent of the purchase price when they buy a home. This zero-pressure online experience delivers a smarter, more efficient way for homebuyers to transact. The company currently operates in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County. To learn more about the company, visit www.prevu.com.


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Christie’s International began its 2012 US campaign in New York on the 25th of January with an auction with a twist. The wine sales are held hard on the heels of an art auction featuring old masters such as Rubens and Anthony Van Dyck. The logic being that the people who buy fine art often also dabble in fine wine; given such a convenient opportunity, the possibilities for cross selling are very strong.
Christie’s isn’t the only auction house willing to try new things. The drop in prices in Hong Kong could continue and the large auction houses, so keen over the last few years to throw in their lots with the Chinese, are rethinking their strategies. US customers, whilst not having the “no price too high” clout of their Chinese counterparts, offer different opportunities to wine merchants and auction houses. US collectors tend to be more diverse and look to wines, not only from the less glamorous growths of Bordeaux and Burgundy, but also from other wine centres such as the Rhone, Germany, California and Italy. As the price of the top Bordeaux falls in Hong Kong, the auction houses can pick up the slack by selling more wine in the US and elsewhere.
Spectrum Auctions, A California based auction house who have been active in Hong Kong throughout the last four years, have teamed up with the UK based Vanquish Wines Ltd. to present their first London auction. The February event will be held in the Mandarin Oriental’s Grand Ballroom, and, in a break with the traditional London wine trade practice, will be held in the evening with Champagne and hors d’oeuvres. The more convivial atmosphere it is hoped will attract a different type of customer and, ultimately, boost sales.
Online auction sites are also beginning to grow with companies like Winebid.com and Acker Merrill and Condit’s online arm seeing strong increases in sales over the last year.


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AT&T Introduces New Smartphone Data Plans w/3GB and 5GB Options
AT&T today announced new smartphone data plans with larger data allocations, the first update to AT&T's plans since June of 2010. The plans kick in this Sunday, January 22.
"Customers are using more data than ever before," said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "Our new plans are driven by this increasing demand in a highly competitive environment, and continue to deliver a great value to customers, especially as we continue our 4G LTE deployment."
The smartphone plans include unlimited access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots, and replace the current $15/$25 data plans:
- AT&T DataPlus 300MB: $20 for 300MB, additional 300MB for $20.
- AT&T DataPro 3GB: $30 for 3GB, additional 1GB for $10/each
- AT&T DataPro 5GB: $50 for 5GB, with mobile hotspot/tethering, additional 1GB for $10/each
iPad 3G users can now choose from one of three plans:
- The existing 250MB for $15 plan
- AT&T DataConnect 3GB: $30 for 3GB
- AT&T DataConnect 5GB: $50 for 5GB
Current users can keep their plans, but as of Sunday, all new smartphone and tablet service contracts will have to use one of these plans.
Apple changed the strategy for iOS 17 later in its development process to add several new features, suggesting that the update may be more significant than previously thought, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
In January, Gurman said that iOS 17 could be a less significant update than iPhone updates in previous years due to the company's intense focus on its long-awaited mixed-reality...
Following nearly six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 is expected to be released to the public as soon as this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Below, we have recapped eight new features and...
Some Apple employees are concerned about the usefulness and price point of the company's upcoming mixed-reality headset, The New York Times reports.
Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane Initial enthusiasm around the device at the company has apparently become skepticism, according to eight current and former Apple employees speaking to The New York Times. The change of tone...
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID.
iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Apple showcased its mixed-reality headset to the company's top 100 executives in the Steve Jobs Theater last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the "momentous gathering" is a "key milestone" ahead of the headset's public announcement planned for June. The event was intended to rally Apple's top members of...
We're still almost six months away from the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it seems like every day we're learning more about what to expect from the next-generation models. Notably, this week gave us our clearest look yet at what appear to be some changes for the volume and mute control hardware.
iOS 16.4 and associated releases are also right around the corner with some new ...
Apple today released tvOS 16.4, the fourth major point update to the tvOS 16 operating system that came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, tvOS 16.4 comes two months following the release of tvOS 16.3.
The tvOS 16.4 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System > Software Update....
Top Rated Comments
Bumping up the rates with modest limit increases is just plain greedy. Thanks anyway, AT&T.
Fine print: But you pay more too.


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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has delayed volume production of chips using 16nm FinFET manufacturing technologies by several quarters. As a result, it now has to reconsider plans regarding production of semiconductors using 10nm FinFET fabrication process. Previously it was expected that the company will produce 10nm chips in late 2016, but at present the company’s official expectation is 2017.
“Our 10nm technology development is progressing and our qualification schedule at the end of 2015, end of this year, remains the same,” said Mark Liu, president and co-CEO of TSMC, during a conference call with investors and financial analysts. “We are now working with customers for their product tape-outs. We expect its volume production in 2017.”
According to TSMC’s predictions, its 10nm FinFET will offer over 25 per cent clock-rate improvement over the 16nm FinFET+ at the same power, it is projected to be 45 per cent more energy efficient and is predicted to provide 2.2 times higher density over 16nm FinFET+, which is a massive improvement. Risk production of 10nm FinFET chips is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2015.
At present TSMC is developing its 10nm FinFET manufacturing technology and not a lot of information is known about the process. What is obvious is that the new fabrication tech will not rely on the back-end of the 20nm process technology, like the company’s 16nm FinFET technologies do. As a result, it will be possible for fabless semiconductor makers not only shrink die sizes of their chips in 2017, but to reduce cost-per-transistor too.
Keeping in mind that TSMC will only start volume production using 16nm FinFET technologies in the meaningful quantities in the fourth quarter of 2015, the majority of TSMC’s customers will not require 10nm process earlier than in the first half of 2017.
Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.
KitGuru Says: For TSMC, it is crucial to start volume production of chips using the most advanced process technologies ahead of its rivals. A more conservative approach – which includes delay of 16nm FF mass production and a slight reconsideration of 10nm plans – means that the company will not be able to stay ahead of its competitors, at least when it comes to leading edge technologies.


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Singha eyes soft drinksThis article was originally published in Foodnews
SINGHA Corporation, Thailand's biggest brewer, is exploring whether to enter the soft drinks market as part of efforts to reduce its reliance on beer. The giant is moving into the Thai seafood snacks business (FOODNEWS 8 June) and, according to a source quoted by the Bangkok Post , could utilise its strong distribution network in the traditional trade – which generates 75% of total soft drinks sales in the country – to enter soft drinks. Singha would not confirm any plans to the newspaper. The country's carbonated soft drinks market is worth THB90 million (USD3 billion).


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This is inspiring. Verizon has reported that it has completed a real-world field test of its fiber optic FiOS service where it was able to push nearly one gigabit of data per second. Thats a lot, thats similar to downloading a Blu-Ray movie in less than 20 seconds – a DVD in 4 seconds!
The test was carried out at a customers’ business premisis. This is major news because never before such speeds were reached in a real-world test. The main reason was although the line can provide speeds of up to 2.4Gbps there was not enough customer equipment to support such high speeds.
For the test Verizon ran a second fiber from its local office to the business user who already was using FiOS. This new link was then speed tested to a local server and also over the internet. Verizon released its results that showed that the link topped at 925Mbps to the local server and about 800 Mbps to the remote server.
Will Verizon beat Google to providing 1Gbps internet connectivity? Its a matter of price is what analysts say. Google might be willing to offer 1Gbps connections to homes at a lower cost, more affordable while FiOS is still expensive and considering a 1Gbps line might not be affordable. As more players enter the market the prices are sure to go down.


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Jennifer Taylor joins Plaid as the company’s first president
San Francisco-headquartered open banking fintech Plaid has appointed Jennifer Taylor as the company’s first president.
Taylor joins the fintech from Cloudflare, where she served as chief product officer (CPO) for the past seven years. Earlier in her career, she also led product strategies at Salesforce, Meta, and Adobe.
Founded in 2013, Plaid provides APIs enabling consumers to connect their bank accounts to various fintechs and make payments via open banking.
Commenting on the appointment in a blog post, Zachary Perret, co-founder and CEO of Plaid, describes Taylor as a “product leader”, adding that her “experience scaling products to meet increasing customer demand” will be “invaluable” to the company as it looks to scale.
Taylor, who will oversee the company’s tech and product teams, joins Eric Hart as another recent addition to Plaid’s leadership team. Hart was appointed as the company’s first chief financial officer (CFO) last October.
The two new additions have prompted industry speculation that the company is laying the groundwork for a potential initial public offering (IPO) in the future.
Plaid last raised an undisclosed amount of funding in a Series D extension in August 2021, which added to the initial $425 million Series D cash injection it received four months prior at a valuation of $13.5 billion.


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With the Cleveland Flea taking a step back from its monthly markets this year, Clevelanders may be wondering where to get their “shop local” fix—and thanks to a new arrival at the Van Aken District, the answer just might be Wildroots Modern Market.
More than 600 makers and small businesses comprise the “creative family” that sets up shop at Wildroots events—from pasta sauce makers The Blonde Italian to potter Billy Ritter to jewelry maker Auld Henne Designs. Though this will be Wildroots’ debut season at the Van Aken District, the concept was first introduced back in 2015 when founder Jacque Thompson took over the reins and rebranded from the market’s former incarnation.
Jacque Thompson and her family“When the Hudson Flea posted on Facebook [that it would be ceasing operation], something inside of me said that I really needed to pick it up,” says Thompson, a former veterinary tech. “I tried to ignore it, but the calling was so overwhelming.”
Since then, Thompson hasn’t looked back—growing the market from 90 to more than 600 vendors and eventually adding more locations, such as Legacy Village in Beachwood and, now, Van Aken District in Shaker Heights. Van Aken District will host the only monthly market of the three—launching Feb. 9, and running through December with both indoor and outdoor incarnations. (See 2020 dates here.)
“Hudson is our home base, but we’re hoping Van Aken will become a permanent home as well,” Thompson says. “We try to find the right communities that fit for us and invest in them.”
The scene at Wildroots Modern MarketWildroots vendors at the Van Aken District will also have the opportunity to set up mini-storefronts within the Market Hall that extend past the day of the market for weekend or month-long durations. According to Thompson, the first vendors to offer mini-stores will be Fat T's Cookies, Daisy Cake Pops, Fetch & Co., and Dude About Town.
Additionally, Thompson plans to open a Wildroots-themed store showcasing collaborative pieces made in partnership by the market’s makers. “We believe in collaboration over competition—there’s room for everyone at our markets,” Thompson says. “Part of that includes letting our makers team up to create unique pieces bringing their two worlds together.”
Thompson and her Wildroots team work hard to unite local makers outside of the market setting, planning meetups, photo shoots, free classes, and happy hours to encourage creative conversations and collaborations. “That’s why we call ourselves the creative family, because it’s about much more than the market you see the day of [the event],” Thompson says. “Our whole mission is to be supportive of the makers within our community.”


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Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced its plans to cease providing access to news content on its platforms for all users in Canada. This decision comes in response to the forthcoming implementation of the Online News Act, a legislation approved by the Senate upper chamber and awaiting royal assent.
The Online News Act was proposed in order to address concerns raised by Canada’s media industry, which seeks stricter regulations for tech companies to prevent them from overshadowing news organizations in the online advertising market. Under this act, platforms like Facebook and Google will be obligated to negotiate commercial agreements and compensate news publishers for the use of their content, drawing parallels to a pioneering law enacted in Australia last year.
Facebook had already hinted at its intentions to take this course of action, asserting that news content holds no economic value for the company and that its users primarily engage with the platform for reasons other than consuming news.
The Online News Act outlines specific rules that require platforms to remunerate news publishers for their content. However, both Facebook and Google have expressed their concerns, stating that the proposed regulations are not sustainable for their respective businesses. Google, in particular, argues that the Canadian legislation is more expansive compared to similar laws in Australia and Europe, as it assigns a monetary value to news story links displayed in search results, potentially encompassing outlets that do not produce news.
Google has suggested revisions to the bill, proposing that payments be based on the display of news content rather than links and limiting eligibility for compensation to businesses that both produce news and adhere to journalistic standards.
A spokesperson from Google emphasized the company’s belief that the current bill remains “unworkable” and expressed a desire to collaborate urgently with the Canadian government to find a way forward.
Despite objections from tech giants, the Canadian federal government has so far resisted calls to amend the legislation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently criticized Meta and Google for employing “bullying tactics” in their campaign against the proposed regulations.
In Australia, similar legislation faced opposition from Google and Facebook, leading to threats of reducing services. However, both companies eventually reached agreements with Australian media organizations after amendments were made to the law.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who introduced the bill, confirmed that the government plans to engage in a regulatory and implementation process once the legislation takes effect. Rodriguez underscored the importance of the government’s role in safeguarding the interests of Canadians against powerful tech companies.
The heritage ministry has already conducted meetings with representatives from Facebook and Google and looks forward to further discussions, according to a government spokesperson.
Danielle Coffey, president of the News Media Alliance global industry group, commended the Canadian Parliament for taking a stand against “Big Tech” following the approval of the bill in the Senate. Coffey expressed optimism about the growing recognition of the need for legal action to ensure fair compensation, both within Canada and internationally, and expressed hope for similar measures in the United States.


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Beer: The latest cash crop for Maryland farmers
Tom Barse’s 47-acre Stillpoint Farm in Mt. Airy, Maryland looks like an average agricultural operation. Its fields are rich with crops, while sheep and horses graze in the pastures. However, Barse’s most lucrative crop is actually beer.
In the summer of 2012, Barse opened the small-scale Milkhouse Brewery on a small hill near his house. Over the next six months, the longtime home brewer produced 80 barrels of beer using hops, wheat, barley, and other products grown on the farm. Just three years into the micro brewing operation, he expects to produce nearly 350 barrels – which are distributed in six counties and Baltimore – and he employs two full-time staff members and four part-timers. His tiny farmhouse brewery now accounts for 90% of his earnings. “It’s much bigger than I thought it would be,” he says. “It just exploded.”
There are approximately 40 breweries in Maryland, including five fully functioning farmhouse breweries. However, their ranks are growing quickly. “In eight months, we’ll see the number double,” says Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Brewers Association of Maryland.
Barse was a central figure in fomenting this sudsy revolution. For years, he had been growing hops for several Maryland breweries, including Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick and Baltimore’s Clipper City Brewing Company, which produces Heavy Seas beer. “Then I realized we could make more money by selling beer rather than selling hops,” he says.
Taking matters into his own hands, Barse helped draft Senate Bill 579, based on similar farmhouse brewery laws in New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, and other states. Enacted in the summer of 2012, the bill allows farmers to start commercial brewing operations by obtaining a Class 8 farm brewery manufacturer’s license for an annual fee of $200. The beer can be sampled and sold onsite and at certain beer festivals and farmers markets. Another law allows up to 3,000 barrels to be self-distributed at restaurants and liquor stores within the state. There is a catch, though: a portion of the ingredients for the beer – which could include hops, wheat, barley, fruit, or other components – must be grown on the farm.
This requirement has helped set these new beers – like Milkhouse Brewery’s Goldie’s Best Bitter and Dollyhyde Farmhouse Ale – apart from other beers. “The whole farm-to-table, locavore movement has really boosted interest in what we’re doing,” says Barse. “People really want to have local beer, and they love the fact that we’re on a farm where we grow some of our own ingredients.”
Opening a farmhouse brewery isn’t a simple feat. Though the state law legalized the operations, business owners must navigate each county’s regulations regarding the sale of alcohol. “Additionally, many counties and municipalities have zoning and planning authorities, which can dictate when and where breweries exist,” says Atticks. “It takes quite a while to get used to the various exceptions and exemptions.”
Despite the hurdles, setting up shop as a brewer is an attractive option for cash-strapped farmers. “Small farms can’t make money in the traditional ways,” says Adam Frey, owner of Frey’s Brewing Company in Mt. Airy, Maryland. “They need to branch out and try producing new products.” Since early 2013, he and three staffers have been using hops grown on his property to produce approximately a dozen beers, including Backwoods Brigade ale, Gung-Ho Joe dark stout, and Farmer Armor saison. At first, Frey produced only a barrel a week. Now he brews 15-20 weekly, depending on the demand.
The veteran-turned-brewer does not have a tasting room on his property yet, so you can’t drink his beers onsite. Atticks believes this experience is key to growing the overall farmhouse brewery industry. Agri-tourism gives the bucolic brewery operations a boost in interest and sales. This summer, several of the farmhouse breweries will be featured on a statewide ale trail alongside traditional breweries.
The Aellen brothers – Eric, Anthony, and Victor – know that exposing potential customers to their product’s birthplace is a key factor in increasing sales. The three own Linganore Winecellars in Mt. Airy, which opened in 1976 and features an onsite tasting room. In November of last year, the brothers got into the beer-making business when they debuted Red Shedman Farm Brewery & Hop Yard. Compared to the winery, it’s a small-time operation. There are 70 acres of grapes and only half an acre set aside for hops on the property. Only four part-time staffers work in the brewery’s tasting room, though they do share the vineyard’s sales and marketing teams and Victor Aellen serves as the brewmaster. “It’s not even a percent of our overall business,” says Eric Aellen, “though it pays for its payroll and its associated bills.”
As the brewery begins to organize onsite beer festivals, market itself, and expand its sales reach – right now, Red Shedman’s beers are available in approximately 30 bars, restaurants, and liquor stores throughout the state – Aellen is confident it will become a bigger portion of the business. “We’re not selling Bud Light or Coors Light,” he says. “We’re selling micro brews with flavor that are made the way beer is supposed to be made. People want that.”
Watch more business news from Fortune:


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BEIJING: China's exports to North Korea surged in January-March with sales of edible oil, wheat flour and pharmaceutical compounds to its reclusive neighbour sky-rocketing after a COVID-induced pause, Chinese customs data showed on Wednesday (Apr 20).
China resumed freight trains to North Korea in January for the first time since COVID-19 led to a border lockdown between the two countries in early 2020, halting almost all trade.
The rebound in trade comes as the United States is urging the UN Security Council to further sanction North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches. North Korea has been subjected to UN sanctions since 2006, although the Security Council does allow for humanitarian exemptions.
In January-March, Chinese exports to North Korea leapt to US$173.4 million from only US$13.0 million a year earlier, and nearly recovered to the US$215.3 million figure for the first quarter of 2020, when COVID-19 was just emerging. Imports more than quintupled from a year earlier to US$23.5 million, according to the customs data.
For March alone, Chinese shipments to North Korea stood at US$57 million, up from US$13.0 million a year earlier, while imports were at US$3.5 million, versus US$1.3 million in the previous year.
The top export items were edible oil and wheat flour.
North Korea bought US$16.4 million of soybean oil, US$5.1 million of palm oil, US$4.3 million of wheat flour and US$4.1 million of soda in the first quarter, the customs data showed.
North Korea has long suffered from food insecurity, with observers saying mismanagement of its economy had been exacerbated by sanctions and then the unprecedented border lockdowns due to COVID-19.
China also exported US$11.3 million of chemical compounds mostly used in making steroids in the first three months. It also shipped more than US$3.7 million of tobacco to its neighbour.
The United States is also seeking a ban on tobacco to North Korea. Its leader Kim Jong Un is known as a chain smoker, often seen with a cigarette in hand in state media photographs.


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Donate to Together We Can while grocery shopping this weekend
AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Today is the last day of the Together We Can Holiday Food and Fund Drive, but you still have a chance to give.
Scan tags will be available at United stores for monetary donations through the weekend.
“We’ll still collect donations on Saturday and Sunday,” said Matt Edwards, store director of Market Street. “If you have forgotten or maybe you haven’t had a chance to go buy one of your local stores and make that donation, you could still do that over the weekend.”
The cashier will ask ‘Would you like to make a donation to the High Plains Food Bank?’ and will scan a barcode to make a donation at the checkout. You can round up or choose your donation amount.
“The scan tag is a vehicle that we use for our customers to make a donation to the food bank,” said Edwards. “It’s just another way that we try to make it very easy to collect money for the food bank.”
To make a donation visit any United, Amigos, and Market Street store across the Texas Panhandle.
“In any of the Panhandle stores you can make a donation, and we’d really want to make it easy for you, and I mean there are cities that are out there where the food bank services those cities,” said Edwards.
There are 17 stores across the Panhandle participating with the scan tags.
“We don’t come to these towns to tear down. We come to build up, and part of building up is giving back to the community, and so it’s just a core principle,” said Edwards. “It’s something that we do that is doing the right thing and giving back to the communities that we live in and we operate in.”
To donate online, click here.
Copyright 2022 KFDA. All rights reserved.


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We’re living in a time where business owners and leaders are experiencing an unprecedented pace of change, both inside and outside of their organizations. It hasn’t all been negative though, because more has been accomplished in the last few months than in the last few years combined. It’s true that some businesses have been brought to a standstill, but others have found ways to adapt and even thrive in the midst of all the chaos.
While we’re all being bombarded with a deluge of information on how to survive a global pandemic, savvy entrepreneurs are turning their attention to ways their businesses can thrive in a post-pandemic world. What will the world be like and where will new economic opportunities be found? Things may seem bleak at the moment, but just like crises of the past that captured our fears and attention, the present crisis will one day be in our rear-view mirror. There will be challenges to face and damage from which to heal, but it will pass.
At some point, you and your business will resume regular daily activities, work regular hours (as much as possible for an entrepreneur,) and conduct “business as usual.” The key to preparing your business to successfully operate in a post-pandemic world is to not forget the lessons you were taught during the crisis. No business was prepared for the changes brought about by Covid-19, nor were they prepared for the pace at which those changes would unfold, but there are valuable lessons to be had if you take a careful look.
Winston Churchill once wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Lessons from the past may not always ward off doom, but they can certainly provide insights that can help you navigate your business now, and in the future. Here are a few key concepts that the Covid-19 crisis has revealed that will help you prepare your business for a post-pandemic world:
A Purpose-Driven Business
One positive thing that a global crisis accomplished is it caused everyone to pause and consider what’s most important. That’s as true for businesses as it is for individuals. There’s much more to life than creating and selling goods and services, and the current pandemic has spotlighted that in a big way. Many of today’s thinkers consider consumerism to be dying and that businesses built on purpose are the wave of the future. In fact, many people base their desire to do business with a specific company on what the company stands for and the purpose behind their existence. The time has come for businesses to pay as much attention to “why” they exist as they do to ways they can increase their bottom line.
A More Connected World
For the most part, the world has operated in a state of isolationism for decades. The virus has changed that by bringing about a significant increase in international collaboration. If someone had told you a year ago that in a matter of months, the United States would be working along side Italy and China on the supply of medical equipment, would you have believed them? Collaboration seems an obvious choice when it comes to solving world problems, yet it took a global pandemic to break the ice. There are many who believe that this kind of collaboration will continue after the pandemic and bring about a more prosperous world. The key takeaway is that working together with others, no matter where they’re located on the planet, is crucial for everyone’s success.
Rethinking Supply Chains
When the pandemic caused many countries to enact restrictions and lockdowns to mitigate the spread of the virus, vulnerabilities in their supply chain were immediately revealed. For years, countries have outsourced the production of vital goods to places outside of their own borders. Once access to other countries was severed, there was an immediate shortage of important items, such as medical supplies, raw materials, and even food. Now, leaders of countries and businesses are looking for ways to minimize future risk to their supply chains by moving production of certain goods back to their own countries. That’s good news for many entrepreneurs who are now looking for ways to step in and solve the problem.
The Role of Technology
If anything stands out regarding the way we humans are dealing with the current crisis, it’s how we’ve utilized technology in nearly every area of our lives. From homeschooling children, to corporations who have shifted many of their employees to working remotely, the use of technology has expanded significantly in 2020. History has repeatedly shown that companies that have invested in, and utilized technology, win over the long term. Of course, the impact of technology will affect some industries more than others, but the key is to look for trends that your business can take advantage of in order to better serve its customers and remain on the cutting edge.
Reassess Your Strategies
What better time to revisit your business strategies? The tried and true method of Vision-Strategy-Tactics, still works, so start with “Why” you’re in business. That’s your vision, and once you have clarity on your vision you can create strategies and tactics that will get you to where you want to go. The world is a different place than it was when you started your business, so now is the perfect time to assess if your current strategies are still working. Do they align with your vision, and if not, what changes need to be made in order to provide maximum and lasting value?
Are you and your business ready for what comes next? While it may not be possible to predict the future, you can still prepare your business to thrive in a post-pandemic world by observing what the current crisis is teaching you and implementing the necessary changes that will enable your business to adapt to a different world. Regardless of how it comes about, change has always been inevitable. But with the right outlook, strategies, and new tactics, your business can come back even stronger than it was before the crisis began. The market may have changed, but your ability to carve out your place and achieve new levels of success remains the same.
Learn more at investorsmarts.ca and sign up for your free strategy call.


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updated 03:30 pm EDT, Thu May 21, 2009
Low Russian iPhone sales
Extremely low Russian iPhone sales may threaten the country's three biggest cellphone carriers, several regional reports suggest. MTS, Megafon and Vimpelkom all agreed to carry the iPhone in 2008, with the provision that each would sell a minimum quantity. MTS agreed to sell 1 million phones in three years, while Megafon agreed to the same amount in two years. Vimpelkom made the most dramatic pledge, hoping to sell at least 1.5 million phones in two years.
The problem is that while approximately 900,000 iPhones are now present in Russia, only 400,000 of these were delivered through Apple partners, the rest having been imported and hacked to work locally. Of the official iPhones, just 127,000 have allegedly been sold to the public, leaving vast numbers remaining in stock. No Russian carrier has ordered more iPhones from Apple during 2009, research is said to have uncovered.
Should iPhone sales not pick up dramatically over the course of the next 18 months, the carriers could thus be left in breach of contract, collectively owing between $500 million and $1 billion. The exact fines may be dependent on factors like retail prices; sources claim that two of the carriers have already told shareholders to prepare, though negotiations could defray costs. The companies are believed to be asking for either lower prices or smaller quotas, both of which Apple has refused.


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HUB International Names a Chief Sales Officer for Its Cannabis Insurance and Risk Services
Marijuana Industry News November 13, 2019 MJ Shareholders
TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2019 /CNW/ – PRESS RELEASE – Namaste Technologies Inc., an online platform for cannabis products, accessories and responsible education, has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, CannMart Inc., has entered into a supply agreement with the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation or OCRC operating as the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS). The OCS is the sole legal online retailer and wholesaler for recreational cannabis for Canada’s most populous province. In addition, CannMart has been registered with the Saskatchewan Liquor & Gaming Authority (SLGA) allowing for the sale of cannabis products to permitted wholesalers in the Province of Saskatchewan. This follows closely the recently announced purchase order with the Province of British Columbia for pre-rolled cannabis products.
“Working directly with the provincial governments represents a significant market opportunity for us,” said Meni Morim, CEO of Namaste Technologies Inc. “We look forward to being part of the value chain for OCS and SLGA as we expand our presence in this sector.
Namaste is pursuing similar arrangements with provincial government agencies in an effort to further expand its customer base, leverage its unique license, streamlined purchasing process, and diverse product selection through one location. CannMart is Namaste’s online ‘everything cannabis store’ which carries one of the largest selections of legal cannabis products from well regarded cannabis producers in Canada and around the world.
In addition, the company has entered into a services agreement with Native Ads Inc. of Vancouver, BC, pursuant to which Native Ads will provide and manage a comprehensive digital media marketing campaign for cash consideration of US$150,000. The term of the agreement extends from the effective date of Sept. 25, 2019 until the digital media marketing campaign and related media buying concludes. The campaign includes, but is not limited to, content creation, web development, media buying and distribution, advertising development, and campaign reporting and optimization.
Approximately 70 to 80 percent of the marketing campaign’s budget will be allocated for digital advertising, paid distribution and media buying, and approximately 20 to 30 percent will be allocated for digital marketing consulting, managed services and management fees over the campaign period. Neither Native Ads nor any of its directors or officers hold, directly or indirectly, any securities of Namaste. The services provided by Native Ads may be subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.
Stonebridge Partners, LLC of Miami, Fla., has been engaged in a six-month contract to enhance investor relations efforts and provide digital content marketing services for a monthly fee of $7,500 USD. SB Partners nor any of its directors or officers hold, directly or indirectly, any securities of Namaste.
MJShareholders.com is the largest dedicated financial network and leading corporate communications firm serving the legal cannabis industry. Our network aims to connect public marijuana companies with these focused cannabis audiences across the US and Canada that are critical for growth: Short and long term cannabis investors Active funding sources Mainstream media Business leaders Cannabis consumers


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The Apple Watch debuted yesterday to much fanfare — but not all tech watchers are removing their Rolexes just yet. Remember: For every iPad or other new product that revolutionizes the way we live, there’s a pile of failed tablets, would-be iPhone killers or so-called “smart” gear that turns out to be silly.
We’ll have to wait until the official release of the $349 gadget in 2015 to know for sure. But to keep some perspective, here’s a list of much-hyped gadgets from the past few years that went the way of New Coke when they were released.
Facebook Home was the social media giant’s attempt to take over your mobile phone. When it was released in 2013 as an Android app, it turned a phone’s home screen into Facebook central, prioritizing connecting with Facebook friends over all other functions of the phone.
Users didn’t like the Facebook-first approach, and it got panned in the Google Play store reviews. The HTC First, the first phone to carry it, dropped its price to 99 cents just a month after it was released. It’s still on sale in the app store — for now.
Oh, BlackBerry. You were to smartphones what LaserDisc was to DVD: a good idea that paved the way for a much better one. The new BlackBerry 10, released in 2013, was supposed to save the struggling maker of personal digital assistants, with an iPhone-like touch-screen interface and lots of apps.
But it couldn’t compete with the iPhone and Android phones that were already saturating the market, and Blackberry reported a $965 million loss after it flopped.
Microsoft’s attempt to create an iPad killer was all wrong from the beginning. The Surface, released in 2012, posited that people wanted one device that combined a tablet and a laptop, when in reality consumers were using their iPads in addition to their computers. The worst part? The much-ballyhooed snap-on keyboard shown in all the Surface ads is actually sold separately.
Microsoft took a $900 million write-down on unsold inventory.
Apple has released so few duds that this one is particularly prominent. In 2012, it released Apple Maps as an attempt to replace the native Google Maps app on iPhones, using its own mapping software.
The app was panned on arrival for providing bad directions and, worst of all for us city folk, no public transit directions. Google let Apple stew for awhile before finally releasing a Google Maps iPhone app.
All eyes were on Nintendo in 2012 as it released its follow-up to the hyper-successful Wii console. But the company’s decision to focus on casual players instead of hard-core gamers backfired, as users didn’t embrace its bulky controller with built-in screen and its lack of notable titles.
Nintendo ended up cutting its sales predictions by 70 percent last year. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One scooped up the marketplace in the wake of its nose dive.
No list of technology flops would be complete without including the Zune. Microsoft’s 2006 music player was meant to be the iPod killer — but instead it just killed a lot of Microsoft fanboys’ dreams.
The heavy-as-a-brick device was buggy from the start, and its vaunted ability to share songs with other Zune users over Wi-Fi was a bust — it turned out the recipient could only play the song three times before it disappeared. Microsoft finally mercy killed the hardware in 2011.


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Elizabeth Logan is 41 years old, makes $69,000 annually, and has been teaching elementary school for 20 of those years. But none of those facts was enough to stop her from (allegedly) stealing a third-grader's winter coat and attempting to sell it on eBay. Logan was busted when the girl's mother, thinking the coat forever lost, began searching the auction site for a replacement and stumbled upon the errant garment. The police got involved, and Logan was arrested. But the first-grade teacher denies stealing the coat. She told investigators that she merely discovered it in the lost and found and decided to auction it on eBay. Then, in an ironic "dog ate my homework" twist, Logan claimed her pet canine tore the coat to pieces. Meanwhile, she continues to enjoy a 99.9 percent seller rating on eBay. Gadfly says caveat emptor, and shame on Logan for stealing clothes from 8-year-olds!
"Teacher Accused of Stealing Coat from 3rd-Grader," by Holly Danks and Melissa Navas, The Oregonian, May 3, 2007


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HOUSTON, TX (April 24 2012) – Mahindra USA, the number one selling tractor in the world based on volume, is pleased to announce it has renewed and expanded its sponsorship of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Driver DJ Kennington of DJK Racing and the #17 Dodge team for the fourth consecutive year. This year’s partnership will again see the Mahindra logo displayed on the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge and begin the 2012 season with momentum!
“We are very proud of our partnership with DJ and DJK Racing as they embody the values of our corporate Rise philosophy,” said Cleo Franklin, Mahindra USA’s Vice-President, Marketing and Strategic Planning. “At Mahindra, our Rise philosophy comes from our core purpose: to accept no limits, employ alternative thinking and drive positive change to help transform lives for our stakeholders, customers and communities across the world.”
The associate partnership between Mahindra USA and DJ Kennington began with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2009 and has grown significantly as the two enter their fourth season together. In 2010, DJ Kennington won the Canadian Tire Series and in 2011, DJ narrowly missed back-to-back Series titles with a second place finish. Mahindra and DJ look for another strong year in 2012 and have plans to make this year even better with new program additions that will include, among other things, an increased online presence, hospitality events, and racetrack days for fans.
“Mahindra has really stepped up the program this year and we will too,” added Kennington, who stressed Mahindra’s community involvement as key to the partnership. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many people with Mahindra and a lot of dealers at their National Dealer Meeting in Galveston, and right from the start you could see how many quality people are involved with the organization. Mahindra and its dealers are very involved in their communities and giving back is important to everyone, including my team.”
Mahindra became the #1 selling tractor in the world in 2010 by providing consumers with value-packed, high-quality tractors. Mahindra is the only tractor manufacturer in the world to win both the Deming Application Prize and the coveted Japan Quality Medal for excellence in Total Quality Management, awarded by the Deming Prize Committee care of the Union of Japanese Scientists.
Race fans can stay informed on the latest DJ Kennington team news in several ways: via www.djkracing.ca, by following them on twitter, @djkracing and by “liking” the DJK Racing page on Facebook.
About Mahindra USA
Mahindra USA (MUSA) is part of the US $ 14.4 billion Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector – the #1 selling tractor company in the world, based on volumes and the only tractor manufacturer in the world to win the industry’s top two quality awards – the Deming Application Prize and the Japan Quality Medal, care of Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers.
Houston, Texas based Mahindra USA (MUSA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and began selling tractors in the USA in 1994. MUSA has since grown rapidly due to high customer satisfaction levels and strong customer referrals. Mahindra USA has three distribution points in the USA to help meet the needs of its customers and the growing demand for its products.
Mahindra’s professional-grade tractors range from 18 HP – 83HP – and include the revolutionary new Max series tractors. The Mahindra Max 22 and Max 25 are the first real tractors in the sub-compact market and feature true tractor performance and capabilities. The Mahindra Max 22 and Max 25 are joined by the industry’s first mid-compact tractor, the Mahindra Max 28 XL, which has compact tractor performance and versatility in a near compact tractor size. All Mahindra Tractors are built with heavy-duty components that allow them to outperform other tractors in their class and are designed to provide consumers with the ability to push more, pull more and lift more, so they can do more, in less time. To learn more about Mahindra USA’s Farm Equipment Sector, please visit www.mahindrausa.com.
About The Mahindra Group
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology and vacation ownership. Mahindra has a presence in the automotive industry, agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel and two wheelers.
A US $14.4 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 144,000 people in over 100 countries.
In 2011, Mahindra was featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world.
In 2010, Mahindra was featured in the Credit Suisse Great Brands of Tomorrow.
Its flagship company Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is the only Indian automobile manufacturer to be featured in the Top 10 list of the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index in India 2010, created by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
In 2011, Mahindra acquired a majority stake in Korea’s SsangYong Motor Company.
For further information, please visit www.mahindra.com
Connect with us on www.facebook.com/mahindragroup


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Vermont Governor Applauds Sodexo’s Commitment To The “Vermont First” Pledge To Impact State’s Agricultural Economy And Improve The Well-Being Of Vermonters
Montpelier, VT, September 5, 2014 /3BL Media/ - Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin applauded a private sector company’s commitment to the procurement of local food in Vermont institutions. Sodexo, a leader in delivering sustainable, integrated facilities management and foodservice operations with a major presence in Vermont, announced today a major initiative to help grow Vermont’s local food economy by committing to buy local food first via a comprehensive program.
Under the “Vermont First” program, Sodexo will work with farmers, distributors, processors, state government, non-profits and supply chain players within the farm to table economy to increase the amount of local food grown and sold in the state and beyond.
The company announced the commitment on September 4 at 2 pm at Vermont Technical College, along with Governor Shumlin, Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross and a host of farmers, distributors and customers in the agriculture and food economy.
“This exciting announcement will help us expand Vermont’s farm-to-institution sector,’’ Governor Shumlin said. “We are grateful to Sodexo for making this commitment and recognizing that Vermont is the national leader in this field. We look forward to partnering with Sodexo.”
Phil Harty, Regional VP of Campus Services for Sodexo, said the company will commit to an annual summit on local food economics, training of providers, distributors and others and offering its technical expertise in quality control to bring more local food into the supply chain.
“Vermont is a national leader in bringing local food to market and we want to accelerate that,’’ Harty said. “We will bring our expertise and market presence to bear in ways that can grow what Vermont already does, not to mention growing the amount of healthy food consumed by Vermonters.”
Chuck Ross, the secretary of Agriculture, Food & Markets, called the announcement a watershed event in supporting community based agriculture.
"We thank Sodexo for their 34,000 institutional and corporate meals served daily in Vermont, sourcing approximately 15 % local food. What’s exciting is when a company the size of Sodexo recognizes the importance of local food economies, it means Vermont’s position has gone national,’’ Ross said, "Not only will this accelerate our local food economy to the benefit of farm sustainability and job creation in the agricultural sector, it increases access to fresh local food and contributes to our agricultural literacy of understanding where our food comes from.”
Ross was joined at the news conference by an assortment of farmers, customers, distributors and others who play key roles in the evolution of farm to institution and culture change in Vermont’s local food system.
The “Vermont First” commitment strategy includes formal discussions that support the production and purchase of local food. This Program will track progress and growth in local food procurement. Sodexo will collaborate with Vermont partners to understand which local foods the marketplace wants to procure and maintain a relationship with distributors to share suppliers of local products. Sodexo will also host matchmaking events to connect producers and buyers for supply chain partners and develop a formal plan to meet the production needs of Vermont farmers and enable businesses to buy local.
Some of Sodexo’s Commitments to the “Vermont First” strategy include:
- Developing a plan to meet the production needs of Vermont farmers and enable businesses to buy local. This includes market analysis, technical assistance around production, processing and marketing. A steering committee will be convened of Vermont stakeholders to discuss issues of procurement, marketing and meeting cutover demand.
- Making a formal commitment and investment that supports the production and purchase of local food.
- The hiring of a local food coordinator by the company to broker relationships with growers wanting to meet the institutional market demand and tracking progress and growth in local food procurement.
- Sponsoring an annual summit meeting and two working group sessions around “scaling up” local food growing and procurement.
Sodexo in North America
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), leading Quality of Life Services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On-site Services in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $22 million in grants to end childhood hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at blogs.sodexoUSA.com. Visit Sodexo on Facebook and follow on Twitter @SodexoUSA.


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Yahoo!7 has announced
The news comes after The Australian Financial Review revealed that Fairfax group sales director Ed Harrison would become Yahoo!7 chief executive.
Kurt Burnette, chief revenue officer of the venture’s 50 per cent owner,
“Paul’s experience managing large national sales teams within complex sales environments will be an asset to the Yahoo!7 business and more broadly the Seven West Media Group."
Mr Sigaloff will commence at Yahoo!7 in the second quarter of next year, reporting to Emma Harrington, acting managing director, until Mr Harrison commences midway through 2014.
Yahoo!7 had been looking for a new boss since the surprise announcement last month that Mr Sayers would leave the group for a position at online retailer Amazon. Mr Sayers was promoted to chief executive last year after Rohan Lund left to become chief operating officer at Seven.
Ms Harrington, who was Seven’s head of data and transaction commercialisation, has been acting Yahoo!7 managing director during the search.
Yahoo!7 is a joint venture between Seven and online business Yahoo!.
The Australian Financial Review


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Even as sectors like art are experimenting with NFTs these days, the music industry is fast becoming an adopter of the technology. We’ve seen the Chainsmokers offer portions of their album royalties as NFTs, Limewire announce a new NFT collection, and much more.
The latest music-NFT venture comes from Warner Music’s UK division which announced a new partnership with Bose on July 11, 2022. This new partnership will see the two release an NFT collection titled Stickmen Toys, whose assets come with both virtual and real-life benefits for their holders.
All About the Collection
According to the official press release, the Stickmen Toys collection will feature 5,000 free audio-visual NFTs. These assets will feature Bose-themed Stickmen Toys NFTs which can, in turn, be used to redeem limited edition Stickmen Toys x Bose QuietComfort® 45 headphones or SoundLink Flex Bluetooth® speakers. There will also be the option for NFT holders to access exclusive Stickmen Toys x Bose merchandise.
Those who hold the NFTs will also have access to live events, Stickmen Toys streetwear, physical collectables, global brand collaborations and future Warner Records NFT projects.
This collection has also seen contributions from Kapsule, a company which is serving as the tech-culture partner. As such, each NFT has been equipped with unique features. For example, each NFT has its own song, comprising of bass lines, drums, melodies, sound effects and vocal samples that were created specifically for the project.
This makes it perhaps one of the more unique NFT offerings to come out of the music industry recently. But as the management of Warner Music has explained, these NFTs are designed to enhance the relationship between fans and the artists they love.
“NFTs present a powerful extension of the artist-to-fan relationship, giving people the opportunity to invest in an artist’s future success and providing them value along the way. We’re proud to be the first major label providing collectors with authentic and meaningful ownership of the underlying audio-visual copyright, free to collectors,” says Seb Simone, Vice President, Audience & Strategy at Warner Records.
Jeremy Fall, the Founder of Probably Nothing, a web3 company that contributed to the project, it is rare to see audio and visual content being used simultaneously in NFT projects and he is hoping that more people are endeared towards web3 through projects like this one.
The release date for the project will be announced soon.
Warner Music and Bose are two of the most well-known brands in the music business so clearly, this NFT collection will likely garner a lot of attention from fans. There is also the fact that the NFTs essentially come with a free song as well as merchandise.
Over time, we will probably see more record labels release collections that offer their own unique benefits to their holders. Whether these will be custom audio-visual content, merchandise, or in-person events is yet to be seen. Either way, it is clear that NFTs will be playing a bigger part in the music industry for years to come.


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In a reflection of the growing social commerce trend, Spiegel, Fair Indigo and Harley-Davidson Military Sales are among the retailers taking advantage of new capabilities enabling Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest users to shop from in-stream posts.
- No categories
The American Red Cross is launching its first mobile application for blood donations today in an effort to drive increased frequency and better communicate with its donors.
PHILADELPHIA – Pool Supply World has no expectations that it will generate a significant amount of mobile commerce anytime soon, but it has made some efforts to identify its mobile visitors and correlate them with their desktop visits.
The fast-growing world of subscription boxes is becoming more mobile-friendly with the launch of an application that will put key information about such product-delivery services in the palms of shoppers’ hands.
Gap’s marketing campaign uses a combination of location-based advertising and user-generated content to get consumers into stores this summer.
Victoria’s Secret’s new iteration of its iPhone application plays up a message center where the brand will continuously push out content.
Gap is betting on responsive design as part of a three-year digital investment that also includes mobile point-of-sale and in-store pick-up.
When it comes to which social media platforms to bet on, Urban Outfitters thinks outside the box with a new application update that heavily plays up the retailer’s growing fan base on Wanelo.
Abercrombie & Fitch hopes to get some of its mojo back with a new focus on college students who are more in tune with mobile loyalty programs and lower price points than fickle teenagers.
SAN ANTONIO, TX – A Build-A-Bear executive at eTail West 2014 cited mobile as the medium that will either keep its efforts around in-store pickup and site-to-store shipping together or cause them to fall apart.