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Feb. 10, 2009
Attack on New Product Safety Law Fails; Lawmakers Should Block Future Attempts to Weaken Measure
Statement of David Arkush, Director, Public Citizen’s Congress Watch Division
South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint’s attempt to undermine the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act by amending the economic stimulus package fortunately never came to fruition. Lawmakers should block any more attempts to change the product safety law.
DeMint’s proposal, never voted on, would have unnecessarily exempted some businesses from the new safety regulations and would have allowed retailers to keep selling products that contain dangerous levels of lead. Empirical evidence links lead to permanent brain damage in children.
Rolling back protections, as Sen. DeMint proposed, would have meant disregarding the plights of the many children who have been hurt, become sick or even died from unsafe products – and would have put more children at risk by allowing millions of dangerous products to be placed on the market. The flood of hazardous toys and children’s products onto our shelves is what prompted overwhelming bipartisan majorities in Congress to pass the product safety act in August.
Sen. DeMint’s amendment was prompted by an outcry from small manufacturers and secondhand sellers who fear the new law will force them out of business. But changing the law – and putting children at risk – is not necessary to address the concerns that small businesses have raised. The Consumer Product Safety Commission can resolve these concerns with some simple, commonsense rules. It already has begun to do so.
However, at present the commission sorely lacks the leadership it needs to implement this law effectively for consumers or small businesses. Its current chair, Nancy Nord, is a holdover from the past administration, which was often too eager to protect manufacturers at the expense of public health and safety. It’s time for Nord to go, and that – rather than modifying the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act – is where public officials should focus their energy. The country deserves a product safety leader who is committed to carrying out Congress’ mandate and protecting the public.


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Realme is an independent and strong brand that is increasingly pushing Xiaomi where previously its positions were almost invulnerable. The Realme 9 series, which has been on the news feeds lately, is called upon to strengthen the company’s position in the market. Yesterday, the company announced the release date of Realme 9 Pro in India.
Announcement date of Realme 9 Pro and Realme 9 Pro +
Realme 9 Pro and 9 Pro+ will premiere on February 16th. Along the way, promotional posters were posted on the network, revealing the key details of the new products. So, in the case of 9 Pro +, the emphasis is on the fact that the smartphone will receive an AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, a Dimensity 920 chipset, an NFC module, a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor with OIS support and 60 W fast charging.
Among the features, the company lists the back cover; which is able to change color under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. The Realme 9 Pro+ will also offer an in-display fingerprint scanner and a heart rate sensor. According to other sources, the smartphone will be equipped with 6/8 GB of RAM, a 128/256 GB flash drive, a 4500 mAh battery and an Android 12 operating system with a Realme UI 3.0 shell.
Gizchina News of the week
— realme (@realmeglobal) February 2, 2022
Realme 9 Pro + will monitor the health of the user
The fact that we are waiting for the announcement of the Realme 9 family has been talked about for a long time and persistently. Everything goes to the fact that the presentation of Realme 9 Pro and Realme 9 Pro +; which should take place on February 16, will not bring surprises. We will know about the new products even before their release. And this is due not only to network insiders but also to the company itself.
In addition, recently, the manufacturer posted a teaser on the network; which indicates that the 9 Pro + will be able to measure the owner’s heart rate. Judging by the image, the heart rate sensor is integrated into the display. Such a solution is not a novelty and there are already devices on the market that allow you to measure heart rate using a smartphone camera or a sensor built into the screen. A few years ago, Samsung installed a heart rate monitor on its flagships; but with the appearance of wearable gadgets, this practice was abandoned.
Also, it is known that Realme 9 Pro + will offer a Dimensity 920 chip, a 4500 mAh battery with 65-watt fast charging, a 6.43-inch AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 90 Hz and a triple rear camera, where Sony IMX766 will be offered as the main sensor with a 50 MP sensor.

domain: news


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Tonick, which publishes local business magazine, Business Cornwall, has appointed Aren to develop the digital edition of the magazine as well as creating new service areas for the company.
Aren’s role with UKNetWeb will continue as a collaboration between the two companies, with Tonick focusing on the media and marketing side of social media and UKNetWeb the technical.
Speaking on his appointment, Aren Grimshaw said,
“These are exciting times for the media industry and I am really thrilled to be working with Tonick in developing both the digital magazine and their other service offerings.
He continued. “There are a great number of opportunities to put Cornwall on the map for innovative use of technology and media, I hope that by working in conjunction with companies such as UKNetWeb, Tonick can help drive this forward.”
For the past ten years Aren has worked in sales and marketing roles. In this time he has worked within Orange’s chain of stores throughout the south west, managed and run local marketing agencies and spent time as a freelance journalist covering stories in and around his home in Camborne.
Track the latest breaking business news in Cornwall – subscribe to email updates of new stories by entering an email address below:


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Showing no signs of slowing down, Travis Scott recently announced the second leg of his ‘Astroworld: Wish You Were Here Tour.’ Taking to Twitter, La Flame revealed 28 upcoming shows and when tickets for the tour will become available.
The second leg will begin in Vancouver, BC on January 25 and will finish off in Charlotte, NC on March 24. Tickets for the second leg of the ‘Astroworld: Wish You Were Here Tour’ are set to officially go on sale December 20 at 10 a.m. PST at ticketmaster.com. A limited number of LaneOne VIP Packages, which grant First On Floor access, transportation, preferred entrance and more, will also be available to fans. Additionally, Amercian Express cardholders will be able to purchase tickets earlier via presale December 18 at 10 a.m. PST.
Travis will also be holding an online merch presale ahead of the tour on December 19 at travisscott.com. Fans who have previously purchased merch will receive an exclusive code via email granting exclusive access to the upcoming merch presale.
For more music news, Kodak Black and Lil Pump went back in time for their “Gnarly” visual.
— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) December 17, 2018


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BitPay, a payment service provider (PSP) specializing in e-commerce, B2B and enterprise solutions for the bitcoin digital currency, has expanded its San Francisco office with several new hires.
Real-time broadcasting and commerce company Brandlive announced that it would be partnering with New Balance for a four-day campaign to debut additions to the shoe company’s 880 line.
E-commerce giant Ratuken’s U.S. fulfillment service, Ratuken Super Logistics, has begun to accept Internet currency Bitcoin as payment.
Macy’s tempered its full year sales forecast after solid second quarter results and growing optimism around omnichannel initiatives weren’t enough to offset a slow start to the year.
Profitero, a leading global provider of online insights and e-commerce intelligence for retailers and brands, has appointed Raj Khathuria as VP of sales for North America.
Amazon launched a mobile point-of-sale solution called Amazon Local Register that gives merchants a low-cost payment acceptance method while providing it with new insights into offline commerce.
Mobile commerce platform provider mShopper is facing off with Google over responsive web design, and is driving a petition requesting an amendment to Google's stance on the matter.
A new effort from Gap Kids is allowing parents the chance to have their child featured in an ad campaign in 2015.
The smart home phenomenon is coming to dinner this Thanksgiving and Jennie-O and smart thermometer manufacturer iDevices are bringing the technology.
GameStop plans to offer customers more for their pre-owned video games with a new, streamlined trade-in program that will launch nationwide August 18.


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Mobile devices will have a big impact on buying behavior this holiday-shopping season, according to a new study from market researcher IDC.
An IDC survey of more than 1,000 American consumers in September shows that mobile devices are expected to give consumers "greater advantage as they engage retailers."
Over one-third of respondents said that they plan to use their smartphones to improve their shopping experience during the holidays. They plan to "search for price and product information" in stores, as well as search for "merchandise availability." About 45 percent of respondents said that plan to compare pricing of certain products in other stores in the area, while 32 percent said they will browse reviews from their mobile devices.
IDC predicts that people who use their mobile phones to help in their shopping experience will account for $127 billion of the expected $447 billion to be generated this holiday-shopping season. However, it is worth noting that the revenue figure does not mean that those people will be spending all of that cash through smartphones. According to IDC, they will simply use smartphones while making their buying decision.
The impact of such behaviors could be drastic for brick-and-mortar retailers. As IDC pointed, "these new behaviors will exert pressures that weaken the store's immediate influence on purchase decisions 'at the shelf.'" And only those retailers that have "superior mobile and social media commerce strategies in place will have a decided advantage."
IDC's study followed another survey performed by Yahoo that claims two-thirds of all mobile phone users will be using those devices this year while they shop. Yahoo also found that the average consumer will spend about $900 during this year's holiday-shopping season.


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Blackfoot, ID (June 3, 2010) -- With a newly renovated website, its first Facebook and Twitter pages and an improved online ticket ordering system, the Eastern Idaho State Fair has taken its 2010 theme of Rock Around the Stock to the web! The improved electronic experience – all found at www.funatthefair.com – will enable fairgoers to stay connected to the fair year round and -- most importantly -- make online ticket ordering even more convenient.
“We have completely re-designed our website to better communicate all the fair has to offer in competitions, entertainment and education,” said Brandon Bird, General Manager of the Eastern Idaho State Fair. “By adding a Facebook page, we can better connect with fairgoers about this year’s entertainment and gain valuable feedback for what we choose for future fairs.”
The Eastern Idaho State Fair makes buying nighttime entertainment tickets as easy as ever, through an improved online ticket ordering system. This new system allows fairgoers to buy their tickets, choose their seats, and print their tickets – at home or at work – saving them from waiting in lines to purchase or pick up will-call tickets.
All of the new electronic benefits are available at no charge to VIP ALL ACCESS MEMBERS. To become a VIP All Access Member simply register by entering your email address at www.funatthefair.com. VIP All Access Membership benefits include being able to purchase tickets online one week earlier than the general public beginning on June 7 at 8:00 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning June 14th at 8:30. Benefits also include being entered to win weekly ticket giveaways and receiving monthly newsletters.
“Our Fair District covers 16 counties and draws people in from five states. No matter where you are you can make sure to get your nighttime entertainment tickets in the seats you choose,” said Bird.
The 2010 Eastern Idaho State Fair, to be held September 4-11 in Blackfoot, brings to the grandstand some of the biggest names in the business, including Kenny Rogers’ “First 50 Years” Tour with the always popular Oak Ridge Boys opening on Saturday, September 10. Another Rock legend -- Foreigner – will be sure to please on Friday, September 9, with classics like Urgent, Jukebox Hero, and the power ballad Waiting for a Girl Like You.
Again, to order your tickets online, one week earlier than the general public, register for free anytime at www.funatthefair.com and receive a special VIP All Access email link to begin ordering tickets starting June 7 at 8:00 a.m..
Grandstand Nighttime Entertainment schedule is as follows:
Sept. 4 Sept. 5 Sept. 6 Sept. 7 Sept. 8 Sept. 9 Sept. 10 Sept. 11
Professional Bull Riding Championship RMPA Tractor Pull ImPRA Rodeo ImPRA Championship Rodeo
Boost Mobile Freestyle MX Tour Foreigner Kenny Rogers w/ Oak Ridge Boys Demolition Derby
The Eastern Idaho State Fair is a 16 County Fair District that is in its 108th year of operations. Over 200,000 people visit the annual event making it Eastern Idaho’s longest running and largest community event. The mission of the EISF is to provide wholesome, affordable family entertainment and education in an agricultural environment within clean and safe surroundings.


text: In November the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that approximately 8.3 million U.S. adults were victims of identity theft in 2005. In 10 percent of these cases, thieves got at least $6,000 in goods and services, and in 5 percent of cases at least $13,000. With the holiday shopping season underway, now a Gartner Survey finds that 3.6 million adults lost money in phishing attacks in the 12 months ending August 2007, up from 2.3 million the previous year. Phishing is a form of online identity theft where emails and Web sites masquerading as official businesses are created and used to deceive Internet users into disclosing their personal data.Ã‚ According to Gartner,Ã‚ the average dollar loss per incident declined to $886 from $1,244 in 2006, but because there were more victims, a total of $3.2 billion was lost to these attacks in 2007. The attacks were also more successful than the previous two years. Of the individuals who received phishing emails in 2007, 3.3 percent say they lost money because of the attack, up from 2.3 percent in 2006 and 2.9 percent in 2005. Check out further I.I.I. info on identity theft.


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8 things we wanted to share this week:
[h/t Sneaker News]
[h/t Anime News Network]
A look back at when Nintendo partnered with Revlon to release Super Mario Bros shampoo and bubble bath[h/t Retroist]
Peruse a weekly summary of intriguing articles related to toys, games, and nostalgia that have hit the news this week.


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Hexavest Inc. boosted its position in shares of Intel Co. (NASDAQ:INTC) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,851,474 shares of the chip maker’s stock after buying an additional 309,048 shares during the quarter. Intel makes up 1.4% of Hexavest Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Hexavest Inc.’s holdings in Intel were worth $110,811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in INTC. Intercontinental Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Intel by 83.0% during the third quarter. Intercontinental Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 992 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Lenox Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Intel by 117.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lenox Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the period. Garrett Wealth Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Intel in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Intel in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Country Trust Bank raised its stake in shares of Intel by 60.3% in the 4th quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 1,095 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.28% of the company’s stock.
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Northland Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $69.00 target price on shares of Intel in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Intel in a report on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Intel from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Intel from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a “sell” rating on shares of Intel in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.66.
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The chip maker reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $19.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.07 billion. Intel had a net margin of 27.46% and a return on equity of 28.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.40 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Intel Co. will post 4.61 earnings per share for the current year.
Intel announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, October 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the chip maker to reacquire up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
In other Intel news, VP Jennifer Balliet sold 6,833 shares of Intel stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.25, for a total transaction of $165,700.25. Also, Director Frank D. Yeary sold 12,545 shares of Intel stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.35, for a total transaction of $757,090.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 81,284 shares of company stock worth $4,517,194 over the last ninety days. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Intel Company Profile
Intel Corporation offers computing, networking, data storage, and communication solutions worldwide. It operates through Client Computing Group, Data Center Group, Internet of Things Group, Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group, Programmable Solutions Group, and All Other segments. The company offers microprocessors, and system-on-chip and multichip packaging products.
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Fortnite Introduces Zero Build Mode – PC WORLD
The Battle Royale title “Fortnite” offers a new game mode in which building is prohibited.
“Fortnite” gets a zero-build mode.
© Epic Games
With the start of the new season on March 21, 2022, “Fortnite” temporarily removed one of the most important features from the game: building. Now the deleted function should become a permanent part of the game.
Emphasis on fast-paced shooter gameplay
Developer Epic Games announces the launch of a new game mode this week. The so-called zero-build mode prevents the building of structures and puts the focus of the game on the fights. This way, players no longer have to collect resources for defensive structures and can concentrate on the pure shooter gameplay. To compensate, Epic has given “Fortnite” a new shield and more mobility options with the last update. These innovations should speed up the gameplay.
Zero build available in different modes
The new Zero Build mode is available for Solo, Duo, Trio and Squad. It’s one of many new game modes that have made their way into Fortnite over the past few years, including non-violent Party Royale, Creative, and Impostors. According to the speculation, the classic construction mode will soon be integrated back into the standard Battle Royale mode. However, Epic has not yet revealed a specific date.


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Waffles and yoga are coming to Creekside Park West, the new 70,000-square-foot retail component in Creekside Park Village Center. YogaSix and Press Waffle Co. are the newest tenants joining dine-in theater, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, and the recently announced Baja Sur Fresh-Mex and Tequila Bar in Creekside Park West.
YogaSix, a new sensory yoga experience studio, will offer a variety of classes, from strength and agility to flexibility and balance. YogaSix has 42 studios across the US. The Woodlands location is the first for franchisee owners David and Melissa Reitz and the second in the Greater Houston area.
“Having recently retired, I wanted to embark upon a second career with a focus on holistic wellness,” explains David Reitz. “Given that I believe the world would be a better place with more yoga, I discovered the YogaSix studio is the perfect fit for me as it serves the essence of the mind, body and spirit. I chose The Woodlands for its abundant fitness and wellness social scene. Our classes are welcoming to all and target something for everyone – from hot and powerful to slow and mindful.”
The studio will offer cushioned floors, great sound technology, essential oil scents and colorful accent lighting that change throughout each class, enhancing the multi-sensory yoga experience.
Press Waffle Co. serves up hand-crafted, delicious waffles made from dough – not batter – resulting in a crunchy caramelized sugar coating. Coffee and espresso are also served. This location marks Press Waffle Co. franchise’s sixth restaurant – the fourth in Texas. The Woodlands location, owned by husband and wife John and Tylor Kirby, will be the only Press Waffle Co. location in the Greater Houston area.
“We wanted to bring a fun new dining concept to the Village of Creekside Park, and The Press Waffle Co. is just that with their offerings of waffles, breakfast, brunch or dessert, all within walking distance for many residents living near Creekside Park West,” said Jim Carman, President, Houston Region for The Howard Hughes Corporation. “We are excited to have Press Waffle as the latest addition to the evolving lineup of retail, restaurants and entertainment in Creekside Park West and the village.”
Creekside Park West is located at located at 26435 Kuykendahl Road.


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Holy Stairs Believed To Have Been Climbed By Jesus Unveiled In Rome
The stairs believed to have been climbed by Jesus on the day of his crucifixion have been unveiled just in time for the annual pilgrimage where thousands of Christians make their to Rome and the Vatican.
The Scala Santa, also known as the Holy Stairs, are at the Pontifical Sanctuary in Rome. Some Christians believe that Jesus climbed the 28 marble steps, which were originally part of Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem, several times on the day He was sentenced to death. This is the first time in 300 years that the walnut wood covering over the steps has been removed.
It first was placed on the steps at Pope Innocent XIII’s request in 1723 to preserve the marble. The staircase was uncovered on Thursday, April 11 and will remain that way through Sunday, June 9, allowing visitors to ascend the steps on their knees, as is the tradition.
According to the sanctuary’s website, centuries of noticeable wear and tear on the steps and “thousands of letters, notes, photos and coins were found” underneath the wood covering. There are also places where Jesus’ blood is believed to have stained the steps. A metal grate covers one of those areas after being “worn to a deep hole because the faithful touched that precise point with their fingers.”
After the two-month window, the wood covering will be replaced, meaning this will likely be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Christians to see the steps in their original form.
LifeWay To Close All 170 Christian Stores
LifeWay Christian Resources, the largest Christian retail chain in America, plans to close all 170 stores this year and shift its offerings entirely online.
“The decision to close our local stores is a difficult one,” said the acting president and CEO Brad Waggoner, who is succeeding longtime LifeWay president Thom Rainer.
The Southern Baptist affiliate announced in January initial plans to reduce its locations this year due to declining sales and financial pressures but ended up deciding it wasn’t viable to keep any stores open past 2019. Rainer said they did all they could to save the stores, which span across 30 states. The chain will continue online sales through LifeWay.com.
VeggieTales Founder Launches Book Collection
Featuring VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer’s beloved characters, a new collection of board, picture and coloring books is the very first offering from JellyTelly Press.
“Parents are actively looking for books that reinforce biblical values while keeping children engaged, interested and excited,” said Erick Goss, CEO of JellyTelly.
The collection includes exciting stories with specific ideas at the end of each book to provide a deeper connection between parent and child and to further conversations about the biblical values and concepts detailed in each book.
Beyond the books, parents can find additional entertaining resources on www.JellyTelly.com—designed to offer parents a modern, multiplatform experience to enjoy together with their children.


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The sweet smell of old-fashioned candy lingers in the air at the Stirling General Mercantile. It’s a place you can’t help but feel nostalgic as you browse through dozens of different treats that bring back memories of childhood.
Stirling resident Tina Koonings, who has owned the business for the past eight years, carries more than 600 items in her shop. Inside the store you’ll find old-fashioned candy, retro Kool-Aid, uniquely flavoured gums and chocolate, licorice, pop, novelty magnets, mints and signs, retro toys and more.
“People come in here and they end up spending 45 minutes browsing,” said Koonings, adding that many of her clientele return to the shop over and over for a specific treat they can only get at the mercantile.
Knowing her customers is part of the appeal of living and working in a small town like Stirling, Kooning said. Although she’s only been living in the village for the past 10 years, she’s established close relationships within the community and loves the atmosphere.
“It’s so different from the city. It’s a slower life, and the people are friendlier,” she said.
As the years have passed, Koonings’ customers who were once children have grown into adults who still return to the mercantile.
“I have customers who are away at university and they’ll come into the store and say, ‘do you remember me?’,” she said. “It’s really mesmerizing the things I have learned about these kids operating this store.”
Koonings is originally from Toronto where she worked in retail and big box stores for most of her career. About a decade ago she made the decision to leave the city and never looked back.
“I was tired of working where I wasn’t happy – there was no joy in it,” she said. “I had about seven days to buy a house, I came down on a weekend to look, and Stirling just felt like home.”
Once she had settled into her new life in the village, she was eager to start a small business. She saw a need for a mercantile but wanted to put her own twist on it.
“I like a lot of funky, crazy, retro-type stuff, and I figured if I like that kind of thing, I can’t be the only person who’s going to like it. Apparently, I was right,” she joked.
In fact, her products were so popular with customers that five years ago she expanded into Bancroft and opened a second shop. “I was having so much fun, I said, ‘let’s open another one’.”
Koonings prides herself on selling not only unique and fun products, but also high-quality candy that keeps customers returning. Most of her candy selection is imported from Europe – Spain in particular – where there are more stringent rules about ingredients and additives that go into candy.
“People will sometimes come into my store and say, ‘candy is just candy’, but once you try a good candy, you can taste the difference,” she said, adding that she is always on the lookout for the best quality products.
“We have about 150 jars of candy in the store. Over the years I’ve gone through about 400 different types of candy, and some of it you’ll never see here again. I’m really picky about it.”
With 2020 being a challenging year for all businesses, Kooning has had a few setbacks. Primarily, her biggest challenge has been cancelled shipments of product, due to changes in the food industry and packaging amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But she is still optimistically preparing for her busiest time of the year – Christmas.
“December is my craziest month. There’s something on everybody’s Christmas list that you can buy in this store,” she said. Popular holiday favourites include butter rum Lifesavers, black licorice pipes and
While many businesses see a slowdown in January, Kooning’s said, she has a different experience at the mercantile.
“Come January, I get a whole new set of customers. I get people saying they got a retro gift for Christmas and they had to come and visit the store to see where it came from.”
Between filling bags of candy for youngsters who frequent the shop, tending to her older customers who come in for their favourites, and preparing stock for the holiday season, Kooning experiences fast-paced days she jokingly describes as “insanity.” But her excitement and passion for the business never cease to exist. Finding new products and providing her customers with meaningful experiences brings her joy.
“It’s the best place to work. You don’t come to a candy store angry, or if you do, you definitely can’t leave angry,” she said.
“There’s just really good karma here.”
For more information on the Stirling General Mercantile, visit their Facebook page, or pop by the store at 26 West Front Street in Stirling.
MORE INSPIRING ENTREPRENEURS IN HASTINGS:


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It seems as if you can’t get away from the word “mobility” in today’s automotive vernacular. From BMW’s ReachNow to General Motors’ Maven, nearly every major automaker is looking for a piece of the personal mobility market.
Audi has plans to further expand its reach in mobility, as the German firm announced it would acquire Silvercar by expanding its minority share in the company to 100 percent. Audi has been invested in the mobility company since 2015 and has supplied Silvercar’s fleet of vehicles exclusively with A4 sedans. We’ll give you one guess as to what color the A4s that Audi supplied to Silvercar are.
Silvercar works out of handful of U.S. airports as a rental service with streamlined, premium customer service. That includes reservation and vehicle returns all through the company’s mobile app.
Audi isn’t specific on what it plans to develop with Silvercar, but merely states a range of mobility services will be in development for the U.S. At some point, it’s likely we’ll see cross pollination between Silvercar and the similar Audi On Demand which is still in a trial phase.
Audi’s crosstown rivals have been in the car-sharing business for some time, too. BMW rebranded its original DriveNow program as ReachNow last year and has been rolling the car-sharing program out across the U.S. BMW’s aim is to provide larger, more premium vehicles than Daimler’s rival Car2Go service.


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Deliveroo Singapore to incentivise riders switching to e-bikes
Riders can receive an additional $2-$500 per delivery.
Deliveroo Singapore has begun the pilot implementation of a scheme which incentivises riders who will upgrade their vehicle to power-assisted bicycles.
Called the Power-Assisted Bicycle (PAB) Upgrade Promotion and Incentive Scheme, the initiative aims to help increase earnings of drivers by “empowering them to complete more orders safely.
Under the program, delivery riders who will switch to Land Transport Authority (LTA)-compliant PAB models from MOBOT and FALCON PEV will receive an additional $2 per delivery, up to a cap of up to $500.
Exclusive discounts and freebies will also be given to participating riders.
Over 200 Deliveroo riders were invited to be part of the pilot implementation, and among them was Ong Zhi Hao who has been using a non-powered bicycle for delivery since 2018.
“[I] did not have the financial means to purchase it on my own. Now, with my savings coupled with Deliveroo’s help, I am glad to be able to upgrade to a PAB to deliver more orders to customers and boost my income in a safe manner,” Ong said.
Aside from improving their rider’s quality of life, the food delivery company said the scheme was also aimed at reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainability.
“The programme...aligns with the government’s push towards a car-lite society, part of The Singapore Green Plan 2030. We hope to expand the initiative to do more for the environment and broaden our support for additional riders if the pilot goes well,” Sarah Tan, general manager of Deliveroo Singapore, said.
The $100,000 pilot initiative is funded by the food delivery company’s global community fund.


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DeWitt, N.Y. — The Empire Plaza on Erie Boulevard East has a new tenant.
The Shop, a new barber shop, opened at the plaza in June. The business is toward the back of the center on the right-hand side. It's in space formerly occupied by Men's Wearhouse.
The four partners, Antonino Ambroggio, Anthony Calangelo, Vincenzo Fusco and Antonio Gallo, all previously worked for the barber shop at ShoppingTown Mall. They decided to branch out on their own.
Hours for the new 2,000-square-foot shop are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Empire Plaza is also home to Pascale's Liquor Square, Petco and Ollie's Bargain Outlet.


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SUNRISE MALL: The 1.2 million-square-foot mall on 77 acres sold last month for $29.7 million, that’s $113 million less than it sold for 15 years ago.
By David Winzelberg of Long Island Business News – January 25th, 2021
Long the darling of commercial real estate on Long Island, the retail sector finds itself at a crossroads.
Traditionally the most expensive on a per-square-foot basis, values of some retail properties are dropping precipitously, damaged by shuttered businesses sickened by the nearly year-long pandemic that’s put a big hurt on the economy.
True to the theory of the bigger they are the harder they fall, malls and other shopping centers that are home to struggling big-box retailers have much larger holes to fill, as bankruptcies and department store closings choke rent revenue and boost vacancy rates.
Nationally, a record 12,200 stores were announced for closure last year, accounting for 159 million square feet of gross leasable space, according to CoStar. Flagging big-box chains like JCPenney, Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and others gave up a good portion of that space.
A good example of the challenges faced by the retail sector can be found in the recent sale of the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa. Purchased by Westfield for $143 million in 2005, the 1.2 million-square-foot retail complex on 77 acres was more than a third vacant when it sold for just $29.7 million last month.
Last week, LIBN/NOW hosted a discussion on retail real estate with retail landlord Larry Weinberger, principal of Bellmore-based MGD Investments, and Ron Koenigsberg, owner/broker of American Investment Properties, headquartered in Garden City, to talk about state of retail real estate and its current challenges.
“Sales activity has slowed,” Koenigsberg said. “We expect values, like in the sale of that particular mall, to decrease and we do expect cap rates to rise and we do expect softening in the value of commercial real estate, in large part because of the coronavirus.”
Of course, that creates opportunity for investors like Weinberger and a chance for a value-add situation.
“We see opportunities, but it’s a tricky market and a treacherous market right now, so you have to be very careful and you really need to double down on what you have to do to make your buildings more attractive and reinvest,” Weinberger said. “I go against the tide sometimes and do things that people might not do at this moment. I’m reinvesting and I’m making my buildings more attractive and giving my tenants a better chance to succeed, because you need to keep the team together that you have.”
While many retail landlords deferred rent payments for struggling tenants, that creates a bigger burden down the road when the deferred rent eventually becomes due. Instead, Weinberger employed a different strategy, discounting rents for those businesses in need.
“We had to step back and take a look at each tenant on an individual basis and assist them if they needed assistance,” Weinberger said. “But we had to address each one individually and see who was going to need assistance and how much of it. And I decided very early on that we were going to make a commitment to stay with our tenants and try not to lose too many of them.”
Besides adjusting rents, retail property owners with large vacancies have been exploring redeveloping some of the space for other uses. Koenigsberg pointed to the former Century 21 department store in Westbury that its owner, Sanders Equities, is currently turning into an industrial property.
“What’s happened to that space is they’ve downgraded,” Koenigsberg said. “They’re not retail anymore. They’re becoming light industrial, so you know we are definitely seeing changes. Also, I think that we’re seeing necessity-based retail versus discretionary-based retail. Meaning, the pharmacies, the groceries, the delivery services and all the e-commerce is doing great. The ones that aren’t doing great are the department stores, hair and nail salons are suffering right now, as are the theaters and obviously the restaurants.”
Both Koenigsberg and Weinberger believe Long Island will see more retail spaces being repurposed for other uses in the near future.
They cited the former 26.4-acre Sears department store site in Hicksville that its owner has proposed to turn into a mixed-use development with 425 rental apartments, retail and office space.
And there’s more. Last year, Brookfield Properties proposed a redevelopment of about 16 acres of the 28-acre site in Manhasset where Macy’s has a store. The project would bring 355 rental apartments, 72,000 square feet of office space, 73,400 square feet of additional retail space and a 200-room hotel.
Brokers at CBRE are currently marketing office space to be redeveloped from four former Lord & Taylor stores on Long Island.
And while many retail tenants have struggled, the pandemic has been a boon to quick-service restaurants, as customers shun indoor dining and opt for easy pick-up.
“We’ve had some small merchants that just went heavy to take out and pick up curbside,” Weinberger said. “You don’t get Starbucks going to an inline space, as you did, unless it’s an amazing location. Instead, they’ll wait for the drive-thru location. Panera is developing a new drive-thru business now.”
Koenigsberg said investors may see bargains in lower-tier retail properties, since tenants are gravitating to better locations.
“It is a flight to quality and I understand that investment dollars are flowing to those retailers that didn’t close. A triple-net McDonald’s is taking on a whole new value.”
Though the competition from e-commerce is only growing stronger, both Weinberger and Koenigsberg believe there is still light at the end of the tunnel for retail real estate here, especially once the pandemic is in the rear-view mirror.
“Investment dollars are chasing safe investments, those stores that remained open and those shopping centers that are vibrant,” Koenigsberg said. “It really feeds back to necessity based versus discretionary. Grocery-anchored shopping centers are becoming more valuable.”
Weinberger remains optimistic and is always looking for opportunities.
“I’m still a buyer, but very specific properties that I could have bought years ago are now just impacted by too many things,” he said. “If I can project who’s next for that property, I can feel confident in considering buying it, but we have to be very selective now, I have to buy premium stuff.”


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Jamstack is changing the way musicians interact with their instruments through hardware and the creation of software, making collaboration easier.
Three years ago, musician Chris Prendergast had an idea and a dream to create something that was totally innovative. Frustrated by the pieces of equipment necessary to emulate a guitar sound he’d heard on the radio, he was inspired to find a better way. He wished an amp could fit right on the guitar body to make it easier to experiment with. Using his guitar experience and his engineering background, he came up with a prototype.
In the process of getting his idea to market, Prendergast kept an open mind, and through researching and proof of concept work, he saw the bigger picture. Using a smart phone app with the hardware expanded the concept to create opportunities for collaboration among musicians.
Working with Innovation Guelph (IG), Prendergast said he remembers attending workshops and working with IG mentors Don Thompson and Melissa Durrell. The work involved defining Jamstick’s value proposition, creating a pitch deck to attract investment and general business guidance.
Since working with IG, Jamstack has raised an investment of $1.5M and are about to launch their second generation Jamstack 2, a product demonstrating a whole new level of innovative that can even work with home audio applications. With an Indiegogo campaign, Jamstack’s mission is to help musicians play their electric guitar anywhere with any sound.
Prendergast said the company was not significantly impacted by COVID as his team works remotely and was already using collaborative software to connect. While they experienced some slow down with their hardware manufacturer because of the pandemic, he has also benefited by reducing time on the road travelling since people being more willing to connect virtually.
As an entrepreneur, Prendergast sees success as a ladder of progress with two main variables – credibility and financing.
“You need to use your finances to positively impact credibility – like investing in a prototype or marketing to generate more financing. Credibility assets will lead to the ability to finance for yourself,” he said.
He also advises entrepreneurs to access all available resources including innovation centres like IG.
“You need to work hard, keep networking and leverage the help that’s offered.”


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It seems like only yesterday that we posted the first reviews of the new LG Cookie Fresh phone, mainly because it was. Well we have more news on the Cookie Fresh that reached our inbox mere minutes ago. The big news is that the Cookie Fresh is released TODAY!
It’s available shortly at:
Follow the link for reviews and full specs of the Cookie Fresh
You might like these related articlesblog comments powered by Disqus


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She gets bars to stock Duvel for her!
Craft brewers from around the country recommend beers for tonight's talk among Barack Obama, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and James Crowley.
That's what Obama will be drinking tomorrow, just so you know.
That's right: The cupcake craze has come to this. But what about bacon beer?
How we unexpectedly got stuck with a $15 half-pint of beer.
An early look at the menu.
It hasn't officially launched yet and reps are being secretive, but one bar has the goods.
A sneak peek at the pizzeria's beverage program.
Long Island's Blue Point is a top seller, too.
Beer mixed with bourbon, espresso, and peanut dust?
New York's only cask is at the Diamond in Greenpoint.
Watch a trailer for the new documentary.
A mind-boggling 45 real ales will be served.
A greener way to drink beer, and more from our glance at the morning headlines.
Plus: Beer is no longer recession-proof, and recipes from your favorite fashion designers, all in our morning news roundup.
Ha! Who is he kidding?
Daniel and Blue Hill at Stone Barns are both hosting pricey beer dinners.


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Shoplifting surge in East Greenbush
EAST GREENBUSH — Beer and boots are among the items stolen from stores here in the midst of the holiday shopping season, police say.
According to police, the shoplifting surge includes:
A 37-year-old woman who hid beer in her purse at Red Mill Mobil and walked out without paying.
A 48-year-old woman who hid a six-pack of beer at County Plaza and failed to pay.
A woman, 28, and a man, 52, snatched a pair of $140 walking boots at Sneaker City and bolted.
An 18-year-old woman took a $200 gift card from Target.
A woman, 23, and a man, 25, took a combined $400 of goods from the Walmart.
A 29-year-old stole DVDs.
The cases, most of which were listed as larcenies, will be heard in Town Court starting Jan. 9.


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The digital bank Starling announced a plan in which it is going to hold 18% of the SME banking market in five years, Insider reported.
The current share of the small business market is around 4.4%. CEO Anne Boden believes the company will be able to capture even more business customer thanks to her experience and the technology Starling provides.
During the pandemic Starling has managed to give out £1.4bn in bounceback loans. About 66% of the recipients were based outside of London. For example, Scottish business customers of Starling received around £67m in such loans.
Starling Bank is valued at $1.5bn as it is set to raise £200m from US investor Fidelity that manages trillions of dollars in its assets.
Since its launch in 2014, Starling has managed to attract around 2.2m accounts held by customers and businesses.
Also, according to security researchers commissioned by “Which?” Starling Bank’s recently-launched online banking service is the most secure among the UK’s 13 leading banks.
“I think it’s going to be 18% of the small to medium businesses – the way it is going at the moment – we will be alongside some of the big banks in five years time,” told Boden to Insider.
“Starling is all about investment in the future and the pandemic has meant building features for SME businesses – we are serious about businesses and we continue to grow very very fast.”


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PA business transformation expert, Olaf Valentin Kjær, is interviewed on national radio about the biggest challenge banks have faced in years: how customers increasingly prefer to use the internet and their mobile phones when dealing with a bank, and how major players such as Google, Amazon and Facebook will become major competitors to traditional banks.
Olaf says: “Technology has changed. We are all very close to our mobile phones but may live and work far away from our bank’s local branch. This means consumers will increasingly use their mobile devices to get access to financial services. We are also becoming less loyal and prefer shopping around between different service providers, technologies and solutions – one of which could be the new retail banks such as Tesco and Coop Bank.”
Olaf states that if banks fail to make major changes with regards to their business models, they will become irrelevant to customers: “Banks need to enter the digital world and change their business model. The underlying systems of the banks are out of date and extremely limited by cost. Today, banks need to handle millions of transactions every day, and customising this to the old systems is very expensive. Essentially, banks need to redefine their business model in order to survive.”


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Amazon has confirmed that a new feature is coming to Alexa devices called Answer Update. If you ask Alexa a question and it doesn’t have the information to respond, this new feature will enable Alexa to notify you when it learns the answer. The notification comes in the form of an on-device prompt. Usually, when Alexa is unable to answer any question – it responds – “I don’t know that, but I’m always learning.” or “I can’t find the answer to the question I heard.”
Amazon says that the new feature is a way to expand Alexa’s “Knowledge Graph”, an informational database containing general knowledge facts and figures that the smart assistant uses to answer everyday questions. As Amazon stats that customers will be able to opt into the new experience when offered, and can later choose to opt out by saying “Alexa, turn off Answer Update.”
What this feature means is that – if “Answer update” feature is enabled then Alexa has the ability to inform you later on if it learns the answer to a question you asked in the past, but it was originally unable to answer.if “Answer update” feature is enabled then Alexa has the ability to inform you later on if it learns the answer to a question you asked in the past, but it was originally unable to answer.
This feature is meant to offer a challenge Google’s Knowledge Graph, which is far more developed and gives Google Home a competitive advantage. However, a recent survey by Ad Week demonstrates Google’s expertise when it comes to AI, as Google Home was found to be six times as likely as Alexa to answer a user’s question, a test that employed over 3,000 factual questions.
In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson explained the “Answer Update” is an effort to showcase Alexa’s continued advancement through its “Knowledge Graph.” Amazon spokesperson said –
If you want to check whether your device currently has Answer Update, simply say – “Alexa, turn on Answer Update”. Answer Updates will be an opt-in feature that should roll out to Amazon Alexa users over the next week.


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Mixt brings its West Coast salad sensibilities to Uptown Dallas
Salads, grain bowls and food on-the-go are the specialties of Mixt, a San Francisco transplant that’s planted roots in DFW.
Diners choose from an array of seasonal salads or grilled protein plates or opt instead to create their own from more than 72 ingredients that range from rainbow carrots and mixed greens to jicama, grilled chicken, red rice and roasted cauliflower.
The company pledges all their ingredients are free of pesticides, chemicals and GMOs and says they serve more than a million pounds of local, sustainable, organic vegetables per year.
2355 Olive St.at McKinney Ave., Dallas, (415) 296-8009
A version of this post appears in the July issue of 360 West Magazine


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As sales of private jets increase in China, interior design companies are looking to cash in.
Gucci has announced that Chinese actress Li Bing Bing will star in a special ad campaign dedicated to the House’s handbags, fine jewelry, and timepieces.
Construction began last month on Shanghai’s first “groundscraper”, soon to be the InterContinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland.
Only 20 limited-edition 458 Italia cars featuring a golden dragon on the front bonnet will be showcased in Shanghai.
The new St. Regis Tianjin has launched its Presidential Suite, Tianjin’s largest luxury hotel suite with extraordinary amenities and unparalleled views.
The third annual Hainan Rendez-Vous, China’s leading superyacht and business jet show, will be held on the 5th-8th of April 2012.


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In response to the comment about the Chevrolet Convertible 2020, which appeared somewhere in October, the brand has recently published information on his Twitter that the open-top model will debut on October 2.
The design of the Corvette convertible is not a mystery, and you can see it in our earlier photo. Front part to front – the same compartment. The new model has a folding hard roof, and now behind the seats there is a gondola for protection during a rollover. Pictures show that between them there is a glass panel which can be raised to increase protection from the wind in the cabin.
Although official information about power plant convertible C8 yet, it is hard to believe that Chevrolet does not put the same 6.2-liter V8, which uses the coupe. Its impact is 490 HP of power as standard or 495 HP with the optional exhaust system. The only option the transmission is eight-speed automatic transmission with double clutch. Leaked information suggests that droptop C8 weighs 1650 kg, 46 kg more than the coupe without the Z51 package.
After the debut of the C8 convertible 2 Oct don’t expect that sales will begin before 2020. For most of the country buying convertibles so close to the winter – not a very tempting purchase.


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What took place
Shares of Ford Motor Organization (NYSE:F) ended up trading down on Wednesday, just after the firm previewed a collection of a single-time things it expects to report with its fourth-quarter earnings.
As of 1 p.m. ET, Ford’s shares were being down about 7.2% from Tuesday’s closing cost.
At initial glance, Ford’s preview, unveiled just after the U.S. markets shut on Tuesday, was superior information. The company stated it will report a fourth-quarter attain of $8.2 billion on its stake in Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN), which went public late final year. Ford mentioned it will also comprehend a $3.5 billion accounting acquire from its yearly pension-fund remeasurement, and a $3.6 billion tax advantage associated to its international restructuring.
That all seems very good, suitable? So why is the stock down?
This will choose a minimal little bit of describing. Back again in the initially quarter of 2021, Ford documented a about $900 million obtain on its Rivian expenditure, dependent on the valuation made use of in the then-personal start out-up’s most current funding round. At the time, Ford regarded that acquire as cash flow, not as a a single-time product.
Then, all through Ford’s third-quarter earnings contact in October, Ford CFO John Lawler mentioned that after Rivian went general public, Ford would retroactively recategorize that $900 million get as a a single-time item, not as money.
In yesterday’s push release, Ford reminded buyers of that recategorization system — and mentioned that it will have an affect on the steerage Ford gave in the course of that exact 3rd-quarter simply call, when it mentioned its full-12 months altered earnings just before fascination and tax would appear in between $10.5 billion and $11.5 billion, mainly because that assortment assumed that the $900 million would still count as profits at yr-stop.
But because Rivian went public in advance of yr-conclude, it would not be counted as component of Ford’s 2021 income. Put simply just, Ford has effectively revised its entire-yr earnings steerage lower for the reason that of an accounting improve linked to the timing of Rivian’s preliminary general public supplying.
The change would not have an effect on the long-phrase financial commitment case for Ford in any meaningful way. But simply because the traders and algorithms are viewing yesterday’s information as a “advice lower,” Ford’s inventory is getting clobbered now.
Vehicle investors can search forward to Ford’s fourth-quarter and total-year earnings report on Feb. 3 soon after the U.S. marketplaces shut, all through which — we hope — Ford will make obvious to Wall Avenue that this accounting alter experienced no content impact on its finances.
This report signifies the feeling of the writer, who may possibly disagree with the “official” advice position of a Motley Idiot high quality advisory support. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our personal — helps us all imagine critically about investing and make selections that assist us come to be smarter, happier, and richer.


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Scottish companies running Outlander tours are reporting big increases in the number of American visitors since the series began airing in the United States last year.
The news comes with the hit show set to be premiered in the UK with a special joint-screening of the first episode in Glasgow and London today (Monday 23 March).
VisitScotland has revealed that its dedicated Outlander section at visitscotland.com/outlander, which features a downloadable locations map and itineraries, has been viewed more than 175,000 times since it went live in August 2014.
The national tourism organisation, which has been doing marketing activity around Outlander in North America since its launch last summer and has further activity planned for Germany and the UK, has received positive feedback from a number of tour companies.
Based in the Borders, Scottish Clans and Castles has been running Outlander tours to various locations featured in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling books since 2006. But since the television series first aired in the United States in August last year, owner Alastair Cunningham said he had seen a rise of 500 per cent in his company’s Outlander tours, with the vast majority coming from overseas.
Alastair said: “The television series has made a huge difference to visitor numbers. Their interest in Scotland comes from the books or the television series, but when they get here and see places like Culloden and Skye for themselves, they find that the country exceeds their expectations.”
Meanwhile, Burning the Claire and Jamie Trail – an Outlander-themed tour operated by Edinburgh-based Rabbie’s Trail Burners – will see six busloads of fans departing over the summer, taking in locations such as Doune Castle, Inverness, Loch Ness and Castle Leod, all of which feature either in the stories or the television series.
Yvonne Wagoun, Director of Business Development at Rabbie’s, said: “The Outlander books have been hugely popular and the TV series has been long awaited and well received. It was an easy decision to create our very own Outlander-themed tour and our first departure in October last year has had rave reviews from all our passengers on board with our very own red-haired driver guide called Jamie.
“It is proving so popular, particularly among the North American market, that we are looking to increase the number of departures next year. Most of the bookings we have to date are from the US and Canada and some from Australia.
“Guests are promised a unique and special experience and can share their passion for Outlander with others from around the world.”
On 4 April, five-star Mercat Tours launches its Edinburgh Outlander Experience, which takes in locations such as the Canongate Kirk and the World’s End tavern, which feature in the books.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “Scotland is the land that inspired Outlander and it is great to see the television series has already had such a positive impact on Scottish tourism.
“With 40 per cent of visitors to the UK inspired to come here after seeing a location on film or on television, a major TV series being shot on location in Scotland carries huge potential benefits for the tourism industry.”
“We expect the series being shown in the UK for the first time this week will inspire potential visitors in the domestic market to follow in Jamie and Claire’s footsteps and explore the stunning locations of Outlander for themselves.”
Chris Bird, Movie and TV Strategy Director, Amazon Prime Instant Video, added: “It’s no surprise that fans are flocking to Scotland to experience the breathtaking world of Outlander first hand, tracing the paths trodden by Jamie and Claire both on-page and now on-screen. With the show available to stream exclusively in the UK on Amazon Prime Instant Video from Thursday, I’m sure that fan gatherings and visits to the beautiful filming locations across Scotland are only set to increase.”
The Sony Pictures Television production, which was filmed in a studio in Cumbernauld and in other Scottish locations including Doune Castle and Culross, will be available on Amazon Prime Instant Video from Thursday 26 March.
Amazon will host a special screening of the first episode for fans in Glasgow tonight (Monday).
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
Year of Food and Drink 2015
- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland


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Eastside luxury car enthusiasts will soon have a local spot at which to test drive and shop for McLaren, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce vehicles.
OpenRoad Auto Group, which has acquired all four car brands, recently announced its plans to open the Pacific Northwest’s first McLaren dealership in Bellevue.
“We’re delighted to be able to bring McLaren to this very important market in North America for the first time,” said Christian Chia, OpenRoad Auto Group CEO. “We’re also pleased to announce plans for a new dealership in Bellevue that will not only house McLaren, but also Lamborghini, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The facility is expected to become a destination for owners and enthusiasts of all four luxury supercar brands and a flagship dealership in the Pacific Northwest.”
OpenRoad will break ground on the Bellevue dealership, located on 3.6 acres at 13617 N.W. 20th St., in the early part of this year. The space is expected to open to customers in late summer 2020.
While the new site is under construction, customers can shop for all four brands at a temporary showroom located at 1882 136th Place N.E. in Bellevue.


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Amazon Bows to Critics, Raises Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour
After months of intense public pressure from progressive lawmakers like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and company employees who shared their harrowing stories of low pay, long hours, and brutal warehouse conditions, Amazon announced on Tuesday that it is raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour for all of its U.S. workers by next month.
“We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead,” Amazon CEO and world’s richest man Jeff Bezos said in a statement, openly acknowledging that the move came in response to widespread outrage over the trillion-dollar company’s poverty wages, which have forced thousands of workers to rely on food stamps to survive.
While Bezos insisted that Amazon is “excited” to implement the wage hike—which will benefit more than 350,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers—commentators were quick to note that the ultra-billionaire CEO is not raising wages out of the kindness of his heart.
“Amazon isn’t doing this because they’re nice,” investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein noted in response to Amazon’s announcement of the wage hikes, which will go into effect Nov. 1. “Public pressure forced them to.”
Thank you @BernieSanders for your role in making this happen. “The company said Tuesday the wage hike will benefit more than 350,000 workers, which includes full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal positions.”https://t.co/fOkyRqFyl5
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) October 2, 2018
Remember all the mockery Bernie Sanders got for fighting with Amazon?
There’s more to progressive politics than just shouting at Trump, and Sanders is directly responsible today for a major wage victory against an enormously powerful employer. https://t.co/ndm1PVKnZp
— David Atkins #11Justices (@DavidOAtkins) October 2, 2018
This is huge, and I suspect the decision’s driver was primarily a scruffy-haired Senator from Vermont. https://t.co/xRLWPbmgj7
— Stephanie Kelton (@StephanieKelton) October 2, 2018
While progressives were quick to highlight Sanders’ role in bringing about the wage hikes—the senator has hosted town halls, held rallies, and introduced legislation to pressure Amazon to pay its employees a living wage—Sanders told the HuffPost in an interview ahead of Tuesday’s announcement that all credit for higher pay and better conditions should go to workers.
“I think the workers have stood up and fought back,” Sanders said. “What we have done is call attention to the fact that it is a disgrace that the wealthiest person in this country and in this world are paying wages so low that workers are forced to go on food stamps and Medicaid.”
“I think the pressure is building not only on Bezos and Amazon but every other employer in America: Pay your workers a living wage, at least 15 bucks an hour,” Sanders concluded.WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…
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Manchester-based consumer goods developer Ultimate Products has reported a drop in full-year revenues.
The listed company, headquartered in Oldham, said the year had been one of “resilience” against “an extremely challenging backdrop”.
Total revenue dropped 6.1 per cent to £115.7m, down from £123.3m reported the previous year.
The group said it “reflected order cancellations and deferrals due to the Covid-19 pandemic”, which was offset by a “strong growth” in sales to supermarkets and online retailers.
However, the group reported pre-tax profit was up 2.9 per cent, from £8.1m to £8.4m.
Its underlying pre-tax profit was down 2.7 per cent to £8.2 m, from £8.4 m in 2019.
Simon Showman, chief executive of Ultimate Products, said: “We are pleased to have delivered such a resilient performance amidst the unprecedented challenges brought about by COVID-19.
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“Through a relentless focus on our strategy and the extraordinary commitment, professionalism and adaptability of our colleagues, our performance has substantially exceeded the expectations that we had at the beginning of the pandemic.
“These results are another clear illustration of the strength of our business model and the importance of having a diversified customer base.
“Time and time again, we have also found that in difficult trading conditions, retailers require suppliers that can provide them with certainty through compelling value, quality and supply, which plays squarely to our strengths.
“While the market conditions for general merchandise look set to remain challenging in the UK and Europe in the short-term, we remain confident in the long-term prospects of Ultimate Products.”
The company repaid £465,237 it received under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which it announced in August, it said, with All VAT and PAYE payments up to date having ceased using those deferral schemes.


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NAFTA on steroids?
New “trade” deal is really about giving multi-national corporations more power than ever
Few American states have experienced the devastating impact of global “free” trade more directly and painfully in recent years than North Carolina. Our shuttered manufacturing plants and record unemployment rates both serve as powerful daily reminders of the lasting impact of NAFTA, CAFTA, the WTO and other alphabet soup trade deals negotiated by far-off politicians and corporate giants that helped crush the state’s manufacturing base.
Now, amazingly enough, yet another such trade agreement is being negotiated in secret, and it could be the worst one yet. As you read this, trade officials from the U.S. and 11 Pacific Rim nations are negotiating something called the “Trans-Pacific Partnership” (or TPP) in hopes of reaching agreement this fall.
According to Lori Wallach, Director of the Global Trade Division at the Washington, DC-based government watchdog, Public Citizen, this would almost certainly be a huge disaster for American workers and consumers.
Wallach was in Raleigh on September 26 to speak at an NC Policy Watch Crucial Conversation luncheon. As she told a large and enthusiastic audience (you can watch the event and view her PowerPoint slides by clicking here), the results of past so-called “free trade’ agreements (a label that she dismissed as absurd for agreements that include hundreds of pages of rules unrelated to tariffs) have been overwhelmingly negative – both for the U.S. and North Carolina.
Among the ills she attributed in whole or in part to NAFTA and other similar agreements of recent decades:
- A huge decline in middle class manufacturing jobs and facilities,
- A flood of unsafe imported food, pharmaceuticals and consumer products,
- Financial deregulation and instability,
- A constant assault on health, labor and land use laws,
- A loss of 170,000 family farms, and
- The highest income inequality since the “robber baron” era.
North Carolina, she noted, is one of the nation’s hardest-hit states. During what she characterized as the NAFTA-WTO era (1994-2012) North Carolina lost 46.2% (374,612) of its manufacturing jobs. Moreover, more than 200,000 North Carolinians were certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as having lost their jobs to imports and “offshoring” (not always an easy classification to obtain).
According to Wallach, the Trans-Pacific Partnership promises even more of the same. This is because, unlike actual trade agreements of bygone eras that focused on the taxes and tariffs applied to exports and imports, the new breed of agreements is based on the premise that signatory countries must alter their domestic non-trade policies in order to participate.
In plain English, this means that when a country signs up, it promises to conform its laws and rules governing issues like worker rights, the environment and consumer protection to the standards spelled out in the agreement. What’s more, if a country fails to do so, it can be subjected to enforcement proceedings in international tribunals and forced to endure penalties and sanctions.
While no one knows for sure what the TPP will include since it has been negotiated in secret by private industry actors without participation by members of Congress, we do know enough from leaks and a limited number of public disclosures to understand that it could be very, very bad.
First off, we already know that a dozen major countries have signed on and that others will be free to join if they conform their laws to its terms. Second and more ominously, we also know that the latest draft would (among many other things):
- Provide special rights and protections for companies that offshore jobs,
- Require changes to immigration laws to allow more high-skilled workers to come to the U.S.,
- Ban “buy American” policies in government procurement,
- Allow foreign corporations to skirt U.S. courts,
- Endanger new Wall Street regulations,
- Allow the importation of more unsafe food and consumer products, and
- Limit access to lower priced foreign medicines.
Given the secrecy of the agreement and its terms, understanding the reasoning behind such a massive and potentially negative shift in American law is not easy. By and large, however, it appears that U.S. negotiators are simply (and more-or-less blindly) “just doing what they’ve always done” — i.e. operating as adjunct staff to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other powerful corporate interests.
Sadly, even the Obama administration seems largely oblivious to the potential impacts of what it is doing and the extremely limited potential benefits – a matter on which there should be little doubt
In recent days, experts at the Center for Economic Policy Research in Washington released a new report entitled “Gains from Trade? The Net Effect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement on U.S. Wages.” What they found is not encouraging:
“Recent estimates of the U.S. economic gains that would result from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are very small—only 0.13 percent of GDP by 2025. Taking into account the un-equalizing effect of trade on wages, the median wage earner will probably lose as a result of any such agreement.
In fact, most workers are likely to lose—the exceptions being some of the bottom quarter or so whose earnings are determined by the minimum wage; and those with the highest wages who are more protected from international competition. Rather, many top incomes will rise as a result of TPP expansion of the terms and enforcement of copyrights and patents.
The long-term losses, going forward over the same period (to 2025), from the failure to restore full employment to the United States have been some 25 times greater than the potential gains of the TPP, and more than 5 times as large as the possible gains resulting from a much broader trade agenda.”
These are complex times in global public policy. Syria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, China: each of these remarkably complex situations would be enough on their own to keep a responsible U.S. foreign policy establishment fully occupied. That these nations and the innumerable challenges they present are just the tip of a vastly larger iceberg is enough to boggle the mind of the average American and make one worry about the mental wellbeing of the President and his staff.
Daunting as these situations are, however, they cannot and should not serve as an excuse for the Obama administration to simply flip on the “auto-pilot” button when it comes to dealing with other, less overtly threatening matters. Unfortunately, however, this appears to be exactly what’s happening with the TPP.
Indeed, as a growing chorus of concerned experts is making clear, the TPP is a grave threat to the wellbeing of American workers and consumers and our national security itself.
Let’s hope the chorus of critics continues to grow and becomes loud enough to burst the bubble in which this potential disaster is being hatched.
For more information on the details of TPP, click here to visit Public Citizen’s dedicated website.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.


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The last remnants of electronics retailer Circuit City is going away.
In a posting on the website, the company said the consolidation will take place by Dec. 31.
New York-based Systemax purchased Circuit City’s intellectual property assets in 2009 for $14 million. In October, its board decided the company’s future consumer business would be optimized by consolidating the websites. The news was first reported Thursday by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Richmond, Va.-based Circuit City filed for bankruptcy in November 2008 and closed its last stores in March 2009.
Systemax also had purchased electronics retailer CompUSA‘s intellectual property when it closed in 2008. It manufactures and sells consumer electronics online, by direct mail and in retail stores.
More breaking news
- Hain Celestial receives letter from Nasdaq
- Islanders head towards starting gate at Belmont
- LI STEM salaries rising
- Northwell, NYC Health & Hospitals partner on $48M lab
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- Doubts grow over stock market’s Trump-inspired surge
- Nonresidential construction booms in January
- Smaller bite: Tax bills dip for most popular mutual funds
- Suozzi to hold town hall meeting Thursday
- Former tech CEO gets prison in US after self-exile in Africa


text: In the March 23rd issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a report was published showing that increased intake of red meat and processed meat was correlated with a modest increase in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality [Pub Med]. With an impressive half million subjects from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health study, risk of death was higher with each 20% increase of red meat or processed meat consumption. It should be noted that red meat consumption may have a cause/effect relationship or may just be a great surrogate marker for poor diet and lifestyle habits. Along with each increasing quintile of red meat consumption was a decrease in consumption of white meat (poultry and fish), fiber, fruits, vegetables and vitamin supplements. The highest 20% of red meat consumers were 2-3 times more likely to be current smokers and half as likely to be involved in vigorous exercise than the lowest 20% of red meat consumers. Interestingly, those reporting the highest intake of red meat consumed the least amount of alcohol (anybody have a clue why this would be?). Knowing how much red and processed meat you consume may be an accurate gauge as to your overall lifestyle health patterns.


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BALTIMORE – What could have been.
"It could have changed the city," said developer Marc Weller.
He sat in a quiet conference room near Port Covington, an industrial area waterfront at the south end of Baltimore, which became the ideal home for the second Amazon headquarters. A year ago, in the same conference room, civilian leaders were shamed over Amazon's open calls for any North American big city for bankruptcy for the role once a year. Baltimore was everything. There were also dozens of other cities.
It was not the usual process of selecting corporate sites. It seemed that Amazon wanted to make a real statement with what was known as HQ2. Why another state such a special and public performance?
And then Amazon announced this week that 50,000 highly qualified HQ2 workers would be split between Crystal City outside Washington and Long Island City in New York.
"The usual suspects," Weller said, "and do not need the Amazon."
Not like Baltimore. Or Philadelphia. Buffalo. Charlotte, even. Or Detroit.
"Again," Weller said, "it's as if we were never running."
236 Cooperative Cities that have not captured the Amazon's eye face renewed uncertainty about the ability to compete for so-called knowledge positions that will lead to the country's future economic growth. Some have suggested that the loss of the pitch is a good training for another big deal. Others hope that Amazon could take advantage of bids of data-rich documents to find other projects. That's probably what happened to Nashville, who escaped away with the promise of 5,000 new Amazon jobs.
But Amazon's hunt was disturbing for many cities. The final decision to go with two fast-growing coastal hubs only highlighted concerns about the dynamics of the winning modern economy.
"This rich story is richer," said Stephen Walters, professor of economics at Loyola University Maryland. "And it raises a big question for these other cities: How do you get into that league?"
It is not easy. Amazon's decision emphasizes the obvious attraction of technical sites that resemble the sea and the pressure on companies to decide on expansion that are safe investments. (The Washington Post is owned by Amazon CEO Jeffrey P. Bezos.)
"I think Amazon was sincere," said Tom Stringer, who runs the bid for BDO's business consulting firm, to search for new office space. But chances were put against less obvious cities due to the enormous HQ2 rate. Amazon has a responsibility to shareholders to reduce their risk, said Stringer. The fact that placing a new headquarters in a city that could not handle it could lead to a failure.
Over the past five years, tech companies located in the top markets with the headquarters of Silicon Valley, Seattle, Boston and New York have added new office space in these markets or several other popular cities such as Chicago and Austin. a recent report from the CBRE Commercial Property Research Company. Right now, Google says it is looking to add more than 10,000 tech jobs in New York.
Amazon's decision shows bonuses for tempting workers.
"They are choosing talent to earn more than other income," Stringer said, "and there are plenty of arguments about economic growth incentives."
Some of the cities have left frustration with Amazon's decision – and it was not just sour grapes, they said. It had to do with how the tech giant had mastered the process, the feedback they had gained, and ultimately the decision that it was said seemed to betray the whole intent.
Still, Baltimore figured he had a good shot.
The city had long been sitting in the shadow of Washington – a dilapidated metropolis, just 35 miles from Interstate 95, but seemingly far away. Baltimore's median household income is about half that of Washington. But Baltimore also offers benefits, including house prices that are 80 percent lower. (Yes, that's right: $ 99,600 vs. $ 525,900.)
Port Covington is an area of 235 acres located in the south of Camden Yard and Inner Harbor. The former railway terminal was purchased by Sagamore Development, a real estate firm founded by Weller and Under Armour, CEO Kevin Plank. The new headquarters of the company based in Baltimore are here. Plans require a mixed use development of $ 5.5 billion. And Amazon had plenty of space to build exactly what he wanted.
"When we heard about Amazon, it was like," We have a perfect place, "said Steve Siegel, a partner of Weller Development, who is working on this site.
It has a large airport nearby. It has an interstate government right at his door. Major universities are nearby. It was planned to bring the project to a commuter railway stop. The Governor of Maryland has supported Baltimore's offer – despite the Montgomery suburban Montgomery's competitive offer, which has generated public stimulus of $ 5 billion.
Supporters of Port Covington clearly expected Amazon to be even less tangible. The Baltimore Course, loaded on Kindles and sent to Amazon, argued that it was more than just the second headquarters: "The HQ2 project will be – in the right place – an opportunity for a real urban revitalization and a revival of the community."
It might sound glorious. However, developers have pointed to businesses that measure not only their fiscal improvements but also their social impact.
"We have a double bottom, we believe in it," Weller said.
"And we thought they would think the same," Siegel said.
But Baltimore did not create a list of 20 finalist cities.
Not even Charlotte.
The city was stunned when Nashville and even Raleigh, an international rival, were nominated finalists. "What's going on with our city?" She was curious about the extras in Charlotte Observers. The business development world has taken note of.
"The leaders are in Charlotte in this direction," said John Boyd, a corporate website designer at Princeton, New Jersey.
In September, Charlotte Regional Partnership, who became the head of the Amazon City, announced that he had joined the Charlotte Chamber. The new group will have a new leader along with a new – and still undecided – name.
Officials are still wondering where it all went wrong.
"I am still surprised," said Tariq Bokhari, City Council, who was involved in the preparation of the Charlotte Amazon offer.
Bokhari said the tech giant said lack of technical talent was one of the city's disadvantages. But Bokhari pointed out that Charlotte has no problem attracting new workers, making them one of the fastest growing cities.
Then last month, Charlotte was named an important computing group as the first place for tech talent to be able to live and work.
For Bokhari it even more casts doubt on the criticism of Amazon.
"It felt as if they had already decided where to go," he said.
The lack of these talents was the same feedback that Amazon gave Baltimore.
But city officials said there was a talent – and could be attracted by baltimore spells. They have referred to cyber-security companies that have recently announced their plans to start operations in Port Covington.
While the amateur show has little parallel, it remembers when General Motors announced plans to produce a $ 5 billion automotive factory for its new Saturn brand in 1985. Governors from more than two dozen states visited Detroit to personally chair GM Chairman . Cities built billboards on Detroit motorways to decorate their virtues. The group of governors even finished an interview with Phil Donahue to make his case.
GM has built its Saturn race in Spring Hill, Tenn., Outside Nashville. The Saturn brand was killed in 2010. But the car factory is still there, making it Cadillac and GMC.
Upon Amazon's decision, at least one developer said he envied how Little Rock dealt with last year's: She had a full-page ad in The Washington Post when she claimed she was not even bothered to run for HQ2 – "It's Just Not Us."


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AI copyright could lead to new Marketing opportunities
New copyright lawsuits against AI companies could turn the tide and empower big content platforms to train their own models.
One boring but important factor makes a big difference in the conversation about how AI might change Marketing: copyright.
Copyright lawsuits have the power to decide whether content platforms like Quora, Yelp or IMDB will benefit from generative AI or be disrupted by it.
Recently, several generative AI companies have been sued for copyright infringement. The plaintiffs claim AI models have been trained on their work without compensation or licensing in three central lawsuits:
1/ In January, a group of visual artists sued Stability AI, Midjourney and DeviantArt.
2/ The same lawyers filed a class action lawsuit against GitHub for scraping copyrighted source code in November.
3/ Getty Images filed a separate class action suit against Stability AI, accusing the markers of Stable Diffusion for having scraped 5 billion images from sites like Getty, Shopify, Tumblr and Flickr without a license.
Some images from Stable Diffusion had the Getty Images watermark, indicating the model could have been trained on copyrighted images. It's unclear whether that happened or not since AI models have no underlying database of things. A sample came to the conclusion that 1% of Stable Diffusion’s dataset might have come from watermarked photos. (source)
So far, we assumed OpenAI, Stability AI, and other makers of generative AI could dethrone big content platforms. But, if copyright lawsuits decide generative AI makers need to pay for training data, the power would shift to content platforms. Aggregators like Google would lose power since content platforms could train models on their data and provide superior AI experiences.
Who owns AI training data?
Content ownership is a complex problem. Google makes money with website content but doesn't it, and webmasters can opt out from showing up in search results. UGC platforms like Facebook, Yelp or IMDB don't technically own reviews but can use them in many ways as specified in their terms of service (which no one reads). Since user-generated content is openly available and can be found by crawling the web, it's a tricky question whether AI companies should be allowed to train their data on it or not.
It's unclear what data DALL-E 2 was trained on, but we know GPT-3 and Stable Diffusion were trained largely on Common Crawl, a non-profit organization that crawls billions of pages on the web and publishes them for free. Of the 45 terabytes of text GPT-3 was trained on, 60% came from Common Crawl*, 22% from WebText 2 (which is trained on outgoing links from Reddit), 8% on books and 3% on Wikipedia. In other words, the majority of input to GPT-3 and other generative AI comes from the open web.
* fun fact: Google's Danny Sullivan is an advisor to Common Crawl
* fun fact: Google's Danny Sullivan is an advisor to Common Crawl
Technically, webmasters can block Common Crawl's bot in the robots.txt and opt out of their content being used to train AI models, but a different non-profit crawler could be just around the corner. It's tedious to keep up and manage the opting-out process.
As a result, if the lawsuits go nowhere, everything will go on as planned. Content creators might get the chance to opt out of AI training, but for the most part, models would get better. However, if the plaintiffs succeed, AI companies would either have to use copyright-free content (most of which is old) to train their models or pay.
What paid training data means for big platforms
Enforcing licenses for AI training data would come with big consequences for the development of AI models and big platforms.
First, paying for training data might significantly slow the evolution of generative AI down. New funds might have to be raised, partnerships made, and strategy roadmaps adjusted. A change in pace is not necessarily bad because it would give us enough time to adapt laws and regulations.
Second, paying for training data makes model training even more expensive. Right now, estimations of training costs for GPT-3 range from $4-12M USD, while others say it can be done with as little as $500,000. Training Stable Diffusion costs only $600K, and the cost seems to be going down over time as more specialized GPUs become available and energy costs trend down (source 2, source 2). But we're not there yet, and AI model training and running remain costly.
Third, companies that already have a lot of content might choose to train generative AI on their content to get a competitive advantage. Paying for training data could lead to a shift of power from the generative AI makers to data owners.
Shutterstock released a new generative image feature last week. While competitor Getty Images banned AI-generated images and sued AI companies, Shutterstock leans into the change and embraces it. The stock image platform announced to compensate creators for training an OpenAI model on their content, but the monetization model is still unclear.
Another company also announced to create content with the assistance of AI: Buzzfeed. In a memo, Founder and CEO Jonah Peretti wrote:
If the past 15 years of the internet have been defined by algorithmic feeds that curate and recommend content, the next 15 years will be defined by AI and data helping create, personalize, and animate the content itself. Our industry will expand beyond AI-powered curation (feeds), to AI-powered creation (content). AI opens up a new era of creativity, where creative humans like us play a key role providing the ideas, cultural currency, inspired prompts, IP, and formats that come to life using the newest technologies. (source)
Buzzfeed, though, is not a platform. It's an integrator that creates the content itself, as opposed to aggregators like Shutterstock, Yelp, IMDB or G2 that get the content from their users. When it comes to training data, aggregators have a big leg up over integrators since they have more uniform content they can use to train models. Integrators, on the other hand, would be at the receiving end of AI models and likely don't have enough data to train their own.
Marketing implications from paid AI training data
If big content platforms train their own AI models on their content, each of them could release a Chat GPT-like interface that competes with OpenAI, Stability AI, Jasper and others.
Stock photo sites would compete with DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion and other generative AI providers
Wikipedia, Quora & co would compete with Chat GPT and other AI chatbots
GitHub would likely remain the destination for AI-assisted coding but might get competition from Stack Overflow, BitBucket, GitLab and other developer platforms
Spotify, Apple Music and other music streaming platforms could train models on their content and provide alternatives to playlists with fine-tuned recommendations based on inputs ("Play me a song like 'die for you' but faster")
IMDB would train a model on its movie reviews and give users perfect movie recommendations based on their mood
Yelp, Tripadvisor and Google would train a model on their local reviews and give users perfect restaurant, bar and hotel recommendations based on their location and taste
G2 would train a model on its software reviews and give users perfect software recommendations based on their stack
Aggregators would turn into integrators with the help of AI and training on the content they have today. The platforms we thought AI would replace might become more powerful.
The big platforms might still leverage SEO and similar growth channels to drive traffic, but the customer experience would be superior because visitors could simply engage with a user interface á la Chat GPT and get their answers directly. As a result, word of mouth, direct traffic and brand awareness might increase significantly, driven by an outstanding user experience.
At the same time, if the big content platforms trained their own models and released Chat GPT-like user interfaces, Google would face significant challenges and lose even more market share for vertical-specific searches. Search as a whole could become more fragmented.


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Welcome to The Connected Church news!
This news is from Amazon.
Our first big news of this week is from Amazon. September seems to be the month of new releases and launches. Following Apple, Google, and Samsung, now Amazon has released its own set of products, updated & upgraded electronic products and software, including echo speakers, and cams, and routers, etc.
We will link to all the release details in the show notes. Do check it out. But the one product that really caught my attention is the ‘Ring Camera’. There is a new camera from Amazon’s company called Ring, which is called ‘Always Home Camera’. That is a drone – a small drone that flies inside your house. It will have a preset path. So from its base, when you pick up your phone… let us say you are outside home, if you want to watch what’s happening inside the house… suppose you leave your door open or something like that, then you can switch on this drone and the drone will fly inside your house. It will go from room to room and kind of show you, in a preset path, what’s happening inside. A fascinating sci-fi kind of thing. But it’s a trend that that might impact cameras in the days to come. Do check it out.
Note: This news item is part of the weekly news show, The Connected Church News, that collects the Top 5 Digital and Social Media News each week for leaders of churches, ministries or christian nonprofit, and presents it to them in 5 mins.