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Iconic motorcycle manufacturer of the
US and a favourite company of US President Donald Trump is beginning to appreciate
the flavour of Indian curry. It has just announced its own recipe for the
Indian palate wherein it would be manufacturing motorcycles in the range of
250cc to 500 cc within two years for which it would be entering into a
strategic alliance with a company in Asia.
With this, Harley-Davidson would be
taking head on the market leader in the country – Royal Enfield of the Eicher
Group. The latter has been dominating this space for a very long time with its
range of motorcycles that are in a way dated in technology and looks in a world
full of modern technology run motorcycles. Already this 250cc to 500cc space is
beginning to be explored by the likes of TVS Motor Company and BMW. Bajaj Auto
has also entered into an alliance with Triumph Motorcycles of the UK to explore
this space. Other motorcycle makers in India too are gunning for this space.
Currently, Harley-Davidson India sells
motorcycles in India in the price range of Rs 5.25 lakh (for the
Harley-Davidson Street 750) to Rs 49.99 lakh (for the CVO Limited). The company’s
touring bike Road Glide Special costs Rs 32.99 lakh. Incidentally, the HD
Street 750 is the model that brings the sales numbers for the US company in India.
The company also plans to push its
electric dream by launching its first electric motorcycle, LiveWire, in 2019 --
the first in a broad, no-clutch “twist and go” portfolio of electric
two-wheelers designed to establish the company as the leader in the
electrification of the sport.
The latest Harley-Davidson future
plans were revealed in an investor communication sent out on July 30, 2018
titled, ‘More Roads to Harley-Davidson: Accelerated Strategy’. The company
clearly stated that it would not only be launching these 250cc to 500cc motorcycles
in India within two years but would also in other emerging markets in Asia over
The company’s 2027 objective includes
building 2 million new Harley-Davidson riders in the US, grow international
business to 50pc of annual volume, launch 100 new high impact HD motorcycles,
deliver superior return on invested capital for HDMC and grow its business
without growing its environmental impact.
The company hopes that by adopting a
new strategy, it would be able to grow its revenues by 2022 to $1.5 billion
from the current level of US $ 1.0 billion. It also expects its operating profit
to increase from $ 200m to $250 million. The urgency to address challenges is driven by
a shifting global consumer, said the report. It pointed out that consumer
spending on discretionary, premium products is reaching critical mass in China,
India and Southeast Asia. While China motorcycle volumes are expected to grow
rapidly, India’s 250cc-500cc motorcycle segment is expected to grow at 25%/yr through
2021. India’s 250cc-500cc sales volume in 2017 stood at 700,000 with a CAGR of 25%.
In the 500cc and more segment, overall sales stood at 8,500 units (CAGR
“The bold actions we are announcing
today leverage Harley-Davidson’s vast capabilities and competitive firepower –
our excellence in product development and manufacturing, the global appeal of
the brand and of course, our great dealer network,” said Matt Levatich,
president and chief executive officer, Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Alongside our
existing loyal riders, we will lead the next revolution of two-wheeled freedom
to inspire future riders who have yet to even think about the thrill of riding,”
“We expect this plan will result in an
engaged, expanded Harley-Davidson community with a more diverse rider base,
along with industry-leading margins and cash flow,” said Levatich.
Yokohama India announced the launch of two new additions to its popular Geolandar series of tyres– the Geolandar X-AT and Geolandar M/T G003. These cutting-edge tyres are engineered to deliver unparal...
Volkswagen Passenger Cars India launched the new “My Volkswagen” app, a one-stop solution that offers a seamless, convenient and immersive digital experience for prospective and existing customers.
Delhi-based leading auto-tech company Rosmerta Technologies Limited introduced a cutting-edge AI-based Driver Monitoring & Alert System integrated with a vehicle tracking management system.


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Meta could be researching an NFT Marketplace within Facebook and Instagram, according to a report by Financial Times. But, what could such a move mean for photographers finding footing in a young but exploding market? Could NFTs work to prevent image theft on social media?
The report, which is based on several anonymous “people familiar with the matter” suggests that Meta is building support for NFTs that would allow users to display the digital collectibles on their profiles, as well as buy and sell on the platform. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are a digital file—often art or a collectible—that uses blockchain technology to authenticate and prove ownership. While NFT collectibles have been around for a few years, last year’s success of the first NFT to be sold by an art auction house brought many photographers and artists to the space, minting their art as authenticated digital collectibles.
While the report hasn’t been confirmed by Meta, it doesn’t come as a surprise. The company launched its own digital currency wallet last year, while Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that the social media platform was “exploring NFTs” in a Story last month. The company rebranded as Meta late last year to highlight a shift to the metaverse, a virtual world built on several major technology concepts including virtual reality and NFTs.
But, while a move to NFTs isn’t surprising, the reports leave questions as to how, exactly the digital collectibles could be integrated and how adaptation by a platform with well over two billion users would influence the NFT market.
We reached out to Daniel Yurcho, a blockchain entrepreneur, NFT consultant, and founder of Yurokat Inc. who theorizes that such a move would bring NFTs to more people, while initially creating higher prices before leveling out. “Meta’s involvement in the NFT market would really increase the exposure of NFTs to the average person,” he says. “Initially I think the market would be flooded with more buyers than NFT creators, resulting in generally higher prices. The value of NFTs still has to be based on something, and not created out of thin air. Both NFT projects, and individuals who already have a large follower community could likely charge higher prices with a sudden flood of consumers.”
While Yurcho believes a major social media platform’s involvement could spike prices at first, that accessibility could make NFTS more affordable down the road. “I think a widespread launch would certainly give more legitimacy to the technology, and likely bring some of these excessive prices you see today back down to reality,” he says. “This is going to happen on its own over the course of time, with the underlying blockchain technologies improving and marketplaces allowing easier creation.”
NFTs are backed by blockchain, a record of ownership that’s saved over multiple servers to make hacks more difficult. Because NFTs have a record of ownership, the technology could potentially help thwart image theft on the social media platforms or serve as another income stream for creators. In a video posted in December, Mosseri called NFTs “an interesting place that we can play and also a way to hopefully help creators.”
“Photographers and meme creators usually want their content to be viewed as many times as possible,” Yurcho explains. “Creating NFTs out of their images would not only help protect against fraudulent ownership, but could serve as a digital copyright on their content. This would ensure only the creator, or owner of that token has the ability to profit from that specific image.”
As with any new technology, there are a number of potential pitfalls for the company that’s made headlines for privacy breaches. One of the biggest risks is launching the technology to billions of people at a time when NFTs aren’t widely understood. “Any emerging technology field is filled with scams, and there certainly are many NFT projects which are looking to take advantage of uneducated consumers,” Yurcho says. “If it became widely accessible for users to tokenize their content, I don’t believe the average person would understand the benefits and pitfalls of doing so.”
Meta hasn’t provided further details about the possibility of an NFT Marketplace, outside of Mosseri’s post that Instagram is “actively exploring” NFTs. Exactly how an NFT space would look on the platforms—and how they would benefit creators and users—is still up for debate.

domain: news


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Apple seems to have spilled the beans on the existence of a new iPhone with a new form factor, possibly the upcoming iPhone 5.
In a recruitment video posted online to entice talented minds to apply for a job with the Cupertino giant, Apple shows a team of hard-working people choosing between designs on a board filled with paper sheets.
Each sheet shows a design akin to existing Apple products, but there’s one in particular that catches the eye (highlighted above). Some believe this team was looking at the upcoming iPhone 5 which, according to most rumors, will boast a larger display (thus a taller body).
It’s also fairly possible that it’s something else altogether, such as the rumored iPad mini. We're not buying either theory, though. The footage is embedded below for your viewing pleasure.


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NATURAL PRODUCTS NZ SUPPORTS NEW REGULATIONS FOR THE INDUSTRY
The New Zealand natural products industry welcomes the support of all major parties on the Natural Health & Supplementary Products Bill which passed its second reading on 21 March 2013 with only one vote against.
There are more than 6000 natural health products on sale in New Zealand, and the natural products industry is a significant contributor to the New Zealand economy with earnings in excess of NZ$1billion, making it now larger than the biotechnology and organics industries combined.
Alison Quesnel, Executive Director of Natural Products New Zealand says that the industry has worked with the Government on the development of the proposal for a NZ regulatory system for natural health products for some time.
Although the process is taking longer than anyone in the industry would like as an organisation NPNZ is very much looking forward to the Bill passing its third reading within the latter part of 2013 and we believe it will come into effect mid-2014. We look forward to continuing working with the government on the next level of detail required to develop cost-effective regulations.
NPNZ believes The Natural Health & Supplementary Products Bill will bring benefits to both manufacturers and consumers. Regulation that allows the industry to inform and protect New Zealand customers and at the same time facilitates innovation and export growth, is desperately needed.
Members of NPNZ have a desire for a strong and sensible regulatory scheme that will ensure quality, safety and efficacy for consumers and manufacturers alike. The public can be even more confident that products are safe and are true to what is stated on the label.
The proposed system will also be beneficial to NZ manufacturers in both their domestic and export markets. While most of the manufacturers of natural health supplements in New Zealand already meet stringent regulatory standards enforced by their export markets, having our own internationally recognised regulatory system will facilitate growth in our export industry.
NPNZ believes that the new proposed Bill and following regulations must recognise the low risk nature of natural health products and supplements, and not impose unnecessary cost burdens on our vital industry.
Particular advantages are likely to be:
• A stand-alone unit within the MOH to administer Natural Products
• An internationally recognised GMP system (based on the history of the low-risk of natural products)
• Ability to negotiate regulatory recognition and compatibility with other key markets
• Product exported from NZ will meet the regulatory requirements of the importing country
• An appropriate advertising code and labelling regulations
• Expert Advisory Committees containing members with knowledge and affinity in the natural health sector
• A white list of approved ingredients
• Product registrations via a simple computer based system
• Rationalisation of government auditing authorities
• Suitable adverse reaction, incident reporting and recalls schemes
NPNZ recognises that much work is yet to be done especially in the area of regulation, and believes working closely with the advisory committees will be crucial in ensuring we have a Bill that is inclusive of growers, manufacturers, importers, exporters and research providers.


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New duo set the trend for fashion outlet
They’re young, cool and on the first step to a successful modelling career.
Meet Joe Simpson and Emma Bonner, who have been unveiled as the new faces of fashion retailer DV8. The pair were celebrating today after winning its two-month search for the next big thing in modelling.
Joe, a 19-year-old from Helen's Bay, Co Down, was declared a winner alongside 17-year-old Emma, from west Belfast, after beating off competition from hundreds of other hopefuls.
They will now represent the DV8 brand for the next year, as well as winning a contract with Alison Campbell Models and DV8 clothes vouchers.
Joe was a pupil at Sullivan Upper School in Holywood before starting a criminology degree at Queen’s University Belfast, while Emma is studying for her A-levels at St Louise’s in , Belfast.
Neither has any modelling experience.


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In response to an assault on Sunday, Maersk reroutes all scheduled voyages around the coast of Africa, raising concerns about increased costs for numerous imported products originating from Asia.
Two of the world’s largest container ship operators have extended their Red Sea diversions after a weekend vessel attack. This incident is attributed to the resurgence of volatility in oil prices.
Maersk halted all voyages near or through the Suez Canal on Sunday in retaliation for the Houthi militants’ targeting of one of its behemoth carriers, the Maersk Hangzhou; this was the latest in a series of attacks against shipping vessels since November.
US military helicopters sunk three watercraft in response to a distress call early New Year’s Eve, killing 10 insurgents.
The reaction was part of a pledge made last month by multiple naval powers, including the United Kingdom, to safeguard international shipping in the region following threats from Yemeni insurgents to attack any vessel believed to be serving Israel.
Additionally, the Houthis, backed by Iran, are affiliated with Hamas. This organization launched the attack on Israel in early October, sparking a regional conflict with the potential to escalate.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd Divert Routes Amidst Security Concerns
Maersk issued the following statement: “As an investigation into the incident continues, we will maintain a halt on all cargo movement through the area while we conduct additional assessments of the situation’s constant evolution.”
We will reroute vessels to circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope when it is best for our clients.
It was widely believed that Maersk had over thirty container ships prepared to transit Suez via the Red Sea.
Its decision was made immediately after a similar action was taken by competitor Hapag-Lloyd.
Until at least January 9th, the German company stated earlier on Tuesday that it would continue to divert its vessels away from the Suez Canal and route them via the Cape of Good Hope.
The fifth-largest container liner in the world stated that it would then determine whether or not to maintain the diversion.
Since December 15, when one of its vessels was targeted off the coast of Yemen, it has remained in position.
The Suez Canal facilitates approximately one-third of the total global container ship voyages.
The diversions may delay Asian cruises circumnavigating Africa by two weeks.
Economic Ramifications and Market Reactions Post-Maersk Incident
The costs incurred thus far as a result of the disruption—insurance premiums, fuel-related shipping charges, and crew expenses—are anticipated to be transferred to the supply chain in the coming weeks and months.
The aftermath of the Maersk liner attack was evident upon the resumption of financial markets following the New Year’s holiday.
At one point, Brent crude oil was trading 2% higher at $78 (£62) per barrel.
Market analysts said speculators worried about a wider Middle Eastern supply interruption.
Leon Li, an analyst at CMC Markets based in Shanghai, speculated that the escalation in tensions in the Red Sea over the weekend and the highest demand season during China’s spring festival—in reference to the Lunar New Year holiday in early February—could impact the price of oil.
Later in the day, when US markets opened, oil prices were unchanged. This was attributed to investors’ expectations regarding interest rate cuts diminishing, thereby containing oil price gains.
Additionally, a stronger dollar impacted pricing.


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We're in the middle of this tech season and it's time for Google to show its cards. We now have official info on the most leaked phone ever: the Pixel 4.
Posts published in “Featured”
After putting some focus on the A series in PH, OPPO's back with the follow-up to Reno! They're finally launching the OPPO Reno 2 series on October 17!
After they launched the V15 Pro, Vivo’s back with another smartphone for the 2nd half of 2019! With midrange phones…
Apple finally put a release date on the iPhone 11 series in the Philippines! On October 25th, we get the latest and greatest that Apple has to offer!
The wait is over! realme has now made the leap to quad camera in the Philippines with the realme 5 and realme 5 Pro! More about them right here!
OPPO is NOT DONE with their entry-level lineup just yet! After showing the Reno in the Philippines, they're back with the OPPO A9 2020!


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327 week ago — 4 min read
In November 2017, Twitter announced that its iconic 140-character limit had been expanded to 280 characters in many languages. For India, it applies to six regional languages - Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil.
The company when explaining the development said that the decision to expand was motivated in part by the feedback shared that people at times are forced to “remove a word that conveys an important meaning or emotion”. “When people don’t have to cram their thoughts into 140 characters and actually have some to spare, we see more people Tweeting,” the company said. Some people may not tweet altogether because they feel the character limit is restrictive.
Languages like Chinese and Japanese which have special characters to convey words and ideas did not apparently face the same problem as English-language users did when it came to writing a tweet within limits. The character change will not apply to Korean, Chinese and Japanese languages that still have the original setting.
History of Twitter
The micro-blogging platform has been around since 2006, Jack Dorsey sent the first tweet on March 21, 2006, 9:50 p.m. It read, "just setting up my twttr". So how did Twitter get its name? It was inspired by the word 'Flickr', The definition was 'a short burst of inconsequential information,' and 'chirps from birds'. Then they came across the word 'twitter', and it was just perfect.
Also, the reason for the specific limitation of 140-character limit was because originally it was designed as an SMS mobile phone-based platform which eventually grew into a web platform. The limit was set because SMS carrier had a limit of 160 characters and they wanted to leave some room for the username.
What does it mean for digital marketers on this platform?
With the introduction of the 280-character limit, we can expect a better experience while tweeting. So, when there will be more words, the message can be explained clearly without being misunderstood. Brands are likely to welcome this development and will spend more time on Twitter. Engagement will increase (likes, retweets, @mentions).
The increased character limit also means that marketers have more advertising space to promote their product. The ability to communicate more also creates an opportunity for marketers to reach a wider audience. There is scope for being more creative with one’s marketing content. If a complaint is lodged, marketers have more room for problem solving and expressing their point of view.
The important feature that is still missing is the "Edit option" after tweet. Also, video uploads are still at 140 seconds, Twitter should increase it to 280 seconds.
As per reports, in 2017 Twitter currently had 330 million active users as compare to 800 million for Instagram and more than 2 billion users for Facebook. Time will tell if this development will prove to be a game-changer for Twitter.
To explore business opportunities, link with me by clicking on the 'Invite' button on my eBiz Card.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, official policy or position of GlobalLinker.
Posted byHemant Shewakramani
- B.COM - Diploma in Cyber Law - Diploma in Business Management - Google AdWords Certified - Bing Ads Certified - Amazon Trained Ecommerce Specialist
316 week ago
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Google to reveal new design for GmailBy Robin-Leigh Chetty 13 April 2018 | Categories: news
Google is set to give its Gmail app a much needed redesign, but an official look is yet to be revealed. Instead, The Verge has obtained screenshots of the redesign, with Google expected to debut the app in full, alongside others, at their I/O conference happening next month.
The new look of the app includes an altered icon, with the same white envelope and red "M" present, but there are a few more curves and the envelope appears to be opened slightly. It's not a drastic change from what we've been used to, but it could point to the entire Material Design of Android getting a subtle refresh in the upcoming version of the operating system.
There are also a few new features that have been added to the mix, according to the screenshots, such as a snooze function of certain emails which can reappear in one's inbox at a specific time.
Added to this is a tab on the side of the app for other Google services like Calendar, Messages and Keep note-taking. Another new aspect of Gmail will be the ability to toggle between three different layouts, with a default, comfortable and compact view available.
While the redesign is not drastic in any sense, it at least points to Google wanting to make their applications better. As for what other changes are in store for Gmail, Google I/O 2018 on 8 May should offer more insight.
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Have Your Say
What new tech or developments are you most anticipating this year?


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The Pflugerville City Council approved an economic development performance agreement (EDPA) between the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation (PCDC) Board of Directors and REE Automotive (NASDAQ: REE), an electric vehicle technology leader, during the city council regular meeting on March 22. The eight-year agreement, previously approved by the PCDC board on March 16 provides up to $1M in grants based on REE investing $24.75M, expanding into a nearly 120,000-square-foot facility and employing at least 125 full-time jobs throughout the eight-year term. The $24.75 million investment includes the value of the lease agreement over eight years and capital expenditures.
“REE’s North American headquarters and Integration Center is an excellent fit for our diverse and talented workforce, expands autonomous and electric car technology in the Austin region, and provides growth opportunities for the State of Texas electric vehicle industry as a whole,” said Amy Madison, PCDC Executive Director. “REE’s research and development capabilities will further define the Austin region as an EV high-tech manufacturing hub.”
REE is establishing a long-term presence in Texas to capitalize on the growing market demand for EVs in North America. The company is establishing its North American headquarters and integration center to produce REEcornersTM and modular platforms. REE’s offices will be located in a nearly 120,000-square-foot facility located in the One Thirty Business Park at Pecan and SH130 in Pflugerville, Texas.
REE’s X-by-Wire control technology, REEcornerTM technology, and REEboardTM EV platforms allow for mission-specific commercial EVs across classes 1-6, for applications like passenger shuttles, delivery vehicles, buses, and recreational vehicles. REE aims to provide REEcornerTM and operationally efficient EV platforms in any size or shape to manufacturers, or partner with automotive leaders to complete full vehicles and provide a full ecosystem of services including after-market and data-as-a-service.
“This is an exciting step forward for our REEcornerTM and REEboardTM EV platform production as our U.S.-based operations grow. The Austin region is the perfect choice for bringing to life our REEcornerTM technology and platforms at scale, with a highly-skilled tech workforce, well-structured regulatory environment, and entrepreneurial spirit that matches our own,” said Mike
Charlton, REE chief operations officer. “As we work toward prototype delivery this year of our new P7 platform intended to power commercial vehicles such as walk-in delivery vans, we‘re eager to be close to our partners and customers as we target commercial production in 2023. We are excited to call Pflugerville – and Texas – home.”
As part of the eight-year EDPA, the PCDC will grant up to $1M provided that REE invest, or cause to be invested, $24.75MM in personal property, capital improvements, and present a certificate of occupancy while maintaining a lease agreement for the facility. The grant will also be contingent upon the creation of 125 full-time jobs throughout the eight-year term.
In addition to the jobs grant, PCDC will assist REE in obtaining skill development funds and other workforce grants to provide the community with training opportunities in electric vehicle components.


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McDonald’s Corp, which seemed resilient in Europe when it posted first-quarter earnings, raised concerns recently as it reported softer-than-anticipated April sales in restaurants opened at least a year. (Chris Helgren, Reuters photo)
Despite worries about a sluggish global economy, companies have turned out to be more resilient than expected and corporate profits have been sound, especially compared with expectations.
With 90 percent of Standard & Poor's 500 companies done reporting their first-quarter results, 72 percent have delivered better-than-anticipated profits, and the earnings growth rate has been 7.3 percent, according to FactSet. In an average earnings reporting season, about 62 percent of companies give investors more than they were expecting, so on that measure the latest season could be labeled "modestly impressive."
Still, skeptics have not been satisfied. They have argued that the results haven't been impressive if you look at what's been happening behind the scenes. Analysts started second-guessing the economic environment in March and slashed earnings expectations sharply. As earnings reporting season began, analysts were anticipating earnings growth for the quarter of just 0.1 percent. And with the bar lowered to almost no growth, the skeptics claim, companies had an easy time outdoing the minimal expectations and delighting investors.
But not so fast with the glass-half-empty conclusions, argues John Butters, a FactSet earnings analyst. It's true the bar was lowered a lot just before the quarter ended March 31. And it's true that those lower numbers made it a lot easier for companies to please investors. But Butters points out that if you turn the clock back to the end of 2011 and look at what analysts were expecting for the first three months of 2012, companies ended up doing OK — definitely not spectacularly, but OK. They produced profits that were double the 3 percent growth that was expected for the first quarter.
You wouldn't know it if you listened to the naysayers, says strategist Ed Yardeni. He says the reaction by many to the first-quarter earnings reports falls incorrectly into the Rodney Dangerfield, "I don't get no respect" category. "The bears have been ready to bury this bull market since it started during March 2009."
Still, earnings analyst Greg Harrison, of Thomson Reuters, notes that as the earnings reporting season approaches its close, fewer companies are beating estimates. And the skeptics have had plenty of ammunition for muted expectations for the second quarter as they have listened to corporate executives and analysts talk about the near-term outlook.
For example, even as he said he was "impressed with Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.'s first-quarter performance," analyst Todd Lukasik, of Morningstar, noted concerns about the "uncertainty" around the recovery in worldwide commercial real estate. He thinks "weakness in Europe" will continue to be a hurdle for the real estate investment and management company.
"We expect operating margins to recover from a low of 4.7 percent in 2009 to roughly 10 percent longer term as industry conditions normalize," he said, but added: "Our long-term expectations for sales growth and operating margins fall below the high-water marks Jones Lang has achieved historically as we believe certain boom-time performance-based fees will not generally recur."
McDonald's Corp., too, which seemed resilient in Europe when it posted first-quarter earnings, raised concerns recently as it reported softer-than-anticipated April sales in restaurants open at least a year.
"We are not overly bullish about the second-quarter earning picture," said restaurants analyst David Tarantino of RW Baird.
Companies dealing with consumers worldwide have noted that customers are especially price-conscious. With commodity prices high in the first quarter, that put pressure on companies because they have been restrained in passing extra costs to consumers.
Andrew Lazar, a food company analyst for Barclays, recently calledKraft Foods Inc., "A nice house in a rough neighborhood."
During the first week of May he lowered his earnings expectations for packaged food companies. "They are all in a very difficult environment," he said.
In a report on Sara Lee, BMO analyst Kenneth Zaslow expressed similar reservations: "The operating environment remains quite difficult, particularly for volume growth in Europe, foodservice and U.S. bakery."
Outside of consumer products there is also concern as Chinese industrial production growth has slowed to 9.3 percent, which is the lowest since May 2009, and retail sales hit a 14-month low.
"Recent signs suggest that cracks are forming" for shovels and equipment used to mine everything from copper to iron ore, said Citigroup analyst Timothy Thein. That could put pressure on Caterpillar. As investors have become increasingly concerned aboutChina's economy,Caterpillar Inc. stock has fallen from $116 in February to $95.50 Friday.
Still, in the first quarter, the industrial sector had the highest earnings growth rate of any sector, at 17.5 percent, according to Harrison.


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The Bank of Canada has moved to quash suggestions that it wants a lower Canadian dollar and that it helped orchestrate the loonie's recent fall.
Senior deputy governor Tiff Macklem insisted Friday that the central bank targets inflation, not the value of the currency.
"The exchange rate is determined in markets, and we neither promote any specific value for the Canadian dollar, nor thwart its movements," said Mr. Macklem, making his last scheduled speech before taking up a new job as head of the University of Toronto's Rotman business school in July.
The Canadian dollar, trading at roughly 90 cents (U.S.), has fallen 10 per cent in the past year, a decline that has accelerated in the past month.
Several economists have suggested Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, who took over from Mark Carney last June, has been talking down the dollar by playing up disinflation fears and dropping the bank's rate-hike bias in October.
A lower dollar is particularly good for hard-hit Canadian manufacturers and other exporters, giving them more cash for their foreign sales.
But in remarks prepared for a speech at Concordia University in Montreal, Mr. Macklem said Canada's freely floating exchange rate is a vital "shock absorber" that allows the economy to adjust to shifts in global forces.
The floating dollar is a key part of the bank's 2 per cent inflation-targeting regime, allowing it to pursue a "made-in-Canada" monetary policy, he said.
Mr. Macklem then went on to explain the reasons why inflation has remained stubbornly below the bank's prices target. In recent months, prices have been rising at barely a 1 per cent annual rate.
And he reiterated Mr. Poloz's recent warning that inflation is likely to remain below target for another two years.
He said the low-price pattern is a combination of both "good" disinflation and "bad" disinflation, and that makes the central bank's job more difficult.
The Bank of Canada's challenge is to use monetary policy to counter the bad, but "look through good disinflation."
The "good" disinflation, according to Mr. Macklem, includes heightened competition between stores and better retail productivity in Canada, particularly in groceries – the result of aggressive discounting by Wal-Mart and others, increased cross-border shopping and the rise of online shopping.
He pointed out that food, which makes up 17 per cent of the consumer price index, was the single largest "drag" on core inflation in 2013.
And he said structural changes in the retail industry suggests that "competitive pressures are likely to remain intense for some time."
But Mr. Macklem suggested that the falling dollar would counter some of that pressure as imported food becomes more expensive.
The "bad" forces of disinflation come from slack in the Canadian economy and weak demand in the global economy, he said.


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A leading businessman says the Bahamian economy is stuck "in a funk" as Value-Added Tax's (VAT) full impact starts to bite, with sales in two of his key product categories down 12-14 per cent.
Dionisio D'Aguilar, Superwash's president, told Tribune Business that the Bahamas desperately needed to change its attitude towards "rebooting the economy" and making it easier to conduct business.
And he accused the Government of being "so obsessed" with its fiscal woes and social initiatives, such as National Health Insurance (NHI), that it was failing to inspire confidence and job-creating investment in the private sector.
"It seems like the economy of the Bahamas is in a funk, remains in a funk, and a lot of business people in the country don't see us coming out of this funk," Mr D'Aguilar told Tribune Business.
"I think the full effects of VAT are beginning to take hold, and people are seeing sales trend down in certain areas of their business. It's not a good feeling.
"There's a lot of things closing and shutting down. You hear a lot of talk about closing and shutting down. You've got talk about dialling back."
The Bahamas is now in its fifth month post-VAT implementation, and its effects on consumer demand and spending are starting to come through. Several companies have suggested privately to this newspaper that the consumer adjustment may take 12 months, rather than the six previously expected.
Mr D'Aguilar, meanwhile, said the Government was neglecting to foster an environment that facilitated private sector growth and job creation in the domestic economy.
While foreign direct investment (FDI) "puts juice in the economy", he argued that it was Bahamian-owned businesses who created the bulk of local jobs.
"I think the Government is so obsessed with balancing their books and embarking on their projects that they fail to realise they're doing a bad job of creating some confidence in the economy for people to invest," the former Bahamas Chamber of Commerce president told Tribune Business.
"I think the Government has run out of ideas on how to deal with this, and they're not prepared to make the hard decisions to change the dynamic.
"What happens is taking too long, and the Bahamian economy continues to stall and stumble along. The politicians are in this bubble where they think things are going well, but on the ground the story is not a good one."
Pointing to VAT's impact on his own business, Mr D'Aguilar said only washer and dryer sales of Superwash's three business lines continued to perform strongly.
"The other two areas, pressing and sales of detergent, they've been hit quite hard with double digit decreases," he revealed.
"Comparing January to January, February to February, March to March, April to April, a lot of locations' detergent sales are down 12-14 per cent as people become more cost conscious and look for deals."
Mr D'Aguilar added: "Before [VAT] it was not an issue, as they'd come in and buy detergent, plus washer and dryer use. Now, they're more price sensitive and are looking for value, rather than coming to the laundromat and buying detergent."
The 7.5 per cent VAT levy's impact on consumers was among the private sector's greatest concerns, given the 'knock on' effect it would have for revenues and profits.
Mr D'Aguilar told Tribune Business that if the Government's initial projections and revenue take held true, then VAT would "suck $360 million out of the economy".
That represents a wealth transfer from Bahamian consumers/households and the private sector to the Government, and the Superwash chief added: "If they're sensible, they're using that money to reduce the deficit.
"But it's not a good dynamic right now. The Government has got itself in a complete muddle. People don't have confidence that the Government is running the country well.
"I don't think they make decisions with the idea of what's the most important thing to our economy, businesses and how we get business people to grow and create jobs," he added.
"They're so focused on launching these social programmes, but they've got to put their house in order before they offer these benefits. They want to build BAMSI, start talking about NHI.
"We don't have power. How can you run the country without power if the power is off three hours a day, two, three, four days a week?"
Mr D'Aguilar told Tribune Business that breaching the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) so-called 'danger threshold' with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 73.4 per cent was merely another symptom of the Bahamas' economic stagnation.
"The debt-to-GDP ratio is a manifestation of the fact the economy is not getting any better," he said. "Hopefully, with the VAT monies they take in, that comes down......"
Mr D'Aguilar added, though, that the Government's seeming reluctance to commit to a Fiscal Responsibilities Act and other reforms "shows it's not serious" when it comes to greater transparency and accountability in managing the public finances.
Expressing fears that the Government would merely use its VAT revenue stream to increase spending, he warned: "You're creating some headroom only to run it [deficit and debt-to-GDP] right back up again with this VAT money you're taking in."
Candidly admitting he did not have all the solutions to the Bahamas' problems, Mr D'Aguilar still argued that this nation continued to take the same measures to issues such as crime and education, yet expected different results.
"We need a change in the mindset of people in this country," he told Tribune Business. "How do we reboot our economy? What is it that we have to do to make our local businesses more successful and improve their ability to succeed?
"They're the ones that really create the jobs. While FDI is good to put the juice in the economy, at the end of the day it really has to trickle down to your people.
"We've basically got to stop doing business the way we've always done it," Mr D'Aguilar continued. "Our economy has not fundamentally changed that much, and we have got to be innovative and insightful in how we manage it.
"Take energy. We've been talking about different ways to generate energy, and reduce energy costs, but the politicians are thinking about NHI and costing us more money rather than reducing costs.
"It does seem like nothing is changing and nothing is improving. It's showing in the way we're running this country. The model we're using is tired and old, and not working any more."


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If given the choice, fair coffee drinker, would you prefer Starbucks … or Dumb Starbucks?
Before you answer, know that Dumb Starbucks in Los Feliz, Calif., has recently had an hour-long wait time:
What is Dumb Starbucks, you ask? From everything we can tell, it’s an exploration in trademark law. It opened on Friday, offering free coffee.
Real Starbucks is “looking into it right now,” and a company spokesperson assured SCPR.org
, the website of Southern California Public Radio, that it was not affiliated with Starbucks.
Company spokesman Zack Hutson told the Los Angeles Times
that the shop is in its crosshairs: “We are evaluating next steps, and while we appreciate the humor, they cannot use our name, which is a protected trademark.”
[RELATED: Prove the ROI of your digital efforts after hearing these top-rated case studies in March.]
There’s a Dumb Starbucks Twitter account, but it hasn’t been updated since Saturday:
SCPR.org also published a photo of an FAQ for Dumb Starbucks. It claims that by adding the word “dumb” in front of Starbucks (and all of Starbucks’ products), it’s making fun of the real thing, and is therefore a parody.
Although we’re a functioning coffee shop, for legal reasons Dumb Starbucks needs to be categorized as a work of parody art. So, in the eyes of the law, our “coffee shop” is actually an art gallery and the “coffee” you’re buying is considered the art.
Good luck with that. I’m sure Starbucks has a terrible legal team that won’t figure out a way to shut it down. Our follow-up post here will likely be titled “Why you should never, ever poke the dragon.”
The LA Times
reports that Dumb Starbucks is a stunt for the Comedy Central show "Nathan for You," which is all about host Nathan Fielder giving business owners terrible advice, then following through on it. The Los Angeles County Health Department has shut the store down.


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VIENTIANE • Born in a rustic village in Laos' Vientiane province, Ms Somsavath Khemsuliyajack is one of the most successful businesswomen to emerge from her homeland .
She is regarded as one of the most outstanding young entrepreneurs in Laos. She made her fortune in real estate in her home country and launched her SK Herbal brand of cosmetics in Myanmar.
One of seven daughters born into a family of farmers, she moved from her village to live with a relative in the city, where she focused on her education and graduated with a Diploma in Business from the Europe-Asia Business College.
She worked with a private company and in 2003, at the age of 23, made a name for herself as a property developer.
That year, she started her own company, Lao-Foreign Consultant, and spent the next 14 years helping hundreds of investors navigate the Lao property market.
Three years ago, as Myanmar's economy opened up, she became the first Lao female entrepreneur to create a significant enterprise in the country.
Her SK Herbal range of cosmetics has become a recognised brand in Myanmar and its products are sold in more than 2,000 stores in the country.
To capitalise on her brand's rapidly growing momentum, she debuted her line of cosmetics in Laos early last year.
"When I first started to work in Myanmar, I had no reputation and few connections," she said.
"Now that SK Herbal is growing rapidly in size and reputation, more people and businesses are interested in working with us, which brings the opportunity to collaborate with better partners than ever."
She added that she wants to expand distribution throughout Asean by the end of next year.
"I feel quite optimistic that the Asean Economic Community will provide more and better opportunities for Lao people to significantly increase their business activities in the region."
Besides expanding her business in the region, she is currently working with people from Europe, Korea, China and Thailand, among other places.
THE VIENTIANE TIMES/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK


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A – Trotec Laser GmbH is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. As part of the Trodat Trotec Group, the Austrian company develops, produces and sells laser devices that inscribe, cut and engrave as well as engraving materials and as an innovation leader also develops new standards in the laser segment. With an installed basis of over 30,000 systems, today Trotec serves customers in over 90 countries and employs more than 550 people worldwide.
Trotec arose in 1997 from a research subsidiary of Trodat – the according to own accounts largest stamp producer worldwide – and is one of the leading international companies in the laser technology sector today. According to own statements, the company achieved a turnover of over 100 million Euros for the first time in the year 2015. In the last fiscal year, the turnover rose by 9.1% up to just under 110 million Euros, the Austrian firm is currently recording an approx. 20% increase in turnover.


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FILE - In this May 1, 2018, file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes the keynote speech at F8, Facebook's developer conference, in San Jose, Calif. Zuckerberg says the company is evaluating how it should handle “deepfake” videos created with artificial intelligence and high-tech tools to yield false but realistic clips. He said in an interview Wednesday, June 26, 2019 that it may make sense to treat such videos differently from other misinformation such as false news. Facebook has long held that it should not decide what is and isn’t true, leaving such calls instead to outside fact-checkers. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Last year, every time someone paid $11 for Netflix through an iPhone app, Apple pocketed as much as $3.30. Multiply that by every charge made through iPhone apps and you can see why Netflix and other companies are fed up about what they consider Apple's unfair market power.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Automakers Daimler and BMW say that trustworthy handling of personal data will be a key competitive advantage in their new joint venture that offers app-based services like free-floating car-sharing in big cities.
FILE - This Tuesday, July 19, 2016, file photo shows the Google logo at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Google said Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, it would invest more than $13 billion in building data centers and offices across the U.S this year. The Mountain View, California-based company emphasized its new locations in the Midwest and South in a blog post announcing the investment.
FILE- In this Dec. 17, 2018, file photo a man using a mobile phone walks past Google offices in New York. Alphabet Inc., parent company of Google, reports financial results on Monday, Feb. 4, 2019.
Privacy and civil rights advocates say Amazon should not do so because of worries about discrimination against minorities. Amazon says the study uses a “facial analysis” and not “facial recognition” technology and that Amazon has updated its technology since the study.
FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 file photo, The Huawei office building at its research and development centre at Dongguan in south China's Guangdong province.
A Dallas man is the latest Holocaust survivor to have his story recorded in such a way that generations to come will be able to ask his image questions.
Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with disk space, Reset this PC, and Subsystem for Linux improvements
The Breadbot automatic bread baking machine is on display at the Wilkinson Baking Company booth during CES Unveiled at CES International.


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Global Antiulcerant Drugs Market is Estimated to Reach $37 Billion by 2022, Says Accurize Market Research
Global Antiulcerant Drugs Market report published by Accurize Market Research forecast that the global market is expected to reach $37 billion by 2022; growing at a CAGR of 2.7% from 2017 to 2025. By geography, Asia Pacific and North America are expected to grow at a CAGR of XX% and XX%, respectively, during the forecast period.
To browse the complete report, visit at https://www.accurizemarketresearch.com/report/antiulcerant-drugs-market
Increasing disposable income in developed nations, growing attentiveness of ulcer disease and progresses such as big data, 3D printing and IoT to drive the growth of the market
Increasing disposable income in developed nations, growing attentiveness of ulcer disease and progresses such as big data, 3D printing and IoT fuels the demand for the global antiulcerant drug. Furthermore, increasing initiatives by governments, sedentary routines and an elderly population also boosts the growth of the market.
The global antiulcerant drugs market has been bifurcated on the basis of type, drug type and geography. Type segment is bifurcated as stomach ulcers, leg ulcer, peptic ulcers, esophageal ulcer, bleeding ulcer and others.The drug type segment is further bifurcated asproton pump inhibitors, H2 receptor antagonists, gastric mucosal protective drugs, antibiotics, antacids and prostaglandin agonists. By geography the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW).
Top players in the market
The key players operational in the market includes AstrazenecaPlc, Allergan Plc, Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Eisai Co Ltd, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, among others.
Head - Sales
Accurize Market Research
K-129, PC COLONY, HANUMAN NAGAR,


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(Last Updated On: March 23, 2015)
Vimal Shah has been once labeled as the richest man in Kenya thanks to his ownership of the family owned business Bidco. Have you ever wondered how many shares he owns in the company?
According to documents from World Bank’s private lending arm IFC, Vimal owns 33.3 percent of the share in Bidco. His father and brother also own 33.3 percent. This shareholding structure has been a closely guarded family secret for the past 45 years.
Bidco is one of the largest privately owned manufacturing companies with an estimated turnover of Ksh46 billion. It sells edible oils and washing detergents across Africa. It wants to build a Ksh1.7 billion beverage plant which will produce soft drinks as it moves into fast moving consumer goods. In the cooking fat category Bidco has a 60 percent market share while a 54 percent market share in the cooking oil market.


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"Apple today announced that YouTube is now live on Apple TV.
Users can download the free software update using Apple TV’s built-in
software update feature, and then navigate through YouTube’s familiar
video browsing categories or search for specific videos. YouTube
members can also log-in to their YouTube accounts on Apple TV to view
and save their favorite videos." [Podcasting News]
Haven’t tried this yet, but I will. Stay tuned. Related story.


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The image you see below is the work of Jonathan Mak Long and it is a fitting homage to a man who was literally the heart of a company, he built it, he saved it, he made it one of the most valuable and innovative companies of the 21st century. Long actually created the image back in August when Steve Jobs announced his resignation from Apple. Back then it received a decent amount of feedback but this week as the news of Jobs passing hit the web like a brick he reposted it and that’s when it went viral. Long took Apple’s iconic logo and replaced the bite with a profile of Jobs, which was cool then but now seems a very appropriate and tasteful way to remember Jobs on every Apple product going forward.
The work of a 19 year old graphic design student from Hong Kong was now being seen everywhere, getting over 10,000 likes and reblogs of his Tumblr site and bringing him more than 180,000 visits in one day. It even showed up as the Twitter avatar of Ashton Kutcher and still is as of the writing of this post. According to Long he created the image because “I wanted to commemorate him. He’s such an integral part of Apple. I thought it would be fitting to include him in the Apple logo. With Jobs gone, Apple is literally missing a piece.” He went on to say that “He had this vision that he was not afraid to commit to. That’s how he broke new ground. His commitment and belief in himself is what inspire me.”
Long has received several job offers as of late but says he hasn’t acted on any of them as he is still a student. He says that he wouldn’t call himself an Apple fanboy, he just got a MacBook Pro last year and doesn’t even have an iPhone. The only downside to creating something like this that may prove to be a truly iconic image is that the odds of doing it twice are slim.
In any case, we really like the image and think that Apple should seriously consider making it their new logo, even if only for a short time. It’s subtle enough that I don’t that it will affect their brand in any way and it would be a nice way to kind of remind folks that while Steve Jobs may be gone, but the vision that he had for the company and the technology lives on. What do you think? We are interested to see how people feel about this.


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BBC ICECREAM is blessing 15 lucky people with super rare varsity jackets
This year BBC ICECREAM celebrated 15 years of the drip at ComplexCon and to reward a select few “ride or dies” the iconic streetwear brand will be releasing an extremely exclusive special edition varsity jacket.
Made in the USA, the sacred varsity jacket features a soft wool melton body, naked cowhide leather sleeves, and leather reinforced cuffs for extra durability.
Plus, the elemental touches of the flying “B” logo patched on the front, a retro UFO motif on the back, and a hand placed felt appliqué representing the respective territories, all pay homage to BBC ICECREAM and their famous aesthetic.
You’ve never seen detail like this.
The 15 notable individuals who were chosen to receive this dope piece designed by Golden Bear Sportswear were hand-picked from BBC ICECREAM’s three flagship territories — United States, Europe, and Japan.
Each swag star to receive the commemorative BBC ICECREAM 15th Year Anniversary Varsity Jacket deserve it as their constant contributions and avid support of the brand go unmatched.
How could you not stand by this brand?
Over the past couple of months not only has BBC ICECREAM showed us what 15 years of the drip looks like through the commemorative varsity jacket but also through several collaborations released earlier this month that gave a nod to the brand’s history and a look into its future.
View this post on Instagram
Since our inception in 2003, BBC ICECREAM has been centered on the creativity of “OTHER”. For our 15th year anniversary, we designed a special edition varsity jacket, manufactured by @goldenbearsportswear, and made exclusively for fifteen of BBC ICECREAM’s biggest supporters in NYC, London and Tokyo. Each of the 15 jackets are made unique and feature some of our most notable designs like the flying “B” logo and space themed patchwork. We’d like to thank all of our supporters for the past 15 years of OTHER. #bbcicecream 🖖🏽🚀
For over a decade BBC ICECREAM has run the streetwear culture since its inception in 2003 by Pharrell Williams and NIGO. Under the “i am OTHER” umbrella the brand has positioned itself on a prestigious level among streetwear loyalists and the fashion industry overall.
This has been one hell of a crystal anniversary for BBC ICECREAM. From NIGO’s Human Made capsule and the recently revived Star Trak to all of the dope collaborative projects with SandalBoyz, Private Label, MEDICOM, and Pintrill, it’s quite easy to tell that the streetwear brand has solidified their place in fashion.
Of course, if you can’t get your hands on one of the 15 exclusive pieces, BBC still got you with their 15th-year-anniversary collection that’s full of drip. Peep below:


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Gwyneth Paltrow Says She’s Leaving Her Lifestyle Brand, Goop
Gwyneth Paltrow has decided to uncouple herself from lifestyle brand Goop — consciously, of course.
The Oscar-winning actress launched Goop as a weekly newsletter in 2008, but now she’s hoping to remove herself from the venture.
“My dream is that one day no one would remember that I have anything to do with it,” Gwyneth told her audience at Chicago’s Sage Summit on July 27.
She added that if Goop has a chance of thriving, she has to think about eliminating her involvement, saying, “I think it’s going to be more its own brand.”
A source close to the 43-year-old tells Page Six the business doesn’t need her anymore anyway.
“Goop is growing into a brand of its own, separate from Gwyneth,” the insider says.
“That doesn’t mean to say she is not fully committed and excited as ever to build the company to that point.”
It’s possible the Mortdecai actress is cutting ties because Goop has been more trouble than it’s worth lately.
Plus, Goop has been ridiculed since day one as being out of touch with the average American consumer, since the newsletter promotes products like $950 toilet paper, a $244 toothpaste squeezer, or $125k dumbbells.
Maybe Gwynnie just wants us to think she’s a woman of the people now, not the one percent.


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HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong protesters formed a line, patiently waiting their turn to buy sweet milk and tea drinks from a store that advertised ardent support for their cause with a banner declaring, "If you set off a nuclear blast, we'll stick by you."
For quicker service, they could have quenched their thirsts at an adjacent store that also sells bubble tea. It had no customers — which is exactly as the protesters intended.
Digging in for the long haul against Hong Kong's government, protesters are expanding their struggle from the streets to their wallets, weaponizing their spending power to punish businesses they deem hostile to their cause. The aim: to drive some firms under in the deepening recession gripping the crisis-hit city.
Guiding the consumer choices of tech-savvy protesters are apps that are color-coding businesses — everything from dentistry clinics and toy stores to dumpling restaurants and sex shops — into two categories: yellow for protest-friendly, blue for suspected opponents.
"Blue! blue!" protesters yelled outside the bubble tea shop they shunned during a rally this month to mark the six-month milestone for their movement.
The protests started in June in opposition to now-withdrawn extradition legislation and have morphed into what demonstrators say is a full-blown fight to safeguard Hong Kong's freedoms, unique among China's cities. Months of clashes with riot police who have fired 26,000 tear-gas and rubber-baton rounds and arrested more than 6,100 people are radicalizing legions of youths, upending the city's economy and splitting families, work colleagues, friends and citizens into two entrenched camps.
Even employees of the supposedly "blue" bubble tea store, wearing face masks like many of the demonstrators, advised them not to shop there, saying the company was not sympathetic to the protest movement.
"It stands for the police," protester Natasha Chan said, clutching a grapefruit and lemon tea purchased instead from the "yellow" Happy Holidays drinks store next door. "We chose not to shop from the blue side."
Protesters believe that by boycotting pro-establishment businesses, they can help shift the balance of power and wealth in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.
Much of the city's $345 billion economy and political influence are concentrated in the hands of magnates and enterprises linked to or supportive of mainland China and its Communist Party-led government — the ultimate boss of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam.
Protesters say that shopping yellow is another way to make their voices heard in the absence of direct elections for government leaders. Protesting with their wallets also enables people who can't always join street rallies, including those who fear being fired by pro-China employers, to otherwise contribute to the movement.
Before marching in the rally for the half-year milestone, accountant Nakata Law lined up for 15 minutes to support a snack shop that has donated to the protesters’ cause, buying its steamed dumplings and gluey rice pancakes. A poster on the Jar Gor eatery says: "Support Yellow. This store has been rated as a true Hong Konger merchant."
"Most of the economy is controlled by China," Law said. "The citizens’ view is that if we do not have our own economic circle in Hong Kong, we cannot support our protests to keep carrying on."
In the opposing camp, Phyllis Li, a systems analyst who believes protest violence has gotten out of hand, says she now chooses to eat at restaurants that protesters boycott "because it is not fair to them."


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Asiago Cheese at the 2013 Summer Fancy Food Show
Thousands of people mingled at the Javits Convention Center in New York City for the record-breaking 59th Summer Fancy Food Show, which has been the largest so far according to a tweet by the organizers. With a presence in four different booths, the authentic Asiago Cheese PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) was well represented. Visitors had the opportunity to savor the Asiago cheese in its different forms such as the fresh one and various examples of the seasoned one. The samples were a hit as everyone loved the unique flavor of Asiago!
According to the exhibitors, buyers and consumers are able to notice the huge difference between the authentic Asiago Cheese PDO and the domestic cheeses that bear the same name. This is because Asiago producers put a lot of effort in making sure the cheese they export to the U.S. and Canada is of the highest quality. Indeed, quality and unique flavor make the authentic Asiago cheese inimitable. The PDO label and that of the Asiago PDO Consortium guarantee the authenticity of the product.


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Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has successfully hosted the 2023 annual meeting of the chamber’s Board of Directors and Advisory Council members.
Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, stated: “The UAE government strategy is aimed at ensuring a promising future for the digital economy and enhancing confidence among the business community by providing comprehensive support and creating opportunities. The chamber remains committed to launching initiatives and programmes that will achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to consolidate the emirate’s position as the global capital of the digital economy and support the growth and development of companies in the digital industries.”
Al Gergawi added: “We seek to strengthen communication and partnerships to define the digital economy growth agenda for 2024 and share ideas transparently. This will help us to overcome any challenges and benefit from opportunities to further enhance Dubai’s digital economy and contribute to the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).”
The annual meeting reviewed the chamber’s key milestones and initiatives in 2023, including the launch of the ‘Business in Dubai’ platform, the Emirati Training Academy and App Olympics under the ‘Create Apps in Dubai’ initiative, and several informative digital economy publications. In addition, the chamber successfully participated in a number of international roadshows and hosted the ‘Expand North Star’ exhibition, which attracted 1,800 startups from 100 countries across the globe.
Participants also discussed the chamber’s efforts to attract and support emerging technology companies, in addition to hosting digital economy workshops and government workshops to enhance the emirate’s favourable business environment.
Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy is committed to driving the success of Dubai’s digital ecosystem and accelerating the emirate’s transformation into one of the world’s leading digital economies in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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#breakforbeer at Strand Adventures and more can't-miss events happening in Manitowoc this week
Visit Manitowoc shares its list of 5 can't-miss events happening in the community this week.
MANITOWOC - Here are five can't-miss events happening in Manitowoc this week.
1. Break for beer at Strand Adventures
From 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. March 25, you can #breakforbeer at Strand Adventures, 315 N. Eighth St., while watching your kids rock climb, play laser tag and navigate the ninja gym.
This new series, "Stranded with Sabbatical," brings some of the best Sabbatical brews to parents and guardians while kiddos enjoy social and physical activities.
Learn more on Facebook https://fb.me/e/2HkCAXYfQ.
2. Find something cool at Wisconsin Maritime Museum’s gift shop
Looking for a souvenir from one of the top attractions in Manitowoc?
The Wisconsin Maritime Museum, 75 Maritime Drive, will have plenty of goodies on sale, such as books, miniature lighthouses, prints and more — all at a price that can’t be beat at their Spring Cleaning Sale!
Admission is not required to check out the gift shop.
The sale runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 25-26.
3. Attend an iconic Wisconsin meat raffle for a great cause
Save a trip to the grocery store by heading to the Eagles Club Meat Raffle at 823 Hamilton St., benefiting Gumby’s Club Fore a Cure.
There will be seven rounds of sales with items such as rib eye, ham, shrimp, ribs and more, all from Rob's Family Market.
There will also be food and refreshments alongside bucket and cash raffles.
Learn more about the event online at http://www.gumbysclubforeacure.org.
4. Head into spring with a clear mind
As we transition into spring, it’s important to give your mind and body time to transition as well.
Waves Yoga Studio, 703 Buffalo St., will be holding Spring Awakening: Mini Retreat with a 75-minute yoga flow and 45-minute sound bath.
Cold-pressed green juice, an ayurvedic guide and a goodie bag will also be provided to attendees.
The mini retreat is $65 or $50 for unlimited members.
Sign up online to reserve your spot at https://bit.ly/3jQF41l.
5. Shop the inaugural Something Special from Wisconsin Spring Vendor Market
This weekend, you can shop Wisconsin at the Inaugural Something Special from Wisconsin Spring Vendor Market.
Held at Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center, 7001 Gass Lake Road, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. March 25, attendees can shop products grown, produced and processed across the state.
Plus, Alice in Dairyland Taylor Schaefer will be in attendance.
Admission is $2 per person.
Find more details at https://farmwisconsin.org/event/something-special-from-wisconsin-spring-vendor-market/.
See more great events coming this weekend — and beyond — on Visit Manitowoc’s website, visitmanitowoc.com/events.
Visit Manitowoc is the City of Manitowoc's Department of Tourism. Email firstname.lastname@example.org, call 920-686-3508 or go to Visit Manitowoc's downtown Visitor Center, 824 S. Eighth St., open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays (closed holidays). For more about upcoming events, follow @VisitManitowoc on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
Read more Manitowoc news:
- Historic designation:Manitowoc’s ‘West of the Lake’ named to National Register of Historic Places
- New subdivision:Manitowoc's first new subdivision since 2012 is being built near Lincoln Park. Here's what to know about the project.
- Fast food in Manitowoc: Here are the fast-food and chain restaurants readers said they'd most like to see come to the Manitowoc area


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American Amazon is to close its web shop platform next year, a hosting service it launched in 2010. It will look to provide a solution for the web shops on...
Amazon's newest store, called Amazon Exclusives, will offer innovative products (created by up-and-coming brands) which cannot be found in your average store.
ACEPI, Portugal's federation of web shops, has joined Ecommerce Europe. The interest group welcomes its newest member "as eCommerce is on the rise in Southern Europe".
A worldwide technical problem scuppered Apple's online stores (iTunes and App Store) for 11 hours, possibly costing the company more than 20 million euro.
Chinese eCommerce giant Alibaba has united its three marketplaces (Taobao, Tmall and Jujuasuan) into the newly-created division China Retail Marketplaces. The company also shuffled its board, which may also have...
French online clothing store Spartoo is to open its first physical store in its hometown of Grenoble. It will not merely be a pilot store, as the company aims to...
American online giant Amazon has opened a store on Alibaba's online marketplace, Tmall. Basically, it is opening a store at its biggest competitor in an attempt to spur its Chinese...
The sale of eBooks is a service, not a transaction of goods, according to the European Court. That means eBooks have to be taxed more than regular books.
For the first time since its spectacular IPO, Chinese internet giant Alibaba is facing some headwind. Questions are being asked about breaches in Taiwan, China and possibly elsewhere as well...
German fashion web shop Zalando wants to keep last year's growth rate (a 26 % turnover increase) going in 2015: it targets a 20 - 25 % turnover increase for...
American online trade platform Etsy, mainly used to sell vintage and hand-made products, has filed an official request to head to the stock exchange. Its goal is to attract 100...
Jason Goldberg, founder of Fab.com, has announced he has sold the company to PCH International and will resign as CEO. He will however still own furniture seller Hem.


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This is not a drill: Shake Shack is bringing the beef to Kirkland this weekend
Batten the hatches, because this weekend it’s a forecast of clouds, crinkle-cut fries, cheesy burgers and custard.
In 2001, it was a quaint hot dog cart in Madison Square Park, Manhattan. Now, the bang-on bounty of Shake Shack’s ShackBurgers, cheese-smothered fries, and Shack Attack frozen custard has domineered over 200 locations throughout the world.
Now, its latest outpost is firing up the grills and readying the fryers in Kirkland this weekend.
And it’s safe to say people are losing their minds for the meat.
After thousands barreled in for the beef along Aurora Avenue for the Shake Shack pop-up in the summer of 2018, something must’ve fired up the fryers for Shake Shack CEO, Randy Garutti.
Maybe it really is something special in the ShackSauce for Seattleites, because this is the Seattle area’s second Shake Shack to take root, following its Emerald City debut in South Lake Union last fall, which has since sighted bustling crowds settled next to Amazon headquarters. Not to mention, there’s a Shack slated for the University District in 2020.
The Kirkland fast-casual dining spot for all means burgers, dogs, and shakes will open its doors to a flood of eager meat lovers this Saturday, Sept. 7 at 11 a.m.. Hot dog devotees are anticipated to line the block, given the first 100 people in line will be prized with a custom Shake Shack Yeti tumbler.
The outpost at 300 Peter Kirk Lane sits at a whopping 3,664 square feet, boasting an outdoor patio, tabletops curated from reclaimed bowling alley lanes, chairs, and booths designed using sustainable materials.
So slap on a bib, dear burger connoisseurs, because it’s all means of ‘Shroom Burgers stuffed with crisp-fried portobello mushrooms and melted muenster alongside custom frozen custard by the name of concrete.


text: 2,500+ major blazes burned across Brazil’s Legal Amazon between late May and early November. Many were on recently deforested lands, indicative of land grabbers converting forests to pastures and croplands, while others were within conserved areas and Indigenous reserves. Of concern: 41% of burns were in standing forests.Estimates say that nearly 5.4 million acres (2.2 million hectares) of Brazil’s Amazon standing rainforest burned this year — an area roughly the size of the country of Wales in the United Kingdom.Brazil’s soaring deforestation rates and Amazon fires point to another problem: the nation is not on track to meet its 2020 goals under the Paris Climate Agreement for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, carbon emissions in Brazil did not fall, but rose by 9.6%, in 2019, the first year of President Jair Bolsonaro’s four-year term.Under its UN climate commitments, Brazil is only required to measure fire-related greenhouse gas emissions from newly deforested lands, not from fires in standing forests. A questionable practice, say some critics, as fires in the Amazon are routinely set by people and escape into forests. The highest CO2 emissions from forest fires in the Amazon don’t happen during the burn, but years later, a new study concludes, complicating emission estimates. It was another intense year for fires in the Amazon. More than 2,500 major blazes burned across Brazil’s Legal Amazon between May 28 and November 3, according to a fire season summary released via the Amazon Conservation Association’s Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP). 2020 was also the most active fire year in the southern Amazon since 2012 all along the region’s so-called “Amazon Arc of Deforestation,” according to NASA. The majority (90%) of the major fires this year detected by MAAP occurred in the Brazilian Amazon. Here, fires aren’t natural but are mostly ignited by humans on deforested lands to clear existing agricultural fields of pests and weeds, or, of far greater concern, as a way for land grabbers to convert forested conserved public lands into private agricultural lands. In 2019, say analysts, most Amazon fires followed a pattern of intentional, often illegal, deforestation to make way for cattle and crops. However, this year a startling number of major fires (41%) burned in standing Amazon rainforest, where fires were not historically naturally occurring. For fire to burn inside the rainforest, it must be a particularly dry year — now likely the result of climate change — with human ignition sources typically on neighboring lands. MAAP estimates that nearly 5.4 million acres (2.2 million hectares) of the Brazilian Amazon’s standing rainforest burned this year, an area roughly the size of the country of Wales in the United Kingdom.


text: Current CEO of Innovare Social Innovation Partners, AJ DeLeon is defying odds by growing his edtech business during an unprecedented year. Currently, only 2.4% of Black and Latinx founders receive venture capital funding in the United States. This dismal reality has made it difficult for entrepreneurs of color to grow their businesses. During a year that tested all entrepreneurs, AJ DeLeon was able to raise $3M dollars and also grow his company’s revenue from $800K to $1.2M. Join us to learn more about how AJ DeLeon is scaling his social impact business as a Latinx entrepreneur, and learn tips to scale yours.


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While concentrating on providing web3 and metaverse experiences and looking to incorporate a new non-fungible token (NFT) market, Japanese gaming company Konami is attempting to broaden its crypto talent pool.
The video game juggernaut is the most recent in a long line of household names to express interest in enhancing its NFTs, web3, and metaverse services by looking to hire fresh talent.
The business said on October 13 that it was seeking "a wide range of talent" for "system construction and service development" associated with upcoming metaverse and web3 platforms.
With intentions to introduce an NFT trading platform where users can exchange their in-game digital goods, Konami stated that it is engaged in research and development to incorporate "the latest technology" into its games and other content offerings.
Traditional gaming communities are familiar with the firm as the publisher of Frogger, Castlevania, Dance Dance Revolution, and the Metal Gear Solid series.
The company is currently hiring for various web3-relevant positions as it prepares to head into the metaverse, including systems engineer, programmer, project manager, designer, and director.
The chosen candidates will be tasked with working on a "unique digital item distribution platform" that complies with Japanese regulations for blockchain gaming.
Konami has previously entered the NFT market, having introduced several NFTs in January to mark the anniversary of the Castlevania franchise. However, alongside Konami, several other traditional gaming firms also made significant forays into NFTs, so there has been opposition as well. The most noteworthy example is Ubisoft's Quartz platform, which faced some criticism earlier in 2022.
The company was only in "research mode," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said while recalling the company's enthusiasm for NFTs in the past month.
Meanwhile, some gamers viewed the entry of gaming businesses into the NFT market as a money grab. There were also environmental issues with the proof-of-work mining process used to mine them. However, the majority of these issues may be disregarded now because Ethereum, which is the blockchain facilitating the minting of most NFTs today, has recently discarded its PoW mechanism in favor of proof-of-stake.
In relevant news, sales of NFT have decreased in tandem with the general crypto bear market in 2022. NFT sales on OpenSea, the biggest marketplace in the world, have decreased by 99 per cent in recent months from their record high of more than $400 million earlier this year.
The writer is the founder at yMedia. He ventured into crypto in 2013 and is an ETH maximalist. Twitter: @bhardwajshash
Check out our Festive offers upto Rs.1000/- off website prices on subscriptions + Gift card worth Rs 500/- from Eatbetterco.com. Click here to know more.


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Sports utility vehicles (SUVs), rapped by Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh for being fuel guzzlers, are increasingly becoming a rage amongst buyers.
Toyota Kirloskar's Fortuner and BMW's X1 have received unprecedented response from the market despite their steep price tags, say both companies. Both models operate under the entry premium tag in the SUV segment.
While Toyota has been repeatedly forced to shut bookings for its SUV, demand for the BMW X1 is a step better, with customer queueing to buy the vehicle although the German company is yet to formally open bookings for it. The SUV, whose deliveries will commence in January, will be the cheapest model from BMW to be sold in India.
According to sources, BMW will price the vehicle at Rs 22-23 lakh, much below their entry-level sedan 320i (3-Series) priced at Rs 26.95 lakh. Rising demand for the X1 will give BMW's overall sales in India a major fillip, enough for the company to maintain its lead over rivals Mercedes-Benz as India's biggest luxury car maker.
“Although bookings for the X1 hasn't opened yet, consumers are making payments for it in advance. There is a huge interest for the vehicle which is a result of a teaser campaign we had started six months back," stated a spokesperson at BMW India.
According to BMW dealers, since booking for the X1 hasn't been opened yet, customers are instead booking the 3-Series and are asking for this to be replaced with the X1 when BMW starts accepting bookings for the latter.
Rough estimates suggest the 'order bank' (a term used to describe the actual demand even before bookings open) for the X1 will touch 1,000 units, as the two dealerships from Mumbai alone have clocked about 300 units.
“If you are booking the X1 now, you will only get the vehicle in May,” said a BMW dealer.
Likewise, Toyota, to reopen nationwide bookings for the Fortuner on January 1, is running an order backlog of 5,000 units for the model. Consumers of this SUV, priced at Rs 19.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai), are being asked to wait six months to take delivery.
“We are not planning to hike the Fortuner's production, as there is no room for expansion (at the Bangalore factory). We are focusing on the Innova, whose production is much higher,” stated Sandeep Singh, deputy managing director, sales and marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motors.
Toyota is producing 4,200-4,700 units of the Innova per month, while Fortuner is witnessing an output of 950-1,000 units per month, according to Singh. Toyota had to shut bookings of the Fortuner twice since the launch, due to inability to match demand.
Toyota says it does not expect any significant impact on demand for the Fortuner following the launch of the BMW X1. “They are two very different vehicles, with distinct characteristics. However, generally when there is a huge waiting period for a model, then people certainly will try to explore other options,” said Singh.


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February 7th, 2017 | by Steve Hanley
Richard Hatfield, head of Lightning Motorcycles, wants to build an electric motorcycle that can go from San Francisco to Los Angeles on a single battery charge. That's more than 500 miles. It's not possible now, but he thinks it will be soon.
January 25th, 2017 | by Jo Borrás
Sick of Waiting for troubled Elio Motors, some of the brand's Trike "Owners" have started to talk about Filing Lawsuits to get their money back
January 2nd, 2017 | by Steve Hanley
The self balancing GyroCycle electric motorcycle from ThrustCycle promises more stability and safety for riders. It is due to go on sale sometime this year.
December 12th, 2016 | by Steve Hanley
Johann Hammerschmidt lives in eastern Austria near the Czech border. He has created an electric motorcycle with the longest range that also doubles as a residential storage battery when not being ridden. But is it art?
December 9th, 2016 | by Steve Hanley
Electric motorcycle manufacturer Alta Motors is using groundbreaking new technology called Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) to rapidly prototype and build 3D printed parts. C:LIP is 100 times faster than conventional 3D printing.
December 9th, 2016 | by Jo Borrás
According to their most recent SEC Filing, Elio Motors is over $100 Million in the Red and May No longer have a Way to save itself, thanks to Donald Trump
December 5th, 2016 | by Jo Borrás
The all-new, genre-defying 2017 Honda X-ADV Crossover Scooter has finally been Revealed! Full specs and video at the link!
November 30th, 2016 | by Jo Borrás
A much-improved Elio Motors Reveals E1c Prototype made its debut at LA Auto Show (w/ Video) this weekend, and it looks pretty convincing!
November 27th, 2016 | by Jo Borrás
2017 Honda Rebel 300 - the First All-new Rebel, EVER since the line was first introduced back in 1985. It's available as a 300 or 500 now, too!
November 21st, 2016 | by Steve Hanley
The world's motorcycle manufacturers brought a bevy of smaller, lighter, and less expensive machines to a show in Long Beach recently. The industry is trying to appeal to more women and Millenials.
November 15th, 2016 | by Jo Borrás
After three years of waiting for news about the original concept, the 2017 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 Black Arrow is finally Going to Happen!
November 5th, 2016 | by Steve Hanley
The EICMA motorcycle show in Milan this year will feature new products from to electric motorcycle manufacturers -- Energica and Zero. It will be in Milan and runs from November 19 - 22.
October 25th, 2016 | by Jo Borrás
BMW Motorcycles will show four new bikes at this year's EICMA show, but it's this crazy steampunk concept that's got our attention!


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Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback is been sold around the world in numbers and the Japanese carmaker also unveiled its 2014 version last year at Montreal Motor Show. Now the teaser of a Mirage G4 (sedan) is freshly updated on internet and creating a buzz of what’s stored underneath the paddock of Canada.
Hence, it is not the first time that carmaker is publicizing the Mirage sedan. Earlier, it has debuted the Concept G4 at 2013 Shanghai Motor Show and Attrage at Thailand, which were more or less similar to each other.
Only speculation for the moment, we guess Mitsubishi to take this vehicle seriously and shall also expand its market radius, with landing the same in Indian too scoring sales in good numbers.


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- Reads from WWW
Wednesday, 28 Nov 2012
After the debacle that was Apple Maps for iOS 6, it was inevitable that someone had to pay the price for the blunders. According to Bloomberg, the manager of the team which developed Apple Maps has been fired.
Microsoft's Surface phone is rumored to ship in mid 2013, and Foxconn is said to be the sole manufacturer of the device.
Tuesday, 27 Nov 2012
According to TechCrunch, the popular social networking group has now "plastered posters across its headquarters", egging on employees to "switch from [iOS to Android] today".
Amazon.com raised US$3 billion on Monday by selling its bonds after a hiatus of more than decade.
Earlier today, a press release was published on PRWeb.com which stated that Wi-Fi provider ICOA had been acquired by Google for US$400 million. The 'news' was repeated across the web until it was discovered to be a fake. Besides who sent it, the other question is why it was sent to PRWeb and just what does PRWeb do?
Cracking down on piracy and counterfeit goods, a grand total of 101 domain names were seized in the United States of America over the Cyber Monday period. Additionally, 31 domains were also taken down in Europe.
According to data from Quantcast, Tumblr is now amongst the top 10 web sites in the United States, showing that blogging is not necessarily dead.
Monday, 26 Nov 2012
Now that Black Friday is over, IBM has released a set of data that reveals Apple's iPad as the biggest contributor of online sales for mobile devices.
Mozilla has quietly ended its development of Firefox 64-bit for Windows. There were a number of reasons given by the project manager that included the scarcity of plug-ins in 64-bit version, stability issues with the 64-bit builds as well as a general sense of mediocrity among users and testers.
Less than a month after hitting three million sales, Samsung today announced that it has sold an additional two million units.


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Thanks for watching!
This holiday season FLEX sends its happy holidays wishes with some photos from our White Elephant gift exchange office party.
Lost in the bevy of articles lamenting the continued decline in Black Friday retail foot traffic, is the surging stats for online holiday sales. Talk about burying the lead. According to Abode, [...]
In today’s edition of how not to successfully initiate dialogue, let’s consider the increasingly pervasive – and lazy – trend of starting a cold email with a generic opening line. At a time when [...]
In exciting M&A news, FLEX is thrilled to congratulate Arbor and Circulate, two of our valued partners, on having been acquired by LiveRamp. The completion of the acquisition, as reported by [...]
FLEX specialist today.
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Airbnb guests at a California condo have refused to leave
The now-unwanted guests have tenant rights under California law
Condo owner's initial appeals to Airbnb met with no success
Owner has since hired lawyer and received assistance from Airbnb
If the old saw about houseguests being like fish is true – after a few days they begin to stink – imagine what it must smell like in poor Cory Tschogl’s 600-square-foot condo in Palm Springs, California.
Tschogl entered into an agreement through the popular Internet site Airbnb to host a man and his brother for a 44-day period from May 25 through July 8. (Airbnb connects travelers looking for low-cost accommodations with locals who in turn rent them rooms in their homes.)
The man, identified in various reports as Maksym Pashanin and whose Airbnb “verified ID” says he’s from Austin, Texas, paid for the first 30 days in advance.
He and his brother moved in, but after 30 days they refused to pay out the balance of their account.
What’s more, upon the July end of their rental agreement, they simply refused to leave the condo.
MORE: Pushy guests and porn: Confessions of an Airbnb hostess
Squatters protected under California law
So, if unwanted strangers won’t leave, just call authorities and have them booted out, right?
That’s where Tschogl’s nightmare really begins.
In California, renters who occupy a property for more than 30 consecutive days are considered full-time tenants on a month-to-month lease with rights to occupancy protected under the state’s tenant law.
To persuade Pashanin and his brother to leave once the Airbnb reservation contract had expired, Tschogl informed him that she intended to cut off the condo’s electricity.
“The guest texted back saying he was legally occupying the condo and that loss of electricity would threaten the work he does at home that brings in $1,000 to $7,000 a day,” reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
Pashanin reportedly works as a video game developer. Tschogl says her electricity bills have tripled or even quadrupled since the men moved in.
“The texts threatened to press charges for ‘blackmail and damages caused by your negligence and malicious misconduct, including $3,800 PID Espresso machine as well as medical bills for my brother’s hospital visit after he got sick here drinking unfiltered tap water,’” reported the Chronicle.
Time to lawyer up
Realizing her legal options were limited, Tschogl contacted Airbnb for help.
According to a Chronicle story on July 19, Tschogl said her numerous email and telephone appeals to Airbnb met with no success.
“I have professional scammers squatting in my condo,” an exasperated Tschogl tweeted, while also creating a hashtag #airbnbsquatterswontleave.
Tschogl eventually hired a lawyer and the bizarre story has since gained national attention.
As well as Airbnb’s.
According to a July 22 story in USA Today, an Airbnb spokesman says the company now plans to pay Tschogl “the full cost of the reservation and is working with her to provide additional legal support.”
Whoever pays, those legal fees may be costly.
Eviction procedures in California can be lengthy and complicated, often taking three to six months to evict a tenant.


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Layeredi teams up with Hurrdat, hires ex-Tripleseat designer
Layeredi, an Omaha mobile marketing startup co-founded by our own Dusty Davidson, has entered into a sales agreement with Hurrdat, a Lincoln social media marketing startup, that will allow the two companies to leverage each other's strengths. …
Layeredi, an Omaha mobile marketing startup co-founded by our own Dusty Davidson, has entered into a sales agreement with Hurrdat, a Lincoln social media marketing startup, that will allow the two companies to leverage each other’s strengths.
The agreement, which essentially creates an extension of the two companies’ sales teams, means the startups would share in revenue generated from these cross-selling opportunities. So, if Layeredi sells Hurrdat’s social media consulting or its athlete engagement platform, it will take a cut of the charge to the client.
“This is a pretty important arrangement for both of us,” Layeredi CEO John Grange said in a recent email. “For them, the fact that a significant amount of social networks’ traffic is from mobile devices creates a need for the ability to provide responsive mobile content to their customers. For us, we’re also finding that their is a strong relationship between mobile and social and they help us round out our offering to our clients.”
Grange said Hurrdat’s clients have experienced more than 50 percent of their social media interactions from mobile devices.
“I feel that the line between mobile and social is becoming more blurred, where one cannot exist without the other,” Hurrdat CEO Blake Lawrence said in a recent email. “We are looking for ways to better serve our clients on both our agency and athlete side. Layeredi gives us the ability to provide high quality, measurable mobile solutions.”
For example, Grange said Layeredi’s analytics offering would be a step up from the bit.ly link Hurrdat is currently using on its platform.
Hurrdat has an active client base of 45 brands, and, Lawrence said, it’s worked with more 70 since its founding two years ago. The company recently added its 10th full-time employee, a software developer, who Lawrence hopes will help speed up the development of the next version of its athlete engagement platform.
Grange didn’t provide details of how many clients Layeredi’s currently working with, but he did announce the recent hire of user interface/user experience designer Rick Knudtson (left), who was previously in that role for Tripleseat, another company co-founded by Davidson. We’ve covered Knudtson in the past as he co-founded his own startup, Randomnade, and has done design work for this very site, such as our SXSW page in March.
Disclosure: Dusty Davidson, co-founder of Layeredi, is the co-founder and CEO of Silicon Prairie News.
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Tesla is one of the biggest manufacturers of all-electric cars right now but there are many companies that are actively working to compete with it. Faraday Future is a relatively new company based in California that’s backed by Chinese electronics giant LeEco, the company has already shown off an electric car concept and now it appears that its upcoming production electric vehicle has been spotted out and about in Los Angeles.
A candid shot of what might be Faraday Future’s electric car has been posted online. The car is all covered up because the company hasn’t shown off the design yet and it’s quite likely that the design might not be considered final at this point in time.
From the looks of it, the car appears to be in the same crossover category as the Tesla Model X. It aligns nicely with previous reports that Faraday Future’s first commercial product is going to be an SUV crossover that will cost over $100,000. It’s going to be a proper Model X competitor if this turns out to be true.
There are no technical specifications available right now so it can’t be said for sure what Faraday Future’s first car is capable of and how it stacks up against the Model X. Whether or not it has semi-autonomous driving features like the Model X is also not known.
Faraday Future hasn’t confirmed as yet when it’s going to announce its first production electric vehicle and when it will finally hit the road.


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Buckle up investors. We could be in for a bumpy ride over the next few weeks as trade and political headlines heat up.
In times like these, investors flock to safer plays like dividend stocks. Let's check out how three of them that I've recommended recently are faring.
All three stocks seem like good picks for U.S.-Chinese trade tensions, as they have large exposure to the U.S. domestic market. By contrast, many large tech and consumer-products stocks have meaningful exposure to China.
That's concerning, as Washington recently initiated the second leg of anti-China tariffs by slapping duties on an additional $200 billion on Chinese imports. Sectors hit by the new levies include apparel, auto parts, food ingredients, furniture, paper products, refrigerators, toys and more.
China quickly responded not only by canceling expected trade talks, but also by placing tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. exports to China, including golf clubs, liquefied natural gas, medium-sized aircraft, metals, oil and tires.
Factoring in these latest steps, nearly half of all U.S. imports from China and more than 50% of American exports to China now carry tariffs. Should President Donald Trump take the next threatened step and put tariffs on an additional $267 billion of products, the levies would basically cover all U.S. imports from China. That makes three dividend stocks that I recently touted look attractive, given their large U.S. sales and relatively lesser Chinese exposure.
Altria Group (MO)
This domestically focused tobacco company (formerly known as Philip Morris) is up 1.5% since I wrote about it earlier this month. It also currently pays a 5.3% dividend.
The communications giant received ratings upgrades recently from UBS and Deutsche Bank. The stock also currently yields 6%.
Omega Healthcare Advisors (OHI)
This real estate investment trust's shares are up some 22% since I first touted it in April. But even after that climb, the company still boasts a hefty 8.2% dividend yield. OHI invests primarily in skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities and has a U.S.-centric footprint.
This article was originally sent Sept. 27 to subscribers of TheStreet's Income Seeker, a product presenting the world of opportunities in fixed income and dividend stocks. Click here to learn more about Income Seeker and to receive articles like this each day from Nick McCullum, Hale Stewart, Jonathan Heller and others.)


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Is Copilot the best AI companion out there? Help us find out by answering a couple of quick questions!
After the court ruled that Apple did not need to be stopped from doing so, Apple has terminated Epic Games’s developer account, meaning their games such as Fortnite or Infinity Blade have been completely removed from the app store on iOS.
This means that users are no longer able to re-download any of their games, and even in-app purchases no longer work.
In a statement Apple said:
We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store. We have worked with the team at Epic Games for many years on their launches and releases. The court recommended that Epic comply with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward, guidelines they’ve followed for the past decade until they created this situation. Epic has refused. Instead they repeatedly submit Fortnite updates designed to violate the guidelines of the App Store. This is not fair to all other developers on the App Store and is putting customers in the middle of their fight. We hope that we can work together again in the future, but unfortunately that is not possible today.
Apple had earlier been temporarily restrained from blocking Epic Games’s developer account as related to Unreal Engine, and that remains in place at present. This is mainly due to the harm this would cause to other developers, however.
It is hard not to see the whole situation as Apple being trapped into repeatedly making a case against itself when it eventually comes to antitrust hearings, with Epic clearly aiming for the bigger pay-off of overturning Apple’s rules completely, versus simply achieving small and temporary concessions.
Do our readers agree that it looks like Apple is involved in a chess game (likely with the end goal of Epic’s own game store being allowed on iOS) in which Apple is always a few steps behind? Let us know below.
via The Verge