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The jewelry giant posted a decline in same-store sales in the third quarter but is gearing up for a season of growth.
Tiffany Is Now Sharing the Entire Diamond Journey
In addition to country of origin, the jeweler will tell customers where their diamond was cut, polished, graded and set.
New York—Tiffany & Co. will now tell the full story of the diamonds used in its jewelry.
Beginning in October, the retailer said it will share the “craftsmanship journey” of its newly sourced, individually registered diamonds—those weighing 0.18 carats or larger and have been laser-engraved with “T&Co.” and a unique serial number.
In addition to sharing each stone’s country of origin, which Tiffany started doing at the beginning of 2019, customers now also will be told where their diamond was cut and polished, graded and quality assured, and set in jewelry.
The information will be available through any sales professional as well as printed on the Tiffany Diamond Certificate.
Tiffany started its path toward transparency and charting diamond origin more than two decades ago when it began investing in vertical integration.
The jeweler is now able to offer full transparency on the diamonds because of the way it is set up.
It owns and operates five diamond polishing workshops around the world employing 1,500 workers.
It sources its stones from “trusted suppliers” in 10 countries, including Australia, Botswana, Canada, Namibia, Russia and South Africa.
Tiffany also owns diamond workshops in Belgium, Mauritius, Botswana, Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as the Tiffany Gemological Laboratory in New York and five manufacturing workshops in North America.
“Our customers deserve to know that a Tiffany diamond was sourced with the highest standards, not only in quality but also in social and environmental responsibility,” said Chief Sustainability Officer Anisa Kamadoli Costa.
“We believe that diamond traceability is the best means to ensure both.”
Tiffany’s jump to sharing the entire diamond journey comes a year and a half after it launched its “Diamond Source Initiative,” the program in which the jeweler started disclosing the provenance of its newly sourced, individually registered diamonds.
Under the initiative, Tiffany placed small maps in the showcases of its stores worldwide with pins dropped on the countries from which the jeweler sources its stones, along with a plaque explaining the program.
The retailer also educated sales associates on the program.
“Viva Magenta” easily finds its colored gemstone counterparts.
Holabird Western Americana Collections offered hundreds of treasures recovered from the S.S. Central America in its Dec. 3 sale.
Give your customers the full gemstone buying experience by using the 6C's.
From creating catchy subject lines to retargeting abandoned carts, Emmanuel Raheb has a half-dozen pieces of email marketing advice.
Qi Holtzman is a member of the second generation to run the family-owned Chicago area jeweler.
Mann, who opened the Ohio jewelry store with her husband and son in 1984, was 95.
From laboratory-grown diamonds to design to country-of-origin, GIA's Alumni Collective™ has a seminar to suite your needs.
The watch brand will create 500 custom timepieces for holders of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs.
Scholarship winners received awards in six different categories.
According to Russian news sources, the sanctioned head of the diamond company is leaving to take a job with an investment group.
Said to be the largest pink diamond found in hundreds of years, “The Lulo Rose” was sold for an undisclosed sum.
A princess’s tiara fell within its pre-sale estimate while an Art Deco bracelet from a queen doubled it.
Sponsored by GIA Alumni Collective™
The auction house is not offering any details on why the fancy vivid pink stone was pulled from its upcoming “Magnificent Jewels” sale.
In the spirit of an advent calendar, “Gems to Help Ukraine” will sell a stone a day through Dec. 24 on the Nomad’s Instagram account.
The secure mark combines an overt mark with a covert data set to provide assurance on a gem.
Plus, what a potential rail strike would mean for retailers.
It will provide a place for select luxury watch retailers to sell their stock.
Liqhobong has been in a care-and-maintenance period since the start of the pandemic.
The new brand, Metal Alchemist, focuses on unisex, classic jewelry designs.
The 2022 edition of the retailer’s annual publication pays homage to the coffee farms and shops of Puerto Rico.


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Meredith Books' strategic alliance with Discovery Communications, announced in August, is the latest in a string of entertainment-based licensing deals for the company. Two years ago, it identified a move into entertainment as its biggest growth opportunity, viewing it as a way to enhance its in-house brands and corporate licenses such as Home Depot and Stanley. "Entertainment is top of mind," said Todd Davis, executive director of new business development. "You're leveraging a known equity." Meredith now publishes books based on a variety of Discovery properties, including Trading Spacesand American Chopper, as well as HGTV series such as Sensible Chic. A year ago, Meredith began pursuing licensing deals for its new children's fiction business, securing rights for sound storybooks and other formats tied to Lizzie McGuire, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Koala Bros., Marvel films including The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man 2, and Warner's Batman Begins.
Volume 251 Issue 42 10/18/2004

domain: news


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Sony has hooked cult characters Rick and Morty to promote its latest gaming console, the PlayStation 5, in an advertisement that, hilariously, takes aim at marketing stereotypes.
The duo, who star in the animated sitcom Rick and Morty on cable network Adult Swim, are now promoting Sony’s latest console. But, thankfully, they’re sticking to their guns and hyping the PS5 in their typically cheeky way.
In a 30-second ad, the pair are shown in their loungeroom. Rick sits on a couch, counting money, while Morty attempts to list off all of the key marketing points for the new machine.
At one point, after being told which marketing points to list off about the PS5, Morty steps in front of the new console, prompting this reply from Rick: “Morty, don’t block the console, they really want that in the shot”.
The video, shared on Adult Swim’s YouTube page, includes the caption: “Hear all the marketing points PlayStation gave Rick to say about the new PlayStation 5 console, from Morty.”
And it appears its working wonders for gaining further attention for the PS5—the video, which was released on Friday, has more than 2.75 million views, at time of writing.
You can check it out for yourself, in full, below.
Featured image source: YouTube/Adult Swim
Jacqueline Gonzales [featured image] is the Head of Global Marketing at Squarespace. In this piece, she shares her best pieces of advice for launching a campaign globally. It’s estimated that we see between 6,000 to 10,000 ads every single day. In today’s digital landscape we’re constantly bombarded by so many different brand messages from every […]
From the audio producer of The Teacher’s Pet comes The Elements, a new Acast Creator Network podcast hosted by Thredbo survivor Stuart Diver. The Elements is a podcast that journeys into the heart of surviving a natural disaster and will be hosted and distributed by the creator-first podcast company Acast as part of the Acast Creator […]


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The Samsung Galaxy J has been leaked and rumored for a while now, although it has since been launched in Japan. However if you’re looking forward to getting the handset and you’re not in Japan, Samsung has started to send out invites to an event in Taiwan for the 9th of December in which the Samsung Galaxy J could be officially announced for other markets.
The handset was first sighted in a leaked brochure for Japanese carrier, NTT DOCOMO, which initially led some to believe that it could be a Japan-only release. However a later rumor suggested that the handset could make its way to other markets and we guess with the event held in Taiwan, we suppose that much is true.
For those who haven’t been following the news, the Samsung Galaxy J is sort of a happy middle between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3. The rumored specs include a 5” Full HD display with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset under the hood. It will be accompanied by 3GB of RAM, a 13MP rear-facing camera, 32GB of onboard storage with microSD card support, and will run on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Take it with a grain of salt for now, but check back with us on the 9th of December for the details!


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Aussie tech business Cohesio is fitting robotic voice solutions in Kmart fulfilment centres across the nation, in a bid to help meet increasing customer demand for e-commerce.
The technology will allow employees in Kmart distribution centres to listen to order details and instructions, rather than waste time reading picking slips.
According to Cohesio founder and chief executive Nishan Wijemanne, the tech can improve productivity by 30% to 50%.
Founded in 2014, Cohesio is focused on bringing tech solutions into supply chains, and has been working with Kmart for some time, Wijemanne tells SmartCompany. In fact, the Aussie retail giant was its second customer.
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Over the past couple of years, Cohesio has started working on tech incorporating voice automation and mobile robots for e-commerce order fulfilment.
Having bootstrapped for five years, the startup was acquired in 2019 by German corporation Körber, although Wijemanne has not disclosed how much the acquisition was worth.
He does say, however, that the group sees annual turnover of some €2.5 billion ($4 billion).
“The aim of starting the business was never really to look for an exit, in all honesty,” Wijemanne says.
“We had a few different suitors approach us over the years,” he admits.
“But Körber made sense, not just from a transaction perspective but also from a cultural and vision perspective,” he adds.
In the latest deal with Kmart, Cohesio technology will “voice enable workflows”, Wijemanne says.
It means any task using a paper and pen or a scanning device can be enabled using speech, without the worker having to look at a screen or enter any data manually, he explains.
The aim is to help workers fulfil orders more quickly, whether they’re shipping orders or organising click-and-collect orders, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive e-commerce sales up.
Even seemingly small changes can have a significant effect on productivity, and an improvement of 30% to 50% is “really quite a large lift”, Wijemanne says.
But, other robotic solutions can increase warehouse logistic efficiency by up to 400%.
“We’re seeing a big influx of interest, particularly around robotics in this space at the moment,” Wijemanne says.
“Bringing that whole AI element to drive benefits throughout this period has been huge.”
“Everyone needs to move”
We all know by now the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on e-commerce. All over the world, stay-at-home orders have seen consumers shopping from their sofas, rather than in physical stores, even when those stores remained open.
It means people who may not have used e-commerce before are getting used to the whole idea. And, even once the pandemic passes, that’s behaviour that may well stick.
“Everyone is really expecting it. Everyone needs to move,” Wijemanne says.
Cohesio works with several ‘traditional’ retailers who are re-focusing their efforts on e-commerce, and using tech elements to help them make that transition.
Some are able to fulfil online orders, but don’t have the scale to manage the demand. Others have been fielding requests, but don’t have the networks to deliver.
“Given the market dynamics, heavy investment to put in automation is not feasible, so they look for flexible fulfilment,” he explains.
“That’s where we’re seeing the opportunity.”
And that’s not only true of small businesses, Wijemanne notes.
“If you go online and look at some of the main retailers, their e-commerce engines are probably not where they should be in 2020,” he says.
“A lot of these businesses are looking at really bolstering that to be able to meet market demand … COVID has definitely been a huge instigator.
“Retail will still be around, but people’s appetite for online ordering is always going to keep growing.”
Like in many other sectors, COVID-19 has sped up a trend that was already happening, and there’s a long way to go for the Aussie market to reach maturity.
In Australia, e-commerce accounts for about 10% of retail sales, Wijemanne says. In some overseas markets, it can account for more than 20%.
“There’s a long way to go in terms of maturity, for people understanding the supply chain and logistics, and appreciating what we need to achieve in Australia,” Wijemanne says.
“But I think the technology is really getting there.”
Re-imagining the CBD
If we peep a little further into the future, Wijemanne sees the potential for a considerable shift in the way we think of e-commerce.
Already, some of his clients are moving towards ‘micro fulfilment’, he says, and reducing their reliance on big-box distribution centres in rural areas.
COVID-19 has also driven a mass move to remote work, leaving many CBD offices empty, and some may remain that way permanently.
“Less people are now driving into the CBD. Offices are closed,” Wijemanne notes.
“How about looking at converting some of these car parks that are not being used into fulfilment centres?”
There are also, sadly, a lot of empty stores around.
Wijemanne says traditional retailers should be thinking about what else they could be doing in their bricks-and-mortar stores, beyond simply selling products to consumers who walk in the door.
“There’s so much potential. The market is ripe for disruption,” he says.
A little creativity means they won’t have to be so reliant on distribution facilities, and can successfully take control of their own e-commerce activities, he suggests.
“That changes the dynamic, of not just the real estate element, but what else people can be doing,” Wijemanne says.
“It’s a ripe opportunity for us to take that to the next level.”


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The announcement came Thursday in a press release.
Company officials said it was a voluntary decision.
Cruises that had been scheduled to depart on March 12 through May 10 are impacted.
More than 50,000 people sail on Princess Cruises daily, according to company data.
If a cruise is already in the middle of a voyage, they will continue for the next five days with their current itinerary. Ones that continue past March 17 will “be ended at the most convenient location for guests, factoring in operational requirements,” the company said.
Princess Cruises is allowing its guests to transfer all money paid for a canceled cruise to a future one of their choice. They will also get other benefits like credits that can be used for the cruise fare or onboard expenses. If a passenger decided to cancel their cruise on or after Feb. 4, a future cruise credit will be able to be used on any trip through May 1, 2022.
If cruise credits are not an option for some guests, they can fill out a form for a cash refund.
Cox Media Group


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A high-stakes food fight in California is getting more heated. A proposal to require labeling of foods with genetically engineered ingredients has qualified to appear on the state ballot Nov. 6.
That puts California on the front line of a national fight over genetically engineered crops. Such crops have had their DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria, says Stacy Malkan, a spokeswoman for the California Right to Know group, which launched the ballot measure.
The voter initiative comes 10 years after a similar measure in Oregon failed. Recent attempts to pass labeling laws in Connecticut and Vermont failed in those states' legislatures.
Supporters say California will be different.
"It took us just 10 weeks to gather 971,126 signatures," Malkan says. "People have a right to know what's in the food we eat and feed to our children."
She says voters are concerned about the possible health effects of genetically engineered foods, such as an allergic reaction.
There could be environmental ramifications as well, Malkan says, such as unintentional crop contamination. For example, pollinating bees could carry the genes of a genetically engineered crop to another field that has organic produce.
If passed, the law would take effect July 1, 2014, requiring that all foods containing genetically engineered ingredients be labeled "Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering" or "May be Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering."
Exceptions: alcohol and food sold in restaurants. Animals that are fed genetically altered food, and are then eaten by humans, are also exempt.
The Coalition Against the Costly Food Labeling Proposition responded aggressively to news of the proposal vote.
"The funders of this deceptive measure want to put scary-sounding labels on safe, (genetically engineered) products so they can gain market share," says spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks.
"This is really an attempt to ban" these foods, says Brandon Castillo, another coalition spokesman. Food companies will either face the cost of new labels for the California market or, to avoid the stigma of what he calls "a de facto warning label," reformulate their products to remove genetically engineered ingredients.
"These foods are perfectly safe and thoroughly tested," Castillo says.
The Coalition Against the Costly Food Labeling Proposition is funded by farmers, food producers, the Council for Biotechnology Information and the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
The California Right to Know initiative is funded by thousands of donors, including organic farmers and natural product manufacturers, Malkan says.
An IBOPE Zogby International poll in March found that 87% of U.S. adults agree that genetically modified foods should be labeled.
Labeling of genetically modified foods is required in the European Union and Japan, among other countries. Currently, the only U.S. state that requires labeling is Alaska, where genetically modified fish and shellfish must be labeled. That's in response to a proposal before the Food and Drug Administration to allow sale of salmon that has been genetically modified to grow more quickly than regular salmon.
In crops, genetic engineering is used to boost production or lower costs. The plants are generally modified to resist weed killers or to generate their own insect repellent. Varieties of papaya and summer squash have been engineered to resist viruses.
In the United States, 95% of sugar beets are genetically engineered, 94% of soybeans and 88% of feed corn.
Those are consumed mostly in the form of sugar, corn starch, corn oil, high-fructose corn syrup and various soy products. "It's primarily in processed foods," Malkan says. "It's very minimal in terms of whole foods that people eat."


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Volkswagen Group’s namesake car brand slumped to a loss in the fourth quarter as the emissions-cheating scandal tarnished its reputation and added costs to appease customers and dealers.
The VW brand posted a loss of 127 million euros ($144 million) in the final three months of 2015 from a profit of 780 million euros a year earlier, according to data released by the German carmaker.
VW Group’s biggest unit was hit by “market support measures linked to the emissions issue” as well as declines in the Russian and Brazilian markets, the company said in a statement on Thursday.
“Volkswagen is far more than crisis,” CEO Matthias Mueller said in a speech prepared for a press conference at its Wolfsburg headquarters. “But we can nonetheless hardly avoid saying that the current situation demands everything of us, in every respect — including financially.”
Reviving the VW marque is critical to the carmaker’s recovery from the crisis. The company’s leader in vehicle sales and revenue, which was struggling with weak profitability even before the crisis, has become a battleground as the automaker’s powerful worker representatives balk at restructuring measures pushed by Herbert Diess, the head of the VW brand.
Diess, who joined Volkswagen from BMW last July, has embarked on a 12-point program to revive weak margins at the brand and accelerate cost savings initiated under predecessor Martin Winterkorn, who resigned as VW brand chief and VW Group CEO after the scandal erupted last September. VW has been slow to tackle weak profits at the brand outside China in recent years, relying instead on surging sales in Asia and the fatter margins at upscale sister brands Audi and Porsche.
The VW brand, which had targeted operating profit of 6 percent of sales before the crisis, reported a margin of 2 percent for 2015.
In addition to the effect of the crisis on operations, the unit was hit by financial charges last year totaling 16.4 billion euros for damages from the manipulation scandal as well as restructuring measures in South America and provisions to recall cars with potentially faulty airbags in North America.


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Characters from 'The Simpsons' will be transported to the world of Hello Kitty in a line of limited-edition collectible goods.
Bart, Homer, Marge and the gang are about to get even cuter.
Today I'm happy to break some big news for fans of Hello Kitty and "The Simpsons": Next year, the two popular franchises will merge for a special line of products.
It's a landmark year for both of them, with HK's 40th anniversary and 25th anniversary of "The Simpsons" is being celebrated. I'm told the collaboration between Sanrio, Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products ...


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Intel proved they still remain one of the biggest and most successful names in the tech industry. The company surpassed earnings expectations on their profits and revenues. Intel's revenues increased by 5% in the third quarter - largely due to excellent data center revenue and the introduction of Haswell-powered portables and laptops.
Intel's earnings went against many predictions for the company as well as the overall industry prospect. Personal computer sales have decreased over the years. Traditional computers have been replaced by more portable devices like smartphones and tablets. As new quarters set in, smartphones and tablet do not show any signs of making room.
It was widely assumed that traditional computers are dying and everyone else thought Intel will go down the same way. Not until the company decided to expand their efforts and reach out to laptops and data centers. Brian Krzanich took over as Intel CEO during the second quarter of 2013.
This also encouraged concerns whether the new executive can save or transform the company into the tech leader it once was.
Intel posted revenue of $13.48 billion in the third quarter. This is more than 5% from the previous quarter. The company's net income came at 58 cents per share. This is more than 49% from the second quarter. Analysts predicted the company will post around 53 cents per share and $13.47 billion in revenue.
"The third quarter came in as expected, with modest growth in a tough environment," Mr Krzanich explained in a statement.
"We're executing on our strategy to offer an increasingly broad and diverse product portfolio that spans key growth segments, operating systems and form factors. Since August we have introduced more than 40 new products for market segments from the Internet-of-Things to data centers, with an increasing focus on ultra-mobile devices and 2-in-1 [hybrid laptop-tablet] systems."
In the third quarter, Intel started shipping Haswell-based lower-power chips. The company also began shipping fourth-generation Core processors for hybrids, laptops and all-in-ones. Revenue for data center reached $2.9 billion. This is 12% more from the previous year.
"Intel had a really good quarter which is a bit surprising given the PC market is still depressed," Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, explained.
"PC's were up and datacenter was up a lot in revenue, which has been paramount to their growth the last year. The true test for consumer PC affinity will happen in Q4 when buyers will have to choose from new phones, tablets, game consoles, smart watches, and new thin and light 2-in-1 PCs."
To contact the editor, e-mail:


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Unilever’s chief marketing and communications officer Keith Weed spoke on day five of the Cannes Lions festival discussing the new digital challneges facing traditional brands. Watch highlights from the event here, also featuring Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson, this year’s Lion of St Mark Joe Pytka, and Dentsu with Andy Lippman.
Speaking at the #BrightFuture segment of the day, Weed said talked about the shift from “marketing to people”, to “marketing with people”. He also discussed the problem of a “lost generation of 40-year-olds leading brands”.
“In the last four and a half years as CMO, things have changed more than they have in the last 25 years. That has created chaos. It also presents huge opportunities for those who embrace the change. Content in real time is what advertising is competing against. The competition is with Hollywood and TV channels. The competition is all of you,” he said.
He underlined Unilever’s point of view on marketing, where brands engage with customers on scale – the stated positioning of ‘Crafting brands for life’.
He pointed to three headers to define the current state of marketing. The first, ‘Putting people first’, he elaborated with the case of Kan Khajura Teshan, executed in the media dark areas of Bihar.
Responding to a question about whether brands should be using native advertising given regulatory scrutiny over the blurring of the lines between advertising and editorial, Weed said: “Clearly like all these things innovation is going on in the market. The very people engaging and trying to shape this and in a very well meaning way are the very people that are not digital natives, we have an extraordinary situation where we have a lost generation of people from 35 to early 40s who lead a lot of our brands. The people who are not natives are trying hard to make sense of the changing world.”
Weeds added when these “natives” mature, confusion over new digital formats will cease.
Watch the video showing highlights from day 5 at Cannes Lions below:


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Cupcakes and Cattle Breeding: Teens Turn to Summer Start-Ups
This article originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal
By SUE SHELLENBARGER
Lexie Oliver, 16, has been trying for weeks to get a summer job, to earn spending money and to feel productive. But the search has proven “really difficult,” says the Gainesville, Fla., high-school sophomore.
After applying at numerous retailers and getting turned down, Ms. Oliver has made a decision: If she wants a job this summer, she figures she’ll have to create her own. She’s already working on starting a handmade jewelry business, finding materials, tapping a friend to build a Web site and asking relatives for help marketing her wares.
Faced with the darkest summer-job market since the government began collecting data after World War II, a growing number of teens are turning to entrepreneurship. The government’s $1.2 billion youth jobs program is expected to make barely a dent in overall teen joblessness this summer. Employment among 16- to 19-year-olds is still likely to sink to a new low of 31% or 32% this summer, down from a previous nadir of 32.7% in 2008, says Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston.
Thus “for many kids, starting a business may be the only option if they want to make some money,” says Jack Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement in the U.S., part of JA Worldwide, Colorado Springs, Colo., which runs youth programs on work-force readiness and financial literacy through 585 offices in 124 countries.
Amid rising interest, enrollment in a Boston camp run by the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship doubled this spring. Junior Achievement entrepreneurship programs in Texas and California report a 30% increase in inquiries. And at CampCEO, an entrepreneurship-training program at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, inquiries are running 30% ahead of a year ago, compared with a national pattern of flat enrollment in youth camps in general.
Of course, teen entrepreneurs face tall hurdles. Most need at least a little start-up money, for materials, flyers or tools. Running a business can crowd out other pursuits, such as sports and clubs. And teens aren’t immune to the sour economy. Angie Ocampo, 15, of White Plains, N.Y., had high hopes for the Spanish-language tutoring business she had been planning to pursue through this summer. But so far, “I haven’t gotten too many regular customers” because families are cutting costs, she says.
Others are finding a niche. Aaron Hunt, 16, Salt Lake City, has decided his job this summer will be selling his Web-page designs online. After creating designs for friends and studying related subjects in high school, Aaron recently sold a Web logo to a client for $60. Now, armed with a portfolio of colorful designs, he’s ready to expand.
And Marlo Adelle Greta, 17, will be running GirlyWhirls.com, a barrette-making business, from her Austin, Texas, home. She regards starting a business as “a lot easier than having to go find a job,” she says. “I make my own decisions, and the harder I work, the more money I can make. That’s a cool thought — it’s all up to me.”
A growing number of parents share that view. “Adults used to want their kids to go to work for big companies with 401(k)s and benefits,” says Brad Hancock, director of the Neeley Entrepreneurship Center at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. “Now parents are saying, ‘I’m not sure I want my child to walk that path. I want my child to be in charge of his or her own destiny.’ ”
At best, teens can be richly rewarded. Steven Crandall, an 18-year-old high-school senior in Grapevine, Texas, started a lawn-mowing business with his younger brother three years ago by offering to tend three neighbors’ lawns. Today, the Crandall boys have expanded to 35 clients. Steven is even creating jobs for his friends; he has signed on six of his buddies at $15 an hour to help out, and another six have applied. “One of the coolest things” about being an entrepreneur, Steven says, “is the satisfaction of being able to help out so many guys who do need money.”
The business earned Steven $14,000 last year, enabling him to make payments to his parents for the used truck they bought for him, “spoil my girlfriend, and tithe to my church,” he says. The downside: It has crowded out other activities, including wrestling and basketball.
For teens considering start-ups, and for their parents, adolescent entrepreneurs offer some tips:
Find and fill an unmet need. For example, the skills many teens use every day can be marketable. On Elance.com, a Web site where freelancers’ services are bought and sold, demand among business clients for help establishing a presence on Facebook or Twitter is rising fast, a spokeswoman says. The site requires providers to be at least 18 years old.
Look for a low-cost niche. After a vendor knocked at Loree Greta’s door last summer in Austin, Texas, offering to clean her windows for $150, she suggested her 14-year-old son, Max (the brother of jewelry maker Marlo Adelle), make the rounds offering to do the same for one-third as much. Brandishing a long-handled squeegee, vinegar, buckets and newspaper, Max earned about $300 washing windows.
Find something you love. Jessica Cervantes, a Miami 18-year-old who loves to bake, grew tired of cleaning up cupcake messes and smeary frosting spots after birthday parties for her young cousins. So she cooked up a fancy cupcake on an edible cookie stick and is now selling “Popsy Cakes” for $30 a dozen. Although it’s tough cramming in baking and delivering orders with her homework, she made $6,000 last year for her college fund.
Don’t be discouraged by your age, says Anshul Samar, 15, of Cupertino, Calif., who is marketing “Elementeo,” a chemistry game he created, on Amazon.com. “Your age can even be an advantage,” allowing a little risk-taking “without worrying about who’s going to put the dinner on the table.” And many adults are glad to lend a helping hand to enterprising teens, he says.
Expect setbacks. During Ms. Cervantes’s first few tries at making Popsy Cakes, “no one wanted to eat them,” she says. Mr. Hunt, the Web designer, says he tried at first to design an online game but failed. Even if you fail, he advises, “go for it. Don’t stop, because you will get somewhere if you try hard enough.”
One of the most common pitfalls faced by entrepreneurial teens, says Junior Achievement’s Mr. Kosakowski, is parents. Instead of providing encouragement, he says, many say, “Why do you want to take that risk? Go work for somebody else.” In fact, there’s no better time than adolescence to try out ideas, while children have the freedom to fail without overwhelming consequences.
GirlyWhirls.com was born when Ms. Greta, Marlo Adelle’s mother, picked up on a remark her daughter made while they were shopping together. Eyeing some barrettes, Marlo said, “I can make that at home,” Loree says. “So she did.” With Loree providing feathers, shells, beads and felt, the barrettes began selling well in several boutiques. Today, GirlyWhirls.com employs four occasional part-time “hairclip helpers” and pays Marlo about $200 to $300 a month after expenses. Marlo says she wants to continue the business through college, where she will probably major in design; her mother’s encouragement, she adds, has made all the difference.


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The newest PlayStation State of Play digital showcase is Wednesday, Oct. 27, beginning at 5 p.m. EDT/ 2 p.m. PDT. Sony will offer viewers a 20-minute look at third-party games for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.
Wednesday’s show covers “new looks at previously announced games, plus a few reveals from our partners around the world.”
The show can be followed from PlayStation’s YouTube (embedded above) and Twitch channel. Sony hasn’t said what games, specifically, to expect, but upcoming major third-party releases include Call of Duty: Vanguard on Nov. 5, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy on Nov. 11, and Saints Row, Sifu, and Elden Ring in February 2022.
Also, Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Extraction was delayed to an unspecified date in January, and Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online for PlayStation 5 (as well as Xbox Series X) will now be arriving in March. It’s possible that news about one or both of those could be shared on Wednesday.


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Roadside vendors have turned to natural drinks to quench the thirst of Tiruchi residents in the scorching summer time. Priced between Rs. 10 and Rs. 40, the juices are additionally being touted as more healthy options to bottled drinks.
Murali, a medical representative, consulted deans of varied hospitals earlier than he set up his aloe vera juice stall that sells 7 drinks with Aloe Vera as the bottom ingredient.
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- Eating red onions ‘can prevent cancer’ and could protect against diabetes and heart disease


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Weaknesses in e-commerce portals are being exploited to deploy a Linux backdoor as well as a credit card skimmer that’s capable of stealing payment information from compromised websites.
“The attacker started with automated e-commerce attack probes, testing for dozens of weaknesses in common online store platforms,” researchers from Sansec Threat Research said in an analysis. “After a day and a half, the attacker found a file upload vulnerability in one of the store’s plugins.” The name of the affected vendor was not revealed.
The initial foothold was then leveraged to upload a malicious web shell and alter the server code to siphon customer data. Additionally, the attacker delivered a Golang-based malware called “linux_avp” that serves as a backdoor to execute commands remotely sent from a command-and-control server hosted in Beijing.
Upon execution, the program is designed to remove itself from the disk and camouflage as a “ps -ef” process, which is a utility for displaying currently-running processes in Unix and Unix-like operating systems.
The Dutch cybersecurity firm said it also discovered a PHP-coded web skimmer that’s disguised as a favicon image (“favicon_absolute_top.jpg”) and added to the e-commerce platform’s code with the goal of injecting fraudulent payment forms and stealing credit card information entered by customers in real-time, before transmitting them to a remote server.
Furthermore, Sansec researchers said the PHP code was hosted on a server located in Hong Kong and that it was previously used as a “skimming exfiltration endpoint in July and August of this year.”


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Today saw the release of Sharp’s eye-pleasing Aquos mini SHL24 smartphone, which not only boasts the smallest 4.5-inch 1080p display, but super-thin bezels as well.
Understanding the need of the hour, Sharp have shown great intent and seem to have delivered. While there are hordes of powerful large screen phones, not many companies have shown interest in outing equally powerful mini versions. The Sharp Aquos mini SHL24 does exactly that and comes with a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 which sits beneath the aforementioned 4.5-inch 1080p IGZO panel. To complete the package, there’s 2GB RAM along with expandable 16GB of on-board ROM that’s thrown in, accompanied by a 13 mega-pixel f/1.9 camera that does look attractive, at least on paper.
Gizchina News of the week
Another interesting ploy Sharp have employed is what they call ‘EDGEST design’, referring to the super-thin bezels on the right, left and top of the device. Much like the device it will directly compete with, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, the Sharp Aquos mini features a waterproof body. The device is heading to Japan’s KDDI networks and will be available starting March this year, in an array of colours including Pink, Blue, White, Green and Yellow.[Source, Via]


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U.S. May Be 'Headed to a Trade War'
Wendy Cutler on CNBC
On March 6, 2018, ASPI Vice President Wendy Cutler joined CNBC's "Squawk Box" to discuss the potential economic and strategic ramifications of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum.
Cutler expresses concern at the Trump administration's apparent linkage of proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum to its renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Canada is the largest exporter of steel to the U.S. and Mexico is the fourth-largest. As close allies of the United States, Cutler notes that Canada and Mexico are "probably scratching their heads" at being considered threats to U.S. national security under the Department of Commerce's "Section 232" investigation.
Rather than risk a potential trade war by imposing tariffs on allies, Cutler argues that the Trump administration could instead address "unfair trading practices" by working with key partners to "present a cogent case" to countries such as China to open and reform their markets.
Wendy Cutler describes the implications of the Trump administration's proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum on the United States' economic and strategic partnerships.
Experts discuss the need to reform the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system.
Wendy Cutler discusses the U.S. retreat on trade in relation to the Trans Pacific Partnership, NAFTA, and U.S.-China ties.
Wendy Cutler speaks to NPR Morning Edition about Trump's plans to overhaul U.S. trade policy in 2018.
Wendy Cutler discusses which trade items are on the agenda for Donald Trump's first presidential trip to Asia.


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FDA moves toward menthol cigarettes ban
Philip Morris USA's market share is 9.4%
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it plans to ban sales of menthol cigarettes, a billion-dollar industry in which Philip Morris USA has a 9.4% market share.
Philip Morris USA, a subsidiary of Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., manufactures Marlboro menthol cigarettes among its other brands, but R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.’s Newport cigarettes are the top-selling menthol brand in the United States. The ban, which was widely anticipated after the FDA announced its intentions in spring 2021, would affect only traditional menthol cigarettes, not heated tobacco products like Altria’s IQOS and Marlboro HeatSticks. Those products, however, were pulled from the U.S. market in November 2021 after the federal International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that the products violated patents held by rival Reynolds.
“We believe harm reduction, not prohibition, is the better path forward,” Altria Group spokesman Steven Callahan said in a statement Thursday. “Taking these products out of the legal marketplace will push them into unregulated, criminal markets that don’t follow any regulations and ignore minimum age laws. We will continue to engage in this long-term regulatory process.”
Proponents of the ban, however, contend that the menthol ban could reduce the number of Black and younger smokers who are more likely to purchase mint-flavored cigarettes.
“The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Additionally, the proposed rules represent an important step to advance health equity by significantly reducing tobacco-related health disparities.”
According to the FDA, there were more than 18.5 million U.S. menthol smokers ages 12 and older in 2019, and studies have suggested that the nation could see a 15% reduction in smoking within 40 years if menthol cigarettes were banned, as well as a reduction of 324,000 to 654,000 deaths attributed to smoking over that time.
Altria also reported its 2022 first-quarter earnings Thursday, recording net revenue of $5.89 billion since Jan. 1, a decrease of 2.4% compared with the first quarter of 2021. The report says that supply chain disruptions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have contributed to higher energy prices, changes in consumer behavior and overall inflation.


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You may recall about the idea of an advanced keyboard using LCD displays for each key and a touch LCD panel across the top. “We call it our Adaptive Keyboard and it’s an idea that Steven Bathiche has been thinking about for many years in our Applied Sciences Group. This year we gave prototype hardware to a group of students and asked them to present their ideas at this year’s User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) symposium,” Larry Larsen.
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Toy industry rethinks merchandising, marketing as shoppers look for safe toys
(Associated Press WorldStream Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) NEW YORK_When Lisa Landry thinks ahead to holiday shopping for her 9-month-old boy, Ari, her concern isn't which toy is most exciting. It's which is safest.
"I'll be looking for anything that won't harm our child," she says. "It may not be super-fun."
Already crossed off from her shopping list: Toys made in China. The string of recalls of Chinese-made toys has Landry, of New York City, and legions of parents across the country leaning toward toys made elsewhere, including Europe and the United States.
That is creating a huge headache for retailers and toy makers at just about the worst possible time: They made the bulk of their manufacturing and wholesale orders months ago, when most of them envisioned row after row of toys from China on their shelves. More than 80 percent of toys sold in U.S. stores are made in China,
Now they're scrambling to make adjustments for customers who may want something else.
Toys "R" Us Inc. is looking at ways to expand its assortment of American-made toys and is expanding its assortment of organic products, though most of the holiday ordering is in place, according to spokeswoman Kathleen Waugh.
"We just want to be sure that customers are comfortable with our assortment," said Waugh. She said Toys "R" Us is also bringing in more European brands like Brio, a move that was in place before the string of recalls as part of its goal to differentiate itself from other retailers. But that merchandise strategy should gain more importance, she said.
Waugh confirmed the retailer is pulling a list of its resources that make American-made toys as part of an overall assessment of its assortment.
Brands like Little Tykes and K'Nex, whose products are made in the U.S., will be promoting their American heritage with bigger product labels and advertising campaigns, company executives said.
MGA Entertainment Inc., which has been branching out beyond its popular Bratz dolls and acquired the Little Tykes business last year, is looking to manufacture a new toy line here that will be marketed as an American brand, said CEO Isaac Larian. Bratz dolls are made in China. Larian couldn't specify when the new toy line would come out since the concept is still in its early stages.
In a statement, Laura Phillips, vice president and merchandise manager of toys at Wal-Mart, said she feels confident about current orders, but added, "We always are examining opportunities with suppliers who have capacity for U.S. production and will do so in seasons ahead."
The prospect of a difficult holiday season caps a year in which the $22.3 billion (16.34 billion) toy industry has been shaken by several high-profile recalls of Chinese-made products, from Hasbro Inc.'s faulty Easy Bake Ovens to RC2 Corp.'s Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway wooden toy line, which had lead paint.
The latest _ and considered to be the most damaging this year _ involved the worldwide recall of 1.5 million preschool toys from Fisher-Price, a division of Mattel, the nation's largest toy maker, and included popular Sesame Street and Nickelodeon characters.
The actions are part of a slew of recalls of Chinese-made products that range from faulty tires to poisoned pet food. But with children's lives at stake, the issue becomes extremely emotional, experts say.
How bad is it for toy companies? While most industry groups try to limit government regulation, the Toy Industry Association is working with Congress and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to help establish legislation that will make testing mandatory for all toy products, according to association chairman Dan Grossman.
There is no law now that requires toy testing, although toy makers adhere to voluntary standards and big retailers also do their own testing.
Tighter controls will add more costs to makers, which could result in higher prices at the stores, but a number of parents say they're willing to spend more for a toy if they knew it is safe.
"I would pay up to 50 percent more for something that I knew was well-made and safe," said Amy Lemen, 41, the mother of a five-year-old daughter, Audrey. The Austin, Tex. resident, who didn't have any of the tainted toys, said the latest recall will make her focus more on eco-friendly toys. Lemen may also buy fewer toys this holiday season, investing instead in more experiences such as taking her daughter to Sea World in San Antonio.
For now, toy companies that make their goods in Europe or in the U.S. are clearly benefiting from consumers' worry. Toy experts say that European makers adhere to higher safety standards than in the U.S. And even though European toy makers are shifting some of their production to China, the products are required to be tested before they re-enter the country of origin.
Michael Araten, president of K'Nex Industries, Inc., which produces the namesake brand, known for its plastic construction toys, and is the exclusive distributor for Brio in North America, said that deliveries to stores are up 25 percent in August and he expects a 30 percent increase this holiday season.
One online seller of European wooden toys, Oompa Enterprises Inc. has fielded hundreds of calls from concerned consumers since the Fisher-Price recall, according to CEO Milanie Cleere. She estimates those calls are coming in at about four times the volume they did before the trouble began.
She said she has personally spoken to several callers, including Landry, the mother from New York City, assuring them she carefully tests products her company sells.
Some experts believe the shift of focus from a toy's popularity to its safety could lead to a new, better criteria among parents.
"This is the time consumers have to look at the individual needs of a child _ age, skills and interest _ when buying toys and not just buy what the buzz or hot toylist is about," said Marianne M. Szymanski, publisher of Toytips.com, a toy guide.
On the Net:
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Mila Kunis was seen exiting a grocery store here with boyfriend Ashton Kutcher`s mother Diane.
Lewis Hamilton flew in from America to the UK after being told that his beloved aunt Diane has just weeks to live
Day in Pics: 19th April
Showbiz World - April 19, 2015
PM Modi in Canada


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Posts published in “Gab”
As you may or may not have heard, Gab is crushing it. Even VICE of all outlets admitted this earlier this week. Over the past six months we’ve been working diligently to make Gab more unstoppable, more decentralized, and most of all: more “user-friendly.”
Three years ago I was sitting in a coffee shop in San Francisco when I launched a new project called “Gab” into private beta testing. Months prior I had witnessed the rise in censorship happening across every social platform. It wasn’t just hearsay or a rumor, I was experiencing it first hand myself.


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On March 9, we held the inauguration of our new Labels facility on Strömgatan in Malmö, Sweden. We invited customers, press and our partners from HP, AB Graphical and Visutech.
A Swedish Magazine for the packaging and label industry featured us in an article in the latest issue of Packmarknaden “StrongPoint in a new production facility”. The new premises will give us a more efficient production. We also invested in HP Indigo 8,000 and Digicon Series 3 FastTrack from AB Graphic. It will provide our customers with the best opportunities in producing their labels.


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Say no to sag, the bit-tech way.
Rick gets his hands dirty with Skydance's VR zombie game.
Is this charming puzzle game safe to cross, or is it jaywalking toward disaster?
Is Google's payment service a threat to Paypal? It would seem that Ebay thinks so, as it puts the new Google service on the non-accepted payments list.
Google has recently announced its online payments service, Google Checkout. The company has teamed up with CitiGroup Financial to deliver the service.
Google is developing an online payment system designed to go toe to toe with PayPal, the New York Times reports. The new service is rumoured to be called Google Wallet.
February 17 2020 | 09:00
Copyright © 2000 - 2020, bit-tech.net. All rights reserved.


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Small business owners generally do a good job managing their online reviews, but many don’t do enough to promote their own brand, and that is a lost opportunity, according to D.C.-based business how-to website The Manifest.
A recent Manifest survey found 53% of small businesses actively manage online reviews by publicly responding to them. But only 40 percent of small businesses encourage happy customers to leave positive online reviews.
Why so shy to ask?
“It can be kind of uncomfortable for businesses to encourage customers to write them a review, because it might seem like they’re asking for a favor or they might not know how to ask. So I think that is something that a lot of people struggle with,” Toby Cox at The Manifest told WTOP.
Businesses that don’t encourage customers to leave positive reviews put themselves at a disadvantage because people are more likely to post negative reviews than positive ones.
“It is not hard to get a happy client to write a review, but it does take some nudging,” said Alan Rabinowitz, CEO of SEO Image.
While most businesses do respond to negative online reviews, nearly half choose to go the route of a private message and not publicly respond. That’s a mistake.
“Those that reach out privately need to also make sure they reach out publicly,” Cox said. “Online reviews are a public forum, and if people don’t see a response, they may think a business has ignored that feedback.”
On the flip side, publicly responding can work in a business’s favor.
“If a potential customer sees a company’s response to a negative review, they’re more likely to buy from them because it shows they care about their customers’ feedback,” said Anthony Will, CEO of Reputation Resolutions.
Those positive online reviews can be used to build a small business’s brand by promoting them on social media, but fewer than half do.
“More businesses need to take advantage of the opportunity social media presents for businesses to become their own advocate and build their reputation,” Cox said.
The Manifest surveyed 529 small business owners and managers in the U.S.


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Ibis hotels starts virtual pillow fight
The Ibis hotel chain, part of the Accor group, has just launched what it's calling the 'world’s biggest virtual pillow fight,' reported travel website Etravelblackboard.com Tuesday.travel Updated: Oct 25, 2012 13:09 IST
The Ibis hotel chain, part of the Accor group, has just launched what it's calling the 'world’s biggest virtual pillow fight,' reported travel website Etravelblackboard.com Tuesday.
The virtual pillow fight, which takes place on Ibis's Facebook page, is open to netizens in the Asia-Pacific region and will run until November 21.
Participants have to first become a fan of the Ibis Facebook page and access the pillow fight application before they can create customized pillows. The game really begins as players throw 'pillows' at one another to score points.
The activity, which is expected to last for six weeks, will see the ten highest-scoring players win a three-night stay at select Ibis family hotels in various Asia-Pacific destinations including India, Bangkok, Bali and Singapore. In addition, each week one random ‘Mystery Pillow’ will see one player win a hotel stay.
The Ibis Pillow Fight Party Facebook application can be accessed by Facebook users based in Asia-Pacific on desktop browsers and on iOS and Android mobile devices and is available in English, Thai and Bahasa Indonesia.
The virtual pillow fight is part of a global rebranding campaign for Accor group’s Ibis brand, which has 178 hotels in Asia-Pacific.
Ibis hotels launched a different promotion with a Facebook tie-in in Europe this autumn that saw fans of the brand's page have the chance to see their sleep charted as a work of art -- by sleeping in bedding connected to sensors which spurred a robotic arm to 'draw' its impressions on paper.
Meanwhile Marriott hotels launched a Facebook app in 2011 that allowed fans to run their own virtual hotel.


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Stevanato Group, Schott and Gerresheimer have confirmed their readiness to support a future Covid-19 Vaccine with pharmaceutical containers.
The CEOs of each of the pharmaceutical glass manufacturers said they were committed to ensuring ample supply of pharmaceutical containers for any Covid-19 vaccine and treatment developed.
The companies will make every effort to support the pharma industry’s’ priorities for overall medication supply in addition to Covid-19 drugs.
Each of the three companies manufactures billions of type-1 borosilicate glass vials, the most proven and most widely available material used to store and deliver vaccines around the world.
“We stand ready to support the pharmaceutical companies in the fight against the pandemic,” said Dr. Frank Heinricht, Chairman of Schott.
“We will do our utmost to provide the required containers in the best quality. The fact that 50 billion borosilicate glass containers are already deployed each year for a wide variety of vaccines and treatments, and that we have made significant investments to expand capacity makes us optimistic this can be achieved.”
Franco Stevanato, CEO of the Stevanato Group said: “To support the mass vaccination campaign and the ramp-up industrialization needs, we invested in increasing the manufacturing capacity of vials from borosilicate glass. Conscious of the role we play, we are committed to ensuring all patients around the world have access to the vaccines and treatments.”
Dietmar Siemssen, CEO Gerresheimer, said: “In 2019 and 2020 we are investing more than ever to deliver the highest quality products with additional capacity. We are fully prepared to support the global market demand for potential Covid-19 vaccines with our vials and syringes being produced in our large production facilities in the US, Mexico, Europe and Asia.”


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Congress mulls expansion of program to verify veteran-owned firms
- Staff Washington Business Journal
Lawmakers are exploring new ways to ensure contractors who say that they qualify for contracts set side for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses actually meet the requirement, and they are looking to the Veterans Affairs Department as an example, Federal News Radio reported.
The goal is to prevent bad actors from winning awards, which could result in $2.5 billion awarded to ineligible businesses over the next five years.
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Karbonn K25 mobile launched in India
By Anoop Kumawat 26 Jul, 2010 at 4:24:00 PM Description: Karbonn mobiles
, the country's one of the leading mobile handset maker, has recently launched the new dual SIM handset, named as Karbonn K25
. The new dual SIM phone is also equipped with QWERTY Keypad. The new Karbonn K25 is a multimedia phone and comes pre-installed with social networking apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Opera Mini, MSN and Yahoo Messenger. The all new Karbonn K 25 is packed with rich multimedia features including 2.3-inch QVGA display, GPRS, Bluetooth, 2.0 USB port, support for WAP, SMS, MMS, FM Radio and e-mail. It is priced at Rs. 4,400. The new Karbonn K25 weights 95 gms and 2.0 megapixel camera with digital zoom. The company offered a internal memory of 80 MB, which can expandable up to 8GB with microSD card slot on this dual SIM mobile phone. The newly launched mobile handset of Karbonn Mobiles
has fitted with standard Lithium-ion battery which is giving of up to 4 hours talk time.


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(CNN) – A new survey suggests Americans may be putting their health at risk while trying to protect themselves from COVID-19.
We’ve all been told to disinfect high-touch places to help slow the spread of COVID-19, but a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about a third of more than 500 Americans surveyed have used some kind of risky cleaning practice during this pandemic.
The CDC says people have put bleach in their food, others have gargled or inhaled it, and some have washed their bodies with household cleaning and disinfectant products.
None of which is recommended by the agency, but may explain the sharp increase in a number of calls to poison centers during this pandemic.
In the survey, people said they were cleaning more frequently but only about half said they really knew how to clean and disinfect their home safely.
The CDC recommends that people always read the instructions on cleaning products. When cleaning, wear gloves or other protective gear and don’t mix cleaning chemicals.
The CDC also said it will be important to continue efforts to better educate people on how to safely clean while they’re home.
Electrolyzed water (ie. hypochlorous acid) is an all-natural, no-rinse, non-toxic, non-irritant and environmentally safe antimicrobial solution that is the product of the electrochemical reaction of water, salt, and electricity. It serves as a potent antimicrobial agent, approximately 100 times as effective as chlorine bleach.


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Monday 4 December 2023
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Server management SoC solution provider Aspeed Technology has set a flat or slight 5% revenue growth target for 2023.
Monday 20 February 2023
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Meet the analyst: Operating system in AI era will be king, says DIGITIMES Research
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WHEN two mothers from Manchester were made redundant from their jobs with Britain’s biggest childrenswear retailer they knew they had the skills to win a slice of the market.
Helen Flowers and Elaine Smyth met when they worked together at Mothercare for six years, Helen as a product manager and Elaine as an accountant.
When that came to an end in 2007, they launched their own high-end baby clothing brand Toffee Moon.
Sales are growing in the UK and the duo are now eyeing expansion into Europe.
Elaine said: “We had always had a huge interest in baby fashion. When Mothercare closed its sourcing department and moved it to Shanghai we saw redundancy as an opportunity.
“We took the skills and knowledge we had built up there to start something that we felt fulfilled a need, creating very comfortable, well-designed clothing with huge attention to detail.
“Helen did design at university and she has got a great eye for detail, while my background in accountancy means I have the skill set for commercial sourcing, wider strategy and distribution.”
The clothes are manufactured at factories in India and Turkey, with ranges released twice a year. The brand is available online through the Toffee Moon website and has been signed up by 50 stockists, including Harvey Nichols.
Elaine said: “Our route to department stores and boutiques has been through trade shows. Retailers tell us it is a very cost-effective range as it sells itself with no marketing.
“We currently make clothes for children up to one year old, but for this spring/summer we will expand our knitwear range for children up to two.”
Sales of the 2009 spring/summer collection totalled 5,000 items, while Elaine predicts that the autumn/winter 2010 range will sell 25,000.
Toffee Moon will begin its foray into Europe at an Amsterdam trade show this month.
Elaine said: “The design is very simple and tasteful and we have been advised it will be popular in northern Europe.
“We are looking to take on agents in Europe, and further afield when the time is right.”


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Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning.
According to Zacks, “Rent-A-Center's shares have underperformed the industry in the past six months, as investors remain concerned about the company’s waning top and bottom lines. In third-quarter 2017, the company posted a loss of 15 cents a share that missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and also fell sharply from the year-ago period. Top line also slid year over year and came below the consensus mark, after surpassing the same in the preceding quarter. Comps also declined but improved sequentially. Nevertheless, the company is concentrating on a new labor model, supply chain initiative and productivity enhancements. These endeavors are directed toward improving the performance of Core U.S. segment, optimizing the Acceptance Now business and enhancing distribution channels as well as integrating retail and online offerings. The company is also rationalizing its store base and lowering its debt load. It is exploring strategic and financial alternatives.”
Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. BidaskClub downgraded shares of Rent-A-Center from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Jefferies Group cut their target price on shares of Rent-A-Center from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Raymond James Financial reissued a market perform rating on shares of Rent-A-Center in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a hold rating and set a $10.50 price target on shares of Rent-A-Center in a report on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, Loop Capital set a $8.00 price target on shares of Rent-A-Center and gave the company a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $11.21.
Shares of Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ RCII) traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $11.40. 1,042,323 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,415,622. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 2.55. Rent-A-Center has a 52 week low of $7.76 and a 52 week high of $13.89. The firm has a market cap of $594.96, a P/E ratio of -3.45 and a beta of 0.69.
Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 30th. The company reported ($0.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.07). Rent-A-Center had a negative net margin of 6.35% and a negative return on equity of 0.66%. The firm had revenue of $643.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $649.09 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.11 earnings per share. Rent-A-Center’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. analysts expect that Rent-A-Center will post -0.2 EPS for the current year.
Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of RCII. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rent-A-Center by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,551,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,188,000 after acquiring an additional 45,451 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA grew its holdings in shares of Rent-A-Center by 19.2% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $346,000 after acquiring an additional 4,748 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Rent-A-Center by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 91,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after acquiring an additional 7,300 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Rent-A-Center by 1,124.8% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,229,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA purchased a new position in shares of Rent-A-Center during the 2nd quarter valued at $335,000.
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Rent-A-Center, Inc is a rent-to-own operator in North America. The Company provides an opportunity to obtain ownership of products, such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers (including tablets), smartphones and furniture (including accessories), under rental purchase agreements. The Company operates in four segments: Core U.S., Acceptance Now, Mexico, and Franchising.
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BAGHDAD, IRAQ – Iraq’s public tendering system is a mess. The Iraqi Grain Board (IGB) has extended, or “renewed,” tenders on several occasions, most recently with the current tender initially set to close on September 9, but now extended until September 29. The IGB’s contracts committee has not met as scheduled, leading to the current delay.
Adding to the turmoil are unrealistic offers of U.S. origin rice from Indian companies. There were four offers of U.S. rice in the current tender, three of which were from India-based companies that are reportedly not among the first tier of Indian exporters. One of the companies has a history of providing basmati rice to Iraq under public tenders; the other two are either small time exporters or serve as an export front for a miller (typically Indian millers register more than a few companies as exporters and use them specifically where government contracts are involved). Finally, we learned earlier today that a new Trade Minister has reportedly been named.
To say the least, a difficult market to navigate, but navigate it USA Rice will.
“USA Rice remains engaged with the Trade Ministry through several channels, including the U.S. Embassy here, to ensure U.S. origin rice gets fair consideration under the public tendering system,” said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. “If indeed a new minister has been named, we will redouble our efforts to develop meaningful relationships with the Minister as well as members of the Grain Board, which is also likely to see some changes in personnel. Obviously, we can’t control the outcome of this or future tenders, but we will make every effort to keep the spotlight on U.S. rice as a viable option for purchase by Iraq.”


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How Renault’s reorganisation could put social impact in the driving seat
The reorganisation of French carmaker Renault is an “amazing” opportunity to accelerate the firm’s social impact, said the director of its Social Business Mobilize programme today.
Speaking to attendees at the C Summit, the annual gathering for corporate social investors, François Rouvier described how the company’s new CEO, Luca de Meo, had decided this year to reorganise internally into four business units: Renault, Dacia, Alpine and New Mobility. The latter, which includes its Mobilize programme, “could be a social brand”, said Rouvier, who said it was “amazing” to see what had begun as a relatively small corporate responsibility initiative potentially becoming a “structural brand” for the Renault group.
Though it was unclear whether the Covid-19 crisis had directly influenced de Meo’s decision, Rouvier said that the pandemic had “accelerated” the firm’s social impact efforts. Many employees whose working hours were reduced during the peak of the crisis had spent their free time helping to address the effects of Covid; for example, engineers had worked to develop respiratory devices.
In every kind of business relationship, you can ask yourself: which social impact can I have?
Renault’s Mobilize programme was launched in 2012, and claims to be the first ever social entrepreneurship initiative from a car manufacturer.
The idea, said Rouvier (pictured), was that ‘social’ and ‘business’ were not incompatible “like vinegar and oil”, but could be merged “into something new”.
The programme now covers three areas: partnerships with academia, including with HEC Paris, a business school with a strong focus on social business; an impact investment fund that backs innovative projects with a significant benefits for mobility; and development of other business projects – “as many as possible” – with a social impact.
Positive outcomes for people or planet could be found in every aspect of business, Rouvier said. “In every kind of business relationship, you can ask yourself: which social impact can I have? Which social ‘bonus’ can I give to the most vulnerable people I have as customers or producers?”
Not like 2008
Renault’s case was presented as an example of how this year’s crisis could spark more awareness of social issues among businesspeople.
Rouvier said employee engagement was “probably the most efficient way” to drive corporate change, because “there are plenty of ideas, plenty of people in companies who want to engage, and who know exactly what to do”. Many of those involved in Covid solidarity efforts wanted to continue in some way, he said.
But some of those attending today’s session expressed concerns that even the major upsets of 2020 may not be enough to drive long-lasting change.
C-suite executives might want to do more, but not necessarily know how. Some may feel it’s better to delay making changes until the crisis passes – but once it's over, see little urgency to address major social problems. More education may be needed: consumers talk a lot about changing their buying habits, yet many unsustainable brands remain popular.
And Vincent Faber, executive director of the Trafigura Foundation, reminded participants that many of the “big intentions” to do things differently after the 2008 financial crisis had fallen short.
“In the end, nothing really changed. So, let’s not do it again that way – let’s be serious about the change.”
In the end nothing really changed after 2008. Let’s not do it again that way – let’s be serious about the change
Leslie Johnston, CEO of the Laudes Foundation, said philanthropic organisations could play an important role in challenging those who were still thinking too short-term.
“We can take risks, we can stick our necks out, we can inspire business to change… but we can also nudge,” she said. The foundation’s Fashion for Good initiative, for example, was matchmaking brands with innovators and had sparked “a flurry of creativity and ingenuity” to help make the fashion industry more sustainable. Those involved had also found ways to repurpose some of the tonnes of unwanted stock that could not be sold due to Covid.
This nudging and influencing role was particularly needed to take on the climate crisis – “the biggest challenge of our century” – because business as usual would not be enough to make the change required, Johnston said.
“I don't even like the words ‘build back better’, because we don't want to go back, we want to go forward,” she said.
Pioneers Post was a media partner of the C Summit, which took place online on 3-4 December and is co-organised by EVPA and Dafne. Find all our reporting from the event here.
Header image by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash


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While Level-5 previously confirmed a western release for Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy on mobile devices, the game’s 3DS version remained in limbo.
Now, we’ve learned the Nintendo 3DS version is getting a western release as well, sometime this fall. The iOS and Android version is set for a worldwide release on July 20th.
Here’s a rundown on the game, via Level-5:
Formerly titled Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadne’s Conspiracy, this new installment of the Professor Layton series is a strategic mystery puzzle solving game that follows Katrielle Layton, who searches for her missing father Professor Hershel Layton.
The new title is an exciting departure from previous games in the Professor Layton series as it is made up of a combination of smaller conundrums and puzzles that need to be solved in order to complete the overall mystery. This new format is going to appeal to existing Layton fans as well as attract a brand new audience.
Level-5 says also noted the Professor Layton series has sold over 16.0 million units worldwide.


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THE LEGO GROUP has recently announced that they will produce a fan designed SESAME STREET inspired LEGO set. This is from their fan design submission platform, LEGO IDEAS.
Fan designer, Ivan Guerrero(bulldoozer21) who hails from the Philippines submitted his idea to the platform in October 2017 and after a long journey, finally made the 10,000 vote milestone in May 2019 which allowed it to be reviewed by the review board. It was announced to be a successful project via FB live stream from the LEGO House on the 26 of September 2019.
Mr. Guerrero, a commercial filmmaker by trade, took several months to conceptualize and design the set which consists of approximately 2,945pcs. He even gave consistent updates to his project and additional ideas based on new LEGO pieces that have been introduced since his original submission including the purple hairpiece that was introduced with THE LEGO MOVIE 2 in 2019 which fits Abby Cadabby to a tee.
As usual, LEGO might change some elements to make the set viable for mass production and ensure all reliability and safety guidelines are met but we are anticipating high demand for the set as the generation who grew up with Big Bird, Oscar, Bert, Ernie and the rest of the gang on Sesame Street would be more than happy to share it with the next generation.
Mr. Guerrero had previously gave a brief insight into the project via the 10k club series on the LEGO IDEAS blog. Link to the interview here and also provided loads of updates to his project and interesting trivia on Sesame Street here.


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The numbers: The cost of wholesale goods and services rose milder 0.5% in April vs the prior month, but intense inflationary pressures in the guts of the economy showed little sign of relenting.
Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a 0.5% advance.
In March, wholesale prices had jumped 1.6% largely because of a surge in oil prices.
The increase in wholesale prices over the past year, meanwhile, slowed to 11% from 11.5%, the government said Thursday.
That’s the first drop since the pandemic started, mirroring a decline in the rate of consumer inflation last month.
Trends in wholesale prices offer clues on the path of inflation — what consumers end up paying for what they buy. Yet inflation is still running at the highest rate in 40 years and the wholesale report didn’t show much sign that price pressures will ease considerably in the near future.
So-called core wholesale prices rose 0.6%, roughly in line with the average increase over the past 12 months. Wall Street had expected a 0.6% advance.
The Federal Reserve views the core rate as a clearer window into inflation trends because it strips out volatile food and energy prices. Households still devote a large share of their budgets to fuel and meals, however.
Big picture: High inflation has become a big worry for consumers, businesses and investors. It’s also causing a political crisis in Washington.
The Fed is moving to lift interest rates rapidly to try to contain inflation, but it takes time for higher rates to have an effect.
What’s more, a lot of the inflation is tied to global supply shortages that the central bank cannot resolve unless it tries to slow the economy — an approach that could tip the U.S. into recession.
Key details: The wholesale cost of goods jumped 1.3% last month, reflecting increases in autos, chicken, eggs electricity and natural gas.
Gas prices fell last month after rising sharply in March following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The bad news is, prices are on the rise again.
The wholesale cost of food in April leaped 1.5%. Prices at the grocery store have climbed at the fastest pace since 1981 and are unlikely to reverse course in the near future.
The cost of services were flat in April.
The cost of partly finished goods and raw materials, both jumped in April. These prices remain extremely high, offering little sign of an imminent and rapid slowdown in inflation.
Raw-material prices, for example. are up 48% in the past year.
The PPI report reflects what companies pay for supplies such as grains, fuel, metals, lumber, packaging and so forth. Steadily rising wholesale prices tend to be a harbinger of higher inflation.
Looking ahead: “Coupled with yesterday’s modest reprieve in consumer price inflation, the latest PPI data offer tentative signs that price pressures perhaps peaked early in the [second quarter],” said U.S. economist Mahir Rasheed of Oxford Economics.
“Still need a lot more evidence needed before we can declare that inflation has peaked,” said senior economist Jennifer Lee of BMO Capital Markets. ” But at least there’s been one step.”
Market reaction: The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 were set to decline again in Thursday trades. Stocks have fallen sharply in the past week.


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Banco de España (BDE), Spain’s central financial institution, has released a report in which it noted that bitcoin (BTC) is not an effective medium-of-exchange (MoE).
Although BDE’s report did not consider the significant improvements in speed and cheaper cryptocurrency transactions now being facilitated by the Lightning Network (LN), the formal write-up mentioned that the Bitcoin network was unable to function as an efficient payment system. According to BDE, the decentralized nature of Bitcoin and the lack of third-parties to confirm transactions severely limits the cryptocurrency’s ability to facilitate mass value exchange.
Centralized Systems Are More Effective At Processing Payments
BDE’s 35-page report, titled (translated from Spanish) “Bitcoin: A solution for payment systems or a solution in search of a problem?”, stated that decentralization requires a “process of intensive validation [which] … consumes [a lot] of resources, [thus] reducing system efficiency.”
Meanwhile, “centralized systems with an intermediary trusted by the parties allow the design of much simpler and cheaper [transaction] systems”, BDE’s report asserted.
The report’s author, Carlos Conesa, BDE’s deputy general director of financial innovation and market infrastructures, argued that proper payment systems should facilitate the transfer of funds between two parties in a quick, secure, and cost-effective manner. According to Conesa, the Bitcoin network cannot settle transactions efficiently.
In the report, Conesa also mentions that the Bitcoin network can only handle about 600,000 transactions per day – which is “insignificant” compared to the more established payment processors.
Although Bitcoin’s payment system may not be perfect, there are many analysts who believe the pseudonymous cryptocurrency is able to function as a MoE and also as a store of wealth. Clem Chambers, CEO of ADVFN.com, a financial website focused on helping private investors, recently explained why he thinks bitcoin is real money:
ADVFN.com CEO Says Bitfcoin Is “An Excellent Means Of Exchange”
Chambers revealed that he had “made a lot of money out of crypto” and that he “can tell you categorically that” bitcoin has all the essential properties, or characteristics, of money. He argued that bitcoin serves as “an excellent means of exchange” because users “can’t reverse a BTC payment like a payment by credit card.” By bringing finality to transactions, merchants that accept bitcoin don’t have to worry about receiving backcharges, months after they’ve already provided a service or product, Chambers explained.
Notably, the experienced financial professional pointed out that business-to-business (B2B) transactions involving fiat currencies can only be processed during business (or banking) hours. However, crypto transactions with BTC are available all the time, as Chambers remarked:
Bitcoin is 24/7/365, the banking system is not. The blockchain works weekends, holidays and evenings, like our international sales staff and our websites.


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Sending new Starlink satellites into orbit to carry web service to all inaccessible elements of the world, SpaceX has already opened its service in lots of international locations.
Whereas the corporate desires to cowl all international locations by the top of the yr, there are additionally fraudsters who flip this into a possibility.
by way of a website they arrange in Iran. starlink scammers attempting to promote the subscription had been observed by cautious customers.
THEY ARE SELLING CHEAP
the fee bitcoin The scammers, who settle for over the web, are attempting to gather clients by promoting the Starlink set up worth of $ 249, the traditional worth of which is $ 499.
At present, SpaceX accepts functions solely by way of the official Starlink website. Nevertheless, malicious individuals proceed to promote companies to Iranian residents by way of “www.starlinkiran.com”.
SITE STILL ACTIVE
Fraudulent website concentrating on Iranian shoppers nonetheless in energetic state. Alternatively, it’s not but recognized how a lot Bitcoin the Iranians misplaced to the fraudsters.
SpaceX’s satellite tv for pc web service, Starlink, is just out there on “www.starlink.com”. For that reason, customers in our nation should be cautious in opposition to totally different websites that use the identical design.
#Scammers #hunt #Bitcoin #fake #Starlink #Iranian #website
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Today the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced that Rogers Media, one of the largest mobile phone and cable companies in Canada, had agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve long running violations of Canada’s Anti-Spam Law. For over a year, July 2014 to July 2015, Rogers sent e-mail with opt-out links that didn’t work, or if they did work Rogers continued to send mail anyway. The details of the undertaking Rogers agreed to are here.
Rogers is a big sophisticated company, and there’s no good reason they can’t manage their mail to stop sending ads when people ask them to. This kind of spam is particularly hard to filter, since the same message might be sent to a Rogers customer who’d agreed to receive it, and to someone else who’t told them to stop.


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Commonwealth Bank-backed Swedish bank and payments fintech Klarna has raised US$1 billion (A$1.3bn) in a fresh equity round from new and existing investors that gives values the business at an astonishing US$31 billion (A$40bn). That new valuation is a 200% jump on just six months ago, and a rise of nearly 500% on the US$5.5bn… Read more »
Former Commonwealth Bank executive Angela Clark has been appointed CEO of Beem It, the P2P payments app launched by a handful of banks earlier this year.
The RegTech Association has appointed former general manager Deborah Young as its new CEO, with Commonwealth Bank’s Jasper Poos coming on as a director.
Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, and National Australia Bank are launching a payments app to enable instant payments for consumers and businesses.
Blockchain startup R3 raises US$107 million Series A with participation from Westpac and Commonwealth Bank
Blockchain startup R3 has announced the close of a US$107 (AU$143) million Series A round, marking the largest raise for a blockchain startup to date.
This will allow any vendor using the point-of-sale system to essentially become a delivery-ready store, with GetSwift automatically queueing, batching, routing, and dispatching the delivery of any products purchased through an Albert POS.
MEETIG8’s online job marketplace provides a simplistic and cheap way for companies to hire freelance risk compliance and audit professionals.
Wagga Wagga coworking space Working Spaces HQ has announced the second cohort taking part in Incubate @ 35 degrees, its regional incubator program.
The Commonwealth Bank has announced the sale of its remaining stake in Visa for $439 million following a review of its capitalised software assets.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ant Financial Services Group’s mobile and online payment platform, Alipay.
Sydney fintech startup Kounta has today announced a partnership with the Commonwealth Bank which will see a range of payment and point-of-sale processes integrated into the bank’s EFTPOS tablet ‘Albert’.


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Mayor Gavin Newsom will stroll down Market Street on Friday, possibly to admire how few cars are on the road following recent traffic adjustments.
What the mayor will be doing there is slightly a mystery. The Mayor’s Office has called this a “wait and see” event. But the language promoting the event in Newsom’s schedule provides enough clues:
At 5 p.m., Newsom will “tour new Market Street improvements and launch new arts and economic development initiative.”
He will walk from 1231 Market St. (by Eighth Street) and continue to 989 Market St. (by Sixth Street)
This could mean that the Market Street changes, which have been occurring on a trial basis, are here to stay. Or maybe not?
As they said, we’ll have to wait and see.