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NEW DELHI: "Do you know that 75% of Indians who need specs don’t wear glasses?" asks Peyush Bansal
, chief executive and a co-founder of eyewear online portal Lenskart.com
Bansal started his career in 2007, founding online campus classified Searchmycampus.com for college students that later laid the foundation of Lenskart.com. The company claims to offer more than 10,000 frames on its portal at up to 70% cheaper prices.
When most of India's e-commerce players such as Flipkart
, Myntra and Jabong were betting big on fashion and consumer electronics marketplace model, Bansal and his core team chose to enter the niche category of eyewear e-tailing
. Not only was the category unique, it also required personalised service to reach consumers at their doorsteps.
"We knew that we were challenging the local opticians and reaching out to customers directly by creating trust," said Bansal.
Customer service, price points, quality, accessibility and eye check-up were some initial difficulties that the start-up turned into opportunities.
"Nobody was working towards consumer satisfaction while we wanted to bring that change by connecting directly with the customers," said
The other two founders include Amit Choudhary and Sumeet Kapahi, who met through LinkedIn. Together, the three founders devised the following strategies to make a success of their venture.Free eye check-up and trials of frames at home:
Lenskart started with a unique service to make consumers aware of their need for spectacles.
"We send our employees through two-wheelers to connect with a lot of consumers who were either hesitant to meet doctors or were lazy to go for eye check-up or were senior citizens who needed help," said Bansal. This initiative has a high conversion rate as one in two visits yields a sale for the portal.Trying frames online:
The portal introduced this technology to allow customers to check frames online, making it easier to turn curious online shoppers into buyers.Partnering with non-optical people in tier 2 and tier 3 cities:
In order to scale up business, Lenskart selected people from different tier 2 and tier 3 cities to promote free check-ups. This extended to visiting companies and giving free-check up to employees. Today, the company targets 90 companies every month to spread awareness on eye care.Partnering with doctors:
The company is working closely with doctors to include eye specialists in its mission.Micro precision zero-error manufacturing:
Lenskart uses robotic technique with laser precision machines to shape the lenses, beating the local optician with zero-error customisation process that is first of its kind in the country.


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Toyota Steers The Prius West
TOYOTA WILL EXPORT ITS PRIUS compact car, which is powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity, to North America and Europe in 2000. On July 14, the auto maker announced that it wants to sell 20,000 of the Prius cars annually in North America and Europe combined. Toyota has sold 7,700 Prius models in Japan since it launched the model last December. Corporations and government agencies have snapped up 40% of them, mostly over-40 individuals buying most of the rest. But the company has been selling the Prius for below cost. Toyota is aiming to improve the car's breakeven point by selling more overseas.
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A Bitcoin Frenzy Like No Other Is Gripping South Korea
Like thousands of South Koreans, Moonsung Bae is infatuated by bitcoin.
Digital currency exchange NiceHash says bitcoin worth nearly US$64m hacked
Cryptocurrency marketplace NiceHash said the contents of its bitcoin wallet had been stolen in a security breach and one executive said nearly US$64 million had been lost.
Isle of Man Official Announces Permissive ICO Regulations
Regulation An official representing the Isle of Man has revealed the British dependent has developed a permissive regulatory framework designed to encourage initial coin offerings. Defying current …
Capital TV | Cryptocurrency is the next step in the digitization of everything
Capital TV | International,Cryptocurrency
Steemians, welcome to another Cryptocurrency Social Media roundup post.
Follow @icocoin – A great way keep up with the latest cryptocurrency social media news.
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Enjoy and stay tuned for our next edition!
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"Regardless of what you heard of Lehman Brothers' risk management, I had 27,000 risk managers because they all owned a piece of the firm," he said.» Read More
Regulating Internet providers more like utilities could hurt the Internet and the U.S. economy, technology and equipment makers have told the U.S.
Morgan Stanley has agreed to pay $95 million to resolve a suit accusing it of misleading investors in mortgage-backed securities.
Trump Entertainment Resorts on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
U.S. employers are planning to give raises averaging 3% next year, against 2.9% in 2014 and 2013, according to a survey of nearly 1,100 companies.
Click ahead to see some ads from around the world which aimed to change the way that people think.
Here's why Roth IRA accounts make a good choice for people of all ages.
Don't spend a ton protecting your home. These frugal fixes will keep your house safe.
In one of the longest prison sentences for insider trading, SAC's Martoma was also ordered to forfeit $9.38 million by a federal judge in New York.
Menswear is definitely having a moment—and the excitement was palpable during the first few days of New York Fashion Week.
The home-improvement retailer officially confirmed a data breach. Home Depot's investigation is focused on transactions made as far back as April.
General Mills will acquire organic food producer Annie's for about $820M in cash as it works to boost its presence in the natural food space.
Crop and livestock producers are feeling down about their situations, according to a survey released Monday. Falling crop prices are partly to blame.
The NFL responds to a report that it didn't ask a casino for video showing Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee in a hotel elevator.
The home, believed to now be America's most expensive public listing, has set a new high-water mark for real estate.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, stymied in his efforts to expand Medicaid in the state, Monday said he would extend health coverage to 25,000 people.
General Electric said it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its appliance business to Electrolux for $3.3 billion.
S. Truett Cathy died early Monday, a company spokesman said. He was 93.
Congress finally returns this week after its long recess and prepares to do what it does best: Absolutely nothing, Politico's Ben White says.
As consumers soon line up at Apple stores for the iPhone 6, iCracked will be right there with them, trying to buy their old phones.
Microsoft is paying a lot of money to have NFL coaches and players use its Surface tablet. But the announcers keep calling it something else.
Get the best of CNBC in your inbox
Facebook vp of messaging David Marcus, discusses broadening the expression with messaging, the product's experience and the move into payments.
The world's most popular sport is embroiled in a massive, decades-long global corruption scheme.
Former Lehman CEO Dick Fuld will speak shortly at the Marcum MicroCap Conference, with CNBC's Kate Kelly.


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Lookers PLC (LOOK.L)
Wed, Mar 7 2018
March 7 Lookers Plc, Britain's largest car dealer, reported a 2.7 percent rise in annual profit on Wednesday despite the overall new car market shrinking for the first time since 2011.
March 7 British car dealer Lookers Plc reported a 2.7 percent rise in 2017 profit, with growth seen across all its businesses particularly its used car segment.
* WILL COMMENCE TO PURCHASE ORDINARY SHARES OF 5 PENCE EACH IN COMPANY FOR AGGREGATE PURCHASE OF UP TO £10 MILLION
* FY TOTAL NEW CAR TURNOVER UP 12% AND 3% ON A LIKE-FOR-LIKE BASIS DESPITE A REDUCTION IN OVERALL MARKET VOLUMES
- Billion-Dollar Unicorns: Looker Counts On Big Data Analytics
- Why Looksmart Holders May Realize Less Than $1 Per Share In Value
- What You Need To Know About The LookSmart Merger Spin-Off
- LookSmart (LOOK) Stock Skyrocketing Today on Spin Off and Merger Announcement
- LookSmart: Clickable Is Gaining Traction But Overshadowed By Near Term Liquidity Risk
- AOL Surges, General Electric Drops: Tech Winners & Losers


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The Galaxy S4, Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone, was announced on 14 March 2013 and comes with NFC. More
- Chase to issue contactless cards to “millions” of US credit and debit cardholders
- Network West Midlands integrates its transit card with Google Pay
- Android patches add NFC support for Google’s Titan security keys
- Fossil launches sports watch with NFC payments
- Veterans charity uses contactless cards to collect donations via NFC
Feed for devices tagged ‘Visa’.


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Using digital health tech is a new normal for U.S. consumers, including Seniors, found in the 2018 digital health consumer survey from Deloitte. The title of the report, “Consumers are on board with virtual health options,” summarizes the bullish outlook for telehealth.
That’s the consumer-demand side of the equation. But the tagline begs the supply side question: “Can the health care system deliver?”
For a decade or longer, we’ve noted the slow uptake of telehealth and digital health tools among healthcare providers. But the consumer pressures, along with evidence-based self-service options for health – both for “care” and for wellness, fitness and prevention – bring us to this inflection point for virtual health.
Deloitte defines “virtual health” as enabling continuous, connected care via digital and telecommunication technologies. This includes patient-facing applications like video visits, remote monitoring, asynchronous visits, and medication adherence, among other applications.
While Millennials are more likely to current use digital health tools compared with older Americans, Seniors’ killer-app for digital health is ePrescribing, refilling prescriptions, used by nearly one-half of older people. This is roughly equal to patients across all age cohorts in the study.
One in five seniors is monitoring health issues via technologies, which include by definition websites, mobile apps, digital assistants, personal medical devices, or fitness monitors.
Among consumers who use digital technology to track health, the use of digital assistants such as Amazon Echo/Alexa, Echo Dot, or Google Home, is growing. 81% of Millennials who track health via tech have called on a digital assistant to monitor health; and 44% of Seniors have done so.
Note that 57% of Seniors who use tech to track health have used a digital assistant to receive alerts for medication.
Deloitte surveyed 4,530 U.S. adults in February and March 2018 for this research, conducted in English and Spanish. The study defines Millennials as those born between 1982 and 1997, Generation X as those born between 1965 and 1981, Baby Boomers as those born between 1946 and 1964, and Seniors as those born before 1946.
Health Populi’s Hot Points: At this inflection point where patients and providers are coming together for virtual health, the third chart shows the gap between customer service levels expected by patients-as-consumers.
There’s a telling data point in this study which found that patients managing chronic conditions tend to be satisfied with virtual visits they’ve experienced. One hypothesis here is that people dealing with diseases appreciate the ability to get care outside of office hours, in more convenient times and settings. These are the experienced patients, who know about long waits in doctors’ ante-rooms, stressfully anticipating lab test results, and queueing up at the drugstore for prescription drug refills.
What’s perhaps most encouraging on the demand side is that seniors are keen to use technology for future health care needs. More older people have signed on to social networks to keep in touch with friends and grandchildren, and are using smarter phones and tablets. More would like to use tech to access and transmit personal health information to their doctors, to monitor health issues, along with health and fitness improvement goals.
The design challenges, which are suggested in the third experience chart, are evident. Over time, provider workflows and patient life-flows will teach us what we need to know to improve the experience for both sides of the clinical conversation. Being mindful of those learnings, and iteratively re-designing the lessons into the patient and clinician journeys, will help ease people into virtual health care as a new normal.
This is important beyond satisfying consumer demand. To forge a sustainable, high-performing health care system for the longer run, nudging people toward lower-cost settings that can deliver on quality is a necessity. A study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine showed consumers’ growing use of urgent care centers replacing some emergency room visits for low-acuity conditions. This demonstrates that patients can develop and flex new health consumer muscles making rational decisions to opt for new sites of care that make sense based on their perceived health care needs, preferences and personal health economies.
The gap between health consumers and clinicians remains, as Deloitte found earlier this year, covered here in Health Populi. Those providers who meet consumers’ demands for convenient, quality care will be seen relevant in patients’ lives and daily life-flows — from Millennial to Senior.


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Imagine the doll that you once held when you were a child will be recieving her own CFDA award. The style icon and popular doll has worked with 75 designers and influencers over the years and has held 200 occupations! The doll has undergone several makeover overs the past years – including, different body types and hair textures to further the diversity of the doll.
On June 3rd, Barbie will be recieving the Board of Directors’ Tribute Award, she will join the ranks of First Lady Michelle Obama, Tom Ford, Gloria Steinem, Janelle Monáe, Cecile Richards and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
“Barbie has had such wide influence on American fashion and culture,” said Steven Kolb, president and chief executive officer of the CFDA. “Her story personally resonates with so many CFDA members that the board of directors decided to honor her with the special tribute.”
The CFDA awards will be taking place in the Brooklyn Museum! Are you excited that Barbie will be getting this award?!


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Google is testing a new feature called "Talk to a Live Rep" that helps you make a call, wait on hold, and then get a call back when a human representative is available. After reports surfaced about this tool, Google confirmed to TechCrunch that it is indeed testing this feature. It's designed to save people from waiting endlessly on hold, listening to recorded music, just to speak to a customer service rep.
How it works
The new AI feature is currently being tested in English for users in the US who are part of Google Search Labs. It works on the Google app for Android and iOS, as well as Chrome on desktop. Similar to Google Pixel's "Hold for Me" feature, it navigates the phone tree for you and then calls you back when a representative is available.
Comparison with "Hold for Me"
While "Hold for Me" is available only on Pixel phones, "Talk to a Live Rep" is accessible to both Android and iOS users.
Reports suggest that businesses in various sectors, including airlines, telecommunications, retail, services, and insurance, will support this new feature.
This new feature aims to make customer service calls more convenient by saving users time and frustration. Navigating the phone tree for you and waiting on hold, allows you to go about your day without having to listen to music.


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JERICHO, NY – Evan Christodoulou is building the world’s largest Porsche dealership, on Long Island.
The new building for the Porsche Roslyn dealership is being constructed at 125 South Service Rd in Jericho. Jericho, NY.
Christodoulou spoke about the proposed building with pride to TNH. It will not only be the largest Porsche dealership, but the most contemporary.
Until the end of the last decade, the largest dealership ever built was located in South Africa. Another was built later in Florida, which at 67,000 square feet was considered to be the biggest in the world.
The Porsche Roslyn dealership, at 125,000 square feet, will double the Florida one in size.
Because there isn’t a great deal of land available in Jericho, Christodoulou explained, it is necessary to build vertically, as if often the case in Manhattan. The building will be five stories tall.
Christodoulou expects it to open in January.
“The new dealership will be of the highest standards,” Christodoulou told TNH, noting that there will be big-screen TVs, waiting areas for adults and children, and “any other amenities necessary to make waiting as pleasant as possible.”
THE FUTURE IS NOW
The showroom, fourth-generation Porsche, will be the most technologically advanced to date, he said. There will be even more technicians on hand, which means expanded hours of service, including Sundays.
Porsche Roslyn was founded 11 years ago and has been on the rise ever since. We expect to sell 760 new cars and 400 used cars this year. 70% of new car sales are through leasing because it is popular in New York,” Christodoulou said. A lot has changed over the past decade, and to put things in perspective, about 20,000 Porsches in total were sold ten years ago, he explained, compared to the 60,000 expected to be sold in 2016.
To understand all of the “huge” technological changes, Christodoulou describes how the technicians go to Atlanta, GA to be trained on the new models – 17 of them – which are fuel efficient and equipped with higher horsepower.
“The technology applied to the new cars is quite impressive. Needless to say, whatever is available on an Apple phone can be available through the car’s navigation system. We use Google Maps, which provide concise information about traffic and offer the choice to be navigated via other routes with less or no traffic.”
Regarding fuel consumption, Christodoulou noted that “at the moment, the price of gas is low, but it will not remain this low forever. The new Porsche 911 model may have 35% more horsepower, but it is 30% more fuel efficient at the same time. Advancements have contributed to the increase of engine performance and to the reduction of size.”
HYBRIDS AND PRICES
Christodoulou told TNH that Porsche has followed on the heels of the automotive industry as to hybrid and electric cars. “Porsche’s hybrids, such as the Cayenne E-Hybrid and the Panamera E-Hybrid, are already on the market, and are likely to see an increase. Porsche’s technological advancement is unique, and will manufacture a new model, the Porsche Mission E, by the end of 2017, which will be autonomous for 500 miles and will be able to recharge the battery to 80% within 20 minutes.
“Although hybrid cars are not as popular in New York as they are in California, due to higher prices, our customers choose hybrids out of respect for the environment, and not on financial criteria.”
In reference to prices, he said they are “on the rise throughout the entire auto industry.” As far as the cost of maintenance is concerned, he claimed that “it is not a priority, because someone who buys a Porsche does not take the cost of maintenance into consideration. Besides, we have a special ‘pre-pay maintenance’ program which many of our customers prefer.”
Christodoulou pointed out that “Porsche customers are very committed to the company, but not to the models.” They often switch cars within months and very will keep the same car for more than three years, “because in three years a new generation of Porsche cars will be in circulation. We have customers who change cars more often, because they always want something different.”
Christodoulou also noted that the used car market for Porsche has more than doubled.
“Formerly, used cars were 20% of our sales, while today that percentage is close to 50%. Hence, the sale of two new cars corresponds to the sale of one used car.”
PORSCHE V. MERCEDES/BMW
Do Mercedes or BMW owners switch to Porsche? What are they seeking when doing that? “Porsche cars have nothing in common with those brands, so they cannot be compared,” Christodoulou said. Porsche cars are more prestigious. Porsche manufactures genuine sports cars which participate in auto races. In addition, Porsche is the only car that can be driven on a daily basis and then race on Sunday.”
Then, there is the SUV. “A new SUV, the Porsche Macan, was introduced to the market last year with great success. This year, for the first time, we have two cars available, while last year there was a waiting list of one to two months. The SUV is very popular, especially in New York.
“We have several Cayenne models, which vary according to fuel consumption and horsepower. What we must clarify is that Porsche cars have always been more cost-efficient in relation to what they offer the driver.”
Finally, Christodoulou emphasizes his daily involvement in the dealership. “My colleagues don’t work every day, but I work six days a week because I like what I do and I want to be in daily contact with the customer.”


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Newcomer Resorts World Cruises’ ‘Genting Dream’ has arrived at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) to prepare for her first commercial sailing on 15th June.
‘Genting Dream’ is the first ship of a planned fleet that are dubbed as resorts cruising on high seas.
The cruise outlet expands Resorts World from land experiences – 46 properties, eight countries, four continents and 80 mill visitors a year – to the sea.
‘Genting Dream’ offers 35 food and beverage outlets, comprising inclusive and speciality restaurants, bars, as well certified Halal and vegetarian dining offerings.
Her Zodiac theatre has a 1,000 seat capacity and the ship is fitted with a theme park with pools and waterslides, ziplines, a rock-climbing wall, a wide sun deck, Virtual Reality and arcade games; bowling alleys, duty- free shopping, spas and many more attractions.
The operator said that it had successfully completed the CruiseSafe audit by Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and DNV, aligned with global health and sanitisation standards, as well as prevailing national guidelines.
“These are truly exciting times. We are thrilled to witness the start of ‘Genting Dream’ as the flagship of Resorts World Cruises, a new luxury and dynamic lifestyle cruise brand, affiliated with over five decades of global experience in both hospitality and cruising.
“We eagerly look forward to welcoming vacationers aboard ‘Genting Dream’ to experience a ‘Resort Cruising on High Seas’ from Singapore, which is full of excitement, lifestyle choices and memorable experiences,” said Michael Goh, Resorts World Cruises’ President.


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In an opinion piece in the New York Times, a columnist says that the DEA’s decision to keep cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug is “deeply misguided”, citing research that shows that it is no more dangerous than alcohol. Federal law currently regards cannabis as an extremely dangerous substance with no medical use, making it extremely difficult to obtain permission to conduct scientific research that could ultimately prove its value. Among the obstacles researchers face are tons of red tape, and limited legal supply sources.
Only one source of cannabis for research
It would be fair to say that the world has seen a great deal of progress since 1968, but in one respect, nothing has changed. Only one source of cannabis is available to researchers, and that’s from plants grown by the University of Mississippi. Although many have found the DEA’s decision to maintain cannabis’ Schedule 1 status, one change in its stance may at last allow researchers to do their work more easily. The DEA has agreed to allow more universities to grow cannabis for research purposes.
That this decision is long overdue goes without saying, but although a wider pool of potential plant material sources has opened up, obtaining approval to conduct research is still extremely difficult. It’s much easier to conduct a study on opioids than it is to get approval for cannabis research. That’s because opioids are Schedule 2, and that’s also why so many researchers are disappointed that cannabis wasn’t downgraded to a more accessible level.
“We the people”
The New York Times reminds us that many states have already voted in favor of medical cannabis, and even recreational cannabis, while others are poised to go to the polls to vote on the issue. It seems as if local regulations regarding cannabis are getting way ahead of the DEA, and the movement is growing. The Obama administration has allowed states to formulate their own policies, even when these are diametrically opposed to the federal standpoint. According to the columnist, the next president of the US could set this confusing state of affairs to rights.
Hillary Clinton is receiving much support from cannabis activists as a result of her confirmation of support for bringing cannabis down to a Schedule 2 level. She has also said that states can go ahead with full cannabis legalization if they’re comfortable with the concept. Donald Trump, on the other hand, doesn’t support full legalization, but says that medical cannabis should be allowed.
The New York Times concludes that rescheduling cannabis and being less harsh in its treatment of people caught in possession of marijuana would be ideal.
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Good news is coming for the cruise line industry and guests who are anxious to head back to sea – it looks like large ship cruises could resume sailing from US ports as early as July. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released a letter to cruise lines to clarify the Conditional Sailing Order that’s been in effect since October 2020.
Around the world, the cruise industry around has been at a virtual stand-still since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of last year and the CDC issued a No Sail Order for cruise ships in waters subject to US jurisdiction. After the Conditional Sailing Order went into effect, many cruise lines have been biding time with ships anchored in international waters awaiting a clear course to start sailing again.
That course may have just been revealed. The CDC’s recent letter provided five key clarifications that could make it easier for the cruise industry to resume operations.
- Vaccinations – Perhaps the biggest revelation is that if the ship can attest that 98% of its crew and 95% of its passengers are fully vaccinated, cruise lines can bypass the simulated voyages that were previously required. Lines may still opt to allow unvaccinated passengers but will be required to perform simulated voyages to go that route.
- Waiting Period – Previously, applications for simulated voyages faced a 60-day waiting period. The CDC’s new clarifications have cut that time down to five days, significantly speeding up the process.
- Testing – Fully vaccinated guests are now permitted to present results from a fast and simple antigen test prior to embarking instead of requiring the more involved PCR test.
- Multi-port agreements – The CDC clarified that cruise ship operators may enter into multi-port agreements so that ships could go to a different port that has the medical or housing capacity they might need in the event of an emergency.
- Quarantine – Finally, the CDC stated that local passengers (defined as being within driving distance to their embarkation port) would be allowed to quarantine at home if quarantining is necessary – so they won’t need to remain on-board or be sequestered to local quarantine housing.
It is important to note that each cruise line may set its own requirements, which could be more rigorous than the CDC’s guidance, and that specific countries and other foreign ports may have additional restrictions with which passengers should familiarize themselves. Naturally, cruise lines may adjust their itineraries or destinations as conditions and requirements change.
While cruising will likely look a lot different in the wake of the pandemic, the cruise industry has been working hard over the past year to improve safety and ensure an optimal guest experience. As pent-up demand drives travelers to book their next cruise, we’re expecting this summer is the start of a great comeback for the cruise industry. DeCurtis has a long history with cruise lines, creating innovative technical solutions that improve health, safety, security, operational efficiency and overall guest experience. To learn more, visit our website or contact us today!


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ANNOUNCED AS TEMPORARYNo
On 27 January 2016, the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for the Economy announced the ninth stimulus package - thus continuing a set of packages announced since September 2015 (cf. Related Measures).
Increased cattle import quotas
In the statement, the Minister announced Indonesia would increase its import quotas for the year 2016. He mentioned that in the previous year the country had imported 439'530 tons of cattle but would require an additional 235'160 tons annually to meet the domestic demand and stabilise beef prices in Indonesia.
Responding to the announcement, a deputy chairman at the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) in charge for strategic food affairs said to the media that he expects Indonesia to stop overrelying on cattle imports from Australia and New Zealand (cf. Related Measures) and instead open up to new imports from Uruguay and Brazil.
Lifted discrimination against private postal services
During the press conference, the Minister also announced it would scrap the Ministry of Communications and Information amendment 9/2015 to its regulation 32/2014, which required commercial postal services to provide higher tariffs than the "universal postal services controlled by government" (own translation). This will allow private postal service companies in Indonesia to better compete with the state-controlled Pos Indonesia and to facilitate e-commerce in the country.
Simplified trade procedures
The Minister also vowed to standardise port service payments and synchronise the National Single Window system (cf. Related Measures) with port, ship and cargo permits - allowing importers and exporters to also track online the movement and certification procedures of their goods.
Transportation service paid only in Rupiah
Lastly, future payments for transportation services will only be allowed in the Indonesian Rupiah.
On 13 September 2016, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs announced that it would import 700'000 cattle in 2017. As this does not represent a significant change to the previous numbers (cf. above), this part of the measure continues to be classified as active.
⚑ Please report this page in case you detect an inaccuracy in its content.


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When it comes to non-traditional marketing, North American retailers have mostly cottoned onto hosted social networking sites (75%), but are far less likely to have implemented other strategies such as SMS (40%), 2D barcode scanning by customer smartphones (30%), and location-based social networking (29%), details Boston Retail Partners [download page] in a January study. The results also show that many retailers aren’t interested in blogs: 42% have no plans to implement their own hosted blogs, and 39% won’t monitor external blogs.
The researchers point out that the percentage of retailers hosting their own social networking sites has risen slightly from last year, while the proportion monitoring external sites has fallen. By “controlling their own destiny” on social media, retailers are more able to “react quickly to any issues that may occur and more readily reward loyal customers.”
Customer Service Most Important to Retailers
Perhaps retailers will cotton onto the trend of using social media not just for marketing but also for customer service. Given a list and asked to identify the items by importance, a leading 86% of respondents rated customer service as being very important to their organization, ahead of efficient processing at the register/speed of service (64%), employee product knowledge (50%), and in-stock position (50%).
About the Data: The Boston Retail Partners data is based on a survey of more than 500 top North American retailers conducted in October through December of 2012. Close to two-thirds of the respondents to the 14th Annual POS Benchmarking Survey are in the specialty category.


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On Sunday, November 14, 2010, George Will launched a withering attack against the Chevy Volt, and by extension, the Obama administration. Inveighing against the Volt, he dubs it a "government brainstorm" and nothing more than "another hybrid" promoted with taxpayer money. Will claims GM "deliberately" duped Americans by touting the Volt as a pure electric vehicle when it is not. He ends by decrying "state capitalism" and equates recent government influence in the automotive industry as "foolishness."
Will Misrepresents the History and the Technical Prowess of the Volt
First, the creation of the Volt had nothing to do with the Obama administration. In early 2007, back when Time magazine was pondering if newcomer Barack Obama would one day become president, the Chevy Volt was being lauded by the media after its debut at the Detroit Auto Show.
Second, Will's charge of "deceptive marketing" by GM is unfounded. He states that consumers have been promised a pure electric vehicle, but that GM has produced something else entirely. However, from its inception, the Volt was never intended to be a purely electric vehicle. In Matt Nauman's 2007 article, he explained that "the Volt relies on batteries and electric motors for nearly all of its propulsion." GM made it clear from the outset that the Volt would be primarily electric drive.
Will's rash accusations overlook the brilliance of the Volt's technology and GM's adroit read of American consumers.
A New and Potentially Wiser GM
GM learned many lessons from its first foray into electric vehicles in the 90s. However, George Will has probably never seen Chris Paine's 2006 documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car? . In it, Paine re-introduces Americans to the extinct EV1, GM's American-made, fully-electric vehicle that flaunted the same range and speed as Nissan's much-hyped Leaf, but did so nearly 15 years earlier.
The Volt is an electric car. As Chevy Volt Vehicle Line Director Tony Posawatz explained to Motor Trend, "the Volt's 111 kilowatt electric traction motor is always driving the wheels of the car when it is in motion." GM discovered through testing that the motor became "inefficient" when the engine reached high rpms. Therefore, when the Volt exceeds 70mph, the "planetary gearset" engages and lets the "main traction motor spin at reduced speed." This means that the motor and generator remain decoupled the majority of the time, unlike a Prius or other hybrids.
These innovations make the Volt highly efficient and much more than a hybrid. It has an all-electric driving range of between 33 and 40 miles which exceeds the daily needs of the average driver (The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that the average driver travels 29 miles per day). Likewise, the Volt's use of an on-board generator to extend its range to 300 miles allows it to appeal to American consumers who balk at the idea of a limited range vehicle. GM has created an excellent product: a family-sized, extended-range, electric vehicle.
When Bush Policies Ruled GM
Will wants to tie Obama to the Chevy Volt. Like Rush Limbaugh before him who publicly proclaimed his desire for Obama to fail, Will wants the Volt to fail to confirm the righteousness of his ideology. And if the Volt fails, he wants Obama to be the public face of this failure.
However, GM's troubles predate Obama. GM's descent into insolvency can be traced to policies implemented by the Bush administration.
After all, long before the government offered GM loan capital to survive the worst economic drought since the Great Depression or offered paltry $7500 tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles, George W. Bush's economic stimulus plan doled out $100,000 tax credits to small business owners to purchase Hummers and Escalades in 2003. Additionally, the raging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a boon to GM who supplied the military with thousands of fully-loaded pick-up trucks.
GM grew bloated and lethargic from the federal government's purchase and promotion of the largest vehicles with the highest profit margins. GM's innovation languished while they pursued short-term profits leaving its competitors to develop less lucrative but increasingly important hybrid and electric vehicle technology.
In December 2008, I traveled to Detroit and visited GM's headquarters. A small showroom of vehicles revealed just how out of touch GM had become. Dismayed, I moved from vehicle to vehicle, noticing that many of GM's hybrid vehicles had worse fuel economy than my aging, 3.8 liter V6. Worse yet, a family friend showed me the 12-cylinder speed boat motor that he had been working on for years. While Toyota crafted the Prius and Nissan readied the Leaf, GM busied itself designing gas-guzzling speedboat motors.
Vision Correction for Short-Sighted Corporations
The myopia of American corporations is astounding. How many exchange short-term profits for the livelihood and safety of workers, shareholders, and the public? The guilty parties are a list of familiar acronyms: GM, AIG, BP, WAMU, just to name a few.
The proper role of government in our economy is to offer vision correction for short-sighted corporations who operate like Mr. Magoo stumbling blindly into the future. Today President Obama's administration offers GM the foresight they desperately needed five years ago when the Bush administration presided over the dismantling of GM's electric car program. The Volt represents a second chance for America to lead in electric vehicle technology.
Sadly, George Will works diligently to undermine the credibility of America's only mass-produced electric vehicle while Japanese automakers stand ready to flood the market with literally dozens of cutting-edge, affordable, and efficient fully electric vehicles. "State capitalism" is anything but foolish when it encourages consumers and corporations to act in America's long-term economic interest.
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US film star Leonardo DiCaprio has invested in another fledgling local food company, adding a stake in meat-free business Beyond Meat to a portfolio that includes chickpea snack brand Hippeas.
Beyond Meat, which sells across the US and is eyeing building on its nascent international presence next year, announced the investment yesterday (17 October) but did not disclose how much DiCaprio had put into the business, nor the size of any stake he now holds.
In a statement, DiCaprio indicated his decision to invest was grounded in environmental concerns. “Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions. Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate,” he said.
Beyond Meat, founded by CEO Ethan Brown in 2009, is the maker of the vegan Beyond Burger. The company says its products are now listed in 11,000 outlets in the US, including at other major chains such as Walmart, Kroger and Target.
In October 2016, US meat giant Tyson Foods bought a 5% stake in Beyond Meat. At the time, Tyson said the investment would give it “exposure to a fast-growing segment of the protein market”.
Earlier this month, speaking to just-food, Seth Goldman, Beyond Meat’s executive chairman, said the company was eyeing an entry into the UK in early 2018.
In May, US-based Green Park Brands announced DiCaprio had invested in its flagship business Hippeas.


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The Chevrolet Cruze hatchback is one of two variants of the Bowtie brand's compact model that the U.S. and Canada did not receive when the model debuted, but GM is in the process of fixing that mistake. The Cruze hatchback was unveiled to dealers last week in Las Vegas, Automotive News reports.
The hatchback and station wagon variants of the current-generation Cruze have been on sale in markets such as China, though GM chose not to field what would have been a direct competitor to the Ford Focus hatchback in North America. A decision that, in hindsight, the company regrets. GM product chief Mark Reuss called the Cruze hatchback's absence in the U.S. a "pre-bankruptcy planning mistake."
The current Chevrolet Cruze has been on sale since 2008, and the model is now due for a redesign. The 2016 Cruze is scheduled to be unveiled to the media later this week by GM CEO Mary Barra, with the sedan heading to dealers during the first quarter of 2016. The five-door hatchback is scheduled to arrive a bit later, also as a 2016 model.
What about the station wagon version of the Cruze, a variant that seems to be selling well in other markets?
"We have not announced other variants for any other markets at this time," a spokesperson for Chevrolet told Automotive News.
By the time the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback goes on sale, it will face newcomers such as the Honda Civic hatchback, whose impending return to the U.S. was announced at the New York auto show earlier this spring.


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CIUDAD JUAREZ – According to the Association of Maquiladoras (AMAC-INDEX Juárez), harness turn maquiladoras in Ciudad Juárez are registering the highest turnover rate.
According to Index data, for the month of October 2019, the rotation of personnel in harness maquiladoras led the list of turns with a rate of 9%.
On the other hand, the second industry that registered a greater leak is the sewing industry with a rate of 5.64%, followed by the automotive industry with 5.5%. It was also followed by the metalworking industry with 5.1%, electric with 4.9%, and electronic with 3.9%.
Source: Net Noticias


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A semiconductor shortage that began around the height of the pandemic in 2020 has affected a range of industries, including telecoms. Nokia said it expects the pressure to ease through the second half of 2022 and the first half of next year.
Chief Executive Pekka Lundmark said: "The overall direction in the semiconductor industry is positive at the moment, but we did continue to have constraints in the second quarter. Our order book would have enabled a faster growth had there been more components available."
Supply-chain disruptions also led to increased costs, eroding margins, and forcing companies to increase prices.
Demand for chips is expected to fall later this year as smartphone and PC sales cool, increasing supply to other industries.
Nokia's second-quarter comparable operating profit rose to 714 million euros ($729.71 million) from 682 million last year, beating the 636.52 million euro mean forecast.
Lundmark said Nokia is passing on the cost increases to all new contracts, but it is hard to do that for existing clients.
Nokia's net sales grew 11 per cent to 5.87 billion euros, beating estimates of 5.60 billion.
The company, which said in April it was pulling out of Russia following the Ukraine invasion, is continuing with its exit formalities.
"The clear majority of the exit will have been done by the end of the year. We are in discussions now with our customers there on how to do all the practical things but all our main offices in Russia have delivered notices to our people," Lundmark said.


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Mt. Gox, the biggest name in Bitcoin exchanges, has apparently suffered a huge, ongoing theft amounting to several hundred million dollars. Today, their website is shut down. All is chaos, and science fiction author Charles Stross doesn’t have much sympathy:
C’mon, folks. Mt. Gox was a trading card swap mart set up by an amateur coder and implemented in PHP!….I’ve written software that handled financial transactions for a dot-com startup—a payment service provider, now a subsidiary of Mastercard. Been there, got the scars.
….You can’t do this shit on an amateur basis and not get burned….Datacash grew from a tiny seed (about 30 credit card transactions in our first three months) to something that was handling around 20,000 transactions per server per day when I left in early 2000, following 30% compound growth per month for an extended period; the early codebase was retired as rapidly as was feasible, the company had penetration testers, an in-house crypto specialist, and coding standards with test harnesses and QA well before it was handling 10% of MtGox’s turnover … and still shit happened. From what I’ve read, I’m not convinced that MtGox ever understood what financial security entails. But the fault isn’t theirs alone. The real fault lies with Bitcoin itself.
A real currency with a fiscal policy and the backing of a state that could raise loans would be able to ride out this insult. It’d be extraordinarily painful, but it wouldn’t devastate the currency in perpetuity. But Bitcoin doesn’t have a fiscal policy: it wears a gimp suit and a ball gag, padlocked into permanent deflation and with the rate of issue of new “notes” governed by the law of algorithmic complexity.
Personally, I consider Bitcoin useful in one narrow way: it forces people to think about what a fiat currency really is. Bitcoin, after all, is the ultimate fiat currency: just a bunch of ones and zeroes on a computer with no intrinsic value. But so are all currencies. The difference is that it’s more obvious with Bitcoin because the entire enterprise is actively marketed as nothing more than algorithmically-created data. It’s one of their big selling points.
So that forces you to think about what the ultimate value of a Bitcoin can be. And if there isn’t any, then why do dollars and yen have value? Why do IOUs passed around in prison camps have value? Or babysitting chits? Once you figure out what ultimately underlies the value of these various fiat currencies, you’ve taken a big step toward understanding why some currencies are better than others and why playing games with the debt ceiling is so stupid.


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NEW JERSEY - A worker was killed at the American Dream mega-mall in East Rutherford, according to various published reports.
A spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration told NJ.com that the worker at the under-construction mall was employed by Sentinel Services.
It was not known how or when the worker died.
After more than 15 years of starts and stops, the mall and entertainment space at the Meadowlands formerly known as Xanadu was scheduled to open to the public on Oct. 25.
More areas of the mall were expected to open for the holiday shopping season.


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TITAGARH WAGONS SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH GATX, ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST WAGON LEASING COMPANIES
-BECOMES THE FIRST BENEFICIARY OF WAGON LEASING SCHEME OF INDIAN RAILWAYS
23rd May 2012: Titagarh Wagons Limited and GATX India Private Limited (“GIPL”), a subsidiary of GATX Corporation (NYSE: GMT), signed an agreement for the supply of 10 rakes of BLC wagons to the latter under the wagon leasing scheme introduced by Indian Railways.
GIPL earlier this month signed an agreement with Indian Railways to become the first wagon leasing company under the Wagon Leasing Scheme in India. Under this scheme, GIPL plans to purchase wagons and lease them out to various customers in private and public sector.
Commenting on this development, Managing Director and Country Head of GIPL, Mr. Saurabh Sood, said “We have large plans for India and we have chosen to enter the market with this wagon purchase from Titagarh. GIPL looks forward to working with Titagarh to develop new designs for the Indian rail market.”
Commenting on the same, Mr Umesh Chowdhary, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Titagarh Wagons said, “We are indeed honoured to have been chosen as a wagon supplier by GIPL. GATX is one of the world’s largest lessors of wagons and we are sure that they would have significant presence in India as well.”


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The Senate Agriculture Committee
has taken a significant step toward preempting
state laws that would require
food manufacturers to indicate on labels
there are genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) inside their products.
General Mills says it will begin labeling all of its products that contain ingredients sourced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in response to complying with a Vermont law requiring the labels that will go into effect this year.
The Fairbanks Scales LabelBank/DataBank Ethernet-ready barcode labeling system combines factory-installed barcoding software with a networkable touchscreen instrument and high-speed industrial thermal barcode printer.


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People have come to expect a speedy and more convenient way of buying used cars online during the pandemic.
That’s according to Startline Motor Finance, which says there has been a shift towards assuming dealers will match retail processes commonly available in other sectors.
Chief executive Paul Burgess said: “This is, to some extent, a simplification, but a year ago, most online dealer processes ultimately worked but lacked the speed and overall slickness that you’d see from an Amazon or a John Lewis.
‘There were good reasons for this disparity, but by far the most important was the relative complexity of buying a car online compared to, say, a book or a shirt.
‘What we have seen happen over the last year has been a closing of that gap.
‘Successive lockdowns have forced dealers into a situation where they have needed to maximise online sales and so a lot of attention has been paid to smoothing and speeding up the processes involved.
‘As a result, some points that were seen as too difficult to easily resolve, such as part-exchanges, have been tackled in a concerted manner.
‘We’re now in a situation where even quite small dealers can offer extremely competent online processes that include the sale, a part-ex facility, finance, aftersales products and delivery, and larger dealers can often do even more.
‘Many have now accelerated their online presence to a point where they can compete with almost any digital retail process.
‘Considering the sophistication of the average car buying journey, this is a considerable achievement.’
He added: ‘Almost month by month, we’ve seen an increasing impetus to shave more and more time off the online motor finance process. This has produced real and measurable results.
‘The faster and easier the application, the higher the number of deals written.
“The question is whether these improved processes will markedly increase the number of people who are willing to buy a car online or simply improve the conversion rate for those who are already willing to do so.
“Our feelings are that this is not yet clear but that it does mean that nearly all dealers are now in much better shape as agile, adaptable, digitally enabled modern businesses as we emerge from the pandemic.
‘No matter the direction in which the market moves, used car retailers are ready and able.’
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The post Used car buyers’ expectations over online buying have been altered by pandemic, says finance firm appeared first on Car Dealer Magazine.


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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now in the business of selling online merchandise.
She is hawking sweatshirts that say “tax the rich’ on them, and charging almost sixty dollars for them.
The irony of this is lost on her, naturally.
The New York Post reports:
AOC selling $60 ‘Tax the rich’ sweatshirt, other merch on her site
Capitalism isn’t so bad after all!
Firebrand Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has come up with a new campaign money-maker: Sell the rich expensive sweatshirts — about taxing the rich.
The Democratic socialist lawmaker’s website is now selling a bunch of pricey apparel with trendy slogans like “Abolish ICE,” “Drink water & don’t be racist” and “Tax the rich.”
The line of merchandise caught the eye of pundits on Twitter who pointed out the hypocrisy of an anti-capitalism legislator coming up with their own clothing line.
“AOC is selling $65 dollar sweatshirts that say ‘tax the rich’ that only rich ppl can afford. Should just say ‘Tax Me,’” wrote user @MattsIdeaShop on Wednesday with a photo of the “Tax the rich” top.
“When you’re aiming for socialism but you hit capitalism,” they added.
Take a look below:
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 2, 2020
People pointed out the hypocrisy:
Nothing says "I fight for the little guy" like charging $65 for a sweatshirt. pic.twitter.com/EV1hAVgeGR
— Dan 🇺🇸 (@danieltobin) December 2, 2020
Capitalism is great. You can claim you are against it all the time and then make money off of it to your adoring fans.
— Cincy Browncoat not from this universe (@cincy_browncoat) December 3, 2020
AOC was not happy about people calling her out:
Republicans are freaking out bc we don’t use slave-wage labor for merch that funds grassroots organizing.
But what’s the difference between Trump’s merch and ours?
Ours is made in the US. 🇺🇸
(& for GOP who joke that we shld give 👕 for free, we actually do – just volunteer 😉) https://t.co/35DnbFYQyC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 3, 2020


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Tech Security Update
Security News 24/7/365
Top Tech News Sites
“October” tourist arrivals may recover to 70 to 80%. Some listed companies are expected to exceed the same period last year
September 24, 2020
on “October” tourist arrivals may recover to 70 to 80%. Some listed companies are expected to exceed the same period last year
Primary Data for China`s Secondary Investment and Stock Markets
. Full details at
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US military chews out a Trump ally in Congress accused of ‘flagrantly’ breaking rules against using his uniform for campaign cash
Facebook reported a decline of 2 million daily active users in the US and Canada
Walmart’s advertising business is rattling agencies
Twitter’s Q3 earnings just blew past Wall Street’s expectations with $936 million in revenue, but user growth majorly slumped
This bottom-freezer refrigerator is the best upgrade I’ve made to my small kitchen in 2020 — it makes accessing the food I use most much easier
Amazon is dropping the price on dozens of products every day ahead of Black Friday — here’s what’s on sale now and what to expect on November 27
Walmart is removing guns and ammo from shelves and display cases in all stores as a precaution due to ‘civil unrest’
Dow climbs 139 points, Nasdaq soars as tech giants rally ahead of earnings
How to disable Microsoft OneDrive permanently or temporarily, and uninstall it from your PC
Google Cloud’s revenue growth picked back up slightly in Q3, and it’s continuing to help drive Google’s strength overall
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It’s been a tough year with the COVID lockdowns. Deloitte has released a Digital Consumer Trends survey which highlights how Australians technology habits have changed during this period.
Deloitte surveyed 2000 Australians who were in lockdown in June and July about their use of technology and connectivity during this difficult time.
And the news is not all bad with a quarter of Australians working from home finding they enjoy their work even more as a result while 12 per cent found it even more stressful.
And 45 per cent say their quality of life has improved thanks to the flexibility of working from home and the ability to manage their day.
More than 90 per cent of Australians are also enjoying the reduced travel needs with a third gaining back almost a whole day per week (5.5 hours) which leaves more time for life admin and other recreational activities.
“Thirty-seven percent of our Australian survey respondents are now working from home – almost five times more than pre-pandemic levels,” Deloitte Consulting Partner, Kate Huggins, said.
“While over half of Australians who work from home have had an almost seamless experience from a technology perspective, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for all respondents – one in five said they lose a productive day a month due to ineffective tech. And without access to the office, technology issues can be hard to remedy.”
During lockdown our reliance on our technology and connectivity took a dramatic increase to help us do our work and to also keep us entertained.
According to the study, 26 per cent of respondents bought a new digital device as a direct result of being at home during the pandemic.
Laptops , smartphones and televisions saw the biggest spikes in one-off purchases with almost 10 per cent of respondents buying these personal or home entertainment devices.
“We may technically be in a recession, but consumers appear to be spending on the devices that help them feel connected,” said Deloitte Partner and National Telecommunication lead, Peter Corbett.
“While forced isolation and closed off borders could have created a more insular society, we’ve seen a focus on connection through the pandemic.
“We have increased our use of all screens in our search for ‘collective experiences’: using devices to connect over Zoom, through email, via networked gaming with friends and by plugging into pop culture to watch the same TV streaming shows as our friends and colleagues.
“A lasting legacy of this pandemic will be a greater awareness of the preciousness of human-to-human contact – whatever form it takes.
“This focus on connection is likely to persist, along with the technology and devices that make it possible.”
More than half of Australians say they used their smartphones more during the pandemic lockdown mainly for communication or entertainment while 35 per cent spent more time checking social networks, 31 per cent streaming films or TV series and 26 per cent watching TV programmes.
Older generations (55 years and older) have also embraced online banking with 80 per cent intending to continue once the lockdown is ended.
But technology is also being used to help us stay a step ahead of the fight against COVID-19 with contact tracing apps, QR codes and temperature cheques now an everyday reality.


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Originally featured on BroadcastEngineering.com
DVD incompatibility a problem, says government study
There’s a substantial chance that today’s recordable DVDs will be incompatible with playable DVD drives, finds a new study by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a division of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Technology Administration.
However, the good news is that the situation is improving as new models of drives are being introduced into the marketplace.
The government tests showed DVD media and DVD drives to be compatible only 85 percent of the time.
The study found that although no one disc or drive was universally compatible, newer models of DVD drives did “significantly better” than the older ones.
NIST tested 14 DVD-ROM drive models, which represented about 60 percent of the installed base in the U.S. as of 2002, and more than 50 different kinds of recordable DVDs.
The tests were conducted in association with two industry groups, the DVD Association and the Optical Storage Technology Association.
For more information www.dvda.org and www.osta.org.
Back to the top


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Battery-makers are powering a circular economy
“Gigafactories” are being designed to recycle raw materials
Manufacturing is a one-way business. Raw materials go into a factory and finished products come out. Once those goods are sold, producers (initial guarantees apart) usually wash their hands of them. Certainly they do not worry, unless compelled to by law, about how the products are disposed of. Most are burnt or rot in landfill, which pollutes the planet. In only 50 years the world’s consumption of raw materials has nearly quadrupled, to more than 100bn tonnes, according to the latest Circularity Gap Report from Circle Economy, a research and consulting group. Less than 9% of this is reused, resulting in a big waste of materials.
Industry does talk about sustainability and recycling, but much of that is greenwashing intended to improve brand images. Yet in the circular economy the bottom line, too, can benefit from greenery. This is especially so in the case of “gigafactories”, so called because their output of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) is measured in gigawatt hours (GWh).
Every carmaking country wants gigafactories. Batteries are the costliest part of an EV, so making them is lucrative. But they contain materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel that are pricey and can be hard to obtain. Supply chains are long and complicated. Buyers risk being tarnished by their suppliers’ (or suppliers’ suppliers’) poor environmental and labour standards. Reusing materials makes sense.
Being new, most gigafactories are designed with recycling in mind from the start. The result is a circular production process, not a linear one. The idea is that once batteries reach the ends of their lives, they should go back to a factory, where their ingredients can be recovered and put into new batteries.
Gigafactories are not yet exemplars of the circular economy, but they are laying the foundations. Northvolt, a Swedish battery-maker, aims by 2030 to produce 150GWh of batteries—enough to power some 2m EVs—from the three gigafactories it is completing. By then, around half its raw materials should come from recycling old batteries. Northvolt is not alone. Using recycling, renewable power and other measures, CATL—a Chinese firm and the world’s biggest producer of EV batteries—thinks it should eventually be possible to shrink the carbon footprint of a battery towards zero.
Carmakers such as the Renault Group and Stellantis, owner of brands that include Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot (and whose big shareholder, Exor, also owns a stake in The Economist’s parent company), are both setting up circular-economy businesses. This is not just for batteries, but also for repairing and reconditioning parts and vehicles. Each of these operations will, bosses hope, have annual revenues of more than €2bn ($2bn) by the end of the decade, and be profitable. Renault reckons around 85% of a car is recyclable, but only 20-30% of the materials in new vehicles are recycled, often from other goods. Circular manufacturing would greatly increase that share.
Could other industries do something similar? Fast fashion is a notoriously wasteful business in which little-worn clothes are burnt or dumped. America’s Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the recycling rate for clothing and footwear is just 13%. A big part of the reason is the use of mixed textiles, which are hard to recycle. Clothing companies could, like gigafactories, re-engineer their processes to employ fibres that are easier to handle. Consumer electronics is another business that creates heaps of waste, despite electronic circuits containing precious materials such as gold and silver, and electric motors being made from rare-earth metals like neodymium and dysprosium. Fortunes could yet be made in the urban mining of last year’s gadgets and yesterday’s togs. ■
Correction (October 28th 2022): This article originally attributed a report by Circle Economy to the World Economic Forum. Sorry.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "The circular economy"
From the October 29th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition
The government has not done enough to prepare
Ukraine benefited from good preparation and lots of help
Doctors and schools should be franker about pleasure


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Five years after Shanghai hosted one of the most successful World Expos, it’s Italy’s turn to host the six-month extravaganza. The food-based-fair, which opened last Friday, will revolve around the “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” theme, with 145 countries from around the world showcasing their efforts to create sustainable food sources.
Previous world fairs have bought us iconic products such as tomato ketchup as well as world-famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower.
Italy, like many other countries that have hosted the event, hopes it will provide a much-needed boost to its economy. However, the run-up to the Expo has been far from plain-sailing for the nation, plagued with scandal, corruption, and financial obstacles.
The skyline of Porta Nuova's district is seen in Milan, northern Italy March 5, 2015.
Singers Diana Damrau and Andrea Bocelli perform during the Opening Event Expo 2015 at Piazza Duomo on April 30, 2015 in Milan, Italy.
Protesters march during a rally against Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy, April 30, 2015.
A protester holds a placard during a rally against Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy, April 30, 2015.
A worker is pictured at the China pavilion at the Expo 2015 work site near Milan April 3, 2015.
Source: Italy 24
Protesters hold a banner reading 'No Expo' during a rally against Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy, April 30, 2015.
An Italian riot policeman gestures during a rally against Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy, April 30, 2015.
Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini (R) stands next to Commissioner of Expo 2015 Giuseppe Sala
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Tetley has redesigned packaging for its Quickbrew brand which now features a union jack and retro-style teapot.
To celebrate the new design Tetley is running a series of consumer promotions in mainstream home and food titles and an on-pack promotion will start in October. The promotion will give consumers the chance to redeem on-pack tokens for branded Quickbrew items including tea cups and saucers, teapots and tea towels.
Allen Hunt, Quickbrew brand manager, said: “Research has shown that our core Quickbrew customers are traditional tea drinkers who are likely to make tea in a pot and take time to enjoy the experience. This re-design takes the brand back to an era when we all had time to savour a good tasting cup of tea with strong British origins.”
Contact: 020 8338 4598


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Most retailers in South Korea hold monitor of their worldwide delivery logistics by way of e mail till their cargo safely will get to its vacation spot. This contains all the executive processes, from shippers to importers, and covers logistics, customs, expenses and transportation reserving.
Portlogics, a South Korean digital freight forwarder that provides a robotic course of automation-based forwarding administration system, needs to assist retailers monitor worldwide delivery logistics and get standing updates on shipments, digitizing the method with its software program software.
The CEO of Portlogics, Hyoung-chul Choi, is a serial entrepreneur who first seen the inefficient technique to monitor worldwide logistics when he ran his first startup, YLP, a middle-mile logistics startup that South Korean telco SKT‘s subsidiary T-Map Mobility acquired in 2021.
In the course of the pandemic, the delivery value always fluctuated, so shippers couldn’t anticipate the cargo charges. Realizing how urgently the freight forwarding business wanted to be digitally reworked, Choi and three different co-founders began Portlogics that very same 12 months, growing a web-based commerce order administration and freight administration system for retailers that they’ll now use whether or not their items are being shipped on a ship, or transported by highway or rail.
Greater than 26 firms now use Portlogics’ software program software, Choi mentioned, including that they embody giant logistics companies and shippers like GS International and Hyundai Bioland, which produces supplies utilized in cosmetics and well being dietary supplements.
That sort of traction has enabled the Korean startup to obtain $1.6 million (2 billion gained) in pre-Collection A funding from buyers, together with K2G Fund and strategic investor GS International, which Korean conglomerate GS Holdings owns.
Portlogics, which now has 19 workers (six in R&D), will use the brand new capital to additional develop its platform, together with by hiring further workers.
The startup additionally plans to introduce synthetic intelligence and machine studying that may make sense of the information the outfit has been amassing and higher empower it to estimate e-booking and delivery prices, Choi defined. As well as, Portlogics is in talks with B2B SaaS safety firms to assist it shield the shoppers utilizing its software program and bolster its personal information safety measures, Choi added.
Portlogics at the moment facilities on South Korea’s freight forwarding business however intends to open places of work in Southeast Asia and the U.S. after 2024, Choi mentioned, observing that there’s a lot of market share left to seize.
In line with one estimate by the analysis agency Allied Analysis, the world digital freight forwarding market is projected to extend to $22.9 billion in 2030, up from $2.92 billion in 2020.
“The worldwide provide chain administration and logistics have been reshuffled [due to rising tension between the U.S. and China], and extra firms are reshoring the U.S. by constructing chip and battery factories,” mentioned managing associate of K2G Fund Archi KyoungRok Kong. “On this paradigm shift, extra Korean distributors are taking part in world provide chain administration ecosystems, and it seems that freight forwarding transactions from South Korea to the U.S. and globally are getting increased. So, K2G Fund believes that it’s a nice time there could be sizable upside alternatives for freight forwarding firms primarily based in South Korea.”


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J.C. Penney Company, Inc. has announced financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended November 2, 2013. According to the company, in the third quarter, it achieved positive comparable store sales in October, comparable store sales and gross margin improved sequentially throughout the quarter, and sales on jcp.com increased 24.5% for the quarter. The retailer also repaid $200 million from revolving credit facility and opened 30 new Sephora boutiques inside JCPenney locations, bringing the total to 446.
For the third quarter, JCPenney reported net sales of $2.78 billion compared to $2.93 billion in the fiscal third quarter of 2012. Comparable store sales declined 4.8% for the quarter, which represented a sequential improvement of 710 basis points when compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2013. The quarter ended with a positive 0.9% comparable store sales gain in October. In addition, sales results improved sequentially each month within the quarter. Online sales through jcp.com were $266 million for the quarter, up 24.5% versus the same period last year and reflecting sequential increases through the quarter.
Mike Ullman, CEO of JCPenney, said, “Our strategies to reconnect with customers are beginning to take hold, and this became increasingly clear as the quarter progressed. This is the result of the tremendous efforts of the associates across our company to restore the merchandise customers want and deliver an unmatched shopping experience. We are proud of the company’s October sales performance, encouraged by the early weeks of November, and believe we are making strides toward a path to long-term profitable growth.”
For the third quarter, gross margin was 29.5% of sales, compared to 32.5% in the same quarter last year. Gross margin for the third quarter was negatively impacted by lower clearance margins due to the overhang of inventory from the first two quarters of the year, higher levels of clearance units sold, as well as the company’s transition back to a promotional pricing strategy as compared to last year’s strategy. Notwithstanding, gross margin did improve sequentially throughout the quarter.
Ullman continued: “The spirit and determination of our associates has enabled us to maintain our momentum going into the fourth quarter. We are committed to building on our progress by winning this holiday season. The continued strong support of our domestic and international suppliers has helped ensure our merchandise assortment is outstanding. Furthermore, our new marketing campaign, which launched this week, will help remind customers that JCPenney is the destination for great holiday gifts that fit their budget.”


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For any fans of Robert Llewellyn’s Fully Charged episodes, they will be pleased to hear that his clean energy and electric vehicle consumer show is returning to Silverstone this summer. And better still we have two three-day passes to giveaway worth £43.50 each.
For those that haven’t heard of the YouTube series (and how could you not, with three million views per month), if you’re interested in electric vehicles and renewable technologies, then you need to get yourself to the Fully Charged LIVE event taking place on 7, 8 and 9 of June.
Fully Charged LIVE, which is sponsored by Ecotricity, will be doubling in size this year to bring visitors a jam-packed three days of everything that is good about EVs and green energy. That means every electric vehicle available in the UK will be on show (and with a total of 1000 daily test drives on the Stowe Circuit visitors can actually experience them first hand, too), there will be a host of clean energy suppliers and companies that specialise in renewable technologies, live music stage (with Greatest Hits Radio host Mark Goodier on the Friday and Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on the Saturday night), a fun zone for kids of all ages and a business conference hosted on Friday for a select number of industry decision-makers. There will also be garages crammed with electric classic cars and cutting-edge concepts for you to peruse, plus a two-wheeler test track where you can try out e-scooters, e-bikes and much more.
Oh you could also be in with the chance of winning £1000 from their daily prize draw, too, as well as an electric car lease for a year, courtesy of DriveElectric. What's more visitors will get to hear from leading energy and transport experts in a total of 30 entertaining live sessions hosted by Fully Charged presenters Robert Llewellyn (Channel 4's Scrapheap Challenge), Jonny Smith (Channel 5's Fifth Gear), Helen Czerski (BBC's From Ice to Fire) and Maddie Moate (BBC’s Do You Know?).
Last year more than 6000 people descended on the show to hear all about the future of energy and transport, and this year promises to be bigger and better!
If you sign up to our newsletter (below) we'll also add you into the prize draw to win one of two three-day passes. Two winners will be chosen at random on 30 May. Good luck!
Note winners will be notified of results on 30 May. Unless any entrants object, their surnames will be published in our Newsletter when we announce the prize winners.
If you’re not lucky enough to win or for more information visit: https://www.fullychargedshow.co.uk/fully-charged-live-2019
Photo: Z70 Photography
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From our story in tomorrow’s Mercury News
Further nudging the boundaries of online publishing, Stanford University professor Larry Lessig will put his 1999 book “Code” online Wednesday and invite Internet users to help him write an updated version.
A noted copyright expert and proponent of free software, Lessig is putting his 297-page treatise about technology, culture and regulation on the Web in the form of a wiki, a site that can allow people to freely edit its contents. The law professor will take the contributions at http://codebook.jot.com/ and edit them into a printed version of the book.
“Code has become a part of cyberspace law culture,” Lessig said. “And what I found most interesting is that people outside of the academic world talk about it and use it a lot. I was really trying to find a way to encourage them to contribute to the evolution of “Code.” ”
Lessig said he also wanted to use the process to better understand the concept of wikis.
Lessig is the latest in a string of authors ï¿½ often from the technology world ï¿½ to open up their writings to the public. Former Mercury News columnist Dan Gillmor published chapters of his book “We the Media” online as they were written and sought feedback. And East Bay author J.D. Lasica allowed online readers to edit chapters of his book “‘Darknet: Remixing the Future of Movies, Music & Television.”
Similarly, a project called Wikipedia has been building an online encyclopedia almost exclusively from contributions of users.
Lessig’s venture may be the most ambitious yet among book authors. Where feasible, he intends to use significant portions of reader contributions in the new edition. While he has not yet figured out how to handle authorship, Lessig intends to donate any book royalties to
Creative Commons, a non-profit he founded to offer publishers an alternative to traditional copyright licenses.
Palo Alto start-up JotSpot is providing the wiki space for Lessig’s project.
Like Lessig, JotSpot founders Joe Kraus and Graham Spencer have an interest in consumer digital rights, dating back to their founding of the consumer-rights lobbying group Digitalconsumer.org in 2001.
“It was a nice alignment of the things I care about at a personal level,” Kraus said. “And it’s an opportunity to showcase the technologies that JotSpot is developing.”


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|Clothing Drive Will Aid Students Displaced by Hurricane Katrina
For release: Nov. 4, 2005
For press information, contact
Hundreds of students displaced by Hurricane Katrina found their way to the University of Memphis earlier this fall. They enrolled in classes, and some moved into University housing, but many of them weren't able to pack their winter clothes when they were forced to flee their Gulf Coast campuses.
Now, as cooler temperatures approach, these students have little or no warm clothing for the coming winter months. In addition, many evacuees also lack dress clothes needed for job interviews as they try to rebuild their lives.
The University of Memphis Graduate Student Association, and its president, Joe Jackson Frazer Jr., have decided to help. The GSA is asking the U of M community to help those affected by Katrina through a campus-wide clothing drive specifically for University students who are hurricane survivors.
Donors may bring winter clothes and dress clothes to Room 215 of the Administration Building. The GSA will distribute the clothes to displaced students and donate the rest to local charities.
For more information, call the U of M Graduate School at 901-678-2531.
News & Events


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2015 In Review: Tension Builds At The Regulatory Cosmetic/Drug Divide
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
FDA continued its crackdown on overreaching cosmetic claims in 2015, issuing nine warnings to cosmetic product marketers, while a draft bill emerged in the US House that would redefine "cosmetic" under federal law to provide companies with greater flexibility. Microbead legislation commanded the most national attention, with President Obama signing the federal Microbead-Free Waters Act to close out the year.
You may also be interested in...
Latham & Watkins attorneys believe the limited scope and "interpretive ambiguities" of the US Microbead-Free Waters Act could leave room for state legislation targeting plastic microbead use in cosmetic products, notwithstanding the law's preemption component. The absence of a "plastic" definition under the federal ban also raises questions, which biopolymer suppliers are racing to address with receptive ears in Congress.
EWG believes the Personal Care Products Act, which would mandate adverse-event reporting to FDA, could help to ensure that consumer injuries from cosmetic use do not reach the scale alleged in class actions targeting Guthy-Renker, which markets WEN by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioners. According to one suit filed in California district court, the firm has received more than 17,000 complaints of significant hair loss following product use.
President Obama signed the federal Microbead-Free Waters Act Dec. 29, putting an end to conflicting requirements for cosmetic microbead phase-outs at the state and local levels. More news in brief.


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Amazon's U.K. unit racked up sales of $6.5 billion last year, but only paid $3.7 million in corporate taxes.
Also: AARP and The Nation join a growing list of ebook publishers; Hilary Mantel on Jane Austen; Anne Applebaum on Sheryl Sandberg.
May 15, 2013 A new rifle goes on sale on Wednesday, and it's not like any other. It uses lasers and computers to make shooters very accurate. A startup gun company in Texas developed the TrackingPoint rifle, which is so effective that some in the shooting community say it should not be sold to the public.
May 15, 2013 It turns out that the desire to speak with Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with $610,000, will buy you a cup of coffee. That's the winning bid offered in a charity auction for up to an hour of Cook's time.
May 15, 2013 Also: George Orwell's rules for making tea; what Antigone can teach us about the burial of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
May 14, 2013 Days after the gaming world began to buzz with reports that Nintendo's new life simulation game allows men to marry other men, it now seems that Nintendo is removing that possibility, which by all accounts was unintended.
May 13, 2013 Facebook is expected to pay out $20 million in a settlement over its "Sponsored Stories" advertising service, after placing user images in personalized ads. But the settlement doesn't stop the service, and a legal expert says Facebook's option to let users opt out creates more problems.
May 13, 2013 Four in 10 teenagers admit that they text while driving. Not only is that behavior dangerous, but those same teens are more likely to skip the seat belt and drive while drinking, too.
May 13, 2013 From privacy concerns to technology saturation, Google's new technology has had its fair share of criticism — and it's not even on sale yet. The company wants to change those negative perceptions of its wearable computer before it goes on sale to the public.


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In order to avoid password sharing, Netflix is experimenting with a new method: Some countries' users are being urged to purchase additional homes.
Netflix members in Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic may begin to encounter an anti-password sharing test, according to a report from Bloomberg that broke the news first. Netflix's Honduras support website explains that if a user attempts to access their Netflix account on a TV or TV-connected device in a location other than their primary residence for more than two weeks, they will be charged an extra price.
Once the two-week period is over, they must acquire an additional home that costs an additional 219 pesos a month per home in Argentina ($1.17 USD) to continue to use Netflix. Netflix Basic subscribers have the option to add an additional address to their subscription. They can add up to an additional two residences to their Netflix Standard subscription. Netflix Premium members can add up to three additional accounts.
Subscribers in the test countries can access Netflix on any of the devices in their primary "home." For the purpose of the test, they will need to purchase additional "homes" to access Netflix on TVs while they are away from home. Those who opt out of the additional home service can continue to use it on their mobile devices without having to pay for it. If they don't add and pay for an extra home, they won't be able to watch TV. Details of Netflix's test improvements can be found on their help page.
To determine if a customer is using a Netflix device at home, the company utilizes information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity, according to Netflix. Netflix is working on a feature that will allow customers in test countries to see where their account is being used and to restrict access to it.


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Latest in Finance
Australian Market Data at 01:40PM
|Index / Security||Price||Change||Percent|
|All Ords||5898.5||+20.60||+ 0.35%|
|S&P/ASX 50||6099.0||+21.30||+ 0.35%|
|S&P/ASX 300||5860.0||+19.70||+ 0.34%|
|S&P/ASX MidCap||5187.9||+9.50||+ 0.18%|
|S&P/ASX Small Orders||2231.5||+9.60||+ 0.43%|
|S&P/ASX 20||3713.9||+9.30||+ 0.25%|
|S&P/ASX 100||4945.7||+16.30||+ 0.33%|
RED Bull, Apple and Sonos are at the top of the field. But what’s the one thing they have in common that’s making them uber successful?
THE numbers are in for Woolworths and they are not as good as everyone expected. But it could mean cheaper groceries for you. Here’s why.
A DOMESTIC worker has spoken out about the beatings, starvation and twisted games she suffered at the hands of an abusive housewife.
AS MINING companies struggle after the boom, nine fly-in-fly-out workers have taken their own lives in 12 months.
YOU probably hadn’t heard of her before this week, but one of Australia’s top legal minds has now put Tony Abbott’s leadership on very shaky ground.
VICTORIA’S Secret may have an exodus of Angels because of a pay dispute. So which of the stunners have left and who is close to walking out?
THESE are the hot spots where the market has already performed well and all the stars are aligning for continued growth this year.
THE highest auction clearance rate in five years means now is a good time for sellers, according to RP Data CoreLogic figures.
THINKING of heading out for dinner tonight? Watch out because restaurants use all kinds of psychological tricks to get you to pay more. This is what you should know.
BOOSTING business profiles through social media is crucial to ensuring success regardless of industry.
FOR many small businesses, the quandary is: where do I start? Small organisations might dream of moving overseas, but are intimidated.
A ‘PERVERSE’ arrangement which sees millions of Australian taxpayer dollars funnelled to New Zealand wine producers every year looks set to be abolished.
RED Bull is being accused of using its power to bully a small family-run business over a trademark — and the word “bull” isn’t even involved.


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Chicago's premium luxury lifestyle website covering fashion, beauty, events, culture,…
Though we got the first look at the video for Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling” which featured his “Trolls” co-stars, the singer has now dropped the official music video directed by Mark Romanek. The official music video features “normal” people like a diner worker, electronics shop guy and more all catching the feeling and grooving, check it out below.
What better way to end this crazy week than a little groove to kick off the weekend. The original croonin Justin, JT, just released the video for his sure to be summer hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling” with cameos from Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) , James Corden, Icona Pop, Ron Funches and his mom Lynn who looks to be sipping on Justin’s tequila, their dance moves are just as infectious as the hot song. Watch the video below and catch the feeling.
Chicago's premium luxury lifestyle website covering fashion, beauty, events, culture, news & more


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Australian wine gets Chinese boost
Stronger demand for premium Australian wine in China has contributed to a 10 percent increase in Australia’s overall wine export value, according to Wine Australia’s export report released on Wednesday. China maintained its position as the No 1 export value destination for Australian wine in 2016-17, after export value to China grew by 44 percent to be worth A$607 million ($482 million). The total value of exports grew by A$201 million to A$2.3 billion. While the export value of wine to the United Kingdom fell, the report said the UK remained the No 1 destination for Australian wine exports by volume, indicating that UK consumers prefer cheaper Australian wines, while Chinese tastes are a little more expensive.


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LED lighting industry alliances in Taiwan and China yesterday reached agreement on a set of specifications for LED products, following two years of discussions.
The cross-Taiwan Strait agreement is aimed to help unify standards of LED light-emitting modules and other key components used to make LED lighting products, the Taiwan LED Lighting Industry Alliance (TLLIA) said.
“For several years, LED lighting products have been specified by various sorts of standards set by firms themselves,” TLLIA chairman Chien Fen-ren (簡奉任) told a press conference.
“Consumers could not tell the difference between all the LED lighting products displayed on the shelves because they carried too many different, but seemingly superb features such as extra-long durability and ultra-high quality,” Chien added.
Chien made the remarks on the back of the TLLIA, China Solid State Lighting Alliance and the Guangdong Provincial Government yesterday inking a letter of intent at the Display Taiwan trade expo in Taipei.
Chien, who is also chairman of Taiwan-based LED chip supplier Formosa Epitaxy Inc (ForEpi, 璨圓光電), said unified specifications would enable LED lighting product makers to develop their products in shorter time, while consumers would benefit from the simplicity of LED product specifications when making purchases.
“Unified specifications for LED lighting products is expected to reduce the concerns of both LED makers and consumers,” Chien said.
According to the TLLIA, more than 75 percent of LED lighting products are manufactured in China’s Guangdong Province. The inking of the letter of intent symbolizes a good start for the development of LED lighting products in Taiwan and China, the alliance said.
“Taiwan’s LED industry has been evolving for more than 20 years,” Chien said.
“With great innovation, Taiwan must accelerate collaboration with other countries to export products so that it can export products to markets as large as China,” he added.
PLANNED OUT: The government is lifting sale and export restrictions on 60% of the 20 million masks made daily, but people can still make purchases using their NHI cards Twenty thousand boxes of 50 masks each would be on sale at FamilyMart convenience stores starting tomorrow, Taiwan FamilyMart Co Ltd (全家便利商店) said yesterday. A box of 50 masks would cost NT$249 for those with FamilyMart memberships and NT$299 for those without, with no limits placed on how many boxes a person can buy, the company said. Convenience store chain operator Hi-Life International Co Ltd (萊爾富) said that it would also start selling masks from tomorrow. It has yet to announce details about prices and quantity. Hypermarket chain operator Carrefour Taiwan (家樂福) said that it would start selling packs of five
Delta Electronics Inc (台達電), the nation’s leading power management solutions provider, has signed an agreement to acquire Canadian software firm Trihedral Engineering Ltd to bolster its smart production efforts, it said on Saturday. Delta said in a statement that it would acquire Trihedral for C$45 million (US$32.68 million) through its 100 percent-owned subsidiary Delta Electronics (Netherlands) BV. Trihedral specializes in supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and industrial Internet of Things software, which would strengthen Delta’s hardware offerings in fast-growing areas such as automation, artificial intelligence and data analytics, it said. “The collection, monitoring and analyzing of data are critical to Delta’s two
From the customer’s perspective, car rental is a straightforward business. The only uncertainty is whether the hire company will charge you for the scratch they discover when you hand back the vehicle. Hertz Global Holdings Inc’s bankruptcy protection filing on Friday last week was a reminder that today even the simplest business models are underpinned by a lot more financial complexity than meets the eye. The proximate cause of Hertz’s demise was of course the sudden collapse in bookings caused by COVID-19 travel restrictions. The company’s monthly revenue last month fell 73 percent year-on-year, a shortfall that even the most resilient
BOOSTING BUYING: A source said that the idea of pre-ordering vouchers online is being considered, but the preliminary plan is for people to buy them at post offices A stimulus voucher program to be rolled out next month to boost consumption would be available not only to Taiwanese, but also foreign nationals and Chinese spouses who hold residency permits, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The government is fine-tuning the details of the program, which involves issuing vouchers for in-store purchases to revive buying amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During a radio interview on Monday last week, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said that the plan is to allow anyone, regardless of age or income level, to buy NT$3,000 (US$99.89) worth of vouchers for


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On July 4, 2020, the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima were severally hit by record-breaking heavy rain, causing a lot of damages. Many people were affected by the catastrophe that hit Kyushu and other parts of Japan. In many places, towns were devastated by the muddy stream and today about 1,400 people are still forced to live in shelters.
For those people, the place where they were living and had their memories, their hometown, has disappeared.
The community of Japanese judo athletes is leading a massive operation between August 10 and 30 to collect money to assist the people in need.
All products proposed on the website are official items belonging to top Japanese athletes, who signed them all and are full of joy, sweat and tears. This is the largest auction in the history of judo in Japan, showcasing personal effects of rare players that have been used at the Olympics and major competitions on the World Judo Tour.
You too can participate at https://auction.hattrick.world/top/41 and show that our whole judo family is mobilised.


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Universal Parks has released a few new bits of information on Super Nintendo World, the upcoming new land opening at Universal Studios Japan this Summer.
Ride details are still mum but we did get a sneak peek at some aspects of the new land, including the Mario Kart attraction, thanks to a new music video inspired by Super Nintendo World.
The music video debuts the song, “We are Born to Play”, and features Galantis and Charli XCX, launching the new “Year of Super Nintendo World” marketing campaign. The video also gave a sneak peek at the Mario Kart ride vehicle which – SURPRISE! – is a go-kart. Obviously, the video is more fantasy than reality; but it does give us our best look yet at the upcoming land.
The biggest reveal tonight was new wearable wrist bands, called “Power Up Bands”, which will allow guests to interact with certain elements in the land. The bands will work alongside a new smartphone app that will make guests feel like they’re part of the game, hitting real-life Question Blocks and collecting coins. Guests can also obtain collectible items, such as character stamps, by achieving various goals. The bands are not required to experience the land, but it definitely will add to the enjoyment of it. In addition, “Key Challenges” will be featured throughout the area. By collecting a certain number of digital “keys,” guests can cooperate with other guests to unlock additional gameplay opportunities, including “Boss Battles” against various enemy characters.
“The ‘Power Up Band’ will connect guests with dozens of iconic Nintendo items throughout the land in a truly seamless and innovative way”, said Thierry Coup, Senior Vice President, Chief, Universal Creative. “The app will keep track of their adventures and any coins, stamps or other iconic elements they earn along the way. There will be opportunities to advance through achievements, keep score, compete against each other and celebrate together when you win. I think the seamless integration of the gameplay is one of the most innovative experiences we have ever created at Universal Studios.”
Universal Studios Japan is calling 2020 the “Year of Super Nintendo World” and will kick off its new No Limit campaign in February, where more information on the land is expected to be revealed.
Super Nintendo World will open across all Universal Parks, including Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Orlando, and Universal Studios Singapore.
Stay tuned to Inside Universal for the latest on Super Nintendo World and Universal Parks & Resorts.