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"This is in a way the integrated future. The electric car, [the Powerwall battery] and the solar roof. The key is that all this needs to be beautiful, affordable and constantly integrated," said the businessman during the presentation of his products. in Los Angeles.
According to Musk, the new roofing family is designed to blend in with an ordinary home. He added that the red tiles will be more durable compared to other roofs and should appeal to people who "oppose the giant utilitarian slates" above their houses.
The businessman did not present details on possible prices, but said that in terms of installation cost, durability and energy savings, the Tesla-SolarCity roof will be better than conventional non-solar roofs.
Musk clarified that his vision for the future has always been much bigger than automobiles, and his "master plan" is to turn his company into a "vertically integrated company that offers clean energy products to its customers."
The presentation of Powerwall and the new roof took place on October 28, just weeks before the possible partnership between SolarCity and Tesla Motors. Musk hopes to merge his company that makes electronic cars and the solar energy installation company SolarCity.EcoPortal.net


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On Monday, APPLE will hold its initial keynote for WWDC 2020, its yearly Worldwide Developers Conference. At WWDC, the organization is required to talk about its new iOS 14 iPhone and iPad programming, just as new WatchOS and MacOS programming to control its Apple Watch, MacBooks, iMacs and Mac Pros, as well.
Be that as it may, the greatest change may not be about the vibe of Apple’s Macs or another element for the iPhone. Mac is relied upon to declare that the chips driving its Mac PCs will change, moving from chips made by Intel to new ones like those worked for the iPhone.
The move has been reputed for a considerable length of time, most as of late in a report by Bloomberg refering to unknown sources acquainted with the organization’s arrangements. The move may permit Apple to make more slender PCs with better battery life and conceivably calmer cooling fans. In any case, the change will probably take a year or more, and new PCs with the chips inside likely won’t show up right away.[the_ad id=”2158″]
While Apple’s WWDC 2020 keynote may remember the greatest changes for the Mac PC for years, it’ll likewise be the first run through Apple will hold a keynote in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has tainted almost 8 million individuals and murdered more than 434,000 around the world.
Apple’s WWDC greeting mascots this year are a gathering of coders, whose faces mirror the organization’s memoji liveliness innovation.
Because of the emergency, Apple and other tech mammoths like Facebook and Google dropped their in-person meetings around Silicon Valley. Apple and Microsoft rather decided to hold virtual meetings, livestreaming introductions to engineers far and wide.
The WWDC 2020 keynote, which will be going by CEO Tim Cook, happens on Monday, June 22, at 10 a.m. PT. Apple will have a livestream of the occasion on its Apple Events page.
On the off chance that you are an Apple TV proprietor, you can likewise watch the livestream by means of the Apple Events application – and there are documents of more established occasions in case you’re feeling nostalgic.
What’s more, our inclusion will incorporate the ongoing updates, discourse and investigation you can just arrive.
WWDC 2020 beginning time
Apple’s WWDC 2020 keynote happens Monday, June 22 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET/5 p.m. GMT/June 23 at 3 a.m. AEST.
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CNET will have a livestream conversation of Apple’s occasion as it’s going on, and we’ll have a live blog with regularly updated investigation during the occasion. Watch LIVE Youtube here.
Apple will have a livestream of the occasion on its Apple Events page as well. On the off chance that you are an Apple TV proprietor, you can likewise watch the livestream by means of the Apple Events application – there are additionally documents of more established occasions in case you’re feeling nostalgic.

domain: news


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COMESA Business Council Chief executive officer Sandra Uwera says the digital financial system has been identified as a focus area for improving the efficiency and performance of SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa.
And Save and Remit Services Managing Director Mrs Putty Muuka, said the digital platform such as the one launched Friday, would contribute to the growing of the economy not only through the empowerment of women but all Zambian entrepreneurs.
Speaking during the launch of Save and Remit Services in Lusaka, Friday, Uwera said digital banking and digital financing remained key to supporting women in the communities to save money.
She added that the launch was important because it provided government business with key aspects that promoted domestic trade and encouraged cross-border trade between Zambia and its neighbours.
“The digital financial system has been identified as a focus area for improving the efficiency and performance of SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa. The digital banking and digital financing is key to supporting women in the communities and in rural areas to a way to save money and to use cash to support household and small entrepreneurs growth for women and youth. I must say that this launch is important because it provides government business and business to business with key aspects that promote domestic trade and encourages cross border trade between Zambia and her neighboring countries,” Uwera said.
“Digital financial inclusion supports women inequality and should be made more accessible to women. It is important because it establishes financial independence, especially because money is power and such independence promotes the sustainability of many families and establishes the growth and competitiveness of the Micro-Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME).”
And Muuka, who is the founder of the Save and Remit platform, said women entrepreneurs were playing a key role in Zambia’s economy and therefore should be supported through digital platforms that would make their transactions easier.
“I grew up in a generation where Zambia had taken a leap to empower and promote the girl child, both in terms of education and skill. This approach has an impact on the strong, ambitious, fearless and successful female phenomenon we admire and look up to in today’s world. Thus, the female population of our country is contributing greatly to the Zambian economy, which makes providing women with services, such as we are offering, all the more important,” said Muuka.
Save and Remit services is a payable platform created to offer basic and affordable administration packages to savings groups, cooperatives and Zambian businesses, which cannot afford to hire a qualified accountant.


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The U.S. government is gearing up to investigate the massive market power of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, sources told Reuters on Monday, setting up what could be an unprecedented wide-ranging probe of some of the world’s largest companies.
The news sent shares of tech companies spinning. Facebook’s stock price fell 7.5 per cent Monday, while Google parent company Alphabet saw its shares fall 6.1 per cent. Amazon stocks slipped 4.6 per cent and Apple fell 1 per cent by the end of the trading day.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, which jointly enforce antitrust laws in the United States, have divided oversight over the four companies, two sources said, with Amazon and Facebook under the watch of the FTC, and Apple and Google under the Justice Department.
Technology companies are facing a backlash in the United States and across the world, fueled by some people’s belief that the firms have too much power and are exerting a harmful effect on users or competitive marketplaces.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for closer scrutiny of social media companies and Google, accusing them of suppressing conservative voices online, without presenting any evidence. He has also repeatedly criticized Amazon for taking advantage of the U.S. Postal Service, also without evidence.
U.S. media reported on Friday that the Justice Department was laying the groundwork to investigate Google to determine whether the world’s biggest online advertising platform was using its size to squeeze out smaller competitors, violating laws designed to ensure fair competition. The company declined comment on Friday.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Amazon would come under the remit of the FTC in any probe. Amazon declined comment on Monday.
Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Monday.
The Justice Department and FTC generally do not acknowledge preparations for any investigations.
— Reuters, with a file from HuffPost Canada


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On this episode of CoinGeek Conversations, Somi Arian is keen to point out how countries like China disadvantage their people through the government and the corporations working together.
The team of Dr. Mohamed Al Hemairy, head of the Technology Transfer Office at the University of Sharjah, have partnered with the BSV Blockchain Association to build an academic certification and accreditation platform using the Bitcoin SV blockchain.
The upcoming BSV Global Blockchain Convention in Dubai from May 24 to 26 will be an important event for anyone with a “sense of history,” says Calvin Ayre, founder of Ayre Ventures and CoinGeek.
In this episode of CoinGeek Conversations, FloatSV and RelayX founder Jack Liu says his attraction to Bitcoin is partly due to its incentive design: regardless of wealth and stature, any individual has a chance to raise money using the network.
On this episode of CoinGeek Conversations, Dr. Craig Wright discusses the combining power of blockchain technology and IPv6, along with IPv6 Forum Founder and President Latif Ladid.
As we patiently await the upcoming BSV Global Blockchain Convention to be held in Dubai this May, CoinGeek Conversations take a look back at some of the highlights of CoinGeek Conferences past.
Talking on this week’s CoinGeek Conversations, Tony Mugavero explains how he knew that Rad “still needed a differentiator,” rather than competing head to head with the likes of Amazon and Netflix.
Genuine Retweets allows promoters who it signs up to earn money by retweeting, commenting and liking posts, but it’s not just about the money as founder and CEO Nick Numas explains on CoinGeek Conversations.
This week’s CoinGeek Conversations offers a sneak preview of all eight of the startup ideas working towards a big night in which they’ll have the chance to pitch their businesses to potential investors.
The Bitcoin SV blockchain is “absolutely perfect” for startups looking to build their businesses on chain, Osmin Callis, Chief Operating Officer of the Satoshi Block Dojo, tells CoinGeek Conversations.
In this week’s CoinGeek Conversations, Bitstocks founder and CEO Michael Hudson talks about Gravity, which is restarting its service under the name of Gravity Money.


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The move, part of a £6 million makeover designed to put a European gloss on ordering a Little Chef fry-up, will see the chain's New Choices outlets transformed into Continental-style coffee bars by day and intimate restaurants by night.
Up to 6pm, motorists can get Italian coffee, French pastries and baguettes, as well as the traditional fare. In the evening, however, the lights are turned low and the music changes from upbeat pop to something more romantic.
The intimate atmosphere is one of many changes to the chain's UK sites to complement its new " contemporary British" style.
Among the most controversial is that customers will be able to buy a drink on its own at the bar - previously alcohol was only served with a sit-down meal.
Compass, the group which owns Little Chef, is also introducing Harry Ramsden fish and chips.
Marketing chief Jill Brown said: "People will be able to make reservations and there will be round tables for bigger parties. We are trying to create a more sociable environment around the bar area."
Trials of the new concept have proved popular at eight pilot sites, boosting takings by a third according to the firm. As a result, 26 New Choices outlets are set to open in the next year with more to follow.
The changes mark a huge shift in direction since the first, 11-seat, Little Chef restaurant opened in Reading in 1958. The company is now the largest roadside catering chain, with 400 sites around the country.
Food & DrinkReuse content


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One of the custom-built Aston Martin DB10s built for the James Bond film Spectre just sold at auction for $3.5 million.
Just 10 Aston Martin DB10s were built in total for the movie, with eight of them undergoing modifications for filming. Two of them were kept as show cars including the one sold.
The car was listed with a reserve of 1 million pounds and ended up selling in under five minutes for 2,434,500 pounds ($3.48 million).
The car was part of an auction dedicated to memorabilia from Spectre, including a day of the dead costume that sold for 98,500 pounds and a signed copy of the music sheet and vinyl single of the movie’s theme song, “Writing’s On the Wall,” by Sam Smith.
The DB10 offered inspiration for the upcoming DB11 which is going to be released at the upcoming 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
[Source: Automotive News]
Discuss this story at our Aston Martin Forum


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US-based flight aggregator CheapAir has been accepting Bitcoin (BTC) payments since 2013, and has recently made headlines after it revealed it was now accepting Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Dash, and Litecoin payments as well.
The company’s move was made partly due to customer demand, and the company’s chief executive officer, Jeff Klee, noted that its cryptocurrency customers “tend to be very vocal about what they want.” What they wanted, Klee added, were alternative currencies.
CheapAir’s involvement in the cryptocurrency community is notable. The company recently asked its cryptocurrency-using customers for feedback on which crypto payments processor it should go with, after Coinbase moved to replace its Merchant Tools in favor of Coinbase Commerce.
Taking into account the company’s years and experience in the crypto space, CryptoGlobe decided to catch up with it and interview its CEO. During the interview, Klee revealed accepting Bitcoin was “one of the best decisions” he ever made for CheapAir, and that he’s somewhat of a libertarian.
CG: Can you introduce our audience to CheapAir?
Jeff Klee: This is a company I actually started when I was in college in 1999, it was pre-internet. It started out just as a hobby, I was selling spring break trips to friends of mine and other people in college and when I graduated I decided to stick with this travel thing while I figured out what I really wanted to do. Then the internet came along and that was combining two things I really love, so at that point I really commit to doing it for the long haul.
CG: Who was behind CheapAir’s decision to accept Bitcoin?
Jeff Klee: It was my decision. At the time I had read articles about Bitcoin, and I didn’t know too much about it but I was always intrigued about it when I read about it. The idea came from a customer. One of our customer services reps came to us one day and said “hey, a customer wants to know if they can pay for a ticket in Bitcoin.” The customer service didn’t even know what Bitcoin was, but it got me thinking about it. We did a little bit of research and quickly came across Coinbase and realized it would be pretty easy for us to integrate, so that’s when we made a decision to go ahead and see where it would lead.
CG: Is Bitcoin a big part of CheapAir’s business?
Jeff Klee: It has definitely gone up in the last year. For most of the time we’ve been accepting it it’s been roughly 2-3%, but that number has grown as Bitcoin has become more popular. It’s still a minority of our business, but there are a few things we really like about it: it’s enabled us to reach customers from around the world. The profile of a Bitcoin customer is very different from our other customers, Bitcoin customers on average tend to buy more expensive tickets and what we really appreciate is the loyalty. So many people come back again and again. That’s what we’re striving for, it’s to get loyalty. We appreciate the loyalty that we’ve gotten from the Bitcoin world.
CG: So, would you say that a customer may come back to your business because you accept Bitcoin?
Jeff Klee: I think there’s no doubt about it, that a lot of our customers who pay with Bitcoin would not be customers of ours if we weren’t taking Bitcoin. We look at it as incremental business, when we started accepting Bitcoin we didn’t have a bunch of existing customers who suddenly said “oh we can pay with Bitcoin,” it allowed us to get new customers, which we’re grateful for.
CG: Was it a risk that paid off?
Jeff Klee: It wasn’t a huge risk, other than the time and effort we put into it. Unfortunately, an airline isn’t going to take Bitcoin from us. When someone pays us, we have to pay the airline almost in real time, so almost all of the Bitcoin we get we have to convert into dollars. The risk we took was on the time developing, which was very much worth taking.
CG: Following up on the risk: Bitcoin is an extremely volatile cryptocurrency, does the company keep any of the Bitcoins it gets?
Jeff Klee: Most of it goes to fiat, but we keep some. Primarily for refunds and other types of payments that we can make in Bitcoin. Most of what’s coming in is going right out to the airlines, in dollars.
CG: Has CheapAir had any problems with regulators so far? Does it see regulations hinder its business?
Jeff Klee: We haven’t had any problems with that. I think maybe indirectly. No one knows why Coinbase is doing what they’re doing, but I think the theory is that they’re worried about some of the regulations that are forthcoming. We treat Bitcoin revenue like any other revenue, we’re not overly concerned about it at the moment. I hope I’m not being naïve for not worrying about it, but for now it hasn’t been a problem.
Jeff Klee: At the moment, we’re definitely open to other cryptocurrencies but there are two criteria: one there needs to be a demand for it – of course – but there also needs to be a market where we can easily convert it to fiat, because we need to easily pay our suppliers right away. Right now we’re using GoCoin as a processor to accept Dash, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin. They’re working on adding Ethereum, we will add it when they do. As far as other currencies we will have to find a processor.
CG: The company started accepting Bitcoin in 2013. That’s pretty early, do you think the experience people have with the company can help newcomers learn about cryptocurrencies by giving them a real use case?
Jeff Klee: Yes I think so and I hope so. At the time there was a wave of merchants who started taking it. The hope was and still is that the more merchants accept it the more it becomes a viable currency for people to use and transact with. I’m concerned Bitcoin has become much more of an investment vehicle than something people use for transactions, so I’m not sure where the future lies. We see the value in decentralized digital currencies and hope they continue to grow and gain tractions. It’s still too foreign of a concept for a mainstream consumer, and that’s been a problem.
CG: Are you personally bullish on Bitcoin? Do you think it’s a bubble?
Jeff Klee: No, I don’t think it’s a bubble. I’m definitely bullish on it, [alhtough] in the US I’m not very optimistic it is going to gain traction as mainstream currency for two reasons: one if we have the dollar which is pretty tough to compete with, and from a user’s point of view, for people who don’t care about the ideological value for Bitcoin and are just “what’s in it for me.” When you use a credit card there’s a lot of consumer protections that people like in the US market.
Bitcoin and all the other digital currencies have a lot more appeal right now in developing countries where there isn’t a strong as a currency as here in the US. I think it’s going to take time, but I definitely don’t see it as a bubble. Blockchain technology has lots of applications beyond Bitcoin.
CG: Recently various mainstream Wall Street personalities, including Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, slammed Bitcoin. What do you think about their point of view?
Jeff Klee: You could find someone who takes every side of every issue. There are also people who are saying Bitcoin is going to $100,000 or a $1 million within the next year. I tend to discount the extreme views on both sides. No one knows what’s going to happen, any of these scenarios could be true but I still think Bitcoin has value and is good for the world.
CG: The Swiss government recently started looking into the risks and benefits of developing its own state-backed cryptocurrency. Do you think these could be better for merchants?
Jeff Klee: In some aspects it kind of defeats the purpose. State-back cryptocurrencies are kind of a lateral move. The whole premise of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies is that there’s no central authority – from my standpoint, where I fall on this ideologically – the central authority that concerns me much more than the government is the banks.
Bitcoin takes out the credit card merchants fees and most consumers don’t realize that depending on the country you’re in, there’s about a 3 percent charge built in to the price of everything that you buy, to cover credit card and bank fees, and these are relics from decades ago when it was more expensive to process transactions. There’s no justification today to have such high fees to move money around.
As far as a government-backed cryptocurrency I’m not opposed to it, but what’s the point? It’s not the worst thing in the world, but how does it help us?
CG: Thank you for your time! Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
Jeff Klee: It’s been a really nice ride for us, and for me personally. I’ve met a lot of fascinating people since we’ve been accepting cryptocurrency and I’ve heard some great stories. I look back at this and it’s one of the best decision that I’ve ever made for my business. In some ways I kind of lucked into it, but it’s been fun.
Note the above interview was edited for clarity and brevity.


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PUEBLO, Colo. — Jojo’s Sriracha has moved on down to Pueblo!
The company, originally based in Denver since 2010, made the move to Pueblo Monday, June 19 after founder Jolene Collins noticed the Pueblo Chile branding campaign spearheaded by the Pueblo Chile Grower’s Association.
Additionally, Collins recognized earlier this year the production space in Denver was too small to keep up with demand. Collins says she was attracted to the city after learning about the Excelsior Farmer’s Exchange Incubator Kitchen space at the former Excelsior Middle School in Avondale and the growth opportunities and support to small businesses by Pueblo County’s Economic Development Department.
Jojo’s Sriracha is now utilizing roughly 5,000 square-feet of the 25,000- square feet available in the Excelsior Farmer’s Exchange Incubator Kitchen.
Collins has also formed relationships with members of the Pueblo Chile Growers Association, who are currently growing a mix of custom chile varieties that will become Jojo’s Sriracha.
While Jojo’s has used some Pueblo Chile in the past, Collins says she’s excited that her sriracha will now be made exclusively from the highest quality, tastiest, freshest chile available.
“To be the first makers using Excelsior’s incubator kitchen is amazing. The facility is making all of our friends that are food producers in the Denver-metro area jealous. It’s really great to have this type of support for small businesses. It’s always what you want as a small business owner, but not something that’s always available, Collins said.
Jojo’s Sriracha produces two sriracha chile products. Their green and red sriracha is sold in more than 80 stores across the country, with 80 percent of their sales comprised of direct online sales.>> Click here to visit Jojo’s Sriracha online.


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Nike Files Flurry Of Tech Patent Ohio State Licenses LeBron James Shoes, Jerseys Jordan Releases Space Jam Shoe Campaign Adidas, Under Armour Inch Closer To Nike Westbrook Being Groomed By Jordan Brand Ronaldo Signs Lifetime Deal With Nike Nike's Boston Effort Heavy On Celts' Thomas Bryant Picks "Day of Death" Theme For Shoe Launch McEnroe Unhappy With Lack Of Nike Tennis Spots McIlroy: No Timeline On New Equipment Provider
SBD/31/Sponsorships Advertising Marketing
NO TRICK: DEAN SMITH TO MEET WITH STUDENT GROUP ON NIKE ISSUE
Published October 31, 1997
Former UNC basketball Coach Dean Smith "plans to meet Friday with a student group that opposes the school's" $7.1M contract with Nike, according to USA TODAY. In a letter sent last week to the student-run Nike Awareness Campaign, Smith said he wanted to hear more about "alleged sweatshop conditions" in overseas factories. The group originally approached new UNC basketball Coach Bill Guthridge "about getting involved," but Smith "was the one who responded to the group's request." Smith had a personal contract with Nike before retiring earlier this month. Todd Pugatch, a member of the campaign, said the purpose of the meeting was not to persuade Smith to join their cause, but "just to speak with him and present him with our point of view." Students have also asked that some of the money from the school's nine Nike contracts be donated to Amnesty International, the world's largest human rights organization (USA TODAY, 10/31).


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Just because central banks have a hammer does not mean they have to destroy the economy with a hammer .” The Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Joseph Stiglitz, said it at. The beginning of the year in El País , and he attacked them again a few days ago, after rebel against central both the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced new increases of rates , despite the banking earthquake. Central banks use monetary policy as a tool to guarantee price stability. The problem is that there are times when the remedy they sell may be a fix for a tear. One of the inescapable postulates of economics. Is that inflation is a monetary phenomenon , so central banks are in charge of stopping it (with the hammer of interest rates ). But the orthodox theory has been questioned on more than one occasion, and in recent months there has.
It is irresponsible to ask for new interest rate increases
In addition to Stiglitz, the enfants terribles of monetary policy are economists as unsuspicious as the Nobel Prize winner in Economics Paul Krugman. Or the TUAC, the union advisory committee of the OECD. ” in the US and the euro zone. It is a wrong rebel against central decision in the face of the economic slowdown and the incipient financial crisis,” Veronica Nilsson, acting Italy Mobile Number Database Jiangsu Mobile Number List Secretary General of the TUAC, warned last week. “It is not the right instrument” food, supermarket, fruits and vegetables. The hegemonic discourse, inherited from the theories of Fisher and Friedman , is based on the fact that the only important. Cause of inflation has to do with an excessive increase in the amount of money, and that, therefore, the only cure would. Be to withdraw that market money. As? Making it more expensive raising rates.
Raising rates means pouring cold water on consumption
But what happens when what causes inflation is not demand? In the case of Europe, the origin of the conflict is in the high price of basic products, such as energy or food (the so-called supply inflation. Which in turn has been infecting the rest of the shopping basket. Stiglitz’s main argument against rate increases is that the current inflation crisis is not a Turkish phone number list demand problem (at least in Europe): ” Monetary policy is not the rebel against central appropriate instrument because it is not a problem caused by an excess demand. The cure can be worse than the disease,” he summarized a few days ago. “The cure can be worse than the disease” If European economies are burning right now, it is not because of excessive consumption. That has triggered prices, but because of a problem of lack of supply derived from the supply crisis.


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Hopefully ushering in a wallet-less payment boom, the next iPhone reportedly carries NFC chips and antenna.
Read More »
The excitement surrounding Microsoft's Surface tablet gets undercut by a limited debut.
Defying all expectations, developers stand to make more money by designing for BlackBerry than iOS or Android.
As it presented its grand attempt to take down the iPad, Microsoft found its Surface tablet fail while everyone watched.
The software giant displays sass and bad taste (again!) in its Twitter presence.
While it may seem like a nice promotion, incoming freshmen getting free Windows Phones are locked into AT&T after the fall.
With guns a-blazin' before the Lumia 900 launch, Nokia targets the notable issues that have plagued Apple's iPhone line.
Despite stacking the race in its favor, Microsoft lost against a Galaxy Nexus user but refused to acknowledge the win.


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* EU-U.S. trade talks expected to last two years
* China fears deal could be protectionist move
BRUSSELS May 7 China has raised concerns about European Union plans to negotiate an ambitious free trade deal with the United States, fearing it is a protectionist move, a senior EU official said on Tuesday.
Chinese officials queried EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton about the issue when she visited Beijing at the end of April for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese leaders.
The 27-nation EU and the United States aim to launch negotiations on a transatlantic free trade deal by the end of June, with discussions set to last at least two years.
China worried about whether the plan was "a pulling of the wagons into a circle to ... insulate the transatlantic economy from the rest of the world or is it, as we argue, even greater opening of both economies?" the EU official said, briefing journalists on condition he was not further identified.
The EU argues that a deal would strongly benefit the United States and the EU but other countries would also profit from the expansion of trade and investment across the Atlantic.
"That was the reassurance we gave to the Chinese," the official said.
The European Union is China's biggest trading partner.
Chinese officials raised the possibility of Beijing negotiating its own free trade agreement with the EU, a prospect that the EU official did not rule out "in the medium to longer term."
A transatlantic trade deal could add 0.5 and 0.4 percent respectively to European and U.S. gross domestic product, according to a European Commission report, although it could take a decade to deliver those effects. (Reporting by Adrian Croft; Editing by Michael Roddy)
CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-Essentra sees FY operating profit near lower end of forecast
Jan 23 Essentra Plc, a supplier of speciality plastic and packaging components, warned that full-year adjusted operating profit would miss or could come in at the lower end of its forecast, citing challenging business conditions in health and personal care packaging unit.
U.S. eggs crack Korean market as Seoul fights worst bird flu outbreak
SEOUL, Jan 23 U.S. white-shelled eggs landed on South Korean supermarket shelves beside local brown-shelled eggs on Monday as the country scrambled to boost imports to relieve a shortage amid its worst-ever bird flu outbreak.


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Maestro Dobel Humito Tequila
Proximo Spirits expanded its Maestro Dobel Tequila range with the first smoked silver Tequila this spring. Maestro Dobel Humito ($49.99 a 750-ml. bottle) uses mesquite wood to add smoky aromas and flavors to 100-percent agave silver Tequila. The 40-percent abv spirit is available in 19 states. For more information, visit Maestrodobel.com.
Olmeca Altos Añejo Tequila
Pernod Ricard USA extended its 100-percent agave Olmeca Altos Tequila range with a new expression this spring. Olmeca Altos Añejo ($34.99 a 750-ml. bottle) was aged for 18 months in oak barrels. The 40-percent abv spirit is initially rolling out on-premise in select markets, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, New York and Texas. For more information, visit Altostequila.com.
Clásico Tequila By Centinela
Minneapolis-based Phillips Distilling is launching a super-premium 100-percent-agave Tequila range from its Centinela brand this spring. Clásico by Centinela features Blanco and Reposado entries (both $24.99 a 750-ml. bottle) that are produced using traditional clay oven and open fermentation methods. The 40-percent abv spirits are available in 10 states. For more information, visit Tequilacentinela.com.
Alacrán Reposado Tequila
Alacrán Tequila has augmented its lineup with a new reposado entry. Made with 100-percent Weber Blue agave, Alacrán Reposado ($49.99 a 750-ml. bottle) is aged for four months in ex-Bourbon barrels and packaged in a hand-labeled and numbered bottle. The new extension marks the fourth offering in Alacrán’s stable, joining Tequila Blanco, Mezcal Joven and Cristal Añejo. Launched in the United States in 2011, Alacrán’s key markets include New York, Miami and Texas. For more information, visit Autenticoalacran.com.


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Huge tourism rise spurs an improved Polk guide
WINTER HAVEN - Tourism in Polk County is up "huge," and local officials are capitalizing on the industry upturn with an improved visitors guide.
"It is our key allure piece for attracting visitors to the area," said Tom Patton, executive director of the Central Florida Development Council.
The "vacation planner" being put out by the Central Florida Visitors and Convention Bureau, a division under Patton, weighs in at 74 pages this year and puts Polk destinations at tourists' fingertips.
"We'll use it for all sorts of clients," Patton said. "We send it out to people looking to plan vacations, because it covers the entire gambit of the tourism industry, especially from the lakes country theme that we're trying to promote right now."
Tourist officials have long marketed Polk County as an ideal vacation destination because of its prime location between Tampa and Orlando.
Following the Sept. 11 attacks, tourism dropped significantly, especially in Florida. After a couple of stagnant years, however, officials say tourism is starting to pick back up.
Patton said tourism in Polk County is up "huge."
"We're up about 20 percent this year over last year," he said, adding, "Florida is experiencing similar increases. At least I know the Orlando area is."
Featured in the new planner are suggested itineraries, prominently located at the front of the getaway guide.
A new centerfold map points out major local attractions, the section on outdoor events has been expanded by 20 pages and contact information has been made easier to find with the phone listings and activities more easily accessible.
And as always, accommodations are listed, ranging from hotels and motels, to bread and breakfasts, to rental home and condominiums.
The vacation guide also lists restaurants by city, with the "fine dining" or "local flavor" establishments designated as such, and shopping opportunities are also highlighted.
Free copies of the vacation planner can be ordered by either calling the Central Florida Visitors and Convention Bureau at (863) 298-7565 or by visiting its Web site at www.sunsational.org.


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Music merchandising retail sales was one of the fastest growing property type percentage-wise for 2016, according to the international Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association’s annual survey.
While all categories of licensed goods and services globally hit nearly $263 billion, which represented a 4.4% increase from the prior year, the music merchandise category grew at more than double that pace. According to LIMA, music merchandise grew 9.4% to $3.1 billion from the prior year’s total of $2.83 billion.
“Music is part of the culture, and people shopping for [music related merchandise] are not limited to the music fans per se,” says LIMA senior VP Marty Brochstein. “Brick and mortar is taking the music [merch] category much more seriously.”
For example, beyond the regular music merch inventory regularly represented in stores, retailers have experimented with in-and-out programs, whereby a certain artist merchandise might get a high profile locations and big buy-ins for certain limited period. This happened last year with merchandise from artist that included Justin Bieber, Metallica and Lady Gaga, according to Brochstein.
Overall, entertainment/character licensing remains the largest category, accounting for $118.3 billion, while corporate/brand trademarks generated $54.6 billion; fashion, $31.1 billion; and sports at $25.3 billion.
“The 2017 Survey reinforces the positive momentum of licensed products worldwide and across all categories, especially the large and growing entertainment/character sector,” LIMA president Charles Riotto said in a statement. “This year’s results also speak to the impressive reach and strength of licensing initiatives in growth markets around the world, contributing to the continued vitality of the industry.”
LIMA conducts its survey by reaching out to retailers, licensing companies as well as scrutinizing import and export data.
While music merch is relatively small compared to the other categories in the survey, most of its revenues—which are not represented in the survey—comes from merch sales at concerts, music industry executives say.


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Yosemite National Park and other campground sites across the U.S. are adopting the Little Kamper tank exchange program this year in an effort to reduce tank waste and costs.
Using a DOT-certified refillable 1-pound tank, the Little Kamper tank exchange program puts propane tanks on participating retailer shelves and allows customers to buy, use and exchange their empty tanks for prefilled replacements.
Aramark in Yosemite National Park was the first to adopt Little Kamper when it tested the program in 2020, and Aramark plans to expand its program in 2022 to reduce waste at Lake Powell in Canyonlands National Park and Crater Lake National Park, the company says.
Little Kamper conducted a 2021 audit of the Yosemite fuel cylinder waste stream. Volunteers gathered on a series of Saturday mornings from February 2021 to January 2022 to sort each propane, butane and isobutane cylinder that had been left in the national park by tank type and manufacturer. According to Little Kamper, the audit results indicate that its tanks are rarely discarded in Yosemite.
(Photo by Josh Simpson)
“People who purchase a Little Kamper tank rarely throw them away because the purchase price discourages that choice,” says Little Kamper’s Josh Simpson. “Over 1,200 Little Kampers were sold in Yosemite National Park in 2021, and only 22 of them were recovered in the waste stream audit. That’s a factual data point, and it clearly shows the waste-reduction benefits of our exchange program.”
Several other campground stores plan to offer an alternative to disposable tanks through Little Kamper’s tank exchange program. For instance, global hospitality company Delaware North plans to bring the program into its retail operations at the Grand Canyon, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, and possibly Shenandoah National Park, according to Little Kamper.
“Delaware North looks forward to offering Little Kamper’s reusable propane canister at our retail shops in several parks this season,” says Deb Friedel, director of sustainability for Delaware North. “We know that national park visitors will appreciate the opportunity to reduce waste in the parks by using a convenient and effective product that is also sustainable.”
See the original post: National, state parks adopt tank exchange program : LP Gas (lpgasmagazine.com)


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Scott Maccabe’s success turning Toshiba’s storage device business in the U.S. into a multibillion-dollar engine was a key factor when his Tokyo-based bosses pegged him to take on another round of challenges in leading the company’s printing equipment and services business.
Maccabe last month took the reins at Irvine-based Toshiba America Business Services Inc., which is among OC’s largest private companies, with about $1 billion in annual sales.
Maccabe will be expected to deliver results along the lines of his 11-year stint as senior vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Electronic Components, also in Irvine. The storage device unit saw sales rise from $250 million to more than $2 billion under his guidance, a 700% jump.
Now he has an opportunity to do a “similar type thing” with the printing business, Maccabe recently said at Toshiba’s growing campus on Irvine Boulevard. “The company is focused on the longevity of the business and wanted to invest and bring in some additional resources.”
Maccabe replaced Noboru Sawada, who had served as interim chief executive since May, when he took over for Mark Matthews, who abruptly resigned shortly after a year at the helm to “pursue other interests,” according to a company spokesperson.
Toshiba America employs 2,700 companywide in 101 U.S. offices and a toner plant in South Dakota. Most of its products, which include scanners, printers, copiers and digital displays, among others, are made in China Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
About 1,200 people work in Toshiba’s 450,000-square-foot operation in Irvine, which houses corporate executives, research and development, a display room, and several other business units (see related story, page 1).
Four of Toshiba America’s business divisions, which employ about 300 in OC, are among them and include: the Electronic Imaging Division, comprised of a network of more than 250 resellers; its direct sales and service arm, Toshiba Business Solutions; Document, Solutions Engineering; and Toshiba Managed Business Services, which consults Fortune 500 companies on improving printing efficiencies and moving, sharing and protecting sensitive data on network-attached devices.
The Toshiba America unit is part of Tokyo-based Toshiba Tec Corp., which is publicly traded on Japan’s Nikkei exchange and posts annual sales of more than $5 billion. Toshiba Corp., which has nearly $77 billion in annual sales, is its primary stockholder, with about a 55% majority stake. The conglomerate operates more than 70 businesses in the U.S., ranging from its struggling TV and PC outfits, to power plants, train engines and home appliances.
Toshiba America targets the retail, health, government and education sectors, among others. Big customers include Southwest Airlines, Hoag Hospital, state agencies and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
It competes against big players, such as the Irvine-based U.S. operations of Ricoh Electronics Inc., Xerox and Hewlett-Packard, in a maturing segment with annual growth rates typically between 5% and 7%.
“It’s not a rapidly growing market segment,” Maccabe said. “You’ve got to be able to educate the customer base in the most efficient solutions.”
For Toshiba America, that means pushing innovation and finding opportunities for growth.
That’s why executives placed a high priority on expanding its managed business division, which launched last year and aims to help customers wrestling with cloud computing, growing security issues, and the changing landscape of information-technology spending.
“That’s a significant growing segment of this particular market space,” Maccabe said. “It will be a critical focus for our organization.”
The launch included a digital signage products business line, which landed its first significant deal last year with the San Diego Chargers. The work entailed replacing 56 outdated televisions at Qualcomm Stadium, the team’s home field, with Toshiba large-screen, high-definition flat TVs. Toshiba America also installed digital media players and related software from New York-based ComQi to integrate game-day content, league news and fantasy football stats through the stadium’s video display network.
In June, the company introduced what’s billed as the first commercial printer that allows users to recycle a sheet of paper as many as 10 times by erasing toner ink through a heating mechanism in the machine.
Early this year, Toshiba America launched a self-encrypting drive that erases data immediately if it is compromised or removed from an unauthorized source.
The company also is developing communication boards and a large interactive display—the types that could be set up in lobbies, conference rooms or other areas.
The display is dubbed Virtuoso and is being pegged for various applications, including educating customers and resellers on its product lines.
The product drew some attention when U.S. executives, including Maccabe, introduced it to their Japanese counterparts in July as part of Toshiba’s annual brainstorming and strategic meeting that attracts hundreds of the company’s top brass to its Tokyo headquarters.
“This is a prime example where innovation takes leadership to the point where we can stay ahead of a waning or flat type of market environment,” Maccabe said.


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Bioware, the developer behind the likes of NWN
and other more complex strings of initials, has announced an intent to develop for platforms such as the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii.
In an interview with Gamasutra
, Mark Darrah said that the company is looking develop a wider portfolio. Mark himself is project lead for Bioware's first game on the Nintendo DS, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
"We're looking into Wii and PSP as a company... but nothing has been decided, and nothing has been announced. And we are, from styles of games - we are trying to broaden our portfolio,
" said Mark.
Bioware currently has a full-time staff of 30 developers focused on just the DS but has indicated that the Nintendo handheld is still a frustrating and difficult platform to develop commercial games for.
"I mean, the hardware is challenging for someone who's done console or PC development, just because it's got four megabytes of memory, and it's very much hardware from - if you compare it to a PC, it's like hardware from 14 years ago.
Bioware itself was traditionally a PC developer but has moved to create a presence of consoles in recent years with games like Jade Empire
, Knights of the Old Republic
and Mass Effect
. Has the move been successful? Let us know what you think in the forums


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| Nov 5, 2014
| 5:20 AM
I'm on a years-long quest to have music piped all over my house.
There are several technologies that can be used to stream music wirelessly. I've been using Apple's Airplay, but it cuts out more than I consider acceptable.
The gold standard of...
| Nov 5, 2014
| 5:00 AM
Dish Network is prepared to permanently unplug a pillar of cable television — CNN, the pioneering 24-hour news network whose fortunes have faded.
The satellite giant's 14 million subscribers haven't been able to watch several Turner Broadcasting...
| Nov 1, 2014
| 7:22 PM
Time to head to the polls
The campaign ads finally are about to end.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Don't know where your polling place is? Go to VotesPA.com and plug in your address to find out.
Weather forecasts are predicting...
| Nov 4, 2014
| 10:35 AM
SEATTLE Amazon is amping up one of the most potent weapons in its competitive arsenal, adding unlimited online photo storage to its Prime subscription service.
Prime members, who pay $99 a year for the service, which includes two-day shipping on more...
| Oct 25, 2014
Consumers may be thinking more about buying candy for Halloween than gifts for the holidays right now, but food-themed tree ornaments already sprout from a display at Sur La Table in Towson Town Center.
The glass ornaments — chocolate-covered...
| Oct 13, 2014
| 5:09 AM
It's time for another fabulous freebie free-for-all for Columbus Day sales. My roundup of deals include a free iPhone 6 from Walmart with a trade-in offer, free appetizer or dessert from T.G.I. Fridays, a free movie ticket to see Brad Pitt's "Fury," and...
| Oct 12, 2014
| 1:50 PM
Box-office trackers can stop panicking.
The website Box Office Mojo, a go-to resource for data on movies and money, is back online after mysteriously disappearing on Friday.
Box-office data fiends who tried to use Boxofficemojo.com on Friday were...
| Oct 22, 2014
| 9:15 AM
Target is offering free shipping and will expand its price-match policy during the busy holiday shopping season, the retailer announced Wednesday.
A real deal sweetener is free shipping on Target.com being offered now through Dec. 20. The offer will...
| Oct 16, 2014
| 6:43 AM
Amazon.com is beefing up its holiday staff with an additional 80,000 seasonal workers as the online retailer prepares for the holiday shopping rush.
The Seattle company said it is adding about 10,000 more temporary positions compared to last year to...
| Oct 31, 2014
| 3:16 PM
As more people rethink ways to get television programming outside the traditional cable and satellite companies, the unsung TV antenna is becoming a fundamental component of their cord-cutting strategy.
That makes sense. Not only are broadcast TV...
| Oct 31, 2014
| 5:44 PM
I love scoring a good bargain.
But like many moms, I don't have time to compare prices at dozens of stores and websites, hunting for the best deals.
We recently wrote about Zulily, the online megastore, which plans to open a huge warehouse in...


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Dining On The Edge
Bergen County’s restaurant scene will survive the pandemic, but it will be different—probably forever.
Strolling down East Ridgewood Avenue this summer, you could be excused for thinking you’d been transported to an Italian piazza. In an effort to help shore up Ridgewood’s restaurants, struggling during the pandemic even after the governor gave the nod to outdoor dining on June 15, the town closed portions of the street on weekends to increase the number of diners that restaurants in the area could accommodate. Other towns in Bergen and around the state—including Dumont and Hoboken—have taken similar steps. But even where outdoor dining is flourishing, it hasn’t allowed the county’s restaurants to bounce back to pre-COVID-19 revenues. Nor has the state’s decision to permit indoor dining at 25 percent of capacity as of Sept. 4.
With the temporary shutdown in March of New Jersey’s movie theaters, performing arts centers, gyms, racetracks, casinos and restaurants (with the exception of takeout and delivery), COVID-19 has hit the county’s service industries particularly hard. As of this writing, at least four Bergen restaurants have closed permanently due to the strictures of the pandemic: Paolo’s Gourmet and Technique in Westwood and
Le Bon Choix and Sensible Fork in Ridgewood. But Anthony Bucco, chef and co-owner of Ridgewood’s Felina and a member of the board of the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association, believes we’re unlikely to see the real effects of the pandemic on the county’s restaurants until early spring. Small-business loans and the ability to refinance mortgages and/or renegotiate leases are keeping many restaurants afloat for the time being, he notes. But the protective effects of those measures won’t last forever. How much attrition the industry experiences, Bucco says, “will be dependent on what happens in November, with the potential for a second wave of COVID and a hard flu season.” Few observers believe that the county’s restaurant scene will emerge from the pandemic unscathed. But that hasn’t stopped Bergen’s restaurateurs from coming up with creative responses to an economic blow many are saying is considerably worse than those dealt by the recessions of 1987 and 2008 and the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.
TAKING TO TAKEOUT
As the county’s coronavirus numbers dropped, residents wearying of their own home cooking began tentatively testing the takeout waters, and takeout (including no-contact curbside pickup) has become one of the restaurant industry’s unqualified successes during the pandemic. High-end eateries that never deigned to offer carry-out options in the past discovered that it was a way to keep themselves and their staff afloat, at least temporarily. Jamie Knott, chef of the Saddle River Inn and Saddle River Café (and Cellar335 in Jersey City), says takeout continues to be a vital part of business at the Café, and “though takeout has never been a huge part of our business at the Inn, we’re doing 70 percent more now than we ever have.”
Traditional takeout—moderately priced food that can be prepared quickly and won’t lose its luster during the trip home—is in large part bucking the downward trend experienced by restaurants that rely heavily on seated dining. Pizza, New Jersey’s ultimate comfort food, has been in high demand during the pandemic. Michael Ghinelli and Hadi Parhizkaran, college dropouts who opened the successful Pizza Club in Edgewater, decided to open a second Pizza Club, in Garfield, during the pandemic. Though they were able to acquire an existing business at a reduced price, they experienced more than a few qualms before opening. “We could actually see the numbers fall in our first pizzeria, and I was really terrified by that,” says Ghinelli. But the county’s insatiable appetite for the cheesy dish, coupled with a business model that elevates customer service, has kept their business, and the Pizza Clubs’ ovens, hot.
It’s not surprising that, among the new places opening their doors during the pandemic, the majority are takeout-based. In September, Martin James and two partners opened Marty’s Burgers in Fort Lee. “We thought it would work because it was a takeout-centered business plan,” he says. “So far, we’ve been happy with our sales.”
THE ALFRESCO RESCUE
Outdoor dining has been a boon to the county’s restaurant industry, but it’s not without its challenges, particularly space, or the lack thereof. Even venues that had established patio dining before the pandemic saw those spaces shrink thanks to the state-mandated requirement to keep tables at least 6 feet from one another. And most restaurants in the county had no outdoor spaces to begin with, a situation that pushed owners to create sidewalk cafes that are literally on the sidewalk, as Jim Lulani of Dumont’s Il Mulino did. Other restaurants, such as Blue Moon Mexican Cafe in Wyckoff and Lefkes in Englewood Cliffs, expanded into parking lots.
But alfresco dining has its costs, especially for restaurants moving outside for the first time this year. A large tent is expensive, Knott observes, as are the space heaters necessary to keep outdoor dining an option as the mercury drops.
Until indoor dining opens up beyond 25 percent, many restaurateurs are cutting their dining hours to keep down operating costs—particularly wages. For instance, Felina, which was traditionally open every day but Monday, opted to close Tuesday and Wednesday as well. And as of this writing, Hillsdale’s Rockin’ Roots, which began offering indoor lunch in September, hasn’t yet reopened for dinner—other than takeout—because, says its owner, Michael Merida, “at 25 percent, you can’t make ends meet.” Some restaurateurs, Bucco included, are now charging no-shows. “There’s a cost associated with every chair,” he says.
CAN THE GOVERNMENT DO MORE?
It’s clear that few restaurants in the county, with the exception of those with a heavy takeout business, can survive at 25 percent capacity, and many owners have been pleading with the governor to move to 50 percent or higher. “Twenty-five percent,” says Craig Kunisch, co-owner, with his brother and sister, of Mahwah Bar & Grill and Allendale Bar & Grill, “is a step in the right direction, but it’s not sustainable.” Of course, if COVID numbers rise significantly during the fall and winter, increasing capacity may not be possible; in fact, it’s not inconceivable that indoor dining could once again be shut down. And even if that doesn’t happen, says Bucco, a second wave or a steep increase in cases could undermine consumer confidence in indoor dining.
Many diners, in fact, are still leery of eating indoors. Carole Stewart, a councilwoman and resident of Dumont, says she’s been eating outdoors fairly frequently at hometown favorites such as Grant Street Café and Nazca, but “I have not eaten inside, and I’m not sure I will.” Others are moving gingerly toward indoor dining. Carlstadt resident Heather Markowski began dining out outdoors in September and had her first indoor restaurant meal, at Pier 115 in Edgewater, later that month.
In addition to increasing capacity, some in the industry have called for a change in the state’s liquor license law to allow more restaurants to serve alcohol, which would be an additional source of revenue. Others, like Bucco, would like to see an additional stimulus for those still on unemployment, which he believes could help get people into restaurant seats again.
AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Though the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association has estimated that close to a quarter of the state’s eateries are likely to close because of the pandemic, no one knows for sure what that final number will be. What almost everyone agrees on is that there will be significant attrition and a number of notable changes. Takeout is likely here to stay, even at top-shelf restaurants. “I think people have fallen in love with the ease of use of things like delivery and curbside pickup,” says Kunisch. And we’ll probably see an expansion in alfresco dining. “One thing we truly learned during the pandemic is that people love to eat outside,” says Knott. Those changes, at least, may be all to the good.
And if there’s a county in New Jersey that can bounce back, it’s Bergen. Not only is it one of the state’s wealthiest areas, it’s also likely to benefit from its proximity to New York City. “I look at the towns that surround Manhattan as immense opportunities,” says Bucco, “because a lot of suburban residents won’t be ready to go back to the city. People who used to dine at Le Bernardin for a special occasion are going to stay in New Jersey and maybe go to Saddle River Inn instead.” Ask the Inn’s owner, Jamie Knott, if he’ll be around to accommodate them, and he doesn’t equivocate. “In my mind,” he says, “there’s no other option.”


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- The new wearable device will be the 7th generation of Samsung Gear with a wrist watch type. This is the first time that Samsung has released its wearable SDK to third-party developers before the official product announcement.
- To join the program, developers can become a member of the community by submitting an application at the Samsung Developer’s website. The applicants will be later notified through email along with the development resources.
- “Samsung has actively adapted its approach to wearable device development as the leader of the rapidly developing category,” said JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.
Share This Article


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Alaya Resort Ubud has added the latest interactive guestroom entertainment offering to its product line’s content functionality. The solution delivers high-quality media content across internet protocol networks through one platform, allowing to publish content once and synchronize it right to guestrooms or on screens throughout the property.
“Consumer media and content delivery preferences are changing and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to give every guest a great experience. With the new guest room entertainment system – netify, helps jump that hurdle with a flexible approach to content delivery that enables Alaya Resort Ubud to better tailor the in-room experience to their guests’ wants and needs while also deploying content across the property,” said Dewi Mas, CHA, CHT the General Manager.
Guests can connect their devices via a QR code to stream their content to the television — whether it be Netflix, HBO GO, HULU, traditional television or a PowerPoint presentation. It’s a lifestyle that provides the capacity to give guests quick and seamless access to the content they desire hustle free.


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ח׳ באב ה׳תשע״ד (August 4, 2014)
Israeli Businesses Are Under Fire, Buy Products And Services From Businesses In The South Of Israel [Facebook Page And Android App]
Following three weeks of intense rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, a group of dedicated Israeli citizens has banded together to form Israeli Businesses Under Fire, an initiative aimed at preventing the recent escalation with Hamas from destroying the economy of southern Israel.
Israeli Businesses Under Fire allows people from across the world the opportunity to purchase goods and services from Israeli businesses located within 40 kilometers of the Gaza Strip. Users are encouraged to make purchases for themselves, residents of southern Israel, units engaged in combat, and wounded soldiers. It also allows users the opportunity to book “virtual meals” and “virtual vacations” in an effort to aid businesses and families suffering from the economic effects of the constant threat of rocket attacks.
Israeli businesses located near the Gaza Strip have suffered dramatic losses as a result of the more than 2,500 missiles launched at Israeli territory since the beginning of the recent escalation. Retail sales in southern Israeli population centers such as Sderot, Netivot, Ofakim, Be’er Sheva, Ashdod, and Ashkelon have declined by up to 70% while tourism has declined by up to 60%. Missiles have also caused an as yet unknown amount of crop damage and many small businesses face the imminent threat of bankruptcy.
In response to these events, Monika Lev Cohen, a former emissary of the Jewish Agency for Israel to the United States, formed Israeli Businesses Under Fire. The initiative is an independent and a-political effort in which more than fifty volunteers from across the world have contacted hundreds of businesses located near the Gaza Strip, verified their location and contact information, and translated these details into English. The initiative is not affiliated with any outside organization and receives no portion of the funds transmitted.
If you care about the Israeli economy and its residents, you can help immediately – buy products and services from businesses in the south of Israel.
Call a business which is located in Southern Israel (or go online) and purchase a product or a service. You can also send the purchased products to soldiers on the front line via Israelis who will deliver it voluntarily or send them directly to the anxious families of our brave soldiers.
If you know Hebrew there is also an Android app with the map and information about Israeli businesses in Southern Israel (in Hebrew only). App is called Mapjan. With this app you will find businesses in Southern Israel you can deal with, you can also easily create and share custom maps (this is a beta release).
App: Mapjan by GRG
Released: July 31, 2014
Price: Free (Google Play Link)


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University of Texas researchers published a study this week that sheds light on how Bitcoin's 2017 value rose faster than tech stocks during a bubble.
Futurism has an interesting
"Bitcoin started 2017 with a value of just $900. By December, it had jumped to nearly $20,000. To the casual observer, it appeared the world was finally buying into the promise of cryptocurrencies."
Instead, what was really happening, according to University of Texas finance professor John M. Griffin and graduate student Amin Shams, was currency manipulation.
The researchers found that purchases of a cryptocurrency called Tether artificially inflated Bitcoin's price.
"Less than 1% of hours with such heavy Tether transactions are associated with 50% of the meteoric rise in Bitcoin and 64% of other top cryptocurrencies," says the report.
Read the Bitcoin price rise study for yourself, if you have more interest.
One thing is for sure: When it comes to cryptocurrency, it is still the "wild, wild west" where anything could happen. You might find gold and strike it rich—or you might have your stagecoach robbed and be left with nothing.


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Gaikai and LG have announced plans to place Gaikai's cloud-based game-streaming services inside of LG's upcoming 2012 line of Cinema 3D TVs. The service will use Gaikai's middleware to power an LG-branded gaming portal within the company's existing Smart TV app ecosystem. No information has yet been given regarding how these games will actually be played, but we're hopeful it will involve a controller of some kind, rather than creative use of the TV's remote.
OnLive has also announced further integration of its cloud-based game-streaming service into Google's GoogleTV platform, by way of Vizio's "next generation" of "Internet Apps Plus" devices. Vizio TVs equipped with Internet Apps Plus and GoogleTV 2.0 will allow users to connect their Universal Controller and stream games normally. This is a big leap from OnLive's current GoogleTV presence, which is currently limited to a "Player" app that allows GoogleTV users to spectate OnLive games happening on other devices. No word on whether full OnLive functionality will come to other devices running GoogleTV 2.0.


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Nigerians are increasingly concerned about the coronavirus situation and its implications on life and the economy.
This unease is evident in latest Kantar report which indicates that about 150 million Nigerians out of about 200 million population are afraid of national financial breakdown followed by economic recession and hardship occasioned by Covid-19.
The increasing fear negates the earlier confidence expressed in some markets, including Nigeria that their economy will recover quickly once the Covid-19 situation dies down.
In a survey conducted by Kantar mid-March, this year, China with 67% was more optimistic of economic re-bound followed by Nigeria with 58%. Saudi Arabia came third with 49%. South Africa 32% and Spain was less optimistic with 20% of economic recovery after Covid-19. The survey had polled 25,000 consumers across over 30 countries.
But the latest survey says almost three-quarter of Nigerians (74%) are fearful of a national financial breakdown followed by an economic recession.
Kantar in this second wave of study conducted 500 interviews in Nigeria: through both mobile online and computer aided telephone interviewing (CATI). It also conducted two online focus groups discussions to elicit a deeper feel of consumer experiences, challenges and desires during this time. During the interview, it spoke to Nigerians in Lagos, South West, the Northern States, South East and South South geo-political zones of the country.
The present apprehension about financial uncertainty related to the lockdown is not helped by the fact that crude oil; Nigeria’s major source of foreign exchange is selling around $30 in the international oil markets, which is far below the projected $60 in the 2020 budget by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the report said.
“The majority of Nigerians earn a daily wage from informal activities. Unfortunately, they have not been able to fend for themselves and their families throughout the lockdown and this is the deepest concern that the people have today”.
Kantar further noted that the trust in national and international media agencies remains high at 70% while new media has seen growth from 60% to 80%; thus, lifting up non-traditional media to become mainstream.
“Engagement with social networks and other online platforms is ahead of TV in the short term for now as people seeking real-time information regarding the pandemic and essential information to either access relevant services or products or to entertain themselves as they while away time until the lockdown is lifted”. In the earlier report, it said traditional media still remains most trustworthy source of information for news consumers.
The coronavirus situation has compelled consumers to embrace all forms of online services as website and phone orders are purposefully done to maintain physical distance (30%). “In line with this, physical distancing is becoming a norm as more consumers are shopping less in physical outlets and avoiding the big malls (66%) and majority (70%) is opting for electronic payment options”.


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This guide shows you how to perform a hard reset on a Motorola Droid Bionic. By doing this hard reset, you will clear all data from your phone and return your Droid Bionic back it to its factory settings. Continue reading »
Howdy Blue Dots! I know it can sometimes seem like this country is stuck with a two party system. No, I am not talking about the Democrats or Republicans. (Although, they are also represented by red and blue oddly enough). I’m of course talking about our countries largest cell phone providers Verizon and AT&T. The two seem locked in a constant battle for the hearts and wallets of your fellow Americans. There must be an alternative to the two party system though right? We’ll I won’t tell you to throw your vote away and vote for the Green Party in the next election, but when it comes to phones sometimes the small guys have some huge offers.
The moment we have all been waiting for has finally come. For years we have had our hopes raised and then crushed. Tech blogs have spurred the rumor mills and created ongoing disappointment for those not wanting to sacrifice service bars for the next hot phone. It was announced yesterday that the iPhone 4 will be released for Verizon on Febuary 3rd for existing Verizon customers and on Febuary 10th for everybody else. Since 2007, the Apple iPhone has ruled the technological world. AT&T customers have enjoyed the advantages offered by the iPhone while Verizon Wireless customers remained loyal, touting their superior network. Withyesterday’s announcement of the new iPhone 4 on the Verizon network, will the loyal Verizon customer base be rewarded witha superior device on a superior network, or will Verizon mismanage the influx of users and bandwidth as AT&T reportedly did when they added the iPhone to their network? Continue reading »
The huge influx of Androids, iPhones, iPads, Blackberries and other “App” capable devices have allowed every-day people with a little coding knowledge to create their own programs. Everything from finding happy hour specials at local bars to doctors being able to analyze x-rays can now be seen in apps for mobile devices. This open-source theme, is about to take a step to the next level.
Bug Labs, a small firm out of New York, is attempting to provide this freedom to not only applications, but the devices themselves. Using their hardware, anyone can invent a device that will be compatible with their mobile plans. Pete Semmelhack, CEO of Bug Labs, explained to the New York Observer, “Right now there are hundreds of thousands of apps but only a few dozen mobile devices. We want to create an ecosystem for mobile hardware that is just as robust as the one which exists for software.” Continue reading »
The official results are in, and the first quarter sales figures for 2010 are significantly in favor of Google’s Android smart phone. The war has waged for quite some time between Apple’s iPhone–with apps that pale in comparison to the amount of hype backing it up–and Google’s Android which has dedicated its operating system to various phone models and carriers across the board.
The iPhone, as many of you know, is paired only with AT&T service–and while Apple pushes its weight around the market, it rests firmly in the corner where only AT&T users and Mac Geeks dwell.
AT&T is big–really big. But Verizon is much bigger. You know those “coverage maps” you see in all the ‘Verizon VS AT&T‘ commercials? Those attempt to illustrate a whopping 92.8% of Verizon’s customers enjoying a relatively limitless wireless coverage zone.
iPhone’s biggest claim to fame is the App Store, featuring obscene numbers of user and professionally created applications for just about everything you’d ever want to do–from grocery shopping, to making fart-noises on the bus. The Google Android is gaining speed, however. They’re up to a healthy 50,000 applications and counting–and I believe they’ve even hosted their own fart-noise apps, so…good news there!
Because of Verizon’s dominant network, they have become a huge sponsor of Google’s Android–providing them with lots of advertising and marketing funds.
The last–and probably most important–factor that pushes the Android ahead is the pricing. Where the average price for a smart phone in 2010 is around $599 (retail price), the top-tier iPhones can be as pricey as $999 (used iphones for less than $200 and cheap droid phones). Because Google has the freedom to pick and choose its carriers and hosts models in varying price ranges, they have the potential to dominate every market.
The Android’s sales have outfoxed the iPhone, but not by much. With the first quarter percentages for the Android being 28%, and the iPhone’s being 21%, it is still a close race…but it is still only a race for 2nd place.
It should be no surprise that Reasearch in Motion’s Blackberry is still king of the smart phones with a first quarter sales rate of 36 percent. Across the board, new and refurbished Blackberrys make a huge impact on smart phone sales. They are efficient, inexpensive, and part of the largest networks in the country.
So, for now, Blackberry watches as Google and Apple duke it out–but there’s a lot more time left in 2010–and something tells me that the iPad won’t be the last tech gadget people are talking about this year.
It seems like a lifetime since the casual–though clumsy–portable or cellular phone generation switched to Smart Phones. Everyone from the average citizen to the global corporate CEO utilizes a small pocket device for practically every aspect of their lives. But how secure are your Smart Phone interactions?
Many new and refurbished Smart Phones are equipped with some kind of rudimentary security device and it seems that most people are either comfortable with that, or simply feel that browsing the web from a phone is more secure than from their PC. Have they been lulled into a false sense of security, or are Smart Phones worthy of all of our faith?
According to |, the Apple iPhone lacks some basic but critical features when it comes to overall security. It’s operating system can be compromised due to corrupted downloads, it lacks over-air updates, and it has relatively no device encryption.
Windows Mobile phones covers a majority of basic security requirements for corporate and personal use along with the iPhone‘s full VPN support.
Both the Android and Symbian phones have a very open nature when it comes to third party access; however, installed software is “theoretically unable” to do any major damage to the device without being traced to the source.
Android and Symbian users are asked permission to utilize certain protected features–and anyone who accesses these features do so with a protected private key.
If you want the ultimate in Smart Phone protection, however, be prepared to pay for it. The Sectera Edge (sold for about $3350) offers military-grade encryption and was offered to President Obama as the alternative for ditching his Blackberry.
But what does all of this mean? Well, other than the old “if it’s good enough for the President, it’s good enough for me” argument, new and refurbished Blackberrys seem to have the highest rated and most user-friendly security aspects amongst Smart Phones.
No matter what device you choose, you should always be wary of your phone’s security settings and overall management. Proper routine maintenance of your technology is crucial to a happy and long-lasting relationship with whichever device you choose. So, remember to choose your Smartphone wisely, but also take care of it–after all–it takes care of you.


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By Rod Hill
“Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society,” American Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote 100 years ago. When a country can no longer have an adult conversation about taxes, is its civilization in danger? We had better hope not, because that seems to be the situation in Canada now.
I’m not referring to last year’s campaign of disinformation surrounding the federal government’s attempt to reduce tax avoidance by the owners of private corporations. Nor am I referring to governments that pretend to care about reducing greenhouse gas emissions while lacking the courage to introduce even the most minimal carbon tax.
My concern is the nonsense being foisted on the public about the federal excise tax on beer. A sad example was the editorial “Permanent Escalator to Taxes” (Jan. 23).
It correctly states the facts and then promptly misinterprets them.
Last year’s federal budget did indeed raise the tax on beer by 2 per cent (about the rate of inflation) and it “decided to pass legislation building a constant increase to the tax, an increase tied to the consumer price index,” as the editorial notes.
It goes on to describe this as “a sneaky way to increase taxes without actually having to tell anyone you're doing it.” The legislation is “institutionalizing tax increases,” camouflaging them, with consumers paying “constantly increasing” amounts to the government. It concludes with “When a government increases a tax, it has to justify that increase.”
In fairness, the editorial writer was simply echoing the false arguments that have been made since last spring when the budget changes were announced. More on that later.
If it’s not obvious already, let’s see what’s wrong with the claim that the tax is going up and up.
First, a bit of background. The federal excise tax on beer is set in dollar terms per hundred litres of beer. The tax varies with the amount of alcohol in the beer and, importantly, offers very substantial reductions to smaller breweries that face higher costs of production compared with large industrial operations.
Large breweries currently pay 15.9 cents per 500 mL bottle of beer with alcohol content of more than 2.5 per cent. (Smaller breweries pay anywhere between 1.6 cents and 13.5 cents, depending on their annual production.)
The tax will rise on April 1 at the same rate as the prices of goods and services generally, as measured by the consumer price index. If that is 2 per cent (the middle of the Bank of Canada’s inflation target), the tax on that bottle will rise to 16.2 cents.
Is this a “tax hike”? No, because to pay that tax on your bottle of beer you don’t have to give up any more of the other things that you could have bought instead. On average, their prices rose by 2 per cent as well.
In the terminology of economics, the “real” cost of the tax is unchanged. The change in the dollar value of the tax has not raised its real cost. Confusing the two is what economists call “money illusion.”
- your wage rises by 2 per cent, are you better off? If the prices of the things you by also rose by 2 per cent, your “real wage” is unchanged.
Exactly the same thing is happening if the tax on beer is indexed to inflation: the government collects the same real amount per bottle of beer.
How does the current tax compare with what it was in the past?
Adjusted for inflation, the tax on a 500 mL bottle was 19 cents in 1976, 18 cents in 1987, 19.5 cents in 1999. At just under 16 cents, it is the lowest it’s been in 40 years. Last year’s budget will keep it at that low level into the indefinite future.
But the facts don’t matter.
Last spring, the Senate responded to the uproar about the inflation adjustment to the beer tax. The Chamber of Sober Second Thought (as John A. Macdonald called it) became drunk with delusions of power and attempted to strike this from the budget, but without success. (The House of Commons has ultimate authority over budgets.)
According to one report, “a number of senators expressed concern that the automatic yearly tax hikes would potentially devastate many small Canadian breweries and wineries.” Finance Minister Bill Morneau had already explained to them that the adjustments involved no real increase, but to no avail.
Beer Canada, the industry’s trade association, has recently launched a campaign to stop the upcoming inflation adjustment. It is pretending that this will leave beer drinkers "faced with higher prices because of higher taxes. That's not favourable for sales," according to Luke Harford, the association's president. "Brewers are going to be left with less money to invest in their plants, their people and their communities – and that's not a good thing either." Its groundless complaints are being uncritically reported by the media across the country.
Oh well. On the bright side, new craft breweries are flourishing across the country. We can contemplate the shaky future of our civilized society over glasses of their fine products.
Rod Hill is a Professor of Economics at the University of New Brunswick.


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In a win for Canadians, CRTC promises fair rules to increase independent choice and affordability for fiber Internet access
New rules ensure that Canadians will be able to access an affordable range of services from a variety of providers outside Canada’s telecom giants
“Time and time again the CRTC has said their goal is to ensure a ‘high quality’ and ‘world-class’ communications system for all Canadians. Today, they took a big step towards that,” said OpenMedia Campaigns Manager, Josh Tabish. “Around the world fibre is the Internet of today – not the Internet of tomorrow. Other developed countries have 20 or 30 times more access to affordable fibre than we have in Canada and we need to catch up as soon as possible.”
Tabish continued: “When it comes to fibre Internet, Canada’s stats are embarrassing. Just 3% of Canadian Internet users currently use ultra-fast fibre Internet, compared to nearly 70% in Japan. What’s worse: prices are way out of whack – with Big Telecom packages in cities like Toronto costing over $180 per month. By creating fair open access rules the CRTC has taken bold step towards catching up with our international peers and bringing costs down. Now it’s time to get these rules implemented as soon as possible.”
OpenMedia will continue to monitor the implementation of this ruling to ensure a quick and seamless process is established that prioritizes increased affordable telecom choice for Canadians.
The CRTC is currently reviewing whether broadband Internet should be included as a basic service in their Review of basic telecommunication services hearing. OpenMedia has already put the perspective of over 25,000 Canadians on the public record as part of the proceeding and will be intervening to ensure 100% of Canadians get access to affordable, world-class Internet services. Canadians can speak out at https://UnblockCanada.ca.
OpenMedia is an award-winning community-based organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open Internet. We work toward informed and participatory digital policy by engaging hundreds of thousands of people in protecting our online rights.
Campaigns Manager, OpenMedia.ca


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1770 Available to Pre-order With Announcement if Future Peated and Triple Distilled ExpressionThursday 07th March 2019
We are delighted to announce the return of 1770 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, with the 2019 release now available to pre-order here.
We are equally delighted to reveal the launch of two new expressions: 1770 Peated and 1770 Triple Distilled. Together, these three new expressions will collectively form the Signature Range.
With the 2019 Release now available to order with shipping in April, the first Peated expression will be available in late 2019 and the Triple Distilled in early 2020.
We were very humbled by the demand generated from our inaugural release. The ballot for Release No.1. was heavily oversubscribed, so we are delighted to be able to bring the 2019 Release to the market.
Innovation is very important to us, and the announcement of the 1770 Signature Range is no different. We’re proud to be one of a select few distilleries in Scotland to have three different styles of single malt as part of their core whisky offering. Individually unique and collectively brilliant, the full range of 1770 Whisky will provide consumers with an understanding of what we are about at Glasgow Distillery – creating handcrafted premium products to enjoy.
We would like to encourage anyone interested in these releases to follow us on social media, @1770Whisky, where we will be revealing the latest product news and providing opportunities to secure exclusive access to new releases.
1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky – 2019 Release is now available to pre-order here (Price £49) with shipping in April.
The Latest News
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Glasgow Distillery Launch Free Glasgow Delivery ServiceWe are delighted to announce that we have launched a free contactless delivery service for online...25 Mar 2020
ONLINE ORDERS STILL CONTINUING AS NORMALCOVID-19 UPDATE FROM GLASGOW DISTILLERY In light of the recent news regarding COVID-19 coronavirus and...17 Mar 2020
Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Whisky Takes Off: Soaring into Dubai Duty FreeWe are delighted to reveal that Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Scotch Whisky is now available to purchase from...09 Mar 2020


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Apple MacBooks with 120Hz display to debut on October 18
Apple will host a new launch event on October 18, wherein it is expected to announce the next-generation MacBook Pro models with major design and hardware upgrades. According to the leaks, the tech giant will unveil new 14.0-inch and 16.0-inch models with 120Hz ProMotion mini-LED displays, custom M1X processor, 16GB of base RAM, and a 1080p FaceTime camera. Here are more details.
The laptops are likely to sport bigger displays
The 2021 MacBook Pro is likely to come with a redesigned chassis, new color options, and a bigger display since Apple has reportedly decided to shave off the bezels. The "MacBook Pro" branding on the bottom bezel will also be removed. As per tipster Ross Young, both the 14.0-inch and 16.0-inch models will flaunt mini-LED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate.
A new 1080p FaceTime camera will be on offer
For video calling, the upcoming MacBook Pro models will be equipped with an upgraded 1080p FaceTime camera. The current-generation laptops pack a 720p camera. The devices should also offer up to four Thunderbolt ports, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded into the power button, Wi-Fi 6 support, a Touch Bar, up to six speakers, and a new charging adapter.
The 16.0-inch MacBook Pro will boast a 16-core GPU
The upcoming MacBook Pro laptops will be powered by a new ARM-based M1X (can also be called M2) processor, which is claimed to provide better performance than the last-generation Apple M1 chipset. Rumors suggest that the 16.0-inch model will get a 16-core GPU to offer better graphics. The base variants will be loaded with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.
Apple MacBook Pro: Pricing and availability
The official pricing and availability details of the 2021 Apple MacBook Pro will be announced at the time of the launch, which will happen on October 18. For reference, the 2020 MacBook Pro (13.0-inch) was introduced at Rs. 1,22,900 in India.


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Spotify relies on advertising to pay those pennies in royalties to the artists whose music it streams, so if you’re running an ad blocker, Spotify will block you.
In the new terms of service that were emailed to all Spotify subscribers this morning, the streaming giant (and newly minted podcast behemoth) revealed it is taking a new hard stance on the use of ad blockers. In its new user guidelines, which go into effect on March 1, “making it clear that all types of ad blockers, bots and fraudulent streaming activities are not permitted.” To enforce that new policy, Spotify announced that accounts that use ad blockers will face immediate suspension or termination.
The use of ad blockers by music fans has annoyed Spotify for a long time. Back in March 2018 as it prepared for its IPO, the company disclosed that some 2 million of the people who signed up for the company’s free, ad-laden version were using ad blockers. At the time, that amounted to about 1.3% of its total user base, forcing Spotify to revise down its figures for its monthly active user count from 159 million to 157 million. As TechCrunch points out, it was around the time that Spotify started cracking down on Android apps that had figured out a way to let people stream all those sweet Spotify playlists without constantly being interrupted by mood-killing ads.
It’s unclear how many users are still using ad blockers to avoid paying the $9.99 a month for Spotify’s ad-free service, but the threat of getting their account terminated could have them ponying up—or turning to Pandora.


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Sonoco has announced that Sonoco Protective Solutions will be increasing prices on its EPS molded foam products by an additional 6 percent, effective Aug. 1, 2014.
"Raw material manufacturers of expanded polystyrene materials are continuing to experience extremely high demand while supply has been reduced by a number of unplanned industry disruptions, resulting in additional increases in resin bead production," says Vicki Arthur, vice president of Sonoco Protective Solutions. "We continue to work diligently to control input costs through ongoing manufacturing and procurement productivity initiatives. These efforts have helped mitigate some rising costs; however we will still need to increase prices on all EPS foam products."
Sonoco Protective Solutions


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While Trump’s legal team is completely occupied with the legal cases in Florida, Georgia, New York, and Washington DC, he continues to gather growing support among voters by winning two states in just a few days, South Carolina and Michigan. Trump’s campaign so far has reminded the public on several occasions about the former president’s controversial opinions on different topics. Just recently, Trump said that he would encourage Russia to ‘do whatever the hell they want’ to any NATO country that doesn’t pay enough if he becomes president. But Trump recently also spoke about what matters to most Americans: the economy, financial stability, and taxes.
The American economy under Trump presidency was booming
The U.S. economy made a lot of progress while Donald Trump was president, mostly because of a set of bold policy measures. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 is a key part of his economic strategy. It lowered the tax rate on businesses from 35% to 21% and the tax rate on individuals in most tax brackets. The goal of this congressional action was to boost economic growth by giving many Americans more money to spend and corporations more money to make, which they would later reinvest.
It’s worth mentioning that before the COVID-19 pandemic started, the U.S. had a time of steady growth with low unemployment rates and rising wages, continuing the expansion that started under the previous administration. As part of Trump’s larger plan to reduce regulations and limit immigration, these steps were meant to make the country more business-friendly, which would attract investment and job creation.
Trump’s decision also showed the negative side of the U.S. economy
But Trump’s rule was also marked by problems with the economy, some of which were made worse by his own policies. Protectionism and tariffs on imports from key trading partners like China, Mexico, and Canada were big parts of his trade policy. This caused a trade war that made prices go up for consumers and businesses, slowed down investment and exports, and slowed down economic growth. Even though the aggressive trade attitude was meant to protect American jobs and industries, it led to tariffs that hurt many parts of the U.S. economy.
Also, the COVID-19 virus caused economic chaos that had never been seen before. This caused the economy to shrink in a way that had never been seen before, resulting in the loss of millions of jobs and incomes. Some experts say that the reaction to the pandemic wasn’t enough and wasn’t consistent. This showed how weak the economy was and how uneven the recovery was, leaving some groups and sectors more affected than others.
Donald Trump to lower taxes again if he becomes president
Donald Trump pledged a fresh round of tax cuts if he wins the presidency, following up on legislation passed during his term in the White House that reduced levies on businesses and some households.
“You’re all getting the biggest tax cuts because we’re doing additional cuts and a brand new Trump economic boom like you’ve never seen before,” Trump said at a rally in South Carolina on Friday, a day before the state’s primary.
Trump has said he plans to raise tariffs on imports from other countries while lowering taxes significantly for American workers and their families. He’s looked into various tariff strategies, such as imposing a 10% tax on all imported goods and even higher tariffs on goods from China. Experts have pointed out that these tariffs usually end up costing consumers more.
Trump already has a tax strategy
Behind the scenes, Trump and his team have been thinking about how to handle taxes if he gets a second term. His 2017 tax cuts for individuals and small businesses are set to expire by the end of 2025, and it will be up to Congress to decide whether to extend or increase them. These tax cuts have been criticized for benefiting the wealthy, real estate investors, and business owners more than the average or low-income families. Public opinion polls indicated that the tax law wasn’t popular and contributed to the Democrats taking control of the House in 2018, which blocked a lot of Trump’s plans in Washington.
Trump is not expected to further lower corporate tax rate
Trump has also mentioned to his close supporters that he’d rather keep the corporate tax rate at 21%, not lower it to 15% as he had previously wanted. This idea had been met with resistance from both Republicans and Democrats.
Despite some controversial positions and a divisive way of speaking, Trump’s tax policies have kept him in favor with certain business circles, donors, and voters.
Trump’s team is looking to secure the nomination soon, so he can shift his attention to potentially running against President Joe Biden again and dealing with his legal challenges, one of which goes to trial on March 25.