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Peloton Slumps After Fiscal Q3 2022 Financials, Shrinking Revenue Outlook
Peloton Interactive (Nasdaq: PTON) shared on Tuesday its financial results for its fiscal Q3 2022. The results highlighted a quarterly revenue of US$964.3 million, down from Q2 2022’s US$1.13 billion and Q3 2021’s US$1.26 billion.
The company is also looking at recording a quarterly revenue between US$675 – US$700 million in Q4 2022, compared to Q4 2021’s US$937 million.
Following the results, the firm’s shares dropped by 8.7% on the day, while continuing to hit new lows.
“The primary driver of the year-over-year revenue decline was a reduction in consumer demand exiting the pandemic’s peak,” the company said in its release.
Gross margin slid down to 19.1% during the quarter from 24,7% last quarter and 35.2% last year, mainly driven by a negative margin in its Connected Fitness division. The company said the business unit was “pressured by the August 2021 Peloton Bike price reduction, impact of accessory inventory write-down, higher logistics expenses per delivery, increased port and storage costs, and charges associated with the voluntary recall of Tread+ product.”
The firm also widened its net loss to US$757.1 million from US$439.4 million net loss last quarter and US$8.6 million net loss last year. This is mainly due to the company doubling up its operating expenses quarter-on-quarter, representing 95.4% of the quarterly revenue. The huge jump in expenditures included US$158.5 million in restructuring expense, US$181.9 million in goodwill impairment, and US$32.5 million in impairment expense and loss on disposals.
The net loss translated to US$2.27 loss per share.
“Some of the challenges we face are systems related which tax our productivity and speed of decision making, as well as our speed of execution. And some of the challenges have resulted from poor execution, like last quarter’s increased use of 3PL partners for last mile distribution,” said CEO Barry McCarthy in a letter to shareholders. “The strategy wasn’t flawed, but our execution was. Better systems. Better decision making. Better execution. We’re working on it.”
McCarthy, who replaced former CEO John Foley in February 2022, said he focused on three priorities since joining the firm: “stabilizing the cash flow, getting the right people in the right roles, growing again.”
“Stabilizing cash flow”
While the Peloton chief said that stabilizing the cash flow “has been an exercise in balance sheet and P&L management,” the firm recorded a wider net operating cash burn during the quarter of US$670.1 million compared to the cash burns last quarter and last year at US$446.6 million and US$151.2 million, respectively.
Free cash flow also ended at an outflow of US$746.7 million during the quarter compared to the outflows of last quarter’s US$546.7 million and last year’s US$204.0 million. But despite the trend, McCarthy expects “FCF to be meaningfully better in Q4 vs. Q3.”
The cash burns also led to the firm ending with a shrinking cash balance. “We finished the quarter with US$879 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, which leaves us thinly capitalized for a business of our scale,” said McCarthy. The firm said it has recently signed a US $750 million, 5-year term debt with JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs.
At the end of the quarter, the company also has book value of inventories totaling US$1.41 billion, pushing the balance of current assets at US$2.57 billion. In contrast, the current liabilities ended at US$1.03 billion.
“As we begin to sell down our excess inventory, the current cash flow headwind should become a tailwind in FY23. Our goal is to restore the business to positive free cash flow in FY23,” added McCarthy.
“Getting the right people”
McCarthy also shared in his letter to the shareholders that the firm’s new supply chain head Andy Rendich, with the help of board member Angel Mendez, “is making great strides” in managing its supply chain issues.
When asked in an earnings call about the specifics of their contributions, McCarthy said that their team has allowed better visibility in looking at the said issues with the supply chain.
“About the supply chain, let me say that I don’t think we had the visibility that maybe we would have wanted… And so, Andy and his team have taken important steps in addressing all of those issues. And in the process, we have a much greater visibility into how the supply chain issues affect the business overall. So, I’m – it was an area where we had work to do,” said McCarthy.
In February 2022, when McCarthy was announced to succeed in the CEO position, the company also said it will be cutting 2,800 jobs, impacting 20% of its corporate positions, to cope with the declining demand and increasing losses. When the year started, the firm also halted the production of its bikes and treadmills due to low demand.
“My goal for Peloton is to become a global connected fitness platform with 100 million Members. That’s equivalent to roughly half the world’s global gym memberships. It’s a long, long way from where we sit today,” said McCarthy.
The firm recorded 7.0 million members at the end of the quarter, showing a slow down in acquiring memberships coming from last quarter’s 6.7 million and last year’s 5.4 million.
While the company recorded a higher number of Connected Fitness subscriptions for the quarter at 2.96 million, the incremental subscription additions declined to 195,000 new members from last quarter’s 275,000 new members and last year’s 414,000 new members.
The firm is even targeting a modest subgrowth next quarter, expecting around 2.98 million Connected Fitness subscriptions by the end of the succeeding three months.
“Our Q4 ending CF subscriber forecast of approximately 2.98 million incorporates a modest negative impact from our Subscription pricing increase starting June 1. As anticipated, we have seen a small increase to
cancellations due to the Connected Fitness subscription price increase announcement, but we expect the impact to moderate as we progress through FY23,” explained McCarthy.
“We’re making steady progress on our first two priorities (cash flow and talent density). What about growth? In the months ahead you’ll see us evolve our go-to-market strategy to grow faster,” said McCarthy. Some growth strategies outlined include broadening distribution to its retailers, driving value proposition for its digital app, international expansion, and boosting its rental program Fitness-as-a-Service.
In the earnings call, McCarthy said that the overarching growth strategy would be centered on Connected Fitness.
“We need to be good at hardware, but being good at hardware is not nearly sufficient,” he added. “And that calls for, I think, a shift in the investment priorities of the business at least as compared with where we spent money historically in order to double down on the things that have made us great.”
Peloton Interactive last traded at $12.90 on the Nasdaq, down 8.70% on the day.
Information for this briefing was found via Edgar, Seeking Alpha, and the companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.


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Flavors and colors specialist Flavorchem Corporation has introduced a new line of Hispanic-inspired flavors for yogurts and other dairy products to tap into growing demand for more authentic tastes and aromas.
Californian juice maker POM Wonderful has expanded its presence in the industrial ingredients market with the launch of a new 100% Pomegranate Juice Concentrate for use in foods, beverages, supplements and cosmetics.
May has proved a mixed bag for the nation’s food manufacturers, many of whom were still reeling from last month’s probe into ‘toxic’ sugar on 60-Minutes when HBO’s Weight of the Nation hit screens on May 14.
Clarisoy, the ‘invisible’ soy protein developed by Burcon NutraScience and commercialized by ADM, is attracting interest from everyone from “top-tier multinational companies to niche regional fruit juice companies”, says ADM.
High pressure processing (HPP) is emerging as a powerful weapon in the fight to reduce sodium, enabling formulators to eliminate or cut sodium-containing preservatives in prepared foods and clean up product labels, claims one expert.
At-home preparation of Mexican food is on the up in the United States, mirroring restaurant trends, where Mexican food is growing faster than any other segment, according to Bell Flavors and Fragrances.
Firms sourcing sucralose from China are struggling to secure supplies owing to a combination of factors including rising demand as sugar prices rise, electricity shortages in southern China and tighter enforcement of environmental legislation, FoodNavigator-USA...
Social media use is increasing, and that could be good news for manufacturers of branded products, as frequent social media users tend to be more loyal to name brands, according to new research from the NPD Group.
POM Wonderful has gone on the offensive following a ruling on its legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from an administrative law judge (ALJ) with a bold series of new ads selectively quoting from his 335-page initial decision.

domain: news


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According to Satya Nadella, Halo, Minecraft or Flight Simulator would even be “already metavers”. The start of a paradigm shift?
Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse is at the heart of tech news right now. And for good reason: the founder of Facebook intends to turn the digital world upside down for the second time in two decades, for better or for worse. And Microsoft intends to jump at the opportunity.
While waiting for the arrival of the virtual world dreamed of by the Big Tech tycoon, the other players in the sector are taking the bandwagon. Almost everywhere, we see various projects flourishing that will be used to fuel new worlds in virtual reality. The latest ones come directly from Sarya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Recently, it had already announced that its Teams video conferencing program would benefit from its own metavers. The objective would thus be to allow participants to be present in the same virtual space, rather than each behind their screen. But in a new interview with Bloomberg, he raised the bar even higher. According to him, Microsoft will also put the package on the gaming aspect.
“If you take Halo as a game, it’s already a metavers. ”, he explains. “Minecraft is a metaver, and so is Flight Simulator. In a sense, they are in 2D today. The question is whether we can transpose this into a fully 3D world. And we absolutely plan to do so.”An interesting take on this concept, the definition of which already seems to be evolving at breakneck speed. What is certain is that we can expect it to be used wildly in the coming months, until a more formal definition emerges.
More medium-term or even long-term plans
But by then, we can already say that Microsoft’s project is extremely ambitious. In the three examples cited by Nadella alone, there are already several very different layers of complexity. The most obvious of them definitely seems to be Minecraft. We can easily imagine how a game could unfold; the concept had already been explored in a mobile game, since abandoned.
In a Halo metaverse, the challenge will certainly be to recreate that ‘open war’ aspect of epic proportions. But would such a transposition really be justified? In any case, it is not easy to imagine what the gameplay could look like. On the other hand, this part is much more obvious on the side of Flight Simulator. If one decides to be particularly optimistic, one can expect a huge 1: 1 scale open world, which would be traveled in real time by pilots from all over the world.
Thinking about what a “metavers” version of these few titles might look like, it seems obvious that each adaptation will require a pretty titanic amount of work. So don’t expect to see the entire Microsoft catalog land there. Fortunately, some titles (including MFS and Minecraft) already have a foothold in the world of virtual reality, which could ease the transition.
According to The Verge, Nadella has not announced any schedule. It will therefore be necessary to be particularly patient. Especially since the firm seems more focused on professional metavers applications, such as its port of Teams.


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DENVER—Disney Streaming and Lumen Technologies announced that they are leading an effort to produce standardized CDN configuration metadata and application programming interfaces (APIs) for the video streaming industry.
The multi-year effort is carried out through the Streaming Video Alliance (SVA), a consortium of more than 100 video industry companies working together to improve the streaming experience for consumers.
The standardized metadata will allow content providers to use a common metadata model and a single API to publish CDN configurations to providers.
Without this standardization, organizations must separately model and publish metadata in each CDN provider’s API or proprietary management portal. For large organizations with multiple brands, proprietary APIs are inefficient, error-prone and expensive — issues that negatively affect customer experience, the companies said.
With contributions and leadership from Disney Streaming and Lumen, the SVA recently released the first version of the configuration interface specifications – the technical specifications document which will serve as a guide to the streaming industry for standardization. The second version is in progress and the work should be completed by the end of the year.
“We believe that all streaming providers will benefit from standardization between commercial CDN providers and the Open Cache industry, which is why we have led the charge, working alongside companies like Lumen, to evangelize this work. important,” said Michael Fay, vice president, software engineering, Disney Streaming. “Hundreds of millions of subscribers are already engaging with Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Star+, and as demand grows for our direct-to-consumer platforms, we believe standardization will be a key driver for maintain our reputation by providing a high-quality viewing experience for large-scale subscribers.
“Lumen operates one of the largest CDNs in the world through the Lumen Edge platform, which delivers unparalleled performance and speed for latency-sensitive and data-intensive applications and content,” said Pierre-louis Theron. , Lumen’s vice president of product management for content. delivery services. “Developing standards that reduce complexity for our media customers is key to our joint success, today and tomorrow. We will continue to contribute important work and knowledge to the standardization effort, building on the deep expertise we have gained over years of experience building and operating our own CDN.
“Commercial CDNs and open caching systems have many common requirements when it comes to defining and publishing configuration metadata,” said Glenn Goldstein, Lumen CDN product strategist and lead spec editor. configuration interface of the SVA. “We knew we could help the industry capitalize on these commonalities while helping each company achieve its own interests. We started by agreeing on a set of engines that benefited all industry participants. These included standardizing feature definitions, providing DevOps-enabled automation, and enabling technology vendors to differentiate themselves.


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Private power utility CESC has raised its tariff by 15 paise
CESC Executive Director, Mr Utpal Bhattacharya, said the
hike in tariff would be applicable to all categories of consumers from the
billing month of May.
On an average, a domestic consumer uses roughly 200 units of
electricity each month. Under the new tariff, the hike would therefore amount
to Rs 30 on an average. At present, the average power tariff under different
slabs is approximately Rs 5.90.`
Officials said the hike has been calculated using a Monthly
Variable Cost Adjustment (MVCA) formula on account of hike in fuel prices,
freight and excise duty revision on power purchase.
Source: The Business Line
Spot iron ore fines market in China remained steady at $138/t CFR. Chinese Steel prices improved as buyers are optimistic on new stimulus policies by the government. Steel prices pick up by 10-30 RMB in China.
A Brazilian miner sold two cargoes (lump and fines) via open tender and one fines shipment across CBMX. An Australian miner sold one high grade cargo and two low grade fines.
Indian cargo of 58% offered at $118/t from East coast port of India, though deal has not been heard concluded. 57% Fe heard to be concluded at $112/t CFR. Indian exporters anticipate prices to rise further in near term as supply will be more critical during monsoons , which will start from mid June.
Indian exporters offer mill scale (waste from rolling mills) which is equivalent to high grade iron fines (68-70%) at $141-142/t CFR, where as 63.5/63 fines are trading in the range of $138/t.
The rupee on Thursday tumbled by 26 paise to trade at a new all-time low of Rs 56.50 against the US dollar in early trade on increased capital outflows and strong demand from importers for the American currency.
Traders said apart from capital outflows by foreign funds, strengthening of dollar against the euro, which plunged to a two-year low on continued euro-zone worries and strong month-end demand from importers, particularly oil refiners, mainly put pressure on the rupee.
Yesterday, the rupee had lost 57 paise to close at record low of 56.24 despite RBI's efforts to prop it up.
Indian Re-bar prices have corrected almost 2-3 % in last one month on poor demand from construction sector. Also economic crisis in Europe had kept sentiments down.
Industry sources report SteelMint that,Indian primary steel producers unlikely to hike long product prices for June delivery as demand is still not encouraging and also government projects are running late.With monsoon approaching in mid June construction activities will further slow down.
A senior executive from a Primary Manufacturer Shared his views on the Finish (Long) Steel market with us. He said, “Prices are expected to be range-bound, with mostly local factors like power, labor, etc. having an impact on the pricing mechanism.” He further added that the steel sector is being pulled from both the sides. Manufacturing costs have increased whereas infrastructure projects have also not really taken off.
Mr C.S. Verma, Chairman SAIL had also noted few days back, that steel prices will remain stable and are unlikely to be hiked. Good thing is that coal prices had softened in International market.
China steel futures steadied on Thursday, but posted their steepest monthly fall in eight months in May after spot iron ore prices recorded the worst month since October 2011.
The most-traded rebar contract for October delivery on the Shanghai Futures Exchange closed nearly flat at 4,103 yuan ($650)/MT. On a continuous basis, the contract fell more than 4% in May, the most since September.
But this week's gains in steel prices, both spot and futures, have raised hopes that iron ore prices may rise further as Chinese mills rebuild stockpiles after staying out of the market in recent weeks.
“While the Chinese steel market has seen prices rallying over the past few days on Beijing's promises of stimulus, we do not see a fundamental turn in pricing in China as production is likely to continue to outpace demand,” Steel Market Intelligence said in a note.
“We believe that Chinese steelmakers are unlikely to make meaningful production cuts with weaker raw material prices, reluctance to layoff trained workers, and 'hope' that Beijing will create demand.”
Re-bar prices fell at few mandis' and trading activities remained dull owing to the 'Bharat Bandh'.
12 mm in Raipur traded at Rs 37,100/MT i.e. down by Rs 300/MT
as off-take of the commodity remained low.
Similarly prices in Hyderabad also went down by Rs 500/MT
due to weak demand and 12 mm traded at Rs 37,000/MT.
According to market players, “Demand at the month-end is
mostly need-based and everyone is waiting to get some direction. Traders hope
to see a upside in the month of June. But only time can determine the actual
course of the market.”
Indian sponge prices trade in the same range.Trading volumes have been good as buyers anticipate further shortage of imported scrap.With monsoons approaching Indian coasts, sponge production will be low and buyers are not hesitant to take positions.
1. Sponge prices at Raipur hovering at Rs 23,300/t (Basic), where as Raigarh offered at Rs 22,800/t (Basic) and Rourkela at Rs 21,700/t (Basic).
2. Sponge prices in Karnataka loose some shine amid power crisis in southern part on India. Prices are hovering in the range of Rs 20,800-21,200/t (Basic).
Chinese hot rolled
coil (HRC) exporters have arrived at the crossroad as export prices have approached the previous low of $600/MT.
Steelmakers have cut their HRC export prices again this week
in response to fewer transactions. Export prices for commercial-grade
boron-containing HRC are now at about $605-615/MT FOB i.e. down from $620/MT
FOB a week ago.
Traders are expecting prices to fall further while
steelmakers are hoping for price to remain firm.
Punjab: Prices remained steady in the range of Rs 35,600/t (Basic) at Mandi Gobindgarh, down side is limited as availability of scrap is very scarce.
“There is huge shortage of scrap in domestic market, with lesser imports over weak rupee, manufacturers are shifting to sponge and domestic scrap”. said an induction furnace owner in Punjab.
Raipur/Raigarh: Prices remained stable on limited trades, sellers are unwilling to cut offers looking at higher cost of production. Raipur is heard to be trading at Rs 32,400-500/t (Basic), where as Raigarh remain firm at Rs 32300-400/t (Basic).
Hyderabad: Demand is poor, sellers are quoting in range of Rs 33,000-500 (Basic) but trades are happening at Rs 33,000/t (Basic). Sponge prices are high.” said a manufacturer.
Continuing fall for the third day in a row, the rupee today again fell past the psychological level of Rs 56 against the US dollar in early trade on heavy demand for the American currency from importers amid concerns over euro zone worries.
Dealers said besides strong month-end demand from importers, particularly oil refiners, the euro's weakness against the American currency on persistent euro zone worries, kept pressure on the Indian currency.
“USD/INR made a definite move-up once the last technical retracement level of 56.05 was breached. However, today's upmove is in line with the euro's fall and I don't expect the RBI to come in at these levels,” said a senior trader with a private bank.
At 10:27 a.m., the partially convertible rupee was at 56.09/11 per dollar, weaker than its 55.67/68 close on Tuesday.
Traders cited strong dollar demand from oil importers looking to meet their commitments at the end of the month.


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A revised version of a best-selling nonfiction book featuring a conservative lobby’s links to a religious group and claims it has influence over the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will now go on sale, its publisher said Wednesday, following a rare court order to suspend its publication due to a defamation claim.
Fusosha Publishing Inc. said on its website it had decided to remove the contentious part from the modified version of the book “Nippon Kaigi no Kenkyu” (“A Study on the Japan Conference”), and sell it as a “measure for the meantime,” in response to the Tokyo District Court’s decision last Friday.
The book claims the lobby has influence over the Abe government. It also criticizes the administration’s drive toward revising the war-renouncing Constitution.
A man in his 70s who appears in the book filed the lawsuit, arguing it damaged his reputation and demanded that Fusosha Publishing suspend sales of the book.
The court said the book, published last year and written in Japanese by Tamotsu Sugano, contained several lines that were untrue.
Sugano said the release date of the hard copy has not been decided. The online version of the book has already been modified, with the contentious description covered with black circles.
Sugano said following the court order he held discussions with the publisher to make the necessary changes, which constituted two lines in the book.
The court said the book cannot be published unless it removes or blacks out the description, saying the man’s social reputation would worsen to a level that would be difficult to restore if the book continued to be sold unchanged.
It is rare for a court to suspend publication of a best-seller in Japan. The book has sold around 153,000 copies since its release last spring.
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Vivo S17 and S17 Pro to be launched on May 31 with 6.78-inch 1.5K 120Hz curved AMOLED screen along with Vivo TWS Air Pro ANC
Vivo has confirmed the launch of its latest smartphones in the S17 series the Vivo S17 and S17 Pro, along with vivo TWS Air Pro earbuds in China on May 31. The Vivo S17 series will be the successor of last year’s S16 series, and the TWS Air Pro is an enhanced version of the TWS Air with ANC support.
The company has shown the Vivo S17 images in mountain, sea green, and black colors. The mountain and sea green colors feature the industry’s first particle ink technology, and the whole series is said to come with a 3D micro-curved surface design.
The Vivo S17 has dual rear cameras with OIS, and Aura LED light, while the Vivo S17 has a triple rear camera. The phones will be just 7.46mm thick and feature a 1.5K display with a 2160Hz high-frequency PWM dimming support.
According to Leaker Digital Chat Station, these phones will feature a 6.78-inch 1.5K OLED screen with an in-display fingerprint scanner and runs on the Dimensity 8200 SoC processor. The Pro version will come with a 50MP primary rear camera with an IMX766V sensor along with an 8MP IMX355 ultra-wide camera, a 12MP IMX663 2X telephoto camera, and it will be powered by a 4505mAh battery that supports 80W fast charging.
Vivo also confirmed today the launch of its latest Vivo TWS Air Pro, which is the world’s first semi-in-ear active noise-canceling earphones. This is said to come with similar specifications as the iQOO TWS Air Pro, which was introduced earlier this week. It could feature 14.2mm drivers with DeepX 2.0 Stereo Effect, Bluetooth 5.3 support, and low game latency of 88ms.
It is said to feature AI dual microphone call noise reduction anti-wind noise ducts for clear calls outdoors and a battery life of up to 30 hours that supports quick charging and also supports dust and water-resistant with an IP54 rating.
We should know more details and the exact price of the devices when these go officially launched next week.
|ASUS Zenfone 10 Pricing Surfaced before the launch; Expected Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, 200MP camera||Xiaomi Civi 3 launched with 6.55-inch FHD+ 120Hz OLED display, Dimensity 8200-Ultra SoC, up to 16GB RAM, dual 32MP front cameras|


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Switzerland’s Nestle is predicting higher sales growth this year.
Its 2009 results beat forecasts thanks to strong growth in North America and developing markets. Lower commodity prices also helped.
The world’s biggest food group enjoyed growth in underlying sales of 4.1 percent last year, ahead of rivals Unilever and Danone.
Net profit was just over seven billion euros.


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On October 3rd, Omaha’s first accelerator, Straight Shot, graduated its inaugural class of startups at Demo Day. All seven companies pitched their businesses to a packed theatre of 400 investors, entrepreneurs, mentors and community members.
“We saw inspired founders share their passion and ability to solve clear problems tonight,” said DVC Founder and Straight Shot mentor Mark Hasebroock. “These companies piloted a very pivotal program for Omaha and, as a result, have fired up the business community’s support for startups.
During the fast-pace, high-intensity 90-day program, the seven eCommerce/SaaS startups developed all stages of their business.
Cosmic Cart’s Alex Adelman said it was like “Cramming a year’s worth of work into 90 days.” The North Carolina ad-tech startup, which allows users to add products across the web into one shopping cart while helping publishers monetize content and retailers expand their reach, added on 85 brands and six bloggers to their platform during the program, in addition to winning Chicago’s TechNori Pitch event.
HuntForce, a father-and-son duo from Kentucky changing the way hunters interact with their trail cameras through their antler-recognition technology and web and mobile applications, pitched a little easier given the $400k in funding they raised because of their Straight Shot success.
BusinessExchange, a Croatian B2B startup providing transparency to customer-supplier relationships through business feedback and reviews, solidified their B2B software offering and began a pilot program with the Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
BuyNow, which turns traditional offline media into online purchase-enabled ads through their mobile commerce app and SMS text messagin, leveraged mentorship from star mentor Kelly Hoey to score several meetings with ad executives in New York and landed a partnership with Omaha’s ALH Publications.
The Cympel team, designing next-generation ads that allow customers to research, buy, and sell items through any advertising channel without redirection, will head back to Minneapolis with their first Beta tests successfully completed and their technology perfected.
Crateful, which uses advanced audio and data analytics to help music enthusiasts find the best music for the moment instantly, signed on Portland Incubator Experiment’s Rick Turcozy as an advisor and is currently in Beta with DJs in every major music hub in the country.
The night concluded with the audience choice award, which went to CardioSys, an online platform that allows companies to track and predict employee health through advanced mathematical modeling and predictive analytics, who formed a key strategic partnership with UNeMed near the end of the program.
Demo Day was truly a celebration of the hard work that the founders and mentors put in over the last 3 months, as well as of the Omaha startup ecosystem.
The more startups have success here, the more companies will call Omaha home, bringing with them jobs and establishing Omaha as a welcoming startup destination.
Our hats are off to Straight Shot’s inaugural class, mentors and of course the rockstar staff and managing director, Faith Larson.
Check out some of the media coverage here:


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Battle lines have been drawn between libraries and publishers over electronic books, and victory could hinge on a Supreme Court decision from when the high-tech news was the appearance of the first Model T on the market and what was hailed as the first public flight by an airplane in the U.S.
In 1908, the court settled an argument over copyrights by ruling that a publisher can?t dictate what?s done with a book or record after it?s sold. It?s called the right of first sale.
But the first-sale doctrine doesn?t yet apply to e-books ? the digitized versions of authors? works that people can enjoy on their Amazon Kindles, Barnes & Noble Nooks and Apple iPads ? and other digital content.
So most publishers won?t even allow libraries to buy e-books. The publishers haven?t said so, but the reason may be that they believe that people who can read a book for free won?t buy it.
Penguin Group once sold to libraries but stopped selling new e-book titles to libraries in November and cut off access to older titles in February.
?We care about preserving the value of our authors? work, as well as helping libraries continue to serve their communities,? Penguin spokeswoman Erica Glass said. ?Looking ahead, we are continuing to talk about our future plans for e-book and digital audiobook availability for library lending with a number of partners providing these services.?
To librarians, being cut out of the loop is unacceptable.
?The publishers are being shortsighted,? said Maria Redburn, the public library director in Bedford, Texas. ?When a library purchases a book and someone borrows it, they may recommend it to friends who may go a bookstore and buy it. People who won?t buy a book by an unfamiliar author may check it out from the library, discover they really like that author and buy other books by that author.?
Libraries also connect publishers with readers who don?t buy books, said Susan Andrews, head librarian in Hurst, Texas.
?There are people who prefer to borrow books from libraries, and we buy books to lend to those people,? she said. ?So we are the portal through which those vendors reach readers they can?t reach any other way.?
Some librarians are reluctant to describe the situation as combative.
?About a year ago, I would have classified it as close to war,? said Linda Evans, an Arlington, Texas, library spokeswoman. ?Folks were pretty upset. Things are still very much in a state of flux, especially with the big six publishers: Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Hachette, Penguin, Random House and HarperCollins.?
Of the six, Random House and HarperCollins still sell e-books to libraries, Redburn said.
HarperCollins is clear about its devotion to libraries. ?We were one of the first publishers to sell e-books to public libraries,? spokeswoman Erin Crum said. ?We?re committed to continuing to do so.?
But each e-book a library buys from the publisher can be checked out only 26 times.
?We felt that in this time of a changing landscape we needed to put some friction in the process,? Crum said.
Friction is the term given to measures publishers use to limit or complicate the e-book borrowing process, Redburn said.
While a person who buys a book from Amazon can see it download almost instantly, the process isn?t the same for library patrons. They have to go through several steps, even transferring the e-book from the library?s platform through a distribution console, such as OverDrive, to a laptop and from there, using a USB cord, to the e-reader, Redburn said.
Until conditions imposed by publishing companies through the distribution consoles are changed, Fort Worth library spokesman Adam Wright said, the battle will rage on. Like many other librarians, he hopes the public will push for legislation similar to the first-sale doctrine.
?The optimal solution in my mind is for Congress to pass a law that says we have first-sale rights to e-books,? he said. ?Once we get around the publishers? excuse for not selling e-books to us, we?ll be OK.?
Simon & Schuster says it?s still talking with libraries while it monitors new developments in e-book distribution.
?While we?ve had numerous open and productive dialogs with library colleagues and we recognize the importance of libraries in communities, we haven?t yet found a business model with which we?re comfortable and that properly addresses the long-term interests of our authors,? Simon & Schuster spokesman Adam Rothberg said.
On the other side of the coin, the American Library Association is trying to develop business models that will make librarians happy.
If publishers want to make people go to a library to download a book, librarians won?t go along with that, association spokeswoman Carrie Russell said.
?We may go along with having the publisher?s full catalog available in case the customer chooses to buy a book instead of borrow it from the library,? she said. ?A user would go to the library?s website and click on e-books and, say, Random House had all its titles there. Some would be books the library could lend for free and some would be titles the user could purchase.?
That could turn libraries into bookstores, making them more valuable to publishers, especially at a time when traditional bookstores are struggling, Russell said.
?The major point is that, if we are successful in collaborating with publishers over business models, we will be able to provide access to all the bestsellers, not just a couple,? she said. ?Whether that means that we might engage in selling books as part of the bargain, then that could be.?
The latest salvo in the e-book battle was fired at content distributors last week when, according to Library Journal, more than 70 North American library systems petitioned for improved e-book services for their users.
The New York Public Library listed principles that were approved by libraries in the United States and Canada.
The demands include that the e-book borrowing process be less complicated and that content be compatible with all e-readers.
Source: MCT Information Services


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Clothes To Kids of Denver marked a significant milestone recently, when the nonprofit provided its 100,000th school wardrobe to a student in need. The achievement is particularly remarkable considering that this number is equivalent to more than 2,000,000 items of new and quality used clothing and shoes, all provided free of charge to students ages 3-21 from low-income or in-crisis families throughout the 11-county Denver metro area.
Each school wardrobe consists of five outfits, a pair of shoes, five pairs each of new underwear and socks, plus a coat or jacket. The 100,000th wardrobe went to a member of the Denver South High Newcomers, a group of recent immigrants and refugees from all over the world, when they visited Clothes To Kids on Sept. 11.
The nonprofit’s work is not just about the clothes, said Valerie Lunka, Clothes To Kids executive director. “Not having adequate school clothing can be a major barrier to school attendance and achievement,” she said, “and clothing that is badly worn or out-of-style can damage a child’s self-esteem and lead to bullying by other students. Our vision is that all students will have the clothing they need to feel comfortable, confident and prepared to thrive.”
Clothes To Kids’ service milestone coincides with the 15th anniversary of its founding in September 2008, and the need for quality school clothing has grown exponentially since then. Notably, it took ten years for the nonprofit to reach the 50,000 wardrobe mark, but only five more years to double that number. School uniforms and a variety of “extras” – like accessories and school supplies – also are available to students.
Quality of service is every bit as important as quantity at Clothes To Kids, according to Lunka. Students and their families shop in a bright and cheerful boutique that is much like any clothing store, except the items have no price tags. “Regardless of the circumstances that bring students to us, our staff and volunteers ensure that families are treated with dignity and respect,” Lunka said.
In addition to financial and clothing donors, Clothes To Kids is supported by hundreds of volunteers who sort and tag donations and act as personal shoppers for students and their families. Youth volunteers provide especially valuable perspectives on what their peers will feel comfortable and stylish wearing to school. More than 50 foundations have provided financial support for Clothes To Kids, and the nonprofit’s corporate supporters include stores and manufacturers that donate new clothing and shoes.
Clothes To Kids is located at 2890 S. Colorado Blvd. in Denver. For referral, donation and volunteer information, visit www.clothestokidsdenver.org.


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But this year, at some of America’s largest malls and outlets, Thanksgiving Day discount shopping madness will not happen.
“In these challenging times, we made the decision not to open on Thanksgiving Day, instead of allowing our employees to spend the holidays with their loved ones,” said David Simon, the firm’s CEO, in a release.
“With everything going on, there may be no Black Friday at all,” Scott Rankin, chief executive and national consumer and retail strategy leader with KPMG US, told CNN Business in July. “I can not imagine retailers buying inventory to store an event designed to pack hundreds of people in a store. There are so many risks involved.”
Simon’s decision may also reflect the fact that consumers, even before the pandemic, had increasingly chosen to shop Thanksgiving and Black Friday deals online rather than join the crazy line in stores. Last year, online sales on Thanksgiving Day hit a record $ 4.2 billion.


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Honea Path, SC – A Ford dealership is giving away guns, American flags and Bibles as part of a sales promotion to help move inventory during the slowest sales months.
“It’s crazy,” Derrick Hughes, owner of Carolina Ford, told the Detroit Free Press. “We’ve had multiple people take advantage of the promotion. You don’t need to buy a $50,000 truck. It’s for anything on our lot, used or new. We’ve sold Ecosport, Escape, new F-150s, used F-250s, a couple Dodge trucks.”
The idea for the promotion originated in a brainstorming session by the dealership’s employees.
Hughes explained that they were trying to come up with sales tactics that would generate more traffic through the car dealership in October and November.
Those two months are usually the slowest of the year, according to the Detroit Free Press.
So they created the “God, Guns and America!” advertising campaign and launched the promotion on Oct. 1.
The way it works, customers are handed the Bible and a flag as soon as they have made their vehicle purchase, the Detroit Free Press reported.
They’re also given a voucher to purchase a Smith & Wesson rifle but must first pass the background check before they can lay hands on the gun, according to WYFF.
Hughes denied any assertions that the sales promotion was politically motivated.
He said he’s a hunter and the rifles he’s giving away were great for shooting the destructive wild hogs that have infested the region, the Detroit Free Press reported.
“We are not taking a political stance in any way, shape or form,” Hughes told WYFF. “We are all country folk, God-fearing people. We are very patriotic people, believe in our country and salute our military.”
He said the sale promotion is doing very well so far.
“We are not forcing anyone to take the gun,” Hughes told WYFF. “They can use the voucher for sporting equipment, fishing or archery equipment. They can also choose a different gun.”
A spokesman at Ford’s headquarters spokesman, Said Deep, said Ford dealers are independent businesses and the local promotion was not directed by corporate, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Hughes said he’s planning to switch up the promotion to a family-friendly video game theme in December.


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Search engine DuckDuckGo sees another top in-house lawyer leave
DuckDuckGo, an Internet search engine that has made headlines in recent years by exposing Big Tech’s business practices, has seen two top lawyers leave its ranks in the past half year.
Abigail Phillips, the company’s assistant general counsel, left DuckDuckGo this month. She is now general counsel for Basecamp LLC, a software company that once received financial support from Amazon.com Inc. Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.
Phillips’ departure follows that of Megan Gray, former general counsel and vice president of public policy at DuckDuckGo. Gray left the company last September to restart his own firm, GrayMatters Law & Policy.
Gray, who spent just over three years at DuckDuckGo, confirmed his departure via email but declined further comment. A spokeswoman for DuckDuckGo declined to discuss the company’s plans to appoint a new chief legal officer.
DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008, has sought to occupy a niche in the internet search space by committing to protect privacy of its users.
This mission was examined this month in a story by Recode of Vox Media, which looked at DuckDuckGo’s decision to join other big tech companies in declassified websites that spread Russian disinformation, a contentious issue for its more politically conservative users. The New York Times communicated in February on how DuckDuckGo became a popular internet search platform for conspiracy theorists and right-wing social media influencers.
Recent leaderboards put DuckDuckGo seventh in search tools around the world behind market leaders like Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft Corp’s Bing.
Prior to joining DuckDuckGo, Gray spent half a dozen years as an enforcement attorney for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, where she worked on the first consumer privacy sanction case against Google.
Google has been criticized by DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg, who has speak over the internet search giant’s allegedly anti-competitive business practices and how it tracks user data offer targeted advertisements.
DuckDuckGo’s only remaining in-house attorney appears to be associate general counsel Amy Shepherd, a former attorney for Freddie Mac and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, who was hired by the company last year.
Shepherd did not respond to a request for comment.
She joined DuckDuckgo last September, around the same time Gray left the suburban Philadelphia-based company. Shepherd previously served as general counsel for the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute and the Good Food Institute, two nonprofit organizations based in Arlington, Virginia.
Public records show that DuckDuckGo, whose official corporate name is Duck Duck Go Inc., turned to Baker & Hostetler to handle the branding work. Gray, the company’s former general counsel, previously worked at that law firm.
Bloomberg Law data shows that Cohen & Gresser presented DuckDuckGo’s only appearance in US federal court, a antitrust case against Google.
Katherine McInnis, the company’s senior director of US public policy, registered as federal lobbyist for DuckDuckGo in February. She said by email that the company had no comment on her legal and public policy leadership.
First Head of Basecamp Legal
Phillips, DuckDuckGo’s newest senior counsel, is now Basecamp’s first-ever chief legal officer, formerly known as 37signals. Jason Fried, co-founder and CEO of the private company, has confirmed his hiring.
The former Perkins Coie partner spent five years internally at Yahoo Corp. and a year as a senior attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Prior to joining DuckDuckGo in late 2020, Phillips spent over two years as a legal council for the Mozilla Foundation, the San Francisco-based nonprofit arm of software company Mozilla Corp.


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3D Printing News Briefs, May 28, 2020: Desktop Metal, DOMO Chemicals, Nano Dimension
We’ve got some partnership news we’re sharing in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs! Cetim and Desktop Metal are working together, while DOMO and Zare have also announced a partnership. Moving…
3D Printing News Briefs: April 28, 2020
We’re starting with business today, before moving on to materials news, in 3D Printing News Briefs. Xaar’s senior leadership team is making an investment in the company’s future, and the…
How Rapid Prototyping Has Revolutionized Product Development
From demonstrating proof of concept to testing the viability of a new part, prototypes are an essential part of the design process. Advancements in rapid prototyping technology, including processes like…
3D Printing News Briefs: December 11, 2019
In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re looking at auditory, instrumental, and performance 3D printed and scanned innovations, starting with an EnvisionTEC case study on its work fabricating hearing aids…
Projects and Having Purpose
I am here to explain the mindset of creating things on a consistent basis and how creativity can be forced.. painfully and purposefully :).
Make all Things Part 4 – Expert Opinions
This is a brief informational update within the vertical garden project.
Make All the Things Part 3: Vertical Garden Part 2 – User Research
This is a short summary on the first steps in building a vertical garden through collecting user research.
What is Metrology Part 4: Proto3000
This is an article highlighting the company Proto3000. It has an interesting business model within the metrology field as a B2B organization and it sparked my interest.
VSHAPER 3D Printer Used in Fabrication of Underwater Scooter Prototype
Note: We originally wrote this article on a water scooter 3D printing case but a company involved has threatened us with legal action. It is unclear why they did this…


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During EA’s press conference today at E3, the company announced Origin Access Premier, a new, premium tier for its existing PC subscription service.
Origin Access Premier subscribers will have full access to new EA games ahead of their scheduled release dates. This includes access to Anthem on February 15, 2019; Battlefield V on October 11; Madden NFL 19 on August 2; and FIFA 19 on September 20.
The new subscription tier launches this summer for $15 per month or $100 per year, compared to $5 per month or $30 per year for Origin Access Basic.
Origin Access Premier will also include the same benefits of Origin Access, which features a vault of over 100 games and a 10 percent discount on Origin purchases.


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Domenico Vacca’s new concept store expands the luxury in-store experience
Domenico Vacca, the Italian fashion designer whose ready-to-wear styles have dressed celebrities like Glenn Close, Denzel Washington and Jeremy Piven, is rethinking his in-store strategy. Instead of a collection of small specialty stores, the designer is launching a full “lifestyle experience for the 1 percent.”
Vacca has four New York City stores, the first of which opened on Fifth Avenue in 2002. But in the next month, they’ll all close their doors, to be replaced with a new concept store, also on Fifth Avenue, that in addition to apparel and accessories will feature an Italian cafe, barbershop, women’s salon, members-only club, rooftop terrace and 30 long-term residencies.
“This is the future of luxury retail,” said Vacca. “It’s not enough to open a sales floor and expect people to come in anymore. You have to offer them an experience.”


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SAN DIEGO – Movie buffs, comic-book collectors, sci-fi fans and nerds and geeks of all stripes have taken over San Diego for Comic-Con, the city’s annual pop culture convention.
Now in its 41st year, Comic-Con is expected to draw more than 120,000 fans to the San Diego Convention Center for a four-day event Thursday through Sunday showcasing upcoming movies, TV shows and video games, along with toys, collectibles, costumes and comic books.
The fan-focused festival promises loads of freebies, exclusive looks at yet-to-be-released fare and colorful costumes galore.
Donna Moore, of San Diego, came prepared with different costumes for each day of the convention. She dressed as Jack Sparrow for opening night and has Klingon and punk-rock costumes ready for later in the week.
A veteran of 12 Comic-Cons, she loves dressing up, but she’s most interested in learning about forthcoming films.
“It’s always a kick to see what’s coming up,” said the 54-year-old. “I love the Con.”
John Lord, 27, likes to check out the movie previews, but his real love is video games.
“I like to see new games and listen to the developers talk about how they did it,” said the San Diego resident, adding that he’s excited to experience “Force Unleashed 2.”
A lineup of fans waiting to claim their Comic-Con passes stretched around the convention center hours before the festival began. Weekend pass holders got a sneak peek at the convention floor Wednesday night. Within minutes of its opening, thousands of fans crowded the giant space, collecting freebies and checking out larger-than-life displays from movie studios, comic- book publishers, video game companies and toy makers.
Lena Chhor, 19, drank in the atmosphere as she waited to collect a free “Tron” figurine.
“I’m more interested in costumes,” she said, confessing that she was unlikely to don one herself. “I’m also excited to see the big Pikachu.”
Oversized movie, video game and comic-book characters dotted the convention floor, including a life-sized Na’vi figure from “Avatar” and Woody and Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story” interpreted in Legos.
“This is the place to be to talk about all things pop culture,” said Aaron Archer, who helps develop products for Hasbro. His booth featured Transformers toys, G.I. Joe figurines and a giant pink My Little Pony.
Other attention-getters on the exhibition floor included a glowing alien sleep chamber, Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak and a working prop from the “Green Lantern” film due next year.
Comic-Con is “really about sharing a dialogue with our fans,” said Lisa Gregorian, a spokeswoman for Warner Bros. “Once you understand Comic-Con – and we all came as fans before we came as exhibitors – you love coming.”


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Trunk Show at Boulder Body Wear
Located in a beautiful store in downtown Boulder, Boulder Body Wear sells a mixture of dancewear, active wear and women’s clothing. But don’t let the wide selection fool you – this store is very knowledgeable about pointe shoes.
Owner Amy Kenney has been fitting pointe shoes since 1987, and she’s been carrying Russian Pointe® for more than 10 years. Currently, the store features several Russian Pointe® models, including the Rubin, Almaz, Muse and Entrada, but after the trunk show, Kenney said she is considering bringing in new models, such as the Brava or Lumina, after seeing them in fittings.
During the trunk show, dancers were lined up throughout the day to receive an expert pointe shoe fitting from Russian Pointe team member Megan Bentz and to have the chance to compare all of the different styles of Russian Pointe® shoes. In fact, several dancers who already wear Russian Pointe® shoes attended the trunk show to try on the Russian Pointe® models Boulder Body Wear doesn’t currently offer to find their favorite fit.
Tammy Green brought her 10-year-old daughter, Liv, to the trunk show, who is in her seventh pair of Russian Pointe® shoes. Green’s daughter was originally fit at the Russian Pointe® headquarters in Chicago, so she was excited to have another pointe shoe fitting now that her feet have grown.
“Our experience was just as fabulous as our original fitting in Chicago. Megan was very thorough and answered every question we had. She took the time to listen and carefully decide which shoe would be my daughter's next option,” Green said. “Overall, it could not have been a better fitting. We are very pleased with the shoe and the company. I think it will be a shoe that my daughter stays in for a long time.”
After the personalized pointe shoe fittings, Bentz hosted a special seminar for local dance teachers and the Boulder Body Wear staff. Kenney provided wine, cheese and crackers to the guests, while Bentz answered questions about how each of the Russian Pointe® models differ in their construction and shank options.
“Everyone had a chance to ask me questions about specific feet they’ve encountered, questions about fit and specifications, and about how to best support their dancers in our line,” Bentz said.
Ixchel Lezendosky, a ballet teacher from Fort Collins, CO, said she came away with a lot more knowledge about Russian Pointe®. “I thought it was very informative and I learned a lot about the shoes and different shank styles,” she said.
Elizabeth Ross, who teaches ballet through the City of Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department, also attended the seminar and was happy to find a traditional, Russian-style shoe. Ross, who trains her students in the Vaganova method, said she was pleased to find shoes that have hard shanks to help students spring up onto pointe, rather than roll through demi-pointe.
Mimi Ferrie, a store manager and pointe shoe fitting specialist, said the trunk show was a great learning experience for both the staff and dancers. “We felt as fitters that we got a lot of information about the models we weren’t familiar with and the dancers left feeling like they had been offered a really unique opportunity to be fitted by a specialist,” she said.
Ferrie also said the trunk show brought in several customers who had not been in the store in a long time. “You always love to see that,” she said.


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Some look back fondly on their jobs at McDonald's, saying it taught them valuable life skills. Others described the experience as "terrible."
Burger King just announced plans to revamp its logo, which looks eerily similar to one the chain used from 1969 until 1999.
I made a Michelin-starred chef's version of the McDonald's McMuffin in just 10 minutes, and it blew the original out of the water
The Michelin-starred chef's bacon and egg muffin was cheesy and moist — and tasted far superior to McDonald's classic breakfast sandwich.
From Disney's Dole Whip to Ikea's meatballs, major brands revealed recipes for their most famous dishes this year. Here are the best ones.
From McDonald's McMuffins to Chipotle's guacamole, major brands and restaurants have been spilling the secrets to their most famous recipes all year.
Between Taro Pies, the McSpaghetti, and Carbonara Fries, there are endless items worth trying from McDonald's locations around the world.
McDonald's has temporarily stopped distributing its Disney World-themed toys because they included QR codes that led to 'unintended search results' when scanned
WDW News Today said it learned that McDonald's would temporarily stop distributing the toys through an "internal McDonald's Restaurant Brief Alert."
We list popular fast-food restaurants from every state in the US, from large chains like In-N-Out to local favorites like Olneyville New York System.
I tested Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner's McDonald's orders but one seemed too wasteful to really enjoy
Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner have both shared their McDonald's orders. An Insider reporter tested them to see which one is better.
A TikToker posted a video that appeared to show a small, medium, and large McDonald's cup all holding the same amount of liquid.
Gordon Ramsay called a TikToker an 'idiot sandwich' after seeing their McNuggets-stuffed grilled cheese
"Whoever made this is an actual idiot sandwich!" Gordon Ramsay said of the homemade McDonald's sandwich, which he called "McCrap."
I visited America's most sophisticated McDonald's built inside a 170-year-old mansion. Here's what it's like.
Our travel correspondent found herself in a McDonald's in Freeport, Maine, built inside a colonial mansion from the 1850s. Take a look inside.
I tried 5 of the most bizarre menu items at McDonald's in Finland, and I'd travel back for the Chicken Pizza Mac
Comprised of fried chicken topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella in a bun, the Chicken Pizza Mac was like a delicious chicken parmigiana in bread.
McDonald's is selling a 3-foot-long Chicken McNugget body pillow so you can snuggle up to your favorite snack
The pillows are currently out of stock, but Chicken Nugget fans can watch the site for a chance to buy more in the coming days.
9 things customers should know about McDonald's, according to a former cashier going viral on TikTok
Dessy Joseph, who says she worked at the chain from 2013 to 2014, has racked up 12 million likes with her videos about her experience as a cashier.
Happy Meals have been a staple at McDonald's for as long as many of us can remember. Here's how the classic item has changed since its debut in 1979.
A 6-year-old girl in the UK choked on her McDonald's chicken nuggets because they contained bits of a face mask, her mom says
McDonald's said it was investigating the incident and had "taken action to ensure any product from this batch is removed from restaurants."
"While staying with my in-laws during the COVID-19 pandemic, drive-thrus became the only viable option for a dinner date with my husband."
Disney, McDonald's, and other beloved brands are sharing recipes for their famous dishes online so you can make them at home
Fans of chains like McDonald's and Nando's, or the cookies at DoubleTree hotels can make some of their favorite snacks and meals at home.
An 18-year-old New York woman is charged with murder after a man's body was found wrapped in plastic on a McDonald's roof, reports say
The man is believed to have been killed at his apartment before his body was moved to the restaurant's rooftop nearby, local news reported.
These are the most unique McDonald's items from around the world — see if you can guess which countries they're from
You may not be able to buy some of these items anymore, but others, like fried shrimp and bacon rolls, are still on certain international menus.


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Back in 2013, Kanye West announced he was teaming up with Adidas after cutting ties with Nike. Two years later, Kanye and Adidas are releasing the results of that partnership. Ye's new shoe is called the Yeezy 750 Boost—a muted gray-and-white stitched suede high top. Tomorrow at 4 p.m. Eastern, it'll debut in a presentation in New York featuring a performance by artist Vanessa Beecroft. (Yes, that mysterious website that appeared last week was counting down to the launch.)
The presentation will be streamed live to 50 theaters around the world. Tickets are available here. It's unclear if it will also be streamed online. In an interview earlier today with "On Air With Ryan Seacrest", Kanye said that the presentation would be repeated "10 times over the next two days," though details on that remain unclear.
9,000 pairs of Yeezy Boosts will go on sale this Saturday, February 14, at a retail price of $350. They can be reserved via Adidas' new app.
In the Ryan Seacrest interview, Kanye said more shoes will be sold after the initial run. "I just want people to be safe and patient," he said. "I know you can run up on this 14-year-old kid and take his Yeezys, but just be patient because we’ll make more Yeezys. Eventually, everybody who wants to get Yeezys will get Yeezys. Adidas has promised me that because there’s so many kids that wanted them, but couldn’t get them. And I talked to the heads at Adidas and they said, 'We can make them.'"
Kanye's been seen wearing the Air Yeezus at recent events, including his appearance at Big Sean's L.A. show (where he called out Nike) and the Grammys. He also said his next goal is to design high school uniforms.
Members of the media who were invited to tomorrow's presentation were sent a customized Yeezy anorak, which you can see below. Stylish!


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12:47pm Thursday 28th June 2012
No wonder Britt Sutton feels "on cloud nine." For hers is the only one of the 80 shops in Kingston's Bentall Centre to score full marks after a recent survey by a team of professional "mystery shoppers."
Her achievement is all the more remarkable because she is the only one-off, independent trader in the Bentall centre, and has been since she opened there in 1993.
Aroma Secrets, her health and beauty salon, gained an overall score of 100 per cent in the survey.. Ranked in joint second place were Crabtree & Evelyn and Crew Clothing, both with 97.1 per cent, followed by Whittards, the tea and coffee specialists, with 96.8 per cent.
It is notoriously tough to survive as a stand-alone retailer in Kingston's premium-rated town centre. But Britt has stayed at the top f her game since 1989, when she opened a salon in Apple Market before moving it to the newly-built Bentall Centre four years later.
Joseph Jagger, The Bentall Centre's retailer liaison manager, said mystery shoppers had been engaged "to assess the whole destination in terms of the customer service that we deliver...and where we sit amongst the competition, and against the national benchmark."
A total of 92 locations were surveyed, including all the retail outlets, the toilets, lifts and escalators, and many departments in Bentalls store..
The result? "We beat the national average of 79 per cent with an overall score of 81per cent," said Mr Paxton.
Meanwhile, there's less happy news of two other independent firms in Kingston. One is the collapse of the Jacobs, the UK's largest independent camera retailer, which has closed its store in Clarence Street along with all but one of the other 18 stores in the group.
The other is the demise of Kingsworth Welding. The company, the only one of its kind in Kingston town centre, has been run by 84-year-old Rodney Strange ,and his 76-year-old brother, Jack, since 1966. Today (June 29) they reluctantly closed their works in Walter Street.
"We don't want to go. We're as keen and skilled as ever," said Rodney, explaining that rising overheads, the double-dip recession and ruthlessly imposed parking restrictions outside their premises had so reduced profits they were in effect having to pay to go to work.
"Last year our take-home pay was £51.70 a week," he said. "Now it's dropped to £20."
The brothers, both highly trained, are born and bred Kingstonians, and both their father and grandfather were coopers at Hodgson's Kingston Brewery.
Now, their decision to close Kingsworth has caused such dismay that it was sorrowing customers, not the Stranges, who informed the Comet and begged us to pay tribute to the pair.
"One of their specialities was shaping radiators to fit curved bays and other awkward spaces," said one.
"I don't know of any other local firm with that skill."
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group


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Weekend Preview: This is “It?”
We know what you’re thinking. It’s Halloween! There’s absolutely no way that Hollywood, the town that loves putting out cheap horror movies any time of the year, would fail to jump right on a release date of the day before Halloween for a cheap horror flick to make some quick cash.
Well, you would be absolutely wrong. Aside from “This Is It”, which hit theaters on Wednesday, there is not a single…wide…release.
In limited release news, the sequel to the greatest movie ever, “The Boondock Saints”, is opening in sixty theaters, while Jared Hess, who is directly to blame for “Napoleon Dynamite”, sees his next act of hatred against God and man, “Gentlemen Broncos”, open in two theaters. Also there’s a horror movie, “The House of the Devil”, opening on three screens.
So, yeah, Hollywood’s pretty much packing your ass off to the video store this week. Happy Halloween, suckers!


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Automakers are expected to announce today that they sold more than 1.4 million cars and light trucks in the U.S. last month — about a 14 percent increase — despite shortages of some makes and models.
“It’s a fascinating situation,” said Karl Brauer, senior director of insights at Kelley Blue Book. “There’s been a slow but steady ramp-up in car sales, but at the same time, a hesitancy among manufacturers to put too many resources into increased production capacity because when the economy contracted four years ago, they had to drastically cut production capacity. So they’re trying to balance those two things as the economy grows and sales increase.”
Some brands are doing well in types of vehicles that traditionally haven’t done well, which presents a challenge for automakers who hadn’t been sure how they would sell, Brauer said.
So many Ford Fusions, for example, have sold that the company started U.S. production last week of the car in Michigan, he said.
“They’re short right now because they’ve had to recalibrate how many they need to produce,” Brauer said.
Paul Costine, sales director of Cambridge Honda, said the Accord Sport is hard to get, and this year’s Odyssey is “pretty much cleared out.”
Dealers typically like to have a 45-day supply of cars on hand, but Rick White, general manager of Cityside Subaru in Belmont, said his supply of Foresters has been turning over every 15 days. White attributes the model’s popularity to its redesign this year and 25 percent improvement in fuel efficiency.
“There’s very high demand in the marketplace,” he said.


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Avid Collective has announced the appointment of Ezechiel Ritchie (lead image), previously with Jellysmack, Taboola and Google, as its new Commercial Director, in a major win for Australia’s home of native content.
In the new role, Ritchie will be responsible for driving revenue and growth for the business across a broad remit, including sales and partnerships, solutions and strategy, and client success. He will report to Avid Collective managing director Luke Spano.
Ritchie comes to Avid Collective with more than 15 years of experience in digital, ad tech and fast-growing start-ups. He was appointed the APAC General Manager for creator video tech platform Jellysmack, launching the business in ANZ and Southeast Asia and managing all parts of the organisation, including partnerships, sales, marketing, and operations in APAC. His role included managing more than 25 staff across Australia, Singapore, Korea, India, Japan, and Taiwan.
Ritchie has also held senior roles at native ads platform, Taboola, launching the business in 2017 across Australia and New Zealand and he also worked at Google for six years in roles in Australia and Europe.
Spano said Ritchie’s appointment was a significant hire for the business. “Hiring Ezechiel is a massive step for the business. He brings a wealth of industry experience, particularly in growing and scaling businesses that are disrupting their category, and his expert leadership skills will be essential in managing and mentoring our commercial team to drive further growth,” he said.
“Ezechiel is well-known for his ability to bring out the best in his team and we’re confident he will be able to further enhance the client experience across each stage of the lifecycle, ultimately strengthening our advertiser partnerships, and adding further growth for our business”.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Avid Collective team and its leadership. The business has seen tremendous growth over the past couple of years and I am looking forward to assisting the business and its brand partners to unlock the true potential of native content. Avid has a very unique offering in delivering high-quality native content at scale for agencies and brands, by making it simple, strategic and scalable. We’re just scratching the surface and I’m very optimistic about the future growth of the company,” said Ritchie.
Avid Collective’s incumbent Commercial Director Tom Gunter remains with the business, shifting to Product Director, focused on developing the commercial offering and leading the enhancement of the capabilities of the Avid platform.
Ritchie’s appointment is effective immediately.
Avid Collective works with more than 100 brands across Australia in every category from QSR, Retail, Finance, B2B, FMCG and Automotive. Its publisher network now reaches most of the Australian population across publishers including: Time Out Australia, Junkee and Punkee, Mouths of Mums, Forbes Australia, frankie, and We Are Explorers.
The Avid Collective MD reveals his life pre-adland. As exciting as it is, it's not international playboy spy & Lothario.
SenateSHJ has launched a new digital, data and insights capability designed to help clients tackle the growing complexity of communication challenges. SenateSHJ Digital, Data and Insights (DDI) will combine the firm’s existing Digital and Insights functions to create a Trans-Tasman capability focused on digital communication, and the generation and use of data to improve communication. […]
Creative technology platform Bonzai has announced the launch of BrandStory – a new premium mobile ad format. BrandStory offers triple the ad space and 2.8 times greater time in view than single scroll ad formats, addressing the surging demand from brands worldwide for more real estate to drive real results by seamlessly intertwining awareness, exploration […]
B&T went through the looking glass this morning, with editor-in-chief David Hovenden (above) appearing on Channel 7’s The Morning Show to get the general public involved in our search for Australia’s Greatest Ad. Hovenden chatted with Kylie Gillies and stand-in host Matt Doran about what makes a great ad and showcasing some of our favourites […]
Two Australian-born technology providers have joined forces to bring more power and choice to marketers in Australia and New Zealand with mobile messaging that is more local, cost-effective, and integrated. It’s a partnership that sees two Australian software companies come together to deliver a world-class mobile-first solution for marketers building data-driven, personalised, omnichannel campaigns. While […]
Zitcha and Broadsign have teamed up to integrate the Broadsign out-of-home (OOH) advertising platform with Zitcha’s retail media platform. The collaboration empowers retailers to maximise and monetise in-store digital display networks and enables advertising partners to easily view and book available in-store inventory and review campaign performance alongside the retailer’s other media channels. With the […]
Today, 7-Eleven has announced a one-of-a-kind collaboration with the popular Sydney-based anti-resort wear label Double Rainbouu. Dropping tomorrow, December 1, just in time for summer, this limited-edition capsule will infuse the fashion brand’s rebellious spirit with a distinctly iconic 7-Eleven flavour. The unisex collection features five must-have styles comprising two signature Hawaiian shirts, a peaked cap, a bucket hat […]


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ARDEN ANGLES TOWARD TV: The fragrance industry uses QVC and the Home Shopping Network primarily to sell off older scents, saving the newest launches for department and specialty stores.
But Elizabeth Arden has been talking to QVC about developing a fragrance line exclusively for the shopping network. The project, reportedly in the works for months, was due to launch in February. However, according to an Arden spokeswoman, it's been delayed.
"We're talking to QVC," she said. "We haven't come up with anything yet. We might do something in March or April."
ASSESSING HER ASSETS: Now that Diane Von Furstenberg has sold over $10 million worth of her Silk Assets and Accessories collection on QVC, she is looking toward a new concept.
In August, Von Furstenberg will launch Casual Chic, a line of casual clothing consisting mainly of knitwear. Silk Assets, which includes jackets, blouses, tunics, slacks and scarves, will continue to be sold, the designer said.
STARGAZING: Not to be outdone by AT&T, which is testing an interactive service in Castro Valley, Calif., Bell Atlantic plans to test Stargazer, an interactive system in Virginia this summer.
In addition to video-on-demand and syndicated reruns, Stargazer will offer serious shopping. Bell Atlantic's goal is to create a video mall filled with national retailers. The company declined to reveal any names.
The Stargazer system will initially consist of one channel, but others could be developed in the future. "This will be a department store channel," a Bell Atlantic spokeswoman said. "Eventually, the vision is to have a discount mall, a lifestyle mall, a cooking channel or a golf channel all within Stargazer."
Stargazer will be delivered to homes through telephone lines, using a technology called ADSL.
Alberta Ferretti's "Rainbow Week" sweaters are back. The designer closed her #MFW show with a few day-of-the-week sweaters, which first debuted on the catwalk last January as part of the pre-fall 2017 collection. #wwdfashion (📷: @delphineachard)


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Creating further proof that the U.S. Army plans to use video games to attract gamers, the organization has announced the launch of its Race for Strength online game.
To play the game, users must print out a "palm card" from the site. After printing it out, they need to start up their Webcams and point it at themselves. As the game starts, they control the Nascar car in the game with the palm card, which they move like a steering wheel in front of their Webcam to control the action on-screen.
The goal of the game, the … Read more


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About ABBYY ABBYY has announced the acquisition of the American integrator of document recognition and data capture Digital Documents. Amount of the transaction were not disclosed. With the help of Digital Documents Russian company hopes to gain access to new customers in the U.S. and Canada, said the developer.
- "Hat" ABBYY’s website
Digital Documents has hundreds of customers in North America. They are one of the largest suppliers of medical equipment in the U.S. American Medical Response, retailer of fashion accessories and jewelry Claire’s Stores, consulting firm Chicago Office Technology Group, Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University.
Previously, the ABBYY and Digital Documents were joint projects in the U.S. — companies have implemented solutions to automate document capture and data in a variety of industries.
According to president and CEO of ABBYY Group Sergey Andreev, Digital Documents will continue to work as an independent unit and will develop their own business. "It is important first of all to get a first-hand the competencies required to create products more suitable for vertical segments of the health and education. Subsequently, the company will help us build a better quality sales channel in these vertical segments of existing and newly created products ", — said Sergey Andreev.
«ABBYY and Digital Documents — companies that have extensive experience in the field of pattern recognition and automated document capture and data, — Comments Bruce Genger, President and CEO of Digital Documents. — Document Capture streaming technology enables our customers to maximize productivity and reduce costs. We are pleased to be part of a team that has a wealth of experience in the field of document recognition and data capture, and pays great attention to the needs of their partners’.
ABBYY (Pronounced "Huh? BBS") — a company that manufactures
The most famous products — OCR
The company’s turnover has not been disclosed, but experts estimate it at $ 100 million


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Cadillac CT4 and CT5-V will be shown at the end of MayMay 17, 2019
The company promises to show the new CT4 and high-performance CT5-V on May 30th. Meanwhile, the Cadillac CT5 will not be available until autumn.
Information about the models is still limited. According to rumors, the Cadillac CT5-V, which actually replaces the CTS-V, can come with a 4.2-liter twin-turbocharged V8. It provides 507 hp (373 kW) and 777 Nm of torque. It should be noted that the same engine uses the CT6-V, under the hood of which it produces 557 hp (410 kW) and 850 Nm of torque.
The new Cadillac CT4 will be the entry level sedan. Most likely, it will be built on a shortened version of the CT5 platform. The engine range will be transferred from this model. So, you can expect a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine. Power will be 241 hp (177 kW), torque – 350 Nm. A 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 can also be offered, which will provide 340 hp (250 kW) and 542 Nm of torque.
- Third generation Haval H6 SUV prices announced
- BMW plans to double EV sales in 2021
- Mercedes-Benz has published details of the new electric crossover EQA
- Automotive brands that patent the most innovations named
- Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn may go to jail for 10 years


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XPeng is still focused in boosting the sales of its electric cars. But it has been focusing on building out future businesses in flying cars and robotics.
Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Autonomous driving systems require huge amounts of data to be processed in order to train algorithms.
Xpeng claims that the new computing center will reduce the training time for its core autonomous driving model from seven days to within an hour.
The Guangzhou-headquartered company will use technology from Alibaba’s cloud division for…


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GM draws back the curtain on new Corvette's design and engineering
General Motors designers are ready to share the inspiration that resulted in finally making a mid-engine Corvette.
Chevrolet has produced a two-part documentary about developing the super sports car with the intention of offering it free to Corvette enthusiasts.
In Part 1 of the documentary, the Corvette Stingray design team shares what inspired the car's groundbreaking design, listing jet airplanes and racing as two areas of influence.
The series is called, “Revolution: The Mid-Engine Corvette Development Story." Chevrolet released Part 1, which runs about 9 minutes, on Dec. 22 on Corvette’s Facebook, Instagram pages and Chevrolet’s YouTube page.
Part 2 features the perspective of Corvette’s engineers and aired on Jan. 4.
"The first ever mid-engine Corvette Stingray is an incredibly special sports car, and our team was aware of this from the start," said Trevor Thompkins, a Chevy spokesman. "We decided to record elements of the vehicle’s development and conversations with team members for GM’s archives."
The 2020 Corvette Stingray is the first mid-engine production car in Corvette history. Chevrolet engineers and designers had wanted to make a mid-engine ‘Vette since at least 1960. So to enthusiasts, the car is already legendary. It has won nearly every major new car award since it debuted last year.
The 2021 Corvette has just gone on sale and starts at $59,995, matching the 2020 model, which is about a $4,000 increase over the 2019 Corvette. Comparatively, the mid-engine Porsche 718 Cayman starts at $61,250. All prices include destination charges.
The Corvette's designers and engineers wanted Corvette fans to have a peek into the design and development process that most people do not get to see, Thompkins said. The series is shot mostly at GM's Global Technical Center in Warren, Mich.
"We filmed certain moments in the final stages of development in 2018 through to the reveal in 2019, and edited the two episodes in 2020," Thompkins said. He declined to say how much GM spent to make the sleek production.
"We hope the documentary will be priceless in the eyes of our Corvette fans and owners," Thompkins said.
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The viral pandemic has triggered a cascade of price hikes throughout America’s auto industry — a surge that has made both new and used vehicles unaffordable for many
With a base price of $79,900, the Taycan gives the lie to the claim that electric cars must inevitably cost more than comparable gasoline-powered vehicles.
Hyundai Motor Co.'s recall of nearly 82,000 electric vehicles highlights how costly the shift to the industry's new frontier can be for all the automakers piling in, to both their balance sheets and their brands.


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Kolkata, Mar 6 (PTI) A body of brickfield owners in West Bengal has said the crisis-hit small scale rural cottage industry will see closure of many such units if a proposed hike in goods and services tax (GST) rates on sale of the construction material is implemented from April 1.
Members of the Bengal Brickfield Owners’ Association under the umbrella of the All India Brick & Tile Manufacturers Federation will hold a demonstration in front of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on March 8 to protest against the planned GST increase and seek immediate rollback of the proposal.
“The central government’s proposal for an exorbitant hike in GST on sale of red clay bricks will spell closure of the sector, if implemented from April 1,” it said in a statement on Friday.
The association of brickfield owners claimed that the GST Council had in September 2021 proposed a hike in the indirect tax on the sale of red clay bricks “from 5 per cent to 12 per cent with input tax credit (ITC) facility under the regular system and from 1 per cent to 6 per cent without ITC under the composition scheme”.
“The floor of the regular scheme has been lowered arbitrarily from an annual turnover of Rs 1.50 crore of a brickfield to Rs 20 lakh,” the industry body said.
The clay brick manufacturing sector is already reeling under acute crisis due to a steep rise in prices of coal and other raw materials and a fall in demand for the construction item, it said.
“The proposed GST rates are arbitrary, unjustified and unilateral. It was decided by the government without any discussion with the red clay brick sector. This reflects dictatorial, non-democratic action of a democratically elected government,” Bengal Brickfield Owners’ Association president Yogesh Aggarwal said. PTI BSM BDC BDC
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Source: The Print


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It's April Fools' Day 2011 and there is no shortage of geek-themed jokes lurking around every corner of the Internet today.
Google says it is in talks with the Chinese government about its online map product, which could be penalized in China due to new state laws.
Google is upgrading on Thursday its tool for analyzing Web page performance, making it available directly via the Web and offering smartphone page analysis.
Android users face a new threat, a rogue app that tells all their friends they pirated the program, a Symantec security manager said today.
It might be time to say good-bye to the days of Android as an open-source platform. After sealing Honeycomb from developers in an effort to combat subpar Google-branded products from entering the market, Google is now quietly implementing "non-fragme...
Your personal data is out there. Every thought you tap out on Twitter, every status update you post on Facebook, and even the last credit card purchase you made is accessible via the Internet.
Microsoft has bragged about its growing app store for Windows Phone 7 devices, but the store's offerings are still puny compared to Apple's or Google's stores. The Windows Phone 7 app store has around 10 times less apps than the Android Market and ar...
I'm not sure how to say this, but I'm starting to think I might be antisocial.
Sprint and Google are apparently going to be working close by each other in addition to more closely together.
Google's latest attempt to infuse its search engine with social networking elements appears underwhelming and its success is questionable, as the company struggles to respond to the increasingly serious threat posed by the Facebook and Microsoft sear...
Google has quietly stopped offering QR codes for businesses with Places pages.
The Python SDK (Software Development Kit) for Google's cloud platform App Engine has a new search feature that can be used to build notification, monitoring, or filtering services, Google said in a blog post on Wednesday.
Microsoft filed an antitrust complaint against Google with the European Commission on Thursday, accusing Google of taking technical measures to squeeze Microsoft and other competitors out of the advertising and search markets.
Secure phones: Smartphones are notoriously vulnerable to data-security and privacy breaches. Lookout Mobile Security locks down your Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile phone to keep malware and other threats from invading.
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SEATTLE — Amazon.com has dropped a plan to sell pharmaceutical products to hospitals due to the project’s complexity, reported CNBC, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The setback illustrates the challenges Amazon faces in getting into the medical supply and pharmaceutical space, CNBC reported. Amazon has struggled to convince hospitals to alter a purchasing process that rests on middlemen and loyal relationships, reported CNBC.
Moreover, Amazon’s warehouse and logistics infrastructure is not set up to store and deliver temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products, CNBC’s sources pointed out, and hospitals are reluctant to use Amazon as a supplier as long as it lacks these capabilities.
CNBC asserted that Amazon hasn’t totally ruled out the idea of selling and distributing pharmaceutical products, citing published reports that the company is considering entry into the direct-to-consumer prescription drug business.


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Advantage News | Fred Pollard
Executive chef Mike Cool manages the flame while preparing chicken grachsa, a chicken breast in a sherry cream sauce and sautéed with Portobello mushrooms.
With walls adorned by murals featuring the Piasa Bird and “Gentle Giant” Robert Wadlow, the all-new Bluff City Grill Restaurant and Bar has its roots planted firmly in local history.
“I am excited to have my restaurant right here in Alton,” owner Cathy Gross said.
Gross originally planned to open her new venture in Jerseyville. When those plans fell through, a friend suggested she check out the space available at 102 West 9th, the former home of Allstate Insurance and Copley’s West 9th Restaurant.
“I liked the location, but I didn’t think the space was large enough by itself,” Gross said. “When I found out the dry cleaner space next door was available, that sold me.”
She spent October through December on extensive renovations, including the removal of walls and plenty of paint and new furniture.
“We had a soft opening on Dec. 30,” Gross said. “We have not been doing any advertising at all yet, and yet we have been really busy, so I am really happy about that.”
On Thursday, Jan. 16, and Friday, Jan. 17, Bluff City Grill will have a Grand Opening featuring food and drink specials and live music from “one-man band” Jason “Gordo” Gordon.
“Jason will be playing from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. on the sports bar side,” Gross said.
The event also will give curious and hungry patrons a chance to check out some unique dining experiences such as fried banana peppers, white chicken chili, and a selection of the kitchen’s specially prepared steaks.
“Our wine list has gone over really well, and our draft beers are extremely popular,” Gross said. “The guac bites are a hit, as are the chicken grachsa and the garlic jalapeno tilapia.
“My expectations of exceptional service and great food are what will make this work. Our menu is unique and sets us apart, and our prices are reasonable.”
Gross employs around 55 employees from the local area, including executive bartender Amanda Smith and executive chef Mike Cool, who is a former owner of Bigelow’s Bistro in Edwardsville and is the mastermind behind nearly every dish on the menu.
“The crab stew is great,” Cool said. “It’s a recipe I learned in southern Georgia. It is known as more of a bisque in this part of the country, but we call it stew there.”
This is Gross’ first restaurant. After spending 10 years working for a local establishment, she longed to venture out on her own.
“I finally decided I needed to quit talking about it and just jump in and do it,” she said. “I wanted to have something for everyone; one side has a great sports bar feel, and the other is perfect for families and business dinners.
“It’s like having the best of both worlds.”
Bluff City Grill is open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. (with bar hours from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m.) Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations are available, and full catering is offered. For more information, call (618) 433-8288 or visit the website at www.bcgrill.com.


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The World: London - WPP acquires stakes in three comms companies
campaignlive.co.uk, Friday, 06 February 2009 12:00AM
WPP is expanding its global reach with the announcement of new investments in the US, South Africa and Vietnam.
With Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP's chief executive, insisting marcoms groups must branch out beyond their traditional expertise, the company has reached a collaboration agreement with the US web-analytics company Omniture, in which it has invested $25 million.
At the same time, it has acquired a 49 per cent stake in The Jupiter Drawing Room in Johannesburg, Africa's largest independent agency group. The third deal involves Smart Media, the Vietnamese marketing communications company, in which WPP is taking a 20 per cent share.
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
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I just wanted to update you on some issues regarding neonicotinoids. Last week I posted a blog about concerns that neonics are having devastating effects on bee populations.
I decided to email some companies here in Ireland and the UK that supply seeds (both flowers and vegetables) to see whether any of their products contained neonics. A number of companies have not responded. However I did have some positive replies from others.
Unwin Seeds (in Ireland Woodies sell Unwin seeds ) were quick to respond that they do not use, nor have ever used neonicotinoid insecticides as a seed treatment in any of their seed ranges.
Thompson and Morgan also confirmed that they did not use any neonicotinoids on their seeds. However the person who replied did think that most insecticides containing neonicotinoid are now banned within the EU, which isn’t true as only three of the neonics chemical are only temporarily banned here.
Lidl are confirmed that their seeds were not treated.
De Ree UK also confirmed that their seeds were never coated with neonicotinoid chemicals.
Aldi asked for me to be more specific about the products but it is interesting that it was announced during the week that “Aldi Süd is the first big retailer in Europe to ban eight bee-harming pesticides from domestic fruits and vegetables produced for their markets.” This is a huge step for a retailer and I hope it means their stores Europe wide will ban these projects. It is also setting a great example to other retailers. The Greenpeace press release also lists foods where these chemical s are being used. They include:
- Thiamethoxam – applied to lettuce and endive
- Chlorpyrifos, clothianidin – applied to kohlrabi, herbs, Brussels sprouts, head cabbage, cauliflower, and kale
- Cypermethrin – applied to leek, head cabbage, and leguminous vegetables
- Deltamethrin – applied to cauliflower, peppers, eggplant, zucchini/courgette, cucumber, pea, head cabbage, tomato, and lettuce
- Imidacloprid – applied to apples, peaches, apricots, and lettuce
As consumers we can play a role here. Ask your retailers whether products they sell have been treated with neonics. Make a conscious effort to buy organic where you can. Or even better grow your own.


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Sept. 22 event to be held in conjunction with AIMExpo in Columbus, Ohio
PICKERINGTON, OH – September 11, 2017 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – The American Motorcyclist Association welcomes the Harley-Davidson Motor Company as the title sponsor of the 2017 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Sept. 22 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The event will be known as the 2017 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Harley-Davidson.
“Harley-Davidson is the leading motorcycle brand in the United States, in terms of market share,” said AMA Chief Operations Officer Jeff Massey. “We are pleased and excited to have Harley’s support as we honor one legend and celebrate the induction of five motorcycling greats into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.”
The Class of 2017 includes: FMF Racing founder Don Emler Sr., off-road racing champion Eddie Lojak Sr., world motocross champion and Road 2 Recovery founder Bob Moore, racer and filmmaker Peter Starr and racer, team owner and publisher John Ulrich. They will be honored along with Hall of Famer Bill Werner, now an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend.
“Harley-Davidson is thrilled to serve as the title sponsor of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,” said Mike Kennedy, vice president and managing director, U.S., at Harley-Davidson. “As we look to the future and work to grow the sport of motorcycling, this ceremony provides a wonderful opportunity to pause, take time out and celebrate the legacies of these individuals who have meant so much to our industry.”
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place in conjunction with the American International Motorcycle Expo, an event that brings together consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the world press in one location for global product launches, demo rides, motorcycling seminars and more.
Reservations for the induction ceremony may be made at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/induction. Tickets, which include a reception, dinner and the induction ceremony, are $130 per person, or $120 for AMA Life Members. Current AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers can attend for no charge. All proceeds support the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable organization that hosts the induction ceremony.
About Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Since 1903, Harley-Davidson Motor Company has fulfilled dreams of personal freedom with cruiser, touring and custom motorcycles, riding experiences and events, and a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise, riding gear and apparel. For more information, visit www.h-d.com.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.
Not a member? Join the AMA today.
Source: American Motorcyclist Association