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by Vindu Goel and Suhasini Raj
ALIGARH, India — Signs and banners for Paytm, India’s biggest digital payments service, festoon Pooran Singh’s cellphone shop, where people drop in all day to add data or talk time to their prepaid phones.
Yet few of these people actually use Paytm at the store, which straddles two dusty streets in this sleepy north Indian city in which tractors jostle with cows for space on the narrow roads.
“People recharge in cash,” Singh said, after a young man handed him 20 rupees (about 32 cents) to top up his mother’s phone.
The scene in Singh’s shop underscores a persistent reality of India’s economy: People prefer cash for most routine transactions, despite intensive efforts by the government and global technology companies to lure them onto digital platforms.
India’s reluctance to give up paper money poses challenges for the firms that are vying to offer electronic payments, including local players like Paytm, which has received financing from the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, and American tech companies, like Facebook, Google and PayPal.
“Cash is convenient,” said Caesar Sengupta, who oversees Google’s products for emerging markets. “It’s anonymous. You can use it everywhere.”
Even so, tech companies see India’s low rate of digital payments as an opportunity. They all cite China, where in just a few years, mobile payments became so popular that it is now difficult to get through the day with cash alone.
“In India, we’re going to see a similar rise,” Sengupta said in November, shortly after Google introduced Tez, a payments app for India.
One reason for tech companies’ optimism is that digital payments in India have increased during the past year. The value of transactions using digital wallets, the business on which Paytm was built, rose 64 percent from December 2016 to December 2017. Transactions made with the Unified Payments Interface, a government-backed technology used by Tez and many other mobile apps, went from virtually nothing a year ago to $2.1 billion last month.
Leading India’s budding payments shift are Paytm and its chief executive, Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
Sharma founded the company seven years ago as a way for cellphone users to pay their bills online. It is now India’s largest consumer-payments app, with 302 million account holders and 90 million active users.
Customers can use it to buy goods at physical stores, book movie or airline tickets, send money to each other or order items from Paytm’s online mall. A transaction requires a quick scan of a merchant’s bar code or a few taps on a smartphone, rivalling Apple Pay or Venmo in simplicity.
Sharma aspires to put his company at the centre of Indians’ financial lives, and he has pledged to spend $1.9 billion over the next two years toward that goal.
“Our truest ambition is for Paytm to be known as the bank for this new-age, digital, mobile world,” he said in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Noida, just outside Delhi.
Merchants like Singh are crucial to Paytm’s plans.
The company pays Singh a bounty of 20 rupees for each of the eight or so customers he signs up each month, with additional payments if a newcomer continues to use the service. He earns an additional 18 rupees each time he verifies the identity of an existing Paytm user with his fingerprint scanner, a new requirement imposed by the government on all digital wallet companies.
Singh’s phone shop has also become a virtual ATM for Paytm’s nascent banking division, which plans to turn 100,000 shops across India into mini-branches where customers can deposit and withdraw cash, get a loan and buy insurance policies.
“We really want to reach the underserved, underbanked customer,” said Renu Satti, who leads the Paytm bank.
Paytm’s strategy dovetails with the goals of India’s central government. Narendra Modi, who became prime minister in 2014, has sought to recast his country as “digital India,” and his government has heavily promoted cashless transactions.
In November 2016, Modi suddenly banned most of India’s currency. The edict forced people to exchange their rupees for new notes at banks, setting off a short-term cash crunch and prompting many Indians to consider digital options.
Still, the country’s cash economy has endured.
Only one-third of India’s 1.3 billion residents have access to the internet. Of those who are able to go online, just 14 percent make mobile payments at least once a week, according to Kantar TNS, a research firm based in London.
Consumer trust is a big issue. Ghani Khan, who was finishing a snack with his wife at Aligarh’s lone McDonald’s, said that someone had once stolen 3,300 rupees, what would be about $52 now, from his Paytm account.
“People feel scared to use these apps,” Khan said. Although he got his money back, he now avoids payment apps, preferring to use cash or his debit card. (Paytm says that most such problems are related to thieves who call users and persuade them to turn over sensitive account data.)
Merchants also worry that officials are promoting digital transactions as a way to better track commerce — and collect more taxes.
Anusheel Shrivastava, a top Kantar executive in India, said his firm found that 6 percent of mobile phone users made at least one digital transaction a day in 2017, up from 2 percent in 2016.
That number is likely to increase further when WhatsApp, the messaging service owned by Facebook, adds payments to its service in the next few months.
Paytm stands out in part because of the 10,000 employees that it has in the field to help new businesses use the service, educate existing ones about new features and troubleshoot problems. There are about 6 million merchants in its network, from giant multinationals like Uber to tiny neighbourhood sweet shops.
“We have to train them, we have to retrain them, we have to visit them,” said Yashwin Gupta, who oversees a team of 65 Paytm representatives in the region that includes Aligarh. “That’s our daily job.”
The job is getting easier now that Paytm is better known.
Last month, Mukesh Gupta sought Paytm’s help in setting up the service for his toy shop here after 10 to 20 percent of his customers asked to pay with Paytm. “People like to spend money on more than just needs,” he said.
Aligarh, with 1.2 million residents, is a barometer for Paytm’s progress because it is a midsize city, and because Sharma, the company’s chief executive, grew up nearby.
On one visit home, he said, he met a Hindi-speaking merchant who did not know how to get money out of Paytm and into his bank.
The problem? Paytm’s app for merchants was in English, and the icons were not clear enough for those who did not speak the language. Paytm soon developed a Hindi version.
In recent months, skeptics have questioned whether Paytm can maintain its growth. The new regulations requiring customer verification could turn off some customers. The company is also spending heavily on incentives, such as giving cash back on certain purchases and free credit-card processing for merchants.
Sharma said such expenses were necessary investments.
“The only way to grow digital transactions is to make them free,” he said. “This is a culturally different country being built.”


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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, has launched the ‘Dubai 3D Printing Strategy’, a unique global initiative that aims to exploit technology for the benefit of humanity and promote the status of the UAE and Dubai as a leading hub of 3D printing technology by 2030.
Know more about the 3D printing Policy
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, and H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, accompanied His Highness.
His Majesty the King In order to establish projects that benefit the whole human community, the UAE, according to Sheikh Mohammed, will continue its drive to gain worldwide leadership in the adoption of future ideas.
“Because we aspire to be the best in the world, our development strategy is based on foresight and forward-looking thinking. ‘Our development philosophy is focused on launching projects that can be implemented everywhere in the globe and building a worldwide model for our economy and the global economy,’ His Highness remarked, before adding, “The future doesn’t wait for those who stop and slow down. At this point, we must move quickly and take advantage of the available options. There have been several projects and strategies that have begun to be implemented as a result of our recent introduction of the Dubai Future Agenda, which offer value to mankind and our national economy.”
Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Hamid Mohamed Al Qatami, Chairman and Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, DHA, Hussein Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, and Ahmad bin Byat, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Dubai Holding attended the strategy’s launch.
His Majesty the King According to Sheikh Mohammed, “On this day, the United Arab Emirates unveils the world’s first fully integrated and comprehensive 3D technology plan for the benefit of humanity. In addition, we have devised concrete strategies and clear targets for implementing the strategy, which we believe will contribute to the advancement and prosperity of the globe as well as assist preserve our human legacy.”
“As His Highness pointed out, “3D printing technologies will have a significant impact on every part of our lives in the next years, from the homes we live in and the streets we use to the vehicles we drive, clothing we wear and the food we consume,” This expanding global economy is one in which we should participate. Because it reduces the need for unskilled labour, this technology, particularly in the construction industry, will reshape economies and labour markets. In addition, productivity will be redefined as 3D printing structures and items will take 10% of the time it currently takes using standard manufacturing procedures “”niques,” they say.
His Majesty said, “Dubai’s main aim is to ensure that 25% of the city’s structures will be constructed using 3D printing technology by 2030, and we plan to increase this percentage as global technology and market demand increase. We believe this technology has the potential to revolutionise the construction industry by bringing down costs and speeding up the implementation of new initiatives. Construction waste and human resources will also be reduced by this method, which is good for both the environment and the economy. Additionally, we plan to utilise this technology in areas such as medicine and consumer items in order to provide goods and services at competitive pricing.”
His Majesty the King Sheikh Mohammed made the following statement: “We want to turn Dubai into a global centre for 3D printing technology development and a research and development base. As a company, we are committed to making this technology accessible to as many people as possible across the world. People’s needs will be better served and 3D printing will be utilised for the greater good by our organisation.”
All government organisations, commercial enterprises, academic institutions, and research facilities in the UAE were urged by His Highness to join forces in order to create a global model that can be used by technologists from all over the world.
The approach is based on three main sectors and five pillars. Construction, medical products, and consumer goods make up the bulk of the market.
Lighting items, bases and foundations, construction joints, facilities and parks, structures for humanitarian purposes and mobile homes, as well as galleries, stores and residential villas, will be the focus of the construction and building industry. AED3 billion is anticipated to be the worth of Dubai’s 3D printing building business by 2025. With the advancement of 3D printing and its future reliability, the usage of 3D printing in Dubai’s construction sector will rise by 2 percent in 2019 and more in subsequent years.
The development of 3D-printed teeth, bones, artificial organs, medical and surgical devices, and hearing aids will be a priority in the medical products industry. 3D printed medical items in Dubai are anticipated to be worth AED1.7 billion in 2025.
In the consumer products sector, domestic goods, optics, fashion jewellery, children’s games, and fast food will be the emphasis. AED2.8 billion in 3D-printed consumer goods is estimated to be produced in Dubai by 2025.
Infrastructure, legislative structure, funding, human capital, and market demand are the five pillars of the plan.
A major focus of the Legislative Structure pillar will be on the creation of regulatory frameworks and material requirements for the use of 3D printing technology in many sectors.
It is the goal of the Infrastructure pillar to offer the necessary infrastructure and research and development assistance in order to attract the largest corporations in this industry.
A major focus will be on developing local research, design, and innovation skills through the Talent pillar and bringing in the brightest brains in the 3D printing sector from across the world.
Funding options and financial assistance will be provided by the Funding pillar in order to develop and expand the technology’s use.
The Market Demand pillar would encourage the use of this technology in a variety of industries, so that costs may be kept competitive while maintaining high standards of quality.
Diverse stakeholders, such as the city of Dubai, its health authority, and its holding company will collaborate on the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy. Government and private sector efforts will be integrated to boost Dubai’s growth by leveraging new 3D technologies from both inside Dubai as well as throughout the world. As part of the strategy, the Dubai Future Foundation will play an important role in organising these activities.
This strategy’s implementation will be aided by Dubai Municipality’s utilisation of local technology and the recruitment and retention of industry giants from all over the world. Additionally, the best ways to transition from traditional building methods to 3D printing-based construction will be examined in this study as well.
A variety of projects and initiatives will be launched and organised by the Dubai Municipality over the course of four major stages in order to fulfil the strategic goals. During the Establishment Phase, a detailed research of the 3D printing industry, particularly in the field of building construction, is prepared. Customers, developers, manufacturers, government agencies as well as information technology corporations will all benefit from this effort.
In the Qualification Phase, projects will be organised to produce 3D printing materials, systems, specifications, hardware and technical requirements of sustainability and project management. The registration and categorization procedure is also being implemented during this phase, as are initiatives to educate engineers as well as regional and global firms. The facilities for testing and measuring the materials will also be set up during this phase. It also covers the processing and preparation of personnel and electronic systems for operations and inspections, as well as local and international accreditation.
The Implementation Phase will commence with the launch of the first pilot project with Dubai Holding in the third and final stage of the process. It’s at this point that the private sector and consultants will be urged to embrace methods of transformation toward printing buildings, while developers will be motivated to work on additional prototype projects.
There are numerous measurements and performance indicators that are used to analyse the progress of the previous stages, as well as creating work agreements with major developers to help the 3D printing technology industry.
As part of its mission to promote Dubai as a global hub for 3D-printed medical products, the Dubai Health Authority will work with key players around the world to create a conducive environment and set standards for this technology in the medical sector. This will help the authority meet the goals of the strategy.
By launching a 3D printing laboratory, Dubai Holding will play an important role in achieving Dubai’s strategic 3D printing plan. 3D printing workshops and training courses will be held in a dedicated facility. Additionally, an unique fund for pilot projects in a variety of industries, including 3D printing, has been established.
As an international platform to highlight the latest 3D printing technologies, a global forum will be held to attract the biggest players in this emerging sector, including designers, manufacturers and developers, to discuss the most recent innovations, the most advanced materials used in 3D printing, practical and futuristic designs, legal aspects and investigate promising markets.
It is a component of the Future Cities Program, which seeks to boost the UAE’s position as a global leader and to create social and economic value via the implementation of new policies and initiatives. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has announced the Future Cities Program as part of the Dubai Future Agenda.
The worldwide market for 3D printing is estimated to reach US$120 billion by 2020 and roughly US$300 billion by2025, driven by research and product development activities and the rising demand for more innovation in the design process. The use of 3D printing technology is expected to simplify manufacturing processes across a wide range of industries, opening the door to significant advancements in the global economy.
Construction costs are expected to be reduced by 50-70% with 3D printing technology, as are labour expenses by 50-80%. Waste generated during construction may be reduced by up to 60% with this technology. This has a favourable impact on the sector’s economic returns and helps ensure its long-term sustainability.
North America, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and other industrialised nations have invested heavily in 3D printing research in a wide range of industries, including medical, industry and automotive and aviation.
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Ford is set to release its first hybrid sedan, the Ford Fusion, early next year. The fuel efficient car includes a novel ‘Smart Gauge’ dashboard designed to improve mileage and encourage greener driving habits.
Next year’s Ford Fusion (starting at $27,000) will have all the digital in-dash gauges one would expect from a gas-electric hybrid and then some. The green vine seen on the right side on the dashboard isn’t just a pretty picture reminding the driver of how they are saving the world each time they drive to the grocery store. The green vine is in fact a data-visualization tool intended to put an end to fuel wasting driving habits such as rapidly accelerating and braking.
When a driver speeds up and passes you in their sweet new Fusion hybrid and then slams on the brakes so you can read their witty bumper stickers about saving the world, that pretty green vine will start to wither and lose its leaves. When a driver accelerates gradually and maintains a reasonable speed, the green vine will grow and more leaves will appear.
I would assume that people who are environmentally conscious enough to buy a hybrid car already know how to drive in a fuel efficient manner. I feel that Ford has included this novel gauge on the car’s dashboard in an effort to boost sales after this year’s market woes rather than actually save fuel. While the ‘Smart Gauge’ might help save fuel to a small degree, companies should begin to rethink what a car can be if they are going to survive in the long run.
Source businessweek.com | Photo buisinessweek.com
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The company was acquired by enterprise software investment firm Cuadrilla Capital last monthRead more...
Nokeena opens its doors to video publishers and content delivery networks
If you're a video publisher or are part of the infrastructure to deliver video, Nokeena has a solution for you.
The Santa Clara, Calif-based startup has developed a software appliance that helps deliver Internet video in high-quality, TV-like standards. For instance, companies that deliver video in progressive downloads, like Vator.tv, at the popular bit rate of 400 kilobits per second, can have that video delivered at the standard television-quality rate of 2 megabits per second. The end result is crisper and clearer videos with no buffering.
In this video interview, I spoke with Rajan Raghavan, co-founder and CEO of Nokeena, about the advantages of using his service. Raghavan said the advantages of using his service - besides the higher-quality video delivery - is the cost savings for publishers and content deliver networks (CDNs). The savings to CDNs is about 55% to 60%, he said. Content publishers save in bandwidth and delivery costs, to the extent the CDNs share this savings.
There are various ways for video publishers use the Nokeena service. Nokeena currently works with CDNs and is in discussion with service providers, such as Comcast, to augment the video delivery process and reduce inefficiencies. Nokeena is also working to integrate itself into the Amazon cloud. Additionally, if you're a video publisher, such as Break.com, and have your own delivery network, then you can work directly with Nokeena. The business model for Nokeena is currently "flexible," said Raghavan. Typically, Nokeena charges a one-time licensing fee, but it can also work with customers to pay on a recurring basis.
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The company comes out of stealth mode to announce an additional $14 million in fundingRead more...
Interview with Yadhu Gopalan, CEO of EsperRead more...
Related Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs
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Ankeena Networks is a leading provider of new media delivery infrastructure solutions. Ankeena's innovative Media Flow Director powers 3-screen delivery of live and on-demand rich media content, and also serves as a platform to integrate comprehensive solutions. Ankeena's solutions deliver online content at a massive scale while providing a television-like viewing experience for media and dramatically lowering delivery costs. The company offers purpose-built software appliances that combine deep media intelligence and open architecture to provide complete flexibility to providers. By leveraging Ankeena's solution, content and service providers can lower delivery costs while increasing profits over time. For an example of Ankeena's solution in action, visit http://www.ankeena.tv/. Ankeena is based in Santa Clara, Calif., and the company's web site can be found at http://www.ankeena.com


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Published: 3:56 pm, Tue. Aug. 30th, 2016Updated: 3:55 pm
Xcel Energy is warning its customers to be aware of scam attempts occurring in the area.
Xcel customers have reported being contacted by phone by scammers capable of “spoofing” an Xcel Energy number so that it appears on caller ID as if the call is legitimate.
The scammers tell the customers their power is about to be disconnected if immediate payment is not made over the phone. Xcel says red flags to watch out for include:
• The caller providing the customer with a callback number that is not a published Xcel Energy customer support number.
• The caller demanding payment be made with a prepaid debit card, or not providing different options for payment.
Customers who are behind on their bills will receive a disconnect notice by mail before any attempt is made to reach them by phone, Xcel says. Xcel also provides multiple ways for customers to make payment.
Anyone believing they have received a scam call should hang up and contact Xcel to verify their account status at 1-800-895-4999 for residential customers and 1-800-481-4700 for business customers.


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“I definitely see a big change coming in the approach to coffee (consumption),” Nader said. “We had that coffee boom 20 years ago where places had menus so big you had to stare at them for 10 minutes. Things are scaling back. It’s becoming much more accessible.”
Nader’s theory fits in with the national trend of becoming familiar with your food. The same mindset that spawned the farm-to-table movement will get people to start asking questions like when their coffee beans were harvested.
“Coffee is like fruit — it’s not always going to be in season,” Nader said. “You shouldn’t always be able to get the same beans yearround. I look at it as a culinary experience.”
Nader is a brewer; she leaves the roasting to the pros. She uses several small batch roasters, including Populace in Bay City, Passion House Coffee Roasters in Chicago and Lansing’s Craft & Mason Roasting Co. She only plans to keep limited, handmade syrups in-house, and only two sizes of orders — no more confusing grandes and ventis.
But the time you won’t spend trying to choose between a tall double mocha decaf latte skim no whipped and triple red eye nonfat caramel macchiato you’ll spend waiting for your coffee to brew: Each cup is handmade to order, with carefully weighed water and coffee portions and precisely managed water temperature. It’s a process that takes about three minutes, but Nader is confident it’s worth the wait.
“It’s only been in the last few years that proper temperature research has determined how hot the water should be for coffee to be brewed,” Nader said. “It should between 198 and 205 degrees (Fahrenheit). If it’s not hot enough, it won’t extract oils that give the coffee its flavor.”
She utilizes a Chemex coffee maker, a glass carafe that looks like a wine decanter. Water is brought to boil in a separate pot at the exact temperature she wants and poured through freshly ground beans and the filter. For all the high tech methodology, it’s a decidedly low-tech operation.
“Nothing plugs in,” she said. “Less machinery makes it easier to control the results.”
And as for that name: Strange matter is theoretical form of liquid matter. She said she had kicked around a few names before settling on this one, which she thinks fits the business perfectly.
“It reflects my scientific approach to coffee,” she said. “It’s a science thing. I know, it’s nerdy.”
Until Strange Matter opens, Nader will sell her coffee at the Allen Street Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 6 p.m. She’s also started selling her New Orleans-style iced coffee, cold brewed and steeped in chicory.
So what does she predict as the next craft craze?
“I think we’re primed for a wave of craft pastries,” she said. “We need a doughnut movement.”
Strange Matter Coffee Co. 2001 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing Opening late July strangemattercoffee.com


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Carlo’s Bakery announced on Twitter it will be opening a shop in Philadelphia.
“Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro says he’s “very disappointed” in himself for driving after having a drink in New York City last month. He says he didn’t realize he was impaired.
This week, a rapper battles anti-Semitism allegations, a “Cake Boss” gets drunk, and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ loses a star.
New York City prosecutors have charged “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro with three misdemeanor counts of drunken-driving.
New Jersey native and star of the TLC series “Cake Boss,” Buddy Valastro, announced that his family-owned shop “Carlo’s Bakery” is expanding to Marlton, New Jersey.
Al DiBartolo and Manny Agigian are the brains and brawn behind DiBartolo’s Bakery in Collingswood.
In Buddy Valastro’s newest cookbook, Family Celebrations with the Cake Boss, Buddy shares recipes that suit just about every occasion: from Halloween to Christmas, birthdays to rainy days, there’s no limit to the celebrations one can have!
These new cookbooks from sister company Simon & Schuster have some fabulous recipes for your next holiday gathering.
TV is not all glitz and glamour — that’s especially true when it comes to reality stars, for whom scandals aren’t always confined to the screen. Temple University brought together celebrities and producers on Monday to answer students’ questions on legal issues in reality programming.
Learn from top Food Network celebrities and taste some amazing food and drink at the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival, located at four Caesar’s properties.
The executive chef of a new South Jersey restaurant was a finalist on a television cooking competition. The pastry chef was on a different TV reality cooking show.
The “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro stops by Talk Philly to discuss his new book.


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A Look Back at the Best-Ever Met Gala Beauty Looks
8 monthes ago - By StyleCaster
Each year, the Met Gala is to high-profile tastemakers what prom is to high-school seniors. Not only does it provide a legitimate excuse for getting dressed to the nines , the annual soiree also celebrates and raises money for the Met Costume Institute's fashion exhibition. And for those of us who are relegated to watching it all unfold from our Instagram feeds, it's when our inner “Fashion Police” come out to play.
MORE: Everything You Need to Know About the 2018 Met Gala
In its 70+-year history, the gala has delivered an abundance of beauty inspiration that runs the gamut of classic to...
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As the fashion calendar dictates, this season's menswear shows came to a close this past weekend and, as usual, Paris took the spot as the last host. Schön! and photographers...


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Previously Viewed Sales Offsetting Rental Decline22 Jul, 2004 By: Melinda Saccone
Consumers have caught on to the value of purchasing previously viewed titles (PVT), making them one of the fastest-growing revenue streams in rentailer outlets and offsetting the steep decline in rental revenue.
By year's end, revenue from PVT sales is expected to account for nearly 20 percent of rentailers' gross revenue, surpassing VHS rentals and generating more than $2 billion, according to Video Store Magazine Market Research projections.
While previously viewed sales are not a new concept for rentailers, the revenue stream has become much more significant in a markedly changing rental landscape. In the past five years, transactional rentals have remained relatively flat, but in the first half of 2004, transactional rentals plummeted 13.2 percent from comparable spending in 2003. And Video Store Magazine projections show that consumer rental spending in 2004 is not expected to rebound in the last half of the year.
PVT sales are helping to offset declining rental revenue and are combating competition from new sales.While core rentals in 2004 are expected to be off more than 15 percent from 2003 tallies, if PVT sales are included in the rental revenue mix, the picture changes dramatically.
Video Store Magazine Market Research projections show consumer spending on rentals and PVT sales should generate more than $10 billion by the end of the year — down a slight 2.5 percent from comparable 2003 figures.
DVD Drives Growth of PVT
Unlike VHS, DVD has spawned a burgeoning aftermarket for discs, where consumers are already primed to purchase.
In the past five years, PVT sales have increased nearly 200 percent. Sales are expected to increase more than 80 percent in 2004 alone, making it the fastest-growing revenue stream in rentailer outlets.
When cassettes dominated the rental landscape, VHS was primarily priced for rental and rentailers were under revenue-sharing restrictions, PVT sales hovered around 6 percent of gross revenue. Previously viewed VHS was more of a salvage product than a top market item. However, as DVD has taken over as consumers' format of choice, PVT sales have tripled.
While in the past rentailers have not been able to compete in the sellthrough market with loss- leader pricing by mass merchants and discount stores, the sellthrough nature of DVDs has meant cheap buy-ins on the front end for rentailers and healthy gains on the back end as they sell off their excess inventory. In other words, PVT discs are a cash cow for many rentailers.
Market Dynamics of PVT Success
The market dynamics behind the success of PVT is a combination of high consumer demand, ample supply of product readily accessible to consumers and competitive pricing.
Consumers' quick acceptance of the disc pushed household penetration to levels early on high enough to sustain a significant demand. By 2001, one-fourth of all U.S. households had the capability to play DVDs. One year later, household penetration reached 40 percent. After just 7 years of the format's existence, more than two-thirds of all U.S. households had DVD playback capability, according to the DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.
With a growing consumer base rentailers were quick to transition their inventory mix. By 2002, DVD accounted for more than half of all new product purchases, giving rentailers plenty of product to sell at a competitive price once rental demand had been satisfied.
Currently, discs account for more than 80 percent of new release purchases and generate more than 70 percent of all rental revenue.
As rental inventories became disc-dominant so did PVT sales.
At the end of this year, DVD is expected to make up nearly 90 percent of all PVT sales — up from 40 percent just 2 years ago.
Rental Shelf Life Erodes
Depth of copy on the top hits coupled with competition from new disc sales has effectively eroded the shelf life of rental product.
In the past six years, the average rental life of a new hit release has decreased by 60 percent with each copy averaging just 8.2 turns.
In the absence of revenue-sharing restrictions and in response to the shorter life of rental product, rentailers have been much quicker to market with more previously viewed product than in years past.
In the past two years, previously viewed DVDs have become available for purchase after just two weeks on rental shelves. Recently, some of the industry's biggest rentailers have been advertising PVT discs for sale as early as one week after their release date.
In the past six years, the average price of a PVT disc has dropped by 33 percent to just under $10, which has allowed rentailers to compete effectively in the sellthrough arena with DVD. Meanwhile, the increased demand for previously viewed discs has more than offset the decline in price.
Independents Grab Lion's Share of PVT Sales
While it is not surprising that public chains have become very successful at PVT retailing and have significant market share, the majority of PVT sales are still being transacted in independent specialty video stores.
Of the public chains, last year Blockbuster led the nation in PVT sales. According to Video Store Magazine's Consumer Home Entertainment Survey, more than 43 percent of DVD households say they most often rent at Big Blue. It should come as no surprise then that 17.1 percent of all PVT sales occurred in a Blockbuster outlet in 2003, with consumers spending in excess of $200 million purchasing Blockbuster's previously viewed inventory.
Consumers spent nearly $150 million buying PVT titles in Hollywood outlets, giving the nation's No. 2 rentailer nearly 11 percent of all PVT transactions. Movie Gallery was third, with just under 5 percent in market share.
However, a significant majority of PVT sales were transacted in an independent specialty store in 2003. While only one-third of DVD households said they most often rent in a specialty video store, more than two-thirds of PVT sales revenue was generated in an independent retail outlet.


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Thinking_J, the pie chart represents categories summing up this section of the results of the survey, which included many questions posed to respondents. There are also other illustrations depicting somewhat different data from the survey, which you can access using the link we provided.
I asked Carole, the DuPont spokeswoman quoted in the article, if we could give more details. Carole, thanks for sharing these with our audience and addressing their questions about DuPont's survey design and the survey respondents.
I agree, Mydesign. Until there is a significant breakgrough, the EVs will probably not contribute greatly to meeting CAFE standards. As it stands now, the EVs will proably not have sufficient sales to help car makers meet CAFE.
I agree, Chuck. weak sales of EVs make EVs a weak contributor to CAFE standards. Of course that could change quickly if battery technology breakthroughs bring down the cost of EVs and hybrids. What do you think the chances of that are?
A new compression molding compound material combines the light weight, strength, and rigidity of carbon fibers with the flexibility and lower cost of glass materials in a composite compatible with automotive production.
Plastic bearings are real and millions of them are in use doing heavy-duty jobs we used to think only metals could do. Some of Germany-based igus's bearings are traveling around the world as functional parts in a car to demonstrate what they can do.
Baxter showed off his 2.0-derived moves at ATX West this year. The big red guy still looks pretty much the same, but has some new abilities, mostly due to software. The research robot version is now being used in corporate R&D departments as a design platform.
End-production using 3D printing, including objects made of multiple materials in one pass, is getting closer to reality as we saw on the exhibit floor at the recent Pacific Design & Manufacturing Show.


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DENVER (CBS4) – Some city of Denver officials want to put a hold on any new marijuana shops opening their doors.
A city council committe will hear a proposal on the matter Tuesday. Initially, the hearing was to discuss extending current restrictions for 2 years.
A city spokesperson says even before the meeting, council members requested more time to consider the idea and instead they have agreed to ask for temporary 120 day extension.
The original proposal comes with heated debate as Denver current holds 40 percent of all licenses issued in the state. There just over 200 unique locations in the city.
Tyler Henson with the Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce says Denver plays a big role in the state’s success so far.
“The majority of the licenses are here. A majority of the businesses are here,” Henson said.
RELATED STORIES: Marijuana Legalization Story Archive
When recreational marijuana was made legal, the city allowed only standing medical marijuana shops to apply for retail licenses. That rule is set to expire Jan. 1, 2016 and would open the door to anyone who wanted to get into the industry.
Now city officials are asking for the extension. It’s an idea Henson doesn’t agree with.
“We look at that as it’s inhibiting the growth of our industry and it’s prohibiting individuals from accessing this industry,” he said.
In the original proposal the city cites concerns of overproduction, and long term social and public health impacts that researchers have only begun to study.
Gina Carbone is with Smart Colorado, one of the groups currently backing the city’s proposal.
“Both in the grow side and the actual shops I think that there’s concern … to just take a slower approach,” Carbone said.


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Q: I just read a press release saying that researchers have developed a successful technique to clone hair by using a wound healing powder. To paraphrase, the press release says:
MatriStem MicroMatrix, a product of regenerative medicine, ACell, Inc., is a wound healing powder that promotes healing and tissue growth and has now proven to help regenerate hair in the donor and recipient regions of hair transplant patients. While intended to heal ulcers and burns, Gary Hitzig, M.D. and Jerry Cooley, M.D., have found that its properties offer a broader scope of treatment, including hair cloning. “We’ve made amazing breakthroughs using MatriStem as a hair cloning tool,” said Dr. Hitzig. “We’ve been able to multiply the number of hair follicles growing in the recipient area, and as an added benefit are seeing faster hair growth. This new hair cloning technique also makes hair transplantation surgery less invasive.”
Is this new technique really a breakthrough in hair cloning? And if so, when can we start cloning hair?
A: It appears from preliminary studies that plucked hairs stimulated by ACell are in some cases able to regenerate new hair. Because the hair is placed into the recipient area and is partially derived from cells in the dermis, it is not yet clear whether the hair will be effected by androgens over time or if it will continue to bald.
The research so far is promising and a number of doctors are doing research in this area, including Dr. Schweiger and myself at Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration.Posted by


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Ma Mère en Feu, the latest project from chef-about-town Beaver Sheppard, is bringing a whole new dimension and then some to the spot that once housed beloved Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie sandwich shop Mitch Deli.
Sheppard’s project is billed as a “casse-tête-croûte” (a mash-up of the French words for “puzzle” and “snack bar”) for its mixed bag of diner classics and experimental twists: Poutines, salads, burgers, and fried chicken are accompanied by sandwiches ranging from one with “Gangnam Style” pulled pork and another with chicken schnitzel and a sauce chasseur demi-glace to the “Yolanda Nona,” which puts a zucchini parmigiana between bread.
That’s just the tip of the spatula, however, as the kitchen will be shifting its menu items on a whim, serving off-menu items, and running one-off dining events — taking a page from the playbook of Sheppard’s past work at restaurants like Bethlehem XXX, where a different cuisine would be served every week. “It won’t be as crazy as Bethlehem, but it will be crazy,” says Sheppard, hinting at potentially creating a stream on Twitch of the kitchen.
Over time, Sheppard says he plans to wean off the sandwiches and adopt other offerings, like an omakase-style service. “Something where there’s 14 dishes and they’re all single bites; who knows where it could [go].”
For now, Ma Mère en Feu mixes things up with Taco Tuesdays, Wing Wednesdays and a brunch service on weekends that, true to form, keeps things weird. Sheppard is serving a dish called the “Two-Headed Dog” (named after the Roky Erickson song), a deep-fried mac and cheese topped with an egg, Hollandaise sauce, and a blueberry pancake with a creton foam. Another dish, his take on the Newfoundlander fish and brewis, pulls from his past, mixing hard tack (a dense cracker favoured for long sea voyages) with salt cod, onions and potatoes.
“Because it’s fun,” says Sheppard’s partner and co-chef Max Corsillo.
After years spent working for other chefs, Corsillo says Ma Mère en Feu represents a low-stakes return to the kitchen with a sense of play. “We’ve suffered so much abuse working in high-end restaurants all our lives for notoriously abusive chefs, and we want to have a safe space,” Corsillo says. “I thought I was done with cooking, I thought I’d retired, but this is just too much fun.”
Taking over the address that once housed Mitch Deli (now principally located up on Beaubien with a satellite kitchen at the craft brewery Messorem Bracitorium), the small diner shares its space with the café-record shop 180g. Between the diner’s picnic tables out front, tables inside, and tables in the record shop, the restaurant seats 24.
Ma Mère en Feu is the latest in a spate of projects from Sheppard in recent years: Just last week, the chef opened a second location of fried chicken joint Yakyu in Longueuil, following the first in St-Hubert in February 2021. Before that, he launched the poke bowls of OKOK. Both Sheppard and Corsillo have held stints at high-end Montreal dining institutions like Garde Manger, Au Pied de Cochon, Le Chien Fumant, and now-closed Globe.
As for the name of the new project? “I cook like my mother on fire,” Sheppard says.
Ma Mère en Feu is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursdays to Saturdays from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5868 Avenue De Lorimier.


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The recent rise in the rate of market risk has resulted in companies behaving more sensitively when it comes to growth. The priority has become profitability and holding onto what they already have rather than the speed of growth.
Compared with a few years ago, companies are behaving more “conservatively” on several issues, such as borrowing, entering new businesses and investments. In terms of the number of stores, production centers and even the number of customers, they are opting to move forward according to the principle of “small but sound”.
Experts describe this situation as companies displaying an introspective reflex and predict that the trend will increase. "We grew by 100 per cent for two years in succession. This speed resulted in us looking to digest growth in order to move forward in a sound fashion.
Rapid growth meant that we spent a lot of time focused on production figures and as a result were not looking at management. In fact, in the medium term this concept of “let’s produce and grow whatever the cost” is a threat to the healthy continuation of the business. From now on, instead of 100 per cent growth, our target is small but sound and sustainable growth.”
These words belong to Erkunt Traktör General Manager Zeynep Erkunt. But it is not just Erkunt. At the moment, a lot of other companies are looking at things in the same
way. They are focusing on sound rather than rapid growth, profitability rather than turnover and looking to spread risk rather than shoulder it all.
Experts say that the main reason for this is that the disruption in the dynamics of the economy has resulted in companies displaying an introspective reflex. Msearch General Manager Ali Midillili says that companies have reacted to the contraction in the market in a competitive environment by looking to protect themselves.


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MediaTek takes LTE license, partners with Docomo
July 29, 2010 // Peter Clarke
MediaTek Inc., a supplier of mobile phone chipsets, has announced it has entered into a licensing agreement with NTT Docomo covering LTE-PF, a mobile terminal platform based on the Long Term Evolution fourth-generation mobile communications standard.
MediaTek (Hsinchu, Taiwan) said the agreement is the first-phase of a strategic cooperation with Docomo that MediaTek hopes to strengthen and broaden into a long-term partnership including interoperability testing, joint worldwide marketing and technology initiatives.
MediaTek plans to integrate the LTE technology with its 2G and 3G technologies to provide "solutions" for Japanese and other markets. Under the licensing agreement, MediaTek will promote and market its LTE-PF-based advanced mobile platform with its global customers and partners.
"MediaTek has earned a market-leading reputation in the 2G era. We will continue to innovate from 2G into 3G and 3G into LTE,” said Ming-Kai Tsai, chairman and CEO of MediaTek, in a statement. "This licensing agreement will not only enable MediaTek to offer a globally interoperable LTE mobile platform but also allows us to provide our customers and partners with cutting-edge wireless communication solutions and a smooth transition from 3G to 4G and beyond. We look forward to building upon this important agreement to further deepen our relationship with Docomo."
Toshio Miki, managing director of communication device development department of Docomo, said: "The agreement marks the start of strategic cooperation between Docomo and MediaTek to help popularize LTE, which will enable MediaTek's LTE products to spread throughout the global mobile market and enable Docomo to introduce LTE-compatible consumer services for enriched user experiences."
London Calling: ST's Bozotti seeks another term
May 24, 2013
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Intel's new CEO shakes things up
InterviewSilica moves to fast lane in Europe's LED market
In the booming market for LED lighting, electronics distributor Silica intends to lead the pack by offering technological excellence at application level. The company is currently planning to offer tailor-made ...
Filter WizardCheck out the Filter Wizard Series of articles by Filter Guru Kendall Castor-Perry which provide invaluable practical Analog Design guidelines.
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READER OFFERRead more
The development platform for i.MX 6Quad from element14 (built to the Freescale SABRE Lite design) is an evaluation platform featuring the powerful i.MX 6Q, a multimedia application processor with Quad ARM Cortex-A9 cores at 1.2 GHz from Freescale Semiconductor.
This month, Freescale and element14 are giving away five such platforms, worth £128.06 each, for EETimes Europe's readers to win. The platform helps evaluate the rich set of peripherals and includes a 10/100/Gb Ethernet port, SATA-II, HDMI v1.4, LVDS, parallel RGB interface, touch screen interface, analog headphone/microphone, micro TF and SD card interface, USB, serial port, JTAG, camera interface, and input keys for Android.
And the winners are...
In our previous reader offer, Pico Technology was giving away one of its recently launched PicoScope 3207B, a 2-channel USB 3.0 oscilloscope worth 1451 Euros. Lucky winner Mr L. Sanchez-Gonzalez from Spain should be receiving his PicoScope 3207B soon. Let's wish them some interesting findings with his projects.
December 15, 2011 | Texas instruments | 222901974
Unique Ser/Des technology supports encrypted video and audio content with full duplex bi-directional control channel over a single wire interface.


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Senators To Announce Compromise on Bill To Improve Access to Generic Drugs
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), today are expected to announce compromise legislation designed to allow lower-cost generic drugs to more quickly reach the market, CongressDaily/AM reports (Rovner, CongressDaily/AM, 6/5). The compromise legislation would close a loophole that allows brand-name drug makers to delay generic versions of their drugs for 30 months each time the brand-name companies sue for patent infringement, Long Island Newsday reports. Instead, under the anticipated compromise, brand-name companies could only delay marketing for one 30-month stay in such cases (Povich, Long Island Newsday, 6/5). In addition, the compromise removes a controversial provision that was included in a bill (SB 812) that passed 78-21 in the Senate last year (McGinley, Wall Street Journal, 6/5). Last year's bill -- sponsored by Schumer and McCain -- would have allowed generic drug companies to legally challenge frivolous patents, including changes in a treatment's color or physical design, intended only to block competitors' products (California Healthline, 8/1/02). Opponents of that version said the right-to-sue provision would lead to additional lawsuits; the bill failed to pass the House. The compromise measure would allow generic companies to try to remove "inappropriate patents" by filing a counterclaim against a brand-name drug company, according to the Journal. The counterclaim could be filed after a brand-name drug maker sued a generic drug company for patent infringement.
With the elimination of the right-to-sue provision, the legislation has gained the backing of Gregg, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, who last year opposed the bill, the Journal reports. Gregg said his support could expedite the bill's chance for passing the Senate again this session as well as increase its viability in the House (Wall Street Journal, 6/5). The compromise bill could be passed on its own or included in larger Medicare reform legislation, according to Newsday (Long Island Newsday, 6/5). Gregg said he expects the HELP committee to approve the measure next Wednesday, the New York Times reports. Gregg stated that the new bill would provide "access to prescription drugs more quickly, at a lower cost, without a lot of litigation, and there will still be many incentives for pharmaceutical innovation." Schumer said the legislation would provide "relief from the high prices of prescription drugs" for all U.S. consumers. Bruce Lott, spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said, "Current law works well, ... but we are reviewing" the bill. Kathleen Jaeger, president of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, said her group welcomes the proposed measure. A Bush administration official said, "We are encouraged that bipartisan progress is being made" (Pear, New York Times, 6/5).This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.


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CAIT to demand audit of Amazon, Flipkart's business models
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) will seek an independent audit of the business models of both Amazon and Flipkart on the charges of predatory pricing and deep discounting, amongst others.
The development came on Friday, after a meeting was called by Commerce Ministry over the issue with Amazon, Flipkart and CAIT.
The DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) held a "face to face" meeting between representatives of CAIT, Flipkart and Amazon here.
"We placed various evidences of predatory pricing, deep discounting, controlling inventory by portals, exclusivity and total violation of FDI policy of the Government by both Amazon and Flipkart," CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal was quoted as saying in a statement.
He said that both portals denied all charges and said that they comply FDI policy in its "letter & spirit".
According to Khandelwal, on the charges of "deep discounting", both portals said that "they are not offering discounts and it is the brands which offer discounts".
"CAIT will place the entire matter once again to (Commerce Minister) Piyush Goyal and ask for independent audit of both Amazon and Flipkart business models," Khandelwal said.
Besides, CAIT will ask major "brands" to clarify "their position on the claims of Amazon and Flipkart".
"If need be, CAIT will not hesitate to approach Competition Commission of India or route of court to make brands clarify their position. Whoever is giving deep discount must be flouting one or the other law or policy and CAIT will seek action against them," Khandelwal said.
CAIT has blamed predatory pricing by these portals for the closure of more than 30,000 mobile shops in the country and to cause a loss of about 30 per cent business of offline market.IANS
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Reports have been swirling for months revolving around BMW’s decision to host the premiere of the X7 Concept at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, and even the automaker added gas on the fire with a Twitter tease of a “big” surprise arriving soon.
And where there’s smoke, a fire will naturally burn, so what we have here are the alleged leaked official photos of the X7 Concept, which is set to preview the upcoming new flagship SUV for the Bavarian brand. These pictures might be the real deal – these leaks are usually correct – but remember to always take these news with a pinch of salt, just to be sure. We have a hunch these are real since BMW’s own Twitter teaser includes a picture of a top-down model featuring a glass roof with Y cross bars – and these features also appear in the leaked batch.
By the way, the X7 is not only BMW’s all-new flagship SUV, but also the first SUV model from the brand to feature a third row for seating up to seven persons – though space for the third row looks rather unusable if you’re an adult. While this is a concept, we can clearly see how the X7 is going to adopt a new styling direction for the SUV range, with a “larger than life” American-way of seeing things. Everything is big and bold, even ostentatious – as opposed to the very discrete measure of luxury we’ve come accustomed from the brand’s 5 or 7 Series sedans. As for details about everything – from powertrain to the time of arrival for the series production version, we’ll just have to patiently wait to get official word from BMW.


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"Sachin Pilot's phone was tapped by Rajasthan govt, he was being followed," claims Ashok Gehlot's OSD
"Very unfortunate choice of words": Karti Chidambaram demands apology from DMK MP on 'Gaumutra States' remarks
"BJP is only winning elections mainly in Hindi heartland...what we generally call 'Gaumutra' states": DMK MP Senthilkumar
President Ruto's visit seals 5 landmark MoUs, MEA Secy highlights strategic collaboration between India, Kenya
Indian banks continue to stand strong and resilient; over Rs 15,000 crore restituted to PSBs following ED action: Sitharaman
Plej Fitness: Setting New Standards in Fitness Excellence
New Delhi: Raj Gill, a renowned fitness expert, is revolutionising the fitness industry with Plej Fitness, an establishment committed to promoting health and well-being. Plej Fitness has rapidly gained recognition for its diverse range of services and unwavering dedication to excellence, setting a new standard in health and fitness.
Presently, Plej Fitness is operational in Bengaluru and Mumbai, with plans to expand its network to Chennai and Hyderabad, earning the distinction of being THE FASTEST GROWING FITNESS CLUB CHAIN in the industry.
Unique Offerings That Set Plej Fitness Apart
Plej Fitness is led by fitness luminary Raj Gill, who boasts over two decades of experience managing fitness clubs and delivering scientifically-backed training programs. His profound expertise and experience have been instrumental in Plej Fitness's ascent to success.
The cornerstone of Plej Fitness is its utilisation of top-tier LIFE FITNESS training equipment, ensuring members have access to the finest tools for their fitness journeys.
To ensure the highest quality service, Plej Fitness employs certified trainers from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), an organisation esteemed for its NCCA accreditation. It ensures that members receive the most informed guidance and support.
Plej Fitness Academy embodies the brand's commitment to excellence, with its trainers continually enhancing their knowledge and skills. These highly qualified trainers stay at the forefront of fitness trends and scientific discoveries.
Recognitions and Awards
Plej Fitness's unwavering commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed. In 2019, acclaimed actor Raveena Tandon conferred upon them the prestigious "Best Fitness Club" award, underscoring their consistent dedication to delivering exceptional training services.
Notably, the renowned actress Kangana Ranaut has hailed Plej Fitness as the "Most Promising & Fastest Growing Fitness Club Chain 2023." This accolade attests to Plej Fitness's rapid growth and ambitious mission to reshape the fitness industry.
A Commitment to Community and Quality of Life
Plej Fitness is more than just a gym; it is a lifestyle. Their commitment transcends fitness to enhance their members' lives and foster a healthy living culture. The forthcoming 15th location is now set to open soon in Jayanagar, Bengaluru, at 11, 9th Main, 42nd Cross Rd, 5th Block, Jayanagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560041, reflects their dedication to reaching a broader audience and positively transforming lives.
In essence, Plej Fitness embodies a holistic approach to wellness. Their unwavering pursuit of excellence, employment of professional trainers, integration of cutting-edge technology, and commitment to continuous improvement position them as industry leaders in the fitness sector.
Take a Pledge to NEVER GIVE UP with the FASTEST GROWING FITNESS CLUB CHAIN - PLEJ FITNESS!
Press Contact: Raj Gill, Founder & Fitness Expert
Email: [email protected]


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Looks like the PlayStation 4 will be taking a page from the book of Wii U: according to Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, almost all PS4 games will support Remote Play on the Vita. In other words, you'll be able to play PS4 games on your handheld, so long as the tech works.
At the PS4 reveal back in February, Sony promised that thanks to their new streaming technology, the Vita will be able to play PS4 games. Today, Eurogamer came out with a report saying that the Vita will be able to play all PS4 games—Sony is making it mandatory for developers to implement the Remote Play functionality in any games that don't require the PlayStation Eye camera, the report said.
Yoshida confirmed this on Twitter today: "Yes, it's true unless the game requires specific hardware like the camera. It will be great to play PS4 games on PS Vita."
Question is, how well will it work? If you can actually stream PS4 games to your handheld with no hiccups—or if you could switch back and forth without missing a beat, like you can on Wii U—this could be a serious game-changer (and bathroom-enhancer).


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The ACT's hospitality industry is desperate for social distancing requirements to be eased, fearing businesses will be forced into hibernation to survive the pandemic.
The owners of some of the territory's most popular bars and pubs have banded together to call on the government to urgently ditch the one per four square metre rule.
Australian Hotels Association ACT branch general manager Anthony Brierley said the sector edged closer to oblivion each day the rule was enforced. He said the time was right to instead impose a two square-metre rule for indoor space.
"This will ensure that adequate social distancing will continue, while also giving Canberra's pubs and bars a shot at survival," he said. "The ACT hospitality industry relies on the cash generated in December to provide liquidity until August next year.
"Time is of the absolute essence - each day brings us closer to oblivion."
ACT Health says the one person per two square metre rule is among restrictions being considered in time for this week's scheduled check point. Glen Collins, co-owner of The Dock, said the business would have to closely look at its viability if capacity limits were not increased.
"Without a significant increase in capacity, we will potentially have to consider entering a hibernation period so that we still have our business on the other side of COVID," he said.
He said even when including all available outside space, the pub was only able to hold 40 per cent capacity. That figure would need to be closer to 75 per cent for the venue to remain viable.
Antony Arena, CEO of Lala Hospitality Group, said the government had been oblivious to the impact the four square-metre rule had on businesses. The group owns bars including Molly, Highball Express, and 88MPH. "The over-conservative nature of the ongoing restrictions is killing the hospitality industry in Canberra," he said.
Other business owners say pubs and restaurants are being unfairly targeted, while shopping centres, supermarkets and retail stores do not face onerous restrictions.
"We're paying rent on floor space the government won't less us use," Frank Condi, owner of Edgar's, The Inn, and Public said. "If we're allowed one patron per two square-metres indoors, the industry might be able to tread water until there is a vaccine."
The pub owners say Canberra's unforgiving climate means owners can't rely on outdoor dining.
Brian Smith, representing bars including Hopscotch, said there was plenty of space in most venues to accommodates punters safely. "All I want for Christmas is the two-square metre rule for indoor spaces by December 1," he said.
An ACT Health spokesman said further easing of restrictions would be considered on Friday.
"All current restrictions are considered as part of the easing process, including density and gathering limits," he said.
"In assessing these limits, careful consideration is given to the cumulative public health risk of increased gatherings of people who don't know each other and the risk of outbreaks from these groups.
"We are aiming to strike a balance where we can continue to move forward and support businesses, but in a staged and cautious manner to keep our community safe."
He said an increase in the take-up of electronic tracing methods, like QR codes, would give the government confidence to ease restrictions further.
"Increases in gathering sizes carry increased risk for any type of business, and in considering allowing increased capacity, consideration is also given to introducing increased measures to ensure the safety of the ACT community," the spokesman said.


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The passage of GST bill by the Rajya Sabha on 03 Aug 16 is being heralded as the single most important reform after independence by the financial pundits. Unfortunately, as everything in our country takes time, the GST bill is no exception. It has taken 30 years, 9 PMs and 12 FMs to achieve the target. When India had started its GST journey only 34 countries had GST implemented today the figure is 165, the figures say it all. But as the hindi saying goes “Daer aye Durust aye”, all’s well that ends well. The bill is being touted as the biggest game changer with the GDP growth rate predicted to go up by 1 to 2%, which would be huge if true.
There is no doubt that GST is going to have an overall positive impact on the Indian economy and everybody stands to gain. The speculations are on as to to what will become cheaper or costlier, not getting into this discussion as it is too early to predict; a few things are for sure; it is going to set in transparency; simplify taxation; set in automation; tax evaders are going to run into difficult times; the country is going to be seen as a unified entity as far as business is concerned and resolve the entire taxation muck in our country.
The real estate property sector in India is going to be one of the most significant beneficiaries. let’s look at the impact of GST on the real estate industry in India.
Impact of GST on Real Estate Industry
Present a real estate developer pays a set of independent taxes at different rates across states on raw material, construction etc. These include VAT, CST, excise duty, import duty, service tax to name a few. All this stands to get resolved, he would now end up paying one tax at the time of construction which would be the same across all states. This reform is going to bring down the construction costs by a substantial margin. The property rates in India would move towards stabilisation across cities and states.
Impact of GST on Individual Property Investors
Today when an individual investor goes to buy any property he ends up paying VAT and service tax and the tax rates vary across states. This stands to change with GST. The end user will now pay one tax while purchasing property in India and this would be common across the board. However, the stamp duty part would remain outside the GST gambit. A note of caution, certain states have exempted real estate from VAT, depending on the GST rates, the overall property costs may go up in certain states due to a common taxation rate.
Impact of GST on Commercial Property in India
Commercial property in India becomes a separate entity when we look at taxation and GST is going to have a far reaching positive impact on the commercial real estate. Today under the cenvat credit a developer is not allowed to set off credit of construction works against the service tax he pays towards rentals/lease. GST will reduce taxation, as developers will now be able to get input credit, paid for construction against the GST charged on lease rentals.
Whether implementation of GST is going to help in stabilizing or reduce the real estate prices in India will only be known once the taxation rates are finalized and the nitty-gritties are worked out; however, one thing is very clear that it is going to have a very positive impact on the ease of doing business and set in transparency in the real estate in India, which in itself would be a huge game changer.


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Solana, Cardano, Matic, Avalanche, Litecoin – Newest Information On These Cryptocurrencies
Traders are searching for the newest updates and developments about at the moment’s prime cryptocurrencies
It’s the third day of February, and it appears to be like just like the bear market is coming again once more. All the massive cryptocurrencies are plummeting, and the market, on the whole, is dipping. This isn’t good for the crypto coin holder, however it is a chance for traders to consolidate by shopping for extra tokens for much less. Even with bear market situations, there are nonetheless thrilling updates from a lot of the greatest cryptocurrencies of 2022 the crypto group could have to know. Right here is the newest information on these cryptocurrencies:
Bitgert quick growth of the ecosystem has been the explanation the group has been releasing frequent updates. The most recent from the Bitgert group is the introduction of a brand new product, which is the Bitgert metaverse. That is an thrilling product that’s already attracting a lot consideration from the crypto group.
The metaverse business is proving to be the subsequent massive factor within the crypto market. There are numerous mega-companies like Apple which can be investing closely on this business. With the Bitgert metaverse coming in roadmap V2.0, it will likely be one of many largest merchandise after the Bitgert gasless blockchain.
The Centcex project has simply let the group know that the event of the Centcex merchandise is happening fantastic as deliberate. The most recent information the Centcex group launched was concerning the completion of the database construction. The constructing of the Consumer Interface has additionally been accomplished. That is massive for a venture that’s solely two months previous to have made such enormous accomplishments.
The updates present that the Centcex group may launch the change quickly. The subsequent factor that the Centcex group may replace the group on is the launch of the beta model of the change. Observe that Centcex change will supply no-KYC options to permit customers to transact anonymously. There may quickly be extra information concerning the staking program, which is within the Q1 roadmap.
The most recent information from Solana is concerning the Riptide Hackathon, which is the wave that the group had promised. The hackathon is a contest for builders. It consists of value cash, $5million, and discovering for the successful tasks. The Riptide Hackathon is a continuation of the Solana Hacker Homes, which the group had been promoting for one of the best a part of January.
The Riptide program is predicted to convey extra merchandise to the Solana community. The Solana group shall be searching for Web3, NFT, DeFi, gaming, and DAOs, amongst many others. The Solana Riptide begins on 2nd February and can run as much as 17th March 2022. This is among the developments
This morning Cardano has been purple, however it is among the crypto cash that has been steady. However the newest information from the group is the continued enchancment of the mainnet, which is aimed however making Cardano extra environment friendly. There are numerous developments happening making the Cardano sensible contracts, Plutus, quicker and cheaper.
The Cardano pockets was lately up to date, which has made it more practical and environment friendly. The group has additionally been updating the group concerning the upcoming Cardano scaling improve. The Hydra improve is among the broadly anticipated upgrades by the group. It’s a scaling protocol whose development began in 2021.
With the market getting purple, Avalanche is among the many cryptocurrencies which have been hit by the plunge. However Avalanche value is stabilizing and might be on an upward development earlier than the tip of the day. The most recent replace from Avalanche is the upcoming Avalanche Summit, which is able to allow web3 builders to share concepts and be taught the place the market is heading.
The Avalanche growth group is planning to share extra of the community because the gateway to web3 growth. The target is that extra builders on the community in 2022. The opposite newest information is itemizing AVAX tokens on the CoinZoom change. There was a rise within the variety of tasks on the Avalanche community.
The previous 24hrs have seen Matic trending not as a result of the value was doing very however as a result of its market capitalization has grown to overhaul the Shiba token and now take the 14th place. That is excellent news for the Matic holders as a result of it exhibits that Polygon is more and more gaining floor out there.
There are a number of components which have made Matic document such progress, the latest hiring on the Polygon Studios being amongst them. The approaching of Ryan Wyatts from YouTube to be the CEO of Polygon Studios has been one of many causes for this progress. The transfer has additionally seen the value of Matic develop. Matic is predicted to carry out higher with the growing tasks on the Polygon community.
There is no such thing as a doubt that MWEB remains to be one of many largest updates the Litecoin group has launched lately. That is the biggest protocol improve that the Litecoin venture has ever undertaken within the final 10 years. The protocol improve will supply probably the greatest fungibility and improve Litecoin’s scalability.
The acceptance of Litecoin as a type of cost by varied celebrities has additionally been one of many newest information. The Rock legend Gene Simmons is among the latest celebrities that accepted LTC funds. The opposite day was a WWE celebrity, and the record of massive names accepting Litecoin continues to develop.
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Data storage company EMC Corp. broke even in the second quarter, citing successful cost-cutting rather than a new willingness by businesses to spend on information technology.
The Hopkinton-based company had posted three straight quarterly losses following 12 years of uninterrupted profitability.
On Thursday, it said second-quarter net income was $808,000, or less than a penny per share, including the effects of a $25 million after-tax benefit from a reversal of a previous restructuring charge.
Excluding the reversal, the company lost $11 million, or 1 cent per share, compared to profits of $109 million, or 5 cents per share, for the same quarter last year.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call expected a loss of 2 cents per share.
"Economic conditions and customer spending patterns in the second quarter were very similar to the first quarter," EMC President and Chief Executive Joe Tucci said. "Most large corporations continue to delay major IT projects, generally limiting their purchases to deployments that provide a rapid return on their investment."
Second-quarter revenue was $1.39 billion, up 7 percent from $1.30 billion a year ago. Software revenues grew 14 percent.
EMC's products include the hardware and software that store information for data-heavy companies like airlines, banks and insurance companies. On Wednesday, EMC announced plans to share software code with rival Hewlett-Packard to make their products more compatible.
In trading on the New York Stock Exchange, shares of EMC fell 23 cents, or 2.7 percent, to close Thursday at $8.40.
Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


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NEW DELHI: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has implemented his grand metaversion plans, with David Limp, Amazon’s head of devices, saying his company will focus more on technologies that operate in the real world “here and now.”
Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything festival, Limp said that even with current technology such as smartphones and wireless headphones, it can be difficult to communicate with his children, even when they live in the same house.
“I want to try to work with technologies that will lift people’s heads, encourage them to enjoy the real world, make the family more communal,” he was quoted as saying at the event.
“I really basically believe and think we spend a lot of time doing that in our organization, that we want to improve here and now. I want to try and work with technologies that raise people’s heads to enjoy the real world,” Limp said late Thursday.
A senior Amazon executive said he did not want to live in a virtual world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or even a few hours a day.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel criticized the new technology at the end of last month, saying the concept was “quite ambiguous and hypothetical.”
Spy The Guardian said the word “metaverse” was never used in Snap offices.
“The reason we don’t use this word is that it’s quite ambiguous and hypothetical. Just ask people in the room how to define it, and everyone’s definition is completely different,” he is quoted as saying.
According to him, people prefer to spend time in augmented reality (AR) rather than fully virtual.
Limp said it was almost impossible to define the term “metaverse”.
“If I asked these few hundred people what they thought was a metaverse, we would get 205 different answers. “We don’t have a common definition, it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people,” he said.
Limp also said AR glasses are better than VR because you can at least see the real world.
Meta is preparing for a major Metaverse march and plans to invest $ 10 billion next year.
“Bacon fanatic. Social media enthusiast. Music practitioner. Internet scholar. Incurable travel advocate. Wannabe web junkie. Coffeeaholic. Alcohol fanatic.”


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Whoop said Thursday (Sept. 2) that the two companies share the same foundation of sports science and physiological research and “focus on delivering personalized data, actionable insights and demonstrable health improvements.”
Whoop announced Aug. 30 it had reached a valuation of $3.6 billion following a $200 million Series F funding round led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund.
Push’s sensor can record velocity-based training data from multiple points on the body to help examine weightlifting performance using metrics like speed, force and acceleration. The Toronto-based company works with hundreds of sports teams worldwide, as well as Olympic athletes and military teams.
The Boston-based Whoop offers a digital coach to help people reach fitness goals. The program is available round the clock and used by professional athletes such as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and two-time NFL Super Bowl champ Patrick Mahomes and NBA Los Angeles Lakers MVP LeBron James, among others. It is also the official wearable of the NFL Players Association.
“Many of the members and organizations we serve have long asked for additional insight into the physiological impact of weightlifting and functional fitness,” said Will Ahmed, WHOOP’s founder and CEO. “The integration of PUSH’s industry-leading strength-training technology into our platform will allow WHOOP to provide even deeper insight into how these activities impact the human body.”
The company says its acquisition of Push — a cash and stock transaction — will give it a more enhanced, robust hardware, software and analytics systems to provide detailed feedback on training and wellness.
“Our team has been dedicated to creating cutting-edge technology solutions to help athletes at all levels reach their goals and push human performance forward,” said Rami Alhamad, PUSH founder and chief product officer. “We are thrilled to join WHOOP and offer our customers a more complete picture of their training.”


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Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Apogee Enterprises to $35.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Sidoti downgraded shares of Apogee Enterprises from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 25th. Finally, BidaskClub raised shares of Apogee Enterprises from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Apogee Enterprises presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.25.
APOG opened at $39.70 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.41, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.62. Apogee Enterprises has a 1 year low of $26.38 and a 1 year high of $50.87.
In related news, Director Sara L. Hays sold 1,985 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.14, for a total value of $77,692.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jerome L. Davis sold 9,276 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.63, for a total value of $349,055.88. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,251 shares in the company, valued at $649,155.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in APOG. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Apogee Enterprises by 105.5% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 937 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Apogee Enterprises by 475.4% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,053 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 870 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new stake in Apogee Enterprises in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Cutler Group LP bought a new stake in Apogee Enterprises in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, First Bank & Trust raised its stake in Apogee Enterprises by 73.1% in the 4th quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 3,565 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,505 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.71% of the company’s stock.
Apogee Enterprises Company Profile
Apogee Enterprises, Inc designs and develops glass and metal products and services in the United States, Canada, and Brazil. It operates through four segments: Architectural Framing Systems, Architectural Glass, Architectural Services, and Large-Scale Optical Technologies (LSO). The Architectural Framing Systems segment designs, engineers, fabricates, and finishes the aluminum frames used in customized aluminum and glass window, curtainwall, storefront, and entrance systems comprising the outside skin and entrances of commercial, institutional, and multi-family residential buildings.
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — After thousands of customers claim they found metal, wire-like material in their dog food – consumers are now saying they have a bone to pick with Pedigree.
The company took to social media Monday trying to calm the nerves of frightened pet owners.
Pedigree said the “metal hairs” are natural fibers – and customers should not worry.
Christina Ahearn said she has always fed her dogs Pedigree dog food. But after finding wire-like materials in her dog Bella’s kibble – she said she has stopped using the brand.
“It was unbelievable to me to discover wire, hair, whatever it may be through her dog food. It’s not listed on the ingredients so I’m not very happy with that,” Ahearn said.
She said she beleives the food has been causing Bella to throw up frequently – and she notices she does not seem to have her normal appetite.
“She just seems to be a lot more, almost just down. Just like she has a bellyache and just doesn’t feel good,” Ahearn explained.
Ahearn said she tried to get a closer look at the mystery material – noting that it stuck to a magnet in her kitchen.
Now, people across the country are taking to Facebook to voice their complaints. Some people are even blaming Pedigree for sudden and unknown death of pets.
Pedigree fired back at the accusations, saying on their own Facebook that they’ve “tested the affected kibble and determined these are natural fibers from meat and bone meal, like pig hair, that occur with products made using those ingredients.”
Ahearn said she had further questions for the company, but after calling and being put on hold for almost a half an hour, she gave up.
“Bella is a family dog we would never want to feed her something that if it could hurt her or kill her that’s just worse than a natural tragedy happening to her so I’ll never use the food again,” she said.


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The Peabody Police Department, in a Facebook post, wrote that “several hundred thousands of dollars worth of illegal marijuana products” were found, leading to the arrest of Gary Cioffi.
“We would like to thank the neighbors for their cooperation in this matter. It appears the Black Market is still viable,” the department wrote.
The laced candy included “Wonka Bars” and “Nerd Ropes,” CBS Boston reported.
Earlier this year, a study found that marijuana edibles have driven up emergency room visits in Colorado, where marijuana is legal, during a four-year period.
“About 10 percent of cannabis-related ED visits were associated with edible forms of weeds, but only 0.32 percent of total cannabis sales were for edible products. That’s 33 times higher than what we expected,” stated Dr. Andrew Monte, the lead author of the study and who works at the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine. “Acute psychiatric visits like acute panic attacks, acute psychosis, and acute-on chronic conditions such as acute exacerbations of schizophrenia were also much more commonly associated with cannabis edibles,” added Monte.
Several days ago, police in Pennsylvania found THC-laced Nerds Rope and other contaminated candies.
In a Facebook post, Pennsylvania’s Johnstown Police Department said that Nerds Rope that was laced with THC was found after police executed a search warrant.
“**ATTENTION** The Johnstown Police would like to draw extra attention to the Nerds Rope edibles containing 400mg of THC found during a search warrant in Stoney Creek Twp,” the Johnstown Police Department said on Facebook, according to reports.
“During this Halloween, we urge parents to be ever vigilant in checking their children’s candy before allowing them to consume those treats,” the department added.
The department called on parents to remain vigilant during Halloween.
“Drug laced edibles are package [sic] like regular candy and may be hard to distinguish from the real candy,” police wrote.
In a statement, Ferrara Candy Company, which makes Nerds Ropes, stated that it is “working with the relevant authorities,” reported CBS News.
“This product is counterfeit and in no way associated with Ferrara Candy Company. We want to reassure consumers that the products they find at major retailers across the country are safe for them to consume,” the statement said.


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Sunday, September 9, 2012 is National Grandparents Day. Every day grandparents impact our lives and serve as teachers and caregivers for our children. It’s important for them to have recent information on children’s product safety to protect children under their … Continue reading
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Residents of Anshan, a city in Liaoning Province, China, are set to experience a significant improvement in their internet connectivity following the launch of Starlink, a satellite internet service provided by SpaceX.
Starlink is a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites that provide high-speed internet to users in remote and rural areas. The service was launched in beta in 2020 and has since expanded to cover several countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Anshan is the latest city to benefit from Starlink’s internet service, with the first batch of users already experiencing faster internet speeds and improved connectivity. The service is expected to be a game-changer for the city, which has struggled with slow and unreliable internet connectivity for years.
The launch of Starlink in Anshan is part of SpaceX’s efforts to expand its satellite internet service to more countries and regions. The company has already launched over 1,500 satellites into orbit and plans to launch thousands more in the coming years.
One of the main advantages of Starlink is its ability to provide high-speed internet to users in remote and rural areas where traditional internet service providers are unable to reach. This is particularly important in China, where many rural areas still lack access to reliable internet connectivity.
Starlink’s internet service is also expected to benefit businesses in Anshan, especially those in the technology and e-commerce sectors. Faster internet speeds and improved connectivity will enable these businesses to operate more efficiently and compete on a global scale.
However, the launch of Starlink in Anshan has raised concerns among some experts who worry about the potential impact on China’s national security. The Chinese government has strict regulations on foreign satellite services operating in the country, and some fear that Starlink could be used for espionage or other nefarious purposes.
Despite these concerns, many residents of Anshan are excited about the launch of Starlink and the prospect of faster and more reliable internet connectivity. The service is expected to be particularly popular among young people who rely heavily on the internet for social media, gaming, and other online activities.
In conclusion, the launch of Starlink in Anshan is a significant development for the city’s internet connectivity and is expected to have a positive impact on businesses and residents alike. While there are concerns about the potential impact on national security, the benefits of faster and more reliable internet connectivity cannot be ignored. As SpaceX continues to expand its satellite internet service to more countries and regions, it is likely that more cities in China and around the world will benefit from this game-changing technology.