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ALBERTON, P.E.I. — The front room of the Bargain Nook was packed shoulder-to-shoulder as the western P.E.I. thrift store rang in its grand reopening.
As she stood behind the counter going over the shop’s significance and history, Lillian Silliker beamed with pride as she addressed the crowd. Weeks before, the building completed two months of extensive renovations.
Nov. 20 was the first opportunity the staff had to celebrate being back home.
“Everyone was pretty excited to see us back,” said Silliker, president of the Western Hospital Healthcare Auxiliary. “They were lined up at the door the day we reopened, because it’s really needed. People love to shop here. A lot of people tell us that it’s their happy place.”
The Bargain Nook is a thrift store on Main Street in Alberton, owned and operated by the auxiliary. Since opening in 1986, the store has served to raise funds for the auxiliary, with 100 per cent of the profits going towards buying new equipment for Western Hospital.
Much of the store is dedicated to clothing – children and adults, men’s and women’s – but one can also find items such as trinkets, kitchenware and books.
In its first two years, the Bargain Nook raised a total of $10,000. By 2013, it was raising around $15,000 to $20,000 annually.
A decade after that, the store had raised $100,000 in a year, which the auxiliary used to buy the hospital a new chemistry analyzer.
“We’re really, really pleased to be able to do the donations we do,” said Silliker. “Being able to give that, that’s really what we’re all about.”
Funds are not the only way the shop has grown over the years. Initially, it was staffed by volunteers, while today, they have paid staff made possible through government grants.
One staff member, co-ordinator Emanuel Bernard, worked at Western Hospital for 38 years before retiring. He now volunteers regularly at the Bargain Nook.
For Bernard, it's great to see how community support for the Bargain Nook has created that growth.
Over the past four decades, the Bargain Nook has moved locations a number of times, as it had always leased its space.
In 2021, the building the auxiliary rented was up for sale, and Silliker and Bernard worried they might be moving yet again if the new owner had other plans for the space.
“At that point, there were a lot of things that were for sale, a lot of things selling,” said Bernard. “So, I think that was probably one of the pushes for us to purchase the building.
"We thought maybe we’d jump on it, so we did.”
Through the funds the store had raised, the auxiliary could buy the building. With the deed came the ability to give the retail space the touch-up it needed.
“It was a long time coming,” said Bernard. “It was fast, in a way, because it was only two months we were closed. But it seemed longer, just because we were closed.”
Work started at the end of August, including replacing the front windows, doorstep and lights, insulating the attic, adding heat pumps, redoing the floors and giving the space a fresh coat of paint.
The renovations cost around $210,000 and the auxiliary was given a grant to cover much of it.
During the time out of the store, the Bargain Nook was set up in a temporary space down the road and held a few pop-up sales. Silliker is delighted to have their permanent space up and running again, and loves having a space to call home.
“It’s awesome to be back in here, and to have the customers coming in, being so happy to be back, and being able to provide this service to the community,” said Silliker.
“A lot of this would probably end up in the landfill, but now, with people donating to us or to this type of facility, it’s going to good use and being recycled.”


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Accor and Overseas Chinese Town Hotel Group sign long-term partnership
>> Accor announced a new strategic partnership with Overseas Chinese Town (OCT) Hotel Group, expanding the relationship between the two companies and embarking on a new and exciting journey to develop leading-edge hospitality projects in China. Accor and OCT Hotel Group are now closely exploring opportunities with many of these brands, beginning with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, one of Accor’s most prestigious luxury brands. Fairmont Shenzhen Interlaken is set to open by the end of 2024.
Ocean Park reports 1.4 million visitors and loss of HK$1.81 billion in financial results
>> Hong Kong Ocean Park Corporation has announced its financial results and highlights for the year ending 30 June 2022, with the company recording a loss of HK$1.81 billion. Ocean Park and Water World, which launched on 21 September 2021, attracted 1.4 million visitors. Water World has welcomed 200,000 visitors since opening.
Cruise operators ready to sail for rebound as COVID tide turns
>> Amid relaxed COVID-19 prevention rules in China, cruise operators are ready to set sail in the new year with localized strategies, eyeing a rebound in the domestic tourism market. The itineraries of cruise tours were mainly outbound tours before the COVID-19 pandemic even as the domestic luxury cruise market has shown great potential, tourism analysts said. China Merchants Viking Cruises has announced its routes and strategies for 2023 to lure Chinese tourists.
Vietnam Airlines resumes China services
>> Vietnam Airlines is set to resume regular flights to China, Vietnam's largest pre-pandemic tourism market, on Friday after a long period of suspension due to Covid. There will be one weekly flight each from Ho Chi Minh City to Guangzhou and Shanghai and from Hanoi to Shanghai, the carrier said on its Facebook page. Bamboo Airways on Tuesday launched its first service to China between Hanoi and Tianjin City.
Asian airlines brace for worse earnings amid China's slow opening
>> Asian airlines are largely expected to turn in weaker earnings than previously anticipated in the October-December quarter, with Chinese carriers continuing to struggle under Beijing's pandemic restrictions.
Analysts surveyed by QUICK-FactSet downgraded the forecasted earnings before interest and taxes in the quarter for 15 out of 35 airlines worldwide. The latest projections, made at the end of November, were compared to forecasts at September's end.
British Airways lets passengers back onto Hong Kong flights after a year
>> After a year-long absence, British Airways has resumed regular passenger flights from London Heathrow to Hong Kong. They returned on December 5th in response to Hong Kong slowly lifting coronavirus restrictions. BA currently serves Hong Kong 4 weekly, but it rises to 1 daily from December 19th, just in time for Christmas.
China’s new COVID rules spell good news for Hainan duty free
>> New national protocols for COVID-19 prevention and control spell good news for Hainan’s offshore duty free sector with the island’s impending key winter tourist season set to be a major beneficiary.
Yesterday the Hainan authorities launched a New Year’s duty free shopping carnival season. The promotional campaign involves “holding events every day, offering discounts every week and having themes every month” and will last until Lantern Festival on 5 February 2023.
South China tourist city all set for art festival
>> An art festival featuring a plethora of events will kick off Saturday in the tourist city of Guilin in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to the organizers.
The festival will put on 128 performances, including plays, Kunqu Opera, drama and monologue, with over 70 free performances at seven outdoor venues against the backdrop of Guilin's amazing scenic beauty.
Egypt, China discuss ways to enhance cooperation in tourism and archaeology
>> Egyptian minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa met with China’s Ambassador in Cairo Liao Liqiang to discuss cooperation between the two sides the fields of tourism and archaeology.
The meeting also discussed investment opportunities in the Egyptian tourism sector, especially in the hospitality industry, where the minister reviewed the most prominent axes of the national strategy for the development of tourism in Egypt and the policies adopted by the ministry to develop its tourism sector in order to increase tourism inflows.

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The people have spoken: With more and more people demanding transparency from the food and beverage industry, Bud Light wants to answer the call.
Starting as soon as next month, the beer giant will become the first U.S. beer to add a comprehensive ingredients label that will include serving facts as well, featured prominently on the packaging.
That's kind of cool, right?
Are you an excessive label-checker? Or did you not even realize that this wasn't in place already?
Regardless, Bud Light announced the move Friday, saying the company "wants beer drinkers to have more information when it comes to choosing their brew, right at their fingertips on the packaging."
In addition to the ingredients, the packaging also will display serving size, calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and protein. (Who even knows if we want to have all that information, when it comes to some of the heavier beers on the market?)
Bud Light is rolling out two new TV spots to promote the label announcement.
"While ingredient labels are not required, consumers deserve to know more about their beer. We brew Bud Light with the finest ingredients and we’re happy to proudly display them on our packaging," said Andy Goeler, the company's vice president of marketing. "When people walk through a store, they are used to seeing ingredient labels on products in every aisle, except for the beer, wine and spirits aisle. As the lead brand in the category, we believe increasing on-pack transparency will benefit the entire beer category and provide our consumers with the information they expect to see."


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BlackBerry Ltd is working with at least two automakers to develop a security service that would remotely scan vehicles for computer viruses and tell drivers to pull over if they were in critical danger, according to a financial analyst.
The service, which would also be able to install security patches to an idle car, is being tested by luxury automakers Aston Martin and Range Rover.
Auto security is among several areas that BlackBerry is betting will boost its revenue after the Canadian company lost its dominance of the smartphone market to Apple Inc and others over the past decade.
The service could be launched as early as next year, generating about $10 a month per vehicle for BlackBerry.
Automaker interest in cyber security has risen dramatically since 2015, when two hacking experts uncovered vulnerabilities in Fiat Chrysler vehicles that led to a U.S. recall of 1.4 million autos.


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The shares of GreenPower Motor (TSXV:GPV) — the Canadian electric vehicle (EV) maker — continue to rally after it filed its U.S. IPO last week. The company plans to raise up to US$35 million with the IPO.
GreenPower’s TSX Venture Exchange-listed stock nearly doubled in a single day on Monday and settled at $3.99 per share with 84% gains for the day. GreenPower Motor is a Vancouver-based EV maker founded in 2007. It has a market capitalization of nearly $437 million as of August 24.
In this article, we’ll look at GreenPower Motor’s recent financials to find out whether its stock could continue rallying even after its U.S. IPO. But first, let’s understand why its IPO could be receiving so much attention.
Tesla’s extraordinary gains and GreenPower Motor’s IPO
At a time when the shares of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) — the American electric carmaker — are on fire, GreenPower Motor’s U.S. IPO seems to be attracting many big investors’ attention. Notably, Tesla stock has risen by about 147% on NASDAQ in the last three months. Tesla posted its all-time intraday high of $2,129 per share yesterday but settled with a 1.8% drop for the day.
Tesla turned negative towards the end of the Monday trading session as a bear analyst gave an extremely low stock price target of $87 per share — hurting investors’ sentiments. The bear analyst Gordon Johnson claims that Tesla “is detached from reality.”
Solid electric vehicle demand
Nonetheless, no analyst at the moment can deny the immense future growth potential of the EV segment. Despite consistent criticism, rising EV demand and increasing consumer awareness about environmental issues make the future of large EV makers like Tesla bright.
The strong EV demand also could be attracting investors’ attention towards other small electric automakers, such as Canada’s GreenPower Motor. This could be one of the reasons driving its TSX Venture Exchange-traded stock higher ahead of its U.S. IPO and NASDAQ listing.
Set realistic expectations for GreenPower Motor
GreenPower Motor manufactures and sells battery-powered buses, including cargo and delivery, transit, and school buses.
Before investing your money in auto companies like GreenPower Motor or Tesla, you need to understand that vehicle manufacturing is a capital-intensive industry, unlike tech or e-commerce. Knowing this is important to set realistic expectations from the businesses you’re about to invest your money in.
High capital requirements also affect the profitability of electric vehicle-making companies. That’s why you shouldn’t expect GreenPower Motor to generate very high profit margins and should avoid comparing its profitability with tech and energy companies.
On July 29, GreenPower Motor announced that it received a 100 EV Stars bus order from Canadian vanpooling service provider Green Commuter.
In its fiscal year 2020 (ended in March 2020), GreenPower Motor reported US$24.5 million revenue — more than double as compared to US$13.5 million in fiscal 2019. Its revenue grew by 73% in the previous fiscal year. During its fiscal 2020 earnings event, the company neither gave clear guidance on its profitability expectations nor revealed any particulars of its pipeline. Bay Street analysts expect it to turn profitable in fiscal 2022, though.
Should you buy GreenPower Motor stock?
Considering the expected consistent rise in electric bus demand, active investors may consider buying GreenPower Motor stock on TSX Venture Exchange. Conservative investors should consider buying its stock or IPO investment only if they could hold it for the long term, as I expect its stock to remain highly volatile in the near to medium term.


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Betting on flipping Super Bowl LVI tickets for a profit like an NFT oracle? You’re likely out of luck. TheLines found Super Bowl ticket prices for this year’s game at brand new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles are near all-time highs on the aftermarket.
If you’re looking for a ticket to the Super Bowl this year, those are the prices you’ll have to deal with, depending on seat location. Resale tickets are the second-highest in history and are hovering around $9,000, on average.
For football fans looking for that once-in-a-lifetime trip to watch the Los Angeles Rams play the Cincinnati Bengals, the trip will require a once-in-a-lifetime grimace for most as they type in their credit card number to buy tickets.
For those who are looking to make a quick buck, beware. Prices are already going down from early-week highs.
2022 prices lower than 2021, but more tickets sold
At the time of publishing, tickets were available across multiple platforms and have been available for weeks. Sales started to climb on January 28 and peaked the day before the conference championship games. Prices, however, did not move much over those two days.
Earlier this week, the average for Super Bowl ticket prices on SeatGeek peaked at $10,427, but that average has now dropped to $8,698. The cheapest ticket available on StubHub is $4,799 before fees and $6,413 after fees. Copmared to previous years (not counting 2021), ticket prices are high for this year’s game. In an interview with CNN, StubHub Spokesman Adam Budelli said the high prices boil down to one reason.
“This is L.A, the entertainment capital of [the] world, where prices for everything are through the roof,” he said. “This is a perfect storm.”
As far as who is buying those tickets, SeatGeek data indicates the highest concentration of tickets being sold in Southern California and the 95 corridor that stretches from the Baltimore/D.C. area all the way to New York. Coincidentally, Google data shows prices for flights from New York to L.A. spike from $123 the Thursday before the game to $256 on the Friday before the game.
Buying tickets to flip them is a gamble
The drop in average ticket prices over the past few days isn’t a good sign for those looking to make a quick buck off flipping.
History indicates that prices tend to spike after the conference championships and then remain steady or decline through Super Bowl Sunday, according to SeatGeek data:
- 2013: Prices peaked on Jan. 28 and dropped by half over the next two weeks.
- 2014: Prices peaked around the second week of January and dropped by half by game day.
- 2015: Prices remained tame through January and tripled thanks to a huge surge in prices in the days leading up to the game.
- 2016: Prices peaked the last week of January and declined by around $2,000 by game day.
- 2017: Prices peaked on January 21, dropped by nearly $2,000 then next day, rose by nearly $2,000 over the next week, then dropped by $2,000 during the week leading up to the Super Bowl.
- 2018: Prices peaked on January 26, fell by $2,000 by February 7, then surged $2,000 in the next few days before dropping by $2,000 on game day.
- 2019: Ticket prices hovered between $4,000 and $6,000 through January before dropping around $1,000 in the days leading up to the game.
- 2020: Prices spike nearly $2,000 in the days leading up to the game.
- 2021: Ticket prices exceeded $16,000 on January 29, then plummeted to around $6,000 by game day.
More often than not in the past nine years, tickets prices have decreased after spiking in January. Only 2015 and 2020 saw significant price increases after the Super Bowl teams were decided.


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By Indika Sakalsooriya
Competition in Sri Lanka’s supermarket landscape is set to intensify with the entrance of at least a couple of international retail giants through well established local partners in the near future, Mirror Business learns.
Independent food retail chain, SPAR International, last year granted licence to Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL)—the manufacturer of Munchee biscuits—to operate the SPAR brand as SPAR Sri Lanka in a joint venture with the SPAR Group Ltd South Africa.
SPAR Sri Lanka has announced plans to open 20 SPAR supermarkets within a five-year period. The first of such is currently being built in Thalawathugoda and is scheduled to open shortly.
The Amsterdam-headquartered company with 12,100 stores is present in 42 countries worldwide.
Meanwhile, U.K. retail major, Sainsbury’s, is also believed to be looking at entering the Sri Lankan market partnering with a leading local conglomerate in the country which has interests in consumer electronics, fashion retailing, healthcare and several other sectors.
Sri Lanka’s super market space is currently dominated by Cargills, Keells and Arpico. A distant fourth player would be the supermarket chain operated by Laugfs Group. The State also has a hand in the business with Sathosa stores, which focus on low income earning consumers.
The super market or modern retail industry in Sri Lanka is still in its formative years as the informal sector i.e. stand-alone retail stores, boutiques and weekly fairs continue to dominate the country’s retail market.
According to a FMCG sector report recently released by Asia Securities, a Colombo-based stock brokerage, modern retail penetration in Sri Lanka only accounts for 20 percent compared to 30 to 40 percent for regional peers, which shows there is ample opportunity for existing players as well as new entrants to
Rising per capita income, a growing middle class, rapid urbanization, changing consumption patterns and a surging tourism industry will also act as strong pull factors for international retail chains to look at Sri Lanka as a potential market despite its relatively small population.
Meanwhile, partly to ward off the competition that my come from new entrants as well as to cash in from the opportunities at hand, two out of the three main existing players have announced aggressive expansion plans.
Cargills (Ceylon) PLC is planning to add 70 to 80 new stores a year to its existing chain of over 315 stores covering all districts of Sri Lanka over the next two years and the majority of the stores will be set up outside the Western Province.
Ceylon Cold Stores PLC, a unit of John Keells Group and the operator of ‘Keells Super’ super market chain, is gearing to add 35 to 40 stores a year in the next two years, largely within the Western Province. Going forward the stores will be rebranded as ‘Keells’ and operate as a ‘green conscious’ retail chain.
Both players are seen giving priority to the quality and the range of the products available, cleanliness and availability of ample parking space in the new stores that are coming online.
However, Fitch Ratings on a brief report on Sri Lankan retail sector, last year, opined that the competition in the country’s modern retail sector may not intensify at least in the medium term due to certain entry barriers the new entrants would have to overcome.
“The incumbents have secured a mix of owned and leased properties in prime locations in main cities that would be difficult for a new player to replicate at a time when property prices and rents are rising. A potential entrant will also have to build strong relationships with suppliers to secure lower costs, which could take years,” the rating agency said.
Fitch also noted that the significant investment required to set up sophisticated warehousing and transportation facilities could also deter new entrants in the absence of third parties that provide such services.
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Chargify, the leading subscription billing platform for B2B SaaS, has released its annual B2B SaaS Trends in Billing and Financial Operations Report, in partnership with SaaSOptics, the leading platform for SaaS financial operations.
The report features insight into what business changes SaaS subscription businesses plan to make in 2022, as well as struggles they faced throughout 2021 including customer churn, inefficient processes, and ACS-606 compliance. Key results include:
- Customer-centric pricing is growing. Forty-two percent of companies opted for a sales-negotiated pricing model in 2021. Additionally, 37% are planning to expand into new pricing models in the coming year, with the most desired addition being a variable-pricing model.
- Customer renewals are the main focus for subscription companies. When it comes to subscription management, 34% of participants indicated customer renewals will be the main area they are focused on improving in 2022.
- Fewer companies are pursuing funding in 2022. Sixty-two percent of respondents indicated they were not interested in fundraising in 2022; however, 32% of respondents did fundraise in 2021 with a 95% success rate.
- SaaS companies are focusing on product-led growth. More than 40% of SaaS companies plan to grow their businesses and revenue in 2022 by expanding product offerings and/or entering new markets.
- Access to real-time insights is a top priority. Having real-time insights was listed as important or very important to 72% of participants, highlighting the need for SaaS companies to be able to respond quickly to potential fluctuations and deliver reactive, curated user experiences.
- ACS-606 compliance is a challenge. Despite the new accounting standard applying to all companies in 2020, 63% of companies still had not implemented it in 2021. Respondents indicated the largest barrier to ASC-606 adoption was an inability to understand how the new standard would practically impact businesses.
“The SaaS industry changes rapidly and it’s critical for businesses to keep up with the direction the industry is headed or risk falling behind their competition and revenue goals,” said Matt Downs, CRO for SaaSOptics and Chargify. “Several hundred of our B2B SaaS customers gave us insight into their subscription billing and financial operations — what they did in 2021, and changes they’re making in 2022. From this data, we uncovered significant trends which offer a glimpse into the future of SaaS billing and finance.”
More than 240 SaaSOptics and Chargify customers across 23 industries were surveyed online to glean insight into their billing and finance operations. For more SaS subscription billing and financial operations benchmarking trends, download the full B2B SaaS Trends in Billing and Financial Operations Report at https://go.chargify.com/2022-trends-report-ebook


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ArialPhone has come up with an add-on kit for mobile phones that will allow a user to make phone calls through the Microsoft Outlook database. The ArialPhone system already has a voice-activated, hands-free device that can be used to access the address book a PC and make phone calls from distances of up to 150 feet.
In combination with a mobile phone, the new kits could prove very popular for people who depend on telecommunications particularly for business purposes. The ability to have telecommunications access to everyone from a particular Outlook database from anywhere could prove an invaluable tool for companies.
The integration kits are available for Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola handsets at present.


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SAVANNA UNDER PRESSURE TO MEET DEMAND
Savanna’s Marketing Manager, Eugene Lenford, said the brand’s newfound popularity has created significant pressure on supply and demand.
“We want to start by apologising and reassuring South Africans that millions of litres of your favourite cider is still being produced each week and allocated to local retailers to make sure that you do not miss your favourite crisp and dry cider, over the festive season,” said Lenford in a statement.
Savanna’s struggle to keep up with demand has been exasperated by a global glass shortage and shipping delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year, according to Lenford. “The demand for Savanna’s range of premium ciders has exceeded supply for an extended period.”
The marketing manager said the company beverage producer is working on a number of solutions to avoid future shortages. He added that Savanna will be available over the festive season in greater volumes than in previous years and discouraged customers from buying in bulk.
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Chinese companies attended the Colombian oil goods and services seminar
Beijing, China. Nine recognized Chinese companies from the oil goods and services sector learned in Beijing about the realm of investment possibilities Colombia has to offer in this industry.
The seminar, which was arranged by PROCOLOMBIA with the support of the Universal World Trade Investment Consulting Corporation (UWTIC), also featured the presentation of the Government's goals in terms of oil investment and production, the legal framework and an introduction and invitation to Ronda Colombia 2012, organized by the National Hydrocarbons Agency (Spanish acronym, AHN).
The attending companies had already expressed their interest in Colombia as a target market and a potential destination for future investments, thanks to the increase in business opportunities that have arisen for Chinese companies in said sector.
There are increasingly a variety of companies, specialists in the sector, traveling to Colombia and aiming to strengthen their commercial ties with the current clients. Similarly, the oil boom and the Government's goals in that field have ranked this industry as one of the main ones for China in terms of investment.
PROCOLOMBIA is working proactively in the sector in order to attract direct foreign investment by potential companies specializing in the field of connected goods and services.


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Activision's most recent trend suggests a bullish bias. One trading opportunity on Activision is a Bull Put Spread using a strike $92.50 short put and a strike $87.50 long put offers a potential 33.33% return on risk over the next 6 calendar days. Maximum profit would be generated if the Bull Put Spread were to expire worthless, which would occur if the stock were above $92.50 by expiration. The full premium credit of $1.25 would be kept by the premium seller. The risk of $3.75 would be incurred if the stock dropped below the $87.50 long put strike price.
The 5-day moving average is moving up which suggests that the short-term momentum for Activision is bullish and the probability of a rise in share price is higher if the stock starts trending.
The 20-day moving average is moving up which suggests that the medium-term momentum for Activision is bullish.
The RSI indicator is at 50.92 level which suggests that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold at this time.
To learn how to execute such a strategy while accounting for risk and reward in the context of smart portfolio management, and see how to trade live with a successful professional trader, view more here
LATEST NEWS for Activision
Take Two (TTWO) to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in the Cards?
Fri, 14 May 2021 10:53:10 +0000
Take Two Interactive's (TTWO) Q4 results are expected to reflect weak top-line growth due to lack of major game releases and higher operating expenses despite continued strength in popular franchises.
E-Sports & Video Games For The Win: CEO’s of Activision Blizzard, ESE Entertainment, NetEase, and Enthusiast Gaming – Driving Revenue Growth and Market Share
Thu, 13 May 2021 13:27:00 +0000
NEW YORK, May 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wall Street Reporter, the trusted name in financial news since 1843, has published reports on the latest comments and insights from leaders at: Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), ESE Entertainment (TSX.V: ESE) (OTC: ENTEF), Enthusiast Gaming Holdings (NASDAQ: EGLX) and NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES). ESE Entertainment (TSX.V: ESE) (OTC: ENTEF) CEO Konrad Wasiela: ”E-Sports M&A Pipeline With Over $100 million Annual Revenues”ESE Entertainment (TSX.V: ESE) (OTC: ENTEF) CEO Konrad Wasiela, a featured presenter at Wall Street Reporter’s NEXT SUPER STOCK investors livestream conference, recently updated investors on his goal of building ESE into a billions dollar global enterprise. Wasiela shared that “ESE now has a growing M&A pipeline with over $100 million annual revenues” and expected to close a significant number of these potential transactions in the coming months. ESE’s stated goal is to build a global E-Sports business with a valuation of $1 Billion+. May 13 – 1:00PM EST: (OTC: ENTEF) CEO LiveChat: https://bit.ly/2PX0SpH Watch ESE (OTC: ENTEF) Next Super Stock livestream video: https://bit.ly/3qq59mb In his interview with Wall Street Reporter, ESE CEO Konrad Wasiela, says the company is now ready to scale – expanding its global footprint, with new partnerships with global brands like Porsche, driving revenue growth with aggressive focus on top line sales and margin expansion, and M&A opportunities. ESE is now rapidly expanding, with multiple revenue streams including, E-Sports infrastructure software powering global tournaments, exclusive digital media distribution, broadcast rights, and owning world-class leagues and teams, including its K1CK global E-Sports franchise. May 13 – ENTEF signs Letter of Intent to acquire Auto Simulation Ltd T/A Digital Motorsports (“Digital Motorsports”), an Irish company that provides infrastructure, technology, and support for esports across the globe – particularly in the simulation racing sector – working with some of the world’s most recognized brands. April 26 – ENTEF announces Rick Brace is joining its Board of Directors. Mr. Brace most recently served as the President of Rogers Media, the Sports and Media subsidiary of publicly-traded Rogers Communications (RCI). As President of Rogers Media, Rick Brace was responsible for driving strategy and overseeing operations for the company’s robust portfolio of media assets, which includes 42 TV stations, 51 radio stations, 56 publications, digital media, subscription-based content services, the Toronto Blue Jays, and Rogers Centre. Rick Brace commented: “During my time at Rogers it became abundantly clear that traditional media was feeling increasingly stronger headwinds brought on by the rollout and adoption of digital platforms that deliver content in new and innovative ways. Nowhere is this more prevalent than with the growth of esports which is seeing monumental year-over-year growth. ESE (OTC: ENTEF) has positioned itself at the forefront of this movement with a 360 approach, including rights ownership, team ownership, event production and distribution and I am both honoured and excited to join its board and be part of this revolution in our industry”. April 14 – ENTEF closes acquisition of Esports and gaming infrastructure company, WPG. In 2020, WPG’s assets generated revenue in excess of C$14,000,000. This transaction is anticipated to make ENTEF one of the largest esports infrastructure companies in the world, bridging esports companies with their fans and customers. May 13 – 1:00PM EST: (OTC: ENTEF) CEO LiveChat: https://bit.ly/2PX0SpH Watch ESE (OTC: ENTEF) Next Super Stock livestream video: https://bit.ly/3qq59mb Enthusiast Gaming Holdings (NASDAQ: EGLX) (TSE: EGLX) CEO Adrian Montgomery: “The Home for Gen Z and Millennial Video Game and Esports Fans” “…Enthusiastic Gaming is the home for Gen Z and millennial video game and esports fans. We build communities for these fans that are powered by content, eSports and Entertainment. We connect with over 300 million gamers around the world on a monthly basis across our portfolio of websites, YouTube channels, social media followers of our players and our talent and viewers of our various entertainment offerings….This is the demographic that our business is built on and it underpins our go-to-market strategy with large brands and advertisers trying to connect with this coveted yet increasingly elusive demographic. Every day more and more Gen Z and millennials are leaving traditional social media like Facebook. Where are they going? They're flocking to our video game communities to maintain social connections with friends, to make new friends. They are also consuming more and more hours of content on YouTube and Twitch. Enthusiasts Gaming's fan flywheel provides Gen Zs and millennials with the content, the esports and the entertainment that they crave…” “…Our growth strategy which is built upon a proprietary flywheel that we believe is the right formula to drive meaningful improvements in RPV, or revenue per viewer. Phase 1 was about building scale. Over the last 5 years, our buy and build strategy has focused on building scale both in audience and the experiences we are able to deliver. Combined, we believe we have among the most valuable assets that target Gen Zs and millennials today…Phase 2 focuses on the rapid acceleration of revenue per viewer, achieved through direct sales and optimization within our programmatic ad technology.…”Enthusiast Gaming Holdings (NASDAQ: EGLX) Earnings Highlights: https://bit.ly/3oal1ZH Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) CEO Bobby Kotick: “Billion Dollar Entertainment Franchises – With Momentum” “…There are few entertainment franchises that generate over $1 billion in annual net bookings. And today we operate three of them: Call of Duty World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. And each has clear opportunity for sustained growth…For the balance of this year, we're raising our outlook and we believe we will continue connecting and engaging more players than ever before in 2021.” “…Call of Duty is the first community to benefit from our pursuit of this franchise based strategy. With over 100 million monthly players, the Call of Duty community is larger than ever before. And with expansion across all platforms the franchise has transformed into a truly social experience that engages and connects our players in truly epic ways. By expanding to mobile, we've brought in tens of millions of new players in countries far beyond our traditional audiences. With the game now in final large-scale testing in China and over 50 million players already preregistered, we see a clear path to continue growing Call of Duty's reach, engagement, and player investment on mobile in the largest mobile gaming market in the world.” Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) Earnings Highlights: http://bit.ly/34ExR9O NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) CEO William Ding: ”Building Global Leader in Digital Entertainment” “…We grew our net revenues year-over-year by nearly 26% to RMB18.2 billion for this quarter, and our net income from continuing operations attributable to our shareholders grew year-over-year by 35% to RMB4.5 billion. Our online games was up 21% in the second quarter year-over-year, reaching net revenue of RMB13.8 billion, driven by the impressive strength of our existing titles. Our flagship, Fantasy Westward Journey series and Westward Journey series, continued their strong performance in the second quarter. As two of the largest and longest-running game IPs in China, both games consistently attract a loyal crowd…” “…We are very committed to bringing the richest content to Chinese users by introducing exciting global music and incubating independent musicians. In the second quarter, we launched numerous paid live shows for independent bands, giving them more options to stream online during this uncertain time…Beyond our progress in the domestic market, we have also made multiple headway with our international initiatives. Our overseas online game net revenues hit a new record high in the second quarter, propelled by robust performances from Knives Out and Life-After in Japan……NetEase is best known for our content creation capabilities. This rings true across our different business segments. As we look to the second half of this year, we are more confident and committed than ever to further expanding our reach and bringing relevant, exciting, new products and services to NetEase players, fans and followers around the world…We are excited to lead our next wave of expansion as we continue to build value for all of our stakeholders…” NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) Earnings Highlights: https://bit.ly/3kFMNK9 WALL STREET REPORTER Wall Street Reporter (Est. 1843) is the leading financial news provider, focused on giving investors direct access to CEO's of promising, publicly-traded companies, and market experts. www.WallStreetReporter.com. Nothing in this news summary shall be construed as investment advice. Quotes/content may be edited for brevity and context. Full disclaimer, and relevant SEC 17B disclosures here: http://bit.ly/39kkE7K About Wall Street Reporter’s Next Super Stock conference: Wall Street Reporter's NEXT SUPER STOCK Live! conference is dedicated to featuring select companies that have near-term catalysts in place which can drive transformational growth (and stock appreciation) in the months ahead. Click here to join next livestream event: https://www.wallstreetreporter.com/next-superstock-online-investor-conference/ CONTACT: WALL STREET REPORTER (212) 871-2057 ext 7 www.WallStreetReporter.com
Ubisoft Is Taking a Page Out of Activision Blizzard's Playbook
Wed, 12 May 2021 17:06:55 +0000
Ubisoft (OTC: UBSFY) published fourth-quarter earnings and discussed its results and outlook in a conference call on Tuesday. CFO Frederick Duguet stated that the company is moving away from the big-budget, triple-A games model that has typically meant aiming to deliver three or four major releases each year. Instead, Ubisoft will focus more on the free-to-play (F2P) market, a move that mirrors initiatives from industry rival Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI).
Activision’s Rally Is on Pause. Why One Analyst Says the Stock Is Ready to Break Out.
Tue, 11 May 2021 17:18:00 +0000
Activision stock is up for the year to date, but it is still down from a record set in February. One analyst sees the videogame firm's shares rising and topping that high
Activision Blizzard Is Upgraded to Outperform by BMO
Tue, 11 May 2021 10:40:00 +0000
While Activision Blizzard has been stagnant so far this year, a BMO analyst said he believes the video-game maker is ready to take off. Analyst Gerrick Johnson upgraded the stock to outperform from market perform. Last week, Activision Blizzard raised its outlook and reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue and earnings, boosted by in-game sales in its latest “Call of Duty” franchises.
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Shoppers’rush to stock up on non-perishable staples such as pasta and noodles to ride out the coronavirus crisis has boosted demand for wheat, which has risen sharply in futures markets on both sides of the Atlantic.
The US benchmark in Chicago gained 12 per cent from a week ago to $5.55½ a bushel while Euronext wheat in Paris rose 8 per cent from a week ago to €186.75 a tonne.
Analysts noted that in the US, prices have been supported by increased buying by flour millers while in France, shoppers have stockpiled baguettes to freeze, leading some bakeries to ration the nation’s favourite bread.
In the UK, too, households have hunkered down as the outbreak has worsened, raising the prospect of restrictions on travel. Sales of dry pasta were up 55 per cent year on year in the week ending March 8, according to consumer data research company Kantar.
Mike Watkins at Nielsen, which provides consumer data and analysis, noted that many stores had been emptied entirely of pasta, noodles, bread and also rice.
Dave Howorth, executive director of Scala, a consultancy, said: “What we’re seeing is stockpiling and panic-buying rippling through the supply chain.”
Wheat prices have also been lifted by efforts among various governments to add to strategic inventories. “The north Africans are buying a lot of grain. Stocks are moving from France to Algeria,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, senior economist at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
The Financial Times is making key coronavirus coverage free to read to help everyone stay informed.
Heavy falls in emerging market currencies have also revived memories of 2010, when drought and a sharp drop in the rouble prompted Russia — the world’s leading wheat exporter — to ban shipments of grains for almost a year. Last week there were jitters in the market caused by speculation that Moscow and Kyiv were considering similar measures.
Prices on the Chicago futures market, meanwhile, have been boosted by an order from China for 340,000 tonnes of wheat — the first large purchase since the “phase one” trade deal between Washington and Beijing was signed earlier this year, bringing an end to a spell of retaliatory tariffs.
Vince Peterson, president of US Wheat Associates, described the purchase volume as “significant” and said the deal could be “only the beginning of a new, more productive trade relationship”.
Other grains to have seen an uplift thanks to stockpiling include rice. Prices from key exporters Thailand and Vietnam have risen since the start of the year, said Tosin Jack at Mintec, the commodities information group.
According to the Thai Rice Exporters Association, global demand has surged since the outbreak, with physical Thai rice prices up 14 per cent as of March 18 since the start of January.
Stefan Vogel, global grains analyst at Rabobank, said the outlook for wheat prices rested on the “risk coming from Ukraine and Russia” rather than consumer stockpiling. But he predicted that demand should stay elevated through the remainder of the year.


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Think TV, a marketing initiative of Free TV Australia, has pointed to Deloitte’s latest Media Consumer Survey as highlighting the value of TV in the new media landscape.The survey provides a snapshot of how Australians are consuming different media and entertainment, along with preferred technologies and how consumers respond to different media and advertising.
Think TV notes that among the key take-outs from the survey, watching TV and surfing the internet are Australians preferred forms of entertainment, while new technologies have increased our opportunities to watch content. Consumers are, in turn, embracing monthly, low-cost subscription options.
Multi-tasking, meanwhile, has become mainstream, with 25 per cent of multi-taskers actively engaging in activities related to what they are watching. Browsing for products online while watching TV was also engaged in by one in five respondents.
The modern connected home is packing an increasing amount and diversity of tech, providing consumers a range of options when accessing the internet, having on average of 2.2 televisions, 1.9 laptops, 1.7 tablets and 2.3 smartphones.
Meanwhile, the household penetration of laptops, tablets and digital video recorders is declining.
Television advertising continues to have the biggest influence on purchasing decisions when compared with other media, Think TV noted the survey found, with 63 per cent of respondents citing TV as the most important influence on their buying decisions.


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Paisley and Leopard prints.
Japanese digital imprint HOUYHNHNM has now expanded into the world of print with its first magazine
UK brand MHL. and Japanese web publication HOUYHNHNM have partnered to showcase the latest looks
With adiCup 2010 kicking off this past weekend, we continue our coverage of the campaign as the


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#Fairfield CT– The town of Fairfield launched it’s Shop Local campaign last week. Mark Burnell, Economic Developer for the town of Fairfield said they are trying to make this an ongoing event not just for the holiday season. Owner of Ganim’s Garden Supply Lee Ganim said he’d rather see customers go to local shops instead of big box shops saying the quality and service is much better. Ganim said every Saturday should be small business Saturday! The campaign is stressing that fifty percent of money spent locally stays in the local community.
Special thanks to local BMW of Bridgeport for making this good news story possible!


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“A new Apple invention that was discovered in Europe’s Patent Office database also showed up at the US Patent and Trademark Office in recent weeks. Apple’s patent, which was late coming to the public, covers an invention of theirs that relates to a track pad device which includes a capacitive array element capable of sensing touch from two surfaces and sending signals indicative of the touches,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“The capacitive array element may be able to sense multiple simultaneous touches and distinguish on which side the touches are occurring,” Purcher reports. ” A connected processor unit, either in the device or the host system, may be adapted to interpret the signals as a cursor or view movement with six degrees of freedom.”
Purcher reports, “The track pad device includes a display element whereby the capacitive array element is fully translucent.”
Much more, including Apple’s patent application illustrations, in the full article here.


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11 月 1 日，2019河北国际绿色农业周的主题活动——“新形势 · 新市场 · 新营销国际农产品发展论坛”在廊坊成功举办。本次论坛由河北省贸促会、廊坊市人民政府主办，河北省国际展览中心、廊坊市贸促会、河北华糖云商营销传播股份有限公司、品牌农业与市场杂志社承办，旨在使河北省农业企业更加了解国内国际新政策及商贸形势，把握市场的发展趋势，整体提升市场竞争力。
On November 1, 2019 Hebei international greenagriculture week -- "new situation · newmarket · new marketing, International Agricultural ProductDevelopment Forum" was successfully held in LangFang city. This Activitywas hosted by the Trade promotion Association of Hebei Province、Langfang city people's government, and was undertakenby International exhibition center of Hebei province, Trade promotionAssociation of Langfang city, hebei HuatangYunshang marketing communication co., LTD, Brand agriculture and marketmagazine. The aim of this activity is to let Hebei agricultural enterprises understandmore about domestic and international new policy and trade situation, grasp thetrend of the development of the market, promote the competitiveness of themarket as a whole.
作为受邀嘉宾，中国食品工业协会品牌战略工作委员会秘书长曾黔、品牌战略工作委员会国际合作中心顾问KANS BULAY DESMOND(孔雷达)出席了本次论坛活动。同时，非洲专家孔雷达先生就非洲农业的发展现状与市场机会进行了主题发言。
As invited guests, Zeng qian, secretary-generalof brand strategy working committee of China National food industry Associationand KANS BULAY DESMOND, adviser of international cooperation center of brandstrategy working committee attended the Forum. Meanwhile, Mr. DESMOND, an African expert, delivered a keynote addresson the current state of agricultural development and market opportunities inAfrica.
Mr. DESMOND pointed out that Africa is acontinent with over 50 countries, and these countries have different culture,languages, and specificities. It has obvious natural advantages in agriculturaldevelopment, such as abundant land resources, tropical climate, a booming youngpopulation. At present, however, agricultural productivity still remains farfrom developed world standards. Over 90% of agriculture depends on rainfall,with no artificial irrigation aid. The techniques used to cultivate the soilare still far behind from what has been adopted in Asia and Americas, lackingnot only irrigation, but also fertilizers, pesticides and access to high-yieldseeds. Agriculture in Africa also experiences basic infrastructural problems .
In Africa, agriculture accounts for two thirdsof livelihoods and food accounts for two thirds of the household budgets ofpoor people. It makes up a very important part of the lives of African people.The low productivity levels of agriculture in Africa have resulted in aworrisome scenario: it does not meet the growing demand for food from urban area.The region is increasingly dependent on food imports. Africa spent US$50bn onfood imports (excluding fish) in 2018, only 5% of it related to trading withinthe continent.
In order to revert this situation, An increasein productivity could replace these imports with their own produce, which wouldin turn reduce poverty, increasing labor force, African countries have putagriculture on the priority list of national development. At the same time, givepreferential investment policy. Singapore is proving to be an engaged ally inthe process of changing this reality. Some big players in the agriculturalsector with their headquarters in Singapore, are investing heavily in Africa.
Africa has broad prospects for agricultural development, China nationalfood industry association brand strategy working committee is committed topromoting the Chinese and foreign food industry, food enterprise exchanges andcooperation with each other, as an international cooperation association adviser,welcome China's food enterprises seize this opportunity and invest Africa agriculture industry.


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Amazon-owned Twitch today announced the acquisition of Curse, a gaming content and resource hub visited by more than 30 million people each month.
Founded in 2006, Bay Area-based Curse had raised nearly $60 million to date for its platform that gives users PC gaming-related information and add-ons like videos, guides, forums, communication apps, streaming tools, mod managers, and more. It operates more than 45 sites like LoLnexus and Gamepedia, while offering software like Curse Voice and Curse Client.
“We’ve long been fans of Curse, which is an innovator in the games industry with a strong culture built around its offerings — from Curse Voice and Curse Client to Gamepedia,” Twitch CEO Emmett Shear said in a statement. “While it’s still early days for Twitch and Curse, we’re kindred spirits in many ways and are looking forward to working together to enhance our users’ gaming experience.”
In a statement, Curse CEO Hubert Thieblot said he is “really excited to see how we can bring Curse services into the Twitch network, and provide an unparalleled experience to both Curse and Twitch users.” Curse employs more than 140 people.
In a blog post, Twitch said that “this acquisition will help provide gamers with the tools and resources they need to achieve the ultimate gaming experience, a mission shared by both Twitch and Curse.”
“Together Curse and Twitch will help gamers connect, interact, and share information with one another,” wrote Evan Freitas, a Twitch marketing manager.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Amazon acquired Twitch for nearly $1 billion in 2014. The site lets people stream their video game sessions; it attracts more than 100 million users and 1.7 million broadcasters per month. The company, which acquired eSports agency GoodGame in late 2014, has become the ESPN of the video game industry, where viewers go to watch live footage of video games being played. It is now expanding beyond gaming into new verticals like arts and music.
Amazon made another gaming-related acquisition in early 2014 when it purchased developer Double Helix Games, maker of the popular Killer Instinct game. Amazon Game Studios has 110 open positions on its jobs site. Here’s a bit of color from a recent job description for a senior animator:
Amazon is all in on games.
2016 is already a year of firsts for Double Helix, and for gaming at Amazon. In February, Amazon released Lumberyard, a free, cloud connected game engine. In April, we moved to a state-of-the-art game studio and streaming facility. Later this year, we will reveal the first of our new projects to the world. What milestones will you be a part of?
We believe the evolution that began with arcade communities a quarter at a time, growing to the live streams and esports of today, will continue to a future where everyone is a gamer and every gamer can create, compete, collaborate and connect with others at massive scales. If you share our belief that games will produce some of the future’s most influential voices in media and art, come join us. At Amazon’s Double Helix Studio, you’ll have the power of Amazon Web Services’ cloud, Twitch, Amazon Lumberyard, and our digital and physical media publishing infrastructure available as raw material to forge a future filled with amazing experiences for players, broadcasters and creators. We are building teams with the industry’s best to help us create and support AAA PC games that attempt to evolve gameplay and unite players with community focused online experiences.


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Hogan Lovells’ Standard Essential Patent (SEP) Update reports on recent news and case decisions from jurisdictions including China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The August 2019 update can be accessed in the following languages:
- English language available here
- 日本語 (Japanese language) available here
- 한국어 (Korean language) available here
The August 2019 update covers these developments across the globe:
Global News & Notes
- Market research firm IPlytics released a May 2019 report summarizing its analysis of SEPs declared essential to the 5G standard.
- Via Licensing Corporation has announced that it purchased around 100 Long Term Evolution (LTE) SEPs owned by Blackberry and that these SEPs would be added to its licensing package at no additional cost.
- According to an official announcement from the Guangdong Higher People’s Court and other reports, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd and Samsung (China) Investment Co., Ltd have agreed to a global settlement of their SEP disputes.
- In a decision dated 16 April 2019 (Docket No. 061/2019), the Paris Court of Appeal affirmed a 2015 first instance decision rejecting a patent owner’s claims that a telephone manufacturer infringed its allegedly essential patents by implementing the LTE and UMTS standards.
The Netherlands Updates
- On July 2, 2019, the Court of Appeal of The Hague awarded Philips an injunction against Wiko, based on Wiko’s infringement of certain SEPs owned by Philips.
United Kingdom Updates
- In its 18 July 2019 judgment in TQ Delta v. ZyXEL, the UK Court of Appeal allowed ZyXEL’s appeal and vacated the September RAND trial.
- On 4 July 2019, the Patents Court handed down its decision in Conversant v Huawei  EWHC 1687 (Pat), finding that, while Conversant’s SEP was essential and infringed, it was nevertheless invalid for added matter.
United States Updates
- Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California found that Qualcomm’s SEP licensing practices breached U.S. antitrust law and FRAND contractual obligations, ruling in favor of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
- Judge Rodney Gilstrap of the Eastern District of Texas ruled that Ericsson had offered its SEPs on FRAND terms during licensing negotiations with a major cellphone manufacturer.
- On July 12, the Federal Circuit vacated a USPTO inter partes review (IPR) decision that had rejected as invalidating prior art a working draft of the High Efficiency Video Coding standard (the H.265 standard) distributed to an e-mail listserv.
For more information, please click on the link with the detailed newsletter (English language, 日本語, 한국어), or contact partners Paul Brown, Frederick Ch’en, Zhen (Katie) Feng, Joe Raffetto, Stanislas Roux-Vaillard, Dr. Benjamin Schröer and Ruud van der Velden. Our full series of all our Global SEP Updates (including past updates) can be accessed here.


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In-brief: LastPass, the keeper of passwords for millions of security conscious Internet users said on Monday that its own systems were breached by hackers.
A vulnerability in more than 1 million small office and home office (or SOHO) routers makes them potentially vulnerable to remote attacks that could expose private internal network traffic to prying eyes, according to a warning posted by the firm Rapid7.
It has been almost a year since security researcher Dan Farmer first warned of the danger posed by Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) – a ubiquitous protocol used to do remote management of servers. According to a new report, however, that warning went unheeded. Writing last week (PDF), Farmer said that a world-wide scan for systems using the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) protocol identified over 230,000 Baseboard Management Controllers (BMCs) exposed to the Internet. As many as 90% of the exposed systems could be compromised by exploiting what Farmer characterized as “basic configuration and protocol weaknesses.” Even more worrying, the 230,000 systems that are Internet accessible are probably just a fraction of all the vulnerable systems that might be attacked, with many deployed on (hackable) corporate and private networks. Farmer is reiterating calls for public and private sector organizations to wake up to the dangers posed by IPMI. Hackers who are able to compromise Baseboard Management […]
Tomorrow afternoon, Security Ledger, with help from our sponsor Veracode, will record its first video conversation. The show’s name: Talking Code (#talkingcode). The topic: application security, and – in particular – securing the supply chain. Joining me for the discussion will by Chris Wysopal, the co-founder and CTO of Veracode and Joshua Corman, the Director of Security Intelligence at Akamai Inc. Two things: you can send us questions or comments on Twitter. Our discussion will be filmed in studio, not live, but we’ll be tweeting comments live and engaging in realtime via Twitter. Just use the hashtag #talkingcode to pose questions. Say the term “supply chain,” and people immediately think of automobile and electronics manufacturers, who must assemble products from components makers scattered around the globe. These days, however, its not just manufacturers who have to worry about supply chains. Almost every company has a “supply chain” in one form or […]
A survey conducted by the firm Rapid 7 has found evidence that widespread vulnerabilities and insecure configuration of ubiquitous networking components known as serial port (or “terminal”) servers, may expose a wide range of companies and critical assets – including point of sale terminals, ATMs and industrial control systems – to remote cyber attacks.(*) The vulnerable devices connected hardware like retail point-of-sale systems at a national chain of dry cleaners, providing direct access to employee terminals from which customer payment information could be accessed. Other exposed systems were used to monitor the location of cargo containers, train cargo as well as HVAC and industrial control systems, Rapid7 said. In the Rapid7 survey, over 114,000 unique IPs were identified in a scan using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), the vast majority manufactured by one company: Digi International. If left unaddressed, the vulnerable devices give remote attackers direct, administrative access to hardware devices […]


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69.6% of marketers say increased presence across social media platforms is their top area of corporate social media marketing (“social marketing”) investment for this year, ahead of increased frequency of content publishing (58.9%) and more robust social marketing management (49.5%), according to [pdf] a December 2011 Awareness survey. Investments in expanded social reach will be led by self-reported social marketing novices (78%) and dabblers (71%), while experienced social marketers find the category to be somewhat less of a priority, placing it relatively on par with increased frequency of content publishing and more robust monitoring.
3 in 4 Cite Resource Challenges
77% of respondents cite lack of sufficient resources as a social marketing challenge, followed by measuring ROI (58%), managing and growing social presence (42%), and integrating social with lead generation and sales (37%). Roughly one-third of respondents expect that integrating social with the rest of their marketing, monitoring social media, and managing publishing of social content across platforms will be a struggle this year.
These findings mirror results from a CMO Council survey released in December 2011, which found that the leading concerns held by marketers regarding investments in social media initiatives are that they require resource and time requirements and present difficulties quantifying or measuring return or brand impact.
Social Presence Top ROI Metric
Data from Awareness’ “The State of Social Media Marketing” indicates that the leading social marketing metric is social presence (76%), measured by number of followers and fans, followed by website traffic (67%), and social mentions across platforms (53%). A growing number of marketers are also tying social initiatives to lead generation (38%) and sales (26%).
Overall, 52% of the companies surveyed said they measure social marketing ROI, a figure that rises to close to more than 70% among experienced social marketers.
1 in 4 Monitor Brand in Real-Time
23% of respondents say they monitor social media for brand mentions on real-time basis, roughly matched by those who monitor brand mentions a few times a week (22%), but behind the leading frequency, near-time (33%). 22% of marketers say they are not yet monitoring social media for brand mentions, although 14% say they will do so this year. When segmenting the data by marketers’ experience, some differences emerge: close to 80% of social marketing leaders report monitoring in real- or near-time, compared to those with less social marketing experience, who reported doing so on a real- or near-time basis 20% of the time.
- Social media monitoring for industry conversations saw a peak last year, reaching 75% of respondents, with a plurality (33%) saying they conduct industry scans a few times a week.
- Experienced marketers are 3 times as likely as their less-experienced peers to have adopted and used YouTube.
- Social media marketing leaders report the highest level of forum utilization as part of their social media mix, at 68%. 59% of leaders also report using social platforms such as foursquare, compared to 7% of novices and 16% of dabblers.
- Blogs (82%) are seen as the leading resource for social marketing news and best practices, ahead of peers (59%) and industry conferences (43%).
About the Data: The Awareness data is based on a survey of more than 320 marketers from companies with revenues ranging from less than $1 million to over $100 million per year.


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The Maharashtra police in Pune have arrested two men and a woman on charges of defrauding a pharmacy shop owner by claiming to possess British-era gold coins.
According to officials, the suspects demanded Rs 30 lakh from the shop owner in exchange for a bag supposedly containing British gold-era coins, which they claimed were discovered during construction work in Goa.
The identities of the suspects have not been disclosed. To gain the shop owner’s trust initially, they showed him one coin with a Victorian mint mark. Subsequently, they handed over 16 kilograms of brass coins with a gold polish. These deceptive events occurred in February.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed based on the complaint of a 55-year-old medical shop owner in the Khadki area, under the jurisdiction of the Khadki police station.
It is believed that this scam began in the second week of February when one of the individuals started visiting the shop to befriend the owner and gain his confidence.
An officer from the Khadki police station explained, “The person told the complainant that he and his friends had discovered a trove of buried gold during excavation work for an ongoing road construction project in Goa. The suspects claimed that the treasure consisted of 28 kilograms of gold coins from the British era and offered to sell it to him for Rs 50 lakh.”
The medical shop owner informed the police that the deal was finalized for 16 kilograms of gold coins in exchange for Rs 30 lakh and requested a sample to verify the authenticity.
During one of their meetings, one of the suspects, carrying a bag of purported ‘antique’ coins, presented a coin to the complainant. To everyone’s surprise, this coin turned out to be genuine when the complainant had it verified by a jeweler. On February 26, along Chakan Mhalunge Road, the suspects executed the exchange, taking Rs 30 lakh in cash from the shop owner in return for the bag of gold coins. However, it was only later that he realized that all the coins were counterfeit, composed of brass or similar metals, merely coated with a gold-colored polish.
By that time, the fraudsters had fled and could not be contacted.
Officials reported that the complainant had made several unsuccessful attempts to reach the fraudsters over the past few months, leading him to seek police assistance to file a formal complaint.
Sub-Inspector Anil Rikibe, leading the investigation, mentioned that his team is actively pursuing various leads provided by the complainant. He emphasized the importance of the public being vigilant, urging them not to fall for such scams and to immediately report them to the police if encountered. Currently, the police are investigating how the brass coins acquired Victorian mint marks.


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One can say with Elon Musk at the helm there are few automobile manufacturers as progressive as Tesla, set aside a few boutique manufacturers. One thing that makes Tesla different is the ability to perform remote software updates.
There was a scare last year when a few vehicles went up in flames. Last November the company sent an update out to raise the ground clearance so there was less of a chance of flotsam hitting the undercarriage. Recently, the company pinged its vehicles to monitor the onboard battery charger. According to Telematics Update “The second update reduces the charging current of the onboard system by 25% if it detects unexpected fluctuations in the input power to the vehicle. If nothing else, the car fire attention has allowed Tesla to demonstrate industry-first over-the-air updates that experts expect to become the new norm in the connected vehicle era.”
Imagine what over-the-air Tesla tuning can do when it comes to updating the operating system of the infotainment system if it can raise the chassis on-the-fly. I am still not looking forward to going to my Ford dealership to leave my C-Max there for the day on Wednesday for a recalibrated hybrid engine tune.


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As U.S. households prepare for Recession 2013 , they'll have trouble saving as one constant expense is starting to take a sharp climb: food prices.
Higher U.S. food prices are the last thing the country needs as 2013 is set to bring with it a painful bunch of tax increases and the ominous fiscal cliff, but U.S. consumers need to understand that their grocery bills are about take a much bigger chunk out of their wallets.
You see, the United States is in its worst drought since the Dust Bowl. Farmers for months have been grappling with the effects, which are trickling down to your local store shelves.
"In 2013 as a result of this drought we are looking at above-normal food price inflation," U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) economist Richard Volpe told the Associated Press. "Consumers are certainly going to feel it."


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The Corona Havoc
The trending topic of 2020 is all about the disruption led by the novel coronavirus aka COVID-19. In fact, earlier this week the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The pandemic has not only claimed over 4,000 lives around the world but has also wiped out over US$5 trillion from global stock markets.
Talking about India, neither the country’s citizenry nor the economy is immune to the virus. So far, the country has reported over 80 cases, with one death. On 13th March, the tremors of the panic were also felt across Dalal Street, as the NSE’s Nifty hit the lower circuit in the early session, halting trade for the first time in 12 years.
The pandemic is likely to affect businesses, both exports and domestic, and investors’ sentiments are likely to remain damped until the virus is contained. Meanwhile, the recommendation for everyone remains the same -- follow trusted sources, share accurate information, and stay safe!
Coronavirus may knock 1.3 per cent off global GDP growth
Stock markets globally lost about $5 trillion of wealth during the last week, as measured by the MSCI all-country index, roiled by coronavirus fears. The full impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the global economy is still not assessable. “Right now the market is saying that this is unbounded. We don’t know what the limits are and we don’t know where it’s going to peak,” said Graham Tanaka, the Chief Investment Officer at New York-based Tanaka Capital.
Likely drop in India’s coffee exports as coronavirus fear spreads
India’s coffee exports could take a knock as the frequency of eating out drops in Italy and the Gulf countries -- India’s main buyers -- over fears of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). About 70% of the coffee produced in the country is exported. Italy, the largest buyer of Indian coffee, is anticipating a 10-12% drop in consumption. “The Italian government has asked people to maintain a distance of 1.5 m in public which will hit the consumption in coffee bars and community tables, a part of the country’s culture,” said Ramesh Rajah, President of the Coffee Exporters Association.
Rs 600 cr Andhra Pradesh granite exports held up
Granite quarry owners in Prakasam district are worried as an estimated Rs. 600 crore worth granite exports got held up due to lack of loading and unloading of granite at Xiamen port in China and at Krishnapatnam port and at various granite quarries in the district. Attributing the situation to the coronavirus outbreak, Galaxy Granite Quarry Owners Association General Secretary MA Azeem says, “Two vessels with around 1,20,000 tonnes of granite are anchored off the coast of Xiamen port and two vessels are still in transit.”
Exporters must leverage gains quickly
The fast spreading coronavirus could help India strengthen its position in the global supply chain but the decisions have to be taken at a faster pace to make inroads, according to corporate leaders and industry observers. China commands around 12% of the global trade compared with India’s share of 2.1%, making it a much larger supplier to the world than India. “One of the beauties of globalisation is that the world has got connected supply chains and China took a pole position in becoming a key part, especially in the manufacturing sector. Almost no vertical in the world can do without China in making some components,” said Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman of Hero Enterprises.
US trade deal to push India's exports: Piyush Goyal
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on 7th March said a trade deal with the United States will help push more exports but made it clear that the government will not rush into any such agreement. “Negotiations with the US are to India’s advantage because we have a trade surplus (with the US)...it opens up more opportunity for our exports in a big way,” Goyal said at the Economic Times Global Business Summit in New Delhi.
- Par panel expresses concern over contraction in exports, suggest steps to increase growth
- Govt calls meeting of stakeholders on Mar 16 on new foreign trade policy
- Economic policy must account for varied effects of epidemics
- Exports likely to be impacted during next fiscal due to coronavirus: Exporters
- Coronavirus fallout: Imports issue solved, but Indian pharma now faces exports problem


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Will Smith Starts Filming 'Bad Boys For Life' Today
9 days ago - By Hypebeast
Recently, Will Smith confirmed on Instagram that the cast is getting ready to film Bad Boys For Life. Now the famed actor comes back with another post announcing the start of shooting today.
In the post, Will Smith and co-star, Martin Lawrence , pose in front of a Bad Boy 's poster. The two Michael Bay-directed buddy cop movies were released in 1995 and 2003 making more than $400 million USD worldwide. Before filming today, the two re-watched the franchise over the weekend to get back into their characters.
Bad Boys For Life is set to be released in January 2020 and the two stars will...
Read more ...
The headlines of GlamTouch
2020 Toyota GR Supra First Production VIN Sells for $2.1 Million USD
A 2020 Toyota Supra has just sold for a whopping $2.1 million USD at the 48th Annual Barrett-Jackson Auction. Aside from this particular Supra's matte-gray exterior and red...
Stephane Rolland Haute Couture Spring 2019 Show
Uniform experiment Reveals Youth Culture-Infused SS19 Lookbook
Japanese-imprint uniform experiment has returned with a range of youth culture-infused offerings for its Spring/Summer 2019 lookbook and collection. The lookbook, which uses an...
The Girl x The Boy, The Boy x The Girl for Disorder Magazine
What A Feeling
A motley crew
Nike Launches Translucent Air Max 95s
Thanks to the lauded translucent uppers of the Nike React Element 87 and Zoom Fly SP , the Swoosh brand now launches an Air Max 95 comprised of a see-through material...


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Net Neutrality Could Derail Apple-Comcast Deal
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) are currently in talks to build an Apple TV streaming service, citing people familiar with the matter. Now the Journal is saying that such a deal could come under tough regulatory scrutiny as net neutrality laws are being revised and Comcast waits for approval on its purchase of Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC).
In the proposed deal between Apple and Comcast, the Apple streaming service would be kept separate from other Internet traffic to ensure that users receive the best possible service and don’t experience the slowdowns that people have been complaining about with Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). The overruling of the Federal Communication Commission’s net neutrality laws, which required that all Web traffic be treated equally, would allow Apple and Comcast to make such an arrangement.
Analysts and industry experts cited by the Journal said that the FCC and the Department of Justice would be interested in exploring such a deal because despite the overruling of net neutrality, Comcast agreed to comply by those rules when it acquired NBC Universal. While the Comcast-Apple deal wouldn’t need government approval, it could come under scrutiny if it’s shown to violate previous agreements made by Comcast. The company could be forced to stand by the net neutrality agreement even though the law as a whole has been overturned.
Regulators will also be interested in the deal since Comcast is currently the largest cable provider in the country and is set to get much bigger should the Time Warner acquisition be allowed to pass.


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Italy’s Senate has approved changes to existing legislation from 2013 that required a minimum expiry date of no more than 18 months after its production for virgin olive oil.
The European Commission has put pressure on Italy to eliminate this expiry date, and leave it to producers to take responsibility to define expiration dates themselves.
The Italian farmers’ association Coldiretti has warned that the decision to remove the maximum legal shelf life "will serve to promote the disposal of old stocks to the detriment of consumers".
It says that numerous studies have shown that, over time, olive oil loses its polyphenols, antioxidants, and vitamins, which form the basis of the properties that make it a valuable health food.
The implementation of the EU guidelines, claims Coldiretti, "amounts to deleting the expiry date, since the bottlers will only set it based on their own commercial interests", adding that the "risk is that many will take advantage to dispose of the old oil".
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.


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So Big Z just informed me that his beat was released by Asher Roth as part of a Acapella Remix series. Asher said that”the warmth of this submission stuck out.”
The beat is straight fire and word is it is going to be featured on a mixtape dropping pretty soon from one of our favorite artists. Big Z previously submitted a track to Asher’s remix contest, but this version was personally released by Asher about an hour ago. Big Z Remixes also has a dope mixtape that is set to drop pretty soon so make sure to go show him some facebook love and check back for updates.
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8 June 2022, Harrogate - Harrogate Convention Centre (HCC) has signed a deal with Kerrison Craft Exhibitions to host two British Craft shows—British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) and British Craft & Design Fair—between this autumn and 2025, adding to the venue’s three long-term exhibition wins earlier this year.
British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF)
The BCTF—UK’s leading trade event in the sector and the only one representing British handmade items—will come to HCC for the first time in April 2023 and is set to return in 2024 and 2025.
Having run in the district for 45 years, BCTF is well-positioned to serve the Northeast region, with a database of over 4,000 registered expert designer-makers within a 2.5-hour drive of Harrogate Convention Centre.
Despite also running an online show, Kane Thomas, Event Director at Kerrison Craft Exhibitions, stresses the importance of physical interactions for the trade.
“Face-to-face exhibitions are still extremely important for all industries, although they are vital for an industry focused on aesthetics, design, and texture, meaning that products ideally need to be seen in real life and held to truly experience their full beauty and worth,” said Thomas.
“The handmade craft industry is very much a community that is built on relationships and the stories behind the maker or specific pieces they create, meaning that in-person events are the place to experience the full emotion intended.”
The show was hit hard during the pandemic, with a notable decrease in potential buyers and makers especially independent businesses. The trade fair made a strong return this year after the two-year hiatus.
“In our last show in April, 72% of buyers attending the show this year had never visited BCTF before, which is a fantastic achievement itself. Whilst we are lucky to have a strong following of return buyers year on year, it’s also our job to introduce new buyers to the market and our makers to create new business deals for them,” he said.
“2023 is already looking positive for BCTF, with many new and returning designer-makers signing up to exhibit for both BCTF North (Harrogate) on 16-18 April 2023 and the launch of BCTF South (Sandown Park) 7-9 May 2023.” Thomas expects to see over 300 exhibitors at the next BCTF.
British Craft & Design Fair
Meanwhile, the brand-new consumer exhibition British Craft & Design Fair, launched by Kerrison in partnership with Handmade in Britain, will take place in Harrogate this November and May 2023. The show will feature more than 150 exhibitors and is expected to attract thousands of visitors from Yorkshire and beyond.
Having previously run exhibitions for different industries at HCC, Thomas said he is very familiar with the venue, its benefits and extremely helpful team.
“It’s always such a joy to head to Harrogate for site visits, meetings and eventually the events themselves,” he said.
“With longstanding tenants including Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair and Home & Gift Buyer’s Festival, Harrogate Convention Centre has proved itself a popular destination for retail buyers within the industry that British Craft Trade Fair can proudly present itself alongside. The same can be said for the mix of consumer/public shows in which British Craft & Design Fair is launching into.
“Both exhibitors and visitors can make the most of their visit with more networking opportunities and discounts on restaurants and cafes, all within walking distance of the venue,” said Thomas.
Paula Lorimer, Venue Director at Harrogate Convention Centre, said: “I am delighted that Harrogate Convention Centre continues to attract high quality trade exhibitions and winning the British Craft Trade Fair further cements the venue’s position as a leading exhibition centre in the North. It is also a great privilege to be launching a new consumer show post-Covid and I am confident that the British Craft & Design Fair will also be a great success.”
By bringing the shows to HCC, Kerrison Craft Exhibitions aim to bring fresh, new buyers and makers as the shows are set to grow over the coming years.
“The venue lends itself nicely to curating an event in which exhibitors and visitors alike can get caught in the ‘Harrogate Bubble’, immersing themselves in everything the event and the town have to offer through extended networking opportunities and the benefit of having everything on your doorstep,” said Thomas.
“I’ve yet to find anyone that has attended Harrogate for business or leisure to leave and not have fallen in love with it in some way.”
The events are expected to attract 10,000 visitors each year.
The craft shows are the latest addition to a series of returning long-term exhibition deals secured by HCC this year, after Harrogate Fashion Week (till 2023); the Flooring Show (till 2024) and the Bridal Week (till 2025), as the venue continues to bounce back strongly after it had to go completely dark as it was redeployed by the NHS as a Nightingale Hospital.
British Craft & Design Fair Autumn 2022 will take place on 25-27 November; British Craft Trade Fair 2023 will take place on 16-18 April.


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Express surged 11.8% in premarket action after reporting better than expected quarterly results. Express lost an adjusted 10 cents per share, narrower than the 15-cent loss anticipated by analysts, and revenue topped forecasts as well. Express also raised its full-year outlook for comparable-store sales.
Wendy’s jumped 8.8% in premarket trading after long-time shareholder Trian Fund Management said it was exploring an acquisition or other potential deal for the restaurant chain. Trian is the company’s largest shareholder, with a 19.4% stake.
Dell Technologies (DELL)
Dell gained 1% in the premarket after Evercore added the information technology company to its “Tactical Outperform” list. Evercore said IT demand trends remain strong enough to lead to an earnings beat and a raised outlook when dell releases quarterly earnings on Thursday.
Also Read | US Constitution Second Amendment: Explained
Shares of the retailer jumped 5.3% in premarket trading after the company raised its annual sales and profit forecast, a contrast to other big-box retailers. Nordstrom reported a slightly wider-than-expected loss for the first quarter, while sales increased 23.5% to surpass pre-pandemic levels.
Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS)
Shares of the sporting goods retailer fell 14.4% in the premarket after it issued a weak-than-expected outlook for the full year as it adjusts for what it calls challenging macroeconomic conditions. Dick’s reported a higher-than-expected profit and comparable-store sales that fell less than expected.
Toll Brothers (TOL)
Shares of the luxury home builder rallied 3.5% in premarket trading after the company beat top and bottom-line estimates for its latest quarter. Toll Brothers said that while demand was still strong, it has moderated amid higher mortgage rates and changing macroeconomic conditions.
Intuit shares surged 2.5% in the premarket after reporting higher-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue. The financial software company also raised its outlook for its ongoing quarter on improvement in its QuickBooks business and the addition of recently acquired email marketing firm Mailchimp.


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As a reaction to the situation with COVID and the fast spreading of the Omicron variant, RCI-Royal Caribbean decided to voluntarily pause all new bookings for cruises scheduled through January 10, 2022.
With the proactive effort, the line limits the onboard capacity while still providing safe cruises to already booked guests.
An RCI spokesperson said that cruises departing through early January 2022 were unavailable to new reservations because their ships would continue sailing with a limited capacity to accommodate physical distancing.
"These sailings were removed from our website as we’ve done with previous cruises in 2021.”
In a further explanation, it is said the affected cruise ships would set sail as planned, only with the passengers that booked cruises by now, no further bookings will be offered for those sailings.
This is a new moment in the tightening of the measures, including promoting frequent mask-wearing, changing COVID testing protocols, banning smoking in the casinos, etc.


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Irked by the stalemate in trade negotiations with Beijing, President Donald Trump announced yesterday that Washington would slap a 10 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion in Chinese imports Sept. 1. Also fueling his frustration is China’s alleged foot-dragging on stopping fentanyl shipments and buying more U.S. agricultural goods as promised. The new levy — coming after the enactment of a 25 percent tax on $250 million in goods — would include products as diverse as smartphones and sneakers.
What’s next? Beijing’s likely to retaliate, further rattling markets that skidded on Thursday’s news, although Trump could withdraw his threat if talks progress.


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Bain Capital, Advent close to buying German payment group ConCardis for €700 mn
06 January 2017
Private equity firms Bain Capital and Advent are nearing a deal to buy German payment group ConCardis GmbH for about €700 million (£598 million pounds), Reuters yesterday reported, citing three people familiar with the process.
ConCardis is owned by a consortium of German lenders, including Deutsche Bank, Unicredit and Commerzbank.
Founded in 2003 and based in Eschborn, Germany, ConCardis provides debit and credit card payment transaction services in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Benelux.
Its portfolio includes point of sale solutions in face-to-face retailing aspects; e-payment solutions for e-commerce and mail/telephone order; contactless payment solutions; mobile payments; additional functions, such as dynamic currency conversions; online shopping solutions; and solutions for small and medium-sized companies.
ConCardis provides its services for around 110,000 customers at 210,000 locations and with more than 470,000 connected terminals.
ConCardis posted core earnings of €33.9 million on sales of €480 million last year.