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- Headline inflation rose by 0.6% for August, the biggest monthly increase in over a year
- But core inflation has decelerated to 4.3%, the lowest result since September 2021
- The results didn’t dissuade investors from the view that the Fed will hold interest rates steady at the next meeting
The latest inflation data was released yesterday, with headline inflation showing the biggest increase since June last year. The inflation rise was explainable, allaying concerns from investors that the inflation battle is turning into a war, but the Fed may not be so charitable with its own view.
The market reaction was one of continued optimism, with the stock market and dollar rising. A short-term positive reaction may be warranted, but the inflation data was a mixed bag and points to some long-term issues the Fed may face in bringing inflation in line.
Here’s the latest on the inflation report, what it all means and why investors are largely shrugging off the most significant inflation jump in over a year.
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What was the latest inflation data?
The latest consumer price index (CPI) report revealed a 0.6% jump in headline inflation for August, the biggest increase since June 2022, pushing the year-over-year increase to 3.7%. That’s a sizeable lift from July’s 3.2% result and above analysts’ consensus estimate of 3.6%.
It’s the second increase in a month for headline inflation, this time driven by a spike in energy prices, which rose 5.6% for the month, and a surge in gasoline which contributed a 10.6% increase.
Shelter costs continue to be a driver, rising 0.3% over the month and marking a 40th straight month of gains. The rent of primary residence index increased by 0.5% and rose by 7.8% compared to a year ago. Owners’ equivalent rent, a metric that assesses what homeowners could achieve for renting their home, climbed by 0.4%, which is a 7.3% yearly increase.
Gas prices and shelter costs are explainable. Used car prices, which had been a concerning factor in pushing up inflation, declined by 1.2% and are down 6.6% for the year. But there was also an increase in transportation and medical care sector costs in August, with the former rising by 2%, and airfares jumped by 4.9%, though they’re still down 13.3% from the same time last year.
However, core inflation was the real winner of the report. For August, the gauge rose 0.3% over the month and decelerated to a 4.3% annual pace, which is the lowest core inflation reading since September 2021. Consensus predictions had been for a 0.2% monthly increase and a 4.3% annual rise.
Is there any other economic data?
On the same day, the Labor Department released new data on worker earnings, which unveiled a jump in headline inflation hit American pay packets. Actual average hourly earnings declined by 0.5% for the month but are still 0.5% higher than the same time last year.
It’s another sign the red-hot labor market is finally weakening, in line with other recent data we’ve seen on jobs. The August unemployment rate was at 3.8%, a high not seen since February 2022. Contrastingly, nonfarm payrolls increased by 187,000 for the month, which was well above the Dow Jones forecast of 170,000.
As for the personal-consumption expenditures price (PCE) index, headline and core inflation for July increased, but precisely in line with economists’ expectations. July’s core PCE inflation reading was 4.2% annually, while headline PCE inflation was 3.3%, which was driven by an uptick in prices for services rather than goods.
How did the markets react?
The dollar index closed higher on Wednesday by 0.19% to 104.79. The euro lost 0.22% against the dollar ahead of the European Central Bank’s own policy announcements today. Treasury yields were down very slightly, with the ten-year hitting 4.248% and the two-year falling to 4.984%.
The markets were mixed after the CPI news, with the S&P 500 rising by 0.1%, the Nasdaq climbing 0.3% higher and the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 0.2%. Stock market futures initially fell at the report’s release but rebounded by the end of the trading day.
Will the Fed raise interest rates this month?
The Fed is meeting next week to decide the fate of U.S. interest rates, though the latest data didn’t dissuade markets from predicting the Fed will hold them steady – in fact, it made them even more convinced.
The CME FedWatch tool now has the likeliness of a September interest rate pause at 97%, up from 92% on Tuesday. Expectations for a quarter-point hike in November had been slowly rising but fell from 41.1% on Tuesday to 40.8% yesterday.
Why is that when inflation went up? Because it matters which parts of inflation rose. Energy and food prices are known volatile elements driven by extraneous factors, whereas rising core inflation would suggest a domestic problem.
The fact that core inflation is now at its lowest levels in two years gives the markets and Fed some optimism that the monetary tightening cycle is working – and maybe ending. Interest rates are already at a target range of 5.25% to 5.5%, the highest in 22 years.
Are there any inflation headwinds?
In August, U.S. consumer debt topped $1 trillion in the second quarter of 2023 for the first time ever, according to the New York Fed. That’s a 4.6% increase from the first quarter, which was $986 billion.
Credit card delinquency rates have also risen from 5.08% this year compared to 3.35% last year. In short – the average American consumer has run out of savings and relies on credit card debt to get by.
Student loan repayments have also resumed after a three-year forgiveness period. Higher education debt has tripled since the 2008 financial crisis, with U.S. households collectively owing $1.6 trillion in debt.
The anticipated impact is a further slowdown in consumer spending that could even spark a recession, given the price increases households have already faced for the last two years. Morgan Stanley predicts most paying back student debt will see their disposable incomes reduced by 0.3% to 0.5% a year.
But housing, which has been a persistent thorn in inflation’s side for the last two years, is expected to soften after a record rate of large multi-family housebuilding projects was recorded in July. A new Redfin report showed asking rents neared record levels in August, but landlords offering more incentives have softened competition for rentals.
The bottom line
It was another mixed bag for the inflation results, but they weren’t enough to change anyone’s mind that the Fed will keep interest rates steady in September. Only the Fed knows what it will decide, and the tone of Fed members has been persistently hawkish in recent months, but they won’t want to spook the markets.
Besides, the core inflation result was promising, and concerns over shelter and gasoline prices are set to disappear. There are still worries over consumer debt and student loans to be dealt with, but it’s one step at a time when it comes to beating inflation.


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Scott Perkinson, president, Perkinson Reprographics sees things in a similar fashion. "We need to be more creative with our sales and marketing process. We need to reach out beyond our normal borders and find clients and projects that our different than our norms. We need to work harder and smarter than we have in years. The refining process is and will be good for our business in the long run."
"Now more than ever we need to focus on taking waste out of our processes, both literally and figuratively," said Tom Trutna, owner, BIG INK Display Graphics. "We will continue to use 'lean' and 'green' as our mantra that will move us forward today and in the foreseeable future."
For some of these companies, they have found new ways to partner with both their customers and their vendors—to positive results.
"Our goal over the next 12 months is to collaborate with our customers to find solutions that are both creative and cost-effective," said Kim Dahl, vice president, Mathison's. "We are finding new ways to help our customers realize the greatest impact from how they spend their promotional and printing budgets, also ensuring that they never compromise their brand image or quality."
Zach Sharpe, president of Sharpe Images, agrees. "The current economy is requiring every business to evaluate what it is printing, how it is printing, and what the value it is receiving. We are working closely with our customers and prospects to show them how to manage their printing requirements through on-line digital storefronts, we are developing new cost effective solutions for their printing needs and finding lower cost production equipment that continues to produce a high quality."
But, according to Jittu Sarna, owner, Inkjet International, these times also can be seen as providing some of the biggest opportunities for businesses. "We have invested in improving our customer communication tools through a dynamic new website, the convenience of a web-store with customizable options, and aggressive outbound marketing. These steps and others are forming the platform for us to step out from being a printer that reacts to an order, versus a solutions printer that creates ideas, earns loyalty and generates new business," said Sarna. "All of this requires a synchronized effort and collaboration with our vendor partners—whom we are working more closely with than ever before."
"Working with our current vendors and searching for new vendors that can offer better pricing on our materials has opened up more opportunities to help our clients out during this time. In doing this we've been able to lock down bigger discounts, allowing us to pass these savings onto our clients resulting in lower prints costs," said Gina Spring, Solar Imaging. "With these savings, our clients have been able to continue their advertising and print projects and sometimes even do more than they have anticipated for the year. It's really a win-win situation for all of us."
Many of these shops have turned to their employees for both ideas and support. The right people in the shop are key to growing their businesses—even during down times.
"We face many challenges in the next several years. The one area that will present my biggest challenge is employee retention," said Kevin O'Hea, owner, Academy Reprographics. "My company's greatest asset is its employees. These are the people that I trust day in, day out, to keep my customers happy and content. I can have all of the latest equipment and gadgets and services, but without good people, I'm just another blueprinter. So when I lay awake at night and worry, it's not about revenue and cash flow, it's about losing good employees. If our revenue slows down, we will be forced to let some of them go. I trust my people, and more importantly, they trust me to keep them out of the unemployment lines. We have expanded our market into nontraditional services and included niche markets that have typically been ignored. The employees themselves have provided some of the best ideas and we have invested heavily in those areas."

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// A UK watchdog has launched an investigation into the audit of retailer French Connection by Mazars
// It comes after French Connection on Monday agreed a £29 million takeover by one of its biggest shareholders
Britain’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has opened an investigation into the audit of retailer French Connection Group by accountants Mazars.
The FRC said it was looking at the fashion retailer’s accounts for the year ending January 31 2020.
It said the decision to investigate the audit was made at a meeting of its conduct committee on July 20, with the case being handled by the FRC’s enforcement division.
The retailer said it had negotiated a deal with Apinder Singh Ghura, who already owns about 25.4 per cent of the business and is its second-largest shareholder.
The sale comes after years of losses at French Connection, with trading woes compounded by the pandemic.
The clothing brand, which was founded by chairman and chief executive Stephen Marks in 1972, saw underlying losses widen to £11.7 million for the year to January 31 2021, compared with a £2.9 million loss the previous year.
Annual group revenues plunged by 40.4 per cent to £71.5 million after coronavirus restrictions caused it to shut stores for large parts of the year.
Mazars took over auditing for French Connection for the year to January 2020, which is the subject of the FRC investigation, after replacing KPMG.
KPMG had handled the firm’s audit since 1994, but the account was put out to tender under European and UK rules for auditor rotation.
Mazars said it was “co-operating fully” with the FRC.
It added: “Respecting client confidentiality and due process, will provide no further comment during the course of the investigation.”


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After being teased during a panel held during South by Southwest’s Interactive conference last week by Sundar Pichai, Google has formally announced Android Wear, a version of the Android operating system that will start with watches and eventually move on to other designs and products meant for wearable devices. Google’s immediate vision for wearable products and watches in particular includes basic functionality and is focused on notifications.
Google’s pitch is that smart wearables should provide useful information when the wearer needs it, such as posts, social network updates, and messaging notifications as needed. Google also thinks wearables should also be able to answer questions on the fly by using “OK Google” to trigger functionality and to that end, Google’s Android-based wearables will include Google Now, its voice-controlled search assistant, for performing searches and issuing commands. Android Wear will also give people a way to monitor their health and fitness, improving upon current rudimentary health and fitness functionality found in smartphones.
Android Wear will also let users access and control other devices such as music players, phones and TVs through Google Now functionality. Developers interested in developing for Android Wear compatibility can sign up to participate in a developer preview that is already live and developers will be able to customize their app notifications for watches powered by Android Wear.
Google has also promised more resources, including APIs that will be available to developers soon outside of today’s preview. Google also confirmed that it is working with Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung to create Android Wear-based watches, all slated to begin release later this year starting in the second quarter.
That Google is announcing yet another Android fork specifically devoted to wearables following its long-term experiment with Glass means that the search giant sees a viable market for an Android-powered platform to ease the development of such products as well as giving manufacturers a more familiar environment for developing software around those products that won’t require separate compatibility layers or heavy customization, as with previous attempts in Android smartwatches, such as Motorola’s MOTOACTV and Samsung’s much-maligned first generation Android-powered Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
The timing of the confirmation of Android Wear should also be noticed, as Samsung has recently announced two new smartwatches in the Gear 2 and Gear Neo, both powered by its own Tizen platform rather than Android. Perhaps Google sees anything related to Tizen as a concern now and is rushing to release another platform in order to keep the other OEMs happy. As of today, developer previews are now available for Android Wear, with more specific announcements coming soon. Below, a developer video detailing Android Wear and its basic functionality.
Another video showcasing ideal Android Wear functionality for end users:
Finally, manufacturers such as Qualcomm, Intel, Broadcom, Imagination and Mediatek have announced full support and backing for Android wear on both the hardware and chipset side, with venerable watchmaker Fossil also pledging support for the platform as the only fashion brand on board.


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Melissa Voetsch delivered this report on Jan. 31.
Did you know that something that can be grown in your own garden can get your kids high? It's called Salvia, reports News 11's Melissa Voetsch.
The drug is not only legal, it's so common it could be growing in your front yard. It's known as Salvia Divinorum, and it's now being called the legal LSD.
"As soon as you take the smoke in, it's extremely intense. It's nothing to play around with. It's very onset and immediate," says a teen who does not want to be identified.
Teens across the nation are smoking the substance and experiencing hallucinogenic highs.
"You don't see things that aren't there, but you see things in a different perspective. Things don't look like they are normally perceived. They take shapes, shift, and stuff like that," the teen says.
Toledo psychiatrist Dr. Tim Valko says Salvia is very dangerous.
"It's considered to be just under the potency of LSD. It kicks in in about one minute and lasts up to 30 minutes," Valko says. It's an hallucinogen -- that may not kill you in and of itself but it may cause behavior that could.
"You basically get psychotic on it, and you're not sure what's happening in your environment so you misinterpret everything around you," Valko says.
How easy is the drug to get? To find out, we sent one of News 11's producers into a local store to investigate with a hidden camera.
"This is what it's all about. You just take a pinch and put it in a pipe and hit it, hold it for as long as you can and exhale, and you're off on a 7-minute journey. It makes me laugh uncontrollably," said one user.
The drug is, surprisingly, legal in Ohio. Only seven states in the U.S. have banned the substance. While there is a movement underway to make Salvia illegal, it remains out there at local stores and on the Internet. And users are getting younger and younger.
Posted by KO


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NILES — A new gaming store is coming to Eastwood Mall this fall.
Infinite Consortium Gaming will occupy a 4,385-square-foot location in the Dillard’s Concourse.
Owners Tom and Michalena Vaughn opened their first game store in Sharon, Pa., in 2013. Infinite Consortium Gaming specializes in tabletop gaming. Gamers can choose from a wide selection of games such as Pandemic, Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Yugioh, Catan, Cards Against Humanity, Ascension and Warhammer. The store also has more traditional board games, such as Monopoly, Clue and Scrabble.
Infinite Consortium Gaming also stocks an assortment of Lego kits, puzzles, miniatures, gaming accessories, collectibles, plushies and other gift items.
A section of the store is reserved as a gaming space, where gamers can test their skills against fellow players.


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Katz 360 Sales, the digital sales division of Katz Media Group, is expanding its digital advertising offerings to become a full-service interactive ad network, the company announced Wednesday.
The expansion includes new
social, local, mobile location-based, and social advertising services. It will be led by Mort Greenberg, who was recently named president of Katz 360 Sales.
The transition entails a greater focus on online ad reporting, analytics and optimization, as part of a push to offer more precise cross-platform targeting and greater accountability. Katz 360 also plans to draw on more third-party sources of digital ad inventory.
As part of the transformation, Katz will get a new (as-yet-unrevealed) brand name and corporate structure, including a new international sales team. The company also plans to launch a new creative lab to develop campaigns customized to take advantage of brands’ unique identities and market strengths.
Katz currently operates four main digital platforms: online digital audio, mobile, database and display.
The strategic overhaul aims to help Katz and its affiliates capture more digital advertising dollars.
While Internet radio and online and mobile advertising in general are all booming, radio broadcasters have only managed to secure a fairly small slice of this business. According to the Radio Advertising Bureau, the radio industry’s total digital advertising revenues came to $356 million in the first half of 2012, or just 4.5% of total revenues of about $7.9 billion.
The growth rate for radio’s digital ad revenues in the first half -- 7% year-over-year -- also lags behind the growth rate for online advertising overall, which increased 14% to $17 billion in the first half of the year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
"Radio photo from Shutterstock"


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A technical analysis Luddite is a trader/investor who despises automated trading platforms and realizes the only way to beat the machines 70% of the time is to play them at their own game – pattern recognition and math. Improvise, adapt, and overcome with fusion analysis.
Some economic data releases from this week are worthy of review before moving on to the gold charts tonight. In summary, interest rates remain near ZIRP or are NIRP around the world, the Fed is printing liquidity into the financial system at a quicker rate than during the Great Financial Crisis, one TBTF bank let a cat out of the bag by forecasting an economic collapse due to the Fed’s “not QE,” and global debt surged to $250 trillion. With all that said, Jay Powell made it very clear last week that inflation is the bellwether for monetary policy decisions in the near-term unless some other risk brewing on the world stage steals the show. Additional data doom can be found at “A Mashup on the National Debt, GDP, Velocity of Money, NIRP, and Gold,” published on Oct. 30.
- Powell: only inflation “moving up significantly” justify a rate hike – Bloomberg, Nov. 7
- Powell: rates on hold absent material deterioration in economy – MarketWatch, Nov. 13
- Bullard: sharper-than-expected economic slowdown is ‘key risk’ – MarketWatch, Nov. 14
- Powell: he doesn’t see a ‘day of reckoning’ anytime soon – CNBC, Nov. 14
The U.S. industrial production data released for October is the worst print since March of 2009.
Chart Source: Zerohedge
Why did the stock market brush off such a bad industrial production report today? The blame has been placed on General Motors due to the 40-day strike. Rumor has it that Ford may be next. If autos are removed from the equation, industrial production dipped only 0.1% instead of 0.8%. Due to negative economic data that continues to pop up around the world, it is possible that global manufacturing output growth will remain near zero for an extended period.
The Fed was likely disappointed with the import and export price data released today, which fell at the fastest pace in three years on a year-over-year basis. Can you say “deflation?”
Chart Source: Zerohedge
The price of products imported into the U.S. fell across the board in October while oil tanked 3.7%. Costs have plunged 3% over the past year, making it the largest decline in a 12-month period since 2016. Some products have become more affordable in the U.S. as a result, but that adds unwanted deflation on the Fed’s plate. Export prices also dove into the deflationary pool, with a 2.2% decline over the past year. Official inflation data remains low to stagnant around the world and is unlikely to rise by much with continued reports of paltry economic growth. Tariffs from trade wars increased prices on few goods and services.
As we approach the holiday shopping season in the U.S., the consumer is not keen on splurging this year. Annual retail sales growth slowed down considerably.
Chart Source: Zerohedge
GDP estimates from the Fed’s GDPNow and NowCast for 4Q19 are not looking good for the holiday shopping season. The GDPNow forecast plunged to just 0.3% from 1.0% only a week ago, and NowCast fell from 0.7% to 0.4%. It is possible that GDP could print negative in the near future.
“After this morning’s retail trade releases from the U.S. Census Bureau, and this morning’s industrial production report from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the NowCasts of fourth-quarter real personal consumption expenditures growth and fourth-quarter real gross private domestic investment growth decreased from 2.1 percent and -2.3 percent, respectively, to 1.7 percent and -4.4 percent, respectively.”
The Cass Freight Index remains in contraction. The data includes all domestic freight modes and is derived from $28 billion in transactions processed by Cass annually on behalf of its client base of hundreds of large shippers. The data is a broad sampling of industries, including consumer-packaged goods, food, automotive, chemical, OEM, retail, and heavy equipment.
Here are the links to my recent analyses on the price advance of gold. To view a larger version of any chart, right-click on it and choose your “view image” option.
- Silver Note and the Screaming Gold Rally Pauses After Dog Days of Summer – Aug. 31
- Savvies Were Aware of the Near-Term Risk for a Pullback in Gold and Silver – Sep. 7
- Gold Gamblers Spoofed Into RICO Prison – Sep. 22
- Monkey Hammered Muppets – Oct. 14.
- A.I.-Hammered Muppets and Gold Technical Analysis – Nov. 7
Here is the 20-year seasonality chart for gold that is marked for where we are today.
Here is the gold spot weekly chart as of the Nov. 15 close, overlaid with the CFTC’s Commitments of Traders (CoT) report data from Nov. 12 and released on Nov. 15. The CoT is always delayed by one week. The Nov. 19 CoT data covering the previous week’s price action will be released on Friday, Nov. 21.
The purpose of the overlay is to help identify the near-term price trend based on positioning by the commercials (bullion banks) and large specs (hedge funds). Almost without exception, the commercial (bullion banks) traders build short positions during a rising price trend and add longs when the price is falling. Large specs (hedge funds) add long or short positions to capture the momo play of the current trend. When the price is approaching an inflection point, their positioning begins to flip. Zoom in to the bottom of the chart and note the Nov. 12 data points marked with red dots. I included the 50 & 200 Exponential Moving Averages (EMA) for reference. Note that both the commercials’ and large specs’ bullishness are growing despite fluctuations in the short vs. long data, as the overall Open Interest (green line) is growing.
Gold weekly chart from the Nov. 7, 2019 analysis…
Gold daily chart as of Nov. 15, 2019 close…
Excerpt from the Sep. 20 daily chart analysis:
“The price action got interesting during the second half of the trading day on Friday after the Fed announced continued REPO operations until Oct.10 and China’s negotiators for the trade war departed the U.S. early… the price action cleared the 10 and 21 EMA resistance with a $1,515.34 print at the close. The $1,526 Fibonacci must be breached again on volume in order for the price to retest the $1,557.06 high and clear the way for a challenge of the $1,586 Fibonacci level. Volume continues to falter and must pick up the pace in order to challenge the price levels noted. The DMI-ADX remains positive but indecisive, the StochRSI has risen up and out into a positive trend, and the Momentum and Money Flow are back on the rise.”
Excerpt from the Nov. 7 weekly chart analysis:
“This is the sixth week that the gold price has not been able to retake the $1,526 Fibonacci level. Despite the pullback, there is no major technical damage to the chart thus far, but the situation is precarious. Today’s price action tapped the $1,463 Fibonacci that matches a low put in five weeks ago, and due to that length of time, the 21 Exponential Moving Average (EMA) is now acting as support. If the 21 EMA is breached to the downside on heavy sell volume, the price could free-fall inside the gap between two Fibonacci levels where there are no moving averages, which is pointed out by the double red arrow. A worse-case scenario is $1,400 if significant progress with China confirms in the near-term, but several lateral support levels with substantial buy volumes in the previous Flag Tilt pattern will provide some support between $1,430 and $1,450. Unless substantial dip buyers appear soon or some other market event trips the machines into risk-on mode, the risk is high for further downside. One positive that stands out is that Volume has fallen throughout the price correction since mid-September. The DMI-ADX remains positive but continues to roll over, the StochRSI is deep into oversold territory, and the Momentum and Money Flow are in plunge mode. I remain bullish long-term, but caution is warranted until $1,526 is taken out with conviction. In the meantime, it is a scalping environment for traders and a core position-building opportunity for the seasoned investor.”
The China trade war headlines have become a dominant force in the price action for gold. In late September, a bullish Half Staff Flag was threatening a breakout before news triggered automated trading platforms and whipped gold back under its topside trendline. Positive headlines on the potential for a trade deal are currently having a more pronounced effect on downside price action than negative headlines are having on upside movements. During the first week of November, stock markets were giddy over a potential first-phase deal, and gold experienced a sharp retreat to the $1,483 Fibonacci and 21 EMA (see weekly chart). A seesaw of sentiment about the deal followed, and automated stop-loss trading triggered more downside to $1,445.62 over a three-day period. Take note of the long, red arrows on the daily chart that point out three large buy volume days where the current price action has found lateral support from the previous Flag Tilt pattern. The choppy price action and pivot off $1,446 morphed the Half Staff Flag into a Falling Wedge pattern. Toward the end of this week, doubts about a trade deal delivered upward momentum to the gold price and printed a high of $1,475 on Thursday and a weekly close at $1,468.
The price action has closed back above the 100 EMA on the daily for three consecutive days. The 10 EMA is the immediate overhead resistance. The 50 EMA near the $1,483 Fibonacci (see weekly) is the next resistance, and that price level provided support from September through the first week of November. The topside trendline of the Falling Wedge is resting at $1,500. The DMI-ADX is beginning to roll over and out of a negative momentum setup, the StochRSI is threatening a break to the upside, the Momentum and Money Flow have bottomed out, and the Volume was falling with the fall in price early in the week.
The 50 EMA and topside trendline of the Falling Wedge have become more important resistance levels than the $1,526 ever was by itself. Also, keep eyes on $1,500 for upside momentum, and beware of the China trade war headlines because the mindless machines buy and sell without a conscious.
Here are a few articles and interviews to peruse before closing up shop tonight:
- VIDEO: What’s Going on With Gold? – Grant Williams at PM Summit, Nov. 2019
- Bankers in $220 Billion Scandal Offered Gold to Hide Client Cash – Bloomberg, Nov. 10
- AUDIO: Repo Markets Went Crazy, December Could Be Worse – Odd Lots, Nov. 11
- Retail gold insights 2019 – World Gold Council, Nov. 12
- Serbia Buys Nine Tons of Gold to Heed Crisis Advice – Bloomberg, Nov. 14
Whether or not you monitor the Democrat clown show masquerading as an impeachment inquiry, the following five-minute video clip of Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is worth your time. Stefanik takes the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine to task on details and ruins shifty Schiff’s sexist sandbox. The clip nicely sums up two days of nonsense.
Plan Your Trade, Trade Your Plan
TraderStef on Twitter


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The annual exhibition – now in its 61st year – will run from Sunday until Tuesday ( 4-6 September), and showcase the latest jewellery brands and ranges from some 550 designers, manufacturers, loose gemstone suppliers, retail service suppliers and established brands.
The show will feature a packed seminar programme of leading entrepreneurs and retailers, including Laura Tenison, founder of the mother and baby boutique global multi-channel brand JoJo Maman Bébé, and Sally Heath, e-commerce director of successful fashion brand New Look.
In total, some 40 high-profile industry experts will share advice on topics including sales techniques, social media, human resource issues, security, brand building and intellectual property.
Meanwhile, the show will also see the 10 winning designers of the annual KickStart Bursary Programme exhibit as a group at the KickStarter stand area.
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The full KickStart line-up:
- Joanna Bury
- Emily Richardson
- Emma Calvert
- Sammie Jo Coxon
- Cécile Gilbert
- Vicky Lew
- Lucas Mitchell
- Charlotte Scott Moncrieff
- Marina Skia
- Jonna Jarvenpaa and Laura Vilppula
Sam Willoughby, show director, said: “Visitors to the show always make a beeline for the KickStarter stand because it is a one-stop showcase for the best in on-trend, innovative design.
“Our KickStarters this year will not disappoint – they are a really exciting group of designers and they all deserve to benefit from this unique commercial launch pad.”
KickStarter Marina Skia was recently named as the winner of the ‘People’s Choice’ award, and will receive a free stand in the Design Gallery at IJL 2017.


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You take your television to the repair shop.
Or you put down a deposit on furniture.
But when the pickup or delivery date arrives, you discover the front door locked, the store dark and the phone disconnected at the business you trusted.
"We get complaints on that all the time," said Larry Breeden, director of the Palm Beach County Division of Consumer Affairs. "The businesses can be anything from home improvement to retailers to consignment shops."
Businesses go under all the time, often with no warning. Many are not required to post bonds with the state to repay consumers in these circumstances.
So how can consumers protect themselves when businesses closes?
-- Locate the company or its owners.
This often takes legwork, consumer experts say. If a company does not post instructions at its last address or leave them with its neighbors or landlord.
By calling 904-488-3680, consumers also can obtain corporate information from the Florida Secretary of State's office, which can be helpful in locating companies' principals. Similar information can be found on city and county occupational licenses.
-- Check whether the company has filed for bankruptcy, and know your rights if it has.
Consumers can call the clerks of federal bankruptcy courts in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach to find out whether a company has sought bankruptcy protection.
Such filings usually are made near a company's headquarters, but not always. Case in point: South Florida bedding chain Sleep-O-Rama filed for bankruptcy protection in Tampa, confusing some creditors.
If the company has filed for bankruptcy, consumers should submit claims to the appropriate bankruptcy court. But customers, as unsecured creditors, tend to be at the back of the line for restitution, consumer advocates warn.
-- Pursue your money or property if the company has not filed for bankruptcy.
Closing does not relieve a business of its obligations to customers.
If the company does not meet those obligations, consumers can file complaints with county consumer affairs divisions, the Florida Attorney General's Office or, if the business is regulated, with the regulating agency.
Consumers also can take gripes to Small Claims Court, a lawyer or the police.
SOURCE LINE: If you have a consumer story idea, enter category 8051. For weekly consumer tips, enter 2780.
Boynton Beach 625-5463


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Business & Finance
More unemployed Americans filed for new jobless benefits last week, while new-home sales in the U.S. fell in May.
The U.S. will tackle trade barriers to investment in India during talks in Washington next week.
China outlined the terms under which it released detained artist Ai Weiwei, raising fresh questions about what critics say are the increasingly arbitrary methods used to silence Communist Party critics.
Alleged U.S. crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger, on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List" since 1999, was arrested in California.


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Qualcomm’s midrange processor series hasn’t received the best reception in recent years, as several brands have opted for previous-generation flagship processors over the midrange ones. Now, in an effort to address this issue, Qualcomm has announced the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, focusing primarily on-device AI features. Here’s everything you need to know.
Manufactured by TSMC with 4nm technology, the 7 Gen 3 chip includes one Prime core clocked at 2.6GHz, three performance cores at 2.4GHz, and four efficiency cores at 1.8 GHz. This translates to about a 15% performance and 20% efficiency increase compared to the 7 Gen 1, as stated by Qualcomm.
When talking about the performance, Christopher Patrick, the senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Technologies’ mobile phone business, highlighted that their goal is to balance performance and energy efficiency, allowing a broader range of consumers to access high-end experiences previously limited to top-tier devices.
Emphasis on AI
Artificial Intelligence has been the biggest talking point of 2023, with all major companies incorporating the technology into their devices. For example, Google, with its Pixel 8 series, introduced a range of AI features, including image editing options, allowing users to select different faces for group photos or enhance video quality using AI. However, these capabilities were made possible by Google’s proprietary Tensor chip.
Therefore, to bring these features to the masses, Qualcomm has improved the AI performance of the 7 Gen 3 chip by 90% while reducing power consumption by 60%. This on-device AI capability reduces reliance on cloud-based solutions, thus decreasing latency while enhancing privacy and security.
However, it is important to note that although the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 boasts powerful generative AI capabilities, its practical implementation in smartphones will vary across manufacturers due to factors such as memory configurations and model specifications.
Perhaps the second biggest talking point in Qualcomm’s presentation, the Adreno 720 GPU is a pivotal component of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, promising a 50% performance boost compared to its predecessor. Additionally, it supports various APIs like OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 FP, and Vulkan 1.3, resulting in improved graphics rendering and a better gaming experience.
During a demo, the chip maintained an impressive 80 FPS in Aztec Ruins 1080P rounds while reducing power consumption by 20%.
Image Processing and audio
Photos and videos, in recent years, have increasingly started to rely on software, particularly image signal processing and AI. Keeping this in mind, the chipset’s Spectra three ISPs enhance colour control, autofocus, and skin restoration while capturing up to 200MP photos and 4K computational HDR videos. Additionally, in terms of configurations, it supports a 21MP triple camera setup or a 32+21MP dual camera setup.
Moreover, the chip includes advancements in audio capabilities, such as spatial audio based on head tracking and clear voice and video pass-through.
In terms of connectivity, the chip includes the X63 5G modem with dual-SIM dual-pass-DSDA. Additionally, it also supports the Qualcomm FastConnect 6700, enabling Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3.
When do the first phones with the 7 Gen 3 chip come out?
Although there hasn’t been any major announcement from brands like Samsung, Honor has reportedly introduced its Honor 100 series, running on the 7 Gen 3 chip. The phone, initially launched in China, recently underwent Geekbench testing, scoring 1139 points in single-core and 3375 points in multi-core tests, thus giving a glimpse of the actual performance.
However, to put these numbers into perspective, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 Plus scored 1691 points in the single-core test and 4402 points in the multi-core test. This suggests that the chip falls between the regular 7 Gen 2 and the 7 Gen 2 Plus rather than being a direct successor to the 7 Gen 2 line.


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An awareness of Canadian food and beverage trends - and changing consumer preferences - can help food processors and manufacturers better target their marketing and sales in Canada. According to Restaurants Canada, total food service sales in the country are projected to reach $88.7 billion in 2018, with millennials driving that growth. The hottest trends … Continue reading The hottest food and beverage trends in Canada.
CPTPP, CETA, USMCA... so many acronyms. What do they mean? Well, for Canada, they mean an increasing global trade network, thanks to new deals with new foreign partners. And today, we're going to help you learn what the acronyms mean. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) The USMCA is the new name for the renegotiated North … Continue reading More info about Canada’s new trade agreements
As we've mentioned in previous posts, the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) come into effect on January 15, 2019. Now is the time for food manufacturers and importers/exporters to prepare to be compliant by that deadline. Last week, we watched Livingston's in-depth webinar about the SFCR and what the food sector needs to know … Continue reading Some answers to your questions about the Safe Food for Canadians Act.
It's quite the start to the work week. After 13 months of (often heated) negotiations, we woke Monday morning to news that a tentative new trade agreement had been reached between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) - as it would be called - contains some updated items, and some of … Continue reading A look at the USMCA.
As previously mentioned, we're in Pennsylvania this week and next, meeting companies wanting to export to Canada and other world markets. It's all part of Bringing the World to PA, an annual event geared toward businesses across that state. We're going to be posting updates on our Twitter feed, as time permits. So follow us … Continue reading Curious about #BTW2PA? Check our Twitter feed.


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Money is dying, but we’re not ready to bury it
The disappearance of cash is near. As consumers, however, we must hope that the end does not come too soon.
It is not the pandemic that ends the existence of this popular payment method. All COVID-19 has done is accelerate a trend that was already with us. When Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007, he began to eliminate the need for banknotes. Self-driving cars, automatically controlled refrigerators and our digital avatars in the metaverse will put the final nails in King Cash’s coffin.
COVID-19 has shifted $ 5,000 billion in global retail sales from offline to online. As much of this value was traded in cash (47% in the eurozone), the idea that central bank-issued currency was essential for purchasing basic necessities took a hit. After an initial increase in precautionary hoarding, mobility restrictions and the fear of catching germs while handling paper money forced a change in habits.
Where governments have handed out vouchers to increase spending – like in Hong Kong – millions of consumers and thousands of merchants have become new users of online payment systems just for using documents. Many will likely continue to use these new ways of paying their bills.
But how crucial have these changes been in all things? The different trajectory of banknotes in China and India provides a natural experiment to assess the relative importance of temporary shocks and constant technological change.
Cash usage has plummeted in India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi canceled 86% of existing legal tender overnight in a botched economic experiment. It was five years ago. Nowadays, digital payments are booming, but cash again makes up 14% of all currency circulating in the economy, as it did before demonetization. In China, where physical currency has been rendered useless by the growing ubiquity of Alipay and WeChat Pay, central bank IOUs on the public account are only 4% of the money.
Technological progress does not have the drama of a behavioral shock, but it is none the less staggering. As Jeremy Balkin and Neha Wattas of JPMorgan Chase & Co. remind us, the fastest way to transfer money from New York to London again in 2010 was to take a flight from JFK to Heathrow and deliver it in person. . Their report, provocatively titled “Payments Eat the World,” notes several changes that are happening in unison. In China, super-app platforms have transformed money; elsewhere, the rise of an economy of creators and odd jobs does. Globally, 50 million people blog, make short videos, or tell people what to buy on the internet – and get paid online too.
Digital wallets are mushrooming everywhere, but what’s stored in them is changing due to another technological revolution: blockchain. Fintech Circle has partnered with Visa Inc. to enable trading customers to spend USD coins – an Ethereum blockchain currency that pegs its value in the dollar – with 70 million merchants. An equally important phenomenon is âbuy now, pay later,â which incorporates finance (and cashless payments) even into low-value transactions: like buying lipstick in three installments.
Wait for each of our 15 Internet of Things devices to make their own purchases, using programmable digital money issued by the central bank to only pay when they get the right items. While all of this is happening in the real world, a whole new parallel flow of consumption in the alternate reality of the Metaverse could reach $ 390 billion by 2025.
Innovation in payments is even more important in emerging markets than in developed economies. Smartphone-based apps running on a shared public service cleared the equivalent of $ 100 billion in domestic Indian payments last month, up from less than $ 15 million five years earlier. And that’s just the beginning. Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which alone handled $ 38 billion of those instant transfers, has now developed a less than $ 100 Android-based phone. The idea is to bring mobile internet to the bottom of India’s consumer pyramid.
Cash is always in demand, especially in a very informal economy like India’s. But its importance as a means of payment is diminishing. In 2003, around 35% of euro area cash was used in domestic transactions; this number fell to around 20% in 2019. Between 30% and half of banknotes ended up abroad, while the rest is hoarded in the euro zone: for some investors, a safe sovereign liability that pays zero is better than negative – producing government bonds.
As money disappears from the vaults – with no central bank digital currency, or CBDC, to replace it – public confidence in the convertibility of deposits into official currency may become “more of a theoretical construct than a daily experience,” according to a recent research paper. by Ulrich Bindseil of the European Central Bank and others. It can destabilize entire financial systems.
If all money in circulation is private, controlled by e-commerce and social media platforms, authorities will not be able to protect consumers from exploitation. Therefore, even in countries where technology has made it an anachronistic appendage, cash cannot be allowed to die. Not until the CBDCs are ready.
Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies and financial services.
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Scammers are moving into the popular photo sharing smartphone application Instagram, prompting a warning from computer security experts.
Symantec cyber security threat analyst Ben Nahorney wrote this week of the growing presence of scammers on Instagram - a photo sharing app which uploads photos to a website.
He said it appeared scams using this website could be "fairly lucrative".
One scammer he found on the site had a profile which had been clicked on close to 10,000 times in just over a month.
"If only a fraction of users sign up for the premium rate service, give away personal information, or join the semi-legitimate referral service, the scammers could consider their efforts successful."
Instagram monitored for certain content, Mr Nahorney said, and accounts found guilty of violating Instagram's community guidelines were quickly disabled.
But he said other ways to avoid being scammed was:
* Set your account to Private. This way you have control over who follows you and who doesn't.
* Don't follow arbitrary followers. If you suspect an account isn't real, ignore it.
* Don't click shortened URLs unless you know where they lead.
* Optional: Don't follow or accept followers without photos. The exception to this rule is if you know the person.
* Report any suspicious accounts or comments to Instagram and follow their privacy and safety guidelines.
NetSafe cyber security consultant Chris Hails said scammers always went where things were popular, but he was not aware of any complaints by New Zealand users about falling victim to Instagram scammers.
However, he said mobile scamming was expected to continually increase and has been predicted to be a major problem next year.
He warned that people were more likely to fall for scams on cell phones.
"What tends to be happening is people are perceptive of scams and phishing on their desktop devices, but when you're on a smart phone it's a lot harder to see a shortened link and think it might be dodgy, they're more likely to just click through," he said.
He said the best advice was to be cautious.
"Most people are sensible enough to know that if it's an attractive blonde woman that they don't know, there might be some opportunity to scam you."
Instagram currently has about 100 million users worldwide.


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HYUNDAI has confirmed that the newest member of its N brand will be the hotly anticipated KONA N, making it the first SUV to join the Korean car maker’s high-performance line-up.
“As N brand’s first ‘hot SUV’, KONA N will offer plenty of versatility and driving thrills that N-thusiasts have come to expect from the brand. You can take this vehicle anywhere, from road to the track,” said Till Wartenberg, VP and head of N Brand Management and Motorsport at Hyundai Motor Company.
The new KONA N will be available with an eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, known as the N DCT. Combined with a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, it is sure to deliver a powerful and nimble driving experience.
Like other N models, the new KONA N will be equipped with a variety of high-performance driving features, such as launch control and an exciting sound experience.
In total eight exciting new N and N Line products are planned to launch in Australia by the end of 2021. More KONA N details will be announced in the coming weeks.


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New Models Shipping from Cloud for ISE 2017
Feb 2017, Cloud Electronics will show two new models of the MA40 Mini Amplifier series at ISE 2017, shipping immediately post exhibition. Originally shown as development prototypes for the first time at ISE 2016 the new Cloud MA40F and MA40T Mini Amplifiers are squarely aimed at de-centralised solutions and where requirements exist for adding additional audio zones to legacy installations.
Read more here…
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Flora Research Laboratories (FRL) has been awarded a contract from the US National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements to develop a new method of analysing benzene levels in consumer products. When the method is finalised, it will use it to evaluate benzene levels in liquid supplements.
In the last two months there has been much government concern and media coverage about benzene levels in soft drink products around the world, after it emerged that the FDA has re-opened a 15-year-old investigation into elevated benzene levels resulting from use of the preservative sodium benzoate.
The problem is caused when two common ingredients - sodium benzoate (a preservative) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) - are used together. When placed in acidic conditions, sodium benzoate breaks down into benzoic acid.
This may result in benzene levels higher than the US and EU limits for drinking water.
Benzene is listed as a poisonous chemical shown to increase the risk of leukaemia and other cancers. But the soft drinks industry has said that it is a question of quality, not health, in drinks.
James Neal-Kababick, laboratory director at FRL and lead investigator in the project, told NutraIngredients-USA.com that several supplement products containing sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid have been found on shelves in the US, but that no analysis of these products is known to have taken place.
The combination is thought to be particularly common in liquid aloe vera and vitamin formulations, and FRL has been contacted by some companies that have expressed concern following the reports about the drinks sector.
Liquid supplements are often used by people such as children or the elderly, who may be unable to swallow tablets and capsules.
Joseph Betz, director of the ODS Dietary Supplement Methods and Reference Materials Program, told NutraIngredients-USA.com that: "There is no evidence whatsoever that benzene occurs in dietary supplements, but the method available for the detection of benzene in dietary supplements in liquid products is not well developed.
"It was worth spending money to to ensure the methods are in existence if anyone ever wanted to test dietary supplements for benzene."
He added that, in fact, devising a method for accurately detecting benzene in dietary supplements was first proposed before the publicity about benzene in soft drinks began.
Neal-Kababick also pointed out that the sodium benzoate-ascorbic acid reaction is accelerated in the presence of transitory metals such as copper and iron - a factor he said may lead to benzene formation in herbal products.
But Dr Steven Dentali, VP of scientific and technical affairs at the American Herbal Products Association told NutraIngredients-USA.com that the heavy metal connection is no more a problem with supplements than any other food.
"The perception of a heavy metal presence is not from supplements but with deliberately adulterated illegally imported patent medicines from countries with traditional systems of medicine that continue to employ heavy metals," he said.
"I do not see that the ingredients going into the liquids that [FRL] intends to test should be at risk for higher than normal heavy metals than any other food."
Indeed it is possible that the same problem of benzene formation may also occur in other acidic liquid food products where sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid are present - such as lemon juice, conserves or sprays for meats.
Betz said: "We assume all liquid products will be put under scrutiny at some point. Hopefully the new method will be applicable for foods too."
Neal-Kababick said that the presence of benzene residue as a result of the chemical's use as a solvent for non water-soluble extracts is not an issue in the EU and US, where the chemical is banned for this use.
But he said: "We don't have control over this in other countries."
FDA has not yet released details of the tests it has conducted on soft drinks, and NIH's funding of a new analysis method was prompted by evidence that existing protocol actually raises the levels of benzene in the samples.
Chemical reactions are accelerated by heat, liquid and pressure - and the existing test protocol involves heating the sample to 80 to 90 degrees Celsius for 30 to 60 minutes in a sealed container.
"When you run the sample in a mass spectrometer, how do you tell what came from the product and what from the analysis?" said Neal-Kababick.
"It is not fair to take action based on scientific evidence that is not valid."
FRL's approach, meanwhile, removes these confounding factors and will be able to detect benzene at levels of 500 parts per trillion.
The method will be published in a scientific journal, and will be available for people to use in their own labs so that companies can monitor their own processes.
The agreement is for the method to be published within six months of completion of the study. FRL is currently ahead of schedule.
However it seems that the requirement for a new testing method may not be global. The FSA spokesperson told NutraIngredients-USA.com: "The method we use would minimize any formation of benzene in the analytical phase."
He also said that there are no plans to survey dietary supplements sold in the UK at the moment - and no other countries are known to be testing supplements.
Neal-Kababick praised the US supplements industry for addressing the potential issue head-on. "The dietary supplements industry has been very proactive not reactive," he said.
Dentali said: "Flora Research Laboratories is taking a common sense approach to see if certain liquid products that use preservative formulations similar to some soft drinks will, when properly tested, test positive for the presence of benzene.
"A proper safety evaluation begins with proper analysis and there appears to be questions about benzene analyzes done to date. Hopefully [FLA's] work will add to our understanding and provide industry with a useful tool to correct a problem if a genuine concern is found."


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The non-profits selected for Facebook Pragati initiative will get access to mentorship by an N/Core Partner
Facebook India on Wednesday announced a call for applications for its CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiative, Facebook Pragati - powered by N/Core (The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation). The initiative will incubate and accelerate, early-stage women-led non-profits that are working in the areas of women entrepreneurship, and to drive awareness and adoption of technology among women in India. Facebook Pragati will award four grants of up to Rs 50 lakh for each non-profit to scale their work.
“The relative number of businesses in India run by women entrepreneurs is still very low. We are committed to helping women entrepreneurs succeed through greater access to digital platforms, funds and mentorship,” said Ajit Mohan, vice president and managing director, Facebook India. “Our CSR
First Published: Mar 11 2020 | 8:06 PM IST


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Recently, the Russian government signed a special investment contract for Russia Haval Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (a Russian subsidiary of Great Wall Motors (GWM)).
Accordingly, Great Wall Motors became the first Chinese car brand to sign a special investor contract with the Russian government, it means that GWM will enjoy the same preferential policies as other foreign-owned car companies in Russia. GWM will also use the preferential policies given by special investment contracts to conduct business in the Russian market.
In June of this year, GWM Russia Tula factory was officially put into operation. At the same time as the Tula factory was put into production, the Tula State Government and GWM signed the second phase investment intention agreement and the special investment agreement.
Dennis Manturov, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, said GWM has undertaken an investment obligation of up to 42 billion rubles (~US$464 million) for the construction of high quality plants including engines, transmissions, electronic control modules and vehicle control systems. In the future, Great Wall Motors will also fulfill its tax liability of up to 90 billion rubles (~US$1.38 billion).
In fact, since the beginning of this year, GWM has frequently expressed its emphasis on overseas markets. As the chairman of Great Wall Motors, Wei Jianjun repeatedly said that GWM must achieve the strategic of overseas market, the Russian market is the base for GWM to implement its international strategy.


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Today’s Show Recap
Thanks for listening to Makin’ It. On this week’s episode, we talk about feeding the world with the help of technology, the class action lawsuit against Target for the well-known data breach, and 10 numbers that show the power of small business. Let us know what you think of the show in the comments section at the bottom of the page!
Let’s get started!
Beginning this week, Tommy, Todd and Brittany bring up the topic of genetically modified foods. In a recent article in “Entrepreneur” magazine, it was stated that salmon are being genetically modified to be two to three times the size of regular salmon with the use of steroids, and there is a fear that these salmon will get into the regular population of salmon and cause an extinction of the natural fish. However, it was noted that only sterilized female salmon were being modified, which means they are being bred for consumption purposes only.
While genetically modified foods could help solve world hunger, is there an underlying problem with them? With the emergence of genetically modified foods, we don’t know the long-term effects of what eating these foods does to our bodies. Children are hitting puberty sooner, and it was noted that men have lower testosterone levels at age 60 now than men of the same age in the 1950s. Moreover, is it different to modify a soy bean to get the best crop than giving growth hormones to salmon?
Still, is the decision to genetically modify foods being made for consumers or for the agra companies? These industries benefit from having giant fish raised in record times. However, consumers are starting to voice their opinions about genetically modified foods and preemptively affecting the products before they reach the shelves. Trader Joe’s is one company that is getting the message from its consumers, pledging not to sell genetically modified foods.
What do you think of genetically modified meats and plants in our food? Let us know in the comments section.
Next up, Tommy and Todd discuss a class action lawsuit filed against Target for the data breach that occurred recently. Target is being blamed for the unprecedented amount of data that was compromised. This fact can set a precedent that companies are responsible for damage done by hackers when the company is the actual victim of the attack. However, the banks are liable for the any stolen money as a result of the breach, which is why they are now going after Target in the lawsuit. As a result of the data breach, credit cards with chips are being distributed, and chips help protect credit card numbers by providing a different number each time it is used.
OMG Fact of the Week:
Babies can breathe and swallow at the same time until they are roughly six months old.
Tommy and Todd now talk about a recent Staples infographic about the 10 numbers that show the true power of small businesses. Tommy and Todd explore how these numbers have an effect on the small business industry and show how these numbers truly show the power of small businesses if they were combined together. Let’s take a look at the list.
- 28 million is the number of small businesses in the United States.
- 10% is the percent increase in new entrepreneurs each year.
- 27% is the percent small businesses have increased pay since January 2016.
- 71 months is the number of how many months in a row the small business sector has shown big growth.
- 7% of businesses are considered small businesses.
- 50% is the percentage of the country’s domestic products are accounted for by small businesses.
- $30,000 is the average start-up cost of a small business.
- Two times is the likelihood an immigrant is going to start a small business than a person native born American (not a Native American).
- 68% is the percent increase in the women-owned small businesses since 2007.
- 4% is the percent net profit margin for the top small business industry.
Finally, Tommy, Todd and Brittany end our show with the Makin’ It or Breakin’ It segment. This time, we talk about online gambling and whether it should be held to the same standards as regular gambling. Online gambling companies FanDuel and DraftKings are in trouble with the state of Nevada because they are not required to follow the state gambling laws, get gambling licenses, or pay taxes in the various states where people are doing the gambling. Online gambling business growth has blown up in the last year, and companies like FanDuel and DraftKings have since operated under the radar.
The problem arose when a DraftKings employee won $350,000 playing a FanDuel contest, which could be seen as an example of insider trading in the online gaming industry. The question remains is online gambling really gaming? Or, is it gambling? Gambling is typically defined by how it is packaged. If it’s for a charity, such as church bingo, it’s not really gambling. Moreover, is the game won by random luck, or does it require a skill? Finally, many online gaming companies advertise that people can make enough money to earn a living. Could online gaming be considered a profession?
Is online gambling illegal? Should online gambling companies have to follow the same rules and regulations as regular gambling? Should online gambling be considered a profession? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Thanks for tuning in to Makin’ It. Let us know what you think of the show and if you have questions about your business, send us an email at email@example.com or leave us a comment below. We love to hear from our listeners and we read comments on the air. We just might choose yours for next week’s show (so don’t forget to tune in!).
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- Event Coverage
In the second part of our Computex 2011 coverage, we visited the booths of Acer, ASRock, Arctic Cooling, ECS, MSI, Thermaltake, ViewSonic, XFX and Zotac. Find out what these manufacturers have to offer.
Intel announced a new category of mainstream thin and light mobile computers called Ultrabook. They also revealed more details of the upcoming Ivy Bridge processor based on the 22nm 3D transistor design.
In the first part of our Computex 2011 show coverage, we check out the booths of Corsair, Gigabyte, Freescale Semiconductors, OCZ and Zalman.
While yesterday's press-con was all about ASUS' consumer electronics division, it's the ROG brand that gets the star treatment at this morning's launch event. We got to see new, high-end ROG motherboards, graphics cards, notebooks and even a gaming headset. We also checked out the rest of ASUS' products at its Computex booth.
On the eve of Computex 2011, ASUS announced a slew of new CE products, from tablets to notebooks. Chief among them is the Padfone, a hybrid of smartphone and tablet. Find out all the exciting new products revealed at ASUS' press conference.
Computex doesn't start till tomorrow but over at Gigabyte's booth that's still under construction, we managed to catch hold our first glimpses of motherboards based on the Intel X79 chipset for Sandy Bridge-E CPUs and AMD Llano CPUs. Check these out and more!
We dropped by Samsung's flagship store for a sneak preview of the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 10.1. Hit the jump for more details.
2011 is the year of the tablet, filled with more hardware and software choices. And that's where our PlayTest Lite with HTC came in handy, where we walked participants through a tablet buying guide presentation, giving them the opportunity to play with the HTC Flyer and win one for themselves. Here's what went down at PlayTest Lite with HTC.
The Symbian platform is still here to stay with its codenamed Symbian Anna update and two new mobile phones. We dropped by Nokia headquarters yesterday to check these out.
The recent Canon EXPO 2011 in Shanghai saw the company from what it was, to what it is today, to what its executives hope it'll become in the future.
- China's CCTV slams Samsung for its discriminatory policy on the Galaxy Note7
- You wouldn't believe the main reason why U.S consumers are upgrading to the iPhone 7
- Angry customer smashes iPhones and Macs in French Apple Store
- Microsoft creates a new 5,000-strong AI division; forms 'Partnership on AI' with Google, Facebook, Amazon, and IBM
- This Fuze iPhone 7 case brings back the headphone jack
- Razer redesigns their Kraken Pro V2 and Kraken 7.1 V2 gaming headsets
- Got deal, got talk: Newstead’s All about Audio roadshow is now on at Marina Square
- ADATA announces new flagship XPG SX8000 PCIe SSD with 3D NAND and NVMe support


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Mike George Retires From Amazon After 20 YearsDamien Moye
Do you know who Mike George is? Many people don’t, but they should. Because Judge served as Amazon’s right-hand man for around 20 years. Now, Mike George retires from Amazon after 20 years.
In fact, George helped Amazon come up with voice assistant Alexa and smart device Echo. In computer repair/computer tech form, he announced his retirement on social media by using binary code. That code is over ten lines long. So under George’s leadership, Echo and Alexa aren’t only major hits, but cultural icons. They’re major competition for Apple’s Suri and Google Home. In fact, they even did a spoof a Alexa, parodying alternative news figure Alex Jones. But George says Alexa is just getting started.
She already has little cousins, like Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Dash Ward. And Alexa’s future looks bright. They say Amazon sold five million units between November 2016 and March 2017 alone. They also say Amazon will own over 70% of the smart voice market before this year is over. Mike George started at Amazon in 1998. He worked his way up the company. Eventually, he became GM of Global Payments and VP of Apps, Games and Cloud Drive. In January 2016, George took over Amazon Echo operations. The results speak for themselves. So Jeff Bezos and Amazon owe a huge debt to George.
George’s replacement will be Tom Taylor. In the past, Taylor ran Amazon Payments, FBA (Fulfillment of Amazon), and Amazon Appstore. Now, Amazon chooses Tom Taylor to fill some large shoes. Yes, the smart devices are a huge part of George’s legacy. But George’s tenure started when Amazon was at it’s infancy. Not only that, but he ran just about every part of Amazon when it came out. Amazon is also in transition again. Don’t forget, they just brought Whole Foods. So will Tom Taylor be an asset or liability to Amazon?


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As the pandemic sent shockwaves with the international economic situation, the effect was felt across markets. Among the hardest struck industries, the automotive market experienced extensive disruption, indicating the demand for supply chain modernization.
Manufacturing shutdowns and also the semiconductor shortage were just the start of it. Important resources such as rubber, steel and light weight aluminum have actually additionally been in short supply. Labor lacks, Trump-era tariffs, and also the enhancing regularity of serious weather condition events were among the worsening to additional exacerbate the circumstance, causing longer preparation and disastrous hold-ups.
By late 2021, U.S. vehicle dealerships were geared up with just a portion of the supply available pre-pandemic. Meanwhile, mass-transit health and wellness issues as well as government-stimulated consumer spending drove a spike popular that could not be satisfied. While the end of the year is commonly the auto market’s height marketing period, eager consumers discovered it virtually impossible to buy a new cars and truck as 2021 waned. In the long run, auto suppliers sold less than 15 million new automobiles in 2021, well listed below the 17 million pre-pandemic market standard.
The ongoing health dilemma has actually exposed essential car supply chain susceptabilities, providing a critical opportunity for the industry and also its vendors to rethink stock management. Technology fostering will go to the leading edge of this change, with artificial intelligence as well as synthetic intelligence-based systems positioned to supply the greatest organization impact.
AI offers three key benefits attending to core issues at the heart of supply chain failures: better openness, speed and anticipating capability. With those purposes in mind, prioritizing the adoption of AI-powered modern technology is perhaps the solitary most impactful step that carmakers and also OEMs can take to mitigate threats and also enhance vehicle supply chain resiliency.
Lack of presence and access to data added to provide chain delays throughout 2021. Disparate systems and separated silos of data hindered the circulation of information, amplifying interruptions. When a crucial part of an auto supplier’s assembly line breaks and is quickly required, makers usually do not have reputable details about when that part will show up. The inquiry becomes whether it will show up in a timely manner– or in any way.
AI-based tools address this problem straight, improving information as well as making it a lot more accessible to enable informed decision making. OEMs and carmakers are currently counting on AI to make it possible for full exposure into the shipping procedure, with real-time monitoring that keeps tabs on a shipment’s exact place from the moment it leaves the warehouse. With accessibility to an AI platform, all stakeholders are instantly informed of adjustments or delays.
Distributors are additionally using AI to acquire instant visibility right into all available delivery approaches, from the fastest alternatives to one of the most economical. Even more information and also exposure across the supply chain suggests much less expensive and also time consuming back and forth. By improving presence, AI is making it possible for much better interaction as well as assimilation capacities, and also aiding market decision manufacturers to respond to changing circumstances.
Faster Issue Fixing
The pandemic underscored just how important manufacturing dexterity and also responsiveness remains in the face of quickly developing scenarios. Fast and educated decision-making is essential. But in order to move quickly, stakeholders need to have data at their fingertips. With improved transparency, AI uses unequaled rate. In addition to supplying even more data points as well as presence, the technology can enhance the decision-making process itself, decreasing human error.
AI improves activity throughout the supply chain. While standard techniques count on phone calls as well as e-mails to coordinate an order, future-focused smart platforms can optimize every action of the procedure. Distributors are already making use of AI to immediately offer real-time quotes for components as well as solutions based on optimum transmitting as well as digital tariffs. In the circumstances of a downed production line, this can help restore setting up procedures as rapidly as feasible.
Auto transmitting and straight dispatch further accelerate the distribution procedure. AI also seriously speeds response times, enabling logistics companions to react immediately to web traffic, climate hold-ups and other traveling problems, cutting troubleshooting time in fifty percent. Intelligent automation saves personnel from being involved in these decisions, shortening the choice process.
As the vehicle landscape evolves, providers will require to maximize at unmatched speeds. Right here, AI supplies essential advantages as well. AI can gain from blunders, developing for better results over a shorter time period. When it concerns vehicle logistics, as an example, machine-learning systems will punish a path in case of a failure, keeping in mind the misstep and logging the information to prevent that route from being made use of in future. By allowing higher efficiency throughout the automobile supply chain, AI fostering is supplying enhanced return on investment.
More Exact Predictions
To become a lot more resilient, the market must enhance its ability to prepare for as well as plan for future disruptions. Today, many automobile manufacturers’ capacity to predict producing failures is restricted. This leads to downed lines and also expensive disturbances that surge throughout the supply chain. A single hr of unintended downtime in a production line can cause numerous thousands of bucks in losses.
In an uncertain future, auto success rests on anticipating prowess. It is necessary to figure out the possibility of supply chain failures, as well as understand why they occur. AI is proficient at predicting things that individuals can not, by staying clear of human error and factoring historical information into the formula. It can instantaneously synthesize information on element use as well as upkeep, and also consider that information versus historical efficiency as well as parts life expectancy to correctly examine the chance of supply chain failures.
AI can additionally much more precisely prepare for transportation slowdowns prior to they occur. Machine learning can examine historical web traffic information, motorist efficiency, on-time separation portions and weather patterns, to predict the most effective feasible delivery path.
The continuous health and wellness crisis disclosed shortcomings in existing automobile supply chain frameworks, putting the sector’s “just-in-time” (JIT) manufacturing design under extreme scrutiny. Made to lower supply and reduce excess with lean basic material and work-in-process supplies, the JIT model promptly given in the pressure of pandemic-induced interruptions as well as boosted consumer demand. The durability of cross-continental supply lines and international interdependencies was cast doubt on.
To decrease level of sensitivity to worldwide problems, the industry is beginning to consider reshoring of manufacturing and also supply chains back to the united state It’s also wanting to increase neighborhood warehousing, to prepare for the requirement for keeping extra components. But reshoring production and also localizing procedures are just part of the remedy. Carmakers will remain to need to decrease manufacturing costs, which suggests that some parts of the supply chain are most likely to remain in distant yet financially advantageous locations.
It’s in the vehicle industry’s best interest to reorient priorities around the fostering of AI modern technologies that can drive improvements across vital elements of the supply chain. Vehicle production is at a vital crossroads; it’s time to advance as well as fully utilize information and AI to streamline and enhance performance. Providing total transparency, rapid analytical and predictive precision, AI-supported logistics are positioned to deliver on those concerns, driving the automobile industry into a more smart as well as durable future.
Ryan Rusnak is chief modern technology officer with Airspace.
As the pandemic sent shockwaves via the worldwide economic climate, the effect was really felt throughout sectors. Among the hardest hit industries, the auto sector experienced extensive disruption, signifying the demand for supply chain innovation.
Production shutdowns as well as the semiconductor scarcity were simply the beginning of it. Necessary raw materials such as rubber, steel as well as light weight aluminum have actually also been in short supply. Labor shortages, Trump-era tolls, and the increasing frequency of severe weather condition events were among the intensifying to additional aggravate the scenario, causing longer lead times and disastrous hold-ups.
By late 2021, united state car dealerships were geared up with only a fraction of the stock available pre-pandemic. At the same time, mass-transit health and wellness worries and government-stimulated customer investing drove a spike popular that couldn’t be satisfied. While the end of the year is commonly the auto industry’s optimal marketing period, eager consumers discovered it nearly difficult to acquire a brand-new cars and truck as 2021 drew to a close. In the long run, auto producers offered fewer than 15 million brand-new automobiles in 2021, well below the 17 million pre-pandemic market average.
The recurring health situation has exposed important auto supply chain vulnerabilities, offering a pivotal possibility for the market as well as its vendors to rethink inventory monitoring. Innovation fostering will go to the forefront of this transformation, with machine learning and also fabricated intelligence-based systems poised to supply the greatest organization impact.
AI uses three crucial advantages resolving core concerns at the heart of supply chain failures: higher openness, speed and anticipating ability. With those purposes in mind, prioritizing the adoption of AI-powered technology is possibly the single most impactful action that carmakers as well as OEMs can require to alleviate risks and improve vehicle supply chain resiliency.
Lack of visibility and also access to data added to provide chain hold-ups throughout 2021. Disparate systems and separated silos of information hindered the flow of information, enhancing interruptions. When a critical element of a vehicle maker’s assembly line breaks as well as is quickly needed, makers normally don’t have dependable info concerning when that part will get here. The question becomes whether it will certainly show up on time– or at all.
AI-based devices address this concern directly, streamlining information and also making it much more accessible to enable enlightened decision making. OEMs and also carmakers are now relying on AI to enable full visibility into the delivery procedure, with real-time tracking that keeps tabs on a shipment’s precise area from the moment it leaves the stockroom. With accessibility to an AI platform, all stakeholders are automatically notified of modifications or hold-ups.
Suppliers are likewise making use of AI to acquire immediate visibility into all available delivery approaches, from the fastest options to the most cost-effective. Even more information as well as presence throughout the supply chain means much less pricey and time consuming to and fro. By boosting presence, AI is allowing far better interaction and combination abilities, as well as helping sector choice makers to respond to shifting circumstances.
Faster Trouble Fixing
The pandemic underscored how essential manufacturing dexterity and also responsiveness is in the face of swiftly developing situations. Rapid as well as educated decision-making is vital. Yet in order to move quickly, stakeholders need to have information at their fingertips. With boosted transparency, AI offers unequaled rate. In addition to offering even more data points and also visibility, the technology can improve the decision-making process itself, reducing human error.
AI simplifies task throughout the supply chain. While typical approaches rely upon phone calls as well as emails to coordinate an order, future-focused smart systems can enhance every step of the procedure. Distributors are currently making use of AI to automatically offer real-time quotes for components as well as services based upon optimal directing and also electronic tolls. In the instance of a downed assembly line, this can help restore assembly operations as promptly as feasible.
Car directing and straight send off better speed up the distribution procedure. AI also seriously rates reaction times, allowing logistics partners to respond quickly to traffic, climate delays as well as other travel concerns, cutting troubleshooting time in fifty percent. Intelligent automation saves team from being associated with these choices, shortening the decision process.
As the automotive landscape progresses, providers will need to maximize at unprecedented rates. Right here, AI offers vital benefits as well. AI can pick up from blunders, developing for much better outcomes over a shorter period of time. When it comes to automotive logistics, as an example, machine-learning systems will penalize a route in the event of a failing, keeping in mind the misstep and logging the data to prevent that course from being utilized in future. By enabling higher efficiency across the auto supply chain, AI adoption is delivering improved roi.
A Lot More Exact Forecasts
To become much more resilient, the market must enhance its capability to prepare for and prepare for future disturbances. Today, a lot of automotive makers’ ability to predict making failings is restricted. This leads to downed lines and expensive disturbances that surge throughout the supply chain. A solitary hour of unexpected downtime in a manufacturing line can result in numerous thousands of bucks in losses.
In an unsure future, auto success rests on anticipating expertise. It’s important to establish the possibility of supply chain failures, and also comprehend why they occur. AI is good at anticipating things that people can’t, by staying clear of human error as well as factoring historic information right into the equation. It can instantaneously synthesize information on component usage as well as maintenance, as well as consider that details against historic performance as well as parts life-span to properly examine the chance of supply chain failures.
AI can likewise much more properly expect transportation downturns prior to they happen. Machine learning can take a look at historical website traffic data, chauffeur performance, on-time departure portions and climate patterns, to predict the very best feasible shipping path.
The continuous wellness crisis disclosed drawbacks in existing car supply chain structures, putting the sector’s “just-in-time” (JIT) making version under extreme examination. Made to decrease inventory and decrease surplus with lean resources and also work-in-process inventories, the JIT design quickly given in the stress of pandemic-induced disturbances as well as boosted consumer demand. The strength of cross-continental supply lines and also international interdependencies was cast doubt on.
To reduce level of sensitivity to global problems, the sector is beginning to take into consideration reshoring of manufacturing and also supply chains back to the united state It’s also looking to increase local warehousing, to expect the demand for keeping much more components. But reshoring production as well as centering operations are just part of the remedy. Carmakers will continue to require to reduce production costs, which indicates that some parts of the supply chain are most likely to stay in far-off yet economically useful locations.
It remains in the automobile industry’s best interest to reorient concerns around the fostering of AI technologies that can drive renovations throughout vital aspects of the supply chain. Vehicle manufacturing goes to a critical crossroads; it’s time to evolve and totally use data and also AI to simplify and maximize efficiency. Offering total transparency, quick analytic and predictive accuracy, AI-supported logistics are poised to supply on those top priorities, thrusting the automobile sector into a more intelligent as well as durable future.
Synthetic inteligence is used in the making of lighter as well as much more efficient vehicle parts (euro ricambi ).


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The long fight over Do-Not-Track followed a predictable trajectory: a detailed, meaningful pro-privacy system was subverted by big business, and then published as a "standard" that offered virtually no privacy protections.
Today, turning on the Do-Not-Track setting in your browser does virtually nothing (Medium and Pintrest offer some support, everyone else not so much).
EFF's Privacy Badger blocks ads from companies that don't comply with Do-Not-Track, so running Privacy Badger is a way to give your browser settings some teeth.
The biggest obstacle was advertisers who didn't want to give up delicious data and revenue streams; they insisted that DNT would "kill online growth" and stymied the process. (You can chart the death of Do Not Track by the declining number of emails sent around on the W3C list-serv.) By the time the debate was winding down at the end of 2013, it wasn't even about not tracking people, just not targeting them, meaning trackers could still collect the data but couldn't use it to show people intrusive ads based on what they'd collected. The inability to reach a compromise on what DNT should be led sites like Reddit to declare "there is no accepted standard for how a website should respond to [the Do Not Track] signal, [so] we do not take any action in response to this signal."
To demonstrate their theoretical support for DNT—or from a more skeptical perspective, to garner some positive press—Google, Microsoft, Apple, Mozilla, and others started offering the "Do Not Track" option in their respective browsers, but absent a consensus around the actions required in response to the DNT:1 signal, these browsers are just screaming for privacy into a void.
"It's really sad that companies are not listening to their users and put weak and misleading pretexts to not respect their choice of privacy," said Andrés Arrieta, tech projects manager at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who attempted in 2017 to breathe life back into Do Not Track by establishing a new standard for what websites should do when they see someone send the DNT:1 signal. (Everyone ignored it.)
'Do Not Track,' the Privacy Tool Used by Millions of People, Doesn't Do Anything [Kashmir Hill/Gizmodo]


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Ag Groups Urge Repeal of Burdensome IRS Requirement
By National Association of Wheat Growers
NAWG and more than 25 other agricultural organizations wrote Members of the House and Senate this week urging them to support repeal of new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reporting requirements that will create an enormous paperwork burden for small businesses.
The requirements emanate from a provision in the health care reform law finalized earlier this year that requires businesses to issue a Form 1099 to every unincorporated service-provider they pay more than $600 during a tax year. Starting in 2012, businesses will also have to issue Form 1099s to incorporated businesses and goods-providers, meaning virtually every business transaction will be covered.
For small businesses like farms and ranches, this provision will dramatically increase the number of 1099s that need to be sent each year, adding to an already formidable stable of paperwork requirements producers must fulfill, which often means hiring someone or spending time away from core business functions.
“The business of producing food, fiber and fuel is a hands-on venture where productivity and competitiveness is compromised by government rules and regulations that turn producers into bookkeepers,” the organizations told Members.
Sens. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) have offered amendments that could be added to a pending small business bill as early as next week to remedy this situation.
To read the full letter sent this week, please visit www.wheatworld.org/othercorrespondence.
Disclaimer: Articles featured on Oregon Report are the creation, responsibility and opinion of the authoring individual or organization which is featured at the top of every article.


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German company accused of infringing on DuPont's intellectual property will "vigorously defend" lawsuit
German materials company Heraeus has pledged it will "vigorously defend" a lawsuit launched by US conglomerate DuPont, alleging infringement of a solar technology patent. DuPoint filed papers in the...
NLGPS joins Make My Money Matter pledge to align its £46bn investment portfolio with Paris Agreement's 1.5C goal
Our Global Investor Study 2020 reveals investor and consumer views on company responsibility for tackling climate change, writes Schroders' Vicki Owen
Beauty arm of US consumer goods giant estimates that new refillable product line will eliminate need for roughly 300 million virgin plastic shampoo bottles
VIDEO: In our final Glimpses report looking at potential net zero gamechangers, BusinessGreen looks at the potential for hydrogen use in energy, transport and home heating


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It wouldn’t have been possible as recently as two years ago to have a yoga lesson in the brew house at Roughtail Brewing Co.
Or to host a painting and beer sampling session for 50 people alongside the fermenting tanks in Anthem Brewing Co.’s building.
That’s because those breweries, in Midwest City and Oklahoma City, respectively, didn’t exist two years ago. Now, Roughtail and Anthem are part of a growing number of commercial breweries in the Oklahoma City area — at least half a dozen are in operation now, with several newcomers in the planning stages.
While the number of local breweries producing small batches of handcrafted beers has grown, so has the fan base for such beers and the culture that surrounds their consumption.
That culture will be on display during the inaugural Oklahoma City Craft Beer Week, a series of nearly 30 events set for Sunday through May 18. The week will coincide with American Craft Beer Week and is meant to highlight Oklahoma City’s brewers and beer culture.
The events include the yoga and painting sessions — which will be paired with beer samplings — and also brewery tours, tastings, pint nights and dinners at local bars and restaurants, and homebrewing lessons hosted by the area’s two homebrew supply stores.
The week culminates with its centerpiece event: the fourth annual Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival. The outdoor beer-tasting festival, which will feature samples of more than 200 beers, is set for 1 and 5 p.m. May 17 next to TapWerks Ale House in Bricktown.
“It’s great to see Oklahoma City embracing craft beer on this level,” said Greg Powell, general manager at TapWerks and lead organizer of the Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival. “It is amazing to see how the support for local breweries grows every year. Five years ago, no one would have ever dreamed of having multiple events at multiple locations throughout the city all in support of local breweries.”


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We’ve been anticipating the unveiling of the 2014 Audi A3 sedan at the New York Auto Show, but before Audi could pull the cover off its latest compact luxury car, it had to put a cover on a different model.
A short video on Audi’s YouTube channel encourages people to watch the car’s online unveiling on March 27 (actually the evening of March 26 if you’re on the East Coast). Until then, we’re left guessing.
Based on what we can see through the sheet, the A3 appears to have the same lines as the larger A4 and A6. Audi has some of the best looking luxury cars on the road right now, so a family resemblance to the other sedans wouldn’t be a bad thing.
We also expect the 2014 A3 sedan to acquire the same shield-like grille and angrily squinting headlights as the recently-unveiled A3 hatchback.
Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive will almost certainly be standard. The engines will probably all be variants of the brand’s 2.0-liter inline-four, with the diesel A3 TDI possibly making a comeback.
At the recent Geneva Motor Show, Audi unveiled a sporty S3 hatchback, with a 300 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. It also showed an e-tron plug-in hybrid and a g-tron natural gas variant. We’ll have to wait and see if any of these models make it to the U.S.
Why make such a fuss about yet another A3 variant? The sedan will probably help increase the A3’s appeal in the U.S., where “luxury hatchback” is an oxymoron. The trauma left over from the Ford Pinto, AMC Gremlin, and Geo Metro have made it hard to convince Americans that a car like the A3 can be a truly premium product.
When Audi finally pulls the cover off the 2014 A3 sedan in New York, we’ll be there to get all of the details.
- Geneva 2018: What we saw from Audi, BMW, Porsche, and more
- Cadillac’s downsized XT4 SUV aims to give people what they want
- Volkswagen aims for the Goldilocks zone with shrunken five-seat Atlas
- Hyundai i30 N TCR is a small race car that packs a big punch
- The 15 best front-wheel-drive cars will make purists swallow their smirks


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Crimean Federal University named after them. V. I. Vernadsky began to develop a unique product that allows Russian users to abandon Microsoft products and Apple and go to the operating system of domestic production. This was stated by the rector of the University Sergey Donich.
“Throughout the year in the CFI is implemented by creating a hybrid system, which is based on import substitution and brand new information technologies. The idea came itself, because if you work in Microsoft, it is possible after some time to be disappointed. For example, happens software upgrade and the University, making the first steps to becoming an “electronic” University, will lose all existing information and data”, — quotes the words Donich, the press service of the University.
After the programmers of the University, will finalize a new innovative operating system the University plans to present it at the highest level.
“If the system is approved, the process of replication in other universities and enterprises, – said Donich. – This will allow you to avoid “random” crashes and cyber attacks”.
The academician expressed his belief that the cooperation with Kazan Federal University can benefit the whole of the Russian Federation. At the University today there are about 37 000 students, each of which can be truly highly qualified, said Sokolov.
Previously Crimean authorities voiced the idea of creating a near Simferopol Silicon valley, where you will work on software development, more than 18,000 IT professionals.