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We’re thrilled to hear that this year The Family Place raised $1 million for victims of domestic violence through the annual Partners Card Program. This is a new milestone for them and they deserve t0 celebrate — countless lives will be improved by the money brought in by Partners Card. The Saxton Group was a 2010 Sponsor of The Partners Card program. Additionally, all DFW area McAlister’s Deli and Pinkberry locations honored the 20% discount for Partners Card holders.
Here’s the Dallas Morning News Story:
One of Dallas richest women once told me: “Honey, any fool can pay full price!”That mentality permeates our Big D culture.Eighteen years ago, Paige Flink, executive director of the Family Place, decided that she could create a dandy fundraiser if she could combine Dallas world-class shopping with its world-class bargain hunters.It worked.This years just-completed Partners Card promotion broke the million-dollar mark for the first time.And that money was raised the hard way. Most of it – $905,100 – came one $60 Partners Card at a time. The remainder was from sponsors such as Bank of Texas.”I knew it would happen; I just didnt know when,” Flink says of the milestone. “We have such great shopping in Dallas, Texas, and such great shoppers.”The Partners Card, in case you havent heard, is good for 20 percent off at some of the glitziest, trendiest and just downright necessary stores in North Texas.The more you buy during the 10-day extravaganza, the more you save – or so we tell ourselves.This year, more than 775 retail stores and restaurants joined in the festivities, including Gucci, Maggianos, St. Bernard Sports, All Vac and the Container Store.Every dollar from the sale of 15,085 cards went to the Family Place, Dallas largest family violence agency.”People were ready and strategic,” Flink says. “They planned out what they were going to do to take real advantage of the discount. I have had a lot of positive feedback from the retailers about how much more business they did this year compared to last year. Shoppers seemed ready to spend money.”Guy factorPartners Card has become an anticipated event at my household, where even my shopping-averse husband gets into the spending mode.This year, he bought two pairs of Asics at Lukes Locker in less than 15 minutes. Hed been asking me for a month: “Now when is that shopping thing?”Sure, he waited for the sale. But he bought an extra pair because of the deal.The “guy factor” was key to this years success, says Flink, who instigated the program in 1993 when she got 175 retailers and restaurants to sign on.”Fine mens shoes just dont go on sale. My husband bought two pairs, not just one,” she says. “Men get into the spirit when they see big-ticket items like sound systems, leather furniture and watches.”The Partners Card shopping event is always from the last Friday in October through the first Sunday in November. Retailers like the timing because it gives a boost to the pre-holiday lull.You have to spend $300 to “pay” for your card. Some people fall short, but many others spend much more.”Hopefully well continue to grow in the areas north of LBJ,” Flink says. “Were starting to get more volume in places like Southlake, Plano, McKinney and Frisco. Somebody gets a card and realizes how cool it is. Then she tells a friend. Its a neighbor-to-neighbor thing.”The official tally for 2010 was $1,003,080, up from $898,000 last year.Gem of an ideaJoanne and Charles Teichman, who own Ylang 23 in the Galleria, are longtime supporters of the Family Place. The store is also the leading seller in the U.S. of Cathy Waterman jewelry, which sells for as much as $140,000 per piece.For the last eight years, in addition to selling the cards, the Teichmans have put on a Waterman trunk show. Partners Card customers get 10 percent off designer pieces that never go on sale otherwise, and some people fly in from around the country for the event.The Teichmans then donate 10 percent of the Waterman sales to the Family Place, the only Partners Card retailer to share a portion of actual sales.”We sold a record number of cards, and we had a record Cathy Waterman trunk show” this year, Joanne says. “We cut a big ol five-figure check to Paige and the Family Place.”


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http://kurld.com/image.php?pic=/images/wallpapers/wildlife-images/wildlife-images-20.jpgWildlife cybercriminals will be under more scrutiny than ever following the commitment by all 183 Parties to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), to stamp out illegal online wildlife trade.
The decision was taken at a high level meeting held during the CoP17 of the CITES being held in Johannesburg, South Africa this week.
“This decision will lead to a much more cohesive counter offensive against wildlife cybercriminals, in that it brings together enforcers, online market places and social media platforms from across the globe in a common mission to save wildlife,” said Tania McCrea-Steele, Global Wildlife Cybercrime Project Lead for IFAW.
McCrea-Steele said IFAW welcomed the Secretariat’s intention to engage with online marketplaces and social media platforms in order to crack down on wildlife cybercriminals.
Wildlife cybercrime is a serious threat to endangered species as research conducted by IFAW since 2004 has clearly established. Most recently in 2014 IFAW’s Wanted: Dead or Alive – Exposing Online Wildlife Trade found more than 30,000 endangered and protected live wildlife and their parts and products available for sale over a six week period across 16 countries. The value of the items was in excess of US$10-million.
Wednesday’s decision at CITES came during a meeting where Governments and NGO’s gathered to consider the fast growing threat of illegal Internet trade in wildlife.
The decision calls on INTERPOL to bring together the enforcement community in order to effectively police online wildlife crime. Parties will now also have the opportunity to convene and review their legislation.
The document was tabled by Kenya, whose representative said the country was concerned by the threat that wildlife cybercrime poses to the survival of endangered wildlife.
“Enforcement operations and prosecutions show that criminals who seek to profit from the illegal trade in endangered wildlife are now utilizing the internet to enable their criminal activities,” said Kenya.
“It is essential that we have robust laws specifically addressing the unique threat posed by online wildlife crime while also increasing enforcement knowledge and intelligence on this issue. In addition, it is necessary to engage e-commerce platforms who can assist law enforcers but also improve consumer awareness.”
Parties that spoke in favor of the decision were: Syria, Guinea, Israel, India, Malaysia, Senegal, Liberia, Costa Rica, the Maldives, Nigeria, South Africa and the European Union.

domain: news


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EA unofficially kicked off E3 2019 yesterday, with its pre-E3 show EA Play providing us a rundown of new updates pertaining to its current and upcoming games. It offered us our first proper look at Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, the first gameplay trailer for FIFA 20, and almost complete avoidance of Anthem.
Now, EA Play isn’t known for being the most exciting E3 event. The publisher often reserves its bigger announcements for the other press conferences, rather than debuting them before E3 during its own showcase. As such, it could still be the case that some big EA games pop up during the Microsoft E3 2019 press conference later today. However, what was shown wasn’t exactly thrilling.
EA has been having some notable difficulties recently. Anthem was released to a negative critical and consumer reception, Battlefield 5 didn’t achieve the same response as its popular predecessor, and the ongoing pushback against loot boxes threatens the profitability of its bank-rolling sports franchises. So how did it fare at E3? Let’s take a look at all the announcements, along with the highlights and lowlights of its presentation.
E3 2019 EA Play | All the EA games from E3
- Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order: The first gameplay trailer was revealed for the new Star Wars game, in the form of a 15-minute live demo. Its connections to Rogue One were also revealed.
- Apex Legends: EA revealed Apex Legends‘ season 2 release date, along with debuting its new hero, Wattson. Developer Respawn also debuted its new weapon, the L-Star, while a mysterious monster also made an appearance.
- Battlefield 5: A roadmap was revealed for Battlefield 5 along with a trailer for its Marita map. It was also announced that the game will be added to EA Access.
- FIFA 20: EA revealed FIFA 20‘s new Volta mode, a 5-on-5 mode similar to FIFA Street. A new gameplay trailer was also shown.
- The Sims 4: A new expansion, Island Living, was revealed for The Sims 4.
E3 2019 EA Play | Highlights and lowlights
Highlight: Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order mixed Uncharted with Sekiro
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order received a lengthy gameplay demo, showing off its Uncharted-esque wall clambering and combat. Comparisons have already been made between it and From Software’s Sekiro, with it also featuring a parrying system that sees players engage enemies with a more methodical approach.
The demo didn’t set the world alight, but it’s easy to see how satisfying its swordfights have the potential to be. A big issue with Star Wars games has been their inability to properly replicate lightsaber battles, with opponents usually slicing into one another with wild abandon until HP bars are depleted.
This isn’t how lightsaber battles should work; each slash of a ‘saber should rightfully be able to fell an opponent, and Jedi Fallen Order seems to get that right. Hopefully, there are plenty of opportunities in the game to engage in combat with other lightsaber wielders.
Its connections with Rogue One were also spotlighted in the demo, with it showing an appearance from Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) and an Imperial security droid like K-2SO. The latter had a Mr. X vibe about it, chasing down protagonist Cal and grabbing him in a painful-looking chokehold after apprehending our Jedi hero. More games should have their own Mr. X, so hopefully Respawn has taken some cues from Capcom with its sinister robot enemy.
Lowlight: Apex Legends‘ updates still feel unsubstantial
Unfortunately, EA peaked early with Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. An update on Apex Legends season 2 was welcome, showing those who have stuck with the battle royale game what they can expect in its next major update.
However, these aren’t exactly Fortnite levels of additions to the game — a new hero, Wattson, is going to be added, along with a new mode and weapon. If you’ve drifted away from the game as I have, it’s unlikely you’re going to be pulled back in for season 2. It’s commendable that Respawn has said it wants to avoid crunch with Apex Legends, but the lack of meaningful updates does make it feel like a bit of a missed opportunity considering its popularity at launch.
Lowlight: Anthem was almost a no-show
Now, this could go one of two ways. Anthem was almost completely absent from EA Play, with its lead producer Ben Irving popping his head in to confirm the game was still being worked on, but there wasn’t really anything to share.
Calling the loot shooter’s future “very bright,” Irving didn’t elaborate on what that future will entail. Instead, he confirmed that BioWare is still looking to invest time into its disappointing game, perhaps eventually bringing it in line with expectations.
Anthem not appearing at EA Play could mean that BioWare is looking to stage a soft relaunch of the game, which could be a good thing. Destiny received a barrage of criticisms at launch before expansions made it more appealing, and Destiny 2 is currently going through similar issues but attracted positive press after announcing it’ll be going free-to-play.
The difference is that Anthem wasn’t a blockbuster financial success at launch like the original Destiny. Whether EA decides to give BioWare the funds to try to breathe fresh new life into Anthem remains to be seen, but E3 2019 is either the game’s death knell or a sign that BioWare is quietly working to resurrect its latest project.
Highlight: FIFA 20 brings back FIFA Street… kinda
FIFA 20‘s Volta mode brings 5-a-side football back to FIFA, which has been missing since the release of 2012’s FIFA Street. It’s odd that EA has never returned to its Street spin-off series, which hasn’t performed to the standards of its core FIFA games, but still proved dominant in the UK and other football-loving markets.
Still, if we can’t get a new FIFA Street game, then I’ll take Volta. Street was always focused on flashy, over-the-top skill moves, so I hope that this is going to be the same for Volta, and it’s not just going to be standard FIFA gameplay in smaller arenas with fewer players.
If miracles came true the EA would combine Volta with Pro Clubs, allowing us to make 5-a-side teams with our friends. However, considering how Pro Clubs is so routinely overlooked, this is probably being a bit too hopeful.


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Today Sony announced the addition of a new smartphone to their mid-range line of Xperia XA2 devices. The new phone is the Xperia XA2 Plus and joins the Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra. The new Xperia XA2 Plus is most similar to and is essentially a slightly revamped Xperia XA2 Ultra that concentrates more on consumers of entertainment content while dropping the dual lens front-facing selfie camera setup. Sony also takes a step into the minimal bezel screen-dominant design that much of the smartphone industry is moving towards.
At initial glance, one may not notice much different when comparing the new phone to the Xperia XA2 Ultra that launched earlier this year. The look is deceiving though as Sony has stretched the screen to an 18:9 aspect ratio instead of the 16:9 ratio of the Ultra. Aspect ratios of at least 18:9 have become common on flagship devices, but Sony is starting to push that into the mid-range tier with the XA2 Plus. Other than changing the aspect ratio, the resolution remains at full HD and the screen size is 6 inches.
To help entice buyers to opt for this newer unit, a few other changes were made. Sony included their High-Resolution Audio and Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE HX) technologies to improve the audio experience. A new 6GB of RAM option will also be available joining the existing 4GB option. Sony also bumped up the size of compatible microSD cards from 256GB in the XA2 Ultra to 400GB in the XA2 Plus.
Finally, with the changes to audio technology and the screen, Sony is de-emphasizing the “selfie” credentials. The dual lens setup found in the XA2 Ultra has been removed and in its place is an 8MP front-facing camera that sports a wide-angle 120-degree lens. To make up for some of the lost capability, Sony’s “Portrait selfie” mode in their camera app now includes Bokeh and Beauty features on the software side.
One final new wrinkle that Sony introduced is swapping out the Blue color option of the XA2 Ultra with a new Green color for the XA2 Plus. Silver, Black and Gold are the other color choices.
Sony says the new Xperia XA2 Plus will be available starting in late August. No pricing has been announced yet.


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Author: Justine Benstead
Publisher: 83 Degrees
Date: September 10, 2013
How would you like to meet your future business partner at a local conference, or grow your startup company from seed stage, right here in Tampa Bay?
Thanks to the Economic Development Innovation Initiative (EDI2), there’s a growing chance that you could. In August, an initial sum of $307,000 from the $2 million fund was awarded to 23 startup projects and events in the Tampa Bay region.
“We were able to allocate money for something that I really believe is the most important element of economic development going on in the country right now — and that’s the startup community,” says Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe. Read more here.


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Wal-Mart Stores performed better than equity analysts expected in the recent quarter ending April 28, even with net income down by 1.3% to $3.039 billion. The $1 net income per share beat the consensus estimate of 96 cents per share.
Revenue was slightly less than analysts expected as Wal-Mart reported top line sales of $117.5 billion compared to the consensus of $117.7 billion. That said, revenue grew 1.4% from the $115.904 billion in the year-ago quarter. Some deflationary pricing and foreign currency exchange rates drove down revenue by roughly $1.3 billion in the quarter.
“We delivered a solid first quarter and we’re encouraged by the start to the year. We’re moving faster to combine our digital and physical assets to make shopping simple and easy for customers. Our plan is gaining traction, and I want to thank our associates for their hard work, ingenuity and commitment to our customers. Our customers have choices, and we have to earn their business with every interaction,” Doug McMillon, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, noted in the earnings report issued Thursday (May 18).
There were more things going right for Wal-Mart in the quarter with comparable store sales growth of 1.4% in U.S. stores and a 1.5% jump in same-store traffic. Much of the retail sector has in recent months reported weaker store traffic. This marks the 10th consecutive quarter of positive comp traffic for the retail giant. On a two-year stacked basis, comp traffic is up 3%. Comp sales have been up for the past 11 quarters behind improved U.S. store results.
“Wal-Mart is generating traffic in brick and mortar and growing e-commerce and you just don’t see that anywhere in retail today,” said Karen Short, an analyst with Barclays. “E-commerce is working for Wal-Mart and it’s not coming at the expense of its store traffic.”
Short said the discipline Walmart U.S. is displaying is working and she was not disappointed by the first quarter results.
“Wal-Mart is my top pick,” she added.
Wall Street overall applauded Wal-Mart’s good quarter with shares (NYSE: WMT) rallying in the morning session. Shares rose more than 2% trading around $75.76 in heavy volume. For the past 52 weeks the stock price has ranged between $65.28 and $77.50.
While there was plenty for McMillon and his executive team to smile about, he said in the pre-recorded call the company is moving faster to combine its digital and physical assets to make shopping easier and more enjoyable for customers, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
“We need to scale our e-commerce business further and see some additional strength in our store comps to deliver the results we know we’re capable of, so that’s what we’re focused on,” he added.
Wal-Mart expects second quarter earnings between $1 and $1.08 per share.
Walmart U.S. reported net sales revenue of $75.436 billion, up 2.9% over the $73.295 billion reported in the same period last year. Comp sales up 1.4% and traffic up 1.5% were helped by a 0.80% bump from the company’s e-commerce division where items are ordered online and picked-up in stores.
Walmart U.S. e-commerce grew its gross market value by 69% in the quarter, much of which is organic growth and also includes Jet.com. Walmart U.S. e-commerce CEO Marc Lore said Thursday the two-day free shipping service on more than 1 million online items is having a positive impact on online sales. Likewise, the new pickup discounts when shoppers pick up their online order in stores is also good for store traffic.
Analysts also suspect much of the e-commerce growth is related to the retailer’s expanded marketplace offerings. When asked to quantify the growth, Wal-Mart CFO Brett Biggs told the media that e-commerce is still a small piece of the overall business and that’s why it doesn’t yet break out specifics.
Walmart U.S. said the average ticket declined slightly because of lower sales of higher ticket items at the beginning of the quarter related to the delay in tax refunds. But, the grocery business improved delivering the strongest comp sales performance in more than three years. Wal-Mart did not break out the comps for Neighborhood Market formats in the quarter.
The U.S. segment also benefited from a 7.3% decline in comp store inventories in the quarter. The segment’s gross margin rate was flat in the quarter as the company continues to invest heavily in its e-commerce business. Walmart U.S. expects comp sales growth between 1.5% and 2% in the quarter ending July 28.
Sam’s Club, now under the leadership of CEO John Furner, reported net sales of $13.993 billion, up 2.8% from a year ago. Comparable sales, excluding fuel, rose 1.6% and traffic was up 1%, reversing a negative trend a year ago. Sam’s reported a slight increase in tickets up 0.5%. Like Walmart U.S., Sam’s saw a 0.80% bump in comp sales related to its growing e-commerce business which is 21% higher year-over-year. Membership also grew from a year ago, though the company didn’t break out the total.
Sam’s Club did say its Club Pickup increased nearly 30% from a year ago. Sam’s Club expects comp sales to grow between 1-1.5% in the quarter ending July 28.
The international division had net sales of $27.097 billion, down 3.5% from a year ago. Biggs said international reporting lags the rest of the company by about one month and the late Easter this year was not included in the first quarter results. On a constant currency basis net sales totaled $28.296 billion, up 0.8% to a year ago.
Biggs also said there was $385 million in sales the company didn’t have compared to a year ago relating to the sale of Yihaodian to J.D.com in the fourth quarter of last year. Also the sale of the Suburbia apparel format will be completed in the second quarter of this year with an expected 5-cent earnings per share benefit in the quarter. Likewise, international sales are expected to compromised by about $600 million this year without Suburbia.
Following are results in key foreign markets.
• Walmex total sales grew 5.2% and comp sales rose 3.7% in the quarter.
• China net sales increased 0.7% and comp sales fell 1.3%.
• United Kingdom net sales improved 0.9% while comps were down 2.8%.
• Canada net sales grew 2.7%, and comp sales rose 1.5%.


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Thanks to the outbreak of avian flu that has decimated the poultry industry in recent months, egg prices have taken flight.
Avian influenza, otherwise known as “bird flu,” has impacted more than 58 million birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With inflation added to the mix, a dozen eggs are currently going for an all-time high of $4.25.
How then, does the Department of Defense, which budgets for the fiscal year in advance through the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, ensure that troops have access to select foods even in times of shortage or extreme cost?
Unlike other Defense Department budget line items, the Defense Logistics Agency operates through indefinite delivery and quantity contracts, which provide services during a fixed period. In the case of food, these contracts ensure indefinite subsistence items for customers in a specific geographic area until the contract’s expiration.
“Under the Defense Logistics Agency Prime Vendor program, there are no amounts allocated for specific food items like eggs,” Defense Logistics Agency public affairs officer Michelle McCaskill told Military Times.
“If an item’s price is determined to be unfair or unreasonable, it can be excluded from the ordering catalog. Some items are more critical than others based on the military services’ menu requirements.”
Ultimately, those granular item decisions boil down to installation dining facilities.
“The military services establish the demand for food and beverage items procured by DLA,” McCaskill said. “It is the responsibility of our contracting officers to determine that a price is fair and reasonable, analyzing many factors including market conditions.”
It’s rare, however, that an item is removed from the DLA dining catalog, especially an item as essential as eggs, which are not just used on their own but in recipes at dining facilities and mess halls around the world.
Dining Managers for each branch ultimately decide how to buy eggs within their respective budgets. Dining facilities may temporarily cut expensive items from their menus, but it comes down to the facilities to make that call.
“Eggs are a required breakfast item daily,” said Onyx Taylor-Catterson with the CASCOM Public Affairs Office. “Dining Facility managers have specific nutritional requirements (set by the Defense Food Program) to provide to our valued customers, and deviation from those standards require approval from the Installation Food Program. Manager decisions are driven by customer demands to establish the highest quality experience possible.”
Moreover, the Basic Daily Food Allowance provides some level of relief for installations needing to make ends meet.
“Recent increases in the Basic Daily Food Allowance provide greater buying power for the manager and [are] designed to support customers during seasonal trends — strawberries and watermelons — and periodic national price increases,” Taylor-Catterson noted.
In effect, there’s not expected to be any shortage of green eggs and ham for Uncle Sam.
Sarah Sicard is a Senior Editor with Military Times. She previously served as the Digitial Editor of Military Times and the Army Times Editor. Other work can be found at National Defense Magazine, Task & Purpose, and Defense News.


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Your Business and The Wall Street Journal news for Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
- McDonald’s told Putin and Russia “bye.” After 30 years in Russia, they have had enough. McDonald’s said “y’all are wrong for what you’re doing in Ukraine!”
- JetBlue was trying to be nice and buy Spirit Airlines but Frontier Airlines said “nah, Playah! We were here first.” Jet Blue is getting “hostile” and going directly to Spirit shareholders!
- The FDA is going to allow foreign countries to send their baby formula over since we have a shortage. Hmmm….
- The US surpassed 1 million COVID-19 deaths. Mostly men between 55 and 84 and Black people.
- California tried to create a law mandating that corporate boards have a woman in its ranks. A woman judge in LA said “that’s unconstitutional. Sorry.”
- The CEO of Microsoft promised to increase salaries. They plan to double global budget for merit-based increases.
- Marriott Hotels is partnering with Yahoo Entertainment to use customer data to sell ads. The “Marriott Media Network” about make dough off your personal info.
That’s all! If you like these posts, please like/share! Be sure to check my website for updates!


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Provident profits jump 8.5%
Insurance firm Provident Financial today committed itself to extending its financial services to more lower income households when it announced a solid rise in profits.
It also announced a rapid expansion of its international home credit division with customer numbers rocketing from 18,000 to 149,000 following a major drive into Poland and the Czech Republic.
The cost of building an international bridgehead led to start-up losses of £8.4 million last year but despite this pre-tax profits for the year to December 31 were up 8.5% from £142.8 million to £155 million.The board is raising the total dividend for the year by 10.2% from 22.5p to 24.8p. During the year the company mounted a share buy-back operation, which returned £35.3 million of excess capital to shareholders.
Looking to the future, chairman John van Kuffeler said: 'We are well on the way to achieving our aim of being a leading international provider of financial services to lower income households.We continue to recruit large numbers of customers from our traditional C1, C2, D and E socio-economic groups, with 38% of our customer base coming from the C1 and C2 segments.'
On the international front he said further expansion in Poland and the Czech Republic was planned, followed by other continental moves in 2001.In motor insurance the company intended to continue its concentration on women drivers, while it was intending to extend its simple loan and motor insurance products to more lower income households. It already has 2.7 million customers. The one cloud on the horizon was the rising level of bad debt.
Mr van Kuffeler said: 'Higher levels of personal indebtedness and bad debt have been evident. Our bad debt charge has risen to 8.4% of credit issued.' In response the company was more cautious in its lending and credit issued grew by just 5.2%.
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The so-called “programmatic direct” marketplace is disrupting relationships between agencies and publishers right now, but that’s a necessary step to get to a smoother world where they can interact more optimally -- and more directly -- to the benefit of brand marketers.
That was Carol Chung’s point of view on the “Programmatic Direct” panel discussion at the Programmatic Insider Summit in Scottsdale, AZ.
“I have big plans for programmatic,” the senior vice president-media technology at DigitasLBi told summit attendees, adding, “I think programmatic is going to be everything.”
She acknowledged there will be inevitable hiccups during the current transitional phase, because agencies, brands and publishers are still sorting process and markets out, but in the long run, she believes “programmatic direct is a slam dunk,” because it will just make all parties work more efficiently and effectively.
“We’re going through some major disruption with all of our publisher partners,” she conceded, alluding that DigitasLBi currently is in the process of onboarding all of it’s programmatic direct publisher partners on to one centralized platform that will ultimately take friction and inconsistency out of the process.
Once that works through, Chung believes programmatic direct buys will skyrocket and conceivably could be “100%” of all direct-to-publisher buys, depending on how you define it.
Currently, she says there is too much discussion around processes -- and issues, like transparency and arbitrage -- and not enough on “strategy.” Ultimately, she believes, all digital media agency people will be programmatic traders, because it will just become another tool in their box to activate digital campaigns.
“They’re going to become programmatic traders,” she said of agency digital media strategists, planners and buyers.“It’s all one thing,” she said. “It’s the future. We just need to get there.”


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The effect of Alibaba — the largest IPO by market capitalization ever — has already reverberated far beyond investors jockeying for an allocation of the e-retailer’s stock. Read More »
Sep 19, 2014
A chart recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Icahn Enterprises showed a 76% return on the stock of eBay during the period in which an Icahn designee served on the online auction company’s board.
That is all the more impressive because that period lasted only 13 days, from June 17 to June 30 of this year, during which the stock climbed just 2.2%. So how did Mr. Icahn produce a 76% return? Read More »
Billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed a new stake in EBay Inc., according to a regulatory filing on Thursday. The activist investor also raised his stake in Apple Inc. and decreased his stake in Netflix. Read More »
Deals of the Day is your one-stop-shop for the morning’s biggest news from the finance beat, including M&A, IPOs, banks, hedge funds and private equity. Here’s what’s happening today: Read More »
Another eBay Inc. shareholder is chiming in on the company’s fight with Carl Icahn.
Bill Smead, of Smead Capital Management, an asset manager with about $880 million under management, says eBay should keep PayPal because it will help drive the stock higher over the next ten or 20 years. Read More »
The battle between eBay and Carl Icahn grows louder by the day, but a new, small-scale survey didn’t cast much light on how investors are leaning in the up-coming board elections — or the question of whether to spin off PayPal. Both sides may take the results as a signal to ratchet up their efforts even more. Read More »
Before a group of investors bought a majority of Skype from eBay Inc. in 2009, Microsoft Corp. had discussions about acquiring Skype but passed on bidding over concerns about lawsuits Skype was facing from its founders, according to a court document and people familiar with the matter.
Microsoft’s interest, while not strong enough for it to bid, could dispel some concerns activist investor Carl Icahn has raised about the Skype deal. Mr. Icahn said it only raises more questions. Read More »
Investors aren’t sure who to side with in the ongoing feud between billionaire investor Carl Icahn and eBay Inc. Read More »
Content engaging our readers now, with additional prominence accorded if the story is rapidly gaining attention. Our WSJ algorithm comprises 30% page views, 20% Facebook, 20% Twitter, 20% email shares and 10% comments.


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BY KHADIJAT O. MUSTAPHA, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | 06:45 PM
Residents of Maiduguri, capital of Borno, have raised concerns over the rise in prices of perishable goods in markets across the metropolis.
A market survey by our reporter revealed that a basket of tomatoes which was about N5, 000 months back risen now N8, 000. A bag of onion was N10, 000 but it is now N29, 000.
However, Maiduguri is where most of these perishable goods are grown, particularly much of what is consumed in the metropolis. They are grown along the various water bodies that traverse the city.
The concerns by the residents are on what could have caused the raise in the price since they are being produced within the metropolis.
A good number of them who complained to YERWA EXPRESS NEWS said the rise is making it difficult for them to feed themselves.
The perishable goods mentioned as being costly are tomatoes, onions and pepper. They said the price of the goods have risen to almost two times their previous prices.
This is coming weeks after the residents also complained of the rise in the prices of charcoal and firewood, as reported YERWA EXPRESS NEWS.
‘I like fresh pepper and tomato in my food, because it makes it delicious but with the way the price escalated, I had to cut down on it,’ Chiamaka Emmanuel, who our reporter met at the point of buying them at Baga Road Market said.
The situation has forced many of them to find other alternatives for feeling a similar taste in their food.
‘I hardly buy fresh pepper and tomato now, I prefer to buy dried one as it’s more accessible and cheaper,' says another resident, who our reporter also met at the same market.
‘Things are difficult and there is no money in circulation, everywhere is so tight, that sometimes I find it so difficult to buy perishable ingredients because the cost is so much. And instead I use alternative ingredients,’Malam Isa Ibrahim, also at the market, said.
The dealers of the goods have attributed the rise in the prices of the goods to different factors.
Dealers account for hike in the prices
When contacted by YERWA EXPRESS NEWS, the dealers of tomatoes said the change in the prices is largely due to the rainy season. They said the river banks within the state capital used for cultivating those perishable goods are mostly not accessible, if cultivable, during the rainy season.
According to them, this is mostly the case from August to October every year when rainfall becomes steady, causing water levels at the rivers to rise, sometimes above the river and overflowing to the riversides.
It thus washes everything grown along the banks.
According to them, most of the perishable goods in circulation were brought outside the state, from as far as Benue, and the cost of transportation among others contributed to their rapid rise,
‘The reason for the high price in the product is because of the rainy season. We don’t get the tomatoes nearby, we have to go far away to other states like Benue, Gombe and Taraba to get it,’ Alhaji Dauda Umar, the chairman of tomato sellers in Gamboru Market in Maiduguri, said.
He assured that the goods will soon be available in the state as soon as cultivation resumes around the river banks in December.
‘Tomatoes would be available in Jere towards December and January and the price will be cheaper. Even now the price has reduced a bit compared to last week because we bought some from Gombe,’ he added.
Borno is one of the states in the North East region of Nigeria that is worst-hit by the Boko Haram crisis. One of the sectors worst affected by the crisis in the state is agriculture, as farms were forced to be deserted for several years.
While others attributed the high cost to the rainy season, the dealers of the union added that crisis could be another cause.
Alhaji Dunoma Goni Adam, the chairman of onion sellers in Gamboru Market in Maiduguri who said this, also disclosed that much of the onion consumed in the state capital are brought from at least 13 different local governments of the state. They are also brought in from neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger republics.
However, he said the insecurity had cut out these supply sources.
As things stand, residents have to wait till December before the prices come down.
Conflict Reporting is dangerous and risky. Our reporters constantly face life-threatening challenges, sometimes surviving ambushes, kidnap attempts and attacks by the whiskers as they travel and go into communities to get authentic and firsthand information. But we dare it every day, nonetheless, in order to keep you informed of the true situation of the victims, the trends in the conflicts and ultimately help in peace building processes. But these come at huge cost to us. We are therefore appealing to you to help our cause by donating to us through any of the following means. You can also donate working tools, which are even more primary to our work. We thank you sincerely as you help our cause.
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07 February 2022
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Buyout firms pay higher multiples than trade buyers
Private equity firms are paying higher multiples than trade buyers for companies they acquire as they focus on the best assets, according to new industry research.
The average valuation of mid-market European leveraged buyouts grew to 7.1-times earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in the fourth quarter last year, from 6.6-times Ebitda in the third quarter, according to data published yesterday by Epsilon Research and Argos Soditic, a French private equity firm.
In contrast, the average multiple paid by trade buyers remained steady at 6.3-times Ebitda.
Argos Soditic partner Karel Kroupa said: “While valuations overall have remained stable, we have seen the value of buyout transactions increase. Unlike in the past, this is not because they’re overpaying for companies - it’s due to the fact that the quality, the features and the performance of the companies acquired by buyout funds are better than those that are acquired by trade buyers.”
Kroupa added that the levels also reflect sellers’ unwillingness to lower their price expectations for businesses they put up for sale, a fact that also explains why sale processes are taking far longer to complete than before the financial crisis.
Kroupa said: “When you look at the deals that were closed in the last quarter, you see companies that have been in the market for some time. If sellers can’t sell for high multiples then they’re not selling at all. Unless, for example, you are a corporate entity and you have some assets to divest, it doesn’t make any significant difference divesting now or waiting for six or 12 months.”
The research was based on mid-market companies in eurozone countries that have an equity value of €15m to €150m.
The 6.6-times ebitda valuations recorded in the third quarter last year had been the lowest in two years, as firms sought to take advantage of the eurozone crisis by buying assets at cheaper levels, according to data from Epsilon Research and Argos Soditic at the time.
-- Write to Alec Macfarlane at email@example.com


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The B2B world is all about efficiency. How can Solution X solve Problem Z? How can Enterprise Company A be more efficient, cut paperwork, speed up transaction times, and optimize increasingly-complex supply chains?
To date, all of these core business issues have been addressed with the application of a patchwork system of hardware and software solutions that leaves company data exposed and vulnerable. These diverse and often-overlapping systems have been the norm…forever… but the business world is finally waking up to the risks of traditional approaches to identity and security. Insecure transactions, user data breaches, hacks, and more, have businesses thinking differently. A big part of that new of thinking is Blockchain data security.
The Blockchain Awakening
Google, Amazon, IBM, HP, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP are just a few of the many enterprise companies offering Blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS), and that number will only increase. A 2018 survey of business leaders by Deloitte shows broad acceptance and optimism about blockchain-based solutions. 65% of respondents said their organization planned to spend one million U.S. dollars or more on blockchain tech in the coming year. 16% of respondents reported a planned investment of more than $10 million.
Blockchain in Fintech
Traditional paper-based business practices are slow, vulnerable, and expensive. Blockchain technology can be used to speed up the process for completing transactions, increase security around identity and validation, and cut fraud.
End-user parties in any given transaction can identified and verified, transfers can be traced back to the source, and all parties can rest assured everyone is receiving what they should be – whether that be money, services, or anything else. In fact, the Australian Securities Exchange is already using blockchain.
Transactions that once took days or weeks can be reduced to mere hours – and it’s all down to the data integrity that Blockchain can provide.
It’s not just for transactions, though.
In early 2018, Northern Trust bank worked with PwC, a global consultancy, on a platform for private equity fund auditors to get instant audits of funds and activities of fund managers. Here’s more from the Coindesk story on the project:
By using the software, auditors of a private equity fund will be able to see read-only files in near real-time when shares are bought and sold between general partners and limited partners, when investment firms call for capital promised by investors, and when capital gains are distributed.
The auditors can either transfer the required data into their own applications to complete the audit process or develop their own tools to audit directly from the blockchain. Permission to audit the various funds will be controlled by smart contract technology for which Northern Trust says it has a patent pending.
This is significant, and gets to the heart of two of blockchain’s biggest value points – efficiency and transparency. Simplifying workflows, cutting down on paperwork (and physical paper), and automating repetitive tasks are inherently valuable to businesses of all sizes. Being able to do all this while at the same making these processes more trustworthy and transparent only adds to the benefits.
The central idea of the Northern Trust-PwC project could be applied to countless other industries and use cases. Real-time verification, auditing, and compliance are issues that governments and businesses have struggled with…forever…as essentially every person on Earth already knows. But, with this technology, banks, corporations, hospitals, and other institutions that rely on verified identification could verify in seconds what can now take hours, days, or even weeks – plus, the untold man hours that are wasted pushing paper around.
You Are Who You Say You Are
PwC, as it happens, also launched a pilot program with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) that uses blockchain to make it easier for companies looking to hire accounts to verify credentials in the screening process.
Smart Credentials is a platform, underpinned by blockchain, that gives the owner of a credential control of their data, while also simplifying the process for regulators or institutions who issue credentials, as well as the reviewers who need to check them.
In this pilot, the owner is the recently qualified chartered accountant at PwC; ICAS issues the digital certificate to that person and it will then be part of their digital wallet and can be updated with ongoing personal development and be shared with others on request in a safe and secure way.
This is an ideal use case for blockchain, and an approach that can be applied to other identity-verification challenges. Here’s a little flowchart they put together:
The identity-based company Civic is also active in this space, offering blockchain-based identity solutions for businesses and consumers alike. Now, they are trying to create a marketplace where people and businesses – and really other organization – can essentially trade on their verified information.
At its heart, the Civic protocol is built around the idea that users control their own data: – “your information sits on your device, not on our servers,” as Lingham explains it.
Identity.com will serve as a hub for businesses that have information and those that need it. So, rather than one company selling data about its users directly to another firm, the first company that can verify data would share that attestation with the user, who would then share it with the second firm that needs the information.
The blockchain allows the company receiving the information to verify that the attestation held by the consumer is legitimate.
Many different companies might be able to, for example, verify that a specific user has a valid driver’s license, but other companies might have different levels of trust in each other.
So, Identity.com will be a place for companies to set up relationships and have a means to tell consumers whose attestations they will trust.
The implications become apparent pretty quickly. It’s easy to imagine a world of efficiencies for B2B firms immediately in the form of smart contracts and relationship management, and it just flows from there.
Supply Chain Clarity
It’s easy to think of digital identity in terms of a specific person, but the same principle can apply to anything – from a single apple to a sports car.
Even the most-common technologies we use – cars, phones, TVs – have remarkably complex supply chains. With blockchain technology, the provenance of every component can be verified back to its origin via records recorded to a distributed, verified ledger.
In the Deloitte survey mentioned earlier, 84% of respondents said that the automobile industry was the industry most-likely to be disrupted by blockchain technology. Auto industry insiders seem to agree.
The reason is simple. Toyota says that there are roughly 30,000 individual pieces of material in every car. Not counting individual nuts and bolts, the number of components in the average consumer car is close to 2000. One faulty piece in the supply chain can cost carmakers millions in recalls and repairs. With blockchain technology, as piece moves through production, changes are hashed, logged, and committed to the ledger, eventually comprising a verifiable “identity” for each piece.
Blockchain data security gives suppliers and wholesalers confidence to guarantee the origin and evolution of their products, and industrial purchasers can prevent fraud, have more accurate records of purchases, and the entire transaction process between all parties can be remarkably simplified.
There are several other blockchain applications for the auto industry. Product recalls – which can both endanger lives and cost billions of dollars – can be executed faster and more precisely. Smart contracts can greatly simplify and speed up the sales process both for finished cars to end buyers and in supply chain wholesaling.
Here’s what Andre Luckow, BMW Group’s lead for blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, told Forbes:
We are convinced, however, that blockchains represent a real opportunity and will eventually break up the established, centralized market by making it possible to create more decentralized platforms and so give consumers more control over their data.
Simon-Kucher & Partners project potential revenues in the hundreds of billions of dollars by 2030 for the automotive industry from blockchain applications alone. Below is an infographic they put together (note that it is a German organization, so it is denominated in Euro).
Porsche is already using blockchain tech in its cars, Renault has already been using it for nearly two years for a digital car maintenance book, BMW is starting to use it to track parts and usage, and the list goes on.
Wrapping it Up
Digital identity is a key issue in the B2B world, and blockchain-based solutions are gaining traction – both for people and for goods and materials. Using decentralized networks and private keys to trade in trusted, verified information is already helping businesses work together far more efficiently than before, and we are still in early days.


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The appointment follows a pitch against its fellow incumbent agencies, ZenithOptimedia and Carat.
EasyJet appointed OMD to the offline account in May. OMD had pitched against Carat, ZenithOptimedia and MediaCom.
OMD will now handle online planning and buying for easyJet across European markets including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. ZenithOptimedia previously handled the UK online task.
The pitch was overseen by David Meliveo, the marketing services manager at easyJet. Leigh Terry, the head of online at OMD UK, will run the business.
Meliveo said: "Throughout the online pitch process, OMD Digital proved to have the strongest team and a clear understanding of easyJet's strategic needs. We believe that OMD will rise to the challenge of integrating our on- and offline business to produce highly effective and innovative campaigns."
Steve Williams, the OMD UK managing director, said: "It is a huge compliment to be awarded easyJet's online business, adding to our offline success recently, up against stiff competition in Zenith-Optimedia and Carat."
The aim of online advertising is to drive traffic to the easyjet.com website.


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- United Parcel Service Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income rose 7.5% as it delivered a record number of packages, but the company said Tuesday that a slowing U.S. economy could lighten earnings growth in 2007.
UPS UPS, -2.10% saw its net income climb to $1.13 billion, or $1.04 a share, from $1.05 billion, or 95 cents, in the year-earlier period. That matched the average analyst estimate of $1.04 a share derived in a survey by Thomson Financial.
The Atlanta company's revenue rose 5.6% to $12.63 billion from $11.95 billion. International package shipment revenue rose more than 10%, while domestic package revenue gained 3.9%.
Analysts' average forecast stood at $12.87 billion.
UPS shares fell 1.3% Tuesday to $72.70.
UPS said its average daily volume of packages rose in the fourth quarter to 17.3 million from 16.8 million. For 2006 as a whole, UPS said it delivered a company record of nearly 4 billion packages.
Along with the quarterly results, UPS forecast 2007 earnings of $4.10 to $4.25 a share, below the average analyst figure of $4.27 a share, as first-quarter earnings rise to a projected range of 94 to 98 cents a share. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial have been forecasting earnings, on average, of 98 cents a share for the March quarter.
"We anticipate another good year in our global small-package business despite a slowing U.S. economy," said Scott Davis, chief financial officer.
UPS's growth projections are below its historical 13% to 15% growth rate, according to Robert Baird analyst Jon Langenfeld. A slowing U.S. economy, lagging domestic express volumes and an under-performing supply chain unit are the culprits, Langenfeld said.


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Richardson, Texas-based climate control solutions provider $LII reported higher profit in 1Q16, reiterated 2016 revenue guidance and raised 2016 EPS guidance. Net income for the quarter was $24.9MM, or $0.57 per diluted share, up 79% from $13.9MM, or $0.31 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Revenue rose 4% YoverY to $715MM.
I haven’t seen a drop in banks like this in a long time. Looks like $WFC is still facing pressures from its sales practices scandal..!!
Helping President-elect's America first focus, $WMT set to create 10,000 retail jobs in the US in 2017.
Looks like Trump has his eyes on the $MON and Bayer merger next. He had a meeting with the CEOs and apparently got job promises from them.


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The 89th Academy Awards had no shortage of drama – from politically-charged speeches to the big mix up for Best Picture with Moonlight and La La Land. As with any major event, brand marketers worked to get in on the action.
In today’s roundup of online and partner marketing news and opinion, we look at some analysis and coverage of the marketing and advertising buzz around the 2017 Oscars.
Cadillac’s Politically Tinged Oscars Advertisement: Daring Greatly, Or ‘Me Too’?
In its new advertising during the Oscars telecast on Sunday, Cadillac veered from the pioneering path it has carved during this event over the last couple of years onto a road that’s become increasingly traversed: political commentary, writes Dale Buss on Forbes. “Carry” is only one of four TV commercials Cadillac aired during its third consecutive year of a marketing partnership with Hollywood’s biggest night. The other ads spoke to the brand’s future design direction, innovation past and future, and its performance heritage. Read the full story here.
Ads at the Oscars: Which brands spend the most?
The Oscars’ are now most expensive TV buy after Super Bowl with number of commercials soaring, generating $115m in ad revenue, according to new research from Kantar Media. The largest advertising positions in the Academy Awards are held by well-known marketers. In a typical year, the top five spenders account for 55-60 percent of total ad revenue. And because of long-term sponsorship deals, the makeup of the group changes slowly over time. Read more here about what brands spend the most on advertising during the Oscars as reported by Netimperative.
Samsung tries to out-cool Apple at Oscars
During the Oscars, Samsung debuts an ad featuring vlogger Casey Neistat — a man who once embarrassed Apple — and the theme “do what you can’t.”Samsung has succeeded in recent times with its ads often becoming more virally popular than Apple’s. After the Note 7 debacle, it seems clear that it’s still trying to make inroads by presenting itself as younger and cooler than Cupertino — which has become more of a global establishment brand than ever, writes Chris Matyszczyk on cnet. Read the full story and watch (or re-watch) the ad here.
Did Walmart’s High-Concept Short Films on the Oscars Work?
As covered by AdWeek, bananas, paper towels, batteries, a scooter, wrapping paper and a video baby monitor. Those were the six products at the center of Walmart’s “The Receipt,” a high-concept advertising project in which the big-box retailer got four well-known Hollywood directors to make three 60-second spots for the Oscars—that had to feature all six items, as listed on a Walmart receipt. So, how the did the films turn out? Check them out and read more here.
‘The Truth Is Hard,’ Says The New York Times’ First-Ever Oscars Ad
The New York Times debuted its first-ever ad to run during the Academy Awards. As reported by AdAg, the simple, black-and-white typographic spot lays out, line by line, a litany of conflicting statements, anchored by the three words, “the truth is” — “The truth is alternative facts are lies. The truth is the media is dishonest. …The truth is a woman should dress like a woman. The truth is women’s rights are human rights” and so on. The spot is part of the publication’s first-ever brand campaign in a decade, created out of Droga5 New York. Read more about it here.
What were your favorite Oscars moments (marketing or otherwise)?
Other posts you may like:


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Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. in Camarillo reported that net losses dropped in its first quarter compared with a year earlier.
The maker of high-performance chips concluded the first quarter of its fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31, with a net loss of $844,000, or 3 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $7.7 million, or 32 cents a share, from a year earlier.
Profit margins dropped to 58 percent from 61.8 percent in the same quarter a year earlier.
In addition, new product lines were gaining traction, the company said.
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SaaS For Startups: 6 Things Every CEO Should Know SaaS packages have evolved from large enterprise commodities to must-have solutions for businesses of all sizes. Once reserved for large corporate infrastructures, the evolution in cloud technology and the BYOD trends have changed how businesses use and license out SaaS platforms. That being said, with all of the choices out there, it can be difficult to choose exactly which service platform is really the most efficient and cost-effective for a small startup. Image via Flickr Office Now For startup CEOs, it’s your job to weigh the cost of investments in hopes they’ll support the future
Cloud Computing Trends Of 2012 This year, the winds of change have blown the cloud to a higher level. Studies predict that cloud computing will be on the rise for some a long period of time and that it will be a major source of revenue and employment globally by 2015. Industry experts also say that ultimately everything will be in the cloud, including migrating all physical hardware, software, platforms, services and processing. There is no question that cloud computing evolved enormously this year. In 2012, we’ve seen: Increased confidence in cloud for mission-critical applications, according to the second annual Future
Cloud Infographic: The BYOD Revolution As new innovations continue to fill the technology marketplace, a shift in how business and the IT consumer alike utilize technology is shaping the face of a more connected. We are becoming more streamlined in our day to day processes, thanks largely in part to the power of mobile computing. Computing technology available off the shelf is pound-for-pound, far more powerful and as such more sustainable, than ever before. Take into consideration the power of virtual computing and it would seem that the journey is just beginning. Read: Managing Mobile Devices Connecting to the Cloud In
Cloud Worth Billions: Emerging Trends In Cloud Computing Investment Cloud technology and its associated service market are flourishing with each passing day due to significant contributions from a broad spectrum of vendors. The rate of maturation of this vibrant and promising market is surprisingly fast and is primarily due to the fact that the technological shift towards the cloud itself contains a plethora of opportunities for start-ups and established businesses alike. The diverse range of inventive solutions for software, platforms and infrastructure is a clear indication that a custom, tailored cloud service is bound to exist in order to meet venture
Microsoft ventures big into the Indian cloud market On April 12, Microsoft announced its biggest collaboration in the cloud segment by working with India’s AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) to setup up its Live@Edu cloud solution at over 10,000 colleges in India. This could potentially bring 7.5 million new users to its cloud and can portend a big expansion in this market in the future. Though Microsoft claims it as a corporate social responsibility initiative as the solution is given for free, it is a smart business move that could open up a huge market for cloud computing.


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By Aaron de Leon
Several years ago, I volunteered to join a caravan of recreational vehicles being driven half way across the country. Somewhere near the Mexico-Texas border, one of the vehicles had some trouble. We contacted a local mechanic who led us to his shop in what literally seemed like the very middle of nowhere.
As we waited for the mechanic to fix the problem, I took inventory of the space around me. Dirt, dust, sand, duck, chicken, rock, more chickens and more dirt. This may not have been an official desert, but it was the closest experience I have to being able to understand what a desert may be.
There’s another type of desert I want to address this week. It’s much less noticeable, but no less difficult to survive. It hides itself in every city across America and it slowly, methodically claims lives. It’s called a food desert.
San Antonio, TX is no different than any other city in that much of its population resides in areas known as food deserts. These desert neighborhoods, littered with convenience stores and fast-food joints, are less likely to have access to fresh produce and non-processed, healthy foods.
I recently had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Luz Neira, director of the nutrition, health and wellness division of the San Antonio Food Bank to talk about what they are doing to not only impact a city, but an entire generation.
“We focus on food distribution and education.” Dr. Neira said. As a function of her focus on health and wellness through nutrition, she is leading her department to educate the community through gardening and healthy cooking classes.
“We want to increase access to healthy food choices in low-income and food desert communities.” She said. In order to do that, San Antonio Food Bank has developed 27 acres of farm land surrounding it’s 200,000 sq. ft. facility. “Five acres are currently yielding valuable produce,” she said. “The other 22 acres are currently planted with crops designed to prepare the soil for next years growing season.”
Matthew Molpus, nutrition educator and Farmers Market Coordinator led me on a tour of the facility and the farm. “We have two 60,000-gallon water tanks and one 90,000-gallon water tank here to water our gardens.” Molpus said. These water tanks are designed to catch rain water and condensation from the facilities’ rooftop air conditioning units.
“A large herb garden grows along the northwest side of the facility. Beyond the herb garden stands a large greenhouse structure housing a hydroponic basil farm. Along the fence line and behind the greenhouse, we are growing fig and lime trees.” Molpus said. On the southeast side of the facility stands a large pavilion structure surrounded by more garden space. Here, the Food Bank plans to grow an orchard.
The Food Bank currently has three farmers markets in operation. Main Plaza, San Antonio Housing Authority and Collins garden have been running four years, three years and almost a year respectively. Their fourth market will open November 8th, at the Food Bank’s campus beneath the newly constructed Children’s Pavilion.
Children are important to the Food Bank.
“We are currently in four schools,” Dr. Neira said, “We teach each class to grow their own gardens. We use the produce of the garden to teach healthy cooking classes, we encourage healthy eating and we allow transplants, so the children can grow their own plants at home.”
Dr. Neira hopes to not only educate the next generation on gardening and healthy food choices, but also the plight of the farmer. “We want children to understand and appreciate the hard work of the farmer. That way they can take ownership of the process.”


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Tablets expected to account for over 50% of embedded device sales by 2014.
According to a UK study by Informa Telecoms & Media, sales of smartbooks are expected to boom from 3.65 million in 2010 to nearly 50 million in 2014.
The growth is expected to be driven by a shift away from e-readers, such as Whitcoulls’ Kobo, towards tablet devices such as the iPad, Dell Streak and Samsung Galaxy Tab.
“There has been a resurgence of smartbooks particularly in the tablet form, fuelled by the launch of the iPad, and we are seeing the same kind of proliferation and interest in tablets now, that we saw two years ago for e-readers,” explained David McQueen, analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.
E-readers are increasingly coming under attack from all sides, says McQueen.
“E-book content is now available on most multifunctional devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, netbooks and other portable consumer electronic devices. On the device side, while the iPad may not be as ideally suited to reading as a dedicated e-reader, many users are finding that it works well enough as a book reader, in addition to its many other functions,” he added.
Would you prefer a dedicated e-reader or are you happy with one tablet device that can do both?


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Beyond the Bitcoin Bubble Can blockchain create a new, better internet.The popularity of trading Bitcoin has now reached the point where none other than the New York Times sees fit.The Winklevoss twins think bitcoin could appreciate 20 times and trounce gold.
CoinbaseIs the Bitcoin bubble about to burst, or are we merely seeing a correction.Bitcoin is the first practical solution to a longstanding problem in computer science, Marc Andreessen writes in Another View.To make Instant Pot butter chicken I used my 6 quart yogurt making function which I.The mania for cryptocurrency could wind up building something much more important than wealth, Steven Johnson writes in The New York Times Magazine.
Will PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Bubble Higher With Chobani
Steven Johnson The New York Times Magazine Jan 2018 20 min Permalink...
Cryptocurrency Classes Are Coming To Campus - Slashdot
China Is Warming Up To Bitcoin Again - forbes.com
Coinbase is a secure online platform for buying, selling, transferring, and storing digital currency.
Here’s a lowdown of GST rates being applied to every
AliPay's Jack Ma Confirms Successful 3-Second Blockchain
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One of These Bubbles is Not Like the Other - Barron's
Cryptocurrency Mining: Why Plattsburgh is Considering aSteamy-cold liquid nitrogen is becoming an increasingly popular way to fast-freeze made-to-order ice cream.Nouriel Roubini, the economist and chairman of Roubini Macro Associates, says the bitcoin bubble is crashing. The New York Times reported in November:.What the Bitcoin bubble shows, however, is that Bitcoin is just another.Rebecca Conway for The New York Times. tools of globalization — including Bitcoin and encrypted communications — to. the week by making yogurt and a.
Bitcoin 'creator' slapped with $10 billion lawsuit - EngadgetThe city receives its power at discounted rates based on long-standing.
Crypto+ bitcoin bubble new york times | howTo
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‘Bitcoin creator’ Craig Wright accused of stealingThe New York Times: Several top schools have added or are rushing to add classes about Bitcoin and the record.
Beyond the Bitcoin Bubble by Steven Johnson · Longform
Bitcoin: Money or Financial Investment? | St. Louis FedTop Findings of the Global Emoji-shaped Packaged Food Market - Technavio. pretzels, tortillas, nachos, and yogurt.
See Sample - static.nytimes.comBitcoin is the currency of the Internet: a distributed, worldwide, decentralized digital money.
Energy and the Blockchain | Kleinman Center for Energy PolicyGet a constantly updating feed of breaking news, fun stories, pics, memes, and videos just for you.PepsiCo (PEP) is looking to invest in other healthy segments outside of carbonated beverages and is reportedly in talks to invest in Greek yogurt maker Chobani.PEP.
Yes, Bitcoin is a bubble and it’s about to burst - Yahoo
Bitcoin: How High Can Bitcoin's Price Go in 2018? | Fortune
Beyond the Bitcoin Bubble - New York Times - Bitcoin News
Bitcoin: Winklevoss twins say could go up 20 timesThe View From the Bitcoin Bubble. everyone these days wants to talk about how Bitcoin works and whether it is a bubble. The New York Times.
Large collection of best fat one-line jokes rated by viewers.What fueled the cryptocurrency craze, why Wall Street is joining the party, and whether the Bitcoin bubble will pop.Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click nytimes bitcoin bubble to share nytimes bitcoin bubble on.


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Recently, several companies, including Valve, 2K Games, and Blizzard, have removed real money options to purchase loot boxes in their respective games after the Belgium Gaming Commission ruled loot boxes no different from illegal gambling.
From the outset of the commission's ruling, they have been very clear on the severity of the punishment if major publishers did not comply with the mandate. Fortunately, EA was already amidst its own rework of Battlefront II after listening to fan backlash, removing the purchasable progression-tied loot box system, however Federation Internationale de Football Association 18 and upcoming Federation Internationale de Football Association 19 packs remained untouched in the region despite breaking the new laws.
In response to this, a handful of developers chose to remove all loot box options from their games in the country, with the likes of Blizzard and 2K Games playing things safe.More news: Florence Upgraded To Category 2 Hurricane; Expected To Reach Carolinas This Week
More news: Intensifying Hurricane Florence could strike US Southeast
More news: This will be the name of the 6.1-inch budget iPhone X
If criminal charges are levied against EA, will the case make it to court and will EA be willing to duke it out with the Belgian government? While Valve, Blizzard and 2K Games all complied by removing the practice from their games in the region, EA has done nothing to rectify its Federation Internationale de Football Association packs, reportedly resulting in a criminal investigation. The gaming giant has been officially notified of the situation, and it may face court proceedings. As EuroGamer reminds us, Wilson asserted that EA's games were "developed and implemented ethically and lawfully around the world" and that it did not agree that its games could "be considered as any form of gambling." .


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Are you sure LeBron? Cocky basketball star already has 'two time champion' printed on his shoes even as the Miami Heat face losing NBA championship
- The basketball star's latest pair of Nike trainers proclaim him a '2-Time Champion' - something that hasn't happened yet
- The Miami Heat star could be left looking rather embarrassed if the San Antonio Spurs win the championship
LeBron James is regularly labelled ‘cocky’ and ‘arrogant’ by his critics and judging from his latest line of Nike trainers they’ve got a fair point.
Photographs released of the new low-top version of the LeBron X trainer show the shoe features the wording ‘2-Time Champion’ - a rather bold claim considering James has won just one NBA title and his chances of a second win are hanging in the balance.
The bold prediction is printed inside one shoe, while the other features the dates '11-12' and '12-13', a reference to the fact LeBron and the Miami Heat won the championship last year and supposedly a prediction about this year's eventual winners.
As things stand the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs are drawn 3-3 in the series with one game left to play on Thursday at the Heat’s home court.
If LeBron's - and Nike's - blushes are to be spared the Heat need to win the final game to win the NBA Final.
Cocky prediction: The latest rang eof LeBron X trainers feature the wording ''2-Time Champion' inside one shoe - something which James currently isn't
The other shoe features the dates '11-12' and '12-13', a reference to the fact LeBron and the Miami Heat won the championship last year and supposedly a prediction about this year's eventual winners
The new low-top version of the LeBron X trainer is the latest collaboration between James and Nike
On the brink: The Heat must win Games six and seven both in Miami to lift the NBA title again


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Timber mill support 'essential'
Why do we continue to export logs?
Every ship leaving Picton with a load of logs is sending away jobs that are desperately needed here. That came through in spades earlier this month when I visited local timber mill Flight Timbers with primary industry spokesman Damien O'Connor and forestry spokesman Chris Hipkins.
New Zealand's forestry and wood products industry has grown in volume, but struggles to add value.
More than half of the trees harvested in the June 2013 quarter were exported as logs. We surpassed Russia as the largest softwood supplier to China. Yet New Zealand continues to import processed timber; made by others from our own logs.
China has replaced Australia as New Zealand's top export market, accounting for 21 per cent of total exports. The latest IMF report shows this is up from 4.5 per cent a decade earlier.
"Our rapid transition and reliance on China as an export destination for raw logs exposes New Zealand's forestry industry to the vagaries of the Chinese market. at the cost of local regional wood businesses," the report says.
In recent months, log prices paid at the Picton port gate have dropped 35 to 40 per cent, to $75 a tonne, depending on grade and individual export buyer. The new pricing hits forest owners, loggers and trucking companies as the gates shut because harvesting trees will not be economic.
Flight Timber injects $4.5 million through direct site wages into the Marlborough economy, and is a major employer in our region.
Many timber mills have closed down across the country, unable to compete in an aggressive timber commodity market.
It is essential for regional economies like Marlborough that timber processing companies are supported by central government, ensuring viability for the long term. Simply exporting raw logs doesn't work.
Labour's forestry and wood processing policy will ensure mills like Flight Timber will continue to contribute to the Marlborough economy by adding value to wood products.
Labour's wood policy will see encouraged investment, moving the focus from logs to higher-value products, through a "tax" deferral for investment in plant and equipment by means of an accelerated depreciation provision.
Also reintroduced will be a tax credit to encourage private investment in high-quality research and development, leading towards advanced wood construction technologies.
What impressed the Labour team when visiting the Flight plant was the use of precision technology to achieve maximum yield from the raw logs.
The ability though technology to turn low-grade timber into structurally strong, useful building timber required considerable and commendable investment in technological processes by the company.
Local timber companies need a supportive regime to stay in business, contributing to the local economy. Forestry in Marlborough must remain a significant contributor to the economic future of the region.
As a region and a country, we need to add value rather than simply volume to our export timber products.


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The famous US-based restaurant chain The Cheesecake factory pulled an unexpected move on April 1.
This April Fools’ Day, this company gave out free food to ten thousand lucky customers. Isn’t that unexpected?
The Grand Giveaway
Last April, The Cheesecake factory partnered up with DoorDash, an on-demand service for food delivery. Starting from 4 pm EST, the first one thousand customers to order via the service received a free $25 gift card.
What’s even better is that the gift card could be used during the remainder of the week.
Ten thousand lucky customers with these gift cards redeemed $250,000 worth of food. The window of opportunity lasted just shy of five minutes. And those who were not among the first 10,000 had the opportunity to order food from the Cheesecake Factory via DoorDash with no delivery fee for the rest of the week.
This Was No Joke
When news first broke of the offer, customers were understandably skeptical. It seems like an offer too good to be true. When combined with the timing of a holiday based on pranks, it seemed like an obvious set up from the beginning.
But they were serious and went through with it.
In a press release, the founder and CEO of the Cheesecake Factory shared a sentimental message:
“On a day where most people play pranks and make jokes, we are so pleased to offer 10,000 of our guests something that is real and meaningful. We hope all of our guests will enjoy delivery from DoorDash throughout the week without a delivery fee.”
The Beginning of a Trend?
This has been one of the company’s biggest business collaborations in recent years.
However, it isn’t the first time that the Cheesecake Factory has partnered with Doordash for a giveaway.
Last fall, customers could claim a free slice of cheesecake in honor of the company’s birthday.
And although The Cheesecake Factory has giveaways rather frequently, it’s too early to tell whether or not this will become a yearly event. One thing is certain – it wouldn’t hurt to keep your eyes peeled and be prepared next time around.
This was seriously delicious
Although pranks may be satisfying and funny this company successfully pulled off a different approach to celebrating April Fools’ Day. Getting a delicious slice of free cheesecake must be one of the better ways of celebrating anything
And who knows, maybe these types of genuine offers are the best way to the hearts of fans worldwide?
One thing is for certain – the reception was overwhelmingly positive.
Whatever The Cheesecake factory decides to do for next April Fools’ we’re sure it will be rewarding and fun.
So set a reminder in your calendar and don’t miss out. Maybe next year you will be the one to get a delivery of free cheesecake, or take part in a different giveaway?


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There was internet, and there is internet. But there has been a shift of focus as to how we deal with the internet. Is internet changing our lives, or is it that we are changing the way we look at the internet? Dibyajyoti Sarma digs deep into the issue
Can you imagine the day, not in a very distant future, where television, as we know it, would be a thing of the past? A time when we’ll laugh at the very idea that once we sat in front of the idiot box, suffering enumerable advertisements, just to catch up with our favourite movie, or the Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal!
Ask Bill Gates, and he predicts that it’s a matter of just five years when TV would obsolete. “I’m stunned how people aren’t seeing that with TV, in five years from now, people will laugh at what we’ve had,” he told business leaders and politicians at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last week. “Certain things like elections or the Olympics really point out how TV is terrible. You have to wait for the guy to talk about the thing you care about or you miss the event and want to go back and see it. Internet presentation of these things is vastly superior.
And looks like Mr Gates is not alone. There is a world out there who believe it’s time for the virtual. And the truth is, since the time of the dot com boom in the last decade of the last millennium, the legend had it coming, the ether is the future…
Some call it the war between the real and the virtual. For some, its just a good business proposition. For others, it’s the world of entertainment, with music, movies and games. And yet, for others, it’s just another day at the job.
Whatever you may call it, the Internet, the Web, the dot com, the World Wide Web, is not only here to stay but also is going to change the way we see the world, or better still, the way we do our work, and entertain ourselves.
The dot come boom was not a stray incident. The rise and the fall and the rise of the internet in the last decade of the 20th century and the early years of this century, not only proved the staying power of the internet, but also established its importance in our day-to-day life. At the same time, it also confirmed that quality counts. When the dot com bubble finally burst, it only highlighted the classic adage of natural selection, survival of the fittest.
The search engine, the email, the e-commerce, and so many other ‘e’-s survived and flourished.
Then, internet came of age. To the second generation. To an usage of internet like never before.
The internet started as the provider, a gateway. We can send our mails, we can chat, communicate, we can share data, ideas, images, and we can shop, all online.
However, it was not enough. We wanted more. We wanted the shift in control. We wanted to move to the next generation. Instead of being depended on a provider, we wanted to provide.
This is the rise of Web 2.0. The million of people sitting on the other side of the computer screen began to take the rein in their hands. They began to create their own platform within the cyber space. They began to write blogs. They began to upload photos. They began to create and spread music and videos. They began to play games. They began to share concerns. They began to spread awareness.
They began to inhabit online!
What’s the next step from here? Now, that’s a million dollar question…
The shift in paradigm
How and why internet companies are becoming more important than the real ones
A consumer poll some time back exposed the worst kept secret in the business world: Internet companies are becoming more important to people than firms that operate in the real world.
Google retained its title as the world’s most influential brand, and video-sharing site YouTube and online encyclopedia Wikipedia were catapulted into the top five at the No 3 and 4 spots, according to the annual survey by online branding magazine brandchannel.com.
While brandchannel’s survey is not uncontroversial as it asks 3,625 branding professionals and students “Which brand had the most impact on our lives in 2006?” rather than measuring economic impact, the evidence of the result is everywhere.
Visitors of technology and telecoms tradeshows, for instance, may be forgiven for thinking that photo-sharing site Flickr, blogging software firm Vox, Internet calling service Skype and YouTube are multibillion dollar companies, because no company from the old world announces anything without them.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Internet service provider Yahoo, at 12 years already an old timer in the Web world, was marched on stage during several “joint product” announcements, including those with Sony (founded in 1946) and Motorola (from 1928).
Mobile phone giant Nokia (founded 1865) needed Skype, Flickr and Vox to beef up its new product launches.
“All innovation is coming from the edge of the Internet,” said James Enck, an analyst, referring to the Web sites which offer services online.
As in any industry, innovation lures new customers. John Chambers, the chief executive of Cisco (founded in 1984) which is the biggest plumber of the Internet, calculated that in four years time 20 families will generate as much Internet traffic as the entire world in 1995.
“Ask yourself how many more hours you are using the Internet compared with 10 years ago. Now, ask yourself how many more minutes you make calls on a mobile phone. “There’s no comparison,” said Bengt Nordstrom, chief strategy officer at business and technology consultants InCode. “Internet brands are the brands people use and which they like. They are much stronger than mobile brands,” he added.
Jupiter Research estimated last year that online users clocked up an average of 14 hours of Internet usage per week. That compares an average 5 to 10 minutes per day of mobile phone chats amongst consumers in Europe, China and India, according to market research group Wireless Intelligence.
It can be easy and cheap to run an Internet company and this means a lot of ideas are coming to the market and many products are free to use.
It explains why 3.5 year-old Internet community site MySpace has 90 million unique users. Rival Craigslist, despite its no-frills layout, has 10 million registered users and gets over four billion page views per month with just 22 employees.
Small wonder Philips, Nokia, Motorola and Sony, as well as telecoms operators like 3 all want to tap into those vast customer bases which embrace the new Internet brands.
“People value strong brands,” said Gerard Kleisterlee, the chief executive of Philips which at CES launched Skype phones.
It may not be so surprising that Google tops the global brand chart. It has a market capitalisation of $153 billion and also takes a strong position in the traditional Interbrand ranking of global brands — at the No 24 spot it is the world’s fastest rising brand measured in dollar value.
More significant is the popularity of six year old online encyclopedia Wikipedia which has fewer than 10 employees and relies on volunteers to write the entries, and Skype which is a four year old company with 510 staff, 171 million registered users and ranks No 2 in Europe according to Brandchannel.com.
“The Internet is the great equalise-equaliser. It doesn’t matter how small you are, the Internet gives you power and presence and you can reach the global population in one fell swoop,” said Skype’s co-founder Niklas Zennstrom.
Brandwise: Globally Google
The brand survey conducted by online branding magazine brandchannel.com, offered some surprised winners, including YouTube and Wikipedia. But Google still rules the roost.
Google enjoyed an unrivaled dominance throughout 2006. The dust barely cleared on its $ 900 million deal with News Corporation to provide service to sites such as MySpace when it purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion. But perhaps its most noteworthy brand achievement last year was the addition of the verb “to google” in two major English-language dictionaries.
Apple barely edges YouTube for the runner-up slot. The company launched its first computers powered by Intel processors (as it phased out those by Motorola), the iTunes Music Store sold its 1 billionth song, and so far, people haven’t been chucking their iPods for the Microsoft Zune.
Following Apple are two Readers’ Choice newcomers: the aforementioned YouTube, and the spreading-like-Google Wikipedia. The backbone of both brands is user-created content: one allows you to watch (or upload your own version of) a “Mentos eruption” that occurs when you slip the chewy candies into a bottle of diet cola, while the other details why this junk-food fireworks takes place.
YouTube launched in 2005, and this year, with 20 million monthly visitors, exploded like Mentos in Diet Coke and was named Time’s “Invention of the Year.” And did we mention that Google bought it for $1.65 billion in stock?
Since its creation comparatively eons ago (2001), Wikipedia grew slowly and steadily (pages in well over 100 languages, with more than 1.5 million articles on the English version alone) as it became the premier—if not always accurate—online research tool.
In a virtual tie for fifth place are perennial favorites Starbucks and Nokia, proving caffeine and cellphones haven’t gone out of style. In 2006, the java giant added more franchises in China and also branched into the entertainment business as one of the producers of the film Akeelah and the Bee. Nokia and Siemens AG created one of the world’s largest network firms, called Nokia Siemens Networks, by merging their mobile and fixed-line phone network equipment businesses.
Creating the brand
Unlike other brand rankings that crunch financial numbers, the Readers’ Choice poll measures brand impact according to brandchannel readers. The study runs online and is open to the public during November and December.
More than 3,600 people from 99 countries voted in the 2006 poll. The greatest number of voters fell in the age range of 26 to 35 year olds, with an almost equal number of men and women.
Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O’Reilly Media in 2004, refers to a perceived or proposed second generation of Web-based services—such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies—that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users.
According to Tim O’Reilly Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform. Chief among those rules is this: Build applications that harness network effects to get better the more people use them.
Web 2.0 hints at an improved form of the World Wide Web; and advocates suggest that technologies such as weblogs, social bookmarking, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds (and other forms of many-to-many publishing), social software, Web APIs, Web standards and online Web services imply a significant change in web usage.
Characteristics of Web 2.0
While the debate on what Web 2.0 actually means continue, a Web 2.0 web-site may exhibit some basic characteristics:
Network as platform — delivering (and allowing users to use) applications entirely through a browser.
Users owning the data on the site and exercising control over that data.
An architecture of participation and democracy that encourages users to add value to the application as they use it.
A rich, interactive, user-friendly interface.
Some social-networking aspects.
Educating the planet
Wes Smith profiles Jimmy Wales, who is trying to educate the planet via Wikipedia
First his claim to fame. He is the founder of history’s largest, free and questionably accurate online encyclopedia.
Known by Wikipedians worldwide as the “God-King,” Wales could well be a Web prophet, yet this 40-year old bearded, introspective fellow, who prefers to be called “Jimbo,” has an offline presence vastly overshadowed by the online creation he unleashed in January 2001.
Wikipedia (wikipedia.org) has evolved rapidly into a global resource and a cosmic phenomenon. More than 3 million registered Wikipedians have posted 5 million articles in at least 250 languages in just five years. Writ by the people for the people, it has unrivaled reach.
“We have 2,700 articles in Swahili now, and 4,200 articles in Kannada, the main Indian dialect in Bangalore,” notes Wales, whose mission is to spread knowledge across social, economic and geographic borders.
Wikipedia’s Web site, run by hundreds of servers in the Tampa area and overseas, gets more than 2,000 page requests per second and is usually ranked among the top 15 most-viewed Web sites, according to Wikipedia, which is not always accurate, Wales admits.
Expertise is not a requirement for the encyclopedia’s unpaid authors. Nearly anyone with access to the Internet can contribute entries or edit existing selections thanks to “wiki” (Hawaiian for “quickly”) collaborative software.
Instead of authoritative experts, this free online encyclopedia run by a nonprofit foundation relies on the collective smarts and good intentions of doting Wikipedians. Still, mistakes, falsehoods and errors show up. Vandals known as “WikiTrolls” slip in lies, jokes, porn and obscenities, stirring controversy and criticism.
“The George W Bush entry is the most heavily edited site, and it may be the most vandalised, but sometimes the trolls are just quirky,” Wales says. “Often it’s one strange person on a tangent. We had a guy who was very agitated about Chopin’s birthday and kept changing it.”
The price is right even if the information is wrong now and then. Since Wales bans ads on Wikipedia, the foundation relies on financial aid from nearly 13,000 benefactors for its budget of $1.5 million.
Wales created his constantly updated encyclopedia in the benevolent belief that truth emerges from pooled wisdom. Since bad stuff does float to the surface, he has deputized more than a thousand volunteers as “admins.” They police Wikipedia, bust WikiTrolls who try to disrupt the site, and lock down oft-molested areas, such as that of the commander in chief.
“Our approach is to tell people to knock it off because we are trying to do something useful here,” Wales says. Supporters have described Wikipedia as democracy in action, a Utopian project and the World’s Brain. Critics, including its former top editor, have assailed it as “anarchy with gang rule,” and likened it to a public restroom, or the world’s most-ambitious vanity press.
“The premise of Wikipedia is that continuous revision will lead to continuous improvement,” says Ted Pappas, executive editor of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “The mounting evidence seems to suggest the opposite: that the endless revising that Wikipedia articles undergo often makes them worse over time.”
Software guru Eric Raymond, whose work reportedly inspired Wales, recently told New Yorker writer Stacy Schiff that Wikipedia is a disaster “infested with moonbats.” Schiff concluded that the online encyclopedia is “a lumpy work in progress.”
Wales, who retains final say over all Wikipedia entries (thousands are rejected each month), takes in stride the tossed moonbats and brickbats, noting Wikipedia should be regarded as a starting point for information, not as the authoritative source.
“As with any encyclopedia, you should go to Wikipedia for background knowledge only,” he says. “It is a work in progress and subject to change, but for the most part people find it reasonably accurate.”
History’s greatest encyclopedia pitchman (nonprofit, Web-based, wiki division) drives a Hyundai and lives in a modest 2,200-square-foot St Pete ranch house when not traipsing the globe, coach class.
Confessed cheapskate Wales fled high-cost California for St Pete four years ago with his wife, Christina (a former Mitsubishi steel trader whom he met while living in Chicago), and their home-schooled daughter Kira, 5. “We moved here because when my daughter was a year old, we started shopping for a house in San Diego and prices were just ridiculous, so I started thinking; ‘Gee, for my work I could be anywhere,’” he says.
The son of a grocery-store manager and a teacher mother who ran a small private school called The House of Learning, Wales lives frugally by choice. He did “very well” as an options trader on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in the 1990s before joining the dot.com boom in California. But he draws no income from Wikipedia, which cost him $500,000 to launch.
“My philosophy is you can be a lot more financially independent if you choose to live cheaply,” says Wales. “You can have a big expensive house and a Mercedes, but then you are a slave to your job.”
Wales is more Wikibohemian than flashy dot.com dude. His top-echelon tech friends include Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.org, a mostly free classified ad site, and Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, the couple who created free photo-sharing site Flickr.com.
Wales prefers to do his socializing with that Web 2.0 crowd on their turf in San Francisco, which makes sense, according to Newmark. “Like me, Jimmy is basically an engineer at heart, and sometimes we are not socialised the way most people are,” Craigslist.org’s creator says. “I joke about us having nerd values, but in a sense it is a reassertion of traditional values and focusing on what matters.”
“Wikipedia resembles Jimmy’s personality. He is a low-profile character who doesn’t pound his chest and act like the sole authority on everything, and we applaud him for that,” says Andy Hafer, forum president. “A thriving tech community takes all types, and Jimmy is operating at a level that many of us are never going to see or comprehend.”
Wikipedia's offices reflect Wales’ penny-pinching philosophy and the foundation’s nonprofit status. The unsalaried God-King and six paid staffers are packed together in a Dilbert-worthy warren of mismatched chairs and no-frill furnishings.
Wales doesn’t need a lot of workspace since he views the Internet as an extension of his mind. He fills in real-time conversations with info deftly plucked from the Internet as he speaks without missing a word or a stroke.
“I’m online almost all the time, and if I’m not online I’m reading my e-mail off-line. I’m very connected,” he says.
Wales has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Auburn University and a master’s in finance from the University of Alabama. He has a mind for math, but he has been an avid reader since the age of 4. He often perused the family World Books, though his childhood favorites were The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
“I was pretty geeky,” he says. “I played soccer for a year in high school, but I was too much of a geek to be good.”
Thanks to an uncle with a computer shop, Wales was an early adopter of the personal computer, a Tandy TRS-80. Though he draws no paycheck from Wikipedia, Wales already is reaping financial rewards from a spin-off. Wikia Inc is a free hosting service for the Web sites of special interest communities of every ilk. Like Wikipedia, it accepts content and editing from one and all, on whatever topics float their boat. At least 30,000 users have posted more than 400,000 articles on Wikia, according to Wikipedia, (which, remember, might be wrong).
The most actively edited sites on Wikia included those for collectors of Marvel and DC comics, and fan sites for Star Wars, the Muppets, Lost and 24. One of the most popular Wikia sites is Uncyclopedia, a Wikipedia parody that vows to “put the psych” in encyclopedia. Wales finds it “hysterical.”
He has been less amused by jabs from critics for his frequent editing of his own biographical entry in Wikipedia, considered bad form by Wikipedians and akin to “Googling” oneself.
(Inputs from IT Herald team, Reuters and MCT)