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What’s even more interesting is the idea that sharing is not just driving commerce but also culture. We see this everywhere from the co-creation of products by companies and consumers, to the new platform driven ecosystems that are driving tomorrow’s innovation, like GE’s Industrial Internet model Predix.
It seems fair consequently to say that we have undeniably entered an age of collaborative consumption and We-Commerce, once which is not a trend or fad, but rather vital economic engine powering our future.
Following is a compendium of thoughts from top collaborative economy experts on what to expect in the weeks and months ahead.
1 – Billee Howard: @MashupTweet
The sharing economy will continue to explode but will move away from the notion of “altruism” to profiting for the many and not the few. We will see a continued push towards sharing business ecosystems that embrace the we instead of the me and provide value and benefit to the communities they operate in as a whole.
This idea of businesses benefiting themselves, the consumers they serve, and local people seeking freelance employment, will become more evident and an obvious sign of the permanence of our new Uber X economy.
The sharing economy will also continue to identify new untapped pockets of opportunity that can benefit from sharing and also potentially serve a greater or “social” purpose. Nimber which seeks to facilitate the ability to transport and deliver cargo of all shapes and sizes based on currently available “unused” space is a great example of this trend. It is also offers great insight into the type of offerings we will see a maturing sharing economy crank out in the weeks and months ahead.
2 – Jeremiah Owyang: @jowyang
Funding by VCs will continue to increase, but the rate will slow compared to 2015’s glut of money. Startups need to fill their war chest for global adoption, acquisition and to influence regulatory bodies. Last year, in 2015, funding was a whopping $14B, up from $8B in 2014. This means that the one percenters will continue to take ownership stakes in the popular global sharing tech platforms. In 5-10 years, they’ll need their money returned, forcing monetization of the platform, people, and products shared.
With this said, we’ll start to see a shakeout of these platforms that are unable to contend with the highly funded players. Additionally, these highly funded tech startups are spreading into other sectors and domains: Airbnb will move into home automation, and Uber and Lyft are gearing up for self-driving fleets, further displacing workers, and I’d expect on-demand home delivery services to experiment with drones. Or course, this means “gig workers” and freelancers are further displaced by powerful tech platforms, and robots who can do the job better, faster, cheaper –without threat of worker’s comp lawsuits.
The Sharing Economy is becoming mainstream, though the majority of the users are still the highly educated people – the top of the social pyramid. Governments and city councils regulate this sector more and more with a positive mindset, as has happened in a.o. France, UK, Amsterdam and is planned for in Italy allowing a growing under utilized workforce of micro-entrepreneurs to enter the Sharing Economy. This alongside and as part of a steadily growing debate on providing people a ‘basic income’. Sharing Economy companies will be linked and measured to their Social Impact as a Benefit Corporation. This ‘social enterprise’ entity is now also legalized as a BCorp outside the US in Italy and quickly spreading in Europe.
Airbnb will segment its policies in ‘buy-for-rent’ and ‘micro-entrepreneur’ homeowners. Uber shareholders will start to understand that their nowadays business on the long term will be taken over by providers of self-driven cars. Facebook and Google wil enter the Sharing Economy arena. APIs to link content of sharing platforms to other (incumbent) platforms will grow creating a demand for standardization and ‘mobile-first’ will be the way to go to develop a sales and contact channel. Tech platforms continue to learn that building a brand is not the same as developing a platform.
4 – Benita Matofska: @benitamatofska
The emergence of the Real Sharing Economy — a system built around the sharing of resources with social purpose at the heart: this year we will see more mission driven companies, social enterprises develop apps / products and services that serve people and planet. These companies will develop new types of organisations where power and value are shared, where people and planet benefit. Charity involvement – we’ll also see growing charity engagement in the Sharing Economy – where large, established charities and nonprofits as well as smaller ones, develop Sharing Economy products and services. We’ll also see more applications of the SE in the developing world and used during crises.
Discovery and Mainstreaming — the SE isn’t mainstream yet, but this year will see an opening up of the SE with many millions more people discovering and engaging in it. Initiatives like Global Sharing Week via thepeoplewhoshare.com which runs from June 5th-11th reached over 100 million people around the world last year and this year expects to reach over 150 million.Corporate Engagement & Business of Sharing — the SE is becoming the most significant business trend, changing the way companies operate. 2016 will see more large companies engaging in the SE and more data demonstrating the economic value and significant profits generated by doing so. Businesses will also recognise the social and environmental value of SE approaches.
5 – John Chang: @iamjohnchang
Let’s be clear, there are differences in what sharing and on-demand vs. gig economy is about. I believe in an Sharing Economy such as Uber, and Airbnb as it truly trumps the norm and disrupts the major industries. It can be said, it gives consumers more power to choose. Sharing is such things as sharing a car, or home, or renting out certain properties. That’s what truly sharing is. The On-Demand Economy is a separate animal and this is where I do most of my research.
The on-demand economy, Uber for “X” models entrepreneurs is hot right now, but we will see a cooling off period later this year, as venture capitalists will invest more in platform based models. Companies like thumbtack with its characteristics will do better by far than say, Wag, Numi, Pikkup, etc. Very niche particular services in theory and concept is great. Consumer behavior isn’t picking up the model. These companies have / will burn through their capital and much harder to get series A round, if that. We will see companies like door dash, and food delivery suffer as well. It’s very simple, the on-demand economy can only work with people as workers. Workers according to JPMorgan Chase Co., on the on demand economy shows that workers only supplement up to $500 in lost income. This means they are not moving up to middle class they are staying where they are and not making significant or notable lifestyle changes.
Recruiting workers will continue to be challenge for companies, and they will have to burn through a lot of “signup”. OnDemand/Sharing Economy will disrupt Linkedin, Yelp. See my article here: http://ondemandeco.com/demo/3-major-businesses-that-needs-to-catchup-to-on-demand-economy (think of the aging population and the millenials who don’t even touch Linkedin. it’s a paradigm shift from industrial age thinking to the new age. These young folks can’t stand corporate jobs.
Conclusion: in 20 years we won’t have a sharing economy let alone on-demand economy if entrepreneurs continue to find niche models purely for business/profit basis. We have to come up with solutions that advance humanity for this space to grow.
6 – Alex Stephany: @alexmstephany
I just returned from a trip to the most beautiful rat-infested mess in the world, New York City. I was there to meet a bunch of interesting startups but one of the most interesting insights came from an Uber driver. He had recently joined a new ridesharing platform: Juno. Juno’s USP is simply that it will treat its drivers well. Founded by ex-Viber founder, Talmon Marco, it promises to charge less than half the commission of Uber and to reserve 50% of the company stock for the drivers. My Uber driver was being paid $50 a week to keep the Juno app open until its official launch and told me all his driver friends are signing up. Uber should not underestimate the fickleness of its drivers. Almost all will jump ship the moment they can earn an easier dollar elsewhere. The vast majority of sharing economy marketplaces live and die by the quality and quantity of their supply. 2016 will be the year that the supply side of these marketplaces flexes its muscles, gets more organized, and wins more concessions than ever before. Many of these concessions relate to the classification of workers as contractors rather than employees. Currently, independent contractors do not get a minimum wage, health insurance benefits, workers’ compensation or any unemployment benefits.
No question – sharing economy workers enjoy a flexibility that is unknown to regular employees. However, concessions to these workers will arrive across the sharing economy this year as a result of class actions and negotiations with the platforms. Last year Shyp agreed to make its delivery workers employees. Then this January, while confirming that its drivers remain independent contractors, Lyft agreed to roll out benefits such as greater protection from deactivation by Lyft and the right to arbitration. A class action of Uber drivers is also pushing for employee rights from Uber and goes to court in June.
Some of the improved conditions for these workers will come top-down from legislators who will begin to take action to protect this class of worker. Indeed, there’ll be a growing school of thought that a third class of worker is required: a contractor who is tied overwhelmingly to one company and deserves a limited form of the protections that full-time employees enjoy. And what of the US election this November that may set the regulatory agenda in the sharing economy for the rest of the world? With a Republican in the White House, many of the low-wage illegal immigrants may be deported, forcing up scarcity of low-skilled labour and thus their leverage. And with a Democrat, new labour rights and unionisation may ensue – Hillary Clinton has already been outspoken about the vulnerability of many sharing economy workers. We live in interesting times.
7 – Esther Martos: @esther_prague
The sharing economy is becoming a real alternative to traditional systems. In this time in which more than ever societies need to rethink their way of consuming, collaborative markets bring an interesting way of exchange and the reuse of existing things. In this 2016 I augur and important progressive change based on new technologies and online features that will facilitate the use of p2p platforms. For instance, Facebook is constantly adding new settings to allow users to buy and sell things, exchange knowledge etc. From a social network to an online market place.
In addition, in the following years we will see a much more connected sharing economy. That means a huge open network in which known web pages as LinkedIn, tweeter, Facebook will engage in certain way p2p platforms performing an important part on it. As we can see nowadays it is common to log in via Facebook, find the nearest shared car via Google Maps or pay via Bitcoin. That will be increased along the next years.
Also, the fact the social networks, journals, events, conferences, articles and many other resources are spreading the voice is becoming an important booster.
I am just worried about legitimization and legal concerns, governments and traditional markets are placing many barriers in order to slow down the sharing economy. Many persons see this new economy as the way to dodge taxes, something that in my opinion, gives it a not so good reputation. I see the sharing economy as the result of innovation without permission. (something that I personally find very interesting) I hope that in this year, governments, organizations and professionals will come together aiming to legitimize the good practices of the Sharing Economy, (the planet will appreciate it)
8 – Andrew Carlone: @LiveCoralLife
On-demand apps are a compliment to peer-to-peer platforms. While living in Airbnb’s for 100 days straight, Lyft, Instacart, and WeWork allowed us to explore new cities each month while being productive.
There is a small but growing community of digital nomads who live and work all over the world. The quality of life is higher and monthly expenses are lower. Companies like Automattic ($1.16B) has 250 full-time across 35 countries, and 190 cities and 1 in 5 Americans work from home.
As more Millennials join the workforce, the convergence of on-demand apps and peer-to-peer platforms will make location independence more accessible. Regulation will take shape after a few major cities lay down model legislation. On-demand apps and the Sharing Economy are here to stay.
Billee Howard is Founder + Chief Engagement Officer of Brandthropologie, a cutting edge communications consulting firm specializing in helping organizations and individuals to produce innovative, creative and passionate dialogues with target communities, consumers and employees, while blazing a trail toward new models of artful, responsible, and sustainable business success. Billee is a veteran communications executive in brand development, trend forecasting, strategic media relations, and C-suite executive positioning. She has a book dedicated to the study of the sharing economy called WeCommerce released in December 2015 as well as a blog entitled the #HouseofWe dedicated to curating the trends driving our economy forward. You can read more about “WE-Commerce: How to Create, Collaborate, and Succeed in the Sharing Economy” right here!


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This one-off Lexus IS Wax Edition's fully functional turntable can play vinyls
While carmakers are bringing in advanced music systems to their in-car functionalities, Lexus is going back to the vinyl record player era. Though it sounds old-school, equipping a fully functional record player inside a car is quite a task of engineering and with one-off Lexus IS Wax Edition, this has been made possible.
The record player has been created with a 3D printer and modified with carbon fiber and machined aluminum. It fits inside the vehicle's glovebox and is big enough to play full-size 12-inch vinyl records. Lexus claims that the player will not skip any beat while the car is being driven, even on bumpy roads.
A rotating motor inside helps stabilize the turntable to avoid skipping beats while the vehicle is in motion. Other than this, an enhanced suspension system and fine-tuned handling help provide a stable ride on the Lexus IS Wax Edition and are critical for the needle of the record player.
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The sound of the vinyl records are further enhanced with the 2021 Lexus IS' Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound Audio System. Its 17 speakers and new amplifier offer 1,800 watts of power for a 7.1 surround sound listening experience.
The modified vehicle will not enter production and is only meant to celebrate the launch of the 2021 Lexus IS sports sedan. The company says that the one-off Lexus edition embodies the spirit and passion that has been behind developing the 2021 Lexus IS sports sedan. “Like audiophiles who go ‘all in’ to create the purest listening experiences, we went ‘all in’ to design the new 2021 Lexus IS as the purest expression of a sports sedan," says the company's vice president of marketing, Vinay Shahani.
The custom concept vehicle was commissioned to custom fabrication studio SCPS and has been built in partnership with Pitchfork. It will be put on display at future Lexus events.

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- Recently, Donald Trump released a series of tweets attacking Amazon. He said it’s Amazon’s fault that the U.S. Post Office is losing money on shipping packages, essentially blaming Amazon for a budget shortfall at the USPS. According to our research, Amazon simply qualifies for the rates that USPS publicly publishes, so if any blame were to be placed it would be squarely with the USPS, not Amazon. The main financial issues that the post office has, is that people just do not send much mail anymore but every home must still be serviced. Shipping and package revenue is actually growing and is on track to surpass that of first-class mail. The fact is that private companies such as DHL, UPS and FedEx can pick and choose what they will ship and at what price and the USPS cannot.A much more damaging UPSP policy to US businesses is the 2011 deal, called ePacket, with the national postal carriers of China and Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore to allow packages under 4.4 pounds to be sent to the U.S. for extremely low rates. The rates are so low that it’s cheaper to ship packages from China to an American city than it is to send that same parcel from one US city to another. The approximate cost to ship a one-pound package from South Carolina to New York City is $6; from Beijing to NYC, it’s $3.66. and sending that same one-pound package from New York City back to Beijing would cost around $50. This USPS policy is much more damaging to the American economy and the USPS budget than domestic bulk rates. Renegotiating epacket would be much more helpful to the USPS bottom line than any domestic package deal with Amazon. We predict that any volatility in Amazon’s stock price is short term as any meaningful action such as an antitrust investigation takes years to complete and the company is focused on long term strategy and diversification, something we can all learn from.
- Amazon is making a new acquisition with AWS acquiring a majority stake in Shapeways, the 3d print on demand platform. This represents AWSs first venture into physical services and perhaps the first indicator that Amazon will eventually add 3D print on demand to the platform. It was the acquisition of Woot.com that led the way for the pod clothing business that is now thriving, will objects be next? This also gives them access to Shapeways technology for domestic 3d prototyping and short run manufacturing.
- Amazon’s engineers are at it again. Amazon has been issued a patent for technology that will allow drones to understand some basic human gestures. So, if a drone is flying at you and you wave or give it some other gesture, it will steer in a different direction. The image on the patent is especially amusing.
- Amazon has been in the self publishing business for years with their CreateSpace platform. On April 1st, Amazon Publishing launched which is a competitor for traditional publishing houses. Amazon has so many advantages here it’s not even funny. The data they have on what books sell at what volume around the world will easily allow them to renegotiate contracts with existing authors and for those who do successfully self publish, they will be able to make generous offers to bigger sellers. They will have a higher profit margin for books by cutting out the middleman so they can lower prices and still make great profits. This is just one more step in Amazon’s strategy to eliminate large distributors. If companies like Hasbro and authors like JK Rowlings will sell direct to Amazon they can control market share and still lower prices.
- Amazon sellers need to be aware that the Seller Feedback Removal Policy has been updated. As of mid may, feedback will only be eligible for removal 90 days. This applies to all seller feedback.
Scanner Society is sponsoring2 upcoming seller conferences.
SimpleZon in Houston on April 27th and ACE in New Jersey on May 6th.
There are still a few tickets available, sign up NOW! Members receive discounts to both.


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Things are set to get awkward over at 18K Ronaldinho, following the announcement it’s namesake, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, has cut ties with the company. [Continue reading…]
Mirror Trading International operates in the forex trading MLM niche.
The company is incorporated and based out of South Africa. Heading up Mirror Trading International is CEO and founder Johann Steynberg.
Prior to founding Mirror Trading International, Steynberg (right) was promoting Syntek Global.
Based on his Twitter account activity, at some point Steynberg took an interest in cryptocurrency.
Earlier this year Steynberg was advertising a “turn $25 into $75 over and over again” opportunity on Twitter:
Guess that didn’t work out.
Read on for a full review of Mirror Trading International’s MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]
A report by The Gazette has revealed how back in 2014, TelexFree funded a Paul McCartney concert in Espírito Santo, Brazil. [Continue reading…]
Although executive information is provided on Exxa’s website, arguably the most important ownership information isn’t.
According to Exxa marketing material, SQ2 Fintech owns 25% of the company:
Anthony Lau is the CEO of SQ2 Fintech. He’s also the CEO of World Blockchain Forum, which means Lau and WBF owner Sheng Zhao are tied to the company.
World Blockchain Forum has emerged as a Ponzi scheme incubator over the past year or so.
In line with each of World Blockchain Forum’s existing schemes, neither Lau or Zhao publicly front Exxa. Instead Danny Pang (right) keeps up appearances as CEO.
Pang featured on BehindMLM late last year, as CEO of Axxa Global.
According to Exxa marketing, the company is a combination of SQ2 Fintech and Axxa Global.
Axxa Global’s website currently has an Alexa ranking of over 5 million, suggesting outside of Exxa it has long since collapsed.
Read on for a full review of the Exxa’s MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]
Direct Mail Pro provides no information on its website about who owns or runs the business.
Direct Mail Pro’s website domain (“directmailpro.com”) was first registered in 2007.
The domain registration was last updated privately on August 1st, 2019.
In the testimonial section of Direct Mail Pro’s website, affiliates promoting the company can be seen thanking Peter Wolfing.
On his personal Facebook profile, Wolfing refers to Direct Mail Pro as “DMP”:
Peter Wolfing (right) first appeared on BehindMLM’s radar back in 2012, as the admin of Turbo Cycler ($200-$1000 matrix-based Ponzi scheme).
Other MLM underbelly schemes launched by Wolfing over the years include Turbo Cycler (cash gifting), Ultimate Cycler (Ponzi cycler), Business Toolbox(chain-recruitment), Infinity 100 (cash gifting), National Wealth Center (cash gifting) and Pay Me Forward (cash gifting).
Despite being launched in 2013 and long-since collapsed, in 2016 Ultimate Cycler Ultimate was revived by Nigerian scammers. Wolfing redesigned the Ultimate Cycler website to cater to Nigerian affiliates and rode the wave.
Hand of Heaven lasted about as long as Wolfing’s other schemes. It seems he’s settled for a scam a year schedule, of which Direct Mail Pro is the latest offering.
Read on for a full review of Direct Mail Pro’s MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]
A visit to the QuickSilver website reveals no information on who’s behind the company.
Quicksilver’s website domain (“quicksilver.me”) was registered in December 2018.
Quick Silver Global LLC is listed as the owner, through a UPS store address in Florida.
My own research lead me to affiliates marketing QuickSilver in conjunction with Mint Builder.
I was able to confirm QuickSilver is a second ISN Coins spinoff by visiting their website.
On their website, ISN Coins markets QuickSilver as a “new way to acquire assets!”
Social media marketing reveals QuickSilver went into prelaunch back in May.
Both ISN Coins and Mint Builder appear to be dead. Their respective company websites have Alexa traffic rankings of 3.3 million and 4 million respectively.
QuickSilver appears to be a third attempt to resuscitate the company.
Read on for a full review of QuickSilver’s MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]
BTZ Powerline provides no information on their website about who owns or runs the business.
BTZ Powerline’s website domain (“btzpowerline.com”) was registered on June 27th, 2019, through a suite address in the US state of Florida.
The same suite address is used by multiple businesses, suggesting it might be virtual in nature.
The email address used to register BTZ Powerline’s website domain corresponds with Judy LaMont (right).
Lamont also resides in Florida.
A Facebook post dated September 3rd appears to confirm Lamont as the owner of BTZ Powerline:
BTZ Powerline’s compensation plan references BTZ Super Hero, which appears to be another name for the same scheme. As above, it also looks like it might have been called Botz Tokenz at some point.
Prior to BTZ Powerline Lamont was promoting the ORU Marketplace Ponzi scheme.
Read on for a full review of BTZ Powerline’s MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]
Wellness BioSciences RX operates in the nutritional supplement MLM niche. The company does not provide a corporate address on its website.
That said, Wellness BioSciences’ website domain was registered through a PO Box in Texas.
Heading up Wellness BioSciences RX are co-founders Barry Cocheu and Sean M. Baker.
Barry Cocheu recently featured on BehindMLM as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by AmeriSciences.
Cocheu was CEO of AmeriSciences, which as a company was in “dire financial straits” by the end of 2011.
Cocheu bailed and joined Organo Gold in 2012. AmeriSciences folded its MLM operations later that same year.
Judgment in AmeriSciences’ lawsuit saw Cocheu held jointly liable for $3.4 million dollars plus $610,482 in prejudgment interest. He also had to pay $150,000 in additional punitive damages.
Wellness BioSciences RX credits Sean M. Baker with being a
successful entrepreneur, and business owner for 15 years.
An expert at developing, cultivating, and inspiring sales professionals and sales organizations.
As a distributor within the direct sales/network marketing industry, Mr. Baker generated in excess of $11 million dollars inside of a $400 million dollar company.
In a public webinar published to Wellness BioSciences RX Baker reveals he met Barry Cocheu in 2002. The timing fits with Baker having come up through AmeriSciences too.
Read on for a full review of the Wellness BioSciences RX MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]
Daniel Filho might have dodged prison time but the SEC aren’t letting their civil case go.
In a September 25th Motion for Default Judgement, the SEC seek to hold Filho accountable for $10.2 million dollars. [Continue reading…]
VRB Corporation provides no information on its website about who owns or runs the business.
VRB Corporation’s website domain (“vrb.co”) was first registered in November 2014.
The domain registration was last updated in July 2019, which appears to be around the time its current owners took possession of it.
On social media, VRB Corporation’s CEO is played by some old guy who claims to be “Richard Thomson”:
The man playing Thompson has a distinctly European accent. VRB Corporation’s marketing efforts however primarily target south-east Asia (Vietnam and Malaysia in particular).
Investment in these countries is/was solicited under the pretext of VRB Corporation having a business relationship with Comerica Bank.
This prompted Comerica Bank to issue a press-release on September 27th, clarifying that
VRB, purports to have financial backing from Comerica, which is false, in an attempt to draw investment into a cryptocurrency scheme.
VRB has held events in Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Japan, going as far as producing actors, some of whom are pretending to be Comerica employees.
Comerica Bank does not have an affiliation with VRB cryptocurrency, and any attempt to represent it as such is false and fabricated.
Those involved with VRB cryptocurrency have sought to use the Comerica brand name to lend their operation legitimacy, and individuals attempting to make that association are not Comerica employees.
Needless to say whoever is actually running VRB Corporation doesn’t want the public or investors to know who they are.
As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money. [Continue reading…]


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Lenovo’s Latest Laptop Isn’t Running Windows 8 — It’s a Chromebook
In a tiny sidestep from its recent spate of Windows 8 convertible laptops, Chinese PC maker Lenovo has introduced a new Google Chromebook aimed at the education market.
The ThinkPad X131e, which has already been sold to schools as a Windows-based laptop, is now running the Google Chrome OS, and supports Google Apps designed for education.
Lenovo’s announcement is light on specifics. I’m willing to bet some K-12 kids know their processors in this day and age, but for now, Lenovo is simply stating that the 11.6-inch Chromebook has an “Intel processor,” along with an anti-glare LED screen, USB and HDMI ports. It weighs “under four pounds.”
The $429 ThinkPad X131e isn’t being sold directly to consumers, but will be sold at volume pricing to K-12 education institutions. It will be available Feb. 26.
Since the launch of Chromebooks, Google has extolled the benefits of the lightweight, low-cost laptops in classrooms. For Lenovo, which has a long-standing relationship with the Microsoft Windows OS, it’s an interesting move. It’s not a giant leap into the Chromebook market, by any means, but Lenovo is certainly dipping its toe into new territory with the Chromebook OS for the X131e shell.


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The multi-billion shilling Lower Kuja Irrigation Scheme in Kenya’s Migori county is ongoing again after compensation claims stalled the plan. Scheme manager Kennedy Ouma said that for the past four months, infrastructure like roads, water canals and valves were rehabilitated, which opened up the scheme and saw improved planting.
Farmers have so far started to diversify to other trial crops with 100 acres for onions, 50 acres under tomatoes, 2,000 under sugarcane and soya beans expected to take over from empty rice fields.
In August 2020, the Migori county government was allocated block 2.1 of the scheme with over 400 acres for sweet potato farming whose upgrade was expected to cost Sh100 million, an amount yet to be invested. The scheme will boost the Sh117 million sweet potato processing plant sponsored by European Union in Getong’anya centre, Kuria West subcounty.
[ Sh100 = €0.84 ]


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Uncertainty kills the Stock Market
Uncertainty kills the Stock Market-
A bad unemployment report adds to it. There was no surprise. The economy has been stalling for sometime. Various indicators and reports pouring the doom and gloom for several weeks. Retail sales, consumer confidence, home sales and manufacturing reports have been lackluster lately. After a three month of optimism we are again descending into the era of economic malaise. This has been the history of this recovery, if there is anything you want to assign a name to as “ recovery”. It has always been start and stop and start again. Fears of double dip recession and a constant worry and a state of non prosperity and mental dejection.
Starting early this year it seemed like all the cards counted we are on a faster track of recovery. But just 3 months into it the party started to fade. First there were war drums and threats made against Iran that jacked up oil futures from low 90 to 110 dollars a barrel thereby catapulting gasoline prices in North America above $4 and harking the consumer with another economic obstacle. Since the GDP is about 70 percent of consumer spending it blew the very first thing: Consumer Confidence which collapsed since February 2012.
As the consumer confidence plunged so did other dominoes. Tighter wallets never bring spending but a choke hold on GDP and hence the GDP fell this month to a mere 2.2 percent growth. Following that more threats and more war drums resoundingly got oil prices stuck to an unbearable $4 a gallon in very fragile economy and the recovery started flagging. The signs were everywhere.
Employers were again thrown into an uncertainty and turbulence not sure if they should hire more or just postpone hiring. Under conditions of uncertainty and an threats of war few people react positively. Companies tightened their budgets and outlooks and started postponing hiring. That showed up in less than stellar jobs report in March which added fewer jobs and April followed with a mere 115,000 jobs added.
Stock market also likes certainty and an optimism to work in a healthy manner, otherwise it will do what the chart shows one red candle after another and volumes to the downside. The market is selling off, buyers are nowhere to be found and short sellers are all having a field day all to themselves. The job report killed the market and now we are in a side ways movement if not the down trend yet.
Unless an balanced mixture of economic certainty and air of prosperity is generated under a proper leadership in Washington there will be no progress on the economic front. Human nature works well when there is some certainty and a known outcome and optimism of ones future that the things would be there tomorrow and what it may bring. Human nature does not works well in constant shifting sand and threat of wars and uncertainty.
The people trying to run for the office and wanting to get re-elected are ones who need to understand the correlation between certainty and prosperity in relation to wars and mayhem. You have to chose either of them and not both at the same time. It cannot be multi tasked and worked out that way. Human nature has not changed in 100 years and nor would the financial markets and those who make a living off it.


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Saturday, May 7, 2016
Wellsville Brewing Company to locate on Main Street (?)
The rumors have been swirling for a bit, but the company has confirmed it on their Facebook site. The Wellsville Brewing Company says it has all the proper ingredients for a successful business at 104 North Main Street in Wellsville. For those who aren't certain about the location, 104 has been home to restaurants like Howards, Clancy's and the Brass Balloon. Excitement appears to be bubbling over, based on comments left so far. On Friday, the company acknowledged that "the rumors are true," it will be opening in the near future. Right now, the location is still being remodeled and proper licensing is being obtained. The totality of what the Wellsville Brewing Company will offer remains in the development stage.
at 11:19:00 AM


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Customers sue UnitedHealth over prescription drug co-pay costs
- Wall Street dips on Trump protectionism, Qualcomm drag
- Yahoo! (YHOO) Tops Q4 EPS by 4c; Sees Verizon Deal Closing in Q2, Not Q1
- Aetna's (AET) Humana (HUM) Takeover Blocked by Judge as Anticompetative
- Trump signs order withdrawing U.S. from Trans-Pacific trade deal
- After-Hours Stock Movers 1/23: (REXX) (MRCY) (SYNC) Higher; (FSM) (OCUL) (CASC) Lower (more...)
A bottle of prescription medication rests on a counter at a pharmacy in New York December 23, 2009. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
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By Brendan Pierson
(Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE: UNH) has been sued by three customers who accused the largest U.S. health insurer of charging co-payments for prescription drugs that were higher than their actual cost and pocketing the difference.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Minnesota by three UnitedHealth customers, seeks to represent a nationwide class that it says could include "tens of thousands" of people insured by UnitedHealth.
The lawsuit said Minnesota-based UnitedHealth and affiliated companies charged customers co-payments for drugs that were significantly higher than prices it negotiated with pharmacies for those drugs.
For example, the lawsuit claims, one class member paid a $50 co-payment for Sprintec, a contraceptive, while UnitedHealth paid the pharmacy only $11.65. The pharmacy was then required to hand the extra $38.85 over to UnitedHealth under its agreement with the insurer, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims that such a co-payment "is not a 'co-' payment for a prescription drug because the insurer is paying nothing," but is instead "a hidden additional premium."
The lawsuit says UnitedHealth has hidden this practice from its customers, forcing them to overpay for a wide variety of common, low-cost drugs.
The lawsuit claims UnitedHealth's co-payments violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a federal law used to target illegal conspiracies, and in some cases also violate a federal law governing employee benefit plans.
UnitedHealth spokesman Matt Wiggin said in an email that the company had not yet been served with the complaint, and that "pharmacy benefits are administered in line with the coverage described in the plan documents."
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
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Consumers are finding their way to clothing and shoe stores again now that all corona measures have been lifted. The entrepreneurs in the shopping street saw their turnover increase last year. Trade organization INretail speaks of catching up. “The higher spending is also related to a slight increase in the average selling price,” says a spokesperson.
Retailers also invested less in campaigns and promotions. The average turnover of clothing stores increased by 14 percent last year and that of shoe stores by 12 percent compared to the previous year.
The number of transactions in the stores increased by 13 percent and the number of items sold by 9 percent. Customers spent more on average per transaction in stores than in 2021.
Men spent the most on clothes and shoes. Spending on men’s clothing was 19 percent higher and men’s shoes 12 percent. According to the trade association, men spent more money on shoes last year because they paid more attention to it after working from home for a long time.
Clothing for women was sold 12 percent more and sales of women’s shoes increased by 6 percent.
Online turnover fell by 16 percent at clothing webshops and 12 percent at shoe stores. This may have to do with the lifting of the corona measures. Clothing and shoe stores were allowed to fully reopen in January last year after the latest lockdown.
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Alibaba gears up to take its IPO, which is expected to raise over $20 billion for the company, on the road in September. WSJ’s Telis Demos discusses the details on News Hub. Photo: Getty
Tagged: Telis Demos
Alibaba’s plan for a potentially record-breaking initial public offering is prompting other companies to push back their own stock-market debuts. Telis Demos joins MoneyBeat with Paul Vigna. Photo: Getty Images.


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Retailers managed to pick themselves up after a disastrous start to the year — but they’re still just limping into the second half.
Experts said the recently concluded second quarter started off with some promise as shoppers came out of their shells in May, shook off the colder weather and began refilling their wardrobes and working off some of their pent-up demand.
Issa Rae stopped by WWD's NYC headquarters to talk about season two of "Insecure," which premieres this Sunday on HBO. Click link in bio for all the details. #wwdeye (📷: @jgreenery; Styled by @mayteallende)
A Stella McCartney sketch of a custom dress made from protein-based silk in partnership with biotech lab Bolt Threads. The dress will be displayed at The Museum of Modern Art's upcoming design exhibition, "Items: Is Fashion Modern?"


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BAGLEY TWP. - The manager of Cooper-Standard Automotive expects temporary layoffs will continue until the auto industry turns around.
Sixtieth anniversary celebrations aside, Cooper-Standard Automotive General Manager Brian Samkowiak said 2006 was a challenging year for the Gaylord business, which depends on the struggling auto industry for most of its business.
"Right now Ford has been shutting down some of their plants for two weeks each month and they plan on doing two on two off for the next three months," Samkowiak said of the impact those shutdowns have had locally. "Right now we are trying to adjust our schedules here and are looking at eight people to take voluntary two-week layoffs."
The plant employs 109 hourly and salaried workers. At the start of 2006, the plant employed 150 employees.
Samkowiak credits the union with being able to work with management a schedule for the temporary layoffs, which he expects will continue until there is a turnaround in the auto industry.


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EO Charging, a provider of technology-enabled turnkey solutions for electric vehicle (EV) fleets, has secured a deal with Tesco to power its fleet of electric vans.
Tesco plans to have a fully electric delivery vehicle fleet by the end of 2028. This year, the business has already rolled out 30 electric vans, with plans in place for a further 150 in 2022.
As part of the first phase of the electrification program, EO is supplying more than 200 AC fast chargers and five DC rapid chargers across five sites. The charging depots in Lakeside, Oxford, Glasgow (two sites) and Enfield will serve both day-to-day charging requirements as well as emergency cover in case of short turn-around times required for vehicles.
The partnership will see EO, whose fleet charging solutions are already used by corporations in the U.K. and Europe including Amazon, DHL, Go-Ahead and Uber, taking care of end-to-end electrification for Tesco. This includes upfront consultation to charging hardware, ongoing 24/7/365 support, maintenance and onsite service level agreement for charging infrastructure.
Tesco’s charging infrastructure will be managed by EO Cloud – dedicated depot software that combines charge scheduling, site load management, vehicle telematics integration and energy data to reduce infrastructure installation costs and optimize fuel cost per vehicle.
“Tesco is one of the largest and most important businesses in the UK so it’s a privilege to play a part in its transition to electric vehicles as part of its decarbonization strategy,” says Charlie Jardine, founder and CEO at EO Charging. “Our focus is now to help the business optimize its fleet performance and provide round the clock support and ongoing maintenance of their charging infrastructure.”
EO Charging recently announced an agreement for a business combination with First Reserve Sustainable Growth Corp., which is expected to result in EO Charging becoming a public company listed on the NASDAQ exchange.


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IKO PLC and Sussex Asphalte Ltd recently bagged a UK Roofing Award for Best Mastic Asphalt Project, in recognition of their work on the Stone Gallery in St Paul’s Cathedral.
A number of systems from IKO PLC have featured in the extensive refurbishment of multi-use shopping destination Broadway Plaza in Birmingham.
With Pothole Day taking place this March, Group MD at IKO PLC Andy Williamson has been discussing the pesky problem of exactly that.
IKO PLC’s ‘Fix that Hut’ scheme has seen Islington & Stoke Newington Sea Cadets centre donated more than 250 square metres of IKO enertherm PIR insulation to them.
IKO PLC has become a member of the British Parking Association (BPA), the recognised authority within the parking industry that represents, promotes and influences the best interests of the parking and traffic management profession.
IKO PLC’s #NoMorePotholes campaign tasted success at the recent Construction Marketing Awards, landing the ‘Best Social Media Campaign’ category.


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The round was led by Redline Capital with participation from new investor Northgate Capital and prior investor Sequoia Capital. It brings the company’s total funding to nearly $110 million.
As part of the financing, Tatiana Evtushenkova, director of Redline Capital, has joined the Viptela board of directors.
The company says the proceeds will go toward sales, marketing, technical support, and research and development. It also plans to expand into new geographies.
One of the big selling points of SD-WAN is that it allows businesses to reduce usage of redundant MPLS connections, which can get very expensive for organizations with hundreds of branch office sites.
The Viptela platform allows enterprises to reduce WAN costs by augmenting expensive leased lines with cheaper public broadband connections.
Viptela’s SD-WAN technology could even move into the Internet of Things (IoT) category. It recently touted the technology as a way to manage the connections to bank ATMs.


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An HD prototype of Zelda on Wii U was first shown back at E3 2011 but a full game has never been formally revealed. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto said at E3 2012 that the team had “a number of different experiments going on,” but didn’t offer any additional details.
E3 2014 will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 10th through 12th.
For a more detailed timeline about Zelda on Wii U, be sure to check out our Zelda Wii U wiki, and find out more on Aonuma’s thoughts by reading how revisiting Wind Waker will shape the franchise’s future and why he’s excited for changes in the series.
Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.
If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, learn more.


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AMID THE TRANSITION to the digital terrestrial-TV era, some free-to-air satellite-TV broadcasters are maintaining their operations but seeking segmented audiences and advertisers, while others are considering terminating their service.
This evolving landscape results from the shift of advertising spending via cable-and satellite-TV channels to digital terrestrial-TV channels, starting this year.
According to a forecast by the Media Agency Association of Thailand (MAAT), digital-TV broadcasters will gain about Bt4.9 billion in advertising spending, while key cable- and satellite-TV operators will have brought in about Bt8.1 billion in total by end of this year.
MAAT president Wannee Ruttanaphon yesterday suggested that overall advertising spending via cable and satellite TV would be slashed from last year’s level of Bt13.21 billion, with a significant part of the shortfall being allocated to digital-TV channels.
Given this trend, Surapol Perapongpipath, managing director of GMM Digital HD Trading – a subsidiary of GMM Grammy – said his company might end its satellite-TV broadcast service if it witnessed good feedback from its flagship digital-TV channel, One HD, and from Big channel, a digital station in standard-definition service.
One HD will be launched next month after a two-month test run.
“By the end of this year, digital-TV broadcasting service is expected to be used by 70 to 80 per cent of the 22 million households around the Kingdom, mainly via cable- and satellite-TV receivers,” he said.
This would help people gain a better understanding about digital-TV services, as well as boost advertisers’ confidence to place more emphasis on investment via this new type of service, he said.
Surapol added that by that time, his company might end its current free-to-air satellite-TV channels, such as Fan TV, Bang channel, Green channel and Act channel, in order to manage costs and resources for its two new digital channels.
However, RS – the country’s leading music and entertainment firm – appears to be maintaining its satellite-TV business in order to retain ad revenue from companies that still want to spend via its satellite-TV channels, namely, Sabaidee TV, You Channel and Channel 2.
RS secured a digital-TV licence from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission and transformed its Channel 8 from satellite-TV service into a digital channel.
“We were aware that we would face intense competition after the arrival of digital TV this year. So the company has prepared two new programmes for the second half of the year in order to attract attention from the mass audience for Channel 2,” said Pattira Palawatvichai, executive vice president of television business at RS, told The Nation.
The executive said Channel 2 would launch the “Sod Mai Thailand” news-talk show next month, and the “Muan Duan Mic” variety-contest show in October.
Meanwhile, Surachedh Assawaruenganun, chief executive officer for film business at Kantana Group, said his company’s satellite-TV channels – M Channel and Boomerang TV – would be a key marketing tool for distributing its premium content and seeking revenue from targeted sponsors and advertisers.


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It's here! Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has officially kicked off in New York City.
Many people are looking forward to tonight's Fashion's Night Out festivities, but you may be unaware that some shows already happened yesterday ... including the 9th annual Style Awards!
Held at the Stage at Lincoln Center, the awards brought out celebrities from the world of fashion, sports and Hollywood alike.
Among those in attendance were Rachel Roy, model Joan Smalls, designers Patricia Cristina Herrera and Carolina Herrera, designer Simon Spurr, Nicole Richie, Adrienne Bailon and New York Ranger Henrik Lundqvist, who was accompanied by his wife Therese and eventually won the award for Most Stylish Athlete.
Take a look at a few of the attendees who made it out to the 9th annual Style Awards to help kick of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in the gallery above!


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September 19, 2018, London -- Today, SoundCloud announced its streams of licensed, monetized tracks in the UK and Ireland will now count toward the UK’s Official Charts--the official, trusted, weekly pulse of what’s hot in the UK and Irish music scenes. Compiled by the Official Charts Company on behalf of the British music industry and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), SoundCloud streams will debut on the UK and Ireland reports for week ending September 21, 2018.
“SoundCloud is the foundational music platform for creators and we are committed to empowering them with the best tools and services to grow their careers,” said Raoul Chatterjee, Director, Content Partnerships. “Charts are a great measure of success for creators, and we’re excited their SoundCloud streams will now count toward the UK and Ireland’s Official Charts.”
SoundCloud streams will be included in The Official Singles Chart, The Official Albums chart, and The Official Independent Singles Chart for both the UK and Ireland, in addition to a number of genre charts including Classical, Dance, R&B, Rock & Metal.
SoundCloud is the world’s largest open audio platform, powered by a connected community of creators, listeners and curators on the pulse of what's new, now and next in culture. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud empowers the world’s audio creators with the best tools, services and resources to build and grow their careers. With over 180 million tracks and 10 million creators heard each month across 190 countries, what’s next in music is first on SoundCloud.


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SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — LG Uplus Corp., South Korea’s third-largest mobile carrier, has unveiled a new home training service called Cocore Gym that enables users to exercise and check biometric information through their TV at home as well as to compete with other users.
The new home training service operates through a connection between the company’s Uplus Home Training Now IPTV service and smartwatches.
The service displays the user’s heart rate and the number of calories burned on their TV, while providing a ranking of burned calories for connected users on a real-time basis.
LG Uplus said that the new service helps users exercise by stimulating the sense of competition, just like people compare treadmill speed and the weight of dumbbells with others at a fitness center.
Cocore Gym is available through UHD3-plus Uplus TV set-top boxes and Android OS-embedded Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch5.
After a free trial period of three months starting from Sept. 5, it will turn into a paid service.
Ashley Song (email@example.com)


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To help Erin businesses recover from the effects of the pandemic, the town’s economic development committee will focus its efforts on three areas.
In a presentation to Erin council Tuesday, chair Jim White laid out the plan.
Board members will create an entrepreneurial hub, zone in on tourism growth related to businesses and discuss business retention and expansion initiatives. Plans, however, have been on hold or partially delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
These programs were meant as ways of diversifying how businesses operate, but now it’s about ensuring they make money to stay in town with the lockdown closing virtually all of the stores.
“Given COVID-19’s arrived in (March 2020), we deferred the implementation of the entrepreneurial hub,” said White.
“Similarly, we had to defer the growth of tourism activities, and the third one, the business attraction, retention and expansion. The committee elected to put all of our resources from September in working on business recovery in face of COVID-19. That then became the priority.”
Linda Horowitz, program manager at Innovation Guelph will lead the entrepreneurial hub. The committee wants to develop a physical presence for businesses to share ideas, attend seminars and use workplace tools.
They've developed a plan to engage all local businesses to participate in the hub and are moving to create a virtual hub to facilitate communications with businesses.
Jim White will lead the growth of the tourism initiative. His group plans to engage Central Counties Tourism and Headwaters stakeholders to ensure Erin’s needs are reflected in an integrated plan, study the impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry and identify priorities for local businesses, among many other things.
Business attraction, retention and expansion will be led by board member Laurie Davis. This group will focus on attracting new businesses to increase the tax base from the industry and ensure that existing businesses become advocates for Erin to attract new businesses.
Industries represented include advanced manufacturing, tourism and professional services. Market sectors are engineering, food and beverage, retail, wellness and restaurants.
The committee determines the status of 10 key businesses in Erin for 9 months into the pandemic, worked to gain insights into their high-level plans for 2021 and determined the impact of the situation on employment, among many other things.
Councillor Rob Smith shared his concerns, as a business owner, about the majority of the workforce not working at this time.
“They’re going to get conditioned to being very lax,” said Smith. I think we’re going to be up against the wall when COVID is over and introducing these people back to the workforce.”
Joshua Santos, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, Orangeville Banner


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A new survey reports that IT spend is hitting a historic low levels with no glimmer of resurgence coming in the near future. ChangeWave Research said 39 percent of companies polled have spent less than planned in the current fourth quarter, a drop of nine percentage points from an August survey.
Just six percent of enterprises are spending more in the fourth quarter than they planned, a four point decrease since August. Nearly half, 48 percent said IT budgets will be even smaller in the second half of 2009.
The dire tech expenditure analysis reflects macroeconomics that have businesses slashing costs and reducing headcount. ChangeWave said the figures are the worst ever IT spend projections since 2001.
“The numbers are horrific,” said Paul Carlton, director of research, in a Web conference today about the survey results.
“The current quarter is at historic lows and there is no indicator that spending will get any better any time soon,” he said.
The one stellar aspect is that smartphone sales remain robust and healthy, according to the survey. Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) is maintaining its market lead, and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is forging inroads into small to medium-sized businesses, according to ChangeWave.
The research firm surveyed 1,926 tech leaders involved with IT spending during this month. The ChangeWave Alliance (parent company of ChangeWave Research), conducts surveys every quarter of its 15,000 members, who are senior technology and business executives in leading companies in select industries.
The November spending analysis exceeded downward projections made by ChangeWave earlier this year. Back in August, the research firm estimated that 29 percent of companies would cut or stop IT spend.
Going into next year, 45 percent of respondents said IT spending will decrease during the first quarter — which ChangeWave called “unprecedented.” The results reflect a drop of 16 points from the August poll. Only 10 percent report that spending will increase in the first quarter.


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FourFour2 readers are commenting on the opening of two Chinese restaurants in Chinatown.
In addition to two Korean restaurants, the two Chinese establishments have also opened their own restaurants.
Both of the new Chinese restaurants have been designed to cater to Asian food and will serve Korean dishes.
There is a huge demand for Korean food in Chinatown, and both of these Chinese restaurants will cater to that demand.
One of the restaurants, called Changpoo, will serve K-dish with rice noodles.
It is a great addition to Chinatown, as many of Chinatown’s Korean restaurants have closed due to the lack of space.
The other Chinese restaurant, the Nana restaurant, is serving Chinese food, including K-style food, along with Korean food.
Nana has a good reputation for being friendly and accommodating.
At Nana, Korean food will be served with fried chicken, beef and vegetables, but there will be no Chinese food.
I am so happy to see the restaurants opening in my neighborhood!
I’m excited about the opening at both restaurants, as I am a huge fan of Korean food, and it will definitely be something I can eat for lunch or dinner in Chinatown!
Check out more photos of these restaurants below:


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The MARCH issue of BookIsh Plaza eZine is out now!
BookIsh Plaza is your online bookshop for Caribbean literature.
In this issue:
- 50th Anniversary Reissue of Jean Rhys’ Novel
- Literary Celebration 30 Years Celebration Independence Aruba
- 2016 Year of the Book
- New Arrivals
- Soon for Sale books
- And more….
Visit BookIsh Plaza for our new arrivals!


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ROCKVILLE, MD—Choice Hotels International Inc. has its largest domestic pipeline in company, according to its reported results for the three months and year ended Dec. 31, 2018.
- Net income was $31.5 million for the fourth quarter 2018 and $216.4 million for the full year, representing diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.56 and $3.80, respectively.
- Adjusted net income increased 34% in 2018 to $221.5 million over the prior year.
- The company’s full year adjusted EPS increased 34% from the prior full year period to $3.89, while full year adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) increased 14% from 2017 to $341 million.
- The company exceeded the top end of its full year adjusted EBITDA guidance by $1 million and the top end of its fourth quarter and full year adjusted EPS guidance by $0.03 per share.
- The company repurchased 1.9 million shares of common stock for an aggregate cost of $149 million for the full year 2018.
- The company awarded 756 new domestic franchise contracts, making 2018 the company’s best development year in over a decade.
- Total domestic pipeline of hotels awaiting conversion, under construction, or approved for development, as of Dec. 31, 2018 surpassed 1,000 hotels, representing the largest domestic pipeline in the company’s history.
Additionally, during 2018, the company:
- Achieved a 14% growth in the number of rooms in the company’s upscale brands, Cambria and Ascend as of Dec. 31, 2018 from December 31, 2017.
- Further strengthened its midscale presence by unveiling and awarding 21 domestic franchise agreements for Clarion Pointe, a midscale select-service brand extension of Clarion that meets strong demand from guests and hotel owners alike.
- Awarded 161 new franchise agreements across the company’s extended stay portfolio of brands following the acquisition of WoodSpring Suites, the nation’s fastest-growing economy hotel brand.
- Continued the $2.5 billion transformation of its flagship Comfort brand, which is progressing on schedule.
“Our strong 2018 performance represents more than a singular good year—it builds on years of success and validates our long-term focus,” said Patrick Pacious, president/CEO of Choice Hotels. “As Choice celebrates 80 years in business, these impressive results are proof that investing in our current brands, launching new brands, and further enhancing our business-delivery capabilities have provided a runway for long-term growth.”
Additional details for the company’s 2018 fourth quarter and full year results are as follows:
- Total revenues for the fourth quarter and full year 2018 were $245 million and $1 billion, respectively, an increase of 11% from the total revenues reported for the same periods of 2017.
- Total hotel franchising revenues for full year 2018 increased 12% from the prior year to $483.4 million and increased 13% from the fourth quarter of the prior year to $114.5 million.
- Adjusted EBITDA from hotel franchising activities for the full year was $346.6 million, a 14% increase from full year 2017. Adjusted EBITDA from hotel franchising activities for the fourth quarter was $77.5 million, a 12% increase from the fourth quarter of the prior year.
- Adjusted EPS increased 29% in fourth quarter 2018 to $0.88 over the prior year fourth quarter.


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Silver and Gold Update August 10, 2022
The United States financial system is gasping for air and is on a life support system.
Systemic inflation has finally become intractable. The attempts of the Federal Reserve to paper over the problem are visible and it is having very little affect on rising yields and general prices in the system overall.
The news today tells that the price of eggs has risen 47%, year over year, for the month of July and the Senate just passed a bill mockingly called the Inflation Reduction Act.
This bill will throw a half trillion new dollars into a system drowning in currency with the intent to lower inflation. The bill claims to address inflation with more money – violating a simple principle of economics – you cannot spend your way out of inflation.
This bill and the Feds’ repeated attempts to keep the 10 year yield below 3% indicate a debt-based currency system taking its last gasps as it heads towards the so-called Crack-Up-Boom.
The core idea of the crack-up boom, in summary, describes the collapse of a monetary system, due to out-of-control inflation expectations by the market participants, that were in turn caused by extreme increases in the money supply.
Inflation is a systemic component of a debt-based currency and this inflation will eventually destroy the purchasing power of the currency. The US currency was engineered to self-destruct after 1971.
We are now in the early stages of what is always a quickly progressing currency failure.
Rising prices and desperate attempts to maintain liquidity require more and more currency being dumped into the system to prevent the liquidity lockup approaching. This method prolongs the transition from a currency of value to a worthless currency but will also make the ending more painful and catastrophic.
The “ catastrophe-boom” (original German translation of Crack-up Boom), spells the end of the middle class in America and, with that, widespread pain and suffering
Meanwhile, some of the money pumped into the economy will continue to flow into the stock market, pushing stock prices toward Zimbabwe highs while providing the mainstream media with happy talking points about the health of the economy.
Other financial headlines of the day include “U.S. non-farm labor productivity, as measured by the Labor Department, fell in the second quarter at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 4.6%. That was the biggest year-over-year drop dating back to 1947 and the weakest back-to-back reading following a 7.7% drop in the first quarter, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE).
Lower productivity in a time of rising prices is symptomatic of inflation’s toll on worker belief in the current economic system. When workers are fully aware of the loss of their purchasing power in an inflationary environment, their willingness to supply labor diminishes.
The price of gold is above $1800 and silver over $20.50, while the stock market soars on lower than expected inflation news that claims inflation has dropped from 8.5% from 8.7%. This is just the daily noise in a market that is completely insolvent. Just wait for the CPI to be revised higher going forward.
Friends, the dollar is doomed and its days are numbered. You can mitigate some of the pain of drastic dollar devaluation by wisely moving some paper assets into physical assets that hold their value during periods when paper currency falls in value.
For purposes of liquidity going forward, it is my opinion (only) that silver is the most undervalued inflation-proof asset available today.
Historically, people held gold and silver and other metals as part of their inflation and currency devaluation protection plans.
Silver is severely underpriced and has been known as the poor man’s gold. However in this market with silver prices deeply suppressed, silver might be the smart man’s gold.
Do your own research and I have great expectations you will survive the coming economic collapse


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On 19th and 20th March 2022, Jaguar took part in the anticipated Premium Auto Car Expo (PACE) at the Setia City Convention Centre. There was enthusiasm surrounding our models, the sensual and compelling Jaguar XF, plus the sporty saloon Jaguar XE. Throughout the expo, we gave visitors a chance to get behind the wheel and experience what makes these luxurious vehicles unlike any other.
Furthermore, visitors who register their preferred Jaguar model at PACE can stand a chance to be rewarded with a Lifestyle Collection voucher of RM1,000. Once again, we would like to thank our visitors for participating in the lucky draw. Now, the much-awaited moment of the winner announcement is finally here. Congratulations to our lucky winner, Mr. Ahmad Faizul Azizah bin Ismail with contact number ending 3135.


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Nichia Corporation of Tokushima, Japan, reported that the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recognized two of its latest LED families. Nichia notes that the IES 2018 Progress Report pointed to the innovation and development of Nichia’s Optisolis™ series of LEDs and the discrete colors of the Direct Mountable Chip series of LEDs.
Each year the IES looks for new and significant advancements in lighting products, research, publications and design tools compared to the previous year. The Progress Committee’s goal is to monitor the developments in the art and science of lighting around the world and prepare an annual report of these achievements. The Progress Committee conducts evaluations for each submission based on its uniqueness, innovation, and significance to the lighting industry.
IES Recognizes Optisolis and Direct Mountable Chip Families of LEDs
At the 2018 IES Annual Conference in Boston, MA on August 10th, IES recognized Nichia’s Optisolis™ and discrete color “Direct Mountable Chip” family of LEDs. Nichia claims that Optisolis™ achieves the industry’s highest CRI. Furthermore, the company boasts that its spectrum is so natural, only the sun can claim to be more optimal. The company says that such high-quality light is ideal for human-centric lighting including lighting applications such as hospitals, educational facilities, offices, and museums.
Additionally, Nichia says its Optisolis™ series does not emit any damaging UV radiation that can damage and even destroy illuminated materials. Nichia notes that competitor’s packages that claim similar human-centric benefits often have UV emissions.
Direct Mountable Chip Series
Nichia has also recently introduced a new series of discrete, phosphor- converted color options in its Direct Mountable Chip series, a similar technology to what is known as a Chip Scale Package (CSP). The Direct Mountable Chip color series, currently includes Royal Blue, Green, Amber, and Red, along with the company’s previously released white options. For the Direct Mountable Chip series, Nichia has again used its phosphor and semiconductor experience to produce an InGaN-based color family of LEDs.
According to Nichia, the Direct Mountable Chip series maintains the same forward voltage and height across all colors, thereby simplifying the electrical and optical designs. Additionally, the phosphor converted Red features a significant improvement in the thermal droop and color compared to conventional Red LED technology, allowing for better in-situ performance and overall stability and color.
With its motto of “Ever Researching for a Brighter World,” Nichia promises to continue its considerable investment into the innovation and advancements of solid state lighting.


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Almost two years after its disastrous launch, CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 achieved a new sales milestone. According to the official Twitter, it has sold over 20 million units. His last major milestone was April 14th, 2022, with over 18 million sales.
Several things contributed to the increase in sales numbers, starting with the release of patch 1.5 and the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions. Both helped boost sales, according to CD Projekt CEO Adam Kiciński last May. Then came patch 1.6, which added new content and quality of life features, and Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Studio Trigger’s anime adaptation of the universe.
The latter is responsible for the most recent surge in popularity, eg Cyberpunk 2077 a beat The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt all-time peak concurrent player on Steam. Last week saw a million players playing the game every day.
More is coming next year with the first (and last) paid expansion, Phantom Liberty. It adds a new area and storyline along with the return of Keanu Reeves and Johnny Silverhand. CD Projekt RED is also working on updates to the police and melee combat systems, although these will be limited to current generation players.
Over 20 million cyberpunks have been roaming the streets of Night City – partying with Jackie and getting to know Johnny, driving around with Panam and diving with Judy, hanging out with River and listening to Kerry’s songs.
Thank you and we hope to see you all at the Afterlife! pic.twitter.com/ifFLhg6npO
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) September 28, 2022


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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Apple plans to reopen 100 stores — including 5 in North Texas — this week as states begin to lift restrictions on businesses during the coronavirus outbreak.
This is not a sweeping reopening, most customers will not be allowed inside stores and when they are they’ll do so wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.READ MORE: COVID-19 Delta Variant 'Accelerating' In North Texas And Across The Nation
In a statement the company said, “For customer safety and convenience, most stores will offer curbside or storefront service only, where we provide online order pick-up and Genius Bar appointments. In every store, we’re focused on limiting occupancy and giving everybody lots of room.” The Genius Bar is where customers get free technical support.READ MORE: Frisco's Grand Park No Longer An 'Urban Legend' As City Can Finally Finish Exide Cleanup
Any location allowing customers inside will also be performing temperature checks.
The technology giant has 271 stores across the U.S., all of which were shuttered in March. Of those, only stores in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis and San Francisco will accept in-store customers.MORE NEWS: Amber Alert Issued For Dallas Brothers 2 And 4 Years Old; With Father Who Is A Homicide Suspect
The following North Texas locations are reopening –
- Knox Street (Dallas)
- NorthPark Center (Dallas)
- Galleria Dallas (Dallas)
- Southlake Town Square (Southlake)
- University Park Village (Fort Worth)


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Microsoft has announced a number of new Windows 8 apps are now available to download such as Rhapsody, OpenTable and others, while an official Foursquare Windows 8 app is in the works.
...of fabulous flagships, Xbox excitement and Microsoft's mobile meltdown
Win a Microsoft Lumia 650 + a 200GB SanDisk microSDXC card!
Amazon Kindle Oasis 3G: the best Kindle that $360 can buy
Windows 10 for PCs build 14352 released to the Fast ring
Your handy guide to all of the phones and tablets running Windows 10 Mobile
windows 10 mobile
In August 2009, Netscape founder Marc Andreessen announced he was returning to the world of browser development, more than a decade after Internet Explorer forced him out of the market. At the time, he hinted...


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'Legal Highs Turned My Son Into A Shell'
1 May 2015, 06:40 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
A Nottinghamshire dad who nearly lost his son because of legal highs has told Capital they're as easy to get hold of as bag of sweets or a pint of milk.
David, who's name we've changed, says his son was just 15 when he started taking them.
Sold Clothes & XBox To Fund Habit
He soon began selling his clothes and even his Xbox to fund his habit before going on to self harm as a result of psychotic episodes:
'It's just like buying sweets, they associate these shops because they sell them they think they're safe, when infact, they're not.
'It's just like buying a pint of milk.
'It's awful to see your child go from a happy person to agressive creature, that you don't recognise.
'To hear their frightened, trembling voice crying out for help, to see them cut themselves, you fear the worse.'
Police in Derby recently confiscated a legal high known as Black mamba which has led to deaths on the continent.


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Trace Urdan, managing director at Signal Hill, and Dana Telsey, founder and retail analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, said that despite the slowdown in most back-to-school stocks, some sectors are looking bullish.
Urdan was optimistic about the post-secondary education sector, while Telsey liked the retail stocks.
Capella Education Company
American Public Education
“The irony is that when the economy is tough, people look to go back to school to upgrade their skills or complete their BAs,” he said. “So stocks in the post-secondary sector typically do very well when the economy is suffering -– we’re starting to see that now in terms of enrollment.”
“We think that Wal-Mart’s value message is resonating well with shoppers and it will continue to do well as we head towards the holiday season,” she said. “They’re going to keep gaining share of the consumer traffic that is out there.”
Disclosure information for Trace Urdan or Dana Telsey was not immediately available.


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Brominated vegetable oil, a synthetic chemical that has been patented in Europe as a flame retardant, will no longer double as an ingredient in Gatorade sports drinks.
Molly Carter, a spokeswoman for Gatorade owner PepsiCo Inc., said the company has been considering the move for more than a year, working on a way to take out the ingredient without affecting the flavor of the drink.
A recent petition on Change.org to drop the chemical – which has more than 200,000 supporters – did not inspire the decision, Carter said, though she acknowledged that consumer feedback was the main impetus.
In the petition, posted by Sarah Kavanagh of Hattiesburg, Miss., “BVO” is described as banned in Japan and the European Union.
The effort quotes a Scientific American article suggesting that “BVO could be building up in human tissues” and that studies on mice have shown “reproductive and behavioral problems” linked to large doses of the chemical.
The reformulated Gatorade flavors “will start rolling out in the next few months,” Carter said.
There’s no hard date for the launch because “we’re not recalling Gatorade,” she said. “We don’t think our products are unsafe. We don’t think there are health or safety risks.”
Soft-drink makers, restaurateurs and other businesses are suing to block the city’s move to end the sale of super-sized, sugary drinks in many eateries.
The American Beverage Association and others sued the city Friday. City officials had no immediate response.
The city Board of Health approved the unprecedented regulation last month. It would stop restaurants, cafeterias and concession stands from selling soda and other high-calorie drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces.
The rule is set to take effect in March.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls it a reasonable, promising way to curb obesity.
NEW YORK – New York City passed the first U.S. ban of oversized sugary drinks on Thursday in its latest controversial step to reduce obesity and its deadly complications in a nation that is fatter than ever.
By a vote of eight members in favor, with one abstaining, the mayoral-appointed city health board outlawed sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces nearly everywhere they are sold, except groceries and convenience stores. Violators of the ban, which does not include diet sodas, face a $200 fine.
Opponents, who cast the issue as an infringement on personal freedom and called Mayor Michael Bloomberg an overbearing nanny, vowed to continue their fight, possibly by going to court in the hopes of blocking or overturning the measure before it takes effect in March.
“It’s sad that the board wants to limit our choices. We are smart enough to make our own decisions about what to eat and drink,” Liz Berman, a business owner and chairwoman of New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, said in a statement.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Agriculture is finalizing new nutrition standards for what can be sold in school vending machines, stores and a la carte cafeteria lines that the cranberry industry fears could eliminate some cranberry drinks.
The guidelines, inspired by first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative to combat childhood obesity, will likely target sweetened beverages, including cranberry juice cocktail. The USDA already has established new standards establishing what can be sold in school cafeterias as part of the federal school lunch program. If the agency follows its earlier guidelines, only 100% juice beverages would be allowed in vending machines and school stores.
The cranberry industry is hoping to convince the USDA that lumping cranberry drinks in the same category with soda and other sugary drinks is unfair, since the tart red fruit contains many nutrients and health benefits, but must be sweetened in order to be palatable. The proposed rule could exclude cranberry products from school vending machines and curtail marketing, said industry officials; they estimate the size of the school vending market to be $2.3 billion a year.
Representatives from the United Cranberry Growers Cooperative — a collective of 85 growers — voiced their message at the recent inaugural meeting of the Congressional Cranberry Caucus on Capitol Hill. Their goal was to help persuade agriculture officials to make an exception for cranberry products in its nutrition standards for added-sugar products.
Coca Cola and Pepsi will make a manufacturing process modification for the soft drinks caramel colouring to avoid a California law that would have forced them to label the drinks carcinogenic.
Coke, for one, insists it is not “changing our recipe or formula in any way.”
“The Coca-Cola Company asked its caramel suppliers to make the necessary manufacturing process modification to meet the requirement of the State of California’s Prop 65,” company spokesman Ben Sheidler said in a release. “As a result, no warning is required.
“While we believe that there is no public health risk that justifies any such change, we did ask our caramel suppliers to take this step so that our products would not be subject to the requirement of a scientifically unfounded warning.”
And those changes “do change our product. The caramel color in all of our products has been, is and always will be safe.”
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Diet soda may benefit the waistline, but a new study suggests that people who drink it every day have a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke.
The study, which followed almost 2,600 older adults for a decade, found that those who drank diet soda every day were 44 percent more likely than non-drinkers to suffer a heart attack or stroke.
The findings, reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, don’t prove that the sugar-free drinks are actually to blame.


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Macau, China, 02 Aug – Macau’s exports rose by 40 percent in the first half of 2006, while imports increased by just 29.4 percent, according to figures published Wednesday the Macau Statistics and Census Bureau.
According to the Bureau, in the first half of the year Macau exported goods totaling US$10.34 billion patacas, or a year on year increase of 40 percent, with the textile sector accounting for 74.9 percent of the total.
By destination markets, Mcau’s exports continued to focus on two markets – the United States and the European Union – which together accounted for 66.9 percent of exports, with the US acquiring 48.2 percent of total exports.
Exports to the EU, which accounted for 18.7 percent of Macau’s foreign sales, rose 136.7 percent in value as compared with the same period of 2005.
Imports totaled 17.38 billion patacas, a year on year rise of 29.4 percent, which resulted in a balance of trade deficit of 7.04 billion patacas.
In the first six months of 2006, Macau’s acquisitions remained focused on Asia, with Mainland China and Hong Kong supplying 55.1 percent of total imports.
In June alone, Macau sold goods overseas to a total value of 2.08 billion patacas, or 43.6 percent more than in June 2005, and imported 3.30 billion patacas’ worth of goods. (macauhub)


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Nations imposing travel restriction from India amid a surge in Covid cases due to triple variant
India has reported over 2 lakh fresh coronavirus cases for consecutive six days. Seeing the surge, few nations have reacted with travel limitations to and from India which includes; New Zealand, Pakistan, Hong Kong and recently the United Kingdom has also added India to its red list.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also canceled his April visit in the wake of rising cases in both the UK and India. The US has also announced a fresh advisory to its citizens to avoid any trip to India.
Following the emergence of double mutation of covid-19, India is facing a continuous surge in cases due to a triple variant, which means three distinctive Covid-19 strains combining to form a new variant.
Researchers believe the new wave globally is caused due to the new variants. States like Delhi, Maharashtra, and West Bengal are considered to have cases surging due to the triple mutant of covid 19.
However, for precautionary measures, Hong Kong announced a 14-day travel restriction from the Philippines, Pakistan, and India as they are high-risk places for coronavirus spread. Those people that spend over two hours during transit in India and the other two nations are barred from traveling to Hong Kong.
New Zealand ordered travel restrictions from India after it found 23 Covid-19 cases among travelers flying from outside recently. Around 17 among them were positive for the Indian variant of SARS-CoV-2. This prompted a decision to ban travel from India.
The UK added India to the red list of nations affected by a coronavirus. This was announced after PM Boris Johnson canceled his April visit to India. The UK’s travel limitation implies that only British citizens can travel from India to the nation.
Several nations have claimed that travels from India were detected positive for Covid-19 on arrival despite boarding the flight with a “Covid negative” certificate. Canada as of late announced that 33% of the travelers who arrived between March 3 and 19 were tested positive for coronavirus on arrival from New Delhi.
On Monday, the US gave a warning to its citizens who had made plans to travel to India. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said to avoid all travel to India.
“If you should go to India, get completely immunized before leaving,” stated the CDC adding, even completely inoculated travelers could be in danger of contracting or spreading the variant of Covid-19 in India. However, this came a day after the US stated it would advise its citizens to stay away from the trip to about 80% of the world.


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A GRANDMOTHER with a passion for poetry has taken inspiration from the valleys of her childhood for a new book.
Valerie Thompson, 68, has recently published a compilation of her rhymes called Poetry For The Quiet Moments.
A mother-of-four and grandmother-of-eight, Mrs Thompson has been penning her poems since she was a teenager living on Swansea Road, Merthyr Tydfil.
But only recently she decided to create a book.
She said: “I used to enter competitions and I provided poems for two poetry companies to publish in their books.
“When one of the men there suggested I publish my own work, I thought ‘why not? I’ll give it a go’.
“I searched online and found a company called authorghouse.co.uk now based in America and I sent them a manuscript. They tell you to start with a few then see how it goes, so I did that in February last year and my book was published in December.”
The book, which features a blue cover with clouds, includes poems about everyday life, including one Mrs Thompson wrote for a friend who had lost her husband and another about her childhood memories of Pontypridd Market.
Another tells of the deterioration of Cefn Cemetery over the years, a place where Mrs Thompson has buried many family members.
She now lives with her husband Brian in Cwmbran, but has never forgotten her roots – as shown in a poem called Hometown Girl.
The book sells on various online stores and Mrs Thompson has also been selling copies herself.
But she said she’s not in it for the money.
“I enjoy writing. I get an idea in my head and it goes into my manuscript,” she said.
“I hope my poems bring back memories for people.”


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Nearly 40 community and union members showed up at an East Side Walmart here to show solidarity with the store's workers.
Coca-Cola's attempt to get rid of the Teamsters and a union contract in Las Vegas fizzled out like so much bad soda.
The walkout was one of dozens against the retail giant across the nation protesting Walmart's bully tactics aimed at silencing the "OUR Walmart" worker upsurge.
The night before the strike, hundreds of port workers, union and community supporters gathered at the airport to launch the action.
Walmart workers and labor and community allies held a protest at an east Orlando Walmart on Black Friday. The action was one of hundreds organized around the country.
The janitors wore giant back and white photos draped around their chests and back as they marched and chanted "What's disgusting? Union busting! What's outrageous? Poverty wages!"
More than a dozen actions were planned at Publix stores mostly in Florida, along with actions around the country.
The Supreme Court has said employers are responsible for ensuring there is no racial or sexual harassment, discrimination on the job, or "racially hostile" environments and so are their supervisors.
This Black Friday, Wal-Mart associates plan to hold a series of actions at 1,000 Wal-Mart locations nationwide.
After 15 months of negotiations the United Food and Commercial Workers called "highly contentious," and a ten-day strike.


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Cattle futures climbed for the first time in three sessions as a slumping dollar revived prospects for U.S. meat exports amid signs the economy is recovering.
October 5, 2010
Cattle futures climbed for the first time in three sessions Wednesday as a slumping dollar revived prospects for U.S. meat exports amid signs the economy is recovering.
The greenback fell to the lowest level since January against a basket of six major currencies. A gauge of service industries showed stronger-than-forecast expansion in the U.S., signaling a pickup in the economy that may spur consumption of pork and beef.
“If our economy is gaining traction, it’ll certainly support the idea of improving meat demand,” says Dennis Smith, a senior account executive at Archer Financial Services Inc. in Chicago. “The dollar’s down to new lows. It should support our export business with these meats.”
To read the entire article, link here.
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Sindhu’s brand value surges 10 times
HYDERABAD: The silver medal at Rio Olympics has pushed Sindhu’s brand value many times and the badminton star is expected to announce a couple of endorsement deals soon.
Companies are lining up for signing Sindhu for endorsements, but the ace badminton player’s brand management firm wants to go slow as it wants her brand valuation to rise further.
Ramakrishnan R, co-founder and director of Baseline Ventures which manages Sindhu’s brand marketing, said they may announce the corporate endorsements during the second week of September.
He said that though the endorsements were signed before the Olympics, they did not want to announce them due to hectic schedule of the player.
“They are major endorsements at national level. There have been a couple of brands signed before the Olympics. We may be announcing them during the second week of September,” Ramakrishnan said.
Sindhu became the first Indian woman sportsperson to grab an Olympic silver at the just-concluded Games when she lost the final clash to World No 1 Carolina Marin of Spain. “We are pouring with requests for endorsements by Sindhu. Building a brand takes years. So, we want to start slowly and add value to Sindhu which is very important.
Harish Bijoor, an expert in brand and business strategy, said post Olympics Sindhu’s brand value has gone up to Rs 2 crore which was fueled by cash awards given by various state governments.


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I love the smell of a fresh rumour in the morning! And what better rumour to start off with than the next iteration of the Xbox 360…
In a blog post on his site Geisswerks, Microsoft graphics programmer Ryan Geiss wrote: “I can finally disclose that I'm one of the core developers of the human-tracking algorithms for Project Natal, bringing full-body motion control to the Xbox 360 .”
Notice the plus? Xbox Evolved was among the first to spot that little character, and ruled out the possibility of a type as typing a plus sign requires the Shift key to be held down.
The rumour mills have been working overtime recently, after it was announced at E3 that the next generation of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 consoles would come bundled with Project Natal.
Xbox Evolved has also thrown in the popular rumour of a larger hard disk (perhaps 1TB) in the console, which would make sense because of the 360 Dashboard’s new ‘Games-on-demand’ download feature. It would take a lot of disk space to store full games, indeed!
The new console is expected to come some time next year, and could also incorporate the highly-anticipated new 65nm chip that holds both the GPU and CPU. With this, the demands for cooling and power would go down significantly, and could lead to a slimmer version of the Xbox 360.
So, to round up all the rumours into one super-rumour: A slimmer Xbox 360 with reduced power and cooling demands, equipped with a 1TB hard disk and bundled with Project Natal? Wow! Beat that, Sony!


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We all know how hard it is for so many youngsters to afford a college education. For many they have to put off going to college at 18 so they can save up the money needed first.
North Texas 19-year-old John Lopez got a job at Walmart so he could save for his college fund and put every paycheck into his savings account.
While on shift the 19-year-old found himself serving a distressed customer who realized she couldn’t pay her shopping bill. What John did next has gone viral.
John served a woman while on shift at Walmart who immediately caught his attention.
As he was ringing the items and the amount was going up, he noticed she was getting more and more distressed.
The panicked customer realized she didn’t have the money to pay for her items, and she started crying.
Without hesitating John said to the woman: ““OK, I got you… I got you.”
John paid for her bill with his own money.
Honored for his kindness
After he said: “I just felt in my heart that the Lord told me I had to help her.”
Another customer was standing in the same line and couldn’t believe what John had done. She took a picture and shared it on Facebook letting her followers know what John had just done.
Her heartwarming post immediately went viral and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise money for John’s college tuition.
Find out how this selfless young man was honored for his act of kindness in the clip below.
As one of the contributors wrote on John’s GoFundMe page “Some of the most important lessons in life are learned in the moments we reach beyond ourselves towards others.”
John is such an inspiration, please share if you agree.


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PORTLAND, Ore. – June 25, 2010 – Kombucha Wonder Drink, one of the first brands to help launch the $300 million kombucha beverage category nearly 10 years ago, is likely now one of its fastest growing following a nationwide removal last week of raw kombucha.
Prompted by elevated alcohol levels, retailers such as Whole Foods Market pulled all raw kombucha from shelves earlier this week, asking manufacturers to put procedures in place to ensure beverages stay within approved alcohol levels before they could return.
Kombucha Wonder Drink, on the other hand, is the largest – and one of the few – pasteurized products in the marketplace, which ensures that it is consistently safe, stable and well under the federal .5 percent alcohol limit. Its kombucha, which fans boast is the best tasting, remains on store shelves nationally.
“We made the decision at the very beginning to pasteurize our beverages because we recognized the potential volatility of alcohol levels in a raw product,” said Steve Lee, founder and tea industry veteran who previously co-founded Stash Tea and Tazo. “It’s unfortunate for many to have their favorite raw brands disappear from the stores, but we want to assure them that Kombucha Wonder Drink is not only safe, it retains all of the detoxifying, energizing wonders of traditional kombucha.”
Kombucha is a fermented drink recognized for centuries in cultures around the globe as a flavorful health tonic. The pasteurization process used by Kombucha Wonder Drink ensures the absence of alcohol while retaining the healthful and beneficial organic acids resulting from the fermentation process. To be extra certain of product safety, the company undergoes independent laboratory testing to ensure strict compliance with federal alcohol guidelines.
About Kombucha Wonder Drink
Kombucha Wonder Drink, a refreshing sparkling beverage, is available in 14 oz. bottles and 8.4 oz. cans in eight certified organic flavors infused with tea. They include Asian Pear Ginger, Cherry Cassis, Juniper Berry, Spearmint & Lemon, Essence of Lemon, Essence of Mango, Essence of Peach, Traditional Blend, and Jasmine Niagara Grape. Available at most Whole Foods Markets and other specialty retailers nationwide, Kombucha Wonder Drink is also available online through Amazon and Alice. For more information and a store locator visit www.wonderdrink.com.