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Fstop123 | E+ | Getty Images
There are more ways than ever to buy things you shouldn’t.
The offers are hard to refuse.
That $140 plaid tunic from Anthropology could be yours for “4 interest-free installments of $35.” Your living room could have that $1,029 cranberry leather sofa for just $257.25 – and three more such payments down the road.
These companies charge interest rates ranging from zero to 30%. Regardless, you wind up with another line item on your budget.
Credit card companies have also stepped into the so-called point-of-sale financing space.
For example, you could split a $422.30 payment for, say, a new laptop over 12 installments of $38.73.
By the end of the year, you could pay around $42 more than the item originally cost. That would be an effective interest rate of around 10%.
“Each customer will get somewhat different terms, but the general pitch is that the Plan It fees will be lower than the card’s typical APR,” said Ted Rossman, industry analyst at CreditCards.com. Indeed, average credit card interest rates stand at 17%.
They make it easy — sometimes far too easy — to make purchases you ordinarily couldn’t afford.
credit cards expert at NerdWallet
Even if the rates look good next to typical credit cards, experts warn that you can still get yourself in a pickle.
“They make it easy — sometimes far too easy — to make purchases you ordinarily couldn’t afford,” said Sara Rathner, a credit cards expert at NerdWallet.
Rathner recommends people first calculate how much they’ll wind up paying for an item using one of these options, including fees or interest.
“There may be less expensive ways to pay for something,” she said. For example, some credit cards come with introductory offers where you pay no interest.
Keep in mind, she said, it might take some work to save yourself money: “The most convenient option may not be the best option for you.”
If paying for an item over time allows you to afford the cost of medical bills or other necessary expenses, then doing so might make sense, Rathner said. “But that doesn’t mean you should finance everything this way,” she said.
Instead, she said, considering saving up “the old-fashioned way.”
One way to avoid an impulse buy is to give yourself a little time, said Daniel Crosby, chief behavioral officer at Brinker Capital.
“Anything you can do to slow down that emotion will help,” Crosby said. “Walk away for a day and see if you still need it as much.
“Imagine as vividly as possible the amount of work you will have to do over time to pay for it.”


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Ospreys are a great conservation success story in the Highlands. The programme follows the trials of this family from the parents’ return from their wintering grounds in Africa until the chicks fledge.
Once an osprey grabs hold, they can sometimes be pulled underwater by a large fish. Lots of wonderful still photos from the series as well.
Der (Schw)Einsatz war kein Zufall: Wie dieses Observationsvideo zeigt, waren die borstigen Vierbeiner schon vorher ins Visier unserer Fahnder und Fahnderinnen geraten. pic.twitter.com/nS0jv3HhII — Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) May 17, 2020 Yesterday in Berlin police blocked a road in the Zehlendorf district for nearly two dozen wild boar to pass. “Sometimes the wilderness is right on […]
Hunting around for an outlet or a power battery when you’re trying to charge your phone or tablet is always an annoyance. But when you’re out in the world hiking or camping or traveling, finding an outlet might be more than a minor inconvenience…it might be downright impossible. Running low on battery power isn’t an […]
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” – Mahatma Gandhi Of all the skills you feel like you should probably know, yet likely don’t, coding might be one of the most intimidating. From the varied programming languages to the range of platforms to the sheer discomfort […]
Even though it feels like Amazon is a singular retail juggernaut crushing everybody else, you might be surprised to learn that half of Amazon’s $280 billion in revenue last year came from third-party sellers. According to numbers compiled by JungleScout, 86 percent of Amazon’s Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) sellers were profitable last year, more than […]

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Written by Karen Gamba & Frank Carlisi:
It has been a challenging year for businesses large and small, across industries. As business strategists, we are encouraging business owners to look to the leadership and tactics of highly successful companies to adopt lessons on how to better adapt and survive during the Covid-19 pandemic.
With scarce resources available for small businesses, it’s hard to imagine how a company with unlimited budgets could teach us anything at all; however, we have to remember that even the most successful corporations in the world started somewhere. Insights and lessons are everywhere, if we open ourselves to learning and seeing opportunities in a whole, new way.
We were recently featured as speakers at EMRG Media’s Event & Leadership Challenge and we focused our discussion on the mindset and mission of a strategy we kicked off in March 2020, called: “Don’t Wait, Create.”
Read the complete article on page 73 in the Sept/Oct issue of Flourish Digital Magazine.


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Creditors File to Place Zale Into Chapter 11: A group of Zale Corp.'s bondholders has filed a petition to force the struggling jeweler into bankruptcy court and work out a plan to reorganize its $1-billion debt, the chairman of the group said. The creditors filed the request on New Year's Day, two days after the giant jewelry company announced plans to close 400 of its 2,000 stores and to delay payments to debt holders and suppliers. The bankruptcy action was expected for a month, since the Dallas-based company missed a $52-million interest payment that was due Dec. 2. The payment fell into default at the end of the year.
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Copyright © 2019, Los Angeles Times


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Map of political book sales shows a polarized nation
The states with golden stars on them are extra intriguing.
- Barnes & Noble reported a 57% increase in political book sales compared to 2017.
- The top three best-selling political books of 2018 have been mostly critical of President Donald Trump, though each state varies in which political books it buys most.
- Despite the boost in sales, Barnes & Noble could put itself up for sale in the near future.
Americans are buying more political books in 2018 than in recent years, though which books they're picking up seems to depend largely on the political persuasion of their state.
Barnes & Noble recently released data to CNBC showing a 57-percent spike in political book sales compared to 2017, as well as a map that shows how the political book sales of each state are strongly correlated with how that state voted in the 2016 presidential election. In other words, red states buy more books favorable of President Donald Trump, while blue states seem more interested in books critical of Trump—although there are five outliers. Book sales in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado and Pennsylvania contradicted how they voted in 2016. It's unclear why.
Source: Barnes & Noble
The top three bestselling books for the company were all mostly critical of Trump. At the top, by far, was Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward's Fear: Trump in the White House, which sold more than one copy per second (upward of 750,000 copies) on its release day, Barnes & Noble said. Trump called this book, which included many incendiary interviews with high-level officials, a "work of fiction" shortly after its release.
Coming in second was Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, and third was James Comey's A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.
Gregg Jarrett's The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump, which, needless to say, painted Trump in a favorable light, came in at number four on the list. John McCain's book, The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations, also made the top 10 list, but was not focused on the president.
Despite the boost in sales, Barnes & Noble executives have been considering selling the company, which is the nation's largest brick-and-mortar bookstore, for more than a year. Last week, the company announced it was naming a special committee to review bids of prospective purchasers, CNBC reports.
To create wiser adults, add empathy to the school curriculum.
- Stories are at the heart of learning, writes Cleary Vaughan-Lee, Executive Director for the Global Oneness Project. They have always challenged us to think beyond ourselves, expanding our experience and revealing deep truths.
- Vaughan-Lee explains 6 ways that storytelling can foster empathy and deliver powerful learning experiences.
- Global Oneness Project is a free library of stories—containing short documentaries, photo essays, and essays—that each contain a companion lesson plan and learning activities for students so they can expand their experience of the world.
This is what the world will look like, 250 million years from now
To us humans, the shape and location of oceans and continents seems fixed. But that's only because our lives are so short.
As a doctor, I am reminded every day of the fragility of the human body, how closely mortality lurks just around the corner.
Tyson dives into the search for alien life, dark matter, and the physics of football.
- Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson joins us to talk about one of our favorite subjects: space.
- In the three-chaptered video, Tyson speaks about the search for alien life inside and outside of the Goldilocks Zone, why the term "dark matter" should really be called "dark gravity," and how the rotation of the Earth may have been the deciding factor in a football game.
- These fascinating space facts, as well as others shared in Tyson's books, make it easier for everyone to grasp complex ideas that are literally out of this world.
SpaceX's momentous Crew Dragon launch is a sign of things to come for the space industry, and humanity's future.


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Apple Music Has 50M Subscribers, Up 2M In Single Month
Apple Music now has 50 million subscribers, CEO Tim Cook shared in a wide ranging Bloomberg interview. That's up 2 million since April when a leaked Apple memo revealed 40 million paid subscribers and 8 million currently a part of the music streamer's 90 day free trial.
By contrast, Spotify recently reported a total user base of 170 million, including 75 million paid subscribers. That's up 4 million paid users in 3 months or 1.3 million month growth.
– H/T Bloomberg


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The economy is getting worse and worse in our country. While the Democrats keep trying to push positive news about the state of the economy, the reality is actually very dire.
With an interest rate hike and inflation growing, ordinary Americans are having trouble keeping their refrigerators full.
Now, news is breaking about just how serious a crisis this has become. Welcome to the harsh reality of Joe Biden’s America.
60% of Americans Living On the Edge
Frozen wages and inflated prices are causing many sleepless nights for people across the country. New info from LendingClub indicates 60% of Americans are one paycheck away from being on the street.
Living paycheck to paycheck is not the marker of a healthy economy and it shouldn’t be something that’s happening in 2022.
Let’s face it: America has the highest inflation in half a century and even the wealthy are suffering. In fact, high-income earners used credit lines by 10% more so far this year than they did in 2021.
It seems nobody’s wallet is safe in Joe Biden’s America.
60% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck 🤯
— Dan Held (@danheld) October 4, 2022
What Does the Survey Say?
According to Anui Nayar of LendingClub, America is in a serious financial hole in terms of consumers who just can’t afford what they need.
Many people are searching for additional sources of income. They are unable to buy as much as usual which is also causing a slowdown in the consumer sector.
Inflation is decreasing sales and the rise in prices is becoming a serious crisis, especially when people aren’t seeing a correlating rise in their wages.
When the money’s not there, your choices become very limited; you have to try to find extra work, cut back expenses, or both.
The main factor is the supply of currency. When too much money is injected into the economy and big government spending goes wild, you end up with massive inflation and rises in consumer goods pricing.
In August this year alone, the rise in prices of services and consumer goods went up by more than 8%. We saw huge jumps in the price of food, energy, and health costs.
60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.
45% of six-figure earners are living paycheck to paycheck.
No wallets are safe in Joe Biden's economy.
— Stephen Moore (@StephenMoore) September 30, 2022
Financial Anxiety on the Rise
Polling from Bank of America shows more than 70% of Americans are dissatisfied with rising inflation and upset about their wages remaining stagnant.
It’s not surprising that most people feel financially insecure and it’s been getting steadily worse over the past five years.
More and more people have had to dip into their savings, which is what leads to the majority of Americans now living between paychecks.
The more that people rely on their credit cards, the more dangerous this becomes, as losing their job will put them in a position with no savings and serious debts.
Many have increased the limit of the balance of the cards as well, which is not a solution by any means; the snowball of interest is something nobody wants to think about.This article appeared in FreshOffThePress and has been published here with permission.


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The permits, available only online through Recreation.gov on a first-come, first-served basis, will be required year-round.
A story in the most recent issue of 5280 magazine reveals the amount of trash, needles and unruly behavior happening at campgrounds west of Boulder.
Secretary Zinke has mentioned public-private partnerships for campgrounds multiple times, including with reporters and at a Recreational Vehicle Industry Association meeting.
High visitation has littered Conundrum with human waste. In response, the Forest Service may soon require backpackers to pack it out.
Attention Colorado gear heads: That backpack you've been eyeing might soon get a little cheaper. We repeat: might.


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GERMANTOWN, Md. — Earth Networks announced that the WeatherBug Home portion of its WeatherBug® mobile app now includes an integration with the Honeywell Lyric smart thermostat — enabling Honeywell customers to see how the latest weather conditions impact their personal energy use, costs, and comfort. The WeatherBug mobile app is one of the first integrations with the Honeywell Lyric application programming interface (API) through its recently announced Connected Home open API program.
On average, weather drives approximately 50 percent of a home’s energy use, said Earth Networks. By integrating WeatherBug’s real-time, hyper-local data and patent-pending algorithms, homeowners with Honeywell’s Lyric thermostat can see in real-time how weather affects their energy use. These insights can help consumers improve their energy efficiency, comfort, and cost savings.
“When it comes to energy efficiency, knowledge is power. Honeywell has recognized WeatherBug as a leading go-to, daily-use mobile app that consumers have come to trust to deliver unique data insights to help manage their busy lives, which now includes energy use, costs, and savings options,” said Bob Marshall, chief executive officer, Earth Networks. “The newest version of our mobile app reaffirms our commitment to extending the value of these insights beyond the smart home, in turn creating a smarter consumer.”
“We are excited by the benefits our partnership with the WeatherBug Home program offers our customers. That is why we have selected WeatherBug as one of the first API integrations for Honeywell Lyric, offering our customers unmatched real-time insights into how weather is impacting their energy usage and insights for cost savings,” said Jeremy Eaton, president, Honeywell Connected Home.
The newest WeatherBug release is now available for download on Android and Apple devices.
For more information on WeatherBug Home, visit https://weatherbughome.com.
Publication date: 12/21/2015


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Two years earlier, Hsieh had a pilot group of employees adopt Holacracy, a self-management system developed by former software developer Brian Robertson that eliminates traditional manager roles and job titles with the intention of creating a faster, more efficient, and more innovative company.
When Hsieh sent the memo in March, 85% of the company had already begun the transition to Holacracy, but the urgency in the email and the weight of the offer shocked even the most loyal Zapponian. By the time the April 30 deadline arrived, 210 employees — 14% of the company — had taken a severance package.
At the same time, there were 150 employees working on outsourcing of all of Zappos' digital infrastructure to its parent-company Amazon's servers, an intensive task known internally as the "Super Cloud" project. Those employees asked Hsieh to extend the deadline to January 4, 2016, to avoid disrupting their work flow on such a complicated undertaking, and Hsieh agreed.
Zappos recently announced that 50 of those Super Cloud workers also took the severance package, bringing the total exodus to 260 employees, or roughly 18% of the company.
On a recent trip to Zappos' headquarters in Las Vegas, Business Insider asked Hsieh if he thought the offers were necessary for Zappos' future.
"It's more just in line with how we've always done things at Zappos," he said. "We could've just as easily not given any offer and then just said, 'This is what we're doing,' but we've always prioritized company culture and how we treat employees."
Hsieh made a similar offer in 2004 when Zappos moved its headquarters from San Francisco to Las Vegas, and has long offered new hires $2,000 to quit after undergoing training if they decide the company's not right for them.
"We want to make sure that employees aren't here for just a paycheck and that they truly believe that this is the right place for them," he said.
Hsieh said he decided that self-management was right for Zappos, which has always prided itself on its innovative and quirky culture, due to a nagging feeling that Zappos' growing size was threatening what made it exceptional.
Zappos COO Arun Rajan told Business Insider that, before Zappos moved to adopt self-management, it was becoming a "siloed" organization, in which an increasing level of bureaucracy kept teams across the company from working with each other on projects. He agreed with Hsieh that self-management would help keep the startup feel of Zappos even as its ambitions and size grew.
Rajan, who oversees the Super Cloud project, said that the 50 employees who recently left were primarily people and project managers who would have had to not only give up their titles, but find something entirely new to do at the company. He also noted that he'd expected about half of the team would quit, rather than the one-third that did.Despite the revolving door, Zappos has made enough new hires that its employee count is already back to around 1,500, according to Holacracy transition lead John Bunch. Each of those new recruits are fully operating within the Holacracy system.
Hsieh said Zappos is stronger now that it has fully dedicated itself to self-management. He also believes that the employees who chose to leave are happier, regardless of what caused them to take the severance package, which was valued at either three months' salary or a month's salary multiplied by the number of years an employee worked at the company. Those who took the offer could return in a year if they regretted their decision.
Anecdotally I would guess that about half of them, the reason they took the offer was because it actually had nothing to do with Holacracy or self-management. It was just because they really had wanted to go out and start their own businesses. And now with a year's severance, for example, they had the funds to try it out. And they also knew that they could, 12 months later, come back to Zappos.
And while the Zappos.com Super Cloud transition will be launching in this year's first quarter rather than its original target of last year's fourth quarter, Bunch said that the company was generally able to meet its 2015 financial goals even during a tumultuous time. Zappos declined to comment on its financials at this time, but announced at last year's All Hands meeting in February that one of its 2015 goals was to make $97 million in operating profit, up 77.9% from the year before, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Hsieh said that self-management allows Zappos to function more like a city, like an ecosystem that doesn't need constant direction from up top to function, and that this will assure its long-term survival even when he's no longer CEO.
"As we add more employees, then there's more innovation and more productivity" under Holacracy, he said. "And like a city, mayors come and go but the city remains. We want to constantly evolve."
Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the 2015 profit goal reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal as $175 million.


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Ukraine will be able to save EUR 600 million in customs tariffs alone after the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union. Jan Tombinski, the head of the European Union’s Delegation to Ukraine, announced this to reporters in Donetsk on Monday, the UNIAN news agency reports, citing RIA Novosti.
"We have calculated that Ukrainian exporters to the EU pay EUR 600 million in customs tariffs every year. These tariffs will no longer exist, and this money can be invested in modernization of technology," said Tombinski.
According to him, the European Union has already developed financial support projects aimed at improving Ukraine's technological standards.
"However, from this point of view, the amount that needs to be invested in the Ukrainian economy over 10 years is not much. More investment should be made in opening up markets and earning money and this money should be used to modernize the Ukrainian economy," he said.


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China and Latin America have seen vibrant trade amid the pneumonia outbreak, with trade between the two sides totaling 477.2 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2020, according to data from the General Administration of Customs in China.
An agricultural products trading company in Brazil. Photo/People’s Daily)
Although trade declined year on year due to the disease, bilateral cooperation should see greater growth as both parties gradually shake off the impact of the pandemic, experts pointed out.
China, as an important trading partner of Latin America, has helped ease the export pressure in Latin American countries amid the pandemic.
Brazil’s trade surplus with China reached $4.3 billion during the first three months of the year, accounting for 77.9 percent of the country’s total trade surplus.
Exports of Brazilian soybeans, chicken and beef to China registered growth over the period, according to the Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation.
Meanwhile, cross-border e-commerce business continued its momentum during the pneumonia outbreak, with an increasing number of high-quality goods from Latin America such as cherries and blueberries entering Chinese e-commerce platforms.
Experts believe that as China picks up speed in bringing back economic and social order amid the pandemic, it will become more involved in Latin America’s economic construction and promote bilateral cooperation in areas including AI, pharmaceuticals and 5G technology.
China and Latin America enjoy complementary advantages and sound economic and trade relations in the long run, noted Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, adding that the bilateral trade is resilient in the face of challenges and has broad room for development.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says car companies paid $9.1 million in fines last year for failing to comply with federal fuel efficiency requirements. Six companies had to pay fines to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Jaguar-Land Rover paid the largest fine of $3.2 million.
NEW YORK (AP) — A surprising jump in hiring is swaying U.S. stock and bond markets. An early decline in stock index futures was trimmed after payroll processor ADP reported employers added 297,000 jobs last month. The jump in payrolls from the ADP survey came in far above the 100,000 rise economists expected.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Group said Wednesday it plans to carry out record investment and hiring this year as it seeks to extend global dominance in products including flat screen televisions and memory chips. South Korea's top business conglomerate is spearheaded by Samsung Electronics Co.
Magnetek, Inc. (Menomonee Falls, WI) announces that its IMPULSE G+ and VG+ Series adjustable frequency crane controls have been rerated to an increased ambient temperature rating of 140°F. According to the company, this allows the IMPULSE controls to be used in high-temperature crane and hoist applications.
Reed Manufacturing (Erie, PA) announces the addition of two new models to its SawIt® line. SAWITSD and SAWITD pneumatic saws feature immediate shut down when throttle is released and immediate start up with throttle squeeze. On the SAWITSD version only, a trigger lock prevents accidental “on” if the trigger is bumped or pressed unintentionally.
AutomationDirect (Cumming, GA) now offers machine safety devices for use in industrial applications in the form of two series of safety light curtains (active optoelectronic protective devices). The systems are ideal for human protection where risks cannot be eliminated by machine design, or if the process might require frequent access during operation.
SAS Automation (Xenia, OH) has introduced the new Uni-Grip and Uni-Clamp Robotic Gripper Systems. The Uni-Grip is a universal system that allows for a precise gripper tool to be built with the added benefit of greater flexibility, such as the ability to use center-mountable components without disassembly or additional drop-in channel nuts.
DETROIT (AP) — A surge in car and truck buying that began in October is expected to lift last year's U.S. auto sales above a dismal 2009. Customers gained confidence in the economy, loans were easier to get and deals got sweeter. Ford, General Motors, Toyota and other car companies will report 2010 and December sales throughout the day on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories are expected to strengthen in November outside of transportation in a further sign that manufacturers will be cranking up production in anticipation of greater spending by businesses and consumers in 2011. Economists at JPMorgan Chase are forecasting that factory orders will post a 0.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Senator is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate "misleading safety claims and deceptive practices" in the selling of new football helmets and reconditioning of used ones. In a letter dated Tuesday — a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press on Monday night — Sen.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seven insurance companies have sued Toyota Motor Corp. in an attempt to recover money paid to cover crashes they blame on sudden acceleration. The insurers cite data that blames 725 crashes on the problem and fault the Japanese automaker for failing to equip its cars with an override system that would cause a car to idle if the brake and gas were deployed simultaneously.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When salmonella-laced peanut products sickened hundreds during a recent scare, President Barack Obama said consumers should be able to have confidence that their government will keep peanut butter-eating children safe — and that included his daughter Sasha. "That's what Sasha eats for lunch probably three times a week," Obama said then.
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — A Hammond Sanitary District official says a greasy white substance backing up through basement drains into homes appears to be linked to operations at a Unilever soap factory. Unilever and Hammond city officials haven't determined the cause of the Friday backup but the district's pretreatment coordinator, Jeff Massey, said during a public meeting Monday night that sewage apparently backed up after animal fat and coconut oil from the plant solidified and clogged sewer lines.
To paraphrase an old public-service announcement: “It’s 10 p.m. Do you know what the product levels are in the aboveground storage tanks at your bulk-storage facility?” For many bulk plant operators, the answer to this question would be a tentative (or wishful), “I think so.
From Tiger Woods, to Toyota, to BP, to Wright County Egg, each crisis in 2010 seemed to top the other. Tylenol stands for best-in-class company values, decision making, brand management and recovery; while BP, Tiger, Wright County and Toyota represent the gravest risk of brand implosion, failure to anticipate calamities, and the media piling-on effect.
The No. 983 from The Grieve Corporation (Round Lake, IL) is an electrically-heated, 550°F bench oven. The oven has 3” insulated walls, a Type 304, 2B finish stainless steel interior, and a #4 brushed stainless steel exterior. Two 13” x 4” access slots are equipped with insulated covers on the rear wall of the oven, and the 8” x 10” double-pane Pyrex window can be used for viewing the oven chamber.
The automatic stretch wrappers equipped with the new metered film delivery systems and other LeanWrap innovations from Lantech (Louisville, KY) have been designated as the “L” Series of stretch wrappers. The new line includes the QL Automatic (turntable model), SL Automatic (cantilevered and straddle automatics), and RL Automatic (ring straddle automatics).
As part of its expanding package of control connectivity products, Balluff (Florence, KY) has introduced a full line of I/O Hubs to their I/O-Link device offering. Because one size does not fit all, Balluff is offering a large range, from M8 to M12 with plastic or metal housing. The line is offered with or without diagnostics, thus giving a user’s application the same level of short circuit and overload diagnostics.
Fulton Companies (Pulaski, NY) has announced new products, including a signature boiler, the Tribute model (ICT). The boiler uses a pressure vessel design with high efficiency, and also has the capability to operate at sub-9 ppm NOx with an advanced boiler control system. The Tribute model also utilizes a fiber mesh burner, variable-speed fan, and integrated gas train, which provides low emissions combustion.
In today's hectic work environment, quick fixes are often favored over long-term solutions. Immediate improvements can be had when “band-aid” solutions are used to put out the fires, but these fixes rarely last. Short-term gain very often results in long-term pain. Management can no longer rely on old solutions because the problems we are facing in this fast-paced, competitive business environment are new.


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The state is likely to get two car manufacturing units soon. Isuzu is set to invest Rs 2,000 crore, in Chittoor district, and Mahindra and Mahindra expressed its willingness to invest Rs 250 crore in Medak district to manufacture four-wheelers.
“We have requested Mahindra and Mahindra on Wednesday to start its four-wheeler manufacturing unit. The four-wheelers will be passenger carriers. We have to hold further discussions with them and Mahindra will invest Rs 250 crore,” major industries minister J Geetha Reddy said.
She added that the state would get another car manufacturing unit soon. but refused to give more details stating it was “confidential” at this point.
However, official sources said Japan’s Isuzu is ready to invest `2,000 crore in the first phase to produce luxury cars. The state government may ink a deal with Isuzu on March 15.
Geetha Reddy said 20 more ancillary units would come up at the Mahindra and Mahindra tractor manufacturing unit near Zaheerabad, which started commercial operations on Wednesday. The unit has a capacity of one lakh tractors per year, but producing 300 tractors per month now, the minister said. There are around eight ancillary units to support the tractor unit. “The state government is giving a thrust to manufacturing and automobile units,” Geetha Reddy said.
She, along with Medak district Congress leaders, called on chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at the Secretariat and thanked him for the Mahindra tractor unit.


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DTI sees more export opportunities in Japan
Philippine companies are expected to make more than $10 million worth of export sales to Japan, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Friday.
This is expected to be realized after the investment forum and business matching sessions organized and held by the DTI and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Japan on the second day of President Duterte’s visit to this country.
About 150 Japanese companies involved in manufacturing, automobile, medical, information technology and construction were assisted and linked to 43 Filipino companies for possible partnerships and joint ventures, the DTI said in a statement.
Asked for further details, such as the products and services that would be exported, a representative from the DTI deferred from giving further information, saying that some of the deals were still under negotiation.
The DTI said it had presented to forum participants the Philippine growth story as well as the opportunities both in the industry and services sectors, as the government aims to encourage Japanese business executives to expand their operations in the country.
“We are very keen in engaging with Japan, especially on the aspect of manufacturing and innovation, and how we can work together to strengthen not only the manufacturing sector but also other industries and several subsectors under services,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.
“We want to identify business opportunities in Japan and the Philippines in areas of mutual interest,” he added.
This is on top of the nearly P300 billion worth of business agreements and letters of intent that were also signed by Philippine and Japanese companies during Mr. Duterte’s visit earlier this week.
The DTI said the forum served as a venue to update Japanese investors on the various government reforms being pushed by the Duterte administration.
These, the DTI said, included improving the ease of doing business in the country, infrastructure development and further opening up of more sectors for foreign equity participation.
The Japanese companies present during the event included Toshiba, Mizuho Bank, Mitsukoshi, Toyota Tusho, Sojitz and Kagima, the DTI said.
Meanwhile, the Philippine business delegation was composed of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Franchise Association, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp., EEI Corp. and DMCI, among others.
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Have you gone out to eat in a restaurant anywhere in the US over the past year and been disappointed by slow service or scatterbrained staff?
There is a one in 12 chance your server was stoned on the job, figures suggest.
A recent analysis of over six million urine tests from Quest Diagnostics, the world’s largest network of diagnostic labs, showed that in 2022 over eight percent of restaurant staff use cannabis either in their free time or during work.
The rate of urine tests among food service workers coming back positive for marijuana has more than doubled since 2018 – amid a wave of legalizations of the drug.
The food service industry led the way in workers who use marijuana with a 43 percent increase in positivity, having risen from about 5 percent in 2018 to seven percent in 2022
There has been a steady upward slope across all major industries, most drastically among food service and hospitality workers, followed by retail workers, drivers and warehouse workers, realtors, and wholesale traders
The above shows cannabis use across American states. Twenty-one states and DC have legalized it for recreational use in addition to medicinal use, while nearly all now allow it to be used for medicinal purposes.
The rapidly rising rates of marijuana use across all industries from retail to warehousing reflect growing society-wide acceptance of the drug, which is now legal for recreational use in 21 states and the District of Columbia and nearly all now allow it to be used for medicinal purposes.
The marked increase in cannabis use among restaurant workers from 2018 tracks with that year’s wave of measures to loosen prohibition on the drug.
For example, in 2018, Vermont became the first state in the nation to enact legalization by an act of lawmakers instead of through a ballot initiative and was signed by a Republican governor.
Also in 2018, voters in three deep red states – Missouri, Oklahoma, and Utah – overwhelmingly approved medical cannabis via ballot measures while at the same time electing Republicans to federal office or nominating conservative candidates for statewide office.
While these and subsequent legislative moves have represented major wins for marijuana legalization activists, many everyday Americans are less than thrilled about their impacts on the service industry.
Steve Cuozzo, the New York Post’s restaurant critic, said: ‘Am I the only one who thinks most NYC service workers are stoned? Starbucks, fast food, Duane Reade, waiters etc? Can’t make change, lose track of what they’re doing?’
Another frustrated netizen said: ‘I find it funny most of time, but I just had a restaurant server lose my credit card. Yep, gone never to be seen again. My best guess is that it went into the trash by accident.’
Rates at which people use marijuana have spiked 54 percent across industries over the past five years, from a rate of 2.8 percent of workers testing positive for the drug in 2018 to 4.3 percent in 2022, the largest marijuana positivity rate since 1997.
Accommodation and Food Services led the way with a 43 percent increase in positivity, having risen from about 5 percent in 2018 to seven percent in 2022.
The states where marijuana is legal for recreational use saw the steepest increases in test positivity rates. In states with legal recreational weed, positivity rates increased nearly 12 percent from 2021 to 2022. In states where the drug is only legal for medical purposes, the increase was slighter at about eight percent.
The latest positivity data was gleaned from more than 6.3 million urine tests conducted in the workforce and analyzed by Quest Diagnostics. After the food service industry, the retail industry had the largest share of workers using marijuana.
Keith Ward, General Manager and Vice President for Employer Solutions at Quest Diagnostics said: ‘This historic rise seems to correspond with sharp increases in positivity for marijuana in both pre-employment and post-accident drug tests, suggesting that changing societal attitudes about marijuana may be impacting workplace behaviors and putting colleagues at risk.’
Still, these staggering increases do not necessarily mean the server is high on the job, just that they use the drug in general.
THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, is fat-soluble, meaning it binds to fat molecules in the body which means it can linger for days or even weeks, depending on the frequency of use. So a person who used the drug on a Saturday could test positive on Tuesday.
But the steady upward slope across all major industries, which has coincided with a wave of legalization efforts over the past decade, suggests that more people are using the drug in general which could include the workplace.
And with rising overall use increasing by the year Many people may choose to smoke, vape, or take an edible before work to boost their mood or creativity, though there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the drug offers no creative benefit.


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Companies selling to businesses and consumers must adopt a more customised approach to their customers in the ‘You Know Me’ society, according to Thimon de Jong, an expert on future change, and keynote speaker at this year’s Deloitte Best Managed Companies symposium, organised by the Irish Management Institute (IMI).
While society is getting used to the benefits of big data and predictive analytics, organisations have been slow to embrace the trend,...
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Samsung is reportedly trying to lower the pricing of future foldable phones by replacing existing batteries with new ATL cells.
Samsung is likely to unveil its new foldable smartphone in August, industry insiders said on Tuesday, amid its push to popularise the foldable category.
Samsung is reportedly developing a double-folding phone to add to its lineup of foldable devices. The phone would be the third addition in Samsung's foldable lineup,...


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district and smashed windows in a shopping district after veering off from the planned protest route.
A group, dressed all in black, smashed the windows of a bank, a coffee shop and some stores before heading to an area
where Canada’s largest banks are headquarted, smashing restaurant windows there.
Police with shields and clubs earlier pushed back a small group of protesters who tried to head south toward the
security fence around the site of the G-20 summit. Some demonstrators hurled bottles at police.


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Dr Reddy's Lab completes acquisition of UCB's select brands
Drug firm Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Friday said it has completed the acquisition of select portfolio of established brands of Belgian firm UCB in India.
"...with regard to acquisition of select portfolio of the established products business of UCB in India, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd...has concluded the transaction," the company said in a filing to the BSE.
On April 1, the drug firm had said that it would acquire select portfolio of established brands of UCB in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives for Rs 800 crore.
The company had entered into a definitive agreement with UCB which also entails absorbing 350 employees engaged in the operations of India business.
Dr Reddy's has said the acquired UCB portfolio would accelerate its presence in the high growth areas of dermatology, respiratory and pediatrics, with market leading brands such as Atarax, Nootropil, Zyrtec, Xyzal and Xyzal M.
Shares of Dr Reddy's Laboratories were trading at Rs 3,388.05 per scrip in the afternoon trade, up 0.41% from the previous close on the BSE.
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- Meanwhile, the global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.88 per cent lower at USD 65.39 per barrel.
- Chinese officials first outlined proposals in 2018 to discourage crypto-mining
- The increasing economic importance of India’s hinterlands is influencing business expansion plans and accelerating a trend of more service stations being opened in the countryside.
- The video by digital artist Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, was authenticated by blockchain, which serves as a digital signature to certify who owns it and that it is the original work.


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Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company said yesterday that it had agreed to buy a majority stake in the Spalding and Evenflo Companies, a maker of sporting goods and infant and juvenile products. Terms were not disclosed. Spalding and Evenflo, based in Tampa, Fla., is part of the Cisneros Group of Caracas, Venezuela. In May, Cisneros said that it was exploring the sale of all or part of the company to concentrate on its telecommunications business. Kohlberg Kravis, the New York buyout firm, said the Cisneros Group and management would continue to hold minority interests in Spalding and Evenflo, which is expected to report sales exceeding $1 billion for its current fiscal year.
About the Archive
This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.


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FN USA announced their latest offering in the FN 509 series of pistols with their new Full FDE Model.
FN USA states “We’re pleased to announce the expansion of the FN 509 product line with the latest color variant, a full flat dark earth (FDE) model.
The new FN 509 Standard FDE joins the FN 509, FN 509 Midsize and FN 509 Tactical in the line of striker-fired 9mm pistols.
The new pistol has a suggested retail price of $679.00 and is shipping now to FN authorized retailers and is available for purchase.
FN 509 Standard FDE
The FN 509 family of pistols are all striker-fired and chambered in 9mm.
Each pistol features FN’s signature cold hammer-forged barrel with recessed target crown, enhanced slide serrations for easier slide manipulation, aggressive grip texturing to ensure secure grip while shooting and much more.
The FN 509 FDE, derived from a multi-year development effort to perfect its polymer pistol, is FN’s most tested platform to date.”


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Toyota’s Latest Hybrid is…a Boat?
Electrified vehicles are becoming the norm faster than ever before. As the brand behind the first mass-produced hybrid car and the face of hybrid vehicles around the world, Toyota is always one to keep your eyes on. So, what’s the latest from the Japanese automaker’s hybrid department?
Oh. It’s a boat.
Called the PONAM-28V, the boat is, according to Toyota, the first parallel hybrid boat in Japan. Believe it or not, fuel economy and emissions are also important factors in the boating world, which makes the PONAM a bit of a gem.
Under the hood—err, deck—is a 256-horsepower internal combustion engine paired with a 48-horsepower electric motor that also produces 258 lb-ft of torque. There’s also an 11-kWh lithium-ion battery that allows the boat to operate in electric-only mode, which makes it eerily quiet.
Hybrid King: 2017 Toyota Prius
This isn’t the first time Toyota electrifies something other than cars. Last year, Toyota revealed it has been working on fuel cell buses that can act as generators, which will be used to transport athletes during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The 28-foot PONAV boats will serve a similar purpose. Toyota will lend the boats to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government at no charge, where it will be used to provide transportation and canal tours during the Olympics as well as conduct maintenance at the Port of Tokyo facilities.
Toyota will study and experiment with the boats from July 2018 to March 2021. After then, the automaker might actually deign to build them for the public.
This Could Come in Handy: Toyota’s sonar-based parking aid


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Don’t be Blockbuster: A lesson in AI for sales leaders
The tale of Blockbuster is a stark reminder of the unforgiving cost of ignoring innovation. Sales leaders today can’t afford to repeat the same mistakes.
THE RISE OF AI: THE FUTURE, TODAY Today, a new frontier of innovation beckons: artificial intelligence (AI). This powerful technology has the potential to revolutionize sales and customer interactions—but only for those sales leaders who decide to embrace it. Read the full article by Lance Tyson on Fast Company's Website.


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Mobile ad network and server Mojiva Inc. has secured $25 million in new funding, according to the company.
Mojiva encompasses two distinct business units: Mojiva, the global mobile ad network in the same category as Google's AdMob or Apple's iAd; and Mocean, an ad server that is shaping up to be the DoubleClick for mobile phones.
This comparison is especially apt since CEO Dave Gwozdz was part of the founding team for DoubleClick, which Google acquired for $3 billion in March 2008. Tony Nethercutt, who joined Mojiva in January as general manager for North America, is also a DoubleClick alum. He's also spent time at AdMob and YouTube, all of which were eventually acquired by Google.
Mojiva is just the latest mobile ad network to receive a substantial infusion of new money to combat behemoths like Google and Apple, whose mobile ad networks were currently the Nos. 1 and 2 market leaders in mobile display by 2010 gross revenue, according to IDC. This spring, Jumptap, IDC's largest remaining independent mobile ad network behind Millennial Media, also received $25 million in new funding. Mojiva serves 18 billion ad impressions per month for publishers such as ABC, Angry Birds and Hachette.
Other mobile ad networks have been consolidated into online ad stakeholders. Valueclick acquired mobile ad network Greystripe for $70 million in April.
Bringing Mojiva's total investment to $35 million, the new round was led by Shamrock Capital Advisors, with additional participation from investors Pelion Venture Partners and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments. With it, Mojiva plans to expand its sales teams globally.
"I'm glad this money is tucked in now; it'll finish up the international ad and publisher sales team and also external support teams for new customers we haven't announced yet," said Mr. Gwozdz.
So far, staff is just about 60, with headquarters in New York and offices across the country. There's one office in the U.K., with a partnership in China pending.


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Search is on to find the ‘Franchisee of the Year’
The search is now on to decide the UK's best performing franchisees. The launch of the yearly British Franchise Association's (bfa) awards for Franchisee of the Year marks this search. The British Franchise Association (bfa) has just launched its annual ‘Franchisee of the Year Awards’ sponsored by HSBC Bank and Express Newspapers. Judging panels this year’s are looking for franchisees whose businesses have excelled at ‘Managing Change’ and have managed to outperform their competitors. In a black-tie event to be held at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre, the winner’s name will be declared. The winner will receive prize money of £5,000 and the two runners-up will stand to win £3,000 and £2,000.
According to the director general of British Franchising Association, Brian Smart, the awards are being given for recognising UK’s leading franchisees for their focus and drive. They are looking for the franchisee model, which will effectively demonstrate the fusion of the franchisor for building and holding a network that franchisees are fully committed for developing their business.


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01 February, 2023 - 02 February, 2023
New York, United States
07 March, 2023 - 09 March, 2023
Novo Hamburgo/RS - Brasil
13 March, 2023 - 15 March, 2023
22 April, 2023 - 26 April, 2023
North Carolina, USA
17 June, 2023 - 20 June, 2023
Riva del Garda , Italy
The French high-end leather goods manufacturer officially launched its new European website on March 3.
After a successful North American pilot, the site is now available in French, English, Spanish and German, and has been launched simultaneously in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, the UK, Switzerland and Sweden.
The new “digital flagship” has been designed as a modern e-store and also has an editorial platform with rich editorial content, which is intended to showcase the premium label's expertise.
Source: Fashion Network


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Today many of the Etactics team celebrated the holiday season by participating in our annual Secret Santa gift exchange. Although participation is entirely voluntary, we had a large turn out this year of both new and experienced employees for the $20 limit.
At Etactics, we believe in providing transparency into our unique process of development that allows for us to establish best-in-class Revenue Cycle SaaS-based solutions. This belief system has lead to an unprecedented customer service experience within our vertical markets for almost 20 years. We’re excited to announce how we are taking the Etactics experience to the next level…
Although it’s called Oktoberfest, many people don’t realize that the actual event in Germany is held in September. Although that may be confusing, it starts now starts in September because its final day has a fixed spot on the calendar and, usually, September has warmer weather so it’s organizers have worked backwards to capitalize on that. Also, the last day of the festival, held in Munich, always falls on the first Sunday of October.
It's no secret that many American companies thrive on their morning cup of coffee. In fact, it can be said that the general population of America is obsessed with coffee since we consume around 400 million cups of the stuff per day. With that cup of coffee, you require a physical cup and likely a lid, which are more than likely made of both paper and plastic materials. For one person, it may not seem like this cup of coffee is harmful to the environment but if all 146 billion cups of consumed coffee used disposable paper and plastic containers, it would have a huge negative impact on the environment.
Tis' the season! Yesterday the Etactics and Open Practice Solutions teams took time out of their busy schedules to spread some holiday cheer and decorate our tree. Since the Greater Cleveland Area has received eight inches of snow over the past 24 hours, the holiday spirit was in the air. It was a great time to build camaraderie among the team and we were glad to see that everyone was able to make it!
Noch ein Bier, bitte. Every year the Etactics team celebrates the coming of Fall and cold weather with a traditional Oktoberfest celebration!
At the end of the day on Friday, we held our annual Oktoberfest and enjoyed homemade, conventional Bavarian food, drink, decoration and of course steins! We also held a 50/50 raffle for the Battered Women's Shelter of Summit County where we raised a total of $330 in one week! The mix between the weather, company, and party made for a perfect way to start the weekend.
30 years ago, the first data exchange occurred between two companies via an electronic medium. They didn’t realize it at the time, but those two companies participated in what is now known as EDI or Electronic Data Interchange. Originally, EDI was inspired by military logistics as a way to exchange vast quantities of data. Since then, millions of users, organizations, and government agencies participate in EDI every day.
Sometimes you need to set time aside so that you can view one of natures biggest phenomena, a solar eclipse. Earlier today the Etactics team put work aside and took a moment to view the amazing and rare sighting of the 2017 Solar Eclipse. The glasses and NASA approved cereal box projectors were handed out as everyone made their way to the parking lot and what an amazing sight to see!
It can be said that transaction documents are the lifeblood of a business. They bring in cash flow to your organization, which ultimately means you get paid. However, the process of sending and receiving transactional documents can be labor intensive and result in negative cash flow if it is not conducted in an efficient manner.
Episode 2 of our Whiteboard Educational series dives into the anatomy of transactional documents, the different techniques companies use to handle this process, and the best transactional document management practices.


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Almost a year ago, Austin Thomas came up with an idea to help his friends during the winter: sherpa lined jeans.
A year later, his product surpassed $44,000 in revenue.
Thomas (senior-supply chain management) started JERPA Jeans in October 2019 in an attempt to fix a problem he said he noticed during football games and tailgates.
“Some of my friends would wear thermals under their jeans... to kind of layer up so they're not cold,” Thomas said.
According to JERPA’s website, its “signature product” is jeans lined with sherpa, a fabric that resembles wool.
Thomas said flannel lined jeans and baggy fur lined jeans were already available, but this is not what he had in mind.
Moreover, Thomas said a baggy fit wouldn’t relate to the demographic he's trying to reach. Instead, he thinks younger people prefer a more tailored fit, but the jeans are still for everyone.
Thomas said he noticed sherpa was quite popular among celebrities, especially in jackets and other clothing — but never in jeans.
Early on, Thomas said he faced many challenges trying to find the right product, and it was a process of trial and error.
“One problem was that the jeans would keep you warm outside and sweaty inside, so we needed to find that balance,” Thomas said.
After finding the right supplier, Thomas said the next step was tweaking the color and fit.
Another challenge Thomas said he faced was storage for the products, so he tailored the brand’s business model around that.
Thomas said different types of clothing, like shirts, are released at once in a bundle. After this product sells out, JERPA moves on to the next idea. However, some items are restocked, such as the hoodies, because there is demand for them.
Thomas said he hopes to have the jeans in stock year-round in the future to help people who experience winter at different times of the year and to prevent losing potential revenue.
To spread word about the brand, Thomas launched an ambassador program with the help of his friend, Bradley Kraut.
Kraut (sophomore-advertising and public relations) saw an Instagram post from Thomas asking for help developing the brand last September and decided to join in.
Kraut said he was not sure how it would go initially, but quickly became excited at the jeans’ potential.
Kraut said he started by showing the jeans to people on his dorm floor — and this was a hit.
“I kind of wanted to make it like a community in a way,” Kraut said.
Kraut would hand-deliver the jeans to students and give them shout outs. He recorded the process and tagged the purchasers on his social media.
“With any new product or new company, people are skeptical like ‘Hey I don't really know if I want to buy this product,’” Kraut said. “But once people started seeing me post this person and that person and football players they're like, ‘OK, what's all this hype about?’”
The ambassador program initially started with around 30 people where only three members were active, according to Thomas. Now, there are 55 active ambassadors of 70 total.
JERPA has reached Ohio State and other large schools as well.
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Matt Moody is a student at West Chester University and is a current ambassador for JERPA.
Moody (sophomore-health and physical education) got involved with the program after his first purchase, because he was impressed with the product.
“The following that we've already developed in a year’s time is crazy,” Moody said. “If you think about where we can be a year from now, and a year from then, it could just keep on building and building.”
Moody said he is dedicated to the program because of his love of fashion and the connections he has made along the way.
Kraut said the opportunity has given him skills to apply after graduation. He said it is almost like an internship.
“I'm not in this for the money, I’m not in this for the clout… We’re not just in it to say we started this brand. I’m in it because we want people to see the products, and I want people to experience these products,” Kraut said.
Kraut said the coronavirus pandemic was initially a scare for the small business. However, the group meets daily through Zoom.
The brand released T-shirts in the summer as a new product and also now give free masks with every purchase, according to Thomas. He said the masks are for safety, but also to promote the brand since the masks display JERPA’s name.
Thomas also said JERPA doubled in growth in August.
“We're heading in the right direction, and the growth trajectory is looking in our favor,” Thomas said. “It's just a matter of continuing to innovate, but also [continuing] to provide value to our customers.”
Thomas said he wants to expand beyond universities, and hopes to invest in JERPA full-time to see the growth it can generate. He said he thinks this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that can lead to a dream job in the future.
Additionally, Thomas said JERPA has done a lot over the past year, but he knows more can be done. Thomas wants to turn JERPA into an overall clothing brand and venture into new products made with sherpa.
“Just go for it if you have an idea or have something,” Thomas said. “The worst that can happen is you fail, but if you don't go for it you're gonna also fail, and you're in the same position that you would have been if you did go for it.”
JERPA Jeans can be found here.
MORE LIFESTYLE CONTENT


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Social video doesn’t rest for the holiday weekend, and neither does Tubular Labs. As American readers anxiously await some time off for the Fourth of July, we’ve grilled up some insights around brand content, the NBA Playoffs, and food trends for those summer cookouts — all in our week-in-review.
Brands Heat Up
You don’t have to be a media company to attract an audience on social video. Using Tubular Audience Ratings™, we looked at which U.S.-based brands increased unique viewers across Facebook and YouTube the most from April to May 2021. Some of the top names:
- Nike (from 6.1 million to 43.7 million)
- Adidas (from 11.5 million to 25.3 million)
- The Beard Struggle (1.1 million to 10.3 million)
If you missed May’s rankings unique viewers and minutes watched, here’s a glimpse of how the world’s top media & entertainment properties stacked up as well:
Suns Stay Scorching
One of the top stories in the NBA this season has been the success of the Phoenix Suns — a tale that’s caught fire with social video as well. In June, Facebook videos about the Suns generated over 126 million views, while the team itself generated over 7 million video views on the platform.
Surprisingly, while the Suns are headed to the NBA FInals, it was the Brooklyn Nets that generated the most social video buzz in the second round of the playoffs. Tubular worked with Sports Business Journal to rank the remaining NBA playoff teams by Twitter video views during round two.
Content’s on the Menu
With summer upon us, food creators of all shapes and sizes have an opportunity to lean into seasonal content for audiences — whether they’re looking to learn a new cocktail recipe, find new grilling techniques, or simply watch talented cooks at work.
In June 2021, U.S. food and drink creators published more than 83K videos on Facebook, amounting to 3.6 billion views on the platform. Some of those top creators:
- Tasty (757 million views)
- Taste Life (376 million)
- Chefclub Network (135 million)
- Tastemade (123 million)
Just a sampling of the top videos included making deep-fried blooming onions, prepping a seafood feast, and even a chocolate lion! And as a topic, “grilling” alone accounted for over 1,200 Facebook videos on the month.
Check back next week for even more social video trends.


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PGA Tour NFTs set to become latest revenue stream for players
The PGA Tour is readying to release its own series of non-fungible tokens, popularly known as NFTs. The Tour teased the news in a memo to players Friday, saying it is “excited” at the impending launch of “a video-based NFT platform.”
The Tour called its plans “a new incremental revenue opportunity for players” and cited the NBA’s wildly successful Top Shot as the type of platform it hopes to create. According to the memo, a copy of which was obtained by GOLF.com, the Tour hopes to create the following:
1. A new fan engagement platform to meaningfully engage with fans
2. “Best-in-class” partner to build and promote players’ brands
3. Incremental, long-term revenue opportunity for members
For the uninitiated, NFTs serve as unique digital assets that cannot be replicated or replaced. Essentially, the PGA Tour is hoping to create digital collectibles that cannot be duplicated, and that will ideally increase in value in the marketplace of an avid community. (Still confused? The Verge offers a solid explanation here.)
A number of factors for the Tour and its NFTs hinge on the aforementioned group of “participating members.” The Tour itself is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization that has more than 200 members. Those members are often referred to as “independent contractors” who set their own schedules and generally reap the benefits as individuals based on their performance. Whereas essentially every NBA player has an NFT of their likeness, just because a player competes on the PGA Tour does not mean that there will be NFTs created of them. At its core, the Tour just wants to provide another potential revenue stream for players who choose to participate.
Could there be an untapped market of crytpo-minded golf fans? Will there be enough demand for digital golf collectibles? The Tour, which declined to comment, is now close to finding out. A simple Twitter search shows that an audience exists. Google, too. If a digitized, pixelated character based off Arnold Palmer in the “Golf Lords Collection” can be priced at 1 Ethereum (or around $4,000), well, there’s probably some supplementary income to be made by some of the Tour’s brightest stars with Tour-licensed highlights and pictures. A target launch date was not shared with players at this time.
Importantly to the players, all “net revenue from the platform will flow directly to participating members.” Net revenue, in the case of NBA Top Shot, is a 5% seller’s fee involved in every transaction that is split between the league, the players union and the parent company, Dapper Laps. When millions of dollars of transactions take place each day, the value adds up.
So, what will these NFTs look like? The Tour owns a deep archive of intellectual property, and it promised players it intends to utilize its “full suite,” inclusive of video highlights and ShotLink data. Owning, say, the highlight of Jordan Spieth’s bunker hole-out that launched his career at the 2013 John Deere Classic seems like a possibility, so long as Spieth is a participating member. Same goes for Brendon Todd’s shank at TPC Sawgrass that nearly landed on the other island.
While the Tour continues to hammer out the specifics of the platform — more information is expected to be shared in early 2022 — it is bound to be the most robust professional golf offering in the NFT industry. It will not be the first, though. Bryson DeChambeau sold a collection of his own NFTs in March, which continue to be purchasable on OpenSea. The 1/1 “Distance” Special Edition NFT sold for 24.15 ETH, which holds a current value of more than $95,000.
Then, in September, Tiger Woods announced he would be releasing a collection of 10,000 NFTs through the company Autograph, which was co-founded by Tom Brady. While many of the Woods collection are not currently listed for sale, a few are, and for a steep price. As of Friday evening, a “Tiger Woods Ruby Signed” was listed for $250,000. It is one of 12.
For players of Woods’ or DeChambeau’s stature, will there be greater incentive to do business on their own, independent of the Tour’s platform? That’s the only evidence we have of pro golfer NFTs to this point. But the Tour is entering this space with a “If you build it, they will come” mentality, and proof points exist with other popular sports leagues. The NFL launched NFL All Day in a beta version just a month ago; Dapper Labs also runs that platform. It is unclear who the Tour will partner with for its platform, but between the Woods and DeChambeau releases landing successfully, there appears to be an untapped market for golf.
Charlie Woods NFTs are available online. Lee Wybranski’s popular golf course artwork has been minted as NFTs, too. The news arrived in players inboxes coincidentally just one day after Joel Dahmen — among the Tour’s most beloved characters — announced a partnership with Crypto Country Club, an online community that promises to have “people from all over talking about golf, crypto, NFT’s and everything in between!” That community is a sign that there are potential investors out there. Question is, just how many?


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Honda’s H’nes CB350 is a super hit car in Indian market. The manufacturers have announced that they will be raising the price of this vehicle, which has added to the admiration of rivals in the bike range. The base variant DLX will have a price hike of Rs 1500 and the higher variant DLX Pro will have a price hike of Rs 2,500. With this, the ex-showroom price ranges from Rs 1.86 lakh to Rs 1.92 lakh.
The H’nes CB350 has been well received in the premium bike segment. Honda reported that 1000 bikes were delivered to customers within 20 days of launch. Apart from this, there are indications that there has been a huge jump in bookings as well. The CB350’s rivals are the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 and the Benelli Imperiale 400. Despite the increase in price, the H’nes CB350 has not undergone any design or mechanical changes.


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MOUNT GREENWOOD — Chicago Creampuffs & Cakes will reopen at 7 a.m. Tuesday in its new, larger sweet shop at 3458 W. 111th St. in Mount Greenwood.
Owner Emma Dearth has spent the last two months renovating the former Taco Joe restaurant and has big plans for the bakery that replaces her former location at 2734 W. 111th St. in Morgan Park.
"I still can't believe I am a bakery owner," said Dearth, who was giddy as she readied her new shop on Thursday.
Dearth sees her new store first as a sweet shop and bakery. The store will stock her signature cream puffs along with handmade cupcakes, doughnuts, cookies, pastries and sweet breads. These will be sold alongside Beverly resident Gregg Wilson's locally-produced Hardboiled Coffee.
That said, the new location will also offer soups, paninis and other such fare in the hopes of attracting a lunch crowd. Dearth is adding Wi-Fi and will have plenty of puzzles and games for kids as well. She hopes this combination will encourage families to hangout much like a cafe — particularly stay-at-home parents living nearby.
"I don't care about screaming or laughing kids. That is like music to me," Dearth said.
Indeed, her bakery found success in hosting kids parties in its former location just one mile east of her new shop. Kids would pack into the tiny 700-square-foot shop to celebrate birthdays by making cupcakes and other goodies.
Dearth hopes to do more and larger parties at the new store. Only this time, the parties will be both for kids and adults. Dearth has already been brainstorming grown-up courses on gingerbread, fondant and butter cream.
"Now the sky is limit," Dearth said of her new 3,500-square-foot shop.
She's even considering offering catering and delivery from the Mount Greenwood location, including setting up custom sweet tables at weddings and showers.
Or Chicago Creampuff could host its own events, including birthday parties and showers. She predicts such events could be a hit — particularly if paired with BYOB and a lively atmosphere, she said.
"Everybody is looking for a place to have a small party," she said.
Dearth, a Mount Greenwood resident, partnered with Dr. Sargon Benjamin Odisho of The Chicago Fix to help finance the expansion. His clinic offers chiropractic treatments as well as physical therapy and other related services at six locations throughout Chicago, including an office at 3139 W. 111th St. in Mount Greenwood.
As for Dearth, she knew she was destined to become a baker shortly after receiving her first Easy-Bake Oven. She soon graduated to her mother's kitchen stove where she was allowed to experiment with various recipes. Dearth made her first wedding cake at age 13.
She later landed a job in various grocery store bakeries, including those operated by Food 4 Less and Cub Foods. But after nine years, she grew tired of store-bought cakes and decided to step out on her own to pursue more creative baking.
Dearth opened Chicago Creampuff on Dec. 17, 2013. Her first year included plenty of learning moments. She soon realized she needed more space. Once parking in the area became difficult, she began looking for a different location with the help of the Mount Greenwood Chamber of Commerce.
Chicago Creampuff closed in the second week of October and began moving equipment and transforming the building that had been vacant since the taco joint closed about two years ago.
Dearth expects to open the shop at 7 a.m. every day. The bakery will be open until 6 p.m. during the week and will likely close a bit earlier on the weekends to host parties and allow time for other projects.
The business owner was going to pick up her business license Thursday afternoon and was eager to return to the store to start the oven and get her bakery case started.
"I can't wait to fill it," Dearth said.
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KraussMaffei Group GmbH celebrated its 175th birthday on March 20, born in Munich in 1838.
In the late 1950s, KraussMaffei began making injection molding presses, and soon added extruders and reaction process machinery. Since the 1999/2000 year, KM has focused entirely on machinery for the plastics and rubber industries. Tooday the company manufacturers the brands of KraussMaffei, Berstorff and Netstal.
KM employs 4,000 people around the world.
KraussMaffei will use the K 2013 show in Düsseldorf, Germany, to mark the 175th anniversary.


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After months of unending rumors, Blackberry finally did it. Blackberry has finally announced that the rumors and speculations about the Blackberry Priv running on the latest android 5.1.1 Lollipop are true. Blackberry priv is sported with a sleek body chasis and also a decent QWERTY slider keyboard which is sure to get many Blackberry fans excited.
It seems to me that this company (Blackberry) isn’t sleeping, but knows what is really going on in the mobile markets all around the globe.
On the information given to us by our source, the Blackberry Prive should be made available before this year runs out.
Take a closer look at the Blackberry Priv in the pictures and videos below:


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Countries in Asia are increasingly turning to blockchain technology to protect data from hackers conducting digital piracy.
The impetus for such a move is the increasing amount of online business, which is being fueled by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Large expected growth
The entire blockchain industry is projected to achieve considerable growth in the next few years. Revenue for the industry has dropped 7.27% in 2020. However, The Business Research Company, per Nikkei Asian Review, estimates that overall revenue will increase from US$2.27 billion [AUS$3.13 billion] this year to an eye-opening $15.88 billion [AUS$21.9 billion] in 2023.
Industry insiders say the coronavirus pandemic is pushing the increase in digital data, such as documents. This is due to people looking to limit person-to-person contact and dealing with stay-at-home orders.
Tomohiro Maruyama, senior manager of PwC Consulting, believes more businesses should adopt blockchain technology once the current crisis is over. He adds, “Internet piracy has posed a major challenge for companies as they look to digitize operations. Blockchain emerged as a solution for fighting digital counterfeits, pushing businesses to adopt the technology.”
The business world has noticed the proven ability of distributed ledger technology to protect against hackers and counterfeiters. Kenta Akutsu, CEO of Japanese startup LasTrust, says, “We’ve received lots of inquiries since the coronavirus outbreak.”
LasTrust has a platform that offers digital graduation certificates and transcripts. Kenta Akutsu says interest in using blockchain by schools was already in place but that the “the pandemic forced them to move quickly.”
Many businesses are finding distributed ledger technology useful in enhancing their operation and bottom line. One such industry impacted by this innovative technology is food distribution. Many customers are now interested in where their food comes from and having access to data showing the product’s entire journey through the supply chain.
Some people worry about food coming from areas heavily impacted by COVID-19. Shunji Murakami, vice president at Seafood Legacy, a seafood consultancy firm, notes that “the need for traceability will increase more than before.”
Some governments and political parties are turning to distributed ledger technology for voting to increase voter safety during the pandemic. South Korea is using a blockchain-powered app to help track COVID-19 infections, as well as cutting down on underage drinking by linking the app to the license verification system of the Korean Highway Traffic Authority and National Police Agency.


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DONGGUAN, China — Deng, a 20-year-old from Hunan, makes about $2.30 a day stitching the Nike logo onto shoes, and she thinks she's lucky. Compared to the conditions at other factories in this industrial region in southern China, the Nike plant is a workers' paradise.
Until last month, Deng worked in a nearby Taiwanese-owned shoe factory, stitching shoes from sunrise until after midnight for 76 cents a day--and no overtime pay. Supervisors kept workers locked in the factory compound, except for one hour each Sunday, when Deng would slip through the open gates to look for another job. When the Nike plant hired her, she left her salary and belongings at the old factory rather than risk going back.
"It was like a prison," she says, peering through her bangs. "The workers cried on the production line every day."
Change may be coming to the long hours, low wages, and dismal safety conditions behind China's economic miracle. And, ironically, it is the purveyors of capitalism--U.S. corporations--who are bringing the fastest labor reform to what was once known as the land of the worker.
Nike and rival Reebok are among a handful of U.S. corporations that are trying--with mixed success--to export U.S. standards to the developing countries where they do business. Their global codes of conduct forbid forced labor and underage workers, guarantee minimum wage, health and safety conditions, and proclaim concern for the environment.
The idea of a code of conduct for U.S. businesses overseas got a boost from President Clinton last month. In his decision to renew China's most-favored-nation trade status, he pushed a voluntary "set of principles" for U.S. companies doing business there.
"The idea behind it was we can't change China's attitude toward human rights, but we can change ours," said a Washington official.
China's headlong rush into international markets has made its government officials more interested in making money than monitoring human rights or labor conditions, critics say. Factory collapses, fires and injuries are common hazards for workers in China's booming industrial areas like Dongguan, just north of Hong Kong.
A constant flow of job-seekers from China's poor hinterlands guarantees a steady supply of cheap labor, giving employers great leverage over disgruntled workers. The message is clear: If you don't want your job, 100 other people do. Wages are rock-bottom, and safety standards can be even worse: Nearly 60,000 workers died in industrial accidents last year, many at foreign-owned companies, according to the China Daily newspaper.
"Both sides are at fault," said Wong Wai-ling, a labor researcher at Hong Kong's Asia Monitor Resource Center. "China is not enforcing rules and foreign businesses are ignoring them."
After the most recent incident, a factory collapse that killed 76 workers in June, Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited survivors in the hospital, and local officials vowed to place permanent safety officers in large factories. But labor activists say that lasting improvements are unlikely to happen until workers can demand better conditions through independent unions, which are illegal in China.
The most active leaders of change, then, may come from outside the country. Enterprises overseen directly by American companies already have a good reputation in China, compared to Hong Kong, South Korean and Taiwanese competitors. The key, say labor activists, is to create uniform, industrywide pressure.
Henry Ching is part of Reebok's human rights audit team in Hong Kong. Every three months he formally inspects subcontractors' plants in China, and walks the factory floors frequently in between, checking fire extinguishers and the storage of chemicals, and letting the workers know he's there to look out for them.
"We look for things the management might be hiding from us," said Ching. "We go where they tell us not to go. We talk to the workers alone in their dorms."
By Western standards, the conditions at many U.S.-connected factories here are not great; by the standards of a developing country, they are. "Our workers get paid twice as much as local schoolteachers," said John Baratta, the production manager at Nike's Dongguan plant."Supervisors make more than a surgeon with 20 years' experience."
But even the Americans have their problems. Speaking out of management's earshot, workers at the Nike plant in Dongguan say they work up to 15 hours a day--five hours longer than the legal maximum--to finish their quotas. Nurses in the company clinic say young women often faint on the production line because, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep, they skip breakfast.
Nike at least has a representative on its subcontractor's premises every day. Most U.S. companies that produce or buy in China act solely through subcontractors or middlemen, a practice that can shield them from responsibility for poor conditions.


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Swavalamban Express: Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has recently announced to starting the Swavalamban Express train on June 5, 2020, This will travel in 11 entrepreneurial cities i.e. Jammu, Delhi, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Bhubaneswar.
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- To empower small business aspirants among the Mission Swavalamban Express.
- The train journey would continue for 15 days and will cover distance around 7,000 km with 500 young and aspiring Swavalambis (or small-business aspirants) aboard and around 150 instructors.
- The target has been set to promote self-employment in India under several government schemes. The journey will be targeted at Prime Minister Modi’s vision of becoming a five trillion dollar [US] economy by the year 2024-25.
- Any person aged between 20 years to 35 years can participate and can apply who want to start their own business.
Small Industrial Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is a financial institution, regulated by Reserve Bank of India & headquartered in Lucknow. Its focus is to provide refinance facilities and short-term loans to industries as well as the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector. The Chairman and Managing Director as of March 2020 is Mohammad Mustafa.


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Implantable technology will get under our skin
Most folks know that wearable tech is set to become the next big thing in the personal electronics market. Products like the Fitbit, Pebble smartwatch and Samsung Galaxy Gear are already on the market, and Google's Android Wear promises to bring all the power of a smartphone to your wrist.
But even as wearable tech readies for its day in the sun, the next wave is already on the horizon. And it promises to move us closer to a sci-fi future than anything we've seen so far.
Implantable, also referred to as "embeddable," technology refers to a class of objects that can be inserted directly into the human body to modify, enhance or heal in ways that non-embedded devices cannot. Don't believe it? Implanted GPS tracking chips are already common for pets.
And a recent study by the think tank PSFK indicates that this cyborg future is coming sooner than you'd think. According to its predictions, we can expect to see mainstream adoption of implanted technology as early as 2017.
"It will happen in three or four years time," says Piers Fawkes, founder and editor in chief of PSFK. "We will just gently start integrating these things into our bodies."
What will this tech look like, and who will shape it? As is frequently the case in emerging tech, there's no consensus. Most likely, there will be a series of fits and starts from various sectors, including the medical world, marketing and body modification subcultures.
The medical world
Embedded technology is nothing new in medicine. Pacemakers, bone prostheses and silicone implants are now routine, but some labs and physicians are looking ahead to what might be possible in the future.
Few biomedical researchers can claim as much success as MIT's Robert Langer, whose lab has registered nearly 1,050 patents and launched about two-dozen companies. Among his current projects is a potential solution to the delivery of osteoporosis medication. Current methods require a painful, self-applied injection, so it's not surprising that 77% of patients don't properly follow the instructions.
Langer and his team thought they could do better. "What we have is this little, tiny implant that you can put in the body," explains Langer. "Just by remote control you can send a radio frequency signal." The signal releases the appropriate medication inside the body, completely bypassing patients' fear of needles.
Such a drug-delivery system opens a world of applications, including treatment of mental health patients, whose very illnesses can disrupt the proper supply of medications.
Once the technology is under the skin, Langer says, "you can solve problems that you can't solve otherwise."
On the other end of the embeddable tech spectrum is a small but fervent subculture of "biohackers" — enthusiasts driven by a passion for technology and possessing a willingness to put their own bodies on the test bench.
Grindhouse Wetware is one such collective of enthusiasts. "We want to create devices that augment or upgrade the human experience using technology that's already established," says member Lucas Greaves.
The group's members have moved from implanting magnets in their fingertips—an enhancement already passé enough to have been spoofed on Comedy Central's Kroll Show — to significantly more daring projects.
Last year, a device called Circadia was implanted into a member's arm. Like a Fitbit, it collects biometric data that it transmits to a smartphone via Bluetooth. It can also display the information through the skin, using LEDs.
The group actively fosters a shared "cyborg future" and makes the schematics for Circadia and similar devices freely available for download from its website.
Industry watchdogs like PSFK's Fawkes sees these activities as "classic weak signals" indicating that wider appeal may be just around the corner.
Langer, however, sees danger. "When you implant something in the body, the issues are not simple," he says, citing potential infection and other problems.
The technological and cultural implications of implantables are not fully apparent yet, though some of the hazards are easy to surmise. Today's security quandaries — including malicious hacks, data exploits and privacy concerns — cast a long shadow over tomorrow's technology.
When your credit card is hacked, institutional barriers offer protection and recourse. But when the barrier is no thicker than your skin, it becomes a very different scenario.


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Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said there were “widespread API key leaks” from trading bot platform 3Commas.
Speaking on Twitter, CZ said he was “reasonably confident” about these leaks.
Binance CEO Warns of Leak
A spokesperson for 3Commas confirmed the leak in a statement to The Block.
CZ used the following statements in his warning:
I am reasonably sure there are wide spread API key leaks from 3Commas. If you have ever put an API key in 3Commas (from any exchange), please disable it immediately.
— CZ ? Binance (@cz_binance) December 28, 2022
API keys in 3Commas were previously used for unauthorized transactions in FTX. The platform team was alerted to the incident on October 20 that FTX API keys connected to the platform were used to perform unauthorized transactions.
3Commas said in a statement at the time that the API keys were not obtained from them, and that they were probably obtained in a phishing attack by a third party.
A spokesperson for 3Commas stated that the company saw a hacker message for the incident today and confirmed that the data that emerged was real.
A spokesperson for the platform said in an email to The Block:
The company also stated that they could not find any evidence that this incident was done “from the inside”.


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Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei’s upcoming smartphone P40 Pro is expected to launch in March 2020 and now a new report claims that the device may be equipped with a 52MP main camera design by Sony.
This sensor will feature “16-in-1” technology and it is rumoured that the company will put the “Quad Quad Bayer” sensor which will perform 4-in-1 conversions to reach the 16-in-1 stage. This will only be used for videos and photos shot under very dark conditions, news portal GSMArena reported recently.
An alleged leaked image for a protective case shared recently by prominent leaker OnLeaks claims that the P40 Pro may arrive with five rear cameras.
The five snappers on its back would feature a main wide-angle lens, a cine lens, a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, a periscope lens with support for a 10x optical zoom, and either a telephoto lens with up to 9x optical zoom or an ultrawide lens, GizmoChina reported.
The P40 Pro is rumoured to arrive with a screen measuring 6.5-inch to 6.7-inch and will sport rectangular camera modules at the back panel, and a 5,500 mAh battery.
Richard Yu, the head of Huawei’s consumer business recently revealed that the P40 series smartphones would run its own HarmonyOS operating system instead of Google’s Android.
He also confirmed that the HarmonyOS is ready for smartphones but the company is waiting to see if the situation with the US changes.
In addition, Yu also revealed that Huawei has been considering selling its Kirin processors to other companies in industries such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. The company recently launched its latest Kirin 990 (5G) flagship chipset with an integrated 5G modem at the IFA 2019.


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Consumers who want to start off the new year in a healthy way often have a hard time getting their kids on the same page.
While recent studies have found that school nutrition programs and real-life learning were beneficial in helping kids eat healthier, a new study found that watching healthy cooking shows proved to be a great way for kids to lean towards healthier options.
“The findings from this study indicate cooking programs can be a promising tool for promoting positive changes in children’s food-related preferences, attitudes, and behaviors,” said researcher Franks Folkvord, PhD.
Making healthier choices
To understand what role cooking shows played in kids’ eating habits, the researchers had 125 children between the ages of 10 and 12 participate in the study. The children were broken up into two groups — one control group and one group that was selected to watch a brief clip of a kids’ cooking show. When the clip was over, all students were given the opportunity to choose a snack, regardless of whether or not they saw the cooking segment.
After watching the cooking video, which was centered around healthy food and had a younger audience in mind, the students were more likely to choose snacks that were healthier. However, those who didn’t watch the clip were more likely to go for chips or pretzels.
With many kids reaching for foods and drinks high in sugar, this study shows how important it is for young people to be exposed to products that taste good and are good for them, as eating habits from childhood can often affect choices later in life.
Perhaps even more importantly, cooking shows can model ways to make eating healthy seem exciting and fun. That can be especially true for shows geared towards a younger generation reports Consumer Affiars.
“The likelihood of consuming fruits and vegetables amount youth and adults is strongly related to knowing how to prepare most fruits and vegetables,” said Dr. Folkvord. “Increased cooking skills among children can positively influence their consumption of fruit and vegetables in a manner that will persist into adulthood.”


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Dieser Artikel ist älter als ein Jahr!
According to a recent survey of 2,000 computer users conducted for Austrian copyright holders, the average hard drive in Austria holds over 6,300 songs and roughly 100 copies of movies that are all subject to copyright. “Based on this, we can say that hard drives are used to store a substantial quantity of copyrighted material,” said Sandra Csillag, managing director of Literar-Mechana on Friday at a press conference in Vienna.
The Austrian copyright holders feel that a resolution to the dispute about the hard drive tax will soon be reached. The refinement and adaptation of the existing device tax (tax on blank cassettes) to hard drives to pay for private copies is a logical step, said Franz Medwenitsch, managing director of LSG, which represents the rights of artists and producers of audio recordings and music videos.
Representatives of Austrian copyright holders feel that two recent court decisions in Austria that would in principle support an obligatory tax on multifunctional storage media bolster their position. (Supreme Court, Vienna Higher Regional Court) The copyright holders are also taking the statement of the designated minister of culture Josef Ostermayer (SPÖ) last week to the effect that a hard drive tax would be “the most realistic solution” at present as a positive sign.
“There are enough places to find private copies”
When asked about the fact that private copies, for example of DVDs and e-books, can often no longer be made because this would require the user to circumvent copyright protection, which is not allowed by law, Csillag replied, “There are more than enough places to find private copies.”
According to Paul Fischer, head of the department for compensation for private copies at austro mechana, the limitations imposed by copy protection are taken into account in the price negotiations. It is legal to make copies of copyrighted material for private use, but technical copy protection measures may not be circumvented to do this: “There is no right to private copies.”
Opposition against a household tax
A proposal from Plattform für ein modernes Urheberrecht, an initiative of numerous electronics and retail companies pushing for the adoption of modern copyright law, at the end of January that a household tax of 50 cents per month should be adopted instead of copyright taxes on storage and copying media was rejected by the copyright holders. “That would be a mass tax,” Medwenitsch said. This would shift the responsibility of roughly 160 companies in the electronics and retail industries – which generate billions in revenue every year – to 3.5 million households. The copyright holders also feel that it is important to have a direct relationship between the purchase of empty media and paying for private copies.
Another issue for the copyright holders is that users are moving more and more to the cloud, using streaming services and online storage instead of storing content locally. “Arrangements have to be made here with cloud providers,” Medwenitsch said.
Revenues from the empty cassette tax that is used to compensate artists for private copies and that applies to CDs, DVDs, MP3 players and USB sticks have declined steadily over the past years from EUR 17 million in 2005 to EUR 6.5 million last year. The copyright holders expect that a hard drive tax would generate EUR 20 to 30 million in revenue every year. According to Csillag, the point is not only to offset the decline in revenue. Artists need to receive appropriate remuneration for content that is saved on hard drives, she said.
And how are the amounts for the empty media tax determined? According to Fischer, the playback time of the empty media is taken into account. This is converted for digital storage media. This means that a DVD with 4.7 gigabytes of space has a playback time of roughly two hours, but this is not converted at a 1:1 ratio. The fees are then negotiated with the Economic Chamber. “This has worked very well,” Medwenitsch said. The copyright holders reject the determination of fees by an independent authority as is demanded by opponents to the tax: “The system works.”
In 2010, the copyright holder austro mechana applied fees of between EUR 12 and EUR 36 (without VAT) for hard drives depending on their size. Since then, a court dispute has been waged over the hard drive tax. Interest groups have also been at loggerheads.
For and against
The Chamber of Labor and Federal Economic Chamber are opposed to the tax, as are retailers, manufacturers and representatives of Internet users. The Chamber of Labor, retailers and the industry support a flat-rate cultural tax as compensation for private copies: “Consumers simply do not understand another tax on even more storage media and other devices,” it said in a statement released by the Chamber of Labor. The Federal Economic Chamber warned about a “flood of financial burdens” and fears that consumers will turn to online merchants in other countries. Representatives of artists and publishers as well as from the film and music industry are speaking out in favor of the tax.
The positions of the different political parties vary. While the SPÖ recently expressed clear support for the tax, the ÖVP is skeptical. The FPÖ feels that the hard drive tax is “not good.” The Greens want to see a broadband tax. The NEOS are still discussing copyright issues, but are tending towards the household tax. It will likely be some time before a consensus is reached. On Monday, the Economic Chamber and electronics retailers want to hold a press conference to present their views on the controversial tax. The topic: “How many jobs will the hard drive tax put at risk.”