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FROM THE NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2012 MM&D PRINT EDITION
Since the 2008 financial crisis there have been changes—both major and minor—to how trade networks and supply chains are financed. And more changes are due in 2013.
According to Jacob Katsman, CEO of Global Trade Corp, a Toronto, Ontario-based software developer of multi-trade platforms for supply chain finance, roughly 20 percent of global trade is conducted using secure payment instruments (including letters of credit and bank guarantees) while the remaining 80 percent is done through unsecured open account trading.
As much as there is a movement toward open, unsecured accounts, Katsman says there will always be a place for more traditional financial arrangements, even if they are conducted in a less-than-traditional manner.
“We lived through the financial crisis and all of the sudden these things became much more apparent and much more needed,” he said. “In my view they will not go away. People need different mechanisms to trade. There are certain levels of trust and certain levels of transparency, and letters of credit and guarantees will always have a role to play. They will always be there.”
Beginning next year, completing a totally electronic, secured transaction will get even easier, as that’s when the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) is expected to officially introduce its Bill Payment Obligation (BPO) financing to the market. (SWIFT is a co-operative comprised of banks and corporations. Its purpose is to create and enforce standards relating to the secure exchange of proprietary financial data.)
“A BPO is essentially a replacement for (or an evolution of) the technique of a letter of credit,” says Toronto, Ontario-based Peter Grills, director of trade finance for BMO Capital Markets.
SWIFT created a platform called Trade Service Utility (TSU) which allows data about purchase orders and the goods being shipped to be exchanged between the four key parties involved in any transaction: the seller, the seller’s bank, the buyer’s bank and the buyer.
Under the TSU purchase order data is uploaded to the network and transmitted from the buyer’s bank to the seller’s bank. When the seller ships the items in question, information about the shipment is uploaded to TSU automatically. If the details of the shipment match the details in the purchase order, the payment is made, also automatically. The TSU provides credit enhancement beyond just the buyer’s ability and willingness to pay, through the BPO.
“It’s similar to a letter of credit, but it’s all automated data matching. It doesn’t involve the presentation of commercial documents to the bank. Just the data.
“If the bank chooses, and has a credit facility for the buyer (which is still a requirement), the bank can issue its BPO over that data exchange transaction, and that becomes a financeable instrument to the seller and the seller’s bank can then choose to provide financing, working capital to the seller, either pre-shipment or post shipment, against that BPO. That is a very important development in the industry,” says Grills.
BMO and the Bank of China were the first two financial institutions to test BPOs for SWIFT in 2010. Since then, work has been ongoing to establish and ratify the rules of how BPOs will be used. Final adoption is expected to happen in April 2013.
This post-recession era has also seen the growth of some less-used practices, including factoring.
Nabeel Siddiqui, director of global treasury solutions for AscendantFX Capital Inc, a foreign exchange transactions and international payment solutions provider in Toronto, says he sees more companies, especially those in the apparel business, turning to factoring.
“Company A, that sells women’s clothing in Toronto, wants to buy $100,000 worth of apparel out of the UK. A middleman will broker the financing. The middleman has a relationship with the company in the UK and with the company in Toronto. It guarantees both sides and says, ‘Yes, we will finance the company in Canada and pay you, Company B in the UK. And don’t worry, Company A in Toronto, we will make sure Company B in the UK will manufacture and deliver those goods to you,'” says Siddiqui.
Accounts receivable insurance (ARI) isn’t new, but Ottawa, Ontario-based Benoit Daignault, senior vice-president and global head of financing and investments for Export Development Canada, says it will likely become more popular.
“As a company, you sell products to Company ABC. You just want to make sure you’re going to get paid, so you buy insurance that ABC will be able to make the payments in 60 or 90 days,” Daignault explains.
“It’s a great risk transfer tool, but at the same time it’s a great liquidity provider too. When banks calculate how much money they can advance, they look at receivables. They will take into consideration if there is an insurance product on the receivable, and they will tend to include that account receivable in their calculation of working capital. It means that as a company, I am able to get more cash for my accounts receivable.”
Siddiqui says companies need to put more effort into ensuring they aren’t losing money on exchange rates. Companies need to pay more attention to FX netting payables and receivables in the same currency.
“Companies don’t do that as often as they should. Basically if a company has US$20 million in payables but they also have US$5 million in receivables, there are ways to match that off, or net it out, so your exposure is only US$15 million. That US$5 million in savings could amount to more savings of tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands extra, depending on how volatile the market is.”
He adds businesses also often neglect to look ahead and make suitable arrangements for future foreign currency transactions.
“I saw it happen just last week, where a company neglected to tell us six months in advance they had something going on in Europe and the rate moved about four pennies against them during that time. If they had only spoken to us—we expected this change to happen—we could have saved them almost $90,000. That’s somebody’s salary.”
Companies should also consider trading in emerging, non-traditional currencies, such as the Chinese renminbi, advises Grills. By doing so they can garner favour from their foreign trading partners, who prefer to work in their local currencies, and they can avoid inflated charges foreign companies often tack onto bills in order to cover the risks associated with billing in what is (to them) foreign currencies such as Canadian or American dollars.


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The group behind last weekend's protest in Salt Lake City calling for businesses to open back up is helping organize a walk in southern Utah. The organizer explained how they'll continue to be involved in events to spread their message.
Saturday's protest drew upwards of one to 2,000 people to Washington Square in Salt Lake City.
The newly-formed group Utah Business Revival coordinated the event, which protested stay-at-home orders, and the closing of businesses.
Protesters called for local governments to allow businesses to re-open, and life to get back to the way it was pre-COVID-19.
While the protest signs have since been put away, the sentiments of Utah Business Revival continue to be shared on social media.
"The bottom line is that our economy is going into, I believe, we are going to go into a depression," said Utah Business Revival founder Eric Moutsos.
He explained that they aim to host one event a week, as they try to get businesses back open.
"I believe that it's, we the people need that to take action," he said.
The events won't look quite like Saturday's protest.
Moutsos said they'll work with city mayors on these events. The idea is to gather in various cities across the state, with the goal of bringing in business to those areas.
He explained that they'd want local businesses to come and set up stands in parks, so that people can socially distance while supporting local businesses.
"Revive them with thousands of people, helping them financially-- and bringing hope," he said.
Utah Business Revival is helping to organize the Peaceful Walk for Freedom event in St. George on Wednesday.
Moutsos said this will be a social distance walk, and they're hoping that people will buy dinner from local restaurants afterward.
The group is also planning to be involved with an event in Vineyard on Saturday, May 2.
"Eric said, 'Would you mind if I invited our followers to come support your event?' And I said, 'Everyone is welcome,'" said Mayor Julie Fullmer.
Fullmer described the event, explaining that it's meant to draw in business to where those local shops are currently located in Vineyard.
"We are creating a route with for our bikers-- in coordination with our bike month-- and a driving route, a walking route, to get to these businesses and bring people to their front doors," she said.
She also mentioned that there are landowners offering up their properties, should any businesses want to set up a booth.
Moutsos is planning to have members of Utah Business Revival attend.
"We can come and bring money, and bring hope to those small businesses," he said. "So that we can get Utah open completely, and help."
Whether someone agrees that the orders and directives in place should be lifted, or they think it's not time to re-open businesses shut down by COVID-19-- Fullmer said people coming to support their local businesses will make a big difference for them.
"Getting the economy open is important," she said, adding, "and I think everybody is unified in that goal."
The Peaceful Walk for Freedom is planned for Wednesday, April 22 in St. George, from 5 to 6 pm at St. George Boulevard and Main Street.
The Vineyard event with the bike route to support local businesses is set for Saturday May 2, with details to be released here.

domain: news


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Responding to speculation over the weekend about a potential imminent announcement of further Covid restrictions, UKHospitality CEO, Kate Nicholls, today said:
“Trading has already been hugely damaged by the steady stream of pessimistic news following the discovery of the Omicron variant, at a time when hospitality would normally expect to be making a quarter of its annual profits.
“We know from previous lockdowns that it causes venues to haemorrhage cash. It costs £10,000 to close each site and a subsequent £10,000 per month on overheads, and that was with full furlough and rate relief. The damage that closure wreaks on consumer confidence would also increase recovery time considerably, not least because it would be coming early in the year, at the slowest period of trading. Hospitality venues have invested huge amounts of money and resources to ensure a safe environment for customers and staff alike. Throughout the pandemic, businesses have always wanted to trade their way through to recovery and that sentiment is stronger now than ever.
“However, trading levels are so poor that the need for proportionate Government support is already acute, and urgently necessary if businesses, jobs and livelihoods are to be secured. An extension to business rates relief and the lower VAT rate will help longer term planning and budgeting but speedily delivered grants will be vital to short-term business survival. To minimise further damage, it is also crucial that the Government gives as early a signal as possible about whether measures are to be imposed and what they might be, in order to allow businesses to salvage something from Christmas and the New Year.”


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Employees Shan Muhammad and Steve Vieira win association awards.
VERC Enterprises, which operates 24 convenience stores throughout Eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire, announced that two of its store managers have earned awards of excellence from the New England Convenience Store Association (NECSA).
Shan Muhammad, manager of the VERC Commerce Way Mobil in Plymouth, Mass., has been named NESCA’s Retail Operations Award winner.
Steve Vieira, Manager of the Fitchburg Mobil, also in Massachusetts, is the recipient of NESCA’s Community Service Award.
Muhammad and Vieira will be honored at NESCA’s Store Operator of the Year awards banquet on March 20th at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
The awards program is designed to recognize outstanding individuals who set the standard of excellence for the convenience store industry throughout New England.
“The NESCA awards honor the best of the best in our industry,” said Leo Vercollone, President of VERC Enterprises. “We are proud, but certainly not surprised, that Shan and Steve will take home these prestigious awards of excellence.”


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7 percent of workers say they drink on job
Updated 10:00 pm, Sunday, January 15, 2006
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Just over 7 percent of American workers drink alcohol during the workday -- mostly at lunch -- and even more, 9 percent, have nursed a hangover in the workplace, according to a study.
Young, single men are most likely to drink or recover at work, especially managers, salespeople, restaurant workers and those in the media, according to the findings by the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.
The results, culled from telephone interviews with 2,805 employed adults from January 2002 to June 2003, appear in the current issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
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Principal investigator Michael Frone said the national study was meant to help managers develop workplace policies on alcohol use and to invite further exploration of the issue.
"Of all psychoactive substances with the potential to impair cognitive and behavioral performance, alcohol is the most widely used and misused substance in the general population and in the work force," said Frone, research associate professor in the university's Psychology Department.
In the study, employees around the country were asked about workplace alcohol use during the previous 12 months. The sample was designed to reflect the demographics of the U.S. work force from ages 18 to 65, the researchers said. Participants were promised confidentiality.
Seven percent said they had drunk alcohol at least once during a workday. Lunch was the preferred time to drink, said the study, which was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Overall, 15 percent of respondents reported being directly affected by alcohol at work -- either by drinking on the job or shortly before heading to work or working with a hangover.


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Dallas’s Flux Farms Brings A.I., Sensor to Hydroponic Farming
Dallas—Flux Farms likens the company’s technology to the brain of a smart farm.
Eddy, the name of Flux Farms’ software technology, is made up of a robotic sensor as well as artificial intelligence that can monitor the water and nutrient levels of crops like tomatoes or lettuce, and then either trigger an automatic feeder or send farmers a notification that they need to adjust water or nutrient levels. The agtech startup’s system is designed to be used in hydroponic-style farms used in arid regions or in urban areas.
“The goal is to turn an average Joe farmer into an expert through the application of AI,” says Flux Farms’s CEO Blake Burris.
In addition to providing individualized advice for each farmer, Burris says Flux Farms is creating a community of farmers and experts who can share gardening tips or recipes. “Most of us aren’t green thumbs,” he says. “We can give users an idea of what type of plants to plant depending on your location.”
Flux Farms is launching pilot projects that include a refugee camp in Jordan, farms in South Africa, and a Massachusetts development that calls itself the “first hydroponic-based indoor urban park.” Burris says the startup is also planning an Indiegogo campaign in the fall to sell its smart farming device for $150 each.
Flux Farms’s technology has its origins in the Israeli military, where it was used in bomb sniffing and security applications. Israel, which does not have much water, is also a leading country in hydroponic and aquaponic farming, types of farming that use 90 percent less water than typical farming operations.
Flux Farms’ three founders are Israelis whom Burris met a few years ago in Tel Aviv. As they talked, they decided to set up Flux Farms’ U.S. headquarters in Dallas, where Burris had worked for startups such as Vinli, a connected car company, and cleantech firm Dynamo Labs.
As the company works through its pilot projects, Burris says he is also eyeing another market that depends on efficient farming practices: cannabis. “Our product has a natural affinity for that grower market,” he says.


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KARACHI: In order to control the volatile exchange rate in open currency market, Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP) has decided to fix the US dollar rate on a daily basis.
An emergent meeting of Exchange Companies was held on Tuesday in Karachi and chaired by Malik Muhammad Bostan, President FAP, to discuss the exchange rate issues. Malik Bostan expressed concern over the increasing dollar rate in the open currency market and urged exchange companies to refrain from making speculations and avoid unnecessary buying of US dollar.
During the meeting, exchange companies unanimously decided that Forex Association of Pakistan will fix and release the daily rates for trading of US dollar in open currency market. FAP will release rates three times in a day to facilitate exchange companies in line with the demand and supply situation of the market.
First exchange rate will be issued at 10:00AM, second rate at 2:00PM and third rate will be fixed at 4:00PM on a daily basis and will be forwarded to exchange companies through email. For today (Thursday morning) a dollar exchange rate has been fixed at Rs 118.70 (selling) and Rs 118.40 (buying), accordingly all exchange companies have been directed to strictly follow these rates.
In case of violation, in the first instance the exchange company will be penalized, if found repeated, the case will be referred to State Bank of Pakistan.
Malik Bostan said that a monitoring committee is also being constituted to ensure the implementation on FAP rates and for close monitoring of money market. During the meeting, it has also been decided that exchange companies will be penalized for non compliance of FAP rates. Some Rs 0.1 million penalty will be imposed on first violation, Rs 0.2 million on second and an exchange company have to pay a fine of Rs 0.3 million on third violation.
After third violation, complaint against the exchange company will also be forwarded to State Bank of Pakistan for an appropriate action.
All participating exchange companies endorsed the decision of exchange rate and assured full compliance.
During the meeting, president FAP also approached Irfan Ali Shah, Executive Director SBP, for dollar supply to exchange companies to meet the rising demand of the greenback. Director SBP has promised to make efforts for supply of dollar to the exchange companies.
Bostan said that SBP has already assured the exchange companies that government has no plan of further devalue Pak Rupee. He urged public not to buy dollar as its rate will decrease in the near future. Meanwhile, an urgent meeting of exchange companies was held and it decided that the rate of US dollar will not exceed Rs 118.40 for purchase and Rs.118.70 for sale on Thursday. Zafar Paracha General Secretary Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP) advised all the Exchange Companies to follow the same decision strictly.


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December 12, 2013
By Playbill Staff
29 Dec 2012
From The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, the first Broadway production to open in 2012, to A Christmas Story, The Musical, the holiday hit that wrapped up this year in musicals, Playbill.com takes a look back at performance highlights from some of the 2012 musicals.
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess:
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Bush's Chicken resumes construction in San Angelo after long pause
SAN ANGELO — Construction on the new Bush's Chicken has started back up.
The project at 1225 Knickerbocker Road had come to a stop in July. General Manager Tim Cain said the project halted because of an ownership change.
"The original owner had issues come up that kept him from finishing the project, so it fell into the lap our owner," Cain said.
Construction resumed Aug. 16, the day the contractor was able to go in and check out the location to ensure crews could follow through with the construction plans.
Cain said the location will consistently employ about 25-30 people. That number could change depending upon how successful the store is.
"We have high hopes for this location, but you honestly never know how it's going to do until you start working," Cain said.
Prospective employees can start applying Sept. 17-24, when Cain will also be holding interviews on-site. The store is set to open in mid-October.
Bush's Chicken sells fried chicken tenders, livers and gizzards as well as sides such as mashed potatoes, okra, fries and rolls. See the full menu at www.bushschicken.com/menu.


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Nearly 90 percent [89.7 percent] of respondents to a recent Women In Optometry Pop-up Poll said that they have had products they sell, primarily frames, stolen from their practices. Another 28 percent said that they had their personal belongings such as a phone or money stolen, and another 10 percent noted that a cash box had been tampered by a thief.
About 60 percent [58.6 percent] said that their practice was targeted by the thieves. Forty-one percent said the thieves were patients and 31 percent were employees. A few respondents also noted that walk-in customers and those who were browsing stole from their practice.
Poll participants noted all of the safety measures they take in order to prevent theft: 86 percent have surveillance cameras, 76 percent use an alarm system, 55 percent split responsibilities for accountability such as in counting cash and 48 percent always have at least two team members at the practice at any given time. Other methods of prevention noted included thorough criminal background check for staff members and using a key log.


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HOUSTON - Houston City Council members discussed a way to help bring larger grocery stores into low income areas on Wednesday.
Mayor Annise Parker said many grocery stores are not moving to some neighborhoods because the stores sell beer and wine, so moving too close to churches and schools would violate an ordinance.
The council is hoping to make an exception to the alcohol sales ordinance for some of the larger stores.
"In no way would (this exception) allow the small corner stores to expand into more areas. This is limited to the larger grocery stores," Parker said.
Right now, alcohol can't be sold within 1,000 feet of a school or church.
Mayor Parker is offering to relax the distance to 300 feet.
A vote is scheduled for December 18.
Copyright 2013 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Now, by following a new strain of Magecart, the team has discovered a direct link to the outcome of the stolen credit cards for threat actors, offering rare insight into the physical world operations of actors tied to digital threats.
The report highlights how threat actors targeting e-commerce sites cash out by reshipping items purchased with stolen cards via a physical reshipping company, operating with mules in the U.S.
In light of the recent Krebs on Security blog post, which ties Magecart infrastructure listed in our original report to a credit card dumps website known as “Trump’s Dumps,” it’s clear that these actors have a diversified portfolio of rackets for monetising their plunder.
“Magecart activity is still going strong, affecting new sites and continuing to register new domains to host the injected web skimmer scripts,” said Yonathan Klijnsma, threat researcher at RiskIQ. “New insight into the sophisticated way these actors are monetising their activities in the physical world shows the broadness of their scope of operations.”
By pivoting on a domain related to known Magecart activity in RiskIQ PassiveTotal, the team found that the server behind its IP address, currently used for the injects of the Magecart script, also links to a reshipping company website falsely advertised as a freight/logistics provider.
Via false employment ads on Russian job websites for U.S.-based job seekers, mules are recruited under the pretence of “transport agents,” tasked with receiving shipments of electronics and other goods bought with stolen credit cards to ship to an address in Eastern Europe.
This technique is similar to more traditional schemes involving money mules, but rather than a direct transfer of funds, the actors behind Magecart transfer funds into higher-priced goods, which can be shipped across borders without suspicion then sold for a hefty profit.
The report takes a deep dive into:
● The evolution of payment card theft.
● Magecart infrastructure: what it looks like, how to detect it, and how it’s evolving.
● Why e-commerce sites and consumers are at risk.
● The Magecart operators’ offline rackets and why they work.
● Guidance for e-commerce site owners and why having a dynamic view of their digital footprint is key to defending themselves.
“This new report shows how Magecart is an effective and lucrative operation for these actors,” Klijnsma said. “It may well indicate a burgeoning trend of keylogging threats affecting e-commerce sites.”
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Ford Stock – Ford Plans for All Passenger Vehicles Sold in Europe To Be Electric by 2030
Welcome to Thomas Insights — every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry. Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
Ford has announced a commitment to an all-electric future for its passenger vehicles sold in Europe, enabled by a $1 billion investment in a new EV manufacturing center in Cologne, Germany.
The company announced the following timelines for its transformation to “sustainable profitability”:
- 2023: The first all-electric passenger vehicle will roll off the lines in Cologne.
- 2026: 100% of Ford’s passenger vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric, or plug-in hybrid.
- 2030: 100% of Ford’s passenger vehicles sold in Europe will be all-electric and two-thirds of commercial vehicle sales will be all-electric or plug-in hybrid.
Having operated its manufacturing facility in Cologne for 90 years, Ford has dubbed its transformation into the Ford Cologne Electrification Center as “one of the most significant [announcements] made in over a generation.” Ford’s European President, Stuart Rowley, said the decision “underlines our commitment to Europe and a modern future with electric vehicles at the heart of our strategy for growth.”
EU Carbon Penalties and Incentives
Ford’s all-electric investment must be understood against the background of the EU’s mix of CO2 targets, fines, “super-credits”, and consumer incentives.
The EU has adopted ICCT (International Council on Clean Transportation) policy on mandatory carbon targets for car manufacturers that are enforced with heavy financial penalties.
As of 2021, the standards are 95g of CO2 per km for passenger cars, and 147g/km of CO2 for light-commercial vehicles. The heavier a manufacturer’s car fleet, the higher the CO2 emission value allowed by the regulation.
Automakers are fined based on the average emissions of all their cars sold in Europe over a year, with the “excess emission premium” (fine) at about €95 or $116 for each gram of CO2 per km beyond the target. This adds up to thousands of Euros for every car that misses the CO2 target. Volkswagen made news headlines in January for missing its EU target and now faces a fine of over €100 million or $122 million.
The European Commission is reportedly proposing a revised target to reduce vehicle CO2 emissions to 50% below 2021 levels by 2030, further incentivizing the shift to an all-electric future.
While these are hefty penalties, they are softened by the existence of super-credits. Auto manufacturers can offset the emissions of ICE cars with credits gained by selling EVs. Each EV Ford sells in Europe will generate around $26,000 worth of carbon credits for the company.
Meanwhile, consumers are offered generous financial incentives and tax breaks to bring down the price of EVs, although these differ across EU member states.
Volvo, Jaguar, and Bentley have also committed to manufacturing and selling only electric vehicles in Europe by 2030.
Phasing Out New Gasoline And Diesel Vehicle Sales
Although the targets and penalties outlined above will make it increasingly expensive for manufacturers of CO2-emitting vehicles in Europe, the EU as a whole has not yet committed to banning sales of new gas and diesel cars just yet.
But a group of nine member countries led by The Netherlands and Denmark are building political pressure for the EU to set a date to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars. Elsewhere, an increasing number of countries have proposed or committed to a 2030 target date for phasing out non-electric cars.
In the U.S., California became the first state to set a timeline for phasing out gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla recently asked President Biden to follow California’s lead and commit to a phase-out date for the entire nation to help meet Paris Agreement climate targets.
Image Credit: Darren Brode / Shutterstock.com


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Tesla reports fourth-quarter loss, misses sales targets
By Paul Lienert
DETROIT (Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O: Quote) missed sales targets and racked up a fourth-quarter loss of $107.6 million as the luxury electric car maker struggled with production and delivery issues on several fronts.
Investors sent shares down nearly 3 percent in after-hours trade.
Tesla on Wednesday reported a loss of 86 cents per share, compared with a year-ago loss of $16.3 million, or 13 cents per share. Revenue in the quarter climbed to $956.7 million, from $615.2 million a year ago.
The California-based maker of luxury electric cars delivered 9,834 vehicles in the quarter. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk had said in July 2014 the company would deliver 13,000 of its Model S sedans.
Heavy spending on expanding the company's global sales network and developing the Model X crossover increased operating expenses in the quarter to $336.5 million, from $169.9 million a year ago.
Free cash flow in the quarter was a negative $455.1 million, as cash dwindled to $1.91 billion from $2.37 billion at the end of the third quarter.
Tesla said it built a record 11,627 cars, boosting total production to 35,000 for the year. But the company delivered only 31,655 and said delays would push some deliveries into the first quarter of 2015.
Sales in North America in 2014 were flat, at about 17,400, or 55 percent of the total, Tesla said. About 9,500 cars, or 30 percent, were delivered in Europe. The rest - about 4,750 - went to customers in the Asia Pacific region, including China, where sales began last April. Continued...


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Visitors are spending more in the UAE
Overall tourist spending in the UAE rose by 5 per cent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2014 according to a new study by Network International, the leading payment solutions provider in the MENA region. The report, based on credit or debit card transactions by country in the first quarter of 2015, found that Americans accounted for the largest portion of total spending in the quarter with 21 percent. Tourists from Saudi Arabia came next (12 percent), followed by UK (9 percent), China (4 percent) and Kuwait (3.4 percent).
The Russian Rouble crisis has had a major impact on spending by Russian tourists which dropped by 52 percent in Q1, taking the country out of the top five spenders for the first time in recent history. Despite coming in the top five, Chinese spend is down by 7 percent on the same period last year. These drops were offset by significant growth in spending from the USA up 9 percent, KSA up 25 percent and Canada up 53 percent since last year
Unsurprisingly, given distance travelled, Americans, Canadians and Australians spend the most of any nationality on airfare. However, once they arrive they spend the lowest average amounts on hotels and meals. The Chinese spend twice as much (average transaction value of AED 13,000) on watches and jewellery as the next tier down, comprising the Russians, Americans and Swiss. Anecdotally, recent tightening of anti-corruption legislation has been impacting Chinese Average Transaction Value (ATV) as they are less likely to buy multiple watches in a single transaction.
Commenting on the results of the research, David Mountain, Chief Commercial Officer, Network International, said: “Each of these spending behaviours provides useful insight on market segmentation and positioning to retailers in the UAE. However, when looked at through a geopolitical lens, movements in currency and the affluence of nations, the data presented can have profound effects on different markets.”
“Network International is the leading merchant acquirer in the UAE and processes well over half of all merchant transactions in this market. Accordingly, we are able to see trends and patterns in spending which are indicative of the overall market. This provides valuable data for not only merchants and businesses but also for the government in assessing the continuing appeal of the UAE to international visitors.”


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ASH DISRUPTION CAUSES NISSAN TO SUSPEND SOME PRODUCTION
The three models are targeted at the North American market
Nissan has said that it will suspend production of three models in Japan on Wednesday because supply of parts has been disrupted by the volcanic ash.
The carmaker said it was unable to import air pressure sensors from the Irish Republic.
The sensors are used in Nissan's Cube, Murano and Rogue vehicles.
It will halt production of 2,000 vehicles, but has not yet decided whether a further suspension is needed on Thursday and beyond.
Production of the three models, which are targeted at the North American market, will be reduced at its Oppama plant in Yokosuka outside of Tokyo.
The move comes as the spread of volcanic ash from Iceland continues to disrupt European airspace.
Meanwhile, other Asian businesses have also been hit by the disruption to flights.
Factories in China's Guangdong province have seen air shipments of clothes and jewellery delayed.
In South Korea, Samsung and LG said they were unable to air-freight more than 20% of their daily electronics exports.
And the Federation of Hong Kong Industries said hotels and restaurants in Hong Kong were facing shortages of French cheese, Belgian chocolates and Dutch fresh-cut flowers.


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ATLANTA, GA, USA, September 14, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — Blistey, the app, and online business directory and lifestyle brand for Blk, Asian, Latinx, and Indigenous businesses, has launched its updated app and website. It offers a new way for people of color and their allies to engage and patronize businesses in their communities and cities globally. It is the Yelp for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people but geared to their needs. The app’s goal is to create an easily accessible resource in the users’ pocket for all BIPOC businesses globally. From an Airbnb in Paris to, wedding planning to a beauty supply store in LA, the app aims to be where users turn when they’re looking to connect with diversity.
Blistey’s focus is to connect the BIPOC community and their allies to the businesses that serve them and companies that would like to communicate with the communities it represents. The company partners with a good deal of BIPOC owned businesses and are well-positioned to connect entrepreneurs and companies, especially during these times to the communities they serve and expand their reach to other communities. One of their first partnerships was with a jewelry designer, Ina Sol, that reached 150,000 possible customers.
The Blistey website engagement has grown 300-400% each month since launching. Each month in 2021, they’ve reached over 140,000 users across our social media platforms, and Blistey keeps growing. Blistey was featured in The Business Insider in an article entitled, Where to Find Black Owned Business Partners as one of the ways for individuals and major companies to connect to diversity.
CEO Franklin Forbes founded Blistey in the Summer of 2020. His Latino heritage and the importance and visibility of Afro-Latino/a/x people in the culture have shaped his goals and experiences growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y. His favorite phrase is, “When one of us wins, we all win.” After graduating from Columbia University with a degree in architecture, he received his Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning (MAUD) from the Kent School of Architecture in England. He uses his skillsets in urban design and planning to connect people to diversity in their city and make their lives easier and more authentic with the Blistey app. Users can browse through listings on the app, now available on IOS and Android, as well as the website at Blistey for various business categories.
The future of Blistey is growth and its global. Thousands of businesses are already listed on their service, and they plan to add thousands more. They’re continuously improving their technology and user interface. This technology will help consumers have thousands of businesses in their pockets, even when they’re not at home. Blistey is the way for everyone to participate in the growth of women, people of color, and other diverse communities in business. The company asks consumers to, “Be a part of the future and download the Blistey app.”
Blistey is the place to connect the world to diversity. It makes shopping easy both from the company’s website and app.
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Convenience stores and fuel stations are having a rough go of it in 2020, as the change in work and driving habits by many consumers have affected that retail sector significantly.
According to the most recent industrywide data from the National Association of Convenience Stores, weekday morning traffic is just 85% of what it was in 2019. Lunchtime traffic has also dropped to 88% of the mark from a year ago.
That has reduced the number of office workers looking for quick afternoon snacks or in need of bread, milk, and other smaller items on their way to and from work. Likewise, consumers are filling up with gas less frequently, which means fewer trips to the small stores.
Moreover, consumers have begun to change their shopping habits, too. Many are learning about autonomous checkout in the era of safety, and many more are utilizing online ordering for essentials that might have been purchased at convenience stores when filling up in the past.
Focusing on Health and Safety
Brandon Logsdon, President and General Manager for Marketing Cloud Solutions and Fuel Pricing at PDI, says the most important thing on consumers’ minds right now is health and safety.
“Sneeze guards and hand sanitizer for checkout counters and flexible payment options like contactless, order ahead for delivery, or pickup are very important right now,” Logsdon says. “Consumers are also looking for increased in-store cleaning, sanitizer stanchions at fuel pumps—all of these are important.”
David VanWiggeren, CEO of Drop Tank, which specializes in gas station loyalty technology and loyalty solutions, adds that COVID is accelerating digital solutions in general, and it’s no different in the convenience store industry.
“Stores that rely on the cashier/customer relationship, and do not have a meaningful digital channel to engage those customers, may struggle,” VanWiggeren says. “App-based loyalty with mobile payment capability is really helping some operators bridge the current engagement gap, and give customers the information they need to feel comfortable and motivated to go inside the store.”
Adapting to Changing Habits
Some retailers are starting to adapt to these changing consumer habits. Circle K is opening what’s believed to be the world’s first convenience store retrofitted with AI technology for autonomous checkout in Tempe, Arizona, the company announced recently. The brand is equipping the store with up to 100 ceiling cameras that record which products customers who sign in with the app take off the shelves.
Wawa also revealed plans for its first-ever freestanding drive-through, which will be built in suburban Philadelphia. Customers will be able to order food and beverages including value meals, combo meals, coffee and specialty beverages.
Logsdon says that in PDI’s recently released 2020 C-Store Shopper Report, one of the main concerns for operators was customer retention, and that’s especially true this year.
“Rewarding customers for their loyalty is a great way to address this issue,” he says. “Loyalty rewards tell customers that you appreciate their business and incentivizes them to continue spending at your store.”
Personalization Will Be the Key
But Logsdon says rewards have to be valuable to each individual, and this is why personalization plays a big part in loyalty success. He also recommends that convenience stores go digital in their communications.
“Generally speaking, customers want relevant, digital communications over other forms of communication,” he says. “That preference is even more pronounced within the c-store vertical because consumers tend to make more mobility-based or impulse purchases as opposed to mission-based purchases.”
Loyalty Methods CEO Emil Sarkissian suggests stores implement a few new practices, including contactless payments, voice integration, and curbside pickup as well as home delivery — either organically or through partnerships with delivery companies.
“They should look at ways to provide real-time ‘risk’ indicators directly into apps, showing how many people are at a store location,” Sarkissian says. “Look at loyalty-based priority schemes where there are lines because of store capacity limits, similar to airline boarding.”
VanWiggeren says it’s fairly simple to adjust and that convenience store loyalty needs to focus on convenience.
“Does the loyalty solution make the customer experience more convenient or slow it down?” he says. “Targeted offers, autonomous checkout, instant rewards, intuitive UI, free delivery; these are critical to customers who are by definition ‘on the go.’”
Additional Mitigation Practices
In addition to the stores changing their practices, DoorDash has started delivering from more than 1,800 convenience stores across the country, such as 7-Eleven, Wawa, Casey’s General Store, Circle K, and DashMart in a number of cities.
Sarkissian says convenience stores should adopt additional mitigation for the current COVID situation such as suspending or delay expirations to allow more time for people to redeem their points/rewards.
“They should also move away from repeat, same-day visits, and towards one-stop, bigger-basket visits,” he says. “This can be done by reducing bounce-back coupons and other incentives to come later in the day, and instead focus on incentivizing basket size.”
If 2020 has taught us anything, Logsdon says, it’s the value of flexibility, and that lesson applies to a brand’s loyalty program as well. Since PDI began releasing its ‘Road to Rewards Report’ back in 2015, fuel savings has been the most popular rewards currency among surveyed consumers. Their new report is coming out in a few weeks, and Logsdon says it will show how consumer perception about the value of fuel savings as a currency has shifted.
“That doesn’t mean that the reward itself is less relevant,” Logsdon says. “We believe the change is largely being driven by the fact that consumers are driving less this year as a result of the pandemic. That was especially true at the time we conducted the survey. Adapting to changes in consumer attitudes and preferences requires flexibility.”
Ensuring Long-Term Loyalty Success
Logsdon says to ensure long-term loyalty success, operators—from c-store retailers to grocers to CPGs—must give their consumers choice when it comes to the rewards they offer and the ways they can redeem.
All three industry experts offer advice on ways convenience stores can tread the COVID period.
VanWiggeren says they should form and deepen digital relationships with customers.
“Store layouts, product mix, employee training … these are all important,” he says. “But they are table stakes. Providing digital commerce and loyalty solutions to make the customer experience more convenient and engaging will help convenience stores keep up with changing shopping habits.”
Logsdon adds that convenience stores have to know what their customers want; if customers arrive at a store and find the items they want are out of stock — or that inventory hasn’t been adjusted to accommodate for these unusual times — that leaves a negative and potentially lasting impression in their minds.
“During unprecedented times, historical data or seasonal trends can become unreliable,” he says. “Real-time, basket-level data is the key to success in this area. It provides visibility into how to best maximize promotional content by daypart, merchandise affinities, and basket adjacencies. These are powerful insights, and they really differentiate retailers from their competitors during a crisis.”
Sarkissian says stores can use loyalty as a learning tool, and leverage the data to adapt to changing behaviors.
“That is true in these times, as well as at any other time,” he says. “We often refer to it as validated learning.”
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Rising Star Games has announced it will be publishing Deadly Premonition on the Xbox 360 in PAL territories.
The game will be released in the UK this autumn and follows an FBI agent, who must fend off supernatural creatures while investigating the brutal murder of a little girl.
Deadly Premonition has generated a cult following in the US after word of mouth drove strong sales, despite hugely mixed review scores – ranging from 2/10 on IGN to 10/10 on Destructoid.
"Having seen how Deadly Premonition split reviewers’ opinions in America, gamers are itching to get their hands on it to judge it for themselves," said Rising Star Games’ MD Martin Defries.
"We have high hopes for what can only be described as the most distinctive survival horror game that has ever been released – it’s going to be interesting to see how the game is received over here. It’s a cult classic in the making."


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PETA tried to run the American restaurant out of business, so they bought an epic billboard to set the record straight.
We can all agree that PETA is a joke of an organization.
Not only do they want to shame Americans for eating animals, they are deliberately dishonest about their messaging.
PETA goes out of their way to distort facts about farms, food producers, and restaurants. All to cripple vast industries across the country.
They had the audacity to erect a billboard in Maryland, claiming that crabs are individuals. In Maryland, the crab capital of the country.
So, one famous restaurant decided to fight fire with fire.
From Fox News:
The capitalized “ME” references billboards put up by PETA near several Baltimore seafood restaurants, telling Maryland residents “I’m ME, Not MEAT. See the individual. Go vegan,” next to a picture of a blue crab.
A Maryland crab restaurant responded to a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) “Go Vegan” billboard by putting up one of its own.
Our Yard. #SteamThemALL pic.twitter.com/FBj1hTssCe
— Jimmy's Famous Seafood (@JimmysSeafood) September 3, 2018
Minadakis told Fox News he was moved to put a stop to what he considers PETA’s “blank checkbook” that is responsible for putting “countless Americans out of work” and “targeting industries from coast to coast.”
John Minadakis called out PETA for deliberately putting up their billboard during one of the biggest seafood festivals of the year.
PETA attacked every small business in the city with their bogus ad. They knew many people would be flocking to Maryland for the festival.
It would bring in plenty of money for local businesses. PETA didn’t care. They only wanted to spread their lies and misinformation.
Like so many other leftists, they want to force people to behave the way they want. To them, lies work. The ends justify the means, after all.
PETA dreams of an America were hard-working folks can’t drink milk, wear wool, or eat crabs. They hate our farmers, fisherman, and ranchers.
They’d be happy if major industries were crippled.
All to satisfy their egos.
At least one restaurant isn’t taking their agenda lying down. Jimmy gave another powerful response to the fear-mongers:
Our response to @peta’s statement provided to @wjz & @GeorgeSolisWJZ… pic.twitter.com/ggGqqHyBob
— Jimmy's Famous Seafood (@JimmysSeafood) September 4, 2018
Let them know you support them over PETA by getting the word out!
Source: Fox News


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NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
FEBRUARY 12, 2013
NYS DOS ID#
NYS Entity Type
FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
2013 - NASSAU 740 LLC
AROUND THE WEB
- Fit City: Taking Night-Life Cue, Gyms Lower the Lights
By TATIANA BONCOMPAGNI - Tuesday Jun 13, 2017
- Shareholders Demand More Drastic Shifts at Nestlé
By STEPHANIE STROM - Tuesday Jun 27, 2017
The changes requested by the Third Point hedge fund underscore the idea that legacy food brands must radically shake up their portfolios to remain profitable.
- Rooted in Counterculture, Whole Foods’ Founder Finds an Unlikely Refuge
By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and ALEXANDRA STEVENSON - Friday Jun 16, 2017
John Mackey wanted to fight off the activist investors attacking Whole Foods. He found a savior in Amazon, a company blamed for laying waste to retailers.
- Third Point, a Hedge Fund, Sets Its Activist Sights on Nestlé
By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED - Sunday Jun 25, 2017
The fund, run by Daniel S. Loeb, has called on the Swiss food giant to sell its stake in L’Oréal and move more quickly to adapt to changing consumer tastes.
- Four Credit Repair Agencies Accused Of Misleading Customers, Charging Illegal Fees
By Ashlee Kieler - Tuesday Jun 27, 2017
Four different “credit repair” operations have been ordered to pay a total of more than $2 million in penalties for allegedly tricking people into thinking their bad credit could be easily fixed.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced today that it filed complaints and proposed judgments against Prime Credit, LLC, IMC Capital, LLC, Commercial Credit Consultants, and Park View Law, …
- Nassau County is the latest local government to sue drugmakers over opioid crisis
By Robin D. Schatz - Tuesday Jun 13, 2017
Citing "exorbitant" expenses in addressing the mounting opioid crisis, Nassau County on Monday joined a growing number of local governments in New York state and elsewhere that are suing major...
To view the full story, click the title link.
- Blink Health Ends Pact With Express Scripts for Lilly Insulin Price Discounts
Tuesday Jun 13, 2017
- Critic's Notebook: Foreign Horror TV Shows Are Light on Monsters, Heavy on Mood
By MIKE HALE - Friday Jun 16, 2017
On the streaming service Shudder, foreign series like “Jordskott” and “Penance” offer a classic psychological dread that’s in short supply on American TV.


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Foodland Supermarkets has partnered with the South Australian Food, Bev & Tech Trade Show for 2022 as a sponsor.
The team at Foodland Supermarkets will be sponsoring the exciting industry network breakfast as part of their commitment to support South Australian food and beverage producers and manufacturers.
The event will take place on the second day of the show. It will include a panel discussion with various experts and experienced team members from Foodland discussing industry trends and the how-to when listing new products. Over 200 guests will attend the event.
The Foodland Network Breakfast will take place on 18 May 2022 at the Goyder Pavilion, Adelaide Showgrounds. To attend, or for more information, contact Cornelia Freysen on 1300 722 289 or email email@example.com
Dates: 17-18 May 2022
Venue: Goyder Pavilion, Adelaide Showgrounds
Exhibitor registration (via the website) open 1 November 2021
Catherine Sayer, CEO Food South Australia, 0412 442 268 or firstname.lastname@example.org


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For Omidyar Network, the investment firm started by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, 2016 has been its busiest year in India since it began investing in the country eight years ago. The firm struck 17 ...
- TechCircle.LIVE, Taj Lands End, Mumbai, 2020-01-23
- Valuation and Fundraising for Tech Startups, Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Mumbai, 2020-01-29
- Workshop on Negotiation, Documentation & Structuring of PE/VC & M&A Deals, The Lalit, Delhi, 2020-02-13
- Valuation and Fundraising for Tech Startups, Taj Yaswant Pur, Bengaluru, 2020-02-26
- VCCircle India Limited Partners Summit 2020, Trident, Nariman Point, 2020-02-27


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Director Craig King’s newest documentary film, “Here We Grow,” takes a critical look at how, according to the movie, America’s food supply chain has led to unhealthy dietary trends. Besides hosting interviews with natural foods experts like Steve Demos, founder of Broomfield, Colo.-based White Wave Foods, and Amie Hamlin, executive director of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food, “Here We Grow” separates itself from the plethora of food horror movies by offering everyday Americans face time.
In the film, former chef–turned-activist King shows a single, working mother how to replace the processed food in her kitchen pantry with nutritious, whole foods that fit her budget, and then helps her children plant a backyard vegetable garden. Plus, Boulder, Colo.-based electronic music act GSP and poet Michael Jones express the dietary struggles of families through the song “Pork n’ Beans and Mayonnaise.”
“The goal of ‘Here We Grow’ is to educate and engage citizens about the fact that we must bring forth active wellness solutions where they are needed most—in underserved communities,” says King.
To that end, King is using proceeds from the film to support community outreach projects, including the Healthy School Lunch Program, which brings low-fat, low-cholesterol, plant-based foods into schools across the country, reimbursing them with cash subsidies and bonus foods for every healthy meal served. The program is currently implemented in nearly 100,000 schools and residential child-care institutions nationwide. In addition, King’s newest initiative, Whole Pantry, will install low-cost, natural and organic products in underprivileged areas. Construction on the first store will begin in Denver in the spring of 2010. “We will film the unfolding of the Pantry, its opening and follow the first few months to track its impact on the community,” says King.
“Here We Grow” is showing in 18 cities through the end of the year, and is available at Whole Foods Markets nationwide as well as through
Joining the cause
Regardless of location or demographic, your store can join King’s cause. King suggests natural products retailers reach out to underprivileged communities by hosting cooking demos at local recreation centers, libraries or health fairs. “A live person demonstrating how to eat clean, healthy meals on a budget is very encouraging,” he says. “For instance, a rep from Lundberg Family Farms, [a Richvale, Calif.-based rice producer], could demo how you can have rice and beans for $1.25 per serving, or a rep from Earthbound Farm, [a San Juan Bautista, Calif.-based organic produce company], could show how a healthy salad can be put together in seconds.”


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Krafton, the developer of PUBG Mobile in South Korea, is preparing to re-launch the PUBG Mobile game in India under the brand name ‘Battlegrounds Mobile India’.
This new title uses the color scheme of the Indian flag. Also, PUBG Mobile will have different features compared to global. The Battlegrounds Mobile India will offer ‘world-class AAA multiplayer’ and a free-to-play gaming experience on mobile devices.
Battlegrounds Mobile India uploaded a video on YouTube revealing their new logo.
According to game developers, pre-registration will be opened before Battlegrounds Mobile India goes public. But the exact date has not been made public.
India is the world’s second-largest internet marketplace and Krafton has said they are re-launching a new brand of PUBG in India.
Before the app was banned in India, there were 50 million active monthly users of PUBG Mobile in India.
Teaser of Battlegrounds Mobile India
The issue of data and privacy has been given high priority in this version of the game. Earlier it was banned due to this issue of data & privacy.


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- Cathy Hackl is known as the “Godmother of the Metaverse” and has over seven years of experience in the space.
- She’s now the dean of a new metaverse academy to help individuals skill up for this new world.
- Hackl shares her outlook for the metaverse and how investors can gain exposure to it.
When Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s rebrand to Meta as part of its plans to expand into the virtual world, Google searches surged as individuals rushed to ask, “What is the metaverse?”
Suddenly the term “metaverse” was catapulted into the mainstream.
One individual perfectly positioned to answer their questions is Cathy Hackl, known as the “Godmother of the Metaverse”.
Hackl has spent over seven years working with augmented and virtual reality technologies, examining how they could provide an entry point into the metaverse and exploring how brands, such as MagicLeap and HTC Vive, can capitalize on this new digital realm, which aims to parallel the real world through computer generation.
She is currently CEO of the Futures Intelligence Group, a metaverse consultancy, and most recently became the dean of Republic Realm Academy, a new online school that is helping individuals upskill in the world of NFTs and the metaverse.
The academy was in the works long before Zuckerberg’s most recent announcement. But his vision for the metaverse with the hiring of 10,000 individuals to help build it out, provides some validation for the industry and the work many individuals have been doing for years in setting up its foundations, Hackl said.
“We already saw that there was something coming, that there was going to be a need,” Hackl said. “It’s only validated now by this acceleration and people trying to understand what the metaverse is.”
The new academy, which costs between $600 to $1,200 for six classes, is token-gated and tuition is sold as a non-fungible token (NFT).
NFTs exist on the blockchain and uniquely represent either digital or real-life assets such as art, real estate, or game artifacts.
The token acts as a user’s access point to the learning platform, which is taught by faculty from leading universities, such as Tommaso di Bartolo from UC Berkeley and Elizabeth Strickler from Georgia State University. It also helps give attendees real-world experience in navigating crypto wallets and the management of NFTs.
The online course is not going to focus on technical training, Hackl said. Individuals shouldn’t expect to be blockchain developers by the end, she said. It’s more about going back to an organization with an informed view of what’s happening within the metaverse and how businesses need to prepare, she said.
Is the metaverse here to stay?
Alongside Facebook, other big companies are making big moves into the metaverse. Nike has filed a number of patents in recent years related to the metaverse and a number of employees now have metaverse in their job titles.
“I think that something like what Nike is doing sends a big message to the market that this is not speculation, this is really where we’re going,” Hackl said. “And eventually, you’re gonna have to hire these leaders that can have the vision and that can lead the company in an informed way.”
Hackl is also seeing significant steps by Microsoft, Robolox and Electronic Arts into the metaverse. But it’s actually fashion and beauty brands that appear to be leading the way currently, she said.
“We’re probably gonna see some of the bigger companies, some of the bigger Fortune 50 make really interesting announcements in the next couple of months,” Hackl said.
The course aims to help individuals prepare for when these opportunities arise, whether it’s within their organization or outside it. Hackl expects an alumni network will arise from the program, which will become increasingly useful as companies branch into the virtual world.
“We definitely see an opportunity to fill that gap and help people upskill in what’s going to be a big need,” Hackl said. “Companies are eventually going to have metaverse strategies and potentially metaverse teams.”
Hackl finds it difficult to pinpoint where the metaverse could be in 10 years because the decade we’re currently in is still critical. This is because its still building mode and the vision of the metaverse will be dependent on a number of factors from whether we have 6G to EDGE computing.
“In the metaverse, we’re all world-builders,” Hackl said. “And now is the time to start building. Whether you’re a creator, whether you’re a brand or a business, now is the time to start figuring out, how do I start building for this? What are the building blocks?”
Investing in metaverse
There’s more than one way to get involved in the metaverse, including through investment.
How people invest is based on their risk appetite, Hackl said. But she urges a diversified strategy, highlighting four areas of opportunity:
1) Virtual real estate
Hackl expects that virtual land, such as plots in Decentraland and Sandbox, will be around for a long time.
2) Exchange-traded funds
Exchange traded-funds, such as the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, offer a more traditional and diversified way to gain exposure to the metaverse.
3) Digital items
Digital fashion items, such as virtual Nike sneakers or Burberry coats, could present investment opportunities. Hackl expects a rise in the discussion around direct-to-avatar in coming years.
4) Profile-picture projects, for example CryptoPunks and CryptoKitties
“I sometimes buy a PFP as an investment, it unlocks the opportunity for me to be part of a club or a community,” Hackl said. “But I also see it as a potential investment for the IP or whatever it eventually produces.
“If anyone has the ability to do that, they have the income to diversify, and look at many different opportunities. I think they should go that route.”
Credit: Source link


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Stock Picks: Accenture, Apple, Oracle, Qualcomm
Accenture Plc: Robert W. Baird analyst Reik Read maintained an outperform rating and $48 price target on shares of Accenture Plc (ACN) on Mar. 26.
On Mar. 25, Accenture, the second-largest technology-consulting company, forecast full-year profit that missed analysts' estimates as consulting sales fell and a stronger U.S. dollar crimped earnings. Profit this year will be $2.61 to $2.69 a share, the company said. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey projected $2.71 a share on average.
Consulting sales fell 3% in the second quarter ended Feb. 28, based on U.S. dollars, to $2.93 billion. In local currency terms, the decline was 9%, the company said. New bookings rose to $6.52 billion from $5.53 billion in the fiscal first-quarter that ended in November.
Read said in a note that Accenture's revenue for the quarter largely met expectations, while profitability was slightly off due to a single "weak" project. Based on the lower-than expected profit and less favorable foreign exchange rates, he lowered a fiscal 2010 (ending August) earnings per share (EPS) estimate to $2.63 from $2.75 and a full-year fiscal 2011 EPS forecast to $2.95 from $3.05.
"Despite this, we recommend buying Accenture given a clear trend of improving consulting in most segments, outsourcing improvement, and better core margins than expected. Valuation appears attractive, particularly given [its] strong balance sheet and cash flow," Read wrote.
Apple Inc.: Credit Suisse analyst William Shope reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) on Mar. 26. He also raised a 12-month price target on the iPhone maker to $300 from $275.
In a note, Shope said that as the end of the company's fiscal second quarter approaches, "we believe it is now clear the company is running well ahead of our previous expectations" and consensus estimates of Wall Street analysts.
"[W]e believe Apple is now running well ahead of expectations in all of its key business segments during what is typically a seasonally 'sloppy' quarter," he wrote.
Shope increased his second-quarter quarter revenue and earnings per share (EPS) estimates to $12.26 billion and $2.57 from $11.45 billion and $2.27, respectively.
"[O]ur estimates would imply the March quarter of 2010 would be the second strongest quarter in company history (including seasonally strong December quarters)," the analyst said.
The addition of a profit stream from the company's new iPad, the "significant" profit and cash flow contribution from the iPhone, and an accelerating cyclical recovery in the Mac business suggest analyst consensus estimates and the stock should continue to rise, Shope said.
"Apple is our top pick," Shope said. "We continue to believe investors should be building on positions at current levels."
Oracle Corp.: Deutsche Bank analyst Tom Ernst Jr. maintained a hold rating and $24 price target on shares of Oracle Corp. (ORCL) on Mar. 26.
Oracle, the world's second-largest software maker, reported third-quarter profit that met analysts' estimates on Mar. 25 after customers bought programs they had delayed purchasing during the recession.
Profit before acquisition and some other costs was 38 cents a share in the period ended Feb. 28, the company said. That matched the average of estimates in a Bloomberg survey. Including deferred revenue from Sun Microsystems Inc., which Oracle bought in January, sales were $6.47 billion. Analysts estimated $6.32 billion.
"Oracle appears to have benefited from easier year-over-year [comparisons] and acceleration in their most macro-sensitive business," Ernst said in a note. He said that despite a 2% reduction from foreign currency translation, software license growth from existing businesses was up 10% year-over-year (13% including Sun Microsystems), ahead of the company's 9% guidance. New applications revenue showed a 15% growth rate in constant currency vs. 5% growth for its database and middleware unit.
"[T]he company's competitive rhetoric vs. SAP continued even stronger" during the quarter, the analyst said.
"We are encouraged by the company's tone on integration, reiteration of the operating synergy targets, unchanged $9.6 billion revenue outlook for Sun Microsystems and customer acceptance of the vertically-integrated hardware and software portfolio," Ernst wrote.
Qualcomm Inc.: Credit Agricole analyst Srini Pajjuri lowered a rating on shares of Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) to underperform from outperform on Mar. 26. He also reduced a price target on the stock to $44 from $48.
Qualcomm, the world's biggest maker of mobile-phone chips, boosted its second-quarter profit and sales forecasts on Mar. 25. Profit, excluding some items, will be 56 cents to 58 cents a share in the period ending this month, compared with an earlier target of as much as 53 cents, Qualcomm said. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey projected 52 cents on average.
Sales will be at least $2.55 billion, compared with a previous goal of at least $2.4 billion, Qualcomm said. Analysts predicted $2.57 billion on average.
Qualcomm's increased fiscal second quarter revenue and EPS guidance validates his view that a first-quarter decline in average selling prices "was a blip", Pajjuri said in a note. "However, lower-than-expected 3G adoption in China is a concern and we are taking a more cautious stance" on chipset sales to Nokia, for which "meaningful" volume for Qualcomm is unlikely until the second half of 2011, the analyst said.
Pajjuri raised a fiscal 2010 (ending September) non-GAAP EPS estimate to $2.36 from $2.20 and a fiscal 2011 EPS forecast to $2.50 from $2.30.
The stock's valuation "looks reasonable", the analyst said, "but we do not see many catalysts on the horizon".


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More than a decade after he helped found and sell PayPal for $1.5 billion, Max Levchin is finally getting over the fear of a sophomore slump.
To be fair, to call it a "slump" is an insult to everyone who hasn't created a billion-dollar company in his youth. But Levchin's struggle to redefine himself after PayPal gives some insight into Silicon Valley's obsession with hot new things, and the heavy expectation that one success will inevitably bring many more.
Affirm, Levchin's latest company, announced Wednesday that it has raised $275 million in debt and equity financing from Spark Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and others. The eye-popping figure promises to help Affirm, a lending service focused on millennials, grow its foothold in a competitive and complex market. At the same time, it serves as a loud and decisive declaration: Max Levchin is back and he's ready to bet big on financial services for the first time since PayPal.
Levchin, a Ukrainian computer science prodigy who was PayPal's original CTO and cofounder, left PayPal and the world of FinTech behind in 2002, following its acquisition by eBay. He went on to cement his position as one of the savvier investors in Silicon Valley. Levchin was the first to back Yelp and still serves as chairman of the $3 billion company. He also invested in a staggering list of billion-dollar startups, including Pinterest, Stripe and Square.
As an entrepreneur, however, Levchin's record is decidedly more mixed. His big post-PayPal project was Slide, a company that built social and gaming apps. Slide was eventually acquired by Google for around $200 million in 2010 — an impressive sum, but a pittance compared to PayPal's price tag. Worse still: Google killed Slide one year later to focus entirely on Google+.
Slide was in some sense doomed from the start. Levchin never really cared about social applications or games. His first love is math and financial technology. But he just couldn't bring himself to return to the financial services field again, with its inevitable comparisons to PayPal.
"It used to weigh on me," Levchin admitted in an interview this week with Mashable. "I spent a little bit of time running away from this. I did not want to be compared so directly to my past. What if I wind up with something smaller, how would that look?"
Looking back now, he adds a rhetorical line that sounds like a direct plea to his earlier self: "Why am I running away from the thing that I'm good at if I like it?"
Levchin's personal struggle sheds light on the large burden and larger egos of the technology industry's brightest minds. Those fortunate enough to be part of one startup that rises like a rocket ship often feel compelled to find or build an even bigger rocket ship next. That is particularly true for the group commonly referred to as the PayPal Mafia, whose members include Levchin's cofounders Peter Thiel, a billionaire investor and entrepreneur, and Elon Musk, who is literally building rocket ships at SpaceX. In that circle, selling a gaming service for a couple hundred million dollars sounds cute at best.
Late into his wilderness years, Levchin received some valuable career advice that helped set him straight. It didn't come from fellow entrepreneurs in the valley or his former PayPal colleagues. It came from his wife, who he describes as his chief cheerleader and chief critic.
"The best advice I got from her is to focus on things I'm already good at because that's where I have the most leverage," Levin said. "Don't be embarrassed to do another financial services company. You don't have to prove to the world you are a great dancer."
Levchin's next act
In early 2011, after having sold Slide and quickly exited Google, Levchin put together a startup incubator called HVF (it stands for "Hard Valuable Fun") to help steer the way to his next big thing. That led to two spun out companies: Glow, an app for tracking fertility, and Affirm. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Levchin decided to go with the latter as his full-time gig in 2014.
The short-term goal is Affirm is to make it easier for people to shop online and pay in installments. Affirm partners with select merchants — many of which are startups like Casper, a mattress service — to let customers break up a purchase in three, six, nine or 12 payments, with a flat interest rate ranging from 6%-30%, depending on the merchant and the item for sale.
By raising a huge pile of financing, the majority of which is in debt, Affirm hopes to appeal to larger merchants.
It may not sound sexy, but Affirm taps into the larger trend to re-think financial services for millennials, who have a healthy distrust of banks and prefer mobile-friendly solutions.
Levchin, 39, isn't part of the millennial demographic Affirm is targeting, but he does know a good opportunity when he sees one. "It's a huge and rapidly growing market," he says.
The longer-term goal for Affirm is to eventually build up a suite of consumer financial services, whether it's improving credit cards or "traditional depositing services," according to Levchin. "We expect your phone to be your primary financial tool, as opposed to an ATM or a bank branch."
If re-imagining the entire financial system sounds like a bold ambition, you can thank Levchin's wife (again). "Some of the earlier versions I ran by her... she said, 'This isn't big enough. Why fly to the moon? Fly to the next galaxy.'"
That's what he's trying for now. And if he happens to overtake PayPal in the process, well, all the better.
"I believe it can be much bigger than PayPal," Levchin says with renewed confidence. "But I also believe it can be much bigger than the biggest bank in the world."
Whatever happens, he claims to have come to terms with his past success. "I don't mind if people compare me to it."


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Sabah Mannan: Recently hit by a data breach scandal, Mark Zuckerberg-led Facebook said it signed data-sharing deals with dozens of phone and tablet makers over the years. Francisco Varela; leader of Facebook mobile partnerships remarked “Facebook along with many other US tech companies have worked with them and other Chinese manufacturers to integrate their services onto these phones.”
Later this week, the social network plans on ending agreement with Huawei and three other Chinese firms. Facebook also cleared that all the information from the integrations with Huawei was stored on the device and not on Huawei’s servers.
US intelligence officials pointed out that Chinese phones are a threat to national security as they allow foreign espionage. Citing potential security risks, the Pentagon had previously ordered retail outlets on US military bases to stop selling Huawei and ZTE phones. Concerns dating back to 2012 were raised by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. Source: WIO News
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Brexit and a Global Dearth of YieldSubmitted by DeDora Capital on July 15th, 2016
by Will Becker, AWMA/AIF
Last month Britain voted to leave the European Union, and a casual scan of the financial news made it seem like economic Armageddon was upon us. But this week the markets are punching all-time highs. Wait, what? But wasn’t life as we knew it supposed to end as markets fell into an unrecoverable downward spiral? Last February I wrote that:
“humans are notoriously bad investors. According to Dalbar, for the past 20 years the average Stock Fund investor earned 5.2% annually while the S&P 500 earned 9.85%. Our natural instincts to dive for cover when the Mastadon charge us is pretty good for surviving on the open range, but it turns out it doesn’t work so well with investing. Unfortunately, people are all-too-tempted to sell when the going is rough and buy after the growth happened.”
So with that in mind, here’s an update on economic items from the past couple weeks. First, companies are still sorting out what a Brexit might mean, as these stats from Earnings calls reveal. But Brexit is by no means a sure thing, the impact is mixed, and there are even some possible benefits for the US economy.
Meanwhile, Inflation & Economic activity ticked up while Unemployment ticked down. Good news! Not everything is smooth, though. Earnings are mixed, and it’s an open question whether the S&P will pull out Earnings growth this year. Earnings have basically been flat for about a year. The S&P has toggled back and forth in a pretty narrow range during that time, as displayed in the chart below with my edits in Red.
Internationally, Central banks are still trying to pump liquidity into global markets. This is resulting in a long, steady decline in Global Bond yields. Below is a chart illustrating the decline in yields – including two with negative rates - and a noteworthy comic on the topic of negative interest rates…
In the longer term, the U.S. economy continues to transition away from Goods-Producing jobs. The rate of Goods-Producing jobs in the U.S. is less than half of what it was a century ago. A generation of Americans grew up pretty confident that they could get a factory job (Goods-Producing!) out of school. My generation was more of the work-at-Starbucks (Service-Producing!)-until-landing-the-desired-job kind of situation. That illustrates the transition from roughly 40% Goods-Producing to roughly 80% Service-Producing in 60 years. Incidentally, China is trying very hard to make a similar transition from Manufacturing to Service-Producing.
I’ll close out with a few additions to the “things ain’t what they used to be” topic. This year – and even in the past couple weeks – there have been a few news stories that remind me that the times they are a changin’. Here is a quick roundup:
- Self-Driving cars get in trouble: two Tesla’s crashed while on Autopilot. I’m not actually debating about whether the self-driving cars are safer or not, but instead I want to point out that there are cars driving themselves on the roads. This is kind of a big deal! Plus the major auto manufacturers are investing heavily in self-driving technology… so we should expect to see more of this.
- Amazon invented their own shopping holiday – “Prime Day” – and in year two they pulled in about $525 million in sales. For reference, that is more than the Annual Gross Domestic Product of a small country such as Tonga.
- A week after launch, the smartphone app called “Pokemon Go” has 21 million players and is kind of like Geo-Caching that bridges the gap between the gaming world and the real life world. But sometimes with tragic consequences. Here’s an article describing what it is, in case you are curious. I’m not particularly curious about it, for the record, but when 21 million people are doing something I pay attention!
This commentary on this website reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints and analyses of the DeDora Capital, Inc. employees providing such comments, and should not be regarded as a description of advisory services provided by DeDora Capital, Inc. or performance returns of any DeDora Capital, Inc. Investments client. The views reflected in the commentary are subject to change at any time without notice. Nothing on this website constitutes investment advice, performance data or any recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Any mention of a particular security and related performance data is not a recommendation to buy or sell that security. DeDora Capital, Inc. manages its clients’ accounts using a variety of investment techniques and strategies, which are not necessarily discussed in the commentary. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.


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This week, the UK will pass a new milestone on the road to recovery. On the day after the Autumn Statement, we will mark the third anniversary of London’s Tech City. No one who looks at the figures can dispute that the tech/digital economy is powering UK growth.
A year ago, when I joined Tech City as chief executive, I made absolutely clear that this shouldn’t just be an effort to grow an area of London. This has to boost the UK economy as a whole. What we are seeing now is a wave rolling right across, and beyond, the capital as the internet economy grows at 11pc a year.
We are living through an amazing period of technology-driven creativity and innovation that holds the potential to transform society, culture and business on a mass scale.
This is catalysing growth across London, with the number of tech and digital companies in the city almost doubling between 2009 and 2012, as we will show in a report we are publishing this week.
There are now over half a million people employed in the sector and it’s providing approximately 30pc of all job growth across the capital. What’s more, jobs in this sector have grown by nearly 17pc during the same period, against an overall growth rate of 0.3pc.
But for me, what’s even better than these statistics is the tribute recently paid by New York mayor, Mike Bloomberg, who placed London ahead of Silicon Valley and on a par with New York in the battle to be the tech industry’s champion city.
The big challenge now is to maintain momentum. We have to take the tech/digital economy to the next stage.
That’s why this week Tech City will be announcing a range of new initiatives to accelerate digital growth. This will include details of the next set of Future Fifty companies – a Tech City led initiative to support the most promising tech companies to scale up and reach their potential.
The companies on the Future Fifty programme prove that we have moved beyond a few digital start-ups to nurturing world-class high growth businesses across many sectors – all of which have one thing in common: they are digital at their core and they are powering ahead to generate long term sustainable growth and jobs in the UK.
There will also be new announcements and policies that will help businesses leverage government services to hire and increase the size of their businesses, as well as new investments by global technology companies in London.
We’ve already seen some of the largest players like Amazon and Google increase their operations here and we’re looking forward to more investment. And alongside all of this, we’ll be showing how Tech City has become the nucleus of a new era of growth in the UK economy.
I strongly believe that innovative technology businesses hold the key to our future prosperity. If these businesses can keep growing at the rate they’ve done over the last three years, and if we continue to get the right support from business and government, we can create an unrivalled digital economy. We’ve come a long way in three years – but this is just the beginning.
Joanna Shields is the CEO of Tech City


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Publix in Cocoa Beach to be razed, rebuilt
Demolition is expected to begin after Labor Day
- The new store will be 46,000+ square feet and include a pharmacy drive-through
A Cocoa Beach Publix and part of an adjacent strip mall will be razed to make way for a brand new store.
The Cocoa Beach City Commission unanimously approved a site plan for Publix to demolish its existing building at 2067 N. Atlantic Ave. A vacant attached parcel and five vacant retail spaces in the Banana River Square shopping center will also be torn down.
In that spot, the company will build a new 46,031 square-foot Publix store with a pharmacy drive-through.
"We’re trying to redevelop not just Publix but the entire shopping center," said Mike Allen, president of Allen Engineering, who spoke on behalf of Publix to the commission.
Demolition is expected to begin after Labor Day and construction should take "less than a year," said Allen at a recent Planning Board meeting. In the meantime, shoppers will have to get groceries at another store.
The new Publix would include "all the traditional sub departments and some modifications and improvement," said Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens. He said he was not able to give more specific details about store amenities.
Plans include a total face lift of the shopping center, including a new parking lot, landscaping, lighting and drainage. It's a welcome change, said Mayor Ben Malik, as it's been 30 years since the complex has been renovated.
Business owner Tre Tillman said he was not aware of the plan, but that his business will remain open during construction. Tillman has operated Tillman's Barber Shop next to the existing Publix for five years.
"I'm sure it's going to affect everyone in this plaza," he said. "We're going to do the best we can. We're going to hang in there."
Malik said it should be "business as usual," for most of the complex, as the project would occur in phases.
Plans also call for changes to current traffic patterns, a topic that garnered some debate during the meeting.
Commissioner Mike Miller raised concerns over the number of entrances into the shopping complex and the relocation of a bus stop. The current bus stop is just east of the current store. A relocation would move it slightly north so that it would not interfere with a new entrance allowing cars to turn right into the parking lot from A1A, said Allen.
"We love the fact Publix is rebuilding that store in our neighborhood, and we love the fact they’re making an investment," said Commissioner Mike Miller. "... but the devil is in the details."
Miller did not back down with his view on the bus stop plan, saying it "seems to me like Publix is turning its back on the people who use public transportation."
The commission voted that Allen consult with city staff about the possibility of adjusting the bus stop relocation and revisit traffic flow options. Stormwater options will also be reviewed.
Contact Saggio at 321-242-3664, email@example.com or follow @JessicaJSaggio on Twitter. Instagram: JessicaJSaggio Snapchat: JuhJuhJuh


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Nearly two months have passed since tragedy struck at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center in May, but community-wide support remains unwavering. Commonwealth Brewing Company recently announced the arrival of LoveStrong IPA, a benefit brew that will donate 100 percent of its proceeds to the United Way Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund. The exclusive pink can will be available in the taproom starting Friday, July 26.
Complementing the Friday release are live performances by Lena Klett and Swell Luck, as well as food truck bites from Slide Thru #FAM and Joysicles Gourment Pops. Speaking to the mission of LoveStrong is Commonwealth owner and head brewer Jeramy Biggie. “Creating LoveStrong is our brewery family’s way of supporting the families of the victims and helping cultivate love and healing in our community,” he says. “The name is a true reflection of the people of Virginia Beach and the outpouring of love and support provided for those impacted by this tragedy.”
Taproom pours are expected to go quickly, but the benefit IPA will be distributed by Hoffman Beverage to a host of restaurants in Norfolk and Virginia Beach beginning July 29. LoveStrong will be available at Prosperity Kitchen and Pantry, Whiskey Kitchen, Beachside Social, Aloha Snacks, Bottlecraft Virginia Beach, The Casual Pint, Whole Foods, Grape & Gourmet, The Birch, The Public House, Gosport Tavern, Jack Brown’s, bottleBOX and all TASTE locations. Partnering restaurants will also donate a portion of proceeds to the Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund.


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Cars.com has named the all-new 2013 Scion FR-S Best of 2013.
Each year at the North American International Auto Show, which is currently being hosted in Detroit, Cars.com hosts a Best Of awards show. Classic Toyota excitedly reported that this year, the 2013 Scion FR-S went home with the grand prize.
The Best Of award has come to be much respected in the auto industry as Cars.com is one of the most reliable names in the automotive world. Customers across the country trust the website every day when making purchasing decisions about new and pre-owned vehicles.
Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief, Cars.com, said, “This year, our team of experts drove and evaluated dozens of 2013 models, and the competition was steep.” Thus, arriving at the decision was difficult. The Scion FR-S was up against stiff competition in both the best sports car segment and the all-around car segment. This means that not only did the Scion FR-S have to defeat immediate competitors in its own segment to win Best of Sports Cars 2013, but then it also had to defeat industry bests that excelled in categories such as best midsize sedan, luxury sedan, SUV, hybrid, and pickup to merit the overall Best of 2013 award.
In the end, Olsen said that it was the FR-S’s “impressive driving ability at a remarkably affordable price” that gave the sports car an edge over the rest of the competition.
Scion Vice President, Doug Murtha, spoke of the victory: “Winning the Best of 2013 award is an honor and evidence of the sustained energy around the FR-S. As many drivers have discovered, the FR-S is truly bringing the sport back to the car.”
Classic Toyota is very excited about this distinction. The 2013 Scion FR-S is available at Classic Scion, a division of Classic Toyota.
About Classic Toyota
Classic Toyota has been proudly serving loyal customers in the Whitehouse, Longview, Lufkin, Jacksonville, Bullard, and Lindale areas for over 17 years. We have an extensive inventory of new and pre-owned vehicles, and customer service is our specialty. Come in today, and we guarantee your experience with Classic Toyota will be the best you’ve ever had.


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Fast-casual restaurant Just Salad is scheduled to open Friday in Boca Raton, one of five new restaurants planned for the chain in South Florida this year, according to a news release issued Monday.
The new location is at 5050 Town Center Circle in Boca Raton, a shopping plaza that already has stores and restaurants including Total Wine, Panera Bread, Morton’s Steakhouse and Brio Tuscan Grille.
New York City-based Just Salad opened its first South Florida restaurant in Pembroke Pines in July. Just Salad also is planning restaurants at 1732 North Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale; the Shoppes of Civica, 1050 NW 14th St. in Miami; and 18701 Biscayne Blvd. in Aventura.
The Boca Raton restaurant will employ about 30 people, and the new locations in total will create more than 150 jobs in Florida, the company said.
Just Salad uses local produce including cucumbers, carrots, and beets from J&J Family of Farms in Loxahatchee and herbs from Harvest Sensations in Miami. Produce is served raw, roasted, baked or steamed, the restaurant says.
Specialties include Buffalo Chicken Salad, Keto Zoodle Bowl and Crunchy Avocado Toast. Keto and Paleo diets, vegan and gluten-free choices are available.
The restaurant also features wraps, warm bowls and soups.
Calorie counts for the salads range from 160 to 660, with another 100 to 150 calories for dressing, according to Just Salad’s price list for Boca Raton. Salad prices are about $9 to $11.
Just Salad offers a resusable salad bowl for $1, and has the goal of sending zero waste to a landfill by 2022.
The 2,300-square-foot Boca Center location has seating for 63, including community tables.
Online and app ordering will be available with a 20-minute pick-up guarantee, the company says. The restaurant will be open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Just Salad was founded in 2006 in New York by Nick Kenner who was seeking a healthy lunch alternative “on the go.” The company now has nearly 50 restaurants worldwide.


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Virtual reality (VR) will soon be the main interface to interact with other people and machines, predicted speakers at the EmTech Asia conference.
By Francis Kan
Let's face it: The pace of development of virtual reality (VR) technology means that the platform will soon overtake mobile phones as the main way that people interact with each other and their devices, according to speakers at a conference on emerging technologies.
"VR is a door and not a window. You walk into a virtual environment and not look at a screen," said Alvin Wang Graylin, China regional president of Vive, HTC’s VR arm, at this year's EmTech Asia conference.
"The headset will be one device on your head that will replace everything on your screen," he added.
Held in Singapore on Jan 30 and 31, the EmTech Asia conference showcased leading-edge technologies with the greatest potential to change lives and brought together some of the most innovative people and companies in the world.
Looking ahead, Mr Graylin expects VR adoption to pick up in 2018 with the emergence of 4K screens for VR devices and the beginnings of 5G networks.
This will overcome current latency and bandwidth issues, and increase the level of immersion a user experiences.
It will also allow for cloud-based processing that will enable headsets to become smaller in size.
Widespread adoption will have a major impact in areas such as healthcare, education and sports performance, he noted.
"VR can make good teachers available to everyone. It will also enable schools to use VR to conduct virtual experiments."
Brett Bibby, vice president of engineering at Unity Technologies, added that it will be industry, and not video gaming as most people expect, that will drive the growth of VR.
(Editor: Unity Technologies is a video games development company best known for the cross-platform Unity game engine, familiar even to fans of mobile games like Angry Birds 2 and Super Mario Run.)
He noted that the cost savings that can be realised by using VR technology – for instance, in oil rig inspections – would be a catalyst for quicker adoption by businesses.
Augmenting human ability
VR is also part of a broader phenomenon known as Cross-Reality (XR), or technology-fuelled experiences that combine digital and biological realities.
These include human augmentation applications, such as a drone that moves in tandem with a human, or technology that allows people to share experiences.
Sony Computer Science Laboratories, for instance, is working to augment humans using VR and augmented reality (AR) by providing users not only with their own perspectives on virtual worlds, but also the perspectives of other users as well.
This effectively enables a user to "see" through someone else's eyes.
The company calls this “superception”, and is designed to add another layer to the VR experience.
Sony is also working on a "human Uber" concept whereby a mask-shaped display shows a remote user’s live face, and a voice channel transmits a remote user’s voice.
The AR technology effectively uses a real human as a surrogate for another remote user.
"Ultimately, technology does not replace humans but augments them," said Jun Rekimoto, deputy director, of Sony Computer Science Laboratories.
1. Photos of EmTech Asia, including those used in the teaser image, are courtesy of EmTech Asia Facebook page.
IMDA Accreditation sets IOT start-up Willowmore on path to success
Willowmore’s Joseph Tey shares how IMDA Accreditation has opened doors to new partnerships.
Unveiling Singapore's Gems in the film industry: Meet Mark, Xander and Kin
Singapore's rising stars and their valuable contributions help Made with SG films captivate global audience – supported by IMDA


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Xbox Series X | S: The team wants to improve the gameplay capture function
Although both next-generation consoles at home Microsoft I’m able to record video clips and screenshot captures, their Game DVR functionality isn’t exactly cutting edge, as fans are well aware. Recently Jason RonaldXbox Director of Program Management, acknowledged the problem by specifying that the team will work to improve the gameplay capture feature on Xbox Series X | S in 2022.
Xbox Series X | S: The team is hard at work on the gameplay capture feature
Ronald, interviewed on the occasion of the Iron Lord podcast, explained that gameplay capture on the Xbox Series X | S is an area where the team has not been able to make as much progress as the director would have liked, and it is one of the priorities that Microsoft’s developers will be working on in the near future. In this regard, the director explained that the support and feedback from fans will be essential for the success of the function.
During the interview, Ronald was also asked if Xbox will ever introduce a system similar to that of the trophies from PlayStation and his response was unexpected. The manager in fact specified that on this issue there is always a great interest from the community and that it is, in his opinion, a very interesting topic, since it allows players to enjoy video games in a different way.
It therefore seems that something is boiling in the pot from this point of view as well, given that Ronald explained that he and the other developers are evaluating various ways in which to insert the objectives in the Xbox ecosystem. In fact, the director spoke of how one of the biggest problems they are facing concerns how to balance the game objectives, adapting them to a multiplayer or story driven context depending on the single product.
In short, the 2022 it could be a year of big news for Xbox, we just have to wait for the next few months to find out more.