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Study: 22% of SMBs Use Cloud-Based Solutions for Marketing
July 12, 2017 | Contributed by: Joe Morsello
Nearly half of small businesses have adopted cloud-based tools and many more will in the next 12 to 18 months. This shift to the cloud may be the most disruptive trend yet facing local marketing and media sellers.
As it stands today, a new study found that 22% of SMBs are already making use of cloud-based technology (SaaS) for marketing and advertising. This was second behind payroll and HR (25%) and ahead of customer relationship management (20%), finance and operations (14%) and supply chain services (10%).
Of the services analyzed, 37% of SMBs said they aren’t using any of the ones listed. For those planning to shift to cloud-based tech, 27% will be investing in CRM tools. And of those who expect to invest in new tech, 82% expect to do so within the next year. Understanding this shift will help SMB providers make strategic decisions related to product development, competitive differentiation and growth strategies.


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Scientists have calculated that unless something drastic is done within the next 30 years, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. It’s hard to underestimate just how essential bioplastics will be enough.
In this episode of Trading Places, we’ll dive into a new industry: bioplastics — a kind of plastic made from renewable resources, such as sugar or waste, and that comes with promises.
"Conventional plastics that we use every day — whether they’re in packaging or clothing or cars — they’re made from oil and gas. They’re often called fossil-based plastics, whereas bio-based plastics, (also called bio-plastics or biopolymers) are made from a natural biomass material. This ranges from things like wood and sawdust to plants like corn, potatoes, sugar, and so on. So there’s a huge range of materials that come under that broad buyer plastic category."
"Where it’s a bioplastic, that’s just a drop-in. So it’s PET. Or it’s polyethylene. That’s fine. They can just get recycled with the other plastic bottles. Where it’s a completely new material — that’s where it [recycling] gets complicated. One of the common new materials is called PLA and that’s a compostable plastic, but it looks exactly like PET."
"There's so much confusion over the language and the labels. One of the most common words you see bandied around is biodegradable. And biodegradable sounds great, but it’s meaningless. Really all it’s saying is that it’s something that will break down over an unspecified period of time. It might break down in this environment, but not in that environment, it doesn’t actually help. And it’s actually quite misleading."
"…because if it breaks down in the environment, it becomes microplastics in the short term, which are dangerous. Eventually it may break down into carbon dioxide and biomass but it will take a long period of time…"
"I think big plastic manufacturing companies would have known for some time that only a very small portion of plastic was being recycled. Yet they still continue to use the recycling logos and they’ll running recycling campaigns creating this perception that their products were sustainable."
"It was very difficult 10 years ago when I joined the bioplastic market and it made perfect sense to me that why would you produce something out of plastic when you can produce it out of a bioplastic that can be composted safely back into the environment and work indefinitely in that virtuous cycle.
I thought this was, this was just fantastic. But when we went to the market and tried to sell it, you know, it costs more, it didn’t have the support of waste streams. People said, why would I buy compostable plastic potentially pay more?"
"Back then, we were not trying to knock on the door of brands, and we weren’t really getting anywhere. Now we’re getting brands come to us and say, can you help us produce our products in a more sustainable way?"
"Europe's a big buyer as well. The US is starting to invest heavily in those precursors. So we’re seeing more and more investment in different raw materials and in capacity for these precursors so that the bioplastic industry can keep up with demand…"
"We've been very fortunate that we have multiple manufacturing facilities — three in Malaysia and one in China. And we have sales offices in the US and Australia and distribution in Mexico. This allowed us to be close to our customer."
"We've seen some of the shipping delays blow out from, you know, a two week shipping trip is taking sometimes up to three months now, um, you know, a $ 5,000 cost to ship a container is costing up to $ 20,000 or $ 30,000."
"We're very fortunate that we have no debt on our balance sheet and we are a business that can hold a lot of inventory. We have multiple manufacturing facilities and multiple distribution channels. We deal with the US tariffs by supplying into the US out of Malaysia. We can avoid tariffs. And we can be more competitive that way with the US market. We still supply out of China to other markets where there’s free trade agreements in place."
Host: Rachel Williamson
— Helen Lewis — a consultant working in the area of sustainable packaging and plastics.
— Richard Tacony — chairman of Seco Script Limited.
Producer/Director: Sonny Sanjay Vadgama
Showrunner: Sergey Faldin
Get the multi-currency account built for quick and easy international payments, with no limits.

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Good news from Zen Mobile! The Indian manufacturer of mobile phones has launched M-72, a dual SIM mobile phone decked with several exciting features. To know more about this phone, just read on!
M-72 is a stylish mobile phone with a 2.4 inch colored display screen, FM radio, a 1.3 megapixel camera which can also capture video, a 3.5mm jack, dual LED torch, support for Hindi language, Bluetooth, alarm, sound recorder, anti-theft mobile tracker, speakerphone, calendar with schedule, world clock as well as private data protection facility. This phone is capable of playing Mp3 and Mp4 files. As far as the battery of this phone is concerned, it has 1800mAh battery offering 40 days standby time.
Deepesh Gupta, the managing director of Zen Mobile, has commented that the objective of launching this mobile phone is to meet the changing needs of the customers in India and also to make mobile communication available to as many people as possible at most affordable rates.


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“Disruptive” Spanish and Portuguese start-ups to showcase talent in Madrid
A new joint project between Spanish financial services project Next Bank Madrid and Swift’s Innotribe innovation wing aims to unleash the potential of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American start-up companies in financial services.
On 25 June, eight financial technology start-ups will gather in Madrid to showcase their businesses to an audience of financial services executives, entrepreneurs and investors. Participants include SetPay, a Spanish equivalent to Square, built on an open platform, and LoanBook Capital, a crowd lending platform for SMEs.
The event is supported by Wayra, a Latin American and European start-up funding firm created by Telefónica, as well as the IE Business School in Madrid. After the presentations, a winner will be chosen and granted a demo slot at the Sibos conference in Dubai in September.
“The idea is to unlock some of the potential of Spain in financial services,” said Andres Fontao, partner, Next Bank Madrid. “Spain has been the benchmark for innovation in financial services; the country leads in mobile payments. In Spain, anyone can start a financial services firm in their garage. That’s a threat to the traditional players – and the banks are trying to get as close as they can to the action.”
Spain does have a history of embracing new financial technologies such as mobile and contactless payment. In 2012, Barcelona became one of Spain’s first “contactless cities” following a project between Caixa Bank, the Barcelona City Council, the Metropolitan Taxi Institute and Mercats de Barcelona. Meanwhile in May, Spanish banks La Caixa and Santander partnered with telecoms firm Telefónica to create a joint venture offering mobile payment services and a digital wallet designed to relegate conventional payment methods to the history books.
However, according to Matteo Rizzi, co-founder at Innotribe, the scope is more ambitious – Innotribe is planning to hold a whole series of events across Spain and the Latin American countries to reach out to the entire Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world.
“This is the first step of a new experiment,” said Rizzi. “When we did the Innotribe Start-up Challenge, we found that only two of the 250 applicants were from the Spanish/Portuguese speaking countries. Some 60 firms have applied for this Next Bank Madrid event. If we can ensure the quality of the start-ups and the process, the plan is to do five more events in Latin America.”
Expanding into Latin America would make sense on a number of levels; besides the fact that Spanish and Portuguese are spoken across the continent, Fontao at Next Bank Madrid estimates that one-third of the top banks in Latin America are Spanish. In addition, these countries have also seen innovative payment initiatives in recent months; in May, Telefónica formed a deal with MasterCard in Brazil to create a new service called Zuum, which will allows Brazilians to transfer money, buy credits for pre-paid mobile phones and pay bills with their mobile phone.
Sao Paulo in Brazil, Santiago in Chile, Mexico City in Mexico and Bogota, Colombia have already been shortlisted, according to Fontao.
Registrations for the event in Madrid are open until 16 June: the competition is open to any Spanish financial technology start up aged three years or less, with a market-ready product, and with less than €1 million funding obtained in the last 12 months, and with an annual turnover of less than €1 million. NextBank Madrid is a collaboration between Spanish start-up support organisation Finnovista and Nasdaq.


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Taraji P. Henson kicked off her AMAs hosting gig in a sparkling silver mini dress on November 22! She paired her red carpet ensemble with a beaded headpiece and silver jewels. See Taraji’s first look and all of her hosting outfits!
One of music’s biggest nights brought together the brightest stars in the game today — and boy, do they look good!
Megan Fox, J.LO, and more lit up the red carpet at the 2020 AMAs.
The 2020 American Music Awards are coming up on Nov. 22, and ahead of the show, we’re looking back at some of the hottest red carpet looks in years’ past.
In honor of Nikki and Brie Bella’s 37th birthday on Nov. 21, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and looking back at some of their best red carpet moments together.
Nikki and Brie Bella have showed off numerous awesome looks on various red carpets. Here are some of our favorites.
After slaying the CMA Awards red carpet in a rosy red dress, Kelsea Ballerini rocked the stage with a fun performance of ‘Hole In The Bottle.’
When the fashion is good, the rest don’t matter! Maren Morris has arrived to the CMA Awards looking as fierce as ever in Dolce & Gabbana & then performed ‘The Bones.’
Carly Pearce was already an award winner when she showed up to the 2020 CMA Awards — and she fit the part perfectly when walked the red carpet AND performed onstage.
‘DWTS’ alum & country star Lauren Alaina looks as glam as ever on the CMA Awards red carpet! See the pics!
The birthday girl is here! Miranda Lambert arrived hand-in-hand with her hot husband Brendan at the CMA Awards looking glam in pink!
It’s CMA Awards night! Even amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the stars still showed up in their best glammed-up looks for the red carpet on Nov. 11.
See photos of celebrity arrivals at the CMA Awards 2020.
Put on your cowboy hats and don your cowgirl boots, it’s time to get ready for the 2020 CMA Awards! Before the ceremony kicks off, look back through some of the hottest red carpet looks the show has ever seen!
It’s Miranda Lambert’s birthday! In honor of her special day, we’re taking a walk down memory lane and looking back at her best red carpet looks of all time!


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Agri SA is calling on government to launch an urgent inquiry into the ongoing shortage of diesel to various industries. Farmers currently harvesting produce such as maize, citrus and other commodities are particularly hard hit due to the increase in cost and the limited availability of diesel in particular provinces.
Diesel shortage has far-reaching effects
The agricultural value chain is heavily dependent on diesel for harvesting and transporting produce to offset points. According to Agri SA, disruptions in supply can paralyse the industry and all commodities can potentially be affected.
For example, farmers in the northern parts of the country are busy harvesting summer grains at the moment. Given the fact that there currently is a high demand for white maize meal, the prolonged shortage of diesel could impact negatively on food security. The logistical linkages in the dairy and fresh produce supply chain is also particularly vulnerable, while high value export commodities such as citrus, fruit and macadamias may also be affected.
Working together to curb criminal activity
One of the key reasons for the shortage is the continuous vandalism and theft from the diesel supply lines between Durban and Johannesburg. This poses a serious challenge to Transnet, which owns, manages and operates an underground network of 3 800km of high-pressure petroleum and gas pipelines. Since April this year, more than 30 incidents of theft have occurred on the pipeline, during which more than 2 million litres of fuel were stolen.
Thieves are increasingly damaging the pipelines and associated infrastructure to steal diesel. This is extremely dangerous as they are not just endangering themselves and causing extensive damage to the environment, but their actions also endanger the lives of people living near the pipelines. In addition, they trespass on farmland and threaten the safety of farming communities in the vicinity of the pipeline.
Agri SA and its various provincial affiliates, in collaboration with Transnet, has launched a campaign encouraging farmers to report any criminal activity aimed at vandalising the pipeline to steal diesel. Any suspicious activities can be reported by calling 0800 203 843 or 031 361 1500, or SAPS Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Agri SA is also in continuous contact with Transnet regarding the safety of the farming community near the pipeline, as well as the pipeline itself.
As the economy opens up it is imperative that fuel supplies are secured. Agri SA urges Transnet, industry stakeholders and government to act swiftly on the matter to avoid further damage to the already fragile South African economy. – Press release, Agri SA


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Famous Chinese eatery Haidilao Hot Pot is finally opening in Vancouver.
According to the Kits on Broadway BIA, the iconic global chain of eateries will be coming soon to a 5,759-sq-ft property at 3204 W Broadway, the former location of Swiss Chalet, which shuttered in 2017.
The hot pot restaurant hailing from China quietly opened its first Canadian location back in December 2018 in Richmond at 5890 No. 3 Road. This new outpost will be its second in BC.
- See also:
Founded in Sichuan Province, China, in 1994, Haidilao has grown to have dozens of locations spread across the US, Singapore, Japan, and Korea, offering patrons high-quality hot pot, which they can order from digital tablets in a sleek, modern atmosphere.
We’ll keep you posted on an opening date — stay tuned.
Haidilao Hot Pot — Vancouver
Address: 3204 W Broadway, Vancouver


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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - U.S. stocks fell Friday as investors sought to take money off the table ahead of a U.S. holiday weekend, against the backdrop of further economic uncertainty.|
While money rotated away from "old economy" issues, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index didn't fare much better – swinging between a 2 percent gain and a 2 percent loss.
The sell-off sent the major indexes tumbling, although losses were tempered by the end of the day's trading session.
Earnings warnings from computer hardware makers Gateway and Dow Jones industrial average component Hewlett-Packard were shrugged off, but investors still hesitated to buy tech stocks with any conviction because of Monday's holiday.
"There's a little volatility on the downside ahead of the long weekend, so we're seeing money flowing out of the Dow and selectively going into the tech arena," said Peter Cardillo, director of research with Westfalia Investments. "Industrial stocks are not doing so well."
U.S. markets are closed Monday to commemorate the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
But it wasn't all bad news. Despite the day's modest losses, Nasdaq eked out a three-day gain this week, its first time since late August, and ended the week higher for the first time in more than a month, gaining 9 percent.
The Nasdaq fell 14.07 to 2,626.50. Since the start of the year, the composite has gained 5.9 percent.
And the Dow came back from triple-digit losses, losing only 84.17 points to 10,525.38. The blue chip closed the week down only 1.2 percent, while the S&P 500 shed 8.27 to 1,318.55 and ended the week with a 1.6 percent gain.
Market breadth was positive and volume was heavy. Advancers topped decliners on the New York Stock Exchange 1,463 to 1,401, as more than 1.26 billion shares changed hands. On the Nasdaq, winners outpaced losers 2,370 to 1,461, as more than 2.5 billion shares were traded.
In other markets, Treasury securities plunged amid interest rate concerns. The dollar was little changed against the euro but strengthened versus the yen.
Dow takes a tumble
As technology stocks continued to churn, the Dow took a hit from selling in many of its other issues, led by manufacturing stocks. The blue chip index may suffer further volatility next week, with 10 of its component companies due to report quarterly earnings.
DuPont (DD: Research, Estimates) fell $1.81 to $43.19, 3M (MMM: Research, Estimates) skidded $2.44 to $109.69, and United Technologies (UTX: Research, Estimates) plunged $3.19 to $70.69.
Financial stocks also were headed lower amid economic jitters. J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM: Research, Estimates) fell 81 cents to $53.31 and Citigroup (C: Research, Estimates) shed $1.88 to $53.13.
"There's so much doubt out there ahead of this three-day weekend that many players are just selling into the market -- taking their cash and moving to the sidelines," said Alan Ackerman, senior vice president with Fahnestock & Co.
In the day's economic reports, wholesale prices were unchanged in December while retail sales rose 0.1 percent, according to government reports. But excluding food and energy, the "core" Producer Price Index rose 0.3 percent, which came in above Wall Street forecasts.
Friday's data sparked some concern that the Fed may not continue cutting interest rates. But analysts dismissed the concern, saying the Fed was more concerned with recession than inflation.
Just last week, the Fed cut its rates by a half-percentage point and signaled it would cut rates further in a bid to give the economy a lift. Lower rates tend to spur spending by businesses and consumers, boosting economic growth and fattening corporate profits.
Gateway, Hewlett-Packard shrugged off
As bottom line warnings come into play, investors have been initially selling, only to return later in the session and snap up bargains.
"The market is going to shrug that off," said Art Hogan, chief market analyst at Jefferies & Co., about the cautionary tone. "We spent so much time pricing in so much bad news, we can actually move on now."
But the bearers of bad news were punished.
Gateway (GTW: Research, Estimates) fell $1.80 to $21.10 after saying that fourth-quarter earnings came in well below what analysts surveyed by First Call expected, and the computer maker warned that 2001 profit will be below expectations. As a result, the company is reducing its work force by more than 12 percent.
Hewlett-Packard (HWP: Research, Estimates) tumbled $1.69 to $30.69 after saying it will earn between 35 cents and 40 cents a share for the fiscal first quarter, ending this month, below the 42-cent consensus of analysts surveyed by First Call.
Still, Frank La Salla, president of BNY Clearing International, told CNNfn's market coverage, that he expects to see more positive earnings surprises as the year progresses. (302K WAV) (302K AIFF)
Rambus (RMBS: Research, Estimates) plunged $3.94 to $44.94 after the computer-memory technology specialist reported a first-quarter profit that fell short of Wall Street's expectations -- partly because of a higher tax rate -- and warned about future royalty revenue from a type of memory chip.
Despite the warnings, other tech stocks made modest gains. IBM (IBM: Research, Estimates) gained 13 cents to $93.81, and Qualcomm (QCOM: Research, Estimates) rose $1.25 to $71.81.
Ariba (ARBA: Research, Estimates) fell $8.19 to $35.19 despite the business-to-business e-commerce software maker reporting fiscal first-quarter revenue and earnings that beat analysts' estimates, becoming the first "pure-play" B2B commerce company to report a profit.
The selling came after Ariba was downgraded by Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown, ABN Amro, SG Cowen, Wasserstein Perella, Robinson Humphrey and Friedman Billings.
There was at least one positive surprise in the technology sector. Internet ad company DoubleClick (DCLK: Research, Estimates) rose $3.44 to $14.69 after it broke even for the fourth quarter. Analysts expected a loss of about 2 cents a share. But DoubleClick forecast a loss of 7 cents-to-9 cents a share in the first quarter, a worse showing than the 6-cent loss originally projected, because of lower media revenue.
Stamp of approval for AOL Time Warner
America Online and Time Warner's newly completed marriage had little impact on investors, a day after federal regulators approved the groundbreaking merger following a year of wrangling over the future of competition in the Internet-related services arena.
Stock of the new company, named AOL Time Warner (AOL: Research, Estimates) and trading under the symbol "AOL," slid 87 cents to $46.36.
CNNfn is a unit of AOL Time Warner.


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Lenovo unveiled Star Trek Enterprise designed PC at its Tech World Conference, packed with Nvidia's latest next-generation GeForce RTX 2080 GPU and an overclocked ninth-generation Intel CPU.
The post Lenovo sets computer to stun, shows off Star Trek Enterprise PC appeared first on Digital Trends.
Dell, HP, and three other manufacturers may be building premium Chromebooks to combat Google's Pixelbook. The rumor is based on a master board design reportedly used by the Chrome OS team for a new wave of enterprise Chromebooks.
The post Dell, HP may be building premium Chromebooks to compete with Google Pixelbook appeared first on Digital Trends.
Samsung revealed the PM1643, a new SSD for the enterprise packing a 31TB storage capacity. It relies on V-NAND flash memory technology, which stacks memory cells vertically versus the city block design used in standard SSDs.
The post Samsung beefs up the data center with a new SSD packing 31TB of storage appeared first on Digital Trends.
Alphabet introduced a new cybersecurity company called Chronicle that focuses on simplicity, scalability, and fast responses for the enterprise. What does that mean for you? Cloud-based services that are possibly more secure.
The post Alphabet’s new cybersecurity company focuses on accelerating threat responses appeared first on Digital Trends.
A recent study issued by cloud service provider Backblaze reports that hard drives built for data centers aren't more reliable than models sold on the mainstream desktop market. The company compared two 8TB drives from Seagate.
The post Report shows enterprise hard drives are no more reliable than mainstream models appeared first on Digital Trends.


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DailyMail reports the manufacturer of Purell has been hit with a lawsuit for ‘misleading claims’ about how effective the hand sanitizer actually is, according to recently filed court papers obtained by DailyMail.com.
Four individuals filed the class action lawsuit against Gojo Industries, Inc. last Friday in the federal court for the Northern District of Ohio, as coronavirus fears swept through the country and shelves were wiped clean of Purell and other disinfectants.
The suit references Purell’s bottle label that claims it ‘kills 99.99% of illness-causing germs,’ claiming the ‘labeling and marketing… is misleading because they imply sound scientific support when none exists.’
It adds that while Purell is advertised at ‘helping to prevent infection, as well as diseases such as the flu and the common cold,’ there is ‘no sound scientific evidence to support the claims’.
The plaintiffs seek an undetermined amount in damages for any customer who bought the hand sanitizer and ‘relied upon the product’s packaging and marketing materials.’
The case states: ‘[Gojo] has falsely advertised the qualities and capabilities of the [Purell] and misled consumers into purchasing [Purell]’.
The suit points to the FDA’s warning letter to Gojo on January 17, 2020, regarding its ‘false and misleading marketing’.
The suit states: ‘The Warning Letter specifically noted that additional representations Defendant had made about the Products’ effectiveness against the flu, norovirus, and ebola were unsubstantiated insofar as the FDA was not aware of any study showing that killing bacteria or virus on skin reduced the likelihood of infection or disease in users.’
The letter informed Gojo that Purell as it was currently formulated and labeled was ‘in violation of the FDC Act’ because ‘the FDA was not aware of any reliable studies concluding that the Products help prevent the spread of infection and disease.’
Fear of COVID-19 has led people to stock up on Purell and other disinfectants, leaving store shelves empty.


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The Nintendo Switch has received plenty of support from folks interested to learn more about its own take on game presentation, which has led to units being hard to come by. However, it appears there is good news for the people who are still looking to get this new gaming platform.
GameStop is reportedly set to replenish its stock of Switch units, and gamers who want to get their hands on these may want to visit their local stores this week.
According to a recent report from GameSpot, more units of the latest Nintendo gaming platform could be made available in stores on March 22.
Once again though, people who are planning to purchase the Switch will need to act quickly since the units are not expected to stay on store shelves for long, given how high the demand currently is for it.
Furthermore, the report adds that units of the Nintendo Switch cannot be reserved ahead of time, again due to the limited supply, so prospective buyers will really need to make it to stores as soon as they can.
Following this next restock, it is unclear when units of the gaming platform may again be made available should the ones in stores again be sold out.
For those gamers out there who want to get the Switch but will likely be unable to get one in time once they are back inside GameStop stores, they will be glad to know that more units are reportedly set to be produced over the next year.
In a recent report, The Wall Street Journal revealed that "Nintendo Co. has decided to at least double its planned production of the Switch console in the year ending March 2018."
Whether that directly translates to more units of the console making their way to stores sooner rather than later still remains to be seen, however, though gamers will likely be paying close attention to what happens next.
More news about the Nintendo Switch should be made available in the near future.


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CHICAGO (CBS)-- An ordinance aimed at curbing the use of single-use utensils at Chicago restaurants goes into effect Tuesday.
Restaurants will not automatically include items like plastic utensils and disposable napkins with take-out or delivery orders, unless a customers specifically requests them.
The new city law is meant to cut down on waste.
Drive-through restaurants and airport concessions would be exempt from the ban, on the assumption that those customers rely on single-use utensils to eat in their car, on a plane, or while waiting for their flight at the airport.
Straws, drink lids, Styrofoam take takeout containers, and coffee cup sleeves also would be exempted from the ban.
for more features.


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MTG Gets In on the NFT Tokens Craze
There’s talk of MTG getting into NFT tokens, courtesy of Hasbro’s CEO Brian Goldner. Hasbro, the owners of Wizards of the Coast, could be leading towards NFTs for a variety of their properties – Transformers, G.I. Joe, D&D, and yes, even MTG. Magic: the Gathering is an incredibly expensive hobby at the very least. Single purchases of powerful cards can already run into the hundreds if not thousands of dollars. But to see NFTs come from this hobby too? Well, this writer is immediately not a fan of this particular decision.
Non-Fungible Token (Creatures)
We’ve spoken about NFTs a few times here on Esports Talk. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a blockchain-based asset tag, which essentially is a limited-edition/unique art asset. A gif, a picture, something to that effect. During the quarterly earnings call, Goldner of Hasbro suggested that NFTs could be an option across their brands.
“NFTs are a real opportunity for us,” he said. “As you know, we have so many brands that really operate on multiple demographic levels; whether it’s Transformers, whether it’s Magic and the D&D brand, and brands like G.I. Joe. We have a team that is leading our effort out of the west coast. We have our arms around this and see multiple opportunities on the NFT side, and you’ll hear more about that as we move forward. But we are actively developing our opportunities here, and we do see it as substantial.”
It’s not a surprise to see something like this, though. NFTs are the current major trend, and companies, esports, and otherwise are making serious bank off of them. When you consider that Magic, D&D, and other digital brands are roughly half of Hasbro’s profit, these are the things we’re going to see become NFTs.
It’s going to be a way to make even more money off of these. The idea is that an NFT is unique, something that isn’t duplicated. But when we consider this in terms of MTG, that will leave a lot of people upset. If these are limited, and not only limited but also digital-only, lots of people will miss out. NFT tokens are typically quite expensive too. As long as these aren’t cards in MTG Arena, that will probably be fine.
As long as this is limited to art only, for properties like MTG and D&D, the possibility of NFT tokens isn’t the worst thing. Unless you know, you consider how detrimental they are to the environment through the creation of NFTs.


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NEW DELHI: India's gold imports
shot up by about 61 per cent to 155 tonnes in the first two months of the current fiscal mainly due to weak prices globally and the easing of restrictions by the Reserve Bank.
In April-May of the last fiscal, gold
imports had aggregated about 96 tonnes, an official said.
In the international market, gold has been trading weak over the past few months.
On Friday, it closed at USD 1,095.10 in New York market.
India is the largest importer of gold, which mainly caters to the demand of the jewellery industry.
Large imports of gold impact the country's current account deficit, which occurs when value of import of goods and services is more than its exports.
The CAD in 2014-15 shrank to 1.3 per cent of GDP ($27.5 billion) from 1.7 per cent ($32.4 billion) in 2013-14.
The Reserve Bank and the government have maintained that the CAD level is comfortable.
In November last year, RBI had scrapped the controversial 80:20 scheme.
Under the programme, which was put in place in August 2013 to keep a tight leash on gold inflows, at least 20 per cent of imported gold had to be exported before bringing in new lots.
In 2014-15, India imported 915.54 tonnes of gold as against 661.71 tonnes in the previous financial year.


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Recreational Marijuana Sales Now Legal in Oregon
Almost a year after voting to legalize recreational marijuana, today is the first day that pot sales are legal in Oregon. (As if Portland needed to become more popular.)
But Oregon is still transitioning into a full-fledged marijuana industry, so here are a few things you should know about recreational marijuana sales in the state:
It's Not the Wild Weed West
Although possession and cultivation of recreational pot was legalized in July of this year, Oregon's marijuana laws still limit the amount that a person may possess. Consumers can have up to eight ounces of weed and four plants for personal use.
Dispensaries can begin sales today, and consumers are limited to purchases of a quarter-ounce of weed per day. There are also restrictions on marijuana deliveries that can result in felony convictions. New consumers of edible marijuana products should be especially careful, as labeling rules and regulations are still being decided upon, and it may take consumers time to determine their particular tolerance.
Gimme Tax Shelter
Full commercial regulation won't begin until 2016, so dispensaries are getting a bit of a tax holiday for the next three months. Recreational marijuana sales in Oregon will be untaxed through the rest of this year, but a sales tax of 25% will be added in January if regulators can hammer out the framework for taxing recreational pot.
Just because weed is legal, marijuana remains a highly regulated business. And Oregon, as Colorado and Washington before it, will continue to refine its regulatory scheme. For example, given marijuana's illicit status under federal law, dispensary owners and others in the weed biz are having trouble securing consistent financing and even checking accounts from banks.
Reuters reported that a sizeable line formed outside of a dispensary around midnight last night, with around 40 people vying to be the first to purchase legal weed in Oregon. But folks on both sides of the counter need to remember there are still some restrictions in place, and those restrictions may change over the next few months and years.
- Oregon's Recreational Marijuana Law Takes Effect: Q and A (FindLaw Blotter)
- Voters Legalize Pot in Ore.; Alaska; Washington, D.C. (FindLaw Blotter)
- When Do Recreational Pot Laws in Ore., Alaska, D.C. Take Effect? (FindLaw Blotter)
- State Marijuana Laws (FindLaw)


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Middy ran a Christmas competition this month whereby all Instagram followers were entered into a draw to win a Method feeder prize bundle, including the award winning 5G 10ft method feeder rod.
The winner is Dave Seed (@daveseed22). Congratulations, Dave! Please email email@example.com and we'll arrange the delivery of your prizes.
May we wish everyone a happy Christmas and new year.


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By Edward Cardenas
DETROIT (CBSDetroit.com) – Entrepreneurs in Detroit will have an opportunity to pitch their business plans to AOL co-founder Steve Case, and a team of judges, when the Rise of the Rest bus tour comes to the city.
Detroit is the first stop June 24 on a four-city tour which organizers say will “highlight emerging start-up communities and bring attention to a rise of the entrepreneurial rest.”
“It’s important to remember that America itself was once a start-up, and became the greatest economy in the world thanks to the efforts of entrepreneurs who built not just companies, but entire industries in the heart of the country,” said Case in a release. “This journey – covering nearly 1,000 miles – will showcase emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems that will play a critical role in rebuilding the American economy and creating new middle class jobs.”
Case and the team of judges will hear pitches from start-ups in the community, and one winner will earn a $100,000 investment in their company.
The stop in Detroit includes a tour of by Case and others at businesses including Shinola, Detroit Venture Partners, Bizdom; a fireside chat with Case and Quicken Loans founder and chairman Dan Gilbert at Grand Circus; and a pitch competition at the M@dison Building Auditorium.
Business owners looking to enter in the pitch competition sponsored by Revolution and UP Global, tour sponsors include Google for Entrepreneurs, Engine, and Seed Here Studio, have until June 15 to enter on the tour website, www.riseoftherest.com.


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What food labels can do for us
- Nutritional marketing claims on food packaging can be misleading about the overall health value of food.
- A study of more than 1,000 people suggests that NutriScore, a nutritional score added to products across Europe, can prevent misconceptions about food health caused by claims about sugar.
- The authors suggest that the Nutri-Score label should be mandatory when making nutrition claims on foods.
Sugar is widely known as one of the most important.
Therefore, sugar consumption in the United States has gradually increased over the past decade.
In 2017-2018, the average daily intake of added sugars for US adults was
This is a concerning trend, as excessive sugar intake is associated with several health risks, including overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and chronic inflammation.
Experts have tried several ways to help people reduce their sugar intake, such as nutrition labels. One such label is the Nutri-Score label, widely used in Europe. This is a color-coded labeling system that uses a traffic light system (green to red) to rate foods from A to E (best to worst).
In a new study, researchers show that Nutri-Score labels can more accurately represent a food’s nutritional value and avoid health misconceptions that can be caused by sugar claims such as “sugar-free.”
Researchers recommend making the Nutri-Score label mandatory if nutrition claims are used.Their findings are published in the journal pro swan.
Thanks to growing consumer awareness of the health hazards associated with excessive sugar consumption, companies are stepping up efforts to reduce the sugar content of food and beverages.
Companies also often use these price cuts as marketing claims on product packaging, such as “no sugar” or “30% less sugar.”
However, such claims can mislead consumers about the overall nutritional value of the food. For example, just because a particular brand of breakfast cereal claims to have “reduced sugar” doesn’t mean it’s a healthy food. This is known as the “health halo” effect. .
The lead author of the study, Dr. Christine Uerkenbeck, said: medical news today:
“The health halo effect means that a single characteristic is understood as a signal of an overall favorable nutritional profile. These buzzwords make food appear healthier in consumer perceptions than it actually is.”
In the study, Dr. Jürkenbeck and her team evaluated whether food labeling, particularly Nutri-Score labels used in Europe, could help prevent these false assumptions.
To assess the impact of NutriScore on perceptions of food, researchers conducted an online survey of 1,103 people in Germany.
In this survey, respondents were asked to rate the nutritional profile of three products (instant cappuccino, chocolate muesli and oat drink) from very healthy to very unhealthy.
Participants were randomly given a variety of product claims, including no sugar, less sweetness, and 30% less sugar.
They received these claims with or without the accompanying Nutri-Score label.
The results show that consumers pay the most attention to raw materials when purchasing food, followed by sugar and fat content, suggesting that sugar is important when consumers choose what to buy. was confirmed to be
Participants rated chocolate muesli as the least healthy product, followed by instant cappuccino and oat drink with a healthy image.
Importantly, the researchers also found that participants’ health ratings of foods changed based on nutrition claims.
For example, in the case of chocolate muesli, claiming 30% less sugar improved health ratings and confirmed the health halo effect.
However, if the Nutri-Score label was also displayed (a score of C or D on the scale), the claimed effect was correct.
“This study demonstrates the great difficulty faced by consumers in assessing the nutritional quality of food in a realistic manner,” summarized Dr. Jürkenbeck.
Her paper recommends that the Nutri-Score label should be mandatory, at least if marketing claims are made on the packaging, to prevent misleading consumers about the health value of the food.
Researchers say other measures, such as a sugar tax, would also help, but these would be more difficult to implement.
“Interpretive labels like Nutri-Score can counteract the effects of sugar claims and make foods appear healthier than they actually are. can be better classified.”
– Dr. Kristin Yurkenbeck


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PC shipments (desktops, notebooks and workstations) in the US declined just 6% year-on-year to 18.2 million units in Q2 2023, marking a significant improvement compared to earlier quarters this year. Notebook (including mobile workstations) shipments were down 4% to 15.2 million units, bolstered by the return of Chromebook demand in the education sector. Desktops (including desktop workstations) suffered a steeper decline, with shipments falling 12% to 3.0 million units. The US tablet market faced a similarly modest decline, with shipments down 5% to 10.3 million units.
“Despite undergoing another year-on-year decline, the US PC market showed promising signs of improvement in the second quarter,” said Ishan Dutt, Principal Analyst at Canalys. “With the buildup of channel inventories now largely cleared, pockets of demand strength are now being reflected in vendors’ sell-in shipment performance. A key area that helped drive volumes was the return of demand from education institutions, backed by the latest wave of federal funding, ahead of a licensing cost increase for ChromeOS. This helped propel Chromebook shipments to 4.7 million units, the highest level since peak deployments during the first half of 2021.”
PC shipments to the commercial sector were down just 4%, while the consumer sector posted a larger drop of 10%. “Consumers are still deprioritizing spending on PCs compared to other goods and services amid economic challenges,” added Dutt. “Recovery in this segment is likely to only emerge in Q4, with strong discounting expected during an extended period of holiday season promotions. Businesses, however, are displaying more resilient demand for PCs. Dell, the leading commercial vendor in the US, has highlighted its home market as a particular area of strength.”
Although businesses and consumers are likely to exhibit some caution in spending on PCs in the short term, the industry can now look forward to further improvement in the US. Canalys expects an even smaller shipment decline of 4% in Q3 2023 before the market bounces back to 12% growth in Q4. Beyond that, the market is forecasted to grow 9% in 2024 and 12% in 2025.
“The long-term outlook for PCs in the US remains positive,” said Dutt. “As macroeconomic pressures subside, the strong fundamentals around post-pandemic PC usage behavior and the larger installed base across all segments will be a boon to the industry. From an innovation perspective, the expected demand boost from the transition away from Windows 10 is now set to be bolstered by the emergence of AI-capable PCs. While this new device category may not significantly increase shipment volumes, it will create strong revenue opportunities for both vendors and the channel as adoption becomes more widespread, particularly within businesses.”


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As we all wait for the worldwide COVID pandemic to come to its miserable end, many of u
Since the pandemic, more people realize their bad health habits.
Planning travel during the pandemic?
Finally, finally! It feels that we’re all emerging from our extended pandemic isolation!
Vaccines are rolling out with higher frequency and it does feel like this pandemic will


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Scamming, phishing, pharming, vishing — people in the business world are well aware that hackers and other fraudsters have developed a myriad of schemes designed to obtain sensitive personal information and money. Every year, these schemes cause businesses to suffer significant financial losses. The FBI estimates that in 2020 business email compromise (“BEC”) and email account compromise (“EAC”) schemes caused losses of $1.86 billion. To combat these schemes, companies spend thousands of dollars to secure their computer systems and train their employees to recognize and prevent fraudulent schemes from succeeding. But no matter the preventative steps taken by businesses, hackers and fraudsters manage to stay one step ahead with new, creative schemes.
A recent fraud that businesses have unfortunately experienced is EAC, where hackers gain access to and use legitimate business email accounts of vendors and service providers to direct customers to send money to unauthorized accounts. EAC affects businesses ranging from small to large and can occur in any industry, including financial institutions, real estate, contractors and law firms. In a typical EAC scenario, hackers gain access to a person’s actual email account and are able to monitor the incoming and outgoing correspondence in order to learn business practices, customer information and payment terms. At an appropriate time, the hackers use the email account to send payment instructions to a customer who legitimately owes money to the purported author’s company. The customer receiving the email has likely communicated with the company and its employees previously and, having no reason to suspect the hacking, follows the directions and sends payment (ranging from thousands to millions) to a fraudulent account. By the time everyone realizes what has happened, the hackers and the money are long gone.
Because EAC is a relatively new fraud phenomenon, very few courts have had the chance to consider and decide the issue of who amongst the affected parties will ultimately bear the loss. Published legal decisions suggest that courts are tending to place liability on the party who was, in a given factual scenario, better able to prevent the fraud.
As governing legal doctrines are established, however, businesses are left to figure out how best to protect themselves from EAC and the resulting losses. Thankfully, numerous means of protection from EAC schemes are available. Three of the easiest are: (1) documentation, (2) communication and (3) insurance.
Prior to doing business with each other, vendors and their customers should memorialize the terms of their relationship in written contracts. In addition to the typical terms one expects to see in contracts (e.g., scope of work, agreed upon price and timelines, etc.), authorized payment methods and allocation of risk should be included. By agreeing up front as to how and where payments are to be made, the parties can ensure that any potential future EAC communications regarding payment will be immediately flagged and investigated. Moreover, by delineating who bears the risk of loss, should computer systems be compromised and payments be diverted, the parties will understand the duties and obligations they owe to one another and will hopefully take the steps necessary to protect their systems.
When payments are owed and transfer of money between businesses is necessary, any emails received that contain directions for payments to be made to specific accounts or by certain methods should be verified prior to release of funds. The employee responsible for initiating the transfer of funds should not simply trust the email, even when it appears to have been sent from a legitimate and verified email account. Instead, they should personally reach out to the person who supposedly sent the email, either in person or via a telephone call, to confirm the directions are legitimate and the accounts actually belong to the company that is ultimately entitled to receive the payment. Only after successfully verifying authenticity of the payment instructions should the person initiate the fund transfer.
Businesses can and should obtain cyber-security insurance riders (which are not automatically part of standard business insurance policies) that provide coverage for losses caused by EAC and other information security breaches. Such policies provide an added layer of protection for companies when fraud is not timely discovered or prevented. All businesses should ask their insurance agents to confirm what cyber-security insurance options are available to them.
Although EAC and other information security fraud will unfortunately continue to plague the business world, companies can, by implementing these recommended practices, often prevent and/or protect against the significant consequences they might otherwise face.
This article is scheduled to be published in the January issue of The Business News.


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Market research firm Gartner reports Windows 10 is poised to become the most widely installed version in the history of Windows. A large part of this shift is thanks to the cost-free nature of this upgrade, and Gartners expects a large number of consumers will be familiar with the OS by the end of 2015, and that about half of all enterprises will have at least started their upgrade by January 2016.
Several factors are driving migration, specifically awareness of the end of support for Windows 7 in January 2020, strong compatibility with Windows 7 applications and devices, and a pent-up demand for tablet and 2-in-1 device rollouts. The net result is that many enterprises are planning to begin pilots for Windows 10 in the first half of 2016, and to broaden their deployments in the latter part of the year. Gartner expects that at least half of enterprises will have started some production deployments by the beginning of 2017, with an eye to completing their migrations in 2019.


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Black Friday 2019 is set to be another huge consumer event. If you’re one of the many shoppers already preparing for the deal day then you’ve come to the right place.
Black Friday is on 29th November this year with Cyber Monday following straight after on 2nd December, just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
The deals on offer will as always be dominated by consumer electronics like phones, TVs, laptops, smart speakers and gadgets, but with so many offers on the table, it can be hard to know what’s the best deal and what exactly to look for.
It was reported that in 2018 sales growth in the UK was highest in November, with experts attributing it to Black Friday stealing Christmas sales. Last year UK shoppers spent a reported £1.23billion over the Black Friday weekend.
When is Black Friday 2019 and when does it end?
Black Friday falls on 29th November this year. The event began as a US tradition, and therefore always falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is always the last Thursday in November. Cyber Monday follows on the first Monday after Black Friday every year so this year it’s on 2nd December.
Last year TVs and gadgets had their prices cut Credit: Argos Black Friday deals
The two events used to be markedly different in that shoppers would rush to the high streets for Black Friday, whereas Cyber Monday was exclusively reserved for online deals.
Black Friday has always tended to lean more towards tech products while Cyber Monday was more about lifestyle and a wider array of products, though this is no longer the case.
However, as so much of Black Friday is now about online shopping, the two events are often simply branded as Black Friday weekend.
How long is Black Friday?
While many shops run early Black Friday offers, Black Friday officially kicks off at midnight on 29th November (i.e. late night Thursday).
You’ll still see early deals, but the majority of deals will be available on the actual day – with some retailers offering a week or a weekend of associated special offers.
Where to find the best Black Friday deals?
Most retailers want a piece of the action when it comes to Black Friday, which means there are a lot of offers and deals to sort through. Amazon, as one of the largest retailers in the world, is one of the most prolific with a stream of deals: Echo Dots, Kindles, and Fire TV sticks are worth keeping an eye on.
John Lewis is also another brand to keep on your radar as they tend to drop the prices on their TVs for Black Friday meaning you are more likely to get an offer on a 4K TV. The brand also offers discounts on other tech products which can sometimes hit up to 30% off.
Currys PC World ran a series of early offers last year so it’s a good place to check in the lead up to Black Friday as well as on the day. Smartphones, games consoles and TVs are all likely targets for deals.
If you’re struggling to work out what deals are for you, we will have a guide on the day, so check back on Black Friday itself. Amazon also has a Daily Deals page which offers up to 90% off some products.
I can’t wait for Black Friday! Are there any deals available now?
There will be lots of deals starting to arrive in the weeks ahead of Black Friday, and we’ll keep you updated when and where to look closer to the time. For now, you could check out our guide to the best TV deals available right now, plus some great deals on 4K TVs under £500 and 4K deals under £1,000.
Can Black Friday deals be returned?
Legally you have the same rights to refund faulty items bought on sale as you do when they’re bought full price. If the item isn’t faulty – for instance, if you decide you simply didn’t like the product – then you need to check with the retailer. In the UK you need a proof of purchase if you want to return an item, but if you just want a repair or to exchange you don’t need the warranty.
Check back for the best Black Friday deals on the day.


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Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
DICE looking to the future?
Ever since its launch in 2016, DICE have been supporting Battlefield 1 with monthly updates and addition of new content. That, however, will be ending in June, which is when the studio will be releasing their last monthly update for the game. And that makes sense, of course. Given the fact that October of this year sees the launch of a new Battlefield game, DICE will obviously be shifting their focus to that.
“We’re continuing monthly updates for Battlefield 1 until June 2018, in which you can expect fresh content together with various tweaks and fixes for the player experience,” DICE content lead Jonas Elfving wrote in an update on the official Battlefield website. “Enjoy the road ahead and keep jumping in to Battlefield 1 regularly – you don’t want to miss what’s coming.”
As for up until June, May will see the addition of new maps to the game, while in June, 40 player single map mode Shock Operations will be added to the game. The future of the franchise in long term lies somewhere else, though- Battlefield V, as it’s been called in reports, will launch in October, and will reportedly be set during WW2, and might feature a battle royale mode. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for continued coverage.


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This summer is expected to be a sweet season for beekeepers across New Brunswick, despite COVID-19, although the pandemic created a little trouble early on.
"We have so much honey, we don't know what to do with it anymore," said Catherine Hachey, assistant beekeeper at Honey House in the northern New Brunswick village of Charlo.
The honey season has been buzzing and customers are still purchasing the sweet treat, but Hachey said she hasn't seen as many tourists visiting the 350 bee hives to see how honey is made.
"In the Atlantic bubble, no one came north," she said. "They're more interested in Moncton and Saint John."
Typically, the honey business sees visitors from Quebec and Ontario, but because of the border closures, tourism has been slow.
Hachey is hoping for more tourists next year.
"You can't have everything," she said. "Last year it was good with tourists but not good with honey production."
A delayed season
Ryan Golden, vice-president of the New Brunswick Beekeepers Association, said COVID-19 didn't have much impact on the honeybee industry, except in the spring when beekeepers split hives between blueberry farmers to maintain the number of colonies.
Over the winter, about 25 per cent of a beekeepers' hives will die from the cold weather, said Golden, who is also the owner of Maple Lane Apiary. There are about 400 hives on his farm in Norton, almost 60 kilometres northeast of Saint John.
"We need [blueberry farmers] for financial support and they need us because our bees do such a good [job] pollinating blueberries."
Since it's still too early to raise a queen bee in the hive, beekeepers buy them from California, Hawaii and sometimes Ontario because of warmer temperatures.
Queen bees serve as the main reproducer in the hive.
But it was harder to get those bees to New Brunswick this past spring, because of border closures. And there was no guarantee they would even be alive once they arrived.
"A lot of guys couldn't actually grow their numbers because they couldn't get queens early enough," Golden said.
This means they have to wait until temperatures warm up to make their honey. The season runs from May until October.
Harder to get COVID alone in a field
There are about 13,000 bee colonies in New Brunswick.
For the most part, beekeepers across New Brunswick have been happy with the weather over the past few weeks, with a combination of the perfect amount of sunshine and early morning mist on flowers, which produces more nectar for bees.
"The nice thing about being a beekeeper is we don't associate with a lot of people anyway," Golden said.
"You're pretty much on your own in the field."


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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Jeep brand is giving owners and fans the opportunity to create the next “Easter egg” to hide on a future Jeep model, along with the chance to win a new Jeep vehicle.
Easter eggs are unpublicized style elements hidden on vehicles. From Jeep grilles to the three digits “419,” or a 1941 Jeep Willys driving up a mountain, Jeep fans around the world are discovering the Easter eggs hidden on their vehicles, then posting their finds on social media.
The contest runs through July 2 and ideas can be submitted at TheNextJeepEasterEgg.com. The judging panel includes Jeep brand executives and designers. The winner will be announced July 31 and will receive a new Jeep vehicle of their choice.
Entries will be judged on criteria including creativity, Jeep brand power, quality/actionable and original/authenticity.
Jeep Easter eggs started with the 2011 Grand Cherokee, said Mark Allen, head of Jeep design.
“We added small Jeep grilles inside the headlamp bulb shields,” Allen says in a release. “It was an off-the-cuff addition of a graphic to an otherwise standard piece. After that, we started sprinkling small graphics on various vehicles.”
“These small elements are a surprise and delight for our customers and help convey the human touch behind our products, which is appreciated,” he says.
The Jeep brand’s 2016 commercial “Portraits” noted that, “We don’t make Jeep. You do,” claiming that rightful ownership of the brand resides within its worldwide community. The contest is one more way for the brand to give its followers the chance to be a part of its storied history, according to the automaker.


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The Michelin starred restaurant with rooms, headed up by brothers Tommy and James Banks, was awarded the top Travellers Choice Awards for Restaurants by the customer review site.
Raymond Blanc’s double Michelin-starred Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, in Oxfordshire, took the second place. The result mean the UK is home to the two best restaurant’s in the world, according to TripAdvisor.
The win marks the first time a restaurant in the UK has topped the world category since the awards began in 2012.
“We are so happy with the news and would like to thank all of the TripAdvisor users who have rated their experience with us so highly, and recognised the hard work each member of the team puts into every element of running The Black Swan,” says Tommy Banks.
“It really is everyone in our fantastic team who has made this happen.”
The rankings are based on millions of reviews of fine dining restaurants on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period.
El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona, Spain, a former Best Restaurant in the World, came 10th in this year’s TripAdvisor rankings.
The Travellers’ Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants Worldwide:
- The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, United Kingdom
- Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, New Milton, United Kingdom
- Maison Lameloise, Chagny, France
- L'Auberge de l'Ill, Illhaeusern, France
- Martin Berasategui, Lasarte, Spain
- Daniel, New York City, United States
- La Colombe, Constantia, South Africa
- David's Kitchen, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Maido, Lima, Peru
- El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain


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Austin Animal Center holiday schedule
From the City of Austin Animal Services Office:
The Austin Animal Center located at 7201 Levander Loop will be open on Dec. 23 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Dec. 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.
The Center will be open on New Year’s eve, Dec. 31 from 11 a.m. to 5p.m. and will resume regulars hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2015.
“We would like the community to know that we are open during the holidays and the shelter has a great selection of pets ready to go home for the holidays,” said Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer Chris Noble. “Adopting a pet is a lifelong commitment and we want to be the first choice of anyone considering adding a pet to their family this holiday season.”
‘Home for the Holidays’ pet adoptions for all ready-to-go dogs and cats is $25.
All pets adopted will include spay or neuter surgery, a microchip and vaccinations – a package valued at more than $200. The usual adoption fee is $75.
All cats and dogs over the age of 7 years have waived adoption fees. ‘Home for the Holidays’ adoption fees continues through Jan. 4.
For additional information visit the www.austinanimalcenter.org or call (512) 978-0500 or 3-1-1 for animal issues after hours or check Facebook for daily pet updates, www.facebook.com/austinanimalservices.


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EP 593 | AIRED 06/13/2022
The Europe Report: Prices, Cod, Tuna, Salmon, Octopus, Crab
June 13th, 2022 - This week we provide a European Price Report for Cod, Tuna, Salmon, and Octopus and Crustaceans as energy costs continue to be a main point of cause for inflation across European Markets.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, in March 2022, consumer prices increased by 4.5 percent year-on-year.
This sharp increase in inflation is again the result of rising energy costs, which in-turn affects purchasing power as overall food consumption in France dropped by 2.5 percent in value, year-on-year in March.
This will have a negative trickle-down effect on the foodservice sector across EU markets as higher food prices will ultimately be passed on to menu items.
Fish prices that had spiked during Easter came down somewhat in May but still remain quite ahead of last year's price levels.
Atlantic Cod supply is expected to decline this year, and as such, prices have been going up, and according to the FAO, they are anticipating prices to increase even further.
Cured Cod prices are stable at high levels right now, however this time of year is typically a period of high consumption for these types of products (such as Bacalao).
For Tuna overall, Skipjack fishing efforts globally have increased, resulting in an overall improvement in supply and prices for Skipjack in Europe to fall whereas prices for Yellowfin continue to increase. (Skipjack is typically used in the canned market, and Yellowfin typically for sashimi and other raw programs such as Poke).
Octopus is currently in extremely low supply in the EU and prices continue to be on the rise just as they have since the beginning of the year.CHECK OUT OUR #WhatsGood CAMPAIGN
Which Seeks To Spotlight Something “Good” Happening In The Seafood World As Opposed To Unfortunate News.
While the South African Squid season does not reopen until July 1st (and there is virtually zero supply), traders are afraid these high prices will put Octopus out of reach of the average European consumer.
For Crustaceans, Argentine Red Shrimp harvest are being reported as good all while frozen inventories levels in Europe are also good, and as demand has been declining slowly since the Easter rush, these conditions may lead to slightly lower pricing.
Crab and lobster sales have been boosted by the reopening of dine-in foodservice and the removal of vaccination requirements in key EU markets.
For Salmon, prices for Atlantic Salmon in Europe are soaring, reaching levels not seen in some 40 years.
The Fish Pool Index reached NOK 122.02 per kg during the week of May 1st, compared with NOK 65.83 per kg during the same week last year.
Key factors attributing to these price levels are booming demand driven by the post-pandemic recovery, tight early year supply and spiking input and freight costs.
Norwegian Farmed Salmon supply is also made more scarce by the increased prevalence of winter sores at Norwegian farms, which requires that harvested fish be downgraded in quality.
Although some decline from current peak prices is expected, global supply growth this year is unlikely to be sufficient to bring prices back down to the levels seen in recent years.
Did you know that we are Commodity experts at Tradex Foods?
If you would like some assistance navigating the commodities market please contact us at Tradex Foods.
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What Kamala Harris' visit to Tanzania holds
- Expectations are high that the coming of the US second in command will bolster ties with Tanzania in areas such as trade, tourism, education, health, agriculture, environment, information and communication technology (ICT), as well as security and defence
Dar es Salaam. US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Tanzania today amid optimism for further improving bilateral ties between the two countries.
Expectations are high that the coming of the US second in command will bolster ties with Tanzania in areas such as trade, tourism, education, health, agriculture, environment, information and communication technology (ICT), as well as security and defence.
The visit comes almost 11 months after President Samia Suluhu Hassan visited the US, where, among others, she also met with Ms Harris on April 15, 2022, where the two leaders pledged strong ties between the two nations. During the tour, various US companies pledged almost $1 billion in investments to Tanzania.
Startups and innovation stakeholders say the coming of Ms Harris means a lot to them, particularly because the US Vice President will, among other things, meet with the Tanzania Startup Association (TAS) and speak with youth and emerging entrepreneurs.
The expectations of those who spoke to The Citizen yesterday range from setting the stage for unlocking capital, improving policy and regulations, and knowledge transfer to developing the ability to build products that count in the eyes of the globe. Sahara Ventures Chief Executive Officer Jumanne Mtambalike exuded his optimism that Ms Harris’ visit will open a new chapter for cooperation in the field of start-up economies. He said it was his expectation that her coming would unlock capital through venture capital and private equity funds.
Tanzania, which ranks eighth on the continent in terms of attracting startup financing, clocked in $80 million through 11 deals, according to Africa: The Big Deal, the 2022 report.
“Start-ups around the globe are significantly funded by the US. There are reputable companies there,” said Mr Mtambalike, who doubles as the TAS board member.
He went on to add, “This (the visit of the US Vice President) is a great opportunity for start-ups and the ecosystem to benefit in terms of capital.”
This, he said, should go in tandem with a discussion on how to improve regulations and policies that govern the operations of start-ups.
“Unlike Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt, most of the policies and regulations are not in favour of start-up growth,” asserted Mr Mtambalike. When it comes to startup financing, Nigeria is first in Africa after attracting $1.2 billion, followed by Kenya, Egypt and South Africa, which garnered $1.1 billion, $823 million and $555 million, respectively.
Mipango App co-founder Lilian Rabi said it was their expectation to share with Ms Harris their struggles, especially with access to funding at the seed stage and an underdeveloped local angel investor and venture capital pool.
“We hope she can influence investors from the US to invest in Tanzanian startups directly or through local partnerships,” said Ms Rabi.
She said while a lot had been done to accelerate non-technical capacity building, little had been done to produce more developers in the market and technical training to catch up with current technologies like AI, blockchain, robotics, and machine learning.
“We are optimistic she could influence the US-based technical incubators, accelerators and universities to partner with local entities to tackle the problem,” she underscored.
She added: “We are excited to share the innovations we have built for our markets, whose potential is to grow across Africa and then globally.”
Tunzaa Fintech founder and CEO Ng’winula Kingamkono said Ms Harris’ visit will highlight to US investors the available opportunities in the tech sector.
He also believes the US will make a commitment to helping start-ups with hard or technical skills so that Tanzanians could be able to come up with innovative products that will draw the world’s attention. “To me, building capacity to produce quality products comes first. Funding is driven by good products that deserve it,” noted Mr Kingamkono.
TSA chief executive Zahoro Muhaji said Ms Harris’ visit will provide room for discussing the available opportunities in Tanzania and the US’ tech and digital economy.
Given the fact that the US is among the world’s top giants in technology and the digital economy, Mr Muhaji said the visit by Ms Harris will spur cooperation between the two countries.


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Launched last week by a unit of Russian telecoms company Yota, Yota Devices, the YotaPhone became Russia's first homegrown smartphone.
Like Jolla and Oppo, specs take a backseat to differentiation, which in Yota's case takes shape in two displays: an LCD screen on the front and an e-ink screen on the back. Images like maps or documents can be saved to the e-ink screen, and the device will keep displaying them even on a flat battery. Widgets like the clock, battery level or notifications can also be placed there.
Yota's dual-screen prototype captured attention at this year's CES, but while the concept still impresses, Yota's implementation of the e-ink display in the finished product appears to need further work, according to ZDNet's sister site, CNET.
But, as Yota Devices CEO Vlad Martynov said at the release of the YotaPhone: "This is YotaPhone 1.0. Expect other big and new things to follow."
The next iteration is expected to arrive in late 2014.
Cost: €499 ($688)
Specs: The 4.3-inch YotaPhone has 720x1280 LCD main screen, while the back is a 360x640 EPD grayscale display. It has a 13-megapixel main camera and one-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GB of RAM, a 1,800mAh battery, FM radio, and LTE in the 800/1800/2600 bands. The YotaPhone runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Available: Russia, Austria, France, Spain, and Germany via yotaphone.com and in stores in December in Russia and Germany.
By early 2014 it is expected to be available in 20 markets, including the UK, but not the US.
Hails from: Russia
Image: Yota Devices
Canvas Turbo A250
Micromax has been making waves in India with its reasonably affordable and well-specced Android smartphones, the latest of which is the Canvas Turbo A250, a five-inch display smartphone running Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean which comes pre-installed with BlackBerry Messenger.
Local media reports claim Micromax is headed to Russia this month and if its launch there goes well, it may spread its wings to the rest of Europe. ZDNet has asked the company for a confirmation of its Russian and European plans.
Cost: 19,990 rupees ($324)
Specs: The five-inch Canvas Turbo A250 has a full HD LCD screen with 1920x1080 resolution, with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage, a 2,000mAh battery, a 13-megapixel rear camera and a five-megapixel front-facing camera.
Hails from: India
Geeksphone, the maker of early Firefox OS developer phones Peak and Keon, recently announced it was working on a new device called Peak+ that promised to be more powerful than Firefox OS smartphones on the market.
That is, until insurmountable troubles at its Asian suppliers over the past few months forced it to cancel manufacturing. With Peak+ off the table, the Madrid-based company plans to turn its attention to a new handset it's calling 'Revolution'.
Not much is known about the Revolution yet, however it appears it may run an Intel chip. Geeksphone released a video stating "This is what we are working on, but now with 4.8-inch screen", which showed an Intel Firefox OS phone outperforming one running on a Qualcomm ARM processor.
Also worth noting is that Geeksphone smartphones aren't officially running Firefox OS, since only devices sold by carriers can use the brand, such as the LG Fireweb, Alcatel OneTouch Fire, and ZTE Open sold by the likes of Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, and Telenor. Instead, Geeksphone developer phones are running Boot2Gecko.
Cost: expected to be around €149 ($205), the price of the Peak+.
Specs: To be confirmed.
Hails from: Spain.


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Elon Musk, owner of Tesla Company, has bought more than 9% shares of the social networking site Twitter.
According to media reports, Elon Musk has bought more than 9% shares of Twitter on March 14, which is more than 73.4 million. These shares are worth about 3 billion dollars.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has also confirmed that Tesla founder bought the shares of Twitter. Elon Musk has bought a 9.2% shares, making him the biggest shareholder of platform. Twitter co-founder Jack Doorsey owns 2.25% of the stock.
Shares of Twitter rose 25% on Monday after news broke that Elon Musk had bought shares.


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How can businesses support their employees while working from home?
Singulart, an online art gallery, has been using Uber Eats to raise morale and show appreciation for their employees.
Singulart brings original artwork to the digital space by allowing international artists to independently manage the sale of their works through the Singulart website. The team, spread across several countries in Europe, promotes these artists to a global audience.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Singulart employees began working from home. To engage the team during lockdown and reward them for developing business during this period, management organised a virtual happy hour with all employees.
An easy-to-use solution
Singulart was attracted by the large geographical coverage of Uber Eats and easy access offered to people who used the app. They set up an Uber for Business account and created a meal delivery program to cover the costs of the virtual gathering.
From an administrative point of view, it was easy to set up rules within the Uber for Business dashboard to control the timing and expense limits of Uber Eats orders.
“Eats on Uber for Business has given a great boost to employee morale, as well as visibility and control over company meal expenses. Its global presence and ease of use has made it a clear winner for our international team.”
Tomas Gonçalves, Office Happiness Manager, Singulart
Fun for the whole team
More than 20 employees from France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland joined the virtual gathering, which lasted 3 and a half hours. Before the event, they had already linked to their corporate profiles so they could order meals via the Uber Eats app.
The team loved the initiative. It allowed them to get out of their routine during the lockdown and gave them the opportunity to see their colleagues in a fun setting. The entire process of setting up their Uber Eats corporate profiles and ordering meals was easy and possible across multiple countries.
Due to the success and great feedback, another virtual happy hour has been planned while employees are still working from home.
- Boosted employee morale
- Clear visibility and control over meal expenses
- An easy-to-use solution, available across multiple countries


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Nearly half a million Covid-related domains have been created over the last two years, many of them being used by online fraudsters and hucksters.
The pandemic has created an environment in which bad actors make use of a range of Covid-related “hooks” to commit cybercrime and fraud, impacting consumers and brands, explained CSC, a domain registrar that released a study Tuesday of more than 478,000 domain names tied to pandemic keywords.
Over the study period, the report noted, the range of entities taking advantage of the growth in awareness of Covid to create websites to attract traffic and generate revenue has spiked. At the same time, the surge in sites has resulted in a larger pool of suspicious and malicious domain registrations.
“It’s insane the amount of fraud and fake goods that we’ve seen associated with these 478,000 domain names,” declared CSC CTO Ihab Shraim.
“The pandemic is an endless money-printing machine for these malicious actors,” he told TechNewsWorld.
“They’re all using this pandemic to make some serious revenue off it,” he added. “They’re making millions of dollars per month.”
The report acknowledged that some Covid-related domain registration activity could be related to domain speculators trying to cash in on a potential hot domain name, but there were also signs of malicious third-party operations.
For example, the domains exploiting brand names related to Covid, such as Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, used the same infrastructure as previously identified with harmful websites. In addition, some sites used tactics favored by bad actors to disguise, then launch attacks, such as domain parking and pay-per-click.
The report also noted that of the domains exploiting brand names, about half contained no content, while the other half were involved in pay-per-click or other kinds of advertising schemes.
This site is branded as the World Health Organization, but the logo is wrong, none of the social media links at the bottom of the page nor the menu options at the top are functioning. This appears most likely to be a phishing page intended to gather personal information. (Credit: CSC)
It added that a third of the dormant sites contained active MX records which could be used as a future launchpad for malicious activity.
“Domain names are valuable to threat actors looking to capitalize on newsworthy events, especially those that involve fear or financial motivations,” observed Chris Clements, vice president of solutions architecture at Cerberus Sentinel, a cybersecurity consulting and penetration testing company in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“The reason is quite simple,” he told TechNewsWorld. “The more legitimate they can make their fraudulent sending emails or websites appear, the more likely they are to fool their victims into trusting them.”
“This trust gives them much higher odds of stealing sensitive information or money from their targets,” he added.
Moreover, domain names can be confusing to a lot of people, noted Erich Kron, a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a security awareness training provider in Clearwater, Fla.
“The domain name KnowBe4.com is different than KnowBe4.net or even Know-Be4.com, a difference that cybercriminals take advantage of, knowing that many people do not understand that they are different,” he told TechNewsWorld. “This allows these scammers to fake websites easily and in ways that look genuine.”
“Covid-19 is a great topic for cybercriminals because of the constant newsworthy stories and developments,” he said.
“With each development,” he continued, “there is guidance released and often revised, making it very easy to use these stories as a lure to get people to go to malicious websites or open infected documents purporting to be updated guidance or new findings in the battle against the virus.”
“Shortages of tests and vaccines are also powerful topics to get people to take action,” he observed.
“Any time there is a high-visibility incident, attackers will use that to create lures to entice victims,” added John Bambenek, a principal threat hunter at Netenrich, an IT and digital security operations company in San Jose, Calif.
“I’m sure once the shooting starts in Ukraine, the lures will shift to that very quickly,” he told TechNewsWorld.
Domain Ecosystem Problems
Bambenek maintained that the fundamental problem with the current domain system is that many registrars and companies in the domain ecosystem are willing to look the other way while they accept money from criminals to use their services to commit crimes.
“Once the U.S. relinquished control of this system,” he said, “there was no longer any pretending that it would be operated as a public benefit.”
Kron explained that problems with the domain system are largely due to the simplicity and low cost to register domain names.
“There is little to no verification of domain names, even those using keywords related to Covid and the pandemic, or even corporations such as vaccine manufacturers, to ensure that ownership can be traced to an individual or organization,” he said.
“Essentially,” he continued, “anybody can register nearly any domain name in minutes, and with no accountability.”
“Cybercriminals have perfected the technique of registering domain names with very little effort and cost, often knowing that the domain would last 48 hours or less,” he added.
Cloud computing has added to the problem, asserted Brian Johnson, CSO at Armorblox, an enterprise communications protection provider in Sunnyvale, Calif. “Phishing and business email compromise attacks that use these ‘in the moment,’ fleeting domains cannot be detected by existing security tools,” he told TechNewsWorld.
What’s more, domains can be susceptible to a number of attacks, added Sanjay Raja, vice president, of Gurucul, a threat intelligence company in El Segundo, Calif.
“Threat actors can take advantage of expired domains, problems with SSL certificates, poor security controls at domain registrars, domain extensions that are actually registered by threat actors, but look legitimate and domain hijacking through phishing attacks or other credential-stealing methods,” he told TechNewsWorld.
“These are just some of the tactics used that eventually lead to presenting users with domains that allow for compromising networks and installing and executing malware or ransomware,” he said.
High Marketplace Activity
Other areas covered by the report included ecommerce, mobile apps, phishing and social media.
The pandemic saw the appearance of very high volumes of Covid-related marketplace activity, it noted. Many of those listings were for counterfeit or otherwise low-quality or ineffective products, appearing in response to unprecedented consumer demand.
In the mobile domain, Covid-related apps found in the main apps stores were legitimate, CSC reported, but a significant number of programs found outside the stores were malicious.
The report also noted that Covid-related phishing campaigns contained a number of content types, including emails driving users to websites intended to harvest personal details, distributing malicious software through attachments and directly soliciting financial donations.
In a similar vein, fake profiles on social media were used to direct users to phishing sites or solicit donations. In addition, pages on those sites were used to feature e-commerce content of dubious quality, offer app-based trackers with malicious payloads, and spread disinformation.


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Business owners can still sign up for the fourth annual Free Shipping Day on December 16, by offering customers free delivery and promising that orders will arrive by Christmas Eve.
Luke Knowles, who started Free Shipping Day in 2008, estimates that about 2,000 merchants will participate this year, but he says he won't be surprised to see as many as 2,500.
While Free Shipping Day virtually guarantees a bump in sales, it's no free lunch: Eating the cost of shipping can get expensive. If you're thinking about taking part, consider the advice of three small-business owners who signed up in previous years.
Jeffrey Dinslage, president and co-owner of Nature Hills Nursery Photo Courtesy of the Company
For , free shipping is a big deal because the online garden center sends customers some pretty big items--like trees. But it's worth it to the Omaha, Neb.-based company, which has signed up for Free Shipping Day for a third time.
The Payoff: "It really comes down to attracting new customers; that is 95% of the reason we offer free shipping," says co-owner Jeffrey Dinslage. "The other 5% is getting rid of, or reducing, inventory." He estimates he has attracted between 50 and 75 new customers by participating in Free Shipping Day.
The Downside: Profits are slimmer. For example, shipping a four-to-five-foot tree can range from $15 to $23. "The challenge is we ship perishable items and we ship a large item in most cases," Dinslage says, "so free shipping is a promotional tool that we use sparingly compared to other e-commerce companies." But the nursery can use the extra business at this time of year. "This is not what you would consider peak season for our business," Dinslage says, "so it provides cash flow for the business."
Advice: Business owners need to "take a look at all the hard costs--the labor, their corrugation or box, the product, all the overhead--and make sure they are still making a profit," Dinslage says. So get out your calculators.
William Garnsey, e-commerce director of The Ansel Adams Gallery Photo Courtesy of the Company
sells photographs, books and prints at its store in Yosemite National Park and on its website. The average online sale is about $280, and the shipping charge averages $13, according to William Garnsey, the gallery's e-commerce director. This will be the gallery's third year participating in Free Shipping Day.
The Payoff: "Marketing exposure," says Garnsey. "I feel it exposes us to a different market of consumers." In 2009, the website more than doubled its daily sales on Free Shipping Day. Last year, sales also spiked, but not quite as much.
The Downside: "Sometimes there is a scramble to make sure all of those orders get framed and fulfilled in time so that they are received by the customer," Garnsey says.
Advice: "You have got to prepare to make sure you maintain your inventory stock and make sure that you have your fulfillment resources in order so that you can get [orders], in our case, framed and packed and ready to ship," Garnsey says.
Kristine Lewis, the owner aof Crazyartgrrl Jewelry, making bracelets. Photo Courtesy of the Company
Kristine Lewis and her family make all of the products for her business, including the signature Embraceling bracelet that wraps multiple times around the wrist. Based outside of Buffalo, N.Y., Crazyartgrrl Jewelry will be participating in Free Shipping Day for the third time because of previous sales jumps. In 2009, Lewis received 103 orders, compared with the two to five a day she was getting back then. Last year, she got 89 orders on Free Shipping Day.
The Payoff: "It doesn't cost anything" to sign up, and the registration process is convenient, Lewis says. She also notes that on the Free Shipping Day web site, smaller retailers are being advertised right next to larger companies. "The first year that I did it," she says, "I was parked next to Cricket Wireless." Because shipping lightweight jewelry is relatively inexpensive, Lewis says, she doesn't have to cut her profit margins to the bone.
The Downside: "Now, there is going to be a lot more competition," Lewis says. "It is becoming so big it is almost becoming too big. You are going to get lost."
Advice: Do the math--carefully. Consider the cost of paying for the shipping as an advertising expense. "If you can deal with that little ouch for the day, absolutely do it," Lewis says. "I was sending bracelets across the country, which I had never done before."


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|HT Top 5 Trends June 2019|
HT's Top 5 Trending Restaurant Tech Articles: June 2019
By Anna Wolfe
Editor, Hospitality Technology
June 6, 2019
The top five restaurant tech stories grabbing attention at Hospitality Technology illustrate how restaurants are reacting to digital disruption and the technologies they’re piloting today.
5. Dunkin’ Sharpens Focus on Digital Initiatives
Digital initiatives top the to-do lists for many operators as the dine-at-home trend, including mobile ordering and third-party delivery, take hold. This story about Dunkin’ piqued interest of HT’s restaurant readers. Dunkin’ is keeping a watchful eye on the future and recently announced that it had acquired a perpetual license to the code that runs the Dunkin' mobile app, which CEO David Hoffman described as “the backbone” to the brand’s digital initiatives including mobile ordering. The move enables Dunkin’ “to be faster to market and more flexible with our digital initiatives,” he said.
Plus: A look at Dunkin’s Next-Gen concept. Read more:
4. Building Blocks for Restaurant of the Future
Restaurants need to consider infrastructure and innovation changes that will position them for the next-generation of digital dining as shifting dynamics are driving restaurant sales to skyrocket despite reports of dwindling foot traffic. This article details what industry leaders are doing now to be ready for tomorrow. https://hospitalitytech.com/building-blocks-restaurant-future
3. Sonic Drive-In to Pilot Voice AI-Powered Ordering, Dynamic Menus
Machine learning holds a lot of promise to help streamline operations and reduce friction for QSRs and their customers, especially in the drive-thru. This story details how Mastercard and Zivelo teamed up to create the tech -- dynamic menus and AI-powered voice ordering -- that Sonic Drive-In will begin piloting at select locations later this year. Read more:
2. McDonald’s Tests AI-Powered Digital Menu Boards
Global QSR and technology innovator McDonald’s made a splash when it purchased machine learning Dynamic Yield earlier this year. It made a second splash when it rolled out AI-driven menu boards to 700 US locations. Here’s the gist: overtime the tech will become smarter through machine learning, "and using the data collected based on current restaurant traffic at the drive-thru, the technology will begin to suggest items that can make peak times easier on our restaurant operations and crew,” explained President and Chief Executive Officer, Steve Easterbrook, in an April 30 earnings call with analysts.
Read more about this exciting advancement here:
1. Rapid-Fire Growth
This article about the MOD Pizza chain was the most-read restaurant article in May and for good reason. Robert Notte, vice president of IT, shared how the fastest-growing chain in the US focuses on scaling an intelligent infrastructure. In this May 2019 cover story from Hospitality Technology magazine, Notte shared his three main objectives since joining MOD Pizza in 2018. Read more at


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Levels may seem like it has been around forever, but surprisingly Avicii‘s club smash is only just going officially on sale today. Levels has already witnessed over 20 million YouTube views after it was first unleashed upon the unsuspecting general public at the tail end of 2010 and finally Avicii has teamed up with Universal/Island Records for the UK release of what has become a global phenomenon.
If you want to go and grab Levels from iTunes you can now, and to celebrate its release we have the Cazzette bootleg of Levels which premiered on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show on Friday. Enjoy!
Avicii – “Levels”


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St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said yesterday that the US central bank needs to continue raising interest rates by at least another full percentage point. He added that the current rate of 3.75% and 4% remains below the "sufficiently restrictive" level the Fed believes is needed to lower inflation to its 2% target. Bullard suggested that the Fed's interest rates could be in a range between 5% and 7%, with the 5% level possibly being the lower bound.
Investors have been waiting so long for signs of inflation reduction, which they had with the October consumer and producer prices, and they thought that would meant that the Fed would pivot to a dovish strategy. But Fed officials dashed their hopes.
The Dow Jones finished flat yesterday, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 lost some ground. Members of the US central bank repeated all week long that we must stop believing in fairy tales that this is the return of the party on risk assets. What they said was relatively simple: it is too early to say that inflation is cooling. From what I'm reading here and there, many senior economists believe that the Fed will really shift its stance when the labor market shows signs of weakening, which is not the case yet.
We are therefore in a stock market in-between, especially since the Chinese awakening that was supposed to be the second engine of growth is not really happening. The resurgence of Covid cases in several urban areas seems to have cancelled out the positive effect of the announcement of a more flexible health policy. At the same time, the performance of the world's second-largest economy is still unsatisfactory. Even the support measures for the real estate sector seem to have lost their influence on investor sentiment.
Meanwhile, the downsizing continues among tech stars, whether it's via a traditional process at Amazon or in the heat of the moment at Twitter. And let's not forget FTX. I've just read the documents related to the bankruptcy of the crypto platform, which show the other side of the story and the vacuity of the internal control. The new CEO of the group, in charge of managing the bankruptcy, is called John J. Ray III. This is the guy who was in charge of the Enron bankruptcy. Enron is at the top of the list of the most incredible scams in the history of capitalism. Well John explained that with FTX, never in his career has he "seen such a failure of corporate controls and lack of reliable financial information".
In the U.K., the government yesterday unveiled a crisis budget as the country is expected to experience its sharpest fall in living standards in ages. Unlike Liz Truss's plan, this budget didn't unsettle the markets. The pound rose against the dollar, while 10Y Gilt yields rose 5.3bps. The budget includes generalized tax increases and cuts in government spending. M.Hunt blamed economic difficulties on everything including Covid and Russia, but he didn't mention the elephant in the room: Brexit. This is despite members of the Bank of England saying on the same day that they estimated that Brexit was responsible for a fall of 3% of the British productivity and that it had "contributed to an increase in prices and a reduction in income".
Economic highlights of the day:
Leading index and Existing Home Sales are on the agenda. All the macro agenda is here. This morning, Japan reported annual inflation of 3.6%, slightly above expectations and at a 40-year high.
The dollar is worth EUR 0.9634 and GBP 0.8388. The ounce of gold is stabilizing at 1761 dollars. Oil remains under pressure, with North Sea Brent at USD 87.84 per barrel and U.S. light crude WTI at USD 79.71. The yield on 10-year US debt is back up to 3.77%. Bitcoin is back around USD 16,800.
In corporate news:
* Applied Materials - The semiconductor equipment maker climbed 5% in premarket trading after announcing that it expects better-than-expected revenue for the first quarter of its fiscal year, saying that expected easing of supply chain tensions will help it meet demand from chipmakers.
* Gap jumped 8.6% in premarket trading on better-than-expected third-quarter revenue and profit, which were supported by resilient apparel demand despite high inflation.
* JD.Com - The Wall Street-listed Chinese online retailer gained 5.3% in premarket trading after reporting better-than-expected quarterly sales.
* Foot Locker was up 18% in pre-market trading after it raised its revenue and profit forecasts for this year, driven by resilient demand from affluent consumers.
* Farfetch plunged 10.5% in premarket trading as the online retailer specializing in high-end fashion said it expects to post a negative Ebitda margin of 3-5% this year, compared to its previous guidance of breakeven.
* Ross Stores - The retailer's stock rose 16.7% in premarket trading after announcing a profit above analysts' expectations in the third quarter.
* Meta Platforms - The group's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, told employees Thursday that WhatsApp and Messenger would be the next growth driver for the company, which last week announced a plan to cut more than 11,000 jobs.
* Amazon announced Thursday that job cuts are expected to continue next year and that adjustments were underway. The New York Times reported Monday that the company plans to lay off 10,000 people this week.
* Tesla will recall nearly 30,000 Model X vehicles for an airbag problem, a filing with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows.
* Visa announced Thursday that it has promoted Ryan McInerney to chief executive officer effective February, replacing Alfred Kelly Jr, who had led the group since 2016.
* KKR & Co - The U.S. private equity firm is seeking to sell Canadian oil and gas producer Westbrick Energy in a deal valued at C$1.5 billion to C$2.0 billion, two sources close to the matter said Thursday.
- AbbVie: Credit Suisse reinstated coverage with a recommendation of outperform. PT set to $170.
- Amgen: Credit Suisse reinstated coverage with a recommendation of underperform. PT set to $240.
- Bakkavor: HSBC downgrades from buy to hold targeting GBp 90.10.
- Bristol-Myers: Credit Suisse reinstated coverage with a recommendation of neutral. PT set to $78.
- Burberry: Jefferies maintains a Hold rating with a price target raised from GBp 1900 to GBp 2100.
- Dominion Energy: Evercore ISI analyst Durgesh Chopra downgrades to inline from outperform. PT up 31% to $78.
- First Foods: Jefferies remains Buy with a price target raised from GBp 120 to GBp 130.
- Johnson & Johnson: Credit Suisse reinstated coverage with a recommendation of neutral. PT set to $170.
- Merck & Co: Credit Suisse reinstated coverage with a recommendation of outperform. PT set to $120.
- Pfizer: Credit Suisse reinstated coverage with a recommendation of outperform. PT set to $55.
- Virgin Money: Jefferies remains Buy with a price target reduced from GBp 258 to GBp 197.
- Walgreens Boots: J.P. Morgan raised its recommendation to overweight from neutral. PT up 4.7% to $42.