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In a recent statement, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren praised the efforts of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler to address the challenges posed by the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency. While acknowledging the potential benefits of digital currencies, Warren also criticized the crypto lobby for its attempts to evade regulatory oversight.
As the use of cryptocurrency continues to grow and evolve, it is crucial that policymakers and regulators take a proactive approach to addressing the potential risks and challenges associated with this technology. In this article, we will explore the key issues surrounding cryptocurrency regulation and assess the implications of Warren’s statement for the future of the industry.
The Risks of Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency has the potential to revolutionize the way we conduct financial transactions, but it also poses significant risks. One of the most significant concerns is the potential for fraud and market manipulation. In recent years, there have been numerous cases of fraud and scams involving digital currencies, which have resulted in significant losses for investors.
Another risk associated with cryptocurrency is its association with illegal activities. Cryptocurrency’s decentralized nature and ability to provide anonymity make it a popular choice for individuals engaged in money laundering and other illicit activities. This has led to calls for increased regulatory oversight to combat these criminal activities.
The Need for Regulatory Oversight
In light of these risks, many policymakers and regulators have called for increased oversight of the cryptocurrency market. This includes measures such as Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, as well as the establishment of regulatory bodies specifically tasked with overseeing the digital currency industry.
SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, who was recently appointed by President Biden, has taken a particularly strong stance on the need for regulatory oversight. In a recent speech, Gensler stated that “the crypto world needs more oversight” and that the SEC has a “key role” to play in ensuring the integrity of the market.
Elizabeth Warren’s Statement
In her statement, Senator Warren praised Gensler’s efforts to address the challenges posed by cryptocurrency, stating that “his leadership on this issue is vital to protecting consumers and ensuring the integrity of the market.” However, she also criticized the crypto lobby for their attempts to evade regulatory oversight, stating that “the crypto lobby’s efforts to undermine regulatory oversight is unacceptable and must be met with strong resistance.”
Warren’s statement highlights the importance of regulatory oversight in ensuring the safe and secure use of cryptocurrency. Her support for Gensler’s efforts to address the risks posed by digital currencies is a positive sign for the future of the industry.
The use of cryptocurrency is rapidly growing and evolving, and it is crucial that policymakers and regulators take a proactive approach to addressing the potential risks and challenges associated with this technology. In light of the risks associated with digital currencies, increased regulatory oversight is needed to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of the market. Warren’s statement in support of Gensler’s efforts to address these challenges is a positive sign for the future of the industry.


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On June 26, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) imposed several “requirements” on Wirecard‘s (WDI:DE) activities in the UK. The move was in response to Wirecard’s missing €1.9 billion in funds along with allegations of fraud and other nefarious activities. After an audit uncovered the discrepancy, Wirecard’s CEO Markus Braun resigned and was soon arrested. Wirecard’s COO, Jan Marsalek, was terminated only to abscond to an unknown location in Asia. Wirecard has since filed for bankruptcy.
Today, the FCA has clarified its position stating:
“Following last week’s news of €1.9 billion missing from the accounts of the German company, Wirecard, we placed requirements on the firm’s UK business so that it should stop carrying out regulated activities and not pay out or reduce any money it holds. Our primary objective all along has been to protect the interests and money of consumers who use Wirecard. Teams from across the FCA have been working with the firm, and other international and UK authorities, over the weekend, and we have seen good progress by the firm in meeting the conditions we set. We are maintaining pressure on the firm to resolve these issues which would allow it to operate under certain conditions. However, we cannot lift the restrictions without reassuring ourselves that the firm has been able to satisfy all our concerns for example that all clients’ money is safe. We hope to be able to issue an update soon.”
Wirecard is a payments platform and card issuer utilized by many different firms including Fintechs in the UK. Fintechs like Curve all of sudden found themselves scrambling to find alternatives to Wirecard having been blindsided by the alleged fraud.
Curve has been running ongoing color commentary on the saga to keep its customers abreast of its move to deal with Wirecard’s collapse. In the Fintech’s most recent post from earlier today, Curve claimed that after a busy weekend, many services were back up and running:
“And……Drum roll please…🥁 … We’re back! Wow, what a weekend!. We know how much you were missing us, so we moved Heaven and Earth to make it happen. As we mentioned yesterday, you’re now once again able to pay with your Curve Card, use Curve Fronted and see your balance and Curve Cash points. If you are not seeing this, check out our previous update to learn how to get your Curve app up and running again. (Updated app available in Google Store and Apple Store).
We are now working on enabling Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay as well as Garmin and Fitbit. Plus, we know how much you love the “Go back in time” feature, so we will also have that up and running again in no-time.”
Credit cards distributed by Curve apparently are labeled “issued by Wirecard” but Curve has been hustling for a workaround. In fact, Curve claims it is “100% Wirecard-free after the migration work [they] did this weekend.”
Digital bank Revolut was impacted as well but not to the same degree as Curve. According to a statement shared with Finextra:
“Revolut used Wirecard only as an acquirer in certain locations, enabling customer card ‘top-ups’. We were already in the process of a phased migration from Wirecard to diversify our suppliers since late 2019. When we learned of Wirecard’s problems, we migrated the remaining customers to alternative providers worldwide to avoid any potential service disruption.”
A tweet by Revolut also indicated the Fintech had cut the cord with the bankrupt payments platform.
Just for a little peace of mind:
👍 We’ve switched all our top-ups away from Wirecard.
💳 ✅Your Revolut card will work as usual! No worries.
💰✅ Your money is (as always) safeguarded with trusted global banks.
So you can top-up as usual, and have a great weekend!
— Revolut (@RevolutApp) June 26, 2020
ANNA, a crowdfunded Fintech, found themselves in a similar boat like Curve as ANNA issued cards via Wirecard. In a blog post, ANNA management apologized to all their customers as their accounts had been temporarily suspended.
“We expect the suspension to be lifted, and we are working to restore access to your card and account as soon as possible. Your ANNA card details and the money in your ANNA account remain safe and secure – but unfortunately, you cannot currently access them. This is happening because on the morning of June 26 the Financial Conduct Authority suspended its permission for Wirecard Card Solutions Limited to operate – without prior notice. This action is not in any way related to ANNA, but since ANNA depends on Wirecard Card Solutions Limited to process payments, it affects ANNA and your ability to access your money. We are working as hard as possible to get things back up and running and hope this disruption is over as quickly as possible. We will update you as soon as possible.”
ANNA assured its users that their money “remains completely safe” but the FCA action means it cannot be accessed. ANNA added that it had been assured by Wirecard Card Solutions that events in Germany would not affect operations in the UK – a statement that has now been proven as erroneous.
There are other Fintechs have have experienced temporary disruptions.
Meanwhile, as the scandal simmers both regulators and elected officials in Germany find scrutiny growing. There have long been rumors of financial impropriety at Wirecard – something the authorities clearly failed to uncover in their duties.
Reuters reported earlier today that some individuals are calling for a Parliamentary review of Wirecard in Germany.
According to the report, Frank Schaeffler, a Liberal member of parliament who also sits on BaFin’s supervisory board, has now asked for a parliamentary inquiry.
“The fact that the Bafin is waiting 15 months for a report from the FREP despite indications of irregularities is absurd. It’s like shooting cotton balls at an elephant.”
FREP or Financial Reporting Enforcement Panel (Deutsche Prüfstelle für Rechnungslegung (DPR)) saw its contract with the German government to provide financial auditing services has now been canceled.
Alexander Radwan, another BaFin board member and member of parliament, echoed a similar sentiment:
“The role of the finance ministry must be examined, as reports of irregularities have been coming in for quite some time. Fintechs offering financial services need appropriate oversight.”

domain: news


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Latest News Headlines
FOCON Showtechnic Appointed New GLP Distributor
As part of the reorganisation of the sales structure, GLP and FOCON Showtechnic have entered into a programme of wide-ranging cooperation, including product distribution for the German market.
"We are pleased to be able to further expand our dealer network and now, in addition to the already recognised distribution channels and direct sales, we have a well networked and extremely competent company within the industry behind us," states GLP managing director Udo Künzler.
Frank Rethmann, his counterpart at FOCON Showtechnic, replied: “It is clear that with GLP product range in our portfolio, we can now offer products of another premium manufacturer to our industry customers in Germany."
All GLP products are available with immediate effect from FOCON Showtechnic.
In picture: Udo Künzler (GLP CEO), Frank Rethmann (FOCON CEO), Michael Timmer (FOCON purchasing manager).
8th May 2015
© 1999 - 2021 Entertainment Technology Press Limited News Stories


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MasterCard has begun preparations for an alliance with China's Alibaba Group, the company announced Thursday. Signing a Memorandum of Understanding with China's largest e-commerce company, the credit card giant says it's ready "to explore future collaboration in the area of e-Commerce," aiming "to benefit consumers and small businesses within and outside China."
From Alibaba's perspective, the objective here is to promote "a safe and efficient payment experience" for users of its AliExpress and Alipay platforms. For MasterCard, the proposed relationship offers a way to expand its presence in the Middle Kingdom, and with a firm that's already reaching out across borders through its three-year-old alliance with UPS.
Financial details on the proposed arrangement were not disclosed, and a deal has not yet been finalized. But that's the direction the companies appear to be moving in -- and investors like it. MasterCard shares closed 0.6% higher at $541.13 in the wake of Thursday's news.
The article MasterCard Wants Closer Ties to Alibaba Group originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends United Parcel Service. The Motley Fool owns shares of MasterCard. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Here’s some bad news for the bank balances of gamers around the globe: reports suggest that expensive components are making it hard for Sony to drive drown the price of the PlayStation 5. The next-generation console is meant to be launching in the holiday season at the end of 2020, at a similar time to Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, but we’ve yet to see a confirmation of price from either company.
A report from Bloomberg, citing “people with knowledge of the matter” as its source, summarises the situation like so: apparently, “Scarce components have pushed the manufacturing costs for Sony Corp.’s next PlayStation to around $450 per unit, forcing a difficult price-setting decision in its battle with Microsoft Corp.”
This echoes a rumor that you might have heard on the web in recent weeks: the suggestion is that Sony and Microsoft are both waiting for the other to reveal the price of their next-gen console. If there’s truth to this report, it’ll be interesting to see who does blink first and put a number on the table.
Considering that the PS5’s manufacturing cost is said to be $450 per unit, Bloomsberg predicts that “the PlayStation 5’s retail price would have to be at least $470” unless Sony finds a way to make it cheaper between now and launch.
This is, of course, a lot of money to ask people to put down. To put that price in context: the PS4 launched with a price of $399 and the PS4 Pro is currently retailing for $399.99, so the PS5 could theoretically launch into a market as the most expensive console that PlayStation fans have to choose from.
Where is this money going? Well, the PS5 rumored to have improved storage, ray-tracing capabilities, and the visual power to push out 8K visuals – so it really shouldn’t come as a big surprise that this cutting-edge piece of hardware is going to be more expensive to produce than the PS4. And if it’s true that the PS5 will have “incredibly powerful” backwards-compatibity with the previous generations of PlayStation content, you wouldn’t expect that feature to come cheap either.
The price of innovation, it seems, is pretty steep. But we’re still holding out hope that Sony will find a way to make that price seem a little less terrifying. Otherwise, there could be a lot of us geeks signing up for lengthy payment plans. Either way, once the PS5 price is confirmed, we’ll be sure to let you know.


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Apple's latest financial report shows the iPhone is still the key engine of the company's success. But the impact of its newest product, the Apple Watch, isn't clear.
Apple's online shop and recently launched streaming music service stumbled on Tuesday, experiencing outages as the company was poised to release quarterly earnings figures.
Smartphone sales may be slowing for some tech companies, but not for Apple.
Is Apple Watch a dud? Nearly three months after the launch of Apple's fashionably smart wrist wear, some analysts say it's not a mainstream mega-hit. But others see promise in its popularity with Internet-savvy young people.
Google is already one of the largest companies in the world, and on Friday it made one of the largest stock market moves ever.
Folk rock icon Neil Young has vowed to pull his music off streaming sites, complaining that even old cassettes had better sound than the online platforms.
Comcast is adding another hook to try to keep customers in front of the TV: video games in its set-top boxes.
Apple's new music service is a valiant effort to catch up in the emerging business of offering unlimited music on demand for a monthly price. It does so while acknowledging the legacy of iTunes, the world's most popular store ...
Although the iPod's popularity has waned, Apple is updating its music player for the first time in nearly three years by giving the flagship Touch model a faster processor and better cameras.
During the first three months of the year, Samsung sold a lot more smartphones than No. 2 Apple - 30 percent more - but reaped just $1 in phone-related operating profit for every $6 Apple did.


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BlackBerry Blackout Strands Users
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
As the doors closed on the Metrorail train he was riding home from work yesterday, ABC News senior political reporter Rick Klein reached for his BlackBerry to encounter his worst nightmare: no new e-mails.
Earlier, Klein had been getting hundreds of e-mails an hour for his political blog "The Note" in preparation for today's Potomac Primary. But like millions of BlackBerry users across the country, he was caught up in an afternoon blackout that lasted for more than three hours.
For Klein, being cut off from e-mail, even during his half-hour commute to his home on Capitol Hill, seemed intolerable.
"It was like being underwater without an oxygen tank. It felt like every minute was an hour," Klein said.
The failure appeared to affect users on all U.S. wireless carriers from about 3:30 p.m. to 6:50 p.m., an AT&T spokesman said. It was not clear that it affected all BlackBerry subscribers and appeared to only involve e-mail, representatives from AT&T and Sprint Nextel said. Phone service on the devices was not affected, a Sprint spokesman said.
Research in Motion, which makes the ubiquitous handheld device and operates the BlackBerry e-mail servers, did not respond to phone messages and e-mails seeking comment.
It was the second major failure for RIM in less than a year. Last April, the company's e-mail service was interrupted for several hours overnight. The company later said its system crashed during a software upgrade to the servers that run the BlackBerry network. The cause of yesterday's blackout was not known.
The BlackBerry has had a loyal following, particularly among business users, since its introduction nine years ago. RIM has 12 million subscribers for its BlackBerry service worldwide and about 8 million in North America.
The interruption yesterday may have inconvenienced some customers, but faithful users such as Klein say the glitch has not changed their view of the service.
"It couldn't have come at a worse time for me, but I think it was just an occasional problem," he said. "I'm too wedded to the technology at this point to change."


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July 15, 2020 — Today HP Inc. introduced a suite of remote work offerings that enable partners to deliver progressive, integrated services-based print solutions. By building out capabilities that drive business outcomes, HP Amplify partners can ready their businesses to succeed in today’s environment while driving long-term recurring revenue streams.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is requiring companies to accelerate their shift to modern workstyles where where automation and adaptability reign supreme,” said David Prezzano, HP’s General Manager and Global Head, Print Services and Solutions Category, HP Inc. “Customers and partners are now looking to rapidly modernize their infrastructure and shift to service models to better manage distributed IT environments. No matter where a company is on the curve, HP has a suite of solutions to help them succeed.”
Scalable solutions for managing printer fleets remotely
Included in the offerings is HP Advance, a new integrated platform for managing HP Access Control Print, HP Access Control Scan, HP Mobile Connector1 and HP Direct Print from one admin console. By offering a modular system, enterprise customers can scale requirements easily with the switch of a license key. HP also announced that HP Command Center, a single tool for HP partners to deploy and manage cloud applications for their customers in many cases without going on-site, can now enable fleet onboarding, saving partners time while freeing up IT resources. The HP Workpath ecosystem, which enables workers to connect to cloud-based platforms directly from the MFP, has expanded rapidly since it launched in November 2019, with more than 275 reseller partners, 100+ apps available on the platform and thousands of apps deployed. In addition, HP has launched its revenue share model for HP Workpath, which simplifies access to third-party applications. By having the order and payment process transacted through HP Command Center, partners now have access to a much broader range of apps.


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Australian securities market set to begin trading Bitcoin
Not bitcoin as currency, but rather shares of the Bitcoin Group.
Samsung Pay works with 19 more banks in the US
Including PNC Visa and KeyBank MasterCard accounts.
Watch the Patriots practice in VR through Google Cardboard
Google's paper VR headset will show you what New England's football training is like as if you were there.
PayPal, Square and big banking's war on the sex industry
The discriminatory practice of redlining is reinvented for the 21st century.
Swatch's payments watch is coming to the US
It's all thanks to Visa.
Shift is a debit card for your bitcoin wallet
spend your cryptocurrency at nearly 38 million retailers
Banks can bring class-action suit against Target over data hack
As the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth $67 million in settlements and counting."
Samsung Pay beta arrives on every major carrier but Verizon
If you've got a Galaxy or a Note, a Visa or Mastercard from US Bank or Bank of America, and service with anybody but Verizon, Samsung will consider letting you try out the beta version of its new Pay service. You should feel honored.
Target's data breach payout to Visa may hit $67 million
Target is still facing the consequences of its late 2013 data breach: it's paying Visa up to $67 million in compensation.


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Roseville Cab Driver Stops Elderly Woman From Being Scammed Out Of $25KPolice are crediting a diligent Roseville cab driver with helping stop a woman from getting scammed out of thousands of dollars.
Scam Involving Notices Of Parcels On Hold Popping Up In The Sacramento AreaWith gift-giving on the rise, a mail scam appears to be making the rounds again.
2 California Women Arrested For Theft In $900K Gift Card ScamAuthorities say two California women have been arrested on suspicion of participating in a gift card scam that netted about $900,000 in stolen merchandise.
Feds: Scammers In California Oversaw Romance Scam That Targeted Women WorldwideIn March 2016, a man claiming to be a US Army captain stationed in Syria reached out to a Japanese woman on an international site for digital pen pals. Within weeks, their relationship grew into a
Feds: Men In California Oversaw Romance Scam That Targeted Women WorldwideIn March 2016, a man claiming to be a US Army captain stationed in Syria reached out to a Japanese woman on an international site for digital pen pals.
Scammers Clone Phone Number, Pose As Air Conditioning Business In Elaborate Scheme On YelpLocal police said this is an elaborate scheme they’ve never dealt with before
Man Diagnosed With Cancer Scammed Out Of $32,000 Trying To See The Country With His WifeA Citrus Heights man was diagnosed with some serious conditions and was scammed out of $32,000.
Scam Alert: Suspects Luring Drivers With 'Broken Down' Car, Try To Sell Gold Jewelry For CashThe CHP Dispatch Centers said Monday that they have been receiving unusual 911 calls since mid-November of suspicious people pretending their car is broken down and asking for money from passing drivers.
Scam Targets Husbands: "I Know What Secrets You're Hiding From Your Wife"
Call Kurtis Investigates: Placerville Dad & Aspiring Actor Targeted in ScamScammers targeted this aspiring actor's dream and now he wants other dreamers to be aware of this scam.
Scam Alert: If Your Own Phone Number Calls You, Don't Pick UpA new scam is tricking victims into giving away precious information by calling them from what appears to be their own phone numbers.
California Lawyer Admits Running $50 Million Visa-Fraud ScamAuthorities said Chan and her father operated a company, California Investment Immigration Fund, LLC, that applied for green cards for wealthy investors.
Scammers Targeting Amazon Customers With Realistic-Looking Emails The Better Business Bureau has a warning about an email that appears to from Amazon, but it’s not.
Don't Fall For The Netflix Phishing ScamA Netflix email scam is being sent around, and like many other phishing scams, this one looks realistic enough to have fooled a lot of people.
Scams Push Foreclosure Fraud To Limit, Taking Victims' HomesThe phone call came as Raymond Murray neared the bottom of his luck. His wife had died, his career had been ended by injuries, and struggling to get by on his disability check, he had scraped together just enough to pay a lawyer to avoid imminent foreclosure on his modest Brooklyn home.


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PHOENIX ( Associated Press) – Long lines are back at America’s food banks as working Americans overwhelmed by inflation turn to handouts to help feed their families.
With grocery prices rising as well as gas prices, many are looking for charitable food for the first time, and more people are arriving on foot.
Inflation in the US is at a 40-year high and gas prices have been rising since April 2020, with the average cost briefly reaching $5 per gallon in June. Rapidly rising rents and the end of federal COVID-19 relief have also taken a financial toll.
Food banks, which were beginning to see some relief as people returned to work after the pandemic closed, are struggling to meet the latest requirement, even as federal programs have less to deliver. Food provide, grocery store donations are pointless and cash gifts almost don’t go away.
Tomasina John was among hundreds of families who parked outside the St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix on a recent day in several lanes of cars around the block. John said that her family had never visited a food bank before because her husband readily supported her and their four children in their construction work.
“But it’s really impossible to get by without some help,” said John, who traveled to share the cost of gas with a neighbor because they were idle under a scorching sun. “The prices are too high.”
Jesus Pascual was also in the queue.
“It’s a real struggle,” said Pascual, a janitor who estimated he spends several hundred dollars a month on groceries for him, his wife, and their five children aged 11 to 19. .
The same scene is repeated across the country, with food bank employees predicting scorching heat keeping in mind the demand.
The jump in food prices comes after state governments ended COVID-19 disaster declarations that allowed temporarily increased benefits under the SNAP, federal food stamp program covering some 40 million Americans.
“It doesn’t look like it will get better overnight,” said Katie Fitzgerald, president and chief operating officer of National Food Bank Network Feeding America. “Demand is really complicating the supply challenges.”
Charitable food delivery has far exceeded the quantity given before the coronavirus pandemic, even though demand eased somewhat late last year.
Feeding America executives say second-quarter figures won’t be ready until August, but they’re hearing anecdotes from food banks across the country that demand is picking up.
St. Mary’s spokesman Jerry Brown said the Phoenix Food Bank’s main distribution center delivered food packages to 4,271 families during the third week in June, up 78% from 2,396 families during the same week last year.
More than 900 families line up at the distribution center each week for an emergency government food box filled with items such as canned beans, peanut butter and rice, Brown said. St. Mary’s added products purchased with the cash donation as well as food provided by local supermarkets such as Bread, Carrots and Pork Chops for a combined package of about $75.
The marketing director said distribution by the Alameda County Community Food Bank in Northern California has ticked up since a pandemic low earlier this year, serving 890 homes on the third Friday in January, up from the third Friday in June. was in 1,410 households. Michael Altfest.
At the Houston Food Bank, America’s largest food bank, where food delivery levels in the pandemic were briefly £1 million a day, are now serving an average of £610,000 a day.
This is up from about £500,000 the day before the pandemic, spokeswoman Paula Murphy said.
Murphy said cash donations haven’t eased, but inflation sure doesn’t go that far.
Food bank officials said the sudden jump in demand took them by surprise.
“Last year, we expected a reduction in demand for 2022 because the economy was doing very well,” said Michael Flood, CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. “The issue with inflation came very suddenly.”
“Many of these are people who have been working and doing well during the pandemic and probably even seen their wages,” Flood said. “But they have also noticed that food prices go up beyond their budget.”
The Los Angeles bank provided nearly 30 million pounds of food during the first three months of this year, slightly less than the previous quarter, but still far more than the 22 million pounds it provided during the first quarter of 2020.
Fitzgerald of Feeding America is calling on the USDA and Congress to find a way to restore hundreds of millions of dollars worth of items recently lost at the end of several temporary programs to provide food to those in need. USDA commodities, which can typically represent 30% of the food dispensed by banks, accounted for more than 40% of all food delivered by the Feeding America network in fiscal 2021.
“There is now a significant need for the public sector to buy more food,” Fitzgerald said.
During the Trump administration, the USDA bought several billions of dollars in pork, apples, dairy, potatoes and other products in a program that gave it to most food banks. The “food procurement and distribution program” designed to help American farmers harmed by tariffs and other practices from US trading partners has since ended. There were $1.2 billion authorized for fiscal year 2019 and $1.4 billion for fiscal year 2020.
Another temporary USDA “Farmers to Families” program that provided emergency relief provided more than 155 million food boxes for needy families across the US during the height of the pandemic before ending May 31, 2021.
A USDA spokesperson noted that the agency is using $400 million from the Build Back Better initiative to establish agreements with states, territories, and tribal governments to purchase food from local, regional and under-served producers. Can be given to food banks, schools and other feeding programs.
Michael G., president and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank in Louisiana. For now, there is enough food, Manning said, but there may not be in the future. The higher fuel cost also makes it more expensive to collect and distribute food, he said.
The USDA’s coronavirus food assistance program, which covers farmers to families, was “a boon” for the Alameda County Community Food Bank, which provides 5 billion pounds of items a year, spokesman Altfest said.
“So losing that was a big hit,” he said.
Altfest said more than 10% of people seeking food are now first timers, and a growing number are showing up on foot rather than in cars to save gas.
“The food they get from us is helping them save their already increased budget for other expenses like gas, rent, diapers and baby formula,” he said.
Meanwhile, food purchases by bank due to food prices have risen from a monthly average of $250,000 before the pandemic to $1.5 million now. Altfest said rising gasoline prices forced the bank to increase its fuel budget by 66%.
Supply chain issues are also a problem, requiring the food bank to become more aggressive with purchases.
“When our inventory dropped to three weeks’ worth, we used to re-order, now we re-order for up to six weeks,” Altfest said.
He said the food bank has already ordered and paid for whole chickens, stuffing, cranberries and other holiday feast items that will be delivered for Thanksgiving, which is the busiest time of the year.
At the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation in Montebello, east of Los Angeles, workers say they see several families with older people like Diane Martinez, who lined up on foot one recent morning.
Some of the mostly Spanish-speaking recipients had cars parked nearby. They took to cloth bags, cardboard boxes or push-ups to pick up their food packages from a delivery site provided by a Los Angeles bank.
“Food prices are very high and they are increasing more every day,” said Martinez, who expressed gratitude for bags of black beans, ground beef and other groceries. “I’m so glad they were able to help us.”
Associated Press Video journalist Eugene Garcia contributed from Montebello, Calif.


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Apple’s just-published iOS 12 security guide has revealed a new feature which will see owners of the latest iPhones able to conduct some NFC transactions even when the device has all but shut down because the battery needs to be charged... More
PARTNER NEWS: Chip maker NXP has released a high performance NFC controller designed for use in consumer electronic devices as well as developer demo kits that interface with a range of popular prototyping platforms. More
A teardown conducted by iFixit shows that Apple has included an NXP 65V10 NFC controller chip in its new iPad Mini 4 tablet... More
Feed for stories about NFC Controller Chip.


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Fire Brands Teams Up with Mars Wrigley for Latest Beverage
Miami, FL — As an official licensing partner of Mars Wrigley, Fire Brands is releasing its newest beverage innovation featuring Skittles flavors.
Developed to introduce one of Gen Z’s favorite candies as a refreshing soft drink, Skittles Drinks are non-carbonated and bursting with the fan-favorite flavors of Skittles.
“This is an exciting expansion of our beverage portfolio,” said Raz Inserra, Director of Marketing at Fire Brands. ” At Fire Brands, we’re about flavor first. Each flavor has been carefully developed to taste like drinking a handful of Skittles.”
Skittles drinks will be launching in small and large format retailers nationwide. The drinks will be available in a 14-ounce clear 100% recyclable bottles in four flavors including original, wild berry, tropical and sour. The was brokered by Brand Central, LLC, which represents Skittles brand owner Mars, Inc.


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BARCELONA, Spain--The GSMA announced a new mobile identification program the group said will allow users to use their phone's SIM card and a personal PIN number to log on to any participating service. The goal, the association said, is to create a universal identification system that would eliminate the need for users to remember the passwords they need to access every online service they use.
Although the GSMA obtained voices of support from the likes of China Mobile, China Telecom, Etisalat, KDDI, Orange, Tata, Telefonica, Telenor, Telstra and VimpelCom, no U.S. operator was listed as supporting the effort. The absence of U.S. support isn't completely surprising; U.S. operators have both supported and abstained from various GSMA efforts, including the group's now-shuttered Wholesale Applications Community program, an effort designed to streamline mobile software development and cross-operator distribution.
Supporters of the GSMA's new program, dubbed Mobile Connect, predicted that additional carriers will sign on in the future. "I'm sure that in a very short amount of time we'll have a lot more," said Stephane Richard, CEO of Europe's Orange. Of those operators voicing support for Mobile Connect, only Orange and Ooredoo in Southeast Asia promised to launch commercial Mobile Connect services, likely next year. The GSMA also announced a test of the service with Orange in Barcelona, for customers of the Catalan Personal Health Record service to access their accounts.
The GSMA said its new Mobile Connect service will work across any wireless network technology and any device with a SIM card, including phones, tablets and PCs. The association said the service will use the OpenID Connect protocol.
At a press conference here at the Mobile World Congress trade show to announce the initiative, supporters noted that carriers including KDDI and Telenor already offer ID services, but that the GSMA Mobile Connect program will standardize the service and will be available for free to any carrier or company that wishes to use the technology. The goal, supporters explained, is not to make money from the Mobile Connect program but to allow users to simply and easily log onto a variety of Internet services by using just their phone and one PIN number. Mobile Connect, the GSMA said, is more secure for a user than using the same password for each online service, and easier to use than attempting to remember a different password for every service online. Anne Bouverot, director general of the GSMA, said that Mobile Connect would be secure enough that it could support digital signatures for legally binding documents, thus creating a wide range of applications for the technology.
Aside from wireless carriers supporting the program, content providers Dailymotion and Deezer said they will implement Mobile Connect-based logins. And SIM card vendors Oberthur, Giesecke & Devrient and Gemalto promised to support the program. Indeed, Gemalto CEO Olivier Piou promised that at some point in the near future the company would embed the 5 KB Mobile Connect technology onto every new SIM card it sells; Gemalto produces 2 billion SIM cards a year.
Although Mobile Connect supporters predicted the program would generate a wide range of support, the GSMA's track record with collaborative programs is mixed. The association in 2010 announced more than two dozen operators and manufacturers, including Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE: T) and Sprint (NYSE:S), joined forces to launch the WAC, vowing to unite the fragmented mobile marketplace by giving developers the tools to write software that can be deployed across multiple operating systems, handsets and carrier networks. But the group folded the WAC back into the GSMA in 2012 and sold the WAC's technology assets to Apigee.
Further, this isn't the first attempt at a universal login system; Microsoft in the early 2000s attempted a single-sign on program called Passport that eventually faded away. And other companies are offering their own login systems--Facebook, a relatively new member of the GSMA, offers its Facebook Connect as a universal sign on. Facebook was noticeably absent from the GSMA's Mobile Connect announcement, despite the fact that the GSMA announced its new Mobile Connect program hours before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg provided a keynote address at the GSMA's MWC event.
- see this release
Facebook's Zuckerberg pushes for free tier of wireless Internet access during MWC keynote
Facebook is now in the GSMA- will Google, Amazon, Twitter and Yahoo be next?
Facebook joins GSMA, promises to be an 'active' member of wireless trade group
WAC folded into GSMA, technology assets sold to Apigee


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Outdoorsy residents in Glendale, Ariz., Rancho Mirage, Calif., and St George, Utah, will soon have a new place to gear up, with REI announcing today it will open new stores there in 2024 and 2025.
The announcement follows previously announced openings coming this year, bringing the total number of new co-ops joining the REI fleet to 11 between this year and next.
“Each of these communities has an abundance of easily accessible natural places to play in addition to proximity to iconic national parks where REI currently guides active adventures,” Mary-Farrell Tarbox, REI vice president of stores, said in a press release. “We look forward to serving as a welcoming resource to everyone through our staff’s expertise and broad product assortment.”
Tarbox also confirmed that per REI’s standard operating procedure, the co-op would partner with local nonprofits in the new communities to support more people recreating outside.
Today’s announcement comes after another banner year for the outdoor industry. At the close of 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce released an economic impact report that valued the outdoor industry at a whopping $1.1 trillion. While that figure includes many expenditures not linked to REI’s business (such as RVs and travel), the report points to overall health in the industry.
Looking ahead, REI will open nearly a dozen stores from coast to coast, including Beavercreek, Ohio, and Beaverton, Ore., in the spring; Glendale, Ithaca, N.Y., and Rancho Mirage in the summer; and Albany, N.Y., and Tulsa, Okla., in the fall. Locations in Durango, Colo., and St. George are slated for 2025 opening.
REI said three more locations will be announced as contracts are finalized. The co-op said each location will have a full-service bike shop and cater to all manner of outdoor sports. In addition, the co-op noted that St. George will offer a ski and snowboard shop.


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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon is asking Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson to veto the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a bill similar to Indiana's that opponents fear could allow businesses to legally discriminate against LGBT customers. Fortune reports that the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company sent a tweet from McMillon, stating that the bill "threatens to undermine the spirit of inclusion present throughout the state of Arkansas." Here is the statement on HB1228 from Walmart:


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If you think an employee head-butting a colleague or farting on a co-worker’s face are grounds for an automatic dismissal, FWA says think again.
Are cashflow concerns or marketing issues keeping you up at night? New research reveals you aren't alone. BY OLIVER MILMAN.
Are you sick of being punctual or early, only to have people waste your time? If so, there’s something you can do about it.
Start-ups have been urged to not deter staff from bringing their own smartphones or tablets into the workplace, following a new study that shows most large businesses are wary of the practice.
Melbourne Cup week is as well known for employees taking sickies as it is for its horses. To avoid rampant absenteeism, here are a few key steps your business must follow. BY MARTIN NALLY.
Earlier today, Old Taskmaster called the power company to resolve what should have been, in theory, a reasonably simple question about a bill. The reality was completely different.
An equine-related epidemic is going to sweep the nation next week. Thankfully, Dr. Taskmaster has an antidote to Cup fever.
It’s easy to get distracted by bright shiny ideas and other wonderful things, but running a business requires that you never lose focus of the basics. BY MARC PESKETT.
The collapse of Jan Cameron's Retail Adventures company holds a vital business lesson for anyone looking at buying a business.
Complaints to the Fair Work Ombudsman are soaring, with the Ombudsman's annual report revealing there were 26,366 complaints in the past year, up from 21,890 during the previous year.
The key to fostering good workplace communication is to have a one-on-one chat with each employee.
When you’re in “the bubble” of an industry, it can be surprisingly easy to lose your focus on the big picture. However, there are important reasons to look for sources of outside inspiration.
Have you ever toyed with the idea of running as a political candidate? As an entrepreneur, you could have more skills to contribute than you imagine.
When it comes to a productive office, you need nothing more than the basics. That means a desk, a chair, a computer, a telephone and a door that can slam shut.
Having trouble dealing with an angry customer? This is how we solve the problem at Taskmaster Enterprises.
A WA childcare business has been fined almost $20,000 in fines for pressuring a pregnant employee into resigning.
Taskmaster Enterprises has just invested in a broken John Deere combine harvester. However, in an empty office, there are good reasons why it’s an important business investment.
Businesses are critical of the limited change to unfair dismissal provisions announced by the Federal Government yesterday, claiming unions have been effectively given a veto right on reform.
Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten today offered limited relief on unfair dismissal laws to business but the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says the reforms are unlikely to go far enough.
Taskmaster Enterprises takes a zero-tolerance approach to sexist language in the workplace. You’d be wise to do the same.


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Lil Yachty Partners With Reebok
Lil Yachty is the latest hip-hop act to sign a partnership with a major footwear brand. Teaming up with sportswear giant Reebok, Yahcty joins the likes of Gucci Mane, Machine Gun Kelly, Rae Sremmurd, Teyanna Taylor and Future, as hip-hop artists signed to the Boston-based brand.
Announcing the news of his Reebok partnership via Instagram, Yachty posted a photo of himself wearting a brand new pair of Reebok’s Workout sneaker. Writing in the photo's caption, "New addition to Team @reebok 🙂 Thank You Reebok, For This Opportunity. I'm More Than Appreciative.. #Family," Lil Boat thanked the sportswear brand for the partnership.
As part of the new partnership, Yachty will appear in multiple global campaign ads supporting the Reebok Workout sneaker. The young rapper will also partake in all events surrounding the Reebok brand and its silhouettes.
With no plans of a footwear collaboration announced, time will tell whether or not Reebok and Yachty release a collaborative silhouette. Keep it locked with XXL for more details behind Yachty's new partnership and check above images of the Teenage Emotions rapper wearing the all new colorways of the Reebok Workout sneaker.
Top 5 Sneakers Coming Out This Weekend


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In an era when street food is big business around the world, the “Truth About Street” study, released by McCann Worldgroup Latin America, reveals that most marketers are missing out on a legendarily vibrant and increasingly sophisticated street food scene. This unprecedented study reports that Latin America’s economically active middle class population – approximately 170 million people – annually consumes some $127 billion of street food [figures in USD]. Yet revenue is not accruing to branded food products, currently almost invisible on the streets.
Said Luca Lindner, Regional Director of McCann Worldgroup: “This study, which put our employees in direct contact with the reality on the streets, confirms a perception that the streets of Latin America can be a significant new revenue source for food and beverage brands.” The study also identifies attitudes towards street foods and specific national and regional street food preferences relevant to marketers.
The “Truth About Street” study was conducted by over 2,500 McCann Latin America employees who on a designated day (May 10, 2012) took to the streets of 25 cities (including Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Bogota and Caracas), specifically in areas with high concentrations of middle income consumers to collect information, visuals and insights about the behavior of 12,000 consumers regarding “street food.” The teams tracked everything these consumers ate and drank while on-the-go at sites where people linger less than 30 minutes and spend less than $5.
Among the findings
Branded food products are almost invisible
At a time when city streets have become lively and profitable showcases for branded food and beverage products, the study shows a largely missed opportunity in Latin America.
* There is a particular opportunity for foods with health benefits. A quarter of respondents did not recall any food or drink brand associated with health.
* In the beverage category, 20% did not recall any brand associated with health. Among those who mentioned company names, the top recall was Coca-Cola, 36%.
Well-being is feeling well
The street food concept of well-being is less about health and more about happiness and satisfaction. Asked about brands related to well-being and health, brands associated with pleasure predominated – including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, beer, and even brands of cachaca [a liquor made from fermented sugarcane juice].
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but…
Although street food from “ambient vendors,” nameless, crowded together, and with questionable hygiene, remains a popular option, there is a trend towards healthier settings more conducive to brands.
* In Brazil and Argentina most food consumption is from stands, prompting Argentineans’ lack of concern (49%) about vendors – though arguably Argentina has the unhealthiest street food preferences: fried foods, carbohydrates; no fruit carts.
* Puerto Rico’s sophisticated food carts carry the most branded foods; fruit carts and stands are easiest to find in Guatemala and Mexico. In those 3 markets, 49%, 57% and 43%, respectively, believe street food is not harmful.
The street educates people’s palates from childhood
A lifetime of loyalty can reward street brands that develop followers. Overwhelmingly, the study found that children perpetuate parents’ street food habits and appetites.
* In Argentina, an estimated 67% eat street food more than once a week; in Puerto Rico, 66%, in Mexico 58%, in Guatemala, 56%, in Chile 49%; the lowest, Brazil, 36%.
One ingredient can make all the difference
The study indicated the striking presence of one ingredient in each regional street diet, which when appropriated by a brand can favor faster insertion into the consumer market. In Brazil it’s cassava; in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, mate [herb] and beef; in the Andes, potato is the base for street food; in Central America, the Caribbean and some South American countries, banana is ubiquitous; corn dominates in Mexico and parts of Central America.
* Choosing street food for its national flavor is most prevalent in Puerto Rico (48%), Guatemala (38%) and Brazil (35%). 63% appreciate street food with familiar, home-cooked flavor.
Truth About Street continues McCann’s long tradition of consumer insight studies, and is part of the network’s recently-launched global research platform, Truth Central. The study was led by McCann Planning Director, Josafat Solis.


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AI Will Kill These Jobs (But Create New Ones, Too)
According to a recent article by Computerworld, AI is set to revolutionize the job market in the coming years. AI-driven automation is expected to replace many existing jobs, while creating new ones in its wake. Here are some of the key takeaways from the article:
- AI-driven automation is expected to replace many existing jobs, such as those in manufacturing, retail, and customer service.
- AI will also create new jobs, such as those in data analysis, software engineering, and AI-driven digital marketing.
- AI-driven automation will also create new opportunities for existing workers, such as those in healthcare, finance, and education.
The article also highlights the importance of hiring professionals with the right skills to take advantage of the opportunities created by AI. Peter Leshaw, an analytics and AI-driven digital marketing strategist, is one such professional. He can help businesses leverage AI to create new opportunities and maximize their potential. To learn more about how Peter can help your business, schedule a strategy session with him today.
Source: AI will kill these jobs (but create new ones, too) Computerworld.


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Tata Docomo has introduced two Special Tariff Vouchers for prepaid users in Bihar. Tata Docomo has launched Evening Pack and Local Calling Free Seconds Pack for its users.
Tata Teleservice Ltd. has joined hands with Future Group and together they will offer new GSM service Brand T24 to subscriber.
With T24 service people can avail shopping benefits for talking and talktime benefits for shopping.
Vodafone has introduced two Night Speak Bonus Cards for prepaid users in Chennai. With Vodafone Night Speak Bonus Cards, users can avail free local Vodafone minute between 10pm to 8am.
MTNL Delhi has introduced a new plan - Pay Per Second Plan for prepaid Garuda RUIM users. Users can get Pay Per Second RUIM for Rs. 150 with Rs. 50 talktime in it and with 365 days validity.
Tata Docomo Valentines Day Offer- RC125 for UP West Prepaid Users- Full Talktime + 2500 Fee Local On net Seconds!Submitted by mann on Sat, 02/13/2010 - 11:15
To celebrate the festival of Love - Valentine’s Day, Tata Docomo has come with a new Full Talktime Recharge Voucher RC125 for its prepaid users in UP West. With Tata Docomo RC125 users can get full talktime along with 2500 free local on net seconds.
BSNL has introduced three new Blackberry plans for its prepaid and postpaid users. BSNL has launched Blackberry plans named as BlackBerry Internet Bundle service plan, BlackBerry Messaging Bundle service plan and BlackBerry Social Networking Bundle.
Tata Docomo has introduced a new Night Juice Up for its prepaid users in UP East. With Tata Docomo Night Juice Up 19, users in 1 paisa per 10 seconds.
Idea Cellular has introduced two Night Packs for its prepaid users in Maharashtra and Goa. With Idea Night Packs of worth Rs. 25 and Rs. 40, users can get free local Idea minutes between 10pm to 7am with a validity of 30 days.
Uninor has come with a special Valentine’s Day offer for its users in Andhra Pradesh circle. Uninor has launched 143 Pack for loved ones. With 143 Pack, users will get a pair of SIM cards with free talktime between two SIMs.
Aircel has completed one year in Kerala. And to celebrate its first anniversary, Aircel has announced ABCD plans for its prepaid users in Kerala.


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Once the mainstay of blockchain start-ups, the ICO trend is now flooding into the established players’ space. Traditional players have been keen to cash in on the benefits of the token economy and are fast turning their shareholders into token holders with the reverse ICO.
The rising star for instant messaging, Telegram, raised the bar for the reverse ICO with a fund-raiser that soared to $850 million. Kakao, a popular South Korea messaging app, followed suit with a reverse ICO of its own. Big names are increasingly moving into the token economy with a reverse ICO.
So, what are the attractions of the reverse ICO? How is it different to a standard ICO, and what long-term strategic benefits does it offer?
The reverse ICO is a regular ICO but one in which a company’s existing business model shifts from centralised and fiat based to decentralised and cryptocurrency based.
It’s used by firms with existing products, services, and clientele, and acts as an Initial Public Offering (IPO) but allows the launch of cryptocurrency tokens.
The reverse ICO runs through the exact same process as a standard ICO, although the company issues tokens to decentralise its business; it can offer these tokens to investors as a replacement for traditional shares and can use them to crowdsource fundraising efforts.
The token holders then get a share in the company’s profits and in some cases become involved in decision-making processes.
Therefore, the reverse ICO is very similar to a traditional share allotment event, although transactions are made through tokens over a blockchain network.
Benefits of the reverse ICO
“Transactional costs and intermediary influence in even the simplest financial transactions are unwieldy, expensive and they slow innovation. If I lead a forward-thinking company and I have the option to unwind the complexities of ownership and fundraising, I will,” explains Charlie Waldburger, ICO Strategist and Writer.
“Using a token, I can program ownership using smart contracts. I can add any number of exotic rights, preferences and clauses into my token. I can let investors share in revenue upside, offer dividends or interest and liquidate rapidly,” he says.
In an environment where technological innovation has led to an army of start-ups threatening disruption across every industry, traditional players are in the hot seat and are keen to protect their market share.
The reverse ICO has gained traction as it allows established players to grab hold of the benefits of the token economy within their existing businesses.
“I can program all compliance and regulatory checks I need inside my token and keep the fortune I’ll spend on lawyers, accountants and other financial intermediaries in house.
“Also, since I don’t need to trust any third parties to hold or prove asset ownership, my token holders’ data won’t be sitting at the banks and brokers that are daily making the news for being the latest victim of a cyber security attack,” says Waldburger.
In some cases, firms are reverting to the reverse ICO as they expand their products and services with use cases for blockchain technology.
Rewriting business models with the reverse ICO
It’s clear that firms want and need to position themselves to be part of the new token economy and the decentralised business infrastructure model.
However, the fact remains that a token will only hold value if it is intrinsically built into a business use case, so established firms will have to ensure they are transforming not just their finance structure, but their business model as well.
Kik, a social media app with 300 million users and 15 million active users, became the first mainstream company to have transitioned to the tokenomics model after it completed a reverse ICO on the Ethereum blockchain.
With its ad revenue based model, the company had been struggling to compete against bigger players like Facebook Messenger. But through a reverse ICO the firm escaped the prospect of being crushed by monopolies. It transitioned into a blockchain-based model that incentivises user activity through its Kin token.
Kik cashed in on its 300 million users, raising over $100 million during the 2017 token sale and became an icon of the reverse ICO business reboot.
Increasingly, mainstream players are opting in on the token economy; firms are choosing to launch a reverse ICO to expand their business with a blockchain component or to transition to a tokenomics business model that offers incentives to its user base.
So, could the reverse ICO take the gust out of the sail of the blockchain startup, if the token economy becomes a free for all?
“Maybe. For the unprepared ones,” says Waldburger, “if a startup’s value proposition is that they offer a token, then they’re using the ICO as a gimmick; to raise money for something that by itself – without the allure of a token – isn’t worth investing in.
“Now that companies can’t print money by throwing the word “ICO” or “blockchain” on a pitch deck, they’ll need to show a real business, a real path to monetization, a real user base and a real blockchain use case.
“But for the companies that are doing an ICO, (or STO for that matter) and have a technologically savvy team and great business model, the entrance of proven players into the token economy using reverse ICOs won’t hurt.”
Reduced probability of risk for investors
The days of wild and crazed investing into projects without a proper protocol are long since over.
Protocols and dAPPs without enough money to build and deploy products and communities, or those lacking in real user cases, will inevitably die.
This makes investing in a reverse ICO an attractive alternative to the start-up ICO launch; with a business that already carries a pedigree of success, productivity is likely to flow, reducing the risk probability for the investor.
Investors in reverse ICOs are attracted by valuations that can be easier and more transparent than that of the start-up ICO. The track record of established businesses can offer a less risky and more trustworthy venture. Reverse ICO events are also less prone to risks of fraud and capital loss.
“Given that reverse ICOs are launched by businesses with legitimate, market-hardened products or services, there is higher likelihood of stability and company solvency in the near term. More participants broaden the ICO market landscape.
“Investors may have better, more compelling options to invest in. Also, you need to remember: the companies doing reverse ICOs are, for the most part, doing them compliantly. This isn’t easy. It’s not a fast track to cash.
“They could use other approaches to fundraising, but they recognize some new advantage to incorporating blockchain technology, creating a user owned or governed experience or offering rights and privileges otherwise impossible in a standard equity offering, for example,” says Waldburger.
Despite the fact that the reverse ICO seems a safer bet, as always, to protect against the dangers of the pump and dump, investors should do their homework (DYOR) to ensure tokens are integral to a reverse ICO’s business model.
Although established companies may have the upper hand for attracting investors to their reverse ICOs as the legitimacy of their project has already been proven, they also face the obstacles of having to convince that they have a genuine blockchain-based value proposition.
It’s often been just a handful of tokens that have proven to be inextricably connected to the companies’ business model. The Binance coin (BNB), where you need BNB if you want to pay less for trading on the platform, is one such example. Users are incentivised to use BNB, so it’ll be used regardless of what else occurs within the wider crypto market.
Waldburger believes the addition of the reverse ICO trend will be “healthy for the space” as the prevalence of “scammy ICOs, illegal security offerings and bad actors soured many on what is otherwise an incredible space.
“You’re seeing it today. SEC intervention and poor performance has slowed the influx of cash. So, in one sense, reverse ICOs may restore some of the mainstream legitimacy back to ICOs.
“Or, since that word has gotten a bad wrap, they restore market faith in the idea of tokenized offerings,” he says.
The ICO space hasn’t been without its problems but it’s undoubtedly burgeoning. Last year, ICOs raised close to $6 billion, and this year figures have already totaled $9.1 billion, according to an Autonomous Next report.
And, as well-established firms place their bets on the token economy with the reverse ICO, the massive capital influx into ICOs seems set to continue to skyrocket in coming years.


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India’s leading passenger vehicle manufacturers increased production and dispatches to dealerships in July, compared to the preceding month, as states eased lockdown restrictions further following a sustained decline in Covid-19 cases. Most dealerships resumed operations across India and manufacturers moved in to fill the inventory levels.
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the largest car maker, increased domestic dispatches on a sequential basis by 9.83% to 136,500 units, up from 124,280 units in June. Its passenger car sales rose 30.40% to 914,03 units, while sales for utility vehicles jumped 8.28% to 32,272 units. The second-largest vehicle manufacturer, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, reported a 18.63% month-on-month rise in wholesales to 48,042 units in July, from 25,001 units in June.
Mumbai-based Tata Motors saw passenger vehicle wholesales grow 25.19% to 30,185 units as demand for its new products, such as the Altroz, witnessed steady demand. MG Motor India reported an 18.74% increase in sales to 4,225 units, while Toyota Kirloskar Motors increased dispatches by 48.7% to 13,105 units.
“The Hector and ZS EV have further gained momentum during the month. However, the severe shortage of chips is expected to continue for some time and will lead to supply constraints,” Rakesh Sidana, director, sales, MG Motor India, said.
The auto industry has been under pressure since the first week of April when Maharashtra began imposing strict lockdown measures. Subsequently, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, among others, also clamped down on movement.
Consequently, vehicle manufacturers, including Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, and Hyundai, stopped production or cut down on output significantly. Some others, such as Bajaj Auto Ltd, however, continued to operate with limited capacity to meet export demand. With a steady drop in infections, especially in north and south India, most automakers have resumed operations from mid-May.
Vehicle sales are usually compared on a year-on-year basis, but as companies had to close their factories and showrooms in May 2020, with the government imposing a stringent nationwide lockdown from March 25 to contain the spread of coronavirus, the month-on-month comparison hints at a recovery in the automotive industry.


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Sega has released a statement confirming that it will release more information on its move for Relic Entertainment in the coming days.
Sega bought the Company Of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War developer for $26.6m, narrowly outbidding Bethesda owner Zenimax, which bid $26.3m.
“It is true that Sega took part in the bidding of all shares of THQ Canada Inc. and THQ’s IPs related to the titles developed by THQ Canada Inc,” says the statement. “Sega won the bid as the court announced and the deal will be closed tomorrow, after which Sega will release detailed information.”
You can find out what happened to THQ’s other studios as part of the bankruptcy sale here.


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European TV giant RTL Group reported a slight revenue jump in the first nine months of 2018, even as profits slipped.
The company, whose assets include production giant Fremantle (X Factor, American Idol) and dozens of TV and radio stations across Europe, posted revenues of $5.12 billion (€4.468 billion) for the nine months ended September 2018, a 2.7 percent increase. Net profit attributable to RTL shareholders was down $11.5 million (€10 million) over the same period to $486 million (€424 million).
RTL is in the midst of a major strategic shift as the traditional TV giant negotiates a move to an online digital world. On the production side, Fremantle, a group built on entertainment shows like X Factor and American Idol, is pushing into high-end drama, with series such as American Gods for Starz and HBO’s My Brilliant Friend.
RTL’s digital revenue was up 17.9 percent to $756 million (€660 million) in the first three quarters of 2018, while revenue from its online platforms grew 7.3 percent to $288 million (€251 million). Major sporting events, including the Winter Olympics and this summer’s soccer World Cup, hit RTL’s traditional free-to-air advertising-driven business and negative exchange-rate effects cost the company $73 million (€64 million) over the period.
TV advertising is still RTL’s core business, though it now accounts for 46 percent of overall revenue, with just under 20 percent coming from the content business and around 15 percent from digital activities. RTL’s nascent platform business accounted for 5.6 percent of total revenue in the first three quarters of this year, with the remainder coming from radio ads and other activities.
“The mixed developments of the European TV advertising markets show that we are on the right track with our clear focus on two growth areas: building and expanding our nonlinear streaming platforms, and producing local exclusive content,” said RTL CEO Bert Habets. “We will substantially increase the content offers of our streaming services across all genres – this includes showing programs online first and developing original productions for these services.”
RTL confirmed that it expects to meet the company’s year-end target of moderate (2.5 percent to 5 percent) revenue growth for 2018 and stable operating (EBITDA) profits of between plus-1 percent and minus-1 percent compared to 2017.


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WELLINGTON (AFP) - New Zealand has received an "eco-terrorist" threat to poison baby formula, Prime Minister John Key said Tuesday, in a scare that risks further denting the country's "clean, green" reputation.
Police said they were taking the issue seriously after small packages of baby formula containing poison were sent with anonymous letters to the National Farmers Federation and dairy giant Fonterra.
"Whilst there is a possibility that this threat is a hoax, we must treat the threat seriously and a priority investigation is underway," deputy commissioner Mike Clement said.
Authorities warned parents to examine packaging for signs of tampering and supermarkets removed formula cans from shelves to storerooms so shoppers could not access them directly.
Police said the motive behind what they termed a blackmail attempt was the use of a poison called 1080 for pest control, which some critics say kills native wildlife.
Asked how he would characterise the threat, Key replied: "It's a form of eco-terrorism without doubt.
"The person's motive is to try and bully the government into not using 1080 (but) the reality of anyone carrying out this threat are extremely low," he added.
Even if it was a hoax, the scare comes at a sensitive time for New Zealand's dairy industry, which is recovering from a botulism scare last year involving Fonterra.
It was eventually declared a false alarm but not before potentially toxic formula was yanked off shelves from China to Saudi Arabia.
New Zealand is the world's largest dairy exporter and infant formula is a major component, with annual exports to China alone totalling NZ$3.0 billion (S$3.04 billion).
Infant Formula Exporters Association chairman Michel Barnett said the industry did not need another crisis.
"This could be extremely damaging for New Zealand's exports offshore," he told TVNZ.
"Not just dairy, not just milk formula, our whole reputation as an exporter of food is at risk as a result of this nutter."
The New Zealand Food and Grocery Council said extra testing had been introduced to reassure parents, adding that it had "absolute confidence" that products were safe.
"This is an attack on Brand New Zealand," it said.
"Our country has a reputation for producing safe, high-quality food products which are in demand around the world, and this coward's letter doesn't change that at all.
"These letters are an attack on all New Zealanders, designed to gain publicity and cause the maximum damage to the New Zealand economy." The threat, originally made in November, was to contaminate products unless 1080 was banned by the end of March.
Clement said a team of 36 officers had been investigating the threat since November and appealed for public assistance tracking down the blackmailer.


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Morocco’s consumer price inflation rose to an annual 1.7 percent in April from 1.6 percent in March, the High Planning Authority said on Wednesday.
Food inflation was 2.5 percent from 2.1 percent the previous month. The non-food price index eased to 1 percent from 1.2 pct.
Month-on-month, the consumer price index fell 0.2 pct in April.
(Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi; editing by John Stonestreet)


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Sugar and cancer: it’s a hot topic these days and this week it made headlines again. A new study in fruit flies suggests that a high-sugar diet may explain why people with type 2 diabetes and obesity are at a higher risk for cancer.
The study was published in Cell and here is the abstract. Basically, the study found that when fruit flies consumed a high-sugar diet it changes the signaling pathways of two human genes that can cause cancer called oncogenes, Ras and Src. That, in turn, caused tumor progression and metastasis.
Articles on the study have honed in on the dangers of a high-sugar diet for cancer risk, so we spoke with our nutrition advisor Karen Collins, a registered dietitian and expert on diabetes and cancer risk. Here, Karen talks about the study and says that when it comes to eating for lower cancer risk and good health, it’s not all about the sugar.
Q: This study focuses on metabolic disorders seen in type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Why is this important?
A: The research shows that people with type 2 diabetes and obesity are at increased risk of developing several cancers, such as postmenopausal breast and pancreatic. A metabolic environment in the body with inflammation and high levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factors is common to both type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer, and seems to be part of what promotes their development.
Q: What did you take away from this study?
A: This is a very interesting study; it shows how interconnected the pathways are in metabolism. However, the whole point of fruit fly studies is that it is an easy way to look at these pathways, but we can’t make the jump from fruit flies to humans.
One thing is that these fruit flies were given a diet extremely high in sugar: the high dietary sugar condition was more than six times the amount of the control diet. I think that is important. People get nervous when they think sugar increases cancer risk but there’s sugar in peaches and other healthy foods and that’s not the amounts of sugar given in this study. It would be like comparing what we consider a modest to low amount of added sugar – 10 percent of a day’s calories [about a can of sugary soda with little other food with added sugar] – to someone who drank eight cans of sugary soda a day. It’s a lot.
Q: Yet the fruit flies consuming the high-sugar diet did have increased tumor growth, correct?
A: Yes, in giving the fruit flies this super high sugar intake the researchers created a metabolic environment seen in people with type 2 diabetes. They created a model that showed insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and excess body fat. Then they looked at changes in the metabolic pathways. What you see is that indeed, this metabolic state of insulin resistance and high blood sugar does strongly effect tumor formation, which research has shown.
Just like in people, high blood sugar leads to insulin resistance. In this study, when the fruit flies where fed a high-sugar diet and the researchers blocked the insulin signals promoting cell growth, it did not increase cancer development in the fruit flies. It’s the insulin resistance not just the sugar itself.
Q: And for people, you’re saying the link to increased risk is insulin resistance?
A: If focusing on sugar alone, we miss the point of all the research in reducing risk of diabetes and cancer. It’s not just sugar intake, it’s excess body weight and a sedentary lifestyle pushing people towards elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance.
Limiting added sugar is good for weight control and excess amounts do seem to increase risk for diabetes, but sugar alone is not the demon. We need to focus on reducing insulin resistance.
Q: In this study, a high-fat diet did not affect tumor growth like the high-sugar diet. Can you talk about the research on dietary fat and cancer and diabetes risk?
A: The study does not specify the type of fat used. But what is known is that total high fat intake is not associated with insulin resistance, diabetes risk or cancer risk. And eating a Mediterranean diet, with healthy fats in the context of a plant-based diet does not increase the risk of diabetes or cancer. A high intake of saturated fat could increase insulin resistance.
Q: For people who want to eat to lower diabetes and cancer risk, what does the research say?
A: Eat a predominately plant-based diet focusing on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Limit the amount of red and proceeded meats along with refined starchy foods. We have tons of data in humans: its weight reduction, regular physical activity and this dietary pattern. It’s not just the sugar, it’s the insulin resistance.


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The antimicrobial coatings market is expected to reach $4.2 billion by 2021 with much of the growing demand coming from medical and indoor applications, according to research from Marketsandmarkets Research. One example is JB Cutting which has seen an increase in that demand especially in the healthcare industry with the need for easy to clean furniture. A recent post on LinkedIn by Christina Relyea Business Development Manager at JB Cutting, Inc., highlighted a few components that were being shipped out.
These operations manufacture components used by American Woodmark’s U.S. manufacturing plants.
Study assesses experiences of secondary wood manufacturers concerning Industry 4.0 and the digitization/computerization of their operations.
By Urs Buehlmann, Matt Bumgardner, and Karl D. Forth
ADDISON, Ill. – PPL Group has announced that an auction of equipment and materials from Accurate Custom Cabinets will be held April 23 to April 30. Inspection and preview will be April 29. Sales location is 115 W. Fay Ave., Addison, Illinois 60101. The owner of the cabinetmaker in suburban Chicago is retiring.
Workers at the Ford Motor factory in Plymouth, Michigan have been wearing watches that buzz when they get too close to each other.
Button-fix has built a following within the construction and joinery trades, with its innovative design helping people to fix panels quickly.
Composite panel and forest product giant Arauco will close its medium density fiberboard (MDF) production facility in Bennettsville, South Carolina May 18.
Here are the most recent closings and disruptions in wood products and related industry.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Thermwood machine owner Bednark Studio has engineered a disposable PETG face shield for health care professionals. They are sharing CNC router files and production information to any other manufacturers across the country who would like to supply these to hospitals and other health care providers that are in need.
Covid-19 impact on housing became apparent in March with pending new home sales down 33 percent month-over-month.


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Displaying items by tag: Apollo 11 BD release
We mentioned this title a few days ago, but now we can officially confirm that Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Neon will be releasing Todd Douglas Miller’s acclaimed large format documentary, Apollo 11, on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on May 14th.
From the studio’s press release:
“Crafted from a newly discovered trove of 65mm footage, and more than 11,000 hours of uncatalogued audio recordings, Apollo 11 takes us straight to the heart of NASA’s most celebrated mission—the one that first put men on the moon, and forever made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin into household names. Immersed in the perspectives of the astronauts, the team in Mission Control, and the millions of spectators on the ground, we vividly experience those momentous days and hours in 1969 when humankind took a giant leap into the future ” [Read on here...]


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Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Smartest Dollar.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought a number of abrupt changes to the U.S. economy, but some of the most lasting impacts could be in the future of work. From the rise of hybrid and remote work to the Great Resignation and “quiet quitting,” workers have been renegotiating how they work and what they look for in a job over the last 2½ years.
And amid continued tightness in the labor market, employers have been forced to respond and make jobs more appealing to current and potential employees. The Great Resignation is perhaps the most significant trend demonstrating workers’ increased power and mobility since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
While the Great Resignation has affected all industries and income levels, turnover has been most concentrated in low-wage sectors. Fields like retail and hospitality have seen a disproportionate share


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Pacific Resort Hotel Group (PRHG) is proud to announce that under the wing of its partner property, Moana Sands Hotel, a new eatery has opened its doors on the island’s southern coast: Moana Restaurant and Bar.
The location of the restaurant is likely to ring a bell, as over the past 15 years this dining spot has had several successful operators – in recent years it was the home of the Sands Restaurant. The new management team lead by Rohan Ellis finalised the sale and purchase agreement of the property this mid-July. Ellis is also the manager of two other fruitful ventures in Rarotonga; The Islander Hotel’s Restaurant and their famous Hula Bar.
Sands Restaurant has been renamed and rebranded to Moana Restaurant and Bar, with “Moana” meaning “ocean” in Cook Islands Maori – a perfect fit with its actual location and namesake Moana Sands Hotel. Further, the restaurant includes a breathtaking spot for romantic getaways with the stunning backdrop that is: the Pacific Ocean.
The kitchen of Rarotonga’s newest eatery is led by Jasmine Kee, the head chef. Kee is known for her simple but refined cooking style, specializing in Pacific cuisine. Moana has its heart set on incorporating local produce on its menu, with an additional strong focus on seafood. Kee’s introductory menu will be updated to customer’s tastes in time.
Looking towards the future, Moana Restaurant and Bar has plans to become a boutique destination venue, with Ellis stating: “We will offer a fun vibe for family and friends in the main restaurant area, as well as a ‘romance couples-only’ destination in the beautiful beachfront dining pavilion”. Rohan already has plans in place to redesign and transform the dining spaces at the Restaurant in order to meet these visions.
PRHG is also pleased to inform that this new business has been beneficial for Cook Islanders, creating 12 new jobs, with the restaurant currently seeking new employees from the nearby villages of Titikaveka and Vaimaanga.
Moana Restaurant and Bar will be welcoming guests for breakfast from 8am, lunch from 11am and dinner from 5pm. The restaurants bar will be open on two shifts, between 7-3pm and 3-10pm and is already proving popular with both tourists and locals with its $3.50 local larger special.


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Jumptap pulls down $20M funding
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Mobile ad network Jumptap Inc., of Cambridge, has pulled in almost $20 million of a planned $27.9 million equity financing, according to a regulatory filing.
The filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not indicate who the investors are in the funding. In December, however, founder and vice president of corporate development Jorey Ramer told Mass High Tech that the company had landed a “seven figure investment” and an exclusive business partnership with Japan’s cyber communications inc. At the time, Jorey would not say the amount of the investment. The business deal calls for cci to be the exclusive partner for Jumptap technology in Japan.
Other previous investors in Jumptap include AllianceBernstein, General Catalyst, Redpoint Ventures, Summerhill Ventures, Valhalla Partners and WPP.
Founded in 2004, Jumptap raised $26 million in a Series D round of funding in August 2008.
Jumptap provides a mobile search and advertising platform aimed at helping subscribers find mobile-centric information on their cell phones, and carriers generate traffic.
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A new florist has appeared in Cefn Mawr who the owner hopes will energize the village and help encourage more shops in the area.
The Maypole Florist, on Crane Street in Cefn Mawr, was opened on June 9 by shop owner Hayley Edwards, who is local to the area.
The shop is part of a long history in the region. Maypole was built in 1873 and it was also restored in 2010 with lottery money as part of the heritage site.
READ MORE: Recycle your compost bags at Dobbies Morton Park
Hayley has been a florist for nine years, having trained in Walford and North Shropshire.
She said: “I hope bringing the shop to Cefn Mawr will push the village even further.
“There are stores that have been around for many years and are doing well and I hope more will start popping up soon, bringing more customers to the area.
She added: ‘It’s beautiful to see part of the heritage site open again offering something that we don’t have locally.
Hayley offers flowers for all occasions, including weddings, funerals and more. It offers a delivery service to most local areas, but parking is also available in the area for those who show up.
READ MORE: Stand above the rest by buying this former hairdresser in Wrexham
- Hand tied bouquets start from £20
- Funeral arrangements from £20
- Wedding packages available for all budgets
- Dried and artificial arrangements from £25
The shop is open Tuesday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The shop is closed on Monday and Sunday.
You can find Maypole Florist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hayleyedd/


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The debate over the Second Amendment is heating up again since the mass shooting at a Navy Yard in Washington, DC, on Monday. Joseph Cotto states in his article, in the Washington Times, “Hopefully, more Americans will come to recognize that the Second Amendment is not to be trampled upon, yet ought to be interpreted in a reasonable fashion.” Any supporter of the US Constitution can identify the problem with that statement. The Second Amendment is clear; however, there are too many individuals who are already interpreting that amendment when no interpretation is necessary. There are also individuals trying to straddle the fence between pro-Second Amendment advocates and gun-control activists.
One of these individuals happens to be Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks. In an open letter published on the blog section of the Starbucks website, Schultz is respectfully requesting “that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas.” Schultz declares this is not a ban, but a request to give “responsible gun owners the chance to respect” the request.
Here is the entire letter, as posted on the Starbucks website:
Dear Fellow Americans,
Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That’s why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas.
From the beginning, our vision at Starbucks has been to create a “third place” between home and work where people can come together to enjoy the peace and pleasure of coffee and community. Our values have always centered on building community rather than dividing people, and our stores exist to give every customer a safe and comfortable respite from the concerns of daily life.
We appreciate that there is a highly sensitive balance of rights and responsibilities surrounding America’s gun laws, and we recognize the deep passion for and against the “open carry” laws adopted by many states. (In the United States, “open carry” is the term used for openly carrying a firearm in public.) For years we have listened carefully to input from our customers, partners, community leaders and voices on both sides of this complicated, highly charged issue.
Our company’s longstanding approach to “open carry” has been to follow local laws: we permit it in states where allowed and we prohibit it in states where these laws don’t exist. We have chosen this approach because we believe our store partners should not be put in the uncomfortable position of requiring customers to disarm or leave our stores. We believe that gun policy should be addressed by government and law enforcement—not by Starbucks and our store partners.
Recently, however, we’ve seen the “open carry” debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening. Pro-gun activists have used our stores as a political stage for media events misleadingly called “Starbucks Appreciation Days” that disingenuously portray Starbucks as a champion of “open carry.” To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores. Some anti-gun activists have also played a role in ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners.
For these reasons, today we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas—even in states where “open carry” is permitted—unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.
I would like to clarify two points. First, this is a request and not an outright ban. Why? Because we want to give responsible gun owners the chance to respect our request—and also because enforcing a ban would potentially require our partners to confront armed customers, and that is not a role I am comfortable asking Starbucks partners to take on. Second, we know we cannot satisfy everyone. For those who oppose “open carry,” we believe the legislative and policy-making process is the proper arena for this debate, not our stores. For those who champion “open carry,” please respect that Starbucks stores are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable. The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers.
I am proud of our country and our heritage of civil discourse and debate. It is in this spirit that we make today’s request. Whatever your view, I encourage you to be responsible and respectful of each other as citizens and neighbors.
Paragraph 5 is the key in the entire letter. According to Schultz, the company approach to “open carry” is to follow the local laws; however, the “open carry” debate has become “increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening.” Schultz cites pro-gun advocates using Starbucks as a “political stage for media events” termed “Starbucks Appreciation Days.” He believes this misleads the public into believing that Starbucks is a supporter of “open carry.” To top it all off, Schultz says anti-gun activists have had a hand in this policy by escalating “rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners.”
So, Howard doesn’t like “Starbucks Appreciation Days” and gun-control activists have ramped up the friction by “soliciting and confronting customers and partners;” therefore, he “requests” no guns in the stores. Way to cave to the progressive liberals, Howard. If the law is “open carry” and you support the law as you say, you should tell your anti-gun activists to take their complaints up with the local government and call law enforcement when they harass your law abiding customers. But, you really aren’t a supporter of the law, are you?
According to CNSnews.com:
Most states allow people to openly carry licensed guns in some way and many companies do not have laws banning firearms in their stores. But Starbucks has become a target for gun control advocates, in part because of its liberal-leaning corporate image. In turn, gun rights advocates have been galvanized by the company’s decision to defer to local laws.
In an interview, CEO Howard Schultz said the decision to ask customers to stop bringing guns into stores came as a result of the growing frequency of “Starbucks Appreciation Days,” in which gun rights advocates turned up at Starbucks cafes with firearms.
Schultz said the events mischaracterized the company’s stance on the issue and the demonstrations “have made our customers uncomfortable.”
Schultz hopes people will honor the request not to bring in guns but says the company will nevertheless serve those who do.
Schultz states that Starbucks stores and partners have been “thrust unwillingly” into the middle of the gun debate. Moms Demand Action founder, Shannon Watts, has been organizing “Skip Starbucks Saturdays” since right after the Newtown shootings to urge the company to ban guns at its stores. The gun reform group has participants take photos of themselves at competitors who do not allow guns and then post them on the internet. According to Watts, Starbucks has taken strong stances on other issues, such as smoking. The company has a ban on smoking within 25 feet of its stores.
It looks as if gun control activists were holding Starbucks hostage by denying patronage, aka money, unless they ban guns in their stores while gun advocates were supporting Starbucks for its policy in upholding the law. In the end, the money wins out as the underlined statement in Schultz’s letter says it all; “… today we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas—even in states where “open carry” is permitted—unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.”
Starbucks’ position to now support the gun control activists may now cost them the support of gun rights advocates. One could presume Schultz is actually a gun control activist who needed a justification for issuing a ban other than his personal views. His attempt to straddle the gun issue – which there really should not be one as the Second Amendment is clear – has blown up in his face, and he is choosing the preferable side for the liberal-leaning company.
Wonder how he feels about concealed carry weapons in the stores and tanks coming through the drive-up windows?Don't forget to Like Freedom Outpost on Facebook and Twitter, and follow our friends at RepublicanLegion.com.
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There’s good news for shoe lovers and female travelers. ShoeCandy by Kara Mac will soon have its own boutique -- and just in time for holiday shopping.
The new storefront, showcasing the brand’s mix and match-heels and accessories will open Saturday, Dec. 9 at 315 Kear St. in Yorktown Heights in the space formerly occupied by JJ’s Scoop House.
Kara Schwartz — who goes by Kara Mac professionally -- launched ShoeCandy in December 2014 and has since grown the company into a force to be reckoned with steady online sales, increased growth year after year and now, her own boutique which she says is "small but adorable."
“I am opening the boutique for a number of reasons, most importantly, my family wants our house back," joked Mac.
"I had been looking for just the right spot for some time and fell in love with the layout of the old JJ Scoops and how much the interior reminded me of a candy store.The outside is quaint and looks more like a house than a retail store so I feel very 'at home' there.
ShoeCandy will not have regular retail hours. Hours will be posted on social media daily and/or weekly or by appointment only. There will be "Ladies Night Out" events and Mac hopes to host pop-ups for what Mac calls her "talented friends in other female related industries."
Gentlemen: Gift cards are also available.
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It’s a big weekend for business in my home town of Akkrum. Some 90 businesses will be showing off their wares at a local business fair they’ve called Reusachtig85. From the local butcher, baker and motorboat-maker to the local tax advisor, sports club and lowly copywriter/translator (that’s me!). It’s been all go for the organisers over the past few weeks, and now it’s our turn. The exhibitors are setting up their stands and thinking up last minute activities.
And if you’re wondering why it’s called Reusachtig85, well… The explanation starts with the local legend of two giants (giant = reus) digging out a river bed, working determinedly hard. Unfortunately, when ‘Crooked Knilles’ looks back at his work, he sees what a hotch-potch of a trench he’s made with bends and turns in every direction. “Ach, krom,” (“Och, crooked”) he cries out to his fellow giant Meine. But Meine is none too impressed and the two giants part on bad terms, each angry with the other’s work. Local farmers however had heard Knilles’ cry and decided that “Ackkrom” was a good name for a settlement. The river and the lakes it leads too now play a huge part in Akkrum’s well-being. Water sports and the tourists they attract have meant that the settlement has developed into a bustling village full of entrepreneurs. So much so that 85 years ago a group of these business folk set up ‘The United Entrepreneurs of Akkrum and Nes’ (Nes is the village next door). And there are so many entrepreneurs in the villages, covering such a wide range of business that they can be dubbed ginormous (reusachtig), as big as the two giants in the legend. So, that’s why it’s reusachtig85; Akkrum has been ginormously entrepreneurial for 85 years. And by the looks of the business fair, there’s a fair chance things will go on that way for another 85 years.


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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Grocery chain Lidl announced the starting pay for all hourly workers at its Philadelphia area stores will increase to $15 an hour beginning April 15.
Pennsylvania's minimum wage, which is the same as the federal one, stands at $7.25 an hour. This has been the amount since 2009.
Lidl says more than 150 employees will see an immediate increase in their pay.
"Lidl's new starting wage for the Philadelphia area is more than double the current minimum wage in the state. It is among the highest starting wages for grocery retailers in the city," Lidl said in a press release Thursday.
"Lidl is proud to offer our team members across the Philadelphia area the most competitive wage and benefits package in the region including comprehensive healthcare for all full and part time employees," Eoin Byrne, Chief Human Resources Officer at Lidl US, said.
Lidl has opened several stores in the area, located in Exton, Folsom, Lansdale, Norristown, Royersford and two in Philadelphia. Lidl held a grand opening for its Northeast Philadelphia location in December.
"We're proud to see Lidl join employers across the Philadelphia region that are taking action on raising wages-recognizing the dignity of work by paying their employees a living wage," Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said. "As Lidl demonstrates with this commitment, raising wages is not just good for workers, it's good for business. We encourage other employers to follow their lead."
Democrats in the Senate were forced to abandon plans to increase the federal minimum wage in the face of concerns among their own ranks, united Republican opposition and because of a fast-approaching deadline cutting off time to carefully craft the measure under strict budgetary rules being used by the majority to pass COVID-19 relief without GOP support.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.