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Monsanto is once again looking to bolster its agriculture business through deals with European chemical giants, according to multiple reports.
The St. Louis-based seed and pesticide producer last year made multiple bids to acquire Swiss rival Syngenta only to be rebuffed each time.
Amid a continued wave of consolidation in the industry, however, Reuters reported that Monsanto discussed a possible transaction with Bayer, while Bloomberg added this week that Monsanto also talked with fellow German company BASF.
Syngenta was long seen as a potential target for corporate inversion by Monsanto — a controversial practice that allows U.S. companies to incorporate in lower-tax nations. Officials with the Swiss company responded that the bid undervalued the company; it eventually agreed to a sale to China’s state-owned ChemChina.
Monsanto nonetheless hoped to pursue additional consolidation amid high industry inventories, lagging currencies and struggling commodity prices that hindered spending by farmers.
Reuters reported that the sale of Bayer’s crop science unit could fetch more than $30 billion. Bayer is second to Syngenta in the crop protection market and would fit with Monsanto’s seed business, the world’s largest.
Monsanto was also reportedly open to discussions about joint ventures with Bayer. The German company is not actively shopping its crop division, but further meetings are reportedly scheduled for next month.
Bloomberg, meanwhile, reported that BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, was Monsanto’s preferred merger target.
Their recent talks surrounded two crop science units — including a division focused on cotton production — and could also include either outright purchases or joint ventures.
By Andy Szal
This equipment will significantly lower the site’s CO2 emissions, reduce flaring and save around 60 gigawatt hours (GWh) energy each year. Project kick-off is in February 2021, with completion planned for 2023.
The acquisition significantly strengthens and expands Grace’s existing pharma portfolio. Pharma & Consumer is the largest, fastest growing and most profitable subsegment within Grace’s Materials Technologies business.
Solvay says it has decided to organize its soda ash and derivatives business into a separate and fully controlled legal structure.


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Samsung’s rumored foldable smartphone, commonly referred to as the Galaxy X, has been the subject of many ‘leaks’ and reports in the recent months. From its display size to battery capacity to alleged pricing, a lot has been ‘leaked’ and speculated about the coveted Galaxy X. So far, most of the available information about its launch and availability has been mostly vague with references to sometime early next year. A new piece of info from China seems to provide a more concrete date for the announcement of the Galaxy X.
According to the well-known Chinese leaker, Ice Universe, current plans by Samsung indicate that the Galaxy X might be unveiled at CES 2019, while the Galaxy S10 would launch at the MWC 2019. While the stated Galaxy S10 launch date is consistent with the Galaxy S9/S9+ unveiling, the rumored Galaxy X announcement at the CES 2019 sounds strange since Samsung rarely launchers any flagship smartphones at the CES.
Galaxy X may be a niche device
However, many reports have stated that the upcoming Galaxy X may be a niche offering with limited supply and an exorbitant price tag. The strategy may be similar to what Samsung did with the curved screens on its flagship smartphones. The first-generation Galaxy X may be used as a test device to gauge market response and gather feedback before turning the idea into a mainstream product. If that is indeed the case, then it makes sense for Samsung to launch it on a different date from the Galaxy S10 to not take away the thunder from the company’s flagship for 2018
It is worth pointing out that all of this is speculation and tentative information. Even though Ice Universe has a reliable track record, it is still possible that the information may turn out to be false or dates may change due to various factors. It is thus advisable to take all this information with a pinch of salt.

domain: news


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Austin-based artist Alannah Tiller was one of three Black talents tapped by Pressed Juicery to create a juice label in salute to Black History Month. (Photo by Taylor Prinsen Photography)
Pressed Juicery salutes Black History Month with special labels, created by Black artists, for three of its juices.
Artist Mikenzi Jones was one of three Black talents tapped by Pressed Juicery to create a juice label in salute to Black History month.
Artist Mikenzi Jones' 'Melanin Rainbow' graces the label of Pressed Juicery's Orange Tumeric, a salute to Black History month.
Artist Perryn Ford was one of three Black talents tapped by Pressed Juicery to create a juice label in salute to Black History month.
Artist Perryn Ford's 'Melanin Rainbow' graces the label of Pressed Juicery's Roots 3 bottle in a salute to Black History month.
Artist Alannah Tiller's 'Melanated' graces the label of Pressed Juicery's Citrus 2 bottle in a salute to Black History month.
Fans of Pressed Juicery products will find something new on the shelves in February — not a new juice combo, but rather new meaningful labels on three of its popular juices. The Los Angeles-based cold-pressed juice company has tapped three Black artists — one from Texas — to each create a unique label for one of the company’s top-selling juices in celebration of Black History Month.
The artists are being recognized by the company for their efforts in promoting solidarity, strength, and diversity through their work and in their communities. A portion of proceeds from sales of the three juices will support the artists’ ongoing work in their respective communities.
The creativity of Austin-based multidisciplinary artist Alannah Tiller will grace the label of Pressed Juicery‘s Citrus 2. She explains that the linear piece, titled Melanated, was inspired by the Black family.
“The use of shapes and shades of brown were chosen to represent the diversity in our Black community,” she says in a press release. “I then layered the line work on top with their portraits and each portrait is connected to signify the family dynamic.”
The limited-edition bottles will be available in all of the company’s 75-plus stores, as well as online and through Pressed Juicery’s app.
“By celebrating Black History Month, Pressed aims to honor the achievements of all Black Americans and commemorate them through the work of these inspiring artists,” Michelle Peterson, Pressed Juicery’s chief marketing officer, says in the release. “We invite our customers to join us in celebrating Black history and honoring the Black voices that continue to shape our future.”
Brooklyn-based artist Perryn Ford created a unique piece titled Scorpion, which is part of a larger series, “Life in Flow Motion.” These pieces are inspired by her love and appreciation for yoga and the effect it’s had on her life. Her work will be featured on the Roots 3 bottle.
“My current work is inspired by my life as a self-care enthusiast, wellness advocate, and woman,” Ford says in the release. “Life is all about balances, and I think especially right now, we could all use a reminder to breathe, find our balance, and just go with the flow.”
The Orange Tumeric bottle features a compelling work, titled Melanin Rainbow, by Mikenzi Jones of Raleigh, North Carolina, a self-confessed hippie with a passion for health and wellness. She credits activism, equality, women of color, and women empowerment with being inspirations for her work.
“Growing up without representation of women who looked like me, it was important for me to create a piece that helped Black women feel included, beautiful and confident just the way they are,” she notes.


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As we look forward to welcoming our industry to in-person events, NAMM is committed to hosting events that are as safe as possible.
California looks to welcome fans back to outdoor venues, with Major League Baseball and Disneyland set to reopen for the first time
Anaheim’s marquis tenant will soon be re-opening its doors to the happiest place on earth.
The NAMM Show is not the only global event that is planning to return to Southern California in 2022.
The city of Anaheim is not only home to The NAMM Show, but it is also the center of vibrant business, sports, culinary, entertainment and travel cultures.
At NAMM's digital event, Believe in Music Week, the TEC Awards showcased a retrospective, highlighting exciting moments from the Awards' storied history.


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Computer processor maker Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) reported results in line with analyst expectations in Q3 FY2022 quarter, with revenue down 20% year on year to $15.3 billion. However, guidance for the next quarter was less impressive, coming in at $14.5 billion at the midpoint, being 11.7% below analyst estimates. Intel made a GAAP profit of $1.01 billion, down on its profit of $6.82 billion, in the same quarter last year.
Is now the time to buy Intel? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.
Intel (INTC) Q3 FY2022 Highlights:
- Revenue: $15.3 billion vs analyst estimates of $15.3 billion (small beat)
- EPS (non-GAAP): $0.59 vs analyst estimates of $0.33 (79.2% beat)
- Revenue guidance for Q4 2022 is $14.5 billion at the midpoint, below analyst estimates of $16.4 billion
- Free cash flow was negative $6.3 billion, compared to negative free cash flow of $6.38 billion in previous quarter
- Inventory Days Outstanding: 133, up from 114 previous quarter
- Gross Margin (GAAP): 42.6%, down from 55.9% same quarter last year
Inventor of the x86 processor that powered decades of technological innovation in PCs, data centers, and numerous other markets, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is the leading manufacturer of computer processors and graphics chips.
The biggest demand drivers for processors (CPUs) and graphics chips at the moment are secular trends related to 5G and Internet of Things, autonomous driving, and high performance computing in the data center space, specifically around AI and machine learning. Like all semiconductor companies, digital chip makers exhibit a degree of cyclicality, driven by supply and demand imbalances and exposure to PC and Smartphone product cycles.
Intel's revenue growth over the last three years has been unimpressive, averaging 0.25% annually. Last year the quarterly revenue declined from $19.1 billion to $15.3 billion. Semiconductors are a cyclical industry and long-term investors should be prepared for periods of high growth, followed by periods of revenue contractions (which can sometimes offer opportune times to buy).
Despite Intel revenues beating analyst estimates, this was a slow quarter with 20.1% YoY revenue decline.
Intel's looks headed into the trough of the semi cycle, as it is guiding to revenue declines of 29.3% YoY next quarter, and analysts are estimating 4.23% declines over the next twelve months.
In volatile times like these we look for robust businesses with strong pricing power. Unknown to most investors, this company is one of the highest-quality software companies in the world, and their software products have been the default standard in critical industries for decades. The result is an impressive business that is up an incredible 18,152% since the IPO. You can find it on our platform for free.
Product Demand & Outstanding Inventory
Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO) are an important metric for chipmakers, as it reflects the capital intensity of the business and the cyclical nature of semiconductor supply and demand. In a tight supply environment, inventories tend to be stable, allowing chipmakers to exert pricing power. Steadily increasing DIO can be a warning sign that demand is weak, and if inventories continue to rise the company may have to downsize production.
This quarter, Intel’s inventory days came in at 133, 30 days above the five year average, suggesting that that inventory has grown to higher levels than what we used to see in the past.
Key Takeaways from Intel's Q3 Results
Since it has still been burning cash over the last twelve months it is worth keeping an eye on Intel’s balance sheet, but we note that with a market capitalization of $111 billion and more than $22.5 billion in cash, the company has the capacity to continue to prioritise growth over profitability.
We were impressed by how strongly Intel outperformed analysts’ EPS expectations this quarter. That feature of these results really stood out as a positive. On the other hand, it was unfortunate to see that Intel's revenue guidance for the full year missed analysts' expectations and that inventory levels increased. Overall, it seems to us that this was a complicated quarter for Intel. The company is up 1.41% on the results and currently trades at $26.59 per share.
Intel may have had a tough quarter, but does that actually create an opportunity to invest right now? It is important that you take into account its valuation and business qualities, as well as what happened in the latest quarter. We look at that in our actionable report which you can read here, it's free.
One way to find opportunities in the market is to watch for generational shifts in the economy. Almost every company is slowly finding itself becoming a technology company and facing cybersecurity risks and as a result, the demand for cloud-native cybersecurity is skyrocketing. This company is leading a massive technological shift in the industry and with revenue growth of 70% year on year and best-in-class SaaS metrics it should definitely be on your radar.
The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.


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Back in early 2015, Hyundai revealed the Santa Cruz bakkie concept. And now – finally – the Korean brand seems to have confirmed that something similar will go into production.
Michael O’Brien, vice-president of corporate and product planning for Hyundai in the United States, told Reuters that the brand’s bosses have “given the green light” for the development of a new pick-up taking inspiration from the Santa Cruz concept.
The report adds that the new vehicle will likely be launched in the US in 2020 as Hyundai seeks to reduce its sales reliance on traditional sedans in North America. Whether the bakkie will be offered in other markets, however, remains to be seen.
It should also be noted that this pick-up seems likely to be something of a lifestyle-focused soft-roader with a unibody frame, rather than a full-on commercial vehicle with a body-on-frame construction. Reports out of Australia, however, suggest that Hyundai is also working on the latter…


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Tesco eyes customers to take over the tills
The Times Newspaper
By Clare Dight
Not content with advertising vacancies on its in-store television channel, the giant retail chain is using its staff to headhunt new recruits. Clare Dight goes shopping.
"WOULD you like a job with your cashback?" is a question you might be asked if you shop at Tesco in the run-up to Christmas. Tesco has asked staff to be on the look-out for potential employees as part of its seasonal recruitment drive.
So what makes a major corporation trust its till workers to do its recruitment?
This trust is the product of endless in-store research. To listen to the company's personnel director, David Fairhurst, you might think that Tesco's staff spend as much time filling in questionnaires as put-ting goods through the tills. About 90 per cent of the company's 237,000
Staff also take part in dedicated discussion groups, idea-gathering sessions and regularly give their views on products, prices and in-store promotions. The results of the company's annual people review are mulled over by HR directors, bounced around by yet more staff focus groups and then put into action.
"Two years ago we distilled four what we call 'people promises', from staff feedback: being treated with trust and respect; a manager who helps me; being given the opportunity to get on; and an interesting job. All the work we do in HR has to line up with these four promises," Fairhurst says.
The word trust implies both belief and responsibility and a two-way process on the parts of employer and employee. Fairhurst insists that Tesco is taking great pains to do its part and points out that the 90 per cent return on the viewpoint survey suggests that it is working.
"You've got to remember that our staff are also our customers, so it's a valuable source of customer data as well." Seen in these terms, Tesco's management approach is simple common sense. Most market researchers would give their right arm for such a huge sample of opinions.
The policy has certainly reaped rewards. Staff morale is up year on year, according to Fairhurst, and company profits are on target to reach £2 billion this year. The
So far so rosy, but what about the old-fashioned rewards that build bank accounts for employees?
Tesco was recently criticised for its decision to reward staff with meal vouchers worth less than £1 on the day it announced record profits. But Fairhurst remains upbeat. "There is no doubt that our benefits are designed to give our employees a share in the success of the business.
"We have an award-winning pension scheme and a benefits package that is second to none," he says.


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It seems as if the Duchess of Cambridge is moving out of her recycled clothes phase and into her designer phase.
According to the Daily Mail and the popular Kate Middleton style blog, What Would Kate Do, Catherine has had her most expensive style year yet, having spent more than US$71,000 on her wardrobe this year.
Kate Middleton has been known for recycling many of her chic but affordable outfits, wearing clothes again and again for public occasions. However, it seems as if her eye has turned to more designer duds (and who can blame her, really?).
Although she has worn many designer labels before, according to the Mail, Middleton has already spent thousands on new designs from the likes of Chanel, Erdem, Alexander McQueen and one of her favourites, Catherine Walker.
According to Yahoo Style, the Duchess spent around US$214,400 on her wardrobe last year, however they note that that figure included items she had already worn in the past.
What Would Kate Do noted that as their 2017 figure includes just the first three months of the year, they estimate that her 2017 wardrobe spending would surpass last year's numbers.
Below are some of the items she's worn this year and their price tags, estimated by What Would Kate Do:
At the U.K. Guild of Health Writers Conference:
Oscar de la Renta Purple Suit (Retail price US$2,190)
Bespoke Alexander McQueen Dress (Retail price US$7,765)
Alexander McQueen Heart Clasp Clutch (Retail price US$2,075)
At the U.K.-India Year of Culture 2017 reception:
Oscar de la Renta Cabrina Pumps (Retail price US$690)
Erdem Rhona Dress (Retail price US$1,191)
Anita Dongre Pink City Earrings (Retail price US$1,350)
During the royal visit to Paris:
Chanel Coat (Retail price approximately US$10,500)
Chanel Calfskin Bag with Enamel Handle (Retail price approximately US$4,700)
Cartier Trinity de Cartier Earrings (Retail price approximately US$2,050)
At a gala dinner in Paris:
Jenny Packham Blue Embellished Dress (Retail price US$5,170)


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Gogoro to provide 800 more e-scooters for rental in Germany, says paper
EDN, March 15; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES
Electric scooter (e-scooter) vendor Gogoro will provide 800 additional Gogoro Plus e-scooters for rental operated by Germany-based partner Coup in Berlin, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN).
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Greenpeace was cited as saying on Wednesday that a draft EU lawto
make companies pay for damaging the environment will not reduce the
riskthat genetically modified organisms (GMOs) would cross-breed
A group of Canadian organic farmers launched a lawsuit against
biotech giants Monsanto Co. and Aventis SA on Thursday seeking
compensation for damages caused by genetically modified canola they
say is blowing into their fields.
Top U.S. Agriculture Department officials and industry experts on
Monday reviewed details of China's long-awaited rules for biotech
soybeans and other genetically modified crops, which will take
effect on March 20.
Fears over genetically modified foods may prevail in the minds of
the European consumer but recent research from the European
Commission suggests that they are as safe as their non-gmo
neighbours, and even safer.
Consumer and interest groups criticised the Thai Food and Drug
Administration's draft regulations on the labelling of food
products containing genetically modified organisms for benefiting
manufacturers over consumers.
The latest campaign against genetically modified foods took place
in Canada on Tuesday when consumer groups, scientists and farmers
joined forces to demand the federal government postpone approval of
genetically modified wheat.
A New Zealand government inquiry which urged the South Pacific
nation not to reject genetically modified (GM) foods was welcomed
by the Australian food industry on Tuesday but slammed by consumer
An agreement has been reached on the first global guidelines
requiring countries to test the safety of genetically modified (GM)
foods before they come on the market, the Codex Alimentarius
Commission said on Friday


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Havering drivers abandon parking discs after huge cost hike
The decision to increase the cost of parking discs by 172 per cent has seen sales plummet by two-thirds - and Havering Council lose out on much-needed cash.
This time last year, Havering Council Cabinet agreed to increase the cost of annual parking disc from 13.20 to �36, as part of its plan to become more ‘cost effective’ and raise funds.
The increased charge came into effect earlier this year.
In the four months since April this year, 488 discs have been sold compared with 1,249 for the same period in 2010 - bringing in signifcantly less cash.
The discs have regularly sold around 4,000 a year but, based on current sales, the figure is unlikely to reach 1,500 this year.
Leader of the Residents’ Association, Cllr Clarence Barrett, said: “At a time when we should be supporting our local shopping centres, this exorbitant increase has only served as a deterrent rather than an encouragement. The consequence is to turn the bays into empty spaces thereby damaging much needed local trade.
“As we said all along, increasing the charge by 172 per cent was simply far too much and has actually put people off from buying the discs.
- 1 Mother's agony after daughter laid dead in Hornchurch flat for six weeks
- 2 'I just shut my eyes': Murder accused tells of moment he ran over victim
- 3 Parking restricted at country park as work starts on Covid woodland memorial
- 4 Scrap 'ludicrous' mandatory vaccination policy, says Rosindell
- 5 Isla Caton 'gains her angel wings' after five-year cancer battle
- 6 Hornchurch Japanese restaurant rejects licensing officer's advice over late opening application
- 7 'Use it or lose it': More sign-ups needed to save food delivery service
- 8 Romford tree protest cancelled after campaign success
- 9 Deputy mayor steps in to mark first Covid-19 memorial tree in Havering
- 10 Fake Dyson Airwrap and Primark baby toy among recent recalled items
“The fact that income is actually less than what was received last year is testimony enough to illustrate a worrying lack of understanding in the basic principle of supply and demand.”
Across the borough there are 458 disc parking bays. Elm Park has the most with 122, followed by Romford (109), Hornchurch (87), Upminster (65) and North Romford (25), Gidea Park (22), Upminster Bridge (16), Rainham (9) and Harold Wood (3).


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The British Fashion Council, the governing board behind London Fashion Week, has come out against the overuse of airbrushing in England's magazines. (Dear BFC: we could have told you about this a long time ago.) BFC reps tell the Telegraph that it is writing a letter to the British Society of Magazine Editors and others about "digitally-enhanced body images and the part it plays in magazines in perpetuating an unachievable aesthetic." The Council is also concerned that the health guidelines for models that they recommended earlier this year are "not being implemented." The Guardian says that "the recommendations include a ban on models under the age of 16 and non-smoking and drug free backstage environments."
English fashion authorities aren't the only international groups getting upset about the current state of the celebrity-industrial complex. The Women's Forum in Australia released a report in August called Faking It: The Female Image in Young Women's Magazines. And guess what they found? The tyranny of perfection perpetuated by women's magazines makes everyone hate themselves!!
Considering the fashion industry's widespread apathy about anorexia (according to the Guardian, Karl Lagerfeld said the models just had "skinny bones"; Dolce & Gabbana said that anorexia had "nothing to do with fashion"), it's hard to believe that the BFC's suggestions will be truly heard. But who knows? Maybe at some point a faux-celebrity's photographed cellulite won't cause a major media outcry. Fingers crossed!
Magazines criticised for airbrushing models [Telegraph]
Model health recommendations 'not being implemented' [Guardian]


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This week's roundup of ingredients business news includes the announcement of Chr Hansen's new owner and the establishment of an innovative new organic ingredients business.
- PAI Partners, a European private equity firm, is the new owner of ingredients giant Chr. Hansen. Chr. Hansen will continue its operation in its present form, and headquarters will remain in Denmark.
- Cargill has acquired Integrated Bakery Resources, a provider of premix systems, finished foods, and related marketing services to North American-based bakers and retailers. The acquisition, which includes Breadsong Baking Company, is designed to strengthen Cargill's delivery of solutions to bakery customers.
- Mars has announced the launch of a new business unit, called Mars Nutrition for Health & Well-Being, which will develop and launch new foods, snacks and beverages targeted at the lucrative nutritional foods market.
The company has been working on research over the last fifteen years in partnership with universities into the health benefits of cocoa and the cocoa flavanols that provide the essence of those benefits.
- ED&F Man, a leading cocoa, sugar, and coffee supplier, has formed Corigins, a new US-based supplier of traceable ingredients to the rapidly expanding organic and natural foods sector.
Corigins will have access to ED&F Man's global network of 4,000 employees in 90 countries, and will provide food manufacturers with ingredients such as certified organic sugar from Costa Rica, Fair Trade and organic cocoa from Ecuador, and natural and organic sugars from around the world.
The company claims that Corigins will also support natural foods customers with proprietary blending and formulation services that, until now, have been offered only to mainstream foods manufacturers.
- Israel Chemicals a specialty chemical company, has announced that ICL Performance Products, one of its four operating segments, has agreed to acquire the assets of Adicon Industria E Comercio De Aditivos Ltda, a privately-owned Brazilian manufacturer and supplier of functional food additives for the meat industry.
The deal is being carried out through ICL Performance Products' business unit Food, a producer and distributor of food additives, which plans to merge Adicon with another of its companies that is active in the Brazilian food additive market.
- Galaxy Nutritional Foods, a producer and marketer of health-promoting, nutritious plant-based dairy alternatives, is set to sell substantially all of its plant assets to Schreiber Foods.
The transaction, which will be subject to approval from the Company's primary lenders and shareholders, is expected to close on or about November 1, 2005.
- Dot Foods has announced its intention to acquire the foodservice business of Chicago Sweeteners (CSI), a Chicago-based foodservice redistributor and distributor of ingredients to food manufacturers.
The acquisition includes Chicago Sweeteners' foodservice inventories and customer list,which is concentrated in the Chicago area and extends throughout the Midwest and Southeast into Florida.
"This acquisition improves our position as the preferred supply source for small tomedium-sized foodservice distributors," said Dot Foods CEO Pat Tracy.
"We intend to complete the transaction within the next 60days."


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2 Arrested After Illegal Car Crushing; Marijuana Grow Operation Busted by Police
It isn’t every day you run into an illegal car crushing operation that also happens to be a marijuana grow house. Part of the Detroit Police Department, the Commercial Auto Theft Unit, arrested the suspects Wednesday afternoon. A variety of cars, trucks, and SUVs were presumed to be stolen vehicles from around the Detroit area.
The illegal car crushing and marijuana grow operation was in a Detroit junkyard
According to Fox 2 Detroit, police stumbled upon quite the operation the other day while looking for a chop shop. This particular situation involved an illegal car crushing operation at Auto Planet on Schafer Highway. Employees of Auto Planet were using fake paperwork to cover up the car crushing.
Police found the employees working at Auto Planet and arrested the pair for running a “chop shop and a criminal enterprise,” the news station said. While investigating the scene, police found partially crushed cars and, surprisingly, an illegal grow house operation.
On the property, police observed dilapidated vehicles strewn about. Pieces of a large Cadillac Escalade SUV and a small BMW 3 Series were visible sitting on other crushed cars. It appears this operation was part of more illegal car crushing happening in the Detroit area.
The local police confiscated a large car crushing machine from the scene
In the report by Click On Detroit, thieves would steal cars and dump the vehicles at this car crushing operation. Video shows the police entering the building with force and happening upon many marijuana plants. Police also located a sizeable portable car crusher used to destroy “hundreds” of cars.
Lieutenant Clive Stewart of the Detroit Police department commented that the suspects might sell the stolen cars for scrap money or “hide the fact that the vehicles were stolen.” One news reporter called it a “criminal enterprise” due to the large number of vehicles located at the shop.
The hundreds of marijuana plants on the property were just the icing on the proverbial criminal cake. The grow setup looked quite sophisticated for what it was. The criminals locked the plants in a climate-controlled room behind a hefty door.
This is the second major chop shop to get busted in the area this week
The police impounded the car crusher as evidence and took some of the vehicles. It isn’t clear if owners reported any of the cars as recently stolen or not, but the VIN will likely offer more information. The police arrested two people, but no further information was available.
This is the second chop shop in Detroit in the past two weeks, with Fox 2 Detroit noting that police found another on W. Chicago road. Officers found more than $100,000 in stolen parts and cars on the scene. Officers located a stolen 2014 GMC Sierra, plus the engine and door of a 2012 Dodge Challenger sedan. Similarly, police also found the front half of a 2007 Honda Civic, three doors and trunk lid of a 2017 Lincoln MKZ, and the engine, transmission, and trunk lid of a 2013 Chrysler 300. The authorities arrested one 30-year-old Dearborn man concerning this specific instance.
In conclusion, those operating an illegal car crushing operation in Michigan might want to reconsider before it is too late. The Detroit police department is well aware of the situation at hand and seems to be locating more operations every week.


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In this article:
Increased use of illegal channels for business SMS is exposing businesses texting European consumers to GDPR breaches and risk of fines. It’s got to stop.
Business SMS has become an essential part of our everyday lives. You may not be overly aware of it, but living in Europe, in an average month, you are likely to receive 14 business SMS. Companies, organizations, and governments are using business SMS more and more to operate their services, promote their products, or engage society on different issues.
And of course they are! The handy SMS has many uses: from one-time pin codes to log in to your online bank, to doctors’ appointment reminders and notifications about flight delays. And it’s also used for critical communications – during the Covid-19 pandemic it helped governments with the roll out of national vaccination programmes. Sounding more familiar?
And it’s a growing sector. From banking to healthcare, business SMS helps drive economic growth and innovation across Europe and around the world, with an estimated €20.3 billion spent by companies using it every year (of which €1.6 billion is spent in Europe). And this is expected to increase by 8% annually until 2025.
The ubiquity of SMS is key. It works across all mobile devices and networks worldwide. Not to mention its reliability and effectiveness in helping companies and organizations engage with their customers.
The continued success of the sector and the value it brings to business is, however, not without challenges.
There are illegitimate players taking advantage of the market, exploiting backdoors and regulatory loopholes to make money. So-called SIM Farms expose consumers to fraud and data theft, and expose businesses to non-compliance with EU data protection legislation, which could result in litigation and fines.
Get this: one third of all business SMS globally, and 19% in the EU, are not sent to consumers in the way mobile operators intended. Of those sent the wrong way, SIM Farms are the most common method.
So, what is a SIM Farm?
Business SMS should only be sent via dedicated mobile operator systems. By using consumer SIM cards in unauthorized ways, SIM Farms can offer a cheaper means for companies to send business SMS – but often in breach of mobile operators’ Terms & Conditions. Many SIM Farms are operated by bad actors, often based outside the EU, and are non-compliant with the EU’s data and consumer protection rules. Some SIM farm operators harvest customer’s phone numbers and whatever other sensitive personal information they can use for illicit purposes.
As data controllers, businesses that knowingly - or unknowingly - use SIM farms in their value chain therefore expose themselves to serious breaches of the GDPR.
In 2019, the total amount lost by consumers to communications fraud annually in the EU is estimated at around €12 billion. And 5% of such fraud cases are directly related to SMS, meaning that EU consumers lose at least €600 million per year due to SMS fraud. And the real number is probably significantly higher, as SMS is a very personable means of communications and therefore a more effective channel for fraud.
In addition, fraud has grown significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile operators in the EU alone suffer over €300 million in lost revenues a year due to unauthorized SMS.
As we head towards International Data Protection Day on January 28th, Sinch is taking a stand.
As an advocate for the sector, we call on all stakeholders across the value chain to join forces to address this issue through the adoption of best practices on how to manage the use of business SMS.
In particular, we would like companies sending business SMS to European consumers to take proper responsibility for their SMS delivery chains and ensure they are free from bad actors.
Additionally, we want to promote increased commitment to initiatives such as the Mobile Ecosystem Forum’s Business SMS code of conduct, and the adoption of technical solutions such as sender ID registries in more countries and national spam reporting services to help detect, block, and prevent fraud. Mobile operators play an important part in the business SMS ecosystem, and we encourage them to continue their efforts to protect European subscribers.
We also call on policymakers and regulators to help raise awareness and ensure better enforcement of existing data protection regulations (GDPR and e-Privacy) to protect European consumers.
Customer trust is key to the sector's continued growth and success. We’re keen to talk to you about how we can potentially work better together to protect consumers and businesses. If you would like to find out more, please get in touch!
Robert Gerstmann is Chief Evangelist and co-founder at Sinch AB.
Founded in Sweden in 2008 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sinch is a European champion, a leading cloud communications platform. Sinch simplifies life by bringing all people and businesses together. Its leading cloud communications platform lets its 170,000 business customers reach every mobile phone on the planet, in seconds or less, through mobile messaging, email, voice and video. Sinch’s platform powers business-critical communications for many of the world’s largest companies and Sinch is a trusted software and services provider to mobile operators. Now operating in over 50 countries, it has become the largest in its sector in Europe and the second largest globally.


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Oppo F3 Plus: A New Era of 'Selfie Expert' Is Set To Launch in India on March 23 With Other Four Key Markets
A Chinese handset manufacturer of Oppo is expected to launch its recent smartphone for the India market. The Oppo company has already sent out the invitation for its event that will be on March 23, and now the company confirmed through a social media that the event will focus on the launch of the Oppo F3 Plus.
According to Gadgets360, the Oppo F3 Plus dual camera will be the big highlight of the event, yet the details of the Oppo F3 arrival will also be mentioned in the said event. Aside from the India market, the Oppo F3 Plus will also be expected to launched to the four key markets, includes Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam.
However, the pricing and the availability of the handset will differ depending on the region. Oppo will also shed some light on its camera details, as it is Oppo's first smartphone that features a dual selfie camera setup. The main camera will be set to have a 16-megapixel and an 8-megapixel for the sub-camera.
Moreover, Indiatoday in tech added that the OPPO Global Vice President and President of OPPO India Sky Li said in a statement that the F3 Series will be leveling up its selfie technology and its new sets of trends. Sky Li added that the company is confident that it will be successful as it will set a standard that others might follow.
The Oppo F3 Plus is expected to have a 6-inch screen with Full HD resolution display. It is also expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 653 processor that is paired with a 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB internal storage. The Oppo F3 Plus will come with one rear 16 MP camera and a 16 MP + 8 MP pair on the front, as what has stated above.
The Oppo F3 Plus will packs a 4000mAh battery and weighs about 185 grams. The company also introduced an exciting new technology at MWC 2017 that features a secondary 3x zoom camera with a periscope-style lens.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Apple Inc. will take some of the spotlight off of a wild trading session Tuesday when the Macintosh and iPod maker is scheduled to give its first-quarter earnings report.
Apple AAPL, -1.00% shares fell as much as 8% in early trading, but reclaimed most of their losses as the day progressed in a session highlighted by reaction to the Federal Reserve cutting the U.S. discount and overnight lending rates by three-quarter's of a percentage point in an attempt to stave of a recession. See full story.
As the market cut its losses, Apple shares were down $4.72, or 3%, to trade at $156.34.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial estimate Apple will earn $1.62 a share on revenue of $9.47 billion for its first quarter, ended Dec. 31. Such forecasts call for Apple's per-share earnings to rise 42%, and revenue to climb 33% from the prior-year period.
The quarter is typically Apple's busiest, as the company tends to have strong iPod sales due to the end-of-the-year holiday shopping season. During the same quarter in 2006, Apple reported iPod sales of more than 21 million devices, and many analysts that follow the company estimate that Apple's iPod sales could come in as high as 25 million units.
Retail research firm NPD Group says Apple's iPods still maintain a lock on the top spot in U.S. sales of digital music and media players, with as much as 75% of the market. Gene Munster, who covers Apple for Piper Jaffray, said in a recent research note that based on NPD's data for October and November, the first two months of Apple's quarter point toward Apple meeting, and possibly exceeding that 25 million unit forecast.
Munster holds a buy rating and $250 price target on Apple's stock.
Because of the importance of holiday sales on Apple's results, the performance of the company's retail stores is expected to take on even more of a role than usual in Apple's report. During Apple's first quarter a year ago, Apple's retail unit reported sales of $1.14 billion.
Shebly Seyrafi, an analyst with Caris & Co., said that checks of Apple retail stores and channels show the company's "strong holiday sales stand in contrast to recent reports showing weak retail sales during the holidays. Seyrafi didn't give estimates on Apple's retail growth, but said the company appears to have bucked a trend that showed overall electronics retail sales in the U.S. rising just 2.7% over the same period in 2006.
Seyrafi said that in Apple's retail stores, the most popular items have been MacBook laptops, the new iPod touch and the video-playing iPod nano digital media players. Seyrafi also said interest in the iPhone remained high, a fact that CEO Jobs highlighted at the Macworld Expo when he said Apple has sold more than 4 million iPhones in six months. When Apple delivered its fourth-quarter results in October, the company reported total iPhone sales of 1.4 million units since its release on June 29.
Seyrafi has a buy rating and $225 a share price target on Apple's stock


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November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. Marcee Peterson from the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado will be giving a seizure awareness and first aid presentation, with a special performance by the Summit School of Dance, at Frisco Elementary Monday at 2 p.m.
- 2nd skier dies at Breckenridge Ski Resort in four days
- Avery Brewing Co. opens new brewery in Boulder, expands Summit beer options
- Ski Tip Lodge in Keystone ranked No. 6 in country by OpenTable diners
- Alpenglow dispensary opens first marijuana shop in Dillon
- 26th annual Tim McClure benefit honors local environmental pioneer


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Cantabil India, part of Italian fashion brand Cantabil, has launched a new collection for the Indian market. Named as ‘Campus Collection’, the newly launched products target college goers, according to a company press release.
The collection includes T-shirts, shirts, cargos, denims, bermuda, capris, shorts, skirts, tops, designer jeans for teenagers. Besides, a wide range of accessories is also added to the collection.
The price of the products ranges from Rs 299-1999 each and are available in all Cantabil stores across India.
Cantabil operates two formats of stores under the brand name ‘Cantabil’ and ‘Lafanso’. The company currently operates over 170 Cantabil and 130 Lafanso stores across India.Earliar in February 2009, Vijay Bansal, managing director, Cantabil India informed IndiaRetailing that the company plans to add another 280 stores, including 80 Cantabil and 200 Lafanso by March 2010. The company is also open to partner with franchises for the proposed expansion.
— IndiaRetailing Bureau


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Tyson meat plants in US close amid massive outbreak of COVID-19
Workers angry, product shortage looms
A meat processing plant run by Tyson Foods Corp. in Pasco, Washington, USA is the most recent facility to close indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This facility processes beef for the company, enough that would feed four million people per day. About 1,400 people work at the plant.
This recent closure is one of dozens for meat plants across the country. In total, as of the date of this article, 17 workers in various meat facilities (not just Tyson) have died of the coronavirus, while nearly 2,500 more have tested positive. Ninety people at one Tyson plant in Goodlettsville, Tennessee are among the positive cases.
It's believed that working conditions in these facilities do not abide by government requirements of social distancing and use of protective gear. Workers are often in close quarters with sub-par sanitary measures in place.
Tyson announced they will be providing face coverings and checking temperatures of all employees at the facilities that remain open. Luckily, these workers are protected by labor unions, which means they have a force behind them to fight for better conditions and paid time off.
Tyson Foods has been in hot water for their controversial response (or, lack thereof) to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of their plants in the state of Georgia offered their employees a $500 bonus if they worked all the way through June without missing a day. That means that sick employees could choose to come to work for the extra monetary reward. Tyson claims it's a "thank you" bonus.
The controversy erupted earlier this month when workers said they were told to come in to work even after reporting their illness to management. They also confirmed reports of uncleanly working conditions and lack of social distancing.
Although Tyson has admitted to closing facilities because of the pandemic, they also claim "worker absenteeism" is to blame. Many employees are staying home due to fear of contracting the deadly virus. These statements from the company are producing even more anger from their workforce, who insist they will not put their safety at risk for a job.
John H. Tyson, Chairman of Tyson Foods, published a full page letter to the public in this past Sunday edition of the New York Times. He says "The food supply chain is breaking". He promises to fight to remain open, claiming that his company providing food is as essential as healthcare.
These closures may cause an increase in price of various meat products in grocery stores. Consumer demand for meat has been declining. Farmers are at a crossroads with not being able to sell their overabundance of livestock. Everyone linked to the meat industry in the United States is feeling the financial effects of this pandemic, however the safety of workers at processing plants should remain top priority.


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The NFL/Panini exclusive will kick off in a matter of weeks as the 2016 branded products begin to trickle out but as for now the collecting calendar remains on the just completed 2015 season. The Super Bowl will be but a memory and the draft just a gleam in fans’ eyes but in early April, 2015 Flawless Football makes its return.
Panini America has released some details on what it called the hobby’s “most extravagant” issue. Flawless made its football debut in 2014, albeit earlier in the year and returns to close out the 2015 product parade.
There’s no word yet on cost but last year’s boxes are selling at around $1,500-$1,600.
Each 10-card box of 2015 Flawless Football will deliver six on card autographs, two memorabilia cards and two gemstone cards. There’s no word yet on cost but it’s one of the hobby’s priciest issues and in the past has come in a metal briefcase.
New Autograph Signers
Panini has rounded up some fresh autograph signers who have put their names directly on cards. The roster will include Aaron Rodgers, Brian Urlacher, Clay Matthews, Dick Butkus, Don Majkowski, Hines Ward, Jack Ham, James Harrison,Jim McMahon, John Stallworth, Michael Strahan, Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett and others.
Great Patches Autograph Card Subset
2015 Flawless football will also include autographs from other Hall of Famers and future inductees including Roger Staubach, Dan Marino, Tom Brady and Brett Favre. Great Patches Autographs is where you’ll find some of the latter with base versions numbered to 25 as well as Blue (# to 20), Ruby (# to 15), Gold (# to 10), Emerald (# to 5) and Platinum (1/1) parallels. There are also dual-signed versions and you’ll find Joe Namath and Peyton Manning on that checklist.
Sets Within the Set
Other insert sets include Flawless Victors, which highlights past Super Bowl champions, Rookie Inscriptions featuring autographs and notes from Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota and others, Memorable Marks (Dick Butkus and Bo Jackson are among the inclusions), Flawless Progressions with superstar rookies who have made the progression from college ball to the NFL and Rookie Patches Autographs with first year players and large memorabilia swatches joining the on-card player signatures.
The base set will feature real gemstones like in 2014, but with a couple of new additions for a new year — Sapphire and Ruby parallels. Panini says 2015 Flawless football will have two gemstone cards in each pack. The roster includes Diamond (numbered to 20), Ruby (numbered to 15), Sapphire (numbered to 10), Emerald (numbered to five) and Diamond 1/1s.


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State owned enterprise China Resources Ng Fung has bought a 15.38 percent share of New Zealand apple exporter Scales Corp for nearly NZ$56 million ($38.13 million; €33.75 million) from New Zealand private equity firm Direct Capital Investments, according to an announcement issued on the New Zealand Exchange (NZX).
“Scales welcomes China Resources as a significant minority shareholder, and as a party who can provide support to Scales in its ongoing initiatives in China,” reads the announcement.
The acquisition was made through the sale of 21.5 million shares. Direct Capital owned 84 per cent of Scales shares through its Direct Capital Fund IV in 2014, suggesting the fund is still the majority shareholder in the business. Direct Capital was not immediately available for comment.
China Resources Ng Fung’s main businesses include rice, fruits and vegetables, meat, frozen foods, import foods, and modern agriculture industry. It has also developed an agent and distribution business for imported foods in China, according to the company website.
Annual fresh fruit exports hit a record NZ$2 billion last year, with China becoming an increasingly important export market. The highest value exports in May 2015 were kiwis and apples, which made up NZ$280 million and NZ$157 million respectively of the month’s NZ$445 million total, according to Statistics NZ. That was despite a 4.8 percent drop between 2012 and 2014 in the overall area planted with apples.
About one quarter of fruit exports last June went to the EU, with Japan taking 14 percent and China 13 percent. China’s fresh fruit imports rose by 22.8 percent between 2015 and 2015, according to China Customs.
Direct Capital has raised more than NZ$800 million since it was established in 1994. Their latest fund, Direct Capital IV held a final close in 2009 on NZ$325 million, according to their website. Scales listed in 2014.


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The first pretrial hearing in the Microsoft vs. FTC case is scheduled for early next week, on January 3, according to Reuters.
As you may already know from our previous reports, the US Federal Trade Commission has decided to legally challenge Microsoft’s deal to acquire Activision Blizzard because it Enables Microsoft to suppress competitors to its Xbox game consoles, rapidly growing subscription content, and cloud gaming business. By controlling Activision’s blockbuster franchises, Microsoft will have the means and motive to harm the competition by manipulating Activision’s pricing, impairing the quality of Activision’s games or player experience on competing consoles and game services, changing the terms and timing of access to Activision content, or blocking content from competitors completely, resulting in harm to consumers.
Microsoft responded just before Christmas with a 37-page document listing allegations of constitutional violations and counterclaims more specific to the FTC’s thesis. Microsoft’s lawyers also took a direct stab at Sony (which has been vocal about the alleged dire implications of the acquisition).
Sony might prefer to protect the revenue it gets from sales of more expensive individual games, but antitrust laws don’t serve to insulate the dominant player in the market and its preferred business model from the competition.
According to a Reuters report, the Federal Trade Commission may find it difficult to prove its thesis in court. Andre Barlow, antitrust attorney at Doyle, Barlow & Mazard PLLC, said:
The legal precedent is not on the part of the FTC. We have at least three judges who have accepted the remedies by the merged parties.
Roger Alford, a law instructor at the University of Notre Dame, added:
Vertical merger challenges are really hard to win, so it’s going to be an uphill battle for the FTC.
On the other hand, the FTC’s attempt to block the deal likely emboldened other UK and EU regulators, both of which would be difficult to challenge for Microsoft if they decided not to merge.
Meanwhile, the deal has been approved in Chile, after previous approvals in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.


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The Business of… 2010’s underperformers
Strikes, debt and defaults; 2010 hasn’t been kind to a lot of UAE businesses. Here is our pick of the biggest underperformers in 2010.
December 29, 2010 11:22 by shafeer
Etisalat: they’ve been in the news all year long; but not always for reasons they’d prefer. While their never-ending 12 billion dollar deal to takeover a majority stake in Kuwaiti telco Zain is still in the process of being approved, Etisalat has revealed a debt of Dh5.3 billion and has announced plans to sack over 300 staff.
What’s more, this quarter, the company’s profit declined just under 25 percent of what it was the same time last year, with Du signing on shamefully more subscribers than Etisalat. And as if hadn’t enough on its plate, Etisalat has gotten trapped in the one of the biggest corruption scandals in India when it transpired that Etisalat’s Indian arm, Etisalat DB India, was among the companies mentioned in an Indian government report after a company it bought “received spectrum licences from the telecommunications department that were significantly undervalued and did not follow policy procedures,” according to The National.
du enables its Nepalese customers to connect with families following earthquake crisis
Low IT Security Spend leaves Middle East Businesses Open to Cyber Attacks
New research demonstrates that the UAE leads the world in consumer preference for multi screen experiences, personalised offers and social shopping
Middle East Council of Shopping Centres highlights “Retail Education” at UAE Career Fair
Top 9 happiest countries in the Middle East


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Vietnam, implements new tax-related notifications from August 1
On June 1, the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam announced that it will implement a new notification on value-added tax (VAT) and personal income tax for sole proprietors from August 1. According to the notification, the companies that operate the online shopping platform were obliged to file tax returns, pay store income tax and VAT, and report store information on behalf of the store owners. In addition, in the new notification, the tax that the store owner has to pay is deducted from the online sales, so it can avoid the loss of tax revenue. According to the Vietnamese tax authorities, the implementation of the new notification in August may be postponed because the subjects taxpayers need to prepare for tax-related procedures.
Source: Viet Jo "EC stores are Subject to Tax Filing and Tax Payment, Ministry of Finance Notification to Enforce on August 1" (June 21, 2021) （link available in Japanese only）
transcosmos is a global and one-stop solution provider that offers digital marketing, 5A analysis, eCommerce and contact center support that adds value through optimizing cost and driving sales. For more information, please feel free to email us at;
Let’s talk ✉：email@example.com


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GEP Outlook 2021: Supply Chain & Procurement Report
GEP, a leading provider of procurement and supply chain strategy, software and managed services to Fortune 500 and Global 2000 enterprises worldwide, has released its GEP Outlook 2021: Supply Chain & Procurement Report.
The report examines the turbulence caused to supply chains during 2020 and looks ahead to the priorities for 2021 and beyond. The new playbook gives guidance on navigating uncertainty, mitigating risk, optimizing costs and driving growth.
“GEP’s 2021 Outlook Report examines why supply chains bent and frequently broke in 2020 in the face of wild swings in consumer demand, trade wars, tariffs, increasing environmental devastation, social inequality and lockdowns,” says John Piatek, GEP’s vice president, consulting, consumer goods and retail, and chairman of the firm’s Thought Leadership Council.
“This report provides companies with a new playbook to come to grips with a post-pandemic cost structure and supply chain uncertainty.”
Supply chain and procurement trends for 2021
The report includes valuable insight on:
- New Playbook – eight essential strategies to build resilience, navigate uncertainty and create advantage as a competitive differentiator
- Global Business Trends – lessons from 2020, the major changes in political and economic policies and their implications for business leaders
- Technology and Operations Disruptors – technologies transforming and automating supply chains, and unifying finance and procurement
The executive summary of the report says that while there are inevitably challenges still to come, there is optimism that better times are around the corner. It also highlights how supply chain resilience requires a fundamental shift in the approach to collaboration, with a focus on an ecosystem of partners and transparency.
Sustainability, diversity and inclusion are also high on the 2021 agenda.
The report was written by the GEP Thought Leadership Council, a team of industry and thought leaders, and is available for download.
GEP continues growth in Asia-Pacific
A leader in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants, GEP recently announced that PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP) – the petroleum exploration and production company based in Thailand, with operations in 15 countries – has selected GEP SMART procurement software platform.
GEP SMART will enable PTTEP to manage its entire Source-to-Pay (S2P) process by digitally transforming its sourcing activities. This includes spend, project management, sourcing, contracting, catalogue management, guided buying and supplier management.
GEP SMART is a unified, cloud-native source-to-pay platform, built on a data-centric foundation with AI at its core.


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There is no doubt that Spring will be a welcomed season here in Hampton Roads, Virginia. And with the change in weather comes our favorite Spring time activities - baseball, gardening, bike riding, and yard sales!
The Daily Press has published a list of the top five yards sales in the area. An avid yard sale-er, or not, don't miss these opportunities to find some hidden treasures:
This community's sale will take place on Saturday, March 15 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Historic Triangle Community Center, 312 Waller Mill Road, Williamsburg.
This sale has been known to draw thousands of shoppers to the Busch Gardens overflow parking lot. This year the sale will take place Saturday, March 22 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
This Newport News community hosts its annual spring sale on Saturday, April 5 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The rain date is April 12.
The Hilton Village yard sale, where it is more advantageous to park and walk, than drive, is scheduled for April 26.
Virginia's Longest Yard Sale
"Virginia's Longest Yard Sale" will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 7, in Mathews County. Organized by the county, the communitywide "yard, barn and collectibles sale" will stretch for miles across various spots. Shoppers can pick up a map of participating locations at the county's visitor center, 239 Main St., Mathews. For more information, go to visitmathews.com or call 804-725-4229.
The Daily Press will publish a more comprehensive list of yard sales on Sunday, April 20. Make sure your sale is included by emailing the details to email@example.com by Friday, April 11.
Interested in finding more things to do in and around the Historic Triangle? Subscribe here to our blog as we post ideas frequently. You also can purchase a copy of Liz’s recently published book, 101 Reasons to Love Living in the Historic Triangle, in either paperback or e-book version by clicking the button below.
Are you interested in hot real estate topics, tips and trends?
Click below to subscribe to our blog!


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LONDON (AP) — England's new men's soccer team shirt is causing a bit of a stir. It's not just the price that's vexing some.
The decision by Nike to change the color of the St. George’s Cross on the shirt from the traditional red and white has even prompted the prime minister and the man who is favored to succeed him to make their displeasure known.
A petition on Change.org calling for a design change attracted more than 22,000 signatures by early afternoon Friday.
The new Nike-designed shirt, which has been modeled by England captain Harry Kane, is being rolled out in the run-up to the European Championship in Germany. The altered cross on the back of the shirt collar has purple and blue horizontal stripes.
Nike says it’s a “playful update” to the shirt and harks to the training kit England wore at the 1966 World Cup, the only major tournament won by the men’s team. England will be starting Euro 2024 this summer as one of the favorites.
Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party and a fan of English Premier League leader Arsenal, said he believed the flag, which is marked by an image of the St. George’s Cross, was a “unifier” and Nike needed to "reconsider” its decision to modify it.
"It doesn’t need to be changed," he told the Sun newspaper. "We just need to be proud of it.”
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on a visit to the north of England, was also asked about the altered cross.
“I prefer the original and my general view is that when it comes to our national flags, we shouldn't mess with them because they are a source of pride, identity, who we are and they're perfect as they are,” said Sunak, who supports Southampton, which is vying for promotion back to the Premier League.
Nike and the English Football Association have indicated they are not going to change tack.
Despite the criticism, the FA defended the design, saying it was “not the first time” different colored St. George’s Cross-inspired designs have appeared on England shirts and it was “very proud” of the traditional cross.
“The new England 2024 home kit has a number of design elements which were meant as a tribute to the 1966 World Cup-winning team,” a spokesperson said. “The colored trim on the cuffs is inspired by the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, and the same colors also feature on the design on the back of the collar."
England coach Gareth Southgate said the furor has “not been high on my list of priorities” this week as he prepares to lead the team into friendly matches against Brazil on Saturday and Belgium on Tuesday.
“It's a hard question to answer really because it is presumably some artistic take which I am not creative enough to understand,” Southgate said when asked about his thoughts on the new design.
“What you are really asking,” he said, “is should we be tampering with the cross of St. George? In my head, if it is not a red cross and a white background, then it isn’t a cross of St. George anyway.”
Southgate added that, for him, it was more important that the symbol of the three lions stayed on the shirt than the St. George's Cross.
“It’s our iconic symbol — it is what distinguishes us not only from football teams around the world but from England rugby and England cricket,” he said of the three lions.
John Barnes, one of England's best players, said he could not understand what all the fuss was about.
“It’s a much ado about nothing,” the 60-year-old former winger said.
For most people, the problem will be less the color of the flag and more its price tag. An “authentic” version for adults will cost 125 pounds ($155) and 120 pounds for children. That's quite an outlay at a time when household budgets have been stretched as a result of one of the most acute cost-of-living crises in decades.
The Football Supporters’ Association has long bemoaned the high cost of replica shirts and suggested that a “sell-by” date should be put on kits so buyers know how long it will be in use before a newer version is released.
“An unwitting parent could easily buy a kit for Christmas or a birthday to find it’s ‘old’ within a matter of months," a spokesperson for the group said.
AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas contributed to this story.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer


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SINGAPORE, 26 March 2020: China and a few countries in the Asia Pacific are feeling the first signs of relief from Covid-19 according to a Sojern blog based on flight and online travel data published by the analytics company Thursday.
However, universities around the world, primarily in the US and Europe, are closing their doors, and this is prompting Chinese citizens to fly back to Asia. Some could bring Covid-19 with them that could prompt a second wave of imported infections in Asia.
Based on Sojern’s flight search data for 2 February to 21 March compared with the same period last year, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, as well as South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan suffered early exposure to Covid-19, are now demonstrating the first inkling of success that could ultimately block the spread of the pandemic but the bets are off on when.
Strict travel restrictions, mandatory quarantine periods, and total lockdown in some cases are showing tiny signs of success in these countries.
A few countries have recently become more lenient in an effort to return life to normalcy. China’s Hubei province which announced it would lift travel restrictions this week provided citizens received a health clearance code.
However, since opening borders, more infections are evident as populations settle back into place. In turn, they must re-impose strict travel regulations on foreigners and quarantine new arrivals.
Australia has even announced it will close its borders for six months. India has gone into a total lockdown for at least a month to cut the spread.
Sojern’s data analysis noted an interesting trend. Flight searches spiked each time a travel restriction was announced, followed by an immediate decline.
These increases in flight searches are not signs of travel recovery in the traditional sense. For the travel industry, this could be interpreted as short term pain for long-term gain, as signs of governments took the health of their people and travellers seriously and this bodes well as an early indicator for true and sustained travel recovery.
Much of the travel-related searches within Singapore in early March, indicated hoteliers had turned to staycations which worked well with families who were looking for something to do with their kids during the March school holidays, without leaving the country.
Singaporeans were encouraged by the government and by local hotels and attractions to do staycations. The going rates dropped at hotels but it prompted a dramatic rise in hotel searches from within Singapore.
Additionally, a strong spike on 18 to 19 March occurred linked to the closure of Malaysia’s borders, a move that stranded thousands of Malaysian workers in Singapore.
This sparked a significant influx of last-minute hotel searches as Singapore companies worked with the government to house thousands of affected employees in hotels until at least 31 March.
Singaporeans completing hotel searches in March are looking for staycations in March, April, and May as restrictions prevent international travel.
It represents a strong indication that people have confidence in their safety in Singapore. They are eager to return to life as normal and plan vacations once travel bans lift.
Sojern offers digital marketing solutions for travel are built on more than a decade of expertise, analysing the complete traveller path to purchase.
Sojern is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Berlin, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, New York, Omaha, Paris, São Paulo, Singapore and Sydney.
(Source: Sojern www.sojern.com)


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Report claims PS Vita devs are jumping ship to 3DS
A Japanese news report has decided to kick a system while it's down, claiming that a number of PlayStation Vita developers have canceled their projects to go and make 3DS games. Meanwhile, Sony has responded by claiming third parties are still behind it all the way.
"Major Japanese companies are cancelling all projects intended for Vita and are changing development to 3DS," a source reportedly told Nikkei.
Sony's Scott Rohde dismissed the claim as an "extremist quote" and assured Gamasutra that claims of abandonment are largely exaggerated.
"I know many, many, many third party developers are feverishly working on Vita titles, not just for now, but for the foreseeable future. There's always going to be the hot platform of the moment in our industry. There's always going to be reason to talk about a story like that."
Some have suggested that Rohde's choice of wording implies that at least some Vita developers have scrapped projects. I certainly hope it's not true, as the PS Vita needs to follow through on its solid launch lineup. I really don't want the Vita to be in a "six months between must-have titles" situation. We had enough of that with the PSP.
Sony insists devs still keen on Vita [Edge] Setup email comments
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Washington Asparagus Commission
Cold weather is stalling Washington’s asparagus harvest.
“We’ve got all these little purple heads sticking up, they’re all wanting to grow, but we’re just not getting the heat units to get them up and get them going,” said Gary Larsen, chairman of the Washington Asparagus Commission and a Pasco-area farmer.
Larsen and another farmer are ready to start cutting, he said, but with higher minimum wages, growers are hesitant to send workers into the fields when there’s not much crop to cut.
The crop fared well over a mild winter, he said.
“It actually would have been nicer to have a little bit of cold weather and maybe get rid of some of those bugs,” he said. “Asparagus makes it through the winter pretty well.”
Insects should not be an issue this early, he said. Asparagus beetles could arrive with warmer weather, then blow out with the first wind, he said.
Right now, asparagus sold in grocery stores and restaurants is likely from Mexico or Peru, Larsen said. Mexico is just completing its harvest.
“In say, two weeks, if you’re not seeing Washington asparagus in the stores, you’re getting old-crop Mexican grass, so be careful,” he said.
Washington grows 4,000 to 4,500 acres of asparagus, acreage is increasing, Larsen said. He estimated 300 acres will convert to organic in the state in three years.
Roughly 45 to 60 farmers raise asparagus.
Larsen has grown asparagus since 1985. He raises it as his primary crop on 325 acres.
Larsen said he enjoys working with the people who cut the crop during harvest season.
“They’re fun to have around — when the season’s over, it’s just too much quiet,” he said.
Larsen aims to reach a yield of 15,000 pounds of asparagus per acre. The state’s average yield is 6,000 to 7,000 pounds, but he usually gets 9,000 to 10,000 pounds per acre.
“I think that 15,000 pounds is within grasp,” he said.
Prices remain a question mark, Larsen said. Overproduction in Mexico put prices at 99 cents to $1.49 per pound.
“Hopefully we don’t see that because at 99 cents in the stores, we’re more than likely losing money,” he said.
For farmers to break even, they need to receive about 80 cents per pound, he said. How much they receive depends on whether they pack the asparagus themselves or sell it to a shipper-packer.
Typically, 55 percent of what a farmer receives goes to pay the cutters, he said, and other expenses come out of the remaining 45 percent.
In his case, if he sells his crop for 80 cents a pound wholesale it will often sell at retail for $2 or more.
“It’s getting pretty rough out there,” he said. “Every time we increase the minimum wage or paid leave, although it’s good for the people, it’s not good for the owner.”


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‘Ethical iPhone’ Protests Hit Apple Stores
Protesters visited a half-dozen Apple stores around the world on Thursday to deliver petitions calling for reforms in the working conditions at factories run by Apple’s suppliers in China and other overseas locations.
A demonstration at Apple’s Grand Central Terminal store drew a small crowd of around a dozen people, who peacefully handed their petition — hundreds of pages stacked in a shipping box — to the store’s manager.
“I’m a big fan of Apple products, but I can no longer ethically support products that harm the people that make them,” said Shelby Knox, an organizing director with Change.org who participated. “When people join together, we can hold companies accountable.”
The protests are the offline outgrowth of an online petition drive launched two weeks ago on social activism site Change.org. Created by Mark Shields, a self-described lifelong Apple customer who says he was “shocked to learn of the abusive working conditions in many of Apple’s supplier factories,” the petition has drawn almost 200,000 signatures since its launch.
A parallel petition effort, led by corporate accountability lobbying group SumOfUs.org, has drawn another 50,000 signatures.
Both groups teamed up for Thursday’s protest. The day began with petition deliveries at Apple stores in Bangalore and London, and will continue with events in in Washington, DC; San Francisco and Sydney.
Mike Daisey, an author and monologist who has been a vocal critic of Foxconn’s working conditions, said the power of the petition was rooted in the number of signatures collected, rather than the number of people who showed up to deliver it.
“It’s 250,000 people,” he said at the event. “And it’s also millions of workers who are at Foxconn on shift right now.”
“This is a really huge step for us, in combining all of the voices we’ve collected from people all over the world asking Apple to clean up their supply chain,” Change.org human rights organizer Sarah Ryan told CNNMoney in advance of the event.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the protest.
Change.org’s petition asks Apple to develop a “worker protection strategy” around its major product releases to prevent the abuses that have reportedly occurred when major deadlines loom. It also asks Apple to be transparent about the findings of the Fair Labor Association, an independent watchdog group that Apple joined last month.
The FLA plans to begin monitoring the facilities in Apple’s supply chain and to publicly post its findings on its website. Apple said it will work to align its programs with FLA requirements within the next two years.
SumOfUs’s petition is less detailed and more sweeping. Calling for an “ethical iPhone,” it asks Apple CEO Tim Cook to “overhaul the way [Apple’s] suppliers treat their workers.”
Horror stories have kicked around the tech industry for years about the conditions at the Chinese factories almost all major U.S. vendors rely on to manufacture their devices. The pressure has intensified recently on Apple — the industry’s most profitable and most popular gadget maker — after a series of investigations drew attention to a set of particularly chilling alleged labor abuses.
An investigation by the New York Times shed light specifically on the harsh working conditions at Foxconn, a key Apple supplier. A story published late last month documented the human toll of a plant explosion that killed several workers.
In a recent CNN segment, a Foxconn employee spoke out about her working conditions.
“They use women as men and they use men as machines,” the worker — who asked to remain anonymous — told CNN’s Stan Grant. “I almost feel like an animal.”
When asked why humans do machine-like work at Foxconn, she responded: “Well, humans are cheaper.”
The Foxconn worker said that she made less than $1 an hour for her labors.
While Apple declined to talk about this week’s protests, the company reaffirmed its commitment to fair labor practices.
“We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain,” Apple said in a recent statement to CNN. “We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made.”
But critics say the company isn’t doing enough to ensure safe working conditions.
“We feel sometimes like corporations can’t change,” Daisy, who was present at the demonstration said. “The truth is corporations are made of people, actually, human beings so it means something that 250,000 people signed something on the Internet.”
Apple is one of many companies that outsources its electronics manufacturing to suppliers across the globe. Change.org organizer Ryan said she hopes that garnering attention around the petition will push Apple to set a precedent for other tech companies.
“What we want is for Apple to take their motto — ‘think differently’ — and extend that to the way they treat their workers,” she said. “We want them to be a leader in the tech world in not just treating their workers in the United States fairly, but also treat the ones abroad fairly.”
As petitions are being delivered around the world, Ryan has hopes Apple will respond to the concerns.
“We’re hoping that after all the collective petitions are delivered we’ll get a formalized response from Apple,” she says.
(Laurie Segall, NEW YORK, CNNMoney)


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According to local media reports, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently stated thatTesla will recall about 2,800 Model 3 and Model Y cars to fasten or replace fasteners on the front suspension to prevent accidents.According to the report,The scope of the recalled vehicles includes part of Model 3 produced during 2019-2021 and part of Model Y produced during 2020-2021. The fasteners on the front suspension of these vehicles may have problems, which will change the driving vehicle. Instability, thereby increasing the risk of collision.
Tesla said that for the recalled vehicles, Tesla will tighten or replace the transverse fasteners.
At the same time, Tesla also emphasized that not all recalled vehicles will have firmware loosening problems, but maintenance must be done.
In addition to this recall,Not long ago, Tesla also received the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which asked why it did not issue a recall notice when updating the Autopilot software.The letter pointed out that if the remote update improves the security defect, a recall is necessary.
According to reports, the software update helped Tesla’s autonomous driving detect stopped emergency service vehicles. NHTSA also asked Tesla to provide information about its “self-driving” software.
Subsequently, Tesla quietly updated the function of helping Tesla’s autopilot to find the stopped emergency service vehicle, and did not give a satisfactory answer to the bureau.


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Don Clark at The Wall Street Journal:
Welch said Apple informed Intel that it better drastically slash its power consumption or would likely lose Apple’s business. “It was a real wake-up call to us,” he said.
Translation: Apple’s going to use ARM-based chips in its Macs really soon.
(Via Daring Fireball)


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Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we check in on Virginia, to see if there’s any progress on the retail market bill. We re-visit the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina, who are planning to set up their first dispensary. We note that Hawai’i has an adult-use bill moving through their legislature. Trulieve got a tax refund – will that lead other cannabis companies to try to get money back? And finally, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had a piece on Germany legalizing marijuana.
Last week, we reported that a retail market bill had passed the Old Dominion’s House and Senate. This week, it appears that the retail market has gotten caught up in the debate over building a stadium in Northern Virginia. For those of you not from the Washington, DC metropolitan area, there is presently a stadium in downtown DC, where the NHL and NBA teams play. The owner of those teams, Ted Leonsis, recently announced that they would be re-locating to Northern Virginia, and that they would be getting a brand new stadium in the Potomac Yards neighborhood. An uproar has ensued. Several Virginia lawmakers have indicated that any “yes” vote from them on the stadium construction will require the Governor’s signature on the cannabis bill. Rest assured, we have not heard the last of this.
EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE
In October of last year, we reported that the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina had voted to open a cannabis dispensary on their tribal lands and had issued medical marijuana cards to prospective customers. Now, we note that they have scheduled their opening for (no surprise) April 20 of this year. Not everyone is delighted with this news. North Carolina Senators Ted Budd (R) and Thom Tillis (R) have sent a letter to various federal officials asking for a plan to enforce state and federal laws in the wake of this announcement. We’ll probably see more on this before opening day.
Hawai’i’s Senate passed an adult-use cannabis bill this week by a three-to-one margin. The bill now heads to the House, where previous legalization attempts have gone down to defeat. Will this time be different? Stay tuned.
As regular readers know, cannabis businesses are unable to deduct business expenses from their federal (and many state) taxes, like other businesses can, as cannabis is illegal on the federal level. This is a sore spot for business owners, for obvious reasons. Trulieve, one of the country’s biggest cannabis enterprises, has repeatedly filed amended tax returns in an effort to take the deduction, known as 280E. Now, they have apparently been successful in getting refunds. The company declined to say whether these were federal or state refunds and also declined to offer up their legal analysis. But other cannabis companies may decide to follow suit, as the payout to Trulieve was in the millions of dollars.
Have a look at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s take on Germany legalizing cannabis.
Be well everyone. We’ll be off next week, but will return on Friday, March 15.


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Thursday, March 15, 2012
As you can see from the flyer, there's a fundraiser tonight for Phoebe at Il Bagato. Phoebe was a full-breed Papillion owned by Helen O'Neill, director of art production at ad agency Deutsch N.Y. According to an article in the trade publication Creativity, Phoebe starred in ads for Nissan and Milwaukee's Best, among others.
Phoebe died last Thursday "after eating something poisonous on the streets of the East Village," per an email from Il Bagato.


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The reality TV star was seen at the Milledgeville Mall in Georgia selling the tasty treats. Though Thomson isn't a Girl Scout herself, she was selling the cookies to help out a friend, E! News reported.
Thomson was spotted at the mall carrying a hand-written sign urging shoppers to buy a box. The 7-year-old brought the entire gang, including by Mama June, Pumpkin, Chubbs, Chickadee and Sugar Bear to support her cookie-selling efforts.


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As revealed during this year’s Star Wars Celebration, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords will be released for the Nintendo Switch on June 8th. The successor to the iconic KOTOR RPG is expected to have performance and resolution improvements, as well as post-launch DLC called Restored Content.
As you might expect, the Restored Stuff DLC includes the content that the game’s developers, Obsidian Entertainment and Aspyr Media, left off during their hurry to release the game in 2004. A fanmade version for KOTOR II is currently available on Steam that restores some of the missing material, although it’s unknown how comparable the official DLC will be when it arrives.
Right now, you can preorder KOTOR II for $15.00 on the Nintendo Store, or you can buy it as part of a $29.99 bundle that also contains the first KOTOR, which was released last year for the Switch. While Aspyr is presently working on a KOTOR remake that will be unique to the PlayStation 5, no release date has been set.


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Amazon hires top AI expert for work on Alexa
Amazon continues to push the envelope with Alexa, the AI behind the Echo, and hired an AI expert from Xerox Parc. Ashwin Ram tweeted about joining Amazon, but the company has not commented on his hiring.
Millions of Android devices vulnerable to malware
A security researcher has discovered that millions of devices are vulnerable to hacking due to software by Qualcomm. The vulnerability has been around for years and allows hackers to change device settings, access SMS messages, and view the call history.
Remix Mini loses Google Play
The Remix Mini, a puck-like Android device from Jide, lost ability to access Google Play in the most recent update to the OS. The company advises owners who need to access Google Play to forego this update and continue to run an older version that has access.
Proposed law in India will require Google to get permission to produce maps
A bill in India would require companies to get a license to offer and publish maps in the country. This would directly affect Google and its popular Maps for Android and other platforms. The bill calls for hefty fines or prison time for violators.


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China's factory output and retail sales both rose more slowly than expected in July from a year ago, data showed on Monday, amid signs of increasing pressure on China's economy as export growth cooled and new COVID-19 outbreaks disrupted business.
Industrial production in the world's second largest economy increased 6.4% year-on-year in July, against expectations for 7.8% growth and after rising 8.3% in June.
China's economy has rebounded to its pre-pandemic growth levels, but the expansion appears to be losing steam as businesses have grappled with higher costs and supply bottlenecks while new COVID-19 infections in July prompted some local authorities to lock down and temporarily suspend business operations.
Data earlier this month also showed export growth, which has been a key driver of China's impressive rebound from the COVID-19 slump in early 2020, unexpectedly slowed last month.
Consumption remained weak with retail sales rising 8.5% year-on-year in July. Analysts had expected retail sales to increase 11.5% after a 12.1% uptick in June.
China has tightened social restrictions to fight its latest COVID-19 outbreak in several cities, hitting the services sector, especially travel and hospitality in the country.
Fixed asset investment grew 10.3% in January-July from the same period a year ago, compared with an 11.3% rise tipped by a Reuters poll and a 12.6% increase in January-June.
Private sector fixed-asset investment, which accounts for 60% of total investment, grew 13.4% in the first seven months of the year, compared with a 15.4% gain in January-June.
Property investment, a crucial growth driver of China's recovery from COVID-19 disruptions, grew 12.7% in January-July, versus 15% rise in the first half of this year.
Copyright©2022 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


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Just a week ago, spy photos of the 2018 Ford Mustang Fastback Body surface online, now it seems that its convertible variant also started its testing phase already and was spotted on the road with heavy camouflage. The Ford Mustang Convertible is set to debut next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show or early next year at Detroit Auto Show.
Continuing The Success
Last year the sixth - generation of Ford Mustang comes in a dealership and had been a success worldwide with exceptional sales and still performing great as of today. However, there is no reason for Ford to relax, and the proof is here as they are already working on the first "facelift" of this generation. The Mustang convertible will undergo a major facelift with many new features looming too.
At the moment, the dense camouflage of this testing unit has managed to prevent us a glimpse of the changes present in the Ford Mustang Convertible 2018 except for the very visible change in the apertures for the grille. In this type of set - ups, the most common is that brands take the opportunity to redesign bumpers , updated headlights, and taillights as well as to update the available wheel designs and color palette for the bodywork. We also have information that suggests that Ford is working to create new option packages.
Besides aesthetic changes, what developments are expected in the mechanical section? Rumors have it that Ford has decided to maintain the current blocks. That is, the naturally aspirated V6 EcoBoost 2.3 - liter engine, although you can not rule out a slight tuning to increase that power.
In any case, Ford will use the facelift Ford Mustang Convertible range to introduce one new automatic gearbox ten - speed . In addition, the six - speed manual transmission will be adjusted to improve its performance and handling.
As we have said at the beginning, it is the first time the new Ford Mustang Convertible has been spied in the street. Expect a lot more of these in the upcoming days and wait until 2017 for this new Mustang to be available in dealerships.


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America's legal cannabis industry has been clawing its way back to where it was before it became illegal in 1937--a legitimate, hugely profitable provider of clothes, paper, and medicine, and a safe respite from everyday stress. The process of legalization and social acceptance has been slow, starting in 1996 in California. Today, medical marijuana is legal in 23 states (as well as Washington, D.C.) and recreational pot is legal in four.
Colorado's legal cannabis industry, the most robust in the country, is valued at $2 billion. One company in Denver, Dixie Elixirs, is on a mission to further bring marijuana mainstream through sophisticated branding and products like its "elixirs" line of carbonated drinks, a THC oil-infused gourmet chocolate bar called Toasted Rooster, and a range of gum, mints, and tinctures.
But Dixie is also legitimizing the industry by example, with a state-of-the-art extraction lab and manufacturing plant that produces 1,000 bottles of elixirs a day. With its products on the shelves of more than 75 percent of dispensaries in the state, Dixie is serving customers with a different marijuana experience: gum instead of joints, a bottle of soda instead of a bong.
Dixie co-founder and CEO Tripp Keber isn't looking to become the king of the stoners. A former real estate developer, he never grew or sold marijuana until he founded the company in 2009. Now, though, he has bold plans for bringing the company's products to the masses: Dixie just announced its expansion into California's medical market, and expects to move into three to five new markets by the end of 2015. And in perhaps his most audacious undertaking, Keber, who is featured in MSNBC's reality show Pot Barons, is positioning the company to be an attractive acquisition target for established liquor brands.
During BevNet, an alcoholic beverage industry conference in New York City last week, Keber, clad in a suit, skipped the trite jokes about Birkenstocks and Bob Marley and presented Dixie and its carbonated elixirs as a logical player in the liquor business. As the regulatory landscape around cannabis changes, he said, big alcohol conglomerates will step in to buy the successful brands. He believes Dixie is one of those brands.
"I fundamentally believe that it is Big Alcohol and Big Tobacco that will be my future employer," Keber said in his BevNet speech. "At the end of the day, the sale of marijuana is negatively impacting the sale of alcohol in Colorado." He pointed to British beverage giant Diageo as the type of company that could become a suitor as pot becomes a greater threat to its business.
Keber's address in New York was not the first time he's posited that the alcohol industry (as well as, potentially, the tobacco and pharma industries) will start gobbling up pot companies if and when marijuana is legalized nationally. A marriage of the two industries may seem strange, but it's actually not all that far out. There is now a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and have it regulated and taxed like alcohol. The bill even suggests after the DEA hands over its regulation of marijuana to the ATF, the agency would be renamed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and Explosives. The Food and Drug Administration would have the same authority over marijuana as it does for alcohol.
While many veterans of the cannabusiness do not wish for the industry to be sold off to international corporations, a growing group of executives see alcohol, tobacco, and pharma companies as the key to a lucrative exit. Meanwhile, those industries are keenly aware of the threats to their continued growth. For example, in Louisville-based spirits distiller Brown-Forman Corp.'s 2014 annual report, the company's executives explain how changes in regulations, consumer tastes, and the economy, and even "the potential legalization of marijuana use on a more widespread basis within the United States" would negatively impact their bottom line. That report marked the first time Big Alcohol publicly acknowledged how legal weed might eat into its profits.
Keber knows an opportunity when he sees one, and says he is now focused on making his company as valuable a prize as possible.
"[Big Alcohol companies] are not interested in giving up market share. And so if you can't beat them, join them," he says. "And when I say join them, I mean buy us."


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Huawei has been achieving new heights in the smartphone industry every year. Last year, we saw that the smartphone industry had the worst year ever in terms of sales. Despite that, Huawei still managed to grow more than 200% year-over-year in 2018. This shows that Huawei has become the leading smartphone brand from just being a competitor. We also know that Huawei has been innovating a lot with their smartphones.
In 2018, Huawei released the Mate 20 Pro and the P20 Pro. Also, it is not long before we see the Huawei P30 Pro get launched officially. Because Huawei will launch its upcoming P-series flagship at the MWC 2019 next week.
Talking about Huawei, the company is planning to launch another new smartphone, reveals a new leaked image. This will be the Huawei Mate X which seems to be a foldable smartphone. Also, it is rumored that Mate X will also be Huawei’s first 5G smartphone.
Huawei Mate X Foldable Smartphone with 5G support launching at MWC next week
We can clearly see from the image above that Huawei’s foldable smartphone is launching soon. Now, it seems to be an image captured from the billboard which means that the marketing for the smartphone has already started. From the billboard, we can see that this smartphone will be named as the Huawei Mate X.
Also, the image says that this will be the World’s first foldable 5G smartphone. Up until now, we have seen the Samsung Galaxy Fold which is a foldable smartphone. But we have not seen any smartphone with 5G support yet.
Now, we know that 5G support is not an entirely new concept in 2019. This is because Samsung is expected to launch its first 5G smartphone very soon. Also, OnePlus has announced the launch of their first 5G smartphone at the MWC 2019. However, OnePlus’ 5G smartphone is expected to be the OnePlus 6T with 5G support.
Talking about the Huawei Mate X, we only have the billboard image as of now. However, it can be seen that the Huawei Mate X has a different design than the Samsung Galaxy Fold. The leaked image was first posted on Weibo and then made its way to Slashleaks.
Huawei Mate X’s camera setup is not clear from this image but it is expected to have a solid camera too. Nevertheless, we can expect to see the Huawei Mate X in action as early as next week at the MWC in Barcelona.