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BrainStation has partnered with BC Tech to help reskill British Columbia's workforce through its UX Design and Web Development bootcamps.
When Steve and Meghan Clarke left the corporate world to launch a health food restaurant, they didn’t imagine they would soon end up on the frontlines of the digital-first restaurant revolution.
That’s what happened when the husband and wife team behind Tractor Everyday Healthy Foods launched a digital-first location called Tractor Digital. Opened in the summer of 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, the restaurant operates only through online pickup orders—no servers, no cash register, and no seating.
Tractor Digital is part of a growing group of restaurants opting to skip table service and seating to focus on online orders through an app or website. And according to a survey of U.S. internet users and restaurant executives by retail consulting firm Boston Retail Partners (BPR), the digital-first restaurant revolution is just getting started.
The survey found that in 2017, just 6 percent of U.S. restaurant sales came through digital channels. That figure is forecast to increase to 13 percent in 2020 and to more than double to 30 percent by 2025.
Here are some of the reasons why restaurants like Tractor Everday are making the transition.
Digital Channels Streamline Service
To support their transition from a traditional quick-service restaurant (Tractor operates six other locations) to a digital-only location, Tractor partnered with Apply Digital to develop an app that uses intuitive design and AI to make the checkout process seamless.
“We know speed and convenience are very important, especially for the downtown office crowd. Even though we already had an online order app, we felt it would be valuable to offer an order ahead experience that is even more streamlined,” said Meghan Clarke, Co-Founder at Tractor Digital.
The Tractor Digital app offers promos and incentives during the checkout process, optimizes menu options, and can track customer satisfaction.
“It was indeed challenging to find and set up the technology. We’ve learned a lot and expect to keep working hard to refine the technology setup,” says Clarke.
Investing in Digital Solutions Helps the Bottom Line
Funding a new idea or business model doesn’t come without risk, especially in the foodservice industry where many businesses don’t last. But there is strong evidence that investing in digital dining tech can pay off. Digital dining options can translate into as much as a 20 percent increase in average guest spend, with even bigger gains coming from Millenials (26 percent) and Gen Z (22 percent), according to the BPR survey.
For Tractor Digital, the payoff is twofold. Customers save time by pre-ordering online or through the app, and restaurant staff can focus on making quality food.
“Our staff are chefs first and foremost. At Tractor Digital, the emphasis is less on customer service and more on kitchen skills, which fits with Tractor’s commitment to creating clean, fresh foods,” says Clarke.
Digital Initiatives Provide Operational Flexibility
When it comes to digital transformation in the restaurant industry, online ordering is just the tip of the iceberg.
Digital ordering makes it easier to keep track of who your customers are, how often they order and what they’re ordering. Digital menus allow restaurants to constantly tweak their offerings based on what is selling weekly, daily, or even hourly. Transitioning to digital also allows restaurants to adjust pricing and offer promos to sell off overstock of a certain menu item, for example.
“There seems to be a lot of different concepts and ideas being tried out, as it isn’t entirely clear what works and what doesn’t yet in this rapidly changing industry of quick-serve,” says Clarke.
While that’s true, by simply giving restaurants more options, digital dining technology is allowing them to be more nimble, data-focused, and adaptable to customer needs, all of which bodes well for restauranteurs and the industry as a whole.


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India's Two-Wheeler Makers Won't Face EV Disruptor, Says Emkay Global's Nirav Sheth
Even as Ola Electric Pvt. starts delivering its battery-powered scooters, India’s legacy two-wheeler makers are unlikely to face a Tesla Inc.-like disruptor.
That’s according to Nirav Sheth, chief executive officer, institutional equities at Emkay Global. “These newcomers don’t have competitive advantage in terms of sourcing or costing.”
Ola missed delivery schedules after an initial spurt in demand for its newly launched electric scooter. Sheth sees less chance of newcomers like it beating the incumbents.
“I’m fairly confident that the incumbents will have an advantage,” he told BloombergQuint’s Niraj Shah in an interview, referring to capacity addition by TVS Motor Ltd. and Bajaj Auto Ltd. “I don’t see an outsider coming and disrupting the two-wheeler space. I think the incumbents will end up owning a larger market share.”
The newcomers are increasingly banking on the private equity funding, and now the public market, Sheth said, referring to IPOs of new-age startups. “When you live on borrowed cash, it’s a question of time and at some point, it is going to hit you.”
Electric two-wheeler adoption in India has been growing, with costlier fuel only accelerating the shift. The nation with some of the world’s worst polluted cities looks to turn 80% of scooters and motorbikes and 30% cars electric by 2030.
According to Sheth, the shift towards EVs is not in doubt. “We are only debating the pace of adoption, if it will be five times or 10 times in 10 years."
But it's impossible for passenger vehicle makers to electrify at the price point of Rs 7-14 lakh as bulk of the volumes come from vehicles priced lower.
Still, among carmakers, he sees Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. having a greater advantage over its competitors even as its Chairman RC Bhargava had said that the maker of Swift hatchback will enter the EV market post 2025.
“Just because Maruti isn’t talking about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t know how to go about EVs,” he said. “We look at Maruti along with Suzuki, and they’ve access to technology.”
Autos also remains one of the preferred bets for Sheth, along with banks and forward and backward linkages (ancillary segments) to real estate.
Sheth, however, has a neutral stance on information technology, including mid-cap IT, right now.
Watch the full conversation here:

domain: news


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Egyptian Artist Lamona Elceo Shows MENA Rap Scene as Market Products
The young artist takes us to a futuristic supermarket where food items are branded as your favourite regional rappers.
Making waves in global and regional art communities, digital branding has been piquing the curiosity of creatives around the world, as artists look to alternative outlets to promote their music.
Regional industry players such as Palestinian record label BLTNM have already taken the lead on exploring this venture, with the release of their NFT pack.
Expanding on this concept, Egyptian visual artist Lamona Elceo has since gone on to reimagine a supermarket in which food products and consumables are presented as 3-D animated representations of some of the region's biggest rappers such as Abyusif, Marwan Pablo, Maadi Town Mafia, and the Mexico crew. The young visual artist comments: "as the music scene continues to develop, us visual creators need to keep getting coming out with original ideas as well."
The animations are supplemented by music created by Hazem Haress, who is Elceo's partner in this project. These designs, while a bit dystopian, hint at the possibility of artists going on to invest in digital merchandise and emerging technologies that have yet to be fully incorporated into the music scene.
Click here to see more of Lamona Elceo’s work.
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From Hype to Reality: Apple’s Autonomous Vehicle Efforts Amidst Industry Challenges
In early 2021, the buzz around Apple’s entry into the autonomous vehicle (AV) and robotaxi sector suggested a seismic shift was imminent in “transportation as a service” (TaaS). The anticipation of Apple propelling the industry into a new TaaS era was palpable. Fast forward to today, and the landscape appears markedly different than many envisioned, including me.
A Reality Check on Autonomous Vehicle Progress
GM’s Cruise Pause: General Motors’ subsidiary, Cruise, has temporarily halted its operations, signaling the complexities and challenges inherent in deploying autonomous vehicles at scale.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Ambitions: Despite advancements, Tesla’s FSD technology has yet to achieve the full Level 5 autonomy required for a hands-off, global robotaxi service.
Cautious Expansion: Alphabet’s Waymo continues to expand its autonomous driving technology but at a deliberate pace that suggests a measured approach to achieving global reach and profitability.
Apple’s Strategic Moves and Future in TaaS
Apple’s flirtation with the AV space, including the halted talks with Hyundai-Kia, underscores the tech giant’s keen interest but also the strategic challenges in entering the automotive sector. Despite these hurdles, Apple’s motivations remain clear:
Massive Market Potential: The global automotive and mobility market, valued at $10 trillion, offers an unprecedented opportunity for growth and innovation.
Core Technology Synergy: Apple’s prowess in AI, coupled with its existing technologies like lidar in the iPhone 12 Pro, positions the company as a formidable player in the autonomous driving arena.
Strategic Talent Acquisition: Poaching key engineering talents from Tesla and exploring partnerships reflect Apple’s strategic approach to controlling both software and hardware—an ethos that has defined its success in other domains.
The Road Ahead for TaaS
The path forward to a robotaxi-based TaaS future seems more nuanced and complex than previously thought. The challenges faced by leaders in the space, including regulatory hurdles, technological limitations, and safety concerns, illustrate the enormity of the task at hand.
However, these developments do not deter from understanding the potential of the TaaS market. Companies like Apple, with their vast resources and strategic acumen, are still poised to play significant roles in shaping this future. The journey to autonomous, electric vehicles as a cornerstone of transportation is ongoing, and the stakes are still as high as ever.
For industry observers, this evolving landscape underscores the importance of patience, diligence, and a keen eye on companies that continue to invest in the foundational technologies of tomorrow. The race is far from over, and the opportunities for those who navigate these shifts wisely are immense.
For questions, feedback, article ideas, or story contributions, email: firstname.lastname@example.org


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At Demand generation marketing concluded Technological innovation for Advertising and marketing and Advertising and marketing (TFM&A) occasion in London, most professionals agreed that the demand from customers for digital advertising solutions have previously long gone up substantially, and they truly feel that the demand will preserve increasing for numerous many years in the long term. This is the largest this kind of celebration that is held on the British isles. Of training course, there are numerous other these kinds of massive activities that are held in the US and in other areas of the world as effectively. But the conclusions drawn are almost the exact same almost everywhere. Electronic marketing and advertising providers have turn out to be quite crucial today, and this company is expanding quickly now.
Listed here Are The Developments
The audience or the market has changed considerably more than the a long time. Right now by World wide web, most folks do not just refer to having an e mail handle. In simple fact, e mail as a way to converse may well be on the way out. It is quickly currently being changed by social media web sites, employing which individuals are able to hold in contact and communicate with every single other better and more rapidly. And without having spam way too.
The distribution of details (each news and professional) is shifting from traditional channels such as newspapers, journals, tv and billboards to the Internet. Not only are folks likely on-line for their study wants and for details, but they are obtaining products and services also on the Web. And the concerns of creating on the internet purchases are going down. Every year the price of ecommerce transactions is likely up globally – this is a distinct indicator.
Right here Are The Predictions
Based on the traits, authorities are predicting that far more and far more advertisers will search in direction of the Net more and more to marketplace their organizations, products and companies, and reach out to the consumers. The principle of online branding is also slowly gaining floor. Rather than just promote solutions and merchandise, organizations will be making an attempt to generate a model identification on the World wide web.
With these shifting traits, more and far more businesses would hence look for the services of electronic advertising and marketing companies that supply marketing and advertising solutions over the digital channels this sort of as research engine optimization, pay out for every click on marketing, affiliate promotions, social media advertising, video clip marketing and other individuals. It also seems that the classic marketing organizations or firms may be getting rid of out here, basically simply because, most of them are not that properly versed in the artwork and science of advertising over the Web.
It is not that the conventional organizations do not comprehend this reality or risk. Several of them do, and that is why, at least some of them have opened a digital marketing and advertising division, are selecting on the web marketing professionals, and are providing their client’s the alternative to industry their firms on the internet. But most firms still prefer to switch to expert electronic marketing and advertising providers, relatively than these standard agencies.
With the economic economic downturn, there is right now a great offer of pressure on the advertising section to make swift inroads and justify every single cent that is spent. And they do not want to take a opportunity. Hence, they are providing the electronic advertising solutions the thumbs up.


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From Bloomberg News:
The government yesterday imposed a ban on beef shipments from areas near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant after finding 637 cattle were fed hay containing radioactive cesium.
.Japan’s government said it can’t rule out the possibility beef contaminated with radioactive material has been exported, as consumers and lawmakers accused authorities of negligence on food safety.
The government yesterday imposed a ban on beef shipments from areas near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant after finding 637 cattle were fed hay containing radioactive cesium. Supermarkets including Japan’s biggest, Aeon Co., said the beef was sold in Tokyo and other cities.
“We cannot completely rule out the possibility” contaminated beef was also sold abroad, Yuichi Imasaki, the deputy director of the farm ministry’s meat and egg division said by phone today. “The chances are very low” because most countries have tightened rules on Japanese beef imports or banned them, he said.
The ban comes more than four months after the earthquake and tsunami wrecked the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power station causing the worst nuclear fallout since Chernobyl. Concerns about food contamination before yesterday’s ban cut beef exports by 16 percent in the last two months, while hotels and restaurants in the region, including Shangri-La Asia’s luxury chain dropped Japanese seafood from their menu.
“There has to be at least an independent investigation regarding the level of contamination to farming,” said Chris Busby, a visiting professor at the University of Ulster’s school of biomedical sciences and scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, a think-tank....
Japan Won't Rule Out Possibility Radioactive Fukushima Beef Was Exported
Aya Takada and Yuriy Humber
Jul 20, 2011


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Narrow your search
Zango's Shark Treasure is an Action Arcade Game, where you need to collect Banana's, make combos, escape Shark attacks (who are protecting a...
Detect and stop malicious programs from running on your PC.
Government rules that adware company has to cough up $3 million to stop automatic installs, let customers remove software.
The world ends in either an asteroid impact or a black hole, but either way, we'll be reading books when it happens.
Fortinet warns Facebook users to be wary of the Secret Crush widget.
After a security firm reports that a popular Facebook third-party app contains a spyware download, the social network removes it--1.5 million installs later.
Democratic commissioner says agency would be much more effective in halting deceptive spyware makers if Congress allowed it to levy hefty monetary penalties.
Center for Democracy and Technology's Ari Schwartz says the import of a recent ruling should be a boon to the global antispyware community.
Internet lawyer Venkat Balasubramani says the outcome of a legal tiff could force big changes in the antispyware landscape.
Several pages offer explicit video that appears to come from YouTube, but is hosted elsewhere and triggers installation of adware when played.
Deborah Platt Majoras says consumer voices, market forces, existing laws are often good enough to remedy problems.


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La Sonrisa Cigars is paying tribute to one of the company’s co-founders with a limited edition cigar named after his profession.
El Profesor is being made in honor of Wally Stealey, who in addition to co-founding La Sonrisa was also a lobbyist, political scientist and professor at Southern Colorado State University, now known as Colorado State University-Pueblo.
It will be offered in a single 6 x 52 toro using an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over an Indonesian binder and fillers from the Condega, Estelí and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. It also features a small piece of Ecuadorian habano maduro leaf at the cap.
“Company tradition dictates that our cigars carry on the characteristics of their namesake,” said Tom Hocking, co-founder of La Sonrisa Cigars. “Wally was always larger than life, and attracted everyone from farmers to CEOs, and I expect the El Profesor to do the same.”
El Profesor is being sold in both 9- and 18-count boxes with pricing set at $12.95 per cigar. Production is limited to 1,000 cigars.
The cigars were blended by Silvio David Martinez at the La Sonrisa Cigars S.A. factory in Granada, Nicaragua.
This is the second cigar named for Stealy, who the company calls a “well-respected Colorado cowboy with an education,” joining the La Sonrisa The Wally. The company also offers The Charlotte, named for co-founder Tom Hocking’s wife, and the La Sonrisa The Victory, a cigar that the Scottsdale, Ariz. company says it crafted for celebrating life’s victories, both big and small.
Images courtesy of La Sonrisa Cigars.
Patrick Lagreid contributed to this article.


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Scotland on Tuesday became the first country in the world to make it a legal right to have access to free period products after its devolved parliament voted unanimously in favor of the Period Products Bill.
"The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill has been passed unanimously by MSPs this evening," said a statement on the Scottish Parliament's Twitter account.
The bill makes it mandatory for there to be a country-wide scheme to ensure everyone has access to free sanitary products. Schools, colleges and universities must also make them available for free in their toilets to all who menstruate.
The legislation also contains provisions to protect such a scheme from abuse, such as people obtaining more products than "reasonably" needed for their own use.
'An important policy'
Monica Lennon, the parliamentarian who introduced the bill after a four-year campaign, called the legislation "world-leading," but said schools should also teach about periods in such a way as to end the stigma attached to them.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the outcome of Tuesday's vote.
"Proud to vote for this groundbreaking legislation, making Scotland the first country in the world to provide free period products for all who need them. An important policy for women and girls," she tweeted.
Charities say that period poverty, where those who menstruate have difficulties paying for sanitary products each month, has reached new levels during the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure is expected to cost £9.7 million (€10.9 million, $13 million) a year.


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The community of Lacey, Washington is staring down a double-barrel shotgun. Here’s a report from Tristan Baurick about Lacey’s double trouble: “Wal-Mart is coming; and not just one, but two. The retail giant plans to build a strong presence in Lacey by 2003 with a pair of big-box super stores separated by less than five miles. Wal-Mart announced plans in late summer to open these two sites; one near the intersection of Yelm Highway and College Street, and the other north of Quinault Drive, near I-5. “Wal-Mart coming to the area is a terrible thing,” said Bob Bigelow, co-owner of Bigelow’s Office Supply in downtown Olympia. “It’s going to affect every business in town.” Bigelow, whose business has been anchored in downtown for nearly 50 years, says he will be in direct competition with Wal-Mart. “Wal-Mart kills local merchants,” he said. “That’s their nature. That’s the way they do business.” Bigelow says over a hundred independent office supply stores, like his, have closed shop nationwide due to competition from big-box retailers. “They bleed us dry, they empty stores, and people lose their businesses and their jobs,” he said. Kathy Lester, a salesperson at Griswold’s Office Supply near the downtown transit center, echoes Bigalow’s sentiments. “I think it stinks,” she said. A long-time resident of Shelton, Lester says she knows first hand the kind of impact Wal-mart can have on a small South Sound community. Lester says the Shelton Wal-Mart initially carried a wide selection of art supplies at prices cheaper than local shops. But, she says, once those smaller downtown stores folded due to the competition Wal-Mart greatly reduced its arts and crafts section and filled it with other items, forcing Lester to look to out-of-town stores for her supplies. “Wal-Mart hasn’t helped the area,” she said. “All it did was pull everything away from downtown.” Besides drawing consumers from the surrounding area, Lacey City Council member Jim Weber sees little benefit to Wal-Marts in his town. “There will be a huge impact and it’s going to really hurt,” he said. Already dominated by sprawl, Lacey is not in danger of losing a city center or ‘downtown character’. Instead, Weber says, the greater risk to Lacey is of Wal-Mart undercutting the already existing chain stores and eventually forcing them out. “[Wal-mart] puts a lot of large superstores out of business – that’s their plan,” Weber said. “When a big-box fails you have a lot of empty space and concrete. We’ll end up with empty stores that nobody will use,” he said, adding that few small start-up businesses are likely to rent out a vacant Rite Aid or Target. The Olympia area has had a history of opposing the construction of Wal-Marts. In 1995 residents of the Candlewood Mobile Home Park banded together to save 94 mobile homes from a Wal-Mart intent on building an outpost near busy Martin Way. More than a year of hard work and fundraising paid off for the residents, who came up with $3.4 million to purchase the 14-acre plot from their British Columbian landowner. Donna Regan, president of the Candlewood Homeowner’s Association, said in1996 that Wal-mart could have easily out-bid residents, but opted not to in light of strong public opposition. After their battle with Wal-Mart was won, Olympia City Councilwoman Margaret McPhee told Candlewood residents the city would fight to keep big-box stores like Wal-Mart from taking root in the future. “The only way to stop things like this is to limit the [size] allowed under zoning,” McPhee said during a victory celebration speech to the new homeowners.”
For more background on the Lacey story, go to www.olywa.net/wip, and click on the October, 2001 issue. According to Baurick, Lacey Councilman Weber (quoted in the story and the sole voice of opposition to WM in city gov) was voted out of office and replaced by an extreme pro-growth candidate.


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Thanks to a 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, states are now allowed to mandate the collection of state sales tax on items purchased online from out-of-state retailers. Passing such a measure in New York, with certain stipulations, would benefit small businesses of all types.
In the Supreme Court case South Dakota v. Wayfair, South Dakota argued that billions of dollars were lost annually because retailers in other states were not adding state sales tax to online purchases.
The state sued retail websites Wayfair, Overstock and Newegg. The court’s ruling overturned a 1992 decision that prevented states from collecting a sales tax on mail or online purchases unless the retailer had a physical presence in the state, and effectively affirmed the constitutionality of state laws that would mandate the collection of the tax.
Many small businesses in our local communities believe that the decision will level the playing field and help them compete with sites like Amazon.com. The Seattle-based online bookstore — which was losing money in 1997 — passed Microsoft in February to become the world’s third-most-valuable company, worth about $700 billion, behind only Apple and Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
Along the way, Amazon has crippled many small businesses, in part because it has not had to charge a sales tax, thus lowering its prices. It’s about time that the states give local merchants a fighting chance against the online behemoths by requiring them to charge a state sales tax.
The New York State Legislature should immediately pass, and the governor should sign into law, a measure requiring online sellers to charge the sales tax. Lawmakers must, however, be cognizant that a number of small businesses have set up their own online selling operations, and do not necessarily have the wherewithal to keep track of sales tax rates in 50 states. That’s an easily resolved problem, though: don’t require small businesses to charge sales tax, as was the case in South Dakota.
The South Dakota Legislature’s law, requiring out-of-state sellers to collect a 4.5 percent sales tax, “as if the seller had a physical presence in the state,” covers only sellers that have more than $100,000 in annual sales or 200 transactions in the state.
No doubt, the so-called little guys would still have a tough time competing against the mega-corporations, no matter what. Amazon still has the advantage of economy of scale. Adding a state sales tax to online purchases could, however, make at least some online shoppers think twice about buying on their computers or phones, and instead move them to take a walk to the local hardware store, boutique, eyeglass shop or florist — the businesses that are an important part of our towns’ and villages’ tax base.
Chambers of commerce in our communities know what they are up against when it comes to keeping local businesses healthy. Some, like Rockville Centre’s, have taken steps to beautify the downtown, provide free parking on Saturdays in December to encourage local holiday shopping, and have even created scavenger hunts to draw more residents to their shops. In Long Beach in 2016, the Chamber of Commerce created a Holiday Window Decorating Contest to help catch the eyes of passersby and increase sales, and Black Friday and Small Business Saturday deals proliferate in local shops across the South Shore each year.
Money spent locally stays local. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance conducted a study in Maine in 2003 that showed that every $100 spent at independent small businesses generated $45 of secondary local spending, compared with $14 for a big-box chain.
Studies conducted by the private research firm Civic Economics showed similar results, finding that an average of 48 percent of the price of each purchase at local independent businesses was recirculated locally, compared with less than 14 percent of purchases at chain stores, many of which have a large online presence.
Sales tax is the leading source of revenue for Nassau County, accounting for 39.5 percent of the major operating funds in the county’s 2018 budget, or nearly $1.2 billion, according to a release from county Comptroller Jack Schnirman.
Schnirman points out that, according to the Long Island Regional Planning Council, collecting online sales tax could help Long Island generate more than $92 million a year in new revenue for the government.
Let’s level the playing field and give more residents a reason to support small businesses and shop locally by requiring online merchants to collect sales tax.


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Designer Hock Wah Yeo has shared with The Obscuritory prototypes of his PlayStation 2 game packaging – a project that Sony ended up cancelling in favor of a more simplistic design that looked like typical DVD cases.
The Obscuritory’s article is full of unique designs made by Yeo, but the image above is what PS2 game cases would have looked like had “the higher-ups at Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan” not stepped in.
The prototype above was made from the cover art of PS1 game Final Fantasy Anthology. According to the website, the DVD case design was probably much cheaper so Sony’s decision to cancel the project makes sense. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see a photo of what could have been.
“Rather than following the standard DVD case shape, the box appears to be about the size of an index card, with the space for the disc protruding out of the top,” wrote The Obscuritory. “It matches with Sony’s marketing campaign and imagery for the PlayStation 2 which suggested that the new console transcended reality, best encapsulated by the fact that they produced a commercial for the PlayStation 2 directed by David Lynch.”
The full article is an interesting read and delves into Yeo’s career. He apparently started designing game boxes by accident. Yeo has since been contacted by a number of video game companies to design game packages for them, and has come up with some pretty unique designs, to say the least.


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the session starts from 10th september 2006…will keep updating this space and share my expiriences…for info on imt dubai…u can log on to imtdubai.org and check out the resources section…thats the place where we guys r goin to crash after …
the session starts from 10th september 2006.....will keep updating this space and share my expiriences...for info on imt dubai..u can log on to imtdubai.org and check out the resources section...thats the place where we guys r goin to crash after some hard work ....everybody is invited to post here.....and fellow imt( d) ppl will also b sharin their gyaan here...
wish us luck.cheers.
Did u get any details regarding the visa process from IMT D as to how we need to apply for the same.So when are u planning to land there?How much do u you think the strength of the batch is going to be?
the visa is stamped when one lands in dubai...its not done india...exact info regarding visa is awaited from imt and should arrive in a couple of days....will be landing there 31st aug or 1st sep..the batch strength i reckon shud be between 80 and 110 ...hey theres a community of imt(d) on orkut.com...with some 60 ppl...
heres some gyaan on whats happenin as far as retail in india goes....
...now aint that good news ppl !
A four-fold boom in retail space, expected in Dubai by 2010, is creating new business opportunities for support industries in the Middle East's shopping sector, says a leading industry expert.
With retail space in the city set to rise to 20 million square feet in six years time, related industries - ranging from software management organizations to cleaning firms - are tipped to experience a significant boost in activity.
'Dubai is already known as the shopping center of the Middle East, and in years to come it will be known as the shopping mall of the world,' said Ole Milan, Managing Director of Landsteinar GCC - a company that specializes in providing retail software solutions.
'The expansion of retail space in Dubai is going to have a positive impact on the emirate's overall economy. In the short-term, construction and design companies will benefit from the boost in building activity.
'In the future, companies specializing in everything from retail software and mannequins to cleaning firms and interior decorators will also benefit from the trickle-down affect.'
Additionally, new retail developments will contribute to rising tourism numbers to the emirate, says Milan. Coinciding with the 400 percent increase in retail space in 2010, the emirate is preparing to welcome around 15 million tourists by the end of that year.
'If Dubai does manage to boast more than 20 million square feet of shopping space by 2010 then there is no doubt that it will be an even bigger tourist attraction than it already is.'
Since establishing a regional base in Dubai last year, Landsteinar - an organization that provides business software to the shopping sector - has already worked with Spinneys Supermarkets, Bahrain Duty free and Beirut Duty free to streamline sales, billing, and back-office operations.
'At Landsteinar, our business in the Middle East is set for double-digit growth, as we cater to the needs of the many new retail outlets that are going to make an appearance in the region,' said Milan.
'As a relatively new organization in the region, we believe that the next five years are going to be an exciting, buoyant and challenging as we meet the demands of a constantly expanding market.'
The company, which offers a complete retail solution based on Navision applications from Microsoft Business Solutions, expects its Mobile Client product to be popular with innovative and forward thinking retailers.
To be introduced to the Middle East this year, Mobile Client enables retailers to access and run the software from a hand held computer, allowing employees away from their desk to be kept informed with relevant and updated business information.
'Companies such as Landsteinar will be called on to offer services and solutions for the expanding retail market in Dubai and in the wider Middle East region. We welcome the opportunity to bring our expertise into the growing retail sector,' Milan concluded.
United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, August 09 - 2006 at 07:57
Dubai Knowledge Village and Aiesec, a major global student organisation, have announced an international internship programme for UAE nationals, called Qiyada. The exchange programme will provide internships in business management and electrical engineering for UAE students overseas, as well as arrange for foreign students to take up internships in the UAE. Acer Computers Middle East is a partner in the venture.
to give you an example: our eco teacher from the states is able to give us a perspective on the subject few would gain sitting in india.so the faculty is great what else...well being the first batch .....its all you....we have been given an oppurtunity to shape this institution and take it further .
the campus is based in academic city which is like a huge campus housing brit b schools, mahe from india, a french fashion institute, an arab college and many more...as this place is new theres still place for a definitive student culture, here imt takes the lead as it hosts academic city's first event this diwali.so its like hardly been a month and we've moved from the basic classroom study to organising an event . the first lesson that i have learned in my first sem of b-school is that of what u want to derive from this course is totally upto you !:satisfie:
thanks a lot !!


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Mr. Roberts, 59, last week was named VP-group executive in charge of sales, service and marketing in North America as GM announced its global reorganization. Mr. Roberts, the former VP-general manager of Pontiac-GMC Division, was named to the newly created position of general manager-field sales, service and parts just two months ago, with the company's North American reorganization.
He succeeds brand czar Ronald Zarrella, elevated to the top executive post in North America as exec VP-president of the region.
Philip Guarascio, VP-general manager of marketing and advertising for North America, will now report to Mr. Roberts.
"Roy is smart and quick and can juggle 10 to 12 issues in his brain at once and make quick, good decisions," said Gunnar Wilmot, exec VP of Buick agency McCann-Erickson Worldwide, Troy, Mich.
McCann had Mr. Roberts as a client when it handled the GMC account.
"I will say this for Roy -- he does fight for his people and for what he believes in," said an auto industry analyst who asked not to be named. "He's a very, very smart guy."
Mr. Roberts was unavailable for comment. A spokeswoman said he was tied up all week in meetings about the restructuring.
Mr. Zarrella was in the midst of restructuring his sales, service and marketing organization to centralize the three functions, moving them away from GM's vehicle marketing and sales divisions.
A GM dealer, who asked not to be named, said the previous, ongoing reorganization has been "very disruptive" to the dealer body, because the company's entire field staff -- which calls on dealers -- has had to apply for new, unknown jobs.
"They're all in limbo and wondering what their new job will be," he said.
Steve Snyder, a Chevrolet dealer in Auburn, Calif., said Mr. Zarrella had figured GM could find better ways of doing business. He was unsure how the elevation of Mr. Roberts to that post would affect the changes already under way.
"The one thing Ron didn't want to hear is `that's the way we've always done it before' at GM,' " said Mr. Snyder.
Mr. Roberts' background at GM is primarily in manufacturing. He left GM in the late '80s to join Navistar International Corp. as VP-truck operations. After returning as manufacturing manager for Cadillac, he became general manager of the GMC Division, later combined with Pontiac.
"More than anything, GM needs someone to question why they do stuff and [Mr. Zarrella has] done that," said James Hall, VP-industry analyst at consultancy AutoPacific. But as with any restructuring, GM may be losing precious time in a competitive marketplace as new staff figures out new jobs and processes, he added.
WAGONER GOES GLOBAL
Mr. Zarrella succeeds Rick Wagoner, promoted to corporate president-chief operating officer. He will head the newly combined global operations, called GM Automotive Operations.
Mr. Wagoner had been president of North American Operations since 1994. Despite healthy profits of $2.3 billion last year, North America didn't reach GM's own profit margin of 5% of sales. Market share also slipped under Mr. Wagoner's watch, hovering around 30%.
Mr. Wagoner's biggest challenge, said Mr. Hall, will be "keeping GM from another reorganization."
WALL STREET UNIMPRESSED
Wall Street also didn't think much of GM's latest changes, pushing GM's stock down the day of the Oct. 6 announcement by $2.50 per share, to $51.25.
"What Wall Street basically said was, `There's absolutely no proof these people can or have delivered on GM's goals," said the auto analyst who asked not to be named.
"If GM is serious about brand management, they cannot do it after the product comes out of the factory," he said. "It has to start with product development. They're not going to do it by giving soccer balls away with minivans."


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Apiculture New Zealand (ApiNZ) has a bee in its bonnet over the lack of Kiwi apiarists.
The industry body wants more Kiwis to become beekeepers so that the lucrative and rapidly expanding apiculture industry is not so reliant on skilled migrant labour.
But ApiNZ chief executive, Daniel Paul, says without locally trained apiarists there remains a need to import skills from offshore.
“Our industry is expanding rapidly. World markets can’t get enough of our honeys, especially Manuka, and demand for pollination services continues to increase,” Mr Paul says. “The beekeeping and honey products sector is very buoyant at the moment but we have a labour shortage.
“At present we are relying on skilled migrant labour, but we really want more Kiwis to join the industry so they can take advantage of the opportunities it offers.” Mr Paul says in this $5 billion dollar plus a year industry, honey exports alone are worth nearly $300 million a year with scope to increase that to more than $1 billion per year.
“There are plenty of opportunities for New Zealanders to train and take up jobs in the apiculture sector and those opportunities will only increase as our industry expands.”
To help manage the industry’s beekeeping needs and labour force planning over time, ApiNZ is working closely with Immigration New Zealand (INZ – part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment).
The intentions of both bodies will be to develop, implement and maintain a plan that will see more New Zealanders take up apiculture jobs as the industry develops.
INZ spokesperson, Steve McGill, says the agreement is consistent with the Ministry’s commitment to shaping and delivering a strong economy.
“We see our support for the industry’s longer term workforce planning as a service that underpins the growth and prosperity of the apiculture industry and the wider New Zealand economy.”


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Source – investors.com
Whhile much has been written about information technology companies investing in artificial intelligence, Loup Ventures managing partner Doug Clinton notes that many non-tech companies are capitalizing on AI technology as well.
Clinton has put together a portfolio of 17 publicly traded non-tech companies that are making investments in AI to improve their businesses. In a recent blog post, Clinton notes that he assembled the portfolio as a “fun exercise” and a way to draw attention to the sweeping nature of AI advancements. Loup Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm.
Clinton selected the companies from a range of industries including health care, retail, logistics, professional services, finance, transportation, energy, construction and food/agriculture.
“In 10 years, every company will have to be an artificial intelligence company or they won’t be competitive,” Clinton said.
Among the companies included is IBD 50 stock Idexx Laboratories (IDXX). Idexx makes products for the animal health-care sector. On its last earnings call, the company said that its latest diagnostic products are using machine learning so the instruments always have the ability to learn and train on new data. One such product that leverages AI is its SediVue Dx analyzer, Clinton said.
The other companies on the Loup Ventures list are: Accenture (ACN), Avis Budget Group (CAR), Boeing (BA), Caterpillar (CAT), Deere (DE), Domino’s Pizza (DPZ), FedEx (FDX) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
There’s also Halliburton (HAL), Interpublic Group (IPG), Macy’s (M), Monsanto (MON), Nasdaq(NDAQ), Northern Trust (NTRS), Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) and Under Armour (UA).
Among those venturing into the space, Clinton says:
- Macy’s and UnderArmour are using IBM‘s (IBM) Watson AI technology to improve their business processes.
- Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline is leveraging AI and machine learning to reduce the amount of time it takes to research and bring new drugs to market. GSK recently signed a $43 million deal with Exscientia, a Scotland-based startup that helps automated drug design.
- Package delivery company FedEx is making investments in AI, robotics and self-driving vehicles.
- Avis recently announced a deal with Waymo, Alphabet‘s (GOOGL) self-driving car project, to maintain, store and deploy its fleet of 600 self-driving minivans in the Phoenix area.
- Boeing revealed plans at the Paris Air Show last month to begin testing fully autonomous commercial jets.
- And Domino’s has been investing in multiple technologies to improve its business, including testing pizza-delivery robots.


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Verizon offers a coverage plan for smartphones called Total Mobile Protection, something that originally cost $11 per month before a past price increase bumped it to $13 per month. The wireless carrier has announced plans to once again increase the rate, and the new price is scheduled to go live later this month. A small perk is also being added to the plan.
It has been a little over a year since Verizon increased the Total Mobile Protection plan rate from $11 to $13/month. This time around, the company will increase the price to $15/month per line starting on June 27. Customers who have multiple devices can cover their entire account with the protection plan for $45/month.
Someone who has two lines will pay $30/month to cover both, for example, whereas someone who has three or more lines will max out at $45/month to cover all of the devices. The same $29 deductible fee for repairing a phone screen remains in place, and with this new price hike comes the addition of battery replacements starting on July 27.
Verizon customers are eligible for the Total Mobile Protection plan if they bring their own fully functional, damage-free device to the carrier and activate it on a new line, or if they purchase a new device and activate it on their Verizon account.
Other benefits include next-day delivery in most cases, a 24/7 claim service, coverage for defects that take place outside of the device’s warranty period, some services for customers who are traveling internationally, and access to a ‘Tech Coach’ who can answer questions. It’s unclear whether existing customers will see the new price on June 27 when it officially changes, or if they’ll have a grace period.


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CONSUMER purchasing power remains weak despite the country’s economic expansion being sustained in November, the Bank of Thailand said yesterday.
A decline in farm incomes held back consumer purchasing power last month, the central bank said.
Farmers experienced declines in both agricultural production and product prices. Prices of rubber sheet and palm oil dropped in November, while past severe flooding in the Northeast cut rice production significantly, said the central bank’s monthly economic report released,
Farmers’ nominal income dropped 5.5 per cent year on year. The averages income of workers in the non-farm sector remained flat, said the central bank.
Consumers were still spending on durable goods such as cars as they have slightly more confidence in future income growth. Rising consumption led to increasing production in food and automotive vehicles. The available of new models also contributed to the rising car sales.
High export growth and an increasing number of tourists also contributed to economic expansion in November. Exports rose 12.3 per cent and exports excluding gold products grew 14.4 per cent. Export growth covered almost all products including rice, rubber products, fruit, electronics parts, automotive vehicle and parts. The number of foreign tourists increased 23.2 per cent year on year, with rises in almost every source tourism market
Imports rose 11.9 per cent, covering almost all sector, especially for raw materials and semi-finished products which were in line with rising exports. Imports of consumption goods also increased. And import of car and automotive parts also went up in line with rising car sale in domestic market.
Private investment increased in November from the month before, indicated by rising imports of capital goods for the telecommunications and energy sectors. Investment in the construction sector also went up, especially for residential work in the central and northern parts of the country and for commercial buildings in the South. Government spending also contributed to economic activity as current spending and capital spending also increased.
Headline inflation increased 0.99 per cent compared with 0.86 per cent in October due largely to rising retail prices for oil caused by increasing world crude oil prices. However, fresh food price dropped due to the large volume available in the market.
Thailand has a current account surplus of US$5.3 billion. However, the country experienced a capital and financial account deficit of US$1.5 billion due to capital outflows as result of portfolio investment and direct investment. The overall balance was positive due largely to continual current account and trade surpluses.


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Porsche India welcomes new Cayenne
Standard Media Group empowers high-performing culture with SAP® SuccessFactors®
L&T Technology Services announces completion of Graphene Semiconductor Services acquisition
WESTIN HOTELS & RESORTS DEBUTS IN MALDIVES
ICICI Bank offers full finance for pre-approved car loans
2014 The Global Indian New Network (TGINN)


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Emerging technologies such as blockchain and connected devices have emerged as a transformative force within the realm of agritech, revolutionising the way we approach agriculture and food supply chains.
One company that is at the forefront in this regard is Smart Grow Agritech, which is using a combination of blockchain and IoT devices to help vineyards and wine farmers track important data and potentially save millions of dollars.
These IoT devices effectively act as mini ‘weather stations’ and collect real-time data for precise vineyard management decisions, says Alexander Mann (Founder and CEO of Smart Grow Agritech).
This data is subsequently stored on the BSV blockchain. The BSV blockchain acts as an immutable ledger and is capable of scaling to store vast amounts of data from these IoT devices – while still quickly surfacing important information to the end-user.
Mann noted that these stations are capable of collecting real-time data for precise vineyard management decisions, allowing for the optimisation of irrigation, canopy management, harvest timing and other important information.
A web dashboard provides seamless access to real-time data from anywhere, via phone, tablet, or computer. Users can easily monitor and analyse key environmental metrics, such as temperature, humidity, and precipitation, empowering them with up-to-the-minute insights into vineyard conditions.
‘The tagline is when you know better, you grow better. And it’s all about collecting data, promoting environmentally sustainable practices and really quantifying activity that’s being done in the field to better operations,’ Mann said.
Surfacing information for customers
While the IoT devices and dashboard give vineyards and winemakers the tools to make the best decision for their businesses, Mann said that he and his team are also surfacing some of this data for consumers so that they can also get an idea of what wine they are drinking and how it was made.
The installation of a digital dashboard in the tasting room enables wineries to display real-time Tempest weather station data, providing visitors with an immersive and informative experience.
The digital dashboard showcases key environmental metrics such as temperature, humidity, and precipitation, allowing customers to gain a deeper understanding of the vineyard conditions and their impact on wine quality.
‘These dashboards are important to the wineries for a number of reasons,’ said Mann. ‘They serve as a visual aid to spin up conversations during the tastings about the climates that grapes prefer to grow in. It shows that the winery is kind of modernistic and forward thinking and technology and investing in measuring things.
‘Quantification I think is big, especially in the craft wine community. People really care about what they’re drinking, what went into making the wine that they’re enjoying, and there’s little one-off details about exactly how much rain fell or what the average temperature was for the season. Being able to speak to the vintage and have that represented is really important.’
Mann said that he plans to further expand this further by including the data directly on the wine bottle itself.
‘The next idea that I had was what if we took the entire season’s dataset that this weather station had monitored out in the vineyard and created some sort of a template to generate a one or two-page PDF report that can be stored on the blockchain and accessed via a small QR code on the wine label itself.’
A real blockchain and IoT use case
Mann noted that he is still scaling up his business, there have already been instances where the technology has served time and money for customers. He gave a recent example where he installed a weather station at a winery in May – about a month and a half before the first bud breaks on the vine.
‘We were able to detect a ‘freeze event’ and that the temperature varied from the local weather. The local weather said it was a low-temperature forecast of 32. And Steve and Stephanie, the owners, were questioning whether they should spray the vines.’
Mann explained that the standard operating procedure for protecting your grapes from a light frost event is to spray liquid potassium because potassium has a freezing point that’s five degrees lower than that of water.
‘And so you are coating the vines with this insulator that can make or break the season for you. This happened to be one of those cases where as a wine owner, you make the decision to spend roughly $10,000 or so spraying potassium throughout your vineyard. Or do you just let nature take its course because you think you’re not going to freeze?’
Mann noted in this instance the winemakers decided to spray the crops, based on what the data was showing from the IoT devices, and there did happen to be an unexpected freeze event. If the farmer had not done this then expected losses would be close to 40%. However, spraying the grapes resulted in losses of less than 2% – tens of thousands of dollars saved.
Building on the BSV blockchain
Mann said that this technology would only be possible through the BSV blockchain. He noted that Smart Grow Agritech was dealing with vast amounts of data collected from these IoT devices and that the BSV blockchain is the only blockchain that is capable of scaling to meet these demands.
‘I just really love BSV for the low transaction fees, the scalability of it, and the energy efficiency. BSV has the lowest impact out of any chain that I’ve found. I think it does strike that balance between utility and efficiency and the ability to write data automatically to the chain.’
Mann also praised the BSV blockchain for its ability to have or access rich media. ‘I mean it’s amazing. I can send a PDF through a transaction, have it within a block on the chain, access it through what’s-on-chain, just press the decode button and then the PDF populates on my browser.’


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Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.
- Anna Wintour's tennis coach, Byron Spence, has nothing but good things to say about the editor's game. "She's like a retriever," Spence says. "She's so fast. She'll chase down everything. She doesn't hit with a lot of spin, but she has an amazing cross-court forehand." [The New York Times]
- Azealia Banks's September cover of Dazed & Confused magazine, which reportedly features the singer inflating a balloon that resembles a pink prophylactic, has been banned in seven countries. [The Cut]
- Garance Dore's capsule collection for Kate Spade, which feature's the blogger's signature illustrations, is now available online. [


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Russian companies are cutting back on the lavish New Year's parties that have become a hallmark of Russian corporate culture as falling oil prices and breakneck ruble devaluation stoke fears of economic crisis.
Their newfound thrift is a sign of the dour mood among businesspeople and is bad news for Russia's hospitality industry. Restaurants and hotels count on New Year's events to survive January and early February, when customers stay home and recover from the blow-out spending of the holiday season.
For many restaurants, the current crisis looks “exactly the same,” as Russia's economic disaster years of 1998 and 2008-09, said Igor Bukharov, president of Russia's Federation of Restauranteurs and Hoteliers.
Russia is teetering on the edge of recession. Western sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine and a steep fall in oil prices have crushed already faltering growth, devalued the ruble currency by more than 40 percent against the U.S. dollar and sent capital outflows skyrocketing.
The World Bank last week said Russia's economy would contract by 0.7 percent next year.
Businesses are worried, and have slashed their New Year's spending. Restaurants have received 40 percent less calls and orders for holiday company parties than last year, according to Bukharov.
Natalya Takhokhova, PR director for the Paradise banquet hall in central Moscow, agrees. Restaurants have seen demand fall by about 30 percent from 2013, and companies are looking to decrease event budgets by as much as half, she said.
But as is often the case in times of economic hardship, it all depends on where you're sitting. Big oil, diamond and metal companies are still spending as much as ever, said Ilya Avdyunin, head of event agency abd:Entertainment.
On the one hand, these companies can still afford to throw big office parties. And on the other, “they understand that when you're surrounded by crisis, it's very important to rally the team,” he said.
While end-of-year parties are common around the world, Russian companies are known for celebrating New Year's — a holiday bigger even than Christmas here — with a special gusto.
State corporations in particular have earned a reputation for throwing opulent celebrations with celebrity headliners and costly gifts handed out like candy.
As public disapproval mounted, these companies were urged to be more frugal. President Vladimir Putin last year publicly criticized spending state funds on company parties, a message reiterated by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last week.
But in the private sector, extravagant celebrations remain par for the course. A sumptuous gala is seen in Russia as a testament to the power and status of the company that throws it, Avdyunin said.
“Everyone in Russia likes to argue about companies hiring stars for business events — but in fact, it sends a message to a company's employees: The higher the status of an entertainer, the higher the status of the company you work in and the more its management is perceived as loving its employees,” Avdyunin said.
But while big corporations can afford lavish entertainment, most Russian businesses are forced to make compromises.
Event organizer Art Event is still getting orders for New Year's parties, but clients preferences have changed.
Five-star restaurants near Red Square have been replaced by cheaper venues outside the city center, and companies that would previously pay 1 million rubles excluding food costs, or $33,000 as of Jan. 1, 2013, are now prepared to spend only 300,000-500,000 rubles, or $5,000-$8,500 at current rates, on an event program, creative director Ashot Pogosyan said.
This is a blow for event organizers, some of whom earn as much as 20 to 30 percent of their revenues in the New Year's season, Pogosyan estimated. All told, the event business could lose half of its turnover next year due to the crisis, he said.
Low holiday spending is just salt in the wounds of the Moscow hospitality industry. Mid-priced restaurants in particular have been hit this year as the falling value of the ruble has driven price inflation and eroded their middle class customers' spending power.
Food prices shot up 9.6 percent between January and October this year, according to data from state statistics service Rosstat.
But the situation may have a silver lining. In his 34 years in hospitality, Bukharov has found that the financial crises punctuating Russia's recent history in the end just make the hospitality industry stronger.
“People who have passed through a crisis become stronger, harder-working. They are able to analyze the market and customers' preferences. The cup is both half-full and half-empty,” Bukharov said.
Contact the author at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Coffee is one of the most vulnerable crops to climate change. Without an abundance of water, coffee plants are becoming increasingly difficult to grow, driving up their market price even when the quality of the bean is significantly lowered due to drier soil.
The good news is scientists in Finland have successfully grown coffee from plant cells in an effort to keep our cups full while fighting deforestation and improving sustainability in the industry.
The plants are grown in the lab using the same process as cellular agriculture for meat and dairy, except instead of cultivating animals cells, plant cells are used.
Public responses to cell-based foods in Europe have been surprisingly positive, with almost 60 percent of those surveyed in Germany saying they would be open to trying food made in a lab.
Last year, the world’s biggest exporter of durum wheat, Canada, saw a 50 percent decline in crop yield due to record high temperatures and prolonged drought. Today, the current price of durum wheat pasta has risen by almost 90 percent.
With a similar situation unfolding in Italy and future summers expected to be warmer in both regions, could both countries lose one of their most lucrative exports? Potentially not, if they begin to take note of what is being achieved on the other side of the world.
In Turkey, where dry seasons are getting longer, scientists succeeded in reviving an ancient wheat plant called ‘Sorgül’ that can grow in controlled lab conditions, without needing irrigation.
If further research into cultivating drought resistant families of durum wheat takes place, countries which rely on this export may find a way to continue meeting export demands.
An otherwise slow initiative to adapt could see a huge reshuffling of the world’s food trade economy, where some successful countries begin losing crucial sources of income to others.
After the horrors revealed in Netflix’s Seaspiracy, many were left unsure of how to replace fish and other seafood when plant-based alternatives are not yet widely available.
This could change soon though, as Europe’s largest frozen food company – responsible for Birds Eye fish fingers – joined forces with a U.S. company BlueNalu to develop seafood from lab-grown cells.
This occurs by extracting cells from the muscles of living fish and placing them into a petri dish along with the nutrition it needs to grow. Wait just a few days and suddenly, you’ve got a piece of meat that bears resemblance to a not-yet-breaded fish finger.
Together the two companies will focus on developing lab-grown meat replacements for species that are overfished, typically imported, or difficult to farm-raise – such as meats used for sushi.
Humans will also benefit from lab-grown fish, as they will be void of toxic chemicals such as mercury and other harmful pollutants.
Of course, the success of lab-grown foods depends on the public’s willingness to buy into it. Without a market demand, companies investing in cell-based food production will have no reason to begin stocking supermarket shelves with the stuff.
That said, we may not have much of a choice but to buy into lab-grown foods in the near future – if serious actions to reduce global emissions and slow the process of climate change don’t get underway.
At COP26, leaders will surely be focused developing strategies to make the agricultural industry become more sustainable. In the meantime, we should all feel lucky that scientists are working on stocks of lab-grown fish fingers and cups of coffee, should the worst predictions come true.


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The company will purchase an additional three acres adjacent to its existing site on the London Sustainable Industries Park in Dagenham, Greater London to build a factory extension, after reaching an agreement with London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC).
The company recycles PET and HDPE plastic bottles into food-grade material for new food and drink packaging. Its current capacity allows the production of 35,000 tonnes of mixed plastic bottles, producing 11,000 tonnes of rPET and 6,000 tonnes of rHDPE per annum.
Construction on the site is likely to begin in autumn 2011 and will result in increased food-grade HDPE output, improved sorting facilities and better economies of scale, in addition to creating 50 low-carbon jobs, the company said.
There will be minimal impact on operations of the existing plant throughout the build phase said Closed Loop Recycling.
Chris Dow, managing director of Closed Loop Recycling (featured right) said: “There is massive demand amongst major brand owners for more sustainable packaging solutions and this expansion further enhances the UK’s fast growing sustainable industry.”
The expansion will help meet the demand for recycled food-grade products and will support plans for partner brands such as Britvic, Marks & Spencer and Nampak.
“It is the increased demand for rPET and rHDPE from these big brand owners and packaging companies, as well as better collection rates and increased recycling by consumers that is continuing to drive the market for food grade plastic. In addition, the expanded facility will take the equivalent of over 23,000 cars off the road in carbon savings,” said Dow.
Focus on London plant
Although the company had previously outlined plans to accumulate £30m (€35m) to invest in a second food-grade facility on Deeside, North Wales a spokesperson for Closed Loop Recycling told FoodProductionDaily.com that the land next to the Dagenham site had suddenly become available and was therefore “too good an opportunity to miss”.
Plans to develop the 50,000 tonnes-a-year capacity plant at Deeside in North Wales were previously expected to start in early 2011.
The spokesperson said it made more economic sense to invest in the London site at the moment which is why it had become a priority.
Although the Wales expansion still forms part of the company’s expansion plans, she said the company could not currently give any further information to when the site will be developed.
Once completed, this 90,000 square feet facility will process up to 50,000 tonnes of recycled plastic bottles per annum. Further plants are also planned.
Closed Loop Recycling’s Dagenham plant has been operating since December 2008.


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EVERY year about a third of all food produced for human consumption, around 1.3 billion tonnes, is wasted, along with all the energy, water and chemicals needed to produce it and dispose of it, the United Nations says in a report.
Almost 30 per cent of the world’s farmland, and a volume of water equivalent to the annual discharge of the River Volga, are in effect being used in vain.
The food agency’s director-general, Jose Graziano da Silva, told a press conference yesterday that “we simply cannot allow one-third of all the food we produce to go to waste or be lost because of inappropriate practices, when 870 million people go hungry every day”.
Achim Steiner, head of the UN’s Environment Programme (UNEP), said: “This is a big wake-up call. We may not even have captured many of the more indirect impacts of food waste … and the costs which will be borne by our children and grandchildren.
“It will take less than 37 years to add another two billion people to the global population. How on earth will we feed ourselves in the future?”
Mr Steiner said eliminating food wastage had “enormous potential” to reduce hunger, and called on citizens to take individual action to tackle the issue.
“Each one of us has a role to play. Starting with the ridiculous phenomenon in wealthy countries of not buying crooked vegetables any more,” he said, adding that over-zealous observation of sell-by dates was also leading to huge quantities of food being thrown away.
In its report entitled “The Food Wastage Footprint”, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated the carbon footprint of wasted food was equivalent to 3.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
If it were a country, it would be the world’s third biggest emitter after China and the United States, suggesting that more efficient food use could contribute substantially to global efforts to cut greenhouse gases to limit global warming.
In the industrialised world, much of the waste comes from consumers buying too much and throwing away what they do not eat. In developing countries, it is mainly the result of inefficient farming and a lack of proper storage facilities.
“Food wastage reduction would not only avoid pressure on scarce natural resources but also decrease the need to raise food production by 60 per cent in order to meet the 2050 population demand,” the FAO said.
It also said consumers in the developed world should be encouraged to serve smaller portions and make more use of leftovers. Businesses should give surplus food to charities, and develop alternatives to dumping organic waste in landfill.
The FAO estimated the cost of the wasted food, excluding fish and seafood, at about $750bn (£537bn) a year, based on producer prices.
The wasted food takes up about 1.4 billion hectares – much of it diverse natural habitat.


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MANILA - Marginal farmers are going to suffer from the rice tariffication bill recently signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte, said former Senator Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III.
"Those that are only making about 70-80 cavans a hectare will suffer because the wholesale price and the retail price will go down to about P40," Osmeña said on ABS-CBN News Channel's (ANC) Headstart.
But while P40 is still "pretty good," he said the price of the basic staple needs to go down further.
"So, I suggest every year or every 2 years, we bring down the tariff of the [imported] rice from 35 to 30 [percent], then from 25 to 20 [percent]; and from 15 then to 10 [percent]," he said.
Osmeña said that in Thailand, the retail value of rice is P22 per kilo, while it is between P40 to P45 a kilo here.
He stressed that the 109-million Filipino rice eaters cannot spend about 17 percent of their income on just the rice.
"That's for the ordinary, regular Filipino family. But for the poor, they spend about 20 to 25 to 30 percent of their income on a kilo of rice. That is too much," he said.
Bringing down the cost by half would mean more money left to buy viands and other needs, he said.
"We have to think of 109-million Filipino consumers first before we think of the 2 million rice farmers," he said. "The rice farmers, I think about one and a half million of them will be OK but the other half million are going to suffer unless they can come up with lower cost of production."
Farmers, he said, could grow other crops like cacao or peanuts, which would give them additional income other than just rice farming.
The rice tariffication law, which local farmers opposed, will replace the present quotas on rice imports with tariffs.
In defending the measure, Duterte said it would address the urgent need to improve availability of rice in the country, prevent artificial rice shortages, reduce the prices of rice in the market, and curtail corruption and cartel domination in the rice industry.
To assist local farmers who are expected to be hit by the removal of rice import restrictions, the measure provides for a rice competitiveness enhancement fund or “rice fund.”
"Right now, the farmer must suffer a little bit because of this tariffication but we will give him P25-B worth of help every year," said Osmeña.
He said this would help farmers mechanize, make them use certified seeds, aside from subsidizing the cost of fertilizer.
"It all depends on how efficient our bureaucracy is. I hope it will happen soon," he said, when asked how soon the benefits or the safety measures of the law would kick in.
Osmeña is running as an independent in the May 13 midterm elections.


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By Joseph Walker
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel wore a white lab coat and head
mirror strapped to his forehead on his talk show last month and
talked about Covid-19 vaccines that use messenger RNA. "This
technology could be a real game-changer," he says.
The skit was sponsored by vaccine maker Moderna Inc., one of a
number of direct-to-consumer advertisements paid for by
pharmaceutical companies aimed at hesitancy and lack of awareness
toward vaccines and drugs for Covid-19.
Vaccine maker Pfizer Inc. has made ads featuring people spending
time with loved ones that conclude by asking " Why will you get
vaccinated?" Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., maker of a monoclonal
antibody drug treatment, recently began running ads on television,
radio and social media. Eli Lilly & Co., maker of a rival
antibody therapy, has ads on social media and search engines
targeted at people in areas with high infection rates.
Moderna's consumer outreach is primarily focused on digital
advertising, says the company, including the sponsorship of online
video discussions on a news website focused on historically Black
colleges and universities.
The advertising isn't typical for pharmaceutical companies.
Unlike most drug promotions, the ads aren't aimed at gaining a leg
up on competitors or boosting sales in the next quarter, the
companies said. The goal is to persuade Americans to use
potentially lifesaving products that are already bought and paid
for by the U.S. government and provided free to consumers.
The campaigns more closely resemble those for launches of new
drugs for diseases with few or subpar treatment options, such as
the unbranded disease-awareness campaigns that hepatitis C
drugmakers sponsored in the 2010s urging people to get tested for
the liver disease. Except that with Covid-19, the window for
reaching consumers is smaller, says Kristen Eisterhold, Eli Lilly
& Co.'s marketing director for Covid-19 antibody treatments,
because of the urgency to control the pandemic.
"Oftentimes in healthcare, it takes months, years, and sometimes
even decades to create awareness," says Ms. Eisterhold. "Our
challenge really was how do you as quickly as possible establish
broad awareness with healthcare providers and consumers that these
treatment options exist."
The ads don't mention products by name, in part because of
marketing restrictions imposed by the emergency-use authorizations
granted by the Food and Drug Administration. Instead, the ads refer
to broader categorizations such as "monoclonal antibodies" or "mRNA
Vaccine makers are trying to reach the roughly one-third of
Americans who are reluctant to get vaccinated, according to the
most recent opinion polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Some
15% of people polled by Kaiser in April said they want to "wait and
see" before being vaccinated, and 19% said they would definitely
not get vaccinated or would do so only if required.
Regeneron and Lilly say they are trying to raise awareness that
their drugs are available to recently diagnosed people at risk of
developing severe cases. In clinical trials, the drugs helped
reduce hospitalizations or death by 70% compared with placebos.
Since being authorized last November, however, the drugs have been
underused, partly because many patients and doctors don't know
about them, according to the companies.
Through early May, just 49% of the nearly one million antibody
doses made by Regeneron and Lilly have been used by patients,
according to a Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman.
From last year through the first quarter of 2021, Lilly has
recorded $1.5 billion in U.S. sales from the drugs; Regeneron's
U.S. antibody revenue was $448 million over the same period.
Regeneron ran its first TV ad in late April just before the
Academy Awards broadcast on ABC. The 30-second spot features actors
repeating the phrase "monoclonal antibodies" in an attempt to
familiarize the public with a term that doesn't roll off the
tongue, and a narrator who says the drugs may help certain people
stay out of the hospital.
"It is a mouthful," says Maya Bermingham, Regeneron vice
president for public policy and government affairs. "And for the
average person, what they want to know is: 'Is there a treatment?
When do I get it?' "
Another Regeneron TV commercial urges patients diagnosed with
Covid-19 to call their doctors immediately to ask about monoclonal
antibodies if they are at high risk of severe disease.
Regeneron's campaign is scheduled to run through the end of the
second quarter and is targeting 19 markets including Atlanta,
Baltimore and Detroit, and expected to reach roughly 40% of the
U.S. population, a spokeswoman says.
Priya Nori, an infectious disease specialist in Bronx, N.Y.,
says she saw the Regeneron ad while watching the Oscars. She
thought the ads would be helpful in raising awareness but were
poorly timed because infection rates have fallen so much in recent
"I was texting with my colleagues saying, 'This is really cool,
I just wish this commercial was not in April when things were
ramping down and lot of people had gotten their first vaccine
doses,'" says Dr. Nori, who oversees Covid-19 antibody drug
infusions for Montefiore Health System. "That commercial should've
come out in January, that would have helped us the most."
Regeneron has spent about $545,000 on national TV ads related to
Covid-19 and its commercial have been seen 142.5 million times,
according to iSpot.tv Inc., a TV ad-measurement firm. The company
declined to comment.
Moderna declined to comment on its advertising budget, but said
in its first-quarter financial statement that its spending on
marketing and other expenses increased by $10 million compared with
the year-earlier quarter.
Lilly and Pfizer declined to say how much they have spent on
Covid-19 advertising. One of Pfizer's commercials showing a baby
announcement as a reason to be vaccinated, iSpot said, was seen 8.3
million times and had $78,000 in national TV ad spend.
Write to Joseph Walker at email@example.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 16, 2021 08:14 ET (12:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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Fox News Flash tip headlines for Jul 11
Fox News Flash tip headlines for Jul 11 are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com
Amazon.com Inc. skeleton to spend $700 million to retrain a third of a U.S. workforce, as record threatens to invert a approach many of a employees do their jobs.
The association announced Thursday that it will retrain 100,000 workers by 2025 by expanding existent training programs and rolling out new ones meant to assistance a employees pierce into some-more modernized jobs inside a association or find new careers outward of it. The training is voluntary, and many of a programs are giveaway to employees, a association said.
“Technology is changing a society, and it’s positively changing work,” pronounced Jeff Wilke, arch executive of Amazon’s world-wide consumer business, adding that a beginning is meant to assistance workers “be prepared for a opportunities of a future.”
For example, hourly workers in accomplishment centers can retrain for IT support roles, such as handling a machines that work via a facilities. Meanwhile, nontechnical corporate workers can spend several years retraining as module engineers but going behind to college.
AMAZON, MICROSOFT WAGE WAR OVER PENTAGON’S ‘WAR CLOUD’
A workman assembles a box for smoothness during a Amazon accomplishment core in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., Apr 30, 2019.
Amazon’s bid to ascent a skills of a workforce is among a biggest corporate retraining initiatives announced, and breaks down to roughly $7,000 per worker.
At a time of historically low unemployment, joined with fast digital mutation that requires high-tech pursuit skills, some-more U.S. companies wish to assistance existent employees transition to new roles. A plea confronting many corporate retraining efforts is that employers mostly onslaught to envision that skills they will need even a few years in advance.
“The diversion of picking winners means we mostly collect losers,” pronounced Jeff Strohl, executive of investigate during a Georgetown University Center on Education and a Workforce.
Amazon, like many corporations, has struggled to find an adequate array of technical employees, and a association is assured that some-more of a jobs will embody a technical member in a future, Mr. Wilke said. The association has some-more than 20,000 open jobs in a U.S., some-more than half of them in Seattle.
Amazon has been criticized for a diagnosis of workers in new years from labor groups and lawmakers such as eccentric Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate, who in Mar tweeted that a association contingency “significantly urge operative conditions during a warehouses” and honour workers’ rights to form a union.
7 ALEXA SKILLS YOU’LL USE TIME AND TIME AGAIN
Amazon says it has done a array of moves in new years to urge workers’ remuneration and entrance to educational opportunities. Last year, a association lifted a smallest salary it pays a U.S. employees to $15 an hour. The association had 630,600 full-time and part-time employees world-wide in a entertain finished Mar 31. It has about 275,000 full-time U.S. employees.
Some of a programs offering by Amazon embody some-more modernized training, such as a Machine Learning University, that will be open to thousands of module engineers with computer-science backgrounds to take graduate-level machine-learning skills courses but going behind to college. Amazon employees, some of whom are former university professors, will learn a classes.
The training programs could assistance Amazon workers find jobs in opposite industries, a association said. The association is expanding a module for fulfillment-center employees called Amazon Career Choice. It pays 95% of an employee’s fee and fees for certificates and degrees in high-demand fields such as nursing and aircraft mechanics, even yet Amazon doesn’t offer practice in those fields. The association expects to open 15 new career-choice classrooms by 2020, as new accomplishment centers open.
None of Amazon’s training will lift a chapter that employees sojourn with a company. But workforce experts contend retraining efforts don’t always work since not everybody has a ability or will to renovate themselves to fit into a new role. Those who have complicated training efforts contend that reskilling can boost worker spirit and keep workers from withdrawal a company. The ability to keep talent is critical since recruiting new workers and training them is costly and time-consuming, pronounced Chris O’Leary, a comparison economist during a W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, a nonprofit investigate center.
“If we can say stability, you’re obscure your cost,” he said.
Click here to review some-more during The Wall Street Journal, where this story was initial published.


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Take-Two Interactive announced today that Railroad Tycoon II for the PlayStation has shipped to stores and should be in retail stores this week. In fact, it has already appeared on the store shelves of several major videogame retail chains such as Software Etc., Babbages, and Electronics Boutique.
"Railroad Tycoon II is certain to attract a whole new set of fans on the PlayStation with its unique concept and depth of gameplay," stated Ryan Brant, president of Take 2 Interactive. "Strategy and train enthusiasts, empire-builders and aspiring tycoons alike will surely find Railroad Tycoon II to be a fun, challenging, and addictive experience."
Railroad Tycoon II, which has been co-developed by Gearhead Entertainment in conjunction with Tremor Entertainment under license from Gathering Of Developers and PopTop Software, will be the first time that PlayStation owners get to experience what over two million PC owners have been creaming over.
Railroad Tycoon II brings a new kind of strategy game home to the PlayStation and carries a suggested retail price of $39.99.


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Mario’s next big adventure is heading to Nintendo Switch on October 27.
Super Mario Odyssey was announced back in January, but we got a new look at the game in a trailer that debuted at E3 2017. The preview gives a glimpse at dinosaurs and a few of the different worlds that you can explore with Mario — including New Donk City, a stand-in for New York City.
Explore the new Super Mario Odyssey game in the trailer below.
This is the first new Mario game to be released for a console since “Super Mario 3D World,” which debuted on Wii in 2013.
Stay tuned for more announcements from Nintendo’s presentation at E3 2017.


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Plano-based J.C. Penney is sorry, and it wants your business back. That’s the gist of its latest ad that the mid-priced department-store put on its YouTube and Facebook pages.
Plano-based J.C. Penney is confirming that Goldman Sachs will provide it with $1.75 billion in financing, sending shares up 3 percent in trading.
JCPenney said that it has drawn $850 million from its $1.85 billion revolving credit line, a clear sign that the flailing department store chain is in a severe cash crunch.
A judge ruled Friday that J.C. Penney can sell some goods designed by Martha Stewart that were destined for shelves this spring —for now.
A published report said that JCPenney is consulting with bankers at Blackstone Group on how the struggling department store chain can raise $1 billion in cash.
Attorneys for Plano-based J.C Penney and Macy were back in court Monday to fight over the Martha Stewart brand after a month-long mediation period went nowhere. The court-ordered mediation followed nearly three weeks of testimony.
What used to be Valley View Mall is about to become a mega entertainment area. It will have condos, two luxury hotels, a surfing wave pool and fountains, office space, and plenty of shopping.
Home diva Martha Stewart testified in court on Tuesday that she did nothing wrong when she signed an agreement to open up shops within most of JCPenney’s stores across the country.
Eight years after Martha Stewart was released from prison for lying about a stock trade, the 71-year-old home diva is on the witness stand, in the middle of a bitter legal battle between Plano-based J.C. Penney Co. and Macy’s Inc.
Eight years after Martha Stewart was released from prison for lying about a stock trade, the home diva is now facing another legal mess that may not be easy to clean up.
J.C. Penney, which also is struggling with big losses and steep sales declines, could face another challenge: empty shelves. A judge told Penney’s attorneys that the chain took a risk by ordering mercandise from the company Martha Stewart founded.
It’s been a tough week to be Ron Johnson. After facing down investors this week over a dismal quarterly performance, the JCPenney CEO will be in the spotlight again — in court.
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Don't miss the October issue of ISMR
Don't miss the October 2022 issue of ISMR - you can read it on https://joom.ag/ODzd
The October 2022 issue of International Sheet Metal Review magazine places a special focus on automation, robotics, digitalisation and sustainability. As global robot sales hit new records, it examines the growth drivers and trends highlighted by the International Federation of Robotics on page 26. Alberto Martínez, Bystronic’s chief digital officer, tells ISMR why and how the sheet-metal industry needs to address digitalisation on page 34. Reliable data is crucial on this journey.
This issue also features several key interviews with a range of global manufacturers (CEOs, managing directors, sales/marketing directors and business unit heads) who share their views with ISMR on the latest market developments; trends; growth areas; challenges and new technological innovations. Global consumer electronics markets are analysed on page 46. Economic forecasts; shifts; trends and opportunities across Asia for manufacturers are presented on page 74. Coil coating, plasma cutting and tube bending also come under the spotlight in this issue.
The global sheet-metal industry has shown itself to be dynamic and flexible in the face of multiple challenges this year. These include supply chain issues; skyrocketing energy prices; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pandemic outbreaks and rising inflation levels. Despite these headwinds, the industry is embracing new technologies and focusing firmly on the future with new innovations, renewed strategies and an explosion of product/technology launches.
Many of these new product and technology launches will be unveiled at EuroBLECH (25-28 October 2022 in Hanover, Germany), the world’s leading trade exhibition for the sheet-metalworking industry. Around 1,300 exhibitors from 39 countries are ready to showcase their latest innovations. ISMR will be distributed at the entrances, and you can meet our team on booth H92 in Hall 14 at EuroBLECH. For further details, see www.euroblech.com
ISMR’s 2022 media kit, which includes a month-by-month editorial features list as well as new and improved promotional opportunities, is on http://bit.ly/3qCFBUN Its 2023 media kit can also be accessed on https://ismr.net/sites/default/files/2022-10/Media%20Pack%202023_small.pdf
Send us your machine process or technology video links for the ISMR website and ISMR’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGYqYNRjPKt85ND2ilP6Dw You can also follow ISMR’s new LinkedIn page (ISMR Magazine – https://www.linkedin.com/company/ismr ) or catch up with us on Twitter @ismrmagazine or our new Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ismrmagazine
Please stay safe and healthy; the best wishes of the ISMR team go with you.


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Circuit City as canary in the coalmine for commercial real estate
Recently, I was discussing the economy with a lawyer expert in both commercial real estate (CRE) and taxation, workouts, and bankruptcy. He made a few statements that I felt relevant enough to pass on here.
First, he said that the anchor stores in shopping centers always get sweetheart deals. It is the smaller stores that pay full price. He also said that he was involved in tens of billions of dollars in CRE deals in the last few years that he can look back on as being highly questionable in this economy. He expects to see many of these deals again in bankruptcy. However, the most worrying statement he made had to do with securitization. He said that the workouts (process of negotiation to avoid bankruptcy) in which he had been involved where assets were securitized were never successful. In his experience, if the assets were securitized, workout was impossible and bankruptcy was the only option.
With that in mind, I want you to read this snippet from a Reuters story:
The collapse of electronics retailer Circuit City could drive down shopping and strip mall rents, and deal another blow to commercial mortgage-backed securities’ (CMBS) investors who have already seen their bond prices slide.
After a dismal holiday shopping season and several failed attempts to sell itself, Circuit City — having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November — last week said it would close all its 567 U.S. stores and liquidate its assets.
The move left 30,000 employees of the Woodland Hills, California-based company without work, and creditors — including landlords — lining up to get whatever they can after the company sells its inventory.
“Now those landlords are in line like the rest of their creditors — and probably in the back of the line to get paid,” said Suzanne Mulvee, Property & Portfolio Research real estate strategist.
The loss of the large tenant, whose stores typically run from 35,000 to 40,000 square feet, is likely to be felt by some publicly traded shopping center owners, such as Developers Diversified Realty Corp DDR.N, where Circuit City accounted for 1.7 percent of its annual base rent revenue, and Kimco Realty Corp KIM.N, where the chain accounted for 1.5 percent of its annual base revenue, according to Green Street Advisors analyst Nick Vetter.
Not that Circuit City is always an anchor, but this has to be a negative for CRE defaults and asset-backed bonds. It robs many shopping centers of anchor stores, putting the squeeze on smaller vendors (who must now pay even more to make up for the loss), even while they are left adrift because of the loss of the anchor. Commercial property is to 2009 what subprime was to 2007 and 2008.
Circuit City collapse could hit real estate investors – Reuters


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Greatest Penny Stocks to Buy Now Could Pop about 175 % After This
Penny stocks are actually off to an excellent start in 2021. And they’re only just starting out.
We watched some tremendous gains in January, which traditionally bodes well for the remainder of the season.
The penny stock we recommended a number of days ago has already gained 26 %, well in advance of tempo to attain the projected 197 % within a several months.
Likewise, today’s best penny stocks have the possibilities to double the cash of yours. Specifically, the main penny stock of ours could see a hundred one % pop in the future.
Millions of new traders as well as speculators entered the penny stock niche last year. They have put in overwhelming quantities of liquidity to this equity sector.
The resulting purchasing pressure led to rapid gains in stock prices which gave traders substantial gains. For example, readers made a nearly 1,000 % gain on Workhorse stock whenever we advised it in January.
One path to penny stock earnings in 2021 will be to uncover possible triple digit winners before the crowd discovers them. The buying of theirs is going to give us huge profits.
We will get started with a penny stock that’s set to pop 101 % and is rolling on cash
Top Penny Stock Dominates Digital Auto Market
TrueCar Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE) is actually a digital car market which allows purchasers to connect with a network of sellers according to fintechzoom.com
Buyers can shop for automobiles, compare prices, and find local dealers that can take the automobile they select. The stock fell out of favor throughout 2019, if this lost its military purchasing program , which had been a valuable product sales source. Shares have dropped from about fifteen dolars down to under $5.
True Car has rolled out a brand-new army buying program that is currently being effectively received by buyers and retailers alike. Traffic on the web site is cultivating once again, and revenue is beginning to recuperate as well.
True Car furthermore just sold the ALG of its residual value forecasting functions to J.D. Associates and power for $135 zillion. True Car is going to add the dollars to the sense of balance sheet, taking total cash balances to $270 million.
The cash will be employed to help a $75 million stock buyback program which could help push the stock price a lot higher in 2021.
Analysts have continued to brush aside True Car. The business has blown away the opinion estimate during the last 4 quarters. Within the last three quarters, the positive earnings surprise was during the triple digits.
Being a result, analysts have been increasing the estimates for 2020 and 2021 earnings. Far more optimistic surprises may be the spark that gets on a huge action in shares of True Car. As it continues to rebuild the brand of its, there is no reason the business cannot see its stock revisit 2019 highs.
True trades for $4.95 today. Analysts say it might hit ten dolars in the following twelve months. That’s a potential gain of hundred one %.
Obviously, that’s less than our 175 % gainer, that we will explain to you immediately after this
This Penny Stock Puts Food on the Table
Shares of BRF S.A. (NYSE: BRFS) are actually trading near the lowest level of theirs within the last ten years. Worries about coronavirus and the weak regional economy have pressed this Brazilian pork as well as chicken processor down for the preceding 12 months.
It is not often we get to purchase a fallen international, almost blue-chip stock at such low prices. BRF has roughly $7 billion in sales and is a market leader in Brazil.
It’s been an approximate year for the company. The same as every other meat processor and packer in the planet, some of its businesses have been shut down for several period of time due to COVID 19. There have been supply chain problems for pretty much every company in the world, but particularly so for those business enterprises offering the stuff we need daily.
WARNING: it is probably the most traded stocks on the marketplace daily? make sure It has nowhere near your portfolio.
You know, like pork as well as chicken products to feed the families of ours.
The company has international operations and it is trying to make smart acquisitions to boost its presence in markets that are some other, like the United States. The recently released 10-year plan additionally calls for the organization to upgrade its use of technology to serve clients more efficiently and cut costs.
As we begin to see vaccinations roll out worldwide as well as the supply chains function adequately once again, this business has to see business pick up again.
When other penny stock consumers stumble on this world-class business with excellent basics and prospects, the buying power of theirs may rapidly push the stock back over the 2019 highs.
Now, here’s a stock which could nearly triple? a 175 % return? this kind of year.