text:
Times of India and Penmai.com
Engineer Chitra Thiyagarajan's plastic-to-fuel device passes patent office tests
Is necessity the mother of invention? Well, not always.Determined to find a cheap and sustainable fuel, engineer Chitra Thiyagarajan developed a unit that converts plastic waste into a fuel similar to diesel. After a series of tests in a sustained three-year effort, Thiyagarajan finally perfected the device and applied for a patent.
C S M Sundaram, Thiyagarajan's guide, said the device was the result of backbreaking work, persistence and dogged tenacity. "It involved research, fieldwork and frequent upgrading of design," he said. "I may have helped her occasionally but the credit is all hers," said Sundaram, 80, a retired professor of St Xavier's College, Mumbai.
She applied for a patent for the device in June 2013. "The patent authorities checked the machine for two months and verified that it could be patented. They accepted my application in August," Thiyagarajan said.
Explaining how her 'pyro-plant' functions, she said, all plastics except PET bottles are put in a chamber and heated in the absence of oxygen over chromium micro band heaters (similar to those used in water immersion rods) to temperatures of between 350oC and 375oC. The gas generated passes into another chamber with a water coolants coils on two sides. It is then pumped into another compartment half-filled with water. The fuel floats on the surface. Non-soluble gas that passes into a condenser can be used as an LPG alternative.
The device is not expensive and requires just three hours to generate fuel. A 5kg unit costs around Rs75,000 and a 25kg variant, Rs3 lakh. Each kg of plastic produces 800ml of diesel. While the diesel can be stored, the LPG generated has to be used directly and cannot be compressed, Thiyagarajan said.
"A similar process is used to generate fuel in China but the production costs are high and it is a time-consuming process," Thiyagarajan said.
Indian Institute of Technology-Madras chemical engineering professor S Pushpavanam said the invention is feasible and could be used to produce fuel.
Thiyagarajan's other inventions include a night vision camera and an electromagnetic belt for physiotherapy.
Airnov celebrates five years of manufacturing in India and announces participation at CPHI India 2022
INEOS BICHLOR™ electrolysers selected by Chemfab Alkalis Karaikal Limited CAKL for major chlor-alkali plant investment in India
Huntsman Textile Effects, a global leader in innovative and environmentally sustainable dyes, chemicals and digital inks, has been recognized for its outstanding safety record and achievements as a dyestuffs exporter by the Dyestuffs Manufacturers' Association of India (DMAI). Read More
ABB has today unveiled the charging technology it will use for Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, when the company takes on its new role within the series as official charging supplier. Read More
Cosmetics brands can now help more consumers to get the most out of introducing the benefits of Retinol into their skincare routines. Available worldwide, Clariant’s encapsulated Retinol VitiSpheres R8 makes it possible to protect the Retinol’s proven anti-aging potency and use higher concentrations safely in creams and serums. Read More
BÖNNIGHEIM/ MUNICH (Hohenstein/Sizekick) Hohenstein, the global market leader in apparel sizing and fit development, has invested in AI technology startup, Sizekick. The collaboration will enable accurate decisions on apparel size, improving online shopping experiences, reducing returns and preventing the associated CO2 emissions. Read More
Airnov Healthcare Packaging, a global leader in controlled atmosphere packaging, has surpassed five years of manufacturing at its production facility in India. The plant, located in Cuddalore which sits south of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is operated by a workforce of around 40 dedicated employees and is ISO 9001 and ISO 15378. Read More

domain: news


text:
4,001 Post-it notes for Steve Jobs
(CBS) - German filmmaker Andreas Kopp used 4,001 Post-it notes to re-create an iconic photograph of Apple co-founder and tech legend Steve Jobs on a window at the Apple store in Munich.
We love Post-it art! And we love Steve Jobs, so combining those two things makes us warm and happy inside. Kopp and his team filmed the entire process of creating the towering image.
"Steve devoted his life to give us the most powerful devices ever available to an ordinary person. Lets honor him and his legacy by action," said Kopp about the YouTube video.
"Get some Post-its and post what you have to say as a reply to this video. Or stop by the Munich Apple store and write something on the Post-its. There are still some empty," said Kopp.
After the death of Jobs on October 5, mourners flocked to Apple stores worldwide to pay tribute. Along with flowers and candles, many left behind Post-in notes and apples with messages written on them.
What would you say on your Post-it note? Let us know in the comments.
Popular in SciTech
- Drone technology myths, facts and future feats
- Apple's next iPhone may be coming in June
- Thousands online proclaim: Jahar Tsarnaev is innocent
- Texting while walking banned in N.J. town
- Alternatives to Google Reader
- "God particle": Why the Higgs boson matters
- Oops! The five greatest scientific blunders
- 40 years later: Why the Endangered Species Act still matters


text:
Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos boarded Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft in West Texas on Tuesday morning with his brother Mark, Mercury 13 candidate astronaut Wally Funk and an 18-year-old Dutch student. for the first unmanned suborbital flight with an all civilian. crew. The achievement of Blue Origin was the second suborbital flight in nine days, with Richard Branson taking off last week.
Critics have questioned whether so much attention and resources should be devoted to the visions of privatization and the colonization of space put forward by billionaires.
The weeks leading up to the launch were marked by further criticism of the so-called billionaire space race. At a time when inequalities continue to worsen and the effects of the climate crisis are becoming more evident every day, critics have questioned whether so much attention and resources should be devoted to visions of privatizing the world. space and colonization advanced by billionaires.
Billionaire supporters were quick to note that this flight wasn’t just about ego or tourism – Bezos and Branson’s efforts could set the stage for an expansion in space travel and technology that could eventually affect everyone. world. It’s a dubious claim that is based more on faith than evidence, but it was repeated widely as major news networks devoted hours of coverage to the launch of Blue Origin. Yet several hours later, Bezos gave critics exactly the sound they were looking for by pointing to one of the biggest criticisms of his privatized push for space exploration.
At a post-launch press conference, Bezos made a special dedication. “I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer,” Bezos said, “because you paid for it all.” Bezos is worth over $ 200 billion. It is a fortune amassed in large part through the hard work of thousands and thousands of workers. And many of those same workers have spent the last few years arguing that they are not being paid the equivalent of the value they produce.
The company recently made a point of promoting its minimum wage of $ 15 an hour, which it says makes him the “Bernie Sanders of employers.” But this conveniently downplays the fact that Amazon pays much less than many other companies in a heavily unionized industry, and in fact tends to drive wages down in the industry when it opens new distribution centers. For example, The Economist found that when Amazon entered Lexington County, South Carolina, the annual earnings of warehouse workers jumped from $ 47,000 to $ 32,000.
But workers are not only protesting against low wages; they also protest the way they are treated at work.
In March, Amazon went on the offensive after Representative Mark Pocan in Wisconsin tweeted that his employees had to urinate in bottles. The official company information account responded, “You don’t really believe in peeing in bottles, do you?” But reporters were quick to publish photos of the urine bottles, along with documents showing the company knew their truck drivers didn’t just pee in bottles but sometimes even had to defecate in bags because they had to. so many deliveries to be made in the allotted time. Amazon was eventually forced to apologize, but the “own purpose,” as the company wrote, was not an isolated incident.
A Reveal News survey released in September found the company’s critical injury rate to be double the industry average. Amazon declined Reveal’s interview requests; he later said the report highlighted Amazon’s focus on security, arguing that generous recovery policies skew the data. During the heat wave in early July, workers in New York City reported that their workplaces were excessively hot, causing nosebleeds and fainting. He reminded labor rights activists of an outcry 10 years ago over the lack of air conditioning at company facilities, despite the New York facility having air conditioning, according to company officials.
Meanwhile, repetitive stress trauma is a serious issue in Amazon warehouses. Reveal has found that they are often the result of aggressive productivity goals that are nearly impossible to achieve, and the company will not lower them. (An Amazon spokesperson told Vox that the report was “biased” and based on “skewed selective data to support false claims by an organization whose sole business purpose is to misinform the public about the track record of Amazon safety. ”) More recently, Vice reported this week that a woman in Tracy, Calif., miscarried after Amazon refused to provide housing recommended by her doctor. Amazon did not provide a response despite several emails and calls from Vice.
Amazon has become a global juggernaut, but as these stories demonstrate, its runaway success has come at a cost. Which brings us back to Bezos’ comments.
Even though Bezos claims he’s working to open up space for the masses and talks about the lives of humans in orbiting space colonies, the reality – at least for our lives – is likely to be much more modest. SpaceX’s Bezos and Elon Musk are competing for the launch, satellite, and other big contracts from public institutions like NASA and the Department of Defense – Musk has so far won because his company has a larger visibility. Seen in this light, launching Bezos was as much a PR exercise as it was the fulfillment of a personal dream.
Space billionaires sell us their grand visions to gain public and institutional support for their real projects: less colonization or even tourism and more expansion in the aerospace sector. They seek to take advantage of the way the US government is trying to assert its power and show that it can still compete technologically with China. As part of that competition, Bezos recently challenged NASA’s decision to award a key lunar lander contract to SpaceX.
It is often said that when people go to space, their perspective on the world changes. Bezos returned to Earth and said the experience had bolstered his commitment to tackling climate change – even as Amazon’s emissions continue to skyrocket and his plan to move polluting industries to space does is not a serious climate proposition. But it would be nice if Bezos didn’t lose sight of all the little people who made his big dreams come true. Amazon employees may or may not like his cry. But do you know what could be better than heartfelt thanks? A decent salary and benevolent working conditions.


text:
‘Shrinkflation:’ The Latest Consequence of Reckless Federal Spending, Explained.
We already know that top inflation metrics have recently surged, and executives at companies like Costco are warning that price hikes are hurting their customers. Now, there’s a new inflation consequence hitting consumers: “Shrinkflation.”
I’d never heard the term before today, but new reporting from the Washington Post explains how some companies are dealing with inflation in their supply costs by shrinking the sizes of their products, to avoid the customer backlash that comes with raising sticker prices.
“Consumers are paying more for a growing range of household staples in ways that don’t show up on receipts — thinner rolls, lighter bags, smaller cans — as companies look to offset rising labor and materials costs without scaring off customers,” the Post reports. “It’s a form of retail camouflage known as ‘shrinkflation,’ and economists and consumer advocates who track packaging expect it to become more pronounced as inflation ratchets up, taking hold of such everyday items such as paper towels, potato chips and diapers.”


text:
For those of you who thought Taylor Swift's seemingly endless 1989 era was finally coming to a close, think again!
Taylor Swift - Page 2
Please welcome to YouTube, Karlie Kloss's '1989 Tour' behind-the-scenes iPhone video!
Young fan Delaney called the visit with Taylor the "most amazing miracle."
'Am I gonna wake up tomorrow and all my music is off of iTunes? Like, absolute terror hit,' Swift recalls in the interview.
A 19-year-old Australian woman had been frequently mistaken for the pop star.
One lucky fan will be named the work's honorary author, with prizes that include $10,000 and potential press appearances on big shows.
The concert special will stream exclusively on Apple Music on December 20.
From 'Blue Christmas' to 'Silent Night,' these enduring Christmas classics have benefited from new pop spins.
Taylor's filed trademarks for some everyday phrases -- again.
Author Camille Paglia and actress Rowan Blanchard have some things to say about the drawbacks of Hollywood women's #squadgoals craze.


text:
Popular Fast Food Franchise to Close 500 Locations Across America, is Rochester Next?
There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding one of the more popular fast food franchises in America. But what's this spell for Rochester and the surrounding area?
It's no secret that 2018 has been a rough year when it comes to keeping your business open in the Med City. So far several businesses have closed this year, the most recent being The Freight Yard this past week. So when it comes to Subway, we've got some good news, and bad news to share...
First, the bad news:
- According to USA Today, Subway Restaurants are planning to close an estimated 500 locations in the U.S. over the coming months. That's in addition to the nearly 900 that closed last year.
Now the news that's not necessarily "good" for us, but good for the company:
- Subway says they're making moves to expand abroad as they plan to open over 1,000 new locations around the world, including countries like Mexico, and South Korea.
A simple Google search reveals we have over 20 Subway restaurants in, and around Rochester so odds are pretty good they won't be closing all of them... Unfortunately, there's really no way to tell who's closing and who's staying open because Subway declined to name which stores in what states would be facing elimination.
Less stores mean less jobs, so whenever those decisions are eventually made, you just hope everyone around here still has a place to work.


text:
It's official: more than half of Americans now own smartphones. The truth is, most of us probably would have guessed this figure to be much higher. The percentage is certainly growing, however, presenting a number of opportunities for retailers to engage with consumers on an individual basis and when they're most likely to purchase. But consider the flip side: slightly less than half of America, or about 155 million people, is still without smartphones. Instead of leaving them in the dust by focusing exclusively on mobile-only campaigns, retailers should seize the opportunity to close the gap by engaging both audiences where it matters most — at the point of sale.
When it comes to retailers, big data is perhaps a little too big. Half of retailers can't aggregate all their data in one place to make detailed reports and conclusions. Forty-five percent don't use available data to personalize marketing communications, and another 42 percent can't link data together at the individual customer level. That's perhaps understandable, because 90 percent of the data that's ever been created has been created in the last two years, and the rate of data growth is increasing quickly.
Every November, as retailers dig deep into their bag of tricks, battling each other and their online counterparts for your wallet, the demand for innovation often sparks collaborations with new startups and their novel technologies. For Best Buy, this means partnering with Nashville-based startup eco Interactive, which specializes in "card-linked offers." These are deals tied directly to customers' credit cards through partnerships forged with banks, such as Ally Bank and Fifth Third Bank, two of edo's current collaborators, which consumers can redeem just by swiping said credit cards.
Voice software is joining the migration to the Cloud, giving large, midsize and small retailers the opportunity to leverage the latest, most advanced technologies for optimizing warehouse operations. Cloud-based voice solutions help retailers more effectively receive, act on and communicate information critical to their business without requiring significant internal IT costs. Using internet connectivity, retailers can quickly implement voice software to improve business processes while bypassing the traditional up-front cost, time and resource commitments associated with on-premise solutions.
Macy's is adding Black Friday-themed enhancements to its mobile app, available beginning Nov. 15. Shoppers with the Macy's app on their Apple iOS devices will be able to view in-store Black Friday specials, create personal shopping lists and receive "push" notifications with details on previously unadvertised specials. Through the app, the retailer will also provide information on store-specific specials and help shoppers navigate by sending the department name and floor for the specials in each store.
The most clicked through article of the week deals with a topic that many retailers have either dealt with recently or will be forced to deal with in the near future: upgrading their e-commerce platform. As the e-commerce industry continues to evolve and consumers increasingly make purchases online, having an e-commerce platform that can handle this growing traffic as well as offer all the latest bells and whistles has become a requirement for retailers selling their merchandise online.
Starting October 14, Target will feature 20 toys at the front of its aisles promoted with signs featuring QR codes. Shoppers with smartphones can scan the codes to buy any of those items and have them shipped free. "Providing this convenience for mom is about ensuring that she's able to shop the way that she wants to," said Stephanie Lucy, Target's vice president of toys and the mother of two who knows about not wanting to ruin the surprise of the holidays.
Barnes & Noble said on Tuesday it would introduce a new video store for its Nook products this fall, the latest expansion of the bookseller's digital content. The service will allow customers to stream and download movies and television shows for a fee onto TV's and mobile devices, while storing the content in the Nook cloud. The video catalog includes HBO shows, like "Game of Thrones" and "True Blood," and movies including "The Artist" and "Toy Story 3."
It's tough being a rich and famous fashion mogul. You've seen the best of the world. You have exclusive access to private events. You have expensive tastes — as you should. And then all of a sudden, Google hands you a fancy new toy. That has been the case for famed designer Diane Von Furstenburg, who has been playing with Google Glass, the tech company's wearable augmented reality glasses hardware.
Amazon.com could be taking its rivalry with Apple out of households — and onto the streets. According to a report yesterday, the online retailer has been developing its own-brand smartphone and, although it's doubtful that the launch is imminent, we could be hearing about it at the retailer's press conference in Los Angeles.


text:
The Gorillaz have been beloved for decades because of how meticulous they are when it comes to releasing new music and honoring their past work. Today they’ve announced a collaboration with Superplastic to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band with a limited-edition collectible vinyl toy called “Geep.” The toy is the green dune buggy that’s driven by Gorillaz member Noodle. The Geep comes equipped with working LED lights and a removable guitar. To give a sense of sizing, the toy is 10-inches long and 4-inches tall and will retail for $120.
Geep is not the first time Superplastic and Gorillaz have collaborated on merch. In 2019, they released a soft vinyl of Gorillaz lead singer 2D, along with a full band vinyl toy set featuring band members 2D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russell in 2020. Of the Geep collaboration, Noodle had this to say: “The Geep, our most loyal companion. We hope it will bring joy to all the homes it parks up in around the world.”
“It’s been my dream to ride shotgun with Noodle in the Geep…on mushrooms. As real as I want that moment to be, we all know that this shit isn’t happening. So, we decided to make a super limited, dope, amazing toy instead. It’s been killer bringing Gorillaz to life through designer toys over almost two decades, and I can’t wait for fans to get the Geep!” added Superplastic founder Paul Budnitz.
Check out some other images of the Geep below and pick up the collectible here.


text:
See a comparison of annual buyers growth of Alibaba, JD, Pinduoduo here.
JD.com and Louis Vuitton launched cooperation in April, connecting Louis Vuitton directly with JD.com’s high-quality customers while further enhancing the luxury shopping experience on JD.com.
In the first quarter, JD.com has started new partnerships with a wide spectrum of luxury brands.
John Lobb, the luxury shoes and boots brand under Hermès Group, recently launched flagship stores on JD.com. Some brands went further to partner with JD.com in supply chain services.
Italian brand Marni not only launched a flagship store on JD.com, but also adopted a customized one-stop solution offered by JD.com, covering marketing, technology, and supply chain management.
With this service, customers can purchase directly from Marni’s inventory with the products delivered by JD Logistics.
During Q1 2021, JD Home entered into strategic cooperation with Honor, Xiaomi, OPPO, OnePlus, Realme, and other smartphone brands to collaborate on innovative omni-channel marketing initiatives, including in retail chain stores.
JD.com Inc‘s net revenues for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB203.2 billion (US$131.0 billion), an increase of 39.0% from the first quarter of 2020. Net service revenues for the first quarter of 2021 were RMB27.9 billion (US$4.3 billion), an increase of 73.1% from the first quarter of 2020.
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for Q1 2021 was RMB3.6 billion (US$0.6 billion), compared to RMB1.1 billion for the same period last year. Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB4.0 billion (US$0.6 billion), compared to RMB3.0 billion for the same period last year.
Diluted net income per ADS for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB2.25 (US$0.34), compared to RMB0.72 for the first quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP diluted net income per ADS for the first quarter of 2021 was RMB2.47 (US$0.38), compared to RMB1.98 for the same period last year.


text:
- Yandex N.V. (YNDX) was down 10.11%
- Airbnb Inc (ABNB) was down 7.48%
- Moderna Inc (MRNA) was up 7.17%
- Peloton Interactive (PTON) was down 6.49%
Earnings due today:
XPeng Inc. XPEV Pre-Market
Stocks to watch:
The Chinese electric car manufacturer has been stuck in a range between $44 and $50 for the last month in a build up to the third quarter earnings that was set for release pre-market this morning.
Earnings beat expectations by $0.06 while Revenue beat expectations by $67.82 million up 187% year on year. Vehicle deliveries was up almost 200% year on year with an expectation that an additional 10 000 vehicles will be delivered above the previous quarters deliveries by the end of the fourth quarter.
Price is currently trading 4% up, overing near the $50 mark as its poised to break the range that it is trading in following positive earning and revenue reportas with a solid fourth quarter guidance that was released.


text:
HomeCryptoCoinbase up 69%, MicroStrategy up 74% from its lows
Coinbase up 69%, MicroStrategy up 74% from its lows
January 18, 2023
The share price of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is up 69% from historic lows, and other cryptocurrency-related stocks, including business intelligence firm MicroStrategy, have seen similar jumps with green candlesticks since early 2023.
Coinbase’s stock price fell as low as $31.95 on Jan. 6, before climbing to $54.14 by close of trading on Jan. 17.
The stock price increase will likely be accompanied by a huge sigh of relief for Coinbase executives after a challenging 2022 saw it cut 20% of its workforce and it decided to shut down its Japanese operations. Despite the surge, COIN remains more than 84% below its all-time high.
Other cryptocurrency-related stocks such as MicroStrategy and digital payments firm Block Inc. also saw strong gains in the new year.
MicroStrategy’s stock price soared to nearly $236 from a low of just over $135 on Dec. 29 — representing an increase of more than 74% — as Jack Dorsey’s Block saw its share price rise by a modest but still a respectable 27%, after rebounding from a low of under $59 on Dec. 28 to over $75.
The rebound was even more dramatic for cryptocurrency mining stocks. Bitfarms and Marathon Digital Holdings recorded increases of 140% and 120% respectively during the first two weeks of the year.
Cryptocurrency Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) also rebounded to a lesser extent with Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI) more than doubling its price from a low of just over $4 on Dec. 28 to over $8.
The ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) jumped from over $10 on Dec. 28 to a current price of around $13, up by just under a third.
Related: Is it a bull run or a bull trap? Watch The Market Report live
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust also managed to recoup some of its 2022 losses, after rising from a low of $7.76 on Dec. 28 to a current price of $11.72, a 51% increase.
While the trust is designed to mirror the price of Bitcoin (BTC), it often trades at a discount or premium to the value of its underlying holdings and is now just over 36% off after trading at a higher discount at 45%. on December 28th.
Some experts believe that Bitcoin in particular has skyrocketed on the back of positive US inflation figures released on January 12 – having risen more than 17% since then – but interestingly, December 28 seemed to represent a low market share in many cryptocurrencies and stocks.
While the recent surge in cryptocurrency stocks will surely come as a huge relief to those who have invested in them, it is worth noting that many of these companies still have a long way to go to get back to their all-time highs, as evidenced by a tweet on 10 January by financial advisor Genevieve Roch-Decter.
Stock of cryptocurrencies in the last year:
Traveler -99.7% Silver Door -90.8% Digital Marathon -83.1% Basic Coins -82.3% HIVE Blockchain -81.3% MicroStrategy -63.9%


text:
Although there are no guarantees that Bitcoin will continue to rise in value, the future does look bright for this exciting cryptocurrency. Unlike leveraged instruments, you can rest assured that your exposure to Bitcoin is limited to what you pay for it. (This does not apply to Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency derivatives that may be leveraged or shorted).
Though perhaps not useful for the proverbial “cup of coffee” today, bitcoin is regularly used to move hundreds of millions of dollars across borders, often much more quickly and cheaply than settling such transactions through the conventional financial system. Earlier this month, for instance, a crypto user sent $194 million worth of bitcoin for just $0.10.
In June 2014 the network exceeded 100 petahash/sec. On 18 June 2014, it was announced that bitcoin payment service provider BitPay would become the new sponsor of St. Petersburg Bowl under a two-year deal, renamed the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl. Bitcoin was to be accepted for ticket and concession sales at the game as part of the sponsorship, and the sponsorship itself was also paid for using bitcoin.
It’s decentralized and brings power back to the people. Launched just a year after the 2008 financial crises, Bitcoin has attracted many people who see the current financial system as unsustainable. This factor has won the hearts of those who view politicians and government with suspicion. It’s no surprise there is a huge community of ideologists actively building, buying, and working in the cryptocurrency world.
No one knows. Not conclusively, at any rate. Satoshi Nakamoto is the name associated with the person or group of people who released the original Bitcoin white paper in 2008 and worked on the original Bitcoin software that was released in 2009. The Bitcoin protocol requires users to enter a birthday upon signup, and we know that an individual named Satoshi Nakamoto registered and put down April 5 as a birth date. And that's about it.
It's impossible to say how much bitcoin has increased in price single its earliest incarnation, because its value back then was in the fractions of cents. A conservative estimate, based on bitcoin's current price being around $6,300 per coin, and its early price being less than $0.01, would see bitcoin's value increasing more than 1 million fold in the last decade.
In 2014, researchers at the University of Kentucky found "robust evidence that computer programming enthusiasts and illegal activity drive interest in bitcoin, and find limited or no support for political and investment motives". Australian researchers have estimated that 25% of all bitcoin users and 44% of all bitcoin transactions are associated with illegal activity as of April 2017. There were an estimated 24 million bitcoin users primarily using bitcoin for illegal activity. They held $8 billion worth of bitcoin, and made 36 million transactions valued at $72 billion. A group of researches analyzed bitcoin transactions in 2016 and came to a conclusion that "some recent concerns regarding the use of bitcoin for illegal transactions at the present time might be overstated".
In October 2013, the FBI seized roughly 26,000 BTC from website Silk Road during the arrest of alleged owner Ross William Ulbricht. Two companies, Robocoin and Bitcoiniacs launched the world's first bitcoin ATM on 29 October 2013 in Vancouver, BC, Canada, allowing clients to sell or purchase bitcoin currency at a downtown coffee shop. Chinese internet giant Baidu had allowed clients of website security services to pay with bitcoins.
As mathematician George Box said, "All models are wrong, some are useful." We have set out to construct a framework for pricing bitcoin but it is important to understand the variables. From our thinking, it seems possible that bitcoin could eventually increase in price by orders of magnitude, but it all depends on bitcoin's level of adoption. The most important question is "Will people use bitcoin?"
In June 2013, Bitcoin Foundation board member Jon Matonis wrote in Forbes that he received a warning letter from the California Department of Financial Institutions accusing the foundation of unlicensed money transmission. Matonis denied that the foundation is engaged in money transmission and said he viewed the case as "an opportunity to educate state regulators."
Bitcoin's blockchain can be loaded with arbitrary data. In 2018 researchers from RWTH Aachen University and Goethe University identified 1,600 files added to the blockchain, 59 of which included links to unlawful images of child exploitation, politically sensitive content, or privacy violations. "Our analysis shows that certain content, eg, illegal pornography, can render the mere possession of a blockchain illegal."
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses cryptography to control its creation and management, rather than relying on central authorities. The presumed pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto integrated many existing ideas from the cypherpunk community when creating bitcoin. Over the course of bitcoin's history, it has undergone rapid growth to become a significant currency both on and offline – from the mid 2010s, some businesses began accepting bitcoin in addition to traditional currencies.
Bitcoins can be accepted as a means of payment for products sold or services provided. If you have a brick and mortar store, just display a sign saying “Bitcoin Accepted Here” and many of your customers may well take you up on it; the transactions can be handled with the requisite hardware terminal or wallet address through QR codes and touch screen apps. An online business can easily accept bitcoins by just adding this payment option to the others it offers, like credit cards, PayPal, etc. Online payments will require a Bitcoin merchant tool (an external processor like Coinbase or BitPay).
Bitcoin was the first decentralized digital currency; an online peer-to-peer payment system, without the need for third-party intermediaries such as banks. It was first released in 2008 and has since grown to be the largest cryptocurrency when measured by market cap. Bitcoins are not issued like traditional currency, they are digital and “mined” by powerful servers over time. It was designed to have a fixed supply of 21 million coins.
In September 2012, Bitfloor, a bitcoin exchange, also reported being hacked, with 24,000 bitcoins (worth about US$250,000) stolen. As a result, Bitfloor suspended operations. The same month, Bitfloor resumed operations; its founder said that he reported the theft to FBI, and that he plans to repay the victims, though the time frame for repayment is unclear.
Another interesting way (literally) to earn bitcoins is by lending them out, and being repaid in the currency. Lending can take three forms – direct lending to someone you know; through a website which facilitates peer-to-peer transactions, pairing borrowers and lenders; or depositing bitcoins in a virtual bank that offers a certain interest rate for Bitcoin accounts. Some such sites are Bitbond, BitLendingClub and BTCjam. Obviously, you should do due diligence on any third-party site.
If you have the required hardware, you can mine bitcoin even if you are not a miner. There are different ways one can mine bitcoin such as cloud mining, mining pool, etc. For cloud mining, all you need to do is to connect to the datacenter and start mining. The good thing about this is that you can mine from anywhere and you don’t need a physical hardware to mine.
Our first assumption is that bitcoin will derive its value both from its use as a medium of exchange and as a store of value. As a footnote to this assumption, it should be stated that bitcoin's utility as a store of value is dependent on its utility as a medium of exchange. We base this in turn on the assumption that for something to be used as a store of value it needs to have some intrinsic value, and if bitcoin does not achieve success as a medium of exchange, it will have no practical utility and thus no intrinsic value and won't be appealing as a store of value.
By December, Bitcoin was on track to hit its all-time high thanks to a dramatic and steady increase in price. On Dec. 17, 2017, it reached $19,783.21, the all-time high that has yet to be broken. Unfortunately, that high was followed by a drop of about 30 percent, with a market correction that brought it down to under $11,000. The price did recover, reaching $16,000 again on Dec. 27.
On 6 August 2013, Federal Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern District of Texas of the Fifth Circuit ruled that bitcoins are "a currency or a form of money" (specifically securities as defined by Federal Securities Laws), and as such were subject to the court's jurisdiction, and Germany's Finance Ministry subsumed bitcoins under the term "unit of account"—a financial instrument—though not as e-money or a functional currency, a classification nonetheless having legal and tax implications.
Security Risk: Bitcoin exchanges are entirely digital and, as with any virtual system, are at risk from hackers, malware and operational glitches. If a thief gains access to a Bitcoin owner's computer hard drive and steals his private encryption key, he could transfer the stolen Bitcoins to another account. (Users can prevent this only if bitcoins are stored on a computer which is not connected to the internet, or else by choosing to use a paper wallet – printing out the Bitcoin private keys and addresses, and not keeping them on a computer at all.) Hackers can also target Bitcoin exchanges, gaining access to thousands of accounts and digital wallets where bitcoins are stored. One especially notorious hacking incident took place in 2014, when Mt. Gox, a Bitcoin exchange in Japan, was forced to close down after millions of dollars worth of bitcoins were stolen.
That crash was made up for by a rally in October and November of that year. By early October, Bitcoin was at about $100, and it hit $195 by the end of the month. In November alone, Bitcoin had an unbelievable rally, going from $200 to more than $1,120. The causes of this rally were fairly obvious to most people, as more miners and exchanges were supporting Bitcoin. In addition, China had entered the marketplace.
In July 2013, a project began in Kenya linking bitcoin with M-Pesa, a popular mobile payments system, in an experiment designed to spur innovative payments in Africa. During the same month the Foreign Exchange Administration and Policy Department in Thailand stated that bitcoin lacks any legal framework and would therefore be illegal, which effectively banned trading on bitcoin exchanges in the country. According to Vitalik Buterin, a writer for Bitcoin Magazine, "bitcoin's fate in Thailand may give the electronic currency more credibility in some circles", but he was concerned it didn't bode well for bitcoin in China.
Transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain. Bitcoin was invented by an unknown person or group of people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto and released as open-source software in 2009. Bitcoins are created as a reward for a process known as mining. They can be exchanged for other currencies, products, and services. Research produced by the University of Cambridge estimates that in 2017, there were 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users using a cryptocurrency wallet, most of them using bitcoin.
One of the first supporters, adopters, contributor to bitcoin and receiver of the first bitcoin transaction was programmer Hal Finney. Finney downloaded the bitcoin software the day it was released, and received 10 bitcoins from Nakamoto in the world's first bitcoin transaction on 12 January 2009. Other early supporters were Wei Dai, creator of bitcoin predecessor b-money, and Nick Szabo, creator of bitcoin predecessor bit gold.
In March the bitcoin transaction log called the blockchain temporarily split into two independent chains with differing rules on how transactions were accepted. For six hours two bitcoin networks operated at the same time, each with its own version of the transaction history. The core developers called for a temporary halt to transactions, sparking a sharp sell-off. Normal operation was restored when the majority of the network downgraded to version 0.7 of the bitcoin software. The Mt. Gox exchange briefly halted bitcoin deposits and the exchange rate briefly dipped by 23% to $37 as the event occurred before recovering to previous level of approximately $48 in the following hours. In the US, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) established regulatory guidelines for "decentralized virtual currencies" such as bitcoin, classifying American bitcoin miners who sell their generated bitcoins as Money Service Businesses (or MSBs), that may be subject to registration and other legal obligations.
The U.S. federal investigation was prompted by concerns of possible manipulation during futures settlement dates. The final settlement price of CME bitcoin futures is determined by prices on four exchanges, Bitstamp, Coinbase, itBit and Kraken. Following the first delivery date in January 2018, the CME requested extensive detailed trading information but several of the exchanges refused to provide it and later provided only limited data. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission then subpoenaed the data from the exchanges.
Exchange hacks. As stated above, an exchange hack has nothing to do with the integrity of the Bitcoin system… but the market freaks out regardless. This trend seems to minimize as users see that cryptos recover from exchange hacks. As exchanges evolve and become more secure, this threat becomes less of an issue. Additionally, outside investments funneling into exchanges are providing the capital for them to grow stronger.
Bitcoin has become more widely traded as of 2017, and both short term traders and long-term investors are looking to participate in this exciting market. The price of bitcoin fluctuates on a daily basis, and can see some significant price volatility. Prices can be affected by numerous influences. Some of the possible drivers of price include: further acceptance, more exchanges opening, regulations, weakening paper currency values, inflation and more.
The overwhelming majority of bitcoin transactions take place on a cryptocurrency exchange, rather than being used in transactions with merchants. Delays processing payments through the blockchain of about ten minutes make bitcoin use very difficult in a retail setting. Prices are not usually quoted in units of bitcoin and many trades involve one, or sometimes two, conversions into conventional currencies. Merchants that do accept bitcoin payments may use payment service providers to perform the conversions.
This is particularly problematic once you remember that all Bitcoin transactions are permanent and irreversible. It's like dealing with cash: Any transaction carried out with bitcoins can only be reversed if the person who has received them refunds them. There is no third party or a payment processor, as in the case of a debit or credit card – hence, no source of protection or appeal if there is a problem.
Computing power is often bundled together or "pooled" to reduce variance in miner income. Individual mining rigs often have to wait for long periods to confirm a block of transactions and receive payment. In a pool, all participating miners get paid every time a participating server solves a block. This payment depends on the amount of work an individual miner contributed to help find that block.


text:
Commerce Department Targets Six More Countries for Digital Attaché Program
New markets show digital trade potential.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that the Department of Commerce Digital Attaché Program will expand to six new markets: South Korea, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Germany and France.
In September the secretary announced the Commerce Department would double the number of global markets serviced by its Digital Attaché program. Introduced as a pilot project earlier this year, the program initially included Brazil, China, the European Union, India, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan. The new markets were selected based on extensive stakeholder feedback and internal evaluation to identify areas with the greatest potential to contribute to the program.
The 12 digital trade officers are commercial officers dedicated to helping U.S. companies navigate in the global digital environment. The Digital Attaché program is part of the department’s comprehensive effort to promote the digital economy and better assist industry’s business needs.


text:
FX & CFD trading involves significant risk
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index fell to 89.7 in April from a final reading of 91.0 in March. Analysts had expected the index to rise at 92.0.
"Concerns have risen about the resilience of consumers in the months ahead. Consumers reported a slowdown in expected wage gains, weakening inflation-adjusted income expectations, and growing concerns that slowing economic growth would reduce the pace of job creation. These apprehensions should ease as the economy rebounds from its dismal start in the first quarter of 2016," the Surveys of Consumers chief economist at the University of Michigan Richard Curtin said.
"Overall, the data now indicate that inflation-adjusted personal consumption expenditures will grow by 2.5% in 2016," he added.
The index of current economic conditions declined to 105.4 in April from 105.6 in March, while the index of consumer expectations decreased to 79.6 from 81.5.
The one-year inflation expectations remained unchanged at 2.7% in March from 2.5% in February.
|remaining time till the new event being published|
All posted material is a marketing communication solely for informational purposes and reliance on this may lead to loss. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Please read our full disclaimer.


text:
Real or fake? That's the question facing women who want a nice bag without the big price tag.
Some shoppers in search of a deal are heading to Facebook online yard sales to buy and sell counterfeit bags that look like Coach, Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
Gary Woolf is in charge of homeland security investigations in Indianapolis and says the agency is seizing knock-offs from store fronts around the country, they're also monitoring websites for online transactions.
"That person you're selling to could be an undercover police officer, undercover federal agent. You never know. "
Federal prosecutors says many people think disclosing a bag is fake gets them off the hook.
Well, it doesn't.
" It's absolutely not a defense if you tell the individual hey this isn't real. Hey, this is a knockoff. You're taking a risk," US attorney Brad Shepard said.
If you go into some flea markets and discount shops, you'll have no problem buying cheap bags with designer looking labels.
But it's not as easy to find out if the bags are real or fake.
The manufacturers generally don't say how to determine if a bag is genuine. They don't want counterfeiters to have that information.
"Anything really that is popular is counterfeited," says luxury consignment shop owner Amber Malott.
Malott and her sister, who own a & a boutique in Wesley Chapel say they absolutely can spot a fake and so can you.
"One of the most counterfeited bag brands that we see is Louis Vuitton & Coach," Mallot said.
The first way to spot a fake Louis bags always line-up down the middle. The IV symbol should also never be cut off.
The same is true for coach bags, its signature c pattern line up in the center.
Malott says another giveaway is the stitching.
"When a bag is fake is the stitching will be very bad. As you can see right here, this stitching is lopsided and crooked."
But to become an expert, you should know the brand.
Really look at the quality of the leather, make sure the imprinting of labels or tags have the appropriate fonts.
Also check the hardware - major brands often have theirs stamped with a name or logo, and they should feel heavy.
"It's very um, easy to see once you know, really learn about it," Malott said.
The bottom line---buying or having a knock off is perfectly legal. But unless you know 100-percent that your bag is real, you shouldn't sell it, it could get you into big trouble.


text:
Bangladesh, Nepal keen to boost bilateral trade
Bangladesh and Nepal are actively pursuing ways to enhance their bilateral trade relations, as evidenced by recent discussions between visiting Bangladesh's State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and Nepalese Commerce Minister Damodar Bhandari.
Their meeting, held at a hotel in Nepal, centered around various issues of mutual interest, with a particular focus on improving connectivity between the Banglabandha port in Bangladesh and Nepal's Kakarbhita port, as well as the expansion of trade between the two nations.
During the discussions, Minister Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury highlighted the geographical proximity of Kakarbhita port to Banglabandha, pointing out that despite being only 37 kilometers away, the land between them belongs to India. The ministers explored possibilities for Nepal to access Bangladesh directly through this route, with plans for collaborative efforts involving Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. This initiative aims to facilitate smoother trade interactions and bolster economic ties between the neighboring countries.
Prior to the meeting in Nepal, Minister Chowdhury visited the Phuentsholing border in Bhutan, passing through the Banglabandha Land Port in Panchagarh district and the Phulbari land port in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, India. At the Phuentsholing border, he was warmly welcomed by Governor Karmi Jurmi and engaged in discussions regarding trade expansion, particularly focusing on the Pasakha land port.
The significance of Banglabandha's proximity to Bhutan's border was also highlighted during the visit, emphasizing its potential as a gateway for enhancing trade activities between Bangladesh and Bhutan. With Banglabandha being only 142 kilometers away from Phuentsholing, there is considerable scope for strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries through improved trade routes and infrastructural developments.


text:
Tag Archives: twin ring motegi
Honda has uploaded yet another set of videos of vehicles from the Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi taking spins in the museum’s backyard. Enjoy the sights and sounds of old motors motoring, just as Soichiro intended.
The Honda Collection Hall museum at Twin Ring Motegi has just uploaded another several videos to their YouTube channel. Following on the series launched earlier this year, several 80s Honda cars and motorcycles get their turn to exercise their engines … Continue reading
The Japanese show Hirake! Ponkikki is a morning kids show akin to Sesame Street. The main characters are a green, adrenaline-junkie dinosaur named Gachapin and a red yeti named Mukku. In this episode, they visit Honda’s Twin Ring Motegi Circuit … Continue reading


text:
By Elizabeth Williamson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Top officials at the Consumer Product Safety Commission repeatedly took costly trips at industry expense after internal reviews that ethics experts say were weak and superficial, including one instance in which the agency's ethics official traveled with the commission chairman as a guest of a regulated industry.
In several cases, the agency made travel bookings before the trips were approved. For another industry-financed trip detailed in internal agency documents, written legal approval came after the trip.
On Friday, acting Chairman Nancy Nord publicly defended the agency's review process for industry-financed travel as "painstaking." She said the purpose of the trips is to "carry our enforcement message to the toy and other industries."
She said none of the travel was illegal because reviews concluded that the trips complied with a federal regulation barring acts that might cause "a reasonable person . . . to question the integrity of agency programs or operations." She told a TV interviewer that "we look to see that there's no conflict of interest, and we look to see that there is no appearance of conflict of interest."
More than 100 pages of documents related to internal reviews of nine out of nearly 30 industry-financed trips include several in which the sponsoring industry had issues before the commission.
The records supplied to The Washington Post by the agency detail how a trip to China by former agency chairman Hal Stratton in 2004 was partly financed by the Toy Industry Association and was approved by the office of then-general counsel John G. Mullan, who traveled with Stratton.
Stratton gave a speech and toured toy factories, and with Mullan accumulated $18,000 in expenses billed to the association, covering five out of 12 days of travel for Stratton.
Nord got the green light for a toy-industry-financed trip to San Francisco in 2005 after the agency's general counsel's office vouched for the trip's legality -- and the general counsel, Page Faulk, then went on the trip. Nord and Faulk spent two days at the four-star InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, attending the Toy Industry Association's annual meeting, the documents state.
The key ethics review memo states at the top that it came from Faulk, whom it describes as the "Designated Agency Ethics Official." But it was signed by someone the CPSC yesterday called "an alternate ethics officer" because Faulk was the traveler.
The memo noted that the association's members make 85 percent of the toys sold in the United States. It also said that the industry had submitted comments on a rule specifying when manufacturers must inform the commission of a product hazard that could lead to a recall, and noted that Faulk was among those charged with reviewing the comments.
The $3,730 tab for Faulk and Nord's trip was to be paid by the Toy Industry Foundation, whose mission, according to the ethics memo, is to help at-risk children "by meeting a vital, yet frequently overlooked, developmental need often missing in their lives -- play."
Nord went early to the city, bringing along her husband for the weekend before the meeting. He is listed as an additional driver of a car that was rented before the weekend and that was billed in its entirety to the toy industry, which paid $171, according to the Thrifty Car Rental bill and a CPSC travel expense report signed by Nord. A CPSC spokeswoman said last night that Nord "believes the charge was appropriate."
Ethics experts who reviewed the documents took issue with Nord's overall defense of industry-financed travel.
"It's never a good idea to have your expenses paid for by a party or parties who will be advocating on a matter before your agency," said a career ethics lawyer at another government agency who requested anonymity because he was not cleared to comment for the record. "It's legal . . . but it is clearly an abuse of discretion. . . . It exhibited at best enormous insensitivity, and at worst outright disdain for the ethical principles of government service."
Agency lawyers also signed off on a private jet trip for Stratton and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to tour a Zippo lighter plant in Pennsylvania and to meet with industry lobbyists, according to the documents. The agency's formal request for an ethics review listed the jet service, not the regulated industry, as the provider of the free flight.
Written legal clearance for that trip was granted more than a week after the visit, although the agency said yesterday that the travel was also approved "orally" by its general counsel. The commission valued the private jet flight at $461, a fare predicated on the cost of the commercial fare back to Washington. At prevailing jet charter rates, the cost would have exceeded $1,500.
Listing the name of the jet company as a sponsor of the travel "raised tons of red flags," said the government ethics lawyer. "It would be like taking a trip to Paris and giving the names of the airlines and hotels as my sponsors."
In April 2004, Stratton took an $11,000 trip to China at the expense of the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory, which said in a letter that it wanted him to "see firsthand the challenges facing the U.S. industry in importing fireworks that comply with CPSC regulations." Stratton has said his nearly 25 industry-financed trips were good opportunities to be in contact with manufacturers. The CPSC said yesterday that it does not regulate that fireworks entity.
In February, Nord, who was a corporate lawyer before taking her post, was asked to recruit paying attendees for a meeting of lawyers who defend manufacturers in product-liability cases. In offering to pay for her trip, Defense Research Institute lawyer Steven Coronado wrote: "I do ask that you assist in marketing by using the brochures you have received and getting them into the hands of people you think might be interested in attending."
Danielle Brian, who directs the Project on Government Oversight, called the request "creepy." After reviewing documents for several trips, she said: "It's as if they're tone-deaf. . . . In every explanation for why 'it's not a conflict,' they make a forceful case for why it is."
In February, the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization -- a broad-based professional group -- balked at the agency's request that it pay for six commission employees to attend its meeting in Orlando. "We totally understand that the presence of the Consumer Product Safety Commission at our meetings is important to our success," the group's chief, Ross Koeser, wrote in an e-mail.
But "ICPHSO is a non-profit organization with an extremely tight budget," and Koeser countered with an offer to "pay for all the Chairman's expenses" and partial expenses for one staff member.
R. David Pittle, who was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon to help found the agency in 1973 and served as a commissioner until 1982, said: "The CPSC is the only thing standing between a consumer and a potentially dangerous product. . . . For me, it doesn't matter if these trips and gratuities pass some legal test -- it's highly inappropriate public policy."
Staff researchers Rena Kirsch and Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.


text:
It’s official – Apple is releasing two new MacBook Pro models. And this time you don’t need to overload adapters because not only are they built using the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, but they also have a more logical port situation.
This article has been updated with further information since it was first published.
Following the success of the M1 MacBook Pro back in November 2020, everyone has been eagerly anticipating the release of the next model, which was expected to have the biggest overhaul we’ve seen since 2016. Apple delivered.
MacBook Pro, Two Models
Apple has given us new MacBook Pros powered by the also new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips — which are the first pro chips designed for the Mac. (More on that below).
Available in 14- and 16-inch models, MacBook Pro is touted by Apple as delivering ‘groundbreaking’ processing, graphics and machine learning performance.
They reckon these new devices have amazing battery life.
Here’s some headlining features:
- Liquid Retina XDR display
- A bunch of ports
- A 1080p FaceTime HD camera
- Upgraded audio system
“Combined with macOS Monterey, which is engineered down to its core to take full advantage of M1 Pro and M1 Max, the user experience is simply unrivalled,” Apple says.
Let’s Unpack The Features
The Liquid Retina XDR display features the mini-LED technology used in the iPad Pro. Apple says the Liquid Retina XDR display delivers up to 1,000 nits of sustained, full-screen brightness, 1,600 nits of peak brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
ProMotion technology also comes to the Mac, featuring an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz. (As seen with the iPhone 13 just recently, ProMotion automatically varies the refresh rate to match what you’re doing on the device).
Larger display — the 16-inch model offers a 16.2-inch display with 7.7 million pixels (the most ever on a Mac notebook). And the 14-inch model gives users more screen real estate, with a 14.2-inch active area and a total of 5.9 million pixels (more pixels than the prior 16-inch MacBook Pro).
We also get thinner borders which extends up around the camera.
Speaking of camera. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that a 720p webcam simply doesn’t cut it anymore; a high-quality webcam is a non-negotiable. And thankfully, Apple has listened to this.
The webcam is now 1080p, just like on the new iMac, which will make your video calls look much better than before.
Ports! Lots Of Ports!
If you’ve purchased a MacBook since 2016, you’ve probably spent a fair bit of time screaming about the severe lack of ports.
While recent models have had as little as two USB-C ports (one of which is used for charging the device) and a 3.5mm headphone jack, MacBook lovers rejoice, because we’re getting more ports!
Both models feature three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SDXC card slot, an HDMI port an improved headphone jack that supports high-impedance headphones.
With M1 Pro, you can now connect up to two Pro Display XDRs, and with M1 Max, this will extend to up to three Pro Display XDRs and a 4K TV. For wireless connectivity, MacBook Pro also features Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
MagSafe Chargers Are Back
In news that has me particularly excited, Apple is bringing back the MagSafe charger.
For years, Apple blessed us with a charger that would magnetically disconnect if you tugged too hard on the cable. I simply cannot stress just how many times this has saved me from sending my MacBook flying across the room when I trip over the cable. But during 2016’s big redesign, this was traded out for a USB-C charger. Ugh.
Thankfully, Apple has finally decided that USB-C chargers are very, very dumb.
MagSafe returns to MacBook Pro with MagSafe 3, which feature an updated design and support more power. Fast charge also comes to the Mac for the first time, charging up to 50 per cent in just 30 minutes.
No Touch Bar On The MacBook Pro
The last time we saw a major MacBook upgrade was in 2016 when Apple gave us the Touch Bar, but it has already decided to axe the feature in this year’s redesign. Yep, the removal of Apple’s much-maligned Touch Bar is something the majority of you wanted gone.
Instead, the Pro keyboard has a row of physical function keys as the universe intended. The new keyboard is set in a black well, surrounded by silver aluminium with a giant trackpad.
Powerful New Chips: M1 Pro and M1 Max
The MacBook Pros run on Apple’s newest chips, the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Both new chips sport up to 10 CPU cores (eight high-performance and two efficient), delivering 70 per cent faster performance than M1, according to Apple.
Here’s where they differ: The M1 Pro has a 16-core GPU, which Apple says promises up to two times faster graphics performance than M1, with up to 200 GB/s of memory bandwidth, nearly three times M1, and 32GB of RAM. The M1 Pro, which is based on 5-nanometre architecture, has 33.7 billion transistors, more than twice that of M1. According to Apple, the M1 Pro’s graphics performance is up to 7 times faster than the integrated graphics on MSI’s GP66 Leopard.
The M1 Max is even more pro than M1 Pro, with up to 400 GB/s of memory bandwidth, twice that of M1 Pro and six times that of M1. The M1 Max can be configured with up to 64GB of RAM and has 57 billion transistors. The 10-core CPU is the same as M1 Pro, but the 32-core GPU delivers four times faster GPU performance than M1. Apple said the M1 Max delivers the same graphics performance as the Razer Blade 15 Advance but with 40 per cent less power.
Apple pointed out how this performance will play out in real-world use cases. In Final Cut Pro, video analysis for object-tracking is up to five times faster than with M1, and ProRes video transcode is 10 times faster.
MacBook Pro Pricing and Availability Release Date
You can order the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models today via the Apple Store, and they will be available beginning Tuesday, 26 October.
- The 14-inch MacBook Pro model starts at RRP $2,999 (RRP $2,769 for education)
- The 16-inch MacBook Pro model starts at RRP $3,749 (RRP $3,449 for education)
- macOS Monterey will be available as a free software update on October 25
You can read more on macOS Monterey over here.


text:
Triumph’s limited edition Rocket 3 TFC is a reminder that Brits are still building some seriously badass bikes. The model was completely redesigned for 2019 & just for kicks, they made a limited monster: a sport-cruiser ridiculously over-powered by a 2,500cc three-cylinder that cranks out 168 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque. Hint: hold on tight. Only 225 of these big triples will reach the U.S. market.
Get our newsletter
Keep up on the latest gear and deals.


text:
In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Angel’s Envy’s Founder’s Day on August 19, the distillery released a new bourbon finished in Japanese Mizunara oak casks. This blend of four-year-old and nine-year-old whiskey spent an additional two years in these new charred oak casks, made from 200-year-old trees, during which it picked up a bouquet of floral notes including sandalwood, coffee, and a bit of smoke. “We chose this release for the tenth anniversary because my dad, having taken on several consulting roles in Japan during his career, always had a deep appreciation for the country and its distilling community,” said cofounder and chief innovation officer Wes Henderson in a prepared statement. “This release, finished in Mizunara casks made from this rare, 200-year-old wood, felt fitting for such a special milestone for Angel’s Envy.”
This is a first for the distillery, and it really stands out in terms of flavor from its core range that is finished in port and rum barrels. “When we set out on this project, we knew where we wanted to end up, but we also knew we might not wind up there,” said Henderson in a recent Zoom meeting. His son and production manager Kyle detailed the difficult and lengthy process of getting ahold of these barrels, which he said are extremely limited and tightly controlled by the Japanese government. It took about five years in total to procure them, and 18 months of that time was spent on a waiting list.
According to Kyle, the blend of whiskey is about 55% four-year-old and 45% nine-year-old liquid. The younger whiskey was specifically chosen because it allowed for greater extraction from the wood. During the finishing period samples were pulled less frequently than usual, every three to four months, to check on the progress of the whiskey. And while the porous nature of the Mizunara oak allows for greater interaction between the liquid and the wood, it also means the angel’s share was doubled — approximately 33% was lost in the two years inside the barrels, according to Kyle.
Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak Casks is bottled at 97.8 proof, and comes in a lead-free decanter that is meant to be cleaned up and reused once it’s empty. 1,200 bottles will be available to the public for purchase starting September 1 for $349.99 at the distillery and select retailers, with a one bottle per customer limit.
- The 11 Best Whiskies for Whiskey Sours This 2022, According to Bartenders
- Little Book Chapter 4: Lessons Honored is a Conceptual Whiskey
- Wild Turkey Releases Two New Limited Edition Whiskeys
- Kentucky’s New Riff Distillery Has Released a Peated Bourbon and Rye
- Here’s to the New Year: 20-Year-Old Whiskies to Drink in 2022


text:
H.H. Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director-General of Dubai Department of Information, officially inaugurated the 11th edition of Paperworld Middle East and the co-located Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East at Dubai World Trade Centre today.
During the tour, Sheikh Hasher spoke with some of the industry’s biggest players, including Ittihad Paper Mill, Hoshan Pan Gulf, Crystal Arc Factory, Al Jarir Group and Navigator Paper, as well as looking through international pavilions from South Africa, Germany, and Turkey.
Running until Thursday, November 17, the dual events this year have a strong focus on products made from sustainable, ethical resources, as well as top-level industry content running throughout the first two days by way of The Hub Forum.
Returning for a second consecutive year, The Hub Forum is one of the region’s leading platforms.
Uniting industry experts, thought-leaders, analysts, and leading industry players in e-commerce, digital, and sustainable trends, they will be discussing the way forward for the paper, stationery, office supply and gift industry.
During the opening keynote, Salem Abedin, Head of Commercial, E-commerce Division at DP World, discussed the latest supporting factors that are driving B2B trade in the MENA region, including smartphone B2B e-commerce, omnichannel strategies to ensure client expectations are always met, a growth in O-2-O-2-O – or online-to-offline-to-online – and the concept of business-to-everyone, also known as B2E.
“At DP World, we are constantly building a flexible and interoperable e-commerce architecture to support the complexities of the sector,”
“We’re developing solutions to deal with several challenges, such as larger order quantities, variable prices, more products, and tighter delivery deadlines – all of which put a strain on existing supply chains.
“Yet it is through partnerships, collaborations, and sharing of ideas that a real difference can be made. Events such as these are pivotal in changing the landscape of trade and e-commerce in our region and across the world.”
Also speaking as part of the morning sessions was Vibhor Khandelwal, Vice President – Commercial at Noon, who detailed the evolution of the Middle East’s e-commerce market during a panel discussion focused on a post-pandemic boom and digital transformation.
“When I started working with Souq in back in 2013, the market wasn’t matured in terms of an ecosystem,”
“The categories were dominated by two to three players, but since then, we have seen this grow to 15-20. Going digital is a key component of growth in our industry and allows for quick growth.
“The pandemic accelerated the outdoor and kids’ gifting sectors, and we had a lot of storefront sellers come to us to shift their offerings to digital. The current e-commerce penetration in the Middle East sits at around 12 per cent compared to the west, where it is up at 20 per cent. Where the Middle East is leading is electronics and mobiles, where we sit at 50 per cent penetration. It also isn’t down to price here in the Middle East either, consumers are more interested in receiving products as quickly as possible, so we have witnessed an increase in what we now call quick commerce, or ‘Q-Commerce’ as it is called in the industry.”
The dual events are this year hosting 316 exhibitors from more than 40 countries, an increase of 68 per cent on last year’s events. For international participation, there are nine country pavilions from Germany, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Russia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the UK.
News Source: Emirates News Agency


text:
Among other victims of the recession, brands have taken a beating. Private labels have gained market share. Consumers are cutting back. Retailers are turning up the heat. According to panelists who gathered to discuss brand strategy at a recent Wharton Marketing Conference titled, “Connecting with the Evolving Consumer,” marketers need to be especially innovative when it comes to making sense of the shifting economy — and profiting from it.
What does a down economy do to consumer behavior? Most obviously, it makes people less eager to open up their wallets. According to Janelle James, vice president for global marketing at advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide, recent research shows that 80% to 90% of people are willing to trade off or trade down when it comes to shopping. Moreover, said Chris Kuenne, CEO of independent interactive agency Rosetta, many of those customers might not bounce back with the economy. He likened the effect to “a one-way membrane — it’s not like everyone’s going to go back to work [when the recession ends] and become much less value-sensitive.”
But the general consumer pullback masks some interesting dynamics that marketers could benefit from. “In addition to assessing brands and whether [they are] going to trade off or trade down, people are starting to change what they’re doing with their time,” James said. That means less going out and more focus on home and family. One firm that has responded to this trend in its messaging is Walmart, whose advertisements go beyond just touting low prices and instead seek to show how those savings can contribute to customers’ lives. That’s an especially important emphasis at a time when economic reversals have led to a “trust deficit” between citizens and corporations, James noted.
Trading off and trading down is not happening across the board, however, said Eric Smith, who oversees the Norelco shaving business as a director of marketing for Philips Consumer Lifestyle. “Consumers are either trading down or staying within premium.” In other words, the middle range of products has suffered far more than the top-of-the-line items that are bought either by wealthy consumers or by people who have decided that shaving — among other select activities — happens to be one of the categories where they are willing to pay more for a little luxury or quality assurance. But since mid-range customers are most brands’ bread-and-butter, the overall trend still means that “price is becoming a bigger part of the equation than we’ve seen in the past.”
That is true even in categories once perceived as immune to the economic cycle. “There were a lot of jokes that we would be the only thing that was recession-proof,” said Douglas Brand, a senior brand manager overseeing Chunky Soup and Chili for Campbell Soup Co. “I think we’re finding now that nothing is recession-proof.” Consumers’ tendency to do a mental calculation of value — quality divided by price — has trickled down from major purchases like cars and refrigerators to minor ones, like cans of soup. “It challenges us, as marketers, to be on the top of our game. There’s no free lunch anymore. No pun intended.”
According to Lisa Gunther, global director for marketing and brand management at Newell Rubbermaid, one of her firm’s success stories during this recession has been Calphalon. The cookware brand has thrived in part because of the trend of staying at home, but also because “Calphalon has capitalized [on that trend] by saying, ‘Hey, you can really have a superior experience [cooking], and you can share this with your friends in a superior way,'” Gunther noted. On top of that, marketing for the product line has emphasized its technological leaps — a degree of quality generic lines can’t ensure. “Consumers are looking for reassurance [about their purchases] during uncertain times.”
In fact, several panelists stressed that marketers should be aware of the anxieties buffeting potential customers. To Laura Beech, director of online acquisitions and partnerships for American Express, that means helping to simplify consumers’ lives where possible. “It has obviously been a year of a lot of uncertainty,” Beech said. “Am I going to have my job? Am I going to have my house? What’s next? So what’s important is staying authentic, staying consistent.” One example is the firm’s Blueprint set of tools to help people better manage money — a way of emphasizing the brand’s core identity while also appealing to consumers’ desire to feel in control. “Showing [customers] that [during the recession] Amex will do what it always has done is important. It’s security.”
Brand agreed. “There are a lot of things in their lives that are out of control…. What we can do as brands is to try our best to make the consumer feel savvy.” At Campbell’s, that has meant emphasizing the venerable manufacturer’s quality by highlighting nutritional information, moving it to the front of the packaging. “Every little decision does matter.” The goal, he said, is to reassure customers that in buying a particular brand, “I made a good decision. Maybe there aren’t good decisions being made around me. Banks are investing in bad mortgages. But with the money that I have, I’m doing the right thing and controlling my controllables.”
Gunther said that Newell Rubbermaid had done a similar overhaul on the packaging for its Shurline brand of paint applicators. Though Shurline operates in a decidedly non-sexy category — one where brand recognition is around 5% — research has shown that customers’ desire for more control included wanting to actually touch the paint applicators’ bristles before buying them. With a packaging redesign that allowed consumers to interact with the product, Shurline’s sales remained flat during the past year, even as the overall category fell by 30%, Gunther said.
Threat of Private Labels
Panel moderator Patti Williams, a Wharton professor of marketing who studies the role of emotion in consumption, said that offering a greater sense of control and certainty “goes a long way towards thinking about how to help consumers manage those emotions that might get in the way of customer loyalty.”
According to Philips’ Smith, losing that loyalty is a persistent danger because of the rising market share of private labels. “Once you lose a consumer to a private label, if it does a decent job, you’re not going to get them back.”
Kuenne said there were “three weapons” in the fight against private labels. One is innovation. “The moment when the value proposition of your product begins to collide with those of private labels, you have a very, very big problem,” he noted. “You should have a continuous pipeline of ways of differentiating your product.” The second is managing a product throughout its logical life cycles. As it becomes less new and less differentiated, prices should fall to reflect the product’s lower, entry-level status. According to Kuenne, Gillette did this successfully by introducing the pricey Fusion razor as generic versions of its Mach Three razor came online.
Finally, brands should work with retailers on category management for when they square off against private labels. “What happens to retailers when they squeeze branded items off the shelf?” Kuenne asked. “Private labels only work when there’s a branded competitor that establishes a price umbrella under which the private label can operate.” By “rationalizing the shelf,” he said, everyone wins: Stores get sales, consumers get choice, and brands get an adequate amount of shelf space.
That partnership with retailers isn’t always easy, Kuenne added. Brands might have to concede more in negotiations than they are used to. But one thing they can share is consumer insights, Brand noted. “We can go to the retailers and say, ‘I’m the Campbell Soup Company. No one knows the soup shopper better than the Campbell Soup Company.’ You can’t allow [retailers] to out-understand [your consumers].” By sharing insight and news of products still in the pipeline, a manufacturer can help shape the way a retailer thinks about what products to stock and where to put them.
Keeping Up with Consumers
Meanwhile, the Internet has given companies new ways to reach out to and interact with consumers while their attitudes toward brands have changed along with the economy. One channel has been the growing number of online forums devoted to particular customer segments — like Café Mom, an information-sharing site aimed at mothers. “It’s important for consumers to see that companies are listening to them,” said Beech, who argued that in a time of Facebook, blogs and Twitter feeds, “being relevant” is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.
Of course, when conversation about a brand isn’t happening organically on independent online real estate, there are things marketers can do to spur attention. “You can’t force someone to talk about your product,” said Angi Rassi, a marketing manager for General Mills who currently oversees the Kid Yoplait brand of yogurt. “It really keeps us on our game when we play in this space.”
Rassi, who spoke on a separate panel titled, “The Era of the Empowered Consumer,” said General Mills takes a three-step approach to “invite people into the conversation.” Consumers might be offered coupons, then steered towards a dynamic new product and finally invited into the process to offer feedback. Brands might maintain a Facebook or Twitter presence, or work with a site like Café Mom. “We’re engaging consumers where they already are,” she said.
But General Mills also has a couple of proprietary networks, including My Blog Spark, which engages upwards of 2,700 bloggers “who have signed up to receive the latest and greatest inside tips and news,” Rassi said. “So we know them very well. We don’t always reach out to all of them with all information, but we would reach out if we knew it was something they were very passionate about.” A second network includes 175,000 consumers who sign up to get new products in the mail. “These are the people who talk to their friends about everything,” she said. But nowadays, instead of just doing it over the backyard fence, they can spread news far and wide via online communications.
One population marketers can count on to spread the word is teenage girls. “Teenage girls think everybody wants to know about them, their love life and even their facial care products,” said Rassi’s co-panelist Katie Cheng, a group product director responsible for Johnson & Johnson’s Clean and Clear brand. “Also, they think anybody can be famous.” Combining those insights, Cheng’s firm marketed a facial product called “Morning Bust” through a contest that had users submit 15-second videos to YouTube of a college roommate waking up. With winners earning the right to produce a commercial that would premiere during the inaugural episode of a new MTV show, the goal was to have the user-generated videos go viral themselves.
“The buzz that was generated on that program had a huge halo effect for the Clean and Clear brand,” Cheng said, who noted that shipments were up 80% over the previous year.
Still, Cheng cautioned that the myriad new voices marketers are now able to monitor — or even influence — shouldn’t distract them from also following the protocols of traditional market research. “It’s so easy to have the knee-jerk reaction of: ‘Oh, but we heard that the consumer wants this,’ and, ‘Oh, we heard that this is something we should provide.’…Traditional marketing research, where you take the time … to really think about how to provide a benefit to the consumer and what she really wants, is something that you have to keep in mind when developing materials even though you feel like you’ve gotten a lot of feedback from stuff that’s [considered] ‘instant.'” Given the challenges brand managers are facing today, “we … have to maintain a distinction between what is legitimate information and what is nice-to-know information, and focus on what is actionable.”


text:
- West Country
- 3 updates
A cake shop in Exeter did its best today to look as drab as possible.
The "Cake a doodle do" shop renamed itself "The depressed cake shop" where every item was grey.
The idea was to raise money and awareness for a mental health charity.
Richard Lawrence reports:
Kate Shirazi, owner of the Cakeadoodledoo shop in Exeter, explains why her shop was looking as drab as possible today.
It's all part of the nationwide Depressed Cake Shop charity event, aiming to raise awareness of mental health problems:
A pop-up cake shop which only sells grey cakes opens in Exeter today. The Depressed Cake Shop charity initiative was set up by the specialist food creative consultant Emma Thomas. It aims to raise awareness of mental illness, and the therapeutic impact of baking.
All proceeds from today's sale go to mental health charities, with many of the contributing bakers having experience of mental health conditions.
Similar stunts held across the UK have already raised thousands of pounds for charity.


text:
The city of San Francisco has recovered nearly $845,000 from 19 restaurants that allegedly charged customers for the cost of complying with a universal health care law but did not use most of the money for that purpose, the city attorney announced Wednesday.
Dennis Herrera said the money came from eateries that took advantage of a one-time amnesty program his office announced in January. As part of the program, restaurants with large gaps between the surcharges they collected from customers and the amount they spent on health care for their workers only had to pony up half of what the city claimed they owed.
About 1,500 employees of the 19 companies will be eligible for a share of the $844,644 the city has recouped so far, an average of $563 per person. They include workers at such popular establishments as 5A5 Steak Lounge, Cafe Flore, Amber India and the restaurants owned by chef Michael Mina.
"For restaurants that haven't yet come forward, it's still very much in their interest to do so voluntarily," Herrera said. "I can't guarantee the same favorable terms reflected in today's settlements, but cooperative engagement is better and more cost-effective than lawsuits."
Since 2009, San Francisco has required businesses with at least 20 workers to set aside an extra $1 to $3 an hour per worker and give the money to the city to provide health care for residents without private insurance who are ineligible for Medicare or Medi-Cal. Many responded by adding Healthy San Francisco surcharges of between 3 and 5 percent to customer receipts.
The Associated Press reported last year that restaurants and other businesses in San Francisco collected almost $14 million in extra fees in 2011 from their patrons, but that roughly 40 percent of that money hadn't been spent on their workers' health care.
Another 30 restaurants also applied to take part in the amnesty offer, but have not yet reached settlements with the city, Herrera said.


text:
The Moto X+1 is a handset that is supposed to be the successor to the Moto X from back in 2013. Unfortunately not much is known about the device for now, save for some potential customization options like the ability to choose a leather backplate in addition to wood and your normal assortment of colors.
However thanks to a listing by Brazilian retailer, Livraria Logos, they have uploaded the specs of the upcoming handset. Now you’re probably thinking that they’re using placeholder specs and you might be right, however the retailer was also the one responsible for revealing the Moto E’s specs a couple of days ahead of the official announcement, so perhaps there could be some truth to their claims.
In any case according to their claims, the Moto X+1 will sport a 5.2-inch display with a Full HD resolution. For those hoping that it would be a QHD display, sorry to disappoint! The handset will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset clocked at 2.26GHz. Once again we’re not sure why they didn’t go with the 801 or 805, but perhaps it could be to help keep costs down.
The Moto X+1 will also sport 2GB of RAM, a 12MP rear-facing camera, a 5MP front-facing camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, 3G/4G connectivity, 32GB of onboard storage that can be expanded via microSD, and a 2,900mAh with Android 4.4.4 KitKat running the show. Take it with a grain of salt for now, but what do you guys make of these specs?


text:
At the Jesús Grocery Store on 22nd Street and Lehigh Avenue on Friday, five customers at a time visited the bodega. Some rushed to use the ATM before catching a SEPTA bus, or they waited to pay for cheesesteaks, home fries, and other comfort foods prepared at the store. Others purchased cleaning products and toilet paper.
Francisco Peralta, 45, owns the store and has been serving a predominantly African American community in North Philadelphia for the last four years. He said Friday’s brisk business was the first time he’d seen such activity in recent days.
“Either people got paid or the weather seems appealing [to go out], but if things continue as we’ve seen, I’ll have to close the store in two weeks,” he said of the previous dramatic drop in business.
It’s been just over a week since the City of Philadelphia issued the stay-at-home order that instructed nonessential businesses to shut down and banned large gatherings. Under these guidelines, supermarkets and bodegas such as Peralta’s are considered “life-sustaining” businesses, offering food and other essential services.
But some North Philly corner-store owners fear the outbreak could put them out of business, at least temporarily. They expressed concern about the health risks their employees face and the economic toll the pandemic is having on their customers who face job loss and no income.
Peralta said sales at his store have dropped 50% in the last two weeks. Despite its location, where two SEPTA bus routes stop, he worries that reduced store hours, the shuttered Dobbins Technical High School across the street, and the large drop in the use of public transportation will not allow him to pay his four employees and his bills. He owes $767 a week on his bodega’s mortgage, and pays each employee an average of $130 for a 12-hour day. That’s in addition to his other bills and the cost of merchandise.
“If we don’t have access to loans that guarantee our sustainability during this crisis, most bodegas will soon be out of business,” he said, wearing gloves and a mask as he stood behind the counter.
He said having customers follow social distancing rules has been a challenge. Some don’t respect the guidelines and get into disputes with other customers and employees. To keep things clean, he said, his workers wipe refrigerator doors and surfaces every 30 minutes with disinfectants.
Similar steps have been taken by Enerolina Meléndez, 48, who has been the owner of the Rodríguez Grocery on Ninth and Cumberland Streets for the last 22 years. She said that some bodegas in North Philadelphia have already temporarily closed after going from an average of $3,000 a day in sales to $500. In addition to health and economic concerns, she said, mom-and-pop store owners in the neighborhood are already seeing a rise in cost of some products from wholesale outlets. Others fear a potential increase in criminal activity as residents run out of money.
“The pandemic just overflowed the cup,” she said of the challenges of running a small business and now dealing with the coronavirus.
Considered a veteran business leader in the North Philadelphia bodega community, Meléndez said store owners who currently pay both rent or a mortgage on a home and their store are severely affected by the pandemic.
Locals estimate there are 1,100 bodegas in Philadelphia, 75% owned by the Dominican community.
According to Biz2Credit’s annual report, the average revenue of Latino-owned small businesses nationwide, including bodegas, increased to $479,413 in 2019 from $327,189 in 2018.
On March 23, the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) launched the COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund, a $9 million program that offers new grants and zero-interest loans for small businesses affected by the coronavirus.
The relief fund program features three tiers, one a micro-enterprise grant that offers $5,000 to businesses with less than $500,000 in annual revenue.
Jimmy Durán, former program director for the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said most Latino-owned businesses fall into this tier of the fund, which he said does not meet businesses needs. He said bodega owners across the city may need more than $20,000 each to cover monthly expenses.
“The program is not addressing the problem," he said, "because there is no way this amount will get businesses out of this unprecedented economic hole.”
Durán said business owners can also apply for Economic Injury Disaster Relief Loans, and now have the option to apply for the Small Business Paycheck Protection Plan approved Friday by the federal government.
The challenge, Durán said, is to get Latino small business owners to take advantage of these programs.
“We need technical assistance in Spanish," he said. "People who can digest sophisticated language into something more conversational to be able to help business owners apply for relief while they are in shock and taking care of business and family.”
Meléndez said she receives calls daily from bodega owners who need guidance on relief efforts or how to run a store during these circumstances. She said most corner-store owners aren’t web-savvy and need help filling out online applications.
“We are waiting for the moment we can see them face-to-face and help them go through the procedures," she said, "but by that time, it will be too late.”


text:
Today we take a little gander at a pitch from Stephen McBride over at RiskHedge, he’s selling a new service called Disruption Trader (charter memberships “on sale” for $2,000, no refunds), and the sales pitch, as always, includes both a freebie idea and a “top secret” one.
That newsletter is new, so we don’t know much about it yet — apparently it’s the “upgrade” option for his Disruption Investor (which we’ve covered several times), and he says these are simple investments… they might be small caps or microcaps, but not options or more convoluted strategies, he says he’s just looking for “small American stocks that are growing at hyper speeds.”
So what’s being pitched? He leads us into the freebie thus…
“This stock is essentially ‘Twist 2.0.’
“It is, hands down, the perfect stock to own as the tech panic takes hold.
“Just like Twist, it’s creating an entirely new industry from scratch.
“Scientists believe its technology could cure human aging.
“And it’s an earlier-stage company—only 1/3 the size of Twist.”
Before we get too far I should at least tell you what he gives away “for free”, and that’s that this first stock is Quanterix (QTRX). We’ll get into what Quanterix does a little bit more in a minute, but what’s with this “tech panic” he’s talking about? Here’s how he describes it…
“Now, the tech panic is imminent.
“But it’s not a ‘panic’ in the way you might normally think of it.
“It’s a once-in-25-years event that will leave behind giant, overvalued stocks like Tesla and Amazon…
“…and see investors panic INTO a NEW generation of smaller, faster-growing stocks.
“Just like the last three times a tech panic transformed America.”
So that sounds like he’s teasing this phase of development as leading to another “FOMO panic,” where people invest willy-nilly because they’re afraid of missing out on the next big thing… and where some of those “next big thing” stocks actually do change the world have post amazing performance. I’d say we’ve gotten inklings of that already, with some of the crazy moves in electric vehicle stocks last year, but McBride goes on and compares this particular moment to three of the biggest market shifts in history…
“The first wave was in the 1920s, when personal cars were the breakthrough technology.
“The Dow gained about 160% in the 1920s…
“While Mack Trucks gained over 400%… Nash automakers gained over 700%… General Motors gained over 1,200%….
“Then in the ‘50s, the first generation of computers was the breakthrough technology….
“The S&P more than tripled in the ‘50s…
“… and Xerox and IBM gained over 2,000%… and Texas Instruments, a microchip make


text:
By Marisa Méndez & Symone Garvett from Remodeling Magazine
Since June, color companies have announced their predictions for what color will be 2018’s defining hue. While fashionistas and color enthusiasts are still anticipating what Pantone will pick for its 2018 color of the year, below you will find what colors paint companies think will adorn your remodels in 2018:
Dunn-Edwards elected The Green Hour as its 2018 color. The grayed blue-green “has dual personalities of being moody, dramatic and intense, while still grounding and tranquil, acting as a neutral,” Sara McLean, color expert and stylist for Dunn-Edwards, said in a press release.
Olympic Paint unveiled its 2018 Color of the Year pick as Black Magic. Explained as an “often misunderstood neutral,” this shade of black aims to contradict the soft grays and blush pinks trending in 2017.
Behr not only announced its traditional color palette for 2018, but also it’s first-ever color of the year: In the Moment. It’s a blue-green hue that accents society’s desire to disconnect and creates “a serene backdrop to unwind and recharge,” according to the company.
Glidden also went bold with its color choice this year. It’s 2018 pick is Deep Onyx. “The sense of ease and authenticity it brings to a home can’t be denied,” said Misty Yeomans, PPG color marketing manager, in a press release. “Just like a little black dress, Deep Onyx is a classic, timeless staple.”
Benjamin Moore named Caliente as its choice for 2018. The red hue is “strong, radiant, and full of energy … It is pleasing, passionate, and makes people feel special, like ‘red carpet treatment,'” Ellen O’Neill, Benjamin Moore’s director of strategic design intelligence, said in a press release.
Oceanside, Sherwin-Williams’ 2018 color, has “intense dimension,” Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, said in a press release. “It is a tremendously versatile color, and harmonizes with other diverse color groups.”
We are a family-owned design, build, and remodel firm based in Snohomish County with 30 years of experience working on award winning projects in Washington. We’ve won awards including the 2020 Rex/T-Rex Remodeling Excellence Award, 2019 BIAW Excellence in Remodeling Award, 2018 Chrysalis Award, the 2016 Rex/T-Rex Remodeling Excellence Award, Best of Houzz Service Award for 2015 & 2016. We are proud members of NARI and of the Master Builders Association of King & Snohomish County.
We look forward to helping you
Reimagine. Remodel. Relove.


text:
Late last month, Porsche pulled the wraps off the new Macan GTS. To go along with the new Macan model, Porsche has also announced that it will be bringing new features to the rest of the Macan line as well. Models will get a new enhanced infotainment system and more comfort features.
The latest generation of Porsche Communication Management (PCM) is now standard in the Macan, which includes a new 7-inch multi-touch screen, an improved UI, real-time navigation, Apple Car Play support, and a Wi-fi hotspot. Full LED headlights are optional for all models of the Macan, and a new steering controller gives a more direct steering experience.
The Macan Turbo gets extended exterior and interior packages letting buyers customize the car even more than before. Turbo buyers can get 911 Turbo 21-inch wheels, smoked rear tail lights, sports exhaust, and Alcantara trim with contrast stitching.
European pricing for the new Macan lineup starts at 61,143 euros for the Macan S, 60,548 euros for Macan S diesel, 73,400 euros for Macan GTS, and 83,753 euros for Macan Turbo. U.S. pricing has yet to be announced.
Source:: 95 Octane