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(OXM - Get Report)
jumped late after the Atlanta-based fashion apparel maker announced its acquisition of Sugartown Worldwide Inc., which owns the women's brand Lilly Pulitzer.
Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed in a press release announcing the transaction but Oxford said in a Form 8-K filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
that the all-cash acquisition carried a purchase price of $60 million, and that the deal includes an earnout agreement allowing for the payment of an additional $20 million in cash over the next four years if the acquired assets achieve certain performance targets.
Oxford, whose other brands include Tommy Bahama and Ben Sherman, also said it expects the Lilly Pulitzer business to contribute more than $70 million in sales in fiscal 2011, adding earnings of roughly 40 cents a share to its results.
The stock was last quoted at $24.35, up 9.8%, on volume of around 54,000, according to
. Based on a regular session close at $22.17, the shares had gained 5.5% year-to-date.
was a gainer in after-hours action, rising 4% to $22 on volume of around 250,000. After Tuesday's closing bell, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based maker of infrastructure software beat Wall Street's expectations for its fiscal fourth-quarter results handily and announced its board's approval of a $300 million stock buyback program.
TIBCO said its non-GAAP profit for the three months ended Nov. 30 came in at $53.8 million, or 31 cents a share, on revenue of $241.2 million, well ahead of the average estimate of analysts polled by
for earnings of 28 cents a share on revenue of $228.5 million.
The company said the new $300 million repurchase authorization replaces its existing program, which still had about $159 million left on it.
Based on a regular session close at $21.18, TIBCO shares had gained an impressive 120% so far in 2010, and Wall Street had grown cautious about how much higher the stock could go from those levels. Of the 13 analysts covering the shares, eight had either hold (7) or underperform (1) ratings, and while the remaining five analysts rated the stock a buy, the median 12-month price target of the group stands at $18.50, nearly 13% below current levels.
Written by Michael Baron in New York.
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - Coffee shop chain Starbucks is hoping its customers are craving a little whole grain with their low-fat lattes.
The company that hooked Americans on fancy espresso drinks plans to revive its flagging U.S. business with help from a range of new healthy breakfast offerings -- including oatmeal, multigrain rolls, energy bars, protein plates and apple bran muffins.
The move is part of a larger effort to take Seattle-based Starbucks' food in a new direction. It's a big move for the company that has a loyal following of latte and specialty coffee fans -- despite persistent complaints about its food.
Critics have been vocal about Starbucks specialties like the 510-calorie, 16-ounce Grande Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Creme or its innocent-looking Cranberry Orange Scone that packs the same punch as McDonald's 450-calorie Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
The company has taken calories out of many of its drinks by simply switching to 2 percent milk from whole milk. It has added fresh fruit, healthier lunch items and a new line of fruit smoothies. Artificial trans fats have been eliminated and calories and fats have been whittled from baked goods.
Katie Thomson, Starbucks' senior nutritionist, recently spoke with Reuters about the company's ever-changing menu.
Q: What is Starbucks' philosophy on nutrition and how has it evolved during the company's history?
A: "It is really about listening to what our customers have been asking for and adjusting our portfolio according to their needs. In the past, it's been about customers looking for reduced-fat and low-fat options. Reduced fat coffee cakes became a core part of our line-up because they met that customer need.
"Our customers have been evolving in their health and wellness needs and are now looking for more whole grains, more real fruit, more protein and more fiber, especially for breakfast."
Q: Does that mean customers won't be able to find things like doughnuts and scones in your stores?
A: "We believe indulgent products have a place in everybody's diet. As a dietitian, I fully believe that. You should be able to come in and get your coffee and a doughnut on a day that fits you. We can make those indulgent products high-quality, delicious, and still more moderate in calories and fat. That's the goal. It's a way for our customers to still indulge but to feel better about."
Q: What is the company's stance on posting calorie counts in stores?
A: "We have posted in New York and will do so with all the other cities, counties and states that are under similar regulations. We also provide more detailed information (in stores and online) to help customers make the decision that's right for them.
"We provide what the calories are for a pump of syrup, a dollop of whip cream and give suggestions on how to make the products lower in calories, fat and added sugar -- whatever people are looking for."
6 months ago

domain: news


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Spotify has been granted a patent which would allow them to monitor users’ speech. This access will let the streaming platform collect data to enhance their algorithm and boos their music recommendations.
Music Business Worldwide first reported this news, the patent was filed for in 2018 and was approved earlier this month on January 12th. In the streaming giants application, Spotify said that the technology would work by retrieving audio, including voice signals and background noise, to understand “content metadata” about users’ emotional state, gender, age and accents.
The patent also states that Spotify would rely on information such as “intonation, stress, rhythm and the likes of units of speech”. The platform states that these factors would discover whether a user is feeling, “happy, angry, sad or neutral”.
The streaming platform would also gain access to users’ environments. This technology applies to physical environments, i.e. whether they are inside or outside and social environment and whether they are by themselves or with others.
Spotify will be able to gather this information from “sounds from vehicles on a street, other people talking, birds chirping, printers printing, and so on”. Spotify claims that in “the field of on-demand media streaming services, it is common for a media streaming application to include features that provide personalized media recommendations to a user.”
In a statement given to Pitchfork earlier today, a company representative commented: “Spotify has filed patent applications for hundreds of inventions, and we regularly file new applications. Some of these patents become part of future products, while others don’t.
“Our ambition is to create the best audio experience out there, but we don’t have any news to share at this time.”


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Cox Automotive to acquire German pkwNOW auction platform
Cox Automotive is planning to acquire pkwNOW, a leading dealer-to-dealer (D2D) online auction platform in Germany.
Headquartered in Lüdenscheid, pkwNOW covers dealer and export vehicles, lease returns and fleet vehicles.
Cox said the acquisition would help it to scale its remarketing capability in Germany as well as increasing the volume of cars sold every year. It will also help improve Cox Automotive’s digital customer offering in Germany – the business has recently launched an artificial intelligence capability in its Manheim Express application.
Martin Forbes, president of Cox Automotive International, said: “PkwNOW is a business in Germany that we have admired for some time, with clear synergies between their services and those within our Manheim Express digital auction portfolio. In acquiring additional German market expertise from pkwNOW, we plan to combine this with our innovative digital-first roadmap to truly transform the vehicle auctions business throughout Germany and Continental Europe.”
PkwNOW’s CEO Rick Cebulla will continue to lead the business and Cox added that the acquisition is another step towards realising its growth plans within Europe.
Sebastian Fuchs, managing director of Manheim Express, added: “We have ambitious growth plans for Cox Automotive to become a major player in markets such as France, Spain and Italy. We hope to see Manheim Express trading over 100,000 cars by 2023, with similar growth aspirations for the other brands in our portfolio. The acquisition of pkwNOW and the footprint into Germany that this now gives us is a key step towards realising our growth ambitions.”


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- This event has passed.
Net Zero Energy Festival
September 17, 2022 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm UTC+0
The Burlington 2030 District’s founding partner Burlington Electric Department is hosting a Net Zero Energy Festival on Saturday, September 17 from 9am-1pm. The festival will feature electric bike demos, EV ride and drives, heat pump and solar panel displays, electric lawn equipment, an electric bus, kids activities, food and music!
Learn more here: https://www.burlingtonelectric.com/festival/


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Earlier today, we told you about a new promotion from Sprint aimed squarely at T-Mobile. Well, it seems T-Mobile may have an answer for that, just like they do for everything. A leaked promo from Magenta hit the net today, and it’s called the T-Mobile SCORE! program.
There could be some disappointment ahead for those who hoped to purchase the Google Nexus 9 tablet from T-Mobile US in time for Christmas. The HTC-made device was expected to be available from the carrier in the early part of December but has still not turned up. Now a Nexus 9 T-Mobile delay is being […]


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The UK Government has started to establish its Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, with bidding now open for those wanting to manage the £400 million project, that is intended to support businesses building electric vehicle charge points across the country.
Available for businesses to access the finances they require to build more EV charge points, the fund has been created following the announcement of the Road to Zero strategy, and was announced as part of Budget 2017.
These proposals say out – in part at least – the government’s plans to have at least half of new cars sold by 2030 made up of ultra low emission vehicles, and all new cars and vans by 2040 zero-emission capable.
The Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will help make it easier for buyers to pick electric vehicles, by assisting in the expanding the number of charge points in the UK. The Chancellor revealed in Budget 2017 that £200 million will be put forward by the government, with the remaining £200 million matched by the private sector.
The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick, said: “We want the UK to be a world leader when it comes to the number of electric cars on our roads. Uptake is increasing and we want the opportunity to own an electric vehicle to be available to all.
“But crucial to encouraging the take-up of these cars across the country is increasing people’s access to charging points. We want to scale up at pace and ensure interoperability for ease of use.
“This fund is a vital step in our mission to change the way we travel, create new jobs and protect our environment for future generations. This builds on our ambitions set out in The Road to Zero to encourage new homes to be built with charging-points.”


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Athletic company Nike has long inspired people of every age and color with their brand of ‘Just Do It’ commercials. But recently, one of the commercials got a complete makeover courtesy of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
“Have you seen Serena Williams new Nike commercial,” DeGeneres asked her audience during a recent episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “It’s a great commercial. It really empowers women. In fact, I loved it so much that I asked Serena to make one for me and she did.”
[RELATED: US Open Winner Naomi Osaka Speaks Up Following Controversial Match Against Serena Williams]
With a voiceover from the tennis great herself, the commercial looks back on past funny moments on the much-loved talk show. But after the line ‘it’s only crazy until you do it,’ the commercial takes an emotional turn, showing all that DeGeneres has accomplished in her long and storied comedic career.
And yes, we went from laughing to crying in 60 seconds flat.
Williams was also featured this week on a new six-episode digital series from The Ellen DeGeneres Show titled DiversiTea. The tennis great was interviewed by young activist Naomi Wadler about losing her sister back in 2003 in a shooting.
“I was affected personally by gun violence, my sister unfortunately passed from that,” Williams said. “People are talking about it now because it’s happening more widespread but it’s been affecting our community for years.”


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A number of established financial services providers – including BNP Paribas Asset Management, Aviva, and BlackRock – have recently showed interest in working with robo-advisers. But they must take care to ensure a work culture that is open to innovation if they are to reap the benefits of new technology.
More and more established providers are buying into fintech disruptors such as Gambit, Wealthify, and Scalable Capital. Incumbents seem to be finally embracing new technologies to digitalize communication channels and portfolio management.
Partnering with fintech disruptors provides a path to drive innovation and enhance the client experience, as well as attracting new demographics like digital native millennials. It also allows companies to provide high-quality digital solutions in a timely and cost-effective manner.
As per GlobalData’s 2017 Global Wealth Managers Survey almost 50% of private wealth managers globally are already partnering or planning to partner with fintech start-ups over the next two years, with this figure rising to over 60% in Asia Pacific.
Many robo-advisors have been struggling to gain scale, with client acquisition representing by far the most difficult issue. Partnerships expose them to a new client base, growing their brand reach without the need for costly marketing and advertising. For example, Scalable Capital was able to surpass $500m in AUM over the first 10 months of 2017, acknowledging that its partnership with ING in Germany was one of the main drivers to its growth.
However, innovation does not just consist of delivering digital solutions to clients
Relationship managers benefit from back-office solutions by being able to focus more on relations with their clients, letting machines take care of administrative burdens. This is where the biggest challenge lies, as much opposition to innovation is fostered by an organizational culture reluctant to adapt to new back-office tools.
Banks need to work on the underlying company culture for these partnerships to succeed. As pointed out by panellists at the Appway Sphere for Banking event, “a technological solution can’t be bought – it needs to result from cooperation between both the provider and the organization adopting it.”
The toughest hurdle in the way of private banks’ digital capability doesn’t seem to come from compliance, but from a rooted mistrust in technology.


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CINCINNATI (FOX19/CNN) - When you go to the store to buy a gallon of milk, the average price is about $3.47 a gallon. That could dramatically change in the new year.
The secretary of agriculture says milk prices could double to around $7 a gallon. And it's not just milk. Anything dairy --- like butter and cheese --- could go up, too.
That's because Congress hasn't passed a new Farm Bill. The hold-up is over the food stamp program, which is a part of the Farm Bill. 47 million Americans receive food stamps, almost double the amount from a decade ago. That's leading some to call for cutting food stamps. But the House and Senate can't agree.
Still, many analysts expect Congress to come together for some solution to the "dairy cliff" before January 1.


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When 2020 ended and the new year entered, the world is expecting that life will get better. The year 2020 has brought us hardships and suffering, but it also gave us positive changes on how we take care of ourselves.
While a lot of pharmaceutical companies are doing their best to roll out the coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible, some health and wellness trends are also making waves.
As we start 2021 prioritizing our health and safety, let’s take a look at this year’s trends that we can use to keep us healthy, both mentally and physically.
The Virtual Wellness
The online, at-home wellness trend grew when lockdown started, and it will continue to rise this year. Most industries are adapting to technology and a lot of services, which we usually do face-to-face, are now being offered digitally.
Telemedicine, meditation apps, digital fitness, virtual therapy, these are just a few of hundreds of health and wellness services going online. The digital world makes health and wellness services available to everyone, including urban areas as long as the internet is accessible.
“We’ll see a return to classes someday, but most people predict that there will be a very strong digital component or mixed digital, in-person component,” according to Beth McGroarty, Vice President of Research at the Global Wellness Institute.
The Flexitarian Diet
The pandemic had impacted consumer eating habits, with a lot of people tending toward healthier foods. This is where the flexitarian diet will come handy; a style of eating that encourages mostly plant-based foods while allowing meat and other animal products in moderation.
Rising interest in plant-powered proteins isn’t new, plant-based retail sales grew almost five times faster than total U.S. retail food sales, according to The Good Food Institute and the Plant Based Foods Association report.
While animal farms and meat production are almost meeting the consumer demands again, plant-based food sales are still on the rise. This is a trend, not a fad.
The Radical Self-Care
The radical self-care trend was born out of necessity. After months of staying inside our homes, the threat to our mental health has risen. People are experiencing stress and anxiety, and the cases of mental health illnesses are on the rise.
This is the reason why you’re hearing the term “radical self-care” a lot since last year. The University of Indiana defines it as “the assertion that you have the responsibility to take care of yourself first before attempting to take care of others.”
Radical self-care looks different for every person, and not everyone can take mental health day from work or consult a therapist. Renewing interest in spiritual practices, from meditation to traditional religious activities can also help us improve our mental health.
The Increasing Popularity of CBD
The government lockdown, economic recession, health concerns, and other negative effects brought by the pandemic prompted a huge spike to the number of people suffering from stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.
Consumer interest in using cannabis – especially cannabidiol (CBD) to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions has increased sharply in the past few years. As more companies develop cannabis-infused products like CBD oil, gummies and hemp cigarettes (check it here), people have different options on how to take CBD.
Many wellness trends and innovation have positive potential, but if we take one thing from 2020, it is the importance and keeping ourselves healthy and keeping an open mind.
Other Helpful Resources:


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28 August 2018
The Treasury is working on a new plastic tax to discourage the use of non-recyclable plastic items such as straws, disposable cutlery, coffee cups and takeaway food trays.
The Exchequer Secretary, Robert Jenrick, announced on Friday that Britain needs to tackle the plastic problem by persuading manufacturers of plastic goods to choose recyclable materials instead of new virgin plastic, which is a heavy pollutant and takes decades to decompose.
The levy is expected to be announced in the next Budget and it comes as a response to the public outrage over the alarming rate of plastic pollution in the UK.
Of the 162,000 replies the Treasury received, the vast majority were encouraging, although there were also voices saying that consumers would have to pay more until shops stop selling harmful plastics.
The details of the plastic tax have not been discussed yet, but the Chancellor expressed his belief that in the long run, it will help Britain shift to recyclable materials and become a world leader in reducing plastic waste.
New Plastic Tax to Curb the Use of Non-Recyclable Plastic


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Panasonic has launched it’s another budget-oriented smartphone in India, called Panasonic Eluga A4. The main highlight of this smartphone is its massive 5000mAh battery, this smartphone is kind of battery-centric smartphone. Panasonic plans to launch over 10 smartphones under Rs. 15,000 price range in India this year. The Eluga A4 will be available only offline for purchase from today onwards to all Panasonic authorized retailers across India.
Panasonic Eluga A4 Specifications
The Panasonic Eluga A4 has a 5.2-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) display. The smartphone is powered by MediaTek quad-core processor clocked at 1.25GHz coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The storage can be expandable up to 128Gb via microSD card. The smartphone runs on Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
As for optics, the Panasonic Eluga A4 comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash. On the front, it sports a 5-megapixel camera for selfies and video chat. It is a dual SIM smartphone supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and USB OTG.
The Panasonic Eluga A4 will be available in three attractive colors Mocha Gold, Champagne Gold and Marine Blue. The Eluga A4 has been priced at Rs. 12,490. In this price bracket, Redmi Note 4, Honor 6X and Lenovo K8 Note also available for users.


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Spring is sprung... and it's time for the DIY sales war
A bank holiday price war has been triggered as retailers battle to drag customers out of the sunshine and into the shops.
Warm weather is normally a disaster for the high street, as the public prefer to head to the beach or the park instead.
John Lewis blamed the good weather for a fall of 5.1 per cent in sales over the past week.
May Day deals: Marks & Spencer is repeating its 'Dine in for £10' offer and selling a complete beach outfit and bag for £25
To counter predictions of a hot and dry summer, everyone from DIY giants and garden centres to supermarkets and department stores is launching sales.
B&Q is promising savings of £15million across everything from air- conditioning units to lawnmowers over the May bank holidays.
Rival Homebase has half-price garden furniture and a 10 per cent price cut across the store, while Wickes has cut a third off the price of wood flooring and 40 per cent off wall tiles.
Debenhams is giving away a £10 voucher for those spending at least £40 on its summer collection, and House of Fraser has retaliated with cuts of up to 40 per cent on fashions.
Marks & Spencer is repeating its 'Dine in for £10' deal and offering a complete summer outfit - bikini, towel, sunglasses, flipflops and bag - for £25.
Laura Ashley is promoting price cuts of up to 50 per cent plus
an extra 10 per cent off over the Bank Holiday weekend, while Dfs has a
'better than half price' sale on furniture. Electrical and furniture
retailers are joining the fray, with Comet offering £80 off lap-tops.
Meanwhile the supermarkets have launched a raft of aggressive cuts. Asda's deals include a three for £7 deal on a selection of barbecue meats, while a three-burner gas barbecue to cook it on comes down from £150 to £75 and a six-piece patio set to sit on while you eat costs just £50.
Tesco has cut the price of all garden furniture by a third, while there are substantial savings on TVs, digital cameras, laptops and games systems.
Figures from retail analysts at Experian suggest retailers are under pressure with the total number of shoppers on the High Street in April down by 3.7 per cent on the same month last year. However, it said there are tentative signs of stabilisation.
Experian retail analyst Anita Manan said: 'Despite retailers' best efforts to capitalise over Easter, footfall remained subdued on the high street although out- of-town retail parks fared better with consumers concentrating on DIY and gardening.'
Importantly, the organisation said the number of retail outlets being opened in March was higher than the total that closed.
It said: 'There were 425 retail business failures recorded in March. Although this has grown month-onmonth, it has been offset by a rise in the creation of new retail businesses.
'There were 199,000 retailers operating in March compared with 195,000 in January, a rise in retail business activity of just over 2 per cent.'
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Kishore Biyani-led Future Group is set to buy a 30 percent stake in online fashion retailer Koovs.com, according to a reportby The Economic Times.
The move comes as a fresh attempt to crack the Indian e-commerce fashion market after the company’s unsuccessful bid to buy Jabong.com in 2016.
The stake will be purchased by the group’s subsidiary Future Lifestyle Fashion for about Rs 140 crore, making it the largest shareholder in the London-listed fashion e-commerce company.
Koovs sells its private labels and curated fashion and lifestyle products.
“We like their (Koovs) positioning as they are high on curated fashion and we can bring synergies Online fashion has taken off in India and we think we can make Koovs big and viable,” Biyani told the newspaper.
“It gives us a platform to sell our other existing portfolio,” he added.
Koovs will issue Future Lifestyle 5,78,76,600 new ordinary shares at a price of 10 pence per share, representing 24.8 percent of the enlarged issued share capital, raising 5,787,660 pounds in cash, according to the report.
“The transaction will be done in two phases and will also involve other investors making further investments in the entity,” a person familiar with the development told the newspaper.
Koovs targets the 18-34 years old age group with curated fashion and lifestyle products from multiple international brands. Around 40 percent of the company’s sales comes from its private labels. The company at present has a revenue of about Rs 200 crore, the report suggests.
A person aware of the deal told the newspaper that the Kishore Biyani-led company would use proceeds from a recently concluded stake sale. The company had sold 10 percent stake in LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned private equity fund L Catterton Asia for about Rs 900 crore in May.[“Source-moneycontrol”]


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SOE will be rebranded as "Daybreak Game Company" under the new owner.
UPDATE: Linda "Brasse" Carlson confirmed there will be no convention this year. "For those asking about SOE Live: we are taking a hiatus from our annual Live event to shift our focus to our exciting transition and the future of Daybreak Game Company."
This morning, Sony Online Entertainment announced that it was acquired by a company called Columbus Nova and will be rebranded as "Daybreak Game Company." SOE will operate as an independant studio and will even branch out into the Xbox platform.
"Sony Online Entertainment, newly rebranded as Daybreak, is a great addition to our existing portfolio of technology, media and entertainment focused companies. We see tremendous opportunities for growth with the expansion of the company's game portfolio through multi-platform offerings as well as an exciting portfolio of new quality games coming up, including the recently launched H1Z1 and the highly anticipated EverQuest Next to be released in the near future," said Jason Epstein, Senior Partner of Columbus Nova. "The recent Early Access launch success of H1Z1 is just one testament to the talent and dedication of the studio's developers to create great online gaming experiences."
According to the official forum post, "...we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company. Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more!"
"We are excited to join Columbus Nova's impressive roster of companies. They have a proven track record in similar and related industries and we are eager to move forward to see how we can push the boundaries of online gaming," said John Smedley, President, Daybreak Game Company. "We will continue to focus on delivering exceptional games to players around the world, as well as bringing our portfolio to new platforms, fully embracing the multi-platform world in which we all live."
Join the discussion on your favorite forum:
Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor


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US Safety Commission announces recall for GASGAS MC 250 competition bikes
On December 22, 2022, KTM North America issued a recall for the GASGAS MC 250, a closed-course competition motorbike. The recall was due to the engine stalling unexpectedly and cited that a defect in the ignition timing system may cause the motorcycle to stall while riding.
This danger of engine stall and high speeds may increase the crash risk. The same notice was issued in Canada by Transport Canada and was updated on October 13, 2022.
The problem is an incorrectly programmed capacitor discharge ignition (CDI) box, which could suddenly cause the engine to fail and make the bike unable to restart. If the engine suddenly stalls, it could increase a rider’s crash risk and injury.
GASGAS will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your motorcycle to a dealership to replace the CDI box. GASGAS recommends only using your bike once the recall repairs have been completed to reduce the safety risk.
KTM North America recommends that all consumers who own the GASGAS MC 250 Competition Motorcycles stop riding them immediately.
The repair service will be performed free of charge for all customers involved. However, a timetable has yet to be set for when those repairs will occur. As of December 22, 2022, no injuries or fatalities were reported.
KTM will notify affected owners by email and should contact a dealer for service. Also, the owners are strongly cautioned only to use their motorcycles once they have undergone the repairs that will end the hazard of them stalling while in operation.
Owners may contact GASGAS Motorcycles North America at 888-985-6090 during business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday, or by contacting KTM at 1-450-441-4451 in Canada.Monday through Friday. The U.S. CPSC’s recall number is 23-075; Transport Canada’s recall number is 2022-525.
Specs of bike
The bike gets Wrapping a lightweight chassis around powerful motor results in one thing and one thing only – endless fun! For premix fans worldwide, the high-revving MC 250 2-stroke ticks all the boxes to deliver a simple and enjoyable motocross performance. Fuel it up, fire it into life, then hold on tight!
It gets wild sometimes with the punchy power of our MC 250! That’s why it comes with a high-grip seat cover to keep you in control while aligning perfectly with the vibrant red bodywork for unrestricted movement on the bike.
via Transport Canada and US Consumer Product Safety Commission


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Digiday Research: The pandemic sped the wrong things up for publishers
Over the course of 2020, media industry analysts and observers started likening the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to a time machine, one that had transported people five or 10 years into the future.
If that’s true, publishers might not like where they’ve been taken, according to new Digiday+ research. At the start of the third quarter of 2021, publishers are more reliant on direct-sold advertising than they were a year ago, and many incremental or complementary revenue streams now play smaller roles than they did 6-12 months ago.
While some of those changes are unsurprising — events were a tough business to grow in 2020 — others serve as a reminder that publishers have a long way to go if they want to truly diversify their revenue streams.
In early July, Digiday polled 126 publisher professionals about how their companies make money. The survey presented a list of revenue sources and asked respondents to indicate how much of their revenue came from each, using five options that ranged from “none of our revenue” to “an extremely large portion of our revenue.”
The survey marked the third time Digiday has asked its research panel these questions; it previously asked them in the first quarter of 2020, and the third quarter of 2020 prior to that.
While the respondents — and the exact number of them — in each sample was not identical over time, their composition was similar; in all three samples, Digiday received at least 30 responses from publishers that generated less than $10 million in revenue per year, 30 responses from publishers that generated between $10 million and $50 million, and 30 responses from publishers that generate more than $50 million per year.
The results showed, more than anything, that direct-sold advertising has become significantly more important to publishers than it was 12 months ago.
It also showed that many areas of strategic importance, such as subscriptions, are basically flat compared to where they were 12 months ago as at least “large” sources of revenue. Others, such as branded content, actually slid backward from that perspective.
Signs of more modest progress could be found if the results were examined from another angle. For example, affiliate commerce now represents at least a “moderate” portion of revenue for 30% of publishers, up from 18% in the first quarter of this year and more than double the 12% it represented in the third quarter of last year. Similarly, video advertising now represents at least a “moderate” portion of revenue for a majority of publishers for the first time.
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The FTC has just nine technologists, and three recent departures could stymie its hiring goals.
Why an evolved B/R Gaming is investing in its linear, televised gaming content
B/R Gaming’s investment in televised content is proof that linear broadcasting companies are realizing the potential value of the gaming and esports audience.


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- Growing awareness by public about how big companies track, sell personal data
- Owning, monetizing personal data possible through BIGtoken app
- Working to educate consumers on how to protect, own use of personal data
People are starting to understand how vulnerable their data is and how big companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and other social-media platforms track and sell that data. Every individual creates data by what they search, view, read, listen to, purchase and like. That data is collected and sold, generating billions in revenue each year. SRAX Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX), through its BIGtoken platform, is placing power of that data back into an individual’s hands. Through SRAX, consumers can now own and monetize their personal data.
In spring 2018, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) set guidelines that caused online companies worldwide with audiences in the EU to scramble for compliancy. While the United States doesn’t currently have the same restrictions, things are beginning to change. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) will go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. This new law will give consumers the ability to forbid a company from sharing their information and request that their information be deleted. Just as the GDPR had a worldwide ripple effect, the CCPA will affect any state that does business in California (http://nnw.fm/It9I3).
SRAX is a step ahead of privacy acts that will impact California and, potentially, the entire country. The company created BIGtoken as a way to place the power of data mining into an individual’s hands—and the company isn’t just doing it in one state but worldwide.
After being operational for a year, SRAX decided to poll its BIGtoken community regarding its data-privacy awareness. The survey yielded valuable insights into the way consumers view their online presence. For SRAX, one promising result of the survey showed that 62 percent of its users would allow more advertisements if they were being paid for the data that delivered the ad. Of concern for the company is its finding that the majority of consumers are concerned about browser privacy but aren’t as aware of how social-media apps have access to their data. Survey results indicated that many social-media users aren’t taking the basic steps necessary to protect themselves – and these stats come from a polled group that had opted into data privacy. Survey results clearly indicate much can still be done when it comes to educating and equipping consumers to take ownership of what is rightfully theirs.
SRAX has risen to the challenge with its BIGtoken Insight on Consumer Data Privacy (http://nnw.fm/6o4Be). The SRAX platform provides agencies, businesses and individuals with the ability to grow brand awareness and loyalty. It places the brand’s information in the hands of individuals who are more likely to turn into a loyal customer rather than those who are targeted through data mining. Through SRAX, consumers have willingly opted into the targeted messages expressing an interest in the product. Because consumers are in charge of their own personal data and the brand’s use of that data, it creates transparency and trust between the two. Rather than receiving a request to delete data and potentially leaving on negative terms, brands are able to engage with pre-approval. A personalized shopper ad is experienced, foot traffic and purchases are increased, and the brand’s ROIs are increased.
BIGtoken works to provide quality information to the agencies, businesses and individual brands that will foster a long-term relationship between them and consumers. SRAX sells access to the data in the form of anonymized segments. This access can be removed at any time.
BIGtoken also works to educate consumers, letting them know what happens behind the scenes, how their data is accessed, and how much it is worth. Users worldwide can sign in to the BIGtoken app at any time to see how their data is being used and how much they have earned for that information. Surveys, check-ins and purchases all go toward earning rewards. The consumer can be paid with a deposit to PayPal or a gift card, or they can even donate their earnings to a charity of their choice. Sixteen million users worldwide have already opted into BIGtoken’s data-management solution, proving that there is a growing interest among consumers to be compensated by marketers for the use of personal data.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.SRAX.com
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to SRAX are available in the company’s newsroom at http://nnw.fm/SRAX
NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) NetworkNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. NNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge.
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The Tengelmann Group, which owns 38 percent of A&P, said it expects to exit its holdings in the bankrupt Montvale, NJ retailer once the chain emerges from its Chapter 11 status.
“We hope that A&P can be led out of its insolvency. But we do not believe that we will be significant shareholders after the process ends,” Tengelmann CEO Karl-Erivan Haub said on July 14 at Tengelmann’s headquarters in Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
Haub is the older brother of Christian Haub, former A&P CEO and son of Erivan Haub, the now retired former chairman of Tengelmann who was responsible for the company’s original investment in A&P.
“A&P is currently in freefall,” Tengelmann’s chief financial officer Jens-Juergen Boeckel added.
While Christian Haub still holds the title of executive chairman, he no longer has any day-to-day duties at A&P. However, his family’s holding company still is the largest stakeholder in the 152 year old chain.
Tenglemann first acquired an interest in A&P in 1979, when it was going through a transition phase of closing several hundred supermarkets in the U.S. At the outset, James Woods was brought in from now defunct Grand Union as chief executive, a position he held until 1997 when Christian Haub joined him as co-chief executive. Haub first joined A&P in 1991. He became sole CEO in 1998 when Woods left the company.
Tengelmann remains one of Europe’s largest and most successful retailers, operating approximately 9,200 stores in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovenia and Switzerland. Sales last year were approximately $32 billion.


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There’s been some debate about how many consumers are actually cutting ties with their pay TV providers and replacing them with over-the-top streaming media services – a trend generally referred to as “cord cutting.” But a recent study indicates that the number of cord cutters in North America is, in fact growing – in 2014, 8.2 percent of former pay TV subscribers surveyed by TiVo subsidiary Digitalsmiths said they ditched their service – an increase of 1.3 percent over the prior year. Meanwhile, a much larger 45.2 percent said they reduced their cable or satellite TV service during the same time frame.
That latter item is sometimes referred to as “cord shaving,” as it’s reflective of the trend toward smaller pay TV bundles as consumers spend more time streaming video via over-the-top solutions like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Instant Video, for example. Pay TV providers aren’t necessarily losing these customers, but these subscribers are reducing their reliance on their cable and satellite television offerings as they adopt streaming services. And in some cases, dropping down to a smaller pay TV package is the first step in becoming a true cord cutter.
The survey was based on a demographically representative sampling of 3,144 consumers in the U.S. and Canada, ages 18 and older. And while its numbers referencing cord cutters are notable, it’s worth remembering that it’s a survey as opposed to data from service providers – there could be discrepancies between what consumers say and what they actually do.
For instance, 15.3 percent of consumers responded that they plan to either switch (3.1 percent), change (7.4 percent) or cut (4.8 percent) their pay TV service. More importantly, 32.4 percent said they’re “on the fence” about these things, meaning there’s an opportunity for pay TV providers to retain their business by offering new functionality – like better user interfaces on their set-top boxes, or the option to stream to smartphones and tablets.
The reduced consumer loyalty for pay TV providers was attributed to high prices and bad channel selection.
71.7 percent said that cable and satellite’s increasing fees left them unsatisfied. 38.1 percent said these companies offered poor customer service, and 33.8 percent said bad channel selection was to blame. By “bad,” consumers could be referring to an overabundance of channels that they never want to watch, or it could also be related to the fact that it’s difficult for them to find the programming they actually like due to lack of decent search options or better targeted recommendations.
Lately, some pay TV providers have begun going after the cord-cutting crowd with a la carte offerings which allow them to personalize their channel line up. For instance, Cablevision launched cord cutter packages in April and Verizon (disclosure:AOL/TechCrunch parent company) introduced a la carte packages this year, too.
Survey respondents said they were interested in these sorts of options – 81.6 percent said they want to pick the channels they watch, and an ideal price point was, on average, $38 per month.
The so-called “skinny bundles” are reflective of a changing mindset about the value of pay TV and its many, many channel options. 33.4 percent say their overwhelmed with the number of channels available and most (81.7 percent) only watch between 1 and 10 channels. Many in that group (39.7 percent) watch 5 channels or fewer.
In addition to pay TV providers’ move to embrace a la carte programming, Dish launched its own over-the-top streaming TV service called Sling TV that provides a basic cable bundle for a reduced fee. And there are other ways to access network TV programming without cable, too, including via Hulu, CBS All Access and PlayStation Vue, for example.
Consumer awareness around these cable alternatives is growing. Over half (55.7 percent) of respondents were familiar with one or more of these services, with Hulu being the best-known with a 51 percent mindshare. Sling TV followed with 11.9 percent awareness, then PlayStation Vue (11.4 percent) and CBS’s offering (10.5 percent).
Meanwhile, other streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video offer more ways to watch movies and TV, even if they don’t include all the currently airing programs.
As of Q1 2015, 54.4 percent of respondents said they were leveraging a monthly subscription service like Netflix or Hulu, and the largest group of respondents (33.1 percent) said they watched 1 to 5 hours of content on these services each month. However, consumers are beginning to increase their time spent on these services – there was 2.3 percent quarter-over-quarter growth in respondents who watch 15 to 30+ hours.
Their willingness to pay a little more is growing too. While most (51.8 percent) pay between $6 and $11 per month, the $9 to $11 category grew 2.5 percent year-over-year and is up 6.1 percent over Q1 2013. And the $12 to $14 category grew 2.2 percent year-over-year, and is up 4.2 percent over Q1 2013.
The draw of these services aren’t just the reduced cost, though 51.1 percent cited that as a factor in their use. They’re also seen as more convenient (60.1 percent agreed on this), with better selections of content (38 percent said).
What’s interesting though is that people are also enjoying the way these services let them watch TV – instead of waiting for new episodes, many are now binge-watching shows, or at least are happy to be able to access a full season of programming at once. This feature was cited by 47 percent of respondents as being a big draw for the over-the-top services.
Digitalsmiths has been running its surveys since 2012, however, it was only last year that it began tracking consumers interest in cutting the cord entirely. But now that the metric is being tracked, more data on this trend will be available in future studies.
This was post #9 in an ongoing series about cord cutting in 2015 which examines trends around cord cutting and reviews new services that aid in ditching pay TV. You can read more of the series here:


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The JWH Team is proud to be part of this major design event! JWH Custom Cabinetry will be a main feature in the beautiful Kitchen of the Year! Here is the first press release from House Beautiful:
04.06.17 House Beautiful’s Kitchen of the Year is returning to San Francisco to celebrate its tenth year and will be open to the public from Saturday, April 29, through Monday, May 29, at the 2017 San Francisco Decorator Showcase.
This year’s Kitchen in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco is being designed by Jon de la Cruz of San Francisco’s DLC-ID, who will bring his expert ability for creating modern, timeless and inventive interiors to the showcase. His design will honor a love of food and entertaining, and celebrates the kitchen as the new American living room.
Stay tuned for more updates from House Beautiful and the big kitchen reveal!


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Four episodes, four perspectives to take a look back at the media trends in 2018
This week, Episode 2/4: Focus on sectors - automotive & retail
October 2018 and the Mondial Paris Motor Show this year, are the two most important mediatization scores for the topics “electric car” since media measurement started to be taken in 2015.
Mercedes, Tesla and Volkswagen are the top 3 of the most mediatized automotive brands in 2018.
These three brands represent 21% of the share of media interest for the car industry.
Delhaize, Carrefour and Colruyt are the Top 3 of the most mediatized retailer brands in 2018.
These three brands represent 62% from the share of media interest in the whole sector.
Not only media professionals like newspapers or data analysis companies are facing major changes and new challenges regarding an increasingly broader and more complex amount of information.


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Red Fort Capital Provides 100 Million Funding to India’s Largest Nutmeg Processing Company: Revolutionizing the Nutmeg Industry
April 2023:Red Fort Capital, a leading NBFC based in India, has funded Kanjiravelil Traders Private Limited (KTPL) which is one of the largest nutmeg processing companies of India. The funds will help KTPL expand its procurement, operations, invest in machinery, and increase its market share.
KTPL and group companies have more than 50% market share in the nutmeg processing industry of India, producing and processing over 11,000 tons of high-quality nutmeg that are widely used in Indian cuisine, beverages and exported to various countries. They have multiple clients including Everest Agro Spices, Nestle, Irine Agro Spices, Olam Agro India Pvt Ltd. The company has a strong reputation for its sustainable and ethical business practices, and its commitment to innovation and product development.
“KTPL is an established leader in the nutmeg processing industry in India, and we are pleased to support their growth plans with this funding,” said Parry Singh, Chairman and CEO of Red Fort Capital. “We are confident that KTPL’s increased capacity and strategic focus on innovation will enable it to further strengthen its market leadership position in the nutmeg industry.”
“Red Fort Capital has amazed us with the 100 million INR disbursement within a record time of 8 days, timely disbursement holds such great value to us as an organization. With the speed capital provided by Red Fort Capital we will be able to capitalize on time-sensitive opportunities and grow further” said Jenny Varghese MD of Kanjiravelil Traders Private Limited.
Red Fort Capital is known for its strategic funding of promising companies across various sectors, including FMCG, warehousing, manufacturing, healthcare, technology, textiles, and real estate. The loan to KTPL is a significant investment in India’s nutmeg processing industry, which is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.


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The leading Solana-based non fungible token (NFT) marketplace Magic Eden has revealed plans to support Bitcoin to maintain its current market position. On March 21, the Magic Eden team activated a new marketplace for Bitcoin Ordinals to allow consumers to trade their digital assets more effortlessly.
The team revealed that its latest development mirrors the integration made on the Polygon and Ethereum networks to boost user experiences. A tweet from the Magic Eden team dated March 21 revealed that the development of the Bitcoin digital collectibles took more than 2 months.
The newly launched Bitcoin Ordinal will provide users endless opportunities to interact with the digital platform.
Features of the Bitcoin Ordinals
The attempt to expand Magic Eden multi-chain has prompted the company to leverage its expertise and technologies to develop a Bitcoin Ordinal that allows users to store their media without needing a smart contract.
The Magic Eden team is still working on integrating additional features on the Bitcoin Ordinal platform. After the completion of the project, the developers anticipate the Bitcoin Ordinal platform will function the same way as Polygon and Ethereum network.
However, the Bitcoin Ordinal project team affirmed that the ongoing project would be the first development to complete internal and external audits.
A report from Magic Eden cofounder Zhuoxun Yun revealed that the latest development aims at boosting the NFT user experiences. Yun argued that the Ordinal feature has gained traction in the crypto market, inspiring the firm to cope with the changes.
Nonetheless, the Ordinal feature will eliminate the traditional public sheets and Airtable documents used by traders to buy and sell digital assets. Based on Yun’s report, the Magic Eden team has deployed innovative tools to improve the privacy, scalability, and accessibility of the Bitcoin Ordinal platform.
In his statement, Yun confessed that the future demands and emerging technologies would guide Magic Eden in the development to be made on the new platform in the long run. He argued that Ordinal technology is still a new tool in the market which might have setbacks when utilized on some digital devices.
The developers have vowed to continue improving the performance and functionalities of the Bitcoin Ordinal to meet market needs.
Magic Eden’s Next Move
In addition, the Magic Eden team plans to invest in integrating the minting tools to enable the Bitcoin Ordinal platform to operate within and beyond the secondary market. The group intends to deliberate on the minting tool to be launched on the Ordinal.
Some developers argued that the minting tool should resemble the launchpad feature on either the Solana or Polygon network. Magic Eden’s recent development has created a positive market outlook on the Bitcoin Ordinals readings.
At the time of writing 0933 UTC, the total Ordinal inscription is valued at 570697, a 1440 increase within the last 24 hours as per data captured by Dune Analytics.


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Since its launch back in 2008, speed has been one of the four core principles alongside security, stability and simplicity that Google has focused on to make Chrome one of the best browsers available.
Now though, improvements to the V8 engine have allowed Google to deliver up to 23 percent faster performance in its browser according to a new post in the Chromium Blog. Thanks to the recent launch of a new Sparkplug compiler and short builtin calls in M91 Chrome, Google's browser saves over 17 years of users' CPU time each day.
- We've built a list of the best browsers available
- These are the best VPN services on the market
- Also check out our roundup of the best Windows 10 VPN
V8 engine improvements
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For some CPUs though, calling functions that are further away from generated code can cause CPU-internal optimizations to fail. In order to fix this, Chrome now copies the builtin functions into the same memory region as the generated code which makes a huge difference on Apple's new M1 chips.
As more of work is now done in browsers than ever before, the under the hood changes Google has made to Chrome will certainly help save users time and perhaps even help boost their productivity.
- We've also highlighted the best business VPN
After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.


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As you can probably guess, Halo Infinite will be a Microsoft exclusive and only available on the Xbox One console family or Window PC. The company has bought UK-based Playground Games and Ninja Theory, as well as Seattle-based Undead Labs and Montreal-based Compulsion Games.
Playground Games, started in 2010, is the developer behind the Forza racing series and has been a long-time Xbox partner. The latest game in the Forza Horizon series is going to be bringing some interesting new features with it, including a new setting and dynamically shifting seasons.
That date may seem relatively close considering that the Xbox One X launched a year ago but Microsoft is aggressively moving ahead with hardware in the console space to shake up the industry. "At Microsoft, we are committed to empowering gamers to play the games they want, with the people they want, where they want".
The acquisitions and new studio will give Microsoft a deeper slate of games in years to come.
Spencer said the company was increasing its investments in existing game franchises and looking to create new ones.
Surprising news? Not exactly, but many industry observers have lingering doubts about the future of Microsoft-branded hardware under CEO Satya Nadella.
Microsoft launched the Xbox One in November 2013 under a cloud of policy reversals and confused messaging.


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LEVITATING SPEAKERS / PORTABLE AUDIO / 2 UPCOMING BRANDS
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, March 21, 2016 – ASWY, a Taiwanese manufacturer of audio products, a pioneer in audio levitating technology, and patent holder to the world first levitating speakers, announces its plan to expand its own brand in audio devices. To achieve this, ASWY has appointed Maciej Burno, a native of Poland, as a new Vice President of Marketing. With the mission to expand the company success, Burno will be responsible to strategically develop a marketing plan and work strategically with key customers and suppliers to achieve further growth and bring the company forward.
ASWY is a company that combines innovation, technology and our lifestyle. Previously ASWY was focused mainly on OEM projects, but I see a very large opportunity to bring the company to end customers. It is really refreshing to work with people that genuinely care about other people needs and I am proud to be a new member of ASWY. – Maciej Burno
The company has already seen numerous changes with a complete makeover of its website to be more user-friendly. On the website, ASWY provides a sneak-peak to upcoming projects which will bring – MARSOBIKE, a sub-brand related to lifestyle bicycles with technological advancements, and smart hand-made clothing sub-brand: OQLIQ. Additionally, approximately 10 new audio devices will be added to the website in the upcoming weeks to show the full ASWY portfolio.
ABOUT ASWY: Aswy Electronics is a diversified technology company with a deep-rooted belief in good design and bold concept that improves people’s lives. Its award-winning development team focus on making unconventional electronics and lifestyle products with 3 main brands for audio, clothing and bicycles categories. Currently, ASWY holds patents for levitating air speaker and wireless levitational charging.
Imagine Tomorrow. http://www.aswyshop.com


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Domain Market Resting
With the most recent TRAFFIC auction not performing up to my expectations considering the quality of the domain names at auction, I think the premium domain sales market is taking a temporary breather. Sellers still have high expectations for their domain names and buyers are reluctant to pay those prices, causing a stalemate. While there are still areas of growth persevering in niche markets, the overall market is resting.
Previously, domain owners could expect their premium domain names would sell for anywhere from wholesale to end-user prices at an industry conference live auction, but that hasn’t been the case for the past two main industry events. In many cases, buyers aren’t willing to pay the premium asking prices right now, and the sellers are reluctant to lower their reserve prices, causing a stalemate in the market. While this might be a cause for concern for those who are heavily invested in domain names, it could develop into a good buying opportunity, so liquidity is important.
While $10 million in domain sales in less than 30 days at the recent DomainFest and TRAFFIC auctions would seem indicative of a strong market, the names that were offered should have sold for much more (at least in my opinion). Whether domain buyers are worried about the looming/current US recession, credit fears, domain litigation/regulation, or something else, the market doesn’t appear as strong as it was before. Don’t get me wrong, the market is still relatively strong compared to many other types of investment vehicles, but I think we are in a slow down.
At the moment, the market reminds me of the New York City real estate market. I am not an expert in real estate, but from what I’ve seen and heard, sellers are reluctant to lower their prices and buyers aren’t actively buying new apartments. This is causing a slow down in real estate sales. While the market still appears to be headed higher due to record sales at the very high end of the apartment spectrum, there isn’t as much action in the middle-valued properties. People are still buying the smaller one bedrooms since those are the most economical, but the middle-priced apartments aren’t moving as well. Two years ago, if you saw an apartment you liked, you needed to make an offer ASAP at either the asking price or higher in some cases. Today, you have more time to contemplate a purchase.
Nobody would call the New York real estate market weak, but it is simply not as strong as it was. This is how I would describe the domain market at this moment, and with a swath of upcoming domain auctions, this will probably become even more evident. At the moment, I am still buying names for development, which is why I think liquidity is key.
Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Google + | Facebook | Email


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Last week, a new device showed up on Verizon’s site last week, and today it became official. The HTC Desire 612 is coming to Verizon, and you’ll be able to pick one up in just a few days.
There’s been a lot of talk about new handsets coming to Verizon over the past few weeks, and the Droid Turbo has been at the center of many conversations involving Big Red. The company seems to have just spilled the beans on an unannounced device earlier today called the HTC Desire 612, and it is yet another mid-range device.
There have been a lot of reports, and most of the conflicting, regarding a special upcoming phone from HTC, dubbed “Eye”, or “One M8″ eye. All reports seem to agree that — and because of the codename — some special camera features will be available on the yet unannounced phone, but there are basically two […]
The last time we saw a Google-based device from HTC was back in 2010 with the Nexus smartphone, but we’ll get a new gadget from the company sooner than later if a new report pans out. Remember the mythical HTC Nexus 9? Apparently, it’s still on the way as a new report says the company’s engineers have been hard at work on the new slate.


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Experience Grand Rapids has announced the promotion of Mary Manier, CTA, CTP, CTIS to vice president sales and services. Manier was most recently director of sales and has promoted Grand Rapids/Kent County as a meetings and travel destination for nearly 40 years in various positions with Experience Grand Rapids.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Amy LeFebre, Truscott Rossman
EM: email@example.com |Cell: (616) 450-4292
Experience Grand Rapids Appoints 40-Year Veteran as VP Sales and Services
Destination marketing group bullish on rebuilding post-pandemic meeting and convention business
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., (August 27, 2020) — Experience Grand Rapids has announced the promotion of Mary Manier, CTA, CTP, CTIS to vice president sales and services. Manier was most recently director of sales and has promoted Grand Rapids/Kent County as a meetings and travel destination for nearly 40 years in various positions with Experience Grand Rapids.
“No one knows our destination better than Mary,” said Doug Small, president and CEO, Experience Grand Rapids. “She knows how to translate that knowledge into a compelling story for meeting planners. Her expertise, positive attitude, professional experience and unparalleled local networks make her the right person to lead our sales and services team as we work to restore Grand Rapids’ place as a leading Midwest meeting and convention destination.”
While the meetings and travel industry has been devastated by the shutdowns caused by COVID-19, Manier has led Experience Grand Rapids’ internal sales and services team and local meetings industry suppliers as they assist meeting planners with rescheduling and cancellation of their meetings.
As other cities have cut back on their meetings and group sales efforts, Experience Grand Rapids is making a solid investment in the future of this industry.
“These are challenging times, but we’re confident that in-person meetings will remain a vital component in the way our country does business in the future. When the market is ready, Grand Rapids will be ready, too,” said Manier. “A top concern for meeting planners today is planning safe meetings. Experience Grand Rapids’ sales and services team is focused on being a key resource to planners, and we’re providing answers to their questions on the ExperienceGR.com/meet-confidently webpage.”
Manier has worked for Experience Grand Rapids since 1982. In 2019, she was named to the inaugural class of Connect Association’s 15 over 50, which salutes leaders who have moved the industry forward.


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There’s a new restaurant in New York City that was literally built for the Instagram-addicted set. It’s a Filipino taco joint called 2nd City, and its owner and chef Jordan Andino recently spoke out about his no-shame approach in appealing to diners who care more about likes than they do about a Michelin star. With his colorful plates of food and menu items like the “poke me” bowl and a “plan b-rito.” Andino is not alone in his quest to garner attention through social-media mentions and glowing snapshots of his food. In fact, many restaurants, on all ends of the culinary spectrum, have increased their popularity and customer ratings by being more strategic with their own platforms.
In December of last year, Instagram released the top ten most popular restaurants that users around the country were posting from, including spots like California Doughtnuts, Dominique Ansel Bakery, and Katz’s Deli. This year, there’s a new collection of eateries aiming to build more business through social media by creating interiors that beckon to patrons’ iPhone cameras and cultivating new twists on traditional cuisines that are sure to go viral. Here, the five restaurants around the country that are as delicious as they are double tap–worthy.
Emily and Emmy Squared, @pizzalovesemily
In New York City, a town that is extremely proud of its hometown pizza, it can be tough to hit it big with a nontraditional slice. On Instagram however, this formula is as good as gold; something owner Emily Hyland figured that out from the start. While her first outpost, Emily, located in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, has been serving up more-classic pies since opening in early 2014, she most recently expanded with Emmy Squared in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, serving square slices in the Detroit style. Emily now has two Instagram accounts (one for each restaurant), filled with mouth-watering images of inventive pizza, and with a combined total of around 40,000 followers. Because it’s a small space, customers can also check out the Instagrams for updates on the best times to pop in and new, seasonal menu additions.
Howlin’ Ray’s, @howlinrays
Located in a tiny counter space inside the Far East Plaza in L.A.’s Chinatown, Howlin’ Ray’s became a foodie mecca nearly overnight. It was once housed in a food truck, but opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in late April this year. On Instagram, the Nashville-style fried chicken spot currently has more than 11,000 followers and uses the platform not only to create awareness for their brand, but also to announce special giveaways and partnerships and to highlight the more under-the-radar menu items and daily change-ups of sides like nacho mac and cheese and watermelon salad.
Cha Cha Matcha, @chachamatcha
Like chef Andino’s restaurant, 2nd City, this New York café that opened in June was made for Instagram. Not only does it serve the ever-popular matcha latte (in the form of soft-serve and cupcakes no less) but its palm tree and bright pink interiors are incredibly hard to resist posting. The Cha Cha Matcha website is made up mainly of images from its Instagram feed and prominently features #chachamatcha. According to the site, there’s also matcha merchandise coming soon—get ready for #chachamatchatshirt selfies.
Willa Jean, @willajeanneworleansThis charming New Orleans bakery helmed by none other than Kelly Fields, the executive pastry chef for the Besh Restaurant Group, has been open for a year now, but its Instagram presence and popularity has grown exponentially within the past several months. Lauded food sites have called it one of America’s best new restaurants, while its following on Instagram is now more than 16,000 users. Fields and her team post bright dishes and delectable-looking baked goods like Nutella buns and pancake soufflé, often with a caption ending in “y’all.”
Sister Pie, @sisterpiedetroit
Talk about a neighborhood spot blowing up to national acclaim—Detroit’s Sister Pie is currently on a roll, gaining acclaim from major publications and food blogs and building a social-media following of 24,000. Lisa Ludwinski bakes pies with produce from local farmers, snapping gorgeous shots of her creations and offering customers the chance to “Pie it Forward” and buy a slice for the next customer. It’s that sense of local pride and community outreach that makes this particular restaurant Instagram so special. Ludwinski is committed to supporting small Detroit-based businesses and offering neighborhood discounts. It’s a restaurant, and restaurant Instagram account, with some serious heart.


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Following three days of deliberation from an international panel of 38 judges from around the world, 115 medals were awarded in the International Brewing & Cider Awards, including winners from Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and the United Kingdom. See the winners right here! For the first time in its 138-year history, Manchester hosted the brewing industry Oscars, which date back to 1886 and have a rich history championing the world’s best brewers and cider-makers. 30 Gold beer medal winners were awarded, including six from Japan (Isekado Brewery, Kirin Holdings Co. and Spring Valley Brewery) and one each from China (Tsingtao Brewery), Taiwan (Buckskin) and Thailand (Chang).
Scottish brewers Tennents Caledonian Breweries and Brewgooder each took home a Gold while English brewers lapped up 13 Gold medals including two for Manchester’s own Joseph Holt Ltd. In the cider competition, 13 gold medals were awarded including five to US-based cidermakers – two for Bauman’s Cider Company, plus one each for 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Portland Cider Company and Black Apple Hard Ciderie.
The Nordic nations of Finland (Lepola Drinks) and Norway (OmCider AS and Aide A/S) scooped three alongside Stonewell Cider in Ireland who took home two Golds. Valle, Ballina y Fernandez SA (Spain), the Cotswold Cider Company (England) and Dunkertons Organic Cider (England) each won a Gold.
The International Brewing & Cider Awards relocated to Depot Mayfield in Manchester this year and — in another first — was accompanied by a public festival. The two-day International Brewing & Cider Festival will provide a rare opportunity for the public to sample the range of beers and ciders entered into the competition, including the award-winners.
The judging for The International Brewing & Cider Awards took place over three days between 19th – 21st March and provided an unparalleled opportunity for brewers and cidermakers to have their products evaluated by internationally acclaimed, commercially practicing international brewers and cidermakers, led by Chair of Beer Judging, Rob McCaig and Chair of Cider Judging, Gabe Cook.
Ruth Evans MBE, Director of the International Brewing & Cider Awards, said: “It’s been an honour to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary beers and ciders across the world at our new home here in Manchester. We support the brewing and cidermaking industry on a not-for-profit basis, and the Awards has a long and rich history championing the best beers and ciders going into market. This week, we’ve had some of the best brewers and cidermakers in the world judge our prestigious competition and I’d like to personally thank all of them, as well as all the brewers and cidermakers who entered their products to make this year’s Awards one to remember.
“We’re thrilled to be able to continue to provide a platform to reward the best beers and ciders with the recognition they so truly deserve. And for the first time ever expand to launch our Festival, providing the public a chance to sample these award-winning drinks from the most extensive collection of international beers and cider in Europe.”
Rob McCaig, Chair of Beer Judging, said: “We’ve had such an outstanding line up of judges from all corners of the world, and they’ve all done a remarkable job tasting and evaluating some of the finest beers from around the globe. This year proved to be one of the toughest yet to determine which of the beers were deserving of a medal. We had an exceptional amount of great quality beers enter this year, making the job of our judging panel extremely difficult. It’s a shame we couldn’t award more medals, as there were so many beers that were deserving of the accolade — some of which narrowly missed out.
“We saw a significant increase in entries in the Non & Low Alcohol category, which reflects the growing demand in the industry, and also saw an influx of international brewers enter the Smallpack Ale category, which is very promising. Historically, this category has often been dominated by the UK, but this year saw the inclusion of breweries from Japan, North America and South America.”
Gabe Cook, Chair of Cider Judging, said: “It has been a great pleasure once again to chair the world’s premier cider competition. This year has been the best calibre of judges we’ve ever had, coming from all over the world including Japan, Latvia, Norway, USA, Spain and the UK. The incredible global range has also been reflected in the cider entries, with entries arriving from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America. This has undoubtably been the most difficult competition to judge — the quality of ciders has been truly, so high. It’s great to see that cidermakers have been upping their game on the quality, and those that were awarded a medal in their category is a recognition truly deserved. We have seen a lot of fun and playful ciders being entered into the Open Class, which provides cidermakers with a bit of freedom to do something a little different, which is always nice to see.”
The competition’s unique approach to the judging process sets it apart from other awards, which ensures each beer and cider is judged fairly and rigorously on its quality and commercial value. The 38 strong judging panel was chosen to reflect the current expertise in the tasting and commercial evaluation of beers and ciders going into the market and blind tasted hundreds of beers and ciders submitted by brewers and cidermakers from around the world. It is these values that has earnt it the reputation as the ‘Oscars of the brewing and cider world.
All the gold, silver and bronze medal winners announced at Depot Mayfield, Manchester will collect their medals at an official Awards Ceremony on 1st May 2024 at The Guildhall in London, when 12 trophy winners will also be announced. A full list of all 2024 medal winners can be found on The International Brewing & Cider Awards’ website: www.brewingawards.org
The International Brewing & Cider Awards 2024 are supported by headline sponsors; Barth-Haas Group, Krones and Fermentis. Trophy sponsors include; drinktech + Marketing, The Morning Advertiser, Brauwelt, BFBI, All Party Parliamentary Beer Group, British Guild of Beer Writers, Institute of Brewing & Distilling.


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Last Updated on May 10, 2021 by Danielle
The New York Toy Fair 2018 opens February 17 – 20, 2018. Let the excitement begin!
Let the fun and games begin! The 115th North American International Toy Fair 2018 aka the New York Toy Fair 2018 officially gets underway in just two weeks starting from February 17 through February 20, 2018. The fair will take place at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center in New York. The show is only open to trade members; it is not open to the general public. However, Toy Buzz will offer coverage of the major events and news of Toy Fair 2018. After the show wraps up, we’ll cover the highlights of the show with our annual ‘Best New Toys of 2018 Toy Fair Awards’ feature, highlighting the best toys of the show that you can look forward to for the year and, of course, the hottest toys for Christmas 2021. It’s always exciting to get a glimpse of what you can look forward to seeing on store shelves before it actually arrives.
Produced by The Toy Association, the Toy Fair will showcase hundreds of thousands of the hottest and newest playthings, games, and entertainment products for kids. The toy industry is a $26 billion dollar industry in the United States and The NPD Group reported growth of one percent last year with one percent global growth as well. Although movie tie-ins experienced a slow down due to movie tie-in fatigue, you can expect a ton of movie tie-ins this year with a smorgasbord of superhero movies and major blockbusters. Some of the biggest movie tie-in licenses this year are expected to be Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Jurassic World to name a few.
All of the major toy companies, including Hasbro, Mattel, LEGO, and more will showcase their latest offerings along with smaller companies. They will all be vying for your attention and hard-earned dollars in the coming months leading up to the big holiday season. There will be playthings for boys and girls of all ages. What will be the Toy of the Year that causes the biggest craze this year? We’re excited just thinking about that!
Last year we had the Fidget Spinner craze, L.O.L. dolls, and Fingerlings. In the previous year, the biggest craze was the Hatchimals. The Collectibles 2.0 movement was in full force with no signs of slowing down. Slime was also a huge trend that is expected to remain hot again this year. Then there’s poop and toilet-themed toys that have been flying off shelves that could carry over into the new year. Believe it or not, this could be a major toy trend to look forward to in 2018.
But only time will tell what major trends will make it big in 2018. We’ll be sure to have full coverage of those major trends sure to dominate the world of toys this year to keep you in the know. Also, Wicked Cool Toys has the master Pokémon license and is set to debut a whole new line of toys and playthings based on the Pokémon franchise. The latest FurReal Friends will also be revealed at Toy Fair 2018. If you haven’t already checked out our exclusive sneak peek at the latest FurReal Friends, be sure to check it out. We’re really excited to see all of the fun, creativity and innovation that each new Toy Fair brings and can’t wait to take it all in and share the biggest breaking news with our loyal fans.
Also, the 18th annual 2018 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards will be announced during Toy Fair week. We’ll have full updates on the Toy of the Year as well as which toys and companies won in each of the other major categories. Look forward to all this exciting news in the weeks to come!


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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is calling for a strengthening of Australian Consumer Law, after a survey of more than 2000 new caravan owners revealed above 80 per cent of respondents had experienced issues.
It said it surveyed 2270 owners, of which 29 per cent said the seller made a misrepresentation during the sales process, including around their consumer guarantee and warranty rights and their caravan’s tow weight.
Of the 80 per cent of owners who experienced problems, 50 per cent classified their fault as a major failure. That’s despite 67 per cent of respondents saying they paid over $60,000 for their new caravan.
The consumer watchdog said it has received 1300 complaints over the past five years from caravan owners.
“A caravan can represent a significant financial and emotional investment. Some people save for years in anticipation of purchasing and travelling in a caravan,” said ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard.
“If something goes wrong the harm can be significant.
“It is the ACCC’s view that it is reasonable to expect a new caravan won’t develop a major fault within the first several years of use.”
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia said, in response to the ACCC report, that it supports a collaborative approach in addressing issues.
“While the vast majority of industry businesses understand and adhere to their consumer obligations and supplier indemnification responsibilities under the Australian Consumer Law, there always remain opportunities for individual improvement”, said Caravan Industry Association of Australia CEO Stuart Lamont.
“The National body will work closely with industry in assisting them to further understand their obligations in dealing with consumers, and industry businesses along the supply chain, so that consumer expectations are met.”
Under Australian Consumer Law, if you purchase a caravan and it doesn’t meet one or more consumer guarantees, you’re entitled to a remedy from the supplier.
Depending on the severity of the guarantee failure, that can be a repair, replacement or refund – even if the warranty has expired.
But many of the consumers surveyed said they were either unable to obtain a remedy or said remedy didn’t address the issue.
The ACCC also received responses from 67 suppliers, and said 40 per cent of suppliers reported a manufacturer refused to reimburse them for providing a remedy to a consumer – something they’re entitled to receive under Australian Consumer Law.
Retailers are also entitled to receive reimbursement from manufacturers for any parts and labour associated with repairs.
“While a supplier can take legal action against a manufacturer to recover costs, the ACCC’s survey of suppliers found some were reluctant to take this step due to fear of retribution,” Ms Rickard said.
37 per cent of survey respondents also said they had to wait longer than six months for delivery of their caravan, with the caravan industry – like the car industry – affected by COVID-19 supply chain disruptions.
The ACCC also cited increased demand for caravans.
“We expect that suppliers will be upfront with consumers about the timeframe for delivery of their caravan and any potential delays during the sales process and continue to proactively communicate until delivery,” Ms Rickard said.
The ACCC has called for the ACL to be amended to include the tougher rules published by the Treasury in its Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement last December.
These include consideration of fines for actions like:
- Businesses failing to provide a remedy when they’re legally required to do so
- Manufacturers failing to reimburse suppliers
- Retribution by manufacturers against said suppliers seeking reimbursement


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Our #StyleProfile for September's issue is on Gwen Riley, the backbone of the women's clothing line, Daughters. Read how she is changing the game in women's fashion. https://t.co/x4e3LgNqF3 https://t.co/6BOeMJdudG
Foodies gathered at Foreign & Domestic for the grand finale of Indie Chefs Week for a sold-out 15 course wine dinner. The week was created by Ned Elliot and Crystal Esquivel, who started the event to get people talking about what indie chefs are doing in the food world with the hope that the idea will spread out across the country to bring dedicated chefs together to cook, collaborate and inspire.


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Royal Mail has been experiencing delivery delays over the last few weeks as its staff have been affected by the pandemic. Has your post not turned up?
If you’re waiting on a long-overdue parcel from Royal Mail, you might be in one of the 28 areas that’s had Covid postal delays due to workers being off sick or self-isolating.
Royal Mail released a list of postcodes on Tuesday that are likely to receive limited service due to coronavirus.
Royal Mail publishes list of areas hit by delivery delays due to workforce being affected by the Covid pandemichttps://t.co/kVegoqfFMG
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 12, 2021
Some have complained they’ve had to wait as many as three weeks for their post to arrive, while others were thankful to receive some belated Christmas cheer!
This has led to some concernt that vaccination letters may arrive late (please remember to watch out for scam attempts), but the vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi has said that the government is working with Royal Mail to prioritise those letters.
Your delivery rights
Though it’s best to be patient with post at the moment, you do have rights in some instances to ask for your money back.
If you paid extra for nominated-day delivery and your parcel doesn’t arrive on the agreed date, you can ask to have the extra money you spent on special delivery reimbursed back to you.
And if your parcel doesn’t arrive after 30 days, you can cancel the order and ask for a full refund.
Your rights are with the retailer you bought from, rather than with Royal Mail, so be sure to contact the store if you think you’re entitled to a refund.
Has your post been affected?
Has your Christmas gift still not arrived? Do you have a ‘next-day delivery’ parcel caught up with the delays?
Christmas cards still at large?
Whether you’re in one of the affected areas, or live in another postcode that’s experienced issues, let us know in the comments.


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World Rugby and Macron have announced details of a wide-ranging official apparel supplier deal that will see the Italian brand supply performance wear for the Emirates Match Officials for international tournaments and fixtures, including Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand, Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 in Cape Town and Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.
The agreement was officially announced ahead of the Malaga round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022, where the striking new sevens match officials kit will make its debut on the backs of the world’s best male and female sevens referees. The 15s kit will be revealed ahead of the men’s and women’s Six Nations.
Under the deal, Macron will also become official sports apparel supplier of Rugby World Cup 2021 and 2023, kitting out tournament officials, with a range of performance and leisure wear which will be made available for fans to purchase.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “We are delighted to welcome Macron on board as World Rugby’s new official sports apparel supplier for at least the next three years.
“Macron shares our passion for high performance culture and we have been impressed with the attention to detail to ensure that the world’s top match officials performing on the world’s biggest stages are able to be the best they can be no matter the conditions through a relentless focus on performance, innovation and technology.”
In addition to the traditional colours sported by World Rugby match officials, namely blue, white and orange, the jerseys also feature bespoke designs and colour variants. World Rugby is also colour blind positive in its approach to colour selection.
Macron is firmly established as one of the world’s most recognisable performance wear brands and has a portfolio of successful partnerships in rugby and football, incorporating the likes of Wales, Scotland, Italy and UEFA.
Macron CEO Gianluca Pavanello said: “We are proud of this partnership with World Rugby. The world of rugby is increasingly becoming ‘our home’. We have always shared the values that the sport represents. We are thrilled to collaborate with the organisation that represents rugby at a global level by bringing and sharing our experience, expertise and professionalism, as well as our passion for the sport.
“The World Rugby clothing line will be unique and exclusive, representing the essence of the sport on the world’s major stages, including the men’s and women’s sevens and 15s Rugby World Cups, stages on which we are proud to see the Macron brand become more and more embedded in the sport.”


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Partnership Will Allow pop.capacity Network Members to Not Only Find Ideal Warehouse Options, But Grab Bookings Instantly
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATLANTA, September 19, 2022 – pop.capacity, the first true digital marketplace for warehouse and fulfillment space, announces a new partnership with Loadsmart’s Opendock – a simple, automated method for booking warehouse space.
Opendock, powered by Loadsmart, is similar to Calendly in the sense that shippers can use the platform to find out which warehouses have space available and instantly reserve that space through an automated process. With the partnership, pop.capacity network members will not only be able to find the ideal warehouse fit simply by entering their preferred parameters, but will also be able to book the space they find instantly.
“Our mission at pop.capacity is to make the supply chain experience frictionless,” said CEO Matt Fain. “That’s why we help people connect with the ideal warehouse option without involving ourselves in the transaction. No one needs that friction in the process. Now, with Opendock as part of our platform, even more friction is removed from the booking process.”
Complete integration between pop.capacity and Opendock will be available at some point in the fourth quarter of 2022. But those wishing to access the opportunity immediately can contact pop.capacity to make arrangements.
From Loadsmart’s perspective, the partnership is a welcome opportunity to help eliminate friction from the supply chain.
“We are happy to partner with pop.capacity to build a community of frictionless solutions that create more efficient processes and help digitize companies’ supply chain solutions,” said Narendar Shankar, senior vice president of partnerships for Loadsmart.
In addition to the benefits for shippers and carriers looking for warehouse space, Fain said the pop.capacity/Opendock partnership will offer real-value to warehouse operators.
“They’ll be able to easily track in and out times, dwell time and no-shows,” Fain said. “They can easily record truck arrivals in real time while getting an accurate picture of both carrier and warehouse performance. And by eliminating surprise arrivals and first-come-first-serve expectations, warehouse operators will be able to plan labor more efficiently, reduce truck wait times and lower detention fees.”
Among other improvements, warehouse operators will see fewer bottlenecks at the gate, as truck drivers will arrive already knowing which bay is waiting for them – based on what the warehouse operator specified via Opendock.
All trucks will now be checked in digitally via tablets, eliminating the need for warehouse operators to do manual entry via spreadsheets or other similar platforms.
“This is the kind of automation that will make things more efficient and profitable both for warehouses and carriers,” Fain said. “It’s the sort of thing pop.capacity is committed to offering our network members.”
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pop.capacity is the first true digital marketplace for warehousing and fulfillment space. By leveraging A1 and virtual touring technology, pop.capacity has accelerated and enhanced the way shippers and suppliers directly connect on amazing opportunities. The pop.capacity platform enables shippers and suppliers to directly connect on the perfect opportunities while reducing the time and cost associated with sourcing new warehouse and fulfillment space.
Transforming the future of freight, Loadsmart leverages technology and logistics data to build efficiency around how freight is priced, booked and shipped. Pairing comprehensive logistics technology with deep-seated freight industry expertise, Loadsmart fuels business growth, simplifies operations and increases efficiency for carriers and shippers alike. For more information, please visit: https://loadsmart.com/. Move more with less.