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Facebook has since long been a key platform for marketers to promote their products through various means like organic posts, videos or pictures so as to reach out to more and more people.
It was common to see the news feed flooded with all sorts of promotional articles from publishers or businesses.
Facebook CEO and co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg, in his post declaring about the proposed changes in the news feed categorically mentioned about the change in his policy towards what is being shared on Facebook.
“I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.”
In the same post, Mark Zuckerberg mentioned about the changes that the social media giant will be bringing in the News Feed to make more relevant and “meaningful interactions between people.”
This was a clear indication as to how the modifications in Facebook will change how marketers strategize their policies regarding Facebook promotions.
In simple words, your news feed on Facebook will now have those posts trending that are probably shared by your friends and family and not just brand posts by publishers.
It is a giant step towards encouraging more personal and meaningful conversations through Facebook.
#1 Understand the content required
It is time for the social media marketers to strategize their content all over again.
With the changes in the News Feed of Facebook, random blog posts or videos, that used to be an easy way out for publicizing the particular product, will have to be reconsidered to give the desired results.
Just because Facebook has barred from prioritizing posts and content from businesses and social media marketing publishers, it does not mean that the platform must be quitted altogether.
With the new changes, Facebook intends “to help people stay connected and bring us closer together with the people that matter to us”.
Adam Mosseri, the Head for News Feed, clearly stated that “Pages making posts that people generally don’t react to or comment on could see the biggest decreases in distribution. Pages whose posts prompt conversations between friends will see less of an effect”.
By this statement, Mosseri means that it is time the marketers need to figure out methods to make more engaging content for social media users instead of just posting organic content to do the needful.
In the attempt of changing the News Feed, Facebook is not intending to wipe out all publisher content, but in that attempt, it only wants to engage the users in spending quality time on Facebook.
Marketers need to understand and find out answers to the questions like-
- Which posts will create more interactions without directly asking for it?
- What kind of posts must be put up online so that the engagements can be increased?
Instead of just putting up organic posts and hoping for them to gain engagement, with this change in the News Feed, the content developers must now bring up with content ideas, videos or pictures which will promote interactions and increase the possibility of them getting shared.
#2 Better Use of paid promotions and Ads
Facebook ads are a very important method of generating revenue. In fact, in the last quarter, Facebook made somewhere close to $10.3 billion through the ads promotion.
With the change in the News Feed now, it is even more important to understand the better utilization of the paid ads on Facebook pages.
Marketers now have a more important task of handling the ads on Facebook.
Instead of ideally sitting and waiting for the audiences to see the published post in their News Feed, now the task in hand is to reach out to the exact audience and this can be easily done by paid promotions.
With the news feed changing drastically, it is these ads spaces on the Facebook pages that will be the most targeted column for social media promotions.
Not only this, by managing your ads properly, it will be easier to extract correct data explaining what sort of posts are performing better and enhancing public interactions and also, what are the loopholes behind the published article not performing well.
#3 Creating content that involves interaction
Previously, the news feed used to be flooded with irrelevant listicles and plain articles or a picture with a simple caption.
Now the news feed demands more! Facebook is now aiming to improve the quality of the content shared on its platform to encourage meaningful conversations.
With the new news feed algorithm, Facebook is trying to eradicate baseless and spammy posts and also avoid the use of ‘engagement bait’ that was prevalent before.
The content that is to be published on the platform should be more authentic and not just any other article trying to deliberately force the user to the product.
Pages using the tactics of ‘engagement baits’ will now see a decreased presence in the news feed.
Marketers and content developers will have to understand what kind of posts will attract interaction so that it remains popular in the news feed of the targeted audience. We can see some of the examples here-
1. Groups and discussions in them
Facebook groups are a gold mine of conversations as they are generally concerned with a particular topic.
Mark Zuckerberg clearly stated, “For example, there are many tight-knit communities around TV shows and sports teams. We’ve seen people interact way more around live videos than regular ones.”
Content inspired from the discussions on such groups will be placed higher in the news feed instead of other regular posts.
2. Posts getting longer and generating more comments
In his interview, Adam Mosseri states that “…long comments more than short comments, because we find regularly that if you take the time to actually write a more thoughtful perspective on something that correlates positively with a comment that someone actually would respond to or Like.”
He also said that it is easier to get likes than getting comments as it means that the user invested time in typing the comment and presenting his perspective.
This shows that content generating comments encourage people to have interactions and meaningful conversations. Such posts will be given priority in the news feed.
#4 Importance of influencers and live videos
Influencers can be a good way to create better promotions as content promoted by influencers always ranks higher than that created by businesses or social media publishers.
Since Facebook is bringing in the new algorithm for news feed, it is the most suitable time to get in touch with influencers.
Roping in influencers for the promotion of your product might shoot up the expenditure but it is definitely fruitful.
You may also try to convince perspective influencers to promote the brand by particular hashtags or links or mentions in their page.
Users generally do not overlook any product shared by their personal favorites and this may lead to the subsequent sharing of the article which will obviously make its presence on the news feed stronger.
Another good method of doing the same is live videos. Mosseri says that “live videos often lead to discussion among viewers on Facebook — in fact, live videos on average get six times as many interactions as regular videos.”
You must be aware as to what is to be presented during the video. It is necessary to make sure that the content must embark upon some relevant conversation and engage the viewers.
It is crucial to know the target audience so that the content can be framed accordingly.
Social media, especially Facebook is a platform that is filled with various vlogs, online videos and podcasts; therefore it is imperative to be careful about the objective of the live video.
#5 Understand what the user is saying
“Now, I want to be clear: by making these changes, I expect the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down”. By this statement, the Facebook CEO clearly portrays his intentions of giving the users a quality experience and more valuable time.
Marketers must pay extra attention on this statement if they intend to see their posts on the news feeds after the changes.
It is not just enough to create interactive content, but also understand what the people are speaking about it.
Analyzing the comments on the posts and having a dedicated team for deducing the likes and interest of the audience is the need of the hour.
Marketers need their teams to respond to the comments to keep the engaged. This will help a great deal in comprehending the trends and later on implementing them in constructing future content activities.
The change that Facebook has brought in its New Feed algorithm is a big contribution towards making itself a better interactive platform for the users and not just let the businesses use it as a place to flood with their organic promotional articles.
Marketers will have to create content that will keep the audience engaged if they intend to obstruct their overall reach and promotions from decreasing.
This attempt of Facebook must be looked upon as an effort to make it a more viable marketing platform. Change is inevitable and to adjust according to it is the only solution for publishers and businesses.
[thrive_testimonial name=”” company=”” image=”https://dsim.in/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/sahil-kakkar.jpg”]Sahil is the CEO and Founder of RankWatch – a platform that helps companies and brands stay ahead with their SEO efforts in the ever growing internet landscape. Sahil likes making creative products that help in the automation of mundane tasks and he can spend endless nights implementing new technologies and ideas. You can connect with him and the Rankwatch team on Facebook or Twitter.[/thrive_testimonial]
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Over the past decade, the number of retail bank branch locations has been reducing across the nation. According to the FDIC Quarterly Banking Profile, in Q1 of 2021 there were 4,978 reporting institutions, down from 5,116 in 2020, and 5,606 in 2018. A study released mid-March 2021 predicted bank branches could be extinct by 2034 if current reduction trends continue. The question is whether the COVID- 19 pandemic will accelerate the bank closure trend.
The COVID-19 pandemic gave people of a variety of backgrounds a glimpse into the convenience of digital banking. It forced a global change and created an atmosphere where once-reluctant customers had to rely on online services to deposit checks, check balances, and complete their banking needs. One would predict this to mean branch closures would occur at an exponential rate.
Instead, it seems branch closures have occurred at consistent rates since the start of the pandemic, especially due to banks being considered an essential business. Although this has not spiked yet, we predict that due to the increase in digital banking, the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be an exponential increase in branch closures. According to the Financial Brand, whether firms have planned and executed branch closures successfully will not fully be known until the June 2021 FDIC report is published. It could even take decades to see the real residual effects the pandemic has had on the banking industry.
As more customers adopt digital and online access to manage their money, there is still a segment of the customer base that prefers face-to-face contact at a branch. Branches will continue to be an important piece of banking to individuals in rural areas, the elderly, low income, and people with limited internet access. For those groups, the removal of physical bank branches could be seen as discriminatory. For example, one-third of Chicago branch closures were in low to moderate income areas. On top of the loss of customers to competitors, there may be regulatory implications for institutions if they eliminate branches in low to moderate income areas. With grassroots organizations actively combating this kind of activity, a complete shift to online banks is unlikely any time soon.
However, banks are positioned to argue that digital services are in place to continue serving those who may be disproportionately affected by branch closures, especially as they build out remote banking strategies. The new challenge will be ensuring digital services are widely accessible to all groups.
Due to the observed acceleration of digital adoption by banking customers, the type of transactions people utilize banks for has drastically changed. There has been a reduction in non-value adding transactions, such as check cashing and deposits, which allows banks to focus on high-yield transactions and gives clients to have a more tailored face-to-face experience. Megabanks found that driving routine transactions to digital provided the opportunity for more sales and a decrease in the branch traffic that was formerly driven by accepting deposits, taking payments, and cashing checks.
The transformation of branches appears to be the next step, and one that is gaining momentum. Branches may become more like stores selling products to wealthy clients, focusing on lending, commercial products, and services via hubs in major cities. In the future, they could resemble a modern meeting hub where bankers are mobile and greet and direct clients using tablets. The branch store experience would be comparable to one at a mobile phone store. The focus moves from executing transactions to financial planning, advice, and client assessment. Thus, banks may appeal to the customer’s emotions and needs versus being sales-oriented and transaction driven. With these transformations, banks will look to embody the key attributes consumers look for in a branch, such as a more human approach, extended hours, and increased functionality.
The need for the traditional bank branch that is transaction-based, inconvenient, and costly for both the bank and consumer is on the way out. A refreshed, more relaxed business model where customers meet and get financial advice is the future of branches. COVID-19 does not appear to have led to the demise of bank branches, but it has forced the adoption of digital banking at a faster pace and assisted in reimaging and repurposing their functionality.

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Bertelsmann wants to structure its 50% share in the Sony BMG joint-venture more flexibly over the next few months, Bertelsmann CFO Thomas Rabe told German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
“We believe in the music business and see a positive trend particularly in the digital segment. However, we will be sitting down with Sony to look at whether we can optimize the joint-venture financially,” Rabe said in the interview, published Monday (July 3). Rabe said this does not mean Bertelsmann selling its stake in the music giant, but declined to disclose further details.
However, sources close to Bertelsmann say that talks are being conducted with Sony Corp chairman Howard Stringer with a view to perhaps giving Sony a majority stake in Sony BMG for an “interesting price.” Bertelsmann did not elaborate on Rabe’s comments.
Elsewhere in the article, Rabe commented on the planned “sacrifice” of BMG Publishing. “We are very reluctant to divest ourselves of BMG Publishing. However, as it contributes only 2% to Bertelsmann Group sales, it is the smallest sacrifice with a great effect.”
Bertelsmann has said it will buy out stakeholder Groupe Bruxelles Lambert 25.1% share in order to remain a private company. An auction of BMG Music Publishing will help fund that €4.5 billion ($5.7 billion) buy-back.


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Is the Minister of Food hiding food traffic light studies?
For a long time now, consumer protection organizations have been calling for food labels to be more easily understood and referring to the so-called food traffic light (Nutri-Score), which has already been established in other countries. However, the Federal Minister of Food is not one of the friends of this system and has therefore concealed a positive study on nutritional labeling, according to Foodwatch.
From internal emails from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) that Foodwatch are available, it appears that the Minister of Food Julia Klöckner (CDU) has withheld a scientific study which apparently gives a positive testimony to the “Nutri-Score” food traffic light. Foodwatch had access to the internal e-mails through an application in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (IFG). Among other things, the minister called for "greatest confidentiality" in dealing with the study results, apparently for the simple reason that they did not meet her expectations.
Reluctance to study results unacceptable
"It is unacceptable that Ms. Klöckner simply classifies a taxpayer-paid study by the state Max Rubner Institute as 'confidential' and refuses to publish it - and instead only publishes a revised version," emphasizes Luise Molling from Foodwatch. The internal emails indicate that the state MRI had already submitted a report to the BMEL in autumn 2018, in which various systems for labeling sugar, fat, salt and other nutritional values were examined. The result was clear: The Nutri-Score traffic light based on the French model was rated as "fundamentally advantageous for a 'front of pack' nutrition label".
Revised version of the study published
The BMEL commissioned the study itself, but an internal note makes it clear that Minister Klöckner specifically asked to "ensure the greatest confidentiality." The Minister also pointed out that the MRI "only scientifically evaluates the traffic lights" and abstained from a political assessment. Half a year later, the Federal Ministry of Food published an apparently revised version of the study, the presentation of which at the beginning of April had Ms. Klöckner's reluctance to rate the Nutri Score and emphasized that surveys and other studies should be used to develop a model for nutritional labeling.
Original version of the study still under lock and key
When Foodwatch asked for the IFG application, the original MRI study on nutrition labeling was not published and the results have not been published to date. The Ministry merely referred to the version of the report presented by Ms. Klöckner in April 2019. "Politics based on science and facts, as Ms Klöckner has repeatedly emphasized, does not need scientific studies to be kept secret," emphasizes Luise Molling.
Publication of the original study results required
With reference to the Freedom of Information Act, Foodwatch calls on the Federal Minister of Food to immediately publish the original study results of the MRI and has launched a protest campaign in which citizens can join the demand. You can find more information at www.aktion-ampelstudie.foodwatch.de. According to the Foodwatch, the food traffic light has already been successfully established in several European countries and in Germany manufacturers such as Iglo and Danone have already started voluntarily to label their products with a color system. However, the Federal Minister of Food apparently has little ambition to introduce this model in Germany in a timely manner. (fp)


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April 23, 2003 |
United Parcel Service Inc., the world's largest package delivery service, increased first-quarter profit 8.5% as the company benefited from higher overseas shipments and favorable currency exchange rates. Net income climbed to $611 million, or 54 cents a share, from $563 million, or 50 cents, before an accounting change in the 2002 period. Sales rose 5.8% to $8.02 billion. International shipments rose 3.
April 17, 2003 |
Facing rejection from federal regulators, local telephone giant SBC Communications Inc. on Wednesday withdrew its application to provide long-distance service in Michigan, one of its major areas of operation. SBC, the dominant local carrier in California and 11 other states, retreated after questions arose about wholesale billing discrepancies involving rivals that lease its network parts.
April 14, 2003 |
The Los Angeles office market probably won't rebound until next year as leasing activity and rents remain relatively flat, brokers say. The office vacancy rate in Los Angeles County dipped to 18.1% in the first quarter, from 18.6% a year ago, according to Cushman & Wakefield, one of the nation's largest commercial brokerages. Landlords filled more space by cutting prices: the average lease rate was $2.13 per square foot per month, down from $2.19 in the 2002 first quarter.
April 12, 2003 |
General Electric Co. said first-quarter profit fell nearly 9% as gas turbine sales dropped sharply and plastics earnings were more than halved. GE said it expects second-quarter profit to decline as much as 15%. That means the conglomerate needs a big rebound in the second half of the year to meet 2003 profit goals. The Fairfield, Conn., company reported first-quarter earnings of $3.2 billion, or 32 cents a share, before an accounting change, down from $3.5 billion, or 35 cents, a year earlier.
April 11, 2003 |
Boeing Co. said Thursday that its first-quarter net earnings would be reduced by $994 million, or $1.23 a share, mainly because of an accounting charge to reflect the sharply declining value of companies it acquired in the last seven years. As a result, analysts expect the Chicago-based aerospace and defense giant to post a net loss for the first quarter. Earlier estimates were that Boeing would earn about 42 cents a share. Boeing expects to report the first-quarter results April 23.
April 10, 2003 |
Genentech Inc., the world's second-largest biotechnology company, said Wednesday that first-quarter profit rose 59% because of higher sales of its cancer drugs and a lower tax rate. The South San Francisco-based company reported net income of $151.5 million, or 29 cents a share, compared with $95.3 million, or 19 cents, a year earlier. Wall Street had forecast earnings of 28 cents for the latest quarter. Revenue rose 32% to $749.7 million from $568.1 million in the first quarter of last year.
April 7, 2003 |
Like many financial advisors, Joel Framson has a lot of nervous clients. Fearful about the economy and the stock market, some are reluctant to shift their portfolios away from what has held up well for the last three years -- such as high-quality bonds, money market funds and "value"-oriented stocks. Yet the West Los Angeles financial planner thinks this is a logical time to be buying more of what's down rather than what's up. He just has to convince his clients.
April 4, 2003 |
The San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank said Thursday that the regional economy "hit the pause button" in the first three months of the year as consumers and businesses reined in spending in the lead-up to war with Iraq. Issuing its quarterly economic update, the San Francisco Fed said consumer purchases had slowed "especially on non-discounted merchandise" and that sentiment has declined steadily.
March 29, 2003 |
The number of bankruptcies of U.S. public companies tumbled in the first quarter. In the almost-completed period, 39 public firms with about $10 billion in assets have filed for bankruptcy protection, down from 69 firms with $77 billion in assets a year earlier, according to BankruptcyData.com.
January 28, 2003 |
Vitesse Semiconductor Corp., which makes chips for telecommunications gear, said Monday that its fiscal first-quarter loss narrowed to $11 million as expenses fell. The loss was 6 cents a share, from $106.9 million, or 54 cents, a year earlier, the company said. Sales fell 2.4% to $38.2 million, from $39.1 million. Excluding expenses, the company said, its loss was 6 cents a share. On that basis, the loss matched the average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call.


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The main indicator of growth become sales, which in the first half of 2019 increased by 19,5% compared to the same period of 2018. Such high rates have been maintained for last several years. First quarter of 2019 was also very positive with 20% sales growth compared with the same period of 2018.
Moreover, outlet continues to attract new customers, gaining popularity among residents of Moscow and the region, what resulted in developing attendance rate in the first half of the year increased by 5,4%. Also the share of visitors making shopping at FASHION HOUSE Outlet Centre Moscow is constantly growing. During the first 6 months of this year the conversion rate increased by 13,7% to 87,5%. and the average spends per customer by 16%.
Those higher and higher indicators contributed to the expansion of the tenant’s mix in FASHION HOUSE Outlet Centre Moscow. Since the beginning of the year, several new stores with a total area of more than 400 square meters were opened here.
“We are very pleased with the results. They prove that customers enjoy shopping in the outlet, which is justified in the current economic conditions. We hope that the attractiveness of this sector will continue to increase among brands that have not fully appreciated the advantages of the concept yet. The growth of sales in Moscow inspires us with even more optimism regarding our FASHION HOUSE Outlet Centre in St Petersburg, which will be opened in November 2019”, notes Brendon O’Reilly, managing director of FASHION HOUSE Group.


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Recession, what recession? Mulberry's luxury leather handbags are in big demand around the world, as the company increasingly becomes a global brand.
The company's half year pretax profit has more than tripled from £1.5m to £4.7m, and it says full year figures will beat expectation. UK revenues rose 27% but US sales more than doubled and France up 189%, albeit from lower bases. During the six months to the end of September, it opened new stores in Hong Kong, Korea, Qatar and UAE. Since then it more have followed, including outlets in Sydney and Amsterdam and back home, a new flagship store in New Bond Street, London. It has agreed terms on a flagship store in Soho New York
Chairman Godfrey Davis said
Mulberry has continued to increase sales and profitability during the first half of the year due to consistent demand for our products in all markets. Since September 2010 the pattern of strong demand has continued and the outlook for the second half of the year is very positive, with the full year performance likely to exceed market expectations.
But it said Christmas trading was key and it was still cautious about the global economic outlook. It maintained it will not offer discounts over the festive season, however. The new Alexa handbag range has joined its list of bestsellers, and it continues to develop its women's apparel and shoe business. In January comes the new Tillie family of bags. The company's shares have risen 4p to 874p on the news. Analyst David Stoddart at FinnCap said
The recent share price run had begun to price in another round of forecast upgrades. The interim announcement did not disappoint and we have increased our forecasts. We have lifted our target price sharply to £10.40 to reflect
the continuing outperformance of revenue and profit expectations. We continue to regard the global potential for the brand as substantial, and remain buyers.
Philip Dorgan at Altium Securities was also positive. He said:
Mulberry is developing into a truly global brand, as continued significant sales outperformance demonstrates. This should lead to sustained profit growth over many years and a move from sub 10% margins to over 20%. We are
therefore increasing our pretax forecasts. For the current year, we are upgrading from £13m to £15m, for 2010/11 from £18m to £20m and for 2011/12 from £22m to £30m. We are increasing our target price again from 650p to £10. The potential to move the brand from sales of £70m last year to £200m over the next two years, means that we see scope to increase the target price further.


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2017 Spring Seller Update reminder—new changes go into effect
In February, we announced a host of changes we’re making at eBay to meet the demands of today’s marketplace and invest in your success. Here’s a reminder that the following pricing changes will go into effect on May 1, 2017.
In addition, third-party product listing ads will be removed across the eBay platform on May 1 to help boost the visibility of your promoted listings.
These updates went into effect in April:
This summer, you will be able to provide more accurate shipping charges to buyers with new location-specific shipping rate tables. Plus, you’ll be able to customize the days you work and your cut-off time for same-day shipping with a new calendar tool. Watch this space for more updates!
We're not taking comments on this blog. Instead, we've set up a special discussion board to discuss today's announcement.


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William Reed Business Media SAS (a William Reed Business Media group company), is a business-to-business publisher supplying strategically relevant news directly to the desktops of decision-makers in the science, cosmetics and food industries. The group runs innovative online marketing solutions for leading international industry providers.
Today, the company runs 18 highly targeted industry platforms and over 30 e-newsletters in industries such as food, beverage, nutritional supplements, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
A group of researchers in Europe say they have made a breakthrough that could lead to a...
Media and consumer attention towards certain ingredients used in beauty and personal care can stifle innovation in...
President Obama's announcement during his State of the Union address that the US and the European Union...
Continued reporting of health worries and perceptions of chemical dangers bring about fresh challenges for innovation that...
Plastic lotion pumps are the fastest growing closure type in the beauty segment as liquid soap booms...


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PUBG MOBILE – Comeback getting impossible: Bad news for PUBG Mobile’s return to India isn’t stopping. It is finally getting confirmed– PUBG Mobile India launch might not happen. PUBG Mobile relaunch in the country was anticipated for March 2021, and now, all of these rumours are being shunned in a corner. What happens to PUBG comeback?
DNA quoting LiveMint wrote a report saying the Government of India is not nudging on removing the ban on Chinese apps like TikTok and others that were banned last year. The ban is likely to continue indefinitely and PUBG Mobile India relaunch is a distant possibility, and will not get launched in March 2021. It is crucial to know that all of these apps were banned under Section 69A of the IT Act. Section 69A of the Information Technology Act gives the government the power to take down any online content, which they classify as harmful or threatening to the country.
There has been a lot of ups and downs for PUBG Mobile’s return in the country, and adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Krafton Inc had recently posted a job opening for PUBG Mobile Senior eSports consultant, but it was removed hours later. This sparked the rumours that PUBG Mobile India would get relaunched, but the report has now stopped even that possibility.
In the global version, a new update– 1.2 update recently came out, and with it, the new Season 17 of the game. However, Indians will not be able to access the game, but there are certain ways how the game can be played. Read an InsideSport exclusive interview with an ethical hacker to know how PUBG is being played in the country.


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Will The Future Be To Only Order Groceries Online?
December 27, 2019, came and who would have known the domino effect every single human worldwide would become subject to based on a series of events not associated with anyone imparticular. On this date, the future of getting our groceries delivered from an online grocery shopper was not just a luxury service any longer. The fate of the human race was now the concern echoed around the world. Gone were the days of proper etiquette of a simple handshake to a business college or a family hug to grandma upon seeing her. Those actions replaced with elbow bumps and distant waives 6′ apart. As we knew before, the world was now a place where being around others would not be permitted if we were to survive this new era of living for survivability.
As humans, we have a primal need to eat to survive. But how would 328 million people here in the United States eat if we are to stay away from others as the leading long term answer to surviving? Simple, we would order groceries online and use others as runners and valets to do our grocery shopping. We were already introduced to a gig type world when Uber & Lyft pretty much took over how we got rides when we needed one. The old days of using Yellow Cab or a Taxi type service were thrown out the window. The same concept is happening when people order groceries online instead of masking/suiting up and driving to a grocery store. We as humans don’t want to be a grocery shopper that has to stay six feet away from others or watch how over 50% of the employees are wearing masks but have their noses sticking out because it’s hard to breathe. It is way more comfortable just to become an online grocery shopper and order groceries online. Staying home keeps us safe, away from grocery stores that have reported over 10,000+ coronavirus infections nationwide with 100+ deaths of front line essential grocery store workers, according to the press.
The main thing to watch out for is price gouging when you stop being a grocery shopper that goes to a grocery store. Instacart users have reported up to eighty percent higher on some products. That would be a $1.00 item costing up to $1.80. Imagine a family of four who spends $180-$300 a week is now spending $207-$540 if we use the 15-80% markup factoring to calculate. Services like Groceries Today ( www.IDeliverGroceries.today ) who charge a flat shopper fee per cart size are your best way to get the most bang for your buck when you order groceries online. You can even use digital coupons and get fuel points on your frequent shopper cards.
When researching information for this blog, a prominent businessman and CEO of a significant grocer had stated he saw the future of grocery stores going to massive warehouses. These grocer machines would pre-shop and have your online grocery order ready for pick-up or sent out on delivery. Going to a grocery store to shop seams to be dwindling, pointing us to becoming an online grocery shopper who orders from our smartphone instead. It would be a massive online grocery store that the public was not welcome.


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January 2019 has been a rollercoaster for Tesla shares, which gained on its plans for China but have plunged since it unveiled job cuts on January 18.
E-waste is making headlines at the World Economic Forum in Davos, encouraging brands to start thinking about the materials they use. House of Marley, an audio brand inspired by Bob Marley, has been working on it for a decade, putting organic cotton, hemp, and recycled aluminum in their gear.
Global carbon emissions continued to rise in 2018, suggesting we have to act now to avoid catastrophic impacts from a warming climate. History offers an example of how it can be done.
There’s no end in sight to the trade war between the US and China. Beijing has many tricks up its sleeve. But China’s labor market has its own dynamic. The first signs of Chinese economic weakness are showing up.
Enterprises, governments and consumers alike are beginning to appreciate the value and vulnerability of data, and how important it is to properly handle data and the algorithms that feed on it. I spoke with Stan Christiaens of Collibra about the moral impetus of gathering, using, and regulating data
Despite their recent antagonism, President Trump and Congress could agree to cut Medicare drug prices.
For the first time, IBM has released a quantum computer that can be used outside the research laboratory.
Halliburton published its Q4 2018 results on January 22, reporting a than better than expected set of earnings that was driven by strong international activity (revenue up 7% sequentially), with oil companies increasing their spending
Platforms promise network effects, which depend on the type of business and motivations.
As Ford removes sedans from its lineup, it is putting more utility vehicles in the showrooms, like, potentially a compact pickup built on an extended Focus platform.
If you're planning to travel anywhere this year, consider these award-winners when deciding where to stay (and where to go).
Standard liquid biopsy tests use blood to detect circulating tumor DNA. This new liquid biopsy for brain cancer uses something different.
Blockchain Technology has sparked a new medium of crypto artwork inspired by bitcoin, systems of decentralization and financial freedom.
Here's another selection of news from around the world to exercise your career owner's mind.
Less than a week before tax season is slated to open for the new filing season, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doors remain largely closed. As tens of thousands of IRS employees are ordered back to work without pay, some are asking for permission to stay home. Here's what you need to know.
The somewhat unlikely pair's "Calma" hits No. 6 on Hot Latin Songs, thanks largely to streaming gains.
Listed as #42 on the World’s Highest-Paid Celebrities List, with estimated earnings of $54 million as of July 2018, J.K. Rowling continues to dominate markets over twenty years on from the publication of the first ''Harry Potter' book. What can we expect in 2019?
Newer hardware, better suspend-to-idle support, and no nose cam. The best Ubuntu laptop gets even better.
In 'Far Cry New Dawn' you'll make a deal with the devil. The game's new story trailer has a fantastic twist.


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The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) launched a new identity for propane that signals a seismic change in how to view the energy source. The new brand, “PROPANE Energy for Everyone™,” highlights propane’s role in ensuring energy equity as well as reducing carbon emissions.
“Americans are beginning to appreciate the value of propane in a wider energy mix after seeing the vulnerabilities of the electric grid in Texas and California and around the country,” says PERC President and CEO Tucker Perkins. “Propane is clean, affordable, and available right now. Unlike the electric grid, it does not require trillions of dollars in infrastructure investment that will create a burden on those who can least afford it. Propane offers solutions for climate, health, and equity.”
PERC’s newly selected creative agency, Elevation Advertising, created The PROPANE Energy for Everyone™ brand after a competitive review. It is rolling out to propane industry partners in anticipation of consumer and market-specific campaigns this fall.
“As we familiarized ourselves with the energy sector as part of the competitive review, we realized that propane has a remarkable story that’s not being told,” says Elevation’s co-founder and executive creative director, Aaron Dotson. “Propane is part of a clean energy mix that complements other renewable systems to help reduce carbon emissions today, right now. With the national energy conversation shifting more toward sustainable solutions every day, it’s the perfect time to share propane’s story.”
A FUEL FOR EVERYONE
Additionally, the brand was the top performer in testing with homeowners, business owners, energy influencers, and propane professionals. Millions of Americans use propane for heat as well as hot water, cooking, and power generation at home and work. It is also a popular fuel for school buses, emergency first-responder equipment, high-end restaurants, remote farms, and countless other applications.
“That’s why propane is energy for everyone,” Dotson adds. “Because everyone deserves access to energy. Everyone.”
Dotson says part of the logo was designed to recall the varieties of users and uses of propane. “But it’s also calling to mind a stylized landscape of the cleaner world it’s helping to create,” Dotson says.
Additionally, PERC will introduce the brand to national propane providers and state associations with video, direct mail, and marketing collateral. They can use the collateral to communicate the benefits of propane to their customers.
Finally, Erin Hatcher, senior vice president of marketing and communications at PERC, says the volunteers who helped develop the brand proved themselves as strategic thinkers. Elevation accomplished thoughtful work in a short amount of time with the volunteers’ help. Hatcher says PERC is excited to form this partnership as it educates people about the benefits of clean propane.
Find out more, visit www.propane.com.


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Berks County-born country singer turned pop sensation Taylor Swift “broke the internet” last week after selling 2 million tickets for her upcoming Eras tour. It was the most sold for any artist in a single day, writes Grace Griffaton for 69News.
The high demand, on top of billions of bots and unregistered fans, caused major issues with the website, according to company officials.
This led to “insufficient ticket inventory” and Friday’s public sale had to be cancelled. Many “Swifities” who did secure their tickets had to wait hours in a virtual queue. Downingtown’s Lisa Hearn was one of them.
“I heard some people say it was the seven rings of hell, because you kept getting past things, and you would have another problem,” said Hearn, who waited from 9:30 AM to a little after 2:30 in the afternoon to get the tickets.
She even asked her boyfriend to save her spot on her computer when she had to leave for work.
Hearn managed to get into the 20th row of the side stage. However, a lot of fans weren’t so lucky and ended up empty-handed.
PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro encouraged Pennsylvanians to submit a consumer complaint if they had trouble with Ticketmaster.
Read more about how the Taylor Swift tickets affected PA residents at 69News.


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Sensome’s latest developed Clotild is focused on treating ischemic strokes. The company stated that even though there are numerous methods available for the treatment of the blocked brain arteries, it is difficult to ensure the right treatment or to control it, without identifying the composition of the clot first.
Emergent BioSolutions, Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Biopharmaceutical Company announced that it will invest $50 million for the next three years to expand the manufacturing capacity for its Camden fill-finish in Baltimore facility. By the time the project has been completed in three years, it is expected to add up 60 jobs.
The UK Based, Wasdell Group a leading service provider for the pharma and medical industries, is planning to invest $671,000 to support its pharma manufacturing through a laboratory project; before the end of this year, the company is also planning to move into sterile manufacturing.
Scott Gottlieb, FDA Commissioner is looking for help from Facebook and Twitter to slow down the unauthorized opioid sales in the US. Gottlieb invited the two social media giants, among others, to participate in the FDA Online Opioid Summit which is set for June 27.
It has been stated by the women and their families taking legal actions mentioned that the cancer was caused by decade-long use of J&J’s Baby Powder and other cosmetic. The petitioners have alleged that the company failed to warn consumers about cancer risks in spite of the knowledge that its talc was contaminated with asbestos at least since the 1970s.
San Francisco-based company iBeat, an mHealth wearable development company has announced new funding from form SCOR Life & Transamerica Ventures and Health Ventures for its mHealth devices, Heart Watch which continuously monitors the heart.. iBeat did not state what the total amount was, only that the investments round was “upward of seven figures”.
This will be the second recall on a heart device this month Medtronic’s Heartware device and accessories was recalled a few days ago. This comes after Abbott issued a patch to negate cybersecurity issues 350,000 remote monitoring systems and pacemakers.
This week Apple announced that researchers and app developers can now have access to a Health Record API (Application Programming Interface) to develop applications, with the permission to use the patient’s data to provide them with easy access to health records.
Along with new drug partner Merck, the British drugmaker displayed results showing that adding Lynparza to Johnson & Johnson prostate cancer fighter Zytiga was a more potent disease-fighter than Zytiga alone. As compared to a time-frame of 8.2 months for solo Zytiga, the combo effectively prevented disease progression for 13.8 months.
Updated clinical data on its T-cell therapies has been presented by Adaptimmune. The GlaxoSmithKline-partnered NY-ESO SPEAR T-cells have been linked by the latest readouts to a 50% partial response rate in heavily pretreated cancer patients and have led to the positioning of Adaptimmune for dialing up of dosing of two wholly owned assets.
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Qatar Airways, a long-term client of London Taxi Advertising, has launched its latest campaign targeting Birmingham residents and encouraging them to “fly the world’s best airline.”
Superside taxi advertisements, which utilise the entire length of the lower half of the traditional black cab, are raising awareness of the Qatar Airways brand as they travel across England’s second city and transport passengers to attractions including the Bullring shopping centre, Cadbury World and the NEC.
The cabs carry the traditional burgundy-coloured branding of the national airline of Qatar, advertising the fact that Birmingham residents can fly with Qatar Airways from Birmingham Airport to over 150 destinations worldwide. The ads also carry a range of images showcasing the premier service passengers can expect to receive on board a Qatar Airways flight.
Qatar Airways is the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar, headquartered in Doha. It operates flights to destinations across six continents. It has a hub in Birmingham Airport, the UK’s seventh busiest airport handling over 10.2 million passengers annually.
Sales Director of London Taxi Advertising, Paul Tremarco, said: “We always enjoy working with Qatar Airways and it’s great to be bringing the airline to the streets of the UK once again with this stand-out superside advertising campaign. Our cabs will be targeting a diverse audience in Birmingham, showcasing the airline’s fantastic flight offering from Birmingham Airport.”


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According to a report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the surge in global container freight rates may increase global consumer prices by 1.5% next year and import prices by more than 10%. China's consumer prices may rise by 1.4 percentage points as a result, and industrial production may be dragged down by 0.2 percentage points.
UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan said: “Before shipping operations return to normal, the current surge in freight rates will have a profound impact on trade and undermine the socio-economic recovery, especially in developing countries.”
01 Global consumer prices will increase by 1.5% overall
After the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy has gradually recovered, and shipping demand has surged, but shipping capacity has never been able to return to the pre-epidemic level. This contradiction has led to soaring ocean shipping costs this year.
For example, in June 2020, the spot price of the Container Freight Index (SCFI) for the Shanghai-Europe route was less than USD 1,000/TEU, and it had jumped to approximately USD 4,000/TEU by the end of 2020, and had soared to USD 7,395 by the end of July 2021. . In addition, shippers also face shipping delays, surcharges and other costs.
The United Nations report said: "the analysis of the United Nations Conference on Trade and development shows that between now and 2023, if container freight rates continue to soar, the global price level of imported products will rise by 10.6% and consumer prices will rise by 1.5%."
SThe impact of soaring shipping costs on different countries is different. Generally speaking, the smaller the country and the higher the proportion of imports in the economy, the more affected countries are naturally. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will be the most affected, and the soaring cost of shipping will increase consumer prices by 7.5 percentage points. Consumer prices in landlocked developing countries (LLDC) may rise by 0.6%. In the least developed countries (LDC), consumer price levels may rise by 2.2%.
02 Import prices and consumer prices in different types of countries are affected differently
By country, as the cost of shipping soars, the US consumer price index will rise by 1.2%, and China will rise by 1.4%; by product category, the prices of electronic products, furniture and clothing will be most affected by the increase in shipping prices. The internal increase is at least 10%.
03 Economic growth and industrial production will also be affected
The analysis also said that the soaring cost of container transportation will also drag down the economic growth of major economies. According to the report, if the supply chain continues to be disrupted and container freight rates rise by 10%, industrial production in the United States and the Eurozone will fall by 1%, and industrial production in China will fall by 0.2%.
Swiss logistics giant Kuehne+Nagel said that as of the end of October, more than 600 container ships worldwide were trapped outside the port, twice the level at the beginning of the year. At the end of last month, the company predicted that port and route congestion will continue until at least February next year.
04 How far is the supply chain crisis?
The most deserted Thanksgiving in history, supermarkets limit purchases of daily necessities: the timing is close to the two major shopping holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas in the United States. However, many shelves in the United States are not full. The out-of-stock problem that would only occur on Christmas Eve originally started 2 months earlier. Ferment. Bottlenecks in the global supply chain continue to affect US ports, highways, and rail transportation. The White House even frankly stated that consumers will face more serious shortages in the 2021 holiday shopping season.
The global supply chain is currently facing a serious crisis. Recently, in American stores, supermarkets, and even hypermarkets, food, beverages, clothing and daily necessities are often out of stock. Supermarket shelves are not fully complemented, and there are fewer product choices. Stores are not sure when they will be able to replenish them, and even remove shelf labels. Even large supermarket chains have also resumed the "purchase restriction" policy, restricting the amount of daily necessities such as toilet paper for customers to purchase just like when the epidemic first broke out. This supply chain crisis has put tremendous pressure on the global retail and transportation industries. Some companies have recently issued a series of pessimistic financial forecasts, and the impact continues to expand.
The White House is working hard to get the U.S. ports, rail, and road transportation out of trouble, and solve the problem of insufficient supply from meat to semiconductors. However, US officials still warn that the Christmas shopping season in 2021 may face higher prices and severe shortages. Although American consumers are not used to empty shelves, they need some flexibility and patience.
How did this crisis happen? Multiple factors prevent the goods from being delivered to the United States immediately. The first is the shortage of containers. The shortage of containers has caused container prices to be 10 times higher than in the past. According to Time Magazine, a 40-foot container was shipped from China to the United States before the epidemic. The asking price was about US$4,700, which rose to US$21,000 in August. It is now necessary to pay higher costs to transport goods from the place of production to the United States.
The port congestion on the West Bank is serious, and it takes one month for cargo ships to unload: the port congestion problem is still serious. Cargo ships lining up on the west coast of North America can take up to one month to dock and unload. Various consumer products such as toys, clothing, and electrical appliances are out of stock. In fact, the port congestion in the United States has been severe for more than a year, but it has deteriorated since July. Lack of workers: Lack of work has slowed the speed of unloading at ports and truck transportation, and the speed of replenishment of goods is far below demand.
The US retail industry orders early, but the goods still cannot be delivered: In order to avoid a serious shortage of goods, US retailers have resorted to their best efforts. Most companies will order early and build inventory. According to data from UPS's delivery platform Ware2Go, as early as August, as many as 63.2% of merchants ordered early for the holiday shopping season at the end of 2021. About 44.4% of merchants had higher orders than previous years, and 43.3% were more than ever. Order early, but 19% of merchants are still worried that the goods will not be delivered on time.
There are even operators who rent ships themselves, find air freight, and try their best to speed up logistics. For example, Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target all employ their own ships to ship thousands of containers from Asia to North America. Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti pointed out that three ships are currently employed, each of which is expected to carry 800 to 1,000 containers. However, if it is only a small and medium-sized retailer or a new brand, not only can it not negotiate directly with the shipping company, the cost of hiring cargo ships and air freight is too high and cannot afford it. The monthly cost of chartering a cargo ship may be as high as US$1 million to US$2 million.
The global economy is just about to recover from the chaos caused by the epidemic, but it is facing an extreme shortage of energy, components, products, labor, and transportation. The global supply chain crisis seems to have no signs of resolution. Coupled with the sharp increase in production costs, consumers will obviously feel the price increase. This Christmas holiday in the United States may not be so good.
Contact: Manager Gao
Add: Wire Mesh Zone,Anping County,Hebei Province,China.


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1. Microsoft reported mixed results for the first calendar quarter of 2015.
2. The two times the stock climbed after results, the average gain was 8%.
3. Apple had planned to release results on Monday, April 25.
4. The company said it is conducting a full review, and it will announce the results by April 30.
5. If the official results confirm that, a runoff will be held April 18.
6. Those results were published in 2012.
7. Its stock price is up 39 percent since it reported quarterly results on July 24.
8. If you exclude results from Apple, however, that growth jumps to 12.7%.
9. Still, that was enough to send shares down 11 percent since it reported results January 17.
10. Financial results showed hefty revenue growth of 57% in the last nine months of 2013.
11. Instant results are so 2004.
12. Google also recently released results that showed a need for more diversity.
13. It will report its full quarterly results at the end of the month.
14. Amazon only began breaking out results from that business during the first quarter.
15. This has been a very difficult sales process and the results reflect that.


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- VPR Brands’ specialization in cannabis vaping accessories, accompanied by its growing CBD product line, is helping to drive the company’s expansion
- VPRB reported about 31 percent revenue growth for the year’s first quarter, year-over-year, which added to its nearly 28 percent revenue growth for fiscal year 2018
- The quarterly report also noted gross operating margins above 40 percent, increased assets amid growing product sales and a declining net loss
Following on the heels of its recent report on 2018’s year-end financial progress, vaping technology innovator VPR Brands LP (OTC: VPRB) announced the results of fiscal operations for the first quarter of 2019 on May 20, highlighting continually increasing revenues and a narrowing net loss.
VPRB’s revenues grew about 31 percent year-over-year to $1.3 million for the quarter, according to the report (http://nnw.fm/Jp09m), continuing the trend reported for the full year in 2018, when revenues grew nearly 28 percent to $4.6 million (http://nnw.fm/deMB3), and indicating that the company has begun 2019 at a strong pace that could eclipse the prior year if it continues.
VPR Brands continues to maintain strong gross operating margins above 40 percent as well, and the company was pleased to note that its net losses dropped to $138,000 for the quarter in tandem with an increase of its assets and expenses related to advertising and marketing.
“2019 is off to a solid start so far and we are setting the company’s pace which will allow us to remain focused on sustainable manageable growth,” CEO Kevin Frija stated in a news release. “We continue to invest in inventory and new products to be able to keep up with increased demand.”
VPR Brands specializes in vaporizers and accessories for essential oils, cannabis concentrates and extracts (CBD), and electronic cigarettes containing nicotine. They are markets that have been on a growth curve during recent years as popular sentiment has driven a wave of regulatory change to legalize cannabis, first as a healthful consumable for medical patients and then as a recreational drug that can promote a relaxing mood for users.
Industry analytical firm Research and Markets predicts that the multi-billion-dollar global vaping tank market will continue to grow at a lofty CAGR of 28.92 percent during the next five years (http://nnw.fm/PfR9K). Grand View Research similarly anticipates a CAGR of 23.8 percent through 2025 (http://nnw.fm/2zUWm), with sales reaching $47.1 billion.
“As our product portfolio is heavily weighted towards cannabis vapes and CBD products, we continue to benefit from the continued growth in those product categories,” VPR Brands COO Dan Hoff added.
The company considers itself one of the most under-valued gems on the OTC exchange in the cannabis sector, thanks in part to the experience that its management has gained through decades of product development. Its acquisition of Vapor Corp. in 2016 has helped drive its sales growth through CBD activating products that the company foresees as optimal use mechanisms, providing a vaporization alternative to traditional but questionable means of smoking cannabis to derive its benefits.
Vapor Corp.’s premium open tank mod Honey Stick, in particular, was the first lifestyle brand to reach market with three sizes of ceramic sub-ohm vaporizers. Sub-ohm vaporizers have become go-to devices for a stronger straight-to-lung vapor or flavor that some consumers prefer (http://nnw.fm/Qn4lZ).
The company’s Goldline cannabidiol (CBD) product division has also been generating successes in the nutraceuticals and edible supplements sectors.
VPRB plans to expand its brand through equity funding, which company executives believe will be sufficient to help the company meet its current capital needs when combined with the product of current operations.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.VPRBrands.com
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to VPRB are available in the company’s newsroom at http://nnw.fm/VPRB
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2015 Biking Guide
May is a busy time of year for Minneapolis’ bicycle shops, when even on a rainy weekday afternoon there’s a steady stream of customers pushing through the door of Penn Cycle’s shop on Lake Street.
If they’re looking for new bikes — and with months of fair cycling weather ahead, many are — store manager Tim Larson will typically open with the same two questions: What are you going to use it for? And how often do you plan to ride?
Oh, and one more: “Do you want to spend $500 or $10,000?”


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Nutella, Président Camembert, Ricard Pastis and Carte Noire coffee are among the brands set to cost more in France as a law on food prices takes effect.
It means big food and drink brands can no longer be sold at cost price. Shops’ profit margin must be at least 10%.
But many shops’ own-brand products are expected to get a bit cheaper. Such goods often come from smaller firms.
The government aims to help smaller producers but France has continuing yellow-vest protests over prices.
There are doubts about whether the new law will actually work as hoped.
How much of a price rise?
The 10% margin threshold means a food or drink brand previously sold for €1 (£0.88; $1.1) now has to be priced at €1.1 minimum.
But there will not be uniform price increases, French media report. The law affects supermarkets and hypermarkets more than small local shops.
That is because the big outlets offer some popular brands at or near cost price, slashing their margins on those products, in order to lure customers, in a fierce price war. Their profits depend on big volume and high turnover.
Small shops, however, cannot match the supermarkets’ low margins.
Supermarket chain Carrefour is adapting to the law by increasing discounts for loyalty card customers.
Carrefour expects to raise prices by 35 euro cents on average, which is 5%. It says 1,000 food and drink brands are affected, out of 25,000 on sale.
A big retailer which has already raised prices gave the daily Le Parisien a list of brands affected, while requesting anonymity. Among the price rises are:
- Président Camembert (up 8.6%)
- Ricard Pastis (aniseed liqueur – up 9.9%)
- Nutella (up 8.4%)
- Carte Noire coffee (up 4.4%)
- Coca-Cola (up 5%)
Hypermarket chain E Leclerc said it was raising prices by 3% on 1,000 brands.
Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume said “the aim is to sell agricultural goods for what they’re worth”. He stressed that meat and fish prices would be unaffected.
He said that in supermarkets, in general, prices would go up on 500 out of 13,000 products, and in hypermarkets on 800 out of 20,000 on sale.
Why is the law controversial?
The government hopes that by making shops pay more to their suppliers – the wholesalers – the latter will pay more to French food and drink producers. That is because the wholesalers’ income should increase as consumers pay higher prices for certain brands.
But millions of French consumers are angry about the cost of living, so there is a risk for the government. It is already struggling to contain often violent “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) protests.
The protests were sparked by a fuel price hike last year – later cancelled by President Emmanuel Macron – but soon the “gilets jaunes” movement morphed into a wider protest against economic hardship.
For months there have been big weekend protests by the yellow vests across France. Another one is planned for Saturday.
Mr Macron has tried to reach out to the protesters. He told journalists on Thursday: “If to be a yellow vest means you want work to pay more and parliament to work better – well then I’m a yellow vest.”
Which consumers are most affected?
The French consumer rights group UFC Que Choisir voiced scepticism about the new law.
One of its researchers, Mathieu Escot, said smaller shops like the Monoprix chain in Paris would not put up prices, because their margins were already above 10%.
But he noted that “gilets jaunes” protesters were frequent shoppers at the big supermarkets and out-of-town stores, where prices would go up.
“So it’s French people on more modest incomes, with weak purchasing power, who will pay,” he argued.
The law “does not oblige” food and drink wholesalers to pay more to French rural producers, he said.
A big agricultural union, Confédération paysanne, told the daily Libération “there is no clear incentive to ensure a return to producers and boost their income”.


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CHESTERFIELD, Va. (Legal Newsline) - Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli reportedly filed a lawsuit on Monday against a Chesterfield recreation complex, alleging that the business violated laws governing the sale of memberships to health spas.
SportsQuest allegedly violated the laws by not listing an opening date for a planned Genito Road fitness facility in its marketing materials. The complex also allegedly failed to open by the date it listed in later materials for marketing, Richmond Biz Sense reports.
Cuccinelli's lawsuit requests that the complex refund at least 700 memberships it allegedly improperly marketed and sold for a fitness facility that has still yet to be built.
"Virginia code prohibits a health spa from selling a health spa contract on a prepayment basis without disclosing in the contract the date on which the health club should open," the lawsuit said, according to the report. "The opening date shall not be later than 12 months from the signing of the contract."
The lawsuit alleges that SportsQuest required customers to pre-pay membership fees of $800 to $2,600 each for contracts that were valid for 36 months of access to the facility, the report says.


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The chances of the Reserve Bank of Australia cutting interest rates to a record low of 0.5 per cent next month have eased, following the strongest retail sales figures for two years, a surge in house prices and record highs in the sharemarket.
With two crucial economic measures, inflation and unemployment, still to be reported before the central bank's February 4 meeting, financial markets reduced the chance of a rate cut to just 45 per cent following the better than expected retailing numbers and another record high for the ASX 200 on Friday.
The All Ordinaries finished above 7000 for the first time, while the benchmark ASX200 finished at 6867.
Economists had expected a bounce in November trade following the Black Friday event, which has been boosting retail sales over recent years.
However, seasonally adjusted sales surged 0.9 per cent, well ahead of the expected 0.4 per cent growth.
Australian Retailers Association's Russell Zimmerman said it was a long time coming.
“We’ve long thought interest rate cuts, tax rebates and minimum wage rises would spark a rise in spending at some point, and whilst it’s later than we’d hoped we’re nonetheless happy with a big lift in November,” Mr Zimmerman said.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the retail sales figures for November were “encouraging".
"In the last National Accounts we saw the fastest quarterly rise in household disposable income in a decade," he said.
"This 2.5 per cent increase was driven by the largest tax cuts in two decades putting more money into the pockets of Australians. These tax cuts have given Australians greater flexibility to save, pay down debt or spend.”
The big boosts in retail trading in November were clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing up 3.1 per cent, household goods retailing up 1.2 per cent, and department stores up 3.4 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said.
The surge in house prices over the past three months of 4 per cent – the fastest quarterly growth in a decade – saw increased spending on household goods retailing.
Furniture, floor coverings, housewares and textile goods retailing rose 1.3 per cent in November, while electrical and electronic goods retailing jumped 2.1 per cent.
Consumption to turn up
Capital Economics economist Marcel Thieliant expects consumption growth to edge up marginally, from 1.4 per cent in 2019 to 1.6 per cent this year.
That would take some pressure off the Reserve Bank, which has repeatedly warned consumption levels remained the key risk for the economy.
However, Mr Thieliant said the latest bounce was unlikely to last.
"The strongest rise in retail sales in two years could be a sign that tax refunds and interest rate cuts are finally boosting spending," Mr Thieliant said. "But with consumer confidence falling to fresh lows, we doubt it will last."
Christmas not the same
Vicinity Centres chief executive Grant Kelley said changing spending habits might mean December trading could take a hit.
"We’re seeing Christmas shopping traditions changing with customers out earlier to make the most of the international Black Friday sales event, which has become a milestone day for Australian retailers and resulted in strong sales in centres across our portfolio," he said.
“We anticipate the success of Black Friday will have impacted early December figures with some of the Christmas spending brought forward, however we continue to see, through traffic and sales, our strong centres getting stronger.”
However, regional shopping centre owner McConaghy Properties' chief investment officer Peter Rossi said retailing had been resilient over the past few months.
"Our December quarter has been quite strong. The traffic numbers are down a little bit but the spend per basket has held up well," Mr Rossi said.
Restaurants key to strong trade
Retail sales figures showed restaurants and takeaway food services enjoyed a 0.9 per cent increase in the month.
Paul Waterson, managing director of Australia’s second-largest pubs group, Australian Venue Co, said the hospitality category should not be taken for granted.
"This sector has outperformed the broader retail trade data consistently over the prior three months.
"We believe this strong performance reflects Australians’ desire to use their growing discretionary income on experiences over things, which in turn continues to drive spend on out-of-home dining and entertainment.”
- The AFR View
- The AFR View
- Tanveer Ahmed


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Oliver Wyman is shaping the way forward for the financial companies business by helping the world’s main monetary establishments tackle their most important challenges. Within the Union Finances 2017-18, the Government of India has introduced just a few key reforms like abolishment of International Funding Promotion Board in 2017-18, Introduce invoice for curbing illicit deposit schemes, Set up a Pc Emergency Response Staff for financial sector (CERT-Fin) and put aside Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 1.5 billion) in the direction of recapitalisation of banks.
Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Legislation & Justice and Info Know-how, has launched a free Doordarshan DTH channel known as DigiShala, which will help people perceive the use of unified funds interface (UPI), USSD, aadhaar-enabled funds system, electronic wallets, debit and bank cards, thereby selling numerous modes of digital payments.
One approach would be a bank which merely buys an insurance coverage firm or an funding bank , keeps the original brands of the acquired firm, and adds the acquisition to its holding firm simply to diversify its earnings Outdoors the U.S. (e.g. Japan ), non-financial companies companies are permitted within the holding firm In this state of affairs, every firm nonetheless looks unbiased, and has its personal prospects, and so forth.
The Authorities of India has relaxed norms for small merchants with a turnover of as much as Rs 2 crore (US$ 300,000), permitting them to pay 6 per cent of deemed profit in tax as a substitute of eight per cent of complete turnover or gross receipts received through banking channels or digital means for FY 2016-17, in a bid to encourage cashless transactions within the country.
The asset administration business in India is among the many fastest growing on this planet. A small but rising variety of angel traders manage themselves into angel teams or angel networks to share assets and pool their investment capital. After more than 20 years of regulating the non-banking sector of South Africa’s financial providers business, the FSB has established itself as a good authority on this area, domestically and internationally.


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Petaling Jaya, 4 December 2003 – National trade association, Direct Selling Association of Malaysia (DSAM) gave away awards in recognition of the achievements of 156 outstanding distributors today at its 8th National Convention themed “Building a Nation of Entrepreneurs”.
Held at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre, the event which also commemorated the association’s 25th Anniversary, was launched by Y.B. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.
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What happened to all of the professional stock analysts who were predicting Apple will hit $1000 per share.
They are oddly quiet and seem to be keeping a low profile. With closing price of $467.01 on February 13, 2013, this is again proof that if you want to benefit from being in the stock market game, you have to do your own due diligence. However that is the least of Apple’s worries, as they seem to be experiencing quite a lot problems lately.
Forget what you have been hearing in the news lately regarding the lawsuit from activist shareholder, David Einhorn, and his Greenlight Capital to extract some of that $137 billion mountain of cash that Apple has been sitting on. That is just minor distraction from Apple’s real problem — the absence of the next big thing.
Let’s see what they have offered us so far since the many iterations of the iPhone, with latest being a bigger screen. Pardon me, but one word “Yawn.” Next, an iPad with 128GB of storage, hmm, “Yawn, again.” And now an iWatch that will supposedly do wonderful and magical things. Okay, we will reserve judgment on that until we know more, if there is a such a product in the pipeline. Although the idea of an iWatch is nothing new as many entrepreneurs have been making iWatch-ish products with funding from Kickstarter for a while and in addition there have also been smart watch going far back as Dick Tracy, yes the comic book character. The point is that the idea is not new, but this is also the case with the iPhone, but Apple just packaged it better.
In addition to the absence of the next big thing, Apple is finding that they are getting hits from everywhere as carriers are increasing weary of paying them a premium for their product. Apple gross margin has come down quite a bit from about 44.7 percent to around 38.6 percent. Overall it is still a great gross margin, but the drop is worrying and we believe is the start of more of what is to come in the future.
And today’s announcement that they are cutting the price of their MacBook Pro with Retina display by about $200 to $300 did not help; all signs are pointing to continue pressure on the stock price to go down even further.
While Apple will continue to be relevant and possibly even come up with another hit as they have quite a lot of money to play with and pretty much no debt. Apple will go through the same cycle of BlackBerry. Both companies are similar in many ways and with a huge following still, they can afford to make mistake here and there.
Yet for those in it for the money, the stock is not going to go nowhere near $700 or even $1000 per share anytime soon, if ever.
Besides their own missteps, the competitions are coming strong and fierce, with the recent revival of the BlackBerry, the other such as HTC, Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, Microsoft, Nokia, Sony and Samsung are all gunning for Apple. Some might have brushed aside these competitors when Apple was sitting pretty, but who’s laughing now?


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IBM launches digital customer experience consultancy
New arm launched off the back of revelation that technology is still a big barrier for decision makers.
IBM today announced it has created a special arm dedicated to improving the customer experience through technology in a way that blends attractive and intuitive design with ease of use.
Dubbed IBM Interactive Experience, it will bring together design gurus and UI experts to help organisations blend strategy and analytics to make the cultural and technological changes needed to embrace a world that moves away from group relationships to 1:1 interaction and engagement.
"This is a quest for our clients and we are pouring investment into this area. R&D, discovery and hypothesis will be everyone's job [in the future]. Five years ago, we saw the imperative for fact-based, data-driven enterprises and we started a business analytics practice which has grown and become market-leading. Today, we're launching another practice (IBM Interactive Experience). It's a first-of-its-kind consulting practice, not just for IBM but for this industry, and will anticipate the premium our clients will place on new models of engagement to all relevant audiences," Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice president, IBM Global Business Services, told the audience during a keynote session at the IBM Connect conference in Orlando this week.
"We are incredibly excited about this. It's a simple formula for something that's not so simple to address. We're very excited about the potential that this world of engagement and data is bringing. Great organisations are going to be born and great organisations are going to evolve. This practice will help our clients move towards that."
Trying to address a smaller segment an audience of one rather than many actually increases data requirements, van Kralingen said. "We have combine large sets of data to get to the origin of action, belief and motivation. If you're really going to crack the code of individual marketing and engagement, you have to crack the social genome," she added.
The natural laws of attraction that is irresistible design will dominate in this new world of more targeted, personalised relationships where we move from analysing what's in someone's shopping basket to trying to understand what motivated them to pick up each item, according to van Kralingen.
Furthermore, she believes social networks will become the engines of trust in this new world of enhanced personalisation.
"We just completed a survey of CEOs around the world and, for the first time in the eight years we have conducted this, we found their number one strategic issue was technology," van Kralingen said.
"The reason for this is three very simple points: 1) If I don't build engaging, interactive digital business models with my customers and clients, I'm out of business. They will allow me to either take share of be disintermediated 2) They're concerned about security, trust and reputation 3) I have to find a way of getting my people in the organisation to behave in a way that inspires my customers and how can I use technologies of engagement to do so?"
Mobile, social and digital are intersecting forces that are resulting in a massive shift organisations must respond to, van Kralingen said. Such a shift is underpinned by large volumes of data, she added.
"Like all big shifts it's changing our world in ways that at first might seem paradoxical," van Kralingen said. "Our world is becoming simultaneously massively larger and massively smaller. The context for action enlarges, but the arena within which you actually act shrinks. We're moving from markets, categories, segments of people to seven billion tiny market segments [markets of one]."
We have entered an era of hyper-humanity, where intense personalisation reigns, according to van Kralingen. This means companies must morph from being customer-centric to customer-activated. It's about moving beyond listening and talking to customers to having them influence entire strategy and work ethic.
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Battlefield: Hardline Bringing “A Sweet New Game Mode” with DLC Reveals at Gamescom 2015
In a summer that’s been relatively light for new game releases, next month’s Gamescom is just around the corner to showcase the big new releases coming by the year’s end and beyond, with EA and Visceral Games to bring their big guns (literally) with new content coming to Battlefield: Hardline.
Game developer Thaddeus Sasser shared a tease of the new content coming to Hardline that will be shown during Gamescom 2015 next month, primarily showing the new “Robbery” DLC expected to launch for the game sometime this summer.
Specifically, Sasser detailed that alongside the new weapons, gear, and maps expected to launch with “Robbery” this summer, the new DLC will also include “a sweet new game mode” with it. “Robbery” will be the second DLC expansion coming to Hardline following the “Criminal Activity” expansion that released in June, with two more expansions to launch in fall 2015 and early 2016.
Battlefield: Hardline is available for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Headed to GamesCom next month to show off DLC 2, Robbery! Some great new stuff to show off, including a sweet new game mode. Any guesses?
— Thaddeus Sasser (@dirtydeathdog) July 19, 2015


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(Adds falling scrap supplies in 13th paragraph.)
June 21 (Bloomberg) -- China’s copper imports may plunge 32 percent this year, more than earlier estimated, as stockpiles in the world’s biggest user stay above average, said state-owned researcher Beijng Antaike Information Development Co.
“We have cut our forecast from 2.4 million tons made at the beginning of this year to 2 million tons,” said Antaike copper analyst Li Yusheng in a phone interview. “We think the destocking will continue.” Refined shipments fell 8.4 percent in 2010 to 2.92 million tons, according to the General Administration of Customs.
A decline in imports may push down prices further from a record reached in February. Shipments tumbled 47 percent in May from a year earlier as fabricators continued destocking, keeping local prices low and making it unprofitable to buy from overseas, data showed today.
“Imports failed to climb in a pickup of seasonal demand in April and May, and this isn’t a good sign,” Li said. “We think inventories at bonded and exchange warehouses can be further tapped to meet demand in the fall.”
Stockpiles at bonded warehouses in Shanghai have fallen to about 400,000 tons from as much as 600,000 tons two months ago, while the historical average was around 200,000 tons, according to Li. Inventories at the Shanghai Futures Exchange-monitored warehouses have fallen 51 percent from this year’s high in March to 87,310 tons last week, bourse data showed.
Imports of refined copper were 149,235 tons last month, compared with 279,690 a year earlier and 160,236 tons in April, data show. Shipments in the first five months fell 33 percent from a year ago to 905,434 tons.
Copper for delivery in three months on the London Metal Exchange was traded at $9,070 a ton at 4:43 p.m. Shanghai time, about 11 percent lower than February’s record of $10,190.
Imports have fallen as local output has risen and prices overseas have been more expensive, making imports unprofitable for traders who seek to exploit price gaps between markets. Refined-copper output in China hit a record 470,000 tons in March and was 439,000 tons in May.
“The London price is still too high for any restocking plan,” said Zhao Kai, an analyst Jinrui Futures Co., a subsidiary of China’s largest refined copper producer Jiangxi Copper Co. “As the June-to-August period is the usual slack season, we probably won’t see a strong rebound in imports, despite the significant decline of domestic stocks,” he said.
To be sure, the drop in imports so far has prompted expectations of a rebound later this year among some analysts. Prices will rise to a record $12,000 a ton by the end of this year as Chinese imports begin rising from July, said Nicholas Snowdon, an analyst at Barclays Capital, on June 8.
Imports in June may jump 25 percent from April as consumption and investment demand rise, Jesse Jiang, the manager of copper research at Antaike, said June 7.
Copper may climb to a record $11,000 a ton by the end of the year, partly because Japan, the world’s fourth-biggest user, will need to rebuild following the March 11 earthquake, draining global inventories as mining output wanes, analysts in a Bloomberg survey said in April.
Dwindling supplies of copper scrap may also lift imports. Copper recyclers in southern China have been reducing output of refined metal on tight scrap supply, said an executive from Guangdong Qingyuan Yunnan Copper Nonferrous Metals Co.
“Scrap imports are too expensive, almost close to the refined metal price, so traders are reluctant to import,” Tao Yonghe, general manager of Guangdong Qingyuan, said in an interview today. The company is a unit of Aluminum Corp. of China, the nation’s biggest producer of the light metal.
Recycled copper accounts for about 35 percent of China’s total refined output, and 60 percent of scrap supply is from imports, according to the company, which has a recycling capacity of 100,000 tons per year.
--Helen Sun. Editors: Richard Dobson, James Poole
To contact the Bloomberg News staff on this story: Helen Sun in Shanghai at firstname.lastname@example.org
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Poole at email@example.com


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Saturday, March 12, 2022
Lowell Melser, WBAL-TV 11
While just about every driver feels the pain at the pump, one group of drivers is feeling the most pain: truck drivers, especially private contractors and independent drivers.
| INTERACTIVE MAP: Maryland gas prices county-by-county
While a gallon of regular gas is now an average $4.30, diesel fuel is at $5.25 a gallon -- that's 7 cents more than Thursday and almost $1 more than a month ago, according to AAA.
Industry experts told 11 News the real issue is how quickly prices are rising, which will mean higher consumer prices and some smaller companies possibly going out of business.
As if conditions weren't bad enough for truck drivers amid COVID-19 and supply chain issues. Now, they have to deal with record-high fuel prices.
Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Foundation Inc., told 11 News that independent drivers are struggling.
"When fuel rates start jumping double or more, it really puts a pinch on small business owner-operators," Pugh said.
Many drive more than 100,000 miles a year, and with current fuel prices, that comes out to an expense of more than $60,000.
"Fuel is the largest expense for a trucker. The prices we're seeing now, they're paying $1 a mile, roughly, just to buy fuel for the truck right now, which is a horrible expense," Pugh said.
In Maryland, Louis Campion, president and CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, explained the speed at which fuel prices are rising is frightening.
"I think it's having a real devastating impact on our industry, particularly on smaller trucking companies," Campion said. "In this scenario, what really is hamstringing a lot of companies is that the rapid escalation we're seeing increases in a week's time -- $1 per gallon."
Another issue confronting smaller companies is they can't keep up with establishing fuel surcharges, which are based on weekly averages.
"So, when you see last week's retail price is much different than this week's retail price, (what) you're paying at the pump today is much different than what your surcharge is based on. So, you can't keep pace," Campion said.
Both association representatives told 11 News drivers will continue to deliver goods, but ultimately, it's going to be the consumer who picks up the bill.


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|by : Celebs101 Staff on 23-Sep-2007
An animal rights cluster speaks Alicia Silverstone
emerges nude in a television ad promoting vegetarianism that was to debut Wednesday in Houston. The 30-second ad was to air about two dozen times in Houston on Wednesday, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said.
PETA said Houston was picked for the commercial's launch because it is often high on lists of cities with unhealthy eating habits. Houston was named the sixth fattest city in the nation by Men's Fitness magazine this year.
Booking this Story below..


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“We were able to rebuild a licensing program that was performing poorly at retail and made Build-A-Bear Workshop into a multi-million royalty business,” said Lotman, CEO. “Our success and our relationships with the people behind that brand led us to a number of highly successful contracts in the ensuing years, like Cold Stone Creamery and Mrs. Fields.”
Since that time, Lotman, Bill McClinton, the senior vice president of licensing, and Mike Gard, COO, reviewed Global Icons’ portfolio to find new opportunities. Lotman said he, McClinton, and others at the company had extensive experience in food manufacturing and licensing of food and restaurant brands. They decided to focus the company’s energy in tapping the great opportunities there, the largest of all licensing sectors.
Dannon was another key food sector client to join Global Icons in the last year; more recently, the company won contracts with Horizon and Silk. McClinton said there are unique challenges associated with licensing an organic brand and one that specializes in such a unique product as soy, but that the company is up for the task.
“It’s very exciting because both of these brands enjoy an extremely loyal fan base,” he said. “Our task is to find new categories that those consumers will be drawn to or that fill their needs.”
Lotman explained that these brands are now in the first phase of the Global Icons process: brand assessment. As he and his team sometimes do, they started gauging these brands’ equity and standing in the market close to home.
“I’m a Horizon customer already, so I understand why people are excited about high-quality, great-tasting, organic dairy products. I also spent some time talking to people who either enjoy Silk or need soymilk as part of their diet and found an almost limitless enthusiasm for the brand,” he said.
After the company assesses these brands, it will move into the second phase of its process where its team works closely with the brand to develop a licensing strategy that aligns with the core business goals. Lotman said this creative planning, critical to the development, is one of the unmatched strengths of the company.
“We become brand stewards in the truest sense of the word, saying no to a deal before even taking it to our client because we already know it isn’t a good fit,” he said.
McClinton added that Global Icons doesn’t try to close as many deals as possible in the shortest amount of time. “We put our clients first and hold out for solid, long-term partnerships that benefit everyone,” he said.
One example of this protectiveness was the company’s work with Baileys Irish Cream. McClinton explained that the client wanted any licensed product to incorporate the beverage as an ingredient rather than one developed through a flavor house. The reason for this was to truly deliver the brand experience: the smooth dairy drink with a whiskey after taste. To do any less, in its eyes, would be to devalue the rich history of its brand. Without the option of using a developed ingredient, McClinton and his team had to turn away a number of interested brands that weren’t willing to invest in the R&D to make the product work with the beverage.
In the end, Global Icons closed deals in premium ice cream, chocolates, and frozen prepared desserts. They all turned out to be highly lucrative, proving the point that it pays to wait for the right partnership.
Lotman also highlighted a few more recent deals Global Icons made. It recently united Honda with a helmet manufacturer, which turned out to be one of the most challenging deals the company ever completed due to the sensitive liability issues involved. This quarter, another of its clients will be breaking into an emerging field: Crock-Pot will launch a line of fully prepared refrigerated meals manufactured by Harris Food Group. And Lotman said the company’s work with Duraflame to launch electric fireplaces and heating appliances by Twin-Star International was one of the most interesting deals he’s worked on.
“We love the food category, but there is also strength in working in a broad range of industries,” he said. “So we focus on looking for brands that are number one within a certain niche.”
Eager for the future
Steps three and four of Global Icons’ process involves executing the strategy and monitoring a brand’s performance. That’s where the experience and knowledge of people at the company come into play, according to Lotman. He said from the beginning he’s hired people smarter than him and then stepped out of the way.
In the licensing industry, most people don’t stay at one firm more than three years, but the average tenure at Global Icons is five, though many people at the company have been there for eight years or more. Lotman attributed that to a culture that values creative thinking and collaboration. “Everyone here has the opportunity to try a new idea, and if it doesn’t work, that’s okay. That mindset might have resulted in slower initial growth for us, but our success today proves to me it was worth it,” he said.
His confidence in this model is why Global Icons is looking overseas for growth in the next few years, particularly in Asia, Europe, and South America, where small but growing licensing markets are getting attention. And the company has another unique idea for a licensing firm: owning a brand. Lotman said the company already has financial support, but he and his team are taking their time finding the perfect brand with a rich history that could use some sprucing up.
“It’d be great to use our talents to bring an older brand with strong equity back to a more vibrant life, so we’re definitely in the market. There is a lot of opportunity out there, and we’re excited to have a part in it,” he concluded.


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The Zyxel smart antenna consistently calculates the ideal physical-layer path for each individual client.
08 Aug 2017 2:52 PM
A new fitness tracker measures one’s biometric levels, and stimulates sweat even when the user is not exerting them self.
08 Aug 2017 11:37 AM
Reports from the online media state that Apple is planning to introduce the new smartglasses as early as 2018.
08 Aug 2017 10:02 AM


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A new Top Trumps style game has been released and it's all about Coventry.
Cov Trumps is a new card game that will see players deal a hand in Coventry history and is a great way to get competitive over who knows Cov best.
The game is the latest in a range of Coventry products from local business Etch & Pin which looks to celebrate the city and has so far included The Coventry Sticker Album and a series of Coventry pin badges.
The game is a great way for Cov folk to refine their knowledge, and for those new to the city to school up on what defines it.
There is much to choose from as the game features more than 30 iconic landmarks and attractions from across the city including Lady Godiva, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry Transport Museum and The Wave.
Etch & Pin owner Aaron Ashmore said: "I grew up playing lots of different card and board games and couldn’t think of any which features Coventry so I decided it was my responsibility to put that right.
"We asked members of the public to help us to rank the landmarks across four categories, 'Fun', 'Iconic', 'Culture', and 'Historic' and it was really interesting to see how the scores all lined up.
"There’s a lot to be proud of the city at the moment and sometimes Coventry people aren’t always the loudest to shout about our civic pride. Hopefully I’m doing just that with Cov Trumps."
The game asks you to make some tough choices: Which is more iconic, Coventry Cathedral or Lady Godiva? Or maybe it's your old friend (or foe), Coventry ring road. There's a lot at stake!
As with previous products, Etch & Pin is partnering with a local charity with £1 from every pack sold online being donated to Grapevine; a charity who helps all kinds of people experiencing isolation, poverty and disadvantage in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Grapevine are a thriving community organisation, and have spoken to CoventryLive in the past on how they plan to help those who access their services. From inclusive club nights to creative schemes, the money from Aaron's game will go directly towards helping their services run.
The game launched on February 29 and can be bought on etchandpin.co.uk and various locations in the city. For more on that, you can follow @etchandpin on Facebook and Twitter.


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Technology / 09.08.21
Amazon Music Reportedly Exploring Live Concert and Podcast Streaming
MusicTech (09/02/21) Seah, Daniel
Amazon is reportedly investing in live audio features that will commence with concerts and later move into talk shows and podcasts. Amazon Music is apparently leading this initiative, and will permit users to access live performances through their accounts. Axios says the company has already been in discussion with major record labels about events with their artists. Live audio could be an attempt by Amazon to broaden the types of content it can offer customers who own Amazon smart speaker products with Alexa virtual assistant technology. The e-commerce giant was also said to be exploring an integration of those live audio features into its Twitch livestreaming service, which Amazon has owned since 2014.
Read the full story from MusicTech.
Tags: Music , Live-Streaming , News